Fine Feathered Fillyfriend
Anything
I'd do anything for her.
Anything.
Name it. It's done, as long as it's for her.
What I don't understand is why she still doesn't believe me...
I just don't understand...
I don't understand why she doesn't love back.
~***~
I sat there on my haunches, silently watching her through her bedroom window from a fencepost that seemed close enough to hopefully be noticed. It was around nine, which was my bedtime, but I didn't give a single horseshoe. At least, not until I wore my hooves out.
By the way her head was moving, I could see her sitting at a desk, writing something down. I figured she was probably making plans for tomorrow or making blueprints for something. That pony sure had construction in her future, there was no denying it. I observed closer and noticed that she was completely focused on it, too.
The last thing I wanted was to not be noticed...
...again.
I did a little ding-dong whistle to try and gain her attention, but I didn't want to disturb anypony else, so I made sure to breath slowly, making my jingle softer. Hopefully, it was still enough to make her look out the window and see me.
I was smiling, but only I knew it was forced. My cheek muscles had begun their soreness almost a week ago and my mouth almost couldn't take it anymore, either. But I couldn't let anypony else in on my inner thoughts and musings. Most of them dealt with pain, impatience, sorrow, anxiety, and envy. I knew I had to at least keep it up until my goal was achieved, and that way I would undoubtedly keep it naturally, maybe without even noticing or thinking about it. That way, I probably wouldn't care if my cheek muscles became weary or not.
There was one among those feelings that stood out from the more dreary ones. It may not have been the strongest at the time, but it was surely the most memorable from my point of view.
Love.
I could always feel it in the tips of my tiny orange wings and the red of my cheeks when I looked at her. But I could feel it in even more numerous places when she looked at me. Every time she would, I felt as if I was going to turn into a red delicious, myself.
But then...
...but then there was whenever she looked at me... and smiled. There was always that long-lasting sense of undying serenity and comfort. My wings would flutter involuntarily, indicating my outward excitement, but my breathing would slow, and I would be the only one to know my inward peace.
The times I felt the biggest urge to share these feelings her were when she cried, or at least when I saw her cry. Her tears almost sparked my own tears. It was almost like the most contagious disease that only had an effect on me.
This filly was in my dreams. She was my dream. She was my motivation for all things. She was the reason I would wake up every morning. She was the reason I had trouble sleeping. She was my life...
...And she didn't even know.
Apple Bloom may be the most beautiful filly in the history of existence, but I think it's time she found that out.
When I came to realize that she had not yet come to the window, I whistled again, same tone, only with a tad more volume.
I saw her peek out. Her mane and face glowed in the light of Luna's moon. I could have let my jaw fall, but I didn't want her to get the right idea just yet. I was sure she would just turn me down in the end if she knew I had a crush on her.
I would dread that day.
I can't imagine what I'd do if that were to happen. This is no simple crush, as you probably already know.
She then scratched her head and raised an eyebrow, causing myself to regain my senses. "Uh, Scootaloo...?" she began. "Isn' it kinda late right now?"
I looked around just to appear as if I just noticed the dark. "Oh, uh, yeah..." I faked, intentionally rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn't even realize, heh..." I shook my head quickly. "Anywho... Hey, uh... Do you think you have time tomorrow for a picnic around noon?"
"Aw, gee, Scoots..." She began patted the wood of the windowsill while turning her gaze slowly. "Ah dunno... Are we gonna be gittin' our picnicking cutie marks or somethin'?"
I stopped leaning on the fence and hopped it, making sure to avoid stepping in any mud. When I came closer to her window, I looked toward her again. "I guess you could see it that way," I said, smirking. "I'd see it as more like a, uh..." I cleared my throat quickly. "...Opportunity for us toooo... get to know each other better." I leaned against the side of the house below the window. "Here, let it down."
She began to retreat back into her room. "A-ah don' think tha's a good idea... Ah mean, it's real late, ya know..."
I started tapping against the house. "Come on, let it down, please...?"
She sighed. I saw her retract herself back inside of her room.
I sighed as well. "Fine, fine..." I put my forehead against the house. "I'll talk to you in the morning, I guess... It's a weekend tomorrow, anyway..."
