"Intriguing..."
Caduceus Brineheart tried not to laugh at Sidus, the retired assassin in the midst of toying around with the doctor's spyglass, looking at the interior of his house through it with a gleeful smile.
The unicorn had returned from his 'dandy little trip', as he himself had called it, around the nearby ruins of Jezuthar, famed for its advanced mechanisms and complex technology. He had found the spyglass in one of the pyramidal altars around, and had grown attached to it due to its sleek, metallic beauty.
"Are you done with that thing, Sidus?" he finally spoke, his friend already removing the dusty, glass lens.
"This is advanced for an ancient civilization," the colt only muttered, making Caduceus laugh.
"Look at it! You would never see something so intricately designed! This was past beyond its time, my friend!"
"Can I have it back now?"
"You're a doctor, for Celestia's sake!" Sidus only retorted.
"What're you going to do with it? Scan the insides of my intestine?"
The unicorn just rolled his eyes with disgust as his friend laughed, dropping the spyglass to the floor.
"Alright, alright. Enough with that thing."
"And I thought I was just having fun watching you two!"
The two stallions turned around, smiling at the feminine figure before them.
"Persimmon!" Caduceus exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! I thought you and Caesar had to talk!"
"I don't think he would bother me nagging all the time," she replied meekly.
"Plus, our daughters are old enough to handle their drunk father, so it's okay."
Sidus merely scoffed at her.
"Told you he's a drinker."
"He wouldn't dare drink when I'm around," the mare replied, making the doctor snicker at the retired assassin.
"Pfftt.... whatever."
"Where's Stellar, by the way?" Persimmon asked the unicorn.
"He'd said he would be here to have a talk with us."
Sidus was the one that answered.
"He had a few errands to do in the palace, so he said we should expect him to arrive later."
"Hmm... bummer..."
The mare picked up the newspaper, before something sparked in her head.
"Caduceus," she called to the doctor, who turned in response.
"What is it?"
"Have you heard recently?" she asked.
"About the recent shooting?"
At the mention of the word 'shooting', Sidus instantly grimaced, before standing up, leaving the mare and their bewildered friend to their discussion.
"What shooting?" Caduceus asked, his face immediately growing serious.
"Fountain Square. Three days ago."
Persimmon leafed through the stack of newspapers, before pulling out one, placing it onto the table. The doctor picked it up to read, his disbelief growing at every word he scanned through.
"Can't believe it either."
"The nerve..." the doctor could only mumble, leaning back into the couch.
"Was there a funeral?"
"It was held yesterday," Persimmon replied, before sitting down, tending to the hollow emptiness of devastation in her heart.
She had known Gypsum for quite some time, the two being like sisters already. That light-green mare was always fascinated by books, especially the ones that she had wrote.
She bit her lip, her eyes shimmering with a tear threatening to leak from them.
"What now?" she asked.
Caduceus just looked at the newspaper grimly, his hooves crossed.
"We'll wait for Stellar, I guess."
"Maybe he'll know what to do."
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Caper held his breath, looking at the flickering flames before him.
The embers danced frivolously in its stone hearth as the magician patiently waited, his hooves tapping against the carpeted floor in a rhythmic beat.
He was in one of the many abandoned apartments in Growlett Avenue; the lane infamous for its shady inhabitants and cutthroat killers. The derelict structure only made him glance around in uncertainty, unsure of why he was requested to come here in the first place.
The sniper resting beside him gleamed deviously, intimidating the black stallion, who just gave it a grimace.
Without hesitation, Caper snapped the barrel off, the turmoil in his heart trying to break free. He looked down his hoof, trying to picture the mare's happy smile in his head.
A loud, diffident knock spurred him out of it, immediately responding:
"Come in."
With a creak of the door, Dresden stepped into the room, his razor-like gaze locked onto the stallion.
In his hoof was a pistol; one of the oldest he had ever seen. Caper could only look blankly into black barrel, the other pony raising it straight into his head.
"Give me a reason why I won't kill you, Caper."
The black stallion let out a breaking laugh.
"How long was it, Dres?"
"Too long," the cyan pony replied.
