Running With the wind

by SC14

Apologies and Interviews

AppleJack walked after Scootaloo well, she walked in the direction that Scootaloo had stormed off. It was times like these that she wished she wasn't the element of honesty. Because then she could just go to sugar cube corner for an hour and come back and say that things went well but, no she had to tell the truth all of the time.

AppleJack froze in her tracks as she heard something from behind a nearby tree. It sounded it someone was crying. She was pretty sure that it was Scootaloo, who else would be in Sweet apple acres crying? She walked over to the tree and her suspicions were confirmed as she saw the orange pegasus sitting against the tree with her head in her hooves.

"H-Hey Scootaloo" She AppleJack said carefully. Scootaloo jumped and immediately tried to hide the fact that she was crying.

"What do you want," Scootaloo said desperately trying to prevent herself from crying. Applejack gave her a sad smile.

"Ah'm here to apologize," Applejack said. She could hear the gasp from Scootaloo. She was given a confused look from the orange pegasus. "Ah mean it," AppleJack said sincerely.

"W-why?" Scootaloo stammered. Applejack took a seat beside the crying filly.

"I felt bad for getting angry at ya," She said. Scootaloo looked at her with a saddened expression on her face.

"It's fine," Scootaloo said trying to regain her bravado. AppleJack sighed and looked at the ground, she knew what Scootaloo was doing, she was trying to act tough in front of her.

"Ah'm just worried about you," AppleJack said carefully. She knew that it was important to approach this situation carefully because she didn't want to get into another argument with Scootaloo.

"I-I know. I'm sorry I yelled" Sccootaloo said. AppleJack was shocked, she didn't expect Scootaloo to apologize to her.

"It's alright," AppleJack said with a friendly smile. Scootaloo looked at the ground. "Ah think me and the and the girls will go to whatever city she is spotted in," Applejack said. She knew this could be a bad idea but, it could stop Scootaloo from doing something not smart. "Would you like to go with us?" Scootaloo's head shot up.

"Yes!" Scootaloo almost shouted. "I-I mean. I would love to" She back-peddled. AppleJack smiled at the filly's sudden outburst. In all technicality, AppleJack was lying because she didn't know if they would try and find Sweetie Belle but, it also technically could happen so it wasn't a lie just a blind promise.

"Great. Now I don't want ya running after Sweetie without us adults ya hear?" AppleJack said in a firm tone. She was confident that Scootaloo was not going to lash out at her again. Scootaloo looked at the ground and seemed to contemplate her answer.

"Fine" Scootaloo huffed. AppleJack smiled and got to her hooves and offered a hoof to Scootaloo. She took her hoof and got her hooves.

"Whaddya say we go get Apple Bloom and head over to Sugar cube-corner?" AppleJack said, still smiling.

"That sounds nice," Scootaloo said, failing miserably to hide her newfound excitement. Applejack nodded and started walking back towards the farmhouse.

The two of them walked fast and in relative silence, neither of them knew how to break the awkward silence that hung between them. Luckily they reached the house quickly. AppleJack opened the door and peeked her head in.

"Apple Bloom!" She shouted. She heard some rustling from Apple Bloom's room before she got her response.

"What?" Apple Bloom shouted back. Applejack sighed, Why couldn't she just come and talk to her face to face.

"Come here!" AppleJack commanded. She heard some ruckus before she heard Apple Bloom's door open. There was a brief silence before Apple Bloom came into view. There was an audible gasp from the filly as she saw the orange pegasus that accompanied her older sister.

Apple Bloom took a few steps back. "W-What a-are you doing here?" She stammered. Scootaloo let out a sad sigh and looked up to make eye contact with Apple Bloom.

"I'm here to apologize," Scootaloo said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Apple Bloom," She said sincerely. Apple Bloom had a dumbfounded expression on her face. She stared at the two of them for a few seconds, trying to process the fact that Scootaloo might be admitting that the was wrong (For the first time).

"Its alright Scoots," Apple Bloom said, still sounding confused. It hurt Scootaloo that Apple Bloom might not believe that she was sorry for her actions. But, considering her past actions it might be justified.

"I really mean it," Scootaloo said sadly. Apple Bloom looked at her with an apologetic look on her face. Scootaloo was realized that Apple Bloom seemed to believe her now.

"Ah could never stay mad at you Scoots!" Apple Bloom declared. She walked over to Scootaloo and gave her a big hug, Scootaloo hugged back, knowing that she had her friend back.

