Blankness

by Zaid ValRoa

14

“Are you sure about this, Bloom?”

Scootaloo’s words rattled in her mind, just as they’d been doing every time her friend had asked her that.

“Nope,” Apple Bloom answered. “Not more than I’ve been the last few times you asked.” She then shrugged to emphasise her point.

Though she couldn’t see it, she could feel the stern look the pegasus was shooting her way.

“I’m just saying. With school being cancelled, I can think of a few ways to spend our evening that would be more enjoyable.”

“We still have a few school assignments left, you know?” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “We don’t know when we’ll have to go back, but Miss Cheerilee will likely want those done.”

“Don’t remind me…” Scootaloo replied, her voice devolving into indistinct grumbling, laced with equal parts annoyance and regret.

“I’m just saying,” Sweetie Belle said back, mimicking Scootaloo’s earlier tone.

“Ha ha ha.” Scootaloo’s voice was dry and humourless. “I suppose I could take the time to fix my model. Maybe my dad can use the blowtorch.”

The voices of her bickering friends served as a backdrop to her thoughts. She’d decided to do this on a whim. In all honesty, she wasn’t even convinced if it was a good idea… And as the shape of the Rich Manor came into view, she doubted if this would even have a positive outcome.

She feared Mister Rich would send her away once he opened the door… or maybe hoped he would. She wasn’t sure of that, either.

Truly, the only thing of which she was sure was that Scootaloo was right. She probably had dozens of different things she could do. Nevertheless, the first thing that popped into her mind had been Diamond Tiara. It wouldn’t be a lie that, on any regular day, she’d rather work on overdue school assignments than deal with the bully.

But this was far from a regular day. And these were far from regular circumstances. As a blank flank, the prospective loss of a cutie mark was more of an uncertainty. A fearful “what if?” that loomed on the horizon. One that, as unpleasant as it was, could not compare to having lost a cutie mark you already had.

Granted, Diamond had Silver Spoon, much like Apple Bloom had the crusaders. Knowing those two, they’d probably spent every waking hour together.

Besides… Diamond had her dad. Apple Bloom didn’t know much about Diamond’s mom, but she knew Mister Rich would do anything for his daughter. He’d make sure she was comforted and reassured after what she had gone through.

Apple Bloom let out a long exhale. She shook her head, as to free herself from the thoughts that would only lead her to grim places.

It wasn’t long before the voices of her friends slowly faded into silence, and the trio found themselves standing before the ornate wooden door of the Rich Manor.

All of a sudden, Apple Bloom felt her hooves too heavy to lift. What had seemed like a good idea at the moment sure felt like she was just intruding on personal matters. However, the heart of the matter still was that she wanted to come see Diamond Tiara.

Just as those thoughts kept circling in her mind, Scootaloo stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

The friends exchanged a look that covered the entire gamut of shock.

“Well,” Scootaloo started, “might as well get it over with, right?”

After a few seconds of silence, a chuckle escaped Apple Bloom. “I guess you’re right.”

“Somepony’s coming!” Sweetie Belle alerted both of them, and the trio soon sat with upright backs, one next to the other while putting on their best non-threatening smile.

The sound of distant hoofsteps grew closer and closer. Apple Bloom hoped their efforts to look innocent weren’t making them look ridiculous, instead.

With smooth and silent motions, the large door swung open, and a stoney faced grey pony stared back at them.

“How may I help you?”

Blanking for a moment, Apple Bloom took a deep, calming breath. Hoping her unease wouldn’t show in her voice, she spoke. “G-good mornin’. We’re Diamond Tiara’s classmates, and we wondered if I… I mean, if we could speak with her.”

Without missing a beat, the old stallion spoke once more. “Apologies, young lady. Miss Tiara has made it quite clear she is not to be disturbed by anypony sans young Miss Silver Spoon.”

“Oh…”

“Well, that’s a shame!” Scootaloo jumped in, leaning over Apple Bloom. “Wouldn’t want to go against the young lady’s wishes, would we? Guess we’ll have to get out of your mane and leave. Sorry to bother you!”

“Ugh… Scootaloo, get off my mane!” Apple Bloom said as she pushed the pegasus away.

“Hey, you heard the stallion. Diamond doesn't want us here, so let’s skedaddle.”

“Do you even know what that word means?”

“Uh… Girls?” Sweetie said, poking at their sides.

