Well howdy. This here's Applejack again. Shoot. I reckon I'll just pick up right where I left off. Ya'll remember where we left off? Manehattan Castle Garden. Stars twinkling, ponies mingling, nighttime hoe down, the whole haystack. Seemed like everypony was having a darn-tootin good time. Everypony cept me. My Uncle Orange was no longer beside me, hay if I know where he went. I was laying face down in the grass, with my face in my arms. I was the loneliest mare there ever was right then and there. Ya'll remember how sad I was last time I wrote my thingy on here? My beloved sugarcube needed me, I knew it in my heart. I needed him too. I was so overcome with shock and grief I didn't know what to think. I was crying my country heart out. How could ah' be so selfish? Does mah' uncle know more'n he's tellin'? Would mah' own family betray me like that? If there was anything I learned about love that night, it's that the more you love someone, the sadder you are when you let em down. Boy howdy, I was sadder than a weeping willow in an ice storm laying in that grass by myself.

All I could think about was all the wonderful days I'd spent on the farm with my sugarcube. All that did was make me cry even harder. All the games we played, all our long conversations in the orchard, all the secrets we told each other. When he rested his head on me after a long days work, I ain't never felt more loved in my entire life. He belonged to me. I was his country princess, and I felt right at home putting my head on his chest, but he cared about me more than anything else in the world. He put his little head on me when he needed comfort. I ain't never been that way for no one cept my sister before I met him. I didn't think I ever would be. Who would go to the apple farmer for their comfort? I loved him so much. Now I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.

I reached around with my hoof and took out the second most special thing I ever had from my dress. What I pulled out right then and there was the wedding gift from my sugarcube. Ya'll remember? It's the locket he gave me. He spent over half his savings on this tiny little thing. But that was just another thing that no one ever did for me before. Ya'll know me. Ya'll know Rarity's the glamour lover. But this was the most beautiful little thing I ever saw. I opened it up and saw the little picture of us together. I stared at my sugarcube in those gentle, loving blue eyes of his, all the while covering my mouth with my hoof. He looked so happy to be at my side. You pure, cute little whipper snapper. It don't matter to me that ah' got hooves and you got hands. At the bottom of that locket, he had some fancy cursive written in "you lasso my heart." I could hardly stand the sight of those words. They made me so happy, but the happier they made me, the sadder they made me. Oh, sugarcube! Ah' love you so much! How could ah' have let you down! I was the luckiest mare to have him as my husband. I loved him so much, all I ever wanted was to see that cutie happy. I knew well the honest truth, and that was being around me was the thing that made him happier than anyone else in the world. I loved every second I spent with him. We played and snuggled so much together back on the farm. Ain't nothing better for a country mare than snuggling with her cutie. My tears were still coming as free as the west wind. Only getting stronger, and I was only getting sadder. Ah' want nothing more than you at mah' side right now, honey. If ya'll come back, ah' promise ah' won't ever leave you like that again.

I thought about magic and all that sort. I remembered back on our wedding day, Princess Cadance shot some kind of fancy little heart into our wedding gifts for the other. Well, why not give it a try! I pressed that thing as hard as a rock in a drought against my heart. If I had any magic in me, maybe it could somehow get to my gift to my sugarcube. But I don't know how this stuff works! Ah'... am... so sorry, sugarcube! Ah'm so sorry! If somehow I get you outa this, can you ever forgive me?

Despite, all my sorrow, and as bad as it all looked, the next thing I heard in my heart calmed my very soul, I tell you. I love you. Always have. It was the kind, soft voice of my sugarcube. I looked up and pictured his young little face, blue eyes and dark mane, or hair as they call it, smiling brightly and with affection at me from the stars. You're my hero, Applejack. My role model, my best friend. And my hero. You could never disappoint me. I stood up and looked at him with more love and desperation than I ever have. Before long, his face disappeared back into those stars.

I looked back toward the castle, cept I wasn't the same sad, lonely, frozen little mare I was a just a moment ago. I felt my heart struck with a match and lit on fire, ready to stop at nothing to save him. My sugarcube. Ah'm his hero. Ah' am his wife, Applejack. The loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies. Am ah' gonna let some guard stop me from saving mah' husband? NO AH' AIN'T! Ah'm gonna save him, and we're gonna go back to the farm where we belong, and we gonna have the best o' times like we always had! Ah'll fight mah' way outa here if ah' have to.

I ain't no quitter, I just needed my sugarcube to remind me of that. With new life inside of me, I ran off toward the castle like a jackrabbit on hot coals. I trotted my legs and kicked up dust as I bolted through the fancy schmancy ponies who thought I was a crazy mess running like that. I didn't give a piece of hay. To my right I passed that strutting showmare Trixie, surrounded by stallions and loving all her attention. I ran back into the castle (just like the Canterlot Castle, chandeliers, big pillar thingys, tall ceiling, marble floor) and dodged my way through to the hallway I came in.

