As the Apple Blooms

by The FraudulentBrit

Uncovering Hidden Truths

As the Apple Blooms

Part 51; Uncovering Hidden Truths

As the sun began to set over the town of Allspark Wells, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe found themselves killing time in their shared room. While the former farm girl was busy playing with Sparkplug, the young biker simply laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Eventually, however, Sideswipe couldn’t help but do the only thing she could in situations like this.

Raising her arms up in the air, the teenaged biker groaned as she complained, “Ugh! I’m so bored!”

Laughing to herself, Apple Bloom turned to Sparkplug as she playfully quipped, “Ah knew she’d do that.” As the small black terrier barked in confirmation, Sideswipe rose from her bed as she continued, “I wish there was something to do.” Turning to face her friend and sister, Apple Bloom playfully suggested, “Well, you always could do somethin’ useful like moppin’ the floor. Ah’m sure Uncle Ironhide would appreciate it.”

Sideswipe playfully rolled her eyes as she reiterated, “Let me rephrase that. I wish there were something FUN to do.” Just as she finished that sentence, Sparkplug made his way up to the pale girl and began to claw at her for attention. Sideswipe relented as she began to pet the highland terrier as she asked, “This what you wanted little buddy?”

Apple Bloom then proceeded to make her way towards Sideswipe as she asked, “Feelin’ less bored?” As she released Sparkplug from her grasp, the teenaged biker answered, “A bit. Not much but a bit.” The former farm girl then giggled as she continued, “Guess Sparkplug just has that effect on people.”

Taking a moment to giggle herself, Sideswipe asked, “Hey Apple Bloom? Mind if I ask a dumb question?” The former farm girl happily replied, “Mah Granny Smith says there’s no such thing as dumb questions.” The teenaged biker took a deep breath before continuing, “Well, now that I’ve kinda been getting back into dance, I was wondering if you could help me get set up with Tender Taps’s family about buying a new pair of tap shoes. I’d kinda like to buy a new pair and I still have some money to me and….”

“Ah’d love to!” Apple Bloom quickly interrupted. Realizing what she’d just done, the former farm girl continued, “Ah mean, next time we have our dance session Ah can see if Mrs. Soft Shoe can get you fitted for a new pair.” Satisfied and relieved, Sideswipe gave a gentle, “Thanks Apple Bloom.”

At that moment, Ironhide’s voice called out, “Hey Apple Bloom! Beachcomber and Marble are here to see you.” Intrigued, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah’ll be right there!” She then turned to Sideswipe and said, “Come on! If Ah know Marble, then she needs somethin’.” The teenaged biker smiled as she shrugged and replied, “Lead the way.”

The Shop Front

As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe entered the shop front, the former farm girl locked eyes on Marble, who to her surprise, was practically giddy with excitement. The gray girl ran right up to Apple Bloom and wrapped her in a massive hug as she squealed, “Apple Bloom! You’re not gonna believe this but we just got a call from…..” She stopped herself when she realized that Sideswipe was not only present, but dressed slightly differently. “Uh, Sideswipe?” The gray geologist asked in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Sideswipe began to awkwardly scuff her feet as, to Apple Bloom’s surprise, began to ever so slightly blush and replied, “Well, long story short, I kinda live here now.” Taking the answer in, Marble answered, “Ok. I’m confused.”

Apple Bloom then asked, “We can worry about that later. What’s goin’ on Marble?” Taking a deep breath, the gray geologist explained, “Ok, well, a few days ago, we got a call from Onslaught.” When the former farm girl gave a confused look, Sideswipe quickly explained, “He’s some local rich guy.” As Apple Bloom nodded, Marble began to grow giddier as she continued, “Apparently he was doing something on his property when he….”

Finally giving into her excitement, Marble exclaimed, “He found a dinosaur!” For a moment, neither Apple Bloom nor Sideswipe moved, both girls struggling to process what they’d just heard. After a few moments, however, Apple Bloom finally replied, “Wait, you mean you guys found a dinosaur skeleton?”

