Leaning over her balcony railing and looking out over the white blanketed city, Rainbow Dash let out a forced huff of a laugh. The whole scene looked like a bed of lovers bundled up under a white sheet on a hot summer day, despite the way the snow bit at her few exposed bits of bare skin. It made her terribly sad to think that, but she tried not to dwell. She flipped her hair, as the wind liked to pick it up and mess it around, and held it behind her ear with her spare hand. She shifted her phone from one ear to the other, shaking her head before responding to who was on the other end.

“No, I'm not going to climb in through your window this time,” Rainbow chuckled lightly, remembering how well that had gone over when she had first met her younger sister. “How about we go out for a bite or something? My treat.”

“Sure, when? Don't you have a job or something?” the younger voice on the other end questioned.

“I did,” Rainbow started slowly, biting her lip as she avoided directly addressing the subject. “I quit. Long story, lots of shit a kid like you shouldn't hear about.”

“Kid? Don't patronize me, Dash,” she snarled in response, finding the comment offensive.

“Oh lighten up, take a joke, will you?” Rainbow teased, but sighed as she got back on topic. “Anyway, I'm glad you called. We really need to talk, Scootaloo. Besides, I've been murderously bored for the last few days.”

“Why's that?” her sister wondered, sounding genuinely interested despite her apathy at their first meeting.

“Well... I haven't talked to this... this friend of mine, for a while.” Rainbow decided to leave it somewhat vague, frowning as she kicked at the few snowflakes that gathered on her patio. “I get the feeling she's angry at me about something, or avoiding me. I just miss her is all. She's got a lot on her plate though, so I'm sure she's too busy to hang out with a loser like me.”

“Aren't we all.” Scootaloo snidely remarked, and Rainbow clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Hey! Shut up, you brat,” the older sister growled, wishing she could have shown some irritable expression, but the phone was not equipped for that. Shaking it off, she got back to timings. “How's this afternoon? You have school?”

After a thoughtful hum, Scootaloo replied, “I can skip.”

“I'm a wonderful influence, clearly.” Rainbow Dash murmured as she rolled her eyes. “All right, there's a discrete little diner I saw on my way to your place. Dad would never stumble into a joint like that if he was kidnapped and forced to. It's perfect.”

“Sounds good to me. Text me the address and shit,” the young girl told her.

“Yup. Later, Scoots.” She hung up abruptly, knowing young girls were hardly much for phone calls anyway. With that settled, she sighed and leaned back over the railing slowly.

She was saddened as she was once again all alone, and she relaxed against the cold breeze that was nearly strong enough to hold her up. She hadn't been out on the balcony since the barmaid had been to her house what seemed like so long ago. In reality it had been a few days—week or two, maybe. But it felt like much longer. The barmaid had neglected to answer her calls, and Rainbow had pinned that on the fact that she was either too busy without Jubilee's business, or she was angry about what had transpired that evening at Jubilee's Joint.

Running her hand through her short, colourful hair, Rainbow Dash whispered to the wind, “Where are you, Applejack?”

It was true, when Rainbow Dash thought that the girl was too busy. Though she wasn't pleased with Rainbow Dash after the way that everything had transpired, she knew it was not the young girl's fault. She felt worse about what she had done—or, been forced to do—and could barely even imagine facing Rainbow as her life lay in such shambles. She was afraid that Miss Jubilee was right, that when she looked upon the visage of her beloved Rainbow Dash, she would think of Cherry, and all the awful things she had done.

After losing Miss Jubilee as a client, the farm's sales plummeted to almost half of what their projections once were. Applejack had quickly realized what a mistake she had made, and how necessary it had been to have Jubilee around after all. At first, she hesitated telling her brother, but since he was the delivery driver, it was no wonder that he would notice right away.

In lieu of their original moderate success, Applejack had to move back to the farm to help with production and marketing, which had hardly boosted. Running out of options as the payment on their mortgage loomed, the Apple family had to settle for pawning most of their assets. They had packed up Applejack's truck and were on their way down town, just Applejack and Big Mac. Fearing Granny Smith might have a heart attack if she knew, and not wanting to trouble the young Apple Bloom, the two had decided to keep it to themselves for as long as they could manage.

“Ah can't believe Ah did this, Mac,” Applejack groaned into her palm, peeking through her fingers to see the road she travelled on. “Ah'm so sorry for everythin'.”

“Nothin' doin', sis,” his deep voice soothed her, though she would not make eye contact. “We would'a fallen apart much earlier had y'not done what y'did. Y'bought us time. Ah'm just sorry y'had t' do all that, an' didn't tell me...”

