The Best Day
Part One of Two
Scootaloo happily buzzed down Ponyville’s main street, a joyful smile on her face. Her wings flapped playfully alongside the wind that blew her tail in every direction as she savored the joy of riding her scooter as she went to see her friends.
“What a great day it is!” she sang out. She may not have been the best singer in Equestria, but nopony had ever told her that she had to be good at something in order to love it. “Everything is gonna go my way! Never seen a better day than this, because today is my…” Her song was interrupted as she jumped off her scooter and trotted off to Sugarcube Corner where she knew Sweetie Belle and Applebloom would be waiting for her.
She pulled her helmet off her head, but even having the straps tangled in her unwashed mane wasn’t enough to dampen her spirits. “Today is the best day eveeeeer!” Her final high note felt quite triumphant to her as she entered the bakery and headed to the Cutie Mark Crusader’s usual table. But as she rounded the bend, she could tell something was off.
Her best friends weren’t in their usual spot.
“Huh.” Scootallo looked at her wrist, but upon remembering that she had broken her watch a few months ago, she glanced at the clock. “Ten past ten? Wow, they must be even later than I am!” Scootaloo shrugged off the growing sense of… something… that was growing in her stomach. “Guess I’ll just wait a bit!” She jumped into the booth and hummed her little melody.
Not even three seconds after she sat down, Pinkie Pie hopped over to her. “Heya Scoots! How’s one of my favorite little fillies doing today?”
Scootaloo cracked a smile at the mare in front of her. “Hey Pinkie! I’m doing awesome today, just super-duper!” She tried to ignore the bubbling hunger in her stomach as she smell from the kitchen wafted to her nose.
“Well, that’s just great! I love it when ponies are happy! Because if they aren’t happy, that means that they’re sad, or angry, or scared, or really need to use the bathroom and forgot to use it at the station before the train left, and any time that they feel like that it’s up to Pinkie Pie to cheer them up! But if they’re already cheered up and are Happy McJoyful pantses, then we can just have a good time. Oh, also, do you want anything to eat? Mr. Cake is glaring at me a little bit, because he says I shouldn’t talk so much while waitressing! But I think that’s silly! Who doesn’t want to have lots of fun talking before they get their omm-noms? Oh, now Mrs. Cake is glaring too. What would you like?” She grinned sheepishly.
Scootaloo was about to ask for some hayfries and a milkshake, but then she remembered… “Oh, no thanks Pinkie, I think I’ll just wait for my friends. But could I get a water please?”
Pinkie nodded and bounced happily off to the kitchen. A few moments later, Scootaloo was sipping her water and waiting for the greatest friends in the world to arrive.
About five minutes later, Pinkie refilled her water.
Ten minutes after that, Scootaloo had to use the little filly’s room.
After she had been waiting half an hour more, she stopped humming.
At about eleven o’clock, Scootaloo left Sugarcube Corner and put her helmet back on.
“Well, maybe they forgot that we were meeting here today and went to the clubhouse! Yeah, actually, I bet that that’s where we had planned on meeting and I totally forgot!” Her joy returned, and she hopped onto her scooter and darted her way back to the clubhouse.
By the time she was halfway there, she was humming again.
She arrived at the CMC’s main hangout in record time and leapt off her scooter to not-quite fly up to the door.
“Hey girls, sorry I’m la-” Scootaloo cut herself off when she saw the empty tree house. She hung her head and dropped her beaten up helmet onto the floor. She sighed and plopped herself onto the floor.
“Well…” Scootaloo felt the bubbling continue to grow in her stomach, but it wasn’t just hunger. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she cut them off quickly. “No, today is going to be a great day! Maybe they just decided to go to the farm instead! I’m sure that’s all. They wouldn’t ignore me today… I won’t have to be alone.”
Once more, Scootaloo pulled on her helmet and hopped onto her dinged up scooter.
She didn’t hum at all as she rode off to the farm.
