This fanfiction is intended to be a proof-of-concept for ideas that could be used for in the future for Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise; therefore, the author of this work hereby grants Hasbro Inc. and its affiliates and licensees, including but not limited to DHX Media, express, written permission to use, create derivative works of, sell, claim as their own intellectual property, and in general take any action they see fit with all and any content of this fanfiction, including, but not limited, to narration, dialog, story elements, story events, names of characters, names of fictional locations, names of fictional objects, fictional properties assigned to objects that exist in real life, character traits and backstories, worldbuilding elements, lyrics, and fictional magic spells. The author of this work relinquishes all and any intellectual property rights for all and any content of this fanfiction work to Hasbro Inc. and its affiliates and licensees, including but not limited to DHX Media.
Shining Armor sprinted toward Sweet Apple Acres and skidded to a halt at the gate. Buttercup, his best friend's mother, was outside, shutting off an irrigation trench with a sad, somewhat worried expression on her face.
"Mrs. Buttercup!" Shining Armor shouted to her, "I heard about what happened to Big Mack! Can I see him?"
She looked up at him and her face brightened just a little. "He's upstairs in his room. I think a friendly face is just what he needs, right now."
Shining Armor galloped to the barnhouse and slowed to a trot as he came to the door. He thunked loudly up the stairs and found his best friend lying in his and Applejack's bed, his leg battered, bandaged, and tied to a stick in several places.
Big Mackintosh began to smile at Shining Armor and he started to wave, but the slight movement caused his broken leg to shift, and he winced in pain.
"Try not to move," Shining Armor insisted, trotting into Big Mack's room and setting his saddlebags on the ground.
Big Mack grunted. "You sure don't need to tell me twice!" he groaned back through his teeth.
"How did it happen?"
Big Mack managed to get himself into a position where he wasn't in pain, and after a few deep breaths, answered, "The silo...it was empty. Not enough weight in it to keep it from swaying in the breeze. A huge, surprise blast of wind came from off of Rainbow Mountain, and then...well, I saw the whole silo coming down. It was going to hit Applejack, so I ran to her and pushed her out of the way. I was hoping I had enough speed to get both her and myself out from under it...well, MOST of me was out from under it!"
Shining Armor took a few seconds to absorb this-imagining what it must've felt like to see a family member in mortal danger.
Big Mack must've realized what Shining Armor was thinking, and said, "It was the scariest moment in my whole life...not the moment the silo hit me, but the moment before that, when I thought Applejack was going to die. It felt like everything was happening in slow-motion, all I could think about was getting her out of the way..."
Shining Armor nodded. A couple of times while they were exploring Rainbow Mountain, he and Twilight had had a brush with danger, and every time, his only thought was how to keep his sister safe...he knew the feeling all too well.
Looking at his friend's sorry-looking leg, he couldn't tell just how hurt it really was, there were so many bandages on it. "What did the doctor say about it?"
Big Mack shook his head. "Mom and Dad are already two months behind on the mortgage. They can't afford a doctor right now; we're just going to splint this and hope for the best."
"No. Way," Shining Armor firmly said. He picked up his pouch and shook out two gold coins onto his hoof.
Big Mack's eyes widened. After few second of looking from those coins to Shiny's eyes and back again, he laughed. "I'm the one who should be saying 'no way' to you, here! What kind of diamond did you FIND to get you THAT much money?!"
Shining Armor shook his head with a smile. "Not just one diamond; Twilight finally found the mother lode!"
Big Mack's face brightened. "You're kidding me!"
"Nope! Twilight's research was right all along; there are caves under Rainbow Mountain, they're FULL of diamonds, and she and I scored exclusive mineral rights for the whole cave system!"
Big Mack leaned back in his bed, dizzy with the realization that THAT much wealth sat had been sitting that close to Ponyville the whole time! After a few moments, he sighed. "Well, I sure hope you're proud of yourself! Now the whole rest of the town looks like idiots for NOT exploring the mountain like you and Twilight!"
