//------------------------------// // Chapter four: Homecoming // Story: Higher Senses // by Manes //------------------------------// Lub-dub… Lub-dub, lub-dub… Scootaloo glanced about, though all she saw were happy, expectant faces. Laughing and chatting away, their conversations echoed within her ears. She tried to ignore the sound of her heart beating.  It seemed to come faster and faster each passing second. She exhaled as a sudden heat that burned her forehead made her sweat. She wiped the sweat away and tried to calm her racing heart. Wait. Was it her heart? She looked toward the sun, its searing light beaming down on her as she stood still. Standing in the middle of the market, throngs swarmed around her. Although she heard one heartbeat as it reached faster and faster.   Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub! Lub-dub! “S-S-Scootaloo?” It stopped. Wait. The beating had stopped. What? How? Was it hers? All the ponies around made it difficult to figure out due to them having beating hearts hidden underneath their fur. Maybe Fluttershy would know something since she was looking up at her with horror written all over her face.She was on the ground; hooves shielding her face, cowering as if she were an ugly creature. “Fluttershy?” No. No, this was not supposed to happen. Scootaloo and Applejack were supposed to walk to the breakfast place around the corner and have something to eat and laugh. It was not supposed to be this. Scootaloo standing here in the middle of the market on a busy day with Fluttershy before her. Everything was out of control again. Fluttershy had come out of nowhere and screwed up the world she had created where only she and Applejack had a place in. Nopony else to judge the way she looked. All because of Fluttershy, Scootaloo already felt the walls closing in on her. The sounds growing louder and louder each passing second. All the oxygen vanished. She couldn’t breathe. No, deep breaths. Inhale. One, two, three. Exhale. She repeated the technique a couple times until she felt her heart was calm. When she opened her eyes, the problem was still sitting right there. “Scootaloo?” a voice said from behind her. It was not just a stranger’s voice echoing in her ear, no. This voice had a southern accent to it that she knew well. This voice was Applejack’s. Scootaloo turned around in time too for Applejack to sweep her up in a crushing bear hug, her lungs squeezing from the earth pony’s strength. “I almost lost you in that crowd.” “Hnnng!” Scoots replied. Applejack broke the hug when she saw what it was doing to the poor filly. She got the strangest look from the passersby. She hoped they did not think she was trying to kill Scootaloo.  Scootaloo looked up at Applejack, concern was written all over the earth pony’s face. “I’m okay, Applejack.” She inhaled and exhaled just to be sure her lungs were working properly. “You sure?” Applejack asked. “I didn’t squeeze too hard, did I?” “Jeez, Applejack. You’re making it seem like Pegasi—” Scootaloo closed her mouth before the rest of the thought could slip out from her mouth. Her eyes fell to ground  to avoid looking Applejack in the eyes. She almost slipped, she thought she was through this. She thought spending time with Applejack and Twilight had helped her move on from her previous life as a Pegasus. Even though she had to realize that was a dream, she could not just erase those happy and disappointing moments she had as a Pegasus, especially the disappointing moments.Scootaloo already pictured Applejack having a shocked look on her face when she almost said it. She bet she thought she had forgotten about her life and adapted to the bat senses, but she had not. If she said she did, then she was an even  worse liar than Fluttershy. Speaking of Fluttershy, was she still too shocked to move? Scootaloo turned around to where she last saw her and gasped. Fluttershy was still there, but this time she was not looking up at her with shock filling her eyes or her muzzle trembling as she spoke. Her eyes and her mouth were closed, her head rested on the dirt. Scootaloo’s heart jumped in her chest as a cruel thought popped in her head. She looked at Fluttershy’s stomach. A sudden relief washed over Scootaloo when she saw her chest slowly rising and falling every time she took a breath of air. The fangs might have scared Fluttershy when she got too close to Scootaloo. Knowing Fluttershy, she might have assumed the worst. Nevertheless, that could not be the case; she said her name in a shocked tone that was understandable. Fluttershy was shocked to see Scootaloo as this and not a Pegasus. The realization was too shocking. She might have shut down from the pressure and she dropped like a ton of bricks. Scootaloo frowned, realizing Fluttershy thought she would hurt her. She never would, no matter what. One thing she knew that she and Rainbow shared was loyalty to their friends, the oath to never abandon them no matter what.   “Scootaloo?” Maybe she was thinking about this too much. As a matter of fact, she’d been doing that a lot lately. Applejack was right. She was letting her doubts that her friends would turn on her get the better of her. Her friends wouldn’t abandon her when she needed them the most, that would be ridiculous. “Scootaloo?” ...wouldn’t it? “Scootaloo!” Scootaloo snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Applejack had placed Fluttershy onto her back while she was in her own little world.  Applejack’s facial expression had not changed. Even more, the concern grew as she saw the frown on Scootaloo’s face and her ears drooped down to her skull. She did not need Twilight’s smarts or Rainbow’s loyalty to know Scootaloo was upset about this encounter.  “You alright?” Scootaloo’s eyes darted around like a lost puppy. She was so lost in thought she almost forgot Applejack was standing right in front of her, waiting for an answer. She looked at her and managed a smile without showing too much of her fangs. “Y-yeah.” “Are you sure?” Applejack asked. Scootaloo hoped Applejack would be in a hurry since Fluttershy was on her back. Applejack continued to amaze her with her Earth Pony strength. she didn’t look like she was having any trouble carrying Fluttershy. “Scootaloo?” Tink! Scootaloo grabbed her head and grunted in pain. Her ears felt like they were being pounded on as metal somewhere in the distance clanked. Her attention turned to see a royal guard as he walked past her, his armor the source of the sound. She mustered in all the oxygen then let it out in one big exhale. She removed her hooves from her ears once she was sure the echoing had stopped. “I’m sure.”  “But… but…” Applejack tried to say, but Scootaloo silenced her with a hoof. “Not another word, ya hear?” Scootaloo smirked.  Applejack groaned in response and nodded. Scootaloo removed her hoof and watched as Applejack heaved Fluttershy a little more onto her back with ease. “That doesn’t hurt?” . “Not when you’re an Earth Pony.” Applejack reached around her back and grabbed her saddlebag, unlocking and opening it.  She fished around in the small brown bag. Different sounds overcrowded Scootaloo’s ears. She heard ticking in the bag of some bits that clinked together when she pushed them aside. However, she heard somepony. Not talking or shouting, but stiffening as if they were waking up. She turned to Fluttershy to see she was right,  stirring in her sleep. Fluttershy wasn’t just randomly moving, it was the stirring associated with a nightmare. Her head darted left and right, and her teeth clenched together, cringing from whatever dream plagued her. Thanks to her heightened hearing, some of Fluttershy’s mumbles became clear. No bat. Spell, cured me. Scootaloo arched an eyebrow. Spell, what is she— “Found it!” “Gah!” Applejack’s shout sent off an alarm in Scootaloo’s body and made her hover in the air for a moment. She and gravity realized this, therefore her body fell onto the ground like a ton of bricks, landing on her head. “Heh, sorry about that.” Applejack grabbed Scootaloo and lifted her up to her hooves like she was an empty bag. “You alright?” Scootaloo rubbed her head and groaned. “Thanks for the headache, Applejack.” She stopped rubbing her sore head when Applejack held a worn out key in front of her. “You’re giving me a key as an apology?” Applejack chuckled, shaking her head. “No, it’s the key to the house.” Wait, farmhouses needed keys? She grabbed the key and held it in her hooves. It looked like it belonged to the house or farm house. There was no number engraved on the forehead, unlike the keys she’d ever held. Shaking her head, she grabbed it and looked up Applejack.  “You’re not coming with me?”  “Gotta get Fluttershy back to her cottage. Maybe stick around there for a while, just to be sure she’s back to her old self.” Wait, that meant she’d be alone there with a certain yellow Earth Pony. “B-but what if Apple Bloom is there?” Applejack sighed. “Scootaloo, you can’t expect to avoid her forever. Some way or another, you’re gonna see each other, especially since y’all live under the same roof.” Scootaloo avoided Applejack’s gaze. She knew if she looked into her eyes, she would feel pressured. She turned to the ground, but Applejack wasn't having it. Lifting her chin up with a hoof, Scootaloo’s catlike eyes that glowed within the dark shades locked with those emerald eyes. Every time she looked Applejack straight in the eye, she couldn’t keep up her act. She couldn’t lie, and even when she did, Applejack would detect it somehow. She didn’t know it was the power of the elements at hoof or if Applejack could just see when somepony’s lying like a normal and honest pony would. With a sigh, Scootaloo nodded. “Fine. I mean, I gotta stop being mopey and start being like a Wonderbolt—fearless!” Applejack smiled, giving a Scootaloo a slap on the back which got a yelp out of the filly. “That’s the spirit!” Scootaloo’s grin wavered as Fluttershy repeated the line she mumbled earlier. “Is… Fluttershy alright?” “Sure. Just need some rest and tea. We’ve done this a couple times when she’s spooked. Ain’t nothin.” Scootaloo frowned. “Uh, she passed out because of me, remember? So it is something.” The Earth Pony took a step back at the change of the filly’s tone. Applejack chuckled nervously, rubbing her neck and looking away to avoid Scootaloo’s glare. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” Scootaloo crossed her foreleg and raised an eyebrow. “What did you mean by it, then?” Applejack’s eyes darted back and forth as she looked for an escape. She jumped in surprise when Scootaloo loudly cleared her throat to remind her she was still there. Sighing in defeat, Applejack said, “This is Fluttershy, ya should know she can be spooked by anything.” Her frown disappeared. “Yeah you’re right.” She sighed. “I still feel responsible for making her pass out. I should come to make sure she’s alright.” “You’re heart is in the right place, but…”Applejack sighed. “Just for now, let Fluttershy recover before seeing you.” Scootaloo groaned. “Come on, Applejack! I need to do this or else I’ll feel guilty for it!” “You’ve done nothing wrong.” “Yes I did!” “No, you—” “I almost scared one of my friends to death!” Scootaloo’s ears flattened away. Her eyes started to tear up as her muzzle trembled. “I can’t just walk away like it didn’t happen. What if more ponies I care about react this way too? W-w-what if I have to move away because they're so scared of me!” “Scootaloo, don’t be—” “I’m not!” Scootaloo shouted, earning glances her way. “Twilight acted like I was some science project, you keep having secret conversations with Twilight, and Fluttershy passed out from seeing me!” She stomped her hoof on the ground, ignoring the tears wetting her face. “Why do ponies have to lie about how they feel about me like I’m some dumb kid!” Applejack didn’t replied as she pulled into a hug like she was going away for a long time, making sure to apply pressure to it. She grabbed the filly’s head and kept it planted on her shoulder as she felt the tears wet her coat, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was comforting the filly in distress. To shield her away from all the bad in the world, all the pain brought to Scootaloo, to protect her like a mother would. Applejack pulled away and looked down at the filly, tears trailed from under the shades on her eyes. “Scootaloo, don’t ever think like that,” she said, wiping a tear away. “You’re friends and especially your family love you no matter who you turn out to be. Understand?” “But what if ponies said about bat ponies are true?” Scootaloo said, wiping away her tears. “What if we are monsters?” “Ponies just like to spread gossip around because they’re either bored or want attention. You’re nothing like what they said.” She smiled. “You’re an Apple.” Scootaloo scoffed. “Yeah right.” “No, I’m serious. The fact that you feel guilty about something that wasn’t in your control and trying to fix it proves you’re a good pony like an Apple,” Applejack said with a wink.  She looked up with a smile. “Really?” Applejack nodded. “I’m being completely honest with ya, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo surprised her with a swift motion as she tackled her into a hug. It took only a couple seconds for Applejack to return the embrace and nuzzled up to Scootaloo, letting out a pleased sigh. It felt like nothing could break them apart, not even the crowd of ponies that surrounded them. However Fluttershy groaning caught their attention and Applejack broke off the embrace. Scootaloo chuckled. “You should go.” “Yer sure?” Applejack frowned. “I mean it’ll take a little talk to get Fluttershy comfortable with ya.” Scootaloo shook her head. “No, you go be a friend while I do the same with Apple Bloom.” Applejack smiled. “Good thinking.” “I picked it up from somepony I know.” Scootaloo winked.  