Heartful of Lemonade

Chapters

Equestrian Idiot
Student of Celestia
Clubhouse in the Woods
From Vanhoover to the Everfree
Dear Darling Sister
Another Closing Door
Row of Crystal Trees
Keep Dreaming
Fortuna
Kiss Away the Nightmares
One Ride Away

Equestrian Idiot

Sweetie Belle wasn't usually this angry, not even on her grouchiest of mornings. And for the life of her, she couldn't quite figure out why.

Maybe it was the way the light shone through her windows, positioned just right so that it landed directly in her eyes.

She reached up to rub away the sleep, feeling about her face with an irked groan. Her mask had fallen away sometime in the night. Sweetie reached out to search blindly about for it, her hooves finding only the sheets.

No luck. It must have fallen by the side of the bed again.

The sun came up too early in the summertime.

Maybe it was the sounds filtering from the radio alarm that soured her mood. It was a pretty rude awakening - precisely the reason she'd bought it in the first place. It was also the last thing she wanted right now, waking up to the jingles and chipper voices of some Manehattan talk show.

Just what were they talking about, anyway? She tilted an ear in the direction of the speakers, where she heard mares fawning over...what, exactly? Garden parties? Some sort of festival in Appleloosa?

Oh, who cared? Was this really all that anypony wanted to talk about?

Something stirred within Sweetie, welling deep in her chest like a bubbling pool of magma. It began as a low growl deep from Sweetie's belly, quickly erupting into a roar of impotent, seething rage directed at the ceiling. It was a cry of anger - hollow and empty anger, but anger all the same - that sprang forth from somewhere deep within.

That was it, Sweetie realized. That was what was eating at her this morning.

Dissatisfaction. Frustration. A resentment that had been there scratching at the surface for a long, long time. It was the same sort of feeling that woke a pony at night. The sort that opened her eyes into a pitiless darkness and made her kick impotently into the sheets and grit her teeth until they threatened to crack.

It wasn't anything she could put a name to. It was harsh, brutal, eating away at her like a hundred burning rats. It was red-hot discontent, a slow burning rage at just how little there was to look forward to. How she had nothing, was nothing. How nothing seemed to really, truly mean anything.

Certainly not in Ponyville. Ponyville! Phonyville was more like it! Not in a town whose biggest worry was what color frosting you put on your cake! Ugh!

How was a pony supposed to go out there and do things, when this was all they had to look forward to? Ponyville was where dreams went to die, drowned in a sea of namby-pamby goodness. The same thing, day in and day out.

Sweetie Belle squeezed her eyes shut, turned to her side and kicked at the wall with all the fury she could muster. The wall responded in kind with a dull, unsympathetic thud, wholly unperturbed by her temper.

She winced. That hurt.

The kick had done its job. The edge of her anger was gone, driven away by the soreness in her hind hoof.

Enough moping. Time to wake up and smell the roses.

Sweetie didn't get out of bed as much as she simply rolled off, landing on the floor with her legs sprawled out, muzzle scrunched up in displeasure. She got to her hooves with a vigorous shake of her mane, glaring towards the mirror in the corner. She frowned at the messy-maned unicorn she saw there, who returned her emerald-eyed glare.

She was a mess. It was a good thing Rarity wasn't around to see this.

Somewhere at the edge of her awareness, it registered that the radio was still blaring. She directed her attention towards it, making her way over. Sweetie's magic enveloped the little dial in a silver glow as she turned it to and fro, scanning the airwaves.

A cooking show here, a droning news broadcast there - something about Yakyakistan, she couldn't be bothered to figure out what exactly - and some soda pop nonsense that barely passed for music. Voices, more and more of them, each shriller and more grating than the last.

After a while, they all began to sound the same, blending together into a whiny mishmash. Always just a little too chipper, too polished to be real. An irate jab with Sweetie’s hoof silenced them - and sent the dial flying to another corner of the room. She could only growl as she turned away, in no mood to chase down the errant bit of plastic.

Why couldn't they play some real music? Like Sapphire Shores? Or Show Tunes?

Show Tunes. Now there was a pony worth her salt. A fleeting smile formed on Sweetie's muzzle as she thought upon all those lovely fantasies, following in her hooves, having a stage all to herself, but...oh, who was she kidding? Back to Equestria with her.

An object brushed against the edge of Sweetie’s hoof, and she glanced downwards. It was a magazine, Cherchez la Filly. One of the many trashy rags Rarity had lying around. Everypony had their guilty pleasures, and this was her sister's.

“Get the Love You Deserve!” advertised the text above a sultry-eyed unicorn mare, all too pretty in pink. “Be Beautiful!” The mare's big goo-goo eyes were enough to make Sweetie gag.

Beautiful! As if they even knew what the word meant, the ruffians! As if everypony didn’t already know that chest fluff wasn’t all potions and magic! She took her time to stomp hard upon the magazine as she stepped out of her room.

Ruffians?

A snort escaped Sweetie’s nostrils in a derisive puff. Rarity really was rubbing off on her.

But that was far, far enough of that. It was time to wash herself, get away from all this. To the only ones who really seemed to understand what was really happening here.

She would wash up and find something to eat. Then it would be off to Sweet Apple Acres, to the old clubhouse where her friends would be waiting.

Author's Note

So maybe I'm the heretic, Equestria
I've had enough of the stale soppy mania
Now everypony do the Pony Polka
And whip your tail to the sugar-sweet hysteria!

Student of Celestia

The ache in Apple Bloom's legs was a reminder that she wasn't as strong as her sister, and as reminders went it was none too subtle. She almost regretted not asking Applejack for help.

Almost.

A cartful of cider kegs would have been nothing for Applejack. A tree what took Apple Bloom three firm bucks to harvest, her sister could do in one.

But it was summertime, and the trees needed pruning. Applejack didn't need to waste precious time helping her haul a little cider just so she could spend the day with her friends.

That was what she kept telling herself, anyway. She knew Applejack wouldn't have thought twice if she'd actually asked.

Apple Bloom welcomed the cool breeze that wafted through her mane. It wouldn't be cooler for too much longer, especially with the sun already out the way it was. Ponyville summers were the sort where mosquitoes came to eat a pony alive after dark, where humidity clung like a second coat and left one feeling all sticky.

Not that she wasn't sticky already, what with all the sweat clinging to her brow. Cider was heavier than it looked.

But she wasn't a foal anymore, she could handle herself just fine. No need to have her siblings fussing and babying her like she was still some blank flank.

Apple Bloom stopped before a fork in the path. She briefly considered going left to visit Granny Smith for a bit, but decided against it.

With a silent apology, she turned the cart rightwards. She’d come back another time.

Almost immediately, the sound of a faint buzzing caught her ear. She glanced behind to see a familiar orange pegasus, rushing towards her on a blue scooter.

Speak of Tirek, and he’d appear.

Apple Bloom's muzzle broke out in a wide smile as she waved to her friend. Maybe she'd get a little help with these kegs after all.

“Hey, Scoots!” she called.

Scootaloo came to a skidding halt, right against Apple Bloom’s cart. “Hey yourself.” Her bold, toothy grin would have made even Rainbow Dash proud. “You’re out early. I thought I was gonna be the first one here.”

“Didn’t think you could beat a farmin’ gal at rising in the morn, did ya?” Apple Bloom snickered softly. “Applejack’s right. Townponies are gettin’ pretty soft these days.”

Scootaloo merely stuck her tongue out. “Nyeh.” Her mirth dissipated, however, at the sight of the fork in the road. “You need a moment?”

Apple Bloom looked towards the path leading to Granny Smith, shaking her head vigorously. “Naw,” she replied. “Wouldn’t be like Granny Smith to want us mopin’.”

“I miss her.”

“We all do.” Apple Bloom turned to her friend with a small smile. “But y’know what she’d say right now if she saw us like this.” She raised her hoof, shaking it as she screwed her face up in imitation of the elder pony. “If y’all’re gonna keep cryin’ fit to water the fields, at least do it fer somethin’ worth cryin’ about! I ain’t worth yer misery, ya loonies!”

