As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Who is Uncle Ironhide?

As the Apple Blooms

Respite 1; Who is Uncle Ironhide?

“See y’all later!” Applejack called out as she waved to her friends. She and the other Rainbooms had just finished another practice session, and now everyone was returning home.

Well, everyone except Sunset Shimmer. After the nightmare that was the Anon-A-Miss incident, Sunset had, for the most part, severed most of her ties with the gang. Sure, she was friendly when running into them in the halls, but she refused to join the Rainbooms and spent most of her free time with the Wondercolts. Only Rainbow Dash had any regular contact with her, and if what she had told Applejack, Sunset found the situation perfect.

“Gah, dammit Apple Bloom!” Applejack muttered to herself as she remembered what had derailed her train of thought. For the last month she had barely thought of her sister or how she had masterminded the whole ordeal. In truth, once she was gone, Applejack realized that life had very quickly become, for lack of a better term, normal. Other than the occasional person calling her “Piggly Wiggly,” life had returned to how it was before Twilight showed up in their lives, if not even better.

But that was in the past. Today was a new day, and Applejack knew she just had to keep moving forward. Taking a deep breath, she forced the thoughts of the past, Apple Bloom and all, out of her mind and walked up to her family’s home and opened the door.

The moment Applejack opened the family door, heard the unmistakable sound of her grandmother call out to her. “Applejack, you mind comin’ over here for a minute?”

“Sure thing Granny.” Applejack replied as she set her backpack down. That was certainly odd. Normally Granny Smith was busy this time of day, and she couldn’t tell what kind of mood the Apple matriarch was in. Was she angry, or injured, depressed, disappointed, or a combination of the lot?

Applejack made her way into the family glen to see that not only was Granny Smith waiting for her, but her older brother Big Macintosh was there as well, looking nervous and surprisingly pale. The older woman then said, “Applejack, would you mind sittin’ down?”

“Uh, sure.” Applejack replied, starting to internally panic. “Are we in trouble for somethin’?”

“Oh heck no dear.” Granny Smith replied. Applejack let out a sigh of relief as Big Mac let out a deep breath, color returning to his face. As the young man caught his breath, Granny Smith continued, “You kids ain’t in trouble. Ah just wanna talk to ya about your Uncle Ironhide.”

That caught Applejack’s attention. “Ironhide?” The teenaged farm girl asked. “Wait a minute, Apple Bloom didn’t get in trouble did she?”

Granny Smith raised her hand and said, “Now look here youngin’, if Apple Bloom got herself into trouble, we’d have heard from him by now.” Applejack backed away a bit, surprised by her grandmother’s sternness. The older woman continued, “Tell me somethin’. What do you two know about your uncle?”

“Well….” Big Mac began before Applejack interrupted him. “Well, he was an old friend of Ma and Pa, he was in the army, and at some point he said he owed Pa a favor, and that we could call that favor in.” Big Mac simply nodded as he added his trademark, “Eeyup.”

Granny Smith then said, “Ah see. What else do ya know about him?” Applejack tried to think of something, but realized that she, indeed, didn’t know anything else about her “uncle.” Granny Smith knew from the look on her granddaughter’s face that she couldn’t think of anything else about him.

“Ah should’ve known.” The old woman began as she took a deep breath. “So you agreed to leave your little sister in the hands of, as far as you know, a total stranger.” Applejack was taken aback at the sudden accusation her grandmother had just made against her. Before she could say anything to defend herself, Granny Smith raised her hand and continued. “Of course Ah guess Ah’m not free of blame. After all, when we felt that we couldn’t trust her, Ah was the one who brought Ironhide’s favor up.”

Granny Smith then pulled out the Apple Family scrapbook as she said, “Since there ain’t no point in frettin’ how we got here, Ah feel it’s time Ah did somethin’ Ah should’ve done a long time ago.” She opened the book to some of the back pages, something Applejack hadn’t seen her do in a long time, as the older woman continued. “Ah think it’s time you learned who your uncle really is.”

