> Broken Pieces > by LoveNote > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pace back and forth inside of Carousel Boutique. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity were out looking for Scootaloo. After Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could not find her anywhere they looked, they had asked their sisters to help. The door slams open and the three tired mares come in. Rarity and Applejack looked like they were barely holding themselves together. Rainbow's face was not readable. Apple Bloom and Sweetie stop and watch the mares with fear raising up in them. Rainbow walks up to them, a fire in her eyes. "I hope you are happy!" She yells at them. The fillies eyes get wide and Sweetie's start to fill with tears. "Rainbow!" Both Applejack and Rarity scold her and run up to their sisters. They embrace them and glare at Rainbow Dash. "That was uncalled for, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack scold further. They glare at each other. "You should leave." Her voice is strong. Rainbow turns and walks out without a word. Apple Bloom looks up at Applejack. "Where is Scoot?" Her voice was shaky. She could tell something was wrong, very wrong. Rarity holds Sweetie Belle tighter as the little filly starts to quiver. The two mares make eye contact and let go of their sisters. Apple Bloom scoots close to Sweetie Belle and lean on her. "There has been an.. Accident." Rarity's voice cracks and she bites her lip. A small tear rolls down her cheek. Applejack puts a hoof on her shoulder before continuing for her. "Scootaloo is not here any more.." Applejack says carefully. She was having a hard time keeping herself together. Tears start to fall from both of the fillies eyes. "What.. What do you mean.... Scootaloo is not... Here any more?" Sweetie Belle says between sniffles. Rarity pulls her into a hug again. Sweetie's tears stain her white coat dark. "I'm so sorry, girls..." Applejack could not hold the tears back anymore. "It looks like Scootaloo was trying to fly... And she fell...." Applejack stops and looks at her sister. Apple Bloom's eyes look empty, cold, dead.. Applejack reaches out a hoof to her sister. Apple Bloom pushes it away. "Why couldn't you just tell us she's dead." She snapped at her sister. Applejack's eyes were full of pain. Rarity's mouth drops open and Sweetie Belle looks at her in shock. "Could of saved you the time." Apple Bloom stands up and walks away from the mares. "Don't yell at her! Its not her fault!" Sweetie Belle snaps at Apple Bloom. The two fillies eyes meet. "Yer' right.. Its not her fault.... It's mine.." Apple Bloom says quietly and tears fill her eyes again. Sweetie's eyes harden. "It is your fault." Sweetie Belle pushes away from her sister and faces Apple Bloom. "If you would not have told Scootaloo that we did not want her this would not have happened! You are the reason she is dead!" Sweetie screams at Apple Bloom. Tears roll down both of their cheeks. "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity snaps at her sister in shock. "Don't say that! Its not either of yours fault!" The two fillies continue to glare at each other. "I think it is best that both of you go to bed. You need time to grieve." She looks at Applejack. "Yeah, shes right. Lets just go home and go to bed." Applejack walks up to her sister. "Come on." She says and the two of them walk out of the Boutique. Rarity glares at her sister. "That was wrong of you to say, Sweetie Belle." She scolds her. Sweetie looks her sister in the eyes. "Is it so wrong if it is true?" She says calmly before turning and walking towards her room. Rarity lets her go. She needs time to think everything over. They just lost their best friend, of course they are going to be sad. Oh sweet, sweet Scootaloo. Fresh tears roll down her cheeks. Oh, why did she have to leave like this? "Apple Bloom. Ya' do know its not your fault, right? You did not cause this to happen." Applejack tells Apple Bloom softly. She did not want to set Apple Bloom off again. They had just made it home. Apple Bloom stomps a hoof on the ground and turns on her sister. "STOP! Just stop! Don't lie to me! I know its my fault! Sweetie Belle knows its my fault! Gosh darn it even Rainbow Dash knows its my fault! You are the element of honesty! Start acting like it!" She yells at Applejack before turning on her heals and running up to her room. She jumps on her bed and burst into tears. Why did she have to tell Scootaloo that they did not need her? They need her more then ever! A soft knocking reaches her ears. She tries to control her sobs but cant as her sister comes in and sits on the side on her bed. Apple Bloom curls up into a ball and refuses to look at Applejack. Applejack looks at her sister with sad eyes. Apple Bloom should never have had to go threw this at this age. Tears fall from Applejack's eyes and land on the bed. It hurts her to see her sister in so much pain. She jumps up onto her bed and snuggles close to her sister. Apple Bloom turns to face her and sobs into her coat. "It will be ok, Apple Bloom.." Applejack says softly and hugs her sister close. Rarity slowly makes her way to her sisters room. She lightly taps on her door and listens for a response. All she hears is soft sobs. Rarity taps again. A loud bang on the door makes her scream and jump. She quickly opens the door. It hits something on the other side. Rarity used her magic to move it and then open the door the rest of the way. It was a comb. "Did you throw this at the door?" Rarity says as calmly as she can. Her sister stays quiet. Rarity sighs and makes her way to the side of Sweetie Belles bed. Her sister was not crying anymore, she was just laying there. "Sweetie Belle," Rarity scolds softly "We don't throw things at the door." Pause, silence. "Sweetie Belle?" Pause, silence. Rarity goes to the other side of the bed so she can look at Sweetie Belle's face. Her sister glares at her. "Leave me the hay alone!" Rarity's mouth opens in shock. Sweetie Belle flips over. Rarity stomps her hoof but leaves. Her sister just needed some time alone. Apple Bloom's crying slows and then stops. Her breathing