Grounded
Nine
The three ponies stood there in silence for the longest time. It was unbearable, but Rainbow Dash had no attempts to say anything. If she tried, she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She'd much rather wait for him to say something.
“So, uh...” His gruff stature fell, replaced with an anxious, more reluctant look. He was hesitant, looking at Cobalt carefully, as if his stare, if to harsh, would burn him. Slowly, he pointed a green hoof at him. “He's mine, too?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow deadpanned. Since she pretty much announced it to him, she didn't think it could be any more clear—unless she needed wave a sign in the air that screamed, You're Cobalt's father in agonizing neon lights. But she didn't wait for his response; she didn't care. Instead, she leaned into Cobalt Streak's ear and whispered into it. What she said brought a jolt in his expression, and she pulled back..
Cobalt's ears rose, as did his smile. Trotting up to his father, somepony he didn't know until now, he no longer looked afraid of the big stallion. Rather, he jumped once in the air before Cortland, which the stallion blinked at. “Hi, dad,” he exclaimed in excitement. He giggled at the last word.
“Uh, hi... Cobalt, is it?” He wore a crooked smile, but not in a charming way; it was just awkward.
“That's what mom calls me, so yeah,” he said with a wide smile he concealed under his hoof. His hair danced over his bright blue face, and he blew it off with a puff of air. He blinked those rose eyes up at his father.
“Cobalt Streak,” Dash added on. She perched her son on her shoulders as she rose in the air, in a position as if she were standing on her hindhooves. She flashed a grin his way. However, the air felt crisp with unwanted tension. Her face fell into a pout, and her eyes glinted with a more somber tone. “Okay, enough awkward conversation, alright? I-I just wanted to come to, well, let you know?”
Cortland's brow arched high. “How old is he?” He swapped a glance at the colt for a moment.
“I'm five!” Cobalt answered for Rainbow Dash.
Cortland's lips dropped into a simple frown, his eye crinkling. Rainbow Dash remained as she was, unfazed by his stare. “So, what took ya so long?” he questioned in a sardonic manner.
Rainbow Dash returned the harsh stare back. “It's not like I need help or anything—Cobalt, just head inside,” she interrupted herself, urging Cobalt into Cortland and Peachy's house. She hated talking about him as if he weren't there—so she'd make it that way. “We need to talk for a bit.”
Cobalt did as told, though he didn't look all too happy about it. As he left, she swore she heard him mutter, “My friends' families always fight about stupid stuff.” He headed inside before she could ask if she heard him correctly. The door wide open, he let himself in, and they waited before the door shut behind him. Voices echoed from the house, revealing they had time while their family and friends occupied Cobalt's time.
Rainbow Dash brought her attention back to the stallion. “I don't need help with him or anything else—we're both fine on our own,” she said.
“Ya could've at least told me!” argued Cortland. His jaw fell slack. “Ah'm a father, and ah didn't even know for five whole years!” He hissed under his breath, and Dash just watched. Yeah, she got how he felt and expected some sort of exaggerated response. At least he wasn't violent—he'd get his ass handed to him.
There was a pause, which Cortland filled in. "Didn't... didn't he ever ask 'bout me?" he asked nervously, his voice cracking at the end.
Rainbow Dash didn't answer immediately, instead thinking back to a particular moment where this did happen for the first time nearly a year ago.
As she and Cobalt trotted home after Rainbow picked him up from school, Cobalt had just mentioned a school project. He didn't seem too perturbed about it, so maybe it wasn't so bad. As long as she didn't have to do too much for it, it wasn't a problem for her, either.
He brought it up before she could even bother to ask more about it. “My teacher wants us to do a... a thing about what our parents do,” he said, smiling ear-to-ear. “Like, for jobs. We bring our moms or dads and say what they do.”
“Sounds cool. Makes me wish I wasn't just a waitress, but eh, how bad can it be,” Dash commented.
They walked across the road and were about to open the door when Cobalt stopped walking. Her hooves stayed on the ground, and she turned to him. “What's up, kid?”
Looking up, he asked, “I wanna know what dad does.”
