The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

by KholdstareV


10. Dressed Down

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Chapter 10: Dressed Down

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Applejack was no stranger to fear. She had stood face-to-face with some of the most wicked and dangerous creatures in all of Equestria, from dragons to Changelings to draconequuses, and stood her ground against them. In fact, with all that she had triumphed over in the past, she at one time believed that fear was an innocent emotion that she had grown out of, and that there was nothing in the world that could truly frighten her to the core anymore. And yet, that night, she now stood before a new wicked creature, one that instilled in her a sense of dread that she had not felt in ages. The sight of Brawn Bones slowly advancing towards her in the dim light of the shed, with his nightstick in his teeth and a maniacal look on his face, made Applejack's guts roll in her stomach. She instinctively backed up, trying to keep her distance, but only managed a few steps before she bumped into the rear wall. Her breath and heart rate began to quicken. She was trapped.

Brawn Bones stopped less than four feet from Applejack's position. He pulled the nightstick from his teeth. "Fluttershy and Softheart…" he said, softly but menacingly, "...where are they?"

As afraid as Applejack was for her own safety, she was even more afraid of the consequences of giving Brawn Bones the information he wanted. "I've got nothin' to say to you."

"Hmm… Not sure I believe that. I think you have a LOT to say to me."

"…You know what? You're right. I DO have a lot to say to you. How about I start off with: You're a sick, deranged, cowardly son-of-a-hoofer that can only torment ponies weaker than him cuz his balls obviously never dropped."

Brawn Bones appeared unfazed. He observed his nightstick nonchalantly. "Hmph, I've heard worse... But let's stay on topic, shall we? Just a short while ago, I saw you and Fluttershy escape into the woods. But only you came back out. I know you know where she went. You took her to Softheart, didn't you?"

Applejack was shocked that he had been able to deduce this. She hid it, though. "…I did. And if you're wondering how I know so much about you, it's cuz Softheart told me everything. So yes, she's in the bounds o' this here farm with Fluttershy right now. And no, I'm not going to tell you where they are or what they're up to." She did her absolute best to stand tall and appear bold, in spite of the debilitating fear she felt inside.

Brawn Bones looked Applejack up and down carefully. "Courageous…" he breathed."…Your words, I mean. Your stance, not so much."

Applejack shrank a couple inches.

"Now, Applejack," he said, his dark eyes gleaming in the orange light, "Let me make something very clear – I am going to get the information that I want out of you. YOUR only choice here is whether you divulge it peaceably, or after some persuasion…" He tapped the nightstick on the wooden floor. It's soft *thunk* echoed within the shed's walls. "Do you understand me?"

Applejack felt an impulse to simply nod, but fought it. "What are you gonna do to 'em when you find 'em?"

"Depends what they're doing. And how much I disapprove of it." He raised a knowing eyebrow. "So, Applejack, as you said yourself, Softheart told you everything. So, how much do you think I would disapprove of what they're up to?"

Applejack knew it was fruitless to try to lie her way out of the situation. "It's the most outrageous thing I'm sure they've ever done. It's somethin' that could turn your purty lil' world of dominance right upside-down."

Brawn Bones simply grunted. "Hmph, well, if I'm going to dislike it THAT much, then I'll just have to make sure they both dislike it even more." He tapped the nightstick on the wooden floor once again.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "How does a pony turn into such a monster…?"

Brawn Bones appeared slightly surprised by Applejack's question, unsure whether to shut her up or ask her to elaborate.

"You started out as a newborn foal, innocent n' pure, just like everypony else," Applejack continued. "What happened to you to make you grow up to be such a vile creature?" She could feel a tide of strength rising within her. "…I'll bet your own father was a monster, too."

It was difficult to describe the brief emotion that flashed across Brawn Bones' face in that moment. His eyes swelled with a subdued, but visible shock and pain, as though struck by a set of repressed memories that came bursting back to the forefront of his conscience, like a long-submerged buoy breaching the ocean's surface. The moment lasted less than a second, and Brawn Bones concealed and recovered from it remarkably well. But it was unmistakable: Applejack had struck a major, decisive chord.

"Don't change the subject," Brawn Bones ordered, his tone less calm and more demanding than before. "Softheart and Fluttershy, where ar-?"

