//------------------------------// // Silence is Golden // Story: Apple Bloom’s Secret // by YourUncleFuncle //------------------------------// “What in tarnation happened to mah little sister?” Apple Bloom winced from the back of her big brother at the loud voice coming from her big sister. She still felt dizzy and wasn’t feeling well at all. She wondered if she was actually sick now, because she sure felt like throwing up now. “What’s all the yelling about in there?” The craggy old voice came from the dining room. “Miss Cheerilee came by and asked me to follow her to the school,” Big Macintosh explained, “and when Ah got there Apple Bloom was sitting on a bench looking dizzy as a loon.” Applejack stepped closer to examine her sister. “What do you mean by that? Is she sick or something?” “Eeyup.” “Here let me take a look at her,” Granny Smith said, walking into the room and going over to stand next to the big red stallion. She then put a green hoof onto her youngest grandchild’s forehead, and about a second later, she exclaimed with a smile, “fine as a fiddle!” “Uh, beg your pardon, Granny,” Applejack said with disbelief in her voice, “but you said that when Ah had the pony pox, and when Big Mac had coronavirus.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said, shivering as he remembered how awful that year was, and how bad the tests on him were. “Ah thought Ah told you not to question your elder ponies, Applejack.” “Just look at her! She looks sicker than a dog.” “Ah told you, Applejack, Ah know when a filly is sick, and she seems perfectly fine to me. Now if you’ll excuse me, Ah have to go take mah afternoon nap.” She slowly made her way to the chair in the living room, sat on it, and fell asleep almost immediately. Applejack rolled her eyes before turning back to Big Mac. “You’d better carry her on upstairs to her bed.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac responded, carefully walking towards and then ascending the stairs that led to everypony’s bedrooms. He tried to be as delicate and calm as possible with the exhausted filly on her back, but it wasn’t that easy for a stallion his size and might. When he saw Apple Bloom’s room he gently nudged the door open with his nose, gingerly tiptoed into the room, and slowly lowered the yellow filly onto her bed. He used his teeth to wrap her in her blanket like she used to as a filly, and turned away to trot towards the door, letting Apple Bloom have some peace and quiet to rest. —————————————————— Apple Bloom regained complete consciousness about an hour later, and was surprised to find herself surrounded by pure comfort. When she started to stare around the space she realized that she was in her comfy bed in her room. Looking around her eyes fell on her window, and looking out she figured that it was the afternoon, so she couldn’t have been out for very long. Her brain was feeling a little fuzzy and she felt very confused, and it wasn’t until she attempted to sit up that everything came flowing back to her. “Uh oh.” The events of everything that happened earlier that day made Apple Bloom want to curl up into a ball and disappear forever. It was bad enough that she had made a fool of herself and nearly passed out in front of her family and teacher, But Sweetie Belle? And right after she touched her hoof to Apple Bloom’s forehead? Apple Bloom groaned as she pulled her covers over her head, trying to hide from the light of the sun through the window and everypony outside of it. She wanted to stay there forever, or as long as she could. There was something about the warm embrace of a blanket that made it seem like all of her problems could melt away in a heartbeat, that it seemed like there were no problems, that it seemed like there never will be any problems ever. She almost forgot about the day she had, about the embarrassment, about the touch, even about the dream. And she probably would have if she didn’t hear her overprotective sister coming up the stairs a few minutes later. She jumped at the sound of her door opening, still under the comfy blanket, and sat as still as possible to give the impression that she was asleep. She listened very carefully, hoping that Applejack would just leave her be. Just like a lot of prayers she had that day, though, it went unanswered. “You doing alright, Apple Bloom?” “Figures,” she thought as she peaked over her covers to see Applejack with a calm smile on her face watching her through the doorway of her room. She waited a few seconds before trotting over to the side of her bed and sitting down next to her. “How you feeling, sugarcube?” “Fine,” Apple Bloom said with a soft voice, trying to avoid direct eye contact. In truth she still felt a little lightheaded and tired, but at the moment she felt like she really didn’t want to talk to her big sister. She wanted to be alone to think, sleep, or just to appreciate any given silence. In a house with Applejack and Granny Smith, there are often long, winding discussions about something random. Even Apple Bloom was guilty of this sometimes. So when silence came to her, she made the most of it. “Maybe that’s why Big Mac stays so quiet.” “Ah heard you didn’t do so well at school today,” Applejack said, interrupting the silence, “Big Mac came to get you but didn’t really get any answers.” “Oh.” That was really all she could say at the moment, wanting to see where the conversation was going without giving away too much. “Well?” Apple Bloom turned her whole body so that she was completely faced away from Applejack. “Ah just started feeling really crummy.” She didn’t like to lie, so she told as little as possible to avoid doing so. She may not have been as bad as her sister, but she wasn’t the best liar in the world either. Applejack nodded her head. “Ah’d say so! When Ah felt your forehead you were hotter than Granny’s tomato soup.” She chuckled, trying to brighten the mood a little bit. Apple Bloom didn’t react or say anything, causing her sister’s smile to fade away into a sigh. “Apple Bloom, are you sure you’re alright?” “I’m fine,” she said, still turned away from her sister. “It’s just that, well, lately you seemed to be a little down, not just today. You’ve been more and more quiet, and Ah...Ah just want to make sure that you’re holding up.” Apple Bloom wanted to tell her sister so much at this point. About her feelings, about her crush, about her sadness, about everything. “Ah can’t,” she thought, “Ah just can’t. Ah’m sorry Applejack.” “Ah’m fine, big sis,” she said, turning over in her covers to flash a smile, “Ah just feel a little tired right now.” She tried to sound as convincing as possible, trying to stop her sister from asking any more questions. Luckily, Applejack smiled, got off the bed, and said in a soft voice, “Alright, sugarcube, you’d better get some rest then. Ah’ll check in on you in a little bit.” She began to walk slowly toward the door and walk through it, closing it very slowly. As soon as she heard her sister’s hooves descending the stairs again, she scooted over to her bed, and reached into the side table drawer, taking out her black pen, and her green journal. Inside of it contained her thoughts from the previous night, and now she would begin to write her thoughts from today. She loved the feeling of writing in it, because it felt like she was taking her problems and putting them somewhere else. Apple Bloom sighed as she opened up the cover, took the pen in her mouth, and started to jot down whatever came to mind. —————————————————— Back at the schoolhouse, all of the little fillies and colts had started to walk out the door. It was the end of the day, and the afternoon bell was ringing, signaling to parents throughout Ponyville the end of the school day, and the return of their children. Miss Cheerilee was standing at her desk, reminding everypony about the homework that would need to be completed later that day. Sweetie Belle was packing up her things alongside Scootaloo, putting everything she would need to complete the assignment in her ivory saddlebag. She carefully organized all of the books and writing utensils she had in it so that nothing would be lost, and made towards the door. “Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee asked, getting the unicorn’s attention. The teacher picked up a yellow folder with a pink post-it note on the front and held it out in front of her. “Could you please do me a favor and bring this folder to Apple Bloom? It’s got the homework for tonight and instructions.” “Sure thing, Miss Cheerilee,” Sweetie Belle smiled, using her horn to move the folder from the desk to her bag carefully. She was still new to controlling her magic, but she was getting better. She turned around and walked to the exit, where she saw Scootaloo waiting outside to walk with her. “Tell her to get well soon,” Cheerilee shouted from behind with a smile. “I will!” And with that, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo started to walk to Sweet Apple Acres to see their sick fellow crusader.