July 28th, 998
Doug raps his knuckles against the wall, the trio of fillies looking up at him. He says, "Hey, girls, a letter came for the three of you." He looks around the farmhouse, the trio perking up and trying to find what he is searching for. "I also have one for your younger sister; do you know where Applebaum is?" He holds the letter up: a normal white envelope, slate gray calligraphy reading 'To Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo; Sweet Apple Acres', and a small purple wax heart sealing the letter closed.
Apple Bloom gets up, a slight shake of her head as she takes the letter from Doug in her mouth. She walks back to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and sits down, using both hooves to rip open the envelope; the letter falls out, pristine white stationary with the same gray writing. The trio start reading as Doug snaps his fingers; the three glance up at him as he says, somewhat shortly, "Hey. I asked you a question."
"Ah don't know," Apple Bloom says as she lays down, engrossed in the letter. She squeals at the same time as Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo joining in a few seconds later. The three begin prancing around, Doug raising an eyebrow but not saying anything, as Apple Bloom exclaims to her sisters, "Ah knew it!"
"I know, right?" Scootaloo adds, "That's why she wasn't able to play with us!"
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle says, "She was spending all that time with her dam, helping at the store! Maybe that's where it happened?" The trio continue to frolic around, their excited shrieks growing louder and higher pitched.
"Maybe she said in the letter!" Apple Bloom says, the three hurriedly going back to the letter and reading through it again. Doug throws his hand into the air as he goes back to his office and shuts the door, Apple Bloom excitedly flipping the letter over.
Scootaloo protests, "Hey! I wasn't done yet!" She tries to flip the letter back over but Sweetie Belle sticks a hoof out, pinning the paper to the floor.
"Shh!" Sweetie Belle remarks with a smirk, "You know, for a pegasus you're pretty slow sometimes."
"You take that back!" Scootaloo says, tackling her sister, Sweetie Belle yelping in surprise before she starts pushing back.
The two flail at each other as they roll around, Apple Bloom continuing to read the letter. They bump into her, Apple Bloom exclaiming, "Hey!" as she tries to pry the two apart. This merely entangles her with her sisters, the ball of limbs knocking into Doug's office door.
"If you're going to rough-house," Doug says, an exasperated tone in his voice as he opens the door, "Take it outside!"
The trio stops wrestling, chorusing, "Sorry Daddy," as they walk to the front door. Scootaloo's flank bumps into Sweetie Belle's, prompting the unicorn to knock back into the pegasus with a little extra oomph, the two quickly escalating as they roll into the door.
"Oh," Doug adds, Apple Bloom turning while her sisters stop wrestling, "Let each of your sisters know I'm looking for them if you run into them."
"Sure thing!" Scootaloo says, holding the door open for Apple Bloom. "Now, where were we?"
"Ah don't really remember," Apple Bloom says, glancing at the letter in her hoof. "Oh yeah! We have Silver Spoon's cute-ceañera to get ready for!"
"Do you think we should get her a present?" Sweetie Belle asks, glaring as Scootaloo lets the door close on her while the pegasus tries to glance at the letter.
Scootaloo grabs the letter from Apple Bloom's hooves, the irritated earth pony saying, "Hey!"
"I didn't get to finish reading it!" Scootaloo says, flipping the letter over and starting at the top. "Hey!" she says as Sweetie Belle levitates the letter up, her wings fluttering as she tries to grab the letter out of mid air. She jumps up a few times, hooves straining to reach the letter as Sweetie Belle smirks, sticking her tongue out. Scootaloo rapidly gets fed up with the game, glaring at Sweetie Belle.
"Eep!" Sweetie Belle cries as Scootaloo changes course and chases after the unicorn. The letter falls down, blowing away in the wind as Scootaloo quickly catches up to her sister, the two rolling around in the dirt. Apple Bloom chases after the letter, the wind taking it higher and higher as it blows to the south. She comes to a stop under one of the apple trees, the branches catching the letter high up.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, both fillies covered in dirt, breath heavily as they stop next to Apple Bloom and look up, trying to spot the letter. Apple Bloom says, "Sweetie Belle? Can you get the letter down? It's stuck way up there in the tree."
