As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit


Rules of War

As the Apple Blooms

Part 38; Rules of War

Seated on the Chop Shop’s front porch, Apple Bloom found herself deep in thought as she shined her boots. Earlier that day, she had noticed they had lost their shine and Ironhide suggested she could shine them with some shoe shine he had lying around. Of course, the older man had requested his niece also shine his boots, and that led to Chromia, Ratchet, and Wheeljack requested she shine theirs as well.

“Heh. At least Ah got them pay me.” Apple Bloom said to herself as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she allowed herself to pull out her wallet and gaze on the dollar bills she’d negotiated for her extra labor. Chuckling to herself, the former farm girl couldn’t help but quip, “Ah love the power of persuasion.”

From the front door, the red haired girl heard the now familiar pitter patter of tiny feet. Smiling to herself, Apple Bloom looked up to see Sparkplug trot up to her and asked, “Hey there Sparkplug. What’s up?” The little black dog answered with an enthusiastic bark before leaping into her and licking her face.

“Gah! Knock it off!” The former farm girl exclaimed as she found herself bombarded with affection. “Ah know, Ah know, Ah love ya too.” Once Sparkplug finished licking her face, Apple Bloom wrapped him a small hug before saying, “Sorry to interrupt little Sparkplug, but Ah gotta get mah boots shined.” The small dog let out a quiet whimper as he walked away a few feet before plopping down and began to watch her.

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom finished shining her boots. As she set her dirty rag down next to the shoe polish, she turned to Sparkplug and asked, “Now that Ah’ve got than done, you wanna play fetch?”

Upon hearing this, Sparkplug shot up and barked as he wagged his tail. Apple Bloom laughed as she picked up a stick beside her and tossed it off into the distance. Without a moment’s hesitation, the little black dog chased after the stick, much to the former farm girl’s amusement. Soon, Sparkplug returned with the stick firmly in his mouth.

As Apple Bloom reached for the stick, however, she heard Ironhide call out to her, “Apple Bloom? You done shining your boots yet?” The former farm girl called back, “Ah have Uncle Ironhide. Just lettin’ ‘em dry.”

Ironhide soon emerged from the Chop Shop’s front door as he continued, “That’s good, ‘cause it Ratchet says it’s gonna start raining in a bit.” Concerned, Apple Bloom asked, “Ouch. Do you need me to move mah boots inside?” The older man knelt down to his niece’s boots and sniffed them before answering, “I suppose so. Just try to keep them from away from any ac vents.”

Nodding, Apple Bloom picked up her boots and the shine box as she re entered the family’s business. Ironhide himself paused for a moment as he observed the clouds in the distance, which had turned from white to a troubling dark gray. Sighing to himself, Ironhide muttered to himself, “Today of all days.” With that, he reentered his home, intent on enjoying a nice night in.

One Hour Later…

The crashing of thunder rang throughout the family’s home as Apple Bloom held on to a terrified Sparkplug. Gently caressing the small dog’s back, she tried o reassure him, “It’s alright little buddy. The rain can’t get you in here.” Of course, the moment she said this, more thunder crashed outside, terrifying the young dog. Sighing to herself, the former farm girl said to herself, “Ah hope Double Shuffle is doin’ alright.”

While the weather in Allspark Wells was generally far more stable than back in Canterlot City, the primary exception was the occasional thunder storm. And once the rain began to drizzle, the lightning and thunder was soon to follow. As she continued to pet Sparkplug, Apple Bloom thought to herself, ‘Always somethin’.’

Ironhide then entered the living room with two mugs of steaming liquid. Setting the mugs down on the table, he said, “I took the liberty of making us some hot cocoa. I have a feeling things might get just a little chilly.”

As Apple Bloom took one of the mugs of cocoa, she replied, “Thanks Uncle Ironhide.” The older man nodded as he added, “No sweat kid.” Hearing the rain continue to pour onto the roof, he couldn’t help but chuckle as he quipped, “You think the rain is bad here, you should’ve seen it when we were in the war.”

