//------------------------------// // Best Kept Secret // Story: Applejack Fixes Everything // by Maran //------------------------------// All the way through the Fire Swamp, Dad took the lead, steering clear of the boiling puddles that threatened to blow at any moment. Mom was sitting next to me at the front of Mac's cart, her muscles so tense that I didn't need my special sense to tell that she was still in pain. But she was alive to feel pain, that was the important thing. I gave her a reassuring smile. “Hang in there Mom. We'll get you to Hayseed Swamp in a tick. I'm sure they'll have ice to put on that wound.” “Eyup,” agreed Mac. Mom reached out her hoof and smoothed back my forelock. “Now don't you fret about me Miss Loophole.” “Aw Mom,” I groaned and fought the urge to roll my eyes. “You don't really think my cutie mark is a loophole do you?” “It's your mark. It's whatever you want it to be. If you wanna call it a yellow-bellied sapsucker, go right ahead.” She grinned playful-like, ignoring her pain. She's a trooper, my mom. I snorted. “I suppose. I just wonder if I changed too much.” I spoke in a quieter voice, more thinking out loud as I gazed at the path ahead. But I had to change things, didn't I? That was my whole reason for coming back to this time. Yet a big part of me still felt uneasy about it. All right, before I go any further, y'all should know that in the other timeline, after Mom and Dad's funeral, I spent the summer with my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehattan. They tried to turn me into a proper Manehattanite, to mold me into their daughter. And I went along with it on account of I wanted to please them. I was miserable as a yak in Ponyville, though nowhere near as bad-tempered. I didn't wanna bellyache about it, and I wasn't sure what to do till one day I stared out the window and saw a rainbow pointing toward home. So I hightailed it back to Sweet Apple Acres and earned a cutie mark with three apples. It wasn't till I was an adult that I found out that the rainbow came from a Sonic Rainboom that Rainbow Dash pulled off. And it wasn't till a couple years later that Twilight Sparkle went to a slew of other alternate timelines where Equestria was in ruins, all because she and I and our closest friends didn't get our cutie marks in the perfect way. At least, that's what she told me. I don't pretend to understand how that works out, but when I looked in her eyes, I could tell that she had really seen those dark futures. But this timeline has something that those other timelines don't have: a dependable pony that knows how to prepare for the dangers ahead. “AJ? Something wrong?” Mom scrunched up her eyes, concern written plain on her face. I shook my head. “Just thinking.” All of a sudden, a geyser shot right up against the side of the cart. I jumped back towards Mom. Mac was startled too, galloping forward till he near ran into Dad's wagon. “What is going on back there?” Dad turned his head to try to see over the carts. I smelled wood smoke, and craned my neck to peer at the side of the cart. The painted wood had a smoldering patch almost as big as my head. “Just our wagon is on fire is all,” I called. “Eyup! Sorrythatwasmyfault!” blurted Mac, faster than I'd ever heard him talk. “Well, put it out!” yelled Dad. “I'm on it like a duck on a June bug!” Picking up a canteen, I poured water down the side of the cart, soaking the charred wood. Mom slowly picked her way over the canteens and pies and took a gander at the outside of the wagon. “Looks like surface damage. I reckon she'll hold together.” She put her hoof on my back. “Good work AJ. You were saying before how you wondered if you changed too much. But you're just growing up. Your mark shows how you'll always be there for folks that need you, and do whatever you can to help. I'm so proud of you sugar cube.” My eyes stung, and not just from the noxious fumes. “Oh Mom, it means so much for me to hear you say that.” Then I bit my lip as I thought about asking her something. It was so dang self-indulgent that I just about hated myself for it, and I expected I'd regret asking it out loud. And yet once I thought of it, I knew it would keep eating at me until I got it off my chest. “What is it? I know there's something bothering you.” She searched my face with her amber eyes. I took a deep breath. “I just can't help wondering if you'd feel more or less proud if my cutie mark was – well, more like yours.” Mom glanced at the rainbow-colored fruit on her flank. “A Zap Apple?” “Some kind of apple, anyway. Like everypony else in our family. I reckon part of me still wants to feel like I belong.” My ears lay