“Apple Bloom!” It was Sweetie Belle, the white unicorn sister of Rarity. Her once curly, somewhat short hair now straightened out and long. Apple Bloom assumed that in Sweetie Belle’s older age, she must have realized that straight hair was more mature and fitting than her juvenile appearance she had acquired before.

“Apple Bloom! I knew you’d be here! Guess what!”

Apple Bloom was building an exquisite, cherry wood table. She continued to work while still talking and listening to Sweetie Belle. “Aw shucks Sweetie, I’m always here, you know that! Sweet Apple Acres is my home n’ life! Anyway, what’s up?”

“Guess who I just got free tickets to go see!” Sweetie exclaimed, waving the tickets around with her horn.

“Oh boy! Who?”

“Scootaloo!”

“Wow I haven’t seen ‘er in months, maybe even years! She’s always off traveling with Rainbow Dash ta some fancy flyin’ show. Where’s this one gonna be?”

“She’s right here in Ponyville!”

“Really? Wow, last time she did a show in Ponyville was…” she paused, trying to think of a time she could remember the orange pony with the purple mane flying over the skies of Ponyville. She tried, and tried, but to no avail. “I think ‘twas ‘bout a year ago?”

“NO!” Sweetie Belle corrected, “It was about NEVER ago! Scoot has never done a show here! She was never even touring until about ten months ago!”

“N’ she didn’t start here with ‘er friends?” At this news, Apple Bloom stopped sanding the table and leaned over on the edge of the still coarse side, crossing her legs in the way that was practically trademark to the Apple Family. But replacing the confident, almost cocky look with a confused, unsure one.

“Embarrass us? Now why would we be embarrassed? That’s ar best friend up there in them skies!” Apple Bloom argued, still confused on the subject.

“You know Scoot, she wanted to make us proud.” Sweetie Belle replied with a straight face, calm and collected. But as she spoke, she became more and more excited. “She wasn’t sure of her flying skills. And Dash really wants to show how great of a teaching job she did. So they went to Fillydelphia first. Since they didn’t know anyone there, it was great for rehearsal. Last month they were in Appleloosa, and now their finishing their practice tour right here in Ponyville!” At this, Sweetie started bouncing, forgetting her age and acting like she did when they were just little fillies.

“Gosh…” Apple Bloom was shocked at how out of the loop she was - especially the loop of one of her best friends. “Well…when is the show?”

“This afternoon!” Her joyful jumping had slowed to a hop, but was still filled with excitement.

“This afternoon?” Apple Bloom repeated. She wasn’t prepared at all. “Fine. I’ll go get tha kids. You got anyone special to bring?”

“Nah…” Sweetie recalled the last time Rarity attempted to push a stallion onto her. “Rarity can’t take a hint,” Sweetie Belle thought. This stallion was nice, but as always, he was an aristocrat. Rarity wanted Sweetie to marry someone famous, and rich.

“What happened to that fine looking stallion Rarity tried to get you last time?” Apple Bloom knew the answer, but couldn’t resist asking.

“What do you think?” an annoyed Sweetie Belle replied. She knew that Apple Bloom was simply picking at her misfortune. Apple Bloom was the lucky one of the former Cutie Mark Crusaders. She went and found a colt, had two children, Applebuck and Golden Delicious, and made herself a life as the lead carpenter at Sweet Apple Farms, and the rest of Ponyville.

Once Sweetie was the only blank flank in the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they broke up; remaining friends, but faintly. Sweetie went to work at the Carousel Boutique with her older sister Rarity, and later became the head of it. It was then she gained her Cutie Mark: A roll of fabric with scissors cutting in. Sweetie learned that even if she wanted to leave, she couldn’t. She wanted a colt too, someone to love, someone other than Rarity and that nuisance Opalescence to keep her company. Someone to give her at least one child, a son perhaps, who she could teach the “Art of the Dress” as Rarity liked to call it.

---

“Are we…done yet?” Scootaloo asked her idol and trainer, panting like a dog and dripping sweat. The orange pony with the purple mane couldn’t even hover due to her fatigue.

“Done? DONE? Ya, sure. We’re done. Now go away while I go cancel the show!”

“But Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo whined “I’m so tired…I don’t know if I can fly anymore. And I’ve got to rest up for the show! Why are you even training me so hard! You haven’t trained me this hard since I crashed at Fillydelphia!”

“Exactly! We didn’t even KNOW anyone there, and you crashed, imagine if you crashed here! In front of your friends, my friends, and everyone else!” Rainbow Dash screamed, not realizing how tired her protégé was.

“Dash,” Scootaloo begged “please let me just go to Sweet Apple Acres and go eat some food - healthy food, and rest up before the show!

“Fine, do whatever you want. But if you’re not here fifteen minutes before the show I’m calling it off and you will never do another show with me again!” Dash was furious. Not at Scootaloo, but because she was terrified that she and Scootaloo wouldn’t make a good impression in front of everyone they knew and loved.

“Oh thank you Rainbow Dash!” With that, all of Scootaloo’s energy returned and she was gone in a blink, leaving a smear of orange and purple across the sky. Rainbow Dash wondered if the tired thing was an excuse. But she quickly realized that the filly needed some time to herself, and they were working extra hard today.

Scootaloo got to the farm quickly, and became excited and nostalgic as she entered. While looking over to see how much larger the Apple family had grown along with the farm, she ran into a certain orange pony with blonde hair, still wearing the hat she has wore for years.

“Whoa there partner! Is that the filly I’ma go see at a fancy flyin’ show this afternoon?” It was Applejack, Apple Bloom’s older sister. She still didn’t forget how Scootaloo looked, and still saw the little filly that could barely hover above the ground, crashing into things and running ponies over on her scooter.

“It sure is!” Scootaloo bragged. “And it’s gonna be awesome!”

“Well I hope so Sugarcube” Applejack meant it. Life on the farm had been slow. She wasn’t as good of an applebucker as she once was, and was stuck in the house, caring for Big Macintosh who had broken his leg on the job.

“I promise it will be!” Scootaloo guaranteed Applejack. She returned to her mission. “Have you seen Apple Bloom?”

“Hmm…” Applejack thought. “You wanna leave me already?” She laughed in her playful, jokingly manner. “I’m joshin’ ya Sugarcube. Apple Bloom’s over yonder.” She pointed towards a rundown barn; almost falling apart and looking like it had been abandoned for years. Scootaloo knew this had to be a joke.

“AJ, are you sure you’re not losing your memory with your old age?” Scootaloo trusted Applejack, she was the Element of Honesty after all, but there was always a hint of distrust in the back of Scootaloo’s mind, no matter the person she was accusing.

“Are you saying I’m lyin’?” Applejack knew the answer, but picking on Scootaloo was to fun to pass up.

“NO! Never! I couldn’t! I’ll go! Thanks AJ!” Scootaloo yelled to behind her to Applejack as she flew away in a flash to the barn.

As Scootaloo approached the barn, she slowed to a hover and peeking around the corner as if she was afraid of what was behind it. She saw the butter mare with her long, candy apple red hair pulled back in a tight bow. Upon closer investigation, she was able to see a white unicorn mare in front of Apple Bloom with long, strait, purple and pink hair. Time, matched with the new hair style, caused Scootaloo to not recognize one of her best friends, one of her only friends. It wasn’t until she saw the unicorn begin bouncing with joy that she realized who it was.

She shot towards the two ponies faster than when training.”Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle!” She screamed, filled with ecstasy at the sight of her friends for the first time in years. Rainbow Dash was awesome, but she was a coach, not a friend.

She tackled Apple Bloom, unaware of her speed, knocking over the table as well. The shock of the sight caused Sweetie to fall over as well at the same time as the table.

“What in tarnation? Scoot is dat you?”

“Oh my Celestia it is! I didn’t think we’d see you till this afternoon!”

“Nah…Dash thinks I’m snackin’ before the show.”

“Well, shucks, don’t wanna lie to her do we?” Apple Bloom asked rhetorically as she bucked the nearest tree to her.

“I guess I could use a snack. I got an hour…” Her voice trailed off as if she expected someone to finish her statement for her.

“Ya know, things’ve changed since ya left a few years ago.”

“Ya…like Sweetie’s hair!”

“Hah. Well I like it don’t you Bloom?”

“Darn right I do.”

“Me too!”

“But there are other things too!”

All at once the three knew what they had to do. Excitement and nostalgia filled the air and caused the sacred words to be yelled in unison to the heavens above. So loud that maybe even Princess Celestia heard them and agreed.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS REUNION!”

“I know where to go first!”

“Lemme guess, the boutique?”

“No! I need to get out of there for a while! I was gonna say the library!

“Oh ya! We should introduce Scoot tuh Twi’s son!

“But…shouldn’t we show her Applebuck and Golden Delicious first?”

“Oops! Of course!”

“Wait, wait!” Scootaloo interrupted, she was confused and had lost the conversation at boutique, though she did hear something about Twilight and a son, and two unfamiliar names that she had never heard before now.”Who? And how did Twilight get a son?”

