Alternate Beginnings: Year Two

by Doug Graves

Rating: teen
Tags: Human, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Romance, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sex, Slice of Life
Length: 64388

The mares of Herd Apple celebrate the birth of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo and adjust to their life as dams in a town that isn't happy with their choice of stallion - the lone human in Equestria.

The mares of Herd Apple - Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy - celebrate the birth of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to the lone human in Equestria. The mares adjust to their life as dams in a town that isn't happy with their choice of stallion. Doug has to adjust a role he never thought he would have before he came to Equestria: caretaker of three foals.

Reading of previous books is not required, though some events from earlier years may be referenced.

Set approximately six years before the events of MlP:FiM

Sex tag is for relationships between human and ponies (no clop).

Previous Year:
Alternate Beginnings: Year One

Continued In:
Alternate Beginnings: Year Three

Published 2018-06-22 18:30:07 UTC
Last updated 2018-06-22 18:30:07 UTC

Ch. 1 - The Long Winter

February 7th, 994 Domina Solaria

A cool breeze blows through the Apple herd’s hospital room as Nurse Redheart pushes the door open. The white unicorn shudders slightly, but not from the cold; she feels uneasy around Doug, the human sire of Herd Apple. She mentally berates herself; she is a professional and she should act like it!

Nurse Redheart forces a smile on her face as she steps into the room, dragging in her cart loaded with medical supplies and tests. Each of the three mares are fussing over their foals as she turns around and busies herself, making sure the last set of tests are ready. Satisfied everything is in order, she turns towards Applejack, the lead mare of Herd Apple, and her foal, Apple Bloom.

The orange earth pony valiantly tries to get Apple Bloom to sit still, playfully redirecting the hoof-sized foal, but the inquisitive youngster is far more interested in figuring out what her sisters are up to. Applejack slowly grows more impatient, especially once she realizes that Nurse Redheart is waiting on her. She grits her teeth and grabs Apple Bloom with a hoof, plopping her down on her rump in front of the nurse.

Apple Bloom immediately bursts into tears, bawling loudly as Nurse Redheart gives Applejack a knowing smile. She flails with tiny forelegs, often times at odds with herself; why wouldn’t her dam want her to walk around and explore?! The hoof gently rubbing along her mane does help calm her down, and she curiously looks up at the two mares.

Nurse Redheart babbles at the foal as she wraps a measuring tape around her head, getting a cheery chirp in reply. Next up is the thaumometer, but she can barely return Applejack’s hopeful look. She checks the reading, a pursed frown spilling across her muzzle as she shakes her head. Barely half of the average pony’s.

Applejack sighs and gathers Apple Bloom in her forelegs, wiping away the tears that threaten to form in her eyes. None of them know what it will mean for the foal to be so magically stunted. But, given that their sire seems to get along just fine without any magic, perhaps there is hope. She nuzzles Doug when he joins her, her deep breaths and his steady arms controlling the shuddering she knows would otherwise come.

Rainbow Dash, the third mare in Herd Apple, yawns as she slowly wakes up from her nap. Sleepy eyes scan for the source of the crying, if only to make sure it isn’t because Scootaloo is acting up again. Spotting her foal slumbering next to Sweetie Belle she lays back down, drifting again to sleep.

Sweetie Belle awakens, startled by Apple Bloom's cry. Her frustrated cry sets every mare on edge, bent ears and tired grimaces at another potential chain reaction between the three foals. Fortunately for them it ends almost as quickly with a nuzzle into her dam.

Rarity, second mare in Herd Apple, gently massages the pink and purple locks. She shares a tired yawn; midnight feedings are not something she enjoys, and the hospital beds leave a lot to be desired. She is no stranger to long nights and early mornings, but they generally don’t happen on the same day.

Nurse Redheart places the wand back on the cart, pushing it over to Rarity's bed. She finds her smile easy and genuine this time, asking, "Ready to head home?"

Rarity smiles back, "Oh dear me, yes, I am ready. While the three days we have spent here has not been bad, per se, I am ready to get back to the Boutique. Celestia knows how much of a backlog I will have waiting for me." Nurse Redheart nods, holding the wand to Sweetie Belle and then Scootaloo. Rarity looks at the reading, frowning much like Applejack. "That is... not very encouraging."

Nurse Redheart shakes her head, not disguising her sad smile. The cart feels especially heavy as she drags it away. Giving patients bad news is so much harder when it is young, innocent eyes staring up at you. She looks back, saying to nopony in particular, "Well, let me know if you need anything else. Otherwise, I'll be at the nurse's station when you are ready to check out." She exits the room, her cart following behind.

Doug finds his gaze wandering around the room as his hand presses into Applejack’s mane, her head against his bare chest. Everything from their three day stay is packed away, and he thinks back to the last couple of days. The foaling itself for each of his mares proceeded smoothly. It is still unknown how the foal’s condition will progress. Doctor Horse, the unicorn assigned to their case months ago when they all realized they were pregnant, simply didn't have any previous cases to draw from. They aren't the first foals born to a mixed race couple (even if those couples are extremely rare), but they are the first born to a race with no magic. And, seeing as Doug is the only human in Equestria, Doctor Horse's prognosis ranged from somewhere between bad to the doctor shrugging his shoulders and popping a pain-killer, especially with the tests so far being frustratingly consistent. He wants the foals to return to the hospital weekly for a check-up and magic test, but his acerbic personality has given the herd little hope.

Doug remarks to Applejack, "I don't know about you, but I'm certainly ready to head home. Two extra days here certainly is getting to me too." He pets Apple Bloom's mane as she nuzzles Applejack, the foal slowly quieting down. He chuckles as Apple Bloom again tries to escape her dam's clutches and go exploring around their hospital room.

Applejack sighs, lightly pushing Doug away. "Ah'll keep an eye on this rascal, you go and make sure we have everything ready to go. Ah'll be happy as a hog once we get back home."

Doug scratches Applejack's ears before he gets up again, double checking their bags. All in order, just like the last time. He slips next to Rarity, lightly petting her mane. Rarity looks at him appreciably before her attention turns back to the two foals. Sweetie Belle has fallen asleep next to Scootaloo, who barely stirred from the commotion.

Doug grabs the two bags, slinging the straps over his shoulder. He lightly taps Rainbow's withers before whispering in her ear, "Time to wake up, love," and heads back to Applejack. He gently picks up Apple Bloom, keeping the squirming foal in one arm. Rainbow yawns again, slowly getting to her hooves just as Rarity lifts Scootaloo and places the foal between cerulean wings. Rainbow gives a sleepy nod to her herdmate before falling in line behind her. The somber mood still hasn't lifted as the seven exit the room, Doug holding the door for each before bringing up the rear.

At the nurse’s station Nurse Redheart gives Doug an envelope containing Doctor Horse's notes and the list of expenses. He grimly pages through the papers, the unexpected bill not going to sink the herd but certainly leaving them strapped. He trades it for three blankets and scarves from his bag, putting the numbers out of his mind. Each foal gets a blanket and each mare a scarf, tightly wrapping each with loving tussles of ear or mane or muzzle. For himself he dons a knee length trench coat, boots, and gloves before opening the door to the outside.

The throes of winter, his and Rainbow’s handiwork, continue to assault the town for perhaps another week. Snow lines the ground and rooftops, a chill breeze nipping at exposed flesh, and yet nopony pays it much mind. Overcast clouds slowly make their way across the sky, though thankfully few seem to be on the herd's intended route.

The three foals rise from their dam’s backs at the strange sight. They stare in wonder at the snow’s sparkling reflections, the twinkling coming from every direction, and only the tightly wrapped blankets prevent them from exploring this new world. Their chirps of protest are met with cheerful nuzzles and promises that once they get home they will be able to rampage around all they want. It does little to mollify them, but at least they stop their frantic wriggling.

One unexpected mare on their route, though, is a yellow pegasus, the last and most junior member of Herd Apple. Fluttershy greets them with a cheerful wave before fluttering up to Doug, getting a quick kiss from her stallion. Her smiles broadens before she looks down, seeing each foal swaddled but now alert, awakened by the cold. She moves down the line, nuzzling each foal in turn, before taking her place next to Doug at the back. The procession slowly proceeds through the streets of Ponyville. Fewer ponies than normal are out and about, and the ones that are present pay them little mind.

Rarity starts to move away as the group nears the Carousel Boutique. She stops when Fluttershy, in a timid yet assertive voice, asks, "Oh, Rarity, wouldn't you like to come to Sweet Apple Acres?"

Rarity responds in a huff, "Fluttershy, darling, while I would normally love to, I must insist that-" before she turns and sees Fluttershy's face. The mare has the largest forced grin Rarity has ever seen on anypony outside of Pinkie Pie. Rarity sighs, turning back towards Sweet Apple Acres. She knows what would happen next, and is far too mentally exhausted to resist Fluttershy's best puppy dog face. She would never want to cause her junior the sort of distress that would necessitate unleashing that particular weapon. And, she supposes, she could deal with Applejack for a little while longer.

She sighs. "Very well, I suppose I can join you, if only for a short while."

Fluttershy's grin grows more natural as she mentally breathes a sigh of relief. Now that the hard part is over, all she has to do is not give away why she insisted Rarity continue with them. The only bolt left to dodge will be...

Fluttershy chances a look to the side. True to her expectations, Doug is giving her a questioning look. His mouth opens as she slowly shakes her head no; thankfully, he seems to catch her hint and his mouth slowly closes, though she can still see the question forming in his eyes. She forestalls him by asking, "So, Doug, how has your job as the weather scheduler been coming along?"

Doug’s snorts, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Much better than the start of winter, that's for sure. I was able to pick up a lot from working with so many different regions, but I think I broke the record for most disgruntled letters in a season."

Rainbow breaks her silence, "Well, it wasn't completely your fault. A lot of those ponies don’t like change. It was bad enough getting mares to move active rainstorms, and you wanted them to move active snowstorms?"

Doug responds, "Well, sure, but then I should have accounted for that. If I build a schedule that they can't keep to it's just as much my fault as theirs, especially if I knew that they couldn't hack it."

Rainbow rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I guess not every pegasus can be as awesome as I am. Hey AJ, did you hear from the mayor about me taking weather team lead?"

Applejack doesn't bother looking back, responding with an exasperated, "Yes, Rainbow, and Ah still can't believe you want this much responsibility so soon after having these three. Ah'm going to be plum tuckered out just watching Doug take care of them."

Rainbow gives an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Yet she grows more excited as she continues, “Well, what did she say? Did she say yes?"

Applejack sighs right back. "Ah'm sorry Rainbow, but she said no." Rainbow gives a loud sigh as Applejack continues, "She was thinking of offering me team leader of the plant team for Winter Wrap Up, but Ah passed. Ah'll need to focus on getting the farm ready."

"Yeah, I guess. There's always next year. Oh, speaking of next year," Rainbow looks back to Doug, "Think Pinkie Pie will throw you a party on the anniversary of you coming to Equestria?"

Doug winks at Rainbow, "Knowing Pinkie Pie? She might start it a little early. Just to get it out of the way so she can throw more parties. For our herding anniversary, birth of the foals, anything under the sun."

Fluttershy gulps nervously; Pinkie will give her a very hard time if she lets slip what Pinkie has planned. It can't be helped if they figure it out on their own though, right? All she has to do is keep quiet about the...

Doug notices Fluttershy looking around nervously and asks, "Fluttershy, you okay? You seem a little distracted."

Fluttershy's eyes dart back and forth and she covers her mouth with her mane, "What, me? Oh, no, I'm just, um, excited at how close we are! Look, we are almost to Sweet Apple Acres!" The mare points her hoof with forced excitement as Applejack opens the gate, the dirt road leading towards the main house mostly cleared of snow. The group trundles along the road, finally reaching the door.

Applejack peers at the darkened house and closed blinds, remarking, "Ah'm surprised Big Mac and Granny aren't out here to greet us. It's almost like..." she trails off, looking at Fluttershy, "Now, you wouldn't happen to know what's going on here, do you?"

Fluttershy hides her face behind her mane, a quiet, "Who, me? Um..." escaping her muzzle.

Applejack sighs in resignation. "Fine, Ah guess we'll just have to get this over with. Alright y'all, let's head in."

Everypony heads inside the darkened farmhouse. As Doug enters, bringing up the rear, the room explodes into light and sound.

"SURPRISE!!!"

Ch. 2 - Hair Trigger

"SURPRISE!!!"

The words echo through Doug's head as he staggers to the floor, dropping the two bags. Ears ring and vision blurs as the remains of the firecracker that went off next to his head flutter to the floor. He shakily rises back to his feet, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. He rubs his eyes, barely able to make out the decorations covering the transformed farmhouse.

Pinkie Pie pronks up to Doug, saying something towards him. He grits his teeth; the ringing in his ears prevents anything intelligible from being heard, and his patience - normally stretched thin at the pink mare’s natural exuberance - is on the verge of snapping. At his louder than necessary, "What?" Pinkie hops closer.

The pink earth pony shouts into his ear, "Are you enjoying the party? I hope you're enjoying the party but we haven't started dancing yet but if you really really want to then we can start early!"

Doug massages his ear, barely able to make her out. He replies loudly, "No, Pinkie, that's okay.” He slowly recovers as he inspects the many decorations celebrating Foal’s Week. Streamers line the ceiling and balloons drape along the windows. All of the decorations fit one of three themes: apple shaped, rainbow colored, or more elegantly arranged purple.He has to admit, the party does look great. Especially for it not being their normal venue. “You must have gone all out!"

Pinkie Pie happily pronks about, her smile widening, "Yup! I'm glad you're enjoying it, I spared no expense! Ooh, have you seen the food yet? It's over this way!" She pronks through the sea of ponies to the dining room. It feels like half the town has crammed themselves into the farmhouse in order to see the three new foals, though other newcomers to the world dot the premises.

Doug pushes away from the wall and briefly stumbles before making his way to the dining room. Fortunately the ponies are aware enough to get out of his way, many offering a muffled, "Congratulations!" as he walks by. Doug returns a smile and wave to each of them; while most wave back none are so bold as to reach out their hoof.

The dining room table is laden with sweets, cakes, and muffins in the same variety of themes as the decorations. He takes a rainbow muffin, a purple cake, and what he assumes to be orange chocolate before finding an unoccupied chair and sitting down.

Meanwhile, the mares of Herd Apple busily introduce their newest members to the ponies of Ponyville. For about the thirtieth time, Applejack finds herself repeating, "Yes, this is my filly Apple Bloom. Yes, Doug is the sire. No, Ah'm sure. Yes, it's the same with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, you are free to ask them if you want the same answers." She shakes her head as Carrot Top moves on to talk to Rarity and Rainbow Dash, the smile on Applejack's muzzle becoming ever so slightly more forced with every interaction.

Seeing no more ponies waiting to introduce themselves to Apple Bloom she directs the fascinated filly to Doug before heading into the kitchen. Applejack glances over the table where Pinkie Pie set the spare sweets. Not seeing what she wants she opens the fridge and grabs a container of apple cider. She pops the cap off with her hoof and drinks deeply, a happy sigh as the slightly alcoholic beverage singes her throat.

An all-too familiar voice pipes up next to her. "Hey, I don't suppose you have a second one of those? I could go for a drink myself, it's been far too long." Rainbow stands there, Scootaloo nowhere to be seen, weary hope etched across her muzzle. It doesn’t fool Applejack. She can see through the disguise to the tiredness Rainbow feels, and knows it’s echoed in herself.

Rainbow Dash takes the unopened bottle Applejack holds out to her, her smile finally starting to show some real light. She pops the cap off and takes a sip, her grin widening. But when she tilts the bottle and starts chugging Applejack lightly taps her on the shoulder and shakes her head. Rainbow exaggerates a frown at her lead, though it doesn’t stop her from taking another sip. Just as quick as it left the smile returns to her muzzle; a second bottle joins the first as she sits down at the mercifully quiet table.

Applejack finishes her bottle, setting the empty on the counter. She sighs; somepony better be entertaining all these guests, and it ain’t gonna be Rainbow. She moves back to the main party area, spotting Apple Bloom and Scootaloo happily playing near Doug. A number of mares are engaging the foals, though Applejack notes the mares have formed a semi-circle, each trying to stay as close to the foals while as far away from the human. Applejack forces a smile again, tired of having to deal with the mares' insecurities, and moves between the foals and Doug. She gives him a grin and turns back, a gentle push encouraging her foals to play with the mares. The foals happily bound over, nuzzling the group in greeting while babbling away.

Rarity, meanwhile, has been in her element. A few quick words here, a friendly smile there, all culminating in making the shindig at the Apple house more pleasant. She finds herself relaxing, especially considering how worried she has been about the outcome of herding with Doug. Her ears perk at some of the whispered comments about her stallion; though not all of them are good, some are quite mis-informed, and she hopes Sweetie Belle and this party help put those fears to rest.

A lull in the conversation allows Rarity a chance to wander around the room. She spots Applejack and Doug sitting in the corner while Rainbow Dash cannot be seen. A smile creeps over her muzzle; that is probably for the best. Anything that keeps the brash pegasus out of the way, especially with how down she is feeling. Fluttershy is engaging in conversation with a single mare, which is exactly her pace. The decorations are still in place, the food seems to be going over well, now all she needs to do is avoid any unexpected surprises and she will be able to retire to her Boutique in peace.

Rarity freezes; she has just tempted Murpony! She gives a hurried look around the room; everything still seems to be going smoothly, but appearances can be quite deceiving. She tries, to no avail, to find Pinkie Pie, but the conversation from the kitchen sounds suspiciously boisterous. She slinks over, trying not to show the alarm blaring in her head, her worried look spurring Doug and Applejack into following her.

In the kitchen Pinkie Pie noisily pronks around Rainbow Dash. The pegasus stares at the bottle in front of her, doing her best to ignore the earth pony chattering away. The bottles scattered around her suggest that, while Rainbow Dash isn't past her limit, the mare is drawing close. Pinkie either hasn't noticed or is trying to cheer Rainbow up in spite of it.

"Come on, Rainbow! I want to see you SMILE!" Pinkie exclaims as she bounces from one end of the table to the other, ever-present smile plastered on her muzzle. "You know it always makes my day! What do I need to make YOUR day?"

Rainbow mutters, "Just leave me alone, Pinkie.” Her voice strains as she looks away, trying to control herself. “Please?"

"But, Rainbow, this is supposed to be a PARTY! We're supposed to be celebrating!"

Rainbow sighs, "Pinkie."

Pinkie, oblivious, continues in a cheerful tone, "And you know why we are supposed to be partying?"

Rainbow deadpans, "Pinkie." Her hoof hits the table with a dull thunk.

"It's the birth of your foals, silly! I know you knew the answer to that one, since you were there!"

Rainbow scowls, "Pinkie."

Pinkie pronks back and forth, "And just think of the things you can do together!"

Rainbow shouts, "PINKIE!"

Pinkie does a few cartwheels around the room, not acknowledging Rainbow. "Like flying together! And when Scootaloo joins you on the weather team!"

Rainbow turns on Pinkie, flying above her and shouting,"Don't you get it, Pinkie? There isn't going to be a future like that!" Rainbow counts with her hooves, "The foals have no magic! They aren't going to be able to fly, they won't join me on the weather team, and they never will!" She points a hoof at Pinkie, "If you bothered to stop talking somepony might have told you! But no! You have to keep on trying to cheer everypony up! Well, look how bucking well that worked!"

Pinkie Pie's poofy mane deflates, laying straight and limp on her head. She quivers, slowly crumpling to the floor. Her hooves cover her head as she starts sobbing, her cries quickly growing louder as tears flow from her eyes, quickly forming waterfalls.

Rainbow glares around the room before throwing her hooves in the air, flying out of the kitchen and leaving the house through the front door.

Ch. 3 - Fragility

Applejack commands, "Rarity, make sure Fluttershy has the foals with her, then run damage control. The party is over; if you need to, get Big Mac to help get the mares out of here. I'll get Doug, figure out what to do with Rainbow and Pinkie."

Applejack doesn't have to look far as she spots Doug standing close to the doorway. She says, "Doug, Rainbow told Pinkie about the foals, and she did it as bluntly as she could. You need to either find Rainbow and calm her down or work with Pinkie."

Doug scratches his chin. "I'll see what I can do with Pinkie." The mares clear the kitchen as Doug kneels down, saying softly to Pinkie, "So, I take it you didn't know about the foals?"

Pinkie Pie looks up at Doug; her eyes have stopped making waterfalls but the tears can still be seen. She slowly shakes her head, saying, "That's... that's the saddest thing I've ever heard. It's even sadder than the rock farm, where I thought I would never be happy. And... and it's not the sort of thing you can make better with a party, is it?"

Doug shakes his head, gathering the pink pony in his arms. She gladly cuddles next to him, wiping her tears off on his chest. She looks up as he responds, "No, I don't think one party will fix this. It will take years of effort, making sure that these foals grow up knowing they are loved regardless of how powerful their magic is. And you know what they could use to help them understand that?" Pinkie Pie's eyes grow larger as she waits for his answer. Doug smiles down at her, "They could sure use a party or two, to help celebrate their achievements."

A smile spreads over Pinkie's muzzle, "Oh, I don't think you could stop me from throwing just two parties!" She looks around the room as her mane poofs back to normal. "Huh. Well, I guess this party is over. Unless you need an after party to the party?" She forces a wide smile as Doug shakes his head. She pouts, "Aww. Well, I suppose I can help clean up. Thanks for helping cheer me up, Doug!"

Doug ruffles her mane as he says, "Well, sometimes we all need a little help staying optimistic about things. Even the things that make us sad and get us down."

Pinkie bounds out the room, "Sometimes, it just isn't that bad! Like you say, we can get through this, right?"

Doug chuckles as Pinkie leaves, saying to himself, "Well, I don't think I ever said that to you, but it still applies. Now, where would Rainbow have flown off to?"

The rest of the party has gone quiet. It is quite surreal for Applejack as she finds Fluttershy. The three foals huddle close to the frightened mare, her mane partly covering her muzzle. Applejack drops to ponyloaf next to her and asks in a soft voice, "How're they doing?"

Fluttershy peers around her mane at her lead mare. "Um, they are a little startled by the outburst. I am too." She looks back down to the floor, unable to hide her fright. Applejack strokes her side, wrapping a foreleg around her withers and nuzzling her. Each of the foals gets a little reassurance as well, their soft cries filled with worry and confusion.

Rarity stands in the center of the room, coughing loudly enough to quiet everypony down. She takes a long look at the gathering mares, hesitating slightly. "First off, I want to apologize for Rainbow Dash's behavior. She has been under a lot of stress, as have us all.” She pauses, a few ponies nodding along. “Regarding the foals, I do have some bad news. I was hoping that this would have come out under calmer circumstances, but regardless. The foals have a magical deficiency. Doctor Horse is unsure of the exact nature of the cause, but we suspect it has to do with Doug and his lack of magic."

Chatter erupts among the ponies at the revelation. One of them pipes up, "Why doesn’t Doug have any magic?" before the rest of the questions blend together.

Rarity wipes her eyes with a hoofkerchief and waits patiently for the ponies to quiet down. "Dear me, I'm sorry, this has been a trying time for all of us. It sounds like there is a need, so we will hold a meeting for any interested ponies tomorrow and answer any questions you have about Doug and the foals. But for now, please just know that the foals are safe and healthy. We thank you all for coming here. I know it is out of the way, and I look forward to introducing Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to all of your foals, and I hope you all have a wonderful day."

The Ponyvillians offer their condolences to Applejack and Rarity as they file out of the house. Pinkie Pie helps clean up the party while Doug heads outside, already clad in his winter garb. He glances from cloud to cloud, snow crunching under his boots as he walks down the rows of white capped apple trees.

Several minutes later Doug comes to the clearing at the northern edge of the farm. He spots Rainbow Dash under one of the trees, her eyes hidden under her hooves. He walks over, sitting down next to her, just listening to the soft sobs.

Rainbow slowly lifts her head, barely looking to see who is here, though the lack of hoofsteps gives it away. She pushes her body off the ground and inches over, setting her head in his lap. She pushes aside his coat, rubbing her head against his bare chest while moving her forelegs around his torso. She squeezes as Doug puts his arms around her, one hand moving to the top of her mane while the other hand wraps around her barrel, resting on her wings. He returns the hug as they both settle back against the tree.

Several minutes pass while Rainbow quietly cries. When she stirs she lets loose a louder sob, her flailing hooves lightly striking Doug in the chest. It doesn’t help, and she knows he’ll show a few welts, but she can’t stop herself.

Her rock merely holds her tighter, his voice quiet and sure. "Shh, Rainbow, it's okay. It's okay." Her strikes stop but not her tears as Doug continues, "It's okay. You didn't mess up, not that bad. Everything's being taken care of."

Rainbow tries to push away from Doug, mumbling, "No, you shouldn't have to deal with this. You would be better off without me." She starts fighting, squirming against Doug's arms. Yet he holds her tighter, unwilling to let her go. After a brief struggle Rainbow quiets down again, murmuring, "See, I'm so pathetic, I can't even get away from you. Figures I can't find a way to get past this."

Doug relaxes his grip, again moving his hands along her mane. "Well, it's a good thing you aren't doing it alone. You have me here to help you through this."

A voice pipes up from behind them, "And you have me standing with you, Rainbow." Rainbow looks up, tear streaked eyes trying to focus.

"You have me as well, darling."

"Um. And me."

"Ooh! Ooh! And me!"

A small bundle of energy barrels into Rainbow, happily babbling away. Rainbow clears her eyes to see her herd and Pinkie standing in front of her. Scootaloo pushes into her, doing her best to burrow into her dam’s side. The foal's wings flutter madly as she pushes, trying to get to her belly. Rainbow laughs as her herdmates move closer, each laying down next to her in the trampled snow. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle each follow their dam, pushing against them and quietly protesting the lack of warmth. Rainbow shifts her body, giving Scootaloo access while she stares into Doug's eyes.

Doug smiles at Rainbow, giving the mare a quick kiss before leaning back again. Rainbow shifts to her side, laying back down over Doug. She mutters so only he can hear, "Why do you put up with me? What makes me so special?"

A frown creases Doug's face as he holds her close, the sounds of suckling ringing from around them. "Besides that it's the right thing and I love you?" Rainbow nods into his chest and Doug sighs, continuing, "Because, Rainbow, I envy your ability to get so emotionally involved."

Rainbow looks up at him, frowning. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Doug scratches Rainbow's mane, pushing slightly until she settles her head back against him. "When I got to Equestria, I adapted myself to the situation. I changed my expectations of what I would do with my life to fit the new circumstances. When Applejack and I got together, I changed again. When we started the herd, I changed again. In every circumstance it's been something happening to me, and I adapt, I react."

Doug digs into Rainbow's mane, scratching harder and deeper, "With you, it's been you initiating the change. You wanted to be a Wonderbolt. You trained hard to accomplish that goal and, from what you told me, you nearly did. When your heat became a hindrance and you found what you thought was a solution, you acted and took that chance. Even now, with the foals, you aren't happy with the situation. I know you will do your best to fix this, and I envy that passion, that desire to change the world around you. It's how I know you will go on to do great things and not just in this herd, with these foals."

Rainbow rolls to her back, exposing her chest for Doug to continue scratching. Scootaloo protests, clambering on top of Rainbow to continue her meal. Doug continues, "It is the ponies who are unhappy with the situation and want to change it that will do so. I look at myself and this situation and I say, 'yes, I can deal with that'. My first instinct isn't to say, 'I'm unhappy with this and won't rest until it changes'. But yours is, and it frustrates you so badly when you don't see the solution you want. There is a saying, 'I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.' You, Rainbow? You would change the wind."

Rainbow smiles at Doug, moving her head to take a long, passionate kiss. The sounds around the two slowly quiet as she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep, still locked in their embrace.

Ch. 4 - First Snow

Rainbow wakes Doug in his second favorite manner as her lips caress his. She hesitantly pulls back; she wants to keep going but knows they have to head back home. The rest of her herd has already left, taking Scootaloo and the other two foals with them. Rainbow shivers slightly as she pushes to her hooves, no longer pressing against Doug's body. The cold winter air doesn't bother her, but she can see the human absentmindedly rub his arms. She offers a hoof and he accepts, the two of them beginning the walk back to the farmhouse.

Rainbow deliberates over challenging Doug to another race, but decides against it; while she knows her stallion will do anything to make her happy she just doesn't have the heart right now. She continues her plodding pace before taking to the air, hovering next to Doug as they continue in silence. Her gaze wanders to the snow covered trees, thinking of the upcoming Winter Wrap Up. She feels bummed about not being chosen as weather team lead but knows that Cloud Kicker will do an adequate job.

She briefly pauses when Doug disappears from her peripheral vision, glancing over to where he was standing. A smirk crosses her muzzle as she dodges his first snowball, sticking her tongue out and closing her eyes. A moment later she dodges again, her eyes still shut and exclaims, "Hah! You couldn't hit the broad side of a-"

A third snowball right into her muzzle momentarily silences her.

"Oh, it is on!" she yells, flying to the top of one of the nearby trees and scooping snow in her hooves. She wings two snowballs at Doug as he takes cover behind a nearby tree. A third and fourth snowball ready themselves before a barrage of snowballs slam into her side.

Rainbow whirls around to see Pinkie Pie standing off in the distance. She spins a large snowball with one hoof while her goofy grin spreads across her muzzle. Rainbow yells as she darts behind her tree, "I call Applejack and Rarity!" She glances, trying to locate Doug, before dodging back as a snowball passes in front of her.

"Hold on, Rainbow, we're almost to ya!" Applejack rounds the corner. She slams her hooves deep into the snow before rearing up and throwing a wave of snow into the air. Rarity’s light blue aura surrounds the snow and packs it into a rough barricade as the unicorn careens around the side, diving for cover from a hail of snowballs.

"I can't believe I get talked into these things," Rarity mutters as she gathers herself behind the wall. "This snow is going to wreck havoc on my mane!" She levitates several of Applejack’s snowballs, peeking around the side to try to spot one of her targets.

She startles back as a snowball whizzes past her muzzle.

"That nearly hit me!” she exclaims, a hoof tapping at her nose. Everything seems fine, but the numbing cold means this conflict must be short-lived for her to have any chance of making it out with her mane intact. “Oh... It. Is. ON!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ponderously wade toward their dam’s fort, only for Doug to dart from his tree cover. He quickly bounds to the two foals struggling through the snow with an exultant war cry. Happy shrieks erupt as he lifts and traps them against his chest. He sprints to the fort Fluttershy and Pinkie are crafting, Scootaloo just behind the yellow pegasus.

Rarity yells, "He has the foals! After him!" and lets loose a swift barrage of snowballs. Doug dodges and weaves the first few but her aim finally proves true, smacking him on the side of the head. He falters, tossing the foals out from under him as he collapses into the snow. Pinkie jumps forward and snags both foals in her forelegs, running back human style to the opposing fort.

Applejack appears at Rarity's side, twirling a rope in her teeth. She throws it out, lassoing Doug's feet and dragging the human toward their side. He playfully struggles, yelling, "You'll never take me alive!" as Applejack relentlessly pulls him behind the walls of their fort.

Pinkie Pie dives out of view with a loud victory shout. The foals giggle and chirp as they find themselves on the top of the fort, an unassailable ward on all types of ammunition.

Doug, however, has no such defense, and quickly finds himself hog tied behind Applejack’s fort wall, the piece of rope in his mouth disguising his happy expression. Applejack huddles with Rainbow and Rarity, their battle plan taking mere moments to formulate.

"Alright,” Rainbow Dash starts. “I'm going in after them! You all follow me!" She starts to dash off but Applejack grabs onto her tail, yanking her back.

Applejack retorts as Rainbow massages her tail, "No, they'll be expecting that. We'll try talking to them, maybe they'll be happy ending this peaceful-like."

Doug laughs through the rope as Rarity stands up, speaking loudly, "We know neither of us want this. Give up the foals and we can all go home tonight!"

Laughter erupts from the opposing fort, and it takes no time at all for the foals to join in.

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. "Can we go with my plan now?"

Applejack scowls, "Alright Rainbow, we'll follow you in. Rarity, go for the foals."

Rainbow takes to the sky as Applejack charges the left side of the fort, Rarity going right. Except, rather than an entrenched defense, they find Fluttershy cowering with hooves above her head. The foals each scamper away in a different direction, scurrying as fast as their little legs will take them. Rainbow swoops down, gathering Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, before flying back to her base. Rarity chases after Sweetie Belle, gently tackling the foal and nuzzling her mercilessly.

Applejack gently nudges Fluttershy, concern on her face. The pegasus barely looks up, whimpering, "Um, I'll go peacefully. Please don't tie me up."

Applejack sighs. "It's okay Fluttershy, we're just playing." They both get up, slowly making their way back to the fort. Rainbow lands, setting Apple Bloom and Scootaloo next to Pinkie Pie, who is tied up next to Doug. Rarity arrives soon after, Sweetie Belle happily riding on her back. The mares gather up, congratulating each other on their hard fought victory with heartfelt pats on the back.

Rainbow looks around after their hug ends, asking, "Wait, who captured Pinkie Pie?" right as Pinkie Pie and Doug leap to their feet.

"Cupcaaaakes!"

"Freeeedoooom!"

Doug tackles Rainbow while Pinkie charges Applejack, wrapping the startled mare with her hooves. Doug and Rainbow roll around in the snow while Fluttershy moves over to Rarity, a hoof lightly tapping the surprised mare on her horn. "Um, I got you. If that's okay with you." Rarity giggles and sinks to her hooves, the two watching the other four wrestle.

After several minutes Doug has Rainbow tightly wrapped in his arms while Applejack has Pinkie Pie tied up. The two look at each other before Doug asks, "So, do we call this a draw?"

Applejack laughs, "Sure, partner. You ready to head in?"

Doug grunts loudly as he gets to his feet, hefting Rainbow to his shoulder. Rainbow lets go of Doug to raise her forelegs in the air as Scootaloo bounds towards them. The foal also stops, raising her forelegs in the air as well. Her tiny wings beat furiously but overbalances, falling backwards on the snow. She gives a cry, rolling to her side as Doug moves over, taking a knee and scooping the foal in his free arm. He passes her to Rainbow before standing back up and slowly trudging through the packed snow.

The herd arrives back at the farmhouse, each mare brushing the snow off of themselves and their respective foals. Doug sets Rainbow and Scootaloo down before removing his winter garb and taking his customary seat on the couch. Pinkie Pie heads to the kitchen before returning with a tray of hot chocolate, passing a glass to each mare before sitting down next to Doug. She gives him a quick peck on the cheek, saying to the surprised human, "I really, really enjoyed today. I'm sorry about your foals, but I think you all will do a fabulous job raising them." She nuzzles Doug again, passing him the last glass before cuddling up next to him.

Rainbow sits on the other side of Doug, rolling over and looking expectantly at her stallion. She smiles as he scratches her belly with one hand and sips his hot chocolate with the other. Rarity positions herself between his legs, her magic levitating a brush through her damp mane. Once Doug finishes his hot chocolate he takes the brush and Rarity leans back further, the light from her horn winking out.

Applejack and Fluttershy take the sleeping foals to the foal's room, tucking each one in bed. They return, sitting next to the couch, sipping on their hot chocolate, and watching Doug as he brushes Rarity's coat. Several minutes pass before Pinkie says to the assembled group, "Well, it's been fun! I've got to head back to Sugarcube, lots of parties to plan!"

Rarity also gets to her hooves, saying, "I too need to return. Pinkie, would you like to walk back with me?"

Pinkie gives several large nods before she pronks out the door, Rarity waving at the gathered mares before leaving herself.

5 Making Ends Meet

February 8th, 994

Doug wakes to the sun, as he does most every day. He softly moans, his sore back letting him know that carrying Rainbow and Scootaloo around was probably not the best idea. He gets up, careful not to disturb the sleeping mares next to him, and moves to the bathroom. He stretches his back before quietly washing up, making his exit from the bedroom. He dons his coat and boots before heading into the foal's room. They are all sleeping peacefully, snuggling next to each other.

Doug pauses, smiling at the sight before moving forward. He grabs a blanket and extracts Sweetie Belle from the clutches of her sisters. She stirs but doesn't awaken as Doug wraps her up. He moves out to the main door, donning his gloves and backpack and heading outside.

The cold wind bites into Doug as he starts jogging towards Ponyville. Sweetie Belle wriggles in his arms, her large eyes looking up to see what her sire is doing. She calms down as he pets her mane, the two continuing to Sugarcube Corner. Once he arrives Doug opens the door, saying to Pinkie Pie, "Morning, Pinkie! How's it going?"

Pinkie Pie pronks over, nuzzling Sweetie Belle while she answers, "Moving along, little human. What can I do you for?"

Sweetie Belle wakes up at the nuzzling, playfully swinging her hooves around. Doug hands her to Pinkie Pie before moving over to the counter. Pinkie Pie plays with the foal as Doug says, "Let's see. I'll take a dozen fruit mix cupcakes, the Celestia mane donuts, and five pounds of the trail nut mix. Also a gallon of orange juice, coffee, and a glass of pear juice plus a treat for Sweetie. Everything packaged to go but the pear juice, and make a split for Rarity."

Pinkie gives the foal a kiss goodbye before hopping to the counter and packaging the various orders. She scribbles on the various packages before helping Doug pack his backpack. She hesitates as Doug picks up Sweetie Belle, tentatively asking, "Um, Doug? I, uh, I wanted to ask you about, well, ifIcouldgoonadatewithyou?" She smiles up at him, her tail wagging from side to side.

Doug's hand moves to his chin, scratching his stubble. Pinkie Pie starts fidgeting, looking more and more nervous, as Doug looks up at the ceiling, trying to keep the smile off his face. He breaks before Pinkie, giving her a wink and saying, "I would like that, Pinkie, it's been fun having you around. When were you thinking?"

Pinkie's hair poofs from its half deflated state back to normal as she breaks into a smile, "Oh goodie! How about next week, two days after Wrap Up finishes?"

