As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Fever Dream

As the Apple Blooms

Part 62; Fever Dream

Slowly opening her eyes as the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door entered her ears, Apple Bloom groaned as she tried to rise up from her bed, only to be overcome by the unpleasant sensation of a horribly throbbing headache. “Ugh…” The former farm girl moaned as she began to rub her forehead. “Ah’ll be there in a second.” Unfortunately, the continuing migraine was too great, and all Apple Bloom could do was weakly sit up on her bed as she let out a hefty cough.

As the door opened, Ironhide entered his niece’s room and asked, “You alright there kid? You’re usually up and about by now.” Groaning, Apple Bloom weakly answered, “Sorry for sleepin’ in. Ah’ve got a headache.” She then tried to stand up, only to find her throbbing head hurting her too much, and soon found herself sitting back down on her bed.

Walking up to his niece, Ironhide took his hand and rested it on Apple Bloom’s forehead, leading the young girl to ask, “Everythin’ alright Uncle Ironhide?” The older man shook his head as he bluntly answered, “You’re burning up.” He then stood back up as he continued, “I’m gonna go get Ratchet. You just lie back down and get some rest.”

“Awh.” Apple Bloom whined as she tried to get back up and continued, “It’s just a headache. Ah bet it’ll be gone by lunch time.” She would have continued, but the continuing headache overcame her and forced the former farm girl to lie back down.

Shaking his head, Ironhide gently reassured her, “I appreciate the enthusiasm, but your hot to the touch.” He then began to leave as he continued, “Ratchet and I will be back in a bit.”

After a few minutes, Ironhide returned with Ratchet. Straightening his white jacket, the former medic pulled out a thermometer and asked, “Ok Apple Bloom. Open your mouth.” The former farm girl sighed as she opened her mouth and raised her tongue. As he placed the thermometer under her tongue, Ratchet felt her forehead and remarked, “Yup. You’re running a fever.” Sure enough, the thermometer soon went off, and as he brought it up to his eyes, the former medic dejectedly informed, “Oh my. She’s got a temperature of one hundred and one point two.”

Sighing in resignation, Apple Bloom apologized, “Sorry Ah’m sick Uncle Ironhide.” The family patriarch let out a gentle chuckle as he reassured her, “It’s alright Apple Bloom. You can’t control whether you get sick or not.” He then ordered, “Now, you just lie down and get some rest. We’ll get you some water and medicine.” Ratchet then added, “And don’t forget setting up a doctor’s appointment.”

Weakly nodding, Apple Bloom let out a gentle, “Thanks.” She then scooped up her plush rabbit and tucked herself under her covers. With that, the two adults left the young girl to try and get some rest.

Two Hours Later….

Apple Bloom was awakened by the sound of Chromia’s voice asking, “Apple Bloom? You awake?” Slowly opening her eyes, the former farm girl found her aunt holding a tray with a bowl of a steaming liquid and a few pieces of toast. Making her way up to her niece, Chromia explained, “Sideswipe and I made you some soup.” She then set the tray down on Apple Bloom’s desk as she explained, “Just a little something if you’re feeling up to it.”

Struggling to rise up, Apple Bloom let out a hoarse cough as she replied, “Thanks Aunt Chromia. Ah’m so hungry, Ah could eat a horse.” She then tried to get up, but found herself overcome with a nasty coughing fit, which only increased the pain of her throbbing headache.

As the former farm girl laid back down on her bed, Chromia gently apologized, “Oh sweetheart. I’m sorry you’re sick.” She then made her way up to Apple Bloom and began to gently caress her forehead. She then asked, “How are you feeling?”

Sighing, Apple Bloom answered, “Mah head hurts and Ah…..” She was interrupted when she found herself overcome by another coughing fit, this one far more intense. As she coughed, the young girl thought to herself, ‘Please don’t let this get to the point of….”

Sadly, as she thought this, Apple Bloom felt something warm come up from her throat and enter her mouth. Realizing what was happening, Chromia helped her niece up and escorted her to the nearby restroom. There, Apple Bloom made her way to the toilet, knelt down, and began to vomit. As she emptied her stomach, Chromia began to gently caress her niece as she said, “Oh sweetie.”

