As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Count to Four...

“Now then, if Ah remove this….” Apple Bloom said to herself as she sat at her desk, fidgeting with an old radio. Wanting to be of more help to her uncle, the former farm girl had been informed to practice her “skills of deconstruction.” To that end, Ironhide had provided her with an old radio (one which she had been told was found in the scrap yard and would not be missed) and taught her an old trick where you undo one thing on the item, put it back, and continue while increasing.

Right now, Apple Bloom had managed to remove the back of the radio and started to pick into its inner workings. But before she could, she had to close the old trinket up. Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl reassured herself, “Ok, now Ah need to find the screwdriver.” She then took the screwdriver on the desk and began to fasten one of the screws, only to find it didn’t fit.

“Huh. That’s odd.” She said to herself as she brought the screwdriver up to her eyes. Inspecting the tool, Apple Bloom realized that she was trying to use a flat-head screwdriver on the wrong type of screw. Laughing to herself, she joked, “Guess Ah’m goin’ a little screw-loose.” Setting the screwdriver down on the desk, she began to look for the correct device, only to find it had disappeared.

Luckily, the sound of a small dog barking caught her attention, and Apple Bloom turned to see Sparkplug sitting in her doorway, screwdriver in his mouth. Shaking her head in amusement, the former farm girl walked up to the little ball of fluff as she asked, “Where’d you find this?” As she accepted the tool from him, Sparkplug motioned to her desk. Letting out a relieved sigh, Apple Bloom thought to herself, ‘Must have fallen off while Ah wasn’t lookin’. Maybe Ah need to take a break.’

Turning back to Sparkplug, Apple Bloom began to scratch right behind his ears as she said, “Thanks little guy. Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” As the little black terrier rolled onto his back, she couldn’t help but just take in just how cute he was.

It had been a few days since the family had taken in the little dog, and it only took a day for Sparkplug to win everyone’s heart. The only person who showed any real hesitation was Ratchet, and that was because the small terrier had left a “Chocolate bar” for the older medic to step in as he entered for the morning. Luckily, after squaring everything out (and Apple Bloom offering to clean his shoes), Ratchet found peace with Sparkplug’s presence, especially since the little terrier was an expert and recovering any tools someone dropped.

At that moment, Apple Bloom and Sparkplug heard the sound of Ironhide’s voice loudly and incredulously ask, “Wait, she did what?” Concerned that something bad was going on, the former farm girl rose back up and began to make her way down stairs, hoping she hadn’t done anything bad without knowing.

Entering the shop front, Apple Bloom found Ironhide speaking with, of all people, Beachcomber. As she and Sparkplug tip toed further inside, the family patriarch noticed he had visitors and remarked, “Looks like I’m not the only one who overreacted.”

“Sorry if Ah’m intrudin’ on anythin’.” Apple Bloom sheepishly apologized. “Ah just hope everythin’s alright.” She began to tip toe back, but Beachcomber stepped towards her and began to speak.

“Hey, you’re just the person I needed to see.” Momentarily stunned, Apple Bloom simply pointed towards herself as she mouthed “Me?” Nodding, Beachcomber continued, “Well now, you see, we had a fundraising banquet at the museum last night, and Marble….” Scratching the back of his head as he let out a whistle, he finished with, “She had a meltdown.”

Concerned, Apple Bloom asked, “A meltdown?” Beachcomber sighed as he answered, “Yeah, I turned my back for one minute and the next thing I know, she’s throwing a temper tantrum and making a mess of things.” He then let out an exhausted sigh as he continued, “I need to teach her a lesson, and I figured Ironhide could straighten her out.”

Joining his niece and friend, Ironhide said, “When you put it that way, I think we might just have a few tasks Marble can help with.” He then turned to Apple Bloom and remarked, “And I trust you can help keep her in line.”

Smiling as she snapped to attention, Apple Bloom reassured him, “You can count on me Uncle Ironhide!” Patting his niece on the back, Ironhide replied, “I know you will kid.”

Beachcomber then spoke up with, “Well now, I suppose I’ll bring her by tomorrow morning?” Ironhide nodded as he answered, “Yup. We open at eight o’clock sharp.” Satisfied, the blue geologist replied, “Alrighty then. See you then.”

