Little Stars

by Shadowmane PX-41

An Apple a Day

As Applebloom looked at herself in the mirror that evening, she couldn't help but dwell on what had happened earlier with her and Applejack. She knew that she was going to get a verbal slap in the face from Applejack regardless, but she hadn't accounted for her getting off scot-free with it. She sighed and tightened the band around her hair, making sure that it was ready for the formal.

"Ah know that she was just trying to protect me, but it just ain't fair that she's getting punished for it..." Applebloom looked over towards Applejack's bedroom door and hung her head. A sensation had been eating away at her ever since Granny Smith had let her off the hook, and it simply grew the more she looked at it. "Oh, sis. You didn't deserve this. Ah did..."

All of a sudden, Big Mac came up the stairs and stood in between Applejack and Applebloom's rooms. He saw the look on Applebloom's face and walked over towards her, sitting down on the bed once he had made it inside.

"What's wrong, Applebloom?" Big Mac asked, twisting his wrist. "You've been quiet ever since Granny and Applejack had their falling out. Heck, you've been quieter than a country village after an earthquake."

"Big Mac," Applebloom started. "Have you ever done something wrong but someone else got the blame instead of you?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded as Applebloom sat down beside him. "A while back, actually. When you were still in kindergarten, I got into a bit of a scrap with some bullies picking on Applejack. Ah beat them, sure, but it was them who got punished instead. Now, I know that I shouldn't have thrown the first punch, but they were being really rude." He put his hand on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... It's about what I'm wearing." Applebloom showed off her clothes to Big Mac and took another deep breath. "For the Fall Formal this year, me and my friends were going to go as the Dazzlings."

"Well, that's a right proper mistake if ya'll ask me." Big Mac crossed his arms and took Applebloom's headband off. He saw her hair flop down by her shoulders and coil around her arms. "You don't need to dress up like some silly sirens to try and win a beauty contest. Ya'll look good just as you are."

"Ah know, ah know." Applebloom suppressed her tears as she took another glance at Applejack's bedroom. "Granny Smith and Applejack told me too! It just ain't fair that she's grounded and ah'm not!"

"Well, ah can't sway Granny Smith on my own, but I do agree that Applejack didn't deserve to get punished for this." Big Mac turned his head towards Applejack's room as well. "The price of protection's a mighty hard one. Sometimes, when we try too hard to keep each other safe, we end up making them feel trapped instead."

"Trapped?" Applebloom tilted her head at Big Mac. "What do ya mean by that, big brother?"

"Well, ah've been noticing that Applejack's been mighty protective of ya recently." Big Mac stood up and looked down at his sister. "And while you've trusted her in the past, I can't help but feel that she's not letting you try anything new or trying to be independent. It's like she's treating you like a baby."

"But I'm not a baby. I can handle things myself." Applebloom got back onto her feet as well. "Heck, me and my friends make those awesome music videos online and those take some real workin' out. Stuff that Applejack and Granny still scratch their heads over."

"And I'm proud of you that you've got something to fall back on, but you've still gotta learn that Applejack's not always going to be around to protect you." Big Mac put both of his hands on Applebloom's shoulders and got down onto one knee. "If she keeps on treating you like this, you're never gonna be able to grow up and be as strong as her. Ya need to put this all behind you and learn some independence—the sooner the better."

"But what about Applejack?" Applebloom broke out of Big Mac's hold and turned her head back over towards Applejack's room. "She didn't deserve to be punished for what I did. She should still at least be able to go to the Fall Formal and be with the rest of her friends, not locked up in her room all night in place of me."

"Well, like ah said. I can't change Granny Smith's mind." Big Mac shook his head and walked out of the room. "But maybe you can make her feel a little better. She needs it after what happened tonight."

As Applebloom watched Big Mac walk down the stairs, the sensation that she had felt from earlier returned as her focus was now on Applejack's door. This time, though, it was so compelling to her that she didn't even notice that she had already begun walking towards her sister's room. By the time she mustered up the strength to do something, she had already arrived at the door.

"Applejack?" Applebloom rapped on the door as lightly as she could in the hope of getting her attention. She put her ear to the door and heard her sister walk over towards the door. "Are you in there? I'm sorry for what happened downstairs..."

"Applebloom," Applejack's voice became cold and distant as the door began to unlock. "Why? Why did Granny have to punish me for it instead of you?"

"Applejack, ah agree with you entirely, but there's nothing that I can do to change it!" Applebloom shed a small tear as she placed her hands on the door and stretched her fingers apart. "If I could just go back in time and fix this, I could, but I'm not magical like you and the rest of yer friends!"

