As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit


Three Kids and a Box Car

As the Apple Blooms

Part 22; Three Kids and a Box Car

As Apple Bloom inspected the brake pad before her, she couldn’t decide on where to start cleaning it. Wheeljack had given her said brake pad when he was going through an old sports car, and he figured that they young girl was capable enough of cleaning the old instrument.

The day before, Ironhide had told his niece one of his war stories, and now Apple Bloom was more than content to direct her focus on something a little less violent. After a few minutes, Apple Bloom decided on beginning with the top side.

As she worked, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but begin to whistle an old tune Granny Smith had taught her. She didn’t know if it was a melody that had lyrics, but it was a catchy tune nonetheless.

This was when the sound of the door opening caught her attention. “Huh. Who could that be?” Apple Bloom asked herself. Setting the brake pad down, she looked up to see that her guest was none other than a very familiar (and very, very skinny) boy with loose fitting clothing and an unmistakable set of buck teeth.

“Howdy Rattrap.” Apple Bloom greeted her friend as she extended her arm across the counter. The skinny boy shook her hand as he replied, “Good to see ya Apple Bloom.” He then began to look around as he continued, “Ya know, this place looks a lot different when you’re worried people are gonna start askin’ questions.” Apple Bloom could only let out a guilty chuckle as she remembered the exact situation he was referring to.

Rattrap then said, “But enough about the past. I, eh…. I need some help.” Curious, Apple Bloom asked, “What’s the problem Rattrap?” The young teen continued, “Well, I may have used the train station as a place to crash a few times.” He then began to awkwardly look around as he continued, “Specifically without permission.”

As Apple Bloom let out a worried, “Oh.”, Rattrap continued, “Yeah. So long story short, I was sneakin’ in a few nights ago to pick up a few things that I kept in one of those trains, and…..”

“You got caught?” Apple Bloom interrupted. Rattrap could only sigh as he replied, “Yeah.” The former farm girl climbed over the counter and, to Rattrap’s surprise, wrapped him in a large hug. Though initially put off by the gesture of warmth, the scrawny teen hugged her back.

Once they’d finished their hug, Rattrap asked, “Long story short, Mr. Astrotrain wants me to clean up some of his fancy train things tomorrow and he said I could ask for some help. You mind giving me a hand?”

Apple Bloom pondered for a moment before she replied, “Ah’ll ask Uncle Ironhide if Ah can help. That sound fair?” Rattrap, smiling and nodding, answered, “Sounds like a plan. See you at the train station?” The young girl nodded and replied, “See you there and then.” With that, Rattrap turned and departed the chop shop, leaving Apple Bloom to wonder just how he actually got around on his own.

The Train Station, The Next Day…

Just like every other time she was helping someone, Once Apple Bloom finished her chores, Ironhide allowed her to leave to help whoever it was. Today, as Apple Bloom approached the train station, she was just hoping that today wouldn’t be too emotionally taxing. After all, in the last two times she had interacted with Rattrap, she not only found out he was homeless, but found herself on the receiving end of his emotional outburst. Needless to say, she just hoped today would be far more pleasant.

As she approached the Railroad station, Apple Bloom noticed something surprising waiting for her; a red motorcycle with a very familiar helmet. ‘Guess Ah’m not the only one here today.’ She thought to herself as she pulled up to Sideswipe’s bike.

After parking her bike, Apple Bloom removed her helmet and began to make her way up to the station’s front door. Once she was up to the door, she knocked on it three times. Once again, there was no response. However, Apple Bloom remembered that the door was unlocked the last time, and decided to try turning the knob. Just as she suspected, the door was indeed unlocked.

Once she had entered the old station, Apple Bloom began to call out, “Hello? Rattrap? Mr. Astrotrain? Sideswipe?” There was no response, just the silence of the old building. After a few awkward moments, she continued, “Hello? Anybody?”

From behind her, she heard a familiar feminine voice said, “Boo!” Startled, Apple Bloom jumped up in terror. “Gah!” She practically screamed. Once she landed, Apple Bloom turned around to be greeted by none other than Sideswipe, the latter of which was standing with her arms and legs crossed and a satisfied smirk on her face.

“That wasn’t funny.” Apple Bloom groaned. Sideswipe simply made her way to the former farm girl and replied, “I think it was a little funny. You looked so cute when you were scared.” Letting out a sigh of resignation, Apple Bloom could only smile as she remarked, “Good to see you too Sideswipe.”

Sideswipe then asked, “So, you hear to help with Astrotrain?” Apple Bloom nodded as she answered, “Sort of. A friend of mine asked for help.”

