It was mid-afternoon when Applebloom arrived at Ponyville Train Station, she would've arrived much earlier, but she had a slight hold-up back at Manehattan in the form of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo not being able to decide what to say in a letter. Since Sweetie and Scootaloo were going to stay longer at Manehattan, the duo decided to send letters for their loved ones in their place explaining what was going on and why they were going to stay at the city a little longer. There was also Aunt and Uncle Orange, who refused to let her leave unless she ate some lunch before going, and naturally a quick snack to go didn't count.
Since it was in the middle of the day, the stars were already gone, but Applebloom couldn't help but look up at the spot she knew the star would be in the sky as she got off of the train. Her cousin Babs's words were still fresh on her mind, but the more she thought about seeing Spike, the more concerned she became about actually seeing him.
Applebloom took a deep breath and sighed. First things first, she wanted to see her family again and started towards Sweet Apple Acres. Her concerns though were put aside though, when she noticed just how much Ponyville had changed since she left, aside from noticing the town was busier, she also noticed the new stores, new faces, new-.
"HI!" a rather loud, cheerful voice stated just in front of her, interrupting her thoughts.
Applebloom groaned as the slight ringing in her left ear subsided.
"I'm Pinkie Pie, and welcome to-" Pinkie stopped once she got a better look at who she was talking to, "Wait, you're not new to Ponyville." she remarked upon realizing she recognized the mare in front of her, though she couldn't quite grasp who exactly just yet.
"Ugh...Pinkie...?"
"Applebloom...?" Pinkie asked followed by a loud gasp, "Applebloom! You're back!" she cheered happily as she stood up on her hindlegs and gave her a tight hug.
Applebloom giggled in response and returned the hug, "Good ta see ya again too, Pinkie."
"Wowie! I almost didn't recognize you at all, and," loud gasp, "look at how much you've grown up. Your almost as tall as Applejack, and, " another, yet louder, gasp, "You got your cutie mark!"
"Well, ah wasn't exactly 'full-grown' when ah left, and, yeah, ah finally earned it just a few days ago."
"Ooo! Does that mean Sweetie and Scootaloo are here too? That means I gotta throw a 'Welcome back home' party and a Cute-ceanera soon. Oh, make that three!" She stated, her excitement level clearly very, very high by now.
"Actually, Sweetie and Scoots are still back at Manehattan." that seemed to visibly deflate Pinkie energy levels, "Scoots entered a competition, and Sweetie Belle is there to cheer her on."
"Oh, okay, that explains."
"Ah just came back ta see...well, ta see..."
"To see Spike, again, right?" Pinkie finished for Applebloom, her tone rather sympathetic.
Applebloom could only nod.
"Aw..., you still really like him don't you?" another nod, "Well, if you want, I know exactly where he is right now. I can-"
"No, ah wanna see mah family first."
"Sure, I'll walk to Sweet Apple Acres with you; and, you can tell me about some of your adventures." Pinkie stated as the two trotted to Sweet Apple Acres.
The walk there didn't take that long, and it actually felt rather short for Applebloom as Pinkie and her talked about where Sweetie, Scootaloo, and herself went and all they saw during their time away, before Pinkie helped fill in some details about how Ponyville has changed. There was of course a lot of deviating on Pinkie's part, which was mostly to be expected, but it helped fill in other details Applebloom would've asked about later.
"Well, Pound has been talking about becoming a Cutie Mark Crusader, but we've been telling him that he should wait for you to okay the idea, which should be super easy now that you're back." Pinkie remarked as the duo walked onto Sweet Apple Acres.
"If he wants ta, ah don't see any problems with that. Why did ya need ta talk ta me fer...?"
"Well, duh, you are like the leader and founder."
"Ah ain't the leader, ah don't think the Crusaders really had a leader now that ah think about it, and Sweetie and Scoots helped with foundin' the Crusaders. Why what made ya think Ah was the leader?"
Pinkie gave a shrug and replied cheerfully as they arrived at the door to the Apple homestead, "I just had a feeling that you were. Aaaand here we are, home sweet home."
