Black Eye
by Arwhale
Applejack wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead as she trotted over the path, kicking up little puffs of dust with her hooves.
As she made it further down the hill, the keeled red tiles of the schoolhouse roof came into view. From a distance, Applejack could hear the metallic rattle of the school bell resonating in the late spring air, and little fillies and colts spilled out of the door en-masse. Being so high up, they seemed to her like tiny pastel-colored specks.
"Shoot. Ah’m runnin' late," she said to herself. Picking up some speed, she moved downhill at a more brisk pace. Still, it occurred to her that even if she were late, Apple Bloom probably wouldn't mind if she had some extra time to talk to her friends.
By the time she made it down, the schoolyard was bustling with fillies and colts waiting for their parents or older siblings to pick them up. Scanning through the crowd, Applejack searched for Apple Bloom and her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, knowing she was likely to find them all together in one group. With her keen eyes, it did not take long before she spotted Rarity’s little sister next to the schoolhouse. Expecting to find the other two girls with her, Applejack weaved in and out of the crowd, making her way over to Sweetie Belle.
However, as she got closer the farm mare noticed something odd: Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were together, but there was no sign of Apple Bloom anywhere. Neither filly was speaking to one another. Their faces were downcast.
That was when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo noticed Applejack out in the crowd. Their grimaces upon seeing her told the apple farmer that something was very wrong.
Scootaloo gestured toward the building with a cock of her head and looked back down to the ground, avoiding eye contact with Applejack. Just then Applejack noticed Miss Cheerilee emerging from the schoolhouse. Her face was serious, far from her usual cheery self, when she made her way over to Applejack.
“Hello there, Applejack,” she greeted. She wore a smile, but her eyes remained stoic. Cutting right to the chase, she said, “I’m afraid I have some bad news concerning Apple Bloom… Follow me, please.”
Applejack wanted to ask questions, but she didn’t say a word as she followed Cheerilee into the schoolhouse. However, all of her questions were answered when she saw Apple Bloom sitting in one of the desks with a blue and black ring around one of her eyes. Sitting in the seat two desks away from her was none other than Diamond Tiara, who was sporting a black eye of her own, a fat lip, and a scowl as Applejack walked in. Apple Bloom smiled sheepishly at her big sister, but turned her face away in shame as Applejack gave her a glare that could have scared the worm out of an apple.
Cheerilee went behind her desk, sitting down and folding her hooves together.
“Well, as you can see, Apple Bloom got into a bit of a fight today with Diamond Tiara.” She frowned, looking first at Applejack and then over at her two unruly students. They had not once looked at one another since Applejack had entered the room. “I assume you’ll give Apple Bloom a talking to when you get home?”
Applejack nodded, uttering only one word. “Eeyup.”
Apple Bloom sank low into her chair, as if she were trying to make herself invisible. Cheerilee sighed.
“Thank you, Applejack. I trust you and your family to do the right thing, though I am very sorry to say that Apple Bloom will have to be suspended for the rest of the week. Rest assured; the same will happen for Diamond Tiara.”
Applejack noticed Apple Bloom wince out of the corner of her eye. She nodded her head once to indicate that she understood Cheerilee's verdict.
“Ah understand, Miss Cheerilee. Thank you for your time.” She tipped her hat to the schoolteacher and called to her little sister, who was now burying her bruised face in her hooves. “Come on, AB; we’d best be gettin’ home.”
Apple Bloom got up with reluctance, her head hanging low. She glanced over at Diamond Tiara one last time, making eye contact with her mortal enemy long enough to exchange one final scowl before following her sister out into the hot spring day.
Apple Bloom followed Applejack at a distance, dragging her hooves through the dust of the schoolyard. Her black eye attracted the gaze of every filly and colt around her. Applejack noticed her sister exchange glances with her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, from across the yard. Her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to comfort her from afar with melancholy smiles. Apple Bloom didn't smile back.
No sooner had they left the schoolyard that Applejack could see Diamond Tiara’s father, Filthy Rich, coming to pick up his daughter. Mr. Rich looked over to Apple Bloom, who was still following Applejack a couple of meters behind, and the two of them made brief eye contact. Seeing her black eye, he stepped in front of Applejack, partially blocking her path.
