• Published 28th Nov 2011
  • 8,561 Views, 302 Comments

Life on the Frontier - Starwind Dood



A love triangle is made as Carrot Top and Little Strongheart compete for Braeburn's affection.

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A hearth warming miracle is made!

Chapter 3: A hearth warming miracle is made!

"Stop, thief!" Little Strongheart called out as she stampeded down the roads of Appleloosa. Ahead of her, a green mare with burlap sack of stolen goods was trying to escape the buffalo of the law. She pursued the outlaw across the city, slowly catching up catching up with each step, little by little, but her goal wasn't to catch the outlaw: it was to herd her. "Sheriff Silverstar, now!" she called out.

From out of nowhere, salvos of apple pies were launched at the outlaw. Her vision became obscured by the fresh piping-hot pastries, and the outlaw ran right into the police building, doing most of the work for Little Strongheart. She placed a hoof on the outlaw's back. "Runner, you are under arrest for smuggling."

The pony under Little Strongheart didn't say a word as Sheriff Silverstar appeared and hoof-cuffed her. "Good work there, Little Strongheart. You're proving to be an excellent addition to the law enforcement here."

"Thank you," she replied, bowing. "I am just trying to do my part."

"By the way, where's your partner, Derpy?"

"She said she had to pick up some important mail in Ponyville. She told me she would be back at lunch time," Little Strongheart answered.

"Important mail?" Sheriff Silverstar echoed, pulling in his moustache. "I think she used to be a mailmare back in Ponyville. She’s made quite the step up from that."


"Dinky," Carrot Top called out, "I made some breakfast since your mother is out; are you hungry?" Carrot Top stood before a table of thick carrot waffles slathered in syrup, butter, and empty calories. The orange mare liked to think she deserved the treat every once in a while. "I made waffles!"

Dinky lazily slumped out of the room she shared with her mother. "You stuffed them with carrots, didn't you?" she groaned. "You know I hate carrots."

"First off, carrots are good for you." Carrot Top was fully aware that any nutrition to be had was overshadowed by the weight of the rest of the meal. "Second, mature mares do not complain about food."

"Fine," Dinky huffed as she took her place at the table and began to eat around the carrots. She sighed with content at the buttery confection, but remained silent.

"So," Carrot Top started, "how do you like Appleloosa?"

Dinky was very vocal about her disdain to moving to Appleloosa when Derpy first told her about moving, but, after weeks of screaming and yelling, she eventually settled for passive contempt.

"It's not half-bad here once you get used to… certain facilities," Carrot Top tried to promote the quaint town, even if she was still having a hard time adjusting.

"Whatever," Dinky responded. "Appleloosa is fine," she muttered. "Got any sugar?"


Derpy always found the skies around Canterlot and its neighboring cities like Ponyville to be magical. Maybe it was the effect of the princesses that lends the air the little bit of mystique that made her feel a little lighter. In her Appleloosa officer vest, close to her heart, was a letter from her eldest daughter, Sparkler. Derpy already read the letter twice before she had taken off back to Appleloosa, memorizing every word and playing them in her mind, like a recoding.

Dear mother,

I'm doing fine. I found another job here at a toy store. The seasons are coming up, so that means everypony is going to be diving for gifts, so please stop worrying. Canterlot is really bright this time of year. I'm always amazed by how much this town loves to gussy up, but I actually kind of like the shiny flare to it all. I guess that's just like me. I remember Ponyville used to do some neat things too.

How are Dinky and Carrot Top? I doubt Dinky still remembers much of me now. I'll try and send her a gift close to the end of the month just to remind her I exist. Carrot Top still okay? I remember when we first moved in with her. She always seemed kind of wound-up, but I'm sure living with you for a while has forced some of that out of her. You have that special effect on ponies.

With Love,
Sparkler

PS: Thank you for the basket of muffins.

It gave Derpy unimaginable joy to know that her daughter was okay, even if Sparkler was now farther away from her family than ever and didn't know it.

The ground below Derpy began to change from green to brown. In the horizon, Appleloosa was getting larger and larger. The sun was directly overhead, filling the city with a vibrant array of reds, greens, yellows, and browns. "I'm back, Appleloosa!" she announced from the sky as she descended to the ground.

"Derpy!" Little Strongheart called out to her. "How did your trip to Ponyville go?"

"Good," Derpy beamed, landing on her hind hooves before tumbling over. "I meant to do that. Did I miss anything?" Little Strongheart told her about the smuggler she had caught hours ago, completely surprising her. "I missed that! It's still my first week and I missed something big. Oh, I'll have to work extra-hard now!" With a plucky attitude, Derpy beat a hoof against her chest and rose back into the air. "Come, Little Bighoof! Justice awaits delivery!"

Little Strongheart sighed in resignation. "Lead the way, Officer Doo."


Carrot Top haphazardly stumbled into the hovel of a home Appleloosa had provided her with, Braeburn following behind. The sun was barely down, but she had been working all day on a new synthesis compound that might be the breakthrough she had been looking for in rejuvenating dirt for year-long use. She collapses to the floor, delirious. "Hi, floor, I missed you," she moaned.