flat. Turning her head to stare at me again, Mom said, “Come on now, that's crazy talk! You're still part of this family even if you don't got an apple on your flank. After all, your dad doesn't have an apple mark either.” “No, but at least it's a tree. That's only a couple steps away from an apple.” “Don't you think that's a bit of a stretch?” Dad spoke up, swiveling his ears. “My mark is clearly an orange tree. They aren't even in the same family. But I still chose to be part of this family.” My heart felt lighter as I smiled a little. “Well now, if y'all don't mind that my cutie mark ain't an apple, then I don't mind either.” “Eyup,” said Mac with approval. I can't say that the rest of the journey was a walk in the park, but we managed to make it to the Bayou Festival without taking any more hits. The festival wasn't exactly in full swing yet, but it sure was winding up. A good portion of the food and game stalls were set up, and foals galloped all over the place like it was Nightmare Night. They wouldn't have looked too out of place on Nightmare Night either, what with the way they were painted up. There was a body painting station that gave them brightly colored designs on their faces, torsos, and legs. Honest to Celestia, some of them looked like Rainbow when she had the Rainbow Power from the Tree of Harmony. I realize that y'all haven't seen that, so just imagine a pony with primary colored zigzags all over her body and you're on the right track. On top of it all, they wore hats made out of them long, bendy balloons. The ponies gathered round our wagons as we pulled towards our reserved spot. Most of them were earth ponies, though I did see at least one pegasus. “What happened to you Mrs. Apple?” asked a filly with flamingos brushed onto all four of her legs. Mom looked self-consciously at her bandage, which had bled through. “A pair of chimeras attacked us.” The ponies gasped. “Go to bed! Two chimeras!” The small filly blinked and leaned forward. “They stuck you real good. Can I see?” Dad stepped in front of her. “Actually we'd be grateful if you could tell us where to find a doctor.” “There be a first aid tent down that end.” A teenage colt with green dreadlocks pointed west, where I could just see the edge of a white tent nestled behind the carnival games. I grinned. “That's smarter than I gave y'all credit for.” The colt didn't look all that amused. “Applejack, now is not the time for your brutal honesty.” Dad shook his head at me. I lowered my eyes to stare at the ground. “Sorry. It's a good idea is all I mean.” “It's fine, cher,” said the colt. Since it wasn't too far on hoof, I went with Mom to the medical tent while Dad and Mac stayed behind to set up our stand. As we walked away, I heard Dad start to explain what had happened in the Fire Swamp. The foals leaned forward, ears standing up straight to give him their undivided attention. I grinned at the sight before turning and heading for the tent. The doctor came out to meet us. She was close to Granny Smith's age, and her cutie mark was a staff with a snake winding round it. “Bon jour, I'm called Dr. Remedy. How're y'all doing?” Now you may have noticed that the folks down in Hayseed Swamp talk in a unique mixture of Country and Fancy. And y'all know I don't speak Fancy. I reckon I've done pretty well with spelling so far, but Fancy words ain't in our family's dictionary, so I had to ask Dad how to spell some words. And now he's real curious about my journal. So I started a decoy journal and hid it under my mattress just in case Mom and Dad are determined to be nosy and read it. The other journal is just like this one with certain parts left out. This journal I've been taping to the underside of the chicken coup. I doubt anypony will search there. I'll probably switch the hiding place every so often. But back to my story. Dr. Remedy smiled in our general direction, but she didn't seem to look directly at us, and she was wearing sunglasses. I focused my special sense on her. She had the usual stiff joints of age, and high blood pressure, and then finally I found that her eyes had been badly burnt some time ago, so she couldn't see at all. The old doctor cackled quiet-like, which sounded as weird as you'd expect. “Child, leave the examination to me.” I shifted my weight. “Be pardon ma'am – uh, doctor, but how did you know that's what I was doing?” “I met beaucoup pones and all of 'em notice I'm blind. No worries, all my other senses are more better, 'specially the magical type. And I sense that your mama got a punctured shoulder from either a chimera or manticore.” Mom raised her eyebrows. “Right the first time.” As Dr. Remedy beckoned