"Sounds good to me. Well, I need to get back with breakfast, you know how Rainbow can get. I'll see you around!" Doug waves to Pinkie as he hoists his backpack, picking up Sweetie Belle and wrapping her in her blanket and walking out the door.

Pinkie waves back, breathing a sigh of relief as she mutters to herself, "I'll need to find a way to get him back for that, he totally had me worried!"

Doug walks towards the Carousel Boutique, waving at a few of the ponies that are out and about. His smile becomes forced when he only gets stares in return. Many of the ponies' eyes move towards Sweetie Belle, their mouths pursing or starting to whisper among themselves. Doug ignores them, moving along the road. He enters the Boutique through the side door and deposits Sweetie Belle in a chair in the kitchen. He places some of the food from Sugarcube Corner on the table as a sleepy Rarity peeks down the stairs.

"Oh, Doug, thank you for bringing her. I didn't want to wake her yesterday, and I missed her so much."

Sweetie Belle goes to leap off her chair but hesitates at seeing the drop. She starts mewling as Doug moves over, picking her up and dropping her on the floor. The foal scampers over to her dam, whining pitifully as Rarity makes her way to the table. Doug packs the rest of the food back into the bag before leaning down to kiss Rarity.

As the kiss ends Rarity says, "Oh, darling, you didn't have to do this. I would have been perfectly happy eating... okay, you are right, I am much happier eating this than some warm oats and cereal. Thank you."

Doug smiles, softly petting Rarity's perfectly coiffed mane. As Rarity smiles up to him he asks, "So, the rest of the herd will be having a discussion on finances, specifically with what to do with the foal's condition. Do you want to be there for the discussion?"

Rarity ponders a moment, wincing as Sweetie Belle latches on, "Well, I do have a lot of work I need to get done today. Anything important or that you think will be particularly contentious?"

Doug shakes his head, "No, I think it'll be pretty straightforward. We might need to do some pretty serious cutbacks, so be prepared for that."

Rarity nods, a frown on her face. "Very well. Are you leaving so soon?"

Doug shrugs the pack onto his back, "Well, you know how the others get when their stomachs rumble. I'll see you later!"

Rarity waves back and lifts one of the cupcakes in her magic. She smiles, taking a delicate bite before spotting the cup of coffee and treat for Sweetie Belle.

Doug steps outside, wincing at the cold air that continues to blow. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot the weather team can do to improve the situation, the overall temperature being determined by Princess Celestia, or at least her weather advisers. The most Doug as weather scheduler can do is keep the clouds from accumulating for too long around the town, but even then most ponies prefer the white winter look and tolerate the clouds necessary for the snow. He might need to look into-

A pink coated earth pony mare with a purple mane moves in front of Doug, breaking his concentration and bringing him to a stop. Doug looks at the mare; she isn't one he recognizes from the party but he might have seen her before during his walks through town. The mare does not look particularly pleased to be dealing with him, and Doug asks, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," the mare replies, "I want you to keep your magic-less spawn away from my herd!" The earth pony motions back, a brown stallion with a charcoal mane and her foal, similarly colored to the mare but lighter with a white streak through the center of her mane. "They'll steal the magic from honest foals and I will not put my fillies at that kind of risk!"

Doug manages to stop his eyes from rolling out of his skull, replying, "I don't know where you got that from, but that's not how it works. We'll be holding a meeting later today at three, at the town center, to let everypony know what happened and what Doctor Horse expects to happen in the future."

"Look, I don't care what some fancy unicorn says. You keep your foals away from mine or I will!"

"I'm done here," Doug flatly replies, briskly walking down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"You'll regret this!" the earth pony cries, returning to her foal. She and her foal stick their noses in the air and turn around, walking back towards their house.

Doug sighs as he continues his walk back to the farmhouse, the spring lost from his step. He trudges along, noticing the weather ponies in the air already beginning to accumulate enough clouds for the morning snow flurries. He starts walking quicker, knowing he will need to rush home to keep from getting snowed on. He also is a little behind on his weather scheduling, having taken the time off to be at the hospital and not getting much work done yesterday.

Despite his efforts, the snow starts early again, dusting Doug as he makes his way into the farmhouse. He shakes himself off before removing his winter garb, stowing it in the closet. Doug hears the sound of ponies moving about in the kitchen; he grabs his pack and moves to the dining room, calling out, "Soup's on!"

Big Mac and Granny Smith walk out of the kitchen, sitting down in their chairs as Doug places the cupcakes and donuts around the table. He walks into the kitchen, putting the mix away in the pantry before pouring glasses of apple and orange juice. He places the tray of glasses on the dining room table before heading to the master bedroom.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash are cuddling together, Fluttershy next to them. Doug wakes Fluttershy by softly petting her mane; as the mare slowly comes to, he holds his finger to his mouth. Fluttershy realizes what is going on as he winks at her, carefully getting out of the bed. Doug leans over, kissing first Applejack and then Rainbow before moving to the doorway with Fluttershy. The pegasus suppresses a laugh, smiling as the two slowly wake up.

Rainbow licks her lips as Applejack smiles, both mares stirring as they wake up. They move closer to each other, their kisses slowly becoming more passionate. Doug stifles a laugh as each of their eyes open, realization coming over their faces. Applejack looks over, glaring at Doug, "Consarn it, Ah thought Ah told you to stop doing that!"

Rainbow flies out of bed, kicking the sheets over Applejack. A mean look comes over her face as she moves towards Doug. He calmly says, "Cupcakes and donuts are on the table; we can wrestle if you want, but Big Mac and Granny Smith are already digging in."

A look of horror comes over Rainbow's face as she pushes past Doug, flying towards the kitchen. He laughs at Rainbow's antics as Applejack makes her way out of bed, trying to untangle herself from the sheets Rainbow tossed over her. He moves over, helping her out over her muffled objections. He gives her a kiss as she pouts, still a little upset over his continued pranks, and she says, "You know, one of these days we're going to get you back for this."

Doug nods and smiles, "I know, love, and I look forward to that day. You and Rainbow will make a great pair."

Applejack smiles, then frowns as she realizes the double entendre. She hip checks Doug as they move towards the dining room, threatening, "If they are out of donuts by the time I get there," she waves a hoof at him as they enter. Applejack glares at Rainbow; the mare has a plate containing the remainder of the donuts and is about to devour the first one.

Rainbow gives Applejack a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her mane with her free hoof. "Um, hey Applejack! I saved you some donuts! You know, just to make sure that nopony else took them."

Applejack smiles at Rainbow, "It's okay, Rainbow, Doug was just saying how we make a great pair. Thank you kindly."

Rainbow smiles at Applejack before her face gets the same frown Applejack had. "Hey, wait a minute." Doug laughs as Rainbow looks at the ceiling. A scowl flickers across her face before she smiles seductively. She starts eating the donuts she is sharing with Applejack, leaning in closely to her lead, "It's okay, I'll go for you if it keeps getting us donuts like this." She glances over to Doug, "What's the occasion?"

Doug frowns, "Well, I wanted to wait until after breakfast before I go over the specifics. There is a bit of bad news, I guess, about the foals and their... well, treatment isn't the right word. Observation? The various doctor visits and checkups that they will go through, above that of a normal foal. And, since there are three of them," Doug trails off, unsure of how much he wants to spoil their breakfast.

Applejack shakes her head, "Park your flank over here, mister, that can wait until after breakfast. How was your jog?"

Doug shrugs, "Weather a bit cold for my liking, but it was fine with Sweetie Belle bundled next to me. Rarity and Pinkie were happy to see me, Pinkie especially so."

Applejack raises an eyebrow, "Oh?" as a grin spreads across her face. "Ah sure didn't know she was interested." She quickly looks side to side, her grin becoming more forced.

Doug gives her a deadpan look, "She asked you already, didn't she?"

Applejack gulps, "Well, maybe. Okay, yes she did."

Doug shrugs, "Hey, I think it will work out."

Applejack asks, "Anything else happen at town?"

Doug grimaces, "Nothing important."

Applejack frowns, looking over at Doug as she finishes her breakfast, "Well, when you feel like talking, we're here for ya. Let us know if there's anything we can do to help."

Doug finishes off the last cupcake, then reaches for the envelope that Nurse Redheart gave him when they left the hospital. "So, I read through the paperwork they sent me. Most of it was pretty standard stuff, birth certificates, copies of Doctor Horse's notes, etcetera. However, also included, was this." Doug pulls out a sheet of paper, placing it on the table.

The three gathered mares crowd up, looking at the paper. Applejack whistles, "Who-wee, that's more bits than Ah care to shake a stick at. Can ya break down where they got these numbers from?"

Doug pulls out a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and some of the pages from Nurse Redheart. "So, this number here, that you were looking at, is the total cost of the foal's proposed monitoring and potential treatment plan, including if we need to bring in outside specialists from Canterlot. Next to it is a more bare-bones monitoring plan, using the hospital and doctors from Ponyville. Last is the cost of the hospital visit when you were foaling, and the cost of the various doctor visits from when you all were pregnant."

Fluttershy quietly asks, "So we don't add each number together?"

Doug gives a quiet laugh, "Fortunately, no. We have already paid off the third number - the hospital visits and whatnot. It did eat into our savings."

Rainbow looks up, "Isn't there supposed to be some sort of assistance program for large medical expenses like this?"

Doug grimaces, "Unfortunately, the discount that we, being a solid herd with four or five working members, depending on if I'm counted, have is fairly low and is already included the number here."

Rainbow scoffs, "Whether or not you are counted? What's up with that?"

Doug rolls his eyes, "The paperwork I filled out when we were applying asked how many mares in the herd worked, but I did make a note of my situation. So, the question we need to ask is: how much do we sacrifice for the foals?"

Rainbow gives a loud laugh, saying, "I don't think any of us would hesitate to say, 'As much as it takes,' to that question. Speaking of which, shouldn't Rarity be here for this discussion?"

Doug nods, "I already talked to her; she will be busy at the store today and her thoughts mirror yours so far. Well, I guess we will be going for the specialists then. So, time to talk finances. Applejack, did you have to file taxes or anything like that last year?"

Applejack nods, getting up from the table along with Fluttershy. Applejack returns, placing a folder of papers on the table. "This is from the end of the year; a bit more than the last one." She winks at Rainbow as Fluttershy returns with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. She opens the folder, pulling the main sheet out and placing it in front of Doug. Applejack smiles, looking up while putting a hoof on her chin, "Hmm, yes; quite a bit more than last year. What with you and Granny helping out more. Then Ah added in Rainbow and your income from your weather jobs. Rarity wanted to keep the Boutique separate from the rest of our finances. Fluttershy, Ah haven't seen much from you, but that's okay."

Doug writes the numbers down, looking to Fluttershy who is shying away, a bit of a frown on her face. "That's fine, 'Shy, don't worry about it. Though with the increase in expenses we might need to think about what each of us can do to chip in, or what areas we can cut back on." He grimaces, "Well, Applejack, I know you won't enjoy this, or any of you for that matter, but I can pick up another city or two. It'll increase my hours to about sixty a week, between weather work and the farm."

Applejack frowns, "You're right, Ah don't like that option. Big Mac and Ah already do about as much as we can about the farm, but Ah suppose we might be able to scrounge up a few more lucrative contracts. Fluttershy, would you be okay trying to find those?"

Fluttershy looks unsure as she says, "Oh, um, I suppose I could try."

Rainbow pipes up, "I suppose I could take on a couple extra shifts at work, but it'll probably just be cloud runs. Really cut into my training time too." She frowns as she looks over her body, the disappointment clear on her face that the extra pounds she put on during her pregnancy have not come off yet. "And it'll probably mess with my figure, I need to build for speed, not endurance."

Doug moves over, giving Rainbow a light hug, "I know, and we won't force anypony to do something they don't want to do."

Rainbow returns the hug, "Well, it's not that, I want to help out and all, it'll just delay my return to the Wonderbolts. But I have an obligation to this herd just like all of us, and I'm not going to back out just because it'll take more hard work!"

Applejack smiles, "Hear, hear!"

Doug says, "Well, I think that about wraps up what we can do for extra income, barring whatever Fluttershy can come up with. We can also work on the other side of the equation, reducing expenses."

Rainbow looks over at the breakfast they just finished, "So, no more splurging at Sugarcube Corner? Doug, you didn't have to do this!"

Doug smiles, "Rarity said the same thing, you know. I just wanted to give everypony a last treat before we need to cut back."

Applejack quips, "So, no week long Las Pegasus vacation for the anniversary then?"

Doug laughs as a startled look comes over Rainbow's face. Doug looks over, "Rainbow? What's wrong?"

Rainbow looks from side to side, "Oh, um, I just remembered something. It might be that my parents learned about me being in a herd and having a foal and wanted to come see Scootaloo and me and all of you. I just, kinda, forgot about it until now." She scratches the back of her head, giving an apologetic look around the room.

Applejack responds with a stern look as Fluttershy responds, "Oh, um, my parents might have had the same idea and they want to meet Doug as well."

Doug rolls his eyes as Applejack responds, "So, ya think Rarity's parents will be looking to visit as well?"

Rainbow shrugs, "I could zip over there and ask her if you want. I thought they were always pretty busy though, lots of traveling and stuff. It's been a while since I've seen them, but I think that they are due back pretty soon. I would have thought they would be more interested in what's going on with her."

Doug looks at Rainbow, "So, what day will your parents be here?"

Rainbow responds, "They didn't say, but probably a couple days, maybe a week after Winter Wrap Up. They know we never finish on time; I may have complained to them once or twice about how the plant team can't get their act together."

Applejack rolls her eyes, "Well, maybe if the weather team could get on the same hoof as the rest of us we wouldn't be trying to push that slush around. It just gets everywhere, you can't contain it like snow!"

Doug moves in between before his two mares can get more heated, "Girls, let's save the complaining for your team leaders, alright? Though it might not be a bad idea to take some notes about what should be done." Doug looks to Fluttershy, "So, when would your parents be here? Please don't say a week after Wrap Up is done."

Fluttershy looks sheepishly at the ground, "Um. Okay."

Doug gives her a flat stare, "It is a week after Wrap Up, isn't it?"

Fluttershy pauses before giving a slow nod.

Doug sighs, settling back into the couch. "Well, looks like I'll be busy that day. So, who's up for some games?"

6 Town Meeting

Applejack shifts nervously back and forth as she stands on the stage. Mayor Mare was gracious enough to let them use the Winter Wrap Up mustering area for their informal assembly. The area is certainly spacious enough, but Applejack alternates between worrying if there will be too many ponies or too few. If nopony shows up, does that mean that nopony is worried about the foals, or about Doug? Or does that mean that they are all too scared to come to a place where they know he will show up? And if too many ponies show up, will they be able to contain their misconceptions and head off any herd mentality?

Applejack looks to the side of the podium; her herdmates are milling about, making sure that everything is in place. Rarity is going over potential talking points with Fluttershy while Rainbow is close to the back with Doug, playing with the foals. Doug is wearing his coat, boots, and gloves. If the human could tolerate the cold a little better he might fit in more, as not a lot of ponies wear winter garb every day. They just grow a thicker coat; at least Doug didn't complain about being cold.

A few ponies start showing up, gathering at the outskirts of the staging area. There is still about five minutes before the meeting starts, so Applejack heads over to start chatting with them. She is happy to see a few more mares walking towards them. She greets the first two, "Hey Carrot Top, Roseluck, sure is nice to see you two here. How have you been?"

Carrot Top smiles while Roseluck looks side to side, a nervous look on her face. Carrot Top responds, "Oh, doing well, ready to get back to farming."

Applejack nods, "You and me both. Winter is nice and all but Ah sure prefer the feel of ground on my hooves, not snow. You working plant team again?"

"Yup; we'll see whose farm gets done first!"

Applejack smirks, "Bushel of apples says Ah get my farm done before yours!"

Carrot Top narrows her eyes, "Oh, you're on!"

Applejack looks over to Roseluck, "You seem awful quiet, Rose. Ready for spring?"

Roseluck stammers, "Oh, um, yes. I am."

Applejack nods to the two mares, "Well, Ah'll see you two around. Take care y'all!"

The two mares move towards another group in the center area while Applejack makes her way back to the stage area. She moves over to Rainbow, saying, "Alright Rainbow, it's about time. Try to keep the foals from making too much of a scene, ya hear?"

Rainbow rolls her eyes, "Ya, I'll just sit here quietly and not say anything either. You trust me to not screw that up as well?"

Applejack huffs before moving over to Rarity. "You feeling ready for this?"

Rarity looks pensive as she moves her note cards off to the side. "As ready as I'll ever be, darling. Did you want to lead us off or shall I?"

Applejack says, "Ah'll lead us off, Ah suppose," and moves to the front of the stage. She clears her throat as the area has become somewhat crowded. "Well, Ah'd like to start off by thanking y'all for all showing up today. There's been a lot of speculation as to our foals, and we here would like to put a lot of those worries to rest. We'd also like to thank Doctor Horse for his considerable expertise and continued assistance."

Applejack stops speaking, silence spreading over the area. A lone cough echoes as Rarity moves up to the front of the group. Applejack steps back as Rarity continues, "First, a little background information. Doug, who you can see behind me, sitting with our foals, is known as a human. He is the sire of each of them and, yes, we are sure of this. The foals were all born on the fifth, or three days ago. All of our hospital visits had proceeded normally, and the foaling itself was unremarkable." Rarity pauses, a tear coming to her eye, "Oh, do excuse me, this next part is... a little difficult for all of us."

Rainbow whispers to Doug, "Pony she's good."

Doug nods back as Rarity continues, "The... Doctor Horse informed us, later that day, that there was a... discrepancy with the foals. Later tests confirmed that the foals each have a magic deficiency, and that-"

Rarity pauses again, levitating a hoofkerchief over to wipe the tears in her eyes. She visibly steadies herself, breathing out a long, steady breath and pushing one hoof away from her body. She looks up at the crowd again, saying, "The foals suffer magic deficiencies, possibly for the rest of their lives. Doctor Horse was unable to find other cases that mirror ours, so the next area is, unfortunately, mostly speculation."

Sweetie Belle breaks from her spot next to Doug, racing across the stage towards Rarity. Rarity hears the light hoofsteps approaching and turns, smiling down at her foal. Rarity hunkers down, letting the foal run up next to her before picking Sweetie Belle up with her magic and depositing the foal on her back. She softly coos at her foal before turning back to the crowded ponies, "As you can see, they are no different from than any other foal, maybe just a tad bit more adventurous than most." The crowd laughs as Sweetie Belle starts babbling in her dam's ear, wanting to be let down.

Rarity shushes her foal before continuing, "The tests the doctors have run show that the foals' magic is staying constant at a low thaum level. We believe they will continue to develop normally, aside from their magic difficulties. We also want to assure you that they are in no danger from yourselves or your foals and that they are not dangerous to you. Now, if you all have any questions, we would be more than happy to answer them for you."

The assembled ponies look around for a few seconds before a mare near the front raises her hoof. Rarity points her hoof at her, saying, "Carrot Top, go ahead."

The mare says loudly, "First, thank you for taking the time to have this discussion. I know there was a lot of rampant speculation as to what was wrong or what happened, and thank you for putting those fears to rest. Then I have, well, two questions. What are their names and who is with whom?"

Rarity smiles, "Well, it is our pleasure to have this meeting. My foal, as you can probably guess, is sitting on me and her name is Sweetie Belle."

Doug moves over to Applejack, holding Apple Bloom, while Rainbow grabs hold of Scootaloo, propping her between her wings. The two move up as Rainbow says, "This little scamp's name is Scootaloo, and she will not sit still!" as the foal struggles to escape her wings. Rainbow tilts her body one way and then another, leaning forward to try to keep the foal contained.

The crowd laughs at the pair's antics while Doug, having handed Apple Bloom off to Applejack, comes to Rainbow's rescue by picking the foal up and cradling her in his arms. Scootaloo whines softly, raising her hooves towards Rainbow as the mare moves closer.

Rainbow nuzzles Scootaloo and says softly, "Don't worry, Mama will be able to play with you more soon. Until then, we have to sit still, okay?" She then looks up at Doug, shooting him a quick glare, "You say nothing of this to anypony, got it?"

Doug laughs, shifting Scootaloo so she is carried in one arm while the other pets Rainbow's mane. The pegasus ducks her head before reconsidering, pushing up against Doug's hand while turning to face the crowd.

Applejack finishes laughing and says, "And this here's Apple Bloom. She's mine if the name didn't tip you off."

The crowd laughs again as Applejack points to another raised hoof. The mare asks, "What kind of magic difficulties will the foals have?"

Each of the mares on stage look a little dejected, their eyes focusing on their foals. Doug moves up, answering, "This is mostly speculation and assumptions. Most likely, Apple Bloom may have trouble using her magic on crops, but we don't know to what extent. Sweetie Belle may have difficulty with telekinesis, and we will have to see how well she learns other spells." Doug looks back; Rainbow looks to be close to tears as she raises a hoof towards her foal. Doug continues, "Scootaloo... we don't know if she will develop sufficient flight magic to be able to fly or perform weather work. However, we will be working with several specialists in magic to find if there is a way to infuse the foals with more magic or some other method to bring the foals to the same level as everypony else."

A mare shouts, "Are the foals ponies?"

Doug scratches the back of his head, looking towards Rarity, "Um, if you mean are they some sort of hybrid, then as far as we can tell they are all pony, at least physically. Magically, they seem to be a mix of their dam's magic and mine; my magic, as far as we can test, is none."

Hushed whispers spread among the crowd, and a mare tentatively asks, "So, what is a human?"

Doug coughs, "Let's see. Mammal, biped, no magic. Progressed through intelligence and tool use instead of natural defenses or weapons. This might be a little disconcerting but we can eat fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, but not grasses like hay. We live much like ponies, fall in love, and raise families-"

The same mare asks, interrupting Doug, "Meat? Like, you can eat ponies?"

Doug gives his best reassuring smile, "First, I don't want to come across as hiding anything, so please, I know this might be unsettling. Yes, I can eat ponies in the same sense that I can eat other humans. I would only do it in the most dire of circumstances, when there is literally no other option than starvation, and I share the same belief concerning all sapient species. I assure you that you are in no danger from me."

The whispering among the mares grows louder as a trio of mares shout, "Monster!" and run screaming from the area. Some of the other ponies can be seen shaking their heads as they let the mares pass, though more than a few can be seen looking inquisitively at Doug.

Doug sighs loudly as he moves from the front of the stage, returning to Rainbow. She nuzzles up next to him as she says, "Well, that went as well as expected." Doug smiles, petting her mane and taking a seat next to her. He recognizes the mare that moves forward as the same one from earlier, and tenses as she raises a hoof.

Applejack moves to the front, motioning at her. Spoiled Rich asks, "What precautions are you taking to ensure that this... creature doesn't harm anypony here?"

Applejack's smile turns to a scowl; she begins a retort as Rarity puts a hoof on her lead's shoulder. Applejack turns; Rarity shakes her head, removing her hoof and moving forward. Rarity answers, "The same precautions that apply to any of us here. Doug, and I would appreciate you using his name, is a citizen of Equestria like any other. He has spent a year among us without incident and I am sure that his record will remain unblemished."

Spoiled Rich continues, raising her voice, "You call what happened to the three of you 'without incident'? He seems to be a menace that the rest of us should be extremely cautious around!"

"HEY!" a voice calls out from the crowd. Pinkie Pie marches up to the mare, putting her hoof square on the other mare's chest and pushing. Spoiled Rich staggers back a little as Pinkie continues, "You don't get to decide who is a meany pants and who isn't!"

Spoiled Rich scoffs, "Well then, show of hooves, who here thinks that Doug doesn't belong here?"

Another pony shouts, "Ponyville for Ponies!" as many of the ponies in the crowd raise their hooves.

Applejack's ears flatten against her head as the chant echoes loudly among the gathered ponies. She looks worriedly at Rarity and Rainbow as she slowly backs away from the front of the stage. The two mares are holding their foals close to their bodies, the foals scared enough to not even cry. Fluttershy slowly makes her way from the back of the stage, her whisper lost in the roar of the crowd as Doug moves between the mares and assembled ponies.

Applejack yells to her herd, "Well that went pear-shaped quick. Let's just-" she notices Doug moving forward, "Doug, what are you doing? Get out of sight, stop inciting them!"

Doug gives her a confused look before backing down, moving to one of the back exits. He stops at the exit, waiting for his mares to catch up. Rainbow moves to the side, body checking him through the opening and past the wall, yelling, "GO GO GO, if they catch you who knows what they'll do?" As Doug moves away from the mustering area she continues, "We'll be safe, it's you we need to watch out for! Try to keep low, but make your way back to the farm!"

A few ponies can be heard shouting, "They're going out the back!" before the sound of a piano drowns out the shouts. The herd continues their exit while Pinkie Pie can be heard singing loudly. She makes it through one song and the words "You've got to-" can be briefly made out. This is followed by the sounds of a piano being smashed and the song comes to a halt. Fortunately Pinkie's diversion is enough of a distraction for the herd as they make their way out the staging area and start galloping down the streets.

Doug takes Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, holding the two in his arms as Ponyvillians move out of their way. Clouds of dust can be seen further behind them as ponies pour out of the staging area, milling around and looking for them. A few pegasi take to the sky, quickly pointing out to the earth ponies on the ground which direction they have taken. The ponies give chase, quickly gaining ground on the herd.

Rarity's stamina gives out just on the outskirts of Ponyville, the exertion just too much for the unicorn. She tries to push to her hooves, a terrified look in her eyes as she gasps for breath. Doug quickly sets the foals on the ground; he moves to Rarity as Applejack nuzzles Apple Bloom and Fluttershy takes Sweetie Belle. He gives a loud grunt as he lifts Rarity to his shoulders, staggering under the weight of the unicorn. He breaths hard, scowling as the Ponyvillians start to encircle them.

Spoiled Rich walks to the front of the crowd, a wicked smile on her mouth.

8 Deliberation

February 9th, 994

Lunch is a simple affair; Doug has a bowl of nuts and dried fruit, Applejack has a few pieces of apple buttered bread with her hay while the other mares prefer their hay more plain. Big Mac quietly excused himself after finishing his meal, leaving Granny Smith and the mares of herd Apple to discuss the events of yesterday. Nopony batted an eye when Pinkie asked to spend the night, though the mare was mildly disappointed that there wouldn't be room in the master bed. She perked back up when she learned that there was room in the master bedroom.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are busying themselves by playing with the foals, neither showing much interest in the upcoming discussion. Both want to be nearby, just in case their input or insight is needed. The foals recovered quickly from the incident, though they are still showing signs of hesitation at being too far away from their dams. Granny Smith is sitting off to the side, ready to provide her knowledge as necessary, while Doug and the other mares gather around the dining room table.

Doug places several sheets of paper on the table, spreading them around. He labels one 'Actions', another 'Notes', and the last 'Theory'. The rest of the paper he leaves blank, twiddling the pencil in his hand while the other mares refill their drinks.

Rainbow cracks open her cider, saying to Applejack, "I seem to remember you running out of cider this time last year. You weren't holding out on me, were ya?"

Applejack snickers, opening her cider as well. "Nah, Rainbow, we just had to sideline the two biggest fans for a year, build our stock back up." She clinks her glass against Rainbow's, both taking a long draft before setting the bottles on the table. They both look to Doug, Applejack asking, "So, you like running these meetings. Where do we start?"

Doug waits as Rarity comes to the table, levitating her cup of tea and a plate of crackers. She daintily sets down the plates, taking a sip from her cup and sitting down. Rarity shudders slightly as Rainbow lets loose a large belch, giving Rainbow a short glare before Rarity levitates a hoofkerchief and dabs her face.

Doug pops a pecan in his mouth, chewing slowly as the silence continues. He leans back in his chair, continuing to stare at Rainbow. The mare starts looking around the room, trying to keep her composure. She fidgets a little, finally saying in a forced voice, "Okay, fine, I'm sorry Rarity, can we start now?"

Rarity says, "Apology accepted, Rainbow, we'll make a gentlemare out of you yet. Doug?"

Doug swallows, scooting his chair towards the table. He pulls a piece of paper out with the agenda written down, "Alright, first off, we're going to get what we know on the table. We will discuss what happened last night and what the situation is right now. If we think it is relevant we can discuss what incidents or occurrences happened that caused Spoiled Rich to do what she did. Let's try to keep speculation to a minimum. Afterwards, we can discuss possible plans of action or others things we can do to gather more information. Let's try to keep discussion of the various plans to a minimum; right now, we're just getting the facts on the table and brainstorming as to future actions."

Rainbow pipes up, "Can the first action be to clobber Spoiled Rich into next week? Might make me feel better."

Doug smirks as Applejack glares reprovingly at Rainbow, writing, 'Violence - Spoiled Rich' on the 'Action' page. He continues, "Now that that is out of the way, I don't think we need to recap what happened last night. However, I would like a little more clarification on what this... cold shoulder? entails. Is it a common punishment for ponies? It isn't that uncommon a punishment for humans. You could use it for a single business, letting that person know they aren't welcome there and their continued presence will result in the potential use of force to remove you from the premises if you persist in continuing."

Rainbow's eyes glaze over as Rarity restates, "A shop will kick you out if you try to go there again."

Rainbow rolls her eyes, "Well, why not just say that then?"

Doug nods, ignoring Rainbow, "And it would be similar for countries, just they have a bit more power to enforce their decisions. That would be exile. The punishment for breaking these laws would vary from removal, maybe jail time or fines for multiple infractions. Some more... brutal areas might even have the penalty for returning be death. What sort of actions could Spoiled Rich and her sympathizers take against me?

Rarity responds, "It depends on how close they want to skirt the law. The Rich family controls a lot of the shipping trade around Ponyville, as well as multiple businesses. Getting on their bad side could be disastrous even for medium sized, herd owned businesses. As such, few ponies will go against what the Rich family decides. Spoiled Rich said that you should not attempt to patronize any of the businesses, so I assume they will not sell to you. They probably will not physically force you to leave, but they will certainly make your brief stay unpleasant instead of simply refusing to deal with you. Other actions might be considered harassment if you could prove a trend, but you won't be able to."

Rainbow adds, "There are so many different things you can do to somepony that border on harassment; it could be bumping into them or their stuff while you are walking down the road to 'accidentally' starting a raincloud while it's above you. Or if they were feeling particularly mean, a mild lightning strike."

Doug drops his pencil, looking at Rainbow. "A -mild- lightning strike? That would be potentially fatal, unless electricity works drastically different here or with ponies."

Rainbow grows despondent as she realizes one of the pranks she had in the works could have proven lethal to Doug. She moves over, giving him a hug and sobbing, "I'm sorry, I didn't know, please forgive me."

Doug holds Rainbow, confusion showing on his face, "It's okay Rainbow, I'll be sure to avoid any nearby storm clouds, especially if I'm walking through town." He sifts his fingers through her mane as she shakes her head into his chest.

Rainbow mutters, "Wasn't that."

Doug frowns, asking, "Was it something you were thinking of doing?" Rainbow nods into his chest and Doug squeezes her tight, "It's okay, you didn't know. You didn't mean it."

Rainbow looks up, "But, what if somepony who doesn't know tries it? Or, what if somepony tries something on you, thinking it'll be a funny prank, but you react wrong and get hurt?"

Doug gives Rainbow another hug before setting her back down, "Well, I hope that doesn't happen, and that's why we're having this meeting, see if we can get to the bottom of this and figure out a way forward." Rainbow slowly smiles, moving to her seat as Doug continues, "So, does Spoiled Rich have the authority to enforce her whim throughout Ponyville, or does it rely on the actions of each individual pony?"

Applejack replies, "It'll be each pony, but they'll just be deciding what's best for them. Nopony will want to be the long stalk that gets the scythe."

Doug nods, writing down in his 'Notes' section. "Alright, so we will need to find out what Spoiled Rich wants and try to assuage her fears. Or figure out what else she wants." He writes in the 'Action' section 'talk to Spoiled about reasons' before looking around the room. "Any ideas on why she is doing this?"

Fluttershy responds quietly from the side, "Well, she had a filly recently, about the same age as ours. Maybe a few days older. Could she be worried about her?"

Doug says, "Unfortunately that will be something we have to wait before we can really reassure her. She wasn't happy enough with our presentation and we have nothing new to offer." He does write in 'Action' 'Talk to Spoiled about fears'. "Alright, that's a good idea. Any others?"

The mares look back and forth, none venturing another suggestion. A frown crosses Doug's face as he taps his pencil against the table. After a minute Rainbow asks, "What do we have already?"

Doug looks at the paper, "Talk to Spoiled about her reasons, her fears, and try to beat her up?"

Rainbow smirks, "Try?"

Applejack adds, "Well, we might need to figure out what she wants, but if we tried to buy her off? Pay restitution for whatever slight she imagined happening?"

Rainbow rolls her eyes, "That's just giving in to her even more. Sure, it might get her off our back now but it's not going to help long term."

Doug asks, "Well, how bad is this impacting us? If we do give in, and assuming things don't get any worse. I already barely go into town, just to see Rarity, and she's allowing that."

Applejack says, "Well, that's a pretty large assumption there, but Ah suppose it isn't really that bad. Ah mean, it's like she deliberately left us and the foals out of whatever it is she's planning. Do ya think she's gonna try to drive us apart later on?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past her," Rainbow raises a hoof to her chin, "Though she might need some pretext to increase whatever restrictions she plans on placing. She'll probably try to instigate something when Doug is going to see Rarity." At Rarity's questioning look she responds, "What? Ponies accuse me of instigating all the time, you figure I would know how it works."

Doug says, "So, what if we put her on the spot? Ask her, point blank, what her plans are, what her end game is. If she says that she just wants me out of town, fine, we can handle that. If she wants to take it a step further, we know and might be able to counter it. Or, if she says she has no plans, and later retracts that? We might be able to use that to persuade other ponies that what she is doing is wrong. Or unjustified."

Rarity responds, "So, it sounds like we need somepony to go have a conversation with Spoiled Rich. And I know just the pony."

Rainbow rolls her eyes, "Who, you? Just go on and say it, you'd be the best pony for the job."

Rarity shakes her head, "No, you, Rainbow Dash. If I did it Spoiled Rich would immediately be suspicious. She would know there is some ulterior motive that I have. Same with Applejack, though I think Spoiled Rich would be slightly less suspicious of her. And, while I do love you, Fluttershy, I don't think this kind of confrontation would go well for you."

Fluttershy slowly moves her head side to side, "No, I don't think I would like that at all."

Rarity looks back to Rainbow, "So you see, Rainbow Dash, you are the best pony for the job. She already knows you aren't happy with this arrangement, so you would have a pretty good reason for visiting her. She won't think that you can keep your emotions in check, so she won't think that you are hiding anything when you ask her what she really wants."

Rainbow looks eagerly at Rarity, "Sounds pretty awesome so far. So, what am I hiding?"

Rarity gives Doug a confused look, "Um, I didn't think that far ahead. Is Rainbow hiding anything? Or just being sincere in her effort to fix this situation?"

Doug answers, "I think sincerity is the way to go. Either we find out her demands or she is being unreasonable and we go from there."

Rainbow wipes a hoof across her forehead, "Okay, Rainbow, you can do this." She looks around the room, "Am I doing this right now? Just, go into town and find Spoiled Rich and ask her 'what's up'?

Applejack shrugs, "Well, Ah think we're all out of ideas here. We need to know a bit more about what Spoiled wants before we can really proceed, if'n we proceed at all." She looks over at Doug, who nods.

Doug adds, "Pretty much. Just, try not to antagonize her too much, okay Rainbow? Only punch her if she punches you first." He winks at Rainbow, who rolls her eyes before smirking.

"Ya, if she tries to lay a hoof on me I'll show her!" Rainbow leaps into the air, doing a few spinning kicks before overbalancing and crashing into the floor.

The pegasus rubs her head as Applejack looks over, asking, "How many of those ciders did you have? And you didn't grab the... Ah mean, uh, maybe Ah should get you a glass of water before you go." Applejack leaves the room, looking shiftily side to side.

Doug helps Rainbow up as Applejack returns with a glass of water. Rainbow downs the water quickly, lightly pushing Doug and Applejack away. She utters, "Alright, I got this," before leaving the house.

Applejack looks over, "Well, it can't get any worse, right?"

Rarity responds by putting her head on the table and covering it with her hooves. She looks up at the ceiling, wailing, "Whhyyyyy?"

9 Questions

The two story mansion looms ahead as Rainbow flies through town. The mare shudders at the thought of going into the manticore's den, but her herd is counting on her. She slowly wings closer to the Rich house, thinking over what she is going to say. She tries to calm herself again, knowing she doesn't want to antagonize Spoiled Rich, she just wants answers. Answers she will beat out of the mare if she-

'Bad Rainbow Dash!' she chides herself. She knows she is regressing too quickly. It isn't too late to back out, try to make sure she can keep her temper under control. She would have liked to practice with Doug a couple of times, like when she was preparing for her Wonderbolts interview, and she is kind of regretting it now.

Rainbow lands outside the porch leading to the main house. She trots up the steps, raising a hoof to knock on the ornate door. To her surprise, the door opens before she can mar the wood, the butler Randolph giving her a disdainful look. He glances up at Rainbow's raised foreleg before staring at her eyes, a pointed look to the ground. Rainbow gives a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her head as she nervously laughs. Randolph merely continues to stare at her, the pegasus finally taking the hint and putting her hoof on the ground. He glances down at the soft 'clop', then back up at Rainbow, asking, "What can I do for you, Mrs. Dash?"

Rainbow gives Randolph a funny look before laughing, "Oh, Mrs. Dash is my dam, call me Rainbow Dash, or just Rainbow, please."

Randolph nods, "Very well, Rainbow Dash, what can I do for you?"

Rainbow smiles, "I wanted to know if Spoiled Rich is here."

Randolph nods, "Yes, she is."

The two stare at each in silence for several seconds. Rainbow coughs, saying, "Um, I was hoping to speak with her." Randolph continues staring at Rainbow as she stammers, "Can I talk to her?"

Rainbow thinks she sees the barest hint of a smile as Randolph replies, "I don't know, can you?"

