There was a slight chill in the air as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle made their way through the streets of Ponyville. The two of them were heading to the inn to pick up Rumble before making their way to the clubhouse, where all four Cutie Mark Crusaders had agreed to meet on this windy Saturday morning.
"I’m totally excited for this meet," said Scootaloo with a smile. "I have a really great idea that I know will get us our cutie marks for sure!"
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be a great idea,” said Sweetie Belle as she nudged against her neck. Scootaloo planted a small kiss on her forehead in response, the two of them smiling at each other.
As the inn came into view, the two of them were surprised to see that Rumble was already exiting the building. However, the first thing they noticed was the saddened expression that he had on his face. That and the way he hung his head made it all too clear that he was upset about something.
“Hey, Rumble,” Scootaloo shouted when they were within earshot.
He looked up to see the two fillies approaching. Then, he hung his head again and said, “Hi.”
Giving him a worried look, Sweetie Belle asked, “Are you okay?”
Not looking up to her, he said, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? If something is bothering you, you can tell us. Maybe we can help.”
Rumble let out a sigh and said, “It’s just that...well...I feel really bad about yesterday, that’s all. It was my fault for ruining the picnic. You two didn’t seem to have a good time because I was there, especially you Scootaloo. I could tell by the look on your face that you didn’t want me there. I’m really sorry that I ruined everything.”
Scootaloo lowered her head in shame for a few moments; not only was she recollecting what had happened, but also how she had acted as well.
Putting her hoof on his shoulder, she smiled and said, “It wasn’t your fault, Rumble.”
Looking up at her, he asked, “What do you mean?”
“I’m the one who ruined it for all of us, not you. I shouldn’t have acted that way and I’m sorry if I made it seem like I didn’t want you there. I was just a little...well...upset, but I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
Then, Scootaloo extended a hoof to him and said, “Do you forgive me?”
Smiling, Rumble said, “Of course I forgive you. Wouldn’t be much of a ‘Cutie Mark Crusader’ if I didn’t.”
Then, the two of them gave each other a hoof-bump, all three of them letting out a laugh.
“Well, we better get going,” said Scootaloo.
“Okay,” said Rumble and Sweetie Belle in unison. The two of them let out a small giggle as the three of them began walking down the road towards the clubhouse. They walked in silence as they approached Sweet Apple Acres with Rumble trailing behind the two fillies. As he watched the two of them trotting side by side, the same question from yesterday popped into his head, making his eyes shift back and forth as he looked at the ground.
How do I ask them? Rumble thought to himself. Do I just come out and say it, or should I go about it in another way?
After a few seconds of thinking, he let out a small sigh and asked, “Hey, can I ask you two a question?”
“Sure,” said Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in unison as the three of them stopped in front of Sweet Apple Acres.
“Well...” he began, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. “I don’t know how to put this, but...you see...um...I was just...a little curious...why were the two of you-?”
“Hey, ya’ll!” a familiar voice called out to the three of them, stopping Rumble in midsentence. The three of them looked in her direction to acknowledge her arrival only to do a double-take at the filly as she approached.
They watched as Apple Bloom trotted up to the three of them, a smile on her face. However, what stood out to them was the light blue bonnet that rested on her head. As she trotted up to them, she tied the strings under her chin as best as she could and readjusted the headgear so that it would stay in place.
“So, Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Apple Bloom said proudly. “Ah hope yer ready, ‘cause ah’ve come up with the perfect way to earn our Cutie Marks!”
The three of them stared at her in silence, all of them trying to comprehend why she decided to wear a bonnet on her head.
Shifting her eyes to each of her friends, Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow and asked, “What?”
“Apple Bloom?” asked Sweetie Belle, tilting her head to one side. “What’s with the bonnet?”
Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. “Oh, this? It’s nothin’, really. Ah just thought today was a good day ta wear one, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” Scootaloo said sarcastically, rolling her eyes along with it. “And I’m a talking hedgehog.”
“Ha, ha, very funny,” she retorted. “Ah can wear it if ah want to!”
“Just be careful with that,” said Rumble, as he pointed to the loosely tied strings. “It’s kinda windy today, so you might want to...”
