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ClearBloom.
An idea proposed by Lord King Cocoon
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It had been a little over a year since the opening of the Friendship School and everything was in perfect working order, there were the usual problems that every school in Equestria had, such as quarrelsome students, crazy villains and monster invasions, but otherwise it was a quiet place.
The queen came back from looking for Clear Spark at school and they both walked home, the colt had grown a bit and could move around Ponyville without any problems, he could recognize almost every sound perfectly and the ponies had been kind enough to leave marks on the lamp posts so the colt could find his way if necessary. No one had any problem helping him to show him the right way, but just like the queen, every pony wanted Clear Spark to be as independent as possible.
Normally, Clear Spark returned home accompanied by one of his classmates, and half the time that classmate was specifically Apple Bloom, who said it was a small detour before returning to the farm on the other side of town, but it had been a little over a week, and the colt was much quieter than usual, and the filly seemed to have been avoiding little Spark all those days, The queen and AppleJack were concerned about the matter, and they had both agreed to talk to the little ones to find out if anything bad had happened between them. That was the main reason the queen was picking up her son from school today.
Chrysalis walked home a little slower than usual, and Clear Spark walked a little farther behind his mother, and even when the queen picked up the pace or slowed it down, the foal somehow managed to always stay two or three steps behind his mother, even though he was blind, his hearing allowed him to measure perfectly how far behind his mother was, and he regulated his pace so as not to be left behind, always keeping his head down and saying nothing, but when he least expected it, the queen suddenly stopped, and Clear Spark could not avoid colliding with his mother.
"Sorry." Spark said as he rubbed at his muzzle.
"Don't worry about it, but you're a lot quieter than usual, is there something wrong with you?"
"Something's wrong? Nothing's wrong, I just don't feel like talking." The colt replied before heading home.
"Did you get into a fight with Apple Bloom?
"With Apple Bloom?" The colt asked as he quickly turned around in the direction of his mother. "Emmm no?, nothing is wrong, nothing bad happened." It didn't take AppleJack's lie detection skills to know that Clear Spark was lying, the colt replied very quickly and nervously.
"Then you're not going to mind if I ask AppleJack how her little sister is doing, are you?" The queen said, tapping the ground with her hooves in an attempt to fool Clear Spark into thinking she was on her way to the farm.
"WAIT!" The colt yelled, trying to make her stop.
"You want to tell me what happened?, I'm not going anywhere."
The colt hesitated for a long time whether to talk to his mother or not, just saying "mmmm..." every now and then while tapping the ground with his hooves, all the while the queen waited patiently for him.
"You know I can help you with anything you want, but first you have to tell me what's going on. I'm not going to..."
"Mom, how do you know if you like a filly or not?" Clear Spark asked, cutting her mother off.
"That's simple, first you must WHAT?" The queen shouted, a little taken aback by the question, which caused the colt to jump back. "Sorry honey for the yell, but you did take me a bit by surprise, could you repeat the question for me?"
"It's just that the other day I was with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara near Carrot Farm waiting for Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon but they took too long and Scootaloo went for Sweetie Belle while Diamond Tiara went for Silver Spoon and then I... I think I accidentally kissed Apple Bloom on the cheek, and she got mad at me," the colt finished with a bit of regret.
"What, did you try to overdo it with her?" The queen asked in a surprised and angry tone. "I thought you knew how to respect the boundaries of a filly, no wonder she's mad at you, right now we're going to the farm to..."
"That's not it." The colt said, cutting his mother off. "It's something else."
"What then?"
"When we were alone, we started talking about schoolwork, and I told her that I like doing homework with her because she helps me a lot, but she was closer than I thought, and she wanted to ask me something, and when I turned my head to find out what she wanted, I... accidentally kissed her on the cheek."
"I don't think it bothered her that much..."
"BUT I APOLOGIZED TO HER." The colt said, shouting. "I told her I did not mean to kiss her, I did not mean to kiss her and I would never do it again and she started to cry and ran off I don't know where to and... she won't talk to me anymore."
"Hmmm I see." Chrysalis said quietly. "Come with me sweetie, we need to talk." Chrysalis walked over to the colt and helped him onto her back to take him to a tree and have a talk in the shade, now she knew why Apple Bloom didn't want to be around her son, he had unknowingly broken the filly's heart and she now thinks Clear Spark doesn't want to be with her.
"You like being with Apple Bloom, do you?" The queen asked as she lowered her son from her back.
"Emmm... yes?"
"And you have feelings for her that are a little different than the feelings you have for other fillies?"
"Different feelings?" The filly asked a little confused.
"I mean you're happy to hear her voice, you like spending more time with her than with some of your other friends, and you feel bad because you think you hurt her feelings."
"Hmmm..." Was all the foal said nervously, and the queen could feel the love coming from the colt at the thought of her friend. It wasn't as strong as Apple Bloom's for Clear Spark, but there was undoubtedly something there.
"You hurt Apple Bloom's feelings, but it wasn't because of something bad you did or something she did. It was because of a misunderstanding, and you both better talk about it before you regret it in the future."
"But what should I talk about?" The colt asked, though he had no idea what his mother was referring to.
"Sometimes I forget that you are too young to have an understanding of some things." The queen said to herself, laughing slightly. "You feel bad for Apple Bloom, don't you?"
"Yes." Replied the colt.
"I tell you what, why don't you invite Apple Bloom for a walk around Ponyville, just the two of you? That way you can talk quietly and clear up any misunderstandings you have, say something nice to her, compliment her mane or something." The queen said with all the optimism and the best of intentions in the world.
"And do you have any idea what kind of effect that will have?" The colt asked in the same way.
"Of course, I'm sure it was a stupid misunderstanding and it's not good to get angry about that." The queen replied with a smile.
"Great, I'll go to Apple Bloom's right now..."
"Wait!" The queen shouted at her son, who ran off in a random direction out of excitement. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to the farm to..." The colt tried to answer, realizing it was a very bad idea for someone in his condition to wander. "I'd better talk to her at school tomorrow."
