As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Clarity of Thought...

As the Apple Blooms

Part 5; Clarity of Thought…

Somewhere in Time and Space

Apple Bloom didn’t know where she was. She was standing in a great grassy field beneath a purple storm sky. What she didn’t know was how she got there. After all, the last thing Apple Bloom remembered was going to sleep in her room at Ironhide’s. But as thunder began to clash, a very familiar voice began to shout, “Apple Bloom!” “Applejack?” Apple Bloom asked. She tried to find the source of her sister’s voice, but couldn’t find her.

Then, with a terrifying crash of thunder and flash of lightning, Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith materialized before Apple Bloom. Applejack stepped forward, fury clear from her shrunken pupils and dark circles under her eyes.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in young lady!?” Applejack shouted. Apple Bloom was as stunned as she was scared. Starting to panic, she asked, “Whuh-what did Ah do?”

“What you did….” Applejack angrily asked, stepping forward with a clenched fist. “What you did was post not only MAH secrets, but also Big Mac’s, mah friends, and the whole damn school’s secrets on the internet!” Of course they were still furious with that. After all the pain she had caused them, it wasn’t surprising they were still angry.

“Ah know.” Apple Bloom dejectedly apologized. “Ah’m so sorry.” From behind her, Apple Bloom felt a blow to the back of her head, forcing her to the ground. As she rose, she was horrified to see that Granny Smith was standing over her, having seemingly teleported from standing beside her siblings to behind her.

“Ah thought Ah raised ya better than to be a low down deceitful back stabber!” Granny smith berated her granddaughter, brandishing a rolling pin in her hands. “Seems like someone needs to be taught a lesson!” The older woman tried to slam her rolling pin on her granddaughter, but Apple Bloom rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, she was picked up by Big Mac, fury radiating from the deep scowl on his face.

Apple Bloom, by now panicking, asked, “You too Big Mac?” Her older brother simply growled out, “Eeyup!” He then proceeded to lift Apple Bloom up higher before slamming her into the cold, ground. As Apple Bloom struggled to regain even a sliver of her composure, Applejack grabbed her by her braided pigtails and began, to her horror, slapped her in the face.

“Ah can’t believe you’d betray us like that!” Applejack shouted. Apple Bloom began to tear up, begging, “Please Applejack. Ah’m your sister!”

“You ain’t mah sister!” Applejack shouted back as she struck Apple Bloom again. “You lost that right when you turned your back on all of us!” She then allowed Apple Bloom to fall to the ground.

Apple Bloom began to cry. After all, she deserved all of this. She was so consumed by self-hatred that she almost failed to notice a gap in the storm clouds, revealing the constellation Orion. A bolt of lightning crashed behind Applejack and Big Mac. “What in tarnation?” Applejack asked as the lightning continued to crackle.

When the lightning fizzled out, Apple Bloom and her family were stunned speechless to see a massive purple being kneeling down. As it began to rise, Apple Bloom found herself both mesmerized and terrified of its clawed right hand, single tube for a left hand, pointed horns on the side of its head where ears would be, and most terrifying of all, a single red eye.

Then the purple Cyclops began to speak. “It seems to me that all four of you have forgotten the most important rule of all.” Applejack angrily asked, “What would that be, somethin’ about forgivin’ just about anything?” The purple Cyclops aimed its tube hand at the small group and, in an action that Apple Bloom found suspenseful and terrifying, calmly and coolly replied, “Clarity of thought before rashness of action.”

Then, as Apple Bloom tried to grasp what exactly the Cyclops meant, purple lightning emerged from his tube and proceeded to vaporize Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith. “NO!” Apple Bloom shouted in anguish. As she tried to scoop up the ashes that had been her older sister, the Cyclops’s voice calmly said, “A shame things had to come to this.”

“Who are you?” Apple Bloom asked as tears began to run down her cheeks. The purple Cyclops stepped closer to her, each step shaking the ground, until he was practically towering right above her. As Apple Bloom began to nervously back away, she was gently yet firmly grasped by the Cyclops’s clawed hand.