"He was, wasn't he?" Applejack interrupted, determined not to let her leverage slip by. "I'll bet he made you feel worthless and scared every wakin' and sleepin' minute that you were a child. I'll bet he hurt you physically and emotionally every chance he got. He made you wonder why other foals had happy relationships with their own daddies, and what you did wrong to deserve the one YOU got. Am I right?"

Brawn Bones just stared silently, breathing deeply and twisting his lip.

"Am I RIGHT?!"

Brawn Bones' expression made a subtle, angry shift. He quickly raised the nightstick and pointed it directly at Applejack's face. It was mere inches from her nose. "My father was not a monster…" he growled through clenched teeth, "…He was what monsters FEARED. He scarred me in ways that I don't even want to begin to remember. But as horrible as he treated me, it was nothing like how he treated my younger sister…" His lips began to quiver. "The only thing more painful than receiving his abuse, was watching her receive it even worse… For goodness sake, I watched him beat her with a rake once. A rake! Can you believe that?! I was helpless to do anything about it… And my mother, she was just sitting there, watching, cowering, not helping…"

Applejack held her breath as Brawn Bones spilled his horrid personal history all at once. As much as it surprised her, she found herself feeling a twinge of sympathy for him. "Is that all true…?" she asked in a hushed tone.

The muscles in his face tensed with sorrow and rage. "As much as I wish it wasn't, yes."

Applejack looked past the nightstick pointed at her face, and into Brawn Bones’ eyes. "I'm sorry that all had to happen to you…"

Brawn Bones reacted curiously to Applejack's apology. His features and posture seemed to soften for a moment, but also express some confusion, as though he had never heard the words "I'm sorry" before. However, not long after, he put on a suspicious scowl. "Hmph! Had me goin' for a minute there... But if you're trying to play some kind of mind game on me, fat chance. It’s not gonna work."

"No!" Applejack protested. "Honest! I didn't know the circumstances of your life. And now that I do, it all explains so much… How you're able to treat Fluttershy and Softheart the way you do. And why you seem to have an obsessive preference for a son over a daughter..."

Brawn Bones hesitantly nodded. "It’s true... When you grow up in a household like mine, it can leave a pony rather… warped. And bitter. Which I admit, I am those things. And I admit, I've carried it over to my treatment of my own family. But what can you expect? It's all I've ever known. It's all that was given to me, and so it's all I can give back."

"I understand that much," Applejack replied.

"Good," Brawn Bones said. All the heavy emotions seemed to drain from him in the following seconds, leaving behind only his original, beastly self. "But none of that changes the reason why you and I are here. Now, back to my first question: Where are Fluttershy and Softheart?"

"I'm still not sayin'."

"You're being unbelievably stupid. This could be completely painless for you if you just tell me!"

"I won't. I have too much faith in what Fluttershy and Softheart are doin', and I refuse to jeopardize it."

Brawn Bones's pupils began to shake like mad. "What the hell are you TALKING about?"

"You'll see soon enough," Applejack boldly proclaimed, taking a step forward. "Cuz lemme tell you somethin', Brawn Bones. As much as you like to use your childhood as an excuse for your disgusting behavior, there's a major flaw with that excuse. You, sir, are a monster, but Fluttershy, who has endured the EXACT same abuse at your own hooves, is anything but! In spite of all you've done to her, she's grown into the sweetest, humblest, most caring pony I ever did meet! You may have killed her confidence, but unlike you, she's still got her soul. So where does the difference between you two lie, huh? Come on, you're a police pony! You studied psychology! Tell me, what is the factor that made her turn out so much better than you?!"

"Shut up!" Brawn Bones thundered. He used his muscular foreleg to raise the nightstick high. At that instant, the shed's light bulb flickered and the dimness dropped several shades, casting a pall of horrifying shadows over his face.

Applejack was so frightened she felt her heart tie itself into knots. But she did not fall silent. "Face it, ya self-pitying, egomaniacal, overgrown crybaby! Fluttershy is stronger than you! She and Softheart both! And they're gonna prove that to you tonight, once and for all! 8:30 in the barn - Be there! But only if you're stallion enough to face it!"

"I swear to Celestia, I will hoofcuff you to a post and beat you bloody if you don't shut your mouth and tell me WHERE THEY ARE!"

