Chapter 2
"Sure is a mighty fine tree, ain't it, Pinkie?" Applejack asked as she led the pink party through the apple orchard to a fenced in glade between the rows and rows of apple trees. In the center of the glade was a maturing apple tree sapling, though the leaves growing on it appeared to have apple-red tips. The slim trunk of the tree was a beautiful golden shade, as if gold had been dusted into the bark as it grew, inly more evidence of the rich soil in the region. Pinkie gasped at the sight of the young tree, barely taller than they were, and leaped over it, trying to take in as much of it as possible.
"This tree is gorgeous, Applejack, how in the world of Equestria did you get something that looks so scrumdiddlyumptious?" She said as she made circles around the tree, staring at the branches, as if expecting to see apples there.
"Ah spent the last year puttin' a whole heap of time an' effort into bringing this here tree up right, staying up late to make sure it was perfectly set straight for the night, pruning the branches every weekend. Ah sent it here just at the start of summer, hoping that the soil would do it some fine wonders, and fine wonders it did indeed do." Applejack explained, smiling as she walked around the sapling once, doing a once over to make sure that it was still in perfect condition. She was more than pleased with the results of the tree spending a few months here, as it had already grown quite a bit, any more time here, and she imagined she would have some difficulty getting it back on the train for the trip back to Ponyville.
"And wow! I bet that this tree is going to give the best tasting apples anypony has ever tasted!" Pinkie burst happily, bouncing in place as she looked at Applejack. The farmer pony was very satisfied with how the tree was growing, but she knew that she had to get it back to Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres more specifically, before too long so that she could work on it a lot more. She felt that it was important to let Pinkie know about that.
"Pinkie, Ah gotta just let ya know that Braeburn an' Ah are plannin' on getting' up bright an' early ta dig this beauty up, an' whenever ya are ready to get this show on the road, we can head back to Ponyville. When we get home, Ah'm gonna take this tree an' plant it right where it needs ta be fer me to take good care 'o it." She said as she led the pink pony out of the fenced glade, intending to take her back to the farmhouse to enjoy some more family bonding time. Pinkie reluctantly followed, eyes glistening with wonder and never leaving the sapling until it was blocked from her eyes by the other apple trees in the orchard.
Family bonding time is something that both Pinkie and Applejack thoroughly enjoyed, and while the former was always thinking about how to make this trip even better, she was plagued with desire. She was really interested in that tree, more interested than she had ever been before, in her head, her thoughts always ended up circling back to the small sapling growing in the glade.
Part of her worried that the moving process would harm the tree, but Applejack had said that she had moved the tree here in the first place, so she figured that the process wouldn't be harmful. That fueling her will to engage in the activities all the more intensely, she found joy bonding with Applejack and Braeburn. One thing that surprised her greatly was how much she enjoyed spending time with the batter, he was fun to be around, and she hoped that he spread her fun with the rest of the town, just like they had when the girls had first gotten there. And the rest of the day passed on with her being especially overjoyed at the prospect of getting home with her even more closely bonded Applejack, and that wonderful tree. As night approached, she had to pause to realize just how fast the day had gone by, because she was having so much fun that she didn't even realize that they had spent the whole day being a family, and she got warm feelings spreading all over her stomach.
After a very exciting day full of family and fun, Pinkie accepted that she was going to need to get as much sleep as possible: she was going to help remove the tree. She collapsed onto her mattress with a loud sigh, curling up under her blanket despite the summer night's temperature being perfectly comfortable without one. Her mind nearly shut down instantly, the only thing drifting her drifting conscious thoughts was hope that Gummy was having as much fun as she was.
The sun wasn't even close to the horizon yet when Pinkie woke up, and when she was aware that she was awake, she jumped out of bed, only to crash to the floor. Luckily for her, Applejack slept through the clamor, and she chuckled to herself as she stood and dusted herself off. She still had an embarrassed grin on her face, but she didn't care, she just made her bed with a blur of motion, and then went to the kitchen. She grabbed the coffee pot, filling it with water so she could surprise the other two with an amazing cup of Pinkie's morning Joe. She had gotten the coffee machine heating before she was surprised with the arrival of Braeburn.
"You're up early." He commented tiredly as he walked to the coffee pot that she had already gotten going, only to blink in surprise that it was running. He sighed to himself, rubbing his face with a hoof as he made his way to the table, sitting down roughly as he tried to get him brain functioning. He was starting to regret the heavy partying and fun that Pinkie had encouraged him to endure, and while he had enjoyed himself, he still had so much to do. He waited for the coffee to brew, and while he did so, he listened to the sounds of the early morning, many of which were interrupted by Pinkie's merrily humming. Pinkie had made a comment on his observation, but he was still far too groggy to hear her.
