Rain without Rainbows

by Leoshi

Eight: Interlude II: When we were Young

Rain without Rainbows

!Disclaimer!: No. *Cough* What, you want more? No, I don’t own the rights. Isn’t that enou- it’s not? I don’t own the copyrights to the show or any official product. All rights go to Faust, Theisson, Hub, Studio B, and Hasbro. There, is that enou- oh shut up.

Hello, everyone, and welcome back. I hope you’re enjoying this adventure as much as I am, despite it being on such a smaller scale than my other works. As you’ve no doubt read from chapter seven, the adventure to find Rainbow Dash is underway, and the investigation of the mysterious dark magic began. And while Luna refused to give Twilight some unhappy facts, Rarity revealed some of hers, inciting a scuffle between her and Applejack.

Now, as you know, this chapter is the second of three interludes. This particular one touches on the last two ponies of Harmony, and then moves on to some passionate young fillies we know so well. Let’s begin!

ACT II- The Pariah
Chapter eight: Interlude II: When we were Young

Canterlot. The grandest, most powerful city in the Equestria region. The home to the divine princesses Celestia and Luna, who govern their land fairly and peacefully. The envy and sentinel of many other cities and villages in the surrounding countryside. The shining example to the prowess of Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies working together. And now, in the path of the approaching Autumn, the refuge to Ponyville evacuees, forced from their home for reasons only a handful knew.

While no doubt affronted by the sudden influx of refugees, the Canterlot high-society ponies made every effort to accommodate them. Celestia herself was kept busy with directing where the Ponyville residents were to go, aided on both sides by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Together, they managed to find room and board for every marshaled pony, nearly all of whom elected to stay in the safety of Canterlot Castle.

After several hours of tedious directing, the controlled chaos of the exodus finally settled to a tense but gentle hum. The castle lobby was filled with ponies who walked amongst themselves, asking questions in an effort to get a handle on the situation. A constant line of ponies led away to one corner, where the two friends Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were being mobbed with the same questions.

Sadly, they didn’t have any answers for them that satisfied the overall question of “what’s going on.” Princess Celestia managed to pull them away from the herd, much to their shared relief. The trio ascended the grand steps toward one of the several regal towers, no doubt where they could speak in private.

Back on the lobby floor, tired and confused, rested the yellow farm mare Apple Bloom. She watched her old friends leave the room, disappointed at not getting a chance to talk with them. For the first time, she envied the responsibility of the Element Bearers - at least they had the ear of the princess.

“See, that’s jus’ not fair.”

“What is?”

“Princess Celestia is keepin’ Fluttashy and Pinkie away from us, even when we deserve some answers. If we’re gonna be forced to stay here all confused, Ah think mah head’ll turn into cider.”

“Heehee, it’s not that bad.”

To Apple Bloom’s right, sitting with a proper posture, was Sweetie Belle. She wore a simple scarf around her neck, the only item she managed to bring before the evacuation occurred. Like her friend, Sweetie was caught completely off-guard by the order to leave Ponyville, but was managing to take the situation better.

Apple Bloom cricked her neck, easing a bit of tension she didn’t know she had. “That’s easy fer you to say. At least you don’t got an apple orchard to look after. All mah trees ain’t gonna water themselves, ya know.”

“Oh, don’t worry about them. I’m sure they’ll be fine for a couple days while this mess is cleaned up.”

With a sigh, Apple Bloom lowered her head. She closed her eyes, mumbling under her breath. “A mess is all Ah’m gonna have if mah trees ain’t cared for.”

Sweetie Belle couldn’t hold back her giggle. Her eyes drifted toward her friend’s flank, where her cutie mark stood proudly. Apple Bloom’s talent first came to light when she began caring for a tree sapling a little over a year ago. The baby tree had become sick during the summer, and the rest of her family was prepared to dig out the roots and call it a loss. Apple Bloom stepped in, cared for the tree, and it became a strong addition to the orchard before winter arrived.

That’s when she found her talent of caring for the apple trees on her family’s farm. While her siblings held their talents in the apples, hers lied in the trees themselves, helping them grow strong and healthy. Ever since finding her calling, the Apple family noticed a general spike in the quality of their fruit, and Apple Bloom had become an integral part of the orchard life. Her cutie mark was testament to that. Sprouting out of a grassy ground, a simple yet strong tree trunk rose up. But instead of branches or leaves, the trunk led into a blooming flower, vibrant with red petals and a yellow center. Some petals floated near the bloom, surrounding the image in a serene grace.

“Your trees are very strong because of how you care for them. Trust me, they can go a few short days without you,” Sweetie encouraged. She patted her friends back, hoping to transfer some of her confidence. “When you get back, they’ll be waiting for you.”

Apple Bloom released a playful snort. “Say, didja manage to hear anythin’ from Rarity before bein’ hauled off?”

Sweetie Belle nodded, looking at the scarf she was wearing. “Only for a moment. She was in a huge rush to find your sister, so she only told me to find the nearest guard and do whatever he asked. She also told me to not be scared, but didn’t say of what.”

“See, that’s also not fair! Ah haven’t seen Applejack since Ah went into town yesterday mornin’. At least you managed to talk to yer sister before being dragged into one o’ them cherry-thingies.”

