Apples to Ashes

by Gnome

The Crush

Applebloom has always been a get-out-there kind of filly, who just loves to help other ponies out.

She had been living in a farm house in Sweet Apple Acres for her whole life. She lived with her two siblings, her older sister, Applejack, and her older brother, Big Macintosh.

Her grandmother sadly died a few years before her first year of Ponyville High School.

_______________________________

Dear diary,

Since this is a new diary; my name is Applebloom.

AJ is a bitch; always yells at me about my grades, and how I should be doing better in school.

I said it was just math. And I get in trouble, I guess it really doesn't help that I asked her if she could even count to two. And the fact that I called her a retard.

So now she says, I'm grounded, but that's what she thinks. I am 15 years old. I really don't care if she grounds me or not, I'm to old for her to treat me like a little frikkin filly.

But anyway...
I have been having some very weird dreams, ever since that new colt moved to Ponyville. I don't really know how to go about explaining the dreams.

In one of those dreams, I'm in a very bright hallway that seems endless, and I walk for a long time. After what seemed like hours, I find a black door.

I barely touch the door and it comes off the hinges and falls down. I can't really see if anypony is in there, but I know there is somepony there, I reach out a hoof to try and feel through the darkness, but I always wake up at that part.

When I wake up I'm always facing one side of my bed. It's almost like somepony should be there.

I don't like that dream, its just weird.

Anyways, yesterday at school, DT hurt Sweetie's feelings. She spent all day crying in the school bathroom.

When me and Scoots went to try and talk to her, she wouldn't come out.

Rarity had to come get her and bring her home.

Diamond made her cry. That is Sweetie, you just don't do that. Making her cry is almost as bad, or more so, as making Fluttershy cry.

I am gonna get that spoiled bitch and make her pay.

I hope today goes better than yesterday.

Sincerely,

AB

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"Applebloom, it's time ta start walking towards the school house!" Applejack yelled up the stairs.

Applebloom closed her diary and put it in her saddlebags.

The teenage filly got up, and walked out of her room. On her way out she bumped in to her brother and almost got knocked down.

"Will ya watch where yer goin, I mean Celestia ya big dummy!" The golden filly yelled harshly to the big red stallion.

Big Mac just gave a big yawn in response.

"Fer Luna's sake, don't ya ever brush yer teeth?" Applebloom asked rhetorically, and scrunching her nose in disgust.

Big Macintosh walked past her, rolling his eyes.

AB now clearly pissed, walked down the stairs, and towards the door.

"Don't y'all want somethin ta eat?" Her older sister asked.

"No," Applebloom spat with venom lacing her tone.
She walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Outside, an orange filly with a short unkempt violet mane, was waiting for her.

"Sup, AB?" the orange filly asked.

"Nothin, how's Sweets doin?" the filly with the blood red mane asked.

"I don't know, she won't talk to me. And she is still crying," Scootaloo replied, looking to the ground.

"Goddesses, we have ta get back at her!" Applebloom declared.

"We can't, until we find out what she did," Scootaloo said, said triumphantly.

~~~~~~

As the two mares turn off the road, Applebloom chuckled lightly.

Scootaloo having apparently heard the the strange laughter turned to see her friend staring off in another direction.

The orange mare looked in the direction her friend was so interested in. Scootaloo gave the most devilish grin her face could muster. "Hey, AB, see somethin you like?" The orange filly asked, jerking both her eyebrows up.

Applebloom turned as red as her mane. "N-no, what... What a thing to say," the gold mare defended, if a bit flustered.

"Well I wouldn't get to comfortable with him," Scootaloo pointed her hoof back over in that direction.

"What are ya on abo-" Applebloom's sentence was cut off, by a loud gasp that emitted from her own mouth. the mouth which now hung so low, that it threatened to turn the dirt from the old pathway into her breakfast.

Applebloom stood there in shock. And after a minute or two she looked down seeming somewhat defeated.

"Ah guess its okay, he probably doesn't even know ah exist."

"Hey cheer up she is probably just buggin him," Scootaloo said, with reassuring smile. "Sides, I bet he thinks he's all that, cause he's smart or somethin like that," the orange maned filly stated matter-of-factly.

Applebloom seemed to cheer up after that.
______________________________

The two fillies walked into the school. The only ones in the class room was, Mrs. Cheerilee, Feather Weight, Snips, Snails, Silver Spoon, and a bunch of other fillies and colts, but Applebloom didn't know their names.

But, Diamond Tiara and Scythe, weren't there yet.

