Author's Note

This is the first story I've ever published, and I hope you like it. x3 Please let me know your thoughts!
If you don't have the time or don't want to read all of it, please give it a chance or skim over it or something, your opinion means a lot to me! So please just take a minute to read over what I have, to see if you're interested in reading the rest. It looks longer than it is, due to formatting and dialogue. And this first chapter is a little slow to get to the good part, but the next chapter is a lot faster and has a surprise!

Also BIG SHOUT OUT TO SHADOHAWK, THANKS SO MUCH FOR PROOFREADING AND EDITING MY STUFF! HE'S ALSO A VERY NICE GUY, YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT HIS STUFF BECAUSE HE'S BETTER AT WRITING THAN ME!

And last thought. I put a lot of time and effort into this, so yeah.
I hope to make it to the featured box to increase feedback, so IF YOU'VE EVER HAD THAT DREAM, (ahem) please comment, thumbs-up, favorite if you like my stuff, consider following me, all that good stuff!
Or else karma will gitchou and your stories will be forgotten!

THANK YOU!

Apples and lies

The sun shone brightly through the parted, silk curtains. A sliver of the light landed among the face of a sleeping girl, causing her to stir. She yawned, and squinted her eyes at the window to confirm it was time to wake. The light glanced off of her bright emerald-green eyes, and shone through her long, curly, purple and pink hair.

A bird started to sing, just out of sight, and the girl smiled before starting to hum along. She opened her eyes and rose, carrying the last note of the song slightly longer than the bird, before she continued the song in her own way, making new notes to improvise the melody. Her voice was soft and sweet, and her tune a catchy one.

She quickly dressed, made her bed, and visited the bathroom to fix her hair and brush her teeth. Then, silently slipped down the stairs to eat her breakfast before leaving for school, careful not to wake her sister, who should still be sleeping at the moment. But it came as a shock to find her at the kitchen table, passed out with a half-full mug of cold coffee in one of her hands, and an opened letter in the other.

“Rarity?” The girl poked her sister's arm, attempting to arouse her. “Are you okay?”

She moaned and opened her bloodshot eyes, raising her head to stare into her sister's eyes.

“Sweetie Belle?” Tears started to form in her eyes.

“What's wrong?”

Rarity pushed her coffee mug away and gripped the letter in both of her hands.

“We have to talk, about mom and dad.”

Sweetie Belle's heart beat fast, something was horribly wrong. She wanted to ask a millions questions then, but her voice caught in her throat.

“You know how mom and dad left for Manehatten again, for family and business matters?”

All Sweetie Belle could do was nod.

“They won't be coming back.”

She still couldn't say anything. Her stomach flipped as she thought, “Why?”.

