Chapters A Journey With Great Reward
…there were two mares who were deeply in love. They shared everything, and they both loved each other very much.
Is this gonna be another kissing story?
No, Ah don’t think so.
Good. I don’t like kissings. Blech.
Maybe Ah’ll kiss your whole face. What will you do then, little smarty-pants?
I... uh… well, I’ll think of something!
Heh… While you’re thinkin’, Ah’ll get back to my story. Where was Ah…? Oh, right. The two mares loved each other very much; but they had a problem. They couldn’t have a foal together because they were both mares, and as you know foals need a mare and a stallion to be born. So they went to go see a good friend of theirs, a zebra herbalist deep in the Everfree Forest…
* * *
“I don’t care how many times I’ve been in here, I swear it gets creepier every time,” Rainbow groused, brushing off yet another spider web.
“Quit your belly-achin’, Rainbow,” Applejack scolded as she ducked under a low branch. “You wanted this just as much as I did.”
“Yeah, I guess. Doesn’t mean I like any of the stuff in here, though.” She retracted a hoof from a suspicious-looking purple plant.
Applejack smirked ever so slightly. “This ain’t like the time you saw a cricket for the first time, is it?”
“I had never seen one before!” Rainbow hissed. “I thought it was something dangerous, like a mosquito or a spider or a snipe or something!”
A pause. “Rainbow?”
“What?”
“There’s no such thing as a snipe, Rainbow.”
Rainbow squinted. “There isn’t?” she asked. “But I heard...”
Applejack interrupted. “A snipe hunt?” When Rainbow nodded, she chuckled. “That’s a prank older folks pull on younger foals when they want them out of the way for a bit. Send ‘em off callin’ for snipes while you break out the hard cider. They’ll get bored and come back eventually, but by then it’s all gone, and the foals are none the wiser.”
Rainbow stopped short. “I feel so lied to,” she whispered. Then she paused. “I guess that’s why Fluttershy never offered me one as a pet…”
“You can work out your trust issues later,” Applejack said, pulling down a branch to reveal a hut built into a tree, decorated with a few colorful masks and various bottles of potions hanging from the branches. “We’re here.”
* * *
“...and so we were wonderin’ if you could... you know... possibly help us with that,” Applejack finished, somewhat lamely. She wiped sweat off her brow for what must have been the sixth time. This awkward conversation had definitely gone better in her head, and Rainbow had also found herself tongue-tied for most of it, leaving Applejack to stumble through most of their rather unorthodox request.
Zecora paused, stopping to take a sip of her tea. “So if I understand, you’ve come to my home to seek a way to have a foal of your own?”
“Yeah, we’re kindof… missing the right equipment, so to speak,” Rainbow said, with a slight gesture down at her hindquarters. “But we both want it. Being mothers, I mean.”
Zecora nodded slowly. “Many the recipes I keep up here,” she said, tapping the side of her head, “But the one you seek is not there, I fear.”
“Can you find it somewhere else? You’ve got a ton of books here,” Rainbow pointed out.
Zecora shook her head. She’d been hoping to break it gently, but she'd been put on the spot and had to rain on their parade. “That which you seek is noble, I’d say; but violates nature’s given way. As much as it breaks all three of our hearts, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Both mares were crestfallen. “Are ya certain?” Applejack asked.
Zecora nodded.
They looked at each other and sighed. “Figures,” Rainbow mumbled. The two turned to leave, and Rainbow stepped closer to Applejack and rested her wing across her back, holding her close, comforting her. Applejack gave her a gentle, brief nuzzle under her chin, and Zecora felt a quick pain in her heart. Words sprang unbidden to her lips. “But if I were to- no, I couldn't possibly…”
Zecora immediately regretted speaking, because both her guests were instantly in front of her, eyes wide, smiling expectantly. and in Rainbow’s case, wings quivering as they looked up hopefully. Zecora suddenly understood where those three little fillies got their pleading abilities. She hung her head in resignation and continued, “Do you know the legend of the life-bearing tree?”
* * *
“So let’s see if I’ve got this straight,” Rainbow said. “There’s a magic tree somewhere and it’s somehow going to help us get a foal of our own?”
“That’s what the legend says,” Applejack confirmed. “Can't hurt to check it out.”
Rainbow chewed on her lower lip. “I think it’s pretty convenient that Zecora had this map all ready for us.”
“It wasn’t ‘all ready’,” Applejack corrected. “She had to sketch it out from that really long rhyme. You know, crossing hill and dale, over the river and through somethin’ or other?”
Rainbow frowned. “I don’t remember that…”
“That’s ‘cause you were too busy making faces at yourself in all the different colored glass bottles on her shelves.”
“...point,” Rainbow grudgingly admitted.
* * *
So we walked and walked and walked…
Did you go deeper into the Everfree Forest?
No, actually; we walked south.
Into the desert?
Eeyup.
Wow… Was it hot?
Hotter than a toad's belly on a summer noon in Appleoosa.
Ooh… Did you get lost?
Well, sugarcube, that depends on which one of us you asked...
* * *
Applejack sighed. “We’re lost, aren’t we?”
“We are not lost,” Rainbow maintained, taking another look at the map. “We’re right here. We’re just... not exactly sure where ‘here’ is.”
Applejack growled and took a drink from her nearly empty canteen. “Hopefully, ‘here’ is close to an oasis or something. I could really use a little shade.”
No sooner had she spoken than a shadow appeared above her. She looked up and saw Rainbow, hovering overhead, being her shade and grinning impishly.
“You know what Ah meant,” Applejack grumbled.
Rainbow dropped to the ground and nodded. “Yeah. But hey—there’s a wall over there to your right, that’s gotta be something.”
Climbing the little ridge, a tall wall rose into view. It seemed to be made of glowing red and black brick, complete with curled, wicked-looking barbed wire on top.
“Is that a griffon fortress?” Applejack asked, squinting at the strange building.
Rainbow shook her head. “Pretty sure the griffons wouldn’t build a wall like that. I mean, it’s tall, but not ‘can’t-fly-over-it’ tall.” Rainbow paused, her sharp pegasus vision examining the black wrought-iron and thick chains. “You know, I think that’s actually Tartarus.”
* * *
You can visit Tartarus?
Yeah, but Ah wouldn’t recommend it. Twi’s been a few times, actually. Says she’s got friends on the other side or something.
Sounds kinda scary.
It’s not a place to go have a picnic, Ah can tell you that much.
* * *
“Tartarus? Oh, that’s great,” Applejack muttered, taking the map from Rainbow and examining it. “That ain’t even on our map at all. Now we’re really lost. This is the last time Ah follow you.”
“Come on. It can’t be that bad,” Rainbow said.
“Speak for yourself,” Applejack grumbled. “I mean, what can we do, go knock on the gates of Tartarus and see if somepony there knows the way?”
* * *
“Ah cannot believe you just knocked on the gates of Tartarus to see if somepony here knows the way!” Applejack hissed, very out of breath from having chased Rainbow down. “What is wrong with you?”
“My other option is flying around in circles, lost. And I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty sick of sand, sand, and more sand; in places sand should not be going!” She ruffled her wings for emphasis, sending sand flying everywhere as it dislodged itself from her feathers.
“The only thing you should be worrying about is my hoof going upside your ear!”
“Am I interrupting something?” a third voice broke in.
Both spun around to see a small filly behind the bars. Applejack took a subconscious step back. She may have been the size of a filly, but those eyes… they were not the eyes of an innocent pony.
She looked over at Applejack, and her eyes brightened. “Oh, hello again.”
Applejack paused. “Have we… met?” she asked hesitantly.
“Not yet,” she said with a smile.
Rainbow decided to skip over this cryptic answer and get some answers of her own. “Do you have a name?” she asked.
The filly turned to her and stared at her unblinkingly. “I do,” she eventually answered.
A pause.
“You want to share?” Rainbow invited.
She smiled broadly. “Not really.”
Rainbow nodded. “We’ll tell you ours if-”
“I know who you are, Rainbow Dash,” she interrupted quietly.
Rainbow closed her mouth. She definitely hadn’t expected that.
There was another pause. The filly glanced back and forth between the two mares expectantly.
Rainbow finally broke the silence. “So are you, like, trapped in there?”
The filly raised up a hoof and rattled the chains that held the gates shut, and then smirked. “What is a trap?” she countered. “And is it one if you don’t think you’re in one?”
“Uh…”
“Some say parenthood is a trap, that it sucks the joy out of life, the beauty from bodies, and the color from your mane.” She turned a steely eye towards Applejack. “But that’s what you’re seeking, isn’t it? So I think the better question is, are you in a trap?”
“No,” Applejack answered defiantly.
The filly smiled. “Good. I expected no less.” She pointed a hoof towards her left. “You’re lost, but you should find your way if you go southeast for another day’s journey.”
“How do you know that?” Rainbow had to ask.
The filly smiled, a terrible knowing smile that was far too old for her and sent shivers up both their spines. “I know a lot of things, Rainbow Dash.” And with that, she turned and walked back inside, the darkness swallowing her up.
* * *
Who was that filly, mama?
Ah’m not sure. Ah’ve heard lots legends, though. They say she’s named Mephi-something or other, and she’s the gatekeeper of Tartarus.
But why is she a filly?
Ah’m not sure. Why are you a filly?
Uh… I just am!
Guess there’s your answer, then.
You’re silly, mama.
Eeyup. Anyway, we got to walking again…
* * *
Rainbow spat angrily. “If I never see sand again, it will be too soon,” she groused, shaking her tail to try and dislodge some of the sand trapped inside.
Applejack, who was currently dumping out her hat again, agreed. “Ah hope we see something new soon.”
“I don’t think we’ll be seeing much as it is,” Rainbow said, looking at the clear but darkening sky. “It’s probably about time to make camp, anyway.”
Applejack looked up and nodded. Darkness always fell fast on the desert, and it would be wise to set up a comfortable camp before it was too dark. Within minutes, she had a little fire going, and apples toasting on top. Rainbow Dash built little sandbars for pillows and spread out the blankets, and soon the two were eating contentedly, leaned up against each other.
“Think we need to set up the tent?” Rainbow asked.
“Nah, it’s a clear night. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
* * *
“This is not fine! This is not fine!”
The two huddled protectively together under the absolute downpour of rain. Now, neither was a stranger to rain. In fact, Applejack could name numerous times when they both lay on the grass outside, under the warm, gentle rain, just enjoying each other’s company. This rain, however, was freezing cold and felt more like hail, which Rainbow bemoaned loudly.
“It’s a clear night, you said. We’ll be fine, you said,” Rainbow complained.
“Ah thought you, bein’ a pegasus and all, could withstand the weather!” Applejack retorted.
“And I thought earth ponies were good at putting up with getting wet!”
“Coming from the pegasus who flies through rain for fun?”
There was an angry silence, and then Rainbow lifted her wing and rested it over Applejack’s head. “No reason one of us can’t be comfortable,” she muttered.
Applejack tried to make it two by snuggling close, resting a hoof against Rainbow’s chest.
But luckily, desert rains are hard, but fast; and soon the rain had stopped.
* * *
But you didn’t kiss, did you?
Maaaaybe…
Eww! Mama!
Do you want me to finish the story, or not?
Hmm… Yeah, you can keep going.
Alrighty then. So the sun came out, we got dried off—no, we didn’t kiss again—and then we kept walking, following that strange filly’s directions. Finally, we noticed that the sand was getting wetter, and the desert a bit cooler...
* * *
Applejack and Rainbow Dash stared at the mighty jungle before them. Trees towered overhead, thick plants covered everything, and the constant stream of animal noises let them know that they were not and would likely never be alone.
“Well, you wanna go first?”
“Nah,” Rainbow said, with a mocking bow. “Age before beauty and all.”
Rainbow found herself physically lifted and thrown into the forest. She raised her head and glowered as she spat out a clump of dirt “Not funny, AJ,” she grumbled.
“Ah laughed,” Applejack grinned as she walked past Rainbow.
Rainbow grumbled, but pushed herself to her hooves and began walking after her.
Together they walked deeper into the forest, avoiding snakes, pokey plants, lions, tigers, bears, spiders…
* * *
Spiders?
Yeah. But spiders as big as your head spiders.
Eww…
And they had venom that could melt a pony’s face right off!
Eww!
But it was worth it for you, little Goldenrod.
Wait. If you avoided the spiders, how do you know their venom could melt a pony’s face right off?
Uh… How about I finish the story, and then answer that question?
* * *
Soon, the two travelers arrived at a rope bridge. Like most rope bridges of legend and stories like Daring Do, it was old, frayed, and the wooden planks seemed about to snap.
“I've seen this before! This is just like in Daring Do!” Rainbow crowed. “This is so awesome!”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t look quite safe,” Applejack pointed out.
“Well, duh. Daring didn’t think hers was safe, either.”
“So how’d she handle it?”
Rainbow flared her wings and wiggled the tips. “She flew over. She’s not injured in every book, you know. Now climb on.”
Applejack wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's barrel and they flew. Rainbow Dash must have been tired of walking, because she continued flying long beyond the edge of the bridge and through the mists that covered the mountain.
* * *
I like flying with Mom, too.
Yeah. It's the best, isn't it?
Eenope.
Nopony asked you, Mac! This is Goldenrod’s story! Now either pipe down, or go back to bed!
* * *
They continued flying up the mountain. Eventually, the air became too thin for Rainbow to fly with the weight of two ponies, so the two would-be mothers had to take the second option: the mysterious long set of stairs that led to the very top of the mountain.
“I hate stairs,” Rainbow said, breathing hard.
“Me too.”
“Who even builds these things?” Rainbow groused.
“Maybe some pony whose special talent was building stairs?” Applejack suggested.
“There needs to be a pony who has a special talent for building stairs that, like, move you, instead of you having to walk up them.”
“Now that’s just silly.”
“Or, this thing where you stand on like a platform, but it raises you up on its own. Like when you were raising the barn.”
“Well, there’s still a problem there. Who’d pull the other end?”
Rainbow paused, and Applejack bumped into her hindquarters. “You and your logic,” Rainbow grumbled, resuming her march up the stairs. “Just have to go ruining all my ideas, don’tcha?”
* * *
Some of Mom’s ideas aren’t so bad.
Yeah. Some aren't, but some are. Hey, Mac, you remember the time she decided to try and save time on making cider by making single servings, holding the sugar on her tongue and squeezing the apples one by one into her mouth? ...Mac? Mac! Huh… Ah think he’s asleep. Oh well. His loss.
Did she really try that?
Yep; and all she got for it was apple juice in the eye.
* * *
Eventually, the two ponies managed to make it to the top of the mountain. Rainbow found the nearest tree and flung herself at its roots.
“We’ve done it, Applejack,” she panted.
“Rainbow…”
“We’ve found the tree.”
“Rainbow…”
“We can finally have our own foal together.”
“Rainbow…”
“What?”
“That’s a date tree, Rainbow.”
“Oh.” Rainbow slowly got to her hooves, somewhat embarrassed. She flapped her wings to get off the ground, and picked one of the fruits. Then a slow smile spread across her face. “You want to have a date with me, Applejack?”
Applejack rolled her eyes.
Rainbow hovered in the air and tossed the date from hoof to hoof. “I’m serious. A date. With me. Because I’m awesome.”
“Aaanyway,” Applejack said, walking over to the correct tree, “Here’s our target.” With a quick kick, the tree delivered a single fruit.
Rainbow walked over and sniffed it. “What, are we supposed to eat it?”
“Didn’t you pay attention at all?” Applejack asked rhetorically. “We plant it, and give something of our essence to help it grow the vine. Otherwise it'll just grow into another tree.”
Rainbow nodded. “I knew that.”
“Sure ya did,” Applejack muttered under her breath as she dug a small hole with her hooves a good hundred yards from the tree.
“You’re going to plant it here?”
