Chapter 16 - The secret ingredient
The secret ingredient
Applejack was in the middle of one of the fields of the family farm. It didn't matter how she got there or what she was doing as such things did not matter in a dream. As such, the only thing Applejack remembered was simply showing up in the middle of her farm.
Applejack was reliving part of her memories of the previous day. She had been in that same place on the farm when Rainbow Dash came over to talk to her. The only difference between what she experienced the day before and what Applejack was experiencing in that dream was that for some reason, she was now wearing the necklace with her Element of Harmony: The jewel of Honesty.
It was so, just like the day before, Rainbow Dash came down from the skies and landed in front of the country mare. Then the pegasus looked at her friend with a nervous and guilty look.
“Applejack, I… wanted to talk to you alone. I know it may not be the best way to tell you, but I need to. If I don't, the guilt won't leave me alone." Rainbow Dash said very nervously. While Applejack, deep down, knew what her friend would say, since it was exactly the same as what her friend had said the day before. "Yesterday I... I kissed Dusk!"
Despite the fact that all of this was deja-vu for Applejack, the dream kept the country mare's mind jumbled. Applejack acted as if she was hearing the news for the first time, perplexed and not knowing how to react.
“I know I shouldn't have done it. But Dusk was so nice to me, and I... I couldn't stop thinking about that silly rule we made for dating Dusk..." Rainbow Dash continued speaking, looking at her friend with a look full of guilt.
"D-Don't worry... It's fine, I guess..." Applejack answered, finally coming out of her perplexity. She averted her gaze nervously. “I-It's what we agreed on, isn't it? About… The third rule… To see if our friendship… can overcome these problems.” Applejack added, making a great effort to try to look calm with a forced smile.
After Applejack responded to Rainbow Dash, the jewel that represented her element of harmony cracked.
'How dare you kiss my coltfriend!? You're supposed to be my friend! No matter what we’d promised, Dusk is my coltfriend!' Applejack's voice was heard screaming in the sky.
In that instant everything around Applejack vanished, and she appeared in another place. This time she was in front of the barn, reliving another memory of the previous day. A memory that happened only a couple of hours after what happened with Rainbow Dash. In that memory, Dusk has just arrived to chat with her.
“I know I should have told you as soon as it happened, but…I wasn't sure how to react.” Dusk said shyly, after telling his marefriend that he had kissed Rainbow Dash. "Please forgive me."
“W-what are you talking about? It was just a little kiss, I-It's not like I'm going to stop being friends with Rainbow Dash, or that I'm going to stop being your marefriend because of that, hehe…” Applejack answered with a nervous smile. She was again herself to smile to try and hide her true feelings. “We are all friends, these things… can happen.”
'How could you do this to me!? You should have stopped her! It doesn't matter if you have feelings for her or the others, now you're with me! You’re only mine!' Applejack's voice screamed again from the sky. All the while the Applejack in the dream forced herself to smile.
'CRACK!' Again the jewel that Applejack carried around her neck cracked. This time completely breaking the element of harmony. Instantly, everything around Applejack vanished, including the ground. The mare fall into an abyss until she fell into what seemed like a lower level.
After falling to the ground, Applejack quickly got up and started running in what seemed to be an endless hallway. She wasn't sure why she was running; she just knew she had to. Running from something perhaps? She didn't know. The only thing Applejack knew was that she needed to get away from there.
There came a time when Applejack almost gave out because of how exhausted she was, which made her turn around for a second to look behind her. Then, she saw that nothing was chasing her. However, she couldn't even breathe a sigh of relief for just at that moment, she collided with something and she fell hard on her back.
Applejack looked up and saw that she had run into a large white wall, with a big number thirty on it. Then the tapestry on the wall was torn and another tapestry appeared behind it. One just as white as the previous one, only this one had a big number twenty-nine on it.
As the tapestries ripped apart, Applejack realized that she hadn't hit a wall, but instead hit a huge giant calendar. Which ripped one by one the days that passed, being a huge countdown that was accelerating more and more.
"No Please! I need more time! I don’t want this to end!" Applejack begged the giant calendar to stop. "No... I won't let you!" Applejack yelled in frustration. She slammed her forehooves onto the calendar so that the sheets would stop tearing.
By preventing the calendar to stop advancing, it disappeared. Then Applejack looked around her and saw that she was now surrounded by her four friends. They were all glaring at her and pointing accusingly with their hooves.
“Don't you want that day to come? You’re a cheater!" Pinkie Pie said furiously, as Applejack sat with her head down.
"You know you have little time left with him and now you want more!?" Fluttershy said with a look of pain, while Applejack began to cry.
“We should never have trusted you. How can you say that you’re our friend?” Rainbow Dash said with a look of disgust, while Applejack covered her ears so as not to listen to her friends anymore.
“You only think about what you want. You’re selfish.” Rarity said angrily, pointing her guilty hoof at Applejack.
"Yes, I admit it... I'm selfish... What's wrong with that!?" Applejack yelled and stood up again. She was still crying, but she looked at her friends with a mixture of anger and pain in her eyes. “I’m not the Element of Generosity, I can be selfish if I want to! I’m also not the Element of Laughter, I can feel angry and sad with others! I’m not pure kindness like Fluttershy, so I can do bad things! And I don't represent loyalty either, I can… I can betray my friends!” Applejack added, facing her friends, but crying even more as she admitted all those bad feelings she felt inside. "I represent the Element of Honesty... Why can't I tell the truth and say that I want Dusk to stay alone with me!?" Applejack screamed in pain.
"That is quite enough." Suddenly said a voice that echoed throughout the place. Then the friends and walls around Applejack disappeared like smoke. The orange mare was left alone standing in the middle of nowhere.
A big glow appeared from the sky and from it Princess Luna slowly came down, landing in front of Applejack. Who, for her part, dried her tears and looked surprised at the Princess of the Night.
"Princess Luna? This… Is this a dream?” Applejack asked, being able to finally react to the reality that this was just a dream, after the alicorn influenced it and awakened her conscious mind.
“It's funny that now it's you who has a nightmare. Yesterday it was your friend Rainbow Dash who couldn't sleep well, feeling guilty about kissing your coltfriend." Luna said, approaching Applejack and looking at her with concern. “Your friend's nightmare was easy to fix. She had a conflict with her Element of Harmony, believing that she had betrayed you. So her conscience was clear when she admitted what she did. But in your case, it’s different. You don’t have a conflict with the Element of Harmony that you represent. Your Element is influencing you to admit the truth, a truth that you try to hide so as not to hurt your friends.”
"I... I also don't want to betray my friends." Applejack said, closing her eyes tight in pain. "But the time I have with Dusk is almost over, and I... I don't want it to end! I should never have accepted the deal we made…”
“A deal? Does she have little time left to be with Dusk Shine? What is this all about? What did Dusk's friends agree on?” Luna pondered, narrowing her eyes in doubt.
Moments before, upon entering the world of dreams, Luna immediately went to the door of Applejack's dreams, feeling the stormy and strong nightmare that mare was feeling. Thus, Luna had witnessed Applejack's nightmare almost from the beginning. However, she didn't act right away, seeing that Applejack's nightmare was related to Rainbow Dash's the night before, and that they both had a strong conflict with 'a deal' they had made. That caught the attention of Luna, who decided to wait to better understand what it was all about.
“Why can Applejack only be with Dusk Shine for a month?” Luna thought, opening her mouth to ask Applejack that directly. However, before doing so, she caught herself. “What am I doing? I swore that I would never again put my own interests before my duties as a night vigilant. No matter how much I want to know about Dusk Shine, my duty before anything else is to help this mare.”
"You must do what is right." Luna finally said, looking affectionately at Applejack.
Applejack widened her eyes, then she looked away and finally raised her head again. She looked at the princess with a very serious and determined look.
"I'm staying with Dusk." Applejack finally said, determined to be selfish, if only for once in her life. “It doesn't matter if I break the deal, it doesn't matter if I betray my friends. The only thing that matters is true love! Right?"
"You know that's not true." Luna said with a sad smile. The sky above them began to get brighter, a sign that this dream was about to end.
