Author's Note
This kind of an attempt to write something a bit more emotional, hopefully I got it right for the whole fic. My editor let me know that he felt both Chapter 1 and 2 could've been stand-alones, but I'll let you guys make up your own minds about the matter.
Chapter 1 - Spike
Being a small town, Ponyville was always a relatively quiet and peaceful town, and it still is. Outside of the occasional bad weather days, Cutie Mark Crusader-related incidents, and big city-pony related events, there rarely is ever much of a big ruckus regarding the town; and, this is particularly true since there hadn't been a Crusader-related incident in almost six years. This is due to the fact the young fillies haven't lived in the town for almost six years.
About six years ago, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo reached an age they could leave home and see the world. After years of trying to get their cutie marks, all ending in failure, they came to the conclusion that perhaps their little hometown couldn't give them what they so desperately longed for and wished to look elsewhere. Naturally their families were more than hesitant to allow them to do this, but in the end, they let the three go.
Before the three left though, they made sure that everything that needed to be said had been said, so they wouldn't have any regrets leaving their homes for however long it took them. Applebloom having the heaviest, which Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle made sure she got it off her chest.
"Come on Applebloom, the train's gonna be here in like...any second now. Just talk to him already." Scootaloo stated
"Ah know, ah know. Quit rushin' me." Applebloom took a deep breath before sighing and looking towards the others who had come to bid them safe travels, her gaze eventually stopping, and lingering, on a certain purple dragon, who was standing next to Twilight.
Her attention broke away from him when Applebloom noticed Applejack take a couple steps towards her.
"Ya sure ya'll want ta do this?" Applejack asked the trio
"We're sure, sis." Applebloom replied, as Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement
"Yeah, we gotta try at least." Scootaloo added
"Well..., if yer sure..." she remarked before audibly sighing and scratched the back of her neck, "Best o' luck to ya'll, an'...trah comin' home as soon as yer done findin' yer cutie marks. We agreed ta let ya go, but that don't mean we ain't gonna miss havin' you three around."
"Very much so." Rarity rang out in agreement, "Sweetie Belle, I know that you're aware how much Mother and Father were reluctant to let you go on this little journey of yours, so do try to make the separation as short as possible."
"I will." she chirped happily
"And that goes the same to you too, squirt." Rainbow stated to Scootaloo, "Can't exactly invite my kinda-sister to the ceremony where I earn my wings for the 'Bolts if she's not around to receive the invite."
"Don't worry, I'll be back before then." Scootaloo remarked with a confident tone.
It was at that point, the entire group heard the train's whistle off in the distance, indicating the train was going to arrive very soon.
"Applejack can ah...?" Applebloom asked in a quiet voice before tapering off to an inaudible level.
The older earth pony gave a smile and nod, understanding what her younger sister was going to ask. It really wasn't much of a secret anymore to the others, save for a few exceptions, most of those who were close friends with Applebloom knew how she felt for the drake. At first it was mostly just something mentioned as a joke, but as time went by, it became rather obvious from Applebloom's reactions whenever she was around Spike that it was indeed real.
At first, Applejack and Big Mac weren't too thrilled with the idea, Applejack even more than her brother, but couldn't really do anything about it. On top of Applebloom seemingly not allowing her older siblings to dissuade her of her feelings towards Spike, and Spike unconsciously not giving the Apples any reason to suspect he was a threat to Applebloom, Granny Smith also had little-to-no issues about the matter. In fact, the elderly mare seemed to find entertainment in seeing if Spike would notice at least one of the reactions Applebloom gave whenever he was around. In the end though, the two siblings came to terms with it, and decided to see what would happen.
"Sure, might be yer only chance fer some time. Jus'...remember, it might not roll yer way." she warned as she gave a sympathetic look.
"Ah know..." she merely replied before walking toward Spike, "Spike, mind if ah talk ta ya fer a moment...? Just us...?"
"Uh, sure, I guess." Spike replied in a confused tone before looking at Twilight, who merely gestured for him to do so.
With Applebloom in the lead, the two walked to the other side of the boarding-platform, where there were fewer ponies to listen in on them.
"So what did you want to tell me, Applebloom?"
She didn't reply as she pawed at the wood below her, thinking what she was going to say.
Spike waited for a moment, before saying, "Um..., is this about that incident with the tree sap? Cause if it is, I already said that I'm totally sorry, and I'll do my best to repair the-"
"It ain't about that, Spike. Though, ah do appreciate that ya offered ta help repair the ol' treehouse." she interrupted him, "This is...This is about somethin' else..."
"Oh..?"
"W-We've been friends since ya came ta Ponyville, r-right...?" she asked, figuring that was a good way to ease into the subject.
"I guess, I mean we have hung out before, and-" Spike replied, before Applebloom interrupted him mid-sentence once again.
"An' we've never had any...arguments where ah made ya hate at me, right?"
"Hate you...?! Of course not. Sure, we argued about this and that, but nothing that would make me hate you."
"Applebloom, get on with it already! The train's here." Scootaloo shouted just a mere second before the train came into view and came to a stop at the station with loud 'hiss', earning a scolding look from Sweetie Belle and the others. They had a few more minutes at best, as those getting off at Ponyville got off.
Though the others were more than certainly out of ear-shot, Scootaloo could tell that it was taking too long.
"'Get on with it already'...?" Spike repeated, "What does Scootaloo mean by that?"
Applebloom didn't reply, but flattened her ears against her head as she bit her lip in nervousness. Why was it so hard now that he was right here in front of her?
Spike placed a clawed hand on her shoulder at that point and said, "Applebloom, you can tell me. I'm your friend, just like Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Whatever it is, I promise I won't think any differently of you."
