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Litora Rubiconis

As the Apple Blooms

Part 84; Litora Rubiconis

As he pulled up to the familiar sight of Sweet Apple Acres, Ironhide glanced at the reflection of a police patrol car in his rearview mirror. It had been about an hour and a half since he, Chromia, Sideswipe, and Ratchet were reunited with Apple Bloom (or at least a sleeping Apple Bloom), and after having informed the police about everything that happened, they’d decided to deliver his “niece” a special little “present.” Now, all they had to do was drop it off.

Parking his van in front of the farmhouse, Ironhide pulled the keys out of the ignition before stepping out of his van. As he approached the place that had once been a second home, Sergeant Shining Armor and his partner, a fresh rookie by the name of Night Stick, approached him as the former asked, “So, Mr. Ironhide? You think there’s a chance this could get ugly?”

Pondering this for a moment, Ironhide answered, “There is a possibility. Before we left, she seemed to realize the weight of what she’d done, but there is a chance.” Nodding, Shining Armor turned to his partner and whispered, “Be ready on the horn.” Night Stick silently nodded as he reached for his microphone.

Walking up to the door, Ironhide was about to knock as Granny Smith opened it and solemnly greeted, “Welcome back Ironhide. How’s Apple Bloom?” Sighing, the former soldier motioned to his new “associates” and answered, “She had her tooth root removed and may have a hell of a headache when she wakes up, but otherwise she’s fine. Of course, these guys need to have a word with Applejack.”

The police sergeant then extended his hand as he introduced himself, “Good evening ma’am. I’m sergeant Shining Armor of the CCPD, and this is my partner, officer Night Stick. We need to have a word with your granddaughter.” Sighing to herself in resignation, Granny Smith replied, “Ah had a feelin’ this would happen. She should be in the dinin’ room.” Ironhide then added, “If you boys would follow me…”

As the three men made their way into the dining room, Ironhide found Big Macintosh and Applejack seated at opposite ends of the table, the latter’s eyes shrinking as she realized who was flanking her uncle. Glaring at his “niece,” Ironhide remarked, “Applejack, my new friends here would like to have a word with you.” Shining Armor then presented a piece of paper as he inquired, “So, you’re the Applejack I’ve heard so much about?”

Nodding, Applejack nervously answered, “Yes. Is everythin’ alright?” Scooting the piece of paper towards the middle Apple sibling, Shining Armor informed her, “Well, I’m sergeant Shining Armor of the Canterlot City Police Department, and this is my partner, deputy Night Stick. I suspect you know why we’re here.” Sighing, Applejack answered, “Ah do.” She then took the piece of paper as she began to read it, only to be interrupted by Shining Armor spelling everything out.

“At Ironhide’s request, we have issued a temporary restraining order against you on behalf of your sister. You are not to go within three hundred feet of her.”

For several moments, Applejack found herself barely able to process what the police officer had just said. Eventually, however, the reality of what had just happened finally hit the blonde farm girl, who meekly asked, “Wait. You mean Ah can’t see her?” To her shock and sorrow, Shining Armor simply nodded as he replied, “Yes.”

Ironhide then walked up to his “niece” as he calmly yet angrily remarked, “And I can assure you that I will make sure this little restraining order here isn’t temporary.” It was at this moment that Applejack snapped out of her shock as she complained, “That ain’t fair!”

Almost immediately, Ironhide slammed his fist onto the table as he exclaimed, “What’s not fair is what you did to your sister!” As everyone else recoiled in fear, the former sergeant continued, “I just…. I failed Apple Bloom by bringing her here in the first place, and I will not fail her again, so I will make myself as clear as possible. You don’t go anywhere near her. You don’t try to contact her. You don’t do anything to her. Am. I. Clear?”

All Applejack could do was sigh as she replied, “Yes sir.”

Satisfied that Applejack understood the gravity of her actions, Ironhide turned to sergeant Shining Armor and asked, “With that out of the way, is it safe for me to pack up my family’s possessions?” The young policeman answered, “Just let me get a good look at the scene of the incident and take a few pictures first. It’ll help determine what the course of action from here should be.” Nodding, Ironhide replied, “Very well. Just let me know when it’s alright. I don’t want to spend a second more than I absolutely have to here.”

