Gold coughed, muttering bitterly under her breath as she tried to move around tall stacks of dusty boxes. The dim lighting hid the cobwebs and dust covering the rafters above her and the equally covered wooden floor creaked loudly under her hooves with each step. From an opening in the floor behind her, Granny smith watched her with a small smile as she pointed the mare into the right direction to complete her mission.

"It should be in that pile of boxes in the back," the elder mare called.

"Are you sure?" Gold asked politely, keeping her irritation restrained to a mental, This time?

Granny nodded, dragging a weary sigh out of her as she carefully made her way further into the attic's dusty confines.

It was a fairly simple request; help Granny Smith fetch an old photo album from the attic. With Big Mac and Applejack off making deliveries and Applebloom adventuring with her friends, such a request naturally landed on Gold's shoulders. Seeing nothing wrong with doing so and having little else to do at the time, she naturally agreed to help the matriarch. That was, until she found out just what kind of monster The Apple Family Attic had become.

Dozens of boxes, heirlooms, and old furniture filled the room to the point that Gold had to wonder how nothing had fallen through to the floors below. On top of that, the family had managed to fill more photo albums than Gold was willing to count, some going back long before Granny herself was even born. Although, as much as the search grated on her patience, she was greatful for the distraction.

After what happened the day before, she found she desperately needed this.

***

"W-What do you mean?" Gold stammered, staggering back two steps from the mare.

Fluttershy remained resolute, though a small hint of concern entered her eyes as she said, "I spend a lot of time around him. I can see his magic all over you."

Raw fear filled her, but Gold refused to let it be seen.

Standing straight in defiance, she met Fluttershy's stare with a cold frown as she intoned, "Then you have not spent enough time around him. The only magic on me is my own and perhaps that of the Everfree Forest."

"Gold, what is she talkin' about?" Applejack cautiously asked, staring back and forth between the two mares.

"Nothing," Gold stated flatly, eyes still locked with Fluttershy's.

Fluttershy met her gaze for a solid ten seconds, then blinked and sported a sheepish smile as she said, "You're right. I must've been seeing things. I'm sorry."

The sudden shift threw Gold off a bit, but she hid her caution behind a jovial smile as she said, "No harm done. Now, I am sure you want to spend time with Applejack. So if you will excuse me."

As she said that, she quickly threw on her cloak and made her way towards the the door. Knowing better than to press the mare, Applejack got out of her way, even going so far as to open the door for her. Gold gave her an appreciative smile as she made her exit. She only managed to get half way past the threshold before a soft voice made her freeze in place.

"A-Actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a few more questions."

"About what?" Gold asked, risking a glance over her shoulder at the mare.

Fluttershy wilted a bit under the weight of her stare, but managed to stammer out, "The Timber Wolves. I've never met anypony that works with them unless their hunting them and I want to know more about them."

Gold's eyes narrowed slightly as she said, "Very well. I suppose I can indulge some idle curiosity for a few minutes."

Gold resumed her walk, now with Fluttershy and Applejack not far behind her as the dim light of twilight settled over their surroundings. As they progressed, Gold tried to think of some way to deal with the current situation. She could try to eliminate Fluttershy, but if what the mare said was true, then all that would come from that would be another clash with Discord. An outcome that she so desperately wanted to avoid. She could try to avoid her, but that still ran the risk of Applejack discovering her secret. All Fluttershy had to do was mention to Discord that she saw her here and it would all be over. The only possible way she could get out of this would be to leave, perhaps even fake her own death to keep The Apples or anypony else from looking for her. Considering her condition and connections with Gaia Everfree, it wouldn't be too difficult to pull off such an act. All it would take is convincing a violent predator to follow her far enough into the orchard to maul her before dragging her off into the forest. It would be unimaginably painful, but a lot less so compared to anything Discord could concoct.

Regardless of what happened, Applejack could not witness it.

"Applejack, do you think you could give us some privacy?" Gold politely asked over her shoulder.

"Ah guess?" Applejack frowned, passing nervous glances back and forth between the two mares. "Why?"

"No reason in particular," Gold shrugged, slowing her pace until she was at the cowpony's side. "Some of the particulars of how I work with the Timber Wolves are somewhat personal and...well..."

"Say no more," Applejack sighed, moving ahead of the group. "Just haller if somethin' happens, okay?"

"Thank you Applejack," she smiled, watching the mare leave.

For a few minutes, Gold and Fluttershy walked in silence, each step taking them deeper and deeper into the orchard. As they did, neither made direct eye-contact with each other, Gold taking full advantage of her cloak's hood to hide her expression. To hide the overwhelming fear running through her. She felt the trees reaching out to her, trying to steady her nerves with their calming energies. It was only thanks to them that she was not running like a mare chased by The Taker. When they finally reached the border between the wilder and orderly halves of the orchard did she stop. Flicking back her hood, she turned to face Fluttershy with a tense frown.

"What do you want to know?" Gold asked nervously, then sharply added, "For real this time."

Fluttershy nodded, settling down onto her haunches with the same resolution she exhibited in the barn.