"That's the problem, 'cause...ah kinda want ya to..." she admitted, earning a surprised and confused look from Spike.
Before Spike could utter another word, Applebloom gave him a kiss on the very tip of his nose, stunning him even further.
"Ah l-love ya, Spike." she admitted as soon as she could, "Ah really do."
"A-Applebloom...I'm not-"
"Ah know ya don't feel the same, ya do like somepony else afterall. Ah just wanted ta let ya know 'ow I felt before ah left."
Spike hesitated for a moment, before asking, "How long...?"
"Ah dunno..." she replied as she shook her head, "It took my sis, Scootaloo, and Sweetie to help figure how I felt."
"All aboard for Manehatten!" they heard somepony shout outloud.
"Come on Applebloom, we gotta get going." Scootaloo shouted
"Ah gotta go." Applebloom stated after a brief moment of silence, "Thanks fer listenin' ta me, Spike. Ah hope we can still be, ya know...friends." she added with sad tone before turning to join back up with the others.
"Applebloom, wait, can't you at least tell me how you knew there was somepony else I liked? I mean, I don't think I ever told you I liked anyone before."
"Sweetie Belle told me. I mean, other than it was easy ta notice half the time, Sweetie Belle is her sister afterall."
That caught him off-guard. Not only did she know he liked somepony, but also it was Sweetie Belle's sister, Rarity. He was hoping that only so few would know of his crush on Rarity. So far, to his knowledge, that made five ponies who knew of his crush: Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Sweetie, and Applebloom. Were there others who knew? So far, all of them were mares, so maybe it was just a mare-thing. Afterall, none of his guy friends has said a word about it, so that probably means they didn't know, right?
Neither said anything else as the walked back to join up with the others, before the crusaders picked up their things and got on the train. The three took their seats next to a window that faced the station platform, and looked out the window towards the others, who were all saying best wishes for a safe trip and waving 'bye' to them.
As the train gave a loud whistle, indicating it was now leaving the station, Applebloom once again looked at Spike, earning a surprised look from him.
Whether it was because he now understood how much Applebloom liked him, or perhaps it was because she now told him and she didn't have to hide the fact anymore, he saw an expression on her face that made his blood run cold. While Applebloom was indeed smiling as they waved 'bye', he saw incredible sadness in her eyes when she looked at him. A sadness that he could only compare to his own after looking at himself in the mirror after one his advances towards Rarity came up short.
Spike let out a sigh as he remembered that day. A little less than six years ago to date, and the details of that day were still fresh in his mind, and how could it not? It was the first day he felt he had really, truly let a friend down so much.
Opening his eyes, he looked out towards the setting sun as it set behind the mountain where Canterlot was situated. Another day gone, and another day his apology would have to wait.
A lot had changed in the years that had passed. Over the last several years, the town had grown quite a bit, as the town advanced from a 'small, backwater town' as most of the ponies from Canterlot liked to call it, to an important trade town. Granted it was still a relatively quiet town in the evenings and at night, and still had a good income from farming, the addition of new shops and some industry-related buildings, increased number of goods that the town could produce and attracted a lot of new ponies who wished to trade, buy, and sell their goods in Ponyville. This was on top of the fact Rarity's designs gained increasing popularity, and had continued to function in Ponyville, much to her annoyance, but at least she was able to remain close to friends.
As he stared out, out towards the horizon, he almost missed the sounds of hoofsteps approaching him from behind. Looking back, he saw a familiar orange mare looking at him.
"Applejack."
"Howdy, Spike." she greeted him, "Mind if ah joined ya?"
Spike merely shook his head and scooted over so as to let her a place to sit.
Applejack silently trotted right over, and took a seat, taking a moment look at him.
It was a routine she and the others were rather aware of by now, Spike would dutifully do his job as Twilight's assistant during the day, but by the evening, the young drake would take a seat under a tree that grew near the town's outskirts. It was near one of the paths that led out of the town, as he waited for Applebloom's return.
Over the years, Spike had matured greatly, as he now stood eye-to-eye with Big Mac when on all fours, his wings had already grown in, granted they were still too weak for flight, and his eyes had an almost piercing look to them now, giving Spike an almost guard dog type appearance as he sat under the tree. The only thing that remained of his younger appearance was a slight pudge, what's left of his baby fat, and the feeling of faithfulness and kindness he still had as a baby in those eyes of his.
"Still waitin' on her...?" Applejack stated, finally breaking the silence between them.
"Yeah..."
"Ya know, ya really don't need ta sit around out here."
"I know."
"Ya'll could just wait near Sweet Apple Acres instead."
"I know."
"Then why are ya waitin' out here then?"
"Because...because, I want to be the first to...to greet her." he admitted, in an embarrassed tone.
Applejack smirked before saying, "Well, Ah suppose that's a good reason. Still, if this is about...well, yer feelin's fer her now...."
Another thing that had developed over the last couple of years or so was a deep longing to see his long-time friend again. Initially, it could be chalked up as just missing her, much like how the rest of the Apples missed her, but over time it became a little more obvious that he particular missed seeing Applebloom more.
It ironically became more obvious after finally getting a date with Rarity, and the two talking as adults for him to realize that it was just a mere childhood crush, and that perhaps who he should've focused on was never that far to begin with. There was no hard feelings when it happened, and to date, Spike still happily volunteers to help Rarity whenever needed, just with less swooning on his part.
Spike remained silent as he ducked his head down trying to hide a light blush, before saying, "It's not really because of that. It's been a long time, I know she probably doesn't feel the same way anymore."
"...."
"I just want to tell her...that I'm sorry. Sorry, for being too blind to see it sooner. Sorry, I let her leave broken-hearted. And, that I'm sorry..., that this thick-headed bag of scales let her down as a friend."
