Paradiso

by Wheller

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Tell me something Apple Bloom... does Sweetie Bell seem, off, to you?”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were watching Sweetie Bell from a distance as she helped break up the wings of the kangaroo glider.

“Now tha’ ya mention it...” Apple Bloom began. Sweetie Bell had always been spacey, but now it seemed like she was completely out of it, Scootaloo had caught her just standing around, eyes bugged out and mouth wide open several times in the last hour. It seemed that something had happened to Sweetie Bell while she was being treated.

“Look, she’s doing it again!” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom frowned, something was clearly wrong with her friend, and she didn’t like it in the slightest bit.

“Sweetie Bell!” Apple Bloom called to her.

Sweetie Bell jumped in surprise, blinking several times and looking over to her friends. “Hey Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! What’s going on?”

“We were going to go get some lunch! Let’s go!” Scootaloo said, making something up, they were hungry, so might as well do something productive.

“Okay!” Sweetie Bell said, turning and walking over to her friends.

“You walk in front o’ her, Ah’ll walk behind, tha’ way we don’ lose her!” Apple Bloom said quietly.

“I’m hungry, are you hungry? I’m so hungry! Let’s get lunch!” Sweetie Bell said.

“Yeah... that’s what we’re doing Sweetie,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Bell gave Scootaloo a confused look, and then it hit her. “Oh yeah! I forgot!”

That was bad, even for her.

They walked into town, only having one major hiccup of Sweetie Bell stopping and staring out into the open with her mouth open wide. They got lunch of a nice salad from the local café; Sweetie Bell seemed to be more alert while they were eating.

“I was awake you know, when they operated,” Sweetie Bell said.

“No way!” Scootaloo called out in surprise.

“Yeah! Said that they needed me awake, but that I wouldn’t feel a thing! I didn’t!” Sweetie Bell said. “They also said that there might be some side effects... but I haven’t had any!”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom frowned at that statement.

“What?” Sweetie Bell asked.

...

Sweetie Bell was much more alert and focused after having food in her. She was perfectly normal for the rest of the day... normal, by Sweetie’s standards of course. Sweetie Bell had always been a little on the slow side, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo loved her just the way she was, and were exceedingly happy that she was back.

For how long was their greatest worry. As day began to turn into night, Sweetie began to get worse, only this time instead of spacing out, it was much worse; she felt a nagging pain in her left hind leg.

“I think I need to go home,” Sweetie Bell groaned loudly in pain as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walked her back to Carousel Boutique. “Sorry girls, I know we said we’d camp out when spring came... but I don’t think I can. I’m really sorry!”

“’Sokay Sweetie! Tha’ ain’t important! Wha’ is important is you gettin’ better!” Apple Bloom said.

“Thanks,” Sweetie Bell said, managing a smile through her pain.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders pushed open the door to Carousel Boutique.

“Sweetie? Is that you?” Rarity called out from the other room.

“And Scootaloo and Apple Bloom,” Sweetie managed.

Rarity trotted into the room and stopped. “Sweetie? What’s wrong?”

“It hurts sis! It hurts real bad!” Sweetie said. She’d begun to shake.

Rarity frowned, as if she didn’t know what to do. “The Doctors said I can’t give you any more...”

“Sis... it hurts!” Sweetie Bell said.

Rarity looked as if she was about to cry. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo? I’m sorry but you need to go home. No buts.”

Rarity had beaten Apple Bloom to it, she had just opened her mouth to make an excuse, but quickly closed it again, and she and Scootaloo gave Sweetie Bell a hug and, reluctantly, departed.

...

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo laid awake the entire night in silence. Neither of them was able to sleep, and neither of them felt it was right to talk about it. Sweetie Bell was their best friend, and she was suffering right now. Apple Bloom felt her conscious panging, this was her fault. She’d done this to Sweetie Bell, and she would never forgive herself for it. Hours passed, and the Two Crusaders sat, eyes open, looking at the ceiling of their club house, until finally, Scootaloo broke the silence.

“Apple Bloom? I can’t sleep.”

“Me neither,” Apple Bloom replied.

“Let’s go for a walk or something,” Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom nodded in agreement, and the two fillies rose and walked down the ramp to their clubhouse. They walked to the western edge of the farm, over the fence, and along the path that lined the tree line of the Everfree forest. So far, the walk wasn’t helping.

“Ah feel terrible. This is all mah fault!” Apple Bloom said. Tears were forming in the young fillies’ eyes. Scootaloo had begun to cry to. Both of them felt so helpless. This wasn’t what childhood was supposed to be like, they used to be happy and care free! Until that fateful day in Whitetail Wood, when a revolver was found, its previous owner had only firing five shots out of six.

