Apple Bloom's weeping stopped, and wiped her eyes on the corner of the pillowcase she was resting her head on. Two wet spots stained the spots where she had cried into the pillow. Apple Bloom sniffled and noticed that she was lying on a blanket, which she pulled out from under herself and got under. It was, thankfully, extremely warm, which did help calm the tightness in her chest.

"Ah wanna go home," she whimpered. "Ah'm sorry fer bein' angry at them. Ah don't wanna hurt nopony."

The curtain opened and Apple Bloom looked up to see a new doctor walk in, levitating a clipboard, folding chair, and pen. He gave her a single nod and put the chair down on the ground before sitting on it. "Good afternoon, Ms. Bloom. I'm the hospital psychologist. I'll be evaluating you to see if it is necessary to take you to a mental health facility."

"Okay," Apple Bloom whispered.

"Okay." The psychologist looked down at the clipboard and clicked his pen. "Now, I understand that you had some homicidal ideations about two of your classmates who were verbally abusive. Can you tell me about those?"

Apple Bloom flattened her ears and looked down at the bed. "Well, Ah get real mad about how they make fun of me fer not havin' mah cutie mark and stuff like that. They do it every day, and no matter what mah teacher does to them they keep goin'! They even do it when we're not in school. Ah guess..." Apple Bloom took a deep breath and poked at a loose threat in the blanket. "Ah just didn't know what ta do 'bout it. Nothin' seemed ta really work, ya know? They just wouldn't leave me alone, and so Ah guess Ah thought about how Ah could make them leave me alone."

"By hurting or killing them?"

"Ah guess," Apple Bloom muttered. "Ah don't wanna hurt anypony, not even them, but Ah was scared that Ah might. The last thought Ah had was today, and it made me cry. Ah... Ah'm real scared of the thoughts."

"Hmm..." The psychologist jotted a few things down on his notebook before looking back up at Apple Bloom. "Scared of the thoughts in general, or scared that you might act of them?"

"Both, Ah guess." Apple Bloom sniffled and wiped her eyes as the tears started coming back. "Ah feel like a psychopath. Been treated like one too, Ah feel."

"Well we don't think you're a psychopath, Apple Bloom, this is merely to make sure that you get the help you need to not act on those thoughts or feelings, okay?" The psychologist finished writing down a few more notes before clicking his pen and sliding it onto the clipboard. "Okay, just let us know if you need anything. We'll be coming in periodically to talk to you about what happens next."

"Uh..." The psychologist looked up at Apple Bloom, who was reaching out to him. "Do ya think Ah'm gonna be put in a mental hospital? Ah don't really wanna. Ah'd rather go home with mah family."

The doctor grimaced and sighed, running a hoof through his mane as he did. "Well, I won't sugar coat it, Apple Bloom. Based on the nature of what you said, I'd say that it's almost definite that we will transport you to a mental health facility. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to happen."

With that, the doctor left the room, shutting the curtain behind him. Apple Bloom whimpered and leaned her head back on her pillow, the tight feeling in her chest increasing. With nothing else to do, she could only lie there and stare at the wall.

And so time passed, each second that ticked by felt like an eternity, and Apple Bloom felt herself wishing that she could just fall asleep to pass the time, but the events of the day kept her eyes open, and anything resembling sleep eluded her.

And time ticked by.

There was no clock to indicate how much time had gone by, and Apple Bloom suspected that if she had a timepiece of some sort, they would have taken that too. She could only lie there. Alone. Maybe she had been waiting for hours, maybe mere minutes.

After a while, Apple Bloom heard the curtain open and she raised her head to see the doctor who had taken her bow walk into her room. "Your brother and sister have arrived, Apple Bloom." He smiled at her. "They want to see you. Should I send them in?"

"Uh..." Apple Bloom looked down at the floor and flattened her ears. "Ah dunno. Ah wanna see them, but Ah don't really want them ta see me like this."

"Apple Bloom..." The doctor put a hoof on her shoulder. "They're your family. They stick with you through everything. They won't care if you're down right now; they'll want to support you through everything. If you don't want to see them right now, you don't have to, but I think it would be good for you to have their support."

Apple Bloom took a deep breath and slowly nodded, looking back up at the doctor. "Okay. Ah do wanna see 'em, Ah just didn't want 'em ta see me like this."