Before he could finish his sentence, a strong gust of wind blew past that sent Apple Bloom’s bonnet flying off of her head and into the air.
“Oh, no!” she shouted as she began trotting after it, not taking her eyes off of it. Not wasting any time, the three fillies began galloping after it, trying to position themselves to catch it before it hit the ground. Unfortunately, every time it looked like it was about to land, it only blew upwards again with the heavy wind.
“Don’t worry,” Rumble said as he unfurled his wings. “I’ll get it for you.”
He took to the sky and began following the bonnet as it continued to fly back and forth in the breeze. As he flew about, the three ponies stopped and stared at him, each of them with a different reason for doing so.
Sweetie Belle had a look of concern on her face, hoping that Rumble could catch the bonnet before anything bad happened to it, like getting dirty from hitting the ground. Her left eye twitching, Scootaloo gave him an envious look as he flew back and forth; he was about the same age as she was, and yet he was able to fly and she wasn’t. Apple Bloom simply stared at Rumble, not taking his eyes off him for a moment as he appeared to dance in the air. With every move he made, she felt her heart flutter a little bit faster as she let the idea of him, chivalrously trying to retrieve the bonnet for her, sink in.
Soon, Rumble managed to catch the headgear in the air with his hooves, putting it in his mouth as he descended in front of the others.
“Alright, Rumble!” cheered Sweetie Belle as he trotted up to Apple Bloom.
Taking it into her hooves, Apple Bloom felt her cheeks beginning to feel hot as she said, “Thanks, Rumble.”
“No problem,” he said with a smile. It was at that moment the three of them saw the real reason why Apple Bloom was wearing the bonnet in the first place.
Apple Bloom’s mane wasn’t in the same puffy style they were all familiar with. Instead, it was pulled back into a ponytail [no pun intended], with the main part of it braided and hanging off to one side; it was reminiscent of the braided mane Silver Spoon often wore.
Realizing that they were all staring at her new mane-style, she quickly put the bonnet back on her head, blushing in embarrassment.
After a few awkward moments of silence, Sweetie Belle said, “Wow, Apple Bloom. I really like your mane!”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shot her a questioning look. Her eyes shifting back and forth between them, Sweetie Belle said, “What? I really mean it this time!”
Shaking her head to get her mind on track, Scootaloo asked, “What’s with the new mane style?”
Tying the strings tighter so that it wouldn’t fly off again, Apple Bloom said, “Oh...uh, no reason. Ah just wanted ta...um...try somethin’ new, that’s all.”
Another moment of silence followed.
For lack of anything else better to say, Rumble cleared his throat and said, “Well, I really like how your mane looks, too.”
Her heart sped up as the words echoed in Apple Bloom’s ears. She looked up to him and asked, “Really?”
“Of course,” he responded with a smile. “It’s...um...really pretty.”
That did it. Taking the bonnet off her head, Apple Bloom turned her back to him to prevent her now red cheeks. “Ya really think it’s ‘pretty’?” she asked.
“Of course.”
Apple Bloom hugged her hat closer to her chest as a toothy grin came across her face. A euphoric feeling began to wash over her, causing a tingling sensation to arise in her hooves. However, it was very short-lived when she caught a glimpse of Sweetie Belle staring at her with a confused expression. Fortunately, Scootaloo was too busy looking at the ground to notice her, a slightly defeated look on her face. Straightening her posture, she put the bonnet back on and tried her best to play it off.
“Well,” she said. “Ah think ah’ll put this away so it doesn’t fly away again. Be right back!”
Without hesitation, she turned and began galloping away.
“I’ll be right back, too,” said Sweetie Belle. “I just need to...um...ask Apple Bloom something.”
The two of foals watched as she trotted away, leaving them alone for a moment. Seeing this as the opportune moment, Scootaloo trotted up to Rumble and tapped him on his arm to get his attention
“Rumble,” she said in a soft tone. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” he said. “What’s up?”
Letting out a small sigh, she said, “Do you think that...maybe...you could help me with something?”
Sweetie Belle trotted up to the house to see Apple Bloom go inside. A few minutes passed before she came out again, letting out an audible sigh as she closed the door behind her.
