Chapter 6
The sun had gone down by this point; Vinyl Scratch and Scootaloo were walking down the high street away from the Ponyville Library.
“Where did you learn to cook like that Vinyl?” Scootaloo asked, the delicious taste of Vinyl Scratch’s onion soup still tickling her mouth.
“Trial and error!” Vinyl said with a grin. “I remember the first time I made something. Almost caught an entire city block on fire.”
Scootaloo looked at Vinyl widely, unsure if she was being serious or not.
“What? The buildings were old! Old stuff burns more!” Vinyl said, still grinning like the madmare she was.
Scootaloo smiled and laughed lightly at the unicorn, she stopped and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much, I’ve never had anypony treat me as good as you do!” she said, Scootaloo was starting to cry. This was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life.
Vinyl looked down at the Pegasus filly before her and was very glad she had her goggles on. Because she was starting to cry too, she embraced the filly, doing her best to hold back the sniffles.
“I love you Vinyl Scratch,” Scootaloo said. Vinyl couldn’t take it anymore; she broke down and removed her goggles, tears streamed down her muzzle as she looked the filly in the eyes.
“I love you too Scootaloo.”
They were to each other, the loving family that neither of them had ever had.
Then came the hard part, Scootaloo was still a kid, and if somepony figured out that Scootaloo was living on her own and reported it to social services, Scootaloo would be taken away, likely to never see Ponyville ever again.
Scootaloo was afraid of that more than anything else, she could imagine what life without Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and now her de facto sister Vinyl Scratch, would be like. Scootaloo had even more of a reason not to get caught. She was going to have to be more careful than she ever had before.
What happened to childhood being simple? Vinyl and Scootaloo made their way towards Sweet Apple Acres; the CMC clubhouse was located in the northern most part of the Apple farm, and easy to get to from here for most ponies that would be able to get over the fence. Vinyl helped Scootaloo climb it; after a quick wave goodbye, she took off into the apple farm towards her temporary home.
Temporary is what it needed to be. Vinyl Scratch knew that Applejack was going to be a problem, she had visibly become increasingly hostile to Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Vinyl Scratch, and it was only a matter of time before she would start to use violence against them.
This Applejack was not the one that Twilight had described to Vinyl as the reliable, dependable, hard working earth pony who would do anything for her friends. Something had happened to Applejack, Vinyl simply couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t try to hurt Scootaloo to get at them when she discovered how much the Pegasus filly meant to Vinyl.
Vinyl had already decided that if Applejack did harm even a hair upon Scootaloo’s head, she would end her.
...
The light tank stopped in front of the Ponyville Library, Rainbow Dash and Sergeant Tebbs both struggled to carry the night princess inside. Twilight was quietly reading a book, A Complete History of the Kingdom of United Welara, 1170 SE Edition, when she looked up to see Rainbow and Tebbs carrying Luna inside.
“Rainbow? What happened to her?” she called out frantically.
“I don’t know! I found her like this!” Rainbow said.
Twilight checked over her friend closely, checking to make sure she was actually breathing, which she was, however faintly.
“What’s this?” Rainbow asked as she looked at the pendant around her neck. “Long live Cromwell?”
“Cromwell again huh?” Twilight said quietly.
Rainbow Dash looked at her to explain.
Twilight looked up at Rainbow and Tebbs, “I finally got around to looking at that book that you gave me Sergeant. Back when you were driving us home from the Hoofson Bay? Well I’ve discovered something quite interesting. Listen to this Rainbow.”
Twilight crossed back over to where her book was lying and turned to a page at the front of a book she was reading.