"Fine." Rainbow sighs, "May I please come in and talk to Spoiled Rich?"

Randolph smiles, "Now, that wasn't too hard, was it? Are your hooves clean?"

Rainbow lifts a hoof, examining the underside. After a few seconds she says, "I dunno, yes?" She looks up, squawking in alarm as a towel flies through the air directly at her! She snatches it with one of her hooves a split second before it impacts her face, a dirty glance at the grinning butler. On inspecting the towel she can see where she was gripping it, and gives a embarrassed smile as she cleans her front hooves off. She starts to go inside but Randolph is still standing in the doorway. When he doesn't move she sighs again, sitting down and toweling the traces of dirt off her hind hooves. "There, are you happy, can we go now?" she asks, hoofing the towel back to Randolph.

The butler takes the towel with a disdainful look, dropping it off in a side basket before leading Rainbow inside. Their hoofsteps echo through the mansion, the emptiness beginning to creep Rainbow out; the ceilings are too low for her to comfortably hover as they make their way through one opulent room after another. She sees one of the other mares in Filthy Rich's herd, a Silver Set, who has two foals with her, one pink and one gray. They arrive at the top of one of the staircases and Randolph stops, giving a polite knock on the door. He calls out, "Mrs. Rich, you have a visitor, one Rainbow Dash. Would you like to meet her?"

The door to the study opens, revealing Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich inside. Mr. Rich stays at his desk while Spoiled walks up to the entrance. She grins at seeing Rainbow before turning back to Filthy, smiling at him and walking out of the room. He gives a polite nod to Rainbow before turning his attention back to the papers on his desk.

Randolph closes the door behind Spoiled Rich before the mare turns to Rainbow. She raises her head, looking down her nose at the pegasus before walking past her. Rainbow follows as Spoiled Rich asks, "So, Rainbow Dash, what brings you to my humble abode?"

The two walk into the library as Spoiled Rich continues, "Randolph, bring me a glass of sparkling water and two tea biscuits."

Rainbow pauses, both a little miffed at being interrupted and unsure if she should ask Randolph for something, or if Spoiled Rich is going to ask her if she would like anything. She hesitates, finally saying, "I wanted to talk to you about Doug."

Spoiled Rich flatly stares at Rainbow, "Whatever do you mean?"

Rainbow huffs, her voice getting angry, much earlier than she wants, "Well, why are you doing it? What did he do to you that made you want him out of Ponyville?"

Spoiled Rich laughs, a high, piercing sound as Randolph returns to the room. She takes the water, taking a sip and placing the glass on a nearby table. Randolph sets the tea biscuits next to the water, bowing his head to the two of them and leaving the room. Spoiled Rich settles down, saying, "Rainbow, it isn't what he did to me. It is what he did to you!"

Rainbow cocks her head to the side, taken aback. "What do you mean what he did to me?"

Spoiled Rich moves to one of the shelves, pulling out a magazine. She opens it to one of the centerfolds - a picture of Spitfire, Soarin', and Fleetfoot during their respective rookie years at the Wonderbolts - and throws it on the table. "Remember this, Rainbow? What have you been doing the last year?"

Rainbow looks down at her hooves. She dejectedly replies, "Well, I've been working on the weather team."

Spoiled Rich nods, placing the magazine next to the tea biscuits. "And what about your interview? I remember seeing you outside, training so hard for that. What ever became of all that hard work?"

Rainbow looks up, "So my life took a different turn than I thought it would. That doesn't make that training a waste, or what you are doing to Doug right now any better. So, why are you doing it?"

Spoiled Rich shakes her head, taking another sip of her water. "Rainbow, I'm merely trying to prevent what happened to you from happening to anypony else in this town. I don't know what kind of magic Doug wove to get you to drop what you were doing and act as a broodmare for him. I do know that I won't sit idly by; I can see he is trying to get Pinkie Pie to be the next one!"

Rainbow stomps a hoof on the ground, "Hey! I was the one who made the choice to ask Doug to help me during my heat! It might not have been the best call in hindsight but it was my choice, not magic on his part!"

Spoiled Rich smirks, "It's obvious, Rainbow, that you've made your choice. By your own admission it was the wrong one! I'm just trying to stop anypony else from making the same misguided choice you made. By keeping Doug out of Ponyville I will stop this from spreading further."

Rainbow glares at her, "Maybe it seemed like the wrong call, but I couldn't be happier with how things have turned out! And you can't control everypony from making these choices, or from falling in love! It's Pinkie's choice whether or not she dates Doug, not yours!"

Spoiled Rich shrugs, "Maybe Pinkie Pie is too far gone already; I could see the way she looked at him yesterday. But that is just the first of the reasons that I believe Doug should stay out of Ponyville. I know you might not agree with all of them, but I am not the only one who finds his stench revolting, or his lack of manners appalling."

Rainbow rolls her eyes, her voice steadily getting louder, "Well, maybe that's personal preference, but that's not enough to ostracize a pony like that! I know for a fact that Doug didn't intend to get any of us pregnant, but he did the right thing regardless! He isn't looking to make us his broodmares or any such nonsense! He cares for us and is happy right where he is! And so what if he doesn't know all of our customs? He's more than willing to learn, if you just give him the chance!" She ends up fuming, a heated stare at Spoiled Rich as her muscles clench.

Spoiled Rich smirks, "Are you willing to put your bits where your bark is?"

Rainbow grits her teeth, "What do you want?"

Spoiled Rich calmly states, "Pinkie Pie joins the herd or not, the choice will be up to her. However, she may not join the herd until after her heat has finished, and she does not get pregnant this year. Aside from Pinkie Pie, Doug will court no other mares, from Ponyville or otherwise. If he can stick to that for five years? Then I concede that I was hasty in my evaluation of him and all restrictions are lifted. As a show of good faith, I'll spread the word that he is to be treated as nothing, not even worth their time to antagonize when he goes to and from Rarity's house. That is, if you give me your word that he will keep to his restrictions and treat us with the proper respect. Oh, and this is a limited time offer; it expires as soon as you leave this room. So, did you come here in good faith, Rainbow?"

Rainbow nervously looks around the room. Spoiled Rich lifts one of the tea biscuits to her mouth, chewing softly. She begins pacing back and forth as Rainbow stammers, "Um, I don't know if I can, I..."

Spoiled Rich looks at Rainbow, "Oh? Do your herdmates not know you are here?"

Rainbow shakes her head; at Spoiled Rich's stare Rainbow says, "No, they know that I'm here."

"Well, then, I hope that they have at least a little faith in you to make the right decision. They wouldn't have sent you all the way here if they didn't trust you, right?"

"Hey!" Rainbow shouts, "I know my herd trusts me, and they have never hinted otherwise!"

Spoiled Rich resumes her pacing, "Oh, so it is yourself that you don't trust? What ever happened to that headstrong, confident mare that was going to take the world by storm? She got grounded by a Grave?" At Rainbow's startled look she continues, "Oh, please, it was easy to find out. One of the first things I did was go to Mayor Mare, find out if this Doug Graves was here legitimately or not. Turns out somepony had the foresight to fill out a citizenship application for him."

Rainbow shakes her head, "No, I watched him fill that form out. He's not some ignorant monster!"

Spoiled Rich smirks, "You claim that Doug didn't mean to do what he did, so he is either ignorant of the basic facts of life or he intended exactly what happened to you. Maybe he wasn't sure of the outcome, but certainly comfortable with the possibility."

Rainbow looks up, determination in her eyes, "He knew exactly what could happen, and he has not shirked the responsibility one bit!"

Spoiled Rich meets Rainbow's gaze, staring deep into the pegasus' eyes, "Then you claim his intention was originally not to make you, and Applejack, and Rarity, and Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, and soon the rest of Ponyville into his mares? Then surely you would have no trouble accepting the bargain I'm offering. A Faustian bargain if I ever saw one."

Rainbow sighs, feeling defeated. She knows she needs to make one last push though, try to get one more concession out of Rich. Then they could manage it. "So, this is as far at it goes, right? You and the rest of Ponyville treat Doug as a non-entity. You don't make fun of him, or hurt him, just ignore him. He doesn't try to interact with the Ponyvillians, he especially doesn't initiate courtship with any more of them. If they initiate anything - a conversation, a business deal, even potential courtship - that's fine, but Doug will not push anything faster or more than what the mare wants. He stays out of Ponyville except when invited or to spend time with Rarity." Rainbow pauses, looking up at the ceiling in concentration. "Did I forget anything?"

Spoiled Rich looks up from her enchanted quill, the scratches continuing on the piece of paper. "No, I think that about covers it. If he can keep to that for five years, then I concede he is not the monster I made him out to be and all restrictions are lifted. Whatever... choices your herd makes are your own." She smiles, looking over the finished contract.

Rainbow spits into her hoof, raising it towards Spoiled Rich. The earth pony looks down at it, commenting, "Oh, did you learn that from Applejack? How... quaint." She sighs at Rainbow's determined face, spitting on her own hoof and pressing it against Rainbow's. She sets her hoof down and moves over to her paper as the quill finishes a second copy.

Rainbow looks down at the contract Spoiled Rich pushes in front of her. The quill has transcribed what she said, and includes the section Spoiled Rich added. She sighs, taking the oddly light quill in her mouth and scribbles her name on the contract. She looks over to see Spoiled Rich staring out the window, not at the town in front of them but at Canterlot off in the distance.

Rainbow says in a quiet voice, "There. Are you happy? Can I go now?"

Spoiled Rich shakes her head, a small smile on her mouth. "No, Rainbow, it is I who should be thanking you. This has been excellent practice; you showed me a lot of areas in my negotiation where I need to improve."

Rainbow sputters, "Practice? After what me and my herd went through, and all you can see it as is practice? Practice for what?"

Spoiled Rich sighs, "For what is coming. I am sorry, Rainbow, but this was going to happen between Doug and the rest of Ponyville eventually." She turns, pacing back and forth while watching Rainbow, "You may not have noticed, but Doug does not have a lot of supporters in Ponyville. He has you and your herd, of course, but outside of that? There are the ponies that do not want him around and the ponies that tolerate him for your sake. This way, I was able to keep it from coming to blows and everypony gets what they want. Win-win."

"So, you're doing me a favor? I don't see it."

Spoiled Rich moves back to the window, looking up at the darkening sky. "No, Rainbow, I am not doing it for you. The nobles in Canterlot, they care nothing for towns on the outskirts, towns like Ponyville. When the night comes, and the mare that brings it, the nobles in Canterlot will throw us to the timber wolves in a vain effort to save their hides. We will need leaders here capable of making the hard decisions. With experience not only making deals but in figuring out who we can trust and who we can't. You can see this whole thing as a test of Doug's character, if you will. To see if the town of Ponyville can trust him to keep his word, if he can be trusted like any pony else."

Rainbow stares in disbelief as Spoiled Rich continues, still looking out the window, "We won't know where the next incursion will come from. Will it be the griffons? The diamond dogs? The dragons? Or will it come from within, or from a foe we never knew existed? We need to keep a watchful eye on every outsider, anypony who seems suspicious. I'm sorry you were entangled in this, but I hope you can see my reasons."

Rainbow continues staring for a moment before saying, in a very slow, measured cadence, "Well, that's cool and all, I guess. Anyway, should I see myself out, or?"

Spoiled Rich knocks her hoof on the table twice and the door opens, Randolph sticking his head inside. "Yes, Mrs. Rich?"

Spoiled Rich nods in Rainbow's direction, "Please see Mrs. Dash outside."

Rainbow glowers at the name while Randolph turns, leaving the door open, "Very well, please follow me, Rainbow Dash." The two make their way outside as Randolph asks, "Did you have a productive visit, Rainbow?"

Rainbow sighs, looking at the contract in her hoof. "Yeah, I suppose I did. Well, see ya around!" She takes off as Randolph smiles, closing the front door behind him.

10 Winter Wrap Up

February 15th, 994

Doug shivers as he wakes up despite being sandwiched between two mares. He sighs as he snuggles closer to Applejack, glad that the weather will be warm again soon enough. He smiles as Applejack stirs, rolling over so her back presses against his chest. He gives her another squeeze as she sighs into her pillow and settles down again.

Doug tenses when a hoof lightly pushes against his back; he looks over to see Rainbow staring into his eyes, a smile on her face. He rolls over, greeting his mare with a kiss as she moves closer to him. She slowly moves on top of him as he slides underneath her, not breaking their kiss. Eventually Rainbow pulls back, bending down to kiss his neck. Doug slides his legs off the side of the bed and Rainbow gives a short squeal as he stands, lifting her off the bed.

He picks Rainbow up, carrying her on his shoulder towards the bathroom. Rainbow smiles initially but frowns, tapping backwards with her hoof, saying, "Hey. Hey."

Doug looks back, "What?"

Rainbow pouts, "I can't kiss you from here. Back?"

Doug sighs before pushing Rainbow further back. She raises her forelegs to grab his other shoulder and swings her chest against his back. He keeps pushing as Rainbow reorients herself so she is flush on his back. He pushes the last of Rainbow's flank off his shoulder and she swings around, Doug grunting as she hooks her back legs around his waist. She moves one of her forelegs around to his other shoulder as she leans forwards, kissing the side of his head.

Doug takes two steps, making it to the bathroom and going to shrug Rainbow off. She resists, gripping tighter around his waist. Doug sighs again, moving into the bathroom. He quickly shaves, splashing water as Rainbow moves to kiss his roughly shorn face. He squirms, trying to dodge her questing mouth as he makes his way out of the bathroom.

Applejack opens one eye, watching the two as they leave the bedroom. She sighs, giving up on going back to sleep and makes her way out of bed towards the recently vacated bathroom. Once she finishes she heads to the kitchen and begins breakfast for the five adults.

Several minutes later the front door opens, Doug doffing his coat and Rainbow her scarf. Doug says as he walks in the dining room, "I don't know about you all, but I can't wait until Winter Wrap Up is done and over with." He sits down at the table as Applejack brings him a plate of toast and apple butter.

Doug digs in as Applejack places a plate of hay and potatoes in front of Rainbow. The pegasus frowns, taking a bite of her hay before snatching a piece of Doug's toast. Doug sighs loudly, slowly pushing his plate away from Rainbow. The plate scrapes against the table, Applejack rolling her eyes. Rainbow pouts, looking at Doug with a frown on her face. Doug ignores her, finishing his toast and leaving the room.

Rainbow scowls, "Ugh, AJ, I'm tired of hay! When are we getting more apples?"

Applejack frowns, "Rainbow, you know as well as Ah do that we ain't getting more apples for two more days, and that's if Ah work on a few select trees. Now quiet and eat your hay or Ah'm treating you like Apple Bloom."

Rainbow pushes her hay around her plate, poking around before giving a loud, exasperated sigh. She slowly picks up a single piece of hay, staring at it before making a sour face and closing her eyes. She inserts about an inch of the piece into her mouth, closing her teeth and biting off the end. She slowly chews, grimacing and swallowing.

Applejack shrugs, moving over to Rainbow's plate. Her head dips down towards the plate and she opens her mouth wide, her tongue creeping out of her mouth. Rainbow notices too late as Applejack scoops the entirety of the hay into her mouth, her grin widening as she pulls back. She slowly chews, unable to keep a few pieces of hay in her mouth while trying to stifle her laugh.

Rainbow throws her hooves up to the ceiling, a loud, "Uggghhhhh," escaping her lips. "When can we go back to the good stuff?"

Applejack swallows and sighs, "It won't be until a week, probably two before we can get more than dry hay for most meals. Ah ain't happy about it either, but you knew there would be cutbacks."

Rainbow frowns as Doug returns, having checked on Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Doug asks, "Alright, who's ready for Winter Wrap Up?"

He holds up two vests; he passes the blue vest to Rainbow and the green one to Applejack. The two mares pull the vests on, buttoning up the front. As the mares finish Doug holds up two scarves. Each mare shakes their head, Applejack saying, "Nah, we'll be working too hard for those. At least, once we get working." She looks over to Rainbow, questioning, "Although... do you think we'll get started on time? Might not be a bad idea to have them if ya don't think so."

Doug gives the scarves a shake, smiling and holding them up next to his head. Rainbow puts a hoof to her chin, saying, "Well, I'll be fine. I'll be flying most of the time anyway. You'll probably want the scarf though."

Applejack retorts, "Well, don't come crying to me when it takes us two hours of standing around before any work gets started." She moves over to Doug, giving him a quick kiss as he drops to a knee and wraps the scarf around her neck. She looks over at Rainbow, "Ah sure wouldn't want to be the mare shivering out there while Cloud Kicker and Shoeshine fight over what gets done first."

Rainbow sighs, grabbing the scarf in Doug's hands. She tugs it and he smirks, tugging back hard. Surprise comes over Rainbow's face as she overbalances, her muzzle crashing into Doug, knocking both of them to the floor. Doug winces a little at the contact but quickly smiles, wrapping Rainbow in a hug. Rainbow continues tugging at the scarf and Doug eventually relents, wrapping the scarf around Rainbow's neck. They share a kiss before Rainbow gets up and moves to the door.

Applejack gives Doug a quick nuzzle, saying, "You keep those foals safe, ya hear? We'll be back in a few hours to check up on them and have lunch." She smiles, following Rainbow out the door. The two pass Rarity, the unicorn wearing a tan animal jacket. She moves into the house, looking for Doug. She smiles when she sees him, pulling Sweetie Belle off her back and levitating her to Doug's waiting arms. Rarity gives her stallion a quick peck on the cheek before turning and following Applejack and Rainbow back to Ponyville.

Big Mac leaves the house shortly after, leaving Doug alone with the foals. Sweetie Belle looks up at him before absentmindedly brushing a speck of dirt off her coat. Doug carries her to the foal's room; Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are both awake, waiting in their crib. They move to the edge of the rail, excitedly chattering away. Doug exclaims, "Who's ready to play with their sisters?" as he hoists Apple Bloom, then Scootaloo from their crib.

Doug manages to carry the squirming bundle to the dining room, dumping the trio out onto the floor. They sit up, inspecting their siblings before sitting and staring at Doug. He sighs to himself; this is the first time he is alone with all three of the foals. While he knows what he needs to do to take care of them, he is unsure of what to do in order to keep them entertained. He is amazed at how quickly they are progressing - much quicker than human children, by a long shot. He couldn't understand them but they did a pretty good job understanding him, even if they didn't always comply.

He pokes Scootaloo in the muzzle, saying, "Boop." The foal's eyes cross, staring at her muzzle as her sisters giggle. She starts giggling as well, lifting her hoof and poking Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle's eyes cross, staring at the spot she was poked. Her eyes start to tear up, her breath catching in her throat as she starts sniffling. Doug hesitates; should he comfort Sweetie Belle, try to get her to stop crying? Or should he wait, let her tough it out and realize that she can get past it?

Fortunately for Doug, his hesitation pays off as Sweetie Belle calms down. She giggles, turning to Apple Bloom and poking her in the eye. Apple Bloom immediately bursts into tears as Sweetie Belle, realizing her mistake, bursts into tears as well. Doug sighs; not even two minutes in and already one of the foals is injured. Well, at least the foals are resilient; Apple Bloom is already recovering, quieting down and looking to him for reassurance.

"It's okay," he coos, "It's okay. Sweetie Belle didn't mean to poke you in the eye." He looks over to Sweetie Belle, the unicorn merely increasing in volume. He picks the foal up, softly petting her mane, saying, "Sweetie, it's okay. Apple Bloom isn't hurt, you didn't hurt her. It's okay."

The foal slowly settles down, looking up at him with her large, tear streaked eyes. He continues petting her as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo look on with interest. They quickly grow bored, and Scootaloo pokes Apple Bloom in the muzzle. Apple Bloom giggles, looking back at Sweetie Belle as she pokes Scootaloo back. Scootaloo giggles, also looking back at Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle giggles as well, pushing Doug's arm away and moving towards her sisters. She tentatively lifts a hoof, shakily moving it towards Apple Bloom. The earth pony smiles as Sweetie Belle's hoof gets closer, pushing her muzzle into the hoof. They both giggle but are quickly taken aback when Scootaloo manages to boop them both at the same time. The trio quickly start playfully wrestling with each other as Doug smiles, sitting back.

Several hours later, Doug has relocated to his office. The foals are on the ground staring at him, hungry and exhausted from their play. Doug is working on upcoming weather schedules, trying to ignore their sad eyes. Every time he glances over they manage to look even more sorrowful. He sighs, "I'm sorry, I don't have any food. If I did, I would give it to you." Their eyes grow larger and mournful, and Doug can see a tear starting to form in the corner of Sweetie Belle's eye. He sighs as she gives a small, pathetic sniffle.

The front door opens, three mare's voices calling out, "We're home!" The foals hurry to their hooves, attempting to untangle themselves while simultaneously scampering to the door. Doug follows the trio out of the room, his three mares standing in the doorway. Each foal charges their dam, the mares meeting them with a nuzzle.

Applejack asks, "Do ya have anything prepared? We're a mite peckish over here."

Doug responds, "Yup; did you want to eat here or in the dining room?"

Rainbow grumpily says, "Here's fine, I don't think anypony wants to move just yet," as Scootaloo darts underneath her.

Doug exits the room, quickly returning with a large spread of hay, vegetables, and dried fruit. He places a plate of bread with apple butter and glasses of apple juice next to them, making an impromptu table out of a chair.

Rainbow gives a sidelong look at the apple juice, "What, are we out of cider?"

Doug shakes his head, "Technically no, but Pinkie asked to save the rest for her upcoming artypay."

Rainbow cocks an eyebrow, "What's an artypay?"

Applejack responds, "Ah think he means party."

Doug shakes his head and waves his arms from side to side as Pinkie Pie bursts from the front door, yelling, "Did somepony say PARTY?"

Doug facepalms as Applejack apologizes, "Ah'm sorry, Pinkie, false alarm."

Doug says with a straight face, "Well, it's party my fault, as I tried to disguise my use of the word party and Applejack ended up saying party instead."

Pinkie Pie gives him a deadpan stare, "You know I'm inviting another pony every time you say it, right?" Doug pinches his thumb and forefinger together, drawing a line between his lips. He then motions to the food spread on the table. Pinkie smiles but says, "Sorry, I gotta get back to work. Thanks though!" She pronks out the room, still wearing her ice skates.

Doug looks over, the three mares chowing down on their food. Rarity adjusts Rainbow's scarf to keep it from falling onto her plate while Doug asks, "So, hows Wrap Up going?"

Rainbow makes a face, some hay poking out of the corners of her mouth. "Slow. Just like last year."

Rarity sighs, "Well, I've finished my quota on nests. I'll probably help set up some of the decorations."

Applejack shakes her head, "No, it's too early for that. They'll just get ruined when the snow needs to get shoveled off the roofs. Speaking of which, why hasn't the snow been shoveled off the roofs? We almost got all the streets plowed!"

Rainbow shrugs, "Hey, I'm not weather lead. I've been hard at work clearing the skies." Rainbow looks over, "Hey Doug, think you could take over next year? Can't be worse than this."

Doug makes a face, "Ya, let me tell you exactly how that would go over." He lift his arm, holding his hand in the air. He wobbles it back and forth, making sputtering noises out of his mouth before banging his hand onto the chair.

Rainbow looks at him funny, "What was that? Was that supposed to be a pegasus? Because I don't think that's how flying works. Or the kinds of noises we make."

Applejack smirks, "Ah think it was supposed to be Granny Smith; just before she takes a nap she likes to make sure her gums are nice and wet, so she makes that slobbering sound."

Doug gives a loud sigh before gathering the empty bowls, plates, and glasses and returning them to the sink. He quickly rinses out the glasses, placing them on the drying rack and returning to the front door. Rarity is holding the door open while the foals make a small pile, laying on top of each other and taking a nap. Doug gives each mare an ear scratch as they leave the house, back to their duties.

Doug sighs contentedly to himself as he gathers the foals, placing them in their bed. He mumbles to himself, "Well, I'm glad you three are happy. Back to work!" He smiles, tucking the trio in and returning to the kitchen. He makes himself a sandwich and a plate of vegetables before returning to his office. He pulls up his various charts and notes for Fillydelphia and finishes his outline for the month of April.

Some time later the foals wake up, watching Doug as he works on the schedule. Apple Bloom's belly growls and the foal lets out a soft whimper. Doug looks over as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's stomachs join in, each giving him a silent pleading look. He sighs, moving out of his chair onto the floor next to them. "Let's find something to take your mind off your tummies, okay?"

Doug stands up, moving out of his office. The foals each get up, scampering after him, quiet whines coming from them. Doug checks outside; upon not seeing any of his mares he moves to the kitchen, checking to see if any foal-friendly food is inside. He grabs a jug of apple juice and a cup, bringing both to the front entrance. He sits down and the foals gather around, expectantly looking up at him. He pours a glass, holding it up for Apple Bloom. The foal holds her head up and mouth open, allowing Doug to pour a small amount of the juice into her mouth. She swallows, opening her mouth and looking up at Doug.

Doug pours another small glass and motions for Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom starts whining softly as Scootaloo gently raises a hoof. Doug says, "Yes, Scootaloo, I'll get to you next, be patient." Sweetie Belle opens her mouth and Doug pours the shot into her mouth. A dribble comes out the side of her mouth as she swallows, moving a hoof to try to keep more from escaping and to gather the juice that had come out.

Doug pours another glass and Scootaloo jumps forward. She places her hooves on his leg, opening her mouth and raising her body towards the glass. Doug smiles, pouring the shot into her mouth. She takes the juice in her mouth, swishing it around before swallowing. She gives her wings a flutter as she looks up, her eyes pleading for more.

Doug looks around, the three foals each giving him the same pleading look. He pours another glass as the front door opens, three sets of heavy hooffalls signalling the mare's return. Doug drinks the shot of apple juice while the foals scamper away. He sighs to himself; he needs to find something better to do with these foals besides poking and getting into staring contests.

11 Arri-versary

February 17th, 994

Pinkie Pie happily pronks through town, double checking her list of party supplies. Winter Wrap Up finishing late yesterday delayed a lot of ponies from getting their stores ready today, but many of the shops she needs to patronize know she will be along. It helps being such a reliable customer; not only does Pinkie regularly buy their larger, more expensive options but the mare would cut deals to buy any surplus party supplies. Or, anything they had in surplus, really; the mare stores who knows what everywhere around town.

After picking up her orders for the largest banners, colorful streamers, and the drabbest tan paint she had ever seen (I mean, could it get any more boring? Hello!) she starts towards the edge of town. She greets everypony she passes with a "Hiya! Hello! How ya doing?" or with how long it is until their birthday (her favorite being Rainbow Dash, since the mare both managed to have a birthday that fell on the same day as when she came to Ponyville (birth-iversary! what a fun word to say (Oh! I need to ask Doug when his birthday is (Heh- what if it is today! Then it would be his Arribirth-iversary! Or his Herrivabirthaversary! (Hmm, how many end parenthesis do I need?))))) No wait that's too many, ( : o-kay much better.

Pinkie unloads her supplies on the outskirts of town. She starts working on one of the banners that will be hung. It has written in large text: 'Happy Arri-versary Doug!'. Underneath is written in smaller text that, towards the end, wraps around the top and starts circling to the left: 'For celebrating the one year anniversary of Doug arriving in Ponyville, starting a herd with Applejack, and potentially for being born!"

A cough behind her fails to surprise Pinkie Pie as she recognizes Spoiled Rich's hoofsteps getting closer. She looks underneath her body to look at the pink mare, "Hi Spoiled Rich! Have a good spring yet?"

Spoiled Rich looks down at Pinkie Pie, "My spring has been going well, yes, for the short time it has been."

Pinkie Pie shakes her head, "No, silly. Do you know what spring you're bringing to the party? There's going to be a whole lot of bouncing and I wouldn't want you to miss out! Mine's this ball!" Pinkie holds up a large blue ball, "I just love bouncing on it! Boing, boing, boing!"

Spoiled Rich smiles, "No, Pinkie, I haven't picked out my spring, though that does look like fun. I just wanted to talk to you about the theme of your party. I was hoping we could focus more on spring, and the new foals that will be around. I'm sure you know, since you threw both of them a party, but there are two new foals in my herd and three in yours."

Pinkie Pie nods slowly, speaking much slower than she normally does, "Yes, but Today is the day that Doug got here." Her voice resumes its normal speed, "There will be plenty of days for parties for the new foals."

Spoiled Rich's voice gets quieter as she moves close to Pinkie Pie, "Look, Pinkie, I didn't want to have to tell you this, but not a lot of ponies are going to be very enthusiastic about a party for Doug." Pinkie's eyebrows furrow in confusion as Spoiled Rich continues, "I'm just trying to save you the embarrassment of putting all this effort into a party that not many ponies will be able to appreciate. I know how much you want everypony to have fun, right?"

Pinkie Pie slowly nods, her ears flattening against her head as her hair deflates, "But, I can still keep some of the party for Doug, right? You don't think ponies will be too turned off if there is just a small section for him?"

Spoiled Rich gives her an encouraging smile, "Of course not, I think this banner will be great for that! Do you need any help getting the rest of the party ready?"

Pinkie Pie nods, her ears and hair perking back up, "Oh, I can always use another helping hoof! Let's see, if we're doing something for the foals we'll need, hmm, five, seven, nine different color palettes, one for each of them." She taps her hooves together, looking out over the grounds, "So, we'll set apart this area over here for Doug, and then we'll want banners for each? No, that'll be too restrictive and separates the party out, we'll want different decorations for each of them."

Spoiled Rich nods, "I think that will look wonderful, Pinkie Pie. Oh, I did want to ask you. Did Rainbow Dash talk to you about your... pending relationship with Doug?"

Pinkie's smile fades, a sullen look coming over her face, "Oh. Yes, she did. I don't like it, but... why did you want me to wait again?"

Spoiled Rich's smile grows a little forced, "Well, Pinkie, look at it as a test for Doug. If he is interested in you, then he will have no problem waiting until after your heat has ended, right? If he pushes you to have a foal, then you will know that he is just interested in you for your foals, and not in you. But, if you tell him, then how will you know which it is? He could then choose whatever he thinks you want, and the test will be ruined."

Pinkie nods slowly, "Well, I know that Doug is interested in me! He'll pass your silly test, just you wait!"

Spoiled Rich smiles again, "I certainly hope so, Pinkie, I certainly do. I'll go see about gathering some more ponies to help. See you soon!"

Pinkie nods, hoping she brings a pegasus or unicorn to help lift things. She could do it herself if she has to, but it could be hard maneuvering her balloons into tight spaces. Especially if it is something like a banner that really should be attached on both sides at once, to keep from folding or getting dirt on it.

Spoiled Rich returns soon, and with the extra help the rest of the decorations go up quickly, though Pinkie Pie did need to go back into town to pick up some more paint. The food is also coming along well; the cows had a bit of extra milk and cheese so those were going alongside the apples, fruits, and bread that many of the other ponies are bringing in. She sees Applejack dragging a cart with more food and one of their outdoor grills. More ponies continue to arrive so, without much else going on, Pinkie Pie begins entertaining them.

A little later, Pinkie Pie is balancing on her blue ball, juggling three rubber chickens. She spots Doug walking along with Rainbow Dash. The human is wearing an apron with the words 'Kiss the Cook' on the front and holding a tray of vegetables and other items to grill. He waves to her as she exclaims, "Ooh, Doug! Over here! I have something I want you to try!"

Doug walks over as Pinkie continues juggling. He asks, "What is it?"

Pinkie Pie says, rolling towards him on her ball, "It's a haydog! I made it special, just for you!" She winks, pulling a haydog out of her mane and tossing it to Doug.

Doug grabs it out of midair with one hand, sighing at Pinkie Pie, "You know I can't digest hay, right?"

Pinkie nods, still juggling, "I know, silly. That's why I made it special," she winks, "just for you!" she winks again, even longer.

Doug nods, peering again at the haydog, "It wasn't too difficult, I hope?"

Pinkie thinks hard, looking up and putting a hoof to her chin as the rubber chickens fall to the ground.

-Flashback-

Pinkie Pie is wearing a bright pink hazmat suit, colorfully adorned with drawings of balloons, that completely covers her body. Thick black goggles cover the upper half of her face while a respirator covers the lower half. She is holding a pair of metal tongs, currently grasping a charred, unidentifiable substance about the size of a brick. She is surrounded by puffy white walls, the floor the same substance with a large wooden fire. She is holding the brick above the fire, slowly rotating it. She sings to herself, 'Do you believe in magic? In a young girl's heart!' as the brick slowly roasts.

Eventually she gives a cackle, pulling the brick out of the fire and pronking to one of the walls. She gives it a push and it opens up, revealing more white puffy walls. She closes the wall behind her before stripping the suit off in one hop. She shoves the suit in a saddlebag clearly not large enough to hold it before tapping another wall. This opens up, revealing the sky and a large number of balloons. She reaches over, attaching the balloons to herself and removing their moorings. She slowly starts to lift off the cloud, so she pulls a few metal weights from her saddlebags. She takes a running leap off the cloud, slowly sinking down and away, her body swaying back and forth. She pulls out from her bags a large red button, grinning maniacally as she presses it. She turns away from her cloud structure, donning a pair of sunglasses as the walls begin to dissipate. The bonfire drops through the clouds before erupting into a gigantic fireball as Pinkie Pie nonchalantly looks the other way.

-End Flashback-

Pinkie Pie shakes her head, "Nope! No trouble at all!"

A brown coated colt picks up one of the chickens as Rainbow Dash asks, "Is that why you wanted me to build you that temp cloud house? And then I had to clean up the charred remains afterwards? How do you even char a cloud?"

Pinkie Pie giggles, "Yup! It was a big help! So, do you like it? Do ya? Do ya?"

Doug takes a bite of the haydog, slowly chewing. His eyes light up as he swallows, asking, "Is this-"

Pinkie Pie puts a hoof over his mouth, "Yup! So, ya likey?"

Doug grins, nodding as Pinkie Pie removes her hoof. "It's excellent; I don't suppose you have any more?"

Pinkie Pie's grin becomes a little forced, "Well, the rest of it may have been used trying to find the best recipe. I still have the other results somewhere around here," - she starts pawing through her saddlebags, then her mane - "but it might take a little searching. Besides, you won't like them as much, and I was hoping we could come to some sort of... understanding." She looks back at Doug, one eye slowly winking.

Doug laughs softly, "I think that would work just fine, Pinkie. Excellent job with the party, really enjoying it!" He and Rainbow give Pinkie a wave, starting to walk off. She returns the wave, returning to the party and trying to find that colt she didn't recognize from earlier. Doug moves over to the grill, taking over from Applejack and starting to grill a few of the peppers he brought with him.

Pinkie Pie spots the new foal teacher, Miss Cheerilee, out among the crowd. She happily pronks over, "Hi Cheerilee! And Berry Punch, good to see you too! Thanks for helping out with the drinks, really bouncing this spring off with a kick!"

Berry Punch smiles, "Oh, of course, Pinkie! You always throw the best parties, I'm glad to help out!" She moves in a little more conspiratorially, "So, was that the stallion over there you are interested in? He certainly is something else."

Pinkie Pie looks back, seeing Doug at the grill with several mares around him, one of them Rainbow. "Oh, Doug? Yuppers!" She raises her voice, "Hey Doug! Three pepper poppers please!" Doug glances over before finding a small box. He puts something inside the box; Rainbow raises a hoof to take it but Doug shakes his head, pulling his arm back. Pinkie gasps; she didn't know Doug played hoofball! His arm goes forward; Pinkie gasps, dashing forwards before turning around and chasing the box down. She makes a diving catch back where she was standing originally, smiling at her success. She hops back up, the dust on her coat falling off, and pops one of the peppers into her mouth. She smiles at the taste; it will work really well with some of the haydogs Doug is grilling. She pops another pepper in her mouth, looking at Cheerilee, "Did you want anything?"

Cheerilee giggles, "No, Pinkie Pie, I'm fine, thanks for asking. So, the herd you are interested in is certainly... prolific. Is that why you wanted to join?"

Pinkie Pie considers, putting a hoof to her chin and eating the last pepper. She grins, "Well, I do love foals! I sure wouldn't mind having one of my own, but, well, I don't think now would be the best time. Spoiled Rich is putting quite a bit of pressure on everypony, and they're already pretty busy with their three. Speaking of foals, how about you? I hear you'll be working here in Ponyville soon, with the new crop of foals!"

Cheerilee nods nervously, briefly fearful of where else Pinkie Pie could have taken the conversation. "Yes! I do like working with foals, especially seeing that I am barely not one myself." She self consciously looks to her blank flank, "I do hope I get my cutie mark there. They're just so much fun!" She smiles, thinking of the new classes she will have.

Pinkie Pie brightens as well, nodding vigorously. She will have to go get more peppers, and maybe a haydog; hopefully Doug brought enough for everypony. She waves goodbye to Cheerilee and Berry Punch as she makes her way over to the grill. She smiles sheepishly as she reminds herself to not act too foalish around Doug, or scarf down all the food he is preparing. Maybe she'll just have another three, or thirteen, more peppers.

Rainbow Dash and Doug are chatting with two older fillies as Spoiled Rich walks up. There are several tables with trays of food next to the grill, set up so ponies can serve themselves. Spoiled Rich looks at Rainbow, saying, "Good morning, Rainbow Dash."

Doug glances over from his conversation with the two fillies while Rainbow responds in an even tone, "Good morning, Spoiled Rich. Had a pleasant party so far?"

Spoiled Rich nods, "Yes, it has been. What do you have here?"

Rainbow points a hoof at a few of the products on the grill, "Well, Doug is grilling some peppers and haydogs right now, but we can also make grilled cheese or whatever else. We also have some other greens behind us, mostly lightly grilled. We can grill whatever you want to bring, if you prefer."

Doug glances over at the mention of his name but refrains from saying anything. Pinkie Pie pipes up as she gets closer, "Hey Doug! Another pepper popper please!"

Doug says, "Good morning Pinkie, I have a couple more pickled pepper poppers preparing, but perhaps an introduction to our two new friends while we wait? This is Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon, both visiting from Canterlot."

