Where Did I Come From?

by bahatumay

A Journey With Great Reward

…there were two mares who were deeply in love. They shared everything, and they both loved each other very much.

Is this gonna be another kissing story?

No, Ah don’t think so.

Good. I don’t like kissings. Blech.

Maybe Ah’ll kiss your whole face. What will you do then, little smarty-pants?

I... uh… well, I’ll think of something!

Heh… While you’re thinkin’, Ah’ll get back to my story. Where was Ah…? Oh, right. The two mares loved each other very much; but they had a problem. They couldn’t have a foal together because they were both mares, and as you know foals need a mare and a stallion to be born. So they went to go see a good friend of theirs, a zebra herbalist deep in the Everfree Forest…

* * *

“I don’t care how many times I’ve been in here, I swear it gets creepier every time,” Rainbow groused, brushing off yet another spider web.

“Quit your belly-achin’, Rainbow,” Applejack scolded as she ducked under a low branch. “You wanted this just as much as I did.”

“Yeah, I guess. Doesn’t mean I like any of the stuff in here, though.” She retracted a hoof from a suspicious-looking purple plant.

Applejack smirked ever so slightly. “This ain’t like the time you saw a cricket for the first time, is it?”

“I had never seen one before!” Rainbow hissed. “I thought it was something dangerous, like a mosquito or a spider or a snipe or something!”

A pause. “Rainbow?”

“What?”

“There’s no such thing as a snipe, Rainbow.”

Rainbow squinted. “There isn’t?” she asked. “But I heard...”

Applejack interrupted. “A snipe hunt?” When Rainbow nodded, she chuckled. “That’s a prank older folks pull on younger foals when they want them out of the way for a bit. Send ‘em off callin’ for snipes while you break out the hard cider. They’ll get bored and come back eventually, but by then it’s all gone, and the foals are none the wiser.”

Rainbow stopped short. “I feel so lied to,” she whispered. Then she paused. “I guess that’s why Fluttershy never offered me one as a pet…”

“You can work out your trust issues later,” Applejack said, pulling down a branch to reveal a hut built into a tree, decorated with a few colorful masks and various bottles of potions hanging from the branches. “We’re here.”

* * *

“...and so we were wonderin’ if you could... you know... possibly help us with that,” Applejack finished, somewhat lamely. She wiped sweat off her brow for what must have been the sixth time. This awkward conversation had definitely gone better in her head, and Rainbow had also found herself tongue-tied for most of it, leaving Applejack to stumble through most of their rather unorthodox request.

Zecora paused, stopping to take a sip of her tea. “So if I understand, you’ve come to my home to seek a way to have a foal of your own?”

“Yeah, we’re kindof… missing the right equipment, so to speak,” Rainbow said, with a slight gesture down at her hindquarters. “But we both want it. Being mothers, I mean.”

Zecora nodded slowly. “Many the recipes I keep up here,” she said, tapping the side of her head, “But the one you seek is not there, I fear.”

“Can you find it somewhere else? You’ve got a ton of books here,” Rainbow pointed out.

Zecora shook her head. She’d been hoping to break it gently, but she'd been put on the spot and had to rain on their parade. “That which you seek is noble, I’d say; but violates nature’s given way. As much as it breaks all three of our hearts, I’m afraid I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Both mares were crestfallen. “Are ya certain?” Applejack asked.

Zecora nodded.

They looked at each other and sighed. “Figures,” Rainbow mumbled. The two turned to leave, and Rainbow stepped closer to Applejack and rested her wing across her back, holding her close, comforting her. Applejack gave her a gentle, brief nuzzle under her chin, and Zecora felt a quick pain in her heart. Words sprang unbidden to her lips. “But if I were to- no, I couldn't possibly…”

Zecora immediately regretted speaking, because both her guests were instantly in front of her, eyes wide, smiling expectantly. and in Rainbow’s case, wings quivering as they looked up hopefully. Zecora suddenly understood where those three little fillies got their pleading abilities. She hung her head in resignation and continued, “Do you know the legend of the life-bearing tree?”

* * *

“So let’s see if I’ve got this straight,” Rainbow said. “There’s a magic tree somewhere and it’s somehow going to help us get a foal of our own?”

“That’s what the legend says,” Applejack confirmed. “Can't hurt to check it out.”

Rainbow chewed on her lower lip. “I think it’s pretty convenient that Zecora had this map all ready for us.”

“It wasn’t ‘all ready’,” Applejack corrected. “She had to sketch it out from that really long rhyme. You know, crossing hill and dale, over the river and through somethin’ or other?”

