Perfect Jewel and Good Spirits disregarded the growing urge to sleep, committing themselves to stay awake until their son’s return. They didn’t head into the endeavour with any expectations, but as the clock drew close to midnight they began to wonder about what kind of condition they would be in the next day. The cracking open of the door filled them with momentary hope, but it quickly dissipated as their son’s downcast eyes met their own, and they exchanged worried glances at the notable absence of an orange earth pony. Silver closed the door and stood in the entryway, staring at the ground for a time before making his way over and sitting down at the table, where his parents waited respectfully for him to speak. Patience can only extend so far, and after a good five minutes, Jewel broke the silence.

“Silver, what happened?”

“She... tried to kiss me.” Were it not for the utterly despondent look on his face, this would have been cause for rejoicing.

“Tried? Did she get scared and back down?”

“No, I stopped her. I pushed her away,” he replied, turning his head away.

“I see. Why?”

“I don’t... I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Surely you must have had a reason.” Silver could only shake his head, having no way to put what he had felt that moment into words. “What else?”

“She told me that when she was a filly, somepony here in Manehatten tried to abduct her, and that’s why she always wears her hat, and her mane in a ponytail.”

“And why do you think she would tell you that?”

“To make me feel sorry for her?”

“Is that really what you think?”

“Son, she was telling you the truth.”

“How do you know, dad? That mare has shot me so many different signals, my mind is a disaster right now. So, if you can shed some light on the situation, then please, by all means, continue.”

“I was the one that stopped her abduction.” Silver sat shellshocked by the revelation. While he admitted that it would be wrong to assume she had invented the story out of a necessity for his forgiveness, he hadn’t entirely trusted her words either. But for his own father to confirm them, it left him with no room to doubt the sincerity of her words. “It was many years back, fifteen to twenty best I can guess. I heard the briefest of screams, and I rounded the corner in time to see somepony trying to take a little orange earth pony filly away. He had a hoof over her mouth, and I’ll never forget the terror and desperation I saw in the child’s eyes.”

“Oh, Celestia, that explains...” Silver whispered, closing his eyes and resting his head on his hooves. He had unwittingly mimicked the same motion, covering her mouth the way he had.

“Son, this very morning... well, yesterday now, technically,” he muttered, glancing at the clock. “Yesterday, she was cornered in much the same way in one of the less reputable bars, and I arrived in time to make sure she didn’t come to harm. But why, if she lives in Ponyville and clearly has an unpleasant history with Manehatten, do you think that she’d come back?”

“I know, dad, she came back for me. But how can I forgive her after what she’s done? I’ve never... felt so humiliated and ashamed as I did at that moment.”

“Silver, we are not asking that you disregard your own feelings, but that you stop to consider the lengths this mare is going in order to make amends. For somepony with such a history with colts to let you see her in such a condition, it’s... Silver, she was stripping herself bare, just as she had done to you. Applejack presented herself to you in the same weakness and fear that you yourself have spoken to us many times about feeling. And then you rejected her.” Silver could only hang his head in shame as his mother’s words penetrated deep into his heart. “Silver, it is not for us to say what is right or wrong for you now, that is a path you much choose for yourself. But, I think, that mare at least deserves a chance to be your friend. Give it some time, but don’t wait too long to make a decision.”

If I could just ascertain what the hay that mare is thinking, this would be so much easier! What I’m thinking, for that matter. “That’s it. Mom, I’m going to need to use the lab at your shop for a while. I’m going to finish it.”

“Son, please, don’t try that again. Look at what it’s done to you already!” Jewel pleaded, motioning to his scarred frame.

“I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”

It was strange, really. A simple change of appearance, and suddenly nopony knows who you are. Applejack simultaneously despised the prying stares and thanked Celestia that nearly nopony recognized her as she stepped off the train back into Ponyville, immediately galloping straight for Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hey, sis! It’s good to see,” Applebloom exclaimed before the orange blur whipped past her and into the house, where an audible slam indicated she had sealed herself in her room. “Ah better get Big Macintosh, somethin’ ain’t right. Brother! Big Macintosh, where are ya?” Applebloom raced around to the barn where she found Big Macintosh tending to the other animals. As the filly had a tendency to be somewhat excitable he paid her no heed, continuing what he was doing until he heard Applejack’s name mentioned.

