Apple Bloom Reborn
Apple Bloom woke up the next day to Applejack yelling up the stairs.
“Wake up and come on down sugar cube, breakfast’s on the table, and it’s getting cold.”
“I’m on my way sis.” Said Apple Bloom. She felt strange, something was off. She put her bow in her hair and went to meet her sister.
“Good morning. Did I die last night?” She asked.
“Yep. Isaac Appleton fell on you. Crushed flat in an instant. Nothing to be done about it.”
“I thought so, last thing I remember is us planning to go camping. How long’s it been from my last back-up?”
“A full week, and it’s been busy.”
“What’s been going on?”
“We went on that trip, we led away a parasprite swarm, we scared off some Timberwolves, and you got your cutie mark.”
“What.”
“You got your cutie mark. We were talking and it showed right up on your flank, same as mine.”
“What was it?”
“Ain’t telling.”
“wat.”
“You brought down Isaac Appleton, you’re getting some trouble for that. Missing a week of summer vacation, helping Twilight with some of her science stuff in the afternoon, and not knowing your cutie mark are punishment enough to me.”
“I don’t even remember doing it!”
“Not important.”
“Aw, please?”
“Not telling.”
“Why not?”
“You weren’t supposed to be out there, and I was up late enough dealing with the mess I had to sleep in today. I ain’t telling. Now, finish your cornbread. You’ve still got your regular chores before heading over to Twilight’s.” Said Applejack.
Apple Bloom ate in silence. She tended to get in trouble every time she died, though it never seemed fair to her. Applejack wanted her to learn to be responsible. Apparently she died more than anyone else in town, even Scootaloo.
“Before you try anything, you didn’t get it for sneaking out, so don’t try it.”
“Dang.”
Apple Bloom arrived at Twilight’s that afternoon uncertain as to what she was going to be doing. At least it probably wouldn’t be cleaning, Twilight and Spike handled that themselves. Mostly Spike. Twilight didn’t have hands. Twilight welcomed her inside and led her down to the basement. It looked the same as Applejack had seen last night, or Apple Bloom had seen the last time she was scanned.
“I was hoping to get your help mixing these.” Said Twilight.
There was a table full of reagents next to a cauldron, and Twilight had already changed into a labcoat.
“It’s pretty straightforward, we’re just mixing up a new batch of renaissance swallow.”
“I didn’t know we could make this here. I thought it came down from Canterlot.”
“My lab is world class, Apple Bloom. If something can be made, it can be made here. Since the renaissance system is still a local thing no one else makes it yet. Celestia is having a factory built, though. For now, she wants me to teach some other people how to make it, and since you need it more than anyone else, I thought you should be one of the earlier ones to do it.”
“Can we add sugar to it? It always tastes like sour milk.”
“No can do, sugar speeds up the absorption and it travels through your blood too fast. Instead of scanning your brain after you swallow it, I’d end up scanning your bladder.”
“Fine, show me how you do it then.”
Twilight showed her what the liquid was meant to look like, a faint pink between the complete colorless clarity it had now and the dark purple it reached if the liquid overshot, then showed her how to perform a titration. A buret dripped one liquid into a flask filled with another, the flow controlled by the turning of a stopcock. Even a little bit too much could lead to the whole thing becoming unusable. Twilight was good at them, but even she messed up half of them. They were working with one litre at a time so that any one mistake wouldn’t ruin an entire batch of titrand, a rule Spike had insisted on after Twilight had a moderate mental break down when a loose drop fell into a 100 litre vat. That it meant she had to do more titrating had not dissuaded him.
Apple Bloom took to titrating as if she had been waiting to do it her whole life. She couldn't have taken to it faster if she were making apple cider instead of renaissance swallow. Twilight began the afternoon expecting to be watching over her shoulder to make sure she did everything right, but they finished an hour sooner than she had expected, and Appebloom hadn’t overshot a single one. Every single titration was done perfectly.
“Very good job.” Said Twilight.
“Thanks. It’s like mixing potions. I do that with Zecora sometimes. More precise though.”
“Should we drink a batch?” Asked Twilight after they had finished. “I try to back up every day.”
“I backed up yesterday, and it involves staying in that metal tube for half an hour. I’ll pass.”
“You actually haven’t backed up in a week.”
“I’ve only got a day’s change.”
“I guess you haven’t changed much. Do you think you could back me up though? Celestia thinks I shouldn’t be the only one able to back ponies up.”
“How do you get backed up, then?”
“Spike, but I have to tell him what to do every time. Sometimes we have to do it more than once. He can never remember what all the settings do.”
“Could you show me what to do?”
“Sure; like this.” Twilight led her to the computer and walked her through the steps, explaining each one. She changed up the programs every time she improved her scanning methods, which was why Spike had long since given up on learning them. Apple Bloom followed along, then watched as Twilight drank a dose of renaissance swallow, winced at the taste, and laid down in the scan tube.
