Something I've noticed about Applebloom

[Unicorn Coffee 204]

Okay, bear with me.

 

Let's start with her family. She has two caanonically dead parents in a world where everypony dies (most likely) from natural causes. They had to have had a premature death, as Granny Smith is still alive. Her sister Applejack leaves constantly on adventures with her friends, and it has been expressed in the show that they are extremely close, yet are seperated constantly. When Applejack is not doing something with the mane six, she is most likely working on the farm.

 

This gives Applebloom two consistant caretakers: Big Mac, and Granny Smith. More likely than not, Big Mac spends most of his time working the fields, as Applejack is away often. In addition, Mac is very silent, so extended conversation seems unlikely. That leaves Granny Smith, who, if you don't just assume is senile, sleeps through most of her day. So, the ponies closest to her, her family, which is allegedly the most important thing to the apples, ignore her constantly.

 

And her friends, the CMC, all get much more attention to her. Now, Scootaloo, even if she isn't sad, says that she always looks so, when not trying to look otherwise. And Sweetie Belle lives with her parents, meaning she is obviously well taken care of. As for Scoots, I have no real additional argument, but seeing others being sad can rub off on you. But before she met them, she seems to have not had any friends, and desperately sought attention by doing virtually anything that came up.

 

Also, she, even before meeting Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, was constantly bullied by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Meaning she was, and maybe still is, pushed to think of herself as less than them them. In addition, again noting that family is allegedly the most important part of tthe apple family, she was even bullied by her own cousin.

 

And, the obvious, she has no idea what her special talent is, in a place where finding what makes you special is insanely important.

 

Okay, so: Applebloom:

Has no parents

Has no family to reliably communicate with

Is effectivly ignored by said family

Has no real goals in life

Has two best friends who both effectively get more attention than her

Is bullied, even by her own family

Is unable to do the one thing that her society mandates that she should do

Had no friends for the longest time

 

 

So what I'm saying is, this sounds like the most depressing possible existance to have in a world such as equeatria. This is keeping in mind that she is a small child, and consistantly remmains brave andd optomistic despite this.

 

Thinking about this just makes me want to givee her a huge hug...

[PsychedelicPony 440]

So so sad, I wanna give Applebloom the biggest hug.

[applejock 358]

The more ignored a child is, the stronger they will grow up to become. AB is the leader of the CMC (despite what you drewling Scoots fans are starting to claim) since S1, she formed them, and brought the three of them together. Leadership is a lonely spot, and she is aware of this. Despite the claims her family spends little time with her, the reality MIGHT be her sister relationship with her kin is enough for her. All siblings are differnt, but in the end, they love one another.

[XxConfusedUnicornxX 834]

*Sees this post* *cries in a corner*

[silvadel 1,393]

Apple Bloom is gearing up to eventually be the greatest pony alchemist they have ever produced.  Her failures were epic.  Her successes are dramatic.  She has improved a ton since she (and the rest of the CMC) decided to apply themselves in the latter part of twilight time.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Hmmm...

 

...never thought of it like that...

 

Now, I don't see her as being bullied by her family. They care about her a lot; they care about each other a lot. AJ is away a lot, though, just like Big Mac is silent and Granny Smith is senile, I don't see any bullying by her family taking place.

 

But wow, man...Apple Bloom respect +100% 

 

[deadprofile 1,122]

I don't really see Apple Bloom having an extremely depressing existence.  

 

There is no real apparent argument to show that Applejack is away a lot.  The show does not present time progression very well, and we cannot assume that each episode where Applejack is a part of the story in some way happens one day after the last episode.

As far as the other family goes,

Granny Smith is not senile, and as far as show presents, is very very knowledgeable but has some exaggerated quirks that are presented heavily in necessary episodes. In other words, she can't always be "off her rocker", or else the Apple Farm would not be sustained due to Big Mac and Applejack constantly caring for her and not the farm. Plus, she has an afternoon nap...that is the only nap we know of, and by the looks of it, Granny Smith keeps the house neat and clean. She plays her part within the family dynamics as the secondary mother, as she should be doing....with a few old person/pony quirks....

