Universe 25197
“So… Do ya have any questions?” Applejack asked with a nervous smile to the classroom full of foals. Applebloom was right beside her, smiling from ear to ear while looking at her big sister.
“Don’t be shy, children. I’m sure Miss Applejack here would love answering any questions you may have,” Cheerilee stated from her desk.
After several seconds, one of the foals raised their hoof. Applejack recognized the filly nearly instantly since Applebloom complained about her a lot in the past. It was Diamond Tiara, and once her little sister had noticed the other filly’s raised hoof, she immediately grinned maliciously.
“Yes?” Applejack pointed at Diamond Tiara while attempting to ignore Applebloom’s strange look.
“Uhm, how much do you earn a year?” The pink earth pony questioned, prompting Applejack to clear her throat.
“How much? Right… How much…” She repeated under her breath. How much did Jackie say again? This was one of the things she didn’t write down. Thankfully, her memory wasn’t as bad as Granny Smith’s yet, so she was able to remember it. “3 billion bits on average,” She finally answered.
Unfortunately, it seemed her response wasn’t quite satisfying enough? At least, that was what she supposed considering the little filly was as immobile as a statue, with wide eyes and her jaw nearly touching the floor. Before Applejack could even ask if she was alright, Diamond Tiara fainted on her desk.
“Ah! Diamond Tiara!” Silver Spoon shouted as she ran to the filly’s side.
“S-Silver Spoon…” Diamond Tiara coughed while she was held in her friend’s hooves. “Did I just hear… That Applebloom is… richer than me?” She asked with heavy breaths. She shouldn’t have even been surprised. The moment she heard that the CEO of Apple Industries was Applebloom’s sister, she should have known. However, it was such a difficult fact to accept.
“No! You just… You heard it wrong, I swear! Don’t go into the light!” Silver Spoon replied while shaking her friend, who seemingly passed out again.
“Okay. Silver Spoon, take her to the school nurse, please,” Cherilee instructed the grey filly. “I’m sorry you had to see this,” The teacher turned to Applejack to apologize while Applebloom triumphantly bragged with a victory dance to the two fillies exiting the classroom.
Even some of the other adults, who accompanied their foals for their presentation, suddenly felt inadequate compared to the Apple family.
“It’s alright,” The older Apple sister retorted before looking at the class again. “Any other questions?” She asked again and was met with silence for a second time until another foal raised their hoof. “Ya there,”
“Do you know who your best customer is?” The white foal with brown spots questioned.
“That would be the Dragon Lands. Ah have a fruitful partnership with Lord Ember; she let me set up ma gem mines in her lands in exchange for a discount any dragon from her lands can benefit from,” Applejack answered with as much confidence as she could muster. The foal seemed satisfied with this response. “If y’all… excuse me, Ah think Ah’ll need to go to the restroom,” She smiled nervously before swiftly bolting out of the classroom.
“It’s alright, I think we were done anyway,” Applebloom replied while Cheerilee wrote down some notes on her clipboard, then gazed at the little filly.
“This was an excellent presentation, Applebloom! First your grandmother, now your big sister, your family is full of surprises, isn’t it?” She cheerfully congratulated the little filly, who punched the air in victory.
“I know, right?!” She responded before being suddenly joined by her friends, the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“You sister’s awesome!” Scootaloo commented excitedly. “Not as awesome as Rainbow Dash, but still!” She added as the three fillies slowly went back to their seats.
“Do you think she’d like to meet Rarity? My sister always wanted to have a line of gem-based dresses,” Sweetie Belle mentioned, to which Applebloom eagerly nodded.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t she? I’m sure she must have heard about Rarity! Oh! Maybe we could get her to meet the others, too!” She responded. The others she referred to were the rest of the bearers of the elements of harmony, and she had no doubt that they would be overjoyed to meet her sister. Maybe she could even become one of their closest friends!
BLECH
“Celestia, please… Blerrr!” Applejack barfed with guttural and pained sounds in the restroom while desperately holding on to the toilet seat as if her life depended on it. “Ah never… Bu…” She began saying, only to be interrupted again by the vomit begging to exit her throat. “Ah never had… To lie so much in so little time… Ever,” She finally managed to utter with snot running down her muzzle. If anyone were to come here and see her, then would probably think this was a pathetic sight for someone who claimed to be the CEO of Apple Industries.
