//------------------------------//
// I-XIV. Apple Bloom 
// Story: Hùndùn 
// by LoZLttP13 
//------------------------------//

Apple Bloom laid in a woven hammock, gazing up at the mildly-cloudy sky. As she gently swayed with the breeze, she attempted to unravel the strange thoughts and emotions that were turning through her mind.

Apple Bloom had been woken up that day, as she was every morning, by the farm rooster. After washing up, getting dressed, and brushing her teeth, she had eaten a big breakfast of pancakes doused in maple syrup with Granny Smith and her older siblings Applejack and Big Mac. Though she was very close to her family and was usually quite talkative at their meals, this morning she had been unusually quiet; she had several things bothering her, but when she had asked her family about them they hadn't given any advice that satisfied her.

On the day that she and the other Crusaders had commissioned Spike to aid them in building their clubhouse, Apple Bloom had said during her dinner with her family, "Um... guys?"

Applejack had turned to her and asked, "Yeah, Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom poked at her baked potatoes for a moment before saying, "A... Applejack.... Ah, uh, saw Diamond and Silver today...."

"Those two giving ya'll trouble again?" Applejack asked.

Apple Bloom nodded.

Granny Smith sniffed angrily. "If Ah've had a word with Mr. Rich about that daughter of his, Ah've had a hundred of 'em. He always says he's sorry 'bout her, but he never gets nothin' done about it! If ya'll ask me, that girl oughtta get a good paddlin'! Why, back in mah day, if a girl had the nerve to say some of the things Diamond says, she'd get her backside tanned with the brass end of a broad belt!"

Applejack let out a small, exasperated sigh before turning back to Apple Bloom. "What did she say this time?" she asked.

"She called me an inbred again," Apple Bloom muttered.

Applejack flinched. "We- we talked about that, remember, Apple Bloom? Remember: sticks and stones can break your bones, but words'll never hurt you."

"Yeah," Apple Bloom replied, "but somethin' she said is still botherin' me...."

"What is it?" Applejack asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Apple Bloom answered, "She asked if me or you would be the lucky girl to marry Big Mac."

Applejack tensed up and began flushing, but Big Mac let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Me, marryin' you two?" he chuckled in a low, deep voice. "Why, if that ain't the most ridiculous thing Ah've ever heard!"

"Darn tootin'!" Granny Smith added. "Ah've never heard anythin' more absurd in all mah years!"

"But...." Apple Bloom said, "why is it ridiculous? Ah mean, our parents are cousins 'n all...."

Granny Smith huffed. "Ain't it just like them high-class folk, misconfanglin' our ways like that! Ain't they got enough common sense to realize that your cousin ain't the same as your brother or sister?!"

Apple Bloom nodded, but her worries weren't sated; cousins or siblings, the fact remained that the Apples married their own relatives, which was something that other Beings simply didn't do. Apple Bloom had asked her grandmother why her parents were cousins while other kids' parents weren't, and Granny Smith had told her that it was because the Apples respected tradition and married only other Humans that also accepted those traditions. "Now and then, another seed will fall into the orchard," Granny Smith often said, "but if your orchard already has good, strong apples, you don't need pollen from any other trees, and you can't let any weeds in."

Apple Bloom had accepted this answer, though it had never fully satisfied her. Would other Beings really be so bad for her family's way of life? It was rather frightening to believe that they were, but Apple Bloom and her siblings' derision at the hands of other Beings for being "those backwards hick Apples" seemed to confirm to her their incompatibility with the outside world.

Deciding to move on to a different subject, however, Apple Bloom had said, "Okay. Well, um... the other Crusaders and Ah got someone to help us build the clubhouse!"

"Who is it?" Applejack had asked.

"Spike," Apple Bloom replied. "But... for some reason, he makes me a little nervous. Do you-?"

Granny Smith interrupted her by frowning and saying, "Now, he won't be alone with you, right, Apple Bloom?"

"N-no...." Apple Bloom said, her brow furrowing with confusion. "The other Crusader's will be with us...."

"Good," Granny Smith said with a sniff. "Ain't no good ever come from bein' alone with them Elf boys. Always a little frisky, Elf boys...."