Applejack buckled her legs and snorted like a bull. "Beat me with a rake, for all I care!"

Her next actions happened at a speed that she never believed she was capable of. She whirled her body around, reared up her hind legs, bunched up her muscles like giant springs, and let loose with an applebuck so powerful that it would have stripped a sequoia tree. She could feel her rear left hoof make contact with his jaw, and force the muscle and bone out of position. A sickening *crack* filled the air, followed by a primal yell from Brawn Bones' throat.

In a frenzied panic, Applejack did a 180 and ran around Brawn Bones' massive frame, towards the door. For a second, it seemed she would be able to escape scot-free. Her hope was shattered, though, when a sharp, stinging pain exploded on her flank, just above her Cutie Mark. She screamed, feeling tears instantly beginning to form in her eyes. As a knee-jerk reaction, she delivered another blind, but equally powerful applebuck behind her. She struck nothing but air, causing her to stumble. The panic in her doubled, fearing that her mishap had cost her her escape. However, her ears picked up the sound of Brawn Bones scuffling on the ground behind her, disoriented, and groaning from the pain of his shattered jaw. He had been able to land that one blow on her, but he was now incapacitated. Hope burst forth within her again. Without wasting another second, she bolted out the shed door and slammed it shut behind her.

~~~

Applejack ran toward the fairgrounds, away from the shed, desperate to get as far from it as possible as fast as possible. The wound on her flank throbbed ceaselessly, smarting with each step she took. The pain, and her receding adrenaline, allowed dizziness and a slight nausea to start overtaking her. Other ponies moved out of her way as she staggered through the aisle, their slurred, jumbled voices all expressing concern. She heard the voice of a filly call out "Look, she's bleeding!" She ignored the curious onlookers, and through sheer willpower, managed to make it to the farm's water pump, behind a cotton candy stall. She pressed the pump and took a big gulp of cool, refreshing water. The dizziness began to fade. With a sigh of relief and exhaustion, she collapsed onto the grass.

Applejack would have fallen asleep on the grass right then and there, but the sting of her injury nagged at her. She looked back at her flank, and gasped when saw that the rear part of her mother’s white summer dress was now lined with red snakes of blood, all coming from a large blot localized right at the spot where the pain radiated from. Seeing the damage a single blow from Brawn Bones' nightstick had been able to do, she considered herself lucky that Brawn Bones hadn't struck her in the head with it.

Over the next few minutes, Applejack used the water pump to clean the messy wound. She decided to tear off and dispose of the bloodied part of the dress, and also to rip off a clean strip that she could use to wrap the wound.

"I know you always loved this dress, ma," she said to herself lamentably, "I'm sorry..."

As Applejack took another couple minutes to recover, she looked out to the nearby field and happened to spot a family of three – a father, a son, and a daughter – all gathered around a telescope, taking turns peering through it, up at the wonders of the star-studded space above. She could make out some of their dialogue…

"Daddy, will the stars turn purple again? Will they?"

"No, I'm afraid not, sweetheart. At least not right now."

"Aww, but it was so cool! I want it to happen again!"

"Yeah, me too!"

"Well don't worry, it'll happen again eventually."

"Really?!"

"Yeah… In thirty years! Haha!"

"What?! Aww, but that's like, forever!"

"We'll be all old and stuff by then!"

"I know… Sorry kids, but hey, be glad you got the opportunity to see it at all! Trust me, you'll remember this for the rest of your lives…"

The conversation suddenly made Applejack remember – Twilight and her parents! They were still on top of the Ferris wheel! With everything else that had happened that night, she had completely forgotten about them. She looked at the tall, neon-glowing structure across the fairgrounds. She figured the three had been sitting in the top gondola for more than a half-hour by that point. Applejack immediately sprang to her hooves and galloped towards the ride, hoping her tardiness wouldn't result in any major setbacks.

~~~

When Applejack reached the Ferris wheel, she could plainly see that the red gondola, which Twilight and her parents had been aboard, was still settled at the very top. She also found that the "Out Of Order" sign was still up and that the ride operator had apparently never returned. With a gulp, she ran to the ride controls and fired the wheel up, causing the red gondola to gently make its way back into the loading station. From afar, she could see the three family members disembark, but she could not tell what they were saying or what mood they were in. "Oh… I hope to high heaven that they ain't cross for bein' stuck up there so long!" she exclaimed to herself.

