Cutie Bloom

by Black Kyurem

Day 3: Out of Ponyville

~ Day 3 ~

"Blank flank forever!"

---

Morning soon came as the rooster crowed. Applejack yawned and hopped out of bed, ready to start another day of hard work. She decided to check on Apple Bloom first, so she knocked on the door to her little sister's room. There was no answer.

"Apple Bloom?" said Applejack. "Up and at 'em, little sis! We got chores to do." Again, there was no answer. "Huh. Is she still sleepin'?" She carefully opened the door, only to find that Apple Bloom was not even in her bed. "Apple Bloom?" Applejack was wide-eyed for a minute. "Maybe she got up early." She went downstairs to check with the rest of her family. Granny Smith was asleep and drooling at the table, holding a mug of coffee while Big Macintosh was getting ready to start his day. "Big Mac? Granny Smith? Have you seen Apple Bloom this morning?"

"Nope," answered Big Mac.

"Wha...what?" stuttered Granny Smith, as she woke up. "Eh... no, ah don't think ah've seen Apple Bloom this morning. Musta got up extra early." Applejack looked suspicious and decided to search the whole farm.

"Apple Bloom!" she called out. "Apple Bloom!" She searched from one acre of land to the next. "Apple Bloom!" With each acre she searched, she grew more worried. "Apple Bloom!" Within only a few minutes, she had searched half of the farm already. "Okay, Apple Bloom! This isn't funny! You come here right now before ya scare me!" But Apple Bloom did not turn up. "Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom?!" After searching the entire farmland, Applejack started to panic. "Oh, no. Where could she be?" Applejack came back into the house. "Ah can't find Apple Bloom! She's nowhere on the farm!" Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were surprised to hear this. "Big Mac, get a head start on those chores! Ah'm gonna search all over Ponyville!"

"Eeyup," agreed Big Mac. So Applejack started to search Ponyville for Apple Bloom. She started at Fluttershy's cottage and knocked on the door. Fluttershy answered without a word.

"Fluttershy, have you seen Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked.

"No," answered Fluttershy. "I'm sorry, I haven't." Applejack then went to Sugarcube Corner to ask Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie Pie, have you seen Apple Bloom?"

"Nope," said Pinkie, shaking her head. Applejack let out a sigh. She then went to the Carousel Boutique to ask Rarity.

"Rarity, please tell me you've seen Apple Bloom."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry," Rarity replied. "I'm afraid I haven't."

"What?" Sweetie Belle then came to the door. "You haven't seen Apple Bloom? Where is she?"

"Ah don't know," said Applejack. "That's what ah'm tryin' to find out! Doggone it!" She left in a huff and then found Rainbow Dash relaxing on a cloud. "Yo! Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow's eyes snapped open and she turned around to see Applejack staring up at her. "Have you seen Apple Bloom?"

"No," answered Rainbow. "Sorry." And finally, Applejack came to the library and knocked on the door. Twilight Sparkle answered, but was surprised to see Applejack looking quite frantic.

"Twi, have you seen Apple Bloom? Is she here? Please tell me you've seen her."

"I...I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't seen her," said Twilight.

"Oh, no! Ah've looked all over Ponyville and nopony's seen her. She's gone!"

"Apple Bloom's missing?!" said Twilight in surprise. "Quick, let's get the others and meet in the park." So the six friends along with Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo met up at the park to discuss the apparent situation on Applejack's hooves. Applejack was starting to get nerve-wracked.

"This is terrible, y'all!" she moaned. "Mah little sister's nowhere to be found! She could be anywhere! She musta snuck out while ah was sleepin'! She could be cold, hurt, and scared!"

"Applejack, calm down," said Rainbow. "We'll find her."

"Let's think about this first," suggested Twilight. "Applejack, when did you last see her?"

"Last night," said Applejack. "Ya see, yesterday she was so upset that a couple of fillies called her hurtful names and such, so I had Pinkie Pie here cheer her up."

"Oh yes, oh yes!" said Pinkie, bouncing up and down. "I remember! And it worked!"

"Ah'm afraid it wore off, Pinkie," said Applejack glumly, causing Pinkie to stop bouncing and fall flat on the ground during a mid-bounce. "Ya see, she was tellin' me she didn't wanna go the arts and crafts fair just because she heard that those rich fillies were goin' just to humiliate her. Ah told her she had to stand up for herself, that she just can't let them push her around, and ah also told her that she was makin' things worse for herself because she wouldn't stop bein' so cynical about herself..."

"Whoa, whoa, wait, slow down," said Twilight Sparkle. "Say that again?"

"Ah said... Apple Bloom was making things worse by bein'..."

"No, no, before that."

"Oh. Ah was sayin' that ah told her she had to stand up for herself, that she just can't let a couple of fillies push her around..." Twilight groaned and did a facehoof.

"Applejack, I know you probably didn't want to treat her like a foal, but that wasn't the smartest thing to say."

"Why do ya say that?"

"Because what if these fillies are bullies?"

"What does that got to do with anythin'? It's not like they're out to get Apple Bloom and it's certainly not like she's the only filly in Ponyville without a cutie mark."

"Applejack, dealing with bullies is very much different than just anypony who's just treating somepony else like a pushover. You see, it sounds to me like these fillies are picking on your sister especially because they know it hurts her on the inside. And if I know Apple Bloom, she's always been upset over not having a cutie mark. So yeah, I'd say those two fillies might be bullies. I think what you told Apple Bloom last night gave her the impression that nopony was about to help her with her personal problems."

"But ah've done all that ah could, and... Wait a second... Do you mean to tell me that you think... Apple Bloom ran away?!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gasped loudly.

