Super Bloom Part 2.
Apple Bloom's POV.
A'h lay in bed, my eyelids struggling to close. My ears twitched with every sound they picked up. Mostly snores, coming from the other bedrooms. Despite the walls between us, A'h felt like we were in the same bed. Big Macintosh and Apple Comet's snoring honestly weren't that bad. But then they've both always been quiet sleepers. And Granny Smith was out like a light the moment she got into bed. No the worst snorer in our house was Applejack, who sounded like a dull saw slowly cutting back and forth through a log. A'h wrapped my pillow around the top of my head and thought about what Apple Comet had said.
"When the world seems too big just remember you have the power to make it...SNNOOOOOORRRRRRRRE!" Gosh darn it! Applejack's snoring was so loud it was even interrupting my thoughts. A'h heard a loud Shrrip! followed by the smell of chicken feathers. A'h poked my eyes open to see the two sides of my pillow in my hooves. "Great, just great." With a sigh, A'h dropped them over the side and threw off the covers. A'h walked over to my closet, the floorboards creaking under my hooves. "How does Apple Comet sleep through this every night?" A quick peek through the walls revealed my little big brother sleeping soundly like a newborn foal. A'h reached for the knob and turned. CRUNCH! Only for it to crumble in my hoof like a balled-up piece of paper. "Dang it!" A'h exclaimed letting the crushed remains of the door knob drop to the floor. A'h walked over to my bed, pulled out a hooful of feathers, and jammed them into my ears.
"A'h swear A'h will never take a good night's sleep for granted again," A'h vowed as A'h climbed into bed.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
A'h slowly opened my tired eyes. "Mmm, ugh." A'h let out a groan as A'h pulled the halves of my pillow away from my ears. A'h sat up and looked out the window at the sunlight passing through and carefully removed the blanket. A'h slid my hind legs over the edge of the bed and let my hooves hit the floor. Quietly tiptoeing to the window, A'h stepped into the light. A warm pleasant feeling overcame me. My eyelids felt less heavy, and my body was less tired. As if the rays of the sun were melting it all away. A'h looked out the window at the orchard, my eyes taking in every detail big or small. A'h could see the birds singing in the trees, the leaves rustling in the wind, and the insects climbing up blades of grass.
"Ugh," A sharp pain suddenly went through my head as A'h was reminded of what Apple Comet said. "Make it small," A'h whispered closing my eyes. Make it small, make it small." Slowly the sounds of the outside began to fade and with it the pain. A'h opened my eyes to find myself in my room looking at the window in front of me.
My ears twitched as A'h heard the sounds of hoof steps coming closer to my bedroom door. "A'h peered through it to see Applejack standing outside.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! "Apple Bloom you up?" Her nail struck the wood like a sledgehammer even though she only lightly tapped it.
"Yeah, Ah'm up," A'h said. The knob turned pulling the latch back into the door.
"That's good, why don't y'all come down and get some breakfast?" My stomach rumbled with the volume of an angry dragon. Breakfast sounded pretty good right about now. A'h looked down through the floor to the kitchen where A'h saw Granny Smith frying up some eggs on the stove.
WHOOSH! In the blink of an eye the world around me stood still, A'h galloped past Applejack, raced down the stairs, and was at the kitchen table by the time things started moving again.
"Morning everypony!" A'h said. "One plate of scrambled eggs with four pieces of haycon, a side of hash browns, and medium toast with jam."
Granny Smith sighed. "Coming right up."
"I see the effects of the red rock haven't worn off of you." Apple Comet said. "You sure you'll be able to go to school today?"
"Ah'm fine," A'h told him. "In fact, Ah'm better than fine, Ah'm super."
"Well, just remember what we talked about yesterday okay? If the world feels too big..."
"Just make it small," A'h finished.
"Also remember that you are a lot stronger than you were before," Applejack said walking in. "If Diamond Tiara or anypony else gives you a hard time, don't send them flying to the moon alright?" She accentuated her point with a poke of her hoof.
