Chapters View Online
Totally Awesome Start to A Totally Awesome Weekend
It was nearly the end of the school day as Scootaloo sat hunched over in class, her eyes narrowing in boredom. She leaned onto her hoof more comfortably, carefully tilting her head over just right…
No, not good enough. Her back was straining from her hunched position. She shifted a textbook just under her elbow, properly elevating it to a desirable position. Just a little closer, and…oh, yes. That felt nice. A grin slowly formed on her face as her breathing slowed down, her eyelids growing heavier...
“Is my class that boring, Scootaloo?” Cheerilee’s voice snapped the filly out of her daze, causing her to shove the book off her desk.
A few students giggled, placing an awkward grin on Scootaloo’s face. “Of course not, Miss Cheerilee. It’s just that…umm…your voice is so…soothing?” The laughter increased in volume, turning her cheeks as bright shade of red.
Though she rolled her eyes a bit, Cheerilee chuckled, shifting her eyes to the clock above the door. “I suppose it is a Friday afternoon. Why don’t you kids leave a few minutes early today?” She giggled as a few students began to cheer excitedly.
Scootaloo brightly beamed over to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who were silently hoof bumping. She met up with her friends over at Apple Bloom’s desk, who was shoving a few papers into her saddlebags.
“Thank you soooo much for letting us out early today, Miss Cheerilee!” The trio heard the obnoxious voice of the stuck-up bully, her pitch raising about thirteen octaves. Diamond Tiara trotted out of the classroom with style, Silver Spoon following not too far behind.
Sweetie shook her head as Apple Bloom rolled her eyes in annoyance. The fillies waved a hoof at their teacher and headed out the door. “Sheesh, what a kiss up,” Scootaloo blurted, as soon as she was out of Cheerilee’s ears' reach. This exerted a giggle from her fellow crusaders.
Suddenly, they heard somepony clear her throat. They turned to beside them to face none other than the prissy Diamond Tiara, and her pushover sidekick, Silver Spoon. “That’s some big talk coming from a blank flank,” she teased, bursting into a fit of giggles with her lackey.
“Whatever, at least I’m not a teacher’s pet,” Scootaloo replied, smugly.
“Well of course you’re not,” Diamond Tiara stated. “Chicken’s don’t count as pets, you know!”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to say something, then tilted her head, eyebrow raised. Then it hit her. “Hey!” she pouted, frowning.
“You’re wrong, Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom roared. Though Scoot didn’t smile, she appreciated her friend sticking up for her. Apple Bloom had always been the moral and righteous one of their group— “Chickens can too be kept as pets! We’ve got plenty of ‘em back on the farm.”
The earth filly lifted her head, eyes shut in pride. Scootaloo flopped down her ears in annoyance.
“You know what?” Sweetie added. “Fluttershy has some chickens, too.”
Apple Bloom turned to her friends, suddenly interested. “Wait, she does?” she inquired.
“Of course. Don’t you remember when she babysat us that one time when Rarity was busy?” she began. “And she sang us a song, and then we sneaked out into the forest. That’s the time we saw the cockatrice and she defeated it with the stare, you remember.” Apple Bloom bobbed her head up and down in agreement. Diamond Tiara shared a confused look with Silver Spoon as Sweetie rambled, and Scootaloo face-hoofed.
Sparks lit in Apple Bloom’s head. “Oh yeah, she had a chicken coop out front of her house!”
“There you go!” Sweetie cried, finally smiling. “It was so fun, too—“
She was abruptly interrupted. “Just shut up!” Diamond Tiara had finally heard enough. Scootaloo was relieved. Wait, no. She wasn’t relieved. Diamond Tiara just told her friend to shut up! Sure, her friends were rambling, and they were getting a tad bit annoying, and…
“Whatever, so you’re a cowgirl who knows too much about ugly animals, and you’re friends with a scaredy cat Pegasus?” Tiara inclined. “This is wasting my time, see you later, blank flanks.” With that, the two rude fillies trotted off, sniggering in glee.
The glare pasted on Scootaloo’s face began to relax as she turned back to her friends. “What a bunch of jerks. Well, how about we head over to the clubhouse? I think I’ve formulated the perfect plan to get our Cutie Marks today…”
“Ah can’t tonight. I’ve gotta go pack up mah things for tomorrow morning,” Apple Bloom replied regretfully.
Again, Scootaloo cocked her head. “Pack? For what?”
“Manehattan. Remember?” Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo’s eyebrow slightly rose, implying that she didn’t. “I’m goin’ over there this weekend with Applejack to visit Babs.”
Scoot’s eyes widened, recalling the discussion they had had earlier in the week. “Oh man, I forgot,” she muttered, smacking her forehead. “Well, that’s alright. At least I still have Sweetie Belle.”
