“Shouldn’t you be inside the kitchen helpin’ ma?” Mac sighed aloud as his little sister was at his side, her tiny frame bucking a large tree with all her might.
“Cookin’ is dumb! I wanna be an Appie Sucker!” Applejack giggled happily as she gazed up to her big brother with pride.
“Not unless you plan on bein’ a Bat Pony.” The colt chuckled and bucked his own tree, the large limbs shaking as apples rained from the sky.
The tiny filly pouncing around in joy and awe, her golden blonde mane bouncing up and down with each small pounce.
Mac just smiled down to his little sister and turned his attention back to his chores, the tiny copper filly running over to a old apple tree. Small legs pulling back as she used all her might to buck the tree, the large behemoth shaking softly as an old rotted branch broke off the tree.
Applejack could barely scream, the huge branch falling down like a shooting star. Mac could hear his sister in tears, spinning around in horror he could see her pinned under the wicked wood.
“Mac! It hurts!” The filly screamed in pain, sobbing aloud while the branch was pushing down on her lower back.
Mac wasted no time and rushed over, his large hooves sliding under the branch and doing his best to lift it. Yet even with all his strength, he could barely budge it at all.
“Jackie. I have to go get Pa.” Mac kneeled beside the small filly sobbing, her bright green eyes filled with tears and fear.
“No! Don’t leave me Mac it hurts!” The filly wrapped small hooves around his larger one, her small body shivering as she winced in pain.
“I have to.” Mac spoke in a calm tone, never allowing his worry to show.
He lowered down and kissed her forehead tenderly, her ears folding back in fear as she began to cry even louder. Her big brother rushing off out of the orchard at full speed, yelling out for his parents in fear.
“Please. I’m scared…” Applejack whined softly, her small hooves covering her eyes to hide the tears running down her cheeks.
“Sugarcube!” Pear Butter called out to her daughter, the filly gazing up in hope as she watched her mom rush over.
“Ma! Help me!” The filly screamed out in fear, her small hooves wildly digging into the dirt of the ground.
The large branch slowly edging down onto her backside, Pear Butter swiftly kneeling at her daughter's side. Her hooves wrapping around her daughter tenderly, bright blue eyes lighting up softly.
“Shhh. Pa will be here soon, but I need you to stop struggling.” Pear whispered down to her daughter, trying to keep her calm, slender hooves tracing through her mane.
“I can’t!” Applejack sobbed in fear, her small heart racing wildly in her chest.
The filly started to shiver even more, yet suddenly she could hear a soft hum from high above. Gazing up to her mom in awe, the mare carrying a sweet and melodic tone through the air.
“It’s ok, all is fine.” Pear smiled and stroked the mane of her baby slowly.
“I’ll always be here, to chase away the fear.” Pear leaned down and kissed the cheek of her little filly.
“Please Sugarcube, don’t you cry.” The mare whispered sweetly, her daughter hugging her tightly in a calming way.
“I promise forever, to be at your side.” Applejack slowly calmed down in her mother’s embrace, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“But if I’m not, I want you to see.” Applejack could feel her heartbeat slowing down, eyes locked onto all the colorful apples around her.
“Within your heart, I’ll always be.” Pear smiled lovingly, her daughter calm in her hooves and not shedding a tear.
Bright Mac rushed through the orchard at top speed, he stood as tall as the many trees around them. With ease his large hooves slid under the branch, using just a small fraction of his might, the wicked wood was lifted.
Pear wasted no time and pulled her daughter free, scooping up and holding her filly to her chest firmly. Applejack whimpered softly, curling into a small ball and listening to the beat of her mother’s heart.
“Why in Equestria, were you even out here!?” Bright Mac dropped the branch to the ground quickly, a small cloud of dust forming at his hooves.
“I. I wanted to be strong like you.” The filly sobbed softly, her dark green eyes gazing to her dad in fear, seeing his face formed into a scowl.
“Well you can’t be out here! It’s dangerous and..” Bright Mac snapped down to his daughter as she curled up even more.
“Mac.” Pear spoke in a soft tone, eyes narrowing to her husband slowly.
“Just get back to the farm.” Bright Mac sighed and plopped his flank down onto the ground, his wife placing down their daughter and nudging her along the path.
Applejack gazed down in worry, ears folded back as she passed her big brother, he was walking back towards their father. His eyes were filled with a sense of dread, his calm frame quivering.
Silence filling the air around the orchard as he inched his way to his dad, slowly coming to a stop at his side and gazing up in fear.
Bright Mac narrowing his eyes down to his son, never saying a word and waiting for Pear to get out of view.
Applejack simply let the tears run down her cheeks once more, heart sinking deep into her chest as it shattered into a million pieces. Never did she want her brother to meet such a fate, looking up to her mother she let her lower lip quiver.
Pear let a small smile form across her lips, leading her daughter off the path of the orchard and towards the house. The sun glowing a dark orange in the sky, the wind blowing slowly over the many trees.
Applejack prayed her brother would be fine, the last thing she wanted was to hurt anypony.
“What’s all the ruckus out there?” Granny Smith asked with a quirked brow, sitting atop a old wooden chair with a baby filly in her hooves.
“Pa is goin' to kill Mac!” Applejack broke out into tears, limping over to her grandma on one hoof.
“Your Pa isn’t goin' to kill anypony.” Buttercup sighed softly, running a slender hoof across her frazzled mane.
“Well that depends. What in Equestria happened? You just tossed a whippersnapper on me and rushed out!” Granny Smith rolled her eyes, a copper filly bawling her eyes out on one hoof and a Baby Bloom drooling over the other.
“AJ here went bucking without permission and found herself pinned down by an old branch.” Buttercup spoke in a sweet tone, her eyes gazing out the open window to the orchard in worry.
