An Apple Alone

by Blue Thrush

Bruised Apple

The sound of a rooster’s crow pierced the silence stretched out across Sweet Apple Acres. The sunrise washed over the farm, making its way into the Apple family home. A sleepy yellow mare turned groggily in a vain effort to remain asleep as her sight and hearing were assailed from the open window. Relenting to the wake up calls, Apple Bloom yanked the solitary blanket off of her and clumsily got out of bed, bleary eyes blinking against the sunlight. She was no stranger to getting up at the crack of dawn, but she still required the aid of the chilled morning air to become fully alert. Taking in a deep breath, Apple Bloom opened her eyes wide and stretched her legs. She peered down by the barn to a small doghouse, just able to make out a snoozing Winona dwelling inside of it. Beat’ya agin, ya rascal, she thought to herself smugly. Wonder if Ah made it up ‘fore--

“Apple Bloom!” A feeble voice called from below. “Breakfast’s ready!”

The yellow pony gave a sigh. Never fails, she figured. Just how does Granny manage ta be up an’ have breakfast ready so early? Being up by sunrise oughta be early enough for anypony. She turned away from the window to answer her grandmother. “Be down in a minute, Granny!” Apple Bloom answered. Now wide awake, Apple Bloom trotted to her dresser, clasped her brush between her teeth, and gave her mane a few strokes. Hair straightened, she opened a drawer, picked out her favorite bow, and threaded it up to its usual position just behind her head. Prepared for the long day ahead, she closed the drawer and made her way downstairs with a skip in her step and a smile on her face.

Apple Bloom’s senses perked up again, this time by the aroma of apple cinnamon oatmeal drifting along lazily from the ground floor. The young pony’s stomach grumbled as she finished her descent and entered the kitchen. The table that had room for six ponies was operating at reduced capacity, with two bowls of oatmeal and a pair of glasses filled with apple juice sitting at either end. Granny Smith greeted her. “Good mornin’, dear,” she said with a smile between bites of oatmeal, “did’ya remember ta make yer bed?”

The redhead opened her mouth to affirm that she had, only to remember that the simple task had slipped her mind entirely. She closed her mouth, turned tail, and headed back up the stairs. There was an unwritten rule in the Apple household made clear to Apple Bloom throughout the years: If you’re in too much of a hurry to make your bed, you don’t have time to eat. She returned a few moments later, replying with a small “Yes’m” before sitting down to enjoy her own breakfast.

The two Apples ate in silence for a few moments, enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning. Granny Smith was the first to break the silence. “Ya did a swell job las’ night, Apple Bloom,” she commented, “got tha whole place lookin’ spotless before sundown. Ah reckon that’s about tha fastest Ah’ve ever seen ya work.”

Apple Bloom looked up from her bowl, cheeks bulging from a mouthful of oatmeal, some of it dripping off her face. She finished chewing, took a big gulp, and replied, blushing slightly. “Gee, thanks, Granny. Ah just wanted ta show you that Ah’m capable of doin’ this.”

“Now Ah’ve never thought such a thing of ya, hun,” the old pony said, “Ah’m sure that ya have it in you ta take care a’ things ‘round here.” Her granddaughter began to humbly respond again when Granny added “What you need ta fret over is yer focus.”

Apple Bloom’s look of humility turned into one of bewilderment. “Uh, whaddya mean, Granny?” She asked, before going for her bowl again to take another bite.

“You have tha will ta work, no doubt about it,” the aged mare explained, “and yer mighty strong fer a pony yer age. Ya know tha farm just about as well as yer siblings, but while ya have tha energy ta run all day, ya never stay focused on one thing fer very long.” She paused to take a sip from her glass. “Just rein in yer impulses and stick to tha task at hand an’ you’ll be set.”

“But Ah can stick to what I have ta’ do just fine!” Apple Bloom retorted. “I did good yesterday, right?”

“After yer friends left, ya did good,” Granny agreed, “but there’s a big difference ‘tween cleanin’ up a mess and doin tha work o’ three ponies all by yer lonesome.” She gave Apple Bloom an inquisitive look. “Did’ya get distracted when yer friends showed up yesterday?”