When Applejack galloped over to meet Twilight and her parents, she was overjoyed to see that all three of them were actually engaged in excited, jubilant conversation. Twilight, who carried the small blue telescope in her saddlebag, walked between her mother and father, talking back and forth between them and smiling in delight. They likewise did the same, and for once, appeared to show no sign of caring about how they might be perceived by any other ponies around them.

"Howdy, Twi! Howdy Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle!" Applejack chirped as she approached.

"Applejack! Hey!" Twilight exclaimed. The first thing she noticed was Applejack's defiled outfit. "Oh my, your dress! And your flank! What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Aw, it's nothin'. Just a lil' mishap, is all. It was a cheap dress anyway," Applejack lied. "So what are you n' your folks up to?"

"Oh, OK, if you say so… Well, anyway, we just got off the Ferris wheel. And, oh my goodness, you won't believe what just happened to us!"

"Oh yes, it was glorious!" Starlight said, holding up an enthusiastic hoof. "Our gondola got stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel!"

"Ya don't say!" Applejack replied, feigning surprise. "Well gee, what’s so glorious about that?"

"Well, the getting stuck part wasn't so glorious, I suppose," Starlight mused, "But my little Twilight just so happened to have a telescope handy, and so we used it to watch the Violet Veneer. The Violet Veneer! I had always heard it was one of the most stunning cosmic events that one could witness, but I had never gotten the chance to see it. That is, until tonight! And WOW, what a spectacle! The fusion of the high-frequency light waves from the blue star and low-frequency light waves of the red star created just the most GORGEOUS display of dazzling violet!" She turned to address Twilight. "Didn't they, sweetie?"

"Did they ever!" Twilight replied. "And it's so amazing that such an event could be visible even at 6.793 light years away!"

"6.794 light years, to be precise," Starlight corrected with a smile.

"Really? I’m pretty sure the last digit is a 3…"

"No, my dear. Astronomy 275 at Silver Saddle University. I still distinctly remember learning that fact." She turned to her husband. "Isn't that right, darling?"

Moonlight put on an easy smile. He winked at Twilight. She, in turn, openly laughed. "Ha! See mom? Even dad says I'm right about this one!"

Starlight made a face like she wanted to argue, but simply chuckled and shook her head. "Oooh, well… I guess it has been a long time. My memory about everything up there is a bit hazy. But my, it was certainly nice to be reminded of it all again." She gazed up at the night sky, counting the stars. "Thank you, Twilight, for reminding me that the Violet Veneer was happening tonight. I'd have completely missed it otherwise! For all we know, I may not have gotten another chance to see it in my lifetime…"

"Aww, mom, don't say that!" Twilight said with pouted lips.

"Oh, it's nothing to fret over, dear," Starlight insisted. "I'm not exactly young anymore, you know. I'm officially over the hill at this point – I now have more days behind me than ahead of me, it seems. Every day it gets harder to say 'Oh, I can do that later on in my life!' I do believe that this is something I wouldn't have gotten another chance to see…" She peered over her glasses at Twilight. "…but the important thing is, I saw it. And I must say, I haven't felt so thrilled since…"

Twilight breathed in deeply. "…Since the night the three of us took our old red telescope out onto the lawn and went stargazing together?"

Starlight fell into a ponderous silence. She peered at Moonlight, who still wore his easy smile. He nodded in full understanding.

"Wow, sounds like ya'll have some pretty firm common ground after all!" Applejack exclaimed. "Maybe stargazin' is somethin' you could do more often together?"

Twilight lit up. "Yeah! Mom, dad! We totally should! You've seen my huge telescope in my treehouse, haven't you? You should come over sometime. There's supposed to be a meteor shower next week, actually!"

Starlight and Moonlight both seemed to light up in that instant, too. However, Moonlight soon put on a glum face, and nudged his wife. She, in turn, frowned as well. "Oh… That would be lovely, dear, but I'm afraid we can't. Marketing Is Magic, Inc., is currently expanding, and so all staff is experiencing an increase in work hours. Besides, I wouldn't want stargazing to interfere with your studies, either. Let's not forget our roles in society, dear."

