As they stared at Lofty and Holiday’s little “cottage” (yeah, let’s call it that), Scootaloo’s friends naturally thought back to yesterday morning and their trip down to this rickety place. For Apple Bloom, thinking back to that morning also brought back the dreadful memory of her tripping and opening up that wound in her forehead. Sweetie Belle however, was still thinking about how nopony answered the door when they got to the cottage. Sure, they all assumed that they were just out, but if it they turn out not to be there this time or the next time or the one after that… then what? What are they supposed to make of that; assume the worst and file a missing pony’s report?
Sweetie then realized that there’s no way this same thought hasn’t crossed Scootaloo’s mind at least once since yesterday. No doubt it’s worsened her anxiety regarding her Aunts’ safety. So how much worse would it get for the poor pegasus filly if this happened again? She could only imagine it, but her imagination drew up a few scenarios that were alarming enough on their own. All the more reason why she couldn’t bear to see the look on Scootaloo’s face if they still don’t show up this time.
As they got closer to the cottage, the Crusaders gradually and inexplicably grew more apprehensive. The couldn’t put their hooves on it, but there was something about this unassuming shack that felt different this time. It gave off the type of imposing aura one would expect from Nightmare Moon’s abandoned castle. It seemed that the questions regarding the safety of Scootaloo’s aunts had cast the cottage in a more sinister light. If one wanted to put it more melodramatically, it was as if the place was haunted; not by ghosts, but by the looming uncertainty of whether there were living, breathing mares behind its doors.
Be that as it may, this did not stop Scootaloo from trotting straight to the door and giving it five hard knocks as soon as they reached the front. The trio sat there in anticipation, ears on high alert for any noise inside. However, within seconds they found themselves facing disappointment once again. Not a single sound could be heard from the inside. No shifting, no approaching steps and especially nopony calling out, “Who is it?”
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom each took a look at their friend. They could find zero trace of the cocky mask put she put on earlier to reassure them. What they saw instead was all the color draining from their friend’s face in real time. Scootaloo simply did not know what to do with herself in that moment. Just as she was considering breaking the windows so she could at least get a look inside, a noise from emanating from the inside of the cottage pulled her from her thoughts.
From the other side of the door, the trio could hear the clip clop of a pony’s hooves accompanied by the creaking of the floor boards. Judging by the spacing between the sounds of every step taken, this pony was tip-hoofing their to the door as slowly as possible. Of course, none of the fillies were taking notice of that little detail. They were too mentally preoccupied by the question of whether or not the one coming to answer was somepony they knew. And if it wasn’t, should they be worried?
Each girl’s entire body, even their ears, stood perfectly straight up in alert as they watched to doorknob turn. Reflexively, they flinched when the door was pushed slightly open, not far enough to see the pony behind it. Thankfully, they didn’t need to see the pony on the other side to know who they were once she started speaking.
“I-I’m sorry but it’s really not a good time right n-“, stuttered out a voice which was wrapped up in a most unique, yet familiar accent.
“Aunt Holiday!”, Scootaloo excitedly exclaimed before the mare could finish her sentence.
Suddenly, the head of Aunt Holiday popped out from behind the door. Then, she was further surprised when Scootaloo forced the door open further to tackle her aunt into a big, strong bear hug. A smile immediately erupted onto her face upon looking down and seeing her beloved niece.
“Oh Sweetie!”, she said.
Then a voice rang out from the back of the cottage.
“Is that Scootaloo?”, they heard Aunt Lofty cry out.
Holiday turned back to answer, “It sure is! Came out here with her two little mates just to see us!”
Needless to say, Scootaloo was not just incredibly relieved to see her aunts were safe, sound and in one piece; though she absolutely was. The now peppy little pegasus was ecstatic to finally be paying her legal guardians another visit. She had only very briefly visited them twice whilst she was staying with the Apple family and the few days she had gone at Rarity’s without seeing them was beginning to drive her up the wall. Unfortunately, this wonderful feeling came to a halt when she noticed on her Aunt Holiday’s neck, a strange bruise. Just as she was about to ask her about it though, Holiday let out a gasp.
“Apple Bloom!”, she cried out. “Sweetheart! What happened to your little noggin!?”
As she said this, she pointed straight at the bandages wrapped around Apple Bloom’s head.
Almost as soon as she said that, Aunt Lofty had made it to the door.
“What’s wrong with Apple Bloom’s head?”, she asked before also spotting the bandages around the farm filly’s cranium. She then let out her own sharp gasp and said, “Oh my goodness!”
Apple Bloom began rubbing the back of her head out of discomfort. This wasn’t the first time today her head injury earned her the attention of concerned adults. That was essentially what the entire school day was like. That still make didn’t make it any easier to have that sort of attention on her by more than one pony at once.