Making his way to the living room, Ironhide stopped and turned to face Granny Smith as he apologized, “I’m so sorry. For all of it.” All the older woman could do was sigh as she replied, “As am Ah.” With that, the former sergeant left the dining room for the living room in the vain attempt to get some peace in quiet while sergeant Shining Armor made his way towards the stairwell to inspect Apple Bloom’s room.

He just hoped there wasn’t proof of anything worse than what he’d already learned.

Canterlot City General Hospital…

Slowly returning to the world of the living, Apple Bloom realized three things. One was the fact that her head was consumed by a throbbing headache. ‘Ugh, mah head.’ The former farm girl thought to herself as she began to blink away her drowsiness. Indeed, her head was throbbing so much that she was barely able to process where she was.

This led to Apple Bloom realizing the second thing; her mouth felt somewhat numb. As she tried to feel around her mouth with her tongue, the former farm girl felt the cotton cloth that was sandwiched in the space where, before she fell asleep, rested one of her teeth. Reaching towards her mouth, Apple Bloom pulled the cotton cloth out of her mouth, allowing her tongue to feel the empty space that now existed in between her left front tooth and canine. Sighing to herself, the former farm girl groggily muttered, “Guess Ah should’ve figured that would happen.”

It was at this moment that Apple Bloom realized the third detail about her predicament; she was no longer in either her room or Ironhide’s van. Instead, she was resting on a hospital bed in a hospital room. Turning to face the window, the former farm girl noticed that the sky was pitch black, a clear sign that she’d been out cold for at least a few hours.

Before she could do anything else, Apple Bloom was distracted by the sound of Sideswipe’s voice remarking, “Looks like someone’s finally up.” Sure enough, the former farm girl found her sister walking up to her and, giving her no time to react, pulling her into a massive hug. The pale biker even began to shiver as she tearfully admitted, “I’ve been worried about you Apple Bloom.”

Hugging her sister back, Apple Bloom felt a tear escape from her eye and drip down her cheek as she replied, “Thanks Sideswipe. Ah hope Ah didn’t scare you guys.” Wiping the fresh tears from her eyes, Sideswipe reassured her sister, “You didn’t. Now Applejack on the other hand….”

Upon hearing her sister’s name, Apple Bloom froze with fear as she demanded, “Wh-wh-what? Where is she?” Realizing she’d triggered her sister, Sideswipe began to reassure her, “Calm down Apple Bloom! She’s not here!” As the former farm girl began to calm down, the pale biker continued, “There’s no way Ironhide would let her near you after she… You know….” Giving a small smile as she sighed, Apple Bloom dejectedly replied, “And to think this is all over somethin’ everyone else has gotten over.”

The tender moment was ruined when someone knocked on the door. Though she’d just been reassured it couldn’t possibly be her sister, Apple Bloom still found herself instinctively hiding under the hospital bed sheets. Thankfully, the door opened to reveal none other than Chromia and Ratchet, concerned and exhausted expressions plastered on their faces.

Making her way up to her daughters, Chromia warmly greeted, “I see someone woke up.” Apple Bloom began to answer, only to let out a loud yawn, leading Ratchet to remark, “Perhaps she needs a little more rest. Besides, I’m betting her mouth is still a bit sore.”

Just as Ratchet said, Apple Bloom realized that her mouth was still a bit sore from having had surgery performed on it only a few hours earlier. As she felt around with her tongue, the former farm girl could even feel thin pieces of string that she quickly realized were the stitches added to close her mouth up. All in all, it was just another reminder of everything that had happened to her in the last six hours (give or take).

At that moment, someone else knocked on the door. Both Chromia and Ratchet gave each other confused looks as the former remarked, “That’s odd. Ironhide said he’d call before he came back.” Ratchet, for his part, shrugged as he replied, “Probably just a nurse or one of the orderlies.”

Instead, from the other end of the door, everyone heard the familiar sound of Tender Taps’s voice say, “You sure this was the right room?”

Before she even realized she was doing, Apple Bloom found herself trying to get herself off the hospital bed, only to find Sideswipe catching her sister, making sure she didn’t fall face first onto the ground. As she helped her sister back to her feet, Sideswipe remarked, “If that’s who I think it is, we need you to look presentable.”

Sure enough, the door opened once again. This time, it revealed a very familiar orange teen with purple hair, a purple shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers. Feeling her eyes start to water up, Apple Bloom found herself asking, “Tendy?” Tender Taps nodded as he replied, “Yeah. We heard what happened.” This remark led to a confused Chromia to inquire, “What are you doing here? And what do you mean by we?”

