Me and Applejack stared at each other before she looked away. I gave a triumphant smirk at winning our impromptu staring match and gazed at the sun in the sky. I lifted my apple juice bottle to my lips and took a sip. I swear, these people did everything with apples.

“So uhm how ya been?” Applejack asked nervously.

“Good.”

“That’s good. How is home life?” Applejack pressed.

“Why do you care?” I asked cautiously.

“Ah always care about my fam-” I gave her a look that hopefully she would get meant she was treading in dangerous waters by calling me that. “Friends home life. If we are friends of course still. Ah would understand if we ain’t.”

I took a deep breath and looked at down at my half eaten sandwich. A fly was crawling on my jeans and I swatted at it, watching it fly off. Flies are annoying creatures.

“I never stopped being your friend,” I admitted. Applejack gave me a confused look.

“But ya have been avoiding me for a month and a half,” Applejack pointed out.

“I needed my space to figure out how I felt about you. And I was busy with my friends and family.”

“And uh how do ya feel about me?”

“I’m still mad at you. Mainly for being so damn thickheaded. And for being related to the mastermind of the account that made my life hell but you don’t have any control over who your family is. You certainly made that clear with me,” I said coolly.

“Ah never got the chance to say this but ah’m sorry about your mom,” Applejack sighed. “Ah know how that feels.”

“Yeah me too,” I let out a sigh of my own.

“Do ya wanna talk-”

“No,” I interrupted her. “I don’t.” Applejack stared at me before nodding. I hadn’t even talk to Lyra or the others about it yet.

“Ah meant talk about what this means for us. Not your mom. Ah assume ya ain’t comfortable enough to talk about her yet,” Applejack said.

“Oh sorry. Yeah I’m not remotely ready for that. I only talk to my family about that,” I said casually as Applejack tensed up. “Not people who lie about me being family.” She flinched at my intentional jab at her and sighed.

“Ah never lied to ya about being mah family,” Applejack said. “Ah was tellin the truth.” I snorted at that.

“Could have fooled me.” Applejack grabbed my hands and I fought with the decision to yank them away. I cautiously decided to let her do her thing.

“Ah am sorry. Ah know you’re gettin a lot of that recently but ah’m telling the truth. Ah know ah didn’t act like your family and ah deeply regret it. Ah didn’t talk to Bloom for a solid two weeks or so when we got home. Granny and Big Mac practically had to force us to speak to each other.” I sighed and looked at the sky. I didn’t have to be Octavia to know she was being honest.

“It’s gonna take a while for me to trust you again. After all, why should I care about a group of girls who I know for five or six months who only became my friend because of a promise they made to a pony princess and then threw me away at the first sight of someone framing me?” I asked bitterly. Applejack looked away sheepishly.

“Ah didn’t become your friend because of a promise to Twi. Ah promised because ah wanted to help ya be a better person. In all honesty, if yah had admitted to being behind the account, ah’d have forgiven ya and helped ya make it right.”

“I wasn’t really feeling going down for something that I didn’t do. I was too depressed to do anything really other than want to lie in bed and hope it was all a bad dream. I don’t get why I was so upset about it. No one would have even thought about doing this to old me. And if they did, she would have obliterated them with ruthless uncaring revenge and humiliated them,” I admitted as Applejack released my hands and gave me a stern look.

“The old you was a bully who was alone except for one person who never cared about anyone but herself. She was a cruel girl who used everyone around her,” Applejack reminded me. I rolled my eyes in frustration.

Okay she did have a point there. I hate to admit it but she did. Old me also wouldn’t have gotten hurt if she didn’t have friends. At the same time, I was pretty happy with my life now and especially Derpy.

“Like I said, it’s gonna take a while to trust you. But you’re on the right road so far. We can discuss this more later. I shouldn’t blame you for not seeing Apple Bloom lying to your face about her involvement. You are blind when it comes to her after all.”

“Ah am not blind to her. What makes ya say ah am?” Applejack asked curiously.

“Hm what did she tell you about me coming to help on the farm?” I asked with a smug grin. Applejack gave me a confused look as she straightened her hat. I crushed my empty juice bottle and put it in the paper bag her sister had given me. Don’t wanna litter after all. Save the planet and all that shit. Plus the eco kids would be out for blood and come for my head if they found out I left it just sitting here.

“Uh that ya came up to her and said that ya volunteered to help us out. Ah was happy because ah had hoped it meant ya wanted to talk to me again,” Applejack admitted.

“Yeah no. She came up to me and said you needed help on the farm because Rainbow and the others were busy and couldn’t make it out here,” I chuckled humorlessly as Applejacks features hardened and she narrowed her eyes.

“Apple Bloom! Get out here now!” Applejack shouted and my smug grin turned cold.

“Guess I was right.”

Author's Note

If anyone knows where I can like get custom made cover pictures for my stories, lmk please lol. I think that would be cool as fuck to have.