~~~~~~

Scythe and DT walked in the classroom, by this time, Scootaloo had her head in an open book. (No she wasn't reading.)

The orange filly was snoring very loudly. Diamond walked past the filly, and flicking her tail, hiting Scootaloo in the nose.

Scootaloo only stirred, but snoring was no longer an issue anymore.

DT sat down somewhere in the front of the room where she normally sits. The prissy pink pony then motioned towards her, a few seconds later, Scythe came and sat beside the pink filly.

Applebloom who had been watching the whole ordeal, felt like she lost. It really didn't make sense, because she doesn't even know who he is.

I mean sure she knows his name, but that's only because, Mrs. Cheerilee reads off the absence list, and every time the name Scythe came up, he raises his hand.

All of a sudden, Applebloom came to a shocking realization, 'well Scythe is new here and doesn't know how Diamond is, so she is playin him,' Applebloom thought in worry.

Applebloom's thought were cut short by a loud thump, and Cheerilee yelling.

"Scythe? Are you alright? Scythe?!"

Applebloom got up from her desk and made a b-line right to his side.

_______________________________

Applebloom insisted on staying with Scythe, and went with him to the hospital.

Once there they waited until Scythe woke up from the black out he had in class.

While they were waiting, Cheerilee took the liberty of telling Applebloom she had found a tutor to help her in her math classes.

"But Ah don't want a tutor, I don't like any of them smart ponies that use the big words. I just been havin some trouble with those fancy equations, with them letters in em" the filly whined, rolling her eyes, at the teacher.

"Well if you're having trouble, then you need a tutor, and trust me you will like this pony," the violet colored mare reassured, with a bright smile.

Applebloom sighed and eventually gave up the argument. She looked over to the hospital bed and sighed impatiently. "When is he gonna wake up?"

"Applebloom, I did not pull you out of school to complain."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts, now this will be part of your community service, but if you keep complaining I won't count it."

After Cheerilee's last statement they sat quietly for a while until nurse Redheart came in with, what appeared to be, a very worried mother.
------------

About 20 minutes later. Scythe stirred in his bed.

Everyone was quiet when he opened his eyes.

Applebloom had a dreamy grin on her face, from her place beside Cheerilee.

'O my gosh he so cute, when he's waking up,' the blood-red maned filly thought, resisting the urge to squeal like a school filly would with a newborn kitten.

"Mom, what happened?" Scythe asked.

Surprisingly the colt's mother was surprisingly calm, when she answered, "you had a black out, honey."

"And you had me and the other fillies, and colts worried," Cheerilee spoke up.

He looked over at her then at Applebloom, 'ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. He is looking at me,' The golden filly thought.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Scythe asked, the young mare.

Applebloom looked up at him. "Oh, uh, my name is, Applebloom. I was kinda worried, so I visited you."

For a second Applebloom thought he was gonna pass out again, but instead he looked at her weirdly.

Cheerilee spoke when she noticed, "well Scythe, this is who you will be tutoring."

Sctythe looked at Cheerilee, "really?" He asked.

Applebloom was worried. 'oh no what if he doesn't like me," she thought.

Applebloom thought for awhile she didn't notice when the nurse came in the room and when everybody left.

Scythe's voice cut through, "uh Applebloom?" He asked looking down at his hooves and fidgeting nervously.

Applebloom perked up at that question. "Yeah?" She asked a little happier now that she knew he didn't hate her guts enough to not even speak to her.

"What can you tell me about Diamond Tiara?"

'Oh I can tell you a few things about that bitch,' the gold furred filly thought. Getting a little angry from the mere thought of the pink filly.

"Uh," Applebloom groaned and drew closer to Scythe, almost invading the hospital bed he was on. "Listen, don't get 'TO' close to her. She will tear you life apart. Just like my friend experienced."

Applebloom quickly turned around, and mumbled to herself, "why would I tell him that that is Sweetie's business."

"What?" Scythe asked, "Who did she hurt?"

Appebloom took in a deep breath and turned and faced Scythe.
"My friend Sweetie Bell," Applebloom said, as a tear rolled down her face, "That mare had hurt her feelings pretty bad."

"Oh, I had no idea-"

"Don't worry about it," Applebloom said, cutting off Scythe's sentence.

Applebloom began to leave, before Scythe spoke up, "what," the smart pony called.

Applebloom looked behind her, seeing his mischievous smirk. "What," she said, a little annoyed.