“Actually,” the unicorn squeaked, attracting Scootaloo’s attention. “Rarity and I are spending the weekend with our parents. We finally convinced her that she needed a break after designing a bunch of dresses for the gala a few weeks ago.”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to comply, but stopped. She had remembered Sweetie telling her that as well, but it must have slipped her mind.
“And besides, Ah think we needed a break from Crusadin’ anyway, ‘specially after what happened a few weeks ago with the tree house, and… that word
“Don’t be upset, Scootaloo! We’ll only be gone for a few days,” Sweetie Belle reassured. But how could Scootaloo be reassured? Her friends were leaving for two whole days.
She waved her hoof solemnly. “Ah, I’ll be alright,” she said, forcing a smirk. “Maybe I’ll just ask Rainbow Dash for flying lessons or something.”
Apple Bloom smiled. “That’s the spirit! Ah gotta head home now, Ah’ll see you guys later!” She trotted towards her home, briefly raising her hoof in acknowledgment.
“I better get going, too. You sure you’ll be fine?” Sweetie asked.
Again, Scootaloo displayed a fake confidence. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you Monday!”
“Oh, alright,” Sweetie replied, pulling her friend into a hug. Scootaloo squirmed, her tiny wings twitching, but she accepted it. After breaking it up, Sweetie Belle fled home, leaving Scootaloo alone.
“Yeah... don’t worry about me at all,” she thought out loud, sighing. “Now what?” Deciding that another night of knitting with her aunt was out of the question, she considered her alternatives.
Fluttershy was in town, she remembered. She was pretty cool, right? Maybe Scootaloo could help her take care of her animals, feed them, talk to them, spend time with Angel bunny… Looked like that was a no.
Maybe Pinkie Pie needed some help down at the Sugarcube Corner? Scootaloo could help her make some sweets, possibly sampling some. But then again, Pinkie Pie was… weird. Shaking her head, Scootaloo realized that she wasn’t in the mood to deal with a... that .
She suddenly remembered that it was cleaning week at the Ponyville Library. Perhaps Twilight and Spike could use some help organizing the books? Scootaloo burst out into laughter at the thought. That wasn’t going to happen.
“Rainbow Dash it is,” Scootaloo decided. She strapped her helmet on, stepping onto her scooter. Her tiny orange wings buzzed rapidly as she sped down toward Rainbow’s cloud home.
After a few minutes of riding, she finally reached the floating house. As she stretched out her tired wings, she called, "Rainbow Dash! Are you home? It’s Scootaloo!” Usually she would have expected said mare to dash out, greeting her with a mane ruffle. But for some reason, she didn’t.
“Maybe she’s at Sugarcube Corner?” Scootaloo thought out loud. She decided to try one more time. “Rainbow! Rainbow Dash! You there?” Again, she gained no answer. Unsure of whether to try the sweet shop, or to simply give in and go home, she mounted her scooter.
She had just buzzed a few feet away when somepony called her. “Scootaloo? Is that you?” The excited filly turned around, beaming brightly at... Fluttershy. “Oh, good afternoon, Scootaloo! You’re looking for Rainbow Dash?”
“Uh, yeah. Do you know where she is?” Scoot asked, hopefully.
“Actually, you just missed her,” Fluttershy informed her. “Oh, I’m sorry for that. She left for Cloudsdale just a few hours ago.”
“W-what?!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her jaw dropping. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no, of course not! I apologize if I frightened you,” Fluttershy said. “They called her up to the weather factory to cover some shifts. She should be home after the weekend.”
“Gaaahhh!” Scootaloo whined, smacking her head with her tiny hooves.
Fluttershy was taken aback. “Is something the matter, Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo sighed. “It’s just… Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are gone this weekend, too! And I was really hoping that Rainbow Dash and I could do something cool together,” she explained. “I guess I’ll just have to go home, then…”
As the orange filly turned to trot away, Fluttershy spoke up. “Well... if you wanted to, maybe you could spend some time back at my house with the animals,” she suggested. “I mean, if you wanted to of course. I know it’s not super exciting, but you may enjoy it more than you think.” The mare beamed gracefully at Scootaloo. And Sweet Celestia, nopony, not even a filly, could say no to that face.
Realizing that the only other choice in the matter was knitting for hours at home, Scootaloo made her decision. “Oh, okay. I guess it’ll be...fun.” She offered a weak smile to Fluttershy, who had her hooves wrapped around her in an instant.
“This is so exciting! It’ll be so much fun, I just know it. The critters just love company!” Fluttershy squealed like a filly on a snow day. Scootaloo wearily followed behind the giddy mare, carrying her scooter.
For the umpteenth time that night, Scootaloo sighed. “This is going to be a long weekend.”
