The golden light of late afternoon pierced through the round window of the Apple's farmhouse attic. Dust motes swirled in the bright beam as Sweetie Belle flirtatiously twirled the end of a purple feathered boa she had draped over her withers. On her head was a wide brimmed hat with a bushy floral accent that might have been fashionable half a century ago and on her hooves, a set of well worn stallion work boots that only stayed on by her shuffling across the floorboards.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom giggled at her combination of bizarre gait, facial expression and garment selection.

"Well Darlings, how do I look?" she asked with put on haughtiness in her best imitation of her older sister.

"So chic," cooed Apple Bloom, looking at her through the viewfinder of an old camera. She pretended to use the burst mode, making her own sounds for a rapidfire shutter along a high fashion runway. Choochoochoochoochoo.

"You're too kind, really," replied Sweetie, striking a pose "I do think the subtlety of the smelly boots accentuates the garishness of the feathers and petals quite well," she boasted, trying to regurgitate every fancy design word she'd picked up from living in a dress boutique.

"Rarity is somewhere having an aneurysm right now," laughed Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom set the camera down next to a dusty broken globe and began rummaging through the big dress-up trunk, determined to outdo Sweetie Belle's ensemble.

"What time is it?" asked Scootaloo. "I probably have to go soon."

"Y'all haven't even been here that long," replied Apple Bloom disappointedly.

Sweetie Belle smirked. "She has to go meet Rumble for some of this…" She turned her back to them, stood upright, wrapped her forelegs around herself and made kissy noises.

"Ugh, shut up," grumbled Scootaloo, her face turning red. She tossed an empty plastic water jug at the back of Sweetie's head. It bounced off with a comical sounding boonk.

"Ack," blathered Sweetie, falling back to all fours, her fancy hat now perched on the tip of her horn.

The three of them laughed.

"Apple Bloom," thundered a voice from somewhere in the house below.

Apple Bloom's ears drooped, knowing by the sound of her sister's voice that she was in trouble. The folding ladder to the attic creaked and then Applejack's scowling face popped up from a hole in the floor.

"Ya didn't finish yer chores like ya said ya did," she hissed caustically.

"But Ah did though," quivered Apple Bloom.

"Ah just saw a dozen windfalls along the drive alone," snapped Applejack. "Yer not gonna tell me they all just fell in the last coupla hours! Ah'm sick a yer attitude. Whole farm's goin' ta Tartarus and ya don't even care enough ta do yer basic chores."

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared silently at the floor while their friend got scolded.

"Yer friends gotta go home now so you can finish yer chores."

"But they could stay and help me," proposed Apple Bloom desperately.

Her sister shook her head with grim finality. "No, they gotta go. That's a consequence fer lyin' ta me. Now git to it." With that, Applejack turned leaving the fillies' fun afternoon in shambles.

"Well, um… see you tomorrow, I guess." mumbled Scootaloo, heading for the ladder.

Apple Bloom stared at the floor, mortified as Sweetie Belle levitated her borrowed clothes back in the trunk. They said goodbye and then Apple Bloom left the attic lastly, putting up the ladder alone.

She walked slowly down the stairs, watching every portrait and family photo float by on her descent. So many smiling faces. Where were they all now? She stopped at the bottom next to the most recent family photo and her eyes zeroed in on an engaged and lucid Granny Smith amongst three smiling Apple siblings. It wasn't that long ago that things were so different.

Passing by the family room, Apple Bloom caught sight of Granny sitting in her rocker and staring off into space. She used to like Granny but now being around her just made her uncomfortable and sad. She found herself avoiding her altogether. The filly sighed and pushed the front door open.

Apple Bloom's little cart that was just her size was inside the barn door to the right. She hitched herself up and wandered forlornly out into the orchard.

"Stupid apples," she muttered stopping to scoop up her first quarry of the expedition.

In her desire to get more playtime, she'd hastily told Applejack she'd already picked up the windfall apples even though she'd never even checked the ground. She had just hoped that few or no more had fallen since last time or that her sister wouldn't investigate.

Apple Bloom turned as she came to the control break, an ugly swath they had to cut through the trees to stop the rot from spreading to the healthy ones. The disease had already killed over a third of the orchard, leaving a graveyard of dry skeletons only good for firewood.

Apple Bloom tossed another apple in the cart with a thunk and looked up at the sky through leafless wooden fingers. It looked like the disease had jumped the break and was starting on the border trees. Better tell Applejack, she thought.

First the trees got sick, then granny had her stroke and couldn't help out anymore. Now she needed to be looked after instead which only exacerbated the farm falling on hard times... Then Applejack became mean.

Apple Bloom continued looking up, now distracted by the floaters in her eyes. Only the soft thud of a newly fallen apple was enough to get her gaze back on the ground.

---

"Apple Bloom," bellowed Applejack, stamping her hoof in the doorway.

The filly shot out of bed, her heart pounding with fresh adrenaline.

"If ya don't get outta bed this instant, yer gonna be late fer school!"

Bewildered, Apple Bloom looked at her alarm clock to find it was nearly twenty minutes past wakeup time. Applejack's expectant agitation told her she'd already come up and roused her once. She didn't remember that or the alarm. She must have just fallen back asleep. That happened sometimes.

"Ah- Ah'm comin'" she stammered. Apple Bloom ignored her hairbrush and instead just grabbed her bow. She scurried into the hall and clamored down the stairs to park herself at her place at the breakfast table where she stared discontentedly into a lukewarm bowl of tan mush.

"It's grits again?" she whined, poking the spoon which already sat sticking out of the bowl.

"Yes, Apple Bloom," her sister shot back angrily slamming a glass on the counter. "It's all we really got left right now 'cuz we gotta sell off all our produce just to keep this place afloat. You should be grateful somepony else made it fer ya."

Apple Bloom began listlessly shoveling the dull food into her mouth. "Mm-hmm,"she mumbled in lackluster agreement.

She was hungry but not that hungry. After having grits for two weeks straight it was just so bland to her pallet. Food was hard to justify eating if it didn't have taste and she wasn't starving. She glanced longingly at the clock. "Ah guess Ah don't have time ta finish it all. Ah gotta go."

Applejack glared into the half empty bowl as the front door closed behind her little sister.

Outside, Apple Bloom found her brother, Big Mac already hitched into the apple cart and waiting. She sidled up to him and the two quickly set out for town.

Birds twittered in the trees, unseen by Apple Bloom who was squinting into the sky as it grew brighter with the rising sun. "When are things gonna go back to normal?" she murmured.

"They ain't," Big Mac muttered bluntly. "This is the new normal. Assumin' we stop the rot from takin' any more trees, ya know how long it takes fer new apple trees to bear apples? Long time." He stomped a big dirt clod as it came up in his path, reducing it to dust. "We'll be scrapin' by fer as far ahead as Ah can see 'less we get away from farmin' apples. Things woulda been easier if Granny had just…" He mashed his lips together and hazarded a glance down at his sister. "We'll be fine. Just try to concentrate on doin' better in yer schoolin'."

These days Apple Bloom felt at odds with her whole family. Her siblings felt so much harsher now but at least Big Mac would still engage with her about her problems. It seemed like all she got from Applejack anymore was reprimanding.

The two parted ways at the little hoofpath that went to the schoolhouse. The teacher, Miss Cheerilee stood by the open door, greeting the students as they filed in. Big Mac stopped and waited at the head of the path until Cheerilee noticed him and the two waved to each other.

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