Act 1: Apple Bloom
Chapter 3: Uncomfortable Revelations
After the treats ran out, Rumble had insisted on walking Apple Bloom home. Sweetie Belle and Featherweight beat a hasty retreat the other way, and soon it was just the two of them walking to the edge of Ponyville. With Scootaloo's scooter, the trip home would have taken almost no time at all, but walking it was going to take a while. She was probably going to be late for supper, which wouldn't go over well with Granny Smith, but every time she accidentally bumped up against Rumble, Apple Bloom cared about that less and less.
“You sure your family won't mind you being late? Ah'm not gonna get lost,” Apple Bloom said, mostly out of habit. Applejack had really hammered home the importance of being polite.
“Oh yeah, it's no big deal. I can get home pretty quick if I fly,” Rumble said, flexing his wings for emphasis, “Besides, my brother told me that the stallion is supposed to walk the mare home.”
“Oh yeah,” Apple Bloom said, remembering his wings, “Ah guess that would be awful useful. Ah'm not used to having friends who fly.” The mention of flying brought her thoughts back around to Scootaloo and her abrupt exit. Apple Bloom frowned as she thought about it. It was weird, Scootaloo had never acted like this before. She'd have to ask her about it tomorrow at school.
“What's wrong?” Rumble asked, bumping into her to catch her attention. He was looking at her with a concerned look on his face, and it made Apple Bloom smile.
“Nothing, just thinking about how Scoots ran off. Something must have upset her.”
“She doesn't like me, does she?”
The question surprised Apple Bloom. Her first reaction was to deny it, but the way Scootaloo had been acting did seem to have something to do with Rumble. She was constantly glaring at the pegasus colt, muttering under her breath, and doing everything she could to avoid him.
“Ah'm sure she'll warm up to you once she gets to know you. Ah know Ah did,” she shot him a smile, and he returned it with a grin of his own.
“Let's hope not. Having more than one marefriend at a time didn't work out too well for my brother.”
“Hey,” Apple Bloom said, giving Rumble a punch to the shoulder, “You'd better not be running around with any other fillies behind my back!” Stern as her tone was, Apple Bloom was still smiling.
“That's what Cloudchaser said to Thunder Lane,” Rumble whispered, and the two young ponies broke into a fit of giggles.
By the time the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres parted to reveal the farmhouse, Apple Bloom's stomach was rumbling. She was definitely late for dinner. Granny Smith was going to give it to her about that.
“Say, you don't want to come in for some dinner?” Apple Bloom asked as they reached the front door, “Ah'm sure Granny Smith made enough for you to get some.”
“Oh, uh, I guess I could. Mom's in Canterlot visiting Thunderbolt and his fiancee, and Thunder Lane's working nights this week, so I'm on my own. I was just going to go home and make a sandwich or something,” Rumble's stomach was living up to his name, and he was looking a little embarrassed about being invited inside.
“Great! You can meet Big Mac. You guys will get along great” Apple Bloom said, leading Rumble inside, “Hey Big Mac! Hey Granny Smith! We got company!”
Rumble nearly bumped into the door frame, distracted by the many humble knick-knacks that lined the walls. He stuck close to Apple Bloom as she led the two of them straight to the kitchen.
“Who'd you bring? Is it that little Scootaloo filly?” an elderly voice shouted out before they rounded a corner. Granny Smith and Big Mac were already well into the big bowls of stew, and a large cast iron pot sat simmering on the stove. The old mare's eyes narrowed when she spotted Rumble, “Eh? Yer no Scootaloo.”
“I, uh...” Rumble's words didn't seem to want to come out while Granny's glare was settled on him, so Apple Bloom decided to handle the introductions.
“This is Rumble, he's a...good friend, and Ah invited him to have some dinner,” Apple Bloom said, even as she was fetching him a bowl of stew.
“Good friend? Then why ain't I never heard nothing about him?” Granny said, her eyes never leaving Rumble. He looked about ready to bolt when Apple Bloom nudged him, suggesting he take a seat behind the now full bowl of stew. Big chunks of carrot and potato floated in the thick barely stew, and the smell was making Rumble's mouth water.
“Well, uh...no reason,” Apple Bloom said, busying herself with serving her own bowl in order to hide the blush that was creeping over her face.
