The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

by KholdstareV


12. No Love Lost

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 12: No Love Lost

_________________________________________________________________________________________

"Baby, you DROP that apple fritter right now!"

"Mmph, but I'f already got shome in my mouf!"

"Then spit it out! You ain't earned it yet, ya hollow-headed hooligan!"

"But shweetie, I-"

"NOW!"

"P-TAGH! Aww, shucks, what a waste…"

"That's about to become the least o' your worries! Didn't I tell you not to have one bite 'til I was through scoldin' both you n' Applejack?"

"Aw, but sweetie, you were takin' so dern long! And honestly, how can you expect me to resist when the sweet, delicious, heavenly aroma of your fritters beckons me so?"

"Ooooh no, you ain't gonna sweet-talk your way outta this one! Not after worryin' me half to death! Oh, you'd better WIPE that stupid smirk off your face!"

"I'm sorry, darlin'. I didn't mean to make you fret, but didn't Applejack already explain? When I went out to look for her, I found her tryin' to teach herself how to applebuck. And so, bein' a good daddy, I just gave her a quickie of a lesson. That's all. Ain't that a parent's job? To teach his young ones all that he knows?"

"Yes, but also to do so RESPONSIBLY! To not be stagin' lessons when the sun's settin', and when the timberwolves might be sniffin' about!"

"…Did you whack your head this mornin', honey? It ain't timberwolf season for another couple weeks…"

"Oh, great! Now I see where Applejack's been gettin' that snappy, comeback-y attitude o' hers. She said the exact same thing to me!"

"Did she? Well hey, then she knows what she's talkin' about! Give 'er some credit, and for goodness sake, ease up a bit!"

"Two weeks ain't that long, baby! What if one o' them snarlin' beasts had decided to start the hunt early? What if one of 'em had attacked while you were givin' your poorly-timed lil' lesson? Why, you both coulda been… Agh! I don't even wanna think about it!"

"Then DON'T think about it! Honestly, why do you always go off imaginin' the worst possible 'what ifs'? Don't do that, and just look at the reality: nothin' happened! Applejack and I are both home, safe n' sound! Look at me – I'm right here in front of you, talkin' to you, alive and well! We ain't been mauled and eaten by no imaginary timberwolf. We. Are. OK!"

"Please, PLEASE don't talk about you and Applejack gettin' mauled n' eaten. I can't… It's just too hard to…"

"Oh, c'mon now! I said we AIN'T been mauled and ea-!"

"Shut up shut up SHUT UP!"

"…OK! OK… I'm… I'm sorry."

"…Applejack doesn't come home, even when the sun's clearly settin'. You go out lookin' for her, promisin' you'll come RIGHT back. But then YOU disappear, too. All the while I'm on the porch, lookin' out to the orchard, scared as a cornered rabbit, wonderin' where my hubby and my only daughter are… Then, even after you DO come home, you eat my fritters even though I told you not to, and now you're arguin' in my face when my only crime was worryin' too much! Could you POSSIBLY disrespect me anymore tonight than you already have?!"

"…I… Oh, darlin', I really didn't mean to… Oh, no. Please, darlin'. Don't cry. Don't cry!"

"Well - *sniff* - what can you expect me to – *sniff* – do right now?! I can't remember the last time you made me so upset. Get away from me! Don't touch me!"

"Darlin', truly, I never meant to cause any bad feelin's. But, I really still think you're overreactin' about this whole thing-"

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Ma! Pa! Stop fightin'!"

"Applejack?!"

"Ma, Pa! Please, don't yell at each other no more! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stay out late and make you two get so cross! I'll never do it again, I promise! Just please, please don't yell at each other no more!"

"Oh goodness… It's OK, baby doll! It's OK. Come on over 'ere. Let daddy give you a hug. It's OK…"

"Pa, I heard you n' Ma yellin', and it was so scary! I don't want you to hate each other!"

