Apple Bloom stared intently at her classmate who was to the far left of the room, sitting in her desk, diligently writing down the notes that Miss Cheerilee herself was writing on the blackboard in front of the class. Since a year ago, Mayor Mare had allowed Cheerilee a bigger school budget, so all the desks and boards were fancy and new, and the classroom smelled fresh again. Anything that Miss Cheerilee was saying was drowned out by the scratch of her favorite classmate’s pencil. Even though it was across the room from her, Apple Bloom could still hear every scratch it made on the crisp white paper before her. The classmate’s eyes darted up and down rapidly, making sure to take down every note she could for the test coming up at the end of the week.
Apple Bloom ripped her own eyes away and looked down dejectedly at her own page, which was completely blank except for two names scribbled messily, hers at the top, and her classmate’s down the margins. Working on the farm didn’t leave much time for practicing her penmanship, so teasing her about it had become one of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s favorite torture methods.
Apple Bloom saw Cheerilee flash her a knowing look that told her that the teacher knew she wasn’t paying attention. Quickly looking to the blackboard, Apple Bloom picked up the pencil with her mouth and scratched down her classmate’s name again to look like she was doing work. Cheerilee smiled and nodded once subtly at her before turning back and continuing her lesson.
Apple Bloom let out a breathless sigh and rested her head on her desk, which sat at the back of the classroom, far from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. One too many crazy antics had gotten them all sent to different corners of the room — Scootaloo to the right, Sweetie Belle to the left, and Apple Bloom to the back row. Even though the three of them had gotten their Cutie Marks years ago, they still goofed around and acted like fillies whenever they had the chance. Applejack would always tell Cheerilee that ‘old habits die hard, Ah guess’ when she came to visit, but Cheerilee was less than pleased that the three hadn’t outgrown their childish ways yet, even when they were in grade eleven.
The farmpony tossed her head back up, propped it onto her right hoof and resumed her staring. The classmate never noticed her, which mildly surprised Apple Bloom. Her light orange eyes were forever burrowing themselves into her classmate’s back or mane, or staring at her mouth or into her eyes when she turned to look at the clock. Something like that was always noticed by, say, Diamond Tiara. The second that Apple Bloom looked towards the class bully, Diamond Tiara’s head would swing to meet Apple Bloom’s gaze almost instantly, and stick her tongue out at her. It was almost as if Diamond Tiara had eyes in the back of her expertly styled mane.
It wouldn’t surprise me if she did, Apple Bloom thought with a smirk as her eyes flicked quickly to the back of Diamond Tiara’s head and then back again. That mare is a monster after all.
“Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee called out to her. Apple Bloom’s head snapped up as she met her teacher’s gaze and saw that she looked very unimpressed with the farmpony who constantly zoned out every class.
“Y-Yes, Miss Cheerilee?” Apple Bloom answered back as sweetly as she could with the sweetest smile she could manage. Looking at her classmate made the latter easy. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo turned around to her and they each gave a worried look. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just grinned and hid their mocking laughter. Apple Bloom swallowed hard.
“Can you tell me the answer to the question that I just asked?” The teacher asked, cocking her head questioningly to the side. Apple Bloom gave a panicked glance to her friends. Scootaloo shook her head and gave an apologetic look, but Sweetie Belle tried to mouth something out to her. Apple Bloom stared at her lips, trying to read them, but to no avail. Looking back to Cheerilee, the farmpony sighed.
“Ah’m sorry Miss Cheerilee, but—" A loud ringing filled her ears. The whole class shifted their gazes from Apple Bloom to the clock on the right wall. Both hands were right on the twelve, telling the students that it was time for lunch.
“Well done today, class! Remember that we have a test in Draconequus History at the end of the week, and it will be worth ten percent of your final mark, so study hard!” Cheerilee called out hopefully to her students, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Ponies of all different kinds filed in a disorganized fashion out of the classroom and down the hallways to their lockers, the cafeteria, or outside. Apple Bloom heard Sweetie Belle’s voice chime out above the ruckus.
“Come on Apple Bloom, we don’t wanna be late and have our spots taken!” The young mare called out, waving her arm in the air to grab Apple Bloom’s attention. The farmpony nodded excitedly and snatched up her supplied into her saddlebag, making sure to stuff the ‘blank’ paper as far down as she could.
“You comin’, or what?” Scootaloo yelled with a grin. Apple Bloom leaped up from her desk and started trotting happily to her friends.
“Ah’m comin’, Ah’m comin’, just gimme—"
“A few minutes alone with Miss Cheerilee.” Cheerilee said with a frown as she walked over to the trio. Apple Bloom stopped where she was and shrunk down a bit, squeezing her eyes shut and berating herself silently for not escaping sooner. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gave their teacher a confused look.
“What for, Miss Cheerilee, if you don’t mind me asking?” Sweetie Belle asked charmingly, batting her eyelashes innocently. Apple Bloom averted her gaze back to Cheerilee as fast as she possibly could.
“I need to discuss something privately with Apple Bloom, if you could part with her for a few minutes. I promise that it won’t take too long.” Cheerilee assured her friends. The unicorn and the Pegasus exchanged glances, but shrugged and nodded nonetheless.
“Alright, whateves. Just don’t take too long, Bloom. We’ll be in the usual spot.” Scootaloo called out, already turning around to leave. Sweetie Belle gave Apple Bloom a smile and wave before trotting out after her friend. And with that, the farmpony was left alone with her teacher.
