I Held Back
As the Apple Blooms
Part 87; I Held Back…
Somewhere in Time and Space…
As the chirps of birds and cries of big cats rang out through the jungle, Sergeant Ironhide ran through the dense green undergrowth. “Come on Ironhide.” The young man muttered to himself as he made his way through the emerald labyrinth. “You just gotta make it to the RZ and then you’re home free.” It was only at this moment that Ironhide realized something wasn’t right.
“Hold on. What the hell am I doing?”
Slowing down as he approached an opening under a starry sky, Ironhide came to the realization that he couldn’t remember what his mission was. Once he came to a complete stop, the young sergeant began to list off, “What was the mission again? I know it wasn’t a smash and grab on any anti-air sights or supply depots, and there aren’t any villages around the areas.” As he began to doubt his sanity, Ironhide continued, “Of course Trailbreaker said something about a….”
It was at this moment that Ironhide felt his heart sink as he replied, “But Trailbreaker is dead.” Sighing to himself, the young man internally scolded himself with a furious, “You idiot! How could you forget that he’s dead?”
The sergeant was so focused on scolding himself that he was taken by surprise when Trailbreaker’s voice angrily barked, “Damnit Ironhide!” Letting out a startled scream, Ironhide turned around to see who it was. Sure enough, he found himself locking eyes with his old teammate, only to find that something was off with his friend.
Rather than as he wanted to remember him, Trailbreaker looked like he’d been jammed through a meat shredder. His left arm was missing, gashes were spread all over him, and the supposedly dead soldier had pieces of shrapnel sticking out of him like an animal’s spikes. It was as if Trailbreaker had turned from the man Ironhide knew into a scarred creature.
Stomping up to his old sergeant, Trailbreaker furiously bellowed, “Why didn’t you tell me there were landmines?!” Overcome with shock and confusion, Ironhide asked, “What? What are you…. Talking…. About?” Slowing down, the young sergeant realized his friend was referring to the day he accidentally stepped on a landmine. Sighing, Ironhide replied, “I had no idea there were landmines!”
Trailbreaker didn’t take this well, instead grabbing his friend by the shirt collar with his only remaining hand and bellowed, “And yet I’m still dead! You let me die!” Feeling his eyes water, Ironhide could only apologize, “I’m sorry! What was I supposed to do? Play Primus?!”
Before either Trailbreaker or Ironhide could say anything else, the latter was distracted by the sound of someone else walking up from behind him. ‘Oh great. What now?’ The young sergeant turned around to see who it was, doubtful it could be anything worse than the mutilated remains of his friend.
Instead, it was none other than Firefly, or rather, most of Firefly. Indeed, while he was mostly there, Ironhide’s former teammate was missing his head, with it instead having clearly been shot off, just as it had happened to the solider when a sniper picked him off.
As he no longer had a head, Firefly didn’t say anything to Ironhide verbally. Instead, he simply pointed his index finger at his sergeant, blaming him for his predicament. Realizing what his friend was doing, Ironhide tried to apologize, “I’m sorry Firefly. I had no way of knowing there would be a sniper!”
Once again, another voice spoke up, shouting, “You just love their snipers, don’t you, you wanker?!” Ironhide gulped in fear as he thought to himself, ‘There’s only one person who calls me a wanker!’ Turning around, the young sergeant braced himself for yet another reunion.
Sure enough, there crawling on the ground by his arms was a furious Crosshairs. Pressing himself up as he futilely struggled to stand up, the green man bellowed, “We should have just killed both of those fucking pricks! Then I might actually be able to use my damn legs!” All Ironhide could do was dejectedly nod as he tearfully apologized, “I’m so sorry Crosshairs.”
As the three men closed in on him, Ironhide began to look around him as he apologized out loud, “I’m sorry I let you all down! I…. I just…. I’m sorry.” He received his answer in the form of someone grabbing him and throwing him down to the ground. To his horror, the young sergeant realized that the man who had gotten the jump on him was none other than Mirage, the light blue man covered in bruises, bumps, and scars. Taking a deep breath, the deceased man shouted, “Why did you let them kill me?!”