"Hold on." Sweetie Belle focuses, her horn lighting but the letter unchanging. "Nope. It's too high up."
"This wouldn't have happened if you didn't take the letter from me, you know," Scootaloo grumbles, crouching down.
"Yeah, well, it wouldn't have happened either if you didn't tackle me either," Sweetie Belle retorts, mirroring Scootaloo as they both get ready to pounce.
"Girls! You need to stop fighting, we have a problem here!" Apple Bloom looks up at the letter, "Maybe if Ah buck the tree, the letter will fall down! Then, Sweetie Belle, you can catch the letter!" Apple Bloom looks over, a heavy sigh as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are back to rough-housing. "Okay, that does it!"
Apple Bloom charges in, putting her earth pony strength to work as she rams Scootaloo in the side. Scootaloo flops over as Apple Bloom turns towards Sweetie Belle; the unicorn paws at the ground, trying to back off and stop herself from overbalancing. Apple Bloom pushes Sweetie Belle, the unicorn flipping over and landing on her back. Apple Bloom stands above her, putting a hoof on Sweetie Belle's chest, "You give up yet?"
Sweetie Belle nods, a cautious look to Scootaloo as the pegasus gets up.
"Oww," Scootaloo moans, rubbing her side, "That hurt."
"Yeah, well, we need to focus," Apple Bloom says. "How are we gonna get that letter?"
Sweetie Belle says, "We could go ask Doug, or Rarity."
Scootaloo grunts, "Yeah, or we can take care of this ourselves. Apple Bloom, how about you buck the tree. If it's anything like what you hit me, then the letter should come loose, right?"
"Okay!" Apple Bloom says, "Can you try to grab the letter when it falls, Sweetie Belle?"
"If I can find it," she says, looking up at the tree. "Oh, there it is! Okay, I'm ready."
"Alright," Apple Bloom takes a deep breath, moving up to the tree. She spins, just like her dam taught her, and plants her forehooves into the dirt, her hind legs delivering a powerful buck to the tree.
Scootaloo yells, "It's coming down!" as the branches above shake, the letter coming loose and fluttering down.
"I got it!" Sweetie Belle yells, the letter encased in her green aura. "Now I-"
Sweetie Belle collapses to the ground, an apple falling on her head and stunning her. Scootaloo yelps, chasing after the letter as the wind catches it, blowing it further to the south. Apple Bloom checks on Sweetie Belle, the unicorn quickly recovering and gasping as the letter blows out of the apple orchard. The trio stops at the edge of the trees, watching the letter as it flies into the forest beyond the edges of their farm.
"Well, I'm not going in there," Sweetie Belle says, the branches of the Everfree Forest ominously swaying back and forth.
"What, you chicken?" Scootaloo taunts, strutting back and forth. "Brawwk bawk bawk bawk."
"Yes. You can call me a chicken all you want, but unless you go in there you're just as big a chicken as me." Sweetie Belle smirks, "Actually, you'd be a little chicken, goes with those little wings."
"I'm not a chicken!" Scootaloo stamps a hoof, "And I'm going to prove it." She forces a smile on her face, one trembling leg taking a step forwards. Her hoof crunches against the dried leaves between the Apple orchard and the forest, train tracks splitting the clearing.
"Um, Scootaloo, please don't go into the forest," Apple Bloom pleads, a nervous twinge in her voice. "Ah really don't think that its a good idea. Um, anypony remember where the party is? Or when? Maybe we don't need the letter."
"I think it's at the Rich house," Sweetie Belle says, "And Pinkie Pie is preparing the party, so you know it's going to be good!" She glances back towards the farmhouse, a cautious sniff at the stench of decaying leaves around them.
"Hey!" Apple Bloom says, trying to show a little enthusiasm, "Doug said that Applebaum also got an invitation. Maybe we can check her letter?"
Scootaloo huffs, trying to cover her relief, "Fine, if you insist." She laughs, "Maybe, uh, maybe none of us are chicken, huh?"
In the forest, barely visible from the treeline, a large orange paw grabs the letter out of mid air. The rest of the massive creature is shrouded in shadow, just the outline of leonine face that takes a cautious sniff of the paper, a smile at the fragrant scent. It opens its mouth, sharp teeth devouring the paper. It frowns at the lack of flesh attached to the smell, stalking back into the dense foliage.