Their shared giggles rose around the branches of Sweet Apple Acres, slowly sinking into a silence over which only the wind could be heard.

It was Apple Bloom who broke it first. “She really liked you, y’know.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure she did. What with you and yer scooter, doing all those tricks. She swore you’d be somepony famous.”

Scootaloo’s lips tightened a little at those words, as she turned away to scratch at her hoof. “Yeah. Well, not everypony’s cut out for the big leagues, right? It’s not like I’ve got much of a shot at something like that.”

“Sure ya do!” Apple Bloom clopped her hooves together. “I mean, I saw what you did on Ponyville Bridge just that other day. That was crazy! I know if ya put your mind to it, you co-”

“It’s not happening, alright?” Scootaloo snapped. Considering how quickly her eyes widened, she immediately regretted her outburst. “Sorry.” Scootaloo looked down, digging into the ground with a hoof. “It’s just kind of a sore subject for me.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. She should have known better than to press the point, and elected to change the subject. “C’mon, we gonna stand around all day? Or we gonna get going and drink some cider?”

“Cider.” Scootaloo’s face brightened, as she quickly lashed Apple Bloom’s cart to her scooter. “Yeah, some cider sounds good.” Without another word they were off, taking the path towards the old clubhouse.

The sound of branches rustled around Apple Bloom as she walked along. The rows of trees danced a little as the wind ran through them, conjuring memories from years ago when she was still small enough to dash beneath those branches without a care in the world. Now, whenever she went out into the fields, she had to struggle not to trip over them.

It wasn't long before the old clubhouse crested the horizon, and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but take a little pride in what she saw there.

It wasn't just a clubhouse anymore. She'd made it into a home, tucked away in the privacy of the orchard.

“Whoa,” Scootaloo remarked, tapping her hoof on the walkway leading up towards the door. “This is new.”

“Mhm.” Pride seeped into Apple Bloom’s voice. “I did it all. Everything, down to the varnish on every plank.”

And she had done it all. Nopony else. That was all her. Maybe it was a silly thing to be proud of, but she was proud of it anyway. It wasn't a barn or a silo, but thie was still her work.

“Anypony else know about it?”

“Just Applejack and Big Mac,” Apple Bloom answered. “Not a whole lot of other ponies wandering around these parts.”

“You should be proud of yourself,” Scootaloo remarked earnestly, looking with genuine amazement at the woodwork. “There aren’t a lot of ponies who’re this good with their hooves.”

Apple Bloom nodded silently. Sure, it was good to hear it from one of her best friends. Still, it felt like a parent's applauding at a school play. It didn’t really count, not in a way that actually mattered.

Her hooves clopped along the planks as she rolled one of the kegs along, stepping inside for just a brief breather. Tucked away in a corner, several books caught Apple Bloom’s eye, stacked neatly where she’d left them.

Lessons of Neighponese Architecture.

Classical Buildings of Ancient Roam.

A Study of Old Canterlot Style.

Her heart ached a little at the sight of them. It was almost too painful to think about the things she wanted to do. And dear Luna, how she wanted them so bad.

“Hey! Sweetie’s here!”

Scootaloo’s excited voice called through the door, and Apple Bloom was grateful for the distraction.

“Hey, girls!” Sweetie greeted. She was all smiles.

And so was Apple Bloom. Just for today, at least, it was going to be like old times. Like when they were fillies, together in their little old clubhouse.

Author's Note

But there’s nothing left for me
This is all I’m gonna be
In a land for everypony
Ain’t nothing left for me

Clubhouse in the Woods

The air was hot, and Scootaloo's mouth tasted of cider. Her head was buzzing, and she was the happiest mare in Equestria.

The skies were darkening, the sun quickly setting behind the horizon. A muddy scent flowed in from the windows from the direction of the river, with the sound of insects chirping out in the fields. It was a classic Ponyville summer, with the sort of humidity that clung to a pony’s coat, complete with the flashing of lightning bugs outside.

And Scootaloo was with her friends. What more could she want?

Stupid question. There were a lot of things she wanted. But right now all those desires seemed far away. Right now, there was Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to play cards and gossip with. And she wasn’t going to let anything ruin any of that. Not while the cider was still running!

But things were winding down now. Everypony was tired, and they’d been sitting quietly for some time, stirring where they sat only occasionally for another sip of cider.

At last Scootaloo drained her mug, and sat up to break the silence. “I’m out.” She held her mug out upside down, emphasizing the point.

“Me too,” Sweetie concurred.

Scootaloo’s head was turned away from Apple Bloom where she couldn’t see, but she heard her gulping down the last of her drink, suppressing a burp. “Same.”

Scootaloo giggled, her wings buzzing as she made for the keg to give it a little shake. “Feels like there’s just enough for one last round.”

“Fill me up, Scoots,” Apple Bloom said, lifting herself up.

“And me!” Sweetie Belle’s voice came out in a bubbly giggle as she too came over for one last mugful of cider.

Scootaloo filled their mugs with alacrity, snickering a little at Sweetie’s flushed cheeks. “Look at you. What would Rarity say if she saw you now?”

Sweetie stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. “Rarity’s not here, is she?”

"Guess she ain't." Apple Bloom took a deep quaff from her mug. “Where is she these days? Canterlot, right?”

“Yeah.” Sweetie Belle's demeanor suddenly changed, her eyes turning down as she traced circles on the floor with a hoof. “Some sort of big opening with Coco. Princess Twilight’s gonna be there, that’s all I know.”

“Rarity’s really hitting it big, isn’t she?” Apple Bloom said.

“Mm.” Sweetie’s expression soured even further, ears drooping. “I just wish she were home more.”

“Hey, at least you got Carousel Boutique to yourself most of these days, don’t ya?” Apple Bloom slung her legs over her seat, dangling her hindhooves. “Gosh. That sounds awful nice, havin' some space to breathe and move and be yourself and all that.”

Sweetie didn’t look up. “It’s just not the same without having her around.”

“I dunno about you, but I think I’d actually kind of like it.” Apple Bloom looked towards the ceiling, waving her hoof about as she spoke. “Family’s great and all. But after all this time, it gets kinda crushing, y’know?” Her own words seemed to spur her own anger, as a steely edge creeped into her voice. “It’s hard enough even trying to step outta the house without Applejack breathin’ down my neck. Everypony still treatin’ me like I just learned to walk. Y’all don’t understand how tirin' those sorta horseapples get.”

Sweetie Belle turned her head upwards at the outburst, frowning with clear concern. “You alright, Apple Bloom?”

Apple Bloom’s muzzle scrunched, before she lay back against the wall, defeated. “Nope,” she admitted. “I mean, don’t you girls ever think about what’s out there?” She gestured vaguely off into the distance with a hoof. “Outside o’ Ponyville. In the real world, in the rest of Equestria. Doesn’t it get awful tirin’ just to stay here all the time?”

A palpable silence filled the room. Those words had touched a pretty deep nerve, and it showed.

Scootaloo’s own mind returned to all those auditions. All those disappointments. All those times Rainbow had encouraged her, only to turn out to be wrong every single time.

Sweetie spoke up first. “I mean, yeah. Like what Rarity’s doing now. She’s out there being somepony.” She frowned. “Not like us. Not like the rest of Ponyville. I mean, ugh.” The unicorn groaned. “Nopony out there actually gets it. Nopony wants to actually be anything. They just want to stay home and do...whatever.”

“Gettin’ held back,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “And not even realizin’ it’s happenin’.”

“Never having a chance!” Scootaloo raised her mug up high. “Can I get an amen?”

She got one, with a whoop and the wooden thud of mugs. As Scootaloo's lips met the cool liquid, a sudden savage joy erupted in her chest. Between the buzz of cider and the infectious pride of having her friends agree with her, she felt understood.

