As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Mistaken Assumptions

As the Apple Blooms

Part 37; Mistaken Assumptions

“Alright. Once more from the top.” Apple Bloom began as she prepared shuffled the flash cards in between herself and Rattrap. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Let’s see if you can match ‘em correctly this time.”

The day before, Arcee had asked Apple Bloom to help with Rattrap’s education, or more specifically catching the scrawny teen up on things he should have known by then. After all, when one finds himself struggling just to get barely enough food to avoid starvation, they aren’t going to put as much concern on “trivial frivolities” such as mathematics or proper grammar. And so, after finishing breakfast, Apple Bloom headed straight over to Arcee and Rattrap’s home to help her friend, and now here they were, sitting on the floor of Rattrap’s room with several flash cards laid out in between the two teenagers.

Taking one of the flash cards, Rattrap rotated it so that he could see the large letters reading “acute angle.” Reaching for another card, the brown boy remarked, “Brain, don’t fail me now.” Overturning it, he found it depicted the image of a right angle. Holding both cards in one hand, Rattrap asked, “These go together, right?”

Apple Bloom sighed as she shook her head and replied, “Sorry, but no.” Groaning, Rattrap slammed the flash cards on the ground as he complained, “Stupid angles and numbers!” He then held his head in his hands as he continued, “Why is Arcee so insistent on makin’ me memorize all these angles and numbers and…..” He gave into his anger and collapsed onto his back in frustration.

Making her way to her friend, Apple Bloom tried to reassure her friend with a gentle, “Ah know. Math ain’t exactly mah strongest suit either.” She then let out an embarrassed giggle as she continued, “To be fair, Ah was always best at science.”

Giggling along, Rattrap asked, “Let me guess, it had somethin’ to do with farmin?” Apple Bloom guiltily nodded yes as she replied, “Yeah. Growin’ up on a farm made me keen on knownin’ all Ah could to be more helpful. Of course, given everythin’….” She then let out a guilty sigh as she finished with, “Let’s just say Ah’ve had to rethink what Ah wanna focus on.”

Before either teenager could say anything else, the voice of Arcee rang from below them, calling out, “Apple Bloom! You mind coming down here for a moment?” Turning to face Rattrap, the former farm girl asked, “Everythin’ alright?” the scrawny boy shrugged as he replied, “I have no idea.”

Rising to their feet, Apple Bloom and Rattrap made their way out of his room and towards the boy’s guardian.

Arcee’s Living Room…

Making their way down the stairs, both teens were greeted by Arcee holding her cell phone to her ear. The older woman quickly whispered into the phone, “Here she is.” She then handed the phone to Apple Bloom as she said, “Your aunt is calling. She says something’s come up.” Concerned, the former farm girl took the cell phone from Arcee and brought it up to her ear as she asked, “Aunt Chromia?”

On the other end of the line, Chromia’s voice began to speak, “Hey Apple Bloom. So, we’ve had a slight problem over here. Wheeljack spilled some sharp pieces of scrap metal on the garage floor, and as we were trying to clean it up, he spilled some gasoline.” Holding her other hand to her mouth, Apple Bloom remarked, “That sounds nasty.”

Chromia’s voice continued, “It is. Ironhide has been slipping and sliding all over the garage and Ratchet has had to stitch him up twice already. Given that, he doesn’t want you to get yourself hurt, so if you’d like you can hang out with Rattrap a little longer today.”

Sighing, Apple Bloom replied, “Alright Aunt Chromia. Ah’ll be back before dinner.” Her aunt replied, “Very good. See you tonight dear. Love you.” Hearing her aunt say that made the former farm girl’s heart warm up as she finished with, “Ah love you too.” She then heard the other end hang up, signaling that the call was over.

Handing the cell phone back to Arcee, Apple Bloom explained, “They said somethin’s happened at the chop shop and that Ah can stay a little longer.” Rattrap immediately butted in with a dry, “Good news means we can hang out a little longer. Bad news means more studying I take it?” Apple Bloom nodded yes, followed by a simple, “Though maybe we should change subjects to somethin’ other than math.”

At that moment, Arcee offered a suggestion of her own with, “What about geology?” Confused, Apple Bloom asked, “Really? Because Ah didn’t make any geology flash cards.” The older woman shook her head as she explained, “I was thinking more along the lines of a day trip over to the museum.”