“Mah kids, Applebuck and Golden Delicious. And Twilight got together wid Caramel.”

“Man, I’ve got some catching up to do huh?”

And with that, the three ponies were headed toward the house. Scootaloo could only imagine what other surprises were in store for her.

---

There was a knock on the library door; a quiet, barely audible one. It was very representative of the mare causing it.

“Come on in!” Yelled a medium sized purple and green dragon from his usual sleeping position on the library floor. Spike had grown much larger over the years, and would spend most of his days upstairs in Twilight’s bedroom sleeping in the same spot he had for so long, or he would slowly drag down to the library on the ground floor, mostly to stretch out some, but occasionally the giant reptile would collapse on the floor of the library right where he stood and sleep.

Fluttershy opened the door and made a tiny, quiet, peep upon noticing Spike. She wasn't afraid, so much she was surprised. No pony could ever predict when Spike would decide to stretch, so Fluttershy would jump but realize quickly it was just lovable old Spike. “Oh…hi Spike…I didn’t see you there. By the way, where’s Caramel and Skylite?” She whispered.”I’m sorry. Is Twilight home?”

“Oh, no problem Fluttershy! Yea Twi’s in the kitchen upstairs. Caramel and Skylite went to the farm. Sky likes to help fly the apples over to the collection barn. Still don’t know, or wanna know, how Twi ended up with a pegasis son.”

“Oh, I see. Heh. Me neither. But, am I interrupting something?”

“Nah! She’s just making breakfast.”

“This late in the afternoon? I mean…it’s ok with me…I just don’t…” She was lost for words. Her kindness wouldn’t allow the yellow pegasis with the cotton candy pink mane to speak the words she wanted to say.

“I understand ‘Shy, we just had a late night last night and just woke up.”

“Oh…well may I go speak to her about something? It can always wait until a better time. If…if that’s ok with you.”

“No, no, go ahead. She won’t care.”

With a shy grin and a faint nod, she slowly proceeded up the stairs, as if afraid of what was over them. Then again, knowing Fluttershy, she probably was afraid. Normally this would’ve annoyed Spike and he would resort to his ‘Poker Face’ and turn away, but whether it was from age or sleep, he didn’t mind the slowness and quietness of the yellow pony. With a grin on his face, he fell back asleep.

“Umm…excuse me Twilight.”

“Oh hello Fluttershy, what’s up? Want some break…uh…lunch?” Twilight was making some celery salads; something tasty, nutritious, and kind of neutral in terms of time.

“Oh, no thank you Twilight, I just ate. I’m sorry. But I wanted to talk to you about Pinkie Pie.”

“Umm…ok? What’s wrong?”

“She hasn’t come out of her room all day!”

The news was shocking enough, but Fluttershy yelling, especially indoors, was shocking to say the least! “Well maybe she simply hasn’t had a reason to go out.” Twilight said. Not sure whether to be confident or worried.

“But…I…I went into her room, and…”

“AND WHAT?” Twilight screamed. Fluttershy needed to get out with it before Twilight took it out.

“And…”she sighed “remember when Pinkie went kind of crazy and her hair went straight?”

“Yea…”

“Well, her hair as like that and she was sitting in the back corner of her room, crying in the dark.”

“Pinkie? Crying?” She thought. “Oh no…”

“And when I asked if she was ok, she just mumbled something and yelled at me to get out. I tried to help, but she threw a cupcake at me. It was hard as stone, like it had been there for days.”

“Man she’s really messed up!”

“Twilight?”

“Hmm? Oh. Ya, it sounds really bad.

A voice called from downstairs, it was very deep, and shook the house when it spoke. “Twi, Rarity’s here! She says she needs to speak to you! She says it’s about Pinkie Pie?”

“Oh, no! Not Rarity too! I’M COMING!”

“Do you think it could be about what I was talking about?” Fluttershy was talking a little smoother and louder.

“I don’t know, but let’s hope it something good!”

Once they walked down the stairs to the library, the saw only a sleeping teenage dragon. “Spike! SPIKE!”

“Huh? What?”

“Where is Rarity!”

The purple and green dragon opened his gigantic mouth and yawned. “I don’t know. I think she said something about having to go back to the boutique to handle something. I don’t quite remember. She was talking fast and I was half asleep.

“Ugh. I have got to get you out more! You do nothing but loaf around in the middle of the floor. Scarring ponies away and getting in the way! Either go back up stairs or stay awake and out of the way!”She could see Spike was hurt, but it was true, and he knew it too. She felt bad, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. “Come on Fluttershy. To the boutique!”

Next Chapter: The Family/The Room Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 38 Minutes