Blood on the Snowby ChocovichChaptersChapter 1: Blood on the SnowChapter 2: The DarknessChapter 3: RemindersChapter 4: HomecomingChapter 5: Back to Normal?Chapter 1: Blood on the SnowChapter 1: Blood on the Snow It was another happy winter's day on Sweet Apple Acres as Applebloom ran around with her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, while Big Mac and Applejack cleared the roads of all the snow that had fallen overnight. Today was the kind of day that no pony would think twice about. School was out, the Apples had no farming to do, and so the only thing that could be heard were the sound of snow plows and fillies laughter. When it was time for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to go home they met up outside the clubhouse, covered front head to hoof in snow. "Today was awesome!" Scootaloo cheered as she made a snowball, "I never knew you had such good aim Applebloom!" "Yeah, I think you hit us more than we hit each other" Sweetie Belle laughed, a wet clump of snow falling off her horn as she did, only making her laugh harder. The other two fillies joined in as well, and when they finished laughing they heard Big Mac calling to Applebloom, a sign that they really had to say goodbye. "See you guys tomorrow" Applebloom said with a smile before extending one of her hoofs out for Sweetie and Scootaloo to hit. "Bye Applebloom!" the two fillies said after they high hoofed Applebloom, leaving her alone outside the clubhouse.Once she was sure they were out of sight she turned around to make her own way home. While she was walking she felt something tug briefly at her mane, but didn't pay any attention to it since it went away quickly. As the farmhouse came into view Applebloom picked up speed, eager to get inside and have some of Big Mac's amazing hot chocolate that he made everyday for her when she got home. Her mouth almost started to water as she thought about drinking it, it's unusual mix of apples, cinnamon, and hot chocolate somehow coming together in an amazing blend of flavor. "I'm home!" Applebloom announced happily as she burst through the front door, her winter wear quickly flying off her body so she could look for the hot chocolate. "It's sitting on the counter" Big Mac said from the living room, sipping his own mug of coco as he read the newspaper. Without hesitation Applebloom ran towards the kitchen, but when she passed by a mirror they had near the door she froze. "My ribbon..." Applebloom said quietly as she reached back to where her large bow usually was, her hoof making contact with nothing at all. She continued to stare into the mirror until Big Mac came by, wondering what was taking her so long to get her hot chocolate. When he saw her reaching for her missing bow he felt a tug on his heart, telling him to go find it for her. "Come one, let's go find your ribbon" Big Mac said calmly, making Applebloom's face light up as she jumped towards him to give him a hug. As they put on their winter gear Applejack came downstairs, still wearing a towel from her shower. "Where are you two off to?" Applejack asked, drying her mane with another towel she had. "Off to find her ribbon, it fell off today" Big Mac answered, followed by a happy smile from Applebloom. "Ok, but be careful out there you two" Applejack said before heading into the kitchen for her own mug of coco. "It's not like we're never going to see you again sis!" Applebloom laughed happily as she jumped out the front door with Big Mac right behind her, shutting it when he was outside. "Were you guys playing at the clubhouse today?" Big Mac asked, seeing Applebloom's tracks from when she had come home. "Eeyup, we had lots of snowball fights, and we also went sledding, and..." Applebloom happily described her entire day to Big Mac, from the snow pony they had built early in the morning with pencils for arms and pebbles for eyes, all the way to the great snowball fight they had just before they had to split up. As they neared the clubhouse Big Mac made a motion for Applebloom to search along the path while he looked everywhere else, allowing her to continue telling her story. "...I caught Sweetie's last snowball and then threw it back at her, getting it stuck on her horn!" Applebloom finished, giggling happily as she remembered the snow falling off when they were saying goodbye. Big Mac laughed a little bit himself as he bucked a tree to get the snow off of it, watching for the ribbon in case it was going to be in the snow that fell. Applebloom smiled to herself as she remembered waking up the first day they were going to have snowfall, spending the entire morning just watching as the snow slowly covered the entire farm, turning it into a winter wonderland. When it had stopped snowing she had jumped outside and ran towards the field right next to the house, building snow pony after snow pony until the field was clear of snow. Every morning since then she's looked at them, slowly watching as the new snow covered them up. Her memory was interrupted by the sound of a branch rustling just a bit ahead of her. "Huh?" Applebloom said quietly as she looked up, seeing her ribbon barely hanging onto a frail branch. As she moved forwards to get it a cold breeze blew by and caused it to go further into the orchard and closer to the Everfree forest. Without telling Big Mac she made her way into the forest, still following the ribbon as it floated away, eventually ending up on the edge of a clearing. "Gotcha!" Applebloom shouted as she jumped at her ribbon, hearing a yelp as she did. When she jumped back she realized that she had jumped at a timberwolves' tail, pulling down on it when she had grabbed the ribbon. Looking around quickly she realized that she was surrounded by a pack of timberwolves, who were now starting to circle her. Running out of options quickly Applebloom decided to scream, hoping that Big Mac would hear it and come running, saving her just in time. After she screamed the timberwolf she had pulled the tail of moved forwards, raising up a foreleg to attack her. "APPLEBLOOM!" Big Mac shouted as he reached the edge of the clearing, just in time to see the timberwolf swipe it's claw across Applebloom's face, sending blood across the snow. Applebloom watched as Big Mac charged in, tackling the attacking timberwolf to the ground, not noticing as another moved forwards to attack the other side of Applebloom's face, making her shout in pain. They had cut across her eyes, so all she could do was listen as he fought with the pack of timberwolves, the hollow thuds as he bucked them away echoing throughout Applebloom's skull. "Applebloom?" Big Mac asked tiredly once the last timberwolf had run away. Applebloom heard his hoof steps come closer, but she couldn't open her eyes to look at him. "Am I going to be okay?" Applebloom asked, turning to face Big Mac as she still tried to open her eyes. When Big Mac started to sob she could tell something was wrong, and then the adrenaline wore off. There was suddenly a horrible pain from her eyes, and she started to scream, making Big Mac cry even more. Eventually Applebloom passed out from the pain, leaving her crying brother to carry her to Ponyville Hospital, her ribbon wrapped tightly around it's usual place in her mane... Chapter 2: The DarknessChapter 2: The Darkness Applebloom woke up to the sound of beeping machines and hooves clopping past along a cold linoleum floor as they went from one room to the next. Being unsettled by the darkness around her Applebloom attempted to open her eyes, but felt something pull on her left eyelid. She reached up with her hoof and felt around the area, finding some soft padding preventing her from touching the left side of her face. Out of curiosity she tried to touch the right side, finding only padding over her eye. As Applebloom continued to explore her face with her hooves she heard the sound of bags dropping near her hind legs, and was suddenly pulled up into a giant hug. "Oh thank Celestia you're awake!" Applejack cried, her tears flowing out freely as she hugged her sister