That suggestion certainly surprised Apple Bloom, who replied, “What? Ah mean, Ah don’t want you spendin’ money on me since Ah’m….” The older woman raised her hand as she explained, “It’s alright Apple Bloom. Besides, it might be nice to have someone teaching Rattrap here that isn’t me. He kinda gets defensive over that sort of thing.” The red haired girl quickly turned to Rattrap, who meekly replied, “It was only one time, and she was makin’ a scene about public speakin’.”

Still, Apple Bloom knew that she had time to kill, and if the museum was the same one she was thinking of, then there was a chance to at least say hi to Marble Pie. With all of that in mind, the red haired girl politely replied, “Ah’d love to tag along.”

Allspark Wells Geology Museum…

As the trio entered the museum, Rattrap let out a stunned, “Whoa. Never seen a place like this before.” Apple Bloom walked around to her friend and added, “Yup. Ah’ve been here twice so far, and it still takes mah breath away.” She then began to look around, hoping she could catch a glimpse of a certain gray girl.

Curious, Arcee asked, “Looking for something Apple Bloom?” The former farm girl nodded as she answered, “Ah was just wonderin’ if….” She immediately found herself interrupted by something poking her on the shoulder.

Turning around to see who or what it was, she was pleasantly surprised to see the familiar obscured face of a gray skinned girl dressed in black riding boots, a dark gray skirt, gray sleeveless turtleneck, and a very familiar black leather jacket. Letting out a sigh of relief, Apple Bloom greeted her friend with, “Whoa there, ya scared me half to death. Good to see you Marble.”

Smiling, Marble nodded as she replied, “Same here.” The gray girl turned to the others as she said, “Hello Mrs. Arcee. Hey Rattrap.” Walking up to his friend, Rattrap extended his hand as he greeted himself with a simple, “How you doin’?”

“Not bad.” Marble replied. “Just helping keep this place running.” She then asked, “What brings you guys here?”

Walking up to the gray girl, Arcee explained, “I was thinking that this place might be a good geology lesson for Rattrap.” Upon hearing this, Marble offered, “In that case, you guys wouldn’t happen to be in need of a tour guide, would you?” Arcee pondered this offer for a moment, asking, “Well, what do you think guys?”

Apple Bloom spoke up with, “As long as she doesn’t keep us locked up in the fossil hall, Ah don’t see a problem with it.” This answer made Marble begin to lightly blush as Rattrap and Arcee gave each other confused looks. Turning to face her friend and his guardian, the former farm girl simply explained, “It’s a long story.”

Shrugging, Arcee answered, “I suppose so.” She then turned to Rattrap as she playfully explained, “I expect you will be paying attention though.” The scrawny teen nodded as he replied, “Don’t worry. I’m all ears and no mouth.”

He was quickly mistaken when Marble squealed as she exclaimed, “Alright! Follow me! I know where to start.” She then took Rattrap by the hand and dragged him across the lobby, leaving Apple Bloom and Arcee to struggle containing their laughter as the brown boy cried out, “We’re all gonna die!”

Later That Day…

“And after millions of years, pressure turns plant matter into coal.” Marble finished explaining as she, Rattrap and Apple Bloom passed an exhibit depicting the formation and use of coal. The three teens had long since gone ahead of Arcee, with Apple Bloom promising to make sure Rattrap didn’t start dozing off.

As for Marble, on the other hand, the gray girl was clearly enjoying herself. Every time they passed an exhibit or display, she seemed to transform from a shy girl into an enthusiastic encyclopedia. Impressed, Apple Bloom remarked, “Wow. Ah didn’t know you could be this social.”

The gray girl began to slightly blush as she replied, “Thanks, though really it’s just because you guys are my friends. Well, that and I’ve been practicing that trick you taught me.”

Confused, Rattrap asked, “What are you two talkin’ about?” Apple Bloom turned to her friend and explained, “Long story short, Marble had to work at the chop shop for a day and Ah taught her a trick to stay calm when she gets stressed.” Intrigued, Rattrap turned to Marble and asked, “Wow. What happened?”

Holding her arm in shame, Marble answered, “I got overwhelmed at a fundraiser party.” Taking her answer in, Rattrap replied, “Ouch. Sorry about that.”

Apple Bloom then spoke up, “Ah hate to interrupt, but Ah think we should move on to the next exhibit.” Nodding, Rattrap turned to Marble and cheekily commanded, “Lead the way ma’am.” Marble then said, “Alright, follow me.”

As the trio of teens approached a corner, they were momentarily surprised to see a large woman reading a pamphlet emerge. With no time to react, Apple Bloom and Marble barely managed to sidestep the rotund woman. Rattrap, however, wasn’t as lucky and accidentally bumped into her.