A twig snapped.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were shaken out of their thoughts and jumped in surprise. Were Scootaloo’s wings a little stronger, she’d have been 10 metres off the ground by now.

Standing in the tree line was a kangaroo, his Austin Submachine gun pointed at the two fillies, they froze in fear. The kangaroo turned on the light that was taped to the underside of the barrel shining it in their eyes.

The kangaroo however quickly lowered his submachine gun, he’d recognised them. In turn, the fillies recognised him back. It was Lieutenant Cutting.

“Apple Bloom? Scootaloo?” He asked in surprise. “What are you doing out this late? You’re awfully young to be wandering around on your own.”

Cutting hopped from the tree line towards the fillies, turning off the light that he’d taped to his gun. He stopped and leaned down to their level.

“Lef-tenant Cutting?” Apple Bloom said. “We did somethin’ bad.”

Cutting looked incredibly worried at this statement, but put on his best smile for the children. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?” he said sympathetically.

“A couple days ago, we found a revolver in the woods... only we didn’t know what it was then... and we accidentally shot our other friend.”

“Oh,” Cutting said with a frown. “Is she... all right?”

Apple Bloom shook her head.

“She was crying that it hurt so bad last time we saw her,” Scootaloo said. “I don’t want to think of what she’s going through right now.”

“That’s... terrible,” Cutting said, frowning. “This is why I can’t believe in god. We live in a world where children suffer.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at him in confusion; they didn’t understand what he meant. They’d never heard the word “god” before.

“Is there anything I can do?” Cutting asked.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo liked him, he was kind, genuine, he was asking because he really did care. Apple Bloom didn’t understand why Applejack had forbid her to talk to the kangaroos, they were good folks.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other, silently deciding on a course of action.

“Well, we were gonna go poke ‘round Whitetail Wood again, see if we can’t figure out wha’ that revolver was doin’ there,” Apple Bloom said.

“I’ll come with you, just, give me a moment, I need to tell Captain Blackthorn what I’m doing,” Cutting said. He hopped off, and returned no less than two minutes later, a smile on his face. “Lead the way!”

They took the long way around, deciding it would be best not to walk through town where someone might see them. They were more afraid of someone seeing the crusaders than they were of Cutting. The fillies were young, and they didn’t want it getting back to Applejack that they were out this late, they figured that anypony that saw Cutting couldn’t tell one kangaroo from another, and that he would probably be mistaken for one of Sergeant Tebbs’ crew if he was seen.

It was nearly sun up, and they were passing Fluttershy’s cottage. The door opened and Cutting dropped to the ground instinctively.

Fluttershy stepped out of her cottage, spotting the two Cutie Mark Crusaders instantly and walking over to speak with them.

Cutting swore silently to himself, asking what he’d gotten himself into. Quickly thinking, the Cutie Mark Crusaders approached Fluttershy, entering her front garden so that Fluttershy would stop in a place where Cutting wasn’t visible.

“Good morning Apple Bloom! Good morning Scootaloo!” Fluttershy said politely. “What are you girls doing up this early?”

“Oh, ya know! Busy day of crusadin’ ahead of us!” Apple Bloom said with a smile.

“Oh yeah! Real busy! We’re gunna go run around the path the Running of the Leaves follows! Be Cutie Mark Crusader long distance runners!” Scootaloo said, thinking quickly.

“Oh that does sound like fun! Just be sure to drink lots of water! Okay?” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“’Course we will!” Apple Bloom said. “Actually, we was wonderin’ if maybe you had a canteen we could borrow?”

“Oh! Of course! Hold on and I’ll go get it for you!” Fluttershy smiled and went back inside to look for it.

Cutting wasted no time; he hopped up and quickly made his way around the house and out of any chance of Fluttershy seeing him. After a few moments, Fluttershy returned, a canteen in her teeth, which she placed around Apple Bloom’s neck.

“There you go! I filled it up with water for you; you girls have fun and remember to bring it back when you’re done!” Fluttershy said.

“We will! We promise!” Scootaloo said, and with that, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo bid Fluttershy farewell, they rejoined Lieutenant Cutting, and continued on their way to Whitetail Wood.

Cutting was, however, somewhat disturbed at how easy it was for these children to lie.

Comments

- Interesting that they share not knowing who God is with the rest of ponykind.

- More interesting still that their readiness to lie horrifies a soldier.

- Most interesting that Sweetie Belle has become more or less Gregory House.