Rainbow Dash's heart jumped several beats. “Why?”
“Some friends have two parents who do stuff. And since we never see dad, or talk about him, I just wanna know.” Cobalt shrugged, not at all aware of the reaction his question gave Rainbow Dash.
She bit her lip. This was something she had long not bothered with, so how could she tell him? She almost felt bad that she never told him about his father... but why he brought it up now, she had no idea. Not wanting to dwell on it, she said, “Uh, he's living somewhere else but he's... really busy with what he does.”
He nodded, accepting this. If he were any older, he probably would have argued otherwise. She was glad he was only five, blissfully ignorant. “What does he do?” Cobalt asked again.
“He farms.” That much, she knew. In the Apply Family, pretty much everypony farmed, making apples, obviously.
Cobalt thought of that for a bit and then nodded. It wasn't mentioned again, except for when it was briefly mentioned for his project. Other than that, any mention of his father was placed somewhere in the far back of his mind. If he ever thought about it, he never said anything.
"Maybe,” she answered finally, “but not to a point where I gave up and tried to find you. Look, I'm here now. Better late than never or something. I'm not here to be interrogated; I got enough of that when I first went home."
If he said, "Duh," under his breath alongside a sigh, she ignored it entirely. She didn't care about this stallion; he was nothing to her but the father of her child. If she even found him long ago before he left, she doubted she would even tell him. Her fear just rose so quick that she found herself searching for him. Now, thinking back, she probably would have let him go freely. He had a life elsewhere; she didn't want to be a part of his life, and vice versa.
"God, I can't believe this," he moaned, laying on his tush in the dirt. His head leaned onto the wall. He paused again, pondering, and she waited for his next response. "So, what'cha plannin' to do?"
Rainbow Dash trotted to where he sat, though remained on all four hooves. "After this, I'm heading home. You... you can come with us, if you want. Stay in Ponyville for a bit."
“Ah'm guessin' ah don't get a say in who he stays with?” He grimaced.
“Believe me, I've done a lot for him. I'm not letting him go unless I'm dead—not even then... somehow,” she faltered at that last part, but her determination was strong. But she saw his eyebrows narrow; there was a good chance that he wasn't all for this. “If you want, you can go back to Ponyville with us for a visit—y'know, to be with Cobalt for a bit.”
“Can't we share him?” When Rainbow looked confused, he explained, “Like, you can keep him for a bit, then ah can for a bit, then we just keep takin' turns. How bad is that?”
“Cobalt's not a thing you throw around,” Rainbow snapped. Though still looking angry, she said in what she hoped was a calmer voice. “Listen, he's my kid. I dealt with being pregnant with him, so I get to say what—er, who he stays with.”
“What if he wants to stay with me?”
“What if he doesn't?” she countered, now full of rage. They stood there for a long moment
They left their argument at that and went inside. They said not a word, yet that alone said much. Rainbow refused to make eye contact with Cortland. While he could have been much worse, he took this exactly as she expected; he wanted Cobalt, as well. Not just because he was the father, though that certainly was a part of it. Whatever the reason, though, she couldn't put a hoof on it. That wouldn't happen, however, unless she had a say in it, which she did... and the answer was no.
Peachy Sweet was playing chess with Pinkie Pie, while Applejack and Cobalt watched. When the two others entered, they pulled away from their game for a moment. They stared, as if something magical would happen if they did for a certain amount of time. Then the two mares continued their game. While Rainbow could not understand how chess worked, based on Peachy's twitching expression, and Pinkie's grin, she could tell who had the advantage at the moment.
Cortland just turned to Peachy Sweet and said, “Ah was wonderin' if ah could go to Ponyville for a bit of a visit. Ah know ah have my work to do, but—”
“Oh, just leave, you silly,” Peachy waved it away. “Give me the house for a few days. Ah can handle the place alone, don't you worry. 'Sides, you could use a good outing with a few gals.” Her eyes flickered with a devious air. “Plus, you can talk about a few things with your friend here.” She pointed at Rainbow.
