CHAPTER 4
Sweetie Belle and Icarus were silent for a few seconds; Sweetie gazing upon the raiser of the many questions she’s asked herself all of last night. She went through a quick yet immense rapture that she is now facing what might be the solution. He still had on his coonskin cap indoors, but his dark blue mane revealed itself in a fluff at the bottom. Sweetie looked for his Cutie Mark, and still found nothing. Sweetie’s attention towards Icarus was broken by a loud complaint from the mother.
“Icky, honey, I can understand that you wouldn’t want to leave home,” she started discerningly, then continued in an impatient tone, “but can you at least try to make friends? Why don’t you say hello?”
Icarus greeted Sweetie Belle the way a serviceman would greet a customer, “Hello, my name is Icarus.” He looked at his mother for a split second, to be presented with a gesture prompting him to continue. After taking a second or two to put together his conversation starter. “What’s your name?” naturally seemed like the most appropriate, so that was what he went with.
Sweetie ignored Icarus’s stiff delivery, and was ecstatic to introduce herself, “Hi Icarus, my name’s Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie’s squeaky, innocent sounding voice was enough to force the faces Icarus and his mother into smiles.
Icarus was moved enough to continue the conversation, “I take it your from around here, right?” he intriguingly asked.
Sweetie answered, “Actually, I moved here from Fillydelphia about three years ago.”
“Is that so? Just a few weeks ago, we stopped at hotel there when we were moving from Saddatevka.”
“You don’t say. What’s that place like?”
It was at that point where Icarus’s mother was effervescent to witness her son finally getting to know another young pony, and it seemed to be going pretty well.
Icarus answered Sweetie’s question, “Oh, it’s pretty different from Ponyville. It’s a lot smaller and the architecture’s pretty different.”
“Really?” responded Sweetie, trying to stay interesting, “Fillydelphia’s a lot bigger than Ponyville, so…” she continued as if improvising a line, “I guess we both have to get used to the size of the city.”
Icarus giggled and added, “Yeah, it’s like I shrunk and you grew!” All three ponies in the kitchen burst out in laughter, which echoed through the hall. The laughter ceased to have Icarus asking Sweetie, “So, what do you like to do? For fun, you know?”
“Oh, I usually hang out with my friends in our clubhouse.” Sweetie answered, followed by her asking, “How about you?” expecting an answer involving music, her smile grew as the time drew nearer to having her questions answered.
“I just like to do crossword puzzles and stuff like that in the morning, other than that, I just work.”
Sweetie’s smile slowly deteriorated. It took a moment for her to build up the nerve to ask him, “But, don’t you like singing? I heard you singing at the fare last night.”
Icarus’s mother stepped in, and whispered to Sweetie, atoning for Icarus. “I’m sorry, Sweetie. Icarus is really a wonderful singer, but for some reason, he just doesn’t realize that.” She then turned her head to Icarus with a saddened look.
“Mamma,” Icarus replied, having read his mother’s lips in her whispers, “if I were a wonderful singer, I’d have a Cutie Mark.” He sounded somewhat distressed. Without her realizing it, that remark from Icarus gave Sweetie Belle an answer to her problem.
The mother responded in an unfulfilled tone, “You don’t have a Cutie Mark, because you never use your gift, like I’ve told you a hundred times.” She then sounded contrite towards Sweetie, “I’m very sorry, I don’t want this to become an argument.”
“It’s alright,” Sweetie replied, “I understand what he means.” She was feeling humiliated for her lack of a Cutie Mark at that point, even though she felt she could sing alright.
Icarus was either trying to think of how to reply to his mother’s statement or waiting for any additions to it. He finally added, “I’ll admit, it is fun to sing, but I’m really no good at it.”
“What are you talking about?!” Sweetie asked astonishingly, walking closer towards Icarus, “You were good enough to have Chestnut Drone himself ask you to perform with him… Twice!”
“And embarrass myself in front of…” Icarus was interrupted by his mother’s nervous change in subject.
“Honey!” she complainingly yapped, then continued in a more benevolent volume, “Why don’t you two go outside, and we talk this over some other time.”
“I agree.” Sweetie remarked seriously, but advantageously.
“Yeah… but I…” Icarus stammered, proceeded by a sigh, “Okay.”
Sweetie’s next goal went from learning from the colt to trying to help him. Icarus dropped down from the stool and walked towards the doorway, with Sweetie following him. Before exiting, “Oh, by the way,” Icarus began, “did you find out when Papa will be home?”