"Now that everything is better, ah was thinking that we could head on over to sugar cube corner " AppleJack interjected Apple Bloom looked up at her without breaking the hug.

"That sounds great!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. Applejack smiled as she watched the two fillies break their hug and look at her with big smiles on their faces.

"How about we get going?" AppleJack asked, smiling back at the two fillies. They just nodded and followed along as AppleJack started to walk down the path that led out of the farm.

The trio walked down the path, passing trees, ponds, and different types of plants and livestock that they kept on the farm. The scenery started to change as they moved out of the farm and into the town. They started to pass houses and businesses, exchanging very few words on their way to the pastry shop. Once they were in town it didn't take long for them to reach their destination. They rounded a corner and Sugar cube-corner came into view, it wasn't the biggest shop around but, it got the job done. After a short walk, they made it to the front door, AppleJack held the door open for the two files who happily entered the establishment.

They were immediately greeted by the energetic pink pony that worked at the shop, Pinkie Pie. A good friend but she could be a handful at times. "Hey Applejack!" Pinkie practically shouted. They were caught off guard by the sudden high -energy greeting causing all three of them to jump.

"Oh uh hey Pinkie" AppleJack greeted. She looked up to make eye contact with the hyperactive pink pony.

"The usual for you three?" Pinkie said. They all just nodded. And in the blink of an eye Pinkie Pie was gone. They might have been confused if they didn't know Pinkie so well. Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted over to an open booth in the corner of the shop. The two fillies followed suit.

It wasn't long before Pinkie zoomed out of the kitchen and to their table. She quickly placed a tray on the table. It contained a Rainbow frosted cupcake for Scootaloo, a chocolate muffin for Apple Bloom and an apple muffin for Applejack. But, the three of them were caught off guard by the chocolate croissant that sat on the tray. That was Sweetie Belles's usual order, the three of them stared at it in awe.

"Will Sweetie Belle not be joining you today?" Pinkie asked curiously. Applejack could only give a dumbfounded nod. "Oh well. More for you guys!" Pinkie said. Applejack opened her mouth to speak but, Pinkie was gone before the words left her mouth.

Applejack sighed. "That darn pony," She said semi angrily. "We told her that Sweetie Belle is missin' But she has been actin' like she isn't," Applejack said with another exasperated sigh.

"Why?" Scootaloo inquired. With how happy and friendly Pinkie Pie is she figured she would care much more about Sweetie Belle.

"Ah guess she is just isn't handling the situation very well. Or at least in the best way she can" Applejack said. Two ponies in blue uniforms caught her eye. They were approaching the door, she immediately recognized them as police officers. She was confused, were they here for food? Or did they need her? She figured she was about to find out.

As soon as the two of them opened the door they made a b-line for the table the trio was sitting at. Applejack gulped, she knew she had done nothing wrong she was just afraid of what they might tell her.

"Applejack?" One of them said. Applejack turned her head to look at the two officers, who she now recognized as the officers that helped them file the missing pony report.

"Yes?" She said carefully. She was now considerably less scared of the situation because they did say the would call her in for questioning later in the week.

"Sorry to interrupt but, we would like to interview you," Officer Blue Streak said. Applejack looked at both of their badges to get their names, the one with blue fur was Blue Streak and the on with turquoise fur was officer Night Shade. Ironic that his name was Night Shade and he was such a bright color.

"Alright, Uh I guess you girls just stay here until I get back," Applejack said. She figured that they could go hang out or Pinkie could take care of them.

"We could help!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "We are Sweetie Belles's best friends after all," She stated. The officers looked at each other.

"You two were... I mean are friends with Sweetie Belle?" Blue Streak asked. Night Shade glared at his partner. Scootaloo decided not to question why he started to say 'Were friends' because it would probably cause more problems.

'Yes, we are" Scootaloo said quietly. The officers exchanged glances once more before looking back at the three mares.

"That would be great" Night Shade said with a friendly smile. "Just follow us to the station," He said. The three of them looked at each other and shrugged as they left the booth to follow the two officers. In all honesty, Apple Bloom was rather scared she was afraid that she might say the wrong thing or forget details to a story or just flat out get them wrong.

Scootaloo, on the other hand, was as confident as could be. She knew that this might be her only chance to help Sweetie Belle, especially if the whole going to the city she was spotted in thing falls apart. She knew exactly what she was going to say to the officers. And Applejack just wasn't sure about anything anymore. This whole situation was getting to her, too much thinking and arguing.