The foreboding silence stilled any movement, the two old friends gazing into each other's eyes, their pupils ignited with a flare of rivalry.
"What the heck were you thinking?" Dresden finally spoke, albeit coldly.
"I'm just doing my job, Dres."
"You told me you stopped!" he could only exclaim in disbelief.
"You. Told. Me! That you would never pull the trigger again!"
"Look, I was forced to, alright?"
The black stallion clenched his hooves as he stood up, his friend backing down a little, though the gun was still pointed towards him.
"If I hadn't done it, I would have been dead by now!"
"And Gypsum wouldn't!"
Dresden's loud outburst only made the magician flinch, the witch doctor continuing his shouts:
"You don't know what you've just done, did you? You really don't!"
"What?"
Caper could only tilt his head in bewilderment and confusion, his friend's face contorting into disgust.
"I know she's a Palgiot, but isn't that it? There shouldn't be anything more to it, is there?"
Withdrawing the pistol, the cyan stallion sighed.
"Look. You've not only killed one of my friends, but you had just ruined the lives of many ponies."
"You think I wanted to do it? I was forced to!"
"Nopony would ever believe that story," Dresden clarified.
"You're lucky I'm here."
The magician's ears perked at his friend's reply, the straining pressure in his head beginning to diminish.
"So you believe me?"
"I do, but I have request to make."
The witch doctor tossed something into the air, the object glinting as it whizzed across the room, before Caper caught it, examining its round, metallic surface carefully.
It was a silver dime, one side bearing the picture of a dove, the other a set of cards, the top being an ace of spades.
He could only gawk at it, unable to believe what he was looking at.
"This is..."
"Our first job, remember?" Dresden reminded, the noticeable tang of nostalgia flowing through their heads.
"The Canterlot Museum Heist, eight years ago. We stole a lot of stuff, didn't we?"
Caper could only give a blank nod, prompting his friend to continue:
"The set of coins we stole; the ones minted back when the princess first took the throne? I re-modified two of those two years ago, making them into what you're looking at right now."
The witch doctor held up his hoof, an exact copy of the dime resting in it.
"It's only a simple request, Caper."
There was a sigh, before the black stallion asked:
"What is it?"
"Lay low. Be silent. Don't do anything stupid, especially that conjuration spell you had recently learned."
Dresden's serious tone made his friend hold his breath, glancing back at the coin in his hoof.
"I'll try to figure out who would want you to murder Gypsum, alright?" the witch doctor continued.
"That is all."
Earning a discerning nod from his friend, the cyan stallion flipped his coin, Caper doing the same.
Both friends caught the other's coins, signifying their promise; an oath they had to keep.
The magician smiled. It became a sort of custom to exchange coins once in a while, especially in tough, grievous situations such as this.
"I don't know what to do without you, Dres."
His friend just scoffed, wrinkling his snout.
"Just remember," he warned, his gun still glinting in his hoof.
"If you ever do something stupid, I wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through your head."
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"Charter?"
Primrose's voice broke him out of his thoughts, the stallion nearly stumbling over.
"Huh? What is it?"
The caramel mare tried not to giggle.
"Seriously," she answered. "You've been straying away from stuff lately."
The pegasus merely laughed at her comment, though his wings ruffled up in plaintive sorrow.
The two Voyagers were cantering down the modest, garden-like lane of Standard & Dale, admiring the simplicity and delicacy of it. Unlike most of Pendant Lakes, the houses were built upon lush pastures of grass, with trees overhead already shedding their leaves of red, orange and yellow across the path.
Charter's sigh made Primrose turned, the mare couldn't help but asking:
"What's bothering you lately?"
"I..." he began, before saying:
"It's nothing, really."
"Nothing? Come on, Charter."
The caramel mare spotted a flicker in his eyes, which only made her shake her head in disapproval.
"I think all of us want to know what's up with you."
"I... just need some time to recuperate, that's all."
"Is it... Gypsum?"
That question earned her a dejected look from the pegasus, who turned away from the mare.
"We all miss her, Charter," she told him, holding his hooves.
"All of us."
"She's gone..."
Charter's voice trailed off, the pegasus staring blankly at the sky.