Pinkie Pie waves at the two while Bon Bon responds, "Oh, Pinkie, such a pleasure to meet you! I did want to get together, chat a little bit, you know?" She smiles, looking up at Pinkie.

Pinkie fakes a moping expression, "Well, I gueeeess I don't have to throw you a welcome to Ponyville party then; how long are you visiting for?" She smiles, swiping one of the peppers sizzling on the grill.

Bon Bon shrugs, "Oh, just a day trip. I wanted to see what some of the communities near Canterlot are like in the early spring, as everything gears up for planting. It's good to know where your sugar comes from!"

Pinkie Pie nods, grabbing a glass of juice as Spoiled Rich says, "Doug, a good morning to you as well. You are doing well, so far. I would like two haydogs, one serving of the grilled sprouts, a glass of juice, and, once they are ready, one of those pepper poppers Pinkie Pie is so fascinated by."

Doug looks over to Spoiled Rich as he prepares her plate, "Good morning as well, Mrs. Rich. Coming right up, it'll be another minute for the peppers, more if you actually want to wait for them to cool." He quickly moves among the trays of food, dishing out her order and pouring a glass of juice. He puts the glass on the plate and places it on the table in easy reach of Spoiled Rich.

Pinkie Pie paws at her burned tongue as Bon Bon walks over to her. The cream coated earth pony slowly walks away from the grill, prompting Pinkie to follow her, as she asks, "So, when did you meet Doug? He's so fascinating!"

Pinkie responds, her tongue fully healed, "Let's see, I met him last year on the nineteenth, so a year minus two days, so three hundred and fifty eight days."

Bon Bon's voice grows quiet as she leans close to Pinkie, "I also heard that, um, you were interested in joining his herd? Herd Apple? What's that like?"

Pinkie Pie nods vigorously, moving away from some of the other ponies to a quieter section, "Yup! Well, we haven't gone on a date yet, but I'm sure it's going to go great!"

Bon Bon glances back at Doug, looking nervous, "But, why a creature like him? Aren't you afraid he's, like, a monster?"

Pinkie Pie thinks back, the chicken dog Doug ate coming to mind, "Well... I mean, he has his quirks, but who doesn't? He does his best to keep up with me, he loves pulling pranks and doesn't get angry when you pull a prank on him, and he has three adorable foals!"

Bon Bon smiles at that, "Oh, so you do want a foal with him? Are you thinking this year?"

Pinkie Pie rubs the top of Bon Bon's head with a hoof, "Isn't that a little old for you? But, no, probably not this year. I mean, we might, I kinda want to, but I don't think it'll happen that quickly. So, your cutie mark, it has to do with making candy? That sounds delicious!"

Pinkie Pie notices Doug waving at her; the two head back for more peppers, Bon Bon glancing around the party, looking for somepony.

12 Report to Celestia

To Princess Celestia, May Her Sun Shine as Long as She Deems Necessary,
and To Princess Cadance, May Her Heart Give Joy Generously,
and To Whom It May Concern,

Routing: Princess Celestia

Regarding Her Highness' Inquiry about the creature known as Doug Graves Apple, currently residing at Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, sire of Herd Apple:

Summary:
Agent redacted was able to make contact with Doug Graves Apple (Doug), three of the four mares in his herd - Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, as well as prospective member Pinkie Pie. In Agent redacted's opinion, Doug is not a monster, though further monitoring may be necessary for the second half of your inquiry. Regarding the second inquiry: there are no plans this year to have another foal. Three of the mares in question - Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie - are interested in having a foal, but there are no current plans for the coming heat. Pinkie Pie is an uncertainty; she may conceive this year if things go very well in her endeavors.

Full Report

Agent redacted made contact with Doug Graves Apple (Appendix A, page 1), the human stallion of Herd Apple (Appendix A, page 7), on February 17th, 994 Domina Solaria, at the Spring Celebration in Ponyville. Further contact with the mare Pinkie Pie (Appendix A, page 8) revealed that the celebration, a first in Ponyville, was originally slated to celebrate the anniversary of Doug's arrival to Equestria and subsequent herding with Applejack (Appendix A, page 2) that day (!). The celebration proceeded normally, with no altercations or abnormalites (outside of Pinkie Pie, situation previously documented and under review). Doug manned (his word, as a shorthoof for his species, specifically man for stallion) the grill and stayed at that post for the duration of his stay at the party.

A full transcript of each conversation is included in Appendix B.

Agent redacted first talked with Applejack as she was setting up the grill and during the short time she worked there. She freely talked about Doug, though was a little defensive at the mention that she started a herd with Doug the day she met him; she was also curious how Agent redacted came upon this knowledge. She remained suspicious through the rest of their time together, becoming more defensive in her answers. Overall, she showed no signs of remorse, abuse, or mental control. She appeared happy with her relationship with Doug and the other mares in Herd Apple, though her mention of Rarity (Appendix A, page 3) was slightly strained.

Agent redacted next met Rainbow Dash (Appendix A, page 4) and Doug when the two arrived at the party. Her conversation with Doug had a few peculiarities: initially, he noticed Agent redacted but made no attempt to engage her in conversation or greeting until she had greeted him. After her greeting he was amiable, talking about anything she chose but taking the conversation to no new topics. Agent redacted later learned this is due to a restriction Spoiled Rich (Appendix A, page 9) had instated on him for unknown reasons.

No magical resonations were observed exuding from Doug, in his vicinity, or between him and the mares in Herd Apple. Curiously, no magical signature was observed coming from Doug (editor's note - also observed and documented by Dr. G. Horse, his collection of notes in Appendix C) though the scans were not exhaustive. No undue influence or control was noted. His method of arrival to Equestria, as he is not native to this world, is also unknown and was not mentioned.

Rainbow Dash arrived with Doug; her interactions with Agent redacted were curt and restricted only to direct questions aimed at her. She seemed deferential towards Doug and alert towards any pony that approached, almost as if she was there as a guard. Rainbow Dash's interactions with Spoiled Rich were noted to be forced but cordial. To the extent Agent redacted was able to ascertain, Rainbow Dash is happy with her current arrangement with Doug but somewhat resentful about the current situation with Spoiled Rich.

Pinkie Pie was present at the party for the duration, but her first interaction with Agent redacted was when Spoiled Rich arrived. Doug initiated a greeting with Pinkie Pie, unlike every other pony at the party aside from Rarity. She was her 'normal' self, if a little subdued compared to her normal party actions if the other Ponyvillians can be believed.

Pinkie Pie expressed interest in joining Doug's herd but was guarded as to the details. She admitted to not having gone on a date but expressed hope that their upcoming date would go well. She was unclear on how soon they would engage in amorous activities; she believes it will not be in time for a foal this year but was open to the opportunity if it arises. Further observation will be required; a quick response team may be deemed necessary.

Rarity arrived approximately an hour after Doug arrived. She was easy-going, engaging Agent redacted in all manner of conversation topics. She expressed the most interest or excitement of the mares in Herd Apple as to being with Doug, both physically and relation-ally. While she was somewhat reticent to engage in conversation of that matter with a filly, Agent redacted feels she would be the most likely of the five (six?) to discuss their upcoming plans as well as what potential arrangements may be made. Her description of Doug matched that of the other mares, though she had a more negative opinion of his sense of humor than the others.

Fluttershy (Appendix A, page 5) was not observed at the party. This is consistent with her normal behavior, the mare being exceptionally shy and agoraphobic. Agent redacted was informed, when she inquired about Fluttershy, that she was at home, taking care of the foals (Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Appendix A, Page 6). Second hoof reports indicate that Fluttershy will not foal this year. The condition of the foals was also a somewhat guarded topic, though more an emotional one than secretive. (Editor's note - more information in Appendix C)

When the party finished Doug did not assist with the cleanup of the main area. His focus remained on the grill, packing it into the appropriate cart and dragging it towards Sweet Apple Acres. Doug was not observed returning to the party for later cleanup.

In regards to your second inquiry, Agent redacted was not provided with the details but instead told to gain a general knowledge of their plans for foals in the future. As this is a sensitive issue, further discussion will not take place here but I am of the opinion that they, including Applejack, will at the very least be willing to discuss redacted redacted, especially if the timeline of Rainbow and Rarity's entrance to the herd can be believed.

Best of luck in your endeavors,
Lieutenant Shining Armor

Briefing declassified by Lieutenant Shining Armor under The Sun Shines on All of Us Act

13 Dating Pinkie

February 24th, 994

Pinkie Pie fidgets nervously as she double checks for the third time her list of items to bring. Rarity had told her that Doug preferred things simple, but how could she not go all out for their first date? She checks the cake that is baking in the oven. It could use icing, but that should normally wait until it finishes baking. Normally. This isn't a normal occasion at all!

Pinkie Pie holds up the tube of icing in her hooves; she quickly double checks the cake inside for the fifth time. Nope, still no icing on it. Good. She slowly puts down the tube; there is a good reason one shouldn't bake while this excited. Pinkie sighs; maybe she should just follow Rarity's advice, and keep it simple. Or Rainbow's; she suggested some sort of physical activity. Maybe she could try her hoof at hoofball? Or buckball? Hmm, she didn't know if Doug plays buckball. Did she know how to play buckball? Pinkie checks her notes; nope, she doesn't know how to play buckball yet. There has to be something they could do together!

Fortunately the oven timer dings, breaking Pinkie Pie out of her trance. She rushes over, pulling the cake out of the oven. She can finally decorate her masterpiece! She pulls out the tube of icing, thinking hard before carefully maneuvering the tube. She then violently jams the tube into the middle of the cake, depressing the entire tube of icing inside. Perfect!

The cake finished, Pinkie Pie moves around the kitchen, collecting the various confections and items she will need on her upcoming date. She pronks outside, making her way out of Sugarcube Corner and towards one of the open fields in Sweet Apple Acres. She waves at the various mares she passes, though few show nearly the same amount of enthusiasm she feels.

Pinkie spots Doug sitting in the field, his back against one of the nearby apple trees. He is just sitting, watching the sky, and Pinkie peers up. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary she pronks a little closer; his head briefly turns at the noise and Doug smiles at seeing her. One arm comes up and waves, "Hey Pinkie! Pleasant day, isn't it?"

Pinkie Pie smiles, pronking the rest of the way to him, "Yuppers! Sooo, what'cha looking at the sky for? Are you looking for something falling? Normally when something is falling my tail gets all twitchy, but you don't have a tail, so how else are you supposed to know something is falling? Ooh, is it an apple? Is an apple going to start falling?"

Doug shakes his head; Pinkie shudders - she can see his smile getting a little more forced. Her ears flatten against her head and her mane slowly deflates as she walks the rest of the way. She drops her saddle bags on the ground and flops down next to him. She looks up as his hand caresses her mane, a worried look in his eyes. "Pinkie Pie? Are you doing okay?"

Pinkie Pie shakes her head, "I wanted this date to go perfectly, and I can already tell I'm just making a foal of myself. How can I call myself the premiere party planner pony of Ponyville when I can't get a party with just the two of us to work?"

"Well, what if it didn't have to go perfectly? That's the whole purpose of dating, right? To find out things about each other, what the other person likes and dislikes. I mean, you would need to be clairvoyant or omniscient if you wanted every party to go perfectly."

A strange look comes over Pinkie's face as she smiles, "I like the sound of that; so, how do I become omniscient?"

Doug laughs, "I think you're taking that the wrong way, but I dunno, maybe you have to ascend to be an alicorn? Your Pinkie sense would get turned up to eleven then, right?"

Pinkie considers, moving a hoof to her chin. Her mane is slowly becoming more normal as she replies, "Hmm, alicorn... alicorn... alicornication? You know how to become an alicorn? My Pinkie Sense isn't telling me, and I haven't seen it before, so I don't know what would happen before that. Probably a doozy of a doozy of a shudder, followed by a tail twitch, then another doozy of a shudder?"

Doug laughs, "See? I think this date is turning out just fine, even if you didn't predict every moment. So, what kind of cake did you bring?"

Pinkie gasps, holding her hooves up to her mouth, "I didn't know you were psychic! You knew I brought a cake! You must know how I can become an alicorn!"

Doug shakes his head, "No, Pinkie, you literally bring a cake to everything. Every single time I've seen you, you either have a cake on hoof or you pull one out of somewhere it shouldn't fit."

Pinkie Pie shrugs, "Well, being predictable some of the time just makes it harder to predict you the rest of the time! So, did you want to start off with the cake or did you want to just eat cake?"

Doug smiles, "Let's start by taking a look at the cake, alright? I hope it isn't too sugary."

An offended look crosses Pinkie's face, "Hey, cake baking is serious business! Besides, you can't knock a cake until you've polished it off!" She reaches deep into her saddle bags, pulling out a six inch chocolate cake devoid of icing. "Ta da! Do you like it?"

Doug scratches his chin, eyeing Pinkie Pie suspiciously, "It looks like chocolate, and I do like chocolate. So, what's the surprise?"

Pinkie giggles, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" At Doug's shrug she pulls out a large knife. Doug watches as she takes nine slices along the top of the cake, each half an inch parallel to the last. She licks the knife off and places it next to her saddle bag, pulling out a fork and two plates. She hoofs one plate and the fork to Doug while putting the second plate on the ground.

"So, the first section is just chocolate and cake, so that piece is mine. Next up is a bunch of the activities I was hoping we could do together!" Pinkie slides away the first slice of cake to her own plate, then pushes open the next piece, showing a picture drawn in cream frosting. The two of them are sitting next an apple tree, cutting up a cake. Doug looks closely; he can see in the cake a picture of himself looking closely at a cake. A worried look goes over his face as he backs up, shaking his head. Pinkie asks, "So, if you want to do the activity, just take the piece of cake! Then, once you finish that slice we can do that activity and then move on to the next one! So, do you want to finish the whole cake?" She smiles, winking at Doug and lapping her piece of cake into her mouth.

Doug grins, taking the knife and pushing the piece of cake onto his plate. The remainder of the cake conceals the next picture, merely showing a few balloons shaped like Pinkie Pie's cutie mark. He sets the knife back down, taking the fork and spearing a corner. He slowly lifts the piece up, eyeing it before opening his mouth and setting it on his tongue. Pinkie looks more and more excited, though the deliberately long wait is starting to get to her. Doug slowly chews, his mouth curling up at both the taste and Pinkie's increasingly energetic antics.

Somehow, Pinkie managed to bake a rocky road ice cream cake, even though he hasn't told anypony his favorite ice cream flavor. The cake is just cool enough to not melt but also warm enough to not mess with some of his fillings. He smiles, quickly swallowing and going for another bite. Between bites he says, "I don't know how you did it, Pinkie, but you did it again." Pinkie Pie's smile grows wider than her muzzle as he finishes the slice. He looks over at her, "So, that was a picture of us sitting here eating cake. What happens next?"

Pinkie Pie grins, "Well, we'll just have to move on to the next piece!" She takes the knife, sliding the next section out from the rest. It shows a picture of the two of them, laying on the ground. Both of them are raising a limb, pointing at the clouds moving across the sky.

Doug looks up; he can barely make out the teams of pegasi bringing in the clouds for the next few days. He smiles, looking over at Pinkie Pie, "I think that looks like fun too." He takes the piece, eyeing the picture again, "I do hate ruining an amazing work of art like this though."

Pinkie Pie shrugs, moving over next to him before rolling over onto her back, "It's made to be eaten, and hurry up! We don't have all day here!"

Doug smiles, rolling his eyes, "We have the rest of the day to spend together, Pinkie, hold your horses." He takes a bite of the next piece, the light cream still just as delicious. Pinkie Pie frowns; she doesn't care for his choice of words, she has been very careful not to insinuate anything improper! Although that last piece... he must be psychic! Or it's one of those weird human expressions. Who knows sometimes? She sure doesn't!

She looks over as Doug finishes the piece, a smile on his face. Maybe he really didn't mean anything by it, but he should be more careful using naughty words like that. Pinkie Pie snuggles closer, looking up at the sky. Doug's arm rests underneath her back, rubbing her mane as she lifts a hoof to the sky. "Ooh! That one, that one looks like an apple!"

Doug smiles, "That one looks like your mane!"

Pinkie pouts, "They all look like my mane! No fair!"

Doug smirks, "What, because your head is in the clouds?"

Pinkie mock glares at Doug, shaking a hoof in his direction. The two go back and forth for several minutes, trading light barbs with their comments on the various clouds moving along the sky. Eventually Doug bows to Pinkie's superior cloud describing ability, looking at the cake. He pulls off the next slice, showing a picture of Doug sitting underneath a tree. He is sitting with his hands covering his eyes. Pinkie can barely be made out, hiding in the branches above him.

Doug looks over at Pinkie, "Are we playing hide and go seek in this one?"

Pinkie Pie nods, "Yup! I'm the bestest at hide and go seek, you can run but you can't hide!"

Doug smiles, reminiscing about fond memories of playing hide and go seek in his youth. However, upon looking around, he sees maybe two hiding spots, if you count the tree they are currently sitting under. He takes the piece, moving it onto Pinkie's plate. She looks a little dejected as he says, "I think that's a fun game, this just isn't the place for it. Definitely when we can get the foals playing." He winks at her, messing her mane a little as Pinkie vacuums the slice up.

She pushes the next slice, showing Doug and Pinkie sitting next to each other. Music notes appear from the trombone Pinkie is playing and from Doug's head. Doug smiles, lifting the cake slice to his own plate. "You know, I always could sing, but I was always so self conscious about it."

Pinkie smiles, "Really? Most ponies just go with the flow, letting the music take them. You've probably seen us performing musicals in Ponyville! It's probably the most musical town in Equestria!"

Doug shrugs, "Well, I guess I haven't spent enough time in Ponyville to notice. That or the ponies just shy away from me too much. Anyway, what kind of songs do you know?"

Pinkie Pie's grin grows, "Oh, you're going to love this one! It's all about smiling!"

Pinkie Pie goes over the lyrics to her Smile song, Doug picking up the chorus fairly quickly. He pauses frequently, though, every time he misses a note or feels like he is singing off key. Pinkie snuggles up next to him; he can match her pitch much easier than he can sing on his own. She smiles as his confidence slowly grows, managing to finish a run through without stopping. She remarks, "We're going to have to sing way more often, that was a lot of fun!"

Pinkie moves over, kissing Doug on the lips. She smiles at the contact, moving back while Doug runs his hand through her mane. After a few minutes of sitting together Pinkie gets up, grabbing the next slice of cake. She places it on one of the plates and brings it over. Doug takes the plate, turning it around to look at the picture. He pauses; "It's blank. Just a white wall."

Pinkie nods, "Yup! This one, you get to choose what we do. So, what'll it be?"

Doug ponders for a moment before grinning, "What kind of sports balls do you have in there? I'm curious if ponies can catch things."

Pinkie considers, moving over to her saddlebags. She pulls out a basketball sized blue ball, a hoofball, and a few balloons. Half of Pinkie Pie disappears into her saddlebags as she delves deeper. Doug idly spins the plate in his hand before a large smirk comes over his face, "Pinkie, how much do you care about this plate?"

Pinkie's head pokes out of the other bag, "Um, not at all, really. They're like five for a bit."

Doug's smile grows larger, "Alright, Pinkie, have you ever heard of a Frisbee?" At Pinkie's head shake he pulls his arm back.

Pinkie gasps, "That doesn't mean you can just break them!"

Doug ignores Pinkie, hurling the plate up and away from him. He immediately starts sprinting way off to the side, no where near where he threw the plate.

Pinkie exclaims, "Hey!" as she runs directly after the plate. It seems to stall in midair before hurtling towards the ground, aimed almost directly at where Doug is running to. He grabs it with both hands before skidding to a stop.

Pinkie looks at him in amazement as Doug tosses the plate from one hand to the other. "Man, I played a lot of this back in college. Now, let's see if you can do it!" He moves over to Pinkie Pie, kneeling down while holding out the plate. "First off, catching. It won't do any good to throw this back and forth if we can't catch it safely. Now, the easiest grab for a human is called the pancake grab. Take your two hooves, push them together over the plate as it comes towards you, using your chest as necessary."

Doug scratches his chin as he appraises Pinkie Pie, finally remarking, "So, we have both of our hands free, since we don't have to support ourselves with our front legs. I know I've seen you walk around like that, so hopefully you can move around quickly as well."

Pinkie smirks, standing up on her hind legs. She starts rapidly dancing, pulling a cane our of her mane and spinning it around. Doug gently tosses the plate at her; she gasps, letting go of the cane and moving her hooves towards the plate. She manages to get both hooves on the plate but they aren't centered on each other. The act of moving both her forelegs together and focusing on clutching the plate to her chest proves too much, the pink mare toppling over. Doug applauds, "You caught it! Very good!"

He offers Pinkie Pie a hand, helping her get up and taking the plate from her. She grins as she stands back up, "I've got it this time, ready!" Doug tosses the plate towards Pinkie and she grabs it, giving him a large grin. She gives it an underhanded toss back to him as he moves closer.

"Hmm." Doug ponders; how exactly does Pinkie, or any pony for that matter, hold things in their hooves? "So, for a human, we kind of grip the disk with our fingers. The distance and control we get when we throw comes from both rotating the disk, which we do by flicking our wrist, and from rotating our arm around the elbow and shoulder." Doug demonstrates by moving his arm, but doesn't release the plate. "You could almost say that humans were designed to throw things." Doug looks over at Pinkie's body, her four legs tucked underneath herself as she sits next to him. "I have... no idea if any of that will work for you."

Pinkie moves over, grasping the plate in her hoof. She frowns, frustrated at the lack of control she has. She can pick it up, but any attempt to move the plate from one side or the other just causes it to flop around, still held firmly in her grasp. She rapidly moves her foreleg up and down, trying to get the smooth motion Doug demonstrated earlier.

Doug claps his hands, distracting Pinkie but not causing her to lose her grip. She looks over as he says, "Wow, that's a lot better than I thought you would be able to do! Now, you just have to let go! Don't worry about trying to spin the plate, just try to lightly toss the disc up into the air, then be ready to catch it when it comes back down."

Pinkie smiles, moving her foreleg up into the air. Her first attempt doesn't release the plate at all, and she frowns as her second attempt releases the plate after her hoof came to its apex, causing the plate to just drop to the ground. Fortunately, Doug is watching closely next to her and he deftly grabs the plate before it can hit the ground. He smiles, "Good job, it's all about timing. A lot of humans have trouble with this too."

Pinkie takes the plate from him and tries again. Her third try is a success, the plate lifting several feet into the air before coming back down, caught one hoofed by Pinkie. Doug starts, "Great job! Now, for the spin, you-"

Pinkie smirks, "Like this?" as she flicks her hoof, tossing the plate fifteen feet into the air with a healthy amount of spin. She leaps up, grabbing the plate with a hoof before coming down and throwing the plate at Doug. He barely manages to get his arms up as the plate hits him in the chest, grabbing it before it hits the ground. He smiles, slowly backing away from Pinkie and throwing the plate back to her.

The two go back and forth, happily throwing the plate between them until it becomes too dark to safely run around. They head back to the cake, still three pieces and an end remaining. Pinkie starts clearing some grass while Doug takes the next piece onto the other plate. He looks at the depiction of him and Pinkie sitting near a campfire, looking up at the stars. They are cuddling together, Pinkie resting her head on his shoulder.

Pinkie moves over, "You might want to eat the next one too, I don't think we'll want the interruption." Pinkie has finished setting up the campfire and gets the next piece, a depiction of Pinkie talking and Doug looking fearful. "This one is us sharing scary stories! How about it, huh? Huh?"

Doug smiles, petting Pinkie's mane, "I think I would prefer the first one, honestly. You can have this one." Pinkie gives a somewhat sad smile but takes the piece, scarfing it down in one bite. She moves over, having not licked the icing from her lips, and presses them against Doug's. He returns the kiss, icing smearing across his face as Pinkie moves down to his chin. She ends up resting her head on his shoulder, mirroring the picture as the campfire crackles.

The two lie on the ground, just looking at the stars before Doug asks, "So, does Celestia light the stars at night as well as move the moon and sun?"

Pinkie nods into his chest before her tired reply, "Yup. She arranges the stars, too; sometimes she'll make pretty pictures, but the astronomers get mad at her if she leaves it different for too long. Not that they'll ever say that to her, everypony knows she's just trying to make her sister happy."

Doug takes a few seconds to respond, "Luna?"

Pinkie nods again, "Princess Luna, yes. They were supposedly really close, back before she changed to Nightmare Moon, but that's all just legends now. It was about a thousand years ago, I think."

Doug says, "I suppose that's when your calendar starts, then. Nine nine four. Nine hundred, ninety four years ago when she started ruling by herself. Wow."

Pinkie continues, "Yup, and she has done a pretty fantabulous job of leading all of ponykind while raising the sun, moon, and stars. Now, enough about her, you see any constellations you recognize?"

Doug frowns, "Well, unfortunately I can't really make out the stars well enough, there's a bit too much blurring. I never really studied the stars either, so outside of the Big Dipper and maybe Orion I would have a hard time picking any constellations out."

"Ooh, the Big Dipper sounds fun. What's that one like?"

"Let's see, there was a box of four stars with very few other stars nearby. The 'handle' of the dipper was around four stars, and if you followed those stars it took you to Polaris, the North Star, which was remarkable because while the rest of the stars slowly rotated around the sky Polaris only rotated a very, very small amount. It stayed in place, and also pointed north, so if you could find Polaris then you knew which direction you were going."

Pinkie moves her head back up, kissing Doug on the lips. She licks a bit of the icing off his face before going for another kiss. As they break away she says in a soft voice, "I know which direction I want to be going," as she hoofs the last slice of cake to Doug. He smiles as he takes the piece, though his smile slowly fades as he looks at it. It shows Pinkie laying on a bed, looking backwards. Her hind legs are coming off the bed where Doug is standing, his hands resting on her flanks.

Doug looks over to Pinkie, who is smiling at him, waiting for his response. He asks, "Are you sure about this?"

Pinkie takes that as her cue to move up to him again, pressing her mouth against his and sliding her body across his chest. She slowly moves her head to the side, licking his cheeks before whispering in his ear, "I don't think we need the bed," as Doug takes a bite of the cake.

14 Mailbag

February 30th, 994

The morning light streams through the window as Doug sits in his office chair, trying to focus on his weather scheduling. There had been no hiding the ending of his date with Pinkie Pie from the rest of the herd, though he is still surprised Pinkie hasn't asked to join the herd yet. Instead, Applejack cautioned him against fooling around with her for the next two weeks; Rainbow's heat has already started and the rest of the mares are due any day now. Fluttershy and Rarity are debating taking the medication, just in case, while Applejack and Rainbow have decided to tough it out. He has no idea what Pinkie Pie will do, how good her self control will be. For many of the mares in Ponyville the unicorn designed medication is seen as a bit of a cheat, an expensive subversion of the natural way of things. That didn't stop many mares from having a bottle on hoof, just in case, but the less that his herd can deviate from the norm the better.

Doug opens the next letter, another last minute request for extra rain. Rainbow Dash had cautioned him that these sort of requests are extremely frequent in the early spring as many farmers have finally decided what selection of plants they will grow and will need extra rain for their new sprouts. Also, it seems, they each think that they are the only ones that do this, and 'Oh please it's just a few extra inches over the next week, please oh please Missus Digger'. It gets tiring quick, and also messes with Doug's normal routine for how he likes to create his schedules. He is starting to see why so many pegasi despise this weather work and why so many areas were quick to dump the responsibility onto somepony else.

He opens another letter; fortunately, this one just seems to be a letter thanking the weather team for their hard work over the winter. He smiles before tossing that one onto a small pile next to his 'to do' bay, taking another letter from his 'In' bay. This one has a few compliments about the handling of the weather during the fall, how it helped the crops, yada yada yada, a snide remark about the early snows during the winter, and another request for extra rain on the marked section. Doug detaches the section, places it into the Ponyville section of his 'to do' bay before opening the next letter.

A soft landing of hooves on the porch outside signals Rainbow's return. Doug thought he was supposed to meet Rainbow in town, but maybe she wanted to walk with him. It is really early for that, though. She left at dawn to make sure everypony on the weather patrol has their assignments and knew what to do. There will be a few trainees that she or Open Skies will need to keep a close eye on, especially as the work around Ponyville is a bit different than what they teach up in Cloudsdale. Rainbow has taken the second half of the morning shift off to spend time with her parents Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof. They, along with Rarity and Fluttershy's parents, are due to arrive at some point today. Doug will meet with them in the morning, though Rainbow has to return to work after lunch. Doug will swap to meet with Fluttershy's parents, Mrs. and Mr. Shy, at lunch. At some point in the afternoon he might meet Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks for dinner with Rarity, depending on their schedule.

Doug sighs; he does not want to get behind on this, and continues sorting through letters as the front door opens and the sound of hooves echo from the kitchen. Soon the only sounds are the letters he is ripping open and the soft rustle of papers. Doug tenses as a soft breeze disturbs a few of the papers before a set of hooves cover his eyes. He hears a soft voice saying, "Guess who?" from behind him.

"Hmmm," Doug says, stroking his chin. "Fluttershy?"

One of the hooves releases his face, clocking him lightly on the head while the other spins him around. "No, silly!" Pinkie Pie says; the mare is strapped to a few balloons, allowing her to barely levitate over the floorboards. She moves in, giving Doug a kiss before slowly drifting backwards. She giggles a bit at the contact before settling down to the floor. She looks over the papers Doug has on his table before looking back at him, "Applejack asked me to help with the foals, watching Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle while she takes Apple Bloom." Pinkie pie grins, "Your foals are so easy, they always want to play and scamper around! I'll be here until after lunch, then Fluttershy should be coming over. I'll be working late at Sugarcube Corner if you want to catch up." She winks at him, turning around and flicking her tail as she heads to the foals' room.

Fortunately for Pinkie each foal was already fed and changed, so she will be able to just play with them. Doug shakes his head; each of the mare's antics would only get more pronounced as the weeks go on, especially if they aren't getting the type of attention their body craves. None of the mares in his herd want to chance having another foal, not with the uncertainty with Spoiled Rich. They also want to wait to get a better idea of how the foals are developing. So far, though, the signs look good for next year, if things continue progressing as they are.

Doug opens the next letter, waiting for the right time to leave. This letter seems different from the others; inside, instead of the normal form to amend their weather request or to give feedback, it looks like a personal letter. Doug regards it with curiosity - not many ponies write to him.

The letter itself is quite short: "Dear Mr. Apple, I would like to meet up with you to help with a paper I am researching. Please let me know if you would be available around the month of May. Please send your reply to P. O. Box 526, Ponyville. Thank you for your time. -SG"

Doug shrugs, consulting his schedule. While it is mostly blank, as far as scheduled events, he knows he will have a lot of work in the spring. It'll probably die down a little right before summer, giving him a bit more free time as the spring harvests complete and ponies gear up for summer planting. After that it would be back to being busy, but he has a bit more experience during that time of year. He scribbles a quick reply, using the helpfully provided return envelope, and drops the letter into his out bay.

Doug opens several more letters, all routine weather amendment requests, before he grabs a thicker, full sized envelope. There is an insignia he hasn't seen before, but it reminds him of Celestia's cutie mark. On the front of the letter is written in bold, 'Priority Response Yellow Requested, Open Immediately'. Doug's face blanches as he opens the letter, wondering both what could have happened that necessitated this and if he should go get Applejack.

The outer envelope opens easily enough, revealing another package inside. The writing on the front reads, 'For Herd Apple Only', which he sets aside. The envelope also includes a small packet of green dust and a single match as well as a return envelope and paper. The return envelope is routed to the royal guard station in Canterlot. Neither envelope contains anything else, so Doug attempts to open the marked package.

At first, the package merely resists his efforts to open it; his fingers, which were sufficient to open every other letter so far, fail to penetrate the paper cover. He sighs, redoubling his efforts before he notices a slight pain in his head. He stops, rubbing his temples; the pain goes down quickly, but comes back when he looks again at the package. He sighs, looking away. He would need to get Applejack after all.

Doug leaves the package on the desk, heading outside to find Applejack. She is busy bucking trees, her cart already filled with baskets of their first apple harvest. He calls out, "Hey, Applejack?"

Applejack, surprised at the interruption, responds, "Hey, Doug? You need help with something?"

He nods, "Yeah; I got a package from Canterlot and I can't open it."

Applejack frowns, "Oh? Was it addressed to me or something?"

Doug shakes his head as the two walk back to the farmhouse, "No, it was addressed to Herd Apple. I tried to open it, but I couldn't. Then I got a headache and didn't want to mess with it any more."

Applejack hesitates as they get close to the office, "Are ya sure it was from Canterlot?"

Doug shrugs as he walks into the room, grabbing the outer envelope from the desk before stepping away, "Well, it looked pretty official. Here's the outer envelope it came in, I could open that just fine."

Applejack looks at the mark, nodding in recognition, "Eeyup, that's the official seal all right. Looks like they included some dragonfire dust as well. This must be something important, that's used to instantly send letters." At Doug's mere nod at this, Applejack asks, "Wow, you aren't surprised by that? Ah couldn't believe it when Ah first heard about it."

Doug says, "Well, I just assumed magic could send messages back and forth quickly. Plus, humans had phones and electronic messaging that could talk anywhere on the planet instantly."

Applejack nods, "Ah can see how that would be useful, Ah could keep in touch with all them Apple relatives we got scattered over Equestria. Hard enough getting together for the reunions, making sure everypony knows when and where we're meeting." She moves her hoof over to the package, the wrapping coming instantly undone as she touches it. "Well, that wasn't too hard."

Doug looks over at the opened package, the pain in his head returning. He quickly glances away; the pain subsides as he says, "Ow. Well, you might have to read it to me, it still hurts to look at it."

Applejack peers at papers, moving the package to view it from different angles, "Huh. Well, must be some sort of anti-tampering spell. Rarity might know more, but at least it's keyed to let me use it. Alright, let's see. 'Dear Herd Apple, on behalf of Princess Celestia, May Her Sun Shine As Long As She Deems Necessary, and Princess Cadance, yada yada yada.' Let's see, more introductions, a bit of knowledge about our herd and foals, very detailed, they must have Dr. Horse's notes or something. Huh, this part looks important. 'We have a team of magic specialists who are able to look into the problems that your foals are facing. They will be able to observe and inspect your foals, and potentially have a'."

Applejack stops talking, her voice caught in her throat. Doug looks back over at her but immediately turns, the pain in his head the worst it has been so far. The stars in his eyes clear a little as Applejack continues, her voice quiet, "It says here that they 'potentially have a course of treatments that may restore some or all of the foals' magic.' That's... that's..."

Applejack looks over, seeing Doug still in pain. She drops the letter on his desk, moving over to nuzzle him. "That would be incredible; Ah can't believe the Princess is looking into this for us!" She smiles, moving back to the letter. She continues, mumbling to herself as she reads "Let's see. It continues, a bit about how there are no guarantees, this would be experimental, other disclaimers. Oh, Doug, Ah bet the others can't wait to hear this!"

Doug nods, mostly recovered though he is rubbing his head, "Yeah, I bet they will. Was there anything else in there?"

Applejack pauses, looking back over the contents of the package. "Yeah, two other things. First, there is a letter. No salutations like the other one, just a quick note. Huh, starts off 'Dear Herd Apple, if members of your herd plan on conceiving this heat season, please reply as soon as possible using the enclosed dragonfire dust.'" Applejack looks over, locating the dust. "This stuff is really expensive, why would they want to know that so badly? Anyway, the letter continues, 'If you don't plan on conceiving, please keep the dust until the end of your heat. If you or any mares outside the herd...' well, I don't like those implications at all!"

Doug smirks, laying on the floor with his hand over his eyes, "It did happen last year, maybe they think I can't keep it in my pants."

Applejack looks over, unamused, "Well, first off, you don't wear any pants, and second, we didn't know that this would happen. Couldn't they at least not just assume you'll go off fooling around with any other mares?"

Doug sighs, "Mares like Pinkie?"

Applejack pauses, lifting a hoof to her face. "Huh. You think they know about Pinkie Pie?"

Doug shrugs, "They seem to know everything else. Freaking KGB ponies I guess?"

Applejack hesitates, "Uh, sure, Ah guess." She pauses again, sighing loudly. "Ah really don't have a hoof to stand on over here, huh? Well, make sure you let me know if you fool around with any other mares, then, apparently that's incredibly important information that the Princesses need a full report on." Applejack scowls, tossing the paper marked, 'instructions for dragonfire dust' on the desk. She picks up the other paper, reading the header. She says in a slightly confused voice, "Huh. Ah suppose Ah should have read this one first, it seems to be hoof written by Princess Celestia."

'Dear Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Doug, and, if she joins Herd Apple by the time we are able to meet, Pinkie Pie. It has come to my attention that Doug, a human with no magic, was able to conceive with three of the members of your herd. This came as a surprise to me, as a lack of magic would theoretically preclude such an act from occurring. Princess Cadance and I request a meeting with you to discuss the situation, especially that of your recently born foals. Please let us know when you are available; this is a sensitive matter, so please choose a time and day where your disappearance will not be noticed. Sincerely, Princess Celestia'

Applejack stares at the letter in her hoof for several long seconds before flipping it over. "Huh, there's an area to write what day and time we are available. It also says the meeting might take a while, and sooner rather than later, preferably within the week." She puts the letter down on the desk, moving next to her stallion, "Doug? Is it alright if Ah'm a little scared?"

Doug nods; his headache continues to subside as the letter moves away from him. He lifts an arm to embrace Applejack, saying, "I know, I'm a little frightened too, but I think it'll be okay. She probably won't banish me, right?"

Applejack glares at Doug before moving over to hug him, "Ah certainly hope not, but why would you go and put an idea like that in my head? It's bad enough with just what Ah can come up with."

Doug laughs as Applejack gets up, "Just trying to get a little humor in there, I guess. Oh, can you take the letter, actually, that whole package and whatnot with you? It's still doing a number on me, even over here."

Applejack nods, "Sure thing Sugarcube. Ah sure don't want to take a day off, not at this time, but who are we to refuse Princess Celestia's request? And she even will make the time for us. Hopefully she doesn't mind meeting us after dinner, and Ah hope it don't run too long. What could be so important?" She puts the package and the rest of the contents back in the envelope, and Doug relaxes, feeling like a weight has been lifted off him.

