Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple

Family was the most important thing for Applejack. Her kin meant the world to her, and she was happy whenever she heard of them and got to know how they were faring. But the contents of that morning’s letter put her as far away from a good mood as could be.

Applejack’s brow furrowed as she read it once more. It was long. That should’ve been the first hint of something being off. Her relatives were talkative, but never as much in writing. As for the contents…

“Watcha got there, dearie?” Granny Smith asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“It’s a letter from Uncle Cortland,” Applejack replied. The rest of her words died in her throat. She wouldn’t dare hide this from them but… She’d be lying if she said it would be easy.

“Oh, how nice to hear from him. Shame he missed the last reunion. How’s he doin’? And how’s that lil’ runt of his? Lil’ Babs, she was.”

“Yeah, that… That’s why he wrote the letter.”

Silence descended over them after she said that. Granny’s expression went from mild shock to concern in the span of a few seconds. Over at the stove, Big Mac lowered the flame under the pot of oatmeal he was making and turned to face her.

“What was that about Babs?”

Applejack turned to see her younger sister sneaking around Granny Smith’s leg and running up to her.

Seeing her little sister looking up at her with those wide eyes was too much for her. A loud exhale escaped her, and she brought the letter up and read it again.

“Uncle Cortland doesn’t mention much specifics, but he ain’t faring too well. That much’s true. Babs… Uh…” Her eyes briefly flickered towards Apple Bloom. Swallowing hard, she continued. “Seems she’s been hangin’ ‘round with the rowdy kids lately.”

“Oh, Babs…” Granny Smith said in the peculiar intonation only a disappointed old relative can produce.

For her part, Apple Bloom had turned very serious. Wrinkled snout and darting eyes hinted at something hidden beneath the surface.

“You know somethin’, Bloom?”

Her little sister opened her mouth, but said nothing for a few moments. “Ah… Well… Babs told me she was meeting new ponies to join the Manehattan branch of the Crusaders. She’s always looking out for ponies to help.”

“Meeting with them a tad too much it seems,” Applejack replied. “Seems she’s been spending a lot of time outside of home, even coming back way past her curfew.”

“Those darned city kids. They like actin’ grown up way too much!”

Uncle Cortland was sparse on details, but she could tell from his writing. Something wasn’t right with her cousin. It would be easy to blame it all on a rebellious phase, or just puberty kickin’ in…

“Must be hard on uncle Cortland. What with having to raise Babs on his own,” Applejack continued, her eyes scanning the letter once more.

“That city… It’ll gobble you up if you ain’t careful,” Granny Smith continued her musings, but Applejack could see her sister’s worried gaze still locked on hers.

Apple Bloom got closer to Applejack, standing on her hind legs as she tried to read the letter. “What more did he say?”

“Actually, he’s asking for help.” Glancing to her side, she continued, “Even mentioned you by name, Bloom.”

“Wait, really?” the filly asked, her features flowing between confusion and worry.

“Since you’re so close with Babs, he was hoping you could talk some sense into the girl.”

In a moment, all other emotions drained from Apple Bloom’s face, leaving only shock. “Wait… Does that mean…?”

Applejack folded the letter and set it on the table before giving her little sister an earnest smile. “If you don’t mind skipping town for the weekend. Whatcha’ say, Bloom? Want to go to Manehattan and help Babs?”

“Do I!” Apple Bloom had all four hooves on the floor again, and started running in circles around the kitchen table. “I’m gonna see Babs! I’m gonna see my cousin again!”

All around the jumping filly, the members of the Apple family smiled warmly. Family was important for them. When times got tough, there was no Apple who wouldn't buck apples, wrangle critters, or face any challenge that came their way to keep 'em smilin' and feelin' safe.

'Cause when you're part of the Apple family, y’all stuck together through thick and thin, no matter what.

The following morning, they’d woken up way before Celestia rose the sun to make sure they could catch the first train to Manehattan. Summer was a few ways away from coming, so there was a light chill to the air in the train station as the Apple sisters sat on the wood bench under a lonely lamp, huddled next to their hastily assembled bags.

Apple Bloom had stayed up late, not only packing but excitedly thinking about how she was going to spend the weekend with her cousin. A cute one, was she. It seemed the excitement almost made her forget why they were going to Manehattan in the first place. Perhaps, Applejack thought, she assumed they’d arrive at Uncle Cortland’s home, wait for Babs, and get all sorted out after a quick talk, leaving the rest of the weekend for their Crusading shenanigans. As a result, the filly now rested against her leg, lightly snoring and with her mouth agape.

With a sigh, Applejack looked up, past the lamplight and into the vast expanse and the stars shining above.

There was a part of her that sympathised with Babs. Once upon a time, she’d been a naïve little filly who looked for ways of acting out. Darn, she’d even ran away from home once before. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t bring herself to judge Babs Seed too harshly. She couldn’t imagine living in a city such as Manehattan would do much to help a growing filly. Perhaps things would’ve been similar had she been in Babs’s hooves.

