...Hi Again
Applejack turned to face the scene before her, watching as the normally stoic town lit up with lights and celebration. Homes twinkled with delight, the moonlight reflecting off the garland and other decorations lining the outside. Laughter and chatter filled the air as ponies gathered together to enjoy the festivities, dancing and having a good ol' time.
She couldn't help but agree that she was enjoying herself, even if Pinkie's insistent playing of festive carols was becoming just a little too much. A few moments ago she was at a table in the middle of town, munching on a warm apple tart as Twilight finished telling them about her new princess' duties, when a wall of sound blasted her hat clear off her head. Behind her stood a giggling pink pony, jingle bells in hoof, and a megaphone in the other. It had been the second time that Pinkie had gotten her that night.
But being with her friends was the best part about the Heart's Warming Eve season. Gone was the stress of the farm, and the endless work to reach the quota she always set for herself for at least this night. Applejack knew that this responsibility was there, and couldn't be avoided.
For the past couple of years, it felt like the quota of apples she required had risen twofold, when the number of apples remained the same. Applejack wasn't sure if her love of apple-bucking was fading, replaced with a sense of wonder, a wonder of what the world had to offer her other than this. It hadn't been this present in her mind since she went to Manehattan as a filly many years ago. These thoughts remained constant for months now, and she was beginning to regret telling anypony, for it got in the way of things.
She had first gone to Granny Smith and explained the problem, mentioning the small yet significant thought. And while she was understanding, Applejack could see the slight sliver of pain in her eyes at the very notion of her leaving again. Once she saw it, there was no way she would even consider leaving again.
In turn, it was only a moment of time before the thought disappeared. The farm was a responsibility for her, and she could never leave her family behind for something as selfish as her own desires. Work had to be done, and her family depended upon that work to live comfortably.
She didn't dismiss the thought completely. Instead: she held onto it, keeping it wrapped like a present inside her noggin. There happened to be another group of ponies she could talk to and ask for advice, and they were ones she was going to make an annual visit to.
Applejack finally saw the sight of two stones before her, centered under an Apple tree on the edge of the ponyville border. From the perspective of any other pony, they were just two boring old rocks in a forest which contained thousands of them. To Applejack, they represented so much more, a significance that only she understood, of which she told nopony. Even Apple Bloom and Big Mac had no knowledge of the site. The only one who even knew of its location was Rainbow Dash, however, she didn't understand the significance of it all.
These stones were both circular in shape, each one around the size of a couple of hoof prints. What made them unique is the radiance they gave off as the moonlight danced upon their surfaces. For reasons Applejack couldn't fathom, the pair of stones glowed every night, each one giving off a light golden hue, reflecting a spiritual quality within them.
As if by pure chance that she had discovered the stones. Rainbow and she had raced through this neck years ago when she saw the stones out of the corner of her eye. At the time she couldn't identify why, but there was something about them which caused her to turn around.
"Aw come-on AJ; you can do better than that!" Rainbow teased as she quickened her gallops, only extending her lead a hoof or so.
The pair of friends were racing each other; nothing unusual when looking at their competitive history. Over the years they've relished in activities ranging from balancing on water driven logs in the nearby lake, to sliding down some of the steepest hills, their sleds baring little reminders that they were once elliptically shaped from the incredible speeds they reached.
But on this warm autumn afternoon, there was no special rules. No dangerous stunts, no complex methods, and no specifics.
Instead, the two ponies were embellished in a simple hoofrace, the activity which they returned to most frequently.
"Ah would focus on keeping your eyes in front of you." Applejack merely smirked as she sensed the eyeroll Rainbow gave her.
"And why is that?"
The earth pony steadied her hat, eyes squinting as she saw a bend up ahead.
"Because, you don't wanna hit my behind!"
Rainbow's grin turned into an expression of confusion. Before long, she looked ahead in disbelief as her friend raced ahead of her, dust kicking up in little puffy clouds as she saw Applejack out-pacing her rather dramatically.
Her first instinct was to extend her wings and take flight, as it would easily ensure a reclamation of the lead. There was a great deal of discomfort as she attempted to extend her wings, which was followed by a realization of how forgetful she could be sometimes.
"And no wings Rainbow!"
It was as if Applejack's mind echoed her own. Rainbow glanced backward for only a split second, and was reminded that her wings were secured on her sides, complete with ropes tied by master knotter Applejack herself. As strong as she was, there was no breaking free of those, and wasn't like Applejack was the type to let cheating go by easily.
The pair continued with their race, their hooves and respective shadows dancing in the sunlight as the afternoon slowly descended into the early evening. The sun continued to sink into the horizon, illuminating the surrounding countryside and forest-side in a soft, yet warm glow, resembling a fire made on a cold winter's night.
It was this reason among others made this Applejack's favorite time of the day. She normally retired from her long day's work on the farm as well, making up the other reasons she enjoyed this hour.