“Running it.” She said, switching on the device. As it ran she stared at the screen, trying to think of a way to make it faster so she could sweeten the swallow. She didn’t know enough about the scanning technology to do it, but it struck her as a puzzle. Something to be picked away at. She wanted to make it work.
When Twilight came out, fully scanned, she asked her before leaving.
“Twilight, I know this was supposed to be punishment and all, but could I come over again tomorrow? I’d like it if you told me how the scanner works more. I know you don’t need more swallow, but if I get a chance I’d like to make that again too.”
“Of course, Apple Bloom. I’d love to teach you about the scanner. Want to come over tomorrow afternoon?”
“Is that an Apple afternoon or a Canterlot afternoon?”
“Want to come over at 3 PM tomorrow?”
“I’d like that. See you then.”
“Goodbye.”
The two parted ways.
Twilight spent the rest of the afternoon looking through her library, looking up everything she could find about cutie marks.
Apple Bloom tracked down the other two crusaders. While they were quieter when she was absent, Sweetie Belle being able to countervote Scootaloo’s more actively suicidal ideas when Apple Bloom wasn’t around to tilt the scales, they made everyone else much louder, since Scootaloo would head away from town when Apple Bloom was present while Sweetie Belle was perfectly content keeping their antics inside of city limits.
She found them standing on top of a lamp post, surrounded by a herd of rabbits kept at bay by Scootaloo’s swinging of a rake. Both were soaked to the bone with carrot juice and Sweetie Belle seemed to be cooing compulsively. The ponies milling about the street around them were giving them a wide berth, but otherwise ignoring them. Apple Bloom found Scootaloo’s scooter, stuck to the outer wall of a woodworker’s shop, and tossed it over. Scootaloo caught it, took one last swing at the rabbits, then, Sweetie Belle stuffed in the crook of one leg, dove past them, landed on her scooter, grabbed Apple Bloom, and began scooting away at top speed. The rabbits gave chase, but with her on wheels they never gained.
After leading the rabbits back to Fluttershy’s cottage, where they received a withering lecture about how mistakes when someone is trying a new language should be forgiven that shamed them into leaving Sweetie Belle alone, the two sides swapped storied about their day so far.
“Sweetie wanted to try talking to rabbits, Fluttershy taught us a few words and we managed a bit of conversation with Angel, we found some rabbits after we left the cottage and said something that got them really mad, then she decided to try a translation spell she thought she remembered but ended up with pigeon-”
“Coo.” Said Sweetie Belle, sadly.
“And then they started chasing us, we crashed-”
“Coo!”
“I crashed, and we got stuck up a lamp post trying to stay away from them. They kick pretty hard. That’s when you showed up.”
“Where’d the rake come from?”
“Cranky Doodle offered me some bits to do a bit of raking, I was carrying it when we went to Fluttershy’s and I just never put it down. What’ve you been doing?”
“I died last night, so Applejack had me go to Twilight’s to do some work for her. I was mixing renaissance swallow.”
“That sounds pretty boring.”
“It wasn’t so bad. I actually liked it a lot. It was like making potions. You won’t believe what happened to me before I died.”
“Coo?”
“I got my cutie mark!” Yelled Apple Bloom. Both of the other girls immediately stared at her flank.
“Uh, is it a mark in invisibility?”
“I don’t have it now, I know, but I got it. I’m running on a backup from a week ago, and this me doesn’t have it yet. But that means I’m gonna get it soon!”
“Do you know what it is?”
“No, that’s the hard part. Applejack says I knocked down Isaac Appleton when I died so she’s punishing me by not telling me.”
“I didn’t expect her to be able to keep a secret that well.”
“She can keep stuff back if she needs to. Remember the Sisterhooves social?”
“Coo.”
“But I have an idea, if we just do the same stuff we did yesterday I should get it again, right?”
“You didn’t get it with us.”
“But if we do the same stuff I’ll go home and do the same stuff there and get it again. What were we doing around now yesterday?”
“Running away from that big monster we saw in the Everfree.” Said Scootaloo.
“We’ve done that tons of times, it must’ve been something else.”
“We went to Zecora’s and made a potion to let us clear clouds. I’ve still got mine.”
“Coo.” Said Sweetie Belle, nodding in agreement.
“We’ve made potions before, but we’ve never made that one before. Let’s go and ask her what she knows about cutie marks. We can get Sweetie Belle cured too.”
“Coo!“
Off they went, speculating about what Apple Bloom’s mark had been, hoping whatever had happened would work on the other two this time, and learning a few words of pigeon. They arrived at Zecora’s hut much cleaner than the day before and rapped on the door, knock, knock, knock.
“Once again a visit from you three, what brings you back to see me?”
“Hi Zecora. Yesterday I got my cutie mark, but then I got crushed by a tree and died. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said we came here yesterday and made a potion. Can I try making something again so I can get my cutie mark again? Sweetie Belle’s stuck speaking pigeon.” Said Apple Bloom. Zecora paused for a moment before responding.
“Strange times when ponies speak of dying so casually, but better to have you here than under a tree. You’d best come in so we can begin.”