Struggling to get back to his feet, Ironhide begged, “They had me tied up to an electric chair! What was I supposed to do?!” Mirage simply shook his head as he bellowed, “I don’t know! Something!” Crosshairs dragged himself to Ironhide as he added, “How about we teach him a lesson, eh lads?” Trailbreaker then quipped, “Why not? I’ll even throw in a few punches for Springer!”
As Ironhide found himself overwhelmed by his old teammates, yet another voice, this one naturally timid and squeaky, spoke up, this time shouting, “Why’d you let him kill me sarge?!” The young sergeant’s eyes shrank as he realized that this new voice could only belong to one voice.
Sure enough, Trailbreaker and Firefly stepped aside, revealing none other than Huffer, the young man’s head limply hanging at an unnatural angle. Walking up to Ironhide, the orange man tearfully and spitefully bellowed, “You let him kill me! I died because you just stood by and let him kill me!”
Giving in to his sorrow, Ironhide collapsed to his knees as he begged, “I’m sorry Huffer! Please forgive me!” Sadly, Huffer simply shook his head (or at least tried to) as he replied, “Too little too late sarge.” Bending down and grabbing Ironhide by his shirt collar, the young man lashed out, “You promised you’d bring me home, but you didn’t! You let me down!” He then slammed his sergeant to the ground as he angrily finished, “We should never have listened to you!”
All Ironhide could do was curl up in a defensive circle as he tearfully begged, “I’m sorry! I don’t know what you want me to do, but I’m sorry!” Rather than continue to lash out, however, the rest of the deceased Wreckers simply stood there, glaring down on him with disappointment and disgust. Eventually, a new voice began to speak out, this one far different from the others.
Now, a woman’s voice begged, “Ironhide! Wake up!” Ironhide didn’t react at first, the young man being too focused on preparing for the fists to start flying. However, he began to find himself being shaken by something as the woman’s voice continued, “Please wake up Ironhide!”
As the jungle began to be consumed by a bright light, Ironhide could only ask a surprised, “Chromia?!”
Ironhide’s Room….
Ironhide shot up from his bed as he let out a terrified scream. As he began to nervously push the sheets off of him, Chromia rested her hands on him as she begged, “Ironhide, please. Calm down.” Catching his breath, the former sergeant asked, “Chromia? Where am I?”
Chromia calmly reassured him, “It’s alright. We’re in your room.” Taking this in, Ironhide realized that he was indeed in his bedroom at his family’s home, specifically laying in bed with his girlfriend. As he took a deep breath, Chromia asked, “You have another nightmare?”
Sighing, Ironhide dejectedly replied, “Yeah. I saw them.” Feeling his eyes start to water, he continued, “Trailbreaker, Firefly, Crosshairs, Mirage, Hu….” As a lump formed in his throat, he continued, “Huffer. They were all… They blamed me for what happened. They said that it was my fault they all died and…” finally breaking down, Ironhide finished with, “Maybe they were right!”
Chromia immediately pulled her boyfriend into a tight hug as she tried to reassure him, “It isn’t your fault!” As the two lovers hugged, the bedroom door opened, revealing a concerned Armorhide, Wheeljack, and Ratchet. The maverick man walked up to his old sergeant as he asked, “What’s going on sarge?”
Taking a deep breath, Ironhide admitted, “Sorry boys. I had a bad dream. Like a really bad dream.” Rising up from his bed, the former soldier explained, “I was surrounded by the others. Huffer, Trailbreaker, Mirage, Firefly, Crosshairs, they were all there except for Springer and Optimus.” As Ratchet and Wheeljack took this in, Armorhide let out a stunned, “Dear Primus.” He then pulled his son into a hug as he asked, “Anything we can do for you?”