The doctor nodded in response. "Yes, I understand that, but they want to see you. Should I send them in?"

"Yeah." Apple Bloom pushed herself up to a sitting position and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. "Yeah, Ah wanna see 'em."

"Very well." The doctor walked back to the curtain and poked his head out of the room, saying something that Apple Bloom couldn't hear. After a few seconds, he moved aside just in time to avoid Applejack, who bolted into the room and immediately scooped Apple Bloom up and held her tight.

"Apple Bloom, yer okay!" Applejack nuzzled her sister just as Big Mac walked in, a blank expression on his face. "Yer gonna be fine, Apple Bloom, ya hear? We're gonna try ta take you home as soon as possible, okay? Yer not a bad pony."

"But Ah had thoughts of killin' Diamond Tiara 'n Silver Spoon, Applejack." Apple Bloom leaned her head into her sister's chest and closed her eyes. "Ah don't wanna hurt 'em, but Ah had bad thoughts about it."

"Ah know, Apple Bloom, but it's okay. We're gonna get ya outta here then we'll see about havin' you talk to a pony who actually knows how ta handle situations like this. Somepony who ain't gonna treat you like yer some criminal who's gotta be locked up."

"But they told Diamond Tiara 'n Silver Spoon 'bout what Ah said! They're gonna be worse than ever now!"

"Nnope." Apple Bloom opened her eyes and looked up at Big Mac who was shaking his head. "School talked ta them. They're lookin' inta everythin'."

"Besides, we had a talk with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon before we came over." Applejack gave Apple Bloom a comforting smile. "Diamond Tiara didn't say nothin', but Ah could tell she was upset, and not 'cause of you personally. Silver Spoon couldn't believe her ears. Said that she knows you would never hurt her. She was really upset that this happened to you because of her. She looked like she was 'bout ta cry when we left."

"Oh," Apple Bloom muttered, shutting her eyes again. "Okay, Ah guess."

"So ya see, it's all gonna be fine. The school's gonna really look inta what they've been doin'." Applejack began stroking Apple Bloom's mane, but paused when she got to the part where Apple Bloom's bow normally resided. She frowned and focused her attention on the spot. "Uh... AB? Where's yer bow? Didja lose it or somethin'?"

Apple Bloom shook her head and reflexively touched the spot where her bow usually was. "No. They took it from me when they brought me here. They said Ah could hurt somepony or mahself if Ah have it."

Apple Bloom felt herself being dropped back down on the bed, and opened her eyes to see Applejack wheel on the doctor, her face red and her eyes glaring. "A bow?! Y'all think that she's just gonna up and murder somepony with a mane bow?!"

The doctor took a half step back and flattened his ears. "Er... well, it's precautionary only. We do it for everypony who goes through this kind of thing. We wouldn't do it if we didn't feel that it was necessary."

"That bow was our ma's!" Applejack screeched, slamming a hoof on the floor. "Ain't it bad enough that yer treatin' her like some psychopath?! You gotta take away the thing that means the most to her?!"

"Look, once this is over she can have it back! We aren't damaging it." The doctor pointed back to the main hallway outside of Apple Bloom's room. "We have it in a magically protected safe! It's going to be returned to her no worse for wear."

"Yeah, right now, as a matter of fact." Applejack's eyes narrowed, and she moved so close to the doctor she was shout-to-snout with him. "Y'all are gonna let us take her home with us. You ain't got no right ta be doin' this to her! She's ten fer Celestia's sake!"

"Ms. Applejack, this is precautionary measure only. At worst she'll spend two and a half days or so at an institution where they will monitor her and then release her to your care. She'll likely have to see a psychologist at any rate, but we do not think she's some psychopath or criminal!"

"No, you just treat her like one." Applejack wheeled around and moved back over to Apple Bloom to put a hoof on her back. "Y'all are gonna let us take her home. We'll get her ta talk to some ponies about how she's feelin', but y'all ain't gonna lock her up in some nuthouse."

"Ms. Applejack, it isn't a nuthouse. It's a mental observation facility. It's two or three days of mental evaluation, after which she goes home if the doctors feel that she is safe to do so." The doctor sighed and looked down at Apple Bloom with a grimace. "I know that this is difficult for all of you. I've seen enough of these to know that this hurts everypony, but if Apple Bloom ever did hurt her classmates and we could have stopped it here..." His gaze flicked up to Applejack. "Would you take that risk? Would you take a gamble like that?"

