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She would never admit it to anyone besides Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, but after 4 and half months without seeing her sister, she had begun counting down the days before she came home from her first spring semester. It hadn’t been the same without her, the past nine months, watching the snow melt off the apple trees and the green of the grass return without the older girl there to mess up her hair or listen to her talk for hours, weirder still getting her learner’s permit and her sister not be there to see it. Apple Bloom had gotten permission from Granny and Big Mac to learn using her pickup truck, since she hadn’t brought it to university with her. It felt… empty, in a way, even if they still called or Facetimed at least once a week. Big Mac wasn’t quite as dramatic as AJ when she told him something shocking, though she knew he tried. The first fall without her had been worse, she would easily admit, but with summer fast approaching the wait was killing her alone. Thankfully taking her sister’s spot on the farm, being on the debate team, and her homework was keeping her busy, but as she checked on the chickens at sunrise or talked to her friends at lunch it always managed to slip into conversation.
Eight days until her freshman year of high school was over, five until Applejack came home.
She remembered going with her friends to her sister’s going away party, a small little thing just for their friend group hosted at Twilight’s place and she remembered how Pinkie had made 3 different types of cupcakes each with the crests of the different universities their friends were going to. Applejack had told her that Rainbow Dash had gotten into the school of her dreams on a full-ride track scholarship, and she hadn’t been surprised in the slightest when Twilight got into hers as well, but she’ll admit she was surprised when Sweetie Belle had told her Rarity wasn’t going to fashion school for another year or two - it was a strange feeling knowing that half of the six best friends were staying in town while the others chased their dreams. It was great, she would be the first to say that, getting paid in baked goods to watch Pinkie’s bearded dragon for the weekend while she visited Dash or getting to have sleepovers at Sweetie Belle’s where Rarity would buy any random movie for them to watch regardless if it was R-rated rather than trying to get the DVD player at her Granny’s to work. It was great, too, to see the girls she’d looked up to since she was a kid achieve their goals, or to sneakily watch from afar as Pinkie and Cheese went on their dates around town and text AJ all the details after, but getting home and seeing the empty seat at the dining table still hurt.
There was a part of her that was scared, as much as she was excited, that something would change between the two of them, something that being away at school would ruin. What if her older sister got tired of her? On a Facetime call, there was always an end call button, or the option to ignore the ringtone, what if in-person the lack of that choice was too unbearable and she went back early? Summer meant working on the farm again, what if Applejack hated it now, the farm life, after her time in the city? She was a business major after all, maybe she’d find a job out of town and make the half-hour drive every day just to get away from the dirt and grime - oh god, if she took the truck, Apple Bloom would never be able to practice driving. Maybe she would be the same, but what if she wasn’t? They still talked all the time and she seemed the same, but what if she wasn’t? All the what-ifs ran through her head as her teacher droned on about something that would definitely be on their upcoming final exam, abruptly cut off in her thinking when the bell rang to signal the end of class.
Only five more days, she thought with a sigh, packing up her notebook and pens to go to 5th period.
Only five more, and it’d all be okay.
…
It had only been a week and a half since Applejack had come home and Apple Bloom was already certain this was leading up to be the best summer ever. From the second she saw her sister at the airport, it felt like she was 8 years old again and all she wanted to do was follow the blonde around like a puppy. The hug she got was like the warmth of a bonfire on a winter night, like a cold towel on her forehead when she had a fever, and that’s when all her fears of any awkwardness or distance between them melted away. Her sister was home.
The ease with which her older sister reentered her life for the summer was almost shocking. When she went downstairs the next morning, the blonde was already making breakfast, or when she left the house to visit Scootaloo, the other was helping their older brother load up the truck - just like it had been last summer. She was just as interested in Apple Bloom’s life as she was in AJ’s, she had already offered to help teach her to drive, and she still laughed with her whole chest, it was nice. Really nice. There were a few differences with her sister since she’d last been home for Christmas, and she’d admit they’d been a bit shocking, like her change in clothing style, how she smelled more like a campfire than the orchard, or the long mullet-like shag she’d just gotten the weekend before she left her university but it wasn’t anything that changed them .