Hugging his father back, Ironhide answered, “Not really, but thanks dad.” He then released Armorhide as he continued, “Though I think right now I could go for some coffee.” Smiling, the older man reassured his son, “I’ll make us all some coffee. Besides, sun will be up in about an hour, so we all might as well get moving a bit earlier.”
As Armorhide departed to make some coffee, Wheeljack gently asked, “Anything else you wanna talk about sir?” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide replied, “I’m not in charge anymore Wheeljack. You don’t have to suck up to me.” The maverick man shrugged as he replied, “Maybe, but we’d still be on the streets if we didn’t run into you again.” Ratchet then added, “Yeah. Besides, we don’t exactly have anywhere else to go.”
Smiling, Ironhide stood up straight as he saluted his teammates, leading Chromia to follow in suit. As Wheeljack and Ratchet returned their salute, the latter gently warned, “Just a heads-up ma’am, you probably shouldn’t do that around anyone else. It could piss off the chest thumpers.” Thankfully, Ironhide reassured her, “But as far as I know, you’re a Wrecker like us.” Chromia simply gave a gentle nod as she replied, “Thanks. And don’t worry, I won’t try stealing anyone’s valor.”
And so, as the sun rose, everyone continued their friendly conversation, all while Ironhide mentally prepared himself for what coming up that day.
Sweet Apple Acres, Later That Day…
Ironhide had visited the Apple family’s farm many times before. If anything, the farm had been a second home for the young man. However, this time, it wasn’t a sense of warmth and acceptance the coursed through the former soldier’s veins. Instead, as he walked approached Sweet Apple Acres flanked by Chromia and his teammates, Ironhide found himself consumed by anticipation and dread.
Turning to face her boyfriend, Chromia gently warned, “I know that look Ironhide.” Wheeljack then added, “Yeah. I’ve never seen you this nervous before.” Even Ratchet was stumped, remarking, “You were calmer that time you stood down that shilka thing. This Bright Mac guy must be some sort of demon to have you sweating like a polar bear in the tropics.”
Taking a deep breath, Ironhide replied, “Well, it’s kinda hard to not be nervous when you’re barging into your friend’s house, especially if he’s a friend you’ve known since birth and said friend is avoiding you like you’re the spawn of Unicron.” He then hesitated for a moment as he simplified his statement with, “What I mean is this that yes, I’m kinda nervous.”
As they walked up to the main farmhouse, Wheeljack noticed that several cars were parked in the driveway and in front of the house, far too many for the assumed three people who lived there. Curious, the maverick man asked, “How many people live here? Twenty? Thirty?” Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, “The Apples are a massive family with branches all over the country. They gather around this time of year to catch up with everyone.” This statement led Ratchet to inquire, “At least until we all came home and Bright Mac started giving you the cold shoulder?” Needless to say, the rest of the group gave him a confused look as the old medic asked, “What? It’s true, isn’t it?”
They quartet wouldn’t get much longer to discuss the situation, as they were interrupted by the farmhouse door opening, revealing a golden yellow woman with pale pink hair. Walking up to the four unexpected guests, she greeted, “Why Ironhide! I didn’t know you were already back!” She then turned to Chromia and added, “And Ah’m surprised Pear Butter didn’t invite you either.”
Chromia simply let out a gentle chuckle and wrapped her arms around the golden woman as she replied, “Good to see you too Goldie Delicious.” Hugging the young woman back, Goldie turned to face the other two men and asked, “Now who are you two youngin’s?”
Walking up to the golden woman, Wheeljack introduced himself, “The name’s Wheeljack. I was in the same unit as Ironhide here.” He then extended his hand as he apologized, “Forgive me ma’am, but I don’t know who you are.” Shaking the maverick man’s hand, Goldie introduced herself with a warm, “Ah’m Goldie Delicious, sister of Granny Smith and one of the two resident Apples of Canterlot City.”