Intrigued, Apple Bloom asked, “You mean you’ve seen worse?” Ironhide nodded as he answered, “Yup. I’ve seen rain come from above, from the sides, and when we had to trudge through rivers, I swear the rain come up from the surface.” As the former farm girl let out an amazed “Ooh,” the older man sighed as he added, “Of course, I’ve also seen fire rain down from the sky as well.”

Letting out a nervous gulp, Apple Bloom remarked, “Ouch. Sorry about that.” Ironhide smiled as he replied, “It’s alright. Just another example of war being hell. Why I remember one time we….” He paused for a moment before he asked, “Well, you mind if I spin an old yarn?”

Shaking her head, Apple Bloom enthusiastically answered, “Ah don’t mind. To be honest, Ah’ve kinda been a little curious about your time in the army.” As she finished, Sparkplug let out an excited bark, leading the former farm girl to add, “Sounds like Sparkplug wants to hear as well.”

Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide straightened himself as he began to tell his tale. “Well now, it started not long after we lost Firefly. We were heading back to base from another trek into enemy territory….”

The Jungles, Many Years Earlier….

The jungle ambience, a symphony of sounds that most people would find beautiful, cast a blanket of fear and superstition as a team of elite soldiers marched through the dense undergrowth. None of them said anything as they passed tree after tree after tree. No one made any noise other than the gentle rumbling of their weapons and equipment. No one even dared try to breathe too loudly, as they had no idea if they were truly alone in this sea of green. After all, there could be eyes and ears watching and listening to them.

One of these men was Sergeant Ironhide. Walking in the line with the rest of his team, the young soldier kept his eyes and ears trained for anything that was out of the ordinary. Some might consider his nervousness as a sign of paranoia, but he would quickly rebut this claim, saying that the only time he wasn’t was right before Firefly was picked off by a sniper.

After what seemed like an eternity, Captain Optimus Prime raised his right hand in a right angle as he spoke up. “Alright boys. Ten minutes then we continue.” The rest of the team, including Ironhide, let out sighs of relief as they either slowly sat down or simply plopped themselves on the ground. Of course, this was followed by Optimus ordering, “Roadblock, Wheeljack, You’re with me. We’re gonna take a peak ahead, see if we’re getting close to our lines.”

Both men grumbled before replying, “Sir, yes sir.” As the two men gathered their things and approached their commander, Ironhide spoke up, “Good luck guys.” While Wheeljack gave a confirming nod, Roadblock scoffed, “I don’t need your luck.” He then brought attention to his light machine gun as he continued, “I’ve got this.”

Once the two men were gone, Ironhide grumbled to himself, “Of course. You don’t need anyone you prick.” The young man quickly internally chastised himself, ‘You idiot. He’s just another guy here who’s been drafted into this hell hole.” Despite his personal gripes with Roadblock, Ironhide couldn’t will himself to be too angry. Just mostly annoyed.

From behind him, Ironhide heard a familiar low and gruff voice ask, “You alright little buddy?” Turning to see who it was, he was pleasantly surprised to see Hound and Ratchet approaching him. Letting out a gentle chuckle, Ironhide replied, “I’m alright Hound. Just dealing with good old Roadblock.”

Sitting down next to his friend, Hound remarked, “Of course. To be honest, I don’t think he likes anybody.” As the large green man pulled out two cigars, Ratchet quipped, “Says the guy who only joined us after we rescued him.” Ironhide then began to giggle as he quipped, “Says the guy who was assigned to us when we first got here.”

Ratchet simply rolled his eyes as he dejectedly replied, “Touché.” Hound then gave the squad medic a gentle punch on the arm as he quipped, “Guess we’re in the same camp, eh doc?” As the medic “Groaned with annoyance”, Ironhide sighed with amusement as he warned, “Oh boy, here we go.” As Hound realized he’d made a mistake, Ratchet explained, “How many times do I have to spell it out? I’m not a doctor anymore. A doctor helps people get better, I just keep you guys alive long enough to get you to an M*A*S*H.”

At that moment, Huffer’s voice rang out, “They’re back! And they got company!” As the group rose up, Ironhide found that Optimus, Roadblock, and Wheeljack were escorting a group of five young soldiers. Sighing, the gray sergeant muttered to himself, “Just what we need, more company.”

