Apples and Tiaras

in the days following their hookup, Applebloom and Tiara are working to find a good apartment downtown. with Zim and Snowdrop going to become parents themselves, they're gonna need all the room they need. they don't know how many they'll have and both Bloom and Tiara want them to have as much room as possible to raise the tyke(s). Plus, they all saw Full Stabble and don't want to be in that kind of situation. 10 ponies living under one roof- yeesh. and they wish to do this by themselves; no help from Zim or Snowdrop or anyone.

Zim asked 'why not move into Tiara's place?' Tiara replied that her father isn't exactly a big fan of Filly-Foolers. in fact, he despises them. and if he found out that his own daughter was a Filly-Fooler herself, then Filthy Rich would throw a fit. and from what Tiara said, while he's kind and calm in public, in private he's a different stallion. and Tiara's afraid of that Filthy Rich.

Applebloom wasn't eager to tell her friends yet. if they found out she's dating their worst enemy, they'd throw a fit (and boy, will they). If anyone from Ponyville comes to Trottingham and finds out; sure. she'll have to explain it to them. it's gonna be difficult with Applejack, but still.

"Hmm... how about this one?" Tiara pointed out a 2-bedroom, 1 bath apartment above a Marenese restuarant downtown. "It'll smell good every day."

Applebloom wasn't so keen on that. "Marenese always gives me a stomach ache, either by smell or eats."

okay, so that's out. Tiara grabbed the newspaper and looked again. Newspapers from the past month were littered on the living room floor, with all the classifieds circled then crossed out. they are on the last paper, which is the most recent one, and they had complete trouble.

"here's one." Applebloom said. "3 bedroom- 2 bath- nice view, and it's a steal at 375 Bits a month."

Tiara whistled. "Nice. bit it's a bit expensive."

"Your dad is one of the richest ponies in Equestria! surely he can split the bill for a few months."

"But if he finds out that his only daughter is a Filly-Fooler, he'll run you out of town."

Applebloom forgot about that. She remember's him not being the most loving when Lyra and Bonbon got married, same with Vinyl and Octavia. and when Luna married Trixie, he's the only one who didn't cheer. of course, not many ponies did what with the Changelings attacking that same day.

The main door opened and Zim and Snowdrop walked in. "Hey you two, what's going on?" Snowdrop asked.

Applebloom put her paper down. "Trying to find a apartment. and it's hard. we just went though all the classifieds and not one of them sounded good. and when we did find one, we found a con: most of them involving Filthy Rich. he's anti-gay."

both Zim and Snowdrop went "oh..." that is going to be hard. "Wait. why are you looking for a apartment?" Zim asked.

"So all 4 of us can have room to raise our kids." Tiara explained. "I'm certain you want room to raise your coming bundle of joy."

Snowdrop and Zim looked at each other. "Well... that's something we wanted to talk to you two about." Snowdrop said.

"We... we want you to stay." Zim said.

Applebloom and Tiara looked up at them, then to each other, then back to them. "Stay?"

"we don't know how to raise a child." Snowdrop whined. "we're worried that we will mess up horribly and the baby will grow up to hate us. and what if she's born blind like me? i don't know... i don't know what i'd do if something like that happened. so, we figured that, that you should stay. you're the only one with experience."

Applebloom pointed to herself? "Me? i helped Applejack raise Peppy, but that hardly counts as experience."

"it still counts." Zim said. "We're scared stiff and we need all the help we can get. and i'm sure you do to."

Applebloom and Tiara looked at each other. They want to get their own apartment to raise Silver Crown proper. but Applebloom could see that Zim and Snowdrop are scared out of their wits. and Applejack taught her never to abandon a friend in need. "Well.... it will probably take a few years before we find a good apartment, what with this crummy econimy and all, so--"

the worried couple didn't need her to finish her sentence. they knew where she was going. "Oh, thank you!" Snowdrop passionately said as she hugged her.

Zim breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Applebloom."

"You owe us for staying." Both Applebloom and Tiara said.

"We know, we know. i just spoke to a contractor. we're gonna add a few rooms to the house and extend some of the existing ones."

Applebloom broke Snowdrop's hug. "This is gonna turn into a Full Stabble scenario, isn't it?" she asked Tiara. her Marefriend nodded. Applebloom sighed. that was something she wanted to avoid. "Oh! i forgot to check the mail!"

"I got it." Zim said, heading to the door. turned out to be a bad idea cause the door slammed open, pinning him against the wall as the rest of their friends came in.

