“Applejack, do you mind taking Rarity's cash-out down to the office?” Twilight asked, counting out several debit and credit receipts from Fluttershy's cash-out. On such a mediocre night as that, servers were being let off left right and centre, so Twilight was a little behind on going through their bills and cash for any discrepancies.

“Consider it done,” Applejack agreed easily, taking the little blue zip-up bag from her supervisor's hand and heading down towards the office.

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you,” Twilight spoke up once more, stalling Applejack. “Can you give the bar a quick once over tonight before you leave? Miss Jubilee will be in tomorrow to work out Hearth's Warming bonuses and add up gift card sales.”

“She couldn't do that when she was here last week?” Applejack grumbled with a deep frown, and Twilight noticed her clear distaste.

“No, she said she was too busy with employee relations,” Twilight replied in an innocent voice, and Applejack tensed up to hear such a term.

“Ah see,” Applejack passively murmured, swallowing uncomfortably though her mouth was dry.

“Oh, and she said someone might be dropping in to see her too,” the supervisor added before turning back to what she was doing. “That's all.”

“Ah'll keep my eyes peeled.” The barmaid turned around and started for the office again, wanting to drop the topic and stamp on it.

On the way, Applejack did a quick reconnaissance of the pub, checking on servers and the kitchen. The Joint had already begun to clear out, as many people just stopped in for a meal on most weekdays rather than hanging around to drink. As the barmaid made it to the front door, she recognized her favourite hostess, who was scrubbing some scuffs off the stairs that led to the lounge. Slowing her step and carefully positioning herself behind the girl, she quietly crept up.

“Well, well.” Applejack startled Rainbow, who turned to face the barmaid. “Look at you, doin' real work, an' on y'hands an' knees, t' boot.”

“I really want to go to the Ball this evening,” Rainbow said in a faux distraught and feminine voice. “But my horrid stepmother wont let me!”

Applejack laughed at the cute little joke, before leaning against the wall and looking down at the girl, telling her, “Oh, darlin', Ah'm sure you'd look mighty fine all done up.”

“I look better with nothing on at all.” Rainbow Dash winked suggestively, and Applejack smiled in return.

“Don't Ah know it,” she murmured back, remembering the evening she got to have a glimpse. “Well, Ah gotta run downstairs, 'scuse me honey.”

“I'll miss you.” Rainbow puckered her lips and made a sad face, to which Applejack responded with an odd expression and a light chuckle.

“Yea', Ah'm sure,” Applejack replied sarcastically with a shake of her head, passing Rainbow and heading down towards the office.

Rainbow Dash felt a warm and charming smile stick to her lips as she watched Applejack descend the stairs, and she was pleased to watch her leave as it gave her a great view. Even after their serious talk several days before, it seemed like little had changed between them. There was still constant flirting and touching, and both of them were eager to continue where they had left off.

Though Rainbow Dash knew little of what their relationship was, she knew that it could be just about anything. It excited her, the suspense and surprise. And yet, every time she saw Applejack walk away, she felt this tug of yearning, this innate desire to follow her. And when she was gone, Rainbow Dash felt utterly lonely, something she rarely felt before.

She finished up cleaning the stairs quickly, and dropped the bucket and scrub in the back of house before returning to her post. It hardly took her a couple of moments, but when she returned, she noticed a young girl loitering in the doorway. She was looking up towards the bar with a big frown on her face, and was obviously too young to have been hanging around in a pub, as she looked to be a teenager by her attire, expression, and mood. Rainbow approached her without hesitation, taking note of her curly and plush red locks and her bright eyes, which shone like gold.

“Can I help you with something? You look lost.” Rainbow Dash approached the younger girl, raising her eyebrow as she noticed the disinterested scowl and dark eye-liner she was sporting.

“Maybe yea', maybe naw,” the younger girl said in an annoyed voice, looking Rainbow Dash up and down critically. “Ah'm lookin' fer Applejack, she's a bartender here.”

“Applejack, huh,” Rainbow Dash obviously recognized the name, and even speaking it brought a smirk to her lips. Getting back to the topic, she asked, “And who, exactly, are you?”

“Can't y'see th' unfort'nate family r'semblance?” the girl huffed, gesturing to herself and scoffing, looking around for the blonde farmer once more.

“I wouldn't call that unfortunate.” Rainbow played coy, teetering back and forth on her toes and heel as she thought of the woman. “Applejack, she's quite the looker if you ask me.”

“Eww, Ah don't wanna hear that,” she snorted and made a disgusted face.

Taking another hard look at the young girl, whose pale skin and irritated expression reminded her nothing of the favourable barmaid, Rainbow decided to inquire, “So, who are you again?”

