The Last Queen of the Blaze

Sweetie Belle's head were cluttered with thoughts of Scootaloo and their conversation from yesterday. She thought visiting her again, before she sighed and began massaging her temples. The incense was beginning to make her feel nauseous. Rarity, on the other hand, busied herself with her sketchpad, humming to herself as her next design was materializing in her head.

A muffled yell caught Sweetie Belle's attention. Her eyes widened as she looked up towards the sound. A sense of worry came over her, glancing in the direction of the noise. She immediately recognized the shout as Apple Bloom's, and she was glanced over at her sister. Rarity seemed to have missed hearing the sound entirely, too absorbed in her thoughts. Sweetie was torn. On one hand, she wanted to rush into that room, bust down the door, and see what had happened. On the other hand, if Apple Bloom was like anything like she was back at the market again...

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Or at least, tried to. But the crawling sensation on her back caused her to fidget, then shudder, then finally caused her to stand up. She was halfway to the door to the examination room when the door swung open. Apple Bloom and Zecora seemed to be fine, and Autum was being carried on Bloom's back, holding onto the earth pony tightly.

Sweetie Belle stepped back, straightening herself. "O-oh, hey, Apple Bloom. Is everything alright?"

Apple Bloom gave a soft nod, before turning her attention back to Autumn. "Everything's fine. Isn't that right, sweetie?"
Autumn glance up at her guardian, and squeaked softly as she squirmed her way back into the basket awaiting her by Apple Bloom's side. Rarity finally snapped out of her trance, and adjusted her mane as she said, "Oh! Bloom, I see you're all done. That was rather quick."

Apple Bloom only nodded in response. Zecora went to her desk, took the feather quill resting in ink, and scribbled a note on her parchment. "That should do it," she said. "I wish you well on your trip. And be wary of any side effects that my hit."

Rarity raised her eyebrow. "Trip? Side effects? What is she talking about?"

Apple Bloom sighed and held up the capsule of pills. A brief explanation of everything that had happened in the room ensued, to which Rarity nodded in understanding, seemingly at every third word she said.

"I see," mused Rarity. "Well, darling, it seems our day trip just got a bit more interesting."

"Twilight Sparkle?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Is that really necessary? I mean, I know you had an incident with her back when.... when..." She could not bring herself to say it.

Apple Bloom could only sigh in response. "That was a long time ago. Can we just move on with it?"

The others could only nod in response. "Sorry," said Sweetie Belle sheepishly. Apple Bloom was too distracted by Autumn to pay any real attention to the apology.

"Ready for your first ever train ride, sweetie?" she asked the foal tenderly. Autumn tilted her head slightly, curious. Apple Bloom was ready to leave, thanking Zecora as she began trotting out the door.

"Be safe on your journey, and may the heavens bless thee," said Zecora, returning to her desk.

The three mares and foal began making their way to the train station. At many points, Sweetie Belle tried to start up a conversation, to which Apple Bloom often absentmindedly responded with small and short responses. She gave up trying to get any more out of her by the time they stepped onto the station platform. There was an air of discomfort around them, to the point where even Autumn began fussing over the tension.

As the train finally pulled to a stop before them, Sweetie finally got a decent response when she asked Apple Bloom, "Are you sure about this? I mean, really sure?"

"YES," said Apple Bloom, a bit too loudly. A few passing ponies gave them a quick glace without stopping,

"But the less we talk about it, the better," said the Earth pony, carrying the basket with Autumn onto the train car. Rarity and Sweetie shared an unsure glance, and followed her on, tickets in hoof.

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The train ride went smoothy as it click-clacked over the rails, barely rocking the basket where Autumn lay. The foal was clutching the blanket over her with her tiny little hooves, gnawing on the corner. It took Apple Bloom several attempts to get the child to stop, before she simply gave her the bottle filled gem-infused drink. She seemed to take it in stride, and began happily sipping away.

Rarity sighed. "You're going to spoil her at this rate, dear", she said, glancing up from her magazine. Sweetie Belle sat across the others, leaning against the window. By now, she noticed that any anger or frustration from Apple Bloom's expression before were gone whenever the Earth pony was looking at the mysterious child. In fact it was more serene, devoid of any emotion besides a sense of contentment. She had already forgotten the events that had occurred earlier in the week, and to be honest, she preferred it that way.

Apple Bloom chuckled at Rarity's remark, with some spring in her voice, "I can't help it. She's so precious..."

Sweetie raised her eyebrow, curious about her friend's seeming obsession with this child, but decided to say nothing about it. Instead, she smiled as she watched the child continue to drink from the bottle.

It was at this moment that Rarity noticed the curious gaze of a young colt sitting on the other side of the car, glancing at Autumn. He seemed to be a few years older than Autumn, but had that spark in his eyes that most youngling so do. Every so often, he'd look back at Autumn, sometimes looking at the scales and other times looking at her horn, before distracting himself with something else.

