//------------------------------//
// 8 To The Treehouse 
// Story: Ghost Hunter Twilight 
// by Keywii_Cookies55 
//------------------------------//

Outside of Partyville West was several kilometres of farmland. However, to the East of that there stood a thick forest with such a heavy canopy that sunlight barely dared to penetrate the leaf covering. It was considered a dangerous place to some, those that believed the rumours that monsters or muggers liked to jump out at you. Savvy observers however knew that the dense forest was actually no more dangerous than living in St. Orangeberg proper. If anything it was probably safer.

So it was in this place that Applebloom found herself standing alongside two other ponies she had come to consider her friends. The first was an orange pegasus with a messy purple mane that stood about an inch taller than Applebloom herself. She was a perpetually contrary filly that liked to be called Scootaloo. Applebloom had known her for some time now, almost three years. Though that paled in comparison to her other friend.

Sweetie Belle had deep lime eyes that held an air of contemplation, but that was countered nicely by a soft, and somewhat innocent, smile that Applebloom herself enjoyed seeing. It was what she liked about the white unicorn the most, and was probably something Applebloom looked the most forward to anytime she planned on seeing her.

Applebloom had known Sweetie Belle since back before she understood any of how the world worked. She smirked anytime she remembered that she thought Sweetie Belle was an imaginary friend. She knew more now than she probably had at any point, which she was thankful for. She hadn't hit the moron flip yet, and was determined to be one of the adults that still knew how to do math.

The three stood to the side of a path into the forest, Applebloom was laying on her back and staring up into the sky, currently wondering if she should blame her friends for distracting her, or blame herself for losing focus. She didn't want to be mad at her friends, but also didn't want to take fault for what happened...it was something of a dilemma.

"I'm so sorry about your vampire." Sweetie Belle apologized, which made Applebloom feel bad for even considering to blame her friends. Sweetie had this way to just make you feel guilty for wanting to take advantage of her. It was a good constant reminder not to lose her equinity or compassion, after all, some ponies weren't absolutely awful.

Applebloom looked up at Sweetie Belle, sitting beside her, with such an apologetic look on her face. She internally sighed as her problem of who to blame was solved for her. "It's fine, I can always catch another one." She offered, hoping to alleviate some of the fault.

"Yeah, in several months." Scootaloo stated matter-of-factly. Applebloom narrowed her eyes slightly at the pegasus. She was friends with Scootaloo for entirely different reasons than she was with Sweetie Belle. While Sweetie always reminded her to hold onto her emotions and ability to care about others, Scootaloo provided an intellectual challenge to overcome.

They'd often debate anything and everything, play devil's advocate to each other, and just in general sharpen their wits off each other. It was a more cynical type of friendship to contrast the warm fuzzy connection she had with Sweetie Belle. They both even played chess, which they were both again aware was cliche, they didn't care though. Unlike the years she knew Sweetie Belle, Applebloom had only known Scootaloo for about ten months, long enough to be friends, but still too short a time to know each other all that deeply.

Applebloom sat up and looked at Scootaloo's challenging expression. "Shut up," she offered the pegasus. Which was received with a smirk.

Sweetie Belle smiled as Applebloom got back up to her hooves, "So what's new? We haven't hung out in a few days."

Applebloom looked around her immediate surroundings, confirming for probably the fifth time that yes, they were alone. "Nothing much," She answered jovially, but then paused as she remembered some information. "Well, the clone issue has been picking up again, It's nothing to worry about, but still kind of concerning.”

"Mmhmm," Scootaloo deadpanned, clearly not very impressed.

Rolling her eyes, Applebloom motioned to her orange friend. "Fine, what about you then?"

Scootaloo rolled her own eyes before letting out a pained groan, showing signs of exhaustion in her back. "The parties have been getting more frequent."

Applebloom raised an eyebrow at this, "Back on cleaning duty?"

"To quote a friend of mine, 'shut up'."

"Heh."

Looking back into Partyville, which could still be made out from their location, Scootaloo turned towards the deeper forest. "We should get going." The other two shared nods before they all began to walk, leaving the cloudless day behind them.

Applebloom let Scootaloo walk up ahead slightly as she walked alongside Sweetie Belle. The unicorn seemed quieter than usual, which usually meant she had a lot on her mind. And considering what that meant, the earth pony couldn't just be quiet. "How about you, Sweetie?" She asked, keeping her voice level and calm, she didn't have depression herself, but knew how to handle a friend that did.

"Alright I guess," She sighed somberly, "C-Level readings are up since yesterday, but none are in range of any of my Hotspots. So I haven't gotten any myself."

Applebloom considered what to say. She didn't quite know where Sweetie's Hotspots were exactly, she remembered the conversations, but not the specifics. It didn't fully matter, having not really been required for the friendship, but she still felt bad for not knowing. She didn't fully know what to say until a thought hit her. "Well, nopony else will be taking her C-Levels from her."

"At least there's only one of you." She said aloud, her attempt at comforting her friend. She was a bit disappointed to see that it essentially bounced off the unicorn.

