Spring's New Bloom

by Sonnet

The Sudden Stop

It started with a stop. A truck blaring its horn at me as a too late warning, and suddenly I was gone. I flew through the void, an endlessly swirling abyss of stars surrounded me. I was surprised at how calm I felt about all this, to be quite honest. I was pretty sure that I'd died. I mean, I got hit by a semi truck right? That’s the sort of thing you don’t come back from, unless you’ve got way more luck than I’ve ever had. And at this point in my life I’d realized that I had barely any luck at all; not nearly enough to save me from a force of death of the caliber I just bore witness to.

As far as ominous swirling voids go, this one was pretty great in all honesty. If this was the afterlife, it could have been a lot worse. Stars, galaxies, and sparks of light coiled about me in a tapestry, and I was truly in awe at the majesty of colors. And then, I started to feel something else. A twinge pulsed in my head. I reached up to grasp at it, surprised at my lack of a physical body. If I didn't have any sort of physical form, then why did my head hurt? It actually started to hurt really bad now, a pulsing, pounding migraine. How did I have a headache if I had no head that could ache! I changed my mind, this afterlife sucked! It felt like I’d been punched in the head by a heavyweight boxer. I wanted to speak to whoever sent me here, because I had some serious compla-

And then everything went black. An explosion of new sensations hit me. I lie in cool, packed dirt. The air was cold against my...hair? It felt like my whole body was covered in a soft layer of hair. I had a physical form again, well that’s nice. But this damn headache I had was worse than ever, plus the side of my head actually felt sore now. Okay, I needed to open my eyes, assess the situation I’m in. Maybe I did actually survive being hit by that truck after all. I open my eyes, and squint as the bright sun dazzled me, high overhead. As my vision drew into full focus, I saw something else, something that made me want to laugh, scream, and cry at its sheer absurdity. There was an orange horse with a blonde mane standing over me. No, not a horse, a pony. And not just any pony, it’s Applejack.

Okay, I’ve gone utterly and completely insane. That’s good to know. Wait, no. Maybe I was not insane, maybe I’ve just got brain damage. I shook my head a few times, to try and clear my vision and perhaps shake away my brain damage? I’m fairly certain that’s not how brain damage works. Applejack remained standing over me, and she looked concerned. She opened her mouth.

“Ya alright there Sugarcube?”

Okay, yes. That was Applejack’s voice, that was something she would say to...to…I looked down at myself. That yellowish tan coat of fur. That pinkish red tail lying in the hard packed dirt, trotted over tens of thousands of times by many sets of hooves. I was

“Er, Apple Bloom? Say somethin’ sis, yer startin’ to worry me!”

I’m struck by sudden insecurity. I should say something, anything! Well not anything, but probably some sort of reassurance

“Uh, I’m fine Applejack!”

She narrowed her eyes and squinted at me. I blinked several times, wondering why what I said had just sounded so off. Yes I had Apple Bloom’s voice, I had spoken in her usual squeaky tone but something was wrong with it. What was it? Suddenly, it hit me! The accent! I had spoken without a single trace of Apple Bloom’s country accent. I really didn’t want to allow myself to speak that way, despite not having any doubt that I could replicate it pretty easily. I had grown up in a rural area myself, and had spent a long time practicing to NOT have much of a rural accent. Begrudgingly, I let myself slip into those old tones, and said

“Er, ah mean. Ah’m fine sis! Honest!”

I did not feel fine however. My head hurt, a lot. However, Applejack’s worried look quickly smoothed over into a sigh of relief. She shook her head, her curls flicking.

“Haha, oohwee, that was quite the tumble ya took there Apple Bloom! Ah knew ah shoulda asked Big Mac to tighten up that creaky wheel on the cart ‘fore we left,” she chuckled, and smiled down at me. “But it takes more ‘n that to get one of us Apples. Ya need me to help ya up, sis?” She asked me.

I nodded, and reached up with a...yeah, that was a hoof. Another twinge of pain shot through my face, and my headache pounded again, not to be denied. Applejack grabbed my hoof, and pulled me to my feet-correction, hooves. Why was I such a stickler for little details like this? Why was that ridiculous line of thinking troubling me even now? I shook my head again, my pinkish red mane brushing over my line of vision. I wobbled for a moment as I tried to take an experimental step forward, but found my footing rather quickly. It seemed that four legs were definitely more stable than two. I heard AJ say something from behind me.

“Aw darn! Ah’m sorry Apple Bloom, looks like yer bow’s done been ruined” I turned my head to look, and she was holding two pieces of dirty and torn pink fabric. It definitely looked like my...Apple Bloom’s ribbon. I felt my eyes water slightly, and I felt a little pang in my chest at that. Why did I care about some scrap of ribbon that wasn’t even mine.