In my mind, A'h saw her and Silver Spoon mocking me with their usual name for me.
"Blank flank Blank Flank Blank....WHAM! AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A'h turned around and unleashed a buck that sent them both flying to the moon. Their screams grew fainter the farther they flew until they both landed on the moon with a distantCRASH! My classmates and Ms. Cheerilee cheered me on as A'h dusted my hooves off and walked away.
"Apple Bloom?" Applejack's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Are you listening to me?"
"Huh?" A'h looked at her just as Granny Smith set my plate down in front of me. "Oh yeah sure, Ah'll be fine." A'h picked up my fork and knife and began cutting into my eggs. The scent of their delicious yolky goodness wafted into my nose. A'h opened my mouth and took a bite.
CLINK!
A'h looked down at my fork to see the points missing. A'h opened my mouth and spat into my napkin to find them sticking out of the bits of egg. Everypony stopped what they were doing and stared at me. "Ah heh heh... could A'h get another fork please?"
A'h gazed into the mirror at my reflection. The yellow filly dressed in a blue gingham dress and Mare Jane horseshoes gazed back. A'h never thought Ah'd get cutie mark and have to hide it from everypony. But it wasn't mine.
"Apple Bloom, you ready?" Applejack called down.
With a deep breath, A'h checked to make sure my flank was properly covered. "Coming!"
"Hey, Apple Bloom what's with the dress?" Scootaloo asked as A'h set my saddlebags on the hook. "I thought you hated wearing them."
"Oh hi girls," A'h smiled. "No reason just felt like doing something a little different is all."
"Are you sure?" Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "Last time were at Rarity's you said hated being dolled up all fancy pants-like."
"That was different," A'h corrected her. "A'h drew the line on the pigtails." A'h leaned in closer to whisper. "Look Ah'll explain at recess okay?"
The bell rang signaling everypony to take their seats.
"Good Morning Class,"
"Good Morning Ms. Cheerilee."
"Now before we start, I have some bad news. Apple Comet is out sick today."
"Gee, what a tragedy," Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes with a bored huff.
"Yes, well hopefully he'll be back tomorrow. But in the meantime let's pick up where we left off on Friday. Everypony take out your pencils and paper." She picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board.
BOOM! TAP TAP TAP TAP!
My ears folded shut as the sounds of chalk running across stone echoed around me. A'h closed my eyes and raised my hoof to my forehead.
"Apple Bloom, what's wrong?" Scootaloo asked me, A'h opened one eye to see her skull and eyeballs looking at me. A'h closed my eyes and shook my head as A'h listened to what was going on around me."
"What's with her?" Silver Spoon's skeleton whispered to Diamond Tiara.
"This assignment must be too much for her blank flank brain." Diamond Tiara's bony face answered with a sneer. Ah let out a squeal and closed my eyes burying my face into my desk,
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
TICK TOCK TICK TOCK!
"TWEET TWEET TWEET TWEET!"
TAP TAP TAP TAP!
"Just make it small," A'h whispered. "Just make it small, just make it small." A'h imagined the classroom was box getting smaller and smaller. The noise around me began to go away as the box shrank and shrank until it was only covering my desk. The noise grew quieter and quieter and then it was gone. A'h opened my eyes slowly to see Ms. Cheerilee, fur and all looking at me with concern.
"Are you alright Apple Bloom?" She asked me. A'h could still hear the hushed whispers around me. But they seemed much farther away than they had been before." The ticking of the clock on the wall didn't sound like a clock tower anymore. The songs of the birds singing outside were silenced by the panes of the window.
"Ah think so," A'h told her.
"Alright then let's continue shall we?" Ms. Cheerilee turned around and started writing on the chalkboard again. The sound of chalk moving across the board as she wrote no longer sounded like big rocks hitting each other. "How in tarnation did Apple Comet go through this every day?"
Apple Comet's POV.
