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."
"Why did you call me Apple Belle?" I asked Applejack
"Your here, and it's fitting," Applejack said before looking at the officer, "Yes, officer?"
I stood back before I could say anything else.
"This little fillies big sister went missing earlier today. We found signs of foul play in the house, so until this filly has another mare to watch her that can be trusted, so we gave her to you, as you were mentioned as a trustee on her file," The officer sternly said.
"Alright, Ah love her anyways, so it's no hassle," Applejack said to the officer.
"What about my parents?" I quickly added.
"They Have to much of a criminal record. Both of them, though it may not seem it, recently got out from prison. We feel it may not be safe having you with them alone, so we gave you to one of the trustees on your file, the nicest of the bunch. And besides, we wouldn't be able to find them anyway, you know they travel a lot," The officer said before turning to Applejack.
The officer and Applejack spoke for a little longer. After about ten minutes the officer left. It was then I realized this entire time Apple Bloom had been behind me, playing with my mane. She had managed to get it into a big braid without me noticing. She tied it with one of her big red bows and walked away.
"So do ya have any idea what happened, Apple Belle," Applejack asked me.
"Can you please stick to calling me Sweetie Belle, and I went home, it was really quiet, I was looking for Rarity when I found a broken window and ran to the police," I said to her, still trying to figure out how Apple Bloom is so slick. It was then I noticed he wink. I made it seem like I was stretching so I could get a look behind me, Nopony, only a window.
"Well, cases like these can take the police awhile. So get comfortable," Applejack said to me with glee.
For some reason a I wasn't getting good vibes from Applejack, I felt very uncomfortable. This was probably cause I knew when I was with Rarity I could rest, but here, that's not happening. Also, Applejack winking to seemingly Nopony made me feel very uneasy. But something else was making this feeling worse, much worse.
"Apple Belle, can you run outside and get that basket of apples Ah left layin' on the lawn, when ya get back in, why don't you and Apple Bloom take a bath before dinner?" Applejack called me Apple Belle again, but I knew not to snap or disobey, Applejack was very strict when it came to order in her house, and last time I disobeyed her, her yelling almost ruptured my eardrum.
I grabbed the Apples and carried them inside. I placed them on the table and went to take a bath with Apple Bloom. Yes, WITH Apple Bloom. Nopony in this house had very much money, and in order to keep the bills lower, us foals usually took baths together. I was used to it all, as almost my entire childhood was spent on Sweet Apple Acres, including almost every vacation and weekend. I even went through another time living here, but this time left me uneasy. My main question was what happened to Rarity. I nudged Apple Bloom.
"We need to go find out what happened to my sister, your coming with me," I said as we jumped out of the bath, Apple Bloom nodded and followed me. Before we could leave the house we were stopped by Applejack.
"No y'all don't. Ya know to stay after gettin' washed up. Granny Smith'll have a fit if she finds out ya left. Ya can go on an adventure tomorrow after 'yer chores," Applejack sternly said pulling us back into the house.
We didn't argue, as we both knew Applejack's bad side was not good, but Granny Smith's bad side was like Nightmare Moon, except more yelling was involved. We sat at the dinner table and got fed. I had to listen to Applejack explain to Big Macintosh and Granny Smith why I was staying, Granny Smith seemed surprised, but Big Macintosh seemed like it was no surprise to him at all, but is anything? After dinner table gossip, Applejack gave me my old room in the main house back. Still coated in dust from the years before I occupied it, I coughed. I decided it was time to do dusting, Applejack looked in an hour after I started and stared me down.
"Why don't y'all do this in the mornin'?" She asked me.
"Cause I don't wanna cough all night cause of this dust, and I can't sleep, I'm to worried about Rarity," I snapped at Applejack.
"Watch 'yer tone, and ya need to sleep, if ya sleep, we'll all help ya look for 'yer sister tomorrow," I immediately jumped into bed upon hearing that. Before walking out, Applejack finished dusting the cross I had been working on, Granny Smith was very strict about religion in this house, and letting a cross get dusty would not go well by her.
I fell deep into a sleep. The world was black, voices were all around me however... All they were saying was Apple Belle... Eventually the world lit up, I saw Applejack staring at me, next to Rarity. Rarity was walking towards me when Applejack threw her, Rarity hit her head and was bleeding. Applejack grabbed me and carried me away, I bit her to let me go, but she was to strong. Eventually I felt a weird feeling coming along as I was carried, I saw my cutie mark, it was an Apple.
I jumped up. It was all a bad dream, but it got me thinking...