“Rarity, I’m home!”
“Hello, Sweetie!” Her sister’s voice lilted from the back room, where Sweetie Belle could just make out a bolt of fabric gliding on the other side of the door. “How was school?”
“Fine!” the little unicorn answered, trotting over to the doorway. “What are you working on…”
Her inquisitive voice trailed off, eyes widening at the display before her. She knew her sister was a busy pony, being the only tailor in Ponyville. She also knew her sister’s job helped her calm down when she was anxious.
But…she wasn’t entirely sure either of those explanations would suffice for what she was seeing.
What had to be miles of fabric undulated above her, all the colors of the rainbow swimming about in the sapphire aura of her sister’s magic. The sea of colorful symphony twisted and relayered itself as it funneled down, guided with expert care to her sister’s sewing machine. The poor piece of technology was smoking as it struggled to keep up with the speed at which the fashionista expected it to pierce the multi-layered…whatever she was working on. Sweetie Belle couldn’t make heads or tails of the singular bulky piece coming out of the other end, the fabric bunching and bending in ways she knew her sister would normally keel over and die from.
“Uh…Rarity?” Sweetie Belle tried. “What’s…going on?”
“Oh, nothing, darling!” Rarity attempted a smile, not fooling Sweetie Belle in the slightest. “I’m trying a new technique. I wanted to try my hoof at pre-layered combination. A sort of, eh…Bohemian-chic, if you would.” The older unicorn flashed a winning smile, glancing over her shoulder.
The raised eyebrow from the younger unicorn shattered the illusion she tried to procure. Try as she might, her little sister was one of the few ponies she was unable to fool.
A bead of sweat trickled at her temple, and she knew it was over. With a sigh, she relinquished her magic, releasing the sewing machine from its torture.
Rarity opened her mouth, only to be cut off as bolt after bolt of fabric hit the floor, the arching colors burying both her and the rest of the room in their colorful, intermingling rivers.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “Are you okay?”
The mound in front of the sewing machine sighed. “I’m quite alright, Sweetie Belle. Just one moment.”
Rarity grumbled quietly to herself as she shifted the sheets off her head, careful to keep her horn from snagging the cotton as her eyes saw the light once again. She blanched at the mess her momentary lack of care caused, heaving a sigh of self-pointed annoyance.
“What’s going on, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle squinted suspiciously at her sister.
“Nothing,” Rarity smiled unconvincingly. “I’m just…well…”
Sweetie Belle leveled a look at her older sister, and whatever Rarity was attempting to say died in her throat. Unable to come up with any other plausible explanation she could provide her inquisitive sister, she gave up, shoulders sagging and unspoken words escaping her in the form of a sigh.
“Alright,” she relented. “I…I am fine, there’s just…something on my mind.”
“What is it?” the curious unicorn inquired.
Rarity gazed at the school filly for a moment before a tiny sigh breathed from her nose. Gingerly, the fashionista extracted herself from the puddle of fabric, tip-toeing across bare spots of floor before she finally reached her little sister.
Now that her sister was closer, Sweetie Belle could see the creases at the corners of Rarity’s eyes, what she had quickly learned was the most obvious sign of her stress.
“Do you need some tea?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
“No, Sweetie, I’m—“
“I can make some for you!” The little unicorn beamed, twisting to hurry into the kitchen, only to be stopped by her sister pressing a hoof into her chest.
“I’m fine, Sweetie, really,” Rarity insisted, offering the little unicorn a smile. She was always touched by her sister’s willingness to help her, though such emotions were constantly soured when she thought about why Sweetie Belle had gotten so used to it. “I just…need to ask you something.”
“Okay…” Sweetie Belle’s head tilted as she sat down with her sister.
Rarity took the little hooves in her own, pulling in a breath to calm her nerves. “If you…met somepony who was…different than you…what would you do?”
Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed at the question. “Um…nothing, I guess? Unless they wanted to be friends, then I’d be friends with them!”
The older unicorn set her jaw. “But…what if they were really different?”
“Well…” Sweetie Belle trailed off in thought. “I mean…everypony’s different from me, so…they’d be just like everypony else to me.”
Rarity blinked, internally cringing as the conversation wasn’t going quite where she wanted it to. She sighed, attempting a more direct approach. “But what if they…don’t have the same abilities as you?”
The filly’s face pinched in confusion. “What do you mean? Of course they won’t have the same abilities as me if they’re different than me.”
Her older sister cringed, hating herself for what she was about to ask. “I mean…what if something about them wasn’t…wasn’t…normal? In…not the best way?”
Sweetie Belle hesitated, momentarily stumped as she tried to wrap her head around what Rarity could be implying. “Well…as long as they’re nice, and they aren’t hurting anypony…they can’t be that much different, right?”
Rarity blinked at the simple response. She let go of the tension in her shoulders, smiling softly. “No…I suppose not.”
“Did that answer your question…?”
Rarity gazed down at her little sister. The conversation—if one could even call it that—hadn’t quite gone how she’d hoped it would. But…still…she’d learned all she needed to.
“Yes, Sweetie, thank you.” Rarity’s face softened, the stress lines smoothing out as she cringed to herself and looked down at the mess of tangible color. “Goodness, I really made a mess this time.”
“I’ll help you clean up!” Sweetie Belle offered instantly, not even bothering to take off her school bags before launching into action to nudge the bolts back into their rolls.
Giving a low chuckle, Rarity assisted her sister, untangling some of the stretches of fabric so Sweetie Belle could help her roll them back up.
Before the less experienced filly could think to volunteer to do it herself, Rarity cut the thick monstrosity away from the branches that created it, wincing at the number she did on the bobbin before turning her attention to simply rolling the bolts back in place.
Apple Bloom teetered as she adjusted her stance, the apple on her head wobbling as she brought her saddlebags to the dining room table. With a little hop, the apple jumped from her head and rolled onto the table. She swung her saddlebags onto the table, clambering up onto her chair. Digging into her bags, she dragged out her books, starting on her assignments.
Homework was usually slow-going for her, what with so many other more interesting things to think about.
It seemed to only get worse after she met her best friend.
Half the time, she couldn’t stop thinking about all the cool stuff they could do to try and get their cutie marks. They’d tried interior design (both as an attempt to get their marks and because their new clubhouse needed a serious makeover), they’d tried songwriting, they’d even tried baking (and were now no longer allowed in any kitchen in Ponyville until they graduated). Still, after what felt like infinite attempts…nothing.
Apple Bloom chuckled to herself, her smile instantly vanishing as she snapped out of her own head, realizing she’d been doodling another idea. She groaned, chastising herself before she raised an interested eyebrow at the sketch.