“My name….” The Cyclops began, bring Apple Bloom up to his large red eye. “… Is Apple Bloom.” That certainly surprised Apple Bloom, stunned to hear that he had the same name as her. “Apple Bloom.” The Cyclops repeated.

“Yeah. Ah know.” Apple Bloom nervously replied. The Cyclops then asked, “Apple Bloom?” Now she was becoming as terrified as she was curious. The Cyclops then repeated, “Apple Bloom?” However, his voice was starting to morph, a vaguely familiar, raspy voice.

Then, Apple Bloom found herself forced close to his red eye as he asked again, “Apple Bloom?” this time the same raspy voice growing more noticeable, it almost sounded like…..

“Wheeljack?” Apple Bloom asked, only to be blinded by the light of the Cyclops’s red eye consumed her vision, forcing her back to the land of the living.

Apple Bloom’s Room

“Apple Bloom, wake up!” Wheeljack pleaded as he began to shake his young house mate. After a few more moments, Apple Bloom’s opened wide, her pupils shrunken, and her breathing was rapid. “Oh, thank Primus you’re awake!” He said as he let out a sigh of relief.

Before Apple Bloom could even ask why Wheeljack was in her room, she heard footsteps coming from the hallway, only to see Ironhide enter the room, still wearing his pajamas. “Wheeljack.” He grumbled. “Please tell me why you are in Apple Bloom’s room in the middle of the night.”

Wheeljack gulped before he replied, “Well I was working on an engine downstairs when I heard something. I began to make my way up here and then she started screaming. When I made it up here, I found her tossing and turning and doing funny voices!”

“Ah had a bad dream.” Apple Bloom admitted meekly. Wheeljack sighed in relief a he continued, “Oh thank Primus. For a moment you were having some sort of mental breakdown.”

“Wheeljack….” Ironhide began. “Please give us a few minutes.” Wheeljack was going to try and counter this, but a stern look from Ironhide made it clear that he wasn’t in the mood for a debate. Nodding as he cleared his throat, Wheeljack began to slink out of Apple Bloom’s room, and once he was past the door, he charged down the stairs and out of the building.

Once Wheeljack was gone, Ironhide faced his “niece” and asked, “So, you had a bad dream I take it?” Apple Bloom nodded as she explained, “Yeah. Ah was in a field, an’ Applejack an’ Big Mac an’ Granny Smith were there, an’ they were angry with me over….” She began to sniffle as her eyes began to water. As Ironhide sat down on the bed, Apple Bloom asked, “Why did Ah have to be so dumb?”

“I don’t know.” Ironhide flatly replied as he wrapped his arm around Apple Bloom. “I don’t know what could have motivated you to do everything, but I take it that you regret it?” Apple Bloom nodded yes as she struggled to control her breathing. Ironhide then continued, “Then all we can do is grow and make it up to your family.”

“But what if mah family doesn’t see things that way?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah mean, Applejack just up and dumped me here!” Once she realized what she had just said, however, she quickly tried to apologize. “Ah mean, not that you an’ Chromia an’ Ratchet an’ even Wheeljack aren’t bad.”

“I know kid.” Ironhide replied as he tightened his grip on Apple Bloom. “To be honest I ain’t exactly happy that your sister tried to just shaft you away. Besides, she’s not exactly free of blame for what happened.”

It was then that Apple Bloom broke. She turned and wrapped her arms around Ironhide as she began to cry into his shoulder. Although Ironhide was initially put off, he quickly returned the favor, wrapping Apple Bloom in a warm embrace as he began to comfort her. “It’s alright Apple Bloom. Things will be alright.”

“Thanks uncle Ironhide.” Apple Bloom said as she wiped her eyes dry. Ironhide replied, “No problem kid. If you need to talk, let me or Chromia know, ok?” Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. As Ironhide rose from her bed, he continued, “Take my advice; don’t go to Wheeljack. He may be around my age, but deep down he’s as mature as a five year old.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but start laughing.

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom tucked herself back in and began to drift off to sleep. Before he could leave, Ironhide was caught completely off guard as she said, “Ah love you uncle Ironhide.” Somewhat flabbergasted, Ironhide replied, “I love you too Apple Bloom. Sleep tight.” He then quietly left his niece’s room and gently closed the door, leaving Apple Bloom to hopefully have a decent night’s sleep.

