//------------------------------// // A hole is made! // Story: Life on the Frontier // by Starwind Dood //------------------------------// A hole is made! A letter, bleached from the light of the sun, sat next to a plate of now smelly and rotten apple cores. The contents of said letter had left the peculiar orange mare in the bed nearby off-balance. She lay there with her eyes staring at the ceiling, but her mind bouncing from one thought to the next. Her time in this dusty hovel was coming to an end, yet she was anxious. "What am I doing?" she asked herself at long last. The first crack of morning light was beginning to slink across the room, and today was her turn to cook breakfast. "Pull yourself together," she said aloud as she threw the covers off. She rolled herself out of bed ungracefully even unmarelike as some ponies would say, and started fussing with her curls. "When I go back to Ponyville... I'm going to the spa," she said to no-one, half-heartedly. She pushed open her door to the rest of the hovel and shuffled her way to the kitchen area. "Good moooorning," came Derpy's easygoing voice as she emerged from her room. "What's on the pan for us today?" she asked innocuously. "I was thinking... oatmeal?" Carrot Top grumbled. Morning breath wafted out of her mouth and she stared at Derpy with crusted eyes. "Sounds good and healthy!" Derpy replied in delight. "So what do you have planned for today?" Carrot Top asked absentmindedly as she poured milk into a pot. "Anything special?" "It's just another normal day for me," Derpy giggled in delight. "I'm going to meet up with Little Strongheart and then we'll meet up with Silverstar, and we'll go about making sure Appleloosa is the safest town in all of Equestria. Just another average and normal day for The Derp." "The Derp?" Carrot Top raised an invisible eyebrow. "Not a good law name?" Derpy asked with disappointment. "Try again," Carrot Top yawned as she started the fire under the pot by striking her own hooves. "Pass me the bag of oats." Ten minutes later, Carrot Top and Derpy were at the eating table each with their own bowl of oatmeal, waiting for the last sliver of steam to leave their meals, mindful of the scalding heat. Carrot Top sat quietly while Derpy hummed a little pony's tune to herself. "Almost ready," Derpy anxiously blurted, fluttering in the air. "It's just oatmeal," Carrot Top answered her. "We have it at least three times a week." "Is something on your mind?" Derpy asked Carrot Top with no warning. "I made it too obvious, huh?" Carrot Top sighed, covering her face with one hoof and eating a spoonful of oatmeal with the other. "I know when my bestest friend in the world is really down about something." Derpy scooted herself and her bowl closer to Carrot Top. "Bit for your thoughts? I'll even give you ten even." Carrot Top took a deep breath, exhaling the last of the reservations she had left in her. "The letter from Braeburn? It's from work. They're going to be shipping us out soon, well, they'll stop paying the bills really. We're going back to Ponyville, where we'll leave this shack behind." She took in another spoonful of oatmeal. "WHAT!" came an explosive and glee-filled shrill. Dinky rocketed out of her and her mother's room, bouncing with delight from one end of the room to the other. "We're leaving this dust bowl? Going back to civilization? Where my friends are? No more of this? Done? Out? Vamoose? For sure? Are you cereal?" Dinky screamed at them. "Cereal?" Carrot Top repeated to herself. "Yeah... cereal... we'll be leaving soon. Not today, but soon." Carrot Top swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal. "Yes!" Dinky screamed again, happier than she had ever been in quite awhile. "Yes?" Derpy repeated to herself, full of uncertainty. A knock came from the door. Carrot Top dropped her spoon in the empty bowl and picked it up, carrying it to the sink. "You can just come in!" she shouted. "It's never locked! Just open it!" "Good morning!" came a young, over-enthusiastic and warming voice. Warming to everyone that was, but Carrot Top. "Braeburn here!" he announced as he strolled into the middle of the hovel, his signature smile plastered on his face and never wavering. "Carrot Top, just the pony I needed to see!" She didn't turn to look at him. Carrot Top kept her back turned towards Braeburn, her mind reeling from the sound of his voice. Her teeth were clenched, the corners of her mouth turned downward. How long ago was it that she witnessed him completely ignore the feelings of Little Strongheart for the second time? "What on earth do you need of me, Braeburn?" she said with agitated breath. "I was hopin' you could inspect some weird somethin' I found by the orchards. Seeing as you spend all your time staring at the floor, I figured you would know what was goin' on when you see it." "Fine," Carrot Top sighed with annoyance. "I'll go look at your 'weird something'." "Aw, gee, thanks!" Braeburn replied wholeheartedly. Braeburn led a disgruntled Carrot Top away to the orchards, Carrot Top resolutely not meeting his gaze, leaving Derpy and Dinky alone in the hovel. Derpy had barely touched her oatmeal, and she continued to stare down into it, Carrot Top's announcement disturbing her thoughts. "Hello?" came a much more demure voice. Little Strongheart ambled through the open doorway, finding a jubilant Dinky and a somber Derpy. "This is not what I'm used to," she commented to herself, before looking at the pair curiously. "Dinky, what are you