Rotten Apples Never Bloom

by inacti

I Miss You

Dear Scootaloo,

Are you having fun in Canterlot? How is Sweetie Belle? I heard you guys were doing a show together. Sounds fun. I wish I could be there with you. I need to stay in Ponyville though. The Apple farm needs my help . . . I'm still looking for my cutie mark. Don't worry though. I'll find it soon. Maybe we can have a reunion? That would be fun. There are lots of things going on in Ponyville right now, Rainbow Dash says that she is proud of you. Have you seen her recently? She said she was gonna' visit soon. I bet she misses you. I know I miss you. How much longer will you be away? Maybe I'll have my cutie mark by then. Then we can have a big party. I bet Pinkie will throw one for all three of us. She did for you and Sweetie. I bet she is doing great. I'll write to her soon. My pen is running out of ink now, so I guess I'll go. Don't forget to write back! Please? Oh please never forget, we are Cutie Mark Crusaders for life!

Your friend, AB

Apple Bloom dropped the empty pen in the nearby trash can. She trotted down from the old Cutie Mark Crusaders treehouse and walked through the apple orchard and into town. The apples were ripe, almost rotten, Applejack hadn't been getting much work done lately. Apple Bloom looked at her hooves as a rotten apple slushed under her weight. She stuck out her tongue.

"Yuck!" she whimpered, shaking the goop off of her hoof.

She spotted the mailbox up ahead, and darted forward. She held the letter to Scootaloo in her mouth, wishing she would have had another pen to write to Sweetie with. She would have to find one soon. The Sofa and Quill shop probably would have one, or else she could just use a pencil.

Apple Bloom lifted the mailbox lid with her hoof and dropped the letter inside with a light sigh. She turned away and headed back to the treehouse.

Hey Apple Bloom,

How have you been? Canterlot is great. Sweetie Belle and I are going to a concert this afternoon together. We are moving next door to one another! Sweetie is in the same apartment as me! Isn't that exciting!? I wish you could be here too. It would be awesome. No worries AB, you'll find it soon enough. After all, I did, so can you. I would love to have a cmc reunion . . . but . . . I don't know if I will be able to for a while. I have a lot of stuff to do. Sorry AB, maybe soon though. I'll be back someday hopefully, maybe next year? And tell Dash thanks from her little sister. I haven't seen her yet, but we've been writing. She gave me this red pen. Sweetie Belle says hi. She's with me right now, waiting for me to get ready for the show. It's like an opera I think? I dunno' I've gotta go now though. See you around AB.

Your Buddy, Scoots

Apple Bloom read and re-read the letter from Scootaloo. She had woken up that morning with two letters on her bedside. She felt tears stinging her face. The pain of never seeing her friends anymore was making it difficult to read. She lifted the other letter from the envelope and her heart skipped a beat as she read the name of whom the letter was from.

"Oh Sweetie! I totally forgot! I'm so sorry!" she cried aloud, though Sweetie was far from close enough to hear.

Dear Apple Bloom,

Hello, Scootaloo said you were going to write me a letter soon. It never came, maybe it got lost. So I figured I would drop you a line instead. Its wonderful here in Canterlot. The sky is bright. Everything is just amazing. Rarity would love it here. Well, she does love it here. So, hows everypony doing in Ponyville? I hope the answer is good. I'm getting top grades in my music school. I met a great musician the other day. Octavia Medley. She's fantastic. I would love to bring you to a preformance sometime. I'm singing in the next show. Scoots says shes rooting for you to get your cutie mark soon, so am I. We all love you Apple Bloom. I wish I could make it to a reunion. I don't know if I can. These lessons are time consuming. I promise I will write again soon.

Friends forever, Sweetie Belle

Apple Bloom threw the letters aside and leaned against the wall letting tears flow down her red cheeks. The harsh wood panels bit at her skin, it had been so long since this treehouse had been built, years even. Where had the time gone. Apple Bloom looked down at her hooves again, she was barely a filly now, almost a full grown mare, with no cutie mark. She thought it over for a moment and only cried harder. She slamed her head back and forth against the wall, letting the pain rush through and block out her thoughts.

"Why?" she cried, slamming back. "Why?!" pulling forward again and slamming back once more. "Why!?"

"Apple Bloom! What do ya' think yer' doin'?!" a voice shouted up from the ladder. "Aim' comin' up there!"

"Nothin' Applejack!" Apple Bloom called back, crawling away from the wall and sitting in the middle of the clubhouse.

"Apple Bloom? You alright?" Applejack asked softly, poking her head into the clubhouse.

"Yup big sis'. Aim' fine," Apple Bloom winced as she spoke.