“Now don’t cry Apple Bloom, Ah’ll pick ya up another bow while we’re in town, seein’ as it’s mah fault yours got ruined an’ all” she said, and reached over, casually wiping away a single tear that had run down my cheek. “Now help me fix this cart wheel, would ya?” she turned to trot over to a cart with some lumber, a saw, a hammer, and some nails inside it. Noticeably, the cart was missing one of its back wheels, which was lying in the dirt a few yards away. Okay, I had to do something. I couldn’t just stand around and wait for the world to stop being so insane, I had to interact.

I took a few hesitant steps in Applejack’s direction, as she hefted the wheel and started to roll it back towards the cart.
“Alright now. Ah’m gonna lift up the cart, and you push it into place, and then we’ll both shove it together. Ahright sis?” She said.

“Uhuh! You got it Applejack!”

I said, my voice dripping with a thick country accent. It sounded more like ‘Yew Gawt et Applejack’. I nearly blushed at the way I was talking, all my shame flaring right back up. Damnit, why did I have to be APPLE BLOOM of all ponies? She was the wrong gender, wrong age, and I certainly was not proud to be my least favorite member of the CMC. Don’t get me wrong, I thought Apple Bloom was cute and all, but she, along with the rest of the Apple Family, was just a reminder of the life that I hated. They might have been one of the examples of a good country family, but they still reminded me of mine, which was certainly not. That was definitely why Applejack episodes were both adored and hated at the same time by me. You are drawn towards that which troubles you, after all.

I hefted the wheel, surprised at how difficult it was to lift. I could’ve done such a thing easily with my old body, but Apple Bloom, despite her active lifestyle, was weaker than I used to be. AJ lifted the cart up, and I clumsily stumbled, and shoved the wheel onto its axle. Applejack dropped it, and trotted over. She placed her shoulder against the wheel, and following her lead, I did the same.

“Ready lil’ sis? Three...Two...One!”

She called out, and together, we shoved up against the wheel, ramming it. It shuddered and jumped back onto its axle with a creaking sound of wood grinding against wood.

“Again, fer good measure,” Applejack said with a little huff.

Together, we shoved it again, and it locked fully into place on its axle. The cart was repaired! I hadn’t done good old fashioned manual repairs like that in a long while. AJ wiped her brow, and pulled her hat down low. I took a moment to survey the landscape. There was the farmhouse and barn that looked to be a half mile away...we were on a dirt road, and there was snow on the ground. It was winter here too, huh? I could only hope that, like my old world, spring would be coming soon. The wind was a little chilly on my coat, but not that bad. Seemed the fur was a great insulator.

“Climb on in the cart, Apple Bloom. You’re still lookin’ just a mite dazed. ‘Sides, I should give ya a ride considerin’ it was mah fault ya got hit and all”

I felt a twinge of concern in my chest then, and I suddenly felt the urge to reassure my sister. I mean Apple Bloom’s sister.

“Aw, it ain’t yer fault sis, you couldn’ta known that old cart were so rickety!” I said, yet still took the offer to climb into the cart.

I wobbled on in, my legs shaking. I almost fell off, though I seemed to recall that Apple Bloom was clumsy. Well, that was one thing that I wouldn’t be changing any time soon. I flopped on into the cart, and reached up, brushing my mane out of my face with a hoof. Applejack attached herself again to the cart, and we started rolling.

“Alrighty Apple Bloom, get ready. I’m gonna have to double time it to make up for lost time to the Cakes. Yee haw!” She shouted, rearing up and starting to move at a run. Just before she did, I called out

“Applejack wai-”

And flopped over backward in the cart, flipping onto my back. I rolled over and righted myself, sitting up. I hopped up and put my forelegs...God, that was a weird sentence...I put my forelegs over the side of the cart, and looked out at all the scenery I saw before me. I couldn’t deny despite it being the tail end of winter, this world was beautiful. Trees lay bare of their leaves, snow covered the ground, my breath fogged before me. I turned my head to stare up front, seeing AJ galloping, a small smile on her face as she took us towards what I could only assume would be Ponyville. She had said we were going to the Cakes after all. Speaking of, why was there wood and tools in this cart? Were we doing some sort of construction work for them? I admittedly had wondered a few times what the Apple family did during the winter when they couldn’t grow and sell anything, I guess doing odd jobs and construction work just made sense.

I felt another twinge of pain run through my head, and as I instinctively put my hoof to my forehead, I smacked myself hard right in my sore area. I squeezed my eyes shut, tearing up from the pain. Ow, okay, note to self, hooves are a lot denser and sturdier than hands, have to be careful when touching your face with them. Great, my headache which was finally starting to fade was now back in full force. I grumbled and tapped my front hooves together, listening to the clicking sound they made. For a moment, I was curious as to what season I was in. If I was in a later season I might be in trouble, because I had never really watched past season five...I turned around and craned my head, looking at my flank. Okay good, it was blank, meaning Apple Bloom hadn’t earned her cutie mark yet. Therefore, I was at most near the beginning of season 5. This, at least, was a blessing. What was I thinking about earlier? Oh yeah! I had obviously gone completely insane. There was no way I was in Equestria, so I needed to go over many possibilities right now.