“So, she’s back already?”

“Eeeyup!” Applebloom quipped. “But, ah don’t think everythin’s all right. She weren’t wearin’ her hat, and... wait, Big Mac, where’re you goin’?” The crimson juggernaut tore out the door, leaving his confused little sister to ponder why everypony suddenly felt the need to rush. Applebloom hadn’t been told about Applejack’s past, and thus couldn’t have understood the implications, for her to be here so soon, and alone... Narrowly avoiding making a pie out of Granny Smith, he bolted up the stairs and tried the door only to find it locked.

“Applejack, open up. What happened in Manehatten?” There was a slight creak on the bed as Applejack shifted her weight, confirming her location but nothing more. “Applejack, talk t’ me.” Still nothing. Big Macintosh knew he could be overbearing and intrusive at times when dealing with his sister, but he rarely regretted it. Turning around, he gave the door a good buck, splintering the frame as the hinges were ripped from the wall. As he turned back, his concern turned to fury as he saw his sister glance up with a knife held just below the neckline, and without a thought he shoved her down, grabbed the knife and flung it out the door, where it buried itself into the wall. “How could you even think...”

“You moron, ah wasn’t gonna hurt mahself, now get offa me!”

“Well now, this is a poor spot for a knife! You shouldn’t just leave things like this around, Applejack!” Granny Smith explained calmly, seemingly oblivious to the situation as she gave the knife a good tug, though the only thing that came out were her dentures. “Oh, I get it, you was makin’ a denture holder! Oh, now that’s real thoughtful of ya, Applejack!” She slowly walked out of sight, the temporary intrusion giving Big Macintosh the time to calm down.

“Ah can’t believe you thought ah’d do somethin’ like that, Big Macintosh.”

“It’s yer first day back in town, Silver ain’t with ya, an’ yer not wearin’ yer hat. You lock yerself in yer room, and I come in to find you with a knife? What did you expect me t’ think?”

“Ah was just... gonna cut mah hair.” Big Mac heaved a sigh and sat down on the bed with his back to his sister.

“Tell me what happened, sis.” Starting with the moment she stepped off the train in Manehatten, Applejack began to recount what had happened since she left. The audible grinding of her brother’s teeth brought her little comfort as she recalled her ill fated trip to the bar, and yielded as a strong foreleg drew her close.

“Ahm shakin’ like a leaf in a hurricane, ain’t I.”

“Eeeyup.” Pushing past the fear that the memory had brought on, she continued through to Silver’s eventual refusal to come back, and of herself.

“Ah didn’t know what else t’ do, brother. Please don’t be mad at me, ah wasn’t tryin to...”

“Ah ain’t mad, AJ.” They sat in silence, each with their own thoughts. While Big Macintosh was, as a brother, glad nothing had happened between them that night, he could also see just how deeply his sister was torn by her rejection. In that regard, perhaps it would have been better for both of them.

“What am ah supposed t’ do now, Big Mac? Ah know he said he ain’t comin’ back, but right now, that’s all ah want. Ah don’t... want t’ have to let go again. An’ besides, more ponies than just me are achin’ for ‘is return.”

“Fer now, just get some rest, Applejack,” he replied, motioning to her heavy eyes. “You look dang close t’ that time you tried to clear the whole orchard yerself, an ah don’t need you taken ill when there’s work t’ be done.” Applejack could almost laugh at the statement, but it died about half way out, a small cough the only sign of its demise. Her brother released her from his embrace and laid her down, closing the drapes and examining the broken door. Applejack closed her eyes and soon drifted into a deep sleep, such that even the pounding of the nails a short while later was unsuccessful in disturbing the tuckered mare. Giving the door a few tests, Big Mac gave one last glance towards his sister before leaving her, grabbing the knife from the wall as he went.

Dawn was a nearly perfect student, even at a young age. Sure, her questions were difficult to decipher and she liked to snack using the books as a placemat and frequently argued with her instructor, but other than that she was...

“An absolute little terror, missy. Just look at what you did to this! ‘Fundamentals of Basic Spellcasting,’ covered in syrup, and a first edition no less! What have you got to say for yourself, Dawn?” At her mother’s shout, the foal immediately flopped onto her side, sucking thoughtfully on a hoof that still tasted of maple and pretending to be asleep. Cerulean looked up from the book he was reading as Twilight came racing down the stairs and stood tapping her hoof impatiently, not falling for the foal’s act for even a second. Realizing the game was up, Dawn leapt upright and bolted towards the kitchen where she was supposed to have been. Unfortunately, her hair swished in front of her face and she dazed herself with a rather inopportune meet and greet with the doorframe. “All right then, come on. Bath time.”