“Ah couldn't tell ya,” his younger sister told him, her heart heavy. “Ah was humiliated Ah let it get s' far. Ah should have just done honest work, made what Ah could. Ah ain't nothin' without ma integrity.”

“Ah'd never think less o' you for doin' what y'thought y'had to, AJ.” Big Mac reached over and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, and she nearly broke into tears right there.

“Everythin's fallin' apart, Mac, Ah'm afraid we'll lose th' farm. What about Granny, and Apple Bloom? How can we take care o' them?” Applejack got back to ranting, though Big Mac had heard it all before.

“We'll make it work, AJ. We always do,” he tried to comfort her, but her vacant nod told him she did not believe him.

Pulling up to the pawn shop, Everything Under the Sun Emporium, Applejack felt miserable. Everything that had filled the back of her pick up was invaluable to her, everything was sentimental. And yet, every last thing had to go so that she could keep bread on the table and the leaky roof over her family's heads. After a few dolly loads taken in by Mac, Applejack was still shy of her necessary income. At last, she had to grab the last thing she had in her truck that could have made up the difference: her old banjo.

It had belonged to her grandfather, hand made and crafted generations ago. Though it had fallen apart and been repaired countless times, it still retained the old shine of gorgeous stained wood and the original neck. Holding it in her arms like an infant, Applejack slowly walked into the pawn shop. The two men at the counter perked up to see what she was holding, and smiles crept over their faces. Their matching greased-up runs of ginger hair seemed equally crooked in their perfect lines, and Applejack frowned as their hungry money-grubbing looks focused on her.

“Well, who do we have here, Flam?” one of the businessmen spoke up in a voice that sounded best suited as a racetrack announcer.

“Looks like a cute young customer, Flim,” his apparent near-identical twin, save for a thick bristly moustache, chimed in with the same obnoxious ring to his voice.

“Think she's looking to sell that fine string sling?” Flim, the first of the two, piped up again.

“I think you're right!” Flam came out from behind the counter in something of a bound, and his probable brother followed after. Applejack cringed as the sun caught on their snow-white pants and boisterously striped shirts. “Well now, hand it right over and we'll appraise it for you.”

“Always a fair deal here Under the Sun!” the first chimed afterwards like some tacky motto.

“You betcha, brother!” Flam and his brother exchanged confident glances before Flim, the one without the moustache, proceeded to mercilessly yank the banjo from Applejack's gentle hands.

“Now wait a second here, be careful with that,” Applejack warned them in an uneasy tone, but let them take it from her. “That's real important t' me.”

“It looks like it, look at this woodwork, Flam,” the first brother praised as he handed it to Flam, who seemed just as strangely interested in the old thing.

“Oh, you're right, that's gorgeous.” Flam agreed easily, his hands roughly rubbing over the old, fine wood. Applejack felt sick to see them touching it like that, but had no choice but to listen to their demands, which came as, “Tell you what, if it's all you have—”

“And you really need the money—” Flim cut him off to add a bit in.

“How about we give you a good large sum right off the bat—” his brother went on with their joined sentence.

“And at a mere twenty percent interest rate—” a sneaky condition.

“You can buy it back in three months!” the both almost shouted in excited voices.

“Twenty percent? How're we supposed t' afford that?” Applejack shied away a bit, knowing how slim her wallet had become as of late.

“This is a mighty fine banjo, a lot of history here, wouldn't you love to get it back sometime?” Flim argued, holding it up for her to see once more and displaying it like it was made of gold.

“But you need to make ends meet?” Flam did not let her forget that. “So...”

Both brothers stood over her, one holding out a handshake and the other counting a small wad of cash in front of her, and in unison they asked, “Do we have a deal, darling?”

Applejack watched the bills hiss between the pawn shop owner's hands, and she knew it would be enough. Still, though, she hesitated, looking to her brother as she uttered, “... Mac?”

“It'll cover th' bill, AJ.” Big Mac reminded her, but left the final choice up to her.

After mulling it over, and speaking against her better judgement, she agreed, “... Yea', we got a deal.”

“You will not regret this!” Flim shook her hand roughly, and the second she got it back to herself, the other brother slapped the wad of cash into it.

“We all need a little help once in a while,” Flam tried to sound sympathetic as he shook her hand, holding the money in her palm.

“And that's what we're here for!” the first brother chimed excitedly.

“Thanks for stopping in,” Flam said as they both ushered the Apple siblings right back out the door as quickly as they had come.

