//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Home Sweet Home // by Wheller //------------------------------// Chapter 4 Scootaloo didn’t know what it was about a pile of unused rifles that made her heart race. She didn’t want one of them. Trying to work the bolt would be next to impossible for anypony but a mature unicorn. Then she remembered the scope that she’d taken from one of them. Now she felt guilty. What if it was worth more on one of these? Scootaloo looked around to see if anyone was looking in her direction, she opened her saddlebag and removed the scope she’d taken yesterday, and placed it in the pile of unused rifles. It wasn’t fair for her to have taken it. Besides, she could always just find a regular small telescope and tape it to her Crusader Machine Carbine. She didn’t necessarily need this one. It was nice, sure, but Scootaloo found herself falling back on her “take only what you need” rule. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she realised that taking the scope had bothered her much more than she thought it did. Clop! Clop! Clop! Scootaloo looked to her left. Vinyl Scratch was sitting several metres to her left, clapping her hooves together in slow applause. Scootaloo felt horribly embarrassed. Vinyl rose and trotted over to the young Pegasus filly, smiling brightly at her. “I’m proud of you kid!” she said. Scootaloo understood now, Vinyl didn’t tell her that stealing was wrong because she wanted Scootaloo to make the choice for herself. Clearly, she had passed. Scootaloo smiled back, and gave the off white unicorn a hug. She looked up to Vinyl because she treated her like she was an adult. She let her make her own choices and face the consequences. Scootaloo liked that, Twilight or Rainbow Dash would have just told her that it was wrong and Scootaloo would have made the bad choice anyway. She was happy to have Vinyl. She was like the older sister that Scootaloo had always wanted. ... Vinyl was afraid that Scootaloo had begun to look up to her. She smiled for the Pegasus filly. But the thought of her as a role model scared her to no end. Vinyl Scratch was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, the way she saw it, that was only one step removed from Scootaloo’s parents... a very small step removed. She grew up on the streets. She sold drugs for a greedy diamond dog. She didn’t finish school. The majority of her adult life revolved around drugs, alcohol, and sex. How could Vinyl Scratch possibly be a good role model? No. That wasn’t the way to think about it. Scootaloo needed her, and frankly, Vinyl needed Scootaloo. Maybe Vinyl hadn’t been a good role model in the past, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t become one. She wanted to be, not only for Scootaloo’s sake, but her own. The world had its temptations, and Vinyl Scratch wasn’t always sure that she was strong enough to resist them. At least until now, Scootaloo was just a filly, and she’d been though a lot. If she could remain strong, then so could Vinyl Scratch. “Find anything else interesting today?” Vinyl asked with a grin. “Not really, some of the stuff painted on the tanks look pretty cool though... they smell real bad though,” Scootaloo said. “Oh yeah, tell me about it! I hosed those suckers out. Smell was terrible!” Vinyl said with a small chuckle. “Come on kid, let’s get some dinner, I’ll make you my onion soup!” Scootaloo smiled brightly at Vinyl, and the two walked off towards the library. ... Sweetie Bell had stopped again. Apple Bloom had volunteered to walk her home and stopped too. “Sweetie Bell, you spacin’ out again?” she asked. “No,” Sweetie Bell said. “Just looking.” Apple Bloom approached her friend and looked at what she was looking at. It was one of the Kangaroo VC Firefly tanks, just sitting there. Sweetie Bell found it interesting and began to approach it. “Sweetie Bell!” Apple Bloom called out. “What? I’m just lookin’!” Sweetie Bell said as she crossed the street to where the Firefly was parked at. She went around back and climbed up onto the hull. She looked over the turret and smiled brightly. “Yar! Ah be a Pirate!” She called out, “Cap’n Sweetie Bell ta poopdeck! Full speed ahead!” Apple Bloom didn’t get it, until she spotted the name printed on the side of the tank. Shiver Me Timbers! “Yar! Firs’ Mate Apple Bloom! Where ye be?” Sweetie Bell called out. Apple Bloom wasted no time, and ran around the back and climbed up. The engine of the tank started, and the top hatch opened up, a kangaroo poked his head out from the inside, startling the two fillies. “Yar! Ye be havin’ a course for me Cap’n?” The kangaroo driver said, taking on a funny sounding pirate accent. Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom looked at each other with a huge grin forming on their faces. “Yar! Thattaway!” Sweetie Bell said pointing along the south-western road. “Aye Aye Cap’n!” the kangaroo driver said, pulling himself back inside the hatch and throwing the tank into gear. The Firefly moved slowly, turning towards the southwest and picking up speed to about 10 kilometres an hour. “Cutie Mark Crusader Tank Pirates! YAY!” The VC Firefly continued to roll down the road, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell continued to shout various pirate phrases as loud as they could over the Firefly’s engine, they didn’t notice when they passed Sweet Apple Acres. “Apple Bloom! What in tarnation do ya think yer doin?” Applejack called out. Apple Bloom turned around to see Applejack was galloping behind the tank, looking incredibly angry at her. “We’re Cutie Mark Crusader Tank Pirates!” Apple Bloom called out. “Yar!” Sweetie Bell called out. “Ye be walkin’ the plank!” The Firefly stopped; apparently, the driver had noticed they had a follower, causing Applejack to slam head on into the back of the tank. “Consarn it!” Applejack cried out in pain as she rubbed her head with her hoof. The turret hatch opened up and the kangaroo poked his head out. “Is there a problem miss? He asked.” “Is there a...” Applejack said. “You! Yer name! What is it?” “Corporal Elliot Southerland, 1st Royal South Island Tank Regiment,” Southerland said plainly. “And what do ya think yer doing? With mah sister?” Applejack asked. Elliot looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell and smiled. “Yar! Cutie Mark Crusader Tank Pirates!” he called out in a pirate accent and popped inside the tank and threw it in gear, driving off at high speed amongst the children’s cheers. Applejack looked angrily at the Firefly tank as it drove off. Elliot Southerland had just made the list. ... Pinkie Pie sat on the ridge above her childhood home, looking through a pair of binoculars, forty-eight hours had passed, and her family was still working the farm, just as suspected. “I appreciate you coming out here...” Pinkie Pie began, looking at the uniformed police pony sitting next to her. “Inspector Butterscotch Sundae,” The uniformed mare said. “I appreciate you coming out here Inspector Sundae; these squatters won’t leave my land!” Pinkie Pie said. “No trouble at all ma’am. Sergeant Apple Cider and PC Sandy will be making the arrest; we’ve got plenty of back up though in case they get violent,” Inspector Sundae said. The two police ponies approached the Pie farm. Clyde Pie looked up and watched as they approached. “Clyde Pie?” Sergeant Apple Cider asked. “Yes?” Clyde asked in return. “I’m arresting you for squatting on the land of Pinkamena Diane Pie. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence,” the Sergeant said. “Ya’ll are joking,” Clyde Pie said. “This is my land!” “Do we look like we’re joking sir?” Constable Sandy asked. Clyde knew that they were serious. While Clyde didn’t know much about the law, he did know that if the Police had to get involved with somepony squatting on the land, then it meant jail time. He charged at the two Police Officers, and lunged at them with the intention to kick. The police were faster, however and quickly subdued the man before restraining him. The backup was quick to rush in, and within a few moments, Inkie, Blinkie, Clyde, and Sue Pie were all being dragged back up the hill. “They never want to make it easy...” Butterscotch Sundae said shaking her head. “You are no daughter of mine Pinkamena!” Clyde called as Sergeant Apple Cider pulled him by. “You can’t disown me again Pa, you already did that when you sent me to live in Ponyville,” Pinkie Pie said. Her ‘family’ was gone. Now it was time to get to work.