Apple Bloom was just getting off her school bus. The thirteen-year-old was humming a little tune to herself while she walked up the dirt path leading to her home. The farm smelt of oats, freshly cut grass and hay. But it was the apples that caught the young Apple's attention the most. They smelt fresh, sweet and pure as a midsummer's rain.

Skipping down the road, Apple Bloom opened the gate, headed inside her family's lot, and closed the gate with a loud clang behind her. Looking around, she didn’t see her sister outside doing her normal chores. It didn’t take her long to get to the house itself. Opening the front door Apple Bloom called out to the inside of the house.

“Granny Smith, I’m home from school.”

“Okay, youngun. Just drop your bag next to the door and come help me with these here pies.”

Granny Smith could be heard cluttering around in the kitchen. From the sounds of it, it seemed like she needed lots of help. Apple Bloom wrinkled her nose a bit as she made her way into the kitchen. Winona got up off the couch, barking loudly at Apple Bloom as she chased after the youngest member of the Apple family.

“No! Winona, I ain't got any treats for you! You--”

Before Apple Bloom could finish her sentence, the brown and white sheep dog tackled the thirteen-year-old to the floor, licking her and sniffing her pockets. Apple Bloom squealed and laughed trying to get the rowdy dog off of her. A loud booming "Eeeyup" got the dog to sit next to the young Apple, who looked up to see her older brother standing over her, a happy, warm smile on his rugged face. Apple Bloom held out her hand, and Big McIntosh helped her up. Wiping the dog's drool off her face with a handkerchief, Big McIntosh smiled, then headed into the kitchen, followed by Apple Bloom, who was giggling lightly to herself. Granny Smith handed both of them six pies each.

“Now you two younguns take these here pies and set them out on that there windowsill to cool.”

“Granny, where's Applejack? I didn’t see her outside doing her normal chores, and tonight is supposed to be our sister’s night.”

Granny Smith smiled while pointing to the windowsill. Apple Bloom walked over to place the pies down so they could cool off. As she turned around to speak with her grandmother again, she heard a loud crash from behind her. Spinning around on her heel, she saw to her shock and dismay that Winona had jumped up towards the windowsill, knocking over four of the pies and eating them. Granny was not amused by what Winona did as she screamed out in anger towards the dog who continued to eat the pies that had splattered on the kitchen floor.

Oh, fiddlesticks!” Granny Smith looked at Apple Bloom, who was just grinning like a Cheshire cat back at her and the dog. “APPLE BLOOM, YOU GET THAT DOG OUT OF THIS KITCHEN RIGHT NOW!”

“But, Granny, Winona didn’t mean a thing by it. She just wanted to try your pies is all.”

Winona tucked her ears against her head and her tail between her legs, letting out a soft whimper. Granny sighed, then pointed to the door behind Apple Bloom leading into the backyard. Apple Bloom lowered her head, letting out soft sigh of her own. Looking to the dog, then back to Granny Smith, the youngest member of the Apple family knew when she was beaten.

“Come on, Winona, let's go get you cleaned up.”

Winona barked and ran outside, rolling around in the dirt and getting even more messy. It took Apple Bloom most of the afternoon to get Winona to calm down enough to take a bath. Once she was done, Apple Bloom came inside, soaking wet and looking rather grimly to her grandmother. Granny Smith tried to contain her laughter yet failed miserably at it. She let out a slight laugh when she saw Apple Bloom standing in the kitchen dripping water all over the floor.

Apple Bloom stomped into the kitchen as she yelled out to Granny Smith, “It’s not funny! Now Ah'm all soaking wet! How am I supposed to spend sister night with Applejack like this?”

“Yer not. Yer sister is at 'er friend's house for some sort of party or some fandangled thing like that,” replied Granny, still trying not to laugh.
Apple Bloom's eyes went wide when she heard this.

“What...What do you mean Applejack isn’t going to be here tonight?”

“Yer brother brought her home a half-hour a-fore you showed up. She got 'er stuff together, then headed out to spend the night at 'er friend's house.” Putting a wrinkled finger to her chin, Granny Smith tapped her chin a few times. “Hmmm. I think it was Inky. No, that’s not right. Uh, maybe it was Linky…”

“You mean Pinkie, right, Granny?”

“Eeeyup,” her brother chimed in.

“Yeah, that’s the one. Anyways, yer sister is over there, now.”

