//------------------------------// // Follow the Money // Story: Parent Trap // by PhantomBulwark //------------------------------// Rarity was waiting for them when they made it off the trail. Her brow furrowed in obvious confusion at their strained and angry expressions. Only AJ and Sunset had managed to keep straight faces as they moved toward the car. The reason for the encompassing anger made itself known before they had even cleared half the parking lot. Vignette stomped out of the tree line; she was disheveled and red with rage. “You cannot just leave me like that,” she shrieked, “I’m all you’ve got! You’re pathetic little family operation won’t survive another harvest without my help. I’ll SUE. I’ll SUE YOU FOR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.” Applejack’s eyes met Rarity’s, Her blonde tresses coming free of her ponytail and her expression stormy. She turned to the still cursing Vignette with a sigh, “Then go on and SUE, DAMNIT!” She shook her head and looked down at the Stetson hat in her hand before slamming it down on her head. “I’ve had it up to here with you girl, it’s over. We’re done here. I’ve stood all I can stand of you and I can’t stand no more.” She got in AJ’s face, eyes bulging and spittle flying from her lips, “you clueless hick! You can’t dump me. You’re nothing without me… what do you even have? Brats that aren’t even yours and this lot?” she motioned at the rest of the family, standing silently, expressions deadly calm. “Her?” Here she thrust a finger at Rarity, “she doesn’t love you. What self-respecting woman would?” Applejack opened her mouth to offer a retort but a gentle hand settled between her shoulder blades. “There’s no need for you to respond to such uncouth behavior darling.” Rarity said softly, her hand drifted down to her bicep and tugged her away from Vignette. “She’s just a small person trying to make you feel as badly as she obviously feels about herself.” “Oh, shut up you fake, two faced, whore.” “Don’t talk to my mother like that!” “Don’t talk about my mom like that!” It brought a fleeting smile to everyone’s faces, hearing the twins defending her. “It’s alright boys; no amount of money, power, or product can ever disguise an ugly heart.” She glanced at the other woman with pity. “I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t understand what an honor it is to be part of a family like this one. You keep trying to drag the people around you down because you’re jealous of what they have but-” “Jealous!?” “Yes. You’re jealous. Look around you, what do you see? I’ll tell you what I see. An accomplished photographer. An award winning scientist and teacher. I see a famous athlete, a treasured baker, a respected local vet. And I see a family that’s widely considered to be a pillar of the community. And every single one of them has more class in their pinkie fingers than you’ve ever had. And what’s more they have been far more gracious than you have any right to expect.” She glanced over her shoulder, “Mr. Sentry? I’ve said my piece.” From a squad car parked just behind the Apple family a somewhat familiar face appeared. “Good evening,” he greeted, “for those of you who didn’t go to school with me or have forgotten, I’m Detective Flash Sentry. Canterlot PD. Ms. Vignette Valencia?” “Yes?” “You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain-” “Wha? But I’ve not done anything!” Flash frowned, “Well, I’m afraid that I have evidence to the contrary ma’am. According to the records Ms. Belle here and Ms. Smith-Apple presented to me. Not only is there sufficient proof that you have been forging Ms. Smith-Apple’s signature on several documents. But you have also been slowly embezzling sums of money from Sweet Apple Acres accounts. The total monetary loss is quite extensive and I would hazard to say you are going to be in quite a bit of legal trouble in the near future.” The next few hours seemed to pass in a blur. Rarity, with their friends and the Apple clan in tow, followed Flash’s car to the police station. Once Vignette was led away, Flash explained that while they had been camping, Rarity had been investigating. While wandering her old haunts around the farm, she had come across some of the farms accounting information hidden in a rarely used desk. Upon closer inspection she discovered several pages of documents and even a few checks apparently signed by Granny Smith. What caught her attention was that the checks and documents were signed... in cursive. Rarity, having spent time with the Apple matriarch in her youth had immediately been suspicious. She remembered stories about the elderly woman quitting school when she was young. She left school to help her family on the farm. Granny had never learned to read or write cursive. She had only ever signed documents with her initials, printed GSA and a small apple. “Once I figured out that she was skimming money from the accounts while no one was looking... I started looking at the advertising she was supposed to be paying for. There was very little actual advertising going on.” Rarity explained. “BonBon and Lyra down at the candy store still think pretty highly of me, so they referred us to a good accountant. Once she took a look at what you had she confirmed that Vignette has been stealing from you since you gave her the advertising job. And when you started giving her more responsibility around the farm… the amount she was pulling from your accounts went up even more. You never noticed because she was doing the accounting on all the accounts she stole from. The accountant said that she stole in excess of $40,000.” Applejack looked ill. “I-I had no idea that she…” She crumpled into the seat across from Flash. The papers on the desk between them told her all she needed to know. AJ had never been very good at math but even she could tell that the numbers had been altered. “I promise that I’ll do everything I can to make sure your family gets your money back AJ.” Flash assured, “it may take a while but her accounts are frozen while we do our investigation.” “Thank you Detective.” Sugar Belle said softly, glancing from Flash to the shell shocked Apple’s. “Come on, ya’ll.” She took Big Mac’s arm in one hand and wrapped the other arm around Apple Bloom’s shoulder. AJ had locked herself in her room. This, Rarity decided, would not do at all. She knocked gently on the door, “it’s me. Let’s not pretend you actually want to be alone. Even when you were furious with me you didn’t like being by yourself.” There was a long pause, then the door creaked open an inch and a downcast green eye peered out. “You can’t be using stuff like that against me Rares.” “I never thought I would miss that heinous name you came up with,” she sighed fondly. “Let me in you big oaf.” Applejack turned away from the door but left it open. Rarity slipped in, closing it behind her and setting that so familiar hand between her shoulder blades. “I can’t even begin to thank you for what ya’ did.” “You needn’t thank me darling, whatever else we might be, we were friends first. I would never let her get away with hurting you so.” Applejack turned to face her. Rarity’s hand slid away from her back and as they locked eyes it resettled on her chest. “You are something else Rarity Belle. I should’ve never let you go.” “You didn’t let me, darling. We were barely more than children and I’m the one who left. I often think I’d have been just as happy as a small town seamstress if it meant keeping you… but we made our beds and now we’re lying in them, so to speak.” “I’d do it all over again,” she whispered. The world fell away, only Rarity’s bright blue eyes remained. She had the stray thought that she’d like another child, this one with her smile and Rarity’s eyes. Before her brain could beat that thought back with reason she fell into it. Their lips met and Applejack remembered the first time she ever saw Rarity Belle. She remembered with such clarity that it might have happened only yesterday.