It was clear, with nearly no trace of clouds in sight, though he could only see a melancholic blur of gray, his depressive heart throbbing with a flurry of need. A small tear crawled down his cheek, tingling the fine hairs across it, which only made Primrose look in surprise.
Charter Freewings - esteemed authority figure and presumed leader of the Voyager Six - was crying.
"Come on," Primrose nudged her friend, who only sniffled.
"There's something else, isn't there?"
There was a nod from the stallion, who looked ahead into the twisting paths beyond him.
The serenity of falling leaves and little chirps of nightingales made him relax his shoulders, the pegasus finally admitting with a coveted mumble:
"I love her."
The caramel mare could only looked at the floor, trying to think of what to say.
"Well..." she finally blurted out, "did you tell her about that?"
"There was one time, back in Fenderville."
Charter started to smile. A warm, welcoming, nostalgic smile.
"It was down by Rattleraw Forest. She wanted to have a walk with me, you know? To talk about the things that had happened ever since we left Canterlot."
"And?" Primrose prodded forward.
"What did she say?"
"She was scared," he replied.
"She was afraid that we would fall into some deep end we could never get out from, after seeing Pinkie buried alive like that. It wasn't like her to be afraid of something, so I had to know why."
"She said we might never return to Canterlot."
The pegasus's words shivered from his mouth, his friend only able to gaze at him as he spoke:
"She had many plans and places she wanted to go..."
Then, Charter let out a deep chuckle, the mare looking on, perplexed.
"What is it?" she asked.
"She wanted me to come along with her."
There was a warm aura around the two, of convenience and sentimental yearning. Primrose giggled, watching the pegasus start to blush with a hint of passion.
"And?"
"We... kissed..."
The caramel mare laughed softly, her voice soothing the sensations erupting in Charter's head, who could only grin sheepishly at his friend.
"That's it?" the mare teased. "Only one kiss? No more lovey-dovey after that?"
"We tried to keep it a secret, though I have to admit it's hard to not try to spare some time alone together, away from you bunch of ponies."
Both of them laughed, their manes swirling in the autumn breeze with leaves brushing the sides of their hooves, scattering across the pavement. The houses watched the two friends, the windows sparkling as if listening attentively to the conversation.
"She wanted to spend her life with me," the pegasus continued, his voice faltering.
"Spend the rest of her life..."
"Come on, Charter."
Primrose watched as the pegasus folded his wings again, his eyes clenched shut with his head raised at the wall of depression toppling over his body, illuminated in the light sifting from the branches.
"If she were alive, she wouldn't want to see you like this."
"She would've want you to be the Charter Freewings we all know and like," she continued.
"The justice-seeking, hardworking, loyal friend of ours! Always wearing that disgruntled little grumpy frown on his face!"
In response, Charter rolled his eyes with meek sarcasm, making Primrose giggle.
"See? That's the Charter we know!"
"Alright, alright," the pegasus finally sighed, though his dejection was still evident on his face.
"But still..."
"If I were you," the mare cut in before he could ramble on.
"I would finish what she wanted us to do. I would continue her legacy and forever embrace her ways. Won't she be happy if she had seen you done that?"
There was a hesitant nod, before Primrose grabbed his hoof.
"Then let's go! Foster Archives is just around the bend!"
Charter finally smiled a genuine smile, nearly stumbling over as they galloped down the snake-like path.
The crunch of leaves with every step made him feel lighter, his heart lifted out of his depression. Gypsum's bright-green smile lit up in his head once more, the memory of it making his grin even wider.
He wanted to prance, the urge to strike up a song stirring in his head, though he held back; he has his limits after all.
Yet it was so tempting. The enthusiasm the light green mare always showed, the fearless, bountiful look on her shining smile... it was priceless to him.
"Gypsum..." he muttered, continuing down the path.
"I'll always remember you."
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"Porte Aperte."
The stone wall crumbled, the circular block of granite finally giving way as it rose from the cement passageway, the dust on its surface tottered off with the seams of light finally penetrating into the corridor.
Winter Palgiot squinted his eyes, his hoof shielding from the sudden blind of white with every step into the room, basking in the mellow flare of the afternoon sun.
