[Classic] The Scootaloo Diaries

Scootaloo sat next to an empty seat as she stared out the train window, watching her home slip away behind hilltops and trees. Beads of rainwater slowly dripped down the glass, periodically catching her drifting attention. After everything she'd ever known had slid out of sight, the pain of loss began to sink in. Regrets began to wrack her fragile mind and heart. Thoughts of how her friends would feel once they realized that she had left without so much as a goodbye hug or a wish for luck filled her with remorse. Before the tears could begin to pour, she decided to occupy her mind.

Reaching into her saddlebag, she pulled out her diary. She lightly rubbed her hoof over the cover. "Property of Scootaloo, stay out or Rainbow Dash will kick your flank!" Upon reading those words, the pain struck her heart like a searingly hot knife, easily slicing through her skin and twisting.

She angrily wiped a tear away, and opened the journal to the next marked entry. Her eyes widened as she read over the title, her mind becoming filled with images from that particular day. She wiped her nose and sniffled before going on to reread her entry from what felt like years ago. Immediately, she noticed that there were several words strongly underlined throughout the entry.

Today was the most amazing day of my life. I can't even begin to describe how I feel right now. It's like, as I was lying in bed with Cheerilee, I was just so happy, I was exactly where I wanted to be. I felt like I could just die and everything would be okay, because after this feeling, life didn't have anything else to offer. Nothing could compare. I'm in love, and every second of this indescribable bliss continues to become more and more powerful.

I'm just gonna start over from the beginning.

Today was the day Cheerilee had planned for us to take a trip to Canterlot together. I was a bit iffy at first, since it sounded really boring and like a perfectly good day that could have been spent staying at Applebloom's was about to be wasted. I knew I had to make myself do this and stay happy about it for Cheerilee's sake though. I've been horrible to her lately and she needed this. More than anything, it would hopefully be a way for us to connect again, like we used to.

We packed our bags for a one-night stay and hopped into a carriage. It felt like a really long trip, but it only took a few hours. We talked about a lot of things on the way there. Mostly just how sad she's been feeling lately, and how she wishes we could do more things together. I figured it'd be best to change the subject before I got mad.

"So, do you know what we're gonna do when we get there?" I asked.

"Well, there's supposed to be a really important lecture on pegasus psychology I was hoping we could catch." I looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment before she started laughing.

"Oh, come on Scootaloo, you know I'm just kidding. So, um, was there something you wanted to do?" Cheerilee blushed and looked out the window.

"Uh, not really. I don't really know what there is to do. I've only been there once, on that fieldtrip we took a few years ago." I wasn't sure why I was trailing off topic, but at the time it didn't seem important.

"Oh right, how could you have gone otherwise? Well, I usually visit the beautiful city at least once a month. I've never done anything romantic there before though, so it'll be a fun learning experience for us both." I saw a glimmer in her eye as she spoke. She was really excited about this. I just wondered why, exactly, this was so important to her.

All I knew for sure was that she was the happiest she'd been in a long time. I scooted over and leaned up against her, resting my head on her shoulder. She placed her hoof around me and held me in a warm hug as we rode down the long road to Canterlot. I could hear her heart beating as I cuddled up against her chest. I remember making strange observations and mental annotations at that moment. Then I was thinking about how our hearts beat, Cheerilee's in particular, and how eventually it'd stop. It hurt when I thought about it, so I started trying to convince myself that it would never happen, that she would live forever. I squeezed her tighter and pressed my cheek tightly against her heart, appreciating it for working nonstop to keep her alive. I'm really not sure exactly why these things were running through my mind. I didn't quite feel like myself.

Despite the emotional discomfort I was bringing upon myself, it was a nice moment, and I was happy. The next thing I knew, we were there. We each stood up and stretched our legs, and I stretched my wings as well.

"Whew, that took a lot longer than if we had gone by train," Cheerilee pointed out.

"Then why didn't we go by... never mind." I realized mid-sentence that we wouldn't have been as comfortable or able to be so affectionate on a public train.

"Right, follow me Scootaloo. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Cheerilee rubbed her stomach with a hoof, then began slowly trotting down a sidewalk.

The carriage stallion tipped his hat to us and pulled the wagon beneath a large awning full of others. I turned around and quickly caught up to Cheerilee, but then it got a bit awkward. She smiled and started walking really close to me. There were strange glances coming from all the ponies around us, but I didn't want to say anything because she seemed so happy. I took a step away and tried to be casual about it, but she followed me and stayed close. I just sighed and figured it'd be fine.

"So where are you taking us?" I asked, hoping to distract her.

