The Long Road Home

by Tealove

Chapter 3

The morning dawned with a brilliance that seemed reserved only for Ponyville. Inky purple bled into cool navy and magenta, then the fiery red, orange and gold of a rising sun. Sweetie Belle watched the moon sink and the sun rise, and left her room to face the day with trepidation. With Clover already off to work and Lucky off with the other two crusaders, Twilight and Sweetie Belle had a lazy breakfast that allowed the two mares a little extra time to catch up without other listening ears around. Twilight told Sweetie Belle of her heartache at only being able to have one foal and Sweetie Belle admitted to Twilight how much she missed her family here in Ponyville. Before dishes had been cleared the two shared a lot of laughter and a few tears.

“Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said as they finished putting away the last of the just washed dishes. “I've really enjoyed your company, and I'm so glad you're here...”

“But?”

The purple unicorn gave her a small smile. “You can't hide here forever. One, it's not healthy and it's not why you came home. Two, if Jubilee knows you're here then all of Ponyville will know you're here before lunch.”

“I know.” Sweetie Belle levitated the dish rag to the counter and glanced out the window. “I was thinking about going for a walk, stopping by familiar places. I know I'll eventually find myself out on the farm.”

“You should stop by and see Cheerilee. I know she'd be thrilled.”

Sweetie nodded. “I will. Can I walk with you to the library?”

“Absolutely!”

As the pair set out, Sweetie Belle got the feeling she'd had the day before. It was almost like she was a little filly again and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom would come running down the lane at any second. They'd see Twilight and Spike and... “Twilight? Oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't even realize! Where's Spike?”

The older mare laughed. “Probably still sleeping. He's been living at the library since Clover and I got married.”

“He still, you know, fits?”

Twilight laughed again. “Oh, Sweetie Belle. I'm glad you haven't changed completely. Dragons live to be hundreds of years old so they grow at a much slower rate than any other creature. He's bigger than when you last saw him and his voice is a little deeper, but he hasn't changed too much.”

“His voice is deeper? He's not doing that whole hoarding thing again, is he?”

“Nope. Just one of the changes that comes with growing up.”

“If you don't mind, I think I'll visit him later today. Maybe...maybe after I go see Rarity.”

“I think that's a good idea,” Twilight agreed gently. When they reached the giant tree that was the library, the two parted ways with Twilight being careful to block Sweetie Belle from view as she slipped inside. They both decided it would be a sweeter reunion if Spike knew nothing about her being there. Now on her own for the first time since returning, Sweetie Belle walked through Ponyville proper and did her best to keep her head held high. For a little while it seemed as though she'd be able to pass on through without anyone even noticing her. Most of the ponies she'd known when she was younger would look right past her after giving a polite smile and walk on by. She didn't think she looked that different, but then she wasn't the little filly she'd once been anymore. She still pictured Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as young as they were when she'd left so why would anyone see her walking and automatically know it was her?

“Oh my goodness. It can't be. Sweetie Belle?”

Well, there was always an exception to the rule.

She turned at the sound of her name, looking for the mare who'd spoken. There were Lyra and Bon Bon but they weren't looking at her. Aloe was walking by and Berry Punch was on the other side of the street but none of them were paying her any attention. It was a gray mare with white and silver hair who looked at her now, purple eyes wide as if in shock. “Oh my gosh, it is you.” She rushed forward and embraced the rather confused Sweetie Belle. “Darling, it's been years! Look at you, a big Bridleway star. Good gracious, you're tall. And you look so much like Rarity.” She stepped back and looked up at Sweetie. “It is so very good to see you.”

Sweetie Belle glanced around as though she could get a hint as to who this earth pony was. She was very pretty and slender and apparently knew who Sweetie Belle was and what she'd been doing. Risking being caught and looking like a complete idiot, Sweetie Belle hugged her again and looked at the mare's cutie mark. “Silver Spoon!” As they broke the embrace, Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Look at you!”

“Look at me? Darling, look at you! How are you?”

“I'm well. And you?”