"I think that's a much better idea." With the best intentions of her heart, and without knowing it, the queen, with those simple words, forever linked the life of her son with the little filly that came from the apple farm.
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The next day, all the students were in class solving the math problems the teacher had written on the board, while Clear Spark was solving the same math problems on a special sheet Cheerilee had prepared. But the colt had something else on his mind, on a small piece of paper he had written a message in Braille, and after folding it and concentrating on his magic, he levitated it to the table of his classmate next to him.
"Hey, Scoot." The foal whispered to her winged friend as he pointed his hoof at the note he had passed.
"What?" Said the Pegasus, whispering back to the foal, but louder than she wanted to in order to earn a scolding from the teacher.
"Please give the note to Apple Bloom."
Even though the foal couldn't see what Scootaloo was doing, she nodded. Without the teacher noticing, she passed the note to Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom was trying to figure out the math problem when Scootaloo dropped a small piece of paper on her desk.
"What is this?" Apple Bloom asked, a little confused as she picked up the note with her hoof.
"The meaning of life, the universe, and everything." Scootaloo replied.
"Really?" She asked back, intrigued, to which Scoot just rolled her eyes in the most sarcastic way possible.
"Of course not dummy, it's just a note, read it."
Apple Bloom was angry with Clear Spark, even she didn't know why, but she was sure it was his fault, after all she didn't do anything wrong, she just didn't listen to anything the colt said after he kissed her on the cheek, she just started crying and stormed off without listening to what her beloved colt had said, surely being alone he told her he liked her and she stormed off in fear, But none of that was her fault, it was his and she wouldn't talk to him until he apologized, which didn't make much sense if she tore herself away from Clear Spark every time he came near, but she had promised AppleJack that she would give Spark a chance to apologize for his dastardly deed of making her cry and surely that little piece of paper had those words written on it.
When Apple Bloom started learning Braille, it took her a little while and like everypony else, she had to run her hoof over the letters several times to know what it said, but over the years, she could read it as easily as any other written language, some ponies in Ponyville learned a little bit of the language, mostly out of curiosity, but the only ones who could read it perfectly besides the colt were Chrysalis, Cheerilee and Apple Bloom, so when the filly opened the note, she could read what it said without any problem.
"Apple Bloom, I'll be waiting for you at the-" That was all the filly managed to read before she collapsed on her desk.
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It had been a couple of hours since the end of class, and Apple Bloom was on her way to the place where she would be alone with Clear Spark.
"Apple Bloom, I'll be waiting for you at the picnic gazebo at sunset."
That was what the colt's note had said, and she had not been able to read it to the end, but her friends had read it, as had Cheerilee, and after she had woken up and they had told her what had happened, she had made them promise not to tell anyone, which some of them obviously had not kept.
She knew where she was going and no one in town paid any attention to the filly as she crossed the square with no apparent direction, no one said a word about what had happened to her at school, no one said anything about why she had been avoiding Clear Spark lately, of course no one said anything because the streets were deserted, everyone already knew that she would be alone with Clear Spark in the most romantic place in Ponyville and all the curious wanted a piece of the latest Ponyville gossip.
As Apple Bloom walked past many bushes with pony tails, including one with the tails of Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Scootaloo, Lyra, and Derpy, who not only had a tail, but half a pony peeking out of it, but of all of them, the one that caught her attention the most was one that had two characteristic shades of pink. The filly approached the bush to talk to it.
"Ms. Cheerilee." Said the filly.
"I'm not Cheerilee, I mean ..... Meow!" The bush whispered back at the filly, who just rolled her eyes in response.
"Cheerilee Cat, I'm sorry about what happened at class today."
"Don't worry about it, and thank you, I mean... Meow, best of luck."
Cheerilee Cat answer did nothing to ease the filly's nerves, and she wanted to ask her for some mare-to-filly advice, but she had to get going, she knew Clear Spark was waiting for her.
Apple Bloom followed her path and at the end of it she could see the colt sitting patiently in the gazebo watching the trees, the filly's heart racing as she approached and she began to sweat with every step she took, thinking all the while whether to keep going or to run, to keep going or to run, to keep going or to...
"Ow!" The colt said as he felt someone bump him. "Apple Bloom, is that you?" He asked as he turned his head.
"Sorry, I...ummm...hi." The filly replied very nervously.
"I'm glad you came, I wanted to talk to you in private." He said embarrassed.
"I know."
"Come on, let's walk a little while we talk." The colt took a couple of steps forward and stopped when he wasn't sure where the end of the gazebo was. "Um... will you help me down? I don't want to fall."
"Oh yeah, sure, sorry." The filly replied, moving quickly to the bottom of the gazebo and holding out her hoof for Clear Spark to grab hold of. "Here."
The colt reached out his hoof, searching for his friend's, and found it, grabbing it firmly to go down. Apple Bloom's heart skipped a beat as she felt the contact with Clear Spark.
"Thank you." Clear Spark said as he started to walk, Apple Bloom quickly following.
The colt was about the same size as her friend and he knew the village quite well, but he had only walked this part of it a few times and had no landmarks to orient himself, always in these situations he would bite someone else's tail to guide him, but since he wanted to talk to the filly as they walked, he used his second option, he had done this many times with his mother, so the queen was hardly worried about him getting lost, only this time, instead of standing behind his companion, he stood at her side, almost touching her body.
The place was beautiful at this time of year, the trees were in full bloom and a gentle breeze carried the pink petals dancing in the air before hitting the ground, giving off a soft scent of carmine with a hint of caramel and everything was bathed in the golden glow of the sunlight, it really was the most romantic place in Ponyville for a first date or to propose to the mare of your dreams, could it be that Clear Spark preferred this place to declare his love?, Apple Bloom's mind was flooded with emotions that only made her redder and more nervous. Sometimes she was thankful that the colt was blind and couldn't see all the times she blushed in front of him.
Clear Spark for his part loved this place because it was very quiet and not very busy, there was almost no noise and even though he could not see the beauty of the trees he could smell their exquisite scent, he had come here other times with his friends but this was the first time he did it alone with Apple Bloom, he also felt a little nervous being next to his friend but he was sure it was because he had to excuse himself and make her understand that he did not want to upset her.