Once she’d emptied her stomach, Apple Bloom lifted her head as she weakly remarked, “Ah feel horrible.” As she staggered back to her feet, Chromia helped the young girl as she said, “It’s alright dear. Let’s get you back into bed.”

The Doctor’s Office, Later that Day…

Sitting on the table in the clinic, Apple Bloom let out a cough as she heard Ironhide and Ratchet talking with the doctor, a pale white man named First Aid. She wasn’t paying too much attention to what they were saying, but she knew that it amounted to the basic fact that she was sick. ‘Ah mean, it’s pretty obvious.’ She thought to herself as she coughed again, this time feeling a sharp pain in her chest.

As the three adults approached her, First Aid turned to the former farm girl and explained, “Well, you’ve got influenza.” Apple Bloom sighed in resignation; She’d had the flu before, and whenever she did, the only thing that could be done was treat the symptoms and allow it to run its course. Taking a deep breath, she replied, “Thanks.”

Ratchet then said, “Now then, let’s get you home and back in bed. Preferably without running into Sideswipe or Wheeljack.” When Apple Bloom gave him a confused look, he explained, “To make sure you don’t pass it onto them.” Processing this, the former farm girl let out a gentle, “Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.”

Struggling to stand up, Apple Bloom asked, “Uncle Ironhide?” The family patriarch replied, “What is it kid?” Letting out another hoarse cough, the former farm girl answered, “When we get home, can Ah have some ginger ale?” Giving a gentle chuckle, Ironhide answered, “Of course you can. Now come on, let’s let First Aid move on with his other patients.”

As the trio of scrappers left, First Aid called out, “Take care of yourselves. And get plenty of rest young lady.” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Yes sir.” With that, they left, allowing First Aid to move on to his next patient.

Apple Bloom’s Room, Early That Night…

If there was one thing above all else that Apple Bloom hated about being sick, it was the sheer unbridled boredom that came from the inability to do anything. ‘Ah hate bein’ sick.’ She thought to herself as she laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. ‘Too weak to do anythin’, but not tired enough to sleep.’ Indeed, once she got home from the doctor’s, Apple Bloom had spent most of the day sleeping, but ironically now that it was getting late, she found she couldn’t sleep.

Turning over to face the clock on her nightstand, the former farm girl was dismayed to find that it wasn’t even ten o’ clock yet. “Ugh.” Apple Bloom groaned, only to be interrupted by another coughing fit. After a few coughs, she began to feel something come up through her throat. Thinking fast, she managed to stop herself and swallowed, forcing whatever it was back into her stomach. Once she’d managed to calm her aching body, the young girl complained, "Ah hate bein’ sick.”

At that moment, someone knocked on her bedroom door. Turning to face the door, Apple Bloom called out, “Come in.” The door opened, revealing Ratchet holding a bottle of medicine and a glass of water. Approaching the young girl, he explained, “I got you a little something to help with your cough.”

As he poured the medicine into a small plastic cup, Apple Bloom asked, “Mr. Ratchet? Shouldn’t you have gone home by now or somethin’?” The former medic let out a gentle chuckle as he explained, “I couldn’t rest knowing you’re hacking up a lung.” He then handed her the medicine as he continued, “That and someone has patch everyone up here.”

Apple Bloom took the little cup of medicine as she asked, “Guess that means Ah’m part of the team, huh?” Ratchet let out a gentle chuckle as he replied, “You’ve been part of this team from day one. And so is Sideswipe and Sparkplug and even Wreck-Gar.” He then added, “Even if that hunk of metal gives me the creeps.”

Drinking the medicine, Apple Bloom grimaced at the less than pleasant taste of the sticky substance. Resting a hand on her shoulder, Ratchet remarked, “I know this stuff tastes like mule piss.” He then whispered, “Just don’t tell Chromia I said that.” Giggling, the former farm girl made the motions of the Pinkie Promise.

Now chuckling himself, Ratchet informed her, “You know, we had our own version of that thing during the war.” Intrigued, Apple Bloom asked, “Really? What was it?” Hesitating for a moment as he darted his eyes around them, the old medic made the same motions with his hand as he said, “Cross my heart to the brass, stick a round right up my ass.” He then stuck his pointer finger straight upwards, leading Apple Bloom to giggle at the idea of someone as reserved as Ratchet saying something so vulgar.