However, the contents of the letter rushed back to her mind. The sadness that dripped from those words was crossing a line. As much as she could bring herself to understand why Babs was acting that way, it was really taking a toll on her dad, and that was something Applejack could not condone. She wouldn’t be harsh on the girl, but she was gonna make darn sure Babs understood how this was affecting uncle Cortland, and that they had a heart to heart about it, finally reaching an understanding. If all went well, that is.

She smiled. Perhaps she’d have a friendship report to send the Princess once this was all over.

The train ride had been mostly uneventful, save for Apple Bloom’s sporadic bouts of excitement which had not abated in spite of her obvious tiredness. And once the Manehattan skyline had become apparent, her enthusiasm only grew.

“We’re here!” She said, pressing her face against the window, as if trying to close the distance between herself and the city.

“Hold your horses, girl,” Applejack replied, grabbing her sister by the withers and pushing her back onto her seat. “You won’t make the train go any faster by fussing about. Just wait until we reach the station.”

“We’ll be going straight for Babs’s house, won’t we?” Apple Bloom continued, her older sister’s words ignored.

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sure thing, sugarcube. We may even catch ‘em just as they’re waking up. We’ll talk things out over breakfast.”

“Awesome!”

That seemed to calm Apple Bloom somewhat. But she’d meant those words. Celestia willing, Babs wouldn’t have left before they arrived at their house. The look of shock in the filly’s face alone would’ve made the trip worth it. Still, Applejack knew things rarely ever went that smoothly. All she could do was hope for the best and help in whichever way she could.

As they entered one of the tunnels that lead into the fancy underground railroads they had and darkness enveloped them, Applejack’s mouth twisted into a confident smile.

“The city’s so big!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. It was amusing how the big pink bow on her head bobbed up and down as she looked all around her, taking the sights of the impressive skyscrapers and fancy buildings.

“Sure is. But don’t you go scampering off now, you hear? The city’s mighty big, and the last thing we need is you getting lost,” Applejack said, though she couldn’t lie her eyes were wandering around the streets, as well. It was a curious feeling, seeing how the city had grown and changed since she was first here as a filly herself. Them fancy roads were made of asphalt now, and it seemed the buildings had doubled in size. The smallest of them all would tower above most of Ponyville. Strange, but curious.

With equal parts caution and excitement, the sisters made their way through the rigid grid of streets of the big city, and Applejack couldn’t help but notice another change in the atmosphere of Manehattan.

Back in her foalhood, ponies in the city had mostly been the froufrou kind she associated with places like Canterlot, but as they walked deeper into the city, she realised most ponies she saw looked far more normal than she’d expected. Though there was a part of her that felt happy about this, she couldn’t shake the nagging notion that maybe her cousin wouldn’t be in this situation if the city had remained a haven of fancy ponies.

“I bet there’s so much to do ‘round here!” Apple Bloom said, bringing Applejack back from her reveries. “Oh, I wish we could’ve come when things were normal… Just think of all the opportunities for Crusadin’ we’d have! Oh, I have to talk with the girls. We’ve got to come here! It will be like a meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders branches!”

She couldn’t help but giggle at the antics of her sister and her foalish innocence. However, that just made her think of Babs Seed. A filly no older than her little sister who should only be worrying about school and playing with her friends. It was just like Granny had said; city kids seemed like they wanted to act all grown up.

Uncle Cortland’s letter hadn’t specified how exactly Babs behaviour had changed lately, other than it becoming obvious around the time the filly had started hanging out with some fillies and colts she’d met downtown. Who knew what those kids got up to. She hoped her cousin wasn’t keeping secrets from her uncle, but she couldn’t deny it was a big possibility.

So lost she’d become in her thoughts, that Applejack didn’t notice when she walked right into a pony just as she turned a corner.

“Oh! Mighty sorry, mister. I didn’t—” Applejack’s throat seized when she saw the haggard looking pony staring right back at her.

Far be from her to judge somepony based on their looks, but she had to admit the filthy coat with visible stains and matted fur, overgrown facial hair, and bloodshot eyes with heavy bags under them did little to inspire confidence. The sisters exchanged a nervous glance. The derelict remained in place, his tired eyes focusing on the two of them as if only now realising they’d bumped into each other.

With no small amount of unease, Applejack cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Eh… hehe… Yeah, as I was sayin’, we should’ve been paying more attention to where we were—”

“Shoulda ne’er come.”

The stallion’s quick reply caught her off-guard. As the stranger continued to stare at her without as much as blinking, she slowly felt her body tense up as a strong sense of unease crept upon her. She wasn’t sure how to reply to that, but she didn’t have to wait long before he spoke again.

“Damned outsiders.” He shook his head, but his eyes never left hers. His words bursting forth like a waterfall. “Coming here like they own the city. Don’t know shit.”