"Now don't be sayin' that about yerself." Applejack stated with a serious look, "I mean sure, ya'll were too busy ooglin' Rares to really notice, but ah don't think for a second she would say ya failed her as her friend."
"How could you say that...? I did let her down, even after she told me her feelings, I couldn't even say that I felt the same for her...All I was able to do was stammer."
"Hm..." was all Applejack could reply as she looked towards the setting sun again.
"And for what...? A relationship that didn't go further than the first date? Even then, it still took Rarity to tell me that there was another pony I had feelings for."
"Well, romance ain't an easy game. Ain't always straight forward, there's always some thing or 'nother that makes it harder to get at than teachin' a contest winnin' pig how ta fly. At least, that's what I think Rares means when she tells me."
"Speaking of her, how are you two...? Last I heard, you two had gotten into an argument."
"Hee..." Applejack scratched the back of her head, "like ah said, it ain't always easy. Been a year and ah still sometimes wonder if wrestlin' a rodeo bull is easier; but, don't worry yerself none, she and I are alright now." she admitted with an embarrassed blush.
The two then fell into a calm silence, as they watched the sun fully set over the horizon and the sky darkened, letting the stars come out once again.
With the sun gone, and Luna's moon now rising to take its place in the sky, Applejack looked up towards a brightly shining star directly above their heads.
"Spike, as ya know, ah'm a bad liar -couldn't lie even if it meant savin' mah own tail, it's been a long time and yer probably right, Bloom may not feel the same as she did six years ago..."
That made Spike tense up, even if he admitted that, part of him still hoped he was wrong.
"But, ya never really know, she might still feel the same; and, even if she doesn't, I'm sure she'll still be your friend."
"How can you be so sure...?"
"Cause, that's what Granny Smith taught us." she turned her attention back to him.
"Huh...?"
"What was the first thing ah said to ya and Twilight when ya first came?"
"Um...You said...uh....." he nervously replied.
Applejack chuckled, "Ah said, that we in the Apple Family like making new friends; but, along with what we learned since ya and Twilight came ta Ponyville, to also cherish the friends we do have. We ain't solitary critters, we need community, we need havin' the company of others around us ta lend us a hoof when we need it, and ta make those cool, rainy days and hot summer days more comfortable. "
Spike silently listened to her.
"Applebloom knows that, ah don't think she'd forget so easily just cause she'd been away for six years."
"I guess..."
"Believe me, sugercube, she'll still be your friend." Applejack stated firmly with a nod, "If she doesn't though, don't hesitate ta let ol' Applejack know, and ah'll tell 'er what ya'll been doin' out here fer almost six years." she added with a chuckle.
"No, don't, it's alright. I think I can manage."
Applejack nodded and looked back up, and after a brief moment said, "If it helps ya some. Ah can tell ya somethin' that might help ya out a bit."
"Hm...? What?"
"Look at that bright star just above us." she instructed, and he followed, "That there is a star that my Ma showed Mac and I when we were little, and we told 'Bloom about when she was old enough. Ya know about how big the Apple Family is right? That we got members of our family all over Equestria with their own orchards ta tend to."
Spike nodded
"Since the family is so spread out, we sometimes start missin' each other, so we started focusing on that there star fer comfort. Anytime we start missin' a member of our family we just look up at that star, and think how they're probably lookin' at it too. Now, ah know it don't quite replace havin' them right there next to ya, but it does give some peace of mind ta think that the two of you are lookin' at the same exact thing, as if they were right next ta ya."
Spike mulled over the concept as he stared at the bright star above them. It seemed rather silly in a way, in a sense, hundreds of other ponies are probably looking at the same star, just not in the same context as he or the Apples looked at it. In the end he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and tried focusing his thoughts on what Applejack just told him.
While Spike was doing that, Applejack looked back up at the star, with Applebloom on her mind as well. It's been six long years since she left Ponyville, and Applejack couldn't help but wonder about her little sister's well being right at that moment.
A loud sigh from Spike, brought Applejack's attention back to him, this time he seemed to have a light smile on his face, "Ya feelin' a mite bit better?"
Spike nodded, "Yeah, I do. At least a little bit anyway. Thanks, Applejack."
"Think nothin' of it, Spike." she remarked, before getting up and turning to leave.
"You're going already?"
"Yep, ah just wanted ta help ya out, and also ta check on ya for Twilight. 'Sides, gotta get back home and get started on dinner. If ah don't, Big Mac might try and overcook the vegetables, again." she explained with a chuckle, earning one from Spike as well, "Ah'll see ya tomorrow, sugercube."
With that, Spike was left alone at his spot again, but it didn't really feel all that lonesome at all. With Applejack's words still on his mind, he looked back up at the star above him, think about if Applebloom really was looking at the star too. He still needed apologize for what happened at the train station years ago, but for the first time since the Crusaders left, he started to feel that longing feeling to see Applebloom start to alleviate itself.
His thoughts weren't that far from the truth at all.
Chapter 3 - Meeting Again
It was mid-afternoon when Applebloom arrived at Ponyville Train Station, she would've arrived much earlier, but she had a slight hold-up back at Manehattan in the form of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo not being able to decide what to say in a letter. Since Sweetie and Scootaloo were going to stay longer at Manehattan, the duo decided to send letters for their loved ones in their place explaining what was going on and why they were going to stay at the city a little longer. There was also Aunt and Uncle Orange, who refused to let her leave unless she ate some lunch before going, and naturally a quick snack to go didn't count.
Since it was in the middle of the day, the stars were already gone, but Applebloom couldn't help but look up at the spot she knew the star would be in the sky as she got off of the train. Her cousin Babs's words were still fresh on her mind, but the more she thought about seeing Spike, the more concerned she became about actually seeing him.
