Chapter 8
___________________________________________________________
I hesitantly follow Applejack out of Apple Bloom’s bedroom and downstairs.
I can’t help looking around as I walk, seeing all the family pictures and mementos the Apple family had gathered over time. One picture showed a filly Applejack, a much younger than I’d ever seen Big Macintosh, a much younger looking Granny Smith who looks like a young mare, just with some lines under her eyes and two ponies I didn’t recognize.
One, the stallion, had Apple Bloom... and I guess my colours, yellow coat, red mane and tail. He was wearing AJ’s hat, which confirmed for me that he’s likely the Apple siblings' dad.
Standing next to him was a mare with a light-tan coat and a fluffy orange mane and tail, both tied at the end similar to how Applejack wears her mane and tail, with a small buttercup in her mane.
Held in her right foreleg I can see a small foal that looks a lot like Apple Bloom... and myself, I suppose, wrapped in a blue blanket. She looks like she was asleep.
Applejack notices me staring at the picture and puts a hoof on my shoulder, causing me to turn and look at her. “That’s mah family. Big Mac’s the red—”
“Ah know him,” I said, trying my best not to sound rude and point to the two ponies I’ve never seen before. “Ah know ’bout Granny an’ Apple Bloom too. But what about those two in the back? Are they yer...?”
She nods, a sad smile forming on her face as she looks to the picture. “Those’re mah Ma an’ Pa, Bright Macintosh,” she pointed to the stallion, “and Butterchup,” she points to the mare.
Huh. So Mac got his last name from his dad? Interesting. And their mother’s name was Buttercup and she wore a buttercup in her mane. Makes sense.
I look at the photo, then down. Why do I suddenly feel guilty?
Applejack seems to sense how I'm feeling, because she puts a leg around me and hugs me. “Don’t feel guilty, Sam. They left a long time ago.”
She pulls her leg away and turns to head into another room. I take one more look at the photo, sigh and follow her.
No sooner have I done so, however, I am staring at a face I have seen in the mirror for the last three months right in front of me, staring right back.
I yelp, jumping back, slamming my head against the wall.
Before I can even acknowledge the pain, I'm surrounded by three fillies, each bombarding me with questions.
“Who are you?”
“How come ya look like me?”
“Are you a robot?”
“Hey, are you one of those Changelings?”
“Where’d you come from?”
“How’d you get to Ponyville?”
“What’s yer name?”
I cower away from them, flicking my tail over my eyes as I crouch down, trying to make myself smaller. Up close like this and with those looks in their eyes, the CMC seem really scary for some reason.
Suddenly there is something orange between me and the three drilling fillies. “Girls! Sam’s been through a lot. She don’t need either of ya scarin' her with questions.”
All three fillies look at Applejack with confusion.
“Sam?” Scootaloo asks, frowning. “What kind of name is that?”
“Well...” Applejack pauses, frowning slightly, before turning to me. “She’s got a point. While yer here, ya’ll should probably go by a more pony-soundin’ name.”
I don’t really want to give up my name, but since it would only be until I go back home, I suppose it would be okay. I nod.
“Oh! Oh! Can we pick her name?!” Sweetie Belle shout-squeaks, bouncing in place.
Applejack raises an eyebrow, then nods. “Okay. Got any ideas?"
Sweetie Belle puts a hoof to her chin for a moment. “Maybe Apple Seed? Or how about Apple Wood? Apple Flower? Hey! If your special talent is square dancing maybe we could call you Apple Square.”
Scootaloo gives a deadpanned look to the unicorn. “A square dancing Cutie Mark? That sounds lame.”
I have to agree with her there. No offence to square dancers, I’m not going to diss their skills or enjoyment of it, I just wouldn’t like... Wait, my special talent!?
A shiver goes down my spine. Please don’t let them notice Ah’m a Blank Flank. Please, please, please, please, please!
Scootaloo frowned, thinking. “Maybe she should have a name that doesn’t really say Apple family, so ponies don't get confused.”
