Vinyl Scratch, Mentoring is AWESOME!

by SciWriter

Vignettes part2

Apple Jack’s Hat:

I turned to leave again. “Can ya hang out for a bit?” asked Scootaloo. “We just haven’t seen much of you is all. You used to be so much fun.”

‘”Used to be?”’ I thought to myself. That kind of stung. Not sure if I deserved it or not, but still, it stung all the same. Well, AJ did invite me to stick around if I wanted. I shrugged and joined the group as we all stuffed into the small tree house. Lightning tried to fly over head as I ducked in, running into me. I was finally getting a little annoyed with her antics and decided it was high time I did something. I captured her in my magic and stapled her to the ground, using my magic to start ticking her stomach. She started squealing and laughing, squirming under my grip.

Finally she yelled for me to stop and I did. The other CMC members had stopped to watch, looking to actually be waiting for a cue to join in rough housing. Guess I disappointed them, oh well.

Scootaloo jumped over to a small pair of old fashioned drums. She looked at them and then at me excitedly. I rolled my eyes, but still sat down by one of the drums, her at the other. We beat out a rhythm for the initiation of two new foals into the CMC. Scootaloo had actually worked with me once on a drum solo she wanted for this, but so rarely did someone want to join their group.

Sweetie pulled out their long intro paper. But before she started, Apple Bloom jumped in front of the small podium they had saying, “Ah screw it yer just in! Welcome to the CMC!” I watched as Dusk and Lightning hoof bumped and grinned. For some reason unknown to me Scootaloo gave AB a quick glare. “Yea yea, but who has idea for what to do today… ah… ah kinda forgot ta plan something again…”

“Do you guys pull pranks?” asked Lightning.

“On occasion,” said Apple Bloom, looking away from me especially. I was the only adult in the room so I figured out what she was saying by that look. I winked at her, trying to let her know I was “on the level” so to speak. I was fine with pranks.

“Ever tried to hide Apple Jack’s hat?” asked Lightning excitedly. The three original CMC members looked at her with concern.

“She loves that hat Lightning,” Apple Bloom objected, standing up for her sister.

“I don’t mean ruin it. I wouldn’t dream of ruining Honest Apple’s hat, but ya know, just hide it. She’d probably chase us all over town trying to get us to tell her where it is!”

“Umm…” Apple Bloom and the others still looked uneasy.

“What’s the worst that she’ll do?” Dusk asked. “Tickle torture until one of us spills its location. She’s not a mean mare.”

“Not normally…” Apple Bloom said. “Listen, ya need ta understand something. If she lets ya wear it for a bit that’s one thing, she drops it on ma head all the time. But you do not, I repeat, you do NOT, mess with that hat.” Lightning looked at her with confusion. “She would never hurt one of us per say… let me tell you what happened last time we tried.”

(***)

Like ah said, AJ loves that hat. So ya’ll know ah could never damage it. Scootaloo wanted to throw it in the pig pen and Sweetie said she would hide it with the hats in Rarity’s shop, however the pigs would have messed it up and someone might a’ purchased it in the boutique. I’m not sure why AJ likes that hat so much, but ah wanted to mess with her, not hurt her.

During a sleep over I took her hat while she was asleep an’ just hid it in ma closet. Me an’ the other girls then waited in ma room until a frustrated Apple Jack knocked on ma door. “C’mon in sis,” I shouted, all three of us standing in the doorway.

“Gosharnit Apple Bloom. Ah know ya probably don’t know either, but… hrrrr… ah just can’t find ma’ hat anywhere. Ya know ah just can’t start ma chores until ah have it… just don feel right.”

“You sure you checked everywhere?” asked Scootaloo. “I mean it’s a big farm. You could have set it down anywhere.”

“Could have blown away in the wind if you set it down,” Sweetie blurted out, getting a quick glare out of me.

“Ah… ah hope not. I’ve had that thang forever,” she said. “Sheesh… how could ah be so irresponsible?”