"Oh, right…" Twilight moaned, dropping her head a little. "It's OK. It was just a suggestion…"

Applejack observed all three members of the family wearing the same disappointed looks. It was such a shame, considering they had been so joyful only moments before. The looks they wore expressed an inner passion that wanted to be released, but was being forced back by a perceived sense of duty. She decided she couldn't allow this anymore. And so, she spoke up. "Hold up, ya'll work for Marketing Is Magic, Inc., do ya?"

"That's correct," Starlight responded.

Moonlight nodded, too.

"Well, I have a proposal for ya'll that I think you might find very interesting…" She pointed a hoof up at the night sky. "Here’s the deal: For years, my ma n' pa used to observe star patterns n' such to predict good apple harvests. Never understood how they did it for a hill o' beans, but I swear, their predictions were always spot-on. And I'm sure my Granny Smith knows the techniques, too…" She paused a moment, to see if the Sparkle family was listening. They all were, intently, as she suspected. "And, as it so happens, I've been tryin' to strike up a new marketing campaign for Sweet Apple Acres. Haven't had any good ideas… 'Til now."

"What's your idea?" Twilight asked eagerly.

"Starlight, Moonlight, Twilight," Applejack listed off, "How would ya'll like to help me design a marketing campaign to publicize my parents' techniques? Ya'll could research the star patterns, find the connections that foretell good and bad apple seasons, and then together, we can advertise our findings! It'd be a great way to spread word about our family's crop, especially if the stars predict that we got a jim-dandy of a harvest comin' up!"

Twilight's excitement about the concept could not be contained. "Oh my gosh, Applejack, that's a GREAT idea! We could use my telescope at home to track the stars and compare them to the state of the apples in your orchard! Don't you think so, mom?"

Starlight nodded her head slowly. "I do recall learning about such practices. And you know what? That does sound like a fascinating idea. Yes… Yes, I can see it now. A particular constellation in a particular part of the sky…"

"On a particular date!" Twilight added gleefully.

"Yes, of course! All that, predicting an abundant harvest from Sweet Apple Acres... We could arrange for posters, radio announcements, the whole nine yards, advertising the good fortune. Your farm would reap the benefits of great publicity, and Marketing Is Magic would have another successful campaign project under its belt. It's a win-win! It's foolproof! Isn't it, Moonlight? As Head Marketing Consultant, you should prepare a pitch for this and present it to the board right away!"

Moonlight grinned, prancing excitedly in place.

"AND, let's not forget the most important thing!" Applejack exclaimed. "That the three of you would be able to indulge in your passions together WITHOUT havin' to give up your other duties. After all, who says work and pleasure have to be mutually exclusive? My daddy sure didn't, I don't, and neither should ya'll!"

All three members of the Sparkle family now sported genuine grins. They once again began to talk amongst themselves, happily looking forward to this new project that could bring their work, passion, and family closer together. Applejack imagined the three of them peering through Twilight's telescope, studying the motions of outer space, analyzing their data, and all around just loving what they were doing, accentuated by the fact that they were doing it together.

Applejack's thoughts were interrupted, however, when she spotted two faces in the crowd staring at her from afar. When she recognized them, her heart shriveled up.

"Excuse me, Applejack," Starlight asked formally, "Is there any chance your cousin Orange Julius might be able to produce a television commercial?"

Applejack was only paying half-attention. "Uh… y-yeah, possibly. I'll rap with him about it. Anyhoo, I'd be more n' happy to talk further about the proposal, but I got stuff to attend to right now. Tell ya what – how 'bout all three of you meet me in the barn at 8:30 tonight? We'll talk more then…"

All three looked back and forth between one another, and nodded in unison. "OK," Twilight confirmed. "8:30 in the barn it is."

"Great!" Applejack said with a wave. "Alrighty then, see ya!"

"Hold on!" Starlight halted. "One more question, if you please."

"Sure. Shoot."

"You say these star-reading techniques are used by your parents. Is there a chance we could consult them directly for details?"

Applejack's jaw hung slightly open for a couple seconds. She stammered with her following words. "Uh, I, u-um… Not at the present time, no."

"Ah, well, when WILL they be available?"

