//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: One Bad Apple // Story: Light and Dark // by MXCDarkHorse2020 //------------------------------// Chapter 4: One Bad Apple Midnight is at the café again reading her book while enjoying lunch consisting of hay fries and a flower sandwich. She is currently reading about new spells and fighting tactics while reading a flyer about the upcoming Summer Harvest Parade. that every pony in town is going to gather together to watch as the ponies who created floats show every pony the float of the very fruits that represent the festival throughout the parade ride. As she was reading, Apple bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle come walking up. Midnight looking up from her book sees the girls dripping wet as they were draining water towards the grass getting the older mare’s attention who reacted with surprise. “Girls…? What happened?” Midnight asked concerned as she put her book down and walked up to the girls and lead them out to a more private area so they could talk. “Um…we…uh…we” Sweetie Belle tried to explain while hesitating. “You see…we…um…we…h-have…a” Sweetie Belle struggled to put into words while tearing up. “We…have…a” Sweetie Belle tried to say but then immediately began crying after giving up on trying to explain their problem. Midnight responds by placing her hoof on Sweetie Belle and bringing her in for an embrace. “There, there, it’s okay.” Midnight said as Sweetie Belle touched by this gesture wrapped her little hooves around her chest tightly, burying her face onto Midnight’s coat where she sobbed her heart out into her fur. The other two girls continued to look at Sweetie Belle sadly as the three of their manes were still soaked and drenched somehow. Scootaloo lowered her head to the ground and then finished what Sweetie Belle was trying to say before breaking down by looking at Midnight. “What she’s trying to say is… We have a bully…” “A bully?” Midnight questioned, “Who?” she asked while patting Sweetie Belle’s back softly with her hoof. Appleboom spoke up “It’s my cousin… Babs Seed.” “…Your cousin…?” Midnight questioned, confused and somewhat angered at the thought of a family member doing such a thing. Apple bloom nodded her head. “She been botherin’ us the whole time she’s been here. I didn’t want to talk to anypony about it, because we didn’t know who turn to.” “Well I can tell you right now that you did the right thing coming to me about it.” Midnight reassuringly told the three young ponies as she uses her magic to instantly dry the three filly’s coats. “We did?” Apple bloom asked sounding surprised. “Yes” Midnight replied and looked at Sweetie Belle, who has now calmed down from her crying. “So tell more this Babs Seed, the pony you are dealing with.” Midnight asked. “She’s my cousin.” Apple bloom answered. “She came to town a few days ago. We tried initiating her to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, since she didn’t have her cutie mark of her own, but she didn’t seem interested.” “When we showed her our float for the Summer Harvest Parade,” Scootaloo added. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started calling her the new ‘blank flank’. Apple bloom was defending Babs Seed, but she joined the bullies’ side and bullied us! Ever since then, she’s never left us alone! We tried avoiding her, but we ended up getting our clubhouse stolen! We don’t know what to do!” Midnight took a minute to let this sink in, after thinking while containing her fury at the thought that family would do that family she finally spoke, “If there’s one thing one know about bullies, is that bully others because they feel insecure about themselves. They do this just to make themselves feel good just by taking out their problems on others.” Midnight told them. “How would you know that's how bully's do and act like that?’ Apple bloom asked the knowledge unicorn. “Well, I have seen this happen back when I was growing up. Before I left home, I’ve had a few friends who were bullied by others who had their insecurities and unable to stand up to them because they didn’t have a backbone to do so.” Midnight explained while looking aside with bitterness on her face. “It took me sticking up for them in order for them to back off. Sometimes there are times where even I don’t understand why they think it’s fair for bullies to treat other ponies like that.” Midnight said while turning her eyes back to the girls. “So, are you saying that we should fight back if we want her to stop bullying us?” Sweetie Belle asked trying to understand Midnight's advice. “Correct! Show them that you’re not going to stand be bullied anymore.” Midnight answered encouraging them to do it. “Fight if necessary. Bullies only pick on you because they see you as an easy target who will give into humiliation. They won’t stop until you stand up for yourselves. Although I would also consider talking to an adult about the situation I doubt they’ll be much help other than giving them a slap on the wrist.” “Thanks, Midnight!” They all thankfully exclaimed as they dashed away. Midnight seeing the girls run off in the distance smirked succeeding in giving them advice to stand up for themselves and looking forward to what they plan to do now. On the day of the parade she joined up with the others girls so we could all watch the parade together while at the same time I wondered what payback the girls have in mind for Babs Seed. At that moment Applejack joined back up with the group with a smile on her face. “Everything all right?” Midnight asked. “Yep, everything’s fine. In