This was when Sideswipe sighed as she remarked, “Let me guess, Rattrap?” Stunned, Apple Bloom asked, “What? You know him?” The young biker replied, “Personally, not until today. I swear that little….”

She was interrupted when Rattrap’s voice called out, “Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Both girls turned to see Rattrap, followed by Mr. Astrotrain, making their way up to them. The scrawny teen then extended his had to Apple Bloom as he cheekily greeted, “My fair lady.” Apple Bloom could only chuckle as she replied, “Good to see ya Rattrap.”

The skinny boy then focused his attention on Sideswipe, his smile morphed into a neutral expression as he simply said, “Sideswipe.” The teenaged biker replied in kind, only muttering a simple, “Rat boy.”

As Rattrap groaned, Apple Bloom found herself in a situation she never thought she’d be in; two of her friends who didn’t seem to like each other. However, she didn’t have time to dwell on this possibility as Astrotrain began to speak.

“Good to see you again Apple Bloom.” The older man warmly greeted her. “Welcome back to my humble abode.” The former farm girl managed to regain her composure as she replied, “Good to see you to Mr. Astrotrain. What do you need me to do?”

Astrotrain paused for a moment before he replied, “Well for starters, those little trouble makers Rumble and Frenzy tagged several trucks again. I need you and Sideswipe to clean them up.” Though internally happy to be working with Sideswipe again, Apple Bloom was still curious as to what he the older man had in mind for Rattrap.

This was when the scrawny teen asked, “What do you need me to do sir?” Astrotrain walked up to him and, his face turning into a knowing smirk, answered, “You’re coming with me. We’re gonna get you a mask so you can clean up all the shit on my property!” As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe stepped back (as well as trying to hold back their giggling at Astrotrain’s sudden profanity), the scrawny boy could only mutter to himself, “I’m gonna die.”

The Truck Yard…

Just as Astrotrain had said, several of the trucks (or rather supply cars) had graffiti painted all over them, and it was almost identical to the markings Apple Bloom had seen the last time she’d been at the station. “Uh, Sideswipe?” She asked her friend. As she pointed to one of the words, she asked, “What does that word mean?”

Sideswipe simply aimed a water hose at the word and began to spray. Once it was almost indecipherable, she remarked, “It’s the kind of thing you don’t call a lady.” As a mischievous smile growing on her face, Apple Bloom quipped, “Ah didn’t know you were a lady.”

Sideswipe gave Apple Bloom a “stunned” stare as she replied, “What? Moi, not a lady?” Apple Bloom didn’t quite get that she was joking and began to apologize, “Sorry! Ah’m sorry!” Sideswipe rested her hand on the former farm girl’s shoulder as she reassured, “Relax Apple Bloom, it’s just a joke.”

Calming down, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks.” As the two girls resumed scrubbing the profanity away, she couldn’t help but ask, “So, you said you’ve met Rattrap before?”

Not even looking away from the graffiti, Sideswipe simply answered, “Yeah. He kept going through our trash. Hell, this one time I caught him with a rotten chicken leg in his mouth.” Though she couldn’t help but giggle, Apple Bloom could only sigh. After all, she knew why he’d been going through her garbage in the first place.

Seeing her friend looking depressed, Sideswipe knew she had to pep things up. “So….” She began. “You and that boy finally dating?” Apple Bloom began to blush profusely as she asked, “What?” Sideswipe gave her a knowing look as she continued, “You know, Tender Taps? That tap dancer you threw a fit over?”

Now that her face was even redder than her hair, Apple Bloom answered, “Yeah. Sorry about that.” Sideswipe leaned against one of the trucks as she remarked, “Don’t sweat it. Trust me; I know what it’s like to go crazy over someone. Why I remember this one time where this girl I was fawning over was….”

Apple Bloom immediately interrupted with, “Wait! You had a crush on a girl?” Sideswipe gave a nonchalant nod as she replied, “Well I’ve never really had much focus on boys.” As Apple Bloom began to process what she’d just learned, the teenaged biker asked, “There a problem with me bein’ gay?”

“Oh, of course not!” Apple Bloom replied. “Ah just don’t really think about that kind of thing.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Sideswipe added, “Good to know, ‘cause not everyone around here is too welcoming of “Deviants.”” As Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief, Sideswipe playfully quipped, “I figured you’d like to know I won’t be stealing your boyfriend.”

However, it was then that both girls noticed something odd; the hose had stopped spraying water. Pulling the hose up to her face, Sideswipe said, “That’s odd.” Curious, Apple Bloom added, “Yeah. There ever a reason why a hose just stops?” Still leaving the hose pointed at them, Sideswipe began, “Usually it’s when someone turns the water….”

