Smother
by mushroompone
Deep Castle
SEARCH FOR CASTLE ENTERS THIRD YEAR, NEW EXPEDITION UNDERWAY
A fresh team of spelunking adventurers sets out at the end of the month in the hunt for the missing Castle of the Two Sisters. Since the Sisters’ retirement, six expeditions have been funded by Princess Twilight Sparkle to search for the missing landmark. Faint magical signatures of unknown origin have led researchers to believe the castle was subsumed by a nearby ravine, though no physical evidence of the building has been uncovered.
The new team of expeditioners is led by none other than Flint Strike, adoptive daughter of Element Bearers Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Strike’s experience with cave-diving spans eight years of mapping missions throughout southeastern Equestria. Accompanying her are Luster Dawn, the Princess’s own student and magical expert, and Maud Pie, an accomplished geologist.
Applejack smacked the newspaper down on the kitchen table with a hearty thwack. “If she don’t die down there, I’ll kill her with my own two hooves.”
“Jackie, come on.” Rainbow Dash shuffled her wings against her sides. “Y-you can’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same thing when you were her age.”
“That’s completely different!”
“How?”
“She’s my daughter!”
Rainbow grimaced, but came no closer to her wife. She merely hovered awkwardly on the threshold.
“I mean, honestly,” Applejack went on, her accent stealing away more and more of her consonants as heat rose in her cheeks. “And what in the hay is Maud thinkin’?! She’s too dang old for this nonsense!”
“W-well, she’s—”
“An enabler! I agree!” Applejack pounded a hoof on the kitchen table. The place settings rattled. Rainbow Dash’s untouched cup of coffee sloshed, and a dribble of its dark contents slid down the side. “I’ve got half a mind to march down there and haul her out by the tail.”
Rainbow twitched. “Please don’t.”
“And why shouldn’t I?” Applejack kicked back in her chair, crossing her hooves over her chest. “That’s my kid down there.”
“That’s our kid down there,” Rainbow corrected sternly. “And… I-I dunno. I don’t love it, but don’t you think she’s old enough to—”
“No!” Applejack spat. “That’s my baby, Dash!”
“Our baby…” Dash muttered.
Applejack waved a hoof dismissively. Her eyes slid down to the tiled floor which very nearly disguised the tears welling up in them. “Eat your dang breakfast,” she muttered.
Dash took a small, hesitant step forward. “You gotta eat, too.”
“Can’t.” Applejack sniffled. “Ain’t hungry.”
And so the couple sat together, not eating, as the sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres.
Near the surface, Mandible Ravine was hardly more dangerous than a stroll through the royal gardens. A branch of the well-known and geologically fascinating Ghastly Gorge, Mandible Ravine was hardly a destination for… well, for anyone. It was only about fifteen stories deep. Sunlight sparkled along even the deepest exposed veins of mica. A foal’s idea of a cavern, really. Except, of course, for The Maw.
Flint Strike stood over The Maw. The beam of her flashlight penetrated only a meter into the darkness, revealing little more than a straight shot down. A nylon rope dangled inside, hitched to a single anchor driven deep into the stone.
She scoffed. “This is the squeeze everyone’s making a big deal over?” she mused, glancing at Maud beside her. “I could host my next birthday party in this thing. Squeeze, my flank…”
“Most creatures who see the photos have never seen a true squeeze before,” Maud replied.
Luster shivered. “It’s so cold.”
“Cold air likes to lay low,” Flint explained, shifting her saddlebag onto the ground beside her. “That, plus the darkness, plus the insulation—didn’t you bring layers like I told you?”
“I, um…” Luster blushed. “I didn’t want my sweater to get dirty.”
Flint rolled her eyes. “For crying out loud…”
Maud tugged on the sleeve of her tunic and turned to Luster. “I brought a spare,” she said. “Just in case. But you can have it.”
Wind howled through the ravine. All three ponies paused as their manes were whipped across their faces, grasping like feather-light tentacles at their cheeks and throats. Luster curled into herself. Her magic sparkled—a spell to keep warm, maybe? Flint knew very little about that sort of thing, and she didn’t care to learn more.
The wind died down. Flint pulled her stone-silver mane off her face and glanced back at Luster. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and find that magic signature?”
Maud looked at her. Not a glare as such, but a definite look.
“What?” Flint shrugged. “Just being honest.”
“Hm,” was all Maud said in response.
