//------------------------------// // Arc XXIII Episode XII: Festival Concerns // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// With Applejack… Surprisingly, the farm gal had actually purchased herself a set of festival robes. They were rather plain and simple with a mere red color scheme with apples across it, but to her, it was a much better alternative compared to having Rarity make one for her… But with her sister Applebloom off busy with her Crusader friends, and her elder brother Big Mac likely resting with Sugar Belle somewhere in the festival, Applejack was on her own, idly nibbling on a caramel fuji apple as she watched the fireworks. That is, until Sunset appeared--having spotted her due to noticing the Apple gal’s iconic brown hat. “There you are, AJ,” she greeted her as she approached, “How’s it going?” “Oh it’s swell,” she replied with a chuckle, “Everybody’s havin’ a grand ol’ time. Mah sister’s off with her friends, and I think I saw Keiji hangin’ with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” She chuckled at the thought. “Lil’ feller is out there makin’ moves.” “Wow, he must be a piece of work if he can manage to get on their good sides,” Sunset remarked, noting just how rough around the edges Tiara and Spoon could be from the gossip she had heard. “While that’s good, I’ve actually got a question to ask.” “Yeah? What’s up, Sunset?” Sunset took care to choose her next words carefully. “Okay. This is gonna sound weird but...I heard from a talking white cat with yellow eyes that said something called the ‘Apple Crisis’ from five years ago. It was walking alongside this boy with blu-ish green skin. Know anything about that?” “...” Applejack froze in place and averted her gaze from Sunset for a moment as she gave it some thought. “Five years ago…that’s when ma and pa…” Applejack shook her head and tried her best to stave off those feelings of doubt and guilt. Unfortunately, the one thing she wasn’t exactly good at was telling a lie. “N-naw…? A-at least, I don’t think I know nothin’ about that,” she danced around the subject rather poorly with her eyes darting around as she scratched the back of her head. “Nothin’ you need’ta worry about is ringin’ a bell.” Naturally, Sunset was skeptical of this, as she could always tell when Applejack was trying to avoid the truth. Being the most honest person in town did come with drawbacks such as not being able to properly cover your own tracks--something Sunset was able to tell right away. However, given how sensitive Applejack appeared to be regarding the subject, Sunset wondered if it would be okay to pry deeper at all. “...should I even ask anything else? I don’t wanna make her feel uncomfortable.” “Alright, well…if you’re sure,” Sunset brushed it off, “It was probably a baseless rumor put out there just to throw you off anyway. Don’t let it get to you, alright?” she tried to console her friend by putting her hand on Applejack’s shoulder. To which the farm gal replied with a nod and a forced smile. “Thanks, Sunset. That makes me feel better already.” “Anytime,” Sunset replied as she took a step back, “If you need me, I’ll be hanging with Fluttershy over by the park.” Meanwhile, with the nobility trio… Diamond Tiara was idly watching the fireworks with Silver Spoon and Keiji when she suddenly felt her phone buzz. “Hm?” She looked down, and noticed that it was because of a text message that she had just received. This caused her to immediately rise from her seat on the grass. “Shoot--it’s my dad. I’ll be right back, okay guys?” “Want us to come with you?” Keiji asked, noting the amount of concern in Tiara’s voice. Silver Spoon paused for a moment when she realized that Keiji had asked her friend how she felt. “...He really does care, huh?” Then she focused on Tiara herself and asked, “Yeah, we could probably provide you with some moral support. Is everything okay, Di?” “I dunno…” Tiara looked at her phone for a moment, then at her two closest friends. She ultimately decided in favor of them. “..but yeah, that’s a good idea. I’m sorry, guys. I know we’re trying to relax, but I feel like my dad could be in danger.” “No sweat,” Keiji tightened up his robe and stood up alongside Silver Spoon. “We’re here for ya. Right, Silvy?” Spoon simply rolled her eyes in response to the nickname, and put a hand on Tiara’s shoulder. “He’s right. You’ve got us to rely on, so we’ll be here for you. Don’t worry.” With this in mind, Tiara was visibly more relaxed as she started walking down the hill. “Thanks, guys. Alright, he’s right down this way…” The trio walked down the hill towards a park near the festival--away from all of the excitement where Filthy Rich was. The man could be seen sipping from a flask of some kind. Tiara would approach her father and question him. “...Dad? Is everything alright? Please don’t tell me you and mom are fighting again…” “No no, nothing like that,” he explained immediately, “It’s nothin’ to do with her at all. Just…a work friend of mine. I know you were concerned, so I wanted to explain it to you in person. Hope I didn’t freak you out, sweetie.” The explanation put Tiara somewhat at ease because she was relieved that it wasn’t an issue involving her parents. However, she was now more curious over what exactly it was her father was dealing with. “Well that’s good, but…is everything okay at work?” she tilted her head, “You seem…kinda stressed out.” Rich placed his hand over his face to hide the fact that he had actually been crying. “I’m…I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I just needed to…call it quits with a certain someone, let’s say.” Tiara sat next to her father on the bench and tried her best to console him. “Don’t worry…no matter what happens, we still have each other, right?” “...You’re right.” As the two continued talking… Keiji and Silver Spoon observed from where they stood. “Does your old man ever get like that?” Keiji asked Spoon, “Poor guy looks like a nervous wreck.” “No…his job is actually relatively cushy because he works at his own pace,” Spoon explained with a sigh, “It’s why I worry for Di so much. Her family seems like they’re always stressed out for some reason or another when mine is so relaxed. It’s why I hang around her so much, ya know?” “Admirable…” Keiji folded his arms. “Admirable indeed.” Meanwhile, in a nearby tree… “They’re all here. Pops is gonna have to respect me if I bring ‘em in.”