‘Zip-lining, huh?’ She smirked to herself, flipping the paper over and sliding it under her saddlebags in the hopes of hiding it from her siblings.
Just as she pulled out another sheet to begin her actual homework, the front door creaked open. “Ya home, Apple Bloom?”
“Yup!” she called back to her sister. “Just gettin’ started on mah homework!”
“Alright,” Applejack called. Apple Bloom heard two pairs of hoofsteps in the kitchen, the briefest creak of wood brushing in from outside as Granny Smith swayed in her rocker on the porch.
Just as the door closed, Applejack poked her head into the dining room. “Hey, sugarcube?”
“Yeah, AJ?” Apple Bloom perked up, instantly welcoming the distraction from her boring math worksheet.
“Could ya come into the kitchen right quick? Ah need ta talk to ya about somethin’.”
At once, Apple Bloom’s brow furrowed in concern. Applejack’s voice was…soft. Quiet. Her typically boisterous sister was usually really good at making herself known—unintentionally or otherwise. But right now…she sounded like she was trying to hide a bit. Or…like she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to talk about what was on her mind.
Confused at the strange tone in her sister’s voice, Apple Bloom complied. She hopped off the table, trotting into the kitchen to be greeted by her brother beginning to make dinner and her sister shifting a bit uncomfortably in place.
“What’s up, AJ?”
Applejack set her jaw, a strange look in her eye as she stayed silent a moment, as if trying to figure out how to say something.
Immediately, Apple Bloom’s heart fluttered with worry. “Is everythin’ alright?”
“Yeah,” Applejack responded at once, instinctually reassuring her little sister, “everythin’s fahne, sugarcube. Ah just…need ta talk to ya 'bout somethin’.”
“Okay…what is it?” Apple Bloom questioned, her own anticipation threatening to kill her.
Again, Applejack hesitated. Taking a deep draw through her nose, she asked, “Remember how we had ta take Granny Smith to the doctor, and he started talkin’ ‘bout possible hearin’ loss?”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom’s face lit up with the funny memories, “and Granny Smith started yellin’ ‘bout how it was m’possible and she could hear just fahne?”
Applejack blinked, her lips pressing together. “Uh, yeah…anyway, Ah wanted ta ask ya somethin’.”
“Okay, what is it?”
The mare hesitated yet again. She took a sharp breath. “What if…ya met somepony…who, uh…did have hearin’ loss, and they were yer age, and…wanted ta be yer friend?”
Apple Bloom blinked at the odd question. A pony her age with hearing loss? Wasn’t that something only older ponies had? Apparently not, since her sister was mentioning it. “Well…Ah’d feel sorry for ‘em…but I’d still be their friend.” At the briefest mention of the thought, her mind took over, giving her scenario after scenario of what she and a friend like that could do. “Oh! We’d prob’ly create some kinda secret language so we didn’t hafta talk, but so they could still understand me. And then, we’d be lahke spies or somethin’!”
Applejack couldn’t help her chuckle at her little sister’s wild imagination. “Ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout that. There’s already languages lahke that.”
“There are?!”
Unchecked excitement invigorated past points she didn’t know was possible, Apple Bloom danced in place. “That’s so cool! Do ya use yer hooves, or yer eyes? No, wait, that don’t make a lick a’ sense.” The filly’s face fell a bit as she thought aloud, beginning to pace. “Would ya use both hooves, or just one? Could ya use yer face? I don’t know…”
Applejack’s eyes at once gained a wave of exhaustion as she watched her little sister begin to pace, babbling to herself. She let out a sigh, knowing it would be useless to try and butt in to attempt to continue where she wanted the conversation to go. Throwing a look to her older brother, she muttered, “Well that didn’t go quite accordin’ ta plan.”
“Nope,” Big Mac side-eyed, raising an eyebrow.
She attempted a chuckle. “‘Least we know she’d be acceptin’, right?”
“Eeyup.”
Sighing, Applejack turned back to her over-excited sister. “Ah’ve got homework duty if you’ve got kitchen.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed, returning his attention to the pot of slowly-forming oat soup.
Shoulders sagging a bit from the hours ahead of her, Applejack called out, “Alright, Sugarcube, let’s go look at yer homework.”
“Okay!” Apple Bloom snapped back to reality at once, a spring in her step as she trotted back into the dining room with her sister, where her empty assignment sheet waited for her.
Rainbow Dash took a nervous breath as her hooves touched the ground, Scootaloo adjusting her position on her back to prop her chin onto her mane.
“Why are we going to Sweet Apple Acres?” the filly asked on her head.
“Me and Applejack want to introduce you to somepony,” Rainbow Dash answered on Scootaloo’s hoof. “Rarity, too, but she can’t be there, her work’s piled up right now.”
“Oh, okay!” Scootaloo hummed happily. “Who are we meeting?”
Rainbow grinned. “Wait and see.”
Scootaloo gave a little groan. “Come on, just a hint?”
“Nope.”
The filly flopped over Rainbow’s head, groaning playfully. “Fine,” she grunted.
Rainbow Dash chuckled as she began trotting through the schoolyard, soon to reach the outer edge of Sweet Apple Acres.
Just as she crossed the gate, right on the threshold of the orchard, a shrill voice called out to her.
“Rainbow Dash!” came Pinkie’s voice, the mare galloping toward her at near-impossible speed.
“Pinkie? What’s wrong?” Rainbow returned, at once concerned at the distress present on her friend’s face.
“I really need your help at Sugarcube Corner. There was a mix-up with shipping, and now we’ve received twice as much ice cream as we were supposed to! It’s all sitting out in the sun right now, and we’re trying to get it into our storage bunker outside of Ponyville!”
“Wait, you have a storage bunker?” Rainbow gaped.
“Focus, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie squealed, grabbing her face to lock eyes with the pegasus. “We have the makings of the most delectable disaster since the Waffle Incident!”
Rainbow Dash’s mind skipped a beat, and she blinked. “Uhh…Waffle Incident?”
Pinkie Pie’s face twisted, and Rainbow Dash found something primal telling her to be very, very afraid of the suddenly-free-of-cheer look her party friend was giving her.
Slowly, almost dangerously, Pinkie Pie leaned into Rainbow Dash until their noses touched. Voice low, nearly a whisper, she hissed:
“We don’t talk about the Waffle Incident.”
Rainbow Dash gulped, offering the best smile she could through her fear and nodding in understanding.
The switch was every bit immediate as it was jarring. In less than the blink of an eye, Pinkie Pie was three steps away from her friend, smiling her usual, full-toothed smile. “So, can you help me?”