Nodding with enthusiasm neither girl had seen in her before, Marble replied, “In a nutshell, yes!” She then began to glow with excitement as she finished, “Oh Apple Bloom! Sideswipe! I’m so excited!”

As Marble Pie struggled to keep herself calm, Beachcomber approached the girls and explained, “Hey there. So, I take it that Marble told you about our little discovery.” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Yup. Ah’m happy for you guys, but if Ah may, what does this have to do with us?”

The older geologist answered, “Well, given what Onslaught described and by the pictures he sent us for reference, this might take more than a few people to dig up. I’ve been contacting our volunteers for help, but too few have replied.” He then turned to Marble and added, “That was when Marble here suggested you guys.”

As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe pondered the proposition, Chromia approached the group as she spoke up, “I don’t know about you guys, but I think that sounds like fun.” The former farm girl then replied, “Ah do too, but won’t things get busy around here with three or even two of us gone?”

Before Chromia could answer, Ironhide interrupted with, “I don’t think that should be a problem.” The family patriarch turned to Beachcomber and asked, “When are you guys planning on this little dig?” The blue geologist scratched the back of his neck as he answered, “We’re planning on starting tomorrow morning. I know it’s a bit of a last minute request, but we’re pretty shorthanded.”

Apple Bloom then approached her uncle and pleaded, “Can we uncle Ironhide? Please?” The older man “pondered” his niece’s request for a moment before he answered, “I don’t think that’s a problem. Besides, I’ve already got an appointment with Dr. Shockwave tomorrow, and after that the boys and I should have plenty of time to work on a little project.” He then gave his wife a playful wink, one which she returned.

The former farm girl, however, didn’t seem to notice this gesture, as she was too busy wrapping her uncle in a tight hug while exclaiming, “Thank you uncle Ironhide!” To Apple Bloom’s surprise, she was joined by Marble hugging her uncle as well, much to the former’s amusement. After a few moments, however, Ironhide bluntly asked, “You girls mind letting me go? I think my arm is going numb.”

Once they’d released her, Beachcomber said, “Now then, I think we better be going. Come on Marble.” Turning to face her friends, Marble asked, “See you guys tomorrow?” As Apple Bloom enthusiastically nodded, Sideswipe began to faintly blush as she replied, “See you then. Stay out of trouble.” The gray geologist began to giggle as she cheekily replied, “I try to.” With that, she and Beachcomber departed, leaving to continue their hunt for more volunteers.

Once the two geologists were gone, Apple Bloom turned to Sideswipe and quipped, “Looks like tomorrow shouldn’t be too boring.” The pale white girl let out a playful sigh as she replied, “I hope so.” She then continued, “That still leaves the rest of tonight though.”

Luckily for Sideswipe, Chromia offered a remedy for her boredom with, “How about you girls help me with dinner? I’m thinking of meatball subs.” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Ah’d love to.” Sideswipe, meanwhile, couldn’t help but quip, “I suppose it would at least be time consuming.”

Chromia let out a gentle chuckle as she replied, “Alright. Come on girls.” She then ushered her surrogate daughters towards the kitchen, all while Ironhide couldn’t help but whisper to himself, “I love those girls.”

The Next Morning…

As Apple Bloom made her way towards the front door, she couldn’t help but feel overcome with excitement of what might happen in the impending hours. Now that she, Sideswipe, and Chromia had eaten breakfast and packed for the day, all that was left was to go to the dig site. ‘Ah’m so excited.’ The former farm girl thought to herself. After all, it wasn’t every day she got to help dig up a dinosaur.

From behind her, Apple Bloom heard Sideswipe call out, “What are we standing around for? We’re burning daylight.” Turning around, the former farm girl found her friend approaching, dressed in her new attire of a red denim vest and jeans and a black tank top and boots. Walking up to her, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but ask, “You sure you’re gonna be comfortable in that? Ah don’t want you gettin’ yourself cut.”