Applebloom took a moment to look into one of the windows as Pinkie knocked on the door. The first thing she noticed upon looking into the room was how little things have changed, maybe a new vase of flowers and dirty dishes, but nothing too drastic, and it brought a simple smile to her face. The smile disappeared though once she realized an important aspect, it appeared that no one was home. Even Granny's rocking chair was empty.
"Where is everypony?" Applebloom asked outloud to no one in particular.
"Granny Smith must still be in bed. Here let's go in and check." Pinkie replied as she opened the door.
"Ya sure we can do that?"
"Mm-hm," Pinkie replied with a nod, "Applejack said it's okay as long as it's an emergency or a super-special occasion." and walked in.
"If yer sure..." Applebloom stated in an unsure voice, before following.
As soon as they were both inside, they paused for a moment. Pinkie was interested in seeing the smile that Applebloom would have at being home again after so long, while Applebloom wanted to take in the familiar appearance and smells of the home she hasn't seen in a long time, which did make her smile.
The momentary pause was interrupted though when both heard Pinkie's stomach grumble, which caused the party pony to laugh.
"Looks like somepony's hungry." Pinkie remarked, "Would you mind if I try fixing something for myself in the kitchen?"
"Sure, jus' don't make too much of a mess. Ah don' think the others will appreciate it if ya do." She replied with a giggle.
Pinkie just grinned happily before proceeding into the kitchen, as Applebloom went upstairs. Applebloom figured both Big Mac and Applejack probably weren't home and were in the orchard somewhere tending to the trees, so she decided to check for Granny Smith. She lightly knocked on the door, waited a moment, before opening the door and tentatively peeking inside.
"Granny...?" she asked in a hushed voice, before seeing the elderly pony, who was fast asleep in her bed.
It was a tad strange that Granny Smith would be asleep at this time, but Granny did always take at least one mid-afternoon nap each day so Applebloom giggled and turned to leave. She can check back later after her grandmother was properly rested. Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn't to be, as Applebloom heard Granny make a sound that sounded like something halfway between a snort and a loud snore, and hearing the elderly mare smack her lips.
"Wha...? Huh? Who's there...?" Granny Smith asked weakly once the her eyes had adjusted properly to the light coming in through the window and noticed there was another pony in the room with her.
"H-Howdy, Granny." Applebloom greeted sheepishly as she turned her head to look at the elderly mare.
Granny Smith didn't say anything right away, choosing to blink her eyes a few times, before finally letting a wide smile on her face, "Well, shave my tail an' call me 'Pome'! Ain't ya a sight fer these ol' eyes."
Applebloom turned and went over to Granny Smith's bed side.
"Welcome home, young'un."
"Good ta be back, Granny." Applebloom remarked with a smile, though she was concerned about the obvious amount of lethargy in her grandmother's voice.
Granny was quickly able to see Applebloom's concern, something about the young mare's smile, tone of voice, and something about her grand-daughter's eyes were telling her so, "Now don't you be worrin' about me there. Yer ol' granny is alright."
"But ya sound so-"
"Weak...? Tired...?" Granny Smith interrupted, as she tried sitting up, "If only ah had a bit for the times ah've heard yer sister say that. It's this new-fangled medication ah'm takin' fer the pain in my hip and my lower back." she groaned as she failed to sit up, "Help me up."
Applebloom obliged and gently used a hoof to help Granny Smith sit up, while the elderly mare continued her explanation.
"Anywho, the new medicine works. Problem is, it also makes me lazier than a sleepy sloth." As soon as she was sitting up, yawned and stretched out her forelimbs, earning a slight 'pop' from one of them. "Like ah said though, it works, so ah suppose there's no sense in cryin' about it."
After a moment to properly rouse herself awake, Granny Smith and Applebloom went downstairs to check on Pinkie Pie.
They found Pinkie in the kitchen, just as the energetic mare was finishing off a plate full of apple tarts.
Granny Smith chuckled, "Emptyin' mah fridge again there, young'un?"
Pinkie gave a sheepish grin before saying, "Sorry, I was just sooo hungry."
"Eh, don't you go worryin' yer lil' head about it. Just glad ya snack a bit small there, Pinkie Pie, otherwise t'ween Applejack and ya, ya'd probably eaten me outta house and home by now." Granny Smith joked.