It was like somepony was actually listening. Like somepony actually wanted what she wanted. Like there were other ponies who actually had the horseshoes to try and make something of it. They could probably hear the elated screaming in her head all the way over in Canterlot.

Canterlot.

The name brought pause to Scootaloo’s drinking, and she suddenly sat her mug down as her mind began to race.

“Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle glanced over her way. “Something up?”

Scootaloo didn’t answer immediately. Her thoughts were on all those stories she’d heard about Princess Twilight and her friends from years ago. Her friends’ sisters, what they’d done.

They could do that too, couldn’t they?

Oh, yeah. They definitely could.

And where were her parents to say no? Her aunts? She was too big for that sort of nonsense.

And this time, being big really was all it took.

“C’mon, girls.” Scootaloo broke out in a wild grin. “I got a better idea.”

“Scoots?” Apple Bloom asked, clearly confused.

“Trust me. Follow me for a bit." Scootaloo got to her hooves, setting her mug aside and making for the door, beckoning for the others to follow. "I wanna show you something.”

Author's Note

We didn't say much, wasn't much to say
Everypony in the room had the same kinda pain
But who am I to complain?

From Vanhoover to the Everfree

As far as holding her cider went, Sweetie always came dead last among her friends. It was a unicorn thing, probably. Rarity could get pretty funny when the wine started flowing at parties too. Or perhaps it just ran in the family. Their mother had her moments too.

Either way, she was thankful for Apple Bloom being there. She could drink enough for three Sweetie Belles and still walk straight.

Scootaloo, for her part, was doing just fine. She wasn’t zooming along the way she usually did, moving slow enough for her friends to keep up on hoof. It was a brisk pace all the same, and there was a certain urgency in the way she called for her friends to keep up.

A little too brisk for Sweetie, with her head feeling foggy and her legs like they were moving on their own. At least she could still walk without leaning on her friends for support.

Oh, she was really going to regret this tomorrow.

At last they came out of the trees, on a path towards Ponyville. The lights of that quaint little town glowed among the hills and plains of the Equestrian countryside, the moon shining brightly above. Even Sweetie had to admit, it made for a pretty picture.

The sound of wheels on stone stole her attention away from the town towards Ponyville Bridge, where Scootaloo was already at the edge, doing a balancing act upon the handlebars of her scooter.

“Come on!” she called.

“What’s the big deal?” Sweetie called back, coming to a stop right before the bridge. Their brisk walk had taken more out of her than she expected, and she was left panting. The cider in her belly churned a little, and she suppressed a groan.

“That!” Scootaloo moved from balancing on two forehooves to only one, gesturing towards the distance beyond the town. “That’s what I wanted to show you.”

Apple Bloom canted her head in visible confusion. “The hills?”

“No, silly. That!”

Sweetie Belle followed the line of Scootaloo’s hoof. Through the haze of cider, she struggled for a moment, until at last she realized what her friend was pointing at.

“Canterlot?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo’s voice practically bubbled with excitement. “I’d just been thinking about it back in the clubhouse. The last time I was here.” Her wings buzzed wildly as she leapt deftly off the edge and onto the bridge, landing with a flourishing spin. “I found out it was the best spot in town to see the city. And just..." Scootaloo stopped a moment, as if too excited to commit her thoughts into speech. "Just...look at it!”

It certainly was a nice view of the lustrous walls of the city. They gleamed like mother of pearl, as if the city were a massive white gem stuck on the mountain. Even from so far away, it was nice to look at.

But that's all it was, a nice view. Apple Bloom frowned, clearly thinking the same thing, her tail flicking. “Scoots, whatcha gettin’ at?”

“I’m saying we could go!” Scootaloo was beaming, hoof still raised in the direction of the alabaster city. “Just the three of us. Nopony else. We’re big enough, aren’t we?”

"To visit?" Sweetie asked, incredulity seeping into her tone. "Anypony can visit Canterlot anytime they want."

"No, no," Scootaloo said, her own voice taking on a hint of frustration. "Not to visit. To live there." Scootaloo waved her hooves about for emphasis. "Finally leave this little old town behind. Actually make something of ourselves. Like your sisters. Like everypony else!"

It was such a simple statement, and yet it somehow set Sweetie’s cider-addled mind reeling. She blinked, struck dumb by the idea.

“Ya mean it?” Apple Bloom’s voice sounded so small. “Like, now?”

“Sure, we could go now!” Scootaloo said. “I mean, after we pack and say goodbye to everypony and everything. But soon! Really soon!”

All of a sudden, Apple Bloom was practically hopping in place. “Golly, Scootaloo, I think that could work!” She made her way over to the edge of the bridge, looking off towards the city. “I mean, look at all those buildings. They’re always making stuff up there. Maybe they could use a pony who knows how to build things.”

“Or a daredevil!” Scootaloo’s voice rose with anticipation. “Like for shows or movies or things like that.” She turned to Sweetie Belle. “And you could do music. Maybe even find a place to perform and be famous!”

Sweetie didn’t respond. Her head was too full of ideas.

Canterlot. Where Rarity was, and Princess Twilight. Where everypony big was. Where everypony who wanted to become somepony went.

The next moment came in a blur. First it registered in Sweetie’s head that she was embracing her friend. Then it registered that her eyes were streaming and her body shaking.

Why was she crying?

“Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo’s voice was alarmed. “Are you alright? Was it something I said? I’m sorry!”

“No!” Sweetie Belle whispered, letting go of her friend as she sniffled softly, wiping her tears away. “I’m happy. Really happy." She lifted up her head with a broad smile through her tears. "You understand! You two get where I’m coming from when nopony else seems to know what they want!”

“Of course we understand,” Apple Bloom said, chuckling. “But why in the bloomin’ apples didn’t we ever think about it sooner?”

“I don’t know!” Sweetie Belle was still reeling from the sudden rush of emotion. “It was just so...so, I dunno…”

“Obvious?” Scootaloo offered. “It’s what this town does to you. Everypony thinks too small.” She beamed. “But not us! Not the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“We’ll go this weekend!” Apple Bloom said, holding her hoof up to the air.

Sweetie Belle placed hers against it. “We’ll make it big!”

Scootaloo joined in. “We’re gonna be awesome!”

They could do this! They were going to the city!

It was actually happening!

For a shining moment, Sweetie Belle felt invincible in a way she hadn’t since she’d been a foal.

And then her stomach lurched violently and she immediately bent over the side of the bridge, throwing up.

Apple Bloom made a noise halfway between sympathy and disgust. “Yeah,” she remarked. “Probably time to get ya home.”

Author's Note

We’re all sick with the malady
From Vanhoover to the Everfree
We are disciples of a rotten love
The Students of Celestia!

Dear Darling Sister

Apple Bloom couldn't drag her suitcase out fast enough.

She didn't need much, really. Just the essentials, enough to get started in Canterlot. Thrift was a constant at Sweet Apple Acres, and Apple Bloom didn't see much need to change that.

Maybe she'd have a chance to teach those uppity Canterlot ponies a thing or two about not being wasteful, while she was there. Celestia knew they could use it. Those hotels threw out more in a day than some ponies saw in a year.

She took a moment away from packing to look out the window and at the rolling orchards outside.

Autumn would be here soon. Apple Bloom could smell it in the air, and feel it in the breeze wafting in from outside.

Autumn had always been her favorite time of year - and the busiest. Soon the trees would be laden with fruit, and she would be hard at work, with her siblings, getting the harvest done.

No, she quickly corrected herself. Applejack and Big Macintosh would be out there in the fields. She would be living it up in Canterlot, far away.

She scrunched her nose at the thought. Harvest was always hard work, and she knew her work would be sorely missed. Sugar Belle was in no condition to help - not that she was really built for farming from the start.

It was enough to give her pause, her eyes turning towards the suitcase that lay open atop her bed. She couldn't leave all that behind, could she? Leave her family? Leave everypony she loved and cared about?