"Is Carrot alright?" Dinky asked, poking the mare in amusement.

"She's just gettin' used to the Appleloosa sun." Braeburn picked up Carrot Top, trying to help her to her room to rest. "She'll be back in form after a good night's rest, I'm sure." Dinky wasn't the only pony he was trying to convince with that line.

"I'm home!" Derpy announced as she flew through the open door, hanging her officer's vest on a stand. "Muffin!" she exclaimed as she dove at her temperamental daughter. "Mommy is home!"

"I can see that," Dinky groaned as she was lifted into the air. "Can you put me down?"

"No, because it's time for little filly exercises," Derpy coddled her daughter, much to her annoyance. "You've been sitting around the house all day. Growing filly needs to go out and play!"

"Greetings, everypony." Little Strongheart eased into the now cramped hovel. "What happened to Carrot Top?" She placed a hoof on Carrot Top, checking her pulse and slightly jealous that Braeburn was holding onto her. "Did she stay out in the sun too long?"

"Pretty much," Braeburn sighed. "She'll need more than a hat at this rate."

"I'm fine," Carrot Top grumbled. "I just need something to eat that isn't a salad. Do we have any carrot cake left? Or is the fridge empty?"

"It's empty," Derpy replied as she flew out of the hovel with Dinky pressed against her.

"A mare full of energy, that one," Braeburn laughed as he dragged Carrot Top over to the couch. "Just what is the story between you two, Carrot Top?"

"Me and Derpy?" Carrot Top replied, growing a little more coherent with the subject matter. She laid her head between her forelegs, recounting all the time she had spent with Derpy. "It's not a long story. She worked as a mailmare in Ponyville and… she came to live with me," Carrot Top sighed, her voice holding back something she was afraid to say.

"Carrot Top," Braeburn placed a hoof on her shoulder, "it's all right if you don't want to tell us."

The feeling of Braeburn touching her had caused a conflicting pair of emotions to manifest in Carrot Top. She was nervous; she had rarely been touched by stallions in such a way. At the same time, it made her feel a little better. "The subject matter is just depressing. Derpy used to be married to another pony. He was a unicorn. One day he disappeared, and that's all I really know. I don't know if he abandoned them, or if they split up, or even if he died, but Derpy was left with a daughter and pregnant."

"Wait," Braeburn interrupted, "pregnant!? Miss Doo doesn't look pregnant."

"This was a long time ago. Derpy was pregnant with Dinky." Carrot Top paused for a moment, biting her lip. Is it alright to divulge so much about her best friend's life? She looked back at the faces of Braeburn and Little Strongheart, who showed genuine concern. Carrot Top continued, "Dinky is Derpy's second daughter. Her first daughter, Sparkler, moved to Canterlot to bring in some bits.

"Derpy and I actually go quite a ways back, so when bits started growing too tight for her and she started showing and went on maternity leave, I approached her and offered her a place at my house. Soon after that, Dinky was born. A couple years later Sparkler moved to Canterlot," Carrot Top sighed, hoping that telling the two of them was the right thing to do. It didn't seem like the wrong thing to do, as she and Little Strongheart seemed to have grown rather close recently, and Braeburn was anything if not good-hearted. "I'm going to ask that you not tell Derpy I told you this. I'm not sure how well she'll react, and she’s a rather proud pony when you get down to it. I admit, she did not move into my house easily. Though, I sometimes wonder who got more out of it: her or me…"

"I understand, Carrot Top," Braeburn replied. "Miss Doo is a stronger mare than I realized."

"I had no idea." Little Strongheart's voice began to crack as she mulled over Derpy's history, stirring up some painful memories.

"Now, now. Just 'cause a story is sad," Braeburn started, "doesn't mean it doesn't have a happy endin'." Braeburn placed a hoof under her chin, catching Little Strongheart by surprise. She gazed into his green eyes as he turned her head towards him. With a smile, he said, "Buck up. We know another story that looked bad, but it turned out to have a pretty happy ending, right?"

"Of course," Little Strongheart replied.

"W-what!" Carrot Top interrupted them, afraid the scene was getting a little too intimate. "What story?"

Braeburn gave a hard chuckle as eh turned back to Carrot Top, taking back his hoof. "A little incident awhile ago where the buffalo nearly ran over the entire city, but that ended all right."

"W-what!?" Carrot Top replied.


An hour later, Derpy and Dinky returned to the hovel, covered in dirt and bits of cloud with a few buckets of water hanging from her hooves and mouth. She set them down and announced, "We're back! And somepowny needs a bawth," she said, holding up a sour-faced Dinky and speaking in baby words.

"Only because of you," Dinky answered, wanting to break free from her mother's hold. "You flew through all the clouds."

"But they looked so tasty," Derpy giggled as she picked up the buckets, making her way to the bathtub outside. "We'll be back in twenty minutes."

"Dinner should be ready by then," Carrot Top called back to her. "We're having guests for dinner. Braeburn and Little Strongheart."

"Oh boy! Sounds like fun!" Derpy exclaimed from outside, filling the tub and lighting a little alcove under it. "We haven’t had a dinner party this big in a long time! You're making that carrot alfredo stuff! Right?"