"Applejack doesn't eat that much, does she?" Applebloom asked.
"Nah, but she does tend work 'erself up a mighty big appetite." Granny Smith remarked as she slowly trotted in, "Anywho, ah suppose it was a good thing ya made some room in the fridge there, Pinkie, cause ah reckon on cookin' Bloom's favorite meal ta celebrate her return."
"Ooo, can I help?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically.
"Ah don't see why ya can't."
For the next two hours or so, the trio busily worked with what they had on hoof to fix up enough food to feed the Apples, plus Pinkie Pie. Pinkie and Applebloom did most of the work, due to Granny's advanced age, but that didn't stop the elderly pony from managing the other two with careful advice and a watchful eye on the exact proportions of each ingredient.
"And just a light glazin' of cinnamon powder ovah the top...," Granny said outloud as she sprinkled a bit of cinnamon on top of the freshly out of the oven apple pie, "and, that's how it's done."
"Mmm..., that's smells so good!" Pinkie remarked as she and Applebloom sniffed the delicious smell the pie was leaving in the air, "I can't wait to get a slice!"
Applebloom seemed to agree as she licked her lips in anticipation.
"And ya will, just not right this instant. We gotta wait fer Big Mac and Applejack ta show." she stated, "Those two shouldn't be ta long now. Most of the market should be closin' up right about now."
As if on cue, they heard Applejack open the door, followed by some hooves clopping on the wooden flooring of the house.
"Somethin' smells right good in 'ere. Granny, did ya-" they heard Applejack's voice say before she paused, "Wait a sec, ya only- Consarnit, Pinkie Pie! What did ah tell ya about comin' inta the house?!"She shouted loudly before said pony looked into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks upon seeing who else was there. She was quickly followed by Big Mac, Rarity, and Twilight.
"Easy! That I'm not allowed to come in unless I'm invited over, it's an emergency, or very super-duper special reason." Pinkie replied with a smile, "But, I think this is special enough."
There was a quick pause before a wide smile appeared on Applejack's face.
"Good ta see ya again, Applejack." Applebloom said as she faced her sister just before Applejack galloped over to her and pulled her into a very tight hug.
"Applebloom, yer home! It's good ta see ya again, too, sis." she remarked with exuberance and a slight laugh.
"Let go...! Yer choking me..." Applebloom strained to say as she struggled against her sister's grip, that despite the fact the two were almost the same size now, was proving to still be considerably difficult.
Applejack finally let go once Big Mac tapped her shoulder, letting her know what she was doing without actually saying anything. It wasn't that Big Mac didn't miss his youngest sister, he did miss her, he just figured the vice grip of a hug Applejack provided more than enough for AJ and himself.
"Sorry..." Applejack apologized.
"Welcome back, Applebloom." Twilight greeted her.
"Yes, it's so good to see you again, Applebloom." Rarity added, "But, I must say, according to Applejack, you weren't suppose to return home for another week. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"Ah was, but Babs said ah probably should come home early since ah....well, ah, didn't have anythin' better ta do back at Manehattan."
"So I take it that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo aren't here as well?"
"Nah, they decided ta stay a bit longer."
"A pity," Rarity remarked as her ears flattened for a moment, "but, I suppose it couldn't be helped. I've waited six years, I suppose Mother, Father, and myself can't wait one more week."
"If it helps some, ah do have a letter from her fer ya'll."
"Oh...? Well, that will do."
"If ya'll are done flappin' yer gums, how about we enjoy a good meal ta celebrate before Pinkie here starts without any of ya'll." Granny Smith rang in.
"Ya really cooked enough fer us all...?" Applejack asked.
"Well, ah didn't expect ta havin' Princess Twi'light or Rarity over, but ah suppose there might be enough fer all of us."
"Please, just 'Twilight' is fine, Granny Smith." Twilight stated, "No need to be so formal with me. Also, are you certain...? I mean, I wouldn't want to impose."
"Nah, don't you worry about it. Far as ah'm concerned it'd be a pleasure ta have ya."
"Well, then, thank you very much."