They would be right since she was NOT the CEO of Apple Industries! Screw that multiverse dung! Why did it have to put her in this position?! How did it come to this? She already has an idea of how this would evolve. She would have spit out even more lies, soon! Of course, a school presentation wouldn’t be the only problem she would encounter!
The only thing she didn’t lie during that whole thing was about her family and her name! Actually, no. That was a lie, too! Not only because this wasn’t her original family, but also because she told them her friends called her “Jackie”! Who the hell called her that?! No one! No one did!
That wasn’t even the worst part. Oh, Celestia! Why did Applebloom look so proud and overjoyed?!
“Ah’m a fraud! Why is she proud of a fraud?” Applejack slapped her own face.
Well, technically, she was proud of Jackie’s accomplishments and that pony wasn’t a fraud. Nonetheless, she didn’t deserve the credit! All of that for a stupid stone she could just… Steal somehow! Just after resorting to lying, she would have to steal, too? That stupid messed-up world was making her betray everything she believed in!
That world! That world… Wasn’t really messed up… After all, it looked peaceful. Everyone looked happy. Even her family! Indeed, their relationship with Jackie was strained, to say the least, but they were still happy! Her counterpart certainly was. It only reminded her of how little it seemed she mattered. She wasn’t the element of honesty here… Yet, everything was fine. The world was still there. No powerful villain had taken over it either.
She thought her bond with her friends meant something! That it was not only the greatest thing that ever happened to her, but to them as well! Even if she got the stone and returned home, how could she ever forget there was a universe where she was replaced by Lyra of all ponies and it barely changed anything?!
She wanted to see her friends again. They would know how to help. She wouldn’t have to lie, cheat, steal, or anything! She bet there was a peaceful and easy way to resolve this. Unfortunately, she had no idea what she was doing.
“Sis? Are ya okay?” Applebloom’s voice reached Applejack’s ears while the little filly knocked on the restroom stall’s door.
The older sister widened her eyes and swiftly wiped her face clean before flushing the toilet.
“Y-Yeah! Ah’m comin’!” She shouted in a panic, desperately trying to hide the fact she wasn’t feeling well.
“Ya’ve been in there for a long time!” Applebloom exclaimed with a bewildered look once the orange earth pony came out.
“Really? How long?” She asked, genuinely curious since it didn’t seem she had been in there for too long.
“Well… Class is over,” Applebloom revealed, nearly making her sister choke on her own spit.
“What?! That long?! What have Ah been doin’ in there?!” Applejack grabbed her head in shock before realizing what she just said to the little filly, who could only stare at her with an eyebrow raised. “Ah mean… Ah really must have eaten somethin’ bad before comin’ here,” She corrected while rubbing her belly.
Yet another lie, and just as she predicted, they would keep piling up more and more until their weight finally crushed her.
“Okay…” Applebloom drew out her response before lighting up. “Well, if ya feel better, follow me!” She shouted, grabbing one of Applejack’s hooves and dragging her along with her.
“Whoa! Where are we goin’?” The older Apple sister inquired.
“Ya have to come with me! Ya gotta play with me and ma friends! Ya only got to talk to them, but you’ll see, they’re awesome at games, too!” She responded eagerly.
Applejack simply grinned warmly in response. Of course, she already knew who Applebloom’s friends were, but she guessed there was no problem playing with them again as if she had never done before. Moreover, she wanted to do her utmost to please her sister. Not because Jackie asked her to, even if she may have come here because of that, but because seeing the little filly so happy was actually heartwarming. Even if she wasn’t exactly the one she knew, she still loved her, so lying to her was gut-wrenching. At least, making her happy would be a good way to partially atone for her mistakes.
Even if… Telling the truth was the right thing to do…
“Hey… Wait,” Applejack suddenly stopped, pulling Applebloom back by surprise. “Ah have to tell you somethin’...” She began much to her sister’s confusion.
“We can talk later! Come on! Ya gotta see the girls!” She cut her off and pulled her along the way again.
“But, wait! It’s important!” Applejack tried to argue, only for the filly to shake her head.
“Ah’m sure it can wait, sis! Let’s just go! Ma friends will be so jealous when we beat them!” Applebloom countered as excitedly as ever.