Rainbow frowned. “I don’t remember that…”

“That’s ‘cause you were too busy making faces at yourself in all the different colored glass bottles on her shelves.”

“...point,” Rainbow grudgingly admitted.

* * *

So we walked and walked and walked…

Did you go deeper into the Everfree Forest?

No, actually; we walked south.

Into the desert?

Eeyup.

Wow… Was it hot?

Hotter than a toad's belly on a summer noon in Appleoosa.

Ooh… Did you get lost?

Well, sugarcube, that depends on which one of us you asked...

* * *

Applejack sighed. “We’re lost, aren’t we?”

“We are not lost,” Rainbow maintained, taking another look at the map. “We’re right here. We’re just... not exactly sure where ‘here’ is.”

Applejack growled and took a drink from her nearly empty canteen. “Hopefully, ‘here’ is close to an oasis or something. I could really use a little shade.”

No sooner had she spoken than a shadow appeared above her. She looked up and saw Rainbow, hovering overhead, being her shade and grinning impishly.

“You know what Ah meant,” Applejack grumbled.

Rainbow dropped to the ground and nodded. “Yeah. But hey—there’s a wall over there to your right, that’s gotta be something.”

Climbing the little ridge, a tall wall rose into view. It seemed to be made of glowing red and black brick, complete with curled, wicked-looking barbed wire on top.

“Is that a griffon fortress?” Applejack asked, squinting at the strange building.

Rainbow shook her head. “Pretty sure the griffons wouldn’t build a wall like that. I mean, it’s tall, but not ‘can’t-fly-over-it’ tall.” Rainbow paused, her sharp pegasus vision examining the black wrought-iron and thick chains. “You know, I think that’s actually Tartarus.”

* * *

You can visit Tartarus?

Yeah, but Ah wouldn’t recommend it. Twi’s been a few times, actually. Says she’s got friends on the other side or something.

Sounds kinda scary.

It’s not a place to go have a picnic, Ah can tell you that much.

* * *

“Tartarus? Oh, that’s great,” Applejack muttered, taking the map from Rainbow and examining it. “That ain’t even on our map at all. Now we’re really lost. This is the last time Ah follow you.”

“Come on. It can’t be that bad,” Rainbow said.

“Speak for yourself,” Applejack grumbled. “I mean, what can we do, go knock on the gates of Tartarus and see if somepony there knows the way?”

* * *

“Ah cannot believe you just knocked on the gates of Tartarus to see if somepony here knows the way!” Applejack hissed, very out of breath from having chased Rainbow down. “What is wrong with you?”

“My other option is flying around in circles, lost. And I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty sick of sand, sand, and more sand; in places sand should not be going!” She ruffled her wings for emphasis, sending sand flying everywhere as it dislodged itself from her feathers.

“The only thing you should be worrying about is my hoof going upside your ear!”

“Am I interrupting something?” a third voice broke in.

Both spun around to see a small filly behind the bars. Applejack took a subconscious step back. She may have been the size of a filly, but those eyes… they were not the eyes of an innocent pony.

She looked over at Applejack, and her eyes brightened. “Oh, hello again.”

Applejack paused. “Have we… met?” she asked hesitantly.

“Not yet,” she said with a smile.

Rainbow decided to skip over this cryptic answer and get some answers of her own. “Do you have a name?” she asked.

The filly turned to her and stared at her unblinkingly. “I do,” she eventually answered.

A pause.

“You want to share?” Rainbow invited.

She smiled broadly. “Not really.”

Rainbow nodded. “We’ll tell you ours if-”

“I know who you are, Rainbow Dash,” she interrupted quietly.

Rainbow closed her mouth. She definitely hadn’t expected that.

There was another pause. The filly glanced back and forth between the two mares expectantly.

Rainbow finally broke the silence. “So are you, like, trapped in there?”

The filly raised up a hoof and rattled the chains that held the gates shut, and then smirked. “What is a trap?” she countered. “And is it one if you don’t think you’re in one?”

“Uh…”

“Some say parenthood is a trap, that it sucks the joy out of life, the beauty from bodies, and the color from your mane.” She turned a steely eye towards Applejack. “But that’s what you’re seeking, isn’t it? So I think the better question is, are you in a trap?”

“No,” Applejack answered defiantly.

The filly smiled. “Good. I expected no less.” She pointed a hoof towards her left. “You’re lost, but you should find your way if you go southeast for another day’s journey.”

“How do you know that?” Rainbow had to ask.

