Apple Bloom is all grown up now, and her new life is decided by Celestia.
Apple Bloom was the leader of the Cutie Mark Crusaders club. They were fillies then. But now, 10 years later, Apple Bloom is all grown up now and in college, and she gets a letter from Princess Celestia. Apple Bloom discovers that she is royalty, becomes an Alicorn, and her friends show her how to fly and use magic. But then she has second thoughts on accepting the fact that she's now an Alicorn.
College was just a few blocks ahead. Apple Bloom knew her life was just about to begin. She takes the bus today. Ever since buses became bigger and faster while she grew up, she'd began taking them more and more to save energy.
She stared out the window and slumped in her seat. She sighed. She never realized how boring the bus was... Until now.
"Apple Bloom?" said a voice behind her. Apple Bloom turned around. "Apple Bloom! It is you!"
Apple Bloom's eyes grew wide. She remembered this pony, a pony she hadn't seen for such a long time. The butter-colored mare rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not dreaming.
"Sweetie Belle! But how--?"
"I'll bet anything we'll be partners with Scootaloo in college!"
"Scootaloo is here, too?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I haven't seen her in a while." Sweetie looked at Apple Bloom's flank. "You still don't have your Cutie Mark?! You're a full-grown mare now, Bloom."
"I know, I know." Apple Bloom looked down, then back at Sweetie.
"I remember that special day me and Scootaloo got our Cutie Marks."
"Yup." Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle's flank, too. "Still got yours, I see."
"Of course. Cutie Marks are permanent. It's not like you can just mystically make them appear or disappear. You have to find them yourself. And once you do..." Sweetie flinched. "Well, let's just say you're... Stuck up for the rest of your life." Sweetie Belle stared down at her Cutie Mark and sighed. "Maybe we should have just stayed as the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"Sweetie, I'm sorry."
"Apple Bloom, everypony eventually gets stuck up like this. You will, and I have the feeling it will not be too long now."
"But how am I gonna get my Cutie Mark?"
"Well..." Sweetie thought for a moment. "Have you done any Crusading, like we used to do in the old days?"
"Sometimes."
"Hmm. It's weird that you are a full grown mare and still don't have your Cutie Mark. Maybe..." Sweetie paused.
"Maybe what?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
"Sweetie!"
"Alright! Alright!" Sweetie let the thought out of her mouth. "Well, I heard that Alicorns usually get their Cutie Marks this late. You don't suppose...?"
"No way, Sweetie! How could little old me be an Alicorn? An Alicorn is, like, a-- an Alicorn!" Apple Bloom could not really define "Alicorn", for she hardly knew any at all. She knew all Alicorns became Princesses sooner or later, and Alicorns were also half unicorn and half pegasus. That was all she knew. "Also, do you see any wings or horns on me? I'm the complete opposite of an Alicorn! I have no magic or power!"
"Apple Bloom, chill. You never know. You can't see the future."
The bus stopped. The two got off. Apple Bloom considered what Sweetie Belle had said, "You never know. You can't see the future."
When college had started, her mind was still processing what Sweetie had said. Sweetie had some logic there. Alicorns get their Cutie Marks at the same age Apple Bloom was (a full grown mare), and Apple Bloom could have inferred from Sweetie's statement that it was Alicorns only.
But was Sweetie right? Was Apple Bloom really royalty? Or was Sweetie just full of trash talking? This kept repeating itself over and over again through Apple Bloom's head. Nothing could have kept her from thinking it.
Apple Bloom needed to find out.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked side by side into the huge college building. But as they entered, Apple Bloom saw two ponies that made her heart stop for a second.
They were Apple Bloom's age, but different colors. One was pink with purple and white hair, and was wearing a tiara. The second was gray with white and light gray hair. They both had Cutie Marks, of course. Apple Bloom nudged Sweetie.
"Sweetie?" Apple Bloom whispered. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are here!"
"So?" Sweetie whispered back.
"If they find out I still don't have my Cutie Mark yet after ten years, I'll become a laughingstock!"
"Draw a fake one on your flank then. I think I have a marker or something in my saddle bag we could use."