For once, Applejack decided to finally question her about her strange adoration for her. Ever since she got here, it looked like this Applebloom loved her even more than hers!
“Just, wait!” Applejack pulled her hoof away, making the filly pause and stare back at her. “Ah love spendin’ time with ya, but Ah gotta know… Why are ya so happy Ah came here? Why are ya so excited? It’s not like we met before… Right?” This was a genuine question considering she really didn’t know if Jackie and the filly ever met before, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
Applebloom looked down, downcast as if she was reminded of a bad memory. Applejack instantly felt bad about making her feel this way since it must have been a sensitive subject. However, before she could apologize and tell her to forget about it, the filly finally answered.
“Ah always wanted a sister,” She revealed shyly, lightly kicking the ground. “Havin’ Big Mac and Granny Smith was nice, ‘specially since Ah don’t have memories of Mom and Dad… But it’s not the same as havin’ a big sister. Sometimes, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would be busy with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and Ah’d be all alone,”
Applejack softly nodded. Scotaloo and RD didn’t have blood relations, but they may have as well. They acted like two real sisters would. As far as anyone was concerned, they were family. Even a blind pony could see it. Moreover, Applejack may have not seen Rarity and Sweetie Belle interact much, but she was certain their relationship was similar to hers and Applebloom’s.
“Ah wasn’t mad at them for leavin’ me to be with their family, but… They always look so happy when they do, and… Ah was jealous.” She admitted shamefully with her eyes closed. “Scootaloo will do tricks with her scooter and Rainbow Dash will be here to congratulate her, and cheer her on. She always tells her she’s the most awesome filly ever; oh, and Ah always see her givin’ her pointers for her tricks when she teaches her to fly! It looks like they have so much fun!” She smiled a little, perking up as she seemingly got more cheery as she remembered the two ponies. “Sweetie Belle’s sister is so cool, too! Our school had to prepare a play once, but Snips and Snails, those dummies, ruined all our costumes!” She snickered.
Actually, Applejack remembered something like that happening in her own universe. How did they resolve it again? She knew Applebloom told her…
“Everypony thought we’d have to cancel the play, but then, Rarity came out of nowhere and fixed it all up for once! She even made new costumes for us! All that in only a few hours! Sweetie Belle called for her help right away when she saw the state of our costumes, apparently,” She smiled fondly.
Right, now she remembered. Since it was before Twilight came to Ponyville, she didn’t have a great relationship with Rarity yet. So when Applebloom told her how cool the unicorn was, she was a bit jealous. Now… Now it seemed something so childish and trivial to be jealous about.
“Sometimes, we play outside, so we get all dirty,” Applebloom kicked the ground again, averting Applejack’s gaze. “Every time Rarity sees us, she scolds Sweetie Belle. Nothin’ too serious or anythin’! She’d get a towel and she would clean her up super easily! She sounds harsh, but it’s so obvious Rarity likes a lot! She buys her everythin’ and on her birthdays, she makes her toys herself! Ain’t that awesome?” Applebloom asked, to which Applejack smiled and nodded. “Sweetie complains she acts too much like she’s her mom, but… that ain’t so bad, is it?” She inquired. “It just means she likes her a ton! Rarity also wants to teach her to make dresses from time to time… Ah am their friend, but these two are their best friends,”
Applejack was tempted to interject and tell her that it didn’t change the fact she was their closest friend outside of their family. No matter what happened, they were the CMCs and they would always be together. However, she doubted this was the answer Applebloom wanted to hear. She wasn’t sad because she felt left out. She was sad because they had something she didn’t. So, instead, she remained silent.
“Granny Smith and Big Mac are always so busy, and they don’t understand me… Ah just wish Ah’d have somepony to cheer me on, too. A pony who would teach me things, play with me, or help me go back to sleep after a nightmare…. A pony who’d help with ma school projects. Ah wanted to know what Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle felt like! Ah tried to hang out with Sweetie Belle’s sister’s friends… Like Scootaloo does with Rainbow Dash. But it never worked out. Pinkie and Fluttershy were too different, Ah didn’t have fun with them. Lyra is always with her marefriend. Twilight already has Spike, Shining Armor, Cadence… She has so many siblings already!” Applebloom sighed, feeling more and more miserable.
Well, now Applejack felt bad for asking.
