"Blank flank! Blank flank!"

"Shut up! Stop talkin' ta me! Just leave me alone!"

Apple Bloom turned tail and ran to the other side of the schoolyard, desperately wishing that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were there to back her up against the evil little fillies who had fixated on her. She glanced behind her and saw that Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were following her, their evil smiles still plastered on their faces.

Apple Bloom whimpered and flattened her ears. The first traces of tears welled up in her eyes as she ran. When she looked up, she gasped when she saw that she had come to the schoolyard's fence. She whirled around to find an alternative route, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had spread out, blocking any route of escape. Apple Bloom backed into the fence and slid to the ground to curl up into a ball, her tears now dripping down her face.

"I don't even know why you and your baby friends bother to show your faces at this school." Diamond Tiara reached out a hoof and poked Apple Bloom's bank flank, causing Apple Bloom to flinch back. "I mean, it's gotta be, like, so embarrassing to know that you're not special at all."

"Look at her cry like a little baby!" Silver Spoon cackled. Her mouth turned downwards in a mocking pout. "What's wong wittle baby Apple Bwoom? You want your mommy?"

"Mommy?" Diamond Tiara scoffed and poked Apple Bloom's head. "She doesn't have a mommy. Her mommy was so ashamed at having given birth to this freak that she just gave up and died the moment she saw what kind of spawn had come out of her.

"Shut up!" Apple Bloom screeched, knocking Diamond Tiara's hoof away. "Stop talkin' 'bout my ma!" Apple Bloom's eyes hardened into a glare, but the effect was offset by her lower jaw wobbling. "Sh-she was ten times the mare you'll ever be!"

Silver Spoon gave a scoff of her own and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure she was. That's why she died. You didn't live up to her standards."

"Or any standards for that matter," Diamond Tiara cackled. "Your nursemaid should have just put you down the moment she saw you!" Diamond Tiara reached out her hoof again. "I mean, just look at you!"

Apple Bloom let out a growl as Diamond Tiara's hoof reached out to her, and she swing her own hoof, batting Diamond's away. The force of the blow knocked Diamond's hoof into the fence, causing Diamond to flinch back.

"Ow!" Diamond glared at Apple Bloom and looked down at the red mark on her hoof. "That hurt you worthless spawn!"

"Hurt?" Apple Bloom's entire face twisted into a snarl, and she slowly pushed herself to her hooves. "That didn't hurt, you stupid, stuck up bitch."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both gasped in unison, their eyes widening. "W-what did you just call me?" Diamond whispered.

"She called you the B word, DT!" Silver Spoon blinked once and alternated her glances between her friend and Apple Bloom. "She called you the B word!"

"My daddy is going to hear all about this!" Diamond Tiara snarled. She stomped closer to Apple Bloom and poked her chest. "You are going to be in so much--"

Diamond's words were cut off when Apple Bloom's hoof smashed into her muzzle knocking her off her hooves. Diamond Tiara hit the dirt, and her tiara flew off of her head, bouncing on the ground before landing a few hooves away. Diamond Tiara squealed and clutched at her muzzle, which was dripping blood.

"Ah told ya ta stop talkin', you stupid fuck!" Apple Bloom moved over to Diamond Tiara and put a hoof on her head. "Ah told ya ta leave me alone!"

Diamond Tiara whimpered, and tears began to fall from her eyes, mixing with the blood running down her muzzle.

"Muh-muh-my d-d-daddy is gonna h-have you arrested!" Diamond curled into a ball and pushed Apple Bloom's hoof away. "Y-you're g-g-gonna wish you had never b-been born!"

"Ah told you ta stop talkin'!" Apple Bloom shrieked. "Yer done threatenin' ME"

Apple Bloom grabbed Diamond Tiara's foreleg in her mouth and pulled it away from her head. Seeing her opening, Apple Bloom began repeatedly smashing her hoof onto Diamond's head. The blows brought forth more blood and shrieks from her helpless victim, who was flailing on the ground, trying to get away from the vicious assault. She managed to wiggle her foreleg out of Apple Bloom's mouth, revealing tiny, bloody bite marks where Apple Bloom had latched on. Now that nothing was trapping her, Diamond began wiggling away from Apple Bloom's blows towards Silver Spoon, who could only watch on in horror.