I then felt the small thud of rope hitting the top of my head. I looked up and saw that she had let down her homemade rope ladder. "Come on..." I heard her say. "Git on up here..."
"Yes...!" I whispered. I then climbed up the ladder and into her room quietly. Letting my curiosity take over, I turned my head to the left to see what she was scribbling down. "You making blueprints?"
"Yup." She nodded tiredly. "Ah jus' have a few more things to write down an' then they should be done. So..."
"What are they for?" I asked.
"They're, uh... fer the, uh... the barn." She shook her head lightly. "Ah mean the clubhouse. Wait, no... The barn. Yeah, the barn. Applejack said she wanted ta try havin' some bins fer all the hay. That, an' she, uh... wants a few more baskets fer apples." She yawned almost obnoxiously. "What were y'all askin' me again...?"
I turned my eyes toward her and gave a friendly smile. "I was wondering if you'd have time tomorrow for--"
"A picnic, oh yeah..." she finished. "Well... Ah guess Ah don' see why not... Ah mean... we will git ta know each other better that way..." She yawned again. "Ah have ta ask, though..."
I held my breath.
"What brought this on?"
I was almost afraid to open my mouth until an idea popped in. "I figured it would help enhance our cutie mark finding skills. I mean, if we know each other better, than we might be able to see what would fit for one another." I grinned widely. 'Huh. You know... that might not be a bad idea...'
"Oh, well, uh, i-if ya say so..." She bought it.
"I do!"
"Okay then..." She sighed. "Around noon, right?"
"Yup." I nodded.
She turned and walked toward her bed with little energy. Turning back toward me, she yawned one last time before speaking. "Alrighty then... Y'all can head out now. Ah gotta hit the hay... See ya tomorrah, Scoots." She waved at me before hopping onto her bed clumsily and slipping under the blankets.
As I climbed out the window, I took one last look at her sleeping form before proceeding down the ladder. 'I hope she remembers tomorrow...'
~***~
As the night grew older, I still had a few other things on my mind. In fact, my mind was so clouded with other thoughts that I didn't have much time to think about Apple Bloom. I didn't even know where I was going to sleep tonight, actually.
I wondered if Rainbow Dash had earned my father's permission to let me stay at her place from now on. If that were true, then that's where I'd sleep. I sure hoped that would happen sometime soon...
My parents could be described in two sentences. However, I think it would be best to spell them out more effectively.
My dad is not abusive. He is not mean. He is a good father. He just doesn't think he is capable of being one.
Especially after mom passed.
Ever since her time was cut short, I've had a hard time with everything. School, flying, making friends, and just everything concerned with life itself. I'm sure dad has had an even harder time, though. He hasn't said as much ever since.
Recently, he had been feeling like he couldn't take care of me anymore. He said he was looking for somepony who would be able to take me in to live with them.
Dad and I always had a good relationship with each other before mom died. After she did, we slowly started becoming further and further away from each other. We hardly ever talked, and we had drifted away from each other so far that it had come to this.
He still had work, but he also knew he still had responsibilities with me. He had not taught me how to fly yet, along with numerous other things. He knew I needed to have a life of my own, but his work as a weatherpony took up too much of his time during the day to be with me, so he finally started asking around. He didn't want to put me into an orphanage because he wanted to be able meet them personally while being assured that he could trust them with his life and mine.
As he looked around, I came up with a plan that I thought was brilliant. I knew there was a pony who already saw me as her sister-figure, so I went and asked her myself. When she answered, she almost seemed overjoyed. She said something about always wanting to be sort of like a parent.
I never saw that coming. She said that not only would she have somepony to teach in flying, but also somepony to take after her. It made me want to try and look at her from a different angle. I now saw her as not only an idol, but almost an actual big sister.
It was almost a dream come true!
...All I needed was my dad's approval.
The cold wind brought me back to the reality that was the fact that I couldn't see anything that was further than ten feet ahead of my vision. It was dark, so it made sense. I felt around, not even knowing where my hooves had taken me on their own, and as I moved my hoof to the right, I could feel the trunk of an apple tree.