He was in the Armor Room, more affectionately known as the Coltello Wing, named after one of their ancestors. Everything was polished to perfection, gleaming as if they were made the day before. The halberds and lances glinted menacingly in their racks, with some gripped in the metallic fingers of the sentinels of armor standing amidst the grand array of weapons hanging all around.
Slowly but surely, the Patriarch trotted out of the room through the door, hearing the unmistakable sound of the stone circle grinding back behind him, sealing the passage once more.
The network of corridors before him branched out, forming a seemingly endless trail of red velvet. The stallion himself could only stare at the puzzling hallways, despite already being the proclaimed leader of the palace itself.
His intentions started to haze, only making him trot towards the left. A few turns and bends around the corners only added into his frustration and annoyance, before his ears perked up.
Winter strained his neck, the faint sound mingling in his head. It sounded familiar...
There was it again! A sniffle.
The Patriarch crept closer to the sound. He heard it a few times before, and that tingling feeling in his hooves made him certain of the source of that.
Pinkie...
The pink mare, according to Harmony, had been avoiding the Voyagers ever since Gypsum was shot. She was in a state of devastation, always on her escapades of seeking solace around the palace.
Today, as he found out while he trotted around the bend, was worse.
There she was, standing at the ledge of the terrace, her tears surging down from her tightly-closed eyes, her teeth grinding in the darkest despair. One of her tears flew from her face from the wind blowing across her curtain of a mane, falling freely into the plunges of the rocks below.
Winter could only stare in utter shock, the mare beginning to move her hoof before he called out:
"Miss Pinkie! What are you doing?!"
Before she could let herself plummet down into the depths of the mountain, Pinkie felt a strong set of hooves wrap around her, dragging her back down to the carpeted corridor.
"LET ME GO!!" she screamed, flinging her hooves about. "LET ME GO!!"
"I won't let you do this!" the stallion shouted back, as if insulted.
"None of your friends want to see you do it!"
"She's GONE!! IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT! IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT!!"
"PINKIE!!" Winter yelled, silencing the mare immediately, who only look in shock.
"Listen to yourself! You think I would let you jump to your death just because of this?"
"I-"
"I'm not going to let you go like this!" the Patriarch cut in before she could speak.
"I'm not just going to see you drop down to your death, Pinkie! You're not going to die, and I'll make sure you won't!"
"W-Winter..."
Pinkie's voice trembled timidly before the powerful demands of the stallion, who only glared with disapproval.
"I... but... G-Gyps..."
"Gypsum might be my cousin, but that doesn't mean I have to die for her!"
Winter suddenly held his voice, his eyes widening, before he said:
"Just... go to your room..."
"But..."
"Enough, Pinkie," he brushed it off.
"It's either you talk to them about everything. Reconcile with them and-"
A loud smack brazened his left cheek, making him yelp in pain.
The Patriarch rubbed his sore face, unable to contemplate at what happened while Pinkie just stood there, her hoof raised and her face twisted into a dark grimace.
In a moment, she left, leaving the confused stallion behind as she marched off in a huff, the slap she gave him making her message loud and clear to him:
"Buck forgiveness."
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"Well?"
Primrose and Charter stood, facing the black, mahogany door standing before them, a golden knocker screwed into the center with brass letters that spell out the name of the location:
FOSTER
The building was brick-walled, with the occasional ivy strangling across a portion of it. A small flight of stone stairs lead up to the black door, the only small source of light being the flicker of a flame lighted in an iron oil lamp jutting out from the sides of the wall.
The caramel mare turned to her friend, who only stared blankly at the knocker with uncertainty.
"Knock the door!"
"What?" Charter could only respond.
"Knock the door!" Primrose repeated.
"We can't just stay around outside all afternoon, can't we?"
The stallion couldn't help but comply, pounding the handle onto the surface of wood.
There were a few clicks and snaps from the other side, before the mahogany door creaked open, unveiling the pony standing behind the door.
Like Primrose, she was brown in color, although a slightly darker shade of it. Her mane was swirly, reminiscent of the waves on the ocean, with one or two uneven strands sticking out of it. Her reading glasses were tilted down, the mare looking down upon the two Voyagers without any trace of emotion around her face.
