The next day Arc and Scootaloo awaken late in the morning.
“Do we have to get up so early, Big Brother?”
“Considering when we used to rise, this is sleeping in.”
Scootaloo sighs. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Give it a few days. We’ll get our sleep schedules back on track.”
“Must we?”
Arc raises an eyebrow, confused. “What do you mean?”
“We’re stronger at night when we transform. Maybe we could do some night work.”
“Like what?”
Scootaloo shrugs. “I dunno. More bounties?”
“That did go pretty well, I’ll give you that.”
“Yeah! It was fun!”
“Well, let’s go see what’s on the Writ Board. If we’re lucky there’s some more low level bounties.”
Leaving the tent, Arc cloaks and walks toward the tree line. Scootaloo calls after him.
“Aren’t we going to pack up the camp, Big Brother?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nah. We’ll come back to it later.”
“Okay.”
Entering town they head down the street together. Scootaloo calls out to Arc.
“This is why I cover up. I’m getting stared at.”
“News spreads fast.”
“Huh?”
“You took down that stallion last night, remember?”
“But you did that.”
Arc nods. “True. However everyone saw YOU do it.”
Reaching the Writ Board, the pair look it over. Scootaloo sighs.
“Nothing but odd jobs on here.”
Arc sighs. “That wanted poster must’ve just been a one-time thing.”
“What else could we do, Big Brother?”
“You mean what else can YOU do. I’m kinda conspicuous.”
Scootaloo points a hoof. “Here’s something. A job in the middle of nowhere.”
“Where?”
“Some place called ‘Cherry Hill Ranch’.”
“Cherry Hill… Ranch…?”
Arc holds his head as fragments of memories flood his mind. He sees Ember and Auriel picking cherries as he and Dinky watch. Cherry pulls a pie from the oven and smiles. The last memory is of them kissing on her couch.
“Big Brother? Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah. In fact, I think I’ve been there before.”
“You have?”
“There’s some memories of… stuff there.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I was… um… kissing a mare.”
Scootaloo blushes. “Oh… um… maybe they might recognize you.”
“If we see the mare from my memories, I’ll ask. Now let’s head over there and scope out the place.”
“Okay.”
Following the directions on the writ, Arc and Scootaloo make their way down the path out of town. Coming to the crest of a hill they look down to see the ranch. Arc nods soberly.
“I know I’ve been here.”
“There’s some mares in the orchard picking cherries. Should we ask them?”
“Just about a job. Nothing else right now.”
Nodding, Scootaloo walks down the path toward the cherry trees. Approaching the mares she asks for the pony in charge. They point her toward the warehouse. Entering, Scootaloo looks around. Arc taps her back gently.
“There’s a pony over there by those crates.”
“On it.”
Scootaloo walks over to the pony and clears her throat loudly. They turn around and give her a smile.
“Hello there, miss. Did you need to talk to me?”
“Yes. Um…”
Scootaloo holds out the writ before continuing.
“I wanted to see you about this.”
“Oh. Are you looking for a job, little one?”
“Kinda. You see…”
Arc calls out to her. “Ask her about night work.”
“…I was wondering if you have any work around here after dark.”
The mare shakes her head. “Not really. Right now we’re looking for Cherry Pickers. But they only work during the day, as it’s too hard to work by moonlight. And you look a little too small to be on the ladders.”
“Well, it’s actually for my Big Brother. You see… he’s really skittish around other ponies and doesn’t like the sunlight very much. So he was kinda hoping you needed something done after dark.”
“Well… I suppose if he doesn’t mind being in the orchard alone at night I could take him on as a temp worker. Just be sure he understands we pay by the sack, not the hour here.”
“That’s fine. We won’t let you down.”
“We?”
“I’ll come here with him. Like I said, he doesn’t do too well around others.”
“If it’s okay with your parents, sure.”
“Um… can he start tonight?”
“Certainly. I’ll see you at the house this evening.”
“Thank you Miss…”
“Ruby. Ruby Jubilee.”
“We’ll be here at sunset, Miss Ruby. See you later.”
Ruby waves after the filly. “See you then.”
Scootaloo and Arc walk back toward their camp. Arc sighs.
“Big Brother? Is something wrong?”
“Ruby Jubilee.”
“You know her?”
“Yes.”
“They why didn’t you say anything?!”
“Because I don’t know if I remember her for a good reason. One of the glimpses of memories I got when I saw her was me lying on the floor being hit by her repeatedly. The look on her face was one of unbridled rage.”
Scootaloo gasps. “Oh my! You must’ve done something REALLY bad to her! Uh… was it breaking up with her, or something?”
Arc shakes his head. “She wasn’t the one I remember kissing, no?”
“Ah! So you don’t have a… thing with her.”
“No. That’s why I kept quiet.”