Eventually he did pipe up. "H-hello," he stammered. He struggled to get the words out, until he noticed Rarity's soothing smile. He calmed himself down, and finally said, "Um, your kid is really cool-looking."

"Oh, Autumn isn't actually-" Sweetie's words were cut off when Apple Bloom spoke up.

"Thank you," she said. Autumn seemed to giggle at the attention, and reaches her hooves towards the roof of the train car, as if she were grasping at invisible lights floating in the air. The colt gulped, and went on. "So, how old is she?"

Apple Bloom seems to think about this for a bit, before responding. "Less than a year and a half, give or take".

The colt nodded, and finally mustered up the courage to ask the real question in his mind: "So...why is her horn so weird?"

Sweetie Belle felt a shiver up her spine, and Rarity eyed the colt with a tiny hint of disapproval at his choice of words. Apple Bloom responded almost immediately, but with a sense of serene calmness.

"Autumn is a little different, but she's my daughter, and I wouldn't change a thing about her." She said, smiling. "I don't know why she's different, but I don't really care."

The colt seemed conflicted on whether or not to accept this answer. He opened his mouth to speak, when a strong maternal voice rose from behind him. "Torrey, get your flank over here this instant!"

A pink mare with a fluffy brown mane and dark-rimmed glasses took her hoof and wrapped it around her son's , and began leading him back to his seat. She turned and sighed. "I'm sorry about him, he's a bit of a wanderer. I apologize if he bothered you or your ... child..."

The mare looked at Autumn, and despite her best attempts to hide it, a gaze of shock and distrust glazed over her eyes, and her expression softened with a sort of half-hearted sympathy. She gave a small, "Oh," and glanced at Apple Bloom.

"So sorry, missy. I wish you the best of luck," said the mare as she walked her son back to their original seats.

"Thanks?" Apple Bloom was unsure of how to take it. The mare's gaze was hard to ignore or forget about. Immediately, she glanced about the rest of the car. Her spine tingled when she realized that every pony who had Autumn in her vision were giving odd or sympathetic glances at the child. Somehow, she felt a sense of worry and anger, despite knowing these ponies held no ill intent.

But anyone who has ever reached a certain age will tell you, feeling self-conscious will make you forget the good in most others. There was no sense of security any more, and Apple Bloom instinctively held Autumn close in her hooves, shielding her from the oncoming looks of those seated and passing by. Autumn had no idea what was happening, of course, but seemed content with being in the loving arms of the mare.

Sweetie Belle and Rarity had noticed the gazes, but were much more interested in one other detail.

"You called Autumn your daughter..." Sweetie Belle said, eyeing Apple Bloom with a look of both intrigue and teasing. Apple Bloom froze and blushed at the comment, and brushed it off.

"It just slipped out, okay?"

There was a brief silence before Sweetie Belle chuckled. "You seem like you're getting pretty attached to her, huh?"

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with that?" she said, slightly amused.

Sweetie shook her head, and Rarity jumped in. "We just find it charming how quickly your two have seemingly bonded." Apple Bloom made no comment afterwards, and the rest of the trip was mostly silent.

"Now arriving at Canterlot Central. Please mind the gap as you embark or disembark." The speakers in the train notified the three of their stop, and the gathered their things, placed Autumn back in the basket, and exited. Making their way up the steps from the station, they were greeted by a strong ray of sun, and the sound of bustling ponies just about everywhere they looked. In the fare distance, sitting precariously and elegantly on the edge of the cliffside, was the Canterlot Castle.

Apple Bloom made sure that Autumn was mostly covered up by the blanket as they made their way towards the castle, and avoid the gaze of any of the haughty ponies who lived in the city. The infant was back to nibbling on the corner of the blanket, absorbing herself in tasting the fabric out of sheer curiosity. When she finally stopped, it seemed to be out of exhaustion rather than realization that the blanket was not actually edible.

As the castle drew closer, Apple Bloom's heart rate grew as well. Flashes blitzed through her mind, and screaming echoes resonated within her mind. She felt a chill crawl up her spine, and her heart froze when she felt a cold hoof on her shoulder. A panic began to enter her brain, and she could already her her sister's voice again. She quickened her pace, refusing to look behind her...

"Hey, Bloom?" Sweetie Belle began hurrying after her friend, surprised by the sudden increase in speed. Rarity found herself also hurrying along, and already began running out of breath.

"Hey!" At this sound, Apple Bloom finally turned around, and realizing that the hoof was Sweetie Belle's, she sighed deeply.

"S-sorry. I just got a bit...chilly. I just needed to warm myself up..." she said nervously. Sweetie shook her head at the obvious lie.

"Really, AB? You gotta do better than that," said Sweetie.

