Chapter 1
"Hey there fella! You up to buy an' apple?"
Applejack lifted a shiny red apple. The orange mare winked, accompanied with a playful grin. She loved hooking hungry ponies to peruse and purchase her personally prepared fresh apple products. The mare puffed proudly. But as the stallion neared her booth, Applejack's confidence wavered and she begun to frown.
He wasn't a Ponyville pony. He even smelled of moldy carrots. The pungent aroma wafted from beneath his ratty black cloak.
He fidgeted under Applejack's scrutiny.
"I...I...uh…" He fumbled with his garments. He distinctly differed when compared with the other rumbustious market ponies whom carried large coin bags which sparkled cheerfully in sunlight. He shuffled uncomfortably, unable to hide his empty satchel. The stallion took a nervous breath. “I'm sorry. I-I should get going.”
To his astonishment two large juicy apples dropped into his bag.
He gawked at the mare. "Wh-Why?"
Applejack confidently approached the stallion. With a measured motion, she embraced him, uncaring of the slime on his robes. The hug ended briskly.
His mind momentarily blanked. He gaped at her uncomprehendingly as she presented him with a second smile, softer but strong. "You needed help,” Applejack stated honestly. “Heck, life ain't always apples and sunshine.”
“I don't deserve help.”
“Bull manure!” She stomped her hoof. The lively marketplace continued to walk around them. “You matter. Don't ever believe otherwise.” She glowered threateningly.
The stallion cheeks warmed. “I don't know what to say. Th-Thank you.”
Applejack gave a firm nod before she relaxed her jaw. She eyed the two lonely apples. “If you want, ah do know a princess or four. You need a job?”
He shook his head. “No. You've given me everything I could ever want.” Applejack furrowed her brow, baffled at the unexpected reply. He straightened his robe. “I think I understand.”
“It's just two apples.”
He hid a small smile. His eyes sparkled as he spoke. “Goodbye, Miss Applejack.” Before Applejack could argue, the stallion had hurried off. He promptly vanished after being swallowed by the swarm of multicolored ponies that flooded the market.
Applejack scrunched her face. She slowly brushed herself off, and gave one last look to the sea of ponies. She shook her head. This farm pony had apples to sell.
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack hummed softly. The moonlight illuminated the rustic road. The pony tugged the empty apple cart further down the path. Her hums, an old Manehatten Bridleway melody, echoed into the night.
She could see home in the distance. A cozy warmth blossomed in her heart as she approached the visage of her Sweet Apple Acres. She could hear her dog barking. She smiled lightly. She quickened her pace, pulling pass the curved welcome sign. A bundle of energy leaped onto her.
“Ack! Winona. Hehehe! Down girl! Heheheheh!” She laughed heartily as her dog slobbered over her cheeks. She responded with a rigorous belly rub. She left the satisfied pet and parked the equipment in the shed.
Applejack spotted her red farmhouse and stepped inside.
“Ah’m home!”
“Kitchen table, sweetie!”
Applejack licked her lips as she trotted to the tantalizing aroma of pureed carrot stew. Pressing the door open, a whiff of freshly fermented bread followed. She plopped in her chair, squeezed between her two other siblings. Everypony else had already attacked the delicious dinner.
Applejack teased her Stetson to the side, now perched precariously on the tip of her noggin, before she eagerly poured herself a heaping of the delicious broth. She slurped it noisily. Bits dribbled down her muzzle. “Tssh ishh gdd!” she complimented.
Granny Apple hid her amusement. The lively chatter continued to fill the home. Applejack would nod occasionally when Granny spoke of her daily shenanigans with their business partner, Filthy Rich. Applejack would playfully tussle her smaller sister's mane much to the filly's annoyance. Applejack would tease her older brother Mac. The blush taking over his face.
And when the excitement would predictably peak around her, Applejack would easily withdraw from the dialog. Like clockwork, everypony would be inevitably en-wrapped with one another, unaware of how Applejack slouched on her chair. And in this short reprieve, Applejack would allow herself to relax her cheeks and stop smiling.
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack's backside rested against her own bed. She'd settled for staring at the ceiling. The stars were visible from her window sill, but she’d already given up counting the twinkling lights.
Restless, she tilted on her side and apprehensively looked at the dusty frame pressed along her cabinet. With her empty hoof, she turned it over and studied the picture. Like always, her eyes fell to the wrinkled portrait of a certain mare and stallion smiling beside a tiny Mac and herself.
