//------------------------------// // Sick or lovesick? // Story: Apple Bloom’s Secret // by YourUncleFuncle //------------------------------// Apple Bloom froze when Miss Cheerilee asked her the question. She didn’t sound all that stern, so maybe it wasn’t anything that she did, but it still could be something bad that she did. The rest of the students had all filed through the doorway and out of the classroom, with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shooting a look at her as they walked out last. Cheerilee waited until Apple Bloom’s two favorite friends had walked through the door before turning to the little earth pony. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Apple Bloom, I just wanted to ask you a question.” Apple Bloom inwardly felt relieved. She had been on edge all day, thinking about the nightmare she had had the night before, but she still felt curious as to what her teacher could possibly ask her about. “Is this about that stupid drawing Scootaloo made again?” A few weeks back her pegasus friend had decided it would be a good idea to draw a picture of her idol, Rainbow Dash, on Apple Bloom’s desk. The next day she came to school and was pulled aside to receive a lecture from Cheerilee about respecting property and the consequences of doing the opposite. Not even having seen the drawing, Apple Bloom was naturally very confused, and tried telling Cheerilee that she had nothing to do with it. It wasn’t until the next day that Scootaloo came forward, with pressure from Apple Bloom, and accepted her punishment. Ever since then she had been wiping down the desks every day after school, and Cheerilee had been apologizing to Apple Bloom for her false accusation. “It’s just that I had noticed that you haven’t picked a deadline for the big essay that’s due in a month,” her teacher continued, “and I just wanted to touch base to see if you had any ideas.” “Of course!” Apple Bloom remembered, “the project!” She had had so much on her mind recently that she had completely forgotten about it. The students could pick and research a topic of their choice, and would write a six page essay about it using at least three resources. Added on to that, they would have to present it to the class. Altogether it was worth forty percent of their grades. “Well, Ah haven’t really thought of anything yet,” Apple Bloom said shyly, with a hoof digging at the wooden floor, “Ah have a couple of ideas, but Ah haven’t narrowed it down.” “Well, try to come up with a good topic by the end of the week. If you can do that, you’ll be in really good shape.” Apple Bloom gave her teacher a small smile. “Ah will, thanks Miss Cheerilee!” “No problem! Have a good lunch!” Cheerilee then started to write something down at her desk as Apple Bloom left the room, carrying her bag lunch. When she got outside she saw her fellow Crusader friends sitting on the bench right next to the playground. When they saw her they waved her over and scooted over on the bench to make room for her. Apple Bloom saw them and sat down next to them, and the three of them started talking about ways to get their cutie marks. It wasn’t long until Apple Bloom found that she had started to be distracted by something. Or somepony. Apple Bloom cursed her wandering eyes, but she couldn’t help it. Sweetie Belle was such an amazing filly, and Apple Bloom loved everything about her. Looks, personality, all of it! “Too bad she’d never feel the same way back.” Apple Bloom knew that the white unicorn filly wasn’t interested in other fillies. Rumor had it that she was interested in Spike, Twilight’s purple dragon assistant. Although she denied it, most ponies thought it was true, including Apple Bloom. “It’s perfectly ok for a pony to date a dragon, another species, but not for a pony to date a pony of the same gender!” “What do you think, Apple Bloom?” Apple Bloom was once again dragged out of her thoughts by an outside voice, this one belonging to the orange pegasus sitting next to her. Scootaloo sat expectantly, waiting for an answer, while Sweetie Belle had a similar expression of anticipation and excitement. “Gosh dang it, why do you have to be so cute?” “Uh, sorry, what were we talking about now?” Scootaloo turned to exchange a confused glance with Sweetie Belle before turning back to face the youngest Apple. “Uh, what do you think about our plan to get our cutie marks in tennis?” “Oh, uh, well Ah think it’s a good idea!” Apple Bloom smiled wide at the end, hoping that her friends would once again move on from the subject, and not question her not paying attention to the conversation. This time, however, she wasn’t so lucky. “Are you ok, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said, “you sure seem to be a lot quieter than usual today, and you keep zoning out.” “No, Ah’m alright Sweetie Belle,” she answered quickly, continuing to give her the sorriest excuse for a smile anypony will ever see, except for the ones Applejack gave Pinkie Pie at that surprise party. Obviously Sweetie Belle has noticed the fast response and the nervous smiling, because she soon got up and walked over to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom cringed as she soon saw her crush just inches away from her face, looking very concerned, before she lifted her forehoof and moved it onto her forehead. Everything was in slow motion. She could feel her face heating up, breathing accelerate, and sweat starting to come from her face. “She’s touching me! She’s touching me!” “Maybe you should go home, Apple Bloom, I think you might be sick.” “I sure feel like Ah’m sick. Is this what being lovesick feels like?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed, “you’re all red and quiet, and you haven’t touched your lunch.” Apple Bloom looked down and took notice of the brown bag that contained her lunch. She didn’t even know what she had in there, let alone had she opened it up and ate it. She looked back at her two friends before attempting to stand up off the bench. A sudden flash of dizziness set in as she stood up, and she found herself staring at the ground in an attempt to stop herself from seeing the spinning world around her. “Woah, Apple Bloom.” She suddenly felt two steadying hooves on her as she was slowly guided back to the bench. Her vision had turned foggy, and the world was still spinning. “Scootaloo, go get Miss Cheerilee. Hurry! Don’t worry, Apple Bloom, you’ll be okay.” The rest of it was a bit of a blur. Scootaloo had come back a moment later with Cheerilee, who took one look at her and decided that she should go home. Big Mac had shown up and she was put on his back, about to be carried back to the farm. “Ah don’t even know if Ah’m normal sick or love sick.” Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was enjoying some lunch while talking to Granny Smith. “Ah told you once already, Granny, we can’t harvest the west field until tomorrow. There just won’t be any time.” “Fiddlesticks! You just need to move your caboose and finish the south field in an hour!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “But we won’t be able to finish it in an hour! Big Macintosh and Ah are plum tuckered out as it is. We won’t be able to get to the west field.” Applejack then looked at the plate that had been set out in front of the seat next to her, then scanned the surroundings. “Hey, where is that brother of mine? He ran off about ten minutes ago and hasn’t come back yet.” “Ah’m sure he’ll be along, young’in” Granny Smith said, “now, about the south field…” Before the elderly mare could continue, the sound of the front door of the farmhouse opening could be heard. Applejack then started to walk toward the sound. “There you are, big brother, where’d you run off to in such a…” Before she could finish, she caught sight of her younger sister, looking absolutely miserable hunched over on Big Mac’s back. “Apple Bloom!”