“O-oh, y’all don’t have ta worry about that.”, she said. “Ah just tripped n’ hit mah head on a rock yesterday. Nothin’ ta worry about!”
It was at this point that Scootaloo noticed that Lofty wasn’t wearing her turtleneck. But even more curious was that she also sported not just one but two strange bruises like Holiday, one also on her neck and the other on her right inner hind leg. It was only by sheer luck that Scootaloo’s even caught that latter one, it was so out of direct sight.
“But is there anything we can get you to help with that?”, Lofty asked while symbolically pointing at her own forehead.
Apple Bloom briefly considered the offer before responding, “Well, if ya really don’t mind, can ah have a glass of water?”
“Of course, sweetheart! Come inside and we’ll get you what ya need.”, she said. She and Lofty began to go back inside before turning back around and adding, “That also means you two as well!”
All three fillies entered the two mares’ humble abode; humble indeed. It was immediately apparent as soon as they walked in that the place was as small as it looked from the outside. Its size was probably somewhere between that of an average hotel room and whatever storage space they had rented to keep their stuff in. There was definitely no kitchen or even a bathroom to speak of. The only things that this place had was a bed barely big enough for two adults to squeeze into, a table with three chairs and three coolers.
“I’ve got to say, it’s a real treat to get a visit from you girls.”, said Lofty.
“It sure is a change of pace!”, chirped a giggling Holiday.
The trio of fillies each took a seat at the table while Lofty got a water bottle out of one of the coolers. Once the bottle was placed in front of her at the table, Apple Bloom began digging through her saddlebag until she found she was looking for, two little white pills. In a quick motion, she then took off the top of the bottle and stuck both pills in her mouth before washing them down.
“That supposed to help you with yer head injury?”, Holiday asked.
“Yeah, sometimes she gets massive migraines.”, Sweetie Belle answered on behalf of Apple Bloom, who was taking even more gulps than necessary.
“That and ah ain’t gotten enough water today. The water fountains weren’t workin’ for some reason.”, Apple Bloom said after unleashing a contented sigh.
During all this conversation, Scootaloo had not taken her eyes off her Aunts’ bruises. Her mind’s gates had broken to make way for a flood of horrifying scenarios for how those bruises got there. Even though they were incredibly minor injuries, they combined with the timid way Holiday initially answered the door made the possibility of the two ladies encountering a hostile presence more real to her. It was then that Lofty began to grow puzzled under the visibly shocked gaze of her niece, prompting her to finally speak up.
“Is there something on your mind, pumpkin?”, she asked.
Scootaloo snapped out of her spell to see Auntie Lofty curiously looking at her, soon joined by Holiday, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as well.
“Oh!”, the pegasus filly exclaimed. “It’s nothing, it’s just…”
She paused and took a short breath whilst closing her eyes; upon opening them she put on a much more stern, brave face, though her voice utterly failed to hide her dripping unease.
“Did-did something…”, she paused to get control of her stammer. “…happen to you two?”
Both mares stole a glance to each other as if trying to telepathically communicate who was going to speak next.
“Ummm… what do you mean by that, Scootaloo?”, Lofty questioned.
The pegasus filly awkwardly began rubbing the back of her head before answering, “Well, y-you seemed pretty spooked when you answered the door at first.”
Before either aunt could reply with a blithe dismissal, Scootaloo continued, “There’s also those bruises on your necks and legs…”.
Whatever the two mares were preparing to say had seemingly gotten stuck in their throats. The confusion that had taken form upon their faces quickly disappeared after a quick glance down at the marks on their necks gave them a mortifying sense of clarity. Almost instinctively, they used their hooves to cover their not-so-little marks. Unfortunately, they couldn’t simultaneously hide the blush creeping it’s way onto their cheeks.
“O-oh those!”, Holiday stuttered. “That’s nothing, I assure you. These are just… ummm”.
Before Holiday could even give her explanation, Lofty stepped in.
“We just both tripped and fell while we were out yesterday.”, she said.
“Actually, that reminds me.”, Apple Bloom spoke up. “Where were ya two yesterday? We came ta this place last mornin’ and y’all didn’t answer when we knocked.”
Holiday took her hoof off her bruise and used it to cover her mouth while she lightly gasped.
“Oh we’re so sorry!”, she repentantly expressed. “We weren’t expecting any visitors.”
“You don’t need to be sorry, Mrs. Holiday.”, assured Sweetie Belle. “All that matters is that you’re here now to tell us where you went yesterday.”
Holiday once again moved her hoof, this time against the tip of her chin. She took a seat on her bed that was mere three feet away from the table before responding.
“Well, I don’t think we went anywhere else, besides the Cafe Hay.”
“Is that where you hurt yourselves?”, Scootaloo asked.
Both aunts paused as if they were carefully thinking of the answer to a million dollar question.
“Yyyes.”, Lofty finally replied, the hesitance in her voice not helping the growing suspicion growing in Scootaloo’s mind.