“Alright, Apple Bloom,” she said, causing her to jump in surprise. “I know you’re up to something, so spill the beans!”
“W-W-Whaddaya mean?” she stuttered, backing up against the door. “Ah ain’t up ta nothin’!”
“Is that right?” asked Sweetie Belle with a coy smile. “Then why did you change your mane today?”
Apple Bloom scratched the back of her neck with a hoof as her heart began to race. “N-No reason. Ah...ah just felt like wearin’ it differently today, that’s all.”
She trotted closer to Apple Bloom. “Look, Apple Bloom, you’ve been acting very weird for the past few days. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
Silence dawned on the two of them for several moments, Apple Bloom looking at the ground as if she was weighing her options. Mentally, she cursed herself for thinking that her friends wouldn’t notice her sudden change and/or think little of it. Lowering her head, she looked at her and asked in a soft tone, “Ya promise not ta tell anypony?”
“I promise.”
“Pinkie Promise?”
“‘Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.’”
Rubbing the back of her left foreleg with the other, she mumbled something to her, her eyes squeezing tightly when she finished.
“What did you say?” Sweetie Belle asked as she leaned in a little closer.
She mumbled it again, cringing afterwards once again.
“You’re speaking too low. Can you say-”
“AH SAID...” she shouted before cutting herself off when she realized she was shouting. Squeezing her eyes shut, she finally said, “Ah...ah have a...ah have a crush on Rumble, okay?”
Her eyes growing wide, Sweetie Belle let out a gasp as she said, “Omigosh! Really?”
Apple Bloom nodded, lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut, not knowing what she would say or how she would react. However, she was taken by surprise by Sweetie Belle wrapping her arms around her in an embrace.
“This is so great!” she said. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Ya are?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”
“I was always a little upset that Scootaloo and I were together and that you had nopony. I’m just so happy that you finally found somepony that you really like!”
“Thanks, Sweetie” said Apple Bloom with a nervous look. “But, could ya keep it down. They’re not too far away, ya know.”
“Oops, sorry,” she said as she released her embrace. “When did this happen?”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned away and focused her attention towards Rumble; she could see that he was talking to Scootaloo, looking at her wings as she flapped them as hard as she could to him.
“It happened after the welcome party a few days ago,” she explained as Sweetie Belle trotted next to her. “After we agreed ta let him join us, ah couldn’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout him. Ah didn’t think much of it at first, but when ah had a dream ‘bout him that night, ah just knew that it was somethin’ more.”
Letting out a passionate sigh as she closed her eyes and said, “It was a dream ah’ll never forget...”
Apple Bloom found herself trotting along the shorelines of Las Pegasus, the setting sun turning the skies a fiery orange while the water glistened like diamonds and danced with the waves. She was trotting next to Rumble, the two of them side by side as the sand beneath them crinkled with each step they took.
As they trotted, she looked up to Rumble to see that he was looking at her, a soft smile on his face. Taking in the beauty of his lavender eyes that also beamed with the sunset, Apple Bloom let out a romantic sigh as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her heart sped up a few paces as she felt his wing unfurl and wrap around her waist, bringing her even closer to him.
The two of them trotted together for several minutes, neither of them saying a word to each other, mostly because no words were necessary; they were content just being in each other’s company. Soon, the two of them stopped and turned to face the sunset, listening to the sounds of the waves lightly washing up to their hooves before retracting into the rest of the ocean.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rumble turn his head to face her. Turning her head to look at him, Apple Bloom felt her heart beginning to increase as her eyes locked onto his. As they gazed into each other’s eyes, both of them smiled as their cheeks began to redden. Then, Rumble cleared his throat.
“Apple Bloom,” he said in a soft tone. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,” she answered. Her voice was so soft that her accent was almost nonexistent.
Slowly, Rumble extended a hoof to her as a smile formed across his face. Instantly, the butterflies in her stomach began fluttering about, making her smile in response as her eyes grew wide.
“Will you be my special somepony?” he asked. He spoke with such confidence, but she could tell by the twinkle in his eyes that he was just as nervous as she was.
