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...