“Sometimes… They talked about ya. Granny and Big Mac,” She stated, making Applejack perk up. “It was never in detail, though. They didn’t want ta say much. But Ah wasn’t deaf! Knowing Ah had a sister was nice, but… Ah always thought ya didn’t like me,” She admitted, much to Applejack’s shock. “Ya never came to Ponyville before, and they never talked about ya comin’ anytime soon. Maybe ya didn’t like us or we weren’t important enough. That’s what Ah thought,” She sniffled and wiped away the small tears in the corner of her eyes.
“Applebloom… Ah…” The words were stuck in Applejack’s throat. They simply refused to come out because no matter what she said next, there would be nothing good about it.
“But Ah was wrong! Ya do care!” The filly jumped and embraced her big sister in a hug, suddenly feeling upbeat. “Ya’re here! Really, really here! And you’re awesome!” She added eagerly.
Way to go Applejack. Now tell her you’re not her sister. It should have been easy. The truth was her whole business, after all. It was time to reveal her true identity to the world and stop this charade once and for all! It would also ruin whatever stupid plan Jackie may have had! It was a win-win outcome! So… Why… Why wasn’t her mouth moving like she wanted it to? Instead, the orange earth pony’s lips quivered while small tears trickled down her cheeks. Before she could stop herself, she returned the hug.
“Yeah! Yeah, Ah’m here! We’ll have a lot of fun, Ah swear!” She promised the little filly. “Of course, yer big sister wouldn’t forget about her family!”
You coward. You absolute coward.
She wasn’t proud of herself. How could she be? She knew the repercussions would likely be even worse in the long run if she didn’t stop this in time, but… She didn’t have the strength when Applebloom took her to the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, so they could play.
They wished to play volleyball since one of them always had to be the referee, but now that Applejack was here, they could play in teams of two. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had set up a net between two trees for them at the request of Scootaloo one day.
Naturally, Applebloom’s friends found it unfair that she would have an adult on her team, but they didn’t protest too much when they saw how happy the filly was to be with her sister. Still, she wanted to be fair play, so Applejack agreed she would only hit the ball to either protect their side or pass it to her sister.
“Here, Applebloom!” The older Apple sister exclaimed as she headbutted the ball and sent it toward the smaller filly.
“Hiya!” The filly shouted as she jumped and kicked the ball over the net.
“I got it! I got it!” Scootaloo retorted while running to where the ball should land, only to trip and fall pathetically on her face. However, right before the ball touched the ground, it was surrounded by a blue hue which made it levitate.
“Oof, that was close,” Sweetie Belle breathed out in relief. “Take this!” She exclaimed as she used her magic to throw the ball over the net.
“Hey! Usin’ magic is cheatin’!” Applebloom complained. Fortunately, she didn’t have to move from her spot once she noticed Applejack running toward the ball. The older mare jumped before kicking the ball with her powerful legs and sending it flying to the other side.
“RUN!” Scootaloo ordered in fear and ran off to avoid the oncoming missile, who loudly bounced off their side of the field and flew into a tree.
“You said you wouldn’t do that!” Sweetie Belle yelled after running off from behind the rock where she was hiding.
“Sorry, kids, but if ya want me to play fair, ya gotta do the same,” Applejack smirked until Applebloom suddenly jumped on her back.
“That’s 10 to 0! Haha! No one can beat us!” She rejoiced, reminding the losing team of the difference in points they had.
“You two are lucky Rainbow Dash isn’t here because the two of us would have totally ruled,” Scootaloo crossed her forelegs smugly.
Applejack’s competitive side nearly pushed her to retort it wouldn’t change anything because she would easily kick Rainbow Dash’s ass. Then she remembered that the Rainbow Dash she knew wasn’t actually here… In fact, the pegasus from this place wouldn’t even know who she was, probably. Worse, she knew Jackie and hated her. Another reminder she didn’t have her trusted friends by her side.
She was beginning to think this world was some kind of illusion made to torture her. Could you blame her? She betrayed her principles and lied to everyone around her, she was replaced by Lyra, and she didn’t have friends. At least, she could try to be a good sister to Applebloom.
A fake sister.
“We should probably go back to the farm. Ah reckon Granny Smith might need our help,” Applejack uttered, making Applebloom sigh.
“Okay… Stupid chores,” She mumbled in annoyance which didn’t go unheard.