As Goldie turned her attention to Ratchet, a familiar young woman’s voice called out, “Everything alright Goldie?” Soon enough, the familiar shape of Pear Butter emerged from the house, leading to the older woman replying, “Why just Ironhide, Chromia and some of their friends stoppin’ by. Somethin’ wrong?”
It was at this moment that Ironhide realized that Pear Butter was visibly nervous. A few beads of sweat were dripping down from the peach woman’s forehead, not enough for most people to notice but easily visible to the trained eyes of the former soldier. Stepping up to his friend, Ironhide asked, “I know something’s going on, so please, just tell me. Why won’t Bright Mac talk to me?”
Sighing in defeat, Pear Butter dejectedly replied, “He’s inside. Come on.” She then began to lead everyone into the farmhouse. As everyone entered the building, Chromia turned to her boyfriend and whispered, “I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this.” All Ironhide could do was sigh as he replied, “That makes two of us.”
Once the group was past the foyer, they found themselves in the living room, surrounded by the many, many members of the Apple family. Some were familiar faces that Ironhide and Chromia recognized such as Apple Cinnamon and Big Apple, while others were unfamiliar to either of them. Letting out a quiet gulp, Ironhide thought to himself, ‘Heh, guess a lot can happen in a few years.’
One of the unfamiliar Apples, a young blue man with red hair, walked up to him and asked, “You look familiar. What’s your name again?” Feeling somewhat challenged and even a bit insulted by this question, the former soldier replied, “Uh… I’m Ironhide.”
The moment those words escaped Ironhide’s lips, the room turned deathly silent. For several moments, not a single sound, not even the slightest creek of wood or the quietest squeak of the smallest mouse rang out. Starting to grow concerned, Ironhide thought to himself, ‘What’s going on? Was it something I said?’
He received his answer when a familiar voice called out, “Everything alright in here?” Ironhide froze and grew slightly pale as he thought, ‘That has to be him. It could only be Bright Mac.’ Sure enough, entering the living room from the kitchen was a familiar young man with yellow skin, red hair, and a brown Stetson.
And it was at this moment, for the first time in three years, Ironhide and Bright Macintosh were reunited.
Walking up to his old friend, Bright Mac incredulously asked, “Ironhide? What are you doing here?” Crossing his arms, Ironhide answered, “Trying to find you. I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve been back for almost two weeks, and I’ve been trying to talk with you.” Allowing his frustration to expose itself just a bit, he asked, “Why have you been avoiding me?”
For a few moments, Bright Mac was unnervingly quiet, only staring his friend in the eyes. Eventually, the yellow man turned around and began to walk back into the kitchen as he asked, “Ironhide? May I have a word with you in…. Private?” Though he hesitated for a moment, the former soldier relented as he gave a simple nod and replied, “As you wish.” He then turned to his friends as Chromia gave him a confirming thumbs up.
Once they were alone in the kitchen, Ironhide asked, “So, what’s going on?” The moment he said this, Bright Mac stomped right up to him and, shoving his index finger into the former soldier’s face as he asked, “What the hell are you doing here?” Caught off guard, Ironhide brushed the yellow man’s finger out of his face as he replied, “Me? You’re the one who’s been giving me the cold shoulder. Besides, why weren’t Chromia and I invited to the family reunion? Aren’t we family?”
Glaring at Ironhide with poisoned dipped daggers in his eyes, Bright Mac spitefully answered, “Easy. You weren’t invited.”
As Ironhide took this in, Bright Mac continued, “Yeah. I don’t associate with people like you.” Absolutely confused, the former sergeant let out a furious, “What do you mean “People like me?” What the fuck are you blabbing about?”
Backing up, Bright Mac elaborated, “Did you really forget what you did? Or are you just that stupid?” Finally giving in to his frustration, Ironhide angrily demanded, “No more riddles! Just tell me what the hell is going on right fucking now!”
“You murdered him!” Bright Mac furiously replied. “Your captain, that Sentinel fella. You didn’t like what he was doing so you just murdered him!”
