Growth through the Thorn

by Soniclink137

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“Geez Apple Bloom, it looks like your family is really growing,” Spike said.

The purple dragon with green spikes and Apple Bloom were both walking along the path out of Sweet Apple Acres and back into the main town of Ponyville. They Spike had his arms out wide while he walked and he was enjoying the nice hot summer air. Apple Bloom was on the other hand sticking as much as she could within Spike’s shadow so she didn’t have to face the full force of the heat.

“I mean, your brother is going to have a foal, your cousin is about to have a foal, and your about to even get another brother-in-law since Caramel proposed to Applejack,” Spike continued. “That’s like what, five extra family members?”

“Yeah Ah guess,” Apple Bloom said. “Mah family might be growin, but the house is kinda…empty. It’s only me and Applejack that are there, and nopony else. At least until Caramel can finally start livin with us, it’s just…really empty.”

“Heh, it can’t be anywhere near as bad as in the library,” Spike said. They both had just passed the outer buildings of Ponyville. “When Twilight is gone, it’s pretty much me and the owl alone most of the time. At least where you live Big Mac, Caramel, and Braeburn come in every day. The library hardly ever gets anypony to come in lately, and since Cool Breeze is finally born Rainbow Dash has been spending more time taking care of him or getting a few flights in instead of reading. It’s been getting…really boring.”

Apple Bloom bounced ahead of Spike on the dirt path. “Well if it’s so boring then why don’t ya work on cleaning the library or organizing it?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Because Twilight’s back anyways and…” Spike chuckled, “somepony else, or two somepony’s are already doing that.”

Spike hit the ground running, bound for the direction of the library. Apple Bloom, assuming that Spike was going to show her who is working at the library now, took the steps to keep up with him. Naturally Apple Bloom had the running advantage so she was easily able to catch up with Spike, but Apple Bloom decided to stay behind him and let him lead.

Eventually they reached the literal tree house that was the Ponyville library, and Twilight’s home whenever she stayed in Ponyville, which she did every time she is not needed in Canterlot for royal duties. Spike walked up to the door with a smile on his face and Apple Bloom followed closely behind with a look of wonder. With dramatic effort, Spike pushed open the door to the library and allowing Apple Bloom to look into it and see what all this drama was about.

“Why isn’t your wing fixed yet?” asked the annoyed voice of an orange filly Apple Bloom knows well.

“I don’t know,” responded another voice that Apple Bloom was less familiar with, but still heard enough to know who it was. “I guess I sprained it harder than I thought.”

“Ugg…fine. I’ll take the top shelves then.”

Apple Bloom looked in to see Scootaloo flying to the top of the left shelves, dusting them with a duster that she is holding in her hoof. Below her dusting the lower shelves was a light gray pegasus with a dark gray mane and his right wing held out at a strange angle. Neither of them looked amused, but Scootaloo looked downright annoyed whereas the light gray pegasus just looked bored.

“Scootaloo, Rumble, what are y’all doin here?” Apple Bloom asked as she walked in.

Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom. “Hey Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “We’re here as punishment getting lost in the Everfree Forest.”

“Be glad,” Rumble said. “If they didn’t catch us then we probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Scootaloo said as she looked back down at Rumble. “You don’t have to remind me.” Scootaloo looked back at Apple Bloom. “We’re almost done anyways. But we would have been done sooner if somepony…” she looked at Rumble “told me that he couldn’t fly yet.”

“Sorry, but I didn’t want to disappoint you,” Rumble said. He looked around for a ladder, since he was done with the bottom shelves, and grabbed it. Rumble then went to the opposite side of where Scootaloo was dusting to start dusting himself.

“I know you were hoping we’d be able to start practicing today. And it is kinda your fault you didn’t notice my right wing still looks…” Rumble looked at his right wing “weird.”

“Yeah I get it,” Scootaloo said as she moved over to a different shelf. “Your wing better heal soon!”

“The doctor said I should be able to fly by tomorrow,” Rumble said without keeping an eye off his work. “So we’ll be able to train together then. We just have to wait one more day.”