"Blech!" Dinky wretched. "I have to eat more carrots?"

"A mature filly always eats her vegetables."

"Why is it I can only be mature when everypony uses it against me…"

"Bath first, 'mature' filly," Derpy laughed.

Dinner was filled with light-hearted laughter. Carrot Top's carrot alfredo went over well with her house-guests, earning her many compliments from Braeburn about her cooking and many extra helpings from Little Strongheart, who found the food foreign and delicious. "What is this alfredo grown from?" she asked.

"I made it from butter, cream, and cheese," Carrot Top answered. "It's a bit on the simple side, but it does taste good."

"Good nothing," Braeburn added in, helping himself to another plate. "With food like this I'm surprised you're not married."

"Well, that might change," Carrot Top said, feeling somewhat adventurous before all the blood in her body rushed to her face. She served herself a rather large serving of the pasta and quietly sat at the table, stuffing herself.

"The carrots are still yucky," Dinky mumbled, exciting a laugh out of everyone around her.

After dinner, Braeburn said his goodbyes and galloped off, back to his home. Derpy had tucked in Dinky and started washing the dishes. It was an agreement between her and Carrot Top that when one of them cooked, the other would do the dishes. With Derpy earnestly at work, Little Strongheart approached Carrot Top. "Meet me outside."

"Hm?" Carrot Top had no clue what the request could be about, or why Little Strongheart would approach her about it. "Fine," she sighed.

Once the two were outside, Little Strongheart produced a letter from her headband. She unfolded it and offered it to Carrot Top. "Could you read this and tell me what it is about?" she asked.

Carrot Top took the letter. Her eyes skimmed over the content for a few minutes before realizing it was for Derpy and from Sparkler in Canterlot. She felt the blood flush out of her face, as if she had betrayed Derpy. "Where did you get this?" she hissed.

"I found it in Derpy's vest," Little Strongheart replied, confused about why Carrot Top was so aggravated.

"This is a personal letter from Sparkler to Derpy. You can't just steal mail." Carrot Top huffed, trying to keep her voice low and not outright yell at the oblivious buffalo. "You're invading her privacy."

"I am invading her what?" Little Strongheart repeated, having no idea that she had made any actual mistakes. "So it is from her eldest daughter? The one that left? They communicate through mail?"

"Well… yes," Carrot Top answered. "Sparkler sends a letter about once a month to let Derpy know she's fine and that she doesn't need to worry about her… but that's beside the point! Stealing mail is wrong."

"I did not steal," Little Strongheart replied, growing annoyed with Carrot Top's sudden hysterics. "If I had stolen it, you would not be holding it now." Little Strongheart explained her point-of-view, Carrot Top's reaction being somewhere between exasperation and resignation "Now, where is Canterlot?"

"Why do you need to go to Canterlot?" Carrot Top asked, afraid of the answer the buffalo would provide her with.

"To find her eldest daughter, Sparkler, and reunite her family. A family should never be separated under any condition," she said adamantly.

Carrot Top sighed. How was she going to explain this? "Listen, for ponies, it's not too uncommon for colts and fillies to separate from their families at a young age to look for work. I don't know what it's like among the buffalo, but you're talking about going to Canterlot, the biggest city in Equestria, to look for a single pony."

"I do not care," Little Strongheart replied, almost talking down on Carrot Top. "A family should stay together, not split apart. Now, which way is Canterlot?"

"Well, on hoof, it's about a week, and are you crazy?" Carrot Top felt exhausted. She wondered if Little Strongheart was worth the effort of explaining to. "This is harebrained at best.”

"I'm a buffalo, not a hare, and stampeding from one place to another is what I do all the time."

"You're intruding on Derpy's life," Carrot Top finally pleaded. "Do you have any idea what that means? I'm sure you have some customs among your tribe where it's bad to intrude."

Little Strongheart thought about it for a moment. "It's generally frowned on to interrupt two buffalo in the middle of making a family."

Carrot Top twitched a little. "I give up."

"Then will you tell me where Canterlot is?"

"Little Strongheart," Carrot Top hoped that actually using her name rather than a derivative might make her understand what she was saying. "Canterlot is too far for you. You aren't doing anypony any favors for this. I'm going to bed now, good night."

"What about your moving trains?" Little Strongheart brought up. "Those move faster than any stampeding buffalo. Those cost bits, right? I have bits now."

"But you can't read pony," Carrot Top answered back. "You'll get lost."

"Then come with me. Are you not Derpy's friend? If you are, then you care about her happiness."

"Right now, Derpy is washing some dishes, humming a butchered version of Ave Maria while probably day-dreaming of how she'll coddle her daughter tomorrow. She seems rather happy to me."

She was right, Little Strongheart realized. Derpy seemed to be a perpetual stampede of good feelings and general merriment. She never seemed to get down, even when others were yelling at her, which would be the times she rose the highest. "Then don't we owe it to her?"

"What?" Carrot Top raised an invisible eyebrow. "We owe it to her?"

"For being a good friend," Little Strongheart squarely stated.