I Need A Little Fluttershy in My Life
Though she had been to Fluttershy's cottage many times before, Scootaloo wasn’t certain of what adventures awaited her. This was her first time entering the place without her fellow Crusaders or Rainbow Dash, and in all honesty, she was afraid. Celestia knew that she was no animal expert, as the filly still bore scars from the time she and Rainbow had attempted to bathe Fluttershy's pet seal. Why in Equestria would such a timid mare even need a pet seal? Whatever the reason, Scootaloo was wise enough to know that there was way more to Fluttershy than met the eye.
"Right this way, Scootaloo. Don't be shy, the animals remember you very well!" Fluttershy said, ushering the filly in. By her tone of voice, it seemed as if the mare was oblivious to the fact that Scootaloo had nearly lost her life more than a few times at her cottage.
As expected, Scootaloo saw dozens of blue jays circling above her, harmonizing with the fluttering redbirds and doves located beside the window. The tidiness of the place accompanied by singing animals reminded Scootaloo of one of those Colt Wisley movies that Sweetie Belle loved so much .
"I, uh, see that you fixed the table," Scoot managed, nervously grinning at Fluttershy. "I mean, I hadn't seen it the last few times I was here, so I figured maybe it was done for, or something."
"Yes, well," Fluttershy explained, "not too long ago, Discord so graciously offered to fix it for me after he was reformed." She beamed brightly at Scootaloo. Before the filly could respond, a disgruntled head peeped from around the corner. "Oh, Angel Bunny!" Fluttershy exclaimed, flying over to scoop up her pet. "I'm so sorry for being home late, I was just cleaning up Dashie's home while she's away at Cloudsdale."
Hearing Fluttershy refer to Rainbow Dash as "Dashie" urged Scootaloo to giggle. She watched patiently as Fluttershy spoke to the rabbit, trying a bit too hard not to roll her eyes at their "conversation."
As soon as Fluttershy lowered Angel to the ground, he began to anxiously tap his fluffy foot, as if expecting of the mare. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here you go, fresh from the marketplace!" She pulled healthy bunch of carrots from her bag, as if offering her soul to a death god. Regardless of the carrots' perfection, Angel held that demonic stare of his, his foot still patting against the floor. Those beady eyes alone could have sent Scootaloo home crying.
"Please don't be like that, Angel! They're your favorite, fresh and juicy." As Fluttershy failed to persuade the bunny, Scoot's mind began to wander. Is this really how the rest of my weekend's going to be? She attempted to ignore the evil little rabbit's over dramatic gagging at Fluttershy's gift. "I wouldn't want you to go hungry," she pleaded.
What a brat, Scoot thought. Thank Luna me and my friends don't act like that . She frowned. Wait...are we like that?
"Would you like to help me make a salad?" Scootaloo had trailed off to the point where she hadn't noticed the bright yellow smile in front of her face. This clearly excited the mare more than Scootaloo herself.
Though she really, really wanted to, Scootaloo couldn't bring herself to decline to Fluttershy's request. "Uhhherrr, of course! What do I have to do?"
"Hmm," Fluttershy thought, tapping her chin. "Why don't you help me chop up some veggies?"
"Vegetable chopping?" Scootaloo groaned before her eyes widened in realization. "Vegetable chopping! I'll definitely get my vegetable chopping cutie mark in no time!"
"My, that would be something," Fluttershy offered, clapping her hooves in excitement. "Why don't we get started?"
"What do I have to do?" Scootaloo asked, grinning.
"You chop these carrots and cucumbers," Fluttershy replied, placing the fresh vegetables on the counter. "This is the chopper that I use to cut them up. Be very careful with it. When you’re finished with those, I’ll mix them in this bowl.”
"Careful," Scootaloo repeated, steadying the large utensil in her hooves. "I so got this!"
"Whenever you're ready," Fluttershy added.
Scootaloo pulled the chopper back. "Cutie mark, here I come!" The blade came down. Plop . The cucumber before her was now sliced in two. With a sudden burst of excitement, the filly craned her head toward her flank. She frowned. Nothing.
"Keep on going!" Fluttershy encouraged her.
"Alright," Scootaloo groaned. "Hmm..." She lifted the blade up again, bringing it down. A slice fell from the cut cucumber. "You know, this is kind of... fun," she commented, repeating the action. She sliced again. Then again. And again.
“You’re doing great!” Fluttershy encouraged. “Just a little more, and we’ll have a nutritious salad in no time. Right, Angel?” She craned her head toward the frowning little scruff ball, who grimaced in response. She returned her gaze to Scootaloo, who had begun to speed up in her work.
“Hey, I’m really good at this,” Scootaloo said, slowly beginning to smile.
"Oh, um," Fluttershy interceded, or at least she tried to. "Scootaloo, that's very, um," she could barely get a word in edgewise as the slimy green slices of cucumber began to sail past her head, quickly picking up speed.