Shining Armor chuckled. "Hey, we can't all be heroes." After a pause, he added, "Listen...I know your family's going through a difficult time right now, and you really, REALLY need to get a doctor to look at that leg...after everything that's happened, I...don't think I could think of myself as a friend if I didn't do something to help you right now." He extended his hoof toward Big Mack's night-stand and dropped the coins onto it.
Big Mack looked at Shining Armor for a few seconds, dumbfounded, finally saying, "Thanks...I...I don't know what to say."
Shining Armor smiled and shook his head. "You don't have to say anything. I just wish you and I could have a nice night on the town to celebrate; it's a huge discovery. In a few more days, my family's going to be completely out of debt, and Twilight and I are going to have to decide what to DO with all those diamonds. You've got to try and heal up fast; I can't wait to show you that cave!"
"I can't wait to see it!" Big Mack chuckled.
At that moment, they heard Applejack come sprinting into the barn, sobbing her eyes out. She didn't rush up the stairs; she'd found some solitary, rarely-used closet on the ground floor where she could cry alone.
Shining Armor blushed and licked his lips. He knew it that, whatever Applejack's reason for crying was, it was Twilight's fault, and at this moment, he was NOT feeling proud of her.
For his part, Big Mackintosh was just confused. He was still inhaling to ask Shining Armor what he thought this was about, when Buttercup's voice interrupted, shouting after Applejack "AJ! If you're here, who's minding the apple stand?!" After a few seconds of no response, Buttercup shouted Applejack's name again. Finally, she shouted up to Shining Armor, "Shining Armor, can you keep an eye on Big Mackintosh for a few minutes? I need to see what's going on with that apple stand!"
"Absolutely, Mrs. Buttercup!" he shouted back. He swallowed hard, knowing where his conversation with Big Mack would go next.
Big Mack took in Shining Armor's expression, then sighed knowingly. "It's Twilight, isn't it?"
Shining Armor looked sadly at the floorboards and nodded. "I asked her not to make me ashamed..."
"Hey," Big Mack interrupted softly. "There are times when I'm not proud of the things Applejack does, too. But they're our sisters. You love 'em to death even when they act up."
Shining Armor smiled. He should've known his friend would soften the blow. With a little guilt in his tone, he asked, "You think...Applejack will get over it soon?"
"I don't know...she feels like she needs to be alone, right now, so we should leave her be and let her get it out of her system."
Shining Armor went back to his saddlebag and pulled a board game out-the one thing he'd spent money on for pleasure that day. I'll have to get used to spending money for pleasure, Shining Armor thought to himself as he brought the board game to Big Mack's bed and carefully laid it out so that they'd both be able to reach it. The two stallions spent about a half an hour playing it to pass the time while they waited for something to happen-for Buttercup to come back from the fruit stand, for Bright Mackintosh to come in from the fields with questions, for Applejack to come upstairs and tear into Shining Armor for his sister's behavior, whatever it was. Both waited with bated breath, knowing that it could be bad for either or both of them, but they were glad to have a game to occupy their thoughts while they waited.
Finally, Buttercup came back with tears in her eyes. She tromped up to Big Mack's room like she had news she couldn't bear to share.
Big Mack swallowed hard. "What is it, Mom?"
"The apple stand...it was robbed while Applejack was away!"
The two stallions' jaws dropped.
"The cashbox, the apples, they were all taken...that's it!" she said with helpless finality. They could tell that her mind was reeling with the horrors of the auction block as she said this.
Big Mack interrupted, "Mom, it's not anywhere NEAR as bad as you think! Shining Armor and Twilight found a cave full of diamonds, the mother lode. When I told him we couldn't afford a doctor, he..." Big Mack looked at his nightstand, and her eyes followed his.
She saw the two gold coins and gasped.
Shining Armor was about to say "Mrs. Buttercup, it really IS nothing!" but he stopped himself: likely, those two coins were the difference between losing their home and livelihood with a crippled son in tow, and continuing to have a roof over their heads and being able to provide for their family. It's hard to get further from nothing than THAT!
So he said nothing, but Buttercup sobbed, "Bless your heart, you wonderful colt!" She rushed toward him and embraced him, crying her eyes out. Shining Armor couldn't think how to respond to this. He looked at Big Mack, and he returned his gaze helplessly. Unable to think of anything else to say or even do, he hugged Mrs. Buttercup back as she sobbed and sobbed.