Rarity finally caught up, huffing and panting. "Good lord, you two... I can't believe... you have this much energy in you!... I was never... so athletic, when I... was you're age."

Her eyes widened as she realized: "Oh, good lord, I'm old."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom laughed at her comment.

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By the time they finally arrived at the castle garden, the afternoon sun was beginning to cast shadows over the city, and the sky was dimming. A long line of ponies wound though the entrance, going as far back as the castle gates, guarded by two armored Pegasi.

Autumn was sound asleep by now, and Apple Bloom gazed out at the long line of ponies. "If we get in line now, we'll be here until midnight..."

In that moment, she considered using this as an excuse to come back tomorrow, to delay this visit. Rarity crushes these hopes when she pulled out her purse. "Have no fear, darling," she said. "I got a fast-pass that'll get us right to the front." She smiled as she pulled out a laminated card with her cutie mark emblazoned on it.

"A 'fast-pass'? To see Princess Twilight?" said Sweetie Belle, scoffing.

"It's one of the perks of being the princess' best friend."

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "I thought Pinkie was Twilight's best frie-"

"You want to get to the front or not," said Rarity, huffing angrily.

The three made their way past the lines, gaining the jealous gaze of several ponies still in line. Apple Bloom looked down at the slumbering Autumn in the basket next to her, hoping to ignore more of those infuriating gazes from before on the train. One of the pegasi stopped the trio. "Sorry, ma'am, but you'll need to get in line like everyone else."

Rarity cleared her throat and gave the guard a sly look. "Ahem. Surely you know who I am, yes?" She said holding the card. The guard took the card, glanced down at it, then back at Rarity.

There was a short pause. "...Ah! Miss Rarity, I didn't recognize you out of one of your dresses." He cleared his throat. "Funny, I thought your weekly tea session with the princess was yesterday."

"It was. I come here on different business," she said, motioning at Apple Bloom and the child in her arms.

"Weekly tea?" mouthed Sweetie Belle. "You told me that you were out on business."

"W-well, it was! Sort of!" retorted Rarity. Sweetie shook her head, saying simply, "No. No it is not."

The guard was beginning to get uncomfortable by the conversation, and cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, you may pass through, but use the side door. Knock once, and someone will answer."

Rarity nodded and smiled at the guard. "Nice to see you again, Phil." The three continued past, with Sweetie Belle having many questions that she knew would never be answered. They went up a set of stairs off to the side of the main entrance, that curved up one of the towers, and stopped before a set of tall ivory doors. After following the guard's instructions, they stepped back from the door.

After a brief moment, the door opened, answered by a somewhat odd sight. It was a purple dragon, clearly in their teen years on the cusp of adulthood. He was still skinny and shorter compared to some of the other dragons Apple Bloom had seen, but he was far beyond the size of a child. His wings were strangely large, and his scales glimmered violet under the setting sun. Sweetie Belle tilted her head. This dragon seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure until she heard the dragon speak: "...Rarity? What are you doing here?"

"....Spike?!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. Spike scratched the back of his head.

"Long time no see, girls," he said, flashing a toothy grin. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine, Spike, darling," said Rarity. Spike let the three into the castle. Sweetie struggled to get her words out.

"Wha-who-when? What? Why? HOW?" she said frantically. Apple Bloom was equally perplexed, but didn't show it at all. Spike shrugged and gave a simple response.

"I'm on a new diet," he said. There was no words Sweetie knew that could describe her current emotion, besides shock. Spike glanced down at the basket, and upon seeing Autumn, widened his eyes.

"Whoa. Who's this?" he asked, making sure not to wake up Autumn. "Did one of you get married and not tell me?"

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "No, nopony got knocked up, Spike," she said. "This is Autumn. Apple Bloom found her abandoned by the river just outside Ponyville."

Spike furrowed his brow, taking it in. "Abandoned?...Guess it's true what they say, all kids deserve parents, but not all parents deserve kids..."

"We don't know her full story," said Apple Bloom. "We don't even know what species she is."

Spike gently touches the strange horn on Autumn, and eyed the scales on the foal's small body. Autumn fidgeted slightly, and was beginning to wake up. "I've never seen a foal like this before," he said, glancing up at the three. "Is that why you're here?"

Apple Bloom sighed, bracing herself for what was to come. "We need Twilight's knowledge on this. To figure out what Autumn is. Where she came from."

At this, Spike looked up at Apple Bloom with a knowing look in his eye. A sense of slight worry and understanding was in his expression. Apple Bloom looked down, avoiding his gaze, and sighed again. The other two mares remained silent. Spike let his wings droop a bit as he spoke. "Are you sure? I know about how you feel about Twilight."

"I know, I know, I just-" Apple Bloom winced at hearing Twilight's name. "I can handle it. Okay?"

After a long pause, Spike nodded. "I get that. Follow me." He motioned for them to follow him deeper into the castle.