First possibility...I was currently dead and this was my dying brain’s attempt to make me happy in my final moments. The pros to this situation were uh, none actually. The cons were that I was dead, and if I did ‘wake up’ from this hallucination, all that would happen was that I would be dead.

Second possibility...I was utterly stark raving mad, probably locked up in an asylum somewhere rambling to myself about ponies. This one was a good bit better, because if I was able to shatter the illusion I was under, I might be able to once more have a normal life. The only difficulty was finding some way to smash this delusion that I was under.

Third possibility...I was in a coma or something. This one was hard to decide whether it was good or bad. I could maybe wake myself up by proving to my subconscious that what was happening here was absolutely not real in some way, although that could be very difficult. But even then, that might not actually wake me up, it could just cause this idyllic world to fall to pieces. If I did manage to dispel the dream I was trapped in, it might just become a nightmare instead. Plus, waking from a coma wasn’t like in the movies. I knew it was a long and difficult process, one that happens over time.

Fourth possibility - Oh wait, we were getting close to Ponyville! I could see the thatched roofs of the many buildings in town, and Applejack was slowing to a trot. I could smell...Wow, that made me dizzy. There was so much activity! Ponies trotting to and fro, some occasionally waving to AJ as we trotted more into the town center, market stalls set up...Although a good many of them were closed for the winter, it seemed. The dirt road had given way to a paved pathway, and my eyes were dazzled by the sun reflecting off the frozen river that normally wound its way through the town. AJ slowed down even more as what was obviously Sugarcube Corner came into view, and I could definitely see the problem, there was a hole in the roof! Applejack turned to face me and said

“Thanks again for comin’ out to help me with this Sugarcube, speakin’ of, how are ya feeling? Ya still got that troublesome expression on your face”

I shook my head. Of all ponies. I had to be paired with the one all about honesty. I stuttered out

“Oh, uh, ah’m f-fine Applejack! Ah’m fit as a fiddle!”

She chuckled, and as she unhitched herself, she said

“Oh Apple Bloom, ah can tell when you’re not feelin’ the best. Why don’t ya take it easy today, hmm? Ah can handle this all on mah own. You go run along now an’ find your friends. Alright?”

I blinked a few times. This could be the opportunity I needed to get away and go find something to help me shake myself out of this...whatever this was. I nodded, and I hopped up, nearly falling right out of the cart. I did manage to land on my feet, however, and I grinned. Finally, some self agency! I started walking away from Sugarcube Corner on my new legs, before realizing something. I had absolutely no clue where I was going or what I should try to do to help myself snap out of this.

Aha! The idea hit me like a stroke of lightning. Everything I encountered thus far had suggested I was Apple Bloom, yet I had not actually seen my face quite yet. So therefore, if I could just see my face in a mirror and find some flaw with it, some way to prove I was not actually a filly in Equestria named Apple Bloom, that might be the system shock I needed to snap back to reality. It was perfect! So now all I had to do was find a mirror. I tried to think, and I actually wasn't sure where one would be located. Surely if this was some kind of entrapment performed on me by my own brain, it might actually be difficult to locate something reflective, which would prove to me that I was trapped in this non reality.

Still, I thought to myself, and it hit me once more. The river! The frozen river would definitely be reflective enough to show me a picture of myself. I quickly began to trot through the streets of Ponyville, towards that river I had seen, and I squeezed my way between some buildings, accelerating now, and moving in a gallop. Four legs was actually pretty nice, to be honest. The movement was much steadier, and - wait, what was I thinking? If my suspicions were correct, I wouldn't be on four legs much longer! I skidded to a stop right in front of the frozen river, and looked down carefully.

What stared back at me was the face of that filly. Her petite muzzle, her big, almost oversized orange eyes, that pinkish red mane falling down in my face without a ribbon to tie it back...I was absolutely Apple Bloom, from the tip of my tail to the end of my muzzle. I sat down, and that face that had looked excited at first now stared back at me with a depressed, weary expression. This was my big idea, and it had been a bust. I felt my eyes pricking with tears, when suddenly from behind me, I heard two high pitched voices squealing in unison

"APPLE BLOOM!!!"

Oh damn it.

Author's Note:

Well, here goes.

Comments

[Nodqfan]

Seems interesting thus far,

[Plonys are Great]

This has potential. Good luck, my friend! ^~^

[Squishtopher]

If this is some kind of karmic afterlife coma, then becoming Apple Bloom probably means that you have to rediscover your sense of adventure and wonderment in life before you can leave.

[TherealNightblader]

A truck blaring its horn at me as a too late warning

 

Truck-kun stikes again

[EnderHooves]

Definitely a solid start here. The classic Truck-kun transdimensional transport service is very reliable.

[Redwolf777sg]

I rarely like self-insert mlp stories, mostly because they tend to be a very mixed bag with me. But the summary and cover art caught my interest, so what the hell I'll give it a crack. Here's hoping it's interesting and well written.