“Unless you want to take it all the way back, find out it’s a dud seed, and have to come all the way back here for another one?” Applejack challenged.
“That’s why I like you, AJ,” Rainbow grinned as she flicked her tail and tagged Applejack on the cutie mark. “You think of everything.”
Applejack pulled her hat down slightly to cover the blush on her face. “Ah try. ‘Sides, if the tree grows up here, its seeds will grow up here, too.”
“Looks good to me,” Rainbow said as she watched Applejack finish planting it.
“And now the tricky part.”
“Waiting?”
“Nah. The blood.”
The blood drained from Rainbow’s face. “We need blood?” she squeaked.
“Yeah. Our essence. How else will it be our foal?”
Rainbow began sweating, and not just from the lack of shade. “Uh… Y- You’re joking, right?” she asked.
But Applejack was not joking, and she withdrew a knife from the saddlebag. Rainbow jumped as Applejack brought the knife against her own foreleg and dripped the result over the seed before wiping off the blade.
“I was wondering why Zecora packed these numbing leaves,” Applejack said as she pressed one over the cut. She turned to Rainbow and raised the knife. “Now hold still. You won’t feel a thing.”
“No! There’s no way!” She turned to fly away, to get a few steps back, but Applejack was faster. She grabbed Rainbow’s tail with her mouth and jerked her back to the ground. Before Rainbow could recover, Applejack smacked her on the back of the head.
“We’ve come this far. We’re not giving up now, even if Ah have to knock you out. Now sit!” she ordered.
Rainbow obeyed. “Ok. I’ll be brave! You won’t even know I was afraid!”
“Rainbow.”
“Because I’m totally not! I won’t faint or anything, I’ll show you! I’m the toughest pony around!”
“Rainbow.”
“What?”
“Ah got it, Rainbow.”
“Oh.” Rainbow looked down at her foreleg, where there was now a bandage sitting comfortably. “Huh.” She recovered quickly. “Told you I could do it.”
Applejack rolled her eyes as she dripped it over the buried seed. “And now, we wait.”
* * *
So once that was done, we waited for a long time.
How long?
Almost a month. We got pretty sick of eating dates. But soon, the plant began to grow like a pumpkin vine. One day we woke up and there was a little white fruit on the end of one of the vines.
* * *
“So, it's happening,” Rainbow said, poking at the fruit. “We're really going to be parents.”
“Yeah,” Applejack said, gently pulling Rainbow's hoof away. “That's kindof why we came here.”
“I'm just… I dunno. Doesn't it seem kindof sudden?”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “No, it doesn't; especially seein' as how we've been discussing this for nearly a year.” She lay down next to Rainbow Dash. “What's this really about, Rainbow?”
Rainbow lay down as well, and rolled onto her back. “I don't know; it's just… what if I'm not ready?”
“Huh?”
“You know, ready to be a mother. I've got the sister thing down, and I got the marefriend thing down; but this mom thing is kindof new.”
Applejack laughed. “Rainbow, nopony's really ready. Ah wasn't ready when Ah realized raisin' Apple Bloom was my responsibility, and she turned out ok.”
“Well, yeah; but-”
“You'll be fine. Ah bet it's not two minutes 'afore bein' a mother is second nature, just like being awesome.”
Rainbow smiled, and Applejack leaned down to plant a kiss on the tip of her nose.
* * *
Ew! Mama! You promised this wasn’t a kissing story!
It’s not! It was just a… well… it was one kiss. And it was a good kiss.
No such thing. All kissings is nasty.
Ah’m sure you’ll be thinking differently when you’re older. Anyway… The fruit began to grow, and grow, and grow…
* * *
“Whoa, this thing is huge ,” Rainbow said, poking at the fruit with a forehoof.
“Yeah,” Applejack grinned, pulling Rainbow's hoof away. “It's looking good, isn't it?”
“So there's really, like, a foal growing inside?”
“Yep. We're supposed to harvest at midnight of the fortieth day.”
Rainbow frowned. “Why midnight?”
Applejack shrugged. “Magic is as magic does.”
“That's just ridiculous, though,” Rainbow said. “Aren't foals supposed to be asleep at midnight?”
Applejack opened her mouth… and then shut it again. She had a point..
Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, my parents put me to bed at six.” She paused. “Of course, I never seemed to fall asleep before eight, but hey.” She paused again. “Maybe that’s why I like naps so much…”
* * *
“Rainbow!” Applejack gently shook her.
Rainbow inhaled and rolled over slightly. She smacked her lips. “Mhm… more cider?” she sleep-mumbled. “Don't mind if I do…”
Applejack rolled her eyes and shook her harder.
One of Rainbow's eyes slowly flickered open. “Is it better than my dream where we were taking a bubble bath with huge, never-ending mugs of cider?” she asked blearily.
“Much better. It's midnight.”
“Midnight? Why is it so great that it's-” Rainbow suddenly shot to her hooves. “Midnight!”
“Yeah,” Applejack smiled. “It's time.”
The two mares walked over to the fruit. Rainbow flipped the knife up with a wing and held it out handle-first to Applejack. “Would you care to do the honors?” she asked with a grin.
“Don't mind if Ah do,” Applejack said, taking the blade. She gently began to slice up the side and followed the natural curves of the fruit as Rainbow paced nervously in place.
Finally, she felt she had finished. She pulled the top off with a squelchy, tearing sound. Rainbow winced and couldn't look up… until she heard the sound of a foal crying.
“Whoa,” she whispered. “What…?”
“She's a filly,” Applejack said breathlessly. “A little earth pony filly.”
Rainbow scampered over and looked for herself. “She's beautiful,” she whispered.
* * *
And that was me? Like, in the pun'kin?
It was.
Did I smell like pun'kin?
Heh! Maybe a bit; but we didn't care. You were a beautiful little filly. Don't tell anypony, but Ah'm pretty sure Rainbow teared up the first time she held you. Ah know Ah did.
And then what happened?
Well, we had to take you home. Can you imagine living on dates your whole life?
Ew. I like apples.
Me too.
Mama?
Hm?
What's a date?
* * *
“I swear, it was not this windy on our way up,” Rainbow muttered. She had been forced to land because it was just too gusty, and she couldn't maintain her altitude. “It's just not safe for you two anymore.”
Applejack just chuckled.
“What?”
“Nothin',” Applejack said too quickly. “It's just kinda fun to see your maternal instincts coming out already.”
Rainbow couldn't decide if she should take this as a compliment (and thus show a shred of sappiness), or if she should just shrug it off. She decided to go with a generic wing ruffle to look cool and nonchalant, and continued walking.
They soon arrived at the long bridge. The wind continued to blow, sending ripples undulating through it. Both mares stared distastefully at it.
“Can we wait until it stops, you know, winding so much?” Rainbow asked.
“We've already used half the foal formula mix Zecora gave us, and we're not quite halfway home,” Applejack pointed out. “We don't have the time.”
Rainbow groaned. “Why didn't you bring more?”
“Would you even have remembered to bring any?” Applejack retorted.
Rainbow opened her mouth, then shut it. “Go ahead. Earth ponies are a little bit more steady on the ground, anyway.”
Applejack smiled as she began to walk. Slowly and steadily she walked, using one hoof to brace Goldenrod against her body. Rainbow followed behind. The only thing keeping her from biting her hooves nervously right now was the fact that she was walking on them—it was far too risky to fly right now.
They'd made it halfway across, and Rainbow had almost begun to relax… and then she heard the horrifying sound of wood splintering, and the desperate scream of Applejack as she fell.
Rainbow reacted instinctively. She dove off the bridge and flew downwards. The wind made it hard to control her flight, but even so she continued, flying through the tears streaming from her eyes due to the harsh, biting wind.
She grabbed Goldenrod and pulled her close, and then realized that Applejack would be somewhat heavier. She reached out, but a particularly strong gust of wind pushed her back out of range. Rainbow scowled, but she was not about to give up yet. She flapped her wings harder and regained the distance.
Unfortunately, she had been falling for long enough that by the time she reached Applejack, she was at a bad angle and going far too fast.
But hey, since when has that ever stopped Rainbow Dash?
She grabbed her around the waist and pulled up, keeping them from crashing into the unforgiving rocks below.
“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered. “That's right! I'm-”
And then she realized that she was heading right for the stone wall.
She reacted instinctively. She pulled both in close and spun around, cushioning the two and absorbing the impact with her own body. There was a sickening crack, and Rainbow cried out in pain, but managed to maintain her hold. Still clenched tightly together, the three ponies rolled down to the rocky beach below, sending them rolling across the sand.
Goldenrod sat up… and giggled, perfectly fine.
Applejack sat up and rushed over. “Rainbow! You saved us!”
“Yeah,” Rainbow panted, looking at her bent and bloody wing, “but there's no way I'm doing that again.”
* * *
Is that why Mom’s wing hurts sometimes and she needs you to give her a massage?
Yeah, that’s part of why Ah do it.
What’s the other part of it?
...that’s a story for another time.
Is that another estrus kind of discussion?
Lemme guess. Rainbow?
Uh-huh.
Ah’m gonna have to have me a little talk with that pegasus… Anyway, Ah patched her up as best Ah could, and we continued on our way. It took longer now because we had to go through the ravine and get back up to the main road, but we managed to get back fairly quickly. It's always faster heading home, 'cause you know where you're goin'.
* * *
That first night, she was already working her way into the hearts of the Apple family. They had run out of foal formula, and Goldenrod had quickly decided that table food was an acceptable substitute. It was clear that Applejack had contributed quite a bit of influence already.
“She's putting away those fritters just like her momma,” Granny Smith laughed.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom cheered. She poked Goldenrod's little stomach with a hoof, prompting a little giggle. “We'll make an Apple of you yet.”
Granny Smith chuckled as she picked up Goldenrod, to her much giggling. “Aw, shucks. She's already part of the family.”
Author's Note
This scene was written before season three ended, so Tartarus hadn't been made canon yet. My vision of Mephistofilly looks a little something like this , originally from the 100th AppleDash Prompt Tag Special .
Where She Came From, Part 1
Fillies and gentlecolts, on behalf of all of us, thank you for coming out tonight. This special event is in commemoration of Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash, who was grievously injured in the previous show, where she sacrificed her own air time to save captain Spitfire, who had been caught in a downdraft. Thanks to Rainbow Dash's bravery, Spitfire came out unscathed, and she will be flying again today. Doctors say that with physical therapy and time, our favorite cyan pegasus will fly again one day; but might never compete again. That being said, Captain Spitfire declined to retire Rainbow Dash’s uniform, saying that if there was even a sliver of a chance for her to come back, she would. I don’t know about you folks, but I sure hope I’m here to see that day. But that's enough talk from me. Put your hooves together and let’s hear it for your… Canterloooot… Wonderboooolts!
Two ponies walked down the road, both still with that after-show adrenaline rush that comes from just being in the same arena as the Wonderbolts. They had come, of course, not to fly, as neither currently could; but to celebrate Rainbow’s accomplishments.
And she had done quite a lot in her short career.
“Ah never knew just how good of a flier you were,” Applejack admitted. “That’s an awful lot of awards you earned and records Ah didn’t know you’d set.”
“Yeah, well,” Rainbow said, nonchalantly brushing imaginary dust off of her chest. “It’s a Rainbow Dash thing. I’m just that awesome.”
They walked along in silence for a while, both lost in thought.
“I'm just glad no one said it this time,” Rainbow said suddenly.
“Said what?”
“You know…” Rainbow said, her voice trailing off.
“Oh, yeah. You mean the whole ‘everything happens for a reason’ thing?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, looking bitterly at her wing. “That thing.”
“Ah still think it does,” Applejack said.
Rainbow jabbed at Applejack’s side, exactly where a foal would stand to nurse. “Oh, yeah? Even that?”
There was a sudden coldness between them, as if the air temperature had just dropped ten degrees, and Rainbow realized she had crossed a line that she should not have crossed. “I mean…” she stuttered, taking a step back, “I’m sorry I-”
“Don’t even go there,” Applejack growled, even as her face flushed at the wet feeling that slowly spread around the contact area. “That’s your fault, anyway.”
“Yeah, yeah. ‘Continuous stimulation of mammary tissue can induce lactation in non-pregnant mares’. I know, I know; I sat through Twilight’s lecture, too. Like I said, I'm sorry.” Rainbow looked down. “And I know I shouldn’t have gone there.”
Applejack whipped her tail around so it intertwined with Rainbow’s. “Ah know you didn't mean it.”
“It’s just… frustrating, you know? I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with you guys and helping on the farm and everything, and the food’s a nice bonus; but sometimes I still wish I could fly, you know?”
Applejack slowed to a stop. “Rainbow, hush.”
“I’m serious, though, Applejack. There’s only so much teaching I can do from on the gro-”
“No, seriously, Rainbow. Hush.”
Rainbow stopped and frowned at being shushed like that; but then her ear flicked, too. “Is that a… foal crying?” she asked.
“Ah think so.”
They looked at each other, and then sprinted towards the direction of the sound. It was louder towards an alleyway, and it seemed to echo a bit, like it was coming from inside a metal box.
No. No way.
Applejack flipped the lid open, pulled herself up on the lip, and gasped. Sure enough, there was a little earth pony filly in the dumpster, laying there amongst the trash bags and covered in a dirty blanket.
“Rainbow, go get help!” Applejack ordered as she climbed in.
Rainbow saluted and turned to fly off, only to collapse to the ground, howling in pain as her wing tensed and twitched. Before Applejack could respond, though, she had pushed herself to her hooves and begun to run as quickly as she could.
Applejack climbed out and held the filly close against her chest. She was shaking and crying, eyes clenched firmly shut, and Applejack could only offer a the little comfort a hug could give. She was a scrawny little foal. Her damp light-brown mane appeared abnormally thin, even for such a young pony. Her olive coat was matted with dirt, trash juices, and what appeared to be small burn marks, not unlike the ones on Uncle Chester's shirts from the pipes he smoked, and her ribs were clearly visible through her skin. Applejack wrapped as much of herself as she could around her, trying to calm her down and warm her up at the same time.
Rainbow quickly returned, with the paramedics quickly following behind. Two ponies pulled the cart while two more quickly hopped out of the back and sprinted over. The tan unicorn with a short blond mane took the filly and did a quick evaluation, and the red earth pony with a messy brown mane provided plenty of blankets to try and keep her warm.
“She's in serious trouble,” the unicorn muttered as he removed his stethoscope. “Her heartbeats are weak and coming way too fast.”
“And look at how she's sweating,” the red one added, tracing a hoof across her forehead. “That's not normal. We gotta transport, and now.”
“Can we come?”
Both looked briefly at each other. “Why not?” the earth pony answered. “You can both come.”
They quickly loaded into the cart, much to the chagrin of the two ponies pulling.
“Cinny, you lardflank, it was you who ate the last of the pizza, wasn't it?”
“Oh, shut up. You didn’t get puked on yesterday.”
“That's because I'm smart enough to turn the head, Cinny.”
The red one snorted. “I hate that nickname...”
But pizzas weighing them down or no, all of them were quickly bouncing down the road. The unicorn gave the filly to the earth pony as he checked some more vital signs.
“Why is she shaking? Don't you have another blanket?”
The unicorn stuck his minilight into his mouth, pulled open an eye to examine her pupil, and then shook his head. “It looks like withdrawal,” he said, causing the earth pony to emit a pained sigh.
“Withdrawal?” Applejack asked. “She's a foal! From what?”
The paramedic shrugged helplessly. “Whatever her mother was on. I really couldn’t say.”
“Can't you give her something for that?” Rainbow asked, pointing at the saddlebags full of medical supplies each wore.
The earth pony answered this one with a shake of his head. “I don't know what she's on, so I'd be pumping her body full of drugs she likely didn't need. And even if I did know, I wouldn't. Her little body wouldn't be able to take it, and prolly just go into shock and die.”
