Alternate Beginnings: Year Four

by Doug Graves

15 Lightning Falls

May 20th, 996

Rainbow Dash excitedly floats up and down as she helps strap in a few more suitcases to the top of the wagon. The pegasus is almost to Pinkie Pie levels of enthusiasm, her wings pumping up and down and making it difficult to correctly fasten the straps. She grits her teeth as her wings pull her too far away for the third time, one of the two ropes coming out of her hooves and falling next to Applejack.

The earth pony, strapped in to the front of the wagon, gives an exasperated sigh as she hears the rope fall again, "Fluttershy, could you please help Rainbow? Ah'd like to get back here before moonrise, ya know."

Rainbow Dash huffs, "I got this! Just give me one more chance!" as she zooms down, the other rope still clutched tightly in her hooves. However, she can't slow down fast enough as she grabs the fallen rope and hits the ground, rolling a few times. She snaps back as the other rope goes taut, pulling the pegasus back towards the wagon. The top of the wagon leans dangerously, the many suitcases threatening to topple over.

Applejack feels pressure from an odd angle as the straps holding her tightly to the wagon now work against her. She gives a startled, "Wua-woah!" as her hooves lift from the ground. Rainbow gasps, holding her hooves to try to block the cascade of falling bags as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy rush to her defense.

"Oh, come now, Rainbow Dash, what happened to those exercises you were doing?" Rarity casually asks, her horn flaring and lifting the few suitcases dangerously close to falling. "I thought your control was supposed to be getting better." The wagon load, now less imbalanced, drops back down as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy push against the pile, returning Applejack to the ground. Pinkie Pie helps steady the wagon while Fluttershy checks on Rainbow Dash. Doug walks up, carrying two more heavy trunks that he tries to find a good spot for. He finally decides to just drop them in the spot where he would have sat, resigning himself to the long walk ahead of him. Better than the heavy trunks crushing something else.

"Now, Rarity, Ah'm all for being prepared, but what is all this?" Applejack asks, looking at the additional items she will need to cart around. "It looks like ya packed up half the store for our day trip to the water."

"Oh, please, Applejack, it's only a quarter of the store." Rarity looks around at the annoyed faces of her herdmates as her magic lifts the two pieces of rope to the top of the pile, "What? I might need to change a color here, a cut there, make our outfits look outstanding!"

"Outfits?" Doug asks, helping the five fillies into the wagon. Each clambers up, resting their front hooves on the box rod and looking over Applejack's head at the surrounding area. Rainbow gives Fluttershy a quick nuzzle and takes back off, moving again to the top of the wagon where she manages to tie the ropes together.

Rarity says, "Why, yes, darling, you didn't think we would be going around and swimming... naked, did you?" The other mares roll their eyes as Fluttershy double checks the bindings on the side of the wagon.

"Well, we do just about everything naked," Doug replies, "Why would swimming be any different?" He looks over as they start walking, Rarity's tailstyle doing little to hide the hair on her backside, but nothing else is visible.

Rarity flicks her tail across Doug's flanks as Applejack remarks, "Yeah; Ah go swimming at the pond all the time, and Ah don't wear nothing. Apple Bloom's got those floaters, but that's cause she's having a hard time learning to pony paddle. Miss Cheerilee thinks it's on account of the human part, makes her body denser than ours."

Rainbow sets down next to Doug, peering at the human, "So, you know how to swim, right?" Doug nods as Rainbow continues, "And, do you float?"

Doug shakes his head, "Hence the knowing how to swim. I can float for short periods, while I hold my breath, but otherwise straight down."

"Ah." Rainbow looks around at the others, "Some ponies float really well. Especially pegasi. I heard unicorns and earth ponies sometimes have trouble with swimming, and pegasi are in the air, so you don't see a lot of swimming attractions." Doug nods as they continue walking, Fluttershy coming to rest on the wagon.

Rainbow Dash moves over to the wagon, taking off and slowly flying next to Fluttershy. Applejack glances backwards, "Now, Ah'm fine carting Fluttershy around on account of her being pregnant, but Ah ain't carrying," Applejack does a quick count of the ponies around her, "All ten of y'all. Not that Ah can't, but it'll break the wagon, given how much... stuff Rarity decided to pack."

