Broken

I was walking with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, getting ready to continue our cutie mark crusade. We were in Appleoosa to ask everypony for ideas on how to get our cutie marks. Our main response was to do some work in the orchard, which we were planning to do anyway. Each response however made me more and more confused. Everypony knew me, yet Nopony knew Scootaloo. I left the group temporarily to go ask one pony who I did know in Appleoosa what was going on, Braeburn.

"Well Applejack has been mentionin' ya quite a bit. Ah heard her sayin' everythin' up to ya bein' her sister. So now every Apple Pony thinks yer their cousin. Ah asked Applejack why she's been like this, and she said that she feels to have been bonded with ya more lately. She felt like Rarity was never a true sister to ya, so she took over that job. Go be honest, Ah have also felt like a cousin to ya as well, Ah really never knew why. So really, Ah put together that many of us have mentally adopted ya into the family, so now everypony really thinks yer an Apple," Braeburn explained.

"I never knew you guys thought like that, and now that I think about it, Applejack really has been my sister, for help with homework or anything personal, I would always go to her. I never trusted Rarity enough. Well, I guess I'll go along with it. Thanks Braeburn," I said to him, smiling.

"Yer welcome, come visit sometimes, if yer really going along with it of course," Braeburn joked as I walked out.

I found the other Cutie Mark Crusaders and with them, headed back to Ponyville where Scootaloo went home, but I decided to go with Apple Bloom. I wanted to talk to Applejack. I told Rarity I would be gone the night and left before she could argue it. I walked with Apple Bloom the whole way and immediately walked inside. I found Applejack cooking.

"Applejack, can we talk?" I asked Applejack.

"What do you need, Sugarcube?" She asked me.

"When we were in Appleoosa, I was confronted by almost everypony, Braeburn told me it was because you were saying I was your sister, and now every Apple pony thinks I am their cousin. Though I am very proud, I am curious, why?" I asked. Applejack stopped cooking and motioned for me to sit sown.

"Ah would have never thought you would be proud, Ah really only meant for one pony to know how Ah felt, but it spread before Ah could do anythin'. Ah did it because Ah honestly felt yer whole life that's what you've been to me, Rarity never seemed to care that much about bein' a sister, so Ah took the position of not only a sister, but as a mother for ya. You were always out of any unicorn Ah've ever met, the most polite and similar to me, the one Ah truly loved the most," in the midst of my shock she kissed me, leaving me further speechless.

"Th-thank you Applejack. I can't believe you feel this way, I'm staying the nigh, give me some time to comprehend all of this," I said as Applejack nodded.

The next morning I headed home, still speechless. On my way home an Apple pony approached me. I was close enough to Carousel Boutique to just walk in, but I wanted to hear what he had to say first.

"Ah was wonderin' where ya were. Ah wanted to say you should go live with Applejack, why are ya here anyway. Ah really don't see any reason, or anypony who cares," this caught me very much off guard.

"Because my sister lives here," I responded beginning to walk inside.

"Isn't Applejack yer sister?" He asked.

"Well yes. She would count as adopted sister I guess," I said

"Well ya should live with yer adopted sister," he said loudly to me, I turned around to see Rarity looking at me and him through the window.

"Are you trying to make her hear this? I understand what your saying, but I'm staying with Rarity," I whispered to him.

He began to smile and walk away, Rarity came outside and gave me a look of confusion.

"Who was that, and don't say you don't know, because you obviously did!" Rarity's voice boomed

"I really don't know him! he just confronted me, so I listened what he had to say, and we started to argue," I quickly snapped back at her.

"Okay, you should have come inside to safety, you never know what that pony could he done, and besides, I need your help on a dress," Rarity calmly said.

When she mentioned the dress I had to hold back to urge to start screaming. After today, everything Braeburn, Applejack and that strange pony had said to me put me on edge about Rarity. I helped with the dress and immediately began to think. What if that strange pony was right, I wondered if I would ne happier, and maybe even do better living with Applejack. I still however want to stay with Rarity, she is my blood after all.

"That pony said you have an adopted sister. The thing is you don't, who were they talking about?" Rarity snuck up behind me

"He was talking about Applejack, just saying how she helped with my upbringing," I said

"But you don't live with her, your in trouble if I hear that again, seriously though, where are these ponies getting the idea she is your adopted sister from?" Rarity yelled in my face.

"I don't know, Rarity. I really don't," I said trying not to sound like I was lying.

Rarity stormed away from me. I angrily began to walk out of Carousel Boutique and head towards Sugarcube Corner. On this walk many Apple ponies confronted me about living with Applejack, they also began calling me Apple Belle, which I completely despised. Some of which who were threatening to drag me by the ear to Sweet Apple Acres right then and there, until I mentioned they could easily be arrested for that. After I ate my anger away, I headed home. More Apple ponies confronted me on the way. As I walked into Carousel Boutique, I realized Nopony was here as it was to quiet. Normally I would hear sewing machines running and Rarity rambling to herself.  I checked for Rarity but found nothing. After some exploration I found a broken window, somepony had broken in. I ran to the police station, who did a search. They marked it as a kidnapping, and said that until Rarity was found, I was with Applejack.

A weird coincidence had occurred. All these different Apple ponies wanted me to live with Applejack. When I got to Sweet Apple Acres with an officer who explained the situation Applejack immediately caught me off guard.

"Hey Apple Belle."