Once she’d calmed down, Ratchet began, “Now then, Ironhide will be up to check on you in about an hour. You try and get some more rest.” Sighing, Apple Bloom replied, “Alright.” She then scooped up her plush rabbit and began to drift off into slumber, all while Ratchet watched and made sure she was comfortably snuggled up in her sheets.

Somewhere in Time and Space

Apple Bloom opened her eyes to see that she was standing in a sea of grass under a purple sky. Looking down to see that she was also dressed normally (pair of overalls and a red and white stripped shirt) and realizing she didn’t have a headache or a cough, the former farm girl groaned to herself as she asked, “This place again?” When no answer came, the former farm girl shrugged as she sat down and said, “Ok, let’s get this over with.”

Indeed, the fact that she was in this strange place made it clear to Apple Bloom that she was asleep and dreaming, and if she was dreaming, then she was about to receive a visit from someone who was undoubtedly angry with her. Scanning around, she couldn’t find anyone around her. ‘No Applejack, no Big Mac, no Uncle Ironhide, no Granny Smith….’ She thought to herself. ‘Maybe Ah’m just goin’ insane.’

The only things Apple Bloom could actually see were the green grass on the ground and the black clouds in the purple sky above her. As far as she knew, she was the only one in this uncanny realm of imagination. Scanning the horizon in a vain attempt to find anything else, Apple Bloom found that there simply wasn’t anything, not even something so insignificant that she would have otherwise ignored it.

Just as she began to stand up, however, the sound of thunder rang out across the horizon. “Huh. Figured it was about time somethin’ happened.” Apple Bloom said to herself as she took a deep breath. Lightening began to crash around her, and rain began to fall as the former farm girl closed her eyes and tightened herself, preparing for whatever was coming.

And then she heard a very familiar voice angrily call out, “Apple Bloom!”

Opening her eyes, Apple Bloom once again found herself face to face with her sister Applejack. Just like the last time she’d seen her, the middle Apple sibling had dark circles under her eyes, making her look less like her older sister and more like an unhinged maniac. Sadly, this was something Apple Bloom had become all too accustomed to.

Stomping up towards her younger sister, Applejack cracked her knuckles as she growled, “You are in a lot of trouble young lady.” She then pulled her fist back before, with a furious growl, throwing it right at her sister’s face.

But this time, Apple Bloom reached her hand out and caught her sister’s fist. As Applejack gave a bemused look, the younger girl gave her sister an angry scowl as she furiously began, “Alright, that’s it!” Pushing her older sister’s fist aside, she continued, “Ah’m done listenin’ to you whine and complain about what happened with Sunset!”

As Applejack stepped back in shock, Apple Bloom elaborated, “Look, Ah know Ah screwed up. Ah acted like a spoilt brat and hurt Sunset, you, and the whole school, and Ah’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl then belted, “But what’s done is done! Ah’ve got friends here, Ah’ve got a family, Ah’ve got people Ah love and who love me, and if you can’t handle that then….”

Now starting to tear up, Apple Bloom shouted, “…. Then just GO AWAY!”

At that moment, time just seemed to stop. Within a split second of saying it, Apple Bloom realized what she’d just said. She had just told her older sister, the person who once meant the world to her, the person who she’d known her entire life, to go away. And perhaps what hit her the hardest was the fact that, deep down, the former farm girl meant every word.

She wouldn’t have long to dwell on it, however, as Applejack gave her younger sister a glare so fierce that it could have possibly scared even Ironhide, as she bellowed, “AH’LL KILL YOU!” With that, the elder Apple sibling lunged at Apple Bloom, arms extended in an attempt to throttle her sister’s throat. With only milliseconds to react, the former farm girl instinctively sidestepped, evading her older sister’s wrath.

Grumbling as she pushed herself up from the mud, Applejack glared at her sister as she growled, “You turned your back on all of us. You ain’t no Apple!” While this remark would normally sting right in her heart, Apple Bloom shrugged as she replied, “Right now, that sounds just about perfect.” She looked down to her arm as she quipped, “After all, this is mah dream, and you ain’t mah sister.”

As she said this, smoke began to emerge from the ground and consume her arm. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom felt the handle of something form in her hand. After a few moments, the smoke began to clear, revealing a short sword in her hand.

