//------------------------------// // What am I? // Story: Full Bloom // by DouglasTrotter //------------------------------// Apple Bloom's hooves dangled off the side of her bed while sunlight came through the bedroom's clean windows. Light glinted off the frame of a small picture on her bedside table. Her right front hoof trembled, soon steadied by her left front hoof. The filly's eyes gravitated toward the small green stain on the floorboard near her bed. She sighed then kicked her back hooves, flopping back onto the bed. "Why?" She said, staring up at the ceiling. The rooster's crow waking her up earlier that morning, the sun just peaking over the horizon, Apple Bloom had leapt out of bed. She hurried downstairs. Granny Smith, in a stern tone, told her granddaughter to calm down and eat slower. The elderly mare's words went unheeded until Apple Bloom had to slug down some apple juice with her pancakes. Apple Bloom stopped and looked at the front door after a firm knock. With her breakfast consumed, she darted outside to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle standing ready. Today would be the day the trio earned their cutie marks. "Will you hurry up." Scootaloo said with a shout. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle galloped behind her. Rows of trees whizzed past them. Several tree stumps littered the landscape. Axe Head's lumber mill came into view, and a unicorn mare stood outside the door. The tan colored pony glared at the three fillies near her strong front hooves when they approached. Scootaloo smiled and said, "Sorry we're late. My alarm clock didn't go off." Axe Head gritted her teeth. Her hoof slammed against the door's sign. The glare relented, and she moved away from the door. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo entered the mill. "Seven AM sharp!" Axe Head shouted with the stallions and mares inside wincing, "Scootaloo, you're with Splitter. You'll give him lumber when he needs it. Sweetie Belle, you're on sawdust detail with Cart. Hope that mane of yours has insurance." Sweetie Belle's mouth dropped. Her eyes traced Axe Head's hoof that pointed toward a mountain of sawdust near a cheery pony with a wheelbarrow for a cutie mark. "Problem?" Axe Head raised an eyebrow, receiving a quick headshake from Sweetie Belle. She faced the last filly in front of her as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle moved towards their respective partners. "Good. Apple Bloom, your partner isn't here today, so you'll be workin' with me. Listen," she towered above the filly, " because I'll only say this once. Do as I say. When I say it. Understand?!" Apple Bloom let out an audible gulp, the other ponies in the mill gazing at her with blank expressions. She nodded, followed Axe Head into a corner of the factory, and then raised a hoof to shield her eyes. The bright flash of light relented. Several axe blades hung against the walls; their freshly sharpened, silver colored edges glinted in the sunlight. She lowered her hoof and backed away from the large, circular saw blade on the table that sat in the middle of the room. "Hey, come on. Ah'm a big pony." Apple Bloom said. "I need workers. Not whiners. You want your bits and a chance to earn your cutie marks? You work. That axe is plenty big for a filly your size." Axe Head said. "Ma'am!" Splitter said before entering into the workshop, "we got a slipped band saw blade on station five." "Anypony hurt?" Axe Head said. "No ma'am. Darndest thing. It just snapped right in half. That Scootaloo filly is a little frazzled. That's it." the stallion said. "Don't. Touch. Anything." Axe Head said in a stern voice. She pulled a box off the shelf, "I mean it, filly." Apple Bloom nodded. Her eyes focused on the axe in her hoof then squinted at it for a second. "Cutie Mark Crusader Lumber Mill Workers, great idea Apple Bloom. Ah can't believe I thought of this one --" The axe slipped out of her hoof. Its sharpened end embedded itself in the wooden floor. Apple Bloom tugged on it. The axe refused to budge. She tugged on it harder. It refused to budge. "OW!" Apple Bloom bellowed. After a final tug of the axe, its handle slipped out and her hoof grazed the side of the circular saw blade. "Sweet Celestia that hurts." A loud clang resonated inside the main room. Axe Head looked at Apple Bloom, pulled down the medical kit from the side wall, bandaged her wound, and then escorted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo outside. "What I get for using fillies." Axe Head said to herself. She whistled. A pegasus stallion with a crane hook for a cutie mark landed near her. "Hoist, get Apple Bloom back to Sweet Apple Acres. I'll notify Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's relatives." "Yes Ma'am!" Hoist said. The pegasus stallion latched onto the filly with his right hoof. He extended his wings then power ascended into the sky. Little time passed before Apple Bloom found herself back at Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack at the front door. Applejack examined her little sister then took her inside. In her room, Apple Bloom apologized to the stallion. After a swift pat to the filly's head, Hoist went outside and made a power ascent into the sky. Heavy hoof steps echoed down the hallway before Applejack entered Apple Bloom's bedroom. She opened her mouth and raised her hoof. The cowgirl shook her head, and then closed her mouth. Her hoof slammed into the floor. "What were ya thinkin'?" Applejack said in a harsh tone. Her hoof slammed into the floor once more, "No, don't say anythin' Bloom. I'll stop mah self right there and answer mah own question. Ya weren't thinkin', were ya. What possessed ya'll ta think workin' a lumber mill was a good idea? Haven't ya seen Uncle Apple Tree's left hoof? That scar ain't a birthmark, sugar cube. He nearly cut it off." Granny Smith stopped in the hallway. She popped her back and eyed Apple Bloom's hoof. "That's enough child. Apple Bloom will be fine." "What's goin on!" Apple Bloom said. Green, viscous liquid oozed out from the bandage's top. With the cloth bandage removed, she bolted for the bathroom. Her left hoof rubbed against the wound several times under the faucet. Apple Bloom turned off the faucet. She sat on her bed, "What's goin' on?" Big Macintosh looked at the bandage on the floor then at Granny Smith. He nodded to her. After grabbing the bandage, the stallion patted Apple Bloom on the head. He let out a slow, saddened sigh. In a quiet voice he said, "Granny..." The elderly mare closed her eyes, sighed, and then turned around. She moved down the hallway lined with family pictures. In the living room, Granny Smith opened the lower drawer on the bookcase. Her hooves touched the sides of an ornate wooden box, lifting it out of the small compartment with care. Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom joined her. "Ya'll best promise to keep this a secret. This goes double for you Applejack. Keep it a secret from that princess friend of yours." Granny Smith said, eyeing Applejack. She rubbed a nervous hoof against the box. "Apple Bloom... child, ah sincerely hoped this day would never come." Granny Smith's hoof steadied on the box's top; the top's emblem was in the shape of an apple with a tree carved into it. She pulled her hoof away. The knot on her scarf loosened. With her teeth in, a thread was pulled from around a bulge in the cloth. A wooden locket fell into her lap. Granny Smith opened the locket and clutched the key close to her chest. Inside, four small pictures withstood the test of time. The first picture showed three ponies, a proud mare and stallion beside Granny Smith. A happy colt with a harness around his neck stood by the three proud ponies in the second. In the next, three ponies smiled as they stood near the colt with a small filly alongside him. "Ma. Pa." Applejack said as her ears lowered, "Why are these locked away?" Granny Smith closed her eyes. Her head lowered. She pulled the forth picture out of the box. Applejack and Big Macintosh stood near a small filly. An apple tree stood in the background, not present in the other pictures. The elderly mare raised her head, "Ah honestly hoped to never think about this again. Your parents, they were a beautiful couple meant for each other. Ah never seen a love more powerful than theirs. It devastated me beyond belief when they passed away." "Granny, what are ya sayin?" Apple Bloom said. "Apple Bloom, you're a part of this family. You're an Apple no matter what. Ah just..." Granny Smith said, fighting back her tears. She steadied herself. Her hoof pointed at the tree behind the ponies in the picture. "Your Ma, she passed away before you were born." The air remained still. In the kitchen, the clock continued to tick on. Apple Bloom's eyes remained fixated on the picture while Big Macintosh stood near Granny Smith. "It's... it's a little late for April Foals jokes Granny Smith. Besides, this ain't