Rainbow sucked in a breath. “Yeah…yeah I can help ya.” She trotted in Pinkie’s direction, raising a hoof to explain what was happening to Scootaloo along the way.
“Uh…actually,” Pinkie began awkwardly, “it’ll be kinda dangerous to bring Scootaloo along.”
“What? Why?”
“You’re gonna hafta carry things on your back, and there’s so much of it…she could get hurt, or buried under a mountain of ice cream tubs, or lost in the bunker, or—“
“Okay! I get it,” Rainbow fretted, torn between wanting to keep Scootaloo close and wanting to keep her safe, the two different options creating a strange paradox she hadn’t given herself the chance to think about before. Huffing a worried sigh, she reached around and took Scootaloo’s hoof.
“I need to leave you here for just a second, okay?” Scootaloo perked up at her words, tension easily forming in her shoulders. “Pinkie’s got an emergency, and she needs me to help her, but it’ll be dangerous for you.”
Scootaloo couldn’t fight the anxiety rising in her chest as Rainbow’s hoof continued. “I’ll be right back, I promise. No more than 10 minutes, okay?”
She clenched her jaw. She wanted Rainbow to help her friend—she really did. But…she also didn’t want to be left alone.
Deja vu coursed through her heart, reminding her of the last time she was afraid of being alone.
Foggy had said she’d be right there, and she hadn’t lied. The moment she’d made it to the fifteenth spoke, she’d been scooped up into her former shadow’s forelegs, and praised for her bravery.
Rainbow Dash wouldn’t lie either, she was sure of it.
She pushed the tension out of her shoulders, giving Rainbow a small smile. “Okay,” she answered. “Good luck!”
A foreleg snaked around her neck, pulling her into a tight hug. Lips pressed a kiss into her temple, and Rainbow held her forehead against Scootaloo’s own. One more second, and she was let go.
With the brush of a breeze, Rainbow Dash was gone.
Scootaloo fought down her rising anxiety, taking a calming breath as she sat down. Tracing a hoof in the grass, she began counting.
“Did your sister ask you anything weird last night?” Sweetie Belle questioned as she followed her best friend to their clubhouse.
“Weird how?” Apple Bloom responded, the duo trudging up the green ramps and stepping inside the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse.
“Like…randomly asking about what you would do if you met somepony different than you.” Sweetie Belle clarified with a scrunched face. “Rarity asked me that last night, and I didn’t understand why. Everypony’s different from me, so…I wouldn’t treat them any different to how I’d treat everypony, you know?”
“Yeah, Ah gotcha,” Apple Bloom smiled. “AJ asked me somethin’ lahke that. She asked me what Ah’d do if’n Ah met somepony mah age who had hearin’ loss.”
Sweetie Belle hummed curiously to herself. “And what did you say?”
“Ah said Ah’d be their friend, if they wanted ta be mahne,” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Then I started thinkin’ ‘bout all the cool stuff we could do even though they’d have trouble hearin’.”
“Hmm…” Sweetie Belle wracked her brain, trying to piece together her scattered thoughts, only to come up with nothing conclusive. She sighed inwardly, “Oh well. What did you have in mind today?”
Apple Bloom’s face lit up at once, and she whipped out a sheet of paper from her saddlebags, presenting it to the unicorn with a flourish.
Sweetie Belle stared at the sheet with increasing concern. “Uh…is that a zip-line?!”
“Ymp!” Apple Bloom exclaimed around the paper in her teeth. “Ish’n i’ hool?”
“I mean, I guess,” Sweetie Belle replied as Apple Bloom let the paper go, the crude drawing lazily drifting to the floor. “Isn’t that kinda dangerous, though?”
Apple Bloom paused, giving the question a moment of genuine thought before her face split into a grin. “Nah!” she waved off, “Ah’ve got it all figured out.” She shimmied up next to her friend, tracing out the lines with her hoof. “We’ll need a lot a’ rope ta make harnesses and the actual lahne, and some carabiners to keep us on it. Ah’m thinking we can—“
White and yellow ears flicked, stopping Apple Bloom dead in her verbal tracks. The two fillies’ heads whipped to their window, staring out into the bright afternoon sky.
A small moment passed before Apple Bloom asked. “Didja hear that?”
“Uh-huh,” Sweetie Belle nodded dully, tilting her head.
Their ears flicked again, and they simultaneously blinked, rushing to the window. Standing on a crate, they leaned out the window, eyes scanning the trees they could see from their vantage point, almost desperately trying to find whatever had made the noise they heard.
After a moment, their ears flicked once again. Heads now outside of the clubhouse, they were able to hear the noise much clearer.
Two jaws dropped as their ears finally recognized the sound of screaming.
Breath catching, Sweetie Belle squeaked, “Who’s screaming like that?”
“Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom fretted. “But they might be in trouble.” She pushed away from the window, hopping off the crate. “We should help them.”
“Wait!” Sweetie Belle objected, tilting her head to hear yet another scream. “It sounds pretty far away. Won’t your sister be mad if we leave the farm without telling her?”
Apple Bloom hesitated, eyes torn between her friend and the door. “Well…Ah think she’ll make an acception fer us tryin’ ta make sure somepony’s okay.” Her eyes lit up as a secondary objective came to mind. “‘Sides, we can try ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Rescuers’ while we’re at it.”
The proposition made Sweetie Belle pause. Whoever it was really did sound like they needed help. And potentially getting a cutie mark in helping ponies? Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but smile to herself. Now that was something she could get behind!
“Alright, alright,” Sweetie Belle relented. “But we should still be careful. If it’s too dangerous, we should go get Applejack.”
“Okay,” Apple Bloom agreed, practically dancing in place with excitement. She bounded for the door. “Let’s go!”
“Hey, wait for me!” Sweetie Belle called, leaping after her friend.
The little earth pony leading the way, the two fillies raced through the outer portions of the Acres, the intermittent screams growing louder and louder, their apparent destination getting closer and closer.
“We’re…almost…at the school!” Apple Bloom called back between gasps for breath. “Ah…Ah think Ah can…”
The two fillies broke through the treeline of the orchard, skidding to a halt as they panted for air, gawking at the sight before them.
Not ten meters away from them, right outside the fence of the schoolyard, stood a filly about their age. An orange pegasus with wispy purple mane stood in a defensive stance, ears twisting about nonsensically, head swiveling as if looking for something.
The little pegasus howled again, and her head turned in their direction. The two fillies felt a chill run up their spines.
What…what was wrong with her eyes?
Something white and…cloudy was covering her pupils. Yet, she didn’t seem to notice it was there.
Was that…part of her eyes?
