Everypony's Talking At Me—Part 1
"Happy sixteenth birthday Applebloom!" Big Mac and Granny Smith cheered and the first thing Applebloom opened her eyes to was a white chocolate iced cake just for her. She smiled slightly, rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms while licking her lips at the cake. "You know what would make this even better?" Applebloom prompted Granny Smith. "Actually I think you'll find a surprise in the cake, Applebloom." Granny Smith winked. She held the knife in her mouth and cut the cake open eagerly. "Wow! Raspberries, and m&ms and white chocolate! You got it so right! I love it Granny." Applebloom beamed, feeling more cheery than she had in a while. It was a well-known fact around Ponyville that Applebloom's favourite dessert combination of all time was raspberries, hot melted white chocolate and m&ms. The icing was hot to the touch and Applebloom blew out the sixteen candles. "Yer getting on in yer years, aren't you Applebloom? Soon we won't have enough candles for the cake!" Granny Smith patted Applebloom on the head. Big Mac sniffled. "Aw what's wrong?" Applebloom asked her favourite brother.
"Where did the time go? It doesn't seem like sixteen years since you were a baby. You've…well…bloomed." He wiped a stray tear from his eye. "Aw Big Macintosh. Always a quiet softy." Applebloom nuzzled her brother in a familial way. "Now let's eat! Hey but where's Applejack?" Granny Smith sighed sadly. "Applebloom, please don't pay attention to—" "I want Applejack here to share my cake! I'll just go find her myself!" Applebloom jumped out of bed before the elder Apples could convince her not too. She was just outside bucking an apple tree. "Applejack! Don't you know what day it is?" Applebloom skipped outside. "Hmmmm…nah." Applejack shook her head. "B-but Applejack…did you forget?" "I would remember if it was something important. Now let me get back to apple bucking." She replied sharply. "Whatever you dummy it's my birthday!" Applebloom argued getting slightly angry. "It may be to you but I've got work to do." Applejack replied in dead-pan, continuing to buck the apples.
"I can't believe you…the day you're supposed to celebrate me…and all you want to do is keep punishing me! Fine, for Celestia's sake I get it! I'm not wanted around here. I get the memo. Gosh…you-yer just a stubborn stinking mule!" Applebloom ran up to the focusing Applejack and bucked her with her back hooves, knocking her slightly. "Applebloom! What in the hay—" Applebloom ran upstairs sniffling and Applejack held the side which she kicked her.
The little filly packed a bit of a punch despite not being as strong as her or Big Mac, especially when she was frustrated. "Yer not getting any cake!" Applebloom yelled as she ran quickly upstairs. Applejack swallowed her guilt and kept bucking the apples, trying to keep her focus on the menial task. "Oh Applebloom. Forget it and don't cry on yer birthday." Granny Smith who had watched the whole thing with Big Mac from Applebloom's window. "I can't believe she'd do that." "Me neither. I told her not to. But you can't always get what you want." Granny sighed. "Let's eat cake." Big Mac suggested quietly and they all ate cake, watching their family member in silence. It was a strange scene. The cake, and the day, seemed somewhat bittersweet. "I should've put more sugar in the cake, sorry Applebloom." "Oh it's alright Gran. I think the m&ms very much take care of it!"
"Yes sweet things they are. I remember when chocolate was first invented about…gee 80 or so years ago. Half the town was addicted to it. More addicted to it than even cider. Celestia historically gained quite a fondness for it, ate too much and had to go on a royal diet consisting of low carb- water based vegetables, fruits, grass salad and seeds, hehehe." The three chuckled at the story. "That sounds horrible!" Applebloom exclaimed. "Well she survived." Granny Smith shrugged. "Hmm, probably not by much. What's a life without a treat once in a while? Don't ruin my muscles none." Big Mac said. "Mhm." They all agreed then thought about their favourite desserts. Granny would probably be thinking of apple pie a la mode, while Big Mac loved peanut butter and hazelnut spread high on crispy fried bananas. Applebloom's favourite had already been made, but it was just three flavours, not done any specific way. She'd also love a raspberry white chocolate and m&m milkshake, pudding or ice cream or cupcake.