No. Scootaloo was right, it was time to leave this life behind. There was a world out there and she had to be a part of it.

Three wooden knocks yanked Apple Bloom from her thoughts. She turned just in time to see a familiar orange earth pony at the door, tired emerald eyes twinkling with a fond smile.

"Hey, Apple Bloom."

It was a smile Apple Bloom returned with alacrity, as she leapt away from the window to draw her sister in for a fond hug. "Hey, Applejack."

Applejack chuckled softly, giving Apple Bloom a gentle squeeze before releasing her. "You're usually the first one down for dinner. Thought I'd come to see what was what." Her eyes turned to the open suitcase. "Shucks. Ain't ever seen ya this excited about a trip before."

Apple Bloom giggled. "Yeah, well. I'd have finished packin' sooner if I hadn't gone to see Sweetie this morning. She's still got her head in a bucket."

Applejack shook her head, clicking her tongue in mock disapproval. "Poor thing. She's got to learn how to hold her cider." She snickered. "That reminds me. Rainbow's joining us for lunch tomorrow. Think Scootaloo might want to come?"

"S'funny," Apple Bloom answered. "Haven't seen Scoots anywhere. She's usually out practicing around this time. She wasn't at her aunts', neither."

"Shame." Applejack shrugged her shoulders. "Rainbow ain't here for long. Thought Scootaloo'd be leapin' all over that like bees on a blossom."

Bees on a blossom. There was nothing out there quite like Applejack's way with words.

"Think ya'll are gonna be OK?" Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack's expression turned quizzical. "Hm?"

Apple Bloom gestured out the window. "Harvest. If I ain't here, well..."

"Oh, don't you worry yourself about it none." Applejack's voice was as reassuring as it was tender. "We'll manage fine, just you see." Abruptly, Apple Bloom found her head locked in Applejack's foreleg, a hoof playfully rubbing into her skull. "So long as you come to visit often, ya hear?"

Apple Bloom could only squirm in place. "I promise, I promise!" She wriggled her way out, all giggles as she beamed at her sister. This was a game they'd played for as long as she could remember, and time hadn't tarnished its joys any.

Still, for all the reassurances in Applejack's words, she couldn't shake off a nagging, biting sense of unease deep in her belly.

"I just don't want to leave you all here," Apple Bloom muttered. "Livin' it up in the city by myself."

"Well, you ain't by yourself. Ya got yer friends, don't ya?" Applejack smiled broadly. "S'just nerves, I'm sure of it. Here, if ya want, I could tell ya a bit about my own time in the big city if you'd like?"

Apple Bloom's ears perked. "Ya mean when you lived with Aunt and Uncle Orange?"

"Mhm." Applejack turned her head off, smiling reminiscently. "I mean, it ain't Canterlot, but I learned a thing or two about the highfalutin' life. Maybe you could use it better than I did."

"Yeah," Apple Bloom said. "I'd like that."

Would she?

"But that didn't turn out great for ya, did it?" Apple Bloom's asked.

"What didn't?"

"Manehattan. I mean, you came back to Sweet Apple Acres, didn't you?"

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, I guess I did. After I got my cutie mark. But hey, what didn't work so well for me shouldn't stop ya now, should it?"

Should it?

Apple Bloom didn't answer, and Applejack didn't press further. The mare merely gave Apple Bloom a fond pat on the back before turning away. "Don't stay too late up, now. Dinner's gettin' cold."

With the clipclop of Applejack's steps echoing in the hallway and down the stairs, Apple Bloom was alone again.

Alone, with cold hooves.

She'd be leaving her family, the ones that mattered most to her, for a place she barely knew. All that uncertainty, for a payoff that might never come. It wasn't like architects weren't a dime a dozen. What chance did a little hayseed like her have against all those university bigwigs?

Apple Bloom wasn't worth much. But Applejack? Applejack was the Element of Honesty.

If it didn't work for Applejack, what chance in Equestria was there that it would work for her?

Manehattan wasn't that far removed from Canterlot. Not where it mattered most.

Maybe this wasn't right for her after all.

It was with reluctant steps that Apple Bloom turned away from the window. She couldn't bear to look at her suitcase, still open on her bedsheets.

Dinner, first. What she could stomach of it, anyway. And then time to figure out what to tell her friends.

Author's Note

Dear darling sister, are you listening?
Will you remember all these feelings that I sing?
I'm having second thoughts, oh what a drag
I'm torn between this place and all I've ever had...

Another Closing Door

Patience had never really been one of Scootaloo's virtues.

The clipclopping of her hooves on the floor sounded unnaturally loud in her ears. She paced back and forth, along the edge of the Ponyville train station platform. The air was chilly, the view foggy. The light outside was blue and grey in the early hours of dawn.

Scootaloo's heart raced as if she'd chased down an espresso with a cupful of sugar.

Where the heck was Apple Bloom?

Scootaloo had bought the first tickets leaving that morning for Canterlot. She hadn't slept much - none of them had, she supposed - but how could she? She had a suitcase, she had a ticket, and she was ready to hit the road with her friends. It was time for a whole new life!

Or it would be, if their trio weren't down to two.

If Sweetie felt just as impatient as Scootaloo, she did a much better job of hiding it. She sat up straight, all refined and ladylike on a nearby bench. The unicorn was frowning, glancing up at the station clock with increasing frequency. "What's holding her up?"

"I don't know!" Scootaloo's voice came out sounding more irritated than she'd meant, and Sweetie seemed to notice, raising a brow at the outburst. Scootaloo pursed her lips and muttered an apology as she sat beside the unicorn. "It's just not like Apple Bloom to be late for anything. She's the one always going off townsponies for being late risers."

Sweetie shrugged, hindhooves tapping upon the ground. "Maybe she's saying her goodbyes?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the prospect. "The Apples are family, but they're not that sappy."

"Yeah, but it's different this time. We're kind of leaving for good," Sweetie pointed out. "She probably just got caught up, that's all. Or she's paying her last respects to Granny Smith. It's nothing, I'll bet."

"Famous last words," Scootaloo groaned.

Oh, please be right, Sweetie Belle.

Twenty minutes to departure became ten, then eight, then five. And still there was no sign of Apple Bloom anywhere. The few other ponies at the station were boarding the train, a bearded conductor ushering them in.

Scootaloo's prolonged groan of frustration timed perfectly with the shrill whistle of the train. "Where is she?!"

She felt movement just to her side, as Sweetie Belle suddenly perked up, pointing excitedly. "There she is!"

Scootaloo looked up in the direction of Sweetie's hoof and sure enough, there was Apple Bloom with her saddlebags. She didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, trotting along the platform. She seemed bummed out for sure, but that was fine. Apple Bloom was always a family pony, maybe she was just sad to see them go.

Where was her suitcase?

Sweetie Belle didn't seem to care, rushing over to embrace Apple Bloom. "We were getting worried! Come on, the train's almost about to leave."

Apple Bloom didn't move to embrace Sweetie Belle back. "I'm not goin', girls."

What?

Scootaloo stared in disbelief for a long moment before she could find her voice again. "What do you mean, you're not going? Come on, Apple Bloom, this is Canterlot! This is what we've been looking forward to all week!"

Apple Bloom shook her head, not meeting either of their eyes. "I just can't. I've thought about it, and I just... I can't leave."

Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to speak, but Scootaloo cut across her friend, waving a hoof in the direction of the train. "Cut it out, you can't be having second thoughts now. The train's gonna leave soon, we gotta get on!"

"I've been thinkin' about this for a while," Apple Bloom answered. "Honestly, I just came to give you this."

She reached into her saddlebags, scooping out a few coins into Scootaloo's hoof. Seven bits, her fare for the ticket to Canterlot.

"I know I was goin' with you." Apple Bloom turned her head to the side, pointedly refusing to look at either of them. "But I can't. Not while there's still stuff here to do at home. And Applejack and Big Macintosh and everypony else. I've thought long and hard, and I'm sorry for tellin' you all of this at the last second, but... I ain't goin', and that's final."