fact, the girls were so nice and sweet, they let Babs Seed ride in their float.” Applejack said sounding very proud of the three girls. “Really?” Midnight intriguingly asked hearing this. She correctly figures that this is their plan to get back at her. “Looks like I am teaching them something after all.” Midnight thought to her herself as she smirked looking forward to seeing their retaliation prank in action. The floats were now beginning to pass them, all representing fruit from the harvest. As the band marched, each playing their own instrument, their music and notes flowed throughout the whole area loudly, making everything but their sounds inaudible. Unexpectedly, Midnight heard her name being called out, “Midnight! Applejack!” She turned her attention to the front of me, seeing Apple bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. They appeared to be highly in distress and panic. “Quick you have to—" However, the band passing by was clearly making their voices unhearable in volume, and nopony could barely hear a word they were saying. “What?” Midnight asked trying to hear the girls clearly. “Quick you have to help us--" “What?” Midnight asked again due to the horns and pounding of the drums drowning the sounds of their voices. Apple bloom looked very annoyed by the band blocking her voice, so she jumped into the air and screamed out loud. “We booby-trapped it!” However, the band had already finished passing the area, so Apple bloom’s statement was audible by every pony around us, causing them all to look at her. There was an immediate awkward silence. “Babs, bully, payback!” Scootaloo quickly shuffled her hooves. “No time to explain!” They all ran towards the direction of the floats. Midnight quickly followed after them trying to keep her eyes on the three fillies but the crowd was blocking most of her view. Midnight was able to catch sight of them maneuvering past floats that were slowly moving. They had to stop, due to another float blocking their path. This made them cut through the crowd and begin running. Midnight spotted them and quickly began to ran them. As they moved, they were bumping into the crowd, dropping their popcorn and other snacks they were holding. “Oof, My popcorn!" A bystander complained. “Sorry!” Applebloom apologized. “Scuse me! Ah, whoops.” Scootaloo told the nearby ponies in the same apologetic tone as she squeezed and rushed by the ponies. Using quick thinking Midnight used a teleportation spell to transport herself past the crowd where she saw them chasing after a lettuce float. “What are those three doing? They thought about getting payback and now they decide last minute they changed their minds?” Midnight thought to herself as she teleported side by side next to the lettuce why trying to comprehend what they are doing and why they are having second thoughts at the last possible moment. Trying to keep pace with the floats, the float Babs Seed was on suddenly thrusted towards the side, impacting the lettuce float and throwing it off course causing Midnight to quickly teleport a safe distance away behind the floats. Midnight quickly sprinted towards the lettuce float as she heard Pinkie exclaim. “Veggie salad! Veggie Salad!” The lettuce bumped onto a hay and lost complete control. The entire float was broken which is now just many lettuce leaves on the grass. “Girls” Midnight exclaimed as she ran up towards the lettuce as Pinkie, Apple bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all popped up from the lettuce. “…Are you all okay?” “Veggie salad.” Pinkie announced cheerfully, presenting the lettuce in front of her before immediately beginning to chomp on the lettuce. “Seriously?” Apple bloom commented in an annoyed tone as they all dashed away, not seeming to notice Midnight wondering what is going on. “Girls, wait!” Midnight yelled as she quickly purses after the girls. “Hey! Don’t leave me!” Midnight heard Pinkie yell out behind her, who didn’t have time to stopas the party pony began laughing. “Leaf me!” She joked as Midnight paid no attention to her puns seeing that now is not the time for that. Just as the apple float was not arriving at the turn site, it itself began swerving out of control, knocking bales of hay away from the course. “Babs! Babs!” Apple bloom cried out. The float now completely missed the turn and jumped off the course, heading down the steep cliff. Arriving, but not stopping, at the cliff, Midnight noticed the girls push Babs Seed out of the float. She was knocked into a bush, landing safely. However, the girls were the ones in deep trouble now. “Why did they do that? Isn’t that what they wanted in the first place?” Midnight wondered to herself. Midnight then heard Applebloom shout “Oooh, sweet applesauce!” as the float fly off the cliff and down towards the mud and crashed at the bottom of the lake. Midnight quickly stopped at the edge of the cliff and looked down to make sure they were okay. Sure enough, the girls emerged out fine from the float but are now covered in mud. Midnight quickly ran down the hill with Applejack and Babs Seed close behind as the other girls having arrived on the scene look on in worry. “Are you three okay?” Midnight asked with concern in her voice as she helps the girls up. “We’re fine” Applebloom glumly answered. “No sweat” Scootaloo answered in the same tone as Applebloom knocked mud out from her ear. “After I’ve been so mean to you, you saved me!” Babs said clearly astonished by their act of heroism after everything that has happened. "Me, too." Midnight said to herself in the same tone as Babs Seed as she