Once the two groups reunited, Optimus informed his unit, “We’ve got some company. Their company was overwhelmed in an ambush.” He then turned to the new men and finished with, “They’re the only ones who got out alive.”

Roadblock groaned, “So we’re running a daycare now?” Optimus walked up to his subordinate and bluntly replied, “We’re taking them back to base. End of discussion.” As the officer turned back to the new soldiers, he asked, “Is that clear?”

All of the Wreckers replied, “Sir, yes sir.” Satisfied, Optimus began to order, “Alright boys. Let’s roll….”

He was immediately interrupted by the sound of a single gunshot, followed by a small puff forming right next to Ironhide’s feet. Everyone ducked as they prepared their weapons. As the echo of the gunshot died down, the sound of a dozen new voices rang through the jungle, all chanting, “Chet di lu khon!”

“We’ve got company!” Ironhide belted as the enemy charged them. As the black clad soldiers charged the Wreckers, everyone began to fire their weapons, knocking their foes down.

But as the enemy closed the distance, Ironhide turned to see something unsettling. One of the new soldiers was trying to slink away. Concerned, the sergeant called out, “Hey! Where are you going?” the younger soldier didn’t say anything, instead only continuing to flee.

This was unexpected. While all soldiers experienced fear in battle, they had been trained, or at least expected, to stand and fight. To run from battle was considered…..

“Cowardice?” Ironhide asked himself. “Is that boy acting like a coward?” He didn’t have long to ponder this possibility, as he was distracted by Huffer shouting, “Grenade!” Tuning to face his friend, Ironhide noticed a small object being thrown towards the four other new men.

“Look out!” Ironhide screamed as he began to run towards the four men. Sadly, when he was little more than six feet close towards them, the small explosive let out a thunderous roar as a cloud of destruction claimed all four soldiers. The blast forced Ironhide onto his back, leaving him momentarily helpless.

Once he got back onto his feet, the sergeant found himself staring at the mangled bodies of the four soldiers. As the adrenaline began to build up inside him, Ironhide let out a feral roar as he cocked his shotgun and charged into the enemy.

Ironhide didn’t remember much of what happened next. All he did know was that he soon found himself standing over at least ten bodies holding an empty shotgun.

Once he’d regained his breath, the sergeant heard Wheeljack call out, “Holy shit Ironhide! You scared them all off!” As he turned to face his friend, the latter instinctively corrected himself with, “I mean, good job sarge.” Bending down as he pressed his hands against his legs, Ironhide simply replied, “Yeah, I think I got a little carried away.”

The two friend’s little banter was ruined when Roadblock called out, “Look what I got here.” When Ironhide and Wheeljack turned to see what was going on, they found their puce teammate dragging the fifth soldier by the shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Wheeljack asked. Roadblock growled, “I found this little coward trying to flee.” The young soldier then began to panic as he begged, “Please let me go you thug!”

Sighing in exhaustion, Ironhide spoke up, “For Primus’s sake Roadblock, let him go.” The puce machine gunner groaned as he released the young soldier. Walking up to their new acquaintance, the sergeant ordered, “Now the, state your name and rank.”

The new soldier straightened himself up as he replied, “Private First Class Hightail.” Satisfied, Ironhide then asked, “So Private, you mind explaining to me why you were slinking off?”

Holding his head in shame, Hightail explained, “I…. I guess I just got too scared and….” He was interrupted by a slap to the back of his head from Roadblock, who interrupted with, “Just what I thought. A low down coward.” This insult infuriated Hightail, who angrily replied, “Hey, it’s not like I wanna be out here! I just wanna get back home!”

Stepping in between Hightail and Roadblock, Ironhide desperately exclaimed, “That’s enough!” He then turned to the young recruit and said, “I get it kid! None of us really wanna be here either! But right now, if you want to get out of here alive, you follow us, ok?” The young man sighed as he replied, “Yes sir.”

Satisfied, Ironhide turned to Roadblock and warned, “I hope you’ll behave yourself, because I don’t want Prime to bust your ass.” The puce gunner groaned as he retorted, “I got it.” He then stormed off, passing a bemused but still alive Huffer and Wheeljack.

