• Published 1st Mar 2013
  • 1,668 Views, 109 Comments

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far - KholdstareV



It's the annual Parents' Day Festival, and Applejack is eager to meet all of her best friends' parents! However, when bad family histories threaten to ruin the occasion, she takes it upon herself the save the holiday for everypony.

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4. The Boiling Point

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Chapter 4: The Boiling Point

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"Oooh! Look, a hay ride! I love those! And over there, one of those hammer-bell-strength tester thingies! I wonder how good I'd do at that... Oh, and look! A dunk tank! I've always wanted to dunk my dad in one. He'd probably get mad, but then I'd let him dunk me too, even though I hate getting wet. Actually, maybe it'd be funner to dunk Rarity...?"

Applejack could only smile to herself as Sweetie Belle skipped to and fro, excitedly pointing out the fun activities and happy families she spotted. Her youthful exuberance, along with the countless scenes of familial bonding and joy all around them, made Applejack feel an elation she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a feeling of innocence, unadulterated bliss... The kind that a child knows when they are spirited away from everyday life by their parents to a place of pure fun and excitement, like the very festival they were at. Perhaps, Applejack thought, what she felt at that moment was just a memory of such a feeling she had long ago. Either way, it was one she was happy to indulge in, if even for just a few moments.

And indulge in it she did, to the point that a strong, almost painful longing for those ages gone by began to creep up on her. Before long, she found herself daydreaming, remembering...

~~~

"Applejack! Applejack, where are you?! You out here?!"

"I'm over here!"

"Applejack! What in the hay are you doin' out here in the orchard so late? Ma's startin' to worry!"

"I'm sorry, pa..."

"You'd best be! I didn't think the old lady would EVER be quiet. My poor, blessed eardrums... Now come on, let's get you inside. Dessert's gettin' cold."

"But pa, I'm still not done!"

"Done with what? What're you up to out here?"

"Applebuckin' this tree. Big Mac says I'm still too little to be applebuckin'. But I'm not!"

"Oh, you're not now, are ya?"

"No way! I can applebuck, just as well as him or anypony else! So Im'a applebuckin' the daylights outta this here red delicious. And I'm doin' mighty fine! See? Look! Look how full my basket's gettin'!"

"Hmm... Well I'll be, that's a good two-thirds full right there! Not bad, lil' missy. How long ya been at it?"

"Oh, I 'unno. 'Bout four, five minutes maybe..."

"Heheh, the sweat on your forehead tells me you been at it for quite a bit longer 'n that! Tell the truth now."

"Aww, alright... More like ten or fifteen, I reckon."

"That's still purty good for a filly your size. Keep it up, and you'll be zippin' past your big brother in no time flat!"

"You really mean it?"

"O' course! Has your old man ever lied to you?"

"You lied about the boogeymare being in my closet. I checked last night again, and there still wasn't nothin' there but my boots n' hats!"

"Oh, well that's cuz she moved to your brother's closet last week. He ain't been keepin' up with his chores, you see, so she's got her eye on him at the moment. So don't worry, you're spared. For now."

"Oooooooh, that explains it... Well, serves him right for tellin' me I can't applebuck!"

"Darn tootin'! Speakin' of which, lemme see that buck o' yours real quick. I wanna see how you're comin' along."

"But didn't you say ma was waitin' for us to go inside?"

"Bah! She can wait. Now c'mon, Babycakes. Show me whatcha got!"

"Alrighty, here I go... Hee-YAH!..."

~~~

"Applejack! What flavor cookie dough should I get?"

Applejack snapped to attention. While she had been daydreaming, her body had been on autopilot. She now found herself square in front of the deep-fried cookie dough stand, with an impatient-looking server staring at her and an excited-looking Sweetie Belle at her side. "Oh! Uh, I dunno. What flavors are there?"

"Regular and chocolate-chip!"

"Well, which flavor would your mom rather you have?"

