Chapter 9
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The rooster crowed loudly as Celestia’s sun slowly started to rise, bathing Sweet Apple Acres in its warm early morning glow.
The sunlight filtered in through the window, passing across Applejack’s closed eyes. Her closed eyes fluttered and she slowly opened them.
It wasn’t like she’d been woken early; she had always been an early riser, even as a filly. She’d get up, wash her face, get breakfast ready for all still asleep, then head outside and start with the day’s chores.
However, something prevented her usual schedule from happening right away. As the orange mare moved to get up, she felt something held in her forehooves move. Looking down, she saw her sister lying next to her, snuggled close.
No. Wait. Not Apple Bloom. She shook her head. That’s Applebuck. She shook her head again. No... Sam. She sighed, looking down at the sleeping filly. Poor little thing. Ah kinda know how she feels, bein’ separated from her family. Ah went through that back when I was in Manehatten.
She closed her eyes and sighed.
Though, really, Ah don’t know how she’s feelin’ at all. I can’t really compare our experiences too much. Ah still had the option o’ goin’ home whenever Ah wan’ed... she doesn’t. She’s totally cut off from her family, her whole world. And she’s gotta wait fer somepony else ta help her get home. I can’t even imagine how painful that must be, t’ know you can go home, but have ta wait.
She tried to move so she wouldn’t wake the sleeping filly, but said filly responded by shifting in her sleep and snuggling closer into the mare’s fur.
“Mama...”
Applejack’s heart stopped for a second, before she closed her eyes, sighing. Don’t go feelin’ all worried, AJ, she told herself. She’s sleepin’. She obviously thinks everything that happened afore was just a dream and that her Ma’s holding her whilst she sleeps.
She saddened at that thought, a few tears leaking from her eyes.
Poor filly’s gonna be heartbroken when she wakes up and finds Ah’m not her Ma. She pulled the filly closer and held her. She couldn’t really move without waking the young pony and she didn’t want to make her sad by learning what was going on when she woke up, so she’d let her sleep longer, prolong her happiness before it’s crushed by the reality around her.
AJ knew Twilight would find a way to help the filly. There’s no way she couldn’t. Maybe she’d be able to fine tune that mirror to go to Sam’s world instead and the filly could go home.
Still, it didn’t stop the fact that she was stuck here til then, away from her family and anyone she knew. She couldn’t even compare this to what Twilight had had to go through the first time she’d gone to that alternate world to get her crown back.
When Twilight had arrived at that Canterlot High place, she’d had Spike with her. This meant she’d always had a friend nearby that she could confide in and fully understood her. Beyond that, from what she’d told them, Canterlot High hadn’t been that entirely different from Equestria. There were alternate reality versions of the ponies she knew, and their personalities had been the same. That meant she’d had something to fall back on when needed. Sam didn’t have those luxuries.
She was all alone; no one who she could really connect to, no one who truly understood her, she was all alone in a totally alien world.
Applejack remained where she was, even though her brain’s daily schedule was telling her to get up and start working.
She chuckled a little. She and Twilight were alike in that sense; they followed a schedule and never liked faltering from it even a little. Though, unlike the alicorn, she wasn’t likely to cause a disaster just because of a small slip up... unless you counted last years Applebucking Season.
Applejack must have dozed off again at some point, because she awoke to the sound of her door opening and glanced up to see Big Mac walking in.
“AJ, what’s up?” he asked, looking confused and a little annoyed. “Ah’m workin’ on mah own out there! Why ain’t you—?”
“Shh!” Applejack hissed, then shot her eyes down.
Mac followed, then frowned. “Is that Apple Bloom ’r that filly that looks like ’er?” he asked, now whispering as he noticed the sleeping filly in his sister’s bed.
“It’s Applebuck,” his sister whispered back, looking down at the small pony.
Mac’s frown became one of confusion. “Applebuck?”
His sister nodded. “That’s the name we decided she should go by til she can get home.” She glanced down as the small pony breathed a little deeper and breathed a sigh. “Ah let her sleep with me last night t’ make her feel better. Ah haven’t gotten up yet cos Ah I don’ wanna wake ’er.”