Applejack's jaw tightened but she didn't immediately respond. She took a deep breath and put her forelegs around Apple Bloom's shoulders. "Ah've known Apple Bloom every second of her life. Ah know what kind of filly she is, even if yer too blind to see it. She ain't a bad pony. She hasn't even so much as squished a fly, and y'all think she would just murder two of her classmates?" Applejack scoffed and shook her head. "No. That ain't how it works."

"I understand your position, but legally you cannot take her out of here until we give the okay." The doctor sighed and shook his head. "And all indications from everypony that I've talked to is that she will be transported to a mental health facility. I'm sorry, but we can't ignore what she said."

"Oh, and y'all think that we'd ignore it if ya let her go?!" Applejack scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Y'all don't think very much of us if'n you think we'd just ignore this and not get her any help at all."

"Unfortunately it's not up to either of us whether she is transported, it's up to the hospital's psychological staff." The doctor shook his head. "And their consensus seems to be that she is to be taken to the facility. I'll let you know if that changes at all, or when she will be transported."

With that, the doctor walked out of the room, pulling the curtain closed behind him. Apple Bloom whimpered, and Applejack wrapped her back up in a tight hug. "Yer gonna be fine, Apple Bloom. Yer not a bad filly, and even if they do take you, they're gonna see that real fast and let you come home."

"But Ah don't wanna go, Applejack." A pair of tears streaked down Apple Bloom's face, and she leaned her head into her sister's chest. "Ah don't wanna go to some place where they're gonna treat me like Ah'm crazy. Ah wanna go home with you. Ah don't wanna ever see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon again! Ah wanna see Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo! Ah w-wanna..." A single sob escaped Apple Bloom's throat, and she felt Big Mac put a hoof on her back. "Ah wanna go home!"

"Ah know, Apple Bloom, Ah know," Applejack cooed. "We want you to come home too, but you need to be very brave, okay? This'll all be over soon, alright?"

"Okay," Apple Bloom whispered.

"Good. Now you just try to get some rest, Apple Bloom. Big Mac and Ah will be right here ta watch over you. We're gonna do our best to make sure that don't halfta go anywhere, okay?" Apple Bloom nodded, and Applejack gently laid her down on the bed. She put the blanket on top of her and tucked her in before giving her a kiss on the forehead and a comforting smile. "You comfortable, Apple Bloom? You need another blanket?"

Apple Bloom shut her eyes halfway and shook her head. "No, Ah think Ah'm okay Ah just wanna get some sleep."

"Well you do that, Apple Bloom." Applejack began gently stroking Apple Bloom's mane. "Big Mac and Ah will be right here when you wake up, okay? We'll take care of everythin'."

* * * *

Apple Bloom woke up some time later to the smell of a hayburger wafting through her room. She opened her eyes fully and raised her head to see a tray next to her bed with a hayburger and fries on it. She smiled and got into a sitting position, which alerted her siblings that she was awake. Applejack smiled at her and motioned to the food. "That's fer you, AB. They came by to ask 'bout dinner and we got that for ya. Figured you wouldn't mind."

Apple Bloom needed no further prompting. Having not eaten for a while, she grabbed the hayburger off of the paper plate and tore a large chunk off of it, which she needed a full minute to chew and swallow. Applejack stood up from where she was laying and walked over to her sister, who had already finished half of the hayburger.

"Didja sleep well, Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom nodded and finished her bite of burger. "Yeah, since you were here watchin' me Ah had an easier time of fallin' asleep." Apple Bloom ate the rest of her burger and pulled the plate of fries closer. "How long was Ah asleep?"

"'Bout five hours, Ah'd say," Applejack said. "No docs have been in yet ta talk to us, so we've just been' waitin'."

"Waitin' and doin' what?" Apple Bloom picked up a hoofful of fries and tilted her head. "Just waitin'?"

"Some talkin', and we got dinner too," Big Mac said, "but mostly just watchin' over you."