“See you again soon!” Flim added as they reached the door, and Applejack did not hesitate to walk out the door as her brother held it open for her.

“Thank ya kindly,” Big Mac tipped his old tweed cap to the two brothers, who gave mock bows to show their equal gratitude.

As Applejack moseyed back to the truck, digging her hands into her pockets deeper than necessary to get her keys, her brother carefully watched her. He felt awful about letting her sell something that was so precious to her, but it had to be done. She unlocked the truck and hopped back inside, taking her hat off for a moment and running a hand through her long, blonde hair. Sighing, she briefly held her Stetson over her heart to lament the old banjo, before placing it back on her head and soldiering on.

“Y'al'right, AJ?” Big Mac asked in a comforting voice, placing his big hand on her shoulder.

“... Yea', Mac. Ah'll be fine,” she replied in a false sounding voice, holding up some broken smile. “No need t' be getting' all misty eyed 'r nothin', just an ol' banjo.”

Putting the truck into gear, Applejack looped her arm behind Big Mac's seat, backing out of her parking spot. The truck bobbed over the curb lightly, and she craned the wheel to the left to complete pulling out. As she left the parking lot, she failed to notice the old diner that sat merely across the street. She passed the establishment without pause, having other things on her mind than glancing through the windows to catch sight of a girl she had not seen in far too long.

The girl in the diner, however, had her sights entirely set on the blonde driving the truck. She had recognized the old decrepit thing from a mile away, and silently watched as Applejack sold her favourite possessions. She knew why it had to be without even asking, but she had to pin herself to her booth seat to keep from jumping right out and chasing after the girl. Swallowing as she watched the old truck kick up the freshly fallen snow, she forgot to listen to the girl who sat opposite her.

“Um... Hello? Rainbow Dash?” the younger girl called her name and snapped her back to attention. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah... yeah, right, sorry. I am.” Rainbow stammered to get back on topic, her voice sounding distant and distracted. After a pause as her younger sister gave her a weird and expectant look, she admitted, “Sorry, I wasn't. Where were we, Scoots?”

“Typical,” Scootaloo grumbled as she rolled her eyes, but proceeded to reach into her satchel and pull out three sizeable file folders, placing them onto the table.

“What's this?” Rainbow asked as she picked one up, opening it and peering inside.

“I brought it all, including my statement and everything.” Scootaloo explained as Rainbow scrambled through it all, finding what seemed like gold between the thin pages. As Rainbow went to snatch the rest up, her younger sister grabbed them instead, holding them away from her. “Uh-uh, no way. I need to know you're going to be careful with this information.”

After a scoff, Rainbow pointed a thumb to herself and confidently went on, “Careful is my middle name, squirt. Rainbow Careful Dash.”

“I seriously doubt that.” Scootaloo murmured incredulously. She frowned again though, holding the files tightly as she went on to more serious topics, “But listen, this stuff? It doesn't just put your neck on the line if everything doesn't work out, all right? I'm in this too.”

“Look, I know all about trust issues, trust me,” the rainbow-haired girl told her, but paused as she realized how silly the sentence sounded. “...Or don't, whatever. But, anyway, you're my sister. I understand all this more than anyone else in the world. If there's someone to go to about it, it's me.”

“Yeah, but...” The younger of the two looked down at her hands as she spoke, and her voice was but a whisper as she admitted, “I'm scared.”

“Honestly?” Rainbow sighed, the truth coming out, “Me too.”

“Well then... then why do we have to do all this at all?” Scootaloo asked suddenly, finding some comfort in the idea that was safe. “Can't we just leave things as they are?”

“And let him get away with it? Is that what you want?” Rainbow Dash reminded her, and her expression softened on the familiar dilemma that had plagued her for years. Reaching out, she touched the young girl's hand, though she flinched at the attention. “I know it's hard. But you'll regret staying silent one day, I know it. We have to do this.”

After a few nods, Scootaloo finally understood, concurring with, “... You're right.”

“Of course I am, I'm your older sister. I'm always right.” Rainbow sat back and crossed her arms behind her head with a wide, toothy grin. Scootaloo must have thought it was somewhat amusing, as she chuckled lightly at the weird girl.

“Sister...” the younger girl repeated in a thoughtful tone. Upon recognizing Rainbow's wondering expression, she shook her head and explained, “Sorry, it's just strange to think that you've been around all this time, and we never met. I don't really know what to say. What are sisters supposed to do, anyway?”

“Well, taking you out to lunch seems to be a good start,” her older sister suggested, raising her glass of orange juice to Scootaloo.

