//------------------------------// // Act 1: Apple Bloom - Chapter 2 // Story: Things Drift Away // by mylittleeditor //------------------------------// Act 1: Apple Bloom Chapter 2: Taking Action The plan to be Cutie Mark Crusader Lumberjacks had fallen apart almost immediately when Big Mac caught Apple Bloom with an axe in her mouth. It was the angriest she had ever seen her brother, and had resulted in her friends being sent home, and her being sent inside to her room. Apparently, she was still far to young to be swinging around sharp axes in the middle of the very dangerous Everfree forest without supervision. She was pouting on her bed when the heavy thumps of her brother's hooves stopped outside her door. After a pause, there were three light knocks on her door. “Go away, Ah don't wanna talk to anypony right now,” she spat, burying her snout in her pillow. As she suspected he would, Big Mac opened the door and walked in anyway. “Apple Bloom, we've gotta talk,” he said, working to keep his voice soft. Sitting himself down on the edge of her bed, his surprisingly gentle hoof mussed her hair, “You gonna listen?” “No,” Apple Bloom grumbled, but she sat up next to him all the same. The sooner he finished what he was going to say, the sooner she could go back to moping. Predictable as always, Big Mac continued unabated. “Well, first things first, Ah'm sorry I shouted at you and your friends. You bring them by tomorrow so Ah can apologize to them right and proper,” he said. That wasn't what Apple Bloom was expecting. When the normally soft spoken stallion had caught them, he'd shouted so loud that Apple Bloom was sure they would have heard him back in Ponyville. He'd scolded them for playing with such a dangerous tool, and for their reckless plan. By the time he'd told the other fillies to get home, Sweetie Belle had been in tears. Apple Bloom had expected more of the same, but here he was, apologizing. Maybe he had changed his mind about the whole 'lumberjack' thing. “Now don't you go thinking I changed my mind about the whole 'lumberjack' thing.” Ok, he was good. “That was still a silly, dangerous plan you three thought up, but Ah'm the grown up here, Ah shouldn't have lost my temper like that.” He leaned down and nuzzled her forehead, “Ah'm sorry.” “Ah'm sorry too. I guess it was kind of a crazy plan,” Apple Bloom said, “But we're just havin' so much trouble thinkin' up new ideas for finding our cutie marks.” Big Mac sighed, and put a hoof around her shoulders. “Ya'll really are havin' trouble with that whole cutie mark thing, ain't ya? Well, if ya'll are so sure this will work for you, just come talk to me. If you'd just asked, Ah could have taught you three how to use that axe safely, and kept an eye on you.” “Really?” Apple Bloom said, looking up at the smiling face of her brother, “You'd do that?” “Course I would,” he said, “You're my sister. Heck, I taught Applejack how to use an axe, and she wasn't much older than you are now.” Big Mac seemed to be staring off into space, a confused frown creeping over his face. Apple Bloom was growing more curious by the second, watching her brother think about something. At last, she couldn't take it any more. “What is it?” She asked him. His eyes snapped down to look at her as he was brought back to reality. “What?” “You were thinkin' about something, what was it?” “Ah...it's nothing. Ah just wasn't sure. Ah thought Applejack was older than you are when I taught her how to use an axe, but now Ah don't think so. Ah know Pa taught me when I was littler than you are now.” His expression grew pained at the mention of their father. Apple Bloom had never known her parents, they'd died when she was still very little, and couldn't imagine how much Big Mac missed them. She slid closer and gave the big stallion a hug to try and comfort him, as she had many times before when the painful memories swept over him. When she finally let him go, Big Mac continued, “Ah guess it's past time for you to learn. Ah haven't been there much for you, Bloom. Ah've left too much up to Applejack, but Ah'm here for you too.” “Ah know you are,” Apple Bloom said, though she knew what he'd said was true. They loved each other, of course, but she had never been as close to him as she was to Applejack. In fact, when she was little, she had been scared of the huge stallion. She'd grown out of that, but it had always been her and Applejack doing stuff as sisters. Apple Bloom couldn't think of anything that wasn't a farm chore that the two had done together, just brother and sister. “If you need anything, you can talk to me, Bloom. Ah know Ah miss Applejack already, and Ah'm sure you do too, but if you need help, you can tell me.” “Ah will,” Apple Bloom started, but stopped when the nagging thought that she'd pushed to the bottom of her mind bubbled to the surface. She'd been so distracted by Big Mac's angry scolding that she'd forgotten about the violet-eyed colt who had wormed his way into her mind today. “Say, Big Mac, Ah think Ah do need to talk about something. Is that okay?” “Course it is, what's on your mind?” he replied, smiling. “Well, Ah was just wondering,” she said, her face flushing slightly while she stared at her hooves, “When you were my age, did you, uh, ever think that fillies were cute?” “Eeyup,” Big Mac said, a sly smile and a faraway look on his face. “Well...what kinda stuff did you do when you liked a filly?” “Well, uh, this is going to sound awful silly. Ah would always try to show off when I knew she'd be lookin'. Ah was a pretty strong colt, so Ah'd try to do things like wrestle the other colts, or lift heavy stuff. One day, me and Pa were in the market, and this cute little unicorn filly was walkin' by, so Ah tried lifting three bushels of apples all at once. Course, it was awful hard to balance when Ah was small, and one o' them bushels crashed right down on my head. Knocked me out cold.” Apple Bloom giggled at the idea of her brother as a colt, literally knocking himself out over a filly. She looked up at him, and even though his dark red coat hid it well, she was sure she could see him blushing. “Welp, when Ah woke up, that little filly was standin' right over me, wondering if Ah was still alive. Pa was just laughing, he knew what was up. Ah couldn't say nothin' much to her. I was embarrassed out of my skin. I just nodded and said 'Eeyup'. She asked me if Ah wanted to go to go to the Suffolk Soda Shop – that's what was there before the Cakes bought it out and turned it into Sugarcube Corner – with her and her friends. Ah gave her a lame excuse about having too much work to do, and that Ah'd see her around. Pa gave me no end of grief for turning down a date with a filly.” Apple Bloom's smile drooped. That story seemed awfully familiar to what had happened with Rumble. Had he been trying to show off for her when he crashed? Or did he just crash? Wait, she'd invited him to hang out with the Crusaders. Would he think that she'd asked him on a date? Had she asked him on a date? She had been really hopeful that he'd say yes... “What's all this about, Bloom?” “Huh?” The question had caught her by surprise. She'd been so lost in thought about everything that had happened that afternoon. What had happened? She had no idea, and she didn't really feel comfortable telling her big brother about it yet. He was waiting for her to say something though, so she had to think of something. “Oh, uh, Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony.” The words sprang out of her mouth before she could stop them. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't really the truth either. She had known about Sweetie Belle's crush on Spike since Princess Cadance's wedding, but that wasn't what was on her mind. “Oh? Well, that's nice for her. You should be careful who you tell though, she might not like us gossiping about her.” “You're right, we should just drop it. What's for dinner?” Apple Bloom said, trying desperately to change the subject. It earned her a raised eyebrow from her brother, but thankfully he didn't pry any further. Big Mac had given her a lot to think about. Unfortunately, she'd hoped he would lay everything to rest, but now she was more confused than ever. Not only did she not know how she felt about the whole thing, she didn't know how Rumble felt about it anymore. She'd assumed the crash was just a freak accident, but what were the odds? He must have been there trying to get her attention...right? Or was she just hoping that was the case? Apple Bloom's pensive mood persisted for the rest of the evening. Big Mac shot her numerous questioning looks, but he somehow refrained from intruding uninvited into her thoughts. Granny Smith was a little less tactful, but the big stallion managed to persuade her to give Apple Bloom some space. That night, the filly laid it bed, staring at the crescent moon outside her window. Visions of a certain smiling colt ran through her mind; happy and generous in class, embarrassed and plaintive in the mud. It upset her that she didn't have more memories of him to draw on. For so long, he'd just blended into the background of her life, before so abruptly stepping to the forefront. “Ah'll talk to him at school tomorrow,” she said to herself, as her eyes slowly gave in to sleep. Walking into the schoolhouse the next morning, Apple Bloom's good mood suddenly crashed. Other than Miss Cheerilee, the room was empty. Disappointed that she would have to wait to settle things with Rumble, she sat down at her desk in a huff. “Oh my, Apple Bloom, you're early today,” Miss Cheerilee said, shooting her a beaming smile that did wonders to improve Apple Bloom's mood. She did her best to return the warm welcome, but it wasn't quite convincing. “Something wrong?” “Oh, nothing,” Apple Bloom said quickly, “Ah've just got something on my mind.” “Well you can always talk to me about it if you want,” Cheerilee said, a worried frown on her face. “That's what my brother said,” Apple Bloom said. Still, something about it being Miss Cheerilee made her think it over. She'd asked Big Mac about what things were like when he was colt, but she'd been too nervous to tell him about her own feelings, confusing as they were. Miss Cheerilee wasn't Applejack, but she was a mare, and was willing to help. “Maybe you could help, before the other kids get here...” “Absolutely, Apple Bloom,” Miss Cheerilee said, walking over to sit beside Apple Bloom's desk. She flashed her a kind smile, and waited patiently for Apple Bloom to start. “Well, Ah, um...did you ever think colts were cute? Ya know, back when you were my age?” Apple Bloom was staring at her hooves, and didn't notice the quick flash of surprise on her teacher's face. When she looked up, Cheerilee had the same wistful and faraway look Big Mac had worn when she'd asked him. 'Ah hope Ah don't look like this when Ah'm thinking about Rumble...' she thought, waiting for the teacher to compose herself. “Oh, why yes, I certainly did,” Cheerilee finally started, “In fact there was a little earth pony colt in my class that I had quite the crush on.” “Well, what did you do about it? Did he like you back?” Hearing that her teacher had gone through the same thing, Apple Bloom was suddenly voracious for the details. Maybe they could tell her what she had to do next. “Oh, I'm afraid he never did. He was pretty fond of Rarity. Back then, Rarity and I were very good friends, and Rarity tried to invite him along for things so that I could get to know him, but he never said yes. He was too nervous to talk to her, and I was too nervous to talk to him. Isn't that silly? By the time I got over my nerves, I'd gotten over the crush altogether, though we did end up being good friends.” “So, it never worked out between you and this colt?” “Not in any romantic way, no. Though there was this one time...but that's not important. Why do you ask, Apple Bloom?” The lie sprang to the front of her mind once again: 'Sweetie Belle has a crush on somepony.' This time Apple Bloom managed to restrain herself. After a long minute of trying to get her mouth to form the words, it finally spilled out. “Ah have a crush on somepony.” She'd said it. Ever since yesterday, she'd been trying to avoid saying the words, fearing that saying it would make it real. Now, it was real, but it wasn't nearly as scary a prospect as she'd imagined. In fact, with the warm smile and comforting hug Cheerilee gave her, it seemed downright pleasant. “Oh, that's so wonderful, Apple Bloom. Love really is a great thing, even if it is a bit scary,” the teacher said, ending the embrace. “But Ah don't know if Ah can talk to him. What if Ah never talk to him, and he never talks to me? What if Ah do talk to him, and he doesn't feel the same? Well, Ah think he might feel the same, but what if he doesn't? What'll Ah do?” “Calm down, Apple Bloom,” Cheerilee softly admonished, and the steady stream of words that had been pouring out of the little filly dried up. “Now, you'll never know how somepony else feels unless you ask them. If you talk to whoever this colt is – and you don't need to tell me who, if you don't want – and he feels the same way, that would be great. But if he doesn't, well it won't be the end of the word. I never did get the courage to talk to my colt, and things turned out just fine for me. The important thing is to just be you, and things have a way of working out for the best.” “So, Ah should talk to him?” Apple Bloom said, hoping that Cheerilee would tell her either yes or no. She needed someone to tell her what she was supposed to do. She already felt a lot better about where she was, but what to do next still terrified her. She needed a plan, and she needed someone else to give it to her because she was absolutely lost. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get it. “You should do whatever you feel is right. Whatever you think Apple Bloom would do. I can't tell you what you should do, because it is very important that you be true to who you are when it comes to love. If you try to act like somepony else, it won't matter if he says yes, because he won't being saying yes to Apple Bloom. Do you understand what I'm saying?” “Ah think so...Ah need to do what feels right,” Apple Bloom said, nervously tapping her hooves together. Cheerilee nodded, prompting Apple Bloom to continue, “But what feels right is pretty dang scary.” Cheerilee laughed. It wasn't the kind of mocking laughter that Apple Bloom had feared ever since Sweetie Belle had started grinning yesterday afternoon, but the good natured laugh of a friend. “Yes, I will be the first to admit that it is, but I've never known you and your friends to not do something just because it was scary. You're a brave little filly, Apple Bloom.” The praise made Apple Bloom puff out her chest and break into a beaming smile. Talking to Cheerilee had been the best idea she'd had all week. “Thanks Miss Cheerilee, Ah think Ah know what to do now,” she said, grabbing the older mare for a hug. As they parted, the noise of other students crashing up the path to the door filled the air. The school day was about to begin, and Apple Bloom had until lunch to form her plan. Her resolve that she would tell Rumble how she felt had dissolved the second that she's seen the colt walk through the door. It had taken an entire morning of ignoring the day's lesson to get her nerve back. The sun was shining bright in the sky, and as the class was dismissed for lunch, the little ponies scurried outside. Apple Bloom had remembered to bring her lunch today, the small wicker basket filled with a simple meal that she had prepared for herself that morning. Together with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Apple Bloom sat in the cool grass under the branches of a nearby tree to begin eating. Across the schoolyard, she could see Rumble and Featherweight eating at a picnic table. Every so often, Apple Bloom's eyes would make contact with Rumble's, and it set them both to blushing, each averting their eyes as quickly as they could. “You're acting weird,” Scootaloo said, bringing Apple Bloom's thoughts back to the friends sitting at her side. Sweetie Belle wore that same smug smile, but said nothing. “No Ah ain't,” Apple Bloom said, not at all convincingly, “But anyway, you guys are coming by the farm after school right?” The smile that had been on Sweetie Belle's face dropped into a frown, and she pinned her ears back against her head. “I don't know...” “Oh come on, Big Mac told me to bring you guys by today,” Apple Bloom pleaded. “It's just, he was so scary yesterday,” Sweetie Belle said, still looking terrified of the big stallion. “Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard any pony shout that loud in my life,” Scootaloo said, her expression mirroring Sweetie Belle. “He wanted to apologize for all that stuff,” Apple Bloom said, though she knew they were right. Big Mac had been nothing short of terrifying. “He told me he was just so worried that we'd have hurt ourselves that he just lost his temper, and he wanted to say sorry.” “I guess we could...he's not going to shout again is he? I really don't want him to shout again...” Sweetie Belle said, earning a nod from Scootaloo. After assuring them several times that her brother would not shout at them, the two other fillies agreed that they would go to Sweet Apple Acres after school. By the time the matter had been settled, lunchtime was nearly over, and Apple Bloom hadn't even come close to talking to Rumble. With a sigh, she followed her friends back inside for the afternoon classes. “Umm...Apple Bloom?” a voice squeaked from right beside her as she walked in the door. Rumble was standing there, his wings ruffling in a way that she had long ago learned meant that a pegasus was nervous. Scootaloo's wings did that every time she tried to lie. “Wha-what's up, Rumble?” Apple Bloom said, fighting the urge to just turn around and run away. He was standing right next to her. That hadn't been part of her plan at all. She had run through heaps of ideas about how she would talk to him, and now he was talking to her. She hadn't even considered that, and now she was feeling rather silly about it. “I was...um, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Sugarcube Corner after school,” he said, his wings ruffling faster, while he stared at her hooves, “Um, that is, you know, with me...your friends can come too.” He added the last part quickly, taking Apple Bloom's shocked silence as indecision. “Uh...course I'll go to Sugarcube Corner with you. After school. Uh...with you, together.” She was having trouble forming her words properly, “I guess the girls could come if they want to...oh ponyfeathers!” Her sudden outburst made the young colt wince and take a hurried step back, and earned Apple Bloom a stern glare from Miss Cheerilee, not that