“There you are, I've been looking all over- Oh, sorry, wrong pony.” Rainbow Dash said, as the pony she thought was Applejack turned around. It was an easy mistake to make, she was exactly the same color orange, and wearing a cowpony hat. But the cowpony hat was battered, and this pony's mane and tail were a dusty beige that went with the tumbleweed cutie mark she had. They hung loose, messier than even Applejack usually let herself get.
But when the pony turned around to glare at her, Dash noticed the same freckles she thought were so cool every time her friend smiled. The rest of the face seemed tired, from the gray eyes to the sour expression.
Dash gave an embarrassed shrug and flew to the other side of the train station, looking for Applejack. There were a lot of ponies leaving the rodeo in Canterlot that ended that morning. Applejack had done better than last time and having Dash come along seemed to have cheered her up when she lost, so there was a lot less danger of AJ exploring the wide world of agriculture this time.
She spotted AJ from the front, sure it was her this time. Her cowpony hat had a blue ribbon pinned to it. Dash had pinned that there herself, it was from the cattle roping event Applejack won this weekend. Dash had cheered her lungs out for her even though AJ hardly needed it. AJ was a winner, and Dash had decided that all of Equestria should know as soon as they saw her, so Dash pinned that first blue ribbon right to her hat. It made AJ chuckle when she saw it, but she'd worn it proudly the whole time they were at the rodeo.
“It's really you this time, right?” Dash asked, grinning as she flew up to where Applejack was standing on the train platform.
“Um, yeah?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I reckon it's been me the whole time.”
“Not a few seconds ago.” Dash said, landing next to her. “There's this pony across the train station, and she looks almost just like you. Well, she's the same color, at least. And she has the same freckles, and a cowpony hat.”
“She's wearin' a stetson, ya' say?” Applejack said cautiously.
“Yeah. It's not as cool as yours, though. No blue ribbon.” Dash smiled, flipping the end of the ribbon with her hoof. She was almost more proud of Applejack's win than AJ was. Applejack was awesome, and she was Dash's friend. That added to Dash's coolness just by association.
“Huh.” AJ seemed to be staring straight ahead across the train tracks, at nothing. “You sure she's the same color?”
Dash nodded. She knew AJ's pale orange coat by heart. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“Did ya' catch her cutie mark, by any chance?” Applejack said. Dash could tell she was trying to sound casual, but there was something hesitant about the question.
“It was a tumbleweed. I guess she's probably from around Appleloosa.” Dash responded, watching AJ carefully.
“Could be.” Applejack said softly.
“Why do you wanna know?”
Applejack blushed. “I- I guess I'm just curious. It don't mean nothin'.”
That blush drove Dash crazy. Normally she could be cool around her best friend, but when she blushed her freckles stood out, and her green eyes seemed brighter, and Dash realized that her best friend was the cutest mare she'd ever seen.
But Dash also knew that letting somepony know you thought they were awesome that way, not like a friend but like more than a friend, required some kind of tact. So she tried to drop subtle hints.
“She wasn't as cute as you.”
Applejack was pulled from whatever she was staring at to stare at Dash, confused.
“I mean, not that I think you're cute.” Dash added quickly. “She just looked kind of worn out.”
That sent AJ right back to staring across the train tracks. She was quiet for a few minutes, then sighed and said, “I reckon she might.”
“Do you know that pony?” Dash asked, glad that AJ picked this to think about rather than her idiotic attempt at flirting.
Applejack looked at Dash, as if deciding what to say. Finally she said quietly, “Just wonderin' if she's a relative.”
Dash shook her head. “No way. I've met all your relatives. There's Apple what's-her-name and Apple um, somepony else, and they all have cutie marks that make me hungry.”
Applejack chuckled, and turned her head to Dash. “Did ya' ever hear how I got to Sweet Apple Acres, Dash?”
“The normal way? Your mom and dad loved each other a lot. . . or at least put up with each other enough to be in the same bed for a while.” Dash added, thinking of her own parents.
Applejack smiled softly, “Somepony left me in this hat, by the front fence.”