"The Fun has arrived!" High Rise sang. Blade, Gentle Breeze, and Loose Cannon rolled their eyes. "hey, where's Zim?" the door creaked close behind her, giving her the answer. "Hehe. Sorry, Zim. hehe. i..." she reached into her saddle bags. "got you your mail."

Zim snarled and took the letters away from Rise. He looked though them as Blade asked; "What's going on here? someone making a paper machie pinata?"

Applebloom replied sarcastically. "ha ha ha. aren't you funny? no, me and Tiara WERE looking for an apartment but Zim and Snowdrop played dirty and made us stay."

they can imagine what tricks Zim and Snowdrop made. "you two are devious together." Breeze said.

"We know." Snowdrop said with a cutisy face.

"Wow. all these letters are for Applebloom."

For her? she wasn't expecting any letters. "From who?"

"Hmm... from Twilight Sparkle... Princess Luna & Trixie... Applejack... Sweetie Belle... Dinky... Scootaloo... Babs Seed... and someone named Requiem."

Okay, her friends and family she can see, but Requiem? "She's not even on this world anymore. how did she write me a letter?" she asked as she took it.

Not from this world? Princess Luna? okay, everyone just had to ask: "How do you know all these people?"

"i could've sworn i explained it earlier, but..." Applebloom sat down on the comfiest chair. "Luna's wife Trixie is the sister to Applejack's husband Zilver." She placed all but Requiem's letter on the nearby coffee table. "And remember when those humans arrived on Equestria? they landed at Ponyville, my hometown."

"Oh. Letter's from a Alien. i'm interested." Loose Cannon said. everyone was, especially Tiara. She only met the humans a few times so she doesn't remember much of them. She's having trouble trying to pin Requiem's name to her face. was she the cross purple-haired mage?

Applebloom ripped open the envelope and read the contents.

"Hey, Kid.

Wow. you're 20 years old. hard to believe. we all remember you when you were just a little filly. hard to think about what you look like now. we heard you moved to Trottingham. we never been so we don't know what it's like. and you met a girl: Diamond Tiara, of all ponies. and she's pregnant. wow, this is just like Halo and Twilight, except not as... dramatic.

well, sorry for the short letter, but we're in the middle of something. the universe isn't going to save itself, you know.

Wish you and Tiara and your new Veterinary practice the best.

love, Requiem and the rest."

"Save the universe?" all minus Applebloom said in unison.

Applebloom wasn't focused on that; she saw Requiem fight like a goddess. probably because she is a goddess. what Applebloom is focused on is how she learned all of this. she didn't tell Applejack that she and Tiara are going out yet, but Requiem already found out? and she's not on the planet.

"Req always is the odd one." Applebloom sighed. she set that letter down and grabbed a new one from the top of the pile. she's going to save her sister's for last. the one she grabbed was Trixie's and Luna's.

"Greetings from Canterlot.

It's us, Trixie and Luna.

(Luna) Zilver's Light told us you moved to Trottingham when she came to Canterlot to sell some pies. why didn't you inform us? well, anyway, when he came to sell those pies, he stopped by and informed us that you had moved. the last of the Cutie Mark Crusaders have left Ponyville. you'd be surprised how sad your sister was. Zilver said she was real sad. but she quickly got over it.

(Trixie) enough about Zilver and Applejack; now for us. recently, Canterlot has turned into a slow bore of a town. we've done everything in town and now, we're bored as hell. we've seen all the plays, we ate at all the restaurants, we slept at all the hotels *wink, wink*; we even went into the un... bad part of town. still a bore. so we're going to take a vacation. We heard that Marolulu is nice this time of year. perfect place to get out of the snow.

(Luna) we hope to see you soon, Applebloom. and i hope nothing bad has happened to you. we heard what happened to your friend Diamond Tiara when she came back from Trottingham a few months ago. sounds like she's going though the same scenario that Twilight did. we hope she's as strong willed as her. With you as her pillar of support, i'm sure she'll do fine. and i heard that a filly i helped a while back is living in Trottingham as well. if you meet her, give Snowdrop my love. we may have only met for a short while but i miss her and i hope to see her soon. there was something about her i found... intriguing.

(Trixie) well, we gotta get going. time for a much needed vacay.

(both) love from your aunts...

Trixie and Luna."

"Wow." Snowdrop gasped. "Princess Luna remembers me?"

"She's got a good memory." Applebloom said. "And by the looks of it, she misses you."

Snowdrop warmly smiled and wiped her eyes. "I know."

Applebloom put that letter down and grabbed the next one.

"What's up, Cuz?