The stern butler shot an unamused glare at them. Sensing that it would be foalish to test his patience, Apple Bloom cleared her throat and put on her best apologetic smile. “Just… Could you let her know we came to see her?”

“I’ll see that the message is—'' His words were cut short as another muffled set of hoofsteps were heard coming from inside the house.

“White Glove, what’s taking so long?”

The butler stepped aside to let Mister Rich who was at the door. “There are visitors wishing to see young Miss Diamond Tiara.”

Mister Rich looked… tired. The same tiredness Apple Bloom had gotten used to seeing on adults over the past few days.

“Apple Bloom?” he asked, confusion clear in his tone. “What are you doing here?”

“Uhm. Hello, Mister Rich. We came to… Uh… To see Diamond Tiara.”

The stallion regarded them with a puzzled look, as if the mere thought of somepony wanting to have anything to do with his daughter was an unprecedented event. Apple Bloom supposed that, if even just a fraction of the interactions Diamond had with the crusaders had reached Mister Rich’s ears, he’d be justified in his confusion.

“May I ask why?”

That was the real question, wasn’t it?

The knot that had been forming in her throat tightened so hard, no words came out. At the stallion’s arched eyebrow, Apple Bloom forced herself to swallow and speak the first words tgat came to her mind.

“We know she lost her cutie mark, and we… I… It’s just… I wanted to know how she was holding up.” She tried to keep it simple and as honest as possible.

Mister Rich’s demeanour didn’t change. His eyes kept scanning the trio. Perhaps looking for signs of deception or hidden motives. The seconds stretched into a minute, with the fillies growing restless as time passed.

“I wanted to know if she is alright,” Apple Bloom said with finality. If they were turned away, she could at least take solace in knowing she tried.

Just when she thought they’d lapse into silence once more, Mister Rich blew air out of his nose and nodded. “I see… Very well. You can come in.”

Apple Bloom blinked. Part of her couldn’t believe Diamond’s dad had agreed.

“Uh… Alright, then,” Sweetie Belle said, breaking the shock induced stupor that had fallen over Apple Bloom. “Let’s go!”

“White Glove, please escort these fillies to the backyard.” Mister Rich stepped aside, making room for the Crusaders to pass.

Apple Bloom looked at her friends before leading the way inside. As she passed the older stallion, she let out a small, but firm, “Thank you.”

“Hmmm… If all goes well, you’ll have my thanks, instead.” He looked… Apple Bloom wasn’t sure what would’ve been the right way of describing it. There was sadness in his eyes, yes… But there was also a hint of something brighter, something that seemed to desperately want to be positive. Before much else could be said, Mister Rich turned around and walked deeper into his home.

“Ahem,” the butler said, and the fillies all turned to face him. “If the young misses are ready, allow me to show you the way.”

With that, the butler started walking, and the trio followed him closely. A part of Apple Bloom wanted to take in the fanciness of the Rich Manor, but her mind kept running back to Diamond Tiara. The filly who was the meanest, most arrogant, and most self-absorbed bully of Ponyville Elementary School. The filly who had always teased her about her blank flanks.

Honestly, there was a voice in the very back of her mind that wanted to throw that to her face. To make note of the retribution the world had sent her way. She wouldn’t do that, though. Not after seeing what had happened to Golden Harvest, to Miss Cheerilee, and to so many others… She felt nothing but sadness for what Diamond was going through.

“Young Miss Tiara spends her afternoons in the garden,” the butler said, “by all means, do try to be kind to her. She has not been herself ever since this whole incident has started.”

Apple Bloom could almost feel Scootaloo coming up with a snarky comeback, but a quick look at the filly showed that there was no sign of ill-intent on her face. If anything, she looked deep in thought.

White Glove’s steps slowed down as they reached a glass door that led to an open backyard full of greenery, and a small pink shape in the middle of it.

This was it, she thought. Time to see if she could do… whatever it is her gut made her come here to do.

The butler pushed the door open. The sound must’ve caught Diamond’s attention, judging by the twitch of her ear. Clearing his throat, the stallion announced the trio’s arrival. “Young Miss Tiara, you have visitors.”

“You’re early, Silver,” Diamond said, not bothering to stand up. “I thought you said—” The words were abruptly cut off as she looked over her shoulder and saw the ponies she probably least expected to see.

Shock was clear in her face. During the ensuing silence, the butler gave a courteous nod and walked away. Apple Bloom’s eyes never left Diamond Tiara, however.

