//------------------------------// // Applebloom's and Scootaloo's parents (Part 1) // Story: "Why does everypony say that?!" // by The SideKick //------------------------------// Career day was coming up soon. Next week to be specific, and Applebloom was going crazy over it. "I have no idea what I'm gonna do!" She was lamenting over her problems with her friends at their hub of operations, the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. Cheerilee had announced today at school the day that was firmly planted in Applebloom's head as her day of doom. "Well at least your parents are actually doing something important, mine are just out on vacation in Nigh Hampshire." Bemoaned Sweetie Belle. "But aren't I s'posed to be more important though?! Being their kid 'n all?!" With that proclamation Applebloom stopped her pacing that she been doing for the last thirty minutes and slapped her face into the club table at which Scootaloo was sitting and coloring. Scootaloo wanted to brag but didn't want to make her friends feel bad. That didn't stop her huge smile though. "Why are you so happy Scootaloo? You're in the same boat as us." Came the comment from Applebloom who was now looking at her. Scootaloo looked up at her with clear confusion, pink crayon hanging from her mouth. "I mean what are you gonna do? Bring your foster parents?" Her crayon dropped as Scootaloo gapped in outright bewilderment. "FOSTER PARENTS?!" The two other crusaders jumped back in surprise by their friend's outburst. Scootaloo was looking back and forth at the two waiting for an answer. SweetieBelle was the first to try and brave a question. "Um...Scootaloo, aren't you an...orphan?" Very reminiscent of a certain yellow pegasus Sweetie flinched under the table when Scootaloo hopped on the table and put her face right into Sweetie's with abject horror etched onto it. "ORPHAN?!" Before this little freak out could continue Scootaloo was dragged off the table by a decently strong pair of hooves to the ground on her plot. The hooves now matched to Applebloom were now holding onto Scootaloo's shoulders. "SCOOTS, CALM DOWN!" The clubhouse went deathly quiet. Applebloom and Scootaloo staring at each other, Applebloom willing a heavy breathing Scootaloo to calm down while Sweetie Belle watched from under the table. Scootaloo's breathing leveled out and Sweetie slowly brought herself back up after a minute. Applebloom let go of Scootaloo but didn't break eye contact. "Ah'right then, you calm now?" Scootaloo nodded. She was then wrapped up in another pair of hooves. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad." Scootaloo just sighed and quickly returned Sweetie's hug before detaching herself from the embrace. She had an image to keep still. "It's...well it's not fine but I forgive you." Scootaloo looked over to Applebloom. "Now would you mind telling me why you both think I'm an orphan?" Scratching the back of her neck Applebloom seemed to have lost the ability to look Scootaloo in the eyes. "Um...well ya'll see Scoots, we ain't never seen your parents." Scootaloo had to raise an eyebrow at this. "You haven't?" "No, and it's not just me an' Sweetie either. I don't know not one pony who could tell me that they've seen your parents." "You've never asked Cheerilee before?" Applebloom looked over to Sweetie Bell quickly for an answer only to receive a shrug before turning back. "I guess not." Scootaloo threw her front hooves up in the air with a groan. "Oh for the love of-Don't you remember me telling you about those parent-teacher meetings I had to go to?" "Yes, but I and Applebloom thought you just brought some foster parents." With another groan Scootaloo took her turn in smacking her face against the little pink table. Applebloom scooted closer to her winged friend and wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. "Hey there, it'll be alright." "No wit ont." Came the muffled reply. "Pardon me?" Scootaloo lifted her head and rested her chin on the table. "I said, "No it won't". You said you two weren't the only ones who thought I was an orphan right? If it had just been the two of you then that would have been an easy fix, but nooooooo. Apparently I'm the town sob story. I guess that also explains why Mr. and Ms.Cake give me free cupcakes sometimes with those sad eyes." "YOU GET FREE CUPCAKES?!" Scootaloo had to back away and rub her ear after Sweetie Belle's squeaky screech. "Only sometimes, besides they'll stop after I tell them the truth." "You DON'T want free cupcakes?" "I never said THAT, but their not worth it if it's because they feel sorry for me. Even if I was an orphan I wouldn't need handouts!" Applebloom rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say...Anyway, like I said, it'll be alright. And you wanna know why?" She said as she leaned in closer to Scootaloo with a growing grin. "Uh, why?" Jumping on the table like Scootaloo before her Applebloom struck a pose. "'Cus me an' Sweetie's gonna help spread the word, and then maybe we can get our cutie marks in...um..." Applebloom rose a hoof to her chin as she tried to put together the last parts of what she had thought was a brilliant plan. "Applebloom, I don't think it's even possible to get a cutie mark for...telling ponies that our friend isn't an orphan." "...