"Oh, no no no no... Don't worry, baby doll. Your ma and I don't hate each other…"

"Absolutely not, my sweet lil' strudel. Matter o' fact, the complete opposite's true. I was only so upset with your father because... well, I love you both that much."

"…R-really?"

"O' course. That's why I was so scared when ya'll didn't come home when you should have. But then again, I reckon it's not right of me to start raisin' such a big storm about it… Your pa's right, after all. You two did come home OK, and that's all that matters. Maybe I did overreact a little bit…"

"Well, don't heap all the blame on yourself there, darlin'. I s'ppose I shoulda been more considerate of what was goin' through your mind, too. I mean, Applejack and I knew we were safe, but you didn't. I'm sure I'd be just as nervous if I was in your horseshoes. So, yeah… I'm sorry for, uh, givin' you a reason to yell at me, haha!"

"So… So you both still love each other?"

"Always, baby doll. Always."

"And we love you too, Applejack. And we're sorry to you, for makin' you worry 'bout us."

"It's OK! I'm just happy you don't hate each other and you're not gonna split up or nothin'..."

"Split up? Ha, now THAT'S a hoot n' a holler! Trust me, sweetie: your father and I have made it through MUCH rougher times. We're bound like gorilla glue: ain't nothin' can tear us apart. I promise. Does hearin' that make you feel better?"

"Yes indeedy, ma! Much better!"

"That's a good girl."

"Glad to hear it, baby doll! Oh, but just to make your ma feel a little more secure for the future: if we HAD run into a timberwolf, you and I coulda taken it on, couldn't we?"

"We sure coulda, pa! Why, with the applebuckin' trick ya taught me, we coulda turned that dumb timberwolf into FIREWOOD together!"

"Better believe it, girlie! Oh, but, of course, it's certainly best that we didn't have to do that at all. Right, darlin'?"

"You're absolutely right, baby. Anyhoo, I'm glad we've all came to some sort o' closure here. That said, I'm done discussin' stuff! Who wants apple fritters?!"

"Oooh! Me, me! I do, ma!"

"Well then, get your lil' behind in the kitchen n' help yourself, sugar dimple! There's still plenty!"

"Alright! YEE-Haw! Apple fritters, here I come!..."

"Say, can I go have some more, too? You made me spit out my other one…"

"Honestly, I think you n' your lil' potbelly have had enough there, mister."

"Aww… Alright. But… there wouldn't happen to be some, uhh, OTHER sweets waitin' for me in the bedroom, now would there?"

"Hmm, well, I might have a lil' somethin' I'm willin' to share…"

"That right? Well, what might I have to do to… stroke your generosity?"

"Hm-hmm… Come on up and we'll discuss it further, big boy."

"Woo-wee! Sounds yummy!"

"Hahaha! Oh… Baby, only you can make my mood whip around so fast!"

"Well, that can only be because you love me, can't it?"

"No doubt, baby. I do love you."