Doug shrugs as he notes the time, saying, "Well, it's about that time. I need to head out, meet with Rainbow and her parents. Thanks for helping me with this." He grabs his satchel and a few work papers before walking outside the room.

Applejack nods, nuzzling Doug as they leave the house, "Sure thing, Sugarcube. Oh, if you see Rarity and Fluttershy tell them we need to meet here at dinner. Oh, Ah think we might as well include Pinkie in this, she's just about a part of this herd now."

Doug says, "Sure, if we see any of them I'll pass it along. See you later!"

15 Relative Enthusiasm

Doug breaks into a slow jog as he makes his way towards Ponyville, his satchel thumping at his side. He isn't going fast enough to break into a sweat, much as he would like the workout. Today is the one day off a week he gets from working on the farm, but he has taken on enough towns to need to work all seven days and he misses the physical activity. Especially with his mares being less physical with him, for obvious reasons. He mentally goes over the requests he has received so far; Rainbow had recommended he request extra rain clouds and it looks like he will need all of them in Ponyville. A couple of the other towns he has kept closer to their previous year's requests. His system uses less rain than the previous schedulers but when the farms needed rain there is no getting around that.

Doug stops on the road leading between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville, coming to rest underneath one of the trees. He looks around; while there are pegasi flying around town he can't make out if any of them are Windy Whistles or Bow Hothoof. He checks the sun; he is a little early, so he pulls out the Manehatten schedule to get a little more familiar with the city itself. The city is a sizable boost to his workload, but at the same time the ponies that live there both have very high expectations and a very low threshold for mistakes. Their lead weathermare has been unhelpful so far, and Doug can't understand why. The request had come from them; maybe they thought a hot shot weathermare like himself could figure it out on his own. He shrugs to himself, starting to read through their records from the previous year versus last week.

A cough startles him out of his reading and he looks up to see Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof standing a short distance from him. Windy Whistles is a pegasus with a light blue but slightly grayer coat than Rainbow topped by an orange and red streaked mane, tied in a poofy ponytail. She whispers to her husband, "Uh, honey? Are you sure?"

Bow Hothoof is a larger pegasus with a light purple coat with a chromatic mane nearly identical to Rainbow Dash. He whispers back, "Well, how else are we going to find out? Waiting around hasn't worked." Doug smiles and puts away his notes as Bow Hothoof approaches, nervously asking, "Excuse me? Have you seen Rainbow Dash?"

Doug shakes his head, "Not since this morning."

Windy Whistles frowns, walking a little closer, "Oh. Well, we were supposed to meet her here." She stops, staring at Doug, shaking her head a little as if to usher him away.

Doug manages to keep a neutral face as he realizes that they don't realize who he is. Though he is a little surprised Rainbow didn't tell them, or that they weren't informed when they learned about Scootaloo. He decides against messing with them, "Well, it just so happens that I'm waiting for her too. Hi, my name is Doug Apple, it's nice to meet you!" Doug moves an arm forward, briefly holding his fingers out before reconsidering and making a fist.

Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof look at each other, surprise obvious on their faces. Windy Whistles stares at her husband before he scoffs, pushing his mane back and moving forward. He bumps his hoof against Doug's fist, saying in an excited voice, "So, you're the stallion Rainbow's been running with, huh? Won't lie, I was expecting a pegasus, though an earth pony wouldn't have surprised me with what she said about your stamina."

Windy Whistles gives a slight gasp, "Honey!" She looks over to Doug, "Don't mind him, he's just excited to meet Rainbow's mate."

Bow Hothoof chuckles, "Please, it's just a little talk between us stallions. Bow Hothoof at your service, you can call me Bow."

Doug smiles, "Nice to meet you, Bow, you can call me Doug." He looks over at Windy, who still looks a little surprised at Bow's boldness. Doug continues, "So, is this your lead?"

A slightly offended looks comes over Windy Whistles' face as Bow replies, "Lead? No, just one mare for me. Rainbow came along early in our relationship and we really dedicated a lot of time with her. Ended up being so excited with her, we just didn't see the need to bring any more on. Windy Whistles, but I don't think she'll mind you calling her Windy."

Doug nods, moving his fist towards her, "Well, you two certainly did an excellent job raising her."

Windy smiles, moving over to bump his hand, "Thank you, we enjoyed every minute of it! Even when she'd tie us up or fly circles around us." A more serious look comes over her face, "So, I take it you aren't a one mare stallion, then?"

Bow steps forward, "Honey! I know that's what you wanted and I was okay with it, but we know not every mare can have that dedicated a stallion. Not, of course, that you aren't dedicated, Doug!"

Doug shrugs, "No offense taken. Besides, between working, four mares, and three foals? I can understand the sentiment."

Windy still looks a little perturbed as Bow replies, "A working stallion, huh? I can get behind that. What kind of work do you do?"

"I work over at Sweet Apple Acres, mostly doing repair work for my lead, Applejack. I also work with Rainbow on the weather team, crafting weather schedules."

Windy turns her head, "Rainbow Dash isn't your lead mare?" She looks over to Bow, saying in a low voice, "Do you think that is why she didn't tell us? That she was ashamed of not being lead, or that she was in a herd?"

Bow shakes his head, "No, she knows we would have supported her no matter what thermal she chose to ride."

The two pause, looking to the sky. Their expressions brighten as they spot Rainbow Dash slowly gliding down, a forced smile on the mare's face. Windy exclaims, "There's our Rainbow Dash! Look at that perfect glide in, I could barely feel the current!"

Bow chants, "Rainbow! Rainbow!" as she lands. He holds a hoof up to his mouth and whistles before going in for a hug.

Rainbow returns the hug, looking up and sighing. Windy moves to join the two, smiling as she hugs her daughter. Rainbow manages to eek out, "So, I see you two have met Doug. What were you talking about?"

Bow replies, "Oh, Doug was just telling us about how the two of you work weather together. When did that start?"

Rainbow nods, escaping the hug and pushing her mane back into position, "Yeah, it was around the time I became lead weathermare, so early May."

Windy beams, "Oh, I'm so proud! Our daughter, lead weathermare here in Ponyville! You must have been the youngest lead weathermare ever!" She and Bow hug as he sniffles, tears forming in his eyes.

Rainbow puts a hoof to the back of her head, trying to contain her embarrassment, "Heh, well, technically the second youngest. There was this huge storm about thirty years ago that injured more than half the weather ponies, so this really junior mare got promoted way before she was ready. I am the youngest that's worked for more than a month, though."

Bow yells, pumping his hoof, "That's our girl! Way to go, Rainbow! Way to go, Rainbow!"

Rainbow sighs, "Yup. So, did you want to grab some lunch, or head back to the farm to see Scootaloo?"

Windy laughs, "Oh, you aren't getting rid of us that easily, we've hardly been able to talk to you! So, tell me, what was it like meeting Doug?"

Rainbow nervously laughs, "Heh, well, when I first met Doug it was at Sweet Apple Acres. We talked a little, he seemed pretty cool and all."

Doug interjects, still seated, "Talked? I seem to remember a bit more than that."

Rainbow rolls her eyes, "Okay, fine, I might have yelled at him a little, and then we wrestled a bit, and then decided to hang out some more. At the time Doug was pretty out of shape, nowhere near as fit as he is now, so we started training together."

Doug nods, "Yup, I had a lot less muscle than when I first arrived, but my diet has made it a little hard to really bulk up, it's more just lean muscle."

Bow nods his head, "Yeah, you look like the kind of build that can keep on going, though, even if your max speed isn't all that high. I see it on some of the cloud pushers I train, those are the ones best suited to handle the long distance cloud runs. Not that a speedster like Rainbow here couldn't handle it, though!"

Doug winks at Rainbow, "Yeah, she sure is pretty awesome!"

Windy moves closer to Rainbow, "So, tell me about Scootaloo. Is she, um, a pegasus?"

Rainbow nods as Bow moves a little closer to Doug, asking in a low voice, "So, is Rainbow your favorite in the...?" he gives Doug a long, obvious wink.

He apparently was a little too loud as Rainbow exclaims, "Dad! Come on, Doug doesn't have favorites like that!" She pauses, looking at Doug, "Do you?"

Doug thinks, moving his hand to his chin, "Hmm, never really thought about it."

Bow coughs, "Well, you've got time now," before Windy clocks him on the head with her hoof.

"Bow Hothoof, you stop that nonsense right now! It's embarrassing our poor Rainbow Dash!"

Doug laughs as Rainbow remarks to herself, "You wouldn't know what embarrassed me if it was staring back at you in a mirror." She smiles back at her mom, saying loudly, "Nah, I'm sure I'm on top."

Doug smirks, "That's not your favorite position though, you like it when I-"

Rainbow flies over, putting her hoof over Doug's mouth, "Hey, hey, not in front of the 'rents, okay?" Doug merely folds his arms in front of his chest. Rainbow sighs, "Fine, I'll do it." Doug raises one eyebrow. Rainbow huffs, "You know, in the morning?"

Their exchange is interrupted by Bow moving in close, "You know, Windy really likes it when I-"

Rainbow squeals, "Dad! Come on, I'm right here, seriously?" She glares, her gaze intensifying as a knowing look is traded between Bow and Doug, the two stifling laughs. Behind them Windy is rolling her eyes, mouthing the word 'stallions' as she shakes her head, a smile on her face.

Bow leans over to Doug, "Heh, I bet you can't wait till you can pull these kind of antics with your own foals." He looks over to Rainbow, "So, tell me more about this weather work you are doing. Must be a lot of work, head weathermare!"

Rainbow nods, glad the conversation has strayed away from the personal aspects of her relationship with Doug, "Well, I'm awesome enough to handle it, as is everypony that makes it through my training! It's me as the lead, of course. Doug here crafts the schedule, he's really awesome at that. Open and Clear Skies are my two assistants. They're both Ponyville natives and not looking to transfer anywhere, so we have a real solid team at the top."

Rainbow continues going through the other ponies who work with her as head weathermare as Windy and Bow settle down, listening intently. Doug continues sitting, trying to put names to faces of the various ponies she mentions. Rainbow finishes around the time her stomach starts growling. She smiles, "Well, you can tell I'm getting hungry. Want to head back to Apple Acres, get some grub?"

Windy whispers to Bow, "Grub?" who whispers back, "I think it's earth pony slang for food." They both stand up, taking to the air. They wait patiently as Rainbow walks over to Doug.

Rainbow nuzzles Doug, asking, "You need to head to meet Shy's parents, right?"

Doug ruffles her mane, "Yup, I'll see you around!" The three pegasi take to the air, continuing their conversation about Scootaloo.

16 Clouds

Fluttershy busies herself in her kitchen, preparing a modest salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots. A few cucumbers lay on the counter, waiting to be sliced and added in. She hums merrily to herself, a few of her animal friends hopping through the open window and joining in. She smiles at each of them, offering a piece of lettuce or bit of bird seed. She continues bustling about before a knock at the wall signal her parents' arrival. Fluttershy looks towards her front door, seeing her parents standing there. She moves over, hugging her mom and dad.

Mr. Shy, a green coated pegasus with a pink mane and mustache, says in a quiet voice, "Oh, Fluttershy, it's so good to see you! I hope you have been doing well?"

Fluttershy nods, "Oh, yes, I've been doing very well. Doug has been helping out outside the house, helping me prepare some of the houses for my animal friends."

Mrs. Shy, an amber coated pegasus with a raspberry colored mane, moves over, inspecting one of the wooden bird houses that is still in progress. "This is very well crafted. Does he work with his hooves much?"

Fluttershy smiles, "Oh, yes, he does. But, he doesn't call his hooves, um, hooves, he calls them hands." She nods shyly as her parents look between each other.

Mrs. Shy says, "Oh, I remember, you said he was a human. Is there anything else we should know before he gets here?"

Fluttershy holds a hoof to her chin while looking up, "Hmm. Well, he's tall, but he tries to get down on our level, especially once we're eating or talking. He doesn't have fur, just very thin hair on most of his body. It's normal for humans, he isn't sick or have any conditions." Fluttershy pauses, thinking again, "He's really nice. He'll try to make you feel comfortable."

Mrs. Shy nods as they make their way into the kitchen. She takes off her saddlebags, pulling out a large orange jello and a large lime jello. She moves over to the cabinets, pulling out four plates and glasses. She looks over the food Fluttershy has prepared, remarking, "Oh, this looks lovely. It was one of your favorite meals when you were little."

Fluttershy nods, taking the salad and dividing it among the plates. She sets the extra in the middle of the table as her dad sits down. He looks over the food, "Yes, I remember when our little Flutter loved to take care of her little brother just like she takes care of the animals now." He smiles, holding out a piece of lettuce to one of the squirrels that has made its way close to him.

Fluttershy grins, "Yes, he certainly liked it when I took care of him. He is, what, in flight school now?"

Mrs. Shy shakes her head, "No, he is in the last year of the Junior Flappers. He hasn't shown interest in working at the factory like your father, we aren't sure what he'll end up doing."

Heavy footsteps outside on the porch signal Doug's arrival. Mrs. Shy takes a seat at the table as Fluttershy moves to the front door. Doug walks through the still open doorway, shutting the door behind him as he waves to Fluttershy. She flutters over to him and he wraps his arm around her, pulling her in close for a kiss. Fluttershy blushes, the scene visible from the kitchen, as he releases her and makes his way towards the dining table.

Fluttershy follows behind him as Doug introduces himself, "Hello, you probably can guess, but I'm Doug. It's nice to meet you!"

Mrs. Shy still has a grin on her face from watching their earlier antics as Mr. Shy quietly responds, "Oh, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Mr. Shy, and this is my lead, Mrs. Shy."

Doug sits down at the table as Fluttershy brings glasses of water for each of them. She takes her own seat, each pony starting to dig into their food. Doug asks, "So, Mr. Shy, Fluttershy tells me that you work at the weather factory."

Mr. Shy nods, "Yes, I'm one of the crew chiefs. Been working there ever since I got my cutie mark. Only nine more years until I'm able to retire, but not like I'm counting the days, right?"

Doug laughs, "Yeah, I know the feeling. Some days when I'm working at Applejack's I can't wait till the day is over. So, crew chief, that sounds pretty high up?"

Mr. Shy shrugs, "Well, it's about the middle of the pack. I used to be a cloud jockey, on the floor moving clouds from one section of the factory to the other. Now I'm the supervisor, running quality control and making sure those misfits are doing what they are supposed to."

Mrs. Shy rolls her eyes as Fluttershy listens, a smile on her face. Each mare continues nibbling on their food as Doug says, "Heh, at least you know all their tricks, right?"

Mr. Shy quietly laughs, "Well, you have to let them get away with a little, you know?"

Mrs. Shy quips, "Well, they have a lot of requests, too. And some of them are just worried, so it's understandable."

Doug raises an eyebrow, "Oh? What are they worried about?"

Mr. Shy hesitates, "Well, it's just rumors is all."

Mrs. Shy shakes her head, "They seem pretty worried for it just being rumors. Don't you think you could reassure them a little? Many of them are so young, just graduated from flight school."

Mr. Shy frowns, "Well, that's the thing, I don't know if I can reassure them. There's been talk among the supervisors..." he trails off, looking at Doug. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't want to bring this up, you aren't interested in it."

Doug moves forward in his chair, "Oh, actually, I'm very interested, I do quite a bit of weather work with Rainbow. What are they worried about?"

Mr. Shy looks over to Mrs. Shy before continuing, "Well, the floor supervisors have gotten word from above that there might be some cutbacks. Apparently there's this new weather scheduler, she's thrown a lot of parts out of balance. We had a careful equilibrium set up: how much water we needed to collect, how many clouds we made, and getting those clouds delivered."

Mrs. Shy looks a little worried as Mr. Shy's voice gets louder, almost to a normal speaking volume as his rant continues, "With this new scheduler, there are fewer requests for clouds during the year. This means we need less ponies working on making the clouds; there has even been talk about shutting down one of the wings in the factory for next fall and maybe winter. Then, we also need less ponies delivering the clouds, so what am I going to tell the ponies left over? 'Sorry, come back next week, maybe we'll have work for you then?' These are ponies just starting out, they have herds, young foals, and what am I supposed to say?"

Doug manages to keep a straight face as Mr. Shy shakes his head, looking down at the floor as he gathers himself. He looks back up at Doug, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to unload all that on you. It's just been so incredibly frustrating, with all the uncertainty, and nopony knows what will happen. I've been afraid I was going to explode like that all week, and now I've gone and done it."

Doug shakes his head, trying to keep the worry off his face. He hasn't really considered how his weather scheduling would affect the pegasi that performed many of the weather duties. He just figures that it is more efficient, therefore better. He tentatively asks, "So, what would happen if they did have to let a couple pegasi go?"

Mr. Shy frowns, "You mean fire them? Well, hopefully it never comes to that, I would hate to be the pony handing out moon slips or figuring out who is least suited to weather work."

Doug moves a hand to his chin, "Or, the ponies best suited for work outside weather? That does sound like a pretty unsettling job. Could they have some sort of, I don't know, voluntary program to reduce how many ponies are working? Some incentive for them, or assistance locating new jobs and retraining to work them?"

Mr. Shy puts a hoof to his jaw, mirroring Doug, "Huh, those are good points. You done this sort of thing before?"

Doug shrugs, "Nah, but humans are way more used to turnover. We don't have cutie marks, so there is a lot of effort put into training for a job and then, when you are finished with that one, training for a new job. Especially in areas where there is a lot of change, things getting obsoleted. You might have a whole sector that is no longer needed, and everything that was involved in that needs to be repurposed or thrown out."

Mr. Shy leans forward in his chair; Mrs. Shy puts a hoof on his back but he continues, "Well, but this is ponies lives and livelihoods we are talking about! We can't just go to the factory floor and say, "You fifteen ponies, you no longer work here, have a nice day!"

Doug nods, "Of course, that would be despicable, and avoided if at all possible. If this... new method of weather scheduling continues, or takes off, it sounds like there does need to be something in place, if only to make sure no ponies fall through the cracks."

Mr. Shy slowly nods, moving back in his chair. He looks at his empty plate, then to the bathroom. "Well, excuse me just a minute, nature calls." He winks at Fluttershy as Mrs. Shy excuses herself from the room as well.

Fluttershy gives Doug a serious look, "That went... well. Although," she hesitates before taking a deep breath, "I don't like how you lied to my parents."

Doug raises an eyebrow, "I don't think I did? If you mean hiding that I am the weather scheduler that is disrupting everything? What am I going to say? Plus, it gives me insight into how my plans are affecting things without them worrying about hurting my feelings."

Fluttershy shakes her head, "No, that's just you rationalizing, not wanting to bring in more conflict. Doug, they need to know, you shouldn't keep this sort of thing from them."

Doug sighs, "Well, let it never be said that I don't listen to my mares." He moves over, giving Fluttershy a kiss as Mr. and Mrs. Shy walk back into the room.

Mr. Shy pauses as Mrs. Shy gives a small laugh, "Oh, we leave you two lovebirds alone for one minute? Oh, to be young again."

She looks over to Mr. Shy, batting her eyelids. He laughs, shaking his head, "Oh, don't try that on me again, I think six is plenty for me." He looks over at Doug, who is looking at him with a serious face, "Well, you look like you have something to say." He sits back down at his chair, thanking Fluttershy as she refills his plate.

Doug nods, "Well, Fluttershy is certainly good at a lot of things." He takes a deep breath, "So, I have a confession to make. That weather scheduler who is throwing a wrench in things? That's me."

A flash of anger comes over Mr. Shy's face before it disappears. He shakes his head, "No, can't be. It's a pegasus."

Doug nods, "Cold Digger. Yep, a pen name that Rainbow coined. I want to say, I'm sorry for how my different techniques are disrupting operations on your end. I never intended to hurt the weather ponies, merely to make things more efficient. Maybe you are the right pony to talk to, maybe you aren't, but I do have some ideas as to how to make their transition, if there is one, easier on everypony involved."

Mr. Shy huffs, "Well, maybe that works for humans, but I don't think many pegasi will fly at the opportunity to stop doing what they love. I mean, my gals on the floor, what am I going to tell them when they don't have a slot next week to fly clouds?"

Doug shrugs, "Well, off the top of my head, don't pay them per cloud or per cloud run. Let's say you were running with twenty cloud runners, and you only need fifteen. Write up a four day schedule, each pony makes three of the four runs, and pay them all as if they did four runs. Management won't be happy about not seeing any reduction in pay, but you can deal with them. Meanwhile everypony still makes what they were making before, and have a day off to figure out if they want to do cloud runs. Maybe they can train for being a weather pony somewhere else, or they have a different dream they want to pursue. Or just more free time to spend with their families."

Fluttershy grins as Mr. Shy considers what Doug proposed. She moves over, sitting in Doug's lap as she says, "Wow, Dad, I don't think I've ever seen you so worked up about something."

Mrs. Shy remarks, "Well, I think he's a lot like you, honey; he gets worked up when it's about the things he cares about. You don't see him complaining when his bosses making him work overtime on our anniversary."

Doug adds in, "Heh, that's our Fluttershy. She's the meekest little pegasus out there, but if she sees an injured animal, she transforms into something else."

Fluttershy smiles, partially hiding behind her mane as Doug rubs her back. Mr. Shy looks over, "Well, maybe it won't be as bad as some of those gals make it out to be, right?"

Mrs. Shy adds, looking at Doug, "Hey, maybe you could stand up to those weather ponies? It's always so tough for Dad to, Fluttershy has always been the bold one among us."

Doug laughs, "Well, today has made that a little hard to believe. But, I think I can help you create a proposal, try to save as many jobs as you can. We could even flesh out a couple of the other options. It would be good to have a counter proposal, in case they don't want to keep extra ponies on."

Doug stands, carrying a surprised Fluttershy to the couch. He sets her down, tussling her mane before gathering some paper, a pencil, and a book to write on. He moves back to the couch, sliding himself so Fluttershy is laying across his lap. He looks over to Mr. Shy, who has an amused look on his face, asking, "So, where would you want to begin?"

17 Royal Meeting

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Doug slowly walk down the road leading to Sweet Apple Acres. Doug explains, "So, Applejack should have told this to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, but we got a package from Princess Celestia. We're holding a herd meeting to go over what it contains. The package also included a message from Princess Celestia; she wants to meet with us, and talk to us about our foals and our plans for the future."

Fluttershy nods while Rarity asks, "But, darling, why would Princess Celestia concern herself with us? Did we do something wrong?"

Doug shakes his head, "No, but she seemed really concerned with our foals. In fact, one of the things mentioned in the letter was that there was a team of unicorns that would be able to research and hopefully fix the problems Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo have."

Rarity nearly misses her next step, "Really? Oh, dear, that would be wonderful!"

Doug nods, "Well, there were the disclaimers that nothing was for sure, but just the fact that they will be looking into it says a lot."

Rarity says, "Well, of course, but still! Did Pinkie throw a party yet to celebrate?"

Doug shrugs, "Well, she probably has a little set up for when we get there. On a different note, did your parents let you know their plans?"

Rarity shakes her head, "No, they just wrote that they hope to see me soon. I think they're going straight from their cruise in the Marapagos to a stay in Las Pegasus."

Doug raises an eyebrow, "I thought that was a cloud city?"

Rarity nods, "Well, it is, but with the amount of traffic it is getting now there is a large push to make it more ground pony friendly. Lots of cloudcrete walkways and buildings. It's amazing how quickly things can progress, ever since Trenderhoof wrote about it a year ago."

Doug opens the gate to Sweet Apple Acres, following the two mares inside. He remarks to Rarity, "So, I guess it'll be awhile before you see them, then?"

Rarity replies, "Yes, well, while I would have liked to see them today, work around my store is starting to pick up. I don't suppose I can leave Sweetie Belle with you during the day tomorrow?"

Doug shrugs, "Sure, that's fine with me. Have to figure something out, either I can bring her to you for lunch or you can come here."

Rarity considers, "Hmm, we might need to do one of each with how frequently she eats. It'll be nice once she can walk the roads by herself." Rarity looks back at the dusty road they just crossed, using her magic to pull out several brushes, using them on her coat as they make their way past the porch. Doug opens the door and each pony takes a seat at the dinner table. Pinkie has set up a bit of decorations on the table, as well as a medium sized cake. Their food has already been placed, so each pony starts digging in as Doug greets each mare, including Pinkie, with a kiss.

Pinkie giggles as Doug breaks away; he ruffles her mane before taking a seat, starting on his dinner. Applejack asks, "So, did ya tell them?" Doug nods, his mouth full of bread, so Applejack continues, "Well, Ah brought what Princess Celestia sent us, in this box over here. Lemme test it, see if it's still hurting Doug." She lifts the lid off, pulling out the package. Doug readies himself but doesn't feel anything as Applejack pulls the contents out. She breaths a sigh of relief, removing the rest of the package and setting it at her spot at the table. Applejack reads through each of the three letters. Doug clears away the dishes as Applejack finishes, each mare looking around the room at each other.

Rainbow asks, "So, she wants to know if we're having foals this year, which we aren't. She wants to know when we plan on having them. I guess next year? But, why would she want to know that?"

Pinkie Pie suggests, "Maybe she wants a cute little cuddly foal of her own?"

Applejack raises an eyebrow, "But, Ah thought she was celibate. Or infertile? On account of she's an alicorn, and there aren't any male alicorns or something?"

Rarity responds, "Well, she has tried in the past, but I think it's been more than three hundred years since she officially took a consort. And nothing has ever come from any of her unions."

Applejack nods, "So, maybe she thinks that since Doug was able to conceive with us, she could conceive with him?" She looks over at Doug, a slightly mortified look on his face. She peers at him, "What's got into your applesauce?"

Doug shakes his head, trying to clear his worried look, "Well, if that's the case, do I have a choice? Could she just, I don't know, take me away from here, away from you? Or if she just wants a foal, do I have the option to refuse? What would the nation say, when Celestia starts showing?" He rubs his forehead with his hand, looking at the table.

Rarity moves a hoof towards Doug, "Princess Celestia would never do something like that, Doug. She might be disappointed that you aren't cooperating exactly how she wants, but she won't force you do to something you don't want to."

Applejack nods, "That's why she is having this meeting, so we can all come to some sort of agreement. If she wanted a quick roll in the hay with you and wasn't inclined to take no for an answer she would have just summoned you to the castle. As in, poof, there you are."

Doug shudders at the thought as Pinkie remarks, "Hmm, do you think Princess Celestia prefers being on top?" Doug smiles at the thought of the half ton alicorn resting on top of him, hopefully holding herself up with either hooves or magic.

Applejack frowns at the thought of her stallion being poached by the Princess, even if only for a day. "Well, Ah think we've speculated as to her intentions long enough. Does anypony object to letting Princess Celestia know we are ready now?"

A horrified look comes over Rarity's face, "Now? NOW? But, my mane! My coat! AAhh!" she screams, hurtling towards the bathroom while dragging her bag behind her.

Applejack smiles, "Anypony else?" She looks around the room; everypony is either fidgeting or still snacking on the remaining food. She looks at Fluttershy, who is quieter than normal, and Pinkie Pie, who is much quieter than normal. "You two okay with this?" Fluttershy slowly nods her head as Pinkie rapidly nods up and down, then back and forth. She starts doing circles with her head as Applejack looks over to Doug and Rainbow. Rainbow has relocated, sitting in his lap and making out with the side of Doug's head as he smirks, trying to continue eating his trail mix. Every couple pieces he'll hold one out for her, which she grabs with her tongue before sucking on his fingers and then going back to his ear.

Applejack smiles at their antics before seeing Rarity emerge from the bathroom, looking exactly the same. The unicorn mutters to herself, "I suppose we will be seeing the Princess in our work duds. Oh, how embarrassing! I knew I should have accessorized before leaving the Boutique. No matter. Rarity, you are a paragon of beauty and composure. Breath in, breath out." Rarity takes her seat at the table as Applejack pulls out the card.

She writes in the time slot - 7pm 2/30 - 6am 3/1 - before setting the card down on the table. She looks at each pony, "So, how long do you think it'll take?"

Everypony nervously glances around the room. Applejack goes to the front door, opening it up to the last rays of day. She returns to the table when nothing happens. After a minute Doug asks, "So, who wants to play a game?" When nopony says anything he goes back to eating his trail mix, Rainbow happily shifting around in his lap. Rarity levitates a brush over to Doug and he takes it, slowly brushing Rainbow's coat. The mare coos, rubbing her hoof along Doug's leg as she relishes the contact. A sultry look comes over her face as she sets her head down on his thigh.

Before Rainbow can start anything the sky darkens, the moon rising in the sky. Suddenly a bright flash of light comes from outside and each mare looks to the front door. Rainbow frowns at the interruption, though Doug continues his brushing. Two sets of heavy hoofsteps can be heard outside; Rainbow can feel Doug tense underneath her as his arm moves back and forth.

Princess Celestia's entrance to the farmhouse is heralded by her celestial mane waving through the doorway. Each pony takes a bow as Doug gets up and looks awkwardly around; even Rainbow Dash is bowing her head while she is laying in his arms. He inclines his head as Princess Celestia moves through the doorway, her large stature barely fitting. She looks around the room at the gathered mares, saying, "Rise my little ponies, it is good to see you." She looks over at Doug; the human is still standing, holding Rainbow who is glancing back at him nervously. The alicorn chuckles, "It is not often I see eye to eye with my little ponies, dear Rainbow." Princess Celestia looks past her at Doug, "Or my little human, for that matter. I am Princess Celestia, as I am sure you can guess."

Doug readjusts Rainbow as he says, "Doug Apple." He raises his arm, making a fist and holding it towards her. She smiles as she raises her foreleg, pressing her hoof against his hand. Doug sits back down as Princess Celestia settles back, then all eyes turn towards Princess Cadance.

The pink alicorn flicks her violet, rose, and gold mane back with a hoof, giving everypony a smile. "Hello, everypony. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadance." Rarity gives a quiet gasp, trying to suppress her reaction with her hooves. Princess Cadance chuckles, "Or, if it makes you feel better, Princess Cadance." Rarity forces a smile on her face, putting her hooves back on the floor.

Princess Celestia winks at Doug and Rainbow, "Well, some of you already have, but please make yourselves comfortable. I know the hour is getting late, and some of us have work in the morning." Rainbow yawns, her head raising upwards as her mouth spreads open. She immediately realizes her impropriety and grimaces, her eyes darting back and forth until she sees Princess Celestia mimic her, yawning towards the ceiling.

A few smiles are traded around the room as Princess Celestia quips, "Finally! Somepony who appreciates a good yawn. It has been ages since anypony has relaxed enough around me. I don't want you to see me just as your Princess; I have the same thoughts and desires that you have. That is why I called you together; I wanted to discuss one of those desires - possibly the deepest, most ingrained desire a pony can have."

Princess Celestia moves to the window, looking out at the moon. Applejack tentatively offers, "You wanted to talk to us about... foals?"

Princess Celestia continues looking at the moon before turning away and responding, "About family. You see, I have tried many different things to try to conceive." Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance share a smile, moving close and nuzzling each other's necks. They break apart and Princess Celestia continues, "But, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? I don't believe we've met before." Princess Celestia looks to Applejack.

The earth pony stands shakily on her hooves, "Oh, Ah, Ah'm Applejack, lead mare of Herd Apple," she stammers, looking around the room, "Next to me is Rarity, she runs the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville."

Rarity adds, "Oh, Princess, I love what you have done with your mane, it is so elegant!"

Princess Celestia smiles, "Thank you, my little pony."

The Princess looks back at Applejack, who continues, "You know Rainbow Dash, currently sitting in Doug's arms."

Rainbow smirks, "Ya, and I can see how envious everypony is! Well, if he actually let me go I suppose I could share." Rainbow mock struggles in Doug's arms, and he merely tightens his grip on her, moving her side to side. She grins, sinking again into his chest.

Applejack smiles at the mare before looking to the side, "This is Fluttershy."

Fluttershy looks up at Princess Celestia, coming out from behind her mane, "Hello, Princess Celestia, it's nice to meet you."

Princess Celestia nods in greeting as Applejack motions, "And last is prospective member Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie Pie's tentative hold on herself breaks, the mare excitedly pronking around the room, "OmygoshPrincessCelestiait'ssonicetomeetyou! I have a big huge tremendously fabulous exciting party that-"

Noise stops coming from Pinkie Pie as a pink bubble surrounds her. She can be seen still talking as Applejack grins, "Thank ya kindly, Princess, the foals are asleep in the other room."

Princess Celestia nods over at Applejack, "Oh, it was no problem at all." Pinkie Pie appears to have quieted down and the bubble around her dissipates. She gives a sheepish grin before taking her seat, putting away a few of the noisemakers and balloons she has pulled out.

Princess Celestia continues her tale, "The history books list a few of my consorts, or at least the more famous ones. But they do not list the magics, the rituals, the lengths that I have gone to fulfill that desire. I have taken on students, but they fill the void like a rock fills one's belly. When I took on Princess Cadance as a foal, as my niece, that was like a single bite of hay. When Cadance ascended, it was like I had my first full meal. Unfortunately, though, all my research until this point has merely shown that alicorns must ascend, they cannot be born. The... attempts at further research eventually became too much for me to bear."

Fluttershy tentatively asks, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

Princess Celestia gives her a sad smile, "When I would attempt to conceive with a stallion, the seed would take. However, at the first division the foal would terminate itself. There was no stopping this; delaying the division had the same results, even if transplanted to another willing pony. Princess Cadance made a single attempt." Princess Cadance begins to tear up as Princess Celestia continues, "When the results were the same, the trauma was too much for her, and she was unwilling to try again." Princess Cadance sniffs, a solitary tear rolling down her face.

Princess Celestia moves over, lifting Princess Cadance's face with a hoof and nuzzling her again. She whispers, "Don't worry, love, we'll make it work this time." Princess Cadance recovers, holding her head up as Princess Celestia continues her tale, "When I attempted with other species: zebras, yaks, even dragons, nothing happened. My heat was not quenched, no seed took, nothing. So, when I heard about Doug and his... success, well, I felt a hope I had not felt in many years."

Doug carefully studies Princess Celestia, "So, you want to join the herd? Or just have me, um, stud for you?"

Princess Celestia grins, "Well, I suppose those are options, but I was actually thinking of my niece here," she nods to Princess Cadance, who is giving a shy smile, "As the Princess of Love, Cadance expressed a strong desire for having a foal, much stronger than that I felt. That is partly why her lack of success hit her so hard." Princess Celestia pauses, clearing her throat, "Princess Cadance is formally applying for entrance into Herd Apple. I will be able to assist and, should things go well with Cadance," she winks at Doug, "We can explore other options."

19 Joined the Herd

March 21st, 994

Pinkie Pie happily pronks down the streets of Ponyville. She goes from one stall to another, shaking the hoof of any mare who crosses her path. She exclaims, "He said yes!" to one salespony before noticing a mare leading four foals down the road. She pronks up, shaking the hoof of the mare while yelling, "He said yes!" to her. Pinkie then goes down the line, holding her hoof up for each foal to give her a hoof bump while saying to each, "He said yes! He said yes! He said yes! He said yes!" She continues pronking down the road, aggressively greeting each pony in turn.

Applejack shakes her head at the mare's antics as she sets her cart up at her usual spot. She lays baskets full of their second harvest out as well a sign. It reads,

Special : Today Only
Apples
Five for the Price of Two
In Celebration of Pinkie Pie
joining Herd Apple

There is small text at the bottom, 'limit ten apples per customer'. She smiles as the first of many customers makes their way to her stand. The mare notices the sign, giving a warm smile to Applejack and says, "Oh, congratulations, Applejack! I'll take ten apples, please!"

Applejack pulls out one of the many ten apple bags she has stored in her cart, hoofing it over to the mare. "Thank you kindly, Carrot Top. Oh, Ah don't suppose you noticed what time your farm finished during Winter Wrap Up, did ya?" Applejack hangs her head a little, scratching the back of her mane with a hoof. "Mine wasn't finished until the second day, so whenever you feel like getting that barrel of apples Ah can drag it over."

Carrot Top shakes her head, "Oh, don't worry about it, Applejack, they might have finished plowing the snow off the carrot fields the first day, but it wasn't until the second day when they managed to get all the snow off the trees and house. Then we had to go and plow the snow around the house again because, wouldn't you know, they managed to dump the snow on the carrot fields!" She gives an exasperated laugh, almost a sigh, "Well, at least we hadn't started planting. As far as I'm concerned, we tied."

Applejack shrugs but continues, "Well, Ah think we both lost, then, if'n you want to trade a barrel of apples for a barrel of carrots. Doug really likes them, so they'll disappear right quick."

Carrot Top nods her head, a little surprised at Applejack's generosity, "Oh, well, sure! I can bring a barrel here next time I head back home, especially if you have a spare one."

Applejack looks over, watching her merchandise quickly disappearing from the shelves. "Well, Ah reckon Ah have an empty barrel round here somewhere. Lemme rustle that up." She disappears behind her cart as Carrot Top sits under the sun shade. Applejack returns, pushing a barrel full of apples in front of her. She brushes a hoof across her forehead, pushing her Stetson back up, "Alright, there ya go. Did ya want a cart or something?"

Carrot Top shakes her head, "Oh, I'll just pop back to the farm and grab one. I'll see you soon!"

Applejack waves as an extremely muscular white pegasus makes his way up to the cart. He squints at the sign before giving a dejected sigh. Applejack moves over, looking at her sign and then at him, "Hey Bulk, good to see ya. Can I help you?"

Bulk Biceps pouts, pointing a hoof at the sign, "Well, it's just, that's such a great deal, but only ten apples?"

Applejack laughs, "Oh, that's just to keep ponies from reselling them somewhere else. Tell ya what, if you eat the apples in front of me, you can have as many as you can eat at that price."

Bulk Biceps raises his forelegs in the air and gives out a loud, "YEAH!" as he begins scarfing down apples left and right. Applejack tries to keep count but quickly gives up. She sees Rainbow Dash flying by, the mare spotting Bulk at the stand and coming over.