“Weeellll… you could have left it… or somepony could have taken it… ya know… not sure who… rr… maybe ah am… ya know,” I started.

She smiled at me. “Ah see what’s goin’ on here.”

I grinned. Me and my friends got ready for bolt for the door as soon as she gave chase. It would only be a matter of time before she caught one of us and tickled her until she spilled the hat’s location, but we were gonna make it last as long as we could.

“Now… no… ah can’t hurt ma sister… no… hat… ya gotta get it ta me sis… before it’s too late… sis the voices, they’re comin’… they’re comin’.”

“AJ, what’r you talkin’ bout?” I asked. Suddenly her face went blank and she just stared at us from the door. “AJ?” She didn’t move. Sweetie and Scootaloo started moving away from me ta start running. However ma sis just stood there, her eyes stayed on me, big and unmoving. Ah edged to the left, those eyes following me. Her eyes weren’t even blinking, or at least they were taking longer than normal to do so. Her eyes were wide, but she had no expression at all.

Scootaloo and Sweetie started looking around, shifting uncomfortably. “Shouldn’t we start running?” asked Scootaloo.

“Where?” ah asked. “We’re on the second floor of the barn. She standing in the only exit.”

“Um…” Scootaloo began, looking around.

Sweetie looked at her, speaking out of the side of her mouth. “Get the hat- get the hat!”

Scootaloo threw open ma closet door and pulled out AJ’s hat, bravely jumping on her back and putting it on her head where it belonged. It broke whatever spell was on AJ.

(***)

Apple Bloom shook her head. “She was normal the rest of the day so ah figured not ta make a deal of it an’ all. Just leave that hat alone. Ah don’ want no one takin’ ma sister off to da looney bin r’ nothin’ so ah just make sure she always wears that hat.”

Lightning chuckled. “Oh brother. You’re lying.”

“No ah’m not,” Apple Bloom said, watching Lightning, who was now flying about three feet above the ground. “Can ya stop that? Ah mean is it so hard to just sit still? Ah was tellin’ a story, we’ll start doing things soon enough alright?” Lightning looked out the club house window.

“Harder than you might think,” Lightning said. “Oh here comes AJ right now.”

The sound of the hooves of the yellow pony came up the tree house ramp. Apple Jack opened the door and looked around the room. “Am makin’ dinner in a little bit, whose all stayin’ over… Vinyl you joining the CMC too or something?” I looked around, starting to think about how I should reply to that. “Oh sheesh sugar cube, don’t be so nervous. They’ve had me stay up here a few times too teachin’ em’ rope tricks.”

“Hey Honest Apple!” Lightning yelled. AJ looked at her with a grin. “Heads up!” Lightning shouted. She grabbed Apple Jack’s hat and shot out of the club house.

The three original club house members stood shocked as she flew away. Myself I smiled. Until I saw that look on AJ’s face. “Well…” she started. “Um… I recon ya’ll better hope she just comes back.

Those eyes… they just didn’t move. And there was no way out… I looked at the CMC members and Dusk. I was too scared to write.

Tickling

Rainbow Dash had come to eat at the Apple farm as well.

After the meal, we three mares started walking through the Apple family corn crops just talking.

‘Now I guess I’m going to have to do an all nighter to keep my promise,’ I wrote.

“Ma sister and her friends el’ understand if you can’t write a song by tomorrow,” AJ tried to assure me.

‘I’ve been letting my fans down for long enough!’ I replied. ‘No more!’

AJ and Rainbow both smiled. “You know it. That’s the attitude you need!” Rainbow cheered.

“Been meaning ta ask ya Rainbow, how’s Scoots doing these days at home? She seems normal enough now but ah’m just wonderin’,” AJ said.

“Actually that’s one of the reasons I came over today,” she looked at me. “You and Scoots have some things in common… I was hoping you wouldn’t mind giving me some pointers on dealing with an adoptive foal. And maybe… on dealing with a disability?”