“Probably for the best. So what’s next?”
“Let’s use the rest of that money from last night to buy some groceries. Then we’ll head back to camp and rest until evening.”
Scootaloo giggles. “Guess we should be well rested for our first day. Night?”
Arc shrugs. “Call it what you will.”
Buying various canned goods, Scootaloo puts them in her saddlebags and walks back toward their camp. Arriving, she drops her load breathlessly.
“That… was heavy!”
“Sorry I couldn’t help you. But I think it would have raised suspicion if you had full saddlebags one moment and empty ones the next.”
“Yeah, well… can we rest now? I didn’t sleep too well last night.”
Arc sighs. “I remember you doing a lot of tossing and turning.”
“Sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“Nah. Remember, you slept on the far side of the tent. Something about being too hot I think.”
“Right. I was having a bunch of nightmares.”
“What about?”
“Mom and dad mostly.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“I just… I can’t believe my dad was using me like that! What else did he do before ordering me to forget it?!”
“Nothing after you started hanging around with me.”
“And mom… she… she trusted him! Love him! And he… he KILLED HER!”
Arc puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, Scootaloo.”
“My dad must’ve sent you away on purpose! I tried to get help from others I passed, but they just ignored me!”
“Look. What everyone did back there was terrible. But think about it this way. You’ll never have to see them again. We’re going to the other side of the continent.”
“That actually makes me feel a lot better. But there is one thing I wish we’d have done before leaving.”
“What’s that?”
Scootaloo grits her teeth. “Killed every last one of them!”
“Scootaloo!”
“I know, I know. But… they deserved it!”
Arc frowns. “Kinda did, yeah.”
“Why didn’t they help?! Was it because I’m a freak?! Or because of all the stuff my dad made me do?!”
“I can’t answer that. But know that you’ll be safe with me.”
“Thank you, Big Brother. You’ve always been so nice to me. Why don’t we forget the whole trip to Vanhoover?”
“Scootaloo…”
“I’d watch your back, and do whatever to told me to! We could go live someplace else or stay here! I wouldn’t mind!”
“Look, I already explained why you can’t stay with me.”
Scootaloo gasps. “But you just CAN’T be bad!”
“How do you know that?”
“I… I just know!”
Arc sighs. “You need to be raised up properly by a pony family. They can give you a normal life. I can’t.”
“But…!”
“You’re going to the orphanage, and that’s final!”
Scootaloo bows her head sadly. “Yes, master.”
Arc sighs and puts his hand on her shoulder. “Sorry. It’s going to be a long trip. So don’t get the idea that you and I will be parting ways anytime soon.”
“How long do you think?”
“Rough estimate… I’m hoping to be in Vanhoover before it snows.”
“That long?!”
Arc pulls out the map and lays it on the ground. “Take a look. It took us a week to walk to this point. And we have to take the long way around to avoid a bunch of towns and mountains.”
He traces their route with a finger before continuing.
“With luck, we can buy any supplies we might need here with the wages from this job.”
“But we’re not going to ANY other towns?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nope. Less chance of us being found out that way.”
“Then why are we stopping here?”
“This is a small, off the path town. It’s easy to stay hidden here. Other places might be looking for me.”
“I still doubt it.”
“Better safe than sorry.”
“Okay, Big Brother. But we should rest now.”
“Good idea. Evening will be here before we know it.”
Scootaloo looks to him sheepishly. “Um… could I… you know…”
“Worried about nightmares?”
Scootaloo nods wordlessly as Arc holds out a hand to her.
“Sure. Come over here.”
Walking over, Scootaloo lays down next to Arc. Putting his arm around her, she snuggles up to his chest and sighs contentedly.
“Thanks.”
The pair fall asleep together. Meanwhile outside a familiar figure in a navy blue cloak walks away from the campsite.
“All the pieces are falling into place nicely. Just keep walking this path and you’ll be fine, Arc.”
Several hours later Arc and Scootaloo awaken. He looks down at the filly lying next to him.
“Sleep well?”
Scootaloo nods. “A lot better. I don’t really know what it is, but when I’m with you I just feel like everything’s going to be okay.”
“Glad to help. But we should probably eat something real quick and head out.”
“Okay.”
A short time later the pair walk down the nearly deserted streets to the outskirts of town. Arriving at the ranch, Arc speaks to Scootaloo telepathically.
“Walk up to the front door and knock.”
“Will do.”
Doing so, Ruby comes to the door. Smiling, she looks down at the filly before her.
“Hello again.”
“Good evening. Big Brother and I are ready to work.”
Ruby looks around. “I don’t see anypony.”
“Tell her I’m shy and hiding.”
“Like I said earlier, he’s really shy. Just let me know what you want done and I’ll tell him.”
“Well… okay. Follow me, please.”
