If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch...
...you must first invent the universe
Ponyville Schoolhouse was a place of liveliness and activity during morning classes. Little fillies and colts, who all wanted to learn something. Some of them more than others.
But after the lessons were over and the classroom was empty, somepony couldn’t help but feel a little lonely in here. That’s how Cheerilee felt everyday when she stayed behind for grading the tests. You could only hear the scratching of her pen, the occasional cough and the creak of the chair when she moved a bit.
That eerie silence made Cheerilee glad that she would have visitors today. Even though she wished the circumstances were different.
Like on command, the door to the classroom opened and the two ponies she had invited entered the room: Applejack and Twilight Sparkle.
“I still don’t get why I had to come here when Apple Bloom isn’t in trouble, Twilight,” said Applejack, her head turned to Twilight.
Twilight sighed heavily and answered in an irritated tone. “For the hundredth time Applejack, I don’t know. What I do know is that Cheerilee specifically asked that we both come to this meeting after school.”
They both stopped when they saw Cheerilee sitting on her table, giving them a dry smile.
“Hello Applejack, hello Twilight, I’m glad you two could make it on such short notice. I think this matter requires immediate attention.”
Applejack’s eyes went wide in surprise. That sounded serious, and in her head several horror scenarios started playing. They all involved the Cutie Mark Crusaders and all kinds of dangerous contraptions.
“So they did get in trouble! Tell me Cheerilee, how much was the property damage this time?”
“Relax, Applejack. Everything is fine with those three and they didn’t do anything wrong. Quite the contrary, actually.”
Cheerilee opened the drawer of her desk and took out several stacks of paper. She laid them out before the two mares and they recognized it as different tests with grades on it. Twilight saw the names of Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom on them.
“As you can see, the grades of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle improved across-the-board. In terms of math, biology, history, science or pretty much any other subject I teach, they have managed to become straight B students. But not Apple Bloom. She didn’t improve at all.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes to slits and the next words that came out of her mouth had a certain coldness to them. “Did you invite me here only to tell me that my sister is not as smart as her friends? Is that what this is all about, to tell me she is stupid?”
“Oh, goodness no, Applejack! That’s not what I’m saying at all. Apple Bloom is a decent student and managed to keep a straight C average,” said Cheerilee with a little panic in her voice, eager to calm down the angry Applejack.
Applejack took off her hat and slammed it on the table. “Then what the hay is the problem? And why did Twilight have to come with me for this?”
Taking a deep breath, Cheerilee removed Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle’s tests, then spread Apple Bloom’s tests all over the table.
“I invited Twilight to join us because she has the highest academic degree in Ponyville, and will most likely be able to confirm my suspicions about these tests.”
Twilight started to look over Apple Bloom’s tests and thought Applejack would do the same, but she got angry again.
“What suspicions are you talking about? Are you calling my sister a cheater?”
“Applejack...” said Twilight as she flipped through Apple Bloom’s tests.
Applejack ignored her and pointed her hoof at Cheerilee. “I don’t know why you’re targeting my sister, but let me tell you that no member of the Apple Family would do such a thing!”
“Applejack,” repeated Twilight, now with an edge to her tone. The flipping of the pages also became faster and more frantic.
“The audacity to even suggest that my little baby sister would—”
Twilight put her hoof forcefully on Applejack’s shoulder and spun the farm pony around to face her. “APPLEJACK!”
“What?” shouted Applejack, finally calming down once she saw the baffled look that Twilight had on her face.
Twilight’s hooves were shaking a little when she gave Applejack a few tests to look at. All Applejack could see was what Cheerilee already had told them. Straight C’s all around and Applejack couldn’t have been prouder. She never was good at school herself and had struggled to even pass.
“Every test has the same percentage,” said Twilight with ever-widening eyes.
Applejack shrugged with her shoulder. “So what, Twilight? What’s so special about that?”
“What’s so special about it, is that no matter what the total score or the subject was, Apple Bloom reached the exact amount of points every time to get the percentage for a C. Most of the times it’s just half a point which would have made a difference.”
“That could be a coincidence,” said Applejack, furrowing her brow.
Cheerilee snorted loudly. “Fifty times in a row? No, Applejack, she planned this! She didn’t even do all the questions per test, just enough to get the required results.”
Twilight really couldn’t believe it. Something like that would have been hard enough to do with one test, but fifty tests made this just look ridiculous. Only somepony who knew the subject matter could do this, and even then only when said pony was absurdly well versed in it.
“You think Apple Bloom is a prodigy, don’t you?” asked Twilight.