She received her answer when, to everyone’s surprise, Double Shuffle came running into the room, practically leaping into Apple Bloom as she exclaimed, “Apple Bloom!” Before she could process what was going on, the former farm girl found herself tackled to the ground as the younger blue girl nervously asked, “You alright?! Is your mouth alright?! Did that meanie Applejack get in trouble?!”

Managing the seemingly impossible challenge of rising back to her feet while still hugging her little sister, Apple Bloom happily replied, “Ah’m alright, save for mah mouth stingin’ a bit. And yeah, Ah’m sure Applejack is in for a whoopin’.” Releasing Double Shuffle, the former farm girl requested, “But maybe you could hold off from tacklin’ me like a football player. Ah’ve had enough headaches for one night.” Double Shuffle gave a small pout as she replied, “Ok.” Needless to say, Apple Bloom was happy to see both her little sister and boyfriend and pulled them into another hug.

Sideswipe, on the other hand, was so distracted by the heartwarming sight that she didn’t notice a familiar gray girl in a black leather jacket sneaking up to her until the latter playfully whispered, “Boo!” Jumping up in the air, the pale biker turned around to find none other than her girlfriend, Marble Pie, standing there as she asked, “You holding up alright?”

Feeling her eyes start to tear up again, Sideswipe pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug as she asked, “What are you doing here?” Hugging her girlfriend back, Marble answered, “Beachcomber got a call saying that Apple Bloom was in the hospital, and it turns out he wasn’t the only one.”

Sure enough, a third teen entered the increasingly crowded hospital room. This time, it was the scrawny boy that could only be Rattrap, who called out, “Hey Apple Bloom! Good to see you ain’t dead yet!” Closing the distance between himself and his friend, the skinny teen inquired, “But what happened to your tooth?”

Walking up to the group of teens, Chromia asked, “I don’t mean to interrupt you kids, but you didn’t answer my question. How’d you know about Apple Bloom and her sister?” After a few moments, Tender Taps stepped forward and explained, “We all got a call from Wheeljack saying that Applejack had punched her sister in the face.” He then turned to face the others as he continued, “I called everyone else and, well, I kinda started worrying and… I guess I just wanted to make sure Apple Bloom was safe.”

Overcome with emotions at the fact that her boyfriend was apparently the one who organized this little get together, Apple Bloom pulled Tender Taps into a passionate kiss as she exclaimed, “You’re the best Tendy!” Kissing his girlfriend back, Tender Taps replied, “I try.”

At that moment, a nurse came into the room and informed everyone, “I do hate to interrupt you all, but visiting hours end in ten minutes.” Double Shuffle immediately walked up to the nurse and begged, “Awh. Can’t we stay with her? Please?” As the nurse began to answer, a police officer peeked his head into the ever increasingly crowded room and asked, “Everything alright in here?”

Giving in to her growing claustrophobia, Chromia called out, “Can people stop coming in here? This place is turning into a sardine can!” As everyone stopped making noise and turned to face her, the family matriarch took a deep breath as she continued, “Forgive me, but I need a moment.” Tip toeing around the gaggle of teens, she found herself followed not only by Ratchet, but also by the nurse and the policeman.

Once the adults were alone, the policeman began, “As I was saying, is everything alright?” Nodding, Ratchet answered, “Everything is alright sir. Just some of her friends showing up to visit.” The nurse then added, “Unfortunately, visiting hours are almost over, so you will all soon need to leave. I know that she’s had a rough day, but we can’t make exceptions.” Sighing, Chromia remarked, “Well that sucks. We don’t exactly have anywhere else to stay. We’d been staying with some family friends, but due to current circumstances, that may not be possible.”

Before he could say anything in response, the policeman’s radio went off, leading him to reply, “Excuse me. I need to take this.” As he walked away, the nurse replied, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what to say.”

At that moment, a suave and silky smooth man’s voice called out, “Hey there! What’s going on?” Turing around to see who it was, Chromia and Ratchet were pleasantly surprised to see Beachcomber, Arcee, and both Hard and Soft Shoe walking up to them.