Seeing her victim escaping, Apple Bloom hopped over Diamond Tiara to cut off her escape route, and brought her hoof down one more time on Diamond Tiara's neck. Diamond's whole body spasmed, and a weak gurgle escaped from her throat.

Then she was still.

Apple Bloom stared down at the body of the pony who used to be her greatest torment. There was no mistaking it in her mind. The way her head was bleeding, the way her eyes and mouth were slightly cracked open, and the way that her chest didn't rise and fall left no doubt that Diamond Tiara was dead.

Apple Bloom's glare faded away, and her mouth curved up in a subtle smile. Never before had she felt such power. She felt like she could buck every apple in Sweet Apple Acres in an hour. She gently poked at the corpse of her bully, and gave an amused scoff when it didn't move.

"Y'all ain't gonna be mean ta me no more, are ya? Yer just gonna lie there like a dead dog." Apple Bloom shook her head, her smile widening a little more. "Like the dog ya are."

As Apple Bloom stared at the body, she registered a noise behind her. It sounded like sniffling. She swiveled her ear in that direction, and realized that it was Silver Spoon who was whimpering. The anger coursed through Apple Bloom again, and the glare crossed her face again. Spoon was just as guilty as her friend. She was just as evil. With a growl, Apple Bloom put all of her weight on her forehooves, and snapped out with her back legs, relishing the feeling of her hooves connecting with Silver Spoon. She heard Spoon squeal in pain, and she turned around to see that she had been knocked back a good three or four hooves. Spoon managed to gain her bearings and look up at Apple Bloom just in time to see her former victim charging at her, the same venom and fire in her eyes that she had when she had killed Diamond. Silver squealed, shot to her hooves, and began running towards the schoolhouse and the safety of her teacher.

Just as she was about to reach the door, Apple Bloom slammed into her in a diving tackle that sent them both to the ground. Silver Spoon's head hit the door frame of the schoolhouse. Before she could so much as move, Apple Bloom grabbed her head and began repeatedly bashing it into the ground. Silver Spoon couldn't even scream because of the pain, but Apple Bloom kept going until her bully was still.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath and slid off of Silver Spoon's body, the powerful feeling having returned full force. She smiled again and cracked her neck. "Y'all ain't gonna hurt me no more. Y'all are done makin' fun of me."

"Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom's eyes widened, and she looked up to see Cheerilee standing in the doorway of the schoolhouse, staring straight at her with unblinking eyes.

Apple Bloom took a step backwards and flattened her ears. "Uh... Ms. Cheerilee, Ah can explain..."

"Apple Bloom? Are you okay?" Cheerilee frowned and tilted her head. "Did you not hear me?"

Apple Bloom blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was inside the classroom, surrounded by her schoolmates. She quietly inhaled, and looked around. Cheerilee was looking at her in the same way as before, as were most of her other classmates. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were sitting beside each other, whispering about something.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

She had wanted to hurt them. To kill them. If the daydream was anything to go by, it would have felt... amazing. Apple Bloom's stomach twisted into a million knots, and her lower jaw began quivering. She had wanted to hurt them.

"Apple Bloom?" Apple Bloom turned her head back to Cheerilee whose look of confusion had turned to one of concern. "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"

"Ah..." Apple Bloom blinked and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "Ah... Ah gotta go to the bathroom."

Without waiting for Cheerilee's response, Apple Bloom slid off of her desk and ran towards the school bathroom. A single sob escaped her throat just as she left the room. She had no illusions that it had gone unheard, but she didn't care. She just had to leave.

She reached the school bathroom and ran inside, slamming the door behind her and curling up under the sinks. Confident that she had a little privacy, she completely broke down. Tears streamed down her face, and she didn't even bother trying to wipe them away.

"Ah don't wanna hurt nopony," Apple Bloom whimpered between sobs. "Ah don't even w-wanna hurt them! Ah just want them ta leave me alone!"

Apple Bloom found herself wishing that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were in school, but Scootaloo had been sick for the past week and Sweetie Belle was in Manehattan with her sister. She was alone. If she wanted to deal with the abuse that her bullies dealt out, she would have to do it without the support of her best friends.