"Oh, no!" cried Sweetie Belle. "Where could she have gone?"

"She couldn't have gotten far on her own," said Scootaloo.

"Unless she went into... the Everfree Forest!" shuddered Sweetie Belle.

"Noooooo!" cried Applejack. "Apple Bloom!" She instantly darted in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

"Wait up, Applejack!" called Twilight Sparkle.

"Don't you dare tell me to wait!" snapped Applejack. "Mah little sister's run away and ah'm gonna get her back no matter what it takes! Ya hear me?!"

"Applejack! Wait!" But Applejack was already at the forest and she rushed in without even thinking.

"Apple Bloom!" she called out desperately. "Apple Bloom! Where are ya?!" She stopped to look around and the other five caught up to her.

"Applejack, this is crazy!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Yes," agreed Rarity. "We don't even know if she's here or not."

"Ah don't care," said Applejack. "Mah sister needs me!" That's when they all heard rustling sounds and the howling of wolves.

"Oh no..." whimpered Fluttershy. "What's that sound?"

"Timberwolves," said Applejack. "Ah don't like this one bit. If they got to Apple Bloom first..." That's when a pair of Timberwolves jumped out of some nearby bushes, startling the six friends. Fluttershy and Rarity instantly took off running, but more Timberwolves intercepted them. Soon, they were all surrounded by a whole pack.

"We're trapped!" said Twilight.

"What do we do?" cried Rarity.

"Looks like we're gonna have do things the hard way," said Rainbow Dash, preparing to fight the Timberwolves even if the odds were against them. But just as the Timberwolves were closing in on their prey, a bright green apparition descended and struck the ground, causing green smoke to billow around the Timberwolves, scaring them off.

"What was that?" asked Fluttershy. That's when Zecora stepped out of the shadows, smiling warmly at the six friends. Evidently, she had created the green smoke to scare away the Timberwolves.

"Zecora!" exclaimed Twilight. "Are we glad to see you!"

"Timberwolves can cause quite a fright," said Zecora. "Be glad none of you were around here at night. But what brings you to the forest so dark and deep, full of intimidating things that creep?"

"We'll explain back at your place," answered Twilight. And so she filled her in on the details of Apple Bloom having disappeared from Ponyville at her hut. "I know if Apple Bloom really has run away that she probably wouldn't even bother to enter the forest," said Twilight to Zecora. "But would you mind searching the whole forest and see if she's anywhere?"

"Search the forest, I certainly will," complied Zecora. "And hope that little Apple Bloom is not ill."

"Thanks so much, Zecora. We'll be waiting back at Ponyville." Zecora searched the forest all afternoon, but found no trace of Apple Bloom anywhere. She even sniffed the ground.

"No scent to pick up, but I guess I need not fear, for little Apple Bloom was never here," she concluded. The afternoon turned into evening and Applejack was even more worried. And when Zecora showed up with no Apple Bloom, she felt sick to her stomach. "Sorry, my little ponies, but Apple Bloom was nowhere to be found, yet I believe she was never trespassing on the forest ground." Tears came to Applejack's eyes.

"So Apple Bloom never went into the forest?" said Twilight. "I guess that's... good."

"Good? Good?!" complained Applejack. "What's wrong with y'all?! Mah sister hasn't turned up all day! She could be anywhere in Equestria!"

"I know, Applejack," said Twilight. "But it's getting dark out and there's nothing more we can do. Apple Bloom didn't exactly leave any clues behind."

"Oh, Twi... What am ah gonna do? What if this is mah fault? If anythin' happens to Apple Bloom, ah'll never forgive mahself." Applejack shed a few tears, barely able to hold back sobs.

"It's not your fault, AJ," assured Twilight, putting her hoof around Applejack. "Apple Bloom's just had a lot of problems with her life and nopony really noticed. It's just one of those things that happens when fillies are growing up."

"Ah wish she told me sooner."

"I'm sure she wanted to," said Twilight. "But I think she was just too scared to say anything." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were miserable.

"Rarity, I'm scared," murmured Sweetie Belle. "What if this is the end of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Rarity pulled her little sister into a warm embrace as the filly let out tears from her eyes.

"Of course it's not!" said Scootaloo. "She'll be back, I know it! ...I hope..." But even Scootaloo started to come to tears.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was on board a train headed for Apple Loosa, where Applejack's cousin Braeburn lived. Apple Bloom had not gone through the Everfree Forest at all. She had gone around it by train and all the while she was missing, she had been on the train the whole time. At least ah have family at Apple Loosa, she thought. Ah hope cousin Braeburn can help. Back at Sweet Apple Acres, nighttime fell and poor Applejack had worried herself sick over her sister's disappearance. In fact, she was crying. Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were just as worried. Applejack's pet dog Winona kept nuzzling her owner, but she too was sad and she started whining.

"Our poor little apple filly," mourned Granny Smith. "She's too young to fly from the nest." Even Big Macintosh started to cry.

And manly tears were shed that day.

Author's Note:

The last sentence is obviously a nod to that Internet meme made in response to Big Macintosh shedding tears in the episode "The Last Roundup". So I just added it in for a bit of fun.

Comments

[TheMyth]

i.minus.com/i8ImoguacD0GX.gif

[The Portal Passer]

At first I thought this story was going to be about depression

[midnightwolfGX]

I don't blame Apple Bloom for running away. She needed help, but felt like no one wanted to help her. There are times when I've felt like the world was against me... and I'm sure Apple Bloom's going through the same thing. Let's hope she can find someone who can help her!

[Black Kyurem]

8523265
No one really helped her in the early series, though.