The trio watch the shadow slink away, looking around at each other. "Did that just happen?" Scootaloo says, a touch of confusion in her voice.
"Um, Ah sure hope not," Apple Bloom says, nervously backing up. "Ah think we should go back to the farmhouse now."
"I'm with Apple Bloom here," Sweetie Belle says, her body quivering, the trio quickly making their way back to the farmhouse. On the way they spot Applejack with Applebaum in tow, going over how they collect the apples and how to buck a tree. Sweetie Belle calls out, "Hello Applejack! Oh, and we were supposed to tell you that, um, Doug has a letter for Applebaum."
"Howdy Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom." Applejack looks at the trio, a harsh command in her voice, "What were you doing in the south orchard?"
"Nothing," Scootaloo says, a large smile on her face.
Apple Bloom hesitantly asks, "Um, Sis, there isn't anything to be afraid of in the Everfree, right?", a nervous glance behind her.
"No, there's plenty dangerous things in the Everfree, and you three shouldn't be playing anywhere near there. Who knows, a timber wolf might leap out and snap you right up!" Applejack shakes her head, "Nopony is foalish enough to go into the Everfree and for good reason."
"Oh. Okay." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle force smiles on their faces as well, Applejack giving them a suspicious look. "So, um, can we take Applebaum to get her letter? Then we'll bring her right back!"
"Alright, 'Baum, go with your sisters. Ah'll be around here."
"Okay." Applebaum follows the trio back to the farmhouse, quickly heading inside.
Apple Bloom hesitantly knocks at the office door, opening it at Doug's curt, "Come in." She grabs the filly's letter from Doug, opening the expensive stationary for each pony to read. Each of them reads it, a quiet gasp as they glance to Doug's office; he already told them off once today, and they didn't want a repeat, especially if he might forbid them from going to the party as punishment.
Apple Bloom walks back to the office door, slowly opening it, "Um, Daddy, Silver Spoon's cute-ceañera is starting in an hour, at the Rich house. Um, we're supposed to bring a present."
"Okay," Doug says, barely looking up from his work. "You going to be back for dinner?"
Apple Bloom glances back, a shake of her head. "Ah don't think so."
"Okay." Doug glances up, "I think Lemon is still with Pinkie, so just make sure Applebaum gets home safely." He gets up, "Now, come're, you." He picks up Apple Bloom, walking out of his office and gathering all four fillies in his arms, getting a hug from each of them. "If you don't see Applejack, I'll tell her. Just stay safe getting there, okay?"
"Okay!" chorus the four, hopping out of Doug's arms, the human returning to his office and shutting the door.
Sweetie Belle says, "Hey, we should get Silver Spoon something from each of us!"
Apple Bloom says, "What do you think she wants?"
Scootaloo grins, "I know! She's always playing ball with us, right? How about we get her a ball, and we all sign it!"
"Ooh, Ah like it!" Apple Bloom runs off, finding the blue soccer ball the group enjoyed playing with. She hesitantly walks back into Doug's office, a smile at her sire as she grabs a black marker. She quietly closes the door behind her, bounding over to the three and saying, "Ah think she'll like it too!" as she pulls the cap off, carefully writing her name on the ball as Scootaloo holds it still. Scootaloo hastily scribbles her name before Applebaum tentatively takes the pen, Apple Bloom coaching her sister on how to write her name. Sweetie Belle levitates the marker last, signing her name with an artful cursive.
"Where'd you learn that?" Apple Bloom asks, in awe at Sweetie Belle's fancy writing.
Sweetie Belle pouts, "Rarity's always making me practice. It takes so long, too," she sighs, "But, it does help with my magic. I'm a lot neater than when I started, and sometimes she has me help around the store, filling out order forms. It's really boring."
"Well, maybe you'll get a cutie mark as a sales clerk," Scootaloo laughs, Sweetie Belle shooting her a glare. They walk out the front door; Scootaloo grabs her scooter, racing off to tell Applejack while the other three make their way to Ponyville.