Scootaloo just kept chopping. She could feel it. "I'm doing it... I'm doing it!!!" Her hooves were like lightning, striking down over and over, slicing and dicing like a maniac. Fluttershy thought she heard a crash, as if a bird cage had fallen over. This must have been so, as she noticed a few pigeons scurrying away.
With the first cucumber minced to death, the chopping came to a rather abrupt stop, allowing Fluttershy to collect herself. "That was, um... Very good, Scootaloo..." She wearily turned her head, noticing the squashed vegetables pasted onto the walls, the knocked over bowls and cages that once made her home so serene. "Why, um, why don't we take a break?" She sheepishly reached toward Scootaloo's cleaver.
"Wait," Scootaloo said, disabling Fluttershy from stepping any closer. "I'm not done." She wielded her saber with a demonic sort of glee, turning to Fluttershy. "I need more... More veggies! More !"
Fluttershy's eyes grew twice their regular size. "Oh my." She had created a monster.
The crazed Scootaloo forcibly raided Fluttershy's saddle bags for a few clumps of lettuce, maniacally giggling as she hacked away at the it. Shredded greens tackled Fluttershy's face, causing her to stumble backwards. The mare clumsily tripped over a tinier cage. She toppled over, taking a second to regain herself as she looked up toward Scootaloo.
"Scootaloo," she called, gaining no response. Rather, tattered leaves pelted her face. "Stop it," she tried again, with a touch of sternness. Scootaloo was beginning to break a sweat, but showed no signs of slowing down. "Stop it! I mean, please," Fluttershy got back onto her hooves, shaking the leaves out of her mane.
Fluttershy lowered her eyebrows. "Enough!" Her voice was now taken over by force and annoyance, clearly enough to snap Scootaloo out of her trance.
"Huh?" The small pegasus shook her head. "What happened?" She spun around, coming face to face with Fluttershy. "Oh, hey Flutter-" she immediately stopped, noting the damages done to the small cottage. "Uh... Oops?" She grinned awkwardly.
A picture frame fell from the wall just to the side of the counter, collapsing into hundreds of pieces. Upon impacting the floor, the surrounding animals fled to avoid any contact with the glass. "I can pay for that!" Scootaloo insisted. Fluttershy took a deep breath, exhaling her own self pity.
"I'd just like to apologize again for having you leave so soon," Fluttershy said sincerely, but graciously, as the two trotted toward Sugarcube Corner. "But you did such a great job on the salad. And besides, I'm sure it'll only take a few weeks for the repair mares to fix up the collapsed wall," Fluttershy insisted.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Scootaloo replied, sheepishly. "I was so sure that I could get a cutie mark from extreme-vacuum-mopping."
Fluttershy winced. "Well, I'm sure you'll be a great helper for Pinkie Pie. You know how she likes to... bend logical explanation." Scootaloo cocked her head, falling behind Fluttershy. Before she could question Fluttershy's reasoning, the yellow mare came to stop. "Here we are. Pinkie will definitely appreciate the extra help, especially from such an energetic little filly like yourself."
“Uh, heh heh, yeah,” Scootaloo nervously replied. She wearily followed Fluttershy, ignoring the fear in the back of her mind. Maybe she was over reacting? Pinkie Pie wasn’t that bad… In fact, Scootaloo was starting to regret what she had previously thought. Yeah, the party mare was a little “loco in the coco,” but she was as sweet as the icing on a cupcake. That was a corny pun , Scootaloo thought. Before she could continue her positive thinking, she and Fluttershy were stopped just outside Sugarcube Corner.
“This is not acceptable,” a high pitched voice exclaimed. “You can’t just have a party without a cake. It’s unethical!” Lo and behold, it was Pinkie Pie.
“B-but, my daughter is perfectly fine with a batch cupcakes,” said a voice belonging to a frightened brown stallion. It seemed that the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t the only ones in Ponyville to fear the hyperactive Pinkie Pie.
“But it’s her birthday! You can’t have a birthday without a party, and you most certainly can’t have a party without a cake. Don’t you want to give your daughter the greatest, most deliciously sugar-coated cake ever for her birthday?”
“Good afternoon, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy greeted, before taking a step back. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I intruding?”
Pinkie looked over, suddenly noticing her friend. “Not at all, Flutters! I was just trying to convince ol’ Grumpykins over here to design the greatest, most lovable cake for his filly’s birthday. And what better place in town to get a cake than Sugarcube Corner? So now, all I have to do is persuade this nice colt into to getting his daughter the biggest cake for her birthday, and I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer!” The excited mare turned back to her customer, but came face to face with the air.
“Drat… Lost him again!” she moped, drooping her head. In an instant, her face was lit up, and her eyes darted back to Fluttershy. “So, what can I do for you on this lovely day?”