Sweetie and Bloom snuck into the bathroom, which was about 2 doors ahead of them in the huge room. Sweetie and Apple Bloom walked into a stall and locked it. Sweetie levitated a red marker out of her saddle bag.
"Draw something on both sides of your flank!" Sweetie instructed. "You can't just have a Cutie Mark on one side."
"I know," replied Apple Bloom. "I've seen thousands of ponies. And most of them have their Cutie Marks already. I know where they are..."
"Heh, yeah."
Apple Bloom drew an apple tree with flowers growing around it. It smudged.
"Sweetie, I smudged!"
"Okay..." Sweetie threw her saddle bag on the floor and rummaged through it. She came across two stickers of apple trees, rubbed the marker off of Bloom's flank, and stuck the stickers on each side of Apple Bloom's flank. "That ought to do the trick."
"Oh my gosh!" Apple Bloom looked at her flank. "It looks just like a real Cutie Mark!" Apple Bloom felt the sticker on her flank. "Feels like one, too. Nopony will ever be able to tell the difference."
"Not at all!"
They came out of the latrine. Apple Bloom walked to her dorm room. As soon as she opened the door, she looked behind her. Sweetie Belle was standing there.
"Sweetie? Um, this is my room."
"It's mine, too."
The two mares exchanged looks and laughed. They were dorm roomies!
"So, roomie, what should we do first?"
"I don't know. Remember, this is a dormatory college, not a hotel." Sweetie looked around. "But it sure seems like one."
A purple light flew through the air and in front of the two as they closed the door and hopped onto the beds. A scroll took the purple aura's place.
"A letter?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I guess," replied Sweetie. She levitated the letter. "It says it's from Princess Celestia."
"Well?" said Sweetie Belle. "You gonna read it or what? It's from Princess Celestia. It must be important."
"You've got a point," Apple Bloom said. "It's just... I am so honored to get a special letter from the Princess of Equestria. I want to savor it."
"Nope. It might be important. So you should open it."
"Wait! There's no reason for me to RUSH." Sweetie rolled her eyes as Apple Bloom gently removed the ribbon holding the scroll. She read the letter:
"Dear Apple Bloom of Sweet Apple Acres and Ponytopia College, I have been thinking about something. Something important that has been on my mind lately... I looked it up in the Canterlot Archives and found a really boggling fact. Apple Bloom, I expect you here in Canterlot Castle.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria"
Sweetie and Apple Bloom exchanged looks again.
"Sweetie," said Apple Bloom, "I'm not a mare that goes around saying OMG, but O.......... M.......... G..........!!!!!"'
"Exactly!"
"I-- I've been booked for a special meeting with her majesty, the Princess herself!" Apple Bloom started jumping on her bed while Sweetie did the same. "If! I'm! Dreaming! Don't! Wake! Me! Up!" They stopped. "But how can I miss the first day of college?"
"Does it matter?" Sweetie got off the bed, followed by Apple Bloom JUMPING off of the bed. Apple Bloom landed with a thud. "You okay, AB?"
"I am. Don't worry about me."
"Okay. So as I was saying..." Sweetie cleared her throat. "Does it matter if you miss just ONE day?"
"Well, no, but..."
"But what? What more is there to discuss? Come on, Apple Bloom, we gotta get you to Canterlot!"
Apple Bloom shrugged.
"Well, we'll see what Celestia has to say to you, won't we?"
"Yup."
"We just have to sneak you out of college."
"Why do we need to sneak out of college? We could just tell one of the professors that I am supposed to go to Canterlot to meet with Princess Celestia, something that could be important."
"Sure, but I kind of thought sneaking out would be fun."
"Did Celestia tell you to come with me?"
"No..."
"Then don't, in case you're not supposed to."
"Did she say I CAN'T come with you?"
"Well, you have a point there..."
"Of course I do!"
"How about I travel solo this time?"
"Fine."
"Sweetie, college is not like regular school. It's all astronomy and magic projects and fun. You're lucky you get to stay here while I have to travel to Canterlot on the freakin' first day of college!"
"Okay, well you better get moving before it's too late!" Sweetie pushed Apple Bloom out of the doorway. "I'll tell the professors where you went."
"Okay..." Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie. "Bye!" She ran to the exit of the college.
"Good luck with your visit!" Sweetie called.
