//------------------------------// // It Begins... // Story: Young Love // by SoulSound //------------------------------// Chapter 1 It Begins “Ah don’t know about you guys, but Ah’m getting the feelin’ that we are going to get our cutie-marks this time! Ah just know it!” Applebloom exclaimed, jumping around wildly getting pumped up for the next few days. “Hey, watch it!” Scootaloo said, trying to dodge Applebloom’s flailing legs. “You’re going to knock somepony out bucking around like that!” Applebloom stopped kicking, but started to trot around their little group just as enthusiastically. “Sorry, Ah’m just really excited that we’re gonna be doing all this stuff with both of our big sisters and Rainbow Dash! Ah mean, we’re gonna be doing cosmetology with Rarity, we’ll be baking pies and making cider with Applejack and Granny Smith, and we’re gonna be taking Karate with Rainbow Dash! There’s just so much to do, I can’t wait!” Applebloom looked over to where Sweetie Belle walked silently alongside them. “What do you think about it all, Sweetie Belle? You’re oddly quiet.” Sweetie Belle jumped at the sound of her name. “Oh! Umm… I’m really excited too!” Sweetie Belle started to blush as a heat flared up in her chest and shied away from them. ∞ The three fillies arrived at Sweet Apple Acres right on time so that Big Mac was just hauling the last of the apples back to the cider machine. They heard a large crash as soon as they walked through the gate and wondered what it was. Applejack appeared out from behind the barn. “Hey, y’all! Come over here, if you don’t mind!” The fillies trotted over to where she was standing to find her staring at a pile of rubble that used to be the cider machine. “Hey, what happened to the cider maker thingy?” Scootaloo asked, dumbfounded at the sight of the massive heap of wood and metal. “I dunno, but we won’t be making any cider today, girls. I’m sorry…” Applejack said, “But we can still make pies! Come on, everypony!” They spent the rest of the day eating apples and baking pies, but Sweetie Belle was still confused as to what that feeling in her chest was. She found herself watching the other fillies; the way their mouths moved when they chewed, and the relative complexity of their hooves as they maneuvered the strips of dough to weave the top crust of the pie simply captivated her. She was getting chills just thinking about them. Sweetie Belle caught herself before she did anything too embarrassing and scolded herself for getting caught up in fantasies. She knew better than to think like that... ∞ When Sweetie Belle got home to the boutique, she saw Rarity starting to pack up her latest creation; a beautiful violet dress filled with iridescent jewels that refracted the light into magnificent rainbows across the room. Sweetie walked over to her sister and waited for her to get finished cleaning up to ask her question. “Rarity, can I ask you something really serious?” Rarity turned around to see her little sister standing there. She could tell that Sweetie Belle had something on her mind that she wanted to get out. “Of course, you can, dear! You look troubled, I can only guess what’s on your mind,” Rarity said concernedly, “You can tell me anything.” Sweetie Belle looked down at the ground and spoke very softly. “What does it feel like to be in love?” Rarity was surprised. She never expected that kind of question to come out of a filly Sweetie Belle’s age. “The last time I asked you,” Sweetie Belle continued, “I was very vague and you started to talk to me in that baby talk you speak to the Cake twins with. This time I made sure to ask you straight out.” Rarity had to think for a moment. She was young and in love once, but it didn’t last for very long because the stallion was only in it for the plot, and Rarity wanted a real relationship. “W-well, I-I’m not sure. It’s different for everypony,” Rarity explained, “For some it’s butterflies in their stomach, and for others it’s feeling faint whenever their significant other is near them. I’ve also had some ponies say that it’s like a burning flame deep down in their chest. Right where their heart is. So I’m not sure how to answer that.” Sweetie Belle's heart dropped like a stone when she realized what was going on with her. But instead of breaking apart, like any normal pony would do, she just stood there with her head down, completely silent. NO! she thought, No, it can't be them!,Then all of a sudden, her small body couldn't take the stress anymore and she collapsed onto the floor. ∞ When she woke up, she was in a bed at Ponyville Regional Hospital. Rarity, Scootaloo, Applebloom, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack stood around in the room, apparently waiting for her to wake up. Applebloom was the first to notice. “Hey, look, she’s awake!” All the ponies in the room rushed to the sides of the bed. “Oh my goodness, I am so glad you’re alright!” Rarity exclaimed, embracing Sweetie Belle in a hug far stronger than she thought was possible for the mare. “Rarity! Get off! You’re squishing me!” Sweetie Belle cried out; wanting the other ponies get Rarity off of her. As soon as Rarity let go, Scootaloo and Applebloom jumped on the bed and virtually tackled her. They started to hug her and Sweetie Belle felt the same heat in her chest that is usually there explode into a full on flame. She started to blush profusely and forced the two fillies off of the bed. As soon as they hit the ground, the doctor walked in. "I'm sorry to interrupt the hug fest," the doctor apologized, "but I have good news! Sweetie Belle is in perfect health! She can be discharged from the hospital when you're ready." The doctor closed the door and everypony directed their attention to back Sweetie Belle. "So what was that all about?" Scootaloo asked, "All I heard was that you asked Rarity something and then you just collapsed" "That's all there really was to it," Sweetie Belle replied, "It was like I couldn't move at all. I started to panic and then all of a sudden, I just blacked out." "Well could you at least tell us what the question was about?" Applebloom asked. Sweetie Belle looked at Rarity and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Rarity took the queue. "Oh, it was some silly thing," she answered for Sweetie Belle, " I can hardly remember what it was myself. The important thing is that she is alright and not hurt! But let's get out of this hospital. I'm beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic." They checked Sweetie Belle out of the hospital and continued on their way home. On the way home, Sweetie Belle started to think who the pony was who made her feel that way. She thought about Scootaloo being that special somepony, but quickly dismissed it. She and Scootaloo did not get along at ALL. She tried to imagine herself and Applebloom, but she didn't feel the same. She couldn't remember if she felt the same when she thought about Scootaloo, but she didn't want to imagine that happening between them. She walked all the rest of the way home in silence. She did NOT want to think about her little problem at the moment.