It Ain't an Apple
There was a Cutie Mark Crusader meeting scheduled and there was a problem that had recently arisen.
"Aah horseapples," Apple Bloom quickly put hoof over her mouth and looked to her bedroom door hoping that her sister did not hear what she just said.
After the coast was deemed clear she turned her attention back to the large tear in her Crusaders cape. "Ah can fix this. Ah think Granny has some sewin' stuff in the basket next ta' her chair."
Apple Bloom went downstairs to said basket. Granny Smith was asleep in her rocking chair, but the chances of her waking up where slim to none.
The young Apple rummaged through the basket until she found what she had been searching for. She then went back to her room to try to sew up the cape.
She went up to her room and closed the door behind her. She laid out the cape so that she would be able to sew it up as good as new, or so she hoped.
"Let's see, what was it granny said about sewin'?"
Apple Bloom thought back to all the times granny had told her about sewing. She really wished she had payed more attention to that now. She managed to remember that you needed to put the thread through the tiny hole in the needle, and after some painstaking time and many errors she finally managed to do just that.
The next part she remembered was that you had to tie the end of the thread so that it will not just fall out of the cloth from the story granny told every family reunion about the quilt she works on every time the family gets together.
After she had finished preparing the needle, and jabbing herself no less than three times, she set to work on repairing her CMC cape. She carefully, though a tad clumsily, stitched up the cape.
It was several minutes before she had finished the stitch and then stepped back to admire her work. The stitch work was somewhat sloppy as she had not done any sewing before this incident. She felt proud of how well she did and decided to try it on.
She threw the cape over her shoulders and tied off the cape, "There, good as new."
Then she noticed something off under the cape. She slowly reached up with her hoof and reluctantly lifted the cape from her flank.
And decorating her flank was an image, one she had been crusading for. A smile blessed her face, if her mouth could get bigger it would take up the room, her eyes shone with the intensity of the sun before she realized something.
"It ain't an apple."
The thought scared her, all of her family had cutiemarks that were apples. "What am Ah gonna do? What am Ah gonna do?" She repeated over and over. "Ah need The crusaders."
She let her cape fall down over her flank in an attempt to hide the worrisome image. She crept over to the door to her room and opened it just enough for her head. Apple Bloom peaked down the hallways to make sure none of her family were there.
She opened the door and bolted down the hallway, stopping and slowly peaking down the stairs. she looked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being tailed. She crept down the stairs and into another hallway. Apple Bloom hugged the wall as she made her way to the doorway that leads to the living room.
Granny Smith was still sleeping in her rocking chair across this room led the door to the front patio. Apple Bloom slid into the room and hid to make sure she wasn't followed and looked around once more. she then went to the large display cabinet on the other side of the room and slid up against it, repeating the steps of her paranoia.
She quietly cantered to the door. She almost made it before, "Hey Apple Bloom, gonna go crusadin'?" Applejack called from across the room.
With a scream Apple Bloom bolted out of the door and into the orchard. he galloped a fast as her small legs could carry her towards the clubhouse.
When Apple Bloom finally made it to the clubhouse she almost could not breathe. she bolted of the ramp and into the clubhouse where the two other crusaders were waiting.
If they had said anything it was lost to Apple Bloom because of her panicked state being covered by a need of oxygen.
"Girls... Ah... need... yer help," She managed to utter between breaths.
"Yes Apple Bloom?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"How about you catch your breath first," added Scootaloo.
The young Apple decided to take the advice of the pegasus before stating her dilemma, "Ah got muh cutiemark but..."
"YOU GOT YOUR CUTIEMARK?!" shouted the other two crusaders in unison.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle proceeded to shout and ask questions that are in such rapid succession that they are not intelligible in any way before Apple Bloom shouts, "QUIET!"
The other crusaders stopped speaking to let the Apple Bloom speak, "It ain't an apple! All of muh family have an apple fer a cutiemark but," she showed them her flank, "Ah don't have an apple! What am Ah gonna do? What if they kick me off the apple farm?"
Sweetie Bell chimed in, "Oh Apple Bloom, I don't think you need to wo..."
She was cut off by Scootaloo, "This is bad. what are you going to do?"