"Well, it's too late now. Granny Smith's laid down her punishment and if I go against it, she'll be hunting me down like a dog alerted by the scent of drugs." Applejack unlocked the door and pulled it open slightly so that only her eye could be seen. "You just go off now. Enjoy the Fall Formal and all of the laughter and ridicule ya'll are gonna get."

"Applejack, that's not like you!" Applebloom kicked the door as hard as she could, slamming it against Applejack as opened all the way for her. She stepped inside and saw that her sister had collapsed and dropped a tiny hairpin. "Sorry for the kick and all, but ah can't just let ya sit on yer butt and mope! What happened to the sister that I used to know?!"

"She's still here, Applebloom, but I don't see why you and the other Crusaders are going to these lengths to dress up." Applejack grunted as she got to her feet and tried to conceal the new bruise that she had acquired from the door's impact. "Why in the world do you think that dressing up as our worst enemies is going to win you and the girls the crown?"

"Because it's cosplay, Applejack! COSPLAY!" Applebloom stomped forward and rolled up her sleeves, pouncing down on her sister. Her jump knocked Applejack back down onto her knees as Applebloom now arched her body over her sister's like a cat. "You wouldn't know about it even if it poked you with one of those red-hot stamping things they use on cows! Just as much as you hate anime, you hate us trying anything new and learning some independence! That's why I chose to dress up as Adagio of the Dazzlings!"

"Applebloom..." Applejack's eyes shrunk at her sister's sharp words. "What are you saying...?"

"I'm saying that I'm not a baby. I don't need to be changed, fed, burped, or taught what's right from wrong anymore." Applebloom crossed her arms and shook her head. "But you still keep treating me like one. It's like you don't even want me as a sister and more like a daughter. No matter how much you try to fight it, we're SISTERS. S-I-S-T-E-R-S! You're not the boss of me and you certainly aren't going to stop me from dressing up for the formal."

"Do you know how dangerous the world's become recently?" Applejack pushed Applebloom aside, brushed herself down, and looked towards the window. "After Sunset's little outburst at last year's Fall Formal, the world as we know it has changed forever. Magical beings and occurrences have been more popular than pancakes in February. The Dazzlings, Midnight Sparkle, and Gaia Everfree were just the start. Who knows what monsters could break into our world?" She took a brief look at the stars before she turned back to face Applebloom. "See, sis, you don't have magic like me the other Rainbooms, and if you were in trouble like that, you wouldn't be able to defend yourself. I never meant to treat ya like a baby. I just wanted to keep you safe from magic in the future."

"Applejack..." Applebloom tried to reach out for her sister, but she was met with one of Applejack's fingers pressing against her mouth as gently as possible.

"Sis. I know that I got a bit rash when ya came home looking like this, but I was simply trying to make sure that magic didn't hurt you or the other girls." She took in some air and composed herself. "I mean, what if, at this year's Fall Formal, some weird and wacky magic comes out of nowhere and turns you into the REAL Dazzlings? We'd need to hurt you in order to save you and that would be even worse! I'm just trying to make sure that nothing ever happens to you or the rest of the family." She tightened her hand into a fist and cracked her fingers as she did so. "We lost ma and pa. I'm not about to lose anyone else in the Apple Family."

"Applejack, I'm torn up about ma and pa as well, but Big Mac was right about the fact that you're babyin' me." Applebloom walked up to Applejack and gently rubbed her cheek. "If ya don't let me learn how to live my life like a regular girl, then I'll never be a success. What would you rather me be? Safe, unemployed, and nothing, or free, successful, and someone to remember the Apple Family name by? It's your choice."

"Applebloom, as much as I love you and am trying to keep ya safe, I don't think that ah can forever." Applejack took her hat off and tossed it over to the bed before she walked Applebloom over to it. "I might be a strong and dependable big sis, but even ah know that deep down inside of me that your time's gonna come sooner or later. I can't be around forever and we all know this. Even Big Mac agrees with me that I can't care for ya all the time. I just don't want all of that time to be for nothing..."

"It wasn't for nothing, Applejack. Whatever happened between us in the past was all special." Applebloom tipped her hand and gazed directly into Applejack's eyes. "Every bump, bruise, shout, or smile. We've both been there for each other ever since I was born. I don't think that any of your time was wasted with me. Heck, when I leave, you'll have lots of happy memories with me once I prepare to leave the farm and live like I want to."

Applejack simply let tears form in her eyes as she let Applebloom's words sink into her heart. She eventually blubbered and shed her tears as she pulled her sister into a hug. "Oh, Applebloom. I'm so sorry for what happened today. I'm sorry for treating ya like a kid. Heck, I'm even sorry for banning anime in this house. Can ya ever forgive me?"

"Of course, Applejack." Applebloom wrapped her own arms around Applejack's back and hugged her in return. "We're always going to be best sisters forever, no matter what differences we might have."

