From her perch atop the farmhouse, Scootaloo gazed out. A little over a week had passed since the adventure at the waterworks and things were changing much quicker now. Once Sweetie Belle had cleansed the waterworks and underground lake, Scoots had been able to fix the pump. And that had resulted in the abundance of water needed for farming to truly begin.
By now the entire east orchard looked more like it had before the war. Apple Bloom had nursed the trees she could back to health, and cut down the dead ones. So only healthy apple trees could be seen along the main path of Sweet Apple Acres. It was even Apple Bloom who’d stopped Sweetie from cleansing the north orchard by pointing out they already had enough healthy trees to feed everypony in their small community and telling her to worry about cleansing other places first.
Even the trees that had been cut down hadn’t gone to waste. Several of Bloom’s ‘farmhands’ had used the lumber to rebuild some of the houses near the acres, effectively beginning the rebuilding of Ponyville proper. Which in turn mean fewer ponies living in the barn.
Although most of the new buildings were just homes, the most important building restored in Scootaloo’s mind was the old flower shop that had once been next to the ponyville spa. Not for the building so much, as because of the herbs that they’d been able to recover and replant. Herbs that Apple Bloom could use to mix up some basic healing potions.
Food, water, and a limited form of medicine. They’d restored all of the basics. All but one.
And restoring that was going to be hard. Thankfully Rumble seemed to understand that last need too. Or maybe he was just being silly and pursuing it without realizing it. Either way the stallion who once dreamed of being a Wonderbolt was out there flying patrol, pretending he offered the small community some semblance of security.
Although in truth he was more of a scout than a guard, as anything that looked like it might need to be fought usually made him come flying right to Scootaloo. Granted, being that she was the only pegasus in town that had the raw skill to aim her lightning that also made her the only pony in town capable of making her own ammo.
A part of her wondered how hard it would be to teach him to use storm clouds as weapons too, although she quickly dismissed that idea for a much more practical and immediate one. With it in mind she left her spot on the roof of the apple family home. The day was young, but her plan would likely take most of it to fulfill if she wanted to be back by sundown.
It didn’t take long before Apple Bloom found the pegasus crusader bucking apple trees while wearing her full adventuring gear plus extra saddlebags laden with the apples she was gathering.
“Good news, Scoots! We should have our first crop of carrots any day now! And the corn has sprouted nicely too! Now if only Ah could get my hooves on some usable wheat or oat seeds. Ah could kill for some beard about now…” her final words trailed off as she beheld the orange pegasus and her current pack-mule-esk get up. “Uhh… why ya got so many apples? Even with the fridge up and running there’s no way you’d eat all of those before they spoil.”
“Let’s just say I know some ponies who’d probably be willing to trade for them.”
Bloom’s amber eyes blinked. “Wait, so you’re skipping town?”
“Should be back tonight, or tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes,” she answered right before stuffing the last apple she’d harvest in her mouth and trotting off.
Apple Bloom only stood there and watched quietly as her friend left. A part of her pondered what the pegasus was planing on trading for. But another part of her smiled at the opportunity that Scootaloo’s absence presented.
* * * * * * *
Sweetie Belle stood before what remained of her sister’s shop, the Carrousel Boutique. Several windows were broken and the paint was peeling, but for the most part it had weathered the years well. At least it looked that way. The dark magic was thick enough here that one could see purple sparkles in the dirt if they’d looked hard enough.
Her horn lit up with the soft green glow of her magic. As did the golden glow of Dinky’s horn. The green and gold magic wrapped over the ground, making the purple sparkles become much more visible. Then the unicorn magic began to pulse and the dark magic began to evaporate in wispy like black flows, like steam coming off of a teapot.
With one last pulse, the twin lights shattered and the eerie feeling that had once surrounded the place vanished.
Both unicorns were now breathing heavily, like a pony who’s just run a race.
“Thanks… for the help…” Sweetie Belle managed between breaths.
“It’s the least I could do… after you taught us… But… if you really want to repay the favor… I wouldn’t mind some help cleaning out my old house tomorrow.”
“Consider it a deal.”
When Sweetie opened the door, the quiet creak drew her attention to the fact the chime was missing. The lights came on when she flipped the switch. Although that only further revealed that everything was covered in dust, dirt and even a fair number of leaves had found their way through the broken windows and to the floor over the years.
Yet despite being only a shell of it’s former glory, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help look on the small curricular stand flanked by three mirrors and hear the voice of her younger self and friends chanting ‘We’re going to the gala!’
As quickly as the memory of happier times came, it faded and she was once again looking at a wooden stand covered in cracks, dirt and backed by broken mirrors.
As Dinky looked around, she couldn’t help but notice that half the curtains were on the floor now. In fact, despite the abundance of cloth in the place, she was finding it impossible to spot a piece of cloth that hadn’t been ravaged by the years. Be it frayed and weathered edges or holes, everything seemed to have succumbed to the years of neglect.
“So, you really plan on fixing this place up?” Dinky asked.
“Maybe later, once more of the town is back to normal. I really wouldn’t want to be the only pony out here on the east side of town. Right now I was just hoping to get a few things… If they survived all this time that is.”
To the gray unicorn with the blond mane, the search found only one rundown room after another, each just another reminder of the sad fate that had befallen the town ten years ago.
But to the white mare, each room held a memory of the past. Her attempt to cook for her big sister, punctuated by the words ‘Its not that burnt!’ The time she guilt tripped Rarity into agreeing to go camping. Even the laundry room brought back the memory of her youthful attempt to help that turned out to not be that helpful after all.