"Sigh." I was bored. There was no other way to say it. I was bored. I closed up my copy of Astrophysics for Ponies in a hurry. I figured that without my x-ray vision and super mental processing speed, it would help kill some time. But even though my brain was thinking slower, I still remembered the contents cover to cover. I set it down on my nightstand before falling back onto my bed. It felt strange having my bedroom be so quiet. Not being able to look through the ceiling and see flocks of birds flying overhead. Not being able to hear conversations going on downstairs.
*Knock knock knock.* My attention turned to the door.
"Apple Comet, It's Twilight, I just wanted to talk to you."
"Twilight?!" What was she doing here? I quickly crawled under my blanket and lay my head down like I was sleeping. "C-Come in," The doorknob turned in a luminescent raspberry light before sliding open. Twilight's lavender face poked in through the doorway. "Are you feeling okay?" I heard you were feeling sick, so I came to cheer you up.
"Oh hey Twilight," I greeted her in my raspiest voice. *Cough cough.* "Yeah I'm not feeling so good."
"That's a shame," She said trotting up to my bed. The door behind closed in her aura. Her eyes quickly fell upon the book on my nightstand. "Reading this again?" She smiled. "It's a classic, one of my favorites.
"Great minds think alike I suppose," *Cough cough cough* For a moment her gaze narrowed as she stared at me.
"You're bedside is awfully tidy for somepony who's sick. I don't see any medicine or tissues or water. What's going on?"
My face went white as I realized what she was talking about. Uhh...well, I..." Suddenly I was seized by her aura as she placed her hoof over my forehead to check for a fever.
"I wouldn't stand so close Twilight, *cough cough* I don't want you *cough cough * catching what I got."
"You're not warm, and your coat is dry." A sly grin spread across her face. "You're not playing hookey are you?" She said with a raised eyebrow.
"What me? willingly and maliciously miss a day of school? Never!" I protested indignantly.
"Cut the theatrics you're as bad a liar as your sister." She said pulling the blanket off me. I blushed from mane to tail as she exposed me. Her eyes fell upon my blank flank. "So Zecora was telling the truth about you." I scrambled off the bed and pressed myself up against the wall.
"What did she tell you?" I said with a mix of anger and fear. Why are you even here in the first place? Don't you have work at the library?"
"Whoa, calm down," Her expression softened as walked over to the front of the bed. "Zecora told me about what happened to you and Apple Bloom She brought the rock to the library for study." My mind was racing with fear and trepidation. How much did Twilight know about the rock? How close was she to connecting the dots? "You were ashamed to go to school without your cutie mark, weren't you? Afraid of what the other colts and fillies would say about you?"
My anger cooled as her words entered my ears. It was the perfect alibi. The only question was did she believe it or was she leading me on? Her eyes no longer piercing became gentle pools of empathy. I folded my ears down and my tail in and frowned.
"Alright, you got me, I admit it. I'm not sick. I just didn't want anypony to see me like this," I whispered looking at my blank flank. The guilt I felt for lying to her helped to make my performance believable. Suddenly I felt Twilight's forelegs wrap around my neck pulling me into her soft chest fur.
"Hey, it's okay, I know what peer pressure can feel like. Believe me, I've been there before." She whispered as I felt her hoof run down the back of my mane. "I know how it feels to be stripped of a part of you. To know that piece of you is missing. Just know you have nothing to be ashamed of. The rock may have taken your cutie mark, but it didn't take who you are. You're still the same sweet colt I talked to about astronomy the day I came to Ponyville."
I let out a hum of contentment as my heart flipped inside my barrel. It seemed my secret was safe for now. "And you don't have to deal with it alone. I promise I will not rest until I figure out how to fix this."
I felt a sense of elation upon hearing that. "You really mean that Twilight?"
"Would you like to see what I've been up to since yesterday?" She said with a confident smile. I smiled back.
"Sure." Her horn lit up engulfing both of us in bright light.
*Pop!*
Apple Bloom's POV.