Applebloom took a deep breath and sighed. First things first, she wanted to see her family again and started towards Sweet Apple Acres. Her concerns though were put aside though, when she noticed just how much Ponyville had changed since she left, aside from noticing the town was busier, she also noticed the new stores, new faces, new-.
"HI!" a rather loud, cheerful voice stated just in front of her, interrupting her thoughts.
Applebloom groaned as the slight ringing in her left ear subsided.
"I'm Pinkie Pie, and welcome to-" Pinkie stopped once she got a better look at who she was talking to, "Wait, you're not new to Ponyville." she remarked upon realizing she recognized the mare in front of her, though she couldn't quite grasp who exactly just yet.
"Ugh...Pinkie...?"
"Applebloom...?" Pinkie asked followed by a loud gasp, "Applebloom! You're back!" she cheered happily as she stood up on her hindlegs and gave her a tight hug.
Applebloom giggled in response and returned the hug, "Good ta see ya again too, Pinkie."
"Wowie! I almost didn't recognize you at all, and," loud gasp, "look at how much you've grown up. Your almost as tall as Applejack, and, " another, yet louder, gasp, "You got your cutie mark!"
"Well, ah wasn't exactly 'full-grown' when ah left, and, yeah, ah finally earned it just a few days ago."
"Ooo! Does that mean Sweetie and Scootaloo are here too? That means I gotta throw a 'Welcome back home' party and a Cute-ceanera soon. Oh, make that three!" She stated, her excitement level clearly very, very high by now.
"Actually, Sweetie and Scoots are still back at Manehattan." that seemed to visibly deflate Pinkie energy levels, "Scoots entered a competition, and Sweetie Belle is there to cheer her on."
"Oh, okay, that explains."
"Ah just came back ta see...well, ta see..."
"To see Spike, again, right?" Pinkie finished for Applebloom, her tone rather sympathetic.
Applebloom could only nod.
"Aw..., you still really like him don't you?" another nod, "Well, if you want, I know exactly where he is right now. I can-"
"No, ah wanna see mah family first."
"Sure, I'll walk to Sweet Apple Acres with you; and, you can tell me about some of your adventures." Pinkie stated as the two trotted to Sweet Apple Acres.
The walk there didn't take that long, and it actually felt rather short for Applebloom as Pinkie and her talked about where Sweetie, Scootaloo, and herself went and all they saw during their time away, before Pinkie helped fill in some details about how Ponyville has changed. There was of course a lot of deviating on Pinkie's part, which was mostly to be expected, but it helped fill in other details Applebloom would've asked about later.
"Well, Pound has been talking about becoming a Cutie Mark Crusader, but we've been telling him that he should wait for you to okay the idea, which should be super easy now that you're back." Pinkie remarked as the duo walked onto Sweet Apple Acres.
"If he wants ta, ah don't see any problems with that. Why did ya need ta talk ta me fer...?"
"Well, duh, you are like the leader and founder."
"Ah ain't the leader, ah don't think the Crusaders really had a leader now that ah think about it, and Sweetie and Scoots helped with foundin' the Crusaders. Why what made ya think Ah was the leader?"
Pinkie gave a shrug and replied cheerfully as they arrived at the door to the Apple homestead, "I just had a feeling that you were. Aaaand here we are, home sweet home."
Applebloom took a moment to look into one of the windows as Pinkie knocked on the door. The first thing she noticed upon looking into the room was how little things have changed, maybe a new vase of flowers and dirty dishes, but nothing too drastic, and it brought a simple smile to her face. The smile disappeared though once she realized an important aspect, it appeared that no one was home. Even Granny's rocking chair was empty.
"Where is everypony?" Applebloom asked outloud to no one in particular.
"Granny Smith must still be in bed. Here let's go in and check." Pinkie replied as she opened the door.
"Ya sure we can do that?"
"Mm-hm," Pinkie replied with a nod, "Applejack said it's okay as long as it's an emergency or a super-special occasion." and walked in.
"If yer sure..." Applebloom stated in an unsure voice, before following.
As soon as they were both inside, they paused for a moment. Pinkie was interested in seeing the smile that Applebloom would have at being home again after so long, while Applebloom wanted to take in the familiar appearance and smells of the home she hasn't seen in a long time, which did make her smile.
The momentary pause was interrupted though when both heard Pinkie's stomach grumble, which caused the party pony to laugh.
"Looks like somepony's hungry." Pinkie remarked, "Would you mind if I try fixing something for myself in the kitchen?"
"Sure, jus' don't make too much of a mess. Ah don' think the others will appreciate it if ya do." She replied with a giggle.
Pinkie just grinned happily before proceeding into the kitchen, as Applebloom went upstairs. Applebloom figured both Big Mac and Applejack probably weren't home and were in the orchard somewhere tending to the trees, so she decided to check for Granny Smith. She lightly knocked on the door, waited a moment, before opening the door and tentatively peeking inside.
"Granny...?" she asked in a hushed voice, before seeing the elderly pony, who was fast asleep in her bed.
It was a tad strange that Granny Smith would be asleep at this time, but Granny did always take at least one mid-afternoon nap each day so Applebloom giggled and turned to leave. She can check back later after her grandmother was properly rested. Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn't to be, as Applebloom heard Granny make a sound that sounded like something halfway between a snort and a loud snore, and hearing the elderly mare smack her lips.
"Wha...? Huh? Who's there...?" Granny Smith asked weakly once the her eyes had adjusted properly to the light coming in through the window and noticed there was another pony in the room with her.
"H-Howdy, Granny." Applebloom greeted sheepishly as she turned her head to look at the elderly mare.