There was still a long single line of ponies coming in, but no one was going out. I could see the door, but there was five guard stallions standing right at the line, checking tickets and letting em through. I won't lie; I thought about taking em all on, but as strong as I am, I can't take five. I ran right up to one of them, a white Earth pony stallion, a youngin, not seen to many more days than myself. He was big, and he had armor like the royal guard.

"Ah' gotta get outa here, mah' husband is in trouble!" He looked at me all serious like.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but no one leaves while we're still letting ponies in. Otherwise, ponies could sneak in without tickets, yada yada. Those are the mayor's orders."

"When do ya'll stop lettin' ponies through?"

"Eh, in about half an hour, probably." Oh no you don't! I ain't waitin' no half hour! I hate playing this card on ponies, but I had to.

"Look here, now, sir. Ya'll know who ah' am? Ah'm the element of honesty." Now he looked at me all confused like and raised his eyebrow at his buddy.

"And that means what to us?"

"You know, the elements of harmony!"

"The elements of harmony, as in the elements of harmony in Canterlot?" He just rolled his eyes. "Yea, and I'm the mayor of Manehattan." I stomped my foot down, I ain't having none of this.

"Why of all the- what if ah' just walk through you right here and now?" I said, putting my snout on his and giving him some of my country sass. He stepped back rather angry.

"Then we'd have to arrest you."

My rage was quickly turning back to being scared, and I looked at him like a pup as I was going broken hearted again. Arrested? I think he saw the desperation in me, and he gave his buddy a smug little smile.

"Look sweetheart, we're not completely closed to making exceptions." Just like that, new life in me again!

"What do you mean by that?" I said, real quick and desperate.

"Well... we don't mind the occasional tip. We can make mistakes and let a pony or two slip through if they have a big enough one for us."

"Tip?? You mean like bits??" I said. He smiled and nodded his head. "How much are we talkin'?" He looked at his buddy as sly as a fox.

"Three hundred." I had no bits on me, but I knew who did; my Uncle Orange! He's one of the richest stallions at this hoe down, he's my ticket outa here! I just gotta go back and find him and I'm off to save my hubby!

"Ah'll be right back!"

I let out a loud neigh of my own and galloped right back out to the garden. I looked hard through all the ponies for a green mane and a yellow coat, and that hoity toity tuxedo of his. Ah' need you right now, Uncle! Redemption time fer you! I trotted over the grass and looked around as desperate as I'd ever been. I stopped from pony to pony, not spending more than a second at each one. I moaned in desperation. "Whereareyouwhereareyouwhereareyou?" I didn't see him no where! He couldn't have gone that far! He wasn't near the food, the orchestra, or nothing!

But then I saw an orange mane and a yellow coat standing near the orchestra and chatting with some rich looking mare, and just like that, my honest heart had another shot of hope. I galloped right up to her and threw my hoof on her shoulder.

"Aunt Orange! You seen Uncle Orange around?" She looked at me rather shocked like, and wanted to help I could tell.

"No, not since he was with you. What's the matter?" I wasted no time. I was panting like a dog, but boy howdy, I talked.

"Ah' need bits. How much ya got, Aunt?" She quickly reached her hoof into her dress pocket.

"This is all I have, one hundred bits, but I know my husband has a lot more. What do you need it for?"

"Ah' need to get outa here, the guards will let me out fer three hundred. You sure you ain't seen him no where else? Mah' husband is in danger, he needs me, and oh mah' goodness, ah' need him, Aunt Orange! Three hundred bits and ah'm outa here! We need to find him lickety split!" She was on my side. She looked ready to help.

"Well, come on, let's go look for him!"

"You're looking for Mr. Orange? I'd love to help you out." It was the voice of a young stallion, not much older than myself. We turned around; it was a stallion alright, cept he was a unicorn, and the kind of the stallion that would make Rarity fall over with delight just on looks. He had a light blue coat and a long, white mane that fell free. His cutie mark was something magical, but I couldn't see what exactly. He had a group of mare admirers behind him, but he seemed to want nothing of them. He was just staring at me with those purple eyes of his, smiling softly. Sure seemed like he fancied me. He was way to uptight for me. Nope, he was not my type at all, even if I wasn't already married to the only one whom my heart truly belonged. I didn't have time for meeting ponies, anyway! I missed my husband so bad, all I wanted was him safe and sound in my loving arms. I was so desperate for him I could hardly stand it.