"So basically what you are saying is that red rock gave you your brother's powers and his cutie mark?" Scootaloo whispered to me as we sat at the furthest table.
"Mhm, that's why A'h wore a dress today," A'h explained looking down at my covered flank.
"Wow, that's so cool," Sweetie Belle said excitedly. "So can you turn into a comet and fly like he does?"
"Well, kinda," A'h blushed thinking back to yesterday. "A'h still need practice."
"What d'ya hit?" Scootaloo asked taking a bite of her sandwich.
"Oh not much, just put a hole in the barn roof." A'h lied.
"Well, at least you didn't hit an outhouse like your brother." Sweetie Belle giggled causing my coat to turn even redder.
"Oi, what are you girls whispering about?" The three of us looked over to see Pipsqueak standing behind me.
My cheeks blushed as A'h tried to come up with an excuse.
"Oh, uh nothing," Sweetie said with an awkward smile. "Just you know..."
"Secret Cutie Mark Crusader business," Scootaloo interrupted in a severe tone. "Top secret."
"Uhh...yeah," Sweetie added. "Topper than top secret."
"I can keep a secret," Pip said looking at me. His reddish-brown eyes rippled.
"Uhh...sorry Pip...but you have to be a Cutie Mark Crusader." A'h felt a nauseous guilt rise in my stomach as A'h said those words. Pip's ears folded down as his withers slumped.
"Oh," He said in defeat, "I understand. I just thought that since we were mates...I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear anything." With that, he took his lunch and trotted over to another table.
Was this what it was like for my brother? Always had to make up excuses to keep his secret.
"Can you believe that dress Apple Bloom is wearing?" My ears twitched as they up the stuck-up voice of Diamond Tiara.
"I know right, she looks like one of those dolls in an antique store that no filly ever buys." Silver Spoon chuckled.
"She probably thought in her dumb hayseed brain that it was a good way to hide her blank flank." As their mocking laughter echoed in my ears, A'h felt my eyes beginning to burn with anger. What did A'h ever do to her?
At that moment, the sunlight reflected off her Tiara giving off a shimmering sparkle. Just because her parents were rich, she thought she could talk about my family like they were mud on the bottom of her perfectly manicured hooves. At that moment, A'h wanted nothing more than to show her otherwise.
"Ow...Oww...Oww...hot...hot...HOT...HOT...HOT" !" Diamond suddenly screamed out in pain.
"What's wrong?" Silver Spoon asked her.
"It burns!" Diamond shouted her hooves grasping for her head "Ow Ow!" Her hoof recoiled as it touched the band of her tiara. With determination, she yanked her tiara off her head dropping it on the lunch table. By now everyone had stopped eating and was staring as the tiara bounced on the table and rolled to a stop. Steam was rising off the hot metal leaving a headband-shaped mark in the wood.
"Oh, my gosh! Diamond are you alright? What happened" Silver Spoon stood up and reached a hoof toward Diamond's mane."
"Ow don't touch it!" Diamond swatted her hoof away. Her eyes were puffy and her nose sounded stuffy. The faint scent of singed hair drifted in my direction.
"Was that you?" Scootaloo asked me. A'h felt my rage cool as what A'h had done began to sink in.
"Come let's get you to the school nurse." Silver Spoon took Diamond sniffling by the hoof and led her back inside.
"A...A'h didn't mean to?" A'h said feeling a sense of dread. "A'h...A'h can't stay here!" Without thinking, A'h bolted up from the table and took off galloping.
"Apple Bloom!" A'h heard Scootaloo call out to me. But A'h just ran faster, the world slowing down around me. A'h didn't know where A'h was going, A'h just knew A'h had to get far away from here.
Apple Comet's POV.
*POP!*
"Welcome Apple Comet to my Laboratory!"
"Gah! Twilight?" Spike screamed covering his lap with a comic book. "What are you doing in here? you're supposed to knock first."