"You don’t know nothing! You don't know what's right! I… I’m sure that my heart’s pointing the right way!” Applejack yelled, glaring at Luna as everything around their grew brighter.
"It's easy to know that's not the right thing to do." Luna said, caressing Applejack's cheek. With everything around them so bright, they could barely see their faces anymore. "If so, I wouldn't be here, and you wouldn't have this nightmare."
At that moment the dream ended, and Applejack opened her eyes in the real world.
The first rays of the sun peeked out from the distant hills and began to illuminate the orange mare's room. Then Applejack raised one of her hooves as she slowly began to remember everything she experienced in her nightmare. She turned her head and looked at a calendar that was stuck on a wall, where there was an important date marked for five days ahead. The date marked a month since she started being Dusk's marefriend.
"Dammit!" Applejack cursed, slamming her hoof and hitting the table next to her bed. She knew that what the princess had said was true, but she still refused to accept it.
It was a beautiful morning in Ponyville and Dusk Shine was walking calmly through the town's fruit and vegetable market. The day before, he had arranged to meet his marefriend there first thing in the morning to help her with her apple stall.
It was very important for Dusk to be with Applejack that day. Not just because she had forgiven him after he had admitted the day before that Rainbow Dash had kissed him. But it was also important because there was very little left for a month to pass since both were formally married, meaning that the mayor would keep her word and sign the divorce very soon. For this reason, Dusk didn't know what would happen after he and Applejack were formally divorced, would she break up with him? Or maybe she wanted to continue with him as a couple? But what about his other friends!? With all those questions, the only thing Dusk knew was that he should take advantage of his time as Applejack's coltfriend before everything got complicated.
As Dusk walked through the market, he was distracted when he saw that there seemed to be a new fruit stand, which was full of ponies. And among the crowd, Dusk was struck when he saw Apple Bloom was there.
“Apple Bloom? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping Applejack at her apple stall?" Dusk asked, approaching the filly.
“Yeah, I was just going to, but look at those pears! I've never seen pears like these in Ponyville." Apple Bloom said, showing Dusk a large and appetizing pear that she took from the counter of that stall.
Dusk took a good look at the new fruit stand that had caught the attention of everyone around. It was a stand that specialized in the sale of pears, and just like the Apple family stand, they not only sold the fruit, but also sold a wide variety of products derived from it ranging desserts, jellies and pear preserves.
"Do you want a free sample?" The seller of the stall asked. A fairly old earth stallion with amber fur, almost totally white mane except for a brown streak, a green bandana around his neck, and of course, a cutie mark of a big pear, a symbol of his family and his passion. "It's a gift." The old pony added with a tender smile, offering a big jar of pear jelly to Apple Bloom.
"Really!?" Apple Bloom gasped, immediately opening the jar and tasting the jelly. "It's delicious!" Apple Bloom said with big, bright eyes of amazement.
"Isn't that a pretty big jar to just be a free sample?" Dusk Shine asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hehe, yes. I guess that's true, but it's okay." The old pony said a little nervously. He looked at Apple Bloom and was touched to see the little filly eating happily. As if little Apple Bloom reminded him of someone very dear to him.
"It's great to have Grand Pear back in Ponyville!" A happy stallion said, while buying a dozen pears. “He’s always been very kind to everyone.”
"Yeah, it's a shame when they went to Vanhoover." The wife of that stallion added, keeping the pears in a bag. “Together with the Apple family, they were the two most famous farms in all of Ponyville.”
"Thank you... It's good to come home." The elderly owner of the stall said, named Grand Pear. Smiling with a smile that seemed sad to Dusk for some reason.
Grand Pear continued serving the rest of the ponies who wanted to buy jelly before it ran out. Dusk and Apple Bloom said goodbye to the kind old pony and continued on their way to meet up with Applejack.
"Dusk, you have to taste it." Apple Bloom said once they got out of the crowd, jumping with her hoof, full of jelly, and forcing it into Dusk's mouth.
“Hm!? Hmm… It's actually very tasty.” Dusk said surprised, tasting his mouth. Not just because the filly suddenly filled her mouth with jelly, but because of the sweet taste left in his mouth. "I know it's not apple, but I'm sure Applejack will love it."
“Oh! That reminds me. Here, you should give Applejack a taste of the jelly when we get there.” Apple Bloom said, with a thoughtful face and gave the jar of jelly to Dusk. “I think my sis woke up on the wrong side of the hay bale this morning. Maybe you can change her mood if you give her this sweet gift.”
"Applejack woke up in a bad mood?" Dusk asked incredulously. Thinking the filly might be exaggerating, since it was difficult for Dusk to imagine his marefriend in a bad mood for no reason.
“Why wouldl she be angry?” Dusk thought as he walked. Then he remembered the talk he and Applejack had had the day before. When he confessed to her that he kissed Rainbow Dash. “I don't think it's because of that. She said it wasn't important, that she wouldn't stop being my marefriend because of it. But…what if she changed her mind!?” Dusk thought in horror.
Despite the fact that he hadn’t initiated that kiss with Rainbow Dash, Dusk had felt very guilty after that. However, he hadn't told his marefriend about the incident right away. That led him to spend a whole night without being able to sleep, until he finally had to go to his marefriend and admit guilt. A rush of horrible scenarios pasted through the colt’s mind, in which Applejack would get angry, hit him, even cry; it was that the scenario that Dusk least expected happened. Applejack just didn't react. She just made a nervous face and said that those things happened. That filled Dusk with momentary relief, but at the same time, it filled him with doubts as time passed.
Dusk and Apple Bloom arrived at the stand and Applejack was in fact frowning. All of the colt’s doubts and anxiety bubbled back to the surface of his mind.
“Where were you, Apple Bloom!? You should’ve gotten here a long while ago!” Applejack said in a bad mood, ordering some apples on the counter. “And you… You said you would help me first thing in the morning! Is that what a promise is worth to you!?” Applejack added, looking angrily at Dusk.
“I… I'm sorry.” Dusk said timidly, knowing that he was walking on a glass floor, and that any wrong answer could make him fall. “We stopped in for a few minutes by the new pear stand.” Dusk added with a shy smile. He showed his marefriend the jar of pear jelly that he brought her as a gift.
"Pears?" Applejack asked in confusion. Then she took a good look at the jar of jelly that Dusk was holding, and the country mare gave a look of surprise, and then one of deep anger. “Grand Pear is back in town!? And… And he wants to buy my coltfriend off with a dirty jar of jelly!?” Applejack added with fury.
“You… do you know Grand Pear?” Dusk asked timidly. Seeing that he had somehow made Applejack's bad mood even worse.
"No! I don’t know him. And I don't want to meet him." Applejack answered, averting her angry gaze. Then she looked at Dusk again seriously. “Don't go near the Pears again. I don't want you to try or buy any of their products."
“I… I didn't buy it. It was a present." Dusk said, confused with Applejack's bad mood. He wasn't sure anymore if she was mad at him, at Grand Pear, at Apple Bloom, or just mad at everyone.
“I don't want you near the Pears! I already told you!" Applejack yelled furiously. Then lowering her frustrated head, remembering in her anger, that she wasn’t only angry with Grand Pear, but also with Dusk's way of being. "You're always like this, aren't you? You never know what to choose. You’ve something good before you, but you dare not take the step.”
At Applejack's words, Dusk was surprised, and then he looked away with sadness and shame. Those words confirmed it, Applejack was angry with him. Not just because of the kiss, it seemed like the whole temporary coltfriend situation and not knowing which of her friends to have as a marefriend had finally blown up. Making Applejack confront him with his big problem: She was his marefriend, but he was still undecided in his heart.
Applejack felt her heart tighten, realizing that in her anger she was hurting Dusk. But it seemed that her anger was stronger than her reason at that moment.
Applejack had woken up in a bad mood after the nightmare she had, and her conversation with Princess Luna. Then she found out that the pony she hated the most in her life, Grand Pear, was back in Ponyville. That made her blood boil even more. An anger that took control of her body.
