The Apple To My Heart

Flash Back

"So where ya'll gonna go this time?" AppleBloom's voice had equal measures of curiosity and childlike envy. Despite being very grown-up for her age, cutie mark notwithstanding, AppleBloom couldn't hide her desire to go with her big sister to...wherever she was planning to go. Applejack looked down at her sister and her innocent wide-eyed expression. The farm pony had to look away quickly, her resolve teetering on the edge from the simple glance.

"I...uh...I didn't tell ya'?" Applejack hissed through clenched teeth and closed eyes. She knew that looking at her little sister would have her spilling the truth of her trip and Celestia knew how many other secret to the little one. Although AppleBloom was anything but dishonest, at least since her cutie-pox incident, Applejack was sure her little sister practiced that puppy-dog pout in the mirror. It just wasn't natural how easily a single wide-eye stare from AppleBloom, or shoot, any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, seemed to coax the truth out of even the most tight-lipped ponies in town. Maybe it was their slightly squeaky voices or their perfect bright smiles. Or maybe it was their innocent, yet paradoxically mischievous nature that forced ponies to confess even the tiniest of secrets.

"Nope!" AppleBloom chirped, and Applejack was sure she had laid her chin on her front legs as she stared at her older sister. Applejack turned away and opened her eyes before taking a deep breath. When she turned back to AppleBloom, her fears were confirmed. The little filly was staring up at her with intense wide eyes. AppleBloom's chin rested on her folded arm and she look for all of Equestria like a kitten who wanted a dish of cream and knew full well how to use its cuteness to that end. "So, where ya' off to? Gonna' visit cousin Braeburn again?"

"Braeburn? Uh...uh, yeah!" That had been Applejack's excuse last time she had left, two weeks ago. Her family hadn't really questioned it as the Apple clan was as close-knit as any in Equestria. Except, of course, Applejack thought bitterly, when it came to colt-friends. Applejack hated not telling her family about what had really happened the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, but it just seemed too late now. The farm sighed and cast her mind back, remembering.

*FlashBack*

"Thank you again for the invitations, Princess Celestia." Twilight Sparkle's voice was filled with awe and heart-felt honesty. The rest of her friends added their own thanks as they left the doughnut shop. The Princess had insisted on paying herself and had left a generous tip for the baker who had stayed late to fill their seemingly endless orders. Rarity herself had agreed to what was in hindsight a very ill-conceived eating contest with Pinkie Pie. Were it any other food group; veggies, fruits or grain breads, Rarity might have had a chance. But the chosen food had been doughnuts, and Pinkie had eaten what must have been twice her weight in fried treats.

Applejack had seen Rarity in a mood like this before. This was Rarity in a heart-broken food crazy and Applejack knew that next morning, when Rarity stepped on her bathroom scale, the fashion unicorn would be screaming at the top of her lungs, condemning anything and everything. Unlike last time Rarity's heart had been broken, when she had been crushing on a fashion colt who ended up being a colt-cuddler, this time it had been personal. Prince BlueBlood's attitude had been unforgiveable and down-right disgusting.

Applejack knew with time her friends who forget the Grand Galloping Gala and the disappointment they had all faced. But to the farmer, her sadness was much, much deeper. Her family had been relying on her to sell entire bushels of apples and treats. She had given up an entire day on the farm, forcing Big Macintosh, AppleBloom and even cousin Caramel to do her chores while she played dress-up. Sure it may have been naïve for Applejack to have thought she'd sell every last apple. Even in Ponyville she rarely sold an entire cart in a single day, much less a single four hour party. But Applejack didn't think it was unreasonable to expect more than...this.