Unexpected Visit (Applejack)

[Deleted]

Winter had officially begun in Equestria a day ago, and Braeburn could already feel Winter's cold air biting him. It was the early morning, and the difference in weather was very noticeable to the Appleoosan. Unlike his home, Ponyville had a team of Pegasi to control the weather, and the difference in humidity made it a bit more chilly to him. He was used to the drier climate of the desert, and the season changing when it wanted to instead of being made to change on a certain day.

This was far from the first time the golden stallion had walked straight from the train station to Sweet Apple Acres in the winter. Whenever his family passed by Ponyville while traveling, they had always stopped to say hello. Visiting Granny Smith and his cousins had always been a happy occasion. As a colt he'd take off at a full gallop as soon as the farmhouse came into view, but this morning it felt like he had horseshoes made of lead. For the first time he could ever recall, he was not excited to see Sweet Apple Acres.

By the way he figured it, it had been a week since his last letter to his cousin Applejack had arrived. Braeburn had written his cousin to let her know that a certain rainbow-headed Pegasus she knew had wound up all the way in Appleoosa, that things didn't seem well, and that he'd do everything he could to look after her friend. His plan had been to write to Applejack again once Rainbow Dash had looked to be improving to get her to come out, but that was no more. Now he had to deliver the news that he didn't know where she was anymore, and it didn't feel right to give bad news over a letter.

The smell of food got Braeburn to pick up his pace for the final stretch up to the farmhouse. He'd arrived on the early morning train into Ponyville, but with the time spent dragging his hooves he reckoned that breakfast was finishing up. The stallion kicked off whatever dirt had decided to cling to his hooves before stepping onto the porch and giving the front door three sharp knocks. Aside from his usual vest and hat, Braeburn had his saddlebags and new duster with him.

His ears twitched as he tried to listen for the sound of hooves from inside the house. It'd be easy to tell who was coming to the door since everypony that lived there was so different. Granny Smith's would be slow and soft, but her voice would give her away quickly. Big Mac was bigger than him, and all the weight meant a heavier step. Applebloom would be like a rapid pitter patter of steps. He'd been easily excitable like she was when he was a little colt. Braeburn fully intended to catch up with everypony, but he hoped to see Applejack first.

[applejack]

It seemed that Applejack was a pony who always had something in the back of her mind. Most of the time, it was small, normal things, things that only reminded her of what needed to be done. Sometimes it would be a chore that she knew had to be finished before the end of the night, and other times it was a little note of something she wanted to say to a friend. It was part of her responsible nature, and it almost never seemed to distract her. However, recent events had changed that. Things were still in the back of her mind, but most of the time they were now troublesome and distracting. Being the caring pony that she was, she couldn't help but get hung up on when one of her friends is feeling down, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

For a little while now, Applejack had been receiving letters from her cousin Braeburn that had a meaning to them that they'd never had before. She still remembered the day that she had first heard about the situation. Her dear friend Rainbow Dash was having a bit of a personal crisis, and instead of talking to her friends about it, she went and ran off. Luckily though, she had somehow wound up in Appleloosa, where Braeburn had taken her into his care. There were a lot of mixed emotions in this whole mess; she was hurt and frustrated that Rainbow hadn't bothered to come to her first, worried about how she might be feeling right now, and slightly relieved that Braeburn had been decent enough to let AJ know about this whole ordeal. Yes, she couldn't help but be happy for that fact. She knew Braeburn well enough to know that she could count of him to keep track of her. Still, Applejack did wish more often than not that she could reach out and help her friend. Letters were nice and all, but this passive position in this event didn't sit well with her.

Regardless of all this though, life went on as normally as it ever did. In fact, just this morning had been a normal breakfast with the family before the daily chores were to begin. With it being winter and all, there was little to nothing to do in the fields, but there was still the matter of preparing and selling the products that were made from what was left of the fall harvest. Before any of that though, it was Applejack's turn to clear the table this morning, hence why she was right there in the kitchen when there was a knock at their door.

Immediately, she wondered who it could be at this time of day. Yes, it wasn't that early, but it wasn't often that ponies dropped in right around breakfast time. Applejack set down whatever she was about to clean up and made her way to the door. When she finally opened it, the pleasant surprise of seeing her cousin Braeburn standing on the doorstep was apparent on her face.