“Well, actually,” Fluttershy began, before being interrupted.
“Are you here to get a cake?!” Pinkie Pie asked, gasping.
“Not exactly--”
“Ohh, this is so great. Heck, let’s throw a party right here, right now! We could invite everyone in Ponyville, even though it’s last minute and everything.”
“Uhm… Pinkie?” Fluttershy said.
Pinkie Pie began to ramble. “Of course, since it’s last minute, we’ll have to act quickly! Even if some ponies miss it, we can just extend the party time. I mean, it’s never too late for a party, right?”
“Pinkie Pie…”
“Oh! I almost forgot, we’ll need some streamers. Oooh, oooh! And balloons! I’ve always loved balloons, they’re just so round and bounceable and they come in so many different colors. It’s just impossible not to have fun with them! I tell ya, if I had to give up the job I already have, I’d take a job as a professional clown just so I could blow balloons all day. Not that I don’t enjoy making baked goods, even when they turn out as baked bads. Sometimes you just can’t control yourself in the kitchen, like this one time--”
“Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy said, just above a whisper. “I mean, um, I’m sorry for raising my voice,” she apologized, having ‘yelled’ for a second time that day. “Scootaloo and I were just having the most… Enjoyable morning together, and we were wondering if you’d consider taking her under your wing - er, hoof - for the day?”
“Ooooh!” Pinkie squealed, lunging toward Scootaloo’s face. The filly was taken aback, her eyes widening. “A new helper for the kitchen? Sounds like a lot of fun!”
“Uh… Yeah, fun,” Scootaloo dryly responded, beginning to fear for her life. “I hate to intrude though, I could just go back with Fluttershy.” As she said this, Fluttershy grimaced, pretty much telling her how she wouldn’t be spending the rest of her day.
“Intruding? No way!” Pinkie bounced in glee. “Don’t worry Fluttershy, I’ve got this under control!” She said, raising her hoof to her head in a salute. “You don’t have to think when trusting the Pink-... -ie Pie!”
“That’s good to hear! You two enjoy your day.” Fluttershy hovered away, quietly thanking Celestia.
Pinkie Pie leaned into Scootaloo’s face, closer than comfortable. “This is going to be so great! I know you’ll just love working at Sugarcube Corner.” She walked into the building, allowing Scootaloo to trot closely behind. “This reminds me of the time that Apple Bloom wanted to get a culinary Cutie Mark. Ya gotta love kids, I know I do. Like Pound and Pumpkin Cake, they’re just so adorable! Maybe you can help me take care of them later once we’re done baking, and...”
As the mare rambled, Scootaloo began to tune her out. Looking up at the sky, she realized it had only been an hour or so since school had gotten out. Nighttime was in a few hours, but she had a feeling that her day had only just begin.
View Online
And Though the Evening Neared its End, the Adventure was Only to Begin!
"So, what's the plan?" Scootaloo asked wearily.
“I’m glad you asked,” Pinkie Pie proclaimed with a wink, a wink that sent chills down Scootaloo’s spine. “You see, it’s Friday, and Friday nights at Sugarcube Corner mean business!”
Scootaloo cocked her head. “Isn’t everyday business?”
With a giggle and an abrupt snort, Pinkie explained herself. “Of course not, silly filly! Working at Sugarcube Corner means working with sugary, fun-filled sweets! How could fun be considered work?”
“Then how does that make tonight business?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes and ears twitching.
Pinkie Pie leaned dangerously close to Scootaloo, patting the filly’s silly little head. “It’s just like Grammy Pie used to say, ‘Do what you like, and you’ll never work a day in your life’! But, work is business, and business means business.” She proudly stood back, leaving Scootaloo in a state of confusion.
“But you just said that you loved your… and fun means… business is…” Scootaloo trailed off. “Nevermind. What’re we doing?”
"Well," pinkie pie began, "maybe you can help me bake some sweets! The customers should be pouring in soon."
Scootaloo grimaced. "You trust me to cook with you?"
"Of course I do, silly filly! I trust everypony in ponyville. That's just how ya gotta get by in life!" Pinkie pie cooed.
Scootaloo nodded unsurely. "That's good to hear, but the thing is-- uh, what's that?"
Pinkie pie was in the middle of devouring a swirly half eaten lollipop that seemed to have a few hairs stuck to it. "Just a snack break! I put this in my mane earlier today to save for later, and I figured, hey, it's later!"
Scootaloo took a painfully deep breath before continuing. "Anyway, I'm not exactly the best baker around. This one time, me and Apple Bloom tried to bake a surprise apple pie for Granny Smith and nearly burned down Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack--"
Pinkie Pie swiftly interrupted. "Sounds like you've got enough experience to me! I used to burn down kitchens all the time as a filly!"