"Big sis! Why are you so mad at Grand Pear? He’s very kind." Apple Bloom said, frightened to see her sister so angry that she was taking it out on Dusk.
"Kind!? You say that pony is kind!?” Applejack said, surprised that her little sister was defending Grand Pear, despite what he had done to her family. That was the straw that broke the pony’s back. "Don't talk about things you don't know, ya little fool!" Applejack added looking straight at Apple Bloom with a look full of pain, so much so that small tears came out of her eyes.
Apple Bloom gave a frightened look and ran away, with tears in her eyes. Applejack felt a pang of guilt in her heart when she saw her sister run away, which ended up making her anger increase even more.
“It's all that Pear's fault! He shouldn't have come all this way!" Applejack said furiously.
Then Applejack went to Grand Pear's pear stand and shouted so that her voice could be heard among the crowd that was packed trying to buy pear jelly.
“GRAND PEAR! GET OUT OF PONYVILLE! YOU’RE NOT WELCOME HERE!!” Applejack yelled furiously. A cry that surprised everyone in the market.
For his part, hearing that enraged shout, the old Pear simply lowered his head sadly and closed his eyes in pain. Seeing that he didn't even respond to her provocation, Applejack averted her annoyed gaze and snapped at the last remaining pony: herself. Furious at seeing that she had ended up taking out her anger on Dusk, on Apple Bloom, and even on that old Pear; was that Applejack closed her eyes in annoyance and ran out of the market.
As Dusk Shine watched his marefriend run, he was simply stunned, just like everyone else in the market. None of the ponies present had ever seen Applejack so angry. And although everyone thought that that anger was against Grand Pear for some reason, Dusk was sure that the main culprit of all that was him.
Applejack went back to Sweet Apple Acres after leaving the market in rage. During the long walk back home, the country mare had enough time to cool her head a bit and reflect on her actions.
Throughout that morning, Applejack had a strong internal conflict between what she really wanted and what she knew was right. That made her feel frustrated with herself. Of course, having Grand Pear come back to town was more than her patience could bear. However, after her minute of anger ended, Applejack felt horrible for taking out her anger and frustration on everyone.
“Grand Pear… How dare he show up here? He… He deserved to be yelled at! It's the least I can do after what he did!" Applejack thought out loud after calming down a bit. She remembered that years ago she had sworn to herself never to forgive Grand Pear and to face him if she ever saw him. "Even so... I shouldn't have yelled at Apple Bloom and Dusk..."
Finally Applejack arrived at her house. Upon entering, she saw that Apple Bloom was crying and hugging her grandmother, while Big Mac was by her side trying to calm her down. That made Applejack finally forget the last of the anger that was left inside her, and finish feeling guilty for the way she had acted.
"Apple Bloom, I... I'm sorry I yelled at you." Applejack said sheepishly, approaching where his sister was.
Apple Bloom shirked away from Applejack and ran off in tears to her room. Applejack's heart broke into tiny pieces.
"Oh my! I've never seen Apple Bloom this upset by something you did. What happened?" Granny Smith asked, looking at her oldest granddaughter with a very concerned look.
“I…yelled at Apple Bloom at the market.” Applejack said with a very regretful look. “She was defending that old pony Grand Pear, and I… lost my mind for a second.”
“Grand Pear is back in Ponyville!?” Granny Smith asked in shock.
"Who is Grand Pear?" Big Mac asked confused.
At that question, Granny Smith freaked out and looked sideways at Applejack and Big Mac. The red stallion looked at her in confusion, while Applejack just looked down at the floor, trapped in her own guilty thoughts.
"H-He's an old neighbor from the farm, a stubborn stallion not worth talking about, hehe." Granny Smith answered very nervously.
“I didn't just yell at Apple Bloom. I also yelled at Dusk... I'm a fool!" Applejack thought out loud, frustrated for having gotten angry with Dusk when there were so few days left before the deadline for their relationship. "I should have been taking advantage of these last few days, but now... The only memory that Dusk will have of us will be when I yelled at him for no reason!"
"Are you going to break up with Dusk?" Big Mac asked, trying not to sound too happy about the idea. "Maybe it's for the best." Big Mac added with a serious look and left to go back to his work.
Contrary to the red stallion, Granny Smith saw how hurt and repentant her beloved granddaughter was and reached out to calm and support her.
"Don't worry, dearie. Couples always argue, but they always forgive each other. Love always wins out in the end." Granny Smith said, caressing Applejack's face. "Your parents also argued sometimes, but they always reconciled... Hehe. I remember that your mom always baked your dad an apple pie when she wanted to apologize for something.”
“Mom's apple pies… It's true! Mom made the best apple pies.” Applejack said, wiping away a tear and smiling at the memory of her parents. "Maybe I could try to make that same apple pie so that Apple Bloom and Dusk will forgive me for yelling at them."
"Oh dear, I'm afraid that can't be." Granny Smith said with a sad smile. “Only your mother knew the recipe for her famous apple pies. I could never cook one as delicious as the ones she made.”
"Hmm... Maybe..." Applejack said, looking at the floor with a thoughtful gaze. Then she realized that her grandmother was watching her carefully and she smiled nervously. “N-Never mind. I think I'll see it later. For now, I’m gonna go rest for a while in my room." Applejack quickly added, saying goodbye to her grandmother and going up to the second floor of the house.
Once Applejack went upstairs, she pretended to go to her room so Granny wouldn't get suspicious. Instead, she went to the end of the hall and jumped up to pull on a small rope that opened a small door in the ceiling. A small staircase descended to go up to the attic of the house.
Confirming that no one was watching her, Applejack quietly went up to the attic. Once there, she searched behind several dusty boxes.
"I haven't seen it in a long while, but I think it was around here.” Applejack said, as she searched the farthest box in the attic full of old photos and drawings. "Here it is!" Applejack finally said happily, taking a small yellow book out of the box.
"Aha! I knew something was off." Granny Smith suddenly said from behind Applejack.
“G-Granny! W-What are you doing here?” Applejack asked nervously, trying to hide the little yellow book behind her.
Without saying anything, Granny simply held out one of her hooves in front of Applejack, waiting for her to fork over what she was hiding. Then Applejack looked away sadly and gave the book to her grandmother. Granny Smith took the book and read its cover, where it simply said: 'Diary'.
"So you read Buttercup's diary." Granny Smith said, looking with a sad smile at the diary she was holding. "Although I guess by now, you know her real name was Pear Butter... I knew there was something fishy when you got so mad at Apple Bloom for getting close to Grand Pear."
After that, Applejack and her grandmother were silent for several seconds, unsure how to continue this delicate conversation.
"Since when did you know your mom was a Pear?" Granny Smith asked, looking worriedly at her granddaughter.
“For several years… I wanted to know more about mom. So one day I came up here and found her diary." Applejack replied with a sad look. "Why did you hide it from us?"
“Huff… If you read the diary, I guess you know why your mom abandoned her name and her family.” Granny Smith answered with a sad sigh. “Our family and the Pear family were neighbors, and they never got along. Grand Pear and I kept that family feud alive for years, and we tried to get our children to keep it alive too. That's why it was a surprise to everyone when we found out that Bright Mac and Pear Butter were in love."
“As much as Grand Pear and I tried to separate them, they always saw each other secretly. It got to the point where that they ended up getting married in secret. It was there that Grand Pear and I discovered them… At first, I refused to let my son marry a Pear, but sweet Pear Butter told me how much she loved my son, and I finally accepted that they both really loved each other. However, Grand Pear couldn’t accept that his daughter chose to marry an Apple and made her choose between Bright Mac and her family. Ultimately Pear Butter chose Bright Mac, and Grand Pear, along with his entire family, left Ponyville and never saw Pear Butter again."
“Pear Butter started using the nickname Bright Mac fondly called her: 'Buttercup,' and she never mentioned her family again, nor did she tell you about her past.” Granny said, looking sadly at her granddaughter. "After your parents died, I thought I should honor Pear Butter's choice and not mention your mother's real family to you or your siblings."
