Close Bonds: Twelfth Chapter

You reach the apple stand in time to find not Applejack, but Applebloom behind the counter.

"Apples for sale!" she screeches, "Get yer apples- oh, hi, Ivan!"

"Hey, Applebloom," you chuckle, approaching the stall, "Thought you were with your friends?"

"Oh, they're right here!" Two little heads pop up from behind the counter. They wave, and simultaneously greet, "Hi Ivan!"

"Hey, girls. Didn't see ya there."

The three giggle, then turn back to you. "So, are ya here to buy some apples?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on it, but," you slap down fifteen bits, "I'll take a baker's dozen."

Applebloom studies the coins for a moment, then shakes her head. "Sorry, Ivan. Ya know Ah'm a hard bargainer."

You cock an eyebrow. "Hard bargain? This is the best you're gonna get for apples, silly filly."

"Mm-nope."

You sigh. "Alright. Name your price."

The three fillies glance at each other, then form a huddle. When they finally come out, Applebloom's face looks hard-set. "Three bits an apple."

Your eyes widen incredulously. "Three bits!? Applebloom, I'm not paying thirty-nine dollars for thirteen apples."

Applebloom cocks her head. "Doll-hairs?"

You facepalm. "Bits. Sorry."

"Well, either way, three bits each is mah final offer."

You scoop of your pile of money, and begin to turn away. "Sorry, Applebloom. I could get almost three times the apples with that amount of money."

"But they're Sweet Apple Acres apples!"

"At those prices, I think I'll manage." You place the bits in a sack in your pocket, then turn the direction of home.

As you begin to walk away, you hear a high voice call out to you. "Two bits!"

You turn. The apple merchant has a sly grin on her face.

"One–three," you say, re-approaching her.

"One–seven."

It's easy to see where this is going. "One–four."

"One–six"

"One–five."

"One-" she thinks for a moment. "Deal!"

You smile. "Good. Now, do you have the change?"

"Yeah, Ah think Ah have some 'eights 'round here somewhere." She digs through some drawers, then eventually comes up with a hoof full of small coins. "Alright. How much is that again?"

"With thirteen apples at one–five, I think that's... twenty-one bits and an eighth." You watch her go over the math, and see her smile upon confirming this.

"Alright. Gimme twenty-two bits, and Ah'll give ya back seven bits." The two other girls suddenly stare at her.

You know this is just a slip of the tongue, but decide to have fun with it. "Well, thanks, Applebloom. Seven whole bits? You should have Rarity's element."

She thinks over what you said, looking confused. You smile when her eyes widen, realizing her mistake. "Ah meant seven 'eights!"

"I know. Here." You place twenty-two bits on the counter. "Twenty-two bits. Check 'em."

She spreads out the pile, counts them, then scoops them into a drawer. "Thank ya kindly. Now, fer you," she pours seven small coins into your hand, "Seven pieces of eight."

You run your finger through them, mimicking Applebloom's earlier actions. "Alrighty. Thank ya kindly, young lady."

Before Applebloom can respond, a loud, hard voice cuts through the air. "Applebloom! The heck are ya doin'?!"

All heads turn to an angry-looking Applejack. By the angry snarl and bared front teeth, it wouldn't take a genius to tell she means business. "Ya ain't supposed ta be runnin' the stall! What in the name a' crabapples were ya thinkin'?!"

The tone in her voice has even you shrinking back into the nearest crack in the road, but Applebloom just marches right on up to her.

"Ah saw the stall was empty, so Ah took over, like a responsible mare! If ya didn't want me ta do yer duties for ya, then ya shouldn't've been slackin' off!"

Applejack literally blows steam into her sister's face. You and the fillies do your best to become invisible.

"How dare you talk to yer older sister like that! Didn't ya learn respect when you were younger?! Why, Ah oughtta take ya out back and straighten you like a piece a' wire!"

This does nothing to deter Applebloom. That surprises you, seeing as how the very trees seem to be leaning away from the argument. "You- Why don't you learn respect?! All ya ever do anymore is yell and nag at me, like Ah have no feelings! 'Applebloom, don't put salt in the pie! Applebloom, stop dragging pig shit inta the house!' 'But, Applejack, it's only mud!' 'No! Ah don't care what it is, just take it an' yerself outside!'"