"Really?!" Scootaloo asked, dumbfounded.
"Well... No, not really," Pinkie Pie said, sheepishly grinning. "I just wanted to lighten the mood is all! Besides, you don’t even need an oven to bake.”
Scootaloo smacked her tiny hoof to her face. “What could you possibly mean this time? Of course you need an oven to bake!”
“You don’t when you’ve got Auntie Pinkie Pie as the wind beneath your wings!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Scootaloo sighed at the mention of wings as Rainbow Dash crossed her mind.
Collecting her thoughts, Scootaloo looked toward pinkie. "Alright, I’ll give it a shot. What do we do first?”
Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves in glee. "First, we preheat the oven!”
Scootaloo stared at the party mare in disbelief. I could be knitting with my aunt right now , she thought, following Pinkie to the kitchen.
Pinkie Pie jabbed and poked and the oven, causing various lights and noises to go off. “There we go. Time to gather some ingredients!”
“Alright, what do we…” Scootaloo began to speak, but when she looked up, Pinkie Pie was gone. “Huh? Where’d you go, Pinkie?!” She anxiously looked around searching for the crazed mare.
Wait… Pinkie Pie gone? This was her chance to skedaddle .
As Scootaloo quickly spun around to make a break for the door, she crashed into Pinkie Pie head on. “What? Where did… How… When did you…” The only response she gained was the heavy weight of cupcake ingredients in her forehooves.
“Let’s get started!” Pinkie proclaimed.
“Ugh…” Scootaloo struggled her weak legs over to the counter, dropping the ingredients. “How does this work?” she asked, panting.
Suddenly, a sweet tune broke out. “Oh… oh no, Apple Bloom warned me about this!” Pinkie Pie skipped toward a cabinet, grabbing a turquoise bowl.
Before Scootaloo could escape the inevitable, Pinkie Pie began to sing. "All you have to do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix…" She reached for a bag of flour.
Scootaloo cupped her ears. “It’s okay, you can just tell me! Urgh, you guys know I hate songs…”
Pinkie Pie danced over to the bowl, adding in various ingredients as she sang. “Now just take a little something sweet, not sour. A bit of salt, just a pinch!”
Pinkie Pie sailed across the room, popping up and down from Celestia knows where. “No!” Scootaloo cried, ducking down to the floor.
Instead of singing the next verse, Pinkie Pie began to speak, her voice sympathetic to Scootaloo. “But why not? Making these treats is such a cinch…” She reached passed the filly, grabbing a jar of vanilla. “Ya gotta add a teaspoon of vanilla!” Pinkie winked expectantly.
Scootaloo frowned, sighing as she gave in. “Add a little more, and you count to four…” she mumbled.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Pinkie asked.
“Ugh! Add a little more, and you count to four !” Scootaloo sang half-heartedly.
“And then what?!” Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing in excitement.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “And you never get your fill of--”
“CUPCAKES!” Pinkie Pie rang out, cutting Scootaloo off. “So sweet and tasty, Cupcakes! Don’t be too hasty--”
“Found it!” Scootaloo shouted, unplugging the stereo that was so cleverly hidden behind the toaster.
“Oh, that was my favorite part!” Pinkie briefly lowered her head in dismay. “Oh well! Looks like the oven’s all ready!” Scootaloo faced the oven, which radiated intense heat. "Would you be a dear and pour the batter into this tray?" Pinkie pie fluttered her eyelashes.
"Sure thing," Scootaloo replied with an eye roll. She held the bowl, examining its contents. "Huh, that's weird, I thought there was more in here."
Pinkie grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, heh heh, weird..."
After giving the mare a strange look, Scootaloo shrugged and began to fill the tray. Just as she began to fill the last space of the tray, Scootaloo felt a ticklish sensation in her nose. “Ehh… Ahh… Achoo!” She sneezed.
The batter flew from the bowl, over filling a few spaces. “Uhmm… Pinkie? I think I may have messed something up--”
Before Scootaloo could even point out her mistake, Pinkie Pie jumped in. “Looks great to me! Let’s get baking!” She grabbed the tray, practically tossing it in the oven, then closed it in a frenzy of glee. “Now, we wait!”
Pinkie Pie dramatically sat back on her haunches, steadily eyeing the oven. Scootaloo gave her a confused glance. She carefully took a spot next to the mare, imitating her actions.
After about ten seconds of this, Scootaloo spoke up. “So… now what?”
Pinkie immediately broke her pose, beaming at the young filly. “Let’s play a game of pattycake! Whenever I used to bake with my Grammy Pie, we’d take breaks all the time! And Pound and Pumpkin Cake are too young to know how to respond to my hooves. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
“Uhhherr, sure, why not?” Scootaloo grinned, holding her forehooves out. Pinkie leaned into her, poised her hooves to strike. “So how do we-- Gah!” Pinkie Pie began hoof-bumping the feathers off of the poor filly. Just as it seemed like the strikes would stop, Pinkie would strike again, and again, surely inducing bruises on Scootaloo’s fragile hooves. “Okay… Okay, okay! OKAY!”
