Dear Scootaloo,
Scoots, I am sorry, I truly am. I will explain in a minute. Remember how you said that you would do anything to fly? Remember when you thought that life wasn't worth living if you couldn't be like Rainbow Dash? Well, that is how I feel right now. I still don't have my cutie mark after all these years. It hurts so bad that you and Sweetie have them and I don't. I know its selfish, I know how mean it is, but I wish you didn't have them anymore. I can't live with myself, knowing that I want you and Sweetie to be with me, teased, bullied, markless. It is evil for me to even wish for such a thing. I have tried so hard. I have done so much, looking for my talent, and I have made a conclusion. I don't have one. I am worthless. I am so sorry Scoots. We can't be friends anymore. I don't want you to be sad if anything were to happen to me. Trust me this once. You are better off without me. The Cutie Mark Crusaders can live on, I don't need to be in it.
Love, Apple Bloom
Apple Bloom spit out the pen and admired her work. Her eyes glistened as she folded up the paper, satisfied with the message. She missed her friends so much it hurt, but she knew this was for the best. She needed to disconnect. She couldn't stand this jealousy anymore, this guilt, this sadness, all of it. She closed her eyes for a moment and let the tears flow, pulling an envelope from her dresser drawer and shoving the letter inside. Sweetie's letter was next. She would need to be quick. The sun would rise soon, and the roosters would wake Big Mac and Applejack. She picked the pen back up and started a second note, this one to her old friend Sweetie Belle.
Dear Sweetie Belle,
Sweetie, I am sorry. I need to leave you and Scootaloo behind. I don't want to hurt anypony by saying this, but I have to take that risk. I tried everything I could Sweetie. I really did. It's been ages. I'm all alone, blank flank, and bullied. I'm almost full grown and still without a talent. I have never seen anypony else like that before in all of my life. I am ashamed. They won Sweetie. Diamond and Silver have beaten me down so far into the ground that I can't get out. I am literally the only blank flank in town as old as I am. It's pathetic. I hear your voice in my dreams sometimes. It's so beautiful, I wish I could hear it again, but I don't think I'm ever going to. I'm sorry I never made it to any of your shows. I wish I could have. I really do. I just want you to know that I love you and Scoots and that none of this is your fault. It's mine. I don't want to hold you guys back and tie you down to a pony as rotten and worthless as I am. So, this is goodbye.
Love, Apple Bloom
"Now what?" Apple Bloom whispered to herself.
Something hit her then. "I should write to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."
She tucked the letters to her two best friends into the drawer. With a squint, she pulled another sheet of paper from her desk. She only needed to write one last letter after this. One for Applejack. After that, she could go.
"Write faster! Write faster dammit!" she cried out as she prepared to write another note. "Ai' don't have time fer' this!"
Apple Bloom slammed her head down upon the desk, it didn't hurt much anymore. She lifted up once again, she needed to finish writing her letters. She couldn't leave without finishing the letters. She sniffed softly and rubbed her red eyes, clearing her vision. She looked down at the paper lying on her desk. There was a light bloodstain on the edge of the first sheet.
"Oh well," Apple Bloom whispered, lifting her pen.
Dear Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,
You've won. I can't take it anymore. I hope you are happy. I truly do. You won't see my blank flank anymore. I'm sorry for making your life so awful that you had to hurt me. I must have deserved it. Goodbye.
Apple Bloom sighed, tears running down her face again. Her chest heaving. There wasn't much more she could say.
" . . . family . . . I need to write a letter for them . . ."
Dear family,
Apple Bloom paused, no no, that wasn't right. She needed to let them know she cared. She needed names.
Dear family Applejack, Big Mac, and everypony who ever loved me,
I love you, and I am sorry. I really am. I don't know how to explain this without sounding dumb. I can't stand the teasing, the loneliness, all of it. This wasn't your fault. There are a million things I could say, but I don't even know where to begin. Just, don't miss me, don't blame yourselves, don't be sad. I am just a rotten apple. I'm not worth the pain. Never forget that I loved you.
Love, Apple Bloom
Apple Bloom shuffled her hooves and stacked all four letters in a nice neat pile. The blood had bled through one of the envelopes. She had apparently cut herself when she has been smacking her head against the desk. She wiped it away and walked over to her closet. The mirror leaned against the door, its reflective surface spotted and stained. Apple Bloom gazed deeply into her own reflection. She barely knew what she was looking at. Her face was so odd. It was almost as though she had never seen it before. Dried blood was visible just under her bangs. She stood, hitting the mirror with one hoof.
"Stop looking at me, you . . . you . . . blank flank!" she cried, collapsing against the wall.
She felt tension rising in her chest. She couldn't take this anymore. She wouldn't take this anymore. She leapt up, and trotted over to her desk. The roosters would crow soon. She needed to hurry. She dropped the letter to her family on the floor, and swiftly shut the door behind her, barely making a single sound.