I rolled my eyes, that was coming up a lot recently. Well she was asking for a pretty honest reason so I shrugged. ‘Ask anything you want, but not sure how much help I’ll be. Scoots was born unable to fly, and I was adopted at four. I remember Octy helped make the transition easier, but I can’t remember specifics on how. She did prank me a lot.'

“Well I’m kind of afraid to do that,” Rainbow replied. “I’m the prank queen and all, but I think Scoots’ trust is kinda fragile these days, at least as far as adults are concerned. Can’t blame her either.” Rainbow Dash stopped walking. She appeared to be gritting her teeth.

“Still rememberin’ that day in the hospital sugar cube?” AJ asked.

“Wish I could forget,” Rainbow replied. “Scoots has woken up in the middle of the night yelling for her mom three times this week alone.”

‘Hospital?’ I wrote.

“She was a neglected filly,” said Apple Jack. “There were a few things the docs had to take care of. Scoots' then mother, Mrs. Purple, stopped by ta’ let us all know she wasn’t givin’ up her daughter without a fight.”

“As if she had any right to fight!” Rainbow almost shouted. “That house was empty of any food and Scoots let me know recently that she sometimes went months without seeing that… that… mare… She went to talk to Scoots in the outpatient room. That’s when it all happened. The squirt started asking Mrs. Purple all sorts of questions about what was going on. And then she asked her mother if she ever loved her.” Rainbow paused. “That bitch went into this long winded speech about the pains of labor and giving up four years of work to care for Scootaloo. Mrs. Pruple asked how anyone could ever even like doing that. She told a filly to her face that she was nothing more than a burden she was keeping alive so she wouldn’t look bad. She even said it “no, I don’t love you, I never did”.” Rainbow snorted in fury. “Rarity was there at the time and chewed that bitch out and she’s lucky the nurses dragged me out or she’d have lost more than the two teeth I knocked out with the first punch.” I gave Rainbow a quick side hug. “Yea… Scoots needs that more than me. I’m just not always sure what to do.”

Apple Jack punched her shoulder. “Hey, but there was some good news right?”

“Yea,” Rainbow said with a chuckled. “Turns out the castle of Friendship has a dungeon. Twilight put Mrs. Purple down there when she was finally sentenced for foal neglect. I’m not allowed to go down and deliver the fear of Celestia to that freak, but I’m happier just knowing she’s gonna be stuck down there for a LONG time!”

‘I’m pretty sure I can’t say anything to help with that,’ I admitted.

“Well she’s in therapy for that.”

‘As of… well you two remember what happened,’ I looked towards the club house. ‘Lightning is in therapy too. I thought if she went it would have been for her hyperactivity, but like you two saw in the hospital, something much more serious than a little ADD is going on with her.’ I smiled. ‘So about that hat thing AJ…'

“Oh that?” Apple Jack asked, starting to laugh. “Ya have to know ah was just messin’ around.”

‘Scared me for a minute there all the same. You could have let someone go get Lightning.’

“Wouldda messed up the joke.”

“Dinner was an hour late because of that joke,” Rainbow said rolling her eyes. “Oh and by the way, I didn’t tell you it was okay to prank Scoots yet now did I?”

“Well no, but she seems okay,” AJ said, giving a small side grin. “Maybe I should have let the prank go, but c’mon sugar cube, do you have any idea how long ah had to practice in front of the mirror to get that scary face just right? Apple Bloom has seen some scary things in her time, short as its been. Ah had to be smart about it. Pranking her with just a face is hard work.”

Rainbow grinned. “I understand, and you’re right, Scootaloo seemed okay. Still, you’re going to have to come clean if she starts freaking out alright?”

“Course.”

“And then there’s the issue of well…” Rainbow reared back and shot into the air over Apple Jack, grabbing her hat in midair. “You mess with my daughter you mess with me!” Rainbow shot up into the clouds.

“Ha ha… that’s funny sugar cube,” AJ said looking up. “Sugar Cube… look ah didn’t think ah would tramatize Scoots… in fact ah’m pretty sure ah didn’t.”

