Sprout

by TheHumanAspiration

Seek

When somepony looses something they love, they can react in a variety of ways. They can be sad, melting to tears for their lost possession. They can be mournful, shunning everything around them. A pony could be determined to find what they had lost and do anything to get it back. And the odd pony will just shrug it off as nothing more than the misplacement of a material possession.

A pony could also get angry. A pony could get scared. A pony could become confused.

Sprout however, was an unhealthy blend of anger, fear, and confusion.

She raced wildly around the clubhouse, glancing at out the windows as she, once again, babbled incoherently. She crashed into nicks and knacks the crusaders had created in their cutie mark attempts, throwing them about the floor. She had no acknowledgement to the chaos she was creating with this confined space.

"Sprout! Please settle down wouldja!?" Apple Bloom pleaded from the corner. Her and the other girls compressed themselves to emptiest corner of the clubhouse as Sprout went on her rampage.

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle squeaked nervously. "Just take some deep breathes and try to remain calm."

Sprout halted, facing away from the girls. Her breathing was fast and heavy. She then suddenly turned around, dashing right where the girls were huddled and stuck her snout a hair away from Sweeties.

"YOU!" Sprout growled. Her eyes, furrowed, contracted, and bloodshot, looked right into Sweetie Belle's. Sweetie couldn't do anything but stare back into hers with fright. "You were the one who was holding him last!" She bellowed. "I entrusted you with his life and now he's gone! You have betrayed my trust! Where is he!?"

Sweetie Belle shivered and whimpered as Scootaloo jumped between them, giving Sprout a hard look.

"Hey!" She shouted angrily. "Don't talk to her like that. She didn't mean to leave him behind! It was an accident!"

Sprout huffed through her snout, sending a cloud of air into Scootaloo's face making her cough and gag.

"Everypony calm down!" Apple Bloom said loudly with annoyance in her voice. Sprout just stared viciously into Scootaloo's eyes and Scootaloo did the same. "We just need to go out and find him."

The anger gradually left Sprout until all that was left was fear and confusion. She rubbed an eye as she backed away from Scootaloo, hanging her head. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what just came over me."

Scootaloo rubbed one forehoof with the other and turned her head. "I-it's alright." She stammered slightly.

"Yeah." Sweetie Belle said softly. "You were just angry."

"Woah." She said to her self. "I don't think I've ever been angry before." She then took in the disaster around her. The disaster that she had caused. "And I don't think I ever want to be again."

Of all the damage she had done the one that caught her eye was a flower pot containing a little daisy that was knocked over. She frowned at her action and went over to reassemble the flower as best she could. She could have sworn the flower brightened while she was cozying it up.

"Alright, now that everypony has calmed down let's think of how to get Reggie back." Apple Bloom said orderly. She looked at Sweetie Belle. "Do ya recall where exactly you left him last?"

Sweetie, now unshaken, rubbed her hoof along her chin thoughtfully. "Well, Sprout handed him off to me at Sugar Cube Corner. That is most likely where we will find him."

Sprout had just finished putting the daisy back in a suitable environment when she heard Sweetie Belle. Thoughts rushed into her mind like a tidal wave. Reggie was out?! In public?! With nopony to protect him?! Her pupils shrunk.

"Oh no." She whispered.

Sprout rushed out of the clubhouse in a blur, her crusaders cape flying into the filly's faces interrupting their discussion. They ran to the busted open door Sprout ploughed through, looking out only to see a trail of dust leading towards Ponyville.

The fillies were dumbfounded for only a moment. They all shook their heads, recollecting their thoughts.

"We better go after her before she starts socializing." Scootaloo said, worry faintly present in her voice. The girls took off after her.

On their way into Ponyville, Sprouts preceding presence was definitely apparent. Bushes appeared too be torn through, and trees, while not overwhelming in size but still impressively large, were knocked over. Animals were out of their homes, puzzled by a ruckus that obviously took place moments before. The only thing unscathed was the flora. In fact, it all looked quite beautiful. But the crusaders had too much to worry about to really notice.

Arriving in Ponyville, the crusaders observed the area. Most pony's were simply going about their day as usual, but some pony's wore perplexed looks, glancing over their shoulders. One of those pony's was the filly's teacher, Cheerilee. They ran up to her, all drained from their run into town.

"Cheerilee!" They blurted in unison.

She was taken aback, not even noticing them approach her. "Oh! Uh, hello girls..." She stared off to her left for a moment before returning her focus back to the girls.

"Is everything alright?" Apple Bloom asked exhaustively.

"It's nothing... just..." She started, now looking back to her left. "Somepony just rushed by me. She was babbling about flowers and... Veggies?" She thought for a moment. "And I don't know if I saw right, she came by so fast, but it didn't look like she had a cutie mark." She shook herself, brightened and laughed. "Maybe I'm just crazy."

"Yeah! Absolutely bonkers!" Scootaloo laughed nervously. She was given hard looks from the other crusaders and an embarrassed look from her teacher, making her blush.

