Heritage

by bahatumay

Discovery

Rainbow Dash looked at the pictures on the mantle. Images of Apple family reunions were captured there, forever reminding them of the happy memories (and great food) that could be found there. She grinned as she recognized a few of the ponies there from in town that she wouldn’t have pegged for Apples; the Apple family was fairly wide-reaching, even if many of their branches didn’t actually grow their namesake.

But one little pony seemed out of place. She squinted and brushed off the glass, but sure enough, she was still there. She looked over her shoulder. “Hey, Applejack? Who’s this filly?” she asked, pointing.

Applejack trotted over. “Who?” she asked.

“This one, right here. Cream coat, red mane?”

Applejack walked over for a better look, making sure she brushed up against Rainbow Dash as she did. She squinted, then looked up as she recognized her. “Liberty Belle?”

“Yeah. Her. You know her?”

Applejack blinked. Where was Rainbow going with this? “Yeah; I mean, as best as I know the fillies that live in another city, anyway. Why?”

“And she’s Apple family?” Rainbow asked to confirm.

“Yeah…? Why?”

“Well, she’s got a horn,” Rainbow said.

There was a pause. Applejack blinked. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with having a horn, Rainbow,” she said slowly.

Rainbow backpedaled, suddenly realizing how wrong that might have sounded. “No, no, it’s not that… I mean, you’re all earth ponies.”

Applejack shrugged. “Most Apples are, yeah. Earth pony magic makes growing things easier. But it ain’t like it’s earth-pony exclusive.” She paused and glanced down at her hooves, and then cracked a smile. “Well, it kinda is,” she amended, “but that don’t mean we don’t welcome the help of everypony. I mean, look at you. You’re not an earth pony, but you're a major part of the orchard now. It's great having you around the farm, and it ain’t just because now we can customize the weather down to a cat’s whisker.”

Rainbow shrugged even as she briefly flared her wings and folded them back down. “It’s fun to be here.”

Applejack had recognized the pegasus flirting ritual, and grinned. That grin widened as a new thought occurred to her. “Maybe you’re part earth pony,” Applejack suggested.

Rainbow barked a laugh. “Not likely. I mean, check these babies out!” She flared her wings, proudly this time. “I’m, like, pure pegasus! I bet I could trace my lineage back to Commander Hurricane herself!”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Whatever you say, Rainbow,” she said. “Matters more what’s in your heart than in your bloodline. Being yourself is the best self you can be; doesn’t matter where you came from.”

“Yeah, mhm,” Rainbow Dash waved dismissively. “Now, Fluttershy, I bet she’s part earth pony.”

Applejack shrugged, but decided to play along. “She’s got a way with animals, that’s for sure.”

“Twilight’s pure-bred unicorn, definitely,” Rainbow continued. “I bet she sleep-casts.”

Applejack rolled her eyes as Rainbow continued postulating about their friends’ heritages.

But even as Rainbow talked, she wondered. Was she really pure pegasus?

* * *

Rainbow was an only filly, and was fiercely independant. For no other reason than to prove that she could, she moved out from her father’s the day she could; and only the fact that she was too young to legally own her own house kept her from moving out sooner.

This meant that her father now had a lot of free time on his hooves, especially now that he was an empty-nester. He took this in stride, though. Much like Rainbow Dash, he enjoyed living life full throttle; acting first and thinking second.

Thus, it came as no surprise to Rainbow Dash when she pushed open the door to her father’s cloudhouse and found him busy at yet another hobby: painting. Rainbow Blaze was currently surrounded by easels, many of which were filled with (true to his style) started and incomplete paintings that he’d ‘get to later’. She cracked a smile. He was still on the upward swing of this new hobby; he’d be painting for a few weeks more before moving on to something new.

But still, she had questions, and she needed answers. “Hey, Dad?”

He looked up and brightened as he recognized his visitor. “Hey, Dashie,” he said, reaching out for a wing-hug.

Rainbow Dash returned it. “Hey, can I ask you something?” she asked.

Rainbow Blaze looked down at the brush in his hooves, then back up at his daughter. “Well, I’m not going to Rain-brush my favorite daughter off,” he said, setting it down. “What’s on your mind?”

“I'm a pegasus.”

Rainbow Blaze blinked, but then gave what he hoped was a soft smile. “Yes, you are; and you've grown up to be a beautiful-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow Dash cut him off. “And we're all pegasi, right? Like, you, mom, grandma…”

Rainbow Blaze hesitated.

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Rainbow, your mother…” He exhaled. “Your mother was the greatest pony I’ve ever met. You know why I’ve never remarried? There’s literally nopony else like her in all of Equestria. I dated, sure; but it always felt like I was downgrading.”

“But…?”

“She was an earth pony.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Really?”

“Really, really,” Rainbow Blaze nodded.

“How did I not know this?” Rainbow half-asked, half-demanded.

Rainbow Blaze looked flatly at her. “Her name was Amber Waves, Rainbow. As in Amber Waves of grain?”