Surprised, Rainbow looked over to his partner, and the unicorn nodded to confirm it.
“So what can we do?” Applejack demanded.
The unicorn bit his lower lip, hating the answer he had to give. “Wait until it works its way out of her system. That's all we can do.”
Applejack was disappointed, but didn't say anything. Rainbow, however, had one more question.
“Can I hold her?”
He looked as though he were going to deny Rainbow's request, but something in her expression instead made him say, “Alright. Be sure to support her head.”
With Rainbow guarding the filly, the four ponies could only wait until they arrived at the hospital.
* * *
In the waiting room, Applejack stared at the pile of magazines while Rainbow paced. The doctors couldn't tell her anything; or wouldn't, one of the two, and all they could do was wait.
Then a doctor stepped out. “Excuse me, Applejack and Rainbow Dash? Could you come with me, please?”
Both mares hurried in, past the older royal guard who was serving as security, and into a small office. He then followed them inside, which definitely set a few hairs up on Applejack's neck.
The doctor pulled on his gloves and held up a caliper. “May I see your hooves, please?”
Applejack obliged, but Rainbow grimaced. “Can I not?” she asked, curling her hooves against her chest. “I just… my hooves, you know? Don't really like others touching them.”
“It's policy,” the doctor said firmly. “It'll go much smoother for you if you cooperate.”
Applejack cocked her head. “Policy?”
“Cooperate?” Rainbow asked suspiciously.
“Whenever we see evidence of abuse, we're required to check…”
“They beat that filly?” Applejack demanded.
The doctor pursed his lips. “There was sufficient evidence to suspect routine abuse,” he said.
Rainbow scrunched her nose up angrily and muttered some very choice words under her breath, but she too held out her hooves and tried valiantly not to wince as he touched them.
The doctor visibly relaxed as he wrote down their measurements. “They're clean,” he said.
The royal guard nodded and left.
“So what happened?” Rainbow demanded.
“Can we see her?” Applejack asked.
“To the second question, yes. As for your first question, I can't say for certain,” the doctor said as he led the way. “She's got some deep bruising on her body and burn marks, somewhat like small circles. We were testing your hooves against a recent bruise on her ribs.”
“Who could do that?” Applejack murmured.
Rainbow looked in at the young filly hooked up to all kinds of machines. “She's shivering,” she said accusingly.
“Effects of withdrawal,” the doctor said softly. “The stuff her mother was on is some nasty stuff.”
“Can't you do anything?” Rainbow demanded.
The doctor gave a shrug. “Everything I could do is contraindicated by the degree of addiction, as the amount required to counteract it would raise the level of resulting stress that would be placed on her nervous system to lethal levels.”
Rainbow cocked her head.
“No,” he translated.
Rainbow looked back and muttered some more angry words under her breath, including places he should shove his stethoscope and casting aspersions on his mother's ancestry.
Applejack turned to give an apologetic look, but the doctor looked bored, as though he had expected a reaction similar to this. Either that, or he had been cussed out too many times to give a hoof sliver. Either way, he didn't react. “Feel free to stay as long as you like,” he said as he left.
* * *
Applejack looked up at the clock and then back at Rainbow, who was still pressed up against the glass. “Rainbow, you can't help her by staying here,” she insisted.
“I don't care.”
“She'll still be here if we go and get dinner,” Applejack said softly, almost like she was trying to talk down a startled animal rather than talking with her marefriend. “You haven't eaten all day.”
“Not hungry.”
“Rainbow…”
“You're so worried about me, you go get me something to eat. I'm staying here,” Rainbow said staunchly.
Applejack snorted. There was a fine line between loyalty and stupidity, and Rainbow was doing a tap dance all over it.
But she hadn't seen that steely glint in Rainbow's eyes in a long time. This was really important to her, and, as much as she wanted to beat some sense into her, she knew deep down that what Rainbow needed right now was a little support.
And maybe a good meal.
Applejack grunted as she turned to leave. “Ah'll get you an oatburger,” she said. “No pickles?”
“Hate pickles,” Rainbow confirmed, not looking away from the little filly.
Applejack exhaled slowly and left.
* * *
It was late at night when Applejack returned. She hefted over Rainbow’s food, and she opened it mechanically and chewed it distractedly. Applejack had the impression that she could have given Rainbow a pickle and she still would have eaten it.
“She’s really shaking,” Applejack observed.
“Withdrawal,” Rainbow said. “It’s getting worse.”
“It’s not going to get much better,” another voice broke in. They looked around to see a nurse walking by. “You know, it'd make my job a ton easier if all these crack babies just died, you know?”
Without hesitation, Rainbow grabbed her mane with one hoof and slammed her head hard against the observation glass, sending spiderwebs of cracks across the outer pane. “You're about to become a patient in your own hospital,” she snarled, drawing the second hoof back.
“Rainbow!” Applejack scolded, grabbing for Rainbow’s shoulders to hold her back.
Rainbow released her head, but still glared daggers at her.
“I- I’ll be informing the doctor,” the nurse coughed as she fearfully retreated.
“You do that,” Rainbow challenged. She turned back to the window and continued watching.
Applejack gently rubbed underneath Rainbow’s wing, right where she liked being touched. “You didn’t have to-”
“Yes, I did,” Rainbow said.
Applejack said nothing, but she continued to rub under her wing.
* * *
Rainbow returned from the bathroom and resumed her vigil. She blinked as she realized that there was a small, pink foil balloon tied to the bassinet of her filly. She looked to her left, but saw an empty hallway. She looked to her right, and there was Pinkie Pie, who had most certainly not been there a few seconds previously, sitting and observing as well.
Rainbow smiled. “Thanks, Pinkie Pie.”
“It's her monthaversary of being here,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “I thought she might like some color.” She looked at the clean but drab walls of the hospital and visibly cringed. This was not a fun place.
“I bet she does,” Rainbow agreed.
They watched her shiver every once in a while. Her recovery had been slow but steady, and she had grown strong enough to be off all but the monitoring machines.
“What's going to happen to her, anyway?” Pinkie asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve heard some things. Apparently she’s going to be placed in the foster care system until somepony adopts her.” Rainbow shuddered. “That doesn’t quite sound comforting. Who knows who she’ll end up with?”
There was a small silence.
“Well, why don’t you adopt her?” Pinkie suggested. “You’re always here anyway. You’re the only one she really knows. You and Applejack.”
Stunned, Rainbow turned to look at Pinkie. “I couldn’t do that,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Uh, well, because… because…” Rainbow's voice trailed off as her mind drew a complete blank. She bit her lower lip. You know what? She could. She totally could.
* * *
“You can’t,” Twilight said bluntly.
“What?” Rainbow asked, wings flaring instinctively. She grunted in pain and retracted her left wing. “Why not?” she asked, just a bit more politely.
Twilight exhaled, steeling herself to deliver the bad news. “Under Equestrian law, couples who adopt need to be married.”
“I’m as good as married!” Rainbow protested.
Twilight grimaced. “While Ponyville does recognize common-law marriages, Cloudsdale does not; and technically, you’re still a citizen of Cloudsdale.”
“Can’t I just renounce my citizenship thingie then?” Rainbow asked.
“Not without losing your Wonderbolts pension and flyer's compensation,” Twilight said with a wince.
Rainbow threw her hooves into the air. “Well, aren’t you just little miss thermal current!” she spat. “It’s like you exist only to shoot down every easy answer!”
“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight said regretfully. “Maybe you shouldn’t ask questions if you don’t really want to know the answer.”
That wasn’t quite the right thing to say. Rainbow drew herself up indignantly. “Maybe it’s just that all the answers are stupid,” Rainbow snapped. “I’m going to make sure that filly gets the care she needs, no matter what.” She turned and stomped out the door and stretched out a wing to slam the door, only to hiss and retract it. Growling, she used a hoof and slammed the door behind her.
Twilight turned over to Spike. “If she does something ridiculous, do you think I have plausible deniability?” she asked.
Spike laughed. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. What do you think she's going to do, foalnap her from the hospital? Come on. She’s probably just going for a fly to clear her mind.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Twilight said. “That should work well. Flying high to think has been a commonly accepted practice for centuries. Recent studies have shown that physical exercise of any type does correlate positively with later test scores.”
“But doesn’t correlation not necessarily imply causation?” Spike asked.
Twilight glared, and Spike quickly made himself scarce with a excuse about leaving the trash on and needing to take out the oven.
But later that night at midnight, Twilight sat straight up in her bed as something suddenly occurred to her. She rolled over to the edge of her bed. “Spike!” she called.
Spike groaned and opened one eye groggily. “Whaaat?” he groaned.
“Rainbow still can’t fly!”
* * *
The next afternoon, Applejack trotted back into the farmhouse and poured herself a tall glass of apple juice. She chugged the whole thing and wiped her lips. As she put it back, she caught sight of Rainbow, leaning against a wall, looking surprisingly conspicuous.
“How’s it goin’?” Applejack asked.
“Fine,” Rainbow said quickly. “Totally fine. Completely fine. Nothing unfine here, nope.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. Rainbow’s voice wasn’t normally that high-pitched. “Is that so?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s totally so.” Rainbow flashed what she hoped was a disarming smile, but it came across as more of a grimace.
And then there came the quiet but horrifyingly familiar sound of a tiny filly fussing, where she’s displeased but not quite at the crying stage yet. Applejack’s eyes widened. “You didn’t,” she breathed.
Rainbow grinned sheepishly. “Uh…”
Applejack burst past her and tore open the bedroom door. There on the bed lay the filly. She recognized Applejack, and visibly brightened as she reached for her.
But Applejack was not in a caring mood. She turned and glared more angrily than Rainbow had ever seen her glare before. “You foalnapped the filly?!”
Rainbow chuckled nervously, unable to meet Applejack’s eyes. “Uh… surprise?”
Where She Came From, Part 2
The little filly slept peacefully against Applejack's side, a stark contrast from the still-fuming Applejack herself. She glared at Rainbow. “What were you thinking? Were you thinking? Where d'you expect we go from here, huh?” she whispered angrily.
“I couldn't just leave her there!” Rainbow protested. “They were talking foster care and that's kindof scary! What if she gets lost in the system and ends up with somepony who doesn't really care for her?”
“Yeah, well, we still can't keep her,” Applejack argued. “This is literally foalnapping. And she's gonna be hungry soon, and you didn't even bring any supplies.”
“Ah can get milk,” Apple Bloom offered, turning to face the door.
Applejack shook her head. “That ain’t what she needs. She needs…” Her voice trailed off, and her eyes drifted down to her side. “She needs…”
There was a pause.
“Maybe everything does happen for a reason,” Rainbow murmured.
* * *
At the police station in Canterlot, the chief looked over the case file. “Foalnapping, abuse, possibly involves one or more of the Elements,” he said, tossing the file disgustedly back on his desk. “Lovely.”
A unicorn poked his head in. “Chief Stalwart?” he said. “Your wife-”
“Lieutenant Lemon,” he said, brightening. “Just the pony I wanted to see.”
For some reason, this did not help Lemon feel relieved. “Sir?”
“This case is a big one. A messy one. Messy as a whole can of worms. Maybe even two cans. We need someone who is competent enough to handle this case, but who won't be a huge loss if it all blows up in his face.”
Lemon frowned. “Surely you don’t mean me?”
“Nah. I figured I’d give it to my ‘biggest fan’.”
A smirk spread across Lemon’s face. “I’ll inform the detective that he needs to pack a bag,” he said.
* * *
"Whoa, there," Applejack whinnied, surprised. "You were hungry, weren't you? Hey- ow!" Applejack flinched away, but the filly followed, dragging herself forward and holding on tightly with her gums. Applejack grit her teeth. The filly may not have had teeth of her own, but she sure-
"Ow!"
-could gnaw like no other. Still, Applejack mused, it was a great improvement for the little filly who had struggled for her life in the hospital. She was growing strong; she could even lift her head on her own now.
"Ow!"
And she clearly knew how to get what she wanted. Applejack scowled playfully at her. "Ah'm gonna have to go give my regards to Mrs. Cake, what with two little ones on her- ow !"
* * *
Rainbow walked back into the bedroom and stopped short. Applejack was holding the filly and patting her on the back. She cocked her head. "AJ?" she asked.
"Hey, Rainbow."
"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked.
"Burping the filly," Applejack answered.
Rainbow blinked. "You're what, now?"
"You gotta do this so they can get the air out of their stomachs," Applejack explained.
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Huh," Rainbow said. "I never took home ec." Then her eyes narrowed, and she smirked.
"Rainbow..." Applejack warned.
"That's not burping," Rainbow said.
"Rainbow..."
"This is burping!" She shook her head, rolled her neck, and then let loose a colossal belch that echoed off the rafters.
Applejack blinked flatly. "Was that really necessary?" she deadpanned.
"Oh, yes," Rainbow said firmly.
"Everything's a competition to you, huh? You know, it's a good thing Ah love you," Applejack grumbled.
And then the filly returned fire.
"Whoo!" Rainbow cheered, pumping a hoof into the air. "Just like her mother!" She froze, and then her her hoof and her ears dropped and she blushed slightly. "I mean..."
"Shut up and come hold her," Applejack said, a smile playing at her lips.
* * *
Applejack continued. “'And so the yellow birdie sang his song as hard as he could to the little tree, and the little tree…'”
“Applejack?”
Applejack looked up from the book that she was reading to the filly. “Hey, Apple Bloom. What's up?”
Apple Bloom scuffed a hoof against the ground. “So today Ah… kindof told the girls about the whole filly thing, and… well… You don't mind if my friends come over and play with her, do you?”
Applejack chuckled. “No, not at all.”
Apple Bloom sighed, relieved. “Good; because…” Here, she reached a hind leg back and kicked the door open wider, revealing two more fillies standing there, smiling widely. “…they're here,” she finished sheepishly.
Applejack blinked. “Huh,” she said.
Still, she was nothing if not adaptable. She placed the book on the nightstand and shifted her body, revealing the filly. She sat up, squinting at the newcomers.
“Awww!” Sweetie said, dashing forward. She put her face nearly in the filly’s and smiled. The filly opened her mouth, confused, but Sweetie didn’t mind. “Hi! I’m Sweetie Belle!” she said, her voice squeaking.
The filly cocked her head.
“Aww, she’s adorable!” Sweetie cooed. “May I hold her?” she asked Applejack excitedly.
Applejack nodded. “Sure,” she said. The filly seemed to be ok with Sweetie Belle, so she rolled up and let the little foal crawl to her hooves. Sweetie scooped her up and snuggled her close. “Aww, aren’t you just precious?”
“Eugh,” Scootaloo said, sticking her tongue out.
“Oh, come on,” Sweetie Belle said, turning to Scootaloo and holding her out. “Just give it a try? Please? You could get your cutie mark in this!”
"I don't think I'd want a cutie mark in this," Scootaloo grumbled, but she buzzed her wings and got up on the bed. She took the filly and held her over her shoulder.
A crooked smile crossed her face. The filly was tiny but warm, and easy to hold. It was crazy that a pony could be this small. Tiny ears, tiny hooves, tiny little muzzle, tiny little... everything . Almost like she needed to be protected, and Scootaloo was the only one who could do it. “Well, this isn’t so bad,” she mumbled, bringing a hoof up to stroke her mane. It was short, and a bit ragged and thin, but it was clean, and coarse, just like a mane should be.
And then the filly convulsed once. She made a sound like a hacking cat, and Scootaloo felt something wet and sticky land on her back.
She froze. “Aaaand ssshe just ralphed on me, didn't she?”
Apple Bloom tried to hide her smile. “Yeah, kindof, yeah,” she admitted.
Scootaloo calmly passed her back to Applejack. “Well, that was a bust. I'm out.” She quickly headed out the door.
“Shower's on the right,” Applejack called after her.
Scootaloo turned into the bathroom, desperate to get cleaned up. Already her fur was beginning to smell like nasty milk, and that was totally uncool. Warm nasty milk.