“The city was attacked, by griffons. They're dead, Sweetie.”

~~~

“-That was a few months ago, a long time after my fifteenth birthday. I'm sixteen now, but it still hurts like it was yesterday. I still find it hard to focus, I don't know how Rarity gets along so well. Actually, I lied, she hasn't been getting along as well as I say. She is moody, easily angered, and obviously stressed. She yells at me often, over the smallest of mistakes and accidents. Even when I try to help, she pushes me away, like I'll make it worse. She acts just like she did a few years ago, back when I was a sweet little girl that only wanted to help her mean sister. Things got better, and we've been building back a relationship recently. But, it kind of all fell apart after the letter, and she's even worse than before.

“She's kind of taken over the mother figure in this small family, but she will never replace my actual mom, who was kind and patient, always there for you when you needed her. I've started to hate Rarity, to be honest. I feel like my parents have been taken away and replaced with a bad sister, and I'm angry at her for it. I know it's not fair, but I can't convince myself that it's not her fault, and it's tearing us apart. I try to avoid her at all costs, and I almost never talk to her anymore. That was fine with her though, and easy for me. She spends most of her time locked away in her work room now, and only ever leaves to make dinner or go to the market. Her business has been suffering lately, I think it has something to do with the war. People don't need to spend exorbitant sums of money on clothes, but instead food or supplies.

“Apple Bloom tells me Applejack has been making extra money recently, due to the recent need for food, so at least they're doing well. Rarity's business has done nothing for us so far, and her second boutique, the one in Manehatten, was destroyed, which only upset her more, and caused more trouble for me. I get away though, I now spend most of my time in the CMC's Clubhouse with the others. Apple Bloom has been doing fine, but I think Scootaloo's been dabbling a bit in drugs or something, from how she looks now.

“Any time I don't spend in the Clubhouse, I spend with Apple Bloom, which I'm grateful for. I even help her at the farm.
Anytime I can be with her, I am. In fact, shortly after me and Rarity got that damned letter, I saw her at school. She had heard about it, and after school we talked about it. Scootaloo disappeared after the bell, so it was just me and her. We sat under a tree in the school's front lot, waiting for the bus. She wrapped me in a tight hug, and I cried, and she consoled.

“Since then, I don't know how I feel about her. She's been more of a sister to me than Rarity has, but I feel different about her than just that. Her embrace sent shivers down my spine, and made my stomach turn over a few times, and that's never really happened before.
I've actually been feeling... different, when I'm around her for a while now, but the time I cried in her arms was what really got me thinking.

“I don't know exactly when it started, really. Maybe when I was around fourteen, I guess. It's grown a lot since then. One moment I comment on how pretty she looks in a dress, and the next I'm literally dreaming about her. About us. Then, out of the blue, all I want to do is hold her hand, feel her touch. Fantasizing about us-... I don't want to write it, it feels weird.

Kissing. There, I wrote it, and it's giving me goosebumps.

“We've known each other for so long though, it's weird that I like her all of a sudden. But that's what happens sometimes, right? I don't know, everything is muddled and confusing. I shouldn't write about it too much though, or I'll start going into detail, and then I'll have to think about it. And I can't do that right now. We're just friends for now, and I'm happy with that at the moment. I think. I mean I'd be happier if we were together, but that would require telling her. So yeah, until I get a boost of confidence, I'm happy with being friends.

“I'm gonna go for a walk now, maybe it'll clear my head. Perhaps I should talk to Apple Bloom again, it could help me understand how I feel about everything else. I'll write in you again, diary. Later, maybe. Probably.”

~~~

Sweetie Belle walked down a semi-deserted street, her footsteps echoing against the walls of nearby buildings. There was a bounce in her step, and in the curls of her hair, but an unsure look on her face.

She was nearing the farm, and she could already see a familiar figure in the distance on a green hill that was contrasted sharply by the gray sky, with clouds so thick it was difficult to tell where the sun should have shone through.

There was a hesitancy in Sweetie's movement, but she fought it, as she thought of having to instead return to the boutique feeling empty, and sitting among the eeriness and deserted feeling of the place.

A bitter wind picked up, and her skirt and hair billowed behind her. And of course, a paper flew into her face.

Sweetie pulled it from her face, and inspected it. It was a beige poster, advertising the army, and urging more people to join in the fight. There were a few cliché words on the front about uniting to defeat the enemy, and a picture of two people in armor, a woman and a man. She almost threw the paper away, dismissing the annoying thing. But then realized, with a start, that they looked exactly like her parents. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Yup, definitely still them, it wasn't her mind playing tricks. What were her parents doing on the front of a poster? Especially since they were... Gone?

Sweetie Belle folded it neatly and stuffed it in her pocket; the sight of their faces causing a sharp pain in the side of her head. Whatever the reason, she could figure it out later, maybe even ask Apple Bloom. Celestia, why did she rely so much on her best friend nowadays.

She resumed her walk, and the wind resumed blowing.

The gate of the farm creaked with the sway of the constant gusts. Sweetie Belle opened it and shut it behind her, knowing she'd be welcome on the land. A few minutes walk led her to the orchard Apple Bloom was working in, and she approached slowly, hoping to scare the poor girl.

“Yer too loud, Sweetie Belle. Ah could hear ya comin' a mile away.” Apple Bloomed turned, holding a wicker basket full of apples with one hand, balancing the other side on her hip.

“What? I didn't even step on a twig this time!” Sweetie exclaimed, stepping out from behind a clump of bushes, an incredulous smile on her face.

Apple Bloom laughed, dropping an apple into her basket. Her laugh was sweet, and it made Sweetie feel hot and cold at the same time, and she laughed along.

“Seriously though, how do you do it?”

Apple Bloom set the basket on the ground before jumping up and grabbing a branch of the nearby tree, hoisting herself up to reach the apples in the uppermost part of the tree. She made it look effortless, especially in the tight jeans she wore, which would normally restrain your legs from bending easily. But Bloom pulled it off, in quite an attractive manner. Sweetie blushed and looked away, hoping she hadn't noticed.