"I will!"
Apple Bloom took the train ride to Canterlot. It only seemed like a few minutes because Apple Bloom was asleep the whole time. When she arrived at the Canterlot Train Station, she woke up.
Apple Bloom got off the train and ran to the entrance of the castle. She pushed open the castle doors and saw another pair of doors, but guarded by Celestia's Royal Guards. She trotted over to them.
"And who might you be?" one of the guards asked.
"I am Apple Bloom from Ponyville, and I believe the Princess is expecting me today."
"Ah, yes, Princess Bloom," the guard replied. The two guards bowed and levitated the doors open. Apple Bloom gave them a confused look, but then smiled sheepishly and trotted through the doors. The guards then closed them again.
Apple Bloom looked up and saw Princess Celestia looking at her with her galaxy eyes. Apple Bloom bowed.
"Princess," Bloom mumbled.
"Ah, Apple Bloom," said Celestia. "I've been expecting you."
"I know you have. So what is this baffling reason you wanted me here?"
"Yes, that. You see, I was reading up on a "Princess Golden Apple", whom was ruler of Equestria before Luna and I were, or Discord! You see, that was in 2000 B.D., and--"
"Wait, what's 'B.D.?'"
"Before Discord. Anyway, that was in 2000 B.D., and a family tree formed. I was looking in the Canterlot Archives for one, and it seems Princess Golden Apple was your ansester. Your Granny Smith was in it, and your parents were too. It seems, according to the family tree, Princess Golden Apple was your great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother. I read in a book that a great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchild, being a descendant of royalty, has to be royalty. And it seems like you are that one."
"So..." Apple Bloom was speechless. "I'm a princess??"
"Yes."
Of course! Everything made much more sense now! The late Cutie Mark, the guards calling her "Princess Bloom"...
"So... I'm an Alicorn, then?"
"Of course."
"YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Apple Bloom whooped loudly.
"Princess Apple Bloom, I'm honored to give you the role as Side-princess of Daytime!" Celestia's magic surrounded Apple Bloom and grew into a super bright light that even Apple Bloom had to sheild her eyes from the brightness. In a flash she was gone.
She appeared at her college dorm door.
"I'm back at my own dorm again?" Apple Bloom didn't realize her change. She pushed open the door.
"Apple Bloom, you're back! And--- WHOA!!!!!!!!!" Sweetie said, with Scootaloo beside her. Sweetie and Scootaloo's mouths gaped open.
"Scootaloo! I haven't seen you in so long!" Apple Bloom said at the sight of an old friend. "Um, why are you guys staring at me?"
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged looks.
"HOLY CELESTIA! THAT'S AN ALICORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the two shouted.
"I'M A WHAT?!" Apple Bloom shrieked. She shouldn't have been so surprised, though. She knew she was already, but wasn't sure.
"I was RIGHT!" Sweetie shouted. "I knew you were an Alicorn."
"Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo said. "Look at your awesome new Cutie Mark!!" Sweetie gasped and looked at Apple Bloom's flank. Apple Bloom's heart skipped a beat. Did she really just get her Cutie Mark??
Apple Bloom slowly turned to look at her flank. Dang, the horn really blocked her vision! But from Apple Bloom's view, it was a gold-edged green crystal apple.
"A royal Cutie Mark!" Apple Bloom cried.
"Apple Bloom! You're royalty!" said Scootaloo.
"I know," said Apple Bloom. "I can explain why."
"How??" asked Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
"Well, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother used to be ruler of Equestria. Princess Celestia was reading up on her and found a family tree with my relatives in it. Apparently the used-to-be ruler of Equestria's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchild had to be royalty. And that pony is me!"
"Wow!" said Sweetie. She and Scootaloo hopped around in a circle chanting, "Our friend is the most special pony ever! Our friend is the most special pony ever!" They then stopped. "So, how do you feel about being an Alicorn?"
"It feels nice," Apple Bloom replied. "Except two things: One, I don't know how to fly. Two, I don't know how to use magic!"
"Well, I don't know anything about magic, but I can show you how to fly if you want," Scootaloo said.
"Wow! That's so nice of you Scootaloo!"