After stopping at one of the pages, Granny Smith showed the page to her grandchildren. As she pointed to one picture, she said, “Now this here is the oldest picture Ah have of Ironhide and your pa.” Applejack got up and walked over to her grandmother to get a closer look at the picture.

She was surprised to see a simple picture of two little boys with a noticeably younger Granny Smith. One was the obvious yellow skin, red hair, and iconic Stetson of her father Bright Mac while the other was a gray skinned boy in red overalls with black hair. Granny Smith continued, “That there was not long after Ironhide and his Pa, a man by the name of Armor Hide, moved to Canterlot City.”

Big Mac then asked, “So they were like childhood friends?” Granny Smith nodded as she replied, “You sure bet. They weren’t as close as your Pa was to Burnt Oak, but they could be as thick as thieves.” She then pointed to another picture that appeared to have been taken a few years later, with a smiling Ironhide sporting a black eye and several bruises. The Apple matriarch then added, “That there was when Ironhide took on a group of the Pears who were pickin’ on your Ma and Pa.”

Applejack could only give a quiet, “Whoa.” She knew that the Apple Family had an intense rivalry with the Pear Clan that lasted for years, but never thought that their feud would have ever gotten anyone else involved. “Ah take it Ironhide was a bit of a fighter?” Applejack asked.

“You sure bet sugarcube.” Granny Smith replied. “As much as Ah raised you and your Pa to never get in a fight, Ironhide was a bit of a hothead.” She let out a whistful sigh as she continued, “Why Ah remember one time your Ma came over cryin’ cause a young Filthy Rich tripped her, ruinin’ some new pear cake she’d been workin’ on, and when Ironhide found out, he demanded Filthy apologize.” She then giggled before continuing, “Of course, Filthy didn’t. He said we were just some clan of redneck hicks and, well… Ironhide straightened him out on a few things.”

Applejack could only cringe as she said, “Sounds like he was a bit of a bad influence.” Granny Smith let out a sigh as she added, “Ironhide weren’t the kind of boy who went lookin’ for fights. He only got tough when someone threatened him, your Pa, or your Ma.” She then flipped the page to reveal a few other photos of Ironhide and their parents. She then pointed to one photo where a teenaged Ironhide and Pear Butter were presenting a cake to Bright Mac. Granny Smith then explained, “This here was Your Ma and him celebratin’ your Pa’s birthday.”

Big Mac then asked, “So Ironhide was a lot like Ma and Pa?” Granny Smith replied, “He still is, if what Ah hear is true.” She then pointed to another picture, this one showing Ironhide working on making a new plow. “Ya know that old plow we use for tillin’ the ground? Ironhide made that all by himself.”

That took Applejack’s breath away. “Wait, Ironhide made the plow all by himself?” Granny Smith replied, “Well, he didn’t make fashion the wood by himself, but he did melt the metal down and forge the plow part.”

Granny Smith then took a deep breath and said, “Of course, that was only a few years before Ironhide and your Pa drifted away.” Big Mac noticed the somber change in tone as he asked, “What happened?” Granny Smith then replied, “You know how there was all that trouble in Southeast Asia right?”

Applejack and Big Mac nodded. They knew that there had been a war in southeast Asia just after their parents got married, and that as far as they knew, it was a political disaster. Curious, Applejack, “Wait, didn’t Pa manage to not have to go over?”

“Eeyup.” Granny Smith replied. “You’re Pa was never drafted.” She then took a deep breath as she continued, “Ironhide on the other hand….”

Sweet Apple Acres, Many Years Ago…...

Bright Mac and Pear Butter, the newlywed couple, were returning to home to Sweet Apple Acres. They had just finished their honeymoon, and were looking forward to returning to a normal life. Pear Butter leaned against her husband and asked, “So, what will we do now?” Bright Mac replied, “Ah don’t really know, but Ah do know whatever happens, we’ll conquer it together.” The two young lovebirds leaned into a brief kiss as they stepped forward into the door.