The pale biker playfully rolled her eyes as she replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” She then quipped, “At least I don’t wear the same thing over and over again.” Indeed, Apple Bloom was still dressed in her normal attire of overalls and a work shirt, something she found was a look she not only loved, but was also functional in just about any situation she found herself in. Shaking her head in amusement, the former farm girl couldn’t help but quip back, “You know what they say. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

From behind them, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe heard Chromia ask, “Would one of you mind helping me?” Turning to face her aunt, the former farm girl found the older woman, dressed in blue overalls and a light blue shirt and carrying two messenger bags. Realizing they were heavier than anyone anticipated, Apple Bloom ran towards her aunt as she called out, “Let me help you with that.”

As Chromia handed Apple Bloom one of the messenger bags, the older woman replied, “Thanks Apple Bloom.” Sideswipe then asked, “So, what’s in those bags anyway?” Chromia smiled as she answered, “Not much, just lunch, a few snacks, a first aid kit, a blanket, two walkie talkies, a flashlight, some hand sanitizer…..” The family matriarch paused when she realized that she was starting to ramble and finished with, “Just a few things in case of an emergency. You can never be too prepared.”

Once she finished, Ironhide entered the shop front as he said, “Alright then. You ladies have fun out there today. And remember, should anything happen, I’m only a phone call away.” Chromia gave her husband a gentle hug as she replied, “Love you Ironhide. I hope things go well with Shockwave.” Apple Bloom joined the hug as she simply added, “See you tonight Uncle Ironhide. Ah love you.” Though Sideswipe hesitated for a moment, once the family patriarch invited her to join the ever growing group hug, the young biker wasted no time to join in the massive embrace.

Once everyone was freed from the cluster hug, Chromia turned to the two younger girls and said, “Alrighty then. Now, let’s go dig up a dinosaur!” She then led Apple Bloom and Sideswipe out of the shop, leaving Ironhide to prepare for his session with Shockwave.

Chromia’s Car, A Short While Later…

Driving down the country road, Chromia couldn’t help but remark, “Ah, it’s a fine day to get out of the house.” Apple Bloom, seated in one of the back seats, replied, “You bet! This kinda reminds me of when Ah used to go on hikes with Applejack and Big Macintosh.” As she looked out her window, the former farm girl continued, “Though Ah do gotta admit Ah love the scenery here more than back home.”

After a few minutes, the trio’s car made approached a fancy archway. Sticking her head out of her window, Chromia remarked, “Ah, here we are. Onslaught’s estate.” Soon enough, they approached several parked cars. Parking her car, Chromia turned to her wards and happily said, “Alright girls, let’s go see what Beachcomber needs us to do.”

Once everyone was out of the car, the trio began to approach a group of roughly twenty five other people all huddled around each other. As they closed the distance, Apple Bloom noticed one of the people on the fringe of the group was a very familiar gray girl dressed in a pair of gray jeans, a dark gray shirt, black boots, and a very familiar black leather jacket.

Running up to her friend, Apple Bloom happily called out, “Howdy Marble.” The gray girl turned to face the former farm girl and replied, “Hey Apple Bloom. Thanks for the help.” She then noticed Sideswipe approaching and continued, “Hey Sideswipe. Ready to get your hands dirty?” The teenaged biker nodded as she playfully quipped, “I’ve been getting down and dirty since I was a baby.”

The trio of teens were interrupted from their banter when Beachcomber began to speak. “Alright now. Can I have everyone’s attention?” When the group of volunteers focused their attention on the blue geologist, he continued, “Ok now, I know that we’re not exactly a team from the national institute of geology, but I have confidence we can excavate a fair deal of the fossil here.”

As the group took in Beachcomber’s words of encouragement, Sideswipe cracked her knuckles as she called out, “Just point us in the right direction sir!” Smiling at the pale teenager’s enthusiasm, the older geologist finished, “Alright everyone, follow me.”