“Looks like somebody’s got a bug up his ass.” Wheeljack quipped. As Ironhide let out a sigh of relief, Huffer spoke up with, “The boss says we’re moving out. The bodies stay.” As much as Ironhide wanted to protest, he knew they had didn’t have the man power to move the bodies.

The group didn’t get much more time to ponder on their situation, as Optimus spoke up with, “Alright boys. Let’s roll out.” Straightening himself, Ironhide turned to the others and said, “You heard him. Let’s go.”

Sometime Later…

“So you were a clerk?” Ironhide asked Hightail. The younger man nodded as he answered, “Yeah. I didn’t want to use a gun or kill, but they wouldn’t let me register as a conscious objector. Then they made me a rifleman and here I am.”

As they walked down the path with the rest of the Wreckers, Ironhide continued their conversation with, “I was originally supposed to go to the Marines, but after I realized they were bunch of bloodthirsty sociopaths, I was transferred here.” The younger man let out an embarrassed chuckle as he added, “I doubt I’d have ever made it in the Marines. I hear if you can’t make it they just kill you.”

That statement momentarily stunned Ironhide. Memories of his experiences at Parry Island began to race back to his mind. Sentinel Prime shouting and berating his recruits, Wasp begging for mercy, and all the other recruits prepared to beat him to death, all those horrors he suffered came back to him. Luckily, he was able to shake them away as he simply quipped, “At this rate I bet the Corps will need zookeepers to keep them from killing each other.”

At that moment, Optimus raised his hand, signaling the team to take cover and ready their weapons. Ironhide himself set himself behind a large rock with Hightail right behind him. As the younger soldier began to panic, the gray sergeant tried to reassure him, “Don’t worry kid. It’s alright.”

Optimus turned to his team and ordered, “We’re being watched. There’s a scout up ahead. Crosshairs, take him down.” Ironhide noticed Crosshairs nodding as he began to crawl off towards the unseen enemy.

The anticipation was palpable. Ironhide felt the sweat begin to slowly crawl down his face. Wheeljack began to see his life flash before his eyes (Which admittedly wasn’t that much) as Ratchet dared to reach into his pocket and awkwardly pull out a cigarette. Even Huffer struggled to keep his breathing under control as he worried whether or not this supposed scout was the only set of eyes watching them.

Luckily, after a few tense minutes, Crosshairs returned with an enemy soldier, the latter holding his hands above his head. However, there was something clearly wrong with this new prisoner. It wasn’t his physical condition, nor was it any wounds the man had. It wasn’t even his face, which was displaying a worried and terrified look.

It was that this enemy soldier was wearing the opposite side’s uniform, specifically a green shirt jacket.

As Crosshairs pushed the prisoner forward, he angrily asked, “Where’s ya get the shirt you wanker?” The prisoner didn’t answer, only continuing to look around in absolute fear. Walking up to him, Optimus asked, “Why is this man wearing one of our uniforms?”

Crosshairs shook his head as he replied, “Hell if I know, but you know the rules.” From behind them, Hightail turned to Ironhide and asked, “What’s going on?” Sighing, the young sergeant explained, “You can’t wear pieces of the other side’s uniform. The punishment for doing so is death.”

“Death?” Hightail nervously asked. “You mean you can be killed for wearing the wrong shirt?” As sweat continued to pour down his face, he began to shake his head, as if he were trying to deny the harsh reality of his situation.

Sighing, Ironhide rested a hand on Hightail’s shoulder as he explained, “It’s not right or wrong, it’s just the way things work. We let him go and he could warn his buddies or he could stab us in the back.”

The two were distracted when they heard Crosshairs call out to them, “Hey Ironhide! Conchie!” The two men turned to see the green man, the prisoner, and Roadblock. Crosshairs then continued, “Boss says we gotta kill this prick.”

Roadblock then pulled out a pistol as he added, “And we were thinking the boy should do it. Might prove us wrong about him bein’ a damn hippie and coward.” He then tossed the pistol to Hightail as he ordered, “Go on kid, do it.”

