-Reconsidering Things
Those memories were nice. They were refreshing to Scootaloo as Rainbow Dash held her closely. Scootaloo could remember all of it as if it were only yesterday that it had all happened. If Sweetie Belle never approached her that day then they never really would have met and been able to go to Diamond Tiara's party. Not that the party was a good one, but if they hadn't of went then they would have never been able to meet Applebloom. Really....when Scootaloo thought about it, Sweetie Belle had been right that day. There was surely some bond between them, but she still couldn't place what it was exactly...
Scootaloo retreated from Rainbow's grip and looked up at her with a smile that had now formed over her face. Rainbow wasn't sure what to think at first, but she smiled back as she wiped Scootaloo's tear stained cheeks.
"I think....I'm okay now." The filly lowered her head from her mother and looked off to the side. She did feel much better. She felt so fresh and new, but still she couldn't help but wonder....where was Sweetie Belle?
"Well, that's good to know, kid. I didn't think I could take much more of that...mushy stuff..." Rainbow stuck her tongue out at Scootaloo teasingly and got up from where they were sitting. She turned around from the filly and walked off into the living room. Scootaloo followed.
"Where is Fluttershy?" The orange pegasus looked up at Rainbow from behind as she made her way over to the couch where Angel Bunny was resting.
"Um....I....really have no idea." Rainbow shrugged it away as she sat down right on top of Angel. The bunny squeezed out from under her and kicked her in the leg as he hopped off in anger.
It didn't seem to bother Dash too much for she kicked back her back legs and began to stretch out on the sofa. Scootaloo, however, hovered next to her with large eyes as she awaited any conversation. She didn't want to think about Sweetie Belle right now, but Rainbow didn't seem to be much help anymore with distracting her.
The cyan pegasus opened one and and looked at Scootaloo who smiled as she noticed Rainbow looking her way.
"What now?" Rainbow raised her arms under her head as she tried to relax.
"Well....I...uh..." Scootaloo struggled to think of something...anything to say.
"Why don't you go out and try to find Sweetie Belle." Rainbow closed her eyes as she nudged Scootaloo's side.
The orange pegasus looked at Rainbow in awe. She wasn't really expecting her to mention Sweetie Belle right after Scootaloo's break down. Rainbow really wasn't the best pony to talk to about these kinds of things, but that was all Scootaloo had at the moment. Fluttershy would have been the better option, but still....
"But...I....I can't...." Scootaloo could feel tears welling up inside of her eyes again as she tried to hold them back as much as she possibly could. Rainbow noticed in her voice the sorrow Scootaloo was feeling again.
Dash quickly shot up from the couch and placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. All of this quick movement startled the little filly, but she knew soon what Rainbow was doing. She really was trying her best to be comforting, and Scootaloo appreciated that completely.
"Don't worry so much about it. I'm sure she is fine, but maybe....she is waiting for you to find her...it's....uh....just like a game of....hide and seek? Yeah! Hide and seek. She is waiting for you....to find her." Rainbow lowered her hoof from Scootaloo's shoulder. She smiled softly at the filly who looked at her speechless.
That was really a deep way of putting it. Scootaloo could have never thought Rainbow would be that good at making things a bit less scary for her. Putting it in that context was really a better way at looking at things, especially for Scootaloo at the moment. Maybe Rainbow was even right about it all. Maybe Sweetie Belle truly was waiting for her...somewhere.
Scootaloo looked down in her thought. She wasn't sure where she could begin looking though even if that were the case. Where would Sweetie Belle be that wouldn't be too hard to guess for Scootaloo?
"What do I do now?" Scootaloo turned her head back up for answers.
Rainbow looked up in thought for a moment. Her eyebrow wrinkled as if she were really trying. Then she turned back down to Scootaloo with a cheerful grin.
"Seek."
---
Scootaloo ran out as quickly as she could. She wasn't sure where she could find Sweetie Belle. She had no idea at all, but she knew where she could find help!
She smiled as she remembered that day that they both met Applebloom at Diamond Tiara's party. Yeah, the party really sucked at first and Scootaloo had really regretted offering to take Sweetie Belle, but the party wasn't all too bad once they discovered Apple Bloom there too. It was really a great day for Scootaloo. She had made a new friend, and it was especially good because she wouldn't have to worry about being alone with Sweetie Belle all the time.