"There's a nice little diner just up the street from here. I thought we could grab lunch, and then I'll show you around Mountain Way." She smiled and pointed with her hoof.

I looked forward. We were standing atop a large hill, and Cheerilee's outstretched hoof pointed down a long, wide and busy street, leading all the way through a vast sea of buildings and side streets to the base of a large mountain. Perched high up on the side of that mountain was the palace and Equestrian Capital, Canterlot. The sun was high in the sky and silhouetted the palace beautifully. Just beneath it to the right, you could see a flattened, grassy section of the mountain. There were several buildings there I couldn't quite make out, and a large garden labyrinth.

"Wow, I don't remember it being this beautiful last time I was here." I leaned into Cheerilee, disregarding the pedestrians around us.

"Everything seems to be a bit more beautiful now that you're in my life, Scootaloo." Cheerilee looked down at me and smiled with a light giggle.

I made eye contact, and it took everything I had not to lean up and kiss her. She was gazing down at me still, and I know she felt the same way I did. I agreed with her, my life really was more beautiful with her in it. I was beginning to see the world in a different way. I couldn't help but smile as she continued to lead the way down that busy city street. It was nice to have something to feel happy about again. This beautiful mare loving me and being happy was more than enough of a reason to just let myself enjoy this little trip for everything it was worth. Her smile was worth everything I had to offer, and probably so much more. I only hoped my love would be enough.

We went into the diner, took our seats, and were soon given menus. It was pretty busy in there, so I don't think anypony was really paying much attention to us. I wished I could kiss her, or just touch her. I really hated that I couldn't. I wonder what she was thinking.

As I looked over the menu, a painful lump filled my throat. The prices were outrageous. I'd never seen such expensive yet seemingly simple meals. I sat my menu down and looked up at Cheerilee. "This stuff's a bit pricey, don't you think?"

She smiled and waved her hoof casually in the air. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. I'll cover your half of the bill." She smiled and stuck her tongue out at me.

I put on an awkward grin and continued browsing. Eventually something caught my eye that was relatively inexpensive compared to the other prices. We placed our orders and waited. Cheerilee kept winking at me and kissing the air. I hoped nopony was watching us, but all I could do was blush and smile.

While we were eating, I began to lose sight of what was happening around me. Cheerilee just seemed so happy, so unusually happy. At least, it was unusual for her to be this happy lately. Ever since she read my diary, she's been a mess, but all that seemed to disappear while she ate her favorite lunch and chattered away about the city. My face felt hot and my hooves were restless as I watched her talking and waving her hooves around while she described things. I can't remember a word she said - all I remember was how gorgeous that smile of hers was, and how much I'd missed it over the summer.

"I love you Cheerilee," I said without thinking, and immediately covered my mouth with my hooves.

We both looked around to see that nopony was paying attention to us. She blushed and smiled, then spoke silently so I could read her lips. "I love you too, Scootaloo."

Her eyelids lowered, and she reached across the table with a hoof. I placed mine on hers and they interlocked. It felt nice to touch her again. I'd never felt so isolated from her before. Being in public like this was a lot more stressful than I had imagined it would be, but it was totally worth it to see her smiling again. Not only that, but I think knowing that I couldn't kiss her just made me want to so much more. There's something about her when she's like that... That cheerful smile that suits her name so well really lights a fire in my chest. I could almost feel it burning from the inside. I just wanted to leap across the table and bite her lips, but I couldn't.

I hoped we could go somewhere more private after we left here. "So, where are we gonna stay tonight?" I asked, hoping to check in sooner rather than later.

"Stabler's Inn, right around the corner from here. Let's go, I'll show you." She dropped a large bag of bits on the table, then cheerfully trotted out the door. I stayed close behind.

After a short walk down the street, she pushed the front doors to the inn open and let me walk in first. As she followed, the receptionist greeted her. Apparently she recognized her. "Good afternoon, Cheerilee. The usual?" she asked, glancing down at me and hesitating.

"Nope, I need two beds today ma'am," she said, patting me on the head.

"Oh, I see. So, who's your cute little friend?" she asked in the most condescending of tones.

Cheerilee glanced down at me with a crooked grin and spoke quietly to the receptionist. "Her home was destroyed in a freak accident and her mother can't take care of her, so I volunteered to take her in for now. I thought this little trip would help cheer her up." I had to contain my laughter.

If anything, this trip was cheering Cheerilee up. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a little plastic card with her teeth, sliding it along something before the desk-mare gave her a key. I followed her to a small stairwell and we made our way to our room.

"If you want to go to the garden labyrinth, why are we getting a room way out here?" I couldn't help but wonder.

