//------------------------------//
// Part II - Chapter 2: Lost Family, New Friends 
// Story: Alicornae: The Legend of Starlit Sky 
// by PortalJumper 
//------------------------------//


Alicornae: The Legend of Starlit Sky


Part II - Chapter 2: Lost Family, New Friends







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It was night out by the time Applejack came back to the tavern, and Starlit had just gotten finished taking off her armor and equipment for the day. The process was noticeably easier than when she had donned it back at the Golden Oak, as well as being able to do it without muttering the incantation to herself, lending further credence to Setting Sun's theory.

Starlit had just settled onto her bed when a soft knock echoed off the door.

"It's open," she said.

Thus invited, Applejack stepped through the door. Starlit noticed that she was wearing a wide-brimmed hat tilted back at a jaunty angle. Starlit couldn't quite place how, but it framed her face in a very pleasing way, like she was born to wear it.

"Hope I'm not intruding," Applejack said as she sat down at the small table by the window. "Today's hasn't necessarily been the best one, but I just thought I'd come back by and see how you were gettin' on."

"And not just because you promised you would this afternoon?" Starlit quipped.

"And that," Applejack replied. "I've never gone back on my word and I'm not about to start now."

"Well, to answer your question, my side hurts like the dickens, I think I've sweated out about three quarts of liquid, and I made a couple of new friends," Starlit said. "On the whole, I'd say this is a net even as far as days are concerned."

Applejack let out a quick sharp laugh at Starlit's sardonicism, setting her hat down on the small end table by the window as she did.

"Something tells me that you're a pony that got beaten up a lot as a filly. You've got a sharp tongue, and speakin' from experience there aren't a lot of ponies that can appreciate a good smartass."

"You? A smartass?" Starlit asked incredulously. "Perish the thought!"

The pair shared in a good chuckle, one that even the stabbing pain in Starlit's ribs couldn't completely quash.

"I'm serious!" Applejack insisted. "Once I mouthed off to the former sheriff, back when that was still its own position, and he got so mad that he accidentally shot a water barrel with stress magic."

"So he resigned and gave the position to you, right?" Starlit teased. "I suppose you pulled the same stunt on the mayor to get their job too."

"I wish it were that easy," Applejack replied. "I'll tell you what, getting this job was about as hard as actually doing it."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Oh, it'd just bore you to tears," Applejack answered. "A lot of politicking and appealing to ponies I don't give two apples about with the occasional bit of flank-kissing. I'd prefer to be out in my fields, but somepony's got to do this job."

"So why you?" Starlit asked, genuinely intrigued by Applejack's dedication to a job she seemingly hates. Starlit could empathize, given her present situation.

Applejack didn't answer immediately, and her mood seemed to fall at Starlit's question. She sat at the table for a while, staring out the window at nothing and everything. Starlit also spied a single tear roll down Applejack's cheek, one that she didn't even seem to notice.

"You have a family, Starlit Sky?" Applejack asked after a time, eyes still solidly fixed on the horizon.

"Mm-hm, a husband and a daughter," Starlit answered.

"Then maybe you can humor me here." Applejack answered. "Earlier I said I was a member of the Apple family, but that was only part true. You see, Apple Bloom and I... we are the Apple family. All that's left of it here, at least."

Starlit tried to form words of sympathy, something she could say to ease the obvious hurt that lay on Applejack's heart, but none of the words in her head sounded right. They sounded hollow and empty, platitudes to act as a salve rather than genuine words of wisdom.

"My parents were good people," Applejack continued, turning back to Starlit. "Kept the farm going, gave Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and I a good life while they were around. Our Granny lived with us for a time but she passed away a long while ago."

"What happened to them?" Starlit asked.

"Same thing that happens to everypony around here; they got summoned to the palace," Applejack answered. "It was rainy that day, which is a rarity around here, when their letters came. Materialized right on the kitchen table, all golden and regal. They packed their bags that night and left the next morning, and that was that."

"That's it? Just a magic letter shows up and they abandon their family?" Starlit asked, feeling her blood start to boil.

"Yep, just like that. Big Mac, my older brother, got his a couple of years ago. Apple Bloom was beside herself for weeks when he left, and it's just been me and her since then."

The tears that had been steadily welling in Applejack's eyes started falling in earnest, but her voice remained even and controlled despite it.