They were still sisters, through and through, just like they used to be.
This is why, just a week and a half into summer, maybe an hour or two before midnight, she was so shocked to catch a glimpse of a certain blonde sneaking out of the farmhouse when she went to close her curtains. At first, she thought someone was trespassing, more than ready to call to her brother down the hall, but when she squinted she could see her sister’s hair peeking out from beneath her worn hat, stark and bright against the dark leather jacket she had been obsessed with since she got home. Well, I’ll be damned.
She watched Applejack look both ways before taking a few more steps down the driveway, ducking as the older girl looked back at the house one more time so she wouldn’t be caught peeping. When she dared to look back over the windowsill the girl was out of sight, probably already down the road, and all she could do was stare. Applejack was, quite frankly, the last person the redhead would ever suspect to sneak out - her inability to lie and dedication to honesty were probably some of the biggest traits in her whole personality. Pulling out of her stupor and almost tripping over her bedside table in the process, Apple Bloom reached for her phone, immediately opening Instagram and finding a familiar group chat.
Bloom: i am actually in shock right now wtf did I just witness
Scootaloo: ???
Sweetie Belle: ^^ What?
Bloom: AJ just snuck out?????
It was less than five seconds before her phone lit up with an incoming call from the two of them, her own face staring back at her before she answered. She was met with a jumble of words and shuffling sounds, immediately turning down the volume on her phone and violently shushing them in the quiet room. Granny across the hall might sleep like a log but Mac had the ears of a hound, always able to tell when she was up past their agreed time.
“Fine, okay, what do you mean Applejack snuck out?” Scootaloo was the first to speak clearly, thankfully quietly, sounding incredulous nonetheless. It would’ve been different if it were Dash or even Pinkie, but the idea of the older girl sleuthing around town at night just didn’t fit.
“Now I don’t know! She was totally normal all day! Didn’t mention nothin’ about any plans,” She responded, pacing as quietly as possible as she whisper-shouted into the microphone of the small phone. Her sister really hadn’t mentioned anything to her, nor could she even think of a single place in town open past 10. It wasn’t like they had any nightclubs here, or any parties she knew about - it was a Thursday for god’s sake! That said, she didn’t even think of her sister as interested in either of those options, to be frank, but if she was, it wasn’t like she could leave town on foot.
“Maybe she forgot to do something on the farm and only just remembered? Didn’t want to wait until morning? I know I’ve left lights on and snuck downstairs to turn them off before Rare would notice.” Sweetie Belle, the forgetful voice of reason she was, made Apple Bloom pause before her brow furrowed even further. No, that didn’t seem right because-
“If she was rushin’ to finish her chores you’d reckon I would’ve seen her in like, pajamas or somethin’ - she was dressed all nice, jeans and everythin’! She even had on that damn leather jacket she wears everywhere!”
The three girls thought in silence for a moment, genuinely unable to come up with anything more than “she snuck out.” It couldn’t be some sketchy deal in a back alleyway and it wasn’t like she was in a relationship and was cheating behind someone’s back, the sole gas station in town didn’t even sell alcohol - the trio was genuinely stumped.
“I honestly can’t even imagine her sneaking out. She is not who I expected.” Scootaloo said into their sudden quiet, making a little disbelieving whistle sound. All the redhead could do was nod, brows still furrowed. Maybe it was just something she’d picked up at college? No, that didn’t make sense, there’d be no reason to sneak, it’s not like Mac could see her from there - hell, knowing Applejack, she’d probably be the one to fall asleep first, her roommates would be the ones who’d have to sneak. She spoke her thoughts aloud and all her friends did was hum, unable to come up with anything else.
“Well whatever her reason she was smart not to take the truck, that ratty thing has the loudest start-up I’ve ever heard-” Sweetie Belle joked with a quiet giggle, immediately sending Scootaloo snickering while Apple Bloom gasped in mock offense.
“Now you watch your tone, Missie, that car is mine and she’s old, she can’t help it!” Her fake agitation melted away about halfway through her sentence, succumbing to the giggling of her friends. The conversation steered away from AJ’s moonlight excursion after that, chatting about their days, gossip, or other mumblings until Sweetie Belle squeaked, interrupting Scootaloo’s sentence abruptly.
