Chapter 12
Honeycrisp sat on an examination table as he was being inspected by Dr Nurse Redheart. Two of his three children, Big Macintosh and Applejack, stood nearby. Though he had insisted that he was fine now that he remembered his true identity, they had dragged him to the hospital to be checked on anyway.
“So you mean to say that you have been in some kind of magical, nightmare stasis for twelve years and then after finally getting away by killing yourself in your dreams, you got into some poison joke which made you forget your life and believe that your nightmares were actually real, but now you’re okay because you’ve been cured of the poison joke?”
“That’s it in a nutshell.” Honeycrisp answered.
“Yup.” AJ responded at the same time.
“Ugh...” Redheart rubbed her temple with a hoof. “Poison joke cases are always such a headache.”
“Really? Why’s that?” Honeycrisp tilted his head curiously.
“Because we need to record and catalogue every new symptom that shows up. While most afflictions have a single file describing their effects and remedies, poison joke has an entire shelf dedicated to it. As far as I can recall, you’re the first case of a pony’s mind being affected by the stuff.”
“Not a single one of ‘em had their minds mixed up any? Ain’t that a bit weird?” Honeycrisp asked.
“A little weird is an understatement when it comes to poison joke. It’s rare to have the same symptoms twice, and if the stuff can mess with ponies’ minds now, then it’s about to become an even bigger headache for us. If we’re lucky, it only affected you that way by mixing in with whatever nightmare toxin was left in your system. If it did get mixed, that may explain why we failed to realize you were suffering from poison joke the last time you were in here. Too bad we don’t have a sample of that toxin from the wisps to run some tests on.”
“Ah could probably get Twilight to ask Zecora if she could get some next time she visits her if ya’d like.” Applejack offered.
“That would be greatly appreciated.” Redheart nodded at the suggestion.
“Is there anything else ya want me here for?” Honeycrisp pressed, eager to be away so that he could be properly reunited with the rest of his family. It was weird thinking back on his interactions with them while he thought he was a human. It had definitely been him the entire time, he could remember everything, he could still bring to mind the feeling of it all, and yet there was a disconnect regardless. It was hard to explain.
“Unless you need a refill on your medication already, no. I am obligated to tell you to stop taking so much of it if you do, though.”
“Nah, ah’ve got plenty left.”
“Then I’ll see you in a week or so for your next check up.”
“Are ya sure? There ain’t no test ya wanna run? Ah wouldn’t want to find out ya missed somethin’ an end up losin’ him cause of it.” Applejack prodded further, eliciting an eye roll from Honeycrisp.
“Fer the last time, ah’m fine, stop yer fussin’.” He told her. He knew she was just worried for him, but she was getting a little over bearing.
“Actually, there is one thing I can do.” Redheart leaned forward until her face was right in front of her patient’s. “No more running off into the Everfree Forest. I know you want to move around, but you really need to give your back a rest. Your medicine is to ease your pain, not let you act as if you weren’t injured to begin with. Understand?”
Honeycrisp sighed. “Yes ma’am.”
“Good.” The doctor stepped away from him and waved him off. “You are free to leave.”
Minutes later, the trio were outside of the hospital and Big Macintosh was helping his father into the wagon. As much as Honeycrisp wanted to walk, he knew there was no way they would let him after that warning from the doctor. They hadn’t even let him walk to the spa earlier, instead choosing to ferry him the entire way on Big Mac's back while Applejack went back home to fetch a wagon for any further transportation needs. At least he wasn't going to be carried like a foal anymore. He loved his son, but riding on his back was not only embarrassing, but uncomfortable too.
“So, did ya let the others know ah remember who ah am now?” He asked his daughter who was riding along beside him while Big Mac pulled the wagon.
“Nope!” She answered, rocking herself back and forth on her seat like an excited foal. “Ah thought ah’d let ya surprise ‘em!”
Honeycrisp smiled as he imagined the looks on their faces as he broke the news to them. A small part of him was nervous over the upcoming meeting, but mostly he was just excited. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. He could hardly wait to see them all again, but until then he settled for closely examining Applejack’s face.