“No!” The young mare said quickly. After a moment’s thought, however, she added, “well, Ah’d just finished herdin’ tha sheep up, then we got ta talkin’ ‘bout why Applejack an’ Big Macintosh had ta take off so suddenly, an’--”

“An’ how long was it before ya started workin’ again?”

“...Ah don’t remember,” Apple Bloom finally admitted, “Ah know after my friends agreed ta help out, Sweetie Belle had an idea.”

“Yes, Ah remember her sayin’ it was her idea ta split y’all up to get yer chores done real quick,” Granny Smith said. “Were ya in a hurry?”

“Well, we did have plans, and Ah felt bad cuz... Wait, yer sayin’ I was rushin’ through mah chores?”

“That, an ya’ spent an awful lotta time gabbin’ an not workin’,” she replied. “Nothin’ sayin ya couldn’t’ve worked an chatted at tha same time.”

Apple Bloom was taken aback by her grandmother’s words. Surely she didn’t lollygag that much when her friends showed up, did she? Ah guess we did spend lotta time talkin... an’ Sweetie Belle was tha pony ta get us movin’ again. The young mare pawed at the ground sheepishly. “Ah suppose yer right about tha whole not focusin’ thing, Granny,” she said quietly, beginning to doubt herself. “D’ya think Ah can do this?” She looked at the old farmpony with a hopeful gaze.

Granny Smith took a final bite from her bowl, and then gave her granddaughter a positive look. “Ya got a lot more ridin’ on yer shoulders now, Apple Bloom. Yer heart’s in tha right place, an’ with a little effort ya can do this.”

Apple Bloom’s doubt shattered at Granny Smith’s encouraging words. She got up, raced around the table, and embraced her grandmother in a hug. “Thanks, Granny,” she said, “tha’ means a lot ta me.”

The infirm pony stiffened a bit at her granddaughter's tight grip, but managed to return the show of affection with a hug of her own. “Tain’t nothin, darlin’. There’s nothin’ on this here farm ya can’t accomplish if ya just overcome yer difficulties. It’s in yer blood, after all.” She winked. “C’mon, time ta get started.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Apple Bloom washed up and quickly took care of the dishes, eager to start the day off right. Granny made her way outside. While she couldn’t do very much, the few things she did take care of took a lot of time for her to complete. The little she did, however, shaved a bit off of what Apple Bloom had to take care of herself.

The morning sun’s greeting was accompanied by a hyperactive collie who bounded out from her small shelter. Winona sped up to the two ponies coming out of the house, barking to get their attention. The two Apples gave her some attention before starting the day’s work. Apple Bloom began right where she left off yesterday, bucking away at her section of the apple orchard. Granny fed the animals and collected eggs from the chicken coop. Unable to do many other things, the elder mare took to sitting on the porch, shouting words of encouragement and instruction alike to her granddaughter each time she walked by. She also busied herself with the farm’s records, figuring out what Apple Bloom would have to do to keep the farm going on her own. She prepared a list of things for Apple Bloom to get done by day’s end. If Apple Bloom can git through this, she mused, she’ll be all caught up wit’ tha workload. She smiled slightly as she watched Apple Bloom haul a couple baskets of their prized crop over to the barn, managing the heavy load without much effort. ‘Fore too long, she’ll have blossomed up ta her full potential...

* * *

“Hurry it up, Granny! We’re gunna be late fer market!” Apple Bloom said impatiently, keeping a slow pace beside her encumbered grandmother. The distance between Sweet Apple Acres and the Ponyville market place wasn’t great, but at the current pace of the two farmponies, half of their revenue-earning time would be lost.

“Uhn... No need ta rush now,” The green mare answered between labored breaths. Despite the younger pony’s protests, Granny insisted on pulling the fully-laden apple cart to market on her own. “Now stop followin’ me an’ git back home, ya still got a chore list a mile long ta wrap up.”