Leading the group into the open green, Beachcomber began to explain, “Now then, from what we’ve already found, we think this might be a Cerotopsian.” Apple Bloom leant against Marble and asked, “What does that mean?” The gray girl enthusiastically answered, “It’s the family Triceratops is in.” The former farm girl let out an intrigued “Ooh” before replying, “Ah’m so excited.”

Marble then focused on Sideswipe and asked, “Are you excited?” The pale biker began to awkwardly blush as she answered, “Uh, yeah, I’m totally excited.” Apple Bloom noticed her friend’s awkwardness and thought to herself, ‘Never expected to see Sideswipe so awkward.’

She didn’t get too long to focus on her pondering, as Beachcomber called out, “Alright everyone. We’re here.”

There, lying partially buried in the earth, were the broken tips of what appeared to be pieces of bone. Apple Bloom couldn’t make too much out of the few scraps that were visible, but she could clearly see that some of the exposed stone was noticeably smoother and colored differently. From several feet away, the girls heard one of the other volunteers call out, “We have some bone over here! I think it might be tailbone.”

Curious, Apple Bloom asked, “So which part of the dinosaur are we near?” Marble bent down to check the few exposed bones as she answered, “Probably the animal’s frill.” She then began to ramble, “These animals were common back in the cretaceous period. Kinda like how buffalo used to roam the plains.” She then began to gently caress the exposed bone as she continued, “Sometimes I wish they were still alive so I could….”

“Hey Marble!” Beachcomber’s voice interrupted the gray geologist’s rambling. Turning to face her mentor and guardian, she found the older man and Chromia approaching, digging tools in their hands. Once he had closed the distance, Beachcomber continued, “We’re ready to start digging. You kids mind starting on the skull?” As Sideswipe and Apple Bloom enthusiastically nodded, Marble squealed as she ran up to her mentor and hugged him.

Once she released Beachcomber, Marble replied, “Thank you Mr. Beachcomber.” The older man reassured her, “No problem. You girls are gonna need these.” He then handed Marble the tools in his hand as he warned, “Now be careful. Since most of us aren’t professionals, we have to be extra careful to not damage the skeleton.”

Marble nodded as she replied, “I’ll keep these two from breaking anything.” Of course, this remark was met with Sideswipe playfully quipping, “Hey! Are you implying I’m clumsy?” This seemingly innocent remark resulted in Marble gulping and looking away in shame, leading the pale biker to reassure her, “Hey, I was just kidding.”

Realizing that the situation was starting to escalate, Apple Bloom stepped in between her friends and said, “Okay, let’s start diggin’ up a dinosaur!” Deciding that the task at hand was more important than the misinterpretation of a playful quip, Marble began to hand out the hammers and chisels to Apple Bloom and Sideswipe as she remarked, “Follow my lead.”

A Short While Later….

“Wow.” Apple Bloom remarked as she, Sideswipe, and Marble Pie chiseled the ground, more and more of the fossilized skull was revealed. To say that the former farm girl was left breathless would be an understatement.

Indeed, it was clear that the Cerotopsian dinosaur they were working on was amazingly well preserved. Even though Marble had informed them that the skeletal remains were roughly seventy five million years old (give or take a million years or two), the fossilized bones were surprisingly smooth, as if they were less than a century old.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Marble asked as she began to pet the exposed forehead of the dinosaur. Stroking the fossil as if it were a dog, she asked it, “What happened to you? What brought you to this place?”

As she continued to pet the skeleton, Sideswipe couldn’t help but remark, “I don’t think he’ll answer. I mean, if it even is a he.” Marble turned to her friend and continued, “Even if they don’t speak, fossils can tell you so much about something.” She then pointed to the frill as she added, “Limestone used to say that all a fossil tells you is that it died, but what they do tell you is that they lived, or at least up to this point.” She then elaborated, “For example, this boy here made it to adulthood.”

Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile as she remarked, “Listen to you. Marble Pie the paleontologist.” Marble couldn’t help but blush as she replied, “Thanks. Guess sometimes I get a little carried away.” Sideswipe then spoke up with an impressed, “I gotta say I’m impressed with you Marble. Whatever happened to the shy and reclusive girl I used to know?”