“Apple Bloom, if y'must know,” the girl told her with a nod. Adding a smirk, she went on, “Ah'm her daughter.”

Rainbow's eyes widened to hear such a thing, and her chest tightened up at once. Sure, there was a strong resemblance indeed, but she found it hard to believe the barmaid would be old enough to have a teenage daughter. Besides that, she wondered if Applejack had ever even been with men, considering how interested she seemed in being intimate with Rainbow herself. Sweating as she tried to think up a response, Rainbow hardly noticed the other girl walk up behind her company.

“Quit that, y'lyin' hayseed.” Applejack smacked the younger girl lightly on the back of her head, causing her to reach back and hold her stinging scalp. Looking up at the still shocked and quiet Rainbow Dash, Applejack revealed, much to Rainbow's relief, “She ain't m'daughter, she's ma little sister.”

“Ouch, relax AJ,” Apple Bloom muttered in a grouchy voice, glaring at her older sister. “Ah was jus' tryna freak 'er out.”

“That ain't nice,” the barmaid scolded her sister, matching her irritable expression quirk for quirk.

“Who said Ah'm nice?” Apple Bloom's voice squeaked. Huffing and turning away, the younger girl looked over at Rainbow and narrowed her eyes. “Sheesh, is she y'girlfriend 'r somethin'?”

“Wha—?” Applejack had no idea what to say to that, and she and Rainbow Dash met gazes shyly. “Uh, that ain't none'a your business, any who.”

“Whatever, AJ,” Apple Bloom murmured as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket, skimming it with her eyes and fingers absently.

“What're y'doin' here, sis'?” she asked in a more gentle voice, her eyes softening on the familiar face of her close family.

“None'a yer bus'ness,” the younger girl repeated her sister's words with a snarky tone.

“Ah reckon it is, consid'rin' you're here at m'work, showin' up outta th' blue like this,” Applejack replied, trying to catch the girl's attention as she texted across her keyboard. “Apple Bloom, is somethin' wrong?”

“Ah ain't 'llowed t' visit?” she went on sarcastically, and Applejack rolled her eyes at the poor attitude. “Ah don't know anyone else in th' city.”

“Y'came down here t'say hey, sugarcube? Why didn't ya jus' come along with Mac on th' weekend 'r somethin'?” Applejack wondered, smelling something rotten about the whole thing.

“He ain't gonna understand, he's a stiff, an' not in th' good way,” Apple Bloom told her sister, and Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh to hear such a thing come out of the little girl's mouth, though Applejack glared at her about it. “Ah want y'all t' meet someone, too.”

“Oh boy.” Applejack sighed and put a hand on her forehead. “How'd y'even get out here, any who? Y'better not'a caught some bus or hitched it 'r somethin'.”

“Ah ain't a baby, Applejack,” the younger sister told the barmaid, glancing a sharp stare as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. “As a matter o' fact, ma boyfriend came an' got me from school an' we walked.”

“Your—your what?!” Applejack gasped in surprise, her wide eyes blinking. “Since when d'you have a boyfriend?”

“Fer weeks now, not that y'all care.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

Hearing such a thing saddened Applejack, realizing that she missed a good deal of her younger sister's life while she was working and living in the city. She made time to stop by the farm on the weekends, sure, but even then it was difficult to get time for her family when she had the business to take care of, deliveries, and finances on her mind.

While Applejack sighed and punished herself for being absent, Rainbow Dash watched on with an amused expression. She had never seen Applejack look so, dare she say it, maternal. The two sisters were so involved in their conversation that neither one of them noticed the boy walk in through the front door, though Rainbow leaned to the side to see him past the siblings. Before she could speak up about it, Apple Bloom cut her off.

“An' just so y'know, he treats me real good, he's a ripe gentleman,” she told her sister, pushing her nose up proudly.

“A what?” Applejack did not know how to take that.

“Jus' look at 'im,” Apple Bloom gestured towards the boy who had just walked in, and all eyes turned to him.

“Hey,” was all he said, and a nod accompanied it.

“Howd—wait, this is 'im?” the barmaid asked, pointing her thumb at the younger boy.

He had dark hair slicked back over his head, which went well with his dark hoodie. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and his loose and low-hanging jeans bunched up around his ankles. Applejack looked him over, and though she was never the type to be rude or judge based on appearance, she was uncertain this boy would be a good influence on her younger sister.

“Yea', y'got somethin' t' say?” Apple Bloom asked aggressively, trying to push her sister's buttons.

“Naw, Ah'm sure he's, uh,” Applejack looked him over again, noticing his apathetic expression and the way her flipped his hair so it stayed slicked back. “A nice boy.”