us into the tent, I told her, “Doc, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you're a heap more capable than that little blind pegasus filly in that old legend.” “I hope so!” she said brightly. The older mare changed Mom's bandages and gave her an antibiotic, telling her to take a dose every day till it was gone. She also instructed her how to keep the wounds clean. “Puncture wanna close up 'fore the inside heals, so you best make sure it stay open for a few days, else bacteria be trapped and fester inside.” Mom nodded. Then she seemed to realize that Dr. Remedy couldn't see her. “Yes ma'am.” “So tell me,” said the older mare as she tied an ice pack to Mom's shoulder. “What happened to the chimera?” “Actually there were two of 'em, if you can believe it. The one that stuck me had a tree fall on her, thanks to my son.” “Don't forget that shiner you gave the goat head.” I beamed up at Mom. “I'm sure she won't forget it any time soon.” Mom grinned. “Like saying goes, you should see the other gal. She also lost one of her claws when it got stuck in my hide. Show her, AJ.” I couldn't show her in the usual way, of course, so I took the claw out of my hair tie and pressed it against Dr. Remedy's foreleg. Her eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. “Celestia have mercy! That be more bigger than I thought. Hang onto that, child, maybe it'll bring you luck.” “I make my own luck,” I said. Mom gave me a pat on the back. “Atta girl.” “Hm, still...” Dr. Remedy strolled over to a corner and fumbled through a bag till she pulled out a length of cord, probably left over from pitching the tent. Using her hooves and teeth, she tied the cord round the claw and knotted the ends together to make a crude necklace. I grinned as she placed it over my head. “Why, this is just my style! Which ain't much, I'll have you know.” Dr. Remedy nodded. “It don't have to be pretty. It be a warning for everypony not to buck wi' you.” “Darn tootin'!” said Mom. “So Dr. Remedy, how much do I owe you?” “I'm retired, cher.” The older mare waved her foreleg. “I do this for free as a way to give back, help the folk here to have a good, safe time.” Mom frowned. “But that sounds like charity.” “Mais oui. What's your point?” “I can't accept charity! I can afford to pay for a doctor visit and some medicine.” I recognized the forward set of her jaw and the glint in her eyes. I'd seen the same expression in the mirror. If her coat and eye colors were reversed, she'd look just like me. As if she knew that Mom was fixing to give the antibiotics back to her, Dr. Remedy said, “If you really wanna pay me, you can bring me one of your apple pies.” “How...” “Y'all smell like apple pie,” answered Dr. Remedy before Mom got out her question. Mom rubbed her front hoof against her neck. “Well now, I suppose if we throw in a turnover and a few fritters, we'll call it a fair deal.” “That'll be just fine darling.” The rest of the festival went ok. We sold more pies and other baked goods than I'd usually sell whenever I went alone, but we still had some leftover product at the end of the day. Mom and Dad thought it was powerful strange that I didn't want to go get my body painted or play any of the carnival games. Mac headed straight for that game where you hit the circle on the bottom and try to ring the bell at the top, but I stayed by my parents' side the whole time. Well, except for bathroom breaks. “Don't you wanna look for one of them games where you throw a ball at bottles or somesuch?” Mom made a throwing motion with her foreleg. “I bet you could win a plush toy for Apple Bloom.” “Tempting as that sounds, I don't think that's a good idea. What if something happened to y'all while I was away? I can't lose you a- I can't lose you.” “Jackie, I know what happened today was very frightening.” Dad put his foreleg round my shoulders. “But you can't worry about our lives being in constant peril. The chances of something like that happening again soon are very slim. Besides, there aren't even any geysers or chimeras in Hayseed Swamp.” “Excuse moi, but that ain't so,” said a stallion whose forelegs had more scars than Fluttershy had pets. One of his ear tips had been torn off awhile ago. “I run the chimera prison here in Hayseed Swamp, toward the highland.” Dad stared at him. “You've got to be joking.” I had to agree that this sounded unbelievable, even though his scars were powerful evidence that the stallion had spent a lot of time with the predators. “I never heard of no chimera prison,” I said. “It's true, I swear on my mama's life.” The stallion held his hoof to his chest. “Any chimera that hurt or kill a pony, princess forbid, if