“So, what happened there? How’d ya get hurt?”, Apple Bloom asked, practically stealing the words out of Scootaloo’s mouth.
“Yeah, what did you trip over?”, asked the pegasus filly, with one eyebrow raising.
“Um… it was… more like we slipped, actually.”, Holiday stammered out her response.
Before her spouse could be further questioned, Lofty decided to corroborate and then elaborate Holiday’s statement.
“Y-yes!”, she also stuttered before fixing her tone. “Floor at the front door was so wet on the way out that we both slipped. Hit my neck on a table and hers crashed on a nearby chair.”
As an expression of their empathy, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle let out an oof and inhaling hiss, respectively; the looks on their faces equally conveyed their disturbance at what they heard. Scootaloo’s expression however, had barely changed. Whilst she did note how Lofty’s tone became more confident the further into the story she got, she still wasn’t entirely convinced yet. Especially since Lofty didn’t explain the bruise on her leg. Still, she supposed that injury could somehow be attributed to her slip, so she didn’t press it further for now.
Her face lighting up now that this line of conversation came to an end, Holiday said, “Anyway, that’s enough about us.”
She then leaned slightly forward in anticipation and asked, “How’s your weekend been? What’ve you girls been up to since we last saw ya?”
The Crusaders didn’t even need to think about their answers for this one.
“Oh, we didn’t get ta do much other than visit Sweet Apple Acres yesterday mornin’.”, said Apple Bloom.
“It really sucks!”, Sweetie Belle groaned. “Can you believe they’re keeping it rainy for the rest of the week? It’s been, like, a few days of being stuck inside and I’m already starting to get stir crazy!”
Holiday sighed.
“I know. Of all the times to lose our house, this had to be the worst.”
“Let’s try not to jinx it. I don’t want to find out that our house’s reconstruction is going to be postponed through winter.”, Lofty discreetly whispered while giving her wife a dead serious look, as if that were an actual possibility.
The new direction this conversation had taken was definitely a step up from where it was before. Certainly felt like the type of conversation one should expect when visiting your aunts after not seeing them for a few days. For Scootaloo however, this veil of normalcy wasn’t enough to hide from her the supposed signs that not all was well with her two guardians.
“Anyway, how was school?”, Lofty suddenly asked.
It was alright.”, Apple Bloom spoke up. “We only got a couple assignments due tomorrow, rest are due Friday.”
“Other than that, ah’ve had ta deal with alota ponies stoppin’ me in the halls ta ask me if ah was okay, what happened n’ all that.”, she further explained with a dismissive hoof wave.
The farm filly then reflected on how much it really got annoying after tenth time it happened.
Thoughtlessly, Sweetie Belle joined in, “Yeah. Not much really happened until the last period when Scootaloo-OOF!”
Her little anecdote was cut short when she felt her friend’s elbow harshly jab into her side.
“What happened in last period?”, Holiday inquired.
“N-nothing!”, Scootaloo was quick to answer. “Nothing much! I just… told a funny joke! Had the whole class laughing, heh heh!”
Whilst Scootaloo tried to put on a convincing smile, Sweetie just menacingly stared a thousand metaphorical needles at the pegasus filly whilst she rubbed her own side.
Lofty raised an inquisitive eyebrow, “Really? What was the joke?”
“We’d love to hear it!”, Holiday cheerfully added.
With her first bead of sweat starting to take form atop her head, Scootaloo’s smile weakened and her eyes quickly flicked to the side before she hastily answered.
“Oh well… shoot!”, she said while rubbing the back of her head. “I forgot what it was!”
Whilst Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders, Apple Bloom concernedly looked at her from the side, getting second-hoof embarrassment from the lie she was about to be caught in. Her gaze however, was not the one Scootaloo was concerned with at the moment. The little pegasus squirmed under the sight of the two full grown mares before her; Holiday’s confused expression and Lofty’s scrutinizing stare honestly made for one of the worst audiences she’d ever had. It actually made waiting for their inevitable follow up question feel agonizingly long even though no real time passed.
Holiday then turned to the other two fillies, “Well, can either of you tell the joke to us?”
“Uhhh…”
Before either of them could make one up, Scootaloo quickly began to change the subject.
“Umm, Auntie?”
Not having specified which aunt she was talking to, both of them turned their attention back to her. Scootaloo scooted her chair slightly further inward so that she could place both elbows on the table. As soon as she rested her chin on her hooves, a much more sincere smile took shape on her face. It was still fake, but far more convincing this time around. She could count her blessings that she now remembered how to act natural; or as she would put it, “how to act less like a spazz”.
“Sooo, you two sure nothing else happened while I’ve been away?”, she asked.
That one cocked eyebrow somehow crept even further up Lofty’s forehead, “Like what?”
