Apple Bloom walked down the streets of Ponyville, her mind wandering as she trotted along, the soft gravel and dirt under hoof. Her school friend, Twist, trotted along beside her, smiling widely as she enjoyed the day. As the duo rounded a corner, she spotted her. There, on the other side of the road, Sweetie Belle walked along. A pair of saddle bags were on her back, full to the brim with fabric and pieces of wood and timber. She had her face scrunched up in concentration, a bead of sweat on her brow as she struggled to hold the weight on her shoulders.
“Hey, look! It's Sweetie Belle! Hey Sweetie Belle, do you need some help?” Twist shouted out.
Sweetie Belle glanced over and saw Twist. She gave a smile and waved, “That'd be great, thanks Twist!” Then she noticed Apple Bloom standing next to Twist. Her smile quickly vanished from her face as she averted her gaze. “Urr, actually I've got it, thanks though!”
She quickly trotted off down the road faster than before, rounding a corner and vanishing from sight, before Twist had a chance to respond.
“Huh! Oh well, at least she's coping with it! Hey Apple Bloom, do you think she saw you? She didn't say hello to you!”
Apple Bloom sighed and carried on trotting along, her head sunk low. “No, probably not.”
“Oh well! Want me to go find out for ya?”
“Nah, I'm fine, thanks though Twist.”
“Okay! What do you want to do now, huh Apple Bloom? Wanna go see if Pinkie Pie will make us some cakes?”
“Nah, ah reckon ah best be getting home, got some work ta do on the farm. I'll see ya'll tomorrow Twist!” Apple Bloom replied, before running off.
“Okay! Bye Apple Bloom! Say hi to your family for me!” Twist shouted, before happily cantering off.
Apple Bloom felt tears started to well up in her eyes as she ran. Her cheeks grew red hot, her stomach churned, she found it hard to clear her throat, a lump seemed stuck in her gullet, refusing to move. She clenched her teeth to fight back the tears, and kept on running home as fast as possible. She couldn't wait to be home, away from prying eyes, in the privacy of her own bedroom.
She soon reached Sweet Apple Acres, the densely packing apple trees looming over head as she rushed beneath them. Apple Bloom kept on running, before stopping. She felt the wet tears on her face, and she knew if Big Mac, or Applejack or Granny Smith saw them, they'd ask what was wrong. Then she'd have to tell them, and she just wasn't ready for that yet.
Apple Bloom changed direction and headed for the barn, making sure no one was inside. Once she knew the coast was clear, she ran in and shut the door behind her, heading towards the back of the barn. She made her way up a ladder and dove into one of the hay lofts.
Apple Bloom sank into it and finally let the tears flow freely, safe in the knowledge no one would hear her. As she cried, she remembered the good old days. How they all got on, how they used to be friends. Apple Bloom wished she could bring it all back, if only for one more day. Just to relive the happy memories, but it wouldn't happen. No, she had tried once before, and only had a bad experience for it. She just decided to lay in silence, to be alone with her thoughts, as she lay there lost in the thoughts of her mind.
“Apple Bloom? Hey Apple Bloom, are y'all in here?” Applejack called out, looking around the barn quizzically.
Apple Bloom quickly sat upright, wiping away the tears from her cheeks and rubbing her eyes in a vain attempt to hide the fact she had been crying. “Yeah, I'm up here sis,” she called out.
Apple Bloom made her way back out of the hay loft and descended down t he ladder to the barn floor, before making her way across the floor to Applejack. “What did ya need Applejack? Big Mac need a hand in the fields?”
“Heck no! Big Mac's got all that under control! Even got Granny Smith there yelling at him to work faster! Ah reckon he’ll be done in no time with that kinda motivation! No, I came to say y'all got a visitor!”
Applejack stood aside to reveal Scootaloo standing behind her, smiling widely. Apple Bloom instantly found an equally large smile brought back to her face as her friend greeted her with a friendly wave.
“Oh, hey Scootaloo! It's good to see ya again!”