Ironhide knew something had to be done. Quickly making his way to his and Chromia’s room, he walked over to his nightstand and unplugged his phone from its charger. He then quietly exited, making sure he didn’t wake Chromia. Once he was in the hallway, he began to dial one a very certain number.

“Come on.” Ironhide quietly pleaded to his phone, hoping the person on the other end would answer. “Please, wake up doc.”

After a few more minutes, a familiar elderly voice on the other end asked, “Ironhide, what are you doing up this late?” Not wasting any time, Ironhide immediately replied, “Doc, I need a favor….”

The Kitchen, the Next Day…

As Apple Bloom trudged her way to the kitchen table, Ironhide and Chromia knew from the circles under her eyes that she hadn’t slept well after her nightmare. Apple Bloom began to pour herself a bowl of cereal as Ironhide began, “Apple Bloom, we have a special job today.”

Wheeljack then immediately (and enthusiastically) replied, “Today we get to melt shit down!”

Chromia immediately shouted, “Wheeljack, no swearing at the table!” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but start laughing at the banter before her. After letting out an audible sigh, Ironhide replied, “What Wheeljack means is that we’re going to be melting down some metal for an old friend.”

“Who is it?” Apple Bloom asked. After taking a sip from his coffee, Ironhide replied, “A fellow by the name of Dr. Shockwave.”

Dr. Shockwave. That name sent a chill down Apple Bloom’s spine. She may have been raised to not “judge a book by its cover,” but the name “Shockwave” still didn’t exactly give off a warm feeling. Ironhide noticed his niece’s nervousness and added, “Don’t worry; he’s a pretty cool guy. I think you two might get along.”

“If ya say so.” Apple Bloom replied as she took a bite of her cereal. One way or another, she was going to find out who this “Dr. Shockwave” person soon enough.

The Chop Shop, a Few Hours Later

Apple Bloom continued to do what she had been doing for the past two weeks; taking care of the front of the Chop Shop. Right now she was mopping the floor, trying to brighten up the dull, dirty floor. “That should just about do it.” She said this to herself as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

Apple Bloom never really enjoyed manual chores at home, but she did always do the tasks given to her out of a desire to please her family. But now, she found the process far more, for lack of a better term, rewarding at the Chop Shop. Considering that her family had been treating her with barely any attention followed by scorn while Ironhide and his friends had taken a more respectful approach, Apple Bloom figured it was probably just the change of scenery and company. Still, she also figured that it was possible that she was taking more pride in her work because she was, indeed, growing up.

The door rang as someone entered. Apple Bloom began to turn, greeting the new customer. “Welcome to Ironhide’s junk yard and chop shop. What can we do…” She was stunned speechless by what she witnessed before her.

Standing in the doorway was an older man, probably around the age of Ratchet. He wore a purple double breasted suit, the kind of outfit someone wore when they had money to spare. His hair was gray, with sideburns that went down to his jaw. But there were three things that really caught Apple Bloom’s attention.

One of them was the fact that he wore purple leather gloves. While the weather wasn’t exactly tropical, it still wasn’t cold enough to need to use gloves. The second thing that had caught her attention was the set of headphones that he wore. They resembled the horns of the Cyclops from her nightmare.

The third thing that caught Apple Bloom’s were his eyes, or rather his eye. The man’s left eye was covered by a black eye patch, and his right eye was a terrifying red. With everything he had from his face to his outfit, and to the sense of authority radiating from him, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but start to sweat nervously.

The man faced Apple Bloom and asked, “I take it Ironhide is here?” Apple Bloom meekly nodded yes and pointed to the back. The man turned to see Ratchet exit the back room.

“Doctor Shockwave!” Ratchet said as he walked up to Shockwave and began to shake his hand. As he finished, Shockwave replied, “Good to see you too Ratchet. I hope you’re doing well.” Ratchet replied, “I am, though Wheeljack can be a pain in the after-burner.”

Shockwave then noticed the young girl nervously switching between mopping and catching glimpses of him. He leaned closer to Ratchet and asked, “So, is this the young lady who caused all the fuss in Canterlot City?”

