//------------------------------//
// Shade of Truth 
// Story: The Alleys of Ponyville: Short Stories from the Noireverse 
// by PonyJosiah13 
//------------------------------//

A low wailing sounded through the dim room and Applejack opened her eyes with a groan. "Here we go again," she mumbled, flailing through the dark for a few seconds before she managed to find the bedside lamp. She winced as light flooded her bedroom and sat up in bed, shaking her mane out of her eyes and reluctantly pulling herself from Rara's warm embrace. 

The night sky out the window was clear and speckled with stars, with a waxing crescent shining directly into their room. The floorboards creaked beneath her hooves as she climbed out of bed and walked over to the crib in the corner. The hoofmade rocking crib had an apple carved into the headboard: beneath it was a bundle of white and green blankets, from which the wailing was coming. Applejack gently lifted the blankets aside to behold a pale gold unicorn, baby blue curls wrapped around his horn. The little colt stopped crying when he saw her, blinking up at her with teary silver eyes and whimpering. 

"Hey now, sugarcube. It's okay," Applejack whispered as Rara woke up with a grumble, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. 

"What's wrong with him?" Rara asked through a yawn as Applejack gently lifted Endeavor out of the crib. 

Applejack sniffed quickly. "Well, he doesn't need changing. We literally fed him an hour ago. Guess he just wanted some attention." 

Rara chuckled softly as Applejack carried Endeavor over to the rocking chair and sat down, slowly rocking back and forth with a soft creaking. "Is it going to be like this for the next few years?" 

"Eeyup," Applejack smiled, cuddling the colt to her chest. 

"Is it too late to return him?" Rara joked, pushing some of her curls back behind her ears. 

"Sorry; I threw away the receipt," Applejack grinned back. "Besides, I think it's too late once you sign the papers." 

Rara sighed with a smile, sitting on the edge of the mattress as she watched their son. Endeavor stretched in Applejack's arms, inserting Applejack's mane into his mouth and chewing on it. Applejack smiled wearily as drool started to run down her hair. 

"I still love him. Mess and all," Rara replied. 

"Me too," Applejack said, kissing Endeavor on the forehead. He cooed and reached up to bat at her mane. 

Endeavor turned to look over at Rara, the tears gone from his eyes. "Ma," he gurgled with a toothless smile. 

The smile vanished from Rara's face for a moment and she dropped her gaze to the floor, a small storm rumbling in the back of her mind. 

"Rara? What's wrong?" Applejack asked. 

"What are we gonna tell him?" Rara replied. 

Applejack tilted her head to the side. "What d'you mean?" 

"About his mother," Rara answered, nodding at Endeavor. "What are we gonna tell him about that?" She blinked at the wide silver eyes, curiosity shimmering in the irides. "Does he even remember her?" 

Applejack frowned. "We do have to tell him one day," she said. "He deserves the truth." 

"But..." Rara sighed and mopped her face. "You're right...but what do we say? Your real mother was a criminal who gave you up while she went to jail for murder?" 

"Rara!" Applejack cried, cuddling Endeavor closer to her chest as if to shield him. 

"Sorry, sorry," Rara shook her head. "But..." 

"What we're going to tell him is that his birth mother loves him very much, but she made some bad choices and needed to answer for them," Applejack said, continuing to rock back and forth on the chair with a rhythmic creaking. "We'll tell him that we took him in because he needed more than a home, he needed a family who would raise him right, would love him. And we'll tell him that his two mothers and his uncle and aunt and great-grandma love him very, very much." 

Rara was silent for a long moment, contemplating the little colt in her fiancée's arms, then leaned forward and stroked his face, rubbing a strand of blue hair out of his eyes. Endeavor babbled and gently nibbled on her hoof. Rara giggled and leaned forward, kissing Endeavor's warm, fluffy forehead. A warmth spread through her chest, emanating from her heart. 

"Okay," she nodded. She stroked Applejack's face, running a hoof through her golden, apple-scented mane and kissed her on her soft lips that tasted of honey and warm milk. "I love you, AJ." 

"I love you, Rara," Applejack whispered, nuzzling her. 

Endeavor gurgled and started to play with AJ's mane again. "Ouch!" Applejack cried as he tugged on a snag. "Great, now he's wound up." 

"I got it," Rara said, plucking a guitar from a stand on the other side of her bed. She strummed the strings a few times, then began to play a low tune, recalling an old lullaby that her Fillypino grandfather would sing to her. 

The words flowed from her lips, carried by the music of the guitar to Endeavor's ears. He paused with a curious coo, turning his gaze to Rara. She smiled at her son, continuing to play and sing. Applejack began to slowly rock back and forth in time to the lullaby. 

Endeavor had fallen deep asleep by the time Rara finished the song. Both mares gave him one last kiss on the forehead and Applejack gently set him down in the crib, carefully tucking him in. 

With contented smiles, the young mothers climbed back into bed and pulled the sheets up over themselves as Applejack turned out the light, leaving only the glow of the stars and moon to light the room.