The two Apples threw a small bash with just their party of three down in the kitchen, and Applebloom danced with her brother while Granny danced solo with her crazy old dance moves all the way to lunch. They were just about to bite into a savoury potato and tomato pie and creamed spinach sent in from Bab Seed's family just as a present for Apple Bloom, but then...WHAM! "Alright ya'll I'll check it out." Applebloom said seeing that an orange Pegasus pony landed in the yard with a bang. Could it be…who she thought it was? "Hey, is that you Scootaloo?" She asked approaching the orange Pegasus. "Uuugh…yeah." Scootaloo moaned, holding her head up and revealing her identity. "Oh! You musta come to celebrate?" Applebloom asked hopefully. "Celebrate what? I just crash-landed from the Wonderbolts when some Pegasus played with me too roughly! They forgot I can't fly. Hey um, it isn't a special day that I remember." Scootaloo gained her bearings. "Um…no it's actually my birthday…" Applebloom trailed off sadly. "Oh. Well uh was I supposed to remember?" Applebloom felt her stomach sink. "Yeah. We're friends!"
"Applebloom…this will sound harsh but we're not as close as we used to be. I don't know if I be able to call you friend soon!" Scootaloo shrugged. "W-w-what? But we used to be peas in a pod! Now what's different?" Applebloom asked. "Well…you don't have a cutie mark. And I know you hate when me and Sweets talk about this but…we have less and less in common. Me and Sweetie Belle were friends long before you and our friendship's stayed strong, I guess. We seem different as ponies but we have a lot to talk about. You on the other hand…you just stay inside and don't even bother to start your new life or find your cutie mark. Your cutie mark isn't you Applebloom. Ok? This is your time. And we can't help you anymore." The old friend's words hurt her and fuelled her anger at the same time. "Some friends you are! This is the worst birthday ever!" Applebloom galloped off angrily, just running. She had to get away from it all.
"Wait! Applebloom!" An older than expected voice rushed after her. "Granny? I never knew you could run that fast." Applebloom turned around and looked confused. "I can if I really want to. Look Applebloom, you have somepony like you. That's me." "What do you mean, like when you got your cutie mark?" "Yes. Applebloom…I got my cutie mark when I was seventeen. I know what you're feeling. It will happen just don't care what the ponies say and live your life. Everypony has to get a cutie mark Applebloom. We've been getting them since the dawn of the pony. Your cutie mark is not your value, or your entire life. It's normal to feel like you don't belong in the adult world, but you do and don't let anypony or anycreature heck tell you that you're not. Alright?" "How was it like?" "I felt the way you do now, in fact you take after your old grandmother Applebloom. You're just like me in the olden days. I didn't want to work the farm not because I wanted to be sophisticated and all that jazz like Applejack turned out, she was probably being influenced by her best bud Rarity at that point, all those stories of Manehattan.
I just couldn't DO any of the farm work without messing myself up and having to go to hospital. Luckily ma and pa were around for me so I wasn't under so much pressure to work, and all my four brothers were happy to. I grew up with no sisters, as you know. So I was never forced. Your parents on the other hand, well as you know as well they've long passed. I thought though that I was good-for-nothing and was sad and moping about the place. Friends also left me, like yours had and that didn't help my situation none. I waisted a lot of time with that. I hope with you it can be different. Us extreme late bloomers are actually special in a way. One only comes along once in a few generations. Try to see the luck in this. You have all the time in the world still." Granny related to her favoured Granddaughter. "I guess, but all I can feel now is hurt. For my birthday, my heart was broken. I don't know if I want lunch and I don't know if I want dinner either. I'll be in my room."