"Whoops? Sorry Spike," Twilight apologized as she covered her eyes with her hoof. "We'll just be in the basement if you need anything." His slit green eyes met mine as he sat silently on the toilet seat.
"Uh...hi?"
*POP!*
"Sorry about that, Anyways, welcome to my laboratory." She lit her horn and instantly the room came to life. Twilight had the basement set up with various scientific instruments and machines.
"Looks like you've been keeping pretty busy lately," I said gazing at everything going on around me. Machines hummed, gears turned and chemicals bubbled inside tanks and test tubes.
"I like to stay busy," Twilight said as she descended the stairs. "There's always something new to discover. Like the meteorite fragment, you and Apple Bloom found yesterday." My eyes fell upon a clear glove box with a metal frame atop a metal table. Inside glowing like a fresh ember was the red koltonite. My stomach felt nauseous and I began to sweat as I slowly followed after her. "Quite the amazing discovery."
"Have you figured out why it switched my Cutie Mark?" I asked.
"Well, not quite," Twilight admitted. "At least not yet anyway. What I have found is that it is emitting some kind of energy signature that doesn't match any known magic on Equus.
"So the reason is space magic?" I asked raising my eyebrow.
"Well, I guess you could call it that," Twilight walked over to a shelf. "However coincidentally, there was one close match I found." She levitated a lead box off of the bookshelf and placed it on the table next to the koltonite. "Before I open this we need to be properly dressed. She cast a spell around a nearby coat rack and teleported a pair of white hazard suits onto us. "Safety first."
I looked down at my hooves to see my suit had several empty sheaths where scaly claws might go.
"It belongs to Spike," Twilight confirmed. The latch on the box snapped open with a click. The lid slowly rose to illuminate the table with an eerie green glow. "I believe you are familiar with this specimen."
I swallowed nervously as I stared into the faucets of the gemstone. "All too well."
"Admittedly I don't know much about crystals and gemstones unless they're associated with magic in some way. That's Rarity's thing. But according to my analysis results, both specimens share similarities in energy readings."
"So why are they different colors?" I asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Twilight answered. "The universe is a vast and unknown mystery. Any number of things could've happened on their journey to Equus." She closed the lid firmly and secured the latch. Then slowly removed her hood. "There's something else I want to talk to you about while you're here. Something that's been in the back of my mind for the longest time now."
"What is it?" I asked pulling off my hood.
"When you, Spike, and Rarity were captured by Diamond Dogs, why did the green gemstone only affect you?"
My anxiety level rose. "W-what do you mean?"
Her eyes narrowed as her pupils fixed on me. "Both of them told me what happened in the tunnels. Every time it was close, you got so weak, you couldn't stand up and at one point were even coughing up blood. But as soon as you were away you started to get better. Meanwhile, neither of them was affected."
"I-I don't know why it made me sick, It-it just did."
Twilight scratched her chin pondering what I said. "Hmm...perhaps you're right. After all, this is a relatively recent discovery. Anyway, I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories. Why don't I make it up to you with some sandwiches?" She teleported the suits back to the coat rack and opened the door. I looked over at the clock on the wall. It was well past lunchtime at school. "Sure why not?" I answered, although, in my head, I wondered how much Twilight knew and how much she was letting on.
Apple Bloom's POV.
A'h stared at my reflection in the water. The yellow filly with the red mane and dirt-stained dress stared back at me. Ah had made it from school to the Everfree Forest in what felt like a blink of an eye. But my guilty conscience caught up with me. A'h didn't want to say it out loud, but the way A'h had acted was just as wrong as Diamond Tiara.
WHOOSH! The sound of a speeding object in the distance reached my ears. A'h looked up and turned around to see an orange and purple streak racing toward me.
"Scootaloo?" She came to a stop, sparks shooting off her wings as she came to a halt.
" Apple Bloom, there, you are."
"How'd you find me out here?" A'h asked her.
"You left a trail for me to follow," She said. "What were you thinking running off like that?"