"I and you, darlin'…"

~~~

"Mom, dad," Rainbow Dash announced in as formal a voice as she could manage, "I'm moving out."

All was still and quiet in the tiny work shed for a long while. Rainbow Dash's words had echoed off the walls and entered into the ears of her parents who, in spite of their polarized personalities, both reacted in very much the same way – with looks of shock, followed by contemplation, and then bewildered amusement. "What?!" they demanded in unison, as though they had just been told an offensive joke.

Rainbow directed her vision at her friend. "Take it, Applejack."

"With pleasure, RD," Applejack replied with a smile. "Aeroswift, Sweetgood Mac, allow me to elaborate. We here at Sweet Apple Acres have always prided ourselves on being able to spread our crop to the farthest reaches of Equestria and beyond. However, recent events have left our delivery department stuck in the mud. Ya see, we used to have two travelling salesponies here on the farm that would transport our wares to all of our clients the world over, but an unfortunate accident has rendered them, err... unable to fulfill those duties any longer. With apple production more backed up than a hibernatin' bear's behind, I've been on the prowl for a pony with the right stuff to serve as a replacement. Somepony with the stamina to make deliveries, and the confidence to sell…" She gestured a hoof towards Rainbow Dash, who stood tall and proud. "And tonight, I believe my search has ended. Sir and madam, the Apple Family would like to hire your daughter, Rainbow Dash, to be its new travelling salespony! We will pay handsomely, of course, and also happily allow her to live in our guest bedroom at the farmhouse for the duration of her employment. It's a win-win for ever'pony!"

"Yeah! So there ya have it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Applejack said I can move in and start working tomorrow. Nice, huh? So when we get home tonight, I'm gonna pack up all my stuff and get ready!"

Aeroswift opened her mouth, but was clearly at a loss for words. She slowly shook her head when she finally spoke. "No, you're not."

Rainbow Dash's prideful grin quickly drooped into a stunted frown. "Huh?"

"You're not moving out, Rainbow Dash. Not yet. You're not ready. Not NEARLY ready!"

"Whaddya mean? I totally am!" Rainbow Dash argued. She glanced at Applejack, whom she expected to be just as dismayed. She was surprised, though, to see Applejack looking rather calm and collected, as though she had been anticipating this turn of events.

"I understand you wanting to go out on your own. I really do," Aeroswift said with a genuine motherly concern, "but you are just not responsible enough. I mean, look what happened with your weather patrol job! What makes you think you'll be able to keep this one?"

"OK, I admit, I messed up last time," Rainbow Dash said, "But give me another chance to prove myself. I can totally keep a job AND be responsible enough to live on my own! I know it!" She turned to her father with pleading, puppy dog eyes. "You believe me, don't you, daddy?"

Sweetgood Mac looked at the floor and bit his lip. In his mind, he strongly desired to say that he, too, did not believe Rainbow Dash was ready to leave home, albeit for different reasons than Aeroswift. When confronted with his daughter's never-failing big, sad eyes, however, he felt himself melt inside. "Well, Dashie, if it's really what you want… perhaps your mother and I can-"

"No!" Aeroswift shouted, cutting him off. She glared in his direction with an all-too common hatred. "No no NO! You will not concede to this, Sweetgood! You will NOT let her play with your silly putty heart and get you to side with her again! Especially when she's asking for something so ridiculous!"

Sweetgood Mac clenched his eyes and mouth shut, trying to force back the flood of anger quickly rising within him. "OK… I understand that what she's asking for is pretty radical," he shuddered, "And I don't believe she's fully ready for this, either. But maybe there's a-"

"No! There is no 'maybe'!" Aeroswift interrupted harshly. "She's not ready, and you and I both know it!"

"Beg your pardon, ma'am," Applejack said in a polite, calm tone, "but if I may ask, why do you believe Rainbow Dash ain't cut out for independence?"

"Oh, MANY reasons!" she snapped back. "Rainbow Dash has got stamina, sure, but she's also got a seriously inflated ego, and without the sense of responsibility to back it up!"

"M'kay," Applejack continued. "And… what do you believe to be the cause of that defect?"

Aeroswift narrowed her eyes, and shifted them in the direction of her softie of a husband. "The cause? Oh, that's easy. You can blame HIM, all the way."

"Oh, I'M the one to blame. Of course!" Sweetgood Mac yelled sarcastically, finally losing his cool. "Well please, Aeroswift, tell everypony for the thousandth time why I am such a horrible father! Go on! I'm sure we're all just DYING to hear it!"

"Oh no, not again…!" Rainbow Dash whispered fearfully, putting her hoof over her mouth. "Applejack, watch what you say! You might make them fight even more!"