“Ohhh,” Rainbow realized sheepishly. “I thought it was… color… you know… sunsets on… on the clouds and… everything,” she lamely defended herself.

Rainbow Blaze continued, somewhat wistfully now. “Met her by accident. She hated my guts at first… said she’d never, ever date somepony like me. Oh, good times…”

“So I'm half earth pony?” Rainbow Dash asked to confirm.

“And have been for some time now,” Rainbow Blaze said brightly.

“Daaad,” Rainbow groaned. “I’m being serious.”

“Hey, Serious; I’m-”

Rainbow had prepared for this; she had reached back, scraped up a bit of cloud off the wall, compressed it between her hooves into a tight hailstone, and thrown it at him before he’d had a chance to finish his sentence.

He laughed even as he ducked. “But seriously, though. I think you’re awesome just the way you are.”

“Huh,” Rainbow snorted. “I know I’m awesome.”

“You sure are. Are you staying for lunch?” Rainbow Blaze asked hopefully.

Rainbow Dash heard her stomach growl. A couple years ago, Rainbow Blaze tried to pick up cooking as a hobby. That had been long ago, and by now all he really remembered was how to put on that goofy hat and the proper way to scramble an egg; but at least he didn’t burn anything anymore. “Actually, yeah,” Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. “That sounds great.”

* * *

“Applejack!”

Applejack’s ears pricked up as she heard somepony calling her name. “In here, Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom poked her head in the door. “You got a visitor!” her little sister announced.

Applejack set her book aside and trotted over to the door. But then she stopped short.

There in the doorway stood Rainbow Dash, wearing a hat identical to Applejack’s.

Applejack blinked. “Nice… hat,” she said, briefly reaching up to make sure that she was still wearing hers. “What’s up?”

“Oh, not much,” Rainbow said, buffing a hoof against her chest. “Just discovered something amazing about myself.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Yeah…?”

“I’m half earth pony.”

If she had been expecting applause or cheers or perhaps even a celebratory hug to follow this announcement, none were forthcoming. Applejack nodded hesitantly. “And?”

“And so I figured I should try and do some earth pony things. You know, get in touch with my earth pony-ness?” She waggled her eyebrows.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Rainbow…”

“What?” Rainbow asked innocently.

“It’s great that you want to get in touch with your heritage, Rainbow. Really, it is. I can understand that. But Rainbow, you’re a pegasus.”

“So?” Rainbow demanded.

“So you should be doing pegasus things, Rainbow. You’ve got wings. You’ve got weather magic, not earth pony magic. Ponies are all different for a reason, Rainbow.” She gave her a comforting smile. “If’n we were all the same, that’d make life real boring.”

Rainbow Dash scowled. “That makes it sound like you think I can’t do it.”

Applejack backpedaled. “No, that ain’t what I meant at all! It’s just that some ponies are better at different things than others, and-”

But this only made things worse. “You think I can’t do it,” Rainbow Dash growled. “I’ll show you.” She pushed her way into the house and loudly announced, “I’m an earth pony now! I’m gonna do earth pony things! I’m gonna grow stuff and buck apples just like an earth pony!!”

Applejack facehoofed.

Apple Bloom, drawn by the sound of somepony yelling, poked her head in. She took in Rainbow’s triumphant stance, one hoof raised high (her previous statement somewhat marred by the fact that her wings were spread triumphantly, a feat no earth pony could accomplish) and Applejack’s facehoof. She briefly processed this, then raised her own hoof. “Does this mean I should set another place for dinner?” she asked.

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash said, pointing at her. “I’m gonna eat like an earth pony! Bring me seconds and thirds and then dessert! I’m in full earth pony mode now!”

Applejack set her hoof down so she could slam it into her forehead again.

Apple Bloom raised her hoof once more. “Does this mean I don’t have to do the dishes tonight?”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, but Applejack brightened. “Sure does, Sugarcube,” she said quickly, walking over and throwing a foreleg over Rainbow’s shoulders. “Rainbow here’s trying the earth pony life. That means all the chores and the farmwork, to go along with all the food.”

“Yes!” Apple Bloom pumped a hoof and darted off to set another plate.

Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash in close. “Get to bed early tonight, Rainbow,” she whispered. “You’ve got an early morning ahead of you.”

“Hah,” Rainbow snorted, pushing her away. “I bet I could do it in my sleep.”

Little did Rainbow Dash know that those words would prove to be almost prophetic.

Comments

[Tyro]

There in the doorway stood Rainbow Dash, wearing a hat identical to Applejack’s.

From the moment I read this line, I thought: "This is gunna be good"

[Hobbestc]

Go Rainbow Dash! You dig that hole deep before you tie up your wings and jump in into it.

[wlam]

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash said, pointing at her. “I’m gonna eat like an earth pony! Bring me seconds and thirds and then dessert! I’m in full earth pony mode now!”

Applejack set her hoof down so she could slam it into her forehead again.

Where's the "that's racist!" meme when you need it?

[TwilightUCrazy]

Hoo boy. This is gonna be a painful lesson, isn't it?