All of Ponyville seems to be holding its breath. The spectacle had started to form a crowd, but you think everyone got scared off. Personally, you're too afraid to move.

The words barely seep out through Applejack's clenched teeth. "Applebloom. Follow me home."

"No!" the filly lashes out. "Ah'm stayin' with Ivan!"

Oh, shit.

No, Applebloom. Please no.

"Don't bring him inta this," Applejack glances at you for a moment before turning back to the object of her fury.

"He's already in it. He agreed ta let me stay fer a few days, ta get away from you!"

The blonde cowpony's eyes widen, then she looks at you. Her whole face twists into a look of disgust, pure anger in the form of heat radiating from the very whites of her eyes.

That's it. You expect to be dead in the next five seconds. Fortunately, instead of pounding your lights out, the apple farmer spits at your feet, then stomps off.

You watch her go into a trot, then an all-out sprint, leaving behind a trail of dust in her wake.

Applebloom turns, walking back to the three of you, who have kept silent during the whole exchange. She circles around the stand to you, then hugs your leg.

"Thanks fer bein' on my side," she says, rubbing her face on your shin.

A takes you a moment to find your voice. When you do, it comes out as little more than a whisper. "Y-yeah, sure."

You sit on your couch, flipping through letters. Rainbow left a note while you were out, saying that she was going shopping, and that she had brought home the mail from the post office. Applebloom lies on the floor, tying the little spotted runaway bag into a neckerchief.

As you sift through envelopes, you come to a particular violet-colored one. You know exactly who it is. You find this strange, seeing as how you haven't gotten a letter from Twilight in... weeks? A month? Anyhow, you peel back the sticky flap and pull out the awaiting letter.

"Sorry fer throwin' ya under the carriage back there, Ivan," Applebloom says, watching you cautiously.

You look up. The little filly seems to have finally gotten the piece of cloth around her neck. You set Twilight's letter down, and lick your lips in thought.

"Well, I can't just tell you it's okay, since you promised me you wouldn't tell Applejack." Applebloom looks at the floor, twiddling her hooves. "Not only did I get uncomfortably close to a hospital visit, but I now have your sister on my back. And possibly your grandma, and older brother."

"Granny an' Big Mac'll understand, seein' how Applejack's been actin' lately. And Ah dunno, it's jus' that Ah've been pretty angry at Applejack fer awhile now... Ah couldn't help mahself at the opportunity ta get back at 'er. I really shouldn't've gotten her mad at you too, though."

"Well, I suppose what's done is done," you say, not looking at her directly. "But seriously, you two need to reconcile. The way you were arguing-"

"Ah know, Ah know," she interrupts. She lies down on her stomach, placing her chin on her forelegs. "But it ain't that easy. It's not like we can jus' say, 'Oh, well we're sisters, so we should forgive each other' and it'll all go back to normal. Like you said, something could be botherin' her, but I would have no idea. Jus' because she's bad at lyin' don't mean she can't hide things."

You roll your eyes, playing it off as static anger. "I highly doubt that, Applebloom."

She shakes her head. "If only you knew, Ivan..."

Wait, what? "What was that, Applebloom?"

Her eyes shoot wide open and her hooves fly to her mouth. "Uh, nothin'! Nothin' at all!" Her eyes quickly dart around the room.

This has you interested. "You're as bad a liar as your sister. Now, what are you talking about?"

She attempts to take back her words again, though with less vigor this time. "I-It was nuttin'. You shouldn't worry about it."

"Come on, AB."

She looks up at you, seeing your disappointed expression. Finally, she sighs.

"Alright. Applejack's been hidin' somethin' from you. An' Ah guess Ah can't expect you ta not confront her about this, but please, please don't go around town tellin' everypony."

"You know me. I wouldn't do that," you assure. You're really starting to wonder what this is all about.

"Thanks fer that. Alright." She takes a deep breath. "Y'know how Applejack apologized about accusin' you of takin' those tools from the barn?"

"Well, it wasn't an apology so much as it was a statement of trust. But go on."

"Heh heh, trust," Applebloom rubs her neck. "She ever tell you why she believed you?"

She told you that she trusts you, and why. But the explanation on her sudden change of heart was a bit foggy. "Uh, no, not really."

"It was because you weren't the one who took the tools. It was someone else."

Your eyes widen. "Who?"