Carrot Top found herself mulling over her life since Derpy moved in. Before Derpy, Carrot Top lived in an empty and quiet house with no one to share it with. When her friend had fallen on hard times she gave her a place to stay, and suddenly her life was filled with more noise than she could have ever dreamed of. She remembered the day Sparkler left, and how Derpy cried herself to sleep for a week straight. Derpy blamed herself for not working hard enough to support her two daughters. They had made peace long ago, but that didn't change that after every one of Sparkler's visits Carrot Top thought she heard crying from across the hall. "You win," Carrot Top lamented. "We'll go to Canterlot and try to find Sparkler."

"Thank you," Little Strongheart replied with a smile. "I am sure we will succeed in our quest."

"You're sure, I'm not," she sighed. "Are you sure Sheriff Silverstar won't mind?"

"It matters little to me if he does or not. My status here as an officer means nothing to the importance of family."

"Good for you," Carrot Top grumbled, "but we leave tomorrow morning. Not now."


Little Strongheart had never rode a train before. Granted, she had jumped on a train and detached one of its carts, but being inside one was a totally new sensation. The scenery changed even faster than when she would stampede on the great trail with her tribe, but lacked any of the exhilarating euphoria that came with it. She felt stuck, yet was still moving. "I can feel my last meal returning to me," she muttered sickly.

"Oh, you need to throw up? Just, follow me to the bathroom." Carrot Top felt a little sympathy. She never quite got used to trains, but her first time left her with a terrible taste in her mouth, one of half-digested broccoli.

Carrot Top led Little Strongheart down the aisles of the train and to a side room with a toilet and sink: two items in particular Carrot Top missed dearly. "You can use the toilet to throw up," she instructed.

"Thank you," Little Strongheart mumbled as her breakfast finally came up on her. A few minutes of washing up later, Little Strongheart was beginning to feel better about the train. "How long will it take to reach Canterlot?"

"We'll probably be there by mid-afternoon," Carrot Top groaned. "You do know that won't leave us with a lot of time to look for her, and I doubt we brought enough bits to rent a hotel room for more than a day."

"Then we will need to move fast," Little Strongheart answered. "You can handle that, right?"

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Carrot Top asked indignantly.

"Not at all," Little Strongheart laughed sincerely.

"You ate more than me last night!" Carrot Top pointed out, hoping she now had the upper-hoof.

"From what I have observed, buffalo naturally eat more than ponies, so I don't think that counts. On the other hoof, you ate more than Braeburn did."

Carrot Top lost the fight. "Fine, whatever, I'm fat," she groaned. "Let's just get back to our seat."

"I apologies. I did not mean for that to come out so… rudely."

"No, it's true," Carrot Top sighed. "I have bad eating habits. I stuff myself one day, can barely stand to drink a cup of water the next, wishfully thinking that it balances out. It doesn't."

"Miss Carrot Top," Little Strongheart broke through self-image-impaired mare's downtrodden tirade. "Last night I ate four of your bowls of your carrot alfredo food. I think the average buffalo would only eat three."

Carrot Top heard the sincerity in Little Strongheart's voice. "Thanks."


Braeburn rapped on the door to Carrot Top's hovel. "C'mon, Big Doo," he called from behind the door. "Carrot Top told me to fillysit you for today, so can you unlock the door." Braeburn didn't hear any sounds coming from within the building, and knew he could probably buck the door down with little effort, but he still kept knocking, hoping Dinky would answer herself.

Within the hovel, Dinky idly sipped on a box of juice, mostly ignoring the rather patient stallion who had been knocking for close to an hour now. "Maybe I should just let him in," she groaned to herself as the box in front of her emptied. With a body quivering from sitting for so long, Dinky ambled to the front door and let the annoying stallion in.

Braeburn smiled down at Dinky. "Carrot Top tells me you don't get out much, so I thought I would give you a special one-on-one tour of Aaaaaaaaaappleloosa!" he whinnied, bucking up and elongating the first syllable to impossible lengths.

"I'll pass," Dinky replied with a deadpan tone. "I've seen it all already. Dirt and sand. Lots of dirt and sand. I'm sure Carrot will take you up on the offer, though."

"Oh I've already shown her around town five times by now. Poor mare has no sense of direction."

"Right," Dinky snorted, nodding absent-mindedly. "Anyway, I've got a wall to stare at."

"Oh no you don’t!" Braeburn bit down on Dinky's tail and swung her onto his back. "You're coming with me!"

"This is foalnapping," Dinky argued, kicking at Braeburn, who just ignored her.

"Carrot Top told me to watch you, and I'm doing just that. Now, let's go explore Appleloosa!" Braeburn stampeded off into the city, the filly on his back suddenly holding on tightly so as not to fall off. "I know a playground where lots of foals like to play at."

"I'm not interested," Dinky yelled, and was ignored completely.


Carrot Top and Little Strongheart had gone wide-eyed by the view of Canterlot. Carrot Top had been here on only the slightest of occasions, and never when the town was decorated for Hearth Warming Eve. Little Strongheart, completely foreign to this side of pony culture, had been reduced to a babbling stream of words. "The buildings! They are so tall! And all these lights! The decorations! Do I hear music? Carrot Top, what is going on?"