“Oh fine then, but yer late. Stew could'a gone cold by now. Yer not usually so slow to the table, Applejack,” Granny said, returning to her own dinner. Rumble shot Apple Bloom a confused look, but Apple Bloom just sighed.
“Ah'm Apple Bloom, Granny. Applejack's on a trip,” Apple Bloom said, her voice conveying a patience she didn't really feel. It was the fifth time in the last two days that Granny Smith had called her Applejack.
“What? Well Ah knew that, of course yer Apple Bloom, smelly-belly,” Granny shot back, her mouth half full of carrot. Apple Bloom immediately flushed a bright red at the silly little nickname, and couldn't bring herself to check and see if Rumble was laughing at her.
“Granny, we've got company, don't embarrass me,” Apple Bloom pleaded, before sticking a chunk of potato into her mouth.
“Embarrass? Why would you be embarrassed, hon?” Granny Smith said with genuine confusion. Luckily, Big Mac spoke up and put an end to the conversation.
“So, Rumble,” he said, in his usual calm and gentle manner, “Ah don't think we've met before. Ah'm Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom's brother.”
The big stallion was giving the nervous colt an odd look. It wasn't a harsh, appraising glare like Granny's, but more of an easygoing curiosity. It seemed to be doing a good job of putting Rumble at ease, as the colt was finally eating some of the stew. His eyes grew wide and he smiled down at the bowl.
“Hi Big Macintosh, I'm Rumble. Wow, this stew is delicious!”
“Thank you dearie,” Granny said, breaking out into a smile for the first time since he'd gotten there.
“So, do you and Apple Bloom go to school together?” Big Mac asked between bites of soup.
“Yep, we're in the same class,” Rumble said, his tongue having loosened considerably.
“Where do you live?”
“My house is on the other side of Ponyville. I live there with my Mom and my brother,” Rumble said, scraping the last remnants of the stew out of the bowl. Apple Bloom had no idea how he'd eaten it so fast, but it had certainly energized the pegasus.
“They won't mind that you missed dinner?” Big Mac asked, finishing his own bowl.
“Oh, Mom's in Canterlot visiting my other brother. He's a Royal Guard. And Thunder Lane – he's my brother here in Ponyville – is working on the night shift for the weather patrol this week.”
“Ah'll have to meet your brother some time, thank him for all the nice weather that keeps our apples growing,” Big Mac said with a chuckle.
“If you want to thank him, let him have some awesome food like this. Thunder Lane is a terrible cook.”
A chorus of friendly laughs followed, and the Apple family set about getting to know Rumble. When the apple pie hit the table for dessert, Rumble looked like he wanted nothing more than to just dive face first into it. Apple Bloom at one point realized she was smiling at him, and tried to stop only to find it impossible. Now that he wasn't nervous about anything, he was a rather talkative and expressive pegasus. A lot like Scootaloo, Apple Bloom realized.
By the time he flew off to go home, Apple Bloom was glad she'd invited him inside. Her family really seemed to like him. She'd tried to talk him into staying, but Big Mac had reminded her of the heap of chores waiting on Apple Bloom's attention. Together with her brother, they waved to the rapidly shrinking pegasus.
“So, that's your new coltfriend,” Big Mac said. His statement was matter-of-fact, and made it impossible for Apple Bloom to know what he really thought about it. She froze, one hoof still in the air, and slowly turned her head to look at her brother. Big Mac's face was a blank. She had no idea what he was thinking.
“How'd you know?” she wound up saying. As soon as she said it, she brought the elevated hoof to knock against her forehead. If Big Mac had just been teasing her, she'd blown any chance of playing it off as a joke. She wasn't sure how Big Mac would react to it, his face as unreadable as ever, and she was worried that he would be angry or overly protective.
“You bring by a colt to meet your family, calling him a 'good friend' despite us having never seen him, and don't stop smiling at him during the whole meal. What else was Ah supposed to think?” Big Mac said, his face finally breaking out into a big grin as he tousled Apple Bloom's mane.
Relief almost overwhelmed her irritation at having her mane messed up again. That didn't stop her from shooting her brother a glare, but it did keep a smile on her face.
“Ah'm so glad you're not mad at me,” Apple Bloom said, wrapping her brother's foreleg in a hug. The big stallion chuckled and returned the hug.
