It Runs In the Family

by CartoonNerd12

Chapter 9

Author's Note:

Song featured: I'm a Hex Girl from Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost.

Pip, Button, and Rumble were in the costume store finding costumes to wear for Nightmare Night tomorrow night.

"You guys got any preferences?" the manager asked.

Rumble pointed, "My marefriend and I are planning to be punk rockers together, got anything on that?"

The pony nodded and went to the back.

Button inquired, "Sweetie is dressing up as a princess, I think me being a knight works out, right?"

Pip nodded.

Rumble commented, "You're really that stuck on her, aren't you?"

Button's eyes went all dreamy and hearts popped around his face, going, "Yeah…"

"If you two are going to dress up to match your girls I might as well do the same." Pip said.

By then somepony walked into the store making Rumble and Button Mash gape.

"Taps?" Button voiced.

Tender spotted them with a smile, "Hey guys."

Rumble exclaimed excitedly, "Dude! When did you get back to town?"

"This morning." He replied.

Pip watched the exchange between the three of them. He knew Rumble and Button had spent time with Tender Taps since he dated Apple Bloom first and knew the other crusaders making them all good friends until Tender left for Manehattan but now that he was back… This made Pip feel concern.

Tender noticed the pinto and addressed him, "Pip, right?"

He slowly started, "Right… I know we've seen each other in town but I don't think we were properly introduced."

"Word on the street is that you're Bloom's new coltfriend."

"Bloom?" he slightly shook his head before saying, "Yeah, I am."

"You're a lucky colt. Apple Bloom is one of the best mares anyone can find."

"I know. Why else would I be dating her?"

"I came across her this morning."

That made Pip even more concern, "Oh? You did?"

"Yeah, and we had a nice reunion too, it was like we had never parted in the first place…"

Pip could feel his heart slowly dropping.

Rumble and Button had been watching the exchange carefully and Rumble whispered, "Ouch. That was a subtle burn if I ever heard one…"

Button could only nod in agreement.

Tender turned to the boys, "So I take it things are still going strong with your girls?"

They nodded.

Button pointed, "We're going to be cheering them on when they perform tomorrow."

"Perform?"

Rumble replied, "The girls are performing Nightmare Night songs after the Apple family's corn maze gets done."

Tender inquired, "Mind if I tag along?"

Button motioned, "It's open to everyone, I don't see why not."

Pip made a slight frown.

"Great! I can't wait!" then he went on to shop for his costume.

Pip went to the guys and muttered, "Are you sure it's a good idea for him to come? It might upset Apple Bloom…"

Rumble said in a sang-song tone, "Someone's feeling threaten…"

"No! It's- Look, I have no reason to feel that way, Apple Bloom and I had admitted our love last night and-"

"You what?!" they shouted out.

He groaned and explained what happen.

---

It was almost time for the Nightmare Night festivities to begin and Spike and Applejack were in the farmhouse getting ready.

She commented as she was putting green powder on her face to go with her Wicked Witch of the West costume, "I still can't believe you're going to pretend to be Ember tonight."

Spike was wearing a dragon suit that indeed resembled the Dragon Lord. He replied, "I thought it would be funny and a great way to honor her. After all, she did make sure that the dragons would never come to harm Equestria."

"All the same you better make sure she never finds out about it, last thing we want is for her to think that you're mocking her and would declare war!"

"Aw, don't worry about that, Ember and I have been best buds for years now. She would never do something like that over a joke. Besides, I was running out of ideas of what kind of dragons to dress up as every Nightmare Night."

"I hear ya. I'm running out of characters to cosplay as from the Wizard of Ostier."

"I'll never forget the night you were Geldina the Good Witch!" he guffawed, "What with that pink poofy dress and big crown!"

She rolled her eyes as she stated, "Well it's not like I wanted to wear it, it was just for the sake of Nightmare Night."

By then her brother and sister-in-law came into the room as Frankenstag's monster and his bride.

Spike complimented, "Looking good you guys!"

Big Mac stated, "Eeyup!"

Sugar replied back timidly, "Eeyup, indeed…"

Her husband had noticed her hesitation but before he could address it, Apple Bloom came down wearing scarlet and gold quidditch robes.

