Apples spilled to the ground from the bushel that had just fallen off a pony’s back.

“Don’t worry, sir, Ah’ll help ya clean this up.”

“I’m more worried about what that noise was,” the stallion looked around to the shocked faces around them.

A rainbow shockwave rolled through the sky, sending sighs and smiles through the crowd. “Reckon it was Rainbow Dash. Ah dunno why she’d do one’a them now though…”

“You know the pony who did that?!” The stallion asked in shock.

“Heh, eeyup, gonna marry her soon enough,” Applejack said as she picked up an apple from the ground. The bushel landed next to her with the sound of cracking wicker. “Sir?”

“I don’t want any food from, one of your kind,” he spat on the apples that had spilt, “and I don’t want my money back. I know it’s been tainted,” he harrumphed and turned away, kicking dirt as he left.

Applejack had stood up and fought the urge to yell back at the stallion when he spit on the apple, but held back. “Thank, you sir,” she chomped her teeth and forced a smile, “as one earth pony to another, have a good day.”

A small voice came from near her. “Applejack? Are you, alright?”

She sighed, an exhale of the frustration that had built up. “Yeah, Ah’m fine enough. Ah don’t see what he was goin’ on about, though ‘Shy. We’re both earth ponies,” she said kicking the apple he spit on aside while gathering the others and replacing them into the basket.

Fluttershy looked on and moved from beside the apple cart to help Applejack pick up the apples. “I, um, I think he was talking about you and Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy winced and hid slightly behind her mane as Applejack shot her a look. “I-I’m sorry.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “It ain’t that, Sugarcube, and ya know it. Ah can’t believe ponys’re still like that,” she muttered, “dang outta towners.”

“W-well, maybe he just doesn’t like apples?” Fluttershy added.

“Then why’d he go’n buy a whole bushel? That ain’t a way ta act.”

Fluttershy nodded and moved to begin helping again. “Perhaps he’s an actor, and he just wanted you to have more business?” Fluttershy offered as she bit the stem of an apple and lifted it, about to move it to the basket.

“Did ya have anythin’ ta do with that?” Applejack asked, a hint of hurt in her voice.

“Oh, no, no. That was just, awful, the way he acted and treated you. However, somepony could have put him up to it.” Fluttershy dropped the apple into the basket and was reaching for another.

“Well, Ah reckon that makes sense,” Applejack resigned herself, “it just… it wasn’t nice, dagnabit,” she stomped her rear hoof on the spit-on apple, smashing it to rough pulp.

“Oh, Applejack, don’t be upset, please,” Fluttershy said softly with a reassuring smile, “it’s over n-now and you have bits and more apples to sell, right?”

Applejack frowned. “Ah don’t want, nor need, his bits. This’ll go ta the orphanage in Trottin’ham. Apple’s don’t need any money with hate’n on it.”

“I think that’s a very good idea, Applejack. Um, maybe you could donate some to me and my animals?”

“Ah wouldn’t say no ta that, Sugarcube. Ah guess Ah’ve gotta relax a bit,” Applejack said as she gathered the last couple in her forelegs and reared to place them in the basket, “what that stallion said was mighty hurtful, thought. He’s got me sore’n Ah wanna just… Ah dunno-”

“Um, buck something?” Fluttershy added with a small smirk.

“Heh, yeah, sure. Ya know, ‘Shy,” Applejack started as she began to move the basket back to the cart, “Ah get a bit confused when ya act different in public than with’r friends.”

Fluttershy cowered slightly. “It’s not that I mean to, it’s just that, well, what would they think if they knew about our personal lives?” Her eyes widened. “About what Pinkie Winkie and me… what we do,” she whispered and whimpered, “they’d be so mean to her. I, I couldn’t do that to her, Applejack.”

Applejack had finished resetting the basket and turned around. “Ah know we’ve all said this, but ya’ve gotta understand that what you and Pinks do isn’t that weird. Same fer me and Dash, Twi and Sunny; ‘s long as we’re not hurtin’ other ponies or each other, Ah reckon they won’t say a thing.”

Fluttershy turned her mane slightly to hide her eyes.

“‘Shy, whatever ya do it ain’t mah business, just like it ain’t anypony else’s. Just, let me say, Ah’ve never seen you and Pinkie happier and,” she winked, “ya needed it more than she did. Ah remember that night like it happened a few minutes ago; our party that Twi done messed up,” she smiled at the blushing pegasus. “What we all were doin’ was the most right any way ya look at it. Now, Ah’ve gotta get back ta work, but here’s some bits,” Applejack hoofed several to Fluttershy, “and a hug, ta say ‘thanks.’”

“You’re w-welcome, Applejack,” Fluttershy said softly before she broke the hug and turned, with a smile and nod, then walked away.

“Heh... Apples fer sale! Mister, ya look like a hungry unicorn; if ever I’ve seen one…”

“Whoo-hoo! Go mom!” Scootaloo shouted as she galloped from the schoolhouse to see the rainbow shockwave.

“She’s so cool, Scootaloo. I wish one of my moms, or all of ‘em, were as cool as her.”

“Nah, it’s cool, Buttercup. I know not every pony can be as lucky as me; to have a mom like her.”

“Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said as she sided with her sister, “we’ve gotta get back in. We’ve seen her do that plenty’a times; Miss Cheerilee’s gonna teach us about sound waves and how they work. Maybe we c’n get our marks in radio, or somethin’!”

“Oh, yeah! That sounds cool. Radio cutie marks would be awesome!”

The fillies returned to the schoolhouse, the rainbow shockwave dissipating in the distance.

“Urrggghhh,” Rainbow landed quickly on a cloud and began to vomit over the side. “Hrurk, ugh… rut me, -hrrugh-, no more, -gak-, rainbooms after bre -hrrrruugnh- breakfast.”

A moment later, Rainbow had finished looking to make sure she hadn’t rained her breakfast on some unfortunate pony in the orchard. With a bemused chuckle she fell back onto the cloud and let her body roll itself to the side. She groaned in frustration.

“Now I really do have a baby bump… And I’m fat,” she sniffled, “and I’ll never be the fastest anything ever again!”

She began to cry, the cloud darkening beneath her as it began to rain.

“I’ll be the fattest mare in Equestria. Goodbye dreams of being a Wonderbolt, or even having a fanclub across the nation,” she curled into a fetal position and gripped her tail, holding it tightly, “I’ll have my own nation… Rainbow Huge...ness, slowest mare in her own world.”

“...Wow, you’re really pathetic, huh?”

Rainbow inhaled sharply and lifted her head, looked over, and grinned wider than she had in longer than she could remember. “QUILL!” Rainbow lunged from the cloud and hugged the gradient purple mare. She sniffed Quill’s tan mane and felt a giddy cry flush through her.

“Woah, watch out, supermare, I heard you were pregnant; you might hurt me with your mood swings.”

“Oh, ha-ha,” Rainbow giggled as she wiped a tear from her face, only for another to replace it, “I… why’re you here? Oh no, you didn’t come to see how fat I am, did you?”

“Rainbow,” Quill said and she squeezed tighter, “Rainbow, Rainbow. Honestly, you’re still the mare I had fantasies about… Only,” she paused to move her head back to lock her orange eyes to Rainbow’s, “you usually cried after what I’d do to you.”

The both snorted and began to laugh; Rainbow hovering now.

“Yeah, I… Why’re you here? I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“Well, you didn’t write, for one,” Rainbow shrugged, “and we know you’re not good at that, so the next reason is that... I’m moving back to my old house.”

“...” Rainbow hovered, slightly further back, staring in silence with a thoughtful expression.

“Uh, well, that is… If I’m still welcome here, that is.”

“Quill,” Rainbow sighed, flying back to the dark cloud she was on. She stomped on it, turning it white by pushing all the dense rain water from it, then sat. “I haven’t forgiven myself… for, everything.”

“Shut up, Rainbow,” Quill whispered.

“What?”

“I said SHUT UP!” Her shout nearly echoed back to where they were. Rainbow recoiled, her ears falling flat to her head, and tears beginning to flow again. Quill sighed, smiled softly, and composed herself. “You did nothing wrong. I got too many letters from AJ telling me about how you beat yourself up about it.

“How you still cry in your sleep over what happened, and how sad you look whenever you seen a pony with her colors. Rainbow; you’re forgiven. As Celestia as my witness… what the hay. With every culture’s gods, goddesses, spirits of peace and chaos, and even the baby in your belly,” she pointed, cracking a toothy grin, “I promise you that you’re not to blame in the least. And you’re not fat, too.”

Rainbow, through her tear filled eyes, giggled at the last part.

“S-so,” Rainbow sniffled.

“Luna’s teats you’re crying so much!”

Rainbow shrugged and pointed to her belly. “So, you’re really coming back?”

“Heh, yeah. I mean, this’ my home. Besides, I read about the party you threw. All the things we’d joked about and you have to wait until I move to have an orgy?! What the pluck?”

“Pluck?”

“It’s a Rainbow Falls thing.”

“Oh, well, it was Twilight’s fault! She cast some magic, thing, that made the whole town-”

“I know,” Quill frowned, “and the fillies and colts, too.”

“Meh, they’re gonna learn about it soon enough anyway.”

“Rainbow, not everypony rushed into it like you did; some of us waited and made it meaningful.”

“And whatcha think this is?” she, once again pointed to her belly.

“An excuse to feel bad about yourself.” Rainbow opened her mouth to retort but no words came to her. “You’ve grown up a lot over the past few months since I last saw you, Dash, but you have to be bigger. You have a baby to think of, right?”

Rainbow huffed from the side of her muzzle. “You always were too wisdomed.”

“Thanks. Uhm, so, now that we’re all better and you’re almost done crying-”

“Totally done.”

“Yeah, why don’t we grab something to eat? AJ’s raved about the new place and the fries are crazy good, right?”

Rainbow smiled, nodded quickly, and hovered. “You know, I think I could go for some fish and chips,” she grinned daringly.

“Oh, they have that here? I love some good coastal food, but without hayfries? They’d better be good.”

“Quill, they’ll make you wanna pluck a primary and poke your mom with it.”

Quill rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we’ll see. And, I like your accent; very, country.”

"Ah dunno what yer talkin' 'bout, Sugarcube," Rainbow joked.