“Woops, sorry!” Pinkie apologized, pulling her hooves back. “Grammy Pie used to go pretty crazy. Some ponies would call her ‘loco in the coco’! Can you believe it?”
Scootaloo shrunk back, narrowing her eyes. “Oh, yeah…” She stole a glance at the oven. “So how much longer is this?”
“About fifteen more minutes,” Pinkie replied, checking an imaginary watch on her fluffy little wrist. “Oh, I know, I’ll go set up the register. Customers will be arriving soon!” Pinkie fled the scene, leaving Scootaloo by herself.
As Scootaloo eyed the oven, panic mode kicked in. “W-wait, Pinkie? What if the oven just… stops?!” She leaned in closer, straining to see through the opaque glass. “Hmm… Interesting.”
Scootaloo felt her eyelids growing heavier as her boredom grew. The only sound keeping her in touch with consciousness was the incessant ticking of the clock located above the sink. “Ugh, how long is this gonna take?”
She approached the oven, puzzled by the various knobs and buttons. "Hmmm... If it takes twenty minutes to bake at 350... I just need to turn it up!" She traced for the temperature control, shooting the oven up a couple hundred degrees.
At first, not much changed. The ecstatic look on the filly's face faded into one of aggravation. "What the..." She began to protest, only to be interrupted by the e sudden sizzling sound emitting from the oven. "Hey, it's working!"
She leaned in close, her eyes shimmering at the opaque glass. The sparkle soon dissipated, her eyes widening in terror as the cupcakes caught fire. "Oh... Oh, oh no..."
She grimaced, looking around uncomfortably. She shot her head closer to the glass, panic beginning to set in. "What do I do, what do I do?!" She ran her hooves through her mane, beads of sweat racing down her face.
"Uh, Pinkie pie?" Scootaloo called for the older mare, to no avail. A pang of fear shot through her chest as smoke began to seep from the oven.
She fumbled her hooves onto the knob, twisting it this way and the other way. She yanked it hard, falling onto her plot. Looking down, she discovered the severed knob in her hoof. "Gyaaah!!!" She shouted, raising her other hoof to her head.
"Okay, okay, deep breaths, scoots," she reassured herself, trying to calm down. "Think, think..." She rubbed her temples furiously.
Her eyes shot open. "That's it! Cutie Mark Crusaders fire mares!" She stood up tall, chest puffed in pride. Darting to the cabinets, she selected a rather large bowl, bringing it to the sink. Once water had filled the bowl to the brim, Scootaloo approached the oven.
“Nyeh!” She splashed the oven, managing to reduce some of the smoke. Well, not really.
“Scootaloo, wanna help watch the counter?” Scootaloo heard Pinkie’s voice coming from the adjacent room.
“Uhh, coming!” Scootaloo scurried out of the smoking kitchen as fast as her tiny pegasus legs would take her. In an instant, she found herself before the party mare, whose face was adorned with a glimmering beam.
“I know you’ll just love this!” Pinkie Pie was as enthusiastic as ever. “It’s suuuuuuuper easy, all you’ve gotta do is wait for the customers to come in, and I’ll bring you their orders!”
Scootaloo shrugged. It did sound easy, and it would definitely kill some time. “Sure, I bet it’ll be fun.” she lied, sealing the deal with a smile.
With a hoof clap and a giddy squeal, Pinkie scooted away, leaving Scootaloo to man her station. “Let me know if you need anything! I’ll be out with some sweets soon.” As she skipped away, she didn’t notice the frightened expression on the small filly’s face.
Scootaloo waited frightfully for the enraged yelling of the party mare, but no sound was heard from the kitchen. Releasing the tension in her hunched shoulders, Scootaloo opened her eyes and sighed in relief. As if on cue, a small ding sounded at the door.
A smile broke out on Scootaloo’s face as she looked up, ready to greet her first customer. “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, how may I… help you?” Her politeness faded when she opened her eyes to notice the lavender filly before her, accompanied by her silver sidekick.
“Look at this, Scootaloser finally found a meaning for her life!” Diamond Tiara cackled.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Don’t say that word , she thought. “Yeah, yeah. What do you want?”
“Hey now, is that any way to treat the customer?” Diamond Tiara snickered. “Daddy sent me here to buy myself a cupcake for my birthday. It must be so degrading to have to work on the day of my party.”
“You know I wasn’t even invited to that,” Scootaloo muttered. “Not that I’d even want to go. I’m having an awesome time here with Pinkie Pie.”