Applejack inquired to her little sister, "And who are you suppose to be?"

Apple Bloom stated, "Whinny Weavingly from Harry Trotter."

Spike and Applejack talked to her directly giving Big Mac a chance to ask his wife, "You okay?"

She replied back, "I don't know why, but for some reason I'm feeling more unsure about myself than I've ever been."

He furrowed his brow in concern, "Why's that?"

"I have no idea! I thought I could get past my fears of having children so soon but now… I don't know what's happening but I'm starting to think that maybe we shouldn't have children at all!"

He made a slight gasp.

"Honest, Big Mac, but… but that's how I feel…" the tears welled up in her eyes and she ran up the stairs.

The Apple sisters and Spike saw Sugar Belle going and Spike asked with concern, "What's wrong with Sugar Belle?"

Big Mac shook his head, "I don't know… But something's come over Sugar and I need to find out what."

"Will we see you two in the maze later?" AB questioned.

He shook his head again, "I'm not sure, Apple Bloom. We'll see what happens." he walked up the steps to find his wife in their bedroom. "Sugar Belle?"

She was on the bed with a pillow to her face, drenching it with her sobs.

"I have failed you…" she uttered, "I have failed to be a wife to you…"

He slowly approached her and rubbed her back, "You haven't failed me…"

She faced him with tear-stain eyes, "Oh, yes, I have! Mac, you deserve a wife that can bring you happiness, one that can fulfill your wishes of being a father, because you deserve that more than anyone! You're good, kind, but most importantly you're decent and whole. But I'm too much of a coward to give you what you want!" She ran out of the room.

"Sugar Belle!" he cried out and ran after her.

---

While Big Mac and Sugar Belle had been upstairs, Applejack, Spike, and Apple Bloom were already out of the house and were heading to the corn maze where Apple Bloom met up with her friends and coltfriend.

She made a laugh of disbelief at the sight of her guy in his costume of black robes, fake round glasses, and a makeup lighting scar on his forehead.

He cocked a brow and stated, "Since you said you were going as Whinny Weavingly, I thought it would be appropriate to go as Whinny's future husband."

She shook her head in amusement, "Cute. Very cute."

"Admit it, I make a very good Harry Trotter, especially since I already got the accent, so it fits." he made a cheesy grin.

Sweetie Belle motioned, "You know he's got a point there."

Spike and Applejack got close to the entrance of the corn maze, with him saying to her, "You know, I just realized that this is our first Nightmare Night without the others."

"You're right… Thanks to their map mission they have to miss Nightmare Night here in Ponyville…"

Spike frowned, "I'm starting to worry of how long they've been gone…"

She frowned as well, "This just might be the longest map mission that any of us has been given."

"It's so strange… it's almost as if there's more then what the map is letting on…"

"But what?" she asked.

"I don't know. But there was the time the map summoned me to solve a friendship problem in Ponyville when I was the one that caused the friendship problem in the first place…"

"Yeah… that was weird…"

"You don't think the map is keeping them away for some reason, do you?"

"Why would it do that?"

"It just seems odd that they're not back yet and our friendship problems have always been fairly easy to solve within a matter of days!"

"I guess there's a first time for everything. Like that old friend of my parents' who suddenly came back after being away for so long."

"What old friend?" he asked.

She quickly recapped on meeting Sour Grape to him while the crusaders and their boyfriends were talking amongst themselves about the upcoming concert when Rumble brought up.

"Oh, we ran into Tender Taps at the costume store yesterday."

Apple Bloom gaped, "You did?" and uneasily asked, "What did he say…?"

Button replied, "That he was back in town and that he came across you…"

Pip asked, "Were you upset when he did?"

AB started slowly, "No… it was okay. Nothing too awful happen between us."

He grew concern, "What does that mean?"

She took a breath, "We had a small spat at the end and I ended up crying to the point I ran home."

Scootaloo filled in, "We saw her and went to her to make sure she was alright."

The boys made guilty looks with Button confessing, "Then I suppose it was a bad idea we told him about you girls performing?"