"I guess…it's the same reason I decided never to tell Big Mac or Apple Bloom what I found out about mom." Applejack said with a sad and annoyed look. “When I read mom's diary, I couldn't believe that her father had abandoned her when she needed him most. So I talked to my parents' friends: Burnt Oak, Mrs. Cake, and the Mayor. They all confirmed to me that Grand Pear abandoned mom… So, I swore I would never forgive Grand Pear for what he did. For me, there’s no Pear blood running through my veins. Me and my siblings are one hundred percent Apple!” Applejack added, with a steady gaze.
Granny Smith smiled at how proud her granddaughter was to carry the family name. However, then Granny looked away sadly.
“It's been so many years, Applejack. And if there's one thing time have taught me, it's that even hate doesn't last forever." Granny Smith said with a sad look. "Maybe Grand Pear tried to get close to Apple Bloom, because he's sorry for what he did."
"Oh no! Don’t you dare go about painting him as the victim here!” Applejack said angrily. “Mom never forgave her dad for what he did to her, that's why she never mentioned his name. And neither will I!” Applejack hit the floor hard with her hoof to emphasize her point.
The stomp was so hard that a couple of boxes that had been dumped fell and spilled several old newspapers onto the floor.
"Sorry..." Applejack said with embarrassment and immediately bending down to pick up the mess that had fallen to the floor. However, she stopped when she saw that there were not only old newspapers scattered on the floor. "These... These are mom's cooking recipes!" Applejack realized and picked up several sheets that were written in her mom's hoofwriting. They had all been hidden in a box that Applejack had never gone through, because she thought it only had old newspapers.
Excited with the great find, Applejack and Granny Smith rushed down to the kitchen with the recipe titled 'Buttercup Family Pie'. This sheet, adorned with many hearts, detailed the ingredients and how they should be mixed to obtain the long-awaited best apple pie that both mares had ever tasted.
Quickly, Applejack and Granny Smith mixed the ingredients following the recipe instructions in detail. Thus, in just under an hour, both managed to have the first apple pie ready. They immediately tasted it and smiled when they realized that the pie was indeed tastier than the ones they normally cooked. However, as the seconds passed and both continued to taste the apple pie, their eyes slowly changed to confusion.
"It's a very good apple pie... but it's not the same as your mom's." Granny Smith finally said with a look of disappointment.
"I don't understand. We follow the instructions to the letter.” Applejack said, taking the recipe again and scratching her head in confusion.
“Hmm… Perhaps you could ask Mrs. Cake what it was missing. I remember that they were both very close friends and always cooked together.” Granny Smith said with a thoughtful look.
Wasting no time, Applejack said goodbye to Granny and ran back to town. She wanted to recreate the perfect apple pie that her mother made as soon as possible to ask her sister and Dusk Shine for forgiveness in a sweet way.
Once at Sugarcube Corner, Applejack met up with Mrs. Cake and Pinkie Pie. There, Applejack quickly explained to them how she had found her mother's apple pie recipe and how she wanted to recreate it to apologize to Dusk and Apple Bloom.
"Oh... So that's why you went crazy and screamed in the middle of the market." Pinkie Pie said with a thoughtful look, while Applejack was surprised to hear that. "Everyone in town knows, it was big news." Pinkie Pie added seeing her friend's confused look. She then then blushed and averted her gaze.
“Awww… My dear Pear Butter… She really did make the best pies. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have gotten my cutie mark." Mrs. Cake said after Applejack explained what happened. Tears of joy had prickled the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I've been very emotional lately." Mrs. Cake added as she wiped away a tear. Applejack understood perfectly since Mrs. Cake was almost on her due date.
Pinkie rushed out of the kitchen to fetch a big, thick book containing all of the recipes that the Cakes used to make their delicious treats.
"Thank you, dear." Mrs. Cake said, opening her book and searching page by page until she finally found what she was looking for. "Here it is! I knew Pear Butter had left me a copy of her apple pie recipe. She always left me copies of all her recipes.”
After pulling out the recipe, Applejack and Mrs. Cake compared that recipe to the one Applejack had found. Both were identical, both in ingredients and quantities, even down to the same drawn hearts.
“Hmm… Perhaps the pie didn't turn out the same as the one Pear Butter made because you didn't use exactly the same ingredients that she used…” Mrs. Cake reasoned. “Pear Butter always used the best ingredients.” The pregnant mare added, noting on a sheet of paper the specific types of flour, butter, cinnamon, and apples she remembered seeing Pear Butter use in her recipes.
"Well, at least I brought the best apples from the farm with me." Applejack said, reading the list of ingredients that Mrs. Cake wrote down. "I guess now I'll have to spend the whole afternoon looking for the other three ingredients."
"I’ll help you!" Pinkie Pie suddenly said with a big smile. "It’ll be fun! And it’ll be even better because we’ll help make a delicious apple pie for Dusk.” Pinkie Pie added with a small blush.
Before Applejack could say anything, Pinkie Pie quickly ran out of the bakery, leaving her and Mrs. Cake alone.
“No! What is Pinkie Pie doing!? This apple pie is for ME to apologize to Dusk. I don't want Pinkie Pie or anyone else putting their hoofs in my pie!” Applejack thought scared. Remembering again the nightmare she had had the night before and getting upset again. “Why do Pinkie and the others always want to interfere in my relationship with Dusk!? Dusk is my coltfriend!”
At that moment, Applejack took a step to go after Pinkie Pie to prevent her and her friends from interfering in her apology with Dusk. However, she was stopped in her tracks when Mrs. Cake groaned in pain and crouched down.
“Mrs. Cake! Are you okay?" Applejack asked with immediate concern.
“Yes, I'm fine… It was just a small contraction. This baby likes to kick a lot, hehe.” Mrs. Cake said with a reassuring smile after the pain had passed. She then looked into Applejack's eyes and began to cry. “I still remember when you were born…You were so tiny and adorable! Waahhh! Pear Butter was so happy to have a filly… Sniff!” Mrs. Cake cried, the pregnancy making her extra emotional at the nostalgia.
Applejack ultimately had to stay with Mrs. Cake to support her instead of going after Pinkie Pie. Meanwhile, Mrs. Cake took the opportunity to tell her about several stories from her mother's past, which Applejack listened to with fascination since she always loved hearing how sweet and kind her mother was, or how brave her father was. It was nice know that she had such good parents, but it was also sad to know that they were no longer with her.
After several minutes, Pinkie Pie finally walked back into the bakery, loaded with all the ingredients that had been listed. Knowing that Applejack was in safe hooves, Mrs. Cake left the kitchen to leave them alone to bake the pie together.
"Pinkie Pie, that was fast!" Applejack said in amazement, since she thought her friend would take much longer. “How did you manage to get flour from 'Troyus Mill' and butter from 'Sun Dairy Farm' so quickly? Those places are on opposite sides of town!”
“Wait! Why am I surprised? I need to get Pinkie out of here!” The mare thought to herself. “No matter how much Pinkie Pie wants to help, I can't let her keep interfering with my relationship with Dusk! If I don't, she'll take credit for the apple pie!”
Pinkie Pie heaved all the ingredients on the table and let out a huge sigh of relief. Just then Applejack put on a firm look and approached Pinkie Pie to ask her to leave and stop interfering in her relationship with Dusk.
“I was able to get it done lickity-split thanks to the other girls helping me get the ingredients." Pinkie Pie said with a big and sweet smile. "Rainbow Dash got the flour, Fluttershy got the butter, Rarity got the cinnamon, and I got the special ingredient."
"Huh? Special ingredient?” Applejack cocked her head. At that moment, Applejack’s coltfriend walked through the doors and into the kitchen. “Dusk!? W-What are you doing here?”
Amused by her friend's confusion, Pinkie Pie put a hoof on Applejack's head and made her bend down so they could both talk without Dusk listening.
"There was another ingredient that Mrs. Cake failed to mention." Pinkie Pie whispered as she showed Applejack the hearts that were drawn on both recipes. “When I draw hearts in my recipes, it means you have to cook it with love. That's the special ingredient! If you wanna make this apple pie perfect, you gotta bake it with the pony you love!”
