The Princess and the Foals

by Autum Breeze

Chapter 21 - Applejack's Decision

“Applejack? Sis, ’re you okay?”

“What happened?”

“I asked the foals, but they were talking so fast and baby-slurring their words I couldn’t understand them.”

Applejack slowly opened her eyes.

She was lying on the floor, surrounded by several ponies. It took her a few seconds to realize it was her sister and all her school friends.

“Wha...? What happened?” she asked as Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle helped her sit up.

“Dunno,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head. “We got here an’ found ya lyin’ on the floor an' Sunset and Scoots crying. They were worried ’bout ya, sis.”

“What happened?” Diamond Tiara asked, shifting her back legs a little anxiously.

Applejack shook her head to clear it and thought She’d been feeding the foals, talking to them about why Apple Family mares’ milk tastes like apples... then Pinkie Pie had been there and then...

Applejack blushed as she remembered. Pinkie Pie had said she and Twilight were going to get married. All the information at once must’ve been too much and she’d fainted from shock. That had to be it.

“It’s... It’s nuttin’ t’ worry ’bout, Apple Bloom,” she said in a slightly tired voice. “Nuttin’ ya’ll need to worry ’bout.” Yet.

Apple Bloom looked like she wanted to press further, but Diamond started heading to her room, causing the farm filly to blush.

Applejack noticed this and gave a small smirk. “What’s up, li’le sister?”

Apple Bloom traced a circle with her hoof. “Diamond used her diaper an’... well...”

Applejack nodded. Twilight had told her Diamond preferred to change herself, so she said nothing more and turned her attention to the tiny unicorn and Pegasus that were clinging to her front leg, tears running down their cheeks and smiles on their muzzles.

The farm mare bent down and nuzzled them. “Sorry if’n Ah scared ya’ll.”

They just giggled and went from clinging to her leg to hugging her muzzle.

Applejack and the fillies started giggling too.

Their giggles were stopped as Diamond returned, however, saying, “Weren’t we meant to visit Scootaloo’s friends in the hospital?”

Applejack lifted her head, the foals still hanging on, cheering as they were given a small ride. “Ah almost fergot. Thanks, Diamond Tiara.”

“Can we come too?” Sweetie Belle asked, a wide smile on her face.

Applejack was unsure about that as she lowered the foals into their carrier and strapped it onto her back. She knew Twilight had brought Diamond and Sunset along the last time she’d taken Scootaloo to see her friends, but was it a good idea to bring so many fillies with her? She felt this was a private matter between Scootaloo and her orphanage friends.

She looked to the Pegasus. “Scoots? What do ya think?”

Scootaloo put a hoof to her muzzle, wearing a pondering expression. She was clearly being serious, but the sight was too cute for the older ponies not to Daaa’w at.

After a few seconds, Scootaloo nodded, smiling. “Wong as dey don’ make too much noise, otay?”

The other three fillies cheered, though Applejack noticed Diamond’s face pale a little.

She frowned. Was she worried about something? What, and why?

The excitement from the other fillies drew her attention and she put Diamond’s reaction out of her mind for now and followed the girls out, closing the door behind her and headed towards the Ponyville hospital.

Applejack glanced at Diamond Tiara as they neared the wing Nurse Redheart had told her Scootaloo’s friends were in. The filly had become surprisingly quiet. Sunset too. Both of them hadn’t said a word in the last two minutes and had been very quiet on the walk to the hospital.

What was going on? Scootaloo looked a little apprehensive, but that was reasonable, since these were her friends from the orphanage. So why were Diamond and Sunset acting this way?

They entered the room the two young ponies were using and gasps came from Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon and Applejack in unison.

The pink unicorn filly Applejack recognized as Sweet Dreams from what Twilight had told her had her right forelimb in a cast and sling and a large chuck of her horn missing. Even though she was an Earth Pony, Applejack couldn’t help but shiver as she looked at the spot where the horn’s tip was missing.

The small Pegasus colt with a light-blue coat she recognized as Bright Skies also had a foreleg in a cast and sling, only the other foreleg and seeing that his right wing was gone, only a small bandaged stump showing where it had been left made her stomach plummet.

This must have been why Diamond and Sunset had been acting the way they had. They'd been worried about how the rest of them would react to this. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon were all standing stock still, their eyes wide with horror and sympathy.

Applejack, while hurting for the two young ponies, also felt a pit of anger deep inside of her. Somepony had actually done this to two innocent children? That was sick! How could anypony be that twisted that...?

"Hey, Scoots!" Sweet Dreams called, waving as she noticed the group, then grinned. "Who're these guys?"