“Well this is going to be a long day then,” Scootaloo said as she moved over to the next set of shelves. “I’m grounded from my scooter and we can’t do any flight training. I’m going to be so bored.”

“Well if ya both want, me and Spike can keep ya company ‘till you’re done,” Apple Bloom said. “Then we can all play with each other.”

“Really?” Spike asked from the outside of the library. He walked in to the library with an unbelieving look on his face.

“I’m ok with that,” Rumble said.

Apple Bloom and Spike both went to the center table to wait for Rumble and Scootaloo to get done with their cleaning. Apple Bloom was perfectly fine waiting for them but not really Spike so much. Spike was annoyed that he was spending a day he didn’t need to be in the library in the library.

“Yeah I guess I’m fine with that,” Scootaloo said. “Though we should be done right now if somepony just told me he couldn’t fly yet.”

“I told you I’m sorry,” Rumble said.

“Yeah I forgive you,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “But you owe me some impressive tricks when we finally start training. I’m sure Thunderlane taught you plenty of awesome tricks; though probably not as awesome as the tricks I’ve seen Rainbow Dash do.”

“Alright deal,” Rumble said.

“How are you guys done so soon anyways?” Spike asked. “I thought your punishment was reorganizing the library, not cleaning it.”

“Well that was the plan…but then I realized the library doesn’t need organization,” Twilight said. Twilight Sparkle, in her unicorn form like she usually is when she stays in Ponyville, came down the steps from the second floor to the first.

“So I decided instead to have the two dust all the shelves,” Twilight continued. “They both already learned their lesson enough from getting chased around inside that forest, so I decided to let them off easy.”

Scootaloo and Rumble managed to round the library by the time Twilight got down the steps so Scootaloo landed back on the ground and Rumble got off the stepladder and they both stood in front of Twilight. They looked up at her expectantly hoping that they were done with their task for the day. Twilight took a step back at the two pegasi’s glances before looking nervously around the room.

“Alright…I think you’ve gone enough,” Twilight said. “You guys can leave now.”

“Finally!” Scootaloo said. “Let’s get out of here you guys!”

Scootaloo and Rumble walked over to the table and placed their dusters on it. Afterwards they both hoofbumped each other and Apple Bloom and Spike got up from the table. All four of them nodded to each other and they all walked out from the library.

“So what are we going to do?” Rumble asked.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Hide and seek at Sweet Apple Acres?” she offered up.

“Sounds good to me,” Scootaloo said. “But I bet I’m going to…”

“No flying!” Apple Bloom, Spike, and Rumble all told her at the same time.

“I wasn’t going to,” Scootaloo said in her defense.

“Sure you weren’t,” Apple Bloom said in a sing song voice before she hit the ground running, bound for Sweet Apple Acres.

“I wasn’t going to!” Scootaloo repeated as she ran off to catch up to Apple Bloom.

Rumble and Spike both looked at each other and rolled their eyes before running to catch up to the girls.

~

Soarin’ was flying through the skies trying to cool off. A couple days ago Scootaloo went missing, and while they found her and a colt called Rumble in the Everfree Forest, they were inches away from death. While he, Rainbow Dash, and Thunderlane were flying he saw the two of them just seconds away from getting mauled by a Manticore. If they were any slower, of Rainbow Dash didn’t dash off when she immediately saw them, then they wouldn’t be here right now. The stress of yesterday was still getting at him, so he just needed to fly. Maybe go to Sweet Apple Acres and grab a pie, but otherwise just fly.

Just…gotta calm down Soarin’, Soarin’ thought. Scootaloo’s safe and sound right now and hopefully won’t go into that forest anymore. And nothing else bad is happening. In fact, plenty of good things are happening. My son is born and healthy, Big Mac, Fluttershy, Braeburn, and Pinkie Pie seem to be doing fine. Also Caramel finally proposed to Applejack. It’s nice to see all that happening.