"If you think these prices are high, wait till we get downtown. Inner Canterlot is for the rich, and let me tell ya: the rich love to spend their money," she said as she placed the key into our door.

"That makes sense I guess." I looked around and noticed how nice the place seemed with its fancy pictures and lamps decorating the halls.

As she opened the door, the first thing I realized was how huge this room was. I trotted in and looked around. It was just as nice as Silver Spoon's room, and there was a huge window overlooking all of Mountain Way. Then Cheerilee stretched out and sprawled across one of the beds.

I smiled. "Well, I guess this one's my bed then, right?" I climbed onto the other bed and made myself comfortable.

She rolled over onto her side and stared at me with a pouting lip. I just smiled. "Aw, what's wrong?"

"I'm lonely, come keep me company," she said sternly, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," I joked, jumping across the gap between the beds and landing directly on top of her.

Our eyes met, and our lips instinctively connected. It was obvious that we were both longing for the kiss, this explosive release of pent-up passion after an amazing time spent together. I could feel her pressed up against me, the familiar scent of her mane lingering in my mouth, and every fiber of her coat brushing up against mine. It was like our first time in her bed all over again, and she seemed just as happy as she did back then. I had missed the feeling more than I ever could have realized on my own.

I leaned down and started biting her neck, and she seemed to be loving it, but then she groaned and pushed me away. "Scoot, you're amazing and I love this, but I want to hold out for a while, okay? I think it'll make the whole day and night that much more special for us."

"Ugh, you're such a tease Cheer..." I smiled and kissed her again before rolling off of her.

I didn't need more, even though I wanted her pretty badly. It was more than enough to just be able to hug her like that. I ran my hoof down her stomach and back up to her chest. She was perfectly beautiful. Part of me just wished we could stay in that room all day. I didn't want to have to resist touching her anymore.

"I wish I was older. I don't like having to hide like this." I wasn't trying to be negative, but I couldn't help but tell her how I felt.

She wrapped her hoof around my neck and held me tighter. "Sweetheart, in a few years none of that will matter. Ponies won't care if we're together, and everything will be fine. I know it sounds like a long time, but it'll come around faster than you realize."

"I hope so - I really hate wanting to kiss you and not being able to." I pressed my muzzle into her chest lovingly.

"I hate it too Scoot, but a few short years of this is a price I'm willing to pay in order to spend the rest of my life with you. This is easy, actually, and there's not a thing in this world that could make me feel any differently about you. I'll always love you just as much as I did the day I fell for you. I can only hope that you'll always be here for me to love." I think I wanted to cry at that moment. I wasn't sure exactly sure how hearing her talk to me like that made me feel. All I know for sure is that I'd never felt more at home than when I was in her hooves, listening to her telling me how much she loved me.

I sat up and let my back hooves dangle over the edge of the bed. "Do you really think we'll spend the rest of our lives together?" I asked, still trying to process just how long that really was.

She got up and stood directly in front of me, her eyes level with mine. "I really do. I know we've hit our bumps, but it's best to get those out of the way early, right? This relationship we have isn't an easy one to manage. I know, trust me. But it will be worth it in the end, Scootaloo. And when you get older, things will be even better. All we need is to wait a little while. I have big plans for the future, and I want you to be a big part of those plans."

She tilted her head and smiled, placing her hoof on my shoulder. I could feel the sincerity in her eyes, gleaming like...

Scootaloo's heart nearly stopped as she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked up to see an older stallion sitting across from her. His long gray mane flowed down over his tan coat and he wore a train conductor's hat. "Somethin' botherin' ya love?"

Scootaloo wiped her eyes, realizing she was crying quite a lot. She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat and sniffled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be worryin' about that. It's just that you've been cryin' pretty loudly for the past few minutes, and some of the other passengers are beginning to feel a tad concerned," he said with lowered eyes.

"...I'm really sorry," Scootaloo said, feeling a combination of shame and embarrassment growing inside her.

"Ah sure, you're grand." He placed his hoof on her shoulder once again, hoping to encourage the filly. "Now, d'you want to tell me what a wee lass like you is doin' on my train all on her own?"

Scootaloo looked him in the eye, and then back out the window as she closed the diary. "I'm just trying to leave the past behind, and start over someplace else."

"Well, it doesn't sound to me like you're ready to let go just yet. Would ya like to share what exactly's on your mind?" the conductor asked, trying to offer some sort of comfort.

"I don't know. I just... I can't..." Scootaloo couldn't finish her sentence before having to cover her mouth with a hoof to stop an emotional outburst.

"Do ya regret leavin' Ponyville already?" The conductor's smirk looked familiar.

