Blooming Passions

Chapters

Prologue
Dance With Me
You Will be Great
Practice Makes Perfect
Just a Little Help
Settling Insecurities
Green Eyed Monsters
Practice Makes Trouble

Prologue

Classical music played in the background. The music came from a small portable radio located in the corner, the piece in question was what the students were all practicing steps to. Off to the side was a little yellow filly, with a pink-red mane and a large pink bow. She wore a skin-tight dance leotard with a small skirt. Next to her was an orange colt with a slicked back purple mane. He also wore a tight Leotard, but without the feminine skirt. They were in a large room with mirrors along the walls; the floor was made from the smoothest hardwood, and a rail ran along three sides. It was the perfect room for students to practice partnered or solo routines.

Apple Bloom, the yellow filly in question, was struggling with the steps. Her timing was undoubtedly off. She was either going half a beat too fast, half a beat too slow, or she was tripping over herself and missing the step altogether. This time, she got the through the steps all the way up until the last part of the move, before tripping over herself and stumbling. The orange colt, Tender Taps, quickly grabbed her foreleg and caught her before she could fall over again. He covered his mouth with his other foreleg and chuckled before he caught sight of Apple Bloom’s glare. “Don’t worry; you’ll get it Apple Bloom.”

The filly sighed before she chuckled as well. She regained her balance and looked at him. “Ah know, ah know, but ah’ve been workin’ on this step all last class, and now most of this class - and ah haven’t even gotten it right once!” she cried as she diverted her gaze and stared at the ground. “Ah must have two left hooves.”

“You’ll get it Apple Bloom.” the colt reassured with a slight smile. “It’s just a little harder for you, that’s all.”

She gave him a small smile and sighed again. “Easy fer you ta say, yer already good at dancin’.”

"I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leaned in and whispered quietly to her. “I spent a whole week on that move.”

Apple Bloom gaped. “Ya didn’t!”

Tender nodded. “I did. I was really clumsy when I was younger, thought I’d never get it down, but I kept at it, and look at me now.” He smiled at her. “How about I walk you through the moves?”

She nodded. “Ah guess it’s worth a try.” Apple Bloom smiled and stood so she was facing him. Tender Taps raised a hoof and did the first few taps, slowly to leading into the routine. She trained her eyes on her hooves to copy the motions and then looked at him; her hoof outstretched near his in a similar fashion. Tender smiled and stepped back, Apple Bloom copying him again. He got up on his hind legs and that’s where the filly got shaky.

“There’s the problem, you aren't balanced enough.” He watched her drop back down on all fours and looked at her. “Spread your hooves farther apart, you have more balance that way.” The filly got up on her hind legs again, shifting so they were much further apart. Tender chuckled with mirth. “Now they're too far.” He pushed her left hoof closer to her right hoof so they were shoulder width apart. Smiling, he faced her again. “There.”

Apple Bloom could feel the difference, and smiled back, before she dropped down again and followed him through the rest of the moves, from the beginning. She ended with a twirl, and while it was a bit shaky, she landed with a beaming smile. “Ah did it!”

Tender Taps smiled and nodded. “I knew you could.”

The music cut off suddenly, and the teacher clapped her hooves together. “Gather around my students! There is news. Big news.” Apple Bloom and Tender smiled, trotting over to join with the assembling students. The teacher was a tall, light purple mare with a blond mane, and she too wore a leotard, one of pink and purple. Apple Bloom liked her; she was almost as patient as Tender Taps when it came to her learning new steps.

Once the class was all standing around her, the teacher smiled. “Try-outs for the Equestria wide Ballet and Freeform Doubles Dance Competition are just around the corner, and I have just learned that they are going to be held in Ponyville this year. That means that each and every one of you will all get the opportunity to partner up and compete!”

Cheers rang out through the class as everypony was quick to partner up with the best or next best dancers. Apple Bloom turned to see if her new friend wanted to partner with her, but found three of the fillies were already trying to convince him. She frowned and sighed. “Ah guess I'll need to be somepony else’s partner… He has a better shot at winnin’ with one of them anyway; they’re way better than ah am.” She looked around and spotted another colt without a partner. Putting on a smile, she approached him. “Hey, ya’ll wanna be mah partner?”

He looked really uncomfortable, and he let out a sigh. “Sorry Apple Bloom, but you just aren't good enough for it yet; maybe Taps will be your partner.” With that, the colt trotted off to go find another filly to partner with him. She sighed and lowered her head, flattening her ears. “Alright, ah kinda thought so…” Resigned to her fate, she didn’t bother trying asking anypony else, and spent the remainder of class in a funk.

Not long after, the teacher dismissed the class, and Apple Bloom was quick to leave the building. She didn't want to hang around for much longer, not since being told she wasn't good enough. Apple Bloom admitted, she probably wasn't but it still hurt that nobody wanted to dance with her. She dropped her head low, let her hooves drag, and slowly made her way home.

Author's Note

Poor Apple Bloom :applecry:

Anyway, enjoy the story!

Dance With Me

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were all walking to school together, like they usually did. Sweetie glanced over towards Apple Bloom, and it was plain to see that her friend was looking a little down. She looked over towards Scootaloo, and the pair shared a worried look. “Apple Bloom?” Sweetie finally gathered the courage to say. The little yellow filly lifted her head to look silently at the unicorn. “Are you ok?” She finished.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened, and her step faltered, as she had not been expecting Sweetie to broach the subject. She recovered, before she too glanced at their companion. “Yeah Apple Bloom, why do you look so down?”

Apple Bloom blinked, and looked up. “Dance class…” she spoke up quietly, before returning her gaze to the ground at her hooves.

“What?” Sweetie gaped in confusion, “I thought you liked dance class,”

“Ah do like it,” Apple Bloom reassured, giving them a small smile. “Dancin’ is really fun.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Scootaloo questioned, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

Before the filly could answer, the bell to the school rang, and her head shot up. “Tell ya later, promise; now come on or we’re gonna be late again!” The three fillies shot off down the dirt path towards the schoolhouse. Out of breath, the trio pushed through the door just as Miss Cheerilee began at the top of the roll-call. “Apple Bloom?”

“Ah’m… Here…!” she huffed as she trotted to her desk and took a seat.

The older school-mare held a stern look to the three fillies as they nervously shuffled to their desks. “Girls, you were late again. If you do it a third time this month, I will need to contact your families and let them know this is becoming an issue. Am I understood?”

“Yes Miss Cheerilee…” The fillies replied in unison, hanging their heads guiltily before she continued with the roll. The fillies and colts around them snickered in amusement, causing them to blush in embarrassment.

Roll-call went by quickly, and soon Miss Cheerilee dove into today’s history lesson. Usually, Apple Bloom would’ve enjoyed it, but right now her thoughts were preoccupied; her mind kept replaying what that one student had told her in dance class. She knew he was right, and that it shouldn’t bother her, but somehow all that did was make her feel worse. She sighed, her ears pinned back, and she was oblivious to her friends’ worried gazes.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she jumped upon hearing a very loud and very close bang. Almost falling out of her seat, she looked up to see a hoof had been slammed down in front of her on the desk. She looked sheepishly up at an angry Cheerilee. “Miss Bloom. What did I just say regarding the lesson?” The filly shrunk under her stern glare and blushed.

“Uh… Heh.” She grinned nervously. “S-sorry Miss Cheerilee… Ah- ah just…”

The mare's gaze softened some when she saw the filly's dejected reaction and she sighed as she heard the lunch bell ring. When everyone got up to leave, she stopped Apple Bloom and frowned. "Apple Bloom, is there something you need to talk about?" She asked softly.

The filly glanced up at her teacher and hesitated a moment. Did she want to tell? It was kind of a silly reason to be so down about things. "It... It's nothin' important Miss Cheerilee... Honest, ah'll be ok..."

Cheerilee sighed and offered Apple Bloom a small smile. "Ok then... Just know I'm here if you need to talk..."

Apple Bloom nodded and hopped out of her seat and dug her lunch out of her saddlebags. "Ok, thanks Miss Cheerilee..." the filly offered as she left the magenta mare alone to join her friends outside. She carried the brown paper bag outside, across the playground and over to the tree where her friends sat to eat. She let out a dejected sigh and dug her peanut butter sandwich out of her bag. The little yellow filly leaned back against the tree trunk and half-heartedly munched on the sandwich; she sat and chewed the same bite for several minutes before finally being able to get it down.

By that point Scootaloo had a fourth of her sandwich devoured. Looking over, she frowned and set it down. “Alright Apple Bloom, you’ve been acting weird all day. What’s going on?”

“Yeah, you usually love history.” Sweetie Belle chipped in, as she set her apple down.

Apple Bloom looked up from her sandwich, and set it down next to her, sighing again as she looked at the two concerned fillies. “Try-outs for an Equestria wide competition are coming up. They’re being held here in Ponyville…” She explained, only leading to more confusion.

“That’s awesome Apple Bloom!” Sweetie cried with a smile.

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, what’s so bad about that?”

Apple Bloom threw both of her forehooves in the air, exclaiming; “Ah don’t have a partner, ah’m not good enough…” She sighed and forced herself to take another bite of her sandwich.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo frowned. “What about Tender Taps, you two always dance together?”

“He probably already has a partner; when ah left three girls were already asking him to dance with them. ‘Sides, that other colt was right, ah’m not good enough for a national competition…”

“Maybe not right now but you’ll be great by the time try-outs roll around. You still have weeks to practice!” Sweetie Belle replied with a sincere smile.

Apple Bloom huffed in frustration, hiding her head behind her hooves. “Even if ah’m good enough by tryouts, everyone will have a partner already.”

“Did you actually see him accept any of those girls?” Scootaloo pointed out.

Apple Bloom blinked, but looked down. “Well… No, but… Dancin’ is really important ta him, and they are all much better than ah am. Ah just know he partnered with one of em’.”

“No way he paired with one of them!” the white unicorn cried. She then smirked. “He likes you too much.”

The yellow filly froze and blushed madly, causing her friends to burst into laughter. “Sh-shut up! H-he doesn't like me like that!”

“I bet you do though!” Scootaloo giggled, and cast her shocked and embarrassed friend a sly grin.

“N-no ah don't!...” she cried desperately, only causing the fillies to tease her more.

As they continued with the onslaught of teasing and joking, they heard a throat clear, causing Apple Bloom to look up. She blushed harder at the sight of a certain orange colt, and she shoved her hooves in her friend’s mouths. They look surprised, but then they turned to see who she was looking. The two gagged fillies could hold back their giggles. Sweetie Belle wagged her eyebrows and Scootaloo smirked, nudging her. “We'll leave you two alone.” With that, they stood and trotted away.

Tender raised an eyebrow as he watched them walk past. “Ok… What was that about?” He turned a questioning gaze to Apple Bloom, only to be met with a bright red face. “Apple Bloom? You ok?”

“Huh?!” She shook her head and glared in the direction of her friends. “It’s nuthin’, don’t worry ‘bout it. They’re just bein’ annoyin’.” She exhaled, and set her lunch to the side, getting to her hooves. “What did ya wanna talk about?”

He looked at her and smiled. “You left before I got the opportunity to ask, but…” Tender Taps held out a hoof, his smile brightening. “Will you be my partner for the dance competition try-outs?”

Apple Bloom gaped. “Me?! But... What about all those other fillies that asked to dance wit’ you?”

The colt laughed and shook his head. “I turned them down and told them to find somepony else. I-” he blushed lightly and smiled at her. “I wanted to dance with you, not them.”

She blushed and smiled at him, taking his hoof. “Of course ah’ll dance with ya.”

He was practically beaming now. “That’s great! I can’t wait to start practicing.”

“Well… A-are ya sure ya’ll don’t want ta dance with someone a little more… experience?” Apple Bloom bit her lip nervously and looked away. “You won’t win if ya partner with me…”

“That’s silly, you’ve improved a lot since you first joined. You’ll be a great partner to dance with.”

“Ya sure…?”

“Absolutely. So, I’ll see you in class tonight then?” He looked at her hopefully and she smiled.

“I’ll be there.” Apple Bloom gently pulled her hoof away and Tender Taps walked away, a little tap dance in his step.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo trotted up with smug grins on their faces as they passed Tender Taps; it earnt them a glare from Apple Bloom. She stuck her tongue out at the two and plopped down in the grass again, grabbing her sandwich and taking a bite out of it. If nothing else, she was in a better mood… And hungry.

The little orange pegasus took a bite out of her apple and smirked. “Already has a partner huh?”

Apple Bloom blushed and glared at her. “Shut up!” Her friends laughed and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, real funny… Laugh it up, you two.”

Lunch ended quickly enough, and soon the girls were once again back in the classroom. But Apple Bloom was much more focused now, and even a little impatient for the bell to ring. She tapped continuously on her desk, begging the bell to ring. For the first time all day, she was genuinely looking forward to dance class. The filly fidgeted in her seat and found focusing to be hard as she sloppily scribbled down notes.

For the last few minutes of school, Apple Bloom glued her gaze to the clock hanging on the wall above the board as it lazily ticked by. The minutes seemed to drag on for ages as she bit her lip and bounced a bit in her seat. “Come on clock… Tick faster…” She muttered quietly as she cast a longing gaze at her dance bag. Apple Bloom prepared herself, and the second the bell rang, she was out of her seat and stuffing her school books in her saddle bags.

She grabbed her bags and trotted for the door, ignoring her friends’ snickering at her rush to get to class. Tender Taps came up beside her and smiled. “Hey Apple Bloom, wanna walk there together?”

“Sure!” She grinned deviously at him. “Race ya!” With that, the filly shot off down the path towards the dance school.

Tender laughed and bolted after her, chasing her the whole way there.

You Will be Great

Today’s dance class was spent putting routines together, so very few of the foals actually talked to anyone outside of their partners. Apple Bloom and Tender Taps hung off in the corner, constructing and working through different ideas for their routine. Every time the filly would look up to see what the others were doing, she gulped nervously. They were all practicing very complicated steps, and putting together very intricate routines. Apple Bloom sighed, as she looked down at the far more simple routine she and Tender were planning out.

He frowned upon noticing her wandering gaze; following it to see what had her attention. Upon noticing the more complicated steps the others were attempting; he placed a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder, and smiled reassuringly. “Hey… Sometimes the best routines are the simpler ones.”

“Ah know… But the only reason that ours is so simple is ‘cause ah can't do the hard moves…” She sighed again, flattening her ears against her head as she absently fiddled with the skirt of her leotard.

Tender Taps frowned and shook his head. “Half of the moves that they’re throwing in their routines, we haven't even gone over yet. Besides, doing simple moves like the ones in our routine will make us look more refined and practiced. I can teach you how to do these easily and I'm sure Miss Starla will help; she’s an amazing dance teacher.”

She looked at him and smiled weakly. “Really?”

“Really. Lots of the students will have to change up their routine once they realize they won't have time to perfect the moves. That means they won’t have had as much practice, and they won't be as good. When they go up on stage with their routine, they’ll only have had a few days to practice while we had the full month.” Tender smiled when he noticed his partner perk up a little and nod her agreement.

After class was dismissed, the two stood and grabbed their routine and left the school. Tender looked over at Apple Bloom and smiled. “Hey, wanna go to Sugarcube Corner with me for milk shakes?”

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. “Sure, that’d be nice.”