"Umm... she'd say I should get the chocolate chip!"

Applejack smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You sure 'bout that? Tell the truth now."

Sweetie Belle darted her eyes back and forth. "Uh, y-yeah! Totally! I'm no fibber."

"Weeell, alright. But if she gets cross, I'm tellin' her you told me so," Applejack assured. She made the transaction, and handed the small bar of deep-fried chocolate-chip cookie dough to Sweetie Belle, who greedily bit into it. Her eyes shot open in delight. "Wow, this is awesomely good! It's like, a cookie wrapped in a potato chip!"

"Glad you like it," Applejack said with a grin. "Now, let's head on back. Maybe your family's settled down by now."

As the two started back towards Rarity's booth, Sweetie Belle continued to munch on her unusual snack. Between bites, she sparked a question. "Hey Applejack, where are YOUR parents? Aren't they here, too?"

The question almost made Applejack halt in her tracks. "Uhh... No, actually. They're not here."

"Really? But this is your farm. Don't they live here, too?"

"Well, they-" She stopped. "Uh, your sister's never said anything?"

"Nope. Why, does she know where they are?"

"Yeah, she does..." Applejack barely managed to say.

"So where are they, then?"

"Well, uhh, the thing about my parents is..." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "...They're what you might call 'travelling salesponies'."

"Travelling salesponies?"

"That's right. You see, every applebuck season, when we finish the harvest, my ma and pa gather the whole lot of our apples into great, big wagons. So big that your house could fit inside one! Then they cart those wagons around to all the corners of the kingdom and beyond, to lands far, far away, sellin' our crop to happy customers all over the world. It's quite a trek, but my ma and pa love it, so that's what they do most of the year. In fact, it's what they're doin' right now..."

"Really? Wow! They pull those huge wagons all by themselves?"

"Oh, they're mighty strong! Especially my pa. Give 'im some coffee with ginger snaps, and he could move the whole town if he wanted."

"That's so cool!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Her smile quickly melted, however. "But... that means they're never home?"

"Afraid not," Applejack said. "But my brother, sister and I... We go visit 'em now and again. When they're nearby."

"Oh, that's good! So at least you get to see them sometimes."

"Yep. And they always bring home a heap of wonderful stories!"

"I'll bet!" Sweetie Belle said, gulping down the last bit of her snack. "Oh, but will you get to see them tonight? It's Parents' Day, after all..."

Applejack breathed in deeply. "Yeah... Don't you worry, Sweetie Belle. I'll get to see 'em tonight."

"Great! They sound like really neat ponies. Will I get to meet them one day?"

Applejack didn't reply for a short while. "Maybe," she eventually said.

