An Understanding Heart
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 11: Conclusions
The door to the schoolhouse opened, and excited foals dashed to freedom. A particular trio, normally the first to run off together, instead stood near the door.
“Sis asked me to come straight home today, so we can’t go crusadin’,” Apple Bloom said, looking a bit worried.
“And my sister invited me for… blech… tea,” Sweetie Belle added.
“That’s okay, because I’ve got plans too. I’m going to hang out with the most awesome pony in Ponyville today!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “Just think, Rainbow Dash is taking time out of her busy schedule to teach me tricks!”
“You mean that busy schedule?” Apple Bloom said, pointing to the cyan pegasus napping in the large oak tree near the schoolyard.
“Yeah, I mean, you want to get together this weekend?” Scootaloo said, changing the subject.
“Ah’d like that,” Apple Bloom said. “Maybe a picnic in the park?”
“I still want to try windsurfing some time,” Sweetie Belle admitted, inspiring raised eyebrows from her friends. “What? It sounds like fun! But so does just hanging out with you.”
Apple Bloom slowly trotted home, her eyes drawn to the unusually interesting dirt path. She didn’t want to catch her sister’s eye this afternoon. She felt like she was in trouble, even though her sister had used the exact opposite words that morning. “We need to have a talk, as a family,” she had said.
Noises bounced around the apple trees as Apple Bloom walked. It took a while for her brain to translate the sensations reaching her ear as the sound of her name being called.
Apple Bloom looked up to see her sister looking at her, worried. “Gosh sakes, Apple Bloom. Ah thought you were sleepwalkin’,” Applejack said.
“Ah was just thinkin’,” Apple Bloom replied.
“Well, that’s good. We’ve got some thinkin’ to do. Why don’t you get some juice and go into the family room?” Applejack suggested.
“Okay, sis,” Apple Bloom replied.
Apple Bloom headed into the kitchen and poured herself a tall glass of apple juice from the large clay jug. She carefully carried the glass to the family room and set it on an end table, next to a small framed photograph of Ma and Pa. Ma held an infant Applejack, while Pa kept a foreleg draped around a toddler Big Macintosh. “Probably wasn’t called Big back then,” Apple Bloom thought. Then she realized she hadn’t seen that photograph in a while.
Looking around the family room, Apple Bloom noticed plenty of other photographs cluttering the tables and shelves, and a photo album set on the coffee table. Recent photos of the three younger Apples with Granny Smith and group portraits from the recent Apple family reunion mixed with photos five, ten, even twenty years old.
The house’s back door opened, and two sets of hoofsteps sounded on the wooden floor. Apple Bloom forced a smile as her older siblings walked into the family room and sat down.
“Ah just wanted to say Ah’m proud of you,” Applejack started. “Proud of you for bein’ so strong. Part of bein’ strong is doin’ what you have to do for your family, for the farm, for everypony in Ponyville.”
Applejack took off her hat and bowed her head. “But Ah have to be honest, Apple Bloom. Ah miss Ma and Pa. Ah miss them every day,” she said.
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh agreed.
“Ah miss them too, even if Ah didn’t know them as long,” Apple Bloom said.
“We want you to know that if anything is botherin’ you, you can always talk to us,” Applejack said. “So, is anything botherin’ you?”
“No, not really,” Apple Bloom said quietly.
Big Macintosh shook his head. “Sis, we taught you better than that,” he said sadly.
“Ah know it’s hard, but bein’ honest with yourself is the most important thing you can do,” Applejack said. “So, let’s go in steps. You remember Pa, right?”
“Pretty well,” Apple Bloom said.
“And you remember what happened the day he passed?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom admitted. “The barn. Falling.” She turned her head away, sniffling slightly.
“And do you remember what your brother did the day after the funeral?” the elder sister asked.
Apple Bloom looked up. “Ah don’t remember anything, ‘cept stayin’ in my room, crying,” she said.
