The warm sun lazily drifted through the sky, guided and moved by Twilight's ever present magic as if fell lower across the sky, casting ever growing shadows from the rows upon rows of apple trees. One orange earth pony wiped her brow with her hoof then squinted up at the sun. The brief moment she glanced up at the sky was more than enough to alert her to the drawing close to the day's work but wasn't enough to temporarily blind her. She closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh, then opened her eyes and grimaced as she looked around.
"Alright, y'all, I think it's probably about time we get headin' back for supper," she called out. Immediately, a yellow mare with a red mane and tail scurried over to her, greeting her words with a big smile and bright eyes. A few seconds later, a large red stallion with a messy mane joined the group. "I think we got a good amount of work done today..." Applejack trailed off, looking around proudly at the state of their orchard.
Because of the harsher conditions of the past three years, their apple orchard wasn't as impressive as it had been. The easy expansion and fruitful growth had been replaced with stagnation, brought on by fewer weather pegasi and shorter, colder days. The apple trees were impressive and hardy, but there was still only so much they could take before failing. It was through their stubborn determination that they had managed to keep the orchard in as good a shape as it was. All around, green, leafy trees filled the expanse, pillars proudly displaying their work, contrasted with light green grass, suffering from a limited drought.
"Eyup," Big Mac agreed, surveying the section they had watered. Damp ground and mud rested at the bases of many of the trees surrounding them, and there were three wagons in the surrounding pathways, each one filled to the brim with empty barrels of water. Big Mac grimaced, then headed back to his barrel of water.
"This'd be a lot easier if the weather ponies would get a hang on the situation," Applebloom commented in disdain.
Applejack glared at her threateningly. "They've got a lot on their plate, Applebloom. Jus' be glad that the days are longer now. The trees are really showing improvement from that alone."
"Ah guess you still haven't heard nothin' from Twilight?" Applebloom asked.
Applejack's glare vanished to be replaced by a disappointed neutral line, which was replaced by a disappointed frown. "Yeah... Ah don't know what she'd be doing... But she's still got the sun an' all that, so she's still out there somewhere..."
"Ah hope she's alright," Applebloom said, glancing down at the grass. "We really need her back..."
Big Mac glanced back at them and smiled. "Eyup." He turned back around, then turned his attention to the partially filled drum of water. He bent down, then bit down on the lid and picked it up, then deposited it on the drum. He reared up on his hind legs, then slammed his front hooves down on the lid. A dull sound accompanied the lid getting pushed into its proper position. He smiled briefly, then flipped the latches into a secured position, then he pushed the steel drum over onto its side. Inertia lifted the bottom of the drum up as the water collided with the top, then it settled back down and twitched a couple times before coming to a rest. He walked around it, then leaned down and met the steel with his head. Because the drum was still half full, it had considerable weight to it, but it was still nothing for him. He easily pushed the drum down the beaten path back to the wagon.
"Well, ah guess ah should get the bucket's then," Applebloom commented before setting off to gather the three buckets they had been using.
"Alright... You two finish up here an' ah'll go back and get supper started," Applejack called out.
"Eyup," Big Mac said.
Applebloom said nothing as she trotted toward the second bucket, the first one hung from her mouth by its rope.
Applejack started out at a casual trot. She quickly left the grass and found her hooves striking the hard dirt road. She ignored the dust that rose up from her pace and surveyed the trees as she walked along. The leaves swayed about, rustling in the wind, but the sound was far too crisp for her liking, but there was only so much they could do about that- they had a large orchard, and there was only three of them to work it. The good news was that the longer days offered more time to work them, and they had made good use of that time, especially since they had no guarantee that the days would continue to be lengthened.
She sighed and found herself grimacing. "Ah hope you're doing alright, Twilight..." she said under her breath. She cast her gaze upward. The clear blue sky looked down at her happily, almost as if it was mocking her. There was not a cloud in sight, not even a fluffy white one, let alone a darker one which would offer temporary relief from the dryness.
"Stupid Inquisitor and yer wars... ya just had ta go an draft every pegasus ya could, didn't ya?" She snorted and shook her head. She looked back ahead of her. The rows of trees stretched on for at least a mile, and at the end, a single red farmhouse and a silo. She aimlessly kicked a small rock on the path. She glanced down at it, then idly kicked it away from the path without slowing her pace.