For the rest of the walk back, the two remained silent.

~~~

Upon reaching Rarity's booth, Applejack could see that the scene was quite different from how she had left it. Rainbow Dash and Aeroswift seemed to be having a hushed, serious conversation, while Sweetgood Mac stood several yards away, gazing up into the night sky, alone. Hoppin Barley and Huevos Grandes were bumbling and babbling incomprehensibly off to the side of the booth. Pinkie Pie was standing in front of the booth blowing a party blower. Rarity and Domicilia were behind the counter, speaking with two unfamiliar ponies in front of it. Behind them, however, stood a pony who was VERY familiar. Applejack knew right away - it was Twilight Sparkle! The two others must have been her parents. Applejack noted that they seemed to be doing most of the talking, while Twilight stood behind them with her head down slightly, silent.

While Sweetie Belle went to greet her mother, Applejack happily approached Twilight. Twilight, who seemed to have been wearing a rather unpleasant frown, immediately smiled in delight upon seeing her friend. "Applejack!"

"Howdy, Twi!" Applejack replied, giving her a hug. "How's your night been?"

"It's been..." - a brief pause, as though searching for the right word - "...great! Just great. And yours?"

"Great here, too! How's the festival shapin' up, you think?"

"Oh, it's wonderful! It must have been back-breaking work to make it all possible."

"Sure was, but 'back-breakin' work' is my middle name! ...Well, actually, it's Ashleigh, but ya'll know what I mean. Haha!"

Twilight chuckled, but immediately put on a straight face when she noticed her parents staring at the two of them. Her loose composure quickly stiffened as she stood up tall and straight. "Mother, father," she formally addressed, "this is my good friend, Applejack. As you've heard, she is very hard-working, and is also very dependable and honest."

Applejack was slightly unnerved by Twilight's sudden change in behavior. She looked back and forth between Twilight's mother and father, who seemed to be observing her. Twilight's mother was a beautiful, but very serious-looking white mare with a purple-and-white-striped mane and piercing blue eyes, set behind pointed reading glasses. Her father was equally handsome, but sported the same stern appearance of his wife, with a dark blue coat, darker blue hair, and yellow eyes. Their Cutie Marks resembled a group of three stars, and a double crescent moon, respectively. Applejack couldn't help but wonder what they might represent.

"Twilight," her mother said in an authoritative, somewhat displeased tone, "this is an introduction. What should you do next?"

"Huh?" Twilight stuttered, losing her composure slightly. "Oh, right!" She stood tall again. "Applejack, this is my mother, Starlight Sparkle, and my father, Moonlight Sparkle."

Both Starlight and Moonlight raised their heads slightly as they were introduced. Their dignified stances exuded confidence, even a slight smugness. Applejack didn't want to comment on this, so she simply held out her hoof. "It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle! Twilight's one of my very good friends. Ya'll done good raisin' her!"

"Thank you," Starlight half-replied, not even seeming to notice Applejack's outstretched hoof. She looked her up and down once again. "Applejack, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What do you do for a living?"

Applejack was a bit surprised by the sudden, pointed question. "Well, err… I run the day-to-day workin's of Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville's premier apple orchard! O' course, as of today, I'm also overseer of the annual Parents' Day festival. Quite an honor, if I say so myself!"

"Mm-hmm," Starlight said, not looking particularly impressed. "So do you own this property?"

"Oh yes, she does!" Twilight interrupted, still maintaining her stiff stance. "She is the owner and proprietor of the estate, the enterprise, and all assets therein. Isn't that right, Applejack?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow in Twilight's direction. Twilight, in turn, gritted her teeth and nodded, trying to convince her to play along.

Applejack, however, couldn't fight her natural honesty. "Naw, I'm not any of that stuff. My grandma and brother actually own most of this here farm. But I'm a partial owner! And, uh, I do work here!"

Twilight planted a facehoof on herself.