"And I don't know anything about flying and that stuff, but I can show you some unicorn magic if you like," offered Sweetie.
"Awesome! So, when do we start?"
"Why not now?" Scootaloo asked.
"I totally agree," Sweetie said. "If you want to learn how to fly and use magic, it would be best to start now."
"Okay."
"We should show you how to fly first!" said Scootaloo.
"No way!" Sweetie argued. "We should show her how to use magic first. It's what all Alicorns learn first."
"And just how do you know that?" Scootaloo replied.
"Because. I look stuff up in books, unlike you who flaps those feather-covered muscles around all day instead of doing something useful."
"WHAT did you say?!"
"Gals, gals, that's enough!" Apple Bloom said. "We should start easy before the advanced stuff. Scootaloo should show me how to fly first."
"Magic is not advanced. Some is, but most aren't as advanced as you think it is," said Sweetie.
"Shut up Sweetie!" Scootaloo replied. "Apple Bloom is the Alicorn here. She can decide what she wants to learn first."
"Well, I can't argue with that."
"Just let her choose!"
"Well," said Apple Bloom, "I guess we should do flying first. Then magic." Scootaloo smirked at Sweetie. Sweetie shot Scootaloo a disapproving stare.
"So, if you want to learn how to fly, we need to do it in the sky where there is space to practice," Scootaloo started. "We should go outside to do this."
The three exited the dorm and headed out to the outside. Apple Bloom watched as Scootaloo flew up into the air.
"I'm going to the college library to get some books on magic for Apple Bloom," said Sweetie. "I'll just leave you two here." Sweetie ran into the building.
"Okay... So, there's not really much to learning how to fly. All I'm gonna show you is how to balance your flight and how to control where you are flying. Getting yourself off the ground is the easy part. All you need to do is flap your wings and you're in the air. Go ahead, try it."
Apple Bloom tried flapping her wings. She flapped harder and she was in the air.
"It feels just like extra hooves flapping," Bloom observed.
"It does," said Scootaloo. "And it can get tiring. Once I was nonstop flying for the whole day, and I couldn't get back in the air for a week! My wings hurt so bad."
"Ooohh-kay..."
"So if you get tired of flapping your wings you can always safely return to the ground. Got that?"
"Yup."
"Okay, so now I can show you the basics of flying, and then you can learn how to use magic like Sweetie offered. So I will show you how to control where you are flying." Scootaloo watched as Apple Bloom struggled to keep her wings flapping. "You okay there, Bloom?"
"Yes. I just need some practice."
"Of course. So now try flying left to right. I want to see how well you can control it." Apple Bloom tryed to fly right and found out that it was easy.
"This is pretty easy."
"You think it's pretty easy? Okay, try flying about 20 yards right." Apple Bloom tried. She flew the first few yards, but lost her balance and went spinning through the air. Scootaloo flew over to help her. "You okay, Apple Bloom?"
"Yes. I think so..."
"Good. Anyway, that's the reason I'm helping you learn to fly. You have to control yourself when you are flying, which is very hard at first. But after you get the hang of it, you'll be an excellent flier. Okay, now try to fly 20 yards right again while I hold on to you."
Apple Bloom tried, and, to her surprise, suceeded. They tried again, and then one more time after that, and Scootaloo let Bloom do it on her own after. She suceeded.
"Congratulations, Bloom! You've got the hang of it! Keep practicing until you're really good."
"I will."
Sweetie came out of the building. She said, "Scootaloo! Apple Bloom! Time to wrap it up, we've got some magic to study!"
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom flew down and nodded.
Scootaloo whispered into Apple Bloom's ear, "Good luck."
"This is gonna be awesome, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie said. "Magic is so fun!"
Apple Bloom prayed to Celestia that Sweetie was not kidding. If magic wasn't fun, then it would be boring or torture.
"Come on, AB! Let's try to get the first lesson done by sundown!"
"Okay, Apple Bloom, time to start," Sweetie Belle said. "First, I want to show you one of the simplest spells of them all: Levitation. Levitation is a breeze for the average unicorn, which is why it's the perfect topic to begin with as a beginner."
"Mm-hmm," said Apple Bloom.