"Well color me surprised!” she greeted with a welcoming smile. "Howdy Braeburn! What are ya doin' visitin' us all tha way out 'ere all tha sudden?" She had asked that question with a cheery tone, happy to see her relation and curious as to why he had appeared all the sudden. However, once she finished asking it, she found herself beginning to think of a reason why and immediately there was a pit in her stomach.

He was supposed to be taking care of Rainbow Dash. If she was his guest, he wouldn't exactly be leaving for family visits, now would he? Worry suddenly crept into Applejack's eyes at this realization. Her friendly smile shrank a bit. Before she could get too suspicious, her common sense kicked in. It was best not to jump to conclusions. Maybe him showing up in Ponyville didn't mean something bad. Maybe Rainbow Dash was even with him. Trying to remain optimistic, Applejack kept the smile on her face, but she was sure that the sudden concern was marking her expression. Suddenly, she wanted to ask about her, but she forced herself to hold her tongue. She had a feeling that she'd probably get her answer when he responded to her initially enthusiastic question.

[Deleted]

Braeburn opened his mouth to answer his cousin quickly, but the words got stuck in his throat. Suddenly everything felt worse now that he was face to face with Applejack. He had felt bad when he had missed the previous family reunion, but this time he felt like he had let his family down. The gold-colored stallion lowered his head and let out a sharp breath. His silence was only a brief couple of seconds, but they were the type that felt like eternities. The sooner he got it out though, the sooner something could be done about it.

"Rainbow Dash disappeared from my orchard two days ago." he said slow and clear, finally forcing the words out. "Ah had kept my eye on her like a hawk, an' kept her close t' try an' get her mind away from what was botherin' her. We'd been gettin' along just fine, so Ah decided t' let her sleep in one mornin' while Ah went into town for an errand. When Ah got back Ah knocked on the door t' the guest room t' wake her up, but when Ah didn't hear anythin' Ah poked my head in. The bed looked hardly slept in, an' the window was open."

"Ah checked all 'round the orchard, Ah went back into town t' look 'round there, then checked the orchard again. Ah hoped that maybe she had woken up an' we just passed each other, or she was out flyin' 'round an' feelin' better." Braeburn let out another heavy sigh and looked at the ground. "When Ah didn't see nor hear anythin' about her after lunch time Ah knew what had happened. It didn't seem right t' write you a letter about it after Ah had said Ah'd take care of it all, so Ah took the next available train here."

"Ah... Ah'm so sorry cousin Applejack. Ah feel lower than a snake's belly in a hole six foot deep." It was out now. It was out in the open, and it was a weight off of his shoulders. Braeburn had always been known to run at the mouth once he got started, and he had given his best explanation of recent events without going off track. Now that he had recounted why he was there, and what lead him to go in the first place, he could look his cousin in the eye again.

When Braeburn looked up again he had a tired expression on his face. All the worrying about how his cousin would react had gone away. Now it was the time to see if his cousin still had a shred of trust in him, or if he'd get banned from the farm, or bucked in the face. That last one had happened once before, but that was on Nightmare Night when they were foals, and he'd learned the valuable lesson of not startling his cousin while scary stories were being told. If such a thing were to happen again, it'd hurt a heck of a lot more now.

[applejack]

Between the time it was taking Braeburn to answer her question and the implications of his body language, Applejack had the worst feeling that he was about to confirm her fear. Her feeling turned out to be right. Despite the pit in her stomach getting worse and worse, she hung on his every word, hoping that one of them would indicate an ounce of good in all of this. She didn't find it. All she knew now was that Rainbow Dash was missing. One of her best friends was feeling glum and out missing, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. The welcoming smile had slipped away from Applejack's face a while ago, and now her eyes were fixed on her cousin. She had a look of disbelief at first. Then, the frustration kicked in.

"So ya ain't got any idea of where she is?" Applejack questioned, her voice rising with her emotions. Her brow was furrowed , but that bothered energy was laced with worry. "Gosh darn it, Braeburn! Ah was countin' on ya ta keep an eye on 'er! An' ya'll just let 'er fly off without tha slightest idea of what she could be up ta!"

Applejack knew that it was wrong to be angry at Braeburn. It wasn't his fault. If anyone was to blame for all this, it was Rainbow Dash for taking off in the first place. Still, all that emotional energy from him breaking that news needed an outlet, and Rainbow Dash wasn't here to yell at, now was she? Besides, she had whole heartedly trusted her cousin to watch out for her friend in her place. Of course she felt let down. Yes, she would feel bad and apologize to Braeburn for her outburst later. But right now, she was confused and frustrated and wasn't thinking straight.

