Family Matters

by The_EE

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Applejack, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 6434

Apple Bloom asks Applejack about family

Apple Bloom has been quiet lately and it's up to her friends and family to find out what has been causing her grief. Honesty, when poorly handled, can bring about more pain however, for sometimes the things that matter the most can also seem the furthest away.

Published 2012-09-15 06:34:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-15 06:34:01 UTC

Family Matters

Family Matters

By The_EE

"I know that look," Rarity said. She paused to sigh as she prepared herself for the inevitable. "Alright, what did you break this time?"

Sweetie Belle lifted her head up from her dinner and gave a confused look. "Huh? Nothing." Having said that she turned back to the plate and gave it a tentative prod.

Rarity was silent for a while, then pushed her plate aside. She leaned in closer. "Alright then. If it's not guilt, then there is something else bothering you. Just spit it out."

A single green pea fell back onto Sweetie's plate, eliciting a groan from the elder unicorn. "Not literally, dear..." A moment of silence passed while the dressmaker rubbed her brow. "Well, what is it?"

"Eh, it's probably nothing," Sweetie Belle said.

"Probably nothing could still be something, dear. Go on."

"Well, it's about Apple Bloom. She's been blowing off crusading all week and today she missed school and, uh... I've just started wondering, that's all."

“Oh. Do you think there's something wrong?”

“I dunno. Maybe? I tried asking her yesterday, but she said that everything was fine. Didn't look that fine to me though.”

“Well, if you're worried I believe you." Rarity paused to think for a moment. "How about if I went to talk to Applejack about it? She could ask her if there's something wrong.”

Sweetie Belle's breath stopped in her throat and her eyes widened slightly. “No, please don't.”

“Why not?”

“Remember when we reprinted your diary? She'll just get mad at me for poking my nose into her business.”

“That,” Rarity began, but stopped. Her facial expression froze in a way not unlike when holding back a sneeze. The slightest twitch appeared in the corner of her eye as the memory of the incident with the school paper came rushing back. She swallowed hard and her expression turned back to one of serenity—albeit deceptively so. "That is hardly the same thing. And I highly doubt that she would get mad. But I guess you do have a point, something like that might upset her—if she takes after her sister at all, that is.” She tapped her hoof gently against the table. “But what if I asked Cheerilee if she's noticed anything? She could talk to Apple Bloom and find out what, if anything, is wrong.”

Sweetie Belle seemed to be fine with the idea, and gave an approving nod. Rarity couldn't help but smile a little; perhaps her lessons in the ways of subtlety hadn't been completely in vain after all.

“I'll go give her a visit later tonight. Don't worry, I'm certain it's nothing serious.”

“Oh, Apple Bloom?” Cheerilee called out as the last lesson of the week ended. The filly stopped in her tracks, merely a few paces from the door.

“Yes?” she said, gulping reflexively.

“Could you stay for a while? I was hoping I could talk to you about something really quick.” Cheerilee paused to wait for a response. The filly gave a cautious nod.

”Please, take a seat.”

Apple Bloom did as she was asked to and took the nearest seat in the front of the room. She fidgeted around nervously as the teacher walked up to her desk. After a moment she returned with a sheet of paper in her teeth. Apple Bloom recognized it immediately: it was the geography test from Monday. She gulped a little louder.

“I wasn't going to return these until after the weekend, but... well, just look.”

The page was littered with red tick marks, with only the occasional hint of green thrown into the mix. The same continued on the next page, where at the end the final score was written down.

“That ain't too bad, right?” the filly asked, or more accurately, hoped. She gave an uneasy smile. “Ah mean, nine is still pretty good.”

“That's nine out of forty,” Cheerilee said, in a level tone bordering deadpan, “and on a multiple choice test like this one it's worse than what you'd get by guessing. I'm sorry, but it's pretty bad.”

“Ah'm sorry, Ah'll do better next time. Honest.” The filly shrunk back and looked down at her hooves.

“It's quite alright. I know you can do better and if it was just the test I wouldn't have thought twice about it,” Cheerilee leaned against the edge of the desk and flashed a brief smile before she continued, “but I've noticed you've been pretty preoccupied lately and I just wanted to ask: is there something troubling you?”

Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably in her seat as her eyes drifted from Cheerilee back to the paper on the table. She took a sharp breath and was about to say something, but decided against it, and opted for a slow exhale instead. A moment of uncomfortable silence ensued.

“I'll take that as a yes, then. It's alright, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just a little concerned, that's all.” She gave the filly a gentle pat on the back. “But if there's anything, and I mean anything, you want to talk about, just know that I'm always willing to listen.”

Another long silence followed. Then the filly suddenly spoke up.

“Ah guess,” she began, “since you asked and all. Ah just don't know if Ah should talk about it. 'S kinda personal.”

“Is there something wrong at home?” the teacher asked, her voice filled with genuine concern. To her relief the filly quickly shook her head.

“No, everything's fine...”

Cheerilee felt a smile flash on her face as she leaned in closer. To her surprise the filly turned her head, as if to avoid her gaze.

“I've been thinking about family, that's all."

Cheerilee suddenly got the most peculiar feeling in her gut. It was the unpleasant tingly kind one gets when going in way over one's head, the kind that serves as a warning. It didn't have time to fully materialize, however.

“About mah parents,” the filly clarified.

And there it was, the teacher thought as she felt a lump rise in her throat. When Rarity had come to see her the previous night she had been certain that the issue was over something relatively harmless, as it often was with her students; a schoolyard crush, something mean said or done during recess, a falling out between friends or something else to that effect. Now, however, she wasn't sure she hadn't just bitten off more than she could chew. Still, there was no turning back. Drawing on her years of experience she quickly worked out the best way to continue forward.

Her mouth acted faster than her brain, however, and let out an "oh". She shut her mouth quickly and mentally berated herself for not coming up with anything intelligent to say. She took a brief pause and continued, “I mean, please go on.”

“Well, Ah been wonderin' about them for a while now. Ah know dad left.” The filly paused to give the slightest sneer. “And mom died when Ah was little, but that's all Ah know.”

“I'm so sorry.”

“'S alright. It's not like Ah knew them or anything.”

“But it still bothers you. Have you asked your sister about it? Or Big Macintosh, or Granny Smith? I'm sure they would—” she was interrupted by an exasperated sigh from the filly.

Apple Bloom slumped back in her chair and pouted. “It's no use. AJ just starts talking 'bout the weather or something, Big Mac tells me to ask Granny Smith and Granny Smith says she'll tell me when Ah'm older. I've tried and it's always the same.”

“Oh,” was all Cheerilee managed. Try as she might, she couldn't find the right words to say.

“Yeah, that's about it. Can Ah go home now?”

“Sure, sure... uh, see you on Monday.” She fell quiet as she turned to look at the filly, who was already making her way towards the door. “Have a nice weekend,” she added, though it was just an afterthought.

The filly stopped and turned to look over her shoulder. “You too,” she said before trotting out. The door creaked shut slowly behind her.

Cheerilee remained where she stood for a long while, lost in thought. Had she just made things worse by asking?

The afternoon dragged on lazily. Apple Bloom had spent most of it lying on her bed. Her schoolbooks had been tossed about haphazardly: a couple lay open on her desk but most were scattered about and were littering the floor. A mixture of school supplies spilled out from her open saddlebag in the corner. A thick beam of sunlight shone into the room and little specks of dust could be seen dancing in its glow. The filly hid her head under her pillow, hoping to escape the light, but she could still feel the warmth it cast on her back. For some reason she found the sensation irritating.

She knew she should have been out playing with her friends, but she wasn't feeling like it. She wasn't feeling like anything. She was lost in her thoughts, but even those were going nowhere fast. She let out a lengthy sigh.

A knock on her door awoke her from her half-sleep. She turned to face the door just as it cracked open, and was greeted by a freckled face.

“Hey-a, AB. How's it hanging?” Applejack said.

“Fine,” Apple Bloom replied, partly muffled by the pillow.

“Don't look fine to me, sorry for saying.” Applejack trotted closer, and stopped at the foot of the bed. “You've been awfully quiet. Something on yer mind?”

“No. Everything's just fine an' dandy.”

Applejack frowned and bit her lip. “So ya keep telling me. Come on now, what's eating ya? Ya know ya can tell me anything.”

“Nothing to tell.” The filly snorted and turned to her side, facing the wall. “I said everything's fine.”