"My 'stuff' is not junk, Applejack," Rarity retorts.

"Ah didn't say it was."

"Well, you were certainly thinking it. And I don't appreciate the sentiment. Each item has been hoofpicked, in case we run into certain emergencies."

"Like the life preservers? Why would we need life preservers?"

"You know, in case we make it to the river, and as we're leaving the wagon breaks down, so we have to convert the wagon to a raft. We'll each need life preservers then, or we might drown!"

"Doug, a little help?" Doug moves over, massaging Applejack's head as she continues walking along, "You know, Rares, if we didn't pack all those unnecessary items then we wouldn't need all those unnecessary items!"

"Oh, come now, the preservers are only a few pounds each. Besides, we had to bring them for the foals anyway, what's a few more?"

Applejack grumbles to herself as they continue walking along, Rarity levitating over a suitcase. She pulls out a wide brimmed hat, the tan cloth along the sides moving to shade her head. Applejack looks over, a look of confusion on her face as she remarks, "Huh. Ah didn't expect you to have a hat like that, Rares, it's awfully..."

"Oh, I know, it is a bit drab, but I didn't think to spruce it up a little before we came."

"No, Ah was gonna say, it's more practical than what you normally make. And Ah mean that as a compliment."

"Oh, well, thank you dear, it served me well when Doug and I were out in the Badlands."

Fluttershy looks over, "Yes, it does look very nice. Do you think you could make me one?"

Rarity nods her head, a second suitcase slipping from the tower, opening just a sliver, and a piece of light green fabric rolls out. The suitcase pushes its way back in, a second, small bag opening. Thread, needles, and a pink ribbon levitate out before the bag goes back onto the stack. The ribbon wraps around Fluttershy's head, the mare giggling at the touch, as Rarity crafts a hat for her herdmate.

"Yeah, I've had about enough of this," Rainbow says, rolling her eyes as Fluttershy dons the hat. "I'm gonna start practicing a couple of those new exercises. Don't know if I can handle some of the tougher ones yet, so I'm working on a few agility drills while I'm building up." She looks over at Fluttershy, the mare admiring her hat in one of Rarity's mirrors, "Hey, 'Shy, these exercises Spitfire sent have been working really well. You want to join me?"

"Oh, I don't know, Rainbow, I'm happy just resting here." Fluttershy glowers a little, a little upset Rainbow isn't making more use of her exercises, though she perks up as she watches Rarity tie the ribbon around the outside of the hat.

"Oh, okay then. Hey Doug, you want to do some sprints with me?" Rainbow smirks as she moves over to Doug, dropping to her hooves and she stretching her wings, "They've been going really well, and I'm probably only a little faster than you, so you'll be able to eat my dust instead of just watching it."

Doug shucks off the pack he is carrying onto the wagon, "Oh, you're on, Rainbow!" He does a few leg stretches, then his arms as he slowly jogs past Applejack.

Rainbow motions to the forest to their left, "Alright, we go out two trees, then back to the wagon, then out four trees, then back, until we get to ten trees away, then we go back down to eight, and so on. And it's however many trees out from when you get back to the wagon. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Readysetgo!" Rainbow takes off, Doug quickly following behind. Doug is able to take a quick lead as Rainbow struggles with the quick turnarounds, though both are surprised as Scootaloo breaks her scooter out and joins them. The foals cheer on Scootaloo, Applejack and Pinkie Pie cheer for Doug, while Fluttershy and Rarity cheer for Rainbow.

Rainbow's speed comes into play as they get to the longer stretches, the five yards between each tree quickly eaten up by the three competitors. Scootaloo and Doug stay neck and neck; Doug is the fastest on cornering, but Scootaloo is only slightly slower than Rainbow Dash while much better at turning around. The filly is also quickly improving, and by the end of it her cornering is nearly as good as Doug's.

However, her endurance could use a little work; both Rainbow and Doug are going strong after the two minute race, but Scootaloo is panting heavily. As they come up to the last few laps Scootaloo is slowly being overtaken by Rainbow, the mare putting on her game face as she turns her circuits into circles. Scootaloo looks up, disheartened as Rainbow finishes first with a loud cheer from Rarity and Fluttershy waving her forelegs in the air. Doug passes the filly soon after, a depressed sigh from the filly as she finishes third.