Applejack reached over and  gave Scootaloo a peck on the head before she said, “be safe,” as she vanished into the market, with Fluttershy dangling along. Scootaloo stood still, staring blindly where the southern pony had disappeared into the crowd. Either because she didn’t want to get lost within the crowd or the words Applejack’s kiss stunned her to the core, all her muscles seized up. She should be stunned. Her friend, hero to the town, the pony she never thought she would really spend time with, just kissed her like a real mom! In fact, she imagined asking a complete stranger who seemingly adopted her out of the kindness of her heart. Everyday she wished when a random stranger who had walked through the front door of the orphanage to look at her, point and say, “I want this one!” She never imagined that pony would be Applejack. This was happening all too fast. Maybe it slipped out because she was in a hurry or she just said it to move her mind away from whatever Fluttershy was mumbling about. Either way, Scootaloo’s mind spiraled out of control with questions. Scootaloo felt lost, not in the crowd of ponies that surrounded her, but how Applejack really felt about her. Her mind struggled when she thought about how she felt about the pony who adopted her. She certainly didn’t fully trust Applejack with how she acted every time Scootaloo caught Applejack talking to Twilight about something. No, she told herself she wouldn’t think about it too much and she was sticking to it. Shaking her head to avoid falling further into those thoughts, Scootaloo swam through the crowd. Of course ponies stopped what they were doing to get a look at Scootaloo as she passed by them. Some looked with awe maybe because bat ponies weren’t typical around here, and some familiar faces looked on with mouths agape.   She felt like she was crawling through a swarm of floating eyes, her heart pounding from the stares. One, two, three, exhale. One, two…  two, guh it wasn’t working! Her hooves still shook with every step she took, her eyes darted left and right, sometimes catching somepony glancing at her before turning away when they caught her eye. The mumbles became a regular tone and their faces that they tried to hide within the crowd revealed. “Is that Scootaloo?” or “Wasn’t she a Pegasus before? Poor thing!” was all she heard them say, the repeated question filling her ears like a broken record. A smile spread across her face when she saw light piercing through the crowd of ponies. She crawled her way through the ponies, ignoring the glances and mumbles, the light becoming brighter as she drew closer. She gasped for air after she reached the end of the swarm of ponies where the familiar view of the orchard waited for her. Scootaloo turned behind her and saw ponies still roamed in numbers, but none of them seemed to be heading Scootaloo’s way. Turning back, her eyes shrunk as she saw how far that made the trees look like tiny toothpicks. To make matters even worse, she had to walk there. “Ugh!” Just a couple more trees down, Scootaloo told herself when she entered into the orchard. She was already out of breath just getting here, and now she still had to walk down the hill to the house. She wiped the sweat from her head and adjusted the shades on her eyes in a feeble attempt to mute the blazing sun. A low temperature tainted the air, especially in the atmosphere of Sweet Apple Acres during the fall. A gentle wind rustled the leaves from the trees, producing a soothing song to the ear. This was a sound she could relax to, something to ease her mind. Her eyes shot open as something smacked against her face and pushed her back. The tree’s leaves rattled as a quick breeze flew past them. As she stood in place, sounds all around came to her. And this time, much to her surprise, it didn't hurt. It fact, the noise the breeze made as it brushed by reminded her of a whistle, one that didn't hurt or wasn't loud. One of those calming ones. And the trees rattling brought a calming relaxation to her ears. If she wasn’t close to the door right now, she would have fallen asleep right then and there. It was like all the worries she had before just left as the wind carried it away from her. She saw the house painted a dark pink, built in a boxy fashion because being shaped like a apple would be too obvious. The door, however, had an apple painted near the door knob, green among the brown wooden paint. This was it. The moment she dreaded. The moment she would know if Apple Bloom still cared for her, even with the transformation. She couldn't stop thinking of the outcomes, most of them ending with Apple Bloom fainting or hitting her over the head with