Apple Bloom stepped forward and extended her hand. “Ah’m Apple Bloom, and yeah. Ah was the one who did everythin’.” Shockwave firmly grasped her hand and shook it as he replied, “I’m Doctor Shockwave, and I’d say you’ve not quite learned the most important life lesson yet.” Apple Bloom tilted her head in confusion as she asked, “What is it?”

“Clarity of thought before rashness of action.” Shockwave replied. Apple Bloom froze when she heard that simple phrase. It was the same phrase she had heard in her nightmare. Now that she thought about it more, he certainly resembled the Cyclops in her nightmare, and she remembered his left hand certainly felt noticeably colder under his gloves from her handshake.

Apple Bloom would have continued to ponder were it not for Ratchet calling her back to reality. “Apple Bloom!” Ratchet stated. “We’re about to head over to the smelters. Come on!” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Commin’ Ratchet!” She managed to catch up to Ratchet and Shockwave as they made their way to the back of the shop, through the junkyard, and finally to a relatively small building in the back of the property.

The Smelters

Apple Bloom was certainly surprised by the sight of the smelters. Before her were several tall cylinders that Ironhide and Wheeljack were filling with metal scrap, pouring them in with large wheelbarrows. Both men were wearing leather outfits to protect them from the molten slag, and also wore metal masks to protect their faces.

Ratchet turned to face Shockwave and said, “We’re a little behind schedule, but we should be able to get everything ready within a few hours.” Shockwave held his hands behind his back as he replied, “Excellent. We’ll be able to use this metal down at Tyger Pax.”

“What’s Tyger Pax?” Apple Bloom asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Shockwave turned to face her and, with enthusiasm that made her feel a little off, replied, “Its short for the Tyger Pax hydroelectric power station. We provide power for five states, and it’s the reason Allspark Wells was even founded in the first place.”

Ratchet then gently stepped in between Apple Bloom and Shockwave as he added, “What the good doctor means is that Allspark Wells was founded to house the workers for Tyger Pax.” Apple Bloom could only mutter “Whoa.”

Shockwave then asked, “Now that I have an update on the progress, could we leave? The heat in here is starting to get to me.” Ratchet nodded, turned to Apple Bloom and ordered, “Take the Doctor back to the shop and do whatever he says.” Apple Bloom nodded as she followed Shockwave back to the shop.

The Chop Shop.

Apple Bloom began to dust up the shelves on the upper layers of the shop as Shockwave began to inspect everything below. Though she would normally want to strike up a conversation, something about Shockwave was rubbing her the wrong way. Something about how his posture, the way he spoke as if he knew far more than he let on, it was if he were a chess master. It didn’t help that he bore such an uncanny resemblance to the Cyclops from her nightmare.

“So, how do you like living in the Allspark Wells?” Shockwave asked. Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment before she replied, “Its fine, Ah guess.” As Shockwave walked over to the counter Apple Bloom was standing above as she continued to dust, he continued, “That’s good. A shame we all set a poor example for you.”

Apple Bloom knew he was referring to her second day, where she learned Wheeljack had accidentally revealed everything in a drunken stupor. It had only been thanks to Chromia that she found locals who weren’t outright hostile to her, and only in the previous few days had she actually met someone who was willing to be her friend in the form of Tender Taps.

She was so lost on her train of thought that she failed to notice a misplaced bowling ball rolling towards the edge of the shelf. Before she could react, the bowling ball fell to the counter, slamming straight into Shockwave’s left hand, producing a shattering sound.

“Oh no!” Apple Bloom cried. “Ah’m so sorry Doctor Shockwave!! It was an accident, Ah swear!!” She was panicking, worried Shockwave would be furious and tell Ironhide, thus getting her into a lot of trouble.

Instead, Shockwave simply let out a dejected sigh as he rolled up his sleeve and began to undo several straps on his arm. Then, to Apple Bloom’s shock, pulled his hand away, revealing his left hand to be a prosthetic. “I should have known something like that would happen.” He said dejectedly. He noticed Apple Bloom was watching and replied, “Sorry you had to see that. It was a side effect of an old project I was working on.”