She pushed open the door and stopped short.
Rainbow Dash did, too, dropping to the ground. She had obviously been trying to do wingups, but she stopped when the door opened. She looked up and breathed an obvious sigh of relief when she realized it was Scootaloo. “Don’t tell Applejack,” she whispered. "She still thinks I need to be resting."
Scootaloo made the motions of a Pinkie promise. It was so awkward; she could now fly better than her idol and every time she saw her she felt uncomfortable.
But that didn’t matter. Rainbow would soon be back at the top of her game. Especially if she kept working out in secret like this.
Hopefully.
* * *
The young filly looked over her kingdom from her wooden high chair. She waved her forelegs excitedly as her latest conquest approached.
“Glad we still had this old thing kicking around,” Applejack said as she slid the bowl of applesauce onto the tray. She lifted a spoon and smiled widely. Sure, she was young enough that she still needed mother's milk; but there was no reason a pony couldn't start on a diet of nice, healthy apple products early. “You ready for the Applesauce Express?”
The foal opened her mouth widely in invitation. “Ah! Ah!” she said.
Applejack carried the spoon over and placed it in her mouth. The filly clamped her mouth shut, trapping the spoon firmly between her gums, and let out a few incoherent squeals of glee.
“That’s not quite how… eh,” Applejack shrugged and dropped her hoof. She’d get the spoon back eventually.
The door opened behind her, and she turned to see Macintosh stepping in.
The reaction was instantaneous. The filly dropped the spoon and cowered back, eyes widening in fear.
Mac grimaced and stepped back. This was quite painful. For the first time in as long as he could remember, there was a cute little foal here to hold and play with and make funny faces at… and she was scared of him.
Applejack gave him an apologetic smile. She had no explanation for the filly's behavior; Mac had been nothing but friendly to her.
Mac sighed, retrieved the water he'd come for, and then left.
* * *
Applejack was awoken by a hoof shaking her. "Applejack!" Rainbow hissed.
"Mhm?" Applejack grunted.
"There's noises," Rainbow said urgently.
Applejack pawed at her pillow, tempted to pull it over her head. "This is an old farmhouse, Rainbow. There're always nois-"
"From the filly's room!"
Applejack sat straight up. "And it don't sound like her?"
"Nope," Rainbow whispered. "Come on!"
The two mares slunk out of bed, creeping over to the filly's room, walking carefully to surprise whomever it was right in the act. They neared, and Rainbow shushed Applejack with her hoof as she leaned in, ear pressed to the door.
Her intense look of concentration slowly faded into confusion. Applejack leaned in and pressed her ear against the door...
"...and since you just got here, that's ok; I'll sing to you another way! Yes, welcome, welcome, welcome..."
Bewildered, Applejack slowly pushed open the door. Pinkie Pie stood at the side of the crib on her hind legs, and in her forelegs she carried a small cake. She danced in place, bobbing her head along to the song she was singing, and the little filly stared, clearly unsure how to take this.
"...to Ponyville, my dear! I don't know if I've shared before but I'm so glad that you're here! And though I don't know how you got here--I don't even know your name!--I'm still singing to welcome you to our town just the same!" She held that last note out and then held the cake out to the filly, who stared open-mouthed at the strange offering.
She glanced over at Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "What?" she asked. "You know I have to welcome everypony new to Ponyville. Every pony."
Rainbow finally broke the silence. "You're insane , Pinkie. You know this, right?"
Pinkie considered this, and then nodded proudly. "Yep!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You almost gave me a heart attack. I'm going back to bed."
"But I brought you a slice of cake, too!" Pinkie protested, holding out a slice from... somewhere.
Rainbow slowed to a stop, and then exhaled. "Fine," she grumbled. "One slice of cake, and then I'm going back to bed."
She ended up eating three.
* * *
The peaceful afternoon was interrupted by a knock on the door. Apple Bloom was closest, so she walked over and opened it.
She somewhat regretted it when she saw an unknown pony standing there, somewhat at an angle to the door. He had khaki fur, a gray mane that had been clipped short, and he wore large sunglasses that hid his expression even as he looked at the ground. That wasn’t so bad; what was really disconcerting was that he was wearing a thick, padded vest with a golden badge gleaming on front and saddlebags with a shockstick strapped to one side.
Oh, and the two Royal Guards standing at attention behind him. Those were fairly discomforting, too.
He did not raise his eyes, but he did shift his body slightly. “Good afternoon,” the pony said, his voice low and clipped.
“Hi,” Apple Bloom said hesitantly.
“I am Detective Cane Sugar.”
“Apple Bloom,” Apple Bloom said, instinctively returning her name.
Now he looked up, but did not remove his sunglasses. “I trust you know why I’m here?”
“Uh… If Ah say no, would you believe me?”
A tiny smile might have crept across his face. “Not at all. A foalnapping is nothing to sneeze at, if you’ll pardon my pun.”
Apple Bloom was sweating bullets here. Not only did she not understand the pun, Applejack was currently holding the foal he was looking for in the front room. “Is this the part where Ah ask if you have a warrant?” she asked hopefully.
“If it is, it’ll become the part where I tell you that the reports of a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane seen at the hospital shortly before the disappearance of the unnamed filly match up with the reports of a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane who lives here, which gives us probable cause to search your house for her.”
Apple Bloom swallowed nervously. “Ok,” she said, taking a step back.
With a polite nod, Cane indicated that she go first. Ears pinned to her head and breathing heavily, Apple Bloom led them through the house.
“Hey, who was… it…” Applejack's voice trailed off as she saw their visitors.
Rainbow shot to her hooves. “Uh, it's not what it looks like,” she said quickly.
“It never is.” Cane made a show of digging into his saddlebags and pulling out the description, and then looking back and forth between the foal and the paper. “I imagine there's a very good explanation for this… astounding coincidence?” he asked.
“A very good explanation,” Rainbow said confidently. “You'll be amazed at this explanation. It's so good it'll rock your world explanation.”
Cane raised an eyebrow, his skepticism visible even from behind the sunglasses.
Rainbow attempted an answer that would fulfill her previous boast. “It’s because… uh… well, you see…”
“We adopted her,” Applejack broke in.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, nodding. “That.”
The guard on the left raised an eyebrow. He could spot a liar miles away, and from what he had seen, so could Cane. He expected Cane to call her out in his cold, calculating way.
So it came as somewhat of a surprise when Detective Cane folded the paper and put it back into his bag. “I see. So sorry to interrupt. I’ll just need a signed statement from each of you, and then we’ll be out of your manes.”
The guard opened his mouth to protest, but Cane gave him a discrete nudge, and he quickly shut his mouth.
Rainbow stared at the blank paper. “What do I-?”
“A simple ‘we adopted her’ and your signature will be sufficient.”
When both mares had signed their own papers, Cane tucked them into his bags and nodded, indicating that the royal guards following him should leave. Cane turned to leave as well, but before he did, he paused and looked at Rainbow. “Where?” he asked.
“What?”
“Where did you find her?”
Rainbow bit her lip. “In a dumpster,” she answered.
“Where?”
Rainbow swallowed. “Corner of State and Fifth, Canterlot,” she recalled.
Cane nodded and walked away, gently shutting the door behind him.
There was a long, painful silence, punctuated by the filly's contented gurgling noises.
Applejack eventually spoke. “Ah think this is far from over,” she said.
Nopony disagreed.
Where She Came From, Part 3
Rainbow Dash stepped into the room with the little green filly. She looked around furtively, but didn’t see Applejack. She sneaked over to the crib and reached out her hooves, and the little filly quickly reached back.
“Ah! Ah!” she said.
“Up?” Rainbow asked to clarify.
“Ahh!” the filly repeated, more urgently this time. She waved her hooves at Rainbow.
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Ok, but don’t tell AJ.” She quickly scooped the filly up and lifted her onto her back. The filly giggled, squirming with excitement.
Rainbow instinctively spread her wings… and then grimaced in pain. The pain seemed to be more of an aching soreness, now, more than a shooting pain like it had been. She still couldn't fly. Not yet, anyway. She looked back at the filly. I'll fly with you someday. I promise.
Then again, it had only been a few weeks since her accident, and besides, a little pain wouldn’t stop her from giving the filly the freeing feeling of wind rushing through her mane. “You all comfy back there?” she asked.
She got a giggle in reply.
“Thought so.” She began walking out the door. “You really need a name, you know that?”
The filly burbled something that Rainbow certainly didn’t understand.
“Yeah, well, I can’t call you that ,” Rainbow said. “But whatever. Let’s go running!”
It wasn’t long before Rainbow was tearing through the orchard, with her filly laughing and squealing as she did.
And then she heard a cough. She skidded to a stop as she saw Applejack, tapping her hoof.
“Oh, hey, Applejack,” Rainbow said, a wide smile on her face.
“Doing a little PT?” Applejack asked flatly.
“It’s more like BT: bonding time,” Rainbow said, turning around to nuzzle the filly. She could do that in front of Applejack because Applejack wouldn’t judge her.
Eh, who was she kidding? She’d do it in public, too.
Applejack sighed. “Yeah, and that’s great and all, and it's really great that you've found something you both enjoy; but if we have to give her back…” she started.
Rainbow cut her off. “She’s not an animal. We’re not going to just give her back.”
“Rainbow?” Applejack said flatly.
“Yeah?”
“You don’t give animals back either, Rainbow. Once you take one in, they’re yours for life.”
Rainbow squinted. “You don’t? But the stories…”
“They’re all sad stories for a reason, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “You don’t just bring an animal into your life and then turn around and dump it; that just ain’t right. It’s like you’re makin’ a contract between you and them. You love them and care for them, and they love you right… back…” Applejack adjusted her hat. “Dang it,” she murmured, realizing just how applicable her words were.
Rainbow grinned impishly.
“Fine,” Applejack said, turning around. “Just stay safe, alright?”
“You hear that?” Rainbow asked the filly. “It’s time for a run down Ghastly Gorge!”
“Rainbow !!”
* * *
Applejack set the basket of apples in the cart. The filly watched as she pushed it into place. She looked up at Applejack and held out her hooves.
Applejack grinned and selected a bright, shiny apple from the basket. She polished it on her coat and then gave it to her. The filly let out a cheerful squeak and began gumming it happily.
Applejack chuckled. “You’re already an Apple,” she said proudly, “ain’t no doubt about it.”
The filly continued to gnaw at her apple.
Applejack exhaled. She knew this couldn’t last. It was too perfect. Somehow it would all come crashing down around her.
She shook her head and adjusted her hat. That day might never come. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of that police officer for a couple weeks now, and she was perfectly happy keeping it that way. There was a chance he could come back, though. Until then, she would do whatever she could with the filly.
“You really need a name,” she murmured.
The filly managed to pierce the skin, and began sucking the juice out. Applejack couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Well, if’n you’re still hungry, there’s plenty more where that came from,” she said.
* * *
Applejack walked slowly up the stairs, preparing to surprise Rainbow. Rainbow still had that mentality that she needed to appear cool at all times, and so she would find her in the cutest positions when she thought nopony else was around.
Intending to catch her in one of these again, she crept closer to their bedroom. Her ears pricked up at Rainbow Dash's voice, though.
"Fifty-seven! Fifty-eight! Fifty-nine!"
She poked her head in and saw Rainbow Dash, doing wingups with the filly chortling on her back. She almost jumped at Applejack's sudden appearance, but then quickly recovered.
"Eight! Nine! Ten! That's it," she said, laying down to retrieve the filly from off her back. "Wouldn't want to hurt myself, eh?" She looked up at Applejack and winked.
Obviously, Applejack didn't buy that for a second. "Riiiight," she drawled. "Don’t do anything too reckless, Rainbow."
"I’m fine!" Rainbow protested. "Just..." Her voice trailed off as she looked over and realized that the filly was prodding at her side, just like where Applejack would massage when her wing cramped.
Rainbow glanced up at Applejack. "I'm totally in love," she said.
Applejack chuckled. This was just too cute.
* * *
Applejack walked into the kitchen and stopped short. She was surprised to see Apple Bloom there, drying a dish.
It wasn’t that Apple Bloom wasn’t often in the kitchen; she lived there and so did her chores on rotation just like everypony else in the house. But she had previously been watching their filly, and the filly definitely wasn't in there.
“Apple Bloom? Where’s the filly?” Applejack asked, just a hint of nervousness entering her voice.
She looked up, and a wide smile spread across her face. “Living room.”
“Alone?”
“Why don't you go and see?” Apple Bloom said, trying to hide a smile.
Puzzled, Applejack trotted through the kitchen and into the living room, and then stopped short.
The filly batted a ball across the floor, right into Macintosh’s open forelegs. He giggled and pushed it back.
Applejack couldn’t help but laugh, relieved. The filly looked up and brightened. She raised her hooves excitedly, and Applejack came over and picked her up. She burbled something happy and pressed a tiny hoof against Big Mac’s nose, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“She really is part of the family now,” Apple Bloom said cheerfully.
So why did a cold shiver run up Applejack’s back?
She turned around and… Oh.
Never mind. She’d just ‘ralphed’ again.
* * *
Applejack gently lay the filly down in the crib, all bundled up and ready for her nap. She was already asleep; her lullaby had made sure of that.
As she slowly backed out of the room, though, Rainbow ran in, ramming into Applejack and sending them both tumbling to the ground.
“Rainbow!” Applejack hissed, rubbing at her shoulder. She glared up at Rainbow’s oddly cheerful face. “What in tarnation's gotten into you?”
“I flew,” Rainbow whispered.
Applejack snapped to attention. “What?”
“I flew again. I mean, it was a short flight; but- but I flew . I really flew.”
“You flew?!”
“I flew.”
"Rainbow, that's amazing!" Applejack pulled her down and kissed her full on the lips. Rainbow melted into the kiss, letting her wing drift down and brush against Applejack's right side.
Applejack pulled back slightly. "Ain't that your injured wing?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rainbow whispered, repeating the motion. "It was."
Applejack couldn't help but arch her back. "Ah've missed that," she whispered. Sure, it wasn't anything too special--Rainbow could easily have touched her with a hoof--but it was the inherent intimacy of the gesture that really helped her feel close to her lover.
Rainbow must have enjoyed it, too, because she leaned down again and tried to press her tongue through Applejack's lips. Applejack rocked her head and put up her customary struggle, all four seconds of it, before leaning back and opening her lips slightly, letting Rainbow push her tongue inside.
She tasted slightly of apples; but that wasn't what kept bringing Rainbow back. There was just something about Applejack that she just couldn't get enough of. Maybe it was just how solid she was. She had been there the whole time she had been in the hospital, and had never stopped loving her.
For Applejack's part, she enjoyed this contact, too. Rainbow had hid it well, but her inability to fly had really crushed her spirit. Now that the possibility was back in reach, Rainbow looked alive again. Her eyes were bright, she was smiling; even her mane looked brighter, and-
"Whoa, there!" Applejack whispered as Rainbow's wing continued exploring.
And she was acting much friskier than she had been in a long time.
Not that Applejack was complaining, or anything.
But before Applejack could attempt to return the favor, a pronounced cough from the doorway made both of them freeze. Rainbow pulled back and looked up at Apple Bloom, who was standing in the doorway, hiding her smirk poorly behind a hoof. Rainbow looked just like a little colt caught with his hoof in the cookie jar; that is, if the cookie jar were actually Applejack's mouth and the hoof in the cookie jar a strand of saliva connecting Applejack's mouth and hers.
"Ah'd hate to interrupt anything important..." Apple Bloom said, still smirking.
"But?" Rainbow demanded, wiping at her lips as her ears and most of her face flushed bright red.
Apple Bloom jerked her head towards the west window. "Fence on the west side got knocked over again."
"Aw, ponyfeathers," Applejack swore, rolling over and scooting free from under Rainbow Dash. "So Mr. Pigglesworth's out?"