“Why would Ah be mad? You ain't...done nothin' with this colt, have you?” The sudden edge in his voice made Apple Bloom shiver, and the implication made her blush. She shook her head vigorously. “Well then, there's no reason for me to be mad.”
“You're a good big brother,” Apple Bloom said, looking wistfully out over the orchards, the way that Rumble had gone.
“Eeyup. Now enough pinin', you've got chores to do before bed.”
“Aww, do Ah have to?” Apple Bloom whined, though the playful swat from a very large hoof got her moving. Another playful glare at her brother, and Apple Bloom set off across the yard to get to work. Most days, her chores were a tedious grind that did little but waste time between her adventures with friends. Tonight though, as the sun sank towards the horizon, Apple Bloom mindlessly went through the motions with a smile on her face, her mind replaying the events of the day over and over.
“Tomorrow will be even better,” Apple Bloom promised herself.
Tomorrow, it seemed, was destined not to be better. When Apple Bloom got to school that morning, Rumble wasn't there. As the class slowly filled up with the other students, the absence of a certain pegasus was a constant frustration for Apple Bloom. Even the arrival of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle couldn't break her out of her funk, and as Cheerilee started the morning lesson, Apple Bloom's head sank down to her desk, an disappointed scowl on her face.
By the time lunch rolled around, still without sign of Rumble, Apple Bloom's mood had darkened considerably. As she made her way to the usual lunch spot under the playground tree, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were sharing concerned glances.
“Uh...Apple Bloom? Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle said, speaking softly as though Apple Bloom were a wild beast that needed calming. In some ways, she was.
“Rumble ain't at school,” she growled in response, sending her friends scampering a few steps back. Seeing them back away from her brought out a sigh from the agitated filly, realizing how misdirected her anger was. After a few deep breaths to try and calm herself, she turned back to her friends, “Sorry, Ah was just really hoping to talk with him today, and I'm a little upset.”
“A little?” Scootaloo said, earning a poke from Sweetie Belle.
“Okay, a lot,” Apple Bloom said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“I bet he's just sick today,” Scootaloo continued, “You can talk to him later. But on to the important stuff: what are we going to do to earn our cutie marks today?”
Apple Bloom couldn't help but laugh, and the ultimately fruitless brainstorming session did wonders to brighten her mood. Her disappointment abated, Apple Bloom was able to focus on the afternoon lesson, and by the end of the school day she felt like her usual self. Together with her friends, they made their way to the Crusader clubhouse, still chatting merrily about their plans for the rest of the afternoon.
That sunny disposition quickly clouded over when Apple Bloom remembered the question that has been on her mind since Scootaloo's rapid departure from Sugarcube Corner.
“So...Scootaloo, what was running off like that all about?” Apple Bloom asked, earning a frown for her efforts.
“What...what do you mean,Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo said, shooting her a clearly fake smile.
“When you ran off from Sugarcube Corner yesterday. You shouted at me and Rumble, then you ran off. What's that all about?”
“I don't want to talk about it,” Scootaloo mumbled, staring at the road while they walked. Sweetie Belle looked concerned, but Apple Bloom was just becoming annoyed at her friend's evasiveness.
“Well that's too bad, cause I wanna know,” Apple Bloom said, before heaving an exasperated sigh when Scootaloo kept quiet. “Come on, Scootaloo, you can tell me. Something's bugging you, ain't it?”
Scootaloo nodded, but her mouth was set in a firm scowl, and she kept quiet.
“Apple Bloom, maybe we should talk about something else...” Sweetie Belle suggested, worried about Scootaloo's uncharacteristic silence. Apple Bloom was not nearly as empathetic, and was determined to get an answer.
“Scootaloo, would you say something already?” she shouted, shoving her silent friend, much harder than she had meant to. Scootaloo stumbled and fell against Sweetie Belle, but managed to stay on her feet. She gave Apple Bloom an angry glare, but bit her tongue. The silence was grating on Apple Bloom, and she was just getting angrier and angrier. Angrier than even she really thought was called for, but in the heat of the moment, Apple Bloom couldn't seem to calm herself.
As the three reached the foot of the clubhouse ramp, Apple Bloom snapped.
“Now you tell me what's going on Scootaloo, or you ain't coming into my clubhouse!”
