Act Two:
Lost in the Past
Apple Bloom was dumbstruck at what she had witnessed earlier with Applejack looking into the mirror; seeing the familiar freckles being easily wiped away to make way for what appeared to be whiskers, as if her sister were part cat. What in the hay is goin' on here? How long has Applejack had those lines on 'er face? She was reluctant to peer out of her door, wondering if Applejack would catch her again. The little filly made a note to run this by her fellow crusaders first thing tomorrow.
*****
Applejack took the time to register the reflection in the mirror before she decided to will the sigil on her stomach back into hiding. With how she reveled in her chain of memories, the farmpony felt it best to retire for the night and wait for tomorrow to come. She trotted into her bed and covered up with a hint of sadness on her mind, but it slowly gave way to tension when she went back to thinking about Rarity. Ah never thought Rarity had a secret o' her own… Maybe Ah should talk with her th' next time she an' Ah ain't workin'.
It was plausible, given how Rarity was able to hold out for so long despite the trauma she had faced as a filly and come to terms with her own secret being revealed. Applejack realized that her own secret was yet to be revealed, whether she liked it or not. With another sigh, the farmpony allowed herself to go to sleep, but not without hearing a name that seemed so distant, yet at the same time familiar.
Naruto!
*****
The next day, the rooster's crow was heard over Sweet Apple Acres while Celestia's sun began to rise. Like any other day, Applejack was already up and stretching her limbs as she began to trot towards the bathroom to begin masking her face before anypony could notice.
After a successful trek to the bathroom, Applejack shifted her gaze around before she pulled out a set of orange and white make-up and went to work. She kept her eyes peeled on the mirror while applying the orange set on herself, expertly covering each of her whiskers until they were out of sight. Next was the tricky part: Applying the 'freckles' on her face at the exact locations they are found in. She squinted her eyes to give herself more direct foresight as she slowly and carefully dotted herself with her white make-up. She was on her last one on her left cheek as Applejack took her time out of caution.
Her focus was instantly shattered when a light knock came from the bathroom door. "Sis, did ya lock yerself in th' bathroom? Ah need t' go!" The sound of Apple Bloom's voice was heard from the other side.
Applejack noticed that a streak of white was resting on her left cheek, and grew very irritated before taking a deep breath. "Just a minute, Apple Bloom! Ah'm kinda in th' middle o' somethin!" She went back to cleaning her left cheek and starting over. Why does she have to make things so complicated at all the wrong times? After taking care of her intricate disguise, she unlocked and opened the bathroom door and looked down at Apple Bloom.
The yellow filly stared back, tilting her head with an arched eyebrow. She then leaned her head in with her eyes squinted, as if trying to examine Applejack. The older mare took a step back from her sister, feeling confused. "Y'all alright, Apple Bloom?"
Apple Bloom backed up as well and gave a curt nod as she replied instantly, "Right as rain, sis."
Applejack was silent, feeling slight tension from how her sister gave such a halfhearted reply with a poker face to match. She passed by Apple Bloom after they stared at each other and made her way to the stairs. "Well, Ah'll see ya downstairs then…" The orange mare trotted down the stairs, leaving her sister to her own devices.
When Apple Bloom was sure her sister was out of sight, she ducked into the bathroom. She glanced around quickly, trying to see if anything was out of place. Nothing immediately jumped out at her, and she sighed in disappointment. As she turned to leave, however, she saw that one of the drawers wasn't fully closed. Opening it, as curious fillies are prone to doing, she spotted a makeup kit, consisting purely of orange and white facials.
"Ah'll be darned," she murmured, "AJ's really been hidin' somethin' from us. Her own family!" She considered going after her sister right then, but quickly reconsidered. Applejack would likely read her the riot act if she learned that Apple Bloom had been rummaging through her belongings. She'd gotten enough of such yelling during the whole 'Gabby Gums' incident. "Ah'll see what Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle think about this." She put the makeup kit back, and carefully closed the drawer. She went through her morning routine quickly, and met up with the rest of the Apples downstairs.