*Sigh~* I think you might just be right there Sweetie. But 'course we'll still help ya out Scoots." Clambering off the table Applebloom sat next to Scootaloo again. "But before we go I think it would help if you could tell us about your parents first." Sweetie propped her her head on her hooves, face absolutely beaming and tail wagging at the chance to learn some new big information about her friend. "Yeah, come on Scootaloo! I really want to hear about them!" "You're really that interested in my parents?" "Well, considerin' that'll be the first time the either of us as heard a thing about your ma and pa is it that hard to believe?" "I guess...Alright, so where do you want me to start?" "How 'bout you start with where you even live, we ain't ever been to your house." "What do you mean "we ain't ever been to your house"?" You were there to convince me to go to the flag bearers contest!" "Oh yeah, that...well Scootaloo, we were following Rainbow Dash and not really paying attention to where we were going. And we might of...forgotten where it was." Said Sweetie Belle sheepishly. Scootaloo turned to look at Applebloom with a deadpan. "Really?" "Yeah..." "Well, ANYWAY, I live just a few blocks away from where Twilight's new castle is." "Oh wow, really?" "Yeah, used to be I would go over to the old library to hang out if Dash and you two were busy. Twilight gives snacks to any fillies and colts that stay around long enough ya know." "No actually. I never stayed there long if I could help it. Spike would start asking me about Rarity. I mean, I don't mind that he wants to go out with her. He is like Twilight's age and not that bad of a dragon, it just gets annoying you know?" "And I'm just not as big of a reader as you two are. Don't get me wrong, I love to read, I'm just picky is all. For me, it's kinda like trying to pick out that perfect apple. Anyway, so now we know where ya live. What do your parents even do? We've never seen you hanging around with them." "Well, that's because they're really busy. My dad's an earth pony. He works at one of those radio stations they have in the bigger cities. He always takes the train to Manehattan early in the morning and takes it back really late too." "Manehattan? Listen Scoots, I'd hate to see ya go and I know Sweetie would too, but why don't ya'll just live out there if that's where your pa works?" "My parents both like it here Ponyville better, it's not as crowded or noisy as Manehattan. My dad works there because it's his special talent. He's really good at remixing songs and you don't see any radio stations here or even in Canterlot do ya? The money isn't that bad either." "Okay, so what about your mom?" "Oh, she's a unicorn, and she-" "Wait, so neither of your parents are pegasi?" Scootaloo had scrunched her nose in confusion as she looked at Sweetie Belle. "You mean pegasus?" "Yeah, neither of them are pegasi?" "Um...no, neither of them are pegasus. Why?" "Well, I mean you're a..." "Yeah, I'm a pegasus. It's like how the cake twins are different from Mr. and Ms.Cake. It just happens. It's also why my parents haven't been teaching me how to fly. They tried really, really hard too. There were stacks of books on flying all over the house for weeks. But they just couldn't do anything, even if they did try EVERYTHING. I'm just glad Twilight is giving me lessons now. My parents were freaking out harder than I was." "I bet it's still going better than when Rainbow Dash tried to teach ya." "Hehe, yeaaaaah, Rainbow will never stop being the most awesome flyer, but she kept wanting to try and teach me some of her tricks before I was really ready for them..." "If all the tree sap wasn't enough for proof." "But yeah, my mom's a unicorn, and she helps the weather factory out in Cloudsdale." "How does that work? I mean I know she could just use a spell to be able to walk around up there, but what does she do that a pegasus can't?" "She's the vice manager of a business called "Solid Clouds, Comfy Living". Just because us pegasus can walk around on clouds doesn't mean we can just put whatever we want on them without it falling through. We need specially charmed clouds for that. So companies like the one my mom works at were made. A pegasus just asks for a certain amount of cloud to be charmed or they make a contract if it's something like a house and there ya go!" "Wow, I never knew living in a cloud house was so complicated." "It's worth it. I don't think there is any kind of bed that's more comfortable." "I can imagine. I think that's all we need though to get ponies to understand. There's still plenty of daylight left to burn girls, let's not waste it!" "YEAH!" Came the duo responses. With Applebloom leading the way the Cutie Mark Crusaders charged out the clubhouse to start on their new mission to clear Scootaloo's name. As Applebloom walked up the path to her house in the late evening sun she thought of her day. She thought it had been a good day of crusading, spreading the word that Scootaloo wasn't an orphan. She had by herself talked to thirty ponies, making the grand total of all three crusaders work a whopping one hundred and two! twenty-six of them even listened! It had helped take her mind off the fact that her own parents aren't gonna be around for career day. She was excited that she would be able to see Scootaloo's parents for the first time. Reaching her home's front door she opened it. "APPLEBLOOM! There's my little apple seed!" Before she could even think about who was talking Applebloom was brought into a big hug by a very powerful pair of legs that reminded her of Big Macintosh. "Careful dear, it would a shame to have made it here only to lose one of our little'ins due to lack of air." Came a deep booming voice from somewhere behind Applebloom's assailant. Reluctantly the hooves that were holding her released Applebloom, allowing her to back up a bit to see more properly who had just attacked her. What she saw were the last two ponies she were expecting, her face putting to shame even Pinkie Pie's in the pure joy it betrayed. "MA! PA!"