As she approached Sweet Apple Acres, she tried to be happy. It was hard, especially today, and especially when she was so busy just trying to convince herself that her friends weren’t purposefully staying away from her. As she passed under the archway before the barn she put on the biggest smile she could muster. It wasn’t much.
Granny Smith sat outside on her rocking chair as the young filly rode up the dirt path. “Why, hello little Sweetie Bell! Ah, think Appleboom is out in the orchard helpin’ her sis with the harvest! You should go say hello.”
Scootaloo nodded at the zany old mare. “Thanks Granny! It’s Scootaloo, by the way.” She was already zipping toward the trees before she even heard the reply.
After just a few minutes, she had located the sisters amidst the towering fruit trees. Applejack was busy bucking tree after tree and Applebloom was collecting the fallen apples and placing them into buckets. Scootaloo’s face broke out in a grin as she saw one of her best friends.
“Hey Applebloom!” she called out with a shout.
The yellow filly turned away from the apples for a moment and replied with her own shout, “Hey Scootaloo! Come on over here!”
Scootaloo closed the ground between them as quickly as she could. “I looked everywhere for you! I checked Sugarcube Corner and the clubhouse and… well, I checked Sugarcube Corner and the clubhouse, but you weren’t there! Well, obviously you weren’t there, because you’re here! Wanna hang out?”
Appleblooms smile faded as Scootaloo spoke. “Ah’m sorry Scoots, but mah sis needs help today, and Big Mac is sick. We’ve got a whole lotta trees to buck, and only a little while before a big order is due. But hey, maybe we could hang out tomorrow? Big Mac should be better by then.”
Scootaloo couldn’t say anything for a moment. She didn’t open her mouth, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears if she did. After taking a moment to compose herself, she put her massive fake smile back on.
“Oh, that’s okay. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, I guess. So, I’ll see you tomorrow then…”
Applebloom replied, “Yeah, we’ll have all day, and I’m sure it’ll be the best day ever!”
Scootaloo almost broke out in tears right then. “Yeah, see you later then.”
As she drove off on her scooter, her stomach continued in its agonized state. She didn’t even feel the hunger any more. She just felt an inexplicably terrible sense of… something. It was something she had felt many times in the past, but she had never put a name to it.
“Well hey, there’s still always Sweetie Bell. Or Scootaloo, as Granny Smith would probably call her.” She chuckled as she rode off, but it was an empty laugh.
She made her way silently to Rarity’s boutique and tried to convince herself that everything was going to be alright. She pushed the feeling in her stomach to the back of her mind. “What a great day it is… Everything is gonna go my way… Never seen a better day than this, because today is my…” She tried to sing her song, but the words felt so empty.
She left her scooter leaning against the wall of Carousal Boutique and walked inside. Rarity was behind the counter finishing up with a customer.
“And if you have any issues whatsoever, do not hesitate to return so that I may rectify the problem. That is Rarity’s guarantee! Au revoir, and come back soon!” The fancy looking mare with the shopping bags walked out the door without a word as Scootaloo made her way toward Rarity.
“Well, some ponies just do not understand the power of a polite word or two. But where are my manners, how may I help you today Scootaloo?” The white mare smiled kindly behind her red glasses as she pulled the measuring tape off her neck using her magic.
“Hey Ms. Rarity, I was just stopping by to see if Sweetie Belle was here. Do you think she could come out and play with me?”
Rarity smiled sadly at Scootaloo. “I’m sorry my dear, but little Sweetie is grounded today. She became a little bit too enthusiastic with some of her paste in my workroom, and now is not allowed to leave the house for either a day, or until it is all cleaned up. Whichever takes longer.” The unicorn gave a grin at this last part. “I will be sure to tell her that you stopped by; perhaps that shall motivate her to have it done by the end of the day!”
Scootaloo put her false smile back on. “Oh, okay. I… I guess I’ll stop by tomorrow then..”
“Very well then. Enjoy yourself today Scootaloo! It is a beautiful day, and a filly like you should be outside enjoying the glorious sunny day! My, today does seem quite nice. Perhaps Fluttershy would be free to take a trip to the spa…” By then, Rarity wasn’t even talking to Scootaloo, but Scootaloo didn’t mind. She wasn’t listening either.