Rainbow remarks, "Wow, he's really going to town on those apples," as Bulk finishes eating. He gives a large burp, pulling out a stack of bits.

Applejack whistles, "Woo wee, that was a lot of apples there, partner. How many was that?"

Rainbow casually says, "Forty eight while I was flying over here. I lost count once I landed."

Bulk Biceps flexes, "Yup, it was an even fifty apples. Bet ya can't beat that!" He raises a hoof, pointing towards Rainbow before he places his bits on the counter, giving her a smirk.

Rainbow hovers up, "Oh yeah?"

Bulk Biceps raises his forelegs in the air, "YEAH!"

Rainbow rubs the back of her mane with a foreleg, "Yeah, you're probably right, my max is about thirty. See ya on the afternoon patrol Bulk!" Bulk waves to Rainbow before slowly flying away, rubbing his slightly distended stomach. Applejack grins as Rainbow grabs two apples, chowing down on one and moving over to the stand. "So, the sale going well?"

Applejack nods, "Yup, we're going through this bumper crop mighty quick. Pinkie's been doing a good job drumming up business too, going and telling everypony about what happened."

Pinkie Pie pops up from behind the cart, "Ooh! Rainbow Dash! Did you hear? He said yes! Oh wait, you were there. Anyway, I'm so excited! Whoopiee!" The pink mare bounds off in search of more ponies to tell as a few others gather around the cart.

Rainbow says, "Well, that's our Pinkie Pie." She pauses, looking up at the sky. "Huh. Still feels weird saying that and actually meaning it in more than a, 'there goes the town goof but we love her anyway' sense. Anyway, I need to head back to work. Thanks for the snack!" She flies back up towards the Everfree as Applejack sets out a few more ten apple bags. These things are selling as fast as cider on fresh cider day! Well, almost as fast. Nothing sold as fast as fresh cider, once they started pulling the barrels out.

Pinkie Pie returns to the stall, giving an exhausted sigh as she lays down between Applejack's cart and the counter. Applejack looks down at the pink pony, "So, ya told everypony in town yet?" At Pinkie's nod Applejack purses her lips, nodding her head, "Wow, that's mighty impressive. Oh, Ah'm supposed to ask you, because Spoiled Rich is going to ask-" Applejack trails off, spotting the pink mare trotting up with a pink foal following close behind. "Well, speak of Luna," she says under her breath before forcing a smile on her face. "Howdy, Spoiled Rich! And that must be little Diamond Tiara, how are you two doing today?"

Pinkie Pie bolts upright, looking over at the two. She gives a cheerful wave as Spoiled Rich responds, "I'm doing well, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. I... heard the news." She gives a tired smile to Pinkie Pie, who merely cocks her head to the side. Spoiled Rich looks back to Applejack, "Two apples, please."

Applejack smiles, "Coming right up! But, we're having a sale right now, five apples for the price of two." Spoiled Rich shakes her head as Applejack continues undaunted, "If you didn't want them, Ah understand, but maybe Silver Set, Silver Spoon, and Filthy, uh, Ah mean, Mr. Rich would like one as well?" Spoiled Rich sighs and reluctantly nods. Applejack smiles, "Would you like the other three in a bag?"

Spoiled Rich nods, "And, if you could cut up Diamond Tiara's apple, thank you."

Applejack turns, smirking as she rummages through one of the boxes underneath the counter. Normally cutting an apple is an arduous task for an earth pony, trying to keep the knife and apple balanced without mushing everything. She pulls out a ring of metal that Doug had crafted for her when he saw how much difficulty she was having with one of the apples for the foals. He normally just used a knife, like she did, but this little contraption made the job much easier.

Applejack places two apples on the counter, a small paper cup and a bag with three apples. She pushes the metal ring on top of one of the apples, slicing it eight ways and removing the core. She pulls each of the slices off the ring and puts them into the cup. She picks the ring up, flicking the juicing off and placing it back in the box under the counter. She asks, "Did ya want the core?"

Spoiled Rich stops messing with Diamond Tiara's mane to look over. Confusion flashes across her face as she says, "You finished already?"

Applejack nods, "Yup, freshly cut apple slices. Did ya want the core?" She holds the core up in her hoof. When Spoiled Rich shakes her head Applejack shrugs, popping the core in her mouth and quickly swallowing.

Spoiled Rich takes the apples and feeds a slice to Diamond Tiara. The filly grins, looking for another as Spoiled Rich asks Pinkie Pie, "Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, Pinkie. Though I must ask. Did anything... happen during the last few weeks?" Pinkie Pie shakes her head, then nods several times before shaking her head back and forth again. Spoiled Rich sighs, "Do I have to be more specific?"

Pinkie Pie shakes her head again, "Well, after our first date, which went really Really well, we went out a couple more times, but those times just went really well, well, except for the third one which just went well around a well, where we were singing next to a well, and then we finally got around to playing hide and seek with the foals which went, well, well. Do I need to elaborate?"

Spoiled Rich smiles, "No, Pinkie, I think that is enough." She hoofs the last of the apple slices to Diamond Tiara, who babbles, "Well."

Pinkie Pie claps her hooves together excitedly, moving close to Diamond Tiara, "Well, well, well, I see we have an impersonator in our midst! Maybe you'll grow up just like me! Well, well, well!"

Spoiled Rich shakes her head as Diamond Tiara mimics, "Well, well, well!" Spoiled Rich looks over to Pinkie Pie, smiling, "Well, Pinkie, it has been nice meeting you, and I hope you have foals that are just as energetic as you are. Good day, Applejack!" She takes the remaining apples, returning to their house with Diamond Tiara following behind.

Pinkie Pie squeals, "Ooh, I hope I have foals that are as energetic as me!"

Applejack snarks, "Ah don't think she meant that as a compliment."

Pinkie Pie throws her hooves up in the air, "What? How is that not a compliment! I love being as energetic as I am!"

20 Our Interview

May 12th, 994

Doug smiles to himself as he walks into the town of Ponyville. The sun is shining brightly, sky almost clear of clouds, just what his schedule calls for. The few scattered clouds are all low altitude, likely resting places of the pegasi that prefer cloud napping. If his suspicions are correct, then one of those clouds might even be slowly moving towards him, courtesy of a certain rainbow maned pegasus.

He continues walking along the road, taking in the sights as he walks to his destination. The letter in his hand holds little clue to the purpose of the purported interview. His mares, suspicious as to the intentions of the sender, probably elected Rainbow to tail him and make sure nothing too bad happens.

Doug isn't surprised by the surveillance, given the circumstances. He turns, giving a wave to one of the nearby clouds. He sees a flash of color disappear before a cyan hoof waves out. He chuckles to himself, turning again to the cafe in front of him. The outdoor section is bustling with ponies but he doesn't see any empty seats or ponies waving to him. But, as he can't really make out any individual marks he continues walking to the maitre d'.

The mare looks up to him, narrowing her eyes. "Yes? How can I help you?" she says, her expression remaining neutral. The cafe has gone quiet, many of the ponies watching him closely for any suspicious movement.

Doug hesitantly replies, "Yes, I think I have a reservation here? A mare, an SG, made the reservation?"

Fortunately none of the ponies outside make a scene or leave as the maitre d' checks her book. She frowns, "Let's see. Yes, I have it here. SG, dining for two, inside. I may need to change the table. Wait here. Actually, no. Come inside, follow me." She turns her head away from Doug, not bothering to hold the door open as she walks inside. She makes her way to one of the sections located away from the door, placing a menu at a chair located out of sight of the front entrance. "You will wait here, and when you leave it will be out the back door." The mare leaves, not glancing back.

Doug sighs to himself as he takes his seat; he had hoped the ponies were past these reactions but apparently the news has not traveled completely through town. Spoiled Rich's decision months ago had been very polarizing; it looks like it worsened the opinions of any pony that it hadn't convinced. He glances at the menu; while slightly expensive it isn't terrible, and he spots a few dishes that he might enjoy.

The sound of hoofsteps breaks Doug's idle thoughts as two ponies draw near. One of them, he recognizes the maitre d', stops out of his line of sight, saying in a pleasant voice, "If you need anything, ma'am, be sure to signal one of the waiters. Bon appetit!"

The pink-purple unicorn comes to a complete stop as she rounds the corner, finally seeing Doug. She stares at him for a brief moment before shaking her mane, a purple with aquamarine highlights, out of her face. She gives a nervous chuckle, taking her seat across from him and glancing towards her menu. She gulps, stammering slightly before falling silent again.

Doug chuckles to himself before saying, "You know, when you asked me about this interview I thought you had an idea of what I was."

The unicorn blushes, "Oh, it's just, I mean, I had an idea, but you're much, um, larger than I imagined. I'm sorry, that was just awful, wasn't it? I didn't mean to judge you at all!"

Doug smiles, shrugging his shoulders, "Hey, it's okay, happens all the time."

The unicorn shakes her head, "No, it's not okay. In fact, that's why I wanted to have this interview. You see, I have a grand... I mean, I have a paper that I'm writing about the differences between ponies and how much better things would be if we were all equal. When I heard about your... different origins I wanted to find out what it was like where you came from and what it is like to not have a cutie mark."

Doug smiles, "Well, you'd be one of the few ponies to ask about what life was like back home, miss...?"

"Starlight Glimmer. I'm working on... well, let's just say a project where all ponies would be treated equally. That is how things were like where you came from, right? With no cutie marks-"

Doug bursts out laughing, louder than he intended, as he interrupts Starlight. He immediately quiets down, trying to stifle his reaction, but mostly turning his face red as he holds his breath. Starlight raises an eyebrow as Doug shakes his head, saying, "Well, I did not expect that. I'm sorry, I just... you want to know about humans, huh?"

Starlight pulls out several pieces of paper and a quill with her magic, setting them in front of her. An eager expression flashes across her face as she answers, "Well, yes. Would you like to order before we begin?"

Doug shrugs, "Sure, and thank you for paying. I haven't had the pleasure of dining here before, it certainly seems... like a lovely establishment."

Starlight signals the waiter who slowly makes her way over. "Hello everypony, my name is Tealove and I'll be here to take your order." She smiles at each of them, though Doug seems a little surprised by her lack of reaction.

Starlight says, "Daffodil and daisy salad, garlic bread sticks, and a bowl of carrot soup. Water to drink."

Tealove smiles before looking at Doug. He glances back at his menu before saying, "I'm surprised you didn't react worse when you saw me. Seems like a lot of the other ponies here were quite surprised."

Tealove laughs, "Oh, not me! Why, once I make it to Canterlot I'll have to deal with all sorts: griffons, minotaurs, you name it."

Doug nods, "Makes sense. I'll have the asparagus salad, wheat lasanga, and a glass of pear juice."

A small frown crosses Tealove's face, "The lasanga might take a little time to prepare, is that okay?"

Starlight nods, happily saying, "Oh, that won't be a problem for us. Just bring everything out as it is ready."

Tealove glances to Doug for confirmation and, seeing no reaction, smiles, "Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks."

As Tealove walks away Starlight looks back to Doug, raising her quill. "So, by your reaction I take it there is a lot of conflict in the human world?"

Doug nods, "You don't know the half of it. What kind of conflicts are you looking to talk about? Like, conflicts in a relationship, between groups of people, wars between nations?"

Starlight blanches a little at the last one, "We probably don't need to talk about war. Just, how do humans deal with conflict between each other."

Doug nods, thinking to himself. "Well, I suppose some background information would be a good place to start. Are you looking for information about me specifically or humans in general?"

Starlight considers, "Either would be acceptable, to get that personal touch. But if you want to talk in generalities that will also be helpful for my research."

Doug begins as their drinks arrive, "Well, humans have been in conflict with each other for a long, long time, as long as we have recorded history. We fight over... well, just about everything. Depending on how you want to define it, even normal interactions with each other can be a kind of conflict, as each person tries to improve their standing relative to each other. So you might see conflict just in how two people say hello to each other."

Doug leans back in his chair, enjoying his pear juice. "It all started, I guess, with resources. How well you were able to hunt, gather food, and defend yourself from others trying to take your stuff. The better you were at these things, the more you were able to reproduce and build yourself and your tribe larger and larger. I think pony history parallels this, at least until the unification."

Starlight nods, "Yes, we learn about that time and how much conflict there was during school. So humans also had a point where they learned to set aside their differences and live in harmony with each other?"

Doug's hand strokes his chin, "Well, sort of. It's more like, resources that we competed over became abundant enough and conflict over those resources destructive enough that it wasn't worth fighting over them. Instead, we compete over status, who is better than the rest. We have... probably our entire lives devoted to these competitions."

Starlight continues taking notes, perking up a little at the mention of competitions. "So, you think life would be better without those competitions?"

Doug lifts his glass, "Well, which do you think is better: apple juice or pear juice?"

Starlight considers, "Hmm. Well, I think ponies should be equally happy enjoying either drink."

Doug's eyebrows narrow as he peers into his glass. "Well, while I certainly enjoy both drinks I find the novelty of the pear juice to be refreshing. I drink apple juice almost exclusively at home, and I find variety to be the most important aspect. I mean, we can have our favorites, but eating the same thing or drinking the same thing would get boring very quickly."

Starlight gives him a questioning look, "Well, it's pretty obvious from that statement that you aren't a pony. Not that I'm judging or anything, but if you ask Applejack which her preference is I can guarantee you both that she prefers apple juice and she would be happy drinking apple juice for the rest of her life."

The salad for Starlight and asparagus for Doug arrives. Tealove asks, "The soup will be out when you are ready, but it will still be another thirty minutes for the lasanga. Would you like anything in the meantime?"

Doug considers, "A second order of the garlic bread sounds good. Oh, make sure they are wheat bread, no hay, thank you."

Tealove nods, glancing at Starlight's notes before heading back. Doug thinks back, "So, yes, I can see ponies being happy doing the same or similar thing all their lives. I think the whole cutie mark thing is the leading reason for this. At a very young age you find out what your 'true calling' is, what activity will bring you joy, more than just being happy. In fact, you even get skills and knowledge pertaining to your cutie mark."

Starlight glares, "Yes, I suppose one does. But, don't you think life would be better if nopony had a cutie mark?"

Doug's eyes widen, "Wow, I guess I hit a nerve there. But no, I don't think not having a cutie mark would make life better."

Starlight forces a smile back on her face, "What? But cutie marks just set ponies apart, they define what you can and therefore what you cannot do. They can tear friends and family apart if a pony gets a mark that takes them in a different direction. They can build resentment if a pony cannot figure out what their mark is supposed to mean. There would be less conflict and more harmony if every pony was equal."

Doug shrugs, "Well, maybe. In my experience humans found plenty to fight over. I mean, imagine if ponies were organized based on how close their coat color matched that of, say, Princess Celestia."

Starlight tries and fails to suppress a snort. "What? You think that doesn't happen? Of course, if you have never left Ponyville, you might not have noticed. But in Canterlot? Apparently that is a primary focus of most nobles. If your coat wasn't the purest white? Forget about being lead mare of one of the larger noble houses, and a stallion who had a slight off-white coat might resort to dyes to attempt to hide it. But, everypony knows who dyes their coat and who doesn't."

Doug raises his eyebrows, "Wow, you are right, I had no idea. Well, I suppose I'm not exactly the go-to font of Equestrian culture though."

Starlight chuckles, "Well, I haven't exactly spent a lot of time in Canterlot, so I don't know how exact those rumors are. But even so, I think we're a little closer in that regard than you thought. And wouldn't it be better for a pony not to be judged based on the color of their coat?"

Doug's eyes raise, "And instead on the content of their character? Jeez, how many parallels does this world have?"

Starlight shrugs, "Well, I would have said it would be better to not be judged at all, but I suppose what you said works too."

Doug groans as Tealove comes by, bringing a basket of breadsticks for Doug and carrot soup for Starlight. They thank her and quiet down, quickly devouring their food. Tealove returns with refills for their drinks as Starlight remarks, "So, you agree that it would be better to not be judged?"

Doug shrugs, "Well, I suppose it matters what you mean by judged. There are a lot of qualities about a pony that I might find attractive, and I like having the ability to decide if I would rather be with a pony I find attractive instead of a pony I don't find attractive, everything else being the same."

"Well, that just sounds like another way to drive ponies apart. Who wants to be the pony that isn't attractive?"

"Well, different ponies find different things attractive, so while I might be more attracted to, say, a hard working seamstress pony somepony else might have an attraction to a more flashy weathermare."

Starlight smirks, "But why choose between them when you can have both?"

Doug laughs, "Hah, well, sure. But there has to be a better way than declaring that everypony is equally attractive."

"Why not?"

Doug is momentarily taken aback, "Well, the obvious answer is because beauty is immediately apparent. Calling two things the same when they are not is, well, it's wrong. It denies reality and leads to less optimal results."

Starlight smiles, "But what if you are able to make them as beautiful as each other? After all, if beauty is in the mind of the beholder..."

Doug raises an eyebrow, "Pretty sure it's in the eye of the beholder, but I guess it boils down to the same thing, right?" he pauses, holding his hand to his chin and getting a far off look in his eyes. "If you could change someone's perception, then I suppose you could make two things appear equally as beautiful." He focuses on Starlight again, "But that seems like a lot of effort, especially if you have to do it to every pony you encounter."

Starlight looks thoughtfully at the ceiling, "Yes, I know I would need to start small." Upon seeing Doug's confused expression she quickly backtracks, "Oh, um, I mean, if I was doing any research for my paper, I would need to start small."

Doug nods, "And to keep other influences from messing with your research it should be out of the way, to avoid introducing other variables that might mess with the experiment."

Starlight begins writing furiously, the conversation coming to a pause. Doug watches with interest as she outlines her plan to build a small enclosure that would limit the outside exposure. Their food arrives to little fanfare as Doug begins helping Starlight with her plans, mentioning things like utilities, access (or intentional lack thereof) to roads, and water. He helps sketch the floor plans for a couple of the simpler houses as Starlight outlines her plans for larger meeting areas.

The two finish their meal and Tealove comes by, dropping the bill on their table. Starlight pulls out her bag, removing enough bits for their meal and a somewhat generous tip. She looks over to Doug, asking, "So would you be willing to answer letters if I had more questions? I may not be able to return to Ponyville, especially if my... experiment works."

Doug nods, smiling to Starlight, "I would be willing to do that, yes. Well, it has been wonderful meeting you, and I hope your 'research paper' works out!" He makes air quotes, winking at Starlight as he heads out the back door.

Starlight smiles as she packs up her notes. It looks like their town might not be that far off. She still needs to find a suitable location, but there are many areas that aren't fully explored or had been abandoned when relationships with Equestria's neighbors stabilized. Her magical scans of Doug have given her some insight as to the nature of living without a cutie mark, but she would need to find a suitable vessel if the real things prove difficult to contain.

21 Curative

June 10th, 994

Doug waves at Pinkie as the mare leaves the farmhouse, heading for her morning shift at Sugarcube Corner. Before he leaves for his morning run he checks the foals, sighing to himself. Once again, Pinkie left him the task of cleaning up the room and getting everything back in order. He sniffs the diaper on Apple Bloom and grimaces; yup, each of them needs a change as well. He looks at the foal's face; while she is happily sleeping now, when she awakens she would be quite perturbed. Better to get it out of the way now and hope she goes back to sleep quickly than leave it for one of the mares to deal with. At least they are all weaned, and he has bottles and some solid food waiting in the fridge for when they get hungry.

He chuckles to himself as he picks Apple Bloom up and takes her to the changing table. She sleepily paws at him, trying to figure out what is going on and to get this aggravation away from her. She figures it out around the time he strips her diaper, laying there on the table and watching him with hungry eyes. She gets a little perturbed when he tries to put the new diaper on, stretching her legs as far as they can go in different directions. He smiles, saying in a singsong voice, "Once we get this diaper on you and your sisters we can get something to eat." As she continues to struggles he mutters to himself, "Or, if we could get you potty trained, but your mommy didn't like it when you had an accident last time!"

Apparently he was a little louder than he intended, as Apple Bloom stops struggling, a tear forming in her eye. Doug quickly slaps the diaper on her, cooing, "Hey, AB, it's okay, you'll get it soon! You got this!" The foal happily giggles, throwing her hooves up in the air. Doug tosses her up in the air and she gives a squeal as he catches her, ruffling her mane. Doug places her back in the crib, her sisters starting to wake up at the commotion. Doug checks Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo; finding they both need a change he grabs Sweetie Belle and quickly changes the foal before she can figure out that she should be struggling. He returns her to the crib to find Scootaloo standing, forelegs on the rail and her tiny wings beating furiously.

He ruffles Scootaloo's mane, supporting her chest as she stands on just her hind hooves. She holds her front hooves in the air, saying, "Peg Sigh!" Doug picks her up, saying, "Oh, you want to be a pegasi? You my little pegasus?" as he brings her to the changing table. Once she is done he lifts her into the air, holding her up with one hand while she squeals in delight, her wings beating even faster.

Doug smiles outwardly, trying to keep a happy face on. He can barely feel the difference her wings are making as they beat against the air. He swoops over to the crib, holding Scootaloo so she looks down on her siblings. "Who's ready for some breakfast?" he asks, scooping the other two foals in his free arm. He carries the trio to the kitchen; it looks like none of the other ponies are up yet. Doug opens the fridge, grabbing three bottles and checking if there are any leftovers. Seeing none, he grabs the milk and shuts the door. He pours each foal a bottle of milk before grabbing the flour and starting to make pancakes.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo start their bottles with gusto while Apple Bloom has a little more reserve, trying to figure out what Doug is doing. After the first batch of pancakes is cooking Doug checks on them, noticing that Apple Bloom is watching him with interest. He picks up the foal, placing her on the counter and saying, "Now don't roll over, it's a long fall and I don't want Applejack mad at me." Apple Bloom glances over the edge of the counter before slowly scooting away, still holding onto her bottle. Doug starts preparing the next batch of pancakes, explaining the process to a rapt Apple Bloom.

After all the pancakes are done Doug glances over to see Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo asleep, having finished off their bottles. Apple Bloom gives a yawn, her bottle nearly empty. He taps the bottle, saying, "Just a little more, AB, you're almost there. You can do it!" The foal stretches her hooves out before grasping the bottle again, lifting it up and finishing the last few drops. Doug quietly claps his hands, "Good job girl!" as Apple Bloom closes her eyes, falling asleep on the counter. Doug takes the three bottles, washing them out before setting them on the drying rack. He carries the three foals back to their room, placing them in the crib before returning to the kitchen. He places plates of pancakes, apples, and some oats on the dining room table with a few empty glasses and an open carton of apple juice. He grabs the eggs he made for himself from the frying pan, dumping them on top of one of the stacks of pancakes. He opens the door outside, stretching for his morning run.

Even with the mares giving him two workouts a day and the work on the farm, Doug still finds the morning runs enjoyable and often necessary. Rainbow comes when she can, but often the mare finds herself picking up one of the night shifts and is either working or too tired to come along. She still makes it most mornings, but this gives him a chance to think through the plans for that day, get a head start on his weather scheduling, or sometimes just to relax and clear his head.

Today his thoughts drift to the upcoming meeting with the unicorn specialists Celestia talked about. Celestia had offered to pay the costs of the treatment, but Doug balked. He didn't think she owed him for the... tests that Celestia and Cadance are planning on running in the future, and doesn't like the idea of trading one set of research for another. Celestia managed to talk him down to merely helping pay half the treatment costs, but he knows the Princesses will find some other way to try to pay him back. Like the dress with Rarity, or one of the 'catering' contracts that Applejack acquired with the Canterlot Castle dining ponies. Not that her apples and cider aren't the best he has tasted here - or ever, for that matter - but he hates the idea that he and his herd are getting special treatment for the potential help they are giving the Princesses, on a topic he thought no creature should be denied.

Doug notices how his frustration has sped up his pace, nearly winding himself while only halfway done with his second lap. He slows down, trying to lead his thoughts instead to the unicorns that will be coming later. They have finished their preliminary research and are ready to start more formal tests and observations. They have been quite tight lipped about what they will be doing and the potential outcomes, which Doug is not terribly happy about. They probably don't want to get his expectations up, or allow for false assumptions or understandings to spread. Well, they would figure more out after lunch.

Doug rounds the last bend, thinking about breakfast. He doesn't like to run on a full stomach, and hopes the mares know to leave the plate with the eggs and pancakes alone. On more than one occasion he had returned, finding a sheepish Rainbow with a plate of lightly sampled eggs and no pancakes. The ponies used eggs for baking but very few (if any) ate eggs by themselves, or even cooked with another meal. Doug smiles; his quesadillas had gone over well, but not the side of eggs or when he had tried omelettes, even ones with more vegetables than eggs. His eating one or two eggs per meal did lead to an increase in the number of chickens Applejack and Fluttershy keep, though.

Doug enters the front door, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees that his stack of pancakes is still there. Though, a slightly famished Rainbow Dash appears to be losing a staring contest with it. It is a good thing he placed his eggs directly on top of the pancakes, it makes it a little harder for the mare to pretend to mix up which plate is hers when she scarfs down her food.

Rainbow raises her hooves, saying, "Doug's home! Yey! So, uh, you want to make some more pancakes? The first batch was really good!"

Doug eyes her, "Sure, but don't you have work to get to?" He sees Big Mac heading outside with Applejack, the mare helping hitch Big Mac to one of the larger wagons. Looks like he would be doing another long distance delivery; from the looks of it, all the way to Canterlot.

Rainbow nods her head, trying to hide the devious look in her eye. "Yup! So, you won't mind if I..." The mare moves over to Doug's stack of pancakes, lifting the top one up and swiping the rest with one of her wings. She leaves all the eggs on the plate, quickly devouring the other five pancakes.

Doug sighs, trying to look disappointed and failing, "I suppose I asked for that, huh?"

Rainbow moves over, giving Doug a peck on the cheek, "Yup! You know you love it. Anyway, gotta go, see ya around!"

Doug shakes his head and smiles as Rainbow leaves the room. He grabs a box of nuts from the kitchen, sprinkling some onto the plate before picking up a fork and enjoying his breakfast.

22 Apparel

June 22nd, 994 DS

Rarity fusses over her latest creation as the door to the Carousel Boutique rings. She grimaces to herself; hopefully it isn't yet another customer needing an adjustment to one of their dresses! She is busy enough with everypony's last minute orders for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration and the last things she needs is some cantankerous mare who thinks their hat should be fitted sideways because they can't stand the feather in their face. Well, that's just how the style is this year, suck it up!

She smiles as she recognizes the footsteps heading towards her kitchen area. Hopefully Doug has brought some lunch with him; she is a little hungry, and she often forgets to eat when she gets into one of her inspirational moods. She continues working on the chapeau, putting the finishing touches before heading to the kitchen. She looks over the spread Doug has laid out, a nice mix of vegetables and bread from Sugarcube.

Sweetie Belle is sitting in her high chair with Doug sitting next to her. He is encouraging her as she struggles, concentrating on trying to using her telekinesis on one of the small carrots next to her. Rarity pauses in the doorway as Sweetie Belle focuses harder, leaning forward and staring at the carrot. She finally gives up and Doug rubs her back, "That was a good try Sweetie, very good try. Keep on practicing, you'll get it soon enough!"

Sweetie Belle smiles up at him before looking at the carrot. She tries focusing again but her concentration immediately gives out. She sighs, moving forward and grabbing the carrot in her mouth before moving back, chewing slowly. She perks up when she sees Rarity, a tiny piece of carrot flying from her mouth as she exclaims, "Mama!"

Rarity suppresses her shudder, glancing at the piece of carrot on the floor. "Dear, what have I said about talking with your mouth full?" The mare moves over, nuzzling Sweetie Belle before taking her place at the table.

Sweetie Belle chews the remainder of the carrot, swallowing it before saying, "I'm sorry Mama."

Rarity smiles at her foal, "It's all right, dearest, just try to remember in the future. How has your day been?"

Sweetie Belle grabs another carrot with her hoof, bringing it almost to her mouth before reconsidering. She says, "Fun! We-" before breaking into half language, half babble. Rarity starts eating her food, interjecting a "Oh, that's sounds like fun," or "Indeed!" at what sounds like opportune times.

Sweetie Belle quiets down and Doug asks Rarity, "So, what creation are you working on now?"

Rarity smiles, "Well, would you believe, Princess Cadance asked me to design and create a little something for one of her assistants to wear at the Summer Sun Celebration that they are holding in Manehatten! Oh, I've been so busy at the store it's been hard to make time to do the research, but I was able to get a good idea on what is in style."

Doug remarks, "Not something for Princess Cadance?"

Rarity shakes her head, "Oh no, neither Princess wears anything but their ceremonial peytral. I'm going with a fairly light design, a few sequins but very elaborate stitching and embroidery that incorporates Princess Cadance's crystal mark. Fairly demure and reserved, but close inspection will show the craftsmareship Princess Cadance deserves." Rarity hesitates before looking over at Doug, a slight quiver in her face, "You don't think she is giving me this just as mollification for not accepting her herd arrangement, do you?"

Doug gives Rarity an encouraging smile, saying, "How do you think the dress will turn out?"

An offended look crosses Rarity's face, "Why, the only reason my dress will not outshine every other dress there is because it isn't supposed to; it will keep attention focused on the Princesses, but the dress's craftmareship will still be excellent! Anypony who cares to talk with or look at the mare will notice what a masterpiece it is!"

Doug motions with his hand, "Well, there's your answer; it sounds like you'll do a fabulous job, and you deserve it."

Rarity finishes her meal as Sweetie Belle babbles away, giving Doug a quick peck on the cheek. She says, "Doug, darling, I am positively swamped with orders right now, you don't mind taking Sweetie Belle for the rest of the day, do you?"

Doug shrugs as Rarity beams him a smile, "That's fine, I think she'll enjoy playing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo some more. I think she needs a change before I head out though."

Rarity's nose wrinkles as she notices the smell emanating from Sweetie Belle, saying, "Well, I'm sure you are able to handle that. Please dispose of it outside, you remember what happened last time." Rarity turns, smiling at Doug as she heads back to the main Boutique area.

Doug smirks as she leaves, recalling how Rarity had left the stinky diaper in the kitchen overnight. He quickly changes Sweetie Belle, the foal glad to be out of the used diaper. He quickly grabs her as she tries to escape towards the main area, holding her firmly with one arm while the other gathers the remains of their lunch. He packs up the leftovers into a napkin while the slightly used dishes are wiped clean and placed in the cabinets. Sweetie Belle watches intently as Doug wipes the table clean and grabs the napkin. He makes his way to the door before remembering; he turns, grabbing the dirty diaper, opening the door outside and tossing the diaper in one of the trash cans.

Doug sets Sweetie Belle down as the two exit the Boutique, taking one of the side exits. When the foal gets curious about the trash cans he whistles sharply. Sweetie Belle looks over and Doug snaps his fingers; Sweetie gives a slightly disgruntled look before making her way towards the cans. Doug moves over, picking up the recalcitrant foal and admonishes her, "Sweetie, when I whistle that means you have to come to me and do what I say." Sweetie babbles a little at him, moving her little hooves towards the trash cans. "Yes, those are trash cans. No, you don't want to play in them. They will get your precious coat all smelly, and we know how much you hate it when you get smelly."

Sweetie Belle settles down as he starts walking back towards Sweet Apple Acres, taking the road that gets him outside of Ponyville the quickest. It made his walk a little longer, but there are less ponies along it, and the view of the forest is beautiful this time of year. After a short distance Sweetie Belle starts lightly squirming; Doug looks at her, "You'll follow me closely, alright?" Sweetie Belle nods and Doug sets her down, the foal staying close to Doug's side. The two continue walking; Doug notices that several spots seem to catch Sweetie's attention, but she stays next to him.

A flutter of nearby wings startles Doug; he looks up, still not completely used to how pegasi like to approach from the skies. Rainbow Dash lands next to him, taking a look at the food he is holding in his hand and asking, "Hey, what'cha got there?"

Doug opens the napkin, offering the vegetables to Rainbow while saying to Sweetie Belle, "You've been doing very well, you can go play in the grass. Stay in sight." The foal happily scampers off, running around in the grass until she finds a rock the size of her hoof. Rainbow takes a bite of the vegetables, smiling at the taste before moving over and kissing her stallion. Doug looks around and, not seeing anypony else, returns a longer kiss.

Rainbow smirks as she breaks away, "You wouldn't have let anypony stop us from doing that. Or from doing this," Rainbow says as she tenderly moves a hoof down his chest.

Doug catches her hoof, a brief struggle ensuing as Rainbow continues to move her hoof down and Doug tries to stop her. When Doug goes to pick Rainbow up she throws her weight to the side, ending up on top of Doug with her hind hooves straddling his waist and her front hooves on his chest. Her wings splay out to her sides as she moves in for a kiss. Doug has both of Rainbow's front hooves held tightly in his hands and doesn't release them as he returns the kiss.

Rainbow snuggles into Doug's neck as he says, "Gotta watch it, Rainbow, she's just getting to the age where she might start to mimic this." Rainbow sighs loudly, ceasing her struggles and resting her head on Doug's chest. He releases her hooves and moves his arms around her barrel, hugging her before looking over to Sweetie Belle. The foal had been concentrating on lifting her rock but stopped when Doug and Rainbow began wrestling. She is looking at them with curious eyes, eventually starting to walk over to them.

Rainbow watches the foal with interest as Sweetie Belle moves over and inspects the two of them. She starts near Doug's arm, tracing the lines to where it joins his chest. She moves up, pushing her muzzle against his chest, her tongue circling his nipple before she tries latching on. Doug laughs softly, saying, "Sorry, those don't work." Sweetie Belle looks up at him, slightly miffed there isn't a treat there for her. She moves around, rubbing her side against Rainbow's hind leg before taking a tentative step over Doug's leg.

Rainbow slightly raises her body up as she knows what is coming next. Doug giggles as Sweetie Belle brushes against his leg, the foal squirming to get to Rainbow's belly. Rainbow giggles into Doug's mouth as she kisses him, the two then looking down to see Sweetie Belle latch on. Rainbow smirks, "Sorry, girl, those have been dry for a month now."

Doug says in a soft voice, "So, you thought about having another?"

Rainbow goes silent for a moment, not moving as Sweetie Belle continues suckling, trying the other side. She hesitantly says, "Doug? I... you know I love Scootaloo, right?" Doug nods; Rainbow sighs, "Well, I love you too and all, it's just... I have other plans, you know? I want to do well working as head weathermare, and I am, and I want to work towards getting back into shape, reapplying for the Wonderbolts, and I am. I just... it doesn't leave a lot of time for a foal, much less a second one. You know?"

Doug nuzzles Rainbow, saying, "Well, not every one of my mares needs to be a broodmare."

Rainbow smirks, "Ya, you've got Applejack for that, and Pinkie Pie, they've both got those wide foal-bearing hips." She nuzzles into Doug, "Maybe sometime in the future, if everything works out with Scootaloo."

A weight presses into Doug's stomach as Sweetie Belle settles into him. Doug moves an arm, brushing a lock of mane out of Rainbow's face before going for another kiss. "Well, don't leave me waiting too long, ya hear?"

Rainbow smiles down, looking at Sweetie Belle as she naps in the shade. She looks back up at Doug, whispering, "I'll never leave you."

Doug hugs Rainbow tightly as she snuggles into his chest. He feels her legs start relaxing, allowing her barrel to slowly sink into Sweetie Belle. The foal happily snuggles further into Doug, enjoying the embrace. Rainbow stiffens, moving up slightly and saying, "Hey, you don't mind watching Scootaloo the rest of the day, right? I took a night watch shift, so I won't be back till midnight." Doug groans before nodding, a relieved Rainbow lowering herself back on top of him.

23 Procedures

August 10th, 994

Doug hoists the backpack containing, hopefully, everything the foals will need for their day trip into Ponyville. He has spare diapers, bottles with apple juice, and wrapped lunches for each of them. The trio is standing in front of him, waiting at the front door and growing impatient at how long it is taking him to finish packing. Applejack and Fluttershy are meeting the specialists at the train station. They will bring them to the hospital and help carry whatever equipment the unicorns brought along. Applejack will not be able to stay long; it seems like every day another harvest needs to start for the different kinds of apples they grow. Fluttershy will be able to stay for the duration, and the other mares will hopefully make an appearance.

The front door opens and the three foals leap outside, starting to run and play. Doug doesn't like having to keep the three cooped up inside with him but when none of the other mares are available they have little choice. Applejack misses him when he isn't able to help with the harvests. If Apple Bloom is the only one around they can keep an eye on her while the two work but when all three foals are together they tend to get into trouble too easily.

Doug occasionally whistles, a quick reminder to the foals to stay on course towards Ponyville. They love exploring and need a steady hand to keep from straying too far off the road. As they continue walking Doug debates whether they should take the longer route around Ponyville to get to the hospital or if the foals can be trusted to walk through town. He glances up at the sky; they are running a little late, so it looks like he'll have to keep a close eye on them as they make their way into town. While Sweetie Belle is accustomed to entering and walking through town the other two rarely make the trip. He can see the excitement in their faces as they get closer.

At first, the foals huddle close to him, nearly getting underfoot as they watch the unfamiliar sights around them. Sweetie Belle has taken the lead from Apple Bloom, walking just to Doug's right. The other two slowly grow more confident, at first following Sweetie Belle before Scootaloo excitedly runs off to the side, looking at a stand selling colorful candy treats. Doug whistles and Scootaloo's ears flatten to her head, the foal slowly trudging back and rejoining her sisters.

More than a few of the other ponies turn their heads at the unexpected noise. A few go back to their business while a number of others continue to stare, watching him as he leads the three foals along the road. The trio seem to notice, walking a little closer as their hoofsteps echo among the silent buildings.

After walking a short distance the normal sounds of a bustling town pick up again and the foals relax. None dare to dash out to check out one of the many unfamiliar stalls, but Doug can tell they want to. The hospital comes into view and Doug spots Applejack pulling a cart full of boxes and leading a group of unicorns. Fluttershy can be seen in the rear, chatting with one of the assistants, an amber coated unicorn with red and yellow stripes, as Applejack remains silent, as does the unicorn she is walking next to.

