"What's that?" Babs Seed asked.
Apple Bloom fell silent, her face flushed red like a ripe tomato.
This wasn't the first time that she blurted something that she regretted, but it was nothing compared to what she just said.
Three words. Eight letters she wanted and needed to say ever since she saw Babs Seed the last time, but she hadn't the courage to say them back then. She hadn’t wanted to say them. She hadn’t wanted to write them down nor share them with her friends.
She wanted to bury those words deep inside of her, but she couldn't. There were too many things that pushed those words back inside her mind and lingered for a while longer. She couldn't escape them, but she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to.
Those three words made her heart flutter and sting at the same time. After all, she was her cousin, although, Apple Bloom stopped seeing Babs Seed as such a few months ago.
She was much more. Even though she shared many secrets with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, she felt as if she could share everything with Babs Seed. She had became Apple Bloom's closest friend, her confidant.
Even after an exhausting day, full of crusading with their friends and dealing with the chores on Sweet Apple Acres, they would happily chat deep into the night, an act that annoyed Applejack as it resulted in them sleeping in.
Whether the topics they exchanged touched the Cutie Mark Crusaders or local gossips, that wouldn't matter as each paid undivided attention to the speaker. In many cases, they either stopped because Applejack barged in and shooed both ponies to bed, or just due to sheer exhaustion.
In many of the latter cases, they were found in the morning curled together, their hooves wrapped tightly around each other.
But all of that was meaningless. It had been nothing more than just cousins sharing thoughts or friendly banter.
At least it was so until they touched the subject of colts and romance.
~*~*~
Babs Seed was worried. "Applejack has been down all day. What happened?"
"Oh, ya know," Apple Bloom replied with a giggle. "Granny wants her to get married soon because she wants great-grandchildren."
Babs Seed snickered and cleared her throat. "An Ah want at least four of em!" she said in a raspy voice, attempting to imitate the voice of Granny Smith.
Apple Bloom laughed. "Ah can't wait to get married myself."
Babs Seed smiled.
"And Ah want a wedding as pretty as the one that Princess Cadance had. With many ponies and Royal Guards, and everything… And Ah want to marry the cutest colt out there."
"Mhm. And who might that be?"
Apple Bloom shrugged. "Dunno. There are a couple of them in our school." She paused for a moment, her muzzle turning red. "Like Shady Daze…"
"Let me guess… He still doesn't have a cutie mark…"
Apple Bloom nodded. "He's a bit clueless, though… Ah been trying to take him out for a milkshake, but he always avoids me." She paused for a moment. "Been trying to ask him ever since the Foal Free Press fiasco, but…" She sighed.
Babs Seed stretched her hooves and wrapped them gently around Apple Bloom. "Don't worry, cuz. You're too pretty not to be noticed."
"Ah guess," Apple Bloom replied, letting herself get engulfed in the comfort of familiar hooves. She let out a small yawn, followed by a warm smile. "So, what will yours going to be like?"
"Hm?"
"Wedding, silly."
"Oh." Babs Seed shrugged. "Don't know. I don't think I'm interested in marrying a colt…"
"Really?"
"Dunno. Maybe."
Apple Bloom laughed softly. "Ya'd rather marry a filly?"
"Dunno. Maybe."
"Hey!" Apple Bloom lightly nudged the orange hoof. "Now yer cheating. Ya said the same thing twice!"
"Dunno. Maybe," Babs Seed repeated herself once again, this time in a half-interested, yet teasing tone.
The fillies shared a laugh.
As the laughter subsided, Apple Bloom asked, "Seriously? Yer not interested in colts?"
Babs Seed shrugged. "Not really… I just think they're kind of… dull…"
"Are not!"
Babs Seed laughed at the display of Apple Bloom's defence. "Don't worry, cuz. I know they aren't… It's just… I can't explain it…"
The room fell silent for a few moments, allowing Apple Bloom to weigh in on Babs Seed's words.
Her face lightly tinted red. "Babs?"
"Hm?"
"Ya really think Ah'm pretty?"
"Dunno. Maybe."
"Babs!"
Babs Seed smiled. "Sorry, cuz… I'm just teasing you. Of course you are. If you weren't my cousin, I'd even ask you—"
Applejack entered the room and cleared her throat. "Apple Bloom, Babs Seed, why aren't ya two in bed already?"
"Sorry, sis. We were just talking."
"At two in the morning? Ya know that Babs's train leaves early, right?"
"But—"
"No buts, Apple Bloom. Bed. Ya two will have time to talk in the morning."
"Yeah. An hour," Apple Bloom muttered under her breath.
"Hm?"
"Nothing…"
Applejack smiled. "Now, off to bed with ya two. And no more chatter."
The fillies nodded and looked at each other. "Race ya!" they said in one voice and bolted towards the bed.
Applejack just shook her head and left the room.
~*~*~
It didn't take long before their room started to bathe in Babs Seed's soft snores. However, both fillies weren’t asleep. Rather than joining her cousin in the land of dreams, Apple Bloom couldn't get the innocent conversation out of her head.
