The Last Queen of the Blaze

The train ride back was mostly silent. Apple Bloom spent most of that time cradling Autumn in her hooves, staring out the window. Sweetie Belle sat by her side, unable to find the right words to say. Rarity attended to her knitting, until she finally decided that the shaking train was perhaps not the best place for needlework and her hooves. She looked over at Apple Bloom, and with hint of worry in her voice, she said, "Dear? Is there something on your mind?"

Apple Bloom didn't respond at first. Sweetie Belle nudged her friend, causing the Earth pony to snap out of her trance. "Huh?"

Rarity smiled softly. "Are you alright? You're spacing out again."

Apple Bloom sighed and turned to look out the window again. "I..." Her hesitance was visible on her face. She bit her lip, cradling Autumn closer.

"I don't know anything about taking care of children," she said bluntly. "I've only gotten this far thanks to mostly your help, Rarity."

She looked down at the slumbering foal in her arms. "I don't wanna screw up, but I don't wanna leave her..."

Rarity, smiling, continued her needlework. "Darling, the fact that you would think you're not ready is a sign that you ARE ready to undertake this responsibility. A parent must know that their child needs them, and must be ready to give up everything for them."

Sweetie Belle raised her eyebrow. "What kind of logic ...". She stopped when she noticed the look Rarity was giving her.

Rarity continued. "That foal needs you to be ready. Autumn, more than anything, needs her mother. I know it may not be what you wish you hear, but it's the truth."

Autumn cooed as Apple Bloom rocked her back and forth. Hearing Rarity's words made her heart feel "light", as she would describe it later on. It was like the feeling one feels at the end of a difficult exam, regardless of how well they performed.

The train click-clacked along the rail, through the hills that rolled by. Apple Bloom sighed, staring out the window, leaning her head against it. Her thoughts began to blur together, but her memories began to become clearer. She saw her younger self playing in those hills when she was a young foal. She saw her sister Applejack, smiling and chasing her through the grass. Her brother, Big Macintosh, eating his dinner with their Granny Smith.

Their smiling faces... their happiness....

She felt Autumn reach up with her hooves, begging her guardian to pick her up. She giggled with glee, snapping Apple Bloom out of her half-trance. A wide grin appeared on Apple Blooms face as she nuzzled the infant.

"Aw, who's a good little kirin? You are, yes YOU are!" A few fellow passenger's gave a curt glance at the scene of a yellow earth pony playing with her odd child. She smiled at Autumn, brushing her mane.

"....It's gonna be okay. No pony's gonna leave you alone ever again."

_________________________________________________________________________________________

By the time Apple Bloom had arrived back at Ponyville, the sun had already gone down, coloring the sky in a dark orange hue. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had taken their leave , and waved their friend good night. The evening fall chill convince Apple Bloom to bundle Autumn up in her wool blanket. The foal was asleep again.

Walking through the woods to her home, she stared on ahead, letting her thoughts flow freely. Her heart felt light. A sense of fulfilment had entered her body, and for the first time in years, a smile was stuck to her face.

That smile, however didn't last very long. Once she arrived home, she paused. How was she going to explain everything to Big Macintosh? He may have already known about her outburst in the market, but Autumn was going to be a complete shock to him. She took a deep breath, and began to recite her apology and explanation to her brother. She had gone through about 6 different drafts before she came to the door of Sweet Apple Acres.

She barely got her words out when she saw the door open wide. Big Mac wrapped his burly hooves around his sister, hugging her tight.

"Hey..." he said. "Are you alright? How are you holding up?"

Apple Bloom pauses, surprised at this sudden display of affection. She wrapped her free hoof around his neck. "I'm okay, big bro." She had completely forgotten about her rehearsed apology.

Big Macintosh opened his eyes. "I'm just glad you're safe. Do you want to talk about it?" His eyes stared directly into Apple Bloom's, making her feel simultaneously uncomfortable and assured at the same time.

Apple Bloom froze up. Of course she wanted to talk about it. There was nothing she desired more. The things that weighed down on her heart would make any pony go mad.

"....Maybe later."

She could feel her inner self screaming at her own stupidity. Her heart felt heavy again.

Big Macintosh nodded in response. "Well, the important thing is that your safe."

He opened the door wider. "Come inside, I made dinner." He was about to say more, when he finally noticed the basket that Apple Bloom was carrying, and the passenger within.