starts to slow as she slips into well needed sleep. Applejack carefully makes her way off of the bed and out of her room without waking Apple Bloom up. She needed to go find Rainbow Dash. The day was cold and the soft blowing wind bites Applejack's skin as she makes her way towards Rainbows house. It was quiet out, not many ponies were out at this time. The clopping of her hooves was the only sound. She turns off of the main road and makes her way up a grassy hill. At the top was a cloud bridge that led to a smallish cloud house with rainbow falls on it. She takes a step onto the fluffy clouds, thanks to a long lasting spell Twilight put on her. Applejack blushes slightly as she thinks of the many times she made her way up these clouds for completely different reasons. She walks in, and looks around for Rainbow. Applejack noticed that the door to her room was closed, meaning that she was in there. "Uh, Dashy?" She says and taps on the door. "Can I come in?" She asks. Rainbow mumbles something, and Applejack takes that as a yes and walks in. Rainbow was laying on her bed. She was not crying, but her eyes were red and puffy. Applejack walks over to her and jumps on the bed. Rainbow's lip quivers and she snuggles up to Applejack. "Shes gone, AJ. Shes really gone.." Rainbow says quietly and starts to cry again. Applejack pulls her close and starts to tear up herself. "I know, Dashy.." Applejack's heart felt like it was breaking for her. "I'm here for you though." Rainbow looks up into her green eyes and gives her a slight, sad smile. Applejack kisses her cheek and Rainbow tucks her head under Applejack's. "I love you.." Rainbow Dash says softly and licks her neck. Sweetie Belle's tears had long sense stopped. She only felt anger. Righteous anger. It was Apple Bloom's fault. Sweetie flipped over on her bed. She wanted to sleep, but sleep just would not take a hold of her. "UGGGHHH." She jumps out of bed and starts to pace back and forth. She notices a picture on her wall. She trots up to it and looks at it closer. It was a picture of her and Apple Bloom after the Sister Hood Social. She growls and rips it down with her magic. Sweetie stomps on it and rips it into three pieces. She feels a peace fall over her. Jumping back onto her bed, she tries to fall asleep, but like last time, nothing. She sighs and lays on her back. "I miss her..." She whispers to herself. Tears start to make their way down the sides of her head to the base of her ears. Scootaloo should not be gone. It was not supposed to end this way. They were supposed to grow up together, get their cutie marks together. That can't happen now. Sweetie turns on her side and curls into a ball as her tears come faster. She misses.... Apple Bloom.. They both lost Scootaloo.. She sits up and wipes her tears away. They need each other right now more then ever, so what is she doing here? Sweetie Belle jumps out of her bed and run to the door. She leaves the house and runs as fast as she can towards Sweet Apple Acres, towards her friend. Her tiny hooves slap the ground and rocks fly from under them. The farm house looks dark in front of her. Sweetie Belle skids to a stop at the door. She does not even knock, just makes her way towards Apple Bloom's room as fast as she can. The door to Apple Bloom's room was cracked open a little bit. Sweetie shoves the door open and stops in her tracks. Her jaw drops and her eyes get wide in fear. Apple Bloom had strung a rope to the canape over her bed and was... hanging from it. "NO!" Sweetie Belle screams and her horn lights up as she runs to her friend. The rope snaps and Apple Bloom falls to the floor. "No, no, no, oh dear Celestia NO!" She takes the rope from her neck and pushes her friend. "Get up, get up, get up!" She says as tears fall from her eyes. "I can't loose you too!" She flops onto the floor next to Apple Bloom and sobs. "Why.... Why.." "I'm sorry, AJ.." Rainbow Dash says and pulls away from Applejack so she can look her in the eyes. "I should not have said that to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. I'll tell them that I'm sorry tomorrow." Applejack smiles and brings her face close to Rainbows. "I know ya' didn't mean it. I'm sure the girls will forgive you." Their noses touch. Rainbow can feel some of the stress of the day melt off. Applejack always had that affect on her. The only other one of their friends that knew about the two of them was Twilight. It was hard to keep the secret from the unicorn when Applejack had to keep going to her for the spell that allowed her to walk on clouds. Luckily, Twilight developed a spell that was long lasting, so now she does not know every time the two mares wanted to have some alone time. "How is Apple bloom? I'm sure you calmed her down before you came here." Rainbow asked. "She is sleeping. But I should get back and check on her soon." Applejack says reluctantly. She did not want to leave Rainbow in her time of need, but she also needs to be there for her sister in hers. Rainbow kisses her softly. "Go, check on her. If she is still sleeping then you can just some back." Rainbow says and puts her wing around Applejack. She smiles and gets up. "Ok. I will be back soon." She turns to leave but pauses. "I love you, Dashy." "What?" A weak voice sounds out from next to Sweetie Belle. "What... Happened?" Sweetie looks down at her friend and cries out in relief. She pulls her friend close and hugs her tight. "I thought you were dead!" Sweetie cries. Apple Bloom pushes her away. "I was supposed to be.." She mutters. "Why did you take me down! You hate me! I did that to Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle jumps onto Apple Bloom and pulls her into a hug again. "I don't hate you! I love you! Its not your fault what happened. Nothing can change what happened. We can only change the future." Apple Bloom tries to push Sweetie off but fails. "I need you, and you need me. I can't loose you, Apple Bloom! I just can't!" Sweetie Belle starts to cry. Apple Bloom hugs her back. "I'm so sorry." She whispers and starts so cry with her. "I need you.. We need each other." "Don't leave me." Sweetie whispers back. "I wont."