CHAPTER 3
“Ooookaaay.” Scootaloo uttered (like a slide-whistle) in response to Pinkie Pie’s odd commotion.
“So ya gon' meet him anytahm?” Apple Bloom asked Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle determinedly answered, “You bet! I’m going to come back here tonight! I want to know all about this colt!”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gave a slightly concerned look. Sweetie Belle noticed the expression they gave, and assumed that they were concerned about her meeting some strange pony. She would have said something about judging people before you meet them, but she was the last one to start an unpleasant conversation, as a statement like that probably would.
“But he works here durin' the closin' hours, yer prob'ly not gon' to be allowed in here then.” Apple Bloom remarked. Sweetie then realized that that was what made them look uneasy; that she was thinking of just breaking into Sugar Cube Corner while they’re closed.
“Look,” Scootaloo started a suggestion, “we can all go down to his house and you can meet him right now.”
Sweetie Belle’s tummy hurt from hearing that. She distinctly remembered Pinkie Pie describing his house and emphasizing the word “huge.” She had a hard time keeping herself together meeting someone in a normal-sized home, let alone one that someone would call huge. But she restored her thoughts of getting to know the little colt that melted everyone’s heart at the fare last night. Beforehand, those thoughts were an annoyance to Sweetie, then they made for a choice motivation.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea!” Sweetie said bravely. Although she felt that it seemed a tad out of left field to talk in a tone like that, when to the others, it wasn’t that big of a deal. (Come to think of it, they seem to talk like that in the TV adaptation a lot.) The trio exited out the door, where the day was busier and more stuff was going on, in search of the huge house up north.
Scootaloo quickly asked, “So which way’s north?”
Apple Bloom pointed her hoof to the northern side of Ponyville with a smile.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked rattled at Apple Bloom. “And…” Sweetie began, “how do you know that?” she asked, sounding less like a “how” “when” or “who” question, and more like asking permission for something.
Apple explained, “Well, it’s early now, and that means the sun’s in the east,” she pointed to the sun, “and the shadow of Sugar Cube Corner is facin' over there to the west.” she pointed, “Now that we know where west and east are, we know where north and south are too. So, north is over there.” she pointed in the same direction as the first time as she gasped for breath after a lengthy bit of explanation for a filly. Scootaloo and Sweetie looked impressed as they trotted north. Scootaloo asked her how she knew that, with Apple responding, “Granny Smith.” And that’s all she needed to say.
Apple and Scootaloo were feeling pretty exhausted after the first minute of running, but Sweetie Belle was darting far ahead, which is strange, because usually that’s usually Scootaloo’s position. After around five minutes, the trio noticed an exceptionally large house in a line of smaller houses, it wasn’t as big as the Castle of Canterlot they’ve visited per se, but it was still a sight to see such a large structure present itself as a neighboring house. As they darted closer and closer, Sweetie continued to ask herself those perplexing questions to come over her fear of meeting somepony. Each step made the process more and more difficult as the house seemed to grow larger as they ran towards it.
They noticed a set of steps by the front door, and started to slow down until they finally stopped.
“Go on.” said Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, we’re right behind you.” Scootaloo added.
Sweetie understood that her friends really wanted to help her, and that she should feel better with them right behind her, but her shyness got the best of that feeling. She slowly ascended the stairs…
1… clip clop
2… clip clop
3… clip clop
4… clip clop
5… clip clop
6… clip clop
7… clip…
“I’m tellin’ ya!” Sweetie stopped at the sound of a familiar crackling voice echo through the big door at the top of the steps. “Your colt can really go places!” She felt that should be a sign to turn back and not disturb anypony’s conversation, but she quickly decided that she could just politely knock on the door, and if anything important was happening, it could have been she didn’t hear anything from outside (just something to let herself enter the house of the Singing Foal). She ran up the rest of the way.
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15!
She raised her hoof, looked back to see that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were still watching her from the bottom, turned back to the door, and…
Suddenly, the door opens inward, with none other than Chestnut Drone coming out the door, looking distraught. Sweetie gasped in excitement both to see one of her heroes face to face and that he’s heard Icarus’s pipes before and could be of some help.
“Chestnut Drone!” Sweetie exclaimed. With a gaping smile, she looked back down to a dumbfounded Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. They didn’t listen to the radio that much, so they hardly knew who Chestnut Drone was.
Sweetie contentedly introduced herself. “Mr. Drone, my name’s Sweetie Belle. I just want to let you know that I’m a huge fan!”
Chestnut warmly replied, “Thanks, I’ve been hopin’ for some good news within the next decade.”
Sweetie chuckled and then passionately asked, “Is Icarus home?”
Chestnut sighed and answered, “Yeah, but whatever you do, don’t ask him to come on tour at Manehattan with you and YOUR choir group.” which he presumably did. Chestnut meant for that to be another joke (also a reposing way to vent his frustration), but that really made him realize how sovereign and unsettling of a question that is to ask a colt as he walked down the steps.
Sweetie Belle then felt like she was going up against a real challenge. She wondered if Icarus would even want to talk with her. Nonetheless, she knocked on the door while it was still open. She heard a rather sarcastic sounding female voice, “Hold on, I’m comin’!”
A mare with a beige coat, a yellow, messy mane, a white nightshirt, and Cutie Mark of two large flowers, coated in various shades of red trotted through a doorway in the house on Sweetie’s left. The mare turned towards the front door, walked up to Sweetie and said as if she was really frustrated, “Can I help you today?”
Sweetie was pretty disturbed by the tone of the mare before her, but she earnestly asked while still trying to keep a decent smile, “Are you Icarus’s mother?”
The mare looked overjoyed, “Oh, you wanna play with our little pumpkin?! Well, come on in!” Sweetie couldn’t tell whether or not she was being sarcastic from the way she spoke. Icarus’s mother wrapped her hoof around Sweetie and pulled her in the house. She didn’t even have the time to look back and see what her friends at the bottom were doing.
The mother dragged Sweetie through the doorway she came through and into the kitchen, and all at once, before Sweetie even realized it, she was finally standing face to face with the same colt that won the hearts of all the ponies at the fare last night, the same colt who held her spellbound for the last 12 hours, the same colt who caught the attention of the great Chestnut Drone, the “Singing Foal” himself, Icarus.
He was then looking at Sweetie Belle with his big, turquoise eyes. She was hypnotized by how much of a difference it was from looking at him from the side.