“Well, I’ll be!” Applejack replied. The stallion’s voice devolved into a tangled mess of mumbling madness, but she wasn’t listening anymore. Without bothering to say anything more to the rude vagabond, she turned around and pushed her sister away.

“Don’t pay him any mind, Apple Bloom. Big cities sometimes attract odd ponies like that,” she said, making an effort not to let the bitterness seep into her voice.

“Go back to where you came!”

If that was going to be an attitude shared by Manehattanites, then she was right to worry about the influence they were having on her cousin. She hoped to Celestia that wasn’t the case, but she was feeling far less optimistic.

The final stretch of the trip was spent with considerably less enthusiasm. Apple Bloom seemed less eager to look at the fancy buildings all around her, but hopefully that was more because she was looking forward to finally seeing her cousin than being rattled by their earlier run-in with that odd stallion.

Applejack shook her head, forcing herself to ignore the weird encounter and focus on the task at hoof: Babs Seed and uncle Cortland.

“Now, remember, Apple Bloom. We ain’t trying to come off too strong here. We’re not here to tell ‘em what to do or not to do, just to get them to talk to each other and sort out their problems. We wanna know what’s bothering our cousin and help her and uncle Cortland in any way we can.”

The filly nodded. “Gotcha. There’ll be time for crusadin’ later.”

“That’s the attitude, right there!” Applejack said with a smile, fighting the urge to rustle her sister’s mane. It was good to know the girl had her priorities straight.

Looking at the street signs, she knew they were just a few blocks away from their goal. The sun was already shining brightly, signalling the start of a brand new day. One that hopefully would carry less heartache and—Princesses willing—would end on a brighter note.

Not long after, they reached the correct street. Rows of contiguous brick homes. Some with signs of neglect. Some with graffiti. Even a few broken windows here and there. These signs were enough to tell Applejack this was slowly becoming the bad part of town. That revelation did little to ease the restlessness taking shape somewhere deep in her chest. She wouldn’t dare speculate on how this would influence Babs’s seemingly rebellious tendencies, but her mind did wander.

“This is it, AJ! Two-one-six!” Apple Bloom said, pointing at the rusty iron numbers next to the big wooden door of a small apartment complex. With eager steps, the little filly ran up the stairs leading to the door and burst in, her excitement leaving little care for things such as cordiality or respect for private property.

Speeding up, Applejack tried to catch up with her sister, running up the internal staircase all the way to the third floor, the wood creaking due to her weight every couple of steps. She found it odd how these newfangled buildings couldn’t be much older than her parents would’ve been, but they fell apart so quickly. The farmhouse had been standing since Granny Smith’s younger days, but just a bit of care and elbow grease kept it in great shape. She was gonna have to talk with uncle Cortland. Maybe they could fix this up while the girls played.

As they reached the second floor, she couldn’t help but notice how… quiet the building felt. The noise of the wood bending filled the air devoid of the sounds she would normally expect on a weekend morning. Ponies going out, or coming back. Families getting ready for breakfast. Radios or those televisions.

However, it seemed the so-called “city that never sleeps” was yet to wake up.

Finally, both stood in front of the apartment door. Without wasting more time, Apple Bloom jumped and hit the doorbell. The distant ringing broke the stillness of the building, but the nagging feeling of something being wrong simply wouldn’t leave Applejack alone. Everything was just too quiet. Too lifeless. Too…

Her thoughts never managed to go further. There were some muffled sounds behind the door, and a few stumbling noises that turned into a frantic gallop. Before either of them could react, the hoofsteps grew louder and the door flew open, revealing a ghastly looking uncle Cortland standing under the doorway.

Sunken, red eyes, unruly green mane, and a pleading expression that crumbled the moment he saw the two sisters.

“Uncle…?” Apple Bloom said, her voice wavering.

“I… I’m sorry, girls. I just…” He swallowed as she fell down on his haunches. “I was hoping it would be your cousin.”

Something deep inside Applejack froze. “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, where is Babs?”

The older stallion directed his lightless eyes towards Applejack. He silently worked his jaw for a few seconds before he swallowed, took a deep breath and said, “Your cousin hasn’t come back home.”

Applejack pushed the cup of warm tea towards her uncle.

“It’s alright, just take a deep breath. We’re here with you now,” she said, gently rubbing his back.

“What happened?” Apple Bloom asked with that foalish tendency to forego tact and go straight for the matter.

Uncle Cortland stared at the gentle swirls of his dark tea, as if it held the answers nopony else seemed to have. He opened his mouth, only for a hitched breath to come out. Apple Bloom looked as if she wanted to press him and ask again, but Applejack’s steadying hoof on her shoulder told her to remain quiet.

It was hard to imagine what her uncle was going through. In the years since she got her cutie mark, Granny Smith and Big Mac had told her how her leaving for Manehattan had impacted them. But that had been a decision made after a long time with the agreement of the whole family. Whatever Babs and uncle Cortland had been through, it was obvious he didn't expect Babs to suddenly disappear.