“I guess we’ll see you maybe later today?” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“I gotta work on my scooter tricks anyway,” Scootaloo added.
“We really have to train for the Ponyville’s Junior Race, too. We only have a couple of days,” Sweetie reminded them.
“It’ll be fine! We’re so ready!” Applebloom called out to her while departing and taking one last look at her friends.
“What’s this race about?” Applejack questioned since she never heard of it in her own universe.
“It’s somethin’ Mayor Mare wanted to do because some foals said they wanted to have a kind of Running of the Leaves for foals. The Cutie Mark Crusaders have been trainin’ to get in the top 3. Ah plan on bein’ first place!” Applebloom responded excitedly.
“And Ah’m sure you will,” Her big sister assured her.
Thus, Applejack began doing what her sister needed of her.
Teaching her.
The older Apple sister pulled a cart full of apples, which she just bucked out of a few trees. She would have taken them to the barn immediately if she hadn’t stopped to watch her sister buck a tree. Unsurprisingly, she managed to make quite a number of apples fall. However, it would take her multiple kicks to get all of them.
“Ya sure have a lot of strength!” She complimented before letting go of the cart and approaching the small filly.
“Thanks,” She blushed at her sister’s praise.
“But yer stance isn’t quite perfect yet,” Applejack revealed. “Your forelegs are too close to each other. Ya don’t have a good balance, and without a good balance, ya won’t have enough strength for a good buck,” She instructed while showing Applebloom the correct position of her hooves.
“Like this?” Applebloom inquired, imitating her sister’s stance.
“Yup! Try it out, now!” The older sister replied.
The redhead obliged and bucked the tree as hard as she could! As if it was a magic trick, all the remaining apples fell off its branches and inside the basket the filly brought.
“Woah! Ah did it!” Applebloom celebrated. “How come Big Mac never taught me that?”
“That’s ‘cause he’s a big boy with big muscles. He don’t need no stance!”
Indeed, this was a technique she had to come up with on her own when she was a filly because Big Mac simply didn’t need anything more than his raw strength. Granny Smith had her own method, but Applejack never liked it much. Now she was as strong as her brother and didn’t really need any technique anymore, but she still did it nonetheless.
“Ya already know so much about buckin’ trees! It’s like you’ve been on a farm yer whole life!” Applebloom said with admiration.
“What? Me? On a farm? No… Nope!” Applejack chuckled nervously. “That’s just ma Apple blood wakin’ up!”
What a horrible liar. You’ve spent your whole life on a farm, and you weren’t even proud enough to say it?
“If ya say so!” Applebloom giggled before putting the two baskets on her back.
Applejack looked away, sighed, and followed after her. This wasn’t what she intended. She didn’t want it to be this way! They would understand, wouldn’t they?!
BLECH
Applejack shed tears with her head down the toilet as she released her lunch down the drain.
Playing with her.
“What? Ah’m goin’ to jail again?!” Applejack groaned after reading her card. She rolled her eyes and simply moved the small boot on the prison spot. She was about to voice her displeasure again before being stopped short by Applebloom’s giggling across her. “What’s so funny, little missy?”
“You! Ya really are bad at this game,” She snickered while hiding her mouth behind her hooves.
Yeah, Applejack couldn’t deny she was. It wasn’t her fault, though! She didn’t understand a thing about it! It didn’t even exist in her universe! At least, she didn’t think so. They were in the living room, playing a board game called ‘Monopoly’. The rules sounded simple when Applebloom explained them, but that little filly was… some kind of genius or something because she was rich as hay! Meanwhile, Applejack had to beg her a few times for some money.
Naturally, the little tyke was acting all smug about it. Nevertheless, the older sister didn’t blame her considering how competitive she, herself, was.
“Ah’m surprised, though. You’re the one who made it,” Applebloom shrugged before rolling the dice and moving her carriage forward.
“Huh? What?” Applejack muttered in shock. Jackie made that game?! No wonder it didn’t exist back home, then! “Right. Yeah… Just ‘cause Ah made it… Doesn’t mean Ah am good at it,” She laughed weakly.
“Ah guess so,” Her little sister answered dismissively.
You forgot to mention one small detail. You weren’t the one who made it, were you? Wonder what she would look like once she learned the truth?