Applebloom ignored Granny Smith's pleas to come back and trod slowly off to her room, unable to process the fact that happiness that may come in the future. Her best friends broke off their relationship with her, perhaps forever, and her favourite sister didn't care anymore. Her relationships could dwindle into nothing. And that was more than her worst case scenario. THIS was her worst case scenario. She was the pony who dreamed of walking around like those big time adults with purpose like her sister and the friends she knew as a little filly, Rarity, then later Rainbow Dash, even at times when she was far away from the cutie mark age. Her dream was to get her cutie mark so she could get started. Everything felt different now, so painfully different. She laid down and slept with tear stained eyes.
Applebloom woke up and she was in among the smoke of rainbow neon cloud. It cleared and she was in a house of mirrors looking at herself. A mysterious song she never had heard before was piped into her dream. It sounded harmonious but…trippy. She looked in the glass and saw herself, which disappeared into Granny Smith's young self, blond haired, fresh faced and waving to Applebloom. She looked at herself and was still herself. She broke the glass as if she was forced to perform the action, mechanically. She steeped through the mirror and a mystery stallion was strumming the guitar she heard in the song, on a pink cloud.
Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping,
Into the future….
Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping,
Into the future….
She saw her former friends and Applejack, and Ponyvillians in increasing numbers, but she waved at them and they snarled, holding up knives and pitchforks, as if threatening to tear her to pieces. She ran through the repeating rainbow smoke and clouds as fast as she could without seeing anything.
I want to fly like an eagle,
To the sea,
Fly like an eagle let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle,
'Till I'm free,
Oh Lord through the revolution,
Feed the babies,
Who don't have enough to eat,
Shoe the children with no shoes on their feet,
House the people, living in the street,
Oh there's a solution…
She suddenly felt herself grow wings and then flew all the way away from the crowd with the chorus repeating fittingly. She pulled the mask off the guitar playing stallion to kiss him but then he vanished.
She woke up with an electrified whisper. "Fly like an eagle." She sat up and contemplated her dream. "Wait…if I go far, far away…they won't even notice I'm gone. I'm practically invisible anyways." She smiled deviously, drying her tears. "Now what time is it?" She whispered to herself. It was one am. Perfect. No Apple was awake at this hour, they had to get ready for a five am wake up call in four. It was just the time to sneak away. On a whim, she packed her most precious belongs and just a few pieces of clothes in a portable but wide backpack in case she was going somewhere where everypony wore clothes. She didn't know where she was going, she just figured the quickest way to get far, far away from Ponyville was the best, and fast. She wanted to get out of the town, maybe for a little while, maybe forever. She'd made up her mind. She was going to be emancipated from now on.
She needed money though and knew just the thing for the last part of packing, the stack of bits that she locked away from her summer jobs in the past, folded neatly in a purse for whenever she needed it. She'd made a good buck, and was carrying nearly 1000 bits. It was modest but still a good bunch of cash to start out with anyway. She brushed her hair, which was now a wild wavy red mane just short of the floor as a teenager in protest to Applejack's love of short and neat cut hair. She brushed her teeth. She then did braids in four places and felt quite the exciting bohemian. She even put flowers in her tail. Heck she was her own boss from now on. It was so exciting. No more orders, school and she could work as she pleased! She held in a squeal. She just wondered how she hadn't come to this conclusion before. She put on just a plain shinny lip gloss and mascara, although she was more girlish compared to Applejack because Applejack hardly wore any make up ever. She ditched the bow Applejack preferred in her hair years ago, so there was no need for that. Applebloom finished her packing with her tools to get ready.
She then came across the most dangerous part of her journey…getting out of the house. But she managed to tip toe down the hall, leaving her room slightly ajar and not closing it so that she couldn't wake anypony up. She just managed to get down the stairs without creaking and closed the house behind her. She set off running as fast as her legs could carry her, in desperate attempt to not be caught, and looked back at the house as she was running. Nopony followed after her. She just might've escaped. She stopped and took a long last look at her home from afar when it was apparent no one had woken up. "So long." She whispered as she continued running, feeling the rush of doing something bad for once, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She sprinted to Ponyville, her light legs carrying her determined little mind. It was two o'clock when she was the train station, just about. She sighed wistfully and took the next steps into her life alone.