tight. Since she had just woken up Applebloom had no idea what was going on, but when she heard the sound of wood scratching on wood from down the hall it all came back to her in an instant. Timberwolves started circling me, one of them had liked it's lips as I was looking at it while trying to find a way out. When I saw Big Mac I wanted to shout for joy, but then there was a blinding pain on the left half of my face, and I fell down. Then as Mac started to fight them another one hit the other side of my face, and then everything was black... "Applebloom?" Applejack asked worriedly, her hooves on Applebloom's shoulders, snapping her out of her memory. When she fully came to she realized she had started to cry, but the bandages on her face were absorbing the tears. Applebloom tried to answer, but all that came out was a loud cry as the dam finally broke, and then the two sisters hugged each other, crying into one another's shoulder for a long while. "Applebloom, we thought we'd lost you..." Applejack said as her sobs started to go away. "I'm sorry sis..." Applebloom said sadly, her own tears having stopped coming a few minutes ago. "No, no, it's okay..." Applejack said sadly, releasing Applebloom from the hug, "We're just happy you're okay" "We're?" Applebloom asked, having thought that Applejack was the only pony in the room. When she asked she heard the tell tale thumps of Big Mac's hooves hitting the floor from her right side, meaning he had already been in the room. Even without seeing him Applebloom could tell he looked different, maybe even scary. There was a salty smell about him, and Applebloom could only guessing that it was because he had been crying, so she reached a hoof out towards him, hitting him in the snout by accident. "Sorry" Applebloom whispered before moving her hoof to just below his eyes, the fur completely matted down by his tears. Without saying anything Mac leaned into her hoof, his matted fur squishing against it. Applebloom felt like telling him that everything was going to be okay, but the darkness that she was faced with reminded her that it wasn't. She was blinded, and had been in the hospital for who knows how many days now. Mac pulled away from her hoof after a minute, the feeling of his sad eyes watching her making Applebloom nervous. What if he blamed himself for what happened? It wouldn't surprising to anypony in the least if he did. "Applebloom..." Big Mac whispered quietly, "I'm sorry..." She was right, he did blame himself for it. Applebloom heard Applejack move over to his side and whisper something into his ear. When Applebloom heard somepony knock on wood she knew it meant that they had to leave because either visiting hours were over, or she had a check up. Applejack pulled her into a hug and then lead Big Mac out of the room so he could be washed up. Once he left the room Applebloom heard her clipboard get pulled up from the end of her bed. "How are you feeling Applebloom?" the doctor asked in a somber way, the situation he had walked into had probably caused him to to become depressed instantly. At first Applebloom didn't respond, so he just continued on his way, using magic to lift up the bandage on her right eye, the light from the room warming up the area that was covered. It was a weird feeling, which made Applebloom worry. She knew she got hit near the eye, but she was sure it wasn't hit when the timberwo- *Poke* "Ah!" Applebloom shouted as she jumped back into her pillows, taking the doctor by surprise. "Oh, sorry about that, I just had to make sure the eyelid was healing properly" the doctor admitted sheepishly, embarrassed by the fact that he had made her jump. Applebloom froze when he said that, if her eyelid had to heal, it meant that it had been hit, which meant that her eye had been hit... "I'm going to see the other side now..." the doctor said as he moved around her bed, "Are you ready?" Applebloom nodded and felt the bandage on her left eye come up. She prepared for a poke, but it never came, the only way she could tell that he was done was when was when he hummed and put the bandage down. He picked up her clipboard once more and scribbled down his notes before leaving, turning off the light in her room so it wasn't going to be on for no reason at all. A few minutes after he left the room began to feel cold and stale, as if the light was letting her feel alive again, letting her feel warmth. When she started to fall asleep she had a mental image of the timberwolves circling her once more, this time Mac didn't make it in time and she lost more than her eyes this time, the sound of her brother's crying making her shiver. Eventually it bugged her enough that she woke up and realized that the crying wasn't a dream. Big Mac had come back into the room and was now crying right next to her bed. "I'm so sorry Applebloom..." he cried quietly into the bed sheets. Applebloom was able to stop herself from trying to comforting him, but she wasn't able to stop herself from crying, and she definitely wasn't able to stop the nightmares she had that night... Chapter 3: RemindersChapter 3: Reminders Applebloom laid awake in her bed, thinking over her current situation while she waited for somepony to come and talk to her. In one day she went from a normal happy filly that could run and play with her friends, to a depressed blind pony who couldn't even tell what time of day it was. How was it even possible for something like this to happen? Shouldn't Celestia, as the ruler of Equestria, be there to keep everypony safe from harm, even going so far as to remove anything that can harm them? Applebloom started to shake as she thought about the timberwolves that had attacked her, her mind slowly playing over the entire scene picture by horrifying picture. Oh, why wasn't anypony showing up to- "Applebloom?" "Sweetie Belle?!" Applebloom shouted as she jerked upwards, hitting her head against something hard and pointy, "Ow..." "Why'd you have to do that?" Sweetie said painfully, which told Applebloom that she had hit her horn when she jerked up. "Sorry Sweetie..." Applebloom said sadly, tilting her head down towards her bed. "Oh it's fine, Sweetie's just being a big baby" Scootaloo said from the other side of the bed, making Applebloom jump slightly, "How are you holding up Applebloom?" "Scootaloo she's blind now, how do you think she's holding up?!" Sweetie Belle snapped, making both Applebloom and Scootaloo lean back away from her. It was unusual for her to snap when somepony was being silly, and it was also strange that Scootaloo was being the sensitive one. "Are you guys okay?" Applebloom asked, knowing that they might be a little tense because of her blindness. Applebloom could hear a few sniffles from her right, which meant Sweetie was trying to not cry, but soon after there were sniffles from the left as well. "You said you'd see us tomorrow, and now..." Scootaloo started, her voice cracking as she strained to keep herself from crying. "...you'll never see us again!" Sweetie Belle cried, her sniffles getting worse, making Applebloom think she was full on crying now. Applebloom could do nothing as she listened to her two best friends cry next to her, knowing that the only reason they felt this way was because of her. If only she hadn't gone after her bow by herself, she'd still be okay... "I'm sorry girls..." Applebloom whispered as she laid back onto her pillows, propping her self up with them so she could sit upright. She continued to listen as Sweetie Belle cried her eyes out while Scootaloo attempted to clam her down, but it wasn't working. Scootaloo decided to try and calm Sweetie Belle down by moving her out of the room, but it only made her cry more, her sobbing still being heard loud and clear through the wall. "Sorry about her" Scootaloo said sadly as she came back to Applebloom's bedside. "No, it's fine, this is all my fault anyways..." Applebloom said quietly. Scootaloo put a hoof onto Applebloom's shoulder and was about to say something to try and comfort her when the door opened, Sweetie's cries getting