//------------------------------// // First Steps Of Love // Story: Pony Tails // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// It was a quiet day at the Apple family homestead. Applejack had finished apple bucking for the day, and was fixing up some dinner for Apple Bloom, who was due back from school any moment. "Some nice barley an' okra sandwiches, just how AB likes 'em." Applejack smiled, placing a plate full of the food on the kitchen table. Applejack expected Apple Bloom back in a matter of minutes, but after half an hour of waiting, she still hadn't arrived. Granny Smith and Big MacIntosh were currently on sales runs, so the emptiness of the house was palpable. "Where is that young 'un?" Applejack frowned. "Probably hangin' out with her Crusader buddies again..." The front door opened, and Apple Bloom entered. "Ah'm home!" She called. "There ya are, ya darn whippersnapper." Applejack smiled. "Lemme guess, had sum Crusadin' ta do?" "Not exactly." Apple Bloom shrugged, as Tender Taps followed her inside. "Ah ran inta Tender Taps, we got ta talkin'... Guess Ah kinda lost track a' time. Is it okay if he stays fer dinner?" "Sure it is." Applejack smiled. "Any friend a' mah li'l sister is welcome at our table." "Thanks, miss Applejack." Tender Taps smiled. "None a' that, now." Applejack chuckled. "It's jest plain ol' 'Applejack', ya hear?" "Um, okay." Tender Taps shrugged, as he took a seat at the table. Before long, all the food had been eaten, and Tender Taps prepared to depart. "Thanks for the great food, m- Applejack." He smiled. "Mah pleasure." Applejack grinned. "See you tomorrow, AB." Tender Taps smiled. "Not if I see you first, TT." Apple Bloom joked. Throwing one last smile Apple Bloom's way, Tender Taps departed from the homestead. As Applejack cleaned up the plates, she found Apple Bloom still gazing in the direction of the door. A thought ocurred to Applejack; A wonderful, lovely little thought that she fully intended to capitalize on. "So..." Applejack smiled wryly. "That Tender Taps kid's bin droppin' by an awful lot lately..." "Yeah, so?" Apple Bloom forced herself to turn away from the door. "Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are always droppin' by too." "But those gals are yer BFFs." Applejack pointed out. "And Tender Taps is the first colt Ah've ever seen ya bring by the ol' homestead." "So?" Apple Bloom shrugged. "What's yer point?" "Well, Ah'm startin' ta think the two a' ya might jest be a li'l more than just friends..." Applejack grinned. "Wh-what?" Apple Bloom blushed. "That's crazy! Ah am jest friends with Tender Taps." "Sez the filly who wuz starin' after him like Winona stares after me whenever Ah leave the homestead." Applejack smirked. "Ah... Ah wuz jest..." Apple Bloom struggled to come up with an explanation. She was lying through her teeth about not having feelings for Tender Taps, mostly because she was afraid of admitting it to anypony but herself. Though she and Tender Taps had hung out regularly, gotten a few smoothies, and spent a lot of time alone, things hadn't gone much further than that. She wasn't sure of the extent of Tender Taps's feelings for her, and was afraid to ask, afraid that he might not return those feelings. "Mah little sister's growin' up so fast!" Applejack sniffed. "Ah knew after ya got yer Cutie Mark, yer first crush wouldn't be far behind!" "Ah don't have a crush on 'im!" Apple Bloom fibbed. "We're jest friends, that's all!" "Sure ya are." Applejack rolled her eyes. "But he seems like a real nice colt. Ya could do a lot worse, ya know." "You're right." Apple Bloom nodded. "He is a nice colt, and a real good friend. That doesn't make 'im mah coltfriend." "'Course it don't." Applejack smirked. "We're jest friends." Apple Bloom insisted. "An' that's all we're ever gonna be. So Ah'd appreciate it if ya'd drop that kind of talk, Applejack. Especially if yer around Granny Smith and Big MacIntosh." "Yer secret's safe with me, sis." Applejack winked. "Ah don't gotta secret!" Apple Bloom said stubbornly as she left the room. "Whatever ya say, little sister." Applejack chuckled. "Whatever ya say." Apple Bloom went up to her room, laying down on her bed. Despite her annoyance, she did feel a little bad about lying to her big sister. 'It's true, though.' She told herself. 'He ain't mah coltfriend. Not yet. Maybe not ever...' Apple Bloom had been able to keep those thoughts to herself, safe in the knowledge that they were a matter for her mind only. But Applejack's teasing had brought them out into the open. She wanted more than ever to confess her feelings to Tender Taps, but her fear was greater than ever, too. 'Thanks a bunch, sis...' Apple Bloom sighed mentally, burying her face in her pillow. The following day was a Saturday, which of course meant no school. Apple Bloom was making her way to Sugarcube Corner to meet with her fellow Crusaders when she crossed paths with Diamond Tiara. "Hey, Apple Bloom." Diamond Tiara smiled. "Hi, Diamond Tiara." Apple Bloom sighed. "What's wrong?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Nuthin'." Apple Bloom declared. "Please." Diamond Tiara snorted. "With all that time I used to spend bullying you, I think I know what you look like when something's eating at you." "It's... not really something Ah want to talk about." Apple Bloom shrugged. "No offense." "Did you and your coltfriend have a fight?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Wait, what?!" Apple Bloom spluttered. "What are ya talkin' about?" "I'm talking about Tender Taps." Diamond Tiara answered. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Apple Bloom shook her head. "He's not mah coltfriend!" "He's not?" Diamond Tiara frowned. "But you guys spend a lot of time together. By yourselves..." "Ah'm tellin' ya, Ah don't like Tender Taps that way!" Apple Bloom insisted. "We're jest friends!" "Really?" Diamond Tiara grinned deviously. "Well, in that case, maybe I should ask him out..." "What?" Apple Bloom froze. "He is kinda cute." Diamond Tiara smirked. "In fact, I think I'll go and ask him out right now..." "Don't even think about it!" Apple Bloom yelled. "Aha!" Diamond Tiara said triumphantly. "I knew it. You do like him 'that way'!" "...Okay, Ah do..." Apple Bloom blushed. "But Ah don't know if he feels the same way." "Then why don't you just ask him?" Diamond Tiara suggested. "What if he only likes me as a friend?" Apple Bloom worried. "What if me gushin' about mah feelin's weirds him out? He might not even wanna be my friend any more!" "If he's as good a friend as you think he is, he probably won't mind." Diamond Tiara smiled. "Besides, it's better to know for sure then spend all this time torturing yourself, right?" "...Since when did you get so good at givin' advice?" Apple Bloom smiled. "Guess I've just got a knack for it." Diamond Tiara smirked. "Among other talents..." "Like yer humility." Apple Bloom joked. "You can at least think about it." Diamond Tiara urged. "The two of you would make a really cute couple." "Ah' consider it." Apple Bloom said non- commitedly. "Thanks, though." "Any time." Diamond Tiara nodded. Apple Bloom continued her trek to Sugarcube Corner. As she did, she reflected on Diamond Tiara's words. Though she was still unsure, talking the matter out with a peer had helped a little. As Apple Bloom entered the shop, she saw that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were already there. "Hey, Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo smiled. "Took ya long enough!" "We've got a carrot cupcake with your name on it!" Sweetie Belle urged. "Thanks, girls." Apple Bloom smiled, joining them at the table. For a few moments, the Crusaders enjoyed their cupcakes. Halfway through, Apple Bloom spoke up. "Girls, Ah've got kind of a problem." She admitted. "You do?" Sweetie Belle frowned. "What about?" Scootaloo asked. "It's... Tender Taps." Apple Bloom sighed. "You know how we've been hanging out a lot lately?" "Yeah?" Sweetie Belle nodded. "Well, the truth is, Ah'm not really seein' him as just a friend anymore." Apple Bloom confessed, comfortable enough around her friends to admit the truth. "Ah've... kinda got a crush on 'im." "Aw, that's so sweet!" Sweetie Belle cooed. "Ew, gag!" Scootaloo cringed. "But the problem is, Ah don't know whether Ah should tell 'im or not." Apple Bloom fretted. "Ah don't wanna weird him out, or nuthin'." "Why would he be weirded out?