Finally, she said, "THANK you...! Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you! I was so afraid our family would end up on that auction block, and we'd never see each other again, and poor Big Mack would die with nopony to take care of him!"
"Mrs. Buttercup, you're very welcome, but it's probably better not to think about awful things like-"
She interrupted, "I've GOT to bake your family a pie, right now! It'll be ready for your dessert, I'll deliver it myself. You run along and let your family know."
Shining Armor paused, grateful for a chance to get away from what felt like a very awkward moment. "I'll...let them know." For a moment, he remembered that, however wonderful he'd just made Mrs. Buttercup feel, his sister had made Applejack feel just as awful, and on top of that, Twilight was at least partly to blame for the loss of the day's, or maybe even the week's apple sales AND their stock of apples. He blushed again as he realized this...and how embarrassing it must be for their hardworking family to need a handout like this in the first place. Yes, it was the right thing to do to share, especially for a family for whom it's practically the difference between life and death, but it was still an embarrassment to need the help in the first place.
He silently slipped the board game back into his bags as Mrs. Buttercup raced down to the kitchen to pour her heart and soul into the most epic baking she'd ever done in her life.
Big Mack was a bit embarrassed, himself. "Sorry I couldn't make an excuse to get you out of the room before she did that," he said sheepishly.
Shining Armor blushed. "I guess none of us really know how to react to this...listen, I don't know what it was my sister did to Applejack, but I'm sorry for it."
He shook his head. "It's not your fault."
"I'm still sorry about it."
"Better get out of here before Mom comes back up and promises you AJ's hoof in marriage for saving my family!"
Shining Armor stopped blushing and went pale at the thought of actually being married to his sister's archenemy. He tried to find something else to think about, then realized that Big Mack was probably bored out of his skull, having to lie in bed like this, so he pulled the game back out of his bag and left it on the bed. "I just realized that you need this a lot more than I do."
"Thank goodness for changes of subject," Big Mack chuckled as Shining Armor put his saddlebags back on. He added, "Thanks...for everything. I think you just saved my life!"
"Don't mention it," he answered softly. He crept out of the house as quietly as he could, hoping he wouldn't meet either Buttercup with her overzealous gratitude or Applejack, who would undoubtedly be furious for whatever evil Twilight had perpetrated.
Shining Armor cantered back to his parents' treehome and bookbinding shop with a lot on his mind. He'd never had to process this many emotions at once before! He was proud of their discovery and the fact that their mortgage was halfway paid-down, happy about his gear upgrades and the truly epic meal they were about to have, guilty about Twilight's behavior, afraid because he didn't know just what it was that Twilight did in the first place, embarrassed because he'd gotten a close look at another family's financial embarrassment and didn't quite know how to react to it or their gratitude.
He reflected that it's possible to do the right thing, know that you've done the right thing, and still feel bad about it. Then he began to wonder whether it was possible to do the wrong thing, know that you've done the wrong thing, and still feel good about it...? That was a sickening thought, and even more sickening than that was the thought that followed: that Twilight might be in that exact situation! He loved his sister, and wanted to think more highly of her than that!
As he stepped up to the gate of their property, he wondered how he should deal with what Twilight did-should he confront Twilight about it? He imagined the confrontation in his mind:
Twilight, I don't know what you did to Applejack, but when she ran away from her apple stand and left it unguarded, the stand was robbed! The Apple Family lost everything! In his mind's eye, Twilight started cackling evilly.
Wait, no! Shining Armor thought. That's not Twilight! She wouldn't laugh at something like THAT! He went over the conversation again in his imagination, and this time, she burst into tears. ...He didn't like to see his sister cry, so he went over it again in his mind, and Twilight defensively shouted in response, Well, they deserve it for raising a horrible jerkface like Applejack!
Shining Armor shook his head and tried to end this parade of awful imaginations. ...Maybe now wasn't a good time to tell her about the consequences of her actions. She'd find out about it at some point, but...Shining Armor just felt too mixed-up right then to think clearly. He'd come back to this problem some other time when he had a readier mind.