While Applejack and Applebloom hugged each other and cried in each others' embrace, Big Mac and Granny Smith stood by the open door with caring smiles on their faces as they watched the whole scene. They both knew that Applejack and Applebloom did have a wide array of differences, but seeing the two of them bond over an apology warmed their hearts. Now that they had put aside the squalor from earlier on in the evening, they both wondered about how Applebloom would do in the Fall Formal contest and whether or not she would be able to win it.

Author's Note:

As much as I hate Applejack, I have listened to your feedback from the last chapter and the words spoke loud and clear. Just because I hate someone doesn't mean that I have to portray them as a weak and insignificant character. I should love all of my cast, not just the main characters.

If you liked this chapter more than the last one, then be sure to tell your friends about this story and spread the word. And, although I've asked you this many times before, Patreon does say that the best way to get new Patreons is to continuously advertise your work over and over and over again until someone bites and donates. So, once more, a Patreon Button will be at the bottom of these notes. Click on it, and you can donate as little as $1 a month to help support me and all of my work.

Have a great day!

Comments

[TheManOfMadness]

Much better. It's nice that you acknowledged how unfair the punishment was and had the Apple sisters discuss and work out everything. Still hoping Applejack gets to go to the formal though.

[FourShadow]

There, now things smoothed over from the two of them.

But yeah, saying how much you despise a character in the beginning of a chapter ISN'T a good thing. Heck that's something I need to keep in mind when writing as well.

[TaleWeaver]

Branding iron. That's the red hot thing they poke cows with

[forbloodysummer]

My honest advice would be not to include a character you don't like. Ideally, yeah, you should like all your cast, but realistically we'll always like some characters more than others, and just as we love some of them enough to drive us to write fan fiction in the first place, I don't think there's anything wrong with hating others.

But it is then quite difficult to represent those disliked characters in a story, in a way that isn't prejudicial against them. Even the antagonist of a piece needs to be someone you're fairly fond of to give them a fair portrayal and make them feel like a real person. It's perhaps worth pointing out that the three antagonists in the parent piece to this work, Rainbow Rocks, are so widely loved that they're why half of us started reading this story in the first place.

However, it's quite difficult to force yourself to like a character, or even appreciate their good points, just so that you can write about them. So my suggestion would simply be not to write about the characters you don't like. That's probably more enjoyable for you as a writer, and if that comes across then it'll be more enjoyable for us as readers, too (especially the ones who are fond of the character(s) you don't like), and make it a better story. Personally, I can't stand Sci-Twi. So, despite having written two EG stories post-Friendship Games, she's conveniently absent from both.

I appreciate the artwork on which this story is based obviously features the CMCs, which strongly suggests Applejack will be present. And it makes sense that the story needs an antagonist, and she fits the bill nicely. But, if you're that not-keen on her, perhaps Rarity or Rainbow Dash would have been a better choice? We see Rarity make the outfits, so perhaps if Rainbow objects to it all out of loyalty to the people the Dazzlings made miserable? Rainbow is often the last to forgive the Dazzlings in redemption-type stories, so there's some precedent. Or, if not her, perhaps AJ is away for the weekend, and the dynamic in the Apple family is between Applebloom and Big McIntosh, as it is in Brotherhooves Special?

Personally I quite liked the previous chapter's take on it, that Applejack was told not to be so controlling - perhaps it could have handled it better, but I think it was a satisfying payoff to how Applebloom has spent the whole story scared of what her sister might think.

Do you think any of that sounds unreasonable? Obviously it's all done and dusted now, just thought I'd mention it in case you encountered a similar situation in a future story and wondered about considering an alternative approach.

[Shadowmane PX-41]

7924875 It's not unreasonable at all. I still have a lot to learn, but I am getting better.

Thank you for your input, Forbloodysummer.

[DanceMagicPony]

Well, one pair of sisters down. Two more to go.

[Serenade Sketch]

Applejack is defiantly better in this chapter than the last one.

[EchoWing]

Oh yeah, this is more like it.

[CassandraMyOCisBestpony]

No matter how much you try to fight it, we're SISTERS. S-I-S-T-E-R-S!

"Applebloom, what do spiders have to do with anything?"

[AyanamiRei]

I liked the last one better. This felt a little too long with the predictable sappyness. It just felt too cheesy for too long for my tastes, though I can understand the need after your last rant, plus story reasons.

Personally while I don't exactly care for Applejack much, a good writer can make her to be quite the lovable character. I mean I honestly don't ship Applejack x Princess Twilight, but I've read a story or two that really made me want them to be together.

I mean if you looked hard enough there's a lot of negative things you could say about Fluttershy, considering how often her stories without Discord are typically 1 note stories that repeat the same message. Yet she's an adorable character that many people love, despite some of the flaws of her writing.