louder. "Scootaloo, it's time for us to go" Sweetie Belle muttered through her tears, the sound of multiple ponies walking up from behind her getting louder. Scootaloo removed her hoof from Applebloom's shoulder and slowly trotted over to Sweetie Belle. Applebloom felt like Scootaloo looked back at her, quiet tears flowing down her face. When the door shut she felt completely alone again, but it was short lived. "Applebloom!" Babs shouted as she burst through the door to Applebloom's room "Babs?!" Applebloom said quickly, surprised that her cousin had come all the way from Manehattan to see her. Applebloom felt Babs land on the bed, pulling her into big hug before another pony came in and pulled her off Applebloom. "Babs, you know your cousin isn't doing well, don't jump on her like that" Uncle Orange said with a slightly annoyed tone. Applebloom heard Babs squirm in her father's grasp before falling to the floor, her hooves clicking loudly on the tiles. "How are you feeling Applebloom?" Aunt Orange asked from beside Uncle Orange, putting her hoof on the bed next to Applebloom. She didn't answer at first, but when she heard Big Mac's loud hoof steps coming towards the door she opened up. "I feel fine, but I hate this" Applebloom said with a sour tone. She felt Aunt Orange rub a hoof along her mane to comfort her, eventually stopping to put her hoof on Applebloom's. Right then Big Mac and Applejack entered the room, the two of them bickering over something, but stopping as soon as they saw the Oranges in the room. "Hello there" Applejack said, sounding surprised that they had come all the way to Ponyville to see Applebloom. There was an odd silence as they looked at each other, silently examining one another to see how they were feeling. Applebloom felt Babs climb onto the edge of the bed, her snout next to Applebloom's ear. "What are they doing?" Babs asked, the touch of her mane letting Applebloom know that she was looking between her parents and Applejack. As they continued to look at each other Big Mac came to the other side of Applebloom's bed, sitting down with a thump as he kept his eyes glued to Applebloom's face. Babs climbed back down from the side of the bed and moved over to her mother, whispering something into her ear. "Dear, I think we should leave them be" Aunt Orange said, snapping Uncle Orange out of his staring contest with Applejack. "Oh, yes, we should" Uncle Orange said with a hint of sadness in his voice. He began to trot out of the room, followed right immediately by his family, getting a thankful nod from Applejack before he shut the door. Applejack then walked over to Big Mac's side, putting a leg around his neck. "Hey sis" Applebloom said sadly, turning her head so she could look towards Applejack. "Hey Applebloom, me and Big Mac are here now" Applejack said sadly, a sniffle sneaking out of her as she looked at Big Mac, "Big Mac found this out in the field where you were..." Applejack trailed off as she put something next to Applebloom's hoof. Judging by the feel of it she had given Applebloom her ribbon, the very reason everypony was feeling the way there were. Applebloom couldn't say anything, all she could do was cry, the though of Big Mac going back out there was just too much for her. As she broke down into tears Applejack sniffled again, quickly followed by her own sobs. The only pony in the room that wasn't crying was Big Mac, so he decided to tie the ribbon around Applebloom's mane, where it had always been before. When he pulled it tight he began to cry as well, sitting back down to hold Applejack as she sobbed. They stayed like that for the entire time they were there, leaving only when a nurse finally came in and told them they had to leave. That night as Applebloom laid in bed she touched her ribbon, feeling regret for everything she had put Big Mac and her family through, not to mention her friends. Quiet tears ran down her face as she fell asleep that night... Chapter 4: HomecomingChapter 4: Homecoming Applebloom woke up one morning and felt the warmth of the sun on her face, expecting to feel her brother laying his head on the bed next to her, but he wasn't there. For the past two weeks he would always come in first thing in the morning so he could watch her, but he would usually fall asleep because of how early it was. At first she was worried about it, thinking that something might have happened to him that would have kept him from showing up, but the door opening made her think she had just woken up really early. "We need to cheek the bandages before she can come home right now" a stallion said from the doorway, a quiet hum coming from another stallion, "Oh, she's awake already" "Hello?" Applebloom asked quietly, slightly worried about who this new stallion was, and who the pony behind him. The stallion, whom she guessed was a doctor, stayed quiet as he trotted over to her bedside, his hooves coming up to the back of her head. She tensed as his hooves touched the bandages, taking the small bit of tape that was holding them on so they would come off. Once they were off she felt a cold breeze on her eyelids, which had been kept closed for the entire time. The doctor hummed as he looked at them, and then leaned in to look at them closer. "Can you try to open your eyes Applebloom?" the doctor asked, his voice sounding very serious. She did as he asked and tried to open them, having a small bit of trouble at first, but they came open eventually. She could feel the doctor looking all over her eyes, stopping to look closely at the corneas of both of them. "Well, everything looks good, I think you can take her home today Big McIntosh" the doctor said after he turned around, the mention of her brothers name making Applebloom move her head around, eventually settling on where she thought he was based off the hoof steps she heard earlier. "Big Mac?" Applebloom asked quietly, her bottom lip coming out instinctively. She heard Big Mac step forward, staying as quiet as possible before he was at her bedside. "The doctor said you could come home today, are you ready?" Big Mac asked softly as he put a hoof up on the bed, it's weight feeling familiar as it has been there for the past two weeks. Applebloom nodded quietly, not expecting him to be so quiet when the news that she could finally go home came up. Big Mac slowly picked her up off the bed and put her on his back, quickly checking to see that nothing was being left behind before they left the room. Once they checked out of the hospital Big Mac began trotting away, towards the farm as Applebloom would think, but she was wrong. After a few minutes they arrived at a building, making Applebloom lift her head off Big Mac's back. "Where are we?" Applebloom asked, but her question was answered as soon as Big Mac pushed the door open. "SURPRISE!" a bunch of ponies shouted, making Applebloom freak out. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Applebloom shouted in response, not quite sure what was going on. A loud laugh came from Big Mac, making Applebloom even more confused. He had been so quiet before, but now he was laughing loudly. "It's a surprise party for you getting out of the hospital" Big Mac said while laughing, her reaction making her feel a bit more relaxed, but she was still really confused and scared. Big Mac lowered himself down so she could climb off, but it ended with her in a heap on the floor. Big Mac quickly turned around and helped her up. "Sorry about that" Big Mac said quickly as he helped her up. Applebloom shook her head quickly, taking quite a few cautious steps forwards until she got the hang of it again, which was met with a loud cheer from everypony that was around her. It was then when it finally hit Applebloom that she was at a party. "Who's all here?" Applebloom asked, moving her head from side to side as if she was looking at everypony. "Well, there's me, your sister and Granny" Big Mac said as he started to look around, "As well as the Oranges, your friends, and Applejack's friends" "Like me!" Pinkie shouted from the other side of the room, making everypony giggle. Applebloom smiled happily before walking forward, colliding with a table that she didn't know was there. "Ow" Applebloom whined as she back up and rubbed her head where she had hit it. While she sat there she heard two ponies walking over to her. "Hey Applebloom" Sweetie Belle said happily, with a smile Applebloom guessed. Applebloom turned to where she heard the voice come from and stuck her hoof out, feeling two hooves smack against it, letting her know that either Scootaloo or Babs was with Sweetie. "How you holding up?" Scootaloo asked calmly while Applebloom had the feeling that someone was staring at her eyes. "Pretty good I guess" Applebloom answered honestly before feeling the need to ask, "How do my eyes look?" "Well, they're a bit washed out and cloudy, but they still look like your eyes" Sweetie Belle said, which Scootaloo said was right. For the rest of the party the three Crusaders talked about what Applebloom had missed, from both school and their crusades. Apparently Snips and Snails were caught staring at Diamond Tiara's flank one day, which made them laughing stocks for a few days, but things died down after that, and the crusades have still been less that successful as neither of them had gotten a cutie mark yet. Eventually Babs joined in and talked about what was going on in Manehattan with her group of Crusaders, having about the same luck as Sweetie and Scootaloo had. "Come on Applebloom, time to head home" Big Mac said, interrupting a story that Babs was telling about her Crusaders. "Do we have to?" Applebloom asked, wanting to spend more time with her friends. "Eeyup, now come on, let's get going" Big Mac said as he hoisted Applebloom onto his back, letting her say a quick goodbye to her friends before they left, making their way towards the farm rather quickly. The cold air outside wherever they had the party at let Applebloom know that it was starting to get dark outside. As Big Mac trotted towards the farm with Applejack and Granny Applebloom started to fall asleep, eventually passing out on his back, sound asleep until the next morning. Chapter 5: Back to Normal?Chapter 5: Back to Normal? Applebloom woke up to the smell of Big Mac's cooking and the feeling of the sun on her face. Today was going to be a big step for her, considering she was finally going back to school, and as such she had to wake up extremely early so she could get there in time. As she stumbled down the stairs, using a new handrail as well as the old one to help guide herself, she thought about the last time she had even been to school. From what she could remember it was Cheerilee letting them all out on break, so they played games in most of the classes so there wasn't anything that they'd have to remember over the break. It was then when Applebloom found out she had the best aim of the class, managing to toss her horseshoes right onto the post almost every single time she went up. Applebloom let out a tired and sad sigh as she remembered managing to impress the two bullies of the school, who had always overshot when they had gone up, the looks on their faces were priceless. "Applebloom is that you?" Applejack asked from the kitchen, having heard the loud sigh. "Yeah, it's me" Applebloom said flatly, her day seeming like it was going to suck despite only being awake for five minutes. Before Applebloom could say anything else Applejack was at her side and was guiding her into the kitchen so she could eat. Even though she was blind Applebloom didn't like that everypony always babied her. Wherever she went the older ponies would try to help her and do everything for her. At one point a stranger helped her order her food at Sugar Cube Corner, and ended up getting her the completely wrong thing, but she had to eat it anyways. "Applebloom, your foods in front of you right now" Big Mac said as he put the plate down with a clink, making Applebloom wish she could roll her eyes at him. This had been her life for almost two months now, ever since she was released from the hospital. She would have gone to school sooner, but Big Mac was afraid she would hurt herself, so he made her stay home another month. Applebloom decided to forget about it though and eat her breakfast, Big Mac's cooking usually had this effect on her. "This is good!" Applebloom said after she swallowed the first bite of food, it's rich flavors making her immediately forget everything she was angry and upset about. Big Mac laughed as he plated his and Applejack's breakfast, sitting down next to her once he was done. "Thanks, I made sure to make it your favorite this morning" Big Mac said as he starting eat his own breakfast, happily humming as he swallowed his first bite. After she finished her breakfast Big Mac took her plate and put it in the sink and then moved to tie her ribbon onto her mane, which he did expertly. Once that was done he picked up Applebloom's school bags and the two of them headed out the door, saying goodbye to Applejack and Granny. "Ready for your first day back to school Applebloom?" Big Mac asked as they left the farm, moving around so her bag would sit comfortably on her back. "I guess" Applebloom said slowly, fears about her first day back coming to the front of her mind. Among them were fears of the other students making fun of her because she was blind, and of falling way behind in school because she couldn't see anything. She lowered her head sadly, accidentally catching her ribbon on a low hanging branch. "Ah!" Applebloom said quickly as she was pulled back, landing hard on her flank. After Big Mac got her unhooked from the branch they continued on their way to school, her fall not going unnoticed. When they got up to the school Big Mac gave her a hug goodbye and nodded at Cheerilee, who he had an agreement with that she would take Applebloom home after school if he didn't show up. Once he was far away two fillies Applebloom had the pleasure of not seeing, but the unfortunate ability to hear, showed up. "So, looks like the blank flank is back" Diamond Tiara said with a laugh, "and it looks like she forgot how to walk" Applebloom frowned but stayed silent, closing her eyes as though that would help her block out their voices. The two of them laughed evilly and pressed forwards again, now right in her face. "Did she forget how to talk too?" Silver Spoon asked mockingly. "No!" Applebloom said quickly, turning her head away as she felt their harsh stares on her face. While she looked away she heard somepony rummage through her school bag, a loud crinkly noise coming from it as whoever it was pulled out a bag that Big Mac had put in there. "For Applebloom" Diamond Tiara read out in a mock voice, making fun of Big Mac's slow drawl, "I know you can't read this, so I'm hoping one of your friends is, but the lunch in here is for you. It's your favorite. Love you, Big Mac" "Wow, what's in there?" Silver Spoon asked as she trotted over to the bag, ripping it open with her hooves, "Ew apple fritters!" "And a rose leaf sandwich!" Diamond Tiara giggled happily, a crunching sound coming as she took a bite from the sandwich, "Oh, I wish she could see me eating this, I must look as amazing as this thing tastes!" Unfortunately for Diamond Tiara she said the last sentence too loud and got Cheerilee's attention, and was quickly caught before she could eat anymore of the sandwich. Both her and Silver Spoon were sent home for the day and Cheerilee offered to cut the sandwich for Applebloom so she didn't have to bite where Diamond Tiara did, but she refused. In her mind the sandwich had already been eaten, and she would never get to taste it, much like the fritters that Silver Spoon had crushed on the ground. For the rest of the day Applebloom stayed quiet and depressed, not even Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle's best efforts could cheer her up. Her day had one high point, and that was the breakfast Big Mac had made, and that was it for her. Once she got home, escorted by Cheerilee because Big Mac was preoccupied by an escaped pig, Applebloom went up to her room, put her head in her pillow, and cried.