Time stood still as Rumble kept his hoof out, waiting for Apple Bloom to answer. After what felt like an eternity passed, the numbness in her hoofs began to subside, allowing her to raise her hoof and place it in his. The moment they touched one another, all the anxiety they were feeling had dissipated like a snowflake in an ocean. All that was left was the feeling of love the two foals shared.
“Oh Rumble,” she finally said, tears of joy forming in her eyes. “Of course ah will.”
Then, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into an embrace. Against the sand behind them, their shadows from the sunset appeared to form the shape of a heart as the two foals held each other for several moments. Reluctantly, the two of them released each other and gazed into the other’s eyes. Then, Apple Bloom closed her eyes and slightly puckered her lips, slowly leaning into Rumble.
“Apple Bloom,” he said romantically, as he too closed his eyes and leaned in. Her heart was pounding so fast that she was convinced it had stopped beating all together.
“Apple Bloom” she heard him say again as the two of them were within close proximity of each other. She could feel his breath against her nose, making her cheeks flush a deeper shade of red than she thought possible.
“Apple Bloom...”
“APPLE BLOOM!” a different voice than Rumble’s shouted, causing her to shoot her eyes open in surprise.
It took several seconds for Apple Bloom to register what was happening right now. Caught in her reminiscing, she had her lips puckered and was leaning in towards Sweetie Belle, who was pulling her head as far away from her as possible, an unsure smile on her face.
Quickly, Apple Bloom straightened her posture as she turned her back on her friend, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.
“Ah’m sorry,” she said as she covered her face with her hooves in embarrassment.
“It’s okay,” said Sweetie Belle. She trotted next to her and put her hoof around her shoulders. “You must really like him to have a dream like that about him.”
“Yeah, ah guess,” said Apple Bloom as she dug her hoof into the dirt.
“So, when are you gonna tell him?”
“Ah dunno,” she said, lowering her head and letting out a sigh. “Ah guess when ah’m not bein’ such a klutz ‘round him.”
Sweetie Belle patted her on the back. “Aw, don’t be like that. It’s not your fault.”
“Ah know, but ah can’t help it. It’s like, whenever ah’m around him, time just stands still. Nothin’ seems to matter except the two of us. Mah heart starts ta beat really fast and mah cheeks get really hot. Before ya know it, ah say or do somethin’ that makes me look like a fool.”
Staring blankly at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle could feel her own heart start to race. What she had just described sounded like what she felt whenever she looked into Rumble’s eyes.
Why does that sound so..., she thought to herself.
“Ah guess you know how that feels, huh?” asked Apple Bloom, interrupting her train of thought.
Blinking twice in surprise, Sweetie Belle asked, “What do you mean?”
She let out a small giggle before answering. “Ah mean when ya first knew ya had a crush on Scootaloo, ya silly filly!”
It was then that she felt her heart skip a beat as realization caused her to widen her eyes in horror. In just that one sentence, everything began to make sense to her and it was scaring her to no end.
Now she remembered why the feelings that she was experiencing with Rumble were so familiar: they were the same exact feelings she had when she first fell in love with Scootaloo. It was a relief to know where the feelings were coming from and why they felt familiar, but it also began to frighten her as the revelation became as clear as day: she was developing the same feelings for Rumble. She was falling in love with him, just like she had with Scootaloo all those months ago.
Slowly, she began backing away from Apple Bloom as her breath started to become shallower by the second. Everything began to rush through her mind at once: How could she be in love with both Scootaloo and Rumble? Who was she going to talk to about this? Could she talk to anypony about this? Should she talk to anypony about this? How would she break it to Apple Bloom, knowing now that she had a crush on him? How would she break it to Rumble? How would she break it to Scootaloo?
“Um, Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked, a concerned look coming across her face. “Are you alright?”
“No,” Sweetie mumbled to herself, slowly shaking her head back and forth. “No...No, it can’t be...it can’t be...I can’t be...”
With all her thoughts hitting her like continuous slaps in the face, she began to feel very light-headed and dizzy. Then, after several moments of trying to make heads or tails of anything, she let out one last breath before she blacked out completely and fell to the ground.