To the parent(s) of Flint Strike,
I hope you are well. I am reaching out regarding your child, Flint, in second grade at Ponyville Elementary.
I have noticed a few concerning behavioral patterns in Flint. These include climbing on / hiding under furniture, destructive anger, and yelling /swearing. These incidents are disruptive to the classroom environment and to my teaching. We believe collaboration between home and school is key in addressing these concerns.
Please discuss these behaviors with your child and support more appropriate behavior. If issues persist, I may need to implement measures as behavior improvement plans or counseling.
My goal is to foster a positive learning environment. Your cooperation is vital.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Cheerilee
“Y’know, this reminds me a bit of my first cave,” Flint said, running a hoof along the stone. “It’s, like… really perfect.”
Perfect it was. Past the initial drop, the cave opened up into a cavern that felt more planned than grown. It was wide, tall, and sloped only ever so slightly downward. It seemed more of a hall than a truly natural cave, as if it had been built with ponies in mind.
Luster Dawn looked to the older mare beside her. “Why is that, Maud?” she asked.
Maud sighed. A cloud of steam rose from her lips. “There is no ‘why’,” she said. “This cave was formed over millions of years. It’s all coincidence.”
“I mean, kinda,” Flint said. “The Maw only opened up a bit ago.”
“Due to an earthquake, I believe,” Maud explained.
“But… the magic?” Luster murmured.
“Due to a magical earthquake, then.”
Silence closed in on them. Their hoofbeats echoed off the slick, dark walls. Their breaths turned to a sound almost like the rustling of leaves in trees. The beams of their headlamps danced with each step. The cavern stretched on. And on. And on.
And then there it was: the first suit of armor.
“Finally,” Flint said.
MANDIBLE RAVINE EXPEDITION ABORTED
The search team dispatched to the Everfree Forest in search of the missing Castle of the Two Sisters has returned early following a magical incident. The team, which had hoped to map the cavern beneath The Maw (pictured below), returned in a partially-catatonic state, having no recollection of their experience. Princess Twilight Sparkle has announced plans for a second expedition, though a timeline remains to be determined.
“It’s pristine,” Luster commented. Her magic sparkled off the surface of the armor and filled the hall with glitter. “I mean, not a scratch! How could—?”
“Don’t touch it,” Maud said, smacking the young pony’s hoof away.
Luster frowned. “Why not?”
Maud didn’t respond. She turned, looking further down the hall, and her flashlight glanced off another form. And another. And another.
Flint felt a chill race over her scalp and down her back. The shadows projected across the walls wavered, swayed, and ultimately collapsed under the hooves of dozens of suits of armor. For a moment, Flint longed to hear a sound. A clank. A shuffle. A groan. Anything but the endless stillness and silence.
But there was nothing.
She laughed, and it did nothing to fill the emptiness of the cave. “Well, get a picture, Luster! We can be the first team to have some real photographic evidence.”
Her traveling companions did not reply.
Luster’s magic hummed. After a beat, she said, “There’s magical residue. Down there.” She pointed down between the silent sentinels.
AJ -
Just got a fourth letter about Flint from Cheerilee. Have you responded to any of them?
I’m in Griffonstone right now. PLEASE set up a meeting with Cheer to talk about this. You can’t keep ignoring her. I know you love Flint, but this is getting out of hoof.
Dash
---
Dash -
Flint is fine. She’s just got a little extra energy. I’m having Maud take her out to the caves again to burn it off.
I’ll make sure Cheerilee doesn’t send you any more letters.
AJ
---
AJ -
You can’t reward Flint for acting out. She needs to be punished. She needs to learn to control her energy.
Talk to Cheerilee or I will.
Dash
---
AJ -
Just got a fifth letter.
When I get home, you and I are going to have a talk.
Dash.
The camera snapped again, a near-constant rhythm against the hollow hoofsteps and heavy breathing.
“Would you cool it with the pictures?” Flint grumbled. “The flash is giving me a migraine. We’ve got more than enough.”
Luster took another. “But you said—”
“I know what I said. Just… knock it off, alright?”
Luster sighed. “I’ve just never seen anything like this.”
Flint hadn’t. Maud hadn’t. None of them had.
Flint wanted to shoot back, but found that she didn’t really have the energy. Instead, she mumbled, “I guess ‘The Maw’ was a pretty good name after all.”