“Shit! I think Rarity is awake, I hear her walking around! Talk to you guys soon, update us, bye!” She spoke so fast the other two had no time to chime in, leaving like she always did - only when she absolutely had to. Apple Bloom saw her other friend shake her head with a smile, the redhead sighing something fond. She really loved how much her friends enjoyed being around each other, as silly as it sounded. The way their calls could range from five minutes to fifty and the way three-day weekends meant two-night sleepovers, usually not even doing anything “crazy” while together, made her smile to herself. Scootaloo noticed through the phone, grinning back with a raised eyebrow.
“What’re you so smiley about?”
This was going to be the best summer ever, she could feel it.
“Nothin’.”
…
Apple Bloom had fallen asleep before she caught her sister coming back home, but the next morning she could tell something had happened. She caught her smiling into her toast, twisting strands of hair between her fingers, and even found her whistling while she put on her work boots - something was different. She squinted at her sister as she adjusted the straps of her overalls, washed her oatmeal dish, and put on boots of her own, trying to deduce what it was. AJ seemed to be on some kind of cloud nine, distracted by something obviously good. Maybe her professors had posted their grades from the past year? No, that wouldn’t explain the prolonged look in her eyes, or the way she kept sighing. A good dream? No, her sister had never been able to remember her dreams, it was a trait they both shared. Maybe she’d had the best sleep of her life after taking a walk. She very well could just be genuinely happy to be back on the farm - the idea made Apple Bloom’s heart swell - back to something familiar, surrounded by family, maybe that was it. She liked that idea, trying to convince her mind that was the answer, clinging to it as they got to work.
The two of them collected the eggs from the chickens, fed the cows and horses, and had just started on checking the apple trees one by one when the redhead’s questions couldn’t be held back any longer.
“You’ve been dreamy all mornin’ - what’s got ya in a fuss?” It came out in a rush, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been basking in the light her sister was shedding all morning but when the other started humming to herself she just had to know. She’d been clinging to the hope that it was from being back home but the feeling of being left out was creeping in with each passing moment and it had nearly taken over.
Applejack looked genuinely surprised by the question, and Apple Bloom could’ve sworn there was embarrassment written across her face, which didn’t really make sense. The older girl looked as though she meant to run her hand through her hair but hit her hat in a way that would have greatly amused Apple Bloom in any other setting, instead trying to save the motion by simply readjusting the thing. The fifteen-year-old set down her basket and put her hands on her hips, staring at the other, awaiting a response. The amount of fiddling from AJ did not go unnoticed.
“Well shucks, I, uh, well I di’n’t realize I was doin’ anythin’, sorry for distractin’ ya, Apple Bloom. I’ll stop now, I’m mighty sorry.”
She waited for anything more, a confession, an explanation, anything , but she was met with nothing but an awkward laugh and an apologetic smile, watching as the blonde went to “fix” her perfectly fine flannel, pushing up the sleeves that were already up. Wow. When she realized Applejack wasn’t going to give her anything more she almost brought up the night prior but stopped herself, opting to tell her it was fine instead. A voice in her head - one that honestly sounded like her two best friends - had caught her before she said anything, instead reminding her that if she brought it up now, Applejack would stop whatever it was she was doing and then she’d probably never get to know. If she kept quiet, instead, maybe she could catch her again, maybe even sneak out and follow her to see what she was up to. The fear of missing out is a powerful thing, she realized, taking a step back from her own thoughts to observe the lengths she was willing to go to be included in her sister’s secrets.
Maybe she could keep track of her sister’s sleuthing this summer, see if there was a pattern, just for the fun of it. If there was a pattern, maybe just maybe she could host a sleepover and all three of them could catch her. Was it dramatic and embarrassingly desperate? Most definitely. Was it probably a complete misunderstanding and was there a chance she’d never do it again? Also yes. Would it bring some much needed fun to a summer of working on the farm, overthinking, and pet sitting? Would it make her feel better?
Absolutely it would.