Chapter 1: Blood on the SnowChapter 1: Blood on the Snow It was another happy winter's day on Sweet Apple Acres as Applebloom ran around with her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, while Big Mac and Applejack cleared the roads of all the snow that had fallen overnight. Today was the kind of day that no pony would think twice about. School was out, the Apples had no farming to do, and so the only thing that could be heard were the sound of snow plows and fillies laughter. When it was time for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to go home they met up outside the clubhouse, covered front head to hoof in snow. "Today was awesome!" Scootaloo cheered as she made a snowball, "I never knew you had such good aim Applebloom!" "Yeah, I think you hit us more than we hit each other" Sweetie Belle laughed, a wet clump of snow falling off her horn as she did, only making her laugh harder. The other two fillies joined in as well, and when they finished laughing they heard Big Mac calling to Applebloom, a sign that they really had to say goodbye. "See you guys tomorrow" Applebloom said with a smile before extending one of her hoofs out for Sweetie and Scootaloo to hit. "Bye Applebloom!" the two fillies said after they high hoofed Applebloom, leaving her alone outside the clubhouse.Once she was sure they were out of sight she turned around to make her own way home. While she was walking she felt something tug briefly at her mane, but didn't pay any attention to it since it went away quickly. As the farmhouse came into view Applebloom picked up speed, eager to get inside and have some of Big Mac's amazing hot chocolate that he made everyday for her when she got home. Her mouth almost started to water as she thought about drinking it, it's unusual mix of apples, cinnamon, and hot chocolate somehow coming together in an amazing blend of flavor. "I'm home!" Applebloom announced happily as she burst through the front door, her winter wear quickly flying off her body so she could look for the hot chocolate. "It's sitting on the counter" Big Mac said from the living room, sipping his own mug of coco as he read the newspaper. Without hesitation Applebloom ran towards the kitchen, but when she passed by a mirror they had near the door she froze. "My ribbon..." Applebloom said quietly as she reached back to where her large bow usually was, her hoof making contact with nothing at all. She continued to stare into the mirror until Big Mac came by, wondering what was taking her so long to get her hot chocolate. When he saw her reaching for her missing bow he felt a tug on his heart, telling him to go find it for her. "Come one, let's go find your ribbon" Big Mac said calmly, making Applebloom's face light up as she jumped towards him to give him a hug. As they put on their winter gear Applejack came downstairs, still wearing a towel from her shower. "Where are you two off to?" Applejack asked, drying her mane with another towel she had. "Off to find her ribbon, it fell off today" Big Mac answered, followed by a happy smile from Applebloom. "Ok, but be careful out there you two" Applejack said before heading into the kitchen for her own mug of coco. "It's not like we're never going to see you again sis!" Applebloom laughed happily as she jumped out the front door with Big Mac right behind her, shutting it when he was outside. "Were you guys playing at the clubhouse today?" Big Mac asked, seeing Applebloom's tracks from when she had come home. "Eeyup, we had lots of snowball fights, and we also went sledding, and..." Applebloom happily described her entire day to Big Mac, from the snow pony they had built early in the morning with pencils for arms and pebbles for eyes, all the way to the great snowball fight they had just before they had to split up. As they neared the clubhouse Big Mac made a motion for Applebloom to search along the path while he looked everywhere else, allowing her to continue telling her story. "...I caught Sweetie's last snowball and then threw it back at her, getting it stuck on her horn!" Applebloom finished, giggling happily as she remembered the snow falling off when they were saying goodbye. Big Mac laughed a little bit himself as he bucked a tree to get the snow off of it, watching for the ribbon in case it was going to be in the snow that fell. Applebloom smiled to herself as she remembered waking up the first day they were going to have snowfall, spending the entire morning just watching as the snow slowly covered the entire farm, turning it into a winter wonderland. When it had stopped snowing she had jumped outside and ran towards the field right next to the house, building snow pony after snow pony until the field was clear of snow. Every morning since then she's looked at them, slowly watching as the new snow covered them up. Her memory was interrupted by the sound of a branch rustling just a bit ahead of her. "Huh?" Applebloom said quietly as she looked up, seeing her ribbon barely hanging onto a frail branch. As she moved forwards to get it a cold breeze blew by and caused it to go further into the orchard and closer to the Everfree forest. Without telling Big Mac she made her way into the forest, still following the ribbon as it floated away, eventually ending up on the edge of a clearing. "Gotcha!" Applebloom shouted as she jumped at her ribbon, hearing a yelp as she did. When she jumped back she realized that she had jumped at a timberwolves' tail, pulling down on it when she had grabbed the ribbon. Looking around quickly she realized that she was surrounded by a pack of timberwolves, who were now starting to circle her. Running out of options quickly Applebloom decided to scream, hoping that Big Mac would hear it and come running, saving her just in time. After she screamed the timberwolf she had pulled the tail of moved forwards, raising up a foreleg to attack her. "APPLEBLOOM!" Big Mac shouted as he reached the edge of the clearing, just in time to see the timberwolf swipe it's claw across Applebloom's face, sending blood across the snow. Applebloom watched as Big Mac charged in, tackling the attacking timberwolf to the ground, not noticing as another moved forwards to attack the other side of Applebloom's face, making her shout in pain. They had cut across her eyes, so all she could do was listen as he fought with the pack of timberwolves, the hollow thuds as he bucked them away echoing throughout Applebloom's skull. "Applebloom?" Big Mac asked tiredly once the last timberwolf had run away. Applebloom heard his hoof steps come closer, but she couldn't open her eyes to look at him. "Am I going to be okay?" Applebloom asked, turning to face Big Mac as she still tried to open her eyes. When Big Mac started to sob she could tell something was wrong, and then the adrenaline wore off. There was suddenly a horrible pain from her eyes, and she started to scream, making Big Mac cry even more. Eventually Applebloom passed out from the pain, leaving her crying brother to carry her to Ponyville Hospital, her ribbon wrapped tightly around it's usual place in her mane...