The younger pony tried to reason. “Granny, we’ve barely made it over tha hill. There’ll be nopony left by the time we make it to the market place. Lemme pull the cart for ya. Soon as we make it I’ll hustle back home an’ git back to it.”

Granny Smith grunted in her efforts, the cart inching forward a bit more. “Nothin’ doin, Apple Bloom. There’ll be, ugh, tons a ponies linin’ up like... like always.” She stammered, her exertions requiring her full concentration. The other pony gave out a huff and moved in front of Granny and the cart, preventing any more progress.

“Stop bein’ so stubborn!” She shouted, impatience getting the best of her. Can’t she see this is just wastin’ more time fer both her an’ me? “Just lemme pull an’ we can both be on our way!” Granny looked shocked at her granddaughter’s outburst, causing Apple Bloom to hastily add, “...Please?”

Granny’s look softened as she sighed, beginning to wriggle out of the harness. “All right, you win, no need ta fuss,” she relented. The yellow pony helped her out of the harness and fitted herself into it.

“Hop on in,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah made sure there’d be room for ya.” Granny started to protest, but decided against it and ambled to the rear of the cart, climbing in with a bit of difficulty. Despite the additional load on the cart, the young mare had no troubles getting it moving at a reasonable speed.

“...Apologies, Apple Bloom,” Granny said from her seat, “Ah didn’t mean ta be a stick in tha mud.”

“Don’t’cha worry ‘bout it Granny. Sorry I snapped like that.” Apple Bloom tried to lighten the mood a bit. “S’pose bein’ last in gettin’ cutie marks ain’t tha only thing that runs in the family, inn’it?”

It worked. She heard Granny chuckle at her remark. “Sure is,” she wheezed, still not quite recovered from her cart-pulling exercise.

“Just rest easy, now, Granny,” Apple Bloom called back, “we’ll be ta market in no time at all.”

The two farmponies soon found themselves amidst the mass of vendors setting up shop. Apple Bloom pulled the cart over to its final destination and came to a halt. She disengaged from the harness while Granny gingerly hopped off the back of the cart. There wasn’t much for them to do to get ready for market, so Apple Bloom began scanning the area, hoping to catch sight of one of her friends. Either they were sleeping in or just not around the market place, however, since she wasn’t able to find Sweetie Belle nor Scootaloo. Disappointed, she begrudgingly turned back towards the cart to make sure everything was in order. While there were a wide variety of apples available, the farmponies were also selling smaller amounts of their other crops.

With Apple Bloom’s escort complete, she made to head back home to continue her farm work. The two Apples shared a hug. “Good luck today, Granny!”

“Ah don’t need luck, sweetie,” Granny replied with a smirk, “Ah’ve bin doin’ this fer a long time.” The younger mare giggled and set off for home.

* * *

“Off-season mah blank flank,” Apple Bloom grumbled, hauling yet another pair of apple bushels from the orchard to the barn. “What in the hay did Applejack even mean by that? Ah’d hate ta think how much Ah’d be stuck doin’ in season.”

The young pony had figured that since it was fall, there wouldn’t be a whole lot more to do around the farm, even with Applejack and Big Macintosh absent. After Granny Smith had prepared a list for Apple Bloom to get through, however, she quickly realized that that wasn’t the case. The mile-long list had conveyed something else to Apple Bloom as well: Her siblings had been doing more than their fair share of the work load, leaving her with the smallest set of chores to do. The farmpony marched on with her cargo in tow, contemplative. “I didn’t think they were doin’ most of tha chores on their own.” She grunted in both frustration and due to the weight of the 15th pair of bushels bearing down on her. “Say, Winona, s’pose all that bickerin’ Ah’ve done ‘bout not wantin’ ta be treated like a filly no more’s come full circle?”