Later her friends would ask if she confronted her sister about it, ask if she’d said anything or done anything strange, and all she’d do was smile, responding with a very proud “not yet.”
“... Girl, what do you mean ‘not yet?” Scootaloo asked after a moment of quiet, her voice crackling through the receiver, her face up close to the camera.
“How do y’all feel about doin’ some spyin’?”
“Oh, here we go.”
…
It had been about a month since the sneaking out started, and she was both shocked and pleased to say she’d caught her sister in the act eight separate times. About twice a week now, usually sometime during the week and then always on Saturdays. She was well-dressed every time she left home, leather jacket on but hat sometimes left on its hook by the backdoor, and she never took the car. She didn’t really take anything, really, though a hoodie Apple Bloom had been stealing all school year did suddenly disappear a week or two back. She always left around the same time - she was keeping track now, it was usually around 10:30 - and only once she’d caught her coming back. It was by far the most surprising part of the experiment thus far. Apple Bloom had woken up early one morning, though too late to go back to sleep so she was at the dining table eating breakfast and scrolling through her friends’ summer posts on her phone. The sun still hadn’t come up, and yet, as she went to bring another scoop of cereal to her lips she heard the kitchen door open, stopping mid-bite to look her sister in the eyes. Even Winona perked up from her dog bed by the table, cocking her head as amber eyes met green. Immediately Applejack stopped too, mid-step, her hand still on the door.
This was the only time she’d ever seen Applejack post-sleuthing, taking inventory of her appearance. This was sneak-out five, one that she and her friends would talk about in disbelief for upwards of an hour afterward. First, she was hatless, her short hair all amis. Then Apple Bloom noticed how half-haphazardly tossed on her jacket was, with one shoulder pad sitting much lower than the other, half-zipped with an unfamiliar shirt underneath. She looked sunburnt, though the lighting was never kind to their family’s farmer’s tan, her first move in the frozen moment closing her slacked jaw and wiping a hand down the bottom half of her face. She looked panicked, and a part of the redhead wanted to be smug about it. But again, she feigned innocence towards the nineteen-year-old, finally taking the bite of cereal.
“Ya look like ya went through a tornado,” she said around the food in her mouth, huffing out a little laugh and watching as the other shifted her weight from side to side. The tension softened just slightly at that, and although her curiosity was overwhelming, she enjoyed the warmth of the moment. She watched Applejack take off her boots, hang her jacket on the back of one of the dining chairs, fix the oversized shirt she was wearing - the redhead memorized the details of said shirt - and pet the collie at her feet. She got more tense with every moment, like a rubber band being slowly stretched in the still morning air. After a few more bites of cereal and a few more seconds of quiet from the sisters, the older pulled out a chair and sat down across from her, folding her hands on the table. The anxiety radiated off of her now, Apple Bloom could tell she was bouncing her leg underneath the table. Here it is.
“I couldn’t sleep, y’know how't is. Di’n’t think ya’d be up. I went out for, uh, I went out for a run ‘round the farm, a lil’ parameter check.” Applejack said, obviously mustering up as much confidence as possible, though it fell short. To Mac or Granny, they might’ve believed her, but Apple Bloom knew it was a lie - she’d been at the dining table for the past hour. She would’ve caught the older girl leaving for her run, or at least would’ve heard her come down the stairs to do so. It honestly gave her a little bit of secondhand embarrassment to see her sister’s slumped shoulders, her fiddling hands, and the way she couldn’t even maintain eye contact. She could tell that AJ knew that she knew it was a lie.
Frankly, she was such a bad liar that Apple Bloom began to retract her statement that Mac or Granny would’ve believed her - even they would’ve seen through this.
But as much as she wanted to know the truth, deep down she knew the next thing she did was the right choice.
“I get it, rough night. Them cicadas are loud, huh?” She said with a small smile, audibly sipping the milk from her spoon. The blonde visibly relaxed, her furrowed eyebrows and twitching melting into a smile, and dropped shoulders in an instant. AJ ran a hand through her hair, her hand resting on the back of her neck as she leaned on her elbow. She extended the bowl of cereal to the other girl, who gladly took the spoon and ate the last few pieces at the bottom of the bowl.