"Ya' sure? I thought I heard somethin'?"

"Eenope," Apple Bloom said with a forced grin, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Okay then. Well Ai' think we should head to bed now. C'mon Apple Bloom, lets go."

"Just a sec sis'," Apple Bloom said.

"Sure thing. Hurry up though," Applejack said, not noticing the fake smile on the little filly fading away.

"My sweet Celestia, why am I here?!" Apple Bloom wailed, as she grabbed the letters and walked down from the tree and to the little house where she and her siblings called home.

Apple Bloom trudged down the grassy path, keaping over the vaious mushy apples that lay crushed upon the ground. Their red and green exterior of each one was grey and brown. It made her feel sad, as her hooves crossed back and forth shakily walking over the path. Whatever it was that was causing the rot had better end soon. She let out a sigh, Applejack will take care of it tomorrow morning. She felt the pain of her friend's cutie marks crashing upon her as she walked. The most important and happy thing in her friends lives had turned out to be the worst thing in her own.

"Why me? Why don't I have one? What did I do wrong?" she sobbed softly out into the night, placing a hoof on the door and pushing it open.

"Ey, Applejack! Ima' head out early tomorrow. I'm going to try helping Cheerilee out at the school!" Apple Bloom called out as she entered the house.

"Okay sugarcube! Now go to bed! Yer' keepin' us all up, and ya' know Big Mac and I need to work tomorrow!"

"Okay!" Apple Bloom screamed back, climbing up the stairs and letting her body collapse upon the bed in her little bedroom.

The tears shifted down her face once again. She had to keep on trying. She knew she had a destiny. She had to have one. Everypony else did. She would find it. Her eyes fell upon her flank again, and whimpered softly into her pillow. Her red mane fanned out upon her bed sheets and her butter yellow coat dampened with tears. Maybe being Cheerilee's assistant would have the answer, but if it didn't she wasn't sure what she could do.

"Oh Scoots, Sweetie, I need you here with me. Why did you have to leave me? Why couldn't you just have stayed a lil' longer?" she sniffled, holding up a photo of the three fillies.

Scootaloo was smiling and fluttering her weak wings, pushing forward on her scooter and fighting the wind. On either side of Scoots, a filly held on to the handlebars and smiled joyusly, their eyes shut. One was a unicorn, one was an earth pony. Apple Bloom stared into the picture lovingly, their flanks may have been bare, but they had eachother. Not anymore.

"I miss you," Apple Bloom whispered into her pillow. "I miss you more than anypony ever has missed another pony in a thousand years."

Dear Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,

Sorry I forgot to write to you Sweetie. You guys sound like you are having a ton of fun in Canterlot. I really do wish I could be there. I miss you so much. You can't even imagine it. Scoots, I am doing okay, I guess. Everypony else on town seems as happy as ever, Sweetie. We all wish you well. Octavia? I think I have heard of her before. Maybe I saw her somewhere. I have do many relatives. I think I may have heard Fiddlesticks mention her. (Fiddles is my cousin) Well, its getting late, and my hooves are filthy from this gosh darn pencil. I'm gonna tuck in.

Love, Apple Bloom

Apple Bloom closed her eyes and imagined a day when she would be with her friends again. The blankets seemed to beckon her closer and closer to what would be sleep.

Dear Apple Bloom,

Don't worry about it AB. I don't mind. I usually end up reading over Scootaloo's shoulder anyway. We haven't had that much fun. Knowing your family, Octavia could be your cousin too I suppose. Here, I will send you a new pen if you want. It's a pretty one.

Your friend, Sweetie

Sweetie Belle closed the mailbox and turned to Scootaloo, her hooves dusty, and her smile turned downwards.

"Hey, you ready for your recital tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah I guess. You think Apple Bloom is doing okay without us?"

"I think so. She seems okay," Sweetie Belle couldn't really tell through writing, but she could almost feel that something wasn't right.

Dear Sweetie Belle,

I love this pen! Thanks. Um . . . can I ask you something? What do you do when you lose everything? Like . . . hypothetically speaking, what if you were really sad, and you needed a friend but had none. What would you do?

Your friend, Apple Bloom

Comments

[RachWrites]

This is pretty good! Keep going! <3 I don't like where it's heading though, poor Apple-Bloom.
Faved anyways though

[goaway]

I'm intrigued by the idea that a pony might not get a cutie mark, so I like what you're doing with this.

[sniper 1232]

How is it dark? Ones suffering is not grim unless they are being tortured but great story!

[rogueunicorn]

4023327 Maybe it will be dark in future chapters.

[sniper 1232]

4032932 good