Applejack shook her head, dismissing those thoughts before noticing Big Mac grabbing a box of milk and drinking a few sips of it. One of Applebloom’s problems was that Granny Smith and Big Mac didn’t understand her. They were too busy to spend time with her, so maybe… She could help with that?
“Hey! Big Mac! Get over here and come play with us!” She ordered, getting the stallion’s attention and surprising Applebloom in the process.
“Ah don’t know… Ah thought Ah would hit the hay. Work’s been rough,” He replied, obviously tired. However, Applejack was well aware he could handle much more than that.
“Only one game! Ah am sure Applebloom wouldn’t mind, right?” She insisted. Her little sister nodded immediately.
“Of course! Won’t ya play with us?” She asked her brother and did her best to put on the best puppy eyes imaginable.
Big Mac could do nothing but sigh in defeat. How could he resist?
“Alright, alright. Ya know she always wins that game, right? Playing this against her sure is painful,” He said as he sat at the table with them.
“Oh, Ah noticed! She sure is cunnin’! Ah owe her at least twice as much money as I started with!” Applejack laughed while their little sister snickered pridefully.
“That was your first mistake, borrowin’ from her,” Big Mac grinned before picking the piece he would play as, which was a bicycle.
“Since Big Mac’s joining us, let’s start a new game!” Applebloom stated before distributing back the money she had taken from Applejack and returning some to the bank.
Applejack nearly forgot about her worries as she played with them. It was as if… It began feeling like home. However, she knew the truth. This could never be her real home, and not just because she already had one to return to. She was aware she didn’t really deserve to stay here after everything.
“What? Ya can do that? Since when?” Big Mac exclaimed, flabbergasted. It seemed he forgot some of the game rules, apparently.
“Yup! Since Ah am bribin’ the City Hall, Ah’m basically the mayor! If Ah can raise the taxes once every two turns, and take one of your possessions for free!” Applebloom cheerfully explained before grabbing something out of the box. “Ah’ll take yer farm, and place one ma factories instead!” She decided after kicking away Big Mac’s little house piece and putting a factory instead.
“My farm! It’s ma family home! We lived there for generations!” He shouted with horror. Yeah, for some reason, he liked roleplaying.
“Oof, that’s a tough one, Big Mac. Hang in there,” His other sister patted him on the back. “Ah could let you borrow some money, but… Ah really don’t wanna lose the little Ah have,” She chuckled.
“Ya shouldn’t laugh too soon, sis ‘cause it’s yer turn, next!” Applebloom warned her, much to Applejack’s terror.
“Huh, What did Ah do?!” She retorted while Big Mac burst out laughing. While he was in a dire situation, he knew it wouldn’t take long before the older Apple sister ended up in the same predicament.
Their little sister simply snickered without a care in the world as if she enjoyed the suffering she brought them. What a little devil. Yet, Applejack couldn’t help but laugh along with them after only a few seconds.
Meanwhile, Granny Smith peeked at the three of them from behind the wall. Perhaps, she was awakened from her nap by the sound of laughter, or she simply wanted to check on them, or even give them an additional chore. In the end, the reason didn’t matter anymore as she laid her eyes on the joyful scene. Unwilling to interrupt them, she just smiled and walked away. She never thought she would hear Applejack’s laughter again since that day, but she supposed every prayer would come answered at some point.
BLECH
“Why… Why?” Applejack puked again behind a tree, crying at the same just as she did the previous times. “Ah’m sorry!”
Telling bedtime stories.
“You fought over that?” Applebloom questioned in disbelief.
“Yup! Ah was real silly back then, but it was ma first slumber party with the three of them! Ah hated how pompous she was!” Applejack softly laughed, recalling her slumber party with Twilight and Rarity. Naturally, she made sure to avoid mentioning their real name because Applebloom would catch on quickly.
She really had no shame.
“She sounds like Sweetie Belle’s sister,” Applebloom sniggered, tightly wrapped under her bed covers.
Once the night had fallen, the filly had convinced Applejack to tell her a bedtime story, which she nearly immediately accepted to do.
“Ah wouldn’t mind meetin’ this Rarity, one day. At the end of the party, we made up and both apologized, of course. It was… It’s a nice memory… Ah hope ya have plenty of them, too,” Applejack whispered before realizing that her sister had already fallen asleep. “Good night, sis,” Just as she turned around to leave, her sister spoke.