“Heh, likewise! You wanna go hang out?”
“Well, ah'l leave you kids to it! I got chores to do!” Applejack said, as she walked past Apple Bloom. She stopped by her side, and whispered into her ear “Y'all got a bit of something on your nose, Apple Bloom.”
Apple bloom nodded and quickly turned around, wiping the snot off her muzzle. She smiled feebly at Applejack, ashamed she knew she had been crying, before turning back to Scootaloo.
“Thanks Applejack!” Scootaloo called after her. “So, what's up Apple Bloom?”
Apple Bloom blushed and looked at the ground, rubbing at it with her hoof. “Whaddya mean? Nothings wrong!”
“We heard you crying when we came in, sorry if we weren't meant to. So, what's happened? Come on, you can tell me, I'm your friend!”
Apple Bloom felt ashamed they both had heard her, feeling embarrassed they had seen it. She was strong and tough, and strong mares don't cry. None the less, she felt herself begin to well up again, tears starting to form in her eyes. Scootaloo noticed and rushed to her side, giving her a hug.
Almost instantly, Scootaloo said, “Sweetie Belle?”
Apple Bloom nodded meekly. “Sweetie Belle,” she croaked, her voice wavering, “I saw her on my way home. She just, ignored me...Has she said anything about me yet?”
Scootaloo shook her head side to side. “Fraid not. She's preoccupied with her idea of being a furniture craft-pony. It's all she talks about these days.”
Apple Bloom closed her eyes solemnly, and sighed. She stood silently for a minute, wondering. Had Scootaloo lied to her, just to protect her feelings? Had Sweetie Belle really been talking poorly about her all this time? She couldn't know for sure, and didn't want to speculate. Just thinking about it made her mind race, and she felt her blood starting to boil. If Scootaloo chose to lie to her, it must be for a good reason. Apple bloom knew she could trust Scootaloo when it came to her times of crisis, she had always been there for her. She had been a good friend throughout the hard times.
“Thanks Scootaloo. You're a great friend. Come on, lets go see if Big Mac needs a hand after all. You know what Granny Smith is like, probably making him do some silly ritual before hand!”
“No worries Apple Bloom, you know I'm here for you,” Scootaloo replied, smiling, as the pair left the barn and trotted out into the warm sun.
After helping Big Mac cope with Granny Smith's incesant yelling, Scootaloo left Sweet Apple Acres and headed across the town, reflective on Apple Bloom's mood. She had been visibly upset when she saw Sweetie Belle, or heard her mentioned. Scootaloo wished she could cope better, it made her feel guilty for it all. If only she had somehow solved the problem sooner, or made them angry at her, not beach other.
Maybe then, things would be different. Maybe then they'd still be friends.
Scootaloo carried on walking through Ponyville, the hot sun beating down on her back. A gentle breeze was blowing across the street, causing her feathers to flutter slightly. She enjoyed the sensation, it was as close as she ever got to flying. Scootaloo carried on her way across the town, reminiscing about older times. Times when they used to be friends.
But one specific time would never leave her mind, as sure as she was that it’ll never leave Apple Bloom's, nor Sweetie Belle's. The day it all fell apart, the day that started it all.
The three of them had been sat around in the Sweet Apple Acres barn, a pile of books before them. They got together like this once every few days to discuss plans for cutie marks, to discuss school and homework.
Scootaloo had been busy balancing a pencil on it's tip while Apple Bloom sat reading a book about farming, mean while Sweetie Belle was busy sketching on a piece of paper.
“Ah reckon we can get our cutie marks if we try some of this ploughing stuff!” Apple Bloom piped up, “Says we just gotta pull the plough through the dirt, and then plant some seeds!”
Sweetie Belle lifted her head from her drawing, a look of disgust on her face. “You mean, walk through dirt, on purpose? To see if maybe I can get a cutie mark in farming? I'd hate to get a cutie mark related to farming!”
