Things Drift Away

Chapters

Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 1
Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 2
Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 3
Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 4
Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 5

Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 1

Act 1: Apple Bloom

Chapter 1: Change on the Horizon

The afternoon stretched endlessly on as Miss Cheerilee droned on about fractions. Normally, Apple Bloom would be doing her best to pay attention to her favourite teacher, but the rays of beautiful sunshine streaming in through the schoolhouse windows carried a promise of fun and adventure with her friends. Compared to visions of their next crusade, the issue of common denominators seemed profoundly unimportant. Casting a glance to her left, Apple Bloom realized that she was far from the only filly having trouble focusing, as Scootaloo lay face down on her desk, her eyes closed and a thin line of drool pooling under her snout. Luckily, she wasn't snoring too loud, and Cheerilee didn't seem to notice her snoozing student.

“And remember, my little ponies, we'll be having a test on fractions this Friday, so make sure you study,” Cheerilee said, erasing the last of the fractions from the board. She beamed at her students in her usual cheerful manner, until her eyes drifted over Scootaloo. Her smile flickered and took on a strained appearance before the teacher let out a sigh. “Class dismissed. Have a great day everypony!”

The class let out a sigh of relief before the assembled colts and fillies erupted in happy chatter and darted for the door. Apple Bloom was about to nudge her pegasus friend to wake her up when she felt a heavy hoof settle on her withers. With a nervous chuckle, Apple Bloom looked up at her teacher, who simply shook her head, gently guiding the filly to the door. “Why don't you wait outside? I'd like a word with Scootaloo...when she wakes up.”

The chilly tone of Cheerilee's voice made Apple Bloom gulp and hurry out into the sunny schoolyard, quickly joining a confused Sweetie Belle.

“What was that about?” Sweetie asked, sitting down in the grass and turning her head to one side.

“Ah think Scoots is in trouble,” Apple Bloom said, taking a seat beside her unicorn pal and looking back at the bright red schoolhouse. A moment later, there was a tremendous BANG inside, followed by the high pitched scream of a terrified filly. Despite their empathy for their friend, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle fell into a fit of giggles. By the time they managed to compose themselves, an orange pegasus was bolting out the door.

“Wow, that was a rude awakening,” Scootaloo said, her ears twitching, “She dropped that heavy dictionary of hers right on my desk.”

“Oh, so that's what all that screaming was about,” Apple Bloom said, grinning as Scootaloo ruffled her feathers.

“Screaming? Nah, that must have been somepony else. It takes more than that to scare me,” Scootaloo said, shuffling her hooves in the dirt and puffing out her chest.

“Sure, whatever you say,” Apple Bloom said, throwing herself flat on her back in the grass and sighing as the sun warmed her underside. Sweetie Belle was quick to join her, and soon all three fillies were staring at the bright blue sky, arranged in a triangle on the soft grassy earth.

“So, what are we going to do today to earn our cutie marks?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes laz1ily drifting between the puffy white clouds that dotted the sky.

“Well, we could try sky diving again. We never got to try it out last time, because Spike kept interrupting us,” Scootaloo suggested, her small wings gently sweeping through the grass. Something about her comment started gnawing away at the back of Apple Bloom's mind.

“Or Cutie Mark Crusader coal miners. Fluttershy didn't let us try it out during our sleepover,” Sweetie Belle suggested, closing her eyes and relaxing in the sun, “Of course, Rarity would kill me if I stained my coat black.”

The mention of Fluttershy and Rarity nagged at Apple Bloom too, but she still couldn't quite place it. What was it about Spike's critter sitting mishap that seemed so important right now? And why would Fluttershy and Rarity be important? The gears ticked away for a moment, all three fillies pondering something different, when the thoughts in Apple Bloom's head clicked.

“Oh mah gosh! Applejack and her friends! They're goin' on their trip today!” Apple Bloom shouted, bolting upright.

“Oh no! I totally forgot! We're supposed to meet them at the train station!” Sweetie Belle said, reaching a similar revelation. To her credit, Scootaloo wasted no time retrieving her wagon and scooter.

“Hop on girls! I don't want to miss saying goodbye to Rainbow Dash, we can't be late!”

With that, the little pegasus' wings buzzed, and the three close friends tore off down the lane together, hoping they hadn't wasted too much time after school.

“Almost there,” Scootaloo called back to her friends, who knew what that meant. Bracing themselves against the wagon, they heard the tell-tale sound of the scooter's brakes. The hurtling scooter screeched through the Ponyville streets, sending ponies fleeing from its path. The two cowering passengers closed their eyes as the train station loomed closer, but the practised eye of their pilot had them grind to a halt safely within a hoof's breadth from the station walls.

“Here we are,” Scootaloo said, grinning devilishly at her slightly queasy friends.

“Th-thanks Scoots,” Sweetie Belle groaned, pouring out of the wagon onto the ground. “You'd think I'd be used to that by now...”

“Let's go find our sisters an' their friends,” Apple Bloom said, helping Sweetie get back up. It didn't take long to spot the excited blue pegasus swooping in lazy arcs over the platform, and soon the rest of the group of mares was visible, plus a purple dragon. They were standing by two piles of luggage. One pile was an assortment of colours and styles, clearly belonging to the majority of group of friends. The other pile was all in matching white with complementary blue piping, and teetered precariously behind the familiar purple-maned fashionista, who today was sporting an elegant ivory sun-dress.

“Hi guys!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted in unison, drawing skittish glances from the other passengers.

“Why girls, we were wondering where you had gotten to,” Rarity said with a casual flip of her mane, “We had expected you sooner.”

“Oh, uh, I...” Sweetie Belle started before Scootaloo cut in.

“Sorry guys, I kindda got in trouble with Miss Cheerilee and had to stay after class.”

“Scootaloo,” Twilight admonished, “what did you do to upset Cheerilee?”

“Well...I guess she was mad that I slept through her lesson on fractions,” Scootaloo said, at least having the good sense to guiltily shuffle her front hooves, even if she was still wearing a smirk.

“Ha! I know how that goes,” Rainbow Dash said, swooping down to put an arm around the little filly's neck in a casual half-hug, “Don't worry about it kid.”

“Rainbow, education is important,” Twilight said, her wings ruffling with agitation as she fixed her friend with a withering glare, “You shouldn't be encouraging her to sleep in class like that!”

“Oh, ok, geez,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, “Don't do it again, kid. Alright?” Though she was talking to Scootaloo, she was returning Twilight's glare defiantly. It brought about an exasperated sigh from the librarian princess, and a casual agreement from the filly.

“All aboard!”

The conductor's call cut through the air, just as a pair of porters began to load the mares' luggage. Sweetie Belle rushed to her sister's side and they shared a loving embrace.

“I'll miss you, sis!” Sweetie Belle said, gently nuzz1ing her sister's neck while being careful not to muss up her mane.

“And I'll miss you as well, Sweetie. You keep out of trouble, and I'll see you when I get back,” Rarity replied, returning the sisterly affection with misty eyes.

“So long big sis,” Apple Bloom said, sharing a more subdued hug with her sister, “have fun on your trip.”

“Ah will, don't you worry 'bout me. Now you help Big Mac out around the farm. He may be big, but he can't do it all on his lonesome,” Applejack responded, trying her best to look stern, “And you mind Granny Smith, ya hear?”

“Applejack, this is your sister Apple Bloom yer talking to. The most loyal of siblings and most dependable of ponies. Ah'll be fine!”

“I don't know 'bout all that, but I'm sure you'll be fine, sugarcube.” Applejack gave her sister one more quick hug, before following Fluttershy onto the train.

“So long, Twilight,” Spike said, shrugging his shoulders in indifference, “See you when you get back.”

“Oh Spike,” Twilight rolled her eyes before scooping the young dragon up in her wing, pulling him bodily into a hug. Hidden from prying eyes by the alicorn's wing, Spike returned the hug earnestly. “Keep an eye on Owlowiscious for me.”

“You got it Twilight, you can count on me.”

With their goodbyes said, the Crusaders and Spike stood together, watching their friends and family board the train. They older mares were all headed out for a special vacation to a faraway place called Cervinia, a gift from Princess Celestia herself. Despite their best efforts, the group of youngsters couldn't help but feel profoundly jealous as they watched the train board. Suddenly, all four of them found themselves pressed uncomfortably pressed together as strong pink limbs scooped them into a big group hug.

“Bye guys!” Pinkie said, her ever exciteable self, “I bet you'll all have a super-duper fun adventure together while we're gone! I'm almost jealous I won't get to see it myself! Promise me you'll tell me all about it when I get back?”

“Can't...breathe...” Apple Bloom wheezed. With a giggle, Pinkie released them, leaving them all gasping for air.

“Promise?” she said, miming the motions of a Pinkie promise.

“We promise,” the four said solemnly, hoping to avoid another crushing hug,

“Okie dokie lokie!” the pink mare beamed, hopping lightly aboard the train.

As the train pulled away from the station, the Crusaders sat with Spike, waving to their friends and family. Pinkie's words rang in their minds.

A super-duper fun adventure. Mischievous grins were shared all around.

They could do that.

“Urgh, why can't we do this?” Scootaloo shouted at the sky, her hooves lightly rapping against her skull as if to shake the ideas free.

After leaving the train station, the Crusaders and Spike had made their way to the Ponyville park. They had taken Pinkie Pie's words to heart, and quickly decided that they needed to do something spectacular to rival whatever stories the others would bring back from their trip to Cervinia. That was proving to be much easier to say than it was to do. After nearly an hour of putting their heads together, the group found themselves stretched out in the grass, heads together, in the shape of a diamond.

“I think we finally ran out of ideas,” Sweetie moaned, absentmindedly swishing her tail through the grass.

“I didn't think that was possible,” Spike said, cracking his claws to try and alleviate his boredom, “You three are always doing crazy stuff in order to get your cutie marks, I didn't think you'd ever run out of wacky schemes.” That brought a snort from Scootaloo, but Spike couldn't tell if she was laughing or if he'd made her angry.

“Well, Ah didn't think so neither, but here we are,” Apple Bloom said, sighing heavily.

They all sat silent for a while longer, the sun slowly lowering toward the western horizon. Eventually, Spike's impatience boiled over, and he sat up. The three fillies turned their heads to look at him, hoping he was about to suggest something to cut through the oppressive atmosphere of boredom that had blanketed them.

“Well, it's been fun and all, but I'm starving. I'm headed back to the library, see you girls later.” With that, Spike was on his way, a chorus of goodbyes seeing him off, as well as a disappointed 'aww' from the white unicorn. Scootaloo snickered and nudged her friend with a hoof.

“You miss your boyfriend already?” she teased, bringing out a bright pink blush in Sweetie Belle's cheeks, but the embarrassed filly bit her tongue and remained silent.

“Aw, leave her alone, Scoots” Apple Bloom said, “T'aint nice to tease somepony 'bout that sort of thing.”

“Oh come on guys, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just playing,” Scootaloo said, flopping onto her belly. Her legs began sweeping through the grass, as though she were swimming through it.

“It's okay,” Sweetie said, getting to her hooves, “but I need to be getting home for supper.”

“Me too,” Apple Bloom said through a yawn, “I'll see y'all tomorrow.”

“Aww, already? We didn't even do anything today!” Scootaloo moaned, burying her snout in the grass.

“We'll figure out something to do by the time school's out tomorrow,” Sweetie said, “Besides, won't your Aunt Dizzy be expecting you home?”

“Yeah, I guess,” grumbled Scootaloo, “But we'd better come up with something super-duper fun by then.”

“Ah'm sure we will, and maybe we can invite Spike along.” This brought out a bashful smile from Sweetie Belle, and the three friends said their goodbyes before setting off in different directions.

Though the first day without their older siblings hadn't gotten off to a good start, Apple Bloom made a commitment to herself that tomorrow she would do something to change all that. Never would she have anticipated how right she was, nor just how much change tomorrow would bring.

Apple Bloom awoke to a depressing slate-gray sky, and the light patter of rain on the homestead roof. The weather ponies must have worked overnight to provide the morning showers, and even though she knew how crucial rain was to the farm, Apple Bloom was having trouble being thankful for it. After their abysmal failure at planning yesterday and the dull grind of evening chores, Apple Bloom found herself pining for the beautiful afternoon wasted with indecision.

Pulling herself out of bed, she began her morning routine: hurrying to the bathroom before Granny Smith could take it, washing up in the copper wash basin, struggling to keep the slippery soap in hoof. Today she found the water to be much warmer than she was used to, and took her time to enjoy it. Big Mac was always the first to rise in the mornings, and was always the one to fetch the water and fill the basin. By the time he and Applejack were done with it, Apple Bloom was left with the tepid bathwater. She'd always complained about this arrangement, especially since Big Mac would always draw a fresh bath for Granny Smith, but the one day she decided to let Granny Smith go first had left her with a frigid and incredibly bracing bath that she did not wish to repeat.

“Maybe Ah should wake up earlier,” she thought to herself, finishing up and draining the basin, “These warm baths sure are nice, 'specially on these cold, rainy mornings.” Once her hair was brushed and her bow in place, the farm filly shot downstairs. Her big brother was in the kitchen, struggling to prepare breakfast for the three of them. Breakfast was usually Applejack's job.

“Ah'll take care of the food, if you want to draw Granny's bath,” she said brightly, giving her brother an affectionate punch in the shoulder. He shot her a relieved smile.

“Eeyup.” He said, in his typical no-nonsense drawl. With a quick hoof, he mussed Apple Bloom's hair, earning an 'eep' and a scowl that made him smile even wider.

“Hey, Ah just brushed that! You have any idea how much work Ah put into my mane?”

“Nope.”

With that, the stallion lifted the kettle filled with boiling water off of the stove and filled a thick wooden bucket to deliver the boiling water upstairs. He refilled the kettle and returned it to the stove, and soon left the kitchen.

With practised ease, Apple Bloom retrieved a heavy pot, half full of water, and placed it on the stove. She'd helped Applejack with breakfast dozens of times, and was perfectly comfortable preparing a hearty oatmeal for the Apple family. Filled with cubed apple, rolled oats, and perhaps a little too much of the family's apple spice blend, the kitchen was soon filled with the enticing aroma of a rapidly cooking breakfast.

“Smells good sis,” Big Mac said, wandering into the kitchen once more.

“Thanks, Big Mac,” Apple Bloom muttered around the wooden spoon in her mouth as she stirred the thickening oatmeal, “It'll be ready soon enough.”

While Apple Bloom finished cooking the oatmeal, Big Mac went to the pantry and retrieved a tattered bag, carefully bringing it to the counter. With a great deal of caution, the big stallion measured out the rich brown powder into a fine mesh sieve, and poured the boiling water over it into an old ceramic pot. Big Mac was licking his lips in anticipation as he set the serving pot on the table, the pungent odour of coffee competing with the sweet smell of the oatmeal. Apple Bloom had just finished serving the oatmeal when Granny Smith finally arrived.

“Mornin' Granny,” Apple Bloom said.

“Mornin' Applejack,” Granny said, taking her seat while Big Mac poured her a cup of coffee. Apple Bloom shot the old mare a curious glance while she was taking her first sips of the hot beverage.

“Ah'm Apple Bloom, Granny. Applejack's away on a trip.”

“What's that now? Oh right, Apple Bloom, a'course. That's what I meant,” she said, taking another sip, “You're growing up so fast, seems like only yesterday that Applejack was just a little filly herself.”

“Ah'm not a little filly anymore, Granny,” Apple Bloom said, taking her seat at the table while Big Mac dug into his breakfast. The workhorse always ate enthusiastically, needing the energy for the day ahead. “Big Mac, pour me a cup of coffee, if'n you please.”

That earned her no more than a snort from her brother, and a hearty laugh from her grandmother.

“Ah mean it! Ah'm old enough to make breakfast alone, and Ah'm old enough to have coffee!”

“Now, hold on there silly billy,” Granny started, but stopped when she noticed Big Mac pouring a third cup of coffee and sliding it to his little sister, “What d'ya think yer doing, Macintosh?”

“She wants to try it, she can try it,” he said. While the Apple siblings had nothing but respect for Granny Smith, Big Macintosh was also a full grown stallion, and he spoke in a voice that said that he was not entertaining objections.

“Well alright, if you think so,” Granny said, lifting a spoonful of the oatmeal to her lips. Despite herself, she grinned, “Ah supposed if you can make such a tasty breakfast we can let you try some of that there coffee.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom said, smiling from ear to ear, looking into the murky brown beverage before her with awe.

“Eeyup.”

Taking the mug in both hooves, Apple Bloom took a hearty swig, causing her older family members to smirk. Whatever Apple Bloom had expected coffee, the mysterious grown-up only breakfast drink, to taste like, it sure wasn't this. The hard bitter taste felt like it was stinging her mouth, the hot liquid doing it's best to make her spit it out. Her muzzle scrunched up, and her eyes watered, but she forced the mouthful down her throat.

“Gah, blergh...Ah mean...delicious,” she said, her tongue sticking out, the aftertaste refusing to go away. Perhaps if she'd had a fine cup of Canterlot coffee with cream and sugar she would have enjoyed it, but the weathered, aged, and impossibly bitter cup of farmhand brew was anything but enjoyable. She quickly shovelled oatmeal into her mouth to soak up the taste, and stared at the evil beverage.

Big Mac and Granny Smith shared a knowing glance, and happily returned to their meal.

After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, Apple Bloom had rushed to school. Normally she'd dally about, taking her time, but on a cold, miserable, rainy morning like that one, the schoolhouse offered the promise of a warm, dry sanctuary. Her hooves squelching in the mud, she hurried down the lane towards the Ponyville schoolhouse, her wet mane sticking to her face. By the time the schoolhouse loomed out of the mists ahead, Apple Bloom was shivering and cursing herself for ever getting out of bed.

“Horseapples!” came another small voice from behind her. Turning her head, Apple Bloom spotted her friend Scootaloo, who was in much the same state as herself. Scootaloo's normally perky mane was plastered over one of her eyes, and several streaks of mud attested to her failed attempts to sweep it aside. Her signature scooter was nowhere to be seen; with roads so muddy, the tiny vehicle would have soon bogged down and gotten stuck. So instead, the flightless pegasus was trudging through the mud, muttering curses.