Clouded pupils flicking wildly, the filly’s lost gaze swept over them, nowhere close to landing on them before her head turned in the opposite direction again.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle let go of a breath they didn’t realize they were holding, looking at each other dumbfounded. They tensed once more as the filly before them gave yet another wail, and their hearts skipped a beat when they heard the tears rising in her raspy voice.
“Is she lost?” Sweetie Belle asked her earth pony friend, not knowing what to do.
“Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom all but whispered. She gulped, gathering what courage she could and stepping forward.
“Hello?” she called shakily. “Are ya okay?”
The filly made no indication of having heard her, letting loose another holler as her head whipped in their direction again, cloudy eyes brimming with tears and short, terrified breaths catching in her throat.
Apple Bloom stopped again, looking at the filly’s ears. They were moving around, but hadn’t even flicked in response to her voice.
Her sister’s words from the previous night rose in her mind, and suddenly, things began clicking into place. “Hearin’ loss…” she murmured, eyes widening.
“What?” Sweetie Belle asked hesitantly, watching her friend take a cautious stride toward the filly.
“Ah don’t think she can hear us,” Apple Bloom observed aloud. The filly’s jittering eyes never once acknowledged her presence before her head turned away once again. “Or see us, fer that matter.”
“Huh?” Sweetie’s own eyes widened as she gazed at the little pegasus, her shock finally wearing off enough to notice what Apple Bloom had. Realization settled in her mind, and her self-pointed fear vanished. “I think you’re right.”
Unsure of what to do, Sweetie Belle joined her friend, only a meter from the little pegasus that apparently didn’t even know they were there. Apple Bloom, gathering her courage the best she could, did the only thing she could think of.
The moment her hoof made contact with the filly’s cannon bone, the little pegasus jolted, giving a startled yip and jerking away from them, eyes jumping from nonexistent point to nonexistent point in their general direction.
The two fillies, startled by her startle, gave jumps of their own, surprised yelps flying from their throats. Three fillies—sightless or otherwise—almost refused to move.
Almost.
After the initial shock wore off, the orange pegasus took a cautious step toward the duo, a wordless call escaping her throat. The two fillies exchanged a glance, neither sure of what to do. Sweetie Belle flicked her eyes toward the filly, nonverbally nudging her friend toward the stranger.
Taking a breath, Apple Bloom stepped to the pegasus filly, who gave a smaller call as she drew closer.
When Apple Bloom’s hoof touched her once more, the filly only flinched. Humming, the filly touched her other hoof to Apple Bloom’s, breath catching in her throat.
A small, cautious whimper rose from the filly, and her hoof gingerly traced over Apple Bloom’s fetlock, finding her foreleg. The orange hoof steadily rose up to the yellow shoulder, the almost tickly touch rising up her neck until it cupped her jaw.
“What is she doing?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
Before Apple Bloom could try to answer, the little pegasus’s hoof moved across her cheek to her mouth, resting gently on her lips. Lavender eyes ticked back and forth in hesitation before the filly gently opened and closed her mouth, wordless mumbles rising from her throat.
Sweetie Belle’s head tilted in thought. “Maybe…try talking to her?”
Apple Bloom’s eyes flicked to the unicorn, then back to the pegasus. Finally, she tried, “Are you lost?”
The filly’s mouth ceased its movement. Her face fell a little, and she nodded.
Both fillies breathed a sigh of relief as they realized they had a way to talk to the filly. At once, Apple Bloom asked against the filly’s hoof, “What’s your name?”
Another hesitation passed through the filly, who hummed in thought. Her hoof moved to Apple Bloom’s chest, twisting and turning in a series of taps that meant absolutely nothing to the two fillies.
The earth pony and unicorn could only look at each other, neither having a clue what the newcomer was trying to say. Apple Bloom took the filly's hoof, putting it back over her mouth. “Ah don’t know what you said, but it’s nahce tah meetcha.”
The pegasus hummed a chuckle, shrugging. Sweetie Belle, much calmer now that the filly seemed to be cheering up, carefully approached her. Excitement sparking in her chest, she gingerly touched the toe of a hoof to the pegasus’s shoulder.
A gasp jolted the filly, face whipping in Sweetie Belle’s direction. Eyes jittering, she returned the caution as she reached for the revealed second presence.
Sweetie Belle met the filly’s extending hoof with her own, and the pegasus gave an airy little chuckle that sounded more like a pant than actual laughter. Humming, the pegasus traced her hoof up Sweetie Belle’s foreleg. The unicorn pushed out a tense breath, having already prepared for the searching hoof on her face.
What she hadn’t prepared for, however, was that it didn’t stop on her lips.
The pegasus filly lightly traced her hooves around Sweetie Belle’s face, tenderly dragging across her muzzle and tracing up to her forehead, where she briefly stopped at Sweetie Belle’s horn, cooing softly before finding the two-toned mane. A hum of a giggle bubbled up from the pegasus, her hoof delicately tracing around a curl resting on Sweetie Belle’s forehead.
Her face panned in Apple Bloom’s direction again, and she reached out a hoof, humming. The earth pony filly met the searching hoof, and the pegasus found her face once again, this time running her hoof delicately over her facial features, briefly stopping in her mane to giggle as she felt her bow. She scooched a bit to Apple Bloom’s side, running a hoof down her back. Apple Bloom couldn’t help an involuntary shiver at the slight tickle, the filly finally satisfied as she backed away, doing her best to provide her visitors a smile.
Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed, approaching the filly. She gently took a hoof, holding it to her lips. “Where did you come from?”
The orange filly hummed in hesitation, thinking. Her head tilted, and after a long moment, finally pointed to the sky.
Fear jolted through Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as their gazes whipped to the sky, then to each other.
“Did she fall?” Sweetie Belle asked, panic coating her tone.
“Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom chewed her lip, looking for any sign of an adult looking for the filly. “Ah don’t…think so? Ah reckon she’d be hurt if she fell.” She pressed the filly’s hoof against her lips. “What happened?”
Again, the filly hesitated. With a little hum, the pegasus filly raised both hooves to the sky, bringing them down to the ground side-by-side. She gave a wordless mumble, and one of her hooves left the grass, floating off somewhere to her left. The hoof still planted in the grass moved, the filly pulling it up and pointing at herself.
Two horrified gazes met each other eye-to-eye. “You were left here?!” Sweetie Belle gaped, before groaning to herself and taking an orange hoof, repeating the question.
The mystery filly nodded, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s hearts sank. Determined anger filling her chest, Apple Bloom took the filly’s other hoof. “We know somepony who can help. Can ya come with us?”