Mac raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
AJ shook her head. “Think, Mac. She’s all alone in our world. She called me “Mama” in her sleep a little while ago, thinking she’s still at home with her family, cuddlin’ with her Ma. How’s she gonna feel when she wakes up and finds out she ain’t even home, let alone with her family?”
Mac’s ears drooped and he looked down. “Poor thing.”
Applejack nodded, then stroked a hoof through the sleeping filly’s mane. “Yeah. Ah know we can’t really help her right now; Twi’s gotta find a spell that can send her home and, til then, she ain’t got anywhere t’ go. So, I offered she can stay here. We’re probably the closest thing ta family she’s got in this world.”
Mac’s frown of confusion returned. “How d’ya’ll figure that one, sis?”
She looked at him, smiling. “Well, she looks like Apple Bloom, she sounds like Apple Bloom and Ah’ll bet my hat that, when Twi’s done with those genetic tests, she’ll have the same DNA as Apple Bloom.”
Mac nodded, though it was clear that last part had gone a little over his head, not that AJ would lie that it had kinda gone over her own, and she’d been the one saying it.
There was a small moan from under the blankets, the kind of moan one makes when they’ve just woken up.
The filly stirred, shifted around for a bit, then lifted her head, opening blearily eyes.
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I shift in my sleep. My bed is surprisingly warm today. I can feel another body laying next to me.
I smile. Mum. I must have dreamed all that and been crying in my sleep or something and she’d come in my room and either gotten into my bed with me or brought me to hers and Dad’s.
I snuggle closer, enjoying the feeling of her warmth... though, when she does have furry pajamas? Those can’t be too comfortable, even in winter.
I can hear a deep voice, maybe Dad’s already up?
No. That voice is deeper than Dad’s. And, now I think about it, I’ve only heard it a few times and...
I slowly open my eyes and lift my head. Though my vision is blurry from having just woken up, the bright orange blob in front of me is easily identifiable as not my mother.
Suddenly what I thought was a dream comes crashing back to into me, along with all the implications it presented. My ears droop as I lower my head and start sniffling. I’m in Equestria, with no idea how I got here or why and, worst of all, I can’t even talk to my family about it.
I’d been able to handle the whole being Apple Bloom thing only because I’d had my family to support me, along with Michelle and all the other friends I'd made during the last three months. Now, I don’t have anything. I'm in an alien world, where I only know those around me from watching a TV show.
I feel something warm wrap around me and realize it's Applejack, holding me. I quietly cry into her. Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to wake up here? Why couldn’t I have just slept until Twilight or Celestia sent me home? Then I could put this all behind me and try to get on with my life.
After a while, I notice I can hear something. It's faint, really quiet. It sounds like... crying. But... it isn’t me.
I look up to see Applejack has her eyes closed, her face holding a pained expression. Even though I'm hurting, I don’t like seeing others in pain, so I lift a hoof to her face and wipe her cheek.
She gasps, opening her eyes and looking down at me.
I look back. It seems she understands my sadness. I'm glad I can at least talk with some... pony who understands what I'm going through, at least to some degree, but that doesn’t make it any better that I'm not home with my family.
“Listen, Sa— Ah mean, Applebuck,” the orange mare says wiping a few of the tears that have streaked my face. “Ah won’t lie an’ say Ah know just how yer feelin’ right now. But Ah’m bein’ honest when Ah say, until Twi gets back to us and let’s us know when an’ how ya’ll get home, Ah’ll watch out fer ya, okay?”
I nod and lean into her. If there is anypony I’d trust my temporary care to, it would be Applejack. Out of all the Mane Six, she is the most responsible and the most understanding. Yes, Fluttershy is a very understanding pony herself, but she wouldn’t really be able to understand me properly, what with her timidness.
Thinking of the other characters, however, reminds me of something. It's been bugging me ever since I woke up and told AJ and Twilight everything.
“Um, AJ?” I whisper.
“Eeyep?” she whispers back.
I hesitate, not sure if I’d like the answer or not, but move on. “How come ya’ll never asked me how Ah knew who you were? Ah mean, Ah talked ’bout yer little sister and chatted a bit like Ah knew all o’ ya personally. How come ya’ll didn’ find that strange?”