As they continued through the trees, they came to the tree that the group sometimes used as a meeting place and sat down under its shade. A sudden breeze hit them, causing them to cover their faces, but Apple Bloom's mane hit the colt's face.
"Ahhh, my eye!" The colt complained as he closed his eyes and instinctively brought his hoof up to his face.
"Sorry!" The filly cried as she stood up and faced the foal. "It's just the wind...and my mane...and...sorry, let me have a look at you." Clear Spark stopped as the filly approached. She began to check his face with her hooves.
Other times, the colt's face had been checked by other ponies in case of an accident, such as his mother, Nurse Redheart, Cheerilee, and Twilight, who, when she had the time, tried to find a way for the colt to see, even though being blind was not an obstacle to him enjoying a full life, but unlike all those times, Apple Bloom's touch felt different, it was much softer, It was softer, warmer, and it gave a feeling of affection and security, but not like the one his mother gave him, it was something a little wilder, bolder, more seductive and intoxicating. It was a completely new sensation that warmed his heart and he loved it, he didn't want to let go of her and without realizing it, he closed his eyes as the filly searched his face.
Apple Bloom had had physical contact with her friends before when they were playing or doing one of their crazy things, but this time it felt different, much more personal, more intimate, she let herself be carried away by the thought and closed her eyes while she felt the colt's face, she wanted to see the world as he saw it, to feel it as he felt it, to create the same mental image of him as he had created hers days after they met, as she moved her hooves gently over his face she could feel the softness of his fur, his small imperfections, She wanted to know the exact shape of his ears, the silkiness of his mane, the length of his horn, she was slowly learning the details of the colt's face that she couldn't know in any other way. She understood at that moment that even if Clear Spark was blind in this way, he could see and know more about a pony than any other, in a way he could see much more than others, all these new sensations allowed the filly to calm her heart and lose her nervousness.
The filly didn't know how long she did this, but when she felt it was enough, she lowered her hooves gently and they both took a deep breath.
"I didn't know you saw the world like that." The filly said with a smile. "Is that why you asked us to check our faces when we first met?"
"Even though it's sometimes hard for me to know who I'm talking to, it's the only way I have to get a mental picture of the pony in front of me. But I have a question."
"What is it?" The filly said, raising an eyebrow.
"I have something in my eye? It's still burning a little."
"Ohh, sorry." Apple Bloom reached over again to check the colt's eye, and aside from a bit of irritation, the filly noticed something that it seemed no one else had ever noticed before. "Emerald." She said softly.
"What is it?"
"Your eyes, I hadn't noticed before, but when the sun shines on them, they glow emerald, just like your magic does."
"And that's a good thing?"
"I like it, and you don't have anything but a little irritation from getting hit."
"Thank you."
Apple Bloom smiled slightly and sat down next to the colt again. They both stood in silence for a long time, staring into the void, Apple Bloom enjoying Clear Spark's company, while the colt thought about how to talk to Apple Bloom, and especially what to say to her.
"I don't remember this place being so quiet and peaceful. It's nice to stop and enjoy these moments."
"That's why I like this place, I don't know what color the trees are or the grass is, but I like how it smells, it's something I don't find in any other place in Ponyville."
Apple Bloom turned her head to see the colt looking towards the horizon, his silhouette cutting through the sunlight and marking his build, his mane, though short, moved slightly in the breeze and a few tree petals fell on him, even though he was very similar to the other colts in the class, he had slight physical differences that could not be seen at first glance, but she was lucky enough to know them, Apple Bloom knew that he would be a big and strong stallion, not as much as his older brother, but he would be strong enough to take care of himself and whoever was willing to share his life with him, and she wanted to be the one to share it with him, she knew that he was sometimes clumsy and forgetful, she had to repeat things to him more than once for him to remember them, He didn't understand clues and when he got too excited he got carried away, but he was also very cheerful, honest, never backed down when he stood up for what he thought was right and had a great ability to make friends, all these things were why the filly liked Clear Spark and wanted to be with him.
It was a pity that she had run away days ago when he had kissed her, but today would be different. Today she would not run away, if he did not make the first move, she would, even if it meant hearing a "no" for an answer.
The minutes passed and the filly decided to take the first step, little by little she approached the colt and laid her head on him, her heart was beating a thousand times an hour and she could feel how the colt became tense when he felt the physical contact, she got very nervous waiting for his reaction but he did nothing and just stayed still, little by little they both started to calm down and a moment later when both felt more comfortable with the presence of the other Apple Bloom glued her body to Clear Spark and sighed.
The colt was nervous when he felt Apple Bloom's head on his shoulder and didn't know how to respond, his body instinctively freezing for a long time, but he didn't mind the sudden physical contact with the filly, it just took him by surprise and as the seconds passed he started to like the feeling of having the filly lean on his shoulder and when he felt her body against his he took the opportunity to make himself more comfy.
"Are you cold?" The colt asked to her friend.
"Your body is warm, I'm fine, thanks." The filly replied. "Are you cold?"
"I don't, I feel your body warm too."
"That's a good thing, we can keep warm together."
"And what are we going to do when we get hungry?"
"Then let's go to Sugarcube Corner or the farm to get something to eat, although I think your house is closer, do you think your mom has something to eat?"
"I don't think so, she likes to do the cooking later."
"I understand, but are you hungry?"
The colt gave a shake of his head.
"Okay." Apple Bloom said before she let out another sigh and closed her eyes. "This feels good, thank you so much for inviting me to this place." She said quietly.
"No problem." Clear Spark replied, but the filly's words made him remember why he had called her to this place. He had something important to tell her and this was the best place to do it.
"Hey Apple Bloom." The colt said with a serious tone in his voice.
"Yeah?" The filly asked as she raised her head.
"I need you to listen to me because I have something important to tell you." Clear Spark turned his head to look over at the place where her friend was standing.
"Something important to say?" Apple Bloom's heart began to beat fast, she stopped leaning on the colt and sat down in front of him, she could feel her body temperature rising and as she began to sweat uncontrollably.
---------- Apple Bloom POV ----------
The little filly's heart was pounding and her breathing was quickening, her body was at the limit of its endurance. The eagerness to hear those sweet words from the colt's mouth didn't help at all, and then she heard them.
"Apple Bloom... I love you..." Was all she was able to hear before she collapsed to the side.
----------Clear Spark POV----------
Clear Spark was very nervous, he had spent a good afternoon with the filly and had gotten to know her better, he really wanted to apologize to Apple Bloom, but he didn't know what to say to her, and he remembered his mother's advice, "Say something nice, flatter her mane or something like that," and surely, being older and wiser, it would be much better than anything he thought at the time.
Among all the things he could feel at that moment, something that caught his attention was a light fruity smell, he knew that smell perfectly and it was one of the smells he liked best, it was the smell of the raspberry shampoo Apple Bloom sometimes used and that together with her natural scent and the scent of the apples from her farm created a perfect mix of sweet, citrus and earthy smells that he would never forget and it was something he wanted to tell her how much he liked the way her mane smelled.
"Apple Bloom... I love your mane and how it smells in the..." Was all the colt had time to say before he felt his friend collapse in front of him.
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"My son is a heartbreaker." A bush in the distance murmured with pride.
"What are you talking about, something your son did to my little sister to make her faint, and surely those mental powers he learned from you." Another bush muttered back.
"What?, And how is he supposed to learn that from me?" The bush mumbled again.
"Photosynthesis through proximity."
"What?"
"Plants get energy from the sun by photosynthesis, Clear Spark has acquired some of your mental abilities by living with you and used them against my little sister, now he will surely drag her into a cave and make her his wife by force, just look at him, those movements are not normal." The bush pointed his orange hoof at the foal, who was nervously pawing the ground and looking in all directions.
"You know that's stupid, don't you?"
"And why are you so sure of that, oh so mighty bush of wisdom?"
"First of all, because we changelings don't have mental powers of mind control, secondly, if we did, it would be a changeling thing, it's like living with a pegasus with the intention of sprouting wings, and thirdly, there are no caves near Ponyville where he could drag your little sister, and what are you doing here?, weren't you the one who told me at the beginning to give them more space and have more faith in the little ones?" The royal bush whispered a little louder.
The farmer bush was silent for a few seconds, thinking of an answer.
"Emmm... I'm not spying on my little sister... I was just... taking a walk and... hiding here... to... protect myself from the sun... yes, that."
"Really, that's your best answer?, I know you're a bad liar, but please, AppleJack, try a little harder."
"And what do you want me to do?, I care about my little sister and I wanted her first romantic date to end well."
"Well, apparently you made a very bad..."
"Will you two shut up?" A much lower voice murmured from a bush a little further back. Applebush quickly identified the voice.
"Bic Mac, is that you?"
"Emmm... Noooooope?..." he muttered in reply. "I'm a cat... Meow!." Applebush would roll her eyes if she could see them.
"We'd better go and check on the little ones, Clear Spark's getting pretty nervous about your sister passing out."
"Yeah, I think we'd better."
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"Apple Bloom, are you okay?" The colt asked, gently moving her friend in an attempt to wake her up, but there was no response.
He was getting very nervous, he didn't know what to do, he needed help but he didn't know how to get it, there was no one around to ask for it and he couldn't run off in any direction or he would get lost easily. Besides, he didn't want to leave the filly alone.
The colt tapped nervously on the ground, trying to listen for hoofsteps of someone nearby, he knew that eventually someone would show up and help them, but the waiting seemed to go on forever and he was getting more and more worried about Apple Bloom's safety. He tried to concentrate on the sounds around him and could hear a couple of hoofsteps approaching.
"Is there a pony in there?" He asked, raising his voice.
"Hi son, how's the conversation with Apple Bloom going?" The queen asked, feigning ignorance. She knew the colt's attention was elsewhere and he would never wonder why his mother would appear out of nowhere at the best possible time.
"Mother, is that you? Mother, you have to help Apple Bloom, she's fainted and I don't know what to do." Said the colt as he approached his mother and bumped into her.
"Hush, sweetie, but can you tell us what happened?"
"I was talking to Apple Bloom and when I told her I liked the smell of her mane she fainted and I don't know why." He replied, clearly worried.
It was at that moment that AppleJack approached his sister and examined her for a few seconds before she laughed softly and looked at the queen, letting her know that it was only out of excitement.
"Hey, Spark, my little sister is all right, she just fainted, probably from the sun and exhaustion, you know, farm work is hard work."
"But nothing bad happened to her?"
"Nothing at all, she just needs some rest." With the queen's help, they lifted the filly onto AppleJack's back. "I'd better take her to her room, you two coming?" The farm pony asked.
"YES!" The colt shouted without realizing it. "I mean...Mom, can we take Apple Bloom home?" The queen asked later in a softer tone, only flashing a smile.
"Get on my back, we'll get there a lot faster that way." The queen crouched down a bit and helped her son settle in between her wings. Then the group headed off in the direction of the farm.
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Apple Bloom woke as she felt the sun on her cheek, she opened her eyes and saw through the window that it was later than she was used to waking up, even on weekends she woke up at the crack of dawn, but by the position of the sun she knew it was around ten in the morning, she uncovered herself and stretched her limbs as she did every morning when she got up, but when she did it with one of her hind legs she hit something hard.
"Ouch!" Somepony yelled as he felt the kick.
Apple Bloom was startled to hear the scream, she shrank her body and raised her head only to see that she had kicked Clear Spark in the head. The colt had entered her room and laid down at the foot of her bed without her noticing.
"Spark?, what are you doing here?"
"Yesterday when we were under the pink trees you fainted and then my mom and your sister showed up, we brought you home and I didn't want to leave until I knew you were okay, so they let me sleep here, but I didn't expect you to kick me in the head, you kick too hard." The colt replied, rubbing his forehead.
With every word from Clear Spark the filly remembered what had happened the day before and with every word she grew redder and redder, that was the moment her mind had the best idea of her life, she quickly rolled up the bedding into a kind of cocoon and began to scream and kick in all directions, only to fall off the bed in pain and fall silent, the colt took a step back in surprise.
