Epilogue: Double Deception
The filly sighed as the bell rang. She’d kept her distance from the school at first, avoiding Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle along with the rest of her class, but she couldn’t avoid it any longer. She’d have to see this through.
Walking in under the weight of everypony’s stares, Apple Bloom stopped in front of the class. She still had the bandage around her waist, and combined with Bastion’s absence it didn’t make her look any better.
Cheerilee motioned for them to settle down.
“Now, class, before we do a little halfway review of everyone’s projects, Apple Bloom has something to say.”
The teacher sat down behind her desk. Apple Bloom stood as firmly as she could, heart racing.
“Good mornin’. Y’all have probably heard me and Bastion got in a fight. It wasn’t a big deal, it was just a misunderstanding. He cut me, I hit him, we both went to the hospital, and we’ll both be fine. Everything that’s happened between us has just been a misunderstanding. I don’t hate him, and he doesn’t hold anything against me.”
“So you don’t think he was poisoning ponies anymore?” Piña Colada asked.
“No. That was…” The filly started. The words got caught halfway, though.
“It’s alright, Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee encouraged. “Just explain yourself.”
“That was because the way ponies kept talking about him and how they were treating him didn’t add up with what he was,” Apple Bloom continued. “I kept hearing about how sad he was when he clearly wasn’t. It was a misunderstanding, and every time I tried to talk it out, something came around to hurt me and make me want to stop trying. I got angry, but it wasn’t with him. I just wound up taking it out on him, that’s all. I was wrong to do what I did, but I’m not the only one who made mistakes.”
“Wait, hang on,” Rumble interjected. “You thought ponies were being nice to him because they thought he was sad?”
“No,” Apple Bloom replied. “I thought ponies were telling me to never talk about anything painful or to not do anything that might upset him because they thought he was sad. But he’s not. I could have told him what I was thinking and he’d have shown me what he was doing, he told me so himself. No one ever bothered to ask him how he felt about getting treated special.”
“Sure,” Diamond Tiara offered. “And treating him like dirt was better, then?”
“I never said anything bad to his face until yesterday, that's the only time I made him feel bad and I didn't even plan on it. I only did that because I had to bottle everything up. I know your daddy made you act nice to Bastion, Diamond. Why doesn’t he make you act nice to me, huh?”
“Well, you’re not a –“
“A what? A changeling? So he only does that because of how Bastion was born, but it’s not okay to hate someone because of how they were born,” Apple Bloom argued.
“Well, no, but you’re not –“
“An orphan?” Apple Bloom interrupted again.
The class fell silent.
Silver Spoon scowled.
“You’re not an orphan. You’ve got Applejack and Big Mac, you’ve got plenty of family. It’s not the same.”
“Yeah, it is,” Rumble concluded. “Apple Bloom’s right: she doesn’t have her parents, but she’s got Applejack and the rest of her family. The same way Bastion’s got Lyra and Bon Bon now. If you want to be fair, you have to treat them the same way.”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo remained silent, looking at their friend. She was biting her lips and breathing quickly, her nerves probably playing up.
“So you think it’s okay to be mean to Bastion like that?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“No, but I do think it’s between Apple Bloom and Bastion, and it’s none of my business. If Apple Bloom says it’s okay now, then I believe her. And if things had gone a little different, I might have acted just like her. Anyone might have, that's what misunderstandings are. She’s right: ponies were treating him special just because of what had happened to him, not because of how he was feeling. It’s not right to act like someone is sad when they’re not. You have to comfort someone when they’re sad, and if you do it just because you think they’re sad, then what are you going to do when they really do feel sad? What if Bastion really is happy, and he just hasn’t had the chance to really let things sink in yet?”
“Thank you, Rumble,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s nice to know somepony understands.”
Everyone in class, Miss Cheerilee included, turned their heads. Apple Bloom was standing in the doorway.
Another Apple Bloom.
“Umm… sure. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t think I had to be extra nice to Bastion, either. Assuming you’re not Bastion,” Rumble said to the new arrival, who now went to stand to the right of the first Apple Bloom.
“If you really wanna know what was bothering me: I didn’t think it was fair to act like that to someone who was happy, and had every reason to. What everypony was doing reminded me of what I went through, and that made it hard to think. But it’s over now, and we’re friends. So nopony’s gonna stay mad at me?” the Apple Bloom on the right asked.
“And no more walking on eggshells around Bastion? He doesn’t want to be treated special, either, it's actually making it harder for him to adjust. He doesn’t need comfort now, he’ll need it when he really is sad."
Most of the class shrugged or nodded, some more begrudgingly than others.
“That’s all very nice and well, Apple Bloom, but you still poisoned a classmate and pressured him to talk about something you knew was painful,” Cheerilee objected, trying her best to keep the two apart.
The left Apple Bloom sighed.
“I did not poison him, I gave him truth serum. And he would have told me all I wanted to know himself if I’d just sat down and talked. But you’re right, that was a very bad thing I did, and it was wrong. Just like it’s wrong to take pictures of ponies without them knowing.” The two Apple Blooms looked at Featherweight. “Or how it’s wrong to run into a dangerous forest and lure an animal into town just to prove a point.” They turned towards Snips and Snails, who cowered under the perfectly doubled gaze. “And just like it’s wrong to blackmail ponies into doing what you want.” They both looked at Diamond Tiara.