"So what ahm ah supposed ta do now, Braeburn? Just sit back an' worry 'bout where mah friend is an' how's she's dealin' with herself on 'er own?... Ah can't just sit 'ere an' not know Brae! Ah just can't!" She punctuated her words with a stomp of her front hoof before having to look down at the floor. She took in a sharp breath of air. She needed to collect herself for a moment, cool her temper...

[Deleted]

Braeburn answered his cousin with a share of his head as he let her speak. He didn't know where Rainbow Dash went. If he had that bit of information he'd be going there, or have brought it up right away. Somewhere out in the world was one of his cousin's best friends, in possibly bad shape, and it was his fault. What was he supposed to have done? Watch over her in her sleep like some sort of creeper, or chain her to Bloomberg? Now wasn't the time to voice those thoughts and start an argument. Words like those would only make the situation worse.

The stallion winced as Applejack's words cut to the bone. Hearing her say she had been counting on him hurt worse than any insult he'd ever heard. The truth could hurt far worse than anything said in anger. The way his cousin was reacting only reinforced the concept that Rainbow Dash was family. Friends you sit and worry about, maybe bring them some food if their sick, or lend them an umbrella if its raining. Family was something much stronger, you took care of family when they weren't feeling right. You watched over and protected family.

"She told me why she got up an' left Ponyville. Ah didn't say nothin' about it when Ah first wrote ya 'cause it wasn't my story ta tell. It didn't feel right at the time." Braeburn exhaled as made his choice. She had trusted him with what was eating away at her, but she broke the trust he had in her by leaving. "Now's diff'rent. Ah aint keepin' no secrets from my favorite cousin when it involves somepony she knows whose feelin' mighty hurt. Ah didn't come all the way here ta just give ya some bad news. Ah aim ta help make it right."

Braeburn locked his green eyes with Applejack's own. Yes, he wasn't feeling too good about everything as it was, but he wasn't going to be the type of pony who sat around going 'woe is me'. She had asked what she was supposed to do, and he had already had a good amount of time to think about it. He felt like a tree that'd been bucked a few too many times, but he still had a bit of strength and determination in him. It'd take a good deal of more punishment to break this stallion.

"There is plenty we can do Applejack. Ah've had a lot more time ta think about this than ya have. Ya said she was honorary family when those Flam Flim fellers showed up here in Ponyville. Lets show her just how far the Apple Family can reach." Apple shaped gears were turning in Braeburn's head. He couldn't track Rainbow Dash, but he still had a few ideas on how they could catch her.

"Now... can Ah come inside? My winter coat may have grown in, an' Ah have this duster on, but Ah can't feel my nose."

[applejack]

Applejack kept her eyes focused on the ground beneath her until she got her temper in check. She was beginning to think about how she had probably hurt Braeburn with her words, and she knew that wasn't right. Right now though, she was just more focused on how Rainbow Dash must be hurting out there somewhere, and now she didn't even have a way of knowing that she was okay. With the situation with Braeburn she at least had a way of keeping tabs on her friend, even if she was taking that passive role. But that was clearly over with. Applejack wasn't sure quite yet how she was going to deal with that.

It seemed though that Braeburn had formed a plan before she did. She listened the whole time as he started speaking, but it wasn't until her cousin starting talking about making it right that Applejack found herself raising her head to look him in the eye. She and the stallion were locking eyes now, and the mare suddenly just knew that Braeburn wasn't about to sit back and let either of them feel helpless. The accusing look disappeared from Applejack's eyes, but her face still reflected full seriousness. Clearly, she was listening intently to whatever plan Braeburn might've been forming.

Of course, since she was hanging on his every word at this point, she was caught a bit off-guard when he suddenly changed the topic. It reflected on her features as she blinked a moment, trying to snap herself back into her courteous ways. She would've invited him in out of the cold already had this been a different conversation! However, the subject matter had gotten her distracted, to say the least. With a shake of her head, Applejack settled back into the moment.