“Oh! Well that isn’t worth a killin'.” Granny Smith giggled down to little Applejack with a wink.
“It isn’t?” AJ sniffled, wiping away tears with her small hoof.
“Not at all. But it is worth a whippin', I’m going to get my switch and tan the coat off your little flank.” Granny spoke with an air of seriousness around her.
“Bu..bu...ahh!” AJ burst out into fresh tears, limping off towards her bedroom to hide no doubt.
“I really wish you wouldn't keep doin' that?” Buttercup frowned to her mother in law with a defeated sigh.
“Phst. A little fear never hurt anypony. I did the switch trick with Mac and he turned out just fine.” Smith cuddled the smallest new addition to the family lovingly in her hooves.
“I’m just happy, Mac was so close. If he were uptown I’d hate to think what could’ve happened.” Buttercup felt mist gathering on the sides of her eyes, glancing down in shame.
“Don’t go crumblin' like a Pear! Stay strong and proud like an Apple!” Smith snapped back to the worried mare, her hoof softly stroking the red mane of the tiny yellow filly in her hooves.
“Pa-bear!” Apple Bloom giggled out sweetly, a frown being cast down to her from above.
“Pa-bear ain’t no word! If you want to say anything, say Apple!” Smith narrowed her eyes to the filly.
“Crapple.” She burst out into a fit of giggles, Buttercup walking over and scooping up the baby.
“I’m a little worried about that one.” Smith sighed aloud.
“Well. What do you think?” Buttercup asked Smith with genuine worry.
“Hmm. I thinkin' what I keep sayin'! You two need to hire some Farm Hooves to help out around here!” Smith narrowed those orange eyes to the young mare in anger.
“Smith. We can’t just do that, we are barely making ends meet now.” Buttercup softly cradled her baby in her hooves, the child yawning aloud sweetly as she grew tired.
“Well it ain’t right! A mother should be just that, not a plower and a bucker and a…”
“I’m used to it.” Buttercup cut off Smith with a solemn gaze to her daughter.
“Well I’m not! Hay if anything did happen to any of my babies, I’d skin you both alive!” Smith slid out of her chair and winced a bit.
“My body is startin' to feel like a wreck. I swear you kids aged me horribly.” Smith sighed and walked over to a small statue of a filly hugging a oversized apple.
Twisting off the top of the giant apple, she reached in and took out a large bag of bits in her hooves. Swiftly placing the bag atop the coffee table in front of Buttercup, the mare gasping aloud at such a large collection of bits.
“Go on! Take it!” Smith sighed and walked back to her chair, sliding back in it with ease.
“What!? No we couldn’t, those are your bits.” Buttercup sighed in shame, she could feel her cheeks burning brightly.
“Yer' dang right! What I want to spend them on is you!” Smith rolled her eyes as she flaunted her hoof to the mare.
“But.”
“Just take it and get some help around here! Maybe then I can get some rest, knowing you two ain’t goin to bring down the farm.” Smith smacked her lips softly, flashing Buttercup a stern gaze.
“Thank you.” Buttercup held back tears from cascading down her cheeks, snatching up the bag with her teeth and walking into the back with the baby.
“Welcome...Sugarcube.” Smith whispered to herself, a small smile crossing her lips.
The wind was firm but icy, caressing the small colt in a sudden gust from behind. The once bright orchard now darkening swiftly, Bright Mac his father sitting in silence straight ahead. The small child quivering in place with fear, taking each step slow as ears began to fold down with uncertainty.
Macintosh placing a hoof down into the dirt felt himself sink forward, gazing down gently to see his tiny hoof barely filling an impression left by his father. Heart within his chest cracking slowly, he had failed the only pony in his life he saw as his hero.
“Son!” Bright gave a loud yell, his booming voice echoing deep within the orchard of apples for miles.
“Dad, I’m sorry I failed you.” The colt was quick to rush over in a cloud of dust, taking his seat on the dirt beside his father.
“Hmm?” The stallion gave a stern gaze down to the child, who in return began to slump down in shame.
“...”
“You can never fail me son.” Bright gave a sudden chuckle into the lazy sky above.
“But I wasn’t as strong as you?” The small colt began to sob, tears rolling down his cheeks before falling to the earth below.
“True, but you helped to keep your sister calm and came to get us.”
“But if you weren’t here, then I would’ve just lost my sister!”
“Mac, your sister’s will look to you for strength.” Bright slowly spoke wrapping his hoof around his son’s shoulder tenderly.
“I know to help bucking and tending the fields…”
“No, they will look to you in the same way, your mother does with me.”
“How’s that?” Mac gave a small reply as his head began tilting to the side questioningly.
“For spiritual strength, to have a ear to listen or to give advice for guidance.”
“That can help?”
“Indeed, you see son there is more than one way to be strong, to simply be a pillar of hope and comfort is a far more rare gift to have.” Bright gave a loud chuckle, his son gently wiping the tears from his eyes.
“Hahaha, I can be the strong spirit and you can be the strong body!” The colt was smirking now, clapping his hooves together in excitement.
“As long as I can my son.” The stallion let his laughter die down slowly, suddenly pulling his son into a warm firm embrace.
“Dad?” Mac gave a gentle whisper, a touch of worry in his voice.
“One day, when I can no longer hold up my end, I need you to promise me one thing when looking after your sisters.” Bright broke the hug, his large hoof caressing the mane of the small colt.
“Anything for you dad, you know you can count on me!” Mac stood proudly his small chest inflating before pushing outward.
“Listen to them, guide them. For actions speak louder than words.”
Both ponies soon allowing the calm of the world to take hold, the sky turning a lovely orange hue high above bringing forth a sense of hope for the days to come. Father and son sitting in an understood silence, the farm slowly fading to a cooler night sky.