Letting out a deep sigh, Chromia answered, “TO be honest, a lot. I take it you heard about what happened from Wheeljack?” Hard Shoe nodded as he answered, “Yeah. We’re just lucky there was no traffic on the way here.” He then suggested, “Well, I do know there’s a hotel around here that should be…”

The adults were interrupted once again when yet another voice, this one a high pitched teenaged girl’s, called out, “Marble!” Chromia sighed as she turned to see who it was and asked, “What now?!”

She was pleasantly surprised to see three teenaged girls approaching her, specifically a pink girl with dark pink puffy hair, running up to her. Stopping to catch her breath, the pink girl asked, “Excuse me, but is Marble in this room?” A confused and bewildered Chromia nodded yes before asking, “Hold on a minute. You’re Marble’s sisters, aren’t you?”

“Yup! I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pink girl cheerfully replied as she introduced her sisters. “And these are my sisters, Limestone and Maud Pie.” She then lit up and asked, “Oh! Do you guys need a place to stay for the night?”

Ratchet found his jaw dropping as he replied, “Uh, yeah. We kinda do. How do you know that?” Pinkie Pie simply shrugged as she answered, “Just my Pinkie sense.” As Ratchet began to inquire further, Limestone stepped forward and warned him, “Don’t try to dive deeper. The last person to try went mad.” Shaking his head, the old medic simply replied, “Fine. Right now, we have more pressing matters.”

Chromia then added, “But yes, right now we could use somewhere to stay, at least for a night.” Beachcomber then added, “Let’s face it, we all need somewhere to stay.” Pinkie Pie then shot everyone a friendly smirk as she said, “Well, do I have an offer for you….”

Sweet Apple Acres Guest Room….

“And they’re willing to let us stay there?” Ironhide asked incredulously. He’d just finished packing not only his things, but also his wife’s and both of his daughters’ possessions. Now, he was talking on the phone with Chromia, who had just informed him that Marble’s sisters had offered to let everyone (and they meant everyone) stay at their place.

On the other end of the phone, Chromia replied, “Yeah! Apparently their parents are out for a few days on some sort of rock gathering trip, and Pinkie wanted to teach her dad a lesson for how he treated her sister. Talk about a good time to be just a little bit spiteful.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ironhide replied, “Yeah. That’s really nice of her. Of course, I’m honestly kinda surprised all her friends showed up.” Chromia’s voice remarked, “You bet. Of course, I take it you’ll be having a word with Wheeljack?” Nodding, the family patriarch replied, “Yeah. I better get on that. See you there dear.”

Once he’d hanged up, Ironhide called out, “Wheeljack?!” After a few moments, the maverick mechanic entered the room as he asked, “You wanted to see me sir?” Closing his suitcase, the former sergeant began, “So, I got a call from Chromia. She says Apple Bloom’s friends showed up.” As his subordinate began to ever so slightly tense up, Ironhide asked, “You wouldn’t happen to know how they found out, would you?”

Taking a deep breath, Wheeljack relented and admitted, “Forgive me sir, but… I wanted to make it up to Apple Bloom.” Intrigued yet confused, Ironhide asked, “What do you mean by “make it up to her?”” The maverick mechanic explained, “Well, given how I drunkenly exposed her when her sister dumped her here with us, I wanted to do something right. So, I figured I could get all her friends here to cheer her up. Besides, they’d all have found out eventually, right?” As Ironhide took this in, Wheeljack sighed as he asked, “You’re docking my pay, aren’t you?”

Giving his friend a very faint smirk, Ironhide playfully began, “Normally, I’d dock your pay for a month and have you on latrine duty for something like this.” Wheeljack gulped and began to turn just a bit pale as the former sergeant continued, “But given the circumstances, specifically how I’ve been informed Apple Bloom’s morale has lifted, I have something special in mind for you.”

Resting a hand on Wheeljack’s shoulder, Ironhide declared, “Corporal Wheeljack, I herby order you to be detained for ten seconds.” He then gave a small smirk as he quickly said, “Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten.” Straightening himself, Ironhide playfully continued, “There we go. Square with the house again.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Wheeljack replied, “Thank you sir. I promise I won’t do it again. At least unless someone needs some cheering up again.” Ironhide began to chuckle as he remarked, “That’s good, because I think you’ll be in needing of cheering up real soon.” As the maverick mechanic took this in, his friend and boss added, “Given that Chromia said Wreck-Gar has picked up quite the vocabulary, especially when it comes to the seven dirty words.”

All Wheeljack could do was gulp as he replied, “The funny thing about that sir….”

