Returning to Normal: 5 Years Remaining

"Well this sucks..." Applejack said walking into the living room, where Apple Bloom was lying on the floor doing her history homework.

"Whut's up?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, the good news is we're startin ta move products again," Applejack said seriously. Apple Bloom turned to her side and looked up at Applejack.

"So... whut's the bad news?"

"The bad news is we're in serious dept," Applejack walked over to the couch and sat down, "If we don't git sum help soon, it won't matter how many apples we sell. If we can't pay the bills..."

Apple Bloom sighed and looked down. It seemed like things were just going from bad to worse. Apple Bloom was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to recover from Granny Smith's death.

"Whut 're we gonna do?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, Ah got an idea, but ya won't like it..." Applejack sighed. That scared Apple Bloom. What was she planning?

"Applejack?"

"Remember about seven years ago? Two ponies came ta Ponyville durin Cider Season? They brought sum contraption inta Ponyville an' tried ta buy us out?"

How could Apple Bloom forget. Not only did she remember them, but out of curiosity she followed their career via the newspapers (she began reading them a few years ago). They evolved into major business tycoons and were very famous for their apple products. Apple Bloom tried one of their apple pies last year while in Canterlot, and she hated how GOOD it was. Apparently they had a "special recipe" that they used while growing their apples. Their business was booming. They weren't better than Sweet Apple Acres, but Flim/Flam inc. was at least on par.

Wait a second... she wouldn't...

"Applejack, no," Apple Bloom got up immediately and walked over to her sister, "Ya can't be serious about them."

Applejack gave a heavy sigh, "Ah don't like it anymore than you, but we gotta think about whut's at stake. We could lose the farm, Apple Bloom."

"It might as well be losin the farm if we're givin it ta those two!"

"Ah ain't givin 'em nothin. Ah've thought about it fer a long time an' Ah think Ah know how ta present our case ta them an' not lose anything. In fact, all goes well both parties will benefit."

Apple Bloom couldn't even look at Applejack right now. The thought of those two helping them was just infuriating. It felt like Applejack was giving up. If they just kept trying then they could...

"Apple Bloom, look at me," Applejack said softly, but Apple Bloom shook her head, "Apple Bloom, Ah know ya hate it, but if Granny Smith-"

"If Granny Smith were here, do ya think she'd be okay with us teamin up with the enemy?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed turning to Applejack.

"Unfortunately... Granny Smith ain't here..." Applejack said looking away a bit, "An' Ah now see whut you and everypony else wus sayin. We gotta move on. Maybe... this is a sign that we gotta evolve. Truth is, if they were willin ta team up with us on even terms, Ah'd have taken their offer seven years ago."

Even Apple Bloom had to admit, with that machine of theirs, they could have had Cider all year round. That would really help business. Unfortunately Cider Season was suffering these days because they didn't have four ponies working the farm anymore. Of course they got help from other relatives, but they couldn't be there all the time. Flim and Flam hailed from Fillydelphia, so Apple Bloom had a pretty good idea of the kind of machines they used. And with them being unicorns, their machines were magitech, meaning they wouldn't hurt the fragile ecosystem of Ponyville.

"Are ya really sure about this?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Ah'm sure. It's gonna be okay Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom sure hoped. They needed something to help save the farm, and they were running out of ideas. If they didn't do something, they were going to lose the farm anyway. At least this way, they could save the land at least.

Dear Flim/Flam inc.,

Not sure if you remember me. My name is Applejack. I work at Sweet Apple Acres, currently one of two main ponies working the farm, the other one being my little sister Apple Bloom.

At the current moment we're having a rough season. I'd rather not get into too much detail, but if possible, I'd like to meet with a representative of your company and come to a mutual partnership. Our apples are some of the best in the country, and I feel that if our two factions were to merge, both could benefit.

Please get back to me soon,
Applejack

Neither one of them were ready for how quickly they got back to them. A mere three days later they got a letter from Flim and Flam themselves, not the company (Applejack sent the letter to the company).

Dear Apple Family,

We were aware that things were looking dismal for Sweet Apple Acres, but we had no idea that it was this bad. We heard about the loss of your grandmother, and are sorry. Losing a relative is hard, and we can only imagine how you must be dealing with it.

If possible, the two of us would like to meet with you in a week to discuss a partnership. You're right, both parties can benefit from merging. We look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,
Flim/Flam Brothers

A week went by really fast, and now the sisters were waiting for Flim and Flam to come. Macintosh and Fluttershy were also there, since this was a family affair. Macintosh was having strong words with Applejack, probably trying to convince her to not do this. Apple Bloom had given up trying to talk to Applejack about it and was now looking out the window. Sure they were talking again, but there was still a lot of tension between them and they still fought sometimes. Fluttershy walked over to Apple Bloom and wrapped a wing around her.