While they were grabbing some extra chairs, Applebloom took notice that Rarity was seemingly following Applejack rather closely; and, at one point even playfully taken the farmer pony's hat off of her head and placed it onto her head, with little fuss from Applejack. Applebloom paused for a moment when Applejack didn't make a fuss right away as she would've expected her sister to do, which earned a slight grin from Pinkie and Granny Smith.
Just as they were about to take their seats, they heard Pinkie cough into her hoof and said, "Hey, um, Applejack...Did you by any tinnie-tiny, itsy-bitsy chance did you ever tell Applebloom about you and...you know...?"
"Huh...?" Applejack merely asked with genuine confusion.
"What are you talking about, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, you know." Pinkie replied, with a grin so wide it looked like it would split her face.
Twilight looked towards Applejack, then noticed Rarity, then she understood. "Oh, that! That's actually a VERY good question, Pinkie."
At that point Big Mac and Rarity caught on, earning a stiffled giggle upon looking at Applejack's confused expression, and chuckle from Big Mac, who knew fully well the answer to that question.
"Ah don't follow...What is?" she asked
"What...? What did Sis tell me?"
"Actually, it's more about what she didn't tell you." Rarity replied, "I'm aware Applejack had sent you a letter or two in the past. Did any one of those letters ever mention about, oh say...a special somepony?" and that's where Applejack finally caught on.
"Well, no, not that ah can re- Wait, Applejack has a special somepony, now?!"
"Yep." Granny Smith replied with a nod, "And, from yer reaction, ah guess ah was right ta think she never mentioned it."
"W-well, it just never crossed mah mind." Applejack defended herself, though the fact she was scratching one her forelegs seemed to say she was embarrassed to admit it, "'Sides, ah wanted ta wait till ah knew it was right serious before tellin' her anyway."
"Are you insinuating that you do not consider this serious at all?!" Rarity asked, clearly upset.
"It ain't like that, it's just-"
"Ya been seein' her fer a year now, Applejack." Granny Smith interrupted her, "Ah know ya don't wanna go gallopin' into stuff like this, but the way ya two act, ah think a year might be long enough."
"Eeyep." Big Mac agreed.
"Ah guess yer right." Applejack stated before looking at Rarity, "Sorry, Rares. Ah didn't mean ta upset ya or anythin' like that. It's just..."
"Apology accepted, Darling. I believe I can understand what you meant." she said just before the two pulled each other into a hug.
Applebloom stood there watching before something in her mind just clicked and it finally dawned on her and her jaw dropped, "Wait...! You?!"
"Yes, Applebloom." Rarity replied as she pulled away from Applejack, "As surprising as it is, even for myself, your sister and I are indeed in a relationship with each other."
"But, ah thought..." she muttered almost too quietly for the others to hear before trailing off.
The others looked towards the younger mare, seeing if she would say more. When she didn't, Applejack trotted over to her sister's side and put a hoof on her shoulder.
"Go on, Sis, go on tell us what ya thought." she stated.
Applebloom hesitated for a moment, if only to collect her thoughts, "Ah thought...ya know...that Ms. Rarity would've..."
"Would've been with Spike...?" Rarity asked.
Applebloom blushed and nodded.
"It didn't really go as far as he had hoped. I wasn't certain whether I could return the feeling in full, and by then Spike, he had matured enough to be understand that." Rarity explained, "So we had one date, and well...we just didn't 'click', so to speak. We still remained friends, of course, and he still helps me every now and then, but otherwise, he's no longer chasing after me."
Applebloom looked at the ground as she soaked in the new information that she had been told. A smile slowly crept onto her face as the prospect of potentially having a chance, but it quickly disappeared.
"Pray tell, Applebloom, do you still feel for Spike as you did those years ago?"
She didn't reply as she turned her attention away from Rarity and towards the bottle of cinnamon from earlier, as a blush appeared across her muzzle.
Granny Smith chuckled, "Ah think that there is a 'yes'."
"Would you like to see him?" Twilight asked, "I know where he is right now."
"Ah think all of Ponyville knows where he's at these days, Twilight." Applejack remarked, "He's only been goin' there fer some time now."
Applebloom hesitated, "A-Ah dunno..."
