A FILLY IN DISTRESS

The next day arrived.

Applebloom and Applejack were already waiting at the train station. Unlike the farm pony, Applebloom was a nervous wreck. She had plans to do with Babs for their one year anniversary, but these plans were for the weekend, not three days plus the weekend. This left three days unplanned and she wanted to make this a visit for her lover to remember.

“Hmm, Ah could take her out to lunch, but what about the dinner?! Um, uh, Ah could ask Granny Smith to make her a--”

“Relax, surgarcube", Applejack spoke up, snapping the filly out of her racing thoughts. "Ah know you wanna turn this visit into something Babs won't forget, but she ain't gonna be enjoyin' herself if you're a nervous wreck the whole time.”

Applebloom was just about to reply when the train pulled in and Babs stepped out.

“Howdy Babs!”, Applejack called out, flagging the city filly down.

A smile adorned Babs' face when she spotted the location of her cousins. She walked over and hugged Applebloom affectionately.

“Suppose we should be headin' back to the farm now”, Applejack suggested, doing her best to ignore the feeling in her gut which was threatening to make her turn green again.

“Just a sec", Babs replied, though her expression seemed nervous as she spoke. "I brought some stuff with me. For my extended stay ya know?”

She then signaled the train conductor, who carried three saddlebags full of her belongings.

“That's an awful lot of stuff for a five day visit”, Applejack remarked with a raised eyebrow, observing the train conductor as he set the stuff down next to the city filly, the latter looking nervous still.

“Well, heh-heh, ya know, it's me and Applebloom's anniversary and I wanted to be prepared. Dat's all”, Babs explained, quickly lifting one of the saddlebags up and putting it over her back.

“Really?”, the farm pony spoke up, although looking far from convinced.

“Come on, times a-wastin'!”, Babs exclaimed, suddenly darting past the two and not letting Applejack inquire any further as to why she was here early.

“And Ah thought Ah was nervous about our anniversary”, Applebloom remarked, looking surprised to see her cousin in such a state. She picked up one of the saddle-bags and followed Babs off the platform.

“Ah'd bet the family's apple orchard that she's hidin' somethin'. Ah just hope it ain't what Ah think it is”, Applejack said softly to herself, lifting up the saddlebag and following the two.

After they got back to the farm, the city filly's nervous state seemed to have melt away as she and Applebloom unpacked her things in the farm filly's bedroom.

“Ah gotta say, Ah was plum shocked to her ya comin' over early. Some kind of holiday in Manhattan let ya get out of school early?”, Applebloom inquired curiously.

The city filly nearly fumbled the toy she held in her hooves upon hearing this question. She looked at her cousin.

“Eh-y-yeah”, she stuttered. She then set the toy down and sighed with a saddened expression.

Applebloom knew this look. It was often the one Babs had when something was worrying her.

“Is somethin’ wrong?”, she asked, walking over to her lover and placing a hoof on her cheek.

Babs looked at her.

“It's nothin'. Really, I just got a lot on my mind, that's all”, she replied.

The farm filly was far from convinced, though.

“Ya wanna talk about it?”, she asked in a comforting tone, running her hoof along her cheek and upwards through her mane, looking at her with concern.

“Later”, Babs replied shortly, gently moving Applebloom's hoof away and walking past her.

“Babs, ya know you can tell me anythin', right? If it's a secret, Ah'll keep it. Ya know you can trust me”, Applebloom tried to remind her, unwilling to let the topic drop so easily.

“I know dat, but this needs to wait 'till later. I... I can't talk about it now”, Babs responded, her voice saddened and soft as she spoke. She then left the room.

“Silver Spoon? What brings ya--”, Applejack could be heard from below, and seemed to be cut off as a galloping of hooves made their way upstairs.

“Silver Spoon? What in Equestria--?!”, Applebloom heard Babs just down the hall, and she seemed to be cut off as well.

Moments later Babs was dragged by her tail into Applebloom's bedroom by Silver Spoon, who closed the door behind her.

