//------------------------------// // 5. A Soft-Hearted Tale // Story: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far // by KholdstareV //------------------------------// _________________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 5: A Soft-Hearted Tale _________________________________________________________________________________________ The mysterious pony took another step out from behind the tree. Even in the blackness, Applejack could sense a hesitation in their movement, as though they were afraid of revealing themselves, but she still remained poised and ready to strike. "Come on out n' try me, pardner…" she whispered to herself through gritted teeth, "…if you want some o' my Pa's patented applebuck delivered to your lower jaw!" The pony raised a hoof to take another step. At that moment, though, they lost balance on their other front hoof and stumbled forward. They let out a feminine shriek as they fell through the foliage and into the moonlit clearing. In a split second, Applejack switched off her hard-as-nails, ready-to-attack mode and now found herself helping the Pegasus mare who had fallen so clumsily in front of her back onto her feet. "Gracious, miss!" Applejack exclaimed. "Are you hurt?" "N-No, I'm OK. Thank you…" the mare replied in a soft, shaking voice. She visibly struggled to stand on all fours, and rubbed her front left hoof with her right. "Oww…" Applejack could tell right away that this mare meant no harm, and in fact felt an immediate pity towards her due to her weak and diminutive appearance. "Well, you're awful lucky! Cuz I was about to trounce on you like a bull on a straw matador! Who do you think you are, sneakin' up on me like that?" "I'm so sorry. So, so sorry…" the mare responded in the same hushed voice. "I wanted to say something, but… My body was moving a little faster than my mind, I guess…" Applejack wasn't sure how to reply to that. She wondered, considering how slow this mare's movement had been, how slow must her mind be? Not wanting to be rude, she didn't ask. She merely sighed and said, "It's OK, don't worry 'bout it... But who are you?" The mare, seemingly embarrassed by the question, lowered her head slightly, allowing some strands of golden hair to fall over her sad pink eyes. "Umm… My name is Softh-…." "I'm sorry, what was that?" Applejack asked, turning her ear in the mare's direction. "Umm… my name is… Sof…hear…" Applejack moved her ear in closer. "Still ain't hearin' ya, miss." The mare was silent for a moment, as though ready to give up the daunting task of saying her name. She then clearly reconsidered, for she stood up a little taller and breathed in deep before speaking again. "…My name is Softheart." Applejack's jaw hung open for a moment. It took her a second to recall where she had heard the name before. When it finally hit her, her eyes went wide. "Oh! I've heard of you. You're Fluttershy's stepmom!" Softheart nodded. She was a mare of rather small stature, sporting a mellow light pink coat that bordered on being white. The contrast between her coat, her deep pink eyes, and her flowing golden mane was striking, even beautiful. Her Cutie Mark was a blue baby carriage, which served to pronounce her soft, gentle demeanor. On the other hand, Applejack couldn't help but notice some not-so-sweet features about her as well. One was a thick scar that ran from the side of her neck up to the back of her head. Since she couldn't see the whole thing, she could only guess how big it was, or what could have caused it. It was a curious, ugly blight on the otherwise lovely specimen of a pony. Additionally, Applejack couldn't tell for sure how old Softheart was, but she seemed relatively young – probably only about ten years older than Fluttershy, and about fifteen years younger than Fluttershy's father. What kind of home life could such an age situation have resulted in? That topic, Applejack decided, wasn't her business, but it was still an interesting thought. All in all, while the physical resemblance between Softheart and Fluttershy was understandably absent, their personalities seemed exact replicas of one another. "Well, umm, it's nice to meet you, Softheart," Applejack said with some uncertainty, "…Out here in the woods, at night, in the dark…" "Again, I'm so sorry for making my appearance like this," Softheart replied. "Why did you, anyway?" Applejack queried. "And what are you doin' out here?" "Well, umm… Do you want the short version, or the long version?" "Short version. I got a festival to get back to soon, after all." "OK, I see. I'll be quick then… You see, basically, I'm following my husband and my stepdaughter, because I want to reveal something to them that I think may change everypony's lives, especially Fluttershy's. I thought doing so at a public place, like the Parents' Day Festival, would