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Because Ah'm worried he won't feel the same way." Apple Bloom sighed. "Why wouldn't he?" Sweetie Belle smiled. "You're pretty great, you know." "Aw, thanks." Apple Bloom grinned. "As gross as I think it is, he'd have to be crazy not to feel the same way." Scootaloo smiled. "Ya really think so?" Apple Bloom blushed. "Honestly, I've noticed Tender Taps giving you some pretty fond looks lately." Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Me too." Scootaloo added. "It's probably a surer thing than you think." "Ah hope so..." Apple Bloom mused. "You won't know until you try." Sweetie Belle urged. "Just think, you'll be the first of us with a coltfriend. Lucky you..." "Hey, what about that colt with the helicopter beanie?" Scootaloo suggested. "I've seen him giving you the googly eye in class." "Who? Button?" Sweetie Belle blushed. "I hadn't noticed..." "You should definitely go for it, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo smiled. "As sappy as it is, you definitely deserve a coltfriend like Tender Taps." "Yeah, let him know how you feel!" Sweetie Belle grinned. "Okay, Ah will." Apple Bloom nodded determinedly. "The very next time Ah see him, Ah'm gonna tell him exactly how Ah feel!" "That's the spirit, AB!" Scootaloo declared. "We're rooting for you!" Sweetie Belle added. Fortunately, Apple Bloom didn't have to wait long for their next encounter. The very next day, she saw Tender Taps walking down the Ponyville marketplace. 'Okay, this is it...' She told herself. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom walked over to him, galvanized by her friends' words of encouragement. "Hey, AB." Tender Taps smiled. "Hi, TT." Apple Bloom grinned a little too widely. "Whatchya doin' here?" "Just picking up some stuff for my mom." Tender Taps shrugged. "Hey, wanna hang out later?" "Yeah, Ah wanted ta talk ta ya about that." Apple Bloom declared. "It's bin great hangin' out with ya, but I wuz thinkin' we could... do a little more than jest hang out." "Like what?" Tender Taps asked. "Like... a date?" Apple Bloom offered. "Date?" Tender Taps froze up. "You mean like... you, me, holding hooves, stuff like that?" "Yeah." Apple Bloom nodded. "Truth is, Ah've kinda had a crush on ya fer a while now. Took this long jest fer me jest ta spit it out. You can say 'no' if ya want." She sighed. "Ah'm jest glad to finally get it off mah chest..." "Sorry to disappoint you, but my answer's 'yes'." Tender Taps smiled. "Ah understand." Apple Bloom bowed her head. "Ah hope we can still be frie- wait, what?!" "I'd love to go out on a date with you." Tender Taps smiled. "You would?" Apple Bloom beamed. "Why wouldn't I?" Tender Taps smiled. "You're the nicest, most fun filly around." "Really?" Apple Bloom blushed. "Yeah." Tender Taps nodded. "Honestly, I wanted to ask you out, but I was worried you'd say 'no'." "Reg'lar two of a kind, ain't we?" Apple Bloom chuckled. "A perfect duo." Tender Taps said warmly. "Once I pick up mom's groceries, what say we go for a walk by the lake?" "With pleasure." Apple Bloom leaned forward and boldly kissed Tender Taps on the cheek. "Hurry back, now." "Now that's what I call 'incentive'." Tender Taps rubbed his cheek, then dashed off down the marketplace. Apple Bloom watched him run, elated. Her worries had turned out to be completely unfounded. And now, she and Tender Taps were officially dating. She couldn't have felt any happier. 'Ah'll bet Applejack'll have a great big 'Ah knew it' ready the next time TT drops by.' Apple Bloom thought, at the same time grinning widely. 'But it's a small price ta pay...'