He pushed the gate open and walked in the door. He tried to smile, tried to focus on the joy and pride of his and his sister's discovery and newfound wealth, and shouted ahead of himself, "Mom, Dad, did Twilight get home before me? You're not going to believe the news we have; we found-"
The sound of sobs cut him off. Chills ran down his spine as he wondered: did some desperate or greedy pony decide to hold his sister for ransom? Did some kind of accident happen to his family, like the silo falling onto Big Mack? Did Applejack seriously hurt Twilight in her anger?
He rushed into the dining room and found Twilight and his mother and father hunched over a piece of paper and teary-eyed. Twilight's saddlebags lay in a corner, still full of groceries, untouched. At the sight of that much food untouched, he knew his mother was especially upset about something; normally she'd be eagerly preparing a delicious dinner, but if she was allowing those vegetables and sweetbreads to sit in a corner like that...something had to be very, very wrong! The one silver lining was that nopony was injured or dead, but Shining Armor couldn't quite feel relieved.
He swallowed hard. "Mom...Dad...what's going on?"
His mother burst into tears and couldn't answer. His father sniffled and pushed the parchment on the table closer to Shining Armor.
Shining Armor picked it up and read it:
On behalf of Filthy Rich's Savings and Loan:
We believe that your family has maliciously withheld payment for your debts longer than was strictly necessary. As such, we are invoking Section 63 of the Bankruptcy Laws-
"BANKRUPTCY?!" Shining Armor cried. "We're ten years AHEAD on the mortgage payments! The only late payment we ever made was the last one, and it was only an hour late!"
"We know," his father answered. "He's trying to steal the mineral rights to that cave from you and Twilight."
Shining Armor's face went pale. "He...he can't do that! The gems in that cave are worth at least a hundred times the value of this house; he can't take that just because we made a payment one hour late!"
Night Light shook his head. "That law was designed three hundred years ago to motivate corrupt nobles into repaying their debts, but it's still on the books. We've got twenty-four hours to pay the debt in full, or our creditors get EVERYTHING we own, including the mineral rights, and we end up on the auction block!"
"That rotten Applejack!" Twilight hissed. "I bet SHE told Filthy Rich to do this to us! She said she wished we would all end up on that auction block, and now it's going to HAPPEN!"
"Hey," Shining Armor insisted. "This can't be HER fault; I was at Sweet Apple Acres, and she came running back, crying-" he stopped himself; he was about to accuse Twilight of doing something wrong right at the moment when she needed sympathy the most. He sputtered, "She wouldn't have been crying if she were pulling off some kind of nasty plan like that!"
Twilight's eyes widened. Shining Armor just KNEW she'd realized that it was her fault the Apple family lost their stand, and swallowed hard at the thought that she was going to have guilt layered on top of the injury that this foreclosure notice had slapped her with.
But he was wrong about the source of Twilight's guilt: "I...I blabbed to the whole town while I was bragging to Applejack that we had exclusive mineral rights! Any one of Filthy Rich's employees could've heard me and told him-and if I'd just kept my snout shut, this wouldn't have HAPPENED!" Twilight joined her mother in crying her eyes out.
"Hey, hey," Shining Armor whispered, wrapping one hoof around his sister and the other around his mother. "We have twenty-four hours; we have time to get more diamonds! We can work through this!"
Twilight shook her head and sobbed back, "Even with BOTH our saddlebags full, it won't be enough to pay the mortgage off! Two ponies aren't enough to carry the diamonds we'll need, and we'll never make two trips in just 24 hours!"
Shining Armor thought for a moment... "Would three ponies be enough?" he asked.
Twilight nodded. "More than enough...but Mom and Dad can't go; they have too many orders of books to fill...we'd get sued for breach of contract if they didn't fulfill those orders, and we'd be in the same boat we're in now!"
"Don't worry. I...I know of a pony we can hire to help us collect diamonds. We WILL get through this, trust me."
Twilight wiped her eyes. "Who?"