With that, Beachcomber departed the chop shop, leaving Ironhide to return to his duties and Apple Bloom to take Sparkplug for a walk.

Apple Bloom stepped out onto the shop’s front porch, excited at the prospect of working with one of her best friends (Admittedly now, one of her only friends). Taking in the cool morning air, she said to herself, “Alright. Just be calm, show her the ropes, and be understandin’. She’s probably got a lot on her mind.” After all, she knew what happened when someone lost control.

Soon enough, the familiar sight of a blue beach buggy emerged from the horizon and pulled right up to the Chop Shop. Once it was parked, the familiar form of Marble Pie emerged, lunch box in hand. However, this time she was dressed slightly differently, wearing black lace up boots, dark gray jeans, a black tank top, an open dark-gray plaid button shirt, and of course, her familiar black leather jacket. ‘At least she still has her sense of color.’ Apple Bloom thought to herself.

As Marble Pie approached her, Apple Bloom heard Beachcomber call out in an uncharacteristically stern voice, “You behave yourself Marble! I don’t want to find out you had another meltdown!” The gray girl didn’t say anything, only stopping for a moment to tremble with, to Apple Bloom’s surprise, anger. Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl thought to herself, ‘Somethin’s wrong.’

As Beachcomber pulled out, Marble’s eyes made contact with Apple Bloom. Almost instantly, any anger in her fizzled out and was replaced with relief as the gray girl wrapped her friend in a bone crushing hug.

Once she was released, Apple Bloom playfully quipped, “Good to see ya too Marble.” The young paleontologist simply scuffed the floor as she replied with a simple, “Thanks.”

“Now then…” The former farm girl began. “How about we get started?”

As Apple Bloom and Marble entered the Chop Shop, Ironhide and Wheeljack approached them, the latter carrying a mop and two scrubs. As Marble looked away in shame, Apple Bloom rested a hand on her shoulder as she tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry, it’ll be alright.” She then turned to her uncle and asked, “What do you need us to do?”

Smiling at his niece, Ironhide asked, “Would you two mind giving the store front a good cleaning? I need to help Chromia with an old truck and Wheeljack here is working at the smelting pools.” The other engineer nodded as he handed Apple Bloom the mop and added, “Yup. Just another day working with melting metal down into slag we can use for other projects.”

Taking the mop from her coworker, Apple Bloom answered, “You got it sir.” As Wheeljack handed the scrubs to Marble, the gray girl simply nodded as she accepted the tools.

Soon both girls were hard at work; Marble was busy mopping one half of the floor as Apple Bloom scrubbed the other half. While it was hardly the most entertaining task one could receive, the former farm girl had found it had become somewhat relaxing as it gave her something to keep her busy and allow time to fly by.

However, when she turned to focus on Marble, Apple Bloom realized that something was just off. While she knew her friend was normally quiet and reserved, the gray girl was actually trying to avoid eye contact with her. She also didn’t seem to have any real enthusiasm or energy, simply lazily moving her mop from one side to the next.

Concerned, the former farm girl asked, “You alright there Marble?” Sighing, the gray girl turned to her friend and, her hair obscuring half of her face as usual, she asked, “Mr. Beachcomber told you what happened, right?” Nodding, Apple Bloom answered, “Yeah. He said you had a…..”

“A meltdown?” Marble interrupted. She then made her way to the counter and sat down against it. As Apple Bloom approached her, the gray girl continued, “I’m sorry, it’s just…. There were a lot of people and….” She then sighed again as she angrily asked, “Why can’t I just be like normal people?”

Sitting next to her friend, Apple Bloom asked, “Ok, why don’t you tell me what happened from the beginning?” Turning to face her, Marble asked, “You sure you want to know? It’s not exactly my proudest moment?” Resting a hand on the gray girl’s shoulder, Apple Bloom reassured her, “You’re talkin’ to the mastermind of Anon-A-Miss. It can’t be worse than anythin’ Ah’ve done.”

As Marble let out a gentle (and admittedly adorable) giggle, she replied, “In that case, a few days ago, we were hosting a fundraiser at the museum for a new expansion focused on coal mining.” She then let out a deep sigh as she continued, “Mr. Beachcomber wanted me to attend, even though I really didn’t want to. He said it would help me with interacting with people.”

As Marble paused for a moment, Apple Bloom asked, “You still havin’ trouble with large crowds?” The gray girl nodded as she answered, “I’ve always had trouble with large crowds. All those people watching you, judging you. And the noise…..” She then shook her head as she groaned, “I can’t stand all the loud noises at parties.”

Sighing, Apple Bloom asked, “So you had to go to a fancy party with a lot of people you don’t know?” Marble shamefully nodded as she answered, “Yeah. I mean, there were so many people and it was so loud and it was all so overwhelming and…..” She then leant back against the counter as she remarked, “It doesn’t really ad up does it?”

Apple Bloom could only take a deep breath as she began to go over everything she’d just learned. She knew from her few experiences with Fluttershy that being shy often hampered one’s ability to interact with the rest of society, but she knew that people often don’t just throw temper tantrums because they were overwhelmed by crowds.

Before she could contemplate any further, both Apple Bloom and Marble were distracted by the sound of four tiny feet pitter-pattering up to them. Looking up, the gray girl found herself locking eyes with a very certain little black highland terrier.

Crawling up to the little dog, Marble asked, “Who’s this little guy?” As the gray girl extended her hand to him, Apple Bloom cheerfully answered, “This little guy here is Sparkplug. Uncle Ironhide and Ah found him wonderin’ around the scrap yard.” Giggling as she felt Sparkplug begin to lick her hand, Marble couldn’t help but reply, “He’s certainly a cutie.”

After a few moments, Sparkplug began to trot over to the abandoned mop and sat down next to it. Letting out a gentle chuckle, Apple Bloom remarked, “Ah think he wants us to get back to work.” Rising back to her feet, Marble joked, “Lead the way ma’am.”

Sitting outside on the porch, Apple Bloom and Marble Pie enjoyed their lunch break. Unsurprisingly, Marble was once again eating macaroni and cheese. Noticing her friend’s choice of entrée, the former farm girl asked, “Mac n’ cheese your favorite?”

Marble nodded as she began to blush in embarrassment and reply, “Yeah.” Taking another bite from her sandwich, Apple Bloom, now with a mouthful, reassured her, “Nothin’ wrong with havin’ a favorite.” Hearing her friend talk with a mouthful of food made Marble giggle as she joked, “Apple Bloom, you’re so uncouth.”

“What’s uncouth?” Apple Bloom asked before swallowing. Shaking her head as she struggled to control her laughter, Marble answered, “It means you’re uncultured and have poor manners.” Rising up, the former farm girl grew a cheeky grin as she replied, “Oh you’re one to talk.”

The moment those words escaped Apple Bloom’s lips, Marble turned noticeably paler as she looked away, holding onto her arm in shame. Realizing what she’d just said, Apple Bloom quickly began to apologize, “Marble, Ah’m so sorry! It was an accident, Ah swear!”

Marble sighed in resignation as she answered, “Its fine.” She then began to pack up her lunch as she continued, “I think I’m getting kinda full.” With that, the gray girl stood up and walked off to resume her work.

Sighing in anger, Apple Bloom slapped herself in the forehead as she chastised herself, “Damn it Apple Bloom! Ya just had to make things worse!” Now she had two clear objectives; help Marble and make it up to her.

A few hours later, and Apple Bloom and Marble were busy carrying scrap metal from the scrap yard to Wheeljack and the smelting pools. Since their lunch break, Marble hadn’t spoken a single word. In fact, she’d barely made eye contact with Apple Bloom.

Sighing to herself, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but allow her mind to drift. How was she going to make it up to Marble? True, it was only a poorly timed joke, but she knew better than many kids her age just how much words can hurt.

Apple Bloom was so distracted by her contemplation that she barely noticed Marble’s voice call out to her, “Apple Bloom?” Turning to face her friend, the former farm girl realized something was off.

Marble wasn’t wearing her jacket.

“Marble?” Apple Bloom asked in concern. Finally willing to ask the obvious question, she asked, “Where’s your jacket?”

Shaking her head as she struggled to keep calm, Marble answered, “I don’t know. I took it off because it was getting a little hot, and I took my eyes off it for five seconds and….” She then began to hyperventilate as she started to panic. “Where could my jacket have gone?”

Walking up to her friend, Apple Bloom tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry. We’ll find it.” As Marble gave her a small smile, the former farm girl asked, “So, where’d you leave your jacket anyway?”

Marble brought Apple Bloom to the spot where she’d left her jacket; a rusty old jalopy. “I set it right here.” The gray paleontologist worriedly explained. “I mean, it’s not a windy day and there’s no way anyone would just take it and….” She began to panic before shouting, “Where the hell is it?”

Scared, Apple Bloom called out, “Calm down Marble!” The gray girl didn’t listen; instead she continued to frantically search all over the little area she’d been working in. Unfortunately, no matter where she looked, whether it was in the old jalopy or on the log next to it, there was no sign of her leather jacket.

As she continued to search, Apple Bloom realized something; Marble’s face was starting to turn red as she began to uncharacteristically growl in anger and frustration. Worried for her friend, the former farm girl tried to tip toe up to Marble as she gently asked, “You alright?”

“I CAN’T FIND MY JACKET!” Marble shouted as she was consumed by anger, her face turning redder than a thick pool of blood. “That jacket was the last link I had to my family and…..” She growled before she gave up trying to speak and, to Apple Bloom’s horror, took an old rusty pipe and began to slam it into the jalopy. With each blow, she left a bigger dent into the doomed car as loud “thuds” began to ring out throughout the junk yard.

Seeing her friend descend into such rage and barbarity terrified Apple Bloom. Desperate to do anything, she did the only thing she could. Gulping with fear, the former farm girl ran up to Marble, grabbed onto the pipe, pulled it out of her hands, and desperately shouted, “Marble! What’s gotten into you?!”

Apple Bloom’s plea managed to get through to Marble, who’s pupil’s shrank as her face turned from blood red to a pale gray. As both girls stood there, staring into each other’s eyes, Marble began to mumble, “I…. I….” Then, without warning, she darted off into the scrap yard, leaving Apple Bloom stunned and concerned.

The former farm girl began to follow her friend, but something caught her attention. Turning to face a pile of scrap metal, Apple Bloom found a shred of black leather standing out against the rusty brown and metal gray. Walking up to it, she found Marble’s jacket, perfectly intact. “Heh. Guess she didn’t see it or the wind blew it here.” She joked to herself.

Once she enjoyed her brief moment of relief, Apple Bloom scooped up the jacket and made off after Marble.

It wasn’t hard to find her; the sound of Marble crying led Apple Bloom right to the old couch where she first met Sparkplug. The gray girl was curled up on it, holding her knees to her head as she cried, quite possibly the second loudest noise the former farm girl had ever heard her make.

Walking up to her friend, Apple Bloom quietly said, “Ah found your jacket.” Marble didn’t reply, she simply continued to sob. As Apple Bloom sat down next to her, she wrapped the jacket around her.

As Marble realized she was now wrapped in the warmth of her leather jacket, she sighed as she asked, “It was right under my nose, wasn’t it?” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Apple Bloom replied, “Yeah. Ah think a breeze or somethin’ blew it.” Marble managed to let out a small giggle of her own as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

After a few moments, Marble began to speak. “Look, I’m sorry you saw me get so angry. I….” She began to tremble as she continued, “I don’t handle anger well.”

Wrapping an arm around her friend, Apple Bloom asked, “Is that what happened at that party?” Marble let out a guilty sigh as she answered, “Yes. I got so overwhelmed that….” She felt a lump form in her throat as she continued, “When Mr. Beachcomber told me to calm down, I…. I just couldn’t. I got overwhelmed and slammed my fist onto a table. Then I….” She found herself losing control as she finished, “I ended up breaking a few things.”

As Marble devolved once again into a sobbing mess, Apple Bloom began to gently rub her back as she whispered, “Shh shh shh.” After a few minutes, Marble finished with, “Apparently one of the donors for the new wing backed out because of me, and Mr. Beachcomber grounded me for it.” She then looked into Apple Bloom’s eyes and, desperation in clear in her voice, asked, “Can I tell you a secret?”

When the red haired girl made the familiar motions of crossing her chest and pointing to her eye, Marble, some hope returning to her voice, admitted, “I’ve always had this problem. Whenever I get too angry or stressed, I just can’t hold back. Mom and dad said I had to just hold it all in but…” She let out another guilty sigh as she finished, “I just can’t.”