Ironhide felt his jaw drop as he found himself thinking, ‘He’s angry about that?’ Of course, the former sergeant knew that rumors about what had happened were being spread around, and it quickly hit him that Bright Mac probably heard about what he’d done. Taking a deep breath, Ironhide began, “If you’re referring to what happened with Sentinel Prime, then you need to know that….”
“I know what happened!” Bright Mac angrily interrupted. Pointing at Ironhide, the yellow man continued, “You betrayed him! He was your commander and you murdered him!” Glaring at the former soldier, Bright Mac finished, “You just murdered him like a dog!”
Sighing to himself in resignation, Ironhide admitted, “I won’t deny that I killed Sentinel Prime, and I won’t pretend I regret it, but you….” He was interrupted by Bright Mac loudly inquiring, “I what? I can’t comprehend what you were going through?” He then stomped over to the other end of the kitchen and pulled a newspaper from the fridge the fridge. Giving the pulpy paper to the former soldier, the red-haired man angrily demanded, “How about you try and explain this?”
Accepting the newspaper, Ironhide brought it up to his face as he read the headline aloud, “Local soldier accused of killing commanding officer?” Sighing, the gray man Allowed the newspaper to fall out of his hands as he asked, “And you’ve just been believing what they say hook line and sinker?” Shaking his head, Bright Mac replied, “Does it matter? I asked you if you murdered him and you just admitted it!"
Ironhide allowed his frustration to show itself as he angrily replied, “I said I killed him! I did not murder him!” Taking a deep breath, the former sergeant explained, “That monster ordered us to fire on innocent people for no other reason other than to satisfy his bloodlust, and when….” Feeling a lump form in his throat, he allowed a tear to escape from his eye as he continued, “When Huffer, my friend and a man I promised I’d get home, began to crumble under the weight of what we were forced to do, Sentinel murdered him without an OUNCE OF REMORSE!” Pointing his finger right at Bright Mac’s chest, Ironhide angrily shouted, “So don’t you ever, EVER, call me a murderer, because I know what a real murderer is, and I’ll be DAMNED IF I EVER SERVE UNDER ONE AGAIN!”
For several moments, both men stood there, worried they would say something that would set the other off like a lit match. Eventually, Bright Mac folded his arms as he coldly replied, “Couldn’t you have, I dunno…. Not killed him?” Feeling his eyes blink at the incredulous stupidity of that question, Ironhide replied, “What?”
“Couldn’t you have not killed him?!” Bright Mac repeated himself. “I mean, if this guy was so evil, couldn’t you just report him or, I dunno, arrested him?” As his eyes glared right into his friend, the yellow man coldly continued, “Maybe you just didn’t want to. Maybe you wanted to kill him.” It took all of Ironhide’s strength to hold in the growing anger and fury at his friend’s blatant ignorance.
And then, just as it seemed he couldn’t say anything more ignorant or stupid, Bright Mac inquired, “Maybe you murdered that Huffer guy and killed your boss to hide it!”
A lot of things can happen in the span of less than a second. For Ironhide, the first thing to happen was the complete and utter disintegration of any kind feelings for Bright Macintosh. Next, as his facial muscles morphed into a frown, the former sergeant thought to himself, ‘That’s it!’ He barely even noticed his fists forming into tight fists.
Finally, as almost an entire second passed, Ironhide felt his right fist rise up from his waist, pull itself back, and before he could even comprehend what he was about to do, shot itself straight forward, landing right on Bright Macintosh’s nose. And with an audible crack, the red-haired man found himself falling backwards, his trademark cowboy hat flying off his head.
Once Bright Mac was down on the ground, Ironhide realized what he’d just done. ‘Oh no.’ The young man thought to himself as his anger fizzled out, replaced by shock and shame. As his now former friend writhed on the ground, Ironhide felt his hand sting from the punch. He didn’t mind the pain, however that was only because he was more focused on the blood emerging from Bright Mac’s nose.