The two trotted through Ponyville, cutting through the market to get to the world renowned bakery. It was a fairly beautiful day out, and ponies were busy going about their business. They walked down the path and soon reached the colorful building. Tender moved ahead, and he held the door for his friend, following in after her. They were instantly met with the sweet smell of cakes and various other baked goods. Apple Bloom and Tender Taps smiled brightly at the delicious smell of the bakery and trotted over to a booth to sit down.

Almost immediately after taking their seats, a lively pink mare pronked over to them. “Hey you two! How was dance class?” She asked as she slid menus in front of the two foals.

“Dance class was great!” Tender Taps replied excitedly. “We put together a great routine for tryouts.” He scanned the menu and looked at Apple Bloom happily.

She gave the colt a small smile and looked down at her menu to see what she wanted. Pinkie smiled and nodded, grabbing a small notepad from her mane and a pen from seemingly nowhere. “So, what can I get you two today?”

“I'll have a strawberry shake and a vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing.” Tender said before closing his menu.

Apple Bloom also closed her menu and looked up. “Ah’ll have a vanilla shake and a chocolate cupcake with strawberry icing.”

Pinkie nodded and wrote down what they ordered before sliding the notebook back into her mane. “Alright, it’ll be out in a jiffy.”

Tender Taps and Apple Bloom giggled as they watch the random mare zip back behind the counter and into the kitchen. The door to the kitchen swung back and forth, telling them she had blown through. They sat back to wait but within seconds she crawled out between the cushions with the tray on her head.

Apple Bloom jumped and shifted away from her uncomfortably. “Pinkie… How did ya… Ya know what? Nevermind. Ah don't wanna know.”

The pink mare shrugged and slid their drinks and treats in front of them before climbing onto the table and slithering away.

The foals blinked at her, laughing a little and smiled. Apple Bloom slid her shake closer and started to sip on the straw, as she nibbled on the cupcake. Tender Taps sipped at his shake and looked at her. “I'm looking forward to the auditions, going to compete in nationals would be like a dream come true. If we actually made it to the final round though, and won… Wow…” He sighed happily as he daydreamed about the competition.

Apple Bloom chuckled nervously and released a deep breath, as she swirled the straw around in her drink. “Ah guess…”

“Huh?” He looked at the young filly and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, Apple Bloom? You don't look to happy… Don’t you want to be my partner?...” His ears pinned back as he looked at her worriedly. “I-it's ok if you don't… You don't have to…” He hoped that wasn't the case, because even though finding a new partner would be easy enough, he really wanted to do this with Apple Bloom.

She turned her gaze up to him wide eyed. “‘Course I wanna dance with you.” She heard him breath deeply in relief. Apple Bloom dropped her head and mumbled. “But…”

“Huh? But what?”

“But ah’m not good at it… If ah’m yer partner you won't win…”

Tender sighed. “I don't care about winning Apple Bloom.”

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really,” he said with a nod. “If I win, that'd be great, but it won't be something I want to do if it isn't with you. You're the reason I even have the courage to go up on stage and dance in front of everyone like I do now…” He blushed a bit and looked down.

Apple Bloom blushed and looked at her hooves. “I-it’s not that big a deal… I-it is mah special talent after all…”

“Well it was a pretty big deal to me.” He replied under his breath so she couldn't hear before looking up at the little country filly. “Hey, what if I come by yours tomorrow and help you practice?”

“You'd do that fer me?” She looked up at him hopefully.

“Of course, it's Saturday after all. We don't have class and I doubt my mom would have a problem with it.” He smiled as Apple Bloom visibly brightened up, and picked up his milkshake, drinking some more of it.

“That'd be great! As long as ah get mah chores finished in time, Applejack won't have any problem with it either.” Apple Bloom beamed and took a bite of her cupcake, laughing as the icing stuck to her upper lips and licking it away. Tender Taps laughed and ate his treat as well.

The mood seemed brighter as a whole, and Apple Bloom relaxed a little. She still had her doubts, but for now she was feeling a lot better about the tryouts to compete in the nationals. The two just spent the rest of the time enjoying each other’s company while they enjoyed their treats.

When it came time to leave, Apple Bloom dug through her bag, frowning when she didn’t find what she was looking for. Tender looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong Apple Bloom?”

“Huh?” She looked up and sighed. “Nuthin’... Ah can’t find mah Bit bag, ah must’ve left it at home and now ah can’t pay fer the food.” Apple Bloom slumped in her seat, the dark clouds threatening to return to her mood.

“Oh.” He pulled out his wallet and dropped some bits into his hoof. “I’ll pay for it, it’s no problem.”

She blinked, and looked at him. “Ya sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Ah can pay ya back tomorrow then.” She zipped up her bag and sat down.

Tender shook his head. “I’ll pay for it, and you don’t owe me. It’s my pleasure.” He smiled, and before Apple Bloom could protest, he trotted up to the counter and covered the bill. She frowned, about to insist on paying him back when he held up a hoof and put his wallet away. “Nope, you don’t need to pay me back Apple Bloom.”

“But… Ah feel like ah should…” She looked at him and got up off the seat.

“Then you can return the favor by being my partner for the tryouts. I’ll come by tomorrow to help you practice the steps.”

“Ok, if yer sure…” Apple Bloom sighed, resigned to the idea. The two left Sugar Cube Corner and said their goodbyes, returning to their homes for the night, not that Apple Bloom expected to get much sleep.

Author's Note

I FINALLY UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In case you guys can't tell, I am EXTREMELY happy right now. And... no promises on the next chapter, but it will be out MUCH faster than this one!!!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Practice Makes Perfect

Sunlight poured in through the window of Apple Bloom’s room, illuminating the bed that was usually still occupied at dawn. This time however, Applejack opened the door to wake her sister for breakfast only to find the little filly sitting at her mirror, tying the bow into her mane. She raised an eyebrow, seeing that the bed was cleanly made and her little sister looked over at her with a smile. She trotted past and towards the stairs, saying to her sibling happily, “Mornin’ Applejack. What’s fer breakfast?”

Applejack chuckled and smiled, closing the door and walking behind the young filly. “Granny Smith made her apple and chocolate chip pancakes. Now what’s got ya all excited AB? Yer usually still asleep when ah come tah wake ya’ll up.”

Apple Bloom beamed at her sister. “Ah gotta get mah chores done in time fer Tender tah come by so we can work on our dance routine for the tryouts.”

“Oh right, yer dance class is holding tryouts fer that national competition isn’t it? Well good luck to ya Bloom, ya’ll two are gonna do great. That Tender Taps is a mighty fine dancer, ah bet he’ll be great at teachin’ ya the moves ya have trouble with.” Applejack smiled at her little sister and Apple Bloom nodded in agreement as the two trotted down the stairs into the kitchen.

The smell of fresh pancakes reached Apple Bloom and she licked her lips hungrily as she trotted over to the table and sat down. Applejack sat next to her and a plate stacked with pancakes was slid in front of each of them. Apple Bloom poured a liberal helping of syrup over the breakfast and began stuffing the food down her throat quickly, wanting to get to her chores as soon as possible.

Applejack chuckled as she watched her sister. “Slow down there, AB. Ya’ll don’t wanna choke now.”

She swallowed her large mouthful of pancake and blushed in embarrassment, reaching to grab her glass of juice before taking a large swig of it. “Ah gotta finish mah chores ‘afore Tender gets here so we can practice! Ah need all the practice ah can get… ah don’t wanna ruin tryouts fer him…”

Granny Smith smiled at the little filly. “Fiddlesticks! Yer gonna do great ya little whippersnapper.” She smiled reassuringly at her granddaughter and dug into her breakfast.

“Thanks granny.” Apple Bloom smiled sincerely at the elderly mare.

Apple Bloom hung over the fence, pouring the pail of slop into the trough as the pigs gathered around and dug into the slop. She frowned and scrunched her muzzle. “Ya’ll little piggies are gunna get a bath t’morrow.” Bloom eyed the dirty animals and shook her head before dropping down from the fence and turning around.