A'h closed my eyes and sighed. "A'h...A'h...A'h guess A'h wasn't thinking." A'h turned away from her and walked back to the pond's edge. "A'h thought A'h could handle having these powers. If given the chance, A'h could be just as good as Apple Comet. But now A'h see that A'h was wrong. A'h was so focused on the things A'h could do with them, that A'h didn't stop to think about the things A'h should or shouldn't do with them."
Scootaloo put her hoof on my withers. "I know how you feel believe me. Ever since I got my powers, a lot of things have changed."
"Like what?" A'h looked up at her.
"Well, everything. Before Discord hypnotized us, I couldn't wait to get my cutie mark. Now that I have it, it's not what was expecting."
"What were you expecting?" A'h asked her. She looked up at the sky with starry eyes.
"Ever since I first saw Rainbow Dash flying, I was inspired. I thought, someday that's going to be me up there flying through the clouds, wowing audiences at shows. I thought that was where I would be. Not down here."
"Oh," A'h said rubbing my hoof against my cannon. "Do ya sometimes wish it was something else?"
Scootaloo turned to me and snorted. "Are you kidding me? I'm the fastest runner in all of Equestria. I can pass through solid objects, at least most of the time. I can even finish my homework in like five minutes flat." Her face grinned with pride. "It may not be the cutie mark I expected, but it's still awesome."
"Well, yeah but this ain't really my cutie mark, it's my brother's. A'h didn't earn it and A'h don't deserve it."
"ARRROOOOOOOO!" A howl in the distance perked my ears up.
"You heard that too right?" Scootaloo asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, Timberwolves," A'h said turning in the direction of the sound. A pair of sickly yellow eyes stared back at me, baring its mouth of stake-like teeth as it emerged from the bush. Four more followed behind it forming a semicircle around us.
"What's say we get out of here?" Scootaloo suggested.
"Sounds good to me," I agreed as the timberwolves closed in.
"Then on my mark, get set, go!"
"WHOOSH!"
ZOOOOM!
In the blink of an eye, we were off, the trees of the forest zipping past us. If we could just find our way out of the forest and get to help we'd be safe."
*Pop!* Suddenly A'h felt a strange tingle in my flank and my legs gave out. A'h fell face over my forelegs tumbling into a somersault. My dress skirt flew up as bounced off my flank and landed on my side. "Uhh...what just happened?" My head was spinning and my barrel ached. Shaking my head, A'h looked up to see my dress was covered in dirt and grass stains, and my skirt was folded up exposing my flank. My blank flank. Where once a red comet had been, was just fur.
"Oh, no my cutie mark! It's gone!" The effects of the pink rock must have worn off along with my brother's powers. "Oh no, then that means..."
"ARRROOOOO!"
Looking around, A'h saw Scootaloo was nowhere in sight. A'h was alone, hurt, and lost in the Everfree Forest, and likely soon to be dinner. With all the breath in my lungs, A'h let out one desperate cry.
"SCOOTALOO! APPLE COMET SOMEPONY HELP ME!"
Apple Comet's POV
"What do you like on your sandwich?" Twilight asked me.
"Well, I'm not picky," I answered. "But I'd have to say my favorite is..." At that moment, I was cut off by a sudden tingling sensation. I turned around to see my flank light up with the image of a red comet. A warm sensation washed over my body like a wave. My muscles instinctively flexed as I felt a familiar power flooding them. The walls of the library became transparent as the sounds from outside attacked my ears at once. My world was getting bigger once again as my sensual radius expanded to cover Ponyville and beyond. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes as the surge of sensory information hit my nervous system like a speeding train.
Just make it small, I told myself. Just make it small. Just make it small. Slowly the radius began to shrink back. The sounds of talking, trotting, wings flapping, and general goings on began to fade.
"Apple Comet, Apple Comet ...are you alright? Apple Comet, speak to me." I opened my eyes to find Twilight Sparkle looking down at me with worrying eyes. I panted for a few seconds as the pounding in my head came to a stop.