“Whoa! I’m so sorry about that ma’am.” Rattrap began to desperately beg. The large woman, however, scoffed as she replied, “Humph. Watch where you’re going kid.” She then indignantly stomped off, leaving everyone stunned speechless.

Taking everything in, all Apple Bloom could do was remark, “Well that was rude.” Rattrap simply shrugged as he replied, “Eh. Could have been worse.”

The moment he said that, the three teenagers heard the sound of the woman gasp and begin to panic, “What the…. Where’s my wallet?” As the woman continued to panic, Apple Bloom and Marble walked up to her, the former even asking, “Everythin’ alright ma’am?”

At that moment, the woman locked eyes with Rattrap and furiously bellowed, “YOU!” When she pointed at the scrawny teen, he darted his eyes around him before pointing to himself and mouthing “me?” Growling, the large woman walked up to him and, extending her hand, demanded, “Give it back right now!”

Concerned, Rattrap asked, “Uh, what are you talkin’ about?” The woman stamped her foot in a show of strength as she angrily explained, “My wallet! It was in my front pocket when you bumped into me, and now it isn’t, therefore you stole it!”

Thinking quickly, or rather impulsively, Apple Bloom stepped in between Rattrap and the woman and defended her friend. “Wait a minute! Ah didn’t see his hand reach for your pocket!” When the grown up didn’t show any signs of backing down, the former farm girl continued, “Ah know Rattrap, and Ah know he wouldn’t steal anythin’.”

Pondering on what the teenager had said, the woman turned her gaze to Rattrap and ordered, “In that case, prove it.” Realizing what she wanted him to do, the skinny teen quickly undid his pants pockets, showing that they were completely empty. When the older woman didn’t flinch, he sighed as he quipped, “Look, I’m not takin’ down my pants.”

As Marble and Apple Bloom struggled to contain their laughter at their friend’s remark, the woman growled, “You think that’s funny?” She then turned to the two girls and suggested, “Then again, maybe he passed my wallet to one of you.”

Upon hearing the adult’s accusation, Marble turned deathly pale as Apple Bloom quickly asked, “What? Why would ya think that?” Walking up to the former farm girl, the large woman replied, “Call it a hunch, Anon-A-Miss.”

Being called that name made Apple Bloom’s blood boil, and before she realized it, she was being held back by Marble. Catching her breath, the red haired girl angrily asked, “You really wanna go down there?”

Before the large woman could offer a response, everyone was distracted by the sound of Arcee calling out, “What in the name of Primus is going on over here?” Turning to see what it was, Apple Bloom found Arcee practically running up to the group, her face betraying her clear concern. As she approached Rattrap, she complained, “I swear, you leave my sight for five minutes and something bad happens.”

The large woman rolled her eyes as she explained, “This buck-toothed brat here stole my wallet!” When Arcee turned to face her ward, Rattrap showed his inverted pockets and quickly explained, “I didn’t. We bumped into each other when she turned a corner and now she thinks I took her wallet!”

Apple Bloom then joined in with, “He’s tellin’ the truth!” Marble then nodded as she added, “And she thinks he gave it to us!” Taking everything in, Arcee began to circle the large woman as she angrily whispered, “Listen here ma’am. You don’t make an accusation like that about anyone, especially my son.”

At that moment, an idea entered Apple Bloom’s mind. “Wait a minute!” She said as she squeezed in between Arcee and the older woman. “What if we found your wallet? Would that prove Rattrap didn’t steal it?” The large woman thought it over before replying, “I suppose it would. Of course, should you fail, I will inform security about all of this.” She then huffed away, but not before finishing with, “I expect you will not disappoint.”

Once the rude adult was gone, Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief as she turned to face her friends and said, “Well, at least this’ll give us a chance to clear your name.” Rattrap sighed as he replied, “But where are we gonna start? That bitch stormed off before she could say anything concrete!” He quickly found himself being stared at by Arcee, who interrupted with, “Watch your language young man.”

Marble then began to speak. “I know this place like the back of my hand. Follow me, we’ll find her wallet.” She then made her way towards the corner, signaling for her friends to follow her. Arcee, sighing to herself, ordered, “Follow her. I’ll see if I can ask security for help with this.” With that, the older woman departed, leaving the three teens to desperately search for the now missing wallet.

An Hour Later…

“Any luck?” Apple Bloom asked as she lifted her head from the trash can. Marble dejectedly shook her head as Rattrap slumped to the ground and replied, “Nothin’ but dust and rocks around here!”