She was interrupted when the water turned back on, spraying both Sideswipe and Apple Bloom right in the face. Spitting some water out of her mouth, the teenaged biker glumly replied, “….Off.” Apple Bloom would have wondered who would do something so childish, but the sound of a young boy laughing could only belong to one person.

Though Apple Bloom could only let out an annoyed groan, Sideswipe growled, “That little tunnel rat!” As she stomped off, Apple Bloom realized that her friend was not going to take the “diplomatic” approach and tried to calm her down.

“Sideswipe, let’s not do anythin’ irrational.” She tried to reassure her friend. As the two girls approached Rattrap, the scrawny teen remarked, “Hey! I heard you two might have sprung a leak.” While he gave a cheeky grin, Sideswipe simply stood there, shaking her head in disappointment.

It was at this moment, staring down two girls with soaked heads, one of whom was very displeased, that Rattrap knew he screwed up. Letting out a nervous giggle, he simply said, “I’m going now.” He then turned and began to run. Sideswipe immediately gave chase, followed by a concerned Apple Bloom.

With a decent head start, Rattrap began to search for a secure hiding spot. As his eyes darted around the train yard, he noticed a box car parked at the base of a small hill leaning downwards. Realizing it was his best chance, he darted towards the box car.

Unfortunately, Sideswipe noticed him. “There’s the little jerk. Let’s get him!” As she charged, Apple Bloom, struggling to catch up, called out, “Are you sure it’s a good idea? Ah mean, it wasn’t that big of a deal.” Sadly, Sideswipe either couldn’t hear her or didn’t care, and simply charged towards Rattrap.

As Rattrap entered the box car, Sideswipe followed in suit, tailed by Apple Bloom. As the scrawny teen began to back himself into a corner, Sideswipe coolly remarked, “Well, looks like we’ve got a rat in a trap.”

“Look….” Rattrap began as Apple Bloom entered the box car. “I was just messing with you guys. No harm done, right?” Apple Bloom then joined in with, “He’s right Sideswipe. It was just a prank.”

Sideswipe turned to Apple Bloom and, to her shock, angrily replied, “It’s not about the damn hose! This little loser said my dad was a psychopath!” As Apple Bloom processed what she’d just heard, Rattrap tried to tip toe towards the entrance to the box car. Noticing this, Sideswipe spoke up again. “You’re not getting away that easily!” She then, in a fit of rage, slammed the car’s wall.

However, it was just after she did so that all three kids noticed two things; the light diminishing and a creaking, rusty sound. Turning around, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe were horrified to see that the box car’s side door was closing quickly. Before they could react further, the door slammed shut, effectively trapping them.

“Oh no!” Apple Bloom said as she ran towards the door and tried to pull it open. When she couldn’t open it on her own, Sideswipe joined in and tried to help her. Sadly, the door wouldn’t budge.

On the outside, Apple Bloom heard the voice of Astrotrain call out, “Who’s there? What’s going on?” The former farm girl quickly replied, “Sideswipe, Rattrap and Ah are in here! They were gettin’ in a fight and the door closed on its own!”

Astrotrain’s voice, now full of fear, replied, “Oh no. Ok, just stay calm! I’ll get you kids out of there pronto!” The sound of footsteps growing increasingly quiet signaled that he was leaving, something that made Apple Bloom start to panic.

This was when Rattrap made his way up to her and, wrapping an arm around her, reassured her, “Don’t worry. He’s probably just gone to find a power saw or somethin’.” Managing to calm herself down, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah hope so.”

After a few awkward minutes of silence, Apple Bloom spoke up. “Ok, so since we’re stuck in here for the moment, Ah think this is a good opportunity to work out your animosity with each other.”

Instead, Sideswipe just stomped over to the other side of the box car and sat down in a huff. Rattrap, in response, just crossed his arms and held his head high (a sight that reminded Apple Bloom of Rarity) as he remarked, “Hey, I’m not the one who thinks a little water is worth a fist up my ass!”

“I told you, it’s not that!” Sideswipe barked back. “It’s everything else!” She then performed an odd gesture, specifically raising her fist in the air while slapping her arm. While Apple Bloom didn’t know what exactly it meant, she figured it wasn’t exactly a salute.

Deciding that she needed to get to the bottom of this, Apple Bloom spoke up. “So Sideswipe, you found Rattrap goin’ through your trash, and then he insulted your dad. What did he say exactly?”