Granny Smith didn't say anything right away, choosing to blink her eyes a few times, before finally letting a wide smile on her face, "Well, shave my tail an' call me 'Pome'! Ain't ya a sight fer these ol' eyes."
Applebloom turned and went over to Granny Smith's bed side.
"Welcome home, young'un."
"Good ta be back, Granny." Applebloom remarked with a smile, though she was concerned about the obvious amount of lethargy in her grandmother's voice.
Granny was quickly able to see Applebloom's concern, something about the young mare's smile, tone of voice, and something about her grand-daughter's eyes were telling her so, "Now don't you be worrin' about me there. Yer ol' granny is alright."
"But ya sound so-"
"Weak...? Tired...?" Granny Smith interrupted, as she tried sitting up, "If only ah had a bit for the times ah've heard yer sister say that. It's this new-fangled medication ah'm takin' fer the pain in my hip and my lower back." she groaned as she failed to sit up, "Help me up."
Applebloom obliged and gently used a hoof to help Granny Smith sit up, while the elderly mare continued her explanation.
"Anywho, the new medicine works. Problem is, it also makes me lazier than a sleepy sloth." As soon as she was sitting up, yawned and stretched out her forelimbs, earning a slight 'pop' from one of them. "Like ah said though, it works, so ah suppose there's no sense in cryin' about it."
After a moment to properly rouse herself awake, Granny Smith and Applebloom went downstairs to check on Pinkie Pie.
They found Pinkie in the kitchen, just as the energetic mare was finishing off a plate full of apple tarts.
Granny Smith chuckled, "Emptyin' mah fridge again there, young'un?"
Pinkie gave a sheepish grin before saying, "Sorry, I was just sooo hungry."
"Eh, don't you go worryin' yer lil' head about it. Just glad ya snack a bit small there, Pinkie Pie, otherwise t'ween Applejack and ya, ya'd probably eaten me outta house and home by now." Granny Smith joked.
"Applejack doesn't eat that much, does she?" Applebloom asked.
"Nah, but she does tend work 'erself up a mighty big appetite." Granny Smith remarked as she slowly trotted in, "Anywho, ah suppose it was a good thing ya made some room in the fridge there, Pinkie, cause ah reckon on cookin' Bloom's favorite meal ta celebrate her return."
"Ooo, can I help?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically.
"Ah don't see why ya can't."
For the next two hours or so, the trio busily worked with what they had on hoof to fix up enough food to feed the Apples, plus Pinkie Pie. Pinkie and Applebloom did most of the work, due to Granny's advanced age, but that didn't stop the elderly pony from managing the other two with careful advice and a watchful eye on the exact proportions of each ingredient.
"And just a light glazin' of cinnamon powder ovah the top...," Granny said outloud as she sprinkled a bit of cinnamon on top of the freshly out of the oven apple pie, "and, that's how it's done."
"Mmm..., that's smells so good!" Pinkie remarked as she and Applebloom sniffed the delicious smell the pie was leaving in the air, "I can't wait to get a slice!"
Applebloom seemed to agree as she licked her lips in anticipation.
"And ya will, just not right this instant. We gotta wait fer Big Mac and Applejack ta show." she stated, "Those two shouldn't be ta long now. Most of the market should be closin' up right about now."
As if on cue, they heard Applejack open the door, followed by some hooves clopping on the wooden flooring of the house.
"Somethin' smells right good in 'ere. Granny, did ya-" they heard Applejack's voice say before she paused, "Wait a sec, ya only- Consarnit, Pinkie Pie! What did ah tell ya about comin' inta the house?!"She shouted loudly before said pony looked into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks upon seeing who else was there. She was quickly followed by Big Mac, Rarity, and Twilight.
"Easy! That I'm not allowed to come in unless I'm invited over, it's an emergency, or very super-duper special reason." Pinkie replied with a smile, "But, I think this is special enough."
There was a quick pause before a wide smile appeared on Applejack's face.
"Good ta see ya again, Applejack." Applebloom said as she faced her sister just before Applejack galloped over to her and pulled her into a very tight hug.
"Applebloom, yer home! It's good ta see ya again, too, sis." she remarked with exuberance and a slight laugh.
"Let go...! Yer choking me..." Applebloom strained to say as she struggled against her sister's grip, that despite the fact the two were almost the same size now, was proving to still be considerably difficult.
Applejack finally let go once Big Mac tapped her shoulder, letting her know what she was doing without actually saying anything. It wasn't that Big Mac didn't miss his youngest sister, he did miss her, he just figured the vice grip of a hug Applejack provided more than enough for AJ and himself.
"Sorry..." Applejack apologized.
"Welcome back, Applebloom." Twilight greeted her.
"Yes, it's so good to see you again, Applebloom." Rarity added, "But, I must say, according to Applejack, you weren't suppose to return home for another week. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"Ah was, but Babs said ah probably should come home early since ah....well, ah, didn't have anythin' better ta do back at Manehattan."
"So I take it that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo aren't here as well?"
"Nah, they decided ta stay a bit longer."
"A pity," Rarity remarked as her ears flattened for a moment, "but, I suppose it couldn't be helped. I've waited six years, I suppose Mother, Father, and myself can't wait one more week."
"If it helps some, ah do have a letter from her fer ya'll."
"Oh...? Well, that will do."
"If ya'll are done flappin' yer gums, how about we enjoy a good meal ta celebrate before Pinkie here starts without any of ya'll." Granny Smith rang in.
"Ya really cooked enough fer us all...?" Applejack asked.
"Well, ah didn't expect ta havin' Princess Twi'light or Rarity over, but ah suppose there might be enough fer all of us."
"Please, just 'Twilight' is fine, Granny Smith." Twilight stated, "No need to be so formal with me. Also, are you certain...? I mean, I wouldn't want to impose."