"Ah think ya outta see 'im." Applejack stated, getting her sister's attention, "He's been itchin' ta talk ta ya anyway."
"He does...?" to which Applejack nodded, "Well, okay, ah'll go see 'im."
"Spike's isn't exactly in his usual spot today, though he is still on the outskirts of town." Twilight remarked, "He wasn't...feeling very good today and decided to wait near the path going towards Manehattan."
"The poor dear isn't sick is he...?" Rarity asked in a concerned tone.
"No, he didn't show any signs of being sick, he just seemed a bit down today."
"The path goin' towards Manehattan...?" Applebloom asked out to no one in particular, "That's just out past Ms. Rarity's boutique, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Um, can ah...?" she asked Granny Smith.
"Git goin', young'un, ah think we can wait a moment fer ya before we get ta eatin'." the elderly mare replied with a gentle smile, "Jus' make sure ya get back before all this get's cold."
Applebloom nodded and turned to leave.
As soon as Applebloom was out, and outside of hearing range, Granny Smith looked at the others expectantly.
"Is something wrong, Granny Smith?" Twilight asked.
"Ya mean ya'll ain't gonna go follow 'er?" She asked.
Applebloom slowly made her way through town, while internally fighting to keep moving. Despite being already decided on seeing Spike, twice, she still felt that tiny part of herself who didn't want to see Spike again. By now, the sun was already beginning to set, and streets of Ponyville were just starting to quiet down for the day, making it easier for Applebloom to go without bumping into anypony.
As she got closer to her destination, her pace started to slacken noticeably, till she noticed the back of a purple figure on the horizon and she came to a stop.
Applebloom stood there staring for a couple of minutes, her tail whipping behind her as she bit her lip, "He... He's sure gotten big..." she thought to herself, before shaking her head a moment, "Ah can't back out now." and took a deep breath and willed herself to continue walking.
As she got closer, her pace slowed down again, this time to let herself have a better look at the young dragon he's become. Her heart could only beat faster the longer she looked, as she looked at how well built Spike had become. She only stopped when she heard Spike say something.
Spike sighed as he looked out towards the horizon. This was going to be the last time he was going to do this. It's been too long, he couldn't keep doing this forever, and he wasn't even sure if Applebloom would want to talk to him after all this time. He was about to look up at that star, again, to see if it can calm him and admitting defeat that another day has gone by, but was disturbed when he heard hoofsteps behind him.
The steps weren't exactly heavy, meaning it was probably a mare, though it wasn't as heavy as Applejack's hoofsteps, nor was it light enough to indicate it was Fluttershy or Rarity, and not irratic enough to belong to Pinkie. That left out only one other mare he could figure would come out to check on him.
"Twilight..." he stated with a sigh as he turned his head to look behind him, only for his eyes to widen and his immature wings flaring in surprise upon seeing who was really there.
"Howdy, Spike..."
Spike didn't say anything right away as he looked at his friend, and taking note on how she'd changed since he last saw her, granted it wasn't as drastic as it was with him. Aside from getting a little taller than before, she had slightly longer bangs, and a lean build. Applebloom was still wearing her bow, and while it wasn't as large as it use to on her, it was still a tad big, but Spike found it rather appealing now that he thought about it.
"H-Hey there, Applebloom." He greeted, "Welcome home."
"Good ta be back." She replied almost automatically, if her heart wasn't beating against her chest hard enough, it certainly was now.
"W-when did you get back?"
"About mid-afternoon ta'day, ah arrived by train."
Spike mentally berated himself at that, he should've figured she would've returned via train, she left by train didn't she? Well, being on the outskirts kept him out of everypony's way anyway.
"Applejack mentioned...ya wanted ta talk ta me."
"Yeah, um, listen it's...uh...about what happened at the train station years ago." Spike stated as he turned so he could look at Applebloom without having to twist his neck, then nervously scratched the back of his head, "You know, just before you left."
"O-oh...?"
"I...I wanted to say..." He sighed, "I want to say: I'm sorry, Applebloom."
"Oh... ah see..." Applebloom said as her ears flattened and her head lowered, concluding that she was right all along, that Spike wouldn't return her feelings.
"I'm sorry, I let you down, that I couldn't give you a better answer."