Though rugged and a little rough around the edges, she was a beautiful young mare. She had her mother's gorgeous emerald green eyes. The way they sparkled with merriment and joy now reminded him tremendously of the long gone time when he and Rosewood would spend their afternoons just talking to each other as they sat in the farm's fields. He felt a slight pang in his chest.
“Ah bet Apple Bloom’s gonna have a million questions fer ya now ya’ve got yer memory back. Heck, ah got a few myself, but no sense havin’ ya answer everythin’ twice. Ah’ll wait ‘til we’re home first.” AJ paused as she noticed just how closely her father was examining her. “Uh...is there somethin’ on my face?”
“No, nothing like that.” John shook his head. “It’s jus’ that yer so big.”
“Uh...thanks, ah guess.” She raised an eyebrow at his words.
“I don’t mean yer fat or nothin’ like that, ah jus’ mean ya grew up. Ya’ll did.”
“Well, yeah,” AJ chuckled, “that tends to happen.”
“Yeah, ah guess it does.” He chuckled, though not as happily as his daughter had moments earlier. He spent the rest of the ride home contemplating what his twelve year absence actually meant for him.
______________________
The wagon rolled up on Sweet Apple Acres late in the afternoon. The farm seemed eerily quiet, almost as if the land itself were waiting for the arrival of the Apple family patriarch. Honeycrisp dismissed it as his imagination since the other two didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, or at least they didn’t give voice to any such observations anyway.
Honeycrisp thanked Applejack as she helped him down from the wagon. He carefully made his way to the front porch as she helped his brother remove the harness connecting him to the wagon. Honeycrisp thought about waiting for them to finish up before going inside, but figured they’d catch up soon enough. He brought himself before the front door, took a deep breath and then pulled it open.
“SURPRISE!”
Honeycrisp was bombarded with a wall of sound, confetti and balloons and was nearly knocked off his hooves by it. He probably would have fallen over had an assortment of hooves not reached out to grab him and drag him through the door. He was hauled, somewhat painfully for his back, through a crowd of ponies and placed at the head of the kitchen table in front of a large, white cake with pink frosting. On the top were the words: ‘Congratulations on getting your memo’.
“I ran out of room for the rest of the sentence.” A pink pony that he remembered as one of his daughter’s friends, Pinkie Pie he thought, admitted sheepishly.
“Huh...but...what?” Honeycrisp sputtered, overwhelmed by the crowd around him.
“It’s great to have ya back, Honeycrisp.” The familiar voice of his mother greeted his ears, and after a moment of searching through the wall of mostly unfamiliar faces he finally found her.
“How did ya know? AJ said she didn’t tell nopony yet.”
“I maaaay have bribed Aloe at the spa to let me know what happened.” Pinkie Pie confessed with a self satisfied grin.
John felt a hoof touch his side and looked down to see Apple Bloom.
“Are ya really my Dad this time?” She asked as she stared up into his eyes.
“Yes, ah’m really back!” He answered, suddenly finding himself staring intently at the familiar and yet unfamiliar face of his youngest child. She reminded him of Rosewood, perhaps even more than Applejack did. While Applejack may have had her mother’s eyes, Apple Bloom’s facial structure looked remarkably like a very young Rosewood.
“Ya ain’t gonna turn around an’ say yer some kind of robot or somethin’, right?” She asked with narrowed eyes.
“No.” He answered once again with a slight chuckle, shaking off the darker feelings that were trying to surface with his unbidden memories.
The young teenage filly’s suspicious face eased into a smile in response to his answer and she gave him a big hug.
“Good.” She said simply.
“Alright, everypony! Who wants some cake!?” Pinkie Pie shouted to the crowd, earning an enthusiastic chorus confirming that they did indeed want some cake.
The party went on long enough for Honeycrisp to lose track of time. He spent most of the celebration sitting and talking with a near endless stream of ponies, many of which he didn’t recognize the faces of but knew the names. Even those he did recognize were nearly foreign to him. It was amazing how much ponies could age in just twelve short years.