Blushing with embarrassment, Marble replied, “Well, after I was diagnosed with Perceptor’s syndrome, Mr. Beachcomber prescribed me with some sort of medication. Since then I’ve been a lot better with crowds than I used to be.” She then turned to face the other volunteers, including Beachcomber and Chromia, as she added, “Though I still have some trouble when things get too claustrophobic.”

At that moment, Sideswipe began to blush as she said, “You know, when you were going on about this guy here, I think it was kinda cute.” As Apple Bloom processed what she’d just heard, Marble’s face began grow impossibly red as she played with the hair blocking her face and ask, “Wait, you think I’m cute?”

Realizing what she’d just said, Sideswipe began to awkwardly scratch the back of her neck and reply, “Well, I mean….. You’re certainly among the cuter half of people I’ve met in my life. Same with Apple Bloom here.” She then paused for a moment before adding, “Not to mention you absolutely rock that jacket. It’s part of the reason I decided on a slight wardrobe shift.”

As Apple Bloom realized what Sideswipe was trying to do, the sound of Beachcomber’s voice distracted everyone as he called out, “Alright everyone! Can I have your attention?” When the group turned to face him, he continued, “Looks like we’re making great progress, but for the moment I think it’s time we all took a break for lunch.”

Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief as she remarked, “Ah don’t know about you guys, but Ah’m so hungry Ah could eat a horse.” As Sideswipe shrugged nonchalantly, Marble cracked her knuckles as she quipped, “And just when I was getting warmed up.” As she began to walk towards Beachcomber, however, the gray girl began to slow down and remarked, “Uh, would you two excuse me for a moment?”

Once Marble departed to “relieve herself,” Apple Bloom turned to Sideswipe and gave her a grin that could only be generously described as “Shit eating.” The pale biker began to blush as she awkwardly asked, “Uh, what’s got you so cheeky?”

“You like her.” Apple Bloom bluntly answered. “Don’t lie to me. You were flirtin’ with Marble, weren’t you?”

Struggling to keep her face from turning as red as her vest or Apple Bloom’s hair, Sideswipe sighed as she admitted, “Ok, maybe a little bit. I mean, I know we haven’t had too many chances to interact but….” The pale biker was interrupted when her surrogate sister wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. Squeeing with joy, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah can’t believe it! Sideswipe has a crush on Marble!”

From behind them, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe heard Chromia calling for them, “You girls hungry?”

A Few Minutes Later…

Apple Bloom, Sideswipe, Marble, Chromia, and Beachcomber sat around each other, eating their lunch and just in general enjoying the scenery around them. The former farm girl turned to the older geologist as she said, “Thanks for invitin’ us out here Mr. Beachcomber.” The older man nodded as, swallowing his mouthful from the sandwich in his hand, he replied, “No problem Apple Bloom. When I mentioned we might need with today, Marble mentioned you without hesitation.”

As Marble awkwardly shrinked into herself, Chromia complimented her with, “Well I say you’re doing very well Marble. As someone who also struggles with crowds, I think you’re handling yourself perfectly.” The gray geologist smiled as she replied, “Thanks Mrs. Chromia. Ever since I was….” Pausing for a moment, she steeled herself before continuing, “Since I got diagnosed with Perceptor’s syndrome, everything has been far more manageable.”

Marble then asked, “So Sideswipe, you said you were living with Apple Bloom. What happened to your father?” For a moment, Sideswipe began to look over her shoulder in shame as Apple Bloom and Chromia shared concerned looks. Worried she asked a terrible question, the gray girl apologized, “Sorry for asking, I was just curious.”

To everyone’s surprise, Sideswipe regained her composure as she began to explain, “It’s alright. You see….” Pausing for a moment, she continued, “Dad finally went off the deep end, and, after he found a picture I took of an old girlfriend, he….” Now starting to crack her voice, she finished, “He got a little physical. After that I ran and found Ironhide and everyone and…. Guess I just never looked back.”