“If ya spend enough time by yerself in the woods, ya know when yer alone and when yer not. In fact, Ah can hear them bunnies in the bush over yonder, cute li'l things.” She pointed to a bush thirty feet away, and Sweetie wondered how anybody could hear such a thing.

While she focused on listening for the fainest of sounds, an apple fell and hit the ground near her feet.

“Consarnit! Ah keep droppin' them damned apples, every tahm Ah climb a tree! Ya might wanna watch out, 'case Ah drop another.”

Sweetie picked the apple up from the hard ground, and dropped it into the basket.

“Heads up!” Apple Bloom called, and Sweetie instinctively used her magic to catch the falling object.

“Nice catch,” Bloom laughed. “Can ya do it again? It would sure speed this up.”

“Of course!” Sweetie smiled. Her hands lit up green as she prepared to catch the incoming barrage of fruit.

Apple after apple dropped, and Sweetie didn't let a single one reach the ground, bruising itself from the fall. Instead, they were levitated into the basket.

The last apple in the tree, in the highest part, shone in the light of the coming sunset, taunting Apple Bloom to reach up and pick it. She clung to a branch and stretched as far as she could, but could only touch it with her fingertips. Readjusting her position, she tried again, and lost her balance.

“Woah, aaaah!” She fell through the tree, taking branches down with her, which didn't even slow her fall.

Sweetie looked up, trying to cast a spell strong enough to catch her. Outstretching her hands, she could only produce enough magic to slow her rapid descent.

Apple Bloom crashed into Sweetie, as she tried to catch her. They both hit the ground hard, and if it weren't for the last-second spell, one of them would've broken something. Luckily though, Sweetie Belle sat up, looking dazed, feeling a surge of pain in her tailbone.

“Ow! Are you okay Apple Bloom?”

She lay in Sweetie's lap, her eyes open as she rubbed the back of her head. She laughed, stirring a giggle from Sweetie Belle.

“Ah'm fine, you?”

Aside from the pain in her tailbone, and the butterflies in her stomach from holding Apple Bloom, she felt fine.

“I'm good.” She smiled. Their faces were inches apart, and Sweetie Belle could feel her breath, and smell something in her hair that reminded her of cinnamon. How badly she wanted to reach out with her hands and softly brush her beautiful face. She would instantly trade all of the diamonds in the world just to stay here like this, holding her.

“Don't even think about it, Sweetie.” She told herself as a scenario ran through her mind, one that was entirely fantasy and not in the least bit realistic.

Bloom didn't seem to notice, however.

She stood up, and offered a hand to Sweetie, shattering her dream of sitting together for an eternity.

Her orange eyes glittered in the setting sun, and reflected through her red hair. Then there were her freckles, which almost made Sweetie Belle blush as she took her hand, standing up.

“Ah guess that concludes mah work fer the day, wanna head to the house?”

“Um,” Sweetie thought for a moment, feeling a warmth on her back. Turning, she noticed the sun setting.

“I was thinking maybe we could talk here.”

Apple Bloom had spent most of her day after school outside, in the heat of autumn and the stickiness of it all, so she didn't exactly want to stay outside any longer. But, if her friend wanted to have a private conversation, than she would be happy to oblige.

“Sure.” She sat on the leaf ridden ground, with her back against the tree. “What's on yer mind?”

“A lot, probably more than you care to know.” Sweetie Belle sighed, sitting down next to her. Bloom nodded, sympathizing with her.

“You can tell me, Ah won't mind.”

“Okay. Uh,” She glanced at the sun as it disappeared behind a faraway mountain. The day's last light matched the colors of the turning leaves of nearby orchards, with pinks, oranges, and reds.

“That's pretty.” She pointed at the scene, and Apple Bloom followed her gaze.

“Eh, Ah see that all the time. Still, it never gets old, it's always just as beautiful.”

There was a moment of silence as they took it in, and Sweetie Belle tried to think of a new excuse to avoid the topic she knew she'd eventually have to bring up.

“But seriously, what's on yer mind?”

The wind blew, rustling the leaves on the ground, reminding Sweetie of the paper that had earlier blew into her face.

