The Farm Girl and the Drake

A few months later, life in the Apple family household had almost returned to normal. Everything was fine. But not for long.

Applejack began to think that Apple Bloom might be something sweet—if only she was a little older. They could be friends and play! Perhaps it might have worked out that way soon, if only her parents and Big Macintosh had not been called away!

Applejack listened as her father threw clothing into a suitcase.

“That should do it,” he said to himself. “We’ve got enough here to take us halfway across the country.”

After he forced the suitcase shut, he walked down the hall to Apple Bloom’s room, where Pear Butter was.

“Buttercup,” he whispered. “Buttercup! We don’t have much time.”

“I can’t just leave her,” Pear Butter said. “She’s still so small.”

“She’ll be fine. Now, come on. If she wakes up, we’ll never get away,”

“I just feel guilty deserting her like this,”

“Nonsense,”

As Bright Mac and Pear Butter walked downstairs, Big Macintosh knocked on the door to Applejack’s room before he entered.

He saw his sister sitting on her bed, looking out the window. And he knew, from the look on her face, that something was bothering her.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“They’re running out on her. You’re running out on her!” she replied.

“We are not running out on her, AJ. We’re not running out on either of you. We’ll be back in a few days. And we’ll be bringing Granny Smith back with us when we do,”

Just then, the front door shook under a torrent of bangs.

“Oh no,” Big Mac said. “That’s probably her.”

“Who?” Applejack asked.

“The babysitter,” Big Mac groaned.

Applejack was taken aback by this. She was eighteen-years-old. She was old enough that she didn’t need a babysitter. And she was certainly old enough that she could take care of Apple Bloom until her parents and Big Macintosh returned.

She followed her brother downstairs as their father opened the front door, and a stern-faced woman marched in with a suitcase, leaving a stack of other luggage on the porch for Big Macintosh to bring in.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I haven’t kept you waiting, have I?”

“I’ll put your bags away for you,” Big Macintosh offered.

“No need for that. You just go or you’ll miss your train,”

“Applejack, this is Miss Harshwhinny,” said Pear Butter. “She’s going to look after you and Apple Bloom while we and Big Macintosh visit Granny Smith.”

Applejack kept her distance from Miss Harshwhinny.

She didn’t know what it was, but Applejack got the feeling that Miss Harshwhinny did not like her at all. But Applejack didn’t mind. Her own dislike of Miss Harshwhinny was very mutual.

As their parents rushed toward the waiting cab, Big Macintosh managed to have one last talk with Applejack.

“We’ll only be gone for the weekend,” he reassured her again. “Miss Harshwhinny is only here to help. I know it’s going to be rough, but it won’t be long. Don’t worry. And remember, I’m depending on you, sis. We’re all counting on you to watch over and take care of Apple Bloom while we’re away. Remember what Pa and I have told you, ‘with a whole lot of power comes a heck of a lot of responsibility.’”

Applejack nodded before giving her brother one last hug.

“Goodbye,” she said.

“I’ll be back,” he replied. “I promise.”

Applejack watched as her parents and Big Mac walked out to the buggy.

Then they were gone.

Applejack knew her job. She was going to take care of Apple Bloom.

She tiptoed upstairs to Apple Bloom’s room and peeked carefully into her crib. She was still sleeping. Then Applejack sat down in the rocking chair, within a few feet of the crib.

Not for long, though.

“What are you doing?” Applejack heard Miss Harshwhinny’s voice.

“My job!” Applejack stated, trying not to return the anger that was just shown to her.

“Get out,” snapped Miss Harshwhinny.

Instead of giving Harshwhinny the pleasure of hustling her out of the room, and not wanting the sounds of an argument to wake Apple Bloom, Applejack got up and walked downstairs of her own accord.

She returned to the front hall and there, still waiting by the door, stood Miss Harshwhinny’s bags. And Winona was giving them an experimental sniff.

There was something peculiar in the air—an unpleasant odor to Winona. One she did not recognize or understand. She sniffed again. Then she looked at the front door and started to growl. It wasn’t Timberwolves. It was something else.

Applejack patted her leg and drew Winona away from the door.

“The only way things could be worse is if Harshwhinny had brought friends along,” Applejack thought.

Suddenly, a silken hand patted Applejack’s shoulder from behind.

Applejack jumped and spun around.

Three bold, and very fashionably dressed, young women had come in through the front door! They looked crafty. And they were crafty. Not only that, they were sly, sleek, nasty and tricky as could be.

They sneered at Applejack, and then they started to sing.

“We are dazzling if you please!” they chanted. “We are dazzling if you don’t please!”

They walked through the main hall and went into different rooms.

“Now we’re looking over our new domicile... If we like, we’ll stay for maybe quite a while...”

Their leader, Adagio, walked into the parlor and made a shambles of it. She knocked things off the mantel, she scratched the table legs, and she jumped up and down on the sofa. Meanwhile, the other two, Aria and Sonata, went into the kitchen and Sonata started to dance on the table while Aria opened the cupboards.

While Applejack was trying to stop Adagio, Aria smashed several jam jars. Then Sonata started to chase Winona, but AJ managed to protect her.

“Stop that!” shouted Applejack.

The three girls took over the house in no time, and proceeded to destroy as much as possible.

When the three girls headed for the stairs, however, Applejack raced ahead to stop them from entering Apple Bloom’s room. They tried to run by her, but AJ stopped them in their tracks with a threatening growl.

She chased them down the stairs and into the kitchen. Adagio and Aria tripped Applejack while Sonata opened the refrigerator door. AJ fell and tumbled into the shelves of the fridge, and got covered in cherry jam and grape jelly.

Miss Harshwhinny heard the commotion and came rushing down.

“What’s going on down there?” she shouted.

These three girls were awful! They had wrecked the entire main floor—but when Miss Harshwhinny came down, they made it seem that Applejack had made the mess and they had been little angels!

She wrapped her arms around the three girls as she helped them upstairs.

“Merciful heavens! You poor girls,” she cooed into their ears. “That wicked child! Attacking you poor, innocent girls.”

Tears filled Applejack’s eyes as she got to her feet.

She couldn’t take anymore!

She didn’t wait for Miss Harshwhinny to return to deal out her punishment.

She threw the screen door open, fled the house and ran out of the yard.

Applejack was blamed for everything: ruining the furniture, breaking the jars, and the mess in the kitchen, when she was trying to stop the Dazzlings. And when they were chasing Winona—it was AJ who got the blame.

Everything was just as Spike had said.

But the worst was still to come.