Shining Armor knew he couldn't tell her now; her day was ruined enough as it was. He just said, "Listen...you've already got enough on your mind right now, and I don't want you to worry about the details. Just...try to cheer yourself up. There's a big, fancy dinner waiting for us. Oh, and you've GOT to show Mom the new clothes you bought!"
He looked his father in the eye, and Night Light looked back. "Dad and I can make the arrangements. Just try to enjoy tonight; you've more than earned it!"
Twilight smiled back at her brother. "That's the Twilight I like to see," Shining Armor said, mussing her hair with his hoof. "That's the smile I know and love-it's just like the sun after a Rainbow Mountain downpour! Keep smiling, sis. The world needs more smiles like that." He gave her a nuzzle, glad to make her forget her worries.
He turned to leave, but stopped for a moment and said, "Oh, Mom-before I forget, dessert is already on its way."
He trotted out the front door with his father. "Dad...I had to get away from Twilight to tell you a few things..."
"More bad news, son?" he asked as they walked toward Sweet Apple Acres.
"Kind of...see, Twilight...I don't know what she did, but...I guess she confronted Applejack at her family's fruit stand, and...whatever it was that Twilight did to Applejack, she ran away from the fruit stand crying."
Night Light shook his head. "Why is every mare crying today? We should all be HAPPY, that diamond cave was the discovery of your LIVES!"
"I know," Shining Armor agreed. "But that's not the worst part. Since Applejack left the stand unguarded, it was robbed."
"Oh, no!" Night Light groaned.
"It gets worse: Big Mackintosh has a broken leg and is bedridden, and...it's embarrassing all around, but his family couldn't afford a doctor."
"PLEASE tell me you gave them a gold coin to help!" Night Light whispered.
"I gave them two."
Night Light smiled proudly. "You're a good stallion, Shining Armor!"
He blushed. "Thanks, dad. It...felt really awkward..."
"I'll bet it did, but you did the right thing. But...why are we walking toward their farm? You're not going to ask for those coins back, are you?"
"Not in a million years. I'm going to ask them to send Applejack with Twilight and me tomorrow morning to get more diamonds."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Applejack and Twilight would be at each others' throats!"
"I'm not so sure...once Applejack finds out that her family lost out on their stand because of her, she'll feel terrible...like she needs a chance at redemption. This trip could be that chance, and since the Apple family is in financial trouble, too, they'll have a use for the leftover diamonds. And Twilight will probably feel terrible about blabbing about the mineral rights, so maybe they'll both feel guilty enough to keep quiet."
"I don't know, son. When a mare feels terrible...sometimes they take it out on other ponies. If that starts while you're on this trip..."
"I'm not sure what choice we have, Dad."
"You could hire just about any other pony in town to help with this carry, you know."
"We need somepony we can trust not to run off as soon as their bags are full. Applejack has her faults, but she's honest enough not to do that to us."
Night Light sighed. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."
Me too, Shining Armor thought. He was banking a lot on the hope that both his little sister and his friend's little sister would both want redemption for the mistakes they'd made that day. He liked to think that they'd both try to be their best selves, but what if they didn't?
He pushed the thought aside as they came upon the gate into Sweet Apple Acres.
Bright Mackintosh was just inside the gate, and he took his hat off the moment he saw Shining Armor. "My wife told me about your kindness, Shining Armor. We can't thank you enough for your generosity! Right now, my biggest regret is that the pie Buttercup promised you isn't ready yet-it just went into the oven!"
Shining Armor blushed. "We're...not here about that. Actually, Dad, I'd like to talk this over with Big Mack. Can you explain the plan to Mr. Bright Mackintosh?"
Night Light nodded.
Shining Armor heard Bright Mack asking, "More bad news?" and his father answering "It's not ALL bad news..." as he trotted quietly up the stairs, trying not to disturb Mrs. Buttercup. No one met him until he reached the top of the stairs, and then he saw Big Mack with his leg in a proper cast.
Big Mackintosh looked at him and smiled. "Good news; the doctor set the bones, and I'll be good as new in six weeks!"