celebrating?" "We're going back to Ponyville! We're going back to Ponyville!" Dinky cheered over and over again, jumping from one side of the hovel to the other. "I can go back to my own room and my friends and my home and I won't have to take a cold bath ever again!" "I am happy for you," Little Strongheart expressed in delight. "I will miss you greatly when you leave, though." Dinky stopped, in the middle of her jump, and came plummeting to the ground on the spot. "Huh, I kinda forgot about that. I'm not going to see you anymore." Dinky plopped down even lower to the floor. "I mean, I'll miss you, a lot! But..." "I will miss you too," Little Strongheart replied, patting Dinky on the head. "Your home is Ponyville, right?" Dinky looked up to Little Strongheart in awe. "Yeah. I'll write letters to you so we don't completely lose each other!" "And I'll ask Silverstar to read it to me," Little Strongheart joked, sharing a moment of laughter with Dinky. "So, Derpy, what is on your mind? Has something bad come up?" "Bad!?" Derpy bleated, snapping to attention, her wings fanning in every direction as if to stabilize her. "No! Nothing is bad at all! I am... happy! Yes I can go back to Ponyville with Carrot Top and enjoy a nice hot shower and then eat all the sweets I want from Sugarcube Corner and then I'll get my job back at the post and everything will be alright I hope I pray I beg?" Little Strongheart and Dinky stared wide eyed at the heaving wheezing Derpy. "Mom, are you okay?" Dinky asked first. "You're acting odd even for you." "Just fine!" Derpy yelled awkwardly. "Then, should we head over to Silverstar's office?" Little Strongheart anxiously asked. "Y-yeah." Derpy made no sign of moving. "Derpy?" "You go on ahead!" Derpy yelled again. "I'll catch up!" "If you... say so." Little Strongheart gave Derpy one last thoughtful look before turning and heading out the doorway. Derpy sat motionless, still at her place at the table, her mind swimming in uncertainty. "What am I going to do?" she whispered to herself. "What is he going to say when I tell him this?" "Mom?" Dinky called out to her. Derpy's head jerked towards her. "I'm going to go start packing." "Dinky, we're not leaving yet," Derpy sighed solemnly. "If you pack all your things now, what will you do tomorrow?" "My things all fit in one suitcase," Dinky retorted. "Half of it is still in there." "Dinky, we're not leaving yet..." Ten minutes spent following Braeburn to the outskirts of Appleloosa. Ten minutes spent rummaging through the mixed sea of her emotions. Ten minutes spent staring at his backside. Carrot Top ignored the world around her, ignoring the buildings disappearing and apple trees taking their place; the smell of other ponies being replace with the smell of leaves and fruit; minutes she spent robotically following Braeburn's energetic gait. "He really does put too much energy into everything," she whispered to herself with agitation. "You say somethin'?" Braeburn asked back. "N-no," Carrot Top quickly responded. Another emotion was added to her sea, annoyance with her own self. "Just what is it that you need me to look at?" she asked irritatedly. "Well, it looks like the ground went and deflated if that makes any sense." "No, it doesn't," Carrot Top sighed. "How much longer till we're there?" "How's about now?" Braeburn quickly stepped to the side, revealing a particularly strange anomaly. The ground had sunken in, making a cavity in the earth. "So, got any ideas for what this could be?" "I haven't the slightest clue," Carrot Top replied, idly jumping into the cavity. "If you need me to measure the PH balance and tell you which crops are best to grow, I'm your mare, but geology itself, not really." "Geology?" Braeburn repeated to himself, jumping into the cavity as well. "Well, maybe I can make a swimming pool come summer!" "You do that," Carrot Top sighed as she reached her hoof out to the rim of the cavity. She was about to place her hoof on it, but then the edge rose on her. "What the?" It rose again. "You know, I've got this sinking feeling," Braeburn commented as Carrot Top realized the truth of what was happening. The ground under them collapsed, and Carrot Top and Braeburn fell below the earth, sinking down into a dark void. Silverstar sat alone in his office eating an apple. His stomach was agitated though from a severe lack of a certain food he had grown accustomed to. "Just shut up," he tried to order his stomach. He had gone through seven juicy and sweet apples, but it was a hard sell to his stomach which had grown so accustomed to the salt and grease in a can of beans. "If I eat one more, I'll turn into an apple." "You shouldn't have to worry about that." The sudden appearance of Little Strongheart surprised Silverstar, knocking him off his chair. "Can't a pony talk to himself in peace?" Silverstar grumbled to himself. "I suppose, but why?" Little Strongheart answered again innocently. "Isn't it better to talk to others?" "Maybe," Silverstar groaned, pulling himself up over his desk. "Anyway... where's Miss Derpy? It isn't like her to be late without some good reason." "Derpy said she would catch up later. Perhaps she's packing for her return to Ponyville?" Were is not for the desk he was already leaning against, Silverstar would have fallen again. His pupils turned into dots as he stared at Little Strongheart, slowly digesting the words that came from her mouth. "Return to Ponyville?" "Yes," Little Strongheart solemnly replied. "I will miss them