The brown and white collie, not able to do much else at the moment, had been keeping the young mare company instead. She happily barked an affirmative to Apple Bloom’s inquiry. “Well here Ah am now with enough stuff ta do fer three ponies.” She let out a huff as she heaved the strap off her back, letting the two bushels hit the ground next to the barn. The yellow pony took a moment to relax, catching her breath and wiping the sweat off her brow. She took a quick count of the number of bushels she’d harvested. “An’ that does it fer my parta tha orchard,” she surmised. “Just have ta... ta take care of AJ an’ Big Mac’s parts now.” As if in protest, her stomach growled ferociously. “... After lunch, that is. Let’s eat!”

Apple Bloom settled on a lunch consisting of a sandwich piled high with greens and some milk. She settled down on a picnic table outside to enjoy her meal under the comforting afternoon sun. While eating, she perused her list of chores. She reasoned that she could finish what was not yet done by sundown, but only just. Winona, after finishing her meal, sat before the dining pony in hopes of receiving table scraps. Apple Bloom was happy to oblige, tossing a bit of sandwich to the ground. The collie pounced on it eagerly.

The young mare was just finishing up her drink when the sun was blotted out of the sky. She looked up to notice several pegasi placing clouds about the zenith, quickly turning a clear sunny sky into a dreary overcast. She scanned the skies until she spotted an orange-coated pegasus flying through the air. At first she thought it was Scootaloo, but dismissed the idea when she noticed the cerulean hair. She also noticed this pony’s cutie mark -- a bird’s eye view of a hurricane cloud. Recognizing the pegasus as somepony else she knew, Apple Bloom hailed him down with a shout. The stallion noticed the earth pony calling him down. “Hey there, Apple Bloom!” He yelled back.

“Sorry ta interrupt, Mister Gale Force,” she asked as he glided down towards her, “but why are y’all settin’ ta make it rain t’day? I thought that there wasn’t gonna be a drop until next week.” She glanced over her list, which also contained the day’s weather schedule along the top. Granny had indeed indicated that the day was supposed to be much like yesterday: Not a cloud in the sky.

The male pegasus floated down to just a couple feet off the ground. Winona attempted to greet the unexpected guest, leaping into the air get his attention. Gale Force smiled down at the dog and reached down to pet her when she came within reach. “Afraid we had to shuffle the weather plans up a bit. The cloud machines have been on the fritz lately. They gotta be shut down for diagnostics and repairs, so we gotta squeeze out all the clouds we can muster while we can. All of Ponyville is scheduled for a mean soak today, which’ll last until about eight tonight if I remember correctly.” He gazed up at the clouds thoughtfully. “It should be safe for you to stay outdoors, though. Don’t expect there to be much if any lightning.”

“Lightnin’?” The young mare asked, a hint of worry in her voice. It was always a concern bucking a bunch of trees in the midst of a thunderstorm.

“Sure,” he replied, “but like I said, you should be fine.” The weatherpony grinned at Apple Bloom. “So Scootaloo’s telling me you’ve got a lot on your plate right now, what with your brother and sister out of town leaving you holding the bag. Holding up alright?”

“Oh, sure,” Apple Bloom said, smiling up at the pegasus. “Nothin’ Ah can’t handle, naturally.”

“Naturally,” He repeated, “so--”

“Gale Force, what in blazes are you doing down there?” Shouted a voice from above. An older pink pegasus had her head craned down to stare at the pair of ponies on the ground. “We still have half of Ponyville to cover! Get back in gear!”

“On my way, Cold Front,” Gale Force yelled back. “You old bat,” he added quietly, but still loud enough for Apple Bloom to hear. The earth pony started snickering, then stopped with a hoof over her mouth and a guilty expression appearing on her face. Gale Force chuckled, relieving the young pony’s guilt and causing her to laugh some more. “Catch you some other time, then.” He turned to launch skyward. “Maybe I’ll take you crusaders out to that volcano again when we’re done. Burn off your frustrations.” With a wink and a wave, he took off.