she noticed the latter. Seeing Rumble recoil away from her made her chest ache, and she couldn't explain herself fast enough. “Oh, no, Ah mean, me and the girls have to go to Sweet Apple Acres after school to see my brother, but Ah still want to go to Sugarcube Corner. So uh, why don't Ah meet you there, and we'll be there together, and we can do stuff, Ah'll just be a little late. Is...is that okay?” The words had poured out almost unintelligibly fast, but Rumble didn't seem to mind, if the growing smile on his face was any indication. “That's great! I...uh, I guess I'll see you there?” He waited for her to nod, and then rushed back to his desk, immediately launching into a frantically whispered conversation with Featherweight. When Apple Bloom turned to walk to her own desk, she was met with an accusatory glare from Scootaloo, and an inquisative smirk from Sweetie Belle. “Ah'll tell you on the way to see Big Mac,” Apple Bloom said airily, hardly paying either of her friends any attention. Whatever that afternoon's lesson was about, it was all lost on the filly with the dopey grin. “So, are you going to tell us why you were talking to him yet?” Scootaloo shot over her shoulder while they careened down the country lane, the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres streaking past. Apple Bloom had been putting the question off ever since early that afternoon, and it was about time she answered. “He invited us all to go to Sugarcube Corner.” Okay, so she wasn't quite ready to give Scootaloo the whole truth yet. She didn't know why, but Scootaloo seemed to really dislike Rumble, and Apple Bloom was worried about what her friend would have to say about the whole truth. Sweetie Belle seemed to know exactly what the whole truth was, judging by that sly smirk she had been wearing since lunch. That smirk withered and died as the scooter turned and made for the farmhouse, revealing a red stallion hard at work ahead. Despite Apple Bloom's many assurances, Sweetie Belle still seemed terrified of Big Mac. As Scootaloo slowed and stopped, Sweetie Belle shrank back to hide behind Apple Bloom. “Howdy Big Mac,” Apple Bloom called, and her brother gave them a wave. After relieving himself of two heavy bushels of apples, Big Mac made his way over to the fillies with his signature slow and steady gait. “Howdy girls,” he said, stopping just short of them, “Ah ain't gonna beat around the bush here. Ah'm sorry for shouting at y'all like that yesterday.” “Aw, that's okay,” Scootaloo said, brushing off the apology like it was nothing. That was Scoots: too cool for any of that heartfelt apology stuff. Despite her attitude, Apple Bloom did see that she looked relieved to see the big stallion smiling at her. Sweetie Belle didn't say anything, and kept her head hidden behind Apple Bloom's flank. “Sweetie Belle?” Big Mac said, trying to coax the filly out to see him. It took Apple Bloom bodily shoving her friend out in front of her to get the unicorn filly to look up at the stallion. Tears had started budding at the edges of Sweetie Belle's eyes, and she was shaking as she met his gaze. “Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sorry I yelled at you, and made you cry. That was wrong of me, and Ah should have known better. Forgive me?” Big Mac prompted, lowering his head to look at her eye to eye. Sweetie Belle gave a nervous squeak, but eventually found her voice. “I...I forgive you. It was just so...scary,” she mumbled, and Big Mac shot her a gentle grin. With a single powerful hoof, Big Mac pulled the filly into a gentle hug. After a moment's pause, the filly wiped the tears from her eyes and returned the hug, her fear forgotten. “Great, now that all the mushy stuff is out of the way, I guess we should go to Sugarcube Corner,” Scootaloo spat. Clearly, she wasn't fond of the idea of meeting Rumble there, though the allure of the Cake's baked goods was a bit too strong to resist. “Y'all are going to Sugarcube Corner? Well ain't that nice. Hold up a minute,” Big Mac said, disappearing through the front door of the farmhouse. After a minute, he returned with a small pouch of bits. “You girls get yourselves something tasty, my treat.” “Really?” Apple Bloom said, taking the bits from her brother. “Eeyup, and remember if you ever need a hoof doing some nice safe Crusadin', come let me know and I'll be glad to help.” “Thanks Big Mac,” the three fillies chorused, waving goodbye even as Scootaloo raced back towards town with her friends in tow. “See, Ah told you he wouldn't shout,” Apple Bloom said, enjoying the chance to wear the same smug look that had been so comfortable on Sweetie Belle's face lately. The tables had turned, and Apple Bloom was rather