The Castle of the Two Sisters had been, in a word, swallowed. But even that couldn’t capture exactly the scene that stretched out before the expedition team.
It had started with the suits of armor. The armor then gave way to patches of stone walls—not cave stone, but real stone. Pony-laid stone bricks in a definite pattern. Then tapestries, fading in and out of the rock like concrete beneath puddles. Then carpets and stained glass. Then, finally, it opened up into a library. An empty library, but a library nonetheless.
Here, the team paced the aisles, marveling at the way stalagmites pushed through the shelves without shattering the wood, at the way dead lights dangled from a cavernous ceiling, at the way the tiles sometimes sank away to reveal soft clay beneath their hooves.
“I hate to ask,” Flint said, “but… have you checked for the signature?”
Luster lowered her camera. “No.”
Silence.
Maud slipped a small stone into her saddlebag, but said nothing.
Flint cleared her throat. “Well, I… I think we ought to. Right?”
Luster blinked.
“Perhaps we should return to the surface with what we have,” Maud said.
Flint scoffed. “What we have? What we have is nothing new,” she said.
“But… the photos?” Luster said.
“Nothing that we didn’t have from previous accounts,” Flint replied, waving her off.
Luster looked at Maud.
“What’re you looking at her for?” Flint spat.
Luster cringed. “W-well, I just—”
“We’ve got a mission, okay?” Flint said. “Find the source of the signature. We haven’t done that yet, and we’re not going back to the surface until we do.”
Luster’s eyes flicked, again, to Maud.
“Seriously?!” Flint stomped her hoof. “What, is she your mom? I’m the leader of this expedition, and I say we go further.”
“No,” Maud said.
Flint’s brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“It’s too dangerous,” Maud said. “We turn back now. Examine the samples and the photos. Come back more prepared.”
“We’re plenty prepared.”
Maud shook her head.
Flint’s mouth hung open. “I’m not going back up.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“Flint, think of your mothers.”
“Hah!” Flint tossed her head back. “Believe me, I am.”
“We’ve done enough. We’re turning around.”
“Turn around without me.”
Maud’s face remained cold and stony. “Flint.”
Luster side-stepped closer to Maud.
Flint set her jaw. “Tell me where the signature is, Luster,” she demanded.
“I don’t think—”
“Tell me.”
Dear diary,
I had the dream again.
Ma burying me. Even as she cried and wailed and told me how much she loved me. It was shovelfuls of red clay this time.
Mom turning her back. Her wings shaking. I called out for her but she wasn’t listening. I know she heard me, though.
I almost told Maud about it. I figured she might have some wise words for me about claustrophobia, but I don’t know. Those are her friends. Kinda.
Maybe I’ll tell her about it on our expedition.
“Where is she?!”
Maud closed her eyes. “She wouldn’t come up.”
Applejack could barely speak. “Then you should have pulled her out!” she shrieked.
“She’s an adult, Applejack.”
“I don’t care if she’s an adult, she’s my damn baby!”
Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her shoulder. “Jackie, come on.”
“Get off me!” Applejack shoved her wife off. “You don’t get to say a got dang thing!”
“She’s my kid, too!” Dash stammered, her own anger flinging off her lips in dots of spit.
“She ain’t!”
There was a sound. A feeling, too, but a sound more than anything. A rumbling, roiling, frothing sound, like water coming to a hot and hard boil. It rose and rose, loud enough that the ears of the assembled ponies pinned back, and then it was over.
Blink.
Silence.
A look was shared. And then they were galloping, careening towards The Maw, hearts pounding, chests lurching.
Only a jagged row of stone teeth remained.
The Maw had snapped shut.
“How would you describe your parenting style?” the adoption agent asked.
Applejack straightened up. “Er. Gee, how’re you s’posed to answer that one?”
The agent smiled. “There’s no ‘supposed to’. Just do your best.”
“Right, uh…” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “I guess I… y’know, my parents died when I was tiny. And I grew up with my Granny. She was great ‘n’ all, but I feel like I sorta missed out on the, uh… the closeness. I wanna be close with her.”
“Or him,” Rainbow interjected.
Applejack chuckled. “Yeah. Or him.”
“But we don’t wanna, like, smother her,” Rainbow said. “My parents were kinda… smother-y.”
“Heh. I wish I’d had parents to smother me,” Applejack replied.
And Rainbow laughed. But it wasn’t a real laugh.