“Where is my daughter?” he demanded. The tone of his voice was like that of an interrogator. Applejack met his confrontation with a cool stare and stopped in her tracks, pointing to the schoolhouse with her hoof.
“She’s inside. Miss Cheerilee’ll want to have a word with you when you get there.”
Upon hearing the news, Mr. Rich’s face blanched. A small lump traveled down his throat.
“A-Alright. Thank you,” he replied. Applejack tipped her hat to him, not saying anything more as they parted ways.
She was a good distance up the big hill before she sensed that something wasn’t right. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Apple Bloom was still standing near the bottom of the hill, watching Miss Cheerilee lead Mr. Rich into the schoolhouse behind her.
“Scoot your boot, Apple Bloom,” Applejack called back. Apple Bloom didn't seem to realize how far behind she was, but at her command she scurried up the hill until she was only a short distance behind, maintaining her distance the whole way back.
They walked in silence. Applejack never looked back, and Apple Bloom never looked up. The only sound made was the soft crunch of dust beneath their hooves until the farm came into view.
That was when Applejack stopped suddenly, sitting down on her haunches in the middle of the path. Apple Bloom stopped as well, keeping her distance. She eyed her big sister warily.
“Apple Bloom, come over here,” said Applejack with a stern but even tone, still facing the other direction. Apple Bloom gulped. She dragged her hooves, walking until she and Applejack were side by side.
“Look at me.” Applejack turned to face her.
Despite her apparent fear, Apple Bloom complied. She looked up, meeting Applejack's stern gaze.
“Now, Apple Bloom, this is what Ah want you to do.” Her eyes never wandered, fixing her younger sister with a gaze of stone. “Ah want you to tell me exactly what happened today at school between you and Diamond Tiara. Ah want you to tell me everything, and to tell me the truth. Understood?”
Apple Bloom nodded, her eyes watering. She did what she was told and began to relay the day’s events with a quavering voice, fighting back sobs as she did.
“Okay, okay. Ah will.” She wiped her eyes, pulling herself together. “It was at recess… Everything started when S-Sweetie Belle went to school today wearin’ one of her sister’s new hats. She was showin' it off to everypony on the playground, but Diamond Tiara got jealous and started pickin’ on her. She kept tellin' Sweetie that the hat looked ugly. Sweetie was tryin' to ignore her, but then Diamond knocked the hat off Sweetie’s head and got it all dirty. Sweetie Belle started cryin’, and Ah saw the whole thing, and Ah told Diamond Tiara that she was a big jerk and a bully and then…”
She paused, hesitating just before the climax of the story.
“Then… what?” Applejack questioned.
Apple Bloom swallowed hard. “…and then Ah pushed Diamond Tiara, an’ she came back an’ popped me one in the eye, and Ah popped her one, and then... and then Miss Cheerilee saw us and broke it up,” she concluded.
And that was it. The story was over. Applejack drank in all of the information Apple Bloom had relayed to her, deep in thought. She wanted to believe everything she’d heard. But for some reason, something didn’t feel right. There was a piece to this puzzle that didn’t quite fit…
“So, she hit you first, Apple Bloom?” she asked, her tone betraying her doubts. Apple Bloom nodded in affirmation.
“An’ there’s nothin’ else you want to tell me?”
Apple Bloom shook her head, looking away. Applejack, however, was not convinced.
“AB, look at me. Square in the eye. Right now.”
Apple Bloom clenched her glistening eyes shut for a moment, and then did what her sister said. Applejack’s eyes burned into hers.
“I want you to tell me, eye to eye, that you have told me everything and that you have told me the truth. Say it, right now. Ah…” she started Apple Bloom off.
“Ah…” Apple Bloom began, “Ah have told you… Ah told you… Ah’ve…”
She broke. Looking away with shame, she blurted out, “Ah haven’t told you everything.”