“See ya later!” Apple Bloom called out, Winona barking her own goodbye. Her cheery disposition soon faltered, though, once she remembered why the pegasi were clouding the skies up. “Workin’ through tha rain’s not gonna be fun,” she sulked. “At least I got ta enjoy a decent meal outdoors ‘fore it started.” She glanced up. Most of the sky above her was covered, with the majority of pegasi flocking to other parts of Ponyville with clouds in tow to finish their weather duties off for the day. She caught a glimpse of Gale Force doing a series of unnecessary acrobatics as he flew across the sky. Well that apple sure didn’t fall far from the tree, she thought to herself, smirking at her own wit. Ah’d better suit up.

Apple Bloom grabbed the list and ran inside the house, stowing it away indoors. While inside she made sure all the windows were shut tightly to prevent the elements from invading the home. She then donned a bright yellow raincoat and a set of galoshes. The footwear would make bucking more difficult, but the she couldn’t afford to spill a bushel across a muddy field, and she really couldn’t risk putting herself out of commission with a debilitating injury from a slip. She trotted back outside and saw Winona running about, expending energy that went unused during the first half of the day. She always became a bit more energetic before a storm. Apple Bloom whistled, and the collie came right to her side. “C’mon Winona. We’d better git all the critters back in their pens ‘fore it starts rainin’. Ah’m gonna havta buck through tha rain, but tha last thing I wanna do is be chasin’ them ‘round tha farm in the middle of a downpour.” The collie acknowledged with a bark, and the two bounded off.

* * *

The sound of the torrential rainfall was only outperformed by the sporadic bouts of thunder that rumbled across Sweet Apple Acres. The animals lay silent, doing their best to shelter themselves from the heavy rain and strong winds that whistled along the many trees of the farm. The varied hills along the property further focused the wind in sports, intensifying to a point where a pony would have to put a great deal of effort in not getting blown over. Winona was putting forth a great deal to stay beside Apple Bloom as she continued bucking apple trees. While there was still enough light for the youngest member of the Apple family to see, the rain did much to obscure her vision. The soaked pony’s bucking efforts weren’t as bountiful since the winds would occasionally blow either her kicks or the falling apples off course. The misaligned fruit ended up wedged in the muddy ground, and Apple Bloom didn’t have the time to stop and search for a them, especially since it would take quite some time to do so during the storm.

“Git along, Winona, ‘fore ya git yerself hurt!” The young mare yelled over the howling winds. The collie wasn’t known to disobey orders. However, despite being blown to and fro by the tumultuous weather, the collie remained vigilant, refusing to leave Apple Bloom’s side. With one eye closed and face tilted against the wind, she pressed forward alongside her companion. The earth pony gave up on attempting to get the family pet to safe shelter. ‘Not gonna be much lightnin’ during the rain’ he said, Apple Bloom thought dismally. Still, just a few more trees an’ tha buckin’s done. Can’t come no sooner neither. My legs feel like they’re gonna fall off. Between the extra effort of pressing against the wind every trip back to the orchard and the act of bucking, Apple Bloom’s rear legs felt quite sore, shaking slightly whenever she had a moment to stand still. The mare was becoming quite exhausted from the entire ordeal.

Bracing against the wind as lightning raced across the sky and thunder boomed, Apple Bloom steadily moved forward to the next tree. The rain was coming down so hard and so fast that the empty baskets were filling up water before she could get to them. Apple Bloom had to drain their contents before bucking apples down, lest she be left with a bunch of wet apples. With the baskets now empty, the mare lined herself up, raised her hind legs and delivered a swift kick to the base of the tree. While the galoshes were making the bucking process more difficult, they were softening the impacts against her hooves to a certain extent.

Looking behind her, she noticed that only a couple apples managed to dislodge from the tree. She sighed and lined up for another shot. Bucking apples or other fruit off of a tree effectively was not a simple matter of kicking it hard enough. Hooves had to be aligned just so, with an equal amount of energy distributed between each leg. Only then would a tree yield the majority of its fruit to the ground below. The galoshes skewed Apple Bloom’s muscle memory slightly, occasionally causing her to miss her mark. The wind further complicated matters, sometimes blowing her a bit off center. Brow furrowed, she aimed and landed another blow.