As Apple Bloom lay under the sinks sobbing, she heard the door to the bathroom open, and saw Cheerilee walk into the bathroom, looking around for her student.

"Apple Bloom?" Cheerilee shut the door behind her and looked into an empty stall. "Apple Bloom? Can I talk to you? I've sent your classmates out to recess, so this will be private."

Apple Bloom sniffled, something that Cheerilee didn't miss. She turned around and sat down in front of the sinks, locking eyes with Apple Bloom. She reached out a hoof and gently placed it on Apple Bloom's shoulder.

"It's okay," she said softly. "You're okay, Apple Bloom. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Apple Bloom sniffled again and wiped her eyes. "Ah... Ah'm a bad pony, Ms. Cheerilee."

"Now don't you say that, Apple Bloom!" Cheerilee opened her forelegs, and Apple Bloom went into her embrace. "You are one of the most kind, happy, and good ponies that I have ever had the honor of teaching. You are the farthest thing from a bad pony."

"B-but... Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon make me so mad!" Apple Bloom nuzzled into Cheerilee's chest as her teacher began stroking her mane. "Ah don't wanna be mad at them, but Ah am! Ah..." Apple Bloom wiped her eyes as the tears began brimming again. "Ah have thought sometimes. Bad feelin's 'bout hurtin' them."

"Hurting them?" Cheerilee frowned and tilted her head. "What do you mean hurting them, Apple Bloom?"

"Ah have thoughts of them teasin' me. Ah mean really teasin' me bad. Talkin' 'bout mah ma and sayin' she died because of me. Then..." Apple Bloom's lower jaw wobbled, and she put her forehooves over her eyes. "Then Ah hit them. Ah hit them both so much that... it kills them, Ms. Cheerilee. Then Ah feel real good, like strong or somethin'." Apple Bloom sniffled and looked up at her teacher. "Am Ah a bad pony, Ms. Cheerilee?"

"Apple Bloom..." Cheerilee slowly took a deep breath and continued stroking Apple Bloom's mane, but her expression was blank. "No, I do not think that you are a bad pony. However, these are not good thoughts that you have, and I think that you need help. You don't want those thoughts, do you?"

Apple Bloom's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "No, Ms. Cheerilee! Ah don't want 'em! Ah feel like a bad pony whenever Ah have 'em!"

"Apple Bloom, like I said, you are not a bad pony, but you do need help to get rid of these thoughts." Cheerilee gently put Apple Bloom down and stood up. "If you want then you could go see the school counselor about it. I'm sure that he would be more than willing to give you advice on what to do about it."

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes again and took a deep, shaky breath. "Okay, Ms. Cheerilee. If ya think that would help."

"I do." Cheerilee led Apple Bloom out of the bathroom and pointed her towards a hallway that she had never been down before. "The counselor will be able to help you, I think. He's a very nice pony, and he wants what's best for all of the students at this school."

"Okay." Apple Bloom lowered her head and flattened her ears. "Ah'm sorry, Ms. Cheerilee. Ah don't mean to be a bother to nopony or nothin'."

"You are not a bother, Apple Bloom. Never believe that." Cheerilee stopped in front of a doorway that read "School Counselor" and turned to Apple Bloom. "You just have some scars inflicted by two nasty ponies. I will be sure to talk to them about it. Before I do, just give me a few minutes to talk to the counselor. I want to let him know what's going on."

"Okay."

Cheerilee nodded and pushed the door open. Apple Bloom heard her greet the pony on the other side before the door closed behind her and the conversation became muffled. Apple Bloom sat down against the wall opposite the door and poked at the floor, her ears and bow flat. The thought crossed her mind that maybe she should run, that seeing this counselor was a bad idea. A sinking feeling began creeping up in her chest, and it got worse when she looked up at the counselor's door.

She could run. Maybe she could go back to her house and explain everything to Applejack. Then Applejack would help her. Maybe her friends too.

Before she could think any further about it, the door to the counselor's office opened, and Cheerilee came out. "Okay, Apple Bloom, the school counselor is ready to see you."

Apple Bloom nodded and pushed herself to her hooves. She walked towards the counselor's office, but was stopped when she felt Cheerilee put a hoof on her back.

"Feel better, okay, Apple Bloom?"

