Applejack at the Edge of the World

by MagicS

Apples, Strawberries, and Pears, Oh My! II

Applejack knew when she woke up that she had a big day ahead of her. That’s why she went to knock on Wild Strawberry’s door right next to hers. She wanted to get out there to the Apple and Pear family farms as soon as possible.

Wild Strawberry opened it up quickly and yawned, still a little sleepy. “Applejack?”

“Hey there, Wild Strawberry,” Applejack smiled at the filly. “Ready to get out there? I need to talk to those apple and pear farmers today and see if I can solve this mess.”

“Oh,” Wild Strawberry blinked up at her. “Well...”

Applejack tilted her head. “Something the matter?”

“Um… it’s just that it’s probably a lot better if I didn’t come with you. Neither of them will be happy to see a Strawberry,” Wild Strawberry shrugged. “And I’ve got work to do around the farm here today too. Sorry, I thought you would’ve figured that.”

Applejack dragged a hoof down her face. “No, no, you’re right. You’ve already got your own obligations here, don’t you? And… yeah it might be better if I met the other families on my own. They might think things were a trick or something too if you were with me. Is it easy to get to their farms from here?”

Wild Strawberry nodded. “All you gotta do is go back out to the main road and keep heading down it. The apple farm is closest and the pear farm is right behind them.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” Applejack nodded. She then managed a peek inside Wild Strawberry’s room, seeing that it was very much similar to her own with a large bed, dresser, a few cabinets, and a table beside the bed with a fancy lamp on it. The one difference she spotted was that by the window, sitting in the early morning sunlight, was a potted strawberry plant. Just a small one obviously but a healthily growing strawberry plant all the same. Applejack admittedly was slightly envious—you couldn’t really grow apples in your own room.

“Got yourself a strawberry plant going?” She asked the filly.

Wild Strawberry looked back at it and nodded. “Yeah. The strawberries haven’t ripened yet but they’re close. They’re just gonna end up bitter but I still wanted to grow some of my own.”

Applejack smiled. “Bitter or not, I’d like to be the first pony to try the strawberries you’ve grown.”

“Heh,” Wild Strawberry smiled. “Thanks, Applejack.”

“Don’t mention it. And I guess I better hit the road about now. I’ll see you when I get back later today. And hopefully I’ll have some good news to bring,” Applejack said.

“Good luck,” Wild Strawberry wished her.

---

Early morning in Elysium’s View was pretty nice all things considered. It seemed like a temperate, comfortable, place and right now there was plenty of sun coming from the newly risen sun. No clouds were out just yet to block it so Applejack got to take in the view of the blue sky and the green lands around her. However she couldn’t really enjoy them all that much when she had other things to worry about and two big farms to visit first.

Thankfully the walk to the other farms wasn’t a long one. Applejack was walking over a hill when the apple farm came into view.

Trees and trees and trees almost as far as the eye could see. It sure reminded Applejack of home. From up here on the hill she could see the hundreds of trees with each one of them carrying a beautiful bounty of apples. Red to green and every apple color in-between. Aside from Sweet Apple Acres itself—Applejack may have never seen a greater looking apple orchard. It was a shame, a real crying shame, to think about how these apples had gone bitter too. This being an apple farm, the matter was far closer to her heart and Applejack had an even greater desire to solve the bitter mystery.

The home of the Apple family (that may or may not have been related to her) that lived out here was a bit different from the Strawberry Manor as well. Applejack could see it when she walked a little further. Instead of a single large mansion with some barns, there was a clear patch of land in the middle of the apple orchard with a complex of buildings built on it. Mostly a few houses, either one or two stories, and a couple of barns like the strawberry farm. It was more spread out and looked like there was a lot of open ground between the houses as well, probably for any sort of party or reunion occasion if they were anything like the Apples Applejack knew.

“There it is,” Applejack took a deep breath and started walking through the rows of trees towards it.

She knew she’d receive a warm welcome at first but then… well she’d just have to do her best.

When she reached the houses and barns of the Apple complex she saw that there was a fence running along its perimeter but there was no gate blocking off the road. Anypony could just walk on in. It certainly made her feel a little more welcome.

There weren’t any ponies out right now that she could see, unless some were working in the orchards on the other side of the complex. But they might have still been getting ready or having breakfast. It was certainly early enough for that. So Applejack decided to do the most sensible thing she could think of and walk up to the biggest house of the complex and knock on its front door.

