• Published 21st Jun 2014
  • 5,972 Views, 26 Comments

Mum's the Word - Astral Phoenix



A slip of the tongue leaves Apple Bloom emotionally embarrassed.

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The Slip Up

“Okay Apple Bloom, that’s it for today,” said Twilight as a pink aura encompassed a series of books.

“Already?” Apple Bloom asked, looking surprised.

“Afraid so, in fact, it looks like that was the very last of your homework. I’d say you’re all caught up,” she replied, levitating the books onto the shelves.

Apple Bloom had been given a ton of homework recently, as well as chores around the farm. Sweet Apple Acres had been especially busy these past few months. So in order to help her little sister out with the all the extra homework, Applejack had arranged for Apple Bloom to have a study session with Twilight after school for an hour every afternoon. In just a few short weeks, her grades had greatly improved. Not only that, but her school work had become much easier for her. She had also grown to enjoy these study sessions and the quality time she got to spend with Twilight.

“So does this mean our study sessions are over now?” Apple Bloom asked dolefully.

“Yep, it’s such a shame. I’ve really been enjoying these past few weeks, I’m also incredibly proud of you, Apple Bloom. You’ve made so much progress, I’ve never seen anypony learn and grow in the way you do,” Twilight said as she affectionately grazed the filly’s forehead.

“You probably want to get home soon, before it gets dark. I’ll see you next Twilight Time okay?”

Apple Bloom didn’t want it to be over so soon, she had really enjoyed spending this special one on one time with Twilight outside their usual Twilight Time with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. But over the past few weeks, since the sessions had begun, she had begun to see Twilight almost as a big sister. In the same way that she cherished Applejack, she also adored Twilight in a similar light.

“Okay,” Apple Bloom murmured sadly, as she dragged her hooves over to her saddlebag.

She started to pack away her stuff into her satchel as Twilight disappeared down the stairwell, a pink eerie glow flowed from her horn as a stack of books followed behind her. As Apple Bloom finished packing her things away, she slid her bag onto her back and headed towards the stairs, her eyes downcast as she stared dismally at the floor then trotted down each step slowly.

As she made her way down the stairs and towards the front door, she didn’t take her eyes off the oak wooden floor. She walked up to the door, and just as she was about to put her hoof on the knob, she felt somepony standing behind her. As she pulled away from the handle, she spun around to find Twilight as she packed away some books onto their shelves.

Apple Bloom stared at the door before glancing back at Twilight, unsure of what to do. Memories flooded her mind as she started to remember all the fun experiences she had shared with Twilight, like when they explored the Everfree Forest in search of rare botanical plants. Whenever she got stuck on a problem with her work Twilight would help her through it, or when she got really frustrated with one of the questions, Twilight would help her calm down and take a break.

There was even one time when Twilight offered to take her to Sugarcube Corner for a treat after they had finished; the little filly was so excited she ended up tripping on one of the steps and falling hard on her forehead. Upon hearing the noise, Twilight had rushed down the stairwell in a panic to see if she was hurt. Fortunately, she only suffered minor injuries with a scrape to her forehooves.

Despite the painful stinging sensation that quickly arose in her hooves, Twilight had been more than willing to tend to her wounds. “It's going to be alright,” she had said in a sweet voice as she carefully wrapped a white cloth around her hooves.

“Gee, thanks Twilight! I guess I just got a bit excited there,” Apple Bloom replied.

As the mare stroked her cherry mane, she delicately placed a small kiss on the filly’s forehead. A warm, fuzzy feeling gradually grew inside of her as she began to feel a strange emotion, one she had never felt before. Apple Bloom felt herself being pulled into a loving embrace as Twilight wrapped her forehooves around the filly’s chest.

Pulling herself away from her thoughts, Apple Bloom shook her head as she found herself still standing at the entrance to Twilight’s library. She saw that Twilight was still putting books away, and after thinking for a moment, Apple Bloom walked on over to where the mare was now standing.

“Um...Twilight?”

“Hm?”

Twilight cocked her head to the side for a moment to notice that Apple Bloom was walking towards her. As she turned to face her, she saw the glum expression the little filly had on her face.

“Yes, Apple Bloom? Is something the matter?” Twilight asked.

Apple Bloom looked up at Twilight with her big, sad eyes as she started to drag her hoof across the floor.

“Um, I was wonderin’ if we could maybe read a book together or somethin’... I don’t have to go home just yet.”

Surprised by the filly’s words, Twilight wondered what had made her young pupil so eager to stay. “Of course we can, but I would've thought that you would be really eager to get back home or see your friends,” Twilight replied, leaning in closer to the filly.