Apple Bloom had expected to hear hoofsteps leading to her door, followed by a creak from the hinge as it shut. That didn't happen, though, and instead she felt the mattress give a little as Applejack sat down next to her. She felt a rub on her shoulder and could hear her sister sigh.

“Ah was going to have this talk with ya a little later, but then Cheerilee gave me a lil' visit, caught me up in the orchard. Ah hafta say Ah was a little surprised, though Ah suppose Ah shouldn't have been.”

“Ah just—” Apple Bloom started with a sudden rush of panic in her voice. She was silenced by a gentle pat on her shoulder.

“Now don't ya worry none.” Applejack gave a quick smile. “Ah ain't mad or nothin', ain't no reason ta be. Ah just wish ya would've talked to me first, but Ah s'pose after how we've been treating ya, Ah can hardly blame ya.” She gave a lengthy sigh and rubbed her forearm. “Ah know Granny says ya should know when yer a little older, but Ah also know this thing has been eating at ya fer a long time and Ah hafta say Ah agree with Cheerilee. Yer not some little foal anymore. Now, Ah respect Granny's opinion and all, but just this once Ah say to hay with what she thinks, ya need to know... so ask me an' Ah'll tell ya.”

“Well, um,” the filly began. She turned to her other side, facing her sister. “Ah don't even know what to ask. All Ah know is dad left and mom—” her voice shrunk away to nothing.

“So you want to hear the whole story,” Applejack said, then edged herself a little closer. She rested a hoof against her sister's side, and gave her a loving smile. She couldn't help but think how much the filly had grown. Just the previous year she had learned where foals came from—a talk that had been much easier than the mare had anticipated—and now she'd be learning about some of their family's darker times. Still, answers led to more questions and Apple Bloom was no different from any other filly in that regard.

“Ah'm not much of a story teller, but Ah'll tell ya what ya want to know. But Ah hafta warn ya, it's a long story and a pretty hard one at that. Are ya sure yer ready?”

Apple Bloom just nodded.

"Guess that was a dumb question... 'right then, from the beginning. When mom and dad got married they were both pretty young, mom wasn't much older than what Ah am now, Ah reckon. They were in a bit of a hurry—and Ah don't want you going around saying this now—because Big Mac was already on the way then. He was born just a little after the wedding. Now, Ah wasn't around yet, obviously, but from what Ah heard things were going pretty smooth, save for that little whoopsie. Mom had just inherited the farm and business was doing well.

"It was right around the time that Ah was born when things started to change. It was no one thing in particular, but things started to add up slowly. There had been a few bad harvests; a problem with some sort of mold that attacked the trees in the orchard. That put a pretty nasty dent in the farm's accounts. Earliest Ah can remember is that mom and dad loved us a whole lot, but Ah remember a whole lotta arguing about money. Ah guess there was arguing about some other things too. Sometimes after a fight one of them would leave for a while. Dad would usually come back for the night, but mom could stay away for a day or two, when things had gotten really heated.

"Then it happened, Ah still remember it as crisp and clear as ever. Ah was about your age, maybe a little older. It was early spring and Ah had just come home from school when mom called us all to gather up in the living room. She was smiling so wide Ah thought her head might pop off. She told us that we were going to have another baby brother or sister. Now, Ah was excited as hay, and so was Big Mac, but dad..."

Applejack paused to take a deep breath. There was a somber glint in her eyes as she continued, "Well, he just lost it right then and there. Now he'd never lay a hoof on any of us, but Ah knew he could get real' mad if he wanted to. He was a big stallion and he could be really scary when he was like that. He was screaming so loud it hurt my ears, about how we'd all starve if there was another mouth to feed, all these horrible things that weren't even true.”

She paused for a while. Her gaze was focused into the distance, locked onto something that wasn't there anymore. She remained that way for a while, but slowly her eyes drifted back to the filly lying beside her.

“There was a whole lotta arguing that night again. Money had been tight, true, but he'd never been that mad before. Ah remember coming down for a glass of water in the night, after it had all quieted down. Ah saw dad lying on the couch in the living room, in the dark. He had a bottle with him. Now, he really wasn't one for drinkin', just the occasional sip, but that night he was as drunk as a skunk. Ah don't think he noticed me, cause Ah heard him crying. Ah had never seen him do that before, but there he was, weeping like a foal. Ah was jus' a little filly, so Ah didn't really understand. But knowing what Ah know now, Ah can't really blame him for getting upset. It makes sense, mom going out and all...”

