Applejack's Run

With her sister preoccupied, Apple Bloom took the opportunity to skip school to read adventure stories in the orchard. Maybe her sister would scold her later, but she knew that Applejack had been the same way when she was her age. As fillies, both sisters had entertained dreams of going on adventures a world away from their mundane lives, adventures that had little or nothing to do with bucking apple trees, but dreams were just dreams. At the end of the day, both she and her sister were Apples; farm work was what they knew and farm work was what they loved. Apple Bloom knew she would be a farm pony just like her sister.

She felt content with her fate as she lounged comfortably against an apple tree. Hers was a future she felt confident about. She would get stronger and become skilled as she worked, and, when she was not working, she could read more books like the one she held in her lap.

I never asked for this, the hero said upon discovering a prophecy that burdened him with the non-transferable responsibility to save the world. Apple Bloom chuckled at the cliché. I wouldn’t want ta have ta save the whole world either, she thought.

She had her own little world to save though. Applejack was at least half lesbian and so was Twilight, apparently. Their courtship had come about quite suddenly and Apple Bloom was none too sure how she felt about the situation. Yet, if it meant so much to her sister, Apple Bloom could not allow the relationship to end in disaster. Applejack had already suffered enough over Twilight.

Apple Bloom shook her head, wondering what Granny Smith might have said about it all. She probably would have said it was darn-tootin’ foolishness for friends ta go experimentin’ with somethin’ as outlandish as all that. She probably would have said Applejack needed a strong stallion, a rodeo-type who could make foals with her . . . What about children?

If this thing with Twilight is for real and Applejack never has any babies and Macintosh keeps plodding along single as he is, maybe it’ll be up ta me ta make sure there’re still Apples at Sweet Apple Acres . . .  Wow, that’s a big responsibility, but maybe a good one. Apple Bloom imagined marrying a handsome stallion and raising colts and fillies to be strong and honest farmers. They would carry on the quirky little Apple family traditions, which kept life on the farm from getting boring. Whoever I marry will have ta take my family name instead of me taking his. I won’t have this place being called Sweet “Something Stupid” Acres.

A flutter of wings interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see a familiar yellow pegasus alight nearby. Apple Bloom greeted her with a friendly tip of her alligator-leather hat and a, “Good afternoon, Ms. Fluttershy.” She felt more grown up addressing her elders formally.

“Hi Apple Bloom, I’ve been looking all over for you. I was worried you might be sick when I found that you weren’t at school.”

“The only kind of sick I am is sick of school.”

Apple Bloom wondered why Fluttershy had come. She had not talked to her much in that last year or two, but maybe it was just that Fluttershy did not talk to anypony very much. Whatever this was about, it was probably important.

“Um, I’m really sorry to bother you.”

Apple Bloom laughed. “Well, as ya can plainly see, my time is really important,” she noticed that her sarcasm made her sound like the silly little filly she was trying not to be.

Fluttershy glanced about furtively, as if worried some other pony might be watching.  “I’m worried about . . . I, well, I’m worried about Twilight,” she stammered.

“Me too,” Apple Bloom patted the grass next to her, inviting Fluttershy to sit beside her. “My sister’s in love with Twilight. It’s kinda weird.”

Fluttershy carefully sat down next to Apple Bloom. “Yes, they told me that they had fallen in love. That was, um, unexpected, but they seem happy together. That’s not what I’m worried about . . . Did Twilight tell you about her plans for revenge?”

Revenge was about the last word Apple Bloom expected Fluttershy speak. “Uh, I don’t reckon so. Who does she want to get revenge on?” She found herself whispering despite no other ponies being near about.

“I think she plans to take revenge when she finds out who petrified her. She doesn’t know it yet, but Spike was the one who did it. He didn’t mean to. It was just an unfortunate mistake.”

Apple Bloom met eyes with Fluttershy. “But Spike never cast any spells before and he certainly ain’t powerful enough ta keep the princesses from bringing Twilight back. Besides, I thought nopony knew what happened to Spike.”

“Princess Celestia and I know where he is. I also told Applejack and Twilight, but I’m worried Twilight will find out why he’s hiding and be mad at him.”

“Yeah, but, even assuming Spike did actually turn Twilight ta stone, why would he do it? He ain’t evil like other dragons.”

“Oh, he’s not evil at all, but he was mad at Twilight for teleporting him all over place. He told me teleporting makes him dizzy and burns him sometimes. He said he was wishing that she would stop teleporting them around and stay still for a while, then she just turned to stone. He was so sure it was his fault that he went into hiding.”

“Why do ya reckon he told ya about what happened? He knew Rarity a lot better. I would have thought that he’d go ta her if he wanted ta talk ta somepony about what happened.”

“Actually, I’m not sure that he really intended to come to me. I saw him sneaking through the woods and he came up to talk after he noticed that I was watching him.”

Apple puzzled over what Fluttershy was telling her. “Wait a second, why are ya telling me all this? I’m not even a grownup yet.”

“Um, well, you are one of the only ponies I know in Ponyville besides Twilight and Applejack and I needed somepony to talk to.”

“Why didn’t ya talk ta Applejack?”

“Oh, I couldn’t talk to her. She’s Twilight’s girlfriend now and she might tell Twilight if I told her about Spike turning her to stone. I can’t let Twilight know until I’m sure she won’t be mad at Spike.”

“I don’t think ya need ta worry. Twilight always said Spike was her ‘number-one assistant’ and they spent almost all of their time together. They were like two peas in a pod. Twilight would never hurt Spike.”

“Yes, but Twilight seems different. I think being stone for so long might change anypony. I was very happy to see her again, but I’m also a little bit scared of her. I think she’s angrier about the curse than she acts like she is.”

Apple Bloom’s doubts about Twilight were growing all the time. Fluttershy was afraid of almost everything, so maybe it was not too alarming that she was afraid of Twilight, but after what Apple Bloom had seen the previous night, she did not know what to think about Twilight herself.

Applejack had been sleeping on the living-room sofa, and Twilight was crouched on the floor next to her, white light pulsing around her horn and shining from beneath her eyelids. Maybe Rarity would know what sort of spell it was, but she was all the way up in Canterlot. Apple Bloom had debated going to the Ponyville library to look for answers, but was not particularly keen on explaining why she, an earth pony farmer, would be interested in reading books about advanced unicorn magic.

Telling Fluttershy what she had seen would probably just make things worse. “Twilight is nice enough, I don’t think there’s any sort of reason ta be afraid of her unless ya make enemies with her.”

This thought did not seem to comfort Fluttershy at all. “Oh I hope that never happens!”

“It won’t ever happen,” Apple Bloom reassured her.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment. “I also wanted to invite you to come to Canterlot with me, Twilight, and your sister. We’re going to meet up with Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Twilight’s family. We’ll probably get to see Princess Celestia too. You might have to miss some school but—”

“Ya don’t have ta sell it so hard. Ya could have just started with, ‘Ya might have ta miss some school.’ I’d love ta come ta Canterlot with ya’ll.”

“Okay, we’ll talk more about Spike and Twilight later. Also, when we go, make sure you bring the alligator hat you’re wearing. I want Rarity to see it again . . . I’ve got to go and take care of my animal friends now. It was nice seeing you, Apple Bloom.”

“See ya later,” she called as the pegasus took to the sky and glided out over the trees. Why the hay would she tell me ta bring my hat? I guess she doesn’t know that I’d bring my hat no matter what, but why does she care? Fluttershy wasn’t even the one who made it for me.