His eyes widened, and he looked rapidly between his sister and Autumn. Apple Bloom watched as her brother's brain seemed to short-circuit, and his jaw dropped to the ground.

"I....when....I-how...?"

Apple Bloom sighed and felt her cheeks turn red slightly. "It's a long story...."

_________________________________________________________

And so, Apple Bloom explained the entire story to Big Macintosh. Her outburst at the market, her discovery of Autumn, how she stayed with Rarity, her trip to Zecora's, and her time at Twilight's castle. Big Mac listened quietly, letting his sister finish her story, before he finally spoke up.

"So....you're gonna take care of Autumn?"

Apple Bloom nodded, holding the foal close to her chest. "I am."

There was another brief moment of silence. Big Macintosh closed his eyes, deep in thought. Autumn babbled happily, as she looked at the new face. She gently reached out and gently grabbed Mac's nose and nuzzled her cheek against him. He opened his eyes, slightly taken aback. His mouth curled up into a small smile, as he gently allowed the foal to embrace him.

"She's very warm..." he said.

"That's probably from all the fire she has."

"The what?"

Almost on cue, Autumn sneezed, blasting a cloud of embers and smoke from her nose. The soot covered Big Macintosh's entire face, turning his whole face dark, save for the whites in his eyes. He shook his head rapidly, shaking most of the ash off, and laughed heartily.

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow in confusion, before she felt her own mouth curl into a smile, and burst out into a similar fit of laughter. The barn was filled with the sound of laughter, with Autumn giggling happily as well. The entire house suddenly became warmer to Apple Bloom.

"You really are becoming more and more like your sister," said Big Macintosh, wiping a tear from his eye.

Apple Bloom wiped the tears from her own eyes. Her heart fluttered again at those words. "....thanks."

Her bother nodded. "Well...I've know a few things about raising little fillies," he said, smiling. "I can give you some tips, if you'd like."

Apple Bloom glanced at her brother at this. It was only at this point she realized how tense her shoulders have been. With a sigh of contentment, she loosened her body, smiled and said, "Please do."

Her brother smiled. "Then the first thing I'm gonna teach you is how to give a foal a bath".

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "What? Autumn doesn't need a - "

She interrupted herself when she wrinkled her nose, noticing the stench emanating from Autumn. The foal giggled happily, blissfully unaware of her little incident.

"Oh...." Apple Bloom grimaced.

Big Macintosh patted his sister's back. "Lesson number two. Get ready to make sacrifices."

Apple Bloom looked at her brother, with a slightly annoyed look. She sighed as her brother laughed.

"Welcome to parenthood".

_________________________________________________________

Scootaloo stared at the roof of her room, her wings fluttering slightly against her mattress. The moon shone through her window, illuminating half of her floor. The other half was lit under a single lamp that covered the room in a warm yellow light, and yet, Scootaloo still felt that her own room was somehow alienating her.

Her mind kept racing back to the incident on at the market. Her anger kept rising at the memory, and her teeth were slightly grit. It was simply absurd to her.

"What were you thinking, Sweetie Belle...?" she muttered to herself. To her, Sweetie was always the smartest out of the group. She had always managed to pull them out of bad situations, and seemed to be the primary voice of reason.

As for Apple Bloom, there was just something that set Scootaloo off. It wasn't always like this. There was a time in their childhood when all three of them were inseparable. Ponyville knew them as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In more recent times, unfortunately, it was more like.... nothing at all.

She thought back to when it all changed. After Applejack's death, she didn't see Apple Bloom for over a year. When she returned, however, Scootaloo immediately felt something strange about her. The luster in her eyes, the dreamy expression on her face, and her sunny disposition was gone.

How had she been so blind? Of course Apple Bloom had changed. Her anger suddenly was replaced with regret.

"Apple Bloom..."

She took out her phone resting by her side. Dialing Apple Bloom's number, she prepared herself. Her emotions were suddenly welling up, and she so desperately wanted to apologize. Her heart beat fast, as the tone buzzed in her ear.

"Hi, this is Apple Bloom. I'm not here at the moment, so leave a message. Thanks, y'all." Click

Tears sprung into Scootaloo's eyes, and her heart sank.

"I'm sorry...."

_________________________________________________________

Sweetie Belle stepped out of the tub, doing her best to not slip on the bathroom floor. Her mind felt clearer after her shower, but at the same time, her body felt much more tired. Stepping out of the bathroom, having dried off, her spirit was all drained from the emotionally tumultuous day she just had.