"Mm-hmm," Starlight uttered once again, still looking unimpressed. She glanced at Moonlight, who simply angled his lip. Then, having seemingly lost interest in Applejack, she turned her attention to Pinkie Pie and scanned her as well. "And what do YOU do?"

Pinkie Pie dropped the party blower from her mouth and smiled brightly. "Oh, I work at Sugar Cube Corner, the bestest of the bestest bakeries in Ponyville! I bake, and deliver, and bake, and decorate cakes and cupcakes and muffin-cakes and stuff, and bake, and bake! It's sooooo much fun working there! BAKE!"

"So... a pastry chef, then?"

"Among other things!"

"Mm-hmm," Starlight repeated in the same banal tone. Rainbow Dash was her next subject for assessment. "And you, young Pegasus?"

Rainbow Dash, who had been speaking with her mom, turned to Starlight upon hearing the question, confused. "Who, me?"

"Are there any other young Pegasi present?"

"I... guess not," Rainbow Dash replied, slightly embarrassed. Starlight's no-nonsense glare made her feel like every hair and feather on her body was being judged. "Did you just ask me something?"

Starlight gave a slight exasperated sigh and continued. "What do you do for a living?"

"Oh, well, I don't really, like, have a job right now, exactly... I mean, I was working on weather patrol until last week, but those jerks, umm, laid me off..."

"So, you're unemployed."

"Uh, at the moment, yeah... B-but I'm looking for other work! I'll find some soon, no prob!"

"Mm-hmm," Starlight repeated a fourth time. She looked at her husband, who closed his eyes and shrugged. She then turned her gaze to Twilight. "Well, dear, it seems you've chosen friends with very, err... modest professional lives."

"Well, I guess so..." Twilight replied, glancing apologetically at Applejack.

"Why is that?"

"Because... I don't know... they're just the friends I happened to make here in Ponyville. They're nice, and honest, and we all look out for each other, and care about one another. That's what friendship is all about... isn't it?"

Starlight's expression remained unchanged. "It's nice if your friends happen to exhibit those traits, sure, but Twilight, need I remind you of how your brother got to where he is?"

Twilight moaned and drooped even further at that question.

"He got his position of Captain of the Royal Guard by making the right friends. He made all the time and money your father and I invested in his education and training pay off, largely by getting acquainted with the right ponies. He met royal officials, veterans, military officers... Friends with connections, knowledge, and the expertise he could use to reach his goal. And you, Twilight..." - she punctuated her daughter's name with a glare and tone of voice that could make a Manticore weep - "...whom we have invested considerable time and money in to further your training as Celestia's star pupil, introduce me to YOUR friends... Who I find consist of a farmer, a pastry chef, and an application filler." She gave a deep sigh and twisted her face in disappointment. "What are your father and I to make of this?"

Twilight's frown was even more remorseful than it had been before, which Applejack didn't think was physically possible. Twilight looked at her father, who merely shook his head slowly. She appeared to give up just then, dropping her head and muttering a muffled, "I'm sorry..."

"Now wait just a minute!" sounded an angry male voice. All present turned to see Sweetgood Mac approaching Twilight's parents. He appeared insulted and upset, which belied his usually calm manner. "Did I hear you just refer to my daughter as an 'application filler'?"

"Well," Starlight said, turning her nose up, "she's not the farmer or the pastry chef, is she?"

Sweetgood gawked, and narrowed his eyes. "Now listen here. I don't know who you two are, and anypony here will tell you that I'm a pretty decent stallion most of the time. But I do NOT approve of strangers insulting my daughter like that! Do you understand me?"

Rainbow Dash hovered over to her father's side. "Dad, chill out!" she pleaded, embarrassed. "It's cool, you don't have to defend me. You're causing a scene!"

"I wasn't being insulting," Starlight assured, "I was just telling the truth, as I heard it. Your daughter is unemployed, and is currently seeking employment. That means she must be filling out applications. Which makes her an application filler. Do you deny it?"