Applejack bit down on her tongue, knowing full well that it was too little, too late. As a faint metallic taste spread in her mouth, so did a cold feeling in her gut. Honesty was a commendable trait in any pony, and one she held to a high regard at that, but to her it sometimes meant blurting out things better left unsaid. Lying was something she'd never resort to, but omission was more of a gray area.

Looking down she could see Apple Bloom still waiting for her to continue. She sighed quietly in relief; the filly hadn't caught on. Content in the knowledge that it would come a time for another talk in the future, possibly when the filly found her cutie mark, she continued, “But Ah still haven't forgiven him for what he did next.” She gave a shake of her head. ”Just a few days later he had had enough. Packed up his things and just up and left. At first Ah thought he was coming back, guess we all did, but after the first snow had fallen Ah think we all realized that wasn't going to happen. Ah remember how things used ta be, he did love us, but Ah guess in the end the one he loved the most was himself."

Applejack paused when she saw the look her sister was giving her. She noticed the bitter taste the words had left in her mouth and washed it away with a quick smile, or at least tried to.

"Ah'm sorry, Ah shouldn't be talking about mah own issues. Ah don't want you hating the old colt when you weren't even there. He wasn't a bad pony, but nopony is perfect. It's just, it's hard for me to even think about him. To be honest Ah still don't know what Ah think. If Ah saw him again Ah'm not so sure whether Ah would hug him or buck his stupid face in. Probably give him a little of both." She finished with a light chuckle, although it seemed a little hollow. Apple Bloom remained unconvinced, however. She scratched at her temple and gave a confused look.

“See this hat here?” Applejack asked. “Ah never told you the story behind it, did I?”

Apple Bloom shook her head, but there was a new curious look in her eyes. Applejack gave her a faint smile as she took her stetson off. She held the hat in her lap and ran a hoof along the brim.

“It used to be dad's. He'd rarely take it off. Shewt, probably wouldn't have even taken it off to wash his mane unless mom hadn't made him, he loved it that much. But then, on the night he left, he snuck into my room and left it hanging on mah bed post. Ah woke up the next morning and found a note tucked inside. Do ya know what it said?”

The filly didn't say anything, not that Applejack had expected her to. She exhaled slowly and allowed her gaze to wander the far wall for a moment before turning back to the filly. A small smile had formed on her lips.

“It said 'I still love you' and nothing more, nothing less. Ah could see that he'd wanted to say more, but that was the best he came up with. Guess he wasn't one for words much, anyway. Ah would show ya, but Ah kinda tore that note to shreds a long time ago. At the time Ah didn't understand why he'd do such a thing, but then again Ah didn't understand much back then. But Ah s'pose he wanted to give me something to remember him by. To show that he did care. That's why Ah can't bring ma'self to hating him, even if it'd be easier that way, and neither should you. See, what he did hurt, still hurts a little today. But it hurt him too, probably more than Ah can even imagine.”

Applejack paused when she felt a thin wet trail form on her cheek, and quickly wiped her eyes. She was a little surprised she still had a tear or two left for her father. She gave a slight sniffle, but that was the end of it. Deep inside she was happy that Apple Bloom hadn't noticed.

“He wasn't a bad pony. Just a coward.”

“Haven't y'all ever heard from him again?” Apple Bloom asked. “Didn't ya try to find him again? Try to get him to come back?”

Applejack sighed heavily and shook her head. “There are many ways for a pony to disappear, if they want to. An' still, it's not that simple, things like that rarely are.”

Apple Bloom realized that it was the best answer she was going to get, and let the matter drop.

“So what happened after dad left?”

“Ah ain't gonna lie, things were pretty rough on the farm after that. Rougher than they had been, in any case. We couldn't afford as much help as before an'... well, Ah wanted to help the best Ah could. Ah would still go to school whenever Ah had the chance, but Ah was still falling behind. That's why Big Mac is so much better at math an' stuff than Ah am, he was already out when all that happened. Me? Ah never did get much past third grade. Had to grow up pretty fast...” Applejack trailed off, getting lost in thought for a moment.

