The Origins of an Apple's Blossem

"Ow! That's my tail!" Scootaloo said in a muffled tone, wincing as Apple Bloom stomped on her tail in the darkness of the house.

"Sorry, didn't mean t'! Ah can't even see ma own hooves! Lemme get t' light." Apple Bloom replied, flicking up a nearby light-switch and illuminating the main family room with light.

"Aah!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed at the flash of light, her eyes stinging as they adjusted to the sudden change in brightness.

"Sorry again!" Apple Bloom said, then looking around to see the room was empty. "Now where'd my sis go..."

Upon hearing muffled voices coming from upstairs, the three filles quickly but quietly took the stairs, intent on getting to the bottom of this mystery.

"Watch it! The fifteenth step squeaks!" Applejack said just as Sweetie Belle went to step on the named squeaky board, making her quickly take two steps at once to avoid making noise, all three sighing in relief as their cover remained intact.

~

Upon reaching the top landing of the stairs the voices the trio of fillies heard were becoming clearer, and Apple Bloom quickly identified that they belonged to Applejack and Big Mac.

"Ah told ya- -tell Apple Bloom!" the mare's still-muffled voice came from the room, but anypony could tell she was shouting.

"But what if she ain't ready?!" Big Mac's loud response perfectly audible now as the fillies crept closer to the door.

"She's a big girl now - almost a mare! Ah know she can handle the truth!" Applejack snapped, leading to a small window of silence.

"Wut's the secret? Wut've they been keepin' from me?" Applejack quietly asked as she and her two companions quickly pressed against the door to hear better, more to herself then her two companions.

"Shh, they might hear us! Then we'll never get our cutie marks in sleuthing!" Scootaloo hissed, then putting a hoof to Apple Bloom's muzzle as she went to respond.

~

Big Mac was nervously pacing inside the small room, his large form barely able to take four steps before having to turn around and pace the other way. Applejack was sitting on his bed, clearly just as nervous but not really outwardly displaying it.

"Ah just don't know how she'll take it..." Big Mac said, the soft clip-clop of his hooves on the floor making a rhythm to his thrashing heart.

"We gotta tell her the truth some time, so why not now? Iffin she don't hear it from us, the doctor might tell her. Er what if the doctor's a big blabbermouth and tells somepony else about it? Then what? She may end up bein' shunned by society!"

From outside in the hall, a sudden exclamation made the two jump.

"OH COME ON! WHAT'S THE SECRET ALREADY!?"

Applejack jumped up from the bed in a heartbeat at the sudden and familiar voice, and Big Mac trotted over to the door just as fast - both arriving at the door at the same time. Big Mac proceeded to open the door quickly and cause a trio of scared-looking fillies to fall in onto the bedroom floor, apparently having been leaning into the door and listening in to their conversation.

"DANG IT SWEETIE, YOU AND YOUR BIG MOUTH GOT US CAUGHT!" Scootaloo exclaimed, giving a harsh glare at the white unicorn filly in question.

"Apple Bloom?! Sweetie Belle?! Scootaloo?!" Applejack said, looking at each of the fillies as she named them. The three small ponies quickly scrambled up from the floor, getting to their hooves and deciding whether or not to run for the hills or just face the music.

A gentle hoof placed on Apple Bloom's rear stopped her from moving, from running away like she was tempted to after getting caught - forcelessly holding her in place as she looked back to the owner of the hoof. Applejack looked into her eyes, and Apple Bloom detected something she hadn't seen since in the proud pony since she felt like she'd let everypony down by only getting second-place in the rodeos - she was scared.

"Apple Bloom, we need to talk."

~

A minute later, all three fillies sat on the bed while Big Mac and Applejack stood in front of it, a deathly silence permeating the room as the two adults quietly spoke to each other at a distance while the fillies fidgeted nervously. Finally after what felt like forever, Applejack sighed and walked towards Apple Bloom, stopping right before the bed and sitting down.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie, Scootaloo - what Ahm gonna tell you can't leave this room. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, since y'all heard there's an Apple Family secret and Ah don't want ya speculating and wonderin' about it, we're gonna tell you two as well." She looked at the two, looking into their eyes one after the other and making them shrink back slightly from the intensity. Applejack then continued "But...y'all can't tell nopony else about this, er it could hurt Apple Bloom's reputation fer the rest of her life. Ah trust ya like family, but Ah need you to promise me you won't tell anypony else. Right now."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded in comprehension, saying and doing the motions of the Pinkie Promise to seal their vow of silence.

"OK, good." Applejack faced away from the other two, having their promise of keeping this their secret making her slightly more at ease. Applejack then turned to Apple Bloom, tensing up and shutting her eyes before speaking. "Apple Bloom, since this old secret has now come to the public eye, Ah believe we should be the ones to tell you before somepony else can." Applejack was visibly tense as she opened her eyes and looked to Big Mac, wanting him to tell them instead of herself.

"Apple Bloom..." Big Mac said nervously, "Applejack an' Ah are yer real parents."