Chapter 2: The DarknessChapter 2: The Darkness Applebloom woke up to the sound of beeping machines and hooves clopping past along a cold linoleum floor as they went from one room to the next. Being unsettled by the darkness around her Applebloom attempted to open her eyes, but felt something pull on her left eyelid. She reached up with her hoof and felt around the area, finding some soft padding preventing her from touching the left side of her face. Out of curiosity she tried to touch the right side, finding only padding over her eye. As Applebloom continued to explore her face with her hooves she heard the sound of bags dropping near her hind legs, and was suddenly pulled up into a giant hug. "Oh thank Celestia you're awake!" Applejack cried, her tears flowing out freely as she hugged her sister tight. Since she had just woken up Applebloom had no idea what was going on, but when she heard the sound of wood scratching on wood from down the hall it all came back to her in an instant. Timberwolves started circling me, one of them had liked it's lips as I was looking at it while trying to find a way out. When I saw Big Mac I wanted to shout for joy, but then there was a blinding pain on the left half of my face, and I fell down. Then as Mac started to fight them another one hit the other side of my face, and then everything was black... "Applebloom?" Applejack asked worriedly, her hooves on Applebloom's shoulders, snapping her out of her memory. When she fully came to she realized she had started to cry, but the bandages on her face were absorbing the tears. Applebloom tried to answer, but all that came out was a loud cry as the dam finally broke, and then the two sisters hugged each other, crying into one another's shoulder for a long while. "Applebloom, we thought we'd lost you..." Applejack said as her sobs started to go away. "I'm sorry sis..." Applebloom said sadly, her own tears having stopped coming a few minutes ago. "No, no, it's okay..." Applejack said sadly, releasing Applebloom from the hug, "We're just happy you're okay" "We're?" Applebloom asked, having thought that Applejack was the only pony in the room. When she asked she heard the tell tale thumps of Big Mac's hooves hitting the floor from her right side, meaning he had already been in the room. Even without seeing him Applebloom could tell he looked different, maybe even scary. There was a salty smell about him, and Applebloom could only guessing that it was because he had been crying, so she reached a hoof out towards him, hitting him in the snout by accident. "Sorry" Applebloom whispered before moving her hoof to just below his eyes, the fur completely matted down by his tears. Without saying anything Mac leaned into her hoof, his matted fur squishing against it. Applebloom felt like telling him that everything was going to be okay, but the darkness that she was faced with reminded her that it wasn't. She was blinded, and had been in the hospital for who knows how many days now. Mac pulled away from her hoof after a minute, the feeling of his sad eyes watching her making Applebloom nervous. What if he blamed himself for what happened? It wouldn't surprising to anypony in the least if he did. "Applebloom..." Big Mac whispered quietly, "I'm sorry..." She was right, he did blame himself for it. Applebloom heard Applejack move over to his side and whisper something into his ear. When Applebloom heard somepony knock on wood she knew it meant that they had to leave because either visiting hours were over, or she had a check up. Applejack pulled her into a hug and then lead Big Mac out of the room so he could be washed up. Once he left the room Applebloom heard her clipboard get pulled up from the end of her bed. "How are you feeling Applebloom?" the doctor asked in a somber way, the situation he had walked into had probably caused him to to become depressed instantly. At first Applebloom didn't respond, so he just continued on his way, using magic to lift up the bandage on her right eye, the light from the room warming up the area that was covered. It was a weird feeling, which made Applebloom worry. She knew she got hit near the eye, but she was sure it wasn't hit when the timberwo- *Poke* "Ah!" Applebloom shouted as she jumped back into her pillows, taking the doctor by surprise. "Oh, sorry about that, I just had to make sure the eyelid was healing properly" the doctor admitted sheepishly, embarrassed by the fact that he had made her jump. Applebloom froze when he said that, if her eyelid had to heal, it meant that it had been hit, which meant that her eye had been hit... "I'm going to see the other side now..." the doctor said as he moved around her bed, "Are you ready?" Applebloom nodded and felt the bandage on her left eye come up. She prepared for a poke, but it never came, the only way she could tell that he was done was when was when he hummed and put the bandage down. He picked up her clipboard once more and scribbled down his notes before leaving, turning off the light in her room so it wasn't going to be on for no reason at all. A few minutes after he left the room began to feel cold and stale, as if the light was letting her feel alive again, letting her feel warmth. When she started to fall asleep she had a mental image of the timberwolves circling her once more, this time Mac didn't make it in time and she lost more than her eyes this time, the sound of her brother's crying making her shiver. Eventually it bugged her enough that she woke up and realized that the crying wasn't a dream. Big Mac had come back into the room and was now crying right next to her bed. "I'm so sorry Applebloom..." he cried quietly into the bed sheets. Applebloom was able to stop herself from trying to comforting him, but she wasn't able to stop herself from crying, and she definitely wasn't able to stop the nightmares she had that night...
Chapter 3: RemindersChapter 3: Reminders Applebloom laid awake in her bed, thinking over her current situation while she waited for somepony to come and talk to her. In one day she went from a normal happy filly that could run and play with her friends, to a depressed blind pony who couldn't even tell what time of day it was. How was it even possible for something like this to happen? Shouldn't Celestia, as the ruler of Equestria, be there to keep everypony safe from harm, even going so far as to remove anything that can harm them? Applebloom started to shake as she thought about the timberwolves that had attacked her, her mind slowly playing over the entire scene picture by horrifying picture. Oh, why wasn't anypony showing up to- "Applebloom?" "Sweetie Belle?!" Applebloom shouted as she jerked upwards, hitting her head against something hard and pointy, "Ow..." "Why'd you have to do that?" Sweetie said painfully, which told Applebloom that she had hit her horn when she jerked up. "Sorry Sweetie..." Applebloom said sadly, tilting her head down towards her bed. "Oh it's fine, Sweetie's just being a big baby" Scootaloo said from the other side of the bed, making Applebloom jump slightly, "How are you holding up Applebloom?" "Scootaloo she's blind now, how do you think she's holding up?!" Sweetie Belle snapped, making both Applebloom and Scootaloo lean back away from her. It was unusual for her to snap when somepony was being silly, and it was also strange that Scootaloo was being the sensitive one. "Are you guys okay?" Applebloom asked, knowing that they might be a little tense because of her blindness. Applebloom could hear a few sniffles from her right, which meant Sweetie was trying to not cry, but soon after there were sniffles from the left as well. "You said you'd see us tomorrow, and now..." Scootaloo started, her voice cracking as she strained to keep herself from crying. "...you'll never see us again!" Sweetie Belle cried, her sniffles getting worse, making Applebloom think she was full on crying now. Applebloom could do nothing as she listened to her two best friends cry next to her, knowing that the only reason they felt this way was because of her. If only she hadn't gone after her bow by herself, she'd still be okay... "I'm sorry girls..." Applebloom whispered as she laid back onto her pillows, propping her self up with them so she could sit upright. She continued to listen as Sweetie Belle cried her eyes out while Scootaloo attempted to clam her down, but it wasn't working. Scootaloo decided to try and calm Sweetie Belle down by moving her out of the room, but it only made her cry more, her sobbing still being heard loud and clear through the wall. "Sorry about her" Scootaloo said sadly as she came back to Applebloom's bedside. "No, it's fine, this is all my fault anyways..." Applebloom said quietly. Scootaloo put a hoof onto Applebloom's shoulder and was about to say something to try and comfort her when the door opened, Sweetie's cries getting louder. "Scootaloo, it's time for us to go" Sweetie Belle muttered through