The filly smiled, a terrible knowing smile that was far too old for her and sent shivers up both their spines. “I know a lot of things, Rainbow Dash.” And with that, she turned and walked back inside, the darkness swallowing her up.

* * *

Who was that filly, mama?

Ah’m not sure. Ah’ve heard lots legends, though. They say she’s named Mephi-something or other, and she’s the gatekeeper of Tartarus.

But why is she a filly?

Ah’m not sure. Why are you a filly?

Uh… I just am!

Guess there’s your answer, then.

You’re silly, mama.

Eeyup. Anyway, we got to walking again…

* * *

Rainbow spat angrily. “If I never see sand again, it will be too soon,” she groused, shaking her tail to try and dislodge some of the sand trapped inside.

Applejack, who was currently dumping out her hat again, agreed. “Ah hope we see something new soon.”

“I don’t think we’ll be seeing much as it is,” Rainbow said, looking at the clear but darkening sky. “It’s probably about time to make camp, anyway.”

Applejack looked up and nodded. Darkness always fell fast on the desert, and it would be wise to set up a comfortable camp before it was too dark. Within minutes, she had a little fire going, and apples toasting on top. Rainbow Dash built little sandbars for pillows and spread out the blankets, and soon the two were eating contentedly, leaned up against each other.

“Think we need to set up the tent?” Rainbow asked.

“Nah, it’s a clear night. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

* * *

“This is not fine! This is not fine!”

The two huddled protectively together under the absolute downpour of rain. Now, neither was a stranger to rain. In fact, Applejack could name numerous times when they both lay on the grass outside, under the warm, gentle rain, just enjoying each other’s company. This rain, however, was freezing cold and felt more like hail, which Rainbow bemoaned loudly.

“It’s a clear night, you said. We’ll be fine, you said,” Rainbow complained.

“Ah thought you, bein’ a pegasus and all, could withstand the weather!” Applejack retorted.

“And I thought earth ponies were good at putting up with getting wet!”

“Coming from the pegasus who flies through rain for fun?”

There was an angry silence, and then Rainbow lifted her wing and rested it over Applejack’s head. “No reason one of us can’t be comfortable,” she muttered.

Applejack tried to make it two by snuggling close, resting a hoof against Rainbow’s chest.

But luckily, desert rains are hard, but fast; and soon the rain had stopped.

* * *

But you didn’t kiss, did you?

Maaaaybe…

Eww! Mama!

Do you want me to finish the story, or not?

Hmm… Yeah, you can keep going.

Alrighty then. So the sun came out, we got dried off—no, we didn’t kiss again—and then we kept walking, following that strange filly’s directions. Finally, we noticed that the sand was getting wetter, and the desert a bit cooler...

* * *

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stared at the mighty jungle before them. Trees towered overhead, thick plants covered everything, and the constant stream of animal noises let them know that they were not and would likely never be alone.

“Well, you wanna go first?”

“Nah,” Rainbow said, with a mocking bow. “Age before beauty and all.”

Rainbow found herself physically lifted and thrown into the forest. She raised her head and glowered as she spat out a clump of dirt “Not funny, AJ,” she grumbled.

“Ah laughed,” Applejack grinned as she walked past Rainbow.

Rainbow grumbled, but pushed herself to her hooves and began walking after her.

Together they walked deeper into the forest, avoiding snakes, pokey plants, lions, tigers, bears, spiders…

* * *

Spiders?

Yeah. But spiders as big as your head spiders.

Eww…

And they had venom that could melt a pony’s face right off!

Eww!

But it was worth it for you, little Goldenrod.

Wait. If you avoided the spiders, how do you know their venom could melt a pony’s face right off?

Uh… How about I finish the story, and then answer that question?

* * *

Soon, the two travelers arrived at a rope bridge. Like most rope bridges of legend and stories like Daring Do, it was old, frayed, and the wooden planks seemed about to snap.

“I've seen this before! This is just like in Daring Do!” Rainbow crowed. “This is so awesome!”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t look quite safe,” Applejack pointed out.

“Well, duh. Daring didn’t think hers was safe, either.”

“So how’d she handle it?”

Rainbow flared her wings and wiggled the tips. “She flew over. She’s not injured in every book, you know. Now climb on.”

Applejack wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's barrel and they flew. Rainbow Dash must have been tired of walking, because she continued flying long beyond the edge of the bridge and through the mists that covered the mountain.

* * *

I like flying with Mom, too.

Yeah. It's the best, isn't it?

Eenope.

