//------------------------------// // Snails (Applebloom X Snails) // Story: Pretty Little Ditty // by Closer-To-The-Sun //------------------------------// Snails "Snails see the benefits/The beauty in every inch/So why, why, oh why, oh why, oh, why/Are you quick to kiss?" -The Format, "Snails" Applebloom wandered into the living room of her home. Raising her head up, she spoke, “Applejack?” The orange pony looked up from her seat to see her little sister, “Howdy, Applebloom. What can ah do ya for?” “Sis….ah know this sounds all weird an’ sudden, but….how do ya let somepony ta like ya?” the yellow filly looked up with her wide eyes. Applejack raised an eyebrow, “Beg pardon?” “Ah….ah wanna know how ta get somepony ta like ya back….” Applebloom’s face grew red as her mane as she looked down on to the wooden floor. “Now why are ya askin’ this all of a sudden, sugarcube?” Lightly moving her hoof around in different shapes on the floor, the younger sister answered, “Cause….Cause ah really like somepony….” “Care ta tell me who?” Applebloom hesitated, “Sn-Snails….” “Snails, huh?” Applejack placed a hoof under her chin, “He is quite a nice colt, isn’t he?” The filly didn’t reply. Instead, she continued avoiding eye contact with her sister as her cheeks grew more flushed. The yellow pony had known Snails ever since she could remember. The two had been classmates for years and had often played together. However, as time moved on, the orange unicorn had grew on Applebloom. “Sugarcube, ya can’t make anypony like ya,” the blonde mare stated, “Ah know ya might like this colt, but ya gotta think ‘bout his feelings too.” “B-But what if he doesn’t feel the same?” the tone of Applebloom’s voice was worried. A little smirk appeared on the orange mare’s lips, “Well, that’s a ‘what if’. If ya never tell him how ya feel, ya’ll never know how he feels.” “But….how do ah go ‘bout tellin’ him how ah feel?” Applebloom asked, finally looking up to Applejack. Applejack was silent. Taking a deep breath, she finally answered her little sister, “Applebloom, that’s all up ta you and you alone. Ya gotta be yerself and listen ta what this is tryin’ ta say.” Applejack lightly tapped her sister’s chest, right over her heart. Applebloom felt the hoof touch her, “Ah should listen ta what mah heart says?” “It can never be wrong, sugarcube.” A small smile appeared on the yellow filly’s face, “Thanks, Applejack.” “That’s what family is for,” Applejack smiled back, “An’ speakin’ of family, it’s yer turn ta take Winona out fer her daily walk.” “Wha? It’s mah turn? Ah thought it was Big Mac’s turn!” like a switch, Applebloom’s attention turned to an attempt to weasel out of her daily chore. “Nope, today’s yer turn,” Applejack insisted. Sighing in defeat, Applebloom left the living room to take care of her task. Quickly putting the leash on the family dog, the filly left the house. Outside, Celestia’s sun was beginning to sink in the west while Luna’s moon began to rise in the east. With the leash in her mouth, Applebloom walked Winona down the dirt road towards Ponyville. “Come on, Winona, let’s get this walk done with already,” Applebloom mumbled. To her, it felt as if the dog was walking her rather the other way around. The brown dog, however, was becoming very antsy. She began trying to run forward, pulling the pony forward. “Easy, girl, easy. Ya don’t havta race here, an’ ah don’t wanna,” the pony said through her teeth as she was being pulled along the path. Winona didn’t take heed to her words. Instead, with a burst of energy, the dog took off, dragging Applebloom along. Screaming and shouting, the pony was being hulled along the road by the dog. “Gaaahhh! Winona, stop! Heel!” Despite her calls, the dog continued to run. After being pulled for quite some distance, Applebloom let go of the leash. As Winona continued to run down the road, the pony slid to a stop. Quickly picking herself up, Applebloom looked up to see the family dog run off. “Winona, get back here!” her words, however, failed to reach the dog. Giving a sour look at the direction her dog ran off in, the yellow pony dusted herself off. Taking in a breath of fresh air, she looked back up and started trotting down the path. As she came closer towards the town, she continued calling out for