I laid face-down on the cold floor of the dark, empty room in the back of the salt flock called the Prancing Pony. Trixie had shattered my dreams. I had the best life I could possibly have with Applejack, and I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. Not even in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine the kind of life I had with Applejack, my most beloved wife. We had done so much together. We fell in love, the human and the pony. We married in secret and became one with the element of honesty. We rescued Equestria from an evil unicorn. We saved Ponyville from a train disaster. We were the best of friends, and we did everything together. I belonged to her. But it didn't matter. None of it mattered. I would never see her again.

I was the most miserable creature on Earth. I was alone with all of my thoughts, my body cold and my heart broken. It was hard for me to think straight I was so sad. It felt like I would never be happy again. I felt hopelessness, despair, and depression on level that I didn't know was possible. It was so heavy on my mind and my soul that I could barely move my body. My heart was in a state of chaos that I can't describe. Lies were mixed with the truth, and truth was mixed with lies. But one truth remained completely in-tact, the most painful truth of all. I loved Applejack. I truly, deeply loved her, with everything I had. I had never dreamed of falling in love before I met her, much less with an Earth pony.

What was I supposed to do now? Where do I go? I can't go back to Sweet Apple Acres. I can't go back to my home. I would be laughed at by my entire family and called all kinds of names. I'm the sad, pathetic human who fell for the country mare. I didn't care what other people thought at this point, all I wanted was for Applejack to have the best life she could possibly have, because that's what she deserved. And that wasn't me.

Amidst my state of chaos, my weakness, and all of my crying, I managed the strength to flip over on my back. I tilted my head so that I was staring out the window, where the light from the moon shone in on me dimly. I looked at the twinkling stars and thought very deeply, sighing to myself. How did I fall in love with her in the first place? I thought all the way back to when she let me work for her at Sweet Apple Acres. People where I'm from turned their backs and snuffed at hard work. But she didn't. She went out there everyday and worked incredibly hard for her family that she loved, and she never questioned it. She never complained or whined or anything, she just smiled and kept being her friendly self that was incredibly charming to me. Then the two of us became friends. We started having the kind of fun that the littlest of foals have when they play together. I found that she had an adorable personality to go along with everything else. She was stronger yet sweeter than anyone I ever met, and I adored every second I spent with her. I cried even harder and cried out desperately with a voice that choking on grief. "I can't help myself! You're the cutest- ... the way you laugh, your sweet voice, your accent, your work ethic. The way you smile at me. Your eyes that give me more love than I've ever felt. Your loyalty to your friends and family, your humility and modesty, your innocence. "

Last but not least, she had a beautiful heart. She didn't kiss me for her own pleasure. She kissed me, the human, because she loved me. I never met anyone like that before, and of the thousand things I admired about her, that was just another thing that made me care for her so deeply. On top of all that, she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. She seemed to radiate light wherever she went. Her sherbet coat and blonde mane in the sun was like looking at the most glorious sunset you could ever imagine, except times ten. When I looked at her, I couldn't give her anything but respect and admiration, as well as my deepest feelings of pure affection for her purest heart. But those were feelings I could no longer share with her. I could no longer go to her for comfort or anything. I didn't deserve her.

I turned my head over and closed my eyes. Well, no more playing with Winona in the orchard. No more of Granny Smith's amazing stories or walks with Big Mactintosh. No more reading cute little Apple Bloom bed time stories, or playing with her. I took the deepest, saddest, most crushing sigh I've ever taken. No more anything with her sister. The last thought was like a claw that wrapped it's hand around my heart and my neck and began choking me so I could hardly breath. It was the heaviest thought I'd ever experienced. No more Applejack. I buried my face with my hands and sobbed. No more playing with her, or going to Sugarcube Corner with her and getting treats, or working with her in the orchard. No more telling her all of my secrets and feelings, no more listening to the wonderful things that came from her golden heart. No more staring into her heavenly green eyes. No more resting my head on her.

That was one of the most harrowing things to imagine. When we laid down together on the grass in the meadow, or when we leaned back against an apple tree after a fulfilling day of work, I would always lean my head against her strong, yet soft and smooth body and coat, and just like that, I was happier than I ever dreamed of being. I felt no greater consolation, no greater content, no greater love than we she cuddled me in her arms in the grass or against a tree as the sun went down. In the loving arms of my hero. But that was something I'd have to live without now. I'd have to get used to living without Applejack, if it was possible at all. The best feeling in the world was something I'd never experience again.

I felt no lower point in my entire life than I did right then. I felt like I was the verge of shutting down. I closed my eyes and pictured her adorable smiling face, the only thing that made me happy. Now she will be the most beloved mother of the luckiest foal who ever lived. The whole family approves, and Applejack gets the stallion she's always dreamed of. Everypony's happy. Except for me.

