-Apple-

"We Must Find Her!" Blu snapped at Celestia.

"I'm trying my best Blu!" the two were leaning forward with their hands pressed against the table. I sat in a beanbag chair, holding Mac close to my chest.

"Well your best is not enough Celestia! It's been two weeks and I don't know whether my daughter is either alive or dead!"

"Just relax Blu!"

"Don't tell me to relax! MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING!" he roared and I closed my eyes to hide my tears. He's usually not hot tempered like this; but what do I know. I love my daughter just qs much as he does, but I think that he has a different way of expressing his new found rage.

"I know that, but these kind of situations takes time!"

"Does It Look Like I Give A Shit About Fucking Time!"

Mac began to cry and tell me that daddy was scaring him. After a few minutes, I guess Mac couldn't take it anymore because he pulled himself away from me and walked up to his father, "Daddy?" Mac pulled on the hem of his shirt; causing Blu to look down, "Daddy," Mac said lovingly and took Blu's hand began tugging. Mac led him out to the back yard. Celestia helped me to my feet and we slowly went out into the porch. Mac and Blu were making their way toward the orchards. The two just kept walking until the trees blinded us from them, "Where do you think they're going?" Celestia asked.

"I don't know, but I think Mac knows."

Hours went by and the evening sky began rolling in, and there was still no word from my boys. I began to fear the worst. Like the people who took my daughter got to them as well. I leaned against the back door's frame looking out toward the orchards. The only movement I saw was a few of the farm hands with their families heading home for the night.

I thought of how heartless and cold someone could be to take a newborn on the day she was born. One thing I've noticed about myself is that when something bad happens, I'm quiet. But not today, I just cried and cried. The pain of possibly never seeing my daughter again felt worse than a sword through the chest. I dropped to my knees and just cried, "Poor baby," I lookes up and there was my mother. She had a folded up blanket slung over her forearm and a jug of cider in the same hand. In the other hand were two mugs, "Come," she beckoned with her chin.

"I don't want to go anywhere mom," I whimpered.

"Wasn't a question," she smiled, "Now c'mon," I slowly made it back up to my feet and followed her.

After a few minutes, we were at a thick wall of Apple Trees, "Why here? It's nothing but trees."

"I am surely surprised that you don't remember coming here as a young child; then again, you were such a young child then since the last time we came here."

"Why are we here now?"

"Go inside and you shall see for yourself."

I pushed myself passed the branches in the way of my face. The trees grew denser as the air began to drastically drop in temperature. The ground sloped downward and I had to use the tree to try and stay vertical. After almost five minutes, the trees cleared and the ground leveled out. At the base of the hill was a pool of water and fog. At the water's edge was Blu sitting down and facing the water. I slowly made my way down to him and I saw that he was sleeping with Mac sitting in his lap. I sat next to him and held myself to try and keep warm. I continued to look at him and I realized that be wasn't sleeping, he was meditating.

Mac was sitting with his legs crossed and sat there as though the frigid air had frozen him in time. The two just sat there and so I figured I'd try to meditate. I crossed my legs and rested my hands in my lap as I closed my eyes. It was hard to meditate since I di'dn't know what I was meditating for. So I just focused on my life. All the training I've done, but I was drawn to my life before the Candidate Program. Oh, how simple my life was then. Apple bucking during the day and studying by night. All the late nights with Blaze, my best friend. I began thinking about what life would've been if I had fallen in love with Blaze instead of Blu.

'Apple?' I heard in the distance. Looking in the direction of the voice I saw Blu and Mac holding hands once again.

The darkness around me turned into a subway station. The walls were lime green and the lights were yellow, 'What is this place?' I asked.

'This is the gateway to anywhere you would like to go my sweet wife.'

'Where did you go?'

'And there lies the question. The journey we choose to take once here is kept all to ourselves. We must not divulge others who have not taken or will not take the exact path. The path I took with Mac here was both wonderful and dreadful. I was taught how to become a better father to him," ' he smiled for only a few seconds before his smile faded away, 'I was then shown things on how I could be a better husband to you. I was confused at first, but mother Cosmia showed me, enlightened me, even mended my heart enough to where I could be the perfect man you have only dreamed about.'

I soon heard the sound of a train coming and saw Blu checking his watch, 'This train is for the three of us,' he walked up next to me with Mac in between us. Mac held my hand and I looked down to him. He smiled up at me as the train slowed to a stop in front of us. The double doors slid open and we got on. As we did, everything turned to white.

I opened my eyes and I saw that I was back in the cold place I had sat down in. Even though it was cold, my body was hot. It was just like I got done running ten miles. My breaths were short and fast and my heart was trying to break out of my chest. I looked over and saw Blu cradling Mac. The little boy was shivering, "C'mon," he kissed the blonde's head and got to his feet. I got to mine and followed them back up the hill and out of the way of the trees.

"Care to talk about what that place is?"