"Nah, don't you worry about it. Far as ah'm concerned it'd be a pleasure ta have ya."
"Well, then, thank you very much."
While they were grabbing some extra chairs, Applebloom took notice that Rarity was seemingly following Applejack rather closely; and, at one point even playfully taken the farmer pony's hat off of her head and placed it onto her head, with little fuss from Applejack. Applebloom paused for a moment when Applejack didn't make a fuss right away as she would've expected her sister to do, which earned a slight grin from Pinkie and Granny Smith.
Just as they were about to take their seats, they heard Pinkie cough into her hoof and said, "Hey, um, Applejack...Did you by any tinnie-tiny, itsy-bitsy chance did you ever tell Applebloom about you and...you know...?"
"Huh...?" Applejack merely asked with genuine confusion.
"What are you talking about, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, you know." Pinkie replied, with a grin so wide it looked like it would split her face.
Twilight looked towards Applejack, then noticed Rarity, then she understood. "Oh, that! That's actually a VERY good question, Pinkie."
At that point Big Mac and Rarity caught on, earning a stiffled giggle upon looking at Applejack's confused expression, and chuckle from Big Mac, who knew fully well the answer to that question.
"Ah don't follow...What is?" she asked
"What...? What did Sis tell me?"
"Actually, it's more about what she didn't tell you." Rarity replied, "I'm aware Applejack had sent you a letter or two in the past. Did any one of those letters ever mention about, oh say...a special somepony?" and that's where Applejack finally caught on.
"Well, no, not that ah can re- Wait, Applejack has a special somepony, now?!"
"Yep." Granny Smith replied with a nod, "And, from yer reaction, ah guess ah was right ta think she never mentioned it."
"W-well, it just never crossed mah mind." Applejack defended herself, though the fact she was scratching one her forelegs seemed to say she was embarrassed to admit it, "'Sides, ah wanted ta wait till ah knew it was right serious before tellin' her anyway."
"Are you insinuating that you do not consider this serious at all?!" Rarity asked, clearly upset.
"It ain't like that, it's just-"
"Ya been seein' her fer a year now, Applejack." Granny Smith interrupted her, "Ah know ya don't wanna go gallopin' into stuff like this, but the way ya two act, ah think a year might be long enough."
"Eeyep." Big Mac agreed.
"Ah guess yer right." Applejack stated before looking at Rarity, "Sorry, Rares. Ah didn't mean ta upset ya or anythin' like that. It's just..."
"Apology accepted, Darling. I believe I can understand what you meant." she said just before the two pulled each other into a hug.
Applebloom stood there watching before something in her mind just clicked and it finally dawned on her and her jaw dropped, "Wait...! You?!"
"Yes, Applebloom." Rarity replied as she pulled away from Applejack, "As surprising as it is, even for myself, your sister and I are indeed in a relationship with each other."
"But, ah thought..." she muttered almost too quietly for the others to hear before trailing off.
The others looked towards the younger mare, seeing if she would say more. When she didn't, Applejack trotted over to her sister's side and put a hoof on her shoulder.
"Go on, Sis, go on tell us what ya thought." she stated.
Applebloom hesitated for a moment, if only to collect her thoughts, "Ah thought...ya know...that Ms. Rarity would've..."
"Would've been with Spike...?" Rarity asked.
Applebloom blushed and nodded.
"It didn't really go as far as he had hoped. I wasn't certain whether I could return the feeling in full, and by then Spike, he had matured enough to be understand that." Rarity explained, "So we had one date, and well...we just didn't 'click', so to speak. We still remained friends, of course, and he still helps me every now and then, but otherwise, he's no longer chasing after me."
Applebloom looked at the ground as she soaked in the new information that she had been told. A smile slowly crept onto her face as the prospect of potentially having a chance, but it quickly disappeared.
"Pray tell, Applebloom, do you still feel for Spike as you did those years ago?"
She didn't reply as she turned her attention away from Rarity and towards the bottle of cinnamon from earlier, as a blush appeared across her muzzle.
Granny Smith chuckled, "Ah think that there is a 'yes'."
"Would you like to see him?" Twilight asked, "I know where he is right now."
"Ah think all of Ponyville knows where he's at these days, Twilight." Applejack remarked, "He's only been goin' there fer some time now."
Applebloom hesitated, "A-Ah dunno..."
"Ah think ya outta see 'im." Applejack stated, getting her sister's attention, "He's been itchin' ta talk ta ya anyway."
"He does...?" to which Applejack nodded, "Well, okay, ah'll go see 'im."
"Spike's isn't exactly in his usual spot today, though he is still on the outskirts of town." Twilight remarked, "He wasn't...feeling very good today and decided to wait near the path going towards Manehattan."
"The poor dear isn't sick is he...?" Rarity asked in a concerned tone.
"No, he didn't show any signs of being sick, he just seemed a bit down today."
"The path goin' towards Manehattan...?" Applebloom asked out to no one in particular, "That's just out past Ms. Rarity's boutique, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Um, can ah...?" she asked Granny Smith.
"Git goin', young'un, ah think we can wait a moment fer ya before we get ta eatin'." the elderly mare replied with a gentle smile, "Jus' make sure ya get back before all this get's cold."
Applebloom nodded and turned to leave.
As soon as Applebloom was out, and outside of hearing range, Granny Smith looked at the others expectantly.
"Is something wrong, Granny Smith?" Twilight asked.
"Ya mean ya'll ain't gonna go follow 'er?" She asked.
Applebloom slowly made her way through town, while internally fighting to keep moving. Despite being already decided on seeing Spike, twice, she still felt that tiny part of herself who didn't want to see Spike again. By now, the sun was already beginning to set, and streets of Ponyville were just starting to quiet down for the day, making it easier for Applebloom to go without bumping into anypony.