The filly gave a hesitant whimper, and Apple Bloom’s and Sweetie Belle’s hearts sank. “Ah know you're scared, but you can trust us. Mah big brother and sister will be able tah help ya.”
Scootaloo chewed the inside of her cheek. She was always taught since the moment she could walk on her own to never go with strangers. But…she didn’t know what else to do.
Rainbow Dash hadn’t come back yet, even after ten counts to one hundred. Was she hurt? Had something happened? If something was wrong, there wasn’t really a need for her to stay here and wait for nothing to happen–especially if her new big sister was in danger.
These new ponies were only fillies, just like her. They even felt the same age as her. So…they were probably okay to be around. Even if they couldn’t understand her.
Besides, they said they could take her to some help, and she needed a pony who could speak EHS badly. Maybe this “help” could take her to Twilight, if not Rainbow Dash herself?
Gnawing on her lip, she finally gave in, and nodded toward the unknown.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle let out a tense breath through their noses. Putting down the filly’s hooves, they stepped up beside her as she stood, extending her wings, the feathers lightly brushing their sides. Taking that as a cue to the filly’s willingness to follow them, they began walking, the little orange pegasus stepping with them as they guided her into Sweet Apple Acres.
Rainbow Dash swore under her breath as she sped for where she’d left Scootaloo. She had grossly underestimated how far away the storage bunker was (nevermind her still reeling that there was one in the first place), and before she could even realize it, ten minutes had turned into twenty, which then turned into thirty.
She spied the schoolhouse, then the edge of the orchard, and came to a grinding halt. Her racing heart nearly stopped, her stomach lurching.
Scootaloo was gone.
Breathing picking up, her eyes desperately scanned the area. “Scootaloo!” she called out instinctively, not allowing her heart the chance to tell her it wouldn’t matter as she sped along the tree line. She saw not a trace of her new little sister as she breezed along the outer limits of the orchard, finally coming to a stop at the entrance path of Sweet Apple Acres.
‘Okay, okay, don’t panic,’ she forced herself to breathe. ‘She couldn’t have gotten far, just ask AJ for help. She and Big Mac know the orchard like the backs of their hooves. If anypony can find her, they can.’
Giving herself no chance to catch her breath, the world blurred around her as she beelined for the barn.
Sweetie Belle steadied the unfamiliar pegasus as she stumbled over a root, internally reprimanding herself for not letting their unforseen visitor know about it.
“Alright,” Apple Bloom breathed as they caught sight of their clubhouse. “Can ya take ‘er inside while Ah go get AJ?”
“Sure,” Sweetie Belle nodded, Apple Bloom stepping away from the impromptu duo before taking off in a gallop.
The orange filly hummed curiously, head swiveling to where Apple Bloom used to be, then swinging back to Sweetie Belle. Her eyes flicked back and forth, never landing on any particular spot on Sweetie Belle’s face.
For a moment, she found herself staring at those eyes. Something so different, and…strange she couldn’t help but…stare.
The pegasus hummed, and Sweetie Belle snapped out of her gaze, a blush of shame instantly lighting up her cheeks as she guided the filly to the ramps, gently nudging her a bit to the side so their hooves would line up properly.
Sweetie Belle stopped right in front of the ramps, hesitation freezing her body. She glanced up at the filly’s sightless eyes, then down at her hooves. Muttering to herself in thought, she took the hoof closest to her, and lightly moved it forward until the toe touched the wood.
At once, the pegasus perked up, only to whimper in her own hesitation as she backed up a step. Sweetie Belle’s brow furrowed, unsure of what to do. The filly clearly looked nervous, and she honestly couldn’t blame her.
Her eyes found the filly’s again, heart wrenching.
‘It must be pretty scary to never really know what’s going on.’
Her face fell, and she took the filly’s hoof, holding it to her lips. “It’s okay,” she assured. “We’re at our clubhouse. Apple Bloom’s gone to get her sister to help you. She’ll be back soon, okay?”
The filly’s head tilted, then nodded cautiously. “Come on, let’s go inside,” Sweetie Belle insisted before she gently tugged the filly toward the ramp, moving in front of her.
Nervously, the pegasus bit her lip, her other hoof scuffing forward until it tapped the wood of the ramp, and she stepped up onto it. Sweetie Belle stepped backward, awkwardly pulling the accidental visitor along as gently as she could.
She backed into the door, pushing it open and guiding the orange pegasus in, helping her pass the door before nudging it closed.
“I’ll wait here with you, okay?” Sweetie Belle asked against the filly’s hoof, who nodded in response.
The orange pegasus reached a bit to her left, where her wing had been grazing the wall, and sat against it. She reached for Sweetie Belle, the little unicorn giving her a hoof as she sat down in front of her. The filly gently pulled her closer, and tenderly reached for her face. Sweetie Belle took the extending hoof, guiding it to her cheek. At once, the filly’s hoof moved upward, her toe lightly tapping against Sweetie Belle’s horn before it retracted again.
She hummed a giggle, offering Sweetie Belle a small smile. Through it, the little unicorn could see a strain on the pegasus’s face, her clouded eyes misting over ever so slightly.
Her heart sank in sympathy. ‘She must be really scared,’ Sweetie Belle could only figure.
Still, she seemed to be trying to hide it—and would have been able to, too, had Sweetie Belle not gotten so good at reading signs of stress from her sister.
The pegasus’s flicking eyes hovered somewhere over Sweetie Belle’s head. Her small smile turned into a little grin as she pushed Sweetie Belle’s hoof back, the fetlock landing against her chest, only to move her hoof back until her own fetlock touched her chest. Her hoof wiggled, and she gave a little call, her other hoof reaching for Sweetie Belle’s and pulling it back to her own.
She repeated the motion, Sweetie Belle smiling in confusion as she caught on to what the filly wanted her to do. The filly pushed Sweetie Belle’s hoof into her chest, and Sweetie Belle pushed back, the odd back-and-forth going for a few rounds before the filly reached up, taking Sweetie Belle’s hoof with her as her face craned to the ceiling, letting out a little cooed holler before it dissolved into a fit of giggles as the hooves came back down.
Sweetie Belle couldn’t help the string of laughter that rose from her chest, a grin splitting her face as they began the little game again. They pushed each other's hooves once, twice, three times, before the newcomer sent their hooves to the air. This time, Sweetie Belle whooped along with her, happy the strange little activity seemed to be calming the filly that was quickly beginning to feel like a new friend.
Apple Bloom took a moment to rest, gulping down air and letting out a strained sigh as she caught sight of the barn.
Her ear flicked, picking up a frantic voice around the corner, followed by a lower, calmer one.