"Mmm..." Sweetie mumbled, lost in thought as they walked forward. Her voice was more hollow than normal, devoid of any life. "Maybe, but it still gets a bit lonely."

Applebloom exhaled slightly, she was never really all that good with moments like this, she tried, of course, but she always got the impression that anything she said was forgotten soon after the conversation. Stuck repeating the same pieces of advice and hills and valleys in their conversations. She looked forward at Scootaloo who respectfully stayed silent, she motioned to Sweetie Belle, Applebloom exhaled again and turned to her friend.

She didn't know what to really say, so went with the first thing that came to her mind. "I can understand that, without you guys I'm pretty lonely." She heard Scootaloo lightly bring her hoof to her forehead, but she said nothing.

"I guess," Sweetie sighed, staring down at her hooves as they brought her forward.

Thinking for a moment, Applebloom was struck with an idea. "I can't believe I forgot." She thought as an earnest smile spread across her features, leaning down she brought her face into Sweeties line of sight. "Well I may have some good news for you."

This actually seemed to pique the unicorns interest. "Hm?" And they met eyes, Sweetie lifting her head.

"Yeah, there's a new unicorn in town."

Sweetie actually perked at that information and looked as though she was about to say something when Scootaloo looked back and interrupted. "What does a new unicorn have to do with anything?" She asked.

Applebloom looked curiously at Sweetie Belle, a look both knew meant she was silently asking if Sweetie was okay. At a smile and a nod, the Earth pony sighed in relief before she turned to her orange friend. "Well," Applebloom started matter-of-factly, "Normally nothing, most adults are pretty stupid."

"Agreed."

Applebloom sped up her step slightly in order to match Scootaloo's "But this unicorn is different. She seems to actually know things."

They passed the point where the path ended, Partyville long behind them, but they walked with confidence, knowing their destination. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "What, like basic math?"

"Heh," Applebloom gave a small laugh, "More importantly though, according to Pinkie Pie, whatsername is here to fix Partyville's problems."

At the mention of Pinkie's name, Scootaloo scowled almost violently. "Can we not talk about that immune leech? 'Pinkie Pie' is not a topic I want to get started on."

Applebloom raised an eyebrow at this, "You know her?"

"What did I just say?" Scootaloo sounded downright angry, and while it wasn't directed at either of her friends, they seemed confused by the aggression. "We're not talking about it."

Passing through thick foliage, Applebloom rolled her eyes, "Well we're going to HAVE to. There's a situation forming there."

This remark stopped the pegasus dead in her tracks. The other two looked at her, and she looked like she was about to blow a gasket. Her teeth clenched painfully and her nostrils flared up. To anyone else, these would be good warning signs to immediately leave her alone before something violent happened to them. Applebloom though, merely waited for whatever reaction was about to happen.

It was only after fifteen solid, unbroken seconds of silence that Scootaloo deflated, "Fine," She lamented, "But let's at least wait until we get to the safehouse."

Applebloom nodded at that, knowing it was a good time to change the topic, maybe make a joke. "C'mon Scoots, it's called a clubhouse, get with it."

Sweetie Belle, who remained silent as she normally did during their exchanges, chose that time to speak up, "Um, guys?" She piped up, motioning in a separate way into the forest. "The clubhouse is the other direction."

She knew they knew which way they were going, but she also knew that they were prone to distract each other whenever they got talking about anything and missed obvious things.

---

The three were walking through a different portion of the forest. The trees were bigger both in height and width, and were further spread out, meaning the main foliage was a field of blue flowers they were currently working through.

"I'm not saying that,"Applebloom retorted to Scootaloo, the two walking side by side, "Really, there'd be no use breaking ties off when you can just ask for a new favour."

Scootaloo shrugged in return, "Well of course, that was never being doubted. Not everyone is amenable to continual favours without continual reminder of their motivation though."

Sweetie Belle, who was walking along behind them just rolled her eyes and sighed.

---

Pushing past a hole in an old worn out chain link fence, the three ponies entered a clearing large enough that sunlight shone down through the forest ceiling. Applebloom was the first to smile upon seeing their small cottage. From the outside it looked like what could once be called a treehouse. However, time played the large construction like a two-toned fiddle. It looked as though it was once suspended between three different trees high off the ground, only to fall one day, get rebuilt, and then weather the elements for a decade before getting rebuilt again.

Sweetie Belle sighed in relief as she appeared suddenly behind Applebloom. Scootaloo phasing through the fence instead of going through the hole. "Finally," the unicorn breathed, "I can't listen to you two argue for another fifteen minutes."

Applebloom turned back to Sweetie Belle and raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather silence?"

"I for one am just happy to do nothing and relax for a while." Scootaloo offered with an exhausted push past her friends. They knew she was tired because she worked, unlike the two of them, so they rarely cared when she pushed them around slightly in order to relax.

Applebloom followed Scootaloo up to the front door of their clubhouse. Scootaloo phased through the door, which Applebloom rolled her eyes at, "Some ponies have to actually use their hooves to open doors." she thought but kept herself from saying. After Applebloom tripped the security system, she walked in, making a note to set it back up the next time she left. Like always.