It had been roughly an hour and none of the teens had found any sign of the woman’s wallet. After combing the hallway she emerged from, they found themselves running all over the museum. But no matter where they searched, whether it was the fossil hall, the gemstone wing, or even every bathroom in the building, there was no sign of a missing wallet anywhere. By now there was only one part of the museum they could feasibly check; the cafeteria.

Entering the cafeteria, Apple Bloom spoke up, “Alright. Marble, you check near the register. Rattrap, you the far side of the dining area, and Ah’ll get this side.” Both of her friends nodded as they split up; all three teen intent on turning the place upside down to see if any of them could find the missing wallet.

As Apple Bloom began walking through row after row of tables, she found herself starting to internally panic. This was the only place left in the entire museum the woman could have feasibly lost her wallet. Unless she happened to sneak somewhere she shouldn’t have been, then the stupid thing had to be in here. If it wasn’t….

‘No! Don’t think about that!’ Apple Bloom internally scolded herself. ‘We’ll find that… that damn thing and clear Rattrap’s name.’ Bending down to check if it hadn’t fallen under any of the tables, she noticed something catching her attention. Excited, the former farm girl exclaimed, “Is that it?”

Reaching to grasp the mystery object, the former farm girl was sorely disappointed to find that she had found nothing more than a rolled up napkin. Shaking her head in disappointment and frustration, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “Well…. Shit.”

After another half hour, the three teenagers regrouped in the center of the cafeteria. Dejected, Apple Bloom asked, “Any luck?” Marble simply shook her head as Rattrap sighed before remarking, “We’re all gonna die.” Holding her head low in shame, the former farm girl apologized with, “Sorry Ah couldn’t find that stupid wallet.”

Before anyone could say anything else, the trio heard a familiar voice call out, “Kids! We found it!” Turning to the source of the sound, they found Arcee, Beachcomber, and the large woman walking towards them, the latter of whom looked unbelievably embarrassed. As the grownups closed the distance, Rattrap nervously asked, “You found it?”

Beachcomber nodded as he turned to the large woman and, with a stern look, forced her to step towards the three kids. She then let out an embarrassed chuckle, pulled something out of her back pocket; a brown leather wallet.

“Heh heh. It seems I had it in my back pocket the whole time.” The woman meekly explained. “Guess I just let myself get carried away.” She then asked, “So, we’re all cool, right?”

Apple Bloom, Marble, and Rattrap all shook their heads as they made it abundantly clear they weren’t going to let her off that easy. As the woman sighed in resignation, Beachcomber walked up to her and informed her, “Hey now, I’d appreciate it if you escorted yourself off of the premises.” The woman indignantly replied, “What? But their innocence was proven and no harm was done!”

Beachcomber shook his head as he sternly replied, “You threatened three kids, one of whom is my protégé. I don’t take kindly to that kind of action.” Arcee then approached her and added, “And I don’t take kindly to accusing my son of something without any evidence!”

Sighing in resignation, the large woman simply replied, “So be it.” With a final huff, she angrily stomped out of the cafeteria, and hopefully, out of everyone’s’ lives.

Once the large woman was gone, Marble let out a sigh of relief as she said, “Thanks Mr. Beachcomber.” The older geologist warmly replied, “You’re welcome Marble. I’m just proud of the fact you didn’t lose your temper or start panicking.” Smiling, Marble turned to Apple Bloom and added, “I couldn’t have done it without that trick Apple Bloom taught me.

Rattrap then walked up to Arcee and asked, “Uh, I don’t mean to ask a dumb question, but what you said about me bein’ your….” He tried to say the word “son,” but he couldn’t will himself to. Luckily for him, Arcee rested her hand on his shoulder as she reassured him, “I meant every word.”

Overcome with emotion, Rattrap threw himself into Arcee and wrapped his arms around her. The sight of the two embracing melted everyone’s hearts, with Apple Bloom and Marble’s eyes start to tear up.

Once the surrogate mother and son finished their embrace, Arcee asked, “Now that we have that all settled, who’s hungry?”

A Few Minutes Later…

Seated around each other in the cafeteria, the small group took the opportunity to just relax and chat with each other. Arcee and Beachcomber discussed the possibility of Rattrap officially becoming a volunteer at the museum as well as Arcee helping Marble with her social skills. Meanwhile, Rattrap, Marble and Apple Bloom chatted with each other.