"Not really. Talk to your mother about what it is," he kept walking until we reached the house. I followed him silently as he walked up to Mac's door and dipped his head in order to get in. He changed Mac into his PJ's and placed him in the bed.

Blu and I slowly backed out and that's when Blu's cell phone rang. He answered, "Bluing...," his face turned pale, "What do you want?... Listen, I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want. If it's ransom, I can tell you that I don't have any money. But what I do have, are a very particular set of skills; skills that make me a nightmare for people like. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. But of you don't, I will look for you; I will find you; and I will kill you."

I heard the feint sound of a baby crying before it cut out, "Blu? Did I hear my baby? I heard my baby and she was crying."

"This man says that he has Applejack and is willing to return her to us."

"What does he want from us?" I began to tear up.

"He wants us to make sure that Applejack will never know who she really is. Everything of who we are can't be shared with her."

"Where do we meet him?"

"That's the thing, he didn't say. All he said was to wait for .morning and we will already know where she is."

"We have to tell Celestia and Luna!" I reached for his phone.

"No! I don't want to alarm this man. He has our little baby girl, remember?"

"Then what are we going to do?" I shouted.

"Now, we wait," seconds after, the smell of warm cinnamon filled the air. Blu and I followed the scent of cinnamon down the stairs and out toward the back again. In the backyard was the whole Apple Clan along with the whole Bluing family.

"What is all this?"

Mama Smith and Elder Blu both stepped forward, "Bluing and I may not see eye to eye on most things," Mama Smith spoke, "But we do agree that family must come together in a time of need. So here we are. One big happy family."

Blu then scanned the crowd and he began taking steps backwards, "What are you doing here?" he grumbled as a blue haired woman stepped forward.

"Blu, who is she?"

I kinda figured out by her height, the way her blue hair matched his, and how she looked that she was his, "That's my sister," he growled.

"What happened between us all those years ago can be forgiven. I am better now, I swear it."

"And I'm under seven foot, I swear it," he mocked her, "I'm going to bed. Thanks all for coming, but it was just a waste of time for you. So I am sorry for that."

"He never told me of you," I said to Blu's sister as the family members began to disperse.

"And I expexted him not to. I was the reason why Charm got into drugs and ran away. I could never forgive myself of what happened to her. Now she's Cosmia knows where, doing Cosmia knows what kind of drug."

"Hey Apple," I turned my head and saw Charm looking down at a clipboard, "Forgive me for bothering you, but I just looked over the numbers and...," she finally looked up and saw the blue haired woman, "You're not supposed to be here!" Charm hissed, "You gotta go before Blu sees you!"

"He already knows that I'm here Charm. Believe me, I'm better now."

"How do I know for sure that you are?" Charm crossed her arms.

"Mommy! Mommy!" two little blue haired girls came running up to her, "Because twins run in the family, that's why," each twin hugged each of their mother's legs.

I looked behind her and saw that there was a man limping toward us. He had a bundle of blankets cradled in his arms as blood ran down his face. He wore all red which complemented his dark complexion. When he got up to us he looked at me with his one good eye, "Sweetie Apple?"

"Yeah," he stretched out the bundle of blankets and I took them. Once in my arms, I noticed that they had a little weight to them. I set them in one arm and removed a few layers to see that it was a baby. My baby.

"The man Blu talked to on the phone had her and I prisoner," he swallowed, "I escaped with her the first chance I got. Be with her and embrace all of who she is young one."

"Does this man know where you went."

"Yes, but he won't come. He is too weak to face two Titan Descendants. But in the years to come, he will take his vengeance upon her. So train her well," the man coughed up blood and fell to his knees.

"Oh my God!" I fell to my knees along with him.

"Don't mind me. My body may die, but I will be with Cosmia soon young Apple. Just promise me that you will never leave her side. She will need guidance all throughout her life. Love her more than anyone could love a daughter," he smiled and stroked the awake baby's head, "You and I had fun little one. Listen to you mummy, 'kay?" the man fell to his side and took his last breath.

"Who was that?" Charm asked.

"I don't know who he was, but he shall have a hero's burial. That's what I do know about him. Because of him, I have my little girl back," I looked down at the white haired baby girl and she was looking at me with such expectancy as I wiped some of the dirt from her face. She rolled her eyes a little before she let out a little sneeze. I smiled and offered her my hand. She mewled as she reached out for it and pulled it close to her face. I heard her sniff it followed by a round of small sneezes.

-Blu-

I was in the shower when I heard the bathroom door slowly open. I stopped soaping my hair so I could pull back the shower curtains and saw Apple with a dirty, naked baby in her arms, "Applejack!" I shut off the water and rushed out of the shower and grabbed a towel so I could hold Applejack and not get her wet. I held her close and all she was doing was looking at me with a confused look about her face, "My little baby girl is back," I cried and held her close to my face. She reached up and pressed her tiny hands against my cheeks and lightly scratched them.