"W-Why did you bring Dusk?" Applejack asked in surprise, still confused by the fact that Pinkie Pie and her friends were helping her in this way... Or maybe, was it another one of their tricks?
"Everyone was a little jealous that you were baking a pie alone with Dusk, but he's your coltfriend, and more importantly, we all want you to make up!" Pinkie Pie said with a sweet smile that shifted to a more somber one. “The truth is that I would love to use the third rule and take the opportunity to get closer to Dusk. But the most important thing now is that you are happy. Maybe I'll use the third rule against Fluttershy. Believe me, that mare is super dangerous when she sets her mind to it.” Pinkie Pie said goodbye to Applejack and Dusk, and quickly left the kitchen, leaving the couple in love alone.
For her part, hearing Pinkie Pie's honest words, Applejack widened her eyes and felt horrible with herself for thinking poorly of her friends. It was still true that all of them were in love with Dusk and were looking for the moment to try to get closer to him. But it was also true that they were still worried about Applejack and helped her when they knew that her relationship with Dusk was having a problem.
"I... I was determined to be selfish and betray them... But they never forgot our deal, and more importantly, they never forgot our friendship..." Applejack thought to herself. She felt guilty for believing that her friends only thought of taking Dusk away from her. “That’s the challenge of our deal. We gotta believe in love, without forgetting our friendship!”
Seeing that Applejack had remained silent with a sad and guilty look, Dusk timidly approached his marefriend. He hadn't seen her since the morning when she yelled at him. And without Applejack knowing it, Dusk had spent the whole morning blaming himself, believing that Applejack was only angry with him because of Rainbow Dash's kiss.
“Applejack, I… I know you're mad at me, and you have a right to be! But… I would like you to please forgive me.” Dusk said with a meek expression.
"You're not the only one who wants to apologize..." Applejack almost whispered with a sad look. Then she raised her eyes and looked tenderly at Dusk. "Dusk, do you want to make this apple pie with me?"
After that, both ponies began to bake together. Applejack carefully mixed the ingredients for the pie filling, while Dusk faithfully followed each instruction that his marefriend asked of him so as not to spoil her valuable apple pie.
Applejack followed the instructions her mother had written to the letter like before, only with two different things. The first was that the apple pie would now have exactly the same ingredients her mother had used years ago. The other big difference, is that from time to time, both ponies would stop and laugh for some funny reason. Either because Dusk sneezed on the cinnamon, or because he in revenge threw some flour at Applejack for making fun of him.
As they both worked, they both laughed and joked around. They enjoyed being able to bake with their beloved partner. With 'that' new ingredient, Applejack was sure that now she would have a perfect replica of her mother's delicious apple pie.
“I wonder if mom was as happy as I was when she baked with dad.” Applejack thought happily, putting a little jelly on Dusk's nose and laughing at her sweet coltfriend.
Finally, they both finished assembling the apple pie, and put it in the oven and started waiting for it to bake. It was at that moment that the happy and fun atmosphere that had reigned in the past hour suffered a small break. With both of them just waiting in silence, both ponies got a bit lost in their thoughts. Knowing that even though they were both happy now, they still needed to talk about what had happened that morning.
"Dusk... I... I'm sorry." Applejack said at one point with a more serious look. "I'm sorry I yelled at you in the market."
“That… That doesn't matter. I understand why you did.” Dusk answered with an embarrassed look. “I shouldn't have thought you wouldn't mind Rainbow Dash's kiss. It was my fault... I-" At that moment, Dusk was interrupted by Applejack's hoof.
"Dusk, this is not the time." Applejack said with a sad smile. “This pie has to be made with love until the end. I know you're sorry, and… and that's enough for now.” Applejack added with a tender and brighter smile. She realized that Dusk thought that all her anger had been his fault, not knowing that it was largely due to Gran Pear, and also because of how frustrated she felt with herself.
At that moment, Dusk opened his eyes in surprise and then simply closed them with concern.
"I understand... You forgive me, but we still have to talk about it later..." Dusk thought, feeling agitated, but at the same time sure of what he had been thinking that day. “There is something very important that you have to know… Something that I have to do to put an end to this crazy game.”
"So this is the best apple pie you've ever had, huh?" Dusk asked with a small smile. Knowing that his marefriend wanted to end the previous conversation. "Funny that your mom was an apple pie expert despite being a Pear."
"H-How do you know my mom was a Pear!?" Applejack asked, very surprised.
"Do you remember the time I was in your memories with Princess Luna?" Dusk said with an affectionate smile. “It always struck me that your grandmother named your mom 'Pear' in that memory. But a few weeks ago at the family reunion, she called her 'Buttercup'."
"Did Granny call her by her real name?" Applejack asked, trying to remember that memory that accompanied her in her trauma for so many years when she lost her parents.
Slowly the memory became clearer, and it was only then that Applejack began to understand part of her own past.
"It's true... Granny was so scared, she called her by her real name when dad arrived." Applejack realized. “I was so scared that I didn't care, but I guess somehow my mind was trying to remember it… That's why I was so interested in finding out more about my mom. I wanted to know who she really was! But in the end, I discovered that regardless of whether her name was Pear Butter or Buttercup, the only thing that mattered was that to me was that she was simply 'mom', my dear, beloved mom."
“And since her real name was Pear Butter… I guess she has some kind of relationship with Grand Pear, right?” Dusk asked slowly, finally saying the theory he had been formulating during that day, to try to explain the big outburst his marefriend had had in the market.
"My mom has no relation to that Grand Pear!" Applejack said angrily, quickly changing her smile to an annoyed look.
Dusk was a little scared when he saw the drastic change in his marefriend's mood. Something that Applejack noticed right away. Then she closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath and calmed down. She couldn't let her grudge take control of her again.
"Grand Pear is my grandfather, although I don't even know if he knows it himself." Applejack said slowly with a sad look. “He abandoned my mom because she chose to marry my dad… During all those years, he never looked for her, not even when she had me and my siblings, not even when… when she died. I can't forgive that pony... And I'm sure my mom wouldn't forgive him if she was still here." Applejack added, her eyes shining, on the verge of tears as she thought of all that her mother had to suffer when she was abandoned by her own family.
“I see… Now I understand why you reacted like that in the morning.” Dusk lowered his gaze. He remembered the arguments that he himself had had with his older brother in the past. "I don't think that hatred and resentment can last forever... I understand how you feel, but maybe your mother didn't feel that hatred towards him as you think."
Before Applejack could answer, the oven bell rang, announcing that the pie was ready.
Applejack forgot everything and quickly took out the pie and sniffed it, realizing instantly that this apple pie must be one of the most delicious she had ever baked. She cut a piece of pie and got ready to taste it. However, she stopped at the last second and finally offered it to Dusk.
"Here, it's for you. My way of apologizing for yelling at you in the morning.” Applejack said with an embarrassed and tender smile.
Dusk took the piece of pie that his marefriend offered him and tasted it. It was then that Dusk opened his eyes in surprise, savoring with pleasure what was definitely the best apple pie he had ever tasted.
“Hmmm! This pie is delicious!” Dusk said with a big smile as he swallowed what he had in his mouth. "This apple pie is-"
"Not right." Applejack interrupted after having also tasted the pie. "This ain’t the same as the pie my mom used to make."
"What are you talking about? How can there be a better apple pie than this!?” Dusk said with surprise after Applejack's revelation.
“There has to be something else! I must have forgotten something!!" Applejack said, looking through the mess in the kitchen, where was her mom's recipe.
As Applejack searched for the recipe, she ran through all the ingredients for the apple pie in her mind. The flour, the butter, the cinnamon, the apples, she had even cooked it with all her love! Along with the colt she loved! Why did the recipe still not work?
'Do you think that's true love? Pretending to be a couple in love? What do you think our parents would say about your relationship?' Those had been the words that Big Mac had said to Applejack when they were looking for the Great Seedling. Words that began to repeat themselves over and over again in Applejack's mind.
“The recipe didn't work because… we’re not really in love?” Applejack realized, beginning to hyperventilate without realizing it. “No! I love Dusk! And he loves me! There must be another reason!”