Big Mac is quite. Yes....but so is my husband. He rarely talks, and when he does it's short, sweet, to the point. He only speaks when it is deemed necessary.  His father talks even less. But because I've been around them for a long time now, I can understand them (for he most part), and have conversations and verbal interactions even if they do not say much. Being around them a lot has given me a greater understanding of how they are, whereas I get asked all the time how I can I hope to keep a marriage going with a man who says little to nothing (in front of them). I just tell them, "you don't know him like I do."  Apple Bloom knows Big Mac a lot better than we, as the audience knows.

Applejack and Apple Bloom have been shown to work a lot together. Just look at Sisterhooves Social. They operate like one unit, knowing the most practical way to team up on any given task. It takes practice and constant working together to be able to do that with anyone. This has also been shown in other episodes. Just because Applejack may always be working, does not mean that Apple Bloom is not there with her. Besides, sisters can't be close if they are never together and these two have shown to be very close (it's not just words).

As far as the other CMC go, Apple Bloom is to the CMC how Applejack is to Mane 6. She is the level-headed voice of reason among the trio, albeit an immature one (she's not the wisest). She seems to have legitimate goals within the ramifications of her age. In fact, she is immensely ambitious, being the strongest of the three when it comes to trying new things (to get her cutie mark). Prior to the Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo coming into the picture of her life, Twist was her friend. And because there are not many episodes dealing with the CMC and their daily lives, we cannot prove nor deny the fact Apple Bloom may still be friends with Twist (but because she already has her cutie mark has no need to be in the CMC, and thus is not active with the the CMC). 

 

Now I'm not trying to deny anything presented thus far before my post, but I'm just trying to bring about a bit of logical perspective.

 

Either way you look at it, how can you deny her the most lovable hug!

[Everleaf 541]

Nooo I wanna hug her now need the hug of joy XD

[ShadOBabe 19,002]

 

 

Is bullied, even by her own family

 

I'm kind of confused by this.

Applebloom isn't bullied by her family.

Unless you're talking about Babs, but that stopped and they're best friends now.

[Anilewe 2,178]

I don't buy that.

 

I'm sorry, but that part about her family bullying her was just stupid. While I can't say too much about Granny Smith and Big Macintosh - we saw so many times how close she is with Applejack. They work together, they play together, Apple Bloom probably spent a lot of time with Applejack when she was little. Granny Smith was rather too old to always look after her and Big Mac, because of being a stallion and the oldest one of them had to work on a farm. Sure, Applejack is stubborn and we often see how she helps around the farm, but when their parents died she was probably not old enough to do as many chores as her brother, so she probably had to spend time with Apple Bloom. It was shown in a cartoon that their bond is really strong and AJ would never abandon a member of her family. She's good in organising time and I see no reason to believe that she was leaving AB alone. Ever.

 

And considering that this week episode is going to be about Applejack being overprotective, it really sounds like a stupid idea. Applejack has a tendency to worry about her family and friends more than about herself, so she'd rather die of exhaustion than leave Apple Bloom, when she needs her the most.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Anilewe

[AppleGearRising 526]

I'm sorry, but that part about her family bullying her was just stupid. While I can't say too much about Granny Smith and Big Macintosh - we saw so many times how close she is with Applejack. They work together, they play together, Apple Bloom probably spent a lot of time with Applejack when she was little. Granny Smith was rather too old to always look after her and Big Mac, because of being a stallion and the oldest one of them had to work on a farm. Sure, Applejack is stubborn and we often see how she helps around the farm, but when their parents died she was probably not old enough to do as many chores as her brother, so she probably had to spend time with Apple Bloom. It was shown in a cartoon that their bond is really strong and AJ would never abandon a member of her family. She's good in organising time and I see no reason to believe that she was leaving AB alone.

 

And considering that this week episode is going to be about Applejack's overprotectivness, it really sounds like a stupid idea. Applejack has a tendency to worry about her family and friends more than about herself, so she'd rather die of exhaustion than leave Apple Bloom, when she needs her the most.

I think you might have misunderstood what he was saying there. In those points he listed at the end there where it said "Is bullied, even by her own family" he was referring solely to Babs Seed. I don't think he meant for there to be any implication of neglect on the part of her close family, just the fact that because they are working all the time Applebloom won't necessarily be looked after as much as the others :/

 

The more ignored a child is, the stronger they will grow up to become. AB is the leader of the CMC (despite what you drewling Scoots fans are starting to claim) since S1, she formed them, and brought the three of them together. Leadership is a lonely spot, and she is aware of this. Despite the claims her family spends little time with her, the reality MIGHT be her sister relationship with her kin is enough for her. All siblings are differnt, but in the end, they love one another.