"I-it's okay, Spike."
"No, it's not." He stated firmly, "I'm suppose to be your friend, and I couldn't answer you at all. All I could do was stutter, like an idiot." his frills drooped when he said that, "That day, when you, Sweetie, and Scootaloo were leaving, and after you told me how you...you know...felt about me, I got a good look at your eyes. I hurt your feelings a lot that day, didn't I?"
"Ah already knew ya couldn't return mah feelin's, so it wasn't all that bad." She admitted as she drew circles on the ground, "But, yeah, ya kinda did."
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you an answer, and that dragon who was suppose to be one of your closest friend and never noticed."
"Spike..."
"If you can find it in your heart to still call me your friend..." He trailed off, "I'd really consider myself a lucky dragon, because you're such an amazing mare, Applebloom, and somepony who I'd love to be able to spend more time with, having more conversations with, and just be able to hang around with and be that highlight and reason for me to smile each day. If you can't though..., I can understand, and I won't trouble you any more."
Applebloom smiled, and said, "O' course ah will. Spike, ah'd never want ta stop bein' yer friend.", which Spike gave a relieved smile upon hearing, though she shot him a curious look, that didn't sound like what she expected to be a rejection, "Spike, what did ya mean by that though? Ah mean, ya didn't have ta go an' say that much just ta say ya wanted ta still be mah friend." She added, especially as the last bit of his statement sounded awfully familiar to her.
"Well..., I-" he sighed, "It doesn't matter, Applebloom. It's just something from after all these years. So-" he paused feeling a hoof touch one of his claws.
"Please...Ah wanna know."
Spike hesitated for a moment before saying, "Over the last couple of years, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened at the station, and...well, how much I actually kinda missed hanging out with you. After a while, and after having a talk with your sister and Rarity, I...I guess, I started feeling for you too..." he started trailing off as a blush appeared on his face, which was being mirrored by the young, wide-eyed mare in front of him.
"It started simple enough, I started to miss seeing you and it kinda grew to feeling like I had really lost something near and dear to me. I missed hearing your laugh, I missed seeing your silly bow bob up and down on your head as we walked around Ponyville, and I especially missed seeing that happiness I got whenever I looked into those pretty amber eyes of yours after I finished helping you with whatever you, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo asked me to help you, which now that I actually think about it...probably wasn't just from happiness that you got me to take time out of my schedule to do some of your chores."
"Well, they weren't all, ya know... mah chores." Applebloom remarked, her blush now burning even brighter.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I think I fell in love with you, Applebloom; and, I guess in some way, I have for some now. I just never noticed just how much you actually meant to me, how important of a pony you were to me in my life, until it was too late for me to even hope for a chance."
Applebloom retracted her hoof, as she had this far-off look on her face, and her ear, tail, or both occasionally twitched. Soon a smile slowly appeared on her face, as she realized that her fear that Spike would never return her feelings that held her back all these years was wrong.
"I-I guess I better get going, Applebloom." Spike stated with a sad tone in his voice, which snapped Applebloom out of her reverie, "Thanks for listening to me Applebloom and still being my friend, and I hope I didn't make you feel... weird for admitting my feelings. I'll... I'll see you around." and started back towards town.
Just as Spike had passed Applebloom and was about to wonder what he should consider getting for dinner, he suddenly felt a weight jump onto his back and knock him to the ground. On instinct, he instantly rolled over and was about to act in self-defense, but froze as he felt two hooves on his shoulders pin him to the ground and warm lips press up against the tip of his muzzle.
As Applebloom pulled away from the kiss, she stared down at the shocked expression of Spike before saying, "Ya...ya still have that chance. Spike..., ah spent six years since ah left tryin' ta forget about ya, tryin' ta move on an' accept ya could never see me the same way ah saw you, but ah couldn't. Ah still felt fer ya, and the more ah tried, the more ah missed seein' ya too. I still li- No, ah don't jus' like ya, Spike, ah love you."
Spike was once against lost for words, and felt his heartbeat go straight through the roof as Applebloom sat down belly down onto him and felt her chest relax on to his, before she proceeded to gently nuzzle the sides of his face. He quickly collected himself and wrapped his arms and wings around her, which did briefly frighten her before relaxing again, as the two relaxed into the embrace.