“Chariots?”

“Yeah, those.”

Both friends spent a moment to grin, allowing the gentle hubbub of the lobby overtake their thoughts. The room moved without them, buzzing with the activity that came with the feeling of needing to stay busy without actually having anything to do. As the moment, passed, Apple Bloom’s ears perked - there was a light humming coming from nearby. She recognized it as Sweetie’s singing voice.

The farm mare smiled to herself, enjoying the sweet sound. Sweetie Belle’s singing prowess had always been a talent of hers, but she hadn’t discovered her true calling for it until only the past spring. Apple Bloom remembered it well - it was during a mild spring storm. The two of them had ventured into the Everfree Forest to visit their zebra friend, Zecora, and to procure some exotic seeds. During their trip to her hut, the friends had taken a wrong turn, and Sweetie Belle had fallen down a cliffside, landing on a short ledge. She had been stranded there for hours while Apple Bloom ran for help.

During that time, suffering the cold and wet of the rain, Sweetie Belle had begun singing in order to keep her spirits up. It had not been anything specific - merely songs she knew as a filly, sung over the gentle rolls of thunder overhead. As the storm grew stronger, so did her singing, until all she could think about were the flowing words and notes. Time escaped her, and before she knew it, a rope had been lowered to her, wrapped in the magic of her sister Rarity.

When she had been taken home and cared for, Rarity and Apple Bloom saw her cutie mark, hidden beneath a blotch of mud. Radiant against the white of Sweetie’s coat, a pair of silver-bells were seen ringing, each with a light purple hue donning it. Surrounding the bells was a flowing music chart, gently wrapping them like the scarf she now wore. On one bell, a treble clef symbol was seen - on the other, a set of three quarter-notes ascending in an arpeggio.

‘She earned her cutie mark from singin’ while she was scared,’ the earth pony thought. ‘I wonder...’

“Ah guess you are just a lil’ scared, huh?”

Sweetie Belle fell silent for a moment, wondering how her friend could tell so easily. “Ye-yeah...I’m worried about Rarity. She seemed very panicked when I saw her.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Apple Bloom looked up. “Ah met up with Spike after landing here yesterday. He told me that our sisters are gonna try to find Rainbow Dash!”

The unicorn stammered. “W-wh-what? You mean the pegasus that Scootaloo looked up to?”

Apple Bloom paused, considering what her friend had just said. “Eeyup, that’s her! Spike wouldn’t tell me why, though, since he was also in a huge hurry fer some reason.”

“Huh. Seems all of our friends are all panicky right now.”

“Ah wish Ah knew why.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Their banter trailed off, both mares feeling the same wave of melancholy settle over them. A sad memory filled their minds, a memory of their missing link. The memory of their own estranged pegasus friend, Scootaloo.

While some ponies believed that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had completed their mission after the two friends found their talents, the bitter truth was that they had abandoned that particular title years ago. Their headstrong third member was, like Rainbow Dash, missing, and nopony knew where she was. She simply vanished a couple weeks following the Wonderbolts tragedy - no note, no clues, no trace.

The memory of their beloved friend ate at both ponies. Like other memories, they recalled Scootaloo vividly, remembering every last detail. And they remembered the first day she was missing in even greater, almost nightmarish, detail. They and their friends had spent the entire week scouring every inch of Ponyville, the Everfree, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot. And in the entire time spent searching, not a single pony had encountered the filly.

“You ever wonder...what her cutie mark might have been?” Sweetie Belle asked quietly.

Her friend gave a sad smile. “It was obvious, wasn’t it? She was a gol’darn goddess on that scooter o’ hers.”

“Heheh, yeah. I bet she would have made a good scooter racer, or even a stuntmare.”

For the second time, their conversation trailed off. The simple thought of their friend silenced their words before they formed, and they remained silent for a few moments as the world continued to move on without them.

Just as they had to move on without her.

“Ah miss her,” Apple Bloom whispered.

To her right, Sweetie Belle had begun to sing again, louder and clearer than before. The beautifully haunting sound, while meant to cheer her up, only brought hot tears to the farm mare’s eyes.

End chapter eight

Author’s comments: I hope you’ve enjoyed the break. I really enjoyed writing this, mainly because I’ve always wanted to make a psuedo-canon version of what the cutie marks of the CMCs would be. I’m not claiming that this is it, of course, but they’re the best ideas I’ve had for them to date.

I hope you imagined Scootaloo in this chapter, because I sure did. Poor girl.

Co-author’s comments: Months ago, Aaron asked me “I can't figure out exactly what Applebloom's talent should be. Care to give any thoughts?” I was surprised he asked me this question, because I thought it was something easy to figure out. I replied back to him “First word that comes to mind is the word "bloom" which makes me think of how a farmer actually plants apple trees, and cares for them so that they bloom into epic apple trees later in life.” And thus, Aaron got his idea. I love helping the fic with details like this.

Next chapter: Applejack and Rarity find the area where the root of the dark tree has taken shelter. They are not at all prepared for what they find inside, and they must work together in order to overcome their most surprising challenge yet: Rainbow Dash’s fears.

Comments

[Matt11]

i like this story