"Err, it's hard to say at this point…" Applejack replied. She looked in every direction as she spoke, except directly at Starlight. "I'll have that info later, I promise. But for now, I really gotta get goin'. Good-bye." Without another word, she turned and trotted away.

"Hmm…" Starlight hummed thoughtfully. "She seemed a bit skittish there, didn't she? I hope I didn't upset her…"

Moonlight angled his lip, also expressing concern.

"Don't worry, mom and dad. She'll be OK." Twilight said softly. "It's just that, when it comes to her parents… She's had to cope with a lot recently…"

"Oh dear," Starlight moaned. "With what, exactly?"

Twilight looked seriously at both her mother and father, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. "Well, it's kind of a long story…"

~~~

"Evenin', you two…" Applejack said half-heartedly as she approached her siblings.

Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh stood before her, the latter carrying a bouquet of white daisies in his teeth. Both appeared to be quite exhausted and stressed.

"What in the name o' dirt have you been up to all night, big sis?!" Apple Bloom squealed. "Big Mac n' I have been chasin' you here, there, n' everywhere for the last hour! It's time to go visit ma n' pa! Did you forget?"

Applejack didn't even look at them. "I…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't right now. I'm sorry."

Apple Bloom stared in disbelief. "What?! What do you mean 'you can't right now'?"

"I got a lot o' things I'm jugglin' at the moment," Applejack explained. "All for the sake of my friends. Their havin' a good Parents' Day depends on me. I gotta see to that first. I just gotta. So ya'll go on ahead and see ma n' pa without me. I'll just have to see them later on my own time."

Apple Bloom's big eyes stared up into her sister's in sorrow. "But… But we've always gone to visit ma n' pa as a group. All three of us. They wouldn't want it any other way. Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

Big Macintosh nodded, and even with the flowers in his teeth, managed a muffled, "Ee-yup!"

Apple Bloom grinned and turned back to Applejack. "See? Even Big Mac says you should come! You gotta now!"

Applejack remained steadfast. "Ya'll must be deaf as earthworms. I said I can't go right now. In fact, with all that I'm obligated to do here, I may not even be able to make it at all tonight…"

Big Macintosh looked at the ground, his posture drooping a little. Apple Bloom's annoyance was quickly giving way to anger. She gritted her teeth and puffed up her chest. "You might not even make it?! How could you say that?! It's Parents' Day! Ya know, the day you're supposed to honor your PARENTS?!"

"I didn't say I don't wanna see 'em!" Applejack shot back. "I'm doin' everything I can to make sure that EVERYPONY has a good Parents' Day, including myself! But I just can't let myself enjoy the holiday if my friends aren't enjoyin' theirs. I have to help them, before I help myself. That's just how I do. It's how ma n' pa taught me how to be, and ya'll know that!"

Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh stood in silence, unable to reply. They knew their sister's stubbornness all too well; when she made up her mind about something, all they could do was nod and let her run her course.

"I'm awfully sorry ya'll have been on a goose chase after me for so long," she continued, "So I'm tellin' you right now, ya don't gotta bother anymore. I don't wanna waste more o' your time any more than I wanna waste mine. So please, go on and visit ma n' pa without me. I'll make it when I can…"

"But sis, how late are ya gonna be?" Apple Bloom asked urgently. "Remember? The gates to Avalon Fields close at 9 o' clock!"

"I'll do what I can in the time I have. And, like I said, by the time I finish helpin' out my friends, it may be too late. If that happens, I'll deal with it. It'd be my problem, not either of yours. So don't worry 'bout me. Understand?"

Big Macintosh managed to utter a soft, "Ee-yup."

Apple Bloom kicked at the dirt with her hoof, clearly despondent. "Weeell, OK, Applejack… But please, try your hardest, OK? Ma n' pa will REALLY wanna see you."

Applejack nodded in understanding. She then flicked her hoof, indicating that the conversation was over and it was time for them all to move along. Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom nodded back, and began to walk away. As they did, however, Apple Bloom caught sight of the ruined state of the rear part of Applejack's dress. Her pupils grew wide. "What in tarnation?! Applejack! What in all heck did you do to ma's dress?!"

Applejack tried in vain to cover her dress with her hoof. "I… I had an accident. It's no big deal."

Apple Bloom puffed her chest out once again. "No big deal?! That's ma's favorite dress!"

"It ain't her dress anymore!" Applejack argued. "She gave it to ME! It's MINE now! So I can do what I darn well want with it!"

"She gave it to you because she LOVES you!" Apple Bloom shot back, her eyes glazing over with tears. "And this is how you thank her?! By dirtyin' and rippin' it all up?! How could you?"

Ire and guilt bubbled up within Applejack liked a cauldron of caustic fluid. She couldn't bear to respond. "Just go!" she shouted. "Both of you!"

"You ruined ma's dress, and you also might not even SEE her tonight?! You're horrible! You're the worst daughter in all of Equestria!!"

At that point, Big Macintosh wrapped a large foreleg around his flailing little sister and lifted her up before beginning to carry her away. All the while, she continued to scream. "You're the worst daughter in the whole WORLD!!"

Applejack's face clenched in bitterness. She turned and began to hastily trot away. She simply couldn't hear any more...