Applejack spots Doug, her eyes lighting up, though anything would have been an improvement from the gloom that was present before. She says, "Doug! Good, you're here. Doug, this is Professor Flintheart and his assistants, Drabbe and Foil. Professor Flintheart, this is my stallion, Doug."

Professor Flintheart, a gray-brown unicorn with a darker gray mane, manages to look down his nose as he looks up at Doug. He says, "Indeed," as he brushes a hoof against his black overcoat. He barely manages to suppress his scowl as he glances back to Fluttershy, the mare still engaged in conversation with one of his assistants. He looks back forward, heading towards the hospital and shaking his head. He mutters to himself, 'Why are we wasting our time here again?'

Applejack slows down slightly, looking at the three foals. Each looks a little tired from the walk, though none are to the point where they need to be carried. Apple Bloom scampers forward to take the lead, walking next to Applejack. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo continue next to Doug, both moving to the opposite side of Professor Flintheart. Doug picks the two foals up as the group makes their way into the hospital, Applejack greeting Nurse Redheart with a wave.

Nurse Redheart says in a jovial tone, "Welcome to the Ponyville Hospital! Hello, Applejack! Hello-" she pauses for a split second, "Doug. Good to see you." She looks over at Fluttershy and the unicorns, "You must be the specialist team I was told about." Professor Flintheart nods, and Nurse Redheart continues, "So, are you going to set up in one of the rooms here?"

Professor Flintheart says in a long, slow voice, "Obviously."

Nurse Redheart stares at him for a moment before getting up from behind the desk. "Okay," she says, "Follow me, I'll help get you all set up." She leads them to one of the rooms deeper inside the hospital, pushing the door open. She holds the door open for Professor Flintheart, "Let me know if you need anything."

He nods to her before turning and inspecting the room. Drabbe and Foil, both wearing black dress slacks, levitate the boxes from Applejack's cart and start unpacking the equipment. Doug sets the foals down next to Fluttershy, nodding at the unicorn. She nods back, a smirk on her face, "Sunset Shimmer. I'll be helping with the research, assigned by Princess Celestia."

Doug smiles, "Thank you for lending your assistance, it's much appreciated."

Sunset Shimmer's eye twitches slightly, the unicorn miffed about the lack of praise. She turns, heading back to Fluttershy and watching the other two unicorns unpack the remainder of the equipment.

Doug moves over to Professor Flintheart as the unicorn finishes setting up one of the pieces of equipment. He looks closely at it as the Professor gives him a stern glare. Doug motions towards it, "So, what is it called, and what does it do?"

"That," Professor Flintheart states after a brief pause, "Is a thaumic resonator." At Doug's lack of comprehension he adds, "It displays the convergence of thaumic energies inside a pony's body on this screen, allowing us to determine if the flow of thaumic energies are being suppressed." He nods to himself, muttering, 'Yup, same group of dunderheads I normally deal with.'

Doug nods, "Is that one of the theories, that the foals have their magic 'blocked'?"

Professor Flintheart slowly nods, "Or are similarly unable to access their thaumic potential. Many unicorns disregard the subtleties of magic use, ignoring the exact applications and instead brute force their way with silly horn waving. I don't expect you to understand, but few appreciate the true beauty of a finely crafted spell. Weaving one's spell so that even the very air shimmers with power, yet not wasting an iota on extraneous effects. I hope to teach your foals to harness their power: tame fields, perform feats of magic, even stopper storms."

Doug nods, impressed at the speech. Professor Flintheart smirks, continuing on to a few of the other boxes. "This," he motions with his horn, "Will allow us to temporarily imbue your foals with extra magic, to see if they are able to," he grimaces as he says, "brute force their way through any problems. If the issue is with overcoming the innate resistance, we may be able to practice and eventually overcome that limitation, and not rely on infusions to continue casting."

He moves to the next box, levitating a knife, "This is a quill sharpener," he smirks, "It cuts things."

Doug gives a short laugh as Professor Flintheart moves back to the first one. The unicorn says, "We will start off by testing the foals, making sure that their thaumic energies are correctly flowing through their bodies. This is a rare case among ponies, and is generally cured by practicing mental discipline, focusing their mind." He motions towards Apple Bloom, the foal being reassured by Fluttershy before making her way over. When the foal gets close he levitates her up, placing her onto the machine.

Doug moves over, gently stroking Apple Bloom's mane as the foal looks up at him, a frightened look on her face. She slowly calms down, holding out one hoof and then another as Professor Flintheart straps her in. The unicorn says in a gruff voice, "You will need to hold still for his, little one." He finishes strapping her in as Apple Bloom lays down, resting her head on her front hooves.

The three assistants gather paper and quills before huddling close to the projector. Foil draws a rough sketch of Apple Bloom, leaving plenty of space around the image. Professor Flintheart double checks the bindings, gives a quick glance to Apple Bloom to make sure she is still motionless, and flicks a switch.

The wall behind them begins flickering before a rough outline of the foal can be seen, laying in the same position. Sunset and Foil begin adding details to the picture, marking which areas are pulsing with light and which areas seem more muted. Drabbe begins taking pictures, the flash momentarily distracting the others before a reproving glare from Professor Flintheart causes the unicorn to shy back. She flicks a switch on the camera before returning and taking more pictures.

Professor Flintheart studies the projection closely, muttering to himself. He glances to the fiery assistant and she moves forward, letting the other unicorn continue to take notes. Professor Flintheart motions to the projection, prompting Sunset Shimmer, "What do you see?"

She answers immediately, "The flow of magic along the body and extremities is normal. The quantity is low but consistent with what one would expect from having low thaumic potential. Overall, everything seems remarkably regular." She pauses, moving slightly closer to the projection, "However, everything being similar only shows what is missing." Sunset Shimmer glances at Doug, "There should be thaums pooling in the hoofs for earth ponies, wings and light pooling in the hooves for pegasi, and in the horn for unicorns." She turns back to the projection, levitating a long stick and pointing at Apple Bloom's hooves. "The lack of pooling suggests that her low thaums are unable to overcome the resistance." She settles back, a pleased look on her face.

Professor Flintheart asks in a neutral tone, "Or?"

A glare crosses Sunset Shimmer's face as she looks at Professor Flintheart, "What do you mean or? It's a solid theory, no contrary evidence. The path forward is clear, either magic boosters until she can learn to force through herself or finding the right combination to lower her thaumic resistance."

Professor Flintheart shakes his head, "One plausible theory does not a master researcher make, Miss Shimmer. As to your treatments, the first would be temporary at best as her body develops an increased resistance. The second would permanently destroy her ability to control magic and leave her susceptible to many magical maladies, much as if we destroyed her immune system to stop an autoimmune disorder."

Sunset Shimmer tries to hide her glare, "So, what else could it be?"

Professor Flintheart speaks firmly, "Apple Bloom, do not move, but flick your ear if you can understand me." At the foal's ear flick he states, "I want you to try to concentrate as much magic as you can in your hooves, front if able."

A hesitant voice comes from the foal, "Uh, okay, Ah think Ah can." The projection ripples while she talks, a small scowl developing on Professor Flintheart's face. It turns more to a smirk as the image changes, the lines moving inside Apple Bloom's body fading while her hooves turn a bright white. Professor Flintheart glares at the assistants, "Record this!" and the sound of quill on paper starts again.

Apple Bloom begins breathing heavily, panting as beads of sweat show on her face. She sighs loudly as she gives out, whimpering as she lays back down on her hooves. Doug moves over, petting the exhausted filly as the projection ripples again, distortion from Apple Bloom's heavy breathing. The thaumic lines have returned to their previous levels, if slightly dimmer than before. The sounds of writing continue as Professor Flintheart studies the image, then turns his attention towards Apple Bloom. He watches the foal for a moment before undoing the restraints with his magic, giving her a nudge.

Doug picks her up as the foal stands on shaky hooves and moves towards him. Professor Flintheart looks to his assistants, "While we get Sweetie Belle ready, what other theories could explain their lack of magic, or what treatments can you come up with."

Foil says, "Curse?"

Sunset Shimmer scoffs, "Curses aren't real."

Foil retorts, "Well, call it what you will, but some sort of magical hex or disease, possibly caused or caught in utero?"

Professor Flintheart nods, "Two very distinct possibilities; though unlikely, as good a place as any." He pulls out a blackboard, fixing it to the wall with his magic. He levitates a piece of chalk, writing 'Causes' and underneath 'Innate/Genetic, Curse, Malady' on the left. He writes, 'Treatment' on the write and, after a brief hesitation and head shake, 'Magic Boosters, Lower Resistance'. He looks to the assembled group, "What else, or how can we refine what we have?"

Sweetie Belle stands as she is strapped in, looking expectantly at Professor Flintheart. He flicks the switch and the wall lights up again. Once pictures have been taken and drawings drawn Professor Flintheart asks, "Very good. Sweetie Belle, focus as much magic as you can in your horn. Do not try to cast a spell or release it, just hold it in your horn." Sweetie Belle does as she is told, concentration showing on her face as the picture behind lights up. Her horn shines much brighter, but not nearly as brightly as Apple Bloom's hooves. Professor Flintheart asks, "Can you push any harder?"

Sweetie Belle strains, exertion showing as she pushes herself. The picture of her horn continues to brighten until it is nearly as bright as Apple Bloom's hooves were. Her horn shines, giving off light before a few sparks come shooting from the tip.

Professor Flintheart reprimands "I said hold it in your horn, don't release it!" as Sweetie Belle struggles against the straps.

The foal excitedly exclaims, "Daddy, Daddy, I did it! I made magic!" Doug undoes the straps, holding the shaking foal tightly in his arms. He gives her a hug, standing up and spinning around as she babbles away.

Professor Flintheart shakes his head. Why a foal would be celebrating light and sparks, only the most basic of magic-

Professor Flintheart stops, looking blankly at the two. A unicorn foal should have performed magic after a few days, not at four months. The reality of their situation hits him and he staggers back, looking over at the now blank wall. He levitates over the small piece of chalk, staring at it and the aura surrounding it before glancing back to Sweetie Belle.

The foal is scampering about Apple Bloom, the earth pony filly waving her hooves in the air at her sister. Doug has moved over, strapping Scootaloo in and petting her mane, trying to calm her down. Doug looks back at Professor Flintheart with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I didn't think she'd sit still, not for a while. Let me get this little scamp ready."

Professor Flintheart mumbles, "Take your time," as Doug turns back to Scootaloo. He looks back to the blackboard, wracking his brain for anything that could be used to help these three.

His thoughts are interrupted as Sunset Shimmer walks up to him, remarking, "So, something finally got some sparks out of 'ole Flintheart?"

Professor Flintheart turns, his glare suppressing Miss Shimmer's smirk. Even worse is the fact that she is right, and the only solution he can come up with involves dark magic. He turns back towards Doug as a smile works its way across his face. Much as is loathe to admit it, Sunset Shimmer is a more talented magic wielder than himself, better suited for experimentation. Princess Celestia already knew about his... proclivities, and keeps a close eye on him. However, with a few carefully lain hints... yes, this could work.

Scootaloo is standing like Sweetie Belle and strapped in. She manages to calm down enough for Professor Flintheart to flip the switch. The image of the foal's body is similar to the other two, though he notes that the wings are showing little circulation. "Alright, Scootaloo, first focus on your hooves. Imagine you are picking up something heavy, and you need to get a good grip."

The foal thinks for a second before she shifts, looking down at her hooves. She stares, gripping harder with her hooves. There is very little change in the projection as the foal struggles. Doug asks, "Would it help to give her something to pull, or pick up?" Professor Flintheart nods, levitating over the stick he was using as a pointer. Doug moves it in front of Scootaloo; the foal places her hooves against it and starts pushing but Doug shakes his head, "Pull, not push."

Scootaloo redoubles her efforts, starting to lift the stick. Doug lets his arms rest a little, the extra weight pulling the stick out of Scootaloo's hooves. "Good job, try again," he says, and Scootaloo starts pulling the stick up.

Professor Flintheart nods, "Keep it up. That should be enough." Scootaloo relaxes, her hooves falling down as Doug removes the stick. "Now for the wings. This might be a little more difficult, but Scootaloo, try to focus on your wings, imagine you are lifting yourself into the air."

Scootaloo begins beating her wings, the projection barely changing. Professor Flintheart coughs, "Try to do it with less physical wing movement. Remember, you are trying to access your magic."

Scootaloo grits her teeth, "I'm trying here!" as her wings continue beating. She takes a deep breath and the beat of her wings slow, eventually coming to a stop as she focuses more and more on pushing magic into her wings. After a minute of effort she gives out, breathing heavily and sinking down.

Doug rubs her mane as Scootaloo gets back up, "I'm not done yet!" She concentrates again, her wings flaring out as she tries to focus her magic into her wings.

After the fifth try Scootaloo sinks to her hooves, the exhausted filly looking up at Doug. She whimpers, "I did good, Daddy, right?"

Doug smiles as he rubs her mane, unstrapping her from the resonator. "You did very good, Scootaloo."

Rainbow Dash moves over, the mare having arrived during the tests, "I'll say! You were greats, Scoots!" The foal gives her dam a smile as Doug sets her down, the filly limping over to her sisters before laying down, closing her eyes. Rainbow Dash greets the assistants before she and Professor Flintheart move over to Doug.

Doug asks, "So, how was she?"

Professor Flintheart says, "When she was using her hooves Scootaloo was able to perform nearly as well as Apple Bloom. I don't think she will have trouble picking things up, and she may be able to manipulate weather. Rainbow, if you can get a small cloud," he motions with his hooves, making about a two foot diameter, "We will be able to test that. However, Scootaloo was not able to focus any magic into her wings. I don't know if it is because she is unable to overcome her innate resistance or if she merely does not know how or where to focus her magic."

Rainbow says, "What do you mean doesn't know how or where? I thought everypony just, kinda, knew."

Professor Flintheart glances to Sunset Shimmer before saying, "How about a demonstration? Rainbow, move over to the resonator, you don't need to strap in." At Rainbow's stare he sighs, motioning with a hoof at the machine Scootaloo had been using. Rainbow moves over, standing next to the resonator and watches the wall light up when Professor Flintheart flicks the switch. He levitates his stick, circling the brightly glowing pegasus as Sunset Shimmer makes her way over. "As you can see, Rainbow has a very high thaumic potential."

Rainbow adds, "I'll say! Nurse Redheart thought it was one of the highest out there, for a pegasus."

Professor Flintheart slowly nods, "Indeed. Rainbow, concentrate you magic into your wings, but do not move or fly." Rainbow thinks for a second before looking down, the image of her wings brightening as the rest of her body stays about the same. "As you can see, Rainbow has so much excess thaumic capacity that she can saturate her wings while still having enough left over for other feats such as increased observation, increased acceleration and momentum manipulation."

Professor Flintheart sees a nod from Sunset Shimmer before a flash of recognition. He briefly smiles before turning back to Rainbow, "That's enough, Rainbow, thank you," as he flicks the switch, turning the projection off. "Now, how did you focus magic into your wings?"

Rainbow shrugs, "I don't know, I just kinda think it and it happens. You can't force this kind of awesomeness!"

Professor Flintheart nods, "Be that as it may, Scootaloo, for one reason or another, doesn't know how to do it. Are you saying she is always going to be like that?"

Rainbow shakes her head, glaring at Professor Flintheart, "Of course not! She'll learn how to do it!"

Professor Flintheart nods, "Then you might want to think a little harder, Rainbow, about how you are able to focus your magic into your wings. Possibly while you are out getting that cloud."

Rainbow gives a sheepish grin, "Oh ya," as she flies out the room.

Sunset Shimmer moves over to Professor Flintheart, "Professor, you don't think that-"

Professor Flintheart cuts her off, "Miss Shimmer, we both know that Princess Celestia wouldn't allow that, it's too dangerous." He turns away, moving to pack up the resonator as a smirk appears on his face. Perfect.

24 Therapy

August 11th, 994

Doug, Rarity, and the three foals walk from the hospital to the Carousel Boutique. Rarity is still a little put out that she was not there to witness the event but Sweetie Belle is more than making up for it, trying to shoot sparks out of her horn.

Rarity exclaims as another attempt is successful, "Darling, good job! You are doing fabulously!" She moves up to the door to the Boutique, opening it as Doug, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo come to a stop outside. Sweetie Belle moves past her dam as Rarity moves over to Doug, giving him a quick kiss, saying, "Thank you for everything, dear. Will you be coming back for dinner?"

Doug's nods, waving before walking away. Rarity waves goodbye, closing the door behind her. The specialists felt that each of them should create a training plan, something for them to do with their foals while waiting for the results on some of their lengthier tests. There has been little indication that the foal is doing anything wrong. Instead, it is more akin to exercising a muscle, one that she doesn't realize she has. Most foals start using their magic, even accidentally, at several days old. Some are even quite prodigious, having strong enough levitation and telekinesis it to grab toys, bottles, or even their parents.

Professor Flintheart seems sure that Sweetie Belle has enough thaums to perform these skills. However, she will need to learn to focus almost the entirety of her magic on the task at hoof, with little left over for extraneous applications. Rarity thinks to her own telekinesis; she can focus a tiny portion of her magic on each of a nearly a hundred different objects. Professor Flintheart had suppressed his admiration, however, merely nodding at her extraordinarily efficient use. If Sweetie Belle can learn to exercise the same fine control Rarity has then the foal will be able to master telekinesis, if only on one object at a time. Maybe two if they are light or close enough.

But, for now, the focus will be on the magics that Sweetie Belle is able to perform. She has been happy enough to shoot sparks while walking down the road but, now that they are inside, the real work will begin. Sweetie Belle walks up to her chair, struggling slightly as she clambers up the side. She smiles at Rarity once she is seated before her horn lights up. Rarity smiles back, heading into the kitchen, grabbing four apples, and returning.

Rarity levitates the apples over to the table, setting them in a precise line. She rearranges them into a box before moving two in a circle, intersecting the other two. The apples continue their dance while Sweetie Belle's looks on, amazed at her dam's precision. Rarity lifts the four apples into the air, bringing them to a stop with three apples on the table and the last delicately placed on top, not causing the other three to move.

Rarity smiles at Sweetie Belle as the foals stomps a hoof, "Thank you, thank you. Now, it is your turn. The light and sparks you have been making have been a good start, but they are merely the byproducts of normal spellwork. Today, we will be working on focusing that magic, on making our intent for the world around us felt through that magic. Levitation is the simplest way of doing so."

Rarity pauses, lifting the top apple and shifting it so it is balanced on two apples instead of three. The last apple she slides over to Sweetie Belle, moving it to the edge of the table. Rarity continues, "Imagine that you are trying to get this apple to move. If you were not to use magic, how would you do it?"

Sweetie Belle looks at the apple, then back to her dam. "Um, use my hoof?"

Rarity nods, "How else?"

Sweetie Belle looks around, "My other hoof?"

Rarity smiles, "Okay, enough hooves. What else?"

Sweetie Belle looks down at her hind hooves, then towards her dam. At her dam's slight head shake she says, "Um... I suppose I could use my mouth. Or my horn!"

Rarity beams, "Very good! Simply put, you move your body in order to move, or apply a force, to another object. Using your telekinesis, your levitation, is very similar to that. Now, how many apples can you lift with your hoof?"

Sweetie Belle frowns, "Not as many as Apple Bloom. She could carry half a basket of apples when we were last playing on the farm. I could only pick up the basket when it was a quarter full."

Rarity shakes her head, "This isn't a comparison between you and Apple Bloom, but I suppose it is an apt one. You are trying to exercise a muscle that you haven't been used to using. Over time, and with focus, your control and your strength with that muscle will improve. I started just where you are, working on levitating one object before I started to lift more. You'll see many of your young friends doing just that, such as tossing a ball back and forth."

Sweetie Belle looks excited, "How many objects can you lift now?"

Rarity purses her lips, not wanting to quash the foal's excitement or give her unreasonable expectations of herself. She says, "Well, I've worked very hard on this, especially once I began the Boutique and had to craft multiple things at once. This is advanced magic, but here goes!"

Rarity's horn lights, brighter than before, as cabinet drawers begin opening. Sweetie Belle tries to keep count as spools of thread, ribbons, and needles each levitate out of their respective drawers. She watches in amazement as each of the two dozen spools unwind a thread through the eye of a needle before sewing a pattern on their ribbon. After a few seconds each needle backtracks, the thread slipping out and being wound back on the spool. Each needle finds its way into the drawer before the ribbons, arranged by color, make their way, followed by the spools of thread.

One spool, ribbon, and needle move their way over to the table. Rarity smiles at Sweetie Belle, "Now, that made me a little hungry. Let's start by trying to move the apple so we can get a snack, okay?"

Meanwhile, Doug nods before waving goodbye to Rarity and ushering the two foals away. The mares had rearranged their schedule of where he spent the night and who woke up with him in order to let Rainbow stay with him by herself. Rainbow had taken Professor Flintheart's findings and recommendations particularly hard, and had been grateful for his merely being there with her.

Speaking of the mare, Doug notices Rainbow gliding down towards them. They wave at each other as Doug says, "Morning again, Rainbow. Everything worked out on the weather patrol?"

Rainbow nods, moving over to Scootaloo and giving the foal a nuzzle. "Yup, everypony's got their assignments and looks like a pretty easy day."

Doug picks up Apple Bloom, the foal looking a little tired from the tests they had run that morning. He glances to Rainbow, "How was your homework?"

Rainbow scowls, "I haven't been assigned homework in years, dam, but I still remembered how to get it done." She looks down at her hooves before saying in a lower voice, "Still having some trouble, but I think I've got a few exercises that we can work on. I don't really agree with Flintheart, though. She needs to be able to do this unconsciously, without thinking about it. All the great fliers are able to fly that way."

Doug nods, "Sure, but you have to start somewhere. When people, or most ponies, are learning a task they don't begin with that kind of knowledge or something being second nature. They have to start at the beginning, unconscious incompetence. They don't know what they are doing and they might not even realize it. Scootaloo is somewhere between there and conscious incompetence. She knows she is doing something wrong or poorly but doesn't really know how to fix it. The mistakes and attempts she makes now are critical to her making it to the third stage, conscious competence. She'll learn what she needs to do but has to think about the steps she is taking. Finally, she'll make it to the fourth stage, unconscious competence, where she doesn't need to think about what she is doing, she just does it."

Rainbow coughs, "Well, how do you explain the knowledge and skills that somepony gets when they get a cutie mark?"

Doug shrugs, "Magic? It seems like a bit of a cop-out to me, that somepony can just skip straight to stage four with whatever skill their cutie mark pertains to. I think it explains a bit of why so many ponies are hesitant to change jobs or locations. They know what they do and they like doing it. It makes it hard to start over from the beginning."

Rainbow says, "Yeah, it was a tough transition for me coming to Ponyville. I mean, I love going fast and working with weather, and I have a huge drive to push myself to do my best. So coming here, working at a town on the ground instead of in the sky? And then after I joined with you, staying on the ground half the time?" Rainbow shakes her head, trying to get back on track, "It kind of makes it hard to tell Scootaloo what I'm doing, since it always came naturally to me."

Doug nods, "Well, I'm sure you'll figure out a way. Don't be too hard on her, okay?"

Rainbow rolls her eyes before putting Scootaloo on her back and flying into the air, waving at Doug. He waves back and walks towards the farmhouse as she grabs a cloud, bringing it back down to the ground. She places Scootaloo on the ground, thinking about the exercises she has planned. Rainbow lifts a hoof, putting it on the cloud and says, "Alright, Scoots, we're going to focus on manipulating clouds with our magic. So first, we need to concentrate on getting and holding magic in your hooves."

Scootaloo nods, lifting her body up and dropping both hooves onto the cloud. She gives a shriek as she falls right through; she crawls backwards, bits and pieces of cloud coming apart as she struggles. Rainbow sighs, quickly gathering the pieces back together and says, "Not so fast this time. Much as I hate to say it, let's slow down, take this one hoof at a time."

Scootaloo focuses, slowly lifting one hoof and placing it against the cloud. When the cloud pushes back against her she gives an excited yelp, lifting her body up and placing her other front hoof on the cloud. That hoof passes right through the cloud, quickly followed by the rest of Scootaloo's body. The filly backs up, slower than before, tears forming in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash looks impatiently at her, "Alright, that was a good try." At Scootaloo's lowered head she scoffs, "What, are you giving up now? You're going to have to keep at this if you want to get better!"

Scootaloo quivers but gets back to her hooves. She tries to concentrate again but is disrupted by a loud sniffle. She pauses, collecting her strength before she focuses again, lifting her left hoof onto the cloud. When that hoof holds she focuses on the right hoof, but stops when her left hoof slowly starts sinking through the cloud. She lifts her left hoof then firmly places it back on the cloud before turning back to her right. She lifts her right hoof off the ground, doing her best to focus on both hooves. She holds her right hoof in place, ready to catch herself if she falls; after a few seconds she places her right hoof on the cloud.

Both hooves hold steady as Rainbow says, "Good job, Scootaloo! Well done!" Scootaloo slowly moves her head up, smiling at Rainbow before focusing again on her hooves. Rainbow says, "Now, hold this position for a minute, or until you feel tired. We'll keep practicing moving on and off the cloud until you need a break."

Rainbow smiles as she watches Scootaloo hold the position, the exertion on the filly's face gradually becoming less and less. Scootaloo tries to push against the cloud when the minute is up but her hooves instead punch through the cloud. She squawks as she falls, bending her forelegs as she drops to the ground. She pulls back, swiping at the bits of cloud that cling to her legs. She fails at first to brush a few off; as Rainbow starts to move forward Scootaloo calms down, slowly moving her hoof and pushing it against the speck of cloud. It comes off, sticking to Scootaloo's hoof, and the filly presses it against the main ball of cloud, molding it into place. Rainbow backs off, smiling as Scootaloo gathers the remaining pieces and reforms her cloud ball.

Scootaloo puts one hoof on the cloud, quickly testing her weight before pushing up and placing her second hoof on the cloud. She mounts it quicker this time, holding the position for a minute while Rainbow nods and smiles in encouragement. She doesn't push off the cloud as hard this time, dropping back and smiling back at Rainbow.

Rainbow forces a smile back on her face, quickly growing bored of the repetition. She glances around the sky before saying, "Alright, squirt, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to do some sprints. Normally I fly half miles, or the ten second bracket, but for you I'm going to do minutes. So, once you get into position, I'm going out thirty seconds and then back. You have to hold your position until I get back. Got it?" At the filly's nod Rainbow gets into position, quickly saying "ReadySetGo!"

Doug has continued on towards Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom following behind. Applejack is standing outside the house, saddlebags on her back. She meets him at the doorway, looking excitedly at the pair. She asks, "So, how'd the rest of the testing go?"

Doug shrugs, "About as expected. They weren't able to find anything out except that the foals have low magic. They have some difficulty maneuvering the magic around their bodies, but Apple Bloom was doing well in that regard. The infusions didn't really stick on any of them, so they aren't sure how to proceed except mental training and using every bit of magic they possess."

Applejack nods, nuzzling Doug as he gets close. She nuzzles Apple Bloom after, pushing her gently towards one of the fallow fields. She looks at Doug, "Ah reckon you need to catch up on some work?" Doug nods and Applejack turns, heading towards the field while saying, "Have fun then, Ah'll catch up with ya for lunch."

Doug waves, heading inside to another bag full of weather requests. Applejack says to Apple Bloom, "How was meeting all those nice unicorns?"

Apple Bloom bounces a bit on her hooves as she says, "Oh, well, Fessor Flinhar was grumpy at first. But then he got happy! Or, less unhappy. Drabbe and Foil didn't talk much at all. Sunset... um, Miss Sunset was nice too."

Applejack nods, "Yes, Miss Sunset was very nice. Daddy was saying she seemed like she was on to something at the end. Something the other unicorns weren't thinking about." Applejack pauses, "Ah hope they figure something out."

Apple Bloom frowns, "About what?"

Applejack hesitates, "Well, it's about your magic."

Apple Bloom says, "Mah magic?"

Applejack nods, "That's what we'll be practicing today, your magic. Ah've got a bunch of flower seeds, and we're going to practice using our magic to help them grow."

Apple Bloom starts bouncing on her hooves, "Ooh, that sounds fun! The, um, unicorns were excited when I got magic in my hooves! Is that what we're doing here?"

Applejack nods, coming to a stop at one of the furrows. She shrugs the saddlebags to her side, pulling out one of the seeds. "Now, AB, watch closely. Ah... hmm, let me see." Applejack furrows her brow; she has never really thought before of how she is able to help the plants grow. She mostly just envisioned them sprouting, growing roots and stems, leaves, and finally buds that bloom into flowers.

Applejack sits there staring at the seed in her hoof as Apple Bloom tentatively asks, "Is there supposed to be something happening?" The filly sits back, rubbing her head with a hoof as she watches her dam.

Applejack shakes her head, "Ah, no, Ah'm just thinking of how to say what Ah'm gonna say. So, Ah want this here seed to sprout. The more magic Ah use, the faster it grows. So, Ah'm just going to use a little magic, just enough to get the seed to break out of its coat."

Applejack holds the seed out so Apple Bloom can clearly see it. Applejack focuses a tiny amount of magic into the seed, feeling the response as a wave of pleasure radiating from her hoof. The sensation is greater when she works with apple seeds, but she nonetheless smiles as she feels the seed break free and a green sprout come forth. She gently cuts the magic off, feeling the cool response in return, and puts the sprout into one of the furrows. She lovingly covers it with some dirt, patting the top with the side of her hoof.

She turns to Apple Bloom with a smile as Rainbow flies by overhead, "That's how it's done. Ah don't expect you to be able to do that just yet, but if you can manage that by the end of the day Ah'll be mighty impressed." She moves a hoof to her back, pulling out a few seeds and placing them in front of Apple Bloom. "Now, first off you're going to try to get a sense of the seeds. They are in there, just waiting for you to touch them. Now, go on, give it a try."

Apple Bloom moves a hoof over, picking up one of the seeds. She looks at it from multiple angles before focusing, trying to push more magic in her hooves. Applejack frowns when she sees Apple Bloom frown, the foal shaking her hoof. "Mama, Ah don't feel it. What's it supposed to feel like?"

Applejack pauses; how is she going to explain the feeling of pure joy she gets when she follows her cutie mark? That knowledge that you are who you are supposed to be, the sense of belonging, of having a purpose? Does this mean that Apple Bloom will not get a cutie mark, or just that her cutie mark won't be in farming?

Apple Bloom sees her hesitation, lowering her head and trying again to focus on the seed. Right now, it just feels like a piece of dirt, no different than the tilled earth she is standing on. She closes her eyes, trying to get a sense of the seed and what is inside, the potential, the chance of new life. She gets the barest hint of something, like she is looking at Ponyville from her room upstairs. She is trying to pick out which pony at the market is her Applejack, but they keep going behind the stalls. She squints against her closed eyelids, trying to make out that spark of life against the backdrop of the false images her eyes send her mind.

Applejack moves over, placing her hoof carefully on top of Apple Bloom's. While the unicorns had said that magic infusion hadn't taken, maybe she could help guide Apple Bloom. Applejack focuses on the seed on the other side of Apple Bloom's hoof, trying to get a sense of it without her magic infusing into the seed, without telling the seed to do what every seed wanted to do.

In Apple Bloom's mind she is suddenly picked up, galloping through the air towards Ponyville. She looks down to see her dam underneath her, Applejack turning her head upwards and smiling, the mare carrying her foal towards town and towards the spark. Apple Bloom smiles at the caress of Applejack's magic, flowing through her hoof as it makes its way towards the seed. She can see the seed, that tiny dot of life, and wills herself to move closer. She struggles, trying to get a glimpse as the spark moves behind another stall. She waits, watching the stall intently before she notices, out of the corner of her eye, the spark moving behind a different stall. She smiles, a quick 'gotcha!' forming in her mind as she focuses on the spark.

Apple Bloom opens her eyes as she feels her dam's magic leave her hoof. The foal looks at the tiny seed in her hoof, a small tear forming on one of the sides and a hint of green poking out. She looks up at Applejack, whispering, "Did Ah do that?"

Applejack nods, a tear forming in her eye, "Yes, my little Bloom, that was you. Ah just helped guide you there."

Apple Bloom smiles, placing the seed into the ground and pushing a little dirt over the top. She picks up another seed, focusing again on the spark within. Once again, she is back at Sweet Apple Acres, trying to see into Ponyville. It would be a long walk, getting there by herself, but now she knows the way.

Applejack finishes covering the sprouting seed, deciding against using any magic to assist this little one. Even if it never got as big as the others, it would be a perfect reminder of Apple Bloom's success. It and every other in the row.

26 Epilogue: Five Years Later

June 30th, 1000 Domina Solaria

Doug plops down on the couch inside the farmhouse, already tired of watching the seven foals. At least Applejack has taken Apple Bloom, the mare showing her first born the ropes as everything gets prepared for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. The foals are starting to get hungry, and hopefully they would have a bit extra prepared, what with all the extra Apples that are in town today. Pretty much all of them are busy helping with the preparations, though fortunately none of them have tried to entrust their foals with him. Although, that might not be a good thing, it shows they still don't fully trust him. He sighs; one of these days, maybe it'll happen.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle drag over their favorite game, Junior Ponopoly. Doug smiles and moves over as the two pull the lid off from the box, starting to gather the other foals for a quick game. Something to draw their attention away from their stomachs, which he can hear a few start to grumble. A loud shriek startles him as Sweetie Belle levitates her favorite piece, the top hat. The filly shouts, "Meringue! What did you do!" as the piece clatters to the ground. Sweetie Belle charges her sister, the young foal quickly overpowered by her older sister. Doug looks at the fallen piece; somepony (he strongly suspects Meringue) has decorated it with colorful stripes and a tiny fancy feather. He laughs, placing the piece on the board with seven others as Lemon comes to her sister's defense. The wrestling comes to a standstill as Sweetie Belle realizes her difficulty wrestling with two of her sisters, even if they are two and four years younger than her.

The rest of the foals gather around the board, four year old Applebaum complaining that they are playing this silly game again, taking her spot as banker. Scootaloo helps Doug sort the money into piles for each foal before moving to the rest of her sisters. Sweetie Belle, Lemon, and Meringue take their places, each foal rolling to see who goes first. Doug helps them with counting their money and moving the pieces.

An hour into the game and things are neck and neck between Applebaum, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Meringue. Lemon sits off to the side, disappointed at her early elimination but still fascinated by the rest of the players. Pomarbo, the two year colt not disappointed at all at his elimination, is sitting next to Applebaum and helping her count money. Hedge, Fluttershy's three year old filly, is taking a nap off to the side.

Applejack's voice rings out from outside, "Soup's on, everypony!"

Doug starts to get to his feet, saying, "Alright, I think this is a good time for a break," but is loudly overruled by the four players still in the game. He sighs, settling back down and watching as they keep playing, a bit more haste in their rolls.

A while later the game comes to its conclusion: Applebaum and Scootaloo agreeing to a tie, having eliminated everypony else. Doug wakes Pomarbo, the rest of the fillies impatiently waiting at the door to go get food. Doug walks the crowd of fillies outside, heading to the tables of food, and waves at Applejack. As he gets closer he asks, "So, were you able to meet the organizer?"

Applejack laughs, "Oh, you just missed her. Apple Bloom here managed to convince her that she should stay, sample a couple of our more delicious treats. You did a great job, girl!"

Apple Bloom smiles shyly, "Oh, it weren't nothing. By the way, daddy, aren't you gonna stay for brunch, too?" She looks up at him, her sad eyes growing large, tears forming in the corners.

Doug laughs, "Oh, I could never say no to you. Any fritters left?"

The gathered ponies laugh, quickly piling all sorts of apple delicacies on the table in front of Doug, the human and his fillies quickly digging in to the offered treats.

7 Ultimatum

Spoiled Rich steps from side to side, peering closely at Doug and Rarity. Doug is carrying Rarity on his shoulders, the exertion plain on his face, but otherwise seems to be barely winded. Rarity is breathing heavily, the look of terror replaced by one of determination. Her horn is lit up - a soft haze of magic pervading the nearby air. Spoiled Rich's gaze shifts to Rainbow; the pegasus is glaring around at any pony who dares get close. She looks ready to spring forth if any of the other Ponyvillians continue circling around the herd. Applejack looks just as resolute and is guarding the other half of the crowd from approaching, looking slightly out of breath. Behind the four sits Fluttershy, the pegasus holding Sweetie Belle in her hooves as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom make their way towards her. She quickly takes them under her wing, consoling the three frightened foals.

Spoiled Rich's face briefly softens as she watches the foals before she looks back at Doug, the glare returning. The human stares back, a defiant look in his eyes. She takes a step forward, smirking as Rainbow crouches down. Spoiled Rich says, "Look. I know we all want to avoid any further... conflict here, so I'll make this very simple. Doug never steps foot in Ponyville again. His foals will be... tolerated, pending further review as to if they are, in fact, ponies. You see, we can't have other creatures getting the wrong idea of who they can be with. An idea like that would start here and spread all over Equestria! No, we can't let that happen."

Rainbow looks ready to erupt before Doug cuts in, "Unacceptable. One of my mares lives in Ponyville, and I will not be denied the ability to visit her at her house."

Spoiled Rich laughs, looking back at the gathered Ponyvillians, "Hah! Listen to him, he thinks he owns his mares!"

Rarity interjects in a loud voice, still breathing heavily, "I belong to him just as much as he belongs to me, and I regret you do not care for your stallion the same way!"

Spoiled Rich takes a menacing step forwards. She reconsiders as Applejack and Rainbow both align towards her and Rarity's horn flares. She pauses, then looks at Doug. "You are so predictable. It's a good thing I already considered this objection." She pauses, walking back and forth a few steps, her gaze never wavering from Doug. "You walk only to and from the Carousel Boutique. You do not talk to any other pony unless spoken to, and you do not attempt to purchase from or interact with any pony without specific permission."

Applejack moves forward a step and states, "And if we refuse?"