"So what I'd like you to do is start with that. Let me demonstrate for you." Sweetie levitated a cube off of a shelf. "See? All I'm doing is imagining what I want to do with the cube, which is levitating, in my head, and softly letting my horn do the rest. If you really focus, you can levitate anything." Sweetie levitated the cube in front of Apple Bloom. "You try. Remember: Focus."
"Focus," Bloom murmured. Her horn lit up a red aura. She closed her eyes. She imagined levitating the cube back on the shelf. She didn't seem to do anything next, except when she felt a tingle in her horn, she knew she was doing it. She opened her eyes. The cube was back on the shelf. "Did-- Did it work?"
"Yes!"
Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief. Magic wasn't as hard as she thought it would be! Even if it was hard, she was sure she could master it quickly with the help of Sweetie. Scootaloo walked over to Sweetie Belle and said, "I'm going to find Rainbow Dash to help me teach more flying help to Apple Bloom. I'll see you later."
"Okay, Scootaloo. Be back by sundown."
"Okay, so what's the next spell I have to learn?"
"This one is the slightest bit harder, yet simple enough to learn. It's called the flying spell! I know you do not need it since you have wings, but it's useful to learn because it's practice for... Um, practice. Anyway, it's a spell that is very similar to the levitation spell, but allows you to lift yourself in the air. In case your wing is sprained or something. So go ahead try it. Remember, it's the same thing as the levitation spell, except try to get yourself in the air this time." Sweetie paused for a second. "Hold on a minute, let me show you how I do it."
Sweetie's horn glowed as she closed her eyes. The white mare's body shone with blue aura and next thing Apple Bloom knew, Sweetie's eyes popped open and was flying all over the place. Sweetie shut her eyes closed again and tried to get herself down safely. After setting herself on the ground, she opened her eyes again. "Now you try."
"I-- I don't know about this, Sweetie Belle."
"Come on, Apple Bloom! This spell is so awesome!"
"Well, okay." Apple Bloom shut her eyes and tried to imagine her levitating herelf into the air. Her horn glowed. She could feel her warm red aura surround her Alicorn body. She felt herself slowly floating into the air. She opened her eyes to find herself flying through the air without using her wings. She closed her eyes again and slowly floated back down to the ground. "How did I do, Sweetie?"
"You... Did... AWESOME!"
Apple Bloom was proud of herself. She seemed to ace these levitation spells. She was really starting to get the hang of magic.
"Now, for a way harder spell," said Sweetie.
Uh oh, Apple Bloom thought. This shouldn't be good.
"A teleportation spell!" Sweetie seemed so excited about this one. "This one is more, like, for a unicorn a higher level than the average unicorn. I really shouldn't be giving you this one, since you are only a beginner, but I thought it would be kind of like a test. A test to see how good you are at magic already. If you get this spell good, I will know whether to give you those measly beginner ones or ones that are really a challenge to your horn!"
"Ohh no..."
"This is gonna be so awesome!"
"Iiiiffff you say so..."
"So, it goes like this: You imagine where you'd like to go. Then you--"
"That's it?"
"Nope. After you imagine where you'd like to teleport, you have to make sure you let your horn let out the right amount of power. If you allow your horn to put too much magic into this spell, you could burn."
"Burn?"
"Yes, burn. If you put too little magic into it, it will just teleport you to some random place. If you put enough energy into this spell, not too much, not too little, you may be able to get this spell perfectly. Allow me to demonstrate."
Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and tried to imagine teleporting to behind Apple Bloom. Her horn lit up. To Apple Bloom, Sweetie's blue aura was surrounding her horn, almost perfectly. Sweetie's body was soon outlined by her own light and in a flash, she was behind Apple Bloom.
"Um, couldn't you have just walked behind me?"
"If you didn't want to see this awesome magic, sure. But yeah, that's how you do it. How about you try to teleport to in front of the shelf there?"
"Um, okay."
"Good luck! Try not to burn yourself."
"I, uh, won't."
Apple Bloom imagined teleporting to the front of the shelf. She closed her eyes while her horn lit up. She didn't know this, but it didn't light up as strongly as Sweetie's did. In a flash, Apple Bloom was at the shelf. Except, she wasn't in front of it, she was on top of it.