"Ah don't Know! Ah need Ideas!"
Sweetie tried once more to give her thoughts on the matter, "I think you're over-re..."
"We could shave it off!" Scootaloo suggested
"NO!"
"We could try paint?" Scootaloo proffered
"Well Ah guess that might work."
"Are you sure this is that big a deal?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"Of course it is!" Scootaloo responded, only driving the fear deeper into Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo quickly grabbed a yellow bucket of paint from their supply box. She pulled out a dainty precise artists paintbrush along with it. She opened the bucket and with the paint brush in mouth, proceeded to dump the bucket of bright yellow paint onto Apple Blooms backside.
"Do you think they'll notice?" asked Apple Bloom
"Not a chance, it's a perfect match," replied Scootaloo, even though the paint was very obvious.
"Now that you're all disguised, we can continue our crusading!"
"I don't think the paint is going to fool anypony," commented Sweetie Belle.
"This paint is sorta itchy," complained Apple Bloom.
"So what, at least you won't be shunned by your family, that's worth a little itch right?" Asked Scootaloo.
"I guess."
"I don't think she is going to be shu..." Sweetie Belle can't catch a break,
"Well then let's get to crusading!" Scootaloo stated over top of Sweetie.
"Alright," Apple Bloom stated, still mulling over her cutiemark.
They exited the clubhouse and began going to town to try and ear the remaining cutiemarks. However something was soon made aware to them. a Droplet of moisture landed on Scootaloo's nose, "Is it supposed to rain today?"
"Ah think so," replied Apple Bloom.
As if on cue the clouds released their onslaught of falling water. And soon the ponies where soaked through.
"The paints come off!" Cried Scootaloo.
Another voice came running through the orchards, "There ya three are. Y'all should come inside and get out'a the rain," Applejack came trotting towards them at a moderate pace.
"RUN!" Scootaloo shouted before the three fillies bolted away from the orange mare.
"consarnit, What's gotten inta them t'day?" Asked applejack before she raced after the troublemakers.
The trio ran from the orange menace as fast as they could. but Applejack was fast, very fast. Sweetie Belle was clumsy and didn't look where she was going, and thus tripped on an exposed root.
"Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom cried out.
"She's a goner, we have to save ourselves!" shouted Scootaloo.
Applejack caught up to Sweetie Bell, "Are y'alright?" asked the farm pony.
"Yes."
"Now what's gotten into y'all today?"
"Apple Bloom got her cutie mark and she's afraid you're going to hate her because it isn't an apple."
The look on Applejack's face confused Sweetie Belle, until Applejack broke out into raucous laughter, "That all?"
"Mhmm."
"Well get inside before ya catch a cold while I rustle up the other two."
The laughter echoed towards the fleeing crusaders, "Oh no, we'll be next if we don't hurry," shouted Scootaloo.
"To the barn, she'll never find us there."
The two remaining crusaders turned to try and race towards the barn in hopes of escaping the cowpony.
Applejack had to straighten her hat to prevent it from flying off, which gave the fugitives enough time to get to the barn, but not loose the lawpony.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hid in the nearest pile of hay and hoped that they had lost Applejack. Who soon showed up through the barn doors, "Now where'd y'all get to ya silly fillies?"
the two surviving Crusaders gulped with the beast being so near to them. "Sweetie Bell told me what yer all fussy about. Ya don't need t' worry, I don't care what ya got fer a cutiemark, yer still muh sister."
Apple Bloom attempted to get up, but was stopped by Scootaloo, "No, it's a trick, she's lying."
The yellow filly deadpanned, "Do y'all even know my sister. She can't lie, she is downright terrible at it."
"There ya are," Applejack said from right next to the fillies who screamed in utter terror blowing her hat off.
It was a slow, long walk in the dreary rain for the two young POWs back to the farmhouse where all manner of unspeakable terrors awaited.
"Now y'all were bein' silly, thinkin' Ah wouldn't love ya because yer cutiemark ain't an apple. Yer muh sister and always will be. Though now that we know yer good at sewin' things, and yer Cutie Mark Crusaders waiters attempt made our tablecloth catch fire, yer gonna start sewin' a new one."