"What is it?" she asked, almost as if annoyed.
"Uh... Miss?" Charter tried.
"We're here to make a request."
The mare just raised her eyebrow skeptically.
"And?"
"We want to have a search through your archives, if that is alright," Primrose stated, trying her best to smile.
"One of our friends said she had good connections with the bookkeeper here, and insisted that we should come here to gain some information on the Palgiot family-"
"That information is forbidden. Strictly confidential."
The two Voyagers just blinked in surprise at her response.
"But Miss," Charter began. "Our friend..."
"What about this friend of yours?"
The mare craned her neck, her eyebrow still raised as she glanced around the quaint neighborhood, almost as if out of pure sarcasm.
"I don't really see her here, don't I?"
"That's because she had passed away a few days ago, Miss."
"Hold on," the mare suddenly spoke in surprise.
"A few days ago, huh? What was her name?"
"Gypsum," Primrose answered. "Gypsum Palgiot."
"Gypsum... You're both friends with Gypsum?"
The two of them nodded, making the mare look in disbelief.
"Well, I... oh, where's my manners... Come inside!"
Both Charter and Primrose let out a quiet, relieved sigh, as the two of them stepped into the orphanage, their hooves instantly transitioning from the cold surface of stone into the smooth panels of wood.
"I believe I haven't officially introduced myself," the mare spoke up.
"The name's Persimmon. Persimmon Mills."
"Persimmon, eh? My name's Primrose."
The mare then beckoned to the pegasus, who gave a warm grin.
"This here is Charter."
"Well, Miss Primrose and Mr. Charter, you've arrived at a dire time."
The brown mare lead them down the narrow corridor, past the large set of oak stairs. Her hoof reached for the fifth knob on the right, before clicking it open.
"The children here all love Gypsum. She was an orphan herself, don't you know?"
"Really?" Charter said in disbelief.
"Parents passed away in a train accident when she was two. She was taken in by Harrow Palgiot, whose brother, Tantrum Palgiot, was still Patriarch then. They were very close, though she has her discrepancies with him, especially those when she said she wanted to see the world."
Persimmon held her breath, her body shivering with remorse.
"She used to sneak out of the palace just to come here; to listen to a few bedtime stories. I always had to tuck her into bed, only to bring her back into the palace the next day."
Primrose could only shake her head.
"I... I don't understand. Why didn't she tell us?"
"She's still a Palgiot," the older mare replied bluntly.
"And the family are best at keeping secrets."
A small filly suddenly pounced from behind, nearly making the Voyagers jump back in surprise.
"Mrs. Persimmon! Mrs. Persimmon!" she cried gleefully.
"Yes, Gracia dear?"
"Are you gonna finish Dragonheart tonight, Mrs. Persimmon?"
The little filly scrunch her lips up, her eyes shimmering, pleading for an answer.
"Of course I would," she replied, earning a jubilant gasp from the filly.
"Now run along! I have guests to attend to!"
Primrose watched with enthusiastic tenderness as Gracia quickly galloped off into the garden, screeching happily in some sort of celebration, reuniting with her fellow foals, who were busy tossing heaps of leaves around.
"You really care for them, don't you?"
Persimmon chuckled, glancing at the playing children outside.
"I was an orphan myself," she said, earning a surprised look from the other two ponies.
"I lived in this orphanage until I was old enough to write a book. Dragonheart was one of my earlier works, and the children here just adore it."
"You're an author?" Charter asked.
"It was my lifelong dream, along with having a family of my own of course."
The pegasus could see her hesitance at the mention of family, before continuing on through the open doors.
"The archives are at the back room. Shelf Five, top rack."
"Thank you, Mrs. Persimmon."
"Please," she said with a soft laugh.
"Just call me Persimmon."
The two Voyagers smiled, with Primrose already headed through the door.
Before Charter could follow, the pegasus felt a tug at his hooves, prompting him to turn back to Persimmon, who gave a somewhat sad smile.
"Gypsum told me about you."
The stallion could only blink in surprise.
"Well... uh... what did she say?"
"She said you were special," Persimmon answered, giggling at the blush forming around the pegasus's cheeks.