make it less likely that my husband would do anything rash, but now that I'm here, I find that I'm still too terrified. Then I saw you, and recognized you as Fluttershy's friend, from a photograph she once showed me. I decided I should ask for help, so… could you help me? Please?" Applejack frowned, feeling more confused now than ever. "Uhh… beg your pardon, but that was almost TOO short. None o' that made a lick of sense." "It didn't? Oh, dear me. I'm so sorry. Let me start over…" Applejack held up a hoof. "Hold it. You say you wanna reveal somethin' that might change Fluttershy's life? For the better?" "Yes, that's right…" "But you're afraid to do so, even in public, because her father might do something 'rash'…" "Mm-hmm." "How rash we talkin'?" "Well, do you know why he brought Fluttershy out here to the woods?" "I dunno. I figured maybe they just wanted some privacy…" "They did, but not just to talk. I couldn't see everything, but I could hear it. And I know for a fact that he must have…" - she gulped heavily - "…hit her." Applejack gasped and covered her mouth with her hoof. Within seconds, she could feel hot tears beginning to rise up from beneath her eyes. "You're not serious…" "I am. It would be far from the first time he's done it, and far from the worst he's capable of." Fighting the urge to cry, Applejack lowered her vision, until her eyes settled on the scar that crept up the side of Softheart's neck. "I had no idea. Her father seemed awfully stern when I met him, but I didn't imagine it went this far..." "She's never said anything?" "Not a peep. I mean, Fluttershy's always been so quiet about her private life, but how could she hide somethin' like this? All those times she had unexplained bruises and cuts… Every time tellin' me n' my friends that they were just accidents from workin' with the animals… How often was she tellin' the truth?" "I'm not sure, but I would bet everything I own that most of the time, she was not." In spite of herself, Applejack let a single tear run down her cheek. "That monster…" "He IS a monster," Softheart replied. "And you're probably wondering why I'm married to him? Well, I assure you, it's not because I love him. At least not anymore…" "Then why are you still with him?!" Applejack snapped, feeling a rush of anger overtake her. "Why not just leave the sorry son-of-a-hoofer and save yourself?!" Softheart looked Applejack square in the eyes. "…Because I love Fluttershy." Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss for words. The rush of anger quickly subsided, and was replaced by a throbbing sense of understanding and respect for Softheart. "Oh…" was all she managed. "I haven't had any children of my own, you see, so when I entered into Fluttershy's family, I immediately loved her as my own. I know, it's strange… I'm young enough to be her big sister. But that never mattered… Even after it became clear how dangerous my marriage was, I understood how much harder it was for Fluttershy, for unlike me, she's never had the option to just leave him behind. And so, I've stayed… To protect her as much as I can." "And… this thing you wanna reveal…?" Applejack asked. "I'll explain that, but once again, I can tell you the short version or the long version. Which do you want to hear?" Applejack took a moment to think. She had just learned the bare facts about Fluttershy's relationship with her father, and knew right away that she wanted to do whatever she could to help her. Softheart claimed to have something that could do just that, but was requesting Applejack's aid. She wanted to accept, but at the same time, she knew she needed as much information as possible in order to do so effectively. She needed to know everything. The entire history of Fluttershy, her father, Softheart… and if possible, Fluttershy's true mother. "Tell me the long version," Applejack finally said. "And I mean it. Don't leave ANYTHING out. Including your own story. I wanna know that from the beginning, too." "Are you sure? It is pretty lengthy…" "No worries. My ma n' pa used to spin mighty long yarns back in the day. I'm used to it." "Ah, I see… very well," Softheart said. Her demeanor, which at first had been so timid and mousy, now seemed to exude much more confidence and determination. She cleared her throat and began her tale... ~~~ "I come from a place called Zephyr City, a Pegasus city outside of Equestria. I was raised by my mother and stepfather, who both did the best they could for me despite us living in general poverty. My real father left when I was two years old. I've never met him, and even to this day, my mother refuses to talk about him. Throughout the years, I've consulted several sources to learn more… Family photo albums, stories from friends and relatives, the occasional drunken account from my mother… The latter source probably being the most telling. The story, as I've been able to piece together, is that my father was generally a decent stallion, but suffered from some very destructive addictions, particularly gambling. It got so bad that one night, after having gambled away most of our family's savings, he bet his own wedding ring on a poker hand. He lost the round, and the ring. When my mother found out, she was livid, insisting that since their marriage clearly meant nothing to him anymore, it meant nothing to her, either. She threw her own wedding ring in his face and told him he could gamble that away too, for all she cared. She then kicked him out, and he never came back. He's apparently written a few times since then, and has even sent some money, but my mother wants nothing to do with him. She met another stallion a few years after the split, anyway. And I can honestly say I'm glad that she did." "My stepfather, whom my mother is still happily with, is a wonderful stallion. He's a humble carpenter, not especially wealthy or brilliant, but oh, does he love us. It never mattered that he and I weren't of the same blood, a fact that I understood even as a filly. In truth, he's not even legally my stepfather, as he and my mother never actually married. But that never mattered either. What mattered was that he was there. There to hold my hoof as we crossed the street. There to help me with hard homework problems and treat me to ice cream when I aced a test. There to comfort my mother when she cried about the thousand things she wished had gone differently in her life… Even though I'm far away now, his patience and care still inspire me. He is the best example I've ever known that the concept of family transcends blood ties. That there is a distinction between true parents, bound by biology, and true parents, bound by love…" "Taking everything my parents taught me, I moved to Cloudsdale in my college years, and quickly found a love for nursing, particularly in Labor and Delivery. Upon delivering my first foal, I acquired my Cutie Mark. I still remember holding that newborn foal, and handing him to his mother, proudly stating that it was a boy. She at once looked so exhausted yet so happy, and it made me happy too. Over the years I delivered hundreds more children, each time admiring the joyful looks of their parents as they beheld their new little blessings, and each time wondering more and more what it would be like to know that joy for myself." "It was one particular morning when I heard talk of a malpractice case happening at Cloudsdale General, where I worked. I was curious about it, so on my lunch break, I went down to the lobby and checked out the scene. I saw some police officers questioning a pharmacist and a few nurses. Among those officers… was him. He was so handsome, my attention switched from the case to only him. I don't know how long I stood staring, but I remember when they finished questioning the witnesses, he turned to leave… and then looked straight at me. I could feel my cheeks turn hot as I turned away. A few seconds later, I looked back, and saw that he was actually advancing towards me. I was shaking on my hooves, struggling to catch my breath. I must have looked so embarrassed! When he reached me, his face was serious and stern, but somehow alluring. He introduced himself as officer Brawn Bones, and asked me if I had any information on the malpractice case. I told him no, but promised to tell him if I learned anything. He thanked me. He then took a curious look at my Cutie Mark, before looking back at me. A smile formed on his face… a somewhat flirtatious one, I recall, that made me melt inside. He asked me what I was up to, to which I replied I was on my lunch break. He said he was about to go on his, too, and invited me to join him at a sandwich place he liked. I had never been asked out so abruptly, so directly, or by so handsome a stallion… My heart fluttered like a hummingbird's wings! How could I say no? I agreed, and from there, our relationship began, for better or worse…" "During our first few dates, I was elated every second I spent with Brawn Bones. He was charming and courteous, going out of his way to do the smallest of favors for me. He refused to talk about his earlier life, or what he did at work, and there were times when I saw a concealed, fierce temper rear its head, but my youthful love caused me to overlook such things. Then came one morning, during our fourth or fifth date, when he invited me to his home. As we were enjoying brunch in his dining room, I excused myself to use the restroom. It was as I was walking down the hallway that I encountered his daughter for the first time." "That first meeting was one that I'll never forget. She was nine years old, and my oh my, was she beautiful. Indeed, the resemblance between her and her father was uncanny. However, her face bore a mysterious, deep-seated sadness that shone through even in her attempts to hide it. The meeting was quite a surprise, for Brawn Bones had not told me about any family or guests that may have been in the house. When I saw her, I said hello. She didn't reply, and merely stared up at me curiously. I asked her name, and after some hesitation, she told me it was Fluttershy. I was about to say that it was a lovely name, when I noticed something odd – a large purple bruise on her flank, visible even under her cream-colored coat. I gasped, and asked her if she was OK. She said yes, but I got the vibe that she was not being honest." "Brawn Bones appeared at that instant. I asked him who this young filly was that was in his house, and pointed out that she was hurt. He didn't answer me, and merely fixed his gaze on her. I watched as his amiable face scrunched into one of pure outrage. He nudged past me and approached the filly, who lowered herself in complete submission, a look of terror on her young face. 'What are you doing here at this hour?' I remember him asking sternly, 'It's a weekday! You should be at school!'" "She replied softly, 'It was a half day. My teacher let us out early. I told you yesterday that-'" "He didn't let her finish. 'You told me nothing. You're lying again. Stop it!'" "'But… But I'm not lying… Who's this lady…?'" "That's none of your business! Now go to your room. I'll deal with you later.'" "Fluttershy wouldn't dare challenge him any more at that point. With wide eyes and tightly-zipped lips, she whirled around and galloped into her room. However, she caught a quick glance at me before entering. The look on her face was hard to decipher, but it almost seemed to be a plea for help. After she disappeared into the room, I turned to Brawn Bones, who was still fuming. I tried again to ask who the filly was, but he only replied by ordering me to leave. I pressed further, but in a move I never saw coming, he pushed me roughly with his front hoof and yelled 'Get out!' I was in such shock and sorrow that I obeyed, crying all the way." "That should have been the end of it, and part of me wishes that I had just let it be so when I had the chance. However, I still loved Brawn Bones, and was far too curious about the filly to let it go. I visited him a few days later, promising to forgive him if he told me the truth. He remorsefully went on to tell me that Fluttershy was indeed his only daughter, and that he was afraid to tell me about her out of fear that I might leave him if I knew he had a child. While I didn’t like the fact that he had kept that from me, I also found it hard to be upset when he was being so honest and vulnerable.” “I asked about Fluttershy’s mother. He told me her name was Amazing Grace, and that she had been a gorgeous and sweet-mannered dancer. However, she was now long gone, having left them five years ago. According to him, they had been happily married for three years before they began talking about having a child. Both agreed that they had wanted a boy, and were highly excited when Amazing Grace finally became pregnant. However, when ultrasounds showed that their expected child was to be a girl, Amazing Grace became despondent. Even when Fluttershy was born, Amazing Grace showed no interest in holding her. She fell into a deep depression that lasted throughout Fluttershy's infancy, and despite Brawn Bones' efforts to convince her to let it go and love her daughter as she was, it was of no use. Amazing Grace simply did not love her little girl, instead reserving her love for the son she didn't have. She and Brawn Bones even continued to try and have a son after that, but in spite of all the efforts, she never seemed to be able to become pregnant again." "One night, when Fluttershy was four years old, Amazing Grace and Brawn Bones had a particularly heated argument. When it all came to a head, Amazing Grace decided she had had enough. She stormed into Fluttershy's room, spit on the carpet in front of her, and then stormed out of the house. It was the last they ever saw or heard of her. Since that night, Brawn Bones had raised Fluttershy on his own, lamenting the fact that he now lacked a wife and Fluttershy now lacked a mother. In spite of this, he did the best he could to provide the love of two parents and raise Fluttershy right." "I remember being in tears when he finished divulging his tale. I felt deeply for him, but I felt even more so for poor Fluttershy. Her story was so close to mine that it made my heart ache. I had lost my father early in my life, just as she had lost her mother. However, I realized there was a fundamental difference between our stories. After my father left, my mother found a superior replacement – a good, caring stallion who did not leave us. Fluttershy didn't have that. Her mother was gone, but no one had come to take her place... At least not yet. And it was in that moment that I had an epiphany. Perhaps it could be me! I could be the one to replace her mother, and give her all the care that she had been denied, just as my stepfather had done for me. I was so confident in that decision that I blurted it to Brawn Bones without a second thought. He hesitated at first, but eventually thanked me for caring and opened up to the idea." "After that, he then admitted something that I perhaps should have found puzzling at the time – that although he loved his daughter above all else, he still longed for a baby boy. I, in the emotional moment, revealed that I, too, wished for a child of my own. I wondered, could this all be true? Could all three of us provide for each other what we had desired for so many years? Fluttershy, a mother figure… Brawn Bones, a wife and son… Me, a child of my own and a chance to pay forward my stepfather's love? Indeed, it seemed that destiny had arranged things perfectly for us, a chance to live happily ever after. Needless to say, it was not long before Brawn Bones and I were wed and I moved in with him and Fluttershy. I quit my job as a delivery nurse, and was prepared to become the ideal wife and mother, for both Fluttershy and the future son we hoped to have." "Looking back on it now, I should have listened to my gut instinct that all of this seemed too good to be true, for lamentably, it turned out to be just that. While my bond with Fluttershy grew stronger every day, my bond with Brawn Bones deteriorated quickly. I found that his desire for a boy went beyond just a simple longing – it appeared an unhealthy obsession. It was all he talked about, along with his bitterness towards his ex-wife for failing to give him one. Throughout our years of marriage, I have only managed to get pregnant twice – both times, it was a girl. And both times, Brawn Bones ordered me to have it aborted. As an ex-delivery nurse, who has always been stubbornly pro-life, I cannot describe to you how much this pained me. Two of my own daughters, whose gender mattered not to me, had their lives taken before they could even begin… Because their gender mattered too much to my husband, and his love mattered too much to me. I still cry myself to sleep sometimes when I remember, wondering how weak I was to allow myself to submit to his demands. My two baby girls… Although they never were, I will love them always." "I convinced myself not to dwell on them forever, though, because I still had another little girl to look after – Fluttershy. She was a blessing in my life, but I was greatly troubled by Brawn Bones' treatment of her. Although he provided enough for her to live comfortably, he seemed to lose his temper more quickly with her than anyone else, getting upset with her over trivial things and saying very hurtful words in the process. I distanced myself from the issue for a time, until one day I asked about a cut she had on her foreleg. She first tried to say she fell down at school, but I knew her well enough by then to know she was lying. She then confided in me a truth that turned my world upside-down: 'Daddy did it to me.' She explained that while I was out grocery shopping the previous day, he had entered her room, accusing her of going through his magazines. I was actually the one responsible for that, so of course she denied it. He ordered her to stop lying, but when she insisted she was telling the truth, he shoved her, causing her to fall and scrape her leg on the bedpost. I was astonished that my husband, whom I loved so dearly, could do this to his own daughter, and demanded to know if she was being truthful. She said yes, and said he had been doing similar things to her all throughout her life, the worst period being the couple years after her mother left. I then asked Fluttershy if she remembered anything about her mother. 'Only a little,' she said. 'She was really pretty, and really nice to me. But daddy scared her away. I wanted to go with her, but I couldn't. Daddy wouldn't let me.'" "Fluttershy's account, naturally, deviated greatly from her father's, leading me to wonder which one of the two was lying. I confronted Brawn Bones about it the next day, who blew Fluttershy's story off as a product of her active imagination, and her failing to understand Amazing Grace's true reason for leaving. When I asked if her 'true' reason for leaving was really as he said, he ordered me to drop the subject. I then brought up the cut on Fluttershy's leg, and her account of how it had happened. When I asked what he had to say about that, he withdrew his nightstick and demanded that I shut my mouth, or else he would make me. I was shocked and afraid, for he had never threatened me that way before. However, I was more concerned for Fluttershy than for myself, and so I repeated the question. His answer, as it were, was to swing the nightstick directly at my face. I turned away at the last instant, causing him to land a blow on the junction between the side of my neck and the back of my head…" "Since that day, whatever love I held for that stallion had disappeared, replaced only by a silent anger. All my love was transferred to Fluttershy, and I strove to keep her safe from her father's abuse as much as I could. However, I'm ashamed to admit that I was, and still am, very weak… He still dominates our lives, and although Fluttershy lives in her own cottage now, he and I still live nearby, and his presence in her life remains very strong. And in spite of all I've seen him do and say, to both me and Fluttershy, I still held onto a naïve hope that maybe his tale about his wife's departure was the true version, and that he was the way he was because of his grief. However, just a few days ago, I stumbled across something that has verified that that is simply not the truth…" "You see, as Fluttershy went through her teenage years, she began trying to reach out to her true mother, with my encouragement. In fact, it was I who managed to find her mother's current address by snooping through some of Brawn Bones' personal records. Although I think he suspects that I did so, he's never confronted me directly about it... In any case, I passed this information to Fluttershy, and with it, she went on to write and send several letters to the faraway place that her mother now lived. Brawn Bones became furious any time he discovered another attempt, but he insisted that Amazing Grace would never write back, seeing as she detested Fluttershy for not having been born a boy. Fluttershy refused to believe this, sending letter after letter in secret, with no replies ever coming. The most recent one she sent, as you may have heard, was just last week, in time for Parents' Day." "A few days ago, while Brawn Bones was at work, I was cleaning our bedroom when I spotted something I had never seen before – a sort of trapdoor, partially concealed underneath the bed. I was so intrigued, so certain that something important lay within, that I used a strength I didn't know I had to move the bed on my own. I lifted the trapdoor, and found within it a rather large brown sack. When I opened it and saw its contents, my heart stopped cold." "Within the sack were the dozens of letters that Fluttershy had attempted to send to her mother. Every single one, unopened, unmailed. Brawn Bones, through his eternal vigilance and perhaps with some help from his connections in the police force, had managed to intercept every letter, and hid them all in this sack. He had effectively barred any communication between Fluttershy and Amazing Grace, and was feeding a lie to Fluttershy to explain why she never got any response letters. The dirty coward! In my anger, I pulled out what I recognized to be the most recent letter, which Fluttershy had written just days before, and decided to mail it myself. Afraid that some of Brawn Bones' connections might be within the Ponyville and Cloudsdale post offices, I took the train to Canterlot and dropped it in a postbox there. I also changed the return address on it to match that of a personal friend, in case Brawn Bones had a method to intercept any reply letters as well. With everything in me, I prayed that my extra efforts would pay off." "And now, just today, my prayers have been answered. I visited my friend this morning, who told me a reply letter had arrived. Part of me thought it should be for Fluttershy's eyes alone, but my biting curiosity led me to tear open the envelope and read the letter myself. Indeed, it is addressed to Fluttershy, signed Amazing Grace, and contains pages and pages of some of the most beautiful, heartfelt, bittersweet prose I have ever read. It easily convinced me once and for all that, despite her need to leave her abusive husband, Amazing Grace still very much loves her daughter, and longs desperately to see her again, to see the grown-up mare that she has become…" Softheart slowly reached her mouth into the small bag slung around her shoulder, and withdrew a thick, baby blue envelope. "This is the letter. My plan was to convince Brawn Bones to take Fluttershy to the Parents’ Day Festival, using the only small bit of leverage I have over him: by refusing to continue the effort to give him a son until he agreed to do so. I then hoped Fluttershy and I might find a way to use this letter as a sort of surprise attack against him. Before that, though, she needs to see it. She needs to know the truth…" Softheart put the letter back into the bag, and let out a quivered sigh. "But I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what the repercussions of this might be. I'm afraid of Brawn