"Applejack will be awake in five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . . annnnnnd. . ." Pinkie motioned with her hoof to the hallway, where a somewhat tired Applejack walked out of, though the timing was only improved when outside a rooster began to crow, signaling the beginning of a new day.
"You're up early, Pinkie." Applejack remarked as she walked over to the kitchen sink, filling a glass with water before drinking the whole glass in a single drought. Pinkie giggled at the mimicked observation that the farmers had, but her attention was shifted to the sound of the coffee pot filling with sweet, sweet coffee. As it filled, she went through the cupboards, looking for the sugar, eventually getting help from a sleepy Braeburn.
Coffee, blessed hot coffee for all who are preparing for a long work day. Pinkie threw in a heaping load of sugar into the mugs of Braeburn's and hers, though she only gave Applejack a dash, upon request. Applejack drank the coffee begrudgingly, her opinion of the drink being that it serves its purpose as an emergency energizer, the role that Pinkie also served on occasion. The farmer was understandably concerned that Pinkie was basically inhaling both caffeine and a large amount of sugar, but she knew that the energy would be useful if she needed to have the pink party pony's help with moving the tree. Unlikely, but possible.
The work to dig up the apple tree's roots was as easy as Applejack was expecting it to be, considering the time, the heat already gathering, and the effect a hot cup of coffee had on Braeburn. Then there was Pinkie, who could have probably just dug the tree out with her bare hooves, and not the shovels they were using. Still, Applejack wasn't going to deny a chance for the two of them to work on a project that she was proud of together.
And once they had the tree successfully cleared from the soil, and delicately placed in a soil bag to be transported to the train, they went back to the farmhouse to gather the miniscule amount of belongings that they had brought. Applejack was in a bit of a rush, something that Pinkie wished she could reflect, but she knew that she didn't have to worry about anything, not when her friend was already going over everything they needed to get done. Applejack could have this opportunity to let her inner Twilight shine, meticulously going over everything, while Pinkie could be her Pinkie self. Pinkie did help by moving a lot of the items into the wagon that Applejack would pull, as well as sorting everything out.
Applejack insisted on making everything extra tidy so they she would have room in the wagon for the tree, which Pinkie was happy to oblige with. Eventually, they had everything packed about as much as they were ever going to really get, and they made their way to the edge of the orchard, where an idle Braeburn stood next to the apple tree. Both mares took extra care in loading the tree into the wagon, though Pinkie was mostly doing it to please Applejack.
Trekking back to the train station proved uneventful for the two mares, and they soon found themselves sitting in front of the tracks, waiting under the shade of the slanted roof of the station itself, the train that they would take was due to arrive in fifteen minutes, so they were stuck playing the waiting game. As the two sat there, Applejack told Pinkie about some of the things that she had done, which she was comfortable admitting some were a little out of the box actions, to keep this tree in perfect health. Pinkie enjoyed the time killer, and anything that got them to take their minds off the endless heat that they would soon be escaping was a welcome addition to the trip.
Safely tucking the tree in and empty cart near the back of the train, the two prepared for a long trip back home, with them both making sure to enjoy the apple snacks that Applejack had in her pack. Much to their pleasure, the train ride back wasn't nearly as long as they had figured, especially with Applejack's relief that her precious had come out perfectly safe. Getting off at Ponyville Station, Applejack made a beeline for her farm, massive wagon hitched to her back and billowing dust as she hurried home.
Pinkie would have helped, but as she had explained on the train, the Cakes were expecting her back at Sugarcube Corner to help for the rest of the day.
So Applejack carted her tree back to the farm, nearly knocking over Big Mac and Sugar Belle, though she hollered an apology over her shoulder as she went. Applejack slid her wagon to a stop just in front of the barn, unhooking herself before she had even stopped, and was checking on the tree while the wagon leaned on two wheels. She had the tree safely out of the wagon in time to watch the transport fall back onto four wheels, letting the dust settle before she took off again. She had been waiting for this for a while, and her energy was getting to be too much for her to deal with: she had to plant this tree and get it back into Apple Family soil before too long. She had even set up the perfect area in her orchard for it: a small clearing that had enough space to allow for constant sunlight, yet the area had trees close by so that hers didn't feel lonely.
She had thought of everything this tree would need: there was a sprinkler to supply water three times a day, a seeder that would sprinkle fertilizer once a day to keep the tree full on nutrients, a blanket rolled up nearby to keep the tree warm at night. She even had a stack of books close by, just so she could read the tree a bedtime story.
As the week wore on, Applejack began to ease up, knowing that she was putting a lot of effort into taking care of the tree. She had everything set up and protected, everything in order and waiting to be dealt with when the right time came, yet she was so engrossed in her tree duties, that she had been slacking on her others.