“Oh, you know. Just anything out of the ordinary…”, the little pegasus elaborated with a benign wave of her hoof.
Thankfully, Holiday seemed to take the bait. The mare began rubbing her chin with her hoof, visibly digging through her memories of the past week. Almost immediately after Scootaloo allowed a sense of relief to wash over her for successfully changing the course of the conversation, the mare came up with an answer.
“Actually, there was something absolutely dreadful that happened on our way back here yesterday…”
“I knew it!”
Everypony in the cottage was startled by the outburst from Scootaloo, who was currently standing on top of her chair and using her hooves to prop herself up on the table. The plan to “act natural” by all measurements had gone completely out the window.
“Who are they and why are you protecting them!?”
“Wha-“
Before Holiday could finish a sentence, Scootaloo projectile vomited a massive stream of questions at her.
“Did somepony break in!? Did you get mugged!? Did they give you those bruises!? Why haven’t you gone to the police!? Did they try to kill you!? Are they still threatening you!? Is that why haven’t said anything about it!?!”
“Wh-what are you talking about?”, a bewildered Holiday helplessly asked from her spot on the bed.
Unfortunately, Scootaloo wasn’t listening.
“Don’t worry Aunt Holiday, I’ll take of whoever hurt you!”
“Scootaloo-“, Lofty tried to speak up.
“Just tell me who it was so I know who I gotta beat up!”, she said as she pounded her hooves together in a display of her mare-chismo.
“Scootaloo!”
Lofty’s shout snapped thankfully snapped the little pegasus snapped out of it.
“But, Auntie-“
Holiday then chimed back in.
“Scootaloo, I didn’t say anything about somepony tryin’ to hurt us!”
Letting that fact sink in, Scootaloo finally took the time to reexamine her surroundings. It was then that she finally realized how everypony was staring at her like she was the raving homeless pony on a train. Holiday looked plain frightened and confused, staring apprehensively at her from her spot on the bed. Lofty’s eyes closely scrutinized her niece, looking for any signs that could tell her what’s going on with her niece without having to pry the information out of the filly herself. Slowly, Scootaloo then turned her eyes towards her friends; they were almost imperfect mirrors of her aunts. Though she looked concerned, Apple Bloom also wore an expression that gave away how hard she was trying to figure out what was wrong with her friend. With both ears clamped to her head, Sweetie had visibly shrank and actually looked like she wanted to disappear under the table.
Realizing the awkward position she was in, Scootaloo sheepishly settled down and sat back in her chair before saying, “Uhh… sorry about that.”
“It’s alright.”, Lofty said with a suspicious tone, which made Scootaloo blush and squirm in place.
Finding it in her heart to try and make everypony else temporarily forget her friend’s second embarrassing outburst of the day, Apple Bloom decided to get the conversation back on track.
Turning to Holiday she asked, “So, what were ya about ta say?”
“Hm? O-oh right!”, Holiday stammered. “Where was I?”
The earth pony mare took a moment to both banish her lingering concerns to the back of her mind and recall what she was going to tell the three fillies before being interrupted.
“Did you three hear about the cart crash from yesterday?”, she finally asked.
“Oh we heard about that!”, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Poor guy.”
“Poor guy is right. I just read in the papers this morning that he’s not only suffering from a concussion, but a broken leg and few broken ribs.”
Scootaloo grimaced at the description given by Lofty before asking her, “But he’s going to be alright, though?”
The mare gave a reassuring smile and said, “Don’t worry, it said he’ll be out of the hospital by month’s end.”
“Did the papers say who it was?”, inquired Apple Bloom.
An unspoken question lied beneath the one she just asked, along the lines of, “Was it somepony we know?”
Without hesitation, Holiday answered, “It was that bloke who runs the costume shop.”
“What!?!”
The two mares in the room nearly jumped out of their fur, taken aback by the piercing shouts two of the fillies let out.
“Wait, don’t tell me he’s really going to be stuck in the hospital for the next two weeks!?”, Sweetie Belle asked in disbelief.
“Well, yes from the looks of it.”, Holiday said.
“I wouldn’t worry about how his business does.”, Lofty tried to reassure. “I’m sure whoever he has working for him can take over. You’d have to royally bungle things up to not make money as a costume shop during this time of year.”
“But he ain’t got nopony else workin’ at that shop with him!”, Apple Bloom wailed, throwing her arms in the air.
“Which means we’re not going to have any new costumes for Nightmare Night this year!”, cried Sweetie.
“Oh, don’t be so glum. I’m sure you’ve all got your costumes from last year!”, Holiday posited.
“Yeah, ah guess.”, said Apple Bloom before she and Sweetie Belle gave a sigh of resignation.
Lofty placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
“Try not to lose any sleep over it, okay?”, she said before yawning. “Celestia knows we could some more sleep ourselves.”