“Why, I couldn't be happier!”

It was so strange. Along with Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon had worked hard as a filly to make the lives of the Crusaders absolutely miserable, Apple Bloom especially. And because Apple Bloom was one of her best friends, Sweetie Belle had hated Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on principal. Now the gray pony was acting as though they used to be the best of friends. She carried herself and spoke like a rather refined pony and it was all a little too much for Sweetie to take.

“I'm sorry,” she said, “but this is really weird for me.”

Silver Spoon smiled sympathetically. “Of course it is. You've been away for so long. But you're home now. Do you have a place to stay until you're on your hooves?”

“No, well I mean yes I do and yes it is. But I mean...this. You. We were never... I mean...we weren't friends.”

She winced back, her smile of sympathy turning into one of guilt. “I know. But we were much younger then and we both were different ponies.”

“You were horrible to us!”

“And for that I am truly sorry, Sweetie Belle. Can you ever forgive me?”

Sweetie Belle blinked and stared at Silver Spoon a moment before exclaiming, “Who are you?!”

To her credit, Silver Spoon laughed. “You're not the only pony who has grown up and changed, Sweetie Belle. I am not the pony I used to be. I'm married and am looking to start a family. I'm not that pony anymore.”

“Next you'll be telling me Diamond Tiara is next in line to be the Element of Generosity.”

“Oh, Celestia, no. She's a horrible pony. Living up in Canterlot now with her nose permanently stuck up in the air. She and I had a falling out a few years ago and it was really the best thing to happen to us. I realized I was just following her because it made me feel special. Like I had a friend.”

“You could have had real friends, you know.”

Silver Spoon nodded. “I know that now. But when you're younger you say and do things without realizing the harm they're doing. You just want to feel good about yourself, you know. Even if it is at the expense of others. I think back on our school days and quite frankly I am rather embarrassed.”

She seemed genuine enough and it was hard for Sweetie Belle to remain completely suspicious. “Well...I guess I can forgive you. We were, like you said, just fillies then.”

“Exactly. Oh, I just had an idea! Why don't we have a sort of class reunion? We could all get together and I'll get Sugarcube Corner to cater! We could invite all our old classmates, Dinky, Pipsqueak...everypony we grew up with.”

“Um...yeah. Maybe.” The idea of a big gathering was not really her idea of fun right now. Sweetie Belle was there on mission and once that was accomplished she planned of getting out of Ponyville and back to Manehattan as soon as possible.

“I have to get to work but it truly was wonderful to see you.”

“You too, Silver Spoon. See you.” She stayed where she was, watching Silver Spoon head toward the hospital and disappear inside. What else had changed so much?

Cheerilee was the same, Sweetie was happy to discover. The two had lunch together and Sweetie Belle left her former teacher feeling greatly encouraged. That had always been on of Cheerilee's gifts; no matter how down anypony was she had the uncanny ability to cheer them right up. And so, feeling slightly better about what was to come, Sweetie Belle crossed the bridge that took her out of town and started her on the path to Sweet Apple Acres.

“When I grow up I'm going to be the fastest pegasus in all of Ponyville. No, all of Equestria!”

“I'm gonna be the best apple bucker my family has ever seen!”

“I'm going to own fifty pairs of sunglasses!”

She smirked to herself as she walked, remembering how simple life had been back there. Nothing in the world was so important as getting her cutie mark and staying with her best friends forever and ever. She could still feel the excitement she'd felt the day she moved into Applejack's house on the other side of the farm. It was a time in her life when her parents were off on yet another worldly excursion and Rarity was simply too busy to play mother. So Applejack and Rainbow Dash, already practically mothers to Apple Bloom, decided to take Sweetie Belle in as well. Soon after came Scootaloo when it became obvious her parents weren't giving her the attention she needed. And so they became their own odd little family. And she had loved every single minute of it. Applejack and Dash couldn't have meant more to her than if they really were her parents, and her two best friends had become her sisters. Life had been perfect. For awhile, at least.

“Ooooh, you guys are gonna be in so much trouble!”