She pushed the picture away, and wiped her face. She'd tried so hard to not show it too. She needed to stay strong. She distracted herself as her thoughts reminded her that she needed to put fresh flowers by their stones soon.
Applejack pressed herself into her soft mattress. It rarely worked, but maybe if she closed her eyes hard enough, she could imagine a certain somepony baking a fresh, crumbly apple pie. Letting her mind float, she let her eyes water, as she wished for a specific pair of strong hooves to hug her tightly. She’d been sure to lock the door that night. Nopony needed to know.
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack screamed in horrific pain. The world was colored red. She was on fire!! She could not move as the agonizing flames swallowed her.
Then, it vanished. She wanted to speak, but she couldn't feel her throat. She felt emptiness. It looked like fresh paper. With no warning, she felt the figurative invisible ropes, that dangled her, untangle.
Applejack dropped downwards.
The world blurred as she sped faster. Her eyes watered when colors inexplicably erupted all around her, which exploded to form a rainbow about to devour her. And then it all stopped.
Applejack's head lightly slammed into a wooden table. The discombobulated orange pony punched the table back. She hissed from the said decision as her hoof throbbed uncomfortably from the assault.
“Jacqueline Jewel Apple! We do not sleep at the dinner table!”
Applejack snapped her eyes open. She reeled backwards and slammed her backside into the chair's railing.
She gasped.
She proceeded to scream at the two suddenly not-dead-pony-parents. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” She smacked the lying plates. The impact shattered the ceramics, and sprayed broken shards against the wall.
Applejack’s hoof started to bleed from the embedded sharp chunks. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Her yells eventually morphed into silent screams. Unlike the two Apples in her dusty photo, these not-dead-ponies were moving, and they had begun to stare at her. She shook silently in her chair.
Then a second high-pitched scream followed. Applejack's delirium died momentarily when she noticed a red-maned baby bawling by the table. It wore a familiar red ribbon, while it loudly drooled out its garbled Equestrian.
She watched helplessly as Mommy leaped to comfort the shrieking baby. Daddy followed suit but sped to Applejack. He hugged her. Applejack went stiff. He smelled like apples and grass. She mechanically craned her neck upward, and stared blankly at the dark-furred stallion. He had such deep green eyes.
“Jackie. Please, yer hurtin.”
Applejack felt her speeding heart. Perched perfectly on his messy emerald green mane was a familiar brown Stetson. Applejack instinctively touched her own mane, feeling only her blonde locks.
The red maned baby had begun to gurgle happily from its crib, while it greedily drank from its miniature milk bottle. Mommy had begun to approach Applejack.
Applejack flinched. She cringed under Mommy's piercing blue eyes. “Jaqueline, you need to take slow, deep breaths.” Those strong eyes softened. “Honey… it's another scary dream?”
“Jackie,” interrupted the heavy voice of Daddy. “Yer safe now.”
She slowly curled into a ball.
“Hey Applejack!! You done with breakfast!?” The doorway creaked open. Applejack looked at the small red colt who walked from behind the door. “Applejack, c’mon school! You done in... Wh-What the buck happened!?” exclaimed Macintosh, gesturing to the large mess.
Her big brother was now a prepubescent, lanky colt. He looked to be 12-years-old. Applejack felt herself go cross-eyed, her pupils dilating. “Ha.” The red colt fidgeted with his book bag which adorned a smiling apple tree. “Ha. Ha.”
Applejack snapped.
She burst out laughing. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Haha!!” She clenched her ribs unable to stop making the abnormal noises. The worry etched onto everypony only made Applejack’s laughter grow.
It had been several minutes before Applejack realized she’d begun crying in her parents’ arms. Even smaller Mac stood by her side, hoping to comfort his little sister.
Two Apples
Applejack hiccuped. She scrubbed her red, puffy eyes.
Mommy and Daddy held her gently. Applejack nibbled her bottom lip as she glared at the floor. She needed some semblance of control.
“Hey Applejack,” interrupted mini Mac. He puffed proudly as if prepared to say something exceptionally witty. “Are you crazy now?”
Mommy towered over the small colt and glared. “Macintosh Apple, you apologize this instant.” Mac was at a loss for words. “There will be no disrespectful behavior in this household, especially not toward one's little sister.”
Mac's timidness swiftly became boisterous anger. He pointed at the ruined kitchen. “She just destroyed like everything!” he accused. “She should be the one in trouble!!”