It's me, Babs Seed. you know, from Manehatten. You and you friends came by when that Disc--whoever came around. glad you kicked his can back to kingdom come.

i'm on a time limit so i'm going to keep this short.

i met someone, Cuz. i met someone 2 years ago. we hit it off and we just now tied the knot. you may know her; she was a Ponyville native like you. her name is Silver Spoons. you know her, right? she's says she knows you.

well, i hafta go. we're going out with a coupl'a friends o'mine.

Catch ya if you happen in Manehatten.

Babs."

"Babs Seed married Silver Spoons?" Applebloom exclaimed.

Tiara gave her a bit of a scowled look. "And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. i'm just surprised. very surprised." Applebloom set that letter down and grabbed Dinky's.

"Hey there, Applebloom.

It's us, Dinky and Pipsqueck.

i don't know if you heard or not but my and Pip joined with Aunt Daring Do and her gryphon husband Silverbolt. Ponyville was find but it was boring. me and Pip are fun loving ponies and we needed some freedom. Daring said yes and brought us along. we turned out to be quite the helpful helpers. My dragon wings and Pip's smarts make us a good archaeology group.

hehe. even after all this, i still find it hard to believe that i have dragon wings. DRAGON WINGS!! it's just so frickin' awesome.

And we heard you moved to Trottingham. we're nearby. and by nearby, we mean at San Fransiscolt. but on a map, it's next door. anyway, we were there. hope you didn't run into Diamond Tiara. she moved there and... well, let's just say our reunion was... less then stellar.

And my mom? she's been busy helping Windancer getting ready for a play she's in. at least, that's what her last letter told me. And Dad? she didn't say. guess she only had enough time to write about sis.

Well, wish you luck.

from, Dinky Hooves."

Applebloom gave a mean glance to Tiara, who whistled suspiciously. "What did you say to Dinky?"

"Eh... i may have made fun of her wings." Tiara said, finishing with a innocent smile.

"wait wait wait. Dragon Wings?" Breeze asked.

"Yeah. her dad is a Dragon."

Breeze never heard of a Pony with just Dragon wings before.

well, whatever, time to whittle down the pile. next: Aunt Twilight.

"Hello there, Applebloom.

It's me: Aunt Twilight.

Applejack informed me that you arrived safely in Trottingham, met up with a old friend, and are currently getting your practice made. i wish you luck. if there's anything you need help with, i'll be here.

as for me, i've been quite busy. Golden Day is a hyper 5 year old; so much like you when you were her age. she keeps trying to coerce us into going to a carnival in Canterlot. haha, no dice. doesn't stop her from trying.

Starlight is being her self; distant and brooding. and i don't blame her. being the only Alicorn born outside of royalty can be tough. and having power over time can be tougher still. but she's coping... kinda. i'm just worried she's going to do something stupid. i know she won't do it now, but i fear it's soon.

or it's my imagination getting the better of me again. i should've learned my lesson when i forgot to send a report to Celestia during my second year in Ponyville. ... i think it's my imagination. like when i thought Spike was cheating on Rarity. i knew he would never do that but... again, my imagination.

Anyway, i hope Trottingham treats you well. i heard good things about it, even though i never been.

Love, from your favorite Aunt

Twilight Sparkle."

"A Alicorn outside of Royalty?" everyone said in confusion. "You have weird family, Applebloom."

A.B. chuckled. "You have NO idea."

she put down Twilight's letter and grabbed the next one, straight from Scootaloo.

"Hailing straight from the Gryphon Kingdom, it's the one, the only, SCOOTALOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

...

Sorry but i couldn't resist. plus, i just got back from a wrestling match. reported it, actually. guy i was rooting for got stomped.

So how's Trottingham been treating you, Apps? i can imagine it's quite a bore. not much to do. not to mention all those Stallions with those bogus accents. ugh. i can't stand those accents. don't know what Twilight and Applejack see in that.

but enough about you, time for me! I did it, Apps. i made it to the TOP! i am now a top field reporter! hallelujah, right? it's such a fun job, i don't ever wanna give it up.

and Feather Weight? he made it a photographer for Feather Top's best newspaper. he's actually the top photo guy. it's awesome, been awesome ever since we got married 7 months ago. you didn't show! i could've sworn i sent a invitation. ah, well, Applejack arrived. as did Dash.

i said it a lot back then and i'm gonna continue to say it: I'm glad Rainbow Dash adopted me. i really am. and with Soarin' Cloud and Eris Shine as my siblings, it's just too awesome.

from what i noticed, Da-- i mean Mom; still have trouble with that -- Mom is still having trouble getting over Eris' death. i still feel a bit of guilt; i still think i could've done something to prevent it. and from what Shadow-- Dad, i mean -- from what Dad said, she's been getting increasingly depressed every year on that day. i just hope something good happens to her soon. she really needs it.

i started this letter talking about me, now it ended with mom. what a lark.

well, greetings from Feather Top.