Which meant that either Babs had been planning to run away in secret… Or something else had happened.

“Feels like it was just yesterday that we were having breakfast like normal,” Uncle Cortland spoke, his voice as frail as a crystal ornament. “I’d wake her up. She’d fight and complain about wanting to sleep in. I’d get her breakfast ready. We’d even spend a good bit of the morning just talking.”

Applejack listened. She wanted answers just as much as Apple Bloom, but she understood their uncle needed to vent. Let things off his chest before he was in any condition to cooperate.

“Then last week she went out with her friends after school… I should’ve known something was wrong.” His monotone voice acquired the faintest bitter edge. “It was just like when those bullies were picking on her for being a blank flank… But she had friends now. She did that whole crusading thing! She was happy!” His voice kept rising, anger dripping from his words. An anger aimed squarely at himself. But just as quickly as it had increased, his voice suddenly lowered as his face slacked. “At least… I thought she was… What did I really know?”

“Uncle, no!” Apple Bloom interjected, pressing both of her hooves on his side. “She was! She really was! She told me as much in her letters!”

Blinking away tears, uncle Cortland looked at Apple Bloom. “You think so?”

A firm nod. “Mmhmm! She always said good things about you in her letters. And how much she enjoyed spending time with you!”

Light seemed to return to his eyes. This was short-lived, however, as if a lit match was extinguished by a strong breeze.

“What happened last week, uncle Cortland?” Applejack asked, hoping to get the conversation back on track.

“She mentioned this group of foals. Just arrived at school. She and her friends wanted to meet them. You know, be friendly, make ‘em join their little group and all that.” He shook his head, defeated. Somehow, his demeanour seemed to sour as he recalled the memories. “It all seemed so nice. She was making more friends, so when they wanted to hang out after school, I… I said it was okay.”

He brought his hooves up to his face and leaned forwards, rattling the cup of tea as he hit the edge of the table. “They took the subway after school. Don’t remember where they went. Babs came back later that day. I… I tried talking with her, but she went straight to her room. Just thought she was tired, but… something happened that day.”

Silence followed. Applejack and Apple Bloom exchanged worried glances. A shake of the filly’s head told her sister she didn’t know anything about this.

“The morning after she was back to normal. Or at least I wanted to believe she was… I asked how things had gone, but she wouldn’t say much other than it was alright. No matter what, that’s all she said, so I stopped asking.”

Applejack remembered that much. His letter mentioned Babs acting withdrawn for a while before she…

“And then she came home late. Really late. I was so worried, I must’ve raised my voice at her.” At this point he started gently rocking back and forth. “She just exploded at me and wouldn’t talk to me again. I didn’t want to pressure her, but I couldn’t have her stay like that… But it only made things worse. Babs has never yelled at me like that. Then she just left and hasn’t come back since.”

“Have you told the police?” was Applejack’s immediate reply. His uncle just nodded, but said nothing more.

“Well? What did they say?” Apple Bloom pressed on, her limited patience having obviously ran out.

“They’re doing what they can. They said they’d go to her school and check on her friends. I’m just waiting here and hoping she comes back.”

Afterwards, silence filled the room. Uncle Cortland apparently had nothing more to say, and neither of the girls seem to have anything to add.

Clearing her throat, Applejack patted her uncle’s back. “I can’t rightly say what happened to make Babs act that way. But I’m sure she regrets saying those things. Just you wait. She’s probably just feeling really regretful right about now. I bet she’s looking forward to coming back home and patching things up.”

Apple Bloom mimicked Applejack’s motions, but said nothing else.

“It’s alright, uncle.” Applejack said. “Everything’s gonna be alright.”

“What are we going to do?” Apple Bloom asked.

Uncle Cortland had let them stay in the guest bedroom, and as soon as they’d gotten inside and closed the door, Apple Bloom had thrown her bags on the bed and turned to face her big sis with a pleading look.

Applejack, however, was at a complete loss for words. She’d come to Manehattan mentally prepared to solve one problem, but now… What could she do? Part of her wanted to let the authorities deal with it. That’s why they existed, after all. However, the Apple in her couldn’t leave her family hanging. She was always certain that, as sure as Celestia would rise the sun, so would an Apple look out for their kin. So, she had to help. In whichever way she could.

“Consarn it… Maybe Twilight would know what to do. Can’t rightly say what’s even the right thing to do in this situation.” Her words were blunt, but they did little to dull the eager look on her sister’s face.

She sighed. Perhaps trying to buy some time, she took off her hat and set it on a nearby perch.

“You’ve been exchanging correspondence with Babs, right?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Any of them mentioned those new ponies she’s been seeing?”

“Her last letter came well over a week ago. She did mention some new colts and fillies came to her school. They were blank flanks, too, so she wanted to offer them a membership to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I wrote her back after that, but I don’t think she had time to reply before this whole thing went down.”

“Hmmm…” Applejack crossed the room, walking towards the window. “Well, we have no way of knowing what she did since then… Did her letters mention what she usually did with her friends?”