“That's another way it can happen.” Dash said with a grin. But Applejack wasn't laughing, she just had that quiet smile on her face. “Wait, you're serious?”
“Yup.” She nodded.
“That pony I saw!” Dash said excitedly, catching up to AJ in the conversation. “You think she's related to you!”
“Could be.”
“We should find her! Maybe you could find out where she's from.”
“I don't really wanna, Dash.” Applejack looked back over the tracks. “We might be related, but she ain't my family. My real family's all Apples. I can't even think what I might say to that pony.”
“It's easy.” Dash said. “'Hey, do you know somepony who left a foal in Ponyville twenty years ago?' is a good place to start.”
Applejack was quiet for another minute. “And what if she's the one that left me?”
Dash's eyes went wide. “That might have been your mom! AJ, you have to talk to her.”
“She ain't my ma.” Applejack explained without a hint of anger or sadness. “Even if she's the pony that had me, she gave that up. That pony knows where she left me, if she wanted to talk 'bout it I'm still right there.”
“. . . She just left you there? Where who knows what could've happened?” Dash wondered, studying AJ. Beautiful cowpony, rodeo champ, most dependable of ponies, element of honesty. Somepony had just given all that up. They never even realized how awesome she was.
“Sorta. She mighta had reason to believe Granny Smith would take me in, since she'd already taken in Mac. And everypony knows Apples are good folks, right?” Applejack said with a grin.
That didn't satisfy Dash. She pressed on, starting to get a little angry at the idea. “How could somepony just leave a baby foal?”
“I don't rightly know, sugarcube.” Applejack said kindly. “I like to think she wanted me to have a better life than she could give, but I reckon I'm never gonna know that's true.”
“That's not what parents do.” Rainbow Dash said firmly, hovering and crossing her forelegs. “My parents couldn't give me a great life, but my dad worked his tail off to give me the crummy one he could manage. I can't talk to him for two minutes without him reminding me how he worked at the weather factory sixty hours a week to pay for a tiny cloud house in the bad part of Cloudsdale. And my mom's been married to that jerk for years, just so they could take care of me. . . but they took care of me! They didn't shove me off on somepony else to raise.”
“I'm glad I'm at Sweet Apple Acres, Dash. I love my family.” Applejack said, looking at Dash with a slight frown.
At first Dash thought she was upset about her mother, but after a few seconds it registered what the look was. It was pity. Dash realized that she hadn't made her parents sound all that heroic, and that AJ's foalhood on Sweet Apple Acres had her own foalhood beat in a lot of ways. Dash blushed, she hated being pitied, but she felt like even AJ's non-existent mom was better than her parents. This was all her dad's fault anyway.
“I'm glad you're at Sweet Apple Acres too.” Dash grumbled, wishing for a minute that her parents had left her at Sweet Apple Acres.
“And I'm glad your folks loved ya' and took care of ya'.” Applejack said, giving her a friendly nuzzle. “They're good ponies.”
“I guess. . .” Dash sighed. The nuzzle from AJ cheered her up a little, but she couldn't quite agree about her parents.
“Dash, everypony makes choices. Long as they're doin' their best, and tryin' to do right, ya' can't blame 'em.” Applejack pointed out.
“Tell that to my dad.” Dash joked bitterly. “I'm pretty sure I never made a choice he didn't blame me for.”
“Well it ain't gonna help if ya' blame him for his.” AJ raised her eyebrows.
It was Dash's turn to be quiet. The last time she wrote to her dad, it was to send a picture from the royal wedding. She wrote to her dad every time she did something awesome, so he knew how much better she was doing than he predicted, than he had done. Here was AJ with a blue ribbon on her hat, and a pony who might be the mare who gave her up across the train station.
After a while Dash asked, “You're really not mad at her? You don't wanna take your ribbons and rub them in her face, and show her what she missed out on?”
“That ain't what those things are for, and you know it.” AJ admonished. “Those are things I can be proud of, they ain't for makin' other ponies feel bad. I know my family and friends love me. How some other pony out there thinks 'bout me don't matter a lick.”