“Hmm,” Apple Bloom looked up. “Maybe sumthin’ t’ do with flowers.”
“Autumn Floret? Autumn Blossom? Floral Fallal? Summer Dew? Summer Song?” Sweetie listed off several names in quick succession.
“Summer Song?” Scootaloo cocks her head. “Wouldn’t that suggest her special talent is singing?”
“Ah don’ think Ah’m a good singer,” I murmur. I know Michelle’s a good singer, she’s Sweetie Belle’s singing voice in the show and I think Apple Bloom’s sung at least one, during The Perfect Stallion song and sounded pretty good, but I doubt I’d be that good a singer, even with the same voice.
“I got it!” Sweetie Belle cries, making us all jump. “Apple Blossom!”
Apple Bloom gives her a deadpanned look. “Don’t that sound a bit close ta mah name?”
“Apple Bloom, Apple Blossom,” Sweetie murmurs, then frowns. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, my bad.”
Applejack tilts her head, an odd, distant look in her eyes. She looks down to me. “How about... Applebuck?”
I lift up a bit, blinking. Applebuck? Okay, that’s a little creepy. That's the name of Apple Bloom’s male self in the fic A Cross and Arrow, where the Mane Six went to an alternate reality, in which every mare in their world was a stallion in that world and vice versa.
What is creepy is I’d only finished listening to an audio version of that fic a short while before I woke up as Apple Bloom. The timing is just really creepy.
However, I put the creepiness of the timing aside and think about it. Applebuck. Hmm. Well, it does sound normal, in the Equestian sense of normal, anyway. And it doesn’t really mean anything for me to be called that I suppose.
I look up at Applejack and nod. “Okay. Call me Applebuck whilst Ah’m here.”
She smiles down at me and nods.
Inwardly, I'm curious as to why she called me that. Is this maybe an Equestria based on that fic? If I went to talk to Rarity and mentioned Elusive, would she react in anyway?
Wait. Did I seriously just think about going and talking to Rarity? No way! If I can help it, I'm not setting hoof off the farm. Sure, part of me is dying to do see Ponyville. But, at the same time, I don't want to have to meet too many ponies. I'm not exactly going to be staying here long, so it wouldn't mean much anyway.
My stomach growls again and I blush. However, before the CMC can even snicker, their stomachs growl too and they all blush.
Applejack smiles down at me, then at the other fillies. “Well, looks like all o’ ya’ll could use some food.”
The four of us, still blushing furiously, follow Applejack into the kitchen. The first thing I notice is that neither Granny Smith, nor Big Macintosh are here, but a large spread of several sandwiches and what look like apple pastries are set out, one for each of us.
I look up at Applejack, an eyebrow raised. “Um... Applejack?”
She turns to me, smiling. “Yes, Applebuck?”
I hesitate for a second at the name, then shake it off and plow on. “Um, how come Ah don’ see Big Mac ’r Granny Smith?”
She chuckles; a knowing look in her eyes, a look I only ever saw when someone knew that someone was hiding a love interest. And I know only one member of the Apple family who definitely had some kind of love interest in the show, so I had a feeling I know what she is going to say.
“He’s off havin’ a “normal friendly” dinner with somepony,” she chuckles.
I smile slyly. “So, he finally makin’ a move, huh?” About time Mac and Cheerilee started dating. The fandom's known about it for ages.
Applejack snickers. “Eeyep. He thinks Ah don’ know 'bout it, but Ah do.”
I giggle. And here Big Mac thought he was keeping it secret.
After that we went to the table, sat down and started eating with the CMC. As we eat, I'm thankful I’d gotten used to eating flowers back during my first week of being a pony.
They taste really nice, to be honest. My favorites are roses. They just have this rich, wonderful flavour. They’re like the richest of cherry chocolate, but lighter and less rich at the same time and even better. On top of that, they're light and fluffy and so soft to the touch on the tongue.
As we eat, the CMC tell Applejack about all the things they’d done that day to try and get their Cutie Marks. A quick glance at each of their flanks makes it obvious they hadn’t gotten them.