her tears, the sound of multiple ponies walking up from behind her getting louder. Scootaloo removed her hoof from Applebloom's shoulder and slowly trotted over to Sweetie Belle. Applebloom felt like Scootaloo looked back at her, quiet tears flowing down her face. When the door shut she felt completely alone again, but it was short lived. "Applebloom!" Babs shouted as she burst through the door to Applebloom's room "Babs?!" Applebloom said quickly, surprised that her cousin had come all the way from Manehattan to see her. Applebloom felt Babs land on the bed, pulling her into big hug before another pony came in and pulled her off Applebloom. "Babs, you know your cousin isn't doing well, don't jump on her like that" Uncle Orange said with a slightly annoyed tone. Applebloom heard Babs squirm in her father's grasp before falling to the floor, her hooves clicking loudly on the tiles. "How are you feeling Applebloom?" Aunt Orange asked from beside Uncle Orange, putting her hoof on the bed next to Applebloom. She didn't answer at first, but when she heard Big Mac's loud hoof steps coming towards the door she opened up. "I feel fine, but I hate this" Applebloom said with a sour tone. She felt Aunt Orange rub a hoof along her mane to comfort her, eventually stopping to put her hoof on Applebloom's. Right then Big Mac and Applejack entered the room, the two of them bickering over something, but stopping as soon as they saw the Oranges in the room. "Hello there" Applejack said, sounding surprised that they had come all the way to Ponyville to see Applebloom. There was an odd silence as they looked at each other, silently examining one another to see how they were feeling. Applebloom felt Babs climb onto the edge of the bed, her snout next to Applebloom's ear. "What are they doing?" Babs asked, the touch of her mane letting Applebloom know that she was looking between her parents and Applejack. As they continued to look at each other Big Mac came to the other side of Applebloom's bed, sitting down with a thump as he kept his eyes glued to Applebloom's face. Babs climbed back down from the side of the bed and moved over to her mother, whispering something into her ear. "Dear, I think we should leave them be" Aunt Orange said, snapping Uncle Orange out of his staring contest with Applejack. "Oh, yes, we should" Uncle Orange said with a hint of sadness in his voice. He began to trot out of the room, followed right immediately by his family, getting a thankful nod from Applejack before he shut the door. Applejack then walked over to Big Mac's side, putting a leg around his neck. "Hey sis" Applebloom said sadly, turning her head so she could look towards Applejack. "Hey Applebloom, me and Big Mac are here now" Applejack said sadly, a sniffle sneaking out of her as she looked at Big Mac, "Big Mac found this out in the field where you were..." Applejack trailed off as she put something next to Applebloom's hoof. Judging by the feel of it she had given Applebloom her ribbon, the very reason everypony was feeling the way there were. Applebloom couldn't say anything, all she could do was cry, the though of Big Mac going back out there was just too much for her. As she broke down into tears Applejack sniffled again, quickly followed by her own sobs. The only pony in the room that wasn't crying was Big Mac, so he decided to tie the ribbon around Applebloom's mane, where it had always been before. When he pulled it tight he began to cry as well, sitting back down to hold Applejack as she sobbed. They stayed like that for the entire time they were there, leaving only when a nurse finally came in and told them they had to leave. That night as Applebloom laid in bed she touched her ribbon, feeling regret for everything she had put Big Mac and her family through, not to mention her friends. Quiet tears ran down her face as she fell asleep that night...
Chapter 4: HomecomingChapter 4: Homecoming Applebloom woke up one morning and felt the warmth of the sun on her face, expecting to feel her brother laying his head on the bed next to her, but he wasn't there. For the past two weeks he would always come in first thing in the morning so he could watch her, but he would usually fall asleep because of how early it was. At first she was worried about it, thinking that something might have happened to him that would have kept him from showing up, but the door opening made her think she had just woken up really early. "We need to cheek the bandages before she can come home right now" a stallion said from the doorway, a quiet hum coming from another stallion, "Oh, she's awake already" "Hello?" Applebloom asked quietly, slightly worried about who this new stallion was, and who the pony behind him. The stallion, whom she guessed was a doctor, stayed quiet as he trotted over to her bedside, his hooves coming up to the back of her head. She tensed as his hooves touched the bandages, taking the small bit of tape that was holding them on so they would come off. Once they were off she felt a cold breeze on her eyelids, which had been kept closed for the entire time. The doctor hummed as he looked at them, and then leaned in to look at them closer. "Can you try to open your eyes Applebloom?" the doctor asked, his voice sounding very serious. She did as he asked and tried to open them, having a small bit of trouble at first, but they came open eventually. She could feel the doctor looking all over her eyes, stopping to look closely at the corneas of both of them. "Well, everything looks good, I think you can take her home today Big McIntosh" the doctor said after he turned around, the mention of her brothers name making Applebloom move her head around, eventually settling on where she thought he was based off the hoof steps she heard earlier. "Big Mac?" Applebloom asked quietly, her bottom lip coming out instinctively. She heard Big Mac step forward, staying as quiet as possible before he was at her bedside. "The doctor said you could come home today, are you ready?" Big Mac asked softly as he put a hoof up on the bed, it's weight feeling familiar as it has been there for the past two weeks. Applebloom nodded quietly, not expecting him to be so quiet when the news that she could finally go home came up. Big Mac slowly picked her up off the bed and put her on his back, quickly checking to see that nothing was being left behind before they left the room. Once they checked out of the hospital Big Mac began trotting away, towards the farm as Applebloom would think, but she was wrong. After a few minutes they arrived at a building, making Applebloom lift her head off Big Mac's back. "Where are we?" Applebloom asked, but her question was answered as soon as Big Mac pushed the door open. "SURPRISE!" a bunch of ponies shouted, making Applebloom freak out. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Applebloom shouted in response, not quite sure what was going on. A loud laugh came from Big Mac, making Applebloom even more confused. He had been so quiet before, but now he was laughing loudly. "It's a surprise party for you getting out of the hospital" Big Mac said while laughing, her reaction making her feel a bit more relaxed, but she was still really confused and scared. Big Mac lowered himself down so she could climb off, but it ended with her in a heap on the floor. Big Mac quickly turned around and helped her up. "Sorry about that" Big Mac said quickly as he helped her up. Applebloom shook her head quickly, taking quite a few cautious steps forwards until she got the hang of it again, which was met with a loud cheer from everypony that was around her. It was then when it finally hit Applebloom that she was at a party. "Who's all here?" Applebloom asked, moving her head from side to side as if she was looking at everypony. "Well, there's me, your sister and Granny" Big Mac said as he started to look around, "As well as the Oranges, your friends, and Applejack's friends" "Like me!" Pinkie shouted from the other side of the room, making everypony giggle. Applebloom smiled happily before walking