"...so uncle Applecore and auntie Applestalk and our cousin Applebrown are comin' to stay fer a while. Why, you haven't seen lil' Applebrown in years, Apple Bloom!" Applejack finished reading the letter which her aunt and uncle had given her.
"Ah don't seem to recall her."Apple Bloom paused for thought.
"When y'all were little foals you two bucked 'yer first apple tree together! An apple fell on 'yer head and y'all had a bump this big," Applejack laughed, mimicking the bump with her hoof, "remember, Macintosh?"
"Eeyup." the stallion chuckled.
"Applebrown..." Apple Bloom whispered, just remembering her cousin.
***
My Little Pony, My Little Pony, ah ah ah ah ah
My Little Pony! I used to wonder what friendship could be! (My Little Pony!)
Until you all shared it's magic with me.
Big adventure,
Tons of fun,
A beautiful heart,
Faithful and strong,
Sharing kindness,
Is an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete! (Yeah!)
My Little Pony!
Did you know you're all my very best friends!
***
After another long and studious day at Canterlot High, the four friends; Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Shiner, hopped on the train to return home.
"It felt like that maths class would never end!" Scootaloo sighed, resting her head against Shiner's neck.
"Oh come on now Scoots! It wasen't that bad! All you had to do was find the common factor, then use 'x' and double brackets to-" Sweetie Belle tried to explain, but Scootaloo, sitting opposite her, quickly put her hoof in her mouth.
"We just left school, I don't want to have to think about anymore learning. Besides, it's the weekend now!" she sighed and leaned back, her foreleg around Shiner and his around her.
"Did you guys know mah cousin Applebrown is comin' fer the weekend?" Apple Bloom asked.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's pupils dilated and they both gasped quietly.
"Applebrown? Like the same Applebrown?" Scootaloo said quietly.
"Whadda ya mean?" Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed.
"Oh it's just...even before we all met we remember Applebrown from her last visit." Sweetie Belle said, dreading the thought of the past.
Apple Bloom obviously didn't get the hint.
"Anypony want a snack? I'll buy!" she smiled.
"Nothing for me thanks. I didn't eat at lunch." said Scootaloo, looking at Shiner and laughing.
"I'll just have some saltlick." Sweetie Belle said.
"I'll share with Scootie." Shiner said.
"Alrighty." Apple Bloom trotted off to the snack carriage.
Checking to see if she was gone, Shiner just had to ask.
"Who's Applebrown?"
Scootaloo groaned and buried her face in his neck.
"Apple Bloom's little cousin. The last time she was here she may have been a foal but she was one bad pony!" Sweetie Belle said.
"She nearly put us all in hospital." Scootaloo muffled.
"What? But she was just a foal..." Shiner commented.
"She was smart. Deviously smart." Sweetie Belle sighed.
~~~
"Now, lil' Applebrown, you stay here. Granny Smith's just going to buy some supplies from this here salespony." Granny Smith smiled to the foal.
The chubby baby was a sicky olive colour and had brown hair in a greasy ponytail. She sniggered as she crawled off to an apple stall. The pony running it looked down over the counter.
"Hello there, are you lost?" he asked.
Applebrown picked up one of the apples in the stall and threw it right at the salesman's face.
"Oh...these apples aren't for playing. Sorry little tyke!" he ruffled her hair and turned back around to check his stock and clean his face.
She snorted and picked up another apple and threw it at the salespony that Granny Smith was talking to, then quickly swiped another apple and put it in Apple Bloom's hoof. The foal put it in her mouth and started sucking on the red apple. Granny Smith turned around as soon as the apple exploded in the salespony's face and saw Apple Bloom teething on the apple.
"Apple Bloom! No, we do not throw apples!" she turned to the salespony, "I am so sorry for my granddaughter."
Apple Bloom, confused as to what was going on, started crying.
"It's fine," the frustrated pony wiped her face, "2 bits for the frying pans."
"Those timber wolves won't know what was comin'!" Granny Smith shouted.
Applebrown sniggered at the crying Applebloom with a snort in her laugh.
~~~
Apple Bloom came back empty hooved.
"Beaten to it again. No saltlick." she sighed.
The sound of a whistle blew and the train slowly began to make it's way back to Ponyville.
***
Apple Bloom opened the door to her house to see Applejack and her aunt and uncle sat down talking.
"Ah, Apple Bloom. You remember uncle Applecore and auntie Applestalk, doncha?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, 'course! Howdy!" she smiled, shaking hooves with her relatives.
"Cousin Applebrown is upstairs." Applejack said.
Apple Bloom walked to her room and opened the door, then saw that it was an absolute mess.There was papers, toys and trash all over the floor. Applebrown was sitting on her messed up bed.
"Uh...hey cousin." she forced a smile.
"You're Apple Bloom," Applebrown croaked. Her voice was hoarse, "let's go play outside."
"Sure..." Apple Bloom put down her school bag, "we can clear this up later."
"Yeah, you can." Applebrown snorted.
***
Apple Bloom knocked on Scootaloo's door. She answered.
"Oh, hey Apple Bloom," she greeted, then saw Applebrown behind her and frowned, "sorry I'm doing homework."
She slammed the door in front of them.
"Oh...busy then." Apple Bloom sighed.