As we continue eating,, a thought occurs to me. Why are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo still here? A quick look outside tells me it's close to sunset... I mean, Celestia would be lowering the sun soon. So, if it's so late, why are the unicorn and Pegasus still here and not at home? I decide to pose this question to the older mare. The answer, however, comes from the Pegasus.
"We're having a sleepover to figure out what our Cutie Marks are!" Scootaloo said, grinning.
I freeze. A sleepover? A Cutie Mark Crusaders sleepover? Oh, please, no! I saw what happened during their sleepover in The Stare Master episode. I may as well forget going home, because I won't even last the night.
"Hey!" Apple Bloom cries, in an excited tone that chills me to the bone. "Ah just noticed, Applebuck doesn't have her Cutie Mark!"
I'm doomed.
"Hey, yeah!" Sweetie cheers, leaning to look behind Scootaloo and seeing my flank. "Do you wanna be in our sleepover too? Maybe we can figure out your Cutie Mark."
I shoot under the table, run to Applejack and hold her tightly, whispering, "Don't send me in there!" I pleaded. "C-can Ah stay with you t'night?"
She looks down at me as I hold onto her waist, my eyes pleading for her to save me from the disaster that will doom me if I join the sleepover.
She waits for a few moments, though it feels like hours to me, before she answers. "Girls, Ah think Applebuck should stay with me t'night."
"Aw, but sis—" my double begins, a pout on her face.
The older mare shakes her head and I snuggle a little closer into her fur as she wraps her forelegs around me. "She's still upset 'bout bein' away fr'm 'er family, Bloom. Ah think it'd be best if she stayed with me t'night, okay?"
Apple Bloom looks like she wants to protest, but sighs and nods.
We finish dinner in an awkward silence. When dinner is over, I help Applejack clean and put away the dishes. She tells me I don't have to, but I insist. Since she's letting me stay until I go home, it's the least I can do, right?
Half way through finishing the dishes, I suddenly find I needed to use the little fillies' room. I ask Applejack where it is, she gives the directions and I go up the stairs to it. Surprisingly, Equestria has flushing toilets. Or not, maybe?
However, there is one problem.
"AJ?" I call, sticking my head out the bathroom door.
"Yeah, sugarcube?" she calls back, stepping into view from the kitchen.
I blush, pawing with a hoof at the floor. "Um... Could y'all show me how Ah'm meant t' use this thing? It ain't the same as the ones fr'm mah world." Forget blushing, my face is so red a tomato would probably be jealous.
Yes, I'm having some trouble getting onto the toilet. Though, to be fair, toilets in Equestria are more like basins than the ones on Earth and I'm not sure how I could get into a position that wouldn't leave me sitting in my own pee.
Applejack helps me get on and shows me the position so that I won't be in the way of my leavings, though my face remains bright red throughout the whole experience. I mean, I have to have an adult watching me pee, for crying out loud! What am I, five?
Once I'm finally done, I wash my hooves in the sink (luckily these are still the same as on Earth) and head downstairs again. I find Apple Bloom and the other Crusaders playing some kind of chasing game in the living room. It... it looks like they're having fun.
I shake my head and go over to the bookcase. May as well read a little on Equestria. After all, it's information the show could never have, since this is really the world of Equestria.
I skim through the titles before I give up, having found nothing that catches my interest right now and just grab one with a black cover and carry it to the coach, sit down and open it, doing my best to ignore the taste the cover leaves in my mouth.
At once, I realize I've picked out a photo album. It's from when Applejack and Big Mac were still little. Since most of the photos have Applejack with her Cutie Mark, it must be from shortly before and then after she'd gone to Manehattan and gotten her Cutie Mark after seeing Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom.
I can't help daa'wing at the pictures of Apple Bloom as a foal. She looks so cute I just want to reach into the pictures and hug her.
I must have gotten lost looking through the album, because the sound of Applejack's voice causes me to jump. She is standing in front of me, smiling.
"Ah see ya found one o’ our family albums," she says, nodding to the book in my forehooves. "Whatcha think o' our past?"