“Loud as hell, I can tell you that.”
That was weeks ago, and since then she was happy to admit the two had grown closer. Her sister walked with a bit more ease, a bit more pep in her step, she’d even got an inkling that Applejack was working herself up to tell her something, catching her looking hard into the mirror before nodding and turning to see her sister standing in the doorway, waiting to brush her teeth. Apple Bloom had unintentionally, accidentally, without ceasing, interrupted every single time the other had worked herself up to tell her something. Her yearning to know what the hell was going on with her sister had started to be a constant feeling, dropping hints that her sister could tell her anything, or asking how she was more often than normal. She’d even started purposefully going into the room her sister was in and doing nothing at all, just to see if that would do anything.
Needless to say, it wasn’t quite working.
She sighed from where she was sitting on the couch in the living room, putting her book down and pulling out her phone as her sister played with the dog, the blonde obviously trying to bring some life into the past 20 minutes they’d spent in awkward silence.
Bloom: AJ keeps making that face
Scootaloo: the constipated “i need to tell you something” face?
Bloom: ya
Sweetie Belle: Boo.
Bloom: i need opinions :( talk @ the diner? fries + milkshakes?
Scootaloo: fuck yes!! who’s paying this time? i paid last time
Bloom: i’m down to split it with you Sweetie Belle
Sweetie Belle: No, I owe you both money… I’ll pay.
Bloom: tyyyy
Scootaloo: ^^!!
…
“Five dollars she’s seeing someone,” Sweetie Belle said after a few minutes of quiet chewing, pointing a limp fry for emphasis, and the redhead almost choked on her milkshake when she did.
“I’m sorry?!”
“ Ten dollars she’s seeing a woman!” The pink-haired girl retorted, stealing the fry from the other girl’s hand and eating it with a smug smile.
“Scootaloo! You can’t just say that!”
“What! I’m just saying, since Dash came out my gaydar has gotten pretty good!” Scootaloo said, crossing her arms and leaning into the cushioned back of the booth. Her crutches leaned on the side of it as she sat across from the other two, taking up more room than necessary seeing as no one sat beside her. Apple Bloom made a sound akin to a scoff and a laugh mixed together, rolling her eyes at the girl.
“Right, sure, give me one example.”
“Well, uh, okay yes! So, you remember that sophomore in our physics class? The one who sits in the-“
“In the back? Nope, remember we saw him makin’ out with some girl at homecomin’, one of the freshmen. You literally had to give Sweetie Belle money because she won that bet.” She interrupted, and the pale girl sat next to her snorted while she ate another fry after speaking. All three of them shared freshman physics - one of the only classes all three of them had together - and there was a sophomore who sat in the back and only talked to either the teacher or this nerdy guy in the front of the class, one they’d known since middle school. Scootaloo had bet that the two of them were secretly a thing, especially from the way the older boy watched the younger or the way the freshman always walked with him in the halls. Apple Bloom had bet they were in a situationship, evidence being she saw them behind the bleachers once at the gym and in the dead part of the student parking lot - she was almost sure she had the money in the bag. Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, had bet the older kid made a deal for homework, giving him maybe weed or Allegra or something in exchange for test answers and homework. She had turned out to be right, proven at homecoming when they caught the sophomore with a popular freshman girl and when they caught the kid rolling a blunt by the bathrooms.
“Yeah, Scootaloo, you paid me like twenty bucks.”
“Fuck.”
Apple Bloom couldn’t help but snort, Sweetie Belle slurping her drink with an amusing amount of pride.
“Again - give me one good example.”
She watched as the other contemplated this, looking up as if into her own mind to think. It was that or she was asking God, but that wasn’t as likely. It was probably a good minute of the other two eating fries and flicking straw-paper rolls at each other before Scootaloo looked like she had an epiphany, startling the two of them when she suddenly sat up and leaned forward.
“Okay, then how about myself.”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, looking at the smug girl and leaning her face on her hand in a mix of intrigue and disbelief, the wooden diner table smooth against her elbow.
“… Ya only just realized ya liked girls this year?”
