Just as the weather ponies had promised, the weather had been just perfect for their trip. The wind was soothingly warm and blew just gently enough to make the surrounding trees wave gently, and the sounds of birds singing in fond gratitude filled the air. The sun was beginning to set in the sky, dyeing the unfamiliar landscape in a rather peaceful orange ambience. The two reunited friends had been walking for hours now, stopping only twice to eat, and yet somehow not a single word had been said between them the entire trip. Scootaloo had so many things she wanted to say, and so many things she wanted to hear, but for some reason she couldn’t get a single word out.
Ten times. What is wrong with me?!
It was all too apparent what a lifetime of living as a transient had done to her ability to make small talk. She rarely socialized with others anymore; her tattered appearance and drifting lifestyle tended to make others see her as a hobo and dismiss her without even a word. Sometimes ponies would take pity on her and give her money, and sometimes ponies would listen long enough for her to offer to do odd jobs for a bite to eat or a hoofful of bits, but it had been years since she had actually sat somepony down and had a conversation. This was no random pony, though. This was her foalhood friend, not a pony she had to be quiet around. Not being able to speak was troubling Scootaloo so much that she had started keeping track of how many times she simply couldn’t open her mouth and do so.
Eleven times.
Apple Bloom hadn’t said a word the entire time either; she was being unusually quiet. As far as Scootaloo thought, at least. Admittedly she had trouble remembering exactly what Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had been like. Simply too much time had passed. Despite this she seemed to remember that Apple Bloom had been a rather outspoken little spitfire in her youth, and this silence was more than uncomfortable.
And I know exactly what it is…
She had caught the look of pure sorrow Apple Bloom had sent her way earlier, but had acted as if she hadn’t noticed. It was obvious their fight was eating her friend up inside, and she just wanted to leap on her friend with a big hug and tell her it was okay and she was just glad they were together again. And yet…
Twelve times.
Even if that had never happened, Scootaloo couldn’t help but wonder if they still would have made this trip without saying a word. Time had left a rift between them: a wound in their friendship that would take time and care to heal. Her friend was no longer the bouncing filly she had once been; the happy little earth pony that always seemed to have a skip in her step now moved slow and deliberately, with a very noticeable limp in her left foreleg. The familiar accent she once spoke with, a high-pitched southern drawl, had deepened and now had a faint rasp to it. Even the accent had somehow changed, at least as far as Scootaloo could remember. It sounded almost foreign now.
The ambience of nature began to fade and give way to the scattered sounds of hooves on cobblestone streets and the faint chatter of ponies as the duo entered Broncton. They passed a pair of Royal Guards standing near a sign. One of them, a unicorn with what may have been a toothpick in his teeth, looked the pair of ponies up and down with cold disinterest before nodding sternly when Scootaloo made eye-contact with him. The other, an earth pony, continued to stare off into space with a scowl on her face.
Scootaloo nodded back to the pair while Apple Bloom stared forward and didn’t break stride. Feeling relieved that the two guards hadn’t shown any interest in them, she slowed her pace and let herself fall somewhat behind her friend. Apple Bloom knew where she was going and what she was going to do, and Scootaloo was content to fall behind and be the follower. Somehow it was a strange feeling: she had been alone for so long that it just felt odd, though not at all bad, to let another lead the way. Even knowing that their destination was a ‘pony that had paid a lot of money’ to get her hooves on her did little to quell the serene feeling that came from travelling with a friend—
—Until Apple Bloom, without so much as changing her expression, turned abruptly and walked up the path to a small house. Scootaloo stopped and tried to believe the sight before her eye: they were confronting the pony that put a bounty on her head… in a single-story cottage? A quiet click snapped Scootaloo out of her stupor; Apple Bloom had pulled a key from her vest and unlocked the door.
It’s her house. Of course.
And suddenly an overwhelming urge to scream out loud came over Scootaloo. She had walked past this very house not much more than a week ago. The sudden realization that she could have reunited with Apple Bloom much earlier and avoided the fight completely had she just stayed in Broncton a little longer fell on her like a pile of bricks, and an exasperated groan escaped her.
Apple Bloom looked over her shoulder and looked eyes with Scootaloo, with a look of utter bemusement for Scootaloo’s outburst. “Be it ever so humble.” She said with a faint wisp of humor. She took several steps inside and, seeing that Scootaloo hadn’t moved an inch, she looked back once more. “Sorry, sugar. Ah didn’t get the chance to sleep last night. Don’t be shy, make yourself at home.”