Overcome with emotion, Marble leapt forward and wrapped Sideswipe in a massive hug as she apologized, “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.” Though momentarily confused, the pale biker hugged Marble back as she gently replied, “Thanks.” They were soon joined by Apple Bloom, who reassured her, “Don’t worry Marble. We’ve been takin’ good care of Sideswipe.”

Sideswipe immediately turned to Apple Bloom and bluntly remarked, “Ok that sounded kinda creepy.” The former farm girl released her friends as she meekly apologized, “Sorry about that.” Thankfully, both Sideswipe and Marble gave her friendly looks as they made it clear that they didn’t mind her awkward remark. Smiling, the former farm girl couldn’t help but state, “Thanks. You guys are some of the best friends Ah’ve ever had.”

With that, the three girls shared another, far more mutual hug while Beachcomber and Chromia watched, happy that the they were all growing to more mature people.

Later That Day….

As the sun continued its journey across the sky, Apple Bloom and her friends continued their work digging the fossilized skull out of the earth. Turning to face Marble, the former farm girl found her friend once again gently caressing the skull as if it were a sleeping dog.

“Wonderin’ if he’ll tell you anythin’ else?” Apple Bloom asked the gray geologist. Not even turning to face her, Marble answered, “Not much, other than that this guy here is a Pachyrhinosaurus.”

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Sideswipe asked, “I’m not too familiar with that name. What’s it mean?” Marble giggled as she answered, “The name means “thick nosed lizard.”” She then pointed to the barely exposed front of the animal’s skull near the beak as she continued, “Unlike other Ceratopsians, these guys had bumps on their faces rather than horns like a Triceratops or a Styracosaurus.”

As Sideswipe and Apple Bloom shared intrigued looks, Marble noticed there was something off on the animals frill. “Uh, excuse me for a moment?” She asked as she began to take a closer look, unconsciously grasping the side of the frill.

At that moment, Marble lost her balance and fell forward, accidentally crashing into the fossilized skull and snapping through the frill, breaking it.

“Marble!” Apple Bloom and Sideswipe cried out as they shot up and began to try and help their friend regain her footing. As she reached her arm around the gray girl, the former farm girl asked, “You alright there?”

Marble didn’t immediately answer. Instead, she found herself staring aghast at the now broken frill. As she stared at the broken fossil, Beachcomber and Chromia made their way towards the girls with the older man asking, “What happened?” Apple Bloom turned to him as she replied, “Marble lost her balance and fell on the fossil.”

Once she finished speaking, Marble began to panic as she bent down to pick up the broken fragments of bone as she tried to repair the damaged frill, muttering to herself, “Oh no! I gotta fix this! I gotta fix this!” Of course, one can’t simply fix broken bone by just putting the pieces back, let alone broken fossilized bone.

Thankfully for everyone, Beachcomber walked up to his protégé and rested his hands on her shoulders as he reassured her, “It’s alright. Once we get this guy back to the museum, we’ll fix his frill. Ok?” Starting to tear up a bit, Marble wrapped her arms around Beachcomber as she began to sniffle. The older man returned the hug as he gently reassured her, “It’s alright.”

Once she’d finished her hug, the gray girl turned to her friends and apologized, “Sorry about that. Guess I still get a few episodes every now and then.” Apple Bloom raised her hand as she reassured her, “Don’t worry about it. You’re not hurt, and that’s all that matters.” Sideswipe even added, “Yeah, and if you guys need help, I’d be more than willing to oblige.”

As Marble began to awkwardly blush, Beachcomber began, “Alrighty then. Now, it’s starting to get late, so once you girls get all the fragments gathered up, we’re gonna place a tarp over what we have for tomorrow. Hopefully by then we may have some more help.” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “You got it sir.” She then turned to Marble as she invited her, “Come on, let’s do this.”