"Thanks for caring," Scythe said, causing a little heat to rise up to the fillies cheeks.

Applebloom left the room, cheeks stained a little pinker than when she went in.

As Applebloom walked into the lobby, Cheerilee, was already waiting for her .

"School is almost over, we should head back and get your stuff," the violet mare said.

"Okay, Mrs. Cheerilee."

Applebloom started to walk out before her teacher followed. "Oh, and hey Applebloom?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Cheerilee?"

"Now do you still think you'll hate the tutor I picked?" Mrs. Cheerilee asked.

Applebloom gave another light blush, followed by a nervous chuckle. Applebloom loved Mrs. Cheerilee's sense of humor.

Cheerilee gave a small laugh, and nudged her pupil with her hoof. "Oh, you know I'm only joking."

"No kiddin," Applebloom said sarcastically. They started the walk back to the school house.
_______________________________

Once the two were at the schoolhouse, Cheerilee walked up to the substitute teacher, for the report.

"Well everything was fine... Except for the filly named Scootaloo, who found it very funny when I sat on a hoof tack," the substitute explained.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Heartstrings, it will be dealt with," Cheerilee apologetically said.

Applebloom rolled her eyes. 'That does sound like Scoots,' she thought.

"Bye Mrs. Cheerilee,"

"Hold on a minute! You aren't getting away without your math homework," Cheerilee exclaimed.

'Damn, caught,' Applebloom thought to herself.
_______________________________

Applebloom finally got home from school. Opening the door to the two story farmhouse.

She walked in and looked around. Nopony was home.

After she had finished listening for any signs of life besides her own breathing, and heart beat, she went into the kitchen.

She opened the tall white refrigerator and peered inside.

She found what she was looking for and grabbed it in her maw.

She went up stairs, munching on the apple fritter, she'd been dying to eat.

When she was done eating she went upstairs. As she opened her bedroom door, she heard the new message tone on her computer.

She set her saddlebags on her bed, and walked over to her computer. The computer sat on a polished wood desk in the corner of her room.

She opened the messaging app, and clicked inbox. There were 3 new messages in the inbox.

One was just an advertisement, the other was from Scootaloo.

She opened the one from Scootaloo first. The electronic message said,

'Hey, AB me and Sweetie are gonna go hiking to keep her mind off things. She still won't tell us what diamond did though. Are you in? ;-)

Applebloom replied to the message,
'of course!! ;-)'
----------------

After that message was done she opened the other one. She didn't recognize the email address.

The message read, 'hey, its Scythe. The one that passed out in class. I was wondering if you were willing to meet me soon...'

Applebloom was shocked and overjoyed at the same time.

'Sure, but not today. I need to spend some time with my friend, but yeah, soon,' she clicked the enter button and sent the message.
------------
A few seconds later the "new message tone rang through the room.

Applebloom looked at it. It was Scootaloo, the message read, 'awesome;-) we're leaving in a sec, be ready.';-)'
------------

Applebloom shut off her laptop. And went to get ready to pack.

She emptied all of her school stuff onto the bed, save for the diary she carried everywhere.

After her saddlebag was empty, except for the small book, Applebloom went down the stairs.

Once the young mare was at the bottom of the steps, she went into the kitchen. She pulled open the cabinet under the sink. There she grabbed a lantern.

The lantern itself looked very old. It was red, with a small glass door to insert the fireflies that would undoubtedly be useful when it was dark.
_______________________________

After she was done packing things. Like rope, water, and fair amount of other fear such as, zip line equipment, and rock climbing stuff. She sat down to scribble a few things in her diary.
_______________________________

Dear diary,

Today was very confusing and eventful day.

The first thing that happened to me today was, I think Scootaloo knows about my feelings for Scythe. I don't mind that she knows, it's just if she blabs it, Diamond Tiara might be told, and knowing her she would stoop so low as to get between us, just to keep me miserable.

The second thing, Scythe blacked out in the middle of math class. I might have been way to obvious about my feelings because, I was almost instantly at his side. I really couldn't help myself I just felt so worried.

The third thing hasn't really happened, but this is a prediction, Scootaloo, Sweetie, and I, are going hiking. Scootaloo seems it will take her mind off things, involving a certain, spoiled filly.

But, I hope she will tell us what happens. All she's been doing is crying in her room. I'm surprised Rarity, and Scoots could even get her out of the house.

This is Applebloom, saying goodbye, and wish me good luck.
_______________________________