Applebloom sat around for ten minutes anxiously, hoping that no ponies would see her and bring her to Applejack. She hid behind her suitcase most of the time. To her relief, no pony at all was on the train platform but her this late. She'd bought tickets for the most far city she could in such short time, Mane-hattan. It finally came when she could hardly wait no more, or what most ponies would say was three minutes, but she felt more desperate with every passing minute. If she didn't get out, somepony would spot her and rat on her. Her fantasy would be all over. But luckily it didn't end as she jumped in the carriage with glee. She made it. She really made it! She smiled and got out her Niegh-pod, listening to her two favourite songs on repeat, 'Go Your Own Way' and 'Everybody's Talking At Me'. She loved how they were relevant to what she was doing now, it felt like she was in some sort of movie, and relaxed watching Ponyville and subsequent towns pass by in the dead of night, finally falling asleep again without a worry. Mane-hattan was far, and the trip took almost a day by train, she knew.
She woke and it was breaking daylight, about noon she guessed as she saw the sun in the sky. She'd left her gourmet breakfast to go cold, but she was due for lunch in a matter of minutes and couldn't wait for her lunch creation to arrive. Applebloom vouched for first class when she saw the option available for this journey, as it would ensure comfort and no ponies she knew would find her on the train, as first class was restricted to certain ponies anyway. Ponyville was also a middle class city and no one could afford the first class tickets on a regular basis anyway. She used two-hundred of her thousand bits to ensure this security that the higher class offered. She even got a bed and express service to her carriage, plus a room all to herself. Sweet! "Have you had a good rest Ms. Apple? We're quite glad you got some rest with that early start, here's some good food for you to wake up to. It's a pumpkin and blue cheese lasanga and a side of tomato and garlic sautéed artichokes with roasted bell peppers, pickled onions and cucumber. Is that alright for lunch dear?" The server pony graciously asked.
"Yes thankyou, it looks just wonderful! Tell the chef thanks." Applebloom beamed at her beautiful lunch and suddenly remembered how hungry she was. "Oh, well I guess I could." She smiled at the humble pony, much more than most ponies riding first class who expected everything. Applebloom devoured the pumpkin lasanga in a very uncouth way and the artichokes, peppers and pickles soon followed. Her belly filled and satisified, she began to watch out the window again, and read some of the book she brought, then wrote in her diary all about her new adventures, then looked out the window some more to her music.
Dinner rolled along and she was given another fantastic gourmet meal, a personal size swiss cheese and apple savoury tart with wine poached fruit, figs and hollandaise sauce. It was a banquet fit for a grown mare. She was kind of guilty at the way she destroyed the beautiful plate, but her full belly was a good enough reward. Applebloom sat back and took another nap and when she woke up after a day of lounging she was in Mane-hattan. Some of her excitement died down and was replaced by a bit of nervousness. She knew no one here, maybe except her cousin but she had no idea where Babs Seed was. That could be good and bad. She could make a fresh start in this big city, or she could be forced to go elsewhere or worse—back home if it was as bad a prospect as Ponyville was at that moment. The city lights charmed her but glared her eyes out as she looked out on the skyline at night. She was filled with apphensive hope, but hope none-the-less. She'd made her way out of her funk, and felt not alone, but independent.
As young as she was, the wild, red maned teenager left the carriage, and left a good tip for the server and the chef their collective delight, and began to walk the Mane-hattan streets at night—like one of those big adults with a purpose.
The Apple family woke at six that morning and Applejack went to retrieve her sister, but found nothing but her bow and an unmade bed. "GU-UH!" Applejack shouted alerting the whole family. Granny Smith shrieked. "HOLY CELESTIA! WHERE IS SHE?" Big Mac suddenly became much more talkative. "We gotta find her! What if a burglar took her, oh what if some colt who wanted to get lucky took her for his purposes, what if WHAT IF?!" Applejack cried in a panic. "Applejack, breathe." Big Mac attempted to calm down the hyperventilating mare with a pale orange face and eyes widened as far as they could. "I can't breathe! For all I know she's been defiled or injured or she's DEAD!" Applejack paced, still hyperventilating. "Big Mac is right. Look we haven't checked the house or the shed, though I don't know if she'd still be here since she was last in bed. Let's split up. Big Mac take the barn and orchard. I'll do the house, Applejack check her old shed." Granny Smith instructed.
They checked all three places and nothing lead to finding Applebloom. Applejack was getting more and more despaired, and so was Big Mac. They got the police involved and everypony was searching for Applebloom, as if when she was gone everypony seemed to remember her for her, not her cutie mark status. Her absence was working in her favour better than the pony herself expected. The police told the Apple family they would look in every nook and cranny over the next week but they'd have to do it nine-to-five as that was what their hours allowed. After that they'd have to look in nearby neighbouring towns for half a week and if that didn't work out, well it was up to the federal police. Applejack slinked up to her room, not even feeling like apple-bucking, just blasting one of the family favourites in her bedroom, the country tinged band Fleetwood Mac and their album Rumours. It began pouring down rain outside. Applebloom's favourite song came on and she had to change it. She couldn't stand to be reminded of her right now. She'd may have caused Applebloom to disappear in the first place. Everypony knew she'd been treating her wrong. She felt like a failure of a sister.