Applejack seemed to hear Rainbow Dash's plea, but her following words indicated otherwise. "I'M dyin' to hear it! Spill the beans, Aeroswift. What did Sweetgood Mac do wrong?"

Aeroswift sneered at Sweetgood Mac as she spoke. "This weak, bleeding-heart stallion is the reason my little winner is still stuck in her pre-adolescent mindset! I've tried to raise her to be tough, and all he's ever done is soften her right up again! He's babied her, comforted her, made her overly proud of herself… And look what it's done. She just lost her job for being too lazy, and now she thinks she can move out on her own? That type of delusion could only have come from HIS influence!"

"Woo-wee, them's sound like fightin' words!" Applejack hollered. "Well go on, Sweetgood Mac! I'm sure YOU got somethin' to say back to that, don't ya?"

"Oh, I certainly do!" he answered sharply. His return glare to Aeroswift was just as bitter. "It's true – Rainbow Dash does have issues with her ego and her sense of responsibility. But the fault is undeniably her mother's. She's been pushing her selfish, every-pony-for-herself worldview on Rainbow Dash since she was a baby, and forcing her to train in meaningless athletic events until her bones ached. Indeed, how could such rigorous, fruitless discipline NOT result in the development of such value disorders? I've shown my little Dashie all the compassion I could in order to offset that! She might have grown up to be an emotional WRECK if I hadn't!"

"OK, OK, so lemme get this straight," Applejack said to neither parent in particular. "You’re sayin’ that the other parent is responsible for all of Rainbow Dash's flaws?"

"YES!" Aeroswift and Sweetgood Mac both cried out at the same time.

"But what exactly do you want her to be?” Applejack asked Aeroswift. “What GOOD traits would you want her to develop?"

"Like I said," Aeroswift answered, "My goal has always been for her to grow up into a strong, thick-skinned mare with a drive to succeed at everything she does."

"And you, Sweetgood? Same question."

"I want to see her as a confident, compassionate mare who looks out for the good of herself and everypony else."

"Bingo!" Applejack said with a smile and a nod. "You both have just told me exactly what I wanted to hear."

Aeroswift and Sweetgood Mac both fell silent, perplexed. "Huh?"

"Don't ya'll see?" Applejack continued, "You've both just demonstrated, through your own words, that Rainbow Dash is exactly the travelling salespony our farm needs! After all, she's got the speed and strength of a great delivery mare…" She pointed her hoof at the photo in the collage of Rainbow Dash participating in the Iron Pony Competition," …AND the brimmin' confidence of a tried-and-true salespony." She pointed at the photo of Rainbow Dash wearing the Element of Loyalty. "Those are exactly the qualifications I'm lookin' for, and she's got 'em in spades! And that is, no doubt, thanks to the influence of both of you." She signaled to Rainbow Dash. "Got anything you'd like to add there, pardner?"

Rainbow Dash took a second to register Applejack's question. When it finally hit her, she nodded in understanding, and spoke. "Yeah, mom and dad! I may not be the perfect child, but you've gotta admit, I've got some pretty awesome qualities about me! I mean, just look at all the stuff I've accomplished in just two years!" She made a grand, sweeping gesture to emphasize the whole of the collage of photos. The instant she did, each and every captured moment appeared to glow in the dim light. "I pulled off a Sonic Rainboom. I attended the Great Galloping Gala. I ranked at the top of the Wonderbolt's Academy. I helped to defeat Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, King Sombra… I'm the holder of the fabled Element of Loyalty, for crying out loud! Flaws be darned, I would totally say I've got a lot to be proud of…" She smiled sincerely at her parents, looking between the two of them as she spoke. "…And as the one who was raised by both of you, I can honestly say, Applejack is totally right. It was the influence of you BOTH that has made me the awesome pony I am today. Mom… you pushed me to be active and instilled in me my competitive spirit. Dad… you gave me the confidence and the compassion I needed to put those skills to the right use. And again, I know I've got some character kinks to work out, but I inherited THOSE from both of you, too. So both of you pushing your values on me and demonizing each other isn't doing any good anymore."

'I think what your daughter is trying to say," Applejack concluded, "is that all that is perfect and, yes, not-so-perfect, about her is the result of both your teachings equally. And on top o' that, it's clear as the morning after the rain that you both have already contributed all that you possibly can to her character. She's grown up now, and any bumps that she needs to smooth out will need to be done so by her, on her own…" She was silent for a moment, to observe that the two spouses were listening intently. "Your jobs are done. And in spite of what you may feel about each other's views, you both have done wonderfully. So it's now time to let your seed do her own growin'."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Couldn't have said it better myself, AJ!" She addressed her parents, who were both still examining the collage, and seemed to be allowing the speech they had just heard to sink in deeply. "Well, mom and dad, I'd ask you what you think, but I don't really see the point anymore. Applejack's job-and-housing proposal is just too perfect to pass up. I've made up my mind: I'm doing it, and I start tomorrow. You both have given me the springboard launch I need to feel prepared for it. More than ever… I'm ready to fly."

Aeroswift's rock-hard demeanor appeared to have softened tenfold in the past few minutes. Her expression teetered somewhere between a heated desire to argue back and a readiness to tearfully accept her daughter's words. Sweetgood Mac stood with his eyes closed, trying to allow his wildly thrashing ocean of thoughts to become settled and serene, so that he may have a better chance of seeing the truth.

"All that said," Rainbow Dash announced graciously, "I think it's obvious what the future of our family should be now. Concerning that, I'm about to say something that I've been dying to say for a long time..."

Applejack fidgeted in place, anxiously awaiting Rainbow Dash's next words. "Here comes the moment!" she told herself excitedly. "Here comes the moment when Rainbow Dash's ma n' pa are finally able to look past all the negativity and see the light! The moment they realize how proud of their little girl they really are… How foolish it was for them to have spent so many years arguin' over her…"

"Mom, dad…"

"…How much they really do love each other…"

"…when I leave home, and when you're no longer bound by your disagreements of how to raise me…"

"…and that it's time to give their marriage the second chance it deserves!"

"…you two will have no reason to stay married anymore. You can finally divorce, as you've been wanting to for years."

In the following moments, all the air seemed to get sucked out of the shed, replaced by a palpable sense of collective shock. Aeroswift gasped under her breath. Sweetgood Mac's eyes went wide. The spouses looked at one another briefly, asking each other wordlessly if they had heard their daughter correctly. Applejack's jaw dropped like an anvil to the floor. Of all the things she expected might come out of Rainbow Dash's mouth, that hadn't even been at the bottom of the list. Her fantasy of mending this troubled family vanished like the wind.

"Dashie, sweetheart," Sweetgood Mac said in a soft, quivering voice, "you can't possibly mean that. Your mother and I, we… I mean, we don't always get along so well, sure, but… A divorce!? But… that would break our family apart…"

"You're wrong, dad," Rainbow Dash went on. "First of all, you two don't just 'not always get along so well'. Try 'never get along at all, period!' Honestly, when was the last time you two had an actual NICE conversation? When was the last time either one of you gave a compliment to the other? Or heck, even an APOLOGY?"

Neither spouse could answer. Neither spouse could remember.

"And you're saying it would break our family apart? Mom, dad, our family is ALREADY broken! And let me tell you something - I know the only thing that's even keeping you two together is me. You really think that you need to put up with each other's bull, even though you hate each others' guts, because you think I won't be able to stand the thought of you two going your separate ways? I'll TELL you what I can't stand – seeing you two fight, and fight, and FIGHT! And knowing that the only reason you continue to do so is because of me! I swear, I feel like you two are just angry dogs, bound together by a chain. And I'M that chain! All you can do is bite one another, hurt one another… And I'm sick of it! We ALL are! So please, just let it rest in peace, already! By leaving home, I'm undoing that chain. Be free now. Find happiness elsewhere. Do ANYTHING besides stay together. Please!"

Aeroswift blinked several times, left absolutely speechless by the complete spill-out of Rainbow Dash's feelings. "Rainbow…" she uttered after a long pause, "…have you honestly felt that way for so long…?"

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash cried back, exasperated. "But neither one of you ever asked me what I wanted. Well, I'm saying it now anyway. BAM! You've just been smacked with the truth! So, what are you two gonna do with it?"

For the first time in as long as either could remember, Aeroswift and Sweetgood Mac took an extended, thoughtful look at one another. Of all the disagreements they had had over the years of their rocky marriage, they had always agreed on one thing: maintain the marriage, however possible, for Rainbow Dash's sake. But now, that night, they were being told by Rainbow Dash herself that she did not wish to see it maintained. That she did not wish for the thorns of pain and anguish to dig into them any longer. It was clear: with their only reason for staying together now made completely null and void, there was only one thing left to do…

"Well, our baby girl has spoken…" Sweetgood Mac mused. "Aeroswift, she's moving out tomorrow, and she's made it clear what she wants. For herself, and for us…"

Aeroswift nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right. No need to keep up the façade of the 'troubled, but still happy deep down' married couple. May as well just say it aloud: Sweetgood, we both know it's true. Our love died so long ago, and there's no reason for us to remain husband and wife."

Although he had known this truth for a long time, hearing it put into words still made Sweetgood Mac's eyes begin to tear up. He chuckled uncomfortably. "Heh… I guess that became especially true the night I… did what I did…"

Aeroswift closed her eyes, pained by memories. "Just call it what it was, Sweetgood: your infidelity. And yes, that's probably the straw that broke the camel's back… but to be completely honest, that's not where the problems even started. In fact, I wonder if I ever even loved you at all…"

"If you never loved me, then why did it hurt you so much?"

"Because... because we were married! Husband and wife, bound by holy matrimony! And you're not supposed to do that in a marriage!"

"...And the words 'matrimony' and 'marriage' mean nothing if there's no love. Please, for once, be direct. You did love me, didn't you?"

Aeroswift sighed, and slunk down in defeat. "...Yes, I did love you. You and I both know that. But the key word is 'did'. You need to understand, not only was what you did wrong, but it reflected badly on me, too. I was raised by my parents to be a winner. Not just in sports, but at life in general. That included finding the perfect husband, raising the perfect family... And when we first married, I DID feel as though, at least as far as marriage was concerned, that I was a winner. But then you did what you did... And I saw it as a personal failure. The stallion that I, myself, had chosen to be my winner of a husband, had cheated on me. And I had never felt like such a loser in my entire life. It's a blow that my ego has never fully recovered from. And I don't think it ever will..."

"I've apologized before, and I'll apologize again. I'm sorry..." Sweetgood Mac sank even lower than his wife, crippled by a stinging guilt. "...but, I just can't beg for forgiveness anymore. You can't always win. That's just the nature of life. Everypony fails sometimes. Everypony... is a loser sometimes. What matters is that we learn from those failures and move on to be successful at new endeavors."

"You know what? You're absolutely right. What I'm saying right now might just be the result of having been married to you for so long - Heaven help me! - but... you're right. We do all fail sometimes. And it is something we must learn to accept, learn from, and move on from... To that end, Sweetgood Mac, let us admit to ourselves that our marriage was a failure. Let us admit that this is a game that we both lost. Let us admit that it is time to accept that fact, learn what we can from it, and move on..."

"...That's a very poetic way of confirming that you want a divorce. I guess I have had an influence on you!"
"Cut the crap. Do you agree?"

"...I do. Although I greatly disagree with your philosophy that you need to find that 'winner' of a husband. I prefer to believe that all romances, given enough time, will eventually fade, leaving both parties to strike up new romances elsewhere, which in turn will fade, ad infinitum. In spite of our different perspectives, though, I agree that our role in each others' lives is over."

"Good."

Sweetgood Mac managed a small, bittersweet smile. "Good, indeed. It actually feels kind of nice for us to agree on something for once."

Aeroswift nodded in response, unable to smile back, but still feeling a curious warmth within her nonetheless. "Yeah… Kinda does."

The two then directed their gazes toward Rainbow Dash, who now stood mere feet in front of them. Her eyes were damp and her breaths were heavy, but she was beaming. "It's kinda sad it all had to end up like this, huh?" she asked. "But under the circumstances, I couldn't be happier. Thanks, mom and dad... Whether you're married or not, you're both still my parents." She opened her front hooves, longing for an embrace. "And no matter what, I love you both. Always."

Aeroswift and Sweetgood Mac both returned tear-filled smiles to Rainbow Dash, and at once, stepped forward to hug her. When they each saw the other advancing, however, they stopped, repelled, uncertain of what to do. They silently questioned which of them deserved to hug her first. Rainbow Dash, in response, leapt up and tightly wrapped one foreleg around each of them. They were at first surprised, but in the end, wrapped their own forelegs around her as well. Although they did not to touch each other, the love that flowed between each of them and their shared daughter was equally strong.

~~~

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood outside the barn's rear entry doors. Bright multi-colored lights leaked underneath the doors and lively country rock music blared from within the structure. Rainbow Dash hopped up and down excitedly on her hooves. "Aw yeah, sounds like that 8:30 hoedown is JUMPIN'! I can't wait to get in there and start bustin' out the moves! C'mon Applejack, let's go! My mom and dad are already in there!" She grabbed her friend to pull her along, but was surprised to see her with her head hung low, looking glum and disappointed. "Yo, AJ, what's the matter?"

Applejack didn't raise her head. "What happened, back there in the shed…" she moaned, "That's… not at ALL what I was hopin' for…"

Rainbow Dash craned her neck. "What, you mean about having my mom and dad reconcile and save their marriage and stuff?"

"Yes!" Applejack replied, looking up. "I was so sure that if I could pinpoint and fix up the root of the problem, ya'll coulda still been a family. But look what all my grand plannin' resulted in: your folks, agreein' to get a divorce! This is more awful than my grandpappy's BO…" She lowered her head shamefully again. "I'm so sorry, Rainbow. I failed you…"

Rainbow Dash smiled softly, and gave her friend an affectionate pat on the back. "Totally not true, AJ. Your plan didn't result in my parents splitting up. It was something that was bound to happen anyway; either that, or they would have lived in their lame misery until the day they died. Honestly, I think your intervention helped make the split happen sooner than it would have otherwise, and at the end of the day, I'm sure both me AND my folks will be super grateful for that."

Applejack managed to return a small smile. "Ya really mean that, do ya?"

"Cross my heart…"

"…hope to fly!"

Together, the two girls then shouted, "Stick a cupcake in my eye!" They then proceeded to laugh for a good full minute.

"Thanks for that, RD. I needed the lift," Applejack said. "I guess I was just a bit in the dark as to how sour a married couple can possibly become. I mean, my ma and pa never even came CLOSE to bein' that way! If they ever argued 'bout anythin', they'd always find a way to sew the rips back up and go on just bein' happy…"

Rainbow Dash placed a friendly foreleg around Applejack's shoulders. "…Don't worry, Applejack. I promise I'll do their job well. It's the least I can do, after all you've done for me…"

Applejack nodded in appreciation. "Thank you again, RD. So much."

"No problemo!" was the reply. Rainbow Dash then released her and ran up to the barn doors. "So hey, no more standin' around like dopes! It's 8:30 – everypony should be here now, right? The party's just gettin' started!"

"Heheh," Applejack chuckled to herself, "You can say that agin'!"

With that, the two ponies opened the barn doors and walked inside, ready to spend the last moments of their night at the Parents' Day Festival in style. Applejack advanced with a spring in her step and a fire in her belly, determined to make the final and greatest part of her grand plan a success...