Chapter 5: Sunshine Harvest

***Part 1: Makin' Babies Cry***

"She got arrested?!" Sunset shouted. "How?! What happened?!"

Everyone stood around the bed with glum looks on their faces. Twilight stood closest to Sunset, trying to calm the new mother and the crying infant in her arms.

"I didn't see everything, but I'm guessing she picked up the attention of the the local guards while riding a horse down the free way." Princess Twilight explained. "The local guards must have tracked her down to the portal, because they found us as soon as we left Equestria. Applejack... She distracted them so I could escape and get back here to help you. I'm sorry, Sunset..."

Sunset was on the verge of tears. Her eyes already swelled, and she had begun to sniffle.

"That's just like Applejack..." Sunset said as she began to cry. "She... She would do anything for me..."

Princess Twilight and Applebloom placed their hands on Sunset's shoulders to comfort her. Miraculously, the baby sensed that her mother was upset, and she stopped crying. Then, with a chubby, little finger, she reached up and grabbed onto a lock of Sunset's hair. Sunset immediately turned her attention to her newborn daughter, and a weak smile cracked along her lips. Sunset lifted her finger to the baby's forehead and gently stroked the base of her horn. Suddenly, the horn began to glow. Twilight watched with amazement as the horn grew brighter and brighter until the baby was lighting up the entire room.

"She's a bright one..." Granny Smith joked with a chuckle.

"She's as bright as the sun..." Applebloom agreed as she shielded her eyes.

Then, Sunset had an epiphany.

"That's it..." Sunset said as she admired the baby's glowing horn. "You're Sunshine... Sunshine Harvest..."

The baby cooed happily at the sound of her new name.

"Sunshine Harvest... That's a beautiful name, Sunset." Twilight said. "Why 'Harvest'?"

Sunset smiled at her daughter, who continued to pull on her hair.

"Applejack wanted to name her 'Harvest'..." Sunset muttered.

A loud whinny caught everyone's attention. The whinny was followed by several aggressively loud 'knocks' on the front door.

"That's Chief..." Sunset said.

Sunset Shimmer groaned as she tried to sit upright. With Sunshine still in her arms, Sunset managed to get to her feet, which were shaky at best.

"Hold on now, Sunset..." Granny Smith cautioned. "It's not safe for ya' to be walkin' yet."

"Chief needs to see her." Sunset objected as she wobbly made her way out of the bed room and towards the front door. "Chief needs to see his own baby..."

Twilight followed after Sunset, making sure to stay within arm's length in case she fell, but Sunset didn't fall. Under impossible conditions, Sunset managed to make it to the door. Applebloom was at the door a second later. With her help, Sunset opened the door, revealing Chief. The stallion stood just on the other side.

"Hey, Chief..." Sunset said softly as she held Sunshine Harvest a little higher. "Look at who's here..."

Her horn still glowed, but not as brightly as it did before. Chief lowered his head until his snout was just a breath away from the little baby's face. Sunshine beamed at the sight of the stallion towering over her. With her chubby fingers, she grabbed onto Chief's snout. Chief let out a happy nicker and snorted in the baby's face, extracting a cry of laughter from her. As Sunshine laughed, her horn began to glow brighter and brighter.

"That's fascinating..." Twilight muttered. "It seems Sunshine's emotions are connected to her magical capabilities. That trait is extremely rare in newborn unicorns..."

"Well, what did you expect, Twilight?" Sunset asked in a fake, snobbish tone. "She is my daughter, after all..."

Chief playfully snorted into the baby's tummy, extracting more laughter from the infant. The entire picture was beautiful. Everyone was in tears. Big Mac, however, was in tears because Sunset broke his hand in three different places.

"Go get yourself some ice." Granny Smith whispered to him, not wanting to disturb the moment.

"Eeyup..."

Though it was the happiest moment of her life, Sunset's heart still felt heavy. Applejack wasn't there to share the moment with her. Princess Twilight must have been reading her thoughts, because she placed a reassuring hand on Sunset's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sunset." Twilight said to her. "We'll get Applejack tomorrow when the buses are open."

Sunset didn't like it, but she nodded her head sadly.

"Alright..." Sunset muttered softly as she cradled the baby snugly in her arms.

Sunset stepped outside the door and stood with the stallion.

"I'm... going to spend a little more with Chief." Sunset said. "Sunshine is really find of him."

Twilight nodded as a weak smile crossed her lips.

"Of course... I'll be inside, if you need me."

Sunset nodded her head and watched as the door closed, leaving her alone with her baby and the stallion that had impregnated her.

***Part 2: Ball And Chain***

Applejack groaned as she sat up. Her eyes scanned the area for a clock, but there wasn't one in her cell. She wrapped her arms around her body as she shivered. The grey walls and colorless floor only added to the cold. Applejack was cold, hungry, and she had a bit of a headache from the police officer that brought her down. She was miserable. The cheery whistling of a guard making his rounds captured her attention.