"Apple Bloom..." Sweetie Belle attempted. She reached forth to place a comforting hoof upon Apple Bloom's shoulder. The earth pony shrank back, eyes still fixed on the ground.

"Look, don't make this any harder than it has to be. I've made up my mind." Apple Bloom raised her head at last, gesturing towards the train. "Y'all should get on."

A deep anger erupted from within Scootaloo, escaping as bitter words. "You know what, Sweetie Belle? Forget it!" She stomped her hoof. "If Apple Bloom's gonna quit, we don't want her. And we don't need her!"

An awkward silence ensued. Apple Bloom's forehoof tapped upon the station floor, her mouth opening as if to speak, but she closed it again. Instead she heaved a deep breath before screwing up her face as if trying not to cry.

Déjà vu. Scootaloo remembered hearing those very words herself, long ago, at the very same station. Only difference was that she and Apple Bloom and switched roles. And somehow, things felt different. More permanent. More final.

Apple Bloom choked out a half-sob. "I'll write!" she blurted, briskly turning around to run. She didn't turn back once as she disappeared into the haze, back in the direction of the town.

Sweetie Belle called after her. "Wait!" Her hoof reached impotently towards her fleeing friend, her ears pinning back as she registered concern and sadness.

But Scootaloo? She wasn't sad. She was furious.

That's it? After everything? That's all we get?!

She nudged at Sweetie Belle with a hoof. "Come on. We're late."

"But-"

"Now."

Sweetie Belle hesitated just a moment longer, before relenting to follow Scootaloo. They rushed on board, just in time for the doors to close and the whistle to sound, signalling their departure.

They took their seats. With a lurch the train pulled away, forwards into the mist, leaving Ponyville somewhere behind them.

Ponyville, and Apple Bloom too.

Scootaloo sat in silence, scowling away as Sweetie Belle looked out the window with a frown. Not even the prospect of Canterlot could brighten the mood. Not after the stunt Apple Bloom had just pulled.

The nerve!

"I'm sure she had a good reason," Sweetie Belle said, breaking the silence.

Scootaloo could only dig her hindhooves onto the floor and grunt a response. What was there to say?

"Scootaloo?"

"Just shut up for a bit, won't you?"

Scootaloo couldn't see Sweetie Belle's face, but she could hear her sigh.

This was gonna be a long trip.

Author's Note

I can't explain it now, but I won't come along
There just ain't nowhere I can go
I've got to run away to places you can't come
It's just another closing door...

Row of Crystal Trees

Sweetie Belle needed out. Another minute of Scootaloo, and she'd probably break something.

How many weeks had it been since they came to Canterlot? Six? Seven? Too many, either way.

And rent was due Friday! Oh, Luna, she never remembered Canterlot being so expensive!

All the more expensive when neither she nor Scootaloo could find any work worth anything.

It was just temporary, she'd told Scootaloo, when she finally scored a job waiting tables at a local pub. There'd be chances to look around, find a proper gig for herself. There'd surely be a way to break into music if she just looked hard enough. But Scootaloo's own attempts at street performing had fallen flat, and here she was to provide for both of them.

And the longer it went, the more depressed Scootaloo got. These days, Sweetie saw Scootaloo asleep more than she saw her awake. And when she was awake, more often than not she was vegging out with a bottle of cheap cider.

Darn it, Scootaloo! This whole thing was your idea!

Nor had Apple Bloom written back. There wasn't even any way of telling if their letters had been reaching Sweet Apple Acres at all. Sweetie had stopped trying to write after the fourth week. It was becoming harder to justify shelling out bits for much of anything right now, even something like postage stamps.

Writing to her own friend had become a luxury. Oh, what a life!

The party was definitely over, and the hangover here to stay. Not even thinking back to Rumble's infectious attitude on the train ride here could rekindle those thoughts now.

It was a brisk, breezy night. Autumn in Canterlot got chilly when the sun came down, and her breath came out in wisps as she stepped out into the streets. The cobblestone paths nipped at the edge of her hooves wherever she walked. She tightened the scarf around her neck as she looked about at the sights of nighttime city life.

There was never a time when Canterlot didn't have loads of ponies out and about. Even on a cold, overcast night like this, with the slightest precipitation falling from above, there were plenty of ponies walking about their business.

So many ponies. So many words. All that talking, all that laughing. All that crying, all that shouting.

"You lost, miss?"

Sweetie looked up to meet the eyes of an elder pony. He wore a friendly smile, clad in a Canterlot Transit uniform and cap. Only when he spoke did Sweetie realize she'd nearly collided headfirst into a streetlamp.

"Yeah!" Sweetie's voice sounded a bit breathless as she struggled to straighten herself out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean no. I mean..."

The transit pony chuckled. "Yeah, you mean no?"

How eloquent, Sweetie Belle.

"I meant..." Sweetie swallowed and tried yet again. "I was hoping to see the Row of Crystal Trees. Do you know where it is?"

The transit pony gestured down the street with a hoof. "Head down until you hit Fourth Street. Take a left, head down a bit until you hit Neighpolitan Avenue. Head down, take a right at Seventh Street, and you'll see it dead ahead. You'll know it when you see it." He smiled. "First time in Canterlot?"

For the briefest of moments, Sweetie thought about telling him the complicated events of the last few weeks.

No, she wanted to say. I've been in Canterlot for weeks now. One of my best friends isn't here, and the other isn't helping in the slightest. Won't you help me?

Too much effort. Just thinking about it tired her.

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said simply.

"Mm." The transit pony touched his cap. "Well, you have a nice night, miss. And enjoy the Row, you picked a good time to visit. Nopony out there around this time, but me? I think it's the best time to go." He turned away now, heading in the direction of the Metro station just ahead.

Again, for the briefest of moments, Sweetie thought to speak out, ask for more.

How could talking with somepony make her feel so alone?

Neighpolitan Avenue was lined with shops and ponies. The chilly air carried with it the rich scent of foods cooking in the restaurants to either side of the street. Voices on speakers, beckoning travellers t come and buy their wares. Lights advertising things, lights from homes and stores and offices.

So many ponies. So many words. All that talking, all that laughing. All that crying, all that shouting.

On she walked. She was surrounded by life, and she was the loneliest pony in the world.

There it was, the Row of Crystal Trees.

A gift from the Crystal Empire, trees made entirely of living crystal planted in the very heart of Canterlot. Every little light of the city shone down upon them, where they burst into scintillating specks of multicolored fire like so many opals.

They looked so pretty, the same way lights looked through tears in half-closed eyes.

She walked amidst the trees, lifting a hoof upwards to gently stroke one of the branches. Dewdrops collected upon the frog of her hoof, into a little pool of water that ran down her foreleg and dripped from her knee. It was cold, colder than the air outside, and it stung at her hoof as she went onwards.

The voices of the city were more muted here, away from the bustle of Canterlot's busiest streets. But Sweetie could still hear them, from somewhere just behind.

So many ponies. So many words. All that talking, all that laughing. All that crying, all that shouting.

None of it for her.

Just the clipclop of her own hooves, walking along the Row of Crystal Trees.

Author's Note

I've got the city stretching all around me
So many broken hearts and hooves around me
My scream rings out above the din around me
But no one hears me cry

Keep Dreaming

The apartment was getting dark, but Scootaloo couldn't be bothered to turn on any more lights.

A faint orange glow filtered in through the edges of her covered windows from the streetlamps outside. If she pulled the drapes aside, she'd get a great view of the dumpster just across the street. Maybe the occasional tipsy pony stumbling back home after having one too many.

They weren't exactly living high in Canterlot's finest penthouses. But at least they had a place.

It was getting a bit dusty, Scootaloo realized. Probably time to clean up, but nah. She'd do that later.