"Yeah." Apple Bloom sighed and nodded again. "Yeah, Ah'll do that."

Cheerilee gave a nod of her own and walked back down the hallway to her students, allowing Apple Bloom to walk into the counselor's office. Inside was a gray earth pony with a notepad cutie mark, sitting on a swivel chair and jotting down a few things in a notebook. He turned his head when he saw Apple Bloom walk in, and he smiled at her.

"Ah, you must be Apple Bloom." He extended a hoof and Apple Bloom shook it. "Take a seat." Apple Bloom saw a plush armchair opposite the counselor, and she hopped up on it. "My name is Mind Helper. I understand you have some bad thoughts about some of your classmates? Can you tell me about those?"

"Yeah, Ah guess." Apple Bloom lowered her gaze to the ground. "Ah have two classmates that are real mean ta me. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. They say nasty things ta me all the time like how Ah don't have a cutie mark. They're mean ta me and mah friends 'bout that."

"I see. And that gives you bad thoughts?"

"Yeah." Apple Bloom bit her lip and twitched one ear. "Ah have thoughts sometimes 'bout hurtin' them. Even callin' them some pretty bad things."

"Hurting them how?"

"Like hittin' them. A lot. Hittin' them so much that they..." A single tear streaked down Apple Bloom's face, and she sniffled. "So much that they die."

"You kill them in these fantasies?" Mind Helper grunted, and Apple Bloom heard him writing on his notepad. "How does that make you feel?"

"In these thoughts, it makes me feel real good. Powerful, ya know? They can't be mean ta me no more." Apple Bloom wiped an eye with a foreleg. "But when I get out of 'em, Ah feel real bad. Ah had one today and went into the bathroom cryin'."

"I see." Mind Helper cleared his throat, and Apple Bloom glanced up at him. All traces of the smile he had were gone, replaced by a slight frown. "Now this is an important question, Apple Bloom: do you think that you could ever act on those fantasies? Would you ever hurt Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon like that?"

"Ah..." Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck. "Ah dunno. If they really, really, really pushed me far and Ah had already had a bad day then maybe. It'd be a, what does Rarity call it, a perfect storm, or somethin' like that?"

"Hmm..." Mind Helper put his pencil down and leaned back in his chair, his forelegs crossed. "Apple Bloom, do you know what an M-1 hold is?"

Apple Bloom looked up at Mind Helper and frowned, her head slightly tilted. "Uh... no, Ah don't. Is it somethin' bad?"

"Well, maybe, maybe not." Mind Helper cleared his throat and stood up from his chair. "Basically we would transport you to a hospital to put you under a seventy two hour hold to make sure that you wouldn't do anything bad."

Apple Bloom gasped, and she shot to her hooves, reaching one out to Mind Helper. "B-but Ah ain't like that! Ah don't wanna hurt nopony!"

"Apple Bloom, this is merely precautionary. It's not definite, but I need to talk to some ponies about doing it. If they don't agree with my idea, then we won't transport you and you'll just need to come see me once or twice a week."

Apple Bloom whimpered and laid down on the chair to curl into a ball. "But Ah don't wanna hurt nopony. Can Ah just see you?"

"I'll talk to a few ponies about it. Just give me a few moments." Mind Helper walked out of his office, leaving Apple Bloom alone. Apple Bloom squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head with her forelegs.

"Ah don't wanna be a bad pony," she whined. "Ah don't wanna hurt nopony." She took a deep breath and thought back to her sister and her sister's friends, wondering what they would do if they were here. "Pinkie Pie... Pinkie Pie would tell me to giggle at the ghosties, maybe. She'd laugh and try ta make me not feel so bad. Applejack would hug me and tell me that everythin's gonna be okay. She might even tell them not to take me away. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would help Applejack with that." Apple Bloom whimpered again and nuzzled into the seat of the chair. "Ah just wanna go home."

The door to the office opened, and Apple Bloom looked up to see Mind Helper walk in. He walked over to his chair and sat down on it, his expression grim.

"Okay, we are going to transport you. I have a police officer coming to take you to the hospital where they'll talk to you about what you're thinking. You'll just go to Ponyville General first, then maybe an actual mental health facility if the psych staff feels that it necessary."