"Close, Bloom," Sweetie said. "Really close! That's so good for your first try."
"Thank you." Apple Bloom flew down. "How do I perfect this?"
"Well, try using more power from your horn this time."
Apple Bloom closed her eyes and imagined teleporting to the front of the shelf again. Her horn lit up, but this time so bright that she did not teleport anywhere. Instead, she was on fire.
"AAAAGGH! HELP ME, SWEETIE!"
Sweetie used a water spell on Apple Bloom. The water put the fire out.
"It's okay, Bloom," said Sweetie. "You're fine."
"Thank you Sweetie! You saved my life!"
"You're welcome. Waaiiit a minute. If you're an Alicorn, wouldn't you live for eternity and never die?"
"Oh. Right. Anyway, this spell is hard!"
"I know! The first time I tried it, I practically set myself on fire!" Sweetie looked out the window and saw that it was nearly sundown. "Looks like the lesson for today is over. Maybe tomorrow we can practice some more."
"Okay!"
"Sweetie! Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo said, bursting into the room. "Come on, it's almost sundown! Let's go have dinner at a restaurant tonight."
"Okay," replied Bloom and Sweetie. They followed Scootaloo out of the building.
Chapter 4- The Restaurant Experience as an Alicorn
The Cutie Marked Crusaders went to a fancy restaurant for dinner. The restaurant's name was Dining Dinners. The three sat at a fancy table with a vase in the center. The vase had a rose. The three read through the restaurant menus.
The waiter, a light gray unicorn colt with chocolate-brown hair trotted over to the three's table.
"Welcome to Dining Dinners. May I take your order?" asked the waiter. "An Alicorn..." he mumbled.
"Yes, of course," said Apple Bloom. "I'd like the Monday appetizer, and the daisy-and-hay sandwich."
"Yes," said the waiter as he levitated a pen from his suit pocket and scribbled down Bloom's order on his notepad. "Anything for you two?"
"Um, yes," said Sweetie Belle. "I'd like the steak dish, spaghetti and meatball dish, and mashed potatoes and gravy dish, please."
"You must be hungry tonight," whispered Apple Bloom to Sweetie. "You just ordered three big dishes!!!"
"I know," Sweetie whispered back.
"And I'll have the hamburger and fries," said Scootaloo. The waiter scribbled Sweetie and Scootaloo's orders down.
"And drinks?" asked the waiter.
"Ah, let's see..." Apple Bloom said while looking through the menu. "I will have some island tropical punch, please." The waiter wrote down Apple Bloom's order.
"And you, white mare?"
"Let's see..." said Sweetie, flipping through the menu. "I'll have the island tropical punch."
"Alright." The waiter scribbled down Sweetie's order. "And how about you, orange pegasus?"
"I will have the island tropical punch," replied Scootaloo.
"Alrighty. Your order will be done soon." The colt took one last glimpse of Apple Bloom before trotting back to the kitchen.
"Did you notice how he was looking at you the whole time?" Sweetie told Apple Bloom. "It's like, 'A special treatment for a special Alicorn', except without the treatment yet."
"Yes," said Scootaloo. "The treatment part is probably coming after."
"Ya think?" Bloom asked.
"Well, who wouldn't treat royalty the way royalty is treated? Special treatment," Scootaloo replied.
"Well, I suppose."
"Who doesn't treat royalty nice?" Sweetie Belle said. "Oh, look, our food is ready!"
The colt waiter trotted over to Apple Bloom's table and levitated a tray with their meals on it. He levitated a few empty glasses onto the tray, too, and levitated a pitcher of island tropical punch from the tray. He then poured the punch into the glasses.
"Will that be anything else, madame?" the colt asked Apple Bloom.
"No need," replied the Alicorn. The waiter levitated the pitcher from the tray and trotted to the next table to refill a couple of glasses.
"I wonder if the super fast food was a special treatment for you, Bloom," Scootaloo said.
"That's it?" Princess Bloom replied. "Fast food?"
"Well, at least we didn't have to wait fifteen minutes, like we usually do," Sweetie added to Scootaloo's comment. "I mean, I guess their establishment does not ever meet royalty. I bet you're the first Alicorn customer they've ever had, and darn it, they've been running for 10 years!"