The filly suddenly found herself with her muzzle shoved into fluffy orange. Her eyes widened and she yelped, jumping away backwards, landing on the fence. Her hooves flailed for a few seconds before her balance gave out, and she tipped back. “WHOA!” She cried, the pigs all running away squealing as it seemed she would fall into their trough.

Two strong hooves quickly wrapped around her own and held her there for a few moments, perilously hanging over the feeding trough. The pigs had retreated to the other end of the pen, watching them curiously. Apple Bloom was staring directly at Tender Taps, her face red from embarrassment as he lifted her off the fence and set her down on her hind legs, clasping her forehooves in his in a starting dance position, his dance bag slung over his back.

He chuckled as he looked at the surprised filly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Can’t have my dance partner covered in pig slop, now can I?”

She frowned. “Ya’ll almost gave me a heart attack! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I’m sorry, I won’t!” he laughed cheerfully. “So, are you finished with your chores?” He asked as he let go of her and the two dropped back down on four legs.

Apple Bloom nodded. “That was mah last one. It’s ok fer us ta practice now. Come on, ah know a quiet place in the orchard where we won’t be disturbed.”

The two foals trotted off into the orchard, passing many of the large trees, sunlight trading places with shadows as the canopy over them intermittently blocked out the hot sun. Apple Bloom led them into a small clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees. The trees here were already devoid of their juicy red fruit. “Applejack an’ Big Mac finished this field yesterday, so we can practice here without gettin’ in the way.” Apple Bloom explained.

Tender Taps nodded as he stepped into the clearing and smiled. “That sounds good. We wouldn’t want to be a bother to them.”

He set his bag down, pulling out a small portable radio and the copy of their dance routine, while Apple Bloom moved to the side to stretch out first. Worry nagged at her as she watched him set up the music and read over the routine. “Alright Applebloom, we’ll start with the moves you have the most trouble with… The most important one is the spin, which I think you’ll do great at once we’ve drilled it a bit.” Tender spoke, almost to himself as he thought out their practice session.

Apple Bloom didn’t question it, more preoccupied with her own worries as she ran over the list of moves and tips in her mind. “Wide stance… but not too wide… keep balanced… be confident…” She muttered quietly under her breath. “You can do this Appleboom…”

“-Bloom?”

“Wha-?!” Her head shot up as she faced Tender Taps, flushing brightly in embarrassment. “S-sorry! What was that?”

The little orange colt frowned and walked up to his friend, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Are you alright? You look really nervous…”

Apple Bloom forced a small smile to her lips, and nodded slightly. “Y-yeah… ah’m ok, don’t worry. I just… have a lot of trouble with the spin is all… ah keep fallin’ over.”

Tender returned with a bright grin of his own and grabbed her hoof, pulling it up as he slid his free hoof around her waist. “Well we can fix that one now! I know you can do it, Apple Bloom… have a little faith in yourself.”

The filly blushed a bit as she looked at her hopeful friend and placed her hoof on his shoulder. “A-alright… Ah-Ah’ll try… Ah promise.”

“That’s the spirit! Come on, we’ll have it down in no time!”

“Oof!” Apple Bloom grunted as she flopped down to the floor, an annoyed groan escaping her lips as she leaned forward and rubbed her back. “Consarnnit all! Ah’m never gonna get this!” She threw her hooves up and sighed dramatically, sinking to the ground. She looked up, noticing the sun was starting to go down and pinned her ears back. “Ah’m sorry-”

“Don’t be sorry Bloom.” Tender cut in, flashing her a gentle smile as he reached a hoof down to help her up. “You did really good that time, we almost had it.”

“But almost isn’t gonna get us far in the competition!” She whined, tears forming in her eyes.

The colt blinked, his smile dropping as he looked at his friend. “Is that what you’re worried about?” He took a seat beside her and placed his hoof on her shoulder, looking his distraught friend in the eyes. “Applebloom, I’m not worried about winning the contest. I just wanted to have fun with you.”

The young earth filly sniffed and wiped her misty eyes as she looked up at him. “R-really? Y-you’re not?”

“Cross my heart.” He smiled at her. “I’m not interested in winning at all, if I can’t enjoy it with my friend.”

Applebloom sat up, smiling weakly as she looked at him. “You’re the best, Tender Taps.” She wrapped her hooves around him and buried her head in his chest. His eyes widened as he blushed lightly at the gesture before returning her hug, sighing a little.

Tender looked up at the sky and chuckled a bit before releasing his friend and standing up. “We should probably get going soon.” He said as he reached a hoof out to her.

She smiled and took it, getting to her hooves. “Yeah… hey, you wanna stay fer dinner? We always make more than we can eat, so it won’t be a problem.”

The orange colt smiled a bit. “I’d like that.”

Applebloom grinned as she grabbed his radio and bag, “Well c’mon then! Granny don’t wait for nopony!” She shouted enthusiastically as she darted off towards the farmhouse.

“H-hey! Wait up Apple Bloom!” Tender Taps called after her as he ran, struggling to keep up with the young filly as he followed her there.

Applebloom trotted into her family home,quickly followed by her dance partner as she dropped his things in the closet and lead him to the kitchen. Her siblings and granny were already at the table and she flashed them a smile. “Sorry ah’m late y’all. This is Tender Taps.” She cheerfully introduced the orange colt and smiled. “Tender, these are my brother and sister, Big Mac and Applejack.” She said, pointing to the red and orange ponies respectively. She then looked over to the much older green mare, her smile widening. “And that’s Granny Smith!”

“What?” The old mare looked up and smiled brightly. “Well there ya are, sugarcube. And who’s yer little friend there? Come on, take a seat. Applejack! Be a dear and get him a plate.”

The mare chuckled as she stood and walked over to the cabinets. “Yes, Granny…” She replied, snagging another plate from the shelf and setting it on the table.

Tender Taps smiled nervously as he took a seat next to Applebloom. “Thanks, I really appreciate you letting me stay for dinner.”

“Tain’t nuthin hun!” Granny insisted. “Anyway, now that we’re all here, we can start dinner properly.”

The family started to spoon the meal set out on the table onto the plates, the smell of it making Tender’s mouth water as he plopped some of the creamy mashed potatoes onto his plate. “Wow, this looks really good…”

“Gotta eat a good meal every night if you want some muscle on those bones, kiddo!” Granny piped in before taking a bite of her food.

Applebloom giggled as she looked at Tap’s confused expression and spooned the meal onto her plate. “We’re farmers, that means we got a lot to do all the time… gotta eat good to keep our energy up.”

“Oh uh… right… heh, oops…” Tender felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he shoveled a bite of food in his mouth.

Apple Bloom glanced over and chuckled a bit. “Don’t worry about it, Granny says things in an… um… odd way.” She smiled at him. “Trust me, ever go shoppin’ with her and suddenly this is nuthin’.” She whispered to him as she ate her dinner happily.

He chuckled and nodded as he relaxed a bit. “I can believe that…”

Applejack smirked at the two foals. “So… yer mah lil’ sister’s dance partner she’s been talkin’ so much ‘bout. Nice ta see her reaching out to makin’ new close friends like Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”

Tender Taps looked up at her and smiled, nodding happily. “Yeah, Apple Bloom is a lot of fun to dance with… even if she seems to have two left hooves at times.” He nudged her playfully.

Apple Bloom froze and forced a grin, chuckling nervously. “Eheheh… h-hey now… y-you wanted tah dance with me…”

“And I still do. You’re really good at it once you get the move down, it just takes you a little longer.”

“Yeah…” She looked down at her dinner, suddenly having lost her appetite, but forcing the food down her throat regardless.

Big Mac glanced between the two foals and raised an eyebrow at Applejack. The orange mare glanced over and looked at Tender Taps. “So, how was dance practice? Y’all were up there for a while.”