Nopony asked you, Mac! This is Goldenrod’s story! Now either pipe down, or go back to bed!

* * *

They continued flying up the mountain. Eventually, the air became too thin for Rainbow to fly with the weight of two ponies, so the two would-be mothers had to take the second option: the mysterious long set of stairs that led to the very top of the mountain.

“I hate stairs,” Rainbow said, breathing hard.

“Me too.”

“Who even builds these things?” Rainbow groused.

“Maybe some pony whose special talent was building stairs?” Applejack suggested.

“There needs to be a pony who has a special talent for building stairs that, like, move you, instead of you having to walk up them.”

“Now that’s just silly.”

“Or, this thing where you stand on like a platform, but it raises you up on its own. Like when you were raising the barn.”

“Well, there’s still a problem there. Who’d pull the other end?”

Rainbow paused, and Applejack bumped into her hindquarters. “You and your logic,” Rainbow grumbled, resuming her march up the stairs. “Just have to go ruining all my ideas, don’tcha?”

* * *

Some of Mom’s ideas aren’t so bad.

Yeah. Some aren't, but some are. Hey, Mac, you remember the time she decided to try and save time on making cider by making single servings, holding the sugar on her tongue and squeezing the apples one by one into her mouth? ...Mac? Mac! Huh… Ah think he’s asleep. Oh well. His loss.

Did she really try that?

Yep; and all she got for it was apple juice in the eye.

* * *

Eventually, the two ponies managed to make it to the top of the mountain. Rainbow found the nearest tree and flung herself at its roots.

“We’ve done it, Applejack,” she panted.

“Rainbow…”

“We’ve found the tree.”

“Rainbow…”

“We can finally have our own foal together.”

“Rainbow…”

“What?”

“That’s a date tree, Rainbow.”

“Oh.” Rainbow slowly got to her hooves, somewhat embarrassed. She flapped her wings to get off the ground, and picked one of the fruits. Then a slow smile spread across her face. “You want to have a date with me, Applejack?”

Applejack rolled her eyes.

Rainbow hovered in the air and tossed the date from hoof to hoof. “I’m serious. A date. With me. Because I’m awesome.”

“Aaanyway,” Applejack said, walking over to the correct tree, “Here’s our target.” With a quick kick, the tree delivered a single fruit.

Rainbow walked over and sniffed it. “What, are we supposed to eat it?”

“Didn’t you pay attention at all?” Applejack asked rhetorically. “We plant it, and give something of our essence to help it grow the vine. Otherwise it'll just grow into another tree.”

Rainbow nodded. “I knew that.”

“Sure ya did,” Applejack muttered under her breath as she dug a small hole with her hooves a good hundred yards from the tree.

“You’re going to plant it here?”

“Unless you want to take it all the way back, find out it’s a dud seed, and have to come all the way back here for another one?” Applejack challenged.

“That’s why I like you, AJ,” Rainbow grinned as she flicked her tail and tagged Applejack on the cutie mark. “You think of everything.”

Applejack pulled her hat down slightly to cover the blush on her face. “Ah try. ‘Sides, if the tree grows up here, its seeds will grow up here, too.”

“Looks good to me,” Rainbow said as she watched Applejack finish planting it.

“And now the tricky part.”

“Waiting?”

“Nah. The blood.”

The blood drained from Rainbow’s face. “We need blood?” she squeaked.

“Yeah. Our essence. How else will it be our foal?”

Rainbow began sweating, and not just from the lack of shade. “Uh… Y- You’re joking, right?” she asked.

But Applejack was not joking, and she withdrew a knife from the saddlebag. Rainbow jumped as Applejack brought the knife against her own foreleg and dripped the result over the seed before wiping off the blade.

“I was wondering why Zecora packed these numbing leaves,” Applejack said as she pressed one over the cut. She turned to Rainbow and raised the knife. “Now hold still. You won’t feel a thing.”

“No! There’s no way!” She turned to fly away, to get a few steps back, but Applejack was faster. She grabbed Rainbow’s tail with her mouth and jerked her back to the ground. Before Rainbow could recover, Applejack smacked her on the back of the head.

“We’ve come this far. We’re not giving up now, even if Ah have to knock you out. Now sit!” she ordered.

Rainbow obeyed. “Ok. I’ll be brave! You won’t even know I was afraid!”

“Rainbow.”

“Because I’m totally not! I won’t faint or anything, I’ll show you! I’m the toughest pony around!”

“Rainbow.”

“What?”

“Ah got it, Rainbow.”