"Boo!" A rainbow-maned Pegasus jumped into Applejack's window. "Ah geez Rainbow! Can't you see I wanna be alone?" Applejack snapped and then said sadly. "That doesn't sound like my 'Jackie." Rainbow Dash said worriedly, sitting on the open window sill. "Well Dashie, I really do deserve to be alone at this point. I think my sister disappeared…because of me." Applejack sighed sadly and blinked away tears furiously. "WOAH! Applebloom is…gone?!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "You didn't know?" Applejack asked surprised. "No. I guess the gossip didn't reach Cloudsdale yet. You see I'm practicing with the Wonderbolts up there and Scootaloo is up there staying with me. I just decided to come down to visit you. Sorry we don't have any time this summer, you know to…see each other. I tried to convince the Bolts otherwise but they just really wanted…" "Shhh…it's ok sweetheart. I would've loved to go on more dates with you, but even if we can't go together this summertime, I will still wait because you're worth it." Applejack went up to the sill and nuzzled Rainbow Dash's nose. Rainbow blushed a deep red.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash were dating, after years of romantic tension. The two started as teenage friends who garnered secret crushes on one another in their late teens. They'd been just friends without any romantic feelings for a few years before that, so they also knew how to confide in each other and had a stable loving relationship that grew through slow stages, the opposite of many on-off relationships that their friends and ponies would have. They'd had five dates and Applejack knew she was falling for Rainbow Dash, and needed to get out those three words soon. She just hoped Rainbow Dash was ready too. "Anyway, I'm so worried about Applebloom now! What happened to her?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack. "I dunno sweetie. That's the thing. She's just up and disappeared. We had to inform the police and now they're looking for her. If you see her…take her to me right away." "Of course, I promise." Rainbow looked her date right in the eye, her element shining through her eyes.
"I just feel so bad." Applejack collapsed back on the bed, patting a space for Rainbow Dash to lie down. Rainbow Dash promptly started nibbling her ear. Applejack shrieked and couldn't stop moaning. "What are you doing?" Applejack accused. "Oh lighten up Apple-dweeb. I was just trying to make you feel good!" "Well, mission sort of accomplished," Applejack blushed and Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows, "But the thing is…I don't know how I'm ever going to get over the guilt of driving my sister away." Applejack lamented. "It can't have been you alone. Me and Scoots have had our share of arguments, it's just getting to the age where they talk back at you. There had to be a few things to break the camel's back if she did run away you know. Look…around lunchtime I came to pick up Scootaloo because she'd crash landed in your backyard and well, I saw something…" Rainbow Dash said sadly. "What?" Applejack implored Rainbow.
"Well uh, Scootaloo said some pretty bad stuff to Applebloom and it was kind of clear she didn't want to be friends with her anymore. Neither did Sweetie Belle apparently. With no friends, and whatever you thought you did, and her cutie mark status which she gets a bit snappy over, that could've been enough." Rainbow Dash revealed. "Oh what in tarnation?! Lemme at that little whippersnapper thinks she can hurt my sister—" Applejack growled as her face went red. "Hey! Calm down. Look…I know it's a bit tempting to get involved but we just can't get involved in the filly's lives anymore and meddle with them too much. They've gotten to the stage where they have their own life now. I do think that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are making a mistake, that's for sure. The best thing is to be loyal to your friends so you have a really close relationship as adults. I was able to do that with my best friend Fluttershy and then you, even though I was palling around with Gilda as well. They could also make the time. I'm going to talk to Scootaloo and attempt to persuade her but in the end I don't know if I'll make a difference or not." Rainbow Dash said.
"You know what I did? I thought it was appropriate to forget her own birthday just because she'd been a bit rude? Isn't that awful? How on Earth did I find that permissible?" Applejack lamented. "Oh you silly filly, you're not awful. That was a harsh punishment but it's just that stubbornness. Plus you were doing a good job considering you and Big Mac have had to practically raise a child since you were nine or ten and Mac was fifteen. Now your twenty-five and he's thirty, so you do have a bit of life experience, but's it's nothing compared to if you were at the proper age for having a baby and she was yours. You were bound to make mistakes. I think you were always the one who gave discipline and Big Mac was the 'gentle one'. And that's alright because I think Mac's too soft to punish his sister. Now that Applebloom is transitioning, that was tough for you and you made the mistake of punishing her a bit too much. Kids are annoying at this age anyway, I'd be tempted to cancel Scootaloo's birthday a couple times. They don't mean it, it's one of the most tough times in their life. No one can be perfect at raising a child." Rainbow Dash comforted her.
"I guess that makes me feel a bit better." Applejack sighed. "Do you wanna dance?" "This is a slow song." "Still a good song. You've got some good taste, I can't get Pinkie Pie to listen anything but Lil' John and Kanye West these days." Rainbow Dash said and Applejack giggled. "Yep that sounds like her." "I've got an idea." Rainbow Dash turned the dial way up on the music and grabbed Applejack who shrieked happily as she was flown outside in the gentle rain. "May I have this dance?" Rainbow extended her paw. "A slow dance? Well what the hay?" Dreams by Fleetwood Mac was blaring through the stereo upstairs and Applejack smiled slightly in a long time as Rainbow danced with her like a gentlemare, slowly stepping, leading and holding her close so their hearts beat into each other. It was moments like these she cherished most, finally she'd found something maybe even bigger than Applebucking, slow-burning romance, as corny and cheesy as it sounded.