"She asked me to give you something, just in case she wasn't there to give it herself."
Lifting his hoof up, the mare placed a golden object in his hoof, only making Charter gasp silently in disbelief.
It was a badge, plated in a glistening gold. The usual star was carved onto it, along with two giant, alicorn-like wings sprouting out from its sides.
At the bottom was a plated scroll, unfurled with black, ornate words neatly carved inside it.
Vivre Votre Vie
"Live your life..." Charter mumbled its translation.
"I... I don't know what to say..."
"She really loves you, Mr. Charter," Persimmon said, following his gaze at the glistening badge.
The mare suddenly cupped his hooves, the pegasus's glance diverted onto her hopeful face.
"Don't ever forget about her, okay?"
Charter started to sniffle, the old mare wiping off a single tear from his cheek.
He clutched the badge tightly into his chest, remembering the trademark dance moves and giggles she used to make, which soothed his heart in a bath of warmth.
"I will."
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Present Day
"Welcome to the Winter Festival Ball!"
Stellar's repetitive bow and introductions made him groan under his breath, looking at the endless amount of carriages traversing up and down the mountain path.
Tonight was the big night. Every single pony from Pendant Lakes was invited up to the palace at the request of the Patriarch, basically to honor the town once more.
"Caduceus, you lucky bastard..." he mumbled quietly with spite. His friend should be somewhere in the Coltello Wing, barking out orders for the numerous guards and officers to prepare all the weapons, just in case Mirror Mare dared to strike during the occasion.
Not to mention how vulnerable the Patriarch would be.
The butler turned back, glancing at the tall structure of the palace before him. He could picture the hallways shifting and moving about within, flowing endlessly and seamlessly under a string of magic.
Winter stood at the window, his horn flaring a brilliant blue with his Cutie Mark shining in sheer white. The stallion gazed down, giving a nod to Stellar, who returned one immediately.
Without hesitation, he passed another invitation, repeating the lines once more:
"Welcome to the Winter Festival Ball!"
The guards at the gate stood stalwartly, observing the line of ponies passing through. Their spears were held high, pointing towards the transparent barrier surrounding the town, unbeknownst to the town's citizens.
The shimmering stars of the night sky mesmerized him, the butler letting out a sigh, before glancing back at the ascending ponies from the gates.
"Welcome to the-"
He stopped short, looking at the two mares before him.
There was a certain aura surrounding the pair, making his ears twitch with a slight sense of confusion. A small gear whirred in his head, before clicking into place with realization.
The white one just raised an eyebrow, before flashing out a cunning smile.
"Princess Celes-"
"Be quiet!" she hissed, glancing around.
Everypony else was still chattering or in the midst of entering the palace, making the two mares sigh with relief.
"Nopony must know of us here."
"What are you doing here, my Princesses?" he could only ask.
"We're here to oversee that everything runs smoothly," the dark blue mare answered, the butler recognizing her from her voice as Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night.
"Where are the rest?"
"Library, my Princesses," Stellar said in a hushed whisper.
"They're being led by the Oracle."
"Good," Princess Celestia, or the white mare that she was, replied.
The two mares glanced up at the palace, before the other mare started to wrinkle her snout.
"I sense magic."
"Dimensional magic," the butler quickly explained.
"The Patriarch had placed it in order to delay the arrival of Mirror Mare, to keep them safe in their dimensional sleep while the hallways shift endlessly as long as the magic lasts."
"But won't that-"
"He will try to fend them off from her as long as possible," Stellar interrupted.
"He understands the consequences of such, and will abide by the curse."
"I... I can't really..."
Princess Luna was left speechless, glancing back at the palace again. It seemed to loom over them, the structure rising up into the bright expanse of the night, glimmering in its afterglow.
"He was willing to do it?"
Princess Celestia just nodded at her sister, looking up at the palace with her.
"Ponies change, don't they?"
"This way."
Stellar ushered them towards the door, leading down the wide, stone path towards the magnificent, marble gates of the palace, beckoning the guards to open them.
He trembled nervously, mostly at the two alicorns behind him, transformed into Earth ponies with a whisk of magic. It seemed unreal that both Princesses were here, but it was necessary.