“But Ah ain't bitter or nothin'," she added quickly. "It's just how things were back then. With mom being pregnant with you she couldn't really work and with the bad harvests having left us short on money we were in a pretty tight spot. We couldn't hire the help we needed since we simply weren't making ends meet. There really wasn't much we could do... ya know how big the farm is?"

The sudden question gave the filly pause. She thought for a while, but only managed a "yeah" in the end.

"Did ya know it used ta be even bigger?"

Apple Bloom didn't have an answer to that. Applejack gave her a soft smile.

"It was, and not even too long ago. Ya know the carrot fields not far from here? With the big barn on the hill and whatnot? There used ta be an apple orchard there. Those were young trees, planted just before mom and dad got married. We had ta sell some of the land to make ends meet and since they were too young to yield a decent crop they had to go. 'S good land for growing—the best in Ponyville Ah reckon—an' we didn't have much trouble finding a buyer. Got a good price for it too an' it saved us, but—" Applejack bit her lip.

"Is that why you and the Carrots don't get along?"

"Now, we and the Carrots get along jus' fine," Applejack was quick to answer, "we were selling, can't blame them for buying. 'Twas a fair deal. But... Ah guess it's true, we're not exactly the best of friends. It hurt a lot back then, it still hurts a little today, but it's okay because we're still here. Sweet Apple Acres has been around as long as Ponyville an' it was better to let a part of it go than to lose it all. There's jus' one thing Ah have to ask you: now that ya know, never bring it up when Granny is around. As much at it hurt me an' Mac, it hurt her a lot more. The farm is her life's work and Ah can't imagine what it must have been like to see even a little part of it go."

“Ah'm sorry.”

“Don't be. It was some rough times, but what's important is that we survived. And it wasn't all bad. Since there was less land to take care of we could manage much better, especially after some relatives came over for the summer to help. That's what's so great about our family: we all look after each other.”

Apple Bloom sat up slowly and leaned against her sister's side. Her shaky breathing gave away what was on her mind and Applejack pulled her closer, trying to reassure her.

"So things would have been alright, but then mom...” Apple Bloom's voice quivered as she trailed off. "What happened next?”

“The summer came and went an' we had our harvest, 'twas was a little better than the year before too. Seemed like things were finally looking up, but...” Applejack fell silent and pulled her sister in for a hug. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt a little quiver herself. There was no easy way to put what she was going to say next. Not for her to say, or for Apple Bloom to hear. She took a calming breath.

"But life can be tricky sometimes. Mom was a pretty strong mare, but she got terribly sick just a little before you were born," her voice shook and she took a moment to let it die out before continuing, "and she wasn't getting any better. Now, foalbirth is pretty hard even in the best of circumstances and... it took a lot out of her."

Apple Bloom just shrunk against her sister's side. She let out a pained whimper as she stuck her cheek against her chest. So far she had been holding together, but couldn't anymore. The first tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto her sister's coat.

"Ah know it hurts, it hurts me just the same. But Ah hafta say, even with how sick she was, Ah don't think mom had ever been so happy as she was right then. She had been so worried that her being sick might hurt you and when she saw that you were perfectly healthy, well, let's just say Ah haven't seen anypony smile as wide as mom did when she got to hold ya.”

Applejack stopped when she felt her sister tremble against her chest. She ran a gentle hoof up and down the filly's back until her shivering calmed down again.

“Thinking about that always makes me feel better. Well, that and Ah like to think that mom isn't really gone. Now, Ah don't think Ah believe in those great pastures in the sky and what-not, that's more Granny Smith's thing. But Ah still like to think that mom isn't completely gone, that there's a part of her in all three of us. An' if she really is somewhere up there, Ah know she's smiling every time she sees us, sees how well things are now.”

Apple Bloom had stopped fighting the tears and was openly sobbing into her sister's coat. Applejack took another minute to calm her by running a hoof through her mane.

“Still, Ah think it was that whole week that Ah cried ma'self to sleep, every night. Then Ah would wake up not knowing what Ah was going to do. Ain't gonna lie, 'twas probably the worst time of my life. Worst Ah ever felt, in any case."

"Why'd you stop?" Apple Bloom asked in between her sobs. For her question she received a kiss on her forehead. It was a small gesture, but enough to make her calm down a little.