"It's gonna sound stupid..." she bites her lip and looks around tentatively before her eyes settle back on yours. "Winona."

"What?"

"Yeah, Ah know. Big Mac caught 'er diggin' up a wrench an' a hammer somewhere out in the orchard. We don't know where she hid the rest of the tools, but it was kinda clear at that point that somepony had probably jus' left the toolbox open, and the dog decided ta have a field day with it."

Your head is abuzz with questions. The first and foremost is obvious. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Applebloom seems ready for the question. "She didn't wanna look stupid. Simple as that. She fired and unfriended you fer somethin' you never did, and if word got out that it was her own dog who did it..."

"I see."

For the ponies that know you, seeing you even remotely angry tends to make them uncomfortable. Applebloom is no different. "You ain't... mad, are you?"

You consider the question carefully before answering. "Maybe a little."

Applebloom shifts from hoof to hoof uncertainly. A long silence passes, before you finally sigh and lie back across the sofa. "Oh, well. I'll deal with it later. No need to get all riled up on a Sunday."

The red-maned pony wipes her forehead with a foreleg. "Y-yeah. No need." She sees you sit back up and begin writing on the backside of Rainbow's note. Eager to change the subject, she asks, "Hey, what's that?"

"I'm writing a reminder to myself," you answer, not looking up.

Applebloom trots over to your side of the coffee table, and scrunches up her face at your note. "That don't look like Equish."

"It isn't." You end the note with a flourish of your pen. "It's English."

"Eng... lish?"

"Yeah. Kinda like Equish, but from Earth."

"Ohh." She studies the lined yellow paper for a little longer. "What does it say?"

"It says, 'Make sure Rainbow brings home meat from the specialty store.'"

"Meat? Ewww!" Applebloom scrunches up her nose and sticks out her tongue.

"Yum, for me." You rub your belly. "It's hard for me to get everything I need from eating vegetables alone. I gotta have my steak once in awhile."

Because you're still a growing boy, aren't you?

"Ah can't imagine doin' that. Don't the blood an' guts get all messy an' stuff when you eat it?"

"Looks like you'll be finding out tonight," you say, grinning impishly. Applebloom sticks out her tongue again.

"If Ah do eat. Ah can't imagine seein' that an' still havin' an appetite."

"Rainbow seems to get by. I'm sure you will."

Applebloom studies the note for a little longer, before she slaps the tip of her hoof down on the paper.

"Is that a squiggly?"

You lean over, and see the tip of her hoof on the 'M'. You shake your head.

"No, that's the 'σ'. We don't have squigglies."

"Ohh. So you don't capitalize your letters?"

"No. We have uppercase and lowercase letters. See here," you write down an 'M' and an 'm' next to each other, "This is the capital, or uppercase letter. This is the lowercase."

She scratches her head. "That's weird."

"Now imagine having to learn a language that sounded different. Essentially, Equish and English are the same, just different letters, and a few words. When you learn a whole new language... Ooh boy."

"Hm..." She scrutinizes the note. "Ah don't think I would wanna go learn a new language, but maybe you could teach me English?"

You chuckle. "I don't think you could learn it all in one night. Written English is much more complicated than Equish."

"Oh, come on! Here, just write the note in Equish and Ah bet Ah can learn all those letters that way!"

"Alright then..." you say condescendingly. Below the English version, you jot down, "~σ'•}{ ß[]⌠ ~⌠'•σo()o₩ ()⌠••σo_ß []ooσ σ••τ ¥⌠≡σ τ[]∩ ßL•ß[]Γτ•• []τo⌠ <".

Applebloom looks at the Equish version, then back to the English, then back again.

"This doesn't make sense. The letters don't even match up!"

"That's because Equish is based more on sound than anything, while English," you stare at the note for a moment, "I'm really not even sure."

"Well, maybe Ah can't learn it all in two days, but maybe Ah can come over after school sometimes?" she suggests.

"Eh, depends on how well things go over with your sister. If worst comes to worst, you may not even be allowed to talk to me for a while."

Applebloom gets a sad look, letting her eyes and ears droop towards the ground. Seeing this, you decide to hoist her up onto the couch with you.

