The Cutie Mark Crusaders were gathered in their clubhouse. The mornings had finally become warm enough to start their weekend brunches again, a chance to enjoy a meal with each other and talk calmly about the week. It was an idea they had taken from Rarity last summer.
“You ok Scootaloo? You’ve been quiet today.” Applebloom asked.
“Yea, just thinking.” Scootaloo replied. The previous night’s conversation at the inn still haunted her. Her face betrayed her concentration as she put together a question in her mind. “If something bad ever happened... really bad, to either of you, and I was there but couldn't stop it, would you forgive me?”
The sudden seriousness of Scootaloo’s question caught the other two off guard. Applebloom spoke up first “Sometimes bad things just happen and you can’t always stop them Scootaloo. There’d be nothing to forgive.”
“But what if it cost you your horn Sweetie Belle, or a leg Applebloom?”
Sweetie Belle reached across and place a hoof on Scootaloo “Then I would need you more than ever to help me adjust to my new life.”
Applebloom gave a nod of agreement to the statement.
A little tear in the Pegasus’ eye quickly invoked a group hug. “Whatever got you thinkin' such morbid thoughts?” Applebloom asked.
“I met one of Swages old friends the other day. Learned some personal things he probably wouldn’t like me sharing. But, l feel really bad for him now.” She let out a sigh of resignation “I want to help... but I just don’t know how.”
“I know I’d feel better just having somepony that cared around. It’d be horrible to be hurt and alone.” Sweetie Belle commented.
Applebloom again agreed with her friend “Maybe you should spend the day with him.”
“I thought we were going to go crusading today.” The pegasus asked. Her tone was of one seeking permission.
“We've still got tomorrow, and besides there’s only a week of school left. Then we’ll have all the time in the world” Sweetie Belle assured her.
Scootaloo couldn’t believe they were encouraging her to go help another friend at the expense of a day of looking for their cutie marks.“Really? You’re ok with me ditching, to help at the shop?”
“I’d be disappointed in you if you didn’t.” Applebloom chided.
Scootaloo sat back down and picked at the meal. A moment of thought set her resolve and a smile grew on her face. “Thanks girls, you’re amazing friends.” With the meal returning as the center of attention the conversation turned back to lighter fare.
- - -
It was a little after noon when she walked into the market district. She was heading towards the shop when Quench caught her eye. He was sitting a table eating a sandwich, he looked tired. “Rough day already?” she asked.
“Hay Scootaloo!” The unicorn greeted her. “Yea, tiring anyway. What brings you around?”
She took a seat at his table. “I was going to help around the shop today... Swage on his lunch too?”
“I doubt it. I wish he would eat better than he does” The Unicorn sighed.
Scootaloo scowled at the idea of Swage going hungry all day. “I’ll bring him some food then.” Hopping down she started to trot off, but was interrupted when the Unicorn rested a Hoof on her withers.
Holding a small stack of bits he pressed them into her hooves. “Take this. He’d never take food from me, but I can still pay for it” He said with an earnest smile.
“Thanks” she said returning the smile.
She decided to get him something he could eat while working, that way he couldn’t protest the food with the excuse of ‘no time to stop and eat’. The puffy fried vegetable stand fit the bill, and better yet there was no line for it. Walking up to the stand she was greeted by the friendly cook.
“Can I get two medium orders and two cold teas, and make the vegetables mostly sweet potatoes” She asked placing Quench’s bits on the counter. The food was all good here, but the batter fried sweet potatoes were main reason why ponies eat here.
“Sure thing.” the cook said, already dropping the order in the hot oil.
- - -
The bell on the door ringed out her presence as she entered the shop. Swage gave her the barest of a nod and smile as acknowledgement of her appearance. He was talking to Mr. Cake. She didn’t listen to the conversation, but the tied together stack of pans told her he was picking up his order from the other week. If she remembered correctly, that was on the books to be done early next week. ‘He’s ahead of schedule’. She quietly examined some half-finished projects while she waited for them to wrap up their business.
When Mr. Cake proudly trotted out of the shop with his new purchase, she went behind the counter and sat down the bag of food next to the smithy; he was already back at work on something. “I brought you lunch” she chimed out.
“I need to finish this” was his only reply.
She smiled as she laid the paper cone and drink on a counter near him. “I know, That’s why I picked up snack bits”
The smithy eyed the food but didn’t stop working. “What is that?”
“It’s batter fried veggies. They use cold batter though, so it puffs up all crunchy” Taking her own serving out she popped one in her mouth and smiled as she chewed. “Try them, the sweet potatoes are the best.” She gave the smithy space, taking her food and drink over to the writing desk to sit.
A satisfied grin spread across her face when, between pulls of the bellows, he reached for the paper cone and popped a morsel in his mouth. “Mmm, those are good,” he commented. She guessed that the first bite had awakened his appetite, because soon he worked stealing bites of food and sips of tea into the rhythm of his work.
“Thanks for bringing me lunch,” he said turning to look at her. It was the first thing he had said since commenting on the first taste. She was taking their trash up when the door rang again. Before she could see who it was, Swage moaned a deep but brief “Ugh.” Quench took to his work station in the corner like a ghost. She watched Swage’s mood change. He had loosened up but was again withdrawn.
