//------------------------------//
// Chapter #7 - Our Kin Part 1: The Honest Apple 
// Story: The Great Crusade 
// by TheGJ90 
//------------------------------//






Apple Bloom







Sweet Apple Acres. Saturday Afternoon. 


Ah had just gotten my afternoon chores done, so Ah was layin' down under the branches of one of the many trees that grew in our farm. The gentle wind blowin' through the air made the otherwise mighty warm day quite pleasant to my senses. The branches rocked in the wind as Ah relaxed more and more by the second, the grass and dirt holdin' me in place in a way that was plum comfy. With a smile growin' on my face, I closed my eyes and did what Ah enjoyed doin' after a hard day's work:

Chill. Out.

Whenever Ah did somethin' like this, my thoughts would slow down to a crawl, so Ah could watch them go by in my head. It was kinda like watchin' scenes from a movie play out one by one, only without the theater. Usually, the thoughts that would pop up were nothin' to worry about. Ah'm talkin' about memories of my family and friends, thoughts about my chores and school work, Winona bein' her adorable furry self, that sort of thing. At first, those were the kinds of thoughts that bounced around in my brain at the time, which only encouraged me to relax even more. Suddenly, without any hint of a warnin', a certain horrible memory popped up that shoved the others off camera. It only appeared for half of a second like a mental flash. But, it was so dern vivid, it felt like I was relivin' it. Oh, Ma' and Pa', Ah could feel the same terror Ah had felt when my friends and Ah went through that livin' nightmare together;


We begged Gilda for mercy, but she showed us none.

Our pained screams echoed through the freezing cold air.

My body was hurtin' all over like never before.

Ah could feel my heart rippin' along with my-.


My upper-body shot up with the speed of a race car. My breathin', which was once slow and steady, was now short and erratic. Ah could feel my heart poundin' somethin' fierce as Ah clutched my chest with my right hand. As if my own head was rubbin' salt on the old wound, the memory of me seein' Sunset cryin' her heart out popped up as well. Ah closed my eyes and tried to shake the memory away while feelin' the urge to cry too. Before Ah could shed a single tear, however, Applejack called out to me from my right side;

"I'm here, sugarcube."

Her voice was soothin' and laced with sisterly concern. Shoot, hearin' it was enough to distract me from the chaos in my noggin. Ah opened my eyes and looked over at her to find that she was gazin' at me while kneelin' on her right knee. She was showin' honest familial love in them green eyes and that there smile, which did wonders for my mood. Ah couldn't help but smile back at her, my love for Applejack risin' up to kick my turmoil to the curb.

Ah could always count on my big sis to be there for me when Ah needed her.

Even though my head was much calmer now thanks to her presence, Ah was still reelin' a bit from earlier. Yeah, my breathin' was steady again, but my heart was still poundin'. Ah looked back down at my opened hands, which were restin' on my lap, and sighed softly. Applejack asked me with worry in her words;

"What's eatin' at ya'? Ah came to check up on ya' when Ah saw ya' shoot up like a rocket while almost hyperventilatin'."

That girl had an Apple's sharp eye at the best of times. Not wantin' to trouble her with a lie or silence, Ah told her the frustratin' truth;

"Ah know it's been ages since that dern Winter day, but Ah still ain't over it yet. Ah ain't over her either..."

Ah gave Applejack a sad apologetic expression while askin' her;

"Does that make me a fool?"

Surprisingly, her smile from before grew three sizes, which made it as soothin' as the warmth from an open fire. With a well-meanin' chuckle, she answered;

"Ya' need time to work through what that girl had done to ya' and your pals. That don't make ya' a fool."

She booped my nose with her right index finger before finishin' her point with love;

"That makes ya' a person."

She then moved her body to lay on the grass next to me while placin' her Stetson on her chest. Ah laid back down while she talked some more;

"Goodness knows, my friends and Ah needed some time to work through what Sunset had done to us."