"Hey!" Applejack called to the guard as he passed by the bars of her cell. "Can you bring me something to eat, please? I'm starvin' in here!"

The guard completely ignored her. He strolled past the cell as though he didn't hear a word she said.

"Could you at least tell me what time it is?" Applejack called again.

"It's eleven o'clock..." Another guard answered.

Applejack turned to see who had spoken. It was the Captain, the police officer she had tackled to the ground.

"That took some guts, kid." The officer said. "Taking us on so your friend could escape was pretty brave, but it was also really stupid."

Applejack didn't say anything. She stayed silent and scowled at the guard.

"Oh, now don't give me that look. I respect your bravery. Not many people could do what you did. I'll tell you what..." The officer said as he kneeled next to her cell. "I'm gonna let you go. You're gonna walk out of here completely free of any charges. All that I ask from you is that you tell me about that statue."

A wave of fear fell over Applejack.

"My men saw you go into the statue. They said it was magic... I didn't believe them until I saw you come out with the other girl. After we subdued you, we tried to get inside they way you came out, but the statue was as solid as it looked."

Applejack tried to avoid the captain's gaze, but there was only so many places you could look when you were in a small cell.

"Where were you?" He asked. "Tell me about the statue, and you can go free."

"And what happens if I don't?" Applejack replied flatly.

The captain stood up. A disappointed look was plain on his face.

"If you don't, you'll be transferred to Point Terren where you will wait many long months for your official trial with the rest of the juvenile delinquents. You'll be charged with evading police forces and openly assaulting an officer of the law. You'll never set a free foot on this earth again..."

Applejack heart sank into her stomach as she watched the captain walk away from her cell. Then, the lights turned off, leaving her in complete darkness.

***Part 3: An Unexpected Rescue***

Applejack wasn't sure when the lights came back on. She sat up uneasily with her hand over her eyes to block out the blinding light. When her vision returned, Applejack peered out of the cell. There was no one in sight. Then, little by little, the police officer's words came back to her, and her heart felt heavy.

"I'm sorry, Sunset..." Applejack muttered as she began to cry. "I broke my promise..."

Applejack continued to cry. Tears fell from her cheeks onto the stone floor below. At last, Applejack heard voices. She sniffled as she tried to dry her tears. One of the voices was male. It sounded like the captain. The other voice was female and very angry. She was yelling at the captain.

"Ma'am, you can't just-"

"Captain, if you are holding one of my students captive here, I demand to see her!"

Applejack looked through the bars of her cell. The foot steps were getting louder. Finally, she saw them. It was the captain and...

"Principal Celestia!" Applejack gasped.

The principal took one look at Applejack, and her face turned red with rage.

"What is this?!" She demanded. "You are keeping a high school girl in a cell?!"

"Ma'am, she attacked me, and-"

Principal Celestia raised her hand, silencing the officer.

"Look at her! Where her sheets? Where is her pillow? Have you fed her at all?"

Applejack shook her head. This only enraged Celestia further.

"You have left this girl to starve and freeze in this cell unjustly and without cause." The principal said as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

A few taps on the screen later, the phone began to ring. Celestia held up her pointer finger to Applejack, signaling that she would not be gone for long.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Mare, please." Celestia said as she walked a few steps away from the cell. "Yes... Uh-huh... Excellent. Thank you, madam Mayor."

Celestia then extended the phone towards the captain.

"Mayor Mare wishes to speak with you." Celestia said in her 'I'm going to call your parents.' tone.

While the terrified police officer answered the Mayor, Celestia hurried over to the cell.

"What was that about?" Applejack asked her.

"Oh... The Mayor and I go way back, and she happened to owe me a little favor." Celestia said with a subtle 'wink'.

A few moments later, the captain handed the phone back to Principal Celestia, and he retreated to the other side of the room to the control panel that operated the cell doors. A second later, Applejack was free. The captain said nothing, but he gave Applejack an evil look as she got up and walked with Celestia out of the police station.

"T-Thank you, Principal Celestia..." Applejack said. "How... did you know where I was?"

"I was working late at the school when I saw the flashing lights outside my office window." Celestia explained. "Now, don't expect  me to come to your aid of something like this ever happens again. I can't just call in favors from the Mayor whenever I want."

Applejack nodded her head quickly.

"Of course, principal... It'll never happen again, I promise."

Celestia turned to her and smiled.

"Good. I won't pry into any of the details, then. Come, let us get you something to eat. Then, I'll take you home."

Applejack eagerly followed Celestia to her car. She climbed into the passenger seat. Once the door was closed, she exhaled a long sigh of relief. Celestia started the car and began to pull out of the police station.

"I still cannot believe the way they treated you..." The principal said. "That captain was lucky to retain his job."

Applejack frowned when she thought about what the officer had said. He saw her leaving the portal. He knew where the portal was. What he didn't know, was how to pass through it. That much was little to comfort Applejack, but she stayed quiet.

"Alright..." Celestia said as her eyes began scanning the metro horizon for an eating establishment. "What looks good to you, Applejack?"

***TO BE CONTINUED***