Opening her drawer again, Cheerilee picked up a large brown envelope with ‘For Cheerilee and Applejack’ written on it. “I think we’ll know for sure in a moment”
Applejack and Twilight looked at it, and Applejack recognized the hoofwriting on it as Apple Bloom’s. “What is that?”
“When I told Apple Bloom that I would talk to you and Twilight, she gave me this envelope and said to open it with you two present.”
Cheerilee thought about how she got it this morning. The little filly had a really sad look on her face back then.
Applejack and Twilight both came around the desk to read it with Cheerilee. She ripped the envelope open and the first thing she pulled out was a written letter.
Hello Cheerilee and Applejack,
I assume the cat is out of the bag and I can’t hide it anymore.
I’m sure you have your suspicions about me and my condition. To get this over with as fast as possible, I’ve enclosed something for Twilight to look at. I’m almost certain that she’s with you right now and is also reading this letter.
They stopped reading and pulled out a large stack of stitched together paper. Twilight read the first page out loud and her eyes almost popped out of her skull. “The Starswirl Theorem, a thesis by Apple Bloom Apple.”
While Twilight was busy scrutinizing Apple Bloom’s work, Cheerilee and Applejack continued reading her letter.
I’m brilliant and that’s no boasting. I think the enclosed papers will stand testament to that.
I always had the feeling that I could understand things easy, regardless of what it was.
Living on a farm and not having much opportunity to compare myself to others intellectually, I thought for a long time that was normal.
Turns out, It wasn’t, so I decided to hide it from my family and the rest of the world.
But then Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came into my life. For a long time I didn’t reveal my intelligence to them, out of fear they would reject me.
Now they know and still stand by my side, not caring about it.
And I couldn’t be happier.
(I helped them study by the way, if you’re wondering where their good grades come from.)
I’m fully aware that this won’t last forever. Soon ponies will notice and expect things, but for now I’m begging you not to take my childhood away from me.
Please.
Regards,
Apple Bloom
The last thing in the envelope was a picture of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their clubhouse, smiling at the camera.
Right at that moment, Twilight finished skimming through the papers and squealed in euphoria.
“This is amazing, simply amazing! I tried for years to solve this problem and your sister did it! We have to get her special schooling. We need to get her work published. The scientific society needs to know about this!”
“No it doesn't!” said Applejack dryly, a giant lump in her throat.
Twilight spun around and faced Applejack. “What? Why?”
This was exactly the thing her sister was afraid of. And Applejack would protect her from it, whatever the cost.
“Read the letter,” said Cheerilee, giving Twilight the piece of paper.
Her eyes flew over the paper and went soft once she reached the bottom of it. The inner conflict she had right now was something she never had experienced. Apple Bloom could be the smartest pony in written history, even more so than Starswirl the Bearded. But she was right in saying that things would change if ponies found out about it.
A soft knock on the door interrupted Twilight’s musings.
The door opened and the filly in question entered the building. She walked towards Applejack, while the three mares watched her in silence. Apple Bloom stopped in front of her sister and avoided eye contact.
“I’m sorry for not telling you. Please don’t be mad at—”
She didn’t get much further in her speech when Applejack hugged sister as hard as she could. “You have nothing to be sorry about!”
Apple Bloom glanced at Twilight and the stack of papers she was holding. “What are you going to do with this?”
Twilight put it back in the envelope before sealing it shut, and handed it back to Apple Bloom. “You know, the world waited more than a thousand years for this problem to be solved. What are a few more years compared to that?”
“Thank you Twilight!” said Apple Bloom while letting go of her sister. “And I wouldn’t mind talking to you about stuff like that, when nopony is around.”
The prospect of having an intellectual discussion of this calibre made Twilight squeal again.
Apple Bloom turned to Cheerilee. “Can I still come to the classes?”
“Of course you can. Maybe you’d like to help me with preparing the lessons, since you’ve been so successful with your friends?” said Cheerilee with a raised eyebrow.
Applebloom smiled at Cheerilee. “I would love to.”
With nothing left to say, they all exited the Ponyville Schoolhouse together, with Apple Bloom riding on her sister’s back.
“So Apple Bloom, if you’re really so smart, why don’t you clean up your room when I tell you to do so?”
“Applejack!” whined Apple Bloom into her sister’s mane.
But she was smiling all the while.
Author's Note
A little one-shot, I had to get out my system.
I'm not sure if the execution was all that good, but I didn't want this story to be a long one.
Edit February 12th, 2014: Major props to Frission, for proofreading the story. You rock!
I don't plan to add something as off now, but maybe I will in the future.
