Chapter 4

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Apple Bloom yawned, stepping out from Twilight’s bedroom. She looked around the long crystal hallways and felt herself shiver a little. She hadn’t realized how big the castle was til now.

“Wonder where Twilight an’ Spike are,” she murmured to herself, quickly trotting down the hall, looking from one side to the next for any indication as to where to go.

“So, that’s it?” Spike’s voice asked from behind a door.

Pushing it open, Apple Bloom found herself in the castle’s throne room. Her heart leaped in her chest. All the seats around the table Map were filled, including her sister’s.

“Ah, good. You’re here,” Twilight said, her tone seeming jovial… but something about it made Apple Bloom uneasy. “We all just finished discussing what to do with you.”

Apple Bloom blinked, confusion and worry blending together. “Wh… What d’ya mean?”

“Frankly, darling, we’ve all decided Ponyville isn’t the place for you, after all,” Rarity said, sounding rather uninterested.

The filly’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“Well, you’re not really an Apple anymore and it’s clear your extended family don’t want you either,” Rainbow Dash said casually, shrugging. “And you can’t actually expect Twilight to take you in, do you? She’s a princess. She doesn’t have time t’ raise a brat like you.”

“Not to mention the damage it would do to her reputation,” Rarity waved a hoof in a shooing manner. “A princess taking in a reject farmer filly? Completely ridiculous.”

“But… but…” Apple Bloom wilted as she looked desperately around at the ponies and dragon gathered. “Wh-where will Ah go? Where will Ah live?”

Twilight shrugged. “Not our problem.”

“I hate goodbyes,” Pinkie said sadly, before smiling wide, grabbing Apple Bloom and shoving her into what took Apple Bloom a second to realize with horror was her Party Canon. “So, let’s skip the goodbyes and just send you off! Weee!”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in horror as the canon was aimed at a window and firing.

She screamed as she was flung into the air, soaring higher and higher—

“ENOUGH!” a loud, familiar voice boomed.

Apple Bloom stopped screaming and opening her eyes… only to find herself floating in mid-air.

Glancing around, she frowned as she saw the moon was suddenly in the sun’s place, before it seemed to open up and a dark-blue Alicorn with a star-filled ethereal mane stepped out of it.

“P-Princess Luna?” she asked, before blinking and looking around, before going, “Ooooooh. Ah’m dreamin’?”

The Alicorn nodded. “Indeed, young Apple Bloom.” Then she frowned. “I do not understand. What is this dream?”

The filly looked down at her hooves as their surroundings turned into the apples fields of the farm. “Ah don’t have an Apple Cutie Mark… an’ mah family kicked me out fer it.”

There was silence for a moment, the Lunar princess wearing a very confused expression, before frowning slightly. “You… jest, yes?”

The filly didn’t answer, wrapping her tail around herself.

Luna’s jaw dropped. “What? But… since when does…? And why would…? Does my sister know of this?!”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Not likely. It only happened last night.”

The princess frowned, in puzzled thought. “I had noticed something odd about your dreams last night, but it was so busy that night I failed in finding time to look into them. Why would such a loving family even do this?”

Apple Bloom briefly explained what she’d learned about the Apple Family’s tradition of Burnt Apples. Once she was finished, Luna look torn between understanding and confusion.

“Well, I can see why such traditions are still upheld and how they actually can benefit the Apple clan… but that is so out of character of Granny Smith. From what Tia has told me, your grandmother would never do such a thing.”

“But, she did,” Apple Bloom whispered quietly. “Ah wouldn’t be sleepin’ at Twi’s castle if’n she hadn’t.”

Luna frowned, rubbing her chin in thought for a few moments. “I shall look into this myself, dear Apple Bloom. While I do not deny you are correct in what was done to you, I feel there must be something else among this. Something we cannot see openly.”

Apple Bloom sniffled, wiping her nose on her foreleg. “Ah… Ah wanna believe that, Princess Luna, Ah do… but…”

The older pony nodded, gently nuzzling the anxious filly. “Rest easy, Apple Bloom. Things will make sense soon, I am sure.”