Holding one of the sleeves in her hand, Marble Pie then revealed, “Before I came here, Pinkie Pie bought me this jacket. It’s just so…. It makes me feel warm and safe. When I thought I lost it, I thought I lost a bit of my family.” She then turned back to Apple Bloom and apologized, “Sorry if it sounds like I’m talking nonsense.”

Apple Bloom wrapped Marble in a massive hug as she reassured her, “It’s not nonsense.” As she processed what was happening, the gray girl felt her eyes start to water up again as she returned the favor.

When the young geologist wrapped her arms around her, Apple Bloom said, “Take it from me, your family ain’t nonsense.” As Marble raised her head to face her friend, the former farm girl continued, “Ah’m sorry about what happened, but Ah promise, if you ever need an ear to listen to ya, Ah’m always here for you.”

“Thanks Apple Bloom.” Marble replied as she managed to regain her composure. Slipping on her jacket, she continued, “Pinkie used to say that she always thought Limestone would be the one who scared someone because of her anger.”

Resting an arm around Marble’s shoulder, Apple Bloom began to speak. “You know, Ah remember this one trick mah Granny Smith taught me to help stay calm.” When the gray girl gave her a suspicious look, she quickly added, “Ah know, Ah’m hardly the one to talk.”

Letting out a small giggle, Marble asked, “Ok, so what is it?” Apple Bloom stood up as she began to explain, “First you count to four.” She then began to count on her fingers. Once she finished getting to four, she continued, “Once at four, you inhale and count to four again.” She then took a deep breath and held it for four seconds. “And then, you let it out and wait for four more seconds.” Apple Bloom finished. “To put it simply, count to four, inhale, count to four, exhale, rinse and repeat.”

Taking everything in, Marble asked, “So that’s it? It’s kinda simple.” Apple Bloom nodded and continued, “Yeah. That’s what Ah thought, but after Ah first tried it, it worked like a miracle.”

Rising up from the old couch, Marble said, “Ok, here goes nothing.” She then took a deep breath and held it for precisely four seconds before exhaling. She continued to repeat the process as she alternated deep breaths in and out.

After a few minutes, Marble had finally returned to a relatively calm emotional state. Turning to her friend, she said, “Thanks Apple Bloom.” The former farm girl nodded before warning, “Just remember, it’s not a cure all solution, but it should help keep yourself calm. Ah’d suggest workin’ with Mr. Beachcomber to help for other ways to deal with stress.”

Marble nodded as she replied, “Ok.” She then grew a mischievous smile as she asked, “What are you standing around for? We’ve got to get back to work.” Playfully rolling her eyes, Apple Bloom snapped to attention as she replied, “Yes ma’am.”

As Beachcomber entered the chop shop, he found Apple Bloom and Marble chatting with each other and called out, “Hey there. Everything go alright today?” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Everythin’ went by perfectly.” She then gave her friend a knowing wink, letting her know she wouldn’t say anything about the “incident” she had.

As Marble gave a knowing nod, Beachcomber replied, “Excellent.” He then turned to Marble and continued, “So, you think you can keep your cool from now on?” The gray girl nodded as she replied, “You bet sir.”

Walking up to his protégé, Beachcomber wrapped her in a warm embrace as he said, “That’s my girl. Now, how about we get home and start making dinner?” Marble nodded as she answered, “You got it.”

Before they left, however, Marble returned to Apple Bloom and said, “Thanks Apple Bloom. I don’t know how to make this up to you.” The former farm girl reassured her, “No problem. It’s what friends are for.” The two girls shared one more hug before Marble left with her mentor.

Once Marble and Beachcomber were gone, Apple Bloom heard the pitter patter of tiny feet. Letting out a relieved sigh, she turned to see Sparkplug trotting up to her. Kneeling down to the little terrier, she asked, “It’s been quiet an excitin’ day, hasn’t it?” As she began to scratch the little dog, he nodded as he leapt up to her and began to lick her face.

“Alright. Alright!” Apple Bloom enthusiastically replied to Sparkplug’s kisses. She then asked, “So, you wanna go for a walk?” When the little terrier replied with an enthusiastic nod, she proceeded to begin the search for his leash.

And once he was hooked up to the leash, Apple Bloom began to take Sparkplug out for a walk, hoping for a chance to just enjoy the sunset and the piece and quiet.