“Yeah,” she agreed with a smile, raising her own glass of water and tapping it against Rainbow's.

“Next comes the noogies and name calling,” Rainbow teased with a grin, and her sister rolled her eyes but laughed. “And maybe stealing each other's clothes.”

“I wouldn't want to dress like a boy,” Scootaloo prodded an insult, and it seemed to delight Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, snap, squirt!” Rainbow beamed pleasantly. “I like you, you know that?”

“Jury's still out on you,” her younger sister murmured, but the smirk she had told that she was joking.

“I tend to grow on people,” she mused, leaning back in her seat and glancing back out the window.

While she had hoped to catch another glance of Applejack driving past, her eyes seemed to settle instead on a tall, shimmering skyscraper across town. She would recognize that pillar of deception anywhere, and even seeing the masculine way it stood erect above the smaller corporate offices made her uneasy. She despised the building so much that she winced and frowned to look upon it.

That very building was where, a mere day later, she would confront the man she so despised.

At a rosewood desk, littered with miscellaneous papers and files, her father sat alone. Save perhaps for the phone, which had his slightly divided attention as he breezed over a particularly imperative deal he was discussing. He had no conception that his two daughters had reconvened at a visible diner dozens of blocks away just one day prior, and carried on with his business as usual.

“Ten percent is highway robbery,” he told the phone in his hand, and perhaps the man on the other end was listening, too. “Who wrote up this offer? Well, he should be fired. No. Listen, call up their financial department and get them to conference. No, when I'm on my deathbed—of course right now!”

“Sir?” a fuzzy and muffled voice came in over the intercom, and he paused to listen to it. “There's some young girl here who says—she—I can't—!”

“I'm the bastard's daughter, let me in!” rang another voice, and the man behind the desk groaned and rubbed his temples as he recognized it.

“Sir, she won't let me—!” the intercom faded as marching steps grew louder outside his office door, and he curmudgeonly glanced up.

The door flew open, revealing the girl he had wanted least to see, and his poor secretary chasing after her until she slammed the door closed in the woman's face, locking it behind her. After a short huffy sigh, Rainbow Dash straightened out her collar and said, “You're going to want to hang that up, pops.”

“... I'll have to call you back,” he reluctantly obliged, pressing the phone down hard on the receiver at once and standing up straight. “What do you want, Dash? I never expected to find you willingly coming down to my office.”

“I never expected to find you actually working, here I thought you just drank the blood of virgins and pissed on innocent civilians from your ivory tower.” Rainbow playfully took a jab at him, and she could tell it made him angry.

“You're not amusing,” he told her flatly, leaning over his desk and pressing his palms onto the rich wooden top. “Stop wasting my time and tell me why you're here.”

“A man in your position really shouldn't be so demanding,” she taunted with a bemused tone, and her father did not like the sound of it.

“Dash, don't make me have to call security.” he threatened lowly, his hand hovering over his phone.

“I really don't think you'd want anyone overhearing what you and I are about to discuss.” Rainbow Dash led him on, walking over to his desk and pressing her own hands atop it, mimicking his pose. After an excruciatingly long pause, she went on, “Dad, it's time I speak up about it. All of it.”

He was silent at the subtle mention, and furrowed his brow with a stern expression. At last, though, he let out a long sigh, resigning himself to the discussion and pushing off his desk. While Rainbow had originally thought he would start screaming at her, she quickly realized that was not his intention. Instead, he turned around and popped open the door to a small fridge hidden under his bookshelf, reaching inside and retrieving a long, narrow box.

“I knew that this day would come,” he spoke in a calm and rational voice, placing the box on top of his desk. Rainbow was silent as she watched him lean down and pull two small objects out of his bottom desk drawer. “Honestly, I'm surprised you kept your big trap shut about it for this long.”

“Insulting me right now is probably not the best course of action,” she snarkily replied, watching him set the two transparent objects down on his desk in front of them.

“You're right.” he agreed, opening the narrow box on his desk and revealing an old, unopened bottle of Red Wine. Casually unwrapping and uncorking the bottle, he proceeded to take a good long smell of it before he decided to commence pouring even amounts into the two glasses. “I was saving this for when I got the promotion. It would likely be the last one before I retire. But, I suppose that's probably not going to happen now.”

“A crook in charge of a whole department? What corporation would turn that down?” Rainbow rolled her eyes irritably.