‘Rainbow Dash?’ she asked herself, face scrunching in confusion. She trotted over to the corner, the voices getting clearer the closer she got.
“This is bad, AJ! I don’t even know where to start.”
“Dash, calm down. She won’t know her way around, so she can’t be too far.”
Curiosity thoroughly piqued, Apple Bloom peeked her head around to find her sister looking up at Rainbow Dash, who was literally flying circles around Applejack, hooves in her mane and eyes wide in worry.
“Applejack? Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom called, face pinched. “What’s going on?”
Rainbow’s eyes flicked to the youngest Apple, then to the middle. “Uh,” Applejack stammered, catching Rainbow Dash’s steadily welling eyes before she gave a stressed sigh. “Sugarcube,” her sister began slowly, stepping toward her, “Ah’m gunna need yer help with somethin’.”
“Okay…what is it?” Apple Bloom asked nervously, stepping toward her sister.
Applejack set her jaw. “There’s a filly lost somewhere, probably in the Acres. She can’t see or hear, so Ah—“
“Wait, you know her?!”
The two mares froze, Rainbow Dash almost forgetting to catch herself as her hooves hit the ground, the dumbfounded mares only capable of gawking at the little earth pony.
“What?” they both asked at the same time.
Apple Bloom shuffled uncomfortably on her hooves. “Me an’ Sweetie Belle heard a filly screamin’. When we went ta see what was wrong, we found this pegasus who can’t see or hear us. We brought ‘er to the clubhouse, and Ah came ta get you.” Apple Bloom nodded toward her sister.
“That’s Scootaloo,” Rainbow croaked, snapping out of whatever panicked state she had been in, though the unease was still palpable as she leapt for Apple Bloom. “Where’s your clubhouse?” she all but demanded, suddenly in the little earth pony’s face, desperation wetting her eyes.
“Uh,” Apple Bloom stammered, backing up a step.
Thankfully, her older sister was able to respond. “Folla’ me,” Applejack instructed, ducking her head and scooping Apple Bloom onto her back as she took off into the orchard, Rainbow Dash hot on her tail.
Instinctually, Apple Bloom held on tight to her sister’s neck as she tore through the Apple Family’s orchard, beelining for the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse.
“But Ah don’t understand,” Apple Bloom called over her shoulder. “Why’dja leave her there?”
“I didn’t mean to,” Rainbow Dash responded almost desperately, tears brimming her eyes. “Pinkie had an emergency and she needed my help, but it wouldn’t’ve been safe for Scootaloo. I didn’t know I’d be gone for so long.”
Apple Bloom’s previous disdain for whoever left the filly alone melted as she saw the genuine hurt on Rainbow’s face, and she gave her attention back to the road ahead, holding on tight to her sister.
They arrived in minutes, Applejack practically bypassing the ramps entirely as she leapt up to the entrance, Rainbow Dash landing right beside her.
Apple Bloom hopped off, opening the door.
Sweetie Belle met her friend and the two mares with a smile as she pushed the filly’s hoof back. The earth pony filly trotted in, lightly touching the pegasus’s fetlock. She jumped a bit, startled at the sudden touch, only to relax at once when the familiar presence pressed her hoof to a pair of lips that told her help was on the way.
The newcomer–Scootaloo, apparently–broke out in a grin, relaxing even further. She offered a hoof to Apple Bloom, humming.
“You wanna play with us?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Uh, sure.” Apple Bloom sat beside her friend. “What are ya playin’?”
Sweetie Belle’s head tilted as she took the filly’s hoof again. “I don’t really know, but she seems to like it.” The orange pegasus guided Apple Bloom’s hoof to her own, the three beginning the pushing game again.
Applejack chuckled at the sight before her, the three fillies in the treehouse fitting together perfectly. She moved to the side inside the clubhouse, only to frown in confusion when she wasn’t passed by a cyan blur beelining for Scootaloo. She looked back, finding Rainbow Dash hesitating, herself.
The pegasus mare gnawed her lip, her legs shifting. Forward, then back, then forward, then back again, as if she were fighting two different instincts. Finally, when a laugh from Scootaloo filled the clubhouse, she froze. Tears welling in her eyes, she about-faced and trudged down the ramps.
Brow furrowing in worry, Applejack exchanged a glance with her little sister and Sweetie Belle before she followed after her.
The pegasus was at the bottom of the ramps, pacing back and forth with heavy eyes trained to the ground.
“Ya alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as her hooves touched grass.
Rainbow Dash hesitated, halting in her movements. Refusing to look at her friend, she lamented, “I’m not even a week into this and I’m already blowing it.”
A hoof rose to her cyan face, and she rubbed her eyes, trying to hide her tears. “Why did I…I mean, I knew things wouldn’t be easy, but…” She turned, facing her friend. “I really messed up today, AJ.”
Applejack frowned at the tears in Rainbow’s eyes, at once knowing how she felt.
At a rise of giggles from three fillies, she looked back at the clubhouse. A thin-lipped smile crept up the farmer’s face. “If Ah had a Bit for every time Ah said that ta mahself…”
“Huh?”
Applejack gave her friend her eyes. “Ya wanna know the truth, sugarcube?”
Rainbow Dash gulped, giving a hesitant nod.
“Yer gonna mess up,” Applejack affirmed, stepping toward her friend. “Yer gonna make mistakes. Some days are gonna be so bad that ya wish ya could start over from where everythin’ started tah go wrong, and rewrite ev’ry endin’ ya can think of.”
The pegasus pretended to not notice the tears welling in her friend’s eyes, lowering her gaze and letting her own tears fall.
“But ya know what else?”
Rainbow shook her head silently, waiting to hear what Applejack had to say.
“Yer gonna laugh. Yer gonna learn. Some days will feel so perfect that yer gonna wish ya could stay in those moments ‘til tha end a’ time.” Applejack paused. “And ya know what else?”
Rainbow’s head rose, and she silently gazed at her friend. The farmer adjusted her stetson as she smiled brightly at her fellow athlete.
“She’s okay. That’s what matters. And those tough tahmes are gonna be nothin’ compared ta the good tahmes that follow. No matter what, you’ll love ‘er; and no matter what, she’ll love you. Take it from me—“ a trio of laughter glided from the clubhouse, washing over the conversing duo.
Chuckling, Applejack finished, “She’s gonna be just fahne, Dash. And you will, too. It ain’t all gonna be daisies and sunshine, but ya gotta fahght th’ rain ta see th’ rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash let her words sink in, pushing out a little sigh through her nose. Her expression lightened a bit as a smile eased her drying eyes. Another breath in, and she nodded. “Thanks, AJ.”