He brightened up as he turned to face Applejack. “Practice went great! We got really far.”

“Far?! We only practiced one move!” Apple Bloom cut in as she looked at him.

“One move you’ve barely done. You improved a lot today, and I think you’ll have it down by tomorrow in class. Remember to work on some of the other moves too, though.” Tender Taps countered as he looked at her with a patient smile.

Apple Bloom huffed and looked down as she thought it over. “... okay… ah guess so.”

“That’s the spirit Apple Bloom!” Tender smiled brightly at her as the family continued their dinner casually. Applejack and Big Mac were busy divvying up their chores for the next morning while Granny intrigued the younger foals with her stories and random chatter.

Apple Bloom lead Tender Taps down the path to the exit of the apple orchard, smiling at him. “So ah’ll see ya in school tomorrow ah guess?”

He smiled at her. “Sure! Wanna eat lunch together? I can give you some tips for practice at dance class.”

“Really?! That would be great!”

“It’s settled then.” Tender laughed at the excited face of the filly. “Don’t worry, I know you’ll be ready for the contest.” He stopped at the gate to the orchard and turned to face her, pulling her into a hug.

Apple Bloom’s face lit up and her eyes widened in surprise at the gesture. “T-Tender Taps?...”

“Thank you again for being my dance partner. You have no idea what this means to me.” He said before releasing her and trotting out into the street. “See you at school, Applebloom!” He called back cheerfully as he left the filly standing there in shock.

“Y-yeah… see ya then.” Apple Bloom stumbled over herself as she watched him leave, trying to fight the blush that flared across her cheeks. She turned and quickly headed back to the farmhouse, a small smile crossing her muzzle as she replayed the hug in her head.

Just a Little Help

The bell rang, releasing the students to recess, and they all ran excitedly to the door, lunches in hoof. Apple Bloom cheerfully trotted out of the room with her own lunch; friends trailing after her with silly grins on their faces. She looked back at them and tilted her head curiously as she made her way over to the large oak tree her and her friends always ate lunch at.

She sat back in the cool shade it provided and watched as her classmates scattered to various places around the playground, either at a picnic table or somewhere in the grass. Some even went directly for the playground equipment rather than sit to eat. Apple Bloom relaxed and dug her sandwich from her bag before finally noting her friends’ goofy expressions. “What? Why’re y’all lookin’ at me like that?” she asked as she took a bite of her sandwich, confused at them.

“You’re having lunch with Tender Taps~” Sweetie Belle replied in a teasing manner, her smirk growing by the second.

“Ooooo~” The two sang jokingly as Scootaloo nudged her.

Apple Bloom froze and blushed brightly, her sandwich slipping onto the ground from her hooves. “I-it’s not like that! We’re just workin’ on our dance routine!” She insisted quickly, hopping to her hooves, beside herself with embarrassment.

The fillies grinned and Scootaloo opened her mouth, beginning to chant. “Apple Bloom and Tender Taps, sitting in a tree-”

“-K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Sweetie Belle finished, giggling madly as Scootaloo howled with laughter and fell to the ground.

Apple Bloom’s face lit up and she quickly grabbed her lunch, stuffing a bite of it into her mouth and refusing to meet anyone's gaze. Her friends doubled over in laughter at her reaction and Scootaloo was on the ground in seconds as she shrunk away. “Aww, come on AB, it's cute that you're in love~” Scootaloo grinned.

The young filly froze, her bow even falling limp as she stared in bewilderment at the orange filly. Her face was glowing red. “A-ah am not in love with Tender Taps! He's mah friend!” She insisted more frantically.

“Uh… hey.” A familiar voice suddenly cut in, causing Apple Bloom to freeze as her friends grinned mischievously.

“We’ll just leave you two alone…” Sweetie Belle replied with a sly smirk before her and Scootaloo darted away to a nearby table to watch. Apple Bloom slowly looked over to see the purple haired colt standing in front of her with a confused expression.

The filly groaned and dropped her head in her hooves, causing Tender Taps even more confusion as he wracked his brain for a way to respond. “Okay…” He said finally to break the awkward silence that had briefly fallen over the two. “How about we work on our routine? I figured if you thought it was too hard, we could take out some moves.” He continued, hoping the change of subject would alleviate the awkward tension.

Apple Bloom, relieved that he wasn't asking any questions, looked up at him and shook her head. “No!-” She replied immediately before biting her lip. “Ah mean… no, it’s fine… ah’ll get it down by competition day.”

“Alright then, that's the kind of attitude I like.” Tender smiled and held out a hoof. “How about we try to go through the routine again? I think it'll be good.”

The young filly bit her lip again and took his hoof reluctantly, letting him pull her up to her hind hooves as he slid a hoof down to her side. “Alright Apple Bloom, just like we practiced. Triple Step.” He started to make the simple movement with his hooves. “Just follow my lead.”

She frowned a bit as she started to follow along, watching her hooves anxiously so as not to miss a step or mess up. Apple Bloom did her best to follow her partner’s lead and took a small step forward, a bit mis-timed as she stepped on his hoof and her eyes widened when Tender Taps let out a small grunt and jerked his hoof back, causing them both to topple to the ground in a heap of limbs. Apple Bloom lifted her head and sighed as she glanced over at Tender Taps and groaned, burying her head in her hooves. The colt sat up and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, hey! It’s alright Apple Bloom. You just shouldn’t be so worried about messing up.”

“How can ah…” She muttered, her words muffled in her hooves and her ears pinned back.

Tender Taps sighed as he untangled himself from her and held out a hoof. “Come on, I know this is frustrating but you’ll get it.” He insisted with a patient smile.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo blinked as they watched the chaos of Apple Bloom’s dancing and looked at each other. “Well… that was… an improvement?...” Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her neck, a bit unsure of it as she recalled the disaster that was their performance during the talent show a few years back.

“Uh… Whatever you say Sweets…” Scootaloo shook her head. “Whatever, we’ve got to help her out… Apple Bloom’s our friend and right now she looks like she needs us…”

“Uh… Scootaloo, remember what happened the last time you tried to teach Apple Bloom how to dance?” Sweetie Belle recalled, Scootaloo looked confused for a moment. “Yeah, hello? Talent show? Back when we all first met?” She pointed out, causing the little orange pegasus to grimace at the thought.

“Oh Yeah. Well… ok, but I was sidetracked then! Besides, she’s taking classes for it now, so how hard can it be?” she argued, standing up. “And surely, there’s no harm in at least asking her if she wants help. If not, we can just drop it.”

“Well… I dunno Scootaloo… maybe she doesn’t want us to get involved?”

Scootaloo frowned. “Come on Sweetie Belle, are you even listening to yourself right now? Apple Bloom needs us!-”

“Oof!” There was another thumping sound and Scootaloo winced as she glanced back over to Apple Bloom and Tender Taps again. Apple Bloom was on her back on the ground, a failed spin, and Tender Taps was apologizing while frantically helping her up again.

“I rest my case.” Scootaloo insisted.

Sweetie Belle fell silent, having run out of responses and gave a simple nod of agreement. But before they could start to plan anything, the bell rang to call everyone back inside for the rest of the school day. The two watched as their friend and her dance partner got up and went into the schoolhouse before following the rest of the foals as they streamed back into the classroom from the playground.

Settling Insecurities

Apple bloom bit her lip as she set a basket down under one of the many apple trees. She started to look around, hoping for any reason to possibly escape the conversation. A sinking feeling knotted in her gut. “Ah dunno Scootaloo… ah just don't think that's a very good idea…”

“Aww, c’mon AB!” The orange pegasus trotted over to face her. “What's the worst that could happen?”

Sweetie Belle frowned as she watched the exchange. “Uh…” She tried to answer, only to have an orange hoof promptly stuffed into her mouth.

Apple Bloom however, only gave the little pegasus a flat look. “Do ah really need tah answer that?”