SEARCH FOR CASTLE ENTERS THIRD YEAR, NEW EXPEDITION UNDERWAY
A fresh team of spelunking adventurers sets out at the end of the month in the hunt for the missing Castle of the Two Sisters. Since the Sisters’ retirement, six expeditions have been funded by Princess Twilight Sparkle to search for the missing landmark. Faint magical signatures of unknown origin have led researchers to believe the castle was subsumed by a nearby ravine, though no physical evidence of the building has been uncovered.
The new team of expeditioners is led by none other than Flint Strike, adoptive daughter of Element Bearers Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Strike’s experience with cave-diving spans eight years of mapping missions throughout southeastern Equestria. Accompanying her are Luster Dawn, the Princess’s own student and magical expert, and Maud Pie, an accomplished geologist.
Applejack smacked the newspaper down on the kitchen table with a hearty thwack. “If she don’t die down there, I’ll kill her with my own two hooves.”
“Jackie, come on.” Rainbow Dash shuffled her wings against her sides. “Y-you can’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same thing when you were her age.”
“That’s completely different!”
“How?”
“She’s my daughter!”
Rainbow grimaced, but came no closer to her wife. She merely hovered awkwardly on the threshold.
“I mean, honestly,” Applejack went on, her accent stealing away more and more of her consonants as heat rose in her cheeks. “And what in the hay is Maud thinkin’?! She’s too dang old for this nonsense!”
“W-well, she’s—”
“An enabler! I agree!” Applejack pounded a hoof on the kitchen table. The place settings rattled. Rainbow Dash’s untouched cup of coffee sloshed, and a dribble of its dark contents slid down the side. “I’ve got half a mind to march down there and haul her out by the tail.”
Rainbow twitched. “Please don’t.”
“And why shouldn’t I?” Applejack kicked back in her chair, crossing her hooves over her chest. “That’s my kid down there.”
“That’s our kid down there,” Rainbow corrected sternly. “And… I-I dunno. I don’t love it, but don’t you think she’s old enough to—”
“No!” Applejack spat. “That’s my baby, Dash!”
“Our baby…” Dash muttered.
Applejack waved a hoof dismissively. Her eyes slid down to the tiled floor which very nearly disguised the tears welling up in them. “Eat your dang breakfast,” she muttered.
Dash took a small, hesitant step forward. “You gotta eat, too.”
“Can’t.” Applejack sniffled. “Ain’t hungry.”
And so the couple sat together, not eating, as the sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres.
Near the surface, Mandible Ravine was hardly more dangerous than a stroll through the royal gardens. A branch of the well-known and geologically fascinating Ghastly Gorge, Mandible Ravine was hardly a destination for… well, for anyone. It was only about fifteen stories deep. Sunlight sparkled along even the deepest exposed veins of mica. A foal’s idea of a cavern, really. Except, of course, for The Maw.
Flint Strike stood over The Maw. The beam of her flashlight penetrated only a meter into the darkness, revealing little more than a straight shot down. A nylon rope dangled inside, hitched to a single anchor driven deep into the stone.
She scoffed. “This is the squeeze everyone’s making a big deal over?” she mused, glancing at Maud beside her. “I could host my next birthday party in this thing. Squeeze, my flank…”
“Most creatures who see the photos have never seen a true squeeze before,” Maud replied.
Luster shivered. “It’s so cold.”
“Cold air likes to lay low,” Flint explained, shifting her saddlebag onto the ground beside her. “That, plus the darkness, plus the insulation—didn’t you bring layers like I told you?”
“I, um…” Luster blushed. “I didn’t want my sweater to get dirty.”
Flint rolled her eyes. “For crying out loud…”
Maud tugged on the sleeve of her tunic and turned to Luster. “I brought a spare,” she said. “Just in case. But you can have it.”
Wind howled through the ravine. All three ponies paused as their manes were whipped across their faces, grasping like feather-light tentacles at their cheeks and throats. Luster curled into herself. Her magic sparkled—a spell to keep warm, maybe? Flint knew very little about that sort of thing, and she didn’t care to learn more.
The wind died down. Flint pulled her stone-silver mane off her face and glanced back at Luster. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and find that magic signature?”
Maud looked at her. Not a glare as such, but a definite look.
“What?” Flint shrugged. “Just being honest.”
“Hm,” was all Maud said in response.