Daddy stomped his hoof loudly. The floor buckled under his weight. Making sure everypony was paying attention, he shook his head in disappointment.
Mac went livid. “I hate this family!” he yelled. The colt bolted out the house, and wielded his heavy backpack. He was not going to miss school, because of his dumb family.
oOo oOo oOo
Mommy stood silently behind the window sill. Daddy approached his wife and tenderly massaged her backside. His dark muscular hooves pushed into her golden orange fur.
“Are we bad parents?” she said softly. The wind ruffled her short amber mane.
“Sometimes.” She lightly punched his head. Daddy's hat now sat crooked on his disheveled mane. He laughed warmly. He leaned forward and gently nuzzled her cheek. “Fortunately for us, Mac was bein' especially bratty. He'll calm down. Then we can lecture him all serious-like.” His wife nibbled her bottom lip before returning an affirmative nod.
“Minty, I need to put Jaqueline to bed. She seems to be running a fever.”
“Alright then. You care for Jackie. Ah can handle Bloom and the kitchen.” He slapped her playfully on the rear. “Giddy up.”
“You're insufferable,” snorted Tangerine Apple.
Mint Apple chuckled deeply. He sneaked a quick peak at his wife's toned flank just as she carried Jackie upstairs.
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack blinked. Mommy and Daddy were... what? She blushed, knowing that Mommy knew Daddy was peaking. Mommy wiggled her tail, which pretended to lift, but instead draped over her butt. Applejack blushed a bright red.
She settled to hide her face, pressing it against Mommy's silky backside. “So clingy,” chortled Mommy. Applejack's ears twitched at Mommy's light giggles.
Mommy pushed open the bedroom door. She then plopped Applejack onto the soft cushion. Mommy maneuvered the fluffy blankets and tucked in Applejack. Mommy gently brushed her daughter.
“...Sing please?” whispered Applejack, unnaturally soft and timid. She felt her heart break as Mommy frowned. Applejack clenched her eyes close, and cried inside. Perhaps the dream was about to end. But as she hid in the darkness behind her closed eyelids, she heard music.
Mommy's accented words from her favorite Bridleway musical poured over. “... Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels. Door bells and sleigh bells and pretzels with noodles. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. ~ These are a few of my favorite things.”
Applejack unclenched her eyes. She looked at her smiling Mommy with astonishment. “... When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad.” Mommy holds her. “I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad.”
She continues to sing to Applejack's delight. It was within an hour when Applejack found herself unable to fight her building fatigue. She barely heard Mommy accidentally bump the sharp cabinet. Mommy silently hissed a wide array of profanity at her bruised limb.
Applejack hugged her pillow.
“We love you.”
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack woke up alone in bed. She gently nuzzled into her sheets with a happy sigh. She felt wonderful. Her muscles no longer ached, even the tightness in her joints were missing.
Her lips quirked upward.
She remembered the dream. She breathed a dreamy sigh, and relished in the unfamiliar contentedness. Big Macintosh and Granny wouldn't fault her for foregoing her farming chores for one little day.
If only her forehoof didn't still hurt. She lazily looked at the white bandages wrapped by her parents, that sat snugly around the hoof.
Applejack froze.
She yanked her bandaged hoof and paraded it around. Her blinking increased exponentially as she touched the fresh wrappings. “No-No-No-No way!!” Faster than any mad pony, she catapulted off the blanket.
She spun around the darkened room. She spotted the closed curtains. She scrambled forward. She then immediately slammed gracelessly into the floor. She gritted her teeth as she pushed her wobbly hooves forward and struggled to find her center of balance. She'd fallen a few times before her strides became solid.
The stubborn mare soon crossed the room and threw open the curtains. The light momentarily blinded her before it revealed a lush, green countryside. The sun's position above the orchard signaled a late afternoon.
Applejack felt her stomach curl. Ponyville was missing buildings. “The boutique. The cottage. The castle. It's gone,” she whispered. She struggled to look away. The bustling town had shrunk overnight.
Applejack fell to her knees. Her backside pressed against the cold smooth wall, she peered between her outstretched hooves.
“...Have ah gone crazy?” her southern drawl sounded strange to her ears. It sounded squeaky, and had lost the husky tone she remembered.
Applejack sat dejectedly, thinking on mini Mac's words. Who was she? Her memories said she solved friendship problems and fought monsters, like a superhero. She's supposed to have defeated countless villains with her five friends and protected Equestria. She even fought a bugbear.
The truth was obvious?