“No way!” Rattrap exclaimed. “You mean you really get to live in this place?”

Marble nodded as she replied, “Yup. Personally I prefer to museums to rock farms.” Apple Bloom, swallowing her mouthful of food, added, “Ah bet. Certainly can’t complain about the food.” The gray girl smiled as she quickly added, “Actually Mr. Beachcomber and I don’t eat this stuff often.”

Rattrap then turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “Hey Apple Bloom?” Curious, the former farm girl replied, “Yeah?” Taking a deep breath, the scrawny teen explained, “Thanks for standin’ up for me. For a while today I thought that woman was gonna beat the piss out of me. I’m not used to people standin’ up for me, so it’s kinda a new experience.”

Resting her hand on his shoulder, Apple Bloom warmly replied, “It’s nothin’. Ah know what it’s like to be a horrible friend, and Ah won’t make that mistake again.” Letting out a gentle chuckle, Rattrap reassured her, “I wouldn’t worry about that. I’d say you’re a great friend.” He then quickly added, “If maybe one with loose lips.”

“Got me there.” Apple Bloom “admitted.” In fact, now that she thought about it, it was actually kind of funny that she had gone from the mastermind of secrecy to someone who couldn’t keep anything secret.

Arcee then rose from her seat as she spoke up, “Well, today has certainly been exciting, but I think we better start heading home.” Rattrap then stood up as he turned to Marble and said, “Well, it seems we must part ways. May we meet again sometime soon.” Helping the gray girl up, he was pleasantly surprised when Marble replied, “I can’t wait.”

Apple Bloom then bade her friend farewell with, “Guess this is goodbye for now. Maybe next time we can do somethin’ a little more fun.” The gray girl nodded as she simply added, “Same. Maybe a sleepover?” Though momentarily caught off guard by the word “sleepover,” she quickly answered, “Ah’ll see if Uncle Ironhide will allow it.” Excited, Marble wrapped her in a tight hug.

Once they finished their hug, Apple Bloom said a final, “Take care Marble.” With that, she, Rattrap, and Arcee made their way out of the cafeteria, and soon, left the museum.

Arcee’s Home…

As Apple Bloom mounted her bike, she heard Arcee call out to her, “Thanks for your help today Apple Bloom.” Turning to face the older woman, she replied, “No problem Miss Arcee. Ah couldn’t let someone walk all over Rattrap.”

Approaching the former farm girl, Arcee added, “All the same, I can’t say how much I appreciate what you did for him. To be honest, I think you’re one of the best things to ever happen to him.”

Hearing that compliment made Apple Bloom feel both proud and humbled. Struggling to think of something to say, she just replied, “Well, helpin’ people is what Ah love to do more than anythin’.” Even though her answer was mostly a spur of the moment remark, she couldn’t help but feel like it was true. After all, the one thing that made her feel the most satisfied ever since she arrived in Allspark Wells.

She was so distracted by her train of thought that she almost didn’t hear Rattrap trying to get her attention, warning her, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but shouldn’t you start headin’ home?” Taking in his question as she turned to the sun, Apple Bloom gasped as she replied, “Oh mah! Ah better start headin’ home. See y’all later.”

As she mounted her bike and fastened her helmet, Apple Bloom heard Rattrap call out to her, “See ya Apple Bloom. Stay out of trouble.” Playfully shaking her head, the former farm girl called back, “When have Ah otherwise?”

With that, Apple Bloom began the trek back home to the Chop Shop, wondering what tomorrow’s adventure would be.

Author's Note:

Next Time; One of two possibilities. Either we get another of Ironhide's war stories or Apple Bloom, Sideswipe, and a "familiar face" meeting an unpleasant person.

Comments

[Theresa]

I like how you taught the Karen type a lesson about her behavior that hopefully she will remember in the future. I can't understand that behavior in the real world and it doesn't help when those in charge don't even scold these idiots.

[The FraudulentBrit]

10799998
You know, that gives me an idea.....

[WarriorofFaith18]

You know I just hope that unpleasant person is applejack unless she wants to make amends

[The FraudulentBrit]

10800560
I hate to disappoint but the large woman isn’t applejack. At the very least I guarantee that said woman won’t be returning.

[WarriorofFaith18]

10800583
Fair enough

[LordOfCringe]

Next Time; One of two possibilities. Either we get another of Ironhide's war stories or Apple Bloom, Sideswipe, and a "familiar face" meeting an unpleasant person.

I don't know which one I want more. War stories are always cool, but I do like me some plot progression.