“Your clubhouse? This is our clubhouse. All three of us!” Scootaloo spat back, her wings flaring in fury.
“Well, it's on my family's land, so it's my clubhouse!”
“Guys, stop-” Sweetie Belle started, but was quickly interrupted by the argument.
“Applejack gave it to all of us. Stop being such a jerk!”
“Jerk? Ah ain't being a jerk. Your the jerk!”
“Please, can we just-”
“Me? You're the one who's trying to take the whole clubhouse for yourself!”
“It's on my land!”
“This is what happens when you hang out with jerks! You turn into a jerk!” Scootaloo shouted, shoving Apple Bloom angrily.
“Guys, please stop-” Sweetie Belle whimpered, tearing up.
“Just what's that supposed to mean?”
“You just can't stop thinking about that jerk Rumble,” Scootaloo muttered, still shaking in anger.
“Rumble ain't a jerk, he's really nice,” Apple Bloom said, immediately defensive of her brand new coltfriend.
“Pssh, yeah, nice,” Scootaloo said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hoof.
“Now you wait just one minute here, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said, glaring at her friend. Scootaloo glared back just as earnestly. “What did Rumble ever do to you?”
Sweetie Belle was crying softly off to the side, watching in horror as her two best friends shouted at one another. Scootaloo's face was twisted into an angry sneer at Apple Bloom's question, her bared teeth giving the little filly a wild, dangerous look. Apple Bloom didn't flinch back, instead meeting her friend's anger with indignation of her own.
“What did that show off ever do to me?” Scootaloo screeched, “He made fun of me for not being able to fly!” Where her friend's anger hadn't shaken Apple Bloom, the sudden accusation that Rumble was a bully caused her to reel back in shock.
“He what?”
“Yeah, that's right. He was the first pegasus our age to fly, and his brother taught him to be super good at it. Ever since he's been a jerk and a bully.”
Tears were streaming down Scootaloo's face, but she defied them, glaring at Apple Bloom. She was waiting for Apple Bloom's reaction, but Apple Bloom was lost in thought.
Rumble had been so nice, giving her that apple at school. Trying to impress her with his stunts. Inviting her to Sugarcube Corner, and talking with her. Apple Bloom remembered the feeling of his hoof over her own, and the excitable chatterbox he'd become at dinner. He was the sweetest colt ever, as far as she could tell, and here Scootaloo was calling him a bully?
It just wasn't possible.
“Ah don't believe you,” Apple Bloom said, regaining her composure. Scootaloo winced, as though she'd been slapped in the face, and stared open-mouthed at Apple Bloom.
“Y-you...don't b-believe me?” Scootaloo whimpered, backing away. Apple Bloom didn't really know why, but she threw her nose in the air and scoffed.
“Huh! You're probably just jealous of him, and making up lies so Ah won't spend no more time with him,” she said, refusing to even look at her friend.
“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle gasped, immediately rushing to Scootaloo's side to comfort her. Tears turned back into fury as Scootaloo let out a wordless cry of pain and betrayal, rushing Apple Bloom. Before she had time to react, Apple Bloom found herself rolling in the dirt, an enraged pegasus on top of her. Scootaloo rained down a hail of blows with her hooves as the two grappled, but Apple Bloom managed to plant her hind legs square on the other filly's chest and buck her clear.
“What in the hay is wrong with you?” Apple Bloom shouted, staggering to her feet. Her head ached from the battering it had received, and she could already feel a lump growing on her forehead. Scootaloo was back on her feet straight away, but instead of charging again, she turned and ran back towards Ponyville. The sounds of her sobs were carried back to the two remaining Crusaders by the wind, and Apple Bloom was struggling to restrain her urge to chase Scootaloo down and give her a sound thrashing.
“How could you say that?” Sweetie Belle said, her voice soft and strained. She wouldn't even look at Apple Bloom.
“Say what? Call her a liar for saying those things about Rumble? Well she is!”
“How do you know?” Sweetie Belle shouted, “Your best friend just told you she was being bullied, and you called her a liar!”
“Yeah, but-”
“No buts, Apple Bloom. I'm going to go help Scootaloo, you stay here. You're the last pony she's going to want to see.”
“But, we were going to do something together this afternoon!” Apple Bloom said, moving towards her friend. Sweetie Belle just turned and trotted away.
