Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo lay in the glorious mid-morning sun, basking in the warmth of yet another beautiful day on Sweet Apple Acres. A gentle breeze blew from the north, rustling the grass beneath them, tickling them somewhat. Sweetie Belle giggled and squirmed a little, but the other two fillies remained still, eyes transfixed on the sky.
“Uh, this is so boring. Can’t we go and do something? Anything at all?” whined Scootaloo.
“Ah told ya Scoot, we’ve done everythin’ we can think of, an’ we ain’t got our Cutie Marks. Until we think o’ somethin’ else t’ do fer our Cutie Marks, we’re just gonna have t’ sit here…” replied Apple Bloom.
“Ugh!” groaned the orange filly, rolling over onto her stomach. Her diminutive wings fluttered and twitched as each slow second passed and her boredom grew. “There must be something we could do!”
Suddenly Sweetie Belle sat bolt upright, her mouth hanging open and her eyes twinkled with an inspired brightness. “I got an idea!”
Scootaloo sprung to her hooves, she stood in front of Sweetie Belle, her face pressed unnaturally close to her. Hey eyes widened and glimmered with a hint of desperation. “What is it?”
“Easy there, Scootaloo” muttered Apple Bloom as she pulled her excited friend back a few paces, giving Sweetie Belle some space. “What’s yer idea, Sweetie Belle?”
“Why don’t we have a tea party?!” she squeaked.
“A tea party, are you serious? I don’t want a Cutie Mark in that! I want it to be something cool, like racing!” exclaimed Scootaloo, thrusting her forehooves towards the sky, exaggerating her disappointment.
“Whoa there, Scootaloo. She don’ mean it like that. She means hostin’ a tea party, an’ seein’ if we can get our Cutie Marks in that. Right Sweetie Belle?”
“Uh, y-yeah” replied the white filly, caught completely off guard by Scootaloo’s angry outburst. “I should’ve been clearer…”
The three fillies stood there in silence, Apple Bloom stood between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo had her back to the group, deep in thought, whilst Sweetie Belle had taken a few steps further back, just in case Scootaloo let loose another outburst. They three of them remained there in hushed silence, before Scootaloo piped up.
“I suppose it’s a good idea, we haven’t tried hosting anything yet…” She turned to look at her friends, or rather looked at Apple Bloom and hoped that Sweetie Belle was listening.
“Fine…let’s host a tea party.” Replied the orange filly with a tone that reflected her lack of enthusiasm, but her friends didn’t care. “So where will we host it?”
Everyone’s attention now fell upon Sweetie Belle, hoping that she had a few more ideas to go along with thinking up the idea. Sweetie Belle tapped a hoof against her chin, obviously not prepared for being put on the spot like this. She stared at her friends, still deep in thought, and her friends stared back, their looks somewhat impatient.
“Well, why don’ we host it in th’ barn?” chipped in Apple Bloom, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure from Sweetie Belle. “Ah’m sure Applejack wouldn’t mind if we use it fer a bit.”
“Oh and I can ask Rarity for some decorations, to make things look a little more authentic!” chirped Sweetie Belle, revealing the fruits of her excessive thinking.
Scootaloo stuck out her tongue in disgust at the thought of the decorations that Sweetie Belle would get. So many bright and gaudy colours it would be sickening to lay your eyes upon. She sighed heavily, the sooner this whole tea party was over with, the sooner they could get to doing more awesome things. “So, Apple Bloom’s going to ask Applejack to use the barn, Sweetie Belle’s going to get decorations, so what am I going to do?” questioned Scootaloo.
“Well if this is gonna be a tea party, we’re gonna need some tea. Maybe ya could come with me t’ see Zecora, see if she can mix us up somethin’” replied Apple Bloom.
“I’ll go see Rarity right now, whilst you two go and see Applejack and Zecora. Then Apple Bloom and I will meet at the barn in a few hours?” inquired Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded, and the white filly gave a squeak of approval and then bounded off back to Ponyville. Apple Bloom watched her go, before she turned tail and made for the Apple family home. Scootaloo begrudgingly followed, still faking all the enthusiasm she had for this activity. As luck would have it, the two fillies happened upon Applejack as she was setting off to check on the apple stock held in the barn.