Sweetgood Mac breathed in and exhaled deeply. "It's true she's not working right now, but that's not a cause to refer to her in such a derogatory way. She was unjustly let go by the Ponyville Weather Patrol, and lately has been working day and night trying to find a new job. You know how the economy is right now! And how hard it is for young ponies to find work! Don't be so quick to judge!"

Rainbow Dash, in spite of her previous plea for her dad to calm down, now stood close to him, relishing under his defensive wing. Aeroswift, as if in response to seeing this, stepped in. "Hold it, Sweetgood. You're making WAY too big a deal of this. First of all, while I didn't really like this mare's way of putting it, she is pretty much telling the truth. In fact, Rainbow Dash and I were just talking about how she needs to get a job soon. She really hasn't been putting all that much effort into her search..."

"She's EXHAUSTING herself with the search!" Sweetgood argued. "She tells me how she comes home tired every day after talking to employers and answering job ads!"

"That's what she SAYS," Aeroswift said in a raised voice, "But really she just answers a couple ads a week, mainly because I make her, and then blows off half the interviews she gets."

"How can you say that?" Sweetgood asked in shock, wrapping his foreleg around Rainbow Dash and pulling her in closer.

"Because I don't just listen to what she tells me and believe it! I actually SEE what she does! Because I'm actually in her LIFE a lot more! I see things with my actual eyes, not with my dreaming heart, like you do!"

"Excuse me, but I've seen with my own eyes the corruption within the Ponyville Weather Patrol."

"Rainbow Dash didn't get let go because of anything like that! She got fired for skipping work three days in a row!"

"Well, I've seen with my own eyes the stack of applications on her desk at home."

Aeroswift let out an exasperated laugh. "Most of those are still BLANK!"

"Hmm, so she barely even qualifies as an application filler," Starlight reasoned, glaring at Twilight once again. Twilight looked about ready to cry.

"It's true," Aeroswift said with a shake of the head. "My little athlete's got so much potential. But I swear, half the time she just dithers it away on nothing, taking refuge in laziness and an inflated ego..." She sneered at Sweetgood Mac. "And I wonder who can be blamed for THAT?"

"Oh, so I'm the bad guy for loving her?" Sweetgood shot back. "Something you never seemed to be able to do? She wouldn't NEED the refuge I provided for her if you weren't always so hard on her!"

"How dare you say I don't love her!" Aeroswift yelled, getting right up in Sweetgood Mac's face. "It's because I love her that I discipline! I want her to grow up to be strong, independent, and a winner! And YOU seem intent on doing everything in your power to undo that! You are a disease to her!"

"Mom!" Rainbow Dash called, trying to step out of her father's hold. When he didn't let go, she dug her hind leg into his side and pushed her away out. "Don't call dad a disease!"

In response to this, Sweetgood Mac stepped forward more confidently. "Yeah, if anyone is responsible for her bad habits, it's you. YOU'RE the detriment!"

"Dad!" Rainbow yelled with the stamp of her hoof. "Don't call mom a detriment!"

As the argument between Rainbow Dash and both her parents continued to escalate, Applejack began to feel sick to her stomach. She backed away, hoping to find solace in another conversation that might be happening nearby. One of the pleasant, friend-making kind that she had hoped there would be more of among all her friends and their parents that night. However, as she backed up, the voices of Rainbow Dash's family began to be drowned out by the shrill voices of another argument. It was between Twilight's mother and Rarity's mother.

"...But of all of my little Twilight's friends, your Rarity seems to have the most potential to actually BE somepony. How could you want her to forego that just to be a wife and homemaker? It's ludicrous!"

"Well I beg your pardon, miss High and Mighty! I didn't realize 'being somepony' was only determined by money or status. Used to be measured by how much love you had in your life, how much you valued family and friends!"

"Well, such old-fashioned ideas may have served us a few centuries ago, but this is the age of progress, my dear. Those ideas are now just pleasant luxuries. If you want to actually GET anywhere today, income and social standing are paramount. Your daughter seems to understand that. Don't steer her wrong. I actually do like knowing that one of my daughter's friends might be able to do some good for her."