"Because one night Ah realized that even though mom was gone, there was a farm that needed runnin' an' a new little sister to take care of. There's only so many tears a pony can cry, after all. Life goes on and it's not like we were alone or nothin'. Remember aunt and uncle Cobbler from last year's reunion? They came over to help us after mom passed away and stayed for the whole year, until things got more stable. They're some good ponies an' things would've been a lot harder if it weren't for them. Next time ya see them ya might want to give 'em both a big hug."

After Applejack had finished telling her story the room fell quiet, save for Apple Bloom's muffled sobbing. The minutes passed in that silence until Apple Bloom said something almost inaudibly against her sister's chest.

“What was that sugarcube? Ah didn't hear,” Applejack said.

The filly pulled herself away slightly and looked up. When she spoke again the words stuck to her throat. "Y'all must hate me."

"Hate you? Why would we ever...? Ah love ya, ya know Ah do. We all do."

The filly didn't say anything and even the sobbing stopped. The room fell silent.

“Sugarcube?”

"Don't ya see it's all my fault?!” the filly burst out. “If it weren't for me dad wouldn't have left, you could have gone to school, Granny wouldn't have had to sell the land and mom wouldn't have—“ the filly stifled a sob. “Everypony woulda been better off without me."

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack hissed. She was a little surprised herself at her own sternness, and continued, calmer, "Don't you let me hear you say a stupid thing like that ever again. Ah love you, Big Mac loves you, Granny Smith loves you and all your friends love you. Don't think for a second that we'd be better off without you, because that's a bunch of horse apples and you know it. All you've done is make all our lives so much better. There's no reason to blame yourself for any of that. None of it is your fault. None."

“But it is,” Apple Bloom said into her sister's coat. She jerked herself away violently enough to make Applejack flinch. The mattress bounced up and down as the filly landed onto her side. “You're a terrible liar,” she added before burying her head into her hooves.

Applejack tried to reach out for her, but her hoof was slapped away in a quick motion. She slumped down with a defeated frown on her face.

“You're upset,” she said after a pause. “Ah understand that. Ah wish there was something Ah could say to make ya feel better, but Ah suppose there ain't.” She reached her hoof out again and managed a gentle brush on her sister's cheek before being swatted away again.

“Ah said it was going to be hard, but now ya know. Would ya like for me to stay, or would ya like to be alone for a while?”

“Alone. Ah want to be alone,” came the muffled answer. The filly finished with a watery, yet sour snort.

Applejack got back up slowly, and trotted away with her head hanging low. She stopped at the door to look at the filly lying face down on the bed.

“Jus' remember that Ah love ya, no matter what. An' if ya need to blame somepony, blame me. It's been wrong of us, not telling ya. I guess we thought that if we did ya wouldn't be the same happy little filly anymore. But ya ain't a little filly anymore, now are ya?" When there was no reply she shook her head. “Ah'll come check up on ya in a while,” she called from the door frame.

No sooner than Applejack had left Apple Bloom started tossing and turning on her bed, but it was to no avail. There simply was no way to get comfortable. Turning to her other side her eyes landed on the chair beside her desk. Or rather what caught her attention was what was on the chair. It was Mr. Scruffles: an obviously hoof-made, vaguely pony-shaped stuffed animal that had definitely seen better years. Apple Bloom had come up with the name as a foal, although it had probably had many others as well, as it had been passed from generation to generation. By the time it had been handed down to the youngest addition to the family it had already been quite worn out, thus earning his name. While it hadn't ever been her favorite toy, it had still been the one to most often earn a spot next to her at night. It had been a while, but she figured she could use the company.

The filly dragged the doll onto her bed and lied back down. She clutched the vaguely pony-shaped mass of stuffed animal against her chest and closed her eyes, but soon found it to be of no use. Even Mr. Scruffles couldn't make her feel better. The filly let out a frustrated snort and tossed the doll across the room, where it bounced off of her dresser and landed face down on the floor. Applejack had been right about one thing: she wasn't some little filly anymore. With that thought she buried her face into the pillow, hoping that it would be enough to muffle the sound, and let out a frustrated cry.

The minutes passed, but there was no rest to be had. It had to be the air, Apple Bloom thought. It was stale and heavy with a deep wooden scent, almost oppressive. The dust laden air of the old house was clinging to her throat, making it hard to breathe. Getting back up she wondered why it hadn't bothered her earlier. The thought was forgotten quickly, however, as her legs felt far too restless for lying down in any case. She decided she needed some fresh air and got up. She trotted towards the door, but stopped when she crossed the doll still lying on the floor. She felt a little silly for doing it, but still picked the toy up and trotted back to her bed. She rested the doll gently against her pillow.

