//------------------------------//
// A birthday letter four month's too late! 
// Story: A birthday letter four months too late. 
// by Lethrael 
//------------------------------//


A birthday letter four months too late.



My dear little Apple Bloom,

it must be embarrassing to read this right in front of us.
I believe, that you are blushing right now and your little tail twitches in frustration.
But allow us to say, that we are sorry for this.
As you see, we have written this letters shortly after your birth and you should read the first one right now.
Right, this is only the first one.
You’re eight years old right now. So now your mother wants to say something about this age.

I can barely remember myself in this stage of life, but one thing sticks in my mind.
My friends and I weren't able to be  so free like in this age.
We were free to play to go where we wanted. I liked our little clubhouse on Sweet Apple Acres a lot, because it was our own little secret hideout for me and my friends. 
We also made even a sleepover there.
I hope you have found it and do the same.
But one think about the freedom was even more excitement for me.
I didn't have my Cutie Mark on my eighth birthday. It even lasts for my next birthday, but this isn't my point. Sorry Apple Bloom.
What I want to talk about is one thing you should have in mind.
If you're like me and you don’t have your Cutie Mark right now,
don't worry. I think you should even feel a little proud of it. I know it sounds strange,
but I think a filly, who isn't limited to follow a single path is very lucky.
Ask me what I mean and watch my stammering.
Let us all together laugh about my explanation.
I know you're bored right now from my sentiment, but don't worry it shouldn’t last for much longer.
All we have left is, that we're lucky to see you grown up like you do.
We are loving you.
Many love, kisses and hugs
for you,our little Apple Bloom.
Happy Birthday!


Apple Bloom dropped the letter in her hooves and stared through both Cutie Mark Crusaders in front of her.
As one tear dripped on the brown paper the little filly used her foreleg to wipe more out of her eyes.
The grin on her friends faces vanished and both tiphooved closer.
“Are you okay?”
Scootaloo spoke first as she looked confused at her.

Sweetie Belle quickly interrupted her, pushing her with one hoof.
“Shhh! Obviously she doesn't feel so well. Are you alright?”
Scootaloo returned the push and opened her mouth, but a sound from Apple Bloom kept her silent.
For a moment Apple Bloom had to press down a sob, and after a little she was able to talk almost normally.
“I shouldn't have read this now. This is...”
Her voice trembled as it began getting louder. Apple Bloom rushed over both her friends and galloped out of the door while she screamed the whole way.
“That isn't fair! I should read this long ago!”
Both Cutie Mark Crusader stared at her in confusion and disbelief.

Both remembered back to earlier that day, where they found the letter.
“Surely we will can get our Cutie Marks as barn salesponies, right?”
At first glance Scootaloo's idea was perfect. Right now they were finding so many things that they could sell, enough that they could truly raise their vendor carer.
But as they dug deeper into the chests, clothes and leftovers from the generations long ago stored in the Apple family’s barn, they found one particular thing. 
It was hidden under many old rugs that strangely had any dust on them. 
This could only mean one thing, a pony had moved the rugs recently. 
Under those rugs the fillies found a big chest filled with clothes, a pillow and  three letters at the bottom. 
The paper on all of them was brown and old, but the ink on every one of them was still clearly readable.
“Big Macintosh” stood on top of the brownest, “Applejack” on the next one and “Apple Bloom” on the most recent.. 
As soon as the three fillies saw the letters they were thrilled to know what was written on there, 
but Granny Smith found them in that moment and shooed them out of the barn. 
Fortunately, or now unfortunately, Apple Bloom managed to snitch the letter with her name out of the chest before.

“Granny...Granny...Granny!” 
A loud cry shocked both fillies back to reality.
The two Crusaders jumped on their hooves and followed Apple Bloom, 
who was rushing forwards, approached to her home and pushed the door open.

“Hey, what are ya doin'?”
Applejack eyed her up, but the filly didn't answer. 
Instead she galloped through the kitchen. 
Her sister stared after her and shook her head, as the two Cutie Mark Crusaders followed her shortly.
“Are y'all rushin' in me, today? What happened?” 
Applejack asked, but as both didn't answer, the orange mare sighed, put the pan out from the fire and
trotted after them while she mumbled to herself.
“Always trouble with these three fillies! What the hay did they done now?”

From the base of the stairs Apple Bloom caught a sound coming from the top of the building. 
Granny Smith seemed to be in the attic, so she stormed the stairs so fast even a big red body didn't stopped her.
Big Mac had already finished helping Granny Smith to tiddy up the mess in the attic the Cutie Mark Crusaders had left behind, 
so he was now returning to his own chores.
“Apple Bloom?!”
The filly didn't bother to stop and stormed past him under his legs.
Big Mac gazed after her and turned around in time for the other two Crusaders to crash into him, pushing him two steps forwards.
“What are y'all thinkin', y'all doin' there?”
Applejack called over the mess of ponies on the stairs.
Scootaloo shook her head to recover from the crash and looked back.
“Uhh...I don't know. First Apple Bloom read a letter, and now she is going crazy.”
Applejack shared a worried look with Big Macintosh, both said no word 
before they ran upstairs with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle a couple steps behind.
What was the matter with all of this? Was Apple Bloom in trouble? The two Crusaders didn’t know.