Now starting to worry, Applejack asked, “What’s that?” For a few moments, neither girl said anything, only staring at each other in palpable anticipation. Eventually, however, someone made the next move.

Stepping up to her older sister, Apple Bloom plunged her sword into Applejack’s chest as she nonchalantly replied, “It’s a sword.”

After a few moments, Applejack disintegrated into a cloud of sand that collapsed onto the muddy ground. Now standing alone in the rain, Apple Bloom inspected the sword in her hand as she remarked, “Ah’m glad this is happenin’ here and not back home.”

However, as she stared at her reflection in the sword, it finally began to dawn on Apple Bloom what she’d done. “Ah…. Ah killed her.” She muttered to herself as any and all cockiness and relief overwhelmed her. “Ah stabbed mah older sister in the chest. Ah….” Now giving in to her shock, the young girl dropped the sword, allowing it to fall to the muddy ground.

Struggling to calm herself down, Apple Bloom began to ramble, “Ok, no need to panic or anythin’, just me in a weird dream place havin’ just stabbed Applejack. Nothin’ to worry about.” After a few moments, however, the former farm girl began to realize something; She didn’t regret what had just happened. If anything, it had been rather cathartic.

Still, the fact that she’d gotten over what happened so quickly wasn’t sitting well with Apple Bloom. As the rain continued to pour, she looked up to the rain and said out loud, “Whoever’s out there, Ah’m not sorry for what just happened, and Ah’m sorry about it.”

Once she finished speaking, the rain began to slow down. After a few moments, it stopped altogether, allowing Apple Bloom to see that it was now nighttime. The stars were shining down upon her, leaving the former farm girl confused and curious as to what would happen to her next. Would one of her friends or even Ironhide show up? Would Applejack return? Hell, would she be confronted by some demonic copy of herself that represented what she was turning into?

Instead, she just found herself staring at the stars, accompanied only by the discarded sword at her feet and the faint sound of wind for company. Eventually, Apple Bloom allowed herself to fall backwards onto the ground as she said to herself, “Guess the nightmare’s over, isn’t it?” Now lying on the already dry ground (a fact that Apple Bloom attributed to being in her dream), she continued, “Kinda anticlimactic, isn’t it?”

The moment she said this, the sky and everything around Apple Bloom began to fade into pitch blackness. Though part of her was momentarily intimidated by the looming shadow, something in the back of her mind told her not to fight this darkness.

Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl closed her eyes and said to herself, “Alright, let’s see what happens next.”

Apple Bloom’s Room, the Next Morning….

Slowly opening her eyes, Apple Bloom found that she was absolutely drenched in sweat. “Ew, gross.” She complained as she wiped some of the sticky substance off her forehead. As she tried to push herself up from the mattress, however, the unpleasant pain of a throbbing headache returned, forcing the former farm girl to lie back down and hold her hands to her head in a desperate attempt to alleviate her discomfort.

As she groaned to herself, Apple Bloom heard someone knock on her door, followed by Ironhide’s voice asking, “May we come in?” The young girl let out a deep breath as she replied, “You can come in Uncle Ironhide.”

The door then opened, revealing Ironhide and Ratchet. As both men entered her room, the old medic took one look at Apple Bloom before folding his arms and remarking, “Looks like someone’s fever broke.” The former farm girl let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, “Yeah, but mah head still hurts.” She then found herself consumed by another coughing fit.

Ratchet made his way up to her as he explained, “Well, these things don’t end overnight.” He then inspected her before saying, “I’d say another few days and you’ll be back in working order.” Letting out a sigh of relief, Apple Bloom replied, “Excellent. Ah hate not bein’ able to help out.” Ironhide rested his hand on her shoulder as he reassured her, “I know kid. We just don’t want you overexerting yourself.”

At that moment, Apple Bloom asked, “Uncle Ironhide?” The older man replied, “What is it? Need something?” Pausing for a moment, the former farm girl asked, “Can we talk? You know, alone?” Nodding, Ironhide turned to Ratchet and requested, “You mind giving us a minute?”