"Is this the recipe you're looking for?" Dusk asked confused, finding the recipe that was thrown on the floor.
"Yes!!" Applejack exclaimed and snatched the piece of paper in a panic.
"I wasn't sure if that was the recipe you were looking for because it doesn't say apple pie, hehe." Dusk said with a small laugh.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Of course that-" Applejack said before she went silent after reading the recipe again. What Dusk said was totally true, her mother's pie recipe was called 'Buttercup's family pie', not 'Buttercup's apple pie'. “But… It's an apple pie recipe. It's in the ingredients. It's obvious that…” Applejack added, again falling silent as she put on a thoughtful look. After several seconds, Applejack finally widened her eyes and looked away annoyed. "It just can't be. It must be something else! It’s impossible!"
"What? What did you discover?" Dusk asked, looking closely at his marefriend, as he recognized that look on her, knowing that she had discovered something important.
For several seconds, Applejack avoided looking at Dusk. She just stared at the floor in annoyance, like she was struggling to decide something. Then she finally looked up seriously at Dusk.
"I'm not sure. And I don't want to be sure, but… I think I know what the missing ingredient is.”
A few hours later at Sweet Apple Acres, the entire Apple family was enjoying the most delicious apple pie they had ever tasted. A pie that Granny Smith and Big Mac thought they would never taste again after the cruel family tragedy they experienced.
"Hooo-wey!! This is definitely Buttercup's apple pie!" Granny Smith said, crying with emotion as she remembered her daughter-in-law.
"Ma..." Big Mac whispered excitedly, after trying the pie that his sister had brought them and recognizing that it was identical to the delicious apple pie that his mother made.
“Here, Apple Bloom. This one is just for you.” Applejack said with a small smile, offering her little sister a small heart-shaped pie. "It's my way of apologizing for yelling at you this morning."
Apple Bloom had gone down to the first floor after hearing the fuss Granny was making after trying the pies that Applejack and Dusk Shine had brought. Seeing that her big sister was there, she immediately thought of going back to her room, as she was still upset with her. However, the smell of those delicious pies made it impossible for the filly to leave without tasting a small piece.
"Do you think I'm going to forgive you just because you give me an apple pie?" Apple Bloom asked with a skeptical expression.
"It's not an apple pie, it's a family pie." Applejack answered with a small smile. “Because it’s made with all the love we feel as a family. With all the love I feel for you, lil’ sis.”
Although Apple Bloom wanted to deny her sister's offer, the sweet smell of that pie made it impossible for her to do so. As soon as the filly tasted the pie, her mind took her back to a distant memory, to the dimmest and oldest memory that her young mind had. As soon as she was born, Apple Bloom's eyes couldn’t distinguish figures, but the first thing that etched her mind at birth was the warm embrace of her weary mother, and the sweet aroma of a small kiss. The same aroma that Apple Bloom now remembered and made her shed a tear.
"These were mom's pies?" Apple Bloom said, wiping away a tear from feeling the bond with the mother that, unfortunately, she never got to know.
Both Apple sisters hugged each other tightly, knowing that they were both feeling the same bond with their dear mother at that very moment.
After everyone had eaten several pieces of pie, Granny Smith finally asked her oldest granddaughter how she had managed to match her mother's apple pie recipe. Then Applejack told them the story of how despite all her attempts, she couldn't match the apple pie because it was missing a secret ingredient. And instead of explaining it in words, Applejack decided to show her family what the secret missing ingredient in her mother's pies had finally been.
The Apple family and Dusk Shine walked to the edge of one of the furthest fields of Sweet Apple Acres, taking advantage of the last rays of light of the day.
“Goodness… I haven't been to this part of the farm since…” Granny Smith said on the way, who then fell silent and looked nervously at Applejack. The orange mare simply smiled and nodded.
“It’s the tree that our parents planted. Its fruits were the secret ingredient.” Applejack explained, seeing the tree they were heading for not far away. Looking to her siblings to tell them the story she had read years ago in her mother's diary. “Our parents' families hated each other, so they got married in secret. And to celebrate their union, they both planted a seed from their family trees. For years I took care of that tree in secret, and although it seems to me a beautiful tree, I must admit that there is a part of it that I hated for years.
The closer they got, the more defined they could see the silhouette of the tree that Applejack was referring to. It was actually two intertwined trees, whose trunks crossed each other in a spiral, leaving a space between their tops. The tree was full of fruit, mostly apples, seen from the angle they were walking from. However, as they got closer, Apple Bloom and Big Mac realized that there was another type of fruit on the other side of the canopy.
"Wait, you hated one of our apple trees!?" Apple Bloom asked in shock. She remembered that her sister loved every apple tree in the farm so much, that she even read them stories when they were just saplings.
"And what do you mean our parents' families hated each other?" Big Mac asked.
"That's because our mother was-" Applejack didn’t finish her thought and stopped when she saw that, as they approached the tree her parents had planted, there was someone else there. There, holding the trunk of the tree with a hoof in astonishment was Grand Pear.
"I never imagined that night, in this place, you planted the seeds of this tree... It's... It's beautiful." Grand Pear said as if he was speaking to his daughter. Seeing the beauty of that great, unique and beautiful tree, a symbol of the love that his daughter had for her husband. “I wish I could go back to that day and tell you how sorry I am… Tell you that you were my greatest pride, and that's why it hurt me so much that you didn't follow the path I thought was for you. But you… found your own path, and raised a beautiful family… If only… If I… I… How could I be so blind!?” Grand Pear yelled, falling down sitting in front of the tree and starting to cry bitterly from the biggest mistake he made in his life. A mistake that he always knew he made, but that his great pride prevented him from admitting, until age finally made him flexible and wise enough to admit the guilt accumulated over the years.
Not far from where the old stallion was crying, Dusk Shine and the Apple family were still frozen from shock and perplexity.
After a few seconds, Applejack finally took a few steps and slowly approached Grand Pear. The old pony tried to stand up and hide when he noticed somepony approaching. But after finally venting his pain and guilt accumulated for so many years, it was impossible for him to calm down and stop crying. It was then that through tears, he could see blurry that the one in front of him was Applejack, his daughter's eldest daughter. He had recognized as soon as he arrived in Ponyville, and he also knew perfectly well that she hated him from of how she had yelled at him in the market.
"You're right... I deserve no forgiveness... I'm so sorry..." Grand Pear said, looking at Applejack through his tears. However, to his complete surprise, Applejack did was gave him a hug, one that left the poor old pony speechless.
“I’ve hated you for so long thinking that my mom hated you with all her heart after you abandoned her.” Applejack said quietly as she hugged the old Pear. “But the truth is, she never hated you. Deep down, she continued to love her family until the end… And her dad.” She added with a heavy sigh. It was finally time to let go of the grudge she had held for so many years. She broke away from the hug Grand Pear and gave a small smile. The old pony couldn’t help but lower his head in shame.
“I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but what I did was unforgivable. I wouldn't blame Pear Butter for hating me after abandoning her…” Grand Pear said, looking sadly at the ground.
"That’s not true. And this is the proof.” Applejack said with a tender smile. She offered him a piece of pie that she had baked.
At that moment, Grand Pear looked at his granddaughter in confusion. But seeing that she didn't say anything else and just offered him that pie, it made Grand Pear take that piece and eat it. As he did so, Grand Pear's eyes widened in amazement as he recalled the taste.
“This tates like the pear pie that Pear Butter used to make, but… it's even sweeter.” The stallion said said in amazement.
“That's because it's not a pear pie, and it's not an apple pie either. This pie combines both fruits, the best of both.” Applejack said, finally revealing what was the secret ingredient that had cost her so much to discover. “Mom's pie recipe had the ingredients of a regular apple pie. But then my friend Pinkie Pie told me that the missing ingredient was love, and she was right. It wasn't the love that mom felt just for dad or her children, what was missing was the love that she felt for her entire family, including the Pears. So the missing ingredient was pears, not just apples. She never forgot her family, nor did she ever stop loving it."
Grand Pear looked at Applejack's pie again and began to cry again with a small smile.