“Ah wouldn't care if ya hated him,” the younger girl went on, and Applejack scratched her head. “Ah'm only comin' by outta th' decency o' ma heart. Ma boyfriend an' Ah, we're takin' off. Runnin' away t'gether.”

“Beg pardon?!” Applejack snapped in shock, hoping she heard that wrong.

“Y'all heard me, we're gonna get away from all the bullshit o' school, o' hardships, o' everything,” she went on, and her sister's expression grew more and more confused and incredulous.

“What?! Where is this comin' from, Apple Bloom?” the barmaid asked in a concerned voice, trying to understand. “Heck, first y'start wearing all that eye-liner, then y'stayin' out past curfew, an' now y'wanna run away?”

“What's that s'posed t' mean?” Apple Bloom asked in a moody tone, crossing her arms.

“It means,” Applejack was about to start yelling, but got a hold of herself before it got that far, resorting instead to but a stern tone, “You ain't runnin' off with no one.”

“You ain't th' boss'a me!” her sister screamed back, stomping her foot loudly.

“Ain't no need f'shoutin',” Applejack flinched as she heard the volume of the small girl's voice. Wrapping her arm somewhat playfully around her little sister's neck, Applejack pulled Apple Bloom up to the bar forcefully. “You an' me gotta talk. Get over here y'brat.”

“Oww—watch it!” Apple Bloom whined as she struggled against her older sister's superior strength, barely managing to catch the steps under her feet. “Applejack!”

The hostess and the younger boy watched silently as the two sisters fought their way up the stairs to the bar. It was quiet for another few seconds as the two shuffled about, both feeling too cool to start up much of a conversation. Rainbow Dash, while leaning against the host stand, looked the boy up and down with a dull expression.

“S'up?” Rainbow Dash spoke casually, with a nod to the younger boy.

“S'up.” He nodded back in the same manner.

“Dash,” Rainbow introduced herself simply.

“Rumble,” he replied, stating his name just as easily.

“Cool.” Rainbow shrugged, leaving their conversation at that.

Meanwhile, the barmaid dragged her younger sister over to the bar, plopping her down in a vacant seat across from her. Breathing a heavy sigh, Applejack patted Apple Bloom on the shoulder before going around behind the bar once more. Applejack carefully looked over at her sister as she came around the other side of the wood, though the red-headed girl kept her eyes down with a firm frown.

“Wha's this really about, sugarcube?” Applejack asked in a kinder voice, placing her hand on the edge of the counter. “Y'know, y'ain't even s'posed t' be in here. It's a pub, no minors're allowed.”

“Then why'd y'drag me up here?” Apple Bloom wondered in a dull tone, her unconcerned eyes flashing up to the barmaid.

“T' talk,” her older sister told her, tilting her head. “You gonna tell me what's goin' on?”

“No,” she hurriedly snapped, but after a short pause of the two staring at each other, she gave a different response, “Maybe.”

“Well...” Applejack grunted as she pushed off the counter, turning to face her mixings and tools. Grabbing a small glass and spinning it around in her hand, she offered, “How's 'bout somethin' t' drink?”

“Is it vodka?” the red-head cheekily asked.

“O'course not,” her sister growled, reaching out and poking her on the forehead roughly. “Y'all youngins 're too eager t' grow up these days.”

Apple Bloom put both hands over the sore spot of her head and grumbled, “Y'sound like Granny.”

“Hush, you,” Applejack muttered, shaking her head with a small laugh.

Applejack set along to mixing a drink, one that was very easy to make. Splashing some grenadine over a few ice cubes, Applejack grabbed a soda nozzle and filled the rest of the glass up with ginger ale. It mixed into a bright pink-orange mix, and she garnished it with a few maraschino cherries. She passed it along the counter to her younger sister, whose hands looked terribly small taking hold of the tall glass.

“There ain't no booze at all, is there?” Apple Bloom frowned, putting her mouth over the straw.

“It's a Shirley Temple,” Applejack revealed, and her sister just raised her eyebrow. “That means naw.”

“Thought as much.” The younger girl furrowed her brow irritably and sipped on the liquid.

“So,” Applejack drummed her fingers, checking over her shoulder at the receipt printer to see if she got any new drink orders, which there were two. “Wha's makin' y'wanna leave? Somethin' goin' on at school?”

“You wouldn't know, y'never ask 'bout it unless somethin's wrong,” Apple Bloom murmured into the straw, her eyes downcast and staring at the orange-pink liquid.

“Ah.... Ah'm sorry, sis'. Ah can't be 'round as much as Ah used to, Ah know it ain't been easy, not for either of us,” the barmaid set to making drinks as she spoke, her eyes half-lidded and solemn. “But what's goin' on tha's got y'all riled up?”