The young mares eyed him strangely with Rumble adding, "He asked if it was okay to come and we told him yes."
Pip said, "I knew it wasn't a good idea to do that."

Apple Bloom quickly held her hoof up and proclaimed rather loudly, "No!" Everyone gave her strange looks as she blushed and explained, "I mean… No, that's okay, it is Nightmare Night after all and everyone deserves to have fun on this night." she made a slight titter much to Pip's suspicion.

Scootaloo then declared, "Hey, why are we standing around here?! There's a haunted corn maze waiting for us to explore and at the end of it a stage awaiting it's stars!" pointing to herself and her friends.

This made them laugh though Pip made a half-hearted chuckle before they entered into the maze.

---

Sweetie Belle took center stage as she held the microphone with her horn with Apple Bloom on guitar and Scootaloo at the keyboard. Their boys were at the front row with Applejack and Spike and quite a few other ponies. Tender Taps was among them dressed as a vampire. However, Apple Bloom didn't see him in the crowd.

Sweetie began to sing, "I'm gonna cast a spell on you… You're gonna do what I want you to… Mix it up here in my little bowl… Say a few words and you'll lose control…"

The girls joined her as backup vocals, "I'm a Hex girl…! And I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sung, "I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

They all sung, "I'm a Hex girl…! And I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

Scoots and AB sang again, "Put a spell on you!"

Sweetie sang on, "You'll feel the fog as I cloud your mind… You'll get dizzy when I make the sign… You'll wake up in the dead of night… Missing me when I'm outta sight…" She made a wink to Button who blushed.

The girls sing together again, "I'm a Hex girl…! And I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sung, "I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

They all sung, "I'm a Hex girl…! And I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

The duo vocalized, "Oh yeah!"

SB made seductive eyes and lowered her head to the front row mostly to her boyfriend and sang alluringly, "With this little cobweb potion… You'll fall into dark devotion… If you ever lose affection… I can change your whole direction…"

Button looked like he was in a trance as she lifted herself back on stage and Rumble had to make a hard nudge to get him out of it making him have a goofy grin.

The girls sang on, "I'm a Hex girl…! And I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sung again, "I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

They all sang, "I'm a Hex girl…! And I'm gonna put a spell on you!" They came to the finish, "We're gonna put a spell all around you!" They threw down colored smoke balls ending the song.

There was a large cheer from the crowd as the girls made a bow before starting the next song.

While they were performing, Big Mac rushed through the masses to find Applejack and Spike and when he did, he panicked, "AJ, Spike! Sugar Belle's missin'!"

They gasped with Applejack inquiring, "Are you sure?"

Her big brother huffed, "I would think I know where my wife was if I knew where she went, but since I don't…"

Spike gently said, "Just calm down, Mac, we'll find her."

Applejack nodded in determination before turning to Pip and said to him, "Pip, when the girls get done, tell them what happen but make sure Apple Bloom gets home. Last thing we need is for another Apple to be lost tonight."

He nodded in agreement, "You can count on me."

She stated, "Good." before she ran off with her brother and fiancée.

Comments

[MySisterBroughtMeHere]

That potion magnified her fears, didn't it?

[Foxhelm]

Poor Sugar Belle... The poor mare had an identity crisis that an abled a cult leader to strip her of what made her Sugar Belle, had to deal with a couple of stallions fighting over her without realizing the damage they caused until too late, and now magically poisoned by a 'friend' of her fiancee into thinking she's not good enough...

Well, as they say, misery loves company.

Why do I get the feeling that Applejack and Spike will soon figure out that all this started when Sour Grapes entered their lives?

[CartoonNerd12]

8518622
You mean husband. Not fiancé.

[Foxhelm]

8518642
you know what I mean

[Godslittleprincess]

So, is the map purposefully endangering the Apples? Is it going to be up to the Apples to fix Sour Grape's grudge? Is that why the Mane 6 have been gone for so long? Did Sour Grape somehow remotely mess with the map? So many questions!

[CartoonNerd12]

8518701
Actually no, I don't.

[Foxhelm]

8519955
I am was expressing my pity for Sugar Belle, just mentally replaced the word fiancee with the word husband in that comment.

[CartoonNerd12]

8519988
Ah, okay.