Shining Armor breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for a moment about whether Applejack should know about his plan or not, and realized he didn't know where she was. "Have you talked to Applejack yet?"
Big Mack shook his head. "I don't think anypony's let her know about the apple stand...it'd break her heart if she knew. She's absolutely devoted to this family; she works her hooves to the bone in the fields and around this barn. If she knew...especially after what Twilight put her through...I think she'd go crazy. ...I'm really worried about her."
Shining Armor licked his lips. "Where is she now?"
"Mom and Dad sent her to do some...cleaning duty. It's a sort of punishment, and a chance for her to get away from everypony else for a little while."
Shining Armor took a deep breath. "Listen...my family's in trouble, too, and...we're going to need Applejack's help..."
He explained the situation to his friend, and after hearing it, Big Mack's expression was an unreadable mix of emotions. He was silent for longer than Shining Armor felt comfortable with.
Finally, Shining Armor asked, "What do you think of the plan?"
"I...I don't know what I think of it." After a pause, Big Mack asked, "Does it matter what I think of it? I mean, do either of our families really have a choice, here?"
Shining Armor looked down. "No, we don't."
There was silence for a while, and Big Mack broke it. "Listen...there's one thing I know we have in common, and it's that we love our little sisters to death. And...well...it doesn't feel good to say this, but...but that might actually be a problem, here."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...shoot, how do I explain this...? Let's imagine the whole situation was turned around: Applejack and I were explorers and had the mineral rights, and Twilight was the one coming with us. If it was me out there, I'd always want to take Applejack's side whenever she and Twilight had an argument, because...well, she's my SISTER. I think I'd love her too much to NOT take her side."
Shining Armor let out a sigh through pursed lips. "I was kind of hoping there wouldn't BE any arguments."
"What're you going to do, duct tape their mouths shut?"
Shining Armor shook his head. "Everypony needs to keep their eyes open and be on their toes when you're exploring on the mountain. They'll NEED to be able to shout out if there's danger."
"Too bad. I think we were BOTH thinking the duct tape was actually a good idea, for a minute, there!"
They both chuckled grimly.
"Shining Armor...I want you to promise me something."
"I promise I'll bring her back in one piece!" he insisted.
"It's not just that. Applejack...her devotion to hard work around here is like a religion for her. When she's sick and she'd be better off staying in bed so she can get better, we almost have to tie her down to get her to keep her resting. I think she thinks that hard work is the only right way to make money, and...and the main reason she butts heads with Twilight so much is because she thinks Twilight isn't working."
"Not working?! Twilight worked her tail off for years to find that cave! We've spent years exploring the whole mountain, and years before that, she was poring over book after book to try to prove out her theory that there were caves and diamonds inside the mountain in the first place!"
"I know, but Applejack doesn't seem to count any of that as work...but...since Twilight got rich from following her philosophy of working with books and exploring, and Applejack isn't getting ahead from following her own philosophy of plain old elbowgrease on the farm...I think AJ feels like the world...well, betrayed her."
"Really?"
Big Mack nodded. "And once she finds out about the apple stand...she'll feel worse than ever. I'm really, really worried about her. I mean..." he swallowed hard. With a wavering voice, he managed to squeak out the words: "There's...all those cliffs on the mountain...!"
"It's only slippery when it's raining, and the sun dries everything out a few minutes after the rain stops. She won't slip off with us guiding her."
Big Mack swallowed hard again and his face went pale. He was reluctant to come to the point, but with tears in his eyes, he slowly got the words out: "It's...not her slipping that worries me..."
Shining Armor went a little pale, himself.
Big Mack continued, "About to the whole love-our-sisters-to-death thing...please, promise me that, if and when Applejack and Twilight get in a fight, you won't take Twilight's side. I'm just really worried that something Twilight says might push Applejack over the edge, and..."
"I promise," Shining Armor said. It felt like the natural thing to say here and now while standing in Big Mack's room, but he realized the moment after he said it that it was NOT going to be easy to not take his beloved sister's side. But...he didn't want to hurt his best friend's sister, and he definitely didn't want to add another horrible tragedy to the Apple family's already-formidable list.
He'd do his best. That much, he knew.