“Hey Scoots,” Apple Bloom said, falling in beside her friend.

“Oh hey Apple Bloom. Dumb rain. This is awful!” she returned, making another unsuccessful attempt to wipe the hair from her eyes. With a heavy sigh, the pair entered the schoolyard and walked up to the door.

Inside, most of the young ponies were in much the same state. Twist's normally curly mane had lost its bounce and hung dejectedly at her sides. Featherweight looked even thinner, were that at all possible, and shivered uncontrollably at his desk. His friend Rumble offered a sympathetic hoof on his shoulder. Only three fillies in the room looked anything other than miserable: Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Sweetie Belle sat clean and dry at their desks. While Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were sneering and laughing at their bedraggled classmates, Sweetie Belle was looking at her own clean hooves in embarrassment.

“Hey Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said, taking her seat on Sweetie's left.

“Hey guys,” Sweetie said, sounding guilty, “Wow, you guys look pretty bad too.”

“Yeah, it's crazy muddy out there,” Scootaloo said, trying again to brush her sopping mane from her face, “How did you get here without getting muddy?”

“Oh, let me get that,” Sweetie said, her clean and gentle hoof finally succeeding at pushing Scootaloo's mane back behind her ear, “and Rarity made be a raincoat and boots a while back for my birthday.”

A glance to the side of the room saw three sets of soiled rain gear sitting side-by-side, all bearing the signature intricate style of the elder unicorn. One was in a light purple that matched the highlights in Sweetie's mane, another was shimmering silver where it wasn't plastered with mud. The third set was the same soft pink as its owner's coat.

“Oh,” was all Scootaloo could say about that, shooting a glare at the snickering duo of rich fillies. Sweetie Belle once again seemed embarrassed about not being muddy.

“Ah'll have ta ask Rarity to make me a set just like that when she gets back,” Apple Bloom said, beaming at her friend even as the water dripped off her face.

“Like you could afford it,” Diamond Tiara quietly shot.

Apple Bloom had noticed how uncomfortable Sweetie Belle was about the raincoat, and decided against responding to Diamond Tiara's muttered jab. Luckily, Miss Cheerilee chose that moment to begin class.

With the sun hidden behind storm clouds, the classroom was cast in a dark, soothing gray light. The gentle white noise of the rain on the windows was a constant backdrop for Cheerilee's lecture on verb tenses, and soon nearly half the class had their heads down, lost either in sleep or daydreams of brighter days. Even the ever attentive Sweetie Belle was snoring softly by lunchtime.

The sudden booming notes of a heavy bronze bell had the young ponies spring back to attention, sheepishly looking at their frowning teacher. Cheerilee sighed, realizing that no more than half of that morning's lesson would have stuck.

“Ok, time for lunch, and we'll try something more exciting for this afternoon's math lesson,” she said, retrieving her own packed lunch from her desk. Apple Bloom's ears had perked up at the mention of lunch, and her belly rumbled to remind her how long it had been since breakfast.

The young ponies began to eat, simple sandwiches and bottles of juice scattered on tiny desks. Apple Bloom rushed to the spot on the rear wall that was reserved for her lunchbox, only to be met with an empty cupboard.

“What the...” she said, blinking. It was silly, but she'd hoped closing her eyes and opening them again would conjure the lunchbox into being. Of course, it didn't. Groaning, she returned to her seat and put her head down.

“What's up, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo said from beside her. Her desk was as bare as it always was. Scootaloo never brought a lunch to school, and never seemed at all bothered by it. The increasingly insistent rumbles in her own stomach only made Apple Bloom stare in wonder that her friend could do this every day.

“Ah forgot mah lunch,” she said, “Applejack usually makes it, and Ah guess I forgot all about it.”

“Would you like some of mine?” a soft voice from behind her offered. The slate grey pegasus colt, Rumble, had an apple in hoof. With a shrug, he extended to towards her, “Here, I've got plenty.”

Forgetting her manners for a moment, Apple Bloom opened her mouth wide and clamped down on the apple. It was most certainly not a ladylike bite, and was in fact a bigger bite than would be considered polite for anypony.

“Mmrf,” she said through her very full mouth, “Fanks Mumble.”

The colt just laughed, and turned back to his conversation with Featherweight. As she was swallowing, Apple Bloom heard Scootaloo snort.

“That was nice of him,” Sweetie Belle suggested, but Scootaloo just snorted again.

“What's your problem?” Apple Bloom asked, giving the orange filly an odd look.

“He thinks he's so great,” she muttered, almost too soft for Apple Bloom to hear, but shook her head and quickly changed the subject, “So what are we doing to earn our cutie marks today?”

“Ooh, I had an idea!” Sweetie Belle said, perking up. It was unusual for her to be so eager to offer her suggestions, so the other two immediately paid attention, “What about Cutie Mark Crusader Cartographers? We can make a map of Ponyville!”

“We did that already, didn't we?” Scootaloo said, scratching her head, “At least, I thought we already had a map of Ponyville.”

“Oh, did we?” Sweetie Belle said, shoulders slumped.

“What about Cutie Mark Crusader lumberjacks?” Apple Bloom offered.

“Yeah, we can go cut down trees in the Everfree forest!” Scootaloo said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Yeah, and we can go visit Zecora while we're out there!” Sweetie Belle added.

“Alright, it's decided,” Apple Bloom said, sticking one hoof out in front of her. The other two crusaders each reached out a hoof to bump hers.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Lumberjacks are go!”

The afternoon had involved Cheerliee dividing the class in half and drilling them on fractions in a competition. It had been far more exciting than the morning's lecture, and once Scootaloo's competitive streak was indulged, fractions might as well have been made of cake. She dove eagerly into the lesson. Every pony in the room, Cheerilee most of all, was amazed at Scootaloo's knowledge of math. Evidently, the orange pegasus could learn math in her sleep. Or she was cheating, but Cheerilee was never one to think the worst of her students.

By the time the school day had come to a close, the rain had stopped. The ground was still a mess of thick, sucking mud as the young ponies headed home. The three friends found themselves walking down the road to Sweetie Belle's house, the unicorn decked out in her rainy weather wear. Several times she had nearly lost one of her boots, but eventually they made it to the quaint home on the shores of the Ponyville lake. Her father waved to her from his usual place on the pier, fishing pole in hand. The three fillies waved back, and Sweetie Belle unceremoniously dumped the raincoat and boots inside. Finally freed of the confining boots, Sweetie Belle started bouncing towards the Everfree forest, the mud squishing underhoof. Her friends followed close by.

Apple Bloom didn't really know what being a lumberjack entailed, but she was sure Zecora could offer some advice. She was pondering the question of whether her brother would notice if the axe went missing when a whistling sound from above them caught her attention.

“Look out below!” a shrill voice shrieked, and the three fillies dove off the path, their coats quickly becoming drenched by the sodden grass. Behind them, some heavy object slammed into the road, sending a wave of mud in all directions. Messy as it was, the soft mud made for a gentler crash landing than the normally hard packed and dusty road.

When the wave of mud had come to a rest, Apple Bloom finally managed to recognize the projectile. It was the grey pegasus from school. Rumble groaned, and spit out a mouthful of mud. His forelegs had vanished, buried in the mud. His wings flapped lazily, working out the shock of the landing. One of his rear legs was stuck nearly straight behind him, the other tucked under his body.

“Umm...sorry?” he said, looking up at the three shocked fillies in front of him. He shifted his weight, trying to push himself up, but the sucking mud held him tight. Rumble's wings pumped wildly, trying to lift his body out of the mud, but to no avail. After a moment of wiggling and squirming, the colt let out a defeated sigh.

“A little help?”

With that, the stunned silence was broken by Scootaloo's raucous laughter. The pegasus flopped onto her back, laughing uncontrollably, rolling around in the wet grass. Sweetie Belle was at least trying to keep her giggling contained, though it resulted is several loud snorts. Apple Bloom just kept staring.

She hadn't really known Rumble in their time as classmates. Most of the time, she hadn't even noticed that he even existed. Today though, he'd offered her his apple, and now here is was, almost crashing into her out of nowhere before getting trapped in the mud. It was so absurd that it should be laughable; Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had no reservations about laughing. Apple Bloom wasn't laughing though. Looking at the muddy colt, she noticed the grey coat on his face darken in a blush as the laughter continued. Sweetie Belle was regaining her composure, but Scootaloo showed no sign of stopping.

'He looks so sad...like a lost puppy,' Apple Bloom found herself thinking. Cute? Was that the word? She'd never really thought that about colts before. They had always been lame or gross, but cute? She couldn't put her hoof on what it was, but the helpless pegasus trapped in the mud, looking at her with those big watery eyes was doing something to her.

After much too long, she put on a kind smile and walked over to him.

“Here, let me help,” she said, plunging her hooves into the mud under his chest. She wasn't expecting to get so much resistance from the mud, but she managed to get enough leverage to pry the colt up. With a loud sucking noise, the air rushed in to fill the space the colt no longer occupied. “There ya go, good as new.”

“Thanks,” Rumble said, pawing at the ground with his forehoof and staring at the mud. Apple Bloom tried to smile at him, but he wasn't looking at her. That made her feel sad, as odd as it sounded. Not really thinking, she reached out and started to brush the mud off his chest. This was a rather futile effort, as her hooves were no less muddy than his chest, but it succeeded in getting him to look at her. His purple eyes were filled with relief and gratitude, and they sent her heart racing.

“No problem. Hey, we're headed out to try an' get our cutie marks at being lumberjacks. Wanna come?” She asked. 'Now why did Ah do that?' she thought to herself. She didn't know why she'd asked, or why she was staring at him so expectantly. Wait, was she staring? She quickly looked down at the mud. After a moment of silence, she looked up at him again. She hadn't noticed Scootaloo stop laughing. “Well?”

“I...uh, I'd love to but I've got to go meet up with my brother. He promised to teach me how to do corkscrews,” Rumble replied, scratching his foreleg nervously, “But...uh, thanks. I'll see you at school tomorrow?” Beneath the mud, his entire face had darkened, nearly as dark as his sleek black hair.

“Uh...yeah, see you tomorrow then...” Apple Bloom said. Another moment of awkward silence passed, before Rumble gave her a little wave, and took to the air. Apple Bloom watched him go until she felt a hoof poking her in the ribs.

“Huh? I uh...wha?” she said eloquently, turning to see Scootaloo wearing a confused scowl. Behind her, Sweetie Belle was practically vibrating with excitement, a giddy smile plastered across her face.

“What was that all about?” Scootaloo asked, poking her again.

“Ah don't rightly know,” Apple Bloom said, shrugging it off.

“I do,” Sweetie Belle said in a sing-song voice, “Apple Bloom and Rumble, sitting in a tree...”

“Don't you say it,” Apple Bloom growled.

“K-I-S-” she didn't get to finish, Apple Bloom's muddy hoof clamping down over her mouth.

“Keys? What do keys have to do with anything? And why are you spelling?” Scootaloo said, looking even more confused, and increasingly angry that she was the only one who seemed out of the loop.

“It's nothin', now don't we have some trees to cut down?” Apple Bloom said, trying to change the topic. Sweetie Belle shot her a smug look, but nodded her agreement to let the subject drop.

Together, the three friends continued down the road towards the Everfree forest, Apple Bloom lost in thought about what it all really meant.

Suddenly, she wished Applejack hadn't gone on that trip. She needed somepony to talk to.

Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 2

Act 1: Apple Bloom

Chapter 2: Taking Action

The plan to be Cutie Mark Crusader Lumberjacks had fallen apart almost immediately when Big Mac caught Apple Bloom with an axe in her mouth. It was the angriest she had ever seen her brother, and had resulted in her friends being sent home, and her being sent inside to her room. Apparently, she was still far to young to be swinging around sharp axes in the middle of the very dangerous Everfree forest without supervision. She was pouting on her bed when the heavy thumps of her brother's hooves stopped outside her door. After a pause, there were three light knocks on her door.

“Go away, Ah don't wanna talk to anypony right now,” she spat, burying her snout in her pillow. As she suspected he would, Big Mac opened the door and walked in anyway.

“Apple Bloom, we've gotta talk,” he said, working to keep his voice soft. Sitting himself down on the edge of her bed, his surprisingly gentle hoof mussed her hair, “You gonna listen?”

“No,” Apple Bloom grumbled, but she sat up next to him all the same. The sooner he finished what he was going to say, the sooner she could go back to moping.

Predictable as always, Big Mac continued unabated.

“Well, first things first, Ah'm sorry I shouted at you and your friends. You bring them by tomorrow so Ah can apologize to them right and proper,” he said. That wasn't what Apple Bloom was expecting. When the normally soft spoken stallion had caught them, he'd shouted so loud that Apple Bloom was sure they would have heard him back in Ponyville. He'd scolded them for playing with such a dangerous tool, and for their reckless plan. By the time he'd told the other fillies to get home, Sweetie Belle had been in tears. Apple Bloom had expected more of the same, but here he was, apologizing. Maybe he had changed his mind about the whole 'lumberjack' thing.

“Now don't you go thinking I changed my mind about the whole 'lumberjack' thing.” Ok, he was good. “That was still a silly, dangerous plan you three thought up, but Ah'm the grown up here, Ah shouldn't have lost my temper like that.” He leaned down and nuzzled her forehead, “Ah'm sorry.”

“Ah'm sorry too. I guess it was kind of a crazy plan,” Apple Bloom said, “But we're just havin' so much trouble thinkin' up new ideas for finding our cutie marks.”

Big Mac sighed, and put a hoof around her shoulders. “Ya'll really are havin' trouble with that whole cutie mark thing, ain't ya? Well, if ya'll are so sure this will work for you, just come talk to me. If you'd just asked, Ah could have taught you three how to use that axe safely, and kept an eye on you.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom said, looking up at the smiling face of her brother, “You'd do that?”

“Course I would,” he said, “You're my sister. Heck, I taught Applejack how to use an axe, and she wasn't much older than you are now.”

Big Mac seemed to be staring off into space, a confused frown creeping over his face. Apple Bloom was growing more curious by the second, watching her brother think about something. At last, she couldn't take it any more.

“What is it?” She asked him. His eyes snapped down to look at her as he was brought back to reality.

“What?”

“You were thinkin' about something, what was it?”

“Ah...it's nothing. Ah just wasn't sure. Ah thought Applejack was older than you are when I taught her how to use an axe, but now Ah don't think so. Ah know Pa taught me when I was littler than you are now.” His expression grew pained at the mention of their father. Apple Bloom had never known her parents, they'd died when she was still very little, and couldn't imagine how much Big Mac missed them. She slid closer and gave the big stallion a hug to try and comfort him, as she had many times before when the painful memories swept over him. When she finally let him go, Big Mac continued, “Ah guess it's past time for you to learn. Ah haven't been there much for you, Bloom. Ah've left too much up to Applejack, but Ah'm here for you too.”

“Ah know you are,” Apple Bloom said, though she knew what he'd said was true. They loved each other, of course, but she had never been as close to him as she was to Applejack. In fact, when she was little, she had been scared of the huge stallion. She'd grown out of that, but it had always been her and Applejack doing stuff as sisters. Apple Bloom couldn't think of anything that wasn't a farm chore that the two had done together, just brother and sister.

“If you need anything, you can talk to me, Bloom. Ah know Ah miss Applejack already, and Ah'm sure you do too, but if you need help, you can tell me.”

“Ah will,” Apple Bloom started, but stopped when the nagging thought that she'd pushed to the bottom of her mind bubbled to the surface. She'd been so distracted by Big Mac's angry scolding that she'd forgotten about the violet-eyed colt who had wormed his way into her mind today. “Say, Big Mac, Ah think Ah do need to talk about something. Is that okay?”

“Course it is, what's on your mind?” he replied, smiling.

“Well, Ah was just wondering,” she said, her face flushing slightly while she stared at her hooves, “When you were my age, did you, uh, ever think that fillies were cute?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, a sly smile and a faraway look on his face.

“Well...what kinda stuff did you do when you liked a filly?”

“Well, uh, this is going to sound awful silly. Ah would always try to show off when I knew she'd be lookin'. Ah was a pretty strong colt, so Ah'd try to do things like wrestle the other colts, or lift heavy stuff. One day, me and Pa were in the market, and this cute little unicorn filly was walkin' by, so Ah tried lifting three bushels of apples all at once. Course, it was awful hard to balance when Ah was small, and one o' them bushels crashed right down on my head. Knocked me out cold.”

Apple Bloom giggled at the idea of her brother as a colt, literally knocking himself out over a filly. She looked up at him, and even though his dark red coat hid it well, she was sure she could see him blushing.

“Welp, when Ah woke up, that little filly was standin' right over me, wondering if Ah was still alive. Pa was just laughing, he knew what was up. Ah couldn't say nothin' much to her. I was embarrassed out of my skin. I just nodded and said 'Eeyup'. She asked me if Ah wanted to go to go to the Suffolk Soda Shop – that's what was there before the Cakes bought it out and turned it into Sugarcube Corner – with her and her friends. Ah gave her a lame excuse about having too much work to do, and that Ah'd see her around. Pa gave me no end of grief for turning down a date with a filly.”

Apple Bloom's smile drooped. That story seemed awfully familiar to what had happened with Rumble. Had he been trying to show off for her when he crashed? Or did he just crash? Wait, she'd invited him to hang out with the Crusaders. Would he think that she'd asked him on a date? Had she asked him on a date? She had been really hopeful that he'd say yes...

“What's all this about, Bloom?”

“Huh?” The question had caught her by surprise. She'd been so lost in thought about everything that had happened that afternoon. What had happened? She had no idea, and she didn't really feel comfortable telling her big brother about it yet. He was waiting for her to say something though, so she had to think of something. “Oh, uh, Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony.”

The words sprang out of her mouth before she could stop them. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't really the truth either. She had known about Sweetie Belle's crush on Spike since Princess Cadance's wedding, but that wasn't what was on her mind.

“Oh? Well, that's nice for her. You should be careful who you tell though, she might not like us gossiping about her.”

“You're right, we should just drop it. What's for dinner?” Apple Bloom said, trying desperately to change the subject. It earned her a raised eyebrow from her brother, but thankfully he didn't pry any further.