As she got closer to her destination, her pace started to slacken noticeably, till she noticed the back of a purple figure on the horizon and she came to a stop.
Applebloom stood there staring for a couple of minutes, her tail whipping behind her as she bit her lip, "He... He's sure gotten big..." she thought to herself, before shaking her head a moment, "Ah can't back out now." and took a deep breath and willed herself to continue walking.
As she got closer, her pace slowed down again, this time to let herself have a better look at the young dragon he's become. Her heart could only beat faster the longer she looked, as she looked at how well built Spike had become. She only stopped when she heard Spike say something.
Spike sighed as he looked out towards the horizon. This was going to be the last time he was going to do this. It's been too long, he couldn't keep doing this forever, and he wasn't even sure if Applebloom would want to talk to him after all this time. He was about to look up at that star, again, to see if it can calm him and admitting defeat that another day has gone by, but was disturbed when he heard hoofsteps behind him.
The steps weren't exactly heavy, meaning it was probably a mare, though it wasn't as heavy as Applejack's hoofsteps, nor was it light enough to indicate it was Fluttershy or Rarity, and not irratic enough to belong to Pinkie. That left out only one other mare he could figure would come out to check on him.
"Twilight..." he stated with a sigh as he turned his head to look behind him, only for his eyes to widen and his immature wings flaring in surprise upon seeing who was really there.
"Howdy, Spike..."
Spike didn't say anything right away as he looked at his friend, and taking note on how she'd changed since he last saw her, granted it wasn't as drastic as it was with him. Aside from getting a little taller than before, she had slightly longer bangs, and a lean build. Applebloom was still wearing her bow, and while it wasn't as large as it use to on her, it was still a tad big, but Spike found it rather appealing now that he thought about it.
"H-Hey there, Applebloom." He greeted, "Welcome home."
"Good ta be back." She replied almost automatically, if her heart wasn't beating against her chest hard enough, it certainly was now.
"W-when did you get back?"
"About mid-afternoon ta'day, ah arrived by train."
Spike mentally berated himself at that, he should've figured she would've returned via train, she left by train didn't she? Well, being on the outskirts kept him out of everypony's way anyway.
"Applejack mentioned...ya wanted ta talk ta me."
"Yeah, um, listen it's...uh...about what happened at the train station years ago." Spike stated as he turned so he could look at Applebloom without having to twist his neck, then nervously scratched the back of his head, "You know, just before you left."
"O-oh...?"
"I...I wanted to say..." He sighed, "I want to say: I'm sorry, Applebloom."
"Oh... ah see..." Applebloom said as her ears flattened and her head lowered, concluding that she was right all along, that Spike wouldn't return her feelings.
"I'm sorry, I let you down, that I couldn't give you a better answer."
"I-it's okay, Spike."
"No, it's not." He stated firmly, "I'm suppose to be your friend, and I couldn't answer you at all. All I could do was stutter, like an idiot." his frills drooped when he said that, "That day, when you, Sweetie, and Scootaloo were leaving, and after you told me how you...you know...felt about me, I got a good look at your eyes. I hurt your feelings a lot that day, didn't I?"
"Ah already knew ya couldn't return mah feelin's, so it wasn't all that bad." She admitted as she drew circles on the ground, "But, yeah, ya kinda did."
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you an answer, and that dragon who was suppose to be one of your closest friend and never noticed."
"Spike..."
"If you can find it in your heart to still call me your friend..." He trailed off, "I'd really consider myself a lucky dragon, because you're such an amazing mare, Applebloom, and somepony who I'd love to be able to spend more time with, having more conversations with, and just be able to hang around with and be that highlight and reason for me to smile each day. If you can't though..., I can understand, and I won't trouble you any more."
Applebloom smiled, and said, "O' course ah will. Spike, ah'd never want ta stop bein' yer friend.", which Spike gave a relieved smile upon hearing, though she shot him a curious look, that didn't sound like what she expected to be a rejection, "Spike, what did ya mean by that though? Ah mean, ya didn't have ta go an' say that much just ta say ya wanted ta still be mah friend." She added, especially as the last bit of his statement sounded awfully familiar to her.
"Well..., I-" he sighed, "It doesn't matter, Applebloom. It's just something from after all these years. So-" he paused feeling a hoof touch one of his claws.
"Please...Ah wanna know."
Spike hesitated for a moment before saying, "Over the last couple of years, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened at the station, and...well, how much I actually kinda missed hanging out with you. After a while, and after having a talk with your sister and Rarity, I...I guess, I started feeling for you too..." he started trailing off as a blush appeared on his face, which was being mirrored by the young, wide-eyed mare in front of him.
"It started simple enough, I started to miss seeing you and it kinda grew to feeling like I had really lost something near and dear to me. I missed hearing your laugh, I missed seeing your silly bow bob up and down on your head as we walked around Ponyville, and I especially missed seeing that happiness I got whenever I looked into those pretty amber eyes of yours after I finished helping you with whatever you, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo asked me to help you, which now that I actually think about it...probably wasn't just from happiness that you got me to take time out of my schedule to do some of your chores."
"Well, they weren't all, ya know... mah chores." Applebloom remarked, her blush now burning even brighter.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I think I fell in love with you, Applebloom; and, I guess in some way, I have for some now. I just never noticed just how much you actually meant to me, how important of a pony you were to me in my life, until it was too late for me to even hope for a chance."
Applebloom retracted her hoof, as she had this far-off look on her face, and her ear, tail, or both occasionally twitched. Soon a smile slowly appeared on her face, as she realized that her fear that Spike would never return her feelings that held her back all these years was wrong.