As Hightail took the pistol, the enemy prisoner began begging, “Xin dung giet toi! Xin dung giet toi!” Seeing the younger man start to go through internal turmoil, Ironhide stepped towards his teammates and spoke up, “No. I’ll do it.” Roadblock shook his head as he continued, “Sorry buddy, but our new friend dies, and the kid is gonna kill him.”

Instead, the Wreckers heard the sound of the gun falling to the ground. Turning to the face Hightail, they found the young soldier had indeed dropped the pistol and, shaking his head, said, “I won’t do it.” Sighing, Ironhide walked up to Hightail and asked, “What are you doing kid?”

Shaking his head, Hightail tried to defend himself with, “I won’t kill an unarmed man.” Ironhide began to feel something he hadn’t felt at someone other than the enemy in a long time; he felt furious. He then picked up the pistol and began to angrily speak, “Listen here kid. You see that guy?” He pointed to the prisoner, who was just as terrified as before, and explained, “Ultimately, he’s here to kill you.”

Pointing his finger at Hightail, he continued, “And you wanna get out of here, right?” When the younger man nervously nodded, Ironhide continued, “You want out, you gotta learn to kill. I know it sucks, but it’s just how it works.” Handing the pistol to him, Ironhide ordered, “Besides, he’s already breaking the rules of war, so do it.”

Hightail began to alternate his gaze between the prisoner and his pistol before he did something that would only infuriate Ironhide and the others even more; he placed the pistol in his pocket and defiantly replied, “Then you’re gonna have to kill me as well.” Exhausted, Ironhide asked, “Kid, don’t do this.”

At this moment, Crosshairs stomped up to the two and angrily complained, “Stop acting like a baby you twat! Do it or I’ll blow your brains out you fucking coward!” Ironhide turned to his teammate and angrily asked, “Crosshairs, are you fucking serious?” The green soldier would have answered, but he stopped in his tracks as he began to slowly reach for his weapon.

Concerned, Ironhide asked, “Buddy?” Crosshairs gestured to turn behind him. Turning to see what was going on, the sergeant found Hightail had not only pulled the pistol back out, but was now pointing it right at Crosshairs.

“What the fuck?!” Ironhide shouted as he tried to approach Hightail. However, he was surprised when the young soldier aimed the pistol at him instead. Struggling to control himself, Hightail tearfully replied, “I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to kill anyone!”

Finding his patience starting to collapse, Ironhide angrily shouted, “For Primus’s sake! What makes you think pointing that thing at us makes any of this easier for you, you dumbass?!” As he said this, Crosshairs took the opportunity to aim his rifle at Hightail as he exclaimed, “Put the gun down you fucking coward!”

Hightail instinctively aimed his pistol back at Crosshairs, who aimed his rifle at the former’s head. Both men stood at a standstill until they heard Optimus call out, “What’s going on?” As the officer approached his men, Ironhide reported, “Sir, Private Hightail refuses to execute the prisoner and is now attempting to threaten Crosshairs sir.” Crosshairs himself turned his head to face his commander as he replied, “But he certainly gets defensive when I push his buttons. I think it’s because he’s a bloody….”

There was a sound of thunder as Crosshairs fell backwards, dropping his weapon as he clutched his abdomen in pain.

“Crosshairs!” Ironhide and Optimus shouted as they ran towards their friend. As they began to cradle him, Roadblock shouted, “Look out! The prisoner!” As Ironhide looked up, he witnessed the prisoner running off into the jungle. Losing what was left of his control, the sergeant began to shoot at the fleeing prisoner as he screamed, “NO!”

Sadly, the prisoner was gone, having disappeared into the green abyss. Dropping his shotgun, Ironhide began to stomp up to a now truly terrified Hightail and shouted, “You fucking coward! You allowed a prisoner to escape and you shot our friend!” He would have gotten closer had the younger man not aimed the pistol at him.

As the rest of the Wreckers gathered around Crosshairs, Hightail tearfully explained, “He threatened to kill me!” Sighing in frustration, Ironhide rebutted, “Because you wouldn’t do your….” However, he just couldn’t deal with the younger man’s crap and simply ordered, “Kid, put the gun down.”