“My Pear Butter… My sweet, sweet Pear Butter…” Grand Pear said, trying in vain to stop crying after learning that her daughter had never stopped loving her family.
At that moment, the rest of the Apple family also came over to where Applejack and Grand Pear were. Led by Apple Bloom, who came even closer, shyly, to where her older sister was. Then Applejack smiled and drew the filly closer.
“Apple Bloom. This is your grandfather, Grand Pear.” Applejack said with a tender smile.
At that moment Grand Pear looked at Apple Bloom, who was looking at him with wide eyes of astonishment, and he smiled. Until that morning, he thought that his daughter had only had two children, Big Mac and Applejack. After the death of Pear Butter, he refused to know more about his daughter's family because of the pain it caused him to remember her. Yet this morning, just as it was now, Grand Pear immediately recognized Apple Bloom as his granddaughter, the spitting image he remembered of his little Pear Butter as a filly.
"Your eyes are big and full of hope, just like your mother's." Grand Pear said with a small tear. While Apple Bloom came out of her astonishment and jumped to hug her new grandfather crying with equal emotion.
After a long talk and many hugs, where Big Mac was also moved to hear the story of his parents, and where Granny Smith and Grand Pear finally made peace after their families had fought for so many years; they all decided to return to the family home along with Grand Pear to continue talking. However, Applejack decided to accompany Dusk to his house, so instead of going with the rest of the Apple family, the couple began to walk in the opposite direction.
"Dusk... Would you mind if we stayed here a while longer?" Applejack asked after her family left before leaving her parents' tree.
"I was going to say the same." Dusk replied, approaching that big tree again with Applejack. "It’s indeed a beautiful tree." Dusk added, focusing his eyes on the tops of that particular intertwined tree.
"It is, isn’t it? When I found my mother's diary, I went with the Mayor and she told me that my parents secretly got married here.” Applejack said, patting the tree. “It was a surprise to find this tree. Although no one took care of it for years, it grew strong, like the love of my parents. Since that day, I always come here to water it and take care of it so that it grows even stronger.”
At that moment, Applejack sat under the tree and signaled for Dusk to come with her. Then the stallion sat next to his marefriend, both very close to each other.
"Applejack, I... I know you don't want to hear it, but I really need you to." Dusk said timidly, looking worriedly at Applejack. “I apologize for kissing another mare. I know yesterday you said it didn't matter, but…it really does. I know it really bothered you and I'm really sorry I didn't notice."
“I know… It's true. Yesterday, I said it didn't bother me, but... it really did." Applejack responded with a sigh. She decided to finally tell her coltfriend how she really felt. “But what’s really bothering me isn’t that you and Rainbow Dash kissed. After all, I accepted that. That’s… part of our deal.”
“Part of your deal? What does she mean?” Dusk thought, a little confused when he heard that.
“What bothers me is that in reality you’re not only mine. Remember that I'm not the only one who loves you, and that I'm not the only one you love..." Applejack continued speaking, looking at Dusk with a sad smile. “I’ve been feeling unsure of myself all day. Thinking that my friends wanted to take you away from me, when all they wanted was to help me. I want to scream and tell you to stay with me forever, that you love only me, and that we can continue being a couple forever.” Applejack added with her eyes shining, smiling even though she was about to cry.
“Applejack. This whole thing of trying to be the coltfriend of each of you, from the beginning I thought it was crazy.” Dusk said with a look of anguish and then looking seriously at Applejack. He took the mare's hooves between his own. "I've been thinking about it a lot too, and I want you-" At that moment, Dusk was silenced by Applejack's hoof.
"Look at this tree." Applejack said, indicating to Dusk that they both look up, at their parents' tree. “This huge tree grew from two small seeds. But it was planted with such love that it grew strong and became this beautiful tree.” Then Applejack caressed Dusk's face and looked at him with a tender smile. “Someday I want us to plant our own tree, and I want it to grow as big and strong as this one. For that, we’ll have to go through many tests to see if our love is worthy of blossoming and growing over time.”
At that moment, Applejack closed her eyes and stared at Dusk. Finally she had made a decision.
“A lot of things can happen in the future, and I don't want you to make a decision right now. The only thing that matters is that right here and right now, I love you and you love me. That's all that matters." Applejack said. She rested her head on Dusk's warm shoulder. “I don't want to think about what will happen in a few days. Please, let's just live in the moment… Let's live our love.”
Understanding very well how his marefriend felt, at the crossroads of what she wanted versus what was right with her friends, Dusk didn't say anything else. He would respect Applejack's choice and just as she told him, they would just live for the moment, not thinking about what tomorrow would bring. Without thinking about how much time they had left together, or what they would choose to do after that time was up.
Allowing himself to be carried away by what he felt, Dusk gently lifted Applejack's face and tenderly kissed her under the moonlight under her parents' tree, a symbol of faithful and lasting love.
At that instant, Big Mac approached from afar. He had gone back to his parents' tree to look at it one last time, since it really amazed him that he had never seen that tree, and even more so, that he had never known the true story of how his parents got married.
Seeing his parents' tree again, Big Mac froze to see that two ponies were kissing there. At that moment, the red stallion had to blink several times to try to clear his vision. For a second, he thought he was seeing his parents kissing in that place. However, it was then that Big Mac discovered that the ones who were really kissing were his sister and Dusk Shine.
Seeing Applejack being kissed so passionately by Dusk perplexed the red stallion. If he had seen the same thing a day before, he wouldn’t have hesitated to go separate them immediately. However, this time Big Mac felt a different sensation. He couldn't help but remember how happy he felt in the morning when he saw that Applejack and Dusk had argued, despite the fact that his sister was hurt and sad at that moment. Now his sister was happier than he had ever seen her as she kissed the stallion she loved... How could he have been happy with his sister's unhappiness? Was he really being a good brother? After having confused Applejack and Dusk for a second with their parents, it made Big Mac lower his gaze and begin to question things even more.
'I know that Dusk and I aren’t like Ma and Pa. They fell in love from the day they met, and they didn't stop loving each other until the day I died.' Those were the words that Applejack had said to Big Mac, the night he accused her that she and Dusk weren’t truly in love.
"They... They really look in love..." Big Mac thought, seeing how Applejack and Dusk kissed with innocent passion, expressing their love under his parents' tree. "The way they look at each other... It's like seeing mom and dad again..." Big Mac thought with a sad smile.
'Take care of your sister. You’re her big brother, and if I’m not here, it’ll be your duty to take care of her.' It was one of the phrases Big Mac most remembered his father saying to him. A phrase that he had taken very seriously after his father died. And that now, he remembered very clearly.
"You better take care of her... Now you'll be the one to protect my lil’ sister." Big Mac whispered with a sad smile. He turned around and walked away. Finally accepting that her sister had truly found a worthy stallion to give her heart to.
It was night in Canterlot and in the royal castle and a guard walked alone through the great halls of the upper floor. In the solitude of the night watch, the echo of the guard's footsteps was the only thing heard at that time of night.
"Hey you! What are you doing here?" Another palace guard with a spear guarding the hallway suddenly asked. "You don't have a guard tonight." The sentinel added, seeing one of his fellow approaching.
"Sorry sergeant." The first guard answered, standing in front of the sentinel and giving him a military salute. "It's just... what is that!?" The frightened guard suddenly asked and pointed behind the stallion.
Immediately, the sentinel guard turned to see what it was that had frightened his companion so much. However, when he turned around, he was very confused to see nothing.
In that instant, the sentinel's vision blurred. Then it became more and more dizzy until finally he fell unconscious to the floor.
After the sentinel fell to the floor unconscious, the first guard simply stood still. Looking up at the sergeant with a deadpan look in his eyes. Until finally his true intentions came to light, and the guard couldn’t hide a sinister and evil smile when he saw that this guard had fallen unconscious so easily.
Having shaken off the only obstacle that interrupted him, the guard continued to walk stealthily down the long corridor until he finally reached his destination: the Sun Princess's room. Once there, the guard very slowly and quietly opened the door to avoid making any noise. After gently opening the door, the guard peered into the room.