Standing back up, Sideswipe answered, “He said that my dad, “Needs to keep his head on straight or he’ll think everyone is out to get him and go on a rampage!”” Apple Bloom turned to Rattrap and asked, “Is it true?” She figured he’d either nod yes or shake his head no.

Instead, the scrawny boy angrily replied, “Honestly I can’t remember. You tend to forget things when you take a BASEBALL BAT to the face!” As Apple Bloom found herself stunned speechless, she turned to Sideswipe to see the latter was simply looking away in shame.

“Sideswipe…” Apple Bloom began. The teenaged biker could only reply, “Look, dad doesn’t like trespassers. After his accident, he began to think that just about anyone he didn’t know was either a spy or just didn’t like him so….”

“A baseball bat?” Apple Bloom bluntly interrupted. “Your dad hit someone in the head for goin’ through your trash with a BASEBALL BAT?!” Sideswipe immediately and angrily asked, “Well why the hell was he going through our trash in the first place?!”

“Because he was FUCKIN’ HOMELESS!” Apple Bloom impulsively shouted. As Sideswipe, stunned by her friend’s sudden anger, backed away in fear, the former farm girl quickly realized she’d made a horrible mistake; she’d done this before.

Turning to Rattrap, Apple Bloom began to panic as she apologized, “Rattrap Ah’m sorry! Ah got so angry and just couldn’t hold it in and….”

This time, Rattrap just held a finger to her mouth as he gently reminded her, “Apple Bloom, remember what your uncle said?” The yellow girl could only nod as she replied, “Ah know. Ah’m just sorry Ah, you know…”

Sideswipe, now very confused as to what the other two were talking about, asked, “Whoa whoa whoa whoa. What do you mean homeless?”

Stepping towards her, Rattrap took a deep breath as he explained, “Yup. I’ve sorta been…. On my own for a long time, and I gotta admit, you and you’re dad are pretty wasteful.” Confused, Sideswipe asked, “So, when you were going through our trash, you were…..”

She didn’t get a chance to finish. Rattrap interrupted her with, “Well food doesn’t grow on trees, or at the very least not enough.” As Sideswipe struggled to process what she’d just heard, Apple Bloom added, “It’s true. Uncle Ironhide and Ah found him goin’ through our garbage as well.”

It was at this moment that all of the pent up anger in Sideswipe fizzled out, replaced by what could only be described as pity. She tried to think of something to say, but could only let out a halfhearted “Oh.”

Rattrap then said, “But at this point I don’t expect that matters much. Besides, Your dad wasn’t the only person around here to get violent.” He then let out a resigned chuckle as he added, “But I gotta admit, I’m actually a little….” He paused for a moment before he continued, “…. A little jealous.”

Curious, Sideswipe asked, “Jealous?” Rattrap nodded as he answered, “Yeah. I kinda eavesdropped on a few conversations between you and your dad, and when he wasn’t goin’ on a rant, he was….” He stopped himself as he began to lose his composure as he admitted something absolutely heartbreaking.

“Your dad may be a bit of a jerk, but I’d give just about anything to have a jerk like him in my life.”

Apple Bloom felt herself begin to tear up as she wrapped Rattrap in a tight hug, one that, to her surprise, he happily returned. What neither of them expected was Sideswipe joining the group hug as well.

Once they’d finished, Sideswipe spoke up. “I… I’m sorry. I’m sorry about my dad and I’m sorry about how I acted.” She then sighed before continuing, “He wasn’t always so crazy. He took a blow to the head and…” Now it was her turn to sniffle as she explained, “After that he was just, different. All of a sudden he started thinking people were out to get him. That was when my brother ran off to become a model and I had to drop out of school just to help keep the lights on and…” Sideswipe managed to put a brave face back on as she finished, “Guess life can be a total bitch, am I right?”

Rattrap simply shrugged as he quipped, “Eh, join the club.” Once he said this, he began to laugh, and soon both Sideswipe and Apple Bloom were laughing, with the former even falling onto her back as she belted out her laughter.

As Apple Bloom rose back to her feet, she joked, “Ah guess bein’ confined in a tight space can be good for airin’ out your problems.” While Rattrap simply shrugged, Sideswipe quipped back, “Only if you’re a giant rock lady or an absolute creep.” When Apple Bloom gulped awkwardly, she added, “Not you Apple Bloom. You’re alright. You’re smart, friendly, a pretty good tap dancer, kinda cute….” As Apple Bloom faintly blushed, Rattrap gave a confused look, prompting the young biker to explain, “What? I like girls.”