Big Mac had given her a lot to think about. Unfortunately, she'd hoped he would lay everything to rest, but now she was more confused than ever. Not only did she not know how she felt about the whole thing, she didn't know how Rumble felt about it anymore. She'd assumed the crash was just a freak accident, but what were the odds? He must have been there trying to get her attention...right?

Or was she just hoping that was the case?

Apple Bloom's pensive mood persisted for the rest of the evening. Big Mac shot her numerous questioning looks, but he somehow refrained from intruding uninvited into her thoughts. Granny Smith was a little less tactful, but the big stallion managed to persuade her to give Apple Bloom some space.

That night, the filly laid it bed, staring at the crescent moon outside her window. Visions of a certain smiling colt ran through her mind; happy and generous in class, embarrassed and plaintive in the mud. It upset her that she didn't have more memories of him to draw on. For so long, he'd just blended into the background of her life, before so abruptly stepping to the forefront.

“Ah'll talk to him at school tomorrow,” she said to herself, as her eyes slowly gave in to sleep.

Walking into the schoolhouse the next morning, Apple Bloom's good mood suddenly crashed. Other than Miss Cheerilee, the room was empty. Disappointed that she would have to wait to settle things with Rumble, she sat down at her desk in a huff.

“Oh my, Apple Bloom, you're early today,” Miss Cheerilee said, shooting her a beaming smile that did wonders to improve Apple Bloom's mood. She did her best to return the warm welcome, but it wasn't quite convincing. “Something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” Apple Bloom said quickly, “Ah've just got something on my mind.”

“Well you can always talk to me about it if you want,” Cheerilee said, a worried frown on her face.

“That's what my brother said,” Apple Bloom said. Still, something about it being Miss Cheerilee made her think it over. She'd asked Big Mac about what things were like when he was colt, but she'd been too nervous to tell him about her own feelings, confusing as they were. Miss Cheerilee wasn't Applejack, but she was a mare, and was willing to help. “Maybe you could help, before the other kids get here...”

“Absolutely, Apple Bloom,” Miss Cheerilee said, walking over to sit beside Apple Bloom's desk. She flashed her a kind smile, and waited patiently for Apple Bloom to start.

“Well, Ah, um...did you ever think colts were cute? Ya know, back when you were my age?” Apple Bloom was staring at her hooves, and didn't notice the quick flash of surprise on her teacher's face. When she looked up, Cheerilee had the same wistful and faraway look Big Mac had worn when she'd asked him. 'Ah hope Ah don't look like this when Ah'm thinking about Rumble...' she thought, waiting for the teacher to compose herself.

“Oh, why yes, I certainly did,” Cheerilee finally started, “In fact there was a little earth pony colt in my class that I had quite the crush on.”

“Well, what did you do about it? Did he like you back?” Hearing that her teacher had gone through the same thing, Apple Bloom was suddenly voracious for the details. Maybe they could tell her what she had to do next.

“Oh, I'm afraid he never did. He was pretty fond of Rarity. Back then, Rarity and I were very good friends, and Rarity tried to invite him along for things so that I could get to know him, but he never said yes. He was too nervous to talk to her, and I was too nervous to talk to him. Isn't that silly? By the time I got over my nerves, I'd gotten over the crush altogether, though we did end up being good friends.”

“So, it never worked out between you and this colt?”

“Not in any romantic way, no. Though there was this one time...but that's not important. Why do you ask, Apple Bloom?”

The lie sprang to the front of her mind once again: 'Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony.' This time Apple Bloom managed to restrain herself. After a long minute of trying to get her mouth to form the words, it finally spilled out.

“Ah have a crush on somepony.”

She'd said it. Ever since yesterday, she'd been trying to avoid saying the words, fearing that saying it would make it real. Now, it was real, but it wasn't nearly as scary a prospect as she'd imagined. In fact, with the warm smile and comforting hug Cheerilee gave her, it seemed downright pleasant.

“Oh, that's so wonderful, Apple Bloom. Love really is a great thing, even if it is a bit scary,” the teacher said, ending the embrace.

“But Ah don't know if Ah can talk to him. What if Ah never talk to him, and he never talks to me? What if Ah do talk to him, and he doesn't feel the same? Well, Ah think he might feel the same, but what if he doesn't? What'll Ah do?”

“Calm down, Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee softly admonished, and the steady stream of words that had been pouring out of the little filly dried up. “Now, you'll never know how somepony else feels unless you ask them. If you talk to whoever this colt is – and you don't need to tell me who, if you don't want – and he feels the same way, that would be great. But if he doesn't, well it won't be the end of the word. I never did get the courage to talk to my colt, and things turned out just fine for me. The important thing is to just be you, and things have a way of working out for the best.”

“So, Ah should talk to him?” Apple Bloom said, hoping that Cheerilee would tell her either yes or no. She needed someone to tell her what she was supposed to do. She already felt a lot better about where she was, but what to do next still terrified her. She needed a plan, and she needed someone else to give it to her because she was absolutely lost. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get it.

“You should do whatever you feel is right. Whatever you think Apple Bloom would do. I can't tell you what you should do, because it is very important that you be true to who you are when it comes to love. If you try to act like somepony else, it won't matter if he says yes, because he won't being saying yes to Apple Bloom. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

“Ah think so...Ah need to do what feels right,” Apple Bloom said, nervously tapping her hooves together. Cheerilee nodded, prompting Apple Bloom to continue, “But what feels right is pretty dang scary.”

Cheerilee laughed. It wasn't the kind of mocking laughter that Apple Bloom had feared ever since Sweetie Belle had started grinning yesterday afternoon, but the good natured laugh of a friend.

“Yes, I will be the first to admit that it is, but I've never known you and your friends to not do something just because it was scary. You're a brave little filly, Apple Bloom.”

The praise made Apple Bloom puff out her chest and break into a beaming smile. Talking to Cheerilee had been the best idea she'd had all week.

“Thanks Miss Cheerilee, Ah think Ah know what to do now,” she said, grabbing the older mare for a hug. As they parted, the noise of other students crashing up the path to the door filled the air. The school day was about to begin, and Apple Bloom had until lunch to form her plan.

Her resolve that she would tell Rumble how she felt had dissolved the second that she's seen the colt walk through the door. It had taken an entire morning of ignoring the day's lesson to get her nerve back. The sun was shining bright in the sky, and as the class was dismissed for lunch, the little ponies scurried outside. Apple Bloom had remembered to bring her lunch today, the small wicker basket filled with a simple meal that she had prepared for herself that morning. Together with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Apple Bloom sat in the cool grass under the branches of a nearby tree to begin eating. Across the schoolyard, she could see Rumble and Featherweight eating at a picnic table. Every so often, Apple Bloom's eyes would make contact with Rumble's, and it set them both to blushing, each averting their eyes as quickly as they could.

“You're acting weird,” Scootaloo said, bringing Apple Bloom's thoughts back to the friends sitting at her side. Sweetie Belle wore that same smug smile, but said nothing.

“No Ah ain't,” Apple Bloom said, not at all convincingly, “But anyway, you guys are coming by the farm after school right?”

The smile that had been on Sweetie Belle's face dropped into a frown, and she pinned her ears back against her head. “I don't know...”

“Oh come on, Big Mac told me to bring you guys by today,” Apple Bloom pleaded.

“It's just, he was so scary yesterday,” Sweetie Belle said, still looking terrified of the big stallion.

“Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard any pony shout that loud in my life,” Scootaloo said, her expression mirroring Sweetie Belle.

“He wanted to apologize for all that stuff,” Apple Bloom said, though she knew they were right. Big Mac had been nothing short of terrifying. “He told me he was just so worried that we'd have hurt ourselves that he just lost his temper, and he wanted to say sorry.”

“I guess we could...he's not going to shout again is he? I really don't want him to shout again...” Sweetie Belle said, earning a nod from Scootaloo. After assuring them several times that her brother would not shout at them, the two other fillies agreed that they would go to Sweet Apple Acres after school. By the time the matter had been settled, lunchtime was nearly over, and Apple Bloom hadn't even come close to talking to Rumble.

With a sigh, she followed her friends back inside for the afternoon classes.

“Umm...Apple Bloom?” a voice squeaked from right beside her as she walked in the door. Rumble was standing there, his wings ruffling in a way that she had long ago learned meant that a pegasus was nervous. Scootaloo's wings did that every time she tried to lie.

“Wha-what's up, Rumble?” Apple Bloom said, fighting the urge to just turn around and run away. He was standing right next to her. That hadn't been part of her plan at all. She had run through heaps of ideas about how she would talk to him, and now he was talking to her. She hadn't even considered that, and now she was feeling rather silly about it.

“I was...um, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Sugarcube Corner after school,” he said, his wings ruffling faster, while he stared at her hooves, “Um, that is, you know, with me...your friends can come too.” He added the last part quickly, taking Apple Bloom's shocked silence as indecision.

“Uh...course I'll go to Sugarcube Corner with you. After school. Uh...with you, together.” She was having trouble forming her words properly, “I guess the girls could come if they want to...oh ponyfeathers!”

Her sudden outburst made the young colt wince and take a hurried step back, and earned Apple Bloom a stern glare from Miss Cheerilee, not that she noticed the latter. Seeing Rumble recoil away from her made her chest ache, and she couldn't explain herself fast enough.

“Oh, no, Ah mean, me and the girls have to go to Sweet Apple Acres after school to see my brother, but Ah still want to go to Sugarcube Corner. So uh, why don't Ah meet you there, and we'll be there together, and we can do stuff, Ah'll just be a little late. Is...is that okay?”

The words had poured out almost unintelligibly fast, but Rumble didn't seem to mind, if the growing smile on his face was any indication.

“That's great! I...uh, I guess I'll see you there?” He waited for her to nod, and then rushed back to his desk, immediately launching into a frantically whispered conversation with Featherweight. When Apple Bloom turned to walk to her own desk, she was met with an accusatory glare from Scootaloo, and an inquisative smirk from Sweetie Belle.

“Ah'll tell you on the way to see Big Mac,” Apple Bloom said airily, hardly paying either of her friends any attention. Whatever that afternoon's lesson was about, it was all lost on the filly with the dopey grin.

“So, are you going to tell us why you were talking to him yet?” Scootaloo shot over her shoulder while they careened down the country lane, the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres streaking past. Apple Bloom had been putting the question off ever since early that afternoon, and it was about time she answered.

“He invited us all to go to Sugarcube Corner.”

Okay, so she wasn't quite ready to give Scootaloo the whole truth yet. She didn't know why, but Scootaloo seemed to really dislike Rumble, and Apple Bloom was worried about what her friend would have to say about the whole truth. Sweetie Belle seemed to know exactly what the whole truth was, judging by that sly smirk she had been wearing since lunch.

That smirk withered and died as the scooter turned and made for the farmhouse, revealing a red stallion hard at work ahead. Despite Apple Bloom's many assurances, Sweetie Belle still seemed terrified of Big Mac. As Scootaloo slowed and stopped, Sweetie Belle shrank back to hide behind Apple Bloom.

“Howdy Big Mac,” Apple Bloom called, and her brother gave them a wave. After relieving himself of two heavy bushels of apples, Big Mac made his way over to the fillies with his signature slow and steady gait.

“Howdy girls,” he said, stopping just short of them, “Ah ain't gonna beat around the bush here. Ah'm sorry for shouting at y'all like that yesterday.”

“Aw, that's okay,” Scootaloo said, brushing off the apology like it was nothing. That was Scoots: too cool for any of that heartfelt apology stuff. Despite her attitude, Apple Bloom did see that she looked relieved to see the big stallion smiling at her.

Sweetie Belle didn't say anything, and kept her head hidden behind Apple Bloom's flank.

“Sweetie Belle?” Big Mac said, trying to coax the filly out to see him. It took Apple Bloom bodily shoving her friend out in front of her to get the unicorn filly to look up at the stallion. Tears had started budding at the edges of Sweetie Belle's eyes, and she was shaking as she met his gaze.

“Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sorry I yelled at you, and made you cry. That was wrong of me, and Ah should have known better. Forgive me?” Big Mac prompted, lowering his head to look at her eye to eye. Sweetie Belle gave a nervous squeak, but eventually found her voice.

“I...I forgive you. It was just so...scary,” she mumbled, and Big Mac shot her a gentle grin. With a single powerful hoof, Big Mac pulled the filly into a gentle hug. After a moment's pause, the filly wiped the tears from her eyes and returned the hug, her fear forgotten.

“Great, now that all the mushy stuff is out of the way, I guess we should go to Sugarcube Corner,” Scootaloo spat. Clearly, she wasn't fond of the idea of meeting Rumble there, though the allure of the Cake's baked goods was a bit too strong to resist.

“Y'all are going to Sugarcube Corner? Well ain't that nice. Hold up a minute,” Big Mac said, disappearing through the front door of the farmhouse. After a minute, he returned with a small pouch of bits. “You girls get yourselves something tasty, my treat.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom said, taking the bits from her brother.

“Eeyup, and remember if you ever need a hoof doing some nice safe Crusadin', come let me know and I'll be glad to help.”

“Thanks Big Mac,” the three fillies chorused, waving goodbye even as Scootaloo raced back towards town with her friends in tow.

“See, Ah told you he wouldn't shout,” Apple Bloom said, enjoying the chance to wear the same smug look that had been so comfortable on Sweetie Belle's face lately. The tables had turned, and Apple Bloom was rather enjoying it, though she knew it wouldn't last for long.

Sugarcube Corner was oddly quiet for a weekday afternoon. Only one mare stood in line to collect a package of backed good. Bon Bon seemed to be putting together a picnic, and Mrs Cake was chatting with her amiably. Maybe it was the lack of a certain pink pony that gave the bakery the calmer, almost more intimate feel than usual.

Apple Bloom didn't like it.

The filly had started sweating bullets as soon a the gingerbread roof had been spotted in the distance, and her smug expression had wasted no time migrating back to Sweetie Belle. The little unicorn had whispered words of encouragement, words said so softly that Scootaloo wouldn't hear them, but they did little to settle Apple Bloom's nerves. Had Sweetie Belle not put a hoof on her shoulder, she probably would have turned tail and ran as soon as she spotted Rumble waiting at a table for them.

One thing did make her feel better, aside from the presence of her friends. Featherweight was sitting beside Rumble. At least he hadn't planned for an intimate date between the two of them. Apple Bloom was positive that she couldn't handle that.

“Hi R-rumble?” she squeaked. The colt was sitting with his back to the door, and she'd hoped to catch his attention, but her nerves decided that speaking was not a good idea. Now, she only hoped that he hadn't noticed her, and she could just pretend that it had never happened.

“What the hay was that?” Scootaloo said, laughing a bit too loud and drawing the attention of everyone in the shop. Apple Bloom was sure that her face was bright red, but with Sweetie Belle cutting off her retreat, she was forced to just ignore the question and plough on ahead.

“Hi guys,” Featherweight said, while he waved to Mr Cake. The older stallion quickly made his way over to the table to greet them.

“Well howdy-do kids,” Mr Cake said with his usual beaming smile.

“Hi Mr Cake,” Scootaloo said, climbing into a seat as far away from Rumble as she could get, “Quiet in here today.”

“Yes indeed, seems that without Pinkie Pie here, customers are happy to just come and then go about their business. You kids are the only ones who came in to sit down all day. Might be nopony in town would want to see my ugly mug if I weren't such a darn good baker,” he said with a wink, “Isn't that right, honey-bun?”

“Of course, dear,” came the reply from the distracted mare. That earned a round of giggles from the little ponies and a chuckle from the stallion.

“So, what can I do for you all today?”

“Mah brother gave me some bits,” Apple Bloom said, thankful for the mundane conversation to take her mind off of the colt beside her. She'd tried to put some distance between them when they sat down, but Sweetie Belle had insisted that she get the seat next to Featherweight. Apple Bloom wasn't sure whether to thank her, or give her flank a good solid buck. “How about milkshakes for everypony?”

“Sounds good,” Rumble said quickly, earning a glare from Scootaloo. Apple Bloom made a mental note to ask her why she hated Rumble so much.

After taking everyone's orders, Mr Cake retreated behind the counter to get their milkshakes, leaving the kids to talk amongst themselves. After over a minute of silence, Sweetie Belle finally decided to start a conversation.

“So, Rumble,” she said with a suggestive tone of voice that really bothered Apple Bloom for some reason, “I was wondering, do you like apples?”

The ham-handed question made Apple Bloom want to smack herself in the face with a hoof, but her ears stayed perked for his answer.

“Uh...yeah, I guess?” he said, clearly confused.

“What's your favourite kind of apple?” Sweetie Belle shot back, her tone still suggesting that there was some joke that only she was in on.

“There are different kinds of apple?”

“What? Course there are! Why, there's a dozen different ones at Sweet Apple Acres alone!” Apple Bloom didn't really notice that she's started talking, but if there was one thing she knew about, it was apples. She soon found herself describing the difference between Gala and Red Delicious, the suitability of Granny Smith apples for pies, and the mysterious and mystical nature of zap apples. Rumble had seemed rather shocked at first, but was looking genuinely fascinated by the time the milkshakes arrived and brought Apple Bloom's lecture to an end.

“Wow, you're really smart,” he said, a soft smile on his face while he sipped at his milkshake. It was doing that thing where it made Apple Bloom's chest ache, so she looked over at Scootaloo. She and Featherweight seemed to be having a polite enough conversation, neither seemed all too interested in the classification of apples.

“Well, Ah'm not all that smart, I just grew up around apples all my life. You pick these things up,” Apple Bloom said bashfully. Now that the conversation had shifted off of apples and back to her, she was nervous all over again. An awkward silence was threatening to fall over them when Sweetie Belle piped up again.

“So, Apple Bloom,” she said, grinning ear to ear, “ I was wondering, do you like clouds?"

“What kinda question is that? Ah mean, yeah, Ah guess? What's not to like?” Apple Bloom had no clue how the topic of conversation had gone from apples to clouds.

“What's your favourite kind of cloud?” she asked, drawing a blank stare from the filly.

“There are different kinds of clouds?”

As soon as she heard the little gasp from Rumble, Apple Bloom realized Sweetie Belle's plan. She was going to have to thank her for this later.

“What? There are all sorts of different clouds...”