Inside Celestia's room, the fireplace was still burning. In front of the fireplace, there was a large sofa with its back to the door and sitting on that sofa, the princess must have been, still awake, writing some scrolls.
Since the sofa had its back to the door, the guard who entered the room couldn't get a good look at Celestia's figure, just her silhouette. But what he could see clearly was the crown that pony had on her head. The unmistakable golden crown of the Princess of the Sun, which stood out even more with the reflections of the fire in the fireplace, making it the brightest object in that room.
Having confirmed that his target was there and knowing that he had to act quickly, the guard moved quickly and launched himself at his victim before she could react.
Meanwhile, in a small secret room, Celestia and Luna rested placidly, enjoying the steam that surrounded them and cleaned their fur. Both had decided to take a relaxing steam bath in that small sauna that they had built after they decided that they should leave at least a couple of days a month to relax from their tedious work as princesses.
Just that night, both princesses had agreed to let the maid twins take care of their pending paperwork in order to rest and have some time together between Celestia finishing her work for the day, and before Luna went to fulfill her duties as guardian of dreams.
At that moment, a siren began to sound not far from where both princesses were. A thunderous sound that broke the silence of the night and that was getting louder and louder as the seconds passed.
"What's that noise?" Luna asked, annoyed that the siren interrupted her moment of relaxation.
“That… Is it the guards' alarm for intruders?” Celestia said in confusion since it had been many, many years since she had heard that alarm in her quiet castle.
“An intruder in the castle!? What would it look for? We’re here, and Cadance is out until tomorrow.” Luna asked, quickly tossing the towel from her mane.
Knowing her sister was right, Celestia quickly thought about a reason for entering the castle if they weren't there. After all, if someone wanted to attack the kingdom, the ones who should be the target of an attack would be the three princesses. It was then that Celestia opened her eyes in fright when she understood that whoever had invaded the castle couldn’t know that she and Luna weren’t in their rooms, since that moment of relaxation wasn’t scheduled, it was their secret.
“Sweet Creme and Sweet Caramel!” Celestia shouted in terror, remembering that the twins should be in their rooms, replacing them with their royal duties.
Wasting no time, Celestia used her magic and teleported to her room. Once there, she confirmed with horror that her assumptions had been correct.
Her sofa was upside down, the fireplace was unlit, and there were various scrolls and documents lying on the floor. Next to that mess, Sweet Creme lay unconscious with Celestia's crown at her side. Then Celestia's eyes fell on the other figure there.
Standing on the balcony of her room was a guard. However, Celestia immediately guessed that this wasn’t one of her guards, since that pony was looking at her with a huge, crooked smile.
"The kingdom of the ponies will fall, and I’ll reign over your grave, hehe." The guard laughed with a chilling smile. Right at that moment, the guard's eyes changed into a deep green with an unnatural gleam.
Seeing those eyes, Celestia hesitated for a second, remembering that look and being horrified by the memory. The fake guard saw the window of opportunity, used the green magic on his horn to launch a strong beam onto the roof above Sweet Creme. Then the roof cracked and began to fall.
Celestia immediately snapped out of her horror and used her magic on the debris, stopping it just before it fell onto Sweet Creme. After that, Celestia turned around again, but it was too late. The creature that had taken the form of a guard had escaped by jumping over the balcony and all that was left of that invader was an evil and cruel laugh in the air.
With all the noise in that room, it didn't take long for the guards to get there. They were alarmed to see that Princess Celestia's room had been attacked.
"Lieutenant! Call all the guards.” Celestia said, looking very seriously at the lieutenant. “We must secure the castle and search for the intruder. No matter how long it takes, we have to find her!”
"Yes, Princess!" The lieutenant answered immediately, putting himself in a firm position. However, he then put on a doubtful look. “But… what about the security for the big event tomorrow?”
For a second, Celestia seemed to forget that important detail. Then she looked away with concern. This was the worst time for her kingdom to be threatened, after all, in just a few hours, the biggest event of recent years would take place right there… The wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.
"It's worse than I thought." Celestia muttered, guessing that the next few hours would be critical for her kingdom.
End of chapter 16
Sorry for being late. I hope to post the next one soon 
& Many thanks to 'Scribe of the Nightwings' for his help 
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I wonder if Dusk accidentally married with his friends at the wedding or accidentally marry Queen Chrysalis and when Dusk Shine and Scootaloo spend more time together
Let the fun begin!
First. Tomorrow Shining will be very (very) surprised that his younger brother got married a month before him. (Shining, you've been playing stealth for too long!)
Second. My previous assumption about Chrysalis is still valid.
The third. Big Mac, you've finally seen the light! Stop spoiling the weather.
Fourth. The Dragon Lord blesses this marriage (and why not, I can afford it)
Author, I wish you all the best and lots of inspiration.
(Yes, no emoticons today, because I'm too lazy dragon.)
My thoughts on this chapter:
- Looks like there will be progress for AJ and Dusk’s relationship.
- So we get to see Grand Pear this early! Interesting!
- Wow, AJ yelled a lot, but I understand that she was mad.
- I did think that one’s effort/love is what makes their food great, but I wasn’t expecting pears to be the actual secret ingredient! Symbolism at its finest.
- I’m glad to see that Big Mac has finally accepted Dusk and AJ’s love.
- I do hope Sweet Creme recovers. I was starting to like her and her sister.
Dusk and aj are the best couple of the six (soon to eight cough Luna and sunset) even if she was a jerk here but did her best to apologise
Saw the pics on deviantart and so Dusk will be the one impersonated? Well that means no marefriends angry at him
11246520
we'll have to wait to see what our fearsome insect queen plans
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I hope to be able to publish them very soon 
haha yes, many interesting things are coming in the following chapter
As always, thank you very much for commenting
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It's based on the Grand Pear episode and one of the official comics, when AJ prepares his mother's pie. Although here I gave a little more depth to the story 
I'm glad you liked the chapter
And of course, soon we'll see more of the maid twins
thanks for comment
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We'll have to see what the future holds for them 
Yes, Dusk and AJ have been a nice couple
Wow usually I say my favorite one is when apple jack found out that dusk has the key to her heart but now all I can say one word in italian magnifico ahhh love so chaotic. I hope you make mane 4 moment special like apple jack . because even tho I'm guy I'M SUCH SUCKER FOR LOVE XD
P.S another one my favs well done bigsnu love the comic too
Also love part the day is coming of changeling
invasion : Thumbs up: :)
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I'm glad you liked the chapter 
I tried to make it something special 
Thank you very much!
And of course, we'll have to wait to see if the other girls have such special moments like this or not
ps: I hope to post the next chapter very soon
Thanks for commenting and following the story
Awesome chapter it's really heartwarming the emotions how they were able to reconcile and move on
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I'm glad you liked the chapter 
thanks
very soon the next chapter will be ready
Chrysalis, knew she was coming. Could smell her chitinous exoskeleton from a mile away.
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haha we'll see if Dusk and his friends also have that sixth sense to detect chitins haha
Fucking hell man I can't believe one I am so late that there's already a new chapter out and two you made this one hell of a roller coaster of emotions and heartbreak and finally comfort. Boy do I have a lot of catching up to do oh, I got to start reading the next chapter ASAP.
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and I hope you'll like the next one too haha 
I'm glad you liked the chapter
Well it's that time again where the story is a Good bit ahead of where i left off So it time to read again,
well it seems the rules the girls made for themself is starting to bite them,
Luna has learn there is more going on the what can be seen at first, Good when she learns the full story of the game the girls are playing with Dusk, the she will know that she still got a big chance,
Oh boy time to get your fly swatter and bug spray its time for Changelings
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I'm glad they picked up the story
you arrived right at the beginning of the arc of the changelings
To My Faithful Student,
No. You’re not allowed to skip your brother’s wedding. I’m including a royal proclamation requiring your presence and a day pass, since you’re still technically banished from Canterlot.
-Princess Celestia
***
Dusk:
***
Dear Princess Luna,
Turns out that I will be in attendance tomorrow after all. Would you save me a dance?
-Dusk Shine
***
Luna: