Quashed

Rainbow flew over the city's canopy, trying to remember where Fluttershy and Applejack lived. A decade prior, Fluttershy and Applejack had been kidnapped, and Big Mac had gone looking for them. He'd disappeared, too, leaving no clues as to their whereabouts. Only two years ago had they reached out to her to reveal where they were, and why they were unable to return to Equestria.

Finally, she found the right house. The mask above the door was apple-shaped, and the royal markings adorning it were in a gradient from red to yellow. Out of the roof sprouted a large, well-cared for apple tree. It was a stark contrast to the buildings surrounding it, which all had nut trees.

Rainbow landed and knocked on the door. It was the middle of the day, so she wasn't sure if she'd be met with a response, but was pleasantly surprised when the door opened and a young filly was there to greet her. "Ms. Dash?"

Rainbow chuckled as the little pegasus leaped into her embrace. "Good to see you again, little Tarte. Your parents home?"

"Daddy and AJ are out in the orchards. Shy's here, but she's with a client right now."

"A client?"

"She should be done in a few minutes. She's been in there for half an hour. Come sit down on the couch, I'm sure she'll be out soon."

Rainbow stepped into the house and had a seat on the couch. She really wanted to talk to Applejack, but perhaps Fluttershy could offer her advice, too. Rainbow and Apple Tarte Tatin began discussing how school was going, how much fun flying was, and other miscellaneous topics for the next ten minutes.

The bedroom door opened and out came two zebra stallions. Rainbow could smell the stench of sex on them as they walked past her toward the door. They said nothing, just smiling and nodding as they passed. The taller of the two seemed to be very well-dressed.

"Give my regards to your fath--" Fluttershy's sentence was interrupted as she entered the room, not expecting Rainbow to be there. She leaped back, her wings flapping around quickly to cover her exposed breasts as her hands covered her face. "D-Dashie?"

Rainbow looked over to where Fluttershy was standing. By now, Rainbow knew that Fluttershy serviced stallions for money, but it was a different thing entirely to see her wearing a completely sheer voile top with nothing underneath, and a white dribble dripping from her chin behind her veil. Most shocking of all was how little an effect it had on her daughter. Rainbow did some blushing of her own. "I'll just wait here for a moment while you find a shirt..."

Five minutes passed while Fluttershy cleaned up and stepped into a set of flannel pyjamas. On her return to the living room, she brought out some roasted chickpeas and a pitcher of limeade as an apology for the shock. "I wasn't expecting you to show up today," Fluttershy admitted. "I would have done my laundry yesterday so I had something to wear for your visit."

"It's fine," waved Dash, munching on a handful of chickpeas. "I didn't really give you any warning, either. I just kinda showed up."

Fluttershy began pouring the limeade into a glass for her friend. "So, how's life in Ponyville?"

Rainbow swallowed. "I'll be honest with you, it's been terrible for the last two months. Some minotaurs have moved in, and they've pretty much taken over the whole kingdom."

"Oh my," Fluttershy poured a second glass for her daughter. "Do you think the princesses know?"

"Of course they know," answered Rainbow. "The minotaurs took control of the kingdom by kidnapping them. They're being held hostage at Canterlot Castle!"

"All of them?"

"All but one. Cadance is still in the Crystal Palace. There hasn't been a move to take over the empire yet, but I can almost see it coming. I just know that they're going to try conquering the crystal ponies next. I can feel it in my bones."

Fluttershy sat back in her chair. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. I wish I could help you, but I'm not a combatant. I wouldn't know where to begin. All I can do is offer you comfort and maybe some restorative aid.

Rainbow nodded. "I know. Even if you and Applejack were to come out of hiding, and we still had the Elements of Harmony, we'd still be out of luck, because Twilight's been captured. We're trying to think of something that can bolster the crystal empire enough so that we can go to Canterlot and rescue the princesses. On top of that, the minotaurs have significantly increased the defensive measures of Canterlot, making it incredibly difficult just to enter the castle, much less to look around." She sighed. "I was really hoping Applejack would be around. I feel like she'd know what to do in this situation."

Fluttershy's blush returned. "You might want to wait until after her shower before you try to talk to her."

Rainbow waved it off. "Applejack always had a bad odour wafting about her. It's a sign of hard work and sweat."

"Well, yeah, but these past few days, it's been worse than usual. We needed some extra money for Big Mac, so we've been taking on a few more jobs lately. The one I was working on when you arrived paid particularly well, and he promises to come back tomorrow with the rest of his entourage."

"Wait, wait, wait," Rainbow shouted, shaking her head. "What happened to Big Mac? Why do you need extra money for him?"

"Oh, nothing happened to him," chuckled Fluttershy. "He wants to purchase a few acres of farmland and start up a new apple orchard. The choice of apples around here is limited, so he wants to expand. So many of these zebras have never even heard of a honeycrisp. So Big Mac wants to open it up for them."

"I see." Rainbow leaned forward and took a sip of limeade. "I'm glad you chose to reconnect with me, Fluttershy. I know you want to stay here, and at the moment, I don't blame you. With all that's happening back home, I have to wonder if I wouldn't prefer a life here in the Zebrican Kingdom."

Fluttershy shook her head. "I do, and Applejack and Big Mac do, but I don't think you would, Dashie. Equestria is your home, and I think you'd do just about anything to make sure it stays safe. You're the very embodiment of constancy and allegiance. I think you came here because you're afraid you won't be able to protect those important to you. However, I also think that no matter what, you'll do everything in your power to save Twilight. You're not going to give up, Dash. You're not going to let yourself fail. Even if it costs you everything you have, you won't let the princesses come to any more harm."

Rainbow said nothing. She simply grabbed Fluttershy's wrist and pulled her into a tight hug, which Fluttershy gladly reciprocated. Fluttershy had said exactly what she needed to hear. She even began to rub Rainbow's back when she felt tears running down her shoulder. When Rainbow finally calmed down, she pulled back away from Fluttershy. "If you so much as hint to Applejack that I cried, I'm never talking to you again," she joked.