Scootaloo was alone. Sweetie Belle had stepped out in a huff a little while ago. Something about needing some air, Scootaloo hadn't really been paying attention.

Fine by her. If Sweetie was going to have a hissy fit, that was her problem. Who was she to judge? Like scoring a waitress job was such a big whoop!

It wasn't like she hadn't been working her own tail off! It wasn't like she didn't know she was a waste of space! She didn't need anypony to tell her what she was doing a perfectly good job telling herself!

She was trying, for goodness' sake, why couldn't Sweetie see that?

It was just like Ponyville all over again. The constant failures, always coming back at the end of the day feeling like she'd wasted her time. All the empty applause in the square, never paying off. All the we'll-get-back-to-yous and we'll-keep-you-in-minds.

If she had known this was where she'd end up, maybe she should have stuck with the Washouts after all.

At least she had her cider bottles. There were a lot of them at her hooves, forming a wall of glass between her and the apartment. Her own little fortress of bottles. She was protected from life's miseries in here.

Safe with an old album book from her foalhood. Her hoof ran across old photos and banners. A rainbow-maned pegasus grinned from them. Scootaloo couldn't find it in herself to return it.

Why couldn't she be awesome like Rainbow?

You've got this, Rainbow had always said. You can do it. I believe in you. Ever since Scootaloo had brought up wanting to get in the daredevil business, Rainbow had been there for a word of encouragement and a helping hoof.

Rainbow had introduced her to all those ponies. Got her in front of former Wonderbolts, big-name daredevils. For all the good that did. It always started out well enough, only to come down to nothing in the end. Every single time.

She used to get so excited about that sort of thing. Maybe, just maybe, she could have had one last shot in Canterlot. She thought back to that night, on the Ponyville Bridge, trying to drag her friends along on what was sure to be a great adventure.

Nope. Just another failure.

Nothing excited her like that anymore. Not the Canterlot lights, not dreams of being awesome like Rainbow.

There was a radio in the corner that had been playing this whole while. Scootaloo only grew aware of it again as the song ended, giving way to applause that sounded unbearably loud by comparison. For a fleeting moment, she tried to imagine that it was applause meant for her.

"That was 'Nocturne' by the very lovely Fairy Tale, as recorded from her live performance at the Manehattan Center of the Arts. I'd sure say she earned the applause that night. More to come, but first, a few words from our sponsors..."

Scootaloo took a deep swig from her cider and grimaced. This stuff was nasty. Way too sweet. Nothing like the proper cider the Apples made back in Ponyville. She spared the briefest thought for Apple Bloom and whatever she was up to, but the thought quickly dissipated. Hard to think of your friends when you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself.

Her thoughts were cut short by the tinny voice that now came from the radio set. Set against the backdrop of bugles and a triumphant marching tune, it was at once familiar to Scootaloo.

"There's a team out there, and it's looking for you, if you're somepony who wants to be somepony."

Rainbow Dash?

"There's a team out there, and if you're the sort of pony never to give up? Never to back down? It's a team that's looking for ponies like you."

It was Rainbow Dash! She did voices for a few commercials, didn't she?

"Join the Royal Guard today! Be somepony! Be the pony you always knew you could be! Make a difference! Find a recruiting office near you, and start today!"

Rainbow's voice gave way to other voices on the radio, talking about sales and merchandise and all other sorts of mumbo-jumbo. But Scootaloo didn't care about that. She suddenly sat up, feeling shockingly lucid in spite of all the cider she'd had.

No, it was stupid. It was just a radio ad. Somepony gave Rainbow a bagful of bits to come into the studio for a day and record something for the Royal Guard because she was a well-known pony. That was it.

And yet, she felt like Rainbow was talking to her.

Be somepony.

That was all she'd ever really wanted, hadn't it?

Her eyes turned back to her album. Rainbow's face was still grinning at her encouragingly from those photos.

You can do it, they seemed to say. You can be somepony. I always believed in you.

Maybe she wasn't cut out for this daredevil business. Why keep bashing her head against that wall? Why not go someplace where she really could be somepony?

Someplace big. Someplace proud. Like the Wonderbolts!

Or the Royal Guard?

Scootaloo stood up, hooves a little unsteady. She walked to the apartment door, fumbling a little with the lock before she stepped out into the hall and into the chilly streets of Canterlot.

She'd have to find a way to tell Sweetie Belle about this. She wasn't going to be happy.

Author's Note

Canterlot, where I was taught all those dreams would come true
Foals and fools, silly rules of my life...

Fortuna

Sweetie Belle needed a drink.

She didn't care if it was the middle of the day. She didn't care that she had a full day's shift to look forward to tomorrow. She didn't care if she was going to regret it in the morning. She needed the sweet, sweet burn of alcohol.

She tilted her head back, ignoring the quizzical look the bartender gave her. Down her throat the drink went, stinging like disinfectant on a skinned knee. Her head swam briefly, her hooves digging into the edge of the bar as she drew in a deep breath.

The Royal Guard?! Of all the places to go, Scootaloo joined the Royal Guard?!

Scootaloo hadn't even had the courtesy to tell her that to her face. Instead, Sweetie had come back from her walk that night to find an empty apartment and loads of empty bottles, and no sign of Scootaloo anywhere. Only a day later, nearly out of her mind with worry, did she find a haphazardly written note in her mailbox in Scootaloo's writing. The scrawl inside told her she'd gone to the Royal Guard and not to worry.

Oh, she was worried alright! She was worried about how she was going to make rent without anypony else around to help!

That coward.

Scootaloo just couldn't deal with it, could she? She couldn't accept that her daredeviling wasn't going anywhere. She couldn't even bother to get off her rump and pitch in every once in a while. And now she'd left Sweetie alone.

Alone! In Canterlot!

She could ask Rarity for help. She knew her sister would drop everything at a moment's notice for her. She'd been thinking a lot about it lately, but in the end she always decided against it. Even now, she wanted to show everypony - show herself - she could stand on her own hooves. Leave the sugary sweetness back in Ponyville where it belonged.

Easier said than done, of course.

"Rough day, huh?"

The voice came from an adjacent seat.

Sweetie turned, meeting the gaze of another unicorn mare. Her coat was a glossy palomino, mane a sultry blonde. She snickered, hoof resting on the top of a highball glass. "I know the feel. I used to think this kind of life was such a drag."

Sweetie offered a small smile. "Yeah," she answered. "I guess it can be a bit of a drag."

The unicorn snorted, waving a dismissive hoof. "I said 'used to'. I don't think that way anymore. What am I, some Ponyville rube? That's not who I am."

Sweetie couldn't help but giggle at that. "That's where I'm from. Ponyville."

"Yeah?" The mare smirked. "Could've guessed." She offered a hoof. "My name's Fortuna."

"Sweetie Belle." She accepted the hoof gratefully. It was warm, the grip of the mare's hoof firm and comforting. "So you live in Canterlot?"

"I do now." Fortuna grinned. It was a warm grin, the kind that exuded confidence and invited others to share along. "I wasn't always like this. You know how it is with small town life. Keeps a pony down, doesn't do a thing for her dreams. But now..." She raised a hoof, gesturing vaguely upwards. "Now I'm living the high life. I'm the sort of pony I’ve always wanted to be. I sing, I dance, ponies love me, and I love them back. What's not to love?"

Sweetie hung onto every word, captivated. In just those few moments, Fortuna had encapsulated everything Sweetie ever had been. Everything she wanted. Everything she was trying to be. She understood.

Fortuna was everything Sweetie had ever wanted to be.

"How'd you get there?" Sweetie asked, voice sounding small and meek beside Fortuna's huskier tone.

"How'd I get here?" Fortuna chuckled. "Boring question. I've got a better one." She put her hoof to her glass, deftly sliding it down the bar in Sweetie's direction. "What're you looking for? What do you want?"