A Short While Later…

Walking down the with the last of their bags, Ironhide and a recently scolded Wheeljack found Granny Smith waiting for them. As they approached her, the older woman dejectedly informed them, “The police have left. They said what happens with Applejack depends on what you want.” She then began to sniffle as she continued, “While part of me wants you to show her a little, we all know that ain’t gonna cut it this time.”

Setting his suitcase down, Ironhide bluntly informed her, “As I told Applejack, I will make sure the restraining order becomes permanent.” He then sighed as he began, “And for Apple Bloom’s safety, I suggest that she…”

“Stay with you?” Granny Smith dejectedly interrupted.

As all three adults took this in, Ironhide solemnly apologized, “I didn’t want this to happen. It’d be a lie to say I wanted her to stay, but I never wanted it to play out like this.” Feeling her eyes start to water up, Granny Smith replied, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Looking the man who she once would’ve seen as her surrogate son in the eyes, Granny Smith tearfully remarked, “Ah don’t know what to say. On one hand, every time Ah’ve seen you since you returned from that damn war, somethin’ bad happens. On the other hand, Ah should’ve done somethin’ about Apple Bloom mahself rather than give in to Applejack’s suggestion to dump her with you.”

As everyone processed the weight of what had been said, Granny Smith wiped the tears from her face as she finished, “But if there was any silver linin’ to all this, Ah’m just glad she ended up with you.” Nodding, Ironhide replied, “Same here.”

Picking up his suitcase, Ironhide gave a final, “Take care of yourself ma’am. Perhaps next time, we can meet under better circumstances.” With that, Ironhide and Wheeljack departed the farmhouse, leaving Granny Smith to break down into tears at the realization that her family was falling apart.

Canterlot City General Hospital, The Next Morning…

Snapping her overall buttons, the soon to be discharged Apple Bloom inspected her reflection in the mirror. For the most part, she was just as she looked the day before; blue overalls, black boots, a blue and white striped sleeveless shirt, and red hair in braided pigtails. Of course, there was one thing that was different; the fact that she was missing a tooth. Just looking at the small gap in her teeth sucked all the confidence and positivity away from the former farm girl as she dejectedly admitted to herself, “Still can’t believe she did it.”

For a brief moment, the thought of Applejack’s fist flashed in Apple Bloom’s mind, startling the young girl enough to back away from the mirror. Catching her breath, she spoke out, “Calm down Apple Bloom. No point in worryin’ about her anymore.” Deciding she needed a distraction, Apple Bloom continued, “Better make sure Ah have everythin’ with me.”

Making her way to the hospital bed, the former farm girl inspected the bag that had been provided to house everything she had on her when she arrived (and a few things Ironhide and Chromia brought for her) Apple Bloom began to take note of everything inside. “Let’s see, toothbrush and toothpaste, mah plush bunny, spare underwear, mah ta….”

Pausing for a moment, Apple Bloom felt her heart melt a bit as she pulled out her tap shoes. To most people, they were nothing more than black oxford shoes with metal plates on the toes and heels. To other people, they were as much musical instruments as a violin or a set of drums. But as she held the black leather creations in her hands, the former farm girl found that to her, they were the perfect embodiment of everything she loved about her new life. They were a gift from the boy she loved, something that she bonded with her little sister over, and all in all, they were just something she could never imagine her life without.

The only thing her tap shoes didn’t directly represent to her was her family.

From behind her, Apple Bloom heard the unmistakable sound of her uncle’s voice called out, “Ready to go kid?” Turning around to face her uncle, the former farm girl replied, “Ah’m ready uncle Ironhide.” She then set her tap shoes back into the bag as she said, “Anythin’ to get out of this place.”

Walking up to his daughter, Ironhide warmly said, “Alright then. We’ll stop by the Pie’s place to gather the others, and then we’ll head home.” He then shot her a mischievous smirk as he added, “Or we could hang around for a spell so you and your friends can catch up. Especially you and your boyfriend.”

“UNCLE IRONHIDE!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as her face turned redder than her hair. Letting out an amused chuckle, Ironhide reassured her, “Don’t worry kid. Besides, Chromia, the boys and I will need be working on a little paperwork while you’re with your friends.”

Apple Bloom sighed as she realized what the “paperwork” her uncle was likely going to be about. Taking a deep breath, the former farm girl scooped her bag up and said, “Alright. Let’s go.” With that, both “father” and daughter departed the hospital room.