“Y’all haven’t been sleepin’ so good, lately?”
Prompted by Holiday’s “mmhm”, Apple Bloom then asked, “How come?”
“Take a look around you. This place’s walls aren’t exactly thick.”
Accepting Lofty’s invitation, the Crusaders looked at the walls surrounding them. They could tell that it certainly wasn’t highly insulated, definitely not enough to keep the outside environment from creeping in once in a while.
“It gets really drafty in here sometimes.”, Lofty continued. “Not to mention, noisy.”
“Oh the noise!”, Holiday groaned as she joined in on the vent session. “It’s sometimes impossible to sleep with all the noise outside, from all the howling winds to the screeching on Saturday night.”
Scootaloo, who had been trying to see if staying still and silent would enable her to disappear from the room, suddenly halted her mortified sulking.
“Screeching?”, she inquired.
With a roll of her eyes, Lofty began dismissively hoof-waving at the question, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”
“Then why don’t it sound like nothin’?”, Apple Bloom asked with a tilt of her head.
“That’s because it isn’t nothing!”, griped a now irritated Holiday, who turned her sharp gaze to her wife. “I tell ya Lof’, I wasn’t just dreaming! I really saw something out the window.”
To announce her incoming interjection, Sweetie Belle raised a hoof before asking, “Sorry, but could you maybe tell us exactly what you’re both talking about? Cause I really don’t follow here.”
“Gladly!”, Holiday declared in a tone that only slightly masked her giddiness. Lofty just gave an agitated sigh, as if she were about to be forced to listen to a story she had somehow already heard too many times. Meanwhile, the trio of Crusaders all leaned forward to listen in as Holiday prepared her account of two nights ago. Looking up slightly in though as she recalled her story mentally, the mare began.
“It was about… two or three in the morning, I believe. I had trouble getting to sleep up until that point.”, she recounted before pausing. “Though somehow, that didn’t stop Lofty from getting her shut eye, lightning and winds be darned.”
Lofty didn’t react to the dig, though it was true. It may have been a challenge at first, but Lofty still managed to sleep like a rock during that raging storm as she always does. Holiday was never sure how her wife always did that.
“Anywho.”, she continued. “It was when the storm had finally calmed down that I finally started to feel myself doze off. But then…”
Holiday leaned forward, making the three fillies instinctively back away slightly.
“That’s when I heard it!”, she whispered. “Some kind of hiss coming from outside!”
“I thought you said it was a screech?”, Lofty questioned, getting an eye roll from her spouse.
“Well, it sounded like just a hiss at first before becoming more like a screech.”, she clarified before turning back to the trio. “Point is that I’ve never heard anything like this before. And when I heard it again a moment later, it was accompanied by rustling foliage and wing beats. So, that’s when I decided to take a look at what was goin’ on outside.”
The Crusaders were all hanging on the mare’s every word. Sweetie Belle leaned forward in anticipation, while Apple Bloom contracted backwards slightly out of apprehension. And the less said about Scootaloo’s reaction, the better.
Holiday continued, “I got out of bed and began to peak over the window’s sill over there.” She pointed behind her at the window positioned high to the left of the bed. “That’s when I saw it!”
“Saw what?”, Apple Bloom cautiously asked.
“Well, I’m not sure what it was, actually.”, Holiday admitted. “It was so dark out and the thing was already flying away when I looked out. So, before I could get a better look, it already zoomed behind a building from the next neighborhood.”
“Could you see what it looked like?”, Sweetie asked.
“I could at least tell that it definitely wasn’t a pegasus pony.”, she answered. “It looked more like a bird, the biggest bird I’ve ever seen, actually. You wouldn’t believe the wingspan on this creature!”
“So, what did ya do after that?”, asked Apple Bloom.
“I kept looking out the window for a few more minutes before. I decided to go back to bed. Nothing else happened for the rest of the night.”, the mare concluded. “I’m planning on telling Snap and Allgood all about it in my next letter to them. They go bananas whenever they hear about new, undiscovered species!”
Lofty rolled her eyes and commented, “I’m sure they’ll love hearing about how you saw an owl.”
Holiday raised an eyebrow, “Hold on, you were insistent that it was just a dream, but now it was an owl?”
Lofty immediately facehooved before muttering, “Holly…”.
It continued on like that, Holiday accusing Lofty of not taking what she says seriously while Lofty just griped about how tired she had grown with this topic. Both of them bickered as if they had forgotten the three fillies in the room, neither side ceding any ground to the other. Eventually, Sweetie Belle took her eyes off the minor argument and looked to her left at her friend, who had gone silent since the story began. She was taken aback somewhat by what she saw. Scootaloo had become several shades paler than what she usually was. Her forehead was now just beginning to gleam with sweat. And her irises had shrunk to pinpricks, while the whites had widened dinner plate size. In other words, the little pegasus looked terrified, as if somepony had just told her that there was a long-range crossbow aimed at her head.