This was made especially apparent when three things arrived just outside her bedroom door one morning, literally. She groaned loudly as she crawled out of bed, the sun was shining through her window, which meant that she had overslept. Opening her door, she was greeted by her friends, and her family, the latter of which had a mix of concerned and frustrated looks on their faces. "Mornin' everypony."
"Applejack, you look positively dreadful!" Rarity gasped, holding a hoof up to her mouth.
"Are you feeling alright, there Applejack? I have to agree with Rarity on this: because you do look like you spent the last week hoofing it out in the open desert." Rainbow Dash said, the group of ponies backing from the doorway to allow their farmer friend to leave her room. "Not to mention that we haven't seen a whole lot of you over the last three days, and not even Applebloom or Big Mac have seen you much."
"Applejack, you know what we said about working yourself too hard on the farm, and that if you ever needed any help, we are always willing to offer our hooves." Twilight said with a touch of concern in her voice, offering a reassuring smile to Applejack, who was busy wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"Yeah. I know. It's just that Ah've been so plum-tuckered out lately now that Ah got the tree back, an' Ah wanted to make sure that it got enough attention so that it turns out perfect." Applejack explained as she looked between the ponies gathered around her in the cramped hallway. "But Ah agree with ya: Ah've spent a mighty too much time out here working with that tree, an' I love ta spend time with ya'll. It's just that, Ah don't really know how ta go about taking care 'o the tree without taking time outta mah day."
"Ooohhh, right here! Right here!" Pinkie shouted, jumping up and down while flailing her hooves in the air like a mad pony. The group collectively groaned at her antics, complete with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Big Mac all face-hoofing. Twilight smiled at her pink friend and nodded for her to say her piece, knowing what was to come having already spoken with her earlier. "Why don't you just let me take care of the tree, so then you, Rarity and Rainbow Dash could all go to the Spa together!"
Applejack blinked at the pink party pony, not quite comprehending what the mare was saying, but then it clicked, and she immediately had mixed feelings about it. "Ah. . . suppose that'd be alright."
She had to think about this a little bit more, wondering just what she was about to get herself into. Unfortunately, Pinkie had other ideas, as she embraced the farmer in a tight bear hug, squeezing all the air out of her lungs and any thoughts from her head. Eventually, after Applejack's face started turning blue, the Pink Menace finally deemed her worthy of breathing again. "AWESOME! I get to take care of Applejack's most highly, super incredibly, most fantastically amazing, perfect apple tree ever! Woohoo!"
"Now, calm down there Pinkie Pie. Ah know ya like to do things fer yer other friends, but that kinda energy won't be taken well by the apple tree. Let me just get ya a list for everything ya are gonna need to do while we're gone." She paused at the door as she thought about what the tree needed, and then the realization of her situation hit her like a brick wall. "Ah shoot!"
"Yeah?" The group collectively asked, leaning in to listen to her.
"Ah overslept, and now Ah gotta go help the tree!" And without any further explanation, she was gone, out the window and through the orchard and out of sight before they could even blink. Eventually, they did blink, and many times as they witnessed first hoofed how strange Applejack was acting. The group looked between themselves, hoping that somepony had an answer for what that was.
"So, that just happened." Rainbow commented, the rest of the group could only nod in agreement. Nothing more could be said.
The girls and Big Mac went downstairs, heading out of the building to try to find Applejack before she got too far, though they all figured that she was already beyond sight. Still, they all walked into the entrance of the apple orchard, all of them staying within eyesight of the farmhouse. After about ten minutes, they found the farmer mare's clearing, though, and they all grouped together to talk to her. They walked into the clearing to see Applejack stooped next to the tree, constantly talking to the thing and rapidly apologizing for being late. Without needing to say anything, the entire group knew that they had to get the mare away from the farm for a little while.
"Applejack, I brought some paper and a quill, so if you could just tell me what you need Pinkie to do while you are gone, then we can all just get on our ways and get you some time to wind down." Twilight said, summoning her trusty quill and a few sheets of paper to write down, and to their relief, Applejack seemed to return to normal. The mare stood up from her position, and grinning embarrassedly turned to the group.
"Sorry ya'll had ta see that. Ah just don't know what got inta me." She proceeded to ignore their acceptance of her apology and told Twilight everything that Pinkie would have to do, and after a solid five minutes of explaining all that she had done, the group looked at the list. It covered three pages, front and back, detailed everything that Pinkie would have to do, step by step, even offering timeframes that certain events should happen in, and they all couldn't help but whistle at the thought that Applejack put into this list off the top of her head. Twilight nodded, hoping to get Applejack away from the tree before it called her back to its services, and magically shoved the list to Pinkie before her horn flared and all the girls wound up at the spa, leaving a stunned Pinkie to take care of the tree.