She sighed before notin' with a more somber tone of voice;

"Don't even get me started on the lady herself..."

Applejack's honesty was really rubbin' off on me that day, as Ah had decided to keep bein' honest in turn. With the memory of Sunset's beautiful smile givin' me a good push, Ah asked Applejack with fear in my words and voice as Ah watched the clouds move in the blue sky;

"But, what if Sweets, Scoots, and Ah get over all of that stuff and we get hurt again?"

Ah hugged myself tightly around my waist as Ah tried to finish with a terrible terrified shudder, a deep frown, and eyes shut tight;

"Ah... Ah..."

Before my fear could turn into full-on panic, Ah felt a gentle hand rest on my right shoulder before Applejack started to hum an old Apple Family melody that was as sweet as apple pie and soft like Winona's fur. Ah could feel the song flow into my mind and wash away my terror like a river. My bright smile returned to my face as Ah allowed the song to carry me off to better places, with thoughts of my family and friends in my mind. With a steady breath and renewed calmness, Ah chilled out with my big sister while mentally renewin' my vow to make things right with her. A big sister as wonderful as Applejack deserved every bit of the good that this 'ere Apple could do for her.

There was just one problem: Ah didn't know what Ah could do to make amends with my kin!






Later that day, in Apple Bloom's bedroom.


After havin' a warm tasty lunch, Ah was sittin' on my bed while practicin' with my banjo. Just hearin' the twang of the instrument's strings easily brought a smile to my face as Ah strummed and plucked one diddy after another. They were short little tunes that were easy for learners like me to pick up and play. Before long, Ah became entirely focused on my banjo playin' and the music in my ears. With a playful bounce, Ah got off of my bed to stand on my feet and started spinni' and dancin' around. Ah switched from playin' songs Ah knew to just jammin' from the heart. My eyes were closed as Ah surrendered myself to the music, just as my friends and Ah did back when we heard DJ-P0N3's dubstep. Only this time, Ah was the one-lady band! In my head, Ah imagined my big sister Applejack playin' a fun tune on her acoustic guitar for her friends in our family's barn. They were all wearin' cowgirl outfits while havin' a mighty fun time together. Applejack was rockin' her trusty Stetson, as always, while the other girls wore cowgirl hats that had different colors and patterns. Sunset, of course, was wearin' a villain's black hat. She wasn't no villain anymore, but land's sake, did that hat look good on her or what? Ah was so lost in my little world, Ah didn't hear my door openin' up while Ah jammed like there was no tomorrow. It felt like Ah had gone through half of a song before the sound of a hearty Apple laugh knocked me out of my little world of music and back into reality. Unfortunately, this happened when Ah was in the middle of spinnin' in place. So, Ah lost my balance and fell on my butt while holdin' my banjo close to keep it from fallin'. Ah looked up at the source of the laughter to see that it was Applejack, who was givin' me a warm smile with pride in her eyes. Holdin' her hips with her hands, she told me;

"Ya' play like no one's watchin', sugarcube!"

Ah chuckled gratefully before tellin' her with a big ol' grin;

"Ya've been a great teacher."

"Granny Smith too, Ah reckon," she replied while helping me get back on my feet. She then noted happily;

"Now, Ah believe ya' got a club meetin' comin' up today."

Oh, sweet Granny Smith on a bike! Ah had nearly forgotten about that! Out of pure excitement over what was comin', Ah took Applejack by her right hand and practically dragged her out of my room while exclaimin';

"Come on, big sis! We got us a meetin' to prepare for!"

Nothin' could stop me from rushin' over to the clubhouse, even as my sister yelled out in surprise from behind me;

"Woah!"






Later on, in the CMCs' Clubhouse


With three bangs of my gavel, Ah started our meetin' off all proper like;

"Ah now call this 'ere meetin' of the Canterlot Movie Club to order!"