Once the ice had been thoroughly broken, Apple Bloom and Rumble had started to open up. They'd talked about their families. She hadn't known that Rumble's big brother had attended the same Wonderbolt's training camp as Rainbow Dash, or that his oldest brother was a royal guard in Canterlot. Likewise, Apple Bloom recounted her numerous adventures with the Crusaders, and when she mentioned being a flower-filly at Princess Cadance's wedding, Rumble feigned a pout.

It was the single cutest thing Apple Bloom had ever seen.

“Aww, I wanted to go to that! Thunder Lane got to go, but they told me that Thunderbolt could only manage to get one extra invitation, so I had to stay home. I bet it was super exciting,” he said. Somewhere along the line, they'd finished their milkshakes.

“Yeah, fun,” Apple Bloom said, remembering the changeling invasion, “You could say that...”

“Cupcakes!” Sweetie Belle suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her, “We should go get cupcakes. Since we're done with the milkshakes.”

“Oh, we can just call Mr. Cake over-” Rumble started, but Sweetie Belle quickly interrupted.

“No no, I'll go up and get them. Uh...Featherweight, Scootaloo, a little pegassistance?” she said, waggling an eyebrow.

“Oh. Ohh...sure thing Sweetie Belle,” Featherweight said, springing out of his seat, “That's a great idea. Cupcakes.”

“Since when does it take three ponies to get some – hey, let me go!” Scootaloo protested as two sets of forelegs hauled her away from the table.

“We'll tell you over here,” Sweetie Belle whispered as the protesting pegasus was pulled to the far side of the room, leaving Apple Bloom and Rumble alone.

The two looked at each other, their mutual nervousness having been greatly quelled by the afternoon's conversation. Still, maintaining eye contact with Rumble was causing a blush to slowly creep across Apple Bloom's face.

“So, I, uh...” Rumble tried to start, but he just shrugged and nodded as the words escaped him.

“Ah had lots of fun talking with you, Rumble,” Apple Bloom said. The whole thing was getting too sappy even for her. Taking a page out of Scootaloo's book, she leaned casually on the table, her hoof absentmindedly prodding her empty glass. 'Time to play it cool.'

“I really liked talking with you too,” Rumble said, following her lead and leaning on the table. Instead of poking at his own glass, his hoof rapped lightly against Apple Bloom's. The blush that had been slowly building rapidly deepened as she tapped back. Soon, the two little ponies were wearing twin goofy grins while their forehooves made light tapping noises as they knocked together. 'So much for playing it cool.'

“Ah...Ah really like you Rumble,” Apple Bloom managed to choke out.

“I really like you too, Apple Bloom,” Rumble mumbled back.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Apple Bloom leaned over, and planted a soft kiss on Rumble's cheek. Her heart fluttered and threatened to burst out of her chest as she felt Rumble's face warm under her lips. As quickly as she'd leaned it, she pulled back to look at the colt again, to make sure she hadn't done something wrong. From the glazed look on his face and the slack-jawed grin, it was obvious that Rumble had enjoyed it.

“Here we are, delicious cupcakes,” Sweetie Belle said, though her words barely managed to catch the attention of the lovebirds, “But we only had enough money for four. Oh, whatever will we do about this?”

“Oh for the love of – just take my stupid cupcake,” Scootaloo spat. The angry words brought Apple Bloom out of her haze in time to see Scootaloo storming out of Sugarcube Corner. Through the large display windows, she could see an orange blur retreating across town.

Four confused little ponies looked at each other. Eventually, Apple Bloom shrugged.

“What was her problem?”

With no answer in sight, the four ponies ate their cupcakes in silence.

Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 3

Act 1: Apple Bloom

Chapter 3: Uncomfortable Revelations

After the treats ran out, Rumble had insisted on walking Apple Bloom home. Sweetie Belle and Featherweight beat a hasty retreat the other way, and soon it was just the two of them walking to the edge of Ponyville. With Scootaloo's scooter, the trip home would have taken almost no time at all, but walking it was going to take a while. She was probably going to be late for supper, which wouldn't go over well with Granny Smith, but every time she accidentally bumped up against Rumble, Apple Bloom cared about that less and less.

“You sure your family won't mind you being late? Ah'm not gonna get lost,” Apple Bloom said, mostly out of habit. Applejack had really hammered home the importance of being polite.

“Oh yeah, it's no big deal. I can get home pretty quick if I fly,” Rumble said, flexing his wings for emphasis, “Besides, my brother told me that the stallion is supposed to walk the mare home.”

“Oh yeah,” Apple Bloom said, remembering his wings, “Ah guess that would be awful useful. Ah'm not used to having friends who fly.” The mention of flying brought her thoughts back around to Scootaloo and her abrupt exit. Apple Bloom frowned as she thought about it. It was weird, Scootaloo had never acted like this before. She'd have to ask her about it tomorrow at school.

“What's wrong?” Rumble asked, bumping into her to catch her attention. He was looking at her with a concerned look on his face, and it made Apple Bloom smile.

“Nothing, just thinking about how Scoots ran off. Something must have upset her.”

“She doesn't like me, does she?”

The question surprised Apple Bloom. Her first reaction was to deny it, but the way Scootaloo had been acting did seem to have something to do with Rumble. She was constantly glaring at the pegasus colt, muttering under her breath, and doing everything she could to avoid him.

“Ah'm sure she'll warm up to you once she gets to know you. Ah know Ah did,” she shot him a smile, and he returned it with a grin of his own.

“Let's hope not. Having more than one marefriend at a time didn't work out too well for my brother.”

“Hey,” Apple Bloom said, giving Rumble a punch to the shoulder, “You'd better not be running around with any other fillies behind my back!” Stern as her tone was, Apple Bloom was still smiling.

“That's what Cloudchaser said to Thunder Lane,” Rumble whispered, and the two young ponies broke into a fit of giggles.

By the time the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres parted to reveal the farmhouse, Apple Bloom's stomach was rumbling. She was definitely late for dinner. Granny Smith was going to give it to her about that.

“Say, you don't want to come in for some dinner?” Apple Bloom asked as they reached the front door, “Ah'm sure Granny Smith made enough for you to get some.”

“Oh, uh, I guess I could. Mom's in Canterlot visiting Thunderbolt and his fiancee, and Thunder Lane's working nights this week, so I'm on my own. I was just going to go home and make a sandwich or something,” Rumble's stomach was living up to his name, and he was looking a little embarrassed about being invited inside.

“Great! You can meet Big Mac. You guys will get along great” Apple Bloom said, leading Rumble inside, “Hey Big Mac! Hey Granny Smith! We got company!”

Rumble nearly bumped into the door frame, distracted by the many humble knick-knacks that lined the walls. He stuck close to Apple Bloom as she led the two of them straight to the kitchen.

“Who'd you bring? Is it that little Scootaloo filly?” an elderly voice shouted out before they rounded a corner. Granny Smith and Big Mac were already well into the big bowls of stew, and a large cast iron pot sat simmering on the stove. The old mare's eyes narrowed when she spotted Rumble, “Eh? Yer no Scootaloo.”

“I, uh...” Rumble's words didn't seem to want to come out while Granny's glare was settled on him, so Apple Bloom decided to handle the introductions.

“This is Rumble, he's a...good friend, and Ah invited him to have some dinner,” Apple Bloom said, even as she was fetching him a bowl of stew.

“Good friend? Then why ain't I never heard nothing about him?” Granny said, her eyes never leaving Rumble. He looked about ready to bolt when Apple Bloom nudged him, suggesting he take a seat behind the now full bowl of stew. Big chunks of carrot and potato floated in the thick barely stew, and the smell was making Rumble's mouth water.

“Well, uh...no reason,” Apple Bloom said, busying herself with serving her own bowl in order to hide the blush that was creeping over her face.

“Oh fine then, but yer late. Stew could'a gone cold by now. Yer not usually so slow to the table, Applejack,” Granny said, returning to her own dinner. Rumble shot Apple Bloom a confused look, but Apple Bloom just sighed.

“Ah'm Apple Bloom, Granny. Applejack's on a trip,” Apple Bloom said, her voice conveying a patience she didn't really feel. It was the fifth time in the last two days that Granny Smith had called her Applejack.

“What? Well Ah knew that, of course yer Apple Bloom, smelly-belly,” Granny shot back, her mouth half full of carrot. Apple Bloom immediately flushed a bright red at the silly little nickname, and couldn't bring herself to check and see if Rumble was laughing at her.

“Granny, we've got company, don't embarrass me,” Apple Bloom pleaded, before sticking a chunk of potato into her mouth.

“Embarrass? Why would you be embarrassed, hon?” Granny Smith said with genuine confusion. Luckily, Big Mac spoke up and put an end to the conversation.

“So, Rumble,” he said, in his usual calm and gentle manner, “Ah don't think we've met before. Ah'm Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom's brother.”

The big stallion was giving the nervous colt an odd look. It wasn't a harsh, appraising glare like Granny's, but more of an easygoing curiosity. It seemed to be doing a good job of putting Rumble at ease, as the colt was finally eating some of the stew. His eyes grew wide and he smiled down at the bowl.

“Hi Big Macintosh, I'm Rumble. Wow, this stew is delicious!”

“Thank you dearie,” Granny said, breaking out into a smile for the first time since he'd gotten there.

“So, do you and Apple Bloom go to school together?” Big Mac asked between bites of soup.

“Yep, we're in the same class,” Rumble said, his tongue having loosened considerably.

“Where do you live?”

“My house is on the other side of Ponyville. I live there with my Mom and my brother,” Rumble said, scraping the last remnants of the stew out of the bowl. Apple Bloom had no idea how he'd eaten it so fast, but it had certainly energized the pegasus.

“They won't mind that you missed dinner?” Big Mac asked, finishing his own bowl.

“Oh, Mom's in Canterlot visiting my other brother. He's a Royal Guard. And Thunder Lane – he's my brother here in Ponyville – is working on the night shift for the weather patrol this week.”

“Ah'll have to meet your brother some time, thank him for all the nice weather that keeps our apples growing,” Big Mac said with a chuckle.

“If you want to thank him, let him have some awesome food like this. Thunder Lane is a terrible cook.”

A chorus of friendly laughs followed, and the Apple family set about getting to know Rumble. When the apple pie hit the table for dessert, Rumble looked like he wanted nothing more than to just dive face first into it. Apple Bloom at one point realized she was smiling at him, and tried to stop only to find it impossible. Now that he wasn't nervous about anything, he was a rather talkative and expressive pegasus. A lot like Scootaloo, Apple Bloom realized.

By the time he flew off to go home, Apple Bloom was glad she'd invited him inside. Her family really seemed to like him. She'd tried to talk him into staying, but Big Mac had reminded her of the heap of chores waiting on Apple Bloom's attention. Together with her brother, they waved to the rapidly shrinking pegasus.

“So, that's your new coltfriend,” Big Mac said. His statement was matter-of-fact, and made it impossible for Apple Bloom to know what he really thought about it. She froze, one hoof still in the air, and slowly turned her head to look at her brother. Big Mac's face was a blank. She had no idea what he was thinking.

“How'd you know?” she wound up saying. As soon as she said it, she brought the elevated hoof to knock against her forehead. If Big Mac had just been teasing her, she'd blown any chance of playing it off as a joke. She wasn't sure how Big Mac would react to it, his face as unreadable as ever, and she was worried that he would be angry or overly protective.

“You bring by a colt to meet your family, calling him a 'good friend' despite us having never seen him, and don't stop smiling at him during the whole meal. What else was Ah supposed to think?” Big Mac said, his face finally breaking out into a big grin as he tousled Apple Bloom's mane.

Relief almost overwhelmed her irritation at having her mane messed up again. That didn't stop her from shooting her brother a glare, but it did keep a smile on her face.

“Ah'm so glad you're not mad at me,” Apple Bloom said, wrapping her brother's foreleg in a hug. The big stallion chuckled and returned the hug.

“Why would Ah be mad? You ain't...done nothin' with this colt, have you?” The sudden edge in his voice made Apple Bloom shiver, and the implication made her blush. She shook her head vigorously. “Well then, there's no reason for me to be mad.”

“You're a good big brother,” Apple Bloom said, looking wistfully out over the orchards, the way that Rumble had gone.

“Eeyup. Now enough pinin', you've got chores to do before bed.”

“Aww, do Ah have to?” Apple Bloom whined, though the playful swat from a very large hoof got her moving. Another playful glare at her brother, and Apple Bloom set off across the yard to get to work. Most days, her chores were a tedious grind that did little but waste time between her adventures with friends. Tonight though, as the sun sank towards the horizon, Apple Bloom mindlessly went through the motions with a smile on her face, her mind replaying the events of the day over and over.

“Tomorrow will be even better,” Apple Bloom promised herself.

Tomorrow, it seemed, was destined not to be better. When Apple Bloom got to school that morning, Rumble wasn't there. As the class slowly filled up with the other students, the absence of a certain pegasus was a constant frustration for Apple Bloom. Even the arrival of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle couldn't break her out of her funk, and as Cheerilee started the morning lesson, Apple Bloom's head sank down to her desk, an disappointed scowl on her face.

By the time lunch rolled around, still without sign of Rumble, Apple Bloom's mood had darkened considerably. As she made her way to the usual lunch spot under the playground tree, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were sharing concerned glances.

“Uh...Apple Bloom? Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle said, speaking softly as though Apple Bloom were a wild beast that needed calming. In some ways, she was.

“Rumble ain't at school,” she growled in response, sending her friends scampering a few steps back. Seeing them back away from her brought out a sigh from the agitated filly, realizing how misdirected her anger was. After a few deep breaths to try and calm herself, she turned back to her friends, “Sorry, Ah was just really hoping to talk with him today, and I'm a little upset.”

“A little?” Scootaloo said, earning a poke from Sweetie Belle.

“Okay, a lot,” Apple Bloom said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“I bet he's just sick today,” Scootaloo continued, “You can talk to him later. But on to the important stuff: what are we going to do to earn our cutie marks today?”

Apple Bloom couldn't help but laugh, and the ultimately fruitless brainstorming session did wonders to brighten her mood. Her disappointment abated, Apple Bloom was able to focus on the afternoon lesson, and by the end of the school day she felt like her usual self. Together with her friends, they made their way to the Crusader clubhouse, still chatting merrily about their plans for the rest of the afternoon.

That sunny disposition quickly clouded over when Apple Bloom remembered the question that has been on her mind since Scootaloo's rapid departure from Sugarcube Corner.

“So...Scootaloo, what was running off like that all about?” Apple Bloom asked, earning a frown for her efforts.

“What...what do you mean,Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo said, shooting her a clearly fake smile.

“When you ran off from Sugarcube Corner yesterday. You shouted at me and Rumble, then you ran off. What's that all about?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” Scootaloo mumbled, staring at the road while they walked. Sweetie Belle looked concerned, but Apple Bloom was just becoming annoyed at her friend's evasiveness.

“Well that's too bad, cause I wanna know,” Apple Bloom said, before heaving an exasperated sigh when Scootaloo kept quiet. “Come on, Scootaloo, you can tell me. Something's bugging you, ain't it?”

Scootaloo nodded, but her mouth was set in a firm scowl, and she kept quiet.

“Apple Bloom, maybe we should talk about something else...” Sweetie Belle suggested, worried about Scootaloo's uncharacteristic silence. Apple Bloom was not nearly as empathetic, and was determined to get an answer.

“Scootaloo, would you say something already?” she shouted, shoving her silent friend, much harder than she had meant to. Scootaloo stumbled and fell against Sweetie Belle, but managed to stay on her feet. She gave Apple Bloom an angry glare, but bit her tongue. The silence was grating on Apple Bloom, and she was just getting angrier and angrier. Angrier than even she really thought was called for, but in the heat of the moment, Apple Bloom couldn't seem to calm herself.

As the three reached the foot of the clubhouse ramp, Apple Bloom snapped.

“Now you tell me what's going on Scootaloo, or you ain't coming into my clubhouse!”

“Your clubhouse? This is our clubhouse. All three of us!” Scootaloo spat back, her wings flaring in fury.

“Well, it's on my family's land, so it's my clubhouse!”

“Guys, stop-” Sweetie Belle started, but was quickly interrupted by the argument.

“Applejack gave it to all of us. Stop being such a jerk!”

“Jerk? Ah ain't being a jerk. Your the jerk!”

“Please, can we just-”

“Me? You're the one who's trying to take the whole clubhouse for yourself!”

“It's on my land!”

“This is what happens when you hang out with jerks! You turn into a jerk!” Scootaloo shouted, shoving Apple Bloom angrily.

“Guys, please stop-” Sweetie Belle whimpered, tearing up.

“Just what's that supposed to mean?”

“You just can't stop thinking about that jerk Rumble,” Scootaloo muttered, still shaking in anger.

“Rumble ain't a jerk, he's really nice,” Apple Bloom said, immediately defensive of her brand new coltfriend.

“Pssh, yeah, nice,” Scootaloo said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hoof.

“Now you wait just one minute here, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said, glaring at her friend. Scootaloo glared back just as earnestly. “What did Rumble ever do to you?”

Sweetie Belle was crying softly off to the side, watching in horror as her two best friends shouted at one another. Scootaloo's face was twisted into an angry sneer at Apple Bloom's question, her bared teeth giving the little filly a wild, dangerous look. Apple Bloom didn't flinch back, instead meeting her friend's anger with indignation of her own.

“What did that show off ever do to me?” Scootaloo screeched, “He made fun of me for not being able to fly!” Where her friend's anger hadn't shaken Apple Bloom, the sudden accusation that Rumble was a bully caused her to reel back in shock.

“He what?”

“Yeah, that's right. He was the first pegasus our age to fly, and his brother taught him to be super good at it. Ever since he's been a jerk and a bully.”

Tears were streaming down Scootaloo's face, but she defied them, glaring at Apple Bloom. She was waiting for Apple Bloom's reaction, but Apple Bloom was lost in thought.

Rumble had been so nice, giving her that apple at school. Trying to impress her with his stunts. Inviting her to Sugarcube Corner, and talking with her. Apple Bloom remembered the feeling of his hoof over her own, and the excitable chatterbox he'd become at dinner. He was the sweetest colt ever, as far as she could tell, and here Scootaloo was calling him a bully?