Canterlot City General Hospital Discharge Lounge….

As Apple Bloom paced up and down the room (and trying not to pick at her now exposed gums), Ironhide finished signing the forms and other pieces of paperwork to make sure his daughter could leave the hospital. Once he’d signed his name on the last form, the former sergeant asked, “Is this everything?”

The receptionist nodded as she replied, “It is sir.” She then lit up as she added, “And don’t worry about payment. The girl’s grandmother informed us to send the bill to her.” Ironhide was surprised by this revelation as he replied, “That’s…. Rather generous of her.” The family patriarch then thought to himself, ‘Perhaps she wants to make up for letting everything happen.’

Regardless of Granny Smith’s generosity, All Ironhide cared about was getting Apple Bloom out of the hospital and, after a little cool down time, back home to Allspark Wells. Giving the receptionist a polite nod, he said, “Thank you ma’am. You have a good day.” The receptionist, in turn, gave a polite nod herself as she replied, “You too sir.” Turning to face his daughter, Ironhide called out, “Alright Apple Bloom. Let’s go.”

Once they were outside the hospital, Ironhide and Apple Bloom began to make their way to the familiar sight of the former’s red van when they were stopped by something unexpected; A familiar raspy girl’s voice asking, “Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom gulped as she turned to see who it was. Sure enough, she found herself once again locking eyes with Scootaloo. The orange girl was wearing her usual attire of dark gray jacket, green cargo shorts, black boots, turquoise socks and a turquoise scarf around her neck. However, that wasn’t the only thing that caught her attention.

That honor went to the fact that Scootaloo wasn’t alone. Standing next to the purple haired girl was a familiar cyan teenager with rainbow hair, magenta eyes, an opened blue shirt over a white tank top with a print of a cloud and rainbow-colored lightning bolt, a magenta skirt, and blue knee-high sneakers. Apple Bloom knew this older teen could only be one person.

Walking up to her former friend, Scootaloo’s head twitched as she asked, “Am I going crazy or did you just walk out of the… the…. The place where people get discharged?” Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah don’t wanna talk about it.”

Scootaloo immediately noticed the gap in her friend’s mouth and asked, “Hold on a minute! Are you missing a tooth?!” Growing just a little bit frustrated, Apple Bloom in turn asked, “Well, what are you doin’ here anyway?” Rainbow Dash placed herself in between the former friends and informed her, “Scoots here has a check up for her neck.” She then empathetically asked, “But that doesn’t answer what you are doing here?”

For a moment, Apple Bloom hesitated as she wondered if she should tell them what happened. ‘Should Ah do it? Do Ah wanna tell them what happened?’ After all, not only would it upset someone who, while not exactly her friend, she was still cordial with, but it could anger someone who was very close with Applejack.

‘Applejack.’ The former farm girl thought to herself as her concern turned into something she never thought she’d feel for her older sister; spite. Allowing her face to morph into a disappointed frown, Apple Bloom bluntly answered, “Applejack and Ah got into an argument, and she punched me in the face.”

For a few moments, everyone stood in shock and silence as they processed what they just heard. Eventually, Rainbow Dash asked, “Wait! You mean Applejack is the reason you’re here?” Nodding, Apple Bloom answered, “Yup.” A look of shock and betrayal overtook Rainbow Dash’s face as she gave a simple, “Thanks for letting me know Apple Bloom.” She then turned to Scootaloo as she said, “Come on Squirt. We don’t wanna be late for the doctor.” All Scootaloo could do was give a simple, “Uh, see you Apple Bloom.” as she joined her honorary big sister departed, making their way towards the hospital.

Once they were gone, Ironhide reassured his daughter, “It’s alright kid. Let’s go.” Nodding, Apple Bloom felt her eyes sting as she replied, “Ok.” With that, she joined her uncle as they made their way to his van.

It was a good thing that Apple Bloom had abandoned any and all desire to scoop up secrets, because she was thankfully out of ear shot when Rainbow Dash informed Scootaloo, “After we finish here, I’m gonna need to have a little chat with Applejack.”

Author's Note:

Next Time; As one group celebrates, another group confronts an unpleasant truth.

Author's Note; I had so much in mind for this chapter that I realized I couldn't get it all in one chapter (especially with my schedule), so the next chapter could be considered a "part 2" of sorts.

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