they catched alive, they be brung to my compound. I got a hundred acres for chimeras to run round in, and there a wall wi' razor on top to keep 'em from getting out. I feed 'em fresh fish every day and make sure they get clean water. They don't like fish as much as, well, red meat, but I think some of 'em be used to it.” Dad raised his eyebrow. “Does Princess Celestia know about this?” “Dunno.” The stallion shrugged. “I don't 'xactly try to let pones know outside the swamp. If I ever get some kinda cease and desist order or something, then of course I'll abide by it.” Dad glanced at Mom. “Well, Spice, now we know what to do with those chimeras.” Mom nodded. “We got two live ones tied up next to the path through the Fire Swamp, Mr...” “Trapper,” said the scarred stallion. “Mr. Trapper. We can show you on the map where to find 'em.” “I'll take it a step further. When y'all go back through the Fire Swamp, me and mes amis will go wi' you, and y'all can lead us to 'em yourselves.” He waved toward a ragtag group of ponies standing behind him, who all nodded. “Ok, whatever floats your boat,” said Mom with a shrug. Big Mac came back to our wagons with an inflatable alligator and a bag of fresh-pulled taffy, both of which Pinkie Pie would've appreciated. He gave me a piece of Neighapolitan. I tell you what, you haven't really eaten taffy unless you've tasted it fresh from the pulling machine. Though the Sweet Apple Acres carts were among the last food carts to arrive, we had to be the first to leave. When Celestia started lowering the sun, we knew we had to get the hay outta Dodge, so we wouldn't have to trot through the Fire Swamp after dark. True to his word, Trapper brought seven of his friends to escort us through the Fire Swamp. He also had a small cannon mounted on his whither. When I asked him about it, he explained that it was loaded with a tranquilizer dart, and could be fired by squeezing a trigger with just the edge of his hoof. “That's pretty ingenious.” I thought for a moment, glancing at a paper wasp nest as we passed it by. “I don't suppose it works on bugbears?” He frowned. “Well now, it ain't formulated for bugbear. You need a much higher concentration, but too much and you make it sleep forever. And bugbears be so rare I never thought to work out the dosage.” “That's all right. Just a thought I had. Hopefully I won't have to face a bugbear for many moons.” Mom cringed. “I hope you never do!” “But if you do, I'm certain that you could lasso it into submission,” Dad said with a confidence that made my cheeks flush. “Aw shucks Dad, that's mighty kind of you to say, but have you ever seen a bugbear? I mean a real one?” He flicked his long tail and glanced over his shoulder at me. “No. Have you?” “N-no. I mean, not exactly...” I swear I felt the blood drain from my face as I reached near Fluttershy levels of stammering. I hated lying to Dad. “Not in this lifetime, that is.” Dad seemed real suspicious as he frowned at me. “That's a weird way of putting it.” “Applejack, are you saying you have seen a bugbear?” Mom furrowed her brow. “Uh – hey, shouldn't we ought to have reached the chimeras by now?” Mom's eyes narrowed to slits. “Don't you try to change the subject Miss Loophole.” “No – I mean, I am trying to change the subject, but I also really think we should've reached the chimeras! Ain't that the tree Mac knocked down?” I pointed at the maple lying across the path. “You're right,” said Dad. “Those chimeras should be nearby.” “Eyup,” agreed Mac. All of us ponies spread out to search the area. Mom even gave me permission to hop out of the wagon. I walked over to the downed tree and quickly spotted a severed piece of rope hanging from one of the branches. “Consarnit! They got loose.” I lifted the end of the rope with my hoof. Trapper trotted up next to me and studied the rope. “Goat head chew through this.” “I'm sorry y'all.” I sighed. “I thought I tied all their mouths and paws real tight, but clearly I didn't do a good job.” I turned my head to look all around in case the chimeras wanted to start something again. There weren't no yellow eyes glinting through the haze, nor any growls or hisses. I probed with my health sense, but all I picked up was Mom's punctures and Trapper's scar tissue. “They're long gone now,” I said. “I feel bad that all y'all came out here for nothing.” “Don't be like that, darling,” said Trapper. “Them chimeras left us a good trail to follow. We'll catch 'em sooner or later.” Lifting his head, he said to his ponies, “All right mes amis, we gonna split up. You two go with the apple ponies and make sure they get to the meadow safe-like.” He pointed to two of the