"What did Discord do to you?" she asked, a bit more emphasis entering her tone this time.

Gold met her stare for a few seconds, then let her gaze fall towards the ground as she guiltily sighed, "Nothing that I did not deserve."

"What?" Fluttershy blinked.

"I...I was a fool. A blind arrogant monster of a fool that...offered to hurt somepony he cared about. For that, he took my horn and turned me into what you see before you."

Fluttershy stared, eyes and mouth wide with shock at the trembling mare before her. Gold closed her eyes and waited, more than ready for the harsh words that she was due. She flinched when she felt a hoof rest on her own. Still nervous, she willed herself to open her eyes. The look on Fluttershy's face was oddly nostalgic in a way, bearing a striking resemblance to the same stern look her mother gave her when she was in trouble. At the same time, she felt no malice from the mare nor any other forms of ill intent.

"You are not a monster," Fluttershy stated.

Gold let out a bitter chuckle at that.

"Tell that to the ponies I have killed."

Fluttershy gasped, pulling her hoof back.

A manic smile spread across Gold's muzzle as everything she kept bottled up until now started to force its way up. The guilt boiling in her gut felt like molten slag as tears ran down her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at Fluttershy as it all fell out of her.

"Before I crossed Discord, I was neck deep in the criminal underworld. Potion smuggling, gem laundry, assassinations, I had a hoof in most if not all of it. I've killed total strangers and family rivals both with as little thought as one would when eating an apple. I still have all of the skills from my former life, sans the ones my magic provided me. If it wasn't for Discord's curse, I would have most likely fallen back into my old habits."

Sniffling and blinded by her own tears, Gold looked up into Fluttershy's general direction and cried, "If that is not a monster than what am I?!"

Falling to her haunches, Gold aggressively wiped the tears from her face, but they just kept flowing in spite of her best efforts. She froze when she felt a pair of hooves grip one of her own. Slowly, her hoof was pulled away from her face and softly caressed in a way that soothed her. When she finally managed to clear her vision, she was met by a pair of sympathetic teal eyes.

"D-Do you still kill?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Gold sighed. "Though, if somepony tried to hurt The Apples, they would not be standing for very long."

"You really do care about them, right?" she pressed, still stroking Gold's hoof.

"Yes," Gold sniffled. "They gave me a place to live, put up with my foolishness, and have been nothing but kind to me. They care for something as foul as I and for that, they have my eternal gratitude."

Fluttershy smiled saintly and said, "That doesn't sound like a monster to me. Not anymore anyway."

Gold blinked at that, Fluttershy's words feeling like a sudden ray of light in a cavern of total darkness. So shocked was she that she barely felt it when she let go of her hoof. Fluttershy bore a somber frown as she thoughtfully looked away into the darkening tree line to her side.

"My marefriend was the same way. She...was involved in something that almost killed one of her friends. When she found out what was happening, she tried everything she could think of to make it right. She wouldn't stop blaming herself for what happened and for a long time, was afraid of hurting her friends. She thought she was a monster too. It took a lot of work to help her get back on her hooves and to not be afraid again."

sighing, she smiled back at Gold and said, "I think you still have a chance to be better than you were before. You just need to give yourself that chance. Can you do that?"

"I...I can try," Gold smiled. "Thank you, Fluttershy."

"Your welcome," she nodded. "If you want, I could talk to Discord and see if he will undo his curse on you."

"N-No, that is fine," Gold stammered, chuckling nervously. "I...actually prefer being this way."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

Gold nodded.

"This is my new life, correct?"

Fluttershy nodded

"Then I would like to live it with as little old baggage as possible."

"Okay," Fluttershy smiled nodding in understanding.

With an audible gulp, Gold nervously added, "And please do not inform Discord of my current location. I would rather The Apples learn of my past on my terms if I can help it."

"Of course," Fluttershy nodded.

***

Gold sighed as she pushed the memories to the back of her mind. The whole situation left her in an odd place, even by the standards of her new life. On one hoof, she knew that her fate was entirely in Fluttershy's hooves, that all it would take is a passing comment and all of Gold's secrets would be thrown into the light. On the other, she couldn't see Fluttershy taking advantage of the information given to her. Years of reading ponies had told her that the mare didn't have what it took to purposefully hurt somepony, though it still put her on edge that there was a pony running around with some of her secrets under her belt.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that the pile of boxes she was handling was tipping towards her until it was too late. A loud series of bangs and a startled yelp filled the air as over a dozen boxes fell on top of her, dust spiraling around her in a thick cloud.

"Are you okay dearie?" Granny called worriedly.

"Yes," she groaned, dragging herself out of the mound.

As if to further spite her, a large book slid out of one of the top most boxes and landed on her head. She sputtered, bitter curses running out of her mouth as she staggered to her hooves and rubbed her face. Glaring hatefully down at the book, she was just about to knock it aside, but stopped when she saw the title. Elegant faded gold leaf was carved into the leather that even with the degradation of time clearly read, Apple Family: 900 a.n.m.

"Finally," she sighed, plucking the book up with her mouth.

"I found it!" she called around the book as she made her way back towards the attic door.