Doug grabs Scootaloo, "You did a great job, girl! Good effort, all the way until the end!" he rubs her mane, lifting her up and depositing her in the wagon next to her sisters, her scooter in the back.

"Yeah, but I still lost," Scootaloo groans, stretching her sore muscles.

"Well, think about it like this," Rainbow says, walking along and rubbing her sore wings, "Doug is at the peak of his game, but you and me? For us, the sky's the limit. Pretty soon, you'll be leaving him in the dust, don't worry about it!"

Rainbow hops in the wagon as Scootaloo smiles up, Doug saying, "Yeah, I've kind of resigned myself to that fact. However, I'm still going to enjoy it while I can." He smiles over at Scootaloo, tousling her mane as he walks over to Applejack.

"Speaking of enjoying it, Rainbow, your hooves ain't tired, even if your wings are." Applejack grunts, "And Ah ain't enjoying the extra weight."

Rainbow Dash grumbles as she hops out, walking along the wagon. Doug scratches her along the ears and she looks up at him, a little winded but smiling.

About thirty minutes later and they find themselves at one of the larger streams that feeds from the Unicorn Range to the main Ponyville River. Applejack announces,"Alright, everypony, this here's our stop!" as she comes to a halt. Pinkie Pie, wearing a snorkel and inflatable barrel ring, gallops forward, diving into the shallow water. She splashes around, giving a playful shriek as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom run up to the water's edge. A sharp whistle from Doug causes the fillies to stop, turning around to see what the fuss is about.

Doug is holding up three filly sized life preservers, extracted from one of the suitcases. Rarity takes them in her magic, walking along with Sweetie Belle to get the trio suited up. The fillies roll their eyes at the enforced safety measures, but hold alongside the edge of the water. Once the vests are securely fastened they dart into the water, Scootaloo trying to see how far she can fly across the water while the other two splash about.

After relinquishing the vests Rarity helps Doug pull out a bag of food and a few jugs of apple juice. Rainbow flies up, Doug tossing her a bottle of cider, and after a brief kiss she moves over to Fluttershy, asking her, "Hey, 'Shy, I'm gonna do a couple laps across the stream, work on some cornering. You want to come with?" Fluttershy shakes her head, sighing as Rainbow flies off across the water. The cyan pegasus begins doing laps back and forth, trying to work on cornering while still keeping her speed high.

Once Rarity finds a certain suitcase she starts setting up an umbrella, folding chairs, and a few blankets. Applejack takes a quick dip in the stream before moving over, laying down on one of the blankets as Applebaum and Lemon walk towards her. She sniffs, a quick cough to Doug and a head nod towards the foals. Doug sighs as he grabs the diaper bag, moving towards the foals and quickly changing their dirty diapers. He remarks in a low voice, "I think Pinkie Pie cheats or something, I don't think she has managed to change a diaper yet."

Applejack shakes her head, "Ah dunno about cheating or nothing, but she does have an awful good sense of timing. You can be certain those two were clean the entire ride here, and there she is gallivanting off in the water right when it happens." The two foals quickly make their way to Applejack while Doug sets out the rest of the picnic, a quick tussle of Rarity's mane followed by a dash to the water. Rarity raises a hoof, shaking it as she smiles and lays back down.

Fluttershy moves over to Rarity, "It sure is lovely here, a very nice spot." She looks around, a few birds cautiously making their way closer but avoiding the ruckus in the water. "I'm sure Winona would have loved to come along."

Rarity blanches, a quick glance to Applejack. Fluttershy had given Winona to Rarity as a pet last year, but the experience had ultimately not been a pleasant one. Applejack had received a cat, Opalescence, and hadn't had a good time with her either. Fluttershy, however, had been extremely pleased that she had been able to find a companion for her two herdmates, and neither mare had the heart to tell the pegasus that they had swapped pets last year. In fact, she probably still didn't know, and the two mares had attempted to avoid any mention of the situation to Fluttershy.

Rarity stammers, "Oh, yes, I'm sure she would have, but it would have been a long walk for those tiny paws. Though, she does love going for walks!" Rarity nervously laughs, glancing again at Applejack.