As the Element of Honesty, Applejack often did not have trouble telling the truth from a lie. But this one time, just this once, she wished her suspicions had been wrong.
“What haven’t you told me, Apple Bloom?” she asked. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Tears were beginning to flow freely down Apple Bloom's cheeks. She told the rest of the story between sobs.
“After - hic! - Diamond Tiara made Sweetie Belle - hic! - cry, Ah told Diamond Tiara she was a big jerk and a - hic! - bully and then...” She took another deep breath to stop herself from sobbing. “...And then Ah dared her to fight me, an’ when she started walkin' away, Ah called her a big chicken, and then Ah pushed her, and then…”
She broke down completely. Her tears watered the dry soil below her.
Applejack was no longer glaring at Apple Bloom. She was taking it all in; her sister had egged on the fight. Even though Diamond Tiara had hit her first, Apple Bloom had still technically started everything.
Applejack wrapped a hoof around Apple Bloom and pulled the girl close to her chest, hugging her tight. Salty tears flowed down Apple Bloom's face as she returned the hug, wrapping her forelegs around Applejack’s middle.
For several minutes, they stayed like this. Applejack waited a minute until her sister’s crying had died down before she said anything.
“Ah want to tell you a couple things, Apple Bloom," she began. Her mouth was close to Apple Bloom’s ear. "First, Ah think it’s great that you stood up for your friend and told that brat Diamond Tiara to take a hike. Believe me, Ah can’t stand her just as much as you can’t.”
Tears staining her face, Apple Bloom peeked up at Applejack with her black eye. “Really?”
Applejack grinned. “Eeyup.”
Apple Bloom giggled. Unfortunately, the light moment couldn’t last forever. Applejack continued, becoming serious again.
“But even if she is the most horrible filly in all of Equestria, the second y'all go pickin’ fights with others, you’re in the wrong. Now, Ah've always told you that Ah ain't against self-defense. But Apple Bloom... the fact is, she may have hit ya first, but you still started the fight.”
Apple Bloom listened intently, nodding her head with understanding. She rested the side of her face on Applejack’s chest. “Ah know. Ah’m sorry... Ah shouldnt’ve done it, but Ah just got so… so angry…” She sniffled.
Applejack let go of Apple Bloom and scooted back a little bit, placing a hoof on her shoulder. The filly sat back on her haunches with her head low, but her eyes stayed fixed on Applejack.
“An’ it’s alright to be angry, Sugarcube,” she said the endearing term for the first time that day, causing a smile to form on Apple Bloom’s face for a brief second before disappearing again, “but it’s what you do with your anger that matters most. If y'all hadn't let your anger get the best of yah today, then none of this would've happened, an’ this whole thing could’ve been avoided. Do you understand what Ah'm sayin’, Apple Bloom?”
She nodded, wiping her eyes. “Yeah, Applejack, I understand.”
Applejack pulled her in for a quick hug. “Good. I’m glad ta hear it.” She released Apple Bloom but still kept a hoof on her shoulder. “An’ Ah appreciate you comin’ out an’ bein’ honest with me, sis. Ah know it was hard, but believe me, it’ll make you a better mare later on in life.”
Apple Bloom nodded in silence. Applejack could tell she was taking the words to heart as she ran her hoof through the girl's red mane. Her eyes would have beamed with pride had they not been so dimmed with sadness...
Nerves on edge, Applejack took in a deep breath, steeling herself. Apple Bloom looked up at her, face registering momentary confusion.
“Now, Apple Bloom... Ah know ya know what you did wrong, an’ Ah believe you’re sorry. But sis... there are still consequences for things that we do.”
Upon hearing these words, Apple Bloom hung her head lower than ever before, her ears falling back on her head. Even the red bow on her head drooped. Applejack felt a stabbing pain in her chest at the sight.
“Apple Bloom…” her voice warbled slightly, “Ah'm gonna need you ta get a switch.”
Apple Bloom choked on another sob. Her eyes watered afresh, but she nodded in understanding. “Okay…”
"Okay. Ah'll be waiting at the barn, sis," she said. With a nuzzle to her cheek, she sent Apple Bloom off, and the girl headed obediently to the orchard.