Applejack gave her friend a resolute nod. “Now get in there and let that little filly know you’re here.” She leveled an encouraging look at the pegasus. “That’s all she’ll ever need.”
The pegasus’s smile grew at Applejack’s encouragement, and she pulled in a freeing breath. With a final nod, she returned her attention to the clubhouse entrance, trotting up the ramps and nudging the door open.
She found Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle all playing the hoof-push game that only seemed to truly make sense to Scootaloo. Even so, the two seeing and hearing fillies appeared to be enjoying themselves, as well, giggling right along with Scootaloo and letting out their own whoops when their collective hooves rose in the air, the hollers dissolving into a shared fit of giggles.
Rainbow Dash flapped a single wing in the direction of the trio. Immediately, Scootaloo’s ear flicked, twisting in Rainbow’s direction as she pulled in a little gasp. With a wordless cry, her head turned in Rainbow’s direction, dropping Apple Bloom’s and Sweetie Belle’s hooves. The two watched as Rainbow Dash sent another breeze their way, lightly rustling their manes.
At once, their new friend responded with a little whine, reaching in Rainbow’s direction. With a breaking face, the mare rushed for the filly, scooping her up and hugging her tight.
Not a single hesitation passed through Scootaloo before she returned the embrace, her hooves instantly around her big sister and squeezing back as hard as she could.
A silent, peaceful moment passed, the two reveling in their shared relief before Rainbow Dash tapped on Scootaloo’s back, “I’m so sorry, Scoots! I didn’t mean to leave you there so long.”
“It’s okay,” Scootaloo responded at once. “What happened?”
Rainbow answered, “The place Pinkie needed me to go to was way farther than I thought it would be, and I underestimated how much stuff she’d have.” She tightened her grip on the little filly, giving her another. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Scootaloo insisted with a giggle. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“It’s okay,” Rainbow returned, pressing a kiss between Scootaloo’s eyes.
Rainbow Dash buried her muzzle in Scootaloo’s mane, glancing up at the curious fillies watching them. A sheepish chuckle bubbled past her lips. “This isn’t exactly how I was hoping you three would meet.”
“Huh?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, face pinching and head tilting.
Rainbow Dash grinned, telling Scootaloo the same thing. The pegasus hummed inquisitively, looking up as best she could at Rainbow Dash with her own tilted head.
The older pegasus snorted. “Your new friends are who I was talking about wanting to introduce you to.”
Scootaloo’s brow shot up, breaking out in a wide grin. She squirmed in Rainbow’s lap, wiggling around and reaching for the two fillies, softly calling out to them.
At their confusion, Rainbow Dash explained, “She wants to meet you for real this time.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle broke out in grins, taking the orange hooves at once. Giggling, the pegasus filly, shook both of their hooves at the same time, the two fillies laughing along with her as they returned the gesture.
She let go of their hooves, finding Rainbow’s and tapping her in the same odd pattern she had before.
Rainbow informed, grinning, “She said, ‘Hi! It’s nice to meet you. I’m Scootaloo.’”
Before Rainbow Dash could provide any instruction, Apple Bloom happily returned, “Hiya, Scootaloo! Ah’m Apple Bloom.”
“And I’m Sweetie Belle!” the unicorn replied excitedly.
Rainbow Dash blinked. “Uh, hang on. Has she felt your faces already?”
The two fillies looked up at her, nodding. At the same time, Scootaloo reached in Apple Bloom’s direction, and the little earth pony gave her her hooves. Scootaloo tugged Apple Bloom a little closer, her hooves immediately finding her face and resting on her forehead. She looked up and back at Rainbow Dash, humming curiously.
A beat passed before Rainbow understood the question, and she grinned as she tapped on Scootaloo’s cannon bone, “That’s Apple Bloom. She’s Applejack’s little sister.”
Scootaloo gave a happy, surprised giggle, shaking Apple Bloom’s hoof again, her little noises dying down as her gaze rose a bit to the ceiling.
“What’s she doin’?” Apple Bloom asked.
Rainbow grinned. “She likes to give these things called ‘name-signs’ to all the ponies she meets. It makes it easier for her to say your name, and gives you a way to let her know who you are.”
“Huh,” Apple Bloom hummed, her head tilting.
“What’s yours?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
Just as Rainbow finished demonstrating her name-sign, Scootaloo gave a happy hum. Her hoof rose, and in the air, she traced an upward-looping circle. When her hoof returned to the start, she traced a line traveling straight up the center. With a giggle, she beamed at Apple Bloom, who couldn’t help but smile back as Scootaloo excitedly reached for Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo paused as she found the filly’s horn, looking up at Rainbow Dash once again.
“That’s Sweetie Belle,” Rainbow informed her new charge. “She’s Rarity’s little sister.”
Scootaloo’s mouth fell open in delighted surprise, a giggle escaping her throat as she let go of Sweetie Belle’s face. A moment passed, and she raised her hoof, tracing out a swirl matching one of Sweetie Belle’s curls, the shape leading down and outward before swinging once in the opposite direction, mimicking the motion of a swinging bell.
“Okay, make sure to remember your name signs,” Rainbow Dash instructed as Sweetie Belle smiled at the symbol. “To let her know it’s you, you have to either take her hoof and trace it out in the air, or you can trace it on her.”
The two filly’s nodded in understanding. “Don’t trace out somepony else’s name-sign, okay? That’ll confuse her.” Again, they nodded. Rainbow broke out in a grin. “You wanna try it out?”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle returned with grins of their own, nodding excitedly.
Rainbow tapped on Scootaloo’s fetlock, “Mind if they try out their name-signs?”
“What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle inquired.
“Sure!” Scootaloo responded before reaching out a hoof.
Rainbow blinked. “Uh…hang on a sec,” she told Sweetie Belle before looking at Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom? You try yours.”
“Okay,” the little earth pony breathed, taking Scootaloo’s hoof and carefully tracing out her new name-sign. Once she was done, Scootaloo beamed, taking her hoof and pulling Apple Bloom into a tight hug.
Once Scootaloo pulled away from the earth pony filly, she reached for Sweetie Belle. “Now try yours,” Rainbow Dash instructed, Sweetie Belle nodding and mimicking the hold Apple Bloom had used, tracing out her name-sign. Scootaloo broke out in a fit of laughter, pulling Sweetie Belle into a hug, the little unicorn returning it without a hint of hesitation, giving a laugh of her own.
A moment later, Scootaloo let go, sitting back against Rainbow Dash and pointing to herself. Her eyes flicked excitedly as she traced out her own name-sign in the air.