It just wasn't possible.

“Ah don't believe you,” Apple Bloom said, regaining her composure. Scootaloo winced, as though she'd been slapped in the face, and stared open-mouthed at Apple Bloom.

“Y-you...don't b-believe me?” Scootaloo whimpered, backing away. Apple Bloom didn't really know why, but she threw her nose in the air and scoffed.

“Huh! You're probably just jealous of him, and making up lies so Ah won't spend no more time with him,” she said, refusing to even look at her friend.

“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle gasped, immediately rushing to Scootaloo's side to comfort her. Tears turned back into fury as Scootaloo let out a wordless cry of pain and betrayal, rushing Apple Bloom. Before she had time to react, Apple Bloom found herself rolling in the dirt, an enraged pegasus on top of her. Scootaloo rained down a hail of blows with her hooves as the two grappled, but Apple Bloom managed to plant her hind legs square on the other filly's chest and buck her clear.

“What in the hay is wrong with you?” Apple Bloom shouted, staggering to her feet. Her head ached from the battering it had received, and she could already feel a lump growing on her forehead. Scootaloo was back on her feet straight away, but instead of charging again, she turned and ran back towards Ponyville. The sounds of her sobs were carried back to the two remaining Crusaders by the wind, and Apple Bloom was struggling to restrain her urge to chase Scootaloo down and give her a sound thrashing.

“How could you say that?” Sweetie Belle said, her voice soft and strained. She wouldn't even look at Apple Bloom.

“Say what? Call her a liar for saying those things about Rumble? Well she is!”

“How do you know?” Sweetie Belle shouted, “Your best friend just told you she was being bullied, and you called her a liar!”

“Yeah, but-”

“No buts, Apple Bloom. I'm going to go help Scootaloo, you stay here. You're the last pony she's going to want to see.”

“But, we were going to do something together this afternoon!” Apple Bloom said, moving towards her friend. Sweetie Belle just turned and trotted away.

“See you at school tomorrow,” Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder, before disappearing between the rows of the orchard.

Apple Bloom, still angry and now alone, decided to vent her frustrations on a nearby apple tree. She gave it a swift buck, the dull thud under her hooves making her feel better. At least, until the cascade of unripe apples showered down on her already aching head.

Spitting curses, Apple Bloom marched home for a well needed sulk.

“Apple Bloom? Do you need to talk?”

Big Mac's words drifted through the thick wooden door of her bedroom, reaching Apple Bloom as she lay flopped over the side of her bed. Looking at the upside down door, she called back.

“Oh, just come in already, you were fixing to anyhow.”

“You can't prove nothin',” Big Mac returned, before pushing open the door and walking in. His hardhearted joke was almost enough to make Apple Bloom smile, but when she realized how dangerously close she was treading, the frown redoubled its efforts. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything's perfect,” Apple Bloom was pouting, but when she crossed her forelegs to make a point, she slid all the way over the edge of her bed, her already tender head receiving a solid thump from the floorboards. “Horse apples!”

On most other occasions, Big Mac would have chided her on her profanity. He'd always wanted his little sisters to grow up to be proper ladies, and Applejack had firmly dismissed the notion years ago, so Apple Bloom was his last chance. Proper ladies didn't go around shouting profanities, but then, a proper gentlecolt knew when it was time for an etiquette lesson, and when it was time for a hug. This was clearly the latter, so being the proper gentlecolt he was, Big Mac lifted his little sister back onto her bed, and wrapped her up in a soothing hug.

“Now, what's bothering you, Bloom?”

“It's...Ah had a fight with Scootaloo,” she said, gesturing to the ugly purple splotches on her forehead and shoulders where Scootaloo's hooves had struck home.

“Ah see. You wait right here for a minute, and Ah'll be right back,” Big Mac said, offering her a smile and one more parting hug before leaving the room. Apple Bloom was left to run through the events of that afternoon for the twentieth time, hoping desperately to figure out where things went so wrong.

When Big Mac returned, he brought with him a large ice pack, and a glass of chilled apple juice. As much of a bad mood as she was in, even Apple Bloom couldn't help but sigh with relief as the ice numbed the throbbing pain in her head. A sip of apple juice, and she was almost feeling content again. Almost.

“So, what happened?” Big Mac said, looking at her with that same easy-going curiosity that he'd shown Rumble. It made her feel safe, like she wasn't going to be judged no matter what she told him. Involuntarily, she shuffled closer to him, and he put a powerful hoof around her shoulder. Knowing that within this embrace she would find nothing but love, Apple Bloom told her story. When she finished, Big Mac's easy-going curiosity had turned to thoughtful contemplation.

“Do you know why Scootaloo was so mad?” he asked, prompting Apple Bloom to think on it for the twenty-first time.

“No. If she was gonna lie, she shouldn't have gotten so mad about gettin' found out.”

“What if she weren't lyin'?”

That question had long since been driven out of Apple Bloom's mind, rejected as soon as it had spoken up, but Big Mac was giving it the spotlight.

“She was,” Apple Bloom said, dismissing it with far less conviction than she'd intended.

“But if she was telling the truth?” Big Mac kept pushing.

“Well, if she were – which she ain't – then Ah guess she'd have gotten right upset that her best friend wouldn't help her when somepony was bullying her.”

“Eeyup, Ah think you're right. Now, what's Rumble got to say about all this?”

“Ah don't know, he wasn't at school today. Ah haven't talked to him since yesterday.”

“Then how can you be so sure Scootaloo's lyin'?”

Big Mac's whispered words and gentle embrace was making it very difficult for Apple Bloom to stay angry, and without the anger to cloud her judgement, she was quickly realizing that she had been less than fair to Scootaloo.

“He's just been so nice to me, Ah can't believe it.”

“Now Apple Bloom, Scootaloo's been your friend for a long while, has she ever given you reason to think she'd lie?” When Apple Bloom shook her head no, Big Mac continued, “Now, Ah know you're keen on this Rumble fella, and he seems like a nice colt, but no colt's worth throwin' away the kind of friendship you and Scootaloo have without knowing all the facts. Promise me you'll talk to them?”

“Ah...Ah promise. Thanks, Big Mac.” The older stallion slid the ice pack off her forehead, and gave the bump on her head a soft kiss. Apple Bloom smiled up at her brother as he pulled away.

“You remember when you were little, and a kiss made any problem all better? Ah miss that, Bloom.”

“Me too, Mac,” Apple Bloom said, watching her brother leave. She was growing up, and her problems weren't about to be kissed away. For just a little while though, Apple Bloom curled up in bed and pretended they would.

Morning in the Ponyville schoolhouse was the same as any Friday morning when Apple Bloom walked in. Young ponies, excited about the coming weekend, yet bemoaning the fact that a whole day of school stood between them and freedom. Diamond Tiara was telling Silver Spoon about her plans to visit Canterlot with her father, and Twist was showing off a new batch of peppermint candy, but neither of those things registered for Apple Bloom. All Apple Bloom could see in the classroom were two empty seats.

Neither Scootaloo nor Rumble were present.

Sliding into her seat next to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom cursed her luck. Without either one of them, she had absolutely no way of getting to the bottom of things, let alone starting to make things right.

“Psst, Sweetie Belle,” she whispered, hoping to keep Diamond Tiara from overhearing. That was the last thing any of them needed. “Where's Scoots?”

“She...she was really upset last night,” Sweetie Belle whispered back, “I guess her Aunt Dizzy let her stay home today.”

With a sigh, Apple Bloom resigned herself to waiting until the end of the day to start working things out. Cheerilee was just starting class when the schoolhouse door opened, and an out of breath Rumble trotted inside.

“Oh my, Rumble, you're late,” Miss Cheerilee said, gesturing for him to take his seat.

“Sorry Miss Cheerilee. It takes a lot longer than I thought to walk to school,” he said, quickly taking his seat. He shot Apple Bloom a smile, and she couldn't help but smile back. With Scootaloo at home, she'd have the chance to talk to Rumble about things and clear up this bullying business before smoothing things over with Scootaloo. 'She'll probably apologize after school anyway,' Apple Bloom thought to herself, paying only the barest amount of attention to Miss Cheerilee.

Had she been paying more attention to Miss Cheerilee all week, she would have been prepared for the test that was slipped onto her desk mid-morning, and would have had a more constructive response than to groan. Despite her pleading expression, Miss Cheerilee simply rolled her eyes and returned to the front of the class.

“You have until lunchtime to finish. Good luck, my little ponies!”

Suddenly, all Apple Bloom's concerns about romance, friendship, and heartache were chased away by a relentless tide of mathematics.

“Urgh, that test was the worst thing ever,” Apple Bloom groaned, sinking down into the grass under the Crusaders' typical tree in the schoolyard. Sweetie Belle was trying, and failing, not to giggle at her dejected friend.

“Oh come on, you sound like my sister,” she said, settling in beside Apple Bloom and opening her lunch. Clearly, Sweetie Belle had attempted to make her own lunch that morning, as her peanut butter and jelly sandwich boasted scorch marks.

“How in the hay did you burn a PB&J?” Apple Bloom said in genuine wonder.

“I...uh...might have maybe forgot it in the oven,” Sweetie Belle replied, giving her lunch a meek smile.

“That just raises more questions than it answers,” Apple Bloom said, giving Sweetie's sandwich a tentative sniff.

“Like you've never burned a sandwich before,” Sweetie Belle shot, trying in vain to salvage her dignity.

“Ah don't cook my sandwiches in the oven,” was Apple Bloom's flat reply.

With a harrumph, Sweetie Belle took a dainty, lady-like bite of her sandwich. After nearly a full minute of chewing slowly and thoughtfully, she proceeded to daintily spit a mouthful of blackened peanut butter onto the ground. When she noticed Apple Bloom looking at her with a smug grin, Sweetie Belle composed herself just as Rarity had taught her. With her nose in the air, and her eyes narrowed in an imperious glare, Sweetie Belle announced her verdict.

“I'll trade you this sandwich for half your apple.”

After Apple Bloom finished rolling in the grass, laughing so hard she could barely breathe, she wiped the tears from her eyes and passed Sweetie Belle her apple.

“You can have the whole apple if you keep that sandwich to yourself.”

“Deal,” Sweetie Belle said, throwing the sandwich back into her lunchbox, and giggling along with her friend, “I really need someone to teach me how to cook one of these days.”

Together, the two friends enjoyed their lunch while the sun filtered down through the broad green leaves. As they were packing up to go back inside, Rumble came trotting over.

“Hi guys,” he called, falling in beside Apple Bloom as the group made their way for the classroom.

“Hi Rumble,” Apple Bloom said, a goofy grin creeping onto her face. She hadn't talked to Rumble in almost two days, and she was having some trouble settling the butterflies in her belly. “Where were you yesterday?”

“Oh...I, uh, had to stay home with my brother. I'll tell you later,” he said, his eyes shifting nervously. “I was wondering if you guys were doing anything after school?”

“About that...Rumble, do you want to come by the farm after school? Ah need to talk to you about something...”

“Oh, ok, sure. What about you Sweetie Belle?” Rumble said, turning his head slightly and raising an eyebrow over Apple Bloom's evasive request. Sweetie Belle seemed uncomfortable with the question, and answered quickly.

“No, I've gotta go see Scootaloo and make sure she's okay. You two have fun.”

With the plan set for after school, the three settled themselves in for the afternoon lesson, each pony's mind on the odd behaviour of the other two, and the absent Scootaloo.

As soon as Cheerilee dismissed class for the weekend, all the little ponies were caught in a mad dash to the door. The miniature stampede dispersed quickly in the schoolyard, a dozen different ponies scattering in a dozen different directions, galloping off for fun and adventure. Sweetie Belle paused long enough to wave good bye to Apple Bloom before tearing off towards town.

Apple Bloom was eager to get to the bottom of the bullying issue, quickly falling in beside Rumble as they trotted towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rumble was all smiles and jokes as they walked along, and it soon had her smiling. It also made it that much harder to get to the point. Even as the apple orchard swallowed up the country lane, Apple Bloom couldn't bring herself to ask. How could she? What kind of filly just asks her coltfriend if he's a bully? What if he gets mad? What if he doesn't want to be her coltfriend anymore? But if she didn't get around to asking, she'd never figure out the truth about his history with Scootaloo. Would she lose Scootaloo as a friend, forever?

“Uh...Apple Bloom?” Rumble's question cut through her thoughts and brought Apple Bloom back to reality.

“What? Oh, sorry Rumble, Ah was just thinking,” Apple Bloom put on a smile, and led the colt up the front walk toward the farmhouse. Rumble still looked concerned, but Apple Bloom wasn't quite ready to bring up the serious issue that was staring her in the face.

“Thinking about what?”

“Umm...Ah was wondering why you weren't at school yesterday,” Apple Bloom lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie, as she was very curious about his absence, but it was just another attempt at skirting the issue. Thankfully, Rumble seemed to believe her.

“When I was flying home after dinner the other day, I kind of felt like doing some loops, since I was so happy about...something,” Rumble said, getting a coy grin from Apple Bloom before he continued, “And I kind of lost control and crashed in the park. I don't know what I did, but it hurt way too much to fly, and almost too much to walk. I was lucky that Bon Bon saw me and helped me get home.”

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Apple Bloom said, suddenly scrutinizing Rumble's wing. The colt shifted nervously under her discerning eye.

“I think so. Thunder Lane was pretty upset, and made me stay home and rest yesterday. He thinks it might be a sprain. It still hurts to fly, but I can walk just fine n- ow!” Rumble yelped in pain when Apple Bloom prodded his wing with her muzzle, and shrank back from her exploring snout.

“Just fine, huh?”

“It's fine, I just need to stay off it for a couple days,” Rumble insisted, “Let's just do something else and forget about it, okay? Hey, do you want to do something to try and get our cutie marks?”

Rumble didn't know exactly why she stopped dead in her tracks to stare at him, all he knew was the sinister leer she was giving him was making him very uncomfortable. Her hoof darted out to prod him in the side again, and again he sprang back with a cry. That seemed to be the reaction Apple Bloom was looking for, as a wide grin stretched across her face.

“Rumble,” Apple Bloom said sweetly, “It's time for your appointment.”

“Appointment? What appointment?” Rumble was very quickly regretting his decision to come see his new fillyfriend, when Apple Bloom suddenly cheered and shepherded him into the farmhouse.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Doctors! Yay!”

Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 4

Act 1: Apple Bloom

Chapter 4: The Birds and the Bees

Rumble was very confused, and very nervous. He was standing in the middle of Apple Bloom's bedroom, right next to her bed, while the filly was rummaging through her wardrobe. He had never been in a filly's bedroom before, and wasn't sure what he should be doing. While he was waiting for whatever Apple Bloom had in store for him, Rumble satisfied himself with shuffling his hooves and tracing the pattern of Apple Bloom's quilt.

“Aha!” Apple Bloom cried, emerging from the wardrobe. A shiny metallic disk was strapped to her forehead, reflecting a circle of light directly into Rumble's eyes. Blinking the spots away, Rumble noticed the white lab coat she was wearing, and the clipboard she had in her mouth. When she'd mentioned trying to get her cutie mark as a doctor, Rumble had not expected her to have all the necessary props. Maybe medicine really was her special talent.

“Good afternoon, Rumble, what seems to be the trouble?” she said, placing the clipboard on the bed beside them. Another blinding flash of reflected light caused Rumble to involuntarily flinch back. “Now no need to be nervous, Ah'm here to help. You just tell Dr. Apple Bloom what the trouble is.”

“Uh...well, it hurts when I fly.”

“Uh huh,” Apple Bloom muttered around the pencil she held in her mouth, scribbling notes on the clip board. Rumble couldn't see what she was writing, but figured if she was taking this seriously, he could too.

“When I try to fly, there's this really sharp pain right at the base of my left wing, and it's been really bad since I crashed a couple days ago.”

“Uh huh,” was all Apple Bloom said. If medicine really was her special talent, she needed a better bedside manner.

“It hurt when I walked at first, but that's gotten better.”

“Uh huh. Okay, so according to my fancy a-nat-o-thingy chart here,” she gestured to the crudely drawn outline of a pegasus, or possibly a bumble bee, “You've got some issues with your wing-bones.”

Maybe she wasn't cut out for medicine after all.

Rumble was quickly becoming nervous all over again. Apple Bloom clearly had no idea what she was talking about, and she didn't even seem familiar with wings in general. As she stalked closer, still eyeing him critically, Rumble found himself feeling like a piece of produce rather than a patient.

“Now, we're gonna do an examination of your wings, so stretch them out.”

“I don't know, Apple Bloom...”

“Please?” The puppy-dog eyes weren't fair, and Rumble doubted that such a pitiful expression would be considered professional by any medical pony. But he couldn't doubt its effectiveness, and with a sigh, he unfurled his wings. There was a slight twinge as his left wing stretched out, but it wasn't too bad as long as he wasn't flapping it. Apple Bloom walked circles around him, scrutinizing the length of both his wings.

Apple Bloom didn't know much about wings. She'd never really had a chance to look at any wings with this much attention. Scootaloo didn't really like to show her wings off, and Apple Bloom had never had much of an interest in her wings anyhow. But Rumble's wings were fascinating things, and she inspected every feather. After a long drawn out visual examination that might better be described as 'ogling', Apple Bloom reached out a hoof and gently brushed the tip of his right wing.

Immediately, Rumble snapped both wings to his sides, wincing in pain as he did so.

“Rumble, Ah need to examine your wings, stretch 'em out.”

“Apple Bloom, I don't-”

“Please?”

“Oh, alright, just...don't surprise me like that...” Rumble sighed and slowly spread his wings again. Apple Bloom immediately took his right wing in hoof again, running her hooves along the length of the wing, probing the bones along the leading edge. She was surprised how little of his wings was actually supported by bone. The feathers made them seem much bigger than they really were. She could feel Rumble's wing twitching as she prodded his feathers, and decided she must be annoying him. As her hooves started pressing the base of his wing, feeling where the strong wing muscles joined his torso, Rumble spoke up.

“A-Apple Bloom, that's not even the wing that hurts...” Rumble was stammering, the sensation of someone playing with his wing both new and unexpected.