Winona, but to no luck. Her shouting, however, did attract another type of being. “Applebloom?” a voice called out to her. The yellow pony looked up to see an orange unicorn with a green mane trotting towards her, “Oh, howdy, Snails.” “Are you okay? It looks like you got in a scuffle or something,” Snails looked at the pony worriedly as he stopped in front of her. “Huh?” Applebloom looked down at herself to see that she was coated in dirt and had a bruise with a small amount of blood showing. Her mane was unkempt and her bow was also covered in dirt as well, “Oh, nah, ah didn’t get in a fight or nothin’. Mah dog Winona just got excited an’ decided to run off. She pulled me along in the dirt fer a bit before ah let go.” “Oh my, I hope you’re okay,” the unicorn stated. Applebloom chuckled slightly, “Heh, it’s nothin’ that ah ain’t used ta. Workin’ on the farm makes me quite a tough pony.” “I believe that,” Snails nodded, “Just let me know if you need some help. I can take you to Nurse Redheart if I need to.” The cheeks of the filly grew pink at his words, “Oh….heh, well….that’s really sweet of ya an’ all, Snails, but ah think ah’ll be fine.” Snails smiled warmly as his face blushed slightly, “Well, don’t be shy about it if ya need something, Applebloom.” The unicorn’s words caused Applebloom to blush even more. Nervously, she spoke, “Uh….Snails, can ah….uh….say somethin’?” “Sure, what’s on your mind?” Without fully thinking it through, Applebloom leaned her head closely to Snails. The two looked into each other’s eyes for a few long moments. Both of their faces grew to a red shade to match Applebloom’s mane. It seemed that both of the ponies had something to say, the words just waiting on each of their lips. “A-Applebloom….?” the unicorn meekly spoke, “wh-what….” Before he could finish, Applebloom closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his. Both of the young ponies were shocked of the event that was unfolding. With her eyes tightly shut, Applebloom felt as if her entire face was on fire. As for Snails, his eyes were open in both surprise and uncertain of how to react to something of this sort. As the kiss ended, the two moved apart and looked at each other. “Sh….shucks….” was all Snails said. Applebloom looked down at the dirt, trying to hide her rosy red cheeks, “S-Sorry ‘bout that….i-it’s that ah’ve liked ya fer quite sometime….an’ well….mah sister said when it comes ta somethin’ like this, ya havta listen ta yer heart. Well, ah did….” Snails was still have difficulty with speaking, “Well….gosh….I never knew you felt that way about me, Applebloom….” Her face was still looking downward as she continued, “Ah’m sorry, Snails….didn’t really think ‘bout what ah was doin’….” A smile appeared on the still visibly shaken Snails, “Truth be told, Applebloom, I’m quite keen on you as well.” “Really?” the yellow pony raised her head up to look at the colt with optimism in her eyes. “Yeah, I am. But….” the unicorn paused slightly. Applebloom’s ears quickly fell down at the last word, “But?” Hesitating, Snails continued, “It’s just….that you were….you know….were really forward with….this. You were just so quick to kiss, it seemed really….pushy.” “Pushy?” Applebloom was puzzled. “I know it sounds weird, but to me, I just like to enjoy every little thing that comes along. And I think that makes everything wonderful, seeing the beauty in everything,” the orange colt explained his reasoning and then his face turned red as he continued, “….or in this case, somepony special.” The filly’s ears perked back up at the end of Snails’ sentence. Her face was a bright shade of red with an even brighter smile accompanying it. Rubbing the back of his neck with one of his hooves, Snails added, “So….uh….Applebloom, would you like to be my special somepony?” “Of course I would,” she replied, trying her best to not trip of her words. “But on one condition.” “Huh? What’s that?” “Can we please take it slow?” With a giggle, Applebloom nodded, “Okay, Snails, we’ll take it slow.” As the two finished, both of their ears perked up as they heard barking. The ponies turned to see Winona running back to Applebloom. The two welcomed back the runaway dog as Celestia’s sun finally hid itself in the west, welcoming the night to Equestria. END