“Time to be a good guest, Applejack,” she told herself.

It only took a few moment’s before she heard a pony walking up to the door and it was pulled open by a young lime-green mare close to her own age. The mare looked Applejack up and down for a moment as if trying to think if she knew her or not before raising a questioning eyebrow at the stranger on her doorstep.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

Applejack smiled. “I think you can. You’re the Apple Family of Elysium’s View, right? Well-” she turned to her side so she could show the mare her triple-apple Cutie Mark. “Do you think you can make some time for a distant relative from out of town?”

The mare’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. “Well I’ll be...”

“My name’s Applejack. From the Apple family in Ponyville, though I doubt you recognize the name,” Applejack said, still grinning happily to the other mare.

“Distant relative or not, any pony with apples on her flank is welcome here,” the mare said and showed her side to Applejack as well—revealing a large pink lady apple Cutie Mark. “I’m Maybelline, would you like to come inside?”

Applejack nodded. “Sure would.”

Maybelline stepped inside and allowed Applejack in. “Mama! Papa! We’ve got a guest!”

If any place in her journey through the west had felt like home—this was it. The quaint home was just like her farmhouse back at Sweet Apple Acres, with a cozy atmosphere and décor, Applejack happily drank it in. There were pictures along the walls of a large family, a fireplace that already had a nice fire going, and the smell of some delicious food from nearby. Maybelline led her right in the direction of where the food was—to a dining room just around the corner.

Applejack saw a big family seated at a big table, almost a dozen other long-lost Apples. Some of them were in the middle of rising to meet her or were already standing. She saw a few more around her age along with some a few years older and a couple of fillies and colts. The table itself was covered in all sorts of breakfast foods along with four apple pies and plenty of apple juice. Yep, that was an Apple family breakfast.

At the far end of the table were an older mare and stallion pushing sixty—but still bright-eyed and smiling at their guest.

“Well who’s this sweet mare?” The older mare asked, her voice as gentle as a silk sheet.

“Maybe a long-lost relative. I’m not too sure yet,” Applejack said.

The others looked around in confusion before Applejack showed off her Cutie Mark and they gasped in surprise and wonder. Applejack could see that most all of them had similar apple Cutie Marks as well. They all had to know what this meant. It wasn’t exactly a guarantee of kinship but it was the closest thing Applejack could think of.

“You’re an Apple?” The older mare asked.

Applejack nodded. “Sure am, my name is Applejack. I’m from a town called Ponyville in the land of Equestria far to the east of here. When I heard that there was an Apple family here I wondered if maybe we were long-lost relatives, my family settled in Ponyville years ago but we’re spread all over… maybe spread even further than I thought.”

“We’ve been out here for a long while but it’s not like we just sprouted out of the ground...” the older mare murmured. “Maybe we do have some sort of distant relation? Oh! But where are my manners? My name’s Ol’ Honeycrisp, matriarch of the Elysium’s View Apple family. This here’s my husband Lentil Soup and—hey now, the rest of you introduce yourselves and say hi to our guest too!”

Everypony that wasn’t already up made sure to get out of their seats as they greeted Applejack more personally. She got a lot of new names and a lot of different versions of hello pretty quickly.

“Howdy! I’m Appleseed.”

“Nice to meet you, Applejack, I’m Cider Barrel.”

“Hello, my name’s Springy.”

“And hi! I’m Vivian, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

And so forth. Even the kids were the most charming and polite of hosts as they greeted Applejack. She in turn made sure to smile and say hello back to every individual pony that greeted her.

Once it was done, Ol’ Honeycrisp spread her hooves in front of the table and smiled at Applejack. “Well won’t you sit down and join us for breakfast? We’ll need to show you our brand of Apple hospitality. Did you hear about us being here and that’s why you made it all the way to Elysium’s View?”

“Uh, not quite,” Applejack awkwardly grinned and took an open seat next to Maybelline as the others also sat back down.

“Then what brought you out to the edge of the world of all places?” Ol’ Honeycrisp asked.

“It’s… kind of complicated. Let me spare you the details, there’s a more important issue I wanted to talk about with you. Regardless of what first sent me here, I’ve heard some things and figured out there’s a big problem here at your farm,” Applejack glumly looked around at the others—and at the apple pies sitting on the table. “I know about the Strawberry and Pear families that live out here too. Is it true you’ve been feuding with them for a long time. And… have all your apples really gone bitter?”