Nodding, Ratchet backed away and left his boss alone with his niece. Now alone, Ironhide asked, “So, what’s on your mind kid?” Apple Bloom took a deep breath as she began, “Well, Ah’ve been thinkin’ about everythin’ Ah’ve done and….” Hesitating for a moment, she continued, “Ah know Ah screwed up with everythin’ Ah’ve done, but…. When Ah think about everythin’ that’s happened since, and everyone Ah’ve met….”

Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom asked, “Uncle Ironhide? Is it bad that Ah don’t really regret how everything’s unfolded?”

Resting his hand on her shoulder, Ironhide reassured her, “Apple Bloom, I know exactly how you feel.” Curious, Apple Bloom asked, “Really?” As she let out another cough, her uncle explained, “Sometimes, you just have to roll with what life gives you.” He then let out a gentle chuckle as he continued, “I mean, I if I hadn’t had that fight with your father, then we wouldn’t have come out here. And given where we are, we might not have adopted Torque Wrench and….”

Pausing for a moment, Ironhide explained, “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I know what it’s like, and it’s not bad.” Sighing in relief, Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks Uncle Ironhide.” She then added, “Ah mean, if Ah hadn’t done everythin’, Ah’d never have met you.” Ironhide laughed as he ruffled his niece’s hair and remarked, “Maybe. Just make sure you don’t make a habit of, you know…”

He was interrupted by Apple Bloom letting out another hoarse cough. As she regained control of her cough, Ironhide gently reassured her, “I know. Now you get some rest kid.” The former farm girl pouted as she grumbled, “But Ratchet said mah fever broke.” Nodding, Ironhide replied, “Yeah, but you’re still pretty worn out, so you just relax.” As Apple Bloom laid back on her bed, the family patriarch added, “If you want, I can bring up a few books for you.”

Smiling, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’d like that.” However, she quickly fell back asleep, leading Ironhide and Ratchet to bask in the adorableness of the former’s niece sleeping. Bending down to give his niece a kiss, the former sergeant whispered, “Sleep well kid. I love you.”

After leaving the former farm girl to her slumber, Ratchet remarked, “Reminds me of the time Torque got chicken pox.” Ironhide nodded as he replied, “Yeah.” He then turned back to his niece’s door as he sighed before continuing, “I’m gonna hate it when she leaves.” Resting his hand on his boss’s shoulder, Ratchet said, “At least we still have some time with her left. Besides, you know what’s coming up in a few days.”

Pondering for a few moments, Ironhide’s eyes lit up when he realized what his friend was talking about. “Oh yeah! The reenactment!” The former soldier remarked as he began to frantically mumble, “We’re gonna need to get our costumes ready, make sure everything works, prepare some rounds, organize everything with Onslaught……”

“Sarge?” Ratchet asked as he placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders. As Ironhide calmed down, the older man reassured him, “We’ve still got time, and hopefully Apple Bloom will be feeling better by then.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ironhide replied, “Thanks. Though first things first, we should speak with Wheeljack.” Ratchet nodded as he added, “And make sure he doesn’t try to rope Sideswipe into doing something stupid like what happened with Torque and the powder keg.”

With that, both men left to find Wheeljack, hopeful he hadn’t already concocted yet another dangerously stupid idea.

Author's Note:

Next Time; The Gang finally gets unites at the historical reenactment, and we finally meet the Combaticons.

Author's Note; Sorry about the delay. I actually got Covid during the break and needed more time to rest. It actually inspired this chapter, save for parts of the nightmare. At the very least, this is the first chapter written on the new PC I got for Christmas.

Comments

[WarriorofFaith18]

Just glad you’re back up again. We all have our sick days

[The FraudulentBrit]

11122932
Thank you. I can’t say I was scared of…….. but it was very annoying.

[WarriorofFaith18]

11123100
I bet. My sister said the same when she had it

[The FraudulentBrit]

11123100
Ouch. I hope she’s doing alright now

[Darksoul85]

It was well worth the wait

[LordOfCringe]

Glad to have you back!

[The FraudulentBrit]

11124021
It’s great to be back

[Brian Sheil]

I heard the name 'First Aid'. He's one of the Protectobots. Will we be hearing from Blades, Groove, Hot Spot, and Streetwise too?

[The FraudulentBrit]

11412312
I hate to disappoint, but the other protectobots will not appear here. Now as for another combiner team……. You’ll find them in the next chapter.