“Please, take a seat.” Cheerilee ushered Apple Bloom to a chair and sat her down, taking a seat right across from her. The two earth ponies stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Cheerilee let out a long, exasperated sigh as she leaned back in her chair. “Apple Bloom, what’s going on?”
“Ah beg your pardon?”
“I asked you, what’s going on? Every single day, no matter what I’m teaching, you just… zone out! Every time that I look at you, you’re staring off into the distance, completely oblivious to your surroundings. What’s going on with you? Is there a problem at home?” Cheerilee leaned back in, a concerned look spreading across her magenta colored face.
“N-No! It ain’t nothin’ like that, Ah promise you!” Apple Bloom waved her hooves back and forth rapidly. “It’s just…” She deflated.
“It’s just what?”
“It’s nothin’, you’d think it’s stupid.” Apple Bloom muttered under her breath. She didn’t intend for Cheerilee to hear it, but the teacher did.
“Of course I wouldn’t, Apple Bloom.” She reached out and put a friendly hoof onto her student’s shoulder. “Nothing that troubles any of my students is ever stupid.”
“It’s just that…” Apple Bloom fidgeted in her seat, trying to find the least silly way to word her concerns. “Ah have a crush on somepony.” The earth pony bowed her head, almost feeling shameful that she was taking up Cheerilee’s time for something like this. A red flush crossed her cheeks and she half expected her teacher to be angry with her, but instead, Cheerilee pulled her in for a hug.
“Oh Apple Bloom, that’s wonderful! I remember the first time that a crush returned my feelings, and it felt so wonderful! Knowing that a stallion likes you back is one of the best feelings in the world.” Cheerilee closed her eyes and sighed dreamily. “And you never know who you’ll end up marrying someday!” The teacher’s eyes drifted towards her desk, where a picture of her and a tall red stallion locked in an embrace stood. Apple Bloom’s eyes fell to the floor.
“But how do you know if somepony likes you?” The two mares locked eyes again. Cheerilee thought about an answer for a moment.
“Well Apple Bloom, that’s the thing — you don’t. That’s part of the wonder and mystery of it all. Unless the two of you talk, you can never know for sure. Hearing it from somepony else’s mouth is never a way to know for sure. You just have to talk to him yourself, and see what he says!” Apple Bloom frowned.
“Nopony would ever like me though.” She mused sadly.
“And just why is that?” Cheerilee asked, putting a hoof under her chin and making Apple Bloom look at her.
“Because look at me! Ah’m a farmpony! Ah don’t pay attention in class, so Ah’m as dumb as a rock, and Ah can’t even write mah own name without it looking like chicken scratch!” Tears pricked at her eyes. “Nopony could ever like somepony like me.”
“Oh Apple Bloom.” Cheerilee pulled her in for another hug. “Stop speaking such nonsense. You aren’t as dumb as a rock, you’re bright and smart, and anypony would be lucky to call you their marefriend.” The teacher gave her a humored smirk, “And we can always work on your penmanship after school, if you want to.”
“Would you be willing to help me?” Apple Bloom gazed up at her teacher hopefully. The older mare laughed heartily.
“Of course I would! I wouldn’t bother bringing it up if I didn’t want to help you!”
"Oh thank you, Miss Cheerilee!” Apple Bloom beamed with happiness. “Ah just know that if Ah could write better, more ponies would like me! Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are always makin’ fun of me ‘cause ah can’t write well!”
“Well, I’ll be sure to have a word with those two about that. But back to the matter on hoof — why don’t you go tell this stallion what you feel. I’m sure he would return your feelings. You’re a smart, beautiful mare now, Apple Bloom. I’ve loved seeing you grow up over the years.” Cheerilee’s gaze drifted to Apple Bloom’s flank, where a cutie mark of a red apple with a wrench and hammer making a cross over top of it, sat proudly.
“Do ya really think that would work?” Apple Bloom lifted one eyebrow in doubt. Cheerilee just beamed warmly and rested a hoof on her shoulder.
“I really think it would, Bloom.” The teacher used Apple Bloom’s nickname. The two sat in silence for a second before the younger mare’s face broke into a wide smile as she went in for one last hug, one that left Cheerilee panting for air afterwards.
“Oh thank you, thank you, Miss Cheerilee! You’ve helped me so much today, Ah don’t know how Ah can thank you! Ah’m gonna go tell her how I feel right now!” Apple Bloom jumped from her chair without another word and ran out the door as fast as she could. Cheerilee sat in stunned silence for what felt like a very long time. Staring back at the spot where Apple Bloom was sitting, the teacher could only think of one thing:
“Her?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat quietly, eating their lunches outside of the school underneath a large oak tree. It was their favorite spot, their usual spot, and it was the spot where Sweetie Belle had gotten her cutie mark when she had sung a calming song to Apple Bloom many years ago, after Scootaloo had attempted to pick the earth pony up and fly around with her, only to drop her once she had gotten into the air. Apple Bloom had suffered a broken foreleg and many cuts and bruises from hitting the tree branches on her way down, and as the ambulance came, Sweetie Belle had sung her friend a lullaby, the same one that Rarity had sung her when she was younger.
Both mares looked up in time to see their third member racing towards them, full speed. Apple Bloom wore a big smile on her face as she stared at the white unicorn sitting in front of her. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow in confusion but kept eating. Sweetie Belle lowered her sandwich and cocked her head to the side, letting her rose and lilac colored curls to fall to one side.
“What’s up, Apple Bloom?” She asked, her voice sweet and innocent and questioning. Apple Bloom’s smile didn’t falter for a moment, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.
“Sweetie Belle, Ah have something to tell you…”