“Lots o' things, AJ, y'all have no idea. While y'all're livin' it up in th' city, we're strugglin' t' get by. We ain't got much food 'r money, an' Mac's always stressed out an' yellin' at me. Granny's losin' 'er marbles, an' Ah feel like a burden more than anythin',” she explained in a small voice, the reasons just tumbling out. “An' school ain't been much better, th' only reason Ah can get through is 'cause Ah have Rumble around. We don't see each other much outside o' school any more, seein' as how he mostly lives with 'is brother in th' city here. An' things ain't much better fer him neither, he's got worse stuff in his life than angst, trust me.”

“Y'mean all that, sis'?” Applejack asked carefully, her chest tightening to hear all the things that had gone wrong in her absence. Again, there was an overwhelming weight of guilt that crushed her.

“Ah ain't a liar 'r nothin'.” Apple Bloom took a large sip, and the liquid dropped down in the glass.

“Ah knew things were tough, but,” the blonde dropped her head as she mixed up some cocktail she hardly cared about. “Apple Bloom, th' only reason Ah'm even in this city is t' get money for y'all back home, tha's why Ah got this job, why Ah let ma boss,” she caught herself in time, her honesty too eager to shine out, and hurriedly corrected it, “...Work me s' hard. Ah'd tell ya t' come an' live with me, but t' make sure y'all get all ya need, Ah ain't exactly livin' in luxury.”

“Ah know all 'at, tha's what Mac says,” she grumbled as she stirred the drink around with the straw. “But listen, Rumble's home life's gonna ruin him if he don't get outta there, an' it ain't doin' us no good bein' away from each other an' strugglin', makes school harder than it should be.”

“An y'think running off's gonna fix that?” Applejack asked, trying not to sound condescending. “You're just a kid, sis', y'don't seem t' understand that there's a lot worse out there. Trust me.”

“Y'always treat me like a kid, well, Ah ain't.” Apple Bloom raised her head defiantly, a stern look in her eyes that defied the uneven and juvenile abundance of eye-liner. “Ah'm a seventeen-year-old woman, Applejack.”

“It's hard t' take y'all seriously when you're wearin' ma hand-me-downs,” Applejack cracked a smile as she noticed the familiar attire of the young girl. Though the clothes had aged and been altered, even stitched and ripped to look more intimidating, they were clearly her own. “But Ah understand. Look, Ah won't have time t' drive y'all back home after work, so y'can stay with me tonight, 'kay? But y'gotta promise that y'ain't gonna get on 'bout this runnin' away stuff. 'specially not 'round the holidays. Understand?”

“An' why shouldn't Ah?” her little sister inquired with a narrowed expression.

“B'cause Ah'll come an' find ya, y'all can count on that, an' then Ah'll make ya live with me. An' trust me, y'don't want that.” Applejack smiled again, trying to keep the mood light despite her sister's irritability.

“Y'all don't scare me,” she growled back, her lips curling down and tugging on her childishly round cheeks.

“Oh, y'wanna act all tough, huh?” Applejack grinned as she leaned over the counter, staring firmly into her sister's eyes. “What say we settle this th' way th' Apple family does, hmm?”

Apple Bloom frowned deeper as a scowl appeared on her face. Scoffing loudly, she flipped her hair and replied, “Ah ain't gonna wrestle ya, AJ.”

“I will,” another voice cut in, and Apple Bloom turned to look over her shoulder as Rainbow Dash slung herself onto the counter beside her. She and Applejack smirked at each other, while the younger girl made a disgusted expression.

“Rainbow, Ah didn't see ya come up,” Applejack addressed the girl with a smile and comfortable greeting.

“Yeah, that Rumble kid went out to have a smoke, so I thought I'd check in,” Rainbow Dash said as she gestured to the vacancy at the front door with a shrug.

“He what?” Applejack leaned back in surprise, then glared over at her younger sister. “Ain't y'all a bit young for that?”

“Ah don't do it, don't look at me!” Apple Bloom hurriedly corrected, putting her hands up defensively. “Well, maybe jus' once 'r twice.”

“Apple Bloom!” the barmaid shouted in a scolding tone, shaking a finger at the red-head.

“Oh? And what have we here?” Rainbow Dash asked as she leaned over the younger girl, eyeing her drink. With a free hand, she reached out around the server side of the bar and grabbed a straw, immediately plopping it into the drink. “Why haven't you made me one of these, Dolly?”

“Hey!” Apple Bloom cried out as Rainbow leaned in and took a long sip, swishing it in her cheeks before swallowing it.