It didn't take long for the five ponies to reach the Ponyville police station. It wasn't exactly scary it was just eerie. To the surprise of the three mares, there was no one in the station they figured that there would at least be someone reporting something.

They were brought from their thoughts as they heard a sigh from Officer Night Shade. "There is only one interview room open again," He said. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other in confusion the other rooms didn't look occupied.

"Sewage leak again?" Blue Streak said in an irritated tone. Night Shade sighed again before looking at Blue Streak again.

"Probably," Night Shade said. Still sounding annoyed. He looked back at the trio of mares. "Unfortunately only one interview room is available so we have to do this one at a time," He said.

"That's quite alright. I guess I will go first," Applejack said.

"Alright, If you two need anything to drink, just look in the fridge over there," Night Shade said gesturing over to the fridge that sat in what appeared to be a break room. While it was technically for employees only, there was way too much in there for the officers to drink. "You two can just sit here. We will call you in when it is time," He said giving them a friendly smile. The two fillies nodded as the Applejack and the two officers disappeared into a room.

Applejack followed the two officers into a small, dimly lit room. "Would you like something to drink?" Officer Night Shade asked. She was kind of intimidated by the two officers in a dark room. But, she knew they were here to help her not hurt her.

"Before we begin. Whatever we tell you or you say to us should stay in this room until all of this has blown over" Blue Streak said in a serious tone.

"Why... If you don't mind me asking?" Applejack said. She wasn't sure why she couldn't tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo or even the girls.

"Because if word got out about potential suspects it could hinder our investigation" Blue Streak said in the same serious tone. Applejack nodded, it seemed like common sense now that it was explained to her. "With that being said, Is there anything you would like us to know?" Blue Streak said. As he said that thought flashed into Applejack's mind. After she had filed the missing pony report, she remembered her last conversation or Well argument with Sweetie Belle, could Rarity be an abuser?

"Can I be honest with yall?" Applejack asked. As soon as the question left her mouth she immediately felt stupid. Of course, she could be honest with them.

"We hope you would be honest with us," Blue Streak said in a condescending tone. Night Shade just rolled his eyes.

"Well the last time I talked to Sweetie Belle, She tried to tell me that Rarity, her sister was hitting her and I didn't believe her because Rarity is just so nice all of the time but what if she did do it?" Applejack said absentmindedly. The two officers exchanged concerned glances. "Oh, Celestia! Now that I think about it when she fractured her rib it looked like a hoof print on her chest. Rarity didn't do that would she?. Don't tell her I said that!" Applejack was rambling at this point but, she figured the information was important.

"Really?" Night Shade asked. "Thank you, that is important, And remember what you tell us stays here," He said with a friendly smile. Applejack nodded, still wearing a shell-shocked expression. She wasn't sure if telling them this was a good idea but if they only told detectives then what harm could it do? 'Just get your best friend arrested' She thought. 'No! If she gets arrested then she deserves it!' she tried to reason. 'People get falsely arrested all the time' The voice said. 'Not that often!' She thought.

"Are you alright?" Blue Streak asked. Applejack shook herself out of her trance. She realized that she had been staring at the two officers for a long time. She offered a sheepish grin.

"Yeah sorry, just thinking," She said slightly blushing out of embarrassment. She wasn't quite sure what else to say to the officers and she was kind of happy. She just wanted it to be over.

"Is that all you have to tell us?" Blue Streak asked sounding almost disappointed. He was immediately jabbed in the side by his partner.

"Could you have phrased that any worse?" Night Shade scolded. Blue Streak rolled his eyes and looked back at Applejack who just nodded.

"In that case. When was the last time you saw her?" Blue Streak asked. Applejack looked down at the ground and sighed.

"Last week," Applejack said sadly, remembering her argument with the missing filly, It hurt her to think about it but, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Alright, Were done. Send in The orange one" Blue Streak said in a flat tone. His remark was rewarded with another jab in the ribs. He mad angry eye contact with Night Shade.

"Quit being a bitch," Night Shade said through gritted teeth. Blue Streak rolled his eyes again and mumbled under his breath. Applejack nodded and turned and left the interview room. She saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo drinking juice boxes. She smiled, It was weird that a police station would have juice boxes for their police officers but, it was funny to think about it.

"Your up Scootaloo," Applejack said with a smile. "Good Luck," She joked as Scootaloo passed her. She figured it was good to lighten the mood a little bit.

Scootaloo walked into the small room with confidence. She saw the same layout as Applejack, a small square room with a very dim light that hung overhead. She took a seat at the open chair and made eye contact with the police officers.