Hayseed Swamp ponies. “The rest of y'all are with me. We best find 'em chimeras 'fore sundown. Allon!” “Thank you kindly,” said Mom, “but are you two sure you wanna come with us?” “Mais oui cher,” said a mare with a slingshot strapped to her side. “We'll come along just in case the chimeras or any other deadly critters went that way.” “Well all right then.” Mom considered the leftover pies and fritters before glancing at Dad. Dad seemed to pick up on her silent hint. “Take some pies and turnovers with you. I think we have a few fritters left too.” The swamp ponies weren't too proud to accept the pastries – or at least this crew wasn't. Before hitting the trail, they loaded up their saddlebags with apple treats. The rest of the return trip was uneventful. Let me tell you, any uneventful trip through the Everfree is a great trip. By the time we reached the border between the Everfree and Sweet Apple Acres, Princess Celestia had lowered the sun, and the orchard was lit with a gentle peach afterglow. Up on a hill in the distance I glimpsed the lights from the house windows shining through the trees. “Mom, Dad, you see the farmhouse lights?” I said. “That there is your bright new future.” “New future?” Twitching his ears, Dad glanced over his shoulder at me. “We're just going home.” Right. They were just going home. A moment I'd wished to see for most of my life. “But y'all almost didn't make it home.” I hammered the point in. “But now you get to spend years and years together in that house, or at least a similar one if that one ever gets destroyed in some freak accident.” “Jackie what are you talking about?” Dad shook his head at me. “It's our barn that always gets demolished. What makes you think something is going to happen to our house?” “It's Ponyville,” I said flatly. “It's a wonder it's lasted this long.” Dad opened his mouth, then hesitated, frowning. “You know, that's actually a good point.” “Don't you know?” said Mom. “My ma and my grandparents did a protective ritual to ward off natural disasters back when they first laid the foundations.” “Really? I never knew that.” I stared at the window lights, thinking. “Only natural disasters? Granny might wanna update that ritual. You know, just in case.” Dad raised his eyebrows. “Wait, if they performed a protective ritual, why didn't they do that to the barn?” “'Cause then we'd have nothing to do for family reunions,” answered Mom. Dad had to stop for a few seconds to digest that little nugget. When we stepped into the house, Granny Smith was cooking dinner on the stove top, while Apple Bloom sat up in her playpen. As soon as she saw us, Granny said, “Land sakes! Y'all look like you been put through the wringer.” “Eyup.” Mac nodded. Granny walked over to Mom and gently prodded the ice pack that the doctor had secured to her shoulder. It squished against her hoof. “I'll get some more ice for that and you can tell me all about it Spice,” she said kindly. “Thanks Ma.” Granny moseyed past me, barely glancing at me as she said, “Applejack, you got something stuck to your...” She stopped and turned her head to look full at me. Then she blinked, and her eyes and mouth opened wide. “Shut my mouth! That's your cutie mark! Well congratulations honey! Let me get a good look at it.” She squinted. “A lasso, huh? That ain't too surprising, what with your fancy rope tricks. Oh, but listen to me gabbing when I should be getting the ice like I said I would.” She shook her head. “It's all right Ma. I don't blame you for getting excited.” Mom walked over to the playpen and gazed down, her freckled cheeks lifting in a smile. “Hey there sweet pea! Were you a good filly for your granny?” Apple Bloom peered up and, slowly, her face blossomed into innocent joy. Wiggling her forelegs, she reached upwards. “Mama!” Mom lowered her hoof towards AB, but Dad sidled over and scooped her up in his foreleg before Mom could touch her. “How's my little bundle of joy?” he asked, tickling her chin. Apple Bloom laughed in reply, curling in on herself. Tears pricked my eyes, and I fought down a lump in my throat. “AJ?” Mac gaped at me, his gentle green eyes wide open. “Are you crying on the outside?” “No. It's liquid pride.” I felt kinda bad for stealing that line from Twilight's brother. 'Course, for all I know, he may have already come up with it. I just didn't hear him say it till years later. But pride is what I felt. Reuniting a little foal with her parents? That, my friends, is what it's all about. That's the reason I left my timeline to come to this one. No matter what happens from here on out, it'll all have been worth it for this moment alone. No matter what happens, you hear?