Spoiled Rich laughs, a high piercing tone echoing among the buildings. "Oh Applejack, we aren't giving you a choice. We're simply letting you know what the new situation will be. If you don't find it acceptable, well, then you can share in his treatment."

A shiver goes down Applejack's spine as she considers. The Rich family is their primary business partner, responsible for many of the contracts that then ship Sweet Apple Acres apples and apple products all over Equestria. Losing their business would quickly doom their farm, even if they were able to instantly form new contracts. The Rich patriarch, Stinkin' Rich, had cut them a very lucrative deal back when Zap Apples were discovered, and he helped and still helps export them around the nation. It would also destroy Rarity's business, even if they let her into town purely to move everything out of her shop and home.

Applejack hangs her head in defeat, giving a loud sigh, "Very well."

Rainbow exclaims, "What? Come on, Applejack, we can't let them do this to Doug!"

Applejack looks over to Rainbow, "What choice do we have, Rainbow? Even if we, what, fought them off here? It ain't gonna change nothing, and it'll just make it harder for all of us in the future. Ah don't like it, not one bit, but arguing here ain't gonna help." A glare silences Rainbow's further objections, though her face shows that this conversation is not over.

Doug slowly lowers Rarity to her hooves. The light around her horn winks out, the dust and small, sharp rocks falling to the ground. She shakily stands as the two of them back away from the crowd. Spoiled Rich smiles, slowly walking forward before a disturbance can be heard getting closer, coming from Ponyville. Many of the assembled ponies look nervously around until a single mare parts the crowd.

A slightly tattered Pinkie Pie gives a happy cry upon seeing Doug, leaping into his arms. Her momentum knocks him over as she exclaims, "Oh, Doug, I was so worried about you! I was afraid of what that meany pants was going to do to you and I just knew that I would have to change everypony's opinion of you, so I started in with a song, but that didn't go over well so I tried a -different- song, and that one might have gone even worse, but then I lost where you had run off to, so I had to find you, and I'm the best at playing hide and go seek so you really didn't stand much of a chance, and now that I found you I just wanted to tell you that I'm really really really sorry about how this all turned out and if you can please forgive me because I want to be with you and I hope that you are okay with everypony knowing that." She gives him a big smile, continuing to stand over him.

Spoiled Rich moves over, her eyes brimming with anger, "Pinkie Pie, what are you doing? Get away from him, if you don't want to share in his fate!"

Pinkie Pie sticks her tongue out at Spoiled Rich, "Phooey on you, meany meany pants! You don't get to tell ponies who they can or can't be with!"

A scowl crosses Spoiled Rich's face, "Be that as it may, I am deeply unhappy with you, Pinkie Pie, and you'll have to live knowing that YOU are the reason why." The mare turns away, walking back into town and the rest of the Ponyvillians follow suit. More than a few give Pinkie Pie glares, though it is hard to tell if they are directed at her or at Doug.

A horrified look comes over Pinkie Pie's face as she tries to reconcile making another pony unhappy and sticking up for the human she cares about. She slowly gets to her hooves as Doug stands up, following him and the other members of herd Apple as they make their way back to Sweet Apple Acres.

Granny Smith is on the porch, watching as the dejected herd makes their way to the front door. The rest of the herd make their way inside as Granny Smith looks Applejack in the eye, a rapid-fire series of questions coming forth.

"Meeting at the town?"

"Eeyup."

"Started off well?"

"Eeyup."

"Asked questions about the foals?

"Eeyup."

"Still went well?"

"Eeyup."

"Asked questions about Doug?"

"Eeyup."

"Didn't like the answers?"

"Nope."

Granny Smith cocks an eye, "What's that?"

"They didn't like the answers."

Granny Smith nods, "Chased out of town?"

"Eeyup."

"Tried to stand up for him?"

"Eeyup."

"Ruined the farm and our reputation standing up for him?"

Applejack hangs her head, "No, Granny, Ah couldn't do it. Ah was too worried about what would happen to all of us if Ah did."

Granny Smith sighs, "Well, Ah suppose that can't be helped. How bad is it out there?"

Applejack sighs, "Well, they don't want Doug coming into town unless it's to see Rarity. Aside from that, Ah don't think there will be much change, until Spoiled Rich decides that isn't enough and pushes even harder."

Granny Smith cocks an eyebrow, "That Spoiled Rich mare, that Filthy Rich's lead mare? Stinkin's grandcolt?"

Applejack nods, "Eeyup, that's the one. Ah sure didn't expect it from her, but Ah never really got to know the mare too well."

Granny Smith motions to the door, "Well, go get yourself something to eat. Ain't that what Doug says, 'We'll figure something out'?"

Applejack smiles, "Eeyup, he always does." Granny Smith grows quiet, looking off into the distance. Applejack gives her a respectful nod before heading into the house. As she walks inside she spots Rainbow waiting for her, the rest of the herd having moved into the dining room.

Rainbow moves up, anger plain on her face, "Applejack, this isn't right! I held my tongue out there, but we can't just give in to that whorse!"

Applejack sighs, "Rainbow, first, don't go making accusations you can't back up. Second, Ah'm tired, you're tired, and Ah don't want to have this discussion, not now."

Rainbow scoffs, "Fine, I'm sorry I called that no good mare a whorse. But, Applejack, this problem isn't going to go away if we ignore it! She's just going to get worse and you know it!"

Applejack replies in a flat voice, "Rainbow, Ah know. Ah just want to get some food, some reassurance from my stallion that he still loves me, and some sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Rainbow folds her forelegs in front of her body, taking to the air. "Fine. What time tomorrow?"

"After lunch good enough for ya?"

Rainbow blows her mane out of her eyes, "Sure, whatever. I'm going outside, do a few laps with Doug, blow off some of this steam. You wanna come with?"

Applejack gives Rainbow a tired smile, "No, thanks for the offer though. Now, don't tire him out too bad, ya hear? Ah still want to get some use out of him tonight," throwing a wink at her junior.

Rainbow winks back, "Ya, I'll make sure he still has one shot left in him." She looks towards the kitchen before saying, "Well, okay, maybe two or three. It has been a long day, huh?"

Applejack nods, nuzzling Rainbow as she walks towards the kitchen, thinking about what they have to put on the hay to make it a little more palatable.

Meanwhile, Doug opens the door for his mares, waiting until the last one has made their way inside with the foals before shutting the door behind him. He gives a tired sigh as he strips off his coat and gloves, hanging them up next to the door. He sits down, undoing the laces on his boots before setting them down with a heavy thud. He gets up, his stoic expression turning to anger as he makes his way to his office.

Rainbow Dash continues to stand by the door, grunting towards her junior. Fluttershy looks up and Rainbow gives a single head shake towards Doug as he walks out of the room. Fluttershy nuzzles Apple Bloom as Rarity makes her way into the kitchen with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The foal then heads to the kitchen while Fluttershy follows Doug into the office, closing but not shutting the door behind her.

Doug is on the floor doing push-ups; his eyes are closed as his mouth counts silently. Fluttershy moves close to him, tentatively lifting a hoof towards his back before setting it back down. She hesitates again as he lets out "Sixty," with a loud grunt. He rolls over onto his back and Fluttershy lays down on her barrel as he shifts, moving so his feet are underneath her. He begins doing sit-ups, not bothering to count this time.

After a minute he asks in a raspy voice, "Fluttershy, where did I go wrong?"

Fluttershy is momentarily startled, having been mesmerized by his bare chest moving up and down. She shakes her head, saying in a low voice, "Well, um, saying you ate ponies might not have been the best call."

Doug shakes his head, "No, it was something before that. Not that you are wrong, maybe I should have said that better. But this was way too planned, too choreographed for that to have been the only thing."

Fluttershy's eyes continue to track his shoulders as she says, "Well, I, um, I don't know. You always seemed nice to me."

Doug raises an eyebrow as he pauses, "Nice?"

Fluttershy nods, "Nice."

Doug sighs, lowering himself to the ground. He pulls his feet out from underneath Fluttershy and rotates around so his head is by her barrel as he says, "Stand."

Fluttershy does as she is commanded, looking oddly at him, "Um, okay."

Doug smiles at Fluttershy as he slides his body underneath hers, lining up his shoulders with her hooves, "Let me know if this feels too weird or hurts, I wanted to try this for a while now."

Fluttershy smiles, "Okay. I trust you," as Doug places one hand between her hind legs and his other hand between her front legs.

Outside the office, Rainbow Dash finishes nuzzling Applejack before moving towards the office. The door isn't quite closed, so she can make out the sounds of Doug's heavy grunting and Fluttershy's occasional whimper. She smiles to herself; she and the pegasus are practically sisters, and Fluttershy wouldn't mind the interruption or Rainbow watching. She slowly pushes the door open, smiling as she takes in the view. Doug is laying on the ground, Fluttershy held aloft in his hands as he does bench presses with her. She turns her head, looking at Rainbow and smiling, saying, "Oh, Rainbow, do you want a turn?"

Doug pants, "Maybe another time, I don't know if I can go for another twenty with Rainbow."

Rainbow moves over, nuzzling Doug as he releases Fluttershy, "Well, I was hoping we could go for a run, if you haven't tired yourself out too badly already."

Doug nods, getting up and ruffling Rainbow's mane, "Sure, I'd like that. Thanks Fluttershy, you were a big help."

Fluttershy gives Doug a big smile, "I'm happy to be there for you."

18 Hall of Lords

Princess Celestia's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly as she looks around the room. Doug appears deep in thought while the rest of Herd Apple look around at each other. Applejack is trying to suppress her nervousness and doing a poor job. Rarity is gleaming with excitement, focusing on Princess Cadance. Rainbow is glancing between Applejack and Doug, trying to place her feelings. Fluttershy has nearly hid herself behind her mane, watching Princess Celestia's mane wave back and forth. Pinkie Pie's gaze is wandering around the room, initially excited but starting to quiet down as she sees the serious expressions on everypony's face.

This is not going how she had predicted. Well, not exactly; she had correctly anticipated the response of each pony. It is like they are being influenced by something else. She will have to find that influence and quick; there are no magical influences affecting anypony, and she does a subtle scan to double check.

Doug asks, "Princess Celestia, may I speak freely?" At her nod, he turns to Princess Cadance and continues, "So, I have a few questions, if you don't mind. First; when you, Princess Cadance, join the herd, where would you rank? And, would you want to join immediately, and attempt to foal this year?" He pauses, scratching his chin with his free hand. Princess Celestia stays silent, looking over at Princess Cadance as he continues, "And, if you did join, would you stay in Ponyville? Would you want to stay in Ponyville? Can you perform your royal duties here, or would we be expected to move?"

He blanches as he considers his next question, glancing between Applejack and the pink alicorn, "Would... would you, Princess Cadance, prefer to have a stallion that is dedicated to you and only you?"

Princess Celestia clears her throat as Princess Cadance says, "Doug, I would never want to come between you and your herd." She stops, looking over at Princess Celestia.

Princess Celestia adds, "What Cadance said is correct, of course. Doug, know that Cadance and I would be happy to comply with the choices you and your herd make. Would you like some time alone to think about Cadance's herd application?"

Doug nods, looking over to Applejack to see her mimicking his action. He says, "One final question; do you have any other options?" Princess Celestia nods, Doug continuing, "Yes, I think that would be good." He stands, walking out of the room with the rest of the mares following him. She can hear him say, "Alright, first, I think the decision needs to be unanimous," before they all walk out and she stops attempting to listen to their conversation.

Celestia smiles to herself. She has been able to get everything back on track. The herd would reach a consensus, allowing Cadance to join. They might each be a little unhappy with the decision, but their desire to please their Princess would overcome any objections they had. At least, if their union produces a foal. Celestia frowns to herself; normally, her ability to read these sorts of situations gave her at least some portent of what the future held. But when she tries to look forward, she sees nothing. A worried look comes over her face as she realizes: any time she tried to predict Doug's actions, she came up with nothing. She couldn't foresee his interactions with his mares, with Cadance, or with herself.

Celestia looks over at Cadance, seeing a worried look in her eyes. The pink alicorn says, "Did you notice it too?" Celestia stares at her impassively as Cadance continues, "I felt nothing coming from him. Well, that's not entirely true. I felt pity, a desire to make things better but a knowledge of what those actions would entail for the others around him." She lowers her gaze to the ground, "I think he will say no."

Celestia goes to reassure her, "But, I know the mares in his herd will come to a consensus. They will allow you to join, or at the very least stud with him."

Cadance looks over at Celestia, "Do you? I can see the deep connection between him and his mares, some stronger than others. I see the barest whispers of something growing now between me and him, but it isn't love, not yet. He doesn't show the same desires, Auntie. He doesn't want you or me in that way; not as a jade doll, not a token of his power or conquest."

Celestia slowly nods, "Now that you mention it, I have had an extremely hard time reading his responses, predicting his next actions. I fear it is because I do not know him well enough; after you've seen so many ponies, you start to get a seventh sense of how they will react. With him? I have no basis to draw from, much like I am trying to predict a dragon that is growing up around ponies." She smiles as she thinks of the dragon youngling her youngest student hatched.

Celestia and Cadance quiet down as Herd Apple makes their way downstairs. She notes the relief on each mare's face, though Rarity looks sad, or maybe disappointed. Celestia straightens up as Applejack moves forward.

The earth pony hesitates slightly before announcing, "Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance, with all due respect, we, as a herd, have chosen to decline Princess Cadance's request to join Herd Apple." She takes an unsteady step back, Doug moving over and placing a hand on her neck, rubbing her encouragingly.

Applejack takes a deep breath, moving up again, "While we know it would be easier on those involved, we are also uncomfortable with studding Doug to Princess Cadance. We are open to other avenues, and should it become the only option - that is, if joining the herd or studding Doug to Princess Cadance becomes the only available option for her to conceive, we are open to reconsidering."

Princess Cadance breaths a sigh of relief as Princess Celestia takes a long look at Applejack. The mare quails under her gaze, moving back slightly towards her stallion. Princess Celestia smiles and Applejack relaxes, the alicorn saying, "Applejack, thank you for your honest consideration and evaluation. We will discuss what other options that my niece and I are able to take, ones that will not unduly disrupt your herd. But first, I would like to talk with Doug, alone, if that is acceptable with all of you?"

Doug looks hesitantly at the mares in his herd. Each gives a slow nod, Applejack saying, "That is fine with us, Princess Celestia, of course we trust you."

Doug moves over, following Princess Celestia as she walks outside the front door. She sits down, looking up at the moon, as Doug sits down next to her. She looks over at him, inspecting his face before her eyes move down at the rest of his body. Doug sits in silence, watching Princess Celestia as she observes him, trying not to fidget. She says, "Something happened tonight, Doug, that has not happened in a long time."

Doug starts, "Princess Celestia, I am-"

Princess Celestia raises a hoof, silencing his reply, "Please, call me Celestia. I did not bring you out here to change your mind, or to coerce or blackmail you into allowing Cadance into your herd. I wanted to say, I was surprised by another's actions, and I wanted to know your reasons behind not allowing Cadance."

Doug looks over, "How did you know I was the one who did not allow Cadance in?"

Celestia smirks, "Until now? I didn't." She winks at him, "But, I'm not here to play games. Much as Pinkie Pie would claim otherwise. I just know how each of my little ponies would act in this situation. Something else happened that changed their minds and, well, you are the only such impetus nearby."

Doug looks up at the sky, leaning back, "Well, I hope you are ready for a bit of a rant. I'm afraid I haven't been able to formulate my thoughts into a formal speech."

Celestia smiles, settling down so her barrel rests on the ground, "Please, take your time, I'm sure I'll be able to follow you."

Doug lays down on the ground, enjoying the cool feeling along with the warm air. "Well, to answer your original question, about the herd's decision. Each mare was willing to go along with it, at least initially. They all expressed a desire to see you and Cadance happy, especially if it works and she conceives. Each of them had their own reservations, and were not really inclined to share those thoughts, at least not until pushed. None of them wanted Cadance to take me from them, but I'll get to that possibility later, and my thoughts on how many mares should be in Cadance's herd."

Doug pauses, collecting his thoughts. Celestia prompts him, "What sort of reservations did your herdmates have?"

"Well, Applejack was concerned with two things. First, where would Cadance rank in the herd? She was worried how it would look if Cadance, being an alicorn and a princess, came into the herd either as the junior mare or as only senior to Pinkie Pie. On the other hoof, she would probably have been okay with Cadance becoming second mare, but she, Applejack, would not have wanted to give up her spot as lead mare. But, second, she was also thinking, where would Cadance want to be? She was worried that Cadance would be willing, initially, to accept whichever spot she was assigned, but Applejack was afraid that Cadance, again being a princess and an alicorn, would feel more suited to take a leadership position in the herd. I know Applejack likes running things, and has no trouble playing second fiddle to those she trusts, but I think in this situation she would be uncertain. It takes time to build up that relationship after all."

Doug takes a deep breath, thinking over his reasoning. "Rarity was the one most in favor of Cadance joining the herd. In my opinion, however, it was for the wrong reasons. She saw the status that adding a Princess would bring to the herd and hoped to ride those coattails."

Celestia asks, "Coattails?"

Doug says, "Oh, it's a human expression, it means to use someone else's success to further your own. It refers to a clothing style that had long ribbons of cloth, or 'tails', that came off the back or sides. One would grab onto those coattails in order to be dragged along."

Celestia smiles, "And you saw that as not a valid reason for wanting another to join the herd?"

Doug thinks for a few seconds before shaking his head, "While I can understand the sentiment and desires behind it, no, I don't think it is a good reason. I think Rarity would ultimately end up doubting herself. She might wonder if her new fame and status, should she obtain it, is because of the beautiful work she does or if these other ponies are only humoring her to further their own goals. She wants to be the kind of pony that others look at, a trendsetter, and this would be a hollow way of achieving that."

Doug sighs, pausing a few seconds before continuing, "If any of the mares were openly against the idea, it would have been Rainbow Dash. She was worried about me being taken away from them, of Cadance deciding that she needed more time with me, or that I should spend more time with her, Cadance's, foals. She values the time we spend together and probably gives prospective mares the hardest look of any of us. She wants to make sure that everything is for the good of the herd."

Celestia nods, "She is devoted, almost to a fault. And Fluttershy?"

Doug considers, "Well, Fluttershy would have been the one that went along with it the easiest, but also would have been the most negatively affected. She already is pushed to the sidelines a lot of the time. She doesn't have a foal yet, she isn't as close as Applejack and Rainbow, or have the same loving yet antagonistic relationship that Applejack and Rarity share. She is close to Rainbow, but has a hard time making the same effort to really know the others. Adding Cadance would only complicate things more; sure, it would take the spotlight off of her, but I don't think she is better left in the shadows."

Doug sighs, thinking how to explain the last mare. "Pinkie Pie... well, I think she would enjoy being with Cadance. From the little I've seen or heard, Cadance is a truly loving mare, and Pinkie would compliment her well. I don't think Pinkie Pie would mind if Cadance joined or not, the mare truly enjoys life no matter what happens. But that isn't enough of a reason to add Cadance to the herd."

Doug shifts, moving his hands to the back of his head, "I saw how each of my mares would have reacted, but ultimately I made the decision based on my own reasons. While I don't doubt that Cadance is a wonderful, loving, and caring mare, I don't know her. Personally or as royalty. I don't want to start something so serious with a mare I barely know. For a similar reason I don't consider studding an option. If Cadance had another pony that she would share the duties with... I mean, I'm sure you could hire a nanny or two in order to help her fulfill those duties. But I would feel a lot better about it if there was another pony involved." He sighs, pausing a moment before saying, "I recognize that it would be her right, her choice if she did want me to stud with her. However, that isn't a decision she should make now, not coming off of this. She needs somepony just as devoted to her as to the foal that, I hope, would be theirs."

Doug looks to the sky again before continuing, "Which brings me to my second objection about herding, I think that Cadance needs a stallion to her self. Not to be greedy or anything, but because she needs somepony who is as devoted to her as I am to my mares here. If taking care of a low magic unicorn foal has shown me anything it's that I would be woefully unprepared to take care of a normal unicorn foal, much less an alicorn foal. But, I think when Cadance gets more involved with her duties as a Princess and a leader she won't be able to give the foal the attention it deserves, and I would not be able to fill that gap." Doug goes silent, the two staring up at the stars.

Celestia ponders before responding, "Doug, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Ultimately, I think you made the right call, not that you need me telling you this. Cadance expressed to me a similar concern as to your feelings, and I am glad that you spared her the distress. While I believe that you could have worked things out, it would have been too fast, too much."

Doug stands, brushing himself off as Celestia gets to her hooves. The dust on her coat seems to stay behind as they walk to the farmhouse. Doug opens the door for her and the two walk in, looking at the arrayed ponies. All of the mares seem tired, sitting around with eyes drooping. Cadance, meanwhile, is snacking on an apple, a smile on her face. Celestia begins, "While I know it is late, there is one more matter that I want to bring up. If Doug does not intend, at this time, of siring with Cadance or myself directly I was hoping to observe the next time that you all do. I understand that you will not be attempting for foals this year. Please, let me know next year or whenever you all make the choice to continue growing."

Celestia smiles at the assembled ponies, levitating an apple to herself as Cadance stands, following her to the door. Celestia turns, saying, "Thank you all again for your hospitality. Good night!"

Cadance smirks at Celestia as the two teleport back to Canterlot Castle, winking at the alicorn, "So, Auntie? How was Doug? Enjoyable enough?"

Celestia grins, "Oh, I'll get you back for that, I know you have a crush on that stallion handling this. You know we just talked."

Cadance's smirk fails to go away, "Yes, but I can see how your connection to him has strengthened. Again, how was he?"

Celestia looks again to the moon, "I learned a lot from him. I think enough to reliably predict him. His lack of magic makes things a little more difficult to get a read, but with time it will be there. Hopefully we have enough."

Cadance nuzzles Celestia as the two of them break away, heading towards their separate rooms. "And your student?"

Celestia raises an eyebrow, "The faithful or the firebrand?"

Cadance laughs, "The latter, I doubt even you could get the former to notice him." She laughs to herself, "Well, outside of being a fascinating creature to study and document."

Celestia shares a smile while she ponders, "Hmm, I may assign her to work on his foals. We can see where it takes them." She takes a bite of the apple, thinking to herself, 'these are very good, I should talk to the cooks about procuring more.'

25 Running of the Leaves

October 30th, 994

The cool breeze that blows across Ponyville shakes a few of the brown leaves dotting the trees to the ground. Many, many more remain, still holding out hope that maybe winter won't be coming this year, and they will be able to bloom and grow again. Well, not them, but their sisters waiting patiently under the bark, waiting for spring to arrive. Maybe the ponies will skip winter this year, just go straight to the nice, warm, summer days and not bother with the dreaded snow and ice.

Applejack and Doug move along the apple trees, laughing as they speculate on what the trees are thinking. Granted, Applejack has a bit of a leg up in this regard, often sensing how the trees are feeling and which need special care and attention, but it's a fun game nonetheless. The Running of the Leaves would take place today, and hopefully the ponies won't mind if he joined in this year. She pushes her head against his hand, prompting him to scratch her ears as she says, "So, do humans change the leaves like earth ponies or like unicorns?"

Doug laughs to himself, "Neither, really. We don't control the planet's rotation like you do, so the season change is gradual, as less and less of the sun's light impacts that area of the planet. Then, after the winter solstice, the area will slowly warm up as more and more sun hits the ground."

Applejack tries to wrap her head around the concept before shaking her head, her brain beginning to hurt. "Ah'm having trouble imagining that. How does less light hit the planet? It move far away from the sun or something?"

Doug shakes his head, "No, the Earth's orbit around the sun is circular. Not exactly, but close enough to not really make a difference because of the change in distance."

Applejack sighs, "But, then, how does it change? You said you couldn't, like, move the sun higher or lower in the sky, right?"

Doug says, holding two fists apart from each other, "Actually, that's pretty close to what happens. You see, Earth is tilted relative to the sun, with its rotation, so as it moves around the sun the sun's position in the sky changes." He tilts one of his fists, moving it in a circle around the other fist, "Not really enough to notice from day to day, more like month to month."

Applejack nods in understanding, "Alright, Ah'll buy that." She glances over at the Everfree forest, barely visible through the apple trees. Many of the trees there have lost all their leaves; the long, bare branches continuing to reach towards the sky. "So, what do you think the Everfree trees are thinking?"

Doug ponders, moving a hand to his chin, "Hmm. Well, I'm probably not cold and hungry yet, but I'm feeling sleepy. I'm just going to work on getting my roots deeper and deeper, searching for food. Like little ponies, asleep in their wooden beds, the roots will slowly creep up and around, winding their ways through the open window until-"

Applejack hip checks him, "Hey, Ah said what they are thinking, not some creepy story that's gonna make me shut the window." She notices his grin, "And Ah'll do it, too, even if Ah like the windows open. You like the house too hot, it's easier on everypony if the temperature inside the house is close to what it is outside." Applejack glances down at her barrel, running one hoof along her side. "When ya change the temperature like that on us it messes with our coats too much."

Doug sighs, "Well, I guess I can ask Rarity about making some heavier pajamas. Might need a couple more heavy socks too, and gloves if I'm going to be writing in the cold." He moves his hand up to rub his chin again, "And I might need my mares to cuddle extra close with me."

Applejack smiles, moving closer to him and raising her head. Doug lowers his torso and grabs Applejack, barely able to lift the earth pony. She grunts as he stops walking, "Wow, you really have been packing on the muscle." She moves her head over, nuzzling him and saying, "Ah was gonna say, like you could stop us. Ah'm sure 'Shy especially won't mind. Or Pinkie Pie, but the bed gets a little crowded with all the toys she likes to bring."

Doug laughs as he sets her back down, "Yeah, I don't know what she thinks she's going to do with all those balloons, or the cake. Well, besides eating of course, but I know how much you dislike it when I spill."

Applejack grins, "Well, at least Pinkie cleans up after you. And the mare herself never lets a crumb drop." She looks over at the apple trees, the pair nearing the end of Sweet Apple Acres. The starting line can be seen, many ponies gathering and stretching their legs. Applejack moves over to the registration area, Doug following behind. She smiles; the stallion running the desk is a frequent customer, and should be easy to persuade. She walks up, nodding at him and saying, "Morning, Time Turner! Ah was hoping to get a number for me and my stallion here," as she motions her head back towards Doug.

Time Turner smiles at Applejack, pulling out number eight before glancing up at Doug. A nervous smile comes over his face as he moves his hoof over to the pile of unmarked signs. He looks around uncertainly before swallowing, grabbing a marker and an unmarked sign. He smiles up at Doug, "What number would you like?"

Doug says, "Seventy-three."

Time Turner winks, "Nice choice."

Doug shrugs, "Well, I figured you'd run out of space if I said one zero zero one zero zero one."

Time Turner laughs, hoofing the sign over. Applejack picks the sign up and slaps it on Doug's back before Time Turner slides another sign over. Doug picks this one up, pressing the paper against his chest. He shudders at the pull of the adhesive, hoping it doesn't stick too much when he needs to take it off. However, the paper seems to mold itself against him, and he barely even notices it as he begins warming up.

After a few stretches Doug heads to the refreshment table, greeting Pinkie as the mare restocks the drinks. He grabs a bottle of water, saying, "Thanks for helping run this, Pinkie."

Pinkie nods, "Oh, no problem at all! Did you want some cake? Or a cupcake? Or a funnel cake?"

Doug considers, looking over the arrayed cakes and other sweets. He says, "I was hoping for something-"

Pinkie pulls out a bag, hoofing it over and saying, "Here ya go!"

Doug pulls a cupcake out of the bag. Knowing better than to question the mare Doug takes a bite. Once he gets past the crunchy frosting outside he is met with a mass of honey, caramel, and nuts. It makes a gooey mess in his hands so he quickly takes another bite and licks his fingers.

A whistle blows and Mayor Mare walks up, "Welcome, Everypony, to this years Running of the Leaves! As you all know, the Running of the Leaves helps transition Ponyville and the surrounding forests from Autumn into Winter! So, let's get a big cheer for this year's competitors, challengers, and participants as they help Fall away!" A cheer raises from the assembled crowd as the runners move to the starting line. Applejack and Doug walk together until a mare stops in front of the two, bringing them to a halt.

Spoiled Rich turns, smirking at Doug as Applejack asks, "What in the hay do you think you are doing? We nearly bowled you over!"

Spoiled Rich quietly laughs, "Oh, trust me, Applejack, you would have fallen over yourself to keep that from happening. I was just giving you a friendly reminder that the race is for ponies. Doug, I'm afraid, does not qualify and won't be running with the rest of us."

Doug looks to Applejack, "It's okay, Applejack, I have an idea. I'll still run with you."

Spoiled Rich turns, glaring at Doug, "I didn't speak to you."

Doug shrugs, "And I didn't speak to you," as anger flashes across Applejack's face. She bites her tongue, closing her eyes and trying to keep her cool. Doug's hand working its way through her mane definitely helps as she feels the rage fade away, and she opens her eyes to see Spoiled Rich walking towards the start of the race.

Applejack looks up at Doug, "Ah'm not leaving you at the starting line." The two move to the back of the group, the rest of the runners looking ready to get started. Doug smiles at her, his reply lost as Mayor Mare blows her whistle.

The mass of ponies start galloping forward, each trying to get an early lead as they jostle for position. Spoiled Rich hangs back, looking at the cloud of dust at the starting line. Doug is no where to be seen, and she does a quick scan forward and to the sides. She smiles to herself; the tall biped is not visible anywhere, though she was sure she saw him lining up at the start of the race. No matter.

A few ponies watching the race at the refreshment table start asking, "So, who's going to win it this year?", "Can you tell which pony is in the lead?", "I bet it's Applejack! She always places really well!", "No, she isn't racing this year, didn't you hear Spoiled Rich?"

Pinkie Pie stands up on the snack table, trying to spot which pony is in the lead as the pack gallops away. She smirks as a pony walks up to her, asking, "Pinkie, can you see who is in the lead?"

Pinkie nods, "Yup! Amethyst Star is in the lead, followed closely by Cloud Kicker! Amazing job by Cloud Kicker, but I don't think the pegasus has the stamina to keep up that pace!"

Berry Punch asks, "Where is Applejack? I got a cask saying that she comes in first this year! Don't tell me she isn't racing!"

Pinkie Pie looks at the mass of ponies fading from view. She shakes her head, "No, she's racing," as she starts piling tables on top of each other. She pulls out a pair of binoculars and takes a perch at the top of her improvised watchtower.

Berry Punch growls, "Well, where is she? Don't tell me that human is holding her back!"

Pinkie Pie shakes her head, "Oh, he's not holding her back." Pinkie turns, pointing her hoof in the opposite direction. "They're just going backwards!"

The collected mares turn, gasping as they see Applejack and Doug running the race but going the opposite direction of everypony else. Berry Punch whispers to Mayor Mare, "Is that legal? Is she still racing?"

Mayor Mare looks up at the sky while Pinkie Pie pulls out a large rulebook. She opens it up to a page at random, poring over the contents. "Hmm..." she says, running her hoof over the relevant section, "Well, Doug isn't technically allowed to place in the race, but as long as he doesn't interfere he's fine. It also doesn't specify that the competitors HAVE to run the race in a certain direction, as long as they don't leave the track." Berry Punch gets an excited look in her eye as the crowd watches the two as they disappear behind rows of trees.

Applejack lets loose a loud laugh as they turn the corner, heavy hooffalls echoing among the trees. Doug glances behind at the starting line as it recedes into the distance, a large number of leaves beginning to cover the track behind them. He turns back forward and joins Applejack, his deep bellow knocking loose even more leaves. Applejack looks up at him, "That was some mighty quick thinkin' there, partner."

She goes to nuzzle him, or at least rub shoulders while they run, but Doug backs off a little. Applejack frowns as Doug says, "Hey, careful, no touching. Pinkie Pie was very specific about that, she said as long as I don't interfere I can still run. And touching counts as interference."

Applejack turns her head, looking at him with a sulky pout. Doug waves a finger back and forth before turning to the clear path ahead. Applejack grins, turning as well and gauging herself. The pace they are going at is good, but she can increase her speed a little more. She turns her head slightly, still grinning, as she pushes herself a little faster. To her chagrin Doug smiles back, increasing his speed as well. The two keep at the running pace, Doug's hard breathing in time with their hooffalls.

As they reach the halfway point the sounds of other ponies running begins to drown out their own noise. Doug slows down slightly, allowing Applejack to get ahead of him as they both move to the far right side of the trail. Applejack glances backwards, making sure Doug is still following her as the first ponies come into view. Daisy and Juicy Fruit are neck and neck in the lead, though Juicy Fruit looks considerably more winded. Following closely behind is Amethyst Star, the unicorn keeping the two earth ponies in check. None of them look to the side, focusing instead on the trail ahead and making sure their competition stays in sight.

Behind the leaders and their trail of dust is the rest of the pack, a three pony wide line. Not many of the ponies are watching the sidelines or glancing around at the sights, instead focusing on keeping themselves moving and not bowing out and becoming one of the dreaded 'participants'. Doug smirks as he sees Spoiled Rich in the middle of the pack, the pink pony noticing him out the corner of her eye. She does a double take but they have already passed, the mare unable to turn her head and catch a second glimpse as the storm of dust overtakes Applejack and Doug.

The two slow down, coughing a bit from the dust as the remainder of the contestants run pass. Applejack speeds up as she exits the dust cloud, looking back again to see Doug coughing but increasing his speed as well. She smiles as she looks forward, spotting the first of the 'participants'. These were the ponies who wouldn't be able to keep up a gallop the entire distance, so instead go at a slower pace, admiring the sights and sounds of autumn changing into winter. They are also tasked with making sure that all of the leaves fall from the trees, and might have to do heavy hoofsteps or an extra run by in order to get all of the leaves down.

Carrot Top waves at Applejack, the lead of the participants showing surprise at seeing her here. "Applejack, you know you are going the wrong way, right?" Applejack merely nods as she keeps her fast pace up, Doug waving at Carrot Top as they pass. Many of the other participants acknowledge the pair as they run by, Applejack responding with a quick, "Howdy," or a head nod.

There are a lot more leaves on the ground now, obscuring rocks and various tree stumps that jut out of the path. Doug almost wishes he brought his boots for this when he comes down on one rock particularly hard, but keeps going after a quick check to make sure the bleeding isn't too bad. Applejack turns, giving him a quick glance as he smiles back at her, motioning forward with his arms.

"Alright, home stretch!" Applejack announces as the starting line comes into view. Most of the ponies are watching the other direction, but Doug spots Pinkie Pie at the top of a precarious pile of tables, bouncing up and down while waving at them. Doug waves back before slowing down, focusing on his breathing and keeping up the jogging pace until the end. He can feel his legs protesting; it is about three times the distance of his normal 'twice around the farm' morning runs and his second wind is long gone.

Applejack sees the finish line and increases her pace, knowing she has more left in the tank. She quickly pulls away from her stallion, her hooves shifting to a gallop as a loud, "YeeHaaww!" escapes her lips. Many of the ponies gathered ahead turn, confusion on their faces as Applejack crosses the finish line. She turns around several times, doing a happy dance as Doug staggers across the finish line after her.

The two embrace, though when Applejack tries to get Doug to pick her up again he falters, coming down hard on his backside. He groans and Applejack takes the opportunity to move on top of him. She moves her head down, giving him a quick nuzzle as he massages his legs. She stands, taking her hat off her head and saying, "Ya earned that one, partner," and dropping the hat onto his head. Doug takes the opportunity to lay down, covering his face with her hat.

Applejack moves over to the tower of tables as Pinkie announces, "Here comes the front runners! It's Ditzy Doo by a nose! Now it's Derpy Doo by a nose! Now it's Muffins by a nose!"

Mayor Mare shouts, "Pinkie Pie, that's the same pony!"

Pinkie Pie grins, "Oh, ya, I guess it is!" as Bubbly Mare crosses the finish line. She gives a quick cheer before one eye looks at the silver medal being placed around her neck.

Party Filly raises a hoof as she looks over the crowd, "Um, I know I have trouble seeing, but who was in front of me?"

Applejack moves over, giving Derpy a quick hug, "That'd be me; Doug and Ah ran the track backwards. We just barely beat ya, it was a good race!"

Derpy Hooves smiles back at Applejack, "Oh, well, I don't mind losing to you, Applejack! Good race!" She looks over at Doug, who is getting up and placing Applejack's hat back on her head, "Did Doug beat me too?" Applejack adjusts the hat on her head, giving a slow nod. The wall-eyed pegasus looks at the medal around her neck, "Then he should have this instead of me."

Doug shakes his head, "No, you earned it, I was just happy to come along for the ride." He holds out a fist and the gray mare smiles, missing his hand with her first attempt at a hoof bump but landing the second. She moves over to the refreshment table as the rest of the competitors cross the finish line, many dropping down to the ground exhausted.

Doug glances over to Applejack, "Hey, I was going to try to get out here before-"

Spoiled Rich exclaims, "You!" as she crosses the finish line. She walks up to Doug, holding a hoof at him accusingly, "I thought I told you not to run with any other ponies!"

Doug shakes his head, "No, you said I couldn't run with the 'rest of us'. I only ran with Applejack."

Spoiled Rich fumes as Applejack says, "Mrs. Rich, are you sure you want to start that argument?" Spoiled Rich stares at Applejack before turning her head up and walking away from the gathered ponies, returning to Ponyville. Applejack looks over at Doug, trying to bring back the excitement that was lost from her voice as she says, "Let's not let that mare bother us. You still want to head back?"

Doug shrugs, a smile on his face, "Nah, I can hang out here for a little." He moves over to Pinkie Pie, who has rearranged the tables to their normal configuration, all on the ground. "Pinkie Pie, that was some solid commentary you did. You thought about announcing this regularly?"

Pinkie Pie puts a hoof to her chin, sticking her tongue out as she looks up. "Nope!" she says, "But that sounds like fun! And I love fun!" Doug laughs as she pulls out another cupcake from her mane, the mare happily devouring the confection while he ruffles her mane.