Scootaloo walked numbly out of the Boutique and once more donned her helmet and boarded her scooter. She rode back to her clubhouse without singing, speaking, or even thinking.
Upon entering the clubhouse, she walked to one of the corners and leaned over. Pulling back a loose board, she retrieved a small cardboard box. Inside was a small collection of items. There were three blankets in varying states of decay, a grimy pillow, two bits, a very small trophy, and an even smaller picture.
She placed the rattiest blanket upon the clubhouse floor and spread the pillow and other two blankets around her. She very carefully left the bits and the trophy inside the box, but pulled out the picture. As she lay upon the blanket, she gazed longingly at the mare, stallion, and baby filly in the picture.
She closed her eyes, and a single tear ran down her cheek. There it was again. That feeling. That horrid, boiling, gnashing emptiness inside of her.
But as she looked at the picture, she finally realized the name of the burning inside of her.
Loneliness.
“What a great day it is…” She sang out.
“Everything is gonna go my way…” She tried to fight the emptiness.
“Never seen a better day than this…” She was barely keeping back the tears.
“Because today is my birthday.”
Finally, the tears overcame her. She only managed three more words before she cried herself to sleep.
“Happy birthday, Scootaloo.”
Author's Note
Hey guys, Doc here. This is just a quick attempt to break my writers block and try a totally different kind of story. Sad things don't come naturally to me.
There will be a part two, and it will be brighter. But hey, a light is only bright if you have seen the darkness, right?
The Best Day
Part Two of Two
Something was wrong. Pinkie could feel it. Or, rather, her hair could feel it. Pinkie never did understand how her Pinkie Sense worked, but she knew enough to listen to it whenever it started. And boy, it sure was starting now.
POMF! Her mane inflated to an even more insanely poofy configuration.
CHITCHITCHIT! Her teeth began chattering just like Granny Smith’s when she lost her teeth on the giant trampoline!
KA-POW! Her hoof shot out and punched Twilight in the face!
“Oww! Pinkie! Why did you do that?” Twilight fell backwards out of her chair in Sugarcube Corner while holding her mouth. “Just because I said that Daring Doo isn’t a completely accurate representation of an archaeologist doesn't mean that you have to punch me! Honestly, the way you’re defending her I’d think you were Rainbow Dash…” Twilight rubbed her face and frowned.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Twily! I couldn’t help it. My Pinkie Sense went all like POMF! And then like CHITCHITCHIT! And the it went all KA-POW! And then I hit you!” Pinkie’s hair continued poofing outward and then retracting. She was barely able to keep her teeth from continuing their mad dance, and her hoof continued to try to pull her out the door.
“Wait, this is Pikine Sense? Ooh, let me get my notebook!” A grin broke out over Twilight’s more-purple-than-normal face. Using her magic, she grabbed a pen, some ink, and a notebook from her saddle bag.
“Pinkie… Sense… Number… Five-thousand-eight-hundred-seventy-two. Okay, signs. Wild poofy mane… Inexplicably chattery teeth… And uncontrollable punching of Celestia’s most faithful student. Perfect! Now, has this ever happened before?”
“Yes! Actually no, the third sign isn’t punching anypony. The third sign is my hoof trying to pull me somewhere…”
At this, Twilight stopped writing. She looked down at her notes with an expression of horror on her face. “Oh, okay. I guess that I could… umm… I guess I could just cross that part out and rewrite it…”
Pinkie looked thoughtfully at her energetic hoof. “But yeah, I think this happened before… Poofy mane… Chittery Teeth… Hoof becoming sentient…”
“Nononono NO! The line! It’s mocking me! Must. Start. Over!”
As Twilight ripped at her notebook, Pinkie gasped with a sudden realization. “No! It can’t be! Twilight! IT’S THE BIG ONE!”
As the bits of paper settled to the floor, Twilight looked at Pinkie with an ink splattered face. “Wait, what do you mean the big one?”