Scootaloo."

Applebloom remembers that day. the day Eris died. everyone felt depressed.

"Wait. i'm confused. are there two Eris'?" Blade asked.

"now. there were 3, but it got down to two. the Eris Scoots is talking about, the one who died, was a baby Draconequus Rainbow Dash adopted. she... was used by Discord and died in the end." Snowdrop and Blade gasped, holding their hooves over their mouth. "But that was 15 years ago. most of us have moved on. speaking of which..."

Applebloom grabbed the second to last letter- Sweetie Belle.

"hi there, Applebloom.

it's me, Sweetie Belle.

though, i think it would be better to call me the Vocal Queen. hehe. great, now i'm starting to use that nickname. i'm not ever sure how it started; i'm just a singer. well, guess i should've expected this to happen when i became Sapphire Shores understudy. i know Rumble didn't.

I'm currently on tour. unfortunately, Trottingham isn't among the stops. still, whenever i get the chance, i'll come by. and try to invite Scootaloo and Dinky. we'll have a little get-together; reminisce of old times.

just so you know, i heard that the little eh... thing that got Aunt Twilight pregnant moved to Trottingham, though they're low key this time. still, be on the look out and try to contact Armor when you do. he's still looking for whoever got his baby sister pregnant. hope you don't end up in the same situation.

OH, and i heard Tiara moved there as well. be careful and tread lightly; she's probably still the mean bully she always is.

well, i have to cut this short. i'm about to go onstage. sold out, which means a big ground.

Loves and Kisses from me and Rumble

Sweetie Belle."

"You know Sweetie Belle!? The Vocal Queen!?!" a very ecstatic High Rise exclaimed.

Applebloom backed up in fear. "I had no clue you were fan."

"A Fan?! she's amazing! she blows Sapphire Shores out of the water. and you're friends with her! that's so awesome!"

Loose Cannon gave his girlfriend a frightful look. "So... what was that about Twilight?"

"the thing that got her pregnant was a un... well, basically a Sex Trade. they kidnapped her and... well, you all know that story. but apparently, the trade moved here to Trottingham. maybe that's how you got pregnant, Snow."

"You sure?" Snowdrop asked.

"but as Sweets said, they're on the down low. maybe they roofied whatever you were drinking a month ago and that got you in this predicament."

Snowdrop and Zim looked at each other. that would explain it. Applebloom put that letter down and grabbed the last one- Applejacks.

"Howdy, Lil' Sis.

It's your big sis Applejack here.

Zilver and Peppy are out in the fields and Big Mac is on ANOTHER date with Cheerilee. i swear, he's too stubborn and worried about comentmemt. well, everyone has a flaw.

speaking of flaws, Trottingham, Lil' Sis? i know Zim said he'd take you in at the last family reunion, but why that far? ah, some fillies. too hard to understand.

speaking of fillies, your neice Peppy sure misses you. well, for about 2 seconds, then she went on and on, getting the town ready for the next Hearth's Warming Eve. Holiday decorations may be her special talent, but there's a limit.

so what's Trottingham like? i hear it's a bit of a dull-ville, what with rich snobby types calling it home. i mean, do you remember that arrogant Blueblood? he has a summer home there.

speaking of homes, i heard that Diamond Tiara is calling that place home. and i heard what happened to her from Celestia. it was hard when Twilight got raped. but she's just a innocent li'le filly. still, it's good to hear the two of you reconcile your differences and your helping her with the baby and all. i raised you well.

well, good to see you're doing well. give Helios my respects. not that he can understand me. and good look with your veterinary practice. looking forward to hearing back from you.

Love. your big sis

Applejack."

that was the last one. Applebloom put that letter down and sighed. her mouth was sore from all that talking.

"Wow. you're lucky to have friends and family who care about you." High Rise said.

"though half of them were ripping at Tiara." Cannon said.

Tiara shrugged. "well... it was 15 years since Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle saw me. they don't know i changed for the better."

Applebloom wrapped a hoof around Tiara. "and i hope they see you soon. cause i love the new Tiara." Tiara smiled and kissed her on the cheek. even after a week, Applebloom still blushed.