As as unbearably sad as I was, and with all the lies that were echoing throughout my heart, I heard a familiar voice from my heart that offered me the first bit of consolation I had got since Trixie left me as the miserable wreak I was. The sweetest voice I ever heard, from the one whom I went to for all of my nourishment. Part of her still lived inside of me, she had ever since our wedding. Ah' want nothing more than you at mah' side right now, honey. Ah' love you so much! Ah' ain't never met no one like you, sugarcube. It don't matter to me that ah' got hooves and you got hands.   Those words  were what I wanted to hear more than anything else in the world. They represented all of my dreams, all of my happiness and hope. They represented everything Trixie took away from me given back to me. Hooves and hands not mattering to her.

I looked out the window up at the shining stars and saw Applejack's smiling face looking down at me. It was a look that made me happy no what. To hear Applejack's voice in my heart telling me that she wanted nothing more than me at her side was the most wonderful truth there ever could be. Is that... is that the truth, Applejack? This time I heard the voice of the blue unicorn mare with the white mane, the most piercing, painful voice I ever heard. The voice that sent me into chaos in the first place. No, it's not true. She's better off with a stallion, and you know it. Just like that, I was dragged back down to the deepest depths of depression, with all of my hopes crushed yet again. I just... I just want what's best for her. I want her to be happy.

But then I heard the most wonderful, caring voice in the entire world again. Ah' love you so much, sugarcube. Ah'm gonna be the saddest mare there ever was if you don't come back to me! Mah' honest heart belongs to you, sugarcube! Ain't no one ever respected me like you did. Ah' need you! I burst into tears yet again as my emotions took another full swing in the opposite direction. The one I loved but didn't deserve, the one I adored with all of my heart and soul, said she needed me. Are you telling the truth, Applejack?

No! She's not telling the truth! She's better off without you!

Sugarcube, getting married to you was the happiest day of mah' life, until everyday that came after that ah' spent with you. You are the kindest, cutest... oh my goodness honey!  Ain't no one ever admired me like you do! Ah' belong to you. Ah' love you with all of mah' honest heart, and ah' ain't spending the rest of mah' life with no one 'cept you.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out something I kept with me at all times. It was my most prized possession. What I pulled out of my back pocket was nothing more than a white cloth. But this cloth was more special to me than any other thing I ever owned in my entire life, not even close. Instead of not being able to see it in the dark room, I could see it perfectly. It was glowing with light. It had seemed like an eternity since I looked at it. Given the chaos that was in my heart, I had almost forgotten what was on it. I covered my mouth with my hand as my heart melted to the floor. Sewed by Applejack herself, the pony who cared nothing for that kind of thing, was a brilliant silhouette of Applejack and me facing each other, with apple trees and a setting sun around us. At the top were green vines with red apples, and at the bottom was an apple in the shape of a heart. The middle of the heart read “AJ + AJ” with an arrow going through the apple. It was the second most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life.

Let me take you back to when Applejack and I got married. When an Earth pony gets married, since they don't have horns, instead of using rings the pony’s spouse brings an item, usually a trinket or a piece of special clothing, that the alicorn “blesses” and gives to the Earth pony to keep at all times. I never really understood what purpose it served when Princess Cadence bent her head forward and two small pink hearts shot out of her horn and into our items, causing them to temporarily glow. But just like it glowed then, it was glowing now. I looked at the silhouette of Applejack and gently ran my finger over it, looking at her figure with pure affection. Tomorrow, we'll be back at the farm where we belong, watching the sunset over the whole orchard together. You can rest can rest yer weary little head on me, and ah'll be yer country princess who loves you more then anything else in the world. I couldn't stand it. That represented my heaven of heavens. "Oh, Applejack!" I pressed the cloth against my heart, rays of magic surged through it, seemingly connected to the cloth.

I looked down, and the strangest thing was happening. I saw a bright light moving up my body from my feet towards my head. It was a strange sensation, just like before, but the under the light I had regained my color; the part of my body that the light swept over was no longer grey. I looked at the bright light in fear and yelled out as it came all the way up into my head.

I had a quick mild headache. Then my clear thinking came back to me. I looked around me like a different person. What just happened? It was all coming back to me so quick, and in a matter of seconds, I knew exactly what happened. I hit my hand on my forehead. Oh no. Trixie! The love potion! My little apple flower! My mind was a raging torrent. I needed my wife in my arms safely (or better yet, I in hers) more than I had ever needed her in my entire life. My heart was full of desperate love for her that could only be satisfied by her presence. All of my emotions and feelings for her were so deep that I was ready to do anything- and I mean anything- to save her. Applejack was in grave danger to becoming a slave to one who didn't love her and only wanted use her. If this happened, she would be broken hearted if she even came back. It was a fate worse than I had just been in, to think of her in a state of complete sadness and her purity broken by something that was not her doing. And oh my gosh, did I need her at that moment.

"Applejack? APPLEJACK!!!!" I screamed into my confinement. I could picture Trixie's evil smile.  "NOOO! NOOOOO!" I had to get to the Manehattan Moon Mingle. I had to save her!  Just as I was about to start ramming the door to get out of there, there was a loud bang that sounded like a kick from pony hind legs. I looked up in a mixture of fear and anger, as well as confusion. Oh no. Who is this?  I leaned against the wall that the door was built into and waited to jump on my ambusher. The door kicked open after several violent bucks, and when the pony responsible walked in, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Uncle Orange.