"Doesn't mean you can't learn as much as you can in two days," you say, hoping to raise her spirits. It seems to work well enough, so you grab a stray piece of scratch paper and begin to write down the alphabet of both languages. "Now, I'm going to go in order of the English alphabet, for one because I can't remember the order in which the Equish alphabet goes, and two-"

"It starts with 'o'."

You raise an eyebrow at her. She giggles back at you. "Right, then." You scratch out what you've written already and start afresh. "We'll start with 'o'. Quite convenient really, since it's written the same way as its English equivalent, 'O'." You write the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter next to the Equish 'o'. "It makes the same sound as its Equish counterpart, but also other sounds. Provided these lessons go on, you'll eventually be learning those. Now, shall we continue?" Applebloom puts the information to mind, then quickly nods. "Alright. Now, what's the next letter in the Equish alphabet?"

"'∞'," she quickly informs you.

You bite your lip. "Okay, and I'm guessing the next one is 'oo'?"

She nods, confirming this.

You exhale. "Alright. This may be a bit confusing to you, but we don't have those letters. I'll teach you the rules on how the sounds of those letters are made later on, but let's finish our work on the alphabet first. What's the next letter?"

"'φ≡'," she says.

"Crap," you mutter under your breath. "Okay, another tricky one. 'Q' is the translation of this letter, and is written two ways, 'Q' and 'q'. Now, I want you to listen carefully, because this may confuse you..."

"And this is?" you hold up a crudely made flashcard.

"It's uh... 'H'?" Applebloom watches you, unblinking, for confirmation on whether or not she was right.

You put on a disappointed face for a moment. Then, as soon as she begins to look downtrodden, your lips curve up into a grin. "That's right! Good job!"

Her face lights up almost immediately, glee making itself known on her features. Right then, the front door opens up, and a bag-toting rainbow-maned pegasus steps inside.

"Hey, Rainbow," you wave from the couch, as does Applebloom. She greets the two of you with a raised wing and smiles.

"Got the meat?" you ask, holding up the earlier note to Applebloom. The filly giggles, while Rainbow raises a suspicious eyebrow at the inside joke.

"Yeah, sure do. You said pig ribs, right?" The words seem to have no effect on the pegasus, but you think Applebloom just threw up in her mouth a little.

"Mm-hm. Thanks for getting it for me, Rainbow." You rise to kiss her, then promptly begin taking items out of her saddlebags. You'd learned your lesson long ago about taking a single saddlebag off the side of a pony, when Twilight literally tipped over onto her side when you had done so without warning.

Fortunately, Twilight's very forgiving, and just laughed it off. However, you don't think you would have gotten away with the same thing had it been Rainbow.

"It was no biggie," she says, kissing you on the cheek. "So, what's goin' on here?"

"Just teachin' Applebloom some English," you reply, setting a few cans of corn onto the kitchen counter. Rainbow peeks her head around the corner to get a look at the earth pony in question.

"And she gets it?" Rainbow asks incredulously.

"She's getting there." You give Applebloom an encouraging smile. "Recite the alphabet for me, will you please?"

"Oh! Okay!" Applebloom closes her eyes in deep concentration, then begins. "Ay, bee, see, gee, ee, eff... Wait a minute." She puts a hoof to her mouth, realizing her mistake. "Oh, tartar sauce!"

You chuckle. "It's fine, Applebloom. Don't get frustrated. Here, take a break for tonight. We can go through it again tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Alright. Mah brain hurts, anyways." She trots off into the hallway, and you hear the bathroom door shut.

Once Applebloom's out of earshot, Rainbow turns to you. "That's really cute."

"Who? Applebloom?" You start throwing groceries into the fridge.

You shut the door and turn to face her. As soon as you do, however, you're met by a warm kiss on the nose.

"No, you." The violet-eyed pegasus caresses your cheek. "The way you can talk to foals like that. It's really cute."

"Didn't think you were into that kind of stuff, Dashie," you joke.

"Well," she turns, flicking her tail as she looks back at you, "now you know."

Author's Note

You know those little details that seem so unimportant at the time that you read them, but are actually essential to later chapters?

There's a lot more where that came from, my friends.

Thanks go to my proofreader, hwrogers, for his input on language and whatnot. I'm wondering if any of you will ever crack the code for written Equish in this story.

Oh, and after this arc, I may be taking another break. I want to finish a few projects I started on, that I believe most of you will enjoy.

Sneaky out!