Nearly a minute went by before Applejack finally moved from her spot on the ground. The place between her shoulder blades broke out into a clammy sweat as she watched Apple Bloom become smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing from view entirely. A drop of the sweat trickled down her back, and the tingling sensation sent a shiver up her spine.
She could taste the bitter bark on her tongue, could almost feel the applewood branch clenched in her teeth and stretching out the corners of her mouth as she walked the path to the barn. Forcing one hoof in front of the other, her steps showed the same hesitation as they did when she had walked this same path so many years ago.
The barn doors loomed in front of her. She gazed up at them before pressing on the red-painted boards with her hoof, opening the doors with a gentle push. She poked her head in.
From inside, a caramel-colored stallion sat motionless on the barn floor. The edges of the stetson hat he wore atop his head were faded and frayed from use. She came to an abrupt halt in the doorway, his pained eyes meeting hers, but only for a moment. Her eyelids fell shut.
When she opened them, he was gone.
Swallowing, her eyes traveled to the place where he had been seated. She walked over and sat down on that same spot, turning around so that she was facing the barn door. A sequence of deep breaths slowed her pounding heart.
A trembling hoof traveled up to the stetson hat on her head. She brushed it over the rim, feeling the frayed fibers along the edges. She gently pulled down on the rim to situate the hat more firmly on her head before bringing her still-shaking hoof back down to the dirt. Again, she closed her eyes.
She waited.
Several minutes later, the barn door creaked open. Applejack waited, staring at the sliver of open space between the doors.
Apple Bloom walked slowly in, carrying a thin branch in her mouth. She had stripped it of all the twigs and leaves, leaving behind only a solid, flexible rod. Seeing Applejack waiting inside, she hesitated at the door, the front half of her body inside the barn and the other half out.
“Come in, Apple Bloom,” said Applejack, “and close the door behind you.”
Apple Bloom did what she was told and stood over at the other end of the barn. Her legs were bent slightly at the knees, and they shook visibly. Applejack's heart rose into her throat, and perspiration dripped down the back of her neck. There was no going back now.
“C-come on, sis. Bring it here.” She motioned to Apple Bloom with her hoof to bring her the switch. The quivering yellow filly obeyed and came over to her, dropping the implement at her hooves. She looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, but Applejack did not allow herself to be swayed. Hanging her head, Apple Bloom at last resigned to her fate.
Applejack picked up the switch in her mouth. With a gentle motion, she pulled Apple Bloom close with one hoof, sliding her over the dirt floor of the barn until her middle was pressed against her chest, making it so that Apple Bloom’s head was facing the far wall with her flank in the range of the switch. Applejack adjusted the implement in her mouth until it was long enough before she rested it on her sister's rear.
“Awre... awre you wready?” she asked, her speech impaired by the branch in her mouth. Apple Bloom nodded once, hiding her face between her front hooves on the dirt. She shut her eyes tight.
“Y-yeah... Ah’m ready.” Every muscle in Apple Bloom's body tensed up as she braced herself for the first strike. Her sister raised the switch.
Applejack closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, bit down hard, and whipped the branch down.
“Ah!”
Apple Bloom yelped as the switch thwacked down on her rear, leaving a long red stripe behind. Applejack didn’t hold back and whipped her rump again, causing her to cry out in pain and tears to trickle out from the corners of her eyes. Mentally blocking out the cries and sobs of the filly at her hooves, Applejack kept a slow and steady rhythm with her strokes.
“Ow! Ah! Ooow!” cried Apple Bloom as the switch made its mark over and over again. She tensed up against Applejack, hind legs shaking from her efforts to stay still. Nonetheless, it did not take many more swats before Applejack could feel Bloom beginning to squirm in her grasp, unable to control herself. She didn’t hold it against her little sister; she knew firsthand how much this hurt. Gripping her more firmly, she trained the switch to keep whipping down in a rhythmic, steady arc.