Then they reacted the inspiration room. Although Dinky had never spent much time here before the war, she could read the mare with her well enough to see that this place was sacred ground to the white unicorn. So she stayed in the hall, allowing Sweetie Belle enter the room alone.
Several bolts of rotted fabric filled the racks, a line of mannequins stood above the remnants of what had been her elder sister’s final works. Works too far gone to even guess what their intention had been now that they were little more than shreds of cloth and maybe a buckle or button on the pile of scraps on the floor below each.
And yet, as she approached the work desk, where the sowing machine sat covered in rust, a glimmer of hope flashed in Sweetie’s eyes. The first intact picture frame she’d seen as she’d searched sat beside the sowing machine.
Taking the picture in her hoof, she gently wiped the dust from the glass. She smiled and put it in her saddlebags.
When she came out of the inspiration room she said, “That’s what we’re looking for up here. Now let’s go see if the basement is still intact.”
“What’s in the basement?”
“If we’re lucky Rarity’s old fabric making stuff. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to have bed sheets that haven’t been half eaten by moths for once. Or curtains without holes over those drafty windows.”
* * * * * * *
A fiery light danced on Apple Bloom’s face as she sat, contently watching the source of the glow. And she wasn’t alone as she watched the flames spread and grow. In fact with the exception of two unicorns everypony in town was gathered around the old hospital, watching it go up in flames.
Rain began to fall, but only in a thin ring around the burning building, not a drop fell on the burning building. Rumble had only bothered to start up the rain clouds because some of the flames had spread to the grass around the building. Now with the rain falling, it made a fence to keep the flames contained to the only thing that they wanted to see burn.
That was about when the two latecomers finally showed up, although Sweetie Belle was the only one with a perplexed look on her face.
“What’s going on? How did this happen?” she asked, with a hint of panic in her voice. Then she noticed everypony else watching the fire. “Why is everypony so calm?”
“We needed this,” Apple Bloom answered, never taking her eyes off of the blaze.
“What?” was the first response that came from Sweetie. Then it was quickly followed by, “Oh!” And shortly after that she walked calmly over to Bloom’s side and sat down beside her.
They watched in silence for a while, the roar of the flames drowning out any petty noise that might have dared to interrupt its flaming symphony.
“You know Scootaloo is going to be mad when she finds out about this, right?”
“Ah know,” Apple Bloom said. Then she gave a scoff and added, “She’ll probably say it was a waste of a perfectly good building. But there are too many painful memories tied to this place. We had to destroy the last link to them.”
“What about the part where we don’t have a hospital anymore?”
The earth pony smiled. “Why do you think Rumble has been so keen on scavenging from there? We’ve already got all the medical stuff out. And why do you think Ah had you cleanse the north barn but not bother with the rest of the north orchard? That’s were we got all the gear stashed. If Scoots really wants a broken X-ray machine, it’s there. Everything from before the slavers is.”
“Good to know. But you’re right, she probably will be mad at you for wasting of a good building.”
It had taken about an hour, but the old hospital building eventual gave way and collapsed into a burning pile of rubble. That was when most left the gathering, content that the only reminder of what they had suffered was gone. Or in Sweetie Belle’s case that she’d stayed long enough to honor the feelings of the other others.
Apple Bloom lingered longer though. As did Rumble, but in his case he’d agreed to keep manning the rain clouds until the fire had burned itself completely out.
With the sun low on the horizon and evening fast approaching, Bloom finally felt the time was right to walk away from the smoldering rubble and return home.
* * * * * * *
Back at the farmhouse, Apple Bloom was surprised to find a pile of ammunition boxes sitting on the dinning room table. It didn’t take long for her to guess where they had come from. And her suspicions were confirmed as soon as she went upstairs.
There, at the end of the hall, was Scootaloo, just sitting there as she stared out the window. The pegasus’ gaze stayed fixed out the window, her ears turning to face the earth pony was the only acknowledgment that her presence had been noticed.
Apple Bloom steeled her heart, bracing to defend her actions to the friend she’d knowingly earned the ire of. Feeling as ready as ever to face the music, she finally spoke up.
“Scootaloo?”
The pegasus finally turned her head. Yet when their eyes met there was no anger to be found in those purple eyes, only the unmistakable gaze of disappointment.
“Please don’t make me talk to you right now. I see no good coming from it,” Scootaloo answered with a voice that sounded as flat as possible, like a bored pony reading off of a fact sheet or something. Then she turned her head and resumed looking out the window.
Despite her plea, the pegasus just sat there, leaving every opportunity for Apple Bloom to force a conversation. But her words failed her. She’d been prepared to defend herself from her friend’s anger for going too far. But disappointment? No, she had not been prepared to defend herself for falling short. And so it was with that single gaze Scootaloo had destroyed the argument brewing in Bloom’s mind.
Not knowing what else to do, Apple Bloom bowed her head in defeat and made her way to the master bedroom without another word.
Once ponies had started moving out of Sweet Apple Acres, it had been agreed that Apple Bloom should take the master bedroom. It was her farm after all. And truth be told she’d found her granny’s old room to be quite soothing. Granny Smith had the walls adorned with countless photos of the Apple Family, including ones of her elder sister and brother.
And yet the only thing Apple Bloom could see at that moment was the small pouch sitting on her bed. Drawn onto the front of it was a simple depiction of a wheat plant. Nudging the bag open confirmed that it was indeed filled with wheat seed.
Scootaloo had gone out of her way to make her happy. And she’d gone out of her way to do the one thing she knew Scoots would disapprove of.
The yellow mare may had been too stubborn to cry out loud, but that didn’t stop her from collapsing onto her bed, stuffing her face into the old musty pillows, and letting the tears flow.