“Ah climbed the ladder, went onto the roof of the barn, and patched that hole,” Big Macintosh said. “The barn needed it. The family needed it.”
Apple Bloom looked at her brother in admiration. “Were you scared?” she asked him.
“Ah was. Ah was extra careful, but still, the danger’s still there,” Big Macintosh said.
“Again, Ah’ll be honest, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said. “Farm work’s got its dangers. A lot of ponies get hurt, and some even die. But when your talent is to feed everypony, well, it’s just not right to ignore it because you might get hurt.”
“Ah want to help feed everypony too!” Apple Bloom said.
“Ah think you’re gonna help everypony in another way,” Applejack said. “But you’re still bothered by Pa’s passing. And Ah’m not the best pony to help you with that.
“Ah’m gonna take you into town to meet another pony, Doctor Sureheart. He’ll talk with you, and help you, just like that Open Book fellow.” Applejack stood up. “Be Apple strong for me, Apple Bloom.”
Apple Bloom stood up and hugged her sister. “Ah will.”
As Apple Bloom followed her sister through the streets of Ponyville, she caught a buzzing sound, rapidly growing in intensity.
“Hi, Apple Bloom!” she heard, an orange blur speeding past her. Above, Rainbow Dash followed, leisurely flying upside down and backwards, as if she were swimming a backstroke.
“Hey, Applejack!” the older pegasus called as she passed. Turning to Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash urged her on. “No distractions, if you want to beat your best time!”
Scootaloo focused on the road ahead, planning her next three turns. Somewhere ahead there was that tree root that had tripped her up earlier. She thought she remembered where it was, but instead focused on the contours and shading of the path, looking for the telltale signs of the bump. Spotting it, she plotted a gentle arc around it.
Once Scootaloo reached the outskirts of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash sped ahead. The filly smiled, knowing her idol would place that wooden ramp somewhere on the path. Her eyes caught the straight lines and angles of the pony-made ramp, out of place amidst the natural shapes. “Tricky!” Scootaloo thought. The ramp was not far from another exposed root. If she took her normal wide path around the obstruction, she’d miss the chance to catch some air.
Regretfully, she prepared to slow down, needing the lower speed to make her planned tight turns safe. She leaned to the left, then quickly to the right. Barely missing the exposed root, she again turned left, aiming for the ramp. Once she felt her scooter’s front wheel connect with the smooth wooden surface, she pumped her wings.
The second wheel touched the ramp, and very soon, the first wheel left the ramp. Scootaloo smiled as she felt herself ascend. She imagined the start of a daring Wonderbolts routine, picturing a spiraling ascent to the heavens. With her left rear hoof, she kicked the bottom of the scooter, spinning it around the axis of the crossbar connecting the bottom to the handlebars.
Following three complete rotations, and now descending to the ground, she stopped the spin with her right rear leg. She planted her rear hooves firmly on the scooter’s base and gripped the handlebars. She hit the ground, bouncing once before connecting solidly. Crossing a line chalked into the dirt, she spun out, bringing her race to an end. Rainbow Dash landed seconds later.
“How’d I do?” Scootaloo asked her idol.
“Eh, it was okay,” Rainbow Dash replied. But Scootaloo smiled anyway, recognizing the pride in the older pegasus’ voice.
“Oh, go on and try it, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity urged.
“I told you I don’t like tea,” Sweetie Belle said. She sniffed, the aroma of mint telling her this wasn’t Rarity’s normal tea, but the unicorn filly was still suspicious.
“This is different, an herbal tea with mint. It’s not as bitter. Just try one sip,” Rarity suggested.
Sweetie Belle relented, sipping the hot tea. The spearmint was a nice flavor, but it wasn’t sweet, like the spearmint gumdrops she enjoyed. “It’s okay,” she said.
“Doesn’t it feel nice as you drink it?” Rarity asked.
Sweetie Belle thought. “It does kind of tingle,” she said.