Cortland just rolled his eyes. “Fine. I'll be back in a few days... and next time, Peach, will ya not nose into our conversations?”
Peachy Sweet feigned an innocent look, gesturing as if to say, Who, me? She smiled and continued, “But still, should you two, ah dunno, talk about this—ugh, stop cheatin'!” she suddenly whined, shooting an accusing hoof at Pinkie Pie
“I'm not cheating, I'm just playing the game,” she said, smiling and enjoying the game. Dash had no idea Pinkie could play chess, though... any surprise of Pinkie was not so much a surprise, though, she supposed.
“T-Then stop playing!” Peachy growled back through her teeth. Pinkie tilted her head, a bit concerned. When she turned to her brother, she turned back into her sweeter self in an instant. “So how did your talk go?”
“There's nothin' to talk about.” He shifted his head up to the side, to which his sister stuck his tongue out at him.
“Exactly,” Rainbow grumbled in agreement, walking over to her friends.
“Oh, c'mon. There's plenty for you two to talk 'bout—”
“No,” they uttered simultaneously.
Peachy groaned, rubbed her forehead. “Cort, you're so stubborn! Just get out before you give me a headache.”
“Maybe they are good together! They're both soooo hardheaded,” Pinkie said. She knocked on Rainbow Dash's head, earning a huge glower from her. Pinkie Pie's lips pursed, and when she saw Rainbow's face, she said, “Don't worry, Dashie, your head isn't that hard.”
“Thanks,” she grumbled.
Peachy giggled. “You're a funny one. If you ponies wanna hang out anytime, don't be 'fraid to visit. Ah love visitors—it's Cortland that's a pain in the flank.”
“Love ya, too, sis.”
Peachy beamed at him, clasping her hooves together. If it were possible, a halo would appear above her head.
***
By the time they ended back up on the train, night had just arrived. Cortland traveled down the walkway into the seat Applejack sat in alone. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Cobalt were in a separate car, when Applejack stated she wanted to be alone for a bit. Applejack appeared to be on the brink of falling asleep, her head against the arm of the chair.
Cortland, with two filled cups in one hoof, limped up to her, noticing the distance in her eyes. She watched the world go by in a darkened blur, though she looked as if were in her own little world, her emerald eyes glossed over a little. Smiling, he cleared his throat to tug her back into reality.
She blinked twice and looked beyond her shoulder at him. A smile just barely tugged at her lips. He reached out one cupped hoof. “Here. It's not alcohol, I swear,” he promised jokingly with a chuckle.
Applejack grinned back, accepting the drink and already taking in a long gulp before responding. “That wouldn't've reassured me, anyway,” she said. She leaned against the vibrating wall of the train, her hat shaking to the train's beat.
Cortland waited a moment to start conversation to let her drink. She drank nearly half of it before taking a break to breath. His eyes met with hers, observing them. “Ah have to say, you don't look all that cheery. Was my sister that unbearable to see?" Cortland teased as he sat in front of his dreary cousin.
Applejack blinked at him, feeling exhausted again. Having barely done a thing that day, she wondered why. With a violent shake of her head to ignore it, she replied, "Naw, it's... Rainbow told me it was you she... had Cobalt with, and ah ain't exactly thrilled." She stirred her mug absentmindedly.
"So?" Cortland asked with a mindless shrug. "It'll be like you two'll be cousins of cousins—or somethin'. No big deal."
"That ain't it, though. We were best friends, and she never told us about him—or you! We ain't exactly close anymore, but still... not just me, but Pinkie Pie and the four of us... we used to be really close and the best of friends, but now...” She shrugged, unable to come up with the right words.
"Hello? Father of mysterious child here! How ya think ah feel?" Cortland called out a bit too loudly, waving a hoof in the air to emphasize. The tired pony winced. "Sorry." He corrected his tone.
“Ah expected you to be mad, though, at least... aren't ya?” Applejack squinted at him in wonder.