The buck hit home this time, apples falling into their designated baskets as her reward. Winona gave an encouraging bark, its sound lost against the wind. Phew, she thought, just two more trees an’ Ah can haul these apples back to tha barn. Encouraged, she hustled onto the penultimate tree. She once again lined herself up, bucked hard, and--

“Agh!” She cried as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her leg. She quickly set herself down on four hooves only to find a sharp pain race through one of them again, more intense than before, causing her to grimace and let out a hiss. She took a seat in the mud and removed the galosh from her right hind leg, dumping out the water that had collected in it. Winona came to her side, concerned. The wounded mare touched her hoof gingerly and let out another hiss as the touch emitted an additional shot of pain. A crack splintered across her hoof, traveling from the bottom up to the base where it came in contact with the living skin. The base of the crack was where blood was trickling out, traveling down the lines of the crack and dribbling onto the ground. Of all the rotten luck! She thought miserably. This is gonna sting fer a while, but I gotta git these apples inside tha barn. Ah can leave tha last tree fer tomorrow.

Apple Bloom examined the tree, trying to determine what she did to cause her injury. After a moment she spotted the culprit: A small stub of a branch was poking out the side of the bark, nearly invisible due to the weather and its minute size. The branch itself was long gone, leaving only a jagged edge on the tree. The injured mare figured she must have smacked a hoof right on top of the stub. Still wincing from the pain, Apple Bloom slipped the galosh back on and began the arduous task of carrying the bushels of apples back to the barn on three good hooves. Just gotta walk it off, the farmpony reminded herself from the last time she cracked a hoof. The pain’ll subside eventually. With a pained expression, the young mare limped along with her bounty of fruit on her back, determined to not let the pain deter her.

Progress was slower than usual, but Apple Bloom managed to keep going despite her injury. As she had reminded herself, the wound hurt less and less with each subsequent trip. By the time she was down to the last pair of baskets, she’d nearly put it out of her mind. Her exhaustion mandated that she focus more on the task at hand, which was also helping. The rain was still coming down, but the wind had died down and the lightning was now nothing more than an occasional flicker of light in the sky, yielding only a murmur of thunder. Apple Bloom trotted inside the barn, dropped off the last set, and breathed a sigh of relief, shaking off the excess water. Winona reciprocated, splashing Apple Bloom with bits of water and mud. The farmpony walked back out to find Granny Smith approaching from Ponyville. Despite the harsh weather, she’d managed to again completely sell her stock of goods during market, pulling an empty cart behind her. Apple Bloom was glad to see the old mare, but then a realization dawned on her: Granny wasn’t expecting the rain either. She must’ve been standing out in the rain all day. The young mare trotted briskly up to the older farmpony, ignoring the pain from her injury. Upon reaching her, she saw that Granny had obtained a rather large and festive umbrella hat.

“Hey Granny,” Apple Bloom said, concern etched in her voice, “uh, you alright?”

“Course Ah am,” the green pony responded, “take more than a little rain ta slow me down.” She gestured proudly at the again-empty cart. “‘Sides, one o’ yer sister’s friends popped on by with this lil’ somethin’ fer me. Kept goin’ on ‘bout her senses tellin’ her a pony was gonna get drenched unless she did somethin’ about it. Nice girl, but a little on tha chatty side.”

“Well, glad she stopped by when she did. I hate imaginin’ that you were stuck standin’ in tha rain all day.” Apple Bloom sidled up to her Granny to give her a brief nuzzle. “Git on inside, now, ‘fore you catch somethin’ fierce. Ah’ll git the cart put up.”

“Don’t you dawdle outside neither,” Granny retorted, “Ah know you’ve been out here bustin’ yer tail all afternoon. I can see it in yer eyes. Looks like yer ‘bout ta fall over.” She slowly made her way to the house, Winona greeting her happily along the way. Apple Bloom quickly settled the cart inside the barn and made her way inside as well. She removed her raincoat and galoshes and dried herself off further with a towel.

The two mares shared a quiet supper together, both of them having had a long day. The rain had finally ceased by the time they were finished. Once it had, Granny put Winona outside for the evening. She returned, curious about Apple Bloom’s day. “So how far’d you git on yer list?”