funny." Applejack said. Her hoof brushed against the picture then pulled it back. She faced Big Macintosh, "You knew about this? How could you keep secrets from me!" Applejack moved toward her brother. Big Macintosh maintained his stoic demeanor. "What. Am. Ah?" Apple Bloom said, examining her hoof once again. "Dryad." Big Macintosh said, receiving a stern scolding from Granny Smith. "Granny, this isn't some recipe you can fix by addin' just a tad of sugar." "Dontcha sass me, youngin. Ah might be old but Ah ain't too old to tan that hide of yours redder than it already is, Big Mac. " Granny Smith said. Big Macintosh sat down, the house shaking for a second. Granny Smith faced Applejack and Apple Bloom. "Ah know it don't make much sense. Heck, even I don't understand it mah self. Regardless. Applejack, Apple Bloom is your sister just as much as she is Big Macintosh's sister." Applejack hugged Apple Bloom, "Ah already knew that. Ah want to know what's goin' on. Is she gonna be alright?" "Eyup." Big Macintosh said. "Ah need more than just a darn 'Eyup' from ya, 'Big Brother.'" Applejack said. She placed a hoof over Apple Bloom, "Is mah little sis alright?" Big Macintosh held his hoof up. He went to the front door, placed a firm hoof on his forehead, opened the door, and dragged Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle inside, both fillies wiping away their tears. The door locked the door behind him. "April Foals!" Granny Smith said before trotting away. Applejack stood in her way. "It's time for mah nap, youngin. " "Granny Smith! Ya'll best not be tellin tales here. What happened up there in that bedroom wasn't some joke to pass off. I've never seen it happen to her." Applejack said. Big Macintosh glared at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom stepped in front of them, and he relaxed. "That promise applies to your friends, Bloom." "Big Macintosh. Granny Smith. Applejack. What am ah?" Apple Bloom said, gawking at her healed wound. "What is a dryad?" Shaky, slow hooves guided Granny Smith to her rocking chair. The others gathered around her while Big Macintosh stood near the door. "Ya'll know about the princesses? How they're unicorns, pegasi, and earth pony all mingled into one like some kinda weird apple jam? Ah don't know much, but, one thing ah know for certain, dryads have a deep connection to the soil beneath their hooves. They have the strongest bond any pony can have with the land of Equestria itself." Granny Smith said. "Wait, does that make dryads like alicorns. Does that make Apple Bloom a princess?" Sweetie Belle said. "Ah'm sorry, youngin. It would be great if things were nice like that." Granny Smith said. She gathered the pictures. "Ah only know of one story passed down from our great, great, great, great, great, great ancestor, Apple Seed. Princess Celestia doesn't view dryads with kind eyes, and that's about it. Ah don't know why." Apple Bloom rubbed her hoof against the floor boards of the family room. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat near their friend. "Did ah cause --" Apple Bloom said. "No. Dotcha ever think that again. Your Ma and Pa loved ya with all their heart, Apple Bloom." Granny Smith said. She placed the pictures inside the box, locked it, and then put it back inside the cabinet. Her hooves creaked and groaned as she meandered up the steps towards her room. "Ah need to fix this dang scarf. Such a pain in mah flank. Always have to sew this key box back in so ah don't lose it. I'd lose mah darn head if it weren't attached to mah body." Applejack squinted at Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. She patted her sister on the head then faced the stairs. "Our Granny and Big Brother have some serious questions to answer. If ah have to fight all of Equestria, ah'll do it to keep ya safe little sis. Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo. Ya best promise to keep this a secret. Rainbow couldn't keep a secret to save Equestria. Rarity's a gossip mare." "We promise." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom made her way up the stairs. She sat on her bed and buried her head into her hooves then got off her bed. Her eyes focused on the orchard. "Two hours. They just, just -- what do ah do?" "Dryad, Filly, or spooky monster, you're a cutie mark crusader, Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle said. Scootaloo's wings buzzed before she gave a cheery smile, "Ya. Whatever the case, we'll stick by ya."