It wasn't his fault, after all.

Having closed the door to her room as quietly as she could, Apple Bloom started her descent down the stairs. Previous times sneaking out had taught her the position of potentially creaky boards, and as such she had become quite apt at slipping out unnoticed. Her hopes were dashed just as she reached the front door, however. A familiar voice called out to her.

“Apple Bloom? Where are ya going?”

The filly stopped at the sound of the voice and sat down by the door to wait. Her ears drooped down, as did her gaze.

“Ah was jus' going for a walk,” Apple Bloom said, not daring to lift her head.

Much to her surprise her sister didn't want to stop her, but instead gave her a nuzzle. “Ah understand,” she said. “But at least tell me where yer going.”

“Just the orchard Ah guess. Somewhere near the clubhouse.”

“Alright. If ya want to talk some more just come and find me, okay?”

“Ah think Ah just want to be alone for a while.” The filly trotted out and shut the door behind her. She could hear another voice speak up from the inside.

“What the hay was that about?”

It was muffled, but she could still make it out. The rest of the conversation was lost to her as she quickly trotted out of earshot. She didn't feel like eavesdropping—not that it was a nice thing to do in any case. She had been taught that much.

Apple Bloom stirred awake. She felt how her cheek was damp, as was the spot on the carpet she had been resting her head on. She quickly remembered how she had trotted to the clubhouse and collapsed on the carpet the moment she got there. What she didn't remember was crying that much, but the evidence said otherwise. She sighed. At some point she had fallen asleep and she couldn't help but wonder just how much time had passed.

Opening her eyes she found that night had already fallen, draping the land in darkness. A beam of pale blue moonlight filtered in through the open window of the clubhouse, providing just enough light to see. It had rained at some point, as evidenced by the occasional drip as a droplet or two fell down from the leaves and onto the roof. The air was cool and damp and she could see her breath fuming in the dim light, yet she didn't feel the chill she had expected to. If anything, she felt warm.

It took her a while to notice the blanket that had been wrapped around her, but it wasn't the only source of warmth. A familiar arm was wrapped over her side, holding her firmly but gently, and in the silence she could hear and feel the calm breath and heartbeat of the other pony lying against her side. Turning around she came face to face with the unexpected visitor. She recognized that freckled face immediately and, without a second thought, nuzzled under her chin. Applejack shifted slightly as the filly curled up to her. They were both awake, but for a moment neither dared to say a thing.

Applejack was the first to break the silence.

"Ah'm sorry," she whispered. "Ah know ya wanted to be alone, but Ah just couldn't bear the thought. Besides, Ah needed someplace to go anyway. Ah had Granny Smith nearly chew mah ear off after she heard what Ah had told ya. Will ya forgive me?"

"Ah forgive ya," Apple Bloom said. She was baffled by her sister's question. There was nothing to forgive, if anything she was the one who had been acting like a foal. She fell silent for a while and her voice shrunk when she continued, "Ah'm sorry Granny's mad at ya."

"Don't ya worry none. She's mad at me now, but she'll calm down. We've had worse run-ins before."

For a while everything was quiet. A cold breeze passed through the orchard, rustling the leaves of the apple trees as it went by. Finally it found its way through the cracks between the floorboards. Apple Bloom found herself curling deeper into her sister's welcoming embrace, though she had already dropped the pretense of it being just for the sake of physical warmth.

"Thanks, AJ," the filly said finally. Her words were partly muffled by her sister's coat. "You're the best."

"Anything to make my favorite lil' sis' feel better."

"Ah'm your only little sister."

Applejack gave a chuckle and tussled her sister's mane. She planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling her tighter against her chest and resting the filly's head safely under her chin. She exhaled slowly and let her eyelids fall as a smile spread on her lips.

"Ah know."

And here I thought ponies were supposed to be a happy thing.

Thank you for reading, whoever you may be.

Yours in love and tolerance,

–The_EE

P.S. If you liked this, why not check out some of my other stories?

Disclaimer: Rainbow Dash is still best pony. Was there ever any doubt?