The Narrative of Scarlet Tomato

by Uncle Knot

Chapter 8

I awoke late in the afternoon, some skitters were buzzing about my head. Being so close to the stream may not have been a good idea. It was time to start the fire. Using flint and steel, the dry grass and wood soon burned cleanly. I took my cooking pot toward the stream to fill it up.

As I crested the bank I looked down on the most innocent and beautiful of sights. A young yellow filly was bathing herself in the stream. She was also trying to coach her rabbit into the stream. He was having none of this water. She cooed to him so sweetly,
I could not understand how he could resist. I wanted so much, but wait; I needed water for my cooking pot. I backed away slowly regretting every quiet step that took me away from such a lovely vision.

I descended down to the stream in another spot around a bend and got my water. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that I was down stream of my lovely vision, and that the water I was putting in my pot, the water I would cook my dinner with, the water I would consume, was perhaps the same water that had washed over her body.

Oh, boy, did I have it bad. I needed to stay focused on why I was here. I dove beneath the cool stream water to calm my head. It was very refreshing. Upon the bank I shook the water off, picked up my cooking pot and walked back to my camp.

Bringing the water to a boil, I added some salt, and then some of the wayside plants I had found and picked throughout the day.

“Hey mister” said a young voice “that smells good”

The young voice belonged to a young filly or pegasus on a scooter. She looked like she had come down from the apple orchard and was carrying a bag of apples. She had the same colors to her mane and body as my earlier vision. I wondered if they were related.

“Smells good to me too” I said “would you like to join me?”

“Sure thing” she responded, clearly unafraid. She was either very brave or very innocent, or maybe very hungry.

“Hunger is the best spice” I said

“What’s that mister?” she said

“”My name is Scarlet Tomato” I said

“Scootaloo, but I shouldn’t talk to strangers” she said

“Scootaloo what’s my name?” I asked

“Scarlet Tomato” she said

“Well if you know my name and I know yours, how can we be strangers?” I asked

“Good point” she said “Who else do you know around here?”

“I met Mayor Mare and her clerk” I said “and Ditsy Doo”

“Oh, thank Celestia” said Scootaloo “you haven’t meet her yet”

“Her?” I asked

“Yes, her” she said “I can’t say her name. She could pop out anywhere.”

“Is she some type of terrible monster?” I asked

“No, she is really nice” said Scootaloo “but as soon as she finds you, she’ll throw you a party and introduce you to every pony in town”

“And that’s a bad thing?” I asked

“No” she said “but I found you first. And I want this time with my new friend before she does.”

“So I’m your new friend” I said “thank you”

“And this is my welcome you to Ponyville party” she said “mmm, this stew is good”

“This could be a better party, if you shared some apples with me” I said “I could fry them up in my skillet with a little cinnamon and we could eat them for desert.”

“Oh yeah, that would be great”

The aroma from the cooking apples and cinnamon was very strong. Soon other pegasus showed up.

“Hi Ditsy” I said “here to collect your percentage?”

“You bet, thanks for the invitation”

“PERCENTAGE?” exclaimed a blue pegasus “I am the senior weather pony here. I make the deals with the earth ponies”

“These are my apples” said Scootaloo “I’ll share them with whoever I want to. Would you like some Rainbow Dash?”

“Hello” said a dark pegasus “I’m Thunder Hooves, may I join the crowd”

“Of course” said I “Welcome to the party”

“Party?” said several ponies at once.

“Yeah” said Scootaloo “This is the welcome to Ponyville party for Scarlet Tomato, our cook”

“Well bravo” said two more pegasus joining us.

“YEAH” said the big one

This was smashing. Many of the pegasus-es (sic) or pegasi (sic) were showing up. I wonder if I could work out a special deal for the weather services they would provide. I also wondered when or if she; that vision of any ponies dream, aquatic yellow pegasus with the pink hair would show up.

“She probably won’t come” said Rainbow Dash

“What?” I asked

“Yeah, from my cloud, I saw your encounter with Fluttershy” said Dash “You should have introduced yourself then. She is very shy”

‘I couldn’t” I said

“Yeah, I noticed that too” said Dash “you certainly earned the name ‘Scarlet’, just as you seem to be doing now”

“Stop teasing the new stallion” said Thunder Hooves “We guys have got to stick together” and then in a low whisper to me said “I hear she likes mustaches, Fluttershy, that is”

I made a mental note to start growing one immediately. Some other ponies had joined the party.