“Sis… Love ya,” The redhead filly mumbled in her sleep, making Applejack pause. She couldn’t look at her.
She loved her sister. The one in Manehattan. Not you. You were an impostor, a fraud, and a liar.
Applejack didn’t reply back. Instead, she simply left the room without a word.
BLECH
“Ah’m… A bad pony…”
Cheering her on.
“Go, Applebloom!” Applejack shouted from the side as her little sister was nearing the finish line, closely followed by the other CMCs along with Pipsqueak trailing right behind them. “Kick their ass!” She cheered the small filly.
“Ah… Ah…” Applebloom breathed heavily when the finish line finally got in sight. There were quite a lot of adults gathered around, each cheering for different foals. She didn’t need to look behind her to know there was likely a horde of ponies running behind her, but she would make it through this! She only needed a little push!
“You’re nearly there, Applebloom! Ya can do it!” Her older sister yelled from the sidelines. Somehow, this allowed the school filly to muster even more strength in her legs and propel herself forward until she finally reached the finish line, probably a second before Scotaloo did. “Yahoo! Ya did it!” Applejack cheered as did many other ponies when the other foals arrived, then ran up to her sister who couldn’t stand on her legs anymore.
“Ah… Ah did it?” She asked herself while looking at the sky, her tongue hanging out of her mouth.
“You sure did! I was so close to being in the first place! So, so close!” Scootaloo replied, panting as much as the redhead did.
“I don’t think I can move my legs anymore,” Sweetie Belle added from the ground she was lying on.
“Congrats, ya three! Ya won!” Applejack came running with pride before picking Applebloom up from the ground.
“You’ll have… To carry me home, Ah think,” The smaller pony mumbled while lying on Applejack’s back. “Oh, and… Thanks for watchin’ me,” She thanked her.
“Ya really think Ah wouldn’t have?” Applejack grinned warmly and ruffled her sister’s mane.
You shouldn’t have. She was not your sister, you liar! You were faking it! You couldn’t be happy while going on with this joke! Liar! Liar! Liar!
Helping her with her homework, buying her gifts with Jackie’s money, and helping with the chores more and more. She had been the ideal sister and daughter this past week. She did everything she could to make them happy and their life easier. However, in the end… It didn’t change the facts. To them, she was a stranger who took the place of someone they cared about, of someone they loved. They just hadn’t noticed it yet. What she wondered was… When had she become such a good liar? Maybe she always had the potential to be one.
“Ya okay, Applejack?” Granny Smith pulled her out of daydreaming.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. Why?” Her granddaughter answered tiredly.
“Applebloom told me ya’ve been goin’ to the restroom an awful lot, lately. It’s been the second time ya’ve been in there this past 30 minutes,” She explained worriedly. “Ya look a bit pale, too,”
“Oh, it’s… It’s nothin’. Ah’m tired, that’s all. Not used to the farm life, ya know? Nothin’ serious,” Applejack lied as naturally as she breathed.
“If ya say so… Anyway, Ah came here to talk to ya about the past week,” She responded, making Applejack arch an eyebrow. “Ah gotta say ya fulfilled the end of yer deal perfectly. Ya pulled yer own weight! Ya did every chore and more. Ya bonded a lot with Applebloom and Big Mac. Ah am so proud,” She explained before putting a hoof on the other pony’s shoulder. “Ah know ya were sincere when ya said ya wanted to fix what we had. Ah always believed it, but Ah’m glad ya confirmed it. Ya always cared, even if we were far apart, and that’s enough for me,” Suddenly, she embraced her. “Ah know you’ll have to go back to Manehattan, but know that this will always be yer home,”
“Granny… I…” Applejack’s words were stuck in her throat. Why? Why couldn’t they kick her out?! Couldn’t they scream at her and tell her how much they hated her?! “Thanks… Ah’m tired, so Ah think I’ll rest in ma room,” She said before breaking off the hug and walking away with her head low.
“Rest well,” Granny Smith said softly while watching the younger pony walking up the stairs.
Applejack sighed. No. She needed to end this once and for all. One week here was already too much. Right on cue, the necklace Jackie gave her was blinking as she entered the room. How long was she calling her? Well, better not make her wait.