Pinkie gazed at Twilight, a haunted expression on her face. “Twilight, this Sense has only happened twice before. This is the sign of…”
Twilight waited a moment for Pinkie to finish, but she just sat there silently. “The sign of what Pinkie?”
“It’s the sign of…”
“The sign of what?”
“It’s the sign of…”
“PINKIE!”
“A party emergency! There is somepony out there who DESPERATELY needs a party! Like, really, really, really, really, really, really badly! My hoof is trying to pull me toward them! But I haven’t received the other sign yet…”
Twilight looked up from her notebook. “A fourth sign? I thought there were only three signs.” Her face paled. “Oh no! Do I have to go back over all five thousand eight hundred seventy one other Pinkie signs and add a new category for another sign?!” Her breathing became quite heavy, but Pinkie interrupted her.
“No, this sign is special. It tells me who needs the party. Before, I’ve had a small vision that shows that poor pony. I go all blank-like for a minute and start shouting stuff, then I’m all shiny and know who I need to help! Huh, I wonder why it hasn’t happened ye-” Pinkie suddenly looked at Twilight with a vacant expression.
“Uh, Pinkie? Are you in there?” Twilight edged toward her friend slowly. “Hey, are you alrigh-”
“WINGS!”
Twilight jumped backwards and hid under the table as Pinkie shouted at her.
“FEATHERS!”
“KIND OF YELLOWY!”
“CHICKENS!”
“What do chickens have to do with a yellowish pony with wings and feathers?” Twilight covered her ears. As she peeked out from under the table, she could see the other patrons as well as the cakes either hiding or running into the street in an attempt to escape the noise.
“NOT FLUTTERSHY!”
“Darn. There goes my idea,” Twilight muttered. At least, she thought she muttered. She couldn’t hear herself too well with the cottony feeling in her ears.
“IT. IS. SCOOTALOO!”
As quickly as it started, Pinkie snapped awake again. “Twilight! It’s Scootaloo! Scootaloo needs help!”
“Yeah, I heard. I think all of Equestria may have heard as well…”
Pinkie grinned. “Okie-dokie-lokie! So that means you know what we have to do, right?”
Twilight shrugged. “Throw her a party?”
“Not just any party! The most super-duper awesome-sausum party that she’s ever had! We’re going to need help! And party cannons!”
“Cannons? As in plural?” Twilight’s voice held just a hint of fear.
“Yeah, like lots of cannons. Come on, we don’t have any time to waste!”
“I have a very bad feeling about this… But I suppose it may make a good letter.”
***
Scootaloo turned over in her restless sleep. Her dreams were haunted by memories…
***
“Hey Fluttershy! Over here!” Pinkie cried out to the pegasus as she walked down the street.
Fluttershy turned to face them. “Oh, hi Pinkie. Hi Twilight. Twilight, are you wearing purple makeup? It looks, um, nice?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s not makeup. Pinkie punched me. But we don’t have time to explain. We need your help!”
***
The young filly tossed and turned and dreamed of two years ago.
***
“Rainbow Daaaaash!”
Rainbow Dash looked down from the tree she was sleeping in to see three of her walking toward her.
“What’s up Pinkie? Oh, and hey Fluttershy and Twilight! I was just-” She looked a Twilight and jumped up. “Twilight! Are you wearing warpaint? That is so awesome!”
Twilight sighed. “No, it’s not warpaint. Pinkie punched me. But we don’t have time to explain! We really need your help!”
***
Two years ago. The fire.
***
“Hey! Applejack! Applebloom! HEEEEEEEY!”
The two earth ponies wiped the sweat from their brows as they say the four ponies approaching them.
“Well, heya Pinkie! And Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight too! It’s great to see y’all but… Twilight? Are you wearing some namby-pamby cosmetics? Those things give ya wrinkles, ya know that right?”
Twilight huffed. “No, it’s not ‘namby-pamby cosmetics!’ Pinkie punched me. That’s all! But we don’t have time to explain! We really need your help! Both of you!”
