Six years. It's been six long years, or at least close to it, since Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo boarded onto the train and began their quest outside of their hometown. In those six years, the trio has nearly done it all: mining, accounting, skiing, participating in rodeos, dancing, and much more, and have gone to all the major towns and cities of Equestria, even some from the Griffon Empire; but, they succeeded, they finally got their marks and can return home with a champion's smile on their faces. Or, at least, two of them can.
Ever since their journey started, the trio met and befriended a number of ponies, learning from them, how they got their cutie marks, their backgrounds, and how they came to be the pony they had met, and let that further help them better know themselves better in a way. Despite all these encounters though, and all the new faces they met over the last several years, a certain purple dragon with emerald-green eyes still held the forefront of Applebloom's mind.
She's tried to forget her old feelings for him, she really has. She reasoned to herself that it would be for the best as Spike longed for somepony else, but no matter what, she couldn't simply forget him.
"Applebloom...?" she heard Sweetie's voice ask softly as she entered the room.
The trio, now having succeeded in earning their cutie marks, were now in Manehattan at Applebloom's Uncle and Aunt Orange's place. Just as it had been their first stop those years ago, it was also their last before going back home to Ponyville. The trio were suppose to head back that very same day, but didn't due to Scootaloo apparently hearing about a sports-related junior competition being held in Manehattan and had, without a second thought, signed up. It was going to last a week, so that meant they were going to stay a week longer, which was fine since it meant more time for Applebloom to think and try to forget, even if she knew it wouldn't really help.
"Hm...?" she replied, tearing her attention away from the upper-level story window that gave her a clear view of the night sky, "Somethin' the matter, Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie shook her head, "No, I just...I was checking up on you. You've been up here for a while now; and, your Uncle said dinner is almost ready."
"Oh..., okay, ah'll be right down in a moment." and turned her attention back out the window.
Sweetie Belle looked at her for a moment, then out at the night sky, before giving an audible sigh, "Still thinking about him...?"
By now, it was a fact she and Scootaloo knew about Applebloom. They were aware how Applebloom had been trying to let go of that part of herself, and about the lone star the Apples looked at when they missed a member of their family. While Spike wasn't exactly a member of the family, it had brought the young earth pony some comfort over the last several years.
Applebloom's ears flattened, and hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Ah can't help it. No matter how hard ah try, Sweetie Belle, ah can't forget about 'im. No mattah how hard ah try, no mattah how many new ponies ah meet, ah just can't forget 'im, and...and how much 'e meant ta me."
Sweetie didn't say anything, but came a little closer before sitting next to her friend.
"Ah tried, an' ah tried, an' tried fer six years, and ah just can't."
"You might still have a chance. I mean, I know Rarity doesn't feel the same, and it's just a crush he had on her, and it's been years now."
"I know, but ah thought ah just had a crush on 'im and it would go 'way after a while, but here ah am now, years later, lookin' at a star still hopin' he could return the feelin'." she replied in an upset tone.
Sweetie didn't say anything, but gave her friend a hug in an attempt to comfort her friend.
Applebloom remained silent as well, before returning the hug with just one of her forelegs. The two stayed like that for moment or so, before hearing some hoofsteps approach the room.
"Hey, dinner's ready you two. What are you two do- Eh, what's going on?" they heard Babs say just before she looked into the room.
"Applebloom's still thinking about Spike." Sweetie Belle merely stated just before pulling away from the hug.
"Still?! Even after all these years?" she asked as she entered the room.
Babs scratched the side of her head before quickly shouting, "Mom, Dad, give us a moment." out the door of the room, "Cousin, here, why don't you tell me a little bit more about this crush you have on this dragon. You haven't exactly told me much about him outside of who and what he is to you."
Applebloom hesitated for a brief moment before nodding, "Well..., ya already know 'ow ah met him."
"Yeah, I know that. Not to sound rude or anything, but can you just skip all the intro details? I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad aren't going to appreciate it if we take too long talking about this."
Applebloom nodded in understanding, "Ah...ah just dunno where ta start...Spike, he's just one of the good ones. In all the years ah've known him, he's one of the most reliable and loyal friends I've ever had."
"Go on." Babs stated after a brief pause.
"Fer the longest time, ah never really got ta know him, mostly cause he was so busy helping mah sister or 'er friends so often, especially Miss Twilight."