He just shrugged. “Well, at first, yeah. But who wouldn't be. A while later, though, ah dunno, she seems like she's tryin'. She did come to see me and let me know 'bout Cobalt—even if it took several years.” He gave a hollow laugh. When Applejack didn't laugh back, he added, “If she didn't want to bother to tell me, she wouldn't have. That's all ah'm sayin'.”
Applejack finally had a laugh in her, albeit a small one. "Ah mean, ah feel bad for her... a little. She just wants to be here for Twilight, but we ain't exactly givin' her the friendliest welcome." She looked down in disdain. She then gave a quick explanation of what had happened with Rainbow Dash—from her running away to Twilight finding her for her wedding. Her face betrayed her, not at all masking her feelings for what had happened—not so much anger, but sadness.
Cortland listened with strong ears. He stayed silent throughout her story, and his expression remained stoic. He only said something when she finished, after downing a bit from his mug, “What d'you hate 'bout it so much? Her runnin' away can't be the only problem,” said Cortland.
He just stared at her. It took a few moments, but his stare just made it too comfortable to take. Applejack's eyes flashed.
“Don't look at me like that! Ah'm mad at her 'cause she never told us... not about Cobalt.” She paused. “We could've helped her, ah know that. We're friends, and friends just don't leave their friends like that—ain't right.”
He nodded, but not like he was listening. Cortland's eyes glanced outside, taking a long, thoughtful drink. After sighing, he asked her, “Didn't you do that years ago? The same as her?”
Applejack glanced at him, finding herself blushing at that memory. “How did you—?”
"Your brother certainly can find something to talk about when he wants to." He chuckled lowly. “Especially about your little stories about what you and your friends do.”
"Yeah... but that's different!" she defended.
"How?"
"Because my friends stopped me to help me see ah was makin' a mistake! If they hadn't been there, honestly, ah—well, ah wouldn't be there still, maybe, but ah wouldn't realize the mistake ah made, just leavin' 'em like that. We tried to find her, but she always hid and sent us letters, so we thought she was fine. But we could've tried harder... especially me, since ah knew pretty much exactly what she was thinkin',” she said, taking a heavy breath afterward. It felt as if she threw out all of what bothered her on the inside with these words, and her face was very serious.
“Ah see,” Cortland nodded, a sign to continue. How did he know she had more to say?
Applejack sighed, burying her head in her hooves. “Ah mean, it was a bit different, but still, ah could've done something. Ah wasn't a good enough friend—even if she did run away. Rainbow Dash is a loyal pony; she wouldn't just leave us unless she thought she had a reason,” she mused to herself. Her head leaned on the seat. “Ah just don't know why she left us, and it bugs me.”
“Maybe she just thought it was a good idea back then,” Cortland guessed.
“Well, it certainly didn't seem like one,” said the farm mare. She shook her head slowly. “Ah mean, why didn't she come to us and explain everythin'?”
“What, am I a psychologist?” He gave her a grin, but she didn't return it. It fell back into a frown, and he cleared his throat. “Ah don't think you should be angry at her for this. Ponies make mistakes—you should know that.”
“Are ya gonna keep usin' that against me?” Applejack questioned, though her tone was lighter than the sentence alone intended.
“Maybe, but anyway, friends shouldn't let mistakes get in the way of their friendship. It only bucks stuff up, and if that's what bothers your friendship, then that's... well, that's just sad.”
Applejack thought about that for a long time, all the while her eyes kept fluttering open and shut. She continued to struggle sleeping. Cortland smirked at her but did not speak for a bit, waiting for her to say something, if anything at all.
“Ah'm tired, Cort. Maybe we can chat 'bout this tomorrow.”
Cortland smiled, accepting this. If she ever got an answer, it didn't have to be at that moment. He just stood up and left her to get another drink, unable to sleep. Not when a lot was going through his mind.
When he came back, he found her still awake, surprisingly. Perhaps she was the same as him. She didn’t look too exhausted, instead leaning against her seat, staring at the ceiling with her eyes full of concentration. Deciding it best not to bother her, Cortland sat back down on the other side of her. His eyes wandered across the world on the other side of the window, shrouded in darkness of the cool night. He smiled and tipped the mug to his lips.