She got the full story of the day’s events from Scootaloo and suggested they try casting a counter spell from the book instead, but agreed that brewing a potion was worth a shot as a method of getting Apple Bloom her cutie mark again. Sweetie Belle might’ve been annoyed they weren't going to try to cure her, but nopony could tell for sure. Instead of an antidote to the pigeon curse they decided to try a salticidae potion, which was a fancy name for a potion that let you jump as high as tree tops and fall back to the ground without breaking anything. Scootaloo had leapt on it the moment it was mentioned.
Ingredients were chopped, water boiled, fire burned and cauldron bubbled. Apple Bloom wiped the sweat from her brow with her hoof and looked around the hut. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had carried themselves with strength through much of the afternoon, but both had eventually left. Sweetie Belle had grown sick of having to act out every question she had to Zecora, and a Scootaloo had left to accompany her back to Golden Oaks. Out the windows the sun was setting and shadows had risen from the base of each towering tree, like pools of ink expanding over the grass and leaf litter lying on the ground. It would be dark soon, but inside the fire’s flickering light cut made the shadow’s dance. The masks on the wall were smiling at her, comfort carved into wood. Across the cauldron Zecora smiled at her and took a deep breath.
“Unless my nose deceives me, I believe the brew is ready.”
Apple Bloom had been able to smell every change in the potion up to that point. This was the first time Zecora had pointed it out to her. It was the last change. She hadn’t pointed it out because she knew what needed to be done next wasn’t more brewing but bottling. The day was over, and she had to lay down her ladle. She didn’t want to.
“We must bottle them up, each dose is one cup.”
They bottled. Neither expected Apple Bloom would be able to carry that many home, so she took only as many as she could carry, which was ten. After the bottling was over the night had truly come. Luna’s moon not withstanding, without a lantern she could see no further walking through the shadows than if she had been walking through fog.
“Will I walk you back? The night is black.”
“Thank you.”
They were just out of the hut and into the woods when Zecora asked Apple Bloom how she had found the day.
“It was good. I liked doing it.”
“I thought you might. Your face always showed delight.”
“I mean, I really liked it. Before I came here I was making renaissance swallow with Twilight. I was really good at it, and I wanted to keep doing it then. That’s a type of potion too, or at least a type of brewing. I know I didn’t get my cutie mark doing it, but I’d really like to just keep doing it anyway.” Said Apple Bloom.
“Are you sure you did not? Certainly something has appeared on that spot.” Apple Bloom looked at her flank and saw her coat was no longer a smooth yellow but a flask filled with a bubbling, bright red liquid.
“I got it! I got my cutie mark!” Shouted Apple Bloom. She began bouncing around the forest path on the tips of her hooves.
“I would not go too close to the trees, they can fall at the slightest breeze.” Said Zecora. Apple Bloom stopped bouncing and began vibrating in place instead.
“I’m just so happy! I can keep making potions! I can make new ones, better ones! Even my mark knows I’m good at it!”
“Let’s get you home to show Applejack your new flask. Otherwise I’m sure she’ll take me to task.”
The two arrived at the door of the farm house. Zecora raised a hoof to knock and Apple Bloom burst through like a tornado.
“I got my mark! Granny, Sis, Big Mac! I got my mark!”
“Granny Smith’s asleep and Big Mac is out with Spike. What’s all the hollerin’?” Asked Applejack
“Sis! I got my cutie mark!”
“Congratulations! What tipped you off this time?” Asked Applejack.
“Look! I was making potions with Zecora and it showed up! It’s in potion making!”
“What?”
“I spent the morning making renaissance swallow with Twilight and I liked it, so I went to Zecora’s with the crusaders and made potions and when I was leaving I saw I got my mark!”
“wat.”
“I stopped her kicking a tree. She can’t have learned from last time if she was crushed by debris.” Said Zecora.
“Can we go back me up tomorrow? And have a Cuteceneara soon? And I need to tell Scootaloo and Swetie Belle, and I want to tell Twilight since she helped me get it-” Apple bloom was rambling on while Applejack stood like a piece of furniture. Eventually she snapped out of it.
“Sugarcube all of those are great ideas, but they’re ideas for tomorrow. Right now you need to get to bed. Zecora, do you want to stay the night?”
“I would rather go. I sleep late and you wake at cockcrow.”
“Alright, thank you for looking after her for the day. Goodbye.” Zecora left and Applejack led her sister to bed, putting her down to sleep.
As soon as she was sure Apple Bloom was asleep Applejack moved through the dark house silently. She took a flashlight from a drawer in the kitchen and crept out the front door. She locked it, a rarity for her. She stole away into the night, heading for town.
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heh, that is a good line
really makes you think why Apple Bloom didn’t get a cutie mark related to potions like she clearly was supposed to
aww, fun to think of the rabbits as speaking a distinct language that Fluttershy learned instead of it just being a vague magic thing
that does sound like it would lead to Apple Bloom knocking down Isaac Appleton again
good Zecora rhyming!
yay Rarity’s in this!