October 22nd
The last days of autumn were upon Ponyville before the planned early winter swept in. Unfortunately, the schedule for the build-up meant that the town was covered in thick fog, much to the chagrin of many ponies who had hoped to see just a little more sun. Apple Bloom wouldn't mind as much if she could see more than five feet in front of her. Coming to the marketplace to get some lunch had been a bit of a mistake, considering she could hardly even find the stalls, let alone anypony that might be trying to do the same.
After fifteen minutes of careful wandering, she finally managed to get some bagged oranges. Most ponies would probably assume that choice was blasphemy coming from an Apple but, food was food, right? They were quick and easy to work with, not to mention rather tasty. She smiled to herself at the thought of tucking into a few back at the shop before doing some cleaning up. All in all, she had a pretty simple afternoon in mind, the thought lifting her spirits some as she made her way to leave the marketplace.
Right up until her hoof connected with somepony else's leg.
Apple Bloom staggered as her body tried to put weight on a hoof that hadn't hit the ground and fell onto her side, knocking the air out of her on impact. She lay there for several moments, gasping for breath before looking back at who she'd tripped over. Her ears folded down and she cringed in embarrassment as she realised that none other than Pinkie Pie was looking back at her, her back leg out enough to be the responsible item.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Bloomie! I wasn't looking and my pinkie sense can't keep up in this fog." Pinkie gushed, quickly helping Apple Bloom back to her hooves. Apple Bloom didn't reply initially, mostly because she was still winded but partly because she didn't know what to do. All this hope she'd had in mind about what she might feel about Pinkie and now she'd made herself look like a jackass in front of the mare in question. That wasn't going to help at all.
"I...Yeah, I think so." Apple Bloom replied eventually, looking herself over and becoming aware of a dampness on her chest. She looked down quickly, half expecting to see something bleeding down there, instead only seeing a damp patch of fur on her chest and what was left of her oranges on the ground. Of course, that just had to happen to round off the bad luck of the last minute. Pinkie looked down at the squashed remains and couldn't manage to stifle a giggle.
"An Apple with oranges, there's gotta be a classic joke in there," Pinkie managed to say before focusing again. "But I went and ruined them and the joke. Come on, Apple Bloom, let's fix this!" With those words, she wrapped her hoof round Apple Bloom's and darted off for who knows where. All Apple Bloom could think to do was cling on for dear life, wondering how long it would be before they hit something, then she remembered that Pinkie could get just about anywhere in a flash when she wanted to.
After a few seconds she worked up the nerve to try opening her eyes and realised they weren't even outside anymore. Pinkie already had her in somepony's bathroom...Actually, judging by the fact it was twice the size of a regular bathroom and half of that was taken up by a big pool, she was certain it was the bathroom in Sugarcube Corner.
"Okay, you clean yourself up, I'll get you some replacements." Pinkie Pie said, back up to her normal cheery self. Apple Bloom got herself back to her hooves and just like that, Pinkie was gone again, leaving Apple Bloom to her own devices. After a few moments of taking the room in, curiosity took over and she went to look at the pool. It didn't look too deep and almost inviting for a quick swim, if not for the detail that confirmed that this was Pinkie's place, namely the bulky, ten foot long alligator that had just swam through from some kind of underwater passage linked to the next room.
Apple Bloom smiled to herself at the sight, realising it had been a while since she'd been here with how big Gummy was now. The feeling was replaced by a pang of sadness as her thoughts went to the other pets she had known while growing up, knowing Gummy was the only one left. Tank, Opalescence, Owlowiscious, Angel. She missed them all...She really, really missed Winona right now though. She looked down at her rippled reflection and realised tears were welling up in her eyes at the memory. She wasn't sure why, she'd said her goodbyes sixteen years ago now.
Yet, it didn't make remembering any easier.
She slowly forced herself over to the sink and got the water running, pushing her chest over enough to start washing the orange juice out. Try as she might, her mind kept wandering back to all the old memories of the family pet that she'd grown up with. Those fillyhood days they'd race each other through the orchards. Time on the job, herding critters together, bonding as a team. That evening in front of the fire, an early teen Apple Bloom sitting and stroking the aged dog for what she suspected might be the last time...The next day when she came home and learned she'd been right.
