Chapters The cold darkness of a Ponyville night floated gently against the window, and was only stopped by the warm glow of the hissing fire. The heat radiated from a brick fireplace in the center of the room that kept its occupants feeling safe and secure enough to have a drink or two...or three. The wood chamber was almost empty, except for the two mares at the bar.
The older mare was a bright orange with a blonde mane and tail, both were braided in a similar fashion with rope. A well worn, dirty stetson hat was seated on her head. The younger mare was a bright yellow, like butter, with a short red mane. She wore a dirty stained apron and was wiping the hardwood counter with a wet cleaning rag as she listened to the other talk about this and that about the farm life with her ever louder voice.
Applebloom sighed happily, and just had to stop cleaning for a moment to get absorbed in the life she had left behind to pursue what she truly wanted to do with her life. But leaving the farm, where she had grown up in the loving care of her family, she missed all the good times and nostalgia that she had, and a part of her just wanted to return to the apple farm and do what she did before. The here and now, though, did have its share of good times, and Applebloom loved the hard work that she had with making this place a reality. She was truly happy here.
“...and th’n that darn lizard bit Big Mac in the tail an’ he just took off a runnin’ with the plow still attached to ‘im.” Applejack laughed with no care in the world while adding motions to her words in the story. “On down the road he went, draggin’ that darn plow behind him.” She let out a belly laugh that echoed through the empty room. Bloom giggled more at her sister’s embarrassing antics than her story. She let her sister calm down, as the laughter died down to short bursts of giggles, that too ended shortly. “Ya should’ve been there, Applebloom. It was really a sight ta see, and a funny one at that.”
“Yeah.” Applebloom’s stomach sank as she went back to cleaning off the bar. She should’ve been there.
“Okay, Bloom. What’s wrong? And don’t ya say nothin’ ‘cause Ah know it ain’t nothin’. Ya been in the dumps for a while now.” When Applejack used that tone of voice, nopony could say no.
“Is it really that obvious?” She picked up an empty whiskey bottle that a possibly drunk patron had left behind and set it in a bucket with the other glass bottles. With her back turned, Bloom’s face fell.
“Element of Honesty, remember?” A little bit of pride sounded from Applejack. Arrogant pride that Bloom couldn’t call on her own.
"Oh, how could I forget?" Bloom turned and smirked at her sister, who only shrugged as if she had no idea what Bloom was talking about, while returning the same look. Bloom couldn't help but give a little giggle at the fun the pair had with each other all the time in the same fashion.
"I guess I'm just bummed out over not being able to help with the farm now that I have this place to run. It's hard to get away from what you have been doing since you could stand and walk. I guess I sorta miss it every once in a while."
Applejack thankfully only politely listened in silence until Bloom finished talking. When Bloom was done, the young mare turned her back to her older sister once again and began carefully setting the shot glasses in a bucket. The glasses she placed in clanked loudly against others. It was the only sound that she could hear.
Then, Applejack started giggling. Just like before. She started giggling, and then started to laugh. Her belly laugh roared unopposed, and Bloom could feel her ears fold on top of her head. Her sister was laughing at her fears. Bloom dropped the shot glass she was holding, which clanked loudly against the bucket, and she whirled on her feet to glare at her sister. "What's so funny!?" She defended herself.
Applejack stopped her howling quickly, looking at her sister with a mix of confusion and a bit of nervousness. “Ah’m sorry Ah laughed, but ya sounded just like me when Ah was a foal. Wandering off from the little farm to the big city.” She tried to hide a little giggle. “It just brings back memories.”
“Sugarcube, Ah know what you’re goin’ through, and Ah understand. You’re doin’ somethin’ ya never did before, and it don’t feel right for ya, yet. But Ah promise ya, it will get easier. Ya done a nice, fine job ta this place, Ah’m very proud of ya.”
Bloom sighed and slumped down on a stool, facing Applejack across the counter. “Thank you, Applejack. But, how would you know? You were only in Manehatten for a week. It’s been a year for me here, and I still miss the farm that’s right up the road.”
Before Applejack could answer, the door to the bar opened up, and Bloom could feel some of the heat leave the room. “We’ll talk about this later.” Applejack finished.
That was for the best. Bloom turned to greet whoever it was, only to freeze with the words in her mouth at the sight of the pony. A snow white pelt, candy colored mane, and the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. Yep, it was Sweetie Belle. Miss Drama Queen Jr. of the drama club. “What’re you doing out this late, Miss Belle?”
“Good evenin’, Sweetie Belle.” Applejack greeted the unicorn mare with a friendly voice that hid the evil glare that she gave Bloom, and told her that this was something else that they were going to discuss when the time was right.
Sweetie Belle’s gait was sloppy, much different than her usual walk of absolute pride above all else. The unicorn’s head was hung limp on her neck, flopping with her movements. She plopped down on a bar stool next to Applejack weakly. “An apple martini with cherries, please.” Sweetie spoke with little energy as she flicked a few bits onto the counter.
Now where was this mare coming from again? To talk about how it was better to be a lady with class than it was to be a savage with no manners, and yet here she was acting as if she were just walking out of a rodeo, minus the cuts and bruises.
Bloom annoyedly filled out the request, violently grabbing the necessary ingredients behind her from the shelf adorned with massive amounts of alcohol. The vodka, schnapps, a little bit of Sweet Apple Acre’s apple juice was poured into a shake cup. As Bloom shook the drink, Sweetie’s head never once rose above the neckline. She poured the ingredients into the martini glass and a few cherries were plopped right on top. A custom drink Sweetie asked for all the time when she came into the bar, but never in this mood. Bloom sat the drink on the counter in front of Sweetie and pocketed the bits into her apron. “Here ya go.” It wasn’t friendly, it was just to tell her.
When Sweetie gave no answer, not even a little thank you, Bloom only shook her head and sighed before she cleaned up the rest of the shot glasses. The one she had dropped into the bucket had broken; just her luck. She marched off into the back to finish doing the dishes in peace, and to cool off her temper.
The small room was mostly used for storage. All the cleaners and soaps were stored here, thus it reeked of bleach. It was much colder here than in the main room with the fire. Setting the heavy bucket into the sink, Bloom carefully picked out the glass shards and unceremoniously dumped them into the waste basket.
Who did Sweetie Belle think she was, coming into her bar and acting like a stick in the mud? She shouldn’t get so mad about it, but it was hard not to. After having so many adventures, it was strange to go their separate paths. It was heart-breaking. It was best not to think about it for long and to just get these glasses cleaned for tomorrow.
The apple martini was plain. Applebloom hadn’t put much effort into making it, Sweetie could tell. Her connoisseurship was the best of Ponyville, this was vile trash to her tastebuds. But it was alcohol, and alcohol was what she needed at the moment. She wasn’t a heavy drinker, not by any means, but the drinking helped her cope with things when they got too much to handle herself. Taking another dainty sip, Sweetie set the glass down on the counter.
“Good evening, Applejack.” She never looked at the mare, clinging to her dignity. But this was Applejack, who could care less about such things. “What a darn tootin’ day as you may say.” Sweetie rolled her eyes at the mocking she did.
"Well, when ya say it like that, it almost sounds dumb. Forgive my words, Sweetie, but Ah'm used to ya using your fancy words." Applejack was as polite as she could obviously be when not acting so countrified, but even that was fine. It was the best she could do. Above all, was a good friend.
Sweetie huffed a bit and sipped her drink. "I guess you're right. It left a bad taste in my mouth, talking like that. No offence to you, of course."
Applejack just shooed the issue with a hand. "No harm done."
A steady moment of silence came up, as Sweetie, and surely Applejack, had no idea what to say to the other. They just listened to the sounds of Applebloom washing her dishes. The glasses were clinging together as always, she always did put as much effort into her labor as she could. Even if it was a little annoying, but that was how she worked, and no embitterment should be thought up as a result.
“So, did ya hear about Scoots?” Applejack asked.
“No, what?” Interest was instantly piqued, problems went out the window. Sweetie hadn’t seen Scootaloo since she moved away to Cloudsdale after picking up a job as a racing instructor there. It has been a year. Felt like five with how time would only move on its own accord. What had Applejack found out about the pegasus before she had? Both she and Applebloom got handwritten letters from Scoots, she couldn’t remember anything important from the last one she had sent.
“Well, Ah don’t wanna spoil a surprise if it is one.” The orange mare rubbed her chin in mock thought. “Naw, it ain’t no secret. Scoot’s gonna come down ta Ponyville fer the festival.”
Sweetie sprung up from her drink, literally, right onto her feet from her stool. Jumping into Applejack’s face with excitement, almost knocking Applejack out of her seat. She had never felt such intense discomposure, but she absolutely couldn’t help but feel that way. She missed Scootaloo a lot. “Really? Like, really, really?”
“Woh there, Sugarcube. Calm down now. She ain’t moving back, last I heard. It was somethin’ ‘bout a charity race of some sorts, Ah’m not quite sure of the details. Are ya sure ya didn’t know about it?”
Applejack snapped her fingers and clicked her tongue in what seemed to be aggravation. “Gosh, darn it. I must’ve spoiled some sort of surprise Scoots had planned.”
“Well, that’s okay. I’ll pretend it was a surprise when she comes around. I’ll even write it in my little notebook with the golden pencil.”
“Yeah, ya do that...I guess.”
She couldn’t believe it. Scootaloo, after so long. It would be like the old days of crusading and going off to be nuisances, and having innocent fun while doing it. It was that time that Sweetie missed the most, as she never could feel that free with expectations now. Expectations from her sister, from other ponies in the Ponyville, and even beyond. It would be great to see the pegasus, who unleashed her freedom when she had the time to do it.
Sweetie sat back down on her stool and stared at the quarter finished martini. This was not a happy time though. She wanted it to be now from her initial plan. The ungrateful memory of why she was here returned, and her head drooped down again. Blasted problems rearing their hydra-like bodies wherever they pleased. In a swift movement, unladylike at all, Sweetie grabbed the drink and downed the rest. The alcohol burned as it went down, but she believed she took it well.
"Now hold your horses there, what's got ya so moody all of a sudden? I thought ya would like ta see Scoot's again." Applejack's hand laid supportively on Sweetie's shoulder.
“I do. I want to see her.” Her head was filled with the sweet, precious memories of her childhood, but the ugly truth couldn’t be hid away forever behind a closed door. “But I…” It was much harder to say than she would’ve hoped it to be. To see what you had put so much time and effort into, suddenly vanish in the blink of an eye.
She could feel Applejack’s hand rub her shoulder. Surprisingly, it worked to calm her down a bit. “I can’t pay for the theater anymore.”
The calm rubbing of Applejack’s hand sadly stopped. Sweetie turned to look at the farm mare, only to be taken up in a deep hug from her. “Ah’m so sorry, Sweetie. Ah don’ know what ta say.”
"Say what, about what?" The untimely reentry of the bar pony took the sadness out of Sweetie. It only made way for a not so delightful feeling of anger. Sweetie absolutely hated that emotion of negativity, but Applebloom was avoiding her on purpose, and she didn't like that either. Sweetie pulled herself out of the warm hug with malicious thoughts. No, this wasn’t revenge, it was only letting some other pony know how wrong their actions were in a more direct way.
“Oh, nothing. Just talking about the Summer Festival tomorrow. Important, I’m sure you know this.” Sweetie’s voice was hiding something behind sweetness, Applebloom could see that, like an eagle watching its prey. Bloom had no idea where Sweetie was going with this, but what could the artsy pony do to harm anypony, for that matter. “But, Applejack here had just told me something that I’m sure you’re going to love.”
Applejack’s eyes widened fearfully as she looked at Sweetie worriedly. “Sweetie, there was a reason Ah told ya when she was out of the room.” Her voice was the direct opposite of Sweetie’s.
“I’m sorry, how inconsiderate of me.” Sweetie sweetly said. “You remember Scootaloo right? Best friend from foalhood? Cutie Mark Crusaders forever?”
A lump clumped together in Bloom’s throat at the darn name. It was something that she wanted to forget... and she had started to, too, and had been moving on with life. Bloom took a deep breath in slowly and swallowed. “Yes I remember her, why wouldn’t I, and what about her?”
Sweetie’s smile grew on her face. It wasn’t creepy or anything like that, it was just a smile. “I just learned from Applejack here that she is coming to Ponyville for the Summer Festival.” Bloom’s forehead heated up. “She is supposed to host the race though. Isn’t that great? We get to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders again!” The silly mare jumped off of her stool, forcefully grabbed Bloom, pulling her along, and spun around in a circle of cheer.
Bloom felt her world darken with that. The mayor had asked her to build a large podium for the winner of the race to stand on. Somepony who had left behind a broken promise. That had been a careless move of Scootaloo’s, throwing Bloom under the wagon like that.
She yanked her hands out of the weak grasp of the childish pony, only to regret it as she lost her darned balance and fell on her butt. That was painful itself, but snooty Sweetie just stood there, laughing at her. So much for Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, the darned unicorn with her too perfect everything couldn’t help her up. She saw red anger in her eyes.
Sweetie stopped her little giggle when she saw Applebloom run out the door, and into the night. She looked back at Applejack, who glared at her with a stare to rival Fluttershy’s. Guilt filled her up, as she came down from her happy high. “Too much?” She asked meekly.
Bloom refused to pay attention to anything around her in her dash through the quiet town. She didn't shed a single tear, but the damp feeling was there anyway. It was not a weak sadness, but a weak anger that filled the mare in her escape from what she didn't even know. It just felt good to just run. Run anywhere, for all she cared. To get away from Sweetie and Scootaloo's darn arrival.
Wait a darn minute. This had nothing to do with Sweetie Belle. No, it wasn't an anger at her, but an anger at that pony who had broken a sacred trust, and just run off at the first sign of trouble. Some friend she was! This had nothing to do with Sweetie Belle, but everything to do with Scootaloo.
Bloom skidded to a stop on the the cobblestone street. The run had taken her to the festival grounds. Empty booths adorned the street all around her, ready for what was destined to be fun times tomorrow. Epic fun times, but that was all ruined for the mare with Scootaloo coming to charge over the race. In the empty field was the starting point of the challenge. A huge banner hung from poles above her head, reading 'Start'.
The thought of revenge came up in her mind. Bloom had never gotten her revenge for Scootaloo breaking her promise. This would be the perfect opportunity to gain that revenge and that self-honor back, the absence of which was eating away at her soul. But what to do?
Bloom looked over at the podium that rose up from the grass. It was something that she had made herself, and she was quite proud of it: it was where the winner of the race would receive their medal. Maybe...if she had lost her honesty and trust...maybe Scootaloo could lose her pride. She was never bound to change, Scootaloo would be bound to run in the race and win. Image would be everything in those moments of victory...what if she could ruin that moment for her?
The podium was hollow underneath, with a group of support beams that held the whole thing together. She had designed it so it was easy to take down and put back up whenever it was needed. The mare smiled, an evil grin that twisted her cheeks in all places. She was so smart. Maybe smarter than Sweetie Belle…well, maybe not that, but it was a nice thought.
She crawled underneath the podium and pulled the first wedged-in support from its holdings. Absolute power filled Bloom. She held Scootaloo's future in her hands, and it was delicious to have it. One-by-one, the supports came out until only one was left to hold everything together. With her plan in action, Bloom took all the support beams and hid them under the nearby bleachers, where no pony would find them. Looking at the amazing plan which she had made, Bloom made her way back to the road. She was feeling so much better now that she had taken care of the problem that had been on her mind for a year. It felt great.
"Applebloom!" A far-off voice called out. Bloom had no problem figuring out whose squeaky voice that was.
Walking confidently in that direction, she saw Sweetie slowly running towards her, breathing heavily from the running. They were only a couple blocks from the bar. The unicorn stumbled weakly in front of Bloom, choking on the heavy breaths she took. "Somepony needs to work out more."
A long few minutes passed of Sweetie sucking on air: her trying to get her breath under control was a bit irritating, but Bloom was in too much of a good mood for the unicorn to ruin it. "I'm...sorry." She managed to cough out.
Did she hear Sweetie Belle right? Did the fru-fru unicorn, who had never worked a hard day of her life, always talking down to others, actually apologize? This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, she had to hear it again. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
Should she continue this? Naw, that was good enough, she wasn't sadistic. "I guess it's okay."
Nothing else was said on their way back to her bar.
The next day couldn't have come any quicker for Applebloom, as she quickly walked through the festivities surrounded by color and laughter. It was sure a whole lot better to see the streets as they were now than last night. There was Pinkie Pie jabbering on about making pastries to some random pony Bloom had never seen before, and she felt a tiny bit sorry for him. Rarity was showing off some of her dresses, but that would've just put her to sleep to watch. Twilight was yammering on about... whatever she was talking about, sounded too much like Pinkie. Fluttershy had a whole corral filled with different animals for ponies to see. But she couldn't see Rainbow Dash anywhere.
"Hey Applebloom!" That squeaky voice shouted out to her. Darn Sweetie, why did she have to do that, and blast out her ears? "Over here!" Bloom looked and there she was...and was that a giant painting of a foot?
"Sweetie, why is there a giant painting of a foot?" It was just too weird for something so simple to take up so much space on a canvas. It looked away too much out of place.
"I don't know." Sweetie held up a hand with a slight shrug. "Scootaloo asked for it, so I commissioned the best painter I could find to make it. Said it was to be for the winner of the race."
Bloom couldn't help but giggle at how stupid that sounded. "Yeah, that would make me wanna run for three miles. A medal painted gold and a painting of a foot. How rewarding."
Sweetie gave a strained smile. "I don't know, she just asked so I pulled a few favors, and paid almost every penny I had saved up."
"How are you gonna pay for the theater, then?"
"That's not for you to know."
Okay, first Sweetie was acting like a foal last night, and now she's being all mysterious...And why should she care?
"Apples! Come an' get yur fresh apples!" Who else could that be? That wasn't even a question. Bloom had to smile at her silly sister, who was just standing there shouting out those same words she'd heard since she was a foal...Yeah. Great memories of that.
"I know you might not want to, but have you gone and seen Scootaloo yet?"
Oh Sweetie, she just never got it, Bloom shook her head, but didn't feel annoyed or angry. "I don't think I would want to right now." For such a strong mare, why did she feel hurt? The joy of last night had left her empty, and a bit of guilt filled her up. Maybe it was a bit of hope for the CMC, or something like that. "Or maybe I could?" Ahhhh, what was she to do!?
"Well, hear me out Applebloom." Sweetie placed her hand on Bloom's shoulder. "I'm sure Scootaloo would appreciate it. When I talked to her, she seemed upset, but wouldn't tell me. She connected with you the most, so... maybe you could help her."
Now Bloom felt utterly helpless. Scootaloo might need help from her, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to give it. That pure anger was still there, but that confusion was growing in her as well. Why, for Celestia's sake, did things have to become so hard?
"I don't know." She refused to listen to anything that Sweetie said about that, as she slowly walked around the booths and displays.
Bloom just didn't know what to do with herself. Oh Celestia, she still felt that anger, as clear as day, but depression over how she was dealing with it was there as well. Darn that Sweetie Belle for making her think this through...or was that it? She never had thought this through, and now, in her moment of revenge, she could not do it.
Maybe she still had time to fix this. Get to the race track and fix that podium before ponies arrived. Yes! She could fix the podium and no pony would know and she could go back to...to...Go back to just hating Scootaloo. Well, there was no need for those feelings, but...
"Hey, Applebloom!" That country twangy accent threw away Bloom's concentration. She didn't need anymore darn distractions! Applejack came up behind her. "I wanted ta talk ta ya, about what we talked about last night at the bar."
A large crowd of ponies erupted into cheering at the field, and Bloom's jaw clenched. The race was about to start!
"Welcome Ponyville, to the "who cares" annual Summer Festival Race, and I must say, how original that name is!" Bloom could recognize that scratchy voice from anywhere. Scootaloo wasn't running in the race, she was announcing! What was she doing there? "And what a hopefully awesome race this will be, because yours truly is here to bring the epic levels up to forty percent higher. We'll be beginning in just a few, so sit back, have a coke, and have a sweet time."
"Applebloom, Ah know that things have been different ever since ya got yer cutie mark, but I'm speakin' for Big Mac and me, saying that we both understand what yer goin' through." Gosh darn Applejack, this wasn't the time. Some other pony's gonna get on that podium.
"Sorry Applejack!" Bloom shouted as she took off towards the race track. "I'll talk to ya later!"
She rushed to the crowded area that ran along the dirt track. Weaving between ponies, she ran as fast as her legs could take her. She had no plan, and she couldn't think of one. Scootaloo had to be around here somewhere. Not at the start line, not in the center of the track. Where was she? It wasn't until Bloom stopped and groaned in agitation that she noticed a low flying balloon floating over the track. Looking over the edge with a megaphone in hand, was Scootaloo. Woh, she sure had changed a lot, grown her hair out so it now hung to her shoulders, but that wasn't important.
There was no way that Bloom would be able to get Scootaloo to stop the race if she was there. Maybe if she waved to her, she could get her attention.
"And here we are fillies and colts, mares and stallions, nerds and jocks, and anypony else who I don't care to mention, to the exciting race day. All proceeds will be going to the Canterlot Foals Hospital in their epic research to fight brain diseases."
Nope, too late for that. Oh, what was she going to do now? Bloom paced back and forth in absolute panic. She just had to go and mess everything up. Maybe what Applejack had said was true, and that when you want revenge, you dig two graves. Bloom's grave was just a bit bigger.
"On your marks...get set...GO!" With a loud crack of a pop gun, the numbered ponies were off with leaps and bounds in their sprint down the raceway.
That sound of the start made Bloom flinch in surprise. Desperation clouded everything in her mind. She started shoving ponies aside, trying desperately to get in front of them. The racers were rounding the corner that she stood at, and as they ran past, Bloom took off running right beside them. She never looked at either the racers or the spectators. She made her dash across the track behind the racers towards the podium at the center of the track.
But before she could make it, her feet suddenly left the ground, as arms snaked their way under her own. The world came back to her.
"What're you doing Bloom, you could've gotten yourself hurt!" A raspy voice, similar to Scootaloo's, shouted above her, making her ears fold down at the painful volume.
Bloom kicked her legs in an attempt to get the pony to let go, but as she looked down, she immediately stopped as the ground moved away from her. A low pressure began building in her with the height she was at. She hoped the pony didn't drop her.
They soared above the continuing race as Scootaloo's voice echoed out. "Sorry about that everypony, the race is still on!" Oh horsefeathers. What had Applebloom gotten herself into? Guess she had only dug one grave, after all... and that grave was for herself.
Safe ground was too far away from Bloom at the height of the balloon. She reminded herself to not look down again; she didn’t want to throw up. The pegasus flew her over the basket, and dropped her inside.
"Are you crazy Applebloom, you could've gotten some pony hurt! What were you thinking?" Bloom looked up where Rainbow Dash stood above her. That was all she needed… Rainbow Dash yelling at her, something about loyalty no doubt. "It's because of Scootaloo, huh?" And she’s being about as soft as a sharpening belt.
Bloom noticed a pony looking down the other edge of the basket... orange with purple hair and wings, gee, she wondered who that could be. Scootaloo... every pegasus in the world and it just had to be that snake-in-the-grass. Rainbow's 'better than you' attitude was easy to deal with by just ignoring her, but she could never ignore Scootaloo.
"Well?" Rainbow's tapping foot crunched against the basket. Bloom had no answer to that question. Why did she do it? Now the guilt picked Bloom apart for what she had done, but why would she be guilty when nothing was wrong? Because of the guilt, Bloom couldn’t deny.
"And Mud Link has fallen behind. Come on, you can do it!" Scoots shouted and cheered. Dang, she sure did have a loud voice. Not like Sweetie Belle's, Scoot's was just loud, loud.
Rainbow still stood over her, glaring at her like some beast. Bloom had no answer, her blank mind didn't help. She’d just tell her what she thought, not like Rainbow cared. "I was stupid, there I said it, hope you're happy, but notice no pony got hurt, did they?"
"No pony got hurt, are you kidding me right now Applebloom!" Scoot's voice scraped Applebloom's ears, interrupting Rainbow before she responded, but Bloom saw she wouldn’t have liked what the angry pegasus had to say from her squinted eyes. Scootaloo looked back over her shoulder at Bloom. "That’s such an uncool thing to say. You can't ignore what might’ve happened."
"Oh for the love of Celestia!" Rainbow shouted. Bloom flinched as her pained ears folded down. What’s she upset about now? "Don't tell me you're still angry at her for breaking her promise?" Her words bordered on mocking. She had mocked Bloom in the past, but this time, she insulted her in front of Scoots, and she made all the difference. Scootaloo had been there when it happened, Rainbow wasn’t. The promise wasn’t the important thing! It is big, yes, but it wasn't the most important thing. Bloom lost trust that day. You can't have a stable friendship if friendship’s built upon shaky trust. Why can’t ponies understand that?
Applebloom demanded her say in all of this, interrupting Rainbow again. "It wasn't about that dang promise, if you are a friend, you would understand that."
That hit a chord with her when Bloom saw her eyes narrow and her teeth grind together. She jumped into Bloom’s face and pushed her down. Bloom felt the weaves of the basket dig into her back. Rainbow thrusted a hand at her, pressing it against Bloom’s nose while her voice exploded in anger. “She doesn’t deserve that, and you know it!” Her voice was cracking at the volume. “All she does is work her skinny little flank off night and day to host these charities to raise money for causes that go way beyond what you would ever hope to see!” She removed her finger and stood up straight. “She’s happy to be able to host one in Ponyville, because she told me she missed all her friends so much. If I had a say in who gets such love, I wouldn’t ever even consider you! All you do is whine about promise this, promise that, running in your stinking bar all day. Making Sweetie Belle into a depressed drunk every night! Yeah, I heard about it from Rarity. That’s some loyalty you got there for your friends.”
Applebloom held back a sob. Rainbow was wrong! Everything she said was wrong! Bloom had to be a good friend, her sister is an Element of Harmony after all. Applejack had taught her everything. Trust is key… honesty is everything… What else? Bloom couldn’t think of anything, must’ve been from Rainbow’s yelling… but was she right? Of course not, that was a bunch of horse-apples, she knew she was a good friend. Rainbow on the other hand… “Says the one who would leave her friends in a millisecond to join the Wonderbolts.” Where had that come from?
Rainbow jumped off Bloom’s chest, but she still glared at her. “Did you really just say that?”
Scoots slowly walked over to the pegasus, “Dash, please don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t Squirt.” Scootaloo smiled admirably at Rainbow. “But miss… ugh, there isn’t a nice word to describe what you are.” She turned back to Bloom. “But I guess I need to tell you.”
The gut-tearing of guilt bucked back again. Right in Bloom’s stomach. “What?”
“I haven’t told any-pony except Squirt, and don’t you dare tell the others.” She took a deep breath. “I turned down the Wonderbolts.” The already horrible guilt became much worse. “I put my friends over the dreams I guess I never had. The Bolts weren’t anything like I thought they were, but I know that I made the right choice.” She turned her back to Bloom. A few sniffles came from her.
Bloom didn’t understand what in the story she found so sad: there weren’t any sad parts in it, but it got to her. Why? Sadly, it was pretty obvious. Maybe Rainbow was right, then she would be a horrible friend, because she never did anything like that. Did that also mean her beliefs are wrong, and Scootaloo breaking her promise was actually a good thing? Was Applejack wrong? It didn’t make any sense. Applejack was honest, she said that trust is everything, and that honesty made trust. None of it made any sense… Yet it did.
A chorus of cheers roared from below. Scootaloo twisted around in a panic. Oh, curse Celestia's fat flank, she had totally forgotten about the race! She leapt to the edge of the basket, leaning out next to the megaphone to see what was going on. She couldn't tell who had won, it looked like the spectators were cheering at different racers.
She swallowed her confidence and pressed her mouth against the mouthpiece of the megaphone. "Um, yeah, sorry about this everypony, but… um… who won?" Her voice was almost a whisper, yet the device still made it project far over the loud ponies. She heard a few ponies boo back at her, and that only made her feel a lot worse. Scoots glanced back at Rainbow Dash, looking for her help in this, when she noticed that Applebloom wasn't behind the pegasus.
"Where'd Applebloom go!?" She cried out. Rainbow looked behind her to the empty space, but only shook her head. Scootaloo rushed to the opposite side of the basket to search for her. Only a dangling rope swinging in the slight breeze was there. She groaned irritably. "She's gone."
"Gone?" The blue pegasus stood beside her looking down and gave a slight whistle. "Dang, she's fast." She let her grasp of the basket edge go as she looked away. "Well, I'm glad for that."
Scootaloo quickly unfurled her wings. "Come on!" She shouted. "We need to catch her before she gets too far!" She readied her body for take off.
"Wait." Rainbow grabbed Scootaloo's arm right as she jumped. The momentum pulled Scootaloo to the side and head first into the side of the basket.
"Ow, what the hay Rainbow Dash?" She rubbed her head.
"Just leave her be, she needs to calm down. Anyway, let's go and see who won the race." She jumped out of the basket and dive bombed the ground only to pull up at the last second and slow down to a safe landing. She looked back up at Scoots. "Come on Squirt, you can do it!"
To Scoots, the ground looked like it was a mile away. She shuddered, because she had never landed from this height now that she had a good look. He mind flooded with thoughts of her bones snapping and crunching if her wings failed to catch the wind correctly. Scootaloo proudly fought these emotions, tooth and nail. Feeling so afraid didn’t get anypony anywhere, and it was stupid still, because she would be okay. The Rainbow Dash was watching her and would keep her safe.
“Come on! Don’t make me wait too long!” Rainbow called up from below.
Scootaloo loosened the muscles in her legs and her wings. Of course she could do it, she was Scootaloo after all, trained by the greatest flyer in all of Equestria.
She leapt from the basket and leveled her wings parallel to the sky. She felt the cool breeze tickle through her feathers. The weight was off of her legs, now being held out behind her, as she held her arms out like Superstallion. It was the ultimate feeling of freedom already found, and as close to weightless as a pony could get. It was just like new and even more awesome than how she felt the last time she had flown… until she looked down.
The hollering wind just stopped whirling past her ears. Scoots didn’t feel like she was falling anymore. Was she flying? Finally, she opened her eyes and… yes, the sweet and safe looking ground slowly and gently came closer and closer to her waiting hands and feet, and she, at last, touched down.
Scootaloo just wanted to lay there on the soft, itchy grass forever. She now knew that falling was very exhausting. She felt like she had ran the entire Fillidelphia Marathon in under two hours.
“We really need to get you stop being so afraid of hights, you know that?” Scootaloo slowly lifted her head at Rainbow Dash, who looked down at her with her arms crossed, only to let it fall again.
She heard Rainbow sigh. “What am I going to do with you? Come on, get up.” The older pegasus’ arms lifted Scoot’s whole body up by the shoulders onto her feet, and directed her over to the watching ponies.
“It’s all good everypony. Squirt here has just been a bit stiff from the cold of Cloudsdale.” Scootaloo shamefully never said a word, for she knew that the Pegasi of the crowd hadn’t fallen for Rainbow’s lie, but thankfully they kept quiet about it. “You’re on, Squirt.” Rainbow patted Scootaloo on the shoulder like a mentor to their student. Scootaloo only nodded.
~~~
Applebloom ran as fast as she could go, but even that hadn’t been fast enough for her. Dodging ponies left and right, she leapt into a large bush. Was she followed? She poked her eyes out to see. The hot-air balloon still floated where it was, past a large tree. She wasn’t followed. Good.
She pulled herself out of the twistings of branches and thorns. The street towards Sweet Apple Acres was where she wanted to go now. It was getting to be mid-afternoon… maybe Big Mac was still there at the farm.
“There ya are.” Applejack’s voice came out of nowhere. Bloom squeaked in surprise at it. “I’ve been lookin’ all over fer ya. I still need ta talk ta ya about last night.”
Bloom got over the small shock, and nervously said to her sister: “Um, yeah, um… could it wait a little bit AJ? I’m in a bit of a hurry to get home.”
“Well shoot that than, I’ll walk with ya, I’m headin’ up there now to get more apples and cider, we’re sellin’ ‘em like pies.” Applejack pulled a large cart behind her as she walked up beside Bloom.
Bloom sighed. “I guess. I know you wouldn’t’ve taken no for an answer.”
Applejack grinned. “Bingo.”
Bloom looked behind at the hot-air balloon floating there one last time before she and her sister walked down the road to the Apple farm. But while Applejack was relaxed, Bloom fidgeted nervously, checking over her shoulder every now and then.
The booths and shopkeepers sold their wares or entertained on the sides of the road. One booth in particular caught Bloom’s eye: A “brand new, revolutionary, never seen before, unbelievable, unimpeachable” mixing glass that became a hand powered blender all-in-one. Bloom just had to stop and listen, but when she tried, Applejack shook her head and pulled her shoulder to her get her to move on. And the demonstration had been just about to begin. Oh well, Bloom could probably get it from a catalogue for probably a whole lot cheaper than what the pony was asking for from the price shown on the display board.
Nothing else really caught Bloom’s eye again: A few pieces of junk and colorful nick-nacks, like an apple clock, new knives, and even some inventive farming equipment, which Applejack was obviously interested in as well. The two mares finally made their way out of the hustle and bustle of the festival grounds and into the quieter, less populated part of town.
They passed by the library and the mercantile, when Applejack finally stopped walking. “Ya were daydreamin’ a lot and haven’t said a word since last night.” She pointed out, letting go of the cart’s pull handle so she could hop up onto a crate. “Is there somethin’ I need to know about?”
What could Bloom say? While she knew what she wanted to say to Scootaloo, she wasn’t family, and family was a whole other thing when you still live with them. But this wasn’t about Scootaloo at all, it was much more important, because it was about core essential values. It went deeper than promises and trust, it was that one thing that couldn’t be made without a bond of blood.
“Sugarcube, ya don’t have to be scared to tell me somethin’ that’s botherin’ ya. I’m your big sister, how could I do anything but love ya dearly?” Applejack gave her a ‘you know I’m right’ look, and of course, she was right. She was honest to the teeth for Celestia’s sake, how could she not be right?
Bloom just had to let her fears go and speak her mind. She hopped up on the cart next to Applejack. She just wanted to tell her sister everything, and to hay with being scared! “I guess I’m just worried about all the changes that have been happening lately.” Applejack listened intently and silently. “I can’t help you guys with the farm at all anymore, with the bar open almost every day. If I can’t help you with the family’s problems, honestly, how can I really a part of it? I mean, really, truly, a part of it?”
Applejack sighed. “Ho boy, I don’t think this here in the best place to talk about this. Let’s get a move on ta the apple farm and get Big Mac in on this, cause I’ll tell ya right now, we’re gonna be headin’ inta uncharted lands fer me.” She jumped down from the cart just as quickly as she had jumped up. “Cause I might not know diddly squat about this, but I’ll always be there to help my lil’ sis’. We’re family, and family sticks together, no matter what.”
Bloom nodded. “Thank you for listening Applejack” She hugged her sister like she was just a foal again.
The crowd of the festival never dulled down or decreased during the time of party and celebration that overtook Ponyville. Scootaloo was forced to weave her way through the mess of ponies, feeling like she was in a hedge maze. Craziness jumbled all around her, but Scootaloo pressed on through the bodies to reach her goal, not even knowing where Applebloom had even gone.
Scootaloo wanted to kick herself for not following her friend when she had the chance, but maybe the race had been more important to her at the time. How could she be so stupid to think that her career was more important that the friendship she held with one of her best friends? There was no lying to herself this time that she had messed up big time. She wanted to see Rainbow Dash impressed for all the hard work that she had put into the race, and she was.
The booths lined the pathway, and groups of ponies were clustered together. Families stood together, foals holding onto their parents' hands or up on their shoulders to get a better look at the demonstrations they were watching, thus blocking the view of anypony trying to watch behind them.
Scootaloo frantically searched these clusters to no avail. Each time she looked, she was met with only bitter disappointment, which made her think of how stupid she was still. Foalhood habits never change.
The lost pegasus wandered with nowhere to go that she knew of, until a familiar, shrill voice rose up above the hubble of the crowd. "And as you can see here darlings, the fabric is brand new. No wrinkles, no stains, not even a crease on the seams can be seen. Isn't it just lovely?" There was no other pony that voice and accent could belong to except for Sweetie's sister, Rarity. If Sweetie Belle was anything like she had been as a foal, if Rarity was nearby, she was bound to be close. Following Rarity's loud voice, she saw another group of ponies standing out in front of the Charasel Boutique. In the center of attention, probably to her glee, Rarity talked on and on about something to do with fabric. Sounded like cleaning or something like perserving the fabric? Scootaloo wasn't really listening to the details, and didn't really care to hear.
She groaned irritably, frustrated at the major lack of progress she has made in finding her friend. She stomped her foot into the dirt, kicking up a small cloud of dust around her, shouting, "I'll never find Applebloom like this! Never! Never! Never!" She mashed her foot into the ground with every beat with her words, causing more dust to fly up.
"Hey Scootaloo, how did the race go?" A squeaky voice that still sounded older and a whole lot less irritating to listen to than Rarity's asked from behind her. Scootaloo savagely spun around, turning on Sweetie Belle like a wild animal loosed from its cage. The white unicorn jumped back, shreaking a tiny bit from surprise. She collected herself and nervously asked, "Um, Scootaloo... are you okay?"
"NO!" Scootaloo snapped, forcing Sweetie to take a couple of steps away from the pegasus. "Sweetie Belle, where did Applebloom go!?" Her shout could be compared to that of a crazy mare on the run from the guards.
The suddeness of Scootaloo's question blanked Sweetie Belle's mind for a second. She couldn't process the question that was shouted at her. That small amount of fear and shock made her friend just stand there in the open with her mouth agape at the pressed mare. This only irritated Scootaloo even more, and she stomped her hoof, once again, into the dirt. "Come on, Sweetie Belle, this is important!"
This did the trick, as Sweetie blinked once, a bit confused at what just happened, and her fish eyes turned on Scootaloo. "Oh, um, sorry, I don't know what just happened." Scootaloo twirled her hand in front of her, motioning for Sweetie to hurry it up. "Right, I think I saw her with Applejack that way," She pointed behind her. "It looked like they were heading off to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was pulling her wagon with them."
The second that Sweetie Belle finished, Scootaloo was off and running in that direction, dodging the ponies left and right who complained at her for disturbing their time of fun. Sweetie Belle was right behind her, just managing to keep up with the faster and more athletic pegusus. "Scootaloo, wait! What's going on, why are you chasing after Applebloom!?"
"No time to stop." Scootaloo kept her eyes foreward, moving her body at the last second to avoid any collistions. "I met up with Bloom and Rainbow wasn't happy, something about her being angry at me or something like that, she didn't say. But, long story short, Applebloom ran off, and I'm trying to catch up to her."
Sweetie Belle bit her lip at the thought of Applebloom saying what she had said last night at the bar. She kept her mouth shut about it for now, though: if it wasn't in Applebloom's head to say it, than Sweetie would not be the one to spill the beans.
The pair soon left the crowd of ponies as they reached the boundaries of the festival. Scootaloo glanced behind them to groan in irritation. This was taking far longer then Scootaloo would've liked. Maybe she should leave Sweetie behind and fly to the farm, but something had caught Scootaloo's gaze. A booth with scooters of different kinds and colors hanging from its holders and placed all around it like a brilliant dream. A smaller group of ponies were standing around it as one, most likely the owner, stood before them and talked to them with exagerated movements of his arms and a bright smile on his face to compliment it. A little colt was sitting next to him, wearing the scooter's safety gear. It brought about a youthful vision of when she had been just foal zooming through the streets of Ponyville.
"Hey Sweetie." Scootaloo pointed out the booth. "I think we just found a way to get over to Sweet Apple Acres a whole lot faster. Come on."
Like a little filly, Scootaloo began to dash off towards the scooters, but was held back by Sweetie Belle grabbing her arm. Sweetie's bright green eyes looked deeply into her's as Scootaloo looked back up at the unmoving pony. "But Scootaloo, if Applebloom is so important to you, why didn't you run after her sooner?"
Her question held an innocent's tone that Sweetie was always known for, but it hit home in Scootaloo. All she could do was shake her head and shrug her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe I was still overjoyed by being with Rainbow Dash when I haven't seen her in so long, and I didn't think it was so important until that nagging feeling hit. I want to fix that. Sweetie Belle let the pegasus' hand slip through her's as she stood there, thinking about the answer before she followed.
The salespony was in the middle of a sales pitch. "...the stylish colors are not too cheap either, if I do say so myself. Your kids would love something like this to play on outside, and..."
"Excuss me, sorry to interupt but I would be interested in buying a scooter and two sets of gear." Scootaloo interupted.
"Ma'am, don't you see I'm in the middle of something?" He huffed at Scootaloo, his entire demeanor flipped one-eighty. "It can wait until after I'm done with the demonstration." He gestered to the colt.
"No, it can't wait. Here," Scootaloo pulled out a hundred bit bill and let it fall in front of the stallion. "Keep the change so it won't interupt your demonstration." She proceeded to pull a scooter down from the holdings of the booth along with the helmet and safety pads. "Come on Sweetie," She handed her friend a set of safety gear. "I only have enough for one scooter, so get that gear on."
Magic seemed to tingle in Scootaloo's fingertips when she admiringly held up held up the fire decorated helmet to place it atop her head. The click of the strap under her chin was like thunder echoing in the sky on a rainy night. The arm and knee pads hugged her joints, but not so tight that they were uncomfortable; in fact, Scootaloo felt more comfortable with them on than without.
Her scooter. It was beautiful and awesome at the same time. It was so much like her old one. What else could she do but admire the craftmenship and design, from the style of the footboard to the very mynute details of the decoritive sticker. That was the best that Scootaloo could do trying to put how she felt into words. It was a feeling that was nostaligic feeling to her foalhood, and it was absolutly awesome and amazing at the same time.
With everything on correctly, Scootaloo stepped her foot onto the scooter, and a humming pulse enveloped everything in her. Her wings flapped, her being unable to hold them still out of the pure exceitement that she could do this after a year without it. Such a short time, but it felt so long to her: now that she could do what she loved again, it was a high she wanted to feel forever.
She turned to Sweetie to tell her to get on, but stopped when she saw that Sweetie had yet to even put the helmet atop her head. She just stared at it like it was going to attack her. "Come on Sweetie, get that gear on, we need to get going."
"You know, I never really liked doing this when we were foals. I had nightmares forever back then that I would fall off and get hurt." Her hands rubbed together unconsciously, not to the thought of the unicorn. She kept her feet tightly placed on the ground, never moving an inch out of fear.
Scootaloo stepped off the scooter, letting the magical feeling die out to embrace Sweetie in a friendly hug. "Sweetie, you know I would never do anything that would get you hurt, right?"
But Sweetie only sighed ominously. "I remember you got us in some terrible situations when we were younger. Like hang gliding, whitewater rafting, rock climbing. Even going into the Everfree Forest sometimes to get our cutie marks." Sweetie spoke with complete sadness, like watching a loving pet going away for a while.
What was sad to Scootaloo was that thinking back on everything that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had done to try and get their cutie marks, Sweetie was right. She had put the girls into more dangerous situations than not in those years not too long ago. But now, she was older, and more willing than ever to truly show that she could protect her friends. "I know I have done some things that could merit me as a bad friend, with what I made you and Applebloom do with me, but I'm not the same filly as I was back then." Scootaloo raised her right hand up next to her cheek and closed her eyes. "This mare before you now promises to not put you into any danger that I have no control over."
After her little speech and vow were finished, Scootaloo reopened her eyes to see Sweetie Belle smiling up at her. The unicorn only nodded before pulling herself out of the hug to begin putting on the safety gear.
A small amout of clapping started up right behind Scootaloo. She turned her head at the group who was originally watching the scooter stallion's presentation. The stallion himself was now glaring with irritated at the pair, now that his crowd was no longer focusing on buying his product.
When Sweetie Belle was finished putting everything on, and Scootaloo had fixed her knee pads, which had been strapped on upside down, the unicorn carefully placed her foot on the wooden board of the scooter and wrapped her arms around Scootaloo's waist.
Feeling that Sweetie was ready for this, Scootaloo tensed up her wing muscles in her back, forcing forced the feathered appendages to flick out in a wide spread, anthem like start, pushing the wind around her. Having been trained by the greatest flyer in all of Equestria, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo knew how wings worked and how to work them them exactly to her advantage, while showing off at the same time without losing that advantage. Tensing up her muscles to flap the wings down and push the air, allowing her to move foreward just a fraction, she loosened up again to allow everything to go back to where they began to repeat the cycle.
But something wasn't right. The scooter wasn't moving all that fast, nothing like she had when she was younger. Sweetie Belle noticed this as well, asking: "Is this as fast as you're going to go? Not that I'm complaining." Out of the corner of her eye, Scootaloo saw the salespony chucking to himself at the impressive showing off, which was ruined by the poor finish. Scootaloo would not let him have the last laugh. Scootaloo tensed up even more to flap her wings even harder, but this strained herself instead of making the scooter to fly down the street. What was she doing wrong? Thinking back to when she was a foal, what had she done that was different?
She had never done the correct muscle tensing and releasing that Rainbow Dash had taught her later on. After learning how to fly, she never had ridden her scooter at all. That was it! It was all in the technique. She had buzzed her wings because she hadn't learned the proper technique yet. That buzzing forced her wings to move faster than even Rainbow Dash's could, it must've pushed enough air to get her to move as fast as she wanted. The only thing she would have to do to actually achieve this, was go against what was actually correct.
"It's fine Scoots," Sweetie Belle said behind her. "We could just walk up to the farm, it isn't that far."
"No, I just need to focus on something." Scootaloo had to prove to herself now, there was no turning back. That salespony was going to eat that laugh when she was done with him, and the crowd would be amazed, no doubt.
Scootaloo focused on her wing muscles again, trying to remember how she had done it before. She gave a few experimental flaps to feel the movement and the tension. It felt the same out of habit, and Scootaloo growled to herself, much like she had when she was little and trying to fight the old habit that she had developed then. She forced herself to think hard on it and to feel what was going on, but it always felt the same: nothing changed like she wanted.
Then a thought passed through the pegasus' mind: what if it wasn't tightening the muscles to flap, but keeping everything as loose as possible? She focused on her wing muscles again. Starting with tiny flaps, she kept herself as relaxed as she could. Something happened that Scootaloo hadn't expected though: her wings, doing the tiny, limp flaps that she could manage, started to move faster and faster. Scootaloo wanted to shout out to the world in joy, but kept herself focused. After a few seconds of her wings getting faster, a quiet buzz began to faintly sound. As her wings went faster and faster, the buzzing got louder and louder. The scooter began to shake a bit, move foreward a tiny bit. Scootaloo could hear the crowd murmering to each other. When she felt that she was ready for the final push, she opened her eyes and stared down the path that she would be taking. It was clear of anypony. Perfect. The small crowd from before had grown in size a bit with additianal ponies wanting to see what the commotion was.
"Hang on Sweetie Belle." She spoke to her friend. "It's showtime." With her wings moving faster than they had in a long time, Scootaloo gave another push and the scooter lurched foreward in an explosion of force that propelled the toy down the road, with Sweetie Belle screaming off the top of her lungs, as they moved faster than the average pegasus could fly overhead. Scootaloo only wished she could see the look on that salespony's face.
"AHHHHHHHHHH HELP MEEEEEE I'M GOING TO DIIIIIIEEEE!" Sweetie Belle screamed from behind Scootaloo's ear, but she didn't even hear it. She was too busy feeling the joy she hadn't felt since she was a filly, a large smile plastered over her face.
She gives a hearty shout of overzealious glee into the sky, shouting, ""WHOOOOOOHOOOO! I forgot how awesome this felt! Flying has nothing on this!"
On the flash of a buzzing scooter flying down the road to the outskirts of Ponyville, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle followed their friend to Sweet Apple Acres.
The wagon wheels creaked and groaned in agitation to Applejack, who was pulling the semi-heavy cart up the small hill that led up to the Apple family home. Applebloom had offered to help push from behind, seeing her sister struggle a bit at the weight, but the older mare simply refused. No reason why, just a no. The day had progressed nicely for Applebloom: it was still not too hot or not too cold. Applejack parked the cart right in front of the apple loading area, which had too many apple-filled baskets for Applebloom to count, and unhitched herself from the leather harness, saying: "Alright Bloom, I'm gonna get Big Mac over here for us to have our little talk. Shouldn't be too long."
Of course, the east side the Apple family orchard alone was huge, and that was where Big Mac worked. It was going to be a little bit before her siblings returned, so where was Granny Smith? Probably in the house somewhere.
Applebloom walked over to the simple, wood, hand built home that had been built in the time of Granny Smith's youth by her dad. Boy had it withstood the test of time. The well oiled door didn't even squeak when she opened it, although then she stepped on a creaky wooden board. Well, not everything had to be perfect in every way. Where was the fun in that? There was a clanging of metal pots in the kitchen, the place where Bloom could usually find the ancient Apple when she wasn't sleeping in her chair, snoring the day away. The smell of a baking homemade pumpkin pie in the oven made Applebloom's mouth water.
She walked to the kitchen to see the mark of a well practiced chef and baker: everything was placed exactly where they were supposed to be and not a single mess could be seen anywhere. Granny Smith slowly made her shaking way from the butcher block in the center of the half-circle of counters to the counters themselves, while carrying a large bowl. The seasoning contents spilled over the sides from Granny's shaking, so Applebloom calmly went over and asked hopefully: "Need some help with dinner Granny?"
Granny's toothless smile was a warm welcome to the young mare, like before when she would help Granny with Zap Apple Jam, or making an Equestrian famous Apple family carmalized pie. "Of course ya can. Here, take this bowl of seasoning powder, my old bones just can't seem to keep up with my energy these days." The old mare gave a wheezing chuckle, as she gave Applebloom the bowl, who couldn't help but return with her own laugh. "Such a helpful Apple. We sure did right raisin' ya. Of course you can help this old bag of bones get things done."
With all the experience Applebloom had with helping Granny out in the kitchen before, it didn't take long for her to get into the rhythem that this kitchen had. She placed the bowl of seasonings on the butcher block next to the celery stalks that had been laid out there before. Looking at everything that Granny Smith had put out- the celery, some dough, the apples, the wiggly slabs of tofu, and the broth- she could see that a sweet and sour soup was in the works. As Granny went to cut up the celary and apples, Applebloom went to work on making some homemade noodles. This was her favorite thing to do in the kitchen when she was a foal, and the memories that followed made her giggle with glee, as if she had too much sugar, at the feeling of being able to finally do it again.
She patted some flour on her hands so that the dough wouldn't stick to them before she began rolling the dough into a long snake-like shape. The squish between her fingers was like a massage for her hands, relaxing them, and helping her to imagine a little red haired filly standing next to her great granny, smiling cheerfully with flour all over her face, looking up at the still old mare as she taught Bloom the ways of the kitchen. She could even smell the eggs that had gone into making it. A bar could never offer this to her with its glasses smelling of whiskey all the time.
After the dough was in its lengthened form, rolled up, but not as perfectly as Applebloom remembered doing it, she looked at Granny who was watching her from the butcher block. She wasn't even paying attention to cutting the celery, but years of training her hands let her cut the celery perfectly. Granny eyed the dough, smiled softly, then nodded her head. This made Applebloom's heart leap in her chest with a mix of apprehension and fear. She had to make the noodles, and this itself was an art form few ponies could do correctly. Granny Smith was one, and Applebloom was her protege.
Taking a few deep breaths, she grasped the dough and loosely held the mush in her relaxed hand. She faced the counter, but stood far enough away from it to not become a hindrance for her. Everything hinged on Applebloom keeping her concentration and her remembering exactly what to do. She flicked her wrists to make the dough spin around on itself, twisting a tiny bit near her hands. She breathed and repeated it again, spinning it around at head level before flopping it down on the counter. She then folded the dough in half and pulled a tiny bit before repeating the process. Slowly, the dough began to separate into thin noodle-like strings. Still connected, she broke the dough in half and continued the process with that one half until the noodles finally separated into what she had wanted. Feeling the complete satisfaction of creating something, she did the same for the remaining half of the dough. When it was all over, a display of noodles lay before Applebloom as she breathed heavily at how much energy it had taken.
Applebloom looked down at the noodles in surprise and bafflement that she had made them herself: Granny hadn't even had to remind her how to do it, it had all come back naturally to her. Granny smiled brightly while clapping her shriveled hands. "That was wonderful, ya make me so proud Applebloom."
Bloom blushed and looked away. "Well, how could I have forgotten what you had taught me?"
"Ya did forget to put on the Neighjen spices ah had prepared in that bowl beforehand, but ah don't think it'll be a problem to add them now: reminds me of when you were first learnin' to make this dish." Granny chuckled and returned to chopping.
The sound of the front door opening greeted the pair as hooves clicked over the creaking floorboards. "Ah think ah know exactly where she is." Applejack's voice sounded from down the hall before her head poked into the kitchen, smiling at the duo. Granny Smith was just finishing up on chopping the veggies, and Applebloom was just buttering the noodles in a bowl of spices. "Exactly where ah thought. Ya havin fun there 'Bloom?"
Applebloom's grin was larger than Applejack had seen in a long time. "Of course ah ahm. Somethin' like this will be rearin' ta go, sis." Her mouth rounded on the accent that she horribly tried to recreate.
Applejack couldn't help but laugh slightly at her little sister's childish attitude. "Now, ya know ya don't have that much of an accent. Heck, ah don't either. Ya been around other pony folk too often to have much of one." She returned the poke of fun back at Applebloom, who never retracted her smile as she finished up with the noodles and poured the spicy, buttered concontion into a large kettle that was sitting on the unlit stove, ready for use.
"Well now, I haven't heard the kitchen so quiet in a long time. Being that Applejack tries to help Granny Smith." He playfully poked fun at his sister whose returning smile spun around into a sulk. He just chuckled at her expression, followed by Granny's squeaky giggle and Applebloom's youthful laugh. Applejack just glared at each one of her family members, unmoving, trying hard to not to give them anymore satisfaction at her not-so-big expense.
"Oh Applejack, you're just like how your father was, he never had a sense of humor much either." Granny's scratching chuckle followed. She had to turn away from the veggies as she had to cough up a lung from laughing so much. But it was all in good fun: it was why the four worked so well together, and Applejack knew that, even if she didn't like to admit it sometimes.
Applebloom looked at the scene before her with happiness. But still, buried deep within that happiness was a wrenching feeling of longing. She didn't get to see things like this anymore since the bar closes late, meaning everypony else was fast asleep by the time she got home. It was nice to be wth her family for just a little while every so often. It fought off the loneliness that she had been feeling, and made her feel as if she was really was truly a part of the Apple family.
"Ah think it's about time we got to talkin', huh Applebloom?" Applejack shredded her words through clenched teeth. She didn't even wait for Applebloom's answer, and she walked out of the kitchen into the hallway past the living room.
Applebloom looked over at Big Mac, who stood in the same spot with his arms at his sides, his freckled face looking out at nothing with the same expression that always made ponies think nopony was home.
Granny Smith squeaked again with her laugh. "Go on ya youngens, this ol' mare's got no part in this serious talk." Granny Smith nudged Applebloom into moving towards the door. "This sounds mighty important. Don't worry though; I'll have supper ready by the time y'all get back; thanks for the help, young Applebloom."
Applebloom and Big Mac followed their sister out of the kitchen to where she was waiting for them outside the front door. Big Mac quietly closed the silent door behind him. Not saying a word, Applejack led them over to the barn. She pushed the large door open with a forceful shove, and it screamed at her back as the hinges moved.
Applebloom hadn't been inside the barn since she had opened the bar, because there had been no need to do so. The moldy scent of unused hay hung around the place, and made the young mare scrunch up her nose at the smell; it was cringeworthy when you stopped being used to it. Did the smell ever bother Sweetie and Scoots when they would do anything in there? They never complained. Farming equipment was everywhere, but organized in the way Big Mac liked it. Applejack? Not so much. In an area off to the side was a small stack of hay bales that was perfect for sitting and talking. Applejack closed the door behind them, to give them so privacy, and the family walked over there and sat down: Applebloom on one side, and her older sibling on the other.
It was that first awkward moment where neither Applejack nor Applebloom knew what to say. Big Mac didn't want to say anything, knowing that this was something that was mostly between his sisters; that, and the fact that he had pretty much no idea what the hay was going on with his little sister, only that it was tearing the young mare apart from what Applejack had told him on the way from the orchard.
About a minute passed before Applejack stood up and looked straight at her sister with complete love, but a piercing glare was right behind it, thus Applebloom knew that she wasn't going to be getting the pity from Applejack... but what else could she have expected from the mare? "All right, this is not a time ta beat around the bush, Ah'm worried about ya li'l sis. What's got ya thinkin' that you're not a part of the family? Is it really just because ya can't help us work on the farm as much as ya used to? Ya do know that blood is thicker than sweat."
The suddenness of Applejack putting her on the spot blanked Applebloom's mind as white as a snowfall. Mental planning couldn't help her with this. An Apple thought on their feet through any situation that they were put in. If Applebloom wanted to prove that she was an Apple, she would push on through the problem head on.
The problem wasn't only that she couldn't work on the farm, the problem was much deeper than that. It had to do with the atmosphere of the home and this barn right now: it hadn't felt right since she had been a foal. The warm nature of everything was replaced with the cold night when she got back home to a cold meal waiting for her in the oven. The crickets outside were the only things that helped with the silence of the kitchen, but they only reminded Applebloom of the abscence of others even more, acting like a knife stabbing her in the heart.
This destroyed Applebloom's good mood from cooking with her great granny. It was replaced with the real reason she was here in the first place, and that was to let loose her worries and fears to her family, but that only made the fear grow. The thoughts of loneliness angered Applebloom too, but she didn't know why. Was it that she was lonely? No. It was something else.
She glanced up at Applejack through her lowered brow. Her teeth were clenched tight in her jaw. Applejack could easily see that her little sister was fighting something in herself, and wished with everything that she had that she could help her in that fight, but Applebloom wasn't being open about it. How was she going to be a good big sister if she couldn't help her little sister when she needed it the most?
Applebloom crossed her arms, her eyes continuing to pierce her sister. Her gaze: fangs on the maw, expelled everything that the farm girl had felt without words, but Applejack was looking for a worded answer, and Applebloom had no idea what it was she was actually supposed to say to really begin the describe the burning of the picture of Applebloom's identity. It was a lot harder than she thought it would be, maybe it wasn't such a good idea. She rocked back and forth on her feet, watching the straw buckle beneath her weight. The oppressive weight, like a foot atop of her, at what she had gotten herself into, and all that she could say to Applejack, made things even harder. Really, all she could do was steel herself, and just go with what her mind could think up, the scene of that bar in Ponyville with the expertly crafted wooden furniture and stone cut fire pit in the center of it all. The emptiness on the Apple home as a shaded background.
The anger sliced through the picture, welling up from somewhere Applebloom had no idea where to begin with when she wanted to talk to Applejack. The strange thing was that it was all directed at the mare. Applebloom clenched her fist to hold her temper in check, but even with precaution, her words were tainted with raw, untainted passion.
"I wake up every morning just after the sun has begun to rise," She began, immediantly speaking in a dream-like fashion. Never taking a breath. "And I hear y'all talking downstairs having breakfast, usually laughing. I have to look presentable to the customers, so I have to, as you say Applejack, pull an all Rarity and clean up myself. This takes time, and by the time I'm finished, y'all are outside already and Granny is asleep in her chair like clockwork. I eat what you leave for me alone, and I head to town to open the bar. I look at the orchard and I see y'all out there working your plots off, and I just think that I should be right there beside you helping in any way I could like I did when I was a foal. I just feel so angry that I can't do what I've always done. Almost like I'm a freeloader."
Applejack let her sister catch her breath after her rant before she answered. "Applebloom," She softly spoke to the mare: she wanted to have her undivided attention when she talked to her. At first there wasn't any movement, but she finally moved her head up. The minute that her bright blue eyes met Applejack's green, Applejack knew that there was something else in that gaze. The distance from her family might be a problem, but it wasn't the main problem. Applebloom wasn't being honest with herself, Applejack was darn sure of it.
But Applejack wasn't Rainbow Dash, and she wasn't going to accuse Applebloom of doing something for no particular reason. She had to be smart about this and play her cards right. "Alright Applebloom. Ah know how you are feelin' right now. Remember when ah told ya Cutie Mark Crusaders about when I left the farm to live in the city with my family that lived up there?" Applebloom nodded her head as she stood up and paced a little bit by the hay bale. "Ah was thinkin' that ah would be happier away from everything that ah had known in my life." She turned her head to follow her sister's back and forth movements. "Turned out ah was wrong."
Applebloom stopped her pacing, continuing to cut her sister with her gaze. She lightly threw her arms out to the side and let gravity slap them against her thigh. "Alright, so... How is this supposed to help me?"
Applejack slapped her forehead and shook her head into her hand at her sister not getting it. "It means that ah know your pain, lil' sis." She looked back up. "Ah found my problem and ah fixed it, but you've yet to even tackle the problem you're in, and it's makin' you cranky and rude."
Applebloom shook her head slowly, keeping her gaze on her older sister. "No. I don't think you do understand the problem that I'm in." She pointed her finger at Applejack in an accusing way. "That bar has caused a lot of problems for me! Ever since I opened it, all I've gotten was difficulty with everything!" Applebloom whined, throwing her hands up in the air in her last sentence before they crossed across her chest once again. "And you did that to me." She spoke almost in a whisper at that last part. Her face softened from anger to depression as she looked down at the straw laying about the ground.
Applejack was shocked, her mouth hanging open, at such an accusation. Actually, it sounded more to her like whining about the hard times than any actual problem. Her willingness to help her little sis went out like a candle, as her face scrunched up in aggravation and uncontrolled anger.
She jumped off the hay bale and launched herself at her sister, who stepped back in surprise at the sudden temper. Applebloom has seen her sister this mad before, and it wasn't pretty. The only thing that stopped her sister from coming any closer that was Applejack had placed her foot up on the bale she was sitting on before. Applejack pressed her muzzle up against Applebloom, forcing her eyes to be all Bloom could see.
"Now listen here missy." Applejack pressed the backs of her hands against her hips and leaned closer to Applebloom, her face matching Applebloom's earlier scowl. "I don't like to listen to ponies whine about how life has gotten difficult. I think I see the problem, and that problem is you don't like the changes that have happened in your life. You had an easy foalhood, and suddenly, you have responsibilities now. You took your anger out on Scootaloo. You haven't been exactly honest with yourself, thus you haven't been happy." She was all business and no nonsense. "I was willing to pity you sister, but that was when I thought you were actually trying to do things right. Now, I know that you are just looking for the easy way out."
Applejack finished her piece. The strong mare, whom Applebloom looked up to so much, for so long, and thought would always be there for her, turned her back on Applebloom and walked towards the barn door. She felt a presence move past her. She looked up to see that Big Mac was following Applejack out. The barn door squeaked again as the pair were about to walk out. Applebloom's throat clenched up as a deep sulky feeling crushed her beneath regret. Out of regret came panic. A panic that she was losing something that was important to her, something that she had been fighting this whole time to keep. Without thinking, Applebloom cried out, managing to keep her voice from trembling or from bawling her eyes out then and there. "You said honesty was everything Applejack!" She took a deep breath in. "I've been honest with everypony that I have talked to! What else could I have done!?"
Just before Big Mac walked out of sight through the barn door, in the wake of Applejack, he turned to his little sister and simply asked, "Honest with yourself?"
Those three words spiraled like a snake at Applebloom. They coiled around her body and squeezed the breath out of her, yet she held her hand out to them, trying desperatly to keep them away from her. But the truth forced its way into her either way. She covered her ears, curling down on her feet in a fetal position, not wanting to face the truth, but the wall came tumbling down. Applejack was right when she said that honesty was everything. Unable to think about anything else, she reprimanded herself for everything. Applejack had opened a vault that Applebloom herself had locked shut to protect herself, and to put the blame on everypony else... except for her sister.
The truth about herself terrified her. She actually had forced memories out of her mind. What was real and what was not? Applebloom panicked, feeling like she had to run to the nearest safe place. The barn doors were in the way, but she spun into a kick, and her foot smashed through the wood and threw the door open enough for the mare to flee past her suprised siblings to the house. She threw open the front door and ran up the wooden stairs, not paying attention to Granny Smith's stare of surprice from the kitchen doorway. Applebloom launched herself through the last door in the small upstairs hallway, shutting the door behind her, and covered herself with her blanket...and cried.
Author's Note
This would be the second time I've uploaded this chapter. I was originally going to cut out the talking scene at the end, but I figured it was a perfect conclusion. As always, BlackRoseRaven edited this and made it look "perty fer yall ta read". You guys are awesome and thank you for sticking with me for so long.
Scootaloo thanked Celestia when Sweetie finally stopped screaming at the top of her lungs, which nearly destroyed Scootaloo’s ear until the pegasus’ buzzing wings had propelled the scooter onto the dirt path leading out of town. Though Sweetie continued to squeeze Scootaloo’s chest in a snake-like vice grip, making her lungs feel like they were flattened into paste in her chest.
“Sweetie, could you at least not choke the life out of me?” Scootaloo asked in an exasperated voice, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She felt Sweetie loosen her grip, yet they still squeezed around Scootaloo uncomfortably. Scootaloo barely heard Sweetie mutter an apology in reply, as her mind was busy somewhere else, and she liked where it was going.
All Pegasi were taught to fly the same way, but it left a lot desired for the few who loved to poke and prod the norm to create something new. No other pegasi had used their wings the way she was now, a sort of flying on the ground. Her heart pounded away, as excitement rushed through her blood, and her senses seemed acuter than ever before. No doubt about it, she was moving faster than she ever had flying in the air.
It wasn’t difficult to do once she knew how to do it. The tension-filled flaps, she had to use to stay in the air, felt like the dumber choice compared to the ease and relaxing sensation Scootaloo felt as she propelled her new scooter down the road. Maybe she could do something with this? The thought was a fledgling, but it hyped Scootaloo more than any race or idea had done before. But there was time for that later…
A signpost pointed right at a fork in the road read "Sweet Apple Acres". Ready for the turn, Scootaloo twisted the scooter's handlebars, but they shook violently. Not expecting the weight to change so drastically, she couldn't keep a firm grip. , Scootaloo thought fast, and her quick hand grabbed firmly onto the scooter as she slightly adjusted her wings to counteract the balance, and the pair swerved around the sharp turn, narrowly avoiding eating dirt.
Sweet Apple Acres majestically came into view over the smooth crest of the hill. The barn and house stood tall and welcoming, and the far off reaches of the orchard blanketed the surrounding land in all directions.
As the Apple family house came closer, Scootaloo adjusted her weight, wings, and handlebars in a more controlled way. The stomach churning fear and the overblowing excitement at what she was about to do overloaded any other thought or feeling she might have. At once, Scootaloo shifted the handlebars yet again, and the scooter slid into a drift. The sound of dirt scraping against the wood on the underside of the board filled Scootaloo's head with memories of when she had used to ride her old scooter everywhere.
Sweetie's arms squeezed harder into Scoot's ribs, but it didn't matter, because the rough pegasus had everything under control this time. She continued the drift until the scooter slowed down to a stop just short of hitting the wall of the house; the orchard just a stone's throw away.
Scootaloo stood to take in her aggressively beating heart in silence for a moment to adjust to the adrenaline rushing through her. But it didn't take long for what had just happened to catch up with her, and Scootaloo jumped off the toy, excitedly shouting to the sky with her fists clenched in joy. "That was so awesome!" Her voice was screeching out at an ear-piercing pitch like sandpaper on metal.
Sweetie Belle, her face as green as pea soup, didn't share in Scootaloo's triumph and excitement. She collapsed like a snake, planting her face into the ground to start nuzzling the dirt. "Oh sweet, unmoving earth. I will never ever leave you again."
With her arms still raised, Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow at the overdramatic unicorn. She slowly returned them to her sides while shaking her head. "You are just as dramatic as Rarity. I wasn't going that fast."
Sweetie Belle glared up at her. "I am not dramatic," She said sharply while crossing her arms and pointing her nose up. "I am... just showing appreciation for something that ponies have been taking for granted for far too long. The... the ground would probably appreciate it as well... yes. Besides, that is a moot point. If I had the wind whistling in my ears louder than you could shout - and you yell so loudly even the princesses could hear you past the hills - then yes, you were moving too fast."
Scootaloo shrugged; a proud smirk crowning her face as she proved herself right and held her head higher. "Like I said," boastfulness tarnishing her words, "dramatic. Besides, it would've been sweet if the princesses could've heard me then."
Sweetie's lower lip jutted out, her eyes seeming to grow even bigger, and her black pupils swallowed most of her glassy irises. A small whimper slid from her mouth like a little dog. Scootaloo tried to turn her head away, but couldn't help but look back at Sweetie as her features became more and more pronounced beyond what should've been possible.
Finally, Scootaloo groaned, hunching her back in defeat. "Okay. Fine. I was going a little fast." Straightening herself out, she held her hands out, palms up. "But give me some credit. I haven't done something like that since I lived in Cloudsdale. It just felt so right. I'm afr..." She stopped herself just in time. "Flying doesn't feel as good as I thought it would."
"But I would've gotten hurt if I had fallen off." Sweetie Belle never let up on her powerful pout.
Scootaloo forced a smile to stretch her cheeks, but her lip twitched uncontrollably. Feeling that she was failing at comforting, she lightly patted Sweetie Belle on the back. "You would've been fine it that had happened... but it wouldn't, because I was there."
Sweetie Belle lowered her head to the ground. "And how would you know that?" She asked with barely any force on her breath.
"Because I fell off my old scooter countless times, you know that. The worse thing that ever happened was a couple of small scratches and a big red plot." The right side of her lips rose in a lazy smile.
Sweetie Belle brushed the dust and dirt from her coat as she stood up, stabbing Scootaloo with an evil eye. Her hands cupped the music note decorated mask cutie marks that adorned her flanks as she lowered her voice. "What did you mean by 'big red plot'? Are you saying my plot is big?"
"What? No!" Scootaloo's arms jerked in random directions as her eyes hardened to match Sweetie's with a glare of her own. "I wasn't saying that at all."
"Then what did you mean by me having a big red plot?" Sweetie asked, hard as stone as she glared at Scootaloo. But then the stone cracked and her eyes went wide with terror. Sweetie giggled awkwardly before quickly recovering. She cleared her throat politely, saying: "Oh, it's okay, I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it. Just a slip of the tongue. Oh look, Applejack is over there. Maybe Applebloom is with her. You two can talk about... whatever it is you need to speak about."
Scootaloo looked worriedly at her friend. "Um, Sweetie, are you feeling okay? You just did a complete switch there."
"Y-Yeah." Sweetie's voice wavered. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
"Okay, if you're sure." Scootaloo said as she turned around and started across the front yard. "Man, I can't believe Applejack didn't hear us coming in."
Sweetie Belle sighed and rubbed her right temple. She shook her head, then followed Scootaloo over to Applejack.
Big Mac was kneeling in front of the barn doors, looking down at something with that same blank stare of his. The only indication of any emotion was him shaking his head back and forth. Applejack was pacing back and forth with her hands pressed on her hips. Her face drooped with a scowl. Her mouth was moving, but no words could be heard.
When she noticed Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, her eyes widened, but she forced some cheer into her expression. "Well now, I should've known you'd be showin' up sometime." The surprise on her face turned into a grin. She held out her arms and wrapped them around Scootaloo, who returned the embrace immediately. "It's so good ta see ya again."
Scootaloo tried to hide a smile, but one slowly crept up her cheeks until it shone in the sunlight. "How have you been, AJ? The farm still treating you okay?"
Applejack slowly let Scootaloo out of the embrace to cross them over her chest. Her jaw became hard, like a ridge of leather. "It was. Ah wish it was right now, but that stubborn mule of a sister of mine is being more than a tad difficult right now."
"That's the whole reason I'm here, AJ. I met Applebloom at the race earlier today, when she tried to run onto the track in the middle of the running. She was just flat out mad, and even Rainbow Dash was acting like that too." Scootaloo explained.
"Hold yer horses a sec. Applebloom never told me that. All she said was something was botherin' her." Applejack roughly rubbed her forehead in irritation. "Oh Applebloom, what am I gonna do with you?"
"I'm going to go talk to her." Scootaloo made it sound like she was done with the conversation. "Where is she anyway?"
"She ran toward the house." Applejack said. "So I'm guessing she ran up to her room." Disgust sucked any respect from her voice. "An Apple doesn't run away from their problems. It's better to be honest and just face the facts head on to get through this world."
Scootaloo made ready to run to the house, but Sweetie Belle jumped in the mare's way. "Stop! Running in without knowing exactly what is wrong could make things worse. Let's just think things through for a bit."
"We just tried that, Sweetie." Applejack was no nonsense. "I told her the truth and she didn't accept it."
"What if you were wrong, or maybe you were too harsh? Applejack, it's not always the best to be blunt; sometimes you need tact."
"I don't even know what that word means." The farmer shook her head in confusion. "But, ya can't continue to lie to yerself if ya wanna be happy, and it looks ta me, Applebloom's one of the most unhappy mares out there. What does that tell ya? That she was lying to herself fer far too long. Simple as that."
Sweetie Belle calmly cleared her throat, taking care to keep her opinion on that to herself. "I don't know Applejack. I never imagined that Applebloom was having so many problems. Sure, she could act "unladylike", is the best way I could put it, but I can't think of anything..." She paused, but only for a minute, as her mind cleared the fog from her thoughts. "Wait, last night; remember, Applejack, when she ran out of the bar?"
"How messed up are things with her?" Scootaloo asked, getting even more worried as more of the story of what had happened while she had been gone was revealed.
Applejack's face was stone hard with no sign of letting up. Her stubbornness took away the feeling in her words, making them sound dead and lifeless. "As far as I'm learnin' right now, it's much worse. She got angry at you, Scootaloo, when we brought up yer return ta Ponyville fer the festival."
Scootaloo shook her head, trying to wrap her head around this information. A single thought managed to pop up in her mind, that maybe helping Applebloom wasn't such a good idea. "Hold on, Applebloom's pissed off at me because I was mentioned? I know we didn't say goodbye in the best way, but I figured she would've gotten over it by now."
"Well, she didn't." She paused on her breath, her eyes unblinking before life returned to her features. "Applejack, I think I need to apologize to Applebloom about how I acted last night, I knew she wasn't happy with Scootaloo and I was just pushing her buttons for a laugh."
"Sweetie Belle, even I wouldn't laugh at somepony else's problems like that." Scootaloo pointed out to the unicorn.
"I know I was wrong, and I admit that. And yes you would make fun of somepony else's misfortunes!" Sweetie's voice shot up into a higher register that squeaked like metal on metal right next to Scootaloo's ear. The pegasus rubbed her earlobe, trying to get rid of the sharp ringing.
Applejack stood still, her face was twisted with confusion. "Why would she say that owning the bar and being away from her family had upset her?"
"She was lying to herself. Not another way to explain it." Big Mac simply spoke with his face as stoic as always.
"She always did look up to me fer my bluntness and honesty, she said." Applejack lamented unevenly for a moment before coming back to herself. "Right."
Sweetie suddenly gasped loudly, easily putting Pinkie Pie to shame. "IDEA!" She giggled into her hand, drawing a smile out from behind it. "You all think that I'm too much of a high class airhead to think of these things. I absolutely love whenever I get the chance to show you wrong."
Scootaloo was actually offended by that accusation. "Hey, I never said you were an airhead. I just called you a dictionary, and that's more of a compliment than anything."
Sweetie frowned, looking at her like a mysterious painting on the wall. "It never sounded like a compliment. I hated it when you called me a dictionary."
"Okay, okay. Moving on." Applejack continued.
"Oh yeah, sorry." She lightly rubbed her temple for a second before continuing with enthusiasm: "Applejack, when did Applebloom say that her problems started?"
"When she opened the bar, why?" Applejack asked.
"One second." Sweetie cut her off excitedly. "How old was she when this happened?"
"The same age Ah was when Ah took over the main part of the farm. She'd just turned seventeen." The farm mare said.
Sweetie smiled wider, showing more perfectly white teeth. "Just as I thought, although I might be wrong on this too. Applebloom is lying to herself. She opened the bar just after Scootaloo left Ponyville, so she must've still been bitter about it. Now, she has the bar and the responsibility of that on her shoulders to add to that bitterness. A recipe for disaster if I've ever seen one from living with my parents, the klutzes they were, but I digress. She couldn't handle it anymore, and fell into depression."
Applejack nodded before her face fell, chewing her lip. "Something needs to be cleared up now. I didn't force her to take the job at the bar. I asked her and she said yes immediately. Though, she did seem upset for a while when she first started, but that cleared up quickly."
"Maybe she was trying to impress you, Applejack by taking responsibility for something." Sweetie Belle said.
"But she doesn't need to impress me. I'll love her anyway." Applejack shook her head sadly.
Sweetie continued: "I think that's where the problem really started. Her depression turned into anger. Not wanting to point at the family she loved so much, she turned it onto somepony that she felt had wronged her, somepony that she thought had betrayed her, and that was Scootaloo."
Scootaloo stood as still as a statue, her face pale against the orange of her coat, making her look like an old orange fading to a rotten pulp. She tried, but failed, to find the confidence she needed to hear anymore of Sweetie's theory; it sounded like too big of a pill to swallow. She never thought for a second when this had started a short hour ago, that she maybe had a huge part to play in pushing Applebloom over the edge and into a deep pit of self-doubt and hatred. Scootaloo swallowed, stilling the fire in her gut that made her want to run away, because she needed to know, she needed to help her friend. "What did I do to her?"
"To us, nothing, but to Applebloom, if I'm right, you broke something that meant something to her. We all made a promise when we were the CMC, do you remember it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo thought about it for a second, trying as hard as she could to picture where she could've gone wrong, but nothing came to mind. "Nothing."
Sweetie Belle nodded sadly. "We promised that we would stick together forever, on the honor of our friendship and our membership in the CMC, though not in those exact words. Because she always admired Applejack's honesty, she thought that when you "broke your promise" to her," adding quotes in with two fingers on each hand, "as a betrayal on your part."
Applejack suddenly groaned and smacked her forehead. "She picked that one up from me. Ah would always say that honesty was the most important thing in friendship."
"Wait, let me get this straight. Applebloom is upset with me because she thinks that I broke a promise we made when we were kids by moving away to Cloudsdale?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes narrowed as she looked at every pony there to see if what she was hearing was true or not.
Sweetie Belle nodded her head sadly, barely able to look Scootaloo in the eye. The pegasus paced back and forth, picking her feet up and slamming them down into the dirt like she was marching off to war. Things were obviously a lot worse than she had thought, but the drive to continue to fight for her friend still rang strong. Sure, Applebloom had a problem with her, but that could easily be addressed when she talked to Applebloom.
After a few tense moments, Scootaloo turned back to the group, her face a stone against the wind, unmoving and full of confidence. "Looks like I won't be returning to Cloudsdale tonight." She spoke with ease, yet such power came from those words.
Sweetie Belle's face rose in excitement as she smiled childishly. "Scootaloo?" She asked hopefully.
"My friend needs help, and I'm not gonna just stand here and watch her get hurt. I'm gonna go talk to her, and I'm gonna do something about all of this. I should've come back to Ponyville sooner, but I'm here now." Scootaloo continued.
With that being said, Scootaloo turned and began her trip back across the yard to the house on the other side. There was no more need for words, and no other sound, save for her steps over the gravel.
Scootaloo hadn't gotten a quarter of the way before Applejack was right next to her, a confident grin that wasn't much different from what Scoot's had been before on her face. "Applebloom's my sis, and I need to be there fer her."
"Aren't ya sure ya don't wanna do somethin' like apologize?" Big Mac chided his younger sister. The words themselves were playful in nature, but the serious tone he used said otherwise.
Applejack glared at her older brother, a sting that even Scootaloo felt from seeing it on the side. "Ah didn't do anything wrong, Big Mac, and it would do ya a lick of good ta keep the smarty comments ta yerself. Ah still stand by what I said, but she's still an Apple and I'll always be there for her."
Scootaloo skirted out of the way when Applejack turned around to stomp back to the house, and silently followed her from behind. She heard more footsteps, quickly running beside them like a child. Scootaloo turned towards Sweetie Belle who smiled her charming, yet innocent smile.
"I did say I had to apologize to Applebloom for last night, did I not?" She turned back to Big Mac, "Anything you want to apologize for?"
"I wasn't the best brother I could be." He simply stated, before following them into the house.
Everything wasn't quiet and peaceful as it usually was in the Apple household. When Scootaloo walked in behind Applejack and Sweetie Belle, all she could hear was Granny Smith's sour sounding voice scratching its way up the stairs from the old pony at the bottom. "Applebloom!" The smell of something burning invaded her nostrils. Big Mac ran into the kitchen.
Granny Smith watched Big Mac rush into the next room and turned back to see the group coming in. She pressed hard into Applejack space, a needle to a balloon. "Applejack, dear, as much as I love ya, only you could manage to smash holes in somethin' like this. Applebloom came a-chargin' in here like a rampagin' bull in a rodeo, cryin' herself a river, and runnin' upstairs. I had never seen her so upset before. I'm not lettin' ya mess this up too, so tell me…" She stretched her neck out to get up into the much taller Applejack's face. "What did ya do?"
"Whoa, Granny." Applejack held up her arms in self-defense. "I didn't do nothing wrong. All I did was tell her the truth, because she was lying to herself to make herself feel better. I hadn't, she would've stayed angry at everypony.
Granny Smith obviously wasn't buying it, Scootaloo could tell. "Young mare, ya know I can read ya like an open book, and I see you are hiding something, and I can guess you had a motive."
"Of course you would immediately jump on me if anything happens around the farm, you always do that ta me." Applejack said, irritated.
Granny Smith held her ground. "Ya watch yer big mouth there, missy. Ah may be old, and hate ta even lay a hand on ya, but that won't stop me from bendin' ya over my knee fer a good swift paddlin'." Her eyes softened, her voice becoming calmer and warmer. "Now, I wasn't blamin' ya, Celestia knows maybe ya had a good reason ta upset her..." But then it turned back to threatening again. Her eyes gleamed like iron to a glimmer of light. "But I don't wanna hear or find out ya had a stinky motive behind it all along. Ya hear me loud and clear there?"
Applejack could have been easily mistaken for a wooden carving. Her lifeless expression as she looked back at Granny Smith. She didn't say anything for a few seconds, but the awkwardness in the atmosphere made Scootaloo tense up anyway. "Yes, Granny."
Granny Smith chewed her lip, her jaw cracking and popping. It wasn't until now that Scootaloo noticed how much skin was hanging from the old mare's face. "Alrighty then, care to explain what happened out there?"
Scootaloo heard that and leapt between Applejack and Sweetie Belle's shoulders as they were about to follow the elderly mare away. "Hold up, hold up. Granny, not to be rude or anything, but we're trying to talk to Applebloom."
Granny Smith's head cocked to the side downward, yet her features stayed relatively the same. "I see how talkin' has helped with whatever's happinin', but I'm putting my foot down on it 'til we know what needs to be done." She looked up the stairs with worry painted in deep brushstrokes over her face. "I doubt she'd want ta talk anyway. We'll let her be fer a bit. And ya'll tell everything over dinner."
"What!" Scootaloo was shocked at that offer. "No! Applebloom is up there right now and you guys just want to eat!? What is wrong with you?"
Granny's looked just as calm as ever. "Thinkin' things through. No need ta be doin' somethin' stupid that'd be makin' things worse again."
Scootaloo stood still. Anger wilted the youthfulness from her face. Lines that shouldn't be there were prevalent on her skin, making her look a lot more like Granny Smith than she should have. She didn't notice Sweetie Belle walking up behind her until she wrapped her arms around her waist, much like before on the scooter but much more gentle… like a hug.
"I want to help Applebloom as much as you do, but Mrs. Smith is right. We need to think this through. I envy how much you want to help our friend, and as soon as possible, but we can't just go into this without a plan."
"I don't know. Sometimes, just talking can be worse 'cause we have a chance to act." Scootaloo argued. "It would be better to go with how you feel."
"Ah'm sure that plan'll roll over just fine. How are ya feelin' now youngin'? Are ya angry, 'cause yer showin' it. What da ya think you'd say?" Granny Smith asked, smiling confidently.
She was right.
The Apple Family dinner table was covered in an assortment of vegetables and fruit based foods. As everypony was getting ready to sit down and eat, Big Mac walked into the room with a chair in each hand. "Sorry, but the pasta burnt. All the water had boiled away." He set the chairs down at one end of the table next to where Granny Smith was getting ready to sit.
Sweetie Belle reeled back on her haunches, surprise plastered on her face. "You want us to eat here with you ponies?"
Granny's wheezing cough laugh choked in her throat. The old mare hacked a glob of lung before swallowing it back down. She tapped the empty chair beside her on the left, closest to Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo kept to the corner of the cupboard, standing against the wall, keeping silent and watching her friend. "What about my sister"? Sweetie asked worriedly as she looked out the window that opened into the direction of Ponyville. "She might be worried if I stay for too long." Sweetie rubbed at the side of her head on her right temple as she returned her confused gaze back to the offered chair.
Applejack sat down on the opposite side of the table, closest to the window at the corner of Scootaloo's vision. Scootaloo turned her eyes to her as she smiled a warm, Apple Family smile at Sweetie Belle. "Rarity would be okay with ya staying over for a lil bit longer. She worries, but not that much." Scootaloo ground her teeth behind her shut lips.
Sweetie was also pulverizing her own teeth, her jaw locking in place, and the sides of her skull bulging out from the pressure. She said uneasily: "I don't think you know Rarity as well as you may believe you do, pardon. She'll burn my tail hair if I'm not home in time."
Scootaloo silently sat in the chair, but the furniture only groaned as it was scraped across the floor untill the table was up against her chest. She tried so hard to bottle up her impatience, which tasted as sour as vinegar. Scootaloo grabbed and squeezed her wrist until the tingling numbness took all feeling away for a moment. She saw Sweetie Belle sit in her chair as well, respectfully, at the other side of Granny Smith, but she still looked down at the empty plate in front of her with fear. Applejack and Big Mac sat on the other end of the table. A seat was between them, but no plate was set out before it.
This was stupid. Scootaloo squeezed her wrist harder, and bit the inside of her mouth just enough to give her pain. But it wasn't enough with how slow everything was going. On her scooter, her senses were quickened slightly, but here, it just made everything slow down to a crawl. A wet twinge pierced the inside of her cheek and Scootaloo jerked slightly. She raised a hand to her stuck out tongue and looked down to see her finger was red with blood. "We should be doing something about Applebloom." She lamented irritably, ignoring the self-inflicted wound.
The pegasus saw Applejack shrug her shoulders; she noted that the earth pony kept glancing at Granny Smith every few seconds. "I'd keep yer mouth shut if I was ya Scoots."
Scootaloo was about to talk back at the pony, her lungs filled with the air of an all-out rant, but Granny tugged on Applejack's leash before she could do anything about it. "Yer not outta the woods either li'l missy. Ah know ya had somethin' ta do with this. I'm callin' a family gatherin' here now." Granny turned to Sweetie and back to Scootaloo. When the old mare's eyes looked into Scootaloo's, she couldn't see any anger or rage, only a calm bright love that was reinforced with irritation.
Scootaloo shot up out of her seat. All this talking wasn't going anywhere, and she didn't like it. She swung around the table towards Applejack's seat, but even through the surprise, the mare still was able to react fast enough to try and catch Scootaloo. Using her agility, Scootaloo hopped out of the way of the outstretched arm and ran to the stairs. Over skidding of the chairs behind her, she heard Applejack call out, but she didn't hear a word that was said. The staircase loomed like a giant to Scootaloo. Only a second glance proved both Applejack and Sweetie Belle were chasing after her, Applejack's hand was dangerously close to catching her again. With a frantic flap of her wings and threw her lifted self to the steps. Not even halfway, Scootaloo's foot caught a step and her tumbled down the flight, meeting the furious face of Applejack with the scared one of Sweetie Belle behind her. Like a dog, Scootaloo flipped around and got her momentum going up the steps till she stood up and continued up.
The small hallway greeted her, but it was Applebloom's door that Scootaloo was shooting for. It was the one on the left. She grabbed the doorknob just as she felt the fingertips of Applejack touch her arm. She hauled herself inside and slammed the door in Applejack's face.