The moment they stepped through the door, they were surprised by the sounds of two familiar voices calling out, “Welcome home!” Bright Mac and Pear Butter were stunned for a moment before noticing who had been waiting for them.

Standing in the foyer under a large “welcome home” sign were two very familiar individuals. One was the familiar light green (and plus sized) form of Granny Smith, or just Ma to the two young adults. The other, a young gray man in a red shirt and dark gray overalls, could only have been one person.

“Ironhide!” Bright Mac said with glee as he ran up to his childhood friend and wrapped him in a massive hug. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood.” Ironhide nonchalantly replied. “Since Chromia is off with her family, I figured I’d stop by and give you two a little something I’ve been workin’ on.”

Bright Mac noticed the subtle movements, movements the average person couldn’t notice, and gave a cheeky, “You’re lyin’ about somethin’.” Ironhide let out a chuckled sigh as he replied, “Well, it’s not exactly big. Follow me.” The gray skinned man motioned for the two newlyweds to follow him to the living room.

Once in the living room, Ironhide brought his friends’ attention to the center of the room where a brand new plow rested in place of a coffee table. Pear Butter held her hands to her mouth as she asked, “Ironhide, did you make this?”

Ironhide shrugged as he replied, “Yup. I noticed your current plow is covered in rust, so I figured it’d be a nice homecoming gift.” Pear Butter turned to her friend and said, “Thank you Ironhide.”

Bright Mac, however, was staring at the plow, his jaw dropped as he found himself absolutely dumbfounded. When Ironhide tried to get his attention, he was surprised when Bright Mac wrapped him in yet another massive hug.

“Thank you Ironhide!” Bright Mac thanked his friend as he continued to crush his friend. Pear Butter stepped forward and said, “I think you’re choking him honey.” Bright Mac let out a guilty chuckle as he released Ironhide, who found himself taking deep breaths to regain his breath.

“You’re welcome.” Ironhide replied as he managed to rise to his feet. “What would you two do without me?”

Granny Smith then joined the group as she asked, “Now then, how about you two youngin’s go freshen up while Ironhide and Ah get supper ready?” Bright Mac nodded yes as he replied, “Alright Ma.”

Pear Butter then said, “I call dibs on the shower first!” She then proceeded to storm up the stairs, leaving Granny Smith, Bright Mac, and Ironhide behind as her husband mumbled to himself, “No fair.”

One Hour Later

After freshening up with a shower and change into more comfortable clothes, Bright Mac and Pear Butter had joined their friend and grandmother to a nice dinner. Unsurprisingly, the two newlyweds were seated next to each other.

“So Ironhide.” Pear Butter asked her friend. “You have any plans for the future?” Ironhide, taking a sip from his drink, replied, “Honestly, I’m not sure.” He then asked, “What about you two?” Pear Butter simply shrugged as she replied, “We’re gonna continue running the farm.” Ironhide could only let out a chuckle as he replied, “I figured. You two always seemed like the farmer types.”

At that moment, the group heard the sound of someone knocking at the door. “Now what in tarnation is that?” Granny Smith asked out loud. They hadn’t been expecting anyone else to stop by, and the only other person who would have shown up, Chromia, was away with family.

Pear Butter rose from her seat and said, “I’ll go see who it is.” Granny Smith, Bright Mac, and Ironhide nodded as she rose and proceeded to make her way to the front door.

Opening the front door, Pear Butter was greeted by a small bald man in a smart suit. The man then tipped his hat as he asked, “Excuse me ma’am, but is there a man by the name of Ironhide here?”

“Uh, Yeah.” Pear Butter replied. “Let me go get him.” The man nodded as the young woman gently closed the door before returning to the dining room. She then said, “Hey Ironhide, there’s this guy outside. Says he’s looking for you.”