"Winter..." his voice echoed in his head, calling out to the absent stallion.
"Hang in there, my Patriarch..."
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"Kane..."
Applejack just looked toward the sky, the mental picture of the dragon glistening in her head.
His so-called confession had practically shocked the ministry, who was in the midst of rushing about. The reptilian colossus himself was still chained back in the Princess's bedroom, though he doesn't seem to mind.
The orange mare chuckled. That dirty little dragon.
She was in the meadow, just close by the gates of Canterlot with her brother and Fluttershy, watching the Cutie Mark Crusaders chasing each other around the endless carpet of green.
"So," she began, turning to her brother.
"Ah was wonderin', Macintosh... about Kane and Ah..."
The red stallion just smiled.
"Ya know it doesn't matter who ya with. All that matters is that ya happy, alright?"
Applejack started to grin, hugging her brother tightly.
"Thank you."
They watched warmly as Apple Bloom giggled, with Scootaloo tossing a little dirt towards her. Sweetie Belle watched with a smile, but quickly darted away, the dirt narrowly missing her tail with her face contorted into disgust.
"She's startin' to be like her sister, ain't she?" Big Mac commented, earning a nod from his sister.
Fluttershy suddenly tensed up beside them, her face turning pale with her hoof covering her mouth. Her wings suddenly ruffle up, much to everypony else's surprise, before she started to race away.
"Um... I... urgh.... gotta go!"
"Fluttershy?" Applejack called out to her friend, who was already halfway towards the palace.
"Fluttershy! Wait!"
The orange mare kicked her hooves, galloping after her friend and leaving her brother and the fillies look in bewilderment.
She raced through the meadow, hastening past the paths of the royal city, before reaching the alicorns' abode, catching a glimpse of yellow blur fluttering through the flapping doors of the washroom.
With a tilt of her hat, she quickly followed after the pegasus, the blue door flapping open once more.
There was Fluttershy, clutching at the edge of her seat, her other hoof gripping tightly at her abdomen. Her mouth hung open with the tap running, washing the regurgitation down the black abyss of the sink.
The pegasus almost jumped back in surprise as she spotted the orange mare, who only crept closer with a question:
"Ya 'kay, sugarcube?"
"I... I don't know..."
Her stomach started to gurgle, prompting her to crane her neck back into the sink again.
Applejack looked away, hearing the retching sounds of her friend with abhorrence. She held back her gasp, trying her best not to throw up as well.
"Fl-Fluttershy?" she called, her voice trembling once her friend had finished, her breath reduced to constant pants.
"Ya alright now?"
"It's a-alright... or... the doctor said it was..."
Fluttershy forced out a smile, though her friend could see the uncertainty behind it.
"The doctor said... well... he said it's... um... normal at this time..."
"What time?"
The pegasus suddenly cupped her friend's hooves.
"Promise you won't tell Mac about this?" she begged, her eyes glistening.
"Well.... Ah... um.."
"Please...?"
Applejack just blinked at her friend, before letting out a sigh.
"Alright. But it must be reasonable."
Fluttershy let out a squeal of delight, though the orange mare just rolled her eyes.
She beckoned Applejack to lean closer, whispering in her ear:
"I'm... uh..."
"You're what now?"
"I'm...." she held her breath.
"I'm......" the pegasus finished with a small squeak, before clenching her eyes shut.
Applejack just raised an eyebrow, her ears starting to strain.
"Can ya repeat that? Even louder this time?"
"I'm...! Uh.... I'm....... "
Another inaudible mutter.
"What?"
Fluttershy felt like smacking herself.
"Applejack's your friend, for Celestia's sake!" her inner voice shrilled.
"You can trust her!"
She sighed in defeat, before finally saying it out, making the orange mare jump back in surprise, before letting out a nervous, sheepish chuckle.
"Oh, Fluttershy!" she exclaimed nervously.
"You're always good with jokes and... Ah... well... what was that bit again?"
The pegasus let out a groan, her stomach working up a storm in response.
"I'm going to say this one last time...." she replied, holding back a scowl.
"I'm............ pregnant."