“What? Why? Farming's important, and fun! Come on gals, lets give it a go! Whaddya say Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo looked up and frowned slightly. “Yeah, we can try it, but....I have to agree with Sweetie Belle, I don't really want a future in farming. I want a future in something cool, like stunts or being a dare pony!”
Sweetie Belle scoffed. “A dare pony? Doing tricks? Why, that's about as silly as being a farmer!”
Apple Bloom threw the book down and stood up angrily. “Why do y'all keep saying being a farmer is stupid? Without us, you'd have no food on your plates!”
“Yes, but you don't mind it! You enjoy doing your job, and that's fine! But I see it as taking pride in a job that doesn't require it! Any old fool can put a seed in the ground and grow a plant! A real talented job requires skill!”
“Hey, come on girls! Let's not get our cutie marks in fighting! Lets go give farming a go, you can at least watch if you don't wanna help out, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo added, smiling widely, trying to calm the situation.
“Humph! Not a chance! I'd rather go work on a market stall than walk through mud and dirt for a living!”
“Well why don't y'all go do it then! Ah'm getting fed up with your comments about us farmers! Come on Scootaloo, lets go try farming, on our own!”
“Hah! Come on Scootaloo, lets go try our hand at a more civilized job, like interior design!” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“Erm, to be honest girls, I don't wanna do either of those for a living, but I'll give them a go at least!” Scootaloo said, smiling.
“Good, come on then Scootaloo, lets go design some new furniture for my room!”
Apple Bloom interjected. “Nah, she's gonna try farming with me first! Ah suggested it first!”
“Well Scootaloo, which do you want to do, interior design? Or, urgh...farming?”
Scootaloo looked at both her friends, unable to decide. She hated being put in this kind of position. She did the only thing she could think of.
“Gee, I'd love to, but I need to be getting home! It's err, getting late!” She said, glancing nervously from side to side.
“Why do y'all like interior design anyway? That's just so simple! Ya just paint some walls and put a chair in a room! Any old pony can do that!”
Sweetie Belle gasped. “Why, it's much more than that! But then, I wouldn't expect you to understand. I mean, just look at this place! So, rustic and plain!”
“What! Our farm is the best around, and we don't need no fancy, soft furnishings to make it work!”
“Hmm. You need something to make you work. This place is simply run down!”
“Take that back this instant!”
“No! This farm needs a designers touch! A shame no designer would want to touch it, it all looks so dirty!”
Apple Bloom's eyes flashed red. “Get off our farm! Y'all aint welcome here no more Sweetie Belle!”
Sweetie Belle simply turned her head and flicked her mane. “Fine! I'm going home! This farm is so uncouth! I hope to never come back to it!”
“Fine! Ah don't want you to see y'all ever again!” Apple Bloom shouted angrily, as Sweetie Belle trotted away. Apple Bloom then turned her gaze to Scootaloo, who stood idly by, not moving an inch.
“Well, what about you Scootaloo? Do y'all think my farm is uncouth and dirty?”
“No way! This farm is totally awesome! Come on, lets go try some ploughing. Sweetie Belle will come around, trust me!”
The pair smiled and shared a hoof bump, before trotting away to the old field. Scootaloo smiled, hiding her true feelings. She wished Sweetie Belle would come back soon, apologize for what she said. Scootaloo couldn't face losing her friends. They were all she had.
Scootaloo woke from her daze and glanced upwards. She was outside the Carousel Boutique, it's tall peaked roof before her. She knew Sweetie Belle was in, judging by the sounds of sawing and occasional squeak filled shouts.
Scootaloo took a deep breath, exhaled and opened the door, the bell ringing above head.
“Hello, and welcome to Carousel Boutique, your one stop shop for-”
“Hello Rarity! Is Sweetie Belle home?” Scootaloo interrupted before she gave the long winded welcome.
“Why of course dear, she's upstairs! Go on up, I'm sure she’ll be glad to see you!”
Scootaloo smiled and made her way upstairs, ready to talk to Sweetie Belle.