Apple Bloom's mouth had opened slightly, but after a tense moment of silence, she closed it again and softly nodded. Her relatives had returned their attention to their meals, and she had returned to idly picking at her own food. She didn't feel any better; in fact, she had been even more anxious about they days to come than she had been when the dinner began. Her family had always cautioned her against being alone with boys, but they had never told her why; at first, she thought that it was because they picked on her more than other girls did, but she gradually began to notice that some boys didn't pick on her at all, or were even sometimes quite kind to her. However, Granny Smith cautioned Apple Bloom at all times to never be alone with any boy, and so she continued to do so and wonder what hidden danger resided within them.

As Apple Bloom laid in the hammock stretching between two of the apple trees in her orchard, she strained her mind as she attempted to decide weather she should help Spike with the clubhouse while the other Crusaders brought supplies to them today. She knew that it was fair, since the other Crusaders had done hard labor with him the previous two days; however, Apple Bloom was still going to be alone with him if she did, which was a direct disobedience to her grandmother's rules.

The possibility of disobeying Granny Smith wasn't the only source of her anxiety about working with Spike, however; Apple Bloom found that something about Spike caused her to be especially nervous around him. She had no idea why; she liked Spike quite a lot, and was always happy to see him and talk to him, but at the same time Apple Bloom found that she was always more self-conscious and anxious in his presence. She couldn't look directly into his eyes for more than a moment without blushing and looking away, and she was always grateful if she had the other Crusaders around her when she was with him, as they caused the mysterious tension she felt to ease a little.

Ultimately, Apple Bloom decided that she would help Spike; after all, if he did anything, Apple Bloom could immediately call her friends for help. But somehow, she doubted that she'd need to. After all, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were really cute, and Spike didn't seem to have tried anything with them....

Apple Bloom felt her face burning again, causing her to gasp and cover her mouth. What was going on? Why was she even more bashful than usual all of the sudden?

Apple Bloom knew she should be careful; if Spike was making her this nervous, that probably meant that she should be careful around him. She resolved to closely observe him while they worked, and watch and be prepared for any sign of trouble.

With her mind made, Apple Bloom got up from the hammock and walked back to her house. There she retrieved some milk, biscuits, and a jar of raspberry jam from her kitchen before sitting at the table to eat a small lunch. When she was finished, she returned to the barn, where she saw Spike talking with Scootaloo again.

"Hey, guys!" Apple Bloom cried cheerfully upon entering.

Spike and Scootaloo turned to her. "Hey, Bloom!" Scootaloo called back. "What's up?"

"Ya'll think we're gonna get the treehouse finished today?" Apple Bloom asked.

Spike nodded. "Yep. It'll take a lot of effort, though. That's why I'm glad you're working with me today, Apple Bloom; you're stronger than the other girls, so you'll be able to help me finish putting it together faster."

Apple Bloom blinked. "Uhh...." she said.

Spike furrowed his brow in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Apple Bloom gazed at him, attempting to detect any hint of danger. However, she couldn't find any of it in his concerned, kind face. The most dangerous things about him were his sharp canine fangs, but nothing about him seemed to indicate that he had any intention of biting her.

Apple Bloom thought to herself, Ah think Ah might like it, though....

Flinching with panic, Apple Bloom's face suddenly turned as red as her hair and she immediately looked away from Spike. Where in the world did that come from? she wondered.

"Apple Bloom?" Spike said anxiously.

"Ah... Ah'm fine," Apple Bloom replied. She decided that she'd just need to be vigilant. "It's nothin'."

Spike nodded, then said, "Alright, then. Well, as soon as Sweetie Belle gets here, we'll be able to get started."

Just as Spike finished saying this, the barn door opened and Sweetie called from beyond it, "Hey, guys!"

Spike grinned widely again. "Hey, Sweetie!" he shouted, waving at her. "You ready to help Scootaloo bring the lumber to the clubhouse today?"

"Of course!" Sweetie cried back.

"Alright, let's get going, then," Spike replied. He picked up his bucket of tools while the Crusaders picked up a few of the remaining planks. They carried them to the clubhouse, which was now completed and needed only a staircase to walk up into it.

"Should Ah get the ladder?" Apple Bloom asked.

Spike shook his head. "No. We need to build the stairs' frames on the ground, then we'll use the ladder to bring them upright and nail them in position. "

Spike went to the small pile of timber they brought and grabbed two of the mid-length planks. He then nodded at the longest ones as he walked and said, "Can you bring one of those here onto the grass, Apple Bloom?"