The pink-haired girl scowled, no true ferocity in her expression, offering the rest of her milkshake to Sweetie Belle. Her arms were still crossed, the sleeves of her orange hoodie rubbing against each other as she readjusted.
“Yeah but like, y'know how a lot of bi people struggle with accepting their sexuality? It was super easy for me, like as soon as I kissed-” She started, starting a speech the other two had heard maybe a dozen times since October.
“‘As soon as I kissed Diamond Tiara at the tailgate party I knew I liked girls,’ yeah, we know, y’u’ve told us like a hundred times,” Apple Bloom finished the sentence for her, cutting her off with a shake of her head, barely hiding her smile. Scootaloo threw her hands up in exasperation, slapping the table as they came down, a scoff mingling with the sound.
“It’s good proof!”
“ Anyways ,” Sweetie Belle started, effectively putting the argument to rest, “I still think you betting that she’ll get with a woman is unfair ‘cause like it’s just what I said but with more specifics - even though I’ll still be right you’ll be the one who gets the money!”
“Okay, then you bet that she’ll get a boyfriend! Equally as specific!”
“I’m not betting that.”
“What? Why not?”
Sweetie Belle lifted her shoulders to her ears and the other girls watched as a pink hue of embarrassment blossomed across her pale cheeks, her focus suddenly turned to the table in front of her.
“Whatever,” She grumbled, drawing a squawking laugh from Scootaloo upon the realization of her words, and another look of disbelief from Apple Bloom as her friend laughed.
…
Bloom: new aj action unlocked???
Scootaloo: huh wdym
Bloom: she went out again tonight??
Scootaloo: BRO??
Sweetie Belle: Did she HAVE to choose the one week where I’m out of town, oh my god. I’m actually going to cry. We 100% could have followed her.
Scootaloo: TWO nights in a ROW????
Scootaloo: theres no way shes not with some girl!!!! thats PEAK lesbian behavior!!!!
Sweetie Belle: FML.
Bloom: i deadass don’t even know - we literally have work in the morning like miss girl it’s sunday
Scootaloo: SEE WHAT I MEAN
…
Apple Bloom could say with confidence that this was the worst hand of Uno Cards she’d ever been dealt - and the worst part was she was the one who dealt them. While Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were down to about 3 cards each, battling back and forth, she had about 10 and for the first time since probably elementary school they’d decided not to play stacks, so she knew as soon as she drew two cards back to back she was going to lose.
“This is such bullshit, how do you guys have so few cards,” The redhead whined, drawing out the final word of her sentence and leaning her face on her knee while they were sat on the floor. It was a Saturday and the girls had just finished dinner - Granny’s homemade dumpling soup fresh from the crockpot and apple pie for dessert - and instead of immediately changing into pajamas like normal they’d stayed in their day clothes and decided to play some card games until it was time.
Tonight would be the night they finally caught Applejack in the act of whatever it was she was doing.
Her friends both laughed at her whining, Scootaloo elbowing her affectionately before shouting Uno less than a minute later, much to the other girls' shared disdain.
“Damn! Apple Bloom, you wanna play for second place?” Sweetie Belle asked with a smile. She had asked it innocently but she knew her friend, and with a card ratio of two to eight she knew she’d lose - the pale girl just wanted the easy win. Her smile was so perfectly poised, almost hiding the mischief in her eyes, but Apple Bloom knew how to find it.
“Only if you split decks with me,” She proposed with an equally conning look and sugar-sweet smile, knowing full well that Sweetie Belle would scrunch her nose in disgust at the offer - just like her older sister did - and forfeit. It was satisfying to watch her friend do exactly what she had predicted, though the satisfaction led to mock offense when Sweetie Belle revealed she’d been hiding two “draw four” cards and was planning to play them back to back against her, saying this while delicately tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“Oh wow,” Scootaloo said through laughter, drawing out the “wow,” and leaning over to poke the small girl in her sides, “You are so evil, aren’t you!” It made Apple Bloom smile, seeing her friends like this, so carefree and happy, all sitting on her familiar brown carpet. Sweetie Belle was shrieking with laughter now as Scootaloo tickled her sides mercilessly across from the redhead. The past year had been stressful for all of them, with school, siblings leaving, parents nagging, and now warmth blossomed in her chest at the sound of their laughter. She really did love her friends, even watching the pink-haired girl mercilessly tickle Sweetie Belle so much that her laughing had turned into a coughing fit.