As he finally began to push himself up from the floor, Bright Mac reached for his nose, only to find it painful to touch. Wincing, the yellow man was also horrified to find that his hand now had a few drops of blood staining his skin, blood that hadn’t been there a minute earlier. As his eyes turned to face Ironhide, any friendship or love that once existed for him was swiftly replaced with a hellish hate. And it was at this moment that both men finally processed what had just happened.
Ironhide had, in an impulsive heat of the moment decision, broken Bright Mac’s nose.
Before Ironhide could even begin to contemplate an apology, Bright Mac let out a bloodcurdling, “YOU SON OF A BITCH!” He then tackled the former soldier to the ground and began to punch and scratch at his former friend. Ironhide, for his part, didn’t try to fight back, only focusing on protecting himself. As the Apple farmer continued, the former soldier decided that it was time to leave and, with a great huff, pushed his former friend off him.
Bright Mac didn’t take this lying down and, with a spiteful snarl, he grabbed a glass cup and threw it at Ironhide. The former soldier didn’t have time to react, and immediately found himself kneeling on the kitchen floor, glass shards protruding from his forehead and blood dripping down his face. “Ugh! Damnit that hurts!”
Ironhide was so focused on his own pain that he failed to notice Bright Mac charging him. Before he could even begin to raise his arms, the yellow man tackled him, sending both men straight through the door and into the living room. Unaware that they were now being witnessed by the entire Apple family as well as Chromia, Ratchet, and Wheeljack, Bright Mac slammed his fists into Ironhide’s face, turning his gray face purple.
And all while Ironhide struggled to keep himself from fighting back, fearful that if he laid one more finger on his assailant, then Bright Macintosh would be one with the universe.
Eventually, however, Wheeljack and Ratchet forced Bright Mac off of their friend, with the former warning, “You lay one more finger on our sergeant and you’re a dead man!” The yellow man tried to force himself past the two former soldiers, but they were able to keep him at bay.
Meanwhile, Chromia helped Ironhide up as she tearfully asked, “Ironhide! What happened?!” Ironhide, however, simply stood there, glancing around the living room, taking in the fact that all of the Apples were looking at him with disgust and fear.
What struck the former soldier the hardest was the fact that, among the crowd, was a terrified and disappointed Granny Smith. Ironhide tried to walk towards her, but the pain in his legs forced him down, requiring Chromia’s help to regain his balance.
The quiet moment was ruined when Bright Mac finally pushed Ratchet and Wheeljack off of him and bellowed, “Get the FUCK out of here right now!” As everyone gasped in fear and shock, the yellow farmer continued, “Get out right now and don’t ever come back! You ever show your two-timin’ backstabbin’ face here again and Ah’ll fuckin’ kill you, plain and simple!”
As Chromia tried to approach Bright Mac in a vain attempt to get calm him down, Pear Butter stepped in between them and, with tears already falling out of her eyes, begged, “Please, just go. There’ll be another time.” All that Chromia could do was sigh as she replied with a defeated, “Very well.” She then turned to face her boyfriend as she said, “You heard him. We better go.”
Turning to leave, Ironhide gave one last look to Granny Smith. Deep down, the former soldier didn’t know why he was locking eyes at the woman who was, in many ways, the closest thing he’d ever had to a mother. Maybe he was hoping she’d step in and confront Bright Mac, or maybe he hoped she’d stop him from leaving.
But this time, nothing happened. Granny Smith didn’t step forward and confront her son, nor did she comfort or even scold Ironhide. Instead, the older woman just stood there, staring at him with a look that could only be described as “betrayed.” And deep down, Ironhide was too defeated and broken to even consider trying to explain himself.
Not that it would make any difference.
Taking a deep breath, Ironhide let out a gentle, “Ok boys, let’s go.” Both Ratchet and Wheeljack silently nodded as they made their way towards the front door, followed swiftly by Chromia. Ironhide was the last to leave, pausing one last time to give Bright Mac a soul crushing glare before finally joining his friends.