“The thing is, I really enjoyed these study sessions, they’ve really helped me a great deal.. but outside of that, I...well, what I really enjoyed the most...was...spending time with you. It’s what I always looked forward to the most when I came to each session.”

Twilight’s mouth fell agape at the filly’s words. A small smile crept onto the mare’s face; she never realised that Apple Bloom enjoyed spending time with her this much. Since they had first started having these sessions together, deep down Twilight knew that she also enjoyed having Apple Bloom around. She made a fine student and they had shared some pretty fun moments together.

“Wow, Apple Bloom! I didn’t realise you enjoyed our time together this much. To be honest I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you these past few weeks as well.”

A smile started to spread its way onto Apple Bloom’s face as she listened to the mare’s words. Upon seeing the filly smile brilliantly, Twilight couldn’t help but smile caringly back at her. “So,” Twilight continued. “What do you say we have one last study break and spend the rest of the afternoon together? I’ll even let you choose any book you would like to read, or if you’d like you can pick an activity.”

Apple Bloom’s heart leapt with joy as she bounced around the room. She wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s chest, pulling the mare into a warm, loving embrace “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as she held onto Twilight tightly.

After she released the mare from her warm embrace, the pair then began what was the rest of their afternoon together as they read books, told each other stories of their past and even discovered that they shared similar interests and traits with each other that they never knew about.

Twilight shared some of the delicious cupcakes that she had bought from Sugarcube Corner the other day and while they ate, they played fun games as the time flew by. Before they knew it, it was time for Apple Bloom to go home. “Thanks so much for a great time, Twilight, it truly meant a lot ta’ me.”

“My pleasure, Apple Bloom, I really enjoyed myself too.”

Twilight then realized that through all the fun that Apple Bloom and her had, the little filly’s appearance had become rather disheveled. Her uncombed mane was a mess, there appeared to be smudges of chocolate covering the rim of her mouth, and her pale yellow coat looked all frizzy and out of place.

“Apple Bloom, I think you should wash up first before you go. I don’t want you to go back home looking like you just came out of the Everfree Forest.” Twilight chuckled.

“It’s alright, Twi, you don’t have ta bother, I can get cleaned up back home,” Apple Bloom replied.

“It’s no trouble at all, Apple Bloom, it won’t take very long.”

“Well...okay, thanks.”

~ * ~

The hot, soapy water of the bath washed over her as Apple Bloom climbed headfirst into the claw-foot tub. Over by the sink, Twilight was furiously scrubbing the filly’s pink bow as she tried to remove the chocolate-coated stain. She placed it to the side to drip dry, hopefully it would be enough to get rid of the stain. As she walked over to the tub, Twilight saw that the little filly was having a ball as she played around in the water. Incidentally, she was causing soapy water to fall over over the side, reducing Twilight’s mane to a hot, soapy mess. A look of worry spread across the filly’s face as she ducked beneath the surface, but it was the gentle smile from Twilight that reassured her that she’s wasn’t mad.

A wave of relief washed over as she returns to the surface, gasping for air. Narrowing her eyebrows, she shot an evil grin at the filly in the tub. Then, without any hesitation, she lit up her horn and floated up a large amount of water towards Apple Bloom’s head.

Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom braced herself for the impact as the bright pink aura disappears and the water came raining down upon her. Twilight let out a giggle; she never had this sort of fun when she was a filly. As she opened her eyes, she was surprised by the way it seemed that Apple Bloom had suddenly disappeared. She looked around the bathroom, but it looked as though she had never left the room. Panic rushed up the mare’s veins as she looked back over at the tub; she noticed something moving beneath the surface. The water moved about when suddenly, Apple Bloom jumped above the surface.

“Boo!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as the water debris was sent flowing onto the floor.

Startled by the filly’s sudden reappearance, Twilight was propelled backwards and landed harshly on her backside.

Apple Bloom couldn’t help but laugh at the embarrassed expression on Twilight’s face as she slowly rose to her hooves. She stared bitterly at the filly, making Apple Bloom cringe in fear. But the mare’s frown started to turn upwards into a lighthearted smile, as a loud burst of laughter took over. Her body was shaking as she rolled around on the wet floor, unable to control herself. After all the chaos of the afternoon, Apple Bloom was now spick and span, her coat gleamed brilliantly, her mane was now neat and tidy once more, and just as Twilight finished fixing her bow, Apple Bloom gazed into the mirror to see that even her pink bow was clean of any chocolate stains.

“Wow ya’ll even fixed up my bow, it looks good as new,” Apple Bloom admitted as they stood in the bathroom mirror together.

The little filly ran up to Twilight and leaned in, affectionately nuzzling the mare’s forehead.