"Right, you did mention to me he is Princess Twilight's personal assistant in a letter you sent to me."
"But after we started gettin' older, he started bein' out 'n about more and spent more time with me, Scootaloo, and Sweetie."
"I don't think we're getting anywhere with this." Babs stated, feeling that this was still information her cousin could afford to skip for now, "How about this. Tell me, how do you feel for him? What makes you like him so much?"
Babs voice was a little more rough than it probably needed to be, partially because she didn't want to anger her parents by taking too long and was feeling a tad impatient; but, a majority of it was because she personally didn't exactly hold Spike in such high regards. She hardly knew him that well, but she knew for a fact that all the emotional turmoil her cousin was going through was being caused by him, even if it was technically unconsciously.
"Spike...well, like ah said, he's reliable, but he's also brave, carin', and someone ah know ah can trust. Ah know he'd never hurt me, or anypony, on purpose, and is actually quite honest as long as he ain't thinkin' he's gonna get in trouble fer it." Applebloom let a smile form on her face, "If Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle can't be there fer me, Spike would be. Listenin' whenever ah need it, and ah suppose the fact he's strong don' hurt neither."
Sweetie smiled as well, finding it to be rather sweet, and while Babs agreed, she couldn't help gesturing in a joking way that she also found it to be sickeningly so.
"Ah'm not sure ah can name off every lil' thing ah like about him. What ah am sure about is that ah can't help feelin' happy ta see him smilin', an' how much ah look fo'ward ta seein' him each day." the smile then fell from her face, "Th-that's why ah wanted ta forget about 'im, cause ah know he'd be happier with somepony else."
Sweetie Belle pulled her into another hug.
"Ah wanted ta move on, hopin' fer somepony else ta catch mah eye, but ah can't. Ah've met hundreds of othah ponies, been ta nearly all of Equestria, and ah still can't forget him! Ah just don't feel the happiness or nearly as safe as Spike made me feel when ah look at 'im."
Babs sighed as she rubbed the side of her head. This wasn't going to be easy.
The trio then fell into silence as Babs contemplated what her cousin just told her, and Sweetie tried comforting Applebloom. Babs had hoped some of the same advice she had told some of her friends when they fell into the slump Applebloom had would work, but by the sounds of it, her advice will probably hurt more than anything.
After several minutes of contemplation, Babs took a deep breath and sighed again, before breaking the silence, "Do you think you want to see him again?"
"Huh, wha...?"
"Spike. Do you think you want to see Spike again?"
"Ah...ah dunno...Part 'o me does kinda miss 'im, but the other part says ah really shouldn't."
"Why? Why does a part of you say you shouldn't?"
"Ah dunno! Ah just have a feelin' in mah gut that ah shouldn't see him, again."
Babs waited to see if Applebloom would say more, but when she didn't, "If you ask me, cousin, I think you should. I think you should go back and see him again."
"What fer...?"
"What did you say to him at the station that day? The day you three left on this quest for you marks?"
"Ah just told him mah feelings, and that ah knew that he was eyein' somepony else."
"Anything else?"
"N-none that ah remember..."
"What did he say?"
"He sorta didn't. Ah was in a rush cause the train had already shown up, and ah had ta get on board."
"You never heard him say anything?!"
Applebloom nodded.
"I think that's your problem right there." Babs stated
"What is...?"
"I don't think you finished what you started that day, six years ago. You told him how you felt, but you never actually heard him reply."
"Why does that matter?" Sweetie asked, genuinely curious.
"Because it means Applebloom has unfinished business." Babs replied then looked Applebloom, "You got the weight of telling him off your back, but what you just told me makes me think you chickened out all the same. I think that's the part of you who doesn't want to see him again, because you don't actually want to hear his answer."
Applebloom didn't say a word as she looked at Babs, a slight trace of confusion clear on her face.
"That's why you can't really move on. You knew he had his eye on some other mare, which from your old letters, I guess is still Sweetie's older sister." She looked to the young unicorn, who nodded, "You don't want to hear it, because you're afraid of the idea that he could never return your feelings, and reject them entirely."
At that Applebloom choked up, and bit her lip, as she tried fighting back some tears.
"Go on, tell me I'm wrong." She paused waiting to hear if Applebloom will deny anything she had just said. When she didn't, Babs lifted a foreleg up and offered Applebloom a hug, which she accepted, "Just let it all out, cousin."