too could not quite understand why the girls were saving someone that’s been bullying them and initially tried to seek payback against her only to back off at the last second as Applejack could only give an expression of confusion as she didn’t know what was going on. “Um, about that…” Applebloom sighed. “Hold on y’all.” Applejack interrupted. “I want to know what all this was about, but we first we gotta get you girls here tided up.” With her statement said the conservation ended up being held off as Applejack led the girls to Sweet Apple Acres where she would wash off all this mud they had on them. Midnight having tagged along decided to help Applejack out with getting the girls all cleaned by getting a huge wooden tub where Applejack would fill it with soap and water. While Applejack left to retrieve towels for the three, Midnight stayed to rub bath soap on the girls to make sure their manes were sparkling clean where the girls continued their conversation with Babs Seed. “I don’t get it! I saw it all happen! You pushed me out just when the float was about to head into the lake!" Babs Seed exclaimed still stunned by what they just did. “Except… we were the reason it was headed into the lake.” Scootaloo explained as Applejack arrived back with a towel in her mouth. “We booby-trapped the float” Sweetie Belle added causing Babs Seed to react with surprise at this revelation. “Y’see Babs, we were tryin’ to get you back for bein’ a big bully…” Applebloom held Babs hoof in an apologetic manner as she got out of the tub with a towel on her back leaving Babs to look away in guilt. “But then Applejack told us about how you were being bullied back in Manehatten.” Scootaloo added as Babs Seed covered her flank with her tail in shame. “So that’s why they did it.” Midnight thought to herself at this revelation sounding surprised at this new development coming to light. “And we figured out you were just doing it to avoid getting picked on in Ponyville.” Sweetie Belle combined her sentence with theirs. “But, by then… we were the ones being bullies. And…” She placed her hooves to her head in frustration. “Oh, why does life have to be so ironic?!” She yelled out loud, pouncing her hooves to the bath water causing it to make a splash as Sweetie Belle walked up out of the tub to stand side by side with the other crusaders. “Guess what we’re trying to say is…” Applebloom began. “We’re sorry.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders apologized all together. Babs blew the hair strands from her mane away from her face as she spoke up. “I’m sorry too.” She apologized as well. Applejack sighed and trotted over to them “Y’know this all could have been avoided if y’all just came to me in the very beginning.” “About that” Midnight spoke up stepping forward to confess. “I feel like I’m at fault on this too.“ Hearing this leaves Applejack surprised wondering what she meant by that. "What do you mean, sugarcube?" Applejack asked her wondering what involvement she had in this. “They came to me and spoke to me about their problem, so I told that most of the time, you have to fight and stand up for yourself, because usually adults don’t do much about it. Not saying that you wouldn’t have done anything Applejack…” She responded as she looked away in shame. “It’s just that’s the way I’m used to dealing with this problem when growing up and defending my friends back at home or at least former friends now.” Applejack placed her hoof on Midnight’s shoulder in an understanding manner. “I understand, Midnight, and I’m sorry to hear about your broken friendship. In most cases, that is true… But…” She looked over the little ones. “Now you all know what to do if this happens again, right?” The three little girls nodded their heads in agreement of what they will do going forward. “So…can we… start over?” Babs Seed offered. “Definitely!” Applebloom accepted, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Yeah!” Scootaloo raised her hoof for all of them to place together. Sweetie Belle and Apple bloom joined, but Babs Seed looked hesitant. The three fillies looked over to her, waiting for her to join in as well. Babs Seed was surprised, placing a hoof on herself. The girls nodded, allowing Babs to place her hoof in the bond as well. “Wait!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Does this mean you’ll join the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Babs Seed only responded with a light nod and smile. “YAY!” The three of them exclaimed together. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Initiation!” With that the girls quickly made their way to their clubhouse while Midnight and Applejack followed after them walking up to their clubhouse. During the walk over Applejack asked Midnight “So what happened between you and your friends?” “Well…Long story short...” Midnight started a little reluctant on sharing her past. “We had an argument after they walked out on me for trying call out our leader’s poor decisions that led to an attack that nearly doomed my hometown. Even though I saved every pony, I was left very bitter and resentful at them for letting me down when I really counted on them the most. Then I left and never saw any of them again. Ever since that incident my faith in friendship and trust hasn’t been the same since.” “Really?” Applejack inquired realizing that their fallout was similar to her and her friend’s falling out with Twilight before her death. “I’m sorry to hear that and if it’s any comfort if given the chance and you let forgiveness into your heart you’d probably have your faith in the ways