Love is Abloom

by DarkJester

Rating: everyone
Tags: Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Romance
Length: 2857

A romantic tale of a love-struck pony and her attempts to impress the dragon of her dreams.

Published 2012-01-31 07:19:05 UTC
Last updated 2012-01-31 07:19:05 UTC

Chapter 1

Love is Abloom

A ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ Short

Note: Italicized text is a part where my friend helped me out as I am horrible at writing fashion so she write this out for me and allowed me to use it.

Apple Bloom strolled alongside her big sister as they each carried a cart of apples into town for delivery. She was not required to go, since she was still just a filly, but she enjoyed helping out her sister with her chores every now and then.

They come to one of the residences on their list and Applejack knocked on the door with a hoof. The door opened and Applejack greeted the resident Pony, “Mornin’! We have a delivery of apples fresh from the farm for y’all.”

“Oh! Was that today? It had totally slipped my mind! If you don’t mind, can I have a few minutes to prepare your payment?”

Applejack nodded. “Of course, take all the time that y’all need.”

The resident pony thanked her and shut the door. Applejack then proceeded to sit on her haunches so as to relax for a spell. “I tell ya, these carts seem to get heavier and heavier every season. It’s great for business but a strain on the limbs. I’m glad y’all came to lighten the load Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom smiled at her sister and opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted suddenly by a familiar voice shouting towards them, “Applejack, Apple Bloom, good morning!”

The two of them swerved their heads to notice Twilight Sparkle walking down the path towards them with Spike on her back.

“Well if it ain’t Twilight Sparkle and Spike! What brings y’all two into town today?”

Twilight stopped in front of Applejack and started chatting with her. Apple Bloom didn’t really pay attention to the conversation however as she was busy staring at Spike with her heart all a flutter. She always had a thing for him, ever since they first met. However, she’s never had the courage to tell him about it, mostly due to fear of being ridiculed for liking someone who wasn’t even of the same species.

It seemed that Twilight was in a hurry to get somewhere as her and Applejack’s conversation did not last very long and she started walking away.

Apple Bloom, who was usually able to maintain a form of composure around spike, couldn’t seem to help herself this time around, and was unable to take her eyes off of him even as he started to shrink in the distance. Not even a wave of a hoof in front of her face by Applejack was able to snap her out of her apparent trance. Of course, this caused Applejack to become suspicious, and so she glanced in the same direction as Apple Bloom’s dazed expression. It took only a moment for Applejack to make the connection, and she smiled in response. “Well I’ll be… Does my little sister have a crush on Spike?”

This snapped Apple Bloom out of her trance and she immediately became defensive. “What? No! I was just admiring Twilight’s cutie mark. I hope mine turns out as pretty as hers!”

“I might believe ya if y’all weren’t speaking in such a squeaky voice.”

Apple Bloom didn’t even notice until just then. She cleared her throat immediately and reiterated in a far more normal tone, “I DON’T have a crush on him!”

“Fine, if y’all say so. I just thought it was cute is all,” Applejack replied.

“Wait, cute? You mean it doesn’t bother you?”

“Aha! So y’all DO have a crush him!”

Apple Bloom bit her lip and replied in a soft voice, “Yes…”

Applejack chuckled and wrapped her hoof around her sister’s neck; pulling her in close. “My little sister is growing up! It brings a tear to mah eye,” Applejack said as she made a mock-gesture of wiping a tear away.

Apple Bloom was flustered. “Do you mind?” She insisted as she pulled away from her.
“Now don’t be like that! I think it’s wonderful, I do!”

“Even though he’s a dragon?”

“Love is love little sis,” Applejack said bluntly.

Apple Bloom wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“So sorry to keep you waiting!” The resident pony said suddenly as the door opened up again.

Applejack turned her attention back to her customer. “That’s quite all-right,” She replied in a polite manner.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom returned to staring off into the distance where she last saw spike as she pondered her sister’s simple-yet-profound words. If her own sister didn’t see a problem with her infatuation, then maybe there was hope for a relationship after all.
Once Applejack and the resident pony’s transactions were complete, they headed off toward the next residence. Along the way, Applejack asked her sister, “So, are y’all going to tell him how you feel?”

Apple Bloom stared at her. “I… I don’t know.”

“I reckon y’all should,” Applejack said with a smile.

Apple Bloom was skeptical. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“You’ll never know unless y’all try,” Applejack preached.

Her sister was right. If she didn’t tell Spike how she felt about him, then her dream had no hope of ever becoming a reality. “I’ll think about it,” Was all Apple Bloom said, yet her mind was already made up: She was going to announce her love for him, of that much she was certain. It was simply a matter of figuring out the best way to go about doing so.
The rest of the evening went by without any further discussion on the matter.