Applejack wasn't sure when she'd gone from the entrance to the side of the unicorn's bed, but she suddenly found herself there as Scootaloo answered, "Dweams, Skies, I'd wike you ta meet my fwiends, Abble Bwoom, Sweetie Bewwe and Siwew Spoon."

Bright Skies frowned. "Wait. As in, the same Silver Spoon who tormented you and your friends?"

Silver looked down, shame etching itself onto her face, Diamond doing the same.

Scootaloo just closed her eyes, pouting. "Dat's aww in da past. Siwew and Diamond awe fwiends now."

Skies eyed the pink and grey fillies, before nodding. "Okay, Scoots. I'll trust your judgement. Last time I didn't... well..." He moved the stump that used to be his wing. "Ya told me not to and because I didn't listen, I grounded myself." He smirked. "Bet old Firmy thinks damaging it so bad it had to be removed was punishing me, making me unable to fly anymore. Guess I beat him to the punch there, huh?"

Scootaloo glared at him. "Dat's not funny, Bwight." She sniffled. "You can't fwy and it's aww because I didn't—"

"No, Scoots," Bright shook his head. "Stop blaming yourself for my stupidity. You told me not to try that stupid stunt. I didn't listen and look what it got me in the end. But that is all my fault, not yours. It never will be, so don't blame yourselfor a colt's idiotic mistake, okay?"

Scootaloo wiped her nose on her hoof. "Otay."

For the rest of the day they stayed, Applejack listening to Scootaloo and her two oldest friends reliving their time at the orphanage together, all the times, good and bad, that they stayed together, stood up for each other, telling the other four fillies every detail. It was enough to make the farm mare cry, hearing what the three had been through.

When it came time for them to leave, Sweet Dreams and Bright Skies both wished them all a goodnight and they all headed out, the cmc heading to their on homes, while Applejack headed for Golden Oaks Library.

When they got back, Applejack feed the foals, changed their diapers and put them to bed. With that done she was able to sit and think about what she'd been through that day. First she'd had to become a nurse maid because the foals had destroyed all the milk Twilight had left behind, then Pinkie dropped that bombshell about how she and Twilight were gonna get married (she blushed just thinking about it) when they'd never even dated before and she had no idea if Twi even like mares that way and then she met those two brave, beautiful children, the ones who'd helped Scootaloo escape that horrible orphanage. Sure, it was under new, much kinder management now, but at didn't mean it hadn't been a horrible place before.

A few tears came to Applejack's eyes as she thought about what life would hold for those two now. The sad fact, and she knew it from hearing Scootaloo talk about it, was that when ponies went to adopt, they'd choose the foals with no problems before thinking about those that were different. And Sweet Dreams and Bright Skies were definitely different now. Dreams' magic would be weak, with her horn broken and Skies wouldn't ever be able to fly with a missing wing. They'd probably be left in the orphanage all their lives, waiting for the right family to come and never getting to experience the closeness of family.

"Ah... Ah wish Ah could do somethin'," she whispered to herself, slumping into Twilight's couch. "If only Ah..." she trailed off as a thought came to her. She shook her head. "Nah. Ah couldn't. Ah mean... Ah ain't no mama. I couldn't.... could Ah?"

She thought about her own family. Apple Bloom would be overjoyed if she got two new relatives, Big Mac would be proud to be able to call himself an uncle. But Granny Smith... Granny had always told Applejack how important it was to keep the family traditions, that meant not using magic or wings to get the harvests in (not that she'd complained the times the others had helped, though. That wasn't a regular thing, since the family generally didn't need any outside help) which begged the question as to how she'd feel about a Pegasus and a unicorn helping with the harvests.

After all, Dreams' magic probably wasn't strong enough anymore to lift to many apples off the trees without straining herself and Skies wouldn't even be able to get into the air without his other wing and, from the stories she'd heard from those two and Scootaloo, they'd worked their leg muscles hard, back at that orphanage.

"Well, no harm in askin', Ah guess," she murmured, then yawned. It had been a long day. She got up, went and had a quick shower, then went to bed in the guest bedroom. Twilight had said Applejack could sleep in her bed if she wanted to, but the farm mare didn't think that would be very polite, so she'd stick with the guest bed and leave the door open in case the girls woke up in the night for anything.

"Ah know it's a bit sudden, but Ah wanna help those poor kids," Applejack finished.