If Scootaloo were to choose between them, she would say that Applebloom was her best friend. She wasn't really sure what category Sweetie Belle fell into, but it wasn't a best friend. It sounded a bit harsh when Scootaloo thought of it, but really...it wasn't in a bad way.
She just wasn't exactly sure how she felt about Sweetie Belle's....feelings.
Scootaloo had almost forgotten how all of this started, but remembering it all was really easier on her. Now she wasn't so lost and confused. Now she understood what had really happened.
Scootaloo looked up to the sky. It was starting to get dark now. She could hardly believe that all of this had happened in one day. It felt like it had been days since she last saw Sweetie Belle but really it was just hours ago that she had seen her last. It still hurt though....to be without her for this long....knowing that it was her fault she ran off in the first place.
She tried to shake her mind of those thoughts. If she thought like that then she would surly give up on this hide and seek game that her and Sweetie Belle were playing. She couldn't let those thoughts get the best of her. She just couldn't give up.
But first.....She needed to find Applebloom.
---
Applebloom sighed as she looked behind her at the boutique. Applejack and Rarity had told her that they wouldn't be long and they asked her to wait outside, but really Applebloom just felt nauseous thinking about those words.
She trotted back and forth as she waited. It had already been what seemed to be 10 minutes, and neither of them had came out and got her yet. She could feel herself getting antsy waiting and she began to skip a bit in her trotting. Sometimes, pacing would help her think, but right now, all she could think about was what they must be doing.
Applebloom stuck out her tongue and sat down on the ground. All that thinking was really going to make her sick if she didn't stop now. What she really wanted to think about was Sweetie Belle though. She couldn't help but worry where she might be, and she felt kind of bad about the whole Scootaloo thing too.
Rarity and Applejack didn't seem to be bothered by it as much as she was. After Scootaloo ran off, Rarity said that sometimes when Sweetie was upset, she would disappear for a few hours, and then she would come back home and go take a long bath. If Rarity knew that already, then why did she have to be so dramatic about it when Scootaloo was here. Applebloom knew that it would only worry Scootaloo and she was probably out now trying to search for wherever Sweetie was so she could apologize.
That was really the kind of filly Scootaloo was. She would yell, and she would fuss, but she would always end up feeling terrible about it in the end. Applebloom sighed again. Scootaloo never yelled at her before, but she always seemed to yell at Sweetie Belle. She wasn't really sure why that was, but when she thought about it...they were a lot like Rarity and Applejack.
Applebloom lifted her head with this thought. She could remember the times when Rarity and Applejack always seemed to hate each other. They would call each other names and they would never really apologize about anything they ever said to each other and that is why it was so hard to believe when Applebloom found out about them two. They seemed to hate each other but really....it was just the opposite.
That was how Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were....
The yellow filly held her breath as she recalled what Applejack had said to her earlier that day.
They still love you as a friend, but maybe there is something going on between them that is a different kind of love.
Applebloom was still trying to wrap her head around it all....was all of what Applejack said really true? She did know that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle must have known each other longer than they had known her. They were together at Diamond Tiara's party when they all first met, so maybe they had a deeper relationship the whole time they were all together as friends.
For some reason, Applebloom couldn't help but feel a little jealous by that. It wasn't that she liked either of them in that kind of way, but just thinking that they had a special connection this whole time that she wasn't a part of made her feel a little...left out.
She lowered her head slightly and sighed once again. She had been doing a lot of that today it seemed. She turned around behind her and grabbed a bag of chips she had saved on their trip over to Rarity's. There was still a good amount of chips inside and so Applebloom went right for it. She grabbed a hoof full and stuffed it in her mouth. Just as she did, she noticed a pony walking over in her direction....well....more like....hopping.
"Hey there little Bloomapple!" A bright pink earth pony squealed out as she approached the filly who smiled awkwardly.
"Howdy, Pinkie Pie." Applebloom looked around to see if anypony else was with her, but it was just Pinkie by herself. Applebloom sighed and grabbed some more chips.
"What'cha doing all alone out here!? Rarity kick you out again?! Awe! She does that to me alllllllll the time! It's just not even fair!" Pinkie passed Applebloom and walked over to the door of the boutique.
"RARITY!!!!! THAT'S NOT NICE TO LEAVE FILLIES BY THEMSELVES!!!! OR ME EITHER!" Pinkie turned from the door and smiled.
"It works every time!"
Applebloom tried to grin but she was still feeling too down to do so.
"Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie's eyes grew large as she noticed Applebloom's silence was a result of her being sad.