At the news that she was going to be taken, Apple Bloom's mouth curved up in a smile, and a single laugh escaped her throat. Mind Helper raised an eyebrow and tilted his head as Apple Bloom laughed again. The floodgates burst open, and Apple Bloom continued laughing, her laughter echoing through the room.

"Er... why are you laughing, Apple Bloom? I don't really think that this is funny."

"It ain't..." Apple Bloom giggled before taking a deep breath and looking up at Mind Helper. "It's what mah friend Pinkie Pie would do. She laughs when she's scared so that what's happenin' doesn't feel so scary no more."

"I see." Mind Helper gave a single nod. "Yes, I know Pinkie Pie. That is what she'd do, I think."

The door to the office opened again, and Apple Bloom saw a police officer walk in. He smiled at Apple Bloom and extended a hoof which Apple Bloom shook. "Good afternoon, Apple Bloom. My name is Storm Chaser. I'll be taking you to the hospital today."

"Okay." Apple Bloom giggled again and nodded. "Okay."

Storm Chaser raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Mind Helper who grimaced. "She's not laughing because she thinks this is funny, it's more of a coping mechanism."

"Ah." Storm Chaser nodded. "Yes, that makes sense." He turned his attention back to Apple Bloom. "Okay, we should get going. I'm sorry, Apple Bloom, but protocol says that I have to hoofcuff you. It's not because you're a criminal or anything like that, it's just that I have to do it for everybody."

Instantly Apple Bloom's laughter died, and she looked up at Storm Chaser with wide eyes. "N-no! Ah ain't no criminal! C-can we do this without those? Ah don't wanna..."

"I'm sorry, Apple Bloom, but like I said, this is protocol. You're not a criminal. This is just officer safety protocol."

"We'll be taking you out of the back entrance," Mind Helper said. "Don't worry. None of your classmates are going to see it."

"They'll be taken off the moment we get to the hospital, I promise." Storm Chaser ignited his horn and slipped a pair of hoofcuffs off of his belt. "But I'm afraid that I have no choice in the matter. I don't like doing it, Apple Bloom, and if I didn't have to I most certainly wouldn't."

"Okay..." Apple Bloom slid off of the chair and squeezed her eyes shut. "Just don't make 'em too tight or keep 'em on too long."

"I definitely won't."

Apple Bloom held her breath as she felt the hoofcuffs get closer. Despite herself, she let out a single whimper as she felt them placed over her forelegs. She felt Storm Chaser check them by gently tugging on the chain between the cuffs. They didn't move an inch.

"Okay, the worst part about that's over Apple Bloom. We'll just get you into the wagon, to the hospital, and then I'll take them right off." Apple Bloom opened one eye and saw Storm Chaser ignite his horn. She was lifted off of the ground and put on his back. "This won't take very long, I promise."

"Okay," Apple Bloom whispered.

Mind Helper walked up to Apple Bloom and gently patted her on the head, a small, sympathetic smile on his face. "You're going to be okay, Apple Bloom. I'm sorry that all of this is happening to you, but I do feel that it is necessary. I wouldn't do it otherwise."

"Ah know. Yer just doin' yer job." Apple Bloom glanced down at her forelegs, and flinched when she saw the hoofcuffs on them. "Ah'll try ta be brave."

"I'm sure you will be." Mind Helper rubbed Apple Bloom's back. "I'm sure you will be."

"Well, we gotta go now," Storm Chaser said. "I'll get her to the hospital safe and sound."

"I understand." Mind Helper moved back to his chair and picked up his pencil. "I'll speak to you later."

"Alright."

With that, Storm Chaser walked back out of the door, being careful not to jostle Apple Bloom too much. He walked further down the hallway that they had come down to the back entrance of the school. When they reached it, the officer pushed it open and walked outside. Apple Bloom looked up and saw a police wagon with no windows parked just outside of the school. She flattened her ears and did her best to cover her head with her forelegs. Storm Chaser ignited his horn and opened up the back doors to the wagon before lifting Apple Bloom into the air and placing her on the floor.

"Okay, this is only a five minute ride, alright? We'll get to the hospital and I'll take your hoofcuffs off immediately." Storm Chaser closed the doors of the wagon, locking Apple Bloom inside.