“Project?” Apple Bloom asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Shockwave replied, “Yes. Years ago I was developing a set of arm mounted cannons. I intended them to be the perfect small arms, the kind Soldiers would literally only have to point and shoot.” He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, ovular device and attached it to where his left hand would have been. The device immediately sprouted two pincer like fingers and a pincer like thumb.

After testing his “new” fingers, Shockwave continued, “Unfortunately, the prototypes were unstable, and an accident cost me my left hand and eye.” Apple Bloom offered a solemn, “Ah’m sorry about that.”

Shockwave let out a guilty laugh as he replied, “sadly I got off easy. My assistant, a young man named Padlock, was shot in the chest when they misfired before the explosion.” He took a deep breath as he began to look away, glumly continuing, “I still blame myself for what happened.”

“Ah know the feelin’, or at least Ah think Ah know.” Apple Bloom replied, before she immediately covered her mouth.

“Really?” Shockwave asked. “I mean, I know you got into a fair bit of trouble before you were abandoned here, but I doubt it resulted in getting someone killed.” Though he didn’t say this with any sense of sarcasm or mock-comfort, Apple Bloom couldn’t’ help but feel that Shockwave was mocking her somehow. This caused something in her to break, and she couldn’t help but begin to let everything out.

“Ah was jealous of mah sister hangin’ out with this girl named Sunset Shimmer, so mah friends an’ Ah created this Mystable page called “Anon-A-Miss.” Apple Bloom admitted. Shockwave held his hand to his chin in a puzzling motion as he added, “I’m well aware of Anon-A-Miss. I take it there is more to this tale?”

Apple Bloom nodded as she continued, “After a few days of sneakin’ into our sisters’ rooms and usin’ their phones, we turned all of Sunset’s friends, as well as the whole school, against her.” As she began to tear up, Shockwave added, “Ah, jealousy. However, I feel that there is something you haven’t mentioned yet. Am I incorrect?”

Apple Bloom, sniffling, replied, “Yeah. The whole school began sendin’ us secrets, and we kept postin’ them. It got so big we lost control. When we tried to stop it, this bully named Diamond Tiara found out about us an’ blackmailed us into continuin’. We posted information about this one girl at Crystal Prep bein’ hit by her dad, then our vice principal’s bail, an’ then we got found out.”

Shockwave then added, “Funny how the girl who posted such horrible things refers to the person extorting her as a bully.”

Apple Bloom snapped. She began shouting, “Ah was angry an’ jealous an’ not thinkin’ straight. She knew what she was doin’!”

Shockwave then retorted, “Exactly! You weren’t thinking clearly. You allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment, and you acted rashly!” He then straightened himself and asked, “Tell me Apple Bloom, what would have happened if you took a little more time to think about what you were going to do?”

Apple Bloom was taken aback by how forceful Shockwave was, as well as how much sense he made. Thinking over what he asked, Apple Bloom, wiping the tears away from her eyes, replied, “Ah would have probably talked to mah sister about everythin’.”

“Exactly.” Shockwave replied. “If you took time to allow your mind to cool, then you could have avoided everything. Instead, in your impulsiveness and rashness you’ve sowed the seeds of mistrust and deception.”

Apple Bloom couldn’t take it anymore. “Ah know!” She exclaimed as she collapsed to the floor, curled up against the wall, and began to cry. “Ah know. Ah did everything, and its all mah fault. Now everybody hates me, mah friends, mah family, everyone in Canterlot High, Canterlot City, Allspark Wells, and just about the entire world hates me, and Ah deserve it!”

As she cried her heart out, Shockwave walked up to her and, to her surprise, gently rested his right hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “I’m so proud of you Apple Bloom.”

“Proud?” Apple Bloom asked. She had just admitted to everything and accepted responsibility for it all and this man was proud of her?”

“You’ve taken the first step to recovery. You’ve finally spoken about what you’ve done and accepted it.” Shockwave said warmly. As Apple Bloom struggled to realize what was going on, he continued, “In reality the metal I need won’t be ready for a few more days. Ironhide told me about your nightmares, and I figured that you were struggling with the guilt.”

