Apple Bloom kicked at the stones on the sandy path, her slightly darker red mane clinging to her coat with the help of the heavy rain, she looked up and saw Cream Tangerine place a gray cloud in the sky to join the others, Apple Bloom recalled her friend Scootaloo, it had been two weeks since she and Sweetiebelle had waved goodbye as the orange filly folowed the rainbow wonder bolt climb on to the blue train with yellow lightning bolt decorations. "I promise to write to you both! Oh, and goodluck Sweetiebelle in Manehatten." Scootaloo had said.
"Thanks, hope you have fun on the tour!" Sweetiebelle had replied.
'Sweetiebelle' Apple Bloom thought. It had been just over a week when Sweetiebelle began her trip to Manehatten with her sister and her parents. 'Won't be seein' her in a while ether'. Both Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo had received their cutiemarks, as did her cousin Babs. Apple Bloom longed to have her cutie mark, she longed to have her friends walk beside her, to make her smile when she frowned, to make her laugh when she was scared, to incourage her when she was in doubt, and to stick up for her when she was being bullied. She recalled the exact words Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had said.
"Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo didn't have to go, they choose to go. I mean, why whould they want to stay around a blankflank when they have their cutie marks?"
" They probably only wanted to stick around with her so they didn't look like they were the ones who were blankflanks." Silver Spoon added.
Apple Bloom felt hot tears on her cheek, had what they said been true? "No," Apple Bloom said with disbelief, "they didn't!" Apple Bloom recalled how neither of them had sent her letters yet. She wanted to run, as far as she could. Her slouchy trot turned to a gallop. Her bow flowing in the wind. Apple Bloom felt pain in her hips, her moth felt dry with all the gasps of air she had been taking, her cry didn't make it eaiser to breath. Her hair fell loosely onto her shoulders as she realized her bow had fallen off, she didn't pause to retrieve it, she continued running. Her eyes felt heavy all of a sudden, her legs felt tiered. The next thing she knew she was lying lifelessly on the ground. She felt a small warm hoof go through her mane. Her eyes were shut closed as she felt her pink ribbon being tied back at the top of her head. She sighed as she went into slumber after her run.
She felt a light object fall onto her face, she squinted her eyes as she lifted a hoof towards the thing that had disturbed her sleep, a wrinkly brown leaf met her hoof as she brushed it off her cheek. She slowly sat up and moved a small wool blanket of her body, she found herself leaning against the bark of a willow tree, light spiled through the gaps of the leaves that dangled in front of her she made out the silhouette of a colt, his height was slightly taller than hers and seamed a bit older than her too. She silently pushed the vines out of the way and sat by the grey pegasus colt, his mane was black and a dark grey, he turned his head so his deep indigo eyes met her gold ones. "Oh, you're up."said Rumble.
" Yeah, did you bring me here?"
He nodded, "I saw your bow caught in a tree and I followed where the wind was coming from, I saw you fall to the ground and brought you here in case you got a cold." He recalled, he remembered how soft her mae was, it smelt like sweet flowers with a scent of apples.
"Oh, thanks?" She rubbed the back of her neck, her mane was still damp which made it shine in the sun. Rummble shrugged and looked down at the small stream that circled the tree.
"If you don't mind me asking...why were you running?" Apple Bloom glared at him as he shrunk down so that he could probably hide under his wings. Apple Bloom sighed and faced the water.
"You really wanna know?" She asked. He nodded ,she had a deep breath and then...
"Sweetiebelle, Scootaloo and Babs all have their cutie marks but I don't! Sweetiebelle and Babs are in Manehatten and Scootaloo is who knows where and I'm stuck 'ere, they didn't 'ave ta go but they chose to! And, and I-i feel s-so..." She couldn't continue, her face fell to her hooves as salty water fell to the ground, Rumble put his hooves around her as he nodded.
"It's OK," he whispered in her ear. Apple Bloom didn't regect his gesture. She lifted her face to met his dark eyes. Her fresh tears glistened as they fell. He wiped one of the tears away and stared into her eyes, she stared straight into his. "I don't have a cutiemark either, or any friends." Apple Bloom's eyes widened. She lifted her hoof to hold his.
"Well, now you do," She smiled warmly as he smiled back, "And, I'm sort of the only member of the CMC right now. So if ya want to, join the..." she was interrupted as Rumble lunged on top of her. Apple Bloom blushed at this action but then returned this and felt his mane brush her face. Her apple scent filled Rumble's breath, he felt nauseous, but, could that ever feel happy? Rumble then snapped out of the trance and pulled away from the filly ,blushing as he rubbed his arm. "Well, um I'll take that as a yes?" Apple Bloom asked. Rumble nodded and looked back into her eyes. "Well, meet me after school tomorrow at Sweet Apple Acres and I'll share with you the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse!"
"Sure,"
Apple Bloom got up to continue her trip back home, before turning back to him. "Um, which way is the barn?" Rumble pointed a hoof to his right. "Thanks," she turned and went in the direction he had shown. Rumble still sat there ages after she had went out of his sight. Her scent was still in his breath, after a while he stood up and went towards the dent in the grass under the tree, the folded wool sat in a pile, he slowly picked it up gave it a wif of it, it had a stronger scent than the air. He sighed and pulled the blanket over his back and headed his way home, for tomorrow, he could start a friendship, and spend a life time with the pony he admired...