“I need your help!”, the silver-furred filly declared, looking as if she was on the brink of tears.

“What's goin' on?”, Applebloom asked, rather concerned by this unexpected turn of events, which shoved her current dilemma with Babs from her mind, at least for the moment.

“I-I'm going to lose her!”, Silver Spoon said, tears starting to stream from her eyes.

“Lose who? Diamond Tiara?”, Babs asked, looking with concern at Silver Spoon as well.

Silver Spoon nodded silently. She reached into her saddlebag and tossed an envelope onto the floor, which caused the letter inside to slide out slightly.

Applebloom reached down. She removed the letter out of the envelope and began to read its contents.

Dear Silver Spoon,

As much as I don't want to do this, I don't have any choice.

Being away from you so long hurts too much. I can't take it anymore!

Unless something happens soon, like daddy suddenly letting us see each other again,

I'm going to have to end this relationship of ours...

Why did daddy do this to us?! Why can't he understand how much we love each other?!

It's not fair! I don't want to do this to us, but it's not fair to either of us if we can't hold each other every night. It's not like we have any choice in the matter. We have to resort to letting Applebloom help us so we can send these letters to one another! We would be better off breaking it off now, but I don't want to yet.

However the longer we wait, the more my heart feels like it's being torn apart! How much longer can we keep this up? How much longer can our hearts take being away from each other?

I don't know what else to do, I love you so much, but I can't do this anymore, Silver Spoon. This will be the last letter you get from me. Tell Applebloom thank you for everything.

Love always,
Diamond Tiara

“Horseapples...”, Applebloom said aloud upon reading the contents of the letter.

“What's goin' on?”, Babs asked curiously.

“Diamond Tiara's gonna break it off with Silver Spoon unless somethin' happens soon! And Ah mean really soon”, Applebloom replied. She looked at the filly, whose eyes were still flooding with tears.

“You have to help me! Write to her and tell her not to break up with me or something!”, Silver Spoon pleaded desperately, walking up to Applebloom and shaking her violently.

“Ah don't think a letter is gonna fix this”, the farm filly replied and sighed.

“So this is it then? I'm going to lose the love of my life?”, Silver Spoon asked, her voice cracking as she spoke.

“Ah wish there was somethin' we could do, but unless we somehow managed to hitch a ride on the train to Fillydephia, Ah don't see how we are gonna be able to convince her to not break up with ya”, Applebloom replied, putting a hoof on Silver Spoon's shoulder and running it along in a comforting manner.

“Then dat's exactly what we're gonna do”, Babs stated with a confident smile.

Both fillies snapped their attention to Babs, saying “huh?!” in unison.

“Ya flip your lid or somethin', cuz?", Applebloom asked incredulously, looking at her cousin as if she had suggested the impossible. "How in the hay are we gonna get to Fillydephia? The only bits Ah get are from Applejack and Ah don't think she's gonna give us any to go all the way there, let alone let us go to begin with.”

“That won't be a problem”, Babs said and reached into one of her saddlebags, pulling out a large bag that was filled to the brim with bits.

Both fillies' jaws dropped in response.

“How the hay did ya convince your parents to give ya that much?!”, Applebloom asked incredulously.

“That's not important, the point is, we have the bits to go to Fillydephia and come back”, Babs said and put the sack of bits back into her saddlebag.

“Okay, so let's say Ah go along with this crazy idea of yours. How the hay are we gonna convince mah sister, not to mention Filthy Rich, to let us go to Fillydephia?”, Applebloom still inquired, sure that her lover wouldn't find any logical explanation for that one.

“We won't.”

This was met with yet another jaw drop from both fillies.

“So let me get this straight. Yer suggestin' that we run off to Fillydephia, now, without tellin' anypony?”, Applebloom asked, seeming shocked at what her lover was suggesting.

Babs gave a short but lively laugh upon hearing this.

“No, of course not”, she said.