As the trio settled, still giggling intermittently, they switched to a few other games - old maid, go fish, even spoons at one point - before Apple Bloom spotted a familiar blonde walking away from the house through her window, finding herself standing in an instant. Oh shit! Her quick change of demeanor was a surprise to the other two, immediately putting their game to an end.
“What is it?” Scootaloo asked, reaching for her crutches leaning on the wall to pull herself up from the floor, Sweetie Belle throwing in her own similar question quietly. “Is it AJ?”
Apple Bloom turned back to them with a nod, hurrying them to put their shoes back on and grab coats so they could follow the older girl. There was a clambering of voices, laughs of disbelief, questions, movements, running down the creaking stairs, and shoe squeaks before the three got outside less than two minutes later, searching immediately for their target. It was Scootaloo who spotted her, speeding down the driveway with her crutches and the other two following suit. The earth was damp underneath their feet after a week of on-and-off summer showers, and tonight thankfully it hid their footfall rather than announcing it to the world. Still, the trio followed Applejack in near-silence, having to get a lot more creative with hiding as they got closer to her. Applejack was whistling some tune that had been stuck in her head earlier - the redhead remembered hearing her hum it while she did the dishes.
It was weird following her, down the path that Apple Bloom had been imagining for months now, one that was nowhere near as wild and dangerous as she’d maybe thought. It was down a relatively main road in their hometown, following paths she’d walked probably a million times in her 15 years of life, ones that her older sister had walked all of her life too up until last year. They passed family-owned restaurants and houses, they passed Pinkie Pie’s bakery, the grocery store, and the park - all of it mundane and seemingly aimless. Yet, her sister didn’t slow her pace at any point, there was no uncertainty or lack of destination in her gait. The three teenagers took turns shushing each other, peeking out around wall after wall, or mailbox, or car lining the sidewalks. There was nothing that AJ did that gave Apple Bloom any inclination that her acts were “sleuthing,” as she’d previously suspected. As odd as it was to be in the situation, she was nowhere near as tense as she imagined she would be stalking the blonde. It was nice, seeing the pep in her sister’s steps, hearing that gentle whistling or mumbling - not to mention how hard it was to not crack a smile with how many times the older girl readjusted her jacket, she almost wished she’d been counting.
It wasn’t until about 15 minutes into their adventure that Sweetie Belle suddenly stopped, grabbing both of the other girls by the backs of their shirts and lightly hitting them repeatedly to get their attention. Apple Bloom quickly turned to see what was wrong, Scootaloo doing the same, but they couldn’t make out what her facial expression meant, couldn’t read her furrowed brow and confused pout. Had she seen something the other two had missed?
“What is it?” Apple Bloom whispered to the pale girl, looking back over her shoulder to make sure Applejack was still in sight. They all could still see her, especially her starkly light hair in the pale moonlight.
“This is the way to my house…?” She responded, all too loud for the operation, still confused as green eyes tracked the older girl. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo immediately shushed the other girl, whisper-shouting that she needed to talk quieter, but they watched as the request went in one ear and out the other. She even pushed between the two of them to walk ahead and continue following, pointing to Applejack who was starting to take a sharp left and looking back at them. The cicadas and crickets seemed to quiet down as the older girl pivoted as if holding their breath.
“No, like, guys I think she’s going to my house.”
Somehow - Apple Bloom was convinced - she had said it even louder, making her cringe at the sound, putting her finger up to her lips and hissing out a shushing sound once again. Scootaloo was already moving in the direction of their target, waving for them to come along. “Guys-!”
“Hush Sweetie Belle!”
“But-”
Apple Bloom didn’t intend to do it with malice, but the glare she cast at her best friend was a pointed one, and she could see immediately that it had done its job. Sweetie Belle threw her hands up in defeat, and while the redhead felt bad, she let out a breath of relief when the next word from the girl was whispered rather than shouted.