“Well duh, Ah don't know anything about wings, so Ah gotta inspect the good wing to know what's wrong with the bad one,” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and walked around to his left side.

“I guess that makes sense...”

“Sure does, now tell me if Ah touch someplace that hurts,” she said, reaching up to touch the tip of his left wing. Rumble twitched, involuntarily pulling his wing partially closed, but he winced in pain and stretched it out again.

“Sorry,” he said, but Apple Bloom just went to work. She probed the narrow bones, but she restrained herself from playing with the feathers this time. As she neared the base of the wing, Rumble suddenly hissed in pain. Under her hoof, Apple Bloom could feel the slight swelling in his muscles, and they were warm to the touch. She'd learned the hard way that these were symptoms of a sprain when she'd once sprained one of her hind legs.

“Well, it looks like you've got a sprained wing,” she said sagely.

“That's what Thunder Lane said,” Rumble grumbled, but Apple Bloom wasn't done with her diagnosis.

“But Ah wanna run another test, to make sure it ain't something worse. It could be something called a 'hermia', so lay down on your back on my bed.”

“A 'hermia'?” Rumble said, not having any idea what she was talking about.

“Yeah, Big Mac had a 'hermia' back a few years ago, and Applejack had to try and harvest the whole of Sweet Apple Acres on her own. He said they hurt real bad, and made it so he couldn't work. It was like a bulge in his side, so Ah'm gonna check and make sure there ain't one.”

“Uh, I don't think I have anything like that...” Rumble said, backing away. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

“Hey, who's the doctor here?”

“Neither of us!”

“Well Ah got the coat and the shiny mirror-thingy, so Ah'm close enough. Now lay down!” With that, Apple Bloom gave Rumble a hearty shove. The colt reared back, barely resisting the instinct to flap his wings to stabilize himself, before tumbling backwards onto Apple Bloom's bed. It was a lot softer than he had anticipated it would be, and didn't hurt his wing at all.

Apple Bloom bounced onto the bed beside him, and looked down at the increasingly nervous colt.

“Why are ya laying like that?” Apple Bloom asked, gesturing to his crossed hind legs. It certainly didn't look comfortable.

“Uh...no reason...” Rumble said, his eyes darting back and forth, looking for an escape.

“Well, whatever, let's get started.” Apple Bloom reached out and pressed her hoof into Rumble's ribs and started rubbing. She didn't actually know how to check for a hernia, of course. She didn't even know what it was called, but she figured that if she just rubbed her hoof all over Rumble's ribs and belly, she'd find it if it was there to be found. This innocent plan flustered Rumble a great deal more than the young colt had ever been before, and indeed more than he had ever thought possible. That was, until Apple Bloom spoke up again.

“Move your legs, Ah gotta check your belly.”

“What?” Rumble shouted, crossing his legs even more.

“Ah gotta check for 'hermias' so you gotta move your legs. Ah don't know why you're laying like that anyhow, so get going.”

“Umm...uhh...” As articulate as Rumble's objections were, they failed to dissuade the filly with thoughts of a medical cutie mark in her mind. Apple Bloom put both forehooves on the exposed part of Rumble's belly, and felt the colt squirming beneath her.

“Are you ticklish or something?” she asked, and Rumble didn't seem to know how to respond. He shook his head no, and then after a moment's thought, nodded yes. “Well what does that mean?”

A soft click from the bedroom door caused what little colour he possessed to drain from Rumble's face as both ponies looked to see Big Mac walk into Apple Bloom's room. The big stallion had a pile of freshly laundered blankets balanced on his back.

“Hey Bloom, who're you...talking...to...” Big Mac trailed off as his mind tried to process the scene he had just walked in on. Rumble let out a whimper, but the impropriety was lost on Apple Bloom.

“Heya Big Mac, me and Rumble are playing doctor!”

It was possibly one of the worst things she could have told her brother.

“Ah...Ah thought you told me you two weren't doin' nothin'...” Big Mac growled, and Rumble started trying to extract himself from beneath Apple Bloom's hooves.

“What? Well, umm, Rumble told me his wings hurt, so Ah was just feelin' 'em up to see what was wrong.”

“You were...feelin' up his...Rumble,” Big Mac's tone was cold, barely restrained anger, “Ah think it's time for you to go home.”

“Yes of course bye!” Rumble said frantically as he sprang to his hooves. The terrified colt ran for his life, throwing open Apple Bloom's window and taking to the sky.

“Hey, why'd you make him go home, Mac?” Apple Bloom said, disappointed and irate at the sudden and rude end to their afternoon. She hadn't even gotten the chance to ask him about Scootaloo, sidetracked as they had been.

“What else have you been doin' with that colt?” Big Mac demanded, the fresh blankets discard carelessly on the floor.

“What else? Well, we went to Sugarcube Corner the other day...”

“No, Bloom, Ah mean...physically.”

“Oh, well, not much. Ah kissed him on the cheek once, and we knocked hooves, but it wasn't a big deal, really.”

“Knocked h-hooves?” Big Mac stammered, staring at Apple Bloom in abject horror. She really didn't follow what was going on with him at all. “Ya'll are too young to be doin' that! D'you want a little foal to take care of already, sis?”

“Foal?” Apple Bloom said, crooking her head to one side, “Wait, Ah can get pregnant by touching a colt's hoof?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is terrible! Ah can't believe this...Ah could have gotten pregnant when Ah gave Snails that hoof bump! Ah don't wanna have Snails' baby! Ah don't wanna have a foal before Ah even have my cutie mark! Why didn't you warn me!” Apple Bloom was quickly becoming hysterical, and Big Mac was starting to realize that there may have been a slight miscommunication.

“Apple Bloom, calm down,” Big Mac said, reaching out a hoof to try and comfort her. He didn't expect her to scream and dive under her bed when he did though.

“No, stay back! Ah don't wanna risk having my brother's foal! What would Applejack say?!”

“Apple Bloom, that ain't gonna happen, you can't get pregnant just by touching some colt's hoof,” Big Mac said, worried that he might have accidentally ruined his sister's understanding of the world.

“But you said-”

“Ah know, but Ah don't think we were really understanding each other. Come on out and we'll clear this up,” he put on a calm expression as his sister peeked out from under her bed, and soon they were sitting side by side on her bed.

“Now, what exactly were you and Rumble doing at Sugarcube corner?”

“Well, we were knockin' our hooves together, like this,” Apple Bloom said, reaching out and bumping one of her forehooves against the other, mimicking the gentle gesture she'd shared with Rumble. Big Macintosh let out a relieved sigh, and chuckled to himself.

“First of all, Bloom, 'knocking hooves' means something a whole lot different. Ponies call what ya'll did 'holding hooves'. You can't get pregnant from holding hooves.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom said, looking skeptically at her brother.

“Really. And just now, what were you and Rumble doing?”

“Well, he really did hurt his wing the other day, and so Ah thought Ah could get my cutie mark in being a doctor if Ah helped him. Ah checked his wings for sprains, and Ah was checking him for 'hermias' when you walked in and scared him off.”

“'Hemias'? You mean 'hernias' Apple Bloom. And Ah'm glad that's all that was,” Big Mac's relief was short lived though.

“Why? What'd you think Ah was doing?” Apple Bloom's genuine, innocent curiosity wasn't making the prospect of explaining it to her any easier, but if she was running around checking colts for hernias, she needed to know.

“Applejack never told you about the birds and the bees?” he asked, hoping the answer was yes.

“No. What's that mean?”

Big Mac sighed, and resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to explain it. A lesson from Granny Smith was more likely to confuse the filly than it was to educate her, and his only other option would be to ask Cheerilee, but that didn't seem proper.

“Alright Bloom, here goes. Now, you're growing up, and you're getting to a certain age where you're going to start noticing some changes...”

“...and that's just about everything, any questions?”

It had been a long, exceptionally thorough lecture. Big Macintosh was a farmhand through and through, and didn't buy into many gentle euphemisms. The secrets of mares and stallions had been laid bare before her, and now Apple Bloom's mind was very slowly catching up.

“So, he was laying with his legs crossed so that...”

“Eeyup.”

“And when Ah was touching his wings...”

“Eeyup.”

“So he probably thought...”

“Eeyup.”

“Even though I didn't mean...”

“Eeyup.”

“And you thought...

“Eeyup.”

“But we didn't! You believe me, right?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac felt bad for his little sister. She had apparently been very innocently sending entirely the wrong message to her little coltfriend. He also felt bad for scaring the poor kid, as the way Apple Bloom told the story, Rumble hadn't wanted any of it from the beginning. “Any more questions, Bloom? Ah think Granny will have dinner ready here soon.”

“Just one,” she replied, her eyes staring unfocused off into the distance.

“What is it?” Big Mac said, lumbering to his feet.

“Am Ah the bird, or the bee?”

Dinner had been a quiet affair, Apple Bloom too lost in thought to contribute to any small talk. After dessert had been cleared away, Granny Smith had retired to her room, deciding to make it an early night. She'd called Apple Bloom 'Applejack' again, but the filly was too distracted to bother correcting her grandmother.

“This is so embarrassing,” Apple Bloom muttered, glaring daggers at her chuckling brother.

“Now, Apple Bloom, it's not so bad. It's also right hilarious,” he said with a beaming grin. The grin did nothing to improve Apple Bloom's mood. She was about to say something to try and wipe the smile off his face when a loud crash from outside caught their attention. A furious series of knocks rattled the front door in its frame, and Big Mac hurried to answer it.

When the door was flung open, an enraged stallion who wore a look as dark as his coat was revealed on the front porch. Angry amber eyes glared at Big Mac, and an accusatory hoof thudded against his chest.

“How dare you do that to my brother!” Thunder Lane raged. He was barely half the size of Big Macintosh, but what he lacked in size he made up for in ferocity. Apple Bloom was worried that the conversation would devolve into a brawl then and there, and she wasn't entirely sure her brother would win if it did. Big Mac managed to keep his cool in the face of the furious pegasus though, and set about calming him down.

“You must be Rumble's brother.”

“You've got some friggin' nerve, buddy. My brother's got a sprained wing, and you're scaring him so bad he flies home on it? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?” Thunder Lane seemed to be referring to himself, though he didn't seem to recognize that he was nowhere near Big Mac's size.

“Now hold on, Ah'm awful sorry about scaring that little guy, it was a bit of a misunderstanding,” Big Mac said, backing away from the still seething Thunder Lane.

“Misunderstanding, huh?” Thunder Lane spat, taking another step to close the distance between them.

“Eeyup. Now come sit down with Apple Bloom, and Ah'll tell you all about it.”

Thunder Lane huffed, but complied with the request. Seated right across from Apple Bloom, he realized he needed to reign in his anger a bit for the sake of the younger audience, so a few deep breaths brought him back from 'enraged' to 'irate'. Big Mac helped quite a bit by sliding him a mug of cider before joining him at the table.

“So, here's what happened. Ah was taking some laundry into Apple Bloom's room...”

Thunder Lane was laughing uproariously, and it had nothing to do with the half mug of cider he'd drank. Apple Bloom, however, found herself wishing for a horn so that she could cast an invisibility spell on herself. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she wanted nothing more than to fade from existence. If Big Mac had made her feel bad, Thunder Lane was making her feel a hundred times worse. The fact that Big Mac was laughing just as loud and just as long didn't help either.

“So...so...so she said,” Thunder Land said, gasping for breath, “She said that...she was feeling up his wings?” Another bout of laughter made Apple Bloom attempt to sink straight through the kitchen table as she held her head in her hooves.

“Ee-eeyup,” Big Mac said, through gulps of air, “Then she tried to make it better by...by telling me they were only knocking hooves!”

Apple Bloom really didn't think that the situation called for Thunder Lane to fall on the floor and roll with laughter. She couldn't believe that this guy was Rumble's brother. Rumble was so sweet, he'd never laugh at her like this.

“Ok, ok, Ah think we're upsetting Apple Bloom,” Big Mac said, snickering as he tried to compose himself. To her surprise, Thunder Lane did start to try and compose himself as well.

“Sorry, sweetheart, I'm not trying to rub it in,” he said, flashing her a genuine, sympathetic smile, “I just wasn't expecting anything like that when Rumble told me his fillyfriend's brother chased him out her window.”

Big Mac snorted, but didn't break out into laughter again. Apple Bloom was still glowering at the two of them, but recognized that Thunder Lane was a least trying to apologize properly.

“Ah guess Ah'd find it funny if it happened to somepony else,” she conceded, though her mouth was still firmly set in a pout.

“That's the spirit. So Big Mac, what do you say about lunch tomorrow? You and Rumble can make up. We'll go out to the cafe in town, my treat?”

“That's awful nice of you, Thunder Lane, but Ah wouldn't want to impose,” Big Mac replied, but Thunder Lane was having none of it.

“Nope, it's the least I can do for showing up like I did. Plus, I think we both have to make it up to Apple Bloom,” he said, winking at Big Mac.

“Darn right you do,” Apple Bloom grumbled, stomping out of the kitchen to go sulk in her room. The two stallions managed to contain themselves until they heard her door slam in the hallway above them, but then couldn't help but burst out laughing once more.

“Ah can still hear you!” she shouted through the floorboards, triggering another gale of laughter from below. Apple Bloom snatched the pillow off her bed, buried her snout, and screamed away her frustrations.

This day hadn't gone at all the way she'd wanted.

And she didn't even get her cutie mark.

The next morning, it had taken all his patience for Big Mac to get Apple Bloom roused in time to head into town for lunch. The grumpy filly had insisted that she would stay in bed all day, but some time around when Big Mac bodily tossed his sister into the wash tub, Apple Bloom came around to the idea.

The cafe that Thunder Lane had suggested wasn't anything fancy, which suited both the farm ponies just fine. Big Mac hadn't suspected a blue-collar weather pony like Thunder Lane would take them anywhere where ponies were expected to wear clothes or anything, but he was relieved to see some of his fellow Ponyville farmers seated at a few of the tables already. The two pegasus brothers were seated at a table on the patio, and Thunder Lane gave them a lazy wave when he spotted Big Mac.

“Hey,” he called, gesturing for Apple Bloom to seat herself beside Rumble. With a sour look, she agreed. She still hadn't forgiven Thunder Lane for his mocking laughter, but she had bigger concerns at the moment. She couldn't bring herself to look at Rumble. The way she'd acted yesterday, cast in the light of Big Mac's lecture, was absolutely mortifying. She'd tried to sequester herself in her room, to hide away from the world to give the shame a chance to fade away, but Big Mac had been adamant that if she hadn't walked there herself, he would have carried her there like a foal. Had she been able to look up at Rumble, she would have seen a similar look on his face as well.

“Well, look at the love-birds,” Thunder Lane cooed, earning twin glares from the younger ponies. Big Mac chucked along with the other stallion, greatly enjoying Apple Bloom's distress after the shock she'd given him.

“You promised you wouldn't embarrass me,” Rumble hissed at his brother.

“Big Brother prerogative,” Thunder Lane said with a dismissive wave of the hoof, “Right Big Mac?”

“Eeyup.”

The little couple was granted a reprieve when the waiter came by to take their orders. Distracted from the teasing, Thunder Lane and Big Mac were soon talking shop, trading stories about their work on the weather or the farm respectively. It was rather enlightening for both of them, neither having given much thought about the hard work the other actually did every day. Wrapped up in their own conversation, they left Apple Bloom and Rumble alone.

“Rumble, Ah...Ah'm sorry about yesterday. Ah didn't know Ah would be making you so uncomfortable,” Apple Bloom whispered, still not quite able to look at him.

“It's okay Apple Bloom. I mean, it's not like you hurt me. Well, except when you were touching my sprained wing, but even that wasn't so bad. It was just really, really weird.”

“Ah know. Big Mac explained it to me. Which, by the way, was awful.”

“Heh, Thunder Lane had to tell me about that stuff last year when I walked in on him and Blossomforth. I also got a lesson on the importance of knocking.”

“Maybe Thunder Lane should give Big Mac that lesson.”

The two young ponies looked up into each others eyes, and erupted in a fit of giggles, drawing attention to themselves once more.

“So, Rumble, Ah'm sorry Ah scared you like that,” Big Mac said, giving the colt a friendly smile which was gratefully returned.

“It's okay Big Mac, I bet it did look really weird when you walked in. Actually, I know it did, remember Thunder Lane?” Rumble's sly grin quickly faded when Thunder Lane met him in kind.

“If you and Apple Bloom were doing what me and Blossomforth were doing, Big Mac would be well within his rights to throttle you. Is that what you were saying Rumble?” The colt quickly shook his head, staring wide-eyed at Big Mac as though the stallion was about to leap over the table and make good on Thunder Lane's threat. Big Mac just laughed though.

“Ah don't get how you and Thunder Lane can be brothers,” Apple Bloom said, “Your brother's such a jerk.” Thunder Lane put on a pained expression and wiped away crocodile tears.

“He's not that bad,” Rumble said, “He is pretty bad though.”

“Ouch, Rumble, I'm hurt,” Thunder Lane said, drooping his ears dramatically.

“That was the plan,” Rumble said, sticking his tongue out and earning a laugh from his brother. Apple Bloom wasn't laughing though. She knew the two were just joking around, but she hadn't actually heard Rumble say anything mean before. It wasn't much, but it was enough to let a single nagging doubt wiggle into her mind.

Maybe Scootaloo was right.

“Something wrong, Bloom?” Big Mac asked, and Apple Bloom just shook her head. Rumble and Thunder Lane's bickering was brought to an end when the food arrived, and the rest of the meal passed with nothing more than small talk, the four ponies getting to know one another.

“Alright, it's been great guys, but I've gotta go get some sleep. I work tonight,” Thunder Lane said, stacking a pile of bits on the table to pay for lunch.

“Eeyup, Ah gotta get back to the farm. You kids play nice, ya hear?”

“But not too nice,” Thunder Lane said, hovering over the two young ponies and mussing up both of their manes.

“Thunder Lane!” They cried out in unison, each frantically trying to set their mane to rights. Thunder Lane's raucous laughter was all the response they were going to get as he darted off through the sky. Big Mac gave them a wave, and started back to Sweet Apple Acres. Left with only each other for company, the pair started to slowly make their way towards the park.