“That’s her name-sign,” Rainbow Dash smiled. Scootaloo’s hoof rose, pointing up at Rainbow Dash, who jerked her face away just in time to avoid receiving an accidental uppercut. She chuckled as she took the extended hoof, “I gave it to Scootaloo a couple days after she gave me mine.”
“So, how do ya know ‘er?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah’ve never heard ya mention ‘er before.”
“That’s ’cause I just adopted her a few days ago,” Rainbow explained, hugging Scootaloo against her, the filly responding with a delighted giggle as she reached up for Rainbow’s face. “I wanted her to meet you two so she’d at least know some ponies her own age.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, then smiled, an unspoken signal passing between them.
“Wanna join our club?” Sweetie Belle asked, their heads whipping back to Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help her hesitation before she translated.
Scootaloo stopped in her play with Rainbow Dash, her inquisitive face falling to a point right above their heads before she tapped back on her sister’s fetlock. “What club?”
“Me an’ Sweetie Belle meet up after school every other day or so ta try an’ figure out our special talents an’ get our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom beamed as Rainbow Dash translated, watching Scootaloo’s eyes widen in interest as her head tilted.
The little pegasus gnawed her lip, hesitantly tapping on Rainbow’s fetlock. The mare’s brow rose, quietly gazing down at her new little sister as she tapped out her sentence.
Finally, Rainbow Dash looked up at the two fillies. “She said, ‘You sure? I can’t do a lot of the things you can, and I know Rainbow won’t always be here to help me. I don’t want to get in the way.’”
Scootaloo’s words made Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pause, their excited minds quieting as they looked at each other. A silent moment passed while the two contemplated, small smiles planting themselves on their faces before growing into bright grins.
Simultaneously, they looked back to the filly in Rainbow Dash’s lap. “Well,” Apple Bloom piped up, “Ah reckon we’ll just hafta learn how ta help ya.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock, a content smile of appreciative relief rising from her lips before she tapped out the response on Scootaloo’s cannon bone, blinking back the elated tears welling in her eyes.
Scootaloo’s eyes widened at the answer Rainbow Dash spelt out on her foreleg, unexpected tears springing to her eyes.
They…they actually wanted to help her? Usually, foals her age didn’t want anything to do with her. It was just too hard to try and include her in anything—not to mention she couldn’t have a lot of interaction with them to begin with.
But, these two…
She tried her hardest to fight her trembling chin as she asked Rainbow’s foreleg. “Really?”
She waited with bated breath, Rainbow Dash finally answering with: “Apple Bloom said, ‘Absolutely! We know what it’s like to be different from everypony else.’ And Sweetie Belle said, ‘You’re different, too, so that makes you just like us! Besides, if it’s anything like what we did today, it can’t be that hard.’”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched as Scootaloo’s face all but melted, their new friend reaching for them. They each gave her a hoof, and she tugged them toward herself, throwing out her hooves and pulling them into a tight hug, her forehead nuzzling their faces. They returned the embrace, gripping Scootaloo tight as she gave little hiccups of joyous, elated laughter, nearly toppling out of Rainbow’s lap.
Rainbow Dash’s heart soared at the scene, relief and pride dipping and weaving around each other as the two fillies, without a second thought, welcomed Scootaloo with open hooves. The three new friends held each other close, clicking into place as if they were never meant to be anywhere other than in each other’s hooves.
After a moment, they finally let go, beaming with excitement. Rainbow Dash asked on Scootaloo’s withers, “Mind if we show them how to show you around?”
Scootaloo nodded brightly up at her. “What are you doing with your hoof?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I’m talking to her,” Rainbow Dash explained as she helped Scootaloo up. She continued as she eyed the lit-up expression on Apple Bloom’s face. “I’m using something called Equestrian Hoof-Speak.”
“Can we learn it?” Apple Bloom almost shouted, suddenly jittery with anticipation.
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Twilight’s gonna host a learning party this weekend for anypony who’s interested. Me and Scoots will teach everypony there. I just wanted to introduce you now so you three could have some time getting to know each other.”
The two sighted fillies nodded, standing up hesitantly as Scootaloo carefully approached.
“Mind if I show you two how to show her around?” Rainbow inquired.
“Sure!” Sweetie Belle smiled, her and Apple Bloom exchanging an increasingly excited glance, an invisible signal passing between the two before they put their hooves together and whooped:
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER GUIDEPONIES! YAY!!”
With shouts of excitement, they bound for the clueless Scootaloo, sidling up to the filly’s sides just like they had before.
Rainbow Dash chuckled at the pair’s antics as they situated themselves beside Scootaloo as if that was where they were always meant to be. Scootaloo extended her wings to brush against Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, fitting perfectly between the two as if she were a piece none realized was missing until that very moment.
Unable to stop smiling, Rainbow Dash instructed the fillies to begin at the door before verbally guiding them to each corner, instructing them on how to let Scootaloo to feel the walls and obstacles in the way and how to get around them.
By the end of it, Scootaloo sheepishly asked if they could go again so she could make sure she had the entire clubhouse mapped out.
Applejack watched on with barely-held-in liquid pride, her little sister not even hesitating to help Scootaloo again, the two fillies soaking up every bit of information they could at the moment about their new friend.
The new trio took off around the clubhouse again, Rainbow Dash letting them practice her previous instructions with a sigh, giving Applejack a bright smile as she joined her by the door, keeping a careful eye on her little sister and her new friends.
“Those three are gonna get up inta all kahnds a trouble,” Applejack grinned, shaking her head.
Rainbow chuckled, “Yeah. Honestly, though? I don’t think I’d have it any other way.”
Applejack hummed in agreement. “Speakin’ a trouble,” she added, a thought occurring to her, “have you told yer parents about ‘er yet?”
She glanced over at her friend, only to find Rainbow Dash sporting wide eyes and a wilted demeanor, the shock alone draining her face of shades of cyan.
“You haven’t told ‘em yet, have ya?” Applejack deadpanned with a flat look to match.
Neck almost creaking, Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head. Applejack barked a rueful laugh, clapping a hoof to her friend’s shoulder. “Well, it was nahce knowin’ ya, sugarcube. Ah gotta get back ta work, but let me know if ya need any back-up, alright?”
Seconds passed with Rainbow Dash still frozen in place, unable to answer. Letting her go, Applejack chuckled, shaking her head as she trotted off, a teasing smile adorning her face.
Left alone with her spiraling thoughts, Rainbow Dash stared at nothing, her mind presenting her with scenario after scenario, all of which ended in one way and one way only.
Swallowing against a drying throat, Rainbow Dash croaked, “I’m so dead.”