Apple Bloom crawled over to a bench inside of the wagon and positioned herself under it as the wagon began moving. As it went towards the hospital, Apple Bloom thought about her family and her fellow Crusaders. If only they could see her now: chained up and in the back of a police wagon like a criminal. A psychopath. A bad pony.

"No other kind of pony has this happen to her," Apple Bloom muttered. "Ah... Ah'm a bad pony. Ah don't wanna hurt nopony, though."

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom felt the wagon stop, and she heard Storm Chaser moving to the back of the wagon. The doors opened, and Apple Bloom could see Ponyville General behind him. She moved out from under the bench and Storm Chaser lifted her out of the wagon.

"Alright, Apple Bloom, I promised these stupid things would come off, and I'm keeping that promise." Storm Chaser lit his horn and a key came from off his belt. He inserted it into the lock of Apple Bloom's hoofcuffs, and they came right off. Apple Bloom rubbed the place where the hoofcuffs were. Somehow she could still feel them on her. "Alright, that's better, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Apple Bloom muttered.

"Good. Let's get inside, then."

Apple Bloom followed Storm Chaser into the emergency room of the hospital, where a receptionist was behind a desk. She looked up when she saw Apple Bloom and Storm Chaser walk in and smiled at the two of them.

"Hello," Storm Chaser said when they reached the desk, "I'm here to check her in." He motioned to Apple Bloom. "It's for a hold."

The receptionist nodded and took a few pieces of paper out of a blue folder. "Alright, I just need you to fill out these forms and we'll get you checked in."

"Er..." Apple Bloom looked up at the clipboard the receptionist was holding. "Don't Ah need ta be a little older ta fill these out myself?"

"This is just basic preliminary check-in paperwork showing that you know why you're here. Foals your age can fill this out if capable. If you were somehow incapable of answering these basic questions, we'd wait until your guardians arrived." The receptionist picked up a small stack of blue forms and showed them to Apple Bloom. "We'll give some more to your guardians who I'm sure the school has contacted by now. Those deals with things like your rights and the next steps. They'll likely go over it with you and then sign it themselves."

The receptionist put the papers on a clipboard and levitated the clipboard and a pen to Apple Bloom. She took the pen in her mouth and sat down on the floor to fill out the paperwork. Date of birth, current date, and a signature stating that she knew why she was there.

When she was done, Apple Bloom gave the clipboard to the receptionist, who exchanged it with a foreleg band that she secured to Apple Bloom's foreleg. "Alright, just go on back and we'll take care of you okay?"

Storm Chaser nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

Storm Chaser led Apple Bloom through a set of double doors, where several doctors and nurses were moving about. One of them was waiting behind a desk, and Storm Chaser led Apple Bloom to the desk. The doctor smiled down at her and pointed to a chair beside the desk.

"Hello," the doctor said as Apple Bloom sat on the chair. "Your name is Apple Bloom?" Apple Bloom nodded and the doctor nodded back. "Alright, I just need to take your blood pressure really fast, then we'll get you into a room."

The doctor wrapped a black foreleg band around the upper half of Apple Bloom's foreleg and began pushing down on a pump that inflated the band. After a few seconds the band deflated, and the doctor jotted down Apple Bloom's blood pressure on a clipboard.

"Alright, that's done with. We'll get you a hospital gown and your room." The doctor got off of his chair and Storm Chaser tilted his head in a small bow.

"I guess that's my cue to leave." He gently patted Apple Bloom's head and gave her a small smile. "Feel better, okay?"

Apple Bloom lowered her head and shrugged. "Maybe."

"Alright, just come this way, Apple Bloom." The doctor gave a nod of his own to Storm Chaser before leading Apple Bloom through the hospital. He led her to a small room covered only by a curtain and opened the curtain, revealing some medical equipment and a bed. He pointed towards the bed which had a hospital gown on it. Apple Bloom hopped onto the bed and slipped the gown on. At the doctor's request she hopped onto the bed.

"Okay, so I just need to ask you a few questions." The doctor took a notepad and pen out of his front pocket. "Are you carrying any weapons or sharp objects?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "No."

"Okay. Today's date?"

"Tuesday the eleventh."

"Who rules the land?"

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

"Good." The doctor finished writing down her answers before putting the notepad back in his coat pocket. "Now, I'm sorry, but I am going to have to take your bow."