“No... bath!” she shouted, suddenly coming alive and struggling furiously. Before she could resort to magic, Twilight cast a smaller version of the magic dispelling ward she had used to get rid of the “Want it, Need it” spell she had cast on Cerulean when she was pregnant. The filly soon ceased her struggle and gave in as Twilight plopped her in the sink and turned on the warm water. Cerulean stood and stretched, listening as the foal made full use of the water, spraying Twilight in between bouts of pouting.

“Twilight, would you like some...”

“Yes, she’s all yours,” the frustrated mother murmured as she swept out of the kitchen, sitting on the couch and listening as the pouting soon turned to laughter. Five minutes later a startlingly clean Dawn bounded into the living room, selecting a picture book from a low shelf and resuming her studies. While rare, having foals develop speech at such an early age wasn’t unheard of, and even though her first word was only two days back, she was building an impressive vocabulary. Having inherited her mother’s curiosity, she eagerly spent much of her time with her muzzle glued to the sweet scent of musty pages.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Cerulean asked, trotting over and sitting beside her.

“It’s not fair, she likes you more.” Dawn paused and stared in her mother’s direction, though Twilight had turned to face Cerulean so she didn’t notice. “I mean, just look at how easily she let you give her a bath just now, and that’s not the only thing. She always sits with you, hangs on you... Am I doing something wrong, Cerulean?” The soft pitter patter of hooves bid Twilight glance down at Dawn, who was standing beside the couch with outstretched forelegs. Upon being sat down, the filly wrapped Twilight in what she imagined was a tight embrace, though her hooves barely made contact with her back.

“No sad, Twi. Love mam!”

“I love you too, Dawn,” Twilight replied, holding her close and smiling gratefully at the filly’s encouragement.

“I think you have your answer, Twilight. Somepony has to be the disciplinarian, and we both know that I don’t manage that well with that little charmer in your lap. But that doesn’t mean she loves you any less.”

“Silly Twi.” Having completed her mission, the filly clambered down and returned to her book while Twilight watched her with pride, until a knock at the door bid them rise.

“Big Macintosh, is something wrong?” Twilight asked as soon as she saw the earth pony standing outside, looking serious.

“Applejack came back this mornin’ but Silver refused her apology. He said he ain’t comin’ back, an’ AJ’s right torn up about it. Ah was wonderin’ if you could get yer friends together an’ try to talk to her tomorrow an’ lift ‘er spirits.”

“Of course, Big Macintosh. Cerulean, would you go let them all know? Let’s say tomorrow at eleven, that will give her time to sleep in.”

“You got it, Twilight.” There was a flash of snow as he summoned his wings and took off, making for the skies to seek out Rainbow Dash and Storm, who could spread the news twice as fast.

“Did you want to come inside?”

“Nnnope. Thanks fer the offer, but there’s plenty o’ work t’ be done around the farm, an’ ah want to be around in case mah sister wakes up. Good day, Twilight, Dawn.”

“Bye bye, Mac!”

Applejack awoke in total darkness, not even the light of the stars penetrating into her room. It was stifling, so much so that it overrode her desire for inactivity, slowly drawing from the bed and to the window where she threw open the drapes. Even the dim light of the stars seemed piercingly bright, taking the edge off of the loneliness that seemed to pervade the air all around like a sentient poison. Quietly exiting her room, she made her way outside and to the roof of the barn, where she lay back and let the cool spring air offer its gentle caress.

“What can ah do? Tell me, somepony, is there any point in hopin’ now?” The stars held their silence, and Applejack closed her eyes with a sigh. “Silver, please come back.” Holding on to that single thought above the rest, she let herself drift off, sung to sleep by the choir of crickets serenading the farm. A few hours later Big Mac found her and moved her back to bed, knowing that if she lay out all night she was likely to catch a cold; her body didn’t need any help feeling terrible right now.