a frying pan, but another thought crossed her mind. What if Apple Bloom already saw her bat features while she was comatose? Luna did say that she would be out while the transformation processed, erasing all the Pegasi genes and replacing them with her bat ones. Somepony must have saw signs that she was changing! But what if Apple Bloom wasn’t there to notice the changes? What if Applejack, or Twilight for that matter, hid her from the outside like some secret project and prevented her friends from seeing her. What lie did they make up to cover it up? Scootaloo’s grasp of the knob tightened the more she thought about how they could lie to her like that. How many of their precious moments a lie just to keep her from the truth? What if what Fluttershy was mumbling about connected to all of these? No, that would be ridiculous.  Shaking her head, she looked down at her hoof grasping the knob, but didn’t dare to twitch it in order to open. She was stuck, her body frozen in place again. No, this couldn’t happen, she just gained her confidence back after the transformation had taken it from her. All the scenarios where she and Apple Bloom hugged after their little reunion faded into ones where Apple Bloom looked away,  rejecting her and telling her to leave. The worst part about the scenario was that she feared it was going to happen, but this was her friend—the pony she spent seven months living with. Apple Bloom wouldn’t just abandon her when she needed her the most. Scootaloo could feel her confidence coming back as she turned the knob a couple times, hearing the latch sliding open. With a deep inhale and exhale, Scootaloo opened her eyes and pushed the door open. When the door hit the wall, it sent out a echo through the wall. No hooves storming down the steps were made, no scent of a pancake floated within the air, and no old mare came spurting out her weird talk. She had missed how the scent would hit a pony’s face when entering, the aura of apples replacing the fresh air. Scootaloo sucked in air and exhaled. The room was dimly light, casting reflections on the frames of various photos of the Apple family. Brown polkadots were painted on the walls, and Scootaloo was surrounded by photos of her new family and their trips together. She picked a particular one with her and Apple Bloom standing beneath trees out in the orchard. She ran a hoof on the picture and remembered how that tree was the first one she bucked. She chuckled when she remembered the amount of pain in her hind legs after that. She replaced it and looked up to see the banner still hung on the ceiling, the writing clear and big: Happy Birthday, Scootaloo! “Let’s sing the birthday song to the birthday girl!” Scootaloo had a moment of deja vu as their voices resonated throughout the room. The song ringing in her ears, the lyrics coursing through her brain. She recalled the hot sensation beaming down on her head. She remembered that the last voice she heard before her whole life changed was Applejack’s. Her ears twitched, hearing the floor creak. Her body froze as she heard the steps grow closer each passing second, sounding like hammers slamming into wood. Her heart pounded against her chest as the sound continued to echo within her ears. This was it—the moment she feared. The moment she wished didn’t have to happen. However, it was also the moment she prepared for. She exhaled and mustered the courage she held onto and said, “H-hello?” She heard hoofsteps as somepony trotted into the room. “Howdy, Scoot—” She turned around as a crash echoed throughout the room. She froze as she saw Apple Bloom standing in front of her, shattered pieces of a bowl scattered out near her hooves. She didn’t say anything as she kept staring at Scootaloo.  She felt like her heart was ready to give out, the pressure weighing her down. She wanted to walk over to Apple Bloom and hug her, to assure her she was still the old Scootaloo, but she couldn’t. The look of shock and fear written all over the Earth Pony’s face held Scootaloo frozen in place. Creak.  She turned around to see something black connecting to her face, knocking her down to the floor, her face slamming against the hardwood. The pain in her head, it felt like something just had cracked it open, and all the thoughts and memories she had continued in her brain came spilling out, wetting her muzzle. She couldn’t make out who her attacker was as her vision became blurry from the attack. All she could make her was a blur standing in front of her. However, even though the pain stinging in the back of her head clouded her thoughts, she couldn’t help but feel her doubts were true.