“Granny Smith!”
Apple Bloom shouted, as she arrived in the attic. The green old mare smiled at her first, but as soon as she spotted the tears in Apple Bloom's face she sighed. 
Slowly she reached out to her grandfoal, but she flinched and put the letter from her back. 
She threw it on the ground.
“How could you do this to me?”
Granny took her glasses, put them on her nostril and read the first line. 
She frowned and shook her head.
Then she wiped her white mane with the other hoof.
“What do you think?”
Apple Bloom froze and glanced confused. This wasn't an answer.
“This...I...why...”
Too many sentences wanted out of her at the same time but nothing meaningful could finally come out from her mouth. 
She wandered through the room and tried to calm herself a little down, but it didn't help. 
Just then she spotted Big Mac, as he entered to the attic.
“Did he know? That you have kept letters from Mum and Dad?”
The stallion sighed and silently walked closer to Granny Smith. He drooped too and nodded finally.
A few moments later the two Cutie Mark Crusaders entered the room and stood awkwardly in the middle of Apple Bloom and her family. 
She was blushing, sobbed and galloped finally to the door. But then Applejack entered and was laying down there.
“Ya shouldn't leave, Sugarcube!”
First Apple Bloom tried to climb over her, but her hooves hindered her. 
The filly glanced to her two friends and sobbed again.
“Applejack too?”
Scootaloo looked between Apple Bloom and her older sister and decided to get closer. 
She looked confused, but yet she was trying to put a hoof around her sobbing friend to make her feel better. 
Apple Bloom hit the hoof away and jumped out of range.
“No, leave me alone!”
Sweetie Belle looked around the room, spotting the furled letter on the floor. 
Before she could take it, Apple Bloom stormed over and stomped down on it with both hooves. 
Her tail lashed sharp and the unicorn jumped scared away.
“Don't read it!” 
Scootaloo followed her friend and put a hoof around Sweetie Belle.
“Hey, she just wanted to help!”
Scootaloo shouted angrily. Apple Bloom snapped an answer.
“All she was helpin' with was embarassin' me!”
Granny stumped her hoof down on the ground and walked closer.
“Do ya thinkin', this was our reason?”
The question sounded silently over all attendees and calmed Apple Boom a little down.

“No...” 
She shook her head and hanged her head low.
Her voice was barely audible under her sobbing. 
Her hooves wiped away the tears and she curled herself into a ball of sorrow. 
The old voice of Granny Smith came closer.
“I didn't want to embarrass you.This letter was your only one, little seed.”
A gentle hoof laid down on Apple Bloom’s head and nuzzled her, 
making her flinch away, only to bounce against another body.
“We all have gettin' many letters for every milestone in our life.
But one is nowadays left over for us two.”
Big Mac sounded gentle and calm, but Apple Bloom jumped blind folded away and was catch by two hooves.
“Sugarcube, the left over letter we're gettin', 
when we will start a family with a special somepony.”
Apple Bloom leaned in the mane of her sister and cried.
“And my letters are...”
She couldn't finish her words and tried to dive deeper into the mane. 
But she couldn't go much deeper.
“Little seed, first I wanted to write a few for you, but this wouldn't be fair, right?
My words aren't their words. So this is her only message for you!
I didn't know, what she has written, so I decided to give it to you on a very special occasion.
And your eighth birthday wasn't such an occasion.
Don't you agree with me?”
Apple Bloom nodded and sobbed again,
“I'm sorry. I should have tucked it away someplace else! 
Somewhere where you wouldn't have stumbled across it.”
Apple Bloom turned the head and faced a gentle smile from her grandmare.
A smooth nuzzle followed her words and the filly sobbed once more.
“I'm sorry, Granny.
I have yelled at you. I have made all of you sad.
I...have ruined anything!”
The old mare lifted her head with one hoof and wiped the tears softly away. 
Again she smiled and snuggled her.
“Hey, Seedling, you are not ruining anything.
You're our little apple.
I wish, I have more letters for you from her!”
Granny felt silent, as Apple Bloom buried her face in her chest and started crying again.

Three Apples and two Crusaders accompanied the little Apple in her sobbing and comforted her in her grief. 
Only one mare seemed a little distracted.
Applejack looked down to the letter and sighed.
“I wish you have written more letters, Mum.
I really do.”
Her hoof grabbed the letter and took it on Apple Bloom’s back.
Then she looked to Big Mac and he returned the look. 
His left hoof brushed gently over Apple Blooms side and he took deep breaths to control his own feelings.
Applejack leaned forwards and whispered in his twitching ear.
“I have an idea, Big Mac.
We write the letters for her?”
The stallion nodded and his voice, usually the strongest one in the whole family, was cracking up on the answer.
“Eeyu...”