Ironhide gave his surrogate family a confused looks as he replied, “Okay? I’ll settle whatever it is.” He then let out a nervous chuckle as he added, “Probably someone delivering a letter for dad.” Bright Mac and Pear Butter joined in with nervous laughter of their own. Once Ironhide rose from his seat, Granny Smith, who hadn’t joined in, muttered, “Ah got a bad feelin’ in mah bones about this.”

Bright Mac gulped as he rose from his own seat, saying, “I’ll go take a look.” Granny Smith nodded as she replied, “Alright, just don’t get in the way.” Bright Mac nodded before tip toeing to the front door.

Bright Mac snuck up to the door, keeping out of sight from Ironhide and the smartly dressed man. As he stayed out of sights, he worried that something else was going on other than a business deal. He heard the other man speak, but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Then, heard the man say a terrifying phrase. “I know you’ll make your country proud son.” Bright Mac gulped as he realized what the man was implying. He’d heard how trouble was going on in Southeast Asia, and that troops were starting to be deployed. That could only lead to one conclusion, but he didn’t want to admit it.

At least he didn’t until Ironhide snapped him out of his trance. “Hey, you alright?” Ironhide asked, the normally positive energy replaced with a pale face and a melancholic tone. Bright Mac managed to shake himself back to reality as he replied, “Yeah, I am.” he then asked, “So did you just get….”

Ironhide raised his hand as he said, “I’m telling them all at once.” He then took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure as he said, “Because I’m not doing this again.” Bright Mac could only nod and reply, “Alright.”

When Ironhide and Bright Mac returned to the dining room, Pear Butter noticed the defeated look on their faces as she asked, “What happened?” Bright Mac tried to speak, but Ironhide stepped forward and opened his letter as he began to read it out loud.

“Greetings Ironhide. You are hereby ordered for induction into the Armed Forces and to report to the…..”

He couldn’t even finish before Pear Butter began to weep. Seeing his wife cry broke Bright Mac and he too devolved into a sobbing mess. Granny Smith simply let what had been said sink in. She didn’t want believe it, but she knew that it was true.

Ironhide, one of her son’s best friends and someone who she had seen grow up, had been drafted.

Taking a deep breath, Granny Smith asked, “So when do ya report?” Ironhide sighed as he replied, “Two days from now.”

“It’s not fair!” Bright Mac shouted. “Why does he have to go all the way to the other end of the world for nothing more than…. Than because someone wants him to?” No one had an answer for him, just more deafening silence. He then suggested, “What if you ran away?”

Ironhide immediately replied, “I do that and get caught, best case I still get sent over anyway. Worst case I go to prison.” Bright Mac tried to continued, But Ironhide raised the letter to his face and practically shouted, “Bright Mac, what’s done is DONE!”

No one said anything for ten minutes. Ten minutes that felt like an eternity. Finally, Ironhide let out a defeated sigh as he said, “Look, we can’t change what’s going to happen. At least we can finish one last supper?” Bright Mac, Pear Butter, and Granny Smith nodded in confirmation. With that, everyone sat back down and resumed eating.

But there was no joy, no energy, no happiness for the rest of the evening. Only tranquil silence and resignation for what had just happened. And what they didn’t know was that this would be the last dinner Ironhide would ever have with the Apples.

The Present Day

“Mah goodness.” Applejack said in shock as Granny Smith finished recalling the clearly painful memories. “So, Uncle Ironhide was drafted?”

“Yep.” Granny Smith replied. “The next day he took a duffle bag, made his way to the civic center, hopped on a bus, and went off.” She took a deep breath as she continued, “Ah’d have gone to see him off, but mah hip started actin’ up. Luckily your Ma and Pa were able to say goodbye.”

Big Mac, taking everything in, asked, “So was that when Uncle Ironhide went off to Asia?” Granny Smith replied, “Not exactly. Apparently he was gonna be in the Marine Corps, but he got in some sort of altercation regardin’ his drill sergeant fella.” She then pointed to the photo of Ironhide, Bright Mac, and Pear Butter as she continued, “Ironhide was sent to join the army, and he must have done somethin’ right, ‘cause he was placed in some sort of fancy unit called the….” She stumbled for a moment as she struggled to remember the unit’s name. after a few moments, she snapped her fingers as she continued, “The Wreckers. They called themselves the Wreckers.”