Sweetie Belle blinked, pulled from her reverie as the sound of a southern twang.

“No! Glory, you can't tell anypony!”

She knew that voice by now. It was Lucky Star. Picking up her pace, Sweetie Belle trotted farther down the path and slowed as she turned a corner to get a peek at what was going on. Three little ponies sat in a puddle of mud, nothing discernible but eyes, a horn on one and wings on another. Looking at them with a smug smile on her face was a yellow pegasus with long legs, a pink and orange mane and freckles on her face. “I told ya'll that it wasn't gonna work.”

“Aw stuff it, Glory,” said the winged mud blob. “You never did anything like this when trying to get your cutie mark?”

“'Course I did!” Morning Glory laughed. “But I was younger and less wise then.”

The mud blob with no wings and no horn looked up at her. “But you're only two years older than us.” Jubilee.

Sweetie Belle bit her lip to keep herself from chuckling out loud.

“Are ya stuck or do you need help getting' out?”

The winged blob looked at the other two, mischief in his eyes. “We need help.”

“Yeah. Totally,” the other two added. Morning Glory shook her head and reached out a hoof to who Sweetie Belle now understood to be Dark Cloud. In turn, he reached for her with both of his hooves and gave a mighty tug, pulling her down into the mud with them. She yelped in shock and the three converged on her, making sure to get her just as covered as they were. Glory protested at first but joined in on the mud fight quickly, her complaints turning to laughter as they launched hooffulls of mud back and forth at each other. Sweetie Belle watched for a few minutes before stepping into sight and clearing her throat. All four young ponies froze and looked up at her.

“Uh....” said Lucky Star. “Hi, Sweetie Belle.”

“Hi!” Jubilee exclaimed. Dark Cloud just waved with a sheepish grin on his face.

Trying to act mature and save some face, Morning Glory climbed from the pit and shook her coat. It didn't do much. “Howdy, ma'am. I was just tryin' to get these young'uns up outta the mud an' I must've slipped.” Dark Cloud rolled his eyes. “You headin' up toward Sweet Apple Acres?”

Clearly Morning Glory did not remember her. It was to be expected, Glory had been just a tiny filly back then, but it still stung a little. “I am,” Sweetie told her. “I'm looking for Apple Bloom. Or Applejack, or Rainbow Dash. Or anypony that lives there, really.”

Glory looked worried. “Is there a problem? Is it one of the twins? I knew I shouldn't have let them run off with their friends like that. Mama an' Daddy are gonna kill me!”

“No no,” Sweetie Belle assured quickly. “I'm...I'm an old friend.”

Relief flooded Glory's face. “Thank Celestia. What did you say your name was?”

“Glory, this is Sweetie Belle,” Lucky intoned. “She's staying at my house.”

“Oh, right. You know, I feel like I've heard your name before. Yeah! Aunt Apple Bloom and Aunt Scootaloo have talked about you. Actually, now that you mention it I've heard just about the entire family talk about you once or twice before.”

Sweetie Belle smiled slightly. “Apple Bloom and Scootaloo used to be my best friends.”

“Original Crusader!” Jubilee exclaimed.

“That's right. Actually, I knew your mom when she was pregnant with you, Morning Glory. I used to go up to the main house and sit with her sometimes. I liked to sing to you when she was asleep and nopony else was around.”

Morning Glory gave a crooked smile. “I remember Mama sayin' somethin' about that one time. So you're that filly.”

“I'm that filly. Just grown up I guess. Is anyone home?”

“Mama's at work so she's down at the cottage. Daddy an' Aunt AJ are out in the field somewhere. Dash is probably workin'. Or nappin' somewhere. But Aunt Apple Bloom should be home.”

“Clover said she lives at the main house now, right?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“What about Granny Smith?”

Glory blinked. “Granny Smith died a few years back.”

“Oh.” Sweetie Belle frowned. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

“You can go on up if you want. I don't think Aunt Apple Bloom will mind.”