She shrugged. “Crusadin’.”

“Right…” She turned to look through the window. The sun was still high in the sky. Plenty of time left in the day. “I figure the police will do their best. Maybe we can look for her crusader friends and ask if they know anything.”

“Of course!” Apple Bloom cried out, startling her. “It’ll be just like a detective retracing the steps of a criminal…”

“Uh… right.”

“Babs mentioned where a couple of her friends lived. I got the addresses for when I came to visit. That way it would be easier to meet them all! Gimme a map, and I can tell you who’s the closest one!”

Applejack cracked a smile at her sister’s enthusiasm. She supposed that was the better attitude to have regarding this entire situation. Making the best out of a bad ordeal. Honestly, she just hoped Babs was really just rebelling and was staying with one of her friends.

“Eeyup. Let’s do that. It’s all gonna be alright in the end. Just you see.”

With the sun shining bright, Applejack allowed herself—or, perhaps, urged herself—to feel optimistic.

The knot in Applejack’s throat tightened with every step she took. It must’ve been well into the afternoon, and the scant optimism she’d managed to scrounge up that morning had started to wane. She didn’t want to imagine how Apple Bloom felt.

At the first house they’d visited, they’d been met with nothing but silence despite spending more than fifteen minutes knocking.

The second house was hardly better. They only had to knock once before a rabid overweight mare came out. She had been entirely confrontational the entire time, and only seemed to get worse once the matter of her son was brought up. Once all was said and done, they’d only gotten a door slammed on their faces for their trouble.

She threw a sidelong glance to her little sister. It appeared as if her bow chose to reflect Apple Bloom’s emotions, seeing how it hanged limply on the sides of her head. She couldn’t let her little sister get her spirits down like that. Even if she wasn’t feeling too well herself at the moment.

“Third time’s a charm, eh, Bloom?” she said, gently nudging the filly as they walked down the sidewalk.

Apple Bloom let out a long exhale of defeat. “I guess… It’s just that Barley Grind’s house was empty… And Cloudy Daze’s mom was so mad… She wouldn’t even hear us.”

Carriages ran past them. The clopping of hooves and wheels against asphalt were the only sound accompanying their walk.

“Then we must hope this Bluetune girl’s family is willing to cooperate.”

“Bluenote,” Apple Bloom whispered.

“Right. That. Sorry.”

They turned a corner and saw the small two storey home where Bluenote lived. Applejack took a deep breath and sped up her pace. This was it. The last of the kids they could ask about the events of the last week. About these new foals, about whatever happened last week to make them act weirdly. About wherever it is they could be.

As they opened the small wrought iron gate around the garden that separated the house itself from the sidewalk, they heard someone call for them.

“Hey, you two!”

She turned around, looking for the source of the voice.

“Aye, over here!”

Looking up, they saw an older mare in a gown and way too many hair curlers in her mane. She had a lit cigarette in her mouth and looked at them with a mix of annoyance and detached interest from her second storey window. “Who you lookin’ for?”

Applejack blinked. Putting on her best polite smile, she took off her hat and pressed it against her chest. “Good evening, ma’am. Name’s Applejack, and this here’s my little sister, Apple Bloom.”

The mare arched an eyebrow, but said nothing more, as if urging them to explain themselves.

Her smile wavered, but she pressed on. “Well… We were looking for a little girl called Bluenote. Y’see, my cousin is her classmate and we wanted to see if we could talk with her for a bit.”

Silence was the mare’s only reply. Taking a drag out of her cigarette, she tilted her head towards the house. “You’ll be waiting for a while. Whole family’s gone.”

That killed her smile for good. “Guh… Wait, what do you mean ‘gone’?”

A frown. Certainly a step up from the silence. “Waddaya think I mean? They’re gone. First that ‘note filly up and vanished. Sent her poor parents into a frenzy. Then her mom goes out, looking for her and doesn’t come back. Just last night the dad left and hasn’t come back, either.”

Next to her, Apple Bloom took a sharp breath. She didn’t know what to say. Or what to think.

“Ah… I—”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s none of my business. But if you see that filly, make sure to give her a good whack for making such a mess!” With that, she got back inside her home and slammed the window shut.

Despite the sun shining warmly in the sky, Applejack felt her blood running cold.

“Applejack?”

She looked down at her little sister. Apple Bloom’s expression seemed… Well, it was an expression she didn’t want to see in her face any longer.

“Let’s go, Apple Bloom,” she said, forcing a smile once more. “We’ll try something else.”

“Like what?” the filly replied. “They’re… They’re all gone, too, AJ.”

It was true. Applejack didn’t know what else to do. Asking the other fillies and colts had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was only left with more questions. And she wasn’t too keen on what the answers were, either. The police should know about the other disappearances already. They should be able to figure out what was happening… and put a stop to it.

“Well… It’s like you said, right? We just have to retrace her steps, don’t we? Uncle Cortland said she took the subway with her friends. Maybe we can find a clue there.”