"Are you nervous?" Fluttershy asked.

"Not really," Apple Bloom said, "Applejack said that if they didn't agree with her terms there wouldn't be a deal, so we ain't losin the farm ta them."

"But you are still worried about losing the farm, right?" Fluttershy asked. Apple Bloom looked at Fluttershy and noticed the knowing expression on her face. God she hated how in tune Fluttershy was with everyone. All Apple Bloom could do was look down and sigh.

"Ah really hate it when you do that, Fluttershy," Apple Bloom said, her heart now racing a bit as her emotions were welling up.

Fluttershy used her wing to bring Apple Bloom closer to her and nuzzled her sweetly, "You don't have to force yourself to be strong, Apple Bloom. If you're afraid, then you should be honsest with yourself."

Apple Bloom's heart began to beat faster, and before she knew it, there were tears in her eyes and she began to sob a bit, "It ain't jus' this whole thing with the farm. It's everything! Ah'm so damn confused!"

"Oh Apple Bloom," Fluttershy said softly, "Let's sit outside, honey. That way we can talk in private."

Apple Bloom nodded, now barely able to control herself. As they were walking to the door, Applejack and Macintosh walked out of the kitchen.

"Um, is ev'rything alright?" Macintosh asked when he noticed the two mares walking toward the door (Fluttershy slyly moved her wings in front of Apple Bloom so they woudn't see her crying).

"Everything is fine Mac, Apple Bloom and I are just going outside to talk. We'll try to come back in time for the meeting."

"Apple Bloom, ya alright over there?" Applejack asked.

"Y-yeah, Ah'm fine," Apple Bloom tried her hardest not to cry inside, but she could tell that Applejack was aware of her emotional state. Before things got even more awkward, Apple Bloom ran outside to the closes tree she could find. Even she was surprised with how hard she was crying.

A second later, Fluttershy elegantly landed next to her and knelt down beside her, once again wrapping a wing around her, "Talk to me Apple Bloom, what's really wrong?"

"Ah don't even know anymore. Ah have so much on mah mind. Ah don't wanna work with Flim and Flam, that weird thing with Diamond Tiara last year has me confused, Sweetie Belle is spirallin outta control, an' if we don't accept this partnership with Flim and Flam, then not only do we lose the farm, but we'll be homeless an' Ah won't be able to continue school or get a ticket ta Canterlot cause Ah still wanna be with Lezard an' Ah feel guilty fer thinkin so much about him even while Applejack is sufferin an'-" she lost her voice, and now was just sobbing into Futtershy's shoulder.

"Shh... Shh... it's okay Apple Bloom," Fluttershy said sweetly. For a few minutes she just let Apple Bloom cry her emotions out, something she hadn't done in three years. After she calmed down Fluttershy spoke up, "I felt the same way about my feelings for your brother, you know. Guilty for having such strong feelings for him, and I tried to come up with a thousand reasons why I didn't deserve him."

"W-why?" Apple Bloom asked looking at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy looked away a bit thinking, but then took a deep breath, "I suppose since we're family now, you should know. A long time ago, four years before I hooked up with your brother, I was... raped," Apple Bloom was shocked to know that. She remembered during Equestria's Darkest hour many years back that she almost raped Macintosh, but she was under a spell.

"Were ya... alright?"

"Yes and no," Fluttershy explained, "You see, I learned that day that I was... different. I was scared, of course, but when it happened... I sort of... enjoyed it..." Apple Bloom was speechless, and confused as to why Fluttershy was opening up to her like this, "For years after that I had dreams about reliving that day, actually wanting that feeling again. It made me feel dirty, and I just knew that no one would love me if they knew that I actually enjoyed being raped, at least that's how I saw it.

"I met Macintosh a year later, and I instantly fell for him. I didn't just love him though, I actually lusted for him. His build reminded me of the stallion from that time, and I knew that he could hold me down easily and... well... you know..." she cleared her throat before continuing (was she getting turned on? Celestia, she was worse than Sweetie Belle!), "Despite how bad I wanted him though, I never approached him further than being friendly with him."

"Cause ya felt dirty still?" Apple Bloom asked, now beginning to understand the point of this story.