At least I had a general idea of where I was now. Not wanting to go any further, as I knew I might find trouble or vice versa, I decided that the grass was soft enough here for a pony to sleep, namely, myself. Next to the tree, I wouldn't be rained on, either, in case that happened. It wasn't very likely, but one never really knows when some of us pegasi decide to have a surprise drizzle.
I settled down, leaning my back against the trunk and thought some more on future events.
'I sure hope this... picnic goes well...'
I waited for sleep to take over for about ten minutes, until I heard a quiet but unmistakable thump.
I turned my head to find where the noise had come from. I already had a definite idea of what caused it, but I was curious if something triggered it or not. I felt around on the ground and found the apple that had fallen. I then looked up to where I assumed it came from.
Nothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary that I could see up there.
Letting it be, I told myself I'd worry later. I could with some sleep right now, anyway.
~***~
Apples.
I could smell apples.
I opened my eyes to the light of the warm morning sun peeking through the trees, and the sight of a fresh-baked apple pie, still steaming and being held right up to my nose. I leaned forward, taking in a long and wonderful whiff.
My eyes then caught sight of who was holding it.
"Top o' the mornin' to ya, sunshine." Her tone was warm and inviting with a hint of what sounded like... desire. "Did ya enjoy yer stay, here in these fine acres?"
My began to unfold on command of hormones. I leaned forward some more as she drew the pie further from my muzzle. I then realized she had asked me a question. "I-I sure did... The trees here are actually really comfortable..."
"Ah know..." She winked. I couldn't believe this was happening. "Ah've stayed out 'ere a few times, mahself..."
My wings almost went stiff then. She drew the pie away from me again as I leaned forward some more. I didn't know why, but it seemed like I was being lured into something. Not something cruel or mean, but more like mischievous. I didn't care, though. I really wanted that mouth-watering pie. I was destined to have it, too.
To my extreme surprise, she had something else in mind. She brought the pie back even further, and when I leaned forward again, she brought her face in between my muzzle and the pie and kissed me.
She kissed me.
Apple Bloom kissed me.
My eyes widened and I stopped my wings from fluttering against the tree, even though I didn't know they were fluttering in the first place. I then realized that Apple Bloom had pulled away, starting to leak tears. I then realized that I had not kissed her back. She put the pie down and sighed, sitting down on her haunches. She then looked at me with eyes that could pierce right through my very soul. "Ah see... Ah guess Ah'll let ya be then..." she moped and stood up to leave, taking the pie with her.
I mentally slapped myself, physically stood up, and literally jumped at the opportunity I was given, tackling her to the ground. "Oh, please don't go! At least, not yet..."
She turned so she was on her back, smirking at me. "An' why not?"
I bit my lip before speaking. "Because... I-I... I lo--..." I began to choke on my words.
"Say it..." she urged.
I knew she was just being playful, but I also knew that she meant it. I was going to these words out, even if it killed me to do so. "I-I lo--..." I swallowed. "I love you, Apple Bloom."
She smiled and drew her hooves around me, pulling me closer. "Ah love ya, too, ya know."
I didn't wait any longer to kiss her. It felt like she was just as eager as I was, seeing as she kissed me right back.
She brought my body down to hers so we were chest-to-chest. I was now laying on top of her, putting all of my weight on her. I assumed she didn't mind, but I knew it still may have been uncomfortable, so I rolled us over, laying myself on the ground next to her.
I figured she must have dropped the pie when I tackled her, causing it to be ruined.
Oh well...
As our kiss grew, her actions seemed to become more lust-driven. She started rubbing my folded wings sensuously, causing them to shudder.
"It's sad..." she said in between kisses.
"What is...?" I replied.
She moaned lightly before continuing. "It feels so real, don' it?"
I pulled away and raised both eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
She frowned. "Too bad it ain't..."
I sat up and looked around at the scenery. The trees, the sunlight, the warmth, the grass, the dirt, the splattered apple pie...
...and the pony in my hooves.
It did feel so real. She felt real.
I looked back at Apple Bloom. "But... But--..."