“Are… you okay, Scoots?”, Sweetie asked, getting the attention of everypony in the room.
Scootaloo’s eyes erupted from their haze, dashing back and forth and every which way across the room. Nervously, she looked as everypony’s gaze fell upon her. With how much she was trying to avoid drawing attention to herself again, it seemed almost unfair that she still somehow managed to get an entire room to cast their disturbed sights upon her for the third time that day.
“My goodness, Scootaloo!”, Holiday gasped. “You look as pale as a ghost!”
Lofty moved towards her niece; by the time Scootaloo saw her approaching from her peripheral vision, the mare already reached out and placed a hoof on her forehead.
“Are you feeling sick?”, she asked as she tried gauge the filly’s body temperature.
Scootaloo pushed her aunt’s hoof away and replied with, “I’m fine.”
“Well, you don’t look okay.”, Lofty retorted while Holiday got out of bed to get a closer look at her niece.
The expression on Scootaloo’s face only grew more stern and defiant. She scooted her chair back, dropped to the floor and moved out of her aunts’ reach so that she may feel less cornered.
“I’m telling you, I’m fine!”, she repeated.
Despite her insistence, nopony in the room appeared convinced, not even her friends. It was then that Lofty and Holiday, without moving their heads, turned their concerned gaze towards each other. Once again, it was as if their communication was being done telepathically without uttering a word. After finishing their exchange of eye contact, they both turned their gaze towards Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. It would be Holiday who would open her mouth.
“Um… sorry to ask this of you two, but could you give us a moment of privacy if it’s not too much trouble?”
The two fillies grew surprised by the request, not sure what this would entail. Then, much like Lofty and Holiday, they then exchanged a worried glance before ultimately deciding to get out of their chairs. Internally, they both wanted to plead the two mare to let them stay, but they were more than old enough to understand that it wasn’t their place. As they made their way to the door after giving their temporary goodbyes, they both nervously stole glances back at their friend all the way until they passed through and closed the door. Scootaloo only grew more uneasy at the absence of her friends; she wondered how a regular visit to her aunts could’ve gotten as tense as it felt right now.
After taking her eyes off the door and training them on her niece, Aunty Lofty finally asked, “So, is there anything you need to tell us about?”
Once again feeling uncomfortable under her guardian’s alarming gaze and cold tone, Scootaloo reluctantly answered with a single word.
“No.”
Just when Lofty was about to press further, she was halted by Holiday placing a forearm across her chest. The orange earth mare then leaned down in an attempt to establish eye contact with Scootaloo, despite how much the filly was averting her gaze. Putting on her gentlest gaze and warmest smile, Holiday tried her hoof at getting her niece to open up.
“Please listen, Pumpkin.”, Holiday began, her light and sympathetic voice perfectly coordinated to guilt trip her niece. “It just seems like you’re hiding something from us, something that we should probably know.”
She then surprised Scootaloo by placing her hoof underneath the filly’s chin, lifting her head up to so that they met eye to eye.
“And right now, you need to tell us what’s been going on with you since you’ve been out. Because, and I’m being sincere here…”, the mare said in a tone that somehow struck a balance between matter-of-factness. “The way you’ve been acting since you’ve gotten here is starting to scare us.”
Scootaloo’s combativeness melted in the face of her aunt’s pleading gaze. Though she didn’t mean to, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for making both her caretakers worry so much about her wellbeing. Especially after what they’ve all been through lately. Briefly, she tried to think up some sort of lie that could alleviate their concerns. However, as nothing believable came to her mind, she realized she might need to buy herself time. Perhaps she could try to change the subject?
“Um…”, Scootaloo began, not thinking about what she would say next. “I’m not the one you should be worried about…”
Both mares recoiled slightly at the seemingly random, cryptic sentence.
“What?”, Lofty asked, not sure what else to say.
For Scootaloo, this was a reassuring sign; perhaps she could derail the conversation if she keeps talking for long enough.
“W-well, what I mean is…”, she stammered. “If anything, I should worried about you.”
Lofty then raised an eyebrow, “What for?”
Doing her best to hide how pleased she was at changing the topic, she elaborated.
“Well for starters, you’re stuck in this badly put together ‘cottage’.”, she said with air quotes. “I mean, wouldn’t you rather be staying in an actual house, especially with how bad the weather’s gotten.”
Lofty snorted before muttering, “Tell me about it.”
Holiday, however, would not be so easily sidetracked.
“Well, yes I do wish we had someplace better to stay.”, she conceded. “But what does that have to do with-“
Before she could finish, Scootaloo, eyes wide with realization, interrupted her.
“Actually!”, she quickly exclaimed. “I just realized that there’s another place you could totally be staying at right now!”
“Now, hold on-“, Holiday started again before being interrupted once more.