Ah pointed my gavel right at our three guests who sat on their chairs behind Scoots and Sweets and announced with a grateful smile;

"A big thank ya' to our sisters for participatin' today!"

The wonderful trio smiled back as Ah looked over at the entire audience and told them;

"First item of the day is a simple one..."

Ah looked over at my two best friends as Ah declared;

"Girls, get the list."

Sweetie Belle stood up like a bullet, with Scootaloo doing the same. With beaming grins and joy in their voices, they reiterated to me in unison;

"The list!"

Like little race cars, they zoomed over to the club behind me, with Scoots being the one to open it up and take the list out from it. She then rushed over to hang the list on its usual spot on the wall while Sweetie closed the safe. Once the list was hung, all three of us kids walked over to it and gazed at the written proof of our vow with pride. Ah heard Rarity do one of her really polite chuckles before she said;

"From what I have heard, you little darlings have already made headway with achieving your shared goal."

Sweetie Belle giggled while we turned to face our kin, who were showin' us proud smiles. She then told them happily;

"Yeah, but it will be good for us to take stock of that headway sooner rather than later."

She looked over at me before givin' me the go-ahead;

"Lead on, Apple Bloom!"

After taking the pen that Scootaloo was offerin' me, Ah moved off to the right side of the list, with Scoots and Sweets movin' to stand at its left side. With my eyes locked on our sisters, Ah began to explain the situation;

"Let's start with Number Fourteen: Derpy Hooves."

"AKA: Ditzy Doo. AKA: Muffins," Scootaloo added with a smirk. We all had a good laugh while Ah noted;

"Yeah yeah, that girl's got a whole bunch of names and they're all cool. Anyway..."

Once everyone cooled off, Ah continued on;

"We helped her deliver the school mail, thanks to our combined efforts and my big sister's assistance."

Ah gave Applejack a look of pride and gratitude before speakin' further;

"The sugarcube gave us a whole pack of muffins for our trouble."

"Derpy's so sweet!" gushed Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo added with enthusiasm;

"Yeah, she makes awesomely delicious muffins too."

Rainbow Dash, with one of her large smirks, noted to us confidently;

"I'd say you can check her off your list, squirts."

The rest of our sisters nodded their heads agreement to this. But, it would take more than even our kin's seal of approval to make that happen, a fact that Ah explained to them calmly;

"Ah appreciate your confidence, but a person on our list can't be checked off until all three club members agree to do so."

"And it is reasonably clear that we've made amends with that person," Sweetie Belle added with a raised right index finger. Rarity chimed in gracefully;

"A fine set of requirements, darlings. Now, is it clear that you have made amends with Derpy?"

Hearin' that question got us thinkin' mighty hard for a good few seconds. After that, we shook our heads before Ah admitted the truth;

"We may be off to a dern good start, but Ah don't think we've truly made amends with that sugarcube. Not yet, anyway."

"Now that I think about it, AB..." Scootaloo pondered aloud as she turned to gaze at the list. After a second or so, she finished;

"The same can be said for Trixie, her Illusions, Sunset, Fluttershy, Octavia, and DJ-P0N3. We've done right by them and that's awesome! But, I don't believe we've completely made it up with them yet either."

She wasn't wrong and Ah knew that from the moment she had spoken them words. Sweetie Belle knew this too when goin' by the lack of shock on her face. We had only just begun our noble work, after all! Oh, but that didn't stop us none, not one bit. With a big ol' grin and anticipation in my mind, Ah told the others;

"No worries, ya'll! We just gotta keep at it until the job is done good and proper! Which brings us to who we want to do right by next..."

Scoots and Sweets knew exactly who Ah was talkin' about. With confident smirks all around, the three of us glared at our sisters for a moment or two. After that, Scoots pointed at Rainbow Dash while exclaiming;

"Number Four!"

Ah joined in by pointin' at my big sis while declarin';

"Number Five!"