Apple Bloom felt a little anger at her uncle for telling Shockwave behind her back, but was interrupted by Shockwave said, “Now that you’ve admitted what you did, we can work on the recovery.” “Recovery?” Apple Bloom asked. Shockwave replied, “Yes. It will be up to you to move past this little stunt and grow as a woman.”

At that moment, Ironhide and Ratchet entered the shop, covered in sweat. Ironhide began to speak, “Sorry Doc, but it’ll take another few days to get everything ready.” Before Shockwave could reply, Apple Bloom stepped forward and answered, “We know uncle Ironhide.”

Apple Bloom and Ironhide gave each other knowing looks, making it clear that both now knew about Shockwave’s true purpose for being there. Ironhide then began to speak. “Sorry Apple Bloom, but I’m not that good with fancy words or gettin’ people to admit things, so I figured Doctor Shockwave could do it.” Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment before she replied, “Just tell me next time you wanna do somethin’ like this, ok?” Ironhide wrapped his niece in a hug as he replied, “I promise.”

It was then that Ironhide and Ratchet notice Shockwave had changed hands. Shockwave immediately replied, “Don’t worry, a bowling ball fell on my fake hand. Apple Bloom didn’t have anything to do with it and it was an older hand anyway.” As Apple Bloom sighed in relief at the sight of Shockwave covering for her, Ratchet sighed as he said, “So that’s where Wheeljack put the damn thing.”

After a few minutes of cleaning up the mess the bowling ball had made, Shockwave turned to Apple Bloom and said, “You know, we could set up a few sessions for you to get things off your chest. Having someone to talk to should help you think about your actions more clearly.”

Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’d like that very much.” Shockwave and Apple Bloom then shook hands as the former began to depart. He then faced Ironhide and said, “I’ll be back in a few days. I expect everything will be ready?” Ironhide replied, “It will. Don’t get your transistors twisted.” Shockwave nodded and faced Apple Bloom as he asked, “And do you remember the most important rule?”

“Clarity of thought before rashness of action?” Apple Bloom replied. Shockwave let out a gentle laugh as he said, “Exactly. Follow that rule and you’ll never get make a horrible decision again.” Apple Bloom found herself momentarily consumed by guilt for what she’d done, but was able to shake it off as she replied, “Ah know. Thanks Doc.” Shockwave gave an affirming nod as he left the shop.

Ironhide then said, “He does have a way with words.” Apple Bloom replied, “Ah guess he does.” She then asked, “So what next?” Ironhide motioned to the mop that Apple Bloom had dropped when she was brought to the smelters. Putting two and two together, Apple Bloom answered, “Yes sir.” With that, she resumed her mopping duties as Ironhide began to return to the smelters, hoping to gain an explanation as to why Wheeljack had a bowling ball hidden in the shop.

Author's Note:

Next Time; we meet two familiar faces from "two different worlds" at the golden lagoon

Comments

[diablo4000]

This is a nice chapter and love how bloom got help. But I tell you one thing this lesson needs to be taught to the Rainbooms as well.
They jumping to thinking Sunset was guilty and abandoning her, they seem to be blaming the CMC partly for Sunset not wanting to be around them.

Yes they had a hand in it, but guess what it more their own fault, as they choose to jump to the idea Sunset was guilty despite everything.
They betrayed her in the worst possible way.

[The FraudulentBrit]

10204719
I know. The rainbooms, especially applejack, will learn their lesson soon enough.

[Iamsorry]

I can't wait for the other girls to get a bite of reality.
Though now I'm wondering what's going on with scoots and sweetie

[The FraudulentBrit]

10204952
All good things to those who wait 😉

[Theresa]

10204750
Well applejack seems to be taking forever to learn the lesson. The others I'm not sure they seemed to not really blaming them as much as being upset with them for starting this mess. Pinkie already forgiven apple bloom enough that she no longer expects the worst. And the doctor's Idea of help needs work. She already knows that she did something stupid and she should have talked with her sister and feels bad enough what she needs to is face that although she was stupid everyone but sunset was stupid. People were sending stuff to be posted.

[Brian Sheil]

10204750
I don't know about Applejack. She'll probably just think of the incident only.