Smiling at the sound of that, Scootaloo entered and was hit by a wall of heat. The deceptively small steam-radiator in the corner of her quaint home must have been cranked to full but somehow Apple Bloom let out a sigh of pure relief as she stood in the middle of the sauna she called a home, stretching and cradling her head back under the blanket of heat they had entered. She wrenched her head back and forth with a loud 'crack' each time, unbuttoned her vest and let it drop to the floor, and slumped down on a pale pink cushion near a small table. She uncorked and guzzled from a bottle of brown, syrupy liquid while Scootaloo looked around curiously. It was a small bachelor suite, honestly not much bigger than their old clubhouse from their youth, but with a door at the rear of the building that no doubt led to a bathroom. The home was nearly devoid of furniture or personal effects; there was no doubt that Apple Bloom hadn’t lived there for very long. The corner of the room was home to the world’s most inviting bed, which Scootaloo practically leered at for a moment. It wasn’t made and had been left in a heap from its last use, but any bed looked good to Scootaloo: she hadn’t slept in one in years. Across the room from the bed was the table where her friend sat drinking, and a small kitchen area. A ways away from that was a large green duffel bag that lay amongst some assorted clothing on the floor. ‘A. Bloom 07031992’ was stenciled on the side in bright yellow paint, which Scootaloo stared at lost in thought—
—And out of nowhere a glass bottle sloshed in front of her face. Almost flinching away she turned to see her friend holding whatever she was drinking out, silently offering a sip with a friendly expression. Suddenly realizing how thirsty she was, Scootaloo gulped back a mouthful and nearly choked on the unholy thing she had just inflicted on her body. It was a taste like nothing other she had endured, like burnt toast with molasses that somehow stung at the same time. She fought back a wretch and managed to swallow what could have easily been mistaken as poison while Apple Bloom watched with a small but thoroughly amused grin on her face.
“Eeyup…” she said, chuckling lazily. “Your first bourbon’ll do that.”
Scootaloo coughed and croaked out an indescribable raw vocalization of disgust, and somehow kept from throwing up. “’Bourbon’?! You mean it’s alcohol?! Apple Bloom!” She hollered in a thoroughly disappointed tone.
Apple Bloom simply shrugged unapologetically and somehow took a large clean swig from her bottle of poison.
That’s one way to break the silence…
“What happened to you, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo blurted out stupidly, having been given the will to speak from Apple Bloom’s swill. “That night, I mean. You and Sweetie Belle just… vanished.”
Apple Bloom took one more long drink from her bottle and locked eyes with Scootaloo. Her expression hadn’t changed, it was the same stern look that had been on her face since they were reunited, but somehow Scootaloo could feel sorrow radiating from it like smoke from a fire. She sighed sadly, and began to speak…
Many years ago
Ponyville, Equestria
Apple Bloom’s eyes were bolted shut in pure terror. She held as tight as her young legs could to her brother’s back as he ran, burying her face into his mane and holding her sister’s hat over her head. It was all around her: horrible sights and sounds and she wanted them to go away. She couldn’t see, wouldn’t see, but all around were the sounds of blasts and screaming ponies. They were the same ponies that had been so happy and calm only a few hours ago, and now they were screaming in fear for their very lives.
She didn’t understand what was happening. So many things had happened so quickly and everything had been turned upside down. The adults had tried to shelter her and her friends from what had happened: some had minced words and tried to soften the blow while others had simply avoided the topic altogether, but Apple Bloom was old enough to see through to the truth. Princess Celestia had passed away. She didn’t know how or why, but somehow after thousands of years of watching over them and leading them with kindness Princess Celestia was gone. Applejack’s friend Twilight Sparkle had stepped up and was doing her absolute best to help Princess Luna preside over Equestria, and of course Applejack and her circle of friends were doing their best to support Twilight in what was a difficult time for everypony. All of that she understood.
What she didn’t understand was why Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna were now fighting. It was late, and she had just been tucked into bed by her brother when it started. The two titans were clashing in the center of Ponyville, throwing everything they had at each other and so blindly intent on killing one another that they were ignorant to the damage they were causing. She didn’t know where Applejack or Granny Smith were; Big McIntosh had grabbed Applejack’s hat and shoved it over her eyes before scooping her up and tearing out of the farmhouse with her as fast as his legs could carry him.