"It's Hearth Warming Eve. It's a very special holiday for ponies, which is why everything is decorated and lights are everywhere. As for the tall buildings... well, Canterlot is just like that," Carrot Top explained.

"It's so different from Appleloosa. Where is the pony that is going to greet and welcome us?" Little Strongheart looked from side to side, but find no pony that looked like he or she would welcome them to the city.

Carrot Top couldn't suppress her laughter. "N-no! That's something Braeburn does just for Appleloosa. I'm afraid that ponies like him are one in a million, so you shouldn't expect anypony to pop out"

"That is a shame. Appleloosa is so much warmer for Braeburn's work to make all the visitors feel welcomed."

"You know," Carrot Top started, "when I first heard him I thought it was the most annoying sound ever."

"What!" Little Strongheart gasped. "To be greeted in such an open and friendly manner and you found it annoying."

"It's just not normal. Then again, Braeburn seems to be unnaturally altruistic in general. He seems to live to make others feel at home. Comforting, like an apple." Carrot Top smiled to herself, her mind wandering to Braeburn's cutie mark, and the flank the cutie mark was on. "Well, I guess we should get started," she sighed.

Compared to Appleloosa, Canterlot was a whole other planet in terms of size and scenery, which just made their search that much harder. Neither Carrot Top nor Little Strongheart knew how to navigate the royal city, and they had no clues to go on. Still, the buffalo steeled herself against any obstacle. "Excuse me," Little Strongheart approached a pair of finely dressed ponies with horns, "have you seen a grey pony with wings by the name of Sparkler?" she asked.

The finely dressed stallion turned his nose up on Little Strongheart. "I have never heard of such a drab pony. Let's go, Upper Crust," he answered as he walked away with the finely dressed mare.

"Drab?" Little Strongheart repeated, turning to Carrot Top. "What does that mean?"

"It means dull," Carrot Top explained.

"That is quite rude."

"Like saying a citypony like me can't handle Appleloosa?" Carrot Top curtly replied, reminding Little Strongheart of her initial attitude towards Carrot Top.

"That was also rude," Little Strongheart admitted, "even if you did stay out in the sun too long the morning."

Carrot Top sighed a little. "You're also messing up Sparkler's description. She's a unicorn, like Dinky, but pink and purple."

"What!?" Little Strongheart bleated. "Ponies have such an odd variety of fur colors."

"Yeah," Carrot Top found herself agreeing, "we kind of do."


Dinky was not having fun. She had been dragged around town all day by Braeburn while he went on about some historic or cultural significance of things she had no interest in. Why do I have to go along with this? Now, she was seated at the Salt Block with a kid's menu and a set of crayons spread out in front of her.

"Bit for your thoughts, Big Doo," Braeburn tried to reach out to her. "You've been awfully quiet for awhile now."

"I'm fine," Dinky mumbled. She extended her magic to the crayons in front of her and began coloring in the colorless ponies on the menu.

"Anything you hungry for?" Braeburn tried again, letting his natural smile settle on his face. "I think the grilled cheese is mighty tasty."

"Then order one," Dinky replied curtly.

Braeburn was beginning to grow uneasy. He had never encountered such a cold filly before, and was genuinely at a loss. "Dinky," he spoke to her with her actual name, "if I've done somethin' to offend you, I apologize. You don't need to be all cold with me. Tell me what's on your mind?"

"It's nothing you did," Dinky mumbled. She looked down at her coloring; the foals on the front had been filled in. A blond-maned pegasus with a gray coat drifted across the sky. On the ground a cream-maned colt was passing her a ball, his coat an odd shade of brown, a light blue filly with a purple mane in the background, dancing along with some bunnies. "Nothing is wrong," Dinky murmured. "I'll have a grilled cheese." her eyes were on the verge of tearing up.

Braeburn gazed at the lovingly colored picture, fully realizing what it meant. "No problem, and afterwards we'll get some ice cream. Would you like that?"

"Yah," Dinky nodded.


"Sparkler!" Little Strongheart yelled out at the top of her lungs, hoping all of Canterlot might hear her. "Sparkler!"

"Our chances of that working are one in a thousand," Carrot Top replied. "And that's being generous."

"I have not heard any better ideas out of you," Little Strongheart accused. "So if you have any ideas less stressful on my voice, I am all ears."

"I don't know," Carrot Top replied. "Was there anything in her letter? Let me check it and see if there’s anything that can help." Carrot Top pulled the letter out from a curl in her mane. She laid it down and ran her eyes across it, searching for key words. It was a little heart-warming, and a little heart-breaking, at the same time. "She wrote that she got a job working at a toy shop, so maybe we'll have better luck looking at any store that sells toys."

"That is an excellent idea!" the Little Strongheart giddily replied. "Where is the toy store?"

Carrot Top groaned, "In a city this big there are bound to be multiple toy stores."

"We still have to try." Little Strongheart pulled Carrot Top along in a random direction that she wasn't totally sure about herself. "A family should never separate!" she said again, repeating it like a mantra.