***
She could still smell the smoke. Still feel the heat. Still taste the ash. Still hear her parents scream…
***
“Hey! Rarity! Sweetie Belle! We need you out here!” Pinkie and the rest of the gang stood outside the boutique as Pinkie shouted at a window. A moment later, Rarity and her sister both poked their heads out to see the source of the all the yelling.
“Well hello everypony, it’s so good to see you all-”
“IT’S NOT MAKE-UP! PINKIE PUNCHED ME!” Twilight screamed at her. “We don’t have time to explain, but we need you both out here now! We have to head to Sugarcube Corner! It’s an emergency!”
***
Scootaloo let out a quiet sob as she slept and clutched her little picture close.
***
“So let me get this straight. Pinkie punched ya, then started shouting out some random things, then said that Scootaloo desperately needs a party. So, of course, the only logical thing to do was to pull us all off the farm, or boutique, or the street, or wherever Rainbow Dash was sleeping so that we could help you throw a giant party?” Applejack and the others looked at Twilight.
“Well, when you put it that way… Yes. Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense hasn’t been wrong yet, and if she says Scootaloo needs a party, then I believe her.” Twilight looked Applejack directly in the eyes and stood up straight.
“Hey sugar cube, Ah wasn’t saying anything against you, just checkin’ to make sure Ah had the story right. But why does she need a party so badly today? Do you have any idea Applebloom?”
Applebloom shrugged. “Ah don’t know. She was really looking forward to today for a while though. What about you Sweetie?”
Sweetie looked at one of her best friends. “Well, I remember her saying that today would be better than last year, but what did she mean by that? Why was today special?”
Everypony was silent for a moment, but then Fluttershy spoke up.
“Well, um, maybe it’s… her birthday?”
Sweetie Bell and Applebloom gasped simultaneously.
“Oh my gosh! It’s her birthday! Applebloom, how could we forget?” Sweetie Belle hung her head, and in a second, Applebloom did too.
“Oh my. Now I feel so bad about sending her away from the boutique without letting Sweetie play with her! And then I said that it was such a wonderful day and told her I wanted to spend time with my friends! How careless of me!” Rarity put her hoof to her eye and wiped away a single tear.
“I’M A HORRIBLE PONY!” And with that, she fell backward and began sobbing.
“Hey, enough chittering and chattering! We have a very sad and lonely filly on our hands who desperately needs a party and we’re busy whining about ourselves! Well, Rarity is busy whining about herself! But still, times a-wasting. Let’s grab those party cannons and find our little Scootaloo buddy and give her the best birthday she’s ever had!”
Everypony cheered, but Rainbow Dash interrupted them. “Wait, wait, wait. Did I just hear you right? Party cannons? With an ‘S’?”
And with that, Pinkie jumped toward the closest tree and pulled out seven party cannons. “Yep. I keep them stashed all over Equestria for occasions just like this!”
As she pushed the contraptions of instant happiness into the hooves of all her friends, Twilight looked at her quizzically. “Uh, alright. But aren’t you forgetting something? There are eight of us here.”
Pinkie grinned at her friend. “Silly Twily, I always have mine on me!” Pinkie stuck her hoof into her still spasming hair and pulled out the final cannon. “See?”
Applebloom regarded her cannon carefully as she spoke. “Well, that’s all well and good, but how do we find her? She could be anywhere?”
Pinkie smiled. “Oh, don’t worry! We’ll just follow my hoof…”
***
Scootaloo heard a light thumping noise outside the treehouse. She looked up at the sky, and seeing that it was early evening, decided to get up and take a walk. Maybe she could go by Sugarcube Corner… Maybe Derpy would be there and have some muffins… Maybe she would share….
But as she made her way out the door, she was stunned by the earth-shattering KABOOM of eight party cannons going off in tandem.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOOTALOO!”
Scootaloo looked down at the picnic table in shock. All the trees were covered in streamers, balloons were tied everywhere, and the table was covered by cake and presents. But best of all, her two best friends were running up to her.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle grabbed Scootaloo in a giant bear hug.