forward, colliding with a table that she didn't know was there. "Ow" Applebloom whined as she back up and rubbed her head where she had hit it. While she sat there she heard two ponies walking over to her. "Hey Applebloom" Sweetie Belle said happily, with a smile Applebloom guessed. Applebloom turned to where she heard the voice come from and stuck her hoof out, feeling two hooves smack against it, letting her know that either Scootaloo or Babs was with Sweetie. "How you holding up?" Scootaloo asked calmly while Applebloom had the feeling that someone was staring at her eyes. "Pretty good I guess" Applebloom answered honestly before feeling the need to ask, "How do my eyes look?" "Well, they're a bit washed out and cloudy, but they still look like your eyes" Sweetie Belle said, which Scootaloo said was right. For the rest of the party the three Crusaders talked about what Applebloom had missed, from both school and their crusades. Apparently Snips and Snails were caught staring at Diamond Tiara's flank one day, which made them laughing stocks for a few days, but things died down after that, and the crusades have still been less that successful as neither of them had gotten a cutie mark yet. Eventually Babs joined in and talked about what was going on in Manehattan with her group of Crusaders, having about the same luck as Sweetie and Scootaloo had. "Come on Applebloom, time to head home" Big Mac said, interrupting a story that Babs was telling about her Crusaders. "Do we have to?" Applebloom asked, wanting to spend more time with her friends. "Eeyup, now come on, let's get going" Big Mac said as he hoisted Applebloom onto his back, letting her say a quick goodbye to her friends before they left, making their way towards the farm rather quickly. The cold air outside wherever they had the party at let Applebloom know that it was starting to get dark outside. As Big Mac trotted towards the farm with Applejack and Granny Applebloom started to fall asleep, eventually passing out on his back, sound asleep until the next morning.
Chapter 5: Back to Normal?Chapter 5: Back to Normal? Applebloom woke up to the smell of Big Mac's cooking and the feeling of the sun on her face. Today was going to be a big step for her, considering she was finally going back to school, and as such she had to wake up extremely early so she could get there in time. As she stumbled down the stairs, using a new handrail as well as the old one to help guide herself, she thought about the last time she had even been to school. From what she could remember it was Cheerilee letting them all out on break, so they played games in most of the classes so there wasn't anything that they'd have to remember over the break. It was then when Applebloom found out she had the best aim of the class, managing to toss her horseshoes right onto the post almost every single time she went up. Applebloom let out a tired and sad sigh as she remembered managing to impress the two bullies of the school, who had always overshot when they had gone up, the looks on their faces were priceless. "Applebloom is that you?" Applejack asked from the kitchen, having heard the loud sigh. "Yeah, it's me" Applebloom said flatly, her day seeming like it was going to suck despite only being awake for five minutes. Before Applebloom could say anything else Applejack was at her side and was guiding her into the kitchen so she could eat. Even though she was blind Applebloom didn't like that everypony always babied her. Wherever she went the older ponies would try to help her and do everything for her. At one point a stranger helped her order her food at Sugar Cube Corner, and ended up getting her the completely wrong thing, but she had to eat it anyways. "Applebloom, your foods in front of you right now" Big Mac said as he put the plate down with a clink, making Applebloom wish she could roll her eyes at him. This had been her life for almost two months now, ever since she was released from the hospital. She would have gone to school sooner, but Big Mac was afraid she would hurt herself, so he made her stay home another month. Applebloom decided to forget about it though and eat her breakfast, Big Mac's cooking usually had this effect on her. "This is good!" Applebloom said after she swallowed the first bite of food, it's rich flavors making her immediately forget everything she was angry and upset about. Big Mac laughed as he plated his and Applejack's breakfast, sitting down next to her once he was done. "Thanks, I made sure to make it your favorite this morning" Big Mac said as he starting eat his own breakfast, happily humming as he swallowed his first bite. After she finished her breakfast Big Mac took her plate and put it in the sink and then moved to tie her ribbon onto her mane, which he did expertly. Once that was done he picked up Applebloom's school bags and the two of them headed out the door, saying goodbye to Applejack and Granny. "Ready for your first day back to school Applebloom?" Big Mac asked as they left the farm, moving around so her bag would sit comfortably on her back. "I guess" Applebloom said slowly, fears about her first day back coming to the front of her mind. Among them were fears of the other students making fun of her because she was blind, and of falling way behind in school because she couldn't see anything. She lowered her head sadly, accidentally catching her ribbon on a low hanging branch. "Ah!" Applebloom said quickly as she was pulled back, landing hard on her flank. After Big Mac got her unhooked from the branch they continued on their way to school, her fall not going unnoticed. When they got up to the school Big Mac gave her a hug goodbye and nodded at Cheerilee, who he had an agreement with that she would take Applebloom home after school if he didn't show up. Once he was far away two fillies Applebloom had the pleasure of not seeing, but the unfortunate ability to hear, showed up. "So, looks like the blank flank is back" Diamond Tiara said with a laugh, "and it looks like she forgot how to walk" Applebloom frowned but stayed silent, closing her eyes as though that would help her block out their voices. The two of them laughed evilly and pressed forwards again, now right in her face. "Did she forget how to talk too?" Silver Spoon asked mockingly. "No!" Applebloom said quickly, turning her head away as she felt their harsh stares on her face. While she looked away she heard somepony rummage through her school bag, a loud crinkly noise coming from it as whoever it was pulled out a bag that Big Mac had put in there. "For Applebloom" Diamond Tiara read out in a mock voice, making fun of Big Mac's slow drawl, "I know you can't read this, so I'm hoping one of your friends is, but the lunch in here is for you. It's your favorite. Love you, Big Mac" "Wow, what's in there?" Silver Spoon asked as she trotted over to the bag, ripping it open with her hooves, "Ew apple fritters!" "And a rose leaf sandwich!" Diamond Tiara giggled happily, a crunching sound coming as she took a bite from the sandwich, "Oh, I wish she could see me eating this, I must look as amazing as this thing tastes!" Unfortunately for Diamond Tiara she said the last sentence too loud and got Cheerilee's attention, and was quickly caught before she could eat anymore of the sandwich. Both her and Silver Spoon were sent home for the day and Cheerilee offered to cut the sandwich for Applebloom so she didn't have to bite where Diamond Tiara did, but she refused. In her mind the sandwich had already been eaten, and she would never get to taste it, much like the fritters that Silver Spoon had crushed on the ground. For the rest of the day Applebloom stayed quiet and depressed, not even Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle's best efforts could cheer her up. Her day had one high point, and that was the breakfast Big Mac had made, and that was it for her. Once she got home, escorted by Cheerilee because Big Mac was preoccupied by an escaped pig, Applebloom went up to her room, put her head in her pillow, and cried.