Minutes drifted on as she walked the same path she had so many times before. The sun idly sank lower in the sky. She slowed to a walk as she reached the wooden stairs at the farmhouse's porch. She sighed, then turned around and looked at the fields of trees. She smiled with pride, knowing that her orchard was still intact despite three years of hardship. "Ma an' Pa would be proud," she commented idly. Her expression fell. "An' so would Gran..."
She shook her head, then turned around. She tried her best to ignore the empty rocking chair, but she still glimpsed it. She fought through it, then reached up for the door, only to pause. "Wait..." she lowered her hoof back to the floor and squinted. "Ah know ah closed the door..." she trailed off, scrutinizing the slight crack where she could see inside the house.
She looked back behind her, then carefully looked around for any signs of danger. Off in the distance, she saw Applebloom and Big Mac making their way back toward the barn. She frowned and looked back at the door. "Maybe ah'm just imaginin' it..." she muttered, shaking her head. She casually reached for the door with her hoof, then tentatively pulled on it. The door creaked from the disturbance, earning a wince from Applejack.
She scanned the living room, then after seeing nothing out of place stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind her. She cautiously made her way into the kitchen and looked around. Once again, nothing looked out of place, but she still felt uneasy. She paused as she came to a stop in front of the corner cabinet, then leaned down and pulled out a large pot and place it on the counter. She looked up and glanced out the window, then made her way to the refrigerator. She pulled open the door, then pulled out some carrots, potatoes, and green beans, which she deposited on the counter beside the pot.
She took the pot over to the faucet, then filled it three-fourths full of water and put it on top of the stove. After turning the stove on, the front door creaked as it was pulled open. She glanced out into the living room. "Applejack! You're not gonna guess who just showed up!" Applebloom yelled as she ran into the house.
"Eyup," Big Mac agreed, smiling and walking inside. He glanced back behind himself, then turned back around and walked inside.
Applejack raised an eyebrow and made her way into the living room. "Well, are ya gonna keep me in the dark or are ya gonna tell me already?" she asked, looking behind Big Mac. The wall prevented her from seeing whoever was accompanying them, but she found her answer quick enough. A lavender hoof set foot into the living room. She glanced down at the hoof and looked on in disbelief. She recognized that shade of lavender, but looking up, she could barely recognize the mare.
A cracking sound disturbed the mostly still air, drawing Big Mac and Applebloom's attention to the right. "What wus that?" Applebloom asked, glancing at Big Mac. The bulky stallion had already unhooked himself from the wagon and was moving toward the fence to investigate. He glanced at Applebloom.
"Ah don't know," he answered.
Applebloom frowned. Thinking about the sound, she thought it sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She felt like she should have, but she just couldn't put her hoof on it. She glanced back, then unhooked herself from her wagon and trotted over to the fence, where she came to a stop beside her brother. "That kinda sounded familiar, didn't it?"
Big Mac glanced at Applebloom. "Eyup."
Applebloom frowned. "It... kinda sounded like... magic?" She frowned. "What would somepony be doin' 'round here with magic?"
The cracking sound came again, this time louder and from behind them. Applebloom swiveled around and frowned, then her face lit up in recognition. Big Mac glanced back and went wide-eyed.
Twilight glanced around curiously and frowned. "This place is bigger than I remember..." she mumbled.
"Twilight!" Applebloom shouted.
Twilight barely retained her composure, then turned around to greet them with a happy smile. "Applebloom!" She paused at the sight of the young mare. "Wow, you grew a lot."
Applebloom laughed warmly. "Ah could say the same about you, Twilight."
"Eyup."
"It's good to see you two again... It's been a while, hasn't it?" Twilight glanced around at the trees. "The orchard seems to be doing well. That's good to know, considering the past three years..."
"Yeah," Applebloom said. She walked over to Twilight, then hugged her. Twilight looked down and smile, she returned the hug and nuzzled the young mare. Applebloom pulled back a couple seconds later. "It hasn't been easy, but we've managed to keep up with everything. Of course, it hasn't helped that the weather ponies are understaffed an' all that."
Twilight grimaced as she held her head back up. "Yes... that... I promise that I'll fix that as soon as I can."
"That'd be awfully kind of ya, Twilight," Big Mac said.
Twilight turned to the bulky stallion. In years passed, he was far taller, larger, and stronger than Twilight. Even with her enhanced strength, Twilight still didn't want to know just how much strength he could put into a hug. But now, unlike before, Twilight put his size to shame. She looked down at him but smiled all the same. "Big Mac," she acknowledged. "I hope everypony's doing well," she said.