It's like the old saying: "Suffering builds character" and Applebloom is one hell of a personality

Edited March 4, 2014 by AppleGearRising

[Anilewe 2,178]

I think you might have misunderstood what he was saying there. In those points he listed at the end there where it said "Is bullied, even by her own family" he was referring solely to Babs Seed. I don't think he meant for there to be any implication of neglect on the part of her close family, just the fact that because they are working all the time Applebloom won't necessarily be looked after as much as the others :/

 

The situation with Babs was very specific and in the end they ended as close friends, so I don't think that it's a good example. And as I said - Applejack is good at organising time. We never saw in the show that she left someone alone with a problem. She was always ready to help, no matter if it was her friend, Ponyville's citizens or her family. She cares about everypony too much. Sure, she has a lot of work, but I refuse to believe that because of that Apple Bloom would ever feel alone. Besides, her family works so hard, because they care about Apple Bloom and want to give her what is the best. To give her home, food, education, etc.  

Edited March 4, 2014 by Anilewe

[AppleGearRising 526]

The situation with Babs was very specific and in the end they ended as close friends, so I don't think that it's a good example. And as I said - Applejack is good in organising time. We never saw in the show that she left someone alone with a problem. She was always ready to help, no matter if it was her friend, Ponyville's citizens or her family. She cares about everypony too much. Sure, she has a lot of work, but I refuse to believe that because of that Apple Bloom would ever feel alone. Besides, her family works so hard because of her. They care about her and want to give her what is the best. To give her home, food, education, etc.

Hmm, no that's true enough we always see that Applebloom has a pretty positive disposition about her which does technically counteract the argument. However I think the point of this post was to generate sympathy for Applebloom in light of the circumstances that she's been through rather than label her as being a depressed/depressing character.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

Okay, so: Applebloom:

Has no parents

 

It's tragic yes, but this doesn't necessarily mean she is miserable either. Her parents most likely passed away when Apple Bloom was too young to even remember to them. She doesn't know what it's like to have a mother or father in some respects, but AJ, Big Mac, and Granny Smith all fill that void when you consider just how happy Apple Bloom is with her life and kin.

 

 

Has no family to reliably communicate with

 

How so? Granny Smith is always at home. As kooky as she is, she is far from senile and is actually brimming with a lot of wisdom and experience. And although Applejack and Big Mac do a lot of hard work, they know that making time for their friends and family is every bit as pivotal as their chores. Remember, Apple Bloom has to attend school too, and that's likely the time of day when AJ and Big Mac do the most work. Apple Bloom also loves pitching in and helping her siblings whenever need be. The Apples are very close-knit and do practically everything as one big unit.

 

 

Is effectivly ignored by said family

 

I've never seen Apple Bloom get ignored by her family. If anything, Applejack is incredibly protective of Apple Bloom to the point where she can even be a little bit suffocating. Granny Smith has been shown to spend quality time with Apple Bloom as well, such as in Family Appreciation Day.

 

 

Has no real goals in life

 

Finding her cutie mark isn't a real goal? She's just a filly, so she has plenty of time to make goals. Finding her special talent first would help put her in the right direction.

 

 

Has two best friends who both effectively get more attention than her

 

I don't ever recall seeing Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle get showered with more attention than Apple Bloom.

 

 

Is bullied, even by her own family

 

Was bullied. She no longer is. Remember how happy Apple Bloom and Babs Seed were to see each other in Apple Family Reunion? Hardly the earmarks of an abusive family relationship.

 

 

Is unable to do the one thing that her society mandates that she should do

 

She isn't alone on that, as Babs, Sweetie, and Scoots still need their cutie marks too. Everypony gets one at some point.

 

 

Had no friends for the longest time

 

Wasn't she friends with Twist?

 

I think that the context shows that Apple Bloom is very content with what she has in her life. Does this seem like a sad filly to you?

 

 

We can still initiate the hugs though.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Sugar Cube

[Jammo 986]

Seeing as how we didn't see her parents when AJ left for Manehattan I assumed Bloom was a foal at this point.

She wouldn't have been smart enough to understand her parents death. Applebloom is probably used to having no mom or dad. Not to sound insensitive but she'd have no memories or attachment to them. At least not enough to really grieve.

 

I'm sure when she hears about them she gets emotional. But it probably hits AJ and Mac a lot harder.