Sweetie caught the glass, ice tinkling against the glass as amber liquid sloshed inside. She looked from the glass back to her new friend, who gestured for her to go on. Sweetie drew the glass to her lips, taking a deep sip before answering. "I want to be big," she answered. "I want to be somepony. I want to sing, and dance, and have ponies love me, and love them back."

Fortuna smirked. "Then come with me," she said, slipping off her seat, tail whisking briefly against Sweetie's cheek. "Let me show you my side of life." She stopped at the door, beckoning for Sweetie to follow.

Sweetie fumbled to toss a few bits on the counter and follow Fortuna out of the bar, into the frigid streets of Canterlot, rubbing her eyes a little in the harsh light of the outdoors. Onwards they walked, Fortuna always a few steps ahead, through the bustling streets.

Fortuna turned abruptly, into an alley. Sweetie only barely caught sight of her tail seemingly disappearing into the ground as she descended a series of steps just hidden from view, into a basement entrance hidden under the street.

Sweetie entered into a darkened space, the only light coming from lanterns hung above. The ground beneath her hooves was lavish carpet, brick walls covered in murals and paintings and banners and all manner of exotic artwork. Ponies sat at tables all around, sipping from glasses, talking amongst themselves. Some sat in corners scribbling furiously in notebooks. A stage stood empty at the far end of the room, a lone microphone upon its stand.

"Like it?"

Fortuna was standing at Sweetie Belle's side, gesturing around the room. "These are my digs. These little underground artist's clubs all over Canterlot. You want to be somepony? You want to be me? You start here." She jabbed her elbow into Sweetie's side, pointing her hoof towards the stage. "Go ahead. Step up."

Sweetie turned in disbelief. "What? Now?"

"Now." Fortuna grinned. "You want to be somepony, don't you? Get up there. Take a chance."

Sweetie bit her lip at the prospect. "I just got here! Nopony's just gonna-"

"Just gonna give you everything on a silver platter," Fortuna finished for her. "So make it happen." Without warning, the other unicorn closed the gap between them, planting a kiss on Sweetie's horn. "For courage."

Whoa.

With a profound shudder, something seemed to emanate from her horn down into every last corner of her body. It was a warm feeling, a courageous feeling, a good feeling.

The same feeling she got at the Ponyville Bridge. The same feeling she got talking to Rumble that day on the train.

She could do this.

Fortuna's eyes were gleaming as she gestured to the stage. "Now go."

Did she have a choice?

Moving past Fortuna, with a steadiness belying the alcohol in her head, she stepped past the seated ponies up onto the stage. She took her place behind the microphone.

Silence. All noise in the club stopped. Sweetie Belle became painfully conscious of dozens of eyes watching her.

She opened her muzzle, and she sang.

Sweetie sang like she had so many times in Ponyville. Just another Show Tunes cover, pouring her heart and soul into every last syllable. Not an instrument to back her up. Just her, and the microphone, and the crowd.

Only halfway through the song did it register that somepony else was singing with her.

She opened eyes, she hadn't realized had been shut, to see a stallion had come on stage. His was a peach-colored coat, his mane a curly ginger. He sang along, standing beside Sweetie Belle at the microphone, harmonizing with every note she sung,

The beautiful spontaneity of it all was enough to bring Sweetie Belle to tears.

And cry she did, tears streaming freely as she sang the final notes to the watching audience, in tune with the stallion's own voice, letting it fade into the rapturous applause and roars of approval from the darkened room.

Swept up by raw impulse and the high of the moment, Sweetie leaned towards her duet partner and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

Applause that had begun to die down roared anew as the stallion, blinking briefly in surprise, took the matter in stride and kissed her back.

From the corner of her eye, somewhere in the crowd, Sweetie saw Fortuna watching, flashing her a grin and an approving nod.

Author's Note

My name is Fortuna, I'm a mare of the light
I'm the one who's gonna help you find yourself
I'm all that you've wanted, I'm the one that you see
In your desperation and your dreams, now

Kiss Away the Nightmares

Apple Bloom hadn't picked up her guitar in years.

She'd been learning for a while, ever since Applejack gifted her old guitar one Hearth's Warming. Apple Bloom could still remember how excited she'd been when she got it, how eager she’d been to learn.

Still, she had an hour to kill. It was as good a time as any to try again.

Apple Bloom was outside, on the familiar orchard paths she'd always known. With a guitar hung over her back and her hooves kicking up the damp earth beneath, she made her way onwards to pay Granny Smith a visit.

A breeze wafted through the trees and tickled at Apple Bloom's mane. Memories resurfaced of a walk just like this one. Hauling a cartful of cider on this very path, to meet with her friends.

Her friends.

Their letters sat on her cabinet back in her room, unopened. She couldn't bear to look at them and remember what she was missing. Her friends were in Canterlot, making their dreams come true, and here she was back home, wasting away, bucking apples, living the same life day in and day out.

Yellow and orange and brown all around her. An earthy sweetness in the air, the faintest hint of winter's incoming chill in the wind. Petals from hundreds of apple blossoms littered the ground wherever she stepped.

Apple Bloom had always loved the autumn. Now, it terrified her.

Was this always going to be her life?

Every day blended together into a single laborious moment. Bucking apples, pulling carts. Smiles at the table for mealtimes. Staring at the ceiling for hours at night, trying to pretend the faint lights of Ponyville from her window were really coming from Canterlot. Biting back sobs, trying to forget her own yearning. Failing, every single time.

She'd arrived.

Granny Smith had never been one for a lot of fuss and bother. That last night, she'd insisted that nopony go through any on her behalf. True to their promise, they'd buried her in a quiet corner of the orchard, a simple stone to mark her resting place, amidst a little grove of apple trees.

Apple Bloom sat before the grave and began to strum a tune.

It had been around the time of Granny Smith's passing that she'd stopped playing, she realized. No real reason, really. It just fell by the wayside, the way things sometimes did without ponies meaning to.

She became vaguely aware of somepony watching, from just behind the trees. She kept playing, only turning her head to face the visitor once she'd finished her song.

Sugar Belle stood there, a sad smile on her muzzle. Apple Bloom met her sister-in-law with a sad smile of her own.

She said nothing as she stepped forwards, to take a seat beside Apple Bloom and look silently at the stone over Granny Smith's grave. She rested a hoof on her belly, swollen with foal, watching in silence for many moments.

"Come to find me?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I heard the music," Sugar Belle answered. "I thought I'd come and pay my respects too."

"Mm."

No words for a long time. The wind in the trees was ample sound for the both of them.

"You doing OK?" Sugar Belle finally asked.

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Yeah, I'm OK. Why wouldn't I be OK?"

Sugar Belle heaved a deep breath. "Applejack's worried, you know."

Apple Bloom exhaled in a snort she didn't mean to make. "What's she so worried about?"

"About you." Sugar Belle shifted a little where she sat. "Ever since your friends left for Canterlot, well..."

"Well, what?" The words came out forcefully, with an anger that Apple Bloom had tried, for so long, to pretend wasn't there. Her heart sank as she saw how it made Sugar Belle flinch.

"She just doesn't want to see you so torn up," Sugar Belle said quietly. "And I don't either. If you're hurting, I want to help."

Apple Bloom pursed her lips, tail sweeping on the ground. Whatever she felt, it just wasn't fair to take it out on Sugar Belle.

"I'll be fine," she said, trying to offer a smile. It felt more like a misshapen simper. "Really. Don't worry about me. Ya got somepony a whole lot more important to worry about." Apple Bloom gestured to Sugar Belle's belly.

Sugar Belle smiled at that, tenderly rubbing at her belly. "You should have seen Little Mac's face when we told him he was going to get a sister. Gosh, I wish I'd gotten a photo."

"You're a great momma." Apple Bloom's smile felt a little more genuine now. "I love how your family's growin'."

Family.

Sugar Belle leaned over, wrapping her hoof around Apple Bloom and giving her a fond squeeze. "You're my family too." She released the hug, getting back to her hooves. "And if you need anything, I'm here for you, alright?"

