The cold darkness of a Ponyville night floated gently against the window, and was only stopped by the warm glow of the hissing fire. The heat radiated from a brick fireplace in the center of the room that kept its occupants feeling safe and secure enough to have a drink or two...or three. The wood chamber was almost empty, except for the two mares at the bar.
The older mare was a bright orange with a blonde mane and tail, both were braided in a similar fashion with rope. A well worn, dirty stetson hat was seated on her head. The younger mare was a bright yellow, like butter, with a short red mane. She wore a dirty stained apron and was wiping the hardwood counter with a wet cleaning rag as she listened to the other talk about this and that about the farm life with her ever louder voice.
Applebloom sighed happily, and just had to stop cleaning for a moment to get absorbed in the life she had left behind to pursue what she truly wanted to do with her life. But leaving the farm, where she had grown up in the loving care of her family, she missed all the good times and nostalgia that she had, and a part of her just wanted to return to the apple farm and do what she did before. The here and now, though, did have its share of good times, and Applebloom loved the hard work that she had with making this place a reality. She was truly happy here.
“...and th’n that darn lizard bit Big Mac in the tail an’ he just took off a runnin’ with the plow still attached to ‘im.” Applejack laughed with no care in the world while adding motions to her words in the story. “On down the road he went, draggin’ that darn plow behind him.” She let out a belly laugh that echoed through the empty room. Bloom giggled more at her sister’s embarrassing antics than her story. She let her sister calm down, as the laughter died down to short bursts of giggles, that too ended shortly. “Ya should’ve been there, Applebloom. It was really a sight ta see, and a funny one at that.”
“Yeah.” Applebloom’s stomach sank as she went back to cleaning off the bar. She should’ve been there.
“Okay, Bloom. What’s wrong? And don’t ya say nothin’ ‘cause Ah know it ain’t nothin’. Ya been in the dumps for a while now.” When Applejack used that tone of voice, nopony could say no.
“Is it really that obvious?” She picked up an empty whiskey bottle that a possibly drunk patron had left behind and set it in a bucket with the other glass bottles. With her back turned, Bloom’s face fell.
“Element of Honesty, remember?” A little bit of pride sounded from Applejack. Arrogant pride that Bloom couldn’t call on her own.
"Oh, how could I forget?" Bloom turned and smirked at her sister, who only shrugged as if she had no idea what Bloom was talking about, while returning the same look. Bloom couldn't help but give a little giggle at the fun the pair had with each other all the time in the same fashion.
"I guess I'm just bummed out over not being able to help with the farm now that I have this place to run. It's hard to get away from what you have been doing since you could stand and walk. I guess I sorta miss it every once in a while."
Applejack thankfully only politely listened in silence until Bloom finished talking. When Bloom was done, the young mare turned her back to her older sister once again and began carefully setting the shot glasses in a bucket. The glasses she placed in clanked loudly against others. It was the only sound that she could hear.
Then, Applejack started giggling. Just like before. She started giggling, and then started to laugh. Her belly laugh roared unopposed, and Bloom could feel her ears fold on top of her head. Her sister was laughing at her fears. Bloom dropped the shot glass she was holding, which clanked loudly against the bucket, and she whirled on her feet to glare at her sister. "What's so funny!?" She defended herself.
Applejack stopped her howling quickly, looking at her sister with a mix of confusion and a bit of nervousness. “Ah’m sorry Ah laughed, but ya sounded just like me when Ah was a foal. Wandering off from the little farm to the big city.” She tried to hide a little giggle. “It just brings back memories.”
“Sugarcube, Ah know what you’re goin’ through, and Ah understand. You’re doin’ somethin’ ya never did before, and it don’t feel right for ya, yet. But Ah promise ya, it will get easier. Ya done a nice, fine job ta this place, Ah’m very proud of ya.”
Bloom sighed and slumped down on a stool, facing Applejack across the counter. “Thank you, Applejack. But, how would you know? You were only in Manehatten for a week. It’s been a year for me here, and I still miss the farm that’s right up the road.”
Before Applejack could answer, the door to the bar opened up, and Bloom could feel some of the heat leave the room. “We’ll talk about this later.” Applejack finished.
That was for the best. Bloom turned to greet whoever it was, only to freeze with the words in her mouth at the sight of the pony. A snow white pelt, candy colored mane, and the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. Yep, it was Sweetie Belle. Miss Drama Queen Jr. of the drama club. “What’re you doing out this late, Miss Belle?”
“Good evenin’, Sweetie Belle.” Applejack greeted the unicorn mare with a friendly voice that hid the evil glare that she gave Bloom, and told her that this was something else that they were going to discuss when the time was right.
Sweetie Belle’s gait was sloppy, much different than her usual walk of absolute pride above all else. The unicorn’s head was hung limp on her neck, flopping with her movements. She plopped down on a bar stool next to Applejack weakly. “An apple martini with cherries, please.” Sweetie spoke with little energy as she flicked a few bits onto the counter.
Now where was this mare coming from again? To talk about how it was better to be a lady with class than it was to be a savage with no manners, and yet here she was acting as if she were just walking out of a rodeo, minus the cuts and bruises.
Bloom annoyedly filled out the request, violently grabbing the necessary ingredients behind her from the shelf adorned with massive amounts of alcohol. The vodka, schnapps, a little bit of Sweet Apple Acre’s apple juice was poured into a shake cup. As Bloom shook the drink, Sweetie’s head never once rose above the neckline. She poured the ingredients into the martini glass and a few cherries were plopped right on top. A custom drink Sweetie asked for all the time when she came into the bar, but never in this mood. Bloom sat the drink on the counter in front of Sweetie and pocketed the bits into her apron. “Here ya go.” It wasn’t friendly, it was just to tell her.
When Sweetie gave no answer, not even a little thank you, Bloom only shook her head and sighed before she cleaned up the rest of the shot glasses. The one she had dropped into the bucket had broken; just her luck. She marched off into the back to finish doing the dishes in peace, and to cool off her temper.
The small room was mostly used for storage. All the cleaners and soaps were stored here, thus it reeked of bleach. It was much colder here than in the main room with the fire. Setting the heavy bucket into the sink, Bloom carefully picked out the glass shards and unceremoniously dumped them into the waste basket.
Who did Sweetie Belle think she was, coming into her bar and acting like a stick in the mud? She shouldn’t get so mad about it, but it was hard not to. After having so many adventures, it was strange to go their separate paths. It was heart-breaking. It was best not to think about it for long and to just get these glasses cleaned for tomorrow.
The apple martini was plain. Applebloom hadn’t put much effort into making it, Sweetie could tell. Her connoisseurship was the best of Ponyville, this was vile trash to her tastebuds. But it was alcohol, and alcohol was what she needed at the moment. She wasn’t a heavy drinker, not by any means, but the drinking helped her cope with things when they got too much to handle herself. Taking another dainty sip, Sweetie set the glass down on the counter.
“Good evening, Applejack.” She never looked at the mare, clinging to her dignity. But this was Applejack, who could care less about such things. “What a darn tootin’ day as you may say.” Sweetie rolled her eyes at the mocking she did.
"Well, when ya say it like that, it almost sounds dumb. Forgive my words, Sweetie, but Ah'm used to ya using your fancy words." Applejack was as polite as she could obviously be when not acting so countrified, but even that was fine. It was the best she could do. Above all, was a good friend.
Sweetie huffed a bit and sipped her drink. "I guess you're right. It left a bad taste in my mouth, talking like that. No offence to you, of course."
Applejack just shooed the issue with a hand. "No harm done."
A steady moment of silence came up, as Sweetie, and surely Applejack, had no idea what to say to the other. They just listened to the sounds of Applebloom washing her dishes. The glasses were clinging together as always, she always did put as much effort into her labor as she could. Even if it was a little annoying, but that was how she worked, and no embitterment should be thought up as a result.
“So, did ya hear about Scoots?” Applejack asked.
“No, what?” Interest was instantly piqued, problems went out the window. Sweetie hadn’t seen Scootaloo since she moved away to Cloudsdale after picking up a job as a racing instructor there. It has been a year. Felt like five with how time would only move on its own accord. What had Applejack found out about the pegasus before she had? Both she and Applebloom got handwritten letters from Scoots, she couldn’t remember anything important from the last one she had sent.
“Well, Ah don’t wanna spoil a surprise if it is one.” The orange mare rubbed her chin in mock thought. “Naw, it ain’t no secret. Scoot’s gonna come down ta Ponyville fer the festival.”
Sweetie sprung up from her drink, literally, right onto her feet from her stool. Jumping into Applejack’s face with excitement, almost knocking Applejack out of her seat. She had never felt such intense discomposure, but she absolutely couldn’t help but feel that way. She missed Scootaloo a lot. “Really? Like, really, really?”
“Woh there, Sugarcube. Calm down now. She ain’t moving back, last I heard. It was somethin’ ‘bout a charity race of some sorts, Ah’m not quite sure of the details. Are ya sure ya didn’t know about it?”
Sweetie shook her head frantically. “No, nothing. I know I would’ve remembered something like that.”