His mother sadly answered, “He won’t be home until 9:30 again.”
Icarus’s ears drooped, for he began his work shift at 9:00, when Sugar Cube Corner closes, it’s been the same way shortly after they moved. His mother lowered her head down to his level, looked into his eyes, and softly said, “I know you miss seeing him, but now’s not the time to worry about that. Someone wants to be your friend for once, and I recommend you take advantage of that, because this is your chance to make a lot of friends. We want you to be happy, you deserve to be happy.” They both gave a sentimental smile, followed by a hug. “Go out and have fun!”
“Yes Mamma.” Icarus replied, leading Sweetie Belle out the door. As they went through the front door, Icarus quickly said, “I’m sorry about what happened in there, I didn’t want to sound mean or anything.”
Sweetie replied, “That’s okay.”
Icarus continued, “I mean, you seem like a nice young filly.”
“Thanks.” Sweetie charmingly replied.
Icarus turned towards the bottom of the staircase leading outside, and noticed Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Are those your friends down there?”
Sweetie nodded as they both continued down the stairs. Sweetie didn’t want to upset Icarus by broaching his musical skills to her friends in front of him, so she wondered how she should properly introduce him.
Apple Bloom exclaimed, “Well, it sure took ya long enough.”
Scootaloo whispered to Apple, “How in Equestria is he almost a teenager?” to have Apple nudge her foreleg embarrassingly. “Ow, just asking.” Being a young Earth Pony, she didn’t quite know her own strength.
“It’s okay.” Icarus responded, “I get that I’m short.” He didn’t sound at all ashamed of it. “I wouldn’t want to be taller anyway.”
Sweetie Belle felt Icarus deserved a proper introduction, also in hopes that what would come next would help him allow himself to crack another funny joke, and maybe her friends would want to get to know him. “Fellow Crusaders…” that part had Icarus rather puzzled, “this is Icarus.” she heralded.
“A pleasure to meet you both.” Icarus said as if reading off a script, extending a hoof.
Apple Bloom welcomingly introduced herself, shaking his hoof, she turned her head to Scootaloo, but she stiffly stared at Icarus, presumably dumbfounded by how small he was for his age. Though, she was able to regain her good form, and introduce herself as well, but she neglected to shake his hoof. Fortunately for her, he didn’t seem to mind.
Sweetie Belle walked beside her friends, and said, “Fillies, I think we should leave it up to Icarus what we’re going to do next.” It was hard to tell whether or not Icarus felt welcomed, as was intended.
“Oh, I don’t think you’d be interested in anything I’d want to do,” Icarus modestly said “but I’m sure you can think of something fun.” My hunch for the reason of saying that is that Icarus wanted to know what fillies and colts do for fun, seeing he was raised as a hard worker in Saddatevka.
Apple Bloom started, “Well, we could, uh…” she then steered the question to Scootaloo, to which she replied with a shrug. Sweetie Belle found her mind going blank as well. This was one of the rare times where the three fillies opened themselves to other young ponies, and at this point, they haven’t quite gotten the hang of it.
During the Crusader’s pondering, Icarus has been doing some hard thinking himself. He let a minute pass until he turned to Sweetie, and said, “I know what to do.” The three fillies looked at him curiously, as if expecting him to be the last one to suggest something fun to do. Icarus trotted forward, gesturing to the Crusaders that they follow him.
After noticing Icarus from the back, Scootaloo leaned towards Sweetie Belle and forcefully whispered, “He doesn’t even have a Cutie Mark?!”
Sweetie hushed her, and sorely whispered, “Neither do you.”
Icarus led the Crusaders towards a small, brick house with a wooden door.
“Hey, ain’t that the home of Old Stallion Tapioca?” Apple Bloom nervously asked.
Scootaloo added, “He’s been dead since before our grandparents moved to Ponyville!” Old Stallion Tapioca has been a subject of many, many legends. Most ponies say that he never left this house from the day the oldest of ponies still alive came to Ponyville. When he died of natural causes, it was the first time most ponies have ever heard of him. If you were growing up at around that time, and if you asked any kid about the old house, they would say that the ghost of Old Stallion Tapioca still wanders in his house all alone, just as he did in life. The house isn't there anymore, but to this day, it remains the longest standing building in Equestrian history.
Icarus approached the house, looking towards Sweetie, gave a confiding smile and a wink. He pressed his hoof against the door, and sent it flying open.