Chapter 4
"May god have mercy on my enemies, because I won't", General George S. Patton
Oh goodness! It's you again, my dear friend! Hello! I see you've come back to hear some more of the story. It's good to know you're enjoying it, that or your curiosity is getting the best of you, heh heh. Oh I'm sorry, did I offend you? Terribly sorry. You probably want to hear about the story, not me rambling like usual. This chapter takes place only hours after our last meet up. Perhaps I should tell you more about what could happen to Sweetie Belle, or if Rarity is alive. Maybe I'll tell you about how the war started, but that would spoil it. Now without further ado…
….
The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat around an oil lamp in the tree house. To Scootaloo, this was her favorite part of the week. She loved the tree house, the way the lamp made they're shadows dance and most of all, she loved her friends. This was the time of the week where she could relax knowing that they are safe. This was the time of the week where she could laugh and have fun. The time of the week where she could hear Appleblooms silly laugh or hear Sweetie Belles adorable giggles. Most of all, her most favorite part was if the sun peeked through the clouds at the right moment, or the curtains were closed, it felt like everything was back to normal.
Nopony was really talking. Only a few barely audible sighs or coughs. But sooner or later they all started talking. "Ha ha! Remember when Discord came back and he made friends with Fluttershy?" Scootaloo said in her raspy voice. All the girls laughed and Applebloom replied, "I'm surprised Celestia was right! Fluttershy too! They really fooled everypony, ha ha!" Sweetie Belle jumped in, "What about the time we went all over Ponyville trying to find Rainbow Dash to hear how she got her cutie mark? We ended up hearing how almost everypony got theirs," they all giggled more. They continued to talk about the past until the laughter and giggles stopped.
Scootaloo turned her head and looked out the window. Her ears and wings drooped a bit, "You guys thinks maybe…it will go back to normal soon?" Applebloom walked over to her friend. Stared at her for a few minutes until Scootaloo turned her head. Applebloom never saw Scootaloo cry before. Tears beaded in Scootaloos eyes as she stared back at Applebloom's. Scootaloo noticed Applebloom's eyes no longer shimmered, even with the glow of the lamp. Applebloom threw her arms around Scootaloo and soon the orange Pegasus, who couldn't fly, cried loud, hard sobs. Sweetie Belle stayed looking at the lamp, hearing her friend sob was a bit much for her. She watched the flames dance even though there was no wind. Concentrating on the flames, the crying of her friend slowly became obsolete and muffled. After 15 long minutes Scootaloo stopped and simply held onto her Earth Pony friend.
"Hey Scootaloo," Applebloom said in a tiny voice, "y-yeah?" Scootaloo replied, head still half buried in Appleblooms neck. Applebloom hugged a bit tighter and said in her cow girly accent, "How's about we teach you how to fly?" Scootaloo stepped back and let her friend go, "B-but my wings are too small and I'm not strong enough-" , "Y'all just wait, ah' got an idea.." Applebloom walked over to the corner of the tree house and looked through a crate for a bit. She pulled out a 12 foot long rope and carried it over in her mouth. Scootaloo watched intently as Applebloom tied the rope around Scootaloos torso.
Hooking the rope over a hook on the ceiling that once held a bucked, she pulled on it to use it as a pulley, "Sweetie Belle! Come on over here and help me out!" Appleboom called out, knocking Sweetie Belle out of her daze and she went over. Scootaloo looked around in a bit of confusion, "What are you even doing Applebloom?" Applebloom dropped the rope from her mouth and responded, "Just flat yer wings and we'll make you fly" Scootaloo tilted her head but did as she was told. She squinted her eyes shut and started flapping her wings as fast as she could. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle started pulling on the rope. Since the war the ponies barely got any food, making many of them turn weak. Luckily it also made them lighter.