"If that's really how today's high society is described by ponies WITHIN high society, then you can color me mortified. All the more reason to keep my little angel as far from it as possible! I look into your eyes, miss, and all I see is a hollow shell. I'll bet you don't even love your husband or daughter - they're just tools to you, that you can use to build your own wealth and status. Aren't they?"

"You're absolutely wrong about that. But let's take a look at YOUR family... All I see is poverty, and the dysfunction that comes with it. I see your daughter's desire to climb out of that, and your desperate attempts to pull her back down just because you're afraid she might end up somewhere better than you ever got. Face it - love doesn't factor into it. It's about ego. And you're trying to save your own at the cost of hers."

"Now YOU'RE the one that's speakin' falser than my daddy's teeth! I would NEVER put myself before my baby! I only know what's made me happy in my life - my husband and my children - and trying to provide that for her, too. And believe me, I make absolutely sure that all the potential husbands I introduce to her will make her happy as can be!"

A cry from Rarity brought the debate to a halt. "EWW! No, get away from me! No bueno, no bueno!" She came running from behind the booth with a look of disgust and horror, taking cover beneath the counter. Huevos Grandes came stumbling out as well, his eyes rolling in their sockets and his tongue hanging loosely from his mouth. "Ayyy, chica," he slurred, "Sólo quiero un besito. No seas cruel!"

"Yeah, just a little sugar is all he wants!" Hoppin Barley said in an equally drunken tone. "Go on, honey, lay one on him. He might turn into a handsome prince! Hahaha!"

"No, thank you!" Rarity screamed. "I dated a prince once, and it turned out to be the worst night ever!"

"Well goodness, sweetie!" Hoppin Barley complained, "Princes ain't good enough for ya, Wetflank laborers ain't good enough for ya... What in Equestria do you want?!"

"All I want is to be LEFT ALONE!"

Applejack looked around, her jaw hanging open, stunned. It seemed that the tensions between everyone had no hope of dissipating over time, only growing more and more heated. They now had seemed to reach the boiling point, with Twilight's parents only serving as a catalyst to make things worse. It was at this point that Applejack could take no more. She longed to leave the chaos behind. Upon turning around, however, she found herself staring Pinkie Pie in the face. If she had to guess, she'd say Pinkie Pie looked ten times as troubled as herself, despite the plastered grin.

"Wow, things are getting kinda crazy, huh?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Everypony's parents yelling at everypony ELSE'S parents, and parents yelling at each OTHER, and yelling, and parents, and PARENTS! Where are mine?! Where are my mommy and daddy? I wish they were here, arguing with everypony else's mommies and daddies too! I mean, the arguing part wouldn't be nice, but the part about them BEING HERE would be nice! Why aren't they here?" Her toothy grin had all but melted into the saddest, tear-filled, puppy-eyed face Applejack had ever seen her wear. "Applejack, why aren't they here?!"

Applejack couldn't answer. She couldn't stand to look into Pinkie Pie's desperately sad face. She couldn't stand to be there anymore. With a whimper, she turned away and galloped at full speed, away from the booth. Away from the confusion, the anger, the sorrow. It was all too much, and too far-removed from what she had hoped for. The emotions in her chest pounded to and fro, threatening to drive her mad. In that instant, all she needed was some peace. Some comfort. Some assurance that everything was going to be OK.

She needed her own mom and dad.

She had soon left the fairgrounds behind and was beginning to wander among the thicket of trees that surrounded the farm. In the darkness, it was impossible to see far ahead. However, this somehow proved to be relaxing, and she took a moment to let a feeling of tranquility blanket her troubled mind.

"I'll see them tonight," she whispered to herself. Already, the sounds of the festival, both good and bad, were beginning to fade into the background of her consciousness. "With Big Mac and Apple Bloom, I'll see them tonight..."