“Yuck, where's the liquor?” Rainbow whined, plucking the straw out and licking the length of it as if searching for any trace.

“There ain't none, it's a virgin drink,” Applejack told her flatly, hiding a smile as she noticed how perturbed her younger sister seemed to be by Rainbow's ridiculous antics.

“All yours then, Little Red,” the hostess told the younger girl, nodding towards her bright ginger hair.

“Who's this chick, again?” Apple Bloom asked, raising her eyebrow in annoyance.

“A real good friend o' mine,” the barmaid responded, her eyes resting on Rainbow's affectionately.

“Whatever that means,” the younger girl grumbled into her straw, sipping more of the beverage.

“Well, Ah'll be off in a couple o' hours here,” Applejack got back to the subject, pushing off the counter and tapping it twice. “Y'all can hang 'round 'til Ah'm off, or go get a bite t' eat 'r somethin'.”

“Yea' Ah'm hungry,” Apple Bloom huffed loudly. “Any good places t' get grub 'round here?”

“A family restaurant down the block,” Applejack gestured out the far, dim window.

“Sweet... oh, uh, AJ?” Apple Bloom hopped down off her chair before standing still and placing her hands on the counter to speak to her sister. “Y'got any cash?”

“Yea', yea', y'little freeloader,” Applejack replied as she chuckled at the bluntness, but she complied. Reaching into her tip jar, she pulled out a few-bit bills and handed them to the younger girl. “Y'all come back now, y'hear? Ah'll come lookin' if y'all take off.”

“Ah know, sheesh,” her sister whined in a childish voice as she took the money and counted it out as she turned towards the door. “Y'ain't ma mom're nothin'.”

“Accordin' t' you, Ah am,” the barmaid replied accusingly, and her sister just stuck her tongue out over her shoulder and left.

Rainbow Dash hummed as she looked back at the younger girl, trying to find any semblance of familiarity in personality, which she had a difficult time doing. Though she could see a cuteness in her features that seemed remarkably identical to Applejack, there was an absence of freckles, a particularly unpleasant attitude, and a less than sizeable chest. Shrugging, Rainbow turned back to the barmaid and watched her finish making another drink before she tossed out the remains of Apple Bloom's Shirley Temple.

“So, you never mentioned having a sister before,” Rainbow brought up, tilting her head in question.

“It ain't never come up b'fore,” Applejack told her simply. “Ah don't get t' see her much any more, she's in high school an' Ah'm at work. She's sure changed after Ah left, too. Ah shouldn't blame her 'r nothin', tha's what teenagers do.”

“Yeah, I was a damn handful when I was younger,” Rainbow Dash agreed certainly.

“You're a damn handful now,” the barmaid cheekily retorted.

“Two handfuls, actually.” Rainbow grinned as she reached up and grabbed her own modest breasts, squeezing them twice each.

Applejack laughed loudly in amusement before getting back to work, shaking her head all the while. Noticing the bell ring for the front door again, Rainbow turned around and crossed the lounge to greet the new guests. The barmaid sighed slowly as she watched the girl leave, wishing she was off shift already so that she could keep her company.

Frowning, Applejack wondered just what was going on in her sister's life that she hadn't shared. She was struggling at school, being ignored at home, had a boyfriend, needed a major attitude adjustment, and was thinking of running away. Applejack had never felt so useless and guilty, having abandoned the poor girl. She had come to the city to make money for the farm, and it continuously seemed like she just could not do anything right: not with herself, with her family, or with Rainbow Dash.

Apple Bloom and Rumble returned just after the bar had locked its doors, so Rainbow Dash had to go out and let them in as Applejack was busy closing the bar. The hostess decided to hang around after her shift, hoping to get to know a little more about the barmaid's family and past. As she sipped on her usual fall-back Rum and Coke, she watched Apple Bloom and Rumble pull up two stools side-by-side at the bar. Unfortunately, the kids seemed more interested in whispering and giggling to each other, so Rainbow and Applejack just played pass with looks of amusement or nostalgia.

Soon enough, the lot of them were piled into Applejack's truck. Applejack made Apple Bloom sit in the front, as she was not too sure what she and her boyfriend might get up to in the back seat while it was so dark. Rainbow Dash sat behind the barmaid, slouching in the seat and kicking at the back of Applejack's once in a while carelessly. The blonde girl behind the wheel sighed once more as her sister whined, and their eyes met one or twice.

“Ah don't see why Rumble can't come with us t' your place,” Apple Bloom complained in a low voice, which was difficult given her usually feminine vocal range. “Th' whole world's against us, Ah swear.”

“Th' whole world's 'gainst everyone, chickpea,” Applejack replied flatly, her words sarcastic and cynical. “An' it ain't nothin' like that, ma place ain't big enough for th' lot of us. Y'all will understand.”