Hightail didn’t lower his weapon. Instead, he kept it pointed at Ironhide as a creepy smile formed on his face. Concerned, the sergeant asked, “Private?” Keeping his pistol aimed at him, Hightail simply replied, “I am in a world of shit.” He then turned his pistol towards himself and placed the barrel in his mouth. Realizing what he was about to do, Ironhide began to run towards him as he begged, “Don’t do it!”

But Hightail’s trigger finger was just a tad faster.

As Hightail’s now lifeless body fell to the ground, Ironhide shook his head as he fell to his knees as he painfully exclaimed, “For fuck’s sake!” Despite his best efforts, it seemed as things had gone from bad to worse.

“Sergeant?” Optimus’s voice asked. Rising back to his feet, Ironhide turned to face his commanding officer. The blue captain was kneeling next to Crosshairs, who was now being attended to by Ratchet. Taking a deep breath, Optimus ordered, “Give me a hand with Crosshairs. We’ve got to get out of here or that scout will be back with reinforcements.”

Taking a deep breath, Ironhide simply answered, “Sir yes sir.”

The Living Room, Present Day….

“Oh mah goodness!” Apple Bloom gently exclaimed as she took in her uncle’s story. Ironhide himself sighed as he finished with, “To this day I still wonder how that whole thing could have played out. Maybe I should have just dealt with the prisoner, maybe we shouldn’t have had the kid do it.” He then rubbed his eye as he let out a guilty chuckle as he quipped, “Hell, maybe we should have tried to tackle him.”

Apple Bloom, taking a deep breath, then asked, “So, what happened to Crosshairs?” Shaking his head, Ironhide dejectedly replied, “That bullet went right through his spine. He never walked again.” To the former farm girl’s surprise, her uncle actually began to tear up as he continued, “He got over it of course, but he was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He died a few years back, and the boys and I were some of his pallbearers.”

Wiping the now fresh tears from her own eyes, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’m sorry about all that Uncle Ironhide.” Walking up to her uncle, she wrapped her arms around him as she continued, “Ah’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Hugging his niece back, Ironhide reassured her, “It’s alright kid. I’ve been working through it all for years.” Releasing her uncle, Apple Bloom asked, “So, was that what drove you and dad away?”

Letting out a deep sigh as he shook his head, Ironhide dejectedly answered, “No Apple Bloom. It was something else. Something I don’t want to talk about.” The former farm girl nodded as she replied, “Ah understand. Ah think.” This honest answer made Ironhide giggle as he quipped, “I bet.”

From behind them, Ironhide and Apple Bloom heard Ratchet ask, “Hey kid? You mind if Ironhide and I talk for a moment?” As the family patriarch turned to face his friend, Apple Bloom replied, “Alright. Come on Sparkplug.” She then led the black terrier out of the living room.

Once she was gone, Ironhide asked, “What is it?” Ratchet rested a hand on his friend and boss’s shoulder and warned, “We’re going to have to tell her about the Hamlet Incident at some point.”

“I know, I know.” Ironhide dejectedly replied. “I’m just worried how she’ll take it. She seems to have taken what happened with that Hightail kid well enough, but….” He couldn’t will himself to finish that sentence and instead remarked, “I just hope she’ll take it better than her father.”

Ratchet gave his friend a reassuring smile as he replied, “I can’t make promises, but I think she’ll react better than her father.” He then added, “Besides, She’s not as thick headed as Bright Mac was. I mean, if what you said about him is true, that is.” Letting out a sigh of relief, Ironhide replied, “Thanks.”

Both men were then distracted by the sound of Wheeljack calling out to them, “Hey guys! I got Torque Wrench on the line! She says something’s wrong!” Surprised, Ironhide asked, “What? What’s going on?”

As Wheeljack entered the living room with his cell phone, the mechanic answered, “Torque Wrench is on the line! She said she tried to call you but you weren’t answering!” Groaning, Ironhide snatched Wheeljack’s phone and placed it up to his ear.

After all, it wasn’t like his first daughter would be calling because she was in trouble, right?