Scootaloo nodded, and the stallion let out a long sigh. "If I had a bit for every time I saw a young mare in your place, just as brokenhearted, just as full of regrets... Some young colt break yer heart?"

Scootaloo looked down and stared at the floor. "Not exactly."

With another deep breath, the conductor removed his hat and placed it on the seat next to him. "I have to ask: do your parents know where you are?"

She silently nodded and looked back outside.

"Ya got family in Las Pegasus?" he asked, hoping to trust the little mare a bit more.

Once again, Scootaloo nodded and continued watching the trees pass by.

"Well, I'll leave ya to yer thoughts then if ya'd like."

As he stood up to leave, Scootaloo shot him a pained glance. The conductor chuckled and sat back down. "You don't wanna be alone then?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "I'm sorry, you can go if you're busy."

"Ah, I've plenty of time. Let's have a chat," he said, patting the dust off his hat. "You won't feel this way forever - you'll meet somepony new sooner than ya think."

Scootaloo shook her head. "I'll never fall in love again. It wouldn't be worth it."

The conductor wore a crooked smile. "Sounds like you were serious about this colt, huh?"

"She was a mare," Scootaloo pointed out.

"Oh, a filly eh? Well, that's a bit different now ain't it love?" He laughed and scratched his head. "You know what they say though - young love never lasts anyway, right?"

"Actually, she was my teacher." Scootaloo cringed after speaking.

"Yer teacher? Well, you're just full of surprises, aren't ya? And that sounds serious indeed." His shocked expression matched his tone.

"Yes, my teacher. And yes, it was very serious, but more complicated than you could ever imagine," she said in a stern voice.

"Try me," he said with a grin.

Scootaloo looked up with wide eyes. "You sure? It's a really long story."

"We've got another ten hours before we reach our destination love, so talk away. By the way, my name's Coal," he said, lifting his hat.

The little orange mare smiled. "Scootaloo."

"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Scootaloo."

Not sparing the conductor any details, she proceeded to to explain from the beginning.

Rainbow Dash slowly trotted down the long road to Cheerilee's home, the steady rain soaking her coat. As she reached the turn, she noticed a carriage parked in front of the house. Cheerilee climbed out and rushed inside, holding a newspaper over her head. Rainbow picked up her pace and quickly made it to the front door. Rather than simply opening it, she knocked. Cheerilee opened the door, greeting Rainbow with a smile.

"Hello Dash. I hope I wasn't out too long. Oh, don't mind the mess. I really need to clean this place up. So, where's Scootaloo?" she asked, still smiling as she trotted into the other room before returning with a towel.

Rainbow wanted to speak, but felt as if she had swallowed her tongue. She shook her head and looked down as she dried herself off.

"Where is she?" Cheerilee's smile dropped and she sounded more concerned.

Rainbow forced herself to speak, her voice broken and barely audible. "She... she left. She took a train to Las Pegasus."

Cheerilee crumpled the paper she was holding against her chest. She took a couple steps back and sat down on her couch, staring at the floor. "Why, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash joined her, placing her hooves over her eyes. "She thought it was the only way to stop hurting you two."

Cheerilee looked at Rainbow with glistening green eyes. "Why in Equestria didn't you stop her?!"

Dash pulled back. "I tried! Don't you think I tried?! She wouldn't listen to me! I begged her to stay, but I couldn't force her. It was her choice, but I... I wish I had just grabbed her and taken her away. I didn't know what to do. I should have stopped her, but..." She broke down into tears once again, unable to control her emotions.

Cheerilee surprised Rainbow, wrapping her hooves around her and giving her a warm hug. "It's alright Rainbow, I... We all make mistakes."

Dash sniffed and bit her lip. "I'm sorry I let you down Cheer..."

"Shh, it's alright... We can get her back, right? We'll go get her. I'm sure she'll miss us - at the very least she'll miss you. I just want her back in Ponyville, so I can keep an eye on her if nothing else." Cheerilee stared at the ceiling as she patted Rainbow on the back.

Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words. She felt that she should be the one trying to comfort Cheerilee, not the other way around. Her weakness for Scootaloo wasn't something she felt she should be ashamed of, but it still lingered in her normally confident heart.

"You want to go get her? What if she doesn't want to come back?" Dash asked, looking up.

"Then I'll stay with her, and I don't care if she objects to it. If Scootaloo wants me to respect her decision to leave, then she has to respect mine to follow. Las Pegasus is not known for its outstanding educational facilities, and I don't want to see her potential go to waste just because she's mad at me. I can help her succeed, even if only as a student, and not a lover." Cheerilee stood up and trotted into the kitchen, wiping her eyes.

Cheerilee's composure struck Rainbow as odd. "Where did you go this morning?" she asked.