"AW!" Apple Bloom said as she fell to the ground, cocooned in her fabric.
"Are you okay?" The colt asked as he slowly approached her, feeling around with his hoof as he searched for his friend.
"I'm fine." The filly replied, moving a little. "Can you get me out of here? I'm stuck."
"Give me a second." Spark said, slowly moving closer until he found the cocoon of cloth and was able to untangle it to save his friend, moving just enough of the fabric so that Apple Bloom could stand up.
"I'm sorry." Apple Bloom said with regret as she looked down at the floor.
"Apple Bloom, what's wrong?" The colt asked, her friend had been acting strangely a few days ago, and he wanted to know why.
The filly was silent for a long time, thinking. The colt was waiting for her to say something.
"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"The other day when you kissed me on the cheek and I ran off, it was because I got nervous and didn't know what to do, just like yesterday when you invited me to go for a walk, and recently when I saw you in my bed, I like spending time with you and I try to do it every chance I get, but I don't know if you know how I feel and..." Apple Bloom was silent for a few seconds. It was time to put everything on the line. "...do you think I'm pretty?"
"Do I think that you're pretty?" The colt asked intrigued.
"Yes, do you think I'm pretty?" She asked again, standing in front of Clear Spark.
"Emmm... I don't know, you know I cannot see you." This answer completely discouraged the filly, causing her to lower her head sadly. "But I can tell you what I like in you." Those words brightened her face a little.
"I like your overflowing energy, your desire to try new things, that you always want to help others, your strong personality, and that you stand up for your friends. I like your joy, your stubbornness, your courage, your honesty, and most of all, that you don't let anyone tell you what to do, like when you told me the story of Zecora, where you disobeyed your sister to show everypony that she was not the scary zebra that everypony believed her to be just because she was different, because in your heart you knew it was the right thing to do, you have a strong heart and I like that more than anything. "
A smile formed on the filly's face and she gave a kiss on the cheek to Clear Spark who turned completely red, Apple Bloom let out a giggle and walked happily past the colt towards the door, at that moment something 'clicked' in the colt's mind and he finally realized everything that had happened between her and him.
"Wait." He said aloud, and Apple Bloom returned and stood before him. "That means that you and I... that we are... that we are now..."
"Bonk. A yellow hoof gave the colt a gentle tap on the forehead.
"Aww!" Clear Spark complained at the unexpected tap on his forehead. "What was that about?" He asked a little annoyed.
"Besides apples, I like pears and cookies, so you can work with that for our next date. Now I'd like something to eat." The filly turned and walked back.
"But you didn't give me an answer to what I wanted to ask you." Said the colt, who was still rubbing his forehead.
"I think it will take you a little longer to realize what we are, but I'm really hungry. Are you coming?" She said with a smile as she walked out of the room and waited for the colt at the top of the stairs.
`Mom will let me use the oven one day?, I didn't know she liked pears or cookies`, were the colt's thoughts as he left the room and headed for the stairs, the colt didn't need any help to move around the farm, this place was like a second home to him and he knew it perfectly.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"You think it was a good idea letting your son stay with my sister after what happened?" AppleJack asked as she sipped a cup of cider-sweetened coffee.
"Those two needed a little push to get their relationship going, my son especially needs a very big push or he'll keep breaking your little sister's heart because he still doesn't realize he likes Apple Bloom, everyone knows the two of them will end up being a couple and I personally don't want to wait ten years or more before I can call you mother-in-law... aunt-in-law... or... legally speaking, when those two get married, what family relation would we have?" The queen said, scratching her chin as she ate a piece of apple pie.
"Twilight has a book on family parentage, I've used it before."
"You have? For what?" The queen asked, sipping coffee.
"Pinkie Pie is my cousin, do you want to know how she's related to me?"
"I'd rather not know, although I would like to have some more cider, my coffee's a little weak."
AppleJack was moving the bottle closer to the queen when they heard Apple Bloom coming down the stairs, followed closely by Clear Spark, both of the little ones went into the kitchen, not knowing that the queen and AppleJack were in there.
"Good morning both of you, did you sleep well?" The queen asked, causing the two foals to turn completely red.
"Yes, thanks Ms. Chrysalis." The filly replied.
"Apple Bloom, we're basically family. You don't have to be so formal with me, you can just call me Chrysalis."
"Okay."
"Were you able to work out your problems?" AppleJack asked.
"I'm not sure, I'm still struggling to understand what happened."
"You'll understand with time, don't worry."
"Are the two of you hungry?, we have saved some food for you to eat when you wake up." AppleJack opened the fridge and took out a few slices of apple pie along with some vegetables. The queen set some bread on the table for them and poured them two large glasses of milk.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Apple Bloom didn't get the answer she was hoping for, but it wasn't a negative either, and thanks to that she could see that the colt did have feelings for her, he just hadn't realized his own feelings yet. That thought made her calm and very happy, the queen and AppleJack looked at each other for a few seconds and laughed to themselves, they had both known for months the feelings of these two and how everything would end, the colt was still a little confused and tried to understand what had happened but one thing he was sure of, of all the places he could be right now he was right where he wanted to be and that was with Apple Bloom.
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Does this actually happen in story?
He'll get there in time some folks just longer than others to figure it out.
11520400
Relevant to your comments I think...
just some passing random thoughts and questioning curiosities I had while reading comments...
Let me know if any or all don't really make sense or don't seem right.
Keep in mind this is NOT criticism
Possibilities?
1. There is also an inherent fear of something that can hide itself amongst those you care about. Other villains are easy to track and stop when they do villainous things. Chrysalis can just get away with most of it.
2. It's not just a single villain, it was a hostile species. That's FAR more dangerous.
3. Unlike the other villains that bassically announce when they arrive, with this one Celestia has had to watch her back constantly for a very long time.
Paranoia increasing every day Chrysalis doesn't strike because it means she is statistically more likely to the longer the silence draws on.
4. In Celestia's eyes at least....
Chrysalis is the only villain that has not paid at least some sort of price for their villainy other than the occasional defeat and retreat.