Apple Bloom squeaked and covered her head, blocking the bow from his sight. "No! That was mah ma's! She gave it to me just before she died!"

The doctor grimaced and put a hoof on the bed next to Apple Bloom. "I'm sorry, Apple Bloom, but it's protocol. Based on your reason for admittance, we have to cover all possibilities. We need to make sure you aren't going to hurt anypony with it, yourself included."

"How could Ah hurt anypony with mah bow?!" Apple Bloom scooted a few inches away from the doctor. "It's just a bow!"

"You'd be surprised how ponies manage to hurt themselves with mundane objects." The doctor sighed and shook his head. "I used to be an army doctor-slash-psychologist. I've seen ponies try to hang themselves with ribbon not unlike yours or stab themselves with pencils. It's just a precaution that the state requires us to take in a situation like this. You're going to get it right back once this is all over. I promise. We'll take good care of it."

Apple Bloom whimpered and gently caressed her bow. "Ah don't wanna."

"I'm sorry, but you have to. I don't want to be forceful about it, but if you could cooperate, this will go easier for the both of us."

"Okay," Apple Bloom said in a tiny voice. "Okay."

Slowly Apple Bloom grabbed one of the ends of her bow in the crook of her foreleg and pulled, undoing the knot. The doctor extended his foreleg, and Apple Bloom hoofed him the untied bow. The doctor inclined his head and put the bow in his front pocket.

"I'll make sure this is well taken care of, Apple Bloom. You don't have to worry about this getting lost or damaged, I promise." Apple Bloom turned on the bed until her back was to the doctor, her forelegs covering her head. She heard the doctor sigh and walk out of the room, covering the entrance of the room with the curtain.

"Ah don't wanna hurt nopony, even me," Apple Bloom whispered. "Ah..." Her tears returned, and she wiped them away with the edge of the pillowcase. "Ah just wanna go home."

And so Apple Bloom laid on the bed, unmoving, thinking about everything that she had lost. She wondered if it would have been better if she had just said nothing at all, and left her thoughts to herself. Maybe she should have asked Applejack or Big Mac for help. They wouldn't have done this to her. They wouldn't see her like an evil pony. They'd actually help her.

It was half an hour before Apple Bloom heard the curtain being pulled back again, and somepony walk into the room. She raised her head and looked back to see a police officer walk in, a folder underneath his wing. He walked up to Apple Bloom and put the folder on the bed.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Bloom. I'm here representing the school board." The officer took two pieces of paper and a pen out of the folder. "Based on what you told Ms. Cheerilee and Mr. Mind Helper, the school board has seen fit to ban you from the premises. Ms. Tiara and Ms. Spoon have been informed about what you said regarding them as well. Should you be seen back on school grounds you will be arrested, is that clear?"

"Ah..." Apple Bloom blinked once and looked down at the papers. "Uh... what?"

The officer closed the folder and put the papers on top, pushing them and the pen over to her. "I just need you to sign these saying that you understand that you are not to have contact with Ms. Tiara or Ms. Spoon, and that you are not allowed on school grounds anymore under penalty of arrest in both cases."

"Ah..." Apple Bloom's lower jaw quivered for what seemed like the tenth time that day, and she began scanning the papers. "W-what about me goin' back ta school? Ah can't miss too much or Ah’ll really fall behind."

The officer clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Yeah, don't expect to be doing that anymore. The school board is taking this quite seriously. You don't have to sign these papers, but it would be best if you did."

A single sob escaped Apple Bloom's lips, but she took the pen in her mouth and signed the bottom lines on both documents. The officer nodded and put one of the papers on the counter near the bed before putting the other one and the pen back in the folder. With his work done, the officer put the folder back under his wing and walked out of the room.

Now alone, the tears began flowing freely from Apple Bloom's eyes, and she collapsed back down on the pillow. Her tears stained the pillow and she began audibly sobbing, her cries filling the room.

"Ah... Ah'm sorry!" she wailed between sobs. "Ah just didn't wanna be angry no more! Ah just didn't wanna be angry!"

Author's Notes:

Based on a true story. Everything presented here happened to me. I'm not trying to present it as fair or right, but this is actually how it all went down. No exaggeration.