As Applebloom started sobbing into her cousin's coat, Sweetie tried showing her sympathy and tried giving her friend a hug as well. The trio held that pose for several minutes as Applebloom thought about the situation that had been hoofed out to her. She had stopped crying a couple of minutes ago, but chose to not move.
Eventually Applebloom lifted her head up, and the trio broke the hug.
"Feeling better...?" Babs asked.
"Yeah..." she replied with a nod, "Ah, think ah am. Wow..., ah guess...ah guess ah feel fer 'im a lil' more than ah thought ah did."
"I'd say that might be an understatement; but, yeah, ya think...?" Babs remarked with a chuckle.
"If...If what ya'll just told me is true, then what do ah do...? Ah can't go back and face 'im now."
"You have to. You have to go back and finally hear it out of his mouth."
"But, what if he does reject me? What if he still doesn't feel the same...?"
"Then you'll just have to take it." she replied firmly, "If he doesn't feel the same, well, his loss. He'll never know how lucky he was that you cared for him that much; but, you still need to move on and go on with your life."
Applebloom frowned as she seemed to fall to the ground, seemingly weakened at the thought.
"A lot can change in six years, who's to say he won't? I mean, look..." she looked towards Sweetie Belle, "Sweetie, have you heard from you sister as of late? Has she mentioned anything to you about her in a relationship with Spike?"
"Well, um..., she hasn't. To be honest, we haven't heard from our sisters for a couple of months now. Since we kinda moved around a lot, we kinda sent out more letters than we actually receive."
"But she still hasn't said anything about her and Spike, right?" to which Sweetie shook her head, "See, you might have a chance."
"And what if he has, an' ah missed mah chance already...?"
"You still need to go back and hear it from him." Babs put a hoof on Applebloom's shoulder, "I'm not saying it won't hurt doing it though. In fact, you might find more fun by being hit by the New Crystal Express; but, you gotta do it, if you want to finally forget your feelings for him and move on."
"How do you know? You've never been in a relationship with anypony."
"You're right, I've never been in a relationship, but I know ponies who have. Most of the other former members of the Manehatten Branch C-M-C have been in relationships, and not all of them really panned out to anything." he replied, "That's how I know you have to hear it straight from him, to hopefully get some closure, and you can move on. Look, worst case scenario, he can't return your feelings and he does reject you; but, on the other hoof, maybe he isn't with another pony, and he's willing to give you a chance."
Applebloom remained silent as she looked at her cousin.
"Of course, that's just a suggestion. You don't have to follow through with anything I just said. I'm just, you know, just saying..."
Applebloom hesitated, but eventually she shook her head, "Yeah..., maybe you're right. Maybe ah do need ta go talk ta him." she paused, "Ah'm not sure ah'm lookin' forward ta it though."
"I don't think anypony in your position ever is."
"Whatever happens, Applebloom, whether Spike is able to return your feelings or not, you can count on Scootaloo and me to be there for you." Sweetie rang in with a smile.
"Hey, don't forget about me too." Babs stated, "You can bet, that I'll have my favorite cousin's back as well."
At that Applebloom smiled and pulled both Babs and Sweetie into a hug, "Thanks, ya two." after a moment she pulled away, "Alright, I'll head back tomorrow."
"Good to hear."
"But, wait, what about ya and Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked Sweetie Belle, "The competition..."
"We'll stay back for now, I guess. I mean Scootaloo has been training real hard for this competition." Sweetie Belle replied in an unsure tone.
"I'm sure she'll understand. You just head back and get that closure, Applebloom." Babs remarked, "If anything bad happens, just send us a letter, and we'll be in Ponyville as fast we can.", which Sweetie Belle agreed to as well with a nod.
"Okay...Thanks again." Applebloom then looked back out at the star.
"Still going to be looking at that star?"
"Ah gotta get mah thoughts ta'gether, an' the star helps put me at ease."
"If you say so. Just remember to come eat dinner before it gets cold." Babs stated, to which Applebloom acknowledged with a nod, before the older earth pony took her leave followed by Sweetie Belle.
Now left alone again, Applebloom looked back at the star shining in the sky. She needed to get her thoughts together for what she was going to say tomorrow if she finds Spike when she gets back, and to steel herself for whatever answer she may receive.