It was the two days later and she was at Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom playing with the foals upstairs while the adults talked about what Applejack had suggested. She'd been thinking about it since the day she'd met the two ponies and hadn't been able to shake it. She wanted to help them, to give them a good home, one where their disabilities wouldn't be looked on with pity, but seen as badges of honour, for they'd gotten them while helping a friend in her time of need.

Big Macintosh remained silent, his face as stoic as always, while Granny Smith looked at Applejack with a firm expression.

"Now, Applejack," she said, her voice firm (not a good sign) "ya'll understand what yer saying ya wanna do, dont'cha? These ponies will be yer responsibility. Ain't no turning back, neither. Once you adopt them, they're yers fer life."

"Granny, Ah know that," Applejack said, shaking her head. "Ya'll didn' see 'em. After hat they've been through, what they did for Scoots, Ah feels it's the least Ah can do. She's Apple Bloom's friend, it makes me feel like we owe 'em, ya know.

"Eeyep," Big Mac nodded, a small smile crossing her face.

Granny Smith sighed, cracked her neck and nodded. "Alright, AJ. Ya'll have my permission ta adopt these little ones." She wore a firm expression. "But Ah espect, them ta follow the rules and traditions o' this family. Ah ain't having no magic causing a hullaballoo or no fancy shmancy flyin' round here, ya got it?"

Applejack nodded, a slight grimness entering her eyes. "Ah can promise ya, Granny, they'll buck just like Earth Ponies." Not that they'd be able to any other way, she thought sadly.

Applejack stood outside the Ponyville Orphanage, looking around. There were some fillies and colts running around, laughing and playing, seeming without a care in the world, though the mare could see some faint bruises on a few, no doubt remains of what they'd all been through at the hooves of Firm Hoof and his horrible followers.

However, seeing the younger ponies all happy, running around and laughing, made her happy. The orphanage was a good place now, where those without families were treated with care and love while they tried to find new families.

Applejack took a deep breath and blew out. She'd left Sunset and Scootaloo with Pinkie, who was sitting the Cake's twins today as well. She didn't want Scootaloo to know about this, not yet. It was to be a surprise.

Applejack walked through the gate, causing a few fillies and colts to stop and watch her as she moved to the entrance and went inside. Sitting a the front desk was a mulberry Pegasus mare with a white mane and tail, blue eyes and a kind faced.

"Hello, ma'am," she said politely as AJ stopped in front of the desk. "And how may I help you today?"

Applejack smiled, extending a hoof, which the mare shook. "Howdy, my name's Applejack. Ah was wonderin' if'n Ah could adopt two o' the. Little ones in yer care?"

The mare's smile widened. "Oh, yes. Of course you can. We're always happy when one of our little ones find new families. Do you have anypony in mind, or would you like to meet them all first? Oh, I'm Caring Heart, by the way, the new manager of the orphanage."

Applejack shook her head. "No need, Miss Carin'. Ah already know the two youngins Ah wanna adopt."

"Oh?" Caring looked a little surprised. "Who?"

"Sweet Dreams and Bright Skies," Applejack said simply.

For a second, Caring Heart looked shocked, then her face broke out into a huge smile and, before Applejack knew what was going on, the Pegasus had reached over the desk and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" she sobbed as Applejack felt her lungs hurting from the pressure keeping them from getting any oxygen. "I've been so worried those two would never find a home after everything they've been through. Thank you so much, Miss Applejack."

"Sure, sugarcube," Applejack barely managed to gasp. "Now, could ya'll let go so that Ah can breathe and those two don't lose their home before they get it?" Her last words come out in a rusted kind of way do to the lack of air in her lungs.

"Oh!" Caring Heart let go and Applejack took in long, strained breaths as she tried to get the much needed oxygen into her lungs. "Sorry about that. Um, shall we get started on the paperwork, then?" she asked, a sheepish grin on her face.

Half an hour later, the papers were all filled out and everything accounted for. Sweet Apple Dreams and Bright Apple Skies were now official Applejack's children and members of the Apple Family. After a brief packing of all the few belongings the two children had in their respective rooms (though that wasn't much, since Firm Hoof hadn't let them keep much during his time as manager) Applejack bid Caring Heart farewell and headed out to Sweet Apple Acres. She had a few more things to go over with Granny Smith and Big Mac in regards to where the two new members of their family would be sleeping before she'd head back to Sugar Cube Corner to get the foals and then go to Ponyville Hospital to tell Sweet Dreams and Bright Skies the good news.

Though Applejack was scared, this was a really big step she was taking, becoming a mother, she wasn't going to back down. These children needed a home, a good, loving, caring home, and that was exactly what the Apple Family was going to give them, and she would be the best mother she could be to them, of that, she promised to herself.