A hoof slipped against the edge of the sink and Apple Bloom finally felt years of restrained emotion slip free, dropping her head to rest against the sink and letting the tears fall freely. She looked as bad as she felt, dripping water from the clean-up, her mane and coat still dishevelled from the journey here, her face wracked with the emotions of pain. She didn't know what to do right now, why it had to be happening now, her mind overwhelmed as she stood in place and let those tears out, ultimately just trying to ride out the moment before-
"Apple Bloom?"
-before Pinkie Pie got back.
Apple Bloom froze up, trying to figure out if the world was playing some cruel prank on her today. Everything she'd done just seemed to be making her look silly in front of Pinkie and she still didn't know what to do. All she could think to do was hide her face in the sink and hope the moment ended sooner rather than later. After what felt like forever, she felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder and looked up again, seeing a pink hoof come in and gently wipe her tears away.
"What's wrong? This isn't like you." Pinkie asked, helping Apple Bloom back up to a standing position and waiting as her friend composed herself.
"S-sorry you had to see that. I just saw Gummy and it reminded me of the old days, with Winona." Apple Bloom admitted, looking away and sighing slightly. Pinkie nodded slowly, knowing from experience how hard unexpected triggers could hit.
"It's okay Bloomie, we all struggle with the worst parts of the past." Pinkie said reassuringly, pulling Apple Bloom into a supportive hug. She slowly returned the hug and buried her muzzle in Pinkie's shoulder, grateful just for the support. It was a bit of a silly response but she couldn't think of anything better right now. She could pick up the faint smell of baked goods imbued in Pinkie's fur, the gentle caress of a hoof on her neck, the pure care put into making her feel better.
That familiar feeling stirred inside her again, though the more it built, the more she realised this was different. The usual warm feeling was a minor thing next to the sense of calm that washed over her, a sensation that everything was alright now. In all her years, nopony had ever quite made her feel as special and peaceful as this, her mind flashed back to what Lyra and Bon Bon had said and she considered if this was an extension of all that. If she really was...
"Feeling any better?"
Reality just had to interrupt, didn't it? Apple Bloom blinked herself back into focus and reluctantly pulled herself away from the warm shoulder. Pinkie stepped back, waiting with a hopeful smile on her face.
"I'm...Better, thanks to you," Apple Bloom replied, managing to smile softly in return. "Sorry for making you worry though. You must think I looked ridiculous."
"Not at all, just a pony in need of a good boost of cheer."
"Well, you never fail on providing that, thank you." Pinkie grinned at those words, making Apple Bloom that much happier that she already was.
"Awww, that's just what I'd do for any of my friends." Pinkie beamed, not catching that Apple Bloom's smile became ever so slightly more forced than before. Then again, even Apple Bloom herself didn't realise she'd done it either.
"Of course, you'd do that for anypony."
"Well yeah," Pinkie gave a small tut as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But you deserved some extra effort." That little addition brought the spark back into Apple Bloom's eyes and she smiled warmly before finally getting round to drying herself off from before.
"Thanks...I didn't realise how much I needed to hear that."
"No problem, you know you can come to me anytime you need some help dealing with the frowns."
"Just like always." Apple Bloom gave her eyes one last wipe and, satisfied she was back to normal, made to leave. Pinkie put a hoof out, motioning for her to wait a moment, and reached into her mane before pulling out a fresh bag of oranges. Apple Bloom grinned and took it eagerly, an extra spring in her step.
"Try to let those sad thoughts go carefully, like a balloon that slipped from your grip. And have a better rest of the day."
"You too." Apple Bloom nodded and headed for the exit, smiling to herself. She couldn't explain it but how she'd felt back there was definitely something more than her former feelings, trying to compare the two was like trying to compare a crush to actual love. She still wasn't sure just what she felt but she couldn't really deny it. When it came to Pinkie Pie, there was definitely something there.
"I don't get it," She mused to herself. "Why does the heart have to be so darn complicated?...I guess I just need to give it time and see if I can hang out with Pinkie some more."