enjoying it, though she knew it wouldn't last for long. Sugarcube Corner was oddly quiet for a weekday afternoon. Only one mare stood in line to collect a package of backed good. Bon Bon seemed to be putting together a picnic, and Mrs Cake was chatting with her amiably. Maybe it was the lack of a certain pink pony that gave the bakery the calmer, almost more intimate feel than usual. Apple Bloom didn't like it. The filly had started sweating bullets as soon a the gingerbread roof had been spotted in the distance, and her smug expression had wasted no time migrating back to Sweetie Belle. The little unicorn had whispered words of encouragement, words said so softly that Scootaloo wouldn't hear them, but they did little to settle Apple Bloom's nerves. Had Sweetie Belle not put a hoof on her shoulder, she probably would have turned tail and ran as soon as she spotted Rumble waiting at a table for them. One thing did make her feel better, aside from the presence of her friends. Featherweight was sitting beside Rumble. At least he hadn't planned for an intimate date between the two of them. Apple Bloom was positive that she couldn't handle that. “Hi R-rumble?” she squeaked. The colt was sitting with his back to the door, and she'd hoped to catch his attention, but her nerves decided that speaking was not a good idea. Now, she only hoped that he hadn't noticed her, and she could just pretend that it had never happened. “What the hay was that?” Scootaloo said, laughing a bit too loud and drawing the attention of everyone in the shop. Apple Bloom was sure that her face was bright red, but with Sweetie Belle cutting off her retreat, she was forced to just ignore the question and plough on ahead. “Hi guys,” Featherweight said, while he waved to Mr Cake. The older stallion quickly made his way over to the table to greet them. “Well howdy-do kids,” Mr Cake said with his usual beaming smile. “Hi Mr Cake,” Scootaloo said, climbing into a seat as far away from Rumble as she could get, “Quiet in here today.” “Yes indeed, seems that without Pinkie Pie here, customers are happy to just come and then go about their business. You kids are the only ones who came in to sit down all day. Might be nopony in town would want to see my ugly mug if I weren't such a darn good baker,” he said with a wink, “Isn't that right, honey-bun?” “Of course, dear,” came the reply from the distracted mare. That earned a round of giggles from the little ponies and a chuckle from the stallion. “So, what can I do for you all today?” “Mah brother gave me some bits,” Apple Bloom said, thankful for the mundane conversation to take her mind off of the colt beside her. She'd tried to put some distance between them when they sat down, but Sweetie Belle had insisted that she get the seat next to Featherweight. Apple Bloom wasn't sure whether to thank her, or give her flank a good solid buck. “How about milkshakes for everypony?” “Sounds good,” Rumble said quickly, earning a glare from Scootaloo. Apple Bloom made a mental note to ask her why she hated Rumble so much. After taking everyone's orders, Mr Cake retreated behind the counter to get their milkshakes, leaving the kids to talk amongst themselves. After over a minute of silence, Sweetie Belle finally decided to start a conversation. “So, Rumble,” she said with a suggestive tone of voice that really bothered Apple Bloom for some reason, “I was wondering, do you like apples?” The ham-handed question made Apple Bloom want to smack herself in the face with a hoof, but her ears stayed perked for his answer. “Uh...yeah, I guess?” he said, clearly confused. “What's your favourite kind of apple?” Sweetie Belle shot back, her tone still suggesting that there was some joke that only she was in on. “There are different kinds of apple?” “What? Course there are! Why, there's a dozen different ones at Sweet Apple Acres alone!” Apple Bloom didn't really notice that she's started talking, but if there was one thing she knew about, it was apples. She soon found herself describing the difference between Gala and Red Delicious, the suitability of Granny Smith apples for pies, and the mysterious and mystical nature of zap apples. Rumble had seemed rather shocked at first, but was looking genuinely fascinated by the time the milkshakes arrived and brought Apple Bloom's lecture to an end. “Wow, you're really smart,” he said, a soft smile on his face while he sipped at his milkshake. It was doing that thing where it made Apple Bloom's chest ache, so she looked over at Scootaloo. She and Featherweight seemed to be having a polite enough conversation, neither seemed all too interested in the classification of apples. “Well, Ah'm not all that smart, I just grew up