She sighed. "Yer gonna have ta wake up sometime, Scootaloo..."
~***~
"Wake up!?"
I looked around myself. There was no sun, there was no warmth, there was no pie.
There was no Apple Bloom.
There was daylight, but the clouds had taken over the skies, shading everything in sight with the paleness of gray. The grass didn't feel as soft and didn't look as green. The apples didn't seem as red or delicious.
The acres looked... dark.
Lifeless.
Cold.
Speaking of which, I noticed my that wings were folded a little too tightly against my sides and I began feeling a few goose bumps. "Wow," I said to nopony, while rubbing my forelegs together to try and keep warm. "How did everything get so... chilly?"
There came a shivering wind through the trees of Sweet Apple Acres, carrying away some fallen leaves and making fallen apples roll a small distance. I felt it run through my coat and mane, causing a shudder to run through me, as well.
My tail felt as if it had withered slightly. It must have grown stiff in the all of the cold last night. I looked at it and found that it was perfectly normal. Only when I moved it did I finally feel how truly stiff it was.
It was stiff alright...
I shook it around lightly to make it less stiff, and then I stood up on hooves. But then I heard the sound of shifting in the leaves of the tree behind me. There was a soft thump on the ground next to me. I looked and saw an apple, just like last night.
'Wait a minute...'
I then looked up in the branches and saw the cause of the apple's fall. "Apple Bloom?" I blurted. "That's dangerous! Get down!"
She gave me a defeated look. "Ah'm sorry, Scootaloo..." she said. "Ah'm just up here 'cause Ah didn' wanna git caught while Ah was... ya know..."
"Spying on me?"
She hung her head. "Yeah, that." She then climbed around to the other side of the tree and reappeared on the ground from behind it.
There weren't any low branches, so I had to ask "How did... wait..."
She walked up to me. "Don't worry 'r nothin', Ah jus' used a ladder."
I leaned over to look at the side of the tree. There was indeed a ladder.
"Anyway..." she said. I looked back at her. "Ah'm real sorry fer spyin' on ya like that. It's jus' that y'all seemed real suspicious las' night, comin' in mah room an' askin' me on a date. Ah figured y'all were up ta somethin' that had ta do with mischief, so Ah followed ya ta see if ya really were. Ah honestly still don' know if ya are or not..."
"I'm not."
"Oh. Okay. I-if ya say so..." She rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. The most discomforting silence followed until I realized something she said.
"W-wait..." I stuttered. "Y-you knew it was a date?"
She deadpanned. "O' course, Ah did! A picnic? Jus' you an' me? Ya would've at least invited Sweetie Belle ta come along if it weren't a date, ya know... Fer pony's sake, she'd prob'ly be cryin' herself ta sleep tonight if she ever found out!"
I began to shrink back at her words, realizing how bad of a friend I was being.
"Look..." she continued. "Ah'm not mad at ya or anythin'... Ah'm jus' sayin' ya might've been better off if ya at least thought about it first. Ah do have an answer to yer question, though..."
I looked back toward her, my ears perking up.
"Sure. Ah'd like ta go on a date with ya, Scootaloo. It sounds like fun, anyway. We jus' gotta make sure Sweetie Belle doesn' find out."
As my smile grew, I wondered if she knew what she was getting herself into. "Oh," I said, "okay. Do you... know what a date is?"
She looked at me quizzically. "Ah'm pretty sure Ah jus' recognized it when ya asked me out. Yes, Ah know what a date is."
That was good enough for me. "Well, then let's get going." I turned and started walking.
"Uhm... It's still mornin'. An' the barn's that way." She pointed behind herself with hoof.
I stopped walking and turned around immediately. "Oh, right. Wow. Gosh, it's early!"
"An' not even goin' on that date until noon, remember?"
We were now walking along side each other. "Oh, yeah... Sorry..."
She then sighed before looking toward be and smirking. "...Race ya back?"
I smirked as well. "Can't turn that one down..."
~***~
I stared at faded apple fritter that was my breakfast. This had to be the only family that made fritters for breakfast. Dessert for breakfast!
One may have thought I would be ecstatic because of this... but something I couldn't put my hoof on said otherwise.
It was made excellently, and it looked scrumptious. But there was something about the fact that it had a grayish tint to it that made it seem less appetizing. Maybe I was just seeing things...
"Thanks for inviting me in for breakfast, Applejack," I thanked the chef. "This fritter looks delicious."
Applejack put Apple Bloom's food in front of her and kissed her on the cheek. "There ya go, sugarcube." She then looked at me. "Well, thank ya kindly, Scootaloo. An' yer welcome. Say, what brought y'all around here in the first place? Ah heard you were here las' night, but Ah don' see why ya'd still be here."
She seemed a little off color, too. I picked up the fritter and examined it to appear to be occupying myself. "Oh, nothing much, really... Just asking yer sister out on a date..." I immediately put the food down and covered my mouth. Apple Bloom face-hoofed. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Casually talking to your crush's sister about dating her!? Are you kidding me?'
She eyed me suspiciously. "Really now..."
I nodded sheepishly. She looked at Apple Bloom. She nodded the same.
Applejack stood up straight. "Well, Ah'm happy fer y'all! Glad ya finally got around ta doin' that. Apple Bloom's always needed somepony anyway. Ah'm--"
Apple Bloom nudged her.
"What?"
"It's just a date. No special feelin's 'r nothin'..."
'I could just... burst... right now!'
"Well... at least not yet," she finished.
'Yet...?'
"Ah see..." Applejack nodded to her. She nodded back. "Well, y'all have a good time when the time comes now, ya hear?"
"We hear," I answered.
"Well," Applejack recomposed herself and started trotting toward the door, "Ah'd say it's about time Ah started buckin' them apples, so y'all take care. Bye now!"
We watched as she left, grabbing her hat on the way. I turned to Apple Bloom and frowned. "I'm so sorry... I didn't even realize what I was saying!"
She waved me off. "Oh no, it's fine. She seems ta be alright with it, so there's not really any harm done..."
"Yeah, I guess..." I poked my food with a hoof.
She picked up her fritter and took a bite. "Really, Scoots, it's okay. She's fine, yer fine, an' Ah'm fine. There ain't nothin' ta be sad about."
'I wish you knew...' "I guess not."
~***~
I felt like flying.
I wished I could.
I felt like flying fast.
I felt soaring through the skies as fast as Rainbow Dash would, and then taking the biggest cannonball into the lake!
If only my scooter had wings...
The wind in my ears and the trees and buildings blurring by made my heart beat faster as I shot through town on my scooter. I needed something to do while I was waiting for noon to arrive.
'Maybe Rainbow Dash would have something in mind...'
I looked up to the sky to see if I could find the pegasus. She would probably be up there somewhere, maybe taking a nap on a cloud or a building top or something. Either way, I needed to find her soon or I'd end up being out of my wits.
I searched everywhere and everyplace. I searched high and low. The only place I couldn't search was in and above the clouds, which was likely where she would be. I everywhere else, from Fluttershy's cottage to the other side of Ponyville.
After about twenty-five minutes, I gave up, harshly tipping my scooter over, taking off my helmet, and sitting down by the fountain in the park. I couldn't think of anyplace else that Rainbow Dash would be where I could easily talk to her. I sighed in discouraging defeat, burying my face in my hooves.
I had nothing else to do with my time, so I started planning what we were going to eat for lunch during our picnic date.
'A few sandwiches and some flowers would be good. Her favorites are daffodils and tulips, and I know just where to find some. I think maybe I'll ask her to bring some apple juice if she doesn't mind.'
Yes. Apple juice...
I love apple juice!
With this in mind, I set out to prepare everything that was needed. But the first thing I needed was the right equipment. Equipment meaning tools. Tools meaning a basket and a blanket.
Since I couldn't find Rainbow Dash, I figured Pinkie Pie would probably lend me hoof with that.
~***~
"So... Where're we goin' fer lunch, again?"
I turned my head to look at the filly walking beside me and smiled. "You'll shee," I said before setting the pink basket down for the moment so I could speak more clearly. "It's a place that nopony ever really cares to visit anymore. You might recognize it, but I highly doubt it."
We walked along the path that normally led to Dash's cloud home. This was to say her house resided there most of the time.
I picked up the basket again and kept walking. On my back, I carried Pinkie's saddlebags, filled with a blanket and our lunch. I felt a tad bit uncomfortable carrying bags that were as pink as they were, but I didn't really care; I was on a date with Apple Bloom.
She didn't carry anything in her mouth, but she did have some saddlebags of her own, inside which were a couple bottles of apple juice she agreed to bring.
There were quite a few ponies out and about on a Saturday like this, shopping, visiting, or just out for a good leg-stretch. The noise wasn't too bad, but it wasn't completely pleasant, either. I felt an urge to get there sooner because of all this. "Let's hurry up," I said, quickening my pace. "There's too much noise out here."
Apple Bloom followed without any argument, matching my pace with her own.
"Hey," she said out of nowhere, "don't you stay at Rainbow Dash's place sometimes?"
"Shum-chimes..." I said through the basket handle.
"Huh. Okay."
She was trying to make conversation, I could tell. But was I to do? I had my mouth occupied and we still had to keep walking. I heard her sigh as our trip grew longer.
'Maybe the daffodils and tulips can wait...'
The spot that we were in was not too shabby, anyway. I would have prefered it a little bit quieter, but it looked like she was getting bored, so I decided to stop. "You know what? Let's eat here. That other place can wait."
She shrugged and took off her saddlebags. "Fine with me..."
There were several trees nearby, one which branched out over our heads. Everything still looked more faded than usual. This was beginning to worry me. I didn't even know if the world was fading or if I was seeing things. "Hey, Apple Bloom?" She looked at me. "Do all the colors seem kind of... faded to you at all?"
She raised a brow. "What colors?"
I gestured to the trees, then the grass, and then my mane. "All of the colors. Everything. Does it seem kind of... pale?" I took my (Pinkie Pie's) saddlebags off as well.
She looked around at everything. I could hear the soft chirp of the birds around us. She then looked back and shook her head. "Not really, no..."
I then reached muzzle in one pocket pulled the blanket out, neatly laying it out for us to have our lunch on. "I guess I must be seeing things then..."
She pulled out the bottles of apple juice and placed them on the blanket. "What'd ya mean?"
"Well..." I looked at the ground. "Ever since this morning, everything has been looking a little more gray to me, I guess."
"Well, Ah'd say that's fairly odd..."
"No kidding." I then reached my muzzle into the other pocket... only to have my face bombarded with confetti, streamers, and a few other things that belong at a different occasion.
Including the party pony, herself.
She popped out of the bag overenthusiastically and started to sing a song in the tune of Happy Birthday.
I didn't want to believe this was happening.
"Happy first-date to you! Happy first-date to you! Happy first-date, new fillyfriends... Happy first-date to YOU!"
Just like that, she was gone. Vanished in a bright poof of one-of-a-kind pinkness. It couldn't have been more embarrassing. I'll admit, it was very kind of her, but it was just too obnoxiously loud.
Needless to say, it attracted attention. There were looks given to us, and new conversation topics starting. Everypony probably had the impression that we were fillyfriends. Not that I would mind, but I was worried about what my date thought.
I looked at her and saw her frozen in place, her lips trembling, her knees wobbling slightly. She almost looked paralyzed.
"Apple Bloom?"
She remained the same.
I walked over to her and tapped her shoulder. She then looked at me, still shaky. "It's okay," I said. "They're just ponies. They can watch if want, can't they?"
"Y-yeah, but... but..."
I silenced her with a gentle hug. "And don't worry... We're not actually fillyfriends." I felt her tenseness cease, her muscles relaxing. Her breathing became steady, along with her heartbeat slowing. There came a quiet chatter around us with various different versions of 'aww's, accompanied with giggles and scoffs.
"Scootaloo?" Her voice was calm and quiet.
"Yeah?"
"You can let go now."
"Right." I did so, stepping back and giving her space. "Sorry."
"Oh, it's fine, really." She seemed okay now. She then gestured to the pink saddlebag on the ground behind me. "Why don'cha git our lunch out o' there, now that ya can..."