“Who, that crazy mare who bounces around Ponyville? I feel sorry for you!” Diamond Tiara remarked.
This actually made Scootaloo angry. “Don’t talk that way about her!” She defended Pinkie, though she wasn’t completely sure why.
Diamond Tiara blew a raspberry. “Yeah, whatever. Just give us those cupcakes.”
“Did somepony say ‘cupcakes’?” Pinkie Pie appeared out of thin air, holding a tray of freshly decorated cupcakes. “No birthday would be complete without some delicious cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner!”
Quickly exchanging her rowdy expression for an innocent one, Diamond Tiara smiled over enthusiastically. “Thanks so much! My daddy was smart to recommend shopping here!”
“Wait a second,” Scootaloo interjected, “did you make a new batch of these?”
“Nope!” Pinkie replied simply. “They’re the ones we made a little while ago, just out of the oven!”
At first, Scootaloo nodded. Then it hit her, and panic took over. “Uh, wait a second, Pinkie! I don’t think that would be such a good idea…”
“Is somepony jealous that she’s not allowed to eat on the job? They look amazing, don’t they?” Diamond Tiara teased.
“They taste great, too!” Pinkie insisted, lifting one to her muzzle.
“Wait!” Scootaloo shouted, but she was too late.
After a few seconds of obnoxiously loud chewing, the cupcake was gone. But Pinkie was fine.
“Huh?” Scootaloo asked, too confused to relax.
Before Scootaloo could question anything, Pinkie Pie shoved the tray of cupcakes to the two school fillies. “Why don’t you girls try one?” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon graciously sampled the treats, each slowly taking a bite. Suddenly, their eyes widened, and they started coughing and spitting out their cupcakes.
“How are they?” Pinkie Pie asked eagerly.
“Uhm… they’re great,” Silver spoon lied. “Really chewy…”
“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara quickly agreed. “Our friends would love these. Too bad we don’t have enough bits to buy them though, heh hehe…”
As the two turned to leave, Pinkie stopped them. “Hey, it’s your birthday, right? Take the rest, free of charge!”
The fillies exchanged nervous glasses, both afraid to refuse. “No, we couldn’t, really,” Diamond Tiara said.
But Pinkie forced the plate into Silver Spoon’s hooves. “Oh nonsense, silly fillies!” Pinkie insisted. “They’re on the house!”
“O-okay, thanks,” said Diamond Tiara, awkwardly grinning back. “I’ll be sure to come back another time,” she managed, heading for the door.
Once the two school fillies had left, Pinkie Pie turned to Scootaloo. “Nice girls! Are they friends of yours?” When she turned to Scootaloo, however, she noticed the awkwardly pent up expression on the filly’s face. “Scoots? Are you okay there--”
“PfftHAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! That was great!” Scootaloo giggled maniacally.
“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie exclaimed, patting her assistant's head. “It’s always fun to pull a little prank, isn’t it?”
Scootaloo calmed down, wiping her tearing eyes. “Yeah… Wait a second,” She said, turning to Pinkie. “Prank? You mean… The cupcakes that I burned?”
“Burned?” Pinkie said, eyes widening in mock terror. “Whatever do you mean?”
A grin slowly began to form on Scootaloo’s face. “You knew the entire time, didn’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Pinkie insisted, winking at Scootaloo.
“But… why?” Scootaloo asked.
“Why what?”
Scootaloo turned away, guiltily. “I messed up the cupcakes and almost burned down your kitchen… And I was kind of rude earlier, too.”
Pinkie Pie extended her arm around the filly, pulling her close. “Don’t worry about all that! You needed help, and Pinkie Pie’s always around to help when somepony needs it!”
“Wow…” Scootaloo turned her face away. She wasn’t about to cry, but she had always struggled to show her emotions. “Thanks, Pinkie. I’m sorry about how I acted. I shouldn’t have assumed the worst about working here. Who knew a filly could have so much fun working behind a counter?”
“More than you think,” Pinkie replied. “Foals do, too! Kind of like Pound and Pumpkin Cake!”
Just after giving a nod of agreement, Scootaloo suddenly realized where this was going.
“Hey! Maybe you could help me babysit them this evening! Doesn’t that sound like tons of fun?” A pair of batting eyelashes fluttered before Scootaloo’s face.
Having come to terms with her trapped position, Scootaloo sighed. “Well… I guess I could help if you really want me to--”
Her sentence was cut off by a spine crushing hug. “Oh, this is going to be fantastic-errific! You’ll enjoy it so much. And the Cakes would really appreciate it, too!”
“Y-yeah, c-can’t wait, Pinkie,” Scootaloo stuttered, struggling to breathe. Pinkie released her grip, setting Scootaloo down. “What could possibly go wrong?”