“Ah was gonna say, that--”

“You both have school for the week and your teacher would be the first to notice you not showing up", Babs continued, cutting off the farm filly before she could finish. "We'll head to Fillydephia this weekend and be back before the next week starts.”

This sucker-punched any mild relief Applebloom had out of the metaphorical window, with a loud metaphorical shattering sound.

“I've got nothing to lose, let's do it”, Silver Spoon chimed in, apparently being all for this idea. She walked over to Babs. “Okay, so you got the bits to get us there and I'm sure I could use my daddy's credit line to get us a hotel for a few days--”

“Am Ah the only pony with a lick of common sense in this room?!”, Applebloom blurted out suddenly and loudly, causing both fillies to turn and look at her.

“Not so loud, Applebloom! Your granny and big sister could hear us!”, Silver Spoon hissed with a glare.

“Oh for the love of Luna...”, Applebloom mumbled and slammed a hoof on her forehead with a dejected sigh.

Despite Applebloom's initial protests to the idea, she eventually gave in and agreed to it. She wasn't sure why at first, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought she would most likely do the same thing if she were in Silver Spoon's hooves. Besides, it was only this weekend, and she would gladly take any punishment from her family when she got back, if it meant reuniting Silver Spoon with Diamond Tiara... even if only for the weekend.

The next day at school she ran ideas through her head of how and when the three would sneak out. It would have to be when everypony was asleep, but then she had to figure out how to get the train conductor to let them on for the night train. This plan had more holes in it than a Swiss cheese wheel. But she would have to make it work... somehow.

Before the filly knew it, the school bell rang and she hadn't even noticed her two best friends walk up to her as she left the school building. That is, until they spoke up.

“Hey Applebloom, you look like you got a lot on your mind. What's up?”, Scootaloo asked, abruptly snapping the farm filly out of her thoughts.

"Well...", Applebloom started, sounding unsure.

She sighed. She then motioned them to lean over, and after she was sure they were listening intently, she briefly explained the plan to the both of them.

“You're going to what?!”, Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her voice cracking as it usually did when her voice hit its highest pitch.

“That's crazy! You three are out of your minds!”, Scootaloo added, looking as shocked as Sweetie Belle was.

“Ah'd do the same thing if I was in the same situation and it meant seein' Babs again”, Applebloom replied and sighed dejectedly.

“Great... this is going to be fun”, Scootaloo remarked sarcastically, placing a hoof on her forehead.

“You said it”, Sweetie Belle chimed in, mimicking the Pegasus.

“What are you two so annoyed about? It's not like you're the ones runnin' off this weekend”, Applebloom replied, unsure of why her friends were behaving like they were.

“She still doesn't catch on quickly, does she?”, Scootaloo said with a smirk, looking at Sweetie Belle who smirked back at her.

“Nope”, the unicorn filly agreed.

“What's the joke? Ya ain't gonna be tellin' anypony, are ya?”, Applebloom asked, looking at the two with confusion.

“We're going with you, you apple-brained nitwit”, Scootaloo replied, placing a hoof on Applebloom's shoulder with a smirk still on her face.

“Ah don't think Babs has enough bits for-- what a second! No, no, no! Ah can't ask ya to do that!”, Applebloom protested, finally catching on.

“You don't have to. We're coming with because we want to”, Sweetie Belle responded with a warm smile.

“Oh for the love of Luna”, Babs said, sitting onto her haunches and slamming both hooves over her face upon seeing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, the four currently sitting in the clubhouse.

“Their minds are made up and Ah don't think Ah can change 'em”, Applebloom replied sheepishly as she looked at her cousin.

“There's no way we're leaving Applebloom or you all alone in Fillydephia”, Scootaloo said confidently.

“Yeah! Who knows what kind of creeps live there!”, Sweetie Belle chimed in.

“Fine... but you two better be ready. We leave tomorrow night at twelve midnight!”, Babs conceded after a few moments.

The time was set and the plans had been made. And for the second time in Applebloom's life, she knew one thing for certain...

This was going to be a long weekend...

Author's Note

Proof read version by Zutheskunk.