5. Celestia's long time villian who is known for her deception and subterfuge now has more support from her family and supposed friends than she does right now... (In part by Celestia's own fault, but she doesn't see it that way)
:Guards:
6. If i was a guard who has served Celestia all my life... seeing this species that attacked us on a sacred day with the intent of enslaving us, hurting my princess, family, and friends
... terrorizing them to the point they are questioning if the changelings have replaced anyone I know... maybe even having Nightmares about them... and I'm supposed to believe they are good now because their queen adopted a foal and not think this is another plot to take over?
I'm also supposed to just ignore the fact my princess is gone, and her sister that has tried to take the throne before is suddenly in charge?
6.5 Rogue guards or revolts born from misunderstanding or paranoia?
"Some changelings dissapearing for some... interrogation.
Because something isn't right here...
I will stop this plot against my princess and country myself!"
Also, the greater public hasn't gotten a very good impression that other species are very kindly so far...
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It is true, Twilight has OCD, but I don't think that Equestrian medicine has the technical knowledge to detect this disease or much less treat it, in the series they show signs of her disorder and the one who takes the most advantage of this is AppleJack who whenever she wants to get Twilight's attention, she slightly moves one of her quills or ink.
11556773
Well, Neighsay didn't have centuries of experience to deconstruct from. Also, you can blame Neighsay's actions on seeing the nations nearly go to war. It's actually the other way around. The war almost happened because the children went missing. But they went missing because Neighsay closed the school, and they didn't want to leave their friends. There's reasonable justification to hate the Changelings, considering that they have attacked before. Dragons have been a threat, but I don't think they've actively attacked Ponies, at least not recently. Yaks can certainly be destructive, so I can see how they could be seen as a threat. Griffons aren't malicious, they're just jerks. But I suppose that could be taken the wrong way. But there's no excuse for hating the Hippogriffs. They have always been friendly from the start. So hatred of the Hippogriffs is 100% based on xenophobia.
Besides, xenophobia is still xenophobia, even if it's justified. I'm just saying that Celestia's xenophobia explains Neighsay's xenophobia in the same way that it explains the xenophobia of the Royal Guards towards the Changelings. It's just easier for Neighsay to get over it because he's not in direct contact with Celestia like the Guards are.
If nothing else, the fact that Neighsay (I assume) is from Canterlot says a lot.
11556950
YAY, A REPLY!
Alright... let's see if I can do this properly... been a long while.
Edit: no, I failed. I didn't take some things into account and I was leaning too much towards the official version of characters rather than the ones here and how they may or may not be... I have edited it over and over but I can't fix this fundamental failure. I won't delete what remains or edit it any further as I have spent way too long on this. Damnit.... isn't this the same problem I had last time....
Edit 2: I also think I'm pushing a point that neither new nor matters...
Fair, I don't have anything against this.
Xenophobia litterally translates to "fear of strangers" and he litterally is.
However, be careful applying such definitions without context... lest it be able to be applied to almost anyone.
I just think it's a tiny bit unfair to the characters as they have their own dynamics and issues. Specifically, Neigh Say was a character arc I thoroughly enjoyed in the show. He was done very well for the short time we had him.
If the author wishes to make Celestia Xenophobic for the story, then that is entirely fine!
But although I'll agree this Celestia has a prejudice against Changelings and that can directly translate to racism... It has a reason... and so I do, however, disagree to calling her xenophobic.
Equestria is isolated and ignorant, but possibly not entirely by active choice. They seem to be IN that era of expanding and meeting/connecting with the rest of the world.
Celestia knows other species, but they are too far apart to be in regular contact. However, Celestia has at least interacted positively with others.
The average ponies themselves would be as close to, or even closer to, xenophobic than Celestia herself would be depending on several factors.
Isolationism can help cause xenophobia through many avenues, but at the very least there is the "fear of the unknown." Especially when the unknown has a habbit of trying to conquer you...
That's what I said. I'm simply pointing out everyone went Xenophobic for for bit. Hell, the only reason anyone sent the kids in the first place was because of the recent positive exposure they have had with ponies, and that is mostly because of the actions of the mane 6... Second time it was a lot harder. And it was mostly because of a single bad pony... everyone else was fine.
It's easier because he had 2 SPECIFIC reasons to be that way with a supporting foundation: 1. He thinks ponies are entirely peaceful, 2. He thinks creatures cause problems and are dangerous, 3. the reason this matters is because of his position... both of these are addressed and Neigh Say responds accordingly.
Positive interactions with others have been proven to reduce prejudice significantly.
1. Seeing cozy glow, an evil pony, first hand started to set it in that he was incorrect in his thinking. He got to see first hand anyone can be dangerous... even the very thing he is trying so hard to protect.
2. THEN he got to see other creatures being good and helpful despite being treated the way they were... That was what broke him.
3. His position requires him to keep children safe while they learn for the sake of the future. Now he sees he is harming the future by acting this way, not protecting it.
- Neigh Say is not someone who deals with outsiders. He deals with internal matters only.
And he doesn't see these creatures himself.
All he sees is news headlines of creatures that attack them and hear negative things from others around him.
- On top of that Equestria is isolated from positive interactions abut still gets attacked.
- He is in a position of power so it's his job to worry about things.
Now for the racist Guard's... the context is: the Guard's job is to litterally be on guard. It's their job to see threats and be ready for them. They have to account for the worst case scenario. The more racist among them might look at a griffin and wonder if they are about to steal anything, or see a dragon and wonder if they are about to set something on fire...
Yes they are particularly racist in this circumstance, but it follows the same logic as Neigh Say.
Sure, there is the Celestia thing, but another difference is the guards have to deal with the threats and see the fallout and destruction for themselves and will be particularly enraged by it, so it will be much harder to change thier mind.
But not impossible...
The guards would have to see changelings protecting ponies. This would lower their guard. If they see changelings fight maybe a hostile faction of their own species to prove their conviction to the ideology of harmony, it would easily break them too.
Then it would be only the most paranoid and damaged ponies left being "racist."
