Grow Up, Apple Bloom

by Lux

Friendly Competition

Chapter 7 – Friendly Competition

Apple Bloom woke up the next morning. For a moment, she thought that everything that happened was just a dream, and when she woke up, she’d still be a filly. She quickly went to the mirror in her room and looked. Her reflection still confirmed that she was a mare. Part of her was upset with all the rules she had to follow like not being able to go to school, needing Applejack to accompany her to town, and only being able to see her friends on the farm. Yet there was also part of her that liked being a mare. She enjoyed feeling strong and powerful and looking beautiful, just like her sister. There were times she wondered if she wanted to become a filly again or stay as a mare.

Even though she was a mare, Apple Bloom still had to help around the farm. This was especially true considering that she couldn’t attend school, at least not in her current state. She wished she could just stay home or go on adventures on her own, but Applejack wouldn’t hear any of it.

“Since you’re not going to school, you’re going to help us around the farm,” she said plainly. There was no arguing with her. And so with a sigh she followed the family out to the field.

“Ah’ promised that Ah’d meet my friends at the clubhouse today,” Apple Bloom said as the three passed through the rows of apple trees.

“Don’t you worry about that,” Applejack said, ‘If the three of use work hard in the mornin’, you’ll be able to see yer friends later.”

The family finally reached the area where the trees were unpicked of their apples.

“Alright everypony,” Applejack said as she stood on a stump like a pony giving a speech, “we have about a hundred trees left to buck before heahin’ over to the other side of the farm. So let’s git this done and we can finish early today. Are you ready to haul apples Big Mac?”

“Eyup,” the stallion said.

“Alright Apple Bloom, you’re gonna help me buck the trees since yer older now. Let’s make this a friendly competition, shall we?”

“What do you have in mind, sis?”

"We each get fifty trees to buck. The pony that clears their trees the fastest wins the competition. The loser gets to feed the pigs. What do you say?”

“Sounds like a deal,” Apple Bloom said with a smile as she spit and shook hooves with her sister. She always seemed to be put on pig feeding, and it was a very messy and smelly job.

The two sisters took their places at the first trees of the area while Big Mac stood to judge. It was easy to judge this event as a path ran through this part of the orchard, cutting the area neatly in half for this event.

“Alright ah’m ready. Are you ready sis,” Applejack shouted.

“Ah’m ready,” Apple Bloom shouted back.

“Big Mac, are you ready to judge who cleared their trees the fastest,” Applejack asked.

“Eyup,” the stallion said, “On your marks.”

The two lined themselves up with their first tree. For a moment Apple Bloom and Applejack stared at each other both with winning on their mind.

“Get set.”

The two then returned to the task of the tree both focused on the task that was to come.

“And go!”

With the shout of Big Macintosh, the two sisters turned around and bucked the first tree, causing a shower of apples to fall into the baskets below. Apple Bloom was amazed at how easy it was as a mare to clear the trees. But this was no time for her to dwell on her newfound strength. She had trees to buck.

The two were neck and neck in the competition, making short work of the first fifteen trees and showing no signs of stalling. While Applejack had more strength in her back legs to buck a tree, Apple Bloom found she had a faster galloping speed than her sister, making her able to dash from one tree to the next.

By the time the two were at their thirtieth tree, they were showing some signs of slowing down. Then Applejack pulled ahead by quickly bucking several trees in quick succession. Apple Bloom thought that she was going to lose this competition, but then she gathered her strength and her nerves and sped forth. The burst of speed took her sister by surprise as Apple Bloom quickly caught up with Applejack. Finally with the last tree looming, Apple Bloom barreled into the tree with her side and a burst of speed, clearing the tree before her sister.

“The winner is Apple Bloom,” Big Macintosh announced.

“Ah’… Ah’ won,” Apple Bloom said in shock that she beat her sister.

“Ah’ lost,” Applejack said at the same time, disbelieving that her sister who was barely a mare for a day’s length of time beat her. Yet her look of amazement and disappointment turned into a satisfied smile.

“Well done sis,” the orange mare said hugging her sister, “You won this competition fair and square. Ah’ll go and feed the pigs today. Now how about we git these apples back to the barn.”

“Sure sis,” Apple Bloom said happy that her sister was accepting of the loss. The two then emptied the baskets filled with apples into Big Macintosh’s wagon until there was a mountain of red, green, and yellow.

“Ok then. Our work in the orchard is done fer today,” Applejack said as she remover her hat only briefly to wipe the sweat from her forehead before putting it back on, “Now let’s git home an’ have some lunch. Then Apple Bloom you can meet yer friends.”

The two walked back happy at their hard work and a little friendly competition.

Comments

[coolclaytony]

More please.

[Yoshifan30]

Well it looks like Apple Bloom is still an adult she thought it was a dream so it looks like the Apple family are working on the farm and it looks like Applebloom and Applejack are having a friendly competition and says she's an adult she never thought she'll have that strength and speed and that's pretty cool to discover I wonder what her friends are going to think about it