She wasn't sure what happened, but she could swear that something had changed. She wasn't sure what, but she was certain that Babs Seed had became prettier, her breathing more soothing. She wanted to understand what had happened, but failed. She paused for a moment before she took a deep breath and nudged the sleeping pony. "Babs?"
No answer.
"Babs?" Apple Bloom repeated herself, nudging a little harder.
It worked. A pile of orange, half-asleep fur moved, her hoof grabbing Apple Bloom's in an attempt to drag her closer.
Apple Bloom didn't mind. She was certain that she was being mistaken for a pillow by the disoriented pony, but it didn't matter. Only moments after Babs's hooves wrapped around her, Apple Bloom could feel her eyelids droop, and the image of reality dissolved into the warm welcome of dreamless sleep.
~*~*~
Apple Bloom yawned and looked around the now bright, but empty bedroom. "Babs?"
No response.
"Oh, no!" She bolted up, quickly running downstairs. "Ah missed her!"
"Eyup," Big Mac replied.
Apple Bloom hung her head. "Why didn't ya wake me up? Ah wanted to talk to her before she left."
"About what?"
"About—"
Apple Bloom stopped herself there. Even she wasn't certain what she needed to talk about with Babs Seed. Apple Bloom tried to remember how Babs made her heart flutter, but everything ended up entangled in a mess of fuzzy memory.
"Ya know… things," she finally managed to finish. "And Ah wanted to say goodbye," she added in a sad tone.
"That's what ya get for staying up so late," Applejack said. "Ah tried to wake ya up, but ya latched yerself to a pillow and refused to wake up…"
"Oh." Apple Bloom sat on the ground, her ears drooped. "Ah miss her."
"Already?" Applejack mused. "Don't ya worry none, Bloom. She will be back next year."
Apple Bloom groaned. "Yeah. Great. Woohoo and all that," she replied in a sarcastic tone. "Only one year. That's going to be like tomorrow or something…"
Applejack blinked. "Ya can always write to her, ya know…"
Apple Bloom didn't needed to be told twice. As soon as Applejack finished her sentence, she bolted up to her room.
She had a letter to write.
~*~*~
"Bloom? Applejack?" Babs Seed asked in a mixture of shock and pleasant surprise.
"Surprise, cuz!" Apple Bloom piped.
"What? How—"
"Well, Ah had some—" Applejack started.
“Applejack said she had some kind of business here, and Ah just had to come and see you!” Apple Bloom cut in.
She smiled. She had eagerly waited for a chance to see her cousin again. Even when they were far apart, an ever-increasing stack of letters, filled with little secrets and encouraging words, exchanged between the two had kept them close, and with time, brought them even closer.
She had often let herself dwell on Babs Seed's words, often wishing and hoping she could sit behind a piece of paper and write down what was on her mind but just couldn't. Every time she started, she couldn't force herself to write more than just a short greeting that quickly dissolved into mundane chatter.
Apple Bloom sighed.
She had so many opportunities to say what was on her mind, but failed, and now, after a long six months of waiting, she held Babs Seed in a warm, welcoming embrace.
"I have so much to tell you, Bloom!" Babs Seed piped.
Apple Bloom smiled. I want to tell you things as well, she thought. I just hope I can.
~*~*~
"And this is the city harbor. I often like to sit here and watch ponies run around like they don't know where they're going. It's kinda funny," Babs Seed said, pointing her hoof to the group of scattered ponies that were scurrying about.
Apple Bloom smiled and nodded, taking a deep breath. "Ya were right, Babs," she breathed.
Babs Seed scratched her mane in confusion. "What? About what?"
"About colts. They're… "
"Dull?"
"No, it's just…" Apple Bloom fell silent for a moment, struggling fiercely with herself not to change the subject. Tell her! She bit her lower lip. "B-Babs?"
"You're acting strange, Bloom. What is it?"
"D-do ya like me?"
"What's that?" Babs Seed asked.
Apple Bloom fell silent for a few seconds, her face flushed red like a ripe tomato. She took another deep breath in an attempt to gather the courage to repeat her question.
"D-do ya like me?" she asked with an even weaker voice than the first time.
Babs Seed chuckled. "Of course, silly. You're my favorite cousin."
Apple Bloom hung her head, her ears drooped. She was certain that she was misunderstood, or that Babs just wasn't interested. But she couldn't make herself repeat what she already said twice. She sniffled and wiped the moisture from her eyes.
"Bloom?"
Apple Bloom smiled grimly, her hoof still trying to wipe her eye dry. "Ah think Ah got something stuck in my eye," she replied with a trembling voice.
"Bloom…"
Apple Bloom giggled nervously. "Silly me," she continued plainly. "Getting dust in my eye and all… Maybe Ah should—"
The rest of the words were cut by a muzzle now leaning into her mouth, warm lips brushing against hers. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.
As the muzzles separated, Babs Seed smiled. "I do, cuz," she whispered. She wrapped her hooves around Apple Bloom and tightened the hug. "Very much."
Relieved, Apple Bloom leaned her head onto Babs Seed, the entirety of the day seeming brighter as she gave into the warmth of the familiar embrace. "Ah love ya, Babs Seed."