"Oh, uh, sorry 'bout that. Come right on in." Applejack stepped to the side so Braeburn could finally come into the warmth of the home. Once he was in, she shut the door behind him, cutting off the cold chill of the wind. "Ah was actually just clearin' breakfast off tha table when ya came a knockin'. Ah didn't get a chance ta finish, so there's still some food in tha kitchen, if ya'll want ta help yerself," she offered, her southern hospitality coming back to her. Still, it seemed awkward to put putting the reason for Braeburn's sudden arrival on the back burner, even if it was just for a brief moment and for polite sentiments. Applejack really was itching to know just what kind of idea that he was brewing up in that head of his.

"We can keep talkin' in tha kitchen, so ah can get that done an' in case ya'll want a bite ta eat,"

[Deleted]

Braeburn gave Applejack a small smile as he stepped into the house. Once inside the stallion quickly hung up his hat, his coat, and dropped his saddlebags someplace out of the way for the moment. Clad only in his vest now, he made a beeline for the kitchen while thinking over what next to say. There was more than one problem to deal with at the moment. Finding Rainbow Dash was one, but that wouldn't mean much unless they could figure out a way to make her stay and make sure she got whatever help she needed to feel better. Braeburn had his theories, but when it came to knowing how a mare felt he'd be the first to admit that he was NOT the pony to ask.

"Well first of all... let me tell ya a bit about what I left out in my letter. Ya know Rainbow Dash a heck of a lot more than Ah do, so maybe this'll shed some light on things." he said as he busied himself with fixing a play of food for himself. Just from the smell alone he knew it'd be better than anything he could make with his own two hooves. He could raise the ingredients like a champ, but when it came to cooking... there were very few things he could make well. Very few.

"As Ah explained in the letter, Rainbow Dash showed up in my orchard lookin' as ragged as one of Winona's chew toys. She was tired in more ways than one so I took her ta my house up on the hill ta get somethin' in her an' get her a cozy place ta rest. Ah said she could stay as long as she needed ta, just when she was ready Ah'd like ta know what got her wanderin' around so much in the first place."

Braeburn summarized the events as best as he could. It was stuff he'd already told her about, but he wanted to start at the beginning to refresh his and her memory about it all. He took the opportunity to pause for a brief moment while he took a sip his drink. The next part was the hard part to tell, the one he hadn't told Applejack in detail.

"Ah didn't expect an answer, but Ah got it. She told me that she was feelin' this sort of emptiness inside of her. She said it was like no matter what she did, how good she was, or what anypony told her, nothin' seemed ta make her feel whole. She didn't feel like herself at all... ta the point of bein' truly terrified by how she was feelin'. That was the word she used, terrified, an' Ah believe it."

"Rainbow Dash also went on ta say how she thought about askin' y'all for help, but thought y'all would overreact, or maybe brush her off. She thought that since she was the only one who could feel what was happenin' that nopony would be able ta just tell her what she was needin' ta fill the void. All Ah could do was give her a hug an' tell her she wasn't alone. She balled her eyes out an' clung ta me while Ah explained a few things an' told her she was welcome ta stay as long as she needed ta. After Ah was done talkin' she seemed ta look a bit better, even smiled a little."

There, the secret he'd been keeping from his cousin was out. It hurt to relive what had happened, and he hid his face in a hoof for a second. Braeburn shoved the bad feelings deep into the pit of his stomach in order to keep his determination as his primary emotion. He absolutely hated to see a mare crying, and hated it more when he couldn't do anything about it... but he had done something. He had gotten her to smile, and she had left because...

"Ah have one question for you cousin Applejack. You've told me a lot about all your friends, an' bits about their family, except Ah don't remember hearin' anythin' about Rainbow Dash. What do ya know about her family?" Braeburn knew about all of the woodland critters that Fluttershy lived with and took care of. He knew Pinkie Pie had two sisters, and grew up on a rock farm. He had heard about Twilight Sparkle's brother, and that her parents were from Canterlot because of the whole royal wedding. He had the most information on Rarity's younger sister Sweetie Belle who still lived with her parents in Ponyville, and was best friends with Applebloom and another filly named Scootaloo.

His gut told him he was on to something. Perhaps what Rainbow Dash needed to fill the emptiness she was feeling was love. Not the love formed by the bonds of friendship, but the kind that came from family. When he took her in and treated her like family, she seemed to perk up a bit. She left because she felt like she was leeching off of his kindness. If he was right, he was going to start calling her 'cousin Zapapple' to drill it into her head that honorary family was still family.

[applejack]

Applejack seated herself at the kitchen table in a position where she could keep her focus on Braeburn and what he had to say. Having him accept her offer of a meal turned out to be an unexpected favor. It put off completing that chore for just a little while longer, which meant that she could put all of her focus into figuring out what the two of them were going to do about their friend.