Big Mac turned away and grimaced. Twilight frowned, immediately seeing the problem. "Well... Granny Smith..." Applebloom trailed off.
Twilight's smile faded. "I... I'm sorry, Applebloom..." 'She was a good mare... she was old, though, I don't think anypony in Ponyville was older than her.' she smiled wryly at the thought. "If... you don't mind my asking... how?"
"Wolves," Big Mac answered simply.
Twilight shivered. A pregnant silence filled the air for several minutes. "But that's in the past, and we're doing okay," Applebloom said, patting Big Mac on the shoulder.
Twilight smiled at the display. She found it ironic that Applebloom would be comforting her big brother, rather than it being the other way around. She felt a little guilty at the sight, too. "How's... Applejack?"
Applebloom turned back to Twilight. "She's about as stubborn as a mule, like normal."
"Well, no surprise there," Twilight said with wry smile.
"Ah take it you're here ta see her?" Applebloom asked.
Twilight nodded. "Yes... I'm actually hoping that I can take her back with me..." She smiled apologetically at Applebloom.
"Don't you worry none," Big Mac said. "We can handle the farm without her."
Twilight smiled. "I'll... try to get her back to you as soon as I can."
"Ya going after the Inquisitor again?" Applebloom asked, smiling.
Twilight nodded. "Yes, I will be shortly. I will not be bringing her with me for her safety, but after he is... gone... I will return to power and... we'll see where it goes from there."
"Good luck," Applebloom said.
"Thank you, Applebloom," Twilight replied. She looked around briefly and glanced at the two wagons. "I take it the lack of weather resources are adversely affecting your crop?" She asked, blinking. She looked down at the dirt road, then at the grass. She frowned. "The grass doesn't look that bad..."
"Yeah, there's just not enough for good crops from the trees," Applebloom replied. "So we have ta water them manually."
Twilight grimaced. "That seems like a lot of work for you..."
Applebloom shrugged. "We're used to it by now. It's kinda easier ta manage now that the days are longer."
Twilight smiled at Applebloom. "I'm glad I can be of assistance."
"What's it like?" Applebloom asked, tilting her head and studying Twilight's form. "Movin' the sun an' all that."
Twilight squinted. "It's... hard to explain. It's not very draining. It feels natural and it feels right. I don't even have to think about it to keep it in motion."
"Really?" Applebloom asked, her gaze going up to Twilight's horn. "Yer horn ain't glowing?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. In the mornings I use the proper spell which sets it along its course for the day, and at night I use a similar spell on the moon."
"Fancy," Applebloom commented.
Twilight took a deep breath, then turned her attention back to the wagons. "Would you like some help moving these?"
"No need ta strain yerself, Twilight. We can-" Applebloom was cut off by Twilight's horn glowing and both wagons casually lifting into the air.
"It's really no trouble," Twilight replied.
"That's... kinda impressive for a unicorn..." Applebloom said warily, walking toward the hovering wagon which she had been pulling.
"Well, most unicorns could lift one of them with proper training, but of course most unicorns don't have proper training," Twilight replied, casually pulling the wagons forward. "And it helps that I'm not a unicorn," she casually flared out her wings.
Applebloom glanced at her and nodded absently. "Yeah, ah can imagine... Since ya can move the sun, this must be a piece of cake for ya."
Twilight shrugged. "Anything else I can do for you?"
"Well, there's another wagon back there, but we can-"
"Ah, one second," Twilight interrupted. She squinted, then smiled. Another cracking sound filled the air, followed by a flash of light. When the light subsided, the third wagon hovered in the air beside Twilight.
"Twilight..?" Applejack asked quietly, not quite believing what she was seeing. The alicorn glanced at her and smiled, then calmly walked inside with regalness befitting Princess Celestia.
"It's good to see you again, Applejack," Twilight greeted. She glanced around and saw an empty chair at the far corner of the room. her smile fell at the sight. "I... see some things have changed..." she said in a low, disappointed voice. She shook it off, then turned back to Applejack just in time for the earth pony to wrap her arms around her barrel. Twilight winced a little, then returned the hug, wrapping one of her arms around Applejack's neck. She leaned down and nuzzled Applejack, then pulled back and let go of her. Applejack let go of her a second later and stepped back.
"Well, girl... you sure have grown a bit!" Applejack commented warmly as she looked up and down Twilight's body. "Yur just as big as Princess Celestia!"
Twilight's smile wavered but she nodded. "Yes... well... can we not talk about that?" she asked, glancing around, unable to meet anypony's gaze.
