A Dazzling World

Chapter XII: Around Every Corner

"Wait. Really? Why so?" she asks me in a curious tone before I stand up.

"My boss doesn't want me to teach more than one person each day due to my... accident." Slowly, I reach into the file cabinet where multiple textbooks are stored, flicking through them like one of those damn high school teachers. I really have changed quite a bit. "But enough about that, what has happened with you? We haven't really... talked lately," I say quietly, setting a textbook down in front of Apple Bloom. Her face tells me she's quite nervous and anxious about this conversation, fiddling with herself and looking away. We both know why we haven't talked lately... The last time I saw her was a day before my accident and the last time she saw me was in a hospital bed... Both starkly different in context, probably leaving more of a mark on Apple Bloom than I ever intended.

"W-well, I got into that play I was telling ya about!" she states excitedly, a big grin adorning her face. "As a tree, b-but an apple tree! I have no lines, though." Her hand reaches up to her head, scratching nervously.

"That's awesome~ Even as a tree, I'm sure you'll do great," I happily interject, holding my pinkie finger out to her. "Pinkie promise you'll do your best in it?"

"Hmm? I-I dunno. I'll do my best, but I'm not sure how to do that. I'm a bucking tree for apple's sake," she states hesitantly, looking down to the floor.

"Apple Bloom..." My words come out a bit harsher than I mean them to, but I want to get the point across. Apple Bloom's eyes look up into mine, seeing I still have my pinkie finger outstretched. "Once upon a time, you made me promise to do my best. You made me promise to rely on you. Now I'm asking you to promise you'll do your best, alright?" A few moments pass between us in silence, Apple Bloom unsure of what to say. "For me?"

Sighing, Apple Bloom locks her pinkie with mine and nods. "I-I'll try my best. But I never expected ya to nag me like my big sis." We both giggle for a moment, breaking our hands away as I adjust the scarf around my neck. Even though it's warm inside the building, I don't feel the need to take it off...

"Well, someone has to keep you in line~ Besides, how else can I repay the kindness you've shown me so far without nagging you?" I wink at Apple Bloom for a moment, an annoyed look paints her face.

"Y-you don't have to nag me! Just keep me in the loop, ya know? I want to know what's going on with ya," Apple Bloom says quietly, averting her gaze once more.

"As long as you keep me in the loop of your life too," I state with a chuckle of my own, pulling my phone out of my pocket and turning it to silent.

"Deal!" Apple Bloom excitedly states. "My science teacher is assigning another-"

"After class." Standing up, I pat her head slightly and walk over to the middle of the room where a music stand is propped up, waiting for some sort of lesson to take place. "We can always talk after class~"

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Slowly sliding the music textbook back over the desk to me, Apple bloom yawns a little and stretches her arms out wide. "Can we talk now?" she asks again, looking at me as I put the textbook away, chuckling to myself. I think we should have around five minutes left, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright," I sigh as I sit down at my desk once more, taking my final sip of water. "What do you want to talk about, Apple Bloom?"

"W-well, first off, you drink more often than a horse on a hot summer day and I was the one singing," Apple Bloom states with a giggle, slowly turning to a concerned look. "Is everything alright?" Her question doesn't necessarily surprise me, but it does help me assume what the rest of this conversation will be about.