The shock didn’t last for long. Soon, Diamond’s features turned into an angry scowl. Jumping to her hooves, she directed an all too familiar glare towards the girls. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to see you, Diamond,” Apple Bloom said.

Diamond Tiara replied with an eye roll. “Yeah, fat chance. I don’t know what lies you told White Glove, but just you wait until I tell my daddy you’re here. He’ll make sure to have you kicked out!”

“Your dad’s the one who let us in…” Sweetie Belle replied, sounding somewhat sheepish.

Diamond’s reaction was to be expected. The three of them had never been good at standing up to the bully, after all.

Apple Bloom expected Diamond Tiara to get angrier. To start shouting at them and calling them names. To make her regret coming here. Instead, the anger in her face melted away into something akin to apathy. Slumped shoulders, lips turned into the opposite of a smile, eyes that Apple Bloom could swear had a reddish tint to them. Diamond Tiara looked as if she’d just given up, and didn’t care if her former victims saw her misery.

“What do you want? Came here to laugh at me? Kick me while I’m down? Oh, the big mean Diamond Tiara is not so mean without her cutie mark, huh?” She shrugged. “Well? Here I am. Get your stupid payback and leave…”

With those words, the last of Diamond’s energy seemingly escaped her body. The pink filly just slumped back on the grass, not even bothering to look at the other fillies. Apple Bloom could feel the awkward stares of her two friends drilling into the sides of her head.

Why had she come here? After meeting with the other two Crusaders after lunch, they wandered aimlessly for a while. Just as they crossed the street that led to Diamond’s neighbourhood, Apple Bloom had been invaded by a desire to come see her. She hadn’t really thought about it but, considering everything that had happened recently, she felt bad for Diamond Tiara. Pity? Perhaps. She’d seen enough to know Diamond had to be suffering, and even in spite of their history, she didn’t want to let somepony have to go through that.

“I want to,” Apple Bloom said, much to the shock of her friends. Diamond Tiara looked up at her, a steely expression on her face. “Silver Spoon and you always teased us about not having a cutie mark. Bullied us. So, yes. There’s a part of me that really would like to turn that on you right now.”

Silence fell upon the garden like morning dew. It was as if time sensed the tense atmosphere between the two fillies and decided to go somewhere else to avoid the awkwardness. Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom stared into each other’s eyes. Months worth of animosity shining like a raging inferno in their pupils.

Finally, after an untold amount of time, Diamond spoke again with a whisper. “Then why don’t you?”

Apple Bloom closed her eyes and breathed slowly. For a brief second, she could picture what Diamond must have experienced over the past few days.

“Because I know not having something is different from losing it.” Apple Bloom opened her eyes and was greeted by a wide eyed Diamond Tiara.

“Apple Bloom…” her friends murmured behind her.

Carefully, not wanting to put Diamond on edge, Apple Bloom slowly took a few steps towards her.

“I could be mean back at you. Kick you while you’re down, like you said.” Apple Bloom looked down at the pink filly, who was staring back at her with a confused expression. “But what good would that make? It’s not gonna make either of us feel better… It’s not gonna give you back your cutie mark or give me one.”

Diamond Tiara didn’t reply right away. She spent a while carefully analysing Apple Bloom. Perhaps looking for signs of deception in her words. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice barely stronger than a sigh, “Why did you come, Apple Bloom?”

“Because I don’t like how we treat each other. I don’t want us to keep hating each other, and I hate that it had to take something like this—” Apple Bloom tilted her head towards Diamond’s body “—to make me want to do something about it. I just… I just wanted to make an honest attempt to talk things out. Maybe put an end to this… Whatever this is.”

There it was. Her half-formed thoughts and intentions laid to see as best as she could. She didn’t know if Diamond Tiara and her could be friends, or if the filly’s attitude would swing back to anger and have them kicked out of her house, but she hoped they could at least put an end to the enmity between them.

The silence continued, but as the seconds passed, Apple Bloom could see Diamond’s expression soften after a moment. Suddenly, Diamond let out a long sigh, as a deflating balloon would. Afterwards, she looked back at Apple Bloom with a serious expression this time.

“I love my dad,” Diamond started. “He’s smart, talented, and a hard worker. Ponies look up to him and he knows how to make things work out for the best. He’s everything I want to be when I grow up… I… I want to be a leader. Getting ponies to do what I tell them to do is my special talent… Uh… was.” As she said that, Diamond Tiara slumped back to the grass and laid her head between her hooves. “I just feel like I’ve failed him. And I’ve failed myself.”