Soarin’ looked up into the sun for a few seconds before turning his head away before he burns them out. He took a deep breath before looking down at the green ground below him as it flows by. While he was looking down, he noticed Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Spike, and Rumble walking along the dirt path to the left side of where Soarin’ is flying. They seemed to be talking about something so Soarin’ flew a bit closer to listen in on what they were saying.

“Well Ah ain’t exactly sure,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah…never really met ‘em.”

“Do you know anything about them?” Rumble asked Apple Bloom.

Who are they talking about down there? Soarin’ questioned. He couldn’t see their expressions from up there so he couldn’t tell what they were feeling right now.

“Not really,” Apple Bloom said. “Ah’ve…Ah’ve always been told that Applejack and Big Mac are just like ‘em. So Ah guess the closest think Ah have to knowin them is those two.”

Oh please tell me that she’s talking about an aunt or an uncle or something, Soarin’ thought even though he knew exactly who they were talking about. Deep inside, he realized who Apple Bloom was talking about because she was right. They were sort of like Applejack and Big Mac.

“Do we really have to talk about this?” Scootaloo asked in a voice that obviously suggested the subject was touchy for her. “Can’t we talk about something else?”

“What’s wrong Scootaloo?” Spike asked.

“Take a quick guess!” Scootaloo said, turning her head to face Spike. “Remind me what happened one year ago?”

“Oh…yeah,” Spike said.

“Well at least you have Soarin’ and Rainbow Dash now,” Rumble told Scootaloo. “They’re pretty good parents right?”

“Yeah…they are,” Scootaloo said. “Still I kinda prefer what you got Apple Bloom. Sure your parents weren’t around, but I’d rather have two loving parents who aren’t around then two parents that ignored me most of the time. I wish I didn’t have to go through my entire foalhood with those two.”

“You two have it even better than me,” Spike said. “Not only don’t I know my parents, but if I did I’d probably learn that they’re both jerks. Just like pretty much my entire race is.” Spike lowered his head in shame.

“You ain’t a jerk Spike,” Apple Bloom said. “Or at least…Ah don’t think ya are. So ya can’t say all dragons are jerks.”

“So…that means pretty much I’m the only one here who has a normal foalhood and normal parents,” Rumble said.

“Shut up!” came the triple response to which Rumble tried to suppress laughter to.

“Well to your guy’s defense, you all turned out alright if you ask me,” Rumble told them. “Sure you guys might not have the best pasts, or really the best parents, but you guys got a great family anyways, now don’t you?”

“Yeah I guess,” Scootaloo said after turning towards Rumble, probably to give him some sort of look.

“Still you can’t blame us for wondering what could have been,” Spike said.

They all made it to the front gate of Sweet Apple Acres, at which they all stopped for a few seconds.

“Ah wish that Ah could have at least met my parents once,” Apple Bloom said.

That was all Soarin’ heard as after that he flew off away from the four kids and to his own things. Beyond that he was pretty sure the four of them would go off to play, plus he didn’t want any guilt to crush him anymore. He decided to go back home and hope that seeing his wife and foal will help him feel better. His foal that he can see grow up and hopefully see do great things.

That’s it…Soarin’ thought. I…can’t take this anymore. I’m…going to tell them. I’m not going to let this guilt crush me this more. Next winter…on the exact date that happened…I’m going to go over to Sweet Apple Acres…I’m going to bring my wife as well…and I’m going to tell them all. I’m going to tell them exactly what happened. And if they hate me…then I deserve it but I need to get this off my chest now.

Author's Note:

Hmm...I wonder what fan fic this takes place after? Anyways yeah Applejack just gets a mention of her proposal but that's...because I really don't want to hugely divert from the plot too much. Besides, if I do a bunch of proposals and a bunch of weddings it sort of gets stale. Heck from what I'm planning none of the kids are actually going to be born in this fic, however I will mention all of their names within this fic. So yeah there's that.

Also Soarin' is resolved. He is going to state his secret on the same day that Applejack's parents disappeared. We will finally know exactly what Soarin' is hiding soon.

Comments

[Soaring Soarin]

ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4528056173528257&pid=15.1

[sorenxoras]

How bad could it be?