11557143
Personally, I prefer not to use that definition. Usually, the word applies to prejudice. Besides, "phobia" technically isn't defined as fear per se, though that can be applied to the definition depending on the context. Phobia generally means an aversion to something. For example, oil is described as hydrophobic. But oil is incapable of feeling fear.
I also enjoyed Neighsay's arc as well.
Perhaps we just have different definitions for "xenophobic". As far as I'm concerned, xenophobic means racist. The reason why I used the word xenophobic rather than racist is that the word "racist" is misleading. There is only one human race, so the term "racist" can't apply. Although ironically, when people want to say "speciesist" to refer to different species like in MLP, the term "racist" actually is fitting.
But the reason I call Celestia xenophobic/racist is not because of why she hates Changelings, but because of her unwillingness to accept that Changelings can change. And part of her mindset is also from her obsessive belief that she needs to protect her Ponies from outside threats.
I have to disagree. This certainly applies to Canterlot, I won't deny that. But Canterlot and Celestia fed off of each others' xenophobia. Canterlot is the xenophobic capital of Equestria. Appleoosa accepted the Buffalo, Cloudsdale is accepting of Griffons, Ponyville is basically the friendship capital of Equestria. Minotaurs are apparently accepted. And in this story, many ponies around Equestria were in a relationship with a Changeling knowing that they were a Changeling.
I'm not denying that that's at least part of what made it easier. But my point is that his affiliation with Canterlot made his position from being concerned about safety to being prejudiced. But his prejudice is the result of ignorance. Other Canterlotians like the Royal Guard don't have ignorance as an excuse, which is why I'm willing to let the matter of Neighsay slide.
So basically, he sees the news. The problem with the news is that they never report good things happening unless it's something really special. Reporting negative news these days is so common now that it doesn't even qualify as news anymore. It's disturbing that I'm so desensitized to school shootings that I can react to them on the news as easily as I would react to the Buffalo Bills going up against the Dallas Cowboys.
Wrong. Do you remember the chapter where a group of off-duty Royal Guards were about to violate Red Bug? Who knows what they were going to do. But Neighsay is not anything like the Guards! Neighsay's prejudice was the result of ignorance. The Royal Guards' prejudice is the result of malice. The Royal Guards are basically the type of cops who are willing to violate your rights just because they believe that they are high and mighty.
11558315
I wasn't intending that to sound litteral.
He wasn't litterally afraid of the 5 creature Students.
We got what eachother meant on this.
My understanding is that they are slightly different. Racist is more about direct prejudice and discrimination, and xenophobic is more generalized and is more about the concept of "foreigners."
But I could be wrong.
And even if I'm not I guess that's still just being nit-picky of me.
I mean... thats a leaders job is to worry about that. I suppose in this case the obsessive part does change that considerably... but she runs a fairly peaceful nation that has had threats nearly destroy them before and she still didn't seem that zealous until Chrysalis and Changelings. Still didn't seem like xenophobia to me... But again, I could be wrong.
And again, I guess that's irrelevant to the story and nit-pickish of me.
Perhaps... My problem with this is much of this is in the process of happening currently.
Appleoosa is new. Ponyville is becoming Friendship capital but was still fairly isolated before. Minotaurs are rare but I would imagine still intimidating. But you got me there.
Griffins I got nothing for.
Changelings... I mean, again, positive experience reduces prejudice. So I can understand that.
But vast majority still seemed fairly isolated other than being occasionally disrupted in a negative way.
Canterlot xenophobic?
I have nothing for this. It would all depend on rather or not other species make regular contact with equestrian nobles for trade and negotiation. And even then it could be either way.
Again, perhaps I was applying too much of my own personal concept for this instead of the story's in particular.
Hence my apology.
Also... Convocation of Creatures was a nice comic and I wish it were canon.
Ignorance and position.
Also, I think they would. Especially if they live in an echo chamber with Celestia as you say.
As I said in my edit of that response and again somewhere in this... I was straying a bit from the story and moving towards other canon and even head canon. Again, I apologize.
This was one of those that I didn't delete.
I would easily conceded in a hyper corrupt/tyrant government this would easily happen.
And even not in those cases it can still happen on a smaller level. Maybe a portion of them or a particular detachment.
It's not a concept I enjoy seeing applied to MLP, but again, not my decision.
Also... popular corrupt cop trope, seen it in many entertainment media.
One that stands out to me is V the beginning for Vendetta.
.
.
.
TL;DR/Summary/Point: "Fair enough..."
11558486
11558315
Not many people picked up on that detail, but I tried to make it clear.
Neightsay isn't xenophobic per se, since he doesn't show direct hatred towards other races or that they don't study at Twilight's school just because they're of another race. It's more of a nationalism and a heightened distrust of anything that isn't pony, Is fear from the beginning was that the other races would use friendship as a kind of weapon against Equestria, the Griffons could use friendship as a kind of weapon, but as you say in the comments, they are not evil per se, they are just a bunch of jerks, and this is all happening because of his ignorance of the other races.
I've always found that a bit ironic in is character, that the head of Equestria's education has no desire to learn about something he doesn't know. He prefers to remain ignorant.
Celestia's case is different, the racism she feels towards the changelings is an extension of the hatred Celestia felt towards Chrysalis, and that in turn is an extension of the jealousy she felt towards Chrysalis for getting the happy ending at the end of the race so to speak, of course for centuries the queen has been looking for a way to conquer Equestria, and Celestia had no reason to believe what she said was true, but seeing the change her mind just could not process it.
So Celestia was a racist towards the changelings?
Yes.
Was there any justification for her hatred?
She could create a great deal of mistrust. But there was no need for racism.
When she trained her troops, did she unconsciously teach them that racism?
Absolutely.
Their actions are justified?
Not at all, racism is mostly based on unjustified hatred of a group specifically because they are of a certain race. The only reason they have to hate changelings is because they were taught to.
It's interesting to see the discussion that is created by the development of some characters and the reasons for their actions within the series and to compare them with the ones you know and have lived. In fact, the series is much more complex and interesting than some colored horses.
But remember my little ponies, this is a show for children.
Hooves up and have a nice day.