Applejack's silent for a bit, then she chuckles. “Thought ya’d watched a fair bit o’ the show, t’ be honest.”
My head snaps up and I stare into her eyes, my own going wider than saucepans.
What? She knows this world comes from a TV show? How? Pinkie and Discord are the only ones who can break the fourth wall, so hearing it from them would've been fine. But coming from AJ, that’s just creepy!
Well, maybe Cheese Sandwich could break the fourth wall, too as he is pretty much a rule 63 version of Pinkie without actually being a rule 63 version of Pinkie.
She chuckles at the shocked, open-mouthed look I'm giving her. “We all know about that TV show about our world, sugarcube. Well, sum o' us, anyway. Mainly just ponies who've play a key role in Equestria.”
I cock an eyebrow. ”Like, bein' the princesses o' the sun and moon, love and the Bearers of Harmony?”
She nods. “Our world came first, but was filtered into the thoughts o' that Lauren Faust lady. We just don’t worry about it. It’s like Twilight said back when she first returned fr’m that alternate world where Ah’m a human; every action has a reaction."
I look down, shocked beyond words. They all know this world was created from a TV show. They all know there's a world where other beings watch them, even some of their most personal moments, yet they're fine with it?
I feel AJ shift and see her giving me a sheepish smile. “Um, ya know it’s past time Ah was up, right? This is a farm, ya know.”
I blink, before my brain catches up with me (though, after the bombshell I’d just had dropped on me you can forgive it for being a bit slow) as I see the sun in the sky outside. It's mid-morning. As a farmer, Applejack should’ve been up ages ago. She must have stayed in bed so as not wake me.
I quickly scramble to get off the bed and flop face-first to the floor.
AJ chuckles as she gets down and helps me up. “Come on, sugarcube. Let’s get you sumthin’ t’ eat.”
As if to answer her, my stomach gives a loud... I’d say growl, but I don’t think that’s the word. It made that gurgling sound that apparently also counts for growling in cartoons. Don’t know what you’d call it, though. Still, it happened and I can’t help but blush from it, to which the older mare just chuckles and leads me out the room.
When we get to the kitchen it's to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders chatting away as they eat a breakfast of waffles and fruits. As soon as we come downstairs, however, the three fillies heads snap in my direction so fast I can’t help but flinch.
“Hey, Bucky,” Scootaloo says, waving a hoof to the seat next to her. “Saved ya a seat.”
I frown as I walk towards her and sit on the seat. “Bucky?”
The Pegasus nods, munching on a bite of waffle. “Well, yeah. I mean, having to always say Applebuck makes you sound like a normal pony, but it takes too long and can tie your tongue in knots if you’re not careful.”
She swallows and grins, not paying attention to the bit of maple syrup sliding down her lip.
“Bucky, however, is short and easy to say, and you can easily just tell anypony that it’s short for Applebuck afterwards.”
I frowns, looking down. She does make a good point. It would be a lot easier to shout Bucky if somepony needed to warn me about something, or just wanted my attention quickly. However, I can’t help noticing this means I’d gone from being called “Sam”, to “Applebuck” and now “Bucky” in a span of less than twenty-four hours.
However, all that is put out of my mind as Big Mac places a plate of waffles dripping in syrup in front of me. My mouth waters and my stomach again reminds me that it wants food.
Without a second thought to it, I dive into the waffles, savouring every single pony-tastebud-enhanced bite. I’d really started enjoying a lot of foods more than I used to since becoming a pony and waffles are no exception to this.
Back on Earth, whenever I had to get to a studio really early in the morning for an interview, I had breakfast at the studio from the catering provided and almost always went for the waffles. With pony tastebuds they were just too amazing.
Once breakfast is over I wipe my mouth with my leg at the same time as Scootaloo, both of us getting looks from the other ponies and grin sheepishly.
Of course, I have to go upstairs to the bathroom and wash my leg after; the syrup was making the fur all sticky, something I’d even had problems with back on Earth.
While the two of us are cleaning our legs and faces, Scootaloo glances at me.
I look to her as I rub my face. “What?”
She shakes her head. “It’s just weird. You look and sound exactly like Apple Bloom. You’re even a Blank Flank, just like her.”