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Apple Bloom stirred, opening her eyes and looking around to find herself back in Twilight’s bedroom. Spike was sitting next to her, his back turned and seemed to be reading over a scroll of some kind.

Had Princess Luna sent a message to him as soon as the dream ended?

“Spike?” she asked, failing to hold back a yawn.

The dragon jumped, before turning around and smiling, pulling the filly into a hug. “I’m an older brother! Welcome to the family, little sister!”

Still partially asleep, Apple Bloom felt very confused. “Huh?”

He pulled back and showed her the scroll he’d been reading. It had a lot of fancy words, but two words caught her eye right away: Adoption Form.

“Twilight sent it over right after she visited the school,” the drake said eagerly, hugging the filly again. “It’s isn’t official til tomorrow afternoon, but you’re a member of the family now, Apple Bloom.” He smirked. “Or should I call you Apple Sparkle?”

Apple Bloom blinked, before giggling, then laughing, Spike joining alongside her.

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“I cannot believe you failed so dismally,” the elderly griffon said, glaring at the green Earth Pony mare as she walked into the clearing of the Everfree.

The mare returned his glare. “Hey, mah mission was just t’ get the filly outta the house an’ away fr’m her family. Ain’t mah fault you messaged up the pickup location. Ah was just t’ bring ’er there, then leave the family as soon as their grandmother got back.”

“By the time we got there, she was gone,” the griffon growled. “And now the purple princess is looking after her. All that work for nothing.”

The elderly mare scoffed. “At least Ah didn’t try t’ replace a griffon in Griffonstone and failed to get the fledgling.”

He snorted. “How was I supposed to know griffons wouldn’t be like ponies?” He grumbled. “They didn’t even think my being overly mean would be seen as just Grandpa Gruff being Grandpa Gruff. Fledgling didn’t even seem phased and just kept doing as usual. Couldn’t get her alone enough to steal her not matter what I tried.”

“Let’s just get out of here, already,” the mare grumbled, walking passed him. “That wimp Kevin’s going to keep hanging around and could squeal on us at any time.” She snorted. “I don’t know who’s more pathetic, him or that traitor... whatever his name is. Do you remember his name?”

The griffon scowled. “You think I would remember? Why would I wanna remember a traitor like him?!”

With that, the two walked off into the forest, arguing with each other as they were consumed by green flames and vanished from sight.

Author's Note

Decided to finally get a new chapter of this out, if only because many people keep messaging me about it.

now, before anyone says going with what i've gone with was a cop out or anything like that, this was going to be the original plan. i just failed to originally write the past chapters to reflect that, which is why the chapters were edited a little while ago to better fit the narrative i was going with.

next chapter, Princess Apple Bloom meets up with her friends and tells them what's happened. as for AJ and the rest of the Mane 6, that'll happen in time.

So, will Granny give in to Twilight's orders last chapter for the sake of her granddaughter, or will she be so stubborn, being punished for something she didn't do, that she'll refuse, failing to fully realize what that would mean?

And just what will happen when Twilight's parents find out they're grandparents, but not from their married offspring? And how will Shining and Cadance react when they learn they know has a niece?

you'll have to wait and see. as for how long you'll have to wait... i honestly have no idea. i honestly barely was able to string this chapter together because i need for time and drive to think where to go from here.

Edit 11/8/2018 but technically spoilers if you didn't catch on to what was going on in the chapter, so to stay spoiler free, don't read: after reading several comments, i need to clarify something. The Changelings do NOT have a major part in this story. their plans were to steal foals/children of whichever race they were impersonating as, to take back to the hive and feed on their love.

as that plan failed big time in Ponyville and Griffonstone, they won't be returning to try again. the only way they'll be returning is if i continue the story all the way to the season 6 finale, reasons why for then being pretty damn obvious.

just because there was a misunderstanding doesn't mean Granny wouldn't still have made Apple Bloom leave (though obviously not to the orphanage nor the very night they found out she's a burnt apple), and thus leading to Twilight learning about this tradition and putting it into question.

anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and, til next time, later everypony