"Bout time," Granny chuckled. "Thought Ah was gonna have to send Winona up to fetch'a soon."

"Assuming Willow hadn't found her," Gold chuckled, hoofing the album to Granny.

The elder mare cackled at that as she hooked it under her foreleg and made her way down the latter. Gold just rolled her eyes, exasperatedly shaking her head as she followed after her. Once back on solid ground, the pair made there way into the kitchen where a tall stack of similarly aged albums awaited them. Gold couldn't fight the weary sigh in her when she saw the pile, knowing full well that she was going to have to return the albums to the attic when this was all done. She also knew that she was going to have to put all of the boxes she knocked over back up as well, but that was a task she would deal with when the time came.

At the moment, Granny had a story she wanted to tell and now that she had the album she needed, it was time for Gold to listen. With a knowing smile, the elderly mare gently opened the book to the first page as Gold took a seat next to her. Naturally, it showed monochrome photos of countless Earth ponies, each dressed in pioneer's wears working fields or happily posing with loved ones. Each of them sported a cutie mark that featured an apple or some other plant or farming tool proudly on their flanks, giving Gold a fairly good idea what family they belonged to.

The sights brought a smile to Gold's face.

Granny noticed and chuckled as she said, "Yep, a right happy picture ain't it. Ah haven't seen some of these faces since Ah was a filly. If'n Ah had the time, I'd tell ya' all of them down to the day Golden Delicious got her first cat, but those are stories for another time."

Flicking another page, Granny's knowing smile grew more mischievous as she said, "Ah want ta' tell ya' about somepony very special to the farm. The one that maintained the deal between the family and Gaia Everfree."

"The last Dryad," Gold whispered, a mix of wonder and reverence entering her tone.

Granny nodded, her orange eyes set onto the pages as she turned another.

"A common belief is that The Apple Family only has Earth ponies in it, but that ain't always the case. Sometimes we get a Pegasus or a Unicorn. When that happens, it gets hard to teach em' how to do things the way the rest of the family does things. Unicorns aren't as tough as Earths and Pegasi, but they are pretty good with magic and that was how Apples like mah sister got by."

"Your sister was the Dryad?" Gold gawked.

"Sure was," she cackled, turning a page. "And a right good one too! Best Dryad Gaia had seen in over ten generations. Why, mah sis could get a whole quarter of the orchard to drop its apples with just a word. Even told me that she knew the names of all of the trees too. She was a really rare talent."

"She certainly sounds like one," Gold blinked. "Aside from the Memorial Trees, I don't know any of the trees like that."

"She had a special bond with this orchard," Granny snorted, turning another page.

Her face and tone took on a sad note as she added, "That's what made her leavin' all the more heartbreakin'."

"So she really did leave. Was it really of her own accord?" Gold asked tilting her head.

Granny nodded, still looking somber as she turned a page.

"She fell for some fancy Unicorn from Canterlot. He didn't seem all to keen on us, but was respectful at least. Even with all of that, it was plain to everypony that they were crazy for each other. With that, she made one last contract with Gaia and left the family."

"Just like that?" Gold asked incredulously. "Did she ever come back?"

"From time to time," Granny chuckled, turning a page. "She'd show up for family gatherin's , even managed to get her uppity husband to be more friendly around us. Ah even got to meet her grand daughter once before..."

The old mare paused, taking a deep breath to push back some tears.

"Granny? Are you alright?" she asked behind a worried frown.

"Don't you worry yongun'," she sighed. "Just an old ache."

Gold wanted to protest, but held her tongue all the same.

Continuing, Granny turned another page and said, "After the funeral, all contact with sis' family was cut off from us. They won't even come to the reunions or any of the other celebrations we have. Without any way to get in touch with them, the Dryad line in my family is all but gone."

"I am so sorry to hear that," Gold wilted. "While not the same, I did lose my grandmother some time ago. We were fairly close, almost mother and daughter in a way. When she died, I felt as if a part of me died along with her."

Granny pulled her close into a strong half-hug, one that Gold didn't flinch away from. She fought back her tears, smiling in appreciation at the matriarch. Granny did the same as she turned yet another page in the book. When she gazed down at the page, a tear slid down her cheek and her somber smile grew a bit more.

"The pain never really goes away," she sighed.

Curious, Gold stared down at the page and her jaw dropped. On it sat a single monochrome picture of a Unicorn mare in her early fifties, the first signs of age taking form on her face and mane. Said mane flowed down her shoulder in an elegant braid. Held to her chest by her foreleg was a Unicorn foal delicately wrapped in a small blanket. She was nuzzling the bundle with a loving smile, the orchard's seemingly endless expanse of trees serving as the greatest backdrop to the scene. Even through the monochrome she could see the dark green of the mare's coat, the yellow of her mane, the deep blue of her eyes, and the fruit that bared her name marking her flank.

"G-Granny, what was your sister's name," Gold whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the picture.

With a tired sigh, Granny Smith turned towards Gold and said two words that struck her in a way that both thrilled and terrified her all at once.

"Manchineel Apple."

Author's Note

Surprise!!!