By now, Rarity had gone back to her own room, but Sweetie knew that her sister would be spending the night designing dresses and thinking of new ways to "wow the fashion world", as she would often say.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. She glanced up at the device, reading the message on the screen.

It was from Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath as she opened her messages.

"I need to talk to AB," it read. Sweetie hesitated, at first. She was confused as to why Scootaloo suddenly wished to speak with Apple Bloom, given how she reacted to the outburst in the market. Thinking back, Sweetie thought things had been tense between the two even before that moment.

She weighed her options for what felt like minutes, before sending another message.

"I'll talk with her tomorrow."

She turned her phone over and powered it off before rolling back into her bed, restless. She felt the chill of the night air flow into her room, despite her doors and windows being locked.

It was going to be a long night.

_________________________________________________________
"Come on, Autumn, just get in! It's a tiny bit of water."

The tub had been filled in with a half-inch of water, and yet Autumn somehow had firmly rooted herself into the ground. The young filly whined and whimpered as she pushed against her mother figure. It was like trying to put a jellyfish into a pail, stings and all, as Autumn was kicking wildly.

Big Macintosh watched the scene play out, half in amusement and half in surprise. Apple Bloom shot him a look.

"A little help, please?" she asked.

Big Macintosh shook his head, and instead gave her a wink. "You got this, sis."

Apple Bloom gave an angry pout, and turned her attention back to Autumn, only to get kicked in the face by one of Autumn's hooves. Apple Bloom finally grabbed Autumn's hooves, and glared at her.

"Hey!" She snapped. "NO! None of that!"

Autumn froze, with her eyes wide, and froze in place. Her eyes then started to water, then the silence was broken by whimpering, and then a loud wailing. Autumn was no longer flailing about, but cried wildly.

Apple Bloom's eyes went wide, and covered her mouth. "No, no, no, wait, I'm sorry!"

The crying continued, and Apple Bloom's own eyes watered, as she tried to soothe her child. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, no, wait, don't... sniff....don't cry, I'm sorry, mommy's sorry...."

She broke down in tears, and the room was filled with the sound of two ponies crying, and the sound of a colt sighing at the sight of the utter chaos that was unfolding before him.

Big Macintosh finally stepped in, picking up a rubber duck from the bathroom counter. He squeaked it twice. Autumn's cries died down slightly, as her ears picked up. Apple Bloom also glanced over at her brother, slightly surprised.

"Quack," he said, bringing it to Autumn's nose. "Quack, quack". He smiled, making more duck sounds, bobbing it and putting it into the tub.

Autumn giggled, her tears drying, and she crawled along the ground, following the duck into the water. She splashed into the tub, giggling and grabbing the duck. Every time it squeaked, she laughed and splashed around.

Apple Bloom sighed, and wiped her eyes. "Thanks...."

Big Macintosh nodded. "Lesson number 3. Patience is key."

Apple bloom nodded. She grabbed the soap from the counter, putting some in her hooves, and began the bathing process. Autumn didn't seem to mind the foamy bubbles forming around her, except when one of them popped in front of her, and let out a small smokey sneeze.

Big Macintosh chuckled. "You know, you and Applejack was just like this. Always so stubborn."

Apple Bloom scoffed, smiling slightly and shaking her head. "Oh, come on...."

"No, its true. And it's good," he said, smiling. "It means they've got a strong personality."

"You're just making things up, now."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Macintosh chuckled. A few minutes later, Apple Bloom washed off her hooves once she had finished changing Autumn. Her brother smirked as he watched her pick up the young filly. Big Mac nodded in approval, once she had finished laying Autumn down in the bed. The child squirmed around, held in place with Apple Bloom's strong hooves.

"Nice work," said Big Mac. "After 40 minutes of struggling, crying and teasing, we finally got the kid to take a bath."

Apple Bloom smiled. She looks back at Autumn, who was yawning and stretching. The foal's eyes grew heavy, and almost instantly, the tired kirin fell into a deep slumber. The small filly was completely tuckered out.

Big Macintosh wrapped his hoof around his sister, bringing her close. "You're gonna be just fine."

Apple Bloom nodded, not taking her eyes off the filly. She smiled as she watched Autumn snooze away happily.

"Sweet dreams, my sweet little girl..."said Apple Bloom.