Pulling herself from the thoughts, she found that she'd trotted over to the tower of childhood toys crammed in a corner. She was holding a small stuffed puppy doll. She hesitated before she tenderly brushed the stuffed puppy doll's fur. “Winona,” she whispered, recalling the doll's original name. She slowly hugged the soft plush.
Applejack looked into the mirror from across the little filly's bedroom.
She saw a small shaken filly holding a small puppy doll.
“This is real,” she whispered. Applejack looked at herself with new eyes. She watched that filly mirror her. She watched as the small orange filly begun to slowly smile. She could feel the emotion begin to bubble inside. “This is real,” she affirmed. Her cheeks begun to ache as a wide bright smile appeared. “This is real!” The image of them all being a happy and living family blossomed forth. Applejack found herself bursting in laughter. “This-This is real!!!” It was all just a nightmare. Her being Equestria's hero!? Ha! Just some filly's overactive imagination.
Applejack scrambled off the floor and fired out the room. “Ah'm home!!! Hahahahahahah!!!” And she sprinted down the hall and leaped from the banister. She couldn't stop smiling.
oOo oOo oOo
She decided to clean her room. That's what good little girls did. She snorted as she imagined the dream Rainbow Dash shaking her head in disapproval.
She had earlier explored her childhood home. She snacked on Mommy's apple pie in the pantry, played with a drooling sleepy baby, read Mac's hidden stack of comic books, and stumbled on Daddy's private cupboard filled with his secret stash of hard apple cider. She even half-thought about crusading for a cutie mark, but shortly found herself not caring. After Applejack had come across her parents' letter, which detailed how they'd gone into the far fields to prepare for the upcoming Zap Apple Harvest, the filly then decided to clean.
She'd had peaked in the kitchen. The floor now sparkled. So the filly trotted up to her room with a broom and some towels.
She scrubbed the floor, all the while keeping the pleasant happy smile on her face. She sneaked several peaks at her mirror, but after the fifteenth glance, she was content to not look. She had begun organizing her doll collection with her tiny hooves when she'd heard the loud knocks downstairs.
She patted herself and then skipped downstairs. Raising herself on her hind legs, she unhatched the front door. It clicked open.
“Hello sir or madame. The Filly Scouts of Equestria require your generous patronage.” The visitor gestured to a large box of cookies.
The visitor was a filly unicorn. Her white fluffy fur contrasted with her lavender mane, tucked underneath a large puffy green hat. The filly's chest puffed proudly to reveal the official green filly scout sash that was decorated with a wide variety of badges and ribbons.
The filly scout rubbed her tired blue-colored eyes. “Would you kindly purchase a box of our famous celestial butterscotch cookies...” The scout seemed to slowly wake up. “Huh?” She blinked at the silent other filly. “Oh! I knew you looked familiar! I had seen you in class.
“I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Rarity Belle, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Applejack stood perfectly still.
oOo oOo oOo
Filly Rarity continued to blink innocently as she cutely stood beside her box of celestial butterscotch cookies.
Applejack slowly forced a fake and toothy smile. “...Howdy Rarity. Uh, so Rarity. Rarity. That's yer name. Rarity. Yup. Just talking to Rarity. Howdy.”
If she seemed perturbed by Applejack's awkwardness, she didn't show it. Rarity continued to smile innocently and leaned on her box of cookies. “Your name?” she asked patiently.
The rigid teeth clenching grew tighter. “Ah'm Applejack Apple... Sorry 'bout... that.” She peaked behind the door. “Yer all alone? Uh. Fillies are supposed ta have proper adult supervision.”
Rarity looked positively scandalized. She huffed proudly. “Ridiculous! There's no harm in braving new enterprises. We are the future. Old ponies-" Rarity suppressed a shiver, "Just don't understand how tough it is to be nine. Comes with the cookie allocation business, I'm afraid. I wonder how that cutie mark would look.” She peeked to her backside.
Applejack scrunched her face.
“Huh, right.” Applejack begun to loosen her jaw, and took a deep breath. “Uh... Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres-”
An ominous howl escaped the neighboring Everfree Forest.
“Wh-What?” choked Applejack. The howls got louder, and were now accompanied with even louder noises. They could both hear screams in the distance.
Applejack quickly imagined the dead bodies of her parents covered in bite marks and blood. “No-no-no-no-no.” Applejack gripped her head as the “false” memories rushed through her skull. It consumed her.
Applejack shoved pass Rarity. Cookies fell as the Applejack flew out the door. She had bolted through the shed and out toward the wild forest.