“See you at school tomorrow,” Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder, before disappearing between the rows of the orchard.
Apple Bloom, still angry and now alone, decided to vent her frustrations on a nearby apple tree. She gave it a swift buck, the dull thud under her hooves making her feel better. At least, until the cascade of unripe apples showered down on her already aching head.
Spitting curses, Apple Bloom marched home for a well needed sulk.
“Apple Bloom? Do you need to talk?”
Big Mac's words drifted through the thick wooden door of her bedroom, reaching Apple Bloom as she lay flopped over the side of her bed. Looking at the upside down door, she called back.
“Oh, just come in already, you were fixing to anyhow.”
“You can't prove nothin',” Big Mac returned, before pushing open the door and walking in. His hardhearted joke was almost enough to make Apple Bloom smile, but when she realized how dangerously close she was treading, the frown redoubled its efforts. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing. Everything's perfect,” Apple Bloom was pouting, but when she crossed her forelegs to make a point, she slid all the way over the edge of her bed, her already tender head receiving a solid thump from the floorboards. “Horse apples!”
On most other occasions, Big Mac would have chided her on her profanity. He'd always wanted his little sisters to grow up to be proper ladies, and Applejack had firmly dismissed the notion years ago, so Apple Bloom was his last chance. Proper ladies didn't go around shouting profanities, but then, a proper gentlecolt knew when it was time for an etiquette lesson, and when it was time for a hug. This was clearly the latter, so being the proper gentlecolt he was, Big Mac lifted his little sister back onto her bed, and wrapped her up in a soothing hug.
“Now, what's bothering you, Bloom?”
“It's...Ah had a fight with Scootaloo,” she said, gesturing to the ugly purple splotches on her forehead and shoulders where Scootaloo's hooves had struck home.
“Ah see. You wait right here for a minute, and Ah'll be right back,” Big Mac said, offering her a smile and one more parting hug before leaving the room. Apple Bloom was left to run through the events of that afternoon for the twentieth time, hoping desperately to figure out where things went so wrong.
When Big Mac returned, he brought with him a large ice pack, and a glass of chilled apple juice. As much of a bad mood as she was in, even Apple Bloom couldn't help but sigh with relief as the ice numbed the throbbing pain in her head. A sip of apple juice, and she was almost feeling content again. Almost.
“So, what happened?” Big Mac said, looking at her with that same easy-going curiosity that he'd shown Rumble. It made her feel safe, like she wasn't going to be judged no matter what she told him. Involuntarily, she shuffled closer to him, and he put a powerful hoof around her shoulder. Knowing that within this embrace she would find nothing but love, Apple Bloom told her story. When she finished, Big Mac's easy-going curiosity had turned to thoughtful contemplation.
“Do you know why Scootaloo was so mad?” he asked, prompting Apple Bloom to think on it for the twenty-first time.
“No. If she was gonna lie, she shouldn't have gotten so mad about gettin' found out.”
“What if she weren't lyin'?”
That question had long since been driven out of Apple Bloom's mind, rejected as soon as it had spoken up, but Big Mac was giving it the spotlight.
“She was,” Apple Bloom said, dismissing it with far less conviction than she'd intended.
“But if she was telling the truth?” Big Mac kept pushing.
“Well, if she were – which she ain't – then Ah guess she'd have gotten right upset that her best friend wouldn't help her when somepony was bullying her.”
“Eeyup, Ah think you're right. Now, what's Rumble got to say about all this?”
“Ah don't know, he wasn't at school today. Ah haven't talked to him since yesterday.”
“Then how can you be so sure Scootaloo's lyin'?”
Big Mac's whispered words and gentle embrace was making it very difficult for Apple Bloom to stay angry, and without the anger to cloud her judgement, she was quickly realizing that she had been less than fair to Scootaloo.
“He's just been so nice to me, Ah can't believe it.”
“Now Apple Bloom, Scootaloo's been your friend for a long while, has she ever given you reason to think she'd lie?” When Apple Bloom shook her head no, Big Mac continued, “Now, Ah know you're keen on this Rumble fella, and he seems like a nice colt, but no colt's worth throwin' away the kind of friendship you and Scootaloo have without knowing all the facts. Promise me you'll talk to them?”