“I found this, while I was walking here.” She pulled it out of her pocket, unfolding it and handing the thing to Apple Bloom, who inspected it for a moment.

“That's yer parents, ain't it?”

“Mhm, but I don't know how or why they'd be on a poster, especially one advertising the army. Unless...”

Bloom thought for a second.

“Unless they didn't leave fer Manehatten fer 'family business'.”

“You mean they lied?”

“It's possible, if they didn't wantchou worryin' 'bout 'em.”

Sweetie Belle shivered at the thought.

“So, they left to fight? In the war?”

Apple Bloom shrugged.

“I heard the Griffons were movin', maybe even thinking about 'ttacking Ponyville next, since they already had Fillydelphia and Baltimare. They might've been tryin' to protect you and Rarity.”

“But we fought them off!” Sweetie exclaimed, her voice breaking slightly. “We took back Manehatten!”

“No need for yellin', girl. Maybe the only way we fought 'em off was because of yer parents.”

She thought about it, and it made sense.

Sweetie Belle readjusted her position and accidentally brushed hands with Apple Bloom. This brought a heat to her face as she apologized. Apple Bloom looked at her inquisitively, wondering why it was a big deal.

“Anything else ya wanna talk about?”

Sweetie Belle laughed awkwardly and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, battling with herself to actually tell the truth.

“Yeah, actually. Recently, I mean, after that letter came, things have kind of changed, for me.” Her voice kept catching in her throat, and her face was turning as red as Apple blooms hair.

“What I mean is, I've started to feel a bit differently- about, certain people...”

Apple Bloom's gaze was curious, and looking into her eyes only made Sweetie Belle hesitate.

“That sounds reasonable, Ah mean, I guess Ah would, dependin' on the person. Family, perhaps. Definitely Griffons.”

Sweetie laughed awkwardly again before continuing her confession. Maybe she should just stop, this was moving a bit too quickly. They'd known each other for years, but it was so sudden, and it wouldn't be fair to spring this on her best friend in a day. Hadn't she already wrote in her Diary that she was okay with being friends for the moment? Of course, that was before they had talked again, before she was reminded of how beautiful she was, and how bright her smile was, and how her laugh was so... genuine. And that was before she remembered how lonely she felt, except for when she around Apple Bloom.

It was so hard, keeping quiet now, but so hard trying to speak.

“Are you okay? Ya seem a bit flustered.”

“What I'm trying to say is,” Sweetie blurted, unable to stand it any longer. “Is I've been feeling different towards-...”

Apple Bloom nodded, waiting for her to continue. Her smile was innocent, and she was unaware of what Sweetie was actually trying to say.

“I've been feeling different about Rarity! My sister!” Sweetie finished quickly, chickening out at the last second.

“Oh, well, why didn't ya just say so? No need to be 'fraid 'bout talking 'bout yer sister bein' so mean lately.”

“Yeeaah, she's been a bit mean, let's go with that.”

Sweetie felt like banging her head against a tree. She should've just admitted to it, what could've gone wrong? But she couldn't go back now, it was too late. Well, actually, not all was lost. There would be other opportunities, she just had to wait for it. Who knows how long that take, though.