For a while, Apple Bloom said nothing. Then, she just nodded, and looked up, trying to put on a brave face. A transparent attempt, but one Applejack appreciated. They just had to keep their chins up, hope for the best, and keep working hard.

And Applejack prayed that would be enough.

Once more in less than half a day, Applejack and Apple Bloom found themselves waiting for a train. It felt more of a symbolic gesture than anything. All they knew was the line Babs most likely took after school. That was it. They were as likely to find a clue on Babs’s whereabouts as they were to find a five legged cat. Or a clean toilet in the station.

Nevertheless, they were there. Hoping that doing this would at least feel like making progress.

“Train should be here any minute, Bloom,” she said, holding her sister close. “Maybe we can figure out what Babs was thinking while we’re there.”

A sigh. “I guess…”

“Come on, Bloom. Babs wouldn’t want to see you all gloomy, now, would she?”

Silence. Her sister hardly moved for a while. Just as Applejack was starting to feel nervous, she heard Apple Bloom take a deep breath. Or was it a sniffle? “You’re right, AJ. Gotta keep our heads up, right?”

Optimism was a beautiful thing. Just as beautiful as the small smile on her sister’s face.

To their left, the distant sounds of the train arriving slowly got louder and louder. It was a long shot, but they were going to take any chance they got.

For their family.

An hour or so must have passed since they boarded the train. Most of which had been spent making small talk and reminiscing about the times Babs had gone to Ponyville. But after a while, even that conversation had died down. Now the sisters just sat, looking through the window at the city bathed in the evening light in silence. Perhaps neither knew what to add. What to say to lift their battered hopes.

As the train entered a tunnel, darkness enveloped them, and all Applejack could see were their melancholic reflections on the window.

She brought her sister closer, holding her tight. “We’re gonna find her, Apple Bloom. You’ll see.”

The filly smiled. A sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. “It’s gonna be alright, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Applejack said. “Just alright.”

With nothing to occupy her mind, Applejack thought back to Babs Seed. Something had gone down. That much was obvious. Something bad. Could she have found herself entangled with something? Crime? Drugs? Worse? She wondered why Babs couldn't have turned to her dad. To aunt and uncle Orange. To Bloom or herself. Or any of the Apple Family. Maybe she did get herself tangled with something really bad. Something she felt couldn’t tell anypony else.

But, like Twilight would say, these were just hypotenuses. There was no way to be sure, and until Babs was found, they couldn’t know.

She hugged her sister closely, and tried not to think about that anymore. After a while, she found herself getting lost in the random chatter of the last stragglers around her.

“I think I’m going down with the feather flu…”

“You goin’ to Sapphire Shore’s concert next weekend?”

“Yeah, gotta get a bigger haul after Cloudy Daze.”

“I just found this great recipe for lava cakes.”

Wait, what?

She turned around, trying to look for the source of that voice who mentioned Cloudy Daze. She knew that name. He was one of Babs’s friends. And what in Tartarus had they meant by “haul”? Before she could ponder these thoughts any further, Apple Bloom had already shot off, chasing after Celestia knew what.

“Apple Bloom!” she cried out, and started running after her sister.

“You there! Stop!” the filly yelled, and way ahead Applejack could see a group of colts running out of the cart and into the next one.

Applejack could barely make out the shapes darting ahead. Focusing, as if she was trying to aim a lasso at them, she tried to discern any specific feature of the little group. The clothes hid any cutie mark, but she could hardly distinguish more than vague coat shades.

Being a filly, it was easier for Apple Bloom to sneak between the legs of the ponies in the cart. And as the distance between them grew, Applejack abandoned all sense of propriety and started pushing ponies out of the way just to keep advancing. Thankfully, the last few carts had fewer ponies in them, so it was easier to move, but Apple Bloom was already plenty far ahead.

She was about to call for her sister once more when she felt the train slow down. Were they already reaching the next station? No… Not now! If they lost track of those colts…

“Stop those colts!” Apple Bloom cried again, but hardly any other pony seemed to pay them any mind.

The train was coming to a stop, and Applejack could see the crowds outside, the perfect cover for a bunch of foals looking to escape. In preparation for getting off the train, lots of ponies started getting up and shuffling towards the doors, making it even harder for her to advance.

A few ponies let out annoyed grunts and some more openly vocalised her distaste for Applejack’s pushing and shoving. The train cart wiggled heavily as it finally stopped. With a hiss, the doors slid open, and the masses pushed their way in and out. Gritting her teeth, Applejack pushed forward as fast as she could. Just ahead, her sister jumped off the train cart and ran into the crowd outside.

“Apple Bloom!” she yelled, finally disentangling herself from the rest of the ponies and running towards the shrinking image of her sister. Before the little filly could lose herself amongst the multitude of ponies in the station, she stretched her neck and bit down on her tail. “Apple Bloom, don’t!”