“Okay, here me out!”, the filly with both forelegs extended out at the mares in front of her. “You know how the Apple family is going to be out of town until this Friday?”
Neither mare said a word, knowing that the filly would continue prattling on regardless.
“Well, in the meantime, why don’t you stay there while they’re gone?”
Each mare’s jaws dropped slightly at this out of nowhere proposition, but Scootaloo didn’t take notice, proceeding to excitedly pace around the room.
“Sweetheart, I don’t think that would be-“
“In fact, you can actually have me and the girls stay with you while you’re there. Rarity’s really busy lately, so I’m sure she’d like us out of her hair and to not have to keep checking up on the farm.”, the chattered, continuing her little sales pitch. “So, if you think about it, this would actually be a win for her t-“
“Scootaloo!”
The filly froze mid-tangent at the sound of her Aunt Lofty’s outraged voice, while the cabin shook slightly at the single impact of her hoof stamping on the ground. Scootaloo looked back up at Lofty and felt her ears fold down from the shame induced by the look on her face. Somehow, it was equal parts concerned, befuddled and reproachful. As it turned out, this description would match the tone of her voice as well.
“I don’t what’s gotten into your head to make you think this is okay.”, she said. “But there is no way we are just staying at the Apple family farm for a whole week!”
With a slacked jaw and a blink, Scootaloo then stammered out, “W-why!?”
Holiday took the opportunity to finally get a word in.
“Because the Apple family has already helped us out so much! In case you’ve forgotten, they’ve contributed a quarter of the funds being used to fix our house!”
If the tightening in her chest wasn’t enough for Scootaloo, Lofty decided to pile it on even more by adding, “And that’s on top of letting you stay at their place last week.”
As every creature learns to do, Scootaloo immediately hardened her shame into defensiveness.
Crossing her forelegs, she began her retort by saying, “Why’s that a problem? They’re already helping us, so they can help us just a little more. They’re not exactly the kinds of ponies who mind providing hospitality to others, you know.”
“Except when it’s without their knowledge and their permission!”, Lofty sternly pointed out.
“Honestly, Scootaloo where is this even coming from?”, Holiday questioned. “First you come in here and start interrogatin’ us about what we were doing yesterday. Then you’re weirdly secretive about what happened at school today.”
She then pointed one hoof at the filly before continuing, “And don’t think we forgot about your hysterics right before we talked about the cart crash.”
With each word that left her aunt’s mouth, Scootaloo’s grimace grew harsher and harsher. Her face, head and the rest of her boiled over like a tea kettle, causing a red hue to begin forming on her cheeks. Unlike a whistling teapot, she kept her “spout” tight shut. Though, that might not last long in the face of what she saw as her aunt’s irrationality.
“Now you’re suddenly fixated on trying to get us out of the cottage?”, she said as she paced her way around Scootaloo before settling behind her. “No more changing the subject! You’re telling us what’s going on with you, now!”
The filly just sat there, looking down at the floor. She puffed out her red tinted cheeks in a pout. Her face and mind continued to boil with anger and a bit of anxiety. Her breathing, despite her attempts to steady it, grew more heavy and erratic. After several seconds of this, her aunts only grew more impatient.
“Scootaloo!”, Lofty yelled, trying to get the filly’s attention.
“You know what, fine!”, Scootaloo finally exclaimed, trotting her way to the door before turning back to face both of them. “You can both keep worrying about all of that. Just remember it won’t be my fault if you just so happen to get crushed to death by another tree crashing through your window while I’m gone.”
Turning around, she reached forward and grabbed the doorknob before the voice from behind her halted her in her tracks.
“Is that what this was about?”, Holiday’s voice rang sincerely from across the room.
Slowly, the little pegasus turned around to see her aunts staring back at her with both concern and a tinge of guilt.
Holiday continued, “Have… you been worrying yourself sick about us for the past week?”
“I-“
Feeling her ears flop down on her head, Scootaloo awkwardly began tracing invisible lines across the ground with her hoof.
“M-maybe…”
It was at that moment where all parties involved had their own regretful realizations. For Lofty and Holiday, it was that they somehow didn’t realize something so obvious; from the dramatic episode to the sudden desire to try and get them to stay with her, it all made sense now. Scootaloo, meanwhile, was realizing how much agony she could have spared her and her aunts if she just told them at least some of what was on her mind even if it was only half the truth.
With that, Lofty strode her way towards the filly, Holiday immediately following after. Scootaloo made no resistance as Lofty stretched out her arms, wrapping them gently around her. Though she didn’t immediately reciprocate, she certainly did appreciate the embrace, sinking herself even further into it. Holiday then stood next to them and began soothingly running her hoof through Scootaloo’s mane.
“Oh pumpkin.”, Holiday said.