"Yep," Apple Bloom said grimly. "Big Mac's chasin' him now."
Applejack grumbled some unkind things under her breath about that pig and how much trouble he had been--and how much trouble he was about to be in. She glanced back at Rainbow Dash. "Ah'll be back for the rest of that," she promised, cracking a smile.
"I'll be waiting," Rainbow said.
Applejack dashed off down the stairs. Rainbow glanced back at the filly, who was now awake and staring at her, head cocked.
"What're you looking at?" Rainbow asked.
* * *
Apple Bloom poked her head back into the living room. "Hey, Applejack," she said. "There's a few slices of pie left, you want one?"
Applejack was never one to turn down a good pie. "You betcha," she said.
"Make it two, please," Rainbow requested.
"Ooh! One for me, too, please!"
Applejack jumped. "Pinkie Pie?!"
Pinkie Pie, who had apparently let herself in, nodded eagerly. "Yep! That's me! Do I get pie, too?"
Apple Bloom laughed as she walked back in. "There's always enough for friends," she said brightly, carrying all three plates on her back.
"But you didn't come all this way out here just for a slice of pie, didja?" Applejack asked.
Pinkie shook her head. "Nope. There's something else, something really big going to happen, and I wanted to be here to see it!" Then her neck twitched, and her left hind leg shook. "Also somepony's going to knock on the door, but that's not the big thing... thingy."
Sure enough, no sooner had the words left her mouth than there was a knock on the door. It was an odd knock. It didn’t sound inviting. Instead, it sounded firm, almost threatening.
Macintosh met Applejack’s eyes, then stood and walked over to the door. She had recently been having an irrational fear that the father would come back for the filly, and Mac was not about to let that happen. She was just starting to warm up to him.
The very familiar-looking police officer that stood there didn't even bat an eye at Mac’s towering appearance. Or maybe he had, but his sunglasses had just kept Macintosh from seeing it. Either way, he did not appear intimidated in the least. “Good afternoon. I'm Detective Cane Sugar, and you are...?”
“Macintosh Apple,” Mac rumbled.
“Ah. You are Applejack's… brother, I presume?”
“Eeyup.”
“I have some information that I think she'll be most interested in hearing; is she here right now?”
Macintosh nodded and stepped aside. In true police fashion, Cane waited until Mac had stepped completely inside to enter, so as not to let somepony get behind him.
His eyebrows raised ever so slightly as he saw the whole family, standing around the filly, along with a bright pink pony that certainly hadn’t been there before. She saw his gaze slow as he passed over her, and she waved.
“Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!”
Cane Sugar raised an eyebrow. She was definitely an outlier; not in the family.
She shrugged. “I heard there was going to be a doozy,” she said by way of explanation.
Cane's eyebrows raised further. “A... 'doozy', miss Pie?”
“Something completely unexpected, and it’s going to happen right here!”
Cane pursed his lips, noticing that everypony else had tensed imperceptibly at her words. “Oh, I think that’s an accurate assessment.”
And then his next words nearly stopped the heart of everypony present.
“We found the filly's father.”
The blood drained from Applejack's face, and she subconsciously gripped the filly tighter.
Rainbow shot up and stepped forward, eyes narrowed. “We're not giving her back!”
Detective Cane cracked a smile. “I'm not sure where you got that idea, Miss Dash; I merely asked him to corroborate your story.”
***
Detective Cane Sugar glanced over the weather-beaten wooden door, and his lip curled distastefully. He made sure to rotate his hoof so that he would only be knocking with the metal of his ponyshoe and not touching any of the splintery parts with his hoof.
“Who is it?” called a voice from inside.
Cane grinned. “It’s me, genius,” he said harshly.
The door quickly opened, and a pony with a patchy red coat and scraggly brown mane poked his head out. His ears drooped as he saw Cane. He had clearly been expecting someone else. He shifted his weight, clearly debating if he should just slam the door shut again.
Cane kept his head low in subtle submission. “I’m just here to talk.”
The pony at the door smiled nervously, revealing two front teeth with a noticeable gap. “I can say no, right?”
“You could; but then I’d probably come back with a warrant and kick your door in.” His nose crinkled. “And judging by the current condition of the door, I’d say you don’t exactly have the bits to replace that, now, do you?”
He grimaced, but stepped aside. There was a short stare-down; Cane was not about to let him get behind him. Finally, the pony broke and walked in with Cane following a safe distance behind. Cane's eyes flicked to the stallion's cutie mark, a stylized microphone.
His host sat down on the couch. Cane looked at the other sofa and lifted his sunglasses, raising an eyebrow critically at the moth-eaten seat with his cold, gray eyes, and elected to stand. “I trust you know why I’m here?” he said.
“Is it about Green?”
“Green?” Cane asked innocently.
“Yeah. The filly. Her mother was hammered when she gave birth and just never gave her a name, so I just called her Green.”
One edge of Cane’s mouth tightened. “I see.”
“Then she got a new dealer because she wanted something harder and overdosed on something. They found her dead in an alley. I just… my life fell apart.”
Cane glanced around at the peeling wallpaper and the sagging ceiling, and found it difficult to believe that his life had been remotely together at all in the first place.
“So I’m stuck by myself raising a filly and I’m no good at this. I can't hold down a job; I can't afford her. So I’m drinkin’, trying to cope with all of this. And she- she just wouldn’t stop crying. She wouldn't stop crying.”
Cane raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, we all do dumb things while drunk, you know?” he wheedled, trying to get some pity.
“I’ve found other ways of coping with stress,” Cane shrugged. “Baking happens to be a passion of mine.”
“I just couldn’t get her to shut up. So I put her in time-out for a bit. Y- you get me, right?”
“Is that what they call it these days?” Cane asked dryly.
“Yeah. I would have gone back to get her…”
Cane snorted derisively. “Horseapples. All I got from that was a confession for attempted murder in the second degree.”
His ears and jaw dropped. “Wait. What?”
“I read her medical report. You beat her, put your cigarette out on her, then left her in a dumpster and abandoned her; and no judge is ever going to believe that you intended to come back for her. Combine that with the abuse charge, and no jury is going to have an ounce of sympathy for you.”
The stallion started hyperventilating. His eyes flicked repeatedly from the shockstick on the detective’s saddlebag to the door behind him, as if gauging his chances.
“I wouldn’t,” Cane said loftily. “Resisting arrest in combination with your other charges would make you a flight risk, which pretty much guarantees that you won’t be allowed to post bail. Oh, and the stories they tell about foal abusers in prison? I can assure you, they're all sugarcoated.”
His fear turned to desperation. “Come on,” he pleaded. “There’s gotta be something, anything, you can do? Help me out?”
Cane waited a few moments, pretending to think. Then he inhaled, held it for a moment, then exhaled. “There is one thing,” he said, withdrawing a paper from his saddlebag. “Your daughter was found by two mares, who did the job you should have done and took care of her. You sign this paper relinquishing custody over to them, and I'll see that your charges are reduced to abuse and neglect and endangerment of a foal.”
He examined the paper, looking at their signatures and the dates. “This says it’s dated, like, a month ago?”
“Congratulations, you’re literate,” Cane said flatly as he retrieved a pen from his saddlebag.
The pony squinted. “This isn't exactly legal, is it?”
“Attempted murder carries a minimum penalty of twenty years in prison, with a mandatory three month stay in solitary confinement. Your call.”
Blood drained from his face. He slowly stretched out a hoof for the pen. “Where do I sign?”
***
“As it turns out, he was all too happy to show me a paper showing that he had relinquished all custody of the unnamed filly. It was a good thing he had that, too; had he not, he would have been charged with second-degree attempted murder by abandoning her in a dumpster, and that's a messy amount of paperwork.”
“So he's just walking away scot-free?” Rainbow demanded.
Cane chuckled. “Of course not. He's being charged with neglect and endangerment for dropping her off in that dumpster, and abuse of a foal for the bruises and burns.”
“But those charges don't offer parole, either,” Pinkie pointed out.
Rainbow glanced over. How did she know that?
“True, but that's neither here nor there,” Cane said smoothly. “The point is, I’ve discovered a strange coincidence. It seems that this paper—notarized, of course—that he signed relinquishing custody is dated the morning you found the filly.”
***
The notary behind the desk looked up with a pleasant, inviting smile at the sound of his door bells, but it was quickly replaced with a surly grimace. “Detective Cane,” he grumbled. “You got a warrant?”
Detective Cane Sugar chuckled. “Most ponies start with 'good morning',” he observed dryly.
“Most ponies don't have our history,” the notary spat.
“As I recall, all the charges against you were dropped,” Cane said airily. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d say your business with the… shadier citizens of Canterlot did nothing but increase dramatically afterwards.”
The pony glared. Clearly, this was not comforting. “I’ve still had enough of your horseapples and meddling to last me the rest of my life. Either show me the warrant, or get out.”
“Actually, today I’m here on business,” Cane said, reaching back into his saddlebag. “I need this notarized, saying you witnessed it being signed.”
The notary squinted suspiciously, but picked up the proffered paper. He scanned over it. “Basic relinquishment of custody,” he read. “Date, time, all signatures; exactly what’s required, nothing more, nothing less.” He looked back up. “What’s your game?” he demanded.
“Game?” Cane asked innocently.
“You’re up to something. You always are.”
A tiny smile played at Cane’s lips. “Now, now, Mr. Legalese, let’s not throw around groundless accusations.”
The notary scowled.
Cane continued, “I assure you, this will not involve you in any way. These kinds of papers are rubber-stamped and left to yellow away in folders.”
“And if I decide it's not worth my time to, you know, illegally sign this?”
“Then we might end up stationing a few royal guards on the street outside your shop. Nothing wrong with that, really; it’s public property, and some shopkeepers in this area might well appreciate the added security. But that might give the impression that you are under our protection, like you ratted somepony out for us and now we’re covering your flank. Now, I'm not on a beat anymore; but I wonder, do they still have that cutesy little snitches saying on the street? Snitches get stitches? Snitches lay in ditches? Something like that?”
The notary groaned and rested his head on the desk. “You're breaking my balls, Cane…” he growled. “Fine. I’ll sign your stupid paper.”
Cane smiled. “Thank you,” he said pleasantly.
“Shove off.”
***
Rainbow’s ears pricked up.
Came continued, “That would mean that technically it can’t be foalnapping because you both also signed on the line that morning, accepting custody of this filly.” He held out the paper, and sure enough, their signatures were there.
Applejack looked over the paper. “Ah didn’t sign thi-”
The other members of her family present (with varying degrees of subtlety) all hit her in the ribs, and she quickly shut her mouth.
Cane Sugar continued as if he hadn’t heard. “This notarized paper, which is a legal document that is quite valid in court, says that in the eyes of the law, you were definitely her legal guardians as of that morning.”
Gears started to turn in Rainbow’s mind. “So when I brought her home from the hospital…”
“It was a rather… unorthodox way of having your filly released, but technically legal. Patients and their legal guardians, after all, always have the right to revoke consent to treatment and refuse medical care at any time.” Cane cracked a smile. “Because if they held a pony against their will; well, now, that would be foalnapping, wouldn't it?”
“So they're her parents now?” Apple Bloom had to ask.
“That would only make them legal guardians; but since you said you had adopted her, I thought I'd go do a little more digging. After all, I have always believed that the best way to investigate a suspect's story is to try and prove a story right. Sure enough, I found this.” He pulled yet another paper out, this one printed on thick ivory paper. “As it turns out, there's a high court ruling that permits a judge to grant an adoption by unmarried ponies in extenuating circumstances, such as the death of a parent where an older sibling can obtain guardianship of their younger siblings. Your paperwork had been fast-tracked, of course. You came… highly recommended.”
***
The clerk looked over at the rotating display. “Number 415?” she called.
She was mildly taken aback to see a good-sized olive-colored stallion approach the bench, wearing a police saddlebag.
“Hi,” she said hesitantly.
“Good afternoon. I’m here to file an adoption request.”
Her eyes flicked over him. “I see.”
He withdrew the paper from his bag. “Oh, I’m not the applicant.”
She paused and retracted her hoof. “The law states that one or both of the ponies requesting adoption must be physically present.”
“But subsection j of section four of that same law permits another authorized pony to file the request under exigent circumstances, and I think living in another city a good two hour’s journey from here and being unable to sit in line all day counts.” He cracked a small smile. “And I'd like to think all of the law enforcement officers here are trustworthy enough to file a paper or two.”
There was no good way for her to answer this, so she settled for smiling weakly and taking the proffered paper.
Then she frowned. She lifted her glasses, but the name under ‘references as to the upstanding character of applicant’ remained the same. She swallowed, unsure if she were being pranked or not. “For one of the references you’ve put down Princess Celestia,” she said hesitantly.
“I have indeed. I do hope I got that address right. 1600 Pennsylmania Ave.?”
The clerk didn’t laugh. “You do know we are legally required to send a letter requesting a recommendation to everypony on this list, right?” she asked nervously.
“As this matter involves two of the bearers of the elements of Harmony, I believe this could be considered a matter of national security; and, as such, I think our princess would be quite interested to know of this development in the lives of some of the strongest protectors of Equestria, don’t you?”
The clerk grimaced, knowing that her name was going on this request, but decided that he had a point; and, as middlemare, she wouldn’t catch too much flack if this went south. She nodded and pulled a half-hearted smile on her face. “Then I’ll get this filed,” she said.
***
Applejack took the paper and looked it over. Her ears lowered in shock. “This is an adoption certificate,” she stammered as her eyes flicked across the paper. Then her eyes widened and her ears pinned to her skull as she recognized Princess Celestia's signature across the bottom line marked 'judge presiding'.
“Indeed,” Cane observed dispassionately.
A stunned silence reigned. Not even Pinkie Pie moved.
“Congratulations, it's a filly!” Came said brightly.
“Our filly?” Rainbow asked, stunned.
“Your filly,” Cane confirmed.
“Her name space is blank,” Applejack observed. “Didn’t her father say anything about her name?”
“He did not,” Cane said loftily. “But adoption is a new beginning, Miss Applejack, and I’ve always found it a fitting tradition that the mother name her foal.”
Rainbow nodded in agreement, and looked over at Applejack… who was looking back at her. She glanced up and Cane was looking back at her as well. Her eyes flicked over and Mac and Apple Bloom and even Pinkie Pie was looking expectantly at her.
Her wings flared and she jumped up, hovering in the air. “Wha- me?”
Nodding answered her. Pinkie waved a hoof encouragingly.
Rainbow began to breathe a bit faster. “Me?” she repeated. “I- I've never named a foal before!”
Applejack picked up the little filly and held her out. “Now's your chance,” she said.
Rainbow instinctively reached out and took her. She held her up and looked at her, holding her as she hovered in the air.
The filly giggled—she enjoyed the sensation of flying—and reached up to paw at Rainbow's mane. Rainbow chuckled right back and then leaned in and affectionately kissed her forehead, nuzzling her and trailing up to the golden stripe in her mane…
She pulled back. “Goldenrod,” she said suddenly.
“Goldenrod?”
“Yeah. What do you think?”
“Ah think you got it. Goldenrod,” Applejack murmured, rolling the name across her tongue. “I like it.”
“Goldenrod?”
“Goldenrod,” Applejack confirmed. She turned her head and booped the filly gently on the nose with her own. “Goldenrod.”
Goldenrod giggled, pleased with her new name even if she didn’t quite understand it.
“New filly, new name, new family! That sounds like an excuse for a party if ever I heard one!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, throwing a hoofful of confetti into the air. She turned to look at Cane. “You’re staying, right?”
Cane Sugar cracked a half-smile. “I’m afraid I can’t. Duty calls, miss Pie, and I must be going.”
“But-”
“Just doing my job, ma'am.”
“At least take a cupcake?” She held out a platter from… somewhere, loaded with cupcakes.