“Thank you, I think I will.” She walked carefully around the mud hole and looked back at the Crusaders as she went. Glory took a running leap to make a huge splash when she joined them once more. All Sweetie Belle could do was laugh.

Sweet Apple Acres was exactly the way she remembered it. The fields looked the same, the orchards in the distance, even the main house itself. The path down to Applejack and Rainbow Dash's house looked a lot more warn but that was a good change to see. As Sweetie Belle got closer and closer she could feel the butterflies in her stomach intensify. Out of everypony to visit, this was the one that carried the most weight. Apple Bloom wore her heart on her hoof and it was part of the reason why Sweetie Belle always felt closer to her than Scootaloo. They could share a lot more and connect on a deeper level. Scootaloo always had a wall up. Even with her two best friends she'd only let them get so close before either sarcasm or humor kicked in to push them away. She knew now that it was a defense mechanism, something Scootaloo needed at home for self preservation. And while it had gotten better on the farm she'd never really let anyone in. Not even Rainbow Dash.

Pausing before the steps of the porch, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. It was too late to turn back now. With more trepidation than going out on stage in front of crowds of thousands, Sweetie Belle climbed the stairs and knocked on the screen door, peering inside through the open house door. “Hello?”

“Hang on a sec! I'm halfway in the ice chest!”

The voice sounded far away and muffled, and Sweetie Belle realized Apple Bloom must have been in the basement. She turned away from the door to walk across the large porch and gaze out over the farm. The year she awakened to her magic they'd had a colossal snowball fight after a particularly heavy snowfall. She, Rainbow Dash and Bic Mac were against Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Applejack. That was one of her fondest memories. That and her late night talks with Applejack. After moving into the new farmhouse it didn't take long for she and Applejack to grow close. The earth pony became the first adult she'd go to if she ever had a problem, even before Rarity.

“Sorry 'bout that. Had to put the ice cream away before it melted.”

Sweetie Belle turned as the screen door swung open and a beautiful yellow earth pony stepped out onto the porch. Her red hair was longer now, worn in much the same way Applejack wore her hair. Though where an elastic should be in her mane was her signature red bow. She'd lost the chubbiness of youth and was now taller, leaner and definitely more muscular. And she recognized Sweetie Belle. It was obvious by the way she simply stopped and stared.

“Hi, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom wasted no time but rushed over to the unicorn and wrapped her forelegs around her in a tight embrace. They didn't say anything for a few minutes, just held each other and remembered all the times they'd played together, did homework together, oftentimes got in trouble together. The years apart didn't matter and they both knew it. They were sisters through and through, and overjoyed to see one another.

When the embrace was finally broken both mares had tears in her eyes. Sweetie Belle laughed when Apple Bloom reached up to dry her friend's face. “Look at you,” she drawled quietly. “You're gorgeous.”

“And you're not?” Sweetie Belle hugged her again and they both laughed. “I don't know why I was so scared to come and see you.”

“Scared? What for? It's just me.”

“But I've been gone so long and I never wrote or...”

“You're here now.” Apple Bloom smiled at her. “Can you sit a spell?” When Sweetie Belle nodded Apple Bloom grinned. “Good. Then let me go get us some cold cider.”

Six empty bottles of cider later, the two were laughing together over memories. “An' do you remember that time there was that huge storm comin an' everypony was here an' we spiked Twilight's cider with tobasco, not knowin' she was drunk?”

Sweetie Belle giggled. “How could I forget? She ran into the wall and practically bit her tongue off. And then we decided to see if Zecora could come to make her better.”

“An AJ was so mad!”

“Oh, and Fluttershy yelled at us when we got back!”

“As much as she could ever yell at a pony.” Apple Bloom shook her head, a fond smile on her face. “We had some good times, didn't we?”

“We certainly did.”

As the laughter between them calmed some, Apple Bloom looked at her friend. “Have you been to see Rarity yet?”

Sweetie Belle sighed and shook her head. “No, but I will. I wanted to see you first. And Scootaloo, if she's around.”

“She's around somewhere. When you go, do you want me to go with you? To see your sister, I mean.”