"She's such a little trooper, and it terrifies me to think that her letter might be next," Applejack continued. "I took the job as mayor and sheriff because I wanted to protect her, but all it does is keep me tied to a desk in Town Hall rather than with her back at home. The fact that we were together when you showed up was practically a miracle. I want to leave, I really do, but I've done so much good for this town while in office, I just feel trapped."

Applejack stopped speaking as her sadness finally overcame her resolve, and she just sat in the small stool by the table staring at the floor as the tears fell. The energy in the room had decidedly worsened, but Starlit had an inkling of what she could do to help.

Slowly she got off the bed, being careful of her side, and walked over to where Applejack was seated. She sat on the rough wood floor and started idly running her hoof through Applejack's mane, as she had done time and again for White Eclipse whenever she was upset.

"Applejack," Starlit said, "I won't pretend to know what it's like to lose family like you have; I never knew my parents, and my family has always been waiting for me at the end of the day. But there is one thing I can do for you."

Applejack lifted her face enough that her eyes met Starlit's. They were red and tear streaked, but her bright green irises shone with the curiosity of a filly.

"You know that I have to go to the palace tomorrow," Starlit continued. "I have business with the Queen that needs attending to, but I promise you that I will find out what became of your family. It's the least I could do for the mare that saved my life today."

"Starlit," Applejack began before getting cut off.

"Now, I know you came here to dissuade me from going on this fool's errand, and were it up to me I wouldn't be doing this either. The only reason I'm risking my life is because the fate of Equestria is apparently hanging in the balance, and furtherm—"

Starlit didn't get another word out before being enveloped in a tight hug. Applejack's face pressed deeply into the fur of her shoulder as fresh tears dripped onto her shoulder.

"Thank you," Applejack said through the hiccups. "Thank you so much."

Tenderly Starlit reciprocated, wrapping her left foreleg around Applejack's sturdy neck. Her mind flashed back to the nights when White Eclipse had had a bad dream; the same tears, the desperation to hold onto something familiar, and Starlit being a bulwark against hopelessness and despair.

After a time Applejack let the hug end, standing back up and picking her hat up from the table with a meek look on her face. She was blushing quite hard, enough for her freckles to be readily apparent on her cheeks.

"Sorry 'bout gettin' all blubbery on you," Applejack apologized, wiping away her tears and runny nose. "I appreciate the sentiment, really I do, but I get the feeling that what you're going out there to do is way more important than finding my family. Don't let my sob story distract you, I've been past this for a while now."

"I'm sure it won't be a problem," Starlit replied. "The hardest part should probably be getting there, given the whole 'sun-blasted wasteland' I'm going to have to trek through."

"Well, if anypony'll help you get across the Plains, it'll be Setting Sun."

"So you saw me talking to my new friend, did you?" Starlit asked.

"Sure did," Applejack answered. "He's a good stallion, far better than most, but he's a bit of a quirky bird. He's always got his nose down in a book, and heaven help you if you get between him and some new information. I once had to haul him in for a count of assault."

Starlit's eyes widened a bit at this revelation. Setting Sun had seemed perfectly mannered, perhaps too genteel for his own good, so the idea of him inflicting an unsealable wound on another pony had Starlit's mind running in circles.

"Him?" Starlit queried. "Burgundy coat, milquetoast personality, kinda scrawny? I don't see it."

"Well you'd better start seeing it," Applejack admonished. "I wouldn't have thought him capable if I weren't the one he came running to after he did it, bawling like a foal and his best friend's blood dripping down his horn. Apparently it was over some book, although I didn't really ask him much about it until after the fact. I had to knock him out just to get him to calm down enough for me to take him in, and I had to haul the both of them down to the doctor's to get his friend patched up."

"What was the wound like?" Starlit asked, curiosity and worry both piqued.

"It was a stab wound straight through the shoulder made by Sun's horn. Apparently there was some sort of magic pumped into the wound, and from that day until the day his buddy got summoned the wound never really closed over properly."

"I'm going to have to talk with him about that," Starlit thought. Setting Sun had seemed polite enough, and was certainly invaluable as an ally if how he dealt with Stonewall was any indication, but she was going to have to whip him into shape.

"Do you know where he lives?" Starlit asked.

"Yeah, just down the main road in the house by the clock tower," Applejack replied. "Seems a bit late to come callin' though, don't you think?"

"I won't be long," Starlit answered as she strapped her knife to her leg, "and thank you again for all of your help and hospitality."

Without another word Starlit made for the door to her room. It overlooked the main bar of the saloon where Cherry Blossom was busy cleaning up after the day's sales. The table she and Setting Sun had been at, Starlit noticed, was still flipped on its side, although the spilled food had been cleaned up already.

