Lockdown - a series of Equestria Girls Short Stories

by Ron Jeremy Pony

Family

Lockdown - A series of Equestria Girls Short Stories

Inspired by Nico-Stone Rupan’s Sour Sweet Stories

Family

An Apple Bloom Story

Apple Bloom looked around at the greenhouse. Gardening had been a huge part of who she was. There was no mistaking that working on the family orchard had certainly shaped who she was. The fact that she went into horticulture, and then herbology was no mistake. She had gotten her bachelors in herbology, and with that she took to teaching. She was also currently working toward a master’s degree in the same discipline, but she was taking all of it online, or at least as much as possible.

Still, there were no physical classes for the foreseeable future. The events with the Pandemic and the lockdown had seen to that. Instead she was teaching via online interactive streaming. Youtube, Skype, and surprisingly the gaming platform of World of Warcraft had been used. Being in the greenhouse, working with the plants, filming the care needed for the new breeds of medical grade plants was part of what made her feel as if she was doing more with her life.

She felt the swell of her stomach, her pregnancy was truly beginning to show, and part of her wondered how long it would take before she wouldn’t be able to do this on her own. Tender Taps had already been offering to help, and while she certainly considered having his help the truth was he didn’t have a green thumb. Actually, he could do basic care, but he wasn’t exceptionally good when it came to the more delicate work that she would need to do. No, when the day came that she couldn’t do it on her own she would have no other choice than to ask her sister or brother.

She had a feeling that Applejack would be fine with helping her. Even her husband, Applesnack, most likely wouldn’t mind. It was funny that she met him in Las Pegasus of all places. He was a nice enough fella, ex army, and currently he worked for a Private Security Firm. With the global lockdown happening he had been stuck across state lines. Her sister was doing pretty well with it, and Rainbow Dash was hanging around helping out.

She stretched and walked outside of the greenhouse. Just in the distance she saw Big Mac with Sugar Belle Apple. Her two nephews, and youngest niece, all standing there near the two of them.

“Doing well y’all?” she asked.

“Eeeeyup, jest comin’ ta see if’n y’all needed some help.”

She smiled at him, “Ah’m pregnant, it ain’t the end of the world, but thanks. Actually, Ah figure the day is a comin’ that the doctor is gonna tell me that Ah gotta go on bed rest. Figure y’all can mind the class greenhouse for me when it happens?”

He nodded, “Sure, dun’t mind at all. Y’all comin’ over fer supper?”

She gave a nod, “Sure am.”

She watched as he waved and left. The house was still full of life, although it was certainly different. She locked the door and walked to her own car, getting into it she considered the differences. Granny Smith was gone. She died last year after catching a bad case of pneumonia. When she passed it was as if a huge part of their lives was simply gone.

With Big Mac, Sugar Belle, their kids, and Applejack with Applesnack staying there it was as if the house was still a home. Life still existed in it, and it still felt welcoming. She would have stayed, but after getting out and going to college she wanted to have her own place. She couldn't get away from the fact that she loved working with the ground, with plants, and she loved watching something grow into its potential. Instead she accepted this was simply part of who she was.

Her car, an economical throwback to a simpler time, started on the fourth try. She felt the small miss in the Pinto’s engine. Granted, her brother, sister, and husband had tried to talk her into getting something different. The Pinto itself was a few decades old at this point, but it had been a reliable old car, and honestly she liked it. She pulled the floor shifter into gear, and soon she was leaving the greenhouse. Her classes were over, she was heading home, and she turned on the old radio, which still sported an eight-track tape player, and listened as K-Dust played some classic country. Listening to it was almost like having Granny still around. She stopped at the intersection, didn’t see anyone coming, and pulled forward.

There are times in everyone’s life that terrible occurrences happen. These times are often presented with almost no warning. They simply come to be. Perhaps more terrible things could’ve been presented later, but normally the thing that triggers them all had little to no warning at all. Such was this event. Apple Bloom pulled out, her small Pinto dutifully doing what it had been created to do, and without warning a large construction van plowed into the side of her small Pinto.

Having been created in the 1970’s the Pinto was made of steel. There was no fiberglass, no reinforced plastics, but instead the frame, body, and floors of the older economical car were designed around the idea of steel being stronger. Even so, the impact from the van crushed into the driver’s side of the car. Apple Bloom screamed as the car was forced into the ditch. K-Dust played on the radio, the sound of Boot Scootin’ Boogie flowed from the speakers. She tried to move, but upon her attempt she found that it hurt to do so.

She looked toward the van, and she could see someone moving around. She tried to move again, and finally her hand found her purse. She lifted it, dug around in it, and found an old Nokia cell phone. The phone was a hand me down, something that Granny Smith had lying around in her kitchen, and Apple Bloom had taken it to a small cellphone company, reactivated it, and now she was using it. The phone rang a few times, and Apple bloom wondered if there would be an answer.

After a few rings she heard a soft click, and she prayed that it wasn’t someone disconnecting.

“911, which services do you require?”

She breathed out a thankful sigh, “A van jest plowed inta my car. We’re north of town, near Canterlot High, the school’s greenhouses,” she said, “We need a firetruck and the ambulance.”

“No problem, we will have emergency services sent out to your location as soon as possible.”

She relaxed, glad to hear that they would have help. She considered closing her eyes, but instead she heard the sound of a siren. It was too soon for it to be the firetruck or the ambulance. Instead she saw what looked like a patrol officer’s car.

“Everyone okay?” a voice asked.

She looked to see Shining Armor, Twilight’s brother, standing outside of her car.

“Ah’m kinda hurt,” she said, “Not sure ‘bout the other fella.”

He nodded, “That’s fine, just relax. I’ll contact emergency services,” he said.

She shook her head, “Ah already called 911. They said they’re sending a firetruck and an ambulance.”

He nodded, “Okay, in that case I’m going to make sure that you don’t need to be moved yet.”

A few seconds went by before she heard the passenger door open.

“Apple Bloom, right?” he asked.

She nodded, “Yeah.”

He smiled, “Okay, I know it’s going to hurt, but we need to get you clear of this car, and we need to do it now.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt, and she felt him help her move across the seat. She wanted to scream with each movement, but soon she was out of the car, near his patrol car, and the driver of the van was the same. She looked to see what was going on, and she realized that her fuel tank had ruptured under her car. A stream of gas had leaked all over, and it would just take a small spark to set it off.

Within a few minutes the firetruck and ambulance arrived. She saw Snails as he set to covering the gas with something that was fire-retardant. He gave her a wave, and then from the ambulance Snips came over. He checked her, and the van driver. She took a look at the fella from the truck and she finally placed him. It looked like Rumble. He was still partly out of it, but at least he didn’t look too hurt.

“Well, Apple Bloom it looks like you’ve got a broken ankle. I hate to do it, especially with what’s going on, but we need to get you to the hospital. We’re going to take Rumble in too. From the looks of it he’s got a concussion.”

She nodded, felt herself, and then Rumble, loaded onto the ambulance. In a moment it was off, and she tried to relax as the ride took her to a place she had no intentions of going to. Once it arrived she was carted inside, and the doctor finished looking her over. Her ankle was put into a cast, and then she was told that she would be staying the night for observation. Twenty minutes later she got a call from Tender Taps.

She smiled as he asked how she was, and she told him that the doctors just wanted to hold her for observation. It felt good to know that he was worried. Of course she didn’t doubt that he would be. As she relaxed into the bed, she realized that this was the start of summer break, and also that she had no reason to not buy a new car.

Comments

[Ron Jeremy Pony]

10524674
Thanks and it's been corrected.