Deciding to join the silence for now, she returned the the writing desk and looked over his work log. She had learned the ins and outs of his book keeping over the past few weeks. The desk was badly out of sorts. She did her best to channel Twilight for the better part of an hour, sorting, alphabetising, and arranging by date.
She had just finished her self-appointed project when Swage’s voice broke the silence. “Scootaloo give me a hoof over here for a second.”
She found Swage wrangling several large objects at once. “Ok. How?” she asked a bit confused.
“I need both hooves to hold the tongs for this, so I need you to hit it with that sleg.”
Scootaloo looked at the sleg he had mentioned. It stood twice her height and the head looked to weigh half as much as her. She let out a spritely laugh at the mere idea of her lifting it, let alone shaping hot iron with it.
Swage was busy with the tongs in the fire when she laughed. The look he gave her told her that he was serious. “You’ve lost your mind if you think I can swing that thing.” she said with a laugh still in her throat.
The smithy let out a nervous chuckle “I suppose you’re right”
‘This is something Quench should be doing. Why didn’t he ask him?’ she thought
“I got it.” the unicorn announced from behind her. A blue field of magic enveloped the sleg, as if answer question. “It’ll be just like old times.”
Trying her best to not be under hoof, she watched Quench. He had a jovial grin as he readied the massive hammer. The smile was ripped from his face though when the Master smithy barked at him “Get back to you station Journeyman.” Not even looking at him as he spoke.
She could tell Quench was hurt by the command. She thought he was going to shrink back to his corner, but he surprised her. He stepped a little close to the Pegasus “Swage, You’re not going to be able to do that by yourself.”
“I’ll figure it out” He rebuffed. Still bothering with the forge and the metal heating inside it.
“Swage! Just let him help you” She chided.
“I don’t need his help again. Last time he tried to help me I lost a wing” The smithy spitted bitterly only half turning towards them.
Quench looked like he had been struck. He stumbled closer the the Pegasus as the sleg he had been floating tumbled to the ground. “I did the best I could, I saved your life.” he stammered. “Nopony could have known that lug would pull through.”
The good wing brushed the Unicorn away “Yea, saved my life”
Scootaloo looked away and fidgeted a moment before delivering a glare to the belligerent pegasus. “SWAGE! He did everything he could, and he was you best friend!”
Anger boiled in his throat “I KNOW! And he was my best friend...” The rigid smithy wilted, all but collapsing onto the floor. His voice cracked and barely whispered “That’s why he should have known to let me die.” Whatever will was holding up, left him with those words.
Her jaw dropped at the confession, she thought poor Quench was going to faint for a moment. Swage looked absolutely deflated.
“HORSEAPPLES!” Scootaloo yelled. The vulgar outburst from the filly made her the focus of both the stallions. “What the hay is going on here, that a blank-flank filly has to be the adult!” She glared from one stallion to the next, Letting out an irritated nicker between them.
“You!” pointing to the Unicorn “You left your best friend when he needed you the most.” Quench shrank away from the berating, the sad lines on his face growing deeper.
She turned her frosty glare down on the Pegasus “And you thought he should have let you die. What kind of nonsense is that?”
A spark of anger perked Swage up as he poised to speak. Before the first sound left his lips he was cut off by the filly. “Oh, but I’ll never fly again,” she sang, thick with sarcasm. “Ya know what? I’ve never flown, and I’m doing fine!”
The anger left his face with the verbal blow and shame found its way into the Pegasus’s heart. He had promised to help her fly, but he had given up on both their dreams just to sulk.
She had to stop and breath. “Get your act together, both of you. I’m going home. Let me know when I can find some adults in here.”
///
Swage and Quench both watched as the little fireball stormed out of the building.
“You find some scary fillies Swage.” the Unicorn said flatly after the door closed.
“You’re not still mad about the one I brought over to your apartment are you?” Swage asked.
“You mean the one you bucked in my living room or the one that ripped the door off the bathroom?”
“Same mare”
“I lost my deposit over the door” the two shared a chuckle for a moment before the Unicorn spoke up again. “I’m sorry I ran away.”
“You didn’t run away. I chased you away.” Swage dug at the stone floor with a hoof. “You did the best you could, and I just blamed you for the whole thing. I was a coward, wishing you had killed me when I didn't have the courage to do it myself.”
"Swage! It took courage to live." Quench rebuked."You're strong, stronger than most."
The Unicorn reach out to the hoof picking at the floor and was surprised when it didn’t retreat. “I, I could have tried harder. If I had just pushed it a little differently.” Quench watched his hoof as it was gently covered by another.
Swage’s voice cracked as it found the will to speak. “And maybe it would have taken my fool head off. How would you have lived with that? You did the best you could and what happened, happened.”
“Still, I should have been there for you.” Quench protested.
Swage laughed softly. “Be glad you weren’t. I was a jerk for a few years. I’m sure Pigiron would have kicked me out, if he hadn’t felt guilty about the accident.”
“You’re still a jerk” The unicorn commented.
“I know.” Swage looked everywhere but at the unicorn, this time not because of anger but embarrassment. “So you going to stop feeling bad for me?”
“Only if you let me help you.”