"Listen Starlit," Applejack called from the top of the stairs, "I'm sure you know what you're doing, but don't let whatever it is you have to do tomorrow cloud your judgement tonight. Decisions made hastily are rarely good ones."

Starlit turned to face the stairs. Applejack's face was the face of a mare concerned, and for a moment Starlit saw so much of herself in that face. Looking back to her dagger she breathed a heavy sigh, lighting up her horn as she unbuckled the knife and walked it up the stairs to Applejack.

"I promise you I won't be long, so if you could watch my room for maybe a half-hour while I talk with Setting Sun...?" Starlit asked.

"Schure fing," Applejack replied through a mouthful of leather.

"Dear, don't talk with your mouth full," Starlit admonished.

Applejack let out a snort of laughter that loosened her grip on the knife's sheath, letting it fall the the floor with a dull thunk. Starlit couldn't help but get caught up in it and snickered quietly behind her hoof.

"Oh, your daughter must love you," Applejack answered back. "Now go on, go sort out whatever you need to sort out; I'll sit tight until you get back. Apple Bloom knows not to go to sleep 'til I get home anyway."

With a quick nod, Starlit trotted back down the stairs and made for the door.


*       *       *


Setting Sun's house spoke volumes about the pony that lived inside; the facade, while relatively plain, had better upkeep than most of the other buildings in Appleoosa. It was also festooned with various trinkets and baubles made of glass and metal that chimed in the dry desert wind. 

Starlit Sky rapped the door with three sharp knocks, and stood patiently.

"Just a minute!" Sun called from inside. What followed was a series of clanks and scrapings with the occasional muttered curse before he stumbled out the front door, followed by a few bits of cooking ware.

"Oh, its you!" Sun said, a tad surprised. "Who told you where I live?"

"Applejack, although you don't exactly make yourself scarce," Starlit answered. "I just came by to talk about our trip tomorrow."

"Yes, right, that, I was actually going to go to the saloon tomorrow morning and catch up about that, but I guess the sooner the better. C'mere, I have something to show you."

Quickly Sun trotted back inside, leaving the door open for Starlit to follow suit. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to, however, as his house was an absolute disaster. Dishes lay scattered across most horizontal surfaces, the floor was covered with half-finished experiments and devices with innumerable possible functions, and papers with scribbled writing and drawings covered the walls and a fair amount of his window space.

"Sorry for the mess," Sun called from his cramped living space. "I've been working on a lot of projects, and some of them just sort of pile up."

"Give me a full day and a scrub brush made of iron and I could have this place halfway to unsightly," Starlit groused to herself. She prided herself on keeping a tidy home, so to see this sort of chaotic whirlwind set her teeth on edge.

With careful tread she stepped around the minefield of detritus between the door and the living room. It was a small space with a couple of rough looking cushions set around a low table. Whatever layers of junk had covered it were shoved off onto the floor, replaced by a small brass device.

"Now, you're probably wondering how we're supposed to cross the Plains without a summons," Setting Sun began, "given that a summons is the only actual way to get out there without drying up like a raisin."

"Yes, that would be a bit of an issue," Starlit pointed out, "but first there's something I nee—"

"So that's where this little beauty comes in," Sun interrupted, his train of thought chugging along undeterred. He carefully lifted up his small brass bauble, an orb about the size of a beet with several seperations and lines across its surface. Affixed at either end were a pair of small buttons, raised up over the rest of the orb, with a bold black line going around the equator of it.

"Listen, that's very nice, but I really need t—" Starlit began before getting interrupted again.

"This, my pride and joy, is how we make it across. See, the sphere itself separates into two halves, and each half can become a portable habitat that can shield us from the sun. I did some research on the summoning scrolls to figure out how they protect from the heat and solar radiation, and I'm pretty sure I have it narrowed down t—"

"Sun, enough!" Starlit shouted. "Stop your babbling and listen for a second!"

Eyes wide, Sun put his orb down and shuffled uncomfortably on his cushion.

"Sorry, that was rude," he muttered, head hung down to face his forehooves. "What did you need to say?"

"That's better," Starlit said, a sigh of relief making its way out alongside her statement. "Now, I wanted to go over a few things about you. Specifically, your personality."

"Applejack told you about Thunder Lane, huh?" Sun replied.

"Not by name, no, but she gave me the gist of the incident," Starlit answered, caught off-balance by his powers of perception. "What exactly happened between you two that caused you to lash out like that?"

