Startled, Scootaloo sat up and stared at Applejack with wide eyes. “Oh, Applejack. I’m sorry, I’ll leave.” The pony quickly began to collect her things, careful not to make eye contact with the pony who found her
“Just wait a darn minute. Scootaloo, why are yuh here? You should be at home.” Applejack questioned, cocking her
head partly with worry and partly waiting for an answer.
With the mentioning ‘home’, the pegasus looked at the ground causing warm tears to fall over her soft cheeks. She tried to give Applejack an answer, but all that came out was a squeak and a soft ‘sorry’.
“Oh sugarcube, what’s got yuh upset?” She slowly made her way to Scootaloo and sat beside her waiting for her to regain herself. A few moments passed and when nothing but sobs came from the filly beside her, Applejack scooped her up in a hug. Scootaloo was cold and shivered in her founder’s arms while cursing herself for allowing somepony to see her in such a state. She had to be strong if she wanted to find her parents; nopony wants a weak filly for a daughter.
Once Scootaloo collected her feelings, she pulled away from Applejack. “I’m sorry, it’s just…” She looked at her hooves and wiped the tears lingering on her face, unsure of what to say. She could easily lie but what good would that do? Applejack was the element of honesty and could easily pick out any lie that came from the filly’s mouth. Having no choice but to tell the truth, Scootaloo took a deep breath, “I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“What do yuh mean you don’t got nowhere to go? Ah reckon your parents must be worried somethin’ terrible. It’s late, yuh know.” The earth pony scuffed the pegasus’ mane and gave her an encouraging smile, thinking she got into an argument with her parents and didn’t want to go back home.
“I… I really don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have a home.” Scootaloo caught the smile she was given and quickly looked away. She had already let somepony see her cry so vigorously, there was no way she was about to let her see the shame in her eyes she knew was there.
Millions of questions floated through Applejacks head; did she mean it the way it came out? Did Scootaloo really have nowhere to go? Has she been staying here all this time? “What about your parents? Surely they got a place for yuh?” Hearing Scootaloo sniff and begin crying again, she realized she had made a big mistake. “I didn’t mean to make yuh cry, darlin’.” Applejack said, placing her hoof on Scootaloo’s.
The filly caught her breath and looked up at her. “I know, it’s not your fault. I don’t… I don’t know where my parents are. I had a home once, before I met Sweetie Belle. I lived with two earth ponies, they were really nice and I liked them a lot, but I knew they couldn’t be my real parents. I knew I was adopted, but that didn’t bother me much. But… one day I went out on my scooter, and when I came back… they were gone. I’ve been on my own ever since and when you gave us the club house I was so happy because I thought I’d have a place to go at night. ” Once again, tears flooded Scootaloo’s eyes and blurred her vision. She hated herself for being so weak, why couldn’t she pull herself together?
“Scoot, Ah had no idea!” Applejack pulled her in for another hug, building up tears herself. She knew what she had to do and gently let go of the crying filly. Without another thought, she finished collecting Scootaloo’s things and tossed her bag on her back. “Well are you comin’, sugarcube? It’s a long walk back to the farm.”
Surprised, Scootaloo looked up at the mare. “I can come with you?” She asked hopeful.
“Uh course yuh can, Ah can’t leave yuh out here in the cold.” She said, shooting another smile her way. “Now hurry up, let’s make it back in time for dinner”
Tearful once more, but this time there were tears of happiness in Scootaloo’s eyes. She ran to Applejack and threw her front legs around her neck, “Oh thank you, Applejack!”
The mare laughed and returned the hug with one leg, “C’mon, sugarcube, let’s get back before Big Mac comes lookin’ for us.”
**************
Applejack and Scootaloo entered the small farm house, the little orange filly happy that she’d have a place to sleep, if only for tonight. “Thank you again, Applejack, this means a lot to me.”
“Don’t you fret none about it, Ah’m always happy to help anypony. You know that. You can stay fer as long as you need
it, Granny Smith won’t mind.” The pony smiled, “Let’s get us somethin’ to eat.” Applejack led the way to the kitchen and announced that she was home to the rest of the family. “Ah’m home, everypony! And guess who Ah found.”
Scootaloo stood in the door way for a moment and let what she had just heard sink it. ‘I can stay? Maybe Granny Smith will adopt me and I can live on the farm with Apple Bloom, I’d like to always be close to another crusader. I’d finally have a big sister, and maybe next year I can enter the Sister Hooves Social!’ The filly realized she was getting much too carried away and shook her head of her silly thoughts. Still excited, she followed Applejack into the kitchen.
“Applejack! Where were yah? Supper’s gettin’ – oh hi, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom perked up at the sight of her friend and fellow crusader. “What are yah doin’ here? Shouldn’t you be at home?”
Scootaloo looked away, her happy feelings beginning to drain, “Um, I’ll tell you later Apple Bloom, okay?”
Understanding the fact that her friend was upset, partly because of the glare her big sister gave her, the red-maned filly quickly changed the subject. “Well, yer stayin’ for supper, aren’t yah?”
Happy to get an actual invitation to the dinner table, she looked back. “Yes, I’d like to, if that’s alright.”
“Well then, hurry up! The food’s gettin’ cold, come sit down.” She pulled out the chair from the dinner table beside her and lightly patted the seat with her hoof, encouraging Scootaloo to sit down. The table was set with soup that smelled delicious and made Scootaloo's stomach grumble as she realized all she's had to eat today was a cupcake. She looked over at Applejack that had already taken her place, who gave her a nod.
The elderly mare at the end of the table saw Scootaloo and smiled, “Hello there, Scootaloo! It’s nice to have one of half pint’s little friends over. Come, sit.”
“Hey, Scootaloo. How are yeh?” Big Mac called from the opposite end of the table as Granny Smith.
Feeling welcomed and happy, Scootaloo made her way over to the inviting seat beside Apple Bloom, ready to sit down to her first family meal.