“Stingy,” the red-head murmured, crossing her arms. “Rumble ain't gonna take up much room, we'll jus' lay on th' floor, we only need th' one blanket.”

“Oh—sheesh, Apple Bloom! Don't y'go puttin' that in ma head!” Applejack slammed her eyes shut and shook her head before getting back to focusing on driving. “Rumble, you gonna direct me t' your house 'r what?”

“Keep going,” he replied casually with a nod.

“Ah ain't gonna forget this, Applejack,” the younger of the two sisters growled, gnawing at Applejack's name like it was chewing tobacco. “Yer th' worst sister ever.”

“Ah try,” Applejack murmured sarcastically, glaring out the wind shield.

As Applejack's fingers gripped the steering wheel irritably, she let out a slow and heavy breath. It was no surprise that they would fight, that was what family did, but it just seemed like it was getting worse ever since they had spent time apart. Apple Bloom resented Applejack for leaving, and Applejack was so busy with work and responsibility it seemed her sister was growing up without her, and she never knew what to say.

The barmaid flinched as she felt something touch her door-side shoulder, and tilted her head just barely to the side to look at the thin, cool fingers resting on her from the girl in the seat behind her. Feeling warmed and comforted by this, Applejack smiled and gently nudged her cheek against the affection. Rainbow's fingers slid further forward and slipped sneakily across her chest as she sat up against the back of the car seat. Placing her chin onto the seat, Rainbow smirked and cuddled up close to Applejack.

“So, do I get to sleep over, too?” Rainbow Dash murmured teasingly into Applejack's ear, leaning in especially near.

“Ah wasn't lyin' when Ah said there ain't room,” the blonde replied in a monotonous tone.

“Maybe I'll just have to snuggle up close, then,” Rainbow's voice dropped lower as her tongue emerged from her lips and gently ran along Applejack's ear, though it went unseen by the others as it was dark and she hid it well.

“How close?” Applejack breathlessly let slip, her body heating up and almost melting at the touch.

“Left,” a deeper voice said from the back, and Applejack hardly even heard it.

“Huh?” The barmaid blinked, trying to keep her eyes open as Rainbow Dash sucked and nibbled at her earlobe sensually.

“Left,” Rumble repeated with an edge to his voice, some kind of urgency.

“F'Pete's sake, turn left,” Apple Bloom cut in with a loud tone, grabbing at the steering wheel and shoving it to the left.

“Careful y'hooligan!” Applejack barked as she completed the turn, though it was wild and the vehicle behind them blared the horn. “This ain't a darned joyride here, tha's dangerous.”

“Well y'all were distracted by whatever dirty little secrets y'whisperin' 'bout,” Apple Bloom growled back, crossing her arms again.

Rainbow Dash snickered in the back as she fell back into her seat, and Rumble made a perplexed expression. Applejack glanced at the rainbow-haired girl in the mirror before displaying a cute smile and getting back to driving. Rumble's house wasn't far away, but the group noticed immediately when they drove into a questionable neighbourhood. If it wasn't the cracked and holey roads, it was the closed-down shops with boarded up windows and graffiti coated walls. Applejack looked over at her sister and frowned, hoping that Rumble was a better boy than the ghetto life often made people.

“Next right, second building on the right,” Rumble said in an even voice, staring out the window as the familiar street passed him.

“Got it,” Applejack followed the directions and drove down a street lined with boarding houses and apartment buildings. They all looked old and rugged, but she said nothing about it.

They pulled up in front of a particularly scummy looking complex, the walls were coated in spray painted tags and cracked all the way down to the foundation. Broken glass and garbage lined the streets and the concrete pavement was crooked and split by growing weeds, though little of that could be seen because of the frozen snow that still ran along it. There was an older boy sitting on the icy stoop of said building, a can of cheap beer hanging by his fingertips between his bent legs. His bright blonde-white hair was done up in a mohawk, and he sported several neck and body tattoos that peeked out of his loose and sagging clothing.

Rumble let out an audible grunt as he recognized the older man, but said nothing aloud. After a few silent seconds in the truck, he and Apple Bloom opened their doors and jumped out. Determined to escort her younger sister in such a could-be-rough neighbourhood, Applejack followed hastily. Rumble stepped up onto the uneven pavement and walked close to Apple Bloom, his eyes shifting around the scene in case there was something amiss.

“Well there's the little fucker,” the man on the stairs spoke loudly, forcibly picking himself up with a grunt. “I thought you'd fucked off.”

“Hey.” Rumble just gave a single nod and put his arm around the red-head.

