//------------------------------// // Past One - All in Good Fun // Story: Heart and Mind // by Quick Fix //------------------------------// Ponyville October 6th, Year 22 under the Four Princesses The autumn air was a welcome feeling as it gently flowed through the trees surrounding the town square. With the slight chill it brought, most ponies were staying indoors for now with only a few out and about on business. A trio of such ponies were heading into the square now, one heading for a meeting with the mayor while the other two had stayed alongside for company on the way. On the left was Apple Bloom herself, in far better shape than her present self, her coat and mane brighter, her step full of vigour and her flank emblazoned with a saw cutie mark. A representation of her practicality and skill at woodworking. To her right was another earth pony that was pink all over, enthusiastic to the point of bouncing rather than walking and with a trio of balloons for a cutie mark. It was none other than Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter and the soul of any gathering. On the other side of Pinkie was an orange pegasus with lavender mane and a cutie mark of a purple aviator helmet. This was Scootaloo, the best ground based stuntpony in Equestria and one of Apple Bloom's closest friends. She was the one who was having a meeting, the other two had tagged along to keep her spirits up, or at least take her mind off the frustration she'd been dealing with over the last few days. "I guess if I was honest," Scootaloo mused, thinking over the latest question posed to her. "The kind of stallion I'd like to date would be athletic, easy-going, not too bad looking..." "Like Soarin in his prime?" Pinkie interrupted, prompting a humoured laugh from Scootaloo. "Something like that, maybe not quite as goofy though." "Come on, you stuck around with the Crusaders all these years, you have to like goofy." Apple Bloom teased. Scootaloo merely grinned and waved a hoof in fake dismissal as they reached town hall. "Well, thanks for that you two, I should get going now. I'll see you later." Scootaloo waved a farewell and headed off for the entrance, leaving Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie to head off and open up their shops for the day. Pinkie thought for a minute before looking over at her old friend. "So, Apple Bloom, what do you look for in a partner?" "Well, funny you should ask...I was thinking about it the other day and I realised the kind of pony I'd like to be with would be funny, good natured, outgoing but knowing their limits. Heck if I didn't know better, I'd say the ideal pony I'd like to date was you." The idea sounded even more ridiculous out loud. Pinkie Pie couldn't help but laugh at the idea, Apple Bloom chuckled with her and looked away slightly. Truth be told, now that she'd said it out loud it came across as different to how she'd intended it. Beforehoof, it was just a funny little fantasy, even if coming up with it had taken up most of the evening. Now though, next to the closest equivalent of said fantasy right next to her, focused on the mare with the kind of personality that she'd just said was ideal, the whole situation felt different and...Was, was she blushing slightly? "Yeah, silly I know." Apple Bloom shook her head slightly, trying to push the thought out of mind for now. She trotted a little quicker to catch up with Pinkie. "No, not at all. Everypony should have the chance to have the most super-riffic pony to stick around with. It's not like there's only one me in Equestria either, there's probably another Cheese Sandwich out there just right for you." "S-sure, and even if not, it's just for fun, right?" Apple Bloom commented, though that wasn't what she had meant at all. It wasn't enough to just understand how to make a pony laugh, her ideal partner would know when to rein it in, how to find a way to work through any emotion and bring out the positives. Pinkie Pie had matured a lot over the last few years and knew just how to do that. She could do a lot of things now, considering she was basically running Sugarcube corner and watching over the Cake twins at the same time. It wasn't just that though. Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom had been friends since the latter was just a filly, Pinkie had always been willing to help out with setting up any Crusader activities, making sure each of them got a heck of a party when they'd earned their marks, but she'd always seemed to make time for Apple Bloom in day to day things as well. They'd bonded together and Pinkie had probably been her most significant figure outside of family and the CMC, but there wasn't anything more to it than that, right? The topic didn't come up again as they headed through town, Pinkie seemed to have picked up that it was a complicated area and kept the talk on lighter things before they reached Sugarcube corner. "Thanks for walking with me, Apple Bloom. I'll make sure you get an extra special order next time you're in. How about a good friends get-together party?" "I'll settle for a muffin," Apple Bloom chuckled. "But I'll be sure to follow that up later. Good to see you, Pinkie." She waved a farewell and set off again, heading for the northern end of town. Based out there was the livelihood she'd built for herself: Apple Bloom's Carpentry and Woodwork. She'd spent six years building business up and now had regular work producing and supplying furniture across Ponyville and to the outlying farms, possibly towns further out if Applejack or Big Mac were able to help with transport. The walk gave her more time to think about Pinkie. Part of her wondered if this was just a weird coincidence, another part that she might have always felt like this in some way. There had to be some way to figure this out, something quick and simple. Apple Bloom stepped to the side of the street and relaxed herself, this was a long shot of an idea but it would only take a few seconds. She closed her eyes, down to normal, and thought of Pinkie Pie. Her bouncy step, her eager smile, her sleek body that seemed to have a metabolism faster than Rainbow Dash. She was...Apple Bloom stopped, feeling something inside her. It was similar to how she felt around her family but, not quite the same. Close friend feeling? No, this wasn't the same happy vibe she had with any of the CMC either. It was subtle but definitely something new, something surprisingly welcome. It would have to wait for now though, Apple Bloom set off again, letting the feeling subside for now. Work was always a welcome distraction from her other issues, getting into the zone and making what she considered art that doubled as durable furniture. It was a straightforward walk now, one she used to see other ponies as they were coming out for the day. She waved at a few as they passed by, recognising a lot of those out and about. That was the nice thing about a community like Ponyville, everypony recognised each other no matter how long they'd been there. Five minutes of walking brought Apple Bloom to the store, not exactly large but enough for her to get things done. She opened up and stepped inside, flicking the lights on and going through the morning routine of setting the displays up. She always took a small measure of pride in seeing her work displayed like that. That done, she checked the desk over and noticed a letter had been delivered before she had arrived, hopefully an item order. She looked it over and smiled, an order indeed, with details and payment enclosed. "For Lyra, eh? Good." She said to herself, when...No, if, she decided these feelings about Pinkie were for real, Lyra Heartstrings was probably the best pony in town to ask for advice about it. Her and Bon Bon were something of an icon among same sex couples in Equestria and they were always willing to give advice to others who came out. Apple Bloom chuckled slightly as she double checked the order and saw it was for a closet, there was a pun in there somewhere. She shook her head slightly, personal life later, work time now. She headed through to her workstation in the back room, checking the wood blocks she kept set up for new projects. There was a lot you could do when you started with just a block, Apple Bloom knew first hoof what she could do after the cutie pox incident had her temporarily sculpting like a pro. She took a pencil in her mouth, pinned the order details to a large block and started sketching an outline. Already she was focused, putting all the what ifs of earlier aside for what she really loved right now.