Apple Bloom could only nod, watching in silence as Sugar Belle departed towards the farmhouse.

Family.

Just like Applejack and Big Macintosh, right? Apples to the core, together. All of them.

Family.

The ones she'd do anything for. The same ponies she'd drop everything for. The ones she had dropped everything for.

That was why she was still here, wasn't it? Because of family?

All those dreams of building homes and libraries and skyscrapers. All those prospects. Traded all of it, and her friends with it, for endless days in an apple orchard. All of it for family.

Family!

The same brother whose ambitions stopped at apples! The same sister who'd talked her away from following her friends to Canterlot! The same family that treated her like a foal! Held her back from where she was supposed to be!

And the same sister-in-law about to bring yet another pony into this sorry excuse of a life! She took it back. Sugar Belle deserved it as much as the rest of them.

For a burning moment, Apple Bloom hated them all.

She then suddenly grew aware of a sharp pinch on the frog of her hoof. Apple Bloom looked down to see how she'd unconsciously been pressing her hoof into the ground out of suppressed rage, right atop a sharp pebble on the ground.

Just like that, her anger dissipated and left a lingering guilt in its wake.

No. She didn't hate them. How dare she think that way?

And yet however she tried to ignore it, scream in her own head again and again how much she loved them, there was no denying what was there. A lingering, doubting resentment.

No. Not here. Not in front of Granny Smith.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath. For a moment she simply took in the autumnal peace of the orchard around her, before she took up the guitar and began to strum again. Something, anything to fill the void her anger had left behind.

Somepony, please. Save her from all this.

Author's Note

Take my hoof and pull me out this mudhole
Kiss away the nightmares, won't you please?
It's like a burning fever that won't end
Get me out and save me from this place...

One Ride Away

As far as ponies his age went, Rumble had it made, and he knew it.

So did everypony else. How many had come running up to him for an autograph in just this last hour alone? Fifty? A hundred? Maybe even two hundred. He and the other colts had gotten their fair share of attention today, and then some.

He was living the dream, alright.

Who knew breakdancing would become such a fad, let alone his special talent? Yet here he was, with his own troupe, touring Equestria. All smiles for the cameras, busting a move wherever he went. Now he was the sort of young stallion foals aspired to be.

Kind of the same way he still aspired to be like Thunderlane, now that he thought about it.

Thunderlane. He really should catch up with him sometime.

Rumble would have, too. This last performance had been in Saddle Lane, and Ponyville was just one train stop away. Any other time he wouldn't think twice, but his schedule was tight as it was. Now, he was boarding a train headed the other direction.

But hey, adventure waited for nopony, right? And Thunderlane, above all ponies, would understand that.

Canterlot or bust!

Still, it was good to see the train coming into the station. It was still early enough, and the passengers sleepy enough, that he and the others would have some time to themselves away from the prying public.

The train had barely come to a stop, doors hissing open, when his eyes fell upon two familiar figures sitting there.

One orange, one white. Both a blast from the past.

Wait, he knew these ponies!

"Sweetie Belle?" Rumble lifted a hoof to his sunglasses and lowered them to make sure they weren't trying to deceive him. "Scootaloo?"

At the sound of their names, the two mares perked their ears and lifted their heads. For how quickly their faces shifted to tired smiles, there wasn't any mistaking how exhausted and sour the two looked.

Sweetie Belle put on a smile, at least. "Oh, wow! Hey Rumble!" Her eyes glanced around at the rest of Rumble's entourage. "And the rest of the Rumbling Rovers! Gosh, it's good to see you guys again!"

"Right?" Rumble didn't wait for an invitation, coming down to sit beside Sweetie Belle and lean back. "Didn't think I'd get to see you two for a long time. I wasn't planning on coming back to Ponyville for a while."

Scootaloo's own smile looked a bit strained. "Where are you heading off to, then?"

Rumble wiggled his own hoof in the air dismissively. "Canterlot. Where else? Off to our next big gig. We're performing there this weekend, didn't you guys hear?"

"Hey, we're going to Canterlot too! The three of us-" Sweetie Belle stopped short, suddenly crestfallen. "Well, the two of us are going to try and live there."

Scootaloo looked like she was ready to put her hoof through the window.

Rumble's own brow contorted in a frown as he leaned back and crossed his hooves. "Say, where is Apple Bloom?"

"Not here," came Scootaloo's curt response.

Sweetie was a little more gentle. "She... decided not to come. We don't really know why."

It was obvious Rumble wasn't going to get much more than that, and he decided not to press any further. "Well, what about you two? You're headed to Canterlot, right? What for?"

Scootaloo fidgeted in her seat, while Sweetie Belle spoke up. "Well...I was thinking of trying for a career music. There's bound to be somepony in Canterlot willing to take a chance on somepony who can carry a tune, right?" She gestured to her pegasus friend. "And Scootaloo's a real performer! There's a few stunt things you wanted to look into, wasn't there?"

Scootaloo merely shrugged her shoulders and nodded in response with a grunt.

Rumble scrunched his muzzle, crossing his forelegs in brief thought. It really wasn't like these two to be so glum. It was actually kind of upsetting to see them like this, they'd always been so chipper.

Then again, he realized, his own team wasn't one pony short.

"Say." Rumble tapped a hoof idly on the edge of his seat. "Remember that Cutie Mark Day Camp you used to run?"

"Yeah?" Scootaloo lifted her head up. "What about it?"

"Well, look at it this way." He gestured at himself. "Don't you remember how I used to be when you started that camp? Going off about how cutie marks only limit you?"

"Mhm?"

"It took me a little time to come around, right?" Rumble sat up now. "I don't really know what's going on with Apple Bloom, but maybe that's all she needs. Just a bit of time. Like it was with me and cutie marks."

Scootaloo said nothing, but she did turn her head around to face Rumble, expression lightening a little. Sweetie Belle was hanging on to every word, and he was happy to oblige them.

"Like, come on. Look at me!" Rumble grinned. "You don't get to be Rumble and the Rumbling Rovers without getting some perspective. I got there in the end, didn't I?" Rumble stood up now, taking a step back to stand with his troupe. "And if I could do it? If we could make it big like this? You probably can do it too! And Apple Bloom too, when she comes around!"

Scootaloo nodded slowly, a smile slowly creeping on her muzzle. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right!" With every word, a bit more of Scootaloo returned as Rumble remembered her. "That's what we wanted to head out for in the first place. To go big. And that's what we're gonna do!"

Sweetie Belle was beaming now. "Yeah! And I'm sure Apple Bloom will be coming along soon, once she sorts all of this out. We can get started in the meantime!"

There they were. Those were the Cutie Mark Crusaders he remembered.

That felt good. It was the same sort of thrill Rumble got from telling foals not to give up so easily. Dreams were infectious stuff, and he was happy to share them.

The two were now talking between each other. Sweetie Belle about places she could get her hoof in the door and try to get started singing. Scootaloo about pulling stunts in the town square, hoping to build a reputation. They were hopeful again, back to being their old selves as he remembered them.

Rumble turned, gesturing to his troupe. Out came the boom box, and on came the music. At that very moment the train entered a tunnel, darkness enveloping the whole car. In the sudden soupy darkness, Rumble spoke out in the same voice with which he prefaced all his performances.

"Look out, Canterlot! The representative from Ponyville has the floor!"

The train exited the tunnel just in time, washing everypony in light. Rumble couldn't have asked for better timing from Princess Twilight herself. And now, it was time to show off.

An improvised dance routine. On the seats, in the aisle, everywhere that could support their weight. There were only two ponies in the audience, but who cared? This was about having fun. This was about setting fire to those dreams.

And the way those two mares smiled, it was all too clear that this was just what they needed.

The cabin car was all music and laughter, all the way to Canterlot Station.

Author's Note

I sing a song of freedom
Time to feel alive
It's time to make or break it, we'll find our lives
One ride away!