Outside the Farmhouse…
Once the quartet was a outside the farmhouse, Wheeljack asked, “Ok, what the hell happened in there? That little bastard was supposed to be your friend! Why did he want to kill you?” For a few moments, Ironhide didn’t speak, only holding his head low in shame. The maverick man didn’t take this silence well, and repeated, “What happened? What did he say?” Ratchet then inquired, “Did he go on some spiel about us being cold blooded killers.”
Turning to face his teammates, Ironhide felt tears escape from his eyes as he bluntly answered, “He accused me of murdering Huffer.”
Everyone felt their hearts drop as Chromia asked, “You mean he said you killed Huffer? But didn’t….” Wheeljack interrupted with a quiet and cold, “That son of a bitch.” Even Ratchet couldn’t help but remark, “Saying something like that to you… He’s honestly lucky he’s still breathing.” Chromia then inquired, “So, what happened next?”
As the tears continued to drip from his eyes, Ironhide admitted, “The moment he said that, I just lost control and punched him in the face. After that I….” The former soldier found himself stricken silent by guilt, unable to admit what he’d just done. Growing concerned, Chromia asked, “You what?” It was at this moment that Ironhide admitted what he did.
“I held back.”
As everyone took this in, Ironhide collapsed to his knees as he tearfully repeated himself, “I held back. I held back! I HELD BACK!” The former sergeant gave in to the sorrow, anger, and confusion building up within him as he repeated this mantra, leaving Chromia, Wheeljack, and Ratchet unable to do little more than let out their own tears and comfort their friend. And so, in front of the farmhouse that had once been a home away from home, Ironhide came to a conclusion that would change the course of his life.
“I can’t stay here anymore.”
The Present Day…
As Ironhide finished his tale, Apple Bloom wiped the tears from her eyes as Tender Taps hugged Double Shuffle, the latter consumed by fitful sobs of sorrow. Once her eyes were dry (or rather dry enough), the former farm girl asked, “So that was when you decided to leave Canterlot City?”
Nodding, Ironhide replied, “Yeah. Within a month, we’d all pooled everything we had and bought the chop shop and… Well, I guess you know the rest.” Apple Bloom silently nodded as she looked over her shoulder, inspecting one of her braided pigtails. For the first time in her life, Apple Bloom felt an emotion that she never thought she’d feel about her father.
Disgust.
The former farm girl was distracted from her familial strife by Double Shuffle tearfully exclaiming, “Apple Bloom, your dad was a great big jerk.” The younger girl sniffled as she continued, “If he said that about my dad, I’d… I’d… I’d never speak to him again.” Hugging her little sister tightly, Apple Bloom comforted her with a simple, “So would Ah.”
The moment was interrupted by the sound of Sideswipe calling out, “Apple Bloom?” As the former farm girl turned to face her sister, the pale biker continued, “Marble and Rattrap were wondering if you were ready or not. We gonna do it?” Taking a moment to inspect her bright red pigtail, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’m ready.” She then turned to Ironhide and informed him, “Ah asked Wheeljack to pick somethin’ up while you were out.”
Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide reassured her, “Well, I don’t wanna hold you up.” Giving her uncle a small smile, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’ll be back in a bit.” She then gave Ironhide a quick hug, one which he happily returned.
As Apple Bloom approached her sister, Sideswipe asked, “You sure you wanna do this?” Pausing only for a moment, the former farm girl took one last look at her bright red pigtails before nodding as she replied, “Ah’m certain.”
One Hour Later…
Sitting across from Soft and Hard Shoe, Ironhide apologized, “I apologize for telling Double Shuffle that story.” Scratching the back of his head, the former sergeant continued, “She was right there with Apple Bloom and I… I just couldn’t help but tell what happened, warts and all.”