Cane cracked a smile and accepted a cupcake. “Thank you. You take care now.” And with that, he respectfully tapped his sunglasses, turned and left.
Silence reigned in the house for a few moments, until Applejack finally broke it. “Ah think that's it,” she said. “We won.”
Apple Bloom poked the filly’s belly, and she giggled. “You hear that? You’re staying with us forever!”
“Gah!” Goldenrod agreed happily.
Rainbow, still unconvinced, dashed out after the departing detective. “Hold up,” she said, stopping him at the base of the porch stairs.
Cane Sugar looked back at her, his expression only mildly curious as he offhandedly abandoned the cupcake on the porch railing.
“That's not what actually happened, is it?” she demanded.
Cane shrugged. “Of course not; but that's what it says happened in the report I filed,” he said airily. “Take good care of Goldenrod.”
“I will. I promise. But can't you tell me what you actually did?”
A tiny smile played at Cane's lips as he turned to leave for real this time. “I've given you the official story,” he said, “and I'm afraid I can't say any more than that. But Princess Celestia might be able to give you an unofficial version if you really want to know.”
Rainbow dropped to the ground in shock. “Celestia? You went that high up?”
“More like she came to me for a little explanation when she got the letter requesting a character reference for you two with my return address on it. She hadn't even heard you were in the adoption market. You really should keep in touch with her more; she's quite the pleasant pony.” He cracked a smile. “Though she did disappoint chief Stalwart when he found out she wasn't there to fire me. The look on his face is a memory I'll treasure forever.”
“But-”
“Miss Dash, as much as I'd enjoy continuing this conversation, I do have to go,” Cane said firmly. “I have... other cases I'm working on.”
Rainbow closed her mouth and settled for waving goodbye before trotting back inside.
* * *
Detective Cane Sugar had a reputation. After every case he closed, the file-sorters would always talk.
“Think that was all legit?” one asked. He had just started working here, and was trying to feel his way around the station politics.
One of his companions, a little more experienced mare with a spiral notebook for a cutie mark, barked a laugh. “With Cane Sugar? You're kidding, right? That guy's shadier than a whole forest of palm trees. I’m betting he squeezed no less than three ponies to get that all to work out.”
The first paused. “Think we should do something, then? Report this to somepony?” he asked.
The mare raised an eyebrow. “You want to be the one to request an investigation and take a foal away from a family she knows and loves and throw her back into the overcrowded foster system, where she’ll be tossed from family to family until she’s dumped on the street at eighteen?”
The first pony stared into his cup of coffee. “Well, no; not when you put it that way…”
“Alrighty then. I'll drop it if you drop it.”
“Consider it dropped.”
Author's Note
Detective Cane Sugar is a holdout from one of my earliest stories, FSTET: Riverton . There's almost 60,000 words in a gdoc somewhere about him. I'll probably bring him back someday. He's definitely a character I'd like to explore.
Rainbow overturned the container on top of her head and licked out the last bits out of ice cream out of the bottom of the carton before setting it down. “I don't want to tell her,” she said suddenly. “She's our daughter, and that's all that will ever matter.”
Applejack nodded as she reached up with a napkin to clean off Rainbow’s face. “Eeyup,” she agreed. “Some things will never change.”
Rainbow smirked and slid her wing under the table. “Like how fun it is to play with your teats.”
“Rainbow !”
Author's Note
A serious note? What the heck's that?
“Then we retired from the secret agent gig, I stopped drinking so much, Celestia helped us forge the paperwork to adopt you as our own foal, and we changed our names to Applejack and Rainbow Dash and then moved to this town so no one would ever know who we were. The end,” Rainbow said.
Goldenrod clapped her hooves and cheered. “Awesome!” she said. “That's a great story!”
“Of course it is. I told it, didn't I?”
“You did,” Goldenrod agreed, but then her face fell. “But that still doesn't answer my question.”
Rainbow looked at her bare pastern. “Oh, my, look at the time. It's time for little fillies to go to sleep.”
“Aww,” Goldenrod whined, but she lay her head down.
Rainbow couldn't bear to leave her daughter like this, so she said something she knew would regret later. “But don't worry,” she said, bringing a hoof up to brush her cheek. “We'll tell you soon. Promise.”
Relieved, Goldenrod snuggled deeper under the covers and breathed easier. “Good night, mom.”
Instinctively, Rainbow looked around to ensure she was alone, and then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, Goldenrod,” she whispered.
* * *
Applejack was sitting up in bed, still wide awake, when Rainbow Dash entered the room. “That was quite the story,” she said.
Rainbow's ears pricked up. “Y- you were listening?”
“The whole time...” Applejack smirked, “Slowpoke .”
Rainbow rolled her eyes.
“She didn't buy it, though, did she?” Applejack didn’t even have to ask.
“Not for one second,” Rainbow grinned as she climbed into bed next to Applejack. “But I tried!”
Rainbow jumped as she felt a hoof brush against her cutie mark and slowly begin circling it.
“That's all Ah asked for,” Applejack said, quickly progressing beyond her cutie mark.
“Th- thought you said tomorrow,” Rainbow whispered, her back arching and the rest of her body responding instinctively to Applejack's ministrations.
Applejack smirked. “Ah lied.”
It was a beautiful day on Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the squirrels were chattering, and everything seemed to be moving along perfectly.
Still, something wasn't right. Applejack couldn't help but notice that something seemed to be bothering Goldenrod. Normally, the filly was humming a tune or singing some song she had made up; but today, she was as silent as Mac when he was working. She watched as Goldenrod moved a full basket of apples and stacked it with the others, paused long enough to wipe a little sweat off her brow, and then looked up.
And then Applejack's world and her brain came skidding to a screeching halt as her young daughter Goldenrod asked her the question she had been dreading to hear for years now.
“Mama, where did I come from?”
A bead of sweat formed on the older mare's brow. “Now what kind of question is that?” Applejack asked with a forced giggle, reaching down and brushing a hoof through the thick golden stripe in her light brown mane that had given little Goldenrod her name. “You've always been a part of our family.”
Goldenrod scuffed a little hoof. “Yeah, but Toot Sweet said that every foal had to have a mommy and a daddy, and Miss Cheerilee said so, too; but I have two mommies. So where did I come from?”
“Uh...” Applejack was good at many things. Thinking fast while on the spot was not one of them. “Well, you see… uh… well…”
“Did I have a daddy?”
“Everypony has a dad,” Applejack admitted, “but... you...” Her voice trailed off.
Goldenrod saw her mother's hesitance, and tried to help. “Was it magic?” she suggested.
“N- no, Ah wouldn't say that...”
“Did mom magically get turned into a colt and cover you?”
“Wha-!?” Applejack blushed the color of her cutie mark. “Goldenrod Sugarcane! Where did you hear that language?”
“School,” Goldenrod answered innocently.
Applejack muttered something under her breath about standards lowering everywhere, and then she sighed. “No, there wasn't any of that magic stuff. Rainbow's a mare, has always been a mare, and is proud of it.”
“I'm just a filly, but I'm gonna be a mare, too, someday,” Goldenrod said happily, “and I'm plenty happy with that.” Then she frowned. “But that still doesn't tell me where I came from.”
She just didn’t give up. Applejack had to admit, she picked up quick. Still, she needed a answer; or at the very least, a diversion. “Ah'll tell you later.”
Goldenrod was taken aback. Mama had never given anything but a straight, honest answer. It took her a bit for her little mind to process this, but she soon nodded. “Ok,” she said hesitantly. “When's later?”
“Later is... later,” Applejack answered, wishing she were anywhere else but here.
A smile played on Goldenrod's lips, revealing a little gap between her front teeth. “Miss Cheerilee says you can't use a word to define itself.”
Applejack couldn't suppress a smile. She had a valid point. “A'ight, then. 'Later' is when you're older.”
Goldenrod tapped a hoof on her chin and considered this with all the mental power her filly's mind possessed. “Will I be older by bedtime?” she asked innocently.
Applejack frowned. “Yes,” she answered truthfully, “but...”
Goldenrod let out a little cheer and sprinted off.
Applejack pulled her hat over her eyes and groaned. That could definitely have gone better. And now tonight was just going to be all kinds of awkward.
* * *
Goldenrod was a tiny ball of quivering anticipation all throughout that afternoon, and all throughout dinner, and all the way up until bedtime. She brushed her teeth without being asked, climbed into bed, and sat up, waiting patiently for her answer.
Applejack peeked into the room, whimpered quietly, and then returned back to the living room, where Rainbow was laying back, relaxed, reading on the couch. Rainbow looked up as she came in, and raised an eyebrow at Applejack's dismayed expression.
“Rainbow, Ah need you to tell Goldenrod a bedtime story tonight.”
Rainbow lowered her book. “Why?” she asked suspiciously. “We both know you're the better storyteller.”
“Yeah, but this is one time Ah don't have the right story.”
Rainbow Dash frowned. “Why not?”
“Goldenrod wants to know where she came from.”
Rainbow's eyes widened. She set the book fully down and met Applejack's eyes. “You know we can't tell her,” she said.
“Ah know, but she thinks Ah'm gonna tell her tonight, and Ah've got no idea what to say!”
Rainbow looked down at the book she had been reading, and a smile flickered across her face. “Yeah, but I might.” She marked her place and trotted over to their daughter's room, closely followed by Applejack. She paused before entering, flicked her tail up in Applejack's face and whispered, “You owe me some good 'quality time' for this, you know.”
“Tomorrow,” Applejack promised.
Rainbow's wings wilted. “Tomorrow?” she whimpered.
“If'n Ah say tonight, she ain't gonna get a good story on account of you bein' too focused on what we'll be up to later.” Applejack gave her a gentle prod against her cutie mark. “Ain't that so?”
Rainbow opened her mouth and raised a hoof to protest... and then dropped it. “Yeah,” she admitted, “I guess. You know me too well.”
“Alrighty, then,” Applejack said contentedly. “One great story now for some sweet loving tomorrow.”
Rainbow paused just long enough to run her tongue over her teeth in early anticipation, and then she pushed the door open and confidently stepped inside. “Hey, sleepyhead,” she said.
“Hey, mom,” Goldenrod smiled sleepily, revealing once more that cute little gap between her front teeth. “Can I have a bedtime story?”
“Of course you can,” Rainbow said cheerfully. “Which one do you want to hear?”
Goldenrod fiddled with her hooves under the blanket. “Actually, I was wondering... Where did I come from? See, at school, Toot Sweet said that every foal...”
Rainbow rested a hoof on Goldenrod's smaller hoof and smiled. “I know. The whole two mommies thing?”
Goldenrod nodded timidly.
“Funny you should ask. See, once upon a time...”
View Online
The Two Greatest Secret Agents There Ever Were
...there was this little alicorn princess. She was well-loved and absolutely adorable. She had a light brown mane, a green coat, and she was the most beautiful filly in all of Equestria!
Even prettier than Celestia?
Even prettier than Celestia. But Celestia isn't a filly, so it's not quite the same. But as I was saying, her name was Princess Goldenrod, and-
That's my name!
Yes, it is. Do you want to hear the story, or are you going to keep interrupting?
I'll listen.
And she was the princess of… well… You know what, she wasn't actually old enough to be princess of anything just yet. But she still got to eat apples and cheesecake for every meal, and drink all the cider she wanted.
Teehee! That’s awesome!
Yeah, it was. Well, one day, these bandits entered the castle.
How did they get in?
Well, they were disguised as servants and delivery colts. It's not like they were carrying badges saying 'bandit' on them and wearing black masks, you know?
Oh. Right.
These weren't just any bandits, though. They were foalnappers! They waited until Princess Goldenrod was out playing in her room, and they grabbed her and stuffed her in a bag and took off!
Oh, no!
Naturally, the whole castle was afraid for the little princess. But Princess Celestia knew that she couldn't send her whole army out after her, because that would be seen as an act of war. She knew she had to be secret-y, so she called up two of her best secret agents, a cyan pegasus and an orange earth pony.
You and mama?
Yep. Me and your mama. But we weren’t called that back then. Back then, we were Rainbow... uh… Blitz and Apple... Crack.
Apple Crack?
No, I said... uh... Stack. Apple Stack. Yeah! Her special talent was, uh... Delivering apples! From the sack of apples she always carried. And delivering super awesome beat-downs when she was acting as a secret agent, obviously.
Ohhh... Ok then. Go on.
So Celestia called them into her throne room and told them she had a very special mission for them...
* * *
Celestia stood stiffly at attention as Rainbow Blitz and Apple Stack, led by a few guards, entered the throne room. “My most faithful secret agents,” she greeted them. “I have grave news.”
“Is it that princess Goldenrod was foalnapped?” Rainbow Blitz asked.
Celestia took a surprised step back. “Yes, yes it is. How did you know?”
“We are the awesomest of spies, your highness,” Rainbow said, buffing a hoof against the badge hanging on her chest. “We tend to know things.”
“Do you know where she has been taken?” a guard asked.
Rainbow paused, caught in her own words, and Apple Stack came to her rescue. “We don't know everything,” Apple Stack admitted, “but Ah do know that we'll do our darnedest to get her back.”
“Excellent,” Celestia said. “You have free reign throughout Equestria...”
“And don't get caught if we go anywhere else,” Rainbow finished. “You got it, Princess!”
“We'll start looking for clues in her room,” Apple Stack said. “We'll get her back. We promise.”
* * *
When Apple Stack said 'we', she really meant 'I', much to her annoyance. She grumbled as she heard the distinct sounds of a pony goofing off and having fun and most definitely not working. “Rainbow, are you looking for clues, or just flyin' around?” she asked, poking her head out from underneath the four poster bed.
“As a matter of fact, I am,” Rainbow said haughtily.
“Flying around?” That vague answer actually answered Apple Stack’s question. “Knew it,” Apple Stack muttered. “Can't believe Ah got stuck workin’ with you again.”
“We make a good team,” Rainbow Blitz protested, even as she adjusted her mane in the mirror that took up half the height of the room. “Didn't we take down Boss Shortstack and his whole entire army together?”
“Yeah, but it was Ah what defused the bomb while you were stuck in a bar fight.”
“And it was an awesome fight!” Rainbow insisted. “You don't know how much flank I was kicking! It would have blown your mind!”
“Ah'm sure,” Apple Stack muttered dryly.
Rainbow frowned. “Fine. I'll find us a good clue, you'll see.” She flew higher and began examining the vaulted ceilings and the tops of the windows.
The huge room was silent save for the sounds of scuffling and hooves tapping on the walls and ground, until-
“Got it!” both shouted at the same time.
Apple Stack looked up suspiciously. “What did you find?”
“You first,” Rainbow retorted.
Apple Stack smirked. “Ah knew you never had nothin'.”
“I do so!” Rainbow protested. “See? Come look at this top window. This little round part up top.”
Apple Stack snorted. “And how exactly do you propose Ah do that?”
Rainbow paused, as if seeing Apple Stack’s wingless back for the first time. She did have a point there. “Fine. This top roundy part? It's been pushed in, and there's this mark like a suction cup where somepony grabbed it and pulled it back out again. Whoever took her has wings and was planning ahead.”
“That fits with my discovery,” Apple Stack said, holding out a coin.
Rainbow dropped from the vaulted ceilings and landed with nary a sound directly in front of Apple Stack. “A bit? Really?”
“How many bits you see with crossed arrows on 'em?” Apple Stack asked rhetorically. “This is a griffon coin, and it's a big one. Ain't something a little princess would have in her room; but it is somethin' a foalnapper might be paid with.”
“Where'd you find that?” Rainbow asked, picking up the coin and studying it.
“Under the dresser. Ah'm guessin' Goldenrod grabbed one of their purses and fought back or sommat, 'cause Ah'm pretty sure there's been blood what's been wiped up under there, too.”
“Blood?” Rainbow asked excitedly. “Really?”
“Yep. Unless Princess Goldenrod drinks red wine.”