Scootaloo looked away sheepishly and released a nervous chuckle. After a few moments, she sighed and looked back up to the little earth filly. “Hey, I know we've had a few-”

“A few?” she cut in with a raised eyebrow.

“... ok, a LOT of bangs and bruises trying to do things we aren't good at, but that's how you get better at it! I know you can be a good dancer, you just need a little more help. So whaddaya say, AB? It'll be just like old times!” Scootaloo flashed her an excited grin, buzzing her wings eagerly.

Apple Bloom sighed. “That's what ah’m afraid of,” she shook her head. “Last time y'all tried teachin’ me tah dance, it ended in a black eye.” She pointed at Scootaloo. “A bruised shoulder.” She pointed over to Sweetie Belle, whose eyes widened slightly as she rubbed her shoulder and chuckled nervously. “And me sprainin’ a hoof.”

Scootaloo pouted. “That’s in the past. You’ve been practicing, right? So it shouldn’t be near as bad as it was last time.”

She bit her lip and looked away. “Ah just… ah dunno, after the talent show-”

“Ok ok ok!” Scoots cut her off, waving her hooves in the air. “The talent show was a hot mess, we get it. That was a long time ago, way back when we first met!” She sighed and put a hoof on the filly’s shoulder. “Look… you’ve gotten a lot better since then, you just need some extra practice. If you don’t think what we’re doing is a good idea, you can just stop.”

Apple Bloom fell silent and thought about it, her hoof tracing circles in the dirt. She bit her lip and sighed after a long moment of silence. “Ya promise? Ah can stop if ah don’t like it?...”

“Of course.” Scootaloo insisted, giving her reluctant friend an encouraging smile. “Come on, I know just the thing to help you out!” She said as she took Apple Bloom’s hoof and led her away.

Apple bloom frowned as she looked between Scootaloo and the fence in front of her. “... Are ya sure this is a good idea?...”

The orange pegasus grinned. “Sure I’m sure! Look, dancing is about balance. So… what better way to train your balance than by just doing it? Here, watch me.” Scootaloo insisted and hoisted herself up onto the fence.

The yellow filly stepped back as she watched her friend climb up onto the fence, taking a moment to find her hoofing before she finally rose up onto her hind legs. She held her head high and took a confident step forward on the wood beam, her steps graceful as she walked along the fence to the next post before dropping down on all fours and hopping off the fence. “Now you try it, AB!”

Apple Bloom sucked in a breath as she put her hooves up on the fence. “Well… Ok…” She sighed and hauled herself up, her legs wobbling under her as she crouched on the fence, struggling just to not fall. Her chest felt tight as she glued her gaze to her hooves and stepped forward.

She felt her hoof begin to slip and paused, hoping to regain her balance only to feel her legs tremble more with the effort of staying up. Another step forward, slowly, and Apple Bloom felt the sensation she’d been dreading. She slipped off the fence post and landed in the grass with a thump.

Scootaloo winced as her friend took the tumble and held out a hoof. “Well, you did get one step.” She helped Apple Bloom back to her hooves.

She huffed as she got up and shook her head. “This is hopeless, Scoots. Ah’m lousy.”

“You’re not lousy, AB.” Scootaloo insisted, nudging her friend back toward the fence. “Try it again, come on.”

“But why? How is THIS gunna help me any? In fact, all this ‘balancing exercise’ is doin’ is showin’ me how much ah can’t do this.”

Scootaloo frowned. “Come on AB, it was only one try. I know you can do this.” She hopped up onto the fence and held a hoof out for the little filly. “I’ll do it with you this time.”

Apple Bloom eyed her friend and hesitantly accepted the offered hoof, hoisting herself again onto the fence. “... And ya won’t let me fall?”

“Not unless I’m falling with you.” She reassured the filly as she guided
Her a few steps across the fence.

Apple Bloom felt her hooves slip out from under her, only for her friend to catch her. “Whoa-! Thanks Scoots…” She sighed as she regained her hoofing. “Ya make it look so easy…” She whined.

“Practice.” Scootaloo smiled and helped Apple Bloom balance again, this time holding on to her. “Just follow my lead, and don’t worry about rushing it.”

“O-ok…” Apple Bloom took a deep breath before stepping forward slowly. Her hooves shook and slipped with the effort, but Scootaloo kept her up. She looked down at her hooves, focusing on placing them right so she wouldn’t fall.

Scootaloo frowned and tilted her chin up so she was looking at her. “Relax, AB. Just focus on what’s in front of you, you’re trying too hard.” She said as she continued walking with Apple Bloom on the post.

“How can ah try ‘too hard’? I just don’t wanna fall off…”

“Have a little faith in yourself, Apple Bloom. You have no problem doing karate moves.”

“That’s because ah already know how to do karate!”

“Well, you’d be a lot further along on your dancing if you had any confidence in yourself. Come on, where’s that confidence you had when you got up on stage and made a fool of yourself in front of everypony just so Taps would go on stage!”

“That was different!” Apple Bloom insisted, sighing. “Then, ah was helpin’ him do somethin’ he loved, so it didn’t matter if ah made a fool of mahself! This time, ah might actually hold him back, this competition is a big deal for him! If he wins this, then he could go on, this competition is just the beginning!”

Scootaloo smirked and stopped. “That’s what you’re so worried about? Apple Bloom, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about…” She chuckled and motioned behind her. “Look, you made it to the next fence post.”

“Ah did?” the filly looked down, and sure enough she’d made it across the fence without slipping. “Ah did it! Ah really did it! Whoohoo!” She jumped up in excitement, only to go crashing to the ground again. “Oof!”

Scootaloo winced and hopped back down to help her up. “Well, you still did it.”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom frowned. “But… how? I was doin’ so bad before…”

The little pegasus grinned. “Because when you stopped worrying about messing up and just did it, you were able to! You’re not a bad dancer, you’re just nervous. Don’t let it get to you.” She smiled and nudged Apple Bloom back up to her hooves.

“Oh…” Apple Bloom smiled then. “Yer right! When ah quit worrying about falling off the fence… Ah didn’t even shake that much!”

Scootaloo smiled. “Yeah, you didn’t. Apple Bloom, I really think you just need to relax a little more. Tender Taps really likes dancing with you, and you really like dancing with him. So who cares if you don’t do so well in the competition? How big of an impact can this one competition have, anyway? It happens every year.”

The little filly brightened some. “Yer right… we will have next year if we don’t do so great this year… ah just don’t wanna be the reason he loses, y’know?”

Scootaloo grinned. “Aww, how cute… you don’t wanna hold your boyfriend back…” She cooed playfully.

Apple Bloom’s cheeks lit up. “It’s not like that Scootaloo! It’s just that he’s such an amazing dancer, and this is a big opportunity if he wins!”

The little pegasus laughed and shook her head. “Listen AB, winning isn’t everything.”

“... Who are you, and where is Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes and stepped away from the other filly, eyeing her intensely.

Scootaloo snickered and rolled her eyes. “I know what it’s like to struggle with something, AB.” She said, unfolding her small wings. “But just because you aren’t doing so great now, doesn’t mean you won’t ever do good.” She turned back and smiled brightly at her friend. “So it doesn’t matter if you lose this time.”

Apple Bloom looked down. “Yeah… ah guess yer right… and besides… ah have a lot of fun dancing with Taps. Ah guess ah just… got so nervous and… forgot…” Her cheeks flushed in her embarrassment and she released a small sigh. “Ah really have been awful silly ah guess…”

“It’s alright Apple Bloom.” Scootaloo assured her friend, holding out a hoof for her. “Come on, let’s go practice your routine. By the time we’re done, you’ll be dancing circles around him.”

The filly smiled and took the extended hoof, letting her friend lead her out into the clearing a bit. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Author's Note

Well, looks like Apple Bloom's insecurities have been settled. It's all smooth sailing from here!