Closing the door behind her, she turned to find Scootaloo sitting on a comfortable looking bag-chair, groaning in comfort. On a small circular metal plate Sweetie Belle appeared in a small puff of white smoke. Applebloom nodded and headed over to her portion of the club room.

The 'clubhouse' didn't exactly have a square or even rectangular floor plan. Due to its multiple refurbishings and rebuildings, it was oddly shaped. While it was all one room it was roughly triangular. So early on the three friends decided that each third was essentially their own personal space. It wasn't room for much, maybe about 15 square metres, but it was enough room for a few small, simple things.

Scootaloo's space consisted of her chair, a shelf with a small assortment of books, and an old television on a wooden crate that the three watched from time to time. Sweetie Belle meanwhile, had her aforementioned plate, a bag-chair of her own, a small end table with several gadgets and pieces of disassembled tech, and a small stuffed doll that had certainly seen better days. Applebloom herself had a third bag-chair, and a shelf containing various things, though primarily board games. A license plate was nailed to the wall that read 'Haunted' and finally a small, three legged desk propped up by a stick with quite a few pieces of loose paper scattered among its surface. A standing lamp stood in the centre of the room, its power cord plugged directly into a blue crystal formation.

The three of them settled in their respective places in the clubhouse. Applebloom went over to her desk and began to read over her papers. And Sweetie just smiled, being with her friends, happy that they could be together even without talking. It wasn't until maybe three minutes after they arrived that Scootaloo raised her head to look over at Applebloom. "Alright, I'm ready, what's going on." She didn't exactly look happy, but she knew they had to talk about it.

Applebloom nodded, a smile forming. "I'm glad you asked, there's alot going on right now," She explained as she walked over to the centre of the clubhouse. "Including a new novel for you," Scootaloo nodded appreciatively. "A new unicorn asking questions for Sweetie." The white unicorn herself smiled at this information. "And a lead on a new deck of cards for all of us."

"Finally there's a situation forming with Pinkie and her pen pal." She looked over to Scootaloo, who still didn't seem happy about Pinkie Pie being involved, but to her credit, she shrugged.

"Well," Sweetie interjected, pushing aside some of her wiring and sitting up on her table, "What's going on there?"

Applebloom mentally weighed what she knew, it wasn't exactly the best news. "She was asking about you two, it seems she knows you're my friends." This got immediate reactions from the two of them.

Sweetie's expression dropped considerably, her shoulders slumping as she brought her hooves to her cheeks. Scootaloo, conversely, scowled at the information. "Of course she is." Scootaloo grunted as she got up from her chair, walking towards Applebloom, "The nosy loner can't keep to herself."

The yellow Earth pony’s expression hardened. Scootaloo knew very well what she was insinuating, and Applebloom knew it too. They both knew the perfect buttons to push to piss the other off. And it seemed that Scootaloo was in the mood to be yelled at. "And what is that supposed to mean?" Applebloom asked with a warning tone. She very specifically did not like when ponies talked about how she herself was nosy or a loner.

"Doesn't matter, the point is it's a problem." Scootaloo clarified, knowing that Applebloom was really asking - are you talking about Pinkie, or me? - and cutting the tension masterfully.

Applebloom stayed quiet for a moment, challenging Scootaloo to say more. When nothing more was said, she turned to look back over at Sweetie, who was staring blankly ahead, it seemed that the situation was taking its toll on her more than anyone. "Right," the Earth pony started talking, more to herself than anyone else. "Well I've been thinking of a number of ways to deal with that."

Sweetie Belle looked down at the ground, her eyes deeply saddened. "But if I'm discovered for real, I'll have to leave forever. And I love you girls."

Noticing that Applebloom entered one of her trains of thought, Scootaloo began to angrily pace back and forth. "It's just like that fucking outcast to pull something like this." She spat venomously.

Applebloom brought her hoof to her chin in contemplation. "The most viable option is murder, but it wouldn't be subtle enough, it'd draw too much attention."

"There's nowhere else for me to go..." Sweetie's voice began to waver slightly, but tears never came to her eyes, they remained empty.

"To know about me not even a year after I'm freed." Scootaloo was fuming at this point, "I'll fucking kill her."

Walking over to might have counted as a window once, Applebloom looked out of it as she considered her options. "I suppose it'd work if we tie it to somepony else. Who's smart enough to talk to, but dumb enough to manipulate." She stared out the remainder of the glass pane for a couple minutes while Scootaloo ranted in the background. She didn't care though, she was preoccupied.

Applebloom saw a bird land on a tree branch outside and narrowed her eyes. She stared at the bird, as if silently asking it to give her the answer to her question. She glared at the stupid bird for a moment before she noticed the reflection of the inside of the clubhouse overlay on the glass. From this particular angle, Scootaloo's bookshelf reflected back at her. It almost looked like the stupid bird was sitting on one of the books.

It was then that Applebloom's eyes widened in realization. "Holy shit," she whispered, "She's perfect."