"What is your name?" Officer Night Shade asked. Scootaloo looked up at him.

"Scootaloo," She offered. Officer Blue Streak scribbled down what Scootaloo presumed to be her name on a notepad. "What's that for?" Scootaloo asked. Blue Streak looked up at her.

"Just to make sure we get all of the details right," Blue Streak said. Scootaloo nodded, it made sense once it was explained to her. "I just want you to know that whatever you tell us is totally confidential. But, With that being said whatever we tell you or you tell us is to stay in this room. Alright?" Blue Streak said in a serious tone. Scootaloo just nodded and looked at the ground. The seriousness seemed to make most of Scootaloo's confidence disappear. "Is there anything we might need to know?" Blue Streak asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean she has... I mean was acting a little weird leading up to the last time I saw her," Scootaloo said with a thoughtful expression.

"Like How?" Night Shade asked. Scootaloo thought about the best way to describe the way, Sweetie Belle had been acting in the time leading up to her disappearance.

"She seemed to be a lot angrier than usual but I just assumed that was because her parents died but She seemed to lash out at Rarity the most when we were at her house and I just thought that if your parents died you would confide in your sibling's bu..."

"Scootloo! Calm down, please," Night Shade said, Breaking Scootaloo from her mad rambling. Scootaloo shook her head and looked up at the two police officers.

She offered a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away," She said.

"It's alright. You said she was lashing out at people especially her sister?" Night Shade asked. Scootaloo gave him a confused look she just told him that. Why was he asking if she just told him that?

"Yeah?" Scootaloo said in a confused tone. Night Shade nodded and Blue Streak wrote it down. An idea popped into Night Shades' head.

"So, it was brought to my attention that Sweetie Belle fractured a rib sometime recently," Night Shade said. "What do you know of this?" He asked. Sure it was kind of breaking his promise to Applejack that he wouldn't mention anything she said. But, he figured if he didn't drop names no foul right?

"Yeah, She said that she fell down the stairs," Scootaloo said. "She also apparently fell into a doorknob. I only asked because she had a weird circular mark of right where her ribs are," Scootaloo said. The two officers looked at each other with raised eyebrows. The nodded and Blue Streak wrote it down.

"Could that mark possibly be confused for a hoof print?" Night Shade asked. They were dangerously close to ruining the secret of who told them this information. But, they figured that Scootaloo wouldn't catch on.

"Now that I think about it, It did look kind of like a hoof print," Scootaloo said. And then she thought about it. "Wait. What are you insinuating?" Scootaloo said. Officer Blue Streak smiled.

"Do you know what that word means?" Blue Streak asked.

"No. Did I use it wrong?" Scootaloo asked. Blue Streak chuckled.

"No, you actually used it correctly," He said with another small chuckle. Scootaloo let out a small laugh as well. She heard someone use that word once, It was probably Cheerliee or Rarity and she always wanted to use it.

"We are getting off-topic. Anything else we might need to know?" Night Shade said. Scootaloo thought about it for a minute before settling on something that seemed important.

"Sweetie tried telling us that Rarity was hitting her but, Applejack said that she was lying for attention. I'm not sure if that means anything," Scootaloo said. The two officers gave each other suspicious glances.

"Really?" Scootaloo nodded. "That does mean something," Night Shade said. "Did you have any weird altercations with Rarity?" Night Shade asked. Scootaloo nodded.

"This one time we were having a sleepover at Sweeties house and I couldn't get to sleep so, I went downstairs to get a drink of water and Rarity was downstairs drinking Apple juice out of a bottle, I asked If I could have some but, she just tried to hide it from me and said no, So I just got some water and went back to sleep," Scootaloo said with a thoughtful expression. The officers looked at each other eyes wide. Blue Streak shook his head and scribbled in his notebook.

"That is great information, thank you," Nigh Shade said. "Well, I believe that concludes our Interview, thank you and we might call you back in later this week," Night Shade said with a smile. "And if you don't mind, we would like you to send in your friend," He said. Scootaloo nodded and stood up and exited the room.

She left the room and looked at Apple Bloom. "Your turn Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said with an encouraging smile. Apple Bloom nodded and shakily got to her hooves and walked into the interview room. She took a seat in the chair that sat across from the two police officers.

"And your name is?" Blue Streak asked. Night Shade rolled his eyes at his partner's bluntness. Apple Bloom looked at the ground to collect herself.