~~~

Applejack aimlessly strolled through the trees for a short while, feeling at once numb and euphorically pleased to just be alone in silence. She came upon a small patch of fluffy grass nestled between two large trees. Its appearance seemed almost predestined, as if some divine entity had seen fit to give her a place to rest. With a "thank you" to no one in particular, Applejack plopped down on the grass. She rolled over, allowing the soft blades to massage her back. She gazed upward, past the gnarled, overgrown leaves of the trees, and into the mesmerizing starry sky. It didn’t even matter to her that her mother’s white summer dress would get dirt and grass stains from this rest - the rest itself was sublime. She bathed in the feeling of solace that overcame her. "Later tonight," she thought, "I'll go back to my friends and their parents. I'll face it again..." At that moment, though, a brief period of repose was all she needed.

The repose would not last long, however. It was only a few minutes before Applejack began to hear something strange nearby. She stayed down, but perked her ears up, trying to guess what it might be. Before long, she realized it to be voices. Two voices in fact. They were faint, but growing louder and more clear, meaning they were getting closer. Who could be in the woods at this time of night? Applejack's curiosity got the better of her, and she listened intently.

"Now listen to me. You won't tell a soul what transpired here."

"No, I won't..."

"And if anyone asks where you've been, just say you had to run home to take care of something. If they ask for details, tell them it's none of their business."

"Yes, daddy..."

Upon hearing that last line, Applejack gasped to herself. The voices - she knew who they both belonged to. The one who had just spoken was Fluttershy, and she was addressing, of course, the beast of a stallion that was her father. What could they be talking about?

"Let me tell you something - I only agreed to come to this festival because your worthless stepmother threatened to close up her legs again."

"I'm sorry..."

"Your mother never would have done that... Actually, wait, what am I talking about? She did that for good when she left us!"

"I know..."

"I know you still try to write her sometimes..."

"Huh?"

"Your mother. You try to write her letters sometimes. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"What? But, no, I haven't..."

"You trying to lie to me? I saw a letter addressed to her in our mailbox just last week!"

"I don't... I don't know..."

"Don't LIE to me, Fluttershy! You want some more of what I just gave you? Do you?!"

"No! Please, don't! I... OK, I admit, I wrote a letter to her, but it was just a short one! To ask how she was. Honest..."

"Fluttershy, why do you even BOTHER? She's never replied. Never! Not once! Need I remind you why she left us? Cuz we wanted a son, and we got YOU instead. It was too much for her to take, so she took off. Why would she write a reply to the source of her disappointment? You're dreamin'! Wake up! Do you need me to explain this another hundred times for it to bore into your thick skull?"

"No, I understand..."

"And now, your stepmom and I want a son, too. But obviously, that ain't gonna happen with her bein' so tight-lipped. Or, tight-labia'd, if you will. So let's just get through the rest of this night as painlessly as possible, OK? I don't wanna have to give you any more lectures."

"No, I don't want anymore... *gulp*... lectures, either."

"Good. Now while we're here, I wanna go check out the parade of products. See if there are any hardware stands where I can pick up a new high-intensity bulb for my flashlight…”

The voices faded as the two began to head back in the direction of the festival. Applejack felt a strong urge to follow, but felt something holding her back. It was hard to explain, but the brief bit of conversation she heard almost made her feel like weeping for Fluttershy. What a cruel stallion her father was, speaking to her that way! If that was how she had been brought up, it was no mystery how Fluttershy came to be as meek and timid as she was...

But there was more to this story that Applejack wanted to know. If Fluttershy's mother had wanted a boy, why didn't she and her husband just keep trying? Why did she leave? Also, if Fluttershy's current stepmother also wants a boy so badly, why is she ceasing the effort until Fluttershy and her father go to the festival together? These things made Applejack question everyone's motivations. It was an intriguing tale that she was determined to learn more about.

On the flipside, however, she also thought that it might be a good idea to stay as far away from this as possible. After all, this was just another family drama to add to the already rancid stew that was brewing back at the festival. Perhaps, she thought, she should just stay lying in the comfortable grass a little while longer...

Another abnormal noise made her sit up with a start. It was the sound of a hoof stepping on a twig. And it was very, very close. She jumped up on all fours and spun in a full circle, peering into the darkness of the trees surrounding her. She sensed she was being watched. Someone knew she was there, and she couldn't be sure it was someone friendly. Could it be Fluttershy's father? Had that monster caught her eavesdropping? Had she heard something he didn’t want her to hear, and was he now ready to take her out in order to silence her? A lump caught in her throat. She prepared for the worst...

All of a sudden, in her frantic circular searching, Applejack caught sight of a shadow standing partially behind a tree. It was a pony, but who it was or how big they were was hard to judge in the darkness. She saw them slowly step one hoof out from behind the tree, as though intending to approach. Applejack gritted her teeth and got into a defensive stance, ready to whip around and deliver an applebuck into the stranger's face at a moment's notice...