greatly when they leave, but there is nothing we can do." "Nothing we can do," Silverstar repeated to himself. Unable to focus on any one thing in the room, he collapsed into his chair, sinking into the back, further and further into the shadows of the room. "I reckon you better get started on your routes, Little Strongheart." "Yes, I shall see you later, Sheriff Silverstar," Little Strongheart cheerfully responded. She gave an awkward salute coupled with an equally awkward smile before running off into Appleloosa, eager and ready to walk the routes she had traced over a thousand times by now. She left Silverstar alone in the darkening office, alone with his eyes locked on his liquor cabinet. A faint light, impeded by fluttering eyes. Carrot Top realized she was on her back, and that something was crushing her. Something that was heavy, soft, warm, and smelled of apples. She was also wet. "What the?" she bleated as her mind slowly began to resurface from unconsciousness. After an agonizing minute, she finally realized what was on her. "Are you going to wake up soon?" she scowled at Braeburn's half-dazed form. "Miss Top, I think the coop is laying chickens," he mumbled as his head swayed from left to right, trying to make out where they were. "Did Bumpkin redecorate?" "No, now get off!" Carrot Top shoved the lumpy stallion away, ready to raise a hind leg and kick him away, but a startling revelation came about her as her eyes raced down to her hind leg. It was twisted, bloodied and bruised, barely recognizable. Pain finally sunk in, and she screamed as loud as she could, calling Braeburn out of stupor. "Carrot Top!?" he cried out as his head shot straight up. "Oh, Carrot Top! Your leg! What happened!?" "We fell down a hole, you moron!" she hissed. "What do you think happened!?" "Great grandma's britches, what do we do!?" Braeburn exclaimed with panic. He galloped over to Carrot Top's leg, hoping to find some insight between the trickles of blood and purple bruises. "We need to do something! Think, Braeburn, think! We... we have to wrap it up in something. W-wait here!" Carrot Top, too shocked to make a sarcastic come-back, watched Braeburn jump into the pile of debris, searching for some item unknown to her. He dug deeper, throwing every size of rock behind him, before pulling out a tree branch. "I've gotcha'." He galloped back to Carrot Top's side and wasted no time in removing his usual vest, an act that initially caught Carrot Top off-guard. She stared unwittingly at him, the panic etched on his face as he very delicately lifted her broken leg with one hoof and slid his vest under it with the other. He placed the branch next to Carrot Top's leg and lifted the edges of his vest to fold over Carrot Top's bloodied limb, finally wrapping it tightly and somehow forming a knot. She continued to stare at him as he wiped away a wave of sweat and stared at her with worry. "Are you okay?" he asked her. Carrot Top finally caught herself staring and she shook her head to throw off any stray thoughts and refocus herself. Braeburn's concern look came back. "I mean I'm fine," she finally replied after calming herself down, rubbing her head with a hoof. "I'm a little light-headed, but I should be fine for awhile." Braeburn relaxed a little, allowing his shoulders to slouch. "Thank goodness," Braeburn sighed aloud, dropping to his back to rest at last, making a splash on the flooded floor of wherever they were. "Carrot Top, you have no idea how worried I was." Carrot Top took in her surroundings. Wherever they were it was cold and dark; the oddest thing though was the floor was flooded with water. "Just where are we?" Carrot Top looked back up to the little flickering light overhead, wondering just how far had they fallen. How close did she come to death yet again? "Do I ever get to rest nowadays?" she thought aloud to herself. "It's alright!" Braeburn shot back to his hooves and flashed Carrot Top a cheesy but confident smile. "We're in the underground waterway places used to bring water to the well in Appleloosa. These tunnels were made way back when Appleloosa was first being built up, and I know that they all lead to the main well in town! So, all we need to do is follow the flow of water to the main well and then we just yell our hearts out and somepony has to notice we're down there! We'll be out of here in no time!" "That... actually sounds pretty reasonable," Carrot Top gasped in astonishment. "I guess when it comes to this town, you have your act together." "Is that supposed to mean something?" Braeburn questioned with confusion. "Forget it," Carrot Top sighed with disappointment. "Just, help me up. I can't stand... or walk with this busted leg." She tried futilely to move her broken leg, but the only reaction she received from it was blinding pain. "Well, that's no problem," Braeburn whinnied as he lowered himself to allow for Carrot Top to grab onto him. She threw a foreleg over him, and in a matter of seconds they had formed a pony with two backs and six legs. "Ready for some adventure!" "Braeburn, I've been through train heists, climbed mountains, ridden on the backs of oversized lizards, searched Canterlot for a single almost indistinguishable pony, and that's not even counting my life in Ponyville which for reasons beyond me has been subject to attacks by a corrupt Princess, a sociopathic dracona-something, and while few may believe it a changeling invasion! I’ve had more adventures than six ponies put together... I think." "Oh," Braeburn