"Okay." Apple Bloom finished up her fries and drained the small cup of apple juice she had been given. Now full, she pushed the tray away and leaned back down on the bed. "Ah just wish they would hurry up, ya know? That's the worst part: all this waitin'. They can't just decide right now what they're gonna do?"

"Well, we've just gotta be patient, Apple Bloom. They're busy at this hospital, Ah guess." Applejack began gently rubbing Apple Bloom's back and nuzzled the top of her head. "They'll figure everythin' out, and then we'll see what to do from there."

Apple Bloom nodded, and snuggled up underneath the blanket again to wait.

All she could do was wait and hope that everything would be okay, that the ponies running the hospital would be merciful, and see that she wasn't such a bad filly after all.

It was four more hours before the curtains opened again and the doctor walked in. All three Apples sat up as the doctor levitated a clipboard in front of him. "Okay, so it's been decided that we will take her to the mental health facility. We have a wagon coming from Celestial Peaks to take her, so when it gets here we'll be transporting her. It just went to transport another patient, so it'll be a few more hours, I think. Should be here around one or two in the morning." The doctor extended the clipboard. "I need one of you two to sign this. The hospital sent over some papers for her admittance. You can't come in the wagon with her, so you'll need to sign these now."

Applejack's expression hardened into a glare, and she stood up off of the floor. "Y'all mean ta say that not only are ya comin' in here ta tell us that mah innocent sister is gonna get taken away from us, but you have the gall ta offer us the papers commitin' her?! We gotta send her away ourselves?!"

"Ms. Applejack, please don't make this harder than it has to be for anypony." The doctor flipped the clipboard over until the papers were facing Applejack. "If you refuse to sign them then we will fill them out to the best of our ability. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that she will be committed regardless of your wishes."

"So mah sister basically got arrested because she asked fer help, is that it?" Applejack growled.

"No, Ms. Applejack, you misunderstand the situation. She's not been arrested. This will not go on any kind of criminal record."

Applejack scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "Hoofcuffs, restraining orders, police wagons, and she can't get out of it? Y'all are tellin' me that that's not bein' arrested? If it isn't then Ah don't know what is."

"She's not going to jail, Ms. Applejack." The doctor put the clipboard on the foot of Apple Bloom's bed. "Please, we just want what's best for Apple Bloom."

Applejack's jaw dropped, and she let out an incredulous scoff. "What's best fer Apple Bloom? You want what's best fer Apple Bloom? Doc, Ah pride mahself on being honest, it's how Ah was raised, and that's the..." Applejack groaned and began blinking rapidly, shifting uncomfortably where she stood. "That's the, well, if you'll excuse mah language, that's the biggest fuckin' lie Ah've ever heard! Y'all don't care at all 'bout her! Y'all are just concerned with yer fuckin' liability, or whatever! Y'all don't care 'bout any of us!"

The doctor's mouth flattened into a grimace, but he still pushed the clipboard closer to Applejack. "Ms. Applejack, this will all be easier for Apple Bloom if you sign these papers. She will be transported regardless, but these papers will help us take care of her better. You may not think that we care about Apple Bloom, but I know that you do, and things will get uglier if these papers are not signed."

Applejack's glare did not fade, and she stared the doctor down while Apple Bloom alternated looks between the two of them. It was a solid minute before Applejack took a deep breath and pulled the clipboard over to her. "If Ah find out that she's been mistreated in any way, Ah'll bring down wrath on y'all like you've never even imagined."

Applejack took the pen in her mouth and scribbled her signature on a few of the pages. When she was finished, she spit the pen back out and it bounced off of the clipboard and onto the floor. The doctor ignited his horn and picked up both the pen and clipboard, tilting his head at Applejack. "Thank you."

"Fuck off," Applejack growled.

The doctor quietly sighed, but didn't respond. He merely turned around and walked out of the room, shutting the curtain behind him. Applejack took a deep breath and turned back to Apple Bloom, and for the first time, Apple Bloom could see tears brimming in her sister's eyes. Applejack walked over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Ah... Ah'm sorry, Apple Bloom. Ah'm sorry."

Author's Note

In the interests of good taste and respect of privacy, all of the names and personal stories of the people represented will be changed. I'm not a jerk like that.

Although, one but of information that I don't think I made completely clear (which is all on me) this happened to me when I was 21 and in college. Recently.