“I highly recommend it to soothe a sore or strained throat,” Rarity said. “A lot of singers swear by it, you know.”
Sweetie Belle pushed her cup away. “You think I could be a singer?” she asked.
“I know you have a lovely voice,” Rarity replied. “And I would like nothing more than to cheer you on as the greatest singer in Equestria.”
“I don’t know if I could be that good,” Sweetie Belle said.
“You won’t know unless you try,” Rarity said.
“And being on stage? That’s scary!” Sweetie Belle said.
“I’ve seen you on stage before, and it didn’t bother you that much,” Rarity replied evenly. “Look, Sweetie Belle, I want you to understand that I will always support you, no matter how successful you become.”
“But what about your dream, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle interjected.
“My dear sister, I do many things,” Rarity explained. “I find gems because that is my talent. I design dresses using these gems because that is my passion. I give dresses to ponies in need because that is generosity. I fight when Equestria is in need because that is right and good. And I love you because you are my sister. None of these details will ever change if you become famous across Equestria.”
Sweetie Belle was quiet. Rarity scooped up her little sister in her forelegs and hugged her close. “I appreciate your generous soul, Sweetie, but you should not hurt yourself for my benefit. That is not true generosity. I want you to know I will always support you,” she said.
“All I wanted is for you to be a big name fashion designer, like you always said,” Sweetie Belle said, squeezing her sister back.
Rarity lowered her sister to the floor and looked her in the eye. “There’s one lovely filly who I know will always want to wear my designs. And one say, she’ll be a beautiful mare, and she’ll look positively divine in one of my dresses,” she said. “Can you picture it?”
Sweetie Belle smiled. “I can see it, Rarity! Scootaloo looks so pretty!” she teased.
Rarity glared at her, but soon smiled and shared a laugh with her sister.
“YEAAAAH!” Scootaloo screamed, soaring after launching off a tipped wagon. She was never going to touch ground again!
Wait, she wasn’t falling! That wish never worked before! But then the filly realized she wasn’t falling because somepony was holding her. She glanced back, smiling as she saw her idol.
Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash quickly banked and set Scootaloo and her scooter down on the ground. “I said, race time is over,” Rainbow Dash said sternly. “It’s time for flight practice.”
Scootaloo flapped her wings and rose into the air, but staying aloft for less than thirty seconds. “I’m trying, Dash!”
Rainbow Dash scowled. “You know what I mean, Scoots. Flying practice with Twilight Sparkle, at the library, with books,” she stated.
“Just one more race?” Scootaloo asked, pleading with sad puppy dog eyes.
Rainbow Dash placed her foreleg over the filly’s shoulders, a comforting gesture that also allowed her to subtly direct Scootaloo’s scooter towards the library. “If you want to be an awesome flier like me, you’ve got to work. I can’t just be the cool older sister who’s all about doing fun things,” Rainbow Dash explained. “I mean, I’ll still be cool, but I’m going to tell you to study and do those not fun things, for your own good.”
“Awwww,” Scootaloo complained. “I just want to be awesome like you!”
“You know what’s really awesome? Nailing an aerial maneuver the first time you try it!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Just like you!” Scootaloo said.
“Heck no!” Rainbow Dash corrected her. “It always takes me a few practice runs to get it right.”
“What?” Scootaloo cried.
“I learn best by just trying it,” Rainbow Dash explained. “If I ever read a book first, maybe I’d accomplish it correctly the first time. But that’s not me.”
Rainbow Dash released Scootaloo with a little push, directing her scooter to the Books and Branches library. “If you’ve ever wanted to be better than me, practice that egghead thing with Twilight Sparkle first,” she said with a wink.
Scootaloo nodded. “I’ll try,” she said, smiling.
The pegasus filly pushed open the door. Twilight Sparkle greeted her with a big smile, and a bigger stack of books. Her smile slipped, but she stepped forward, ready to embrace her first day of flight school.