It was not exactly a tactful way to broach the subject but Applejack was nothing if not direct.

Still, unsurprisingly, a cold breeze seemed to settle across the whole dining room. Most smiles vanished or were awkwardly frozen on her distant kin’s faces. Maybelline was shifting her eyes back and forth between Applejack and her old parents. Lentil Soup also glanced sideways at his wife—the matriarch of these ponies—and seemed to wonder how she would react.

Ol’ Honeycrisp, her eyes sharp but decidely less friendly looking than a moment ago, gently took a drink of apple juice in front of her before staring down Applejack. “And where exactly did you learn all this?”

Applejack sighed. “I spent last night at Strawberry Manor as a guest of Mr. Berries.”

The coldness became even worse and the dining room was now filled with tension so think it could be cut with a knife.

“And you’re supposed to be kin of ours?” Ol’ Honeycrisp asked, barely holding back a biting snort. “Our feud with them is our business. Or do you maybe secretly prefer strawberries and pears to apples?”

A vein twitched in Applejack’s forehead. “Now hold on just one minute. There’s no pony who loves apples more than me—I just want to help you out here. I am family. But I know what feuds can be like and I want to help you. If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Berries wasn’t exactly welcoming until he learned I wasn’t from around here.”

“I’m surprised he’d put you up even then,” Springy said.

“Well I also had a friend vouch for me—she’s a strawberry farmer I knew from somewhere else,” Applejack explained.

“Friends? With a strawberry farmer?” Ol’ Honeycrisp nearly sprung up out of her chair. “You best be pulling our legs here.”

Applejack held up her hooves defensively. “I’m not, please just listen to me. I want to help you. Loving apples doesn’t mean you need to hate strawberries and pears—there aint no reason whatsover you can’t get along with the other farmers out here. I’m an Apple and my family back home gets along well with everypony else, even though we’ve had issues in the past. We’ve got Orange relatives and I’ve even worked for a cherry farmer at one point. There aint nothing wrong with any of it.” She took a deep breath, ready to explain something even more personal. “I know the pointlessness of a feud and how it can hurt ponies. Before my time, the Apples had a problem with the Pear family that lived nearby. But my pa, Bright Macintosh, fell in love with my ma Pear Butter and married her. Her father couldn’t stand it and he never made up with her and it was something he always regretted. But things are better now—me and my family are proof of that.”

There was another pause in the dining room and somehow for a moment things seemed even quieter than before. Maybelline was now flat out gawking at her and some of the younger ponies seemed confused. The adults though all realized what she had said and what it meant.

Ol’ Honeycrisp stood up straight, staring at Applejack with a fire in her eyes that was so unlike the soft sweetness Applejack had seen in the mare earlier. “Are you telling me… that you’re a Pear?”

“I’m Applejack. But my mother was a Pear and there ain’t nothing wrong with that,” Applejack coolly responded.

“You’re the daughter of an Apple and a Pear...” Ol’ Honeycrisp’s lip curled. “How… how… how shameful!”

This time it was impossible for Applejack to hold back.

“Shameful! Are you calling my ma and pa shameful?!” She shouted, standing up as well.

Ol’ Honeycrisp immediately snapped her mouth shut. Guest or not, feud or not, there were just some things you didn’t say and she knew she had gone too far. As had the other Apples here, even the ones also clearly unhappy to learn about Applejack’s lineage. Ol’ Honeycrisp calmly sat back down and looked at Applejack.

“I apologize for my words, that was wrong of me to say. But let me just say this—you aren’t one of us and this isn’t your problem. And frankly, you aren’t welcome here any longer either. I’d like you to leave.”

Applejack closed her eyes and calmed herself down a little. “I’m trying to help you here. It’s not just the feuding, we need to get to the bottom of why your apples have gone bitter.” She opened her eyes back up and looked at one of the glasses of apple juice on the table. Reaching down she grabbed it and took a small sip, cringing as the bitter taste immediately hit her. “Are you all in denial? How can you drink this and eat apple pies made of apples like this?”

“For all we know it was either the Strawberries or Pears who did something to our apples,” Ol’ Honeycrisp defiantly folded her hooves.