Apple Bloom looked down, angry at her sister as she made her way out of the kitchen upstairs to get changed. She began to think to herself, “How could Applejack forget about sister night like this? I mean, it doesn’t make a lick of sense.”

“Oh, her friend Sun-something is also there. Why don’t you give them a call 'n' see how they're a-doing?” Granny Smith called out to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom came back down, dressed in a green T-shirt, blue jeans and red boots. Her pants were rolled up to her shins. She had a pink bow in her hair. Walking over to her backpack that she had left sitting next to the front door, she opened it up, took out her homework, and brought it into the kitchen, setting it down on the kitchen table. Granny Smith saw a look of sadness on the young Apple’s face. Closing her eyes and lightly shaking her head, she walked over to Apple Bloom laying a gentle hand onto the child's shoulder.

“Now, lookie here, Apple Bloom. I know you wanted ta spend this night with yer sister 'n' all. But, Applejack has 'er own life to live, and she needs some time away from the farm. You do understand, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Ah understand. Ah'll call her after dinner, Granny, alright?” Apple Bloom began to work on her math homework, not looking up at Granny Smith. “I just want to get this homework done and then get some dinner. I'll get my chores done after that, alright?”

“Well, perhaps Big McIntosh can help you with yer homework. He's always good at that sort of thing.”

“Eeeyup,” Big McIntosh said, coming back into the kitchen from the backyard.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, then at her homework, thinking to herself while her brother took a seat across from her, “How can Sunset be more important than me?”

Apple Bloom pushed her homework over to her brother, who picked it up and looked it over as she said to him, “Alright, Big McIntosh. You think you can help me with this here homework?”

“Eeeyup.”

Apple Bloom and her brother both spent an hour working on her homework, with the youngest member of the Apple family arguing back and forth with her brother. Granny Smith got dinner ready, and once the homework was all done, the three sat down to a hot, home-cooked meal. Apple Bloom, once dinner was done and her chores complete, found herself sitting alone in her room with her cell phone in her hands. She was thinking to herself as she looked at a picture of her and her sister.

“Should Ah really call her? Ah mean, Ah know Granny Smith wants ta know how she's doin', but Ah really don’t wanna deal with her after she missed sister night and all.”

Apple Bloom came back down stairs and found Winona lying on the couch. As she sat down next to Winona, the loyal family dog laid her head onto Apple Bloom's thigh, letting out a soft, sympathetic whimper.

“What’s that, Winona? You want to go outside?” asked Apple Bloom, looking into the dog's big, brown eyes.

Hopping off the couch, Apple Bloom walked over to the front door with Winona in tow, her tail wagging back and forth. The young Apple took out the dog's leash, hooked her up, and headed outside and down the dirt path leading to the dirt road outside of her family's land. Getting to the gate, she stopped when she heard from behind her, “Eeeyup.”

Turning around, she saw her brother Big McIntosh coming up behind her. Slung over his powerful, muscular shoulders were a shovel, rake and pick axe. He was completely filthy. Looking at his younger sister and at the dog sitting next to her with her tongue hanging out to one side of her mouth, Big McIntosh nodded to Apple Bloom, who smiled back warmly.

“Big Mac, can I ask you a question?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Should Ah call our sister like Granny Smith asked me to earlier today?” Looking down for a few seconds, Apple Bloom only looked back up when she felt her brother's gentle hand on her shoulder. “Ah don’t wanna get into a fight with her over her not being here tonight. You know where Ah'm comin' from, right?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Do...Do ya think she might be a little upset with me for wanting her to come home 'n' spend tonight with me?”

“Nnnope.”

“Will you take Winona fer me so Ah can go call our sister?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Thanks, Big Mac. Yer the best big brother EVER!”

Apple Bloom handed the leash to her brother and ran off towards the house to get her phone. Getting inside and rushing upstairs, she got to her bedroom a few minutes later. Sitting on her bed, she was about to press the ‘call now’ tab on her phone when she looked over to a photo of her and her mother and father.

The photo showed Applejack, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom, the last as a little three-year-old in the arms of her mother, while her father stood next to his wife. Everyone looked happy and in high spirits. Letting out a soft sigh, she pressed the tab and held the phone up to her ear, waiting for Applejack to answer.

Next Chapter: Slumber Party (Edited by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 22 Hours, 11 Minutes