After a moment's hesitation, Apple Bloom nodded. "Y-yeah," she said.

Apple Bloom picked up a long plank as Spike positioned the two shorter ones a few meters apart on a patch of grass nearby. Once Apple Bloom reached him, Spike said, "First, we need to screw these together." He knelt on the ground, drew his brush and resin from his bucket, and painted some over the top of one of the shorter boards. He then turned the longer board so it was on its side, as well, then he placed them together. After a few moments, he said, "Can you make sure these stay together while I ratchet the screw in?"

As the other Crusaders began walking back to the barn to get more wood, Apple Bloom nodded and knelt beside Spike. She held the two planks steady as Spike screwed them together.

Apple Bloom was silent as Spike worked, though Spike didn't seem to mind; he was focused intently on finishing the staircase, and Apple Bloom saw that he was sweating heavily from the exertion and the heat. He acted only to ask her to position another board in place; Apple Bloom began to wonder what her family had been so worried about.

However, after about an hour, there was a strange-sounding metallic crunch and Apple Bloom looked up to see Spike glaring at his ratchet.

"Shit," he muttered. "It's broken."

As he sighed and stood up, Apple Bloom worriedly asked, "Will- will we not be able to finish the clubhouse, then?"

Spike shook his head. "No, it just means we need to get a new ratchet."

Spike and Apple Bloom stood, and Apple Bloom cried, "Ah... Ah'll go tell Scootaloo that we'll need more gold! Ah-"

"No, that's alright," Spike said, smiling. "It's my own ratchet; I'll get a new one myself."

The other Crusaders were returning with more lumber over their shoulders, and Spike said to them, "Shall we take a break, girls?"

Sweetie and Scootaloo gazed surprisedly at him as they set their planks down. "Why?" Scootaloo asked.

"My ratchet's broken," Spike replied, holding the tool up. "I'm gonna need to go to the market to get another one."

Scootaloo grinned. "Alright! Hey, can we come too, Spike?"

Spike smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, of course you girls can come."

"Sweet!" Scootaloo cried. "I'll get us all ice cream and sodas!"

Spike nervously chuckled and held his hands up as he replied, "No, it's alright, Scoots, you don't need-"

"Hey, you're helping us build our clubhouse for nothing," Scootaloo said, pointing at him. "It's the least we could do."

Spike grinned. "Alright! Thanks, Scootaloo!"

After the other Crusaders had thanked Scootaloo, as well, they all walked together to Avalon's shopping district. After Spike had purchased a new ratchet, they went to the Sugar Shack, where Scootaloo took each of her friends' requests for flavors and ordered them from Pinkie, who cheerfully gave them their sodas and ice cream cones at a half-off discount.

As Spike and the Crusaders were walking down the streets, each with a treat in both hands, Spike again thanked Scootaloo: "Thanks, Scoots."

"Hey, it was nothing," Scootaloo replied. "Like I said, we didn't pay you to do this, so-"

"Well, well, well!" they heard a familiar unpleasant voice call from behind them. "If it isn't the freak clique! Hello, Blanks!"

The Crusaders' faces all twisted in anger as they turned around to face Diamond Tiara, who was nastily sneering at them.

"Leave us alone, Diamond," Sweetie said sharply.

Confused, Spike turned around, as well. Upon seeing his face, Diamond's sneer immediately disappeared. "Who- who's this?" she asked, gesturing at him.

Spike smiled warmly. "Oh, hi!" he said. "I'm Spike!"

After gazing at him for a moment, Diamond's eyes narrowed slightly as a small, coy smile spread over her lips. "Well, he-llo, Spike," she replied, almost singing. She clasped her hands behind herself and slowly walked towards him as she said, "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"

"Yeah," said Spike. "I moved here just a few weeks ago."

"Where are you from?"

"Olympus. I moved here with my mentor."

Diamond's eyes widened. "Your- your mentor?" she said. "You mean- you're an apprentice of Magic?"

"Yeah," Spike said, sighing wearily. "I'm older than I look."

Diamond's smile returned. "Ah, I see," she said. "Who is your mentor?"

"Twilight Sparkle," Spike replied.

Diamond's jaw fell as her eyes again widened. "T-Twilight Sparkle?!" she cried disbelievingly. "As in the Duchess of Olympus Twilight Sparkle?!"

"Yeah," Spike said.