Going over to it, Applejack picked it up and placed it on the bedside table as Jackie’s face appeared above it. She seemed to be in her office.
“Howdy there, partner! Ah hope ya weren’t ghostin’ me,” Jackie grinned smugly.
“No. Ah was talkin’ with Granny Smith, sorry,” Applejack responded.
“Oh? So, Ah’m guessin’ your bondin’ is going well? They love ya, Ah mean, me a lot?” She asked while lighting a cigar as her counterpart nodded. Jackie didn’t notice how depressed her nodding was, though. “Good, good. Ya only have one more thing to do, and that would be the end of yer deal,” She revealed, making her counterpart perk up.
“Really?” Applejack asked hopefully. Yes! It would be over! Maybe she could even get to tell them the truth! Finally! Yes, they would hate her, but that was what she deserved! She wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if they didn’t hate her!
“Yup!” Jackie took a puff of her cigar. “Ah want ya to make them sell their farm to me,” She instructed.
“What?” Applejack muttered in disbelief. “What do ya mean… Sell?”
“That ain’t clear enough?” Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Ah want their land. There are tons of gems under there from what my experts said. There’s a lotta profit to be made, here,” She explained nonchalantly.
“But… They live there! That’s their home! They can’t just leave!” Applejack argued astonishingly.
“Do Ah look like Ah give a shit?! They won’t complain once they see the check, anyway,”
“But ya already are rich! Why do ya want more money?!” Applejack shouted aggressively, only for Jackie to suddenly look more serious.
“Only the rich get wealthier, Sugar,” Jackie scoffed with narrowed eyes. “Seriously, what are ya pullin’ here?”
“No. No, Ah’m not doing that! Ah am not tellin’ them Ah’ll buy the land!” Applejack stomped the floor in anger.
“Excuse me? Are you actually trying to defy me, here?” Jackie questioned. Applejack widened her eyes as she realized her counterpart suddenly dropped her accent. “You’re literally this close to having what you want! Now you choose to fight back? What? Do you want money, too?!” She slammed her desk.
“No! Not everythin’ is about money! This is just wrong! Ya just want to emotionally manipulate them to buy their home!” Applejack retorted, waving her hooves around.
“Oh, I see. You’re that type,” Jackie leaned back in her chair while her counterpart looked confused. “The fake hero type. Frankly, I’m tired of that bullshit. Let’s get one thing straight, you don’t give a shit about any of these ponies,” She stated plainly in boredom.
“Huh? Where did ya get that from?”
“Isn’t it obvious? They’re not your family, they’re mine. Your real family is from another universe, where you belong. Not here. These ponies, you met them last week,” Jackie rolled her eyes.
“Ah still care about them more than ya do!”
“Oh, please! No one believes that! You fuckin’ hypocrite!” Jackie snapped, making Applejack jerk her head back. “You sure didn’t mind lying to them and manipulating them to get what YOU want! The stone. Everything you did was for your own selfish gain to get that stone, and you felt no remorse for doing it! In the end, that’s the only thing that matters, doesn’t it? That’s all you want, so stop pretending you actually care about these idiots,” Jackie rubbed her forehead before taking another puff of her cigar. “I know what I’m talking about. You’re me, after all. An inferior and stupider version, but you still have the same potential,”
Applejack’s lip quivered, her anger building up while her eyes got wetter and wetter.
“Pretend? Pretend?! Ya think Ah pretended?! Ah was happy with them! But every time Ah had to lie to their face… Ah felt like Ah was crushin’ ma heart! Ah felt like a monster!” Applejack cried while Jackie looked bored, rolling her eyes during her counterpart’s tirade. “Ya don’t realize how much they care! They care about ya! And all ya think about is money this, and money that! For Celestia’s sake, they need ya, here! Applebloom needs ya!” Applejack finished.
Jackie just stared at her, her stern expression unchanged. She crushed her cigar in the ashtray, and then leaned back.
“Who the fuck is Applebloom?” She asked. Applejack remained quiet, unable to answer the sudden question. “I’m not going to waste any more time. Get them to agree to sell their land. Otherwise, I’ll come here myself. Oh, and of course, you’ll have to say bye-bye to your stone,” She ordered before hanging up.
Applejack remained still as a statue. Before she realized it, she was already lying on the floor and crying while holding her head.
It was only a matter of time. Welcome to reality.