"I have to agree," Scootaloo replied.
"Well, I suppose that was really nice of them," said Apple Bloom. "This time we only waited about a minute! Instead of FIFTEEN minutes."
The three ate in silence for a couple of minutes, before the conversation started back up again.
"I wonder if we'll get a free dessert tonight," said Sweetie. "I mean, you're an Alicorn and all. They treated us nice."
"I hope they do," said Scootaloo. "I'm hungry for ice cream tonight!"
"Sweetie," said Bloom, "I'm not sure that me being an Alicorn gets me whatever I want. I mean, I'm just a unicorn with wings, right?"
"Apple Bloom, you're a princess. A princess..." Sweetie replied. "And you being an Alicorn, you have ancient and powerful magic. Some of the best around."
"And you... Um... Yea, what she said!" Scootaloo added needlessly.
"So, what?" Apple Bloom said strongly. She was starting to have second thoughts about accepting the fact she was an Alicorn. She just hated how it just turned everything around!
"Well, Bloom, I just don't know how to put this..." Sweetie said. "But... It seems that everypony thinks if they treat you badly, you'll bring down your wrath upon them. You know, you having special powers and all."
"What?!" Apple Bloom was furious to hear this. "So ponies are afraid of me because I am an Alicorn? Even my best friends?!"
"No, no, no!" Sweetie chuckled nervously. "Not us. We know you'd never do something that bad. That would be abusing your powers, right?" Apple Bloom calmed down a little bit.
"Well, I suppose. Not everypony thinks that, you mean?"
"Nope."
"Good."
After the three ate, the waiter came over and asked, "Are you mares done?"
"We're good, waiter," said Sweetie.
"Good. Because I have a surprise for you three." The three gasped.
"A-- A surprise?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes." The waiter levitated the three's tray off of the table. "I'll be right back." The waiter trotted to the kitchen, put the tray away, and came back to the three's table with a tray with cake on it. "A special treat for a special Alicorn and her friends." He put the tray on the table with the cake on it. "Enjoy! It's all on me, no pay."
"Thank you!" Apple Bloom called after the waiter as he trotted back to the kitchen.
"We told you, AB!" Scootaloo said.
"Of course you did."
"Come on, guys! Apple Bloom, start slicing that cake!" Sweetie ordered.
"Apple Bloom, what's wrong?" asked Sweetie Belle in the college dorm room. "You look so tired, like you haven't slept for days."
"I'm fine, Sweetie," said Apple Bloom. "It's just-- Being an Alicorn can be tiring, and..."
"I get it Apple Bloom," Sweetie said. "Well, it's almost 10:00 PM. If you're tired, why don't you hit the hay?"
"Okay," replied Apple Bloom. She rubbed her eyes and hopped into bed. Somehow her eyes wouldn't close and fall asleep. "Sweetie?"
"Yes?"
"I can't fall asleep." Apple Bloom rubbed her eyes even harder and closed them. Wouldn't work.
"Maybe you just can't fall asleep. Not after the weird stuff that's happened today, that was totally unexpected."
"I'll try to fall asleep."
But after a couple of hours, Apple Bloom still could not fall asleep. She tried all she could to fall asleep, but she couldn't. After midnight had struck, Bloom realized that Alicorns being so powerful, they could not sleep. Boy, would she miss sleeping!
"Sweetie?" Apple Bloom whispered, but Sweetie was sound asleep. "I'm having second thoughts of being an Alicorn. You can't even sleep!"
Sweetie did not listen, of course. How can you when you're fast asleep?
"Aww..."
Apple Bloom just stared at the window. Being an Alicorn was tough. Maybe she wasn't cut out to be an Alicorn, after all...
She stared at the big, round moon. She hoped that maybe she wasn't royalty after all, and that she could return to normal again! She really hated being an Alicorn, being treated different by everypony, some ponies would even see her as a being so powerful that she could burn them to a crisp if they ticked her off. And she couldn't rest or even sleep!!! And being an Alicorn means you are royalty, and being royalty means you are a king, queen, prince or a princess. Being one of those mean great responsibility.
Apple Bloom had to talk to Princess Celestia. Now.