The duo laid there for quite some time as the years of worry melted away from their minds, enjoying the company of the other and the feeling of finally being near who they loved in absolute silence, until it was clear it was getting too dark and stars were once again clear above them.
"Applebloom, I think we better get going. The rest of your family probably would like to know you're back."
"Ah don' wanna go, yet." she whined, "Ah just got the chance ta hold ya like ah always wanted ta wanna leave now. Besides, the othahs already know ah'm here."
"They do?!"
"Pinkie greeted me, and ah got ta see Granny, Applejack, Big Mac, Rarity, an' Twilight at the farm."
"Why was Twilight there?"
"Ah don' rightly know. She jus' followed the others in."
"Hm, whatever, I'll just ask her later."
"Just cause ah wanna know, why were ya'll bein' so dramatic?" Applebloom asked as she rested her head on her forehooves, "About wantin' ta be mah friend again."
"Cut me some slack here. I thought you would've hated me after hurting you, and letting you down. I've had that on my mind since you left." Spike remarked.
"Yer scales feel nice by the way. A mite bit cool at first, but warm after a while."
"That because I'm cold-blooded, and my scales tend to match the temperature of the environment, but it does take a while for it to reach my body. Seriously though, I'm sure Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Applejack would probably want you to at least eat dinner with them."
Spike heard her give a frustrated snort and make no effort to move from her position. He looked up at the sky, "Applebloom, I don't want to leave either, but we can spend all day together if you want. Can't we just use that one star and pretend for-"
"Wait, ya know about the star?! How?" She asked as she looked him in the eye.
"Applejack told me about it last night, after I admitted it to her that I missed you. She said if I looked at it, and pretended you were too, it might help."
"Ah...ah was lookin' at it." She admitted, "Ah was lookin at it last night ta calm mahself about seein' ya again."
Spike just stared at her for a moment before bursting out into laughter, "Are you kidding me? Just how many parallels did we share all these years? First, how we felt about each other, then, how we both assumed the other wouldn't be interested, and finally that star last night. What's next...?"
Applebloom chuckled at the notion, "Ah dunno...Ah think we might need to start talkin' ta figure that one out."
"How about we do that tomorrow? We can go have lunch at one of the restaurants or cafes around town, or maybe at Sugarcube Corner, and we'll talk to each other more. We can even spend all day together if you want."
"Ah think ah'd like that." She replied with gentle smile, "But, can ah jus' get five more minutes first? Please...? Ah promise, ah'll get off a' ya an' go get dinner with mah family, just give me this, please. Ah've waited far too long ta wanna just up leave now." She added as she nuzzled the underside of his chin.
Spike sighed, choosing to concede to her demands, "Sure thing, Applebloom." and held her a little tighter as he let his tail wrap around her's.
Not too far, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Big Mac were watching the two from the cover of a large bush that they managed to convince Twilight to uproot just for the occasion and hid inside it.
"Woo-Hoo!!!" Pinkie cheered in a hushed tone, though it was clear by how much she was shaking, she was really fighting the urge to shout or rocket off into a firework.
"Aw! Those two finally got together." Rarity cooed.
"Certainly took 'em long enough." Applejack remarked, "Fer a moment there, ah thought Spike wasn't gonna confess."
"I'm still confused as to how they haven't noticed a bush of this size could suddenly appear here." Twilight remarked, "I mean, obviously, it wasn't even here beforehoof."
"It worked didn't it?" Applejack asked with a chuckle, "No need to be complainin' about spilled milk if ya haven't spilt it yet."
"I don't think that saying even works in this situation, Applejack."
"Just forget about it for now, Darling." Rarity stated, "They haven't seen us, yet, and that is acceptable for now. Though, I think it is about time we take our leave. I'm feeling a bit famished now, and I'd like to avoid having any more leaves in my mane than I already do."
"Mm-hm! Let's go eat!" Pinkie agreed, "I think Granny Smith probably misses us by now anyway."
"Eeyep." Big Mac agreed before the group took their leave, leaving the Spike and Applebloom alone to enjoy the start of their relationship.