She leads Scootaloo toward the orchard. Pointing a hoof at a large wagon, she turns to the filly.
“There’s a number of empty sacks back there. We’ll pay out for each one you two fill up.”
“Do you want them in the barn?”
Ruby shakes her head. “No, the barn’s locked for the night. Just stack them in the wagon and I’ll take care of them in the morning.”
“We can do that.”
“There’s also a ladder back there too. I only ask that you don’t go up it. Just your older brother.”
“Okay.”
Ruby yawns. “Well, I’m heading to bed. See you in the morning. Oh, and feel free to eat as many cherries as you’d both like.”
“Thanks. Good night, Miss Ruby.”
She leaves as Scootaloo hops up into the wagon and tosses the empty sacks on the ground. Arc reaches in and picks up the ladder. Setting it up, he frowns.
“I don’t think this thing’s going to work for someone like me.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for starters, it doesn’t look like it would hold me. And the steps are too close together.”
“Sized for a pony I would imagine.”
“That doesn’t help us though.”
Scootaloo sighs. “So what are we going to do?”
“Grab the wagon cover and unlatch the far side.”
Scootaloo hops up into the wagon and does so.
“Toss it down here to me and I’ll tie the ends.”
Arc fastens the clips to the trees on either side of the one he’s starting with. Scootaloo appears confused.
“What should I do?”
“Stay in the wagon and watch. This might work or just be a waste of time.”
Climbing the tree, Arc stands on two low limbs. Grabbing the trunk with both hands he shakes it violently. The cherries fall onto the cover and are funneled into the wagon. Scootaloo grins.
“Now all I have to do is get them into the sacks.”
“I have a plan for that too. Line up three sacks side by side so that they fill as I shake the tree. Then we won’t have to pick too much up.”
Scootaloo does as Arc says. A short time later the tree is empty. Arc climbs down to untie the two ends.
“Just let me push the wagon forward a bit and we’ll repeat the process.
“I can do that.”
“I doubt it. It’s pretty full of…”
Putting her front hooves on the back, Scootaloo pushes the wagon forward. Arc gasps.
“Woah, whoa! That’s far enough! Sorry, I didn’t know you were that strong!”
Scootaloo giggles. “I’m not.”
“Then how…?”
Scootaloo points a hoof skyward. “I looked at the moon and transformed. Was that okay?”
“I… guess so. After all, we’re all alone out here.”
“That and I’m wearing my cloak. But you should transform too, Big Brother.”
“Might as well, I guess.”
Looking up, Arc changes into his Crimson form. Grinning, he jumps up into the next tree as Scootaloo ties the knot to the corresponding trees.
“Ready!”
Arc grins. “Shaky time!”
They repeat the process numerous times throughout the night. Eventually the sun pokes over the horizon. Arc looks over to Scootaloo as she calls out to him.
“That’s the last sack.”
Arc chuckles. “Good. Looks like we’re out of time anyways.”
He hops out of the tree and walks over to the wagon. Each sack is neatly lined up and tied.
“We did well tonight.”
“Thanks to your idea, that is.”
“Yes, well… I couldn’t have done it without you. But let’s get the cover back on the wagon. We want to leave it like we found it.”
“Okay.”
As they finish, the sound of the farmhouse’s screen door opening echoes across through the orchard.
“Sounds like Miss Ruby’s awake.”
Arc nods as he cloaks. “Good. We should get our pay and move on.”
Ruby walks over to Scootaloo. She gasps as she looks at the load.
“Oh my! You two certainly were busy last night!”
Scootaloo grins. “Big Brother’s really efficient.”
“I can see that. Let me just count these up…”
She does so and nods approvingly.
“That’s a record for a new farmhand. Just let me head back to the house and I’ll get your pay.”
Ruby trots back to the farmhouse and returns with a massive bag of bits. Scootaloo gasps.
“How… how many bits is that?!”
“A thousand.”
“Isn’t that too much?!”
Ruby shakes her head. “Like I said yesterday. We don’t pay by the hour here. Everything to do with harvesting is done piecework.”
“Take the bag and thank her.”
“Well… thanks. Um… Big Brother and I need to be going now. We’re both pretty tired.”
Ruby smiles at her. “I can understand that. Will I see you again tomorrow night?”
“Big Brother and I were planning to move…”
“Tell her yes.”
“…move quicker tomorrow night.”
“Wonderful! I’ll have to stop by the bank for more bits, but I’ll be ready.”
“Thank you, Miss Ruby. Goodbye.”
The filly carries the sack of bits under her fetlock as Ruby unlocks the barn door for the day. She looks after Scootaloo as she makes her way back to the road.
“Hardest working pair I ever saw.”
Meanwhile, as they crest the hill, Scootaloo sets the bag of bits down and sits on her haunches.
“This would be a lot easier if I was still in my Crimson form. Bits are heavy!”