“Applejack!” shouted Apple Bloom chasing her sister, Scootaloo hot on her trail.
“What in tarnation…?” asked Applejack, “Where are ya goin’ in such a hurry, sis?”
“We were hopin’ t’ catch ya, sis. We need t’ ask if we could use th’ barn fer our tea party” responded Apple Bloom promptly.
“A tea party? That’s awfully unlike you, what made ya want t’ have a tea party?”
“We’re trying to get our Cutie Marks for hosting a party and a tea party is apparently the best we can manage” Scootaloo added, dryly.
Applejack tapped a hoof against her chin. The barn was no place for a small filly tea party; there were dangerous tools within reach, bales of hay stacked loosely atop one another. Plus that was where she held all the apple orders until their buyers came to collect them. Then again the counterpoint to this would be that they held Pinkie’s birthday party in there, and the barn had proved to be a surprisingly safe place. She looked at the two fillies in front of her, two fillies out of a trio that have an affinity for getting into dangerous or complicated situations.
Apple Bloom could see the doubt in her sister’s eyes, she was assuming they were going to get into some sort of trouble. “Ya know it’s just a tea party right? Just the three of us sittin’ at a table talkin’ and drinkin’ tea.”
Applejack stopped for a moment, her little sister was right; it was just a little tea party. They wouldn’t be near any of the tools, or playing on the hay bales. The only thing they might mess with was the apples, but they could be moved into the house for the time being.
“Alright Apple Bloom, ya can have th’ barn, but not today, ah gotta move some things outta there first” smiled Applejack.
“S’alright sis, we weren’t ready t’ use it yet. Is tomorrow ok?”
Applejack nodded and turned around to head back to the house, to rouse Big McIntosh from his midmorning nap. Scootaloo watched her leave, part of her wishing that Applejack had refused to let them use the barn. She sighed heavily and looked back to find Apple Bloom already racing down towards Ponyville.
“Hey Apple Bloom, wait for me!”
The orange filly chased after her friend, calling out her name and orders to slow down and wait. A cloud of dust and dirt swirled around her hooves as she kicked up profound quantities of the particles. Apple Bloom didn’t seem to listening, and Scootaloo was having a hard time deciding if it was from ignorance or the distance between them. Oh if only she had her scooter, she’d be down to her friend in seconds. She pushed herself a little harder and started to make up the sizeable gap between the two fillies. This was more like it, the wind rushing through her mane, the scenery passing by in a blur. This was what she was accustomed too, it all felt so much more natural to her. Her eyes no longer focused on Apple Bloom, they focused instead on the ground in front of her, pole position in this little race. She didn’t even take notice of Apple Bloom’s sudden stop; she was firmly stuck in race mode.
“Heh, ah beat cha’ slowpoke!”
That rustic southern accent was lost on the racing filly, her thoughts and vision was nothing more than a blur. She charged along, he tiny wings fluttering frantically, simulating a race on a scooter. She imagined herself like her idol, Rainbow Dash, charging along breaking through all kinds of speed records. She was lost in a haze of adrenaline and rapid energy transfers, which unfortunately meant she didn’t notice that Apple Bloom had ceased moving.
“Hey Scoots, ya can stop now, we’re done racin’!”
The words zipped past Scootaloo’s ears, her brain only registering a few of the words. Stop? She didn’t want to stop, she wanted to go, she had to go so fast and come out as the winner. Apple Bloom realised that Scootaloo wasn’t going to slow down in time to avoid a collision, so she did the only thing she could think of, she started running away. Though try as she might, the little farm filly couldn’t match the pace and stamina of her friend. Her legs soon tired and she began to stumble, huffing and panting as she struggled onwards. Scootaloo saw her chance to pull ahead, and she wasn’t going to avoid it, she charged full pelt into Apple Bloom, sending the two of them tumbling to the floor. Dust and dirt clouded around the two ponies as they spiralled across the floor, skittering to a halt a few feet away from the crash site.