“No no...no, I need to see her by myself.”

“I understand.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, watching birds as they flew past, bees that flew from flower to flower. After awhile, Sweetie Belle's brow furrowed. “So I saw Silver Spoon today.” This made the earth pony laugh and brought a smile to Sweetie's face. “What happened there?”

Apple Bloom shrugged, still chuckling. “She grew up just like we did. They got into it one day, I don't even know about what, but Diamond Tiara moved to Canterlot soon after an' Silver Spoon's been a different pony ever since. She's actually okay to be around now.”

“Seriously?” Sweetie Belle blinked. “She wants to put together a sort of class reunion so we can all get together.”

“I think that's a good idea. But not tonight. Nope, tonight I'm makin' a big supper an' we're gonna have us a big ol' family reunion.”

“I'd like that. A lot.”

Something flew overhead and Apple Bloom left her chair to go look. Sticking her bottom lip between her teeth, she let out a sharp whistle. “Hey Archer! You seen Scootaloo?”

The blue pegasus nodded out toward Ponyville, clearly not even recognizing Sweetie Belle as she came down to talk to Apple Bloom. “She's probably sleeping in town. Need me to get her?”

“If you wouldn't mind.”

Archer grinned and shook her head. “Not a problem. I love being the one to interrupt her peace.”

As Archer took off, Apple Bloom sat back down beside Sweetie Belle. “So who have you seen so far?”

“No one, really. I'm staying with Twilight and Clover so I've also met Lucky Star and his friends. Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Two point oh,” Apple Bloom added smartly. “I was tellin' 'em about the things we used to do an' what we used to call ourselves an' Dark Cloud decided they should be the next generation. I kinda think it's cute.”

“I do, too,” Sweetie Belle admitted. “I also saw Glory. Big Mac is going to have his hands full when the colts start noticing her.”

“Oh yeah.” Nodding in agreement, Apple Bloom grimaced. “It's pretty obvious that Dark Cloud's got a thing for her. Thing is she doesn't even realize how pretty she is. She's one of those types.”

Sweetie Belle quirked a brow. “You mean she takes after her aunt Apple Bloom?”

“Nah. I ain't pretty. I never was.”

“Oh, okay. Are we going to have this argument again? How many years has it been since the last time?”

Apple Bloom set her jaw stubbornly. “You were the pretty one, I was the brains and Scoots was the brawn.”

“Apple Bloom, I always thought you were the pretty one. Honestly.”

She looked at Sweetie Belle with a small smile. “You're my sister an' my best friend. You have to say that.”

Sweetie was a bit taken aback by the statement and stared at Apple Bloom. “You...still think of me as your best friend?”

“Now until forever, sugarcube.”

An orange mare dropped from the sky and landed on the path that led up to the house. With her short cut dark pink mane and light purple eyes it was hard to mistake her for who she was. Both mares on the porch stood, though Apple Bloom was the first one off the porch and received the full power of Scootaloo's ire. “This had better be important. I was having one of the best dreams I've ever had.”

“It is,” Apple Bloom insisted. She stepped aside so Sweetie Belle could step forward and Scootaloo froze.

“Hey, Scoots.”

The pegasus narrowed her eyes and gave Sweetie Belle a very obvious once over, then looked at Apple Bloom. “I thought you said it was important.”

Apple Bloom blinked. “Scootaloo...it's Sweetie Belle!”

“I know who it is.” She returned her angry gaze to the unicorn. “The pony I thought was one of my best friends, who was like a sister to me, who LEFT me and never even looked back.”

Sweetie Belle flinched as if slapped “Scootaloo, I...”

“Save it for somepony who cares. I have better places to be.” Without another word she took to the air and headed back for Ponyville, leaving Apple Bloom speechless and Sweetie Belle wounded.

Comments

[Dragonlord Daoka]

Ouch, poor SB. Keep it up, when you can!

[Tealove]

420542 Oh no, go for it! Hopefully I'll have an update sometime this coming week. And thanks for commenting!