“Hey Rumble, Ah need to talk to you about something.”

“What is it Apple Bloom?” Rumble looked at her, concern lining his face. It was just like yesterday. One look at him, and Apple Bloom could hardly bring herself to risk the tranquility that they shared by bringing up Scootaloo's accusations. This time though, she knew that she had no other choice. Come Monday, she'd have to face Scootaloo one way or another, and she didn't want to do that not knowing Rumble's side of the story.

“Are you a bully?” Apple Bloom asked, hanging her head. She'd finally asked, and now everything was ruined.

“What? A bully? No! Why would you ask that?”

She was right, he was going to be mad at her, and they'd never be able to hang out again.

“Well, Scootaloo said that you used to make fun of her a lot, and that's why she doesn't like you. Ah didn't believe it, but she was really upset, and after Ah saw you teasing your brother, Ah started to wonder...”

“Wait, Scootaloo told you that I bullied her? If anything, it was the other way around. I can't believe she's been telling other ponies that I'm the bully!”

“Hold on. Scootaloo being a bully? Now Ah don't believe...that...oh.” The memory of how the Cutie Mark Crusaders had responded to Babs' bad attitude took the fight out of her argument before she'd even finished making it. All three of them had resorted to bullying to get back at a bully once. Was it so hard to believe that Scootaloo had bullied other ponies before?

“Come on, Apple Bloom. Let's go to Sugarcube Corner and I'll tell you what really happened.”

Relieved that Rumble hadn't stormed away for her even suggesting it, Apple Bloom immediately nodded her agreement, and the two young ponies made their way through town. As they marched off in silence, heavy thoughts weighing down on their minds, Apple Bloom was growing suspicious that finding out the truth of what happened between the two pegasi would be harder than she had originally thought.

Their arrival are Sugarcube Corner found it nearly deserted. Except for Pound and Pumpkin scampering around in a game of tag, and a very bored looking Mr. Cake, the storefront was empty. Without Pinkie Pie, the lively atmosphere had bled away and left a plain old bakery in its place. After ordering a simple platter of cookies, Apple Bloom and Rumble seated themselves in the far corner of the store, away from the prying eyes of anyone who would come in after them.

“So, what really happened?” Apple Bloom asked, ignoring the still-warm chocolate chip cookies sitting on the table in front of her. The cookies were left to cool undisturbed as Rumble started his story.

“Well, a couple years back, back before you guys were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I ran into Scootaloo in the park. Well, she ran into me. Featherweight and I were talking, and he was telling a joke. Scootaloo whizzed by on her scooter, but we didn't really pay any attention. Anyway, Featherweight's joke was really funny, I guess, though I can't remember what it was. All I remember was that it made me laugh a whole lot. Suddenly, Scootaloo pushed me, and just started shouting at me. She was calling me names, so I got really mad. She started making fun of me for crashing while I was trying to learn how to fly, so I told her to buzz off and we left,” Rumble said, reaching a hoof across the table to set it on top of Apple Bloom's. “You...believe me, right?”

The look on his face made her want to say she believed him right away, but the memory of Scootaloo's hurt expression made her pause and think it through. If Scootaloo thought he was a bully, was that really all that happened?

”Ah don't know Rumble, what's happened since then?”

“Not much. Every now and then we'd bump into each other, and she'd glare at me, but we never really talked or anything. Unless she was calling me names or something.”

Apple Bloom wasn't really sure what to think about what he'd told her. It sounded like something Scootaloo would do, but it didn't make any sense. It definitely didn't explain why Scootaloo was so mad.

“There's something somepony isn't telling me. Why'd Scoots push you?”

“I don't know, she never really said, she just called me a jerk and a show-off,” Rumble said, thinking it over himself. That part sounded exactly like something Scootaloo would say. But, why'd she say it?

While the two ponies were lost in thought, picking apart Rumble's memories, the bell over the door chimed. They didn't bother to look up until they heard Sweetie Belle's voice.

“Come on, we'll get something to cheer you up. It'll be okay, you'll see,” Sweetie said to the downcast filly at her side. Scootaloo just kept staring at the floor and gave only a non-committal shrug in reply.

“Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said, catching her friend's attention. Apple Bloom could see that Scootaloo was still very upset about their argument the other day, and probably didn't want to talk to her at all yet, but now was the best time Apple Bloom could think of to clear up what had happened between her and Rumble. Scootaloo's head shot up, and the faintest hopeful smile blossomed on her face, only to wither into a furious scowl when she spotted Rumble.

“You,” she seethed, ignoring Apple Bloom and stomping up to their table, her gaze locked on Rumble, “How dare you steal my friend away from me?”

“Steal her? I didn't steal anyone! And she doesn't belong to you!” Rumble shot back, jumping to his hooves. He returned Scootaloo's gaze with equal ferocity, which only seemed to make Scootaloo madder.

“She was my friend before she even knew who you were. Then you turn her against me? It wasn't bad enough that you picked on me, now you can't even stand to let me have friends?” Her voice had steadily grown in volume to an angry bellow. Across the shop floor, Pound Cake started to cry, confused and frightened by the angry ponies. Mr. Cake rushed to his son's side to comfort him, while Mrs. Cake emerged from the kitchen to try and understand what was going on.

“Me? Pick on you? You're the one who's always picking on me! You call me names and make fun of me all the time!” Rumble roared back.

“Guys, can we just-” Apple Bloom started, but was promptly ignored.

“Only because you're always making fun of me and laughing at me with your buddies!” Scootaloo shouted, bringing herself nose to nose with Rumble. Both pegasi had their wings flared aggressively, and stared unblinking into the other's eyes.

“I do not!” Rumble shouted back, not giving an inch.

“Do too!”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“Enough!” The furious shout sent both little ponies scampering away from its source, a rather irate looking Mrs. Cake. Pumpkin had joined her brother in their father's comforting embrace, and stared wide-eyed as their mother glared down at the pair of ponies in the corner. “You are not allowed to come into my bakery – into my home – and scare my children with your shouting. If you two cannot speak to each other in a reasonable manner, you may not speak to each other in Sugar Cube Corner at all! Do I make myself clear?”

Cowed by that most powerful and intimidating of forces, the displeasure of an angry mother, Rumble and Scootaloo nodded meekly. Even though she was not the focus of Mrs. Cake's wrath, Apple Bloom felt the urge to flee, keenly similar to the feeling that she'd felt when faced with a marauding cockatrice.

“Good. Now, unless you want to leave right this instant, you'd best keep your voices down.” One last stern glare, and Mrs. Cake hurried off to help comfort her rather shaken children.

“So...uh...yeah,”Sweetie Belle said, trying to gain control of the situation, “I guess you two should just calm down, have a cookie, and we can have a nice quiet talk?”

“Hmpf. I guess,” Scootaloo said, quickly rushing to Apple Bloom's side. Apple Bloom thought she was shuffling uncomfortably close to her, especially since they hadn't quite made up for their fight the other day. Rumble seemed particularly irritated by it as he sat down across the table from Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle settled in beside him at a respectful distance.

“Uh...Scoots?” Apple Bloom said, trying to put some personal space between them. Scootaloo was too busy sticking her tongue out at Rumble to notice.

“Ok, now what's got into you guys?” Sweetie Belle asked. She held up a hoof when they both started to reply at once, and motioned for Scootaloo to go first. Apple Bloom could see that Rumble was annoyed by it, but there was nothing to do about that now. Apple Bloom had been wracking her mind for days trying to figure out what had upset Scootaloo so much, and it was finally time to hear it.

Without thinking, Apple Bloom snatched up one of the cookies from the plate, and nibbled thoughtfully as Scootaloo began her story.

Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 5

Act 1: Apple Bloom

Chapter 5: Armistice

“It all started way back before we were the Cutie Mark Crusaders...”

“Man, what a lame way to start a story,” Rumble mumbled, interrupting Scootaloo, who was being slightly overly dramatic for Apple Bloom's taste.

“Hey, I'm telling the story, and I'll tell it the way I want!” Scootaloo shot back. Rumble just rolled his eyes, and Scootaloo got back on track.

“So, like I was saying, it all started way back before we were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. One day, I was out riding the brand new scooter that Aunt Dizzy had gotten me for my birthday. I was pulling some wicked tricks when I got to the park.

“I was flying along down the path, when some jerk, who was always a jerk and will always be a jerk, decided he was going to be an even bigger jerk and jumped in front of me. He practically tried to tackle me off my scooter, so I swerved to get away.

“Well, I hit a rock, and the front wheel of the scooter broke, and I got thrown over the handlebars. I must have gone thirty feet before I hit the ground. It was wicked...mean. Yeah, wicked mean of Rumble to do that.”

“I didn't do that! And I'm not a jerk, you jerk!” Rumble cried out, stomping his hoof against the table.

“Just let her finish her story, then you get your turn,” Apple Bloom said, gently patting his hoof to calm him down. Once Rumble was settled, Scootaloo picked up where she'd left off.

“So anyway, I was really, really mad at him, and I went stomping over to where he and Featherweight were laughing at me. I said 'Hey, what's your problem?' and he started making fun of me. He said some really mean things, so I shoved him and ran home. Ever since then, he's been a showoff, and is always trying to make me feel bad about myself. He's a jerk, Apple Bloom.”

“Oh, what a load of horse sh-”

“Rumble!” Apple Bloom stared at him in shock, and nervously looked over to where the Cakes were to make sure he hadn't gotten them into any more trouble. “What d'you mean he said mean things? What did he say?”

“I didn't say anything!” Rumble protested, but Scootaloo ignored him.

“He said...” she paused, a look of genuine hurt creeping across her face, “Didn't your parents ever teach you how to fly right?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both gasped in shock, and turned horrified faces to look at the confused colt.

“What?” was all Rumble managed to say before Apple Bloom started her lecture.

“Rumble! What a thing to say! How could you even think it was okay to say anything like that?” Apple Bloom's anger was quickly fanned by her instinct to protect her friend from such a painful, thoughtless jibe. “What's wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?” Rumble asked, shrinking underneath the glare from the filly who would be his special somepony, “I...I don't understand why you're getting so mad...”

“You don't...Rumble, Ah cannot believe that you're so thoughtless and...and...cruel that you'd say something like that to Scootaloo.”

“I...but...why?” Rumble whimpered. Apple Bloom's glare only started to slacken when she saw the tears start to well up in his eyes. Slowly, her heart slowed, and her mind could once again think of something other than a desire to protect Scootaloo.

“You...you really don't understand why what you said was bad?”

“No, I don't,” Rumble said, sniffling.

“Liar, how could you not!” Scootaloo spat at him, causing the colt to flinch away.

“You're being honest with me, right Rumble?” Apple Bloom said, setting her hoof atop his once again. He nodded, and Apple Bloom chose her words carefully. “Did you say that to Scootaloo?”

“I guess I might have, when she shoved me and started yelling at me...” Rumble said, looking Apple Bloom in the eyes. “Why is that so bad?”

“It's so bad because...because Scootaloo's parents ain't around anymore. Not since she was a little foal.”

The silence that settled over the table was uncomfortable for all the ponies present. Sweetie Belle looked sympathetically at Scootaloo, who was just staring at her hooves. Apple Bloom's mind was racing, trying to decide if she needed to say more, or if she'd said too much already. Rumble's eyes slowly grew wider, his mouth dropping open as the gravity of his words became apparent.

“I...I didn't know that! I didn't mean for it to be that mean, it's just something that Featherweight and I would say to each other all the time. I didn't even think that it might...Scootaloo?” The sound of Rumble's voice caused the depressed filly to look up. “I'm sorry.”

The silence that followed was just as uncomfortable, but was now tinged with anticipation as all the other ponies looked to Scootaloo to see what her reaction would be.

“You're still a jerk.”

“What? I apologize to you and you're still going to call me a jerk?” Rumble roared, knocking the plate of cookies to the floor.

“Well you are! You said it, and apologizing won't make it any better!” Scootaloo shrieked.

“Get out of my bakery!” Mrs Cake bellowed, before retrieving a rolling pin and chasing the whole group of young ponies out the front door. Apple Bloom couldn't even begin to figure out whose side she should be on, and the look on Sweetie Belle's face told her that she wasn't alone. Even as the door to Sugarcube Corner slammed behind them, Scootaloo was picking up where she left off.

“You knock me off my scooter, and then you make fun of the fact that my parents are d...not around anymore!” she shouted, her nose so close to Rumble's own that they were almost touching.

“I didn't knock you off your scooter, and I didn't know that! You shoved me and called me a greasy blockhead!” Rumble screamed back with equal ferocity.

“Well you are, feather-brain!”

“You should watch where you're going, numb-skull!”

“Maybe you should watch where you're going...uh...feather-brain!”

“You already said that one!”

“I...yeah, well...urgh!” Her list of unpleasant insults exhausted, Scootaloo reared and brought one of her forehooves down on Rumble's forehead with a resounding thud. Apple Bloom gasped, and was about to rush to his side when Rumble flexed his wings, and tackled Scootaloo, sending them both tumbling through the dirt of the street. Both young ponies were still yelling, but words had failed them, and it was nothing but wordless cries of battle as their hooves rained down on one another.

In a move that Apple Bloom instantly recognized, Scootaloo brought her hind legs around and bucked Rumble hard in the chest. Unlike when she'd bucked Scootaloo, Rumble's wings flared, caught the air, and a tight aerial loop brought the colt swooping back into the fray. The pair went rolling off in a new direction.

Apple Bloom couldn't move. She knew she had to do something, but she didn't know what, and her brain refused to let her body move until she did. Should she just dive in the middle and pull them away from each other? Should she be shouting at them to stop? She looked at Sweetie Belle for guidance, and found her friend looking back, no less confused. Frozen by indecision, she watched as the two pegasi battled into a stalemate.

Scootaloo had Rumble in a headlock, but Rumble had gotten a hold on one of her hind legs and was twisting it back at an unnatural angle. Both ponies were yelping in pain, each reciprocating every injury back on the other.

Apple Bloom finally made up her mind on how to stop the fight. It was a silly plan, one that Pinkie would have been proud of, but she could think of nothing better.

“Gosh, if you two wanted to cuddle like that, you should've just told us,” she said, smirking at Scootaloo and Rumble. It took them a moment to realize what Apple Bloom had said, but as they looked down at the tangle of legs and bodies that their fight was, they scrambled to untangle themselves. Soon, they were lying far enough away from one another for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to stand in between, panting heavily to try and catch their breath.

“That...that's not what we...we were doing, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo shouted between breaths.

'Yeah, I'd never do that with her!” Rumble said, seemingly pleading with Apple Bloom for understanding.

“What's wrong with me?” Scootaloo demanded, insulted by his words even though she would have hated the alternative even more. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes.

“You two are so alike, it's scary,” she said, grinning back at Apple Bloom.

“We are not!” the two pegasi exclaimed in unison. “Stop that! Cut it out! Quit copying me!”

Apple Bloom couldn't help but laugh when they both turned to her, demanding she make the other one stop. As frightening as the fight had been for her, the absurdity of Rumble and Scootaloo being so perfectly in sync left her falling on the ground, caught up in a gale of giggles. Sweetie Belle soon followed.

Scootaloo looked over at Rumble, and then back at her friends. They had gone completely bonkers. She was nothing like Rumble.

“It's not funny!” they both shouted.

It had taken a great deal of time for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to compose themselves, and by then the aches and pains of the tussle had set in, leaving Rumble and Scootaloo groaning on the grass beneath a nearby tree. Rumble was leaning heavily against the trunk of the tree, his left eye slowly swelling shut from where Scootaloo's hooves struck home.

“Aw, you okay Rumble?” Apple Bloom asked, her hoof gently prodding just above his eye. The colt hissed and pulled away.

“No,” he said, his mouth set in a firm pout, “My eye hurts.”

“My leg hurts,” Scootaloo said, gently massaging her flank. “You're good at fighting, Rumble.”

“Yeah, Thunder Lane made sure I learned...” Rumble grumbled, letting Apple Bloom continue gently prodding his many scrapes and bruises.

“Now, you two know you were acting like idiots, right?” Sweetie Belle said. Apple Bloom nodded her agreement, laughing as Rumble batted her hoof away from a particularly sore bump behind his ear.

“I guess,” he groaned. Scootaloo just stared at the ground.

“Now Scoots, Rumble didn't mean to be that mean back them, and he didn't mean to knock you off your scooter,” Apple Bloom said as she put a foreleg around her friend's neck, “He even apologized for it, and you were being pretty mean to him too. Do you think maybe you could accept his apology, and apologize yourself? For me?”

“I...I'm still really mad at him, Apple Bloom.”

“And Ah'm still pretty mad at you for getting us kicked out of Sugar Cube Corner, but Ah forgive you for that. You think we can all just try to get along and be friends? Ah really like Rumble, but you're one of my best friends. Ah want us all to be able to be friends together.”

“I'm not sure I can, Apple Bloom, but I'll try...” Scootaloo looked up at Apple Bloom with an uncertain frown, before turning to Rumble “I'm sorry Rumble...about the eye.”

“I'm sorry too, about the leg.”

“Aw, this is great!” Apple Bloom said, throwing her other foreleg around Rumble's neck, and pulling both her friends into a tight hug. Too tight, in fact.

“Ow, Apple Bloom, cut it out!” Scootaloo cried.

“My neck! My neck still hurts! Apple Bloom, let go!” Rumble joined in.

Apple Bloom ignored their squirming and protests, her eyes closed and a broad grin on her face. All the stress and uncertainty of that last few days drained away in an instant, and there was nothing but sunshine and fun adventures with her friends on the horizon.

By the time Rumble had walked her home, it had started raining. Apple Bloom wasn't disappointed though. As she and Rumble darted between the apple trees, screaming in delight and mock-fear of the gentle downpour, her smile was as big as ever. Breathless and giddy, she bounded onto her front porch, Rumble right on her tail. Together they collapsed into a giggling heap.

“Ah'm sure glad you and Scoots made up,” Apple Bloom said with a smile on her face. Rumble scratched at his mane, looking away.

“Well, I wouldn't say we made up just yet...but I'm glad we won't be fighting anymore. Her hooves are hard.”