... Or is it? :trixieshiftleft: :trixieshiftright: :scootangel:

Either way, there was a distinct lack of TenderBloom in this chapter...

Rest assured, it will be the focus of chapter six. As long as I stick to my goals, you'll have chapter six in a week, two tops. As it stand's I've already begun to make some headway in the chapter.

Special thanks to Sylvian and Koga13 for editing and proof reading this chapter! You guys are great! :pinkiehappy:

Green Eyed Monsters

The dance competition was only a week away, and Apple Bloom was already showing a lot of improvement, thanks to the patient teachings of both Scootaloo and Tender Taps. She still felt the pounding of her heart in her chest, or the clamminess of her hooves when the doubt crept in, but less so now. Still, that little voice in the back of her mind told her she would mess up when she listened to the other dance students speaking excitedly about what this competition could mean for them in the future. That seemed to be the only thing on the minds of the dance students.

Except that wasn’t quite the case for all of them.

“That was great Apple Bloom!” Tender said cheerfully when they stopped for a short break. “You’ve gotten so much better, I knew you could do it!” The orange colt was excited to see his friend doing so much better. “All we need to do is keep working like this and you’ll have it down in no time.”

Apple Bloom smiled brightly at Tender and reached for her water bottle as she sat down with him for a short break. “Yeah! It’s a lot of fun now that ah know what ah’m doin’ too.”

Taps smiled softly as he watched the filly talk and nodded. “Yeah? I think it’s great to see you doing so well. I think we’ve got a real shot of impressing the judges if we keep this up.” He took a swig of his water.

“Ya do? That’s great!” Apple Bloom chirped, smiling brightly. “Ah’m just happy ah’m not tripping over mah own hooves anymore.”

“It definitely makes getting through class easier without bruised hooves.” Tender joked playfully, nudging the filly.

She pouted at the colt, her cheeks glowing faintly. “Hey, no fair! Not everypony can be an amazin’ dancer…” Apple Bloom giggled a bit, “ah guess that is true though… ‘cept ah don’t really get sore hooves anymore.”

“That’s because you have the good strong hooves from all those chores around your family farm.” Tender smiled and slid a hoof over, pressing it against the filly’s own strong hooves. “You don’t find that on any young up and coming dancers.” He teased.

Apple Bloom giggled, “If ya think mah hooves are work hardened, ya should see mah big brother and sister. Or heck, even mah granny has them good solid hooves, she jus’ don’t use 'em much anymore.” She held her gaze to the colt’s hoof on hers and blushed slightly, her heart beginning to beat faster in her chest the longer their hooves stayed connected. His hoof felt smooth and soft by comparison to her own.

Tender Taps watched her for a moment before he locked his gaze with their hooves. His cheeks flushed a bit when he realized what he was doing, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he turned on the music and lifted her hoof, his other held out for her. “Let’s run through the routine again.” He suggested, trying to ignore the butterflies in his chest.

The suggestion pulled Apple Bloom from her daze and she blinked, watching the hoof for a moment before she smiled and took it, letting the young colt pull her up and towards him. Tender smiled sweetly at his friend as he guided her along through the steps of their routine. The two foals counted off in unison, keeping time with each other, only a few minor hiccups here and there.

The music reached a point where it slowed considerably, and with it, their dancing as they stepped slowly, Apple Bloom towards Tender Taps and Tender Taps away from Apple Bloom, then vice versa before the music picked up again into its fast tempo and upbeat tune.

Apple Bloom felt her nerves again recede as she danced with the colt, their steps and twists filled with vigor and confidence. Her eyes gleamed with the simple enjoyment she felt as she danced with him. “Alright Apple Bloom, here comes the big spin.” Tender Taps warned, smiling as he lifted her hoof and took a step away. “Now turn-” He started, watching as the filly moved away from him. “And spin back!”

The filly went into her spin, laughing cheerfully as she went back towards Tender Taps, ready to pick back up in their starting position. When she went in for the spin, however, her hoof slipped and she released a yelp as she went crashing to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation for the hard floor underneath her, only to hear a grunt and feel a cushioned surface.

Apple Bloom cracked an eye open and looked over to find herself draped over Tender Taps. Her cheeks lit up and she scrambled to get off the colt. “Oh mah gosh, ah’m so sorry Tender!” She whined and reached a hoof out for the colt, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “A-ah didn’t mean to, ah just slipped!” She rambled.

Tender Taps laughed and took the offered hoof, pulling himself up off the floor. “Calm down, Apple Bloom, it was just an accident.”

“Ah didn’t hurt ya, did ah?” She asked, inspecting him. “Ah'm really sorry…” The filly continued, ignoring him as she lifted his hoof.

The colt smiled and took her hoof again. “Apple Bloom.” He repeated, getting her attention this time. “I’m ok, really, it was just a little fall.”

“R-really?... Yer sure yer ok?...” She asked, watching his hoof as it gripped her own.

“Yeah, it was just a little fall, don’t worry about it.” Tender replied cheerfully before releasing the filly’s hoof and stepping back. “See? Nothing’s wrong, nothing broken.” He pranced around Apple Bloom and laughed softly as he watched the tension drain from her shoulders.

Apple Bloom felt better knowing Tender Taps hadn’t gotten hurt, she’d landed on him pretty hard, and she wasn’t exactly the lightest filly around.

“Come on, we still have some time to keep working on it before class ends.” Tender Taps said cheerfully as he reset their music. “We can work on that spin more tomorrow. Let’s just try to get through the rest of the routine so we can find any other areas of improvement.”

After dance class ended, Apple Bloom said her goodbyes to Tender and trotted out of the dance studio with her bag slung over her back. She was feeling a lot better about their performance, and save for only a few pitfalls in the routine, like the spin or the overall speed of the dance, she’d come a long way.

Before the filly could wander too far from the dance studio, a few other foals from her class caught up with her, and she recognized them as the fillies that had tried asking Tender Taps to dance with them. The first one, a pastel pink mare with a strawberry mane pulled up beside her. “Hey, Apple Bloom, right? I’m Strawberry Swirl. And these are my friends.” She said, motioning to the two fillies with her. “Violet Petal and Cherry Berry,” she introduced, pointing to the purple and white foals respectively.

Apple Bloom paused when the fillies came up and introduced themselves, offering them a small smile. “Oh, uh… hi, it’s nice ta meet ya, and yes, ah’m Apple Bloom. What can ah do for ya?”

“Well, we just wanted to compliment you. After all, at first we thought you’d turn out to be a total flop as a dancer, but… now you’re almost decent. We can’t wait to see you perform in the competition.”

Apple Bloom’s brow furrowed and she tilted her head a bit. “Uh… thanks? Ah guess?...” She frowned, giving the three fillies a confused look.

“Oh, you’re welcome.” She said with a cheerful smile. “See, we thought you’d completely ruin it, but I guess Tender Taps is an even better dancer than we thought to make you almost ready for the stage.” Apple Bloom opened her muzzle to respond, but before she could say anything, Strawberry continued. “I mean, come on, you can’t even do a spin without falling over.”

The yellow filly’s face twisted a little in anger. “Now hang on, the spins are hard, even Tender Taps had trouble with em’ at first.”

“Well of course, at first…” Violet Petal spoke up, stepping over to Apple Bloom. “But you’ve been working a lot at it, any good dancer would’ve been able to do such a simple move by now.”

“Ah’ll get there! W-we’re gonna work on mah spins t’morrow…” Apple Bloom murmured. Her ears flattened against her head and she looked down at her hooves, her chest tightened with shame.