It was just as Miss Harvest had felt that night. How those parents felt about Miss Cheerilee. How she imagined all those ponies who lost their cutie marks must feel. She didn’t know how to console either of the adults… But maybe she could offer some comfort to Diamond Tiara.

“Diamond…” Apple Bloom said.

Diamond Tiara looked up, and in her eyes Apple Bloom could see a scared and confused filly, much like herself.

“I heard what they’re saying around town. About why cutie marks are disappearing. I can guarantee you it’s a bunch of nonsense.” Apple Bloom poured every bit of conviction she had into her words. Changing the way the town thought was more of Twilight Sparkle’s field. But if she could make at least one pony feel better, then she’d be satisfied. “The ponies who are saying that are just scared. They’re just as scared as everypony else, but they say those things because they want to make themselves feel better. Feel safe. It’s just a rash on… Reish on…” She turned around to look at Sweetie Belle.

The unicorn tapped the side of her head as she thought. “Rationalisation?”

“That’s the one!” Apple Bloom exclaimed and turned back to face the expectant Diamond Tiara. “We’re all in this together. We’re all affected by this. It could’ve happened to anypony. It can still happen to anypony.” She spared one forlorn glance at her own blank flank. “I wouldn’t even know if it happened to me…”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the pained expressions cross her friends’ faces. They’d talked about this before, and knew they had each other’s support. But the idea of never having a cutie mark still hurts.

“It’s just a disease, Diamond. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Apple Bloom paused, and had to admit that the idea of her of all ponies telling that to Diamond Tiara was somewhat funny. “ At least, nothing that would deserve this.”

Another stretch of time passed in stillness. Neither Diamond Tiara, nor the Crusaders said anything or even moved. Then, Diamond looked down and shook her head.

“How can I believe that?” She whispered.

How indeed? Apple Bloom could keep talking and talking, but she didn’t think that would do any good. Perhaps… Perhaps she could get Diamond to talk more, instead.

“Diamond, do you think you’ve done something that deserved you losing your mark?”

The meekness in Diamond’s voice was quickly replaced with bitterness. “What do you think, Apple Bloom? Honestly, you of all ponies should be the last one to have to ask that.” Diamond then stood up, her body language becoming more aggressive. Nevertheless, Apple Bloom tried quite hard not to flinch. “Ever since I got my cutie mark, I’ve been making your lives miserable because you don’t have one yet! I even dragged Silver Spoon into it. Great use of my talent right there!”

A tear threatened to escape Diamond’s eye, but she kept her stare fixed on Apple Bloom. She then took a few steps forward until their snouts were almost touching.

“My dad uses his talent to make his business successful, employs dozens of ponies, and tries to make things better for everypony. I use mine to be a bully. What do you think, Apple Bloom?”

Honestly? She was surprised Diamond Tiara realised how deep the issues ran. Not that she would say that to her face. Still, she had to say something. Something that would keep Diamond Tiara opening up.

“I think that if what you’re saying is true, then neither Miss Cheerilee, Miss Harvest, Miss Zecora, or anypony else would’ve lost their cutie marks. None of them used their talents to hurt anypony, but they still lost theirs. By repeating those things, you’re only hurting yourself, Diamond.”

The other filly’s breath hitched for a moment, and she almost recoiled at those words. Her eyes took on a pleading look as she spoke, her voice filled with hurt and desperation.

“Then… Why?” she asked. “Why did I lose my cutie mark?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Because you got sick.“

Diamond Tiara tilted her head in confusion.

“That’s all there is to it, isn’t it? If somepony sneezed and you walked by, you would get their cold. You didn’t do anything wrong, you just…” Apple Bloom paused for a second, unsure if she should finish her thought. Her gut instinct had taken her this far, though. She should trust it. “You just got unlucky.”

The tears finally escaped Diamond’s eyes, as well as a soft whimper escaped her lips. Suddenly, she fell forward and buried her face against Apple Bloom’s chest and started crying loudly.

Apple Bloom shot a nervous glance to her friends in search of support. While Sweetie Belle looked conflicted and indecisive, Scootaloo shot her a flat stare that told her she was on her own. Traitors…

Steeling herself, she focused on the crying Diamond Tiara. Not knowing what else to do, she gave her some gentle headpats and a few gentle words of reassurance. To that, Diamond mumbled something that Apple Bloom couldn’t quite catch.

“What did you say, Diamond?”

“I’m sorry…”

That… She hadn’t expected.

“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom.” Diamond looked aside, just barely, to look at the ponies standing away from them. “Sweetie Belle… Scootaloo… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all I put you through. I don’t even know why I was so hard on you, anymore. I just… I’m so sorry…”

Diamond Tiara broke down, her words devolving into a garbled mess as she buried her face in Apple Bloom’s chest once more and her crying turned into sobbing. Apple Bloom heard a loud sigh followed by hoofsteps. On her right side, Scootaloo came up and—though she kept the same unamused expression—sat close to Apple Bloom and laid a hoof across Diamond Tiara’s back. Almost immediately, Sweetie Belle trotted up to them and wrapped the other fillies in a hug.

The group remained like that for a while. She wasn’t sure how long, but eventually Diamond’s tears subsided.

The pink filly stood up as she rubbed her eyes. “I… I really meant it. I’m sorry, girls.”

The Crusaders shared a look that spoke of plenty at once. Of letting go of resentment. Of being hoping their animosity could come to an end. Of just being done.

However, Apple Bloom was sure the other two Crusaders were asking themselves the same question as her: What now? Things would change between Diamond and them, but only time would tell if it’d end up being for the better. At the very least, she felt this marked the end of a chapter in the lives of the four.

A more immediate matter was what was supposed to happen right then? Just say goodbye and leave? It felt wrong to leave Diamond Tiara right now, but Apple Bloom wasn’t sure what was the right thing to do.

Thankfully, Diamond was the first to break the silence. With a sniffle, she separated her head from Apple Bloom’s chest. Hopefully, the dampness left on her fur was just tears.

“I… I’m sorry for the mess, Apple Bloom,” Diamond Tiara said as she rubbed her eyes.

“Don’t mention it,” Apple Bloom replied as she looked over the other filly, glad to see most of the sadness had already left her.

Diamond Tiara turned, but didn’t raise her head. She took a few steps forward until she stood right in front of Scootaloo. Immersed in a seemingly eternal pause, neither said a thing. Scootaloo looked somewhere between uncomfortable and serious, but waited for Diamond to speak her mind.

“I’m sorry about your model. I didn’t mean to break it. I was just… Scared.” Though her head remained downcast, she managed to look up at Scootaloo.

Scootaloo swished her tail and buzzed her wings, but said nothing. Her eyes showed no hint of whatever was crossing her mind. And yet, Apple Bloom could see hints of neither anger nor pity in the pegasus.

“You were angry. I get it. I think I would’ve been if I’d gone through that,” Scootaloo said. Giving a shrug, she continued. “I’m sorry things went down like that at school.”

“I don’t know why I made Silver Spoon go through that ridiculous charade,” Diamond replied, scoffing at her own words for good measure. “Painting a fake crown on my flank… I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.”

“To be fair, it was kind of a freak accident.”

“Yeah, an accident I caused,” Diamond let out a humourless laugh as she shook her head. “I’ve just been making things harder for myself all this time, haven’t I?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, but there’s no reason to keep doing that. I know none of us want to give you a hard time no more.”

Diamond Tiara’s posture became more relaxed, as if an unseen weight had disappeared from her back. “Thank you, girls,” she said, and silence returned, bringing warmth and comfort this time around.

“So…” Sweetie Belle started after a short while. “Are we… okay, now?”

That was a blunt approach, but Apple Bloom supposed they were past the point of subtleties. And—if she was honest—she also hoped they would be.

“Yes. Yes, we are,” Diamond said. She spoke with a tone that left no room for doubt.

“Good,” Sweetie Belle replied.

Apple Bloom found it easy to smile this time around. Soon enough, all four of them were smiling and, for a moment, she could pretend nothing was wrong.

“Are you gonna be alright, Diamond?”

Diamond nodded. “Silver Spoon will come later. She’s been keeping me company.” A pause. Diamond’s lips twitched into something vaguely resembling a smile. “I’m gonna have to get her up to speed with what just happened.”

“I see. Well… I guess we’ll catch you later,” Apple Bloom said.

A series of nods were exchanged. Perhaps none of them really knew what to say, or if anything else had to be said at all. Either way, they did what they came here to do. And finally realised what that was.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo mumbled a few goodbyes as they walked back into the hallways of Rich Manor, but Apple Bloom walked in silence. Soon enough the three of them walked next to each other as the tension between them grew with each step. Neither spoke in spite of the obvious desire to spill their thoughts and feelings. Perhaps it was the foreign environment, but Apple Bloom imagined they’d all prefer to talk in a more comfortable and familiar place.