I can't help but smile. "Apple Bloom sure was cute as a foal."
"Eeyep," the older mare nods. "Cutest little foal Ah ever saw."
I look down, a frown on my face. "Ah guess, if Ah'd changed back when Ah was a baby, Ah'd o' looked like that too?"
Applejack looks at the ceiling, as if in thought at that, then looks to me and smiles. "Maybe ya would've. Guess we can't know, can we?"
I smile, shaking my head. "Nah. Guess we can't. Don’t rightly know why Ah even asked. Still, bet Ah'd o' looked just like this," I point to a picture of baby Apple Bloom, sleeping in a crib, her nose scrunched up, but a smile on her muzzle.
The farm mare nods, then tilts her head to the stairs. "It's pretty late, Applebuck. Let's turn in fer the night. Ah’ve already got Bloom and the girls ta bed."
I nod, put the book down and hop onto the floor and follow her upstairs to her room.
Applejack tells me I don't need to shower. She'd given me one after I'd been knocked unconscious so that I wouldn't get dirt in Apple Blooms' bed, so I sit on her bed and wait for her to finish her shower.
As I wait, I look around the bedroom. It looks like it did in the show, green walls, and a writing desk with a cushion to sit on with a hook close to it where a rope and AJ's Stetson hangs. There is a mark of an apple high above the door as well as on it. Her curtains are a bluish purple with white butterfly-like designs. The bed is made of some dark wood, with a red apple painted at the foot of it. The covers are pink and the pillow is white with apples all over it.
Something about the room makes me feel a bit more comfortable, calmer.
Shortly after, Applejack’s voice calls, “Apple Bloom, you girls go ta sleep, now, ya hear? Ya’ll can do all the Cutie Mark Crusadin’ ya want t’morrow!”
A few seconds later she comes in the room, her mane and tail still slightly wet from showering. I hop off the bed as she pulls the covers back and gets in, then holds them open for me to do the same.
I get in and lay down as she puts the covers over us both.
For some reason, I find myself snuggling closer to the mare and relaxing as I feel the heat from her body. It's a comfortable feeling, only helped when she pulls me closer and hugs me, causing a smile to form on my muzzle.
I close my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the pony next to me. I feel safe, for some reason. As if, with Applejack around, I'll be okay. Well, she is the most family friendly of the Mane Six. I guess she can make anypony feeling uneasy feel safe around her.
Though, that suddenly reminds me of something, the first thing she’d said.
“Um, Applejack?” I ask, glancing up at her, before looking down again.
“Hmm?” she murmurs, her eyes still closed.
“Um, ya’ll remember, back when ya thought Ah was Apple Bloom, whatcha said ta me?”
“Hmm?” she opens her eyes and tilts her head to look at me. “What about?”
I shift a little. “Well, when ya’ll thought Ah was yer sister, ya told me Ah was in big trouble. What was that about?”
Applejack blinks, then chuckles. “Aw, don’ you worry none. Apple Bloom just had some really bad grades on her last maths report.”
I frown. She was in trouble for that? Applejack had made it sound like she'd caused the barn to collapse or something.
Wait, she's bad a math? I’d watched a comic dub not too long ago making that joke, but I didn’t think it would relate.
“But, ya’d think with all the stuff she’s good at buildin’ she’d be great at math?” I said, looking up at her with confusion. “Ta build sumthin’ ya need ta know math fer the measurements, dontcha?”
Applejack chuckles. “Eeyep. Strange, ain’t it?” She then smiles warmly, and nuzzles my mane, which feels really nice. “Now, hush up, little one. Time we got some sleep.”
I can’t help but yawn at that moment and close my eyes, resting my head against AJ’s fur.
Why is she so comfortable to be around? I'm almost as at ease with her as...
I inwardly shake my head. Nah. That’s crazy. She don’t feel like Ma does. Ah must just be really tired. It’s been a long and stressful day and Ah just need sleep is all.
With these thoughts sifting through my head, I feel my eyes close and am soon embraced by sleep.