Rainbow frowned. “That doesn't make any sense, though. She's just a little filly, she wouldn't drink wine.”
Apple Stack fought the urge to facehoof. “Oh, never mind.”
* * *
Two secret agents, now without their badges, walked down the street, looking just like two friends out on the town for a good time.
“Now, remember what comin’ we're here for,” Apple Stack said.
“To win the nightly drinking contest,” Rainbow nodded firmly. “Got it.”
Apple Stack facehoofed again.
“I'm kidding, I'm kidding,” Rainbow Blitz grinned. “We're here because a ton of griffons hang out around here, we’re looking for information only, and I can drink but if I get drunk you're making me sober up by hanging me by my tail from a tree.”
“Glad we understand each other,” Apple Stack grinned. “Ah’d prefer if you remained completely sober, though.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow demanded. “This is the biggest bar this side of the ocean. You don’t just walk into the biggest bar this side of the ocean and not order a mug of cider or two.”
“Ah’m partial to appletinis myself,” Applejack admitted.
Rainbow cast a look at her cutie mark and rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” She paused. “You sure it’s not because you can’t keep up with me?”
“Ah could drink you under the table anytime, anywhere. Except right now, ‘cause a princess in trouble is more important than drinking.”
Rainbow frowned. “Fine, fine; you convinced me. I’ll keep it low-key tonight, ok?”
* * *
“Hey! You! With the face, and the mustache! I require another!”
The griffon bartender (who was not actually in possession of a mustache) looked at the pony with the rainbow mane and gave her a flat look. “The only thing you require is rest,” he said, tapping his claws against the polished wood of his bar.
“I'll tell you what I require!” Rainbow slurred. “And that's another!”
Apple Stack hid her face under her hat as she stood. “My cousin's had a bit too much; Ah’d better go,” she apologized to the stallion she had been chatting up.
The stallion, who had been little more than unhelpful, merely nodded and raised his glass shakily. “Nice to see you too, sir. Very handsome stallion.”
Apple Stack growled and turned back towards Rainbow, who had already gone halfway through her next glass. She could tell that they were quickly overstaying their welcome, and needed to get some information fast. She sidled up to the bar and smiled disarmingly at the bartender. “Did you see a large amount of money switch hooves- er, claws?”
“How much we talkin’?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. It was clear he was wondering if he could get in on the cut.
“Enough to justify foalnapping a princess.”
The bartender’s eye twitched ever so slightly before he shook his head. “I didn’t see nothing, and even if I did, I’d keep my mouth shut,” he said.
Even completely wasted, Rainbow Blitz could tell he was lying. At least, she was sure enough. “You're about to have it shut permanently,” she growled, lifting a hoof threateningly.
“Rainbow, don't…” Apple Stack started, but by then it was far too late.
See, drunk patrons don't take lightly to having their drink provider threatened.
“Hey!” And another griffon swung at Rainbow, intent on knocking her into next Tuesday.
Now, Rainbow was drunk, but she wasn't that drunk. She ducked and slammed her forehooves into his stomach, winding him and pushing him backwards into his friends rushing up for backup. She managed to knock two down, but the third was far enough to the side that he was not slowed at all.
He was slowed, however, when Rainbow ducked under his outstretched claws, popped up on his side, and slammed his beak into the bar, leaving a deep gash in the wooden top.
“Rainbow!” Apple Stack scolded. “That is mahogany!”
But neither Rainbow nor the griffon cared. Come to think of it, no one cared. Barfights are dangerous things, and property damage became second priority to smashing in somepony else’s face, and it wasn't long before half the bar was getting in on the brawl.
* * *
Is that why no one’s allowed to drink the special cider at Apple Family reunions anymore?
Actually, that’s because one year Granny Smi- Actually, yeah. Yeah. We’ll go with that.
* * *
And now, because she’d called attention to herself, Apple Stack had become a new target. Hearing heavy hoofsteps behind her, she spun to see a pony with a bottle in his mouth, ready to split her head open. She ducked under the blow and popped him in the face, dropping him instantly.
That was the good news. The bad news is, that guy had friends who had seen him fall. As she heard cries of ‘get the one in the hat!’, she sighed and rubbed her temple. “Even Ah’m gonna need a drink after this,” she muttered.
Of course, she, being completely sober, was more than a match for the drunken ponies and griffons there. Grabbing a still-full bottle off of the neighboring table, she smashed it on the head of her first attacker, dropped her second with a quick sucker punch, and turned and bucked the third right through the window. She felled the fourth with a punishing headbutt, clotheslined the fifth and he got the wind knocked out of him, ducked the sixth and threw him over her back…
* * *
And she was just pow! Pow, pow, pow! She was taking on ponies and griffons left and right, smashing chairs and stools and bottles over ponies’ heads and everything everywhe-!
Mom!
Oh. Sorry… Uh… where was I?
* * *
Apple Stack took a brief break from punching yet another pony to look up and check her surroundings. Through the window, Apple Stack could see Solar Guards approaching, running full tilt to break up this little party. She grabbed Rainbow Blitz mid-punch and threw her behind the bar, quickly throwing herself over and following her.
“Hey!” Rainbow protested, struggling to free herself and dive back into the fight. “You killed my streak!”
But Apple Stack stuffed a hoof in her mouth and shook her head sharply.
Sure enough, not two seconds later, half a platoon of Solar Guards burst in and started screaming at everyone, waving spears around and ordering everypony to get on the ground.
* * *
Did you get arrested?
Psh! Nah. We were secret agents, remember? We were the best, and way smarter and cooler than those old Solar Guards. Applejack had us out the back door and back on the street before they even knew we were there.
But did the bartender actually know anything?
Yep, he sure did.
Did he ever tell you?
Yep. Of course, we had to… persuade him a bit.
So you asked him nicely?
Well…
* * *
The bartender groaned as he locked up his bar that night. Royal guards did nothing to help his profits, and absolutely nothing to boost morale. Bars were supposed to be respites, after all. Hopefully, ponies and griffons would be back in two days (after the customary twenty-four hours in jail for public brawling without a license) and be much thirstier, but as it was tomorrow was going to be a low day for sa-
This train of thought was harshly interrupted by a white rag placed over his face, and the scent of chloroform filled his nose before he passed out.
When he came to, he found himself bound but not gagged, and the rush of wind through the small feathers on the side of his beak told him he was probably higher off the ground than usual.
“Hey! He’s awake!” he heard.
The orange earth pony came back into view, smiling broadly. “Welcome back t’ the land of the livin’, sugarcube!”
It was obviously a term of affection, but her tone clearly indicated she thought of the bartender as anything but a friend.
“Ah need some information, and after that bar fight Ah'm not in the best of moods.”
“You and me both, sister,” the griffon grumbled. “Those bucketheads shut me down for four hours.”
“Good!” The orange pony stood. “Then maybe we can help each other. You tell me what you know about a bunch of griffons fixin' to foalnap the princess...”
She suddenly picked him up and held his face looking over the edge. “...and Ah won’t send you on a nice flight.”
“I have wings, you-” His insult died in his throat as he tried to flare his wings but then realized that they were bound exactly how the royal guard binds prisoners' wings so they cannot escape. It's a tricky series of knots that cross the wings and go back around the barrel, but it's designed so when a pegasus or griffon tries to spread their wings, the ropes across their chest tighten and press a knot against their back. That knot just so happens to be placed over a debilitating pressure point, and it does not loosen easily. He cast a glance at the pegasus, feeling betrayed by this fellow winged one, but she just smirked.
“Hey, she tied it, not me. Anyway, Apple Butt here hates being lied to, so I suggest you cooperate.”
Apple Stack glared. That had definitely not been the agreed-upon code name, and so she made one up of her own. “Slowpoke's right-”
“Hey!”
“-Ah hate bein' lied to, so you'd better talk, or the only thing you'll be doin' is a pancake impression on the sidewalk down there.”
“You wouldn't.”
So Apple Stack did what any respectable spy would do: she dropped him.
* * *
Did she really?
You bet your tail she did!
Whoa… Did he die?
Of course not! We weren't that dumb. You can’t get information from a dead pony.
But I thought you said mama dropped him…?
She did. Would you let me finish?
* * *
Before he hit the ground, he felt a sharp tug on his hind legs and he quickly slowed to a stop, sending blood rushing to his head and nearly making him black out. When the spots had cleared, he was back on the roof, with one angry earth pony—and one injured pegasus.
“Ow, my shoulder…” the pegasus whined, rubbing it desperately. “I dunno if I could do that again.”
Apple Stack lifted the bartender again. “Well, for your sake, you’d better hope she can. Tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything!”
“Wrong answer.”
The pegasus’s eyes widened. “Agh! No! Don’t drop him! I can’t catch him again!”
But the bartender felt her hooves loosen. He screamed as he fell… only to come to a harsh, painful stop as she held him up by his tail, which was clamped firmly in her mouth.
Understandably, the bartender began babbling. “A group of griffons. A gang of them or something, they’re new in town! That’s all I know!”
Rainbow Dash considered this. “Eh, not good enough. Let him go.”
Applejack made to do so, but his distressed wail made her pause. “Ok, ok! But you didn't hear this from me!”
She pulled him back up into a somewhat safer position. “Tell us, and Ah'll forget all about your ugly mug and we'll never darken the doorstep of your establishment again.”
Rainbow Blitz didn’t take kindly to this. “But Apple St- Butt! The appletinis there are amazing!”
“You tried one?” Apple Stack was somewhat surprised.
Rainbow didn’t meet her eyes. “You recommended them, so I tried one.” The next sentence came out as almost an embarrassed whisper. “They were good.”
Apple Stack rolled her eyes. “Quit your bellyachin', R- Slowpoke. Some things are more important than getting your drink on.”
Rainbow crossed her forehooves and huffed. “Fine… But you owe me one.”
“Ah’ll make sure to deliver…” She turned back to the bartender. “After he delivers me some information.”
* * *
“I've been thinking,” Rainbow Blitz said as the two spies walked down the empty streets. “How do we know he was telling the truth? About the gang and the warehouse by the dock?” She paused. “And why is it always down by the dock? Why isn't it a nice little hot dog stand in Central Park? I could really go for a hot dog right about now.”
“Well, if he wasn't, we're just gonna give his bar molotov cocktails every night until he spills.”
Rainbow paused. “I've never had one of those. Are they good?”
Apple Stack smirked. “They burn on the way down, Ah can tell you that much.”
“Sounds exciting,” Rainbow grinned. “I’ll have to try one sometime.”
They soon arrived at the warehouse that the bartender had mentioned. It looked deserted, but Apple Stack wasn’t about to give up yet. They crept around the building, and Rainbow Blitz only knocked over one paint can before they got to the other side, where they found a huge guard standing in front of a locked door.
Apple Stack pulled back flat against the wall and whispered to Rainbow Blitz, “We got a huge unicorn guard armed with more weapons than Ah’ve ever seen one pony carry. Ah hate fightin’ unicorns… Any ideas?”
Rainbow Dash grinned. “I might have one or two. Here’s what you’ve got to do…”
* * *
Solid State was a big stallion, but that’s all he was: a stallion. So when he heard two mares arguing nearby, he couldn’t help but peek around the corner and look.
Two mares stood nearby, clearly in the middle of an argument. An orange earth pony paced in a frenzy, while a cyan pegasus flicked her tail in annoyance. The earth pony was speaking. “I don’t know if I should kiss you or kill you!”
“I’d prefer the first,” the pegasus suggested.
“Shut up! If you hadn’t gone back to your ex-fillyfriend…”
“Oh, so it’s my fault you decided to work late every night? I have needs too, you know!”
“Don’t even go there!” The orange one shoved the cyan one away, making her stumble. “You don’t know what it’s like tryin’ to support you and your habits!”
The cyan one quickly returned fire with a wing upside her head. “My habits are none of your business! And even if they were, they shouldn’t be!”
“They are 'cause they affect me! Gamblin’, drinkin’...”
“Don’t forget moonlighting as a secret service agent.”
“And just how many criminals have you taken down, huh?”
“Prolly more than you!”
“With your partner’s help, right?”
The cyan one paused. “Maybe. The point is, I am plenty awesome. And you are plenty stick-in-the-mud.”
The orange one took a step forward. “You’re crazy, you know that?” she asked. “You are one big ball of insanity.”
“Yeah,” the cyan one responded, “but you wouldn’t have me any other way.”
There was a brief pause and eyes met.
“I miss you, you know,” the cyan one said softly.
“Well, you should,” the orange one said huffily, before also dropping the act. “Yeah… my life hasn’t been the same without you.”
The cyan one turned and gave a small smile. “You think we could start over?”
“It’s possible. You’re insane, but you get results, and that’s admirable. ‘Sides, you can hold your liquor the best of any pegasus Ah’ve seen, and that’s gotta count for somethin’.”
“You’re still a stick-in-the-mud, but you’re like my homecloud I can come back to, no matter what I’ve done.”
The orange one reached out a hoof to touch the cyan one’s face. “As to what Ah was thinking before… Ah’m still undecided, but Ah’m thinking more the first than the second.”
Solid State took an unconscious step forward, eager to see the conclusion of this conversation.
The pegasus’s wings slowly flared. “Like I said, I’d be ok with that.”
“Maybe… Ah should kiss you right now.”
“I’d kiss you back,” the pegasus whispered.
Solid State would be ok with that, too.
* * *
Eww! That’s gross!
Well, not really.
But they were gonna kiss! Like when you and mama kiss, that’s disgusting! Why would anypony want to watch that? It’s… gross!
Uh… It… you see, some ponies like watching other ponies kiss, especially if it’s two mares for some reason.
But that’s weird! Ponies’ tongues shouldn’t be in other ponies’ mouths!
They go a lot of other places, too.
What?
I said, uh… This is a conversation we should continue when we’re talking about estrus.
Oh. What’s estrus?
...something Applejack can explain a lot better than me. Can we go back to the story, now?
* * *
Solid State would be ok with that, too. However, it suddenly occurred to him that he had been stepping forward unconsciously this whole time, and was now within range of their hooves.
A fact which they both took quick advantage of when they turned and, as one, drove their hooves into his muzzle. He collapsed, dazed. The orange one also took advantage of this, and soon had him bound and gagged and sitting uncomfortably in a trash can, unable to use his magic to untie the knots he couldn’t see.
As the two mares walked away, he could swear he could hear them give each other a hoof bump.
* * *
“Two minutes. That’s a new record for picking a lock,” Rainbow Blitz observed snidely. “Good thing we’re all alone out here and not doing something completely dangerous like sneaking into an organized crime base where ponies who want to send us to sleep with the fishes could see.”
“Hey, this lock had five tumblers and a magic reflector. That takes time to work around, you know.” She paused. “Not that you would. You’re more of a head-knocker than a head-user.”
Rainbow put her hooves behind her head and grinned. “If that means I’m good at fighting, I’ll agree with you.”
Apple Stack grumbled as she used a little brute force with her shoulder and forced open the door. “We’ll see how good you are in a bit. We might have a big fight ahead of us here.”
Cautiously, Apple Stack and Rainbow Blitz slowly walked into the warehouse. The only sounds were the rats scurrying around, and water dripping from pipes in places unknown.
“I hate warehouses,” Rainbow whispered, casting a suspicious glare at the ceiling. “I feel like the roof is going to cave in on me.”
“Well, imagine what Goldenrod is feeling,” Apple Stack whispered back.
Rainbow paused, and then quickly motioned that she wanted to take the lead.
It didn’t matter, though. The warehouse was completely and totally empty. Of ponies, that is. There was a table in the middle under a bare bulb, a few piles of bits, and loads and loads of huge crates.
Apple Stack's curiosity got the better of her, and she looked around. She quickly found a crowbar and wrenched the top off a crate… and her jaw dropped at what she saw inside: hundreds and hundreds of little purple packets.