Apple Bloom continued to talk to her, but she was numb for the rest of the time they spent together as she fantasized about what could've been, almost droning out the conversation entirely.

~~~

“-No, it would've been dumb to tell her, it was better I didn't.” Sweetie Belle squinted in the dim light, barely able to see the words she now wrote in her diary. The room was completely dark, save the green flame that hovered near her book like a candle. She fetched the poster out of her pocket to stare at it again, thinking over what possibly could have happened. What was going to happen?

The sun had gone done down an hour ago, it was foolish to sit in the dark, and a strain trying to write and keep the spell going at the same time. She rose from her bed to flick on the light, only to find her sister outside her doorway. She looked sickly, slightly paler than normal, with dark shadows under her eyes.

“We need to talk, -”

In anger, Sweetie Belle attempted to slam the door on her sister. Unfortunately, Rarity reached her hand into the doorway, and it slammed on her fingers, but stopped the door from closing.

“No we don't! ”

Despite how thin she looked, Rarity was surprisingly strong, and it was a struggle keeping her out as she pushed the door.

“I don't have anything to say to you!” Sweetie Belle yelled, as a blue aura encased her, pulling her away from the door.

Rarity stepped into the room easily as Sweetie fought the magic that bound her. Deciding to fight magic with magic, she used a spell to try and push her sister, which was unsuccessful, as Rarity deflected it.

“Sit down. Now.” She ordered, as the blue glow around Sweetie Belle dispersed. She sat, but she didn't stop glaring at Rarity.

“Mom wouldn't have pushed me with her magic! She would've waited outside the door, understanding that I didn't want to see her. Why don't you go back to your workroom and mope around some more?!”

This brought tears to Rarity's eyes, and a feeling of triumph to Sweetie.

“I can't, I should've been taking better care of you, and I'm sorry.”

That wasn't good enough, it would take a lot more than a simple 'I'm sorry'.

“That's it? That's all you wanted to say?”

Rarity bit her lip and looked at the floor.

“No, I have something else to tell you.”

“Fine, what is it?”

Rarity sat down on the bed next to Sweetie Belle, causing her some discomfort.

“What's that?” She asked sweetly, pointing to the poster on the bed, next to Sweetie Belle's diary.

“It doesn't matter.” Sweetie replied bitterly as she folded it up. She grabbed her diary as well, just in case Rarity decided to grab that and snoop around. She so far didn't know anything about Sweetie Belle's fancy, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Rarity sighed. This wasn't going anywhere.

“Let me see it. Now.”

Sweetie Belle scowled, but handed it over.

Rarity read over the poster, finally settling on the picture.

“So, it was all a lie, then?” Sweetie asked, waiting for a reaction from her sister.

Rarity sadly nodded, handing it back.

“You weren't supposed to know.”

“Oh! So that just makes it all better than? Am I in the wrong for figuring it out?”

“Darling,” Rarity tried, hoping for a bit of understanding. “You were too young, you were only twelve. They didn't want you to- be upset over it, or worry.”

“How am I supposed to trust anything you have to say?! What if you lie over everything, just to spare my poor feelings?!” Sweetie yelled, standing up from the bed.

“Don't talk to me like that! I-”

“I'll talk to you however I want! Mom!”

Rarity stopped, the pain shone in her eyes. Sweetie had said something that really bothered her.

“Dad's dead! Mom's dead! You are all I have left, but you aren't even there for me!” Tears now streamed down her cheeks, but that didn't stop her from saying the one thing you should never say to anyone in your family, especially if they're the only person you have left.

“I HATE YOU!”

Sweetie threw her diary at her sister, who had been too stunned by her words to even try to deflect the book with a spell. Luckily, she brought her arms up to defend her head, where it would have hit her. Instead, it hit her arm and fell to the ground. Pages flew into the air, ripped from the binding on impact. One of these pages was a nice drawing of Apple Bloom. She sat on a limb of a tree, a big smile on her face, and a beautiful landscape behind her. It was realistic, and it felt alive, like you were actually there with her.

Rarity looked at the ground. Whether she was looking at the picture or the floor, Sweetie didn't know. She didn't know what the picture meant, and she apparently had not seen the small heart on the corner of the page before Sweetie scooped the book up, along with the ripped pages, shutting it quickly. There was a long silence as they both took in what had happened.

“Your mother isn't dead, Sweetie.” Rarity muttered, finally.

Sweetie Belle held the diary and the tore pages close to her chest, wiping away the tears that flowed down her cheeks like a river.

“What? What do you mean?” Her voice broke, and she brushed a lock of wet hair away from her eyes.

Rarity slouched forward and sighed. She had a lot of explaining to do.

“So her death was a lie too? Is it all just one big lie?” Sweetie cried, unable to believe the words.

“No, wait. Where is she?! When can I see her?!”

Rarity started to cry now as well.

“Yes, her death was a lie. Your mother never died.”

Sweetie stopped crying. Her mom was alive? Could she see her? She hadn't seen much of her mother in the past four years, would they be together again?

“But there are a lot more lies, you just have to listen to me, and I'll explain as much as I can.”

“Where is she?! Tell me where she is!” Sweetie Belle demanded, her eyes red from crying.

Rarity took a shaky breath, wondering if she could ever repair what she had put her sister through.

No, not her sister-...

“I'm- I'm not your sister Sweetie, I'm your mom.”

She wondered if she could ever repair what she had put her daughter through.

~~~