11558838
Perhaps... but...
Again, this is just for the sake of debate, sharing, and gaining a deeper understanding and is not intended as direct criticism.
:Hate:
Is there really any NEED for emotional responses like hatred in general?
Some would say no, others would say yes. But either way...
Racism is a specific extension of prejudice, hatred, and/or mistrust... things the Changelings could have earned themselves.
Then Celestia earned them.
And now the guards are earning them.
Cyclic hatred and prejudice is so easy to start, but so hard to break.
:Racism:
But although I agree racism is wrong regardless and should be dealt with, it MUST be done CORRECTLY, with positive influence rather than more negativity lest it just cause more hatred or even racism.
I absolutely LOVE seeing articles on racism that talk in detail about all the ways it can happen, how common some of those ways can be, and possible ways to reduce it... then at the end it says there is no reason it should happen... as if they didn't just explain in detail how it happens.
That kind of mindset can not fight racism effectively in my opinion.
:Justification:
I personally feel this might not the best way to apply this.
If they believe they have due cause or reasoning then they will believe they are justified.
I give you almost any war/lasting conflict ever and what many would argue is the racism, xenophobia, and general hatred that followed even after it was over as an example...
Let alone just domestic conflicting issues like jobs and immigrants.
:Conflict:
Then there is the debate on context and definition.
You end up with people that either believe it is so rare and it is dying as time goes on on its own.
Or you have people that genuinely believe EVERYONE is racist to an extent with no exceptions.
Then there is the fact it can happen to almost anyone BY almost anyone.
The problems that arise when conflicting ideologies, goals, or culture and religion meet...
https://www.ohchr.org/en/news/2019/03/human-rights-council-holds-general-debate-racism-racial-discrimination-xenophobia-and
Perhaps if enough time passed after the invasion or if they hadn't been a hostile force in general, then the stigmas against them would not be justifiable to any degree? However, I just can not logically conclude that this is racism for the sake of racism and therefore has no cause that can be addressed even if you say it is that way... not entirely sure why...
This chapter was just adorable. I think my favorite part was when Apple Bloom feinted from hearing Clear Spark say "I love you" and not get the full context. Although Apple Bloom likely would've reacted similarly if she had heard the full statement. Perhaps not feinting, but well received nonetheless.
I am curious, though. When Applejack said that Apple Bloom was just exhausted, I knew it was an excuse. But was it just an excuse, or was there truth to it and the reason she feinted being from the words "I love you" being the straw that broke the camel's back? The reason I ask is because Applejack's not a good enough liar to have just come up with that on the spot, and for how long Apple Bloom slept for.
I've noticed that a lot of these chapters are based on my ideas. Not that I mind, but it'd be nice if there were more ideas that weren't mine. Also, did I ask for the continuation of Celestia's therapy sessions, or is it just a coincidence that I was thinking that I wanted to see a continuation and Celestia's progress? In the last chapter, Chrysalis mentioned that Celestia was getting better. That's likely because she interacted with her more times after that chapter. I suppose she could be taking Red Bug's word for it, but she likely wouldn't be so confident unless she saw the progress herself. I think it would be neat if there was a therapy session that showed Chrysalis taking part as well. They don't necessarily have to be friendly with one another. But they should be showing that they're willing to talk with each other to overcome their differences. I also think there should be a session where Clear Spark wanted to take part (and Apple Bloom would want to come with him for obvious reasons, not to take part, but just to come with him to Canterlot).
11556601
If you're referring to the math problem sequence, no. But I wish it had to be honest.
11556648
The only one of those that just doesn't make sense to me is 6.5. In the Red Bug chapter, if they wanted to chase her out of town or take her in for questioning, I would understand that reasoning. But everything about what happened indicated that Red Bug's well-being and possibly her life were in danger. That's not paranoia, that's just pure malice. Even with the excuse of paranoia, that's inexcusable.
11558486
The comics are secondary canon. So as long as the comic doesn't contradict the show, it technically does qualify as canon.
11558838
Ironic, yes. Unrealistic, sadly no.
11561469
Not entirely what I meant by that, and that is ENTIRELY my fault. I should have been more clear.
First: I meant 6.5 as an add-on IDEA for 6.
Not saying that was what was or what should have been. It was just a thought about another way they could be reacting... maybe something that could happen?
Second: Malice does indeed not come from fear, but hate. Which again. I argue would be plentiful enough. The paranoia part is for both those that hate them AND those that don't.
Emotions are natural and hate and fear are still natural responses sadly.
Third: oh, I was NOT saying it was excusable. In any way, shape, or form. Excuse and exclusion are not the same as reason and reasonable.
Criminals still get punished.
These are still guards who are supposed to uphold the law, and it would be bad enough if they were just looking the other way when a something happened to a changeling... but they are actively betraying that vow with some of their actions.
There is no excuse or exclusion for corruption and abuse of power to harm others.
But... In a "perfect" world, if we would call out for justice, justice woild be had equally.
Or if these guards would also change and become better, they would also be accepted as long as no serious crimes were committed by the individual. Some would likely still vilify them after they have changed, and the guards that didn't change would perpetuate the this and continue the bad name, but most would be willing to accept them. And If they did not change quickly... then someone would point out how long it took Chrysalis, and by extension, Changelings to change....
and patience, understanding, change, and acceptance would win out the day against hate, ignorance, stubbornness, and prejudice.
And grind it down until there is no guard or anyone else that feels animosity towards the newest members of Equestriam society.
But alas... no. They would be criminals. And there would be those that would never forgive them. They would be dishonorablly discharged due to being a threat to society now at best. And they likely wouldn't get the chance to change. They would become more bitter and feel betrayed themselves. Then they would attempt to pass on this bitterness and hatred out of Vengeance, hatred, or by accident. Causing fringe groups of extremists to pop up.
Causing more hatred towards and therefore from the groups. The groups would forget what their original ideals were and devolve further into hatred for the sake of hatred.
And now I'm rambling on aimlessly and pointlessly about something I'm not qualified AT ALL to talk about so I'm gonna shut the hell up now...
Good day to you all!