*****
"Alright, Apple Bloom, you've been antsy all day, so what's up?" asked Scootaloo, later that day. School had seemed to fly by for the earth filly, seeing as she'd been distracted by her musings. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, knowing that Apple Bloom never acted like this unless it was important, had headed off to the clubhouse right after school. Apple Bloom had joined them moments ago, just before her pegasus friend's question.
"Well, ah'm tryin' ta figure it out, myself, Scoots," the yellow filly replied. "Ah found out that AJ's been hidin' somethin' from the rest o' the family."
Sweetie Belle's eyes nearly bugged out. "Seriously? But, Applejack's the most honest pony around! She couldn't keep a secret if she tried!"
Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, well, ah never knew about this. Seems a few ponies have been hidin' somethin' about their appearances lately."
"Don't tell me Applejack's not really a blonde," Scootaloo muttered. The pegasus was a bit sore that her friends hadn't included her in yesterday's antics involving Rarity's dyes.
"Nah, it ain't nothin' like Rarity's little secret," the earth filly said with a shake of her head. "It's just… well, AJ went to the bathroom last night, right before goin' ta bed. Not too unusual, but when ah passed by, ah saw her soakin' a washcloth. She don't normally do that afore goin' ta bed, so ah decided ta watch. And ta mah shock, she goes and wipes her freckles clean off! She's been usin' makeup this whole time!"
"Really??" both of her friends chorused. Sweetie Belle then snickered. "Imagine if Rarity found out about that! She'd have a breakdown, since she thinks Applejack doesn't think much of appearances."
Apple Bloom snickered, too, but sobered quickly. "Yeah, well, it was what was under the makeup that kinda startled me. She has these black lines on her face, three on each cheek. Kinda looks like cat whiskers."
"Wait, are you saying she might be part cat?" asked Scootaloo. "But that can't be right. Winona loves her, and we all know that dogs and cats can't stand each other."
"Maybe it's some sort of birthmark?" suggested Sweetie Belle. "Some ponies have embarrassing ones. Though, whisker marks might not be all that bad."
Apple Bloom nodded at that. "Maybe, but ah heard her talkin' ta herself, too. She said somethin' about those whiskers bein' 'a reminder of who she used ta be', whatever that means."
"Oh! Oh! I got it!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Remember how she told us that she went to Manehattan, thinking that she'd get her Cutie Mark there? What if she got those whiskers as a tattoo while she was there, and she was so ashamed of that, she decided to start covering them up? Maybe she used to have freckles, but the whiskers overlapped them?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pondered this, exchanging looks. "It would make a certain amount of sense," the unicorn admitted. "I mean, she does admit that her trip to Manehattan was one of the biggest mistakes of her life."
"Maybe…" Apple Bloom murmured. "But there's somethin' else. See, right after she said that, she reared up on her hind legs. When she did, this… design appeared on her stomach. It looked somethin' like this." She grabbed a piece of paper, along with a black marker, and began drawing. A few moments later, she showed the fruits of her labor to her friends: a spiral design encompassed by strange markings.
"Whoa. How'd you get that much detail, AB?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Ah got a real good look at it," the yellow filly replied. "Burned the thing inta mah memory. And AJ didn't even notice me peekin' in on her."
"These look Neighponese in design," Scootaloo observed. Seeing the bewildered looks her friends gave her, she shrugged. "What? I read nan-ga from time to time, and sometimes the untranslated stuff alongside the translations. I wanna go to Neighpon someday."
"So, can ya read it?" asked Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo shook her head. "Nah. I'm not that advanced, yet. Kanji is really difficult for somepony who didn't grow up with it."
There were a few moments of silence, before Apple Bloom stood up. "Well, ah think there's somepony in town who might be able ta help us out."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
*****
"So, you girls have a mystery on your hooves?" asked Twilight Sparkle, looking over the three fillies warily.
Apple Bloom stood with her friends and nodded with a determined smile. "Darn tootin'! We came across this here sketch, and since yer th' smartest unicorn in Ponyville, we figured y'all would know what this sign meant iffin' ya felt like helpin' us!"
Spike, busy sweeping the floor, frowned as he heard the Crusaders speak. "Are you sure you three aren't up to anything?" He asked cautiously with slight unamusement.
