“Hiya Pinkie Pie. Listen there’s somethin’ that Ah need ta tell ya.” Apple Jack said apprehensively. Everypony knew that a Pinkie Pie with a flat mane and tail was bad news. Add to the fact that the Pinkie Pie before her was grey and seemed to shrink into herself. As if her she was trying to hide from everything including herself.

“Listen Apple Jack,” Pinkie said in a scared whisper, “there’s something I need to tell you to. There’s something I need to tell all of you.”

Hearing the pain in her voice. As bad as she felt, this made her feel a thousand times worse. “Ah’m here for ya sugarcube. Ah need ta talk ta everypony as well.”

“Then we should wait to talk to everypony then. Oh and Apple Jack?”

“Hmmmm?”

“I’m sorry. For everything.”

“What’re ya talkin’ about?”

“All the times I annoyed you with my antics. All those times that I hid the truth from you. All those pranks that cost you time and money. I’m sorry. Just please don’t leave me again. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Apple Jack was taken back. What exactly did she see Apple Jack wondered to herself, but knowing that her own experience was a painful event. As well as highly personal she chose the tactful approach. “Listen good ta me ya hear?”

Shrinking away from Apple Jack a whimpering Pinkie Pie squeaked a conformation while she nodded. Apple Jack wrapped her in a hug. Feeling Pinkie Pie shivering against her. “You ain’t got nothin’ ta apologize for. Yes those pranks weren’t funny when they happened, but in hindsight they were pretty funny. As for leavin’ ya over that silly stuff. I won’t leave ya, what ever lays before us we go together.”

She walked side by side with Pinkie Pie when the room started to shift around her and Pinkie Pie slowly faded away. Before she fully disappeared she yelled, “Don’t worry, we’ll see each other soon. Ah’m not leavin’ ya, Ah’m right beside ya even if ya can’t see me.”

As the room morphed around her she was over come with a sense of disorientation as she found herself on the farm. She looked around and saw a somepony that looked like her but couldn’t be her. Her coat was a golden, tanned brown with a dirty blonde mane and tail. Her eyes looked at her over bottle of Apple Shine’s pure malt whiskey. The Apple Family’s whiskey of choice. It was the eyes more than anything that set Apple Jack’s nerves on edge. The pure yellow with pitch black irises had a look to them that was unnatural to her.

“So ya finally decide ta show up. Mighty kinda ya. After all Ah’d thought ya’d never get outa that guilt trip.” Dark Jack said before taking a huge swig of whiskey.

“And Who’re ya supposed ta be? And What’d ya do with Pinkie Pie?” Apple Jack said while threateningly approaching her darker double. Worry for her friend was at the forefront of her mind rather than the circumstances that lead to this point in time.

“Why that’s simple pardner. Ah’m you and yer me. Ah’m the side of yerself that ya keep locked away because yer too ashamed to see the truth’a things. As for yer friend. Well this place only has room for one. And her place has only room for one. So ya split ways. Not that ya should be too worried. It’s not like ya would’ve thought about her if ya didn’t meet up with her. Yer just lettin’ guilt get in the way of what matters most.” Dark Jack stated while tossing a bottle of Apple Shine to Apple Jack.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” She mulled this over while she sat aside the bottle. In her mind she didn’t want to be swayed by being intoxicated to what ever this thing had to say.

“Which part? Us or her?”

“Both.”

“Well ya see this here is the part of yer mind that ya’ve kept locked away for ages. All the bad things ya think, those little secrets ya keep ta yerself. All that dark stuff that ya ignore and shove away. That’s who Ah am.

As for Pinkie Pie. If ya didn’t see Pinkie Pie, or if ya never met any of the others here. Ya wouldn’t be so uptight or worried about them. Ya’d simply wait ta ya see them ta deal with yer guilt. But ya had the misfortune of meeting somepony know yer feeling bad about them. Stay here for a bit, drink up. After all ya know how bad ya are at keepin’ secrets when yer nice and drunk.”

“Thanks but no thanks. Ah ain’t drinkin’ till I’m done with this mess. Now what are ya here ta do?”

“Easy Ah’m here to make ya live up ta all the things ya hidden away. Although I’ll admit that I’m impressed that ya don’t have much ta work with.”

“That’s cause Ah try and be honest in all Ah do. Even if it turns out Ah was off on a few things.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

“Oh! Ah know what this is! Thank Celestia for all those stories Ah had ta read Apple Bloom when she was a foal.”

“Yep. Ya got ta face yerself.”

“Well let’s see here. Ah know that Ah’ve been hiding my true emotions towards a few mares Ah know. Ah just never had the right moment, and Ah’ve never knew what ta say. Yes Ah’ve felt a bit of superiority ta them, unbeknownst ta mahself. As well as Ah’ve said and done things ta them that’ll probably make them not feel that way towards mahself, but Ah got ta try and make it right ta them.

Ah’ve hid the fact that Ah’m a filly fooler from mah folks. Ah don’t think Granny Smith would mind, after all the stories she told us about love being the most sacred of Celestia’s gifts. Although Ah guess over the last 35 years Cadence has taken up that gift herself. But that’s just semantics. But Ah’m scared none the less. Ah don’t want to loose mah family. Not over that.

Hmmm .... Also I guess that Ah’ve been a bit of a mule, thinkin’ that Ah’ve got ta do everythin’ mahself rather than accept those who’d offer a hoof to help me. Ah think that about covers it.”

Dark Jack fell on her back, rolling in the dirt holding her ribs. As she laughed so hard she was in tears. “Ah expected this of ya. Element of Honesty. But ya forgot one thing?”

“And what’s that?”

“None of that matters. All yer friends, all yer family. All they do is chain you to that farm, and when ever ya get into trouble or run into a problem. Yer answer is to run from it. Ya run ta yer work, ya run from yer friends, ya even run from what’s right in front of ya. So why even fight it, just run like ya always do. After all if ya were ta die today, what’d ya be remembered by? What mark did ya ever leave on the world? That’s why ya ran from the farm in the first place remember? Ta run from the memories and make a mark on the world, somethin’ that’d make ya you.”

Apple Jack fell on her flank as she let all of what she was hearing sink in. She really did have a problem with running. Both in the figurative and literal sense of the word, from her problems as well as herself. But she was done running away from things and was ready to run towards them. She promised that she wasn’t going to leave Pinkie Pie by herself, and she was going to do just that.

“Listen Ah remember what Twilight said, and Ah forgive myself for those things. Ah also forgive the part of me that ya are. Now if ya don’t mind Ah’m gunna get Pinkie Pie. Knowing her she’d have found away ta do so by now. So if ya don’t mind Ah’m leavin’.”

Apple Jack gave a nod. “Congradulations, the one part of ourself that we hated ya just healed. Ah’ll see ya on the otherside.”

While Apple Jack did reach Pinkie Pie and they did get through it together. That’s a story for a later time. As Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack sat in the empty room. Pinkie huddled as close to Apple Jack as physically possible. Apple Jack stroked her mane whispering softly. “Ah promised that Ah’d not leave ya, and that we’d get through this together. So let’s go over this next room. Ya now know that no matter what Ah’ll find away ta ya. And Ah’ll help ya if Ah can.”

Picking up Pinkie Pie who was know white as snow, cradling her like a child. She walked on her hind hooves to the next room. Hoping beyond hope that this next room would be the one to help her friend.