The harder they pulled, the more Scootaloo was starting to rise from the hard wood floor. She was now one foot off the ground. Scootaloos eyes opened wide and she let out a laugh in amazement. Applebloom looked over at Sweetie Belle who had the rope in her mouth, pulling as hard as she should with a bit of a smile. Applebloom said to her, "Why don't ya' try using your magic to make her levitate more?" it took a minute for Sweetie to understand what she was telling her to do, but soon noticed. Sweetie Belle tilted her head towards Scootaloo and then Applebloom pulled as much as she could, making her rise up even farther. Scootaloo's wings flapped a bit slower and she bent her legs a bit and tilted her body up like most Pegasus do when they fly in place and she kept laughing in delight, soon enough Sweetie was giggling in delight too.
Applejack closed the doors of the barn after giving the unicorns some food. Applejack hardly fed the unicorns good food, not because she felt the need to give them rotten foods but it was the best she could do. The food she fed them actually started out being really good, Sunflower Sandwiches, Cheap Apple Pastries, different kinds of rices. Now, with more unicorns, she could only feed them what she could which was barrels of rotten apples, rotting vegitables and leftovers. Being a nice pony, she still gave them fresh bread and clean water when she could. The sun was setting and Applebloom wasn't home yet. She knew where she was too, so she decided to go see her.
"Fer Celestias sake Applebloom…" she mumbled to herself as she walked down the path to the tree house. In the sky she saw a bright blue figure coming towards the tree house as well. She grumbled when she saw a speck of rainbow on the blue and she knew who it was. "And what the hay are you supposed to be doin' here?" said Applejack as she sped up her pace. She stopped by the tree house in front of the blue Pegasus and stomped her hoof down, "this here land belongs to the Earth Ponies!"
Rainbow Dash stayed flying in place, "Oh please, you think I give a flying feather about the earth ponies land? I have Cloudsdale," Applejack stomped the ground again and yelled back at her a bit louder "Then why the hay are you here!?","Its none of your business why I'm here," Rainbow replied while crossing her arms and turning her back to Applejack. Applejack stepped forward and shouted back, "It is if yer on Earth Pony territory!", "I'm just here to get Scootaloo" Applejacks ears and jaw dropped a bit. She instantly remembered that Dash was the element of loyalty. She felt her neck and thought about herself, the element of honesty. Naturally she thought of the ponies who used to be her friends.
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo also crossed her mind, how they were also a group of friends who all had different races. "Aw Rainbow what are we doin'? We let this dumb ol' war get to our heads too. Me and you used to be the best ah friends, now look at us" Rainbow Dash turned around and looked down at Applejack. Instead of sympathetic look, it was a look of anger and disgust, "Friends?! You honestly thought of us as friends? Oh don't make me laugh," Applejack felt the anger inside her spark again as Rainbow Dash continued talking, "I was only pretending to be anyones friend! I told you all before I don't need anypony! Besides, why would I be friends with a stupid, dumb, worthless Earth Pony like you!?" the last sentence, Rainbow Dash screamed so loud the Cutie Mark Crusaders heard them.
"Fuck you," Applejack said back in a stern voice, "Get Scootaloo….and get the hell out of here. If I ever see you again I'll rope you to the ground and kill you myself" Applejack had almost no accent making her voice sound more threatening. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked out the window and Rainbow Dash picked up Scootaloo in her arms, "Let's go Scootaloo" she said and flew away. "Sweetie Belle, y'all are coming with us, ya hear?" Applejack yelled up to the two remaining fillies, "it ain't safe, let's go" Applejack said as she turned around and walked.
"Applejack why were you yelling at Rainbow Dash?" Sweetie Belle asked, Applejack didn't respond. Applebloom looked forward and said to herself, "Isn't friendship supposed to be magic?" Applejack stopped walking and she looked up at the grey sky. A clap of thunder shouted before rain fell onto the land. She felt the rain hit against her messy coat and clean it off, she let out a sigh of enjoyment as she felt the cold water start to clean her and the rest of the ground off. She closed her eyes to better enjoy it then lowered her head and mumbled, "There is no magic, it doesn't exist anymore"