Applejack then asked, “So, when was that photo taken?” Granny Smith replied, “Well, that was a few months later. Ironhide had just come home after he finished training and…..”

Sweet Apple Acres, Many Years Earlier

“Look at you!” Bright Mac said with glee as he placed his hands on one of his Ironhide’s shoulders. “You look like one of my old action figures.” Pear Butter walked up to her husband and quipped, “You mean dolls, right?” Bright Mac could only groan as he replied, “They’re not dolls, they’re action figures.”

Doll or action figure, Ironhide certainly looked the part. His hair had been cut down to a crew cut, his muscles were more defined, and he was clad in a green uniform with light green splotches around it, a shirt and tie underneath, and a red beret with a pin on it.

“Yeah well, personally I think the look suits me.” Ironhide replied, a cocky grin forming on his face. “I gotta admit, the marines were a bunch of bastards. I remember one time our drill instructor, this real bastard of a sergeant called Sentinel Prime, choke another recruit, I kicked him in his ovaries.”

Granny Smith gave Ironhide the stink eye as she called out, “Watch your mouth there young man.” Ironhide gulped at the sight of his not-quite-mother scolding him and replied, “Sorry ma’am. But I’ve heard men say things that’d turn you red.”

Pear Butter then asked, “So Ironhide, what unit are you in?” Ironhide replied, “84^th Infantry. We’re a commando unit trained in high risk demolitions and sabotage.” When Bright Mac gave him confused look, the gray skinned man sighed and added, “In simpler terms, we blow stuff up.” Pear Butter could only reply, “Wow. Sounds kinda violent.”

Granny Smith, pulling out a camera, called out, “Alright now, let me get a photo of y’all.” Ironhide, Pear Butter, and Bright Mac lined up next to each other and faced the not-quite-old Apple matriarch. “Ok now, say “apple fritters!” The three younger people replied, “Apple fritters!” With that, Granny Smith took the picture, capturing the moment for all eternity.

The Present Day

“So, Ah gotta question.” Applejack asked. “If Ironhide and Pa were so close, what happened?” Granny Smith took a deep breath, almost as if she didn’t want to reveal what happened, and replied, “Ironhide got caught up in some things that happened in the war, and your Pa heard about it. He and your ma right up and cut him out of their lives.” She then closed her eyes as she added, “Next time they met, well, things were said and they got in the nastiest fight Ah’ve ever seen.” Applejack then asked, “What happened?”

That was when Granny Smith closed the book and replied, “That’s a little project Ah got for you two.” Applejack and Big Mac shared confused looks at each other before their grandmother continued. “Ah want you two to find out everythin’ else you can about your uncle before Apple Bloom comes home, but you can’t ask him directly or your sister.”

Applejack was stunned. Whenever Granny Smith tasked them with a project, she expected it to be done, and with the parameters set, she didn’t know where to start. “But…” she began. “Where do we start?”

Granny Smith replied, “Ah’d suggest askin’ other members of the family. He was close with Goldie Delicious, so she’d be a good place to start.” With that, she set the photo album down and rose from her chair, saying, “But not tonight. For now, how about you youngin’s help your old granny get supper ready?”

Applejack and Big Mac both replied with an enthusiastic, “Eeyup.” After all, they would have more than a few months before Apple Bloom came back, and it wasn’t like their uncle just vanished for several years, right?

Author's Note:

Next Time; Apple Bloom and Tender Taps go to the Allspark Wells Railroad Junction and meet the "far out" station master.

Comments

[Iamsorry]

Nice set up
Finally some information about sunset.
Seems messed up how aj feels about her sister though

[Darksoul85]

I love it the backstory

[Brian Sheil]

Let's hope Applejack will make peace with her little sister soon.