Daughter Of Discord

Cought

"Is your talent gardening?" Dinky guessed.

The children were in the schoolyard where Apple Blossom was showing off her new cutie mark: a pink flower.

"Nope," she replied. "My talent is perfumes!"

"Huh?" every pony uttered.

"Actually, I have Thunder Dash to thank for my cutie mark. When he told me the other day that I smelled nice, I got an idea!"

Thunder blushed. "You heard that?"

"I'm glad I did! See, that morning, one of Aunt Applejack's apple pies fell on my head and that's why I had that smell! I figured I could use that smell to make a perfume!"

She opened her saddle bag and withdrew a small spray bottle. She squirted some at Lightning Dash. The pegasus grunted in annoyance but then took a whiff of herself.

"Smells good," she said bluntly.

"So why is your cutie mark a flower and not a perfume bottle?" Dinky asked.

"Because I made the perfume with apple blossoms that I had pressed in my scrapbook," Apple Blossom explained. "They had fallen off the trees before they could turn to apples. Mom says my cutie mark means I can give every pony my apple-y flowery scent!"

While every pony congratulated Apple Blossom, Screwball sat on a bench and doodle in the dirt with a stick.

"Screwball!"

The filly jumped and turned to Apple Blossom.

"Weren't you listening to my story?"

Screwball shook her head. "Sorry, Blossom. Congratulations on your cutie mark."

Her other friends had gathered round to see what she had been so occupied in.

"Since when did you become so girly?" Thunder inquired.

"What do you mean?" Screwball asked.

Lightning pointed to the dirt. It was covered in little hearts and a few big ones with the initials 'SB' and 'MB' written in them. Screwball dropped her stick. She had not realized she had been drawing all that.

"Ooh!" Dinky exclaimed. "Who's MB?"

"No pony!" Screwball insisted, using her magic to make the incriminating doodles disappear.

Apple Blossom scrutinized her face. "Wait a minute." She gasped dramatically. "No way! Screwy's got a crush!"

"What?! No I don't!"

"You so do! You're blushing like crazy!"

Dinky squealed. "Oh my gosh! Who is it?"

"Is he cute?"

"What color is his mane?"

"It's not Thunder Dash, is it?"

"Is it Cinnamon Stick?"

"You girls know we're standing right here, right?" Cinnamon Stick scowled.

"So spill!" Apple Blossom urged. "Who is it?"

Screwball was literally saved by the bell. As the other foals hastened inside the schoolhouse, she let out a sigh of relief.

Over the past month, she and Prince Mothball have been meeting up frequently. In those meetings, they had played, laughed and confided in each other. Neither of them had told anyone about it and it was becoming harder and harder for Screwball to keep the secret from her friends and family.

Apple Blossom was not the first to notice anything weird about her behavior. Last week, at dinner, her mother had been the one to observe Screwball's lack of appetite.