Scootaloo of the Apple Family
It was another clear sunny day, a cloudless blue sky stretching across Ponyville. A light wind blew, courtesy of the hardworking weather team and fading summer sunlight streamed down on a lazy afternoon. Applebloom was walking with Applejack through town square on their way to their park, Winona barking and running around looping between them wildly.
“So, how far have ya'll come to getting your cutie marks?”
“Well, Scootaloo says we can't be far away, but I don't know.” Applebloom hung her head in discouragement. “All of her ideas seem pretty...”
“Pretty what?” Applejack arched her eyebrows, a smirk playing across her face.
“Oh, nuthin'” Applebloom looked up to see two familiar ponies sitting across a park bench. They looked familiar.
“How come Bon-Bon and Lyra always sit together in that funny way?”
“You know them ponies?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“That Lyra's strange.”
Applebloom stopped and sat down. “Doesn't Twilight say to love and tolerate everypony?”
Applejack stopped and sat with her one hoof raised to her chin. Now that got her thinking.
They continued on. “-regardless of race, color, cutie mark, lack of a cutie mark?”
Applejack smiled “Well Applebloom, I guess your right. I wonder if that merits a quick letter to the Princess? She sure hasn't been getting many letters lately.”
“How do you know some other pony hasn't sent one recently?”
“Scootaloo!” Applebloom yelled out in surprise, to which Scootaloo responded with a wide grin. “What are you doing here? Where's Sweetie Belle?
Applejack broke out of her thoughts. “Oh, hey Scootaloo.” The eavesdropping bugged her but she chose not to mention it.
“Are you ready to play cops and robbers?”
“You bet I am!” Applebloom replied jumping up off the ground in excitement.
Applejack settled down under a shady tree one of few leafy green oaks scattered across the grassy area proudly displaying their sun-dappled leaves. Winona lay beside her putting her head down and watching the world go by with a watchful eye. Ponies frolicked in the park enjoying a long stretch of late summer reading books, tossing frisbees, and laying in the grass. Including what one could only assume to be Pinkie Pie, rolling in the grass and apparently delighted in having convinced a brown pony with a blue mane to do the same. The whole thing felt... content. She closed her eyes, slipping off into sweet afternoon sleep, awoken by Scootaloo, and Applebloom's face, ten inches from her own.
“Sis, I can't find Winona”
That's ni- Applejack stood up and swayed a little. “Come again?”
“She's gone” Scootaloo added.
“She was just here five seconds ago.” Applejack said irritated.
“You were asleep for an hour.” Applebloom remarked.
“I was? Oh, great. WINONA!”
“WINONA!”
“WINONA!”
“A' just saw her a little while ago.” said Applebloom.
“Wait! I can find her!” Scootaloo cried and ran off.
Applejack lifted a hoof to her mouth and whistled sharply but the thickness of the lazy summer air absorbed it. She thought she heard a faint bark and began running in that direction. For anyone else it would have been hard to summon even a little energy on that kind of a day,especially right after a nap. Not however for a mare who had been applebucking all her life, rain or shine. In fact, she felt refreshed.
Applebloom struggled to keep up “I though... you said...[gasp]...Winona... was... fine... on her own.” Applejack jumped over another cream colored pony with bouncy purple and pink striped hair that looked suspiciously like Bon-Bon's twin sister. Applebloom ran around her panting.
“She is, but I still like to try ta keep track of her! It's always good to know where your pet's are.” Applejack stopped suddenly her ears twitching wildly. Applebloom slowed to a halt beside her.
“I found her!” Scootaloo walked back towards them a smile on her face, Winona trotting beside tongue hanging out, tail wagging, and muzzle wet. “She went off to find water.”
Scootaloo ruffled her head affectionately. Winona seemed to like it.
“Where'd you find her?”
“I asked Pinkie Pie.” Scootaloo replied misinterpreting the question. She pointed towards the bright pink pony a ways off.
Applejack couldn't see the brown pony from here. Thinking about him made her chuckle, then blushed.
“Are you OK?” Applebloom and Scootaloo asked together.
“Oh, I'm fine.” She sighed and smiled. “Thank you kindly Scootaloo for your help in wranglin' up Winona. I couldn't have done it without ya.”
“Oh, it was nothing” Scootaloo said sheepishly.
They turned to walk back to the farm as the sun began to fall. The weather team was outside busy creating a sharp wind to signal to ponies the day before Fall. It was the last day of summer perfectly spent, in Applejacks opinion. First a family get together that had lasted all morning, then this.
“Your better than Big Mac with Winona!” Applebloom shouted excitedly.
“Applebloom,” Applejack gave her an exasperated look. “Big Mac's terrible with Winona.”
“Well I know, but... That's not what I meant.”
Applejack rolled her eyes and rubbed her little sisters head playfully. “I know sugarcube.”
Scootaloo wore a worried expression. “Well I better get to... home.”
Applejack and Applebloom shared a look.
“How 'bout you come stay with us for a night?” Applejack's tone told her it wasn't a question.
“That's a great idea!” Applebloom said
“I don't know. Are you sure I'm not intruding?”
“Of course you're not! Why would ya be? Your practically family, isn't she sis?
“Sure are.”
“Thanks Applebloom! Thanks Applejack!”
“You'll always have a home at Sweet Apple Acres.” Applejack said, and then quietly added, “I hope you know that.”
“You can sleep in my room!” was Applebloom's enthusiastic reply. “And we can ask Granny to let us open some Zap Apple jam, then we can stay up late, an' tell each other ghost stories! Course we got to feed the pigs early tomorrow morning, but then we got Big Mac who can give us a cart ride around the farm if he's not too busy and...
Applejack shook her head as they walked off into the sunset.
Neither noticed the single tear that Scootaloo wiped from her cheek. A tear of relief.