To the parent(s) of Flint Strike,
I hope you are well. I am reaching out regarding your child, Flint, in second grade at Ponyville Elementary.
I have noticed a few concerning behavioral patterns in Flint. These include climbing on / hiding under furniture, destructive anger, and yelling /swearing. These incidents are disruptive to the classroom environment and to my teaching. We believe collaboration between home and school is key in addressing these concerns.
Please discuss these behaviors with your child and support more appropriate behavior. If issues persist, I may need to implement measures as behavior improvement plans or counseling.
My goal is to foster a positive learning environment. Your cooperation is vital.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Cheerilee
“Y’know, this reminds me a bit of my first cave,” Flint said, running a hoof along the stone. “It’s, like… really perfect.”
Perfect it was. Past the initial drop, the cave opened up into a cavern that felt more planned than grown. It was wide, tall, and sloped only ever so slightly downward. It seemed more of a hall than a truly natural cave, as if it had been built with ponies in mind.
Luster Dawn looked to the older mare beside her. “Why is that, Maud?” she asked.
Maud sighed. A cloud of steam rose from her lips. “There is no ‘why’,” she said. “This cave was formed over millions of years. It’s all coincidence.”
“I mean, kinda,” Flint said. “The Maw only opened up a bit ago.”
“Due to an earthquake, I believe,” Maud explained.
“But… the magic?” Luster murmured.
“Due to a magical earthquake, then.”
Silence closed in on them. Their hoofbeats echoed off the slick, dark walls. Their breaths turned to a sound almost like the rustling of leaves in trees. The beams of their headlamps danced with each step. The cavern stretched on. And on. And on.
And then there it was: the first suit of armor.
“Finally,” Flint said.
MANDIBLE RAVINE EXPEDITION ABORTED
The search team dispatched to the Everfree Forest in search of the missing Castle of the Two Sisters has returned early following a magical incident. The team, which had hoped to map the cavern beneath The Maw (pictured below), returned in a partially-catatonic state, having no recollection of their experience. Princess Twilight Sparkle has announced plans for a second expedition, though a timeline remains to be determined.
“It’s pristine,” Luster commented. Her magic sparkled off the surface of the armor and filled the hall with glitter. “I mean, not a scratch! How could—?”
“Don’t touch it,” Maud said, smacking the young pony’s hoof away.
Luster frowned. “Why not?”
Maud didn’t respond. She turned, looking further down the hall, and her flashlight glanced off another form. And another. And another.
Flint felt a chill race over her scalp and down her back. The shadows projected across the walls wavered, swayed, and ultimately collapsed under the hooves of dozens of suits of armor. For a moment, Flint longed to hear a sound. A clank. A shuffle. A groan. Anything but the endless stillness and silence.
But there was nothing.
She laughed, and it did nothing to fill the emptiness of the cave. “Well, get a picture, Luster! We can be the first team to have some real photographic evidence.”
Her traveling companions did not reply.
Luster’s magic hummed. After a beat, she said, “There’s magical residue. Down there.” She pointed down between the silent sentinels.
AJ -
Just got a fourth letter about Flint from Cheerilee. Have you responded to any of them?
I’m in Griffonstone right now. PLEASE set up a meeting with Cheer to talk about this. You can’t keep ignoring her. I know you love Flint, but this is getting out of hoof.
Dash
---
Dash -
Flint is fine. She’s just got a little extra energy. I’m having Maud take her out to the caves again to burn it off.
I’ll make sure Cheerilee doesn’t send you any more letters.
AJ
---
AJ -
You can’t reward Flint for acting out. She needs to be punished. She needs to learn to control her energy.
Talk to Cheerilee or I will.
Dash
---
AJ -
Just got a fifth letter.
When I get home, you and I are going to have a talk.
Dash.
The camera snapped again, a near-constant rhythm against the hollow hoofsteps and heavy breathing.
“Would you cool it with the pictures?” Flint grumbled. “The flash is giving me a migraine. We’ve got more than enough.”
Luster took another. “But you said—”
“I know what I said. Just… knock it off, alright?”
Luster sighed. “I’ve just never seen anything like this.”
Flint hadn’t. Maud hadn’t. None of them had.
Flint wanted to shoot back, but found that she didn’t really have the energy. Instead, she mumbled, “I guess ‘The Maw’ was a pretty good name after all.”
