A Moment with Apple Bloom · 1:26am Apr 10th, 2016
Warning: Spoilers from the latest episode, On Your Marks, abound. Proceed with caution.
Yes, yes. It has been a while. Unfortunately, it may continue to be a while, as I do have a lot of work in real life to keep up with. But I still have those three stories I teased in my last blog post on the back burner, and I'll be sure to get to writing once I've got all my ducks in a row. For now, however, I need to talk about Apple Bloom. Because I think we learned something very interesting about her in this episode.
Now, here's something for you to try. Think about all the episodes Apple Bloom has had a major role in, including this one. Once you have all this in mind, ask yourself a simple question: How does Apple Bloom define herself in any given episode? Let me save you some time. I've found that in the episodes where Apple Bloom has a major role, she either defines herself as a Cutie Mark Crusader or a member of the Apple family. She never really defines herself as, well, herself. Even as an alchemist, I think she sees herself more as Zecora and Twilight's pupil than her own pony. And therein lies the crux of Apple Bloom's real problem in this episode. She equates independence with loneliness, and it's something she wants to avoid. Even when she goes off finding her own thing to do, she wants to do it with someone else. I don't claim to be a psychoanalyst, but I think that might be a co-dependant pony.
"But Metool! What about Somepony to Watch Over Me?" I hear you cry. "She wanted to be independent then, didn't she?"
Well, yes. She did. And for once, this is not the fault of Josh Haber's loose grasp on continuity that I griped about back in Season 4 (by the way, you still need to work on that, Mr. Haber. Bulk Biceps is both a Wonderbolt Cadet and a masseuse already; the only reason for him to have a Cutie Mark crisis is poor comic relief). See, we all know what happened in that episode. When Apple Bloom tried to be independent, Applejack wouldn't let her. I'm thinking that's not the only time Applejack or anyone else in the Apple family coddled her like that. It certainly would explain a lot.
And also keep in mind that Equestria, not just Ponyville but Equestria, is a community that puts a lot of value on relationships because, as the tagline says, friendship is magic. Co-dependance wouldn't be seen as much of a problem in such a community, and even in real life, it's not a problem in and of itself. We all depend on someone for our livelihood, whether it be our parents or our employers. Unless, of course, you move off the grid and ostracize yourself from society, but I don't see many people doing that. I certainly don't see any ponies doing that.
Even so, Apple Bloom might need a session with Dr. Wolf. It's stated right in the episode that her loneliness leads to depression, and that's something she needs to address if she wants to be a functional adult.
This a piece from a fic that I think apply here.Basically their society put and reinforce this idea all days unconsciously (or not) and this create escenarios like this where be a lone individual must be avoided .
3860805 I certainly did. I wouldn't rate it as one of my all-time favorites, but the insight into Apple Bloom's character alone made it quite a compelling watch.