Diamond smiled broadly. "Well, then. I bet you're very powerful; after all, they say Twilight Sparkle is the most promising young sorceress living today. If she chose you to be her apprentice, she must've seen a lot of potential in you...." Diamond was now slinking closer to Spike, until they were only centimeters apart. Spike looked slightly confused and Sweetie looked absolutely livid.

"A boy like you must be accustomed to the finer things in life," Diamond said before throwing a contemptuous glance toward the Crusaders. "What are you doing with them?"

"He happens to be our friend," Apple Bloom said, stepping forward. She glared with intense fierceness at Diamond. "He was actually just helping us build our clubhouse."

Diamond looked surprisedly back at Spike. "Really?" she said.

"Uh, yeah...?" Spike said uncertainly.

"Oh," Diamond said, visibly a little disappointed. She turned away and muttered under her breath, "Oh, well. Mother's told me that some of them enjoy indulging the rabble."

Diamond sighed and began walking away. After a moment, however, she stopped and turned with a small smile back to Spike. "When you get bored of these... erm, quaint little commoners, and want to experience something a bit more... substantial, feel free to look for me. I'm Baroness Diamond Tiara. Feel free to ask for me whenever you like."

With that, she continued striding forward.

Spike blinked and was silent for a few moments. "Um... what was that?" he said, puzzled.

"That's Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom growled, her fists clenched and trembling. "If Ah weren't raised good, Ah'd give her a piece of my mind. Ah have a few choice words Ah'd like to say to her...."

Spike's eyes widened with realization as he turned to Apple Bloom. "So she's, uh...."

"A witch," Scootaloo muttered.

"And that's putting it nicely," Sweetie added.

Without another word, Apple Bloom spun around and began marching back towards Sweet Apple Acres. Spike and the other Crusaders also turned and followed behind her. They were all completely silent for the rest of their journey back.

Once they were back at the treehouse, they stood motionless in tense silence for a moment before Spike said, "Well, um... can, uh... Sweetie, Scoots, can you two go and get us more planks?"

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah," she said. She began walking towards the barn and motioned for Scootaloo to follow, saying, "C'mon, Scoot...."

After Sweetie and Scootaloo had departed, again leaving Apple Bloom alone with Spike, they again stood silently for a few moments before Spike said, "So, uh... let's finish the staircase, shall we?"

With a brave attempt at a smile, Spike knelt back down and resumed his task of screwing the boards together.

After Apple Bloom had helped Spike continue to assemble the frame for about five minutes, Spike said, "So, uh... what's the story of you guys and Diamond?"

Apple Bloom looked down. "Ah don't wanna talk about it...." she muttered.

Spike shrugged. "Alright...." he said before returning his attention to the frame.

After a few silent moments, however, Apple Bloom realized that she did want to tell Spike; after all, he had done nothing but be completely kind and understanding ever since he came to Avalon. Even if he made her nervous, and she didn't know why, Apple Bloom knew that it wasn't because he was untrustworthy; in fact, she slowly began to believe that he made her nervous partially because of how completely trustworthy he was.

"A-actually," Apple Bloom said, to which Spike looked up at her. She continued, "Ah... Ah think that Ah actually do want to tell you, Spike."

Spike nodded. "I'm listening," he said.

Apple Bloom began, "So, my parents are cousins. Ah don't think Ah can start anywhere else. Both of their mas were sisters, so Granny Smith is my grandma and my great-aunt.

"They were married by my great-grandpa, and since they were his successors, they stayed on Sweet Apple Acres. Not long after they were married, they had my brother Big Mac. They had Applejack a year later, and Ah was born when Big Mac and Applejack were little.

"We Apples are very close- our brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles are our best friends. We dance and sing and play together, and we tell each other everything. We're stubborn, and we often say that you'll sooner make a mountain stand out of your way than get any of us to stop being there for each other.

"We have to be- because the world don't accept us. My great-grandma and great-grandpa and their family used to be Sonatians, and so nobody would do any business with them or let them stay anywhere for the night. But when Princess Celestia heard about them, she felt sorry for them and gave them this land as a gift. They settled here and made it Sweet Apple Acres.

"At first, it was hard for my family to do business, 'cause nobody wanted nothin' to do with anyone who used to be cultists. But no one grows better apples than the Apple clan, and soon enough we were able to start sellin' our apples and apple cider and apple treats to folks from all around.