Bones… as is Fluttershy. I shudder to think what he might do to her…" She raised her head and looked at Applejack through moist eyes. "Applejack, as Fluttershy's friend, please… I need your help..." ~~~ Applejack had cried several times throughout Softheart's tale. She tried to brush away the warm tear water from her cheeks, but there was so much of it that she just caused it to smear. Then, with some difficulty, she nodded. "Of course I'll help. What do you need? I'll do anything. Anything at all." Softheart put on the most gracious smile. "Thank you, Applejack. Thank you so much…" She cleared her throat. "OK, here's what I would like to happen… I would like to somehow get Fluttershy away from Brawn Bones, just long enough that I can speak with her shortly and allow her to read the letter. From that point, she and I can confront Brawn Bones together. I'm not sure what exactly we can do, but I assure you, we will do something to improve our lives. Brawn Bones has kept us trapped in a cage for too long. It's time Fluttershy and I found the strength in each other to break free." Applejack nodded in agreement. "Gotcha. Don't you worry, Softheart. I'll find a way to pry Fluttershy from her daddy's grip, one way or another." "It won't be easy," Softheart warned. "Remember, he's a respected officer for the Cloudsdale police force. He is extremely watchful, and suspicious of everything and everyone. And he can be brutal when he's upset. Please, be careful…" "For you and Fluttershy, I'll take the risk. I promise." "Thank you again," Softheart replied, once again fighting oncoming tears. "So very much…" "It's no trouble. Alrighty then, you wait here. We can't risk Brawn Bones finding you. When I get Fluttershy, we'll meet you back in this very clearing. Got it?" "Understood." "Good. I'll get on it, then. See you soon." "You too…" With a determined nod, Applejack left Softheart in the forest clearing and sprinted into the thicket of trees, back in the direction of the festival… ~~~ Applejack caught her breath as she breached the forest's edge, and found herself staring out among the bright, colorful lights of the Parents' Day Festival once again. The cheery atmosphere and delighted hoots and hollers from the fairgrounds belied the heavy emotions weighing on her heart. On top of all the drama that she had encountered between all her other friends and their parents that night, she now bore the burden of a potentially life-changing promise to Softheart and Fluttershy. What had she gotten herself into? She needed a moment to breathe and gather her thoughts. So many troubles… So many bad histories and old grudges… Could anything truly be done? Could she herself, Applejack wondered, do something about them all…? The more she thought about it, the more she began to build on the plan she had for Softheart and Fluttershy. Perhaps, she thought, there might be a way to include ALL of her friends and their parents into a wide-ranging, brilliant scheme to smooth out ALL their dramas… It seemed impossible, even crazy, and she knew for a fact that she couldn't fix every little thing. Perhaps, though, she could at the very least get them all to understand each other more clearly and lead their lives in the right direction… But did Applejack really possess the knowledge and wisdom about healthy parent-child relationships to pull off such a scheme? Did she really have the authority to decide what was best for everyone? Yes, she eventually decided. While she was not a parent herself, she had the best parental models a pony could ever ask her: her own mother and father. To her, they had always done everything right: supported and guided her, disciplined when necessary, loved always, and so much more. In her eyes, they were the perfect parents, and the example by which every other parent could learn. She would use their example, and with luck, spread it to those who needed to see it the most… "Everyone deserves a good Parents' Day," she whispered to herself. "And as Celestia is my witness, I'm gonna make sure everypony I care about gets just that!" Her eyes turned upward, toward the majestic night sky and all its heavenly bodies. The instant she did, she witnessed a sight that gave her chills: a bright blue shooting star. It launched from beyond the forest, cut across the sky in the direction of the fairgrounds, and vanished at a spot directly above them. Whether this astral miracle had been a divine omen or a divinely wild coincidence, Applejack could not be sure. Either way, the sight of it seemed to deeply inspire her, empower her, make her more than ready to confront the challenges ahead… And so, with the image of her smiling mother and father in her mind, leading the way, Applejack let out an enthusiastic "YEE-HAW!" before galloping back to the fairgrounds, eager to put her plan into action…