Applejack sighed and sat down. “That’s pretty much exactly the same sentiment Mr. Berries had...”

“Just get out of here!” Ol’ Honeycrisp pointed towards the door. “We have more than enough reasons to not want to get along with those other farms! Stop intruding in on business that has nothing to do with you, you aren’t any Apple in my eyes!”

“Fine! I’m going! But this isn’t the last you’re going to hear from me,” Applejack pushed her chair back and started stomping out of the dining room.

Maybelline followed her out towards the front door. “I-I’m sorry things went like that, my mother, she’s just, she’s just set in her ways and very passionate and-”

“I understand tempers can run hot in situations like this,” Applejack cut her off, still a bit angry herself but trying to not take it out on the much more helpful mare.

Maybelline swallowed and opened up the front door for her but before Applejack could leave- “Wait a second!”

“What is it?” Applejack stopped.

“You… your mother is really a Pear?” Maybelline asked.

“Sure was. Is that a problem?” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“No, not at all,” Maybelline quickly shook her head. “Not all of us are so angry with each other. It’s mostly our parents who are still fighting… I know some Strawberries and Pears who… it doesn’t matter.” She sighed. “Have a nice day, it was nice to meet you.”

“I hope it will get a little nicer, I have the Pears to go talk to next. But it was nice to meet you too,” Applejack said and stepped out the door.

---

The pear farm was very similar to the apple farm at a glance. Something Applejack noticed with wry amusement, if she pointed that out to her family she had just left behind would that annoy them? Even though she still wasn’t sure if they were actually blood related or not, family was family.

But for now, the pear farm covered multiple hills and fields just like the apple and strawberry farms, all of its trees growing big and strong and carrying plenty of ripe pears on them. It was sad to think that just like the other two fruits they were all going to be bitter.

Another thing on her mind right now was the thought that maybe she wouldn’t even be allowed in to talk with the Pear family. Her name was Applejack, she had an apple Cutie Mark, even if they knew she wasn’t one of the other Apples they likely still wouldn’t be happy to see her. And once she told her story they’d probably get just as angry. Without Wild Strawberry to help her out she didn’t have a single solitary “in” with the Pear family out here. Applejack was just going to hope against hope that they at least didn’t slam the door back in her face when they saw her standing there.

Walking through the trees, down the road that branched off from the main one, Applejack eventually saw the house where they lived. It was a single large building but only one-story high, ranch-style, that spread across a large part of the farm. Applejack saw a few other barns as well that were spread out through the orchards instead of just being right next to the large home. Thanks to the time of day she had arrived here she also saw a large number of ponies working in the rows of trees. They couldn’t all be Pear family members, some probably just hired help, but Applejack was worried that her apple Cutie Mark would be spotted before she even got to the house.

In fact, when she got closer she saw a few ponies out on the porch of the large ranch home while its front door was held wide open in invitation. A few colts and fillies were playing around in the dirt and an older mare was resting in a rocking chair, watching over them. When Applejack approached, she could see that the mare was smiling… but it became more strained as she was able to make out the pony that was coming her way. The children as well had seen her and were watching the stranger approach their home.

Applejack stopped in front of the steps leading up the porch and looked up at the older mare in her chair. Who was not angrily glaring at her but still had an icy expression on her yellow face. Her mane was white and curly but starting to gray at the roots.

“Howdy,” Applejack said.

The creaking of the chair and the floorboards of the porch as it rocked back and forth were the only sounds for a moment before the mare nodded. “Howdy yourself. You’re not from the Apple farm, I know all of them by heart.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s right, I am an apple farmer but not from here. My name is Applejack—I came out to Elysium’s View for… personal reasons… and learned about all your farms here. May I ask who you are?”

“Mother Pear Jam. I happen to be the current head of the farm,” Mother Pear Jam continued rocking slowly back and forth.

“Well it’s nice to meet you. And um, I know this is gonna be a sore subject and I don’t want you to think I’m being rude but… I’ve heard about your pears going bitter from others. Is that true?” Applejack asked.

“If it is or isn’t what does it matter to you? An apple farmer, not even one from here, why don’t you keep your nose out of our pear business,” Mother Pear Jam said. There was a lack of real venom in her voice but she obviously didn’t want to talk about it with Applejack.