Everyone was distracted when they heard Astrotrain’s voice call out from the other side. “Ok kids, stand back!” This was followed by a loud whirling sound that Apple Bloom knew was some kind of electric saw. Gulping, she said, “Ah think we better do what he said.”

Just as she expected, sparks began to fly as the chainsaw began to cut a hole in the door. The grinding was so loud that Apple Bloom and Rattrap had to cover their ears while Sideswipe couldn’t help but wince and raise her arm to cover her face. Though she could barely hear, Apple Bloom could make out the signature sound of Rattrap’s voice practically shout, “We’re all gonna die!”

Soon, the saw had cut a moderately large square hole in the box car’s door. Once it finished carving the hole, the chunk of metal fell inwards towards the three kids, producing a loud thud. Soon enough Astrotrain entered the rusty old box car, worry and concern clearly evident on his face.

“You kids ok?” Astrotrain asked. Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “We’re alive, so Ah think that’s a yes.” Sideswipe stepped forward and added, “Yeah, we were just setting a few things straight.” Rattrap then added, “Yeah. what’s so wrong with a few friends havin’ a little chat?” Apple Bloom felt her heart soar when she heard Rattrap used the word “friends,” even more so when she saw Sideswipe give a small smile at the same remark.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Astrotrain said, “That’s good. Now come on and get out of that death trap.” And so the three kids made their way out of the box car, making sure to avoid the slab now lying in front of the hole.

Once everyone was out of the box car, Astrotrain began to hand out small bottles of water as he remarked, “As much as I prefer to preserve as much of railroad history as possible, I think this troublesome truck here is headed for the scrap pile.” Apple Bloom nodded and replied, “Ah’ll tell Uncle Ironhide about it.”

Sideswipe then asked, “So Mr. Astrotrain, about our little arrangement?” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Astrotrain pulled out three fifty dollar bills and, handing them to the young biker, replied, “Here you go kid. Make sure it all gets to your old man.”

“I will. Trust me.” Sideswipe replied with a cocky smirk. She then asked, “Hey, I’m still kinda thirsty. You have any other bottles of water?” Astrotrain nodded and gave the young girl an extra water bottle. As she took it, though, she began, “On second thought…..” Apple Bloom noticed that a mischievous smile was growing on her friend’s face.

“Rattrap?” Sideswipe playfully asked. As the scrawny boy tilted his head in confusion, Sideswipe opened the bottle and, to Rattrap’s embarrassment and everyone else’s amusement, began to pour the water onto his head, absolutely soaking him. Though initially put off, Rattrap simply shrugged and remarked, “Eh. Guess I deserve that.” With that, everyone began to laugh, relieved that everything had ultimately turned out just fine.

Astrotrain then said, “Now then, it’s starting to get late, so I think you all better start heading home.” Everyone nodded and began to make their way towards the station building itself, though Apple Bloom stopped to say, “See you later sir. Maybe next time won’t things won’t be so pressing.”

The Train Station

As the three teens made their way through the old station, Rattrap remarked, “Well today was fun. We have to do this again sometime.” When Sideswipe and Apple Bloom gave him amused looks, he added, “Well, without bein’ trapped in a cage.” Sideswipe let out a chuckle as she replied, “Yeah. Maybe laser tag or something?”

Apple Bloom added, “Or a dance session? Or maybe a trip to the museum or somethin’?” Rattrap replied, “Maybe once I get some more muscle. I ain’t exactly the most muscular and macho guy around.” Apple Bloom added, “And once you stop goin’ through everyone’s trash.” As Sideswipe struggled to contain her laughter, Rattrap replied, “Eh. Good point.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes darted over to the clock on the wall, and she realized it was getting late. “Hey, Ah gotta start headin’ home. See you guys later?” She asked. Rattrap gave a confirming nod as Sideswipe extended her fist, expecting a fist bump. The teenaged biker replied, “See you Apple Bloom. Stay out of trouble.”

Bumping Sideswipe’s fist, Apple Bloom replied, “With you two, that’s gonna be quite the challenge.” Sideswipe simply struck a cute pose as she remarked, “I try.”

The Road Home, Ten Minutes Later…

As Apple Bloom peddled down the road, she found herself thinking back on the surprisingly emotional day she’d had. She found out Rattrap and Sideswipe had known each other yet seemed to be at odds, but thanks to her (as well as a twist of fate), she found a way to bring them together.

“Guess Ah have a way of bringin’ people together.” Apple Bloom thought as the chop shop entered her view. Given her past of tearing people apart, the idea that she brought others together was certainly ironic. Then again, life had a way of working in ways no one expected, especially in a place like Allspark Wells.