The next day, Apple Bloom had decided how she was going to propose to Spike: She was going to do it looking her best. And to look her best, there was only one pony that could help her: Rarity. And she was already on her way to see her.

When she came to her residence, she inhaled a nervous breath and knocked on the door with a hoof.

“Just a minute!” Rarity’s voice said from behind the door.

As Apple Bloom waited, she pondered just what kind of makeover Rarity would give her, but all of her ideas came out silly and horrifying. She never was a pony of fashion.

Soon enough, the door opened and Rarity peeked her head outside. When she noticed Apple Bloom, she had a surprised look on her face. “Apple Bloom? What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering if you could give me a makeover?”

Rarity’s eyes lit up. “A makeover? I LOVE giving makeovers! Come in, come in!!!” Rarity stepped to the side to allow the little pony inside.

Apple Bloom entered Rarity’s residence and glanced around. As expected, her house was not only finely decorated, but it was as tidy as a house could be. But she expected nothing less from a pony who put fashion and beauty above all else.

The door closed behind her and Rarity trotted over to her work station saying, “I must say, you are the last pony I expected to want a makeover. Whatever brought this on?”

“I’m trying to impress someone,” Apple Bloom replied.

Rarity looked at her with surprise. “I do declare… Is Apple Bloom in love? Who is the special steed? Or should I say stud?” Rarity inquired with a laugh.

“It’s actually not a stallion at all…” Apple Bloom found herself speaking softly again. Apparently, she was still a bit shy about admitting who it was she had a crush on.

“Oh no? Who, then?” Rarity was more intrigued than ever.

“It is…” Applebloom took a deep breath. Then, she exhaled the words that she thought she would never say out loud, “Spike.”

Hearing that name made Rarity all a-flutter. “Well isn’t that just darling? A crush on a dragon. How romantic!”

“It is?” Apple Bloom asked in surprise.

“Of course! A love story between a pony and a stallion are as frequent as the clouds in the sky. But a pony and a dragon? It’s like something out of a fairy tale!” Rarity said with sparkly eyes and a dreamy expression.

Applebloom waved a hoof across her face. “Come back to me Rarity!”

“Oh, sorry! I got a little sidetracked there,” Rarity said with a giggle. “Now let’s get started, shall we?” She picked up her brush and comb using her special magic and stepped toward Apple Bloom.

“There! All done! What do you think?” Rarity asked as she turned her to face the mirror.

Rarity'd gone for a design that matched Applebloom's personal color-duality of yellow and red, accentuating the pale shade of her skin with lustrous gold in the form of a solid necklace draped along the front of her tiny chest. On the other end of the duality, a large ribbon, also accented with gold, dominated the back of her head, it's shade of red intentionally less saturated than Applebloom's natural red to bring out the deep crimson shade of her freshly-conditioned flowing curls.

The small hoof-shoes of the same shade left her feeling slightly awkward, wobbling with the inexperience of a young lady as she lifted a hoof to admire tiny cut sapphires gracing the front, the omnipresent little stones impishly ignoring the dual color-scheme throughout her outfit from her ribbon to her earrings to keep the outfit playful.

“Don’t you look absolutely ravishing?” Rarity inquired.

Apple Bloom smiled at her reflection. “I can’t believe how different I look! You’re amazing, Rarity!”

Rarity tipped a hoof curtly at her as she held the other to her chest. “You flatter me!”

“How can I ever thank you?”

“All I ask in return is that you don’t let it go to waste.”

Apple Bloom turned to face her. “I won’t. If this doesn’t win Spike over, nothing will!”

“Then, good luck to you!”

Apple Bloom hugged her suddenly. “Thanks again!” With that, she hurried off – albeit somewhat sluggishly as she was not used to running in booties – to show herself off to her dragon love.

Rarity hugged her back with a single hoof and then gave her a wave good-bye as she disappeared out the door. “I do amazing work if I do say so myself,” she said with a quaint laugh before going back to work on some clothing designs.

Apple Bloom pondered what she would say to Spike even as she knocked on the door of Twilight’s residence with a shoed hoof.

Many thoughts ran through her mind – most of them being about how Spike might respond to her confession. Of course, such rampant thoughts only made her more nervous than ever. In fact, it even went so far as to make her second-guess herself. She had just turned around to walk away from her plan when the door opened behind her. Her heart leaped from her chest as she turned around.

She didn’t expect Spike to be the one to answer.

Spiked stared at her with an open mouth expression; one which made Apple Bloom twitch nervously.

“Apple Bloom? Is that you?” Spike finally asked.

“Y… yes, it’s me,” She replied, struggling with her words. She couldn’t help but blush at the way Spike stared at her.

“What happened to you? You look… amazing!”

Apple Bloom was relieved to hear him say that. It made her smile. “You think so?”

“Most definitely! What’s the occasion?”

She braced herself for what she was about to say next. “You are,” She replied nervously.

Spike blinked at her. “I am? What do you mean?”

“I…” She breathed in deeply. This was it! The moment of truth! With ironclad resolve, she said the words that would change her life for the better, or so she hoped, “I love you!”

Spike was speechless, and Apple Bloom could only wait in agonizing suspense for him to respond.

Even though only seconds had passed, it felt like an eternity to Apple Bloom, and she was forced to break the silence by asking, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head unsurely. “I… I don’t… That is, I…” He sighed. “I just don’t feel that way about you, Apple Bloom. I’m sorry.”

Just like that, Apple Bloom’s heart shattered into a million pieces. She stood there, eyes tearing up, as the reality of the situation started to set in: The one whom she loved didn’t love her back.

“Wait, don’t cry!” Spike tried to console her.

But Apple Bloom was too far gone. She turned, tears flowing, and ran as fast as her laced hoofs would take her. Spike yelled out to her, but her profuse sobbing drowned out his words.

She ran all the way home, stopping for none of the many ponies that tried to ask her what was wrong, and threw herself on her bed of hay to cry. She tore off all of the fancy accessories Rarity had bestowed upon her and threw them to the ground in fury. She couldn’t stand to look at them anymore, let alone wear them, as it only reminded her of her lost love. She cried and cried until she exhausted herself into a deep slumber of misery.

The next day, she awoke to find her accessories mysteriously gone, and her old bow lying next to her. She surmised that Rarity had been by since then, likely to find out how things went, and upon seeing her sad face and the careless way she had strewn about her accessories, already had her answer. Therefore, she must not have felt the need to wake her and instead collected her belongings, returned Apple Bloom’s ribbon, and left in silence.

With a sigh, she tied her bow back in her hair and decided she would go to Rarity and apologize for being so careless with all the fancy attire she had bestowed upon her. As she stepped outside, she suddenly froze in her tracks with a look of horror on her face. In front of her she saw Spike chatting with Applejack about something. She cowered back into the barn and quickly dove beneath the hay of her bed. She didn’t want to face him again after her humiliating display.

“Apple Bloom, are y’all in here?” She heard the voice of her big sister, Applejack, calling out to her. She peeked her head out of the hay – most of it sticking to her hair – and stared at her glumly.

Applejack spotted her immediately and walked over to her. “I reckon last night didn’t go so well, huh?” She asked as she sat on her haunches in front of her.

“Did Spike tell you that?” Apple Bloom asked miserably.

“He didn’t have to. I could tell when I came to check on you this morning. I’ve never seen y’all so miserable before.”

She could feel herself tearing up again as she said, “He rejected me…”

“Be that as it may, he is here to see you, so I suggest y’all talk to him.”

“No! I don’t want to see him! Tell him I’m not here!” Apple Bloom said as she ducked her head beneath the hay again.

But Applejack dug her out and picked her up by the mane with her teeth.

“Hey! Let me go!” Apple Bloom protested and struggled against her.

“You’re going to talk to him whether y’all want to or not!” Applejack said past her mane as he carried her outside.

Apple Bloom complained the whole way until Applejack dropped her off right in front of Spike.

“Now talk!” Applejack demanded as she pushed her forward with a hoof.

Apple Bloom mumbled out a protest and glanced toward Spike who was smiling at her warmly.

Despite his obvious attempt at friendliness, Apple Bloom was still quite cold towards him. “What do you want?” She asked sternly.

“I’m sorry for making you cry,” Spike said, “I didn’t realize it meant that much to you.”

Apple Bloom felt ashamed and looked away from him as she spoke, “Yeah well… It did!”

“But Apple Bloom, don’t you think we’re both a little young for such a relationship?”

Apple Bloom kicked at the ground unsurely. “I don’t know, maybe…”

Spike move to be in front of her so that they were face-to-face. “Then why don’t we just be friends for now and consider a relationship when we’re both a bit older?”

Apple Bloom pondered. Perhaps he was right. She was still just a baby-pony and him, just a baby-dragon. Perhaps she did go a little overboard sprucing herself up and declaring her love for him like that. “I… I guess that would be alright.” She said hesitantly.

Spike smiled in response. “Good. Then how about giving your friend a hug?”

A smile finally spread across Apple Bloom’s glum face and she wrapped her arms around Spike tightly.

Spike returned the gesture and they shared a long, loving embrace with each other.

“Awww, ain’t that just the cutest thing you ever saw Big Macintosh?” Applejack asked her big brother who had since joined her at his side.

“Eyup!” He agreed.

THE END