She ran over in front of Applebloom and put her hooves on her shoulders and shook the little filly around for a few moments. She then let her go as Applebloom's eyes rolled around as a result. She shook her head after a couple seconds of dizziness and then she looked back at Pinkie with confused eyes.
"What was that fer?" She tried to ask as calmly as she could at that moment.
"Well?!?! Feel better yet?" Pinkie smiled largely as she looked at the filly with huge blue eyes. They sparkled with joy when they noticed Applebloom smiled a bit now too. The filly really couldn't help but smile at Pinkie Pie. She was really fun to be around at times, especially when she wasn't feeling the greatest.
"Thanks." Applebloom nodded her head as she smiled again at Pinkie.
"No problem! Madam Pinkie always knows best!!" She threw her hooves in the air and waved them around for a bit only to find her ear being tugged on by a magical force.
"Owwwiiiiiieeeeee!!!" Pinkie yelled as her ear was still being tugged away from Applebloom.
"Don't you know someponies don't like to be bothered." Twilight came around from the corner as she revealed herself being the one tugging Pinkie's ear. She released her magic from the pink earth pony who then fell down to Twilight's hooves and pretended to cry.
"Oh, give it a rest, Pinkie." Twilight shook her legs trying to get Pinkie's grip from her. The earth pony then jumped up and smiled again. Applebloom watched all of this as if it were television and she stuffed her mouth with chips in the process.
"Do you know where Rarity may happen to be, Applebloom?" Twilight looked down to the chewing filly who nodded her head and then pointed to the boutique while her mouth was full. She crunched down and then swallowed so she was able to speak again.
"She's in the boutique with Applejack, but....I would give it a few minutes...." Applebloom turned away and grabbed another hoof full of chips.
Twilight looked down at Applebloom and then up at the door again. She lifted a hoof back and her face scrunched up as she put the pieces together.
"Well.....okkkayy then." She dropped her hoof back down and sighed.
"Be prepared to do a lot of that..." Applebloom turned to Twilight.
"A lot of...what?" She looked down in confusion.
Pinkie then shot up from where she was standing and let out an overly exaggerated sigh in Twilight's face. The unicorn lifted an eyebrow as she still wasn't catching on.
"Sighing." Applebloom confirmed.
Twilight opened her mouth as she finally realized, but then she shut it again as it was really no use in responding.
"Why do you need her so bad anyway?" Applebloom tried to break the silence of it all.
The unicorn smiled at this and turned to the filly who looked up at her with less enthusiasm as she would have wanted, but she continued anyway.
"She told me she would help me make a new StarSwirl the Bearded outfit!!.....uh...for research purposes...that is." Twilight softened her smile as she tried not to blow her cover.
"Oh..."
"Nah!!! She just likes to wear it around the house and roll-play!" Pinkie grinned as Twilight turned to her with her mouth open.
"No...she's just making that up..."
"Sometimes she makes me roll-play with her sometimes!!! She will wear the costume and she makes me tie myself up and then we----"
Twilight stuffed her hoof in Pinkie's loud mouth. She blushed and smiled at Applebloom as she hoped she hadn't caught on to any of that. The filly just looked up with confusion, this brought relief to Twilight. She turned her purple eyes to the earth pony and scolded her for a few moments before she released her hoof from her mouth.
"Ahehem..." Twilight cleared her throat as she kicked the dirt under her hooves.
"Maybe....I will just come back later....." Twilight turned around and with her magic began to pull Pinkie Pie along with her by the ear.
"Owwwwww, Twilight!!!!!" Pinkie moaned as she was being painfully dragged behind Twilight.
Applebloom stared at the two departing ponies when they were all stopped by a large familiar voice.
"STOP!!!!"
Applebloom, Twilight, and Pinkie all turned to the little Scootaloo who was now standing a good ways in front of them. Applebloom was both happy and confused as to why Scootaloo was here, but really it didn't matter. She was just here, safely, and that was what mattered the most.
"Scootaloo!" Applebloom threw her bag of chips behind her as she got up from where she was sitting.
"What is it Scootaloo? Still having...those problems?" Twilight approached the filly too along with Pinkie who followed right behind her.
"Uh...well...yes..." Scootaloo looked down but then turned back up to the three ponies in front of her.
"What is it, Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked confused.
Scootaloo straightened her back as she stepped a few steps closer to the three. She cleared her throat and smiled.
"I need you to help me seek."