“Guh… Applejack, what are you doing?” Apple Bloom replied, a frantic, desperate tone in her voice. “They’re gettin’ away!”

Applejack spat out Apple Bloom’s tail, taking a moment to catch her breath. “They already did.”

The filly looked around. Although they were surrounded by ponies, there was no trace of the colts who’d mentioned Cloudy’s name.

“Oh, shoot…”

Applejack didn’t have it in her to chastise her sister for her language. She also felt like using some language that would get Granny Smith blowing up a storm. That would do no good beyond making everypony in the station look at them funny.

But she didn’t let her anger get the better of her. She may not have been able to catch those foals, but that encounter hadn’t been a total failure. She now had something solid. Something she could take to the authorities.

She was gonna bring those foals to the law, and get her cousin back.

“Alright, miss…”

“Applejack, ma’am, ” the farm pony replied, her hat held firmly with her hooves as she sat across the mare in a dark brown suit. Dark, bluish coat. A brown, almost red mane. And tired eyes that slowly followed the text on the pages.

It’d been about an hour of waiting since they arrived at the police station before somepony finally spoke to them. And then another fifteen minutes as the mare ruffled through the piles or papers on her desk. As much as Applejack would’ve liked to start yelling for them to go catch those colts, she understood they had to follow some sort of protocol. And judging by how much piled work the detective seemed to have, Applejack didn’t want to make things harder for anypony.

Next to her, Apple Bloom sat mostly motionless and in silence. Although her sister was behaving quite properly, the way her tail flicked from side to side betrayed the eagerness bubbling beneath the surface.

The detective hummed as she flipped through the pages. “Yes. Miss Applejack. Apologies for taking so long. We’re a bit understaffed at the moment. You mentioned your cousin went missing.”

She nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Young Babs Seed, her father is Cortland Apple.”

“I see a report has already been filed.”

Applejack had to fight hard to suppress a groan. She hoped the involuntary sharp inhale wouldn’t offend the detective. “Yes… The filly’s father—my uncle. He already came to report her disappearing, but we just, uh, came across some information that may help.”

With a quick flick of her wrist, the detective closed the folder and settled on her seat. “I’m listening.”

“We went to see if her friends from school knew anything. Visited a couple of them at home.” A pause. Applejack looked into the detective’s eyes, but the other mare kept her features steeled. “But it seems they’re missing, too.”

“I hope you understand I cannot disclose information beyond your cousin’s case,” the detective said quickly, offering no room for doubt.

“I understand that, I do,” Applejack replied, just as fast. “But after we didn’t find them, my sister and I decided to take the train my cousin and her friends usually take. Granted, I can’t rightly say what we expected to accomplish, but…” A deep breath. A steeled gaze. “When we were there, we heard somepony mention one of my cousin’s friends. By name.” She saw the detective’s right ear give the barest of twitches. “Cloudy Daze.”

Upon hearing that name, the detective did not move. Or, rather, seemed to make a very obvious attempt at keeping herself immobile. Now she knew she was on the right track.

“Just as we reached the nearby station, there was this group of colts who said something about a… a haul.” The word soured her expression as it left her lips, but she pressed on. “They said they got a… bigger haul after Cloudy Daze.”

The detective pursed her lips, as if deep in thought. What those thoughts were, Applejack couldn’t say, but she really hoped this would lead to her cousin and those other foals being found. After the seconds stretched into a minute and silence persisted, Applejack started to feel uncomfortable.

“Detective?” she asked.

“Are you sure you got the right name?”

Applejack blinked. “What?”

With a sigh, the detective leaned forward, but never broke eye contact with her. “Miss Applejack, there are close to a hundred thousand ponies in this district alone. I have three nieces named Sweet Song, Starsong, and Swan Song, because my brother’s not very creative. Just in this precinct there are two officers with Copper somewhere in their name.”

“Now, hold on just a moment. What are you trying to say?”

“What I mean, miss Applejack, is that it would’ve been easy to mishear a name that’s not that uncommon in a noisy train.” The detective leaned even further forward across the desk. With the reduced distance, Applejack could notice the stress lines pulling at the other mare’s features. “What’s more, even if you did hear correctly, and those ponies were talking about your cousin’s friend, it still doesn’t constitute evidence.”

“Whoa, hold on. They mentioned her friend by name and were talking about the foals like… like they were cattle or something!”

The detective raised a hoof, shaking it in a placating manner. “And that’s awful, but it’s not something solid enough for us to use as a lead…”

Yet another moment of silence passed between the two mares, which only served to increase the tension. Applejack knew the detective knew something. There had been a reaction when she’d brought up Cloudy Daze’s name. She had to be aware of the disappearance of those other foals.

“I hope you understand I’m not trying to shut you down. Your family and you are going through a harrowing experience, and it’s normal to try to do whatever you can.” The detective let out a long exhale and her expression seemed to soften afterwards. “But I urge you against trying to play vigilante. Somepony could get hurt. We will find your cousin, just trust us to do our job.”