"I-I guess I better get going, Applebloom." Spike stated with a sad tone in his voice, which snapped Applebloom out of her reverie, "Thanks for listening to me Applebloom and still being my friend, and I hope I didn't make you feel... weird for admitting my feelings. I'll... I'll see you around." and started back towards town.
Just as Spike had passed Applebloom and was about to wonder what he should consider getting for dinner, he suddenly felt a weight jump onto his back and knock him to the ground. On instinct, he instantly rolled over and was about to act in self-defense, but froze as he felt two hooves on his shoulders pin him to the ground and warm lips press up against the tip of his muzzle.
As Applebloom pulled away from the kiss, she stared down at the shocked expression of Spike before saying, "Ya...ya still have that chance. Spike..., ah spent six years since ah left tryin' ta forget about ya, tryin' ta move on an' accept ya could never see me the same way ah saw you, but ah couldn't. Ah still felt fer ya, and the more ah tried, the more ah missed seein' ya too. I still li- No, ah don't jus' like ya, Spike, ah love you."
Spike was once against lost for words, and felt his heartbeat go straight through the roof as Applebloom sat down belly down onto him and felt her chest relax on to his, before she proceeded to gently nuzzle the sides of his face. He quickly collected himself and wrapped his arms and wings around her, which did briefly frighten her before relaxing again, as the two relaxed into the embrace.
The duo laid there for quite some time as the years of worry melted away from their minds, enjoying the company of the other and the feeling of finally being near who they loved in absolute silence, until it was clear it was getting too dark and stars were once again clear above them.
"Applebloom, I think we better get going. The rest of your family probably would like to know you're back."
"Ah don' wanna go, yet." she whined, "Ah just got the chance ta hold ya like ah always wanted ta wanna leave now. Besides, the othahs already know ah'm here."
"They do?!"
"Pinkie greeted me, and ah got ta see Granny, Applejack, Big Mac, Rarity, an' Twilight at the farm."
"Why was Twilight there?"
"Ah don' rightly know. She jus' followed the others in."
"Hm, whatever, I'll just ask her later."
"Just cause ah wanna know, why were ya'll bein' so dramatic?" Applebloom asked as she rested her head on her forehooves, "About wantin' ta be mah friend again."
"Cut me some slack here. I thought you would've hated me after hurting you, and letting you down. I've had that on my mind since you left." Spike remarked.
"Yer scales feel nice by the way. A mite bit cool at first, but warm after a while."
"That because I'm cold-blooded, and my scales tend to match the temperature of the environment, but it does take a while for it to reach my body. Seriously though, I'm sure Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applejack would probably want you to at least eat dinner with them."
Spike heard her give a frustrated snort and make no effort to move from her position. He looked up at the sky, "Applebloom, I don't want to leave either, but we can spend all day together if you want. Can't we just use that one star and pretend for-"
"Wait, ya know about the star?! How?" She asked as she looked him in the eye.
"Applejack told me about it last night, after I admitted it to her that I missed you. She said if I looked at it, and pretended you were too, it might help."
"Ah...ah was lookin' at it." She admitted, "Ah was lookin at it last night ta calm mahself about seein' ya again."
Spike just stared at her for a moment before bursting out into laughter, "Are you kidding me? Just how many parallels did we share all these years? First, how we felt about each other, then, how we both assumed the other wouldn't be interested, and finally that star last night. What's next...?"
Applebloom chuckled at the notion, "Ah dunno...Ah think we might need to start talkin' ta figure that one out."
"How about we do that tomorrow? We can go have lunch at one of the restaurants or cafes around town, or maybe at Sugarcube Corner, and we'll talk to each other more. We can even spend all day together if you want."
"Ah think ah'd like that." She replied with gentle smile, "But, can ah jus' get five more minutes first? Please...? Ah promise, ah'll get off a' ya an' go get dinner with mah family, just give me this, please. Ah've waited far too long ta wanna just up leave now." She added as she nuzzled the underside of his chin.
Spike sighed, choosing to concede to her demands, "Sure thing, Applebloom." and held her a little tighter as he let his tail wrap around her's.
Not too far, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Big Mac were watching the two from the cover of a large bush that they managed to convince Twilight to uproot just for the occasion and hid inside it.
"Woo-Hoo!!!" Pinkie cheered in a hushed tone, though it was clear by how much she was shaking, she was really fighting the urge to shout or rocket off into a firework.
"Aw! Those two finally got together." Rarity cooed.
"Certainly took 'em long enough." Applejack remarked, "Fer a moment there, ah thought Spike wasn't gonna confess."
"I'm still confused as to how they haven't noticed a bush of this size could suddenly appear here." Twilight remarked, "I mean, obviously, it wasn't even here beforehoof."
"It worked didn't it?" Applejack asked with a chuckle, "No need to be complainin' about spilled milk if ya haven't spilt it yet."
"I don't think that saying even works in this situation, Applejack."
"Just forget about it for now, Darling." Rarity stated, "They haven't seen us, yet, and that is acceptable for now. Though, I think it is about time we take our leave. I'm feeling a bit famished now, and I'd like to avoid having any more leaves in my mane than I already do."
"Mm-hm! Let's go eat!" Pinkie agreed, "I think Granny Smith probably misses us by now anyway."
"Eeyep." Big Mac agreed before the group took their leave, leaving the Spike and Applebloom alone to enjoy the start of their relationship.
Author's Note
BTW, say 'hello' to the chapter that kept me from submitting for so long. I don't think I've ever had such a tough time make sure everything felt right to me in dialog and in action.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and that my effort wasn't all for naught. Now on to finish long overdue story updates.
-Sky Feather (aka: Blueninetails)