Pinkie, feeling the importance of getting this right on the first time, looked at the list, and began working on the chores. Unfortunately, Pinkie was never what one could call the brightest cupcake in the bakery, and she hit a roadblock only five minutes after the group had left. She had to feed the tree, but Applejack had never specified what to fee it: only saying that she had to give less than twenty ounces of water with the meal. Applejack had gone into detail about what could go wrong, but never once had she informed Pinkie about what foods an apple tree ate. Did apple trees even eat? Should she get some cakes from Sugarcube Corner? Should she feed it apples? Was that even okay, to feed an apple tree apples? She was at a total loss, but decided that if she didn't know what food to choose, maybe she didn't have to choose. She bounced back to the farmhouse, intending to bake and cook everything that came to mind, so that something was bound to be yummy for the tree.
After half an hour in the kitchen baking profuse amounts of food that Pinkie could only equate to three of her luxurious parties, she mixed it all in one big pot, turning each delectable food item into a broth of repugnant odor. Good thing trees don't have a sense of smell.
Out at the orchard, Pinkie drug the large pot of mixed food to the tree, and began to dump the mixture around the roots of the tree, hoping that it would soak into the ground. Her hopes seemed to come to fruition, sort of, it began to slip into the dirt a little, though more closely resembling that time she had dropped acid from one of Twilight's experiments. Almost immediately, the tree seemed to take a darker color, and before Pinkie knew it, all the glisteningly beautiful leaves dropped onto the ground.
Pinkie frowned, not quite sure what to do to help the tree, yet before she could think of an idea, the bark began to blister, and she knew that the tree had died. Her heart fluttered for a moment, and Pinkie truly feared that her eyes weren't deceiving her, and that this tree had actually died. She began to beg the tree to stand tall again, as it started to droop, and she picked up the leaves and tried to shove them back onto the branches, only to have them fall once more.
The more she attempted to fix the dying tree, the worse things got, as she grabbed glue and began to glue the leaves back on, the glue stuck dust and dirt to the once-perfect branches. She tried to force the nasty mixture of food from the roots with a hose, but that only spread the stuff everywhere. The roots curled from the ground, and the tree leaned further downwards. She started to panic more, and even tried begging to the tree for forgiveness just as Applejack had tried earlier, and she was met with equal amounts of success that Applejack had. Because plants don't have any way of showing things like forgiveness.
"Oh, please don't die! I don't want to lose Applejack's trust on something like this! Please come back! Pretty Please?!" She started to sob uncontrollably as she realized how bad this was for her: this was Applejack's most prized tree, and she had just killed it. She didn't know what to do, and an hour had already passed by. She knew that the girls would be back at some point soon, and if they saw the tree like this, she didn't want to think what they would do or say to her. She came to the most logical conclusion her shattered mind could come up with, and an overly elaborate plan began to unfold in her mind.
She ran to the barn, grabbing a shovel while she thought of places she could hide the tree, and as she thought about it, she dug the dead sapling from its clearing. She wasn't really satisfied with what she had come up with, but time was short and she was running out of ideas, so she hauled the bare, dead tree to the barn, throwing it in the rafters and hoping that Applejack never looked up there.
She left the barn, thinking that she had done the best she could, and hoping that things didn't get terrible when she had to come up with a way to lie to the Element of Honesty. She knew this was going to explode in her face, she just didn't want to accept that reality, so she did the Pinkie thing to do, and made her own reality, where nopony would ever find out what she had done. Yeah, her reality was a far superior one to the one they lived in now.
Meanwhile, at the Ponyville Spa:
"Thanks fer the trip to the spa, girls. Ah really needed some time away from the farm, but Ah just can't believe that things just got so far outta hoof like that. Maybe Ah just needed ya girls so much more than Ah thought." Applejack confessed as they made their way back to the farm, each very much more relaxed now that they had a special session. Rarity had insisted a deep tissue massage for the farmer, which Applejack was very grateful for, as her back and legs felt great.
They walked through the farm entrance, and noted that Pinkie wasn't visible, so they all figured that she had been busy finishing up whatever was on the list. Applejack was a little anxious to see the tree, but that trip to the spa really calmed her nerves to the point that she was confident that Pinkie was able to hold her own for a couple of hours. They all walked towards the clearing, but when they broke through the orchard cover, they were met with an empty clearing, not even the supplies were there. It was as if neither Pinkie nor the tree had ever existed.
Applejack couldn't do anything but stare at the gaping hole in the dirt, evidence that somepony had dug up her tree, and the lack of a Pinkie was highly concerning. The girls began to whisper amongst themselves as they tried to figure out what happened, only to get nowhere. Applejack was completely unresponsive to anything they said to her, and it was only when they had to shake her did she show any response to them, which was a whimpering whisper. "Ah knew Ah should've stayed right here."
