What Dreams May Take Shape

The next day, Friday, was a rainy school day for little Apple Bloom. Angry gray clouds brought with them surprisingly calm droplets of water that softly pattered on the window sill of the little classroom where Miss Cheerilee taught her students. It was recess, and since the rain was pouring down outside the schoolhouse, the fillies and colts were having their playtime indoors.

Apple Bloom was busy at her desk, pencil in mouth, as she sketched in her little green notebook. Artistry had always been a hobby of hers, but never one she excelled at. During the CMC’s unintentionally dreadful (and hilarious) act at the talent show, Apple Bloom had shirked off artistic responsibilities for her friend Sweetie Belle, whom she knew had a flair for the dramatic, much like her older sister, Rarity.

In truth, it had always been Apple Bloom’s deepest desire to be talented in the ways of the brush and pencil. But she could never find a way to truly express the things she felt inside. But artistry was still her passion, and so, despite her shortcomings, she kept her pencil and her hopes held high. By the end of recess, there was a sketch of the hillside out the window in the middle of the drowsy downpour, obviously sketched by an amateur, with few honest suggestions of deeper talent.

Apple Bloom sighed dejectedly. She knew her art was rubbish. She doubted it would ever change much, even if she tried her hardest. Some ponies were just born with the ability to create beautiful illusions, and some ponies just couldn’t.

Despite this knowledge, Applebloom didn’t give up, because creating art that satisfied her need to leave her mark on the world, no matter how small that mark might be, was more important to her than being talented in it. The bell to signify that recess was over rang out , and the students scurried back to their desks. Apple Bloom quickly placed her notebook back into her bag, hoping that no one would notice what she was trying to make. Miss Cheerilee called the class back to order, making her way back up to the front of the blackboard.

After class, the rain had finally stopped, but the clouds had yet to go away. Drops of water dripped from the roof of the schoolhouse, and pools of water formed on the muddy trail that led down the hill. Apple Bloom was walking ahead of most of the group, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon a little ways behind. As usual, they were spouting their usual snooty banter. Apple Bloom was so busy trying to shut it out, she didn’t notice the slick mud puddle under her hoof.

As soon as her hoof hit the brown puddle, Apple Bloom slipped, tumbling over hard, her book bag falling off of her back and into a nearby puddle. Before she had time to recover, Apple Bloom saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walk over to the puddle, Diamond Tiara snickering as she lifted Apple Bloom’s flipped-open sketchbook, lying face-up in the puddle.

“Well, what have we here?” She said in a sinister voice, flipping through the pages as Silver Spoon looked on, their giggles get progressively more drawn out as they went from drawing to drawing.

“Stop it! Don’ lookit those!” Apple Bloom said, struggling to pull herself up from the mud. But it was already much too late. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were yucking it up now, laughing at a ridiculously proportioned portrait of Granny Smith.

Apple Bloom’s face was covered with mud and tears as she pulled herself up and galloped over to the two bullies, who responded with “Looks like someone isn’t getting her cutie mark in art, is she?”. Diamond Tiara tossed the notebook back into the puddle, floating face up with the rest of Apple Bloom’s school supplies.

Apple Bloom continued sobbing as she looked on at her waterlogged notebook, the sketches inside ruined forever. Her face was dirty and messy, streaked with brown. She began the task of pulling her school supplies from out of the puddle, throwing them back into her ruined book bag and slinging it onto her back, soaking herself in the process. Not that she cared anymore. Sure, her art was not the best, but it was hers. She put her heart and soul into what she made, even if it didn’t look the way it did in her mind.

Apple Bloom plodded slowly the rest of the way home, dirty, downtrodden, and defeated. The only sound was the occasional whimper that escaped from between her lips as she continued to sob, even long after she had run out of tears. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s behavior had been atrocious, sure, but what if they were right? What if her art really was so bad that no one would ever care about it? What good was leaving your mark if no one would ever care to see it?

Ah jus’ don’t know... Apple Bloom thought to herself as she passed through the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, head hung too low to even notice that, out in the Southern Field, where there had once been a clear plot of circular land, now stood an almost fully-grown apple tree, with absolutely no leaves in its branches.

The next day, Saturday, was work-day for the Apple Family. Today was work in the Northern fields. Every member was contributing more than their fair share, and progress was going smoothly. Despite that, it didn’t take long for Applejack to notice that her little sister was still down from last night, when she’d refused to speak to anypony. She had simply eaten her meal in silence, not looking up to any of the members of the family. If anypony tried to ask her about it, she simply replied “Ah can’t talk about it yet. Please, jus’ gimme some time.” She’d gone to bed right after that, and had gotten up along with everypony else as usual to do the chores.