The room echoed with the unspoken ”Please”. Applejack wanted to be mad at the detective. To be honest, she already kind of was. However, she also knew the detective was right. Even though she was well aware of how much of a reach this was, she just couldn’t let go of what she’d heard.

Perhaps she was just trying to convince herself.

Whichever the case, Applejack realised there was nothing she could say or do that would sway the detective’s opinion. With a slow nod, she looked down. “Thank you, detective. Don’t let me keep wasting your time, then.”

“Applejack…” Bloom whispered. Her voice was intense with concern.

“It’s okay, Apple Bloom,” Applejack replied, motioning for her sister to follow her, ”It’s going to be alright.”

“Miss Applejack,” the detective called. Both sisters stopped and turned to face the older mare. “We will do our best.”

Applejack spared one last glance at the detective. Despite her earlier animosity and her continuing discomfort, she found that part of her wanted to believe the other mare.

“Thank you,” she said. With a final nod, she turned around and ushered her sister out of the building before the filly could protest.

The sisters hurried down the steps and once more found themselves amidst the sparse evening crowds of Manehattan. The silence didn’t last for long. With slumped shoulders and her head hanging low, Apple Bloom spoke with a dejected voice, “What now?”

“Now? Now… We do it again,” Applejack replied, her eyes resolutely staring forward.

That made Apple Bloom stop in her tracks. “Again… Wait, what?”

Applejack nodded. “I ain’t saying the police ain’t doing their job, but they’re not being helpful either. Can’t rightly say what’s tying their hooves, but ours are free.”

Silence lingered for a moment in which Apple Bloom looked at her with conflicted eyes. “Didn’t… Didn’t the detective say we shouldn’t play vigilante?”

“This ain’t about us delivering justice ourselves or nothin’ like that. All we’re doing is look for our cousin because the police can’t.” Or they won’t, she thought to herself. “The detective said as much. They want evidence, so let’s get them the evidence they want.”

The glint in Apple Bloom’s eyes told her the filly had made up her mind. “Are we gonna look for those colts on tomorrow’s train?”

“We know they were talking about Babs’s friend. If we find them and hear them talkin’ again, I’m sure we can get something more solid to show the detective.” She looked up at the sky. Before long, Princess Celestia would be bringing down the sun and nighttime would come. She couldn’t know for sure if they’d be able to get those colts on the same train, but she knew she had to try. For Babs and Uncle Cortland. “Let’s go back to uncle’s home. We had a good first day and we have a plan for tomorrow.”

Her sister nodded, eyes burning with the same determination she felt inside herself. Things weren’t looking so good right now, but she wouldn’t let her spirits falter. She was not gonna let Babs, uncle Cortland, Apple Bloom, or nopony else down. Everything was gonna be alright, no matter what.

The door closed with a soft click. Applejack sighed as she walked towards the bed amidst the dark bedroom. As if mocking her, the light coming from the streetlamps right outside the window broke the darkness within the room, but did not reach the bed she shared with her sister. Now that the day was over, it seemed the optimism they’d managed to muster up after leaving the police station had left them, if only for a moment, leaving only a cold sense of unease.

“What did you tell uncle?” Apple Bloom asked from where she laid on top of the sheets.

“The truth,” Applejack replied. “That we found a lead. I tried not to mention many details, though. Wouldn’t want to worry him even more.”

Apple Bloom let out a soft hum, neither in agreement or disagreement.

The springs in the bed squeaked as Applejack climbed next to her sister. The filly was almost immobile, save for the gentle rise and fall of her sides as she took slow breaths. For a while, neither said anything, with only the distant sounds of the city keeping the silence at bay.

Applejack felt she had to say something. Something that would make her sister feel better. To either console or encourage her. In the end, she came up short. With no words to offer, she extended her arms and pulled her sister closer. Though neither broke the silence, Applejack felt her sister relax as she scooted closer to her, and pressed her body against her barrel.

After a while, their breathing evened out, and became more relaxed.

“You think we’ll find them in the same train?” Apple Bloom asked.

She thought about it for a moment. Honestly, she imagined they’d be more careful the next day, if they even took the train at all. But if all she had was a hunch, then she was gonna take a chance on it. “We know they probably live downtown.” Or that’s where they take the foals, she added in her mind. “I feel our best shot is to go there again and wait in the trains going ‘round those stations. We’ll come across those colts sooner or later.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “I hope so. It's just… Babs has been gone for days now. I didn’t understand why she wouldn't come back, but if those colts did something to her and she can’t come back, then—” A sob escaped the filly, and with that, the words stopped and the tears started flowing.

Applejack hugged her tighter, hoping she could offer her sister some comfort. Still, that only made it harder knowing that she couldn’t extend that same comfort to her cousin. Somewhere out there, somewhere in the depths of this city, Babs Seed was waiting for them. Waiting to get back home.

No matter what it took, she was going to make sure her cousin made it back home. She was going to make things right.