Ten Minutes Later…

Once all the fragments had been recovered and a tarp had been secured over the now exposed fossil, Apple Bloom turned to Marble and said, “Thanks for invitin’ us today Marble. Today was pretty fun.” Sideswipe then added, “Yeah. You gotta let us know the next time someone finds something somewhere.” As the three girls awkwardly stood there, the pale biker quickly quipped, “I just said “some” a lot, didn’t I?”

To her surprise, Marble walked up to Sideswipe and, momentarily holding her hand, reassured her, “Don’t worry. Even I stumble my words sometimes.” This simple gesture was reciprocated with Sideswipe blushing redder than a tomato, all while Apple Bloom struggled to contain her excitement.

After a few moments, though, Chromia called out to her wards, “Alright girls. We better start heading home.” The former farm girl turned to her aunt and replied, “Be there in a minute.” Turning back to Marble, she bid her friend farewell, “Guess Ah’ll see you soon?” The gray geologist nodded as she wrapped Apple Bloom in a hug as she replied, “See you soon Apple Bloom.” The former farm girl returned the gesture, holding her leather clad friend tight.

Once Apple Bloom released her friend, Sideswipe approached the two and cheekily asked, “No hug for me?” Marble playfully rolled her eyes as she replied, “If you insist.” With that, the gray geologist and the pale biker shared a hug of their own, a sight that melted Apple Bloom’s heart.

And then Sideswipe pecked Marble on the cheek.

As Apple Bloom and Marble processed what just happened, Sideswipe began to blush as she quickly began to speak, “Uh, ok then. See you Marble.” She then started to walk towards Chromia’s car as she muttered, “Why did I do that? Why did I do that? Why did I do that?”

Marble herself began to walk towards Beachcomber, struggling to keep herself calm. Apple Bloom was initially worried that her friend was panicking, but when she got a glimpse of the gray girl’s blushing face, which was now dominated by a large smile, the former farm girl couldn’t help but remark, “Ah got a feelin’ things are gonna be just fine.”

With that, Apple Bloom began to make her way to her aunt’s car as she wondered what her uncle would be preparing for dinner that night. At the very least, she wanted to help Sideswipe process all of the feelings that were certainly welling up in her.

After all, Apple Bloom knew what it was like to be in love.

Author's Note:

Next Time; When Hard Shoe comes home, Apple Bloom is fully inducted into the Tap Family.

Author's Note; This week has been incredibly stressful, so I apologize if this chapter is weaker than most.

Comments

[Omnipotence]

This chapter doesn't sound weak at all. Maybe take a break? Maybe it'll lessen the stress?

Also, don't mean to egg you on this but, how close are you to Applebloom meeting Applejack again? Kinda hope at least some part of my idea gets to be in it! XD

[The FraudulentBrit]

10976495
Thanks. It’s just I took a break not too long ago and I try to keep myself disciplined.

And as for your question, to give a basic timeline: the story begins in early February, we are currently in roughly mid June, and will chronology end about late august/ early September.

Aka the start of the school year.

[Omnipotence]

10976503
Aw man, I know it's 2 months away (chronology-wise) but I HATE WAITING THAT LONG!

[The FraudulentBrit]

10976505
All good things to those who wait.

[Omnipotence]

10976509
If Applebloom is gonna wait to see her Sister's feelings become positive...I guarantee good things ain't coming to her.

[WarriorofFaith18]

Chapter's good. kinda thought about the Dinobots for a sec

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

10976509 Indeed.

[LordOfCringe]

I sense a double date in this fics future.

[Darksoul85]

Amazing job on this chapter and I can't wait to see what you come up with next maybe Granny Smith calls and talks to Apple Bloom

[Teraunce]

Nice story and again AB needs to seriously talk about staying where she is now. It's clearly a much better place for her mentally and emotionally.

[Sidetrack]

(this might just be my personal sense of humor but...)
Bully-"What are you Marble? A gay retard?"
Marble-"Yes. *Rides girlfriend's motorcycle into the sunset to study dinosaurs*"
Bully-"Damn. That's cool."