"But even though they were willing to do business with us, nobody would be our friends. Nobody wanted to marry any Apples, and nobody wanted to have anything to do with any Apples at all. And since none of our family could get married or make friends, we said, 'Well, we'll just have to marry and make friends with each other, then!'

"So my aunts started marryin' my uncles, but we always had a rule that you couldn't marry your ancestors, siblings, or parents' siblings. It has to be one of your cousins. If you don't marry your cousin, you have to marry another Human that accepts the Apple way of life.

"But no one understood our rules, or why we made them. They started callin' us backwards, inbred hicks. When Big Mac and Applejack went to school, the other kids gave 'em a lot of trouble for havin' cousins for parents. Both of 'em are pretty shy, so they weren't able to do much. But I was shyer than any of them, and so I got bullied more'n any of them.

"Diamond was the worst one. Her and her friend, Silver Spoon. And they didn't just give me hell for bein' inbred, either; every other kid in my grade got their Mark, but Ah still don't have mine. They tell me that I'm so inbred that Ah'll never get a Mark at all, because Ah don't have any Special Talents at all."

Tears rolled down Apple Bloom's cheeks, and she sniffed.

After a few moments, Spike said, "But... the other Cutie Mark Crusaders don't have their Marks, either."

Apple Bloom smiled. "Yeah," she said. "You're right. They don't."

"I bet that's why you three became friends, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How did you become friends, though?"

Apple Bloom leaned back. "Well," she said, "when they first moved to Avalon, Ah didn't talk to 'em."

"Why not?"

"They made me nervous," Apple Bloom replied. She blushed a little as she silently observed, Just like you do, Spike.

"Why?" Spike asked.

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Ah don't know," she said. "Ah've just always been nervous around folks that ain't my family."

Spike nodded. "Alright. Go on."

"So anyway," Apple Bloom continued, "when Diamond had a birthday party after she got her Mark, her dad forced her to invite me and the other Crusaders. I had one friend, named Twist, who I knew didn't have her Mark- but just before the party, she showed me that she'd gotten her Mark in candy making. Ah guess she's gonna be apprenticed to Bon-Bon now.

"But Ah was so ashamed, because everyone else had their Marks now. Ah couldn't bear to be the only one without one, so Ah bought a long skirt to hide my legs when Ah went to the party.

"When Ah got there, Diamond called me an inbred blank again. Ah said Ah wasn't, because Ah had my Mark. When Diamond asked to see it, Ah said that it was so amazing it'd probably distract everyone from her, so she let me be.

"But then, Ah tripped on my skirt and it got ripped off, and everyone saw that Ah still didn't have my Mark. Diamond started laughing at me, but then Sweetie and Scootaloo told her to stop. They said that they were blank, too, and that there's nothin' wrong with that."

Apple Bloom grinned. "Ah was so grateful to them that Ah sat down with them. They told me that Scootaloo's dad is Rarity's hairstylist, and that they'd told each other about how they were both bullied for bein' blanks. They thought they should meet each other, and then they became friends. When they met me, we said we should start a club dedicated to gettin' our Marks. And so, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were born!"

Apple Bloom pumped her fist in the air victoriously, and turned to Spike, who was smiling at her. "I'm glad you were able to make friends with them," he said.

"Thanks," Apple Bloom replied.

Spike continued, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't care that your parents are cousins or that your family were Sonatians."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "You- you don't?" she whispered.

Spike laughed, "Of course not! You haven't done anything wrong, so why should I care that your ancestors were cultists, or if your parents are cousins? I don't know anything about my parents; for all I know, they're criminals, or siblings!"

Apple Bloom gasped elatedly. "Ya'll... ya'll really don't care...?"

Spike grinned as he shook his head. "Not at all. No matter what you're family's done, or ever will do, I will always be your friend."

Apple Bloom weepingly embraced Spike.

It was late dusk when they completed the treehouse. Spike and the Crusaders stood upon the wooden stairs, leaning against the handrails and looking up into the sky. Apple Bloom turned to look at Spike, then smiled again. She decided: she didn't care what her family said or thought anymore. She didn't care that Spike was a boy, or that he was an Elf; he was one of the most amazing friends she'd ever had. She'd do whatever she wanted with him, and she wouldn't let anyone stop her.

She began blushing again, and softly giggled. He still made her nervous, but she decided that she could get used to it.