“Ahahaaaa! Ahhh!” More heart-rending cries tore themselves out of Apple Bloom’s throat. She crossed her forelegs in front of her and pressed her face into the space between them, rubbing her right leg up and down with her left in a futile effort to fend off the awful sting, but her cries only amplified until they morphed into a single, continuous wail.
Applejack swung one last time, making it just a bit harder than the rest, and spat the implement out onto the ground.
Apple Bloom's whole body quaked uncontrollably. Dirt stuck to her cheeks from where her face had pressed up against the barn floor. She didn't even seem to know that the punishment had stopped.
But before she could even lift up her head, a strong pair of forelegs wrapped themselves around Apple Bloom’s underside. Applejack lifted her up from the ground, pulling her quaking body into hers in a loving embrace. She clasped her hooves around her younger sibling, letting her cry on her shoulder. Apple Bloom may not have known it, but she was not the only one with tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Shhh, shh, it’s alright, Sugarcube. Just let it all out.” Applejack rubbed Apple Bloom’s back up and down, her orange coat wet with Apple Bloom’s tears and a few of her own.
“Ah'm s-sorry! Ah-Ah’m so sorry, Applejack,” she stammered between gasps of air. “Ah'm sorry…”
Applejack squeezed even tighter. “Shh, it’s okay, sis. Ah already forgave you. It’s all done.”
The two sisters stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. Applejack whispered soothing words into Apple Bloom's ear, continuing to caress her back and mane until her cries eventually died down. She fell limp in her big sister's grasp.
Applejack looked over at Apple Bloom. Her black eye was even puffier than before from her crying, and discolored lines ran from her eyes and down her cheeks from where the tears had trickled down her face. The girl's gentle breaths felt hot on her shoulder.
“Ah love you, Apple Bloom.” She nuzzled her tenderly. Almost imperceptibly, Apple Bloom returned the gesture, the faintest smile present on her lips. "Ah’m... Ah’m so proud of you."
The barn became silent and still. Over a half hour passed before Applejack finally set Apple Bloom down, careful not to touch her flank in the process. The filly sat down on the dirt for a second but, with a sharp breath, shot back up onto her hooves from the sting. Applejack smiled sadly.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be sore for a little while yet. Ah’ll get you a cushion for your chair when we eat dinner. Sound good?” she asked, trying to cheer the poor filly up. Apple Bloom wiped her nose, sniffling.
“Yeah, I guess... it sure does smart, though.” She looked back at her reddened rump with a wince. Applejack gave a sage nod of her head.
“Eeyup.” She pushed the barn door open. “Ah'm gonna go start fixin’ us up some dinner, and you can go get yourself cleaned up when we get back to the house. Are ya hungry?”
Apple Bloom's ears perked up at the mention of food.
“Mmhmm. Ah'm... starved, actually." She looked down, drawing a line on the ground with her hoof.
"Aaand..." Applejack leaned in closer, speaking softly into Apple Bloom's ear, "Ah think Ah just might fix us up some apple fritters for dessert. Sound like a plan?"
Apple Bloom's eyes lit up with excitement, and she gave a toothy grin. Applejack knew those were her favorite. "Y-yeah... that'd be real nice. Th-thanks..." She blushed.
Applejack patted her head. "You're welcome sis. Now come on, AB; we'd best be getting home."
She left the barn and stepped into the sunshine. Apple Bloom followed her out, no longer lagging behind, but right at her big sister's side.
...
The sweet, buttery aroma of glazed sugar and cinnamon-spiced apples still lingered in the air from dinner. Night had fallen hours ago, and everyone in the Apple household had long since gone to bed.
All except Applejack. She sat in the armchair beside the empty fireplace, wide awake with her Stetson hat lying in her lap.
Frayed fibers tickled her hoof as she traced it along the hat’s edges. The brim had gone floppy over the years, and the crown had flattened out from decades of use in rain or shine, sun or snow. Foggy patches of faded yellow marred the soft brown felt.
But it was hers. Hers to wear, and hers to bear.
“Ah hope Ah've done right, Pa,” she whispered. Her cheeks were smooth with dried tears. “Ah… Ah hope Ah've done right.”