Her ears picked up the approaching sounds of the rival's gallops, and could sense Rainbow beginning to close in on her, as expected. There was just no quit in Rainbow, but then again, there wasn't any in her either.
Suddenly, a minuscule yet dark dot in the horizon appeared, a black bead in the yellow sun. It was a boulder, and a rather enormous one at that, with a height and width reaching both Applejack's and Rainbow's combined. The boulder looked to be out of place on the side of the forest, sitting all by its lonesome in an environment that processed nothing of any relation.
Applejack knew the place well, as they had used it as their finish line many times. There was no mistaking the boulder's location, for on either side were two near identical depressions, larger than the plot of land which the boulder sat upon. It was an odd site, and made the scene somewhat sad as she gazed upon the lonely rock. It was as if those two depressions were once the home of two larger boulders, the rock parents of the boulder which continued to grow in Applejack's field of view.
Shrugging off the peculiar thought, she put her head down and internally yelled at her legs to move faster, as she felt Rainbow's presence continue to move closer and closer to her own. Her eyes closed as she went into the final stretch, opening as she could see the rock now only a few hundred feet out.
A cloud of dust made her close her eyes, causing Applejack to turn left towards the forest for a moment. In this briefness, she looked upon a certain tree in the forest.
Her hooves came to a grinding halt on the grass below her, a mixture of blades and dirt catapulting itself into the air as a result. She felt a massive column of air pass her by, and knew that Rainbow had sped by her, as she could hear the pegasus jumping and hollering in victory. It soon died down to silence as Applejack's gaze continued its transfixed stare upon a single tree.
"...Hey, don't tell me you let me win!?" Rainbow had walked back over to her side, still somewhat pleased at her own victory, but puzzled at her friend's sudden pause, especially when she was in the lead.
Applejack remained silent, as she started to walk slowly over to the object in question. Her hooves trotted along the ground, the sight of the tree robbing her of some linear motion as she took a curved path.
Rainbow Dash could only follow, wondering if something broke in that brain of hers. "AJ, what's bugging you? So its just an apple tree, big deal? You see them every day."
"Ah've been here countless times, and so have you. But ah've never seen an apple tree like that before," she responded with a monotone, her gaze continuing to be mystified. "There's just something about this here tree though... I can't put mah hoof on it"
Dash groaned, hoofing herself in the face as she failed to understand the significance of said tree. It's not like it was the last apple tree in all of Equestria.
Rainbow attempted to examine the tree they both were now standing in front of, their presences enveloping the tree's base in two dark shadows. It was taller than most of the ones at Sweet Apple Acres, most likely due to its growth being natural and uninhibited. The shape was uniform, with the leaves and branches forming a shape close to an elongated oval, with its meeting point symmetrical to the rest of the tree. There was fruit aplenty given the crisp autumn weather, and Rainbow instantly thought of how much cider this tree could produce.
"Well, I see nothing special. Its just an apple tree, maybe bigger than the ones back at your place, but still, just an apple tree," she confessed, hoping Applejack would agree so they could head back to Ponyville.
Applejack turned around, meeting eye to eye with Rainbow as she took off her hat, holding it limply by her side. Rainbow saw an emotion in her friend which wasn't visible often, or to the many whom she knew. The earth pony who was known for her honesty was also known for her knack at hiding emotions, submerging her feelings in a liquid so blurry nopony could see through the self made defenses.
But at this very occasion Rainbow saw the pain in her eyes become too great for her to even manage.
It told her that this singular apple tree was more important than any combination of reasons her mind could muster.
"Tell ya what, I'm going to head back," she put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder, the gesture both surprising her and Applejack, while easing the tension. "To me its just a plain ol' tree. But I can tell it means a lot more to you, so I'm going to leave you be. Promise me one thing though?"
Applejack arched an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"We have ourselves a proper race with an actual winner... even though I still count my win as a victory in my book," Rainbow teased, her efforts winning her not a race, but a pair of sap green eyes rolling in response.
The fond memory warmed her senses, as well as her heart as examined the bark of the aged apple tree with her hoof. She figured out that this tree in particular was much older than most of the trees on the farm, something she couldn't explain. Then again, she really couldn't explain the significance of the tree to anypony properly.
Instead she kept the knowledge of the tree's location locked up, the site showing meaning only to her, and her alone. Applejack considered bringing Apple Bloom or Big Mac to the spot one day, in hopes that they might understand and even feel the same presence she did. For now, the only pony who came close to figuring this out was Rainbow.
Applejack removed her trademark hat, shaking her head a bit to untangle her mane, which lazily flowed in different directions. She chuckled at what it might look like, and how Rarity would react if she saw it. Brushing some twigs and leaves with said hat, she took a seat, back resting on the cool bark as she stared into the night sky, twinkling stars filling the sky with a sort of silent wonder. Center-stage was the moon, in its fullest glory as it watched over the earth, almost as if it was acting like a guardian.
Closing her eyes, the earth pony took in a deep breath, opening her eyes as she exhaled while her mouth turned into a warm smile.
"...Hi Again."