"It happens all the time," Carrot Top tried to explain again, even if she knew it was pointless. "This is a noble cause and all, but we may not find her."

Little Strongheart didn't hear Carrot Top as she continued to pull her along, bumping into a large pony she didn't see in her way. "Uhf!" Little Strongheart bleated as she fell to the ground. She took a look at the white horned pony she had accidentally walked into. "I am sorry," she said courteously.

"No, no, that's quite all right," the regal unicorn answered back. "Curious, I've never seen a buffalo here in Canterlot before."

"I am Little Strongheart," she introduced herself.

"I am Fancypants. A pleasure to meet you." The unicorn held out a hoof to shake.

Little Strongheart accepted the hoof and shook it. "By any chance, Mr. Fancypants, have you seen a purple horned pony named Sparkler?" she asked.

"I can't say I have, I'm afraid," Fancypants replied. "Canterlot is a big place with lots of unicorns. It's almost easier to stick out if you have nothing sticking out of you head, much like your orange friend there," he joked.

"Oh!" Carrot Top took her cue. "My name is Carrot Top. It is a pleasure to meet you." She bowed.

"And a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Mr. Fancypants," Carrot Top started, "we do know that the unicorn we're looking for is working at a toy store here in Canterlot. I don't suppose you could give us a lead with just that?"

"Hmm," Fancypants thought for a moment, "why don't you try the one in the Canterlot Royal Plaza. It's the busiest, so I would imagine requiring the most extra workers for the season. That's about all I can infer with that little information."

"Thank you," Carrot Top replied, "that's better than what we had, thank you."

"It's no problem," the perfectly mannered stallion bowed. "I wish you two the best of luck on your search."


Derpy hovered down to the little hovel of a home she was beginning to grow rather fond of. It wasn't nearly as big as her and Carrot Top's home in Ponyville, but this little one was growing on her. She opened the door into the den and found Dinky sleeping next to Braeburn. "Oh, Carrot Top and Little Bighoof aren’t back yet?" she asked.

"Guess not," Braeburn replied tiredly.

"Thank you, Mr. Braeburn. I promise I'll pay you back for watching my precious muffin."

"It's no problem, Miss Doo. I just hope I was able to help your daughter in some way." Braeburn looked down at the little filly, dreams of the past floating in her head. "She seems lonely, Miss Doo."

"I know," Derpy-Doo sat herself next to Braeburn. "It broke my heart a little, to have to separate her from her friends. I promised myself we would visit Ponyville regularly, just for her." Derpy ran a hoof through her daughter's mane. "I'm going to have to live up to that soon."

"So, you moved here with Carrot Top?" Braeburn asked.

"Yes, she's been such a help to me in my life. I almost see her as an older sister now, and I didn't want my sister to feel so alone if I can help it, but now I've gone and hurt my daughter." Derpy felt a tear run down her face. "I just keep pushing my daughters away. Am I a bad mother?"

"You most certainly are not," Braeburn replied, putting a hoof around Derpy's shoulder. "Not with the way you work to raise your daughter to be a good mare. I'm sure, one day, she'll be the most mature pony in Equestria; she'll mature enough to be a princess, and it will be because you were her mother."

"Thank you," Derpy replied. "You'll make a good husband one day, Braeburn," she giggled.

"Why thank you, I'm flattered."

"It's a shame you aren’t a unicorn," Derpy sighed as she floated off to her room.

Braeburn shrugged away the confusing comment. He tried to get up to move, but every time he moved just a tiny bit, Dinky seemed to grab on tighter to him. "Miss Doo, a little help."

"I'll get a blanket for you and your date," Derpy teased.

Braeburn tried to get up again. "No, really. I think she inherited that grip of yours."


The moon hung still in the night sky. Both Little Strongheart and Carrot Top were weary from walking all over Canterlot, and finally found themselves at the ever-crowded and busy noble court. Hundreds upon hundreds of posh ponies were flowing through the market district, cascading from one store to the next to take advantage of the sales. "Sparkler!" Little Strongheart cried out, weakly. "Sparkler!"

"There she is!" Carrot Top gasped. "Sparkler!"

In front of the largest toy store in Canterlot, and by extension Equestria, a pink pony dressed in a brown cloak was handing out flyers. "Have you seen our prices? They're almost too friendly!" she advertised.

"Sparkler!" Carrot Top called out again.

Sparkler's ears caught her name being called out. She turned, and her eyes caught the sight on an all too familiar orange mare. "Carrot Top?" she mouthed.

"Sparkler! It's me, Carrot Top!" she called out again.

"Carrot Top!" Sparkler yelled back. "What are you doing here?"

"I, well, it's a long story," Carrot Top sighed.

"We came here to reunite you with your family," Little Strongheart threw in, shortening a very long story.

"Reunite me with my family?" Sparkler repeated the words again before letting out a light chuckle. "Who's your over-dramatic friend?" she asked Carrot Top.

"This is-"

"I am Little Strongheart," the somewhat aggravated buffalo answered for herself.

"Well, Little Strongheart, it's a pleasure to meet you. Care for some sales?"

"Sales?" Little Strongheart questioned. She dismissed the word and returned to her original point. "It's against the idea of family to separate!"