Sweetie Belle finished our shared action with her own words while pointin' right at Rarity;

"Number Six!"

Our sisters were positively beaming in response to this, with Rainbow Dash declaring after laughing jovial for a moment;

"I like your spirit, squirts!"

Rarity, with a knowin' smirk, added;

"It is quite fortuitous that the three of you want to make amends with us today, which brings us to what we wanted to talk to you about."

Applejack announced with excitement in her green eyes;

"We've got a mighty large chunk of the day cleared out, so that we can have some good ol' fashioned family fun with ya'll!"

How in the hay could we pass that up?! We hugged them with all of our young hearts while yellin' out to the blue sky above our clubhouse;

"BONDING TIME WITH OUR SISTERS! YAY!"






Sweet Apple Acres. Roughly ten minutes later.


It took us no time at all to plan out our fun-filled day. Each CMC would pair up with their respective big sister to do fun stuff together. Once we knew what were all gonna do, the pairs went off different directions. Rarity and Sweetie Belle made a beeline for downtown Canterlot City while Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo ran off to the nearest skate park. As for Applejack and me, our version of fun was somethin' that any Apple, Orange, and Pear could appreciate: Gettin' some honest work done! 

Come on, we're certified Apples to the core! What did ya' expect?

Of course, the work that AJ had in mind wasn't the traditional farmin' work that Ah normally helped her out with. The job at hand, from what she told me, was one that Ah had never done before. Just that fact alone made me curious and excited. Ah was gonna make things right with my favorite big sister in the whole wide world by helpin' her do a chore that was new to me! Ah was always up for helpin' my family any way Ah could, but this time, Ah was extra-motivated. As we walked over to one of the smaller barns on the farm, which was a bit of ways away from the main barn, Ah asked Applejack all excited-like;

"What kind of work ya' want me to help ya' with?"

She chuckled before tellin' me cryptically;

"Ya'll know soon enough, sugarcube..."

Oh, Ah was gettin' mighty impatient to say the least, a feelin' that Ah was quick to express out of growin' frustration;

"But, Ah want to know noooow!" Ah whined like a silly little lady. AJ shook her head before tellin' me with a smile and a tiny hint of annoyance;

"Don't get your bow in a twist now! We're nearly there."

Ah looked up ahead and, sure enough, she was right. The barn doors were mighty close to us by this point, which eased my impatience somethin' fierce. Once we got to 'em, Applejack and Ah pushed the doors open, allowin' me to see somethin' that Ah normally only got to see and not touch: the Fizzy Apple Cider Bottlin' Station! Now, we're an ol' fashioned family with ol' fashioned ways of gettin' stuff done. So, our station had no fancy-shmancy machinery to work with. Never needed that stuff anyway! There were empty crates stacked on top of each other to my left, a wide wooden table with a pair of chairs where the bottlin' was done, a whole slew of bottle caps and bottlin' tools on the table, a tall stack of crates filled with empty cider bottles to my right, and a big wooden barrel that was labeled 'Fresh Fizzy Apple Cider' standin' proud some space away from the bottles, about half-way to the doors. Seriously, that barrel was taller than Bulk Biceps! Ah remembered all the times Ah got to watch Big Mac, Granny, and Applejack bottle that delicious drink with honest-to-goodness fondness. Shoot, Ah could smell the cider from where Ah was standin', which only made my mood even better. It took me all of three seconds from the moment Ah peeped at the station to realize what Ah was gonna do. With a gasp and rapid happy hops, Ah exclaimed to Applejack;

"You're gonna teach me how to bottle Fizzy Apple Cider?! That's awesome!"

She smiled sweetly at me with those green eyes full of familial affection before explainin' the situation;

"Ah've been wantin' to teach ya' how to do this for a long while now, but it took me until yesterday to get Granny Smith's blessin's. That's fine though, because doin' this today gives me the chance to get your help with a different job as well."

Ah calmed down and stood at attention while listenin' intently. She brought out her serious hard workin' voice as she went on while walkin' around the barn;

"Most of the day's cider orders have already been filled by Big Mac and me, except for one: a whole party's worth of the fizzy stuff for a shindig bein' run by Filthy Rich."

Hearin' that name come out of Applejack's mouth woke up some old bad memories of mine that had far more to do with Filthy Rich's daughter and her friend than with the man himself. Shakin' away them memories, along with the annoyin' mental sound of stuck up laughter, Ah made sure to keep my attention on AJ as she went on;

"We got until 9:00PM tonight to get the cider ready and sent over to the party. Ah'd have Big Mac and Granny Smith help with this one, but they got other chores to tackle around the farm. We can still count on Big Mac to deliver the goods tonight though."

She stopped to stand directly in front of the barrel of cider before lettin' out an exasperated sigh and declarin' with annoyance in her voice;

"Now, Ah ain't fond of them self-centered rich folk and don't get me started on that slimeball, Filthy Rich. But, us Apples don't let no cider order go unfulfilled and Ah ain't gonna ruin that today."

She turned around to face me with a look of pure seriousness and offered to me;

"Ah would be pleased as punch if ya' can help me get this order done once Ah've shown ya' how to bottle cider."

She didn't have to tell me twice. With a big ol' grin and a fired up salute, Ah declared with surety;

"Ah'll do my best to help ya', big sis! Them rich folk are gonna love our cider, Ah tells ya'!"

Her seriousness gave way to a relieved and appreciative grin as she responded;

"Your best is all Ah ask for. Now then..."

Her grin became a smirk filled with excitement as she declared with pride;

"Let's get to bottlin'!"

With that, our fun work began!





Ah would like to take this time to thank our Ma' for givin' me my smarts, since it didn't take me long to learn how to bottle cider! It also helped that Applejack was a good teacher overall. Before long, we were workin' hard on the task at hand. We even had a system goin' and everthin'. Ah would grab an empty bottle, fill that sucker up with the tasty drink from the barrel's tap, get it to the table, seal it up with a bottle cap nice and tight, and pass it down to AJ without shakin' it none.

Trust me, unless you want to make a mighty huge mess, do NOT shake Fizzy Apple Cider!

Anyway, once my big sis got her hands on the newly sealed bottle, she would place a sticker barin' our logo on it, put it in one of them empty crates, and wait for me to get another bottle ready to go. We kept this system runnin' for a long while. Ya' think it would be borin' work, but 'ere's the thing about Applejack and me: we liked to turn our chores into games we played together! The game, this time around, was what my big sis called 'Bartender Dash' (not a Rainbow Dash joke, or so she told me). The goal of the game was to see how fast we could fill up the crates needed for our cider order without spillin' a single drop or shakin' a single filled bottle. It got extra fun when Winona ran up to us and started barkin' happily at each filled cider bottle that Applejack was placin' in a crate. Hehe, that critter was plum countin' them for us, we reckoned! Ah was mighty happy over bein' able to do this with AJ. Not only was Ah contributin' to my family's efforts to put food on the table, but Ah was also makin' up to her for the pain my two pals and Ah had caused during that awful Winter week...

The coldest Winter week CHS had ever known, and we were to blame...

Never again.






Sweet Apple Acres Driveway. 8:00PM


Gettin' them crates filled with Fizzy Apple Cider was easy enough. We only had to fill six of them, with each crate carryin' sixteen bottles. Carryin' them from that small barn all the way to the street, however, was the real challenge! Now, AJ and Ah had carried heavy loads many times before, so this was nothin' new for us. That didn't make the crates any lighter though! We had just brought out the fifth and sixth crates from the house while workin' up a dern good sweat. Pantin' and sweatin', Ah didn't need to check on AJ to see who was more tuckered out, Ah could feel that it was me. Standin' on the front porch, Ah was tempted to drop the crate right there and rest a bit. But, Ah wasn't give up now when the flatbed of Big Mac's truck was just a short walk away! Callin' upon the legendary stubbornness of an Apple, Ah followed Applejack to the truck while keepin' a firm, yet strained grip on the bottom of my crate with both hands. My breathin' was loud and made my tiredness mighty clear to anyone listenin' in. Each step Ah took was harder than the last. Sweet mercy, Ah dern near dropped the dern crate a couple of times! Even so, Ah kept at it. Once Ah reacted the flatbed, with a tired grunt and help from AJ, Ah lifted that crate up and placed it in the truck. Ah was pooped enough to sit down on my keister after that, right in front of the flatbed. Didn't matter to me that Ah was sittin' on pavement, Ah needed a moment to rest my legs, arms, and everythin' else. Applejack, bein' considerate, sat down right in front of me and said with a smile;

"Ah'm mighty proud of ya' for helpin' me out today, sugarcube."

No tiredness in the universe could stop me from beaming a grateful smile at her as Ah said while takin' a breath between my words;

"You're... welcome... big sis!"

We sat in silence for a good few seconds before Ah spoke once more with drive added to my tuckered out voice;

"Ah still got more helpin' left to do and Ah ain't gonna let my mission go unfinished."

Ah could feel the pride she was showin' me with her face as she responded with a chuckle;

"True, but there ain't nothin' wrong with takin' a break for a spell."

Ah snickered a little before teasin' Applejack with a knowin' smirk;

"This comin' from the one Apple who tried to get Apple-Pickin' Season done on her own without a break?"

That little comment got me a narrow glare from AJ, who also smirked second or two later before beltin' out a hearty laugh. Once she calmed down, she relented with a head shake;

"Fair enough, but my point still stands."

She looked back at me with eyes filled with sisterly love before sayin' somethin' that struck my heart;

"Ya' know Ah already forgave ya' and your pals last Winter."

Ah was sorely tempted to hug her right then and there, but instead, Ah responded with honest words;

"Ah know, sis, but still! We hurt ya'..." Ah exclaimed out of frustration with myself while lookin' off to my left side. With a voice that was barely louder than a whisper, Ah finished my thought while my guilt rose to the surface;

"Ah hurt ya'..."

Thankfully, Applejack had some honest words of her own, which she uttered all gentle-like;

"Yeah, what ya' three had done did hurt me. Shoot, ya' done and hurt a lot of folks back then. But..."

Ah looked back up at her, my mind latchin' on to her every word, as she went on, the love in her eyes refusin' to fade;

"Like your friends, ya' ain't runnin' or hidin' from what ya' did, Little Seed. You're facin' it down and cleanin' up your act like a self-respectin' Apple."

She took my hands into hers and said somethin' that made my heart soar;

"Ah don't know about them other folks on that there list of yours, their thoughts are their own. But ya' three bein' your good-hearted selves make ya'll square with me."

That made us square...

That made us square!

That made us square, ya'll!

Ah pounced her with the biggest, tightest, most lovin' Apple Hug Ah could muster with my still tired body! With happy tears streamin' down from my closed eyes and a whole bunch of memories both good and bad flowin' through my mind, all Ah could say to her was a phrase that was as simple as it was true;

"Ah love ya', Applejack!"

She hugged me back while tellin' me just as honestly and with love in her voice;

"Ah love ya' too, Apple Bloom."

For a good minute, the guilt Ah had felt earlier was too far away to cause me any grief. Once our huggin' was done, we got the crates properly secured on the flatbed, which allowed Big Mac to drive our cargo to its destination on time. Ah was tempted to go with him to help deliver the goods personally, but my body said no to that notion. We went with Granny Smith to the kitchen to celebrate a job well done over our own bottles of cider. As we drank together, Ah had one thought in my mind that was more wonderful than the taste of my drink;

"Best. Sister. Ever!"