“Oh.” Rainbow looked down at her foreleg, where there was now a bandage sitting comfortably. “Huh.” She recovered quickly. “Told you I could do it.”

Applejack rolled her eyes as she dripped it over the buried seed. “And now, we wait.”

* * *

So once that was done, we waited for a long time.

How long?

Almost a month. We got pretty sick of eating dates. But soon, the plant began to grow like a pumpkin vine. One day we woke up and there was a little white fruit on the end of one of the vines.

* * *

“So, it's happening,” Rainbow said, poking at the fruit. “We're really going to be parents.”

“Yeah,” Applejack said, gently pulling Rainbow's hoof away. “That's kindof why we came here.”

“I'm just… I dunno. Doesn't it seem kindof sudden?”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “No, it doesn't; especially seein' as how we've been discussing this for nearly a year.” She lay down next to Rainbow Dash. “What's this really about, Rainbow?”

Rainbow lay down as well, and rolled onto her back. “I don't know; it's just… what if I'm not ready?”

“Huh?”

“You know, ready to be a mother. I've got the sister thing down, and I got the marefriend thing down; but this mom thing is kindof new.”

Applejack laughed. “Rainbow, nopony's really ready. Ah wasn't ready when Ah realized raisin' Apple Bloom was my responsibility, and she turned out ok.”

“Well, yeah; but-”

“You'll be fine. Ah bet it's not two minutes 'afore bein' a mother is second nature, just like being awesome.”

Rainbow smiled, and Applejack leaned down to plant a kiss on the tip of her nose.

* * *

Ew! Mama! You promised this wasn’t a kissing story!

It’s not! It was just a… well… it was one kiss. And it was a good kiss.

No such thing. All kissings is nasty.

Ah’m sure you’ll be thinking differently when you’re older. Anyway… The fruit began to grow, and grow, and grow…

* * *

“Whoa, this thing is huge,” Rainbow said, poking at the fruit with a forehoof.

“Yeah,” Applejack grinned, pulling Rainbow's hoof away. “It's looking good, isn't it?”

“So there's really, like, a foal growing inside?”

“Yep. We're supposed to harvest at midnight of the fortieth day.”

Rainbow frowned. “Why midnight?”

Applejack shrugged. “Magic is as magic does.”

“That's just ridiculous, though,” Rainbow said. “Aren't foals supposed to be asleep at midnight?”

Applejack opened her mouth… and then shut it again. She had a point..

Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, my parents put me to bed at six.” She paused. “Of course, I never seemed to fall asleep before eight, but hey.” She paused again. “Maybe that’s why I like naps so much…”

* * *

“Rainbow!” Applejack gently shook her.

Rainbow inhaled and rolled over slightly. She smacked her lips. “Mhm… more cider?” she sleep-mumbled. “Don't mind if I do…”

Applejack rolled her eyes and shook her harder.

One of Rainbow's eyes slowly flickered open. “Is it better than my dream where we were taking a bubble bath with huge, never-ending mugs of cider?” she asked blearily.

“Much better. It's midnight.”

“Midnight? Why is it so great that it's-” Rainbow suddenly shot to her hooves. “Midnight!”

“Yeah,” Applejack smiled. “It's time.”

The two mares walked over to the fruit. Rainbow flipped the knife up with a wing and held it out handle-first to Applejack. “Would you care to do the honors?” she asked with a grin.

“Don't mind if Ah do,” Applejack said, taking the blade. She gently began to slice up the side and followed the natural curves of the fruit as Rainbow paced nervously in place.

Finally, she felt she had finished. She pulled the top off with a squelchy, tearing sound. Rainbow winced and couldn't look up… until she heard the sound of a foal crying.

“Whoa,” she whispered. “What…?”

“She's a filly,” Applejack said breathlessly. “A little earth pony filly.”

Rainbow scampered over and looked for herself. “She's beautiful,” she whispered.

* * *

And that was me? Like, in the pun'kin?

It was.

Did I smell like pun'kin?

Heh! Maybe a bit; but we didn't care. You were a beautiful little filly. Don't tell anypony, but Ah'm pretty sure Rainbow teared up the first time she held you. Ah know Ah did.

And then what happened?

Well, we had to take you home. Can you imagine living on dates your whole life?

Ew. I like apples.

Me too.

Mama?

Hm?

What's a date?

* * *

“I swear, it was not this windy on our way up,” Rainbow muttered. She had been forced to land because it was just too gusty, and she couldn't maintain her altitude. “It's just not safe for you two anymore.”