Lofty finally pulled, hooves still on Scootaloo’s shoulders
“Please listen.”, she urged. “I know that what happened that night must have scared you half to death. Believe me, I get it. But I need to understand…”
Gripping tighter onto the filly’s shoulders, she continued looking into her niece’s eyes with sincerity as she continued, “We are going to be okay. And no matter what, don’t listen to that little voice in the back of your head that tells you otherwise. It’ll only hurt you.”
After Lofty pulled back and stood straight up, Holiday got a good enough look at her niece’s face. While her expression had softened, there was still lingering anxiety and concern painted across her face.
“Scootaloo.”, she said, prompting the filly to look up at her.
“If you’re really so nervous about leaving us here, you can feel free to visit anytime you want.”, she offered. “We can even leave notes on the door whenever we’re out if that makes you feel better!”
The idea was very encouraging for the filly, though still not enough to put a smile on her face as she looked back down and off to the side.
“Are you sure you still want to stay here?”, she timidly asked.
“You don’t need to worry. Biggest threat we face here is boredom.”, Lofty assured.
Holiday chuckled, “Thankfully, we do a very good job of keeping each other, don’t we?”
The saucy tone that line came in forced a poorly concealed blush on Lofty’s cheeks. This combined with the cheeky exchange of glances and giggles the two shared allowed a mortifying realization to dawn on Scootaloo. She stole a glance at both mares’ “bruises” and couldn’t help but see them in an entirely different light, an ickier light to be precise. For a moment, she actually wished she hadn’t been given “the talk” just so that little exchange would’ve gone over her head. Never so quickly had she ever wanted to leave her aunt’s residence till now.
“Weellll, I guess I should be getting out of your hair now.”, she said, not taking her eyes off them as she grabbed and turned the doorknob. “You probably would like the privac-“
“Ack!”
Scootaloo’s bid of farewell was interrupted when she felt something massive crash to the floor next to her, making her jump in place. She immediately looked down to her side to see mess of white and creamy yellow writhing on the floor. Emerging from the pile of limbs and torsos were the heads Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, shaking off the effects of the impact on their craniums. When they finally looked up from their places on the floor, they were greeted with expressions of shock from Lofty and Holiday as well as quiet, simmering anger from their friend.
Suddenly, they sprang up into standing positions, each taking a more casual position as if they could somehow still pretend they hadn’t just been caught. Sweetie Belle began “nonchalantly” whistling, while Apple Bloom anxiously rubbed the back of her neck before she spoke.
“Sooo… uhhh.”, she awkwardly began before forcing a more chipper attitude. “Ah guess we’ll see ya next time!”
With that, she and Sweetie speed-trotted away. This left Scootaloo to unenthusiastically amble in their direction, waving her hoof at the two mares behind her despite being too embarrassed to turn around and face them at the moment. When she got far away enough, the two mares shared a good laugh at what just took place.
The ebony clock mounted on Sweetie Belle’s wall was diligently following its routine. The sounds of its monotonous ticking and swinging pendulum filled the room as effectively as the conversations of the three who had been occupying the place for the past few days. Though the conversation between the various internal parts certainly was nowhere near as dynamic. Still, it’s not as if that mattered to the mare seated on her sister’s bed; it was her eyes being put to work right now, not her ears.
It was only minutes ago when Rarity finally decided to take a break after catching herself almost dozing off for the fourth time that day. It was at that moment she realized that there would be no staying up till three am from now on. It just wasn’t doing her any favors, certainly none for her creative drive. After quickly fixing herself a daffodil sandwich, she figured now was a good time check on Sweetie’s to see if there were any messes she would need to make her and her friends clean up when they get home. Upon entering the room, the first thing she noticed was a certain sitting next to the bed which she had forgotten about, the crystal ball.
Rarity didn’t give too much time of consideration before deciding that she might as well see what Twilight’s little wonder machine can do. After lifting the device in her magic and setting it down on the bed in front of where she sat, she turned it on. What she saw made her do a double take. After a blink, she lifted the pen to start scrolling through the list of titles that had shown up on screen. Quickly scrolling through the list confirmed that these stories, judging by their titles and covers, had a penchant for the grim and grotesque.
“My word…”, the mare practically mouthed, her words were so quiet.
After a little more scrolling, she finally spotted something that made her pause. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition as she spotted a story accompanied by the image of a smiling human woman titled, “Who Killed Cindy James?”. For a solid minute, Rarity started to drive herself nuts trying to recall where she had that name before; who was Cindy James? Thankfully, before her brain could start straining itself too much, it finally came back to her when she went through the memories of yesterday. It was then that she remembered overhearing the strange, alien name being mentioned by Sweetie Belle in relation to a story she and her friends watched. Given how strangely she behaved when asked to describe the story and the obvious disconnect between what she described and the implied story contents in the title, one thing was absolutely clear to the fashionista: her sister will be in a world of trouble once she gets home.