The Castle of the Two Sisters had been, in a word, swallowed. But even that couldn’t capture exactly the scene that stretched out before the expedition team.
It had started with the suits of armor. The armor then gave way to patches of stone walls—not cave stone, but real stone. Pony-laid stone bricks in a definite pattern. Then tapestries, fading in and out of the rock like concrete beneath puddles. Then carpets and stained glass. Then, finally, it opened up into a library. An empty library, but a library nonetheless.
Here, the team paced the aisles, marveling at the way stalagmites pushed through the shelves without shattering the wood, at the way dead lights dangled from a cavernous ceiling, at the way the tiles sometimes sank away to reveal soft clay beneath their hooves.
“I hate to ask,” Flint said, “but… have you checked for the signature?”
Luster lowered her camera. “No.”
Silence.
Maud slipped a small stone into her saddlebag, but said nothing.
Flint cleared her throat. “Well, I… I think we ought to. Right?”
Luster blinked.
“Perhaps we should return to the surface with what we have,” Maud said.
Flint scoffed. “What we have? What we have is nothing new,” she said.
“But… the photos?” Luster said.
“Nothing that we didn’t have from previous accounts,” Flint replied, waving her off.
Luster looked at Maud.
“What’re you looking at her for?” Flint spat.
Luster cringed. “W-well, I just—”
“We’ve got a mission, okay?” Flint said. “Find the source of the signature. We haven’t done that yet, and we’re not going back to the surface until we do.”
Luster’s eyes flicked, again, to Maud.
“Seriously?!” Flint stomped her hoof. “What, is she your mom? I’m the leader of this expedition, and I say we go further.”
“No,” Maud said.
Flint’s brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“It’s too dangerous,” Maud said. “We turn back now. Examine the samples and the photos. Come back more prepared.”
“We’re plenty prepared.”
Maud shook her head.
Flint’s mouth hung open. “I’m not going back up.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“Flint, think of your mothers.”
“Hah!” Flint tossed her head back. “Believe me, I am.”
“We’ve done enough. We’re turning around.”
“Turn around without me.”
Maud’s face remained cold and stony. “Flint.”
Luster side-stepped closer to Maud.
Flint set her jaw. “Tell me where the signature is, Luster,” she demanded.
“I don’t think—”
“Tell me.”
Dear diary,
I had the dream again.
Ma burying me. Even as she cried and wailed and told me how much she loved me. It was shovelfuls of red clay this time.
Mom turning her back. Her wings shaking. I called out for her but she wasn’t listening. I know she heard me, though.
I almost told Maud about it. I figured she might have some wise words for me about claustrophobia, but I don’t know. Those are her friends. Kinda.
Maybe I’ll tell her about it on our expedition.
“Where is she?!”
Maud closed her eyes. “She wouldn’t come up.”
Applejack could barely speak. “Then you should have pulled her out!” she shrieked.
“She’s an adult, Applejack.”
“I don’t care if she’s an adult, she’s my damn baby!”
Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her shoulder. “Jackie, come on.”
“Get off me!” Applejack shoved her wife off. “You don’t get to say a got dang thing!”
“She’s my kid, too!” Dash stammered, her own anger flinging off her lips in dots of spit.
“She ain’t!”
There was a sound. A feeling, too, but a sound more than anything. A rumbling, roiling, frothing sound, like water coming to a hot and hard boil. It rose and rose, loud enough that the ears of the assembled ponies pinned back, and then it was over.
Blink.
Silence.
A look was shared. And then they were galloping, careening towards The Maw, hearts pounding, chests lurching.
Only a jagged row of stone teeth remained.
The Maw had snapped shut.
“How would you describe your parenting style?” the adoption agent asked.
Applejack straightened up. “Er. Gee, how’re you s’posed to answer that one?”
The agent smiled. “There’s no ‘supposed to’. Just do your best.”
“Right, uh…” Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “I guess I… y’know, my parents died when I was tiny. And I grew up with my Granny. She was great ‘n’ all, but I feel like I sorta missed out on the, uh… the closeness. I wanna be close with her.”
“Or him,” Rainbow interjected.
Applejack chuckled. “Yeah. Or him.”
“But we don’t wanna, like, smother her,” Rainbow said. “My parents were kinda… smother-y.”
“Heh. I wish I’d had parents to smother me,” Applejack replied.
And Rainbow laughed. But it wasn’t a real laugh.