“Even if you work on it though, there’s no guarantee you’ll get it down in time for the competition, it’s only a week away…” Cherry chimed in. “If you’re still having so much trouble with the spin, it might be too late…”

“And if you fall on stage like you did in class, you’ll get Tender Taps disqualified.” Strawberry leaned in and smirked. “You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Apple Bloom stepped away from the fillies, shrinking into herself a little. She opened her mouth to defend herself, only to find herself at a loss for words. Strawberry seemed satisfied with this result and turned away from her. “Come on, girls, let’s go. We still need to meet up with our dance partners to work on our routines,” she cooed. “I hope you get that spin down, Apple Bloom, you really wouldn’t want to be the reason Tender Taps missed out on such a great opportunity. I heard that a lot of talent agents keep their eyes on these competitions…” With that, the three fillies left Apple Bloom standing alone.

The filly let out a soft sigh and lowered her head, she turned away from the foals and began her walk back home. Her hooves dragged on the ground and she let her mane fall over her eyes; even her bow drooped. The downcast filly felt her vision blur with tears, the fillies’ words playing on a loop in her mind.

Author's Note

As promised, the TenderBloom has been delivered!

Oh? But what's this? A few green-eyed monsters wanting to cause trouble for our little duo... :trixieshiftright:

Look's like Apple Bloom's not quite over her nerves anymore, oh I hope it doesn't cause them too much trouble... :trollestia:

Once again, thank you to Koga13 for proofreading!

Practice Makes Trouble

Ever since then, the fillies’ words replayed themselves in Apple Bloom’s mind. Try as she might, she just couldn’t get them to stop and with every passing day, the competition drew closer. Just the thought of it made her legs grow weak. What if she fell on stage? Or made Tender Taps fall on stage? Or forgot their routine? Or was late to the competition? So many things could go wrong just thinking about it made her nauseous.

“-Bloom!”

The filly snapped her head up to meet the voice calling her. “Wh-what is it?! What?” She paused, blinking her eyes clear of her mental images when a familiar white unicorn finally made itself known to her. “Oh, Sweetie Belle… It’s just you…”

Sweetie frowned and eyed her friend suspiciously. “Yeah it is, I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes!” The little unicorn whined, scanning her friend’s disheveled appearance and loose hair ribbon. “Are you ok?” She stepped over behind Apple Bloom and sighed. “Let me fix your hair ribbon, you look like you slept in it again…” Sweetie Belle made Apple Bloom take a seat and proceeded to untie the pink ribbon from her friend’s messy red mane. She pulled a brush from her bag and started to brush out the knots. “Are you okay, Apple Bloom? We haven’t seen you around except for at school since dance class, days ago…”

The yellow filly’s ears folded flat against her head. “Y-yeah ah’m fine… Ah’ve jus’ been practicin’, that’s all.”

At this, Sweetie frowned. “You’ve spent all your time practicing? Why you were doing so well…”

“Well… not exactly all mah time…” Apple Bloom bit her lip and prodded her hoof in the dirt. “Ah still got chores, an’ dance class… An’ school an’ such…”

Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed as she listened to her friend. “What about rest? I really think you should lay off practicing so much, you’ll burn out before you even make it to the stage. Even Tender Taps isn’t practicing so many long hours now.”

Apple Bloom fell silent at this and her friend shook her head as she stepped back. “There you go, fixed your bow.”

“Thanks, Sweetie Belle…” The filly heaved a sigh and stood just as Scootaloo zipped up to the school on her scooter, panting hard.

“Made… It…” She gasped out between breaths as she hopped off the scooter and trotted over to the other fillies. “Sorry I’m late, Apple Bloom. I had to find batteries for my radio,” she said, retrieving it from her scooter’s wagon.

Scootaloo set the device up quickly and turned back to the yellow filly. She frowned as she took in the sight of the weary foal and shook her head. “Apple Bloom, are you sure about this? You look tired…”

Apple Bloom felt the tug of irritation and furrowed her brow, “ah’m fine, Scoots!” she snapped a little harsher than she’d meant to. She watched her friend flinch and her ears flattened against her head again. She sighed out and frowned. “Ah-... Sorry, ah’m just… nervous.” The filly admitted.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sighed a little and Scootaloo shook her head. “It’s ok Apple Bloom, you’ll be fine, you’re still doing great. You didn’t trip at all last practice.” She pointed out, hoping to reassure her friend.

Apple Bloom felt a small smile tug at her muzzle and she nodded as she stepped up to Scootaloo. “Yeah, ah didn’t did ah? Ah’m just… nervous about the judging, ah haven’t been dancing near as long as anyone else in the class…”

Sweetie nodded and patted her shoulder encouragingly. “It’s ok Apple Bloom, we think you’re doing great!” She chirped, earning a small giggle from the filly.

Scootaloo smiled and turned on the music. “Come on, while we still have enough light.” She said as she took the yellow filly’s hoof, pulling her onto flat ground and leading her into the dance routine.

Apple Bloom continued through on the practice with ease, going through the routine. There were points where she would lose focus and slip up, but she would rein it in and continue. After a few minutes, the fillies had fallen into a steady rhythm, almost flowing across the path.

Applebloom looked at her friend. Scootaloo wasn’t as good as herself or tender, but the pegasus had a good memory for movements, having broken down and memorized almost every known Wonderbolt flight maneuver. Coupled with her wings, she could move fluently enough that Applebloom started to lose herself in the moment.

The uncannily similar color scheme and the confidence of her partner gave Applebloom a much need boost, and the two began to run through the routine with more speed. Move, move, twist, stop, counter, move. The pair had slowly drifted across the open area, and closer to the grassy bank nearby.

The yellow filly found herself smiling, something that she had gone without doing over the last few days and it felt wonderful.

A few more moves and it would be the crescendo of the dance, including the big spin. Head straight and eyes wide, Appleboom focused herself. Left, left, right, back, left, forward, and spin and spin and-

“AAAAAARRRRHHHHHHH!” Applebloom cried out in pain as she stumbled over, flinging Scootaloo away into the nearby bushes.

“Bloom!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, rushing over to her prone friend. “What’s wrong?”

The yellow filly hissed loudly, barely contained tears in her eyes. She held onto her back left leg where a swollen lump was already taking form. “Ma hoof got caught ‘n ah…” she whimpered in pain.

“What!” Scootaloo shouted as she jumped out of the bushes and zipping over. When she caught sight of her friends leg, she visibly paled. “Sweetie… help me get her in the wagon, we’ll take her home.”

Gulping, the white filly helped her friend lift the third member of the group into the small wagon. They did their best to keep from jostling her, but it was obvious she wanted to ball her eyes out at the pain.

“You’re gonna be fine AB, you hear me?” Scootaloo assured her friend, before nodding wordlessly to Sweetie who quickly ran towards the farmhouse ahead of them.

Apple Bloom watched her sister and frowned as she carefully wrapped an ice pack on her leg. “Am ah gonna be ok, Applejack?” She asked hesitantly.

Applejack smiled a little at her sister and ruffled her mane some. “Ya will be fine, AB. It’s jus’ a sprain is all. Take it easy for a week or two and you’ll be fitter ‘an a fiddle.”

“A week?!” The filly whined. “But the dance competition is only in a few days! What am ah gonna tell Tender?!”

The mare sighed and shook her head. “Ah’m sorry AB, ya’ll jus’ have to tell Tender what happened an’ miss the competition. We don’t want it gettin’ any worse now.”

“Not even if it feels better by then?” The filly probed.

Applejack shook her head. “Nu-uh, ah’m sorry AB, but a sprain this bad’ll take longer to heal up ‘an jus’ a few days. Now y’all three stay here, and ah’ll make ya a snack.” The orange mare stepped away into the kitchen, leaving the fillies sitting there.

Apple Bloom’s ears pinned back and she groaned, burying her head in her hooves. “Ah can’t do that ta Taps! We’ve been workin’ so hard for this…” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stood there in silence with their friend, frowning as they all wondered what to do now.

Author's Note

Alright, guys, very sorry I missed the update on Saturday, but I had a lot of unexpected things come up in the background.

Anyway! I think we all know where this is going...