Apple Bloom levitated an empty scroll, a quill, and a jar of ink from a table. Bloom managed to teach herself how to write with magic using the levitating spell, and wrote:
Dearest Princess Celestia, It's me, Princess Apple Bloom. I have wrote you you to tell you I am going to visit you in Canterlot Castle. I need to talk to you about my whole "royalty" "alicorn" thing. Thank you for reading, and I will be on my way soon.
Sincerely, Princess Bloom
Apple Bloom looked up in one of Sweetie's magic books on how to send a letter. She cast the spell and the scroll turned into a cloud of red dust, and flew out her window to Canterlot Castle. She hoped the Princess had it...
Apple Bloom could see Canterlot Castle way far away in the horizon. By now it was already 1:00 AM, so Apple Bloom tried to remember the flying lessons Scootaloo tought her and Apple Bloom flew over to Canterlot Castle in less than half an hour.
Apple Bloom pushed open the doors and saw the royal guards guarding Princess Celestia's room. Apple Bloom trotted over to the doors. The guards bowed and levitated the doors open. Apple Bloom went through the doors while they closed behind her.
"Princess Celestia," Apple Bloom said. Princess Celestia turned around and looked at Apple Bloom with a smile.
"Hello, Princess Bloom," said Celestia. "How do you like your Alicorn life so far?"
"Well, that's kind of the reason I came here."
"Oh?"
"Yes." Apple Bloom breathed in and blurted out, "I know I'm a descendant of a Princess and all, and I really love the fact, and I know I am a Princess because she was, but I have a confession to make." Apple Bloom took a deep breath before saying, "I really don't like being an Alicorn."
Princess Celestia's smile faltered. "I see. So what you're saying is, you can't take it anymore being an Alicorn and you don't want to be one anymore?"
"Yes!! YES!!!"
"I see." Celestia's smile entered again. "With great power becomes great responsibility. Being royalty is a huge responsibility. Might I ask why YOU think so?"
"Well, some ponies are treating me really weird-- Okay, a lot of ponies are treating me weird lately. They must think that over a burnt piece of pie, I will burn them to a crisp or something. And Alicorns can't even rest either! And if this is my destiny..." Bloom stopped for a moment. "And if this is my destiny, I don't like myself! All my friends are treating me different. And I-- I just want to be my old self again! Plain old self!"
"I get it. Being a Princess has great power to it. I know you are very uncomfortable being an Alicorn now. And your destiny can change over time. If you feel this is not your destiny, then it must not be."
"Change me back! Change me back!"
"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to give up being royalty, having special powers most ponies don't, living for eternity. Are you absolutely positive?"
"I'm positive!"
"Absolutely sure?"
"Yes!"
"Then you have proven to me that you like YOU, and that is final. I will change you back."
"Oh, thank you thank you thank you!"
Apple Bloom's body was soon outlines with red light, growing brighter and brighter.
"But remember, you are still a princess, Alicorn or no Alicorn. Keep it quiet, okay?"
"I will!"
In a flash, Apple Bloom was back at her dorm. She felt her back to see if there was any wings. No. She felt her head to see if there was any horns. No. She checked her flank. She had a Cutie Mark, but a different one this time!
It was a picture of a green apple with the old Cutie Mark Crusaders patch on it. At least it wasn't a sign of her royalty! But... What was it? It was a symbol of realizing destinies or something, Bloom guessed. Apple Bloom checked the clock. 7:00 in the morning!
Sweetie's alarm clock rang. Sweetie woke up.
"Good morning Apple Bloom! How are-- OH MY GOSH!"
"What?"
"You're-- Your not an Alicorn anymore!"
"I know. I quit."
"QUIT?!"
"Being an Alicorn is waaaaaayy harder than you think it is. And it has-- Certain disadvantages. So I quit. Celestia says I am still royalty, but I just have to keep quiet about it."
"Wait, but why did you quit?? Didn't you like being an Alicorn??"
"Not really. I get treated differently by ponies, some ponies are afraid of my powers, I can't sleep... Or rest. I quit."
"Oh. I see."
"If you really want me to change back, I could ask Celestia to change me back."
"No no no. If this is your true destiny, it's totally fine with me."
"But... How do you feel now that I'm not a Princess anymore?"