“You’re very welcome, Apple Bloom. Now I really think it’s time for you to go home,” Twilight said, as they left the bathroom.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Apple Bloom agreed.

The two of them made their way downstairs as Apple Bloom headed for the front door with a huge smile on her face. She certainly felt a lot better than she did earlier that day. It was a rush of relief, but deep down she still didn’t want to stop spending time with Twilight as it was now something that was very special to her.

As Apple Bloom reached the door she glanced over her shoulder to see that Twilight was now walking towards the door to escort her out. Just as Twilight was about to open the front door for her, she noticed the dejected look on Apple Bloom’s face.

“Is everything alright, Apple Bloom?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yea’ Twilight, it’s just..well I’m really gonna miss coming over here. It’s been so much fun with you I feel we have somethin’ special just between us, you know?” asked Apple Bloom staring up at the mare with her big, sad eyes once more.

“I know, but we still have Twilight Time to look forward to.”

“Yeah and I always look forward to that, so does Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. But when it’s just you and me it’s somethin’ different. It’s kinda like the same thing I share with Applejack, Granny Smith, and Big Mac. I can’t really explain it, but when I’m with you, you're like another family member that I just want to be with and to know more about.”

Tears began to form in Twilight’s eyes, she never would’ve imagined that Apple Bloom would feel this way towards her She felt something wet and hot stream down her left cheek, but she quickly brushed it away before Apple Bloom could notice.

“Apple Bloom, that is so sweet of you to say. Tell you what, how’s about I have a word with Applejack and we can arrange a sleepover here for the weekend?” Twilight suggested.

“Really?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

“Really,” Twilight responded.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as she began to bounce around the library wildly.

Twilight watched in nostalgia as she remembered the way she was at the same age.

However, she was pulled away from her nostalgic daze as she felt something warm make contact with her waist. She looked down only to discover that Apple Bloom was now embracing her with a tight hug.

“Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!” Apple Bloom repeated excitedly.

Warmth filled the mare's heart as she returned the embrace. “You’re welcome sweetie, now off you go and I’ll have a talk with Applejack tomorrow,” Twilight replied.

“Okay, bye.”

As soon as Apple Bloom was out the door, she started to think of plans for the sleepover next weekend. But first, she had to talk to her friends about it, in the hopes that they wouldn’t mind that she was having a sleepover at Twilight’s without them.

“Apple Bloom!” Twilight called out behind her.

The little filly came to an immediate stop at the sound of her name, she turned around to see that Twilight was trotting over to her, a book encompassed by her levitation magic “You left your school book on the table, you wouldn’t want to leave that behind now, would you?” Twilight asked rhetorically as she levitated the book into Applebloom’s bag.

Oops, I guess I forgot it when I was packing, thanks for getting it for me, Mom!”

Time suddenly stood still. The pupils in her eyes shrank down; her mouth had fallen wide open as she went into shock. Her body trembled violently as she stared off into the distance. She placed a hoof over her mouth as her mind went completely blank, she was unsure if what she had just said was even real.

Twilight looked a little dumbfounded for a brief moment and couldn’t but help let out a light chuckle. “Apple Bloom...” Twilight started to say, but was immediately cut off.

“I...uh...I bu...I did...I...just...but .it...” Apple Bloom stammered, her mind paralyzed with shock.

Twilight could clearly see the tears that were now forming in the filly’s eyes.

“Apple Bloom, it’s alright...it was just a simple slip of the tongue. It happens to all of us,” Twilight explained reassuringly as she leaned in closer to the filly.

But Apple Bloom refused to listen, her mind had shut down, paralyzed with shock. She started to back away slowly, still stuttering on her words.

“I...didn’t...I mean...you’re not...it was.. I just...” Apple Bloom choked.

Tears began to stream down the little filly’s eyes as she stood there, unsure of what to do next.

“Apple Bloom it’s...”

But before Twilight could say anything, Apple Bloom turned and galloped away as fast as she could. “Apple Bloom, wait!” Twilight called out behind her Apple Bloom was already out of earshot; Twilight wanted to follow her to explain that it wasn’t her fault. But instead decided to let her have some space and let her sleep it off. As Twilight made her way back to the library, she couldn’t get the image of Apple Bloom nearly bursting into tears out of her mind. The poor filly looked so embarrassed even though nopony had been around to hear, it still left Apple Bloom rather distressed. But Twilight hoped that she would be alright by tomorrow.

Author's Note:

Hoped you enjoy the first chapter of the renewed "Mum's the Word"

Poor Apple Bloom:applecry:, let's hope she will get over this soon.

See ya for Chapter 2! :pinkiehappy: