An Inventor's Greatest Creation
"Ah gotta finish this before ah go," Apple Bloom muttered, fiddling with a bolt on the strange contraption in front of her. She was in a fairly small room, cluttered with sketches and designs along with tools all over the place. She was getting ready to head back to Ponyville for the first time in years. After Apple Bloom had gotten her cutie mark in inventing, she moved to Manehatten to attend design school. Now she was a successful inventor with her own workshop/apartment. Of course, this set-up was temporary, Apple Bloom was going back to Ponyville to have her workshop there, in a barn on Sweet Apple Acres so she could be with her family and help out on the farm. She may have gotten her cutie mark in inventing, but at heart Apple Bloom knew she belonged with her family.
Apple Bloom's head jerked up as she finally was satisfied with how the strange contraption looked. Her head bumped the shelf above her and a pile of designs fell onto her head. "Consarnnit all! Ah ain't got near enough room in here," she complained while rubbing the back of her head. She looked at the papers scattered on the ground and noticed something that they all seemed to have in common, "weren't these designs failures from last year! Man, ah really need ta organize mah stuff better," Apple Bloom said, promptly chucking the old designs in the trash can. She picked up a folder of designs she was going to attempt to build and put them in a suitcase along with the contraption she had been working with and some of her tool. Apple Bloom put the rest off her tools in a bag and the rest of her possessions in a second suitcase. She didn't have to many things, just a picture of her, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell and another picture of her and her big sister Applejack. She had a third picture of her with her whole family to and a few dresses that Rarity had insisted on making her.
Apple Bloom closed the suitcase, chuckling at the memory of her sister's friend insisting on making her some clothes while she did so. Apple Bloom slung the suitcase onto her back along with her other one, grabbed her tools and head out of the apartment. No sooner getting out of the door, she noticed her neighbor had also walked out. "Howdy, Daisy," she greeted happily with a smile.
Daisy was a pale yellow unicorn with a deep pink mane."Hey, Apple Bloom," she said with a glance at the bags. "Want some help with those?"
"Sure," Apple Bloom said as her neighbor levitated the suitcases off her back. "Thanks."
"No problem, so you’re actually leaving huh?"
"Yeah, besides, mah family has an entire barn ah can use, more room an' what not."
"Well, in your line of work, space is definitely something you need that you won't get here."
"That's why ah'm goin' back ta Ponyville. Beside's, ah got a family there that ah feel ah've been away from for long enough. Ah also got a friend that ah need tah keep mah promise ta."
"Well, maybe I'll see ya around, Apple Bloom." Daisy sighed.
"Ya'll will know where tah find me ifn' ya ever come down," Apple Bloom said. They had reached the door to the apartments, Apple Bloom's cab was waiting outside so she said goodbye to Daisy, put her bags in the car and told the driver to head for the train station.
Once they got to the station, Apple Bloom thanked the cab driver and pulled out a small bag of bits to pay for a ticket to Ponyville. While Apple Bloom was waiting she thought back to what she promised when she left.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applejack were at the train station with Apple Bloom and they were waiting for the train. "Ah'm gonna miss ya, sis," Applejack sighed, holding back tears, "Ya'll better come back when ya finish school ya hear?"
"Ah will, sis. Ya'll couldn't keep me away even if ya tried!" Applebloom said with a sad smile.
"And ah will hold ya'll to that to." Applejack said, giving her sister one last hug before she left.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hugged Apple Bloom to, saying goodbye as the train pulled up. When the doors opened they heard the conductor call “'ALL ABOARD'.
"Guess that's me," Apple Bloom sighed, giving everypony one last hug before stepping on the train.
"Wait, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo shouted, stopping the yellow mare in her tracks. She turned around to face her friend.
"What is it scoots?"
"Can I maybe ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, I was just told that my wings don't have the strength to help me fly, do you think that when you become a great inventor, you could invent something to help me fly?" Scootaloo asked sorrowfully.
Apple Bloom gave her friend a sympathetic smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Ah promise," she assured before giving Scootaloo one last hug and getting on the train as the doors closed behind her.
"Ah promise Scoots," Apple Bloom said.
"ALL ABOARD!!" Apple Bloom heard the familiar call of the conductor beckoning her onto the train. Apple Bloom got on the train and took her seat as she handed her ticket to the stallion that asked to see it.
Apple Bloom watched as the scenery began to move outside as the train started to leave the station. "Ah really hope ah'm able ta keep this promise." she thought. Apple Bloom would never admit it to anypony, but she had a few mental breakdowns in the process of designing this contraption of hers. That's where Daisy was able to keep her up.
Daisy had come to visit, and keep Apple Bloom company as she often kept herself locked in her apartment working on something. Daisy had noticed lately that Apple Bloom was looking a little stressed out and decided to stay over for a bit to help her relax. Apple Bloom was working on some strange design when she crumbled up the paper and chucked it at the trash bin. "Apple Bloom, that's the twentieth design you've tossed, are you okay?"
Apple Bloom's head fell into her hooves and she started to cry. "Ah'm never gonna get this right! And ah promised Scoots I’d get it done!" She sobbed.
Daisy walked over to Apple Bloom and put a hoof on her shoulder, "Apple Bloom, look at me.," she stated calmly.
Apple Bloom reluctantly lifted her head to face the unicorn.
"You will get it. You’re just stressing yourself out because you need a break. Come on, let's go out somewhere, on me."
"Really?" Apple Bloom sniffed.
"Really."
Apple Bloom looked out the window and noticed she was in Ponyville. She grabbed her bags and got off the train to be greeted by her sister and friends who tackled her with hugs. "Apple Bloom!" They shouted.
"Hey gals."
"Apple Bloom, did you...?" Scootaloo asked stepping back with a longing look in her eye.
Apple Bloom nodded, Scootaloo didn't even need to finish her thought, Apple Bloom knew it was because of their promise. "Not here, lets go to a hill."
The four mares walked up to a hill just outside of Sweet Apple Acres.Once there, Apple Bloom set down her suitcase and brought out the contraption she was working on earlier that day. It was a brace in the shape of pegasus wings. She walked over to Scootaloo and slid the contraption over her weak wings and bolted it around the mare's waist. "Ok Scoots, let's try something small. Flap yer wings."
Scootaloo flapped them, "It feels almost natural!"
"Good, now fold yer wings," Apple Bloom instructed, feeling quite pleased of herself that the brace worked so far.
Scootaloo folded her wings almost as if there was no brace there at all.
Apple Bloom took a deep breath, "Now,” she said, “for the moment of truth, try flyin' Scoots."
Scootaloo also let out a deep breath and nodded. She flapped her wings a little, nothing. She flapped harder, still nothing.
Apple Bloom held her breath as Scootaloo flapped even harder. She kept flapping until her hooves were off the ground and she was flying almost normally. Apple Bloom let out her breath and stood in silence for a moment. "It works?! It works, it works, it works!" Apple Bloom yelled, jumping up and down like a excited filly as she followed her airborne friend. Scootaloo yelled excitedly and flew faster, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran harder to keep up. They stayed like that until Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle ran into a pine tree. They shook off most of the pine needles before walking out of the trees, "look gals," Apple Bloom said with a giggle.
Scootaloo laughed, "Well this brings back old memories."
Sweetie Bell giggled, "You mean how we're covered in tree sap? It sure does."
Applejack caught up and looked at the three sap covered fillies laughing. "Come on ya'll lets go get you washed up."
The three fillies followed Applejack back to the farmhouse to start a bath. "This has got to be your greatest invention yet Apple Bloom." Scootaloo said, running a hoof across the brace.
"Nah, that doesn't even come close." Apple Bloom assured.
"Then what is?" Scootaloo asked.
"Your smile. That is the greatest invention ah ever had the honor of creatin'."
Proofread by CowgirlVK, hope you all enjoyed it!
Author's Note
There you go guys, this has been on my mind for a while and I had to push it out into the realm of fimfiction so that my full attention could be on my story "The Griffon War". Go check that out if you haven't yet, trust me though before you do, when I say the atmosphere of it is polar opposite. Where this is a happy reunion that one is somepony leaving for war.