around apples all my life. You pick these things up,” Apple Bloom said bashfully. Now that the conversation had shifted off of apples and back to her, she was nervous all over again. An awkward silence was threatening to fall over them when Sweetie Belle piped up again. “So, Apple Bloom,” she said, grinning ear to ear, “ I was wondering, do you like clouds?" “What kinda question is that? Ah mean, yeah, Ah guess? What's not to like?” Apple Bloom had no clue how the topic of conversation had gone from apples to clouds. “What's your favourite kind of cloud?” she asked, drawing a blank stare from the filly. “There are different kinds of clouds?” As soon as she heard the little gasp from Rumble, Apple Bloom realized Sweetie Belle's plan. She was going to have to thank her for this later. “What? There are all sorts of different clouds...” Once the ice had been thoroughly broken, Apple Bloom and Rumble had started to open up. They'd talked about their families. She hadn't known that Rumble's big brother had attended the same Wonderbolt's training camp as Rainbow Dash, or that his oldest brother was a royal guard in Canterlot. Likewise, Apple Bloom recounted her numerous adventures with the Crusaders, and when she mentioned being a flower-filly at Princess Cadance's wedding, Rumble feigned a pout. It was the single cutest thing Apple Bloom had ever seen. “Aww, I wanted to go to that! Thunder Lane got to go, but they told me that Thunderbolt could only manage to get one extra invitation, so I had to stay home. I bet it was super exciting,” he said. Somewhere along the line, they'd finished their milkshakes. “Yeah, fun,” Apple Bloom said, remembering the changeling invasion, “You could say that...” “Cupcakes!” Sweetie Belle suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her, “We should go get cupcakes. Since we're done with the milkshakes.” “Oh, we can just call Mr. Cake over-” Rumble started, but Sweetie Belle quickly interrupted. “No no, I'll go up and get them. Uh...Featherweight, Scootaloo, a little pegassistance?” she said, waggling an eyebrow. “Oh. Ohh...sure thing Sweetie Belle,” Featherweight said, springing out of his seat, “That's a great idea. Cupcakes.” “Since when does it take three ponies to get some – hey, let me go!” Scootaloo protested as two sets of forelegs hauled her away from the table. “We'll tell you over here,” Sweetie Belle whispered as the protesting pegasus was pulled to the far side of the room, leaving Apple Bloom and Rumble alone. The two looked at each other, their mutual nervousness having been greatly quelled by the afternoon's conversation. Still, maintaining eye contact with Rumble was causing a blush to slowly creep across Apple Bloom's face. “So, I, uh...” Rumble tried to start, but he just shrugged and nodded as the words escaped him. “Ah had lots of fun talking with you, Rumble,” Apple Bloom said. The whole thing was getting too sappy even for her. Taking a page out of Scootaloo's book, she leaned casually on the table, her hoof absentmindedly prodding her empty glass. 'Time to play it cool.' “I really liked talking with you too,” Rumble said, following her lead and leaning on the table. Instead of poking at his own glass, his hoof rapped lightly against Apple Bloom's. The blush that had been slowly building rapidly deepened as she tapped back. Soon, the two little ponies were wearing twin goofy grins while their forehooves made light tapping noises as they knocked together. 'So much for playing it cool.' “Ah...Ah really like you Rumble,” Apple Bloom managed to choke out. “I really like you too, Apple Bloom,” Rumble mumbled back. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Apple Bloom leaned over, and planted a soft kiss on Rumble's cheek. Her heart fluttered and threatened to burst out of her chest as she felt Rumble's face warm under her lips. As quickly as she'd leaned it, she pulled back to look at the colt again, to make sure she hadn't done something wrong. From the glazed look on his face and the slack-jawed grin, it was obvious that Rumble had enjoyed it. “Here we are, delicious cupcakes,” Sweetie Belle said, though her words barely managed to catch the attention of the lovebirds, “But we only had enough money for four. Oh, whatever will we do about this?” “Oh for the love of – just take my stupid cupcake,” Scootaloo spat. The angry words brought Apple Bloom out of her haze in time to see Scootaloo storming out of Sugarcube Corner. Through the large display windows, she could see an orange blur retreating across town. Four confused little ponies looked at each other. Eventually, Apple Bloom shrugged. “What was her problem?” With no answer in sight, the four ponies ate their cupcakes in silence.