When one is allowed to wake up naturally, it is normally a calm affair. On the contrary, if one is awoken by a sudden noise, it generally tends to cause a certain amount of shock. Thus, when Applejack regained consciousness not to a whisper nor to a knock, but the sound of a horn and a snout full of confetti, her reaction was to scream. Unfortunately, due to the high concentration of paper particles in the air, the deep breath precipitating such an action resulted in a sputtering cough followed swiftly by a sneeze of Big Mac proportions, spraying an over eager Pinkie Pie who had just drawn close to give her an enthusiastic song of waking.

“See? I told you that the party cannon was over stuffed!”

“What’re you talking about,” Pinkie replied, immediately defensive as she wiped away the spittle. “There’s no such thing as too much confetti, it’s just a scientific fact!”

“Pinkie, since when ‘ave you ever given a hoot ‘bout science?” Applejack managed, still wheezing as she attempted to clean the multi-colored decorations from her lungs. “An’ what are ya’ll doin’ here so early in the mornin’? Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Early in the morning? Heh, you sound just like me, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash laughed as she pointed at the clock that read three minutes past eleven.

“Um, Applejack? Are you feeling any better today?”

“Well, Fluttershy, if by ‘better’ you mean mah lungs ‘ave caught fire, then yes. Ah feel loads better.”

“Applejack, you’re not supposed to eat confetti, silly. Even I know that. Unless they’re covered in sugar! Awww, I totally would have done that if I knew you were going to eat them, Applejack!”

“Honestly, what’re y’all doin’ here?”

“We came to cheer you up, clearly. Was that not obvious?” Rarity asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Ah think ah’d rather be...”

“Alone? You’ll do nothing of the sort. Now come, we simply must get rid of that bed mane. You have a beautiful head of hair and I’ll not see you go outside looking like, well, that.”

“We made the mistake of letting you try to deal with all of this on your own once, but we’re not going to do it again!” Twilight proclaimed while the others nodded their agreement.

“Give me a minute or two t’ get ready an’ I’ll meet you downstairs, ahll right?”

“Come on, girls, let’s go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can go have fun!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, zipping out the door with Pinkie right behind her.

“Oh, and Applejack? I really was serious about your mane. Please... do something about that, ok? Pretty please?”

“Ah got it, Rarity.” Twilight closed the door behind her and Applejack lay back for a moment, staring at the ceiling for a moment before hoisting herself out of bed into the inch of confetti coating the floor and trotting over to the shower. After a hasty wash, she stepped out and noticed her mane was a tangled mess. After trying unsuccessfully to work out the kinks for a painfully long ten minutes, she tied it into her usual ponytail and descended to meet her friends who were being served a late snack by Granny Smith. Not having eaten the previous day, the sight and scent of fresh Zap Apple jam and toast caused an audible rumble, and with a nervous chuckle she accepted a few slices from her grandmother and sat down at the table.

“Wow, Granny Smith. Maybe ah'm just hungry, but this may be yer best batch o’ Zap Apple jam ever,” she murmured, devouring the first slice and starting into a second.

“It’s not just you, Applejack. This is even better than Twilmmmmf!” Rarity’s eyes narrowed to a scowl as Twilight sealed Pinkie Pie’s mouth shut, giving the none-too-amused unicorn a pleading look mixed with an apologetic glance. The sudden revoking of the powers of speech spooked the pink mare, whose muffled shouts disturbed the peace. Switching spells, Twilight cast a noise canceling ward as she removed the lip sealing hex, and after a few deep breaths Pinkie Pie continued her comparison while the rest of the friends ate in relative peace.

“I’m glad everypony like my cookin’. Someday it’s gonna be you makin’ the jam, Applejack. I hope you’ve been takin’ notes!”

“Ah have, since ah was ten.”

“Let’s see, that was twenty years back then?”

“Ah'm only twenty-three, Granny.” The rickety old mare continued her nonsensical ramblings while Applejack drifted off into the recesses of her mind. Spending time outside the house was about as appealing as sticking a cactus someplace sensitive, and even surrounded by her friends she couldn’t shake the feeling of isolation. Upon finishing their snacks, their attention eventually turned to Applejack, whose glazed over eyes displayed an utter lack of awareness of her surroundings.

“Um, Applejack? Are you all right?” Applejack shot Fluttershy a sidelong glance before standing and cantering towards the door.

“Ah'm fine, now come on. Let’s get this over with.”