Fluttershy glances over at Applejack as well, "Heh, I don't know how much Opal would have liked it. She loves hanging around inside instead, doesn't she?"

Rarity nods, "Oh, yes, Opal much prefers the indoors. She'll occasionally wander outside, and doesn't mind if I take her out, but she prefers it inside by the window, napping in the sun."

Fluttershy smiles, settling down for a quick nap in the sun. Applejack starts lightly snoring as Rainbow returns, pulling out a set of shades and resting on one of the folding chairs. Soon enough the four mares and two foals are asleep while Pinkie Pie and Doug exhaust the trio playing in the water.

After thirty minutes the trio stagger out of the water, flopping to the ground. Doug picks the three up, taking off their life preservers and setting them on a blanket. The three curl up, manes and coats still soaked with water. Rarity glances over as she slowly wakes up, saying, "You should really dry them off now, otherwise they will have a horrible time getting their manes to behave." Doug groans as he gets back up, digging through the suitcases until he finds a towel. The fillies protest as he dries them off, quickly cuddling with each other once he finishes.

Doug makes a nice lunch of sandwiches, sprinkling each plate with greens and apples. The mares slowly awaken from their nap, stretching out and eyeing the food with sleepy eyes. He starts distributing plates, each mare thanking him. When he hands Fluttershy her plate of lettuce and bread she looks at it, a brief frown on her face. Doug pauses, "Everything okay?"

"Um, do you have any cucumbers?" Fluttershy says, "If you don't, that's okay."

"I might have one or two packed away, let me see." Applejack and Rarity start scarfing down their food as he checks the food, withdrawing a cucumber and knife. He slices the cucumbers for Fluttershy, Rainbow still happily snoring away. Rarity moves over to Doug, laying her head in his lap as she pouts. Doug looks down, "Aww, did you not get to style all of your swimsuits?"

Rarity shakes her head, doing her best to force tears to her eyes while keeping her smile from her mouth. "It's an unmitigated disaster, Doug! I made this one for Fluttershy!" She pulls out a green and blue full body suit, four holes for legs and one for the tail, "Since I know how much she likes covering up. I made these," two pairs of swim trunks, one solid red and one pink with yellow flowers, "One for you and one for Rainbow. I also have a top for Rainbow, if she wanted." She levitates over two tops, one purple and one yellow.

Doug raises an eyebrow, "But, wouldn't the swim trunks cover that area?"

Rarity laughs, "Oh, dear, they are worn by the front legs, not the hind ones!" She hops up, quickly donning the purple top and a blue skirt for herself, matching her cutie mark. She glances over at Pinkie Pie, the mare still frolicking around in the water. "They act more like a life preserver with a little extra flare, especially for us unicorns. I thought Pinkie Pie would have something, and didn't know if Applejack would ever wear anything, but I made these just in case." She has two other sets, one bright pink and one orange, that she levitates over and sets down next to her.

"Well, Rarity, they all look really nice; thanks for making them." Doug looks around at the mares and fillies, most of whom are eating or asleep, "Maybe we'll get a chance to wear them after we wake up." Rarity nods, resting her head against Doug as she closes her eyes. Doug lays back down, enjoying the quiet company of his herd.

Comments

[Viper Pit]

i like this chapter it was holesum

[Heidao]

Nice bit of fluff, some family time with the herd after how much stress have piled on from the previous chapters.

So the CMC and foals are denser, more solid in construct than the otherwise standard magical pony. It really brings to light how dangerously reliant life on this planet is to magic. To the point that magic levels can affect intelligence and overall stats of the body's integrity, Doug's children would've been classified as meat golems had they not proven otherwise. When herd Apple spreads in the following centuries, every foal born from Doug's lineage will be smarter, stronger, powerful in magic and likely immune to magical disruption/draining, it's to the point that unless the Princesses say something, his contribution to the pony species will be a silent one.

[Jack-Pony]

Um, Doug, I just want to point out that humans float. We're naturally buoyant thanks to all the empty cavities of our torso. You can flip yourself onto your back and just float there, no paddling required.
In fact, [morbidity warning]: If you want to sink a body, you have to cut open the belly and insert rocks, otherwise it'll float. The weird shit you learn studying history.