“Ah...Ah promise. Thanks, Big Mac.” The older stallion slid the ice pack off her forehead, and gave the bump on her head a soft kiss. Apple Bloom smiled up at her brother as he pulled away.
“You remember when you were little, and a kiss made any problem all better? Ah miss that, Bloom.”
“Me too, Mac,” Apple Bloom said, watching her brother leave. She was growing up, and her problems weren't about to be kissed away. For just a little while though, Apple Bloom curled up in bed and pretended they would.
Morning in the Ponyville schoolhouse was the same as any Friday morning when Apple Bloom walked in. Young ponies, excited about the coming weekend, yet bemoaning the fact that a whole day of school stood between them and freedom. Diamond Tiara was telling Silver Spoon about her plans to visit Canterlot with her father, and Twist was showing off a new batch of peppermint candy, but neither of those things registered for Apple Bloom. All Apple Bloom could see in the classroom were two empty seats.
Neither Scootaloo nor Rumble were present.
Sliding into her seat next to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom cursed her luck. Without either one of them, she had absolutely no way of getting to the bottom of things, let alone starting to make things right.
“Psst, Sweetie Belle,” she whispered, hoping to keep Diamond Tiara from overhearing. That was the last thing any of them needed. “Where's Scoots?”
“She...she was really upset last night,” Sweetie Belle whispered back, “I guess her Aunt Dizzy let her stay home today.”
With a sigh, Apple Bloom resigned herself to waiting until the end of the day to start working things out. Cheerilee was just starting class when the schoolhouse door opened, and an out of breath Rumble trotted inside.
“Oh my, Rumble, you're late,” Miss Cheerilee said, gesturing for him to take his seat.
“Sorry Miss Cheerilee. It takes a lot longer than I thought to walk to school,” he said, quickly taking his seat. He shot Apple Bloom a smile, and she couldn't help but smile back. With Scootaloo at home, she'd have the chance to talk to Rumble about things and clear up this bullying business before smoothing things over with Scootaloo. 'She'll probably apologize after school anyway,' Apple Bloom thought to herself, paying only the barest amount of attention to Miss Cheerilee.
Had she been paying more attention to Miss Cheerilee all week, she would have been prepared for the test that was slipped onto her desk mid-morning, and would have had a more constructive response than to groan. Despite her pleading expression, Miss Cheerilee simply rolled her eyes and returned to the front of the class.
“You have until lunchtime to finish. Good luck, my little ponies!”
Suddenly, all Apple Bloom's concerns about romance, friendship, and heartache were chased away by a relentless tide of mathematics.
“Urgh, that test was the worst thing ever,” Apple Bloom groaned, sinking down into the grass under the Crusaders' typical tree in the schoolyard. Sweetie Belle was trying, and failing, not to giggle at her dejected friend.
“Oh come on, you sound like my sister,” she said, settling in beside Apple Bloom and opening her lunch. Clearly, Sweetie Belle had attempted to make her own lunch that morning, as her peanut butter and jelly sandwich boasted scorch marks.
“How in the hay did you burn a PB&J?” Apple Bloom said in genuine wonder.
“I...uh...might have maybe forgot it in the oven,” Sweetie Belle replied, giving her lunch a meek smile.
“That just raises more questions than it answers,” Apple Bloom said, giving Sweetie's sandwich a tentative sniff.
“Like you've never burned a sandwich before,” Sweetie Belle shot, trying in vain to salvage her dignity.
“Ah don't cook my sandwiches in the oven,” was Apple Bloom's flat reply.
With a harrumph, Sweetie Belle took a dainty, lady-like bite of her sandwich. After nearly a full minute of chewing slowly and thoughtfully, she proceeded to daintily spit a mouthful of blackened peanut butter onto the ground. When she noticed Apple Bloom looking at her with a smug grin, Sweetie Belle composed herself just as Rarity had taught her. With her nose in the air, and her eyes narrowed in an imperious glare, Sweetie Belle announced her verdict.
“I'll trade you this sandwich for half your apple.”
After Apple Bloom finished rolling in the grass, laughing so hard she could barely breathe, she wiped the tears from her eyes and passed Sweetie Belle her apple.
“You can have the whole apple if you keep that sandwich to yourself.”
“Deal,” Sweetie Belle said, throwing the sandwich back into her lunchbox, and giggling along with her friend, “I really need someone to teach me how to cook one of these days.”
Together, the two friends enjoyed their lunch while the sun filtered down through the broad green leaves. As they were packing up to go back inside, Rumble came trotting over.
“Hi guys,” he called, falling in beside Apple Bloom as the group made their way for the classroom.
“Hi Rumble,” Apple Bloom said, a goofy grin creeping onto her face. She hadn't talked to Rumble in almost two days, and she was having some trouble settling the butterflies in her belly. “Where were you yesterday?”
“Oh...I, uh, had to stay home with my brother. I'll tell you later,” he said, his eyes shifting nervously. “I was wondering if you guys were doing anything after school?”
“About that...Rumble, do you want to come by the farm after school? Ah need to talk to you about something...”
“Oh, ok, sure. What about you Sweetie Belle?” Rumble said, turning his head slightly and raising an eyebrow over Apple Bloom's evasive request. Sweetie Belle seemed uncomfortable with the question, and answered quickly.
“No, I've gotta go see Scootaloo and make sure she's okay. You two have fun.”
With the plan set for after school, the three settled themselves in for the afternoon lesson, each pony's mind on the odd behaviour of the other two, and the absent Scootaloo.
As soon as Cheerilee dismissed class for the weekend, all the little ponies were caught in a mad dash to the door. The miniature stampede dispersed quickly in the schoolyard, a dozen different ponies scattering in a dozen different directions, galloping off for fun and adventure. Sweetie Belle paused long enough to wave good bye to Apple Bloom before tearing off towards town.
Apple Bloom was eager to get to the bottom of the bullying issue, quickly falling in beside Rumble as they trotted towards Sweet Apple Acres. Rumble was all smiles and jokes as they walked along, and it soon had her smiling. It also made it that much harder to get to the point. Even as the apple orchard swallowed up the country lane, Apple Bloom couldn't bring herself to ask. How could she? What kind of filly just asks her coltfriend if he's a bully? What if he gets mad? What if he doesn't want to be her coltfriend anymore? But if she didn't get around to asking, she'd never figure out the truth about his history with Scootaloo. Would she lose Scootaloo as a friend, forever?
“Uh...Apple Bloom?” Rumble's question cut through her thoughts and brought Apple Bloom back to reality.
“What? Oh, sorry Rumble, Ah was just thinking,” Apple Bloom put on a smile, and led the colt up the front walk toward the farmhouse. Rumble still looked concerned, but Apple Bloom wasn't quite ready to bring up the serious issue that was staring her in the face.
“Thinking about what?”
“Umm...Ah was wondering why you weren't at school yesterday,” Apple Bloom lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie, as she was very curious about his absence, but it was just another attempt at skirting the issue. Thankfully, Rumble seemed to believe her.
“When I was flying home after dinner the other day, I kind of felt like doing some loops, since I was so happy about...something,” Rumble said, getting a coy grin from Apple Bloom before he continued, “And I kind of lost control and crashed in the park. I don't know what I did, but it hurt way too much to fly, and almost too much to walk. I was lucky that Bon Bon saw me and helped me get home.”
“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Apple Bloom said, suddenly scrutinizing Rumble's wing. The colt shifted nervously under her discerning eye.
“I think so. Thunder Lane was pretty upset, and made me stay home and rest yesterday. He thinks it might be a sprain. It still hurts to fly, but I can walk just fine n- ow!” Rumble yelped in pain when Apple Bloom prodded his wing with her muzzle, and shrank back from her exploring snout.
“Just fine, huh?”
“It's fine, I just need to stay off it for a couple days,” Rumble insisted, “Let's just do something else and forget about it, okay? Hey, do you want to do something to try and get our cutie marks?”
Rumble didn't know exactly why she stopped dead in her tracks to stare at him, all he knew was the sinister leer she was giving him was making him very uncomfortable. Her hoof darted out to prod him in the side again, and again he sprang back with a cry. That seemed to be the reaction Apple Bloom was looking for, as a wide grin stretched across her face.
“Rumble,” Apple Bloom said sweetly, “It's time for your appointment.”
“Appointment? What appointment?” Rumble was very quickly regretting his decision to come see his new fillyfriend, when Apple Bloom suddenly cheered and shepherded him into the farmhouse.
“Cutie Mark Crusader Doctors! Yay!”