Applejack winced. "Uh... right, sorry..." she said in a grim tone.
Twilight shifted her weight, then lit her horn and closed the door behind her. "I... do hope I'm not causing any trouble by being here..."
Applejack frowned. "Nonsense, Twilight! It's great to see you again." She looked away from Twilight and shifted her weight. "Especially after... well... ya know," she said.
"Yes... that..." Twilight trailed off.
Applebloom and Big Mac shared a glance, then casually made their way into the kitchen. Twilight glanced at them and watched them leave, then turned back to Applejack. Applejack looked down at her hooves guiltily, "Listen, Twilight... Ah'm real sorry about... well... everything."
"Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" Twilight asked. "You took his side instead of mine. You of all ponies should have known I was telling the truth, and you just..." she trailed off, closing her eyes. "And then I spent the next three years of my life alone. I was scared. He was trying to kill me. I lost everything, Applejack. My home, my friends, my family... He took them away." She opened her eyes.
Applejack continued to look down at the floor, unable to meet her gaze. "Ah'm sorry. Ah just didn't believe that he could be as bad as ya said he was. He seemed so... genuine an' kind."
"It's not all your fault," Twilight said discontentedly. "Besides, you're not the only pony at fault there, now, are you? You all sided with him over me. Do you have any idea how much that hurt? To say nothing of how much it hurt to find out how much he had lied to me... The fact that I... That I would say he was planning on killing me, Celestia, Luna, and who knew who else, in order to take the Equestrian throne? That alone should have made you know I wasn't wrong!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Did you not see the state I was in?"
"Ah just thought that ya were overreacting or somethin'..." Applejack trailed off.
"And then I was alone for three years. Solitude. No friends. Constantly chased by ponies wanting me dead, simply because of who I was," Twilight added. "And then lo and behold, Rainbow Dash shows up a few months ago. It wasn't hard to know what was going on. He was going to use her to kill me. As if being betrayed by my five closest friends wasn't bad enough, my friend who represents the Element of Loyalty betrayed me and then voluntarily went to try to bring me back to the very pony who wanted me dead."
"Twilight-"
"I'm not finished. I need to say this, Applejack," Twilight said swiftly, blocking any protest from the earth pony. "I wanted her dead. I wanted all of you dead. Well, not all of you. Not Fluttershy, nor Pinkie... Rarity, well I kind of wanted her dead for a while. It mellowed out..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I came this close to killing Rainbow, Applejack. She was being attacked by wolves. I chose to intervene. I saved her life and spared her despite what she did and was going to do. All of you choosing to side with him instead of me hurt so very, very badly. It still hurts, and I'm still dealing with it. I do not want to go through that pain again, Applejack, but... I forgive you. Holding onto my hatred for you does not benefit me. Killing Rainbow Dash would have made me happy for a moment, but she was still my friend..." she trailed off shaking her head. "I would have been killing a part of myself." Twilight waited for a second, then pulled Applejack into her body and hugged her. Applejack resisted at first, but Twilight easily overcame her strength and then Applejack returned the hug.
Several seconds passed before Applejack pulled away, and a couple more passed before Twilight let her go. Applejack had trouble meeting Twilight's gaze, but she fought through it. Twilight's eyes felt like they were piercing into her soul, they were so sharp with pain, yet she could see and feel the forgiveness in them. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hoof. "What... what are ya here for, anyway... Did ya just come all this way ta... ta say all that?"
"Well... no," Twilight admitted. "That was a major part of it, but as you may be aware, I've gathered the rest of you... and you're the only one not currently under my protection. I was hoping you would come back with me to the others. I know Pinkie will throw a big party since we'll all be together again."
Applejack smiled warily. "Twilight... ah've got responsibilities here-"
"I can always drag you back with me," Twilight commented with a smile befitting Celestia's lips.
Applejack shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Ah didn't finish. I was gonna say that while ah have responsibilities here an' ta my family, ah have a responsibility ta you too. Especially with everything ya've been through." She paused. "Ah'll still need ta talk with them about this..."
Twilight nodded. "Of course," she said. "I would prefer to return as soon as possible, but I do have time. The others will be safe and can wait for us."
Applejack hesitantly nodded, then slowly turned around. "You uh... wanna join us for supper?"
Twilight pursed her lips. "I already ate, however, I can assist you with preparing it if you would like."