of friendship back into your heart allowing you to make up with them." Applejack honestly and sympathetically advised. "While it’s too late for us it’s not too late for you.” Applejack said with a supportive smile. “We’ll see.” Midnight said while sounding still doubtful of that possibility. They walked up to their clubhouse just in time to see them finish the initiation. “Babs?” Applejack called. She looked back, wearing one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders cloak as well. “Go get your things. We have to be at the train station to take you back to Manehattan.” “Aww.” The other girls expressed wanting to spend more time with her but acknowledge that all good things have to come to an end. “Don’t worry.” Babs assured the three. “I’ll continue the Cutie Mark Crusaders back in Manehattan. It’ll feel good to have friends I can relate to instead going through stuff alone.” “That sounds amazin’!” Applebloom exclaimed. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Babs Seed then make their way to the train station accompanied by Applejack and Midnight as they all manage to get to the train station minutes before Bab’s train arrives. “So you promise you’re gonna start our Manehatten branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, right?” Applebloom asked her. “Yeah, and I promise to keep talking to my big sis about the teasing back home.” Bab Seed responded as she stood by her suitcase in front of her train. “Good.” Applejack stated as she and Midnight walked towards them. “And if you have any problems, we’ve got your back too, y’hear?” Applejack placed her forelegs around the fillies. “That’s right.” Midnight announced, surprising them a bit. “If I could offer some advice…” Midnight said directing her attention to Babs Seed. “It’s good to talk to your big sister about bullying, so you don’t feel alone. But next time some pony tries to put you down, stand up for yourself." She started as she leaned down to Babs eye level. "Show them that you’re not going to take any more of their teasing. Use the strength you used for bullying and place it into defending yourself this time. When they see that you’re not going to tolerate it, they’ll leave you alone. Worst case scenario is they get some pony else to do the dirty work for them, but I’m sure you’ll be able handle anything they throw at you. Understand?” She advised the young girl and asked if she got her message. “Yes.” Babs Seed nodded, forming a soft smile. ”Thank you.” At that moment, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon arrived behind them. “So you’re leaving, huh? Great! Now we’re stuck here with these lame blank flanks.” The girls taunted as the Cutie Mark Crusaders all form angered and hurt glares, especially Sweetie Belle who was looking teary once again as the symbol on her cloak fell off. Seeing this as an opportunity for Babs, Midnight sent Babs a smirk. Babs looked back at her, as she nudges at her. Midnight motioned her head towards those mean fillies while glaring at them, signaling her to try her advice out. She received the message and proceeded to act upon it. “Hey! That’s not how you talk to my friends!” She exclaimed confidently as she walked towards them. “F-friends?” Silver Spoon stuttered. “Yeah, you got a problem with that?” “Well, what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?” Diamond Tiara tried to counterattack, but Babs kept a straight face as she faced them and grinned mischievously. “Tell your mothers about your bad attitudes!” Babs retorted as she moved a few steps towards them, causing them to back away. Diamond Tiara shook her head as Silver Spoon pleaded with shaky hooves, surprisingly. Babs Seed leaned her head forward, scaring them into tripping over the platform and into a mud puddle. Babe trotted back over to us and knocked her hooves with Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, climbing aboard the train after. Midnight approached the two girls in the mud as she took her turn to say a few words to them. "And if I you were, I’d stay away from those fillies because if I hear about you two bothering them again, well…” Midnight threateningly said as she lighted up her horn and releasing a menacing grin “Let’s just say you’re just hurting yourselves.” She concluded as she pops up a statue resembling a pony before blasting it with her magic leaving both girls terrified by the implied threat run for their lives presumably back home where they belong. “That ought to teach them.” Midnight said to herself with a devious smirk as she joined back up with the others. “I sure gonna miss that bad seed.” Sweetie Belle mentioned, confusing Applejack. “Bad seed? I thought y’all were friends now?” Applejack questioned as they waved to Babs on the train clearly not telling that she was telling a pun. “No, see, first we called her ‘bad seed’ as in actually a bad seed, but now she’s bad as in good.” Sweetie Belle explained to clarify the pun. “Get it?” “Yea-no.” Applejack’s sustained answer caused the Cutie Mark Crusaders to laugh as the train now left Ponyville. “I do.” Midnight chuckling a little getting the joke. “Hench the irony of her name.” She added causing the girls to laugh even more when they saw she managed to further add on to the joke. Even though things didn't go quite according to plan, Midnight is still pleased to see that she is able to help young fillies who help by giving them worthwhile advice and in the end things turn out well as she helped all four of them a valuable lesson while putting Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in their place.