"Exactly," she looked up and pointed at a cloud above the farm, "Do you see that cloud? I used to sit up there every morning watching him work, fantasizing about all the things I wanted he and I to do, which only made me feel even worse. It was so bad that I fell into a deep depression because of it. It wasn't until the incident that I finally admitted my feelings to him. I decided that I did deserve him, because everypony deserves happiness. The point I want to make, Apple Bloom, is that you don't have to feel guilty for loving Lezard so much, even if you're young, and even if there are disasters left and right."

"But whut about those disasters? Shouldn't Ah be more focused on-"

"You can't help anyone unless you help yourself first, that's what I had to learn," Fluttershy said, "I'm sure Sweetie Belle will be fine, and I feel good about this thing with Flim and Flam."

"Whut about Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom asked, her heart racing again when Fluttershy looked down with a darkened expression, "F-Fluttershy?"

"Whatever happens to her... you need to make sure you're okay. You have to go to Canterlot, Apple Bloom. You have to see him again."

"Fluttershy," Apple Bloom said leaning into her again, "Thank you. Ah feel a little better now, and Ah think Ah understand ya a lot more now."

"Anytime Apple Bloom. We're sisters now, so if you ever need to talk, you can come to me, okay?"

"Right," they saw a carraige approaching the farm. On the side of the carraige was the Flim/Flam inc logo. Apple Bloom's heart was racing again looking at it. This was really about to happen, wasn't it?

"We should get back inside," Fluttershy said, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Ah'm ready fer this," Apple Bloom got up and stared at the carraige. She could even see them inside talking. It was a good thing. This had to be a good thing. Fluttershy stood up next to Apple Bloom and they walked over to the house, ready to begin the next chapter of her life.

She hated to admit it, but things were really looking up now. It had been a month since Sweet Apple Acres and Flim Flam inc became Golden Apple inc, and finally they were recovering from their slump. The partnership with Flim and Flam hadn't resulted in being assimilated like Apple Bloom had feared. Instead, it really felt more like Flim and Flam had become true partners to the Apple Family. They even supplied the Apple Family with a number of machines to help tend to the fields, one of those machines being a mechanical plow that Flim was about to "teach" Apple Bloom how to use.

"So all you have to do is sit here," Flim said.

"Uh huh," Apple Bloom nodded.

"And then you flip this switch here."

"Like this?" Apple Bloom asked flipping the switch and turning it on.

"Y-yeah, just like that. Now you want to-" before he could finish, Apple Bloom had already figured the rest of it out and got it started. As usual, Flim was impressed. He still hadn't made the connection to her Cutie Mark and tools, so he was still learning that he was dealing with a tool master.

"Ah think Ah got it from here, Flim," Apple Bloom said.

"I can see," Flim said laughing, "How old are you again?"

"Ah turned sixteen two months ago," Apple Bloom stated looking forward. Flim had begun walking next to the plow.

"Wow, sixteen. You must have all the colts in school chasing you," he was obviously trying to make small talk. Well, no reason not to indulge him.

"Actually, that's mah friend Sweetie Belle."

"Ahh, I see," silence fell between them, until Flim looked to the side and saw Applejack looking up at an apple tree. Apple Bloom noticed that Flim sighed a bit looking at her. When he spoke again, he sounded really serious.

"Has she bucked any trees since her grandmother's death?"

"Naw, not really. That's mah job actually. She's tried a few times, but she's lost a lot of spirit."

"Hmm..." Flim seemed to take that in, and Apple Bloom was curious as to what went on in his mind. It seemed like both of the twins had a boarderline obsession with Applejack. She had a similar conversation with Flam (the one with the mustache) one morning, when he asked if she ever smiled anymore.

Flim walked over to Applejack and said something to her. They talked for a while, Applejack looking away with a serious expression, but Apple Bloom could have sworn she was blushing. She wasn't falling for him, was she?

But Apple Bloom remembered that she had a similar expression when Flam spoke to her as well. That didn't make any sense at all.

The following night though, Apple Bloom walked back into the house and saw Applejack sitting on the couch looking at a picture. It was of her with Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. Apple Bloom was about to just walk upstairs in silence, but...

"Hey, Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked, stopping Apple Bloom.

"Yeah?" Apple Bloom asked turning around.

"Ah... love ya sis..."

It had been so long since Apple Bloom had heard those words from her sister, that she was moved to tears. She smiled letting her tears flow as she responded, saying something she had wanted to say to Applejack for three years.

"Ah love you too sis."

Author's Notes:

Yes, I ship heteosexual Applejack with Flim & Flam. DON'T JUDGE ME!!!