Applejack just chuckled.

“What?”

“Nothin',” Applejack said too quickly. “It's just kinda fun to see your maternal instincts coming out already.”

Rainbow couldn't decide if she should take this as a compliment (and thus show a shred of sappiness), or if she should just shrug it off. She decided to go with a generic wing ruffle to look cool and nonchalant, and continued walking.

They soon arrived at the long bridge. The wind continued to blow, sending ripples undulating through it. Both mares stared distastefully at it.

“Can we wait until it stops, you know, winding so much?” Rainbow asked.

“We've already used half the foal formula mix Zecora gave us, and we're not quite halfway home,” Applejack pointed out. “We don't have the time.”

Rainbow groaned. “Why didn't you bring more?”

“Would you even have remembered to bring any?” Applejack retorted.

Rainbow opened her mouth, then shut it. “Go ahead. Earth ponies are a little bit more steady on the ground, anyway.”

Applejack smiled as she began to walk. Slowly and steadily she walked, using one hoof to brace Goldenrod against her body. Rainbow followed behind. The only thing keeping her from biting her hooves nervously right now was the fact that she was walking on them—it was far too risky to fly right now.

They'd made it halfway across, and Rainbow had almost begun to relax… and then she heard the horrifying sound of wood splintering, and the desperate scream of Applejack as she fell.

Rainbow reacted instinctively. She dove off the bridge and flew downwards. The wind made it hard to control her flight, but even so she continued, flying through the tears streaming from her eyes due to the harsh, biting wind.

She grabbed Goldenrod and pulled her close, and then realized that Applejack would be somewhat heavier. She reached out, but a particularly strong gust of wind pushed her back out of range. Rainbow scowled, but she was not about to give up yet. She flapped her wings harder and regained the distance.

Unfortunately, she had been falling for long enough that by the time she reached Applejack, she was at a bad angle and going far too fast.

But hey, since when has that ever stopped Rainbow Dash?

She grabbed her around the waist and pulled up, keeping them from crashing into the unforgiving rocks below.

“Yeah!” Rainbow cheered. “That's right! I'm-”

And then she realized that she was heading right for the stone wall.

She reacted instinctively. She pulled both in close and spun around, cushioning the two and absorbing the impact with her own body. There was a sickening crack, and Rainbow cried out in pain, but managed to maintain her hold. Still clenched tightly together, the three ponies rolled down to the rocky beach below, sending them rolling across the sand.

Goldenrod sat up… and giggled, perfectly fine.

Applejack sat up and rushed over. “Rainbow! You saved us!”

“Yeah,” Rainbow panted, looking at her bent and bloody wing, “but there's no way I'm doing that again.”

* * *

Is that why Mom’s wing hurts sometimes and she needs you to give her a massage?

Yeah, that’s part of why Ah do it.

What’s the other part of it?

...that’s a story for another time.

Is that another estrus kind of discussion?

Lemme guess. Rainbow?

Uh-huh.

Ah’m gonna have to have me a little talk with that pegasus… Anyway, Ah patched her up as best Ah could, and we continued on our way. It took longer now because we had to go through the ravine and get back up to the main road, but we managed to get back fairly quickly. It's always faster heading home, 'cause you know where you're goin'.

* * *

That first night, she was already working her way into the hearts of the Apple family. They had run out of foal formula, and Goldenrod had quickly decided that table food was an acceptable substitute. It was clear that Applejack had contributed quite a bit of influence already.

“She's putting away those fritters just like her momma,” Granny Smith laughed.

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom cheered. She poked Goldenrod's little stomach with a hoof, prompting a little giggle. “We'll make an Apple of you yet.”

Granny Smith chuckled as she picked up Goldenrod, to her much giggling. “Aw, shucks. She's already part of the family.”

Author's Note:

This scene was written before season three ended, so Tartarus hadn't been made canon yet. My vision of Mephistofilly looks a little something like this, originally from the 100th AppleDash Prompt Tag Special.

Comments

[hhhhhhh]

Over hill, over dale.
Over park, over pale.
Thorough bush, thorough brier.
Throrough flood, thorough fire.
- William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'
I remember that from my school play.

Is the snipe thing an 'Up' reference?

And lol. Twilight's the bad dude in Disney's 'The Princess and The Frog.'

[bahatumay]

5874724
A snipe hunt is a little bit older than that; but yes, Up inspired that line.

[Tchernobog]

Applejack paused. “Have we… met?” she asked hesitantly.
“Not yet,” she said with a smile.

Hee hee.