Somewhere in the chaos between the third and fourth impromptu dance that he was able to avoid thanks to the doctor's orders to rest his back, he had lost track of several of the most familiar faces in the crowd. Apple Bloom had run off with her two friends, and he was mildly concerned for what the three of them might be getting up to, though was in no condition to go chasing after the little fillies. Big Macintosh had slipped away with Cheerilee to somewhere more private. Granny Smith had fallen asleep on the couch after having several glasses of punch that she may or may not have been spiking with her own personal stash of hard apple cider. Applejack was the only one still around and conscious, though she was busy speaking with her friends.
Honeycrisp suddenly felt rather alone, despite the crowd of ponies around him that were revelling in Pinkie’s party. He excused himself from those nearby, saying he needed some fresh air, and slipped out the front door into the cool evening air. He walked off of the porch, giving the now customary wince of pain as he descended those couple of steps, wandered off a few metres onto the grassy yard and sat down, enjoying the feeling of the earth beneath him.
He tilted his gaze to the familiar starry sky and took a deep, calming breath. Everything else may have changed, but at least the night sky remained constant. He found his eyes drawn to the moon and tried to find the pattern of the mare on the moon. He was mildly frustrated to discover that he couldn’t. It seemed that he had been wrong, even the night sky had changed during his absence. He let out a sad sigh.
“Is something eatin’ at ya?”
Honeycrisp turned his eyes from the moon to see Applejack had followed him outside. He turned his gaze back to the heavens as she walked up beside him.
“Ah can’t find the mare on the moon.”
“Yeah, she’s gone now. Been gone ever since Nightmare Moon came back an’ we turned her back into Princess Luna with the elements of harmony.”
He had remembered hearing about Nightmare Moon’s return from Apple Bloom on their trip to her school, but he hadn’t realized that the markings on the moon had somehow actually been that villainess of legend.
“That ain’t all that’s on yer mind, is it?” She pressed as she stood over him. “Ya can tell me, we’re family.”
Honeycrisp thought a moment in silence before speaking. “It’s jus’...ah don’t really feel like ah belong.”
“That’s down right ridiculous, yer an Apple.”
“No,” Honeycrisp shook his head slowly as he continued searching the stars for familiar constellations, “that ain’t it. Everypony ah knew is older, an’ sometimes ah can barely recognize anythin'.”
He stopped for a moment. Applejack didn’t say anything, sensing that there was more he needed to get off his chest and that she just needed to wait to hear it.
“The three of ya, you an yer siblings, ya’ve grown up. Ah missed so much, things ah’ll never get to see now. Whenever ah look at ya, or anythin’ else for that matter, ah see what it used to be an’ ah have a hard time connectin’ that to what it is now. Everythin’ kept movin’ on forward ‘cept me, ah got left behind in the past.”
After several moments of silence, Applejack spoke up gently. “Ya done?”
“Yeah, ah’m done.” He answered with a sigh. He felt like he wasn’t really being clear enough in regards to what he felt, but he didn’t know how to word it any better than he had. If he tried, he’d probably just end up talking in circles.
“Ah ain’t gonna pretend to know what it’s like to be in yer boots, but ah can imagine bein’ mighty off put if I woke up tomorrow an’ everypony ah knew was a decade older.” She shuddered at the thought of it. “Ah realize that ya’ve missed a lot an’ yer feelin’ bad ‘cause of it, but if ya jus’ focus on what ya missed an what coulda been, yer gonna miss out on the memories ya can make in the here an’ now too.”
Honeycrisp mulled over her words. Was that what he was doing out there? Focusing so much on what he hadn’t the chance to experience that he was neglecting the present? Perhaps his daughter was right, he should focus more on what was sitting right in front of him.
“Hey, Jackie?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Would ya like to do some star gazin’ with me?”
Applejack smiled. “Ah’d love to.”
A gentle smile stretched across his muzzle as Applejack sat down next to him and turned her eyes upwards. Nothing was going to change that he felt bad about what he had missed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to move on. At that moment, staring at the canopy of stars above with his daughter, Honeycrisp knew that things were going to be okay.
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I like it. Thanks for the great story dude!
Dang. Can't upvote the story again.
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us.
Now I 'm picturing a side story where Luna commiserates with him on the whole 'missing time' issue...
Excellent chapter, and a good ending for a great story (even loved the alternate end).
7719511 I know it's sadness that we can't do that. But that's why for me I created a bookshelf to remedy that's exact problem.