Sparkler just continued to laugh, brushing off the seemingly-hysteric buffalo. "You must be a hoot at parties," she joked, returning to her advertising duties.

"Hoot? What? I am not an owl, I am a buffalo!" Little Strongheart fumed. "Why are you not listening to me?"

"I told you," Carrot Top sighed. She feared that this was going to turn into a painful lesson for Little Strongheart.

"But... but!" Little Strongheart ran out of words. "What about Derpy? The letter?"

"Letter?" Sparkler turned to Little Strongheart, her face contorting with sudden anger. "Did you read my letter to my mother!" she flared up. "That's private! For her and her alone!"

"If you feel that strongly then you should come with us to your mother and reunite as a family," Little Strongheart argued back.

"That's beside the point!" Sparkler yelled, standing taller than the buffalo and looming over her, inquisitively. "You, a total stranger, felt the need to barge into my life and tell me what to do!? What the hay!"

"W-what?" Little Strongheart had not expected such an angry outburst. She was not prepared either. Sparkler was angry about something she couldn't understand, and in the back of her mind it made her realize something downright depressing. "I... I am sorry for my transgressions and misbehavior."

"You should be," Sparkler retorted, turning away from her. "Now leave me alone, I have a job to do."

"At once," Little Strongheart sighed as she turned around and walked away from the rightfully angry mare.

"Sparkler... don't you think that was a little mean?" Carrot Top knew that Sparkler was right about Little Strongheart's actions, but she also wondered if it was right to be so mean about it. “Just so you know, I read the letter too. In fact, Little Strongheart can't actually read it."

"I don't mind so much when you read it," Sparkler sighed. "I mean, I'm still kind of miffed about it, but you're like family. Some random... buffalo? Showing up and telling me how to live my life? That's just pretentious."

Carrot Top sighed. "Yes, it is, but she does mean well. She's headstrong and thick-skinned, but she's a good po... buffalo when you get down to it."

"Good for her," Sparkler huffed.

"In fact, she's become a close friend of your mother's. That's kind of why she wanted to come here. She just wants Derpy to be happy."

"Is..." Sparkler solemnly spoke, "is mom not feeling too good?"

"No, she's as happy and carefree as ever... I think. She's always been a tough read."

"Yeah, that sounds like mom." The air between the two became uncomfortably silent. They looked at each other, both filling with nostalgia.

"Pretty soon, you'll get a letter from Derpy telling you about how she moved to Appleloosa with me. She'll probably tell you about a certain buffalo she's befriended. I hope, when you read that, you begin to understand that Little Strongheart's... heart is in the right place."

"I'm sure it is," Sparkler groaned.

"Sparkler," Carrot Top hugged the pink mare. "Take care of yourself."

"I will, Carrot," Sparkler replied.


The train ride home was unbearably uncomfortable for Little Strongheart. The buffalo hadn't said a word since her encounter with Sparkler, and it was in that encounter that she finally realized the cultural divide between her and ponies, and that also meant that she might never be able to get close to Braeburn or even Derpy. "This was a waste of time," she sighed.

"Well, not exactly," Carrot Top answered her. "We just went to Canterlot! The pony capital of the world. That in itself is quite something."

Another hour of silence passed them; Carrot Top broke it with a question. "The idea of family must be really important for you, huh? Is it a part of your buffalo culture?"

"Partly," Little Strongheart lamented. "I lost my parents eleven years ago. I was raised by Chief Thunderhooves himself, but I still feel sad when I see all the other calves with their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters; but those are my hang ups to deal with. I shouldn't have let that drive me like this. I am sorry, Carrot Top."

"It's all right. You just wanted to make a family happy; nopony can hold a grudge over that." Carrot Top comforted her. She placed a hoof on Little Strongheart's back, trying to comfort her like how a mother might comfort a daughter, thinking deeply over everything Little Strongheart said. Wait, she lost her parents how long ago? "Uh, how old were you when you lost your parents?" Carrot Top asked a little too insensitively.

"I was four..." the buffalo replied uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, but I would prefer not to talk about it."

"Little Strongheart," Carrot Top's voice was filled with fear, "just how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen, why?"

I'm competing for a stallion with a filly!? "No, reason," Carrot Top sighed. "Just... feel better, all right?" she said, her hoof still on Little Strongheart’s back. The two sat together for the rest of the ride back to Appleloosa, and while the rest of the ride was silent, they did begin to genuinely enjoy each other's company.


Morning arrived, and in a certain little hovel a gray little filly was beginning to stir. Pushing away the lugnut of a stallion suddenly attached to her, Dinky silently strode to the sink to wash her eyes. The strange sight of Carrot Top and Little Strongheart passed out in front of the doorway stopped her for a moment. With a chuckle, she continued back to the sink.

In the kitchen, Derpy was working on fresh breakfast for everyone. "How is my muffin this morning?" she cooed.

"I'm fine," Dinky yawned, stretching her legs. "You said we would visit Ponyville soon, right?"

"Of course," Derpy replied, her attention split between her baking and her daughter.

Dinky starred into the magical oven. "Fresh muffins?"