“Well you should feel proud. You're an awesome pony.” Dash said, feeling proud of Applejack herself. In a lot of ways, Dash had to admit that AJ was a better pony than she was. Not as cool, but more grown up.
“Thanks.” Applejack smiled, blushing a little.
That blush again. Dash couldn't stop herself. “I mean, um, really awesome. Like. . .”
Rainbow Dash darted down and gave Applejack a quick kiss on the cheek. She was rewarded with a blush deeper than she'd ever seen on the orange pony, as AJ's eyes went wide.
Then Dash's actions caught up with her brain, and her own eyes went wide.
“Um, I mean. . .” Dash stammered as she searched for any excuse for what she'd done.
Applejack just smiled, and leaned over and kissed her cheek the same way.
“Really?” Dash asked, a surprised grin on her face.
“Yup.” Applejack nodded and nuzzled her.
“Awesome!” Dash said, nuzzling back. “This is so cool. We can go out sometime, right? Like, together?”
“I'd like that." Applejack said, grinning. "Ya' know, this rodeo went a lot better than last time. I got a blue ribbon, and a pretty blue pegasus to go with it."
"Yeah, do you know how amazing you have to be to win me?" Dash teased.
Applejack chuckled, "Well I guess I pulled it off."
Dash looked into her green eyes. "You couldn't help it. You're really amazing, AJ."
"So're you, Dash." Applejack said honestly.
"Of course I am. That's why we're perfect together." Dash smirked.
Applejack laughed and shook her head. "My ribbons and your flyin' crown would look right nice together, I suppose."
"Everypony will know we're the best couple in all Equestria!" Dash grinned at AJ, with her blue ribbon on her hat and those cute freckles, and chalked up one more awesome thing to write home about. Then she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
A train pulled up to the next platform over, and Dash saw a flash of orange in the crowd. She followed it to where the orange pony with the tumbleweed cutie mark got in line to board the train. AJ was still looking at Dash and smiling.
“Uh, AJ?” Dash nodded to where the other pony was waiting.
AJ followed Dash's nod, and the smile fell from her face, replaced by a curious expression. She stared at the mare as the line moved into the train, her eyes never leaving the pony. Dash knew because her eyes never left Applejack, as she tried to imagine how anypony could give up somepony so great.
It was lucky for Dash that she had, though. Applejack wouldn't be Applejack without Sweet Apple Acres, and Dash couldn't be nearly this happy without Applejack. Everything that made AJ awesome and special came from growing up on that farm, that's why she had those apples on her flank. She decided that maybe that pony had done the right thing, for Applejack and for Equestria, and for Dash.
Dash smiled and leaned over, kissing Applejack's cheek again as the pony boarded the train. “Gotcha! Two to one.”
Applejack chuckled, looking away from the train and into Dash's eyes. “Well, now I'm gonna haveta catch up.”
“Ha! Let's see you try.” Dash said, flapping away just out of Applejack's reach as AJ jumped after her.
“Come'ere you!” Applejack's said with a grin, trying to catch Rainbow Dash as the train to parts unknown pulled out of the station.
***
The weathered mare looked out the window of the train, her eyes following the pony she'd come to see. Last year had been a coincidence, she'd been watching the rodeo and caught sight of the orange pony with the apple cutie mark. If that made her wonder, the stetson she put on her head after each event answered the question. The girl did good, but not good enough for herself. Not used to disappointment, the mare figured with a smile.
This year the mare made a special trip, just to see if she'd be back. Sure enough there she was, with another year of practice under her saddle and that same stetson on her head. She won a few blue ribbons this year, and next year she'd probably do even better. She was young yet.
Gray eyes watched the young mare laughing and chasing that pegasus who'd been cheering her all weekend, knowing she'd never see those pecks on the cheek turn into something more. The girl had her own life, her own family and friends, and it looked like a good one. But there would be another rodeo next year, and maybe both orange ponies would show up again. Maybe there would be hints, the same pegasus with her, maybe even a deep kiss after a tough event. More little reminders for the old mare that she had made the right choice.