“What’d ya do that for?! Ah told ya we’d stopped racin’!” yelled Apple Bloom, struggling to her hooves.
Scootaloo remained silent, now that she had a clear head, she distinctly recalled Apple Bloom mentioning that. She helped Apple Bloom to her hooves, noticing the deep grazes she had sustained on her forelegs. She held her tongue, just in case it was nothing serious, but the moment Apple Bloom put her hoof to the ground, she knew it was serious. The yellow filly yelped and contracted the most afflicted leg, standing with her face contorted to show an expression of pain and anger.
Apple Bloom’s features smoothed a little, she couldn’t stay mad at Scootaloo, and she knew how engrossed in racing Scootaloo was.
“Come on, ah think ah can make it t’ Zecora’s.” Apple Bloom hobbled slowly ahead of Scootaloo, making for the Everfree Forest. “Jus’ remember t’ be a bit more careful next time. Ah mean what if ya had been a bigger pony? Ya coulda crushed me.”
Scootaloo walked beside her friend with the intention to catch her should she fall down. She forced a smile, but behind that smile she was mentally beating herself up. Apple Bloom’s words swam through her head, conflicting with the thoughts they found there. Scootaloo had always secretly enjoyed the feelings of being the dominant individual, the alpha as it were. It’s why she was always quick of the mark to defend her friends or a topic. If she was successful she would bring her opponents down to size, though many of them held one thing over her. They were the bigger ponies, whether it was an inch or a few feet, they were taller. Scootaloo longed to equal that height or maybe even beat it, and then she would be able to be the alpha all the time. However Apple Bloom’s comments about her being the bigger pony were starting to break that perfect logic. What if she ended up bigger than her friends? Would they still play with a freakishly tall mare? Could they? She hadn’t really thought about it, but now, the thought of losing her friends was lingering in her mind.
“Hey Scoots? Ya listenin’?” Apple Bloom waved a hoof in front of her friends’ face, repeating her question.
Scootaloo shook her head, dismissing her deep thoughts for now. “Huh, what?”
“Ah knew ya weren’t listenin’, ya had th’ same look when Miss Cheerilee was talkin’ t’ ya. An’ ya were walkin’ kinda like a zombie, real slow an’ awkward.”
“Hey I always pay attention to Miss Cheerilee, except maybe that time, and that time before that. As for the way I was walking, well I was trying to stay close to you!” retorted Scootaloo, defensively.
“Suuuure ya were. Anyway, ah was tryin’ ta tell ya what ta be careful on the way t’ Zecora’s. Do ah have ta repeat mahself?
Scootaloo nodded sheepishly, prompting a tired sigh from Apple Bloom.
“Ya have t’ be careful of a light blue flower that’s called Poison Joke. Now it won’t do ya any harm, but it’ll do some right funny things ta ya. Why ah remember when it shrunk mah own sister! An’ seein’ as how there’s a lotta blue flowers in th’ Everfree, ah’ll point it out if we see any. Second, ah’m sure ya remember th’ cockamathingy that Fluttershy took care of right? Well ah’ve heard much worse walkin’ to and from Zecora’s. So ah suggest ya follow the path ah’ve made, if ya want t’ make it back in one piece. An’ lastly it can get pretty dark in there, so ah need ya t’ stay close t’ me at all times, ya got it this time?”
Scootaloo nodded, and the two of them ventured forward into the foreboding darkness of the forest. Their bodies cut through long grass with quick ‘swish’, and their hooves thumping softly against the forest floor. Scootaloo was surprised at how quickly Apple Bloom navigated the route; it was like she’d done this a thousand times before. Her limping seemed almost non-existent, and Scootaloo would happily believe that if she hadn’t already seen it first-hand. They began to delve deeper into the forest, gaps in the overhead canopy becoming less and less frequent. Scootaloo was sure she could feel something following them, watching them from the darkness, it was quite frankly unnerving. Though she still kept her eyes on Apple Bloom’s swaying tail, it was just about the only thing Scootaloo could make out in the darkness. Vines occasionally swung low from the branches brushing against the petrified filly’s rump, causing her to get a fright. She held her tongue, lest she show any signs of weakness in the presence of her friend.
Eventually after what seemed like an eternity of walking, the two fillies emerged into a clearing, at the centre of which, stood a small wooden shack. Two small circular windows bled light onto the dreary darkness, inviting the two fillies to rest in its sanctuary. Apple Bloom was first to the door, whilst Scootaloo peeked through the windows. Inside the shack was certainly much less inviting than the outside. Various masks and trinkets adorned the walls; the faces carved into masks seemed emotionless, despite each of them showing a smile or a grimace. At the centre of the shack stood a set iron cauldron, frothing and bubbling with eerie aura. Behind the cauldron stood the one they call Zecora. She appeared to be rummaging through a collection of bottles, possibly looking for the latest ingredient to add to the strange brew.
Apple Bloom rapped a hoof against the door, and Zecora lifted her head up, her ears pricked to attention. Scootaloo watched as she crossed to the door, opening it a crack and peering outside. Realising that she should now be stood with Apple Bloom, the Pegasus filly left the window, and took up her place at Apple Bloom’s side.
“Heya Zecora!” chirped Apple Bloom.
“Apple Bloom, what a nice surprise,” her attention turned to Scootaloo. “But who is this before my eyes?”
Scootaloo looked up at the Zebra mare, taking in her mysterious figure. “My name’s Scootaloo…”
“Why Scootaloo, it is a pleasure to meet you,” came the soft, rhyming reply of the Zebra. “Apple Bloom is that a graze I see? Do you seek a remedy?”
“Actually Zecora, we were wonderin’ if ya could mix us up some tea?”
“You seek not a remedy, but instead simple tea?”
“Yup! We’re hostin’ a tea party, an’ fer that we need tea! Ain’t that right Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo smiled back, whilst Apple Bloom took over conversation. Scootaloo continued to look over the unique figure of the Zebra. She marvelled at the intricate pattern of white and black stripes, it seemed so bizarre to her, probably because she was so used to seeing pastel coloured ponies. The mark on Zecora’s flank caught the filly’s eye, was that the Zebra version of a Cutie Mark? She felt like she should ask but at the same time, if it were just a Cutie Mark, she knew enough of those already.
“Did ya hear that Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom’s voice faded into earshot, interrupting Scootaloo’s thought processes for the second time that day.
“Uh no, I was looking at things…”
“Zecora said she’s a bit busy right now, but she could whip us up somethin’ fer tomorrow, one of us will just have t’ collect it an’ bring it back t’ th’ barn.” Apple Bloom paused for a moment before continuing. “Ya think you’ll be up t’ it?”
“Me? Why do I have to come back?” Scootaloo pointed a hoof at herself, reaffirming the already obvious point that she was talking about herself.
“Well ah’m gonna be helpin’ Sweetie Belle with the decoration, t’ make sure everythin’ is ready so we can do this as soon as possible. Isn’t that what ya wanted?”
Truth be told, Scootaloo did want this over with, and the sooner it was over with the sooner they could get to the cool stuff. She sighed, and reluctantly shook her head up and down.
“Great! Ya can come an’ pick it up straight after class tomorrow! Ah’m sure Zecora will be here then.”
Apple Bloom took a few steps away from the shack, twisting on her hooves to face Scootaloo. The two stared at one another, one trying to gage what the other wanted. “Well don’ just stand there Scoot, ah need t’ get back t’ the farm an’ wait fer Sweetie Belle”
Scootaloo nodded and crossed over to her friend, turning back to give a farewell smile to Zecora. She would have been quite happy to stay and learn more about Zecora, but despite that curiosity, she wasn’t going to stick around if Apple Bloom wasn’t present.
“I’ll be seeing you Apple Bloom, and until tomorrow, Scootaloo,” chimed Zecora, once again in rhyme. The Zebra watched the fillies as they trotted off into the overgrown vegetation, before heading back into her shack.
The pair of fillies made it back through the dense growth of the forest, emerging just a little to the right of where they had entered. It hadn’t been long since they had left the farm, but they knew it wouldn’t have taken long Rarity to had Sweetie Belle some designs and send her back to Sweet Apple Acres. The two casually made their way back into town, Apple Bloom’s limp starting to worsen a little, though she vehemently denied any hindrance it produced. They stopped and stood at the road leading out of town and back to Sweet Apple Acres.
“Well ah guess ah’ll see ya tomorrow, Scoot. Jus’ don’ forget t’ go an’ see Zecora fer that tea, or else we’ll have t’ wait until Applejack lets us use th’ barn again.”
“Don’t sweat it Apple Bloom, I’ll be sure to pick it up after class, then I’ll meet you and Sweetie Belle at the barn. Then we can finally get this tea party out of the way, and move onto something cooler.”
Apple Bloom gave a final nod of her head, her final response on the matter, and made haste on her course for Sweet Apple Acres. Scootaloo took a much more leisurely course as she made her way home; after all she had plenty of time to spare. She contemplated studying for Miss Cheerilee’s class in the morning, but frankly scooter racing was much more appealing. Her wings fluttered a little in anticipation of getting the workout they deserved.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom found herself just passing through into Sweet Apple Acres territory, on a direct course for the barn. She slowed her pace to one where her limp was less noticeable, but was relatively painless. The barn drew closer, and with it came coloured blobs that filled out and stiffened into the shapes of her family. Though there was one anomaly, a small, white blob, with daubs on pink and purple on its tip. Of course once Apple Bloom drew level with the blob, it too stiffened into a more solid frame, one that resembled her good friend, Sweetie Belle.
“Apple Bloom? Back already? I thought we agreed that you’d be back in a few hours, you’ve been gone just under an hour,” squeaked a somewhat surprised Sweetie Belle.
“Well would ya like me t’ run a few laps around town t’ spend that last hour?” replied a sarcastic Apple Bloom. “Or would ya rather ah stayed an’ we got started?”
There was a hushed silence, as Sweetie Belle held her tongue, instead gesturing into the barn. Apple Bloom took point, leading the way into the barn, where hundreds upon thousands of decorations, were piled at the back of the barn.
“Uh Sweetie Belle, ain’t this a bit much?”
“You’re telling me! Rarity had me rope Applejack and Big Macintosh in to help make three round trips! Three!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle, as she gestured to Apple Bloom’s family members.
Apple Bloom peered past her friend to see Big Macintosh stretching his limbs, whilst Applejack stretched both her limbs and back. AJ looked the worse of the two, though it was to be expected, Big Macintosh was the stronger member of the Ponyville Apple family. Though Apple Bloom was certain that they would be grumbling about what Rarity put them through for a long time after this day.
“Would Rarity be disappointed if ya brought some o’ this stuff back?” queried Apple Bloom.
“Probably.” Sweetie Belle held her hoof out, flicking it back and forth in a way that mimicked her sister’s own motions. “Why Sweetie Belle, of course this is necessary! All of this is required to spruce up that…less than fashionable barn!” continued Sweetie Belle, making a mockery of her sister’s classy tone and attitude.
“Ah see,” replied Apple Bloom as she kicked an escaped lacy ribbon back into the pile.
The pair looked at the pile of assorted decorations, and then back at each other, and then back at the mountain of fabric. The pair of them hoped that Scootaloo was going to miraculously turn up and help them sift through this enormous task. Alas that was unlikely as Scootaloo was no mind reader and they had already mentioned that it would Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on their own.
“Ah guess we should git started then, huh?” sighed Apple Bloom, leaning in to inspect the pile, picking up a few lightly coloured ribbons to start with.
“I guess so, hopefully there won’t be much to take back. I don’t want to have to do three trips again,” replied Sweetie Belle.
The two fillies started sorting through the decorations, tossing aside lace, ribbons, doilies, and other fabrics that were likely to use. The pile slowly diminished as time progressed and two separate piles sprung up, each one piled high with a bright coloured assortment of fabrics. The two fillies sat next to their own piles of decorations, each wondering if they had actually sorted anything or just managed to split the original into two.
“This is gonna be a long day…” mumbled a reluctant Apple Bloom as she gazed around the barn, visualising just how long it was going to take to spruce up the place.