“Just managed ta finish it off!” The younger pony proclaimed proudly, showing her the completed list. “Ah’m ready fer tha next...” She stifled a yawn. “...tha next day.”

“You’ll be ready after a good night’s sleep,” the grandmother replied, “but ya did good today Apple Bloom. Real good. Keep this up an’ two weeks’ll fly by like nothin’.”

Apple Bloom meekly smiled before yawning again. “Yeah, I should probably hit the hay,” the yellow pony agreed. “‘Night,” she called back as she began heading up the stairs.

“What’s that on yer leg, Apple Bloom?” Granny asked, squinting at her granddaughter’s right hind leg. “Is that blood all over yer hoof?”

The young mare had completely forgotten about her injury. She looked down to see that the bleeding had stopped, but dry blood had caked the hoof and had splashed up on her lower leg. “Oh, ‘tain’t nothin’, Granny. Looks a lot worse than it is. Just a cracked hoof is all.” She offered a smile. “Doesn’t hurt or nothin’,” she fibbed.

“Ah still wanna have a look at it,” Granny insisted. “Just sit a spell. Ah’ll be back in a minute.” Apple Bloom reluctantly took a seat on the stairs. Her grandmother returned a moment later carrying a bucket of soapy water and wash cloth. “Jus’ hold still now.” She put down the bucket and began examining the injury. It wasn’t uncommon for the tree-bucking ponies to injure their hooves from time to time. All three siblings had their share of healed cracks, but those typically didn’t draw blood or cause pain since the wounds didn’t travel all the way up the hoof and adjacent to the skin. Granny could tell that this particular crack was worse than most. She began scrubbing the dry blood off of the injured pony’s leg first, then moved to the higher concentrations along her hoof. As she lightly pressed against the injury, Apple Bloom involuntarily jerked away in response. The mingling of soap and water inside the wound caused her eyes to well up, her lip trembling slightly, but she bit down on her lip and didn’t shed a tear. Granny Smith waited a moment, a proud look in her eyes as she watched the young pony resist the urge to cry.

When she started again, Apple Bloom held her leg in place, not moving as Granny cleaned and inspected the cracked hoof further. “Now Ah’m no doctor, but this looks like one doozy of a crack ya got here. Probably got so bad cuz’ tha hoof was soakin’ in water inside yer galosh,” she surmised. “Ya seem to be gettin’ around alright, but Ah’d lay off tha buckin’ fer a coupla days ta let it heal up.” She planted a soft kiss on the wound. “All better now?”

Apple Bloom was perfectly willing to scrub the wound clean herself, but was nevertheless grateful for her grandmother’s care. “Sure is, Granny,” she said. “Thanks.”

The two farmponies shared a hug. “Now git tha rest of yerself cleaned up now, ya hear?” Granny requested, smiling tenderly.

“Will do, Granny. ‘Night.” Apple Bloom nodded tiredly, turning to head upstairs. After a quick bath to cleanse herself of the day’s water, dirt, grime, and sweat, she wearily trotted into her bedroom. What a day, she thought groggily. The clouds still hung over the farm, leaving the outside completely devoid of any light, but Apple Bloom didn’t need to see to navigate her bedroom. She pulled off her bow and stored it in its proper place within her dresser, yawning loudly in the process. She tossed her head a couple times to loosen up her mane. Her bed had never looked quite so welcoming to her weary body. The exhausted, sore farmpony drearily walked over to her bed and pulled back the blanket. She got in, covered herself up, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Comments

[mbpony 512]

AWWW, this was a cute and interesting chapter showing Little Apple Bloom doing all that work and in the rain too.

Also a mentioning in the story.

Nice idea showcasing that knows one of the weather ponies in Clousdale, besides .

I do wonder what other jobs are awaiting Apple Bloom as this storyline continues one, I mean what other work can she do that her older siblings have done before ?

Please do keep up the good work upon such a great tale like this one.

[OmniFox]

Minor injury but she's a fighter.