"Yeah, okay. Sure." I reached my muzzle into the pocket again, and this time I came out with two bagged sunflower sandwiches and set them on the blanket. "Here." I slid one across to her side of the blanket.
"Thanks, Scootaloo, here's yer apple juice." She hoofed me a bottle.
I gratefully accepted it. "Thanks for bringing that, by the way."
"Sure thing."
That conversation died right then, so as I lied down on the blanket, I tried to find something to look at, and maybe talk about it, too. I looked at Apple Bloom just as a fallen leaf landed on her head. She swiped at it, making it land on the ground beside her. "Stay off o' me," she said.
The next thing that happened was ultimately surprising. I watched as the leaf scrunched up, basically rotting. Apple Bloom was now looking at me, so she didn't even notice. "What's the matter?" she asked.
Until now, I had not taken heed to the shocked expression I was wearing. "Oh," I said, shaking my head, "nothing." I assumed I was still seeing things, so I put it aside for now. "Why don't we eat now?"
"That sounds good." There was never really any excitement in her tone the whole time, and it didn't sound like she was going to change, either. Maybe I would just have to mix things up. I couldn't just lay here and do nothing, or she might've become even more bored than she already was.
"Hey," she said, looking toward me. She must have read my mind.
I looked back at her. "What's up?"
"This is... fun an' all..." The lie in her tone was more than obvious. "But... Ah have ta ask..."
I braced for impact.
"Why did ya really ask me out?" I hoped to avoid this question. My hopes were now crushed.
I debated on telling her the truth or not. Lying would mean I would have to make something up, and I knew that I was as bad as Applejack at making things up. I guess telling truth would not only be the right thing, but also the smart thing. "It probably won't shock you or anything..." I started, scooting closer to her, "...but the reason I asked you out is because... I... I-I'm... in love... with you..." The words seemed to have a difficult time rolling off of my tongue properly.
This was it. All I could do was wait.
The look on her face was already showing bad news. She seemed very uncomfortable and slightly scarred. Scarred by the fact that she wouldn't be able to ever see me in the same light as she had before. She still had not even lied down next to me yet, and I was sure she wasn't going to now.
"Ah'm..." Her voice was unbelievably shaky. "Ah don' know what ta tell ya, Scoots... Ah'm afraid Ah might break somethin'..."
"Break something?" I questioned. "Like what?"
She looked down at her sandwich, which was still in its bag. "Like... yer heart..."
It was clear now. As clear as the one visible tear that was running down my cheek. "I understand," I said, trying to hide my face. "Are we still friends, at least?"
"Of course. Why wouldn' we be?" She lied down next to me, putting a hoof over my shoulders. "What do ya say we try ta think of new ways ta earn our cutie marks?"
I tried to relax. "Okay..."
~***~
There was still no telling if things would ever be normal for me again. Not now, not any time soon at least.
As the day went by, our date ended with me walking her to her door in an effort to make things as comfortable as possible. This time, my efforts weren't nearly as futile. It had been mildly awkward, but not enough to be neck-rubbing.
I decided to tell her about the disintegrating leaf, earning a crooked expression from her. "Ah wonder if it had anythin' ta do with what kind o' tree it was..."
"Maybe." I shrugged. "Hey, are you going to be at Sugarcube Corner today?"
"At five."
"That's what I thought..." I let her walk into her house. "Pinkie Pie said she was going to be needing alot of help with something there. I'm going to be there, too. I'm also pretty Sweetie Belle will be there, as well."
"Alright, well see ya then, Ah guess..." She began to close the door. I put a hoof on it, stopping it temporarily.
"Apple Bloom?" I said.
She looked at me. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"Fer what?"
"For doing this with me. It really means alot to me."
She smiled warmly. "Anytime, Scoots." She then closed the door all the way. She still seemed eager for that to be over, so I chose to let her go for now, turning and starting down the direction to Rainbow's house.
Apple Bloom's last words still stayed in my head, though. It was interesting... She seemed eager to leave, but she said... "Anytime"?
It puzzled me as I walked.
Anytime...