"It's not a pretty story, if you must know," Sun began. "We used to be really good friends before it all went down, and that's the honest truth. The two of us went to school together, and he always had my back when the bigger colts would pick on me. We shared everything, he and I, just to give some context on this."

"Then why did you go and stab him over a book?" Starlit asked. Everything about Sun's story wasn't adding up with the image Starlit had in her head of a pony so obsessed with his knowledge that he prized it over the wellbeing of others.

"It wasn't just a book!" Sun shot back. His eyes, once penitent, now burned with a singular intensity that took Starlit aback.

"Then what was it?" Starlit answered back.

Setting Sun shifted back and forth, trying to look everywhere besides at Starlit's face. He looked equal parts nervous, embarrassed, and angry while trying to hide it all under a cracking mask of indifference.

"Do you have a family?" Sun asked. Starlit resisted the urge to roll her eyes given she had just had this conversation with Applejack.

"Yes, a husband and a daughter," Starlit answered, "and given the question I'd hazard a guess and say that your family got summoned?"

"Yeah, I figured you already got the sob story from Applejack about it as well," Sun answered. "Really, ask anyone in town and they'll tell you that they've had at least one close friend or family member get summoned at some point or another. Some of them come back but never say why they left, and others never do. For me it was my parents, long before I ever got to know them."

Now it was Starlit's turn to paw uncormfortably at her cushion. She had never given much consideration to her parents given that they were long gone by the time she could've gotten to know them, but hearing another pony talk about it made her stomach feel heavy.

"I can commiserate," she replied. "I never knew my parents; my mother's mother raised me, and when she passed away I went to live in the children's home."

"Then you'll understand why this book was important to me," Sun continued, trying to keep his voice level. "It wasn't just a book, I have a wide selection of them here; it was an album, with hoofdrawn pictures of my parents. The artist did it as a last commission before he passed away, and he prided himself on the accuracy of his portraiture, according to ponies around town who knew him. They say my folks had it commissioned on the day before they left for their summoning."

"To be given to you, so you'd have something to remember them by," Starlit finished. Normally not one for heavy emotions, she could feel her throat tighten as she spoke and the weight in her stomach move to her chest.

"Exactly. So, one day, Thunder Lane and I were coming back from the farm where Applejack lives. We had gotten some apples from her for doing some light work for her, and on the road back he noticed the album sticking out of my saddlebags. He went to reach for it, I tried to back away so he wouldn't bite into it, he missed and knocked it out of my bag and into a mud puddle as it had been raining earlier, and well... the rest is history."

"Sun, I understand why you got upset," Starlit said, "but why did you stab him? You could've told him off, did something less drastic than inflict a permanent, unsealable wound on your best friend."

"I wasn't thinking," Sun answered. "I only meant to poke him really hard, but... I guess my magic leaked out due to my emotions and it pierced him through the shoulder. If it had been even an inch lower I would've stabbed him right through the heart, and when I saw the blood I panicked and ran back to Applejack's. She saw the blood on my horn, assumed the worst, knocked me out cold with those back hooves of hers, and got Thunder Lane to the doctor just in time to save him."

"Hmm..." Starlit murmured. "I'd take it that the two of you didn't speak much after that?"

"I didn't talk with Thunder Lane again until he got summoned, and all he said to me was 'Sorry for taking your book.'"

The pair sat in uncomfortable silence for a while. Sun toyed with his bauble while Starlit looked around the room. Now that she actually paid attention to it, there was a certain hectic but intrinsic pattern to the clutter; papers with similar subject matter pasted near each other on the wall, devices and components put into piles based on what function they fulfilled. It may not be neat, but it was organized.

"Sun, I won't begrudge you for what happened," Starlit said, breaking the uncomfortable tension, "but I need your assurance that this sort of thing won't happen when we leave tomorrow. I have business with the Queen that potentially has the fate of Equestria riding on its success, and an emotional outburst could jeopardize that. Do I have your word?"

"You do," Setting Sun affirmed. He held his head a little higher than before, and even with his scrawny build he looked taller than before.

"Good. Now, about the device that will protect us tomorrow?"

"Finally," Sun said, relieved, as he placed the ball back onto the table. "Now, as I was sayin—"

He wasn't able to finish the statement before his front door burst open, sending a smattering of mechanical parts flying across the tiny kitchen. Cherry Blossom stood in the doorway, out of breath and with a panicked expression.

"Starlit, you gotta come quick! Applejack's been kidnapped!"


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