She felt her brother zigzag left and right and heard terribly loud ‘BANGS’ beside them, so loud that she had felt them in her teeth, but didn’t open her eyes. He jumped and hit the ground, and she could only pray he wasn’t jumping over a pony that hadn’t quite made it. He ran only a bit farther before his heavy hooves slowed from a dead run to a gallop, and finally to a stop. Apple Bloom still couldn’t open her eyes; they had outrun the terrible blasts but they were still happening in the distance.
“Thank goodness yer here. Ah can’t think of a faster way to get out of this place.” Said her brother.
“I figured you’d come this way. Where’s your sister and grandmother? There’s no way I’m staying any longer.” Said an unfamiliar voice.
Apple Bloom felt herself be lifted by Big McIntosh’s strong legs and was placed on the ground. He gently pulled Applejack’s hat back and away from her eyes, and she cautiously opened them to find her brother’s face staring back at her.
“Apple Bloom.” He said, his normally lazy voice shaky and full of concern, “You listen an’ you listen good. Yer gonna get on this boat an’ he’s gonna take you all the way to the docks. Yer gonna get on the next ferry to leave. You understand?”
Apple Bloom whimpered quietly between words. “But… what’s going on, and where’s Applejack?! And Granny Smith?! And what about you?! Aren’t y’all coming with me?! I don’t wanna go alone! I—”
“Shh. We’ll be right behind you. Ah’m gonna go an’ get ‘em. We’ll all follow along after you. What Ah need is for you to be a big mare for me, and go on ahead by yerself. Ah’m not risking you getting’ hurt.”
She didn’t want to go. She was so afraid and she didn’t want to be alone, but her brother always knew best. She did her best to nod amidst her fearful trembling and he scooped her up, cuddling her tight against his huge chest.
“Ah love you, Apple Bloom. Always will. So does yer sister an’ yer granny. That’s why we’re sendin’ you on ahead.”
She wanted to stay in his chest until it was all over, even as he carried her and placed her on the small boat with the stallion she had never seen before. The boat began to move and she watched her brother slip into the distance as the current carried it down the river. As the river snaked around the tree line and he faded from sight, she could see tears streaming down his huge red face.
Present Day
Apple Bloom interrupted her story long enough for one more drink of her alcohol. “Ah never saw any of them again.”
“But where did you go? Who took care of you?”
She hesitated for a moment, and finished her drink. “Let’s just get some sleep, Scoot. You can have the bed if you want, Ah saw you eyeing it.” She corked the empty bottle and turned to face Scootaloo with a teasing smirk. “Shower first, though. You smell like you need one.”
Scootaloo felt her entire face turn red, to Apple Bloom’s obvious amusement. As much as she wanted to hear more, Apple Bloom clearly didn’t feel like talking and, admittedly, a hot shower would feel amazing.
Just don’t think you’re getting off that easy. Once I’m done in that shower you’re talking, so get ready.
She nodded in agreement and Apple Bloom gestured to the room at the back. She stripped off her clothes and deliberately turned her face away from Apple Bloom as she headed to the bathroom, not wanting her friend to see her bad eye. The door she went through led to a small, nondescript bathroom with nothing but the bare essentials and a lingering scent of cheap soap in the air.
Heaven.
Scootaloo hadn’t had a proper bath or shower in years. She kept clean, of course: there was always a creek or river or even a fountain to scrub up in, but a proper shower with hot water sounded like just about the greatest thing in the world.
She was absolutely right.
The hot water rained down over her, massaging her weathered face and rolling over her back while it coursed through her mane and tail. It was like everything had washed away with the dirt, leaving a new mare behind. She felt reborn and, as she hurriedly dried off so she could get back to her old friend and catch up, she found herself making eye contact with the one-eyed mare in the mirror and felt a surge of pride take her over. She stopped just quickly enough to spread her wings in a quick pose and admire herself. With a skip in her step she exploded from the small bathroom ready to sit her friend down and properly catch up—
—Only to find that Apple Bloom had dozed off. A surge of disappointment shot through Scootaloo at the sight of her friend curled up on the floor and cuddling a pillow, with her hat pulled over her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to reacquaint with her friend, but simply couldn’t bring herself to disturb her friend’s slumber. Instead she pulled one of the blankets off of the bed and tucked it around Apple Bloom.
“Good night, Apple Bloom.” She whispered gently. With a proper reunion to look forward to she, for the first time in years, crawled under the covers of a proper bed and fell asleep in moments.