“In the year negative one SE (Since exodus), Equestrian politician Oberlander Cromwell faced his greatest challenge yet, gaining political freedom for the earth ponies in the unicorn dominated society of the Principality of Equestria. His campaign to install a parliamentary government in Equestria however was cut short when the unicorn guard arrested him on charges of sedition, on the explicit orders of Princess Celestia the terrible. He was to be locked in the dungeons of the royal castle indefinitely, where he would be held without trial until his death. However this did not spell the end for Oberlander Cromwell, as thousands of earth ponies raided the prison convoy from Everfree plains to Canterlot, killing every single of the guardsmen and liberated Cromwell from his captors. Cromwell lead these ponies to Fillydelphia Province, burning everything as they went along, upon reaching the Fillydelphia harbour, Cromwell lead a popular uprising of the town’s earth ponies, overthrowing the oppressive unicorn minority.
Cromwell, fearing for the safety of those who followed him, announced that the earth ponies under his leadership could not stay in Equestria, instead, they promptly stole every vessel in the harbour, and set sail on a mass exodus away from Equestria forever, after months of sailing, they landed on the island of Welara, at the city known today as Hoofsmouth. Cromwell personally lead his people inland, and founded several settlements across Welara, and establishing a representative government, which is still serving today. Interrupted only by brief periods of civil war, and the establishment of the monarchy of Welara, (see chapter 8).
Cromwell proclaimed himself Lord Protector of Welara, but soon after mysteriously disappeared with no trace. Several theories have been formed over the years, but the most accepted one was that he was assassinated by an Equestrian agent...”
Twilight stopped reading, Rainbow had her mouth open. Tebbs however looked unsurprised.
“You’d never heard any of that?” he asked. “Welera got really powerful really quickly. Within two hundred years, they’d colonised everybody, Kangaroo, Wallaby, Dingo and Zebra. Only been recent that they’ve all gotten their independence.”
“That’s not what I’m concerned with,” Twilight said, plopping the book down and opening to an illustration of Oberlander Cromwell. Cromwell was a pitch black pony with an equally black mane, his flank was without a Cutie Mark, and his eyes were glowing amber.
“You’re kidding,” Rainbow Dash said.
“No,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Oberlander Cromwell and the Siblings Nightmare are one and the same.”
...
Apple Bloom took a step into Sweet Apple Acres, and no sooner than that was she bombarded by a shrill, angry sounding voice.
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack called out to her.
Oh boy.
Apple Bloom walked slowly towards her older sister, trying to delay the inevitable as long as possible. It was not enough.
“Apple Bloom...” Applejack repeated. Anger swarmed through the earth pony’s face. “What. Did. Ah. Tell. Ya. ‘Bout. Kangaroos?”
Apple Bloom swallowed hard. “Ya know wha’? Ah don’ care what ya said! Ah actually talked ta them kangaroos! They’s nice folk! Ya’ll jus’ bein’ stupid!”
Apple Bloom was as much shocked that she’d said that to Applejack as Applejack was to have heard it from her sister’s mouth. Apple Bloom hadn’t the slightest idea where that came from, but she knew she was right. Applejack was being ridiculous.
“What did you say to me?” Applejack said with deadly seriousness, she spoke slowly, enunciating every word as perfectly as the standard accent for Canterlot Province.
“Ah said! Ya’ll are bein’ stupid!” Apple Bloom said again. In the back of her mind, Apple Bloom was asking herself where this other Apple Bloom came from, she was scared, but for some reason, she found herself unable to do anything but stand up to her sister.
“Why ya little...” Applejack said; she was nearly foaming with anger. She raised a hoof and struck Apple Bloom hard, sending the filly scattering to the ground.
“Ah feed ya!” Applejack said, striking Apple Bloom again. “Ah make sure ya have a place ta sleep!” she struck again. “Ah provide for ya!” she struck again. Then again. Then again. Then again. Then again.
“Applejack!”
Applejack had raised her hoof to strike again, but stopped half way, Big Macintosh had called out to her. He was standing, looking down at Applejack’s hooves.
Applejack looked down. “A... Apple Bloom?” she asked weakly.
Apple Bloom struggled to open her blackened eyes, blood was dripping from her nose and mouth, her legs were all broken, and likely were several of her ribs.
“Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked again.
No response.
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack cried frantically.
No response.
“APPLE BLOOM!”