"Apple Bloom," She said with a small bit of confidence. Blue Streak nodded and wrote it down.

"Just to be clear, anything you say to us is totally confidential, and anything we tell you should remain with you, Alright?" Blue Streak said sternly. Apple Bloom looked at the two officers, losing what confidence she might have had, just having to make sure that she didn't accidentally say something she wasn't supposed to was scary.

"Alright," Apple Bloom said.

"Alright, Is there anything that you think we need to know about your friend," Night Shade asked. Apple Bloom looked at the ground, trying to think of anything that Scootaloo or Applejack might have told them.

"Ah mean, Sweetie, Seemed really angry for this last month," Apple Bloom said sadly, remembering the time's Sweetie had yelled at her and Scootlaoo. "But, ah just figured that it was because her parents died," She added. Blue Streak nodded and wrote that down as well. "But, she also seemed to be lashing out at Rarity especially which ah thought was weird because Rarity was always so nice to her," Apple Bloom said. The two officers looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces.

"Was there anything weird about Rarity during the month leading up to this," Night Shade asked. Apple Bloom once again looked at the ground to collect her thoughts.

"This sounds rude but, her breath smelled weird," Apple Bloom said with an embarrassed look on her face. Night Shade nodded.

"Could you describe the smell as best as you can?" Night Shade asked. He figured that she wouldn't be able to describe the smell that well especially if it was alcohol.

"It kind of smelled like the cider that mah sister says I can't drink," Apple Bloom said. Night Shade nodded, his suspicion was confirmed. He made eye contact with Blue Streak and nodded, they had all that they needed.

"Thank you, that's all we needed, We might call you back if we have any further developments," Blue Streak said. As Apple Bloom got to her hooves Blue Streak added. "Could you send Applejack back in here for a second?" Apple Bloom nodded and exited the room.

She made it to the waiting room where Applejack and Scootlaoo were waiting, they got up to leave but, Apple Bloom interrupted them. "They want to talk to ya for a second sis," Applejack turned back with a concerned look on her face, Apple Bloom just shrugged. And Applejack reluctantly entered the interview room once again.

As soon as she entered the room she was greeted by officer Blue Streak. "Sorry to call you back in. We just have a small little mission we want you to complete for us," Applejack gave a skeptical glance at the two officers. She noticed that Night Shade was also giving Blue Streak a confused look. She just figured that Blue Streak didn't run this by Night Shade first.

"We," He was jabbed in the side by Night Shade. "I would like you to investigate your friend Rarity a little bit," Blue Streak said. Applejacks' look of skeptically turned to one of confusion.

"Like what do you want me to figure out?" Applejack asked. She wasn't sure what they wanted her to do.

"Well, we mainly just want you to figure out if she has... you know, a drinking problem," Blue Streak said. Applejacks' eyes widened. It never occurred to her that Rarity might have a drinking problem, She did order a lot of hard cider this season but, she just said it was for cooking. Could she have just ordered it for drinking?

"I-I guess I could do that. But, if she catches me I'm going to tell her you guys sent me," Applejack said in an uneasy tone. She hated to do stuff like this to her friends but, she tried to justify it by saying that it could prove Rarity's innocence and eliminate her as a suspect.

"That's fine, just don't get caught," Blue Streak said with a chuckle. Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Are we done here?" She asked, slightly irritated at the whole situation.

"Yes, thank you for your time," Night Shade said with a smile. Applejack nodded and got up and left the room. She rejoined Apple Bloom and Scootlaoo.

"What did they say to you?" Apple Bloom asked. Applejack wanted to tell them, just so they knew about her little mission but, she knew she couldn't tell anyone.

"Nothing important," Applejack said in a stern tone, Hoping it would get the point across the two curious fillies. Apple Bloom just nodded as they exited the police station.

Author's Note:

Wow. It has been a while since I have updated this. I don't even know what to say.
I'm really sorry guys!
I feel like this chapter was really boring I don't know why. Let me know what you think.
This was originally going to just be AppleJack talking to Scootlaoo and going to sugar cube corner but, I felt like that would seem unimportant so, I combined two chapter ideas into one to make this chapter more important.
Thank you for reading.

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

Are the police going to focus more on arresting Rarity and a possible trial and pay less attention to finding Sweetie Belle?

[SC14]

10182697
Thank you again. And that is very possible.

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

10182706
You’re welcome!

[Kichi]

Well, things are being tied, waiting for next chapter and good work.

[SC14]

10182761
Thank you.