“I’ll take it.”
Walking over, Arc reaches through the robe and picks up the sack.
“That does have some heft to it.”
Scootaloo sighs. “We heading back to the campsite now? Or do you want to do some shopping, Big Brother?”
“Neither. I think we both need a bath after all that work.”
“There was a stream a mile or so into the woods.”
“Let’s pack up the camp and get a room at the inn.”
“The what?”
“They rent rooms. I saw it on the way to the saloon the other night. We can bathe there and sleep in real beds versus on the ground.”
“Sounds good.”
Returning to the campsite, they pack it up and head for the inn. Scootaloo walks up to the counter and stands on her hind legs to press the bell. An elderly stallion walks out and looks down at her.
“Something I can do for you, little one?”
“I need a room.”
The stallion chuckles. “Very funny. Now why don’t you head outside and play your games elsewhere?”
As he turns to walk away, Arc drops the bag of bits on the counter. The stallion looks at it, wide-eyed.
“Wha…?!”
Scootaloo smiles under her hood. “Is this enough?”
“For several weeks easily!”
“Good. I’m planning on sticking around.”
“One moment please.”
Putting the bits on a shelf, the stallion grabs a key and beckons for them to follow. Leading them upstairs, he stops in front of a large door.
“This is our finest room. I’ll let you get settled in. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Opening the door Arc and Scootaloo walk inside. Closing it behind them Arc removes his cloak and hangs it up on a nearby hook. The room is decently furnished with a small kitchenette and bathroom. A large bed sits in one corner of the room and several windows overlook the main street in front of the building. Scootaloo walks over to the curtains and quickly closes them.
“There. That looks a bit better.”
Arc calls out from the bathroom. “Let’s get cleaned up now. We both reek.”
“Sounds good.”
Entering the room, Scootaloo looks all around.
“Um… where’s the tub?”
“They just have a shower.”
“What’s a shower?”
“I’ll show you. But first you have to take off your cloak.”
Scootaloo appears confused. “I do?”
“Yup. Trust me. You can go first though.”
“Go… first?”
“I’ll show you what to do, then wait in the other room.”
“Shouldn’t we do this together?”
Arc shakes his head. “I… don’t really want to be bare.”
“Why?”
“It just… isn’t appropriate.”
“But we did it before back home.”
“And we were covered.”
Scootaloo shrugs. “True. But I don’t think you have anything under there that I haven’t seen before.”
“Well… I have an idea.”
Stripping down to his shorts, Arc turns to Scootaloo as she pulls her robe over her head.
“First, you turn on the water. Like this.”
Arc demonstrates which knobs do what.
“Then you adjust the temperature to your liking. That’s about right in my opinion.”
“Okay. So… what now?”
“Step in. Like so…”
Arc walks into the shower. Scootaloo eyes him as the water runs over his skin.
“Um… does it hurt?”
“Not at all. Now hop in and I’ll clean you up.”
Doing as she is told, Scootaloo steps into the shower. She stiffens momentarily as the water hits her, but soon relaxes. Arc pulls down the nozzle from its place overhead and hands it to Scootaloo.
“See? Nothing to be afraid of.”
“It just feels so strange for bath water to do this.”
“Ready?”
Scootaloo nods. Arc takes the soap and begins washing her coat and mane. A short time later he rinses her off.
“Feel better?”
“Much! Now how about I clean you up?”
“That’s okay. I can do it myself.”
“Please?! I really want to help out!”
Arc sighs. “Well… okay. Just stay away from the skin covered by my shorts, okay?”
“Sure.”
Sitting on the floor of the shower, Arc holds the nozzle as Scootaloo rubs the soap on his back. Before long she finishes and steps back.
“All done.”
“Thanks. Now how about you take a towel and leave the room for a few minutes? I need to get dressed.”
“Okay.”
Grabbing a towel, she runs into the next room. Arc chuckles as he removes his shorts and finishes cleaning himself. A few minutes later he steps out, towels off, and puts on clean clothes. Leaving the bathroom he finds Scootaloo clad in a fresh cloak waiting for him.
“You know, you don’t really need that on when it’s just the two of us.”
“I guess not. But I just feel so bare without it.”
“Like me without my clothes, huh?”
“Is that what it feels like?”
“I guess.”
“Do you want me to take it off?”
“Only if you want to.”
Scootaloo puts her front hooves around herself. “I… feel really safe and secure with it on.”
“That’s fine. Let’s get to bed though. You okay with sharing it?”
“Yeah. Can you hold me again? That really helped with the bad dreams.”
“Sure.”
Arc lays down as Scootaloo hops up onto the bed. Flopping down next to him, she sighs contentedly as Arc puts an arm around her and pulls her in close.
“Good night, Scootaloo.”
“Good night, Big Brother.”