"She was heading towards Sugar Cube Corner right?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Why, yes she was." Cheerilee now cocked an eyebrow at her students. "How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess!" Apple Bloom interrupted, adopting an unconvincing grin.

Cheerilee was about to question further but Apple Bloom continued. "Well, we best be goin'. We gotta get that crusadin' done... or somethin'. She finished lamely.

The three bolted off leaving a wisp of dust in their teachers face.

They galloped their way to sugar cube corner, arriving out of breathe and out of patients. They toppled through the door in an exhausted heap, groaning as one lay atop another.

"Hiya again girls" Pinkie Pie beamed from behind the counter. "Back for more tasty treats?"

Apple Bloom looked around the store. Nopony but Pinkie was here. She sighed. "You haven't seen Sprout have ya? The mare we were with before?" She asked, defeated.

"Of course!" Pinkie Pie said gleefully. Apple Bloom looked at her, no with hope. "Like, you said, with you girls earlier today."

And the hope fizzled. "Other than that!" Apple Bloom groaned harder. "Recently? Have you seen her recently?"

Pinkie Pie nodded "Uh huh." She said simply.

"Do you know where she went?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Ahem" Pinkie Pie cleared her throat. The girls rolled their eyes and braced themselves. "Well, ya see, I was just minding my business watching the counter here when your friend comes running through the doorway and I thought she was just here to get another delicious pie but then she asked me where her friend was and I said I didn't know so she described him and said he as about 8 inches tall had a thin green body and pretty violet petals so when I couldn't think of anypony or other creature fitting that discription I assumed she was talking about the flower that you all left here before but the thing is I had forgotten whos it was so when Rose, Daisy, and Lily came by asking if they could take it to their shop I said It would be A-OK!"

She Inhaled for a good five seconds...

Then continued.

"So by that point she was livid so I tried to give her directions to their flower shop but she had a hard time following my instructions so she just gave up and told me she was heading back to her home where nothing like this could ever happen again."

Pinkie Pie smiled wide.

The girls were in shock. Not only by Pinkie Pie's ability to retell events, but also by the fact that their friend was heading into the Everfree forest alone.

"We have to stop her!" Apple Bloom commanded.

"Danger!" Sweetie Belle agreed.

They all began out the door. "Thank you Pinkie Pie." Apple Bloom said sincerely as she left the store.

"No sweat." Pinkie beamed, and she went back to monitoring the empty store.

The fillies half galloped their way towards the entrance of the Everfree forest. They were beyond tired, basically dragging themselves towards their destination. It wasn't far now.

"You don't think she's bury herself in rocks again, do you?" Sweetie Belle asked between gasps for breathe.

"I wouldn't rule it out." Scootaloo replied, obviously drained. "She's one twisted pony." She occasionally gave herself burst if wing power to give her hooves a break.

"Let's not think like that girls." Apple Bloom retorted, trying to appear intact. "We just gotta reach her before she does somethin'-."

She was cut off by the sight of Sprout. She was sitting at the entrance of the Everfree forest. The girls approached her, and they could see the sadness that enveloped her.

"Sprout. Thank heavens your safe." Apple Bloom said, relieved by the sight of her friend.

"I abandoned him." She said to no one in particular.

The three looked at each other silently. Nopony knew what to say to her.

Usually Scootaloo would be snarky in such a situation, but she could see her friends pain was overbearing. "No you didn't. You just need to go to the flower shop and get him." Scootaloo put on an encouraging smile "Come on. We can show you the way."

"I haven't left his side since we met." She sniffed, tears now welling in her eyes. "He won't forgive me, and I don't blame him. Now he has a chance to be a real beautiful flower without some weird mare attracting looks." She hung her head. "I could tell he was embarrassed by my actions."

Sweetie Belle put a hoof around her. "Of course he would forgive you. You two are like the best of friends." She lifted her head up with the other hoof. "And I'm sure he's really missing you right now."

Sprout looked at the crusaders. Her friends. She smiled slightly. "Thanks girls." She sighed. "I'm sorry I've caused you all so much trouble."

They responded by bringing her in for a nice comforting group hug, the first group hug she's been apart of.

A hug that was cut short by a deafening scream.

The ponies dislodged from their embrace to look in the direction it came from. They could tell it came from Ponyville.

And they could see why as well.

Rising from the near center of town was a giant green vine of a stem, stretching at least as tall as three building combined. Capping it were sharp purple blades and a threatening look orange center, with an indentation and sharp asymmetrical teeth inside . The massive structure flailed it's body around crashing into building unfortunate enough to be in its way.

"Bad news girls." Sprout said obviously, looking back at her friends.

"Reggie is having a tantrum."

Author's Note:

Almost a year since an update. You could say I was unmotivated... Updated very little things that don't really matter in previous chapters, but, again, I felt it was necessary. This story is almost done so I hope you enjoy!

Comments

[The Random Lord]

O M Celestia
just imagine Twilight going "it's a bad day for me"

[Clemerl]

You know, whenever I read the name "Reggie" I always end up thinking about "Dr. Reginald Bushroot" but that's probably just a coincidence

"Reggie is having a tantrum."

Oh boy.