Rarity shivered as the scary noises continued to grow even louder. “Wai-wait!” she yelled. “What was that noise!? Applejack!? Do-Don't leave me here!” Rarity ran after her. “Applejack!!”
oOo oOo oOo
The monsters had continued to snap and claw the two bleeding ponies.
Mint Apple collapsed to the dirt. The muscle-bound stallion sneered as the hungry Timberwolf chewed into his forearm. “Git off!” Mint yelled, and threw the wooden monster off. He screamed at the monsters while he continued to shield his wife. Monsters continued to crawl from the darkened forest.
Tangerine Seed Apple was propped against the tree. Her hind hooves were twisted and broken. The puddles of blood underneath them had begun to stick to her fur. “Minty. You need to run for help!”
Mint chuckled. “Heh. Ain’t nothin.” Another bloodthirsty Timberwolf leaped onto his backside. Its claws pierced his skin.
Tangerine staggered forward and shoved the monster off her husband. She then glared hotly. “You-You ignorant plebeian. We have children!!! We can’t both die, you insufferable dumb-dumbass!”
“Yer too good for me. Should’a stayed in Manehatten.”
Six more monsters stepped from the shadows.
“Minty. Run now,” she hissed. Before he could react, Tangerine had already staggered toward the pack of beasts, blood trailing behind her. “Take me! Hey! You damn spawn shitheads!!” She crawled closer, while throwing rocks at them. “You too stupid to see me!? You wolf shit guzzling…!” The pain was crippling, but she refused to stop throwing. She needed more time. “…acid ass Nightmare Moon fecal matter…!” She waited for the Timberwolf to bite off her head. “…splinter fuc-”
Tangerine had thought time had stopped as Applejack burst from the foliage and leaped overhead and snapped the Timberwolf’s neck. Her daughter yanked her lasso, and detached its head.
The filly nimbly slipped around the snapping wooden teeth, before raising her flaming torch while spewing out hard cider. The remaining Timberwolves were engulfed in flames. The monsters shrieked as the blazing fire ate away at their limbs.
Tangerine shivered under Applejack’s glare. “Nopony is dying.”
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack couldn't help but reveal a crazed smile. “Now,” she twirled forward and spun her lit torch, “scram!!!”
She forced the burning stick into Timberwolf's neck. The hot flames danced happily as the monster screamed to death. The filly then swung her hoof down which snapped apart its flaming head.
The monsters continued to come. Applejack bent sideways, narrowly escaping a pair of mashing wooden teeth. Her hind hoof kicked up and shattered that monster's jaw. Two more monsters lunged mid-jump. Applejack shifted her momentum mid-air and kicked hard, which cracked the monsters' ribs. They collided into the dirt already dead. Applejack huffed hard as sweat dripped down her forehead. “Buck off!!!” she roared.
Rarity Belle watched silently.
Monsters begun to fall from the sky. Applejack had picked up the lasso. The rope looped and maneuvered from monster to monster – it snagged, tossed and bashed them to death – before entwining another. The filly then slammed a powerful hoof which blew apart another monster. Rarity looked downward and stared at her own cream-colored hooves. Hers were so soft and dainty.
“Behind you!!!” came the warning.
Rarity spun around and wanted to scream. A monster had found and lunged at her. It floated closer. Blood coated its rotten teeth.
Then time seemingly sped up. Rarity gasped as an airborne torch pierced the monster's open mouth. It screamed to death as the fire chewed at its face. Rarity fell backwards. She frantically searched for Applejack, and found her.
Applejack had kicked her hind legs backwards. The final wooden monster in that forest exploded into chunky splinters.
Rarity quivered in awe. It might have been the near death trauma, or the adrenaline pumping in her nine-year-old veins, but Rarity now accepted a new truth.
Something clicked inside the impressionable filly's brain as she stared adoringly into her hero's flexing muscles covered in dirt and sweat. Applejack was perfection.
Rarity felt envy overtake her. Strong. Reliable. Her heart clenched as she admired the godlike earth pony.
oOo oOo oOo
Applejack huffed heavily. Her coat was drenched in sweat. She glared at the dead pieces of wood before turning around. She found her parents, unconscious but beside one another. Their shallow breathing still showing that they were alive.
Applejack begun to shake. She ignored the agony coursing through her. She did it. She slowly attempted to limp towards them, but instead watched the world grow dim as she felt herself collapse to the ground.