“Who's the girl?” he asked curmudgeonly, sniffing and touching a side of his swollen nose with his thumb roughly.

“You've met her before, she's my girlfriend,” Rumble reminded the man, who did little else besides glare and take a long swig of his beer.

“Right, the ginger,” he remembered with a dull expression. His unfocused eyes drifted to Applejack as she came up behind her little sister. “And who's the pin-up?”

“Uh,” Applejack was stalled by such a title, but went on with an introduction, “Applejack, Ah'm Apple Bloom's sister.”

“Well kid, looks like you have a lot to look forward to when your girlfriend grows up,” he said in a hush, sniffing once more and touching his face before getting back to it, “I'm Thunderlane, shortstack's bro.”

“Pleasure t' meet you,” Applejack replied uncertainly, extending her hand for a shake.

“Yeah it is.” Thunderlane took her hand and shook it clumsily, and Applejack couldn't help noticing the way his eyes flickered up and down between her face and her chest. Applejack glanced back at the truck, noticing Rainbow glaring menacingly at the man from her position leaning out the opposite window she had been sitting next to. “What brings you by? You wanna come in for a drink? Smoke? Maybe a—?”

“Naw thanks," she cut him off with her refusal. "Ah just came by t' drop off y'brother, Ah gotta get m'sister on home.” Applejack brushed him off casually.

“Does th' drink offer stand f' me too?” Apple Bloom cheekily asked, and her sister lightly smacked her on the back of the head. “It was a joke, sheesh.”

“Well, we best be goin',” Applejack pleasantly chimed, tugging at Apple Bloom's sleeve.

“Inna minute.” Apple Bloom yanked her arm away irritably and turned to Rumble. “Ah gotta say g'bye.”

Applejack went silent as she watched her younger sister turn towards her boyfriend. They just sort of smiled at each other first, and Applejack resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Suddenly though, their lips were together and their arms were venturing all over each other. Trying to stay out of it, Applejack made an annoyed face and averted her eyes, catching Rainbow's gaze as the girl laughed in the truck. The kissing went on for a long few seconds before Applejack decided enough was enough, and she reached out and took her sister by the shoulder.

“Tha's plenty t' r'member you by,” Applejack muttered lowly as she pulled her little sister away. “C'mon kiddo.”

“Quit pullin' on me,” Apple Bloom could speak again once her lips were free, and she followed her sister with protest. “Y'sure act like ma mom.”

“Nice meetin' y'all an' such, have a good night,” Applejack avoided responding to that and instead played polite.

“Ah'll text ya Rumble,” Apple Bloom told the boy, who nodded.

“Peace,” Rumble said in response, shoving his hands in his pockets and stepping towards the building with his older brother.

Applejack gently pushed her sister back to the truck, wearing a firm and uncomfortable frown on her face. Peering over her shoulder, she was just in time to see Thunderlane giving her rear end a thorough inspection and Rumble making his way up the stairs lazily. She shook her head in distaste and got back into the truck, not wasting a moment before she turned it on. Apple Bloom rolled her window down and gave Rumble another girlish wave before they took off back down the street.

With a despondent look across her features, Apple Bloom stared out the dark window and sighed. Even though she was scared and naïve, she had been quite excited about the idea of running away. She knew her older sister was right about it being stupid, and perhaps she just wanted attention anyway, but she really did need a change. She looked over at her sister as she thought, and watched the older girl carefully. There were some noticeable bags under her eyes, and a sadness in her presence that made Apple Bloom wonder just how well-off she could have been in the city. Her shoulders heaved with each breath and her body seemed to be much less healthy than she used to appear when she lived on the farm.

Apple Bloom blinked in surprise when she noticed the rainbow-headed girl reach her arms back around Applejack's seat, her hands landing on the girl's shoulders. Compassionately, she dug and rubbed her fingers into the aching muscles, and immediately the barmaid relaxed into the touch. With a suspicious gaze, the young red-head observed in silence. She knew her sister was business-oriented, someone who worked hard all day every day for what seemed like any reason she could think of, and yet this display of intimate affection did nothing to support that premise.

After swinging by Rainbow Dash's house and dropping her in front of the building, giving a quick goodbye in the form of a subtle blown kiss or two and a wave, Applejack drove herself and her younger sister back to her house. Apple Bloom was silent for the whole ride, staring out the window as the night dragged on and the scenes sliding by grew more and more run-down. They made their way into some slum-like area, and Applejack drove slowly over familiarly rugged streets and avoided known potholes. She went down a thin alleyway before pulling up beside some four-plex, right up into some spot between a broken, rusted station wagon and a dumpster.