Applebrown yawned.
"Want to try Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Whatever." Applebrown replied.
***
Sooner the three were walking around Ponyville. Sweetie Belle would've felt too guilty to say no to Apple Bloom.
"So...uh...Applebrown. Where do you come from?" she asked.
"Fillydelphia." Applebrown snorted.
"Oh. That's nice." Sweetie Belle commented.
Applebrown looked around and saw Derpy trying to hold up a very large parcel. She somehow had it balancing on it's corner and she was trying to keep it held up with her back. Applebrown snorted and sniggered, then snuck up to the box without the others noticing. She then turned her back to the precerious box and kicked it.
"ARGH!" Derpy cried as the box fell on her.
She tried to stand up with the box on her back, but she could only crawl. She lay there confused for what to do. Applebrown laughed nasally and caught up to her cousin. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were looking in the window of a clothes shop, but Applebrown was not interesed. Colgate walked out the door with a large yellow hat looking very worried.
"I didn't even want this colour." she sighed.
Looking at the ugly hat, Applebrown started to laugh hysterically. Colgate noticed and a tear appeared in her eye, she ran off crying. Apple Bloom turned around.
"Hey! Applebrown! That weren't very nice!" she said.
"That hat was rediculous!" Applebrown snorted.
Apple Bloom gave her an unsure glance. She noticed that something happened to Derpy a minute ago and started to suspect Applebrown. Then she remembered when she was a baby and the whole apple throwing incident.
~~~
Applejack, just before she got her cutie mark, was playing in the park with Apple Bloom and Applebrown. Sweetie Belle was at the top of a slide and Applebrown was climbing up, but Apple Bloom was too scared to climb the stairs so she stayed by the side. Sweetie Belle was about to go down but Applebrown shoved her off and she fell next to Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle began to cry and had a black eye. Applejack ran up to Apple Bloom.
"Apple Bwoom! Y'all didn't hurt this baby did ya?" she asked, "say sowwy raight now!"
Apple Bloom started to cry, it wasn't her fault.
"Applebrown, c'mon we're leavin'." Applejack said seriously.
Applebrown laughed and came down the slide, kicking Scootaloo who was at the bottom. She flapped her wings furiously but slammed into a climbing wall, but nopony saw.
~~~
Sweetie Belle opened the door to her home.
"I've gotta go now guys. I need to plan my textiles project for school." she expalined.
"Oh, sure. See ya on Monday!" Apple Bloom waved.
"Pff." Applebrown closed Sweetie Belle's door the moment she walked in.
***
That night, Applejack and Apple Bloom were cleaning up in the kitchen after dinner.
"Applebloom, why did ya throw yer pie at Big Mac?" she asked sternly.
"Ya gotta believe me, sis! It weren't me!" Apple Bloom defended.
"Oh really? Then who was it?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at her little sister.
Apple Bloom sighed and explained to her sister how bad Applebrwn is. To everyone she seemed innocent, but when she was around Apple Bloom got all the blame and she didn't say a word. Primarily because she couldn't, but now she could speak up.
"And yer speakin' from the honest heart?" Applejack whispered.
Apple Bloom nodded.
"Alright. I guess I better speak to aunt and uncle." she sighed.
***
Not much happened the next day. Applejack didn't get a chance to speak to Applecore and Applestalk since they had taken Applebrown to Canterlot, so she decided to talk to them on the Monday since they left on Tuesday.
Apple Bloom and her friends were sat on the train coming back from school. It was raining and the sky outside was gloomy, but it looked like it cleared over in Ponyville's direction. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked grumpy and silent.
"Can I get anyone anything from the snack train?" Shiner asked, trying to break the ice.
Nopony said anything.
"I'll come with you, Shiney." Scootaloo said. She knew things would be awkward if she stayed and he went.
When they left Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle.
"I'm sorry for Applebrown's behaviour yesterday. Applejack's talkin' to mah aunt and uncle today about it." she said.
"Oh. I'm not grumpy about that. I'm just a little worn out. It's alright, Apple Bloom." Sweetie yawned, she looked like she was about to fall asleep at any time.
***
Apple Bloom walked into her house, but nopony was there. The others must have gone to see their relatives off. She trotted upstairs and opened the door to her room, expecting the mess to still be there, but to her surprise it was as clean as ever. There was a note on the bed, Apple Bloom set down her bag and began to read it.
"Cousin Apple Bloom,
I realise what I've done to you and your friends is not good. To be honest, I only did it 'cause I liked to see you get in trouble, I dunno why. I got bored of it on Saturday when you got no blame for the stuff I did in town and thought maybe what I'm doing isn't right. I'm sorry. I hope the next time we meet we can be friends and maybe I'll even talk some more, but nicely. As a gift of my apology, I cleaned your room, the first of my messes. The next, I hope this letter cleans the mess of our friendship. Please tell your friends I'm sorry for the past.
Love,
Cousin Applebrown."
Apple Bloom smiled and put the letter in her drawer.
***
Rarity galloped in to Sweetie Belle's room after hearing lots of frantic noises and yells.
"Sweetie Belle! Are you alright?" she asked.
Sweetie's room was a mess. Fabrics, tools and glues everywhere. Covered by many sheets of fabric, Sweetie was bawling her eyes out.