//------------------------------//
// Prompt #324: Support 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
//------------------------------//

“I really don’t see what the problem is. Ya like her.” Apple Bloom was not helping. 

“Apple Bloom, this is serious!” I said, wincing as my voice broke mid sentence. I thought I’d grown out of that, but it still happened occasionally. “She’s, well, you know.”

“No, I don’t know,” muttered Apple Bloom, picking up a chisel, and using it to smooth out one of the edges of the scooter she was repairing as a favour to Scootaloo.

“She’s a Princess. Rarity goes on about true love and stuff, but she’s still a Princess.” I said, trying to impress upon Apple Bloom the importance of that fact.

“She lives in Ponyville,” grunted Apple Bloom, “still not seein’ the problem is. Beyond you bein’ a scaredy cat, of course.”

“But, but, but...”

“But nothin’, Sweetie,” said Apple Bloom, exchanging the chisel for a hammer and glaring at me. “You had no problem learnin’ magic from her during Twilight Time. Only thing that happened since is she got her own castle. She’s still the same pony.”

“Have you seen her castle? It’s intimidating walking up to that thing!” I said, my voice cracking again. Apple Bloom snickered.

“Look, Squeaky Belle,” she said, using an old nickname of mine. I glared at her. She ignored me, and continued. “The only problem is with you. You’re scared. Sooner or later, you’re just gonna have to pony up and tell her what you feel.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered, “You’re in love with woodwork.”

“Ah will have y’all know that ah do, in fact, have my eye on somepony,” said Apple Bloom, deliberately playing up her accent. I swear she does that just to annoy me.

“And have you told them yet?” Apple Bloom hesitated, and I jumped on the chance. “Ah-hah! See, not so easy, is it?”

“It’s not that!” said Apple Bloom, “she don’t like mares like that, anyway.” 

“And how do you know that?” I asked, leaning in close, smelling gossip.

“I asked her.” I shut up after that, just watching Apple Bloom work on Scootaloo’s scooter.

“Just go tell her, Sweetie,” said Apple Bloom, “The worst that can happen is she says no. And you know that Twilight’s gonna be nice about it. ‘Sides, if you were afraid of failure, we wouldn’t have gone on all those crazy adventures while we were lookin’ for our cutie marks.”

“I guess,” I muttered, “it’s still scary, thinking about what she’s going to say.”

“Applejack said it usually is, but we gotta do it anyway. Somethin’ about love and lost or never loving at all.”

“Sounds like something Rarity would say,” I said.

“Don’t mean it’s not true, though.” My face twisted while I tried to process the double negative in the sentence.

“You know what? I’m going to tell her,” I said eventually.

“You do that, Sweetie,” said Apple Bloom, “and if it don’t work out, we’ll grab Scoot and go fer icecream or somethin’. Now get!”

I ran off the Apple’s farm, my heart thudding in my throat as I headed for the castle, and a metaphorical, and hopefully literal, date with destiny.