//------------------------------//
// Apple Bloom: Summer Begins (Rewritten) 
// Story: The Secrets of Equestria 
// by Manaphy 
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	Apple Bloom sat on the edge of her seat, her limbs wiggling during the longest minute of her life. In one minute, the smiling faces of energetic fillies and colts would greet Ponyville. Such was the typical routine as it culminated in them galloped around the fields of the town gossiping and giggling. It was a sort of ritual among the foals in the once humble town, though today was different.

When the bell rang, the school year would close and summer vacation would begin at last. It was a time which sent jolts coursing through everypony’s veins, though it was also a chaotic time which saw toilet paper get tossed into nearby trees and more than one pony getting a irate stomach from a little too much candy. Apple Bloom bit her lip as her eyes mimicked the motions of the clock.

Tick tock! Tick tock! The noise was all Apple Bloom's ears heard as she counted each and every second passing by. Much to her displeasure, the seconds felt longer and longer as the clock approached two. She even felt a little nauseous as time slowed to a pace a snail would find too slow. Her eyebrows furrowed and her hoof tapped against the smooth, oak floor of the classroom as her gaze remained glued on the clock.

Tick tock! Tick tock! There were only fifteen seconds until the summer break. Apple Bloom's mind shifted focus on what she should do over the summer. However, the possibility of a summer assignment in her future tickled the back of her brain. She cringed at the mere thought of such a blasphemous act. Then again, Miss Cheerilee wasn’t the kind of pony to do such a thing.

Perhaps her friends had something in mind. The crevices of Apple Bloom’s mind were running dry. Working on the farm and similar tasks weren’t her idea of fun. Turning to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Apple Bloom's lips curled into a slight smile. She winked at the pair and waved her hooves in a circular motion like it was some sort of code. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both grinned and nodded to confirm their understanding.

Tick tock! In the blink of an eye, a cacophonous chime polluted the air. Apple Bloom flinched for a split second, shielding her ears from the bell’s barrage. Nevertheless, she joined all the fillies and colts in leaping out of their desks. When everypony plopped onto their hooves, they charged at the school's exit like a pack of wild bulls. Cheers loud enough to shatter eardrums erupted in the air, echoing all over the classroom. The noise was the last thing anypony needed after the bell, though Apple Bloom and her aching ears couldn’t care less. Summer was waiting, after all.

Wiggling around the desks and empty chairs, Apple Bloom soon found herself in the middle of the stampede. To her luck, her cheeks were squeezed by the rock-like shoulders of two other students. She knew her face would be sore for the next few hours thanks to their stark build.

Attempting to wave to Miss Cheerilee, Apple Bloom then found herself shoved outside the school building less than a second later. She collapsed onto the cold, dew-covered grass instead of a solid pathway, much to her delight. The fillies and colts all dispersed into smaller groups, all galloping with mile-wide grins. Apple Bloom took a deep breath and swiped away some of the sweat dripping from her brow. It was good to be able to breathe clean air again.

Pushing herself upright, Apple Bloom then trotted forwards towards the flagpole erected in the front of the school building. Fluttering at the top of it as though it were alive and trying to break free was the town flag of Ponyville. The occasional gusts of wind blew across her face, tickling her cheeks. It was a nice contrast to the sun beating down on her face and cooking her like bread in an oven. Hot to cold, cold to hot. The cycle repeated itself at regular intervals.

Apple Bloom pressed her weight against the smooth, steel pole and gazed at the school. Its pinkish exterior was much like a barn's and its vibrant colors drew the eye toward it. Such a design wasn’t flattering, however. Apple Bloom’s mind formulated all sorts of ways to give the building a more pleasing visage, though she discarded the thought a minute later.

Meandering across the field with a skip in her step, Apple Bloom’s grin widened. After a minute of prancing about, her limbs froze. A few fillies and colts were still leaving the schoolhouse as though a thousand ponies resided in there. None of them were Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom groaning in response.

When am I going to do something fun? Hurry up, everypony.

Then again, patience was never something she was awarded for if her yearning for a cutie mark was anything to go by.

Apple Bloom pouted, her muzzle scrunched up like an accordion. Right then, as if on cue, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stormed out of the school with glowing eyes. Apple Bloom's ears shot up, a radiant grin stretching across her face as she galloped towards her friends.

"Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom shouted at the top of her lungs. She ceased trotting, but her limbs refused to stop shaking in excitement. "Are you ready for some fun?"

"Of course I am," Scootaloo said. Her twinkling eyes and wide smile oozed confidence. "I wonder if we'll get our cutie marks during summer break. Wait, of course we will!" She then fluttered her wings for a moment. "Maybe I'll even learn how to fly!"

"What should we do?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I was thinking about seeing if we could get our cutie marks in martial arts."

"C'mon, Sweetie Belle. I already tried that," Apple Bloom said. She cringed. Memories of her last attempt reached the top of her mind. "Hitting one of those bag things is like hitting concrete. Why don't we try getting our cutie marks in fencing?"

Sweetie Belle's glanced upward, her hoof on her muzzle. "What would a fencing cutie mark even look like? Maybe we could get our cutie marks in trying to get cutie marks."

The trio let out hearty laughs. But as they giggled, Apple Bloom felt a tingling sensation within her chest. She had been trying everything to find her cutie mark for what felt like years, though in reality only nine months passed since she started crusading with her best friends. The thought of her doing it all wrong came to her first, though she discredited it a second later. She questioned whether there was more to cutie marks than she thought. Perhaps the answer was in front of her the entire time. Nevertheless, she needed to get it out somehow.

"Hmm. Girls, do you think maybe we're missing the point?" Apple Bloom asked as she raised her hoof up.

Scootaloo shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Beats me," she said. "I just want my cutie mark to be something awesome." She flapped her petite wings and struck a pose, her hoof pointing toward the sky. 

"Here comes the part where she rants about Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle muttered to herself.

"Something like the one Rainbow Dash has."

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, though not a peep escaped her mouth.

"I want a cool cutie mark as well," Apple Bloom added. “But maybe the answer to our special talents has been in front of us this entire time."

Scootaloo cocked her head to the right, gazing at Apple Bloom with a bemused expression. "How so?"

"Well, when Sweetie Belle mentioned the whole trying to get a cutie mark in finding cutie marks, I felt something weird inside of me." Apple Bloom shuffled her hooves, pressing them against the coarse dirt. With widened eyes, she gazed at where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood. "I think that maybe we should ask somepony how they got their cutie mark."

Sweetie Belle arced an eyebrow. "Didn't we already do that?" she asked. "You know, with our sisters and their close friends, remember? Why would we do that again? Plus, who would we ask besides our older sisters and their friends?"

"I think if we just asked different ponies, we could figure out how to get them." Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. "Call me crazy, but it just might work."

"I've always thought you were crazy, blank flank," a venomous voice said in the distance.

Apple Bloom's spine froze and her legs metamorphosed into concrete. There was no doubt as to the voice’s mischievous owner, Apple Bloom’s breathing quickening. Swiveling her head toward the voice's source, the air turned thin when she spotted who was before her.

There were her two nemeses, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Their sly smirks still urged Apple Bloom to plant a hoof into them after all this time. However, she was aware violence would only put her in the bad.

Diamond trotted closer toward Apple Bloom, her flank swaying with each step. Every motion she made tried to display her cutie mark like it was a trophy. Silver Spoon, on the other hoof, had an expression devoid of emotion and only followed Diamond close behind. Apple Bloom couldn’t help but wonder if Silver Spoon had something else on her mind. After all, teasing her for the summer would be a waste of free time. They both did plenty of it during the school year.

Nevertheless, a fire ignited within Apple Bloom's eyes. Gritting her teeth, her face then twisted into a fierce scowl that would make a manticore wince. Scootaloo trotted next to her on the right, a squeaky growl escaping her throat. Glancing behind her, Apple Bloom noticed Sweetie Belle shivering with puckered lips and shimmering eyes. A few soft, inaudible whimpers left her mouth.

"I hear you losers are still trying to figure out what your cutie marks are," Diamond quipped, her voice sounding like it came from a snake. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You know that you three have no talents, right? Like, all those stupid attempts for cutie marks just proves it."

"That's not true!" Apple Bloom shouted. She leaned over towards Diamond and glared at her, her mind restraining her from planting a hoof into her face. "We do have talents! We're just looking for them!"

"If you have a talent, then where's your cutie mark?" Bobbing her eyebrows, Diamond then flaunted her cutie mark once more. Apple Bloom sulked in response, letting out a deep sigh. "Thought so."

"Then what are your talents, brat?" Scootaloo sniped, her cheeks blushing. "What's a dumb tiara and a stupid spoon supposed to represent?" As two seconds of silence passed, her lips curled into a devilish smile. "Come on, what is it?"

"I'm a pastry chef," Silver Spoon replied, her monotone voice taking Apple Bloom off guard. She trotted over to Scootaloo, gazing into her eyes as if to peer into her soul. "I know that I haven't talked a lot about it, but don't assume my talent represents something useless just because I don’t mention it. I mean, why would I have to explain myself all the time? When you get your cutie mark—whatever it is—I don’t think you’ll ever have to explain it. Besides, most of our classmates already knew this about me. If you listened for once, maybe you'd know this."

Scootaloo groaned and her face then scowled at Silver Spoon. "Look who's talking. If the three of us got our cutie marks tomorrow, you'd think our talents would be useless even though they wouldn't be."

Silver Spoon shook her head. "Diamond might, but I wouldn't.” She paused. “My friend is more critical of cutie marks than I am, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like you’re going to wow us with them.”

“How come?”

“Again, I don't know what your special talent might be to begin with. I understand why you wouldn't believe me, blank flank." Silver Spoon swished her tail. “Just go off and do your crusading or whatever. Maybe you’ll trip on a cutie mark. Then again, you probably won’t since you just blindly run into everything you find.” She edged closer to Scootaloo. “Isn’t that right?”

Scootaloo stepped back and then rubbed her head. A blank gaze adorned her visage as words failed to escape her throat.

"Now hold on a minute," Apple Bloom said. Raising her head, she peered at Silver Spoon and slapped her tail against the ground. "Just what are you trying to get at? You have to be here for a reason, right? I mean, it's summer break. Shouldn't you be having fun like normal ponies?"

"But we're here for a reason, Apple Bloom." Diamond replied in a concerned voice, though something about it tightened Apple Bloom’s chest. Her eyebrows ruffled and she ground her teeth at Diamond. "We wanted to help the three of you get your cutie mark, and we know exactly how you can do it."

Apple Bloom face scrunched up. Huffing, she then trudged closer to Diamond until she was within spitting distance. Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom donned a milder expression. Thoughts regarding just what Diamond had in store raced within her mind. Knowing her, Apple Bloom figured it would be some impossible fetch quest designed to spook her and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Fetch quest? Wait a second!

Apple Bloom wore a faint smile as something clicked in her mind. Diamond had something in store for her, but the idea of flipping it to her advantage was too brilliant to pass up. If there was a cutie mark or something of value to grasp, Apple Bloom knew she’d be foolish to pass it down. "It better be good, so tell us," she ordered.

"Um, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle whispered into her ear. "Are you sure it's a good idea to trust these two?"

"I have an idea, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom murmured back. "They're not going to expect this."

"Can I explain now?" Diamond asked in a tone that sounded akin to a griffon's talons against a chalkboard. "You're boring me."

Apple Bloom nodded, her shining smile widening by the second. "Go on."

"I want the three of you to go to the Everfree Forest and retrieve something for me." Diamond bit her lip, fighting off giggles as her cheeks flushed. "I want you to go there and get a Rainbow Flower. If you do, you might get a florist cutie mark."

“Gotcha,” Apple Bloom whispered to herself, but just loud enough for Diamond to hear. With a deep breath, Diamond took short step back. The open book titled Diamond Tiara messed with the wrong filly. Exhaling, Apple Bloom then orated, "On one condition.”

Diamond raised an eyebrow. "Huh?” She shrugged and then quivered. “W-what do you want?"

"I want both of you to join us."

Diamond sprang up into the air in surprise, landing on all fours. "W-what? This is something only you can do!" Twiddling her mane, she exhaled. “It’s not going to get you cutie marks if you do it with us!”

"We don't know what a Rainbow Flower looks like, but I bet you do." This was a lie. Apple Bloom knew what a Rainbow Flower was, but her chest tightened just in case Diamond figured it out. Then again, the emotionless expression across her face would make finding out impossible. She was always christened as the expert liar of the family, though she never knew if it was meant as a compliment. “Also, I know for a fact we can get cutie marks with you two around.”

"Well, um, you're just chicken!" Diamond stretched her foreleg toward Apple Bloom, a grin plastered on the former's face. "That's it. You're a chicken! You and your fellow blank flanks! You need our help to do it because you’re cowards!" She paused. “So that’s what’s going on!”

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Nope. You're the chicken around here."

Diamond stomped the ground as specks of dirt flew up into the air. A light brown cloud of dust shrouded her. Growling, Diamond then clenched her teeth. "That's it! Nopony calls me chicken!" Diamond turned to Silver Spoon, waving her hoof as though she was trying to swat a fly. "C'mon, Silvy. We're joining the blank flanks."

"Whatever you want, Di," said Silver Spoon. “But are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I’m positive it’s a good idea.” Diamond took a short step forward. “Come now, let’s show those blank flanks how it’s done!”

The pair made their way toward Apple Bloom with short steps. Diamond sulked, mumbling profanities under her breath with a deep grimace plastered on her face. Silver Spoon, on the other hoof, was a blank slate. Other than her shuffling next to Sweetie Belle for a second, Apple Bloom failed to spot anything out of the ordinary. Studying Silver Spoon was akin to reading a book in a foreign language as far as she was concerned. There had to be something up with the gray filly, though what she had in mind was an enigma.

"Now then," Diamond said with a puffed out chest. Apple Bloom and the others stared into Diamond's eyes. "If we're going to find a Rainbow Flower, you're going to have to do everything I say."

"Why?" Scootaloo asked.

Diamond raised an eyebrow and her eye twitched. "What?"

"Why do we have to listen to only you? What if one of us has a better plan? Then what?"

Placing a hoof to her face, Diamond groaned. "I'm the leader around here. And because of this, what I say goes."

"Um, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon muttered, raising her hoof up into the air. "What if somepony else has a better idea? You have to admit that she has a point." Diamond leaned toward Silver Spoon, the former’s brow ruffled. "Okay, maybe a little."

Apple Bloom glanced over to Silver Spoon and assumed a bemused expression. She had almost never seen Silver Spoon disagree with Diamond Tiara for as long as she butted heads with them. The only other instance she recalled this happening was back during the school's Family Appreciation Day. Silver Spoon clapped at Granny Smith's story as a palpable awe radiated from her while Diamond just pouted and went off on a tirade against her grandmother. Other than that, Silver Spoon had been riding Diamond's coattails from the beginning. Then again, it was possible Apple Bloom only saw one side of the story. Perhaps this was normal.

"Fine, we'll work together," Diamond whined, her body shuddering. She let out a deep sigh and trotted ahead of the group. "Come now, we better not take too long."

As Diamond went ahead, Apple Bloom turned towards Silver Spoon and stared blankly at her. Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow and shrugged, to which she responded by shrugging back at her.

"What do you want, blank flank?" Silver Spoon questioned. However, something about her sharp tone felt off.

"Nothing," Apple Bloom responded. “I’m just gazin’ off into space.”

"Then don't stare at me like that, please." Silver Spoon turned around in a huff and then followed Diamond Tiara. Such behavior from her was what Apple Bloom was used to, but what she said resulted in a bemused expression from Apple Bloom. Her head felt empty for a moment.

Did she just say please?

Turning to where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were, Apple Bloom nodded and smiled. "Let's follow them," she proposed.

"Got it," Scootaloo said as she rubbed her hoof across her mane.

"Um, okay," Sweetie Belle said, her body shivering as though a blizzard swirled past her.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled up and gave chase to Diamond and Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom led with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle bringing up the rear. They bounced in unison with grins across their faces. It was a simple adventure, though any adventure where cutie marks might be awaiting them was one Apple Bloom was for.

But as she kept going, her chest tightened. The smile she once bore vanished in an instant and a chill coursed down her spine. Their next destination was the Everfree Forest. It was the same forest which housed several creatures made of nightmares. Apple Bloom even recounted the rumors of dark magic concocting some of the Everfree Forest’s myriad of dangers. She couldn’t help but turn pale at the thought. True or not, nothing pleasant could possibly come from this.