replied lamely. "Well then... before we go, I need to find another branch." "What for?" "A torch." Braeburn gently laid down Carrot Top and turned to the mountain of debris. "Apples!" Apple Bumpkin called out in her cheeriest voice. "Apples for sale! I mean, what else will you eat out here on the frontier? Kumquats? Well I'll tell you there's only one thing to eat! Apples!" Owning a monopoly may have made for easy business, but bits would always be bits and no pony could ever have enough of them. "Apples for sale!" "Apple Bumpkin!" Little Strongheart called out to her. "How much are the apples." "Normally, two bits for an apple, but for you, you can have one for free." Apple Bumpkin tossed an apple through the air. Little Strongheart caught it in one bite. "I hope you're not still hungry." "I don't think you would want to know my diet," Little Strongheart laughed. "How is your store doing?" "Little Strongheart, I could go on for hours on the joys of running the only Apple-Mart in the frontier. I could then go on about the pains and woes that go with it, but I'm not going to bother you with them." She plopped down on the floor with her back to the wall, breathing in an air of relief. "Business is never a problem, but always too much." "I am glad to hear this, I think." "So, how's it going getting Braeburn to warm up to you?" Apple Bumpkin mused with a sly expression. "The phoenix feather gift you got him? Only the Princesses can compete with something like that!" "It was nothing," Little Strongheart argued back. "I gave it to him, and that was just that." "Why are you short-changing yourself so much?" Apple Bumpkin groaned, exasperated with Little Strongheart's boundless humility. "You made that gift for him because you like him and you want him to like you back!" "Please don't yell it for every one of the ponies to hear," Little Strongheart sighed. Apple Bumpkin stared at her, riled and ready to go off again. "I like him, yes, but that doesn't change how he feels about me, and that is a simple fact." "You would be surprised about that." Apple Bumpkin smirked and pulled herself closer to Little Strongheart. "Mare's have been sinking their hooves into unsuspecting stallion's for centuries. It's almost as natural as the Princesses moving the sun and the moon." "Are you suggesting I trick Braeburn into liking me?" Little Strongheart asked her with little humor. "No, I'm saying you take some initiative like the mares that would trick him, and fail miserably, and make my idiot brother understand why he should love you and never look back!" "And why does everypony make it sounds so easy?" Little Strongheart gave an annoyed shake of her head. "All of my attempts to get his attention have resulted in nothing." "That isn't true in the least," Apple Bumpkin sighed before tossing Little Strongheart another apple. The faint light of a torch against the darkness, the sound of hooves trampling through water. It wasn't comfortable in the slightest as Carrot Top had to rely on Braeburn for support, so for the first time in a very long time, she was unexpectedly physically close to him, alone, with no chance of any buffalo or pegasi to pop up. "So, any idea how far we are from the town well?" "Nope," Braeburn sighed, stopping them before a fork in the road for the water to flow into. "Well, ain't that just beat all." "Why are there two pathways?" Carrot Top groaned. "I think when the town was first being built, they had plans to make more than one well, so there would be some forks here and there." "Why can it never be easy," Carrot Top lamented, holding the torch out to the closer path for illumination. "So, Mr. Appleloosa, what path are we taking?" "We'll just have to try one of them and hope for the best. Let's go." He started again, taking himself and Carrot Top down the left path of the fork. The sloshing of the water under him made him uneasy with it being the only sound. He and Carrot Top kept quiet to one another through most of the trip, only speaking to check on the other's health, which had reminded him. "Carrot Top, how're you feeling? Light-headed? Your leg giving you any trouble?" "I'm fine," Carrot Top answered quickly. "You managed to bandage it up well for now." "No pain?" Braeburn asked with concern. "It's okay to tell me how you're feelin',"  "Unbelievable," Carrot Top chided, catching Braeburn's attention. "If you must know about my leg, it still hurts a little, but there's nothing either of us can do about that here.. we need to focus on getting out, or else I'll catch gangrene, and we'll have a really serious problem." Carrot Top voiced, unable to hide her sudden worry. She looked back at her limping hoof, the color draining from her face. "Sounds like you're more worried than you thought," Braeburn commented, met by Carrot Top's suddenly fierce expression. "Only because you made me think about it!" she growled at him. "D-don't blame me," Braeburn argued back. "I-I'm trying to get us out of here." "You're... right," Carrot Top replied, agitated. "Sorry," she said quickly in a low tone. "Yeah... I'm sorry too." They came to a stop before an obviously unfinished brick wall that stood before them, and Carrot Top almost cried. "At this point," she sniffled, "I should expect this. Nothing can ever be easy, ever." "Quit that quitter's talk." Braeburn tried to brighten up the mood with his usual happy tone of voice. "We just gotta turn around and take the other tunnel. C'mon, we gotta get out of here and save that leg, right?" "You