“Here.” The older man pushed a glass across the desk, and as it settled, Rainbow looked upon it wantingly. She accepted the gesture and picked it up, testing a sip once she saw her father take one. “Bordeaux, '82. A remarkable vintage.”

“Mmm,” Rainbow hummed an agreement as the flavour swirled in her mouth. “Now then, on to business.”

“I wasn't always a detestable man, you know,” he started up again, and Rainbow wasn't sure where he was going with it. “I only took this job to support you and your mother. By the time she left, I was already so invested in the company, I could hardly think of leaving. Besides, I had you to look out for.”

“Look out for? Is that what you call it?” Rainbow toyed with the words viciously, taking another large gulp of the expensive Wine. “She left because of you, I'm sure of it. Looking back at the dates, that's around the time you fathered your other daughter, isn't it? Hard to hide that evidence of a cheating man.”

“Your mother was an amazing woman, Rainbow Dash.” he praised, his gaze turning to the window remorsefully. “I did not love her the way she deserved to be loved.”

“Yeah, you do seem to have a problem with expressing the appropriate types of love. And being a decent guy.” Rainbow agreed knowingly, and her father huffed a sadistic laugh and nearly finished his glass of Wine.

“It seems so,” he had to concur, pouring himself some more Wine and leaning against his desk. “For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm certainly to blame for at least some of your poor manner.”

“Sorry? What, you think that's any consolation?” she snarled, crossing her arms and glaring at the window he seemed so interested in. “If you were sorry about any of it, you wouldn't have repeated your mistakes with Scootaloo.”

“... How do you know that name?” her father growled as he realized he had never told it to her.

“You couldn't have thought you'd keep me away from my sister forever, could you?” Rainbow asked rhetorically. “She's a bright young girl; a little torn up about what you did to her, but she's tough.”

“Is that what she told you?” He didn't seem to believe her at all.

“She didn't have to tell me,” Rainbow barked back, polishing off her glass and slamming it onto his desk aggressively. “I know the signs. I've been there, remember? Or have you wiped your memories of me away by ruining her life instead?”

“Come on, you're being ridiculous,” her father spat with a frown, pouring some more Wine into her glass as she was busy nearly screaming at him.

“Ridiculous? Me?!” A sardonic laugh erupted from her throat. “You're the man who abused his position as care provider, as guardian, as father, for what? For a tight, ripe young—?!”

“Don't be crude,” he interrupted her with a disgusted expression, though she did not know why he was suddenly so shy about it. “What's this really about, Dash? Money?”

“Money!? You think I came all the way down here for your dirty money?!” Rainbow squinted at him and made an appalled expression.

“Yes, yes I do.” He nodded, though he wasn't even sure if he believed himself. “What else could you possibly—?!”

“For her—for your daughter, Scootaloo! You may not have actually realized it, or cared to understand what it might mean, but you stole her first time! Her first time, dad. She only gets one!” Rainbow pointed one finger at him, her lip quivering as she tried to get the words out without snivelling or screaming. “You greedy, selfish jackass.”

His straight face settled calmly as he watched his daughter nearly break down. Swirling his Wine in his glass and watching the legs drip down. “You'll never understand, Dash.”

“I never want to!” She scrunched up her face in a disgusted way. Steadying herself with a shaky breath, she told him, “You're a sick, sick bastard, and I'm not going to stand by and let you ruin her the way you did to me.”

“What, you're going to go to the police? Tell my wife?” he asked, but his level of interested wavered as if he was acting aloof.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Rainbow played coy.

“And you're sure they'll believe you?” he asked sceptically, tilting his head at the girl. “Come on, you're a kid living off her daddy's money, with big dreams and horrible habits. I'm a plenty respected man.”

“I thought of that.” Rainbow Dash unclipped the buckle on the shoulder bag her father had hardly noticed she was wearing. Pulling out a file folder, she slapped it down on the desk between them.

“... What's this?” He reached out and pushed it open, trailing his finger across the first page or two.

“Bank statements of you wiring money to me, reports of domestic disputes, pictures of marks—and not just mine, Dad.” she explained in an even tone, and she noticed the way his face settled to stone. “Even if I didn't have any of this, the scandal over whether it's true or not would be sure to stir up enough commotion to sink your career.”

After a hard swallow, her father nodded and looked up at her. As a business man, he knew how to begin a negotiation. “... What will it take to make this go away?”

“I'm glad you asked. I'll get my list.” she replied, reaching back into the satchel for her demands.

Author's Notes:

Aha! At last Rainbow Dash is dealing with her issues. Heads up, folks, probably only going to be one or two more chapters after this. Stay tuned!