Apple Bloom nervously cast a glance to her older sister, whose head was low as she turned off the truck and hopped out, making sure to lock the doors. The walk up to the back door was unsteady, as mounds of ice and snow bulged along what seemed like stairs and pathways, but Apple Bloom couldn't be certain. Applejack unlocked the primary rear door and the two entered a small hallway which contained the doors to all four of the residences. Retrieving another key, Applejack pushed it into the obviously half-broken and recently kicked-in door of unit number two.

At best, one could call the place humble. At worst, perhaps a word more like cramped and destroyed may suit it better. The walls had holes all along them, paint and wallpaper half-repaired and scratched off. The floors were old and dingy, and ran the same beige tile all throughout the one-room bachelor unit. Looking in through the narrow doorway, Apple Bloom noticed a small, duct-tape patched-up air mattress in the otherwise vacant living room, with some comforter laid over it. It was dark, as the windows were covered in blinds and drapes and faced fences and alley walls rather than any kind of view. The redhead frowned and tugged her clothes on tighter around her body like she thought something would jump out and attack her.

“What is this place, AJ?” Apple Bloom carefully asked, shyly looking around as Applejack locked the knob, chain and deadbolt behind them.

“It's th' luxurious place Ah'm livin' it up in while Ah stay in the city,” Applejack told her in a soft voice, hanging her keys, hat and jacket on hooks. “Ah know it ain't much.”

“It ain't nothin',” her sister remarked as she felt the chill of the room, as the radiator was likely broken like everything else. “Why'd y'pick a place like this? Can't be safe 'r nice.”

“Nope,” Applejack agreed, going into the only other little room in the house, the pint-sized bathroom, to get changed. “It's th' cheapest place Ah could find.”

“That makes no sense, Ah thought y'came t' th' city t' make money?” the red-head asked as she looked around at the few kitchen appliances that lined one wall of the small unit, which were terribly old and probably only half-worked.

“Ah did.” The barmaid chuckled from beyond the bathroom door, which hung crooked and didn't lock any more. “Ah send y'all everythin' Ah make, this is jus' a place t' sleep, sugarcube.”

“Seriously?” Apple Bloom squeaked quietly as she took another sorrowful look around.

It struck her to see in what poverty her older sister lived so that her family could get by. The city suddenly didn't seem so glamorous any more, and her family seemed a lot more diligent than she had given them credit for. Even if she never saw her sister, it seemed the blonde was always thinking about her and sacrificing all she could to give the best to her family. Applejack came back out of the bathroom in a long tee-shirt and some shorts, pulling the hair tie out of her hair and letting the blonde locks flow.

“C'mon, get t' bed kiddo, Ah'll call Mac in th' morning t' come get ya,” Applejack told her gently, starting over to the air mattress on the floor.

“We gotta sleep t'gether?” Apple Bloom cringed uncomfortably.

“You're ma sister, hayseed, y'all used t' crawl into bed with me every night when y'all had a nightmare,” the blonde reminded her with a light laugh, peeling the blanket back and making room for the two of them.

“This is a nightmare,” the younger sister complained, but went over there.

Apple Bloom turned off the light on her way over and took her phone out of her pocket, jotting out another quick text to Rumble as she knelt down to the floor and wiggled under the covers. Applejack shifted so her sister had more room and passed a good lot of the covers over to her. The redhead flopped down at last and grunted as she found the half-deflated mattress uncomfortable. Though most everything else looked pitch black compared to the bright phone screen, Apple Bloom noticed her sister turn away and take hold of the only pillow she seemed to have. Nudging Apple Bloom to sit up, Applejack slipped the pillow under the young girl's head and fluffed it up for her before motioning for her to lay back down.

As Applejack silently turned away and laid her head on the cold mattress, her sister glanced over at her with a pitiful expression. She felt guilty for forcing Applejack to go through all she did to keep their family and business afloat, though she felt worse for not even noticing it. She turned the electronic object off and placed it beside the bed before resting her hands on her upper stomach. Lights from passing vehicles scrapped along the walls now and then, and she could faintly hear car alarms, dogs barking, and drunken shouting. Her eyelids slipped down a few fractions as her expression relaxed, and she sadly recalled that though she would be leaving in the morning, Applejack would not have such a luxury.

“Night, sis',” Apple Bloom whispered gingerly, and she felt her sister shuffle a bit on the bed.

“G'night,” Applejack replied tiredly, reaching back and patting Apple Bloom's hands twice. “Try an' get some sleep, sugar.”

Author's Notes:

At long last, we get to meet Apple Bloom, who is in her... endearing teenage years. Hope you liked the way I portrayed her in this fic, it's a little different than usual of course, but I wanted to try something new, as well. Oh, and we get another new character next chapter, so... look out.
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