"Yep! For breakfast. I woke up and saw everypony-and-buffalo sleeping together and thought I should treat us all."

A knock came from the front-door. "I'll get it." Dinky replied as she trotted back to the den. She used Little Strongheart as a stool to reach the doorknob. Dinky turned the doorknob, revealing the pink visitor.

"Is this where I can find..." The pink unicorn visitor took a single look at the grey filly unicorn in front of her. This was exactly where she wanted to be. "Hey, sis."

"Sparkler," Dinky quivered. "Sparkler!" she cried as she jumped into her sisters hooves.

"I... well..." Sparkler stepped over her words. She looked through the doorway to find Little Strongheart and Carrot Top passed out on the floor, a stallion she had never met before passed out at the other end of the hovel, and her mother with a fresh plate of muffins on her back. "Some... buffalo paid me a visit and told me to visit," she said with an awkward smile. "So, here I am."

"I'm glad you came," Derpy answered her, tears streaming down her face.


Sparkler and Dinky sat on the roof of the hovel, enjoying the sundown. They had spent the entire day together; laughing and playing. For Dinky, it almost felt surreal. "Are you really going back tomorrow?" Dinky asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Sparkler apologized. She didn't want Dinky to get sad over her. The time they had together was brief, and she feared it always would be. "I'll miss you, little sis."

"I'll miss you too." Dinky grabbed hold of her sister’s hoof, holding onto it with all her might. "Don't go!" Dinky pleaded. "I feel so alone here. I don't know anypony and mom still works all day."

Sparkler ran a hoof through Dinky's blond mane. She would never admit she was jealous that Dinky inherited Derpy's blond mane. "Yeah, she does work all day, but can you tell me what she does the moment she bursts through that front door?"

"She fusses with my mane," Dinky answered.

"That's right." Sparkler turned back to the sunset. "You know, I felt really lonely when I first moved to Canterlot, and I missed you and mom every day." She could see the question forming in Dinky and answered it pre-emptively. "Bits were hard for us, remember? The only way to get by was for me to find a job. So, even though I cried all the time, I also told myself that it would get better."

"Did it get better?" Dinky asked, face buried in Sparkler's arm.

"It did," Sparkler answered her, "I've made lots of friends in Canterlot, and they help me out all the time, and I help them all the time too. You can make friend too, you know."

"You're better at making friends than me," the little filly sighed. "I'm not that good at being friendly."

"Don't think like that," Sparkler grabbed hold of her little sister, embracing her in a deep hug. "You'll never be able to guess what's in store for you in the future. You can make lots of friends; I'm sure of it."

"And what makes you think that?"

"You're like mom: strong and proud. Ponies will admire you for it, if you can just stop being a brat."

"I'm not a brat!" Dinky laughed.

"Of course not." Sparkler picked up Dinky, embracing her.

The two stayed together for a little longer before Derpy called out, "Dinky! It's bed time!"

"Coming!" Dinky called back. She turned back to Sparkler. "Promise you'll be here in the morning."

"I promise," Sparkler answered.

The two of them dropped from the low roof of the hovel. Dinky ran off to join her mother in their little room. Sparkler watched them leave, feeling warmed from the inside out. She missed her family more than she realized.

The sound of hoofsteps alerted Sparkler to another pony's presence. She turned, and found a buffalo. "Were you eavesdropping?" Sparkler asked Little Strongheart.

"I just wanted to apologies again," Little Strongheart admitted. "It was entirely wrong of me to try and force you to come here, so please forgive me."

Sparkler sighed. "Yeah, you're forgiven."

"I thank you," Little Strongheart bowed.

"I should also thank you," Sparkler admitted. "It has been quite a while since I've visited mom and sis... and Carrot Top tells me you two have become fast friends."

"Yes," the buffalo answered. "Your mother has an unusual strength about her."

"Unusual is right!" Sparkler laughed. "Well, Little Strongheart. Let's try this again. I'm Sparkler." the friendly pink unicorn held out a hoof to shake.

"I am Little Strongheart," the happy buffalo replied, shaking the hoof. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual," Sparkler replied.

Little Strongheart returned to the hovel where Carrot Top was busy at the sink, washing dishes in dirty water, and Braeburn sitting at the dining table with a stomach full of Derpy's cobbler. "You two sure are something," he piped up. "Uniting a family like this. It's a real miracle."

"Well," Carrot Top was beginning to feel embarrassed, "it was Little Strongheart's idea, not mine."

"You're too sensible to try something this rabbit-brained," Little Strongheart giggled. "Honestly, if you were not there, I would have probably stampeded through every building in that large city and still not found her."

"Then that just goes to show just how special the both of you are." Braeburn leaned down and kissed Little Strongheart on the cheek. He trotted over to Carrot Top and did just the same.

The mare and the buffalo had gone wide-eyed, losing much of their sensibility and paralyzed.

"You all have a good night now," he replied, waving to them as he started on his way home.

"We're..." Carrot Top mumbled.

"Special..." Little Strongheart sighed.

The two looked past the doorway, Braeburn's figure just barely visible. It felt nice to be special to someone, they both thought.