//------------------------------// // Prologue: Applebloom // Story: Growing Up // by TheCacophonousMuse //------------------------------// Prologue: Applebloom Applebloom sat with her head on the table, looking dejectedly out the window of the old clubhouse. The sun was setting slowly over the horizon. “Ah can't believe it,” she moaned, turning to her fellow Crusaders. “Summer's over, an' we still don' have our cutie marks!” Scootaloo gave a noncommittal grunt from where she was lying on the floor. “That and school's starting back up tomorrow,” she added. Sweetie Belle offered a smile. “Well, middle school should be more fun. I mean, it's in the same building as the high school, so there will be more ponies and different kinds of activities.” “Harder classes and older foals to beat the crap out of us?” Scootaloo asked, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, I'm ecstatic.” “Hey, there's sports and stuff you can do,” Sweetie Belle defended herself. “And the high school is on a different schedule, so the older foals shouldn't bother us too much.” Scootaloo shrugged, saying nothing. Applebloom looked between the other two. “D'you think we'll get teased for not having our cutie marks?” “I'm sure there are other foals that haven't gotten theirs yet,” Sweetie offered. “Maybe we can recruit for the Crusaders!” “Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed. “Plus, if there aren't any, we can always just try to fly under the radar.” Applebloom raised an eyebrow skeptically. “With Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon running around?” Scootaloo shrugged. “Well, it is bigger than our elementary school. We'll have a bigger class, so if worse comes to worse, we can always avoid them.” She glanced up at the clock on the wall of the clubhouse. “I should probably get going now.” “Me too,” Sweetie Belle added, checking the clock as well. “I wouldn't want Rarity to get worried.” She stood up and opened the door, letting Scootaloo out. “See you at school tomorrow,” she said, waving at Applebloom before closing the door behind her. “See ya,” Applebloom called back at the closed door. She sat in the clubhouse for a while, watching the sun slowly melt on the horizon over the West Orchard. When only a sliver of the sun was still visible over the fruit bat-infested trees, she, too, got up to leave. The walk back through the orchard was silent, and Applebloom watched the stars appear through the branches of the apple trees. She walked around the barn, let herself in through the back door, and climbed up the kitchen stairs. Slipping into the bathroom, she turned on the shower, letting it run over her hoof until she was satisfied that it was warm enough. She stepped inside. As the warm water ran over her shoulders, her thoughts turned again to the upcoming school year. She hadn't told Sweetie or Scootaloo, but she was worried about it. Their friendship was mostly centered around finding their cutie marks; aside from their obvious blank flanks, they didn't have a whole lot in common. She'd been worried about their friendship for a while now— mostly about how it would be affected if one of them actually managed to get a cutie mark— and like Sweetie had said, there would be more opportunities to try new things than ever in middle school. Applebloom tipped some shampoo onto her hoof, letting her thoughts drift. She wasn't a stellar student, but she was good enough that she figured she'd be able to get on fairly well academically. Aside from the state of her friendships, there was one other worry that had been nagging at her mind. Colts— well, one colt in particular, really— were starting to seem... well, noticeable. She hadn't brought it up with her friends at all, and her sister never seemed to discuss colts either, so she wasn't entirely sure how or what to feel about the issue, but whenever Featherweight came close, she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and she'd start to stammer a bit. Applebloom rubbed the conditioner into her mane, working it in with her hooves. She wondered vaguely if Featherweight would be bothered by her accent. She'd never really liked her own voice, but perhaps he wouldn't mind it. It was doubtful that he'd ever actually noticed it, though, since they'd never really had a conversation. She shut off the shower, ruefully watching the last suds swirl around the drain before being sucked down it. She grabbed her towel off the hook on the bathroom door and began to dry herself off. Maybe she'd get a chance to talk to Featherweight now that they were moving onto middle school. Maybe, just maybe, something could happen between them. Applebloom dumped her towel in the laundry hamper on the way to her room. After setting her alarm, she burrowed under the covers, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.