Sweetie Belle huffed. "This isn't anything bad we're doing! Honest!"
Twilight examined the drawing in the crusaders' possession and was intrigued with the otherworldly design. "I have to say, girls… This is a pretty interesting sketch. But can I ask what you plan on accomplishing with figuring out this drawing?"
Scootaloo frowned. "Please, Twilight! You're the only pony we can count on for this kind of thing! I'd do it, but I can't figure this stuff out for the life of me!"
"We only want to know what this design is! It could have something to do with magic!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.
Twilight rubbed her chin at this. She was normally not one to second-guess herself and get roped into another of the Crusaders' shenanigans. Then again, the design is intricate in structure, and the details are tempting for possible research, the scholastic unicorn thought. Out loud, she said "Well, I'm not busy with my studies, and you fillies seem pretty adamant about this…"
Apple Bloom's eyes twinkled as she beamed. "So yer gonna help us?" She asked expectantly.
Twilight chuckled at the yellow filly's vigor as she levitated the drawing in front of her. "I'll see what I can do for you three. Before I begin, do you have any base data or leads for me to follow?"
Scootaloo trotted up and pointed a hoof at one of the drawing's many ends. "If you look closely enough, you'll see that it looks a lot like kanji, like what can be seen in Neighpon! Do you have any books on that?"
Twilight gave the drawing a courtesy glance before she nodded in approval. "Good eye, Scootaloo! And yes, I believe I have some books about Neighpon, including their history! But if this symbol really does bear any semblance to magic or any specific spell in general, some cross-referencing is in order! Would you girls like to help me scoop out the details, since this is your mystery to solve?" She smiled down at the three.
Sweetie Belle flashed an eager grin. "Would we ever!?"
Apple Bloom held a grin of her own. "There's no way we're turnin' our backs on this'un! Right, girls?" She called to her friends with childlike valor.
Scootaloo held a determined smirk. "The sooner we solve this mystery, the sooner we get to the bottom of things! And hey! Maybe we could get a cutie mark for this if we're lucky!!"
Twilight's ears drooped, but she was lucky to brace herself when the fillies gathered and took a deep breath.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MYSTERY SOLVERS! YAY!"
Spike unplugged his ears and faceclawed. "And here we thought we had a break from this…" He muttered bitterly. He went back to sweeping the floor while Twilight and the Crusaders began to spread out and gather books to begin their research.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo searched under the N section of the library to see if she could fish out any books dealing with Neighpon and its unique culture. While she searched, Scootaloo noticed a nan-ga volume she hadn't read before, and decided to pull it out to read for later after solving the mystery of the drawing.
Sweetie Belle pulled out some magic books from different sections, and with Twilight's help, gathered them at the coffee table. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined the others with their own finds as well. With the books found, the four took their own respective book and opened them to study their contents.
Twilight, instead of reading a book on magic, was reading through a book on kanji and tried comparing each character to what is shown on the ends of the drawing encompassing the large spiral in the center. She tilted her head at the drawing as she flipped through the pages to find similar symbols found at the reference she was basing her search on. The signs on the drawing are hard to make out. Could there be some kind of trick to what's shown here?
Sweetie Belle was reading a history book, and gasped when she reached a certain page. "Everypony! I think I got something!" The others focused their attention on Sweetie Belle as she began reading the desired passage. On her page was a picture of two Neighponese ponies - one unicorn and one earth pony - performing a mysterious ritual with different markings in kanji. "It says here in this history book that the ponies of Neighpon had their own unique styles of magic that are somewhat similar to what nin-ponies display in their own fighting techniques!"
Scootaloo beamed at the picture. "Just like in some of the nan-ga I read!!" She proclaimed happily.
Apple Bloom was captivated by the image of the symbols strikingly similar to her drawing while Sweetie Belle continued reading. "Neighponese magic consists of not only traditional arcane spells, but more obscure arts along the lines of sacred seals, or contracts with creatures from different planes of existence!"
Scootaloo was already enthralled with the passage read, and she loathed history class in her school. The orange filly managed to keep herself from bouncing out of giddiness in a fashion similar to Pinkie Pie on a regular basis, yet the grin on her face refused to leave.
Sweetie Belle read on in the book, drawn in by the literature herself. "They practice sealing and contract magic usually out of personal belief of a higher power rather than Princess Celestia, and binding terrible beasts that choose to ravage their lands in the days of old. Most of said sealing magic often contains their own kanji as a symbol of their power, similar to ancient runes in traditional Equestrian magic!"
Apple Bloom tried to piece the information together herself until she came up with a conclusion. "So what y'all 're sayin' is… th' drawing we have is a sketch o' some kind o' magic seal?" She asked in surprise. The yellow filly was both troubled and confused as to how her older sister managed to keep a seal on her stomach for so long with hidden reasons.
Twilight compared the sketch in the history book with the drawing on the table and held a calculating glance. "I'm willing to agree with Apple Bloom on this, but that doesn't explain this particular seal here! I may not be entirely focused on Neighponese magic, but I doubt that the seal you have would have been practiced in their history..."
Scootaloo examined the drawing herself. "Maybe it's a new kind of seal? This can't be the kind of boring drawing you'd expect from a foal!" Her words earned a small glare from Apple Bloom as the orange filly grinned sheepishly at her friend.
Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin with a hoof as she looked at the page. "Maybe we need to go deeper? I'm sure we could figure this out if we just keep trying!" The group continued skimming through each piece of literature they gathered with heightened fervor after finding their first clue.
*****
Later, Twilight and the Crusaders' quest for answers proved to be fruitless, with how they drew up blanks in each of the books they found. Twilight was the most surprised to see that she was unable to figure out the origin of the seal, or what it's particular function is. The group continued to look through their books nonetheless.
Spike came into the main lobby while eating a brilliant amethyst, gulping down his last bite. "No luck on the mystery?" He asked nonchalantly, albeit sympathetically after noting the looks of disappointment on each of the ponies' faces.
Twilight sighed as she set down her book. "Not a single clue after what we found in Neighponese history! This is a very unique seal if I've ever saw one! I'm starting to think that we're on a wild goose chase, girls…" She announced to the crusaders with a regretful frown.
Apple Bloom turned her attention away from her own book and looked at Twilight incredulously. "But we can't quit now! We haven't even got very far int' th' books yet!"
Scootaloo flipped through an encyclopedia with a bored expression on her face before her mood lightened. "Say… how long have we been at this anyway? I'm getting kinda hungry…"
The front door opened, and the group in the main lobby turned to see Applejack trot into the library. "Howdy, Twi! Ah came t' pick up Apple Bloom fer supper!"
Scootaloo facehooved at the realization. "Of course! THAT'S why I'm hungry! It's already dinner time!"
Apple Bloom frowned "Do Ah have t', sis? Ah'm kinda busy at th' moment!"
Applejack frowned back at her sister. "No need t' get fussy, Apple Bloom. Y'all can continue this another time, right? C'mon back t' th' farm so we can eat!" As she looked at the group, she caught a glimpse of paper behind a pile of books, but dismissed it from only seeing a blank corner.
Sweetie Belle's stomach rumbled and she giggled awkwardly as she donned a light blush. "Sorry, everypony. I should probably get going, too…"
Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle with pleading eyes. "Yer quittin', too, Sweetie Belle?" She asked with complaint in her voice.
Sweetie Belle frowned at Apple Bloom "Sorry, Apple Bloom, but Twilight's right! This was nothing but a wild goose chase with how much time we spent trying to figure this whole thing out! Maybe we could have better results if we try harder tomorrow!"
Apple Bloom shifted her glance between her friends before she sighed in defeat. "Alright, Ah suppose tomorro's another day…" She trotted up to Applejack and waved to her friends "Don't ferget! We'll catch up on this tomorro'! See ya later, girls!" Twilight and the other crusaders waved goodbye while the two Apple siblings trotted out the door.
Applejack trotted along with curiousity welling deep inside of her. Ah wonder what's buggin' Apple Bloom. She's been mighty quiet th' whole time… The farmpony turned to see her sister with her head hung down, a thoughtful expression on her face. Her curiousity piqued, Applejack decided to pry at Apple Bloom and see what was wrong. "So, Ah heard that ya had some kind o' mystery with yer friends. Must be purty important iffin' y'all were involvin' Twilight!"
Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack smiling down at her and tried to respond the best way she could. "Yeah, but it's not much t' worry 'bout now. Ah'm gonna try harder with th' other crusaders and get our cutie mark later!"
Applejack's smile widened. "At least yer showin' commitment! It's good t' know that yer willin' t' keep it up! What's yer mystery 'bout, anyways?"
Apple Bloom was lucky not to flinch when her older sister asked the question. Knowing that Applejack was the Element of Honesty, she tried to twist the truth for the sake of keeping her mystery under wraps. "Well, it's somethin' t' do with magic, obviously. Who else knows 'bout magic better than Twilight?"
Applejack chuckled. "Ah hear that! Say, are y'all tryin' t' help Sweetie Belle with learnin' magic at a young age?"
Apple Bloom shook her head. "No, we were jus' lookin' up some history an' stuff. Nothin' major!" The yellow filly paused in her words, and decided to ask a question. "Applejack, did ya ever learn anythin' while y'all were in Manehattan? Anythin' on magic?"
Applejack snorted. "Only that my real family was in Ponyville th' whole time! Ah wasn't too happy tryin' t' act like Aunt an' Uncle Orange! As fer magic, it's purty obvious considerin' we're earth ponies!" She gave a matter-of-fact smile with a tone to match.
Apple Bloom chuckled. "Right, sorry…" Reailizing that her efforts were in vain, she tried to change the subject. "So, what's gonna be fer supper t'night?"
Applejack perked up and grinned at her sister. "Yer gonna be excited t' know that Granny's makin' yer favorite soup!"
Apple Bloom beamed, her thoughts on Applejack forgotten for the moment. "Really!?"
Applejack winked "Oh yeah! She's makin' us that soup! Believe it!"
*****
Sweetie Belle trotted back to Carousel Boutique and opened the door as she made her way inside. She looked around as she called out to her sister. "Rarity! I'm home!" When no answer was heard, the unicorn filly trotted into the kitchen to see it was empty. "Hello? Rarity, where are you?" She decided to go upstairs to see if the fashionista was busy.
Inside of her room, Rarity was looking at a foreign object in silence as she sat on her bed with an open, long wooden box. With a neutral expression, she looked upon what appeared to be a well-crafted curved blade, that gleamed at the edge with its excellent structure. She even managed to scope out a faint reflection of her face upon looking closely at it. She smiled wanly as she put the sword back in its scabbard. Memories are nice, Rarity, but that's all they are. Though my memories aren't all nice…
A knock on her door startled her. She barely stifled a gasp of surprise and quickly levitated the sword into the open box as her sister's voice called out from behind the door. "Rarity, are you in there? I'm back from Twilight's and I'm very hungry!"
After locking the box and hiding it quickly and carefully underneath her bed, she replied. "Oh, welcome back, Sweetie Belle! I'm very sorry about not making dinner tonight! What say I…" She looked down in thought, before a distant memory filled with laughter gave her an idea. Rarity turned to the door with a hopeful smile "What if we go out for pizza tonight? Would that make up for my forgetting?"
As expected, Sweetie Belle let out a cheer. "Pizza night? Yay!!" After a moment of this, there was a brief pause. Then the unicorn filly asked, "Rarity, why did you lock your bedroom door? I don't hear you working at all!"
Rarity was thankful that her door was closed so Sweetie Belle couldn't see her awkward grin. "Erm, I was… powdering my nose? I have to look my best, you know!"
Sweetie Belle's eye-roll was nearly audible through the door, followed by trailing hoofsteps. "Bad enough you 'need' to keep your hair dyed even though everypony saw it…" continued griping as her voice faded.
With a sigh of relief, Rarity made sure to check on the box before she hid it under her bed once more. She then trotted to the door and unlocked it with her magic, and opened it up as she smiled to herself, more brightly than before Sweetie Belle's interruption. To think that particular memory crossed my mind… I guess I do have nice memories, after all.