I'm Old Enough To Love
She sat with her back pressed firmly against a tree on the borderline of the farm, off in a desolate area where hardly nopony visits or remembers.
Her head was in her hooves and she was crying heavily, ears drooped and features sunken and sulked so that she was curled into her own lap as she cried. It didn't matter how hard she cried out here; nopony could hear her.
These were not the tears a regular pony produces when they are upset, but much rather the kind only a broken, shattered heart could produce. It stung. Oh, Celestia, did it sting something fierce. Like a cold, aching venom in the bloodstream.
Her soft yellow fur was wind-brushed and unkempt, much like her usually well-groomed and smoothened, silky red hair with a pink bow tied into the back of it, nestled snug between her ears.
The sun was going down over the horizon, blood orange and rosy red leaking into the clouds as they were tinted in its glow. The whole area and farm were quiet. Sweet Apple Acres was even quieter, given the working day for the girl's siblings were over.
Applejack and Big Mac were probably inside with Granny Smith preparing supper by now. Normally, Apple Bloom would be there to lend a hoof and do her part, but her transparent heart denied her the will to move and face them. Not like this.
She has been by this tree for a while now, since maybe around a few hours or so ago, just slouched down and in a tizzy. Over him.
Apple Bloom was still young, nonetheless, but she was old enough to love.
She wiped her golden, shimmering eyes with a hoof and looked up into the sky, watching the sunset. A bird or two flew by, accompanied by the rustling of leaves in the crisp, gentle summer winds that brushed passed her face, carrying with it the scent of blossom and earth that wafted over from the farmland.
She peered over the entrance of the farm, towards where the town of Ponyville was located. As she looked out, a silhouette of a pony came into view, black to start with but soon becoming clearer as they gradually came closer to the entrance of the farm.
Her eyes widened as she realised who it was.
Tender Taps.
The one she was currently crying over.
A pang of heat rose in her heart, a spark of anger, although she wouldn't dare move. He wouldn't notice her from her position, anyway. She didn't want to talk to him again. Not after the sea of hurt he brought upon her.
She traced him like a hawk, watching every single step and bodily movement in his being, observing his physicality. Tender Taps had developed into a rather pleasant and appealing colt in the time she has known him. He maintained his rather handsome features along with his orange fur coat and glimmering purple eyes with a mane and tail to match. They were as vibrant and as shiny as they were since the day she first met him, and it's what made him handsome in her eyes. Out of all of the features he had to offer, the one thing that really got her heart pumping was that voice of his. Oh, that voice!
Apple Bloom would be lying to herself if she told herself she didn't at least catch one or two (or three) glances down to his flank, adorned with a spotlight and black top hat cutie mark. She blushed to herself, yet the burn was more of anger than embarrassment.
As observant as she was, despite how far off she was from actually being able to sharpen her vantage point on the young stallion, she could detect a multitude of negative moods and thoughts about his being, mainly in his facial features. They were slightly contorted as he awkwardly and nervously glanced about the farm, possibly looking for Apple Bloom.
He had the right to be nervous about stepping hoof on her family's land. When Applejack or Big Mac find out about the whole ordeal, he could guarantee one of (or both of) their hooves will be firmly catapulted into his backside and send him on a one-way ticket to the moon.
Tender Taps made his way to the porch of the farmhouse, a series of knocks heard rapping from the distance, quiet to the ears of Apple Bloom with how far away she was.
Next, the door could be heard opening, audible as she wood groaned and moaned as it was lightly swivelled open, Applejack identified as the resident to answer the house call, her voice able to be picked up by the perceptive ears of the young teen.
''Howdy, Tender. What can I do ya for?''
Tender's voice was equally as nervous as his appearance. He spoke quietly, but it went unheard with how softly his words came out of his voicebox. If the girl had to guess, he was probably wanting to know where she was so that he could act all sorry and the like. Anything to get her back so he could talk to her.
She didn't know why he was bothering with trying to find her. Apple Bloom gave a silent growl, her eyes steeled with reinforced anger. She was furious because of him. She was both angry and upset because of him.
It was always meant to be her and him together like she wanted, but it was a plan that was soon proved to be foiled. Even in the name of their friendship and their status, he apparently had other plans.
He had another girl on his mind.
Halo Heart.
Apple Bloom felt betrayed and hurt. She remembered it like it was a literal second ago. It was a memory that was akin to taking a bullet through her tender heart.
It was only her and one her best friends' for life, Sweetie Belle. They were on a stroll through Ponyville together on a searching run to find Scootaloo and the rest of their friends such as Tender Taps and Halo Heart.
They had made plans prior to the current day to hang out together around town and have a good time, yet when the pair eventually found Scootaloo, she was already with the other two ponies.
Apple Bloom could still picture it like a painting expertly slathered onto her brain like a mantra, repeating itself whenever she thought about the sight.
Their lips connecting briefly, the burn and pang of betrayal and the sting in her eyes that was the beginning of a hot flow of tears.
They still burned to their full extent. It hurt terribly.
Since day one, it was love at first sight for the young farm girl. The first time they shared a dance, how she and her friends helped Tender earn his cutie mark, the laughs and the memories. It seems ironic how such positive and swoon-worthy nostalgia could backfire into such pain as the type that now burrowed within her heart.
Although she had an unconditional crush on the young stallion, seeing him with Halo gave way to a fire she knew all too well as jealousy. It hurt her, an open wound to her heart that developed into a gash, seeping with her pain. There was no doubt in her mind, as much as she wished she could deny the fact - she loves Tender Taps but hates the fact he didn't choose her as a special somepony. It was stupid, and she knew it.
She would never forget that wave of pure confusion and shock when she met eyes with him, catching him seconds after his engagement with Halo's lips. She ran and didn't stop, not until she reached the farm and found this tree she now sat against, slumped and full of sorrow.
She heard the door close to the farmhouse, followed by the figure of Tender Taps trotting away with his head hanging towards the ground, his chin almost dragging.
She snapped her head up, watching him with perked ears. She couldn't help but feel selfish about the way she acted. Half of her mind told her to chase him before he could take his leave and the other told her to stay put by the tree and simply disregard his presence.
She glanced to the farmhouse for a brief moment to see if anypony was still there and then back to the young stallion. She had to do something. Anything!
''Oh, Tendy...'' Apple Bloom whispered, her voice shaky from her crying. Like a rocket at terminal velocity, she darted for him, ignoring obstacles in her path as she raced down to the gates where her crush was just passing and exiting the property. ''Tender!'' She called. ''Wait, stop!'' She cried out, prompting a pause in his trotting and causing him to raise his head to face her.
He looked surprised, but at the same time, he was clearly uncomfortable, easily noted by a pink burn on his firm, orange-furred cheeks.
''Apple Bloom...I, uh...'' He began, only to be stopped by the hoof of the farm girl.
''Ah know, ah know,'' Apple Bloom said soothingly in her sweet voice, her tone surprisingly mellow, considering all of the crying she's been through. ''Ah'm sorry Ah acted the way Ah did.'' She looked down shamefully.
''That's why I was trying to find you, I-'' Tender paused, staring at her face for a moment, as if studying her. He blinked. ''Have...have you been crying?'' He asked softly, reaching a hoof to her chin. He could feel her tense at his touch.
She didn't dare connect her eyes with his, lest she let him see her in her current state. She could tell it hurt him to know she's been hurting.
''Mmm-hmm.'' She hummed affirmatively in response. ''Halo...'' She began, slowly craning her head back around to face him, meeting his eyes.
''Halo Heart?'' He asked, brow raised before his features flashed with recognition. ''Wait, is that why you ran?'' He asked, eyeing her closely. Apple Bloom blushed deeper than the deepest of available red paint. If Tender Taps were to find out about her crush on him, her heart would leap from her chest, taking her ribcage with it.
Not even her family knew about her feelings for him.
''Tender, do ya'll like her?'' She asked with pleading, desperate eyes. He continued to eye her curiously, albeit, worriedly.
''Oh, Apple Bloom,'' He said calmly and softly. ''as a friend, yes, but as a fillyfriend? Not at all. Don't get me wrong, she's many things, but those many things are all a bit too crazy for my tastes.'' He chuckled. ''We all know how weird she can be.''
''Then why did ya kiss her?''
''I...well, you see, she...'' Tender paused again, almost as if he was thinking and considering his word choice, preferably with a delicate response. ''...Halo was acting a little strange, even by her standards. She came out of nowhere and blurted something about having feelings towards me and threatened to scream if I didn't kiss her.'' He said fairly quickly, yet Apple Bloom got the gist.
''So you don't-''
''No,'' He stopped her from finishing the sentence, volunteering himself to interject and skip straight to the answer. ''no, I don't.'' He said, a warm smile finding its way upon his lips as he looked down at her. ''That's why I came to find you.''
Every so often between their eye gazing, Tender would give the tiniest of glances down to her smooth lips. The world came to a standstill as the two examined each other's features. He leaned down, ever so gently placing his lips against Apple Bloom's in a light peck.
Beneath her skin, her nerves tensed and gave her skin the physical properties of iron, her blush so deeply ignited that one might think it was about to combust. Her eyes widened in surprise at the contact, but even though the kiss lasted for a mere moment, her mind perceived it as a slow motion event.
Her first ever kiss with her crush.
His touch was warm and inviting, yet even after it was over, her lips were slightly parted, any sense she had to realise it numbed by the bliss that welled in her heart, a glue to fix the cracks that had formed earlier in the day. She continued to stare at him, her mind unable to decide what she should do or say. Tender only smiled to her, still holding a blush. ''I love you, Apple Bloom, and I care about you.'' He said, moving a hoof up to lightly caress her cheek.
Her insides were knotted. Not out of negativity, but out of the invasion of butterflies that fluttered and tickled her stomach. A tingle began to make itself known behind her frosted gold eyes, the start of tears of happiness. Her lips curved into a smile, both quivering and still enlightened by the touch of his lips, almost as if they were still there. She wrapped her hooves around his neck and pulled him into an affectionate cuddle, nestling her cheek into the crook of his neck and snuggling into him with warmth.
''Ah love ya, too, Tendy.'' Apple Bloom whimpered out between cries of happiness. His hooves encased their way around her barrel, holding her tight and close in a returning hug of his own. His chin gingerly nested itself on top of her head, her silky red hair having a rather pleasant pomf to it.
It felt fulfilling to have her this close to him, and it was no discrete truth that she felt the same way. There was a time when they were only children of a too adolescent age to know what the very concept of love was and is and what it has to offer to those open-hearted enough to share their being with another with all they have to offer in the world.
Those days are well over for both Tender Taps and Apple Bloom. They both knew exactly what the true meaning of love was as they were encased in a tight but comfortable affectionate embrace, basked in the warm aura of the sun as it was dipping out of sight behind the mountains.