Applejack looked at her little sister, returning from placing a basket of apples by the cart. She figured now was as good a time as any to try and talk with her about it again.

“Hey there, AB. Still feeling a lil’ down in the dumps, huh?” Applejack asked, trying to keep her tone light.

“Yeah...” her little sister responded, her head aimed at the ground.

“Ya ready to talk about it some, sugarcube?”

Apple Bloom paused for a second, searching for the right words to say.

“Sis... have ya ever felt like jus’ ‘cause there was somethin’ that you really wanted to do, dudn’t mean that you were meant ta do it?”

“Is this about yer cutie mark again?”

“No, not this time...”

AJ was surprised, but, at the same time, more than slightly relieved that Apple Bloom’s problem didn’t have anything to do with that dadgum cutie mark for once.

“So whaddya mean? Make some sense, pumpkin.”

“I jus’ feel like what I love ain’t worth loving, ‘cause when I do it, nopony else appreciates it.”

Applejack smiled at her sister. “Ah know that feelin’, lil’ sis. Shoot, that’s why ah went to Aunt and Uncle Orange’s so long ago, ‘cause I wanted to make somethin’ of mahself. Ah didn’ wanna jus’ live an’ that be it. Ah wanted to be able to do somethin’ that’d make a difference. Ah wanted to be a pony that’d change things.”

“So what happened?” Apple Bloom asked, surprised that her big sister had felt the same way she had.

“When ah realized how homesick ah was, ah had plenty ah time to think about other thing on my way home. One’a those things was what it meant to love somethin’. If you love somethin’, you jus’ do it, and you do it because ya’ love it, not ‘cause it’ll impress somepony else. And, everything ya do does make a difference, whether ya know it or not. And, maybe it won’t make that big of a difference. But maybe it don’t need to. Maybe it just needs to be somethin’ you want, granted it can’t go hurtin’ anypony else. But, as long as it ain’t, maybe that’s enough. Jus’ doin’ it because it feels right.”

“Wow... That’s certain phil-oh-siph-icull of you, big sis.” Apple Bloom said playfully, having cheered up already.

Applejack pulled her sibling into a hug, squeezing her tightly. “Aww, shush. Now come on, we gotta beat our old record, we got it in us!”

For the rest of the day, the nagging thought that her sister might be wrong sat in the back of Apple Bloom’s mind, gradually wading through until it was at the forefront. Apple Bloom still wasn’t convinced. What good was it to do something you love if nopony would appreciate it? What good was it to waste your time on something if nopony ever saw it? How could that possibly be worth it?

After the work day had finally come to an end, and the Apple Family was finally tucked into bed, Apple Bloom still lay awake, looking at the moon. It had been a clear day that day, and it looked to be the same way that evening. The silver light reflected off of the apple trees and the ground, painting an eerie, but beautiful picture. Looking at a night like that, it was easy to see why Luna was upset ponies did not appreciate her beautiful night.

How Apple Bloom longed to paint a picture of that night. How she desired so to sketch the farm, to sketch anything, to CREATE.

Unable to resist the desire, Apple Bloom fetched an unused notebook and pencil, nearly crying all over again at remembering that she had lost her old one after a day of distraction, and set off towards the South field.

Sweet Apple Acres was unnerving at night, but, then again, this was not the first time Apple Bloom had wandered around the fields at night. She knew it better than any ol’ monster ever could, and she knew Applejack and Big Macintosh would protect her. The smell of grass, tree bark, and apples filled the filly’s nostrils as she made her way through the maze of trees, taking in the silver-tinged splendor that surrounded her.

As Apple Bloom made her way to the edge of the tree line, something caught her eye. There was a tree there, full-grown, with no leaves. None at all.

“What in tarnation?” The confused little filly thought, trotting over to its barren branches.

Despite its eerie appearance, Apple Bloom could not help but feel compelled to sit underneath it. Somehow, sitting under the tree made her feel relaxed. At ease. Like everything was going to be okay.

Beyond the tree sat the patch of dirt and then another row of trees. Apple Bloom retrieved her sketchbook and pencil, and she began drawing. No matter how hard she tried, though, she could not get it to look the way it looked in her mind. Tiredness of the mind and of the body overtook Apple Bloom as she laid against the tree to finally sleep, thinking to herself “I wish I could make something so beautiful, even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would be blown away...”