Equestrian Underground

by Krysto

Scene 12

“He's Royal Russet?” Quick finally managed to ask at last. “Aren't you supposed to be dead?”
“Yes, well it's a long story about that.”

A new voice from farther in chimed in,
“Just who are you talking to dear?”

The next pony to enter the room was, at least in Quick's opinion, the most spectacular unicorn mare ever to set foot in ponyville. She was bore a startlingly white coat typical of unicorns of high status, her man hung neatly by her side, loose but with a blindingly golden sheen. She tossed her dazzling mane aside and entered the room as well, her friendly appearance melting away the instant she laid eyes on Applejack.
“So you finally found your way here I see. I was worried this day would come sooner than expected, but there's nothing I can do about it. I've been so hard at work trying to keep you lot out of here that I almost forgot just how much easier it would be to simply let you waltz on in and deal with you myself.”

Applejack was at this point entirely stupefied, having just encountered not only one, but both of her long lost parents.

Golden Delicious spoke up again, her voice bearing the refined accent of a city-goer, in deep contrast to her husband's rural speak.
“You three have been a thorn in the Syndicate's side for so long I was almost beginning to wonder whether my guards were totally inept at doing anything right, but it seems getting you to follow my little pawn here was easy enough. Come out here dear, let them all know who will be the cause of their untimely ends.”

To everypony's surprise, a shamefaced Bic Mac shuffled out from the same hall, mud clinging to the floor with every step.
“I thought I told you to wipe your hooves before wandering around here again, now get back there and take care of that filth before I have to clean up myself.”

Applejack finally found the courage to speak up again.
“You two have been alive this whole time and never bothered to tell me?”
“Now what good would it do to let 'honest Applejack' in on our little secret. Besides, Big Mac here was far too old to convince otherwise, so we simply had to make him swear never to say anything to you about it. Apparently it worked too well, since he barely says anything at all, I guess he's too afraid to let out the secret, otherwise he knows what will happen if he does.”

Quick decided now was a good time to cut in.
“So you've been behind this the whole time Golden Delicious?”
“Oh please, don't call me by such a banal title. I prefer my former title, Madame Aurum Rich.”

This response left Quick shocked.
“Of course, I should have remembered, you married into the Apple family almost twenty years ago. You caused such a controversy, all the other Apple family members thought you were just after the deed to the farm!”
“And thy were mostly right. In fact, we'd have the deed by now if those do-good lawyers didn't deem Applejack and poor, old Granny Smith fit to inherit the farm, otherwise my nitwit of a brother would have it by now.”

The situation seemed to be at a standstill until Commissioner Steele stepped forward and decided to speak up.
“Well I've heard all I need to. You two are under arrest on the charges of murder, conspiracy, assault, and destruction of public property. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to a fair trial before the royal court and you have the right to rot in jail like the rest of your cohorts we've been rounding up.”

Steele deftly snapped a pair of cuffs around Royal Russet's and Golden Delicious' hooves and stepped back admiring her work. In response, Golden Delicious only laughed.
“My word, you Earth ponies really are as stupid as you look. Maybe one of these days you'll figure out these cuffs simply don't work on unicorns.”
“She's right you know” Quick chimed in.

Without another word, Golden Delicious cast a simple spell, causing the cuffs to slide off and crumple to the floor. She cast another spell, this time causing a small glowing object to slide out of Quick's saddlebag.
“Hey, that's my journal, give it back!”

Using his own magic, Quick tried to wrest the journal from Golden Delicious's grip, but her magic seemed to be quite a lot stronger.
“Another one of Starswirl's little toys. I should have guessed by now that he'd somehow find some way into this. That little wizard has been trying to stop my family for generations. If we hadn't forced him into exile we'd be crawling with royal guards by now, but it seems he managed to strike back at the Syndicate after all these years. My grandfather did say he was nothing but trouble.”
“Give back my journal, now!” Quick shouted
“Why don't you make me?” She goaded with a smile.
“Gladly” Quick focused all his mental energy and spoke clearly “return the journal to me, NOW!”
“You want it so badly, take it!” She laughed, flinging the small book to the ground. With a single magic spark, the book burst into a ring of flames. Quick pounced on the book with both hooves, trying to extinguish the fire, but was left with nothing more than a pile of ashes.
“This is all going so very well. It would have been a lot easier if little Big Mac didn't feel like leaving clues everywhere, but I'll deal with him later. It's so hard to find intelligent work around here these days.”

This last comment left Applejack furious.
“Don't y'all dare insult mah brother!”

Applejack leaped from her previous position and collided with Golden Delicious, sending both tumbling to the ground in a heap. Clearly she wasn't expecting such an immediate reaction as the impact caught Golden Delicious completely off guard.
“Get off me you little- argh!”

Applejack was in a frenzy, kicking whenever and wherever she had the chance.

Golden Delicious finally found a window of opportunity while on her back and, using all four hooves, kicked Applejack offer and clear across the room.
“You four are nothing but trouble today. I think I'd rather have this fight on my terms instead. You might have won this time, but it's far from over. You and your precious 'EU' have invoked my wrath. I'll be back, and don't think this changes anything!”

Royal Russet had been chained up in the corner the entire time and had watched the conflict rather sheepishly.
“I don't suppose it would hurt to help me out, would it darling?”
“Oh no, I think I've had about enough of you for a lifetime. You and your family are so much trouble. You've never had the backbone to get anything done around here, so I 'don't think it would hurt' to leave you to the police. Farewell 'darling', and don't expect me to visit you in jail.”

With a bright red flash, she was gone, and only a small red haze remained where she once stood.
“Curses, she got away from us, Flash.”
“No worries, Quick, I got the whole thing on tape! We have enough evidence here to put Golden Delicious on Equestria's top ten most wanted criminals list. She'll never be able to show her face again!”
“Somehow that doesn't seem to help much.”

Applejack picked herself back up off the floor.
“All these years I thought you were dead, but you've been hiding from the this whole time.”

Applejack's father looked up at her from the ground where he was tied up.
“I'm sorry sugarcube, but this was all your mother's idea, I guess I got myself sucked into it. I know what we've been going was wrong but I hope some day you'll find it in your heart to forgive us.”

Her response was far from expected;
“For nearly ten years now I've thought you were dead leaving us with nothing more than bits to live on and the deed to the farm, which as ah've just found out wasn't even the plan. For all these years I've been raising Applebloom and caring for Granny Smith with Big Mac. Every night until she was finally old enough to accept it, Applebloom cried herself to sleep knowing she'd never see her parents again. What am I supposed to tell them now? Y'all left us, plain and simple, and tried to fill that emptiness with nothing more than money. Maybe I'll forgive you someday, but ah doubt you'll ever be able to forgive yourself. Come on commissioner, we're done with him.”