Appledashery Vol. Two

by Just Essay

The Colors You're Allowed

Applejack didn't sell a single apple for two hours. And—despite her undeniably frightening financial situation—she wasn't in the position to notice.

She sat—slumped—against the vendor stand of her little portion of the marketplace. Her eyes traced circles in the dirt, and when the thoughts rolling in her head grew bumpier, she drew her hat forward to mask the ache.

Strangers...

She didn't want her friends to become strangers...

...and yet... with the sudden harvest she was having to push into full gear.

"Mrmmmmngh..." Applejack grumbled into her hooves. "...dag nabbit."

Meeting Twilight Sparkle and saving Equestria from Eternal Night was such a turning point in her life... a breath of fresh air that saved her from...

...familiarity.

Applejack looked up. Instead of dull gray tombstones, she saw the golden-thatched rooftops of Ponyville... and the playfully rotating windmill off in the distance.

How certain had Applejack been in the past that nonstop focus on farmwork was the only way to salvage the situation at hoof?

And how quickly had that stubborn resolve crumbled when friendship and companionship came into her life?

Applejack's eyes glanced up.

A blue sky lingered overhead. Bright... daring... warm.

She instantly felt a lump forming in her throat. Rarity's words echoed in her sweat-saturated head, and she had to stare back down into the earth to keep from tipping over with the weight of it.

She sold a few apples—but ultimately lost count. She trotted slowly back home that evening, and although her apple cart was half-empty, it felt like it weighed ten times as much as when she first arrived.

---

Night was falling.

Applejack limped into her bedroom, still damp from a thorough, soaking bath.

She had laid in that rinse a bit longer than normal—probably to avoid this moment. This awkward moment of standing in the center of the room, staring vacantly at the vanity beneath the mirror that reflected a lonesome young mare.

The handle of a drawer glinted with a stray band of starlight.

Applejack bit her lip. She marched straight for bed. Turning towards the window, she could almost make out the distant stones atop the hill.

It was too cold a sight to stare at suddenly.

So... Applejack surrendered to the darkness... a shadowy softness.

Her eyes shut...

---

...and she was in a lonesome alleyway.

Beneath a sliver of stars.

And she cradled the mare to her chest.

And she nuzzled her.

And she waited for time to rewind itself... to limp back to that precious, whimpering moment.

Those six words, locked in place, pouring out over and over again.

Covering Applejack from head to hoof.

So that she submerged in that sweet, feathery honey...

...and drifted forever. Warm and unafraid.

---

When Applejack awoke, it was a lifetime later—the next morning.

She sat up sharply—bright and awake. On a savage impulse, she hopped out of bet, walked the plank of sunlight through the window, and yanked the drawer open.

It took a half-second of fumbling, but she opened the velvet case and unlocked its contents. Within seconds, she was nuzzling the very real feather to her very real cheek...

...and fighting with very real tears.

A shudder.

A shake.

And she turned to look out the window.

In the peeking sunrise, the two stones reflected sharply. Like torches. Shooting stars locked in place.

"I'd nuzzle you t-too if y'all were here."

A stifled whimper.

"It's just... a feelin'. The next best thang. I promise..."

One tear escaped. It ran down the first genuine smile in days.

"...it will only make me work harder. I ain't gonna fail ya. Not one bit."

And with a positively healthy breath, Applejack tucked the thing back into its hiding spot... and wore the hat back into fields.

Where she got lots and lots of work done.

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

Rainbow was content to watch.
Apple craves touch.

[Booster Spice]

Beuraucracy blind.

When the regulator fails.

Machines burn.

[Leftover of Saikano]

"I'd nuzzle you t-too if y'all were here."

I hope next chapter consists only of Applejack nuzzling her family and friends.

[Sir Mediocre]

You are filled with

M O T I V A T I O N !

[zaponator]

Well on the upside, Applejack's depression is less directly self-destructive than Rainbow's. So that's nice.

[PropMaster]

Eeee, yes!

[Thursday]

8493961
Cheeky undertale reference is cheeky 💙💜