“Fine!”
Thank God.
…
They’d been following Applejack more closely as she took multiple turns into a residential part of town near the neighboring forest. The night had grown a bit colder, the girls having zipped their jackets up a few minutes prior, and the wind whipped flyaways into her line of vision with every gust of air- it was getting frustrating. But it had all come to a head when Apple Bloom’s pace slowed down and she took in her surroundings, noticing a familiar set of houses down a familiar street. Scootaloo kept going from bush to bush, hiding behind cars across the street from the object of their interest, and Sweetie Belle had started walking with her arms folded across her chest, only turning when Apple Bloom spoke, looking at her through squinted eyes and a scowl on her lips.
“Wait, Sweetie Belle, this is your neighborhood,” the redhead whispered, putting her hand on a nearby mailbox to steady herself. She couldn’t believe it.
“That’s what I was trying to- I am well aware!”
Sweetie Belle had been right, I’ll be damned . Applejack had started slowing her pace, the trio watching from behind a car, and the familiar boutique sat at the end of the street waiting. All she had to do was pass two more houses and she’d reach it. A million ideas flew through her head at the realization, text conversations and bets placed over fries in an old diner, all pointing to something she’d never even considered.
Rarity. Her sister had to be seeing Rarity.
It made sense, the sudden interest in her own appearance, the amount that the two had “caught up over lunch” on AJ’s off-days on the farm, the uptick in sneaking out whenever Sweetie Belle went to their parents’ house, the number of times the same pale girl had hung up on group calls because she’d heard Rarity downstairs “probably getting water,” even the random new shirts that had started appearing in her older sister’s laundry basket after her nightly outings.
Her sister was having a summer fling with her best friend’s older sister.
Her sister was having-
“No fucking shit, oh my god,” Scootaloo laughed in shock, her hand over her mouth muffling the noise as Applejack stopped in front of Sweetie Belle’s house.
“I think I’m gonna puke,” Apple Bloom said plainly, in too much shock to worry about her volume. The other two disregarded her statement, shushing her before grabbing her arms and tugging her along as the three raced behind a nearby set of bushes, ducking their heads down when the rustling caused the blonde to look over to them. It shook the redhead from her trance, watching as a tan hand reached up to knock on the deep mahogany - almost purple from this angle - door, the other twitching at her side. They watched from off to the side as her hand came down, wiping both palms on her jeans, presumably to get the sweat off. The anticipation radiated off the trio in the bushes, cut like a knife when the door made a familiar creak.
The smile that bloomed across the blonde’s face was one Apple Bloom knew probably better than she knew the backs of her own hands. It was the same smile from when they were kids, fruit juice dripping from their chins as they laid in the grass, trying to push each other over for the last apple Mac had let them eat. The older girl was always stronger, and when she would let her little sister win and push her over, she’d split the apple right down the center with her own hands, giving her the bigger piece. She would swear, later, that her sister was glowing, much more than granted for a summer fling, so much so it stole the air from her lungs.
And then a familiar young woman stepped out in a nightgown, her curling purple hair already up in a big messy bun, enthusiastically crossing the distance between them and draping her arms over the farmer’s shoulders, leaning into her like a magnet, and the teenagers watched as Applejack wrapped both arms around Rarity’s waist, dropping her face into her shoulder in a hug. She hadn’t realized how tall her sister had gotten in the past few years until she watched her sister sigh, leaning forward as Rarity leaned back - trusting AJ not to let her fall. Apple Bloom felt the other two girls tapping her in disbelief, both squished against her to try and see better. Scootaloo kept whispering obscenities of excited disbelief - Sweetie Belle obviously trying to hold back shrieking - but all she could think about was the way their hug had ended but neither girl had pulled apart, relishing in the moment, both wearing matching smiles.
“Hey cowboy,” The pale woman had said, voice smooth as silk, loud enough even so they could hear it, and they couldn’t take their eyes away as her hand started to mess with the hair on the nape of Applejack’s neck. Apple Bloom didn’t know how but her sister’s smile seemed to only widen.
“Howdy there pretty girl.”