“Because I’d like to help—all of you. And… I have a bit of a closer connection to pears than you might think. It’s possible that you and me are even distant relatives,” Applejack said.

Now a frown settled over Mother Pear Jam’s face and she raised an eyebrow at Applejack. “And just what do you mean by that?”

Before Applejack could respond, a voice came from the open door leading into the house. “Mother? Who are you talking to? Do we have a visitor?”

“You and Cake should come on out here!” Mother Pear Jam shouted back to the door. “Seems we got a strange one!”

Applejack didn’t much appreciate that moniker but she didn’t want to get in a fight. Instead she watched as two stallions came walking out onto the porch. She had to blink and do a double-take—they were twins. About her age, with a darker yellow coloring than Mother Pear Jam, they wore suits and unlike their mother they had smiling, welcoming, faces.

“These are my sons, Pear Pie and Pear Cake. They’re next in line to take over the farm, though it’ll be a long time fore that happens,” Mother Pear Jam said to Applejack. She then glanced at the twins. “This here mare is called Applejack. She says she’d like to help us out with our little bitter problem. Why don’t you tell her what our policy is on Apples.”

Both twins winced and looked over at their mother awkwardly. Applejack had no idea which was which but one of them had the nerve to speak up to her.

“Mother… please, there’s no need for-”

“Do you want to take over the farm one day or not?” Mother Pear Jam cut him off.

The twins sighed and glumly looked at Applejack—reciting in a rote and apologetic fashion to Applejack: “Apples and Strawberries both should buzz off before they get what’s coming to them.”

They then mouthed “sorry” to her before their mother could see.

“Get it now?” Mother Pear Jam asked.

Applejack put a hoof to her forehead and sighed deeply. “This crazy feuding of yours has to stop. Not just because all your fruit has gone bitter and you need to find out why—but because you’ll tear each other apart at this rate. And that aint right. Ponies shouldn’t be fighting like this, especially over something so pointless.”

“Pears are better than apples and strawberries! But those two families never gave us any respect,” Mother Pear Jam shouted. “I wouldn’t expect an Apple like you to understand that though.”

“But you’re wrong. I aint just an Apple. My mother was a Pear,” Applejack said—as proud as she had ever been in her life about anything.

The twins gasped and Mother Pear Jam nearly fell out of her rocking chair. All the other kids that had been watching this were just as shocked too.

“Y-Y-Y-You what?!” Mother Pear Jam finally managed to say.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Told you we might be related. I’ve been an apple farmer all my life but don’t think that I can’t appreciate pears too. Are you maybe willing to listen to me? Can’t you see and believe that I just want to help you all? Make things better for everypony?”

“G-Get out of here!” Mother Pear Jam angrily pointed Applejack out of the farm. “Just get out of here! You aint welcome on our farm!”

“Mother, please! You’re being-” the twins tried to reason with her.

“I don’t want to hear it, you two! You should be watching me and learning from me right now! This is what you need to do to take care of our pear farm—it was probably an Apple or Strawberry that caused everything to go bitter in the first place. Can’t give em an inch!” She continued to yell.

“I. Just. Want. To. Help,” Applejack said through gritted teeth.

“We don’t want it or need it. Tomorrow there’s a big meeting with those other Apples and the Strawberry family too, and we’ll get to the bottom of which of them caused our fruit to go bitter. Then once the culprit has been punished we’ll go back to normal and we won’t have to talk to one another ever again. Hmph!” Mother Pear Jam defiantly turned her nose up at Applejack.

“Okay! I’m going, sheesh!” Applejack shook her head and turned around. “But I’m not leaving Elysium’s View until you all get along and this feuding comes to a stop! Believe me, I’m way more stubborn than you!”

“Keep yapping all you want but I better not see you here again!” She heard Mother Pear Jam yell after her.

Applejack didn’t bother turning around or continuing a pointless argument as she stomped her way away from the house and back to the road leading out of the pear farm. This day had not gone nearly as well as she had wished. It seemed like she was going to have to place her bets on the meeting taking place tomorrow. As miserable as that was likely to be.

“I can’t believe I’ve gotten along best with the Strawberries of all ponies.”

Comments

[Fanwriter]

Yep. It has to be the fighting.

[RoboRed]

Well, dang. That just went from bad to worse. Harsh.

[redmar]

It's clear that the older generations are a problem here since they clearly refuse to give up their pointless grudge.