Rainbow Blitz flew over. She reached in and examined one of them, and then lifted it out of the crate. She cracked it open and sniffed briefly, and then recoiled as the harsh smell overwhelmed her nostrils. “Is this…?”
“Yep,” Apple Stack confirmed. “This is some of the pure stuff, too. It’s gotta be worth a hundred bits, that little packet alone.”
“So why’d they leave it?” Rainbow asked, dropping the packet like it was worthless. “This place is deserted, except for the lord of the trash can back there.”
“Prolly ‘cause it’s not gonna be empty for long,” Apple Stack said, continuing to wander, her eyes flicking around, looking for something, anything that was wrong. “They’ll be back, and soon.”
“That doesn’t answer why they’re gone, though.”
“Rainbow…”
Rainbow Blitz looked up and saw Apple Stack looking at a piece of paper on the table. It bore a scribble that might have passed as written language, and Rainbow really couldn’t read it.
“What does it say?”
“It’s in code, but they wrote the translation on the sheet on top before ripping it off. If Ah can find a pencil, Ah can do a rubbing and pick up the indents they left, then use that code to translate it.”
“That's... pretty smart, actually,” Rainbow said, impressed against her will.
A pencil was soon found, and a few quick scribbles and experimental writing later, Apple Stack translated it and once again, her jaw dropped. “Oh, they did somethin’ even smarter.”
“What? What’d they do?” Rainbow read over her shoulder. “What’s a ‘eragon’?”
“That’s a D, Rainbow.”
Her eyes popped open. “A dragon?!”
* * *
A dragon?!
Yeah! Turns out, these griffons had been hired by a dragon to kidnap the princess, because he knew that princess blood can be used for powerful evil magic! He was going to pay them in gold and jewels and mountains and mountains of bits.
But that doesn't make any sense! Dragons are nice! Spike’s a dragon, and he’s, like, the nicest guy ever!
Yeah, I guess. But not all dragons are like Spike. Hey, that rhymes.
So where was it? The dragon cave?
I don't remember that right now. I do remember what happened after we got there, though.
* * *
Apple Stack and Rainbow Blitz stood outside the cavern. Together, they had faced numerous ponies, armies, bar fights, most at overwhelming odds not in their favor; but a dragon? Definitely not something they had trained for. But they had their mission, and they were not going to fail; instead, they were going to go in and go all out. Apple Stack took a step forward and Rainbow quickly followed.
“Do you think we’re going to die in here?”
Hopefully. Hopefully they would not fail.
“For the last time, Ah don’t know! Now pipe down before you let them know we're here!”
The two walked along in silence before Rainbow Blitz bumped against Apple Stack. “You know,” she said, “If we’re going to die, I’m glad it’s with you, because you’re pretty cool.”
Apple Stack paused. “Thanks, Ah guess,” she said.
Rainbow continued, “So I was thinking about our little play-fight for the guard back there and I was wondering, did you mean what you said out there?”
“That you’re annoying and brash, but you’ve got a good heart?”
“I don’t think that’s what you said, but yeah. Something like that.”
“Well, it’s what Ah was thinkin’.”
“Ahh,” Rainbow said, nodding. “Sorry I called you a stick-in-the-mud.”
“Sorry I called you a featherbrained menace.”
Rainbow cocked her head. “You didn't call me a featherbrained menace...”
“Oh. Ah was thinkin' that, too.”
Rainbow glowered... and then broke into a smile. “I've been called worse.”
Apple Stack couldn’t help but smile. “Ya know, Ah’m pretty glad you’re with me, too.”
“Do you think we could… I dunno… go get something to drink afterwards? Just us? I'll pay.”
Apple Stack smirked. “First things first, Rainbow.”
“That’s not a ‘no’, then?” Rainbow asked hopefully.
“We’ll see.”
The two fell silent as they continued trekking through the cave. Apple Stack pulled up short as she heard something not usually heard in a dragon’s cave: singing.
Rainbow peeked out and her jaw dropped. There, chained to the ground in the middle of a wide circle filled with runes that looked as though they may have been drawn in blood, stood Princess Goldenrod. Though she looked somewhat thin, she still sang and she sang beautifully, even for being a tiny filly and even though she was all tied up.
* * *
I like to sing!
Of course you do. I wouldn’t be surprised if that ended up being your special talent.
What was Princess Goldenrod’s special talent?
That part of the story hasn’t been told yet. But maybe if you’d let me finish…?
Sorry.
* * *
Rainbow landed lightly in front of Goldenrod, making her jump in surprise and her wings flare out. Rainbow winced when she realized Goldenrod was wearing a magic suppressor over her tiny horn—she’d dealt with enough unicorns to know just how uncomfortable they were.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Rainbow struck what she thought was a heroic pose. “We’re your new foalnappers. Your old ones weren’t very good, so we’re firing them and taking over. We're going to foalnap you and take you to the castle at Canterlot, where you'll be forced to eat cake for the rest of your days.”
Goldenrod giggled, already at ease with the two new ponies. “Well, if we must,” she said faux-haughtily.
Apple Stack examined the chains' connections, and then looked around. “Ah need something long,” she said.
Rainbow quickly found a long, bejeweled sword among the gathered treasures. “How's this?”
Apple Stack shook her head. “Gold is too soft, it'll bend. Ah need something steel.”
Rainbow Blitz flapped her wings and flew up, scanning the dragon hoard. Her eyes lit up as she spied such a thing, and she soon returned with a rusty metal sword.
Apple Stack took it and began working the filly’s chains out from their foundations, using the long blade as a lever to pry the eyelets from the rock. Within minutes, her chains were no longer connected to the ground.
“That's as good as it's getting,” Apple Stack said finally. “Ah can't take these off without gettin' too close to cuttin' her, and we'd best be gettin' out of here anyway.”
Rainbow nodded and turned to Goldenrod. “Can you walk?”
Goldenrod shook her head and lifted a hoof. Apple Stack winced; she could see from here that her ankles were chafed and bleeding. “No, I can’t.”
Apple Stack took a knee. “Then climb on,” she said.
Rainbow Blitz helped Goldenrod climb on Apple Stack’s back, and they quickly headed out of the cavern.
“Keep quiet,” Apple Stack admonished. “We don’t want the dragon to know we’re gone.”
“There is a dragon, right?” Rainbow asked.
Goldenrod nodded fearfully. “He’s huge, and angry. He wants all the gems and he counts them every day. He said he’s going to kill me and use my blood to cast a spell letting him find them all!”
Rainbow bumped her flank affectionately. “Not on our watch, he won’t. We’ll protect you.”
“But what if he comes back?” Goldenrod whimpered.
“Then we’ll fight him,” Rainbow said proudly.
* * *
Would you really have fought the dragon, Mom?
Heh. Would we? We did.
You what?
* * *
They were almost to the entrance when a swift wind buffeted them briefly, only to disappear and reappear seconds later. Within seconds, a huge yellow dragon landed in front of them. His head was the size of a barn, and his body looked almost as large as a mountain.
Rainbow swore under her breath before a huge plume of fire exploded from his mouth, sending both ponies (with Goldenrod hanging on to Apple Stack for dear life) scattering.
He leaned over towards Apple Stack, reaching for the filly on her back, but then...
“Hey! Scale brain!”
The dragon looked up to see two tiny cyan hooves ram into his snout, sending shock waves rippling through his skull. He snorted angrily, and the rush of air made her tumble backwards. She recovered quickly, neatly skimming the rocky ceiling of the cave. The dragon's head followed, like a pony watching a fly. He inhaled, and shot out a jet of fire, this one smaller, and aimed towards her. Rainbow looped back and flew in faster circles around his head, making the dragon somewhat dizzy as he tried to follow her.
Then she grit her teeth and flew into his eye, ramming it with her shoulder. He howled in pain, and Rainbow took this opportunity to hightail it out of the cave.
Now half blinded, the dragon stumbled out of the cave and looked angrily through one eye for a target.
Unfortunately, he quickly found one in the form of an orange pony whose coat did not let her hide very well among the brush. He swung a claw and upended the tree she was hiding under, and after a brief moment of horror at being do exposed, she sprinted away.
The dragon was not about to let her get away that easily. He took in a deep breath, and Apple Stack knew another fire blast was coming. This wouldn't be a problem, had she had a clear shot to run.
She did not.
Apple Stack realized she was about to die… until something drove itself into her hip. She skidded out of the path of flames and slid behind a rocky outcropping. She looked up to see Rainbow, her left wing and hindquarters now an awful charred black and dripping with blood.
“There. Can't say I never did anything for you,” Rainbow grinned painfully.
* * *
So that’s how you got that scar on your wing!
Uh-huh. Dragon fire is pretty nasty stuff.
* * *
Rainbow paused. “Where's Goldenrod?” she demanded.
Apple Stack quickly stood. “She's safe, now come on! We've got to draw him away!”
The two ponies sprinted through the underbrush, Rainbow a little slower than usual, but the dragon landed in front of them, tearing through trees and sending branches and leaves flying everywhere as he hit the ground with enough force to knock both of them to the ground. He roared, making the two cover their ears. Rearing back, he opened his mouth, ready to incinerate these ponies to ashes.
“Leave them alone !”
All three turned and looked at the tiny filly as she stood and glared at the dragon. An otherworldly light gathered around her body, filling her eyes with white.
The dragon took a small step back, and Goldenrod stepped forward. Her horn lit with a purple light that soon dwarfed even the light of the sun.
The dragon didn't have time to say anything before the little filly exploded in a jet of light that engulfed the dragon. Apple Stack and Rainbow Blitz had to avert their eyes from the brightness.
When it had faded, Rainbow rubbed her eyes painfully and soon managed to open one. She saw a little filly splayed out on the ground,
Applejack forced herself up and looked at the smoking spot and the smoking filly. She turned to Rainbow and let out a smile. “Ah was wrong. We do make a good team.”
Rainbow couldn't help but give her a tight hug.
This was only interrupted when Applejack realized that there was a small filly unconscious on the ground. Pushing Rainbow away and ducking under her foreleg, she hobbled over and rested a hoof on her neck, quickly checking for other damages.
“She's hot, but she's breathing and she's got a pulse.” She shifted Goldenrod into a recovery position and relaxed slightly. “Guess we wait ‘til she comes to.”
A silence reigned for a brief moment. “So, mission accomplished?” Rainbow asked.
Apple Stack nodded. “Ah think so.”
Silence again.
“She looks like an earth pony now.”
“Ah think she is. That blast of magic must have taken all that other stuff out of her.”
“I didn’t even know that was possible.”
“Me neither; but as they say, 'magic is as magic does'.”
Rainbow frowned. “I've never heard that.”
“Ah have.”
Silence again. Apple Stack ran a hoof through the filly's mane.
“She’s never going to be accepted as a princess now…”
“Yeah, guess not.”
Silence once more.
Rainbow Blitz knelt down and also ran a hoof through her mane. “So what are we going to do about her? I mean, we can't just leave her here. And it's not like we can just dump her back at the castle. She'll be laughed at, never accepted, just for being different. I mean, it'd be different if, say, she had a couple really awesome ponies watching out for her...”
Apple Stack paused. “You ain't thinkin' what Ah think you're thinkin', are you?”
Rainbow grinned. “I think I am.”
Today was a good day for getting work done. Big Macintosh, however, was not getting work done. but was rather watching his sister work. Usually, that wasn't something he would normally be doing while there were still chores left to be done on the farm; but because she happened to be repeatedly bucking a dead tree that was devoid of both apples and leaves, he knew something was wrong. He chewed on his sprig of wheat as he thought. He needed to bring it up gently, without being confrontational, and without spooking her.
Finally, he decided to just go for it. He made sure to scuff a hoof as he approached, so as to not startle her. “You look a bit distracted,” he said, casting a not-so-subtle glance at the tree.
Applejack nodded, still not noticing her empty target tree. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about Goldenrod.” She followed his gaze and blushed when she realized what she'd been doing, and tried to play it off by sidestepping to another tree, one that was actually alive.
Mac nodded. “She claimin’ t’ have a coltfriend or something?”
Applejack’s jaw dropped and she missed her kick, accidentally throwing herself on the ground and sending herself sprawling. “No! Mac, no!" she said, quickly climbing to her hooves. "She’s a filly, for Celestia’s sake!”
“Valid question,” he protested. “They’re startin’ younger and younger these days.”
“Ugh! It’s…” Applejack shook her head. “Ah’ve… she’s been askin’ where she came from, and last night Rainbow told her a story; but she didn’t buy it, and tonight it’s my turn.”
All traces of joking drained from Mac’s voice. “You ain’t really gonna tell her?”
“Nah,” Applejack shook her head. “Ah’ve got a kind of incredible journey type story for her tonight.”
Mac nodded and turned to resume his work. “Good luck.”
Applejack watched him leave and then sighed. “Yes, you can pull your rocking chair over to the window and listen in if you want.”
Mac cracked a smile. “You’re the best, AJ.”
* * *
Goldenrod gave a little nicker of pleasure as Applejack finished brushing her mane. She spun around and slid under the covers, and Applejack tucked the blankets underneath her body so little Goldenrod was all wrapped up tight like a burrito.
“Comfy?” Applejack asked.
“Eeyup!” Goldenrod paused. “Momma, you're gonna tell me a story tonight, right?” she asked.
Applejack grinned. She'd been preparing this all day. “Ah sure am. Once upon a time…”
“And you've been with us ever since,” Applejack finished. “The end.”
“That was a fun adventure!” Goldenrod cheered. Then she paused. “So am I an earth pony because you gave more blood than mom?”
“Well, Rainbow Dash has some earth pony in her, too. Remember pictures of great-grandma Rainbow Dash?”
“Yeah.” Goldenrod giggled. “She wore her mane funny.”
“She did, didn’t she?” Applejack agreed. “But back then, she certainly thought she looked-” here she put on her best fancy impression, “-‘glamorous!’”
Goldenrod giggled again at Applejack’s antics, and Applejack found herself joining in.
“Well, it’s late, and it’s time for little ponies like you to be asleep.” She gave Goldenrod a kiss on the forehead and she settled deeper under the covers. But as she turned to leave, Goldenrod's little voice came once more.
“Mama? Will you ever tell me where I really came from?”
Applejack sighed and looked down at the ground. She’d known all along that Goldenrod wouldn’t have accepted her story as truth; and to be honest, she didn’t really expect her to, anyway. She turned back towards the filly, crawled back onto the bed, and pulled Goldenrod into a hug. The truth came spilling out. “Ah know where you came from. Rainbow and Ah both know, and we were both part of it, and a whole lot of other ponies were involved, too; but Ah don't really want to tell you that story. You're young, and you don't need t’ worry about any of that. Just know that you're our daughter, you're perfect, and ain't nothin' can change that.” She released her and waited.
A few heart-stopping moments later, Goldenrod smiled and nodded. “Ok, mama,” she said, leaning up to give Applejack another hug.
Applejack let out a sigh of relief and hugged her daughter back.
* * *
Applejack had barely cleared the room when she ran into Rainbow Dash, hovering impatiently in the air. “I couldn't hear, what'd you tell her?” she whispered.
“The truth,” Applejack answered.
Rainbow dropped to the ground in surprise. “You told her what ?” she hissed.
“Ah told her Ah didn't want to tell her.”
Rainbow paused and processed this. “And she accepted that?”
Applejack nodded.
Rainbow let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank Celestia,” she breathed. “I really don't want to tell her that story.”
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed, “I hear you there.”
Rainbow turned and headed towards the kitchen. “Let's go get some ice cream, shall we?”
Applejack smiled as she followed Rainbow Dash. As they walked, she wrapped her tail around Rainbow's, and Rainbow quickly returned the sign of affection. As they ate their bowls of mint brownie chunk and cookie dough ice cream, respectively, both couldn't help but think back to the strange series of events that had led to Goldenrod coming into their lives.