"What just happened?" I asked.
"You got your cutie mark back," She said pointing to my flank. "Whatever effect the meteorite had on you and Apple Bloom must've worn off."
"Yeah, I guess..." My ears suddenly twitched as they picked up a distant voice.
SCOOTALOO! APPLE COMET! SOMEPONY HELP ME!"
"Apple Bloom?" My eyes turned instinctively in the direction of the scream. They traveled through the walls of the tree, through the streets of the town all the edge of the Everfree Forest. "Oh no," I whispered.
"Apple Comet are you alright?" Twilight asked noticing my troubled state.
"I gotta go," I took off with a full gallop towards the front door, my Koltonian instincts kicking in.
"Apple Comet wait!" Twilight called out to me as I ran out. The street outside was fairly quiet with not too many ponies walking around. Spotting an alleyway, I darted down and fired up my coma.
FWOOOOOSH!
In just moments I was over the rooftops of Ponyville speeding headlong toward the Everfree Forest. My sight raced ahead of me, cutting through the dense tree cover. Until they saw something that made my blood run cold.
"Oh no! Timberwolves! They had Apple Bloom surrounded and were closing in on her. Their hideous wooden maws salivated with sap. Memories of Pa flashed back through my mind. No, I would not let things repeat themselves. I would not let her down. With a crackling boom, I raced toward the forest at top speed.
KRAAAAKOOOOW!!!!!!
Apple Bloom's POV.
My heart pounded as A'h stared into the pale green eyes of the Timberwolf. Its foul breath wafted through my nose as it closed in. Its stake-like teeth bared at me. This was it, Ah was gonna end up just like Pa. A'h closed my eyes and curled up into a whimpering ball.
"SLAAAAAM!"
CRRRAAAAASH!"
A sudden tremor shook the forest. Followed by the sounds of something flying away.
"Hey guys, remember me?" That voice, it couldn't be. Hesitantly, A'h uncurled and peeked one eye open. A white figure was standing between me and the Timberwolves. On its flank was a fiery red comet.
"Apple Comet?" Was it really him? My heart lit up with joy as he turned to face me. His eyes burning red and his face stern with determination. The rest of the pack stood frozen. Their wooden jaws hung in seeming disbelief.
"Alright, who's next?" His voice was fierce and protective as if daring the Timberwolves to try.
"FLAAAAAAAASH!"
KRAAAKOOOOM!
Suddenly, out of nowhere, an orange and purple streak shot through the remaining timberwolves, sending chunks of lumber flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, Apple Comet threw himself on top of me as debris rained down around the forest.
"Apple Bloom, are you alright?" Scootaloo stood next to me, her body crackling with tiny bolts of lightning. Without thinking, A'h threw my forelegs around my brother's neck in a tight embrace. A'h was just overcome with emotion at that moment.
"And then just as A'h thought the timberwolves were going to eat me, there was this big boom! A'h opened my eyes and saw the timberwolf was gone. And Apple Comet was standing between me and the rest of them." The Apple family stood in awe around my bed as A'h recounted what had happened in the Everfree Forest.
"Sounds like you got off lucky Sugarcube," Applejack said. Her relief was tempered by a hint of scolding. "Y'all are fortunate to have a brother who cares about you."
"Boy, don't A'h know it," A'h said in agreement. "Being a Koltonian was a lot harder than A'h thought it would be. Ah'll take being an earth pony any day. Even if it means being a blank flank. Um, no offense Apple Comet."
"None taken," he said. "I thought being an earth pony would mean no longer feeling like an outsider. But instead, it felt like a piece of me was missing."
Granny Smith gently placed a bony hoof on his wither. "You coming from another world don't make you an outsider. This orchard is your home as much as it is ours."
"Eyup," Big Mac nodded in agreement.
"So Apple Bloom, you sure you don't miss having Apple Comet's powers?" Applejack asked me slyly.