“Scootaloo! We forgot what day it is! But we’re here now! You don’t have to be alone!”
Scootaloo couldn’t help herself. She started bawling right then there. But this time, they were tears of joy.
“I… I knew you would be here for me! I knew it wouldn’t be like last year! I just knew it!” She barely managed these simple sentances through her sobs, but her friends didn’t care. They just stood there and held her.
After a moment, the three fillies walked down to the picnic table where Pinkie and her friends were waiting.
“H-how did you know? And h-how did you do all of this?”
Twilight smiled down at Scootaloo. “Well, the answer to your first question is Pinkie, and the answer to your second is Pinkie. She got everything together.”
Scootaloo just looked at the pink earth pony. Pinkie smiled at her, that same smile that she always gave Scootaloo when the young pegasus was feeling down. It was a smile that told her that everything was going to be alright, and that somepony cared.
She ran over to Pinkie and gave her a huge, tearful hug. “Oh Pinkie! Thank you! I’m so glad this isn’t like last year! I don’t think I could bear being alone for another birthday!”
“Hey, it’s okay. I know what it’s like to fell lonely, especially on your birthday. But I always remind myself of the amazing friends and family I have here, and then I feel so much better!”
At this, Scootaloo sobbed even harder. “It’s so great to have friends like you… But I- I don’t have any family… Not anymore.”
Scootallo let go of Pinkie and could barely get out her next words.
“I miss them so much!”
Pinkie grabbed her in another hug, and all seven of the others came over and joined in.
“Hey, look at me.”
Scootaloo looked directly into Pinkies eyes as Pinkie spoke.
“You do have family. We are your family. Family is the ponies that never want to see you sad.”
Applejack nodded. “That is so true. And family is the ponies who would put down something that is important to them because something is important to you.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Family is the ponies who will smile with you on the best days, and cry with you on the worst days.”
“Family is the ponies that are always on your mind. The ones you always want near you.” Rainbow Dash pulled Scootaloo close and gave hear a noogie.
“Family overlooks the small things and is willing to give anything for each other.” Rarity grabbed Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. “Even if it means that my workroom is still covered in paste.” She looked poindedly at Sweetie, who grinned shyly.
“Family is the ponies who trust you, and believe you, and who tolerate a punch or two for each other’s sake.” Twilight was looking more at Pinkie than at Scootaloo, but Scootaloo couldn’t see that through her tears anyways.
“Yeah, family is the ponies who love you!” Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo yet another hug, and Applebloom soon joined.
“Scootaloo, we all love you and don’t want you to be alone. And you aren’t alone. You have us. Your family.”
Scootaloo finally opened her eyes, and all she could see was love around her. Love, and the smiling faces of her family.
***
Scootaloo lay in the guest bedroom at Sweet Apple Acres which had been offered to her by Applejack after the party was done. Applebloom had helped her carry her box of possessions into the room before heading back into her own room.
Scootaloo left the nasty blankets and pillow in the box, but she took the rest of the items out. She placed her trophy onto her dresser next to her bits and the presents that her family had given her.
But that still left two items in her box. She pulled her two photographs out and carefully placed them onto her nightstand. The first photo was of herself, her mother, and her father. But the second one was of herself surrounded by the eight greatest friends in the world. Her family.
She gazed carefully at the two pictures. She sighed. Nopony could ever replace her mommy or daddy, but Scootaloo knew that they wouldn’t want her to be sad forever. Somehow, she knew that they were looking down on their daughter and her new family. And she also knew they were smiling.
As she turned off the light, she sang a simple little song to herself.
“What a great day it was…”
“Everything went my way…”
“I never saw a better day than this…”
“Because today was my birthday.”
With her mind on her family, she slowly drifted off to sleep. But before sleep overcame her, she muttered three words.
“Happy Birthday Scootaloo.”
Author's Note
Well, here it is. I really wish I could tag this story both sad and comedy, but hey, in the immortal words of the philosopher Jagger, "You can't always get what you want."
Doc