The one on the right nodded.
“The only reason Bastion didn’t speak up sooner is because he didn’t know what to do. Back in his hive, he didn’t get to be himself, he’s not used to it. If he’d known, he’d have talked to me right away. Anyone could have avoided it by just telling him what was going on. But it happened, and we’re both okay with it. We're a lot alike, and it just took a while for us to realise that. We’re friends now.”
The left Apple Bloom looked around. The sight of two Apple Blooms left the class confused, apparently.
“Anypony else got anything to say about it?”
Everyone was just staring at them now. There was no difference between them: the same bow, the exact same eyes, same voice, even the same accent. There were no little differences in the mane or tail, hardly any tell-tale differences in the way they moved. Scootaloo did notice the one on the right was swaying ever so slightly, though, and her eyes didn’t quite follow everything perfectly.
“Scootaloo?” the left Apple Bloom asked.
“Sweetie Belle?” the right one asked. Sure enough, that one shifted her hooves a little to stand more stable.
The girls sighed and shook their heads.
Shrugging, the pair of Apple Blooms took their seats.
“Bastion? Aren’t you going to change back?” Cheerilee asked.
The two shared a look.
“Not right away,” one said.
“We figured since we are that much alike, we might as well see who can tell us apart,” the other one added with a grin.
Cheerilee groaned. As much as she hated to admit it, they both had a good point.
The Apple Blooms found Rumble, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo during their morning break.
“You’re still mad about what I said to you, huh?’ the one on the left started. “Back at the clubhouse?”
“I-I should go,” Rumble started. “I don’t need to hear this.”
Scootaloo shook her head.
“No, you can stay. You should hear this. You called us fakes, Apple Bloom. While you had truth serum. You can’t say you didn’t mean it.”
“Just because I told the truth doesn’t mean I think any less of you,” the Apple Bloom on the right remarked. “I felt hurt, and I said some things I shouldn’t have. But I am not gonna apologise for something that isn’t a bad thing.”
“You said we’d never be like the ponies we look up to, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle added. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“Umm… no, it isn’t,” the right Apple Bloom remarked. “Scootaloo, when have you ever seen Rainbow Dash dance the way you do? Or do any moves on a scooter, or even flap her wings as fast as you can? And Sweetie Belle, when did you ever see Rarity getting dirty or sweaty just for the fun of it? Or just let go and shout every once in a while just to feel better, or even make something you know you might not be able to do perfectly, but you just wanna try?”
The fillies stayed quiet. Rumble tilted his head.
“They’ve got a point, you know.”
The left Apple Bloom smiled at the colt.
“See, I do think you’re not like the ponies you look up to. Not in the ways you think you should be. But you are like them in the ways that it counts, and I just think you’re better off trying to be your own pony. I mean, why did we start the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the first place?”
Sweetie Belle gave the left Apple Bloom a weak smile.
“To help get our cutie marks. To have a club where foals can try to find their talent. To help other ponies like us find their place. Oh, speaking of which, Rumble’s asked if he could join. He’s going to help Scootaloo with flying.”
“You’re welcome too, Bastion,” Scootaloo asked the Apple Bloom on the right, who gave them a quizzical look. “Since Apple Bloom is friends with you now, and you are technically a blank flank trying to fit in.”
“We wouldn’t do everything together, right?” Rumble remarked. “I mean, you three are always off together, that doesn’t mean we’d have to do everything you do, does it?”
For a moment, the image of Rumble and the girls trying to get their knitting cutie marks flashed through Sweetie Belle’s mind.
“No, we can set up a calendar. Like we did with the Rainbow Dash fanclub. You and Bastion could be Cutie Mark Knights or Dukes, if that’s okay,” the little unicorn offered. “Even if you’re not that anxious about getting your own cutie mark, we should have members who are more into helping others get theirs.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” the Apple Bloom on the left agreed. “But, if you don’t mind my asking, how did you know I was the real one?”
Scootaloo grinned and pointed to the filly on the right.
“You said you hit Bastion, and I’m guessing you hit him on the head. Your body double there keeps moving like he’s dizzy.”
“Eheh, yeah… I did hit his head pretty hard,” left Apple Bloom noted embarrassedly. “But it’s all fine now.”
Sweetie Belle suppressed a tear, and she was about to hug her friend, but found herself beaten to the proverbial punch. Scootaloo wrapped her forearms around Apple Bloom and hugged her tight.
“Good to have you back, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo started.
“Thanks,” she replied, before squeezing Scootaloo tight as well. “Told you they’d fall for it.”
Scootaloo’s eyes shot open to the sound of green flames covering the pony in her grip. When they cleared, she was hugging a perfect copy of herself.
Apple Bloom snickered, then broke out in laughter as she finally stopped the subtle swaying she’d been doing.
“Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, you two,” she greeted, barely containing her mirth at the little prank.
Rumble didn’t reply. He just stared at the pair of Scootaloos locked in friendly embrace, one sporting a triumphant grin and the other biting her lip in defeat.
And for reasons he wouldn't understand until after he asked his big brother about it that night, Rumble’s wings suddenly felt a lot more rigid.