Applejack stayed silent and listenned intently as Braeburn shared his entire experience with Rainbow Dash. Even though the first part of it were things that she already had been told about, she tried to looked for any little detail that might cue her in on some sort of revelation. She didn't really find anything new until Braeburn finally went into full detail about the day he had found her. Applejack's listenning went from analytical to emotionally once he went there. There more detail he went into about her, the more desperate it all seemed. What he was saying didn't sound like Rainbow Dash at all. The Rainbow Dash she knew had all the confidence in the world. There was nothing that could slow her down. Now all of the sudden, there was this emptiness that she just couldn't put her hoof on. It all seemed so frightening to Applejack. She couldn't even begin to think about how Rainbow must be handling it.

Of course, then there was the explaination on why she didn't bother to go to her friends first. Brushing her off would've been the last thing they'd have done! Maybe there would have been some overreaction, but it would've only been out of concern for their friend. Rainbow Dash's logic behind that left a bit of anger burning in Applejack's gut. If only she had enough faith in her friends to at least let them try to help! Maybe then Applejack wouldn't just be sitting here, worrying her little mind away! However, deep down, Applejack knew that Rainbow Dash had to do what her head was telling her to do. It was her problem to deal with, and getting angry about how she went about it would be selfish. That's what her sense of maturity was telling her, but part of her still couldn't help but be hurt. The only thing to do about that was to let it go though. Right now, they were here to try and help Rainbow Dash.

Not all of Applejack's reactions from Braeburn's story were negative though. There was a shred of hope in the part when Braeburn had extended his help to her. She couldn't help but let out a small sigh then. All this time, she had been very thankful for Braeburn's kindness towards the pegasus. For a while, it seemed like his kindness was going to make a world of difference. Even though that idea proved to be wrong in the end, Applejack still made a mental note to herself to thank her cousin later for everything that he had done.

Finally, it was Applejack's turn to share information. It took her a moment to get her thoughts to stop running a mile a minute and be able to think hard about Braeburn's question. Family, huh? He might be to something there. After all, if anypony knew the value of familial bonds, it was a member of the Apple family.

"Come ta think about it..." Applejack began after a moment of memory-searching. "Ah don't think ah can tell ya much about them at all. Ah don't think Rainbow Dash has ever talked 'bout them too much 'round me at least. She's always seemed like tha independent type..." Being so family-oriented, she was surprised that she really didn't know all that much about her friend's family. Now, just what kind of idea was brewing in Braeburn's head that had to do with Rainbow's family?

"Are ya thinkin' that 'er 'emptiness' might have somethin' ta do with that?"

[Deleted]

Applejack's answer confirmed a few things, and he tapped the tip of his nose to show it. "Ah'm thinkin' maybe that's what she's missin' an' she doesn't realize it. Hangin' 'round me seemed ta help a little but she got spooked is what Ah think. Ya said Miss Twilight needed some time when ta get used ta things when y'all became friends. Maybe Rainbow Dash just wasn't sure how ta act?"

Braeburn took a few quick bites of his food and washed it down with another sip of his drink. It was time spent to let his idea sink in a little. Twilight hadn't been around friends, so was uneasy at the concept of friendship. Braeburn's trail of logic was that Rainbow Dash may have forgotten what it felt like to be a part of a family. There was such a thing as being too independent.

"The idea Ah have about findin' her aint the greatest one out there, but its better than sittin' around an' waitin' for her ta waltz right in like nothin' happened." The stallion was glad the food here was so good because in the near future his tongue could possibly be numb and foul tasting. "The way Ah see it, we got family all over Equestria. So why can't we ask 'em ta keep an eye out for Rainbow Dash? We don't need 'em ta go out of their way, but she kinda stands out in a crowd. If somepony sees her, they let ya know, an' then maybe you and your friends can get lucky and get ta where she is before she leaves."

It wasn't the greatest plan out there, but it was all he had. They had family everywhere, and asking them to just keep and eye out for someone was an easy thing to do. The major flaw was all in the timing. If somepony saw her on the last day she was in town, then her friends would arrive too late, but if she was seen just arriving, Applejack had a chance. "Ah figure puttin' an ad in the newspaper might make her feel like we're tryin' ta hunt her down, or try ta guilt her into comin' back."