Why does this story not have more likes. and its description.
---------------
Well this chapter does clear some things up and makes the story easier to understand.
I enjoyed this story through and through.
Good job.
-BFBL
Wonderful. This chapter touched on the questions I had where the last one left off. How do you cope and were do you start to recover. Nicely done, Robo. You didn't spend the time on trying to show us the actual recovery, which might have left us feeling emptier to be honest, you just showed the first step. And it's a great picture, Father and Daughter just watching the stars...
Damn good story.
7719537 This needs to happen!
Well, that was quite a heart touching story. I even saw at least 2 thumbs up pop up while I was reading.
Great job, was a good read.
420 likes. The picture has leafs on them. Coincidence I think not!
That ending was much more satisfying, and the pacing was just right. I loved the explanation of the poison joke, the reunion with Apple Bloom, and the talk with Applejack. He's not instantly better and adjusted to life in Ponyville, but he'll get there with time.
A wonderful story, wish I could give it a 100 of likes. Stories like this make things a tad more warmth in my heart once in awhile.
7745023
I seem to get that kind of response a lot with this story. Glad you enjoyed it.
7811313
Life is like a box o' apples.
This was a really good story, well done
7811359 There's fresh ones, clean ones, bruised ones, old ones, and all are different colors, shapes, and sizes, but they can all be used to plant a tree.
That's the perfect scene to end this one.
Damn. Wish there was more. Don't see a lot of stories where the main character is a father. Or an older dude. Usually just young white guys that develop god-like powers for whatever reason. I would talk more of how great this is, but I already had to go back and take out a bunch of spoilers. Just know that I liked it, and I almost ruined it for everyone by accident cause Im dumb.
7873901
Yeah, it was kind of one of the things I was thinking about when I started writing it. I hadn't seen many fanfictions revolving around AJ's parents, and few HIE stories were from the point of view of an older person or a parent. I figured a crippled, older man who comes to Equestria as AJ's father and doesn't become some sort of big hero would be a nice story to try writing.
I quite enjoyed this story. Not as much as your others, mind, but it was still an interesting read. I really enjoy the way you ended this!
DAAAAAWW
Not bad but in the end is not what I like, I stopped around the middle.
That was interesting... with the right amount of Equestrian love and goodness... But i am strangely disappointed. All turns out simple. Mundane. As if Occam's razor flew by and cut away something interesting.
Just a normal sunny day in Ponyville...
9686612
I'm not sure that this one is technically incorrect, or if nothing else it is a way of phrasing things that I've heard relatively commonly. However, since I am unsure and the meaning of the line is not impacted in the slightest by changing it to your version, I have made the adjustment.
9686728
First one is definitely a good catch.The frequency with which I accidentally have a quotation mark at the start of a line where it doesn't belong just irks me.
The second one is half of a catch. I should have removed the space between "Why" and "ever", to create "whyever". Technically, such a word is not recognized as proper English, however, it is used anyway in conversation as an emphatic form of "why", and I believe it fits Rarity's manner of speech.
edit: Upon further inspection with google, it seems that "Why ever" and "Whyever" are maybe used interchangeably. Regardless, it was an intentional choice on my part either way.
9686767
Once again, that was intentional at the time to use the wrong tense to try and show a particular manner of speech. However, this time I have to come to the conclusion that it's a little overboard and unnecessary. I've changed it to the proper tense.
9686846
And fixed. Thanks for pointing out the errors, I'm always up for going back to fix them in my stories.
What a nice and heartwarming story. I'm glad I read this.
AAAAA!
I'ts so awesome!
Amazing job!
I LOVE IT!!!!
Tankyouthankyouthankyou! I'm so glad that i foun this brilliant story!
OMG, it's so marvelous!
10382191
Why thank you, love to hear you enjoyed it so much!
10186056
Awfully late response to this, but I can totally get behind him having a Sam Eliott voice. Way better choice than Forrest Gump.
Awesome stuff, love this.
10729857
Yes, fricking way!
I'm delighted to hear that you loved this story. Enough to binge it in one day, it seems.
Love this story. I am glad they are a family again
That was heartwarming, great fic.