"Ah'd appreciate that, Twilight..." Applejack said as she started heading for the kitchen. As she passed through the doorway, her gaze fell on Applebloom and Big Mac, who were patiently sitting at the table. Applejack glared at them. "Y'all can't be done yet."
"I lent them my assistance," Twilight said as she walked on in passed Applejack. She glanced around, then made her way over to the pot on the stove. Applejack watched Twilight curiously. Twilight's horn glowed and a lavender glow emanated from the pot of water. Almost immediately, the water broke out into a vigorous boil. Twilight casually glanced back at the counter and levitated the ingredients over, then scrutinized them.
"Ya sure you don't want somethin', Twilight?" Applejack asked after depositing the pot into the refrigerator.
"Yes," Twilight answered with a short nod. "I already ate with the others." For the umpteenth time, Twilight looked over the kitchen. The quaint, rustic farmhouse had a nice, homely appeal to it, although it wasn't something she was used to. She could see the appeal in it, but it did not have the same appeal her library had, nor her castle, nor the Canterlot Castle. The wooden floor seemed like a hassle to clean, and while the wooden cabinets did not demand attention with their simplicity, they added to the homely feel.
Applejack closed the refrigerator, then walked back to the table and sat down. Despite their attempts to ignore it, the empty seat at the head of the table loomed over all of them, though nopony mentioned it. "Thanks for helping an' all that. It was mighty nice of ya."
"It was really good, too!" Applebloom added.
"Eyup," Big Mac agreed.
Twilight smiled. "While I normally fix food using... alternate means, I am capable of doing it in a more traditional sense. I kind of had to learn to do that since Spike wasn't with me."
"Ah offered ta let him stay with us, but he said he wanted to stay with Rarity..." Applejack commented wryly.
Twilight nodded. "Yes, I know. I brought both of them back earlier. I decided to come for you last." Applejack raised an eyebrow at Twilight. "I had no idea where Fluttershy was, I was worried she was in danger, so I brought her back first. Discord... was with her... After that, I found Pinkie since she had disappeared... And then I went for Rarity since both her and Spike were there."
"Ah see," Applejack said. "Ya mentioned Discord?"
Twilight sighed and shifted her weight in the chair, causing it to groan. She squinted at the sound. 'I... don't weigh that much... do I?' She took a slow, uncomfortable breath, then nodded. "Yes... the Inquisitor got to him before all of us," she answered. "He... stripped him of his magic, and then when I first battled him he used chaos magic against me."
Applejack leaned forward and looked dumbfounded. "The Inquisitor ain't that Tirek fella, is he?"
Twilight shook her head. "No... I don't know how he can use chaos magic- I'm the most powerful being in existence and I can't use chaos magic, but somehow he can after stripping it from Discord..." she trailed off shaking her head and sighing. "Needless to say that threw me off..."
"Twilight, how did ya even manage to lose ta the likes of him? He's just a unicorn, even if he does have Discord's magic." Applejack shook her head.
"I... have issues..." Twilight replied defensively. "Issues, problems, vulnerabilities... I... am not still... me, but at the same time... I am. It's... complicated."
"Ya doing alright?" Applejack asked.
Twilight grimaced and bobbed her head. "Yes and no, and that's part of the reason I came here." She looked up and met Applejack's gaze. "I need you to come back with me. I need you five in order to keep myself stable... I'm already insane, I just... would rather not go off the deep end."
"Ya don't... seem crazy, Twilight..." Applejack said cautiously.
Twilight pursed her lips. "It's... well... It's complicated. I am, but at the same time, I am not." She tilted her head to the side, then looked down at the table.
Applejack took a deep breath, then scooted back from the table and stood up. "Well, ah'll go with ya." She turned to Applebloom and Big Mac. "If these two here can-"
"We'll be fine, sis," Applebloom said preemptively.
"Eyup," Big Mac agreed. "Ya need to go, Applejack."
Applejack smiled at them, then turned back to Twilight. "Well... Ah guess Ah'm ready whenever ya are."
Twilight smiled, then slipped out of her chair. She turned to Applebloom and Big Mac. "I will keep her safe, I promise."
Big Mac nodded. Applebloom smiled. Both of them stood from their chairs, then walked over to Applejack. Applejack met them halfway and pulled each of them into a big hug. "Stay safe you two," Applejack said.
"We will, sis," Applebloom said.
"Now take care of her, ya hear?" Applejack said to Big Mac.
"Eyup," Big Mac said with a nod.
Applejack took a deep breath, then walked over to Twilight and nodded.