Applejack snapped her fingers and clicked her tongue in what seemed to be aggravation. “Gosh, darn it. I must’ve spoiled some sort of surprise Scoots had planned.”
“Well, that’s okay. I’ll pretend it was a surprise when she comes around. I’ll even write it in my little notebook with the golden pencil.”
“Yeah, ya do that...I guess.”
She couldn’t believe it. Scootaloo, after so long. It would be like the old days of crusading and going off to be nuisances, and having innocent fun while doing it. It was that time that Sweetie missed the most, as she never could feel that free with expectations now. Expectations from her sister, from other ponies in the Ponyville, and even beyond. It would be great to see the pegasus, who unleashed her freedom when she had the time to do it.
Sweetie sat back down on her stool and stared at the quarter finished martini. This was not a happy time though. She wanted it to be now from her initial plan. The ungrateful memory of why she was here returned, and her head drooped down again. Blasted problems rearing their hydra-like bodies wherever they pleased. In a swift movement, unladylike at all, Sweetie grabbed the drink and downed the rest. The alcohol burned as it went down, but she believed she took it well.
"Now hold your horses there, what's got ya so moody all of a sudden? I thought ya would like ta see Scoot's again." Applejack's hand laid supportively on Sweetie's shoulder.
“I do. I want to see her.” Her head was filled with the sweet, precious memories of her childhood, but the ugly truth couldn’t be hid away forever behind a closed door. “But I…” It was much harder to say than she would’ve hoped it to be. To see what you had put so much time and effort into, suddenly vanish in the blink of an eye.
She could feel Applejack’s hand rub her shoulder. Surprisingly, it worked to calm her down a bit. “I can’t pay for the theater anymore.”
The calm rubbing of Applejack’s hand sadly stopped. Sweetie turned to look at the farm mare, only to be taken up in a deep hug from her. “Ah’m so sorry, Sweetie. Ah don’ know what ta say.”
"Say what, about what?" The untimely reentry of the bar pony took the sadness out of Sweetie. It only made way for a not so delightful feeling of anger. Sweetie absolutely hated that emotion of negativity, but Applebloom was avoiding her on purpose, and she didn't like that either. Sweetie pulled herself out of the warm hug with malicious thoughts. No, this wasn’t revenge, it was only letting some other pony know how wrong their actions were in a more direct way.
“Oh, nothing. Just talking about the Summer Festival tomorrow. Important, I’m sure you know this.” Sweetie’s voice was hiding something behind sweetness, Applebloom could see that, like an eagle watching its prey. Bloom had no idea where Sweetie was going with this, but what could the artsy pony do to harm anypony, for that matter. “But, Applejack here had just told me something that I’m sure you’re going to love.”
Applejack’s eyes widened fearfully as she looked at Sweetie worriedly. “Sweetie, there was a reason Ah told ya when she was out of the room.” Her voice was the direct opposite of Sweetie’s.
Bloom was quickly losing her patience. “Would somepony spill the beans already? I got things to do, so I can’t stand here all night.”
“I’m sorry, how inconsiderate of me.” Sweetie sweetly said. “You remember Scootaloo right? Best friend from foalhood? Cutie Mark Crusaders forever?”
A lump clumped together in Bloom’s throat at the darn name. It was something that she wanted to forget... and she had started to, too, and had been moving on with life. Bloom took a deep breath in slowly and swallowed. “Yes I remember her, why wouldn’t I, and what about her?”
Sweetie’s smile grew on her face. It wasn’t creepy or anything like that, it was just a smile. “I just learned from Applejack here that she is coming to Ponyville for the Summer Festival.” Bloom’s forehead heated up. “She is supposed to host the race though. Isn’t that great? We get to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders again!” The silly mare jumped off of her stool, forcefully grabbed Bloom, pulling her along, and spun around in a circle of cheer.
Bloom felt her world darken with that. The mayor had asked her to build a large podium for the winner of the race to stand on. Somepony who had left behind a broken promise. That had been a careless move of Scootaloo’s, throwing Bloom under the wagon like that.
She yanked her hands out of the weak grasp of the childish pony, only to regret it as she lost her darned balance and fell on her butt. That was painful itself, but snooty Sweetie just stood there, laughing at her. So much for Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, the darned unicorn with her too perfect everything couldn’t help her up. She saw red anger in her eyes.
Sweetie stopped her little giggle when she saw Applebloom run out the door, and into the night. She looked back at Applejack, who glared at her with a stare to rival Fluttershy’s. Guilt filled her up, as she came down from her happy high. “Too much?” She asked meekly.