“I know that,” said Rainbow, sitting on a cloud fifteen feet up from us. “Still, it’s a nice hat. Think I’ll keep it for a few weeks ya know?”

“Gosharnit… Rainbow that’s a gift from ma’ father!”

“I’m not gonna hurt it,” Rainbow said. “Still, you messed with my daughter, I’m a good mother. It’s mine.”

“It’s yers huh? Is that so? Vinyl?”

Rainbow, Pinkie and AJ were always close to each other, but not me. Still we had all hung out in our teen years for a while. In that time, we all learned a quick trick for reigning Rainbow Dash in. I cast my spell at her quickly.

I then listened. “Hey you guys aren’t even gonna try to get me? I… wait… Vinyl that’s not fair… no, nope… no-“ She shot down to the ground. As she touched down she quickly dropped AJ’s hat, but it was too late. Rainbow dropped to the ground snorting and snickering. “No, stop!” she flapped her wings out of unison squirming. “Not the tickle spell! NO, that so unfair!” Finally she stopped trying to resist “HAHAHAHAHHAH! STOP PLEASE!” I released her. Panting she stood up, looking at Apple Jack as the earth pony put her hat back on. AJ grinned. “Oh yea? Tickling like that isn’t easy to take… bet you can’t take it as long as I can!”

“Oh brother Rainbow, r’ ya really wantin’ that as a challenge? I thought ya hated ticklin’.”

“Technically I’m getting used to it with Scoots, it’s a quick way to get her to smile sometimes. Besides, don’t tell me you’re a fan.”

“Ah’ve got a big brother who tortured me all the time growing up. He knows better now but then well… you’ll never beat me Rainbow. Not on this. Really ah’m only ticklish if ah wanna be.”

“You think so?” Rainbow asked back. “Care to put your hoof where your mouth is?”

They both looked at me. Were they serious? The tickle spell was one of the easiest to pull off, but still, most ponies weren’t fans all the same. Fun to cast, but only fun to be a victum of if… well if you liked being tickled. I didn’t have a problem with it personally, but Rainbow hated it and it didn’t sound like AJ liked it any more than she did.

“Well?” Rainbow said. “Neither one of us is laughing. C’mon. We could just go ta Twilight to settle this… but she likes tickling a bit too much.”

“Not even gonna chance talkin’ ta Pinkie!” Apple Jack said. Both mares looked wide eyed at that statement. “Don’t make us go over to the town with this challenge, kinda an embarassin’ one.”

I shrugged and cast my spell.

I have never seen any ponies ever last that long against the tickle spell without yelling for mercy. They rolled and laughed loudly but kept egging each other on. Soon enough the foals were out watching with bewilderment. They kept going for a whole fifteen minutes, both of them starting to hyperventilate. Finally I just released the spell on both mares, them laying the field still laughing. “Ah c’mon, *chortle*” AJ protested. “She was about to give, ah’m sure of it…”

“Ha ha! Not likely. I’ve crashed into a brick wall without flinching you think tickling scares me?”

“Ah wouldn’t brag about that sugar cube.”

“True!”

The five member CMC all seemed to grin at me at the same time. “I’m wondering,” Sweetie said. “What does it sound like when a mute pony laughs?”

I rolled my eyes. As if any of them could get me before- and just like that Lightning was next to me. She poked my left flank and zipped away. She suddenly appear on my right side and poked me again.

Over the next few minutes I learned a few things. First off, something about Lightning Strike’s powers allowed her to move pretty fast, way faster than I could cast a spell at her. Next, yes, a series of pokes to the flank can eventually bring you down laughing. Finally, eventually isn’t too long when the filly you’re trying to fight as a set of batteries in her that just won’t quit.

Oh yea and, never get in a tickle fight in front of five foals, they’re liable to join in. Guess this was all the universe’s way of reminding me that I was, in fact, a little filly. I was laughing like one anyway.

Author's Note:

I split the Vignettes so the chapter didn't feel too long.