To his surprise, Hard Shoe reassured him, “It’s alright Mr. Ironhide.” Soft Shoe then added, “Double Shuffle is getting to the age where she’ll hear things like that anyway. Besides, she’s already heard me when I poke myself while sewing dance shoes.” As Ironhide let out a sigh of relief, Chromia added, “I’m just glad she didn’t hear this from Wheeljack.”
The pleasant conversation was interrupted by the sound of Sideswipe clearing her throat. When everyone turned to face her, they found both the pale biker and Marble Pie enter the living room, blocking the way in. Curious, Ironhide asked, “What’s going on? Everything alright?”
With smiles on both girls’ faces, Sideswipe replied, “Everything’s alright. We just wanted to reveal something.” Marble then nodded as she continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, introducing for the first time anywhere…” Both girls then slid out of the entryway, striking dramatic poses as they said in unison, “The new and improved Apple Bloom!”
There, entering the living room, was Apple Bloom, only something was different. It wasn’t her outfit, which was still blue overalls over a blue and white stripped tank top under a black leather jacket with black boots, and it wasn’t her hair style, which was still in braided pigtails. Instead, it was her hair color.
Indeed, rather than its natural bright red, her hair was a dark, rich burgundy.
Letting out a nervous breath, Apple Bloom asked, “So, what do you think?” Chromia was the first to speak up with an enthusiastic, “I like it!” Soft Shoe then gave a warm, “Why aren’t you just the cutest thing ever.” Apple Bloom let out a small giggle as she replied, “Thank you ma’am.” Turning to face her uncle, the former farm girl asked, “What do you think uncle Ironhide?”
Walking up to his daughter, Ironhide inspected her dark red hair as he complimented, “I must admit it suits you perfectly. What really matters is how you feel about it.” Smiling, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks. After everythin’ that’s happened, Ah kinda wanted to, well… If you’ll forgive me for bein’ kinda selfish….” Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl finished, “Ah wanted to look a little less like mah dad.”
Ironhide knelt down and reassured his daughter, “Well, I say you’re not your dad. You’re your own person, and if I may be selfish for a moment as well…” Feeling a tear escape from his left eye, the former sergeant admitted, “You’re a better woman than your father ever was as a man.”
Needless to say, both father and daughter shared a tight hug, one which Chromia, Sideswipe, and Marble quickly joined in on.
As everyone finished their hug, Ironhide asked, “So kid, how about I order all of us some pizza?" Apple Bloom immediately nodded as she answered, “Ah’d love that. Ah just hope it won’t be too expensive for you.” Marble then added, “You know, since there’s so many of us.” Ironhide reassured the girls, “Don’t worry. I think we can all split the check.”
Once everyone nodded, Marble turned to Apple Bloom and said, “Come on, let’s go show Pinkie and the others your new hair color.” With that, Apple Bloom, Marble and Sideswipe left to show the other Pie siblings the former farm girl’s new hair color.
All while Ironhide let out a gentle chuckle as he said to himself, “I love those girls.”
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All of the stupid questions you ask you ask if they could handle differently in the middle of a war with a commander who set on murdering a bunch of innocent people.?! That has be the stupidest question ever. There was no time for stopping him a different way and sometimes you have put your foot down and say here where the line is.
I like the end of the chapter it was touching in sweet
Survivor’s guilt.never fun.
And if Bright Mac was Ironhides friend, he’d have given him the benefit of the doubt! I know I would have.
Good job once again
I was not expecting that dye job.
11346704
I hope you don’t mind it. It sort of helps Apple Bloom stand out from other characters with the same color scheme (Torque Wrench, Dreamwave, etc..) and it helps distance her from her father, who if I may confess, was one of the laziest designs for a new character.
Hey everyone. I’ve got good news and bad news.
Bad news: I’m taking one week off due to physical exhaustion. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Good news: the next batch of chapters will finish this story, so I guess it’s bittersweet.
Regardless, stay safe. It’s a jungle out there.