I pout, looking away. “Yeah, well, don’t go exceptin’ me ta be like her. I ain’t her and I won’t be.” Though, now that I think about it, what does that make me?
I’m not Apple Bloom, because she’s already here. It would be a little easier to figure out if she wasn’t and I was merged with her, like guys who write themselves taking over the body of a pony unintentionally in fics, I might have an idea.
But, that isn’t the case. Apple Bloom is still around, she and I are completely different ponies, yet physically alike.
So... what does that make me? A copy? Twin? Doppelganger? Clone? What am I?
My inner thoughts are stopped when I feel someone lift my tail and I “Eek!” while going stiff. “Scoo-Scootaloo?” I stutter, seeing it’s her due to the mirror. “Wh-what’re you doing?”
Scootaloo gives a confused frown. “Huh. Yeah. You’re definitely a filly, too. You’re practically her identical twin.”
I’m blushing frantically and quickly move my tail to cover my end again. Didn’t this Pegasus know anything about personal boundaries? Then again, she’s always following Rainbow Dash and trying to be like her and Dash isn’t exactly known for thinking about personal boundaries either, so that would explain it.
“No way!” the angry voice of Apple Bloom comes from downstairs, pulling both our attention to the open door. “Why’s she gotta be here?”
“Her father’s bringin’ her along cos they both got somewhere t’ be after,” Applejack’s voice follows. From the sound of her tone she was in “Get Apple Bloom to Calm down and listen to reason” mode. “She'll only have t’ be here fer as long as Rich wants to talk. If’n ya don’ wanna see her, ya can stay in yer room or go out to the barn til she’s gone.”
The sound of hoofsteps stomping up the stairs soon follows and the slamming of a door not long after.
Scootaloo and I glance at each, both thinking the exact same thing and saying it in unison. “Diamond Tiara.”
We go to Apple Bloom’s room to find Sweetie Belle already having gone inside, leaving the door open as she tries to reason with the angry farm filly.
“It tain’t fair!” the red-head is saying, waving her forehooves in the air dramatically, seeming more like Rarity at the moment than a farm filly. “How come it had t’ be t’day? Why couldn’t her dad have come t’morow, when we’re at school?”
I'm able to follow her logic right away and can’t help rolling my eyes. “Ya do realize ya’d still have ta deal with Tiara at school, right?”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jump, clearly not expecting a voice just like Apple Bloom’s to point out a flaw in the filly’s argument.
Apple Bloom just frowns at me. “Yeah. But school’s normal. Ah can deal with that. But in mah own home? That’s just not fair!”
“She’s still peeved cos Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon got her with a good prank two days ago,” Scootaloo whispers to me.
I blink. A prank? I frown, thinking. A prank, huh?
“Oh, Ah wish Ah could get her back, that no-good-spoiled-little-brat!” my counterpart continues to rant. “If only Ah had a prank that would make Tiara look like a right fool! That’d show ’er!”
I put a hoof to my chin, thinking. I’m not exactly a big fan of the pink earth filly myself. While I get the point of her character in show as being the dick of the school, I’d always felt the urge to reached into the television and teach her a lesson.
“Too bad we can’t trick her in some way,” Sweetie Belle says, looking slightly depressed. “Something that would make her say some really dumb stuff that’d make ponies laugh at her.”
Yeah, keep wishin, there, Sweetie. It’s not like we could make her think there was two of some... pony.
I blink, a light bulb turning on in my head and I smirk. “Oh, Ah think Ah know a good one.”
They all look to me, confused.
“Why would you wanna help us?” Sweetie Belle asks, tilting her head. “Diamond Tiara’s never done anything to you.”
I nod. “Yeah, but, even if Ah didn’t already know what a jerk she is, after hearing what ya’ll were sayin’ an’ how much ya’ll wanna get back, Ah feel like lendin’ a hoof.”
The three crusaders look at each other, then back to me, devilish grins spreading on their faces.
“Okay,” Apple Bloom says, nodding, “tell us yer plan.”
I nod and walk towards Apple Bloom’s closet, hoping my memory of the episode Somepony to Watch Over Me is accurate to this world. This is going to be fun.