Just as they stepped into the main hall, Apple Bloom saw Mister Rich looking at her from down one of the hallways. She barely paused in her step as their eyes met. The stallion regarded her with a soft gaze, already looking better than he had when he let them into his home. Mister Rich mouthed a silent “Thank you”. He gave a nod as a smile spread across his lips. He then turned around, and she couldn’t see him anymore.

---

Before long, the three girls left the Rich Manor behind, and found themselves walking down a dirt road.

Apple Bloom wasn’t sure what to think. She knew that having patched things with Diamond Tiara was good, yes… But she still found it hard to get a good grasp on how she felt.

The sentiment must’ve been common, since not long passed before Scootaloo spoke up. “Y’know… If you’d told me on Monday all that was gonna happen this week, I think us making up with Diamond Tiara would still be in the top three things I wouldn’t have believed.”

Sweetie Belle giggled at that. “Just third?”

“I mean… It’s not the first time Ponyville’s been trapped under a dome,” Scootaloo replied, shrugging.

“It is weird for it to happen twice…”

“I know, right?” Apple Bloom said, “I remember AJ argued with the insurance company for a few months. They said after the parasprites and the Ursa, we were at risk of it happenin’ again.”

“Wow, adults are weird.”

Apple Bloom couldn’t fight back the smile spreading across her face. “I probably wouldn’t have believed it, either. Still, I’m glad we did.”

Scootaloo let out a short humming noise before she finally replied. “Yeah… Guess I am, too.”

“She seemed much happier than when we arrived,” Sweetie Belle said. “That alone is a positive in my book.”

That much was true. The difference was night and day, and Apple Bloom had to admit she felt glad she played a part in cheering up the filly. At that moment, she thought back to Golden Harvest, and part of her wished she could’ve done a better job at making her feel better that night.

Then again…

Had she given more thought to Diamond Tiara’s situation, she’d probably feel some regret over not lending a helping hoof before. But in the end, she just did, and that really made a difference for Diamond. And to herself. She wondered if she could do it again.

With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but voice them. “You girls think we could help other ponies?”

“Huh?” both her friends replied.

The earth filly stopped and turned to face the other two. “I mean, we know Diamond isn’t the only one who lost her cutie mark. Lots of other ponies have lost theirs, too.”

“So?” Scootaloo asked.

“Just think about it. If we could help Diamond Tiara, don’t you think we could help cheer up all the ponies going through a rough time?”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Grief Counsellors?”

“I think that was in one of our first lists, actually,” Scootaloo replied.

“Why did we make so many of those?”

“List-making cutie marks was one of our first attempts.”

“Oh, right.”

Apple Bloom stepped in before the conversation got sidetracked. “What do you say, girls?”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchanged a glance before nodding.

“It sure beats sitting at home doing nothing,” Scootaloo said.

Eagerly, Sweetie Belle put forward a hoof as her eyes glinted with expectation, and the other two were quick to imitate her.

In the days since this disease had started spreading, things had changed. Ponyville had changed, the ponies themselves had changed. Apple Bloom was sure that a part of her had changed as well.

“Wait, how is this going to work? Do we make flyers or something like that?”

“Maybe we could check on ponies we know are feeling down and see if they know somepony else who needs help. Rarity calls it work through referrals, I think.”

In spite of it all, Apple Bloom felt a warm and cosy sensation fill her as she knew deep down in her that she could always count on her friends.

Comments

[Zaid ValRoa]

So, funny thing. This chapter was supposed to have both Apple Bloom and Twilight's side in a somewhat even half and a half distribution.
But then Bloom's portion ballooned into 5k words. What a silly filly.
Anyway, the next chapter will be out sooner than you may think.
Cheers!

[Zaveryn]

I was half expecting them to get their cutie marks! Their tv show's marks in helping others find their cutie marks could also be related to this, in a way.

Now that I think about it, I don't like how they became teachers as adults? They should've made CMC some sort of organization to help late bloomer blank flanks...hm....

Glad to see this still kicking. I feel like you got the personalities of the CMC down really well.

[Zaid ValRoa]

11865955
Funnily enough, Apple Bloom would get her mark in the earliest drafts of this story. I ultimately decided against it because there's already plenty of drama and angst going around without adding that to the mix.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, though!