can talk like that only because you're so oblivious to everything," Carrot Top grumbled. As if to fit her mood, a gust of wind blew in through the tunnel and put out the torch. Complete and utter darkness was the only thing left. "Carrot Top," Braeburn spoke softly, "I'm going to set you down so I can take out the phoenix feathers and relight this thing, okay?" He lowered himself slowly and Carrot Top unwrapped her hoof from around him. She couldn't see anything, but from watching him make the torch before she knew what was going on. He was taking off his hat, where he stored the phoenix feather necklace, and he was going to rub the feathers to the branch to reignite it. With a spark and a flash, the torch came back to life, and Braeburn was wiping away a wave of cold sweat. "We're in the clear again." "Little Strongheart's gift is saving our lives," Carrot Top commented as she watched Braeburn replace his hat on his head. "Crafty little gal, making this from feathers." He placed the necklace around Carrot Top's neck, another unexpected act to Carrot Top, and lowered himself to allow for Carrot Top to grab hold of him again. "You know, the wind wasn't a bad sign." "It wasn't?" Carrot Top asked in surprise as she grabbed hold of him again. "It means the well is near. We just gotta keep our ears open for the whistlin'." He pulled himself up, and turned them back to the fork, optimistic about their situation. "Don't worry, Carrot Top. I'm gonna get you outta here." His words were honest, comforting Carrot Top to the point where even the sting of her broken leg felt like a mile away. "Thank you, Braeburn," she responded sincerely. "Then, let's get going." Little Strongheart was in shock, completely paralyzed at what Apple Bumpkin had told her. "He's been holding onto my feather charm?" she whispered to herself, faint happiness forming inside her. "Yep," Apple Bumpkin snapped back. "You jus' keep charging at him, something I know you're good at, and that fool of a stallion will have no choice but to accept your feelings." "Everypony sure seems to encourage me," Little Strongheart noted. A smile began to form in the corner of her mouth. "Thank you." "Oh no problem. Here, one more for my favourite buffalo." She tossed Little Strongheart another apple. "Those come really cheap to those in the family." "In my tribe, everyone is considered family. Would you like to provide them all with a discount?" Little Strongheart smirked at her. "I'm sure I can manage, assuming that the whole family can show for our next family reunion." "Maybe I'll manage something," Little Strongheart replied with a laugh. Silverstar sat, gazing at a forlorn Derpy across from him. the dusty and dingy hovel had never felt so inadequate and broken down in the months she had lived there before. He scratched one of his hooves anxiously, feeling worse with each passing second. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked quietly, feeling the empty pit in his stomach grow and consume him. "I just learned this morning," Derpy answered him. "I don't think I've moved an inch since Carrot Top told me... I don't know... I wasn't trying to hide it, honest," she cried pitifully. "I see," Silverstar sighed, placing his hooves on the table. "You're all moving back to Ponyville? When?" "Soon, that's all I know," Derpy sighed in discontent. "I have to to back, Silverstar. It’s Dinky, she's been really mature about being here to support Carrot Top, but she's a filly that wants to have her friends back. I can't take that away from her." "I-I wasn't telling you to do that!" Silverstar stuttered, coughing choked up air. "I... I just... I just need to know about us." He covered his face, not in embarrassment but in frustration as the pit inside him tried to devour what sense he had left. "Is it over for us? Was it all for nothing? I mean, you knew this would happen. You knew that eventually they were going to ship you back. Did you not know what we would do about us?" "No," Derpy admitted. "I had no idea... I was just so happy being with you, that it just... snuck up on me." "Is that so," Silverstar sighed. "Well then, you best get packing." He got up from the table and proceeded towards the doorway. "Silverstar, wait—" "Miss Derpy," Silverstar shot back quickly, "I... I'm not a good pony with his feelings. I need to go for a bit, because I still like you," he grumbled with a hoarse voice. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, assuming you haven't left by then." Giving her no time to answer, Silverstar galloped out of the dingy hovel, leaving Derpy in tears at the table. "Stupid," Derpy blubbered to herself. "Stupid moustache... stupid me..." The howl of the wind grew with each step, Carrot Top thought happily to herself. Soon she would be out of this terribly dank labyrinth and back between the sheets of her bed in the cozy hovel waiting to be shipped out, bundled with her mixed feelings and growing anxieties, the source of many being the pony leading her through the dark tunnels. "Braeburn, soon I'll be leaving Appleloosa," she told him. "W-what!?" Braeburn gasped, almost choking on his own surprise. "I... I guess that I should've expect this and all, but it's still a bit of a shock to hear. Truth be told, I'll miss'ya," he said with pure sincerity. "You'll miss me?" Carrot Top repeated in astonishment. "I mean, it's a nice sentiment and I'm... warmed to hear that I guess you could say, but it’s not something I would expect you to say." "It isn't? Why, Miss Top, you're making it sound like it ain't natural to miss somepony, especially for somepony like me." Braeburn expressed morosely. "I thought we had a special friendship." There was that word, friendship. It drifted into Carrot Top's ear and rattled in her head as she stared at Braeburn, confusion veiling her eyes. "You still regard me as a friend, even after the other day when I lambasted you?" Braeburn made a sour face, as if trying to cough up something lodged in his throat. Instead, he just shook his head and came back with a more stoic and distant demeanor. "I just try not to think about those things," he said glancing away from Carrot Top as she continued to look at him, as if trying to shy away from a lighthouse. Seeing him change so suddenly and radically, Carrot Top felt something within her snap. "Why!?" Carrot Top shot at him. "Why don't you think about it? Why don't you ever think about important things?" "Miss Top, what's gotten into you?" Braeburn's tone was a mix of annoyance and fear. "I've got my life for me and it's simple, bucking apple trees. That's my life and I don't need to worry about anything beyond that. There are no more important details beyond that," he shot back, stomping his hoof on the ground. "So you're going to just buck trees for the rest of your life?" Carrot Top expressed with bitter disappointment. "Those trees are your life?" "Princesses willing," Braeburn spat back. "And you'll ignore everypony's feelings just to accomplish that?" Carrot Top bored into Braeburn with her harsh glare. She dug into every excruciating detail of Braeburn's twitching face; his shifting eyes, the twitching ears, the strained breathing. She lifted the phoenix feather necklace from around her neck and held it up to Braeburn's face. "Braeburn, this gift was Little Strongheart's declaration of love for you, and you ignored her! You took her heart and ran away with it!" Braeburn grew tense at the mentioning of the word love, and looked ready to run away when he heard Little Strongheart's name. "So what should I have done, huh?" Braeburn yelled back, but Carrot Top was unfazed. "Tell me, if you're the one who knows everything?" "You should’ve at least listened to her rather than try and shut her down like you did!" Carrot Top positively screamed at him. "Apparently, your perfect ideal life is too important to listen to someone else's feelings!" "What about my feelings!" Braeburn roared, sadness and anger intertwining with his words. "I get that you and Little Strongheart like me in a way more than friends, but what about my feelings!? How I feel!" A tear rolled down his cheek. Carrot Top's mind froze for a moment, and it was then she realized that the both of them had come to a stop, and that they both were panting for air. "You have something you want to say, Braeburn?" she asked him sincerely. "So, what's the big secret?" "Secret?" Braeburn sighed, his gaze falling to their distorted reflections in the flowing well-water. "You make it sound bigger than it is." His heart felt like an anvil in his chest, trying to break free, or possibly crush him. "Miss... Carrot Top, when you spend your whole time on farms, barely associating with anypony outside your family, and even then that's far in-between, well, that's all you ever learn." They resumed their walk to the well opening, Braeburn continuing his solemn recounting of his childhood. "We came here when Appleloosa was practically nothing more than a bowl of dirt and sticks for houses. Every day was spent working on getting the farm going. Hard times where I had to do everything I could just to keep my sister alive when we had bad harvest and barely anything to eat or keep us warm. So... I just gave up on that stuff." "Gave up on love," Carrot Top remorsefully spoke, thinking back to the days where she spent hours behind her books and forgot about the world around her. Even forgetting about the prospect of love and relationships sometimes. "Braeburn, I'm sorry that your childhood was harder than others, but you can't expect anypony to listen or understand you if you never talk." "Yeah, I s'pose you're right," he spoke with regret. He turned away again, his steps becoming weaker and sluggish. "Sorry... for kinda losin' it a little." "I'm sorry too for... well snapping at you like that." Braeburn's ears perked up a little. "But, I'm sorry to say this to you, that doesn't change anything." Braeburn's ears drooped down. "What I mean to say is..." Carrot Top felt the fears, doubt, and emotions that had been plaguing her slipping away, leaving her with new found breath and a really important truth. "Ignoring something won't make it go away. We're adults now... we have to face our problems." She took a deep breath of the fresh air pouring in with the light of the well opening. The bucket was already at the bottom. She dropped the torch and turned to Braeburn. It was time to get out of her situation. "Don't you sound sure of yourself," Braeburn teased her as he looked up to the light. "I'm not sure at all," she laughed, "but it's something to go towards. So, let's go, Braeburn." She hooked her free hoof around the rope. "Yeah, I s'pose." Braeburn took in a relaxing breath of air and wrapped his hooves around the rope. He and Carrot Top were going to support each other, the whole way up. Within ten minutes, they had flung themselves over the edge of the rope and landed face first in the dirt, laughing and relieved; their adventure was over. "We need to get you to a doctor," Braeburn laughed heartily. "That sounds like an excellent idea," Carrot Top giggled in turn. Braeburn had left Carrot Top at the hospital. He told her he wanted to meet up with Silverstar, perhaps the only pony in the world he considered a friend and wasn't family, at least until Carrot Top, Derpy and her daughter, and Little Strongheart came into his life. He stood before Silverstar's rusty door which was slightly open, allowing the slightest streak of light into the dirty old room. "Silverstar, you here?" he called into the office. "Hey, Silverstar!" "Do you have to be so loud," Silverstar gurgled from a shadowy corner. He was seated on the floor and looked like a mess. "What's got you in such a chipper mood?" he grunted at him as he tried to clean-up his moustache. "I'm not too sure, actually," Braeburn replied as he sat down next to the rather rancid stallion. "You been hitting your booze stash again? Because you smell like vomit." "Nope, quite the opposite on the alcohol actually. I threw all the stuff out," Silverstar growled back at him. "Which is why I'm in such a foul mood." "You threw it all out? When? Why? I'm rightly curious to the sudden change," Braeburn prodded him. "C'mon, out with it. Talkin's a good way to let your worries out, y’know." "Well, Miss Derpy is moving back to her old home," Silverstar groaned, his head falling to his chest as his body went limp. "Little Strongheart told me this morning when she showed up alone, and when I sent her out I thought about opening my liquor cabinet again, something I haven't done in awhile." "And?" Braeburn urged on in suspense. "I took every bottle I had and threw them off the roof. Everypony thought I was drunk ironically. After that, I went to see Miss Derpy, and made a right fool of myself." "Got in a fight?" Braeburn asked, scooting in closer to Silverstar. "Yeah," Silverstar sighed. "Then I came back here and sat in this corner like a darned fool." "Well, if you need a shoulder to cry on," Braeburn offered. "Kid, the day I cry on your shoulder is the day I put on a tiara and call myself a princess." "Alright, alright, I getcha." Braeburn chuckled as he slumped down to the same sprawled out position as Silverstar. "Y’know, being an adult is hard." "Kid, that's gotta be one of the smartest things I've ever heard you say." "There's that charm again," Braeburn sighed, slightly annoyed. "So, No more drinks? Your liver will thank you for that." "Well, I threw it all out before going to see Miss Derpy. Truth be told, after I spoke to her I wished I could guzzle every bottle down in one gulp. Probably would have killed me, so it's a good thing I did throw them all out." "Why not get a bottle from the Salt Lick?" "Eh," Silverstar shrugged off. "I could get drunk, probably do something stupid, piss everything away by upsetting Miss Derpy to the point where she never wants to talk to me again, but I really want to believe something might happen." "Something?" "Something that might keep us together, somehow, someway..." "Well, you're not gonna get that something lying here all mopy," Braeburn offered. In an instant, Silverstar was back on his feet, completely surprising Braeburn. "Silverstar, are you okay?" "Braeburn, you're right about that. Nothing's gonna happen if I just lay down and do nothin'." Carrot Top gave one last farewell to the doctor that had bandaged her leg and helped her into her new wheelchair. She turned around, a wistful smile playing on her face, and started rolling herself back home where she would likely have to listen Derpy go off for hours about the importance of keeping oneself safe with an impressionable filly around. "I can't wait," Carrot Top laughed to herself. A half an hour later, Carrot Top rolled up to the cozy little hovel that she had been her home for so long. "To a certain extent, I'll miss you too," she cooed to the house. One of the window shutters nearby fell off its hinges. "Such a charmer you. Anyway, Derpy, Dinky, I'm home!" she called out in a sing-song manner. "You will not believe the cruddy day I had!" She rolled into the hovel, and was only met with quiet darkness. "Derpy, Dinky? Are you two here?" "Mom's outside." Dinky, appearing out of the half cracked open doorway into her's and her mother's room, said softly. "W-what happened to your leg?" she cried out in surprise. "More adventure for my simple pony life, at least I wish it was simple," Carrot Top chuckled as she rolled up next to Dinky. "Are you... okay? You're not looking like yourself." Carrot Top reached out to ruffle the normally bouncy mane, but instead it was matted and tangled. "I'm ok," Dinky mumbled. "C'mon, filly, talk," Carrot Top commanded, giving Dinky a warm and comforting smile. "Do I keep mom from finding a stallion?" she asked, slowly and mournfully. "Like, I know that I'm not really nice to moustache, but, well, like, if I wasn't here, then mom would stay here with him, right?" "Probably," Carrot Top commented quickly. "Well thanks a lot for telling me that!" Dinky harshly roared back. "Dinky, it's because you're the single most important thing in her life." Carrot Top gave another playful rustle of Dinky's hair. She could tell that the young filly was cheering up a little. "You're a good girl, Dinky. Don't worry about your mom, because she will always have us there for her to count on, right?" Dinky looked up to Carrot Top, her eyes wide as saucers. "Really?" she asked hopefully. "It's what family is for. Now go to bed and get some sleep. I'm going to go see what your mom is up to." She shooed Dinky back into her room and she watched her flash Carrot Top a thankful smile before closing the door. She rolled herself over to the back door and forced it open with a kick from her good hoof. "Derpy, you out here?" "Over here," a downcast Derpy responded. She was planted on the cold ground, staring into a reflection off a tiny puddle just below her face. "Oh, hey, how was your day?" she asked tonelessly, not even moving a muscle. "My day was a mess," Carrot Top joked, "but I can get to that later. How was your day, Derpy?" "It was terrible," Derpy sobbed, fresh tears rolling down her face, blemishes on her otherwise perfectly grey face. "Silverstar found out about us moving back, and then we fought and now I think he hates me!" She threw herself onto Carrot Top, but only managed to hit her face on Carrot Top's wheelchair. "Huh? Oh! Carrot Top! What happened I didn't even bother to look at you and see you broke your leg and I'm a horribly pony for it!" she cried, her sobs growing louder and louder. "Derpy," Carrot Top sighed, "you're not a horrible pony, and if you can help me off this ridiculous thing I'll let you cry as much as you want on my shoulder." It didn't take long after that for Derpy to spring to her hooves and help her injured companion out of her chair. Carefully seated on the ground, Carrot Top wrapped her hooves around Derpy and hugged her close. "Okay, go ahead." "Carrot Top!" Derpy wailed louder than any spirit ever could. "I'm so sorry! I'm just a—" "If you insult yourself one more time I'll never make you double-layer, triple-chip, super stuffed carrot pancakes a la mode for you ever ever ever again," Carrot Top exasperatedly cut her off. "You're going to tell me everything that happened without saying a single negative thing about yourself because you are not a bad pony, Derpy. Got it?" "Got it," Derpy pitifully whimpered. "Silverstar showed up today a little after Little Strongheart left. She told him about us moving back, and then he got mad because I messed up..." Carrot Top took Derpy by her shoulders and moved her in front of Carrot Top, right at eye level. "And how did you mess up?" "I messed up because I didn't plan out what will happen to me and him after I move..." "Derpy, since the first day I met you, you’ve never planned out a single day of your life." "So there is something wrong with me!" Derpy blubbered again. "Pancakes! Do you want them!?" Carrot Top cried out in exasperation. "Derpy, it's because you never plan anything that you're you. Easygoing, never faltering, well almost never faltering, and able to adjust to anything. Do you know what I would give for just a little of that?" Derpy shook her head. "A lot, but it's what makes you you, and I love you, and your daughter loves you, and Silverstar loves you, and everyone loves you because you're you." "Y-you mean it?" Derpy quivered. "I mean it, and don't ever change." She pulled Derpy in for another hug, and Derpy reciprocated the feeling, wrapping her hooves and wings around Carrot Top and holding on so tight it seemed like she never wanted to let go. "Thank you," Derpy whispered to her. "It's what friends are for," Carrot Top whispered back. When they finally did let go of each other they sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder against the back of the hovel, gazing at the stars in the sky. Carrot Top recounted the events of her day: falling into the well tunnels, breaking her hoof, hugging close to Braeburn, and finally learning more about the talkative stallion that almost never said a word about himself. "We went different ways after he got me to the hospital. I think he was going to Silverstar's place." "They are friends. You think Silverstar is crying on Braeburn's shoulder right now?" Derpy asked as she tried to picture the two stallions hugging close to one another. "I-I can't imagine," Carrot Top stuttered as she pictured the two hugging close to one another. "So, what are you going to do about Braeburn now?" Derpy asked curiously. "Been trying to jump his hat for a long time now." "I think I know exactly what to do about that idiot colt," she responded with a knowing smile. "He can't fool me anymore." "That's pretty vague," Derpy groaned, scrunching up her face with annoyance. "Tell me!" "It's a surprise!" Carrot Top sang before playfully nudging Derpy. "But what about you? We're going to be out of here soon. Are you really going to just end things with Silverstar." "Well... no!" Derpy said with conviction. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm gonna try! I have to keep on trying!" Derpy yelled out to the night sky overhead. "I have to try because... because..." "Because there's no reason not to try, right?" Carrot Top finished for her with a smile. "Yeah!" Derpy cheered aloud. And then Carrot Top cheered again with her. And, right behind the wall they sat against, Dinky did her own little cheer. Little Strongheart stared into a bowl of water. It was supposed to be part of her dinner, but instead she just used it to examine her sorrowful and pitiful face. "I suppose it is that time again, huh." "It will be as before, Little Strongheart," Chief Thunderhooves consoled her. "This is not permanent."  "Just for a year, right?" "Just as before. We will come back, just as we always do." "One year, stampeding across the land, just as before... when do we leave?" "Tomorrow evening," Chief Thunderhooves answered her. "Take the day tomorrow to enjoy the friends you;ve made."