"Well...maybe just a little," A'h answered with a wink and a pinch of my hooves.
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Thanks for getting the next chapter up. It took a while, but it was quite well worth the wait. Definitely liked the work that went into the exchanges, characterization, action, general wrap-up and future chapter set-up in all the right places. Really appreciated the looks into both Apple Bloom AND Comet's heads concerning their efforts to handle things (as well as Comet noting that, even without his powers, he still had his schoolwork memorized). Also really liked Twilight trying to help Comet as well as Apple Bloom trying to keep her temporary mark hidden from the class to minimize explanations. And that heat vision blast when Diamond was bad-mouthing Bloom's family was some great karma, even if Apple Bloom ended up escaping to avoid another incident and ended up in a bad spot with the Timerwolves JUST as the Red Koltronite wore off (luckily, Scoots and the repowered Comet both got there in time). The talk with Scootaloo concerning the effort to get the hang of her new powers was also great stuff.
Certainly looking forward to more of this.
And, of course, Happy Holidays.
A nice chapter and glad to see Apple Bloom learning a bit more about her brother. Now I wonder what Twilight will discover about these strange stones.
I totally get it. The Switch is addictive. It wasn't long ago that I got a Switch for my birthday.
Here's a question. Did the Red Koltonite have a time limit that wore off, or was Comet's exposure to the Red Koltonite result in the swap back?
My thoughts on the chapter, I suppose I was both underwhelmed and pleasantly surprised, if that makes sense. I felt underwhelmed because, with Apple Bloom with Comet's powers, I expected more hijinks. But I suppose I was underwhelmed in the right way, if that makes any sense. I was underwhelmed because I had set the bar too high. That's my fault, not yours. But I was pleasantly surprised by the way it was concluded. Granted, I would've liked to see more action and drama. But that's just me. Maybe have Comet take slightly longer to get there so that Apple Bloom doesn't get out unharmed. I feel like this could be more triggering to Comet. But I do like the bit about the effects wearing off just as Apple Bloom was running away from the Timberwolves. It does create its own drama.
I also have to wonder if despite the effects of Red Koltonite wearing off, Apple Bloom may retain some of the powers somewhere deep inside. Because despite not being a Koltonian anymore, the radiation from the Red Koltonite may have residual effects.
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That's not a half-bad idea about Apple Bloom still retaining a very small amount of the power - at least a certain degree of increased intelligence and heightened senses (though much less than Comet's) that basically just compliments her natural talent with potions, allowing her to create augmentation potions and advanced medicines (like a hybrid of Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite [though with a longer time limit of the augmentations in the case of the former and without the daytime blindness in the case of the latter]) to be more useful on some of her brother's adventures.
And, of course, after he semi-reforms, Discord can grant Apple Bloom another bit of permanently increased intelligence as well as the power to mentally activate a thousandfold increase in all standard physical abilities for four hours at a time once every six hours [i.e. an internalized version of the aforementioned possible augmentation serums] so she can have the best of both worlds - enough power to be a bigger help in real emergencies but still getting to be a normal Earth Pony when there ISN'T an emergency. Apple Bloom's permanent Cutie Mark in this universe can be a red, Apple-shaped toolbox and a white, Apple-shaped potion bottle.
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Alternatively, those slightly heightened abilities could result in her becoming this world's analog of Batman. Her parents are dead after all. Yeah, the parents' death was significantly different. But perhaps Apple Bloom could learn that the Timberwolf attack wasn't just a random accident, but was a guided attack by someone behind the scenes. And though I don't know if it's still a thing, Apple Bloom did technically practice Karate, so that could be implemented into her skills. Perhaps her disguise will be inspired by the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.
The OC offer is still available
I wonder which character will become a green lantern.
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Good question. Of course, given that becoming a Green Lantern involves overcoming great fear and Sombra quite literally runs on fear, I would say Spike would make a pretty good candidate. Even that guess could be wrong, however and I freely acknowledge that.