~~~

"So Applejack, what are we doing here on the barn roof? Tee-hee, 'roof'! That's such a funny word. 'ROOF!' Hee-hee-hee! It's like the sound that a dog makes! Oh, did they name the part of the house after the dog sound? Or is it the other way around? But why? What do the two have to do with each other? One is the 'ROOF' of a house and the other is a dog saying 'RUFF!'… Oh wait a minute, they're NOT the same! The sound that a dog makes actually sounds more like 'ROUGH!' Does that mean dogs are rough? Applejack, you have a dog. Is Winona rough?"

"…To answer your first question, Pinkie Pie, we're on the roof cuz we're gonna be meetin' Rainbow Dash here in just a few minutes. At least I hope so…"

"Oooooh, okie-dokie-lokie! But what about my other six questions?"

"Umm… I forgot 'em all. Sorry."

"Oh, that's OK! I guess I do talk a little too much sometimes. Maybe a little too fast, too. Do you think so?"

"I know so, Pinkie. I know so. And anyway, before you ask, we're meetin' Rainbow Dash cuz she's bringin' some guests to the festival that I think you'll really want to meet."

"Guests? That you want ME to meet? YAY! New friends! I LOVE making new friends! Are they new friends?"

"Uhh… not exactly. You'll just have to see for yourself."

"A surprise? YAY! I love surprises, too! Either way, this sounds like it's gonna be a blast. Just like the whole festival has been so far! By the way, Applejack, why do you keep looking at that shed down there? Are you expecting somepony to go in?"

"Huh? Oh, naw. I'm actually, uhh… kinda hopin' nopony comes out…"

"Comes OUT? Huh, that's weird. Why would you be worried about that? Somepony would have to go IN first before they could come OUT, ya know. And I sure haven't seen anypony go in. Common sense, Applejack. Doy!"

"Never mind. Let's just keep our eye out for-"

"Rainbow Dash! There she is! Coming in fast! HEY RAINBOW DASH! OVER HERE! YOU'RE CLEAR FOR LANDING! BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

Applejack and Pinkie Pie both watched as Rainbow Dash came speeding over the air of the fairgrounds, before pulling a wide banked curve and touching her hooves down on the barn's roof. She slid several feet, blowing bunches of shingles off the rooftop. She sported a large grin on her face.

"Howdy again, Rainbow!" Applejack exclaimed. "So how'd it go? Any luck?"

"Did you bring the new friends?!" Pinkie Pie blurted right after.

Rainbow Dash, through her panting and sweating, nodded triumphantly. "Mission accomplished!"

Applejack threw her front hooves in the air with glee. "Yee-haw! I knew you'd be able to do it! You rock, RD! You rock hard!"

"Thank you, thank you," Rainbow Dash said with a bow.

"Right then…" Applejack said, looking around, puzzled. "…So, where are they?"

Rainbow Dash snickered. "Dunce! They're right behind you!"

Applejack and Pinkie Pie both excitedly whipped around. Upon seeing the two ponies now standing across from them, however, both exchanged looks of surprise and confusion. Somehow, the sight they saw before them was nothing like what either of them was expecting. Pinkie Pie, in particular, could not contain the dismay that swept over her.

"Mommy? Daddy?..."