Apple Bloom laughed at that admission; she knew exactly how hard Scootaloo's hooves could be, and she had no desire to provoke them again either. The mention of Scootaloo's hooves brought something else to mind, and Apple Bloom sat up, studying the colt stretched out on the porch below her.

“Something wrong, Apple Bloom?” Rumble said when he took note of the serious expression on the filly's face.

“How's your eye? It doesn't still hurt, does it?”

“Oh,” Rumble said, self-consciously covering his black eye with a hoof. The swelling had stopped, but it hadn't yet gone away. Apple Bloom used her nose to push his hoof away, and found herself staring into the bashful violet eye that was ringed with an ugly purple bruise.

“It does, doesn't it? At least it hasn't gotten any worse,” Apple Bloom said as she lifted the colt's chin in order to get a better look. Rumble was blushing, and Apple Bloom could see the gentle flush of colour rise up in his cheeks, even against the dark bruise. It set her heart fluttering, and her stomach felt like it had twisted itself into knots. Her hooves were shaking, but all the odd sensations were strangely welcome as she sat with Rumble's face in her hoof. She smiled into his half swollen eye, and he had no choice but to smile back.

With tender care, Apple Bloom's nose drifted closer, and Rumble's eye slid closed. Her lips gently brushed over the closed lid, the barest of touches so she wouldn't hurt him. It sent shivers down her spine, and a warm glow built in her chest and cheeks.

“Ah...Ah've never had a first kiss before...y'know, a proper one,” she whispered, and she felt Rumble's whole head shake as she pulled away. The colt had a wide, goofy grin, and his whole body was vibrating, either from anticipation or nervousness. Probably both.

As the rain sprinkled down, the gentle patter on the porch roof soothed the two ponies. Nervousness turned to conviction as they looked into each others eyes, and their snouts crept ever closer. Apple Bloom closed her eyes, and Rumble did the same. Apple Bloom let out a soft, contented sigh. Her first kiss. The atmosphere, the colt, the feeling in her chest, it was all perfect. Nothing would ruin this moment.

Instead of the soft, tender lips of a pegasus colt, Apple Bloom found her lips pressed roughly against the weathered old hooves of a pony who spent their whole life working the farm. When her eyes sprang open, she saw Rumble scrambling back away from her, and a green leg wrapped firmly around her mouth.

“Ye' fresh lil whipper snapper! Get! Ye should be ashamed o' yerself, tryin' that with my lil Applejack!” Granny Smith screeched. Rumble scrambled all the way to the edge of the steps, and tumbled down them into the muddy yard. “My Applejack's a good girl, and she don't need no colt sniffing about with mischief on his mind! Now get! Don't let me catch you 'round here no more!”

Rumble spared the time to give Apple Bloom a longing look, but took to the sky and soon was lost against the grey clouds above.

“Granny!” Apple Bloom shouted, shoving the old mare's hoof away, “What it the hay was that about?”

“Applejack, you mind your manners, missy!” Granny Smith barked back. Normally, Apple Bloom would have listened, but having just suffered the injustice of a ruined first kiss, she was in no mood for following orders.

“Ah can't believe it, you ruined everything!”

“Don't you talk to me like that! An' don't think Ah don't know you were part of that tomfoolery. Shame on you, young'un. Yer too young for that, Applejack!” Granny Smith said, narrowing her eyes. She wasn't used to her grandchildren talking back like this.

“Ah'm not too young! Heck, Ah'm not even gonna be in school much longer! Rumble's a nice colt, and if Ah wanna kiss him, Ah'm gonna!” Apple Bloom said, stomping her hoof for emphasis. “And Ah'm Apple Bloom, not Applejack, you old coot!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it had been a mistake.

“Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom's just a foal, don't go tryin' to blame yer sister, missy. Yer grounded till you learn yerself some manners. Ah forbid you from seein' that pegasus fella, or from goin' into town 'cept for school.”

“That's not fair!” Apple Bloom cried. Big Mac, having heard the shouting, came around the side of the house just then, looking puzzled. “Big Mac, Granny just grounded me for trying to kiss Rumble! You gotta help me!”

“Oh...Granny, Ah know this Rumble colt, and he seems as trustworthy as you could hope to find...” Big Mac started, but a wave of the old mare's hoof caught him off guard.

“Lil Macintosh, you go in the house right now, this is between me and Applejack!” Granny ordered. Big Mac just stared at her. “You heard me, now don't you make me tell you twice. Get going!”

Big Mac frowned heavily at this, but started toward the house as he had been asked.

“Big Mac, say somethin'!” Apple Bloom said, pleading for her brother's intercession.

“Now's not the time, Bloom. You just do as she says, and Ah'll talk with you about it later.”

Abandoned by her brother, the angry filly deflated. The angry mare on the other hand was just getting started.

“You know that colts like that only got one thing on their mind...”

Apple Bloom was sulking in her bedroom when the knock came. She almost hadn't heard it over the rumbling of her stomach, an uncomfortable condition that had the frustrating side effect of reminding her of a certain colt. Granny had sent her off to bed without supper, and Big Mac hadn't raised a hoof in her defence.

“Go away,” Apple Bloom muttered, but of course the door opened anyway. “Ya know, what's the point of knocking if you're just gonna walk in anyway?”

“To give you a chance to hide Rumble under your bed,” Big Mac replied, wearing an optimistic smile. The dark scowl he got from his sister told him in no uncertain terms that such jokes were in poor taste at the moment. “Sorry.”

“Why are you here?” Apple Bloom groaned, turning her back on him. She was still very angry with him for not backing her up with Granny Smith. Now she was grounded for a month, and had twice as many chores to do. The only time she was going to get to see Rumble would be at school.

“Ah need to talk to you about something. Something serious, Bloom.” Big Mac's stoney expression had broken, and the stallion wore a look of deep worry and concern. “You've noticed that Granny's mind hasn't exactly been as sharp as usual lately, right?”

“Well yeah,” Apple Bloom said, growing worried about the direction the conversation was going. “She keeps calling me Applejack.”

“Eeyup. And just tonight she called me 'Little Mac'. She ain't done that since...well since our parents were still around...”

Apple Bloom sat quietly, while Big Mac seated himself beside her. It was getting to be a common occurrence, and Apple Bloom wasn't sure she could take much more bad news.

“So...what does it mean?” she asked, and Big Mac looked away.

“Ah think she's sick, Bloom.”

“Like, the pony pox?”

“Nope, not like the pony pox. Ah think it's her memory that's sick. Ah'm gonna take her to the doctor tomorrow, and we'll figure all this out, don't you worry none. It's just...until we can get Granny better, Ah want to ask you a favour Bloom. Is that okay?”

“What is it?” Apple Bloom said, examining her brother for some sign of what was really going on. Normally, Big Mac was unreadable, his emotions a closed book. But in the dim light of her room, Apple Bloom could see the tears welling in the corner of his eyes.

“Ah...Ah just think you should try not to upset her. Ah know she's being unfair, but it ain't her fault. Ah want you to keep quiet about being grounded. Just until the doctor figures our what to do. Can you do that for me, Bloom?”

“Ah...Ah think so,” Apple Bloom's voice caught in her throat, “She's gonna be alright, though, ain't she?”

Big Mac nodded, and wrapped the little filly into a tight embrace. Apple Bloom could feel the strong arms around her shaking as her brother held her tight to his chest. When he finally spoke again, his voice trembled.

“Eeyup, everything...everything is gonna be fine.”

“Ah miss Applejack.”

“Ah miss her too, Bloom.”

The two Apple siblings sat in silence for a while, Big Mac still clinging to his little sister. Eventually his arms stopped shaking, and he let her go. As hollow and false the smile he gave her was, Apple Bloom was grateful to have it. The idea of her Granny being sick terrified her, and not knowing what was wrong only made it worse. Any comfort she could get, Apple Bloom clung to it.

Big Mac staggered onto his hooves, and started for the door. He stopped when Apple Bloom spoke up.

“Ah love you, Big Mac. Thanks.”

“Ah love you too, Bloom. You don't worry about it none, and get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay,” Apple Bloom said, before turning out her light. Big Mac slipped out into the hallway, and gently closed the door behind him.

In the darkness, Apple Bloom curled up tight underneath the covers, wishing for someone, anyone, to be there to wrap her up in their hooves and whisper that everything would be alright.

“That's a foal's dream,” she said to herself, letting sleep come fitfully on, “and it's time I grew up.”

It was Monday before Apple Bloom saw any of her friends again. If Granny Smith had trouble remembering things, she didn't seem to have any trouble remembering that Apple Bloom was grounded. The concern that Apple Bloom had had for the old mare had been slowly worn away by the endless string of chores. Big Mac had taken on a lot of Applejack's chores while she was on her trip, but by the end of the day on Sunday, Apple Bloom was doing Applejack's job all on her own.

Monday morning, she was exhausted, and every muscle in her body ached and refused to budge. It hurt so much to move that she'd asked Big Mac if she could just stay in bed, but he had just shook his head. Getting ready for school was an ordeal, her legs seizing up if she tried to move too quickly. Eventually Big Mac had drawn her a bath and gently plopped the filly into it. As embarrassed as she was that Big Mac had to give her a bath, she could do nothing but sigh in relief as the warm water relaxed her muscles, and Big Mac gently brushed out her mane.

After breakfast, Apple Bloom had made the walk to school. It had taken her nearly twice as long as usual, and she was very late when she finally found her seat. Cheerilee gave her a stern look, but didn't say anything as she watched Apple Bloom hobble across the classroom.

For all she could remember of the morning's lesson, Apple Bloom might as well have stayed home. By the time she staggered outside, leaning heavily on Sweetie Belle for support, she felt like collapsing on the spot and sleeping the week away.

“Wow Apple Bloom, what happened?” Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom scowled, and took a deep breath. Rumble was off talking to Featherweight, so Apple Bloom decided that she was going to give her friend's the whole story.

“Well Rumble walked me home yesterday, and we had a lot of fun. He was so cute and adorable with his little black eye that Ah just wanted to kiss him. So Ah tried, but Granny Smith stopped us and chased Rumble off. Ah was mad, so Ah called her an old coot, and now Ah'm grounded and Ah have to so all of Applejack's chores!”

“Oh my, that's a lot of chores...can't Big Mac help you out?” Sweetie Belle offered, as she pulled Apple Bloom into a supportive hug.

“No, he can't. He says Granny Smith might be sick, so until he can get a doctor to fix it, we should just try not to upset her. Ah tried, but Ah bucked forty-seven apple trees yesterday, and Ah can't feel nothing but sore.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Sweetie said, looking concerned.

“Big Mac says she will, and Ah hope she is, but Ah don't think Ah can handle this many chores. Oh, but you guys can't tell Rumble! He's so sweet, he'll blame himself or something. Don't tell him Granny's sick, okay?”

“Apple Bloom, you shouldn't lie to your special somepony,” Sweetie said.

“Yeah Apple Bloom, he should know,” Scootaloo chimed in.

“Ah know, and Ah'll tell him soon, just not now, okay?” Apple Bloom turned loose her puppy-dog eyes on the other Crusaders. Though they just rolled their eyes at her, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle promised that they wouldn't tell Rumble about Granny Smith being sick.

Apple Bloom was relieved, but she didn't really know why she wanted to keep it a secret. She knew that Sweetie Belle was right, and keeping it a secret did feel wrong, but Apple Bloom couldn't get over the feeling that she had to protect Rumble from worrying. Apple Bloom didn't even stop to think why she hadn't tried to protect the other Crusaders the same way.

They were halfway through lunch when Rumble and Featherweight joined the three fillies. Apple Bloom smiled at Rumble, who looked away bashfully.

“It's not fair, you being that cute,” Apple Bloom said to herself, only too late realizing she'd said it out loud. Scootaloo made loud retching noises, Sweetie Belle and Featherweight giggled, and Rumble just blushed with a goofy grin on his face. Apple Bloom buried her face in the grass. “Ah can't believe Ah just said that.”

“It's okay, Apple Bloom,” Rumble said, putting a hoof on her withers. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, so the other young ponies wouldn't hear, “I think you're cute too.”

The whispered words sent a tingle down Apple Bloom's spine, and her mane felt that it was standing on end. As Rumble settled in beside her, Apple Bloom scooted closer on aching legs. Rumble noticed her wince, and after a second of hesitation, wrapped a comforting wing across her back. Both ponies were blushing furiously, but Apple Bloom wouldn't have traded that feeling of comfort for anything, not even her cutie mark.

“Thanks,” she said, and Rumble nodded.

“Aww...” Sweetie Belle cooed, before puckering her lips and kissing the air in their general direction.

“Eww...” Scootaloo groaned, her tongue stuck out. “Why don't you two go find somewhere private to be gross. We're trying to eat lunch here.”

“Oh hush, Scoots, we're not that bad,” Apple Bloom said, snuggling closer to the colt beside her. “Besides, if you don't like it, maybe you should go.” Apple Bloom grinned at her friend, and stuck her own tongue out.

“Urgh, next thing you know these two are going to start kissing...” Scootaloo moaned, looking to Sweetie Belle for support. The wide-eyed, hopeful grin on Sweetie Belle's face told her that she would find none there. Turning to Featherweight, the pegasus colt seemed a little uncomfortable with the affectionate couple, but didn't speak up on Scootaloo's behalf.

“Don't worry Scoots, we'll keep our lips to ourselves,” Rumble assured her, chuckling.

“Yeah, Ah want our first real kiss to be special. And putting on a show for you lot ain't all that special.”

Sweetie Belle looked a little disappointed, but Scootaloo just looked confused.

“Special?” she said, “What do you mean special? A kiss is a kiss, it doesn't matter where you are or who else is there.”

“It does too matter!” Apple Bloom shot back, “Applejack says you only ever get one first kiss, and you'll remember it forever, so Ah want mine to be just so. And it would've been too, if Granny Smith hadn't ruined it.”

“Urgh, why don't you just kiss him now and then you can stop talking about it?” Scootaloo wrinkled her nose as though she'd smelled something unpleasant.

“Why Scoots, Ah never would have thought you would be the kind of pony who'd wanna watch other ponies kiss...” Apple Bloom said with a sly grin.

“I am not! I just...I don't want to talk about it anymore, and...uh, so Featherweight, that's a cool cutie mark, what's it mean?” Scootaloo's attempt to change the subject backfired spectacularly when Sweetie Belle chimed in.

“Ooh, Scootaloo's looking at his flanks. Is there even more love in the air?”

“Hey, cut it out!”

“Scoots and Featherweight, sitting in a tree...” Sweetie Belle started to sing, while Featherweight looked like he wanted to disappear.

Apple Bloom just watched with a smile on her face. It was so nice to have them all sitting together on the grass as friends. Soon enough, the teasing came to an end, and a happy Scootaloo regaled them with the story of how Rainbow Dash fought a dragon. It didn't help that they all knew that she'd lost, and that it was Fluttershy who put an end to the fight, but Scootaloo's eagerness held their attention despite her obvious embellishments.

When it was time for class to begin again, Apple Bloom found her legs as painfully obstinate as they had been that morning, and it took the help of both Rumble and Scootaloo to get her standing again. Sandwiched between her two favourite pegasi, Apple Bloom grinned through the pain of walking, and counted herself as one lucky filly.

After a week of doing Applejack's chores, Apple Bloom because accustomed to the work. She was still aching and exhausted at the end of the day, but she no longer suffered from cramps the following morning.

Big Macintosh had had mixed success at getting Granny Smith to the doctor. She'd gone, but the doctor hadn't been able to help yet. Apple Bloom had heard from her brother that the doctor had run a number of tests, but that it would be a while before they confirmed anything. As the chores got easier, Apple Bloom resigned herself to being perpetually grounded at the old mare's behest. It soon became clear that Granny Smith was forgetting the previous day's punishment by morning, as Apple Bloom was getting the same lecture over breakfast as she had that first morning after her near kiss.

She still hadn't kissed Rumble. She only ever saw him at school now. They'd eat lunch together, usually with the other Crusaders, and sometimes with Featherweight too, but they always seemed to wind up on the edge of the group, whispering to each other as they snuggled against the trunk of the playground tree. Apple Bloom was just as happy to sit on the sidelines with Rumble; she hadn't had a chance to do any crusading all week, and hearing about the latest Cutie Mark Crusader antics just made her feel like she was missing out.

As much as she loved her friends, being left out just hurt a whole lot less when she wasn't trying to join in. Rumble never talked about all the fun things he did that she wasn't allowed to do, but Apple Bloom was finding her friends talked about nothing else.

Until Granny Smith got better, Apple Bloom wasn't allowed to be a Crusader, and every story from Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo about how they tried to get their cutie mark made it sting even worse. She wanted to spend more time with them, but as every new day passed, Apple Bloom felt less and less of a connection with the other Crusaders.

But even as the girls became more distant, she and Rumble were getting closer. Their whispered conversations spoke of their hopes, their dreams, and their fears. Apple Bloom learned about Rumble's absent father, who left when he was a little foal. She learned about his dream of being the foreman of the Cloudsdale weather factory, to be in charge of the most important weather production facility in Equestria. She learned about how he'd been afraid of the dark until as little as three months ago, a confession that earned him both an affectionate nuzzle and no small amount of teasing.

Apple Bloom also found herself telling him things she never thought she'd tell a colt. She told him about the time Applejack had tickled her so much that she'd wet herself, and was paid back in kind for making fun of his fear of the dark. Secrets flowed freely between them, and Apple Bloom was quickly beginning to feel like she could trust Rumble more than anyone else she knew.

She had even told him about Granny Smith being sick, despite her insistence that the girls keep it a secret a week prior. She'd known it was wrong from the start, and wrapped in the reassuring embrace of his wing, she couldn't bare to keep it a secret any longer.

Apple Bloom hadn't been sure at first, but she knew now that this was what having a very special somepony was all about. It wasn't about kisses or cuddles, or at least not entirely. It was about having someone there to talk to, who would listen and always support her.

Apple Bloom was barely a Crusader anymore, and she was still grounded, but she was happy.

Author's Note

Sorry about the long delay. Moving for a new job took up a whole lot more of my time than I had expected, and I was left ruminating on how to end this act.

Speaking of which, this marks the end of Act 1. Stay tuned for Act 2: Sweetie Belle, coming soon (but not too soon, I still have to write it...)