Cheerilee trotted back from the kitchen with a basket of apples in her mouth. She placed them down, and urged Rainbow to eat. "I took care of something I've been meaning to do for a while. Sometimes depression makes us the worst procrastinators."

"What did you do?" Rainbow asked, taking an apple.

"I... Well, I took what you said seriously. I'm cleaning myself up for Scootaloo... I checked myself into Alcoholics Anonymous and talked to a therapist. My session lasted a lot longer than I'd planned, but... but I feel like a different pony. Well, I feel like myself again." Cheerilee balanced an apple on the tip of her hoof, staring listlessly at it.

Dash looked over at the mare. Her eyes were full of pain and sadness. She placed a hoof on Cheerilee's shoulder, realizing she wasn't the only one who needed comfort. "I'm proud of you Cheer. I said you had a day to convince me you were worth Scoot's love, and I think you are."

Cheerilee looked over at Rainbow with a broken smile. "Thanks, but... I don't think I can do this without her. I need to see her, and I need her to see me too. She's my only motivation - I can't afford to lose her."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "I think I can help - I can bring her back. I'll catch the train. I just have to figure out a way to stop it."

"You'll catch the train? But how? It's hours ahead of you, and I know you fly fast but... Dash..." Cheerilee looked down with lowered eyebrows.

"Trust me: I can catch it. Las Pegasus is on the Eastern Coast, so I'll use that to my advantage. I've done something like this before, just not as far." Dash stood up, her sadness replaced with determination.

"Hurry then. And Dash, don't do anything too reckless to stop the train. I don't want you getting in trouble with the law." Cheerilee looked up with a concerned frown.

"Ha, don't make me laugh. You're telling me not to do anything reckless that could get me in trouble with the law? That's funny, really funny coming from you. Anyway, don't worry about me. I can handle myself." Dash headed for the door, looking back with a smile.

She nodded and took flight straight into the rain, leaving the door open behind herself. Cheerilee rushed over and waved her off, shouting a hopeful "Good luck!" into the air as she shut the door. Rainbow stopped at the library, something important on her mind.

"Twilight? You home yet?" Dash trotted through the library, looking for her lover.

The purple unicorn came trotting downstairs as soon as she heard her marefriend's voice. "Hey Rainbow, I've got some interesting news for you."

"Not now Twi, I don't have much time. I just have to ask you something right now, and please tell me the truth, or the closest thing to the truth that you can imagine." Dash placed both hooves on Twilight's shoulders and stared into her eyes. "If I lost my job and became homeless, what would you do?"

"Dash, what are you talking abo..."

"Just answer the question! Please Twi," Dash interrupted.

"Um, okay... Well, I'd tell you to stay here with me, of course. I wouldn't leave a friend on their own with nowhere to go, especially not you. You should know that Dash." Twilight looked as sincere as could be.

"I just needed to hear it Twilight. I'll be back in a few hours." Rainbow rushed to the front door once again, looking back at Twilight's adorably bewildered face. "I love you Twilight," she said as she flew straight out the door and high into the sky.

Rainbow flew straight up through the clouds. As she flew above the top of the storm, a fierce chill pierced her coat. She closed her eyes and kept flying as high as she could, and as fast as possible. After a few minutes of flying straight up, she looked down. She could see the end of the blanket of clouds and a thin black line along the ground, which she was sure were the train tracks. Pressing forward, she found what she was looking for. There was a rapidly flowing eastbound current of air in the sky. With three deep breaths, she dove inside.

The current carried her much faster than she could ever have flown on her own. It was cold enough that she could feel her body beginning to tremble and her teeth beginning to chatter. She closed her eyes and pressed forward as fast as she could, only one thing in mind.

"And then I just got on the train. I didn't even tell her goodbye, or how much I appreciate everything she's done for me. She took me in and cared for me when I was on my own. She dug through the remains of my destroyed home and gathered my things for me. She even took me on an amazing trip to Canterlot, which probably cost her a fortune, but never complained or even slightly indicated that it wasn't worth the time we spent together. She did all these things, not because she had to or felt bad for me, but because she loved me." Scootaloo wiped her eyes and stopped herself from breaking down again.

"Well, that was a touching story love. Sounds like you've got a lifetime of experiences under those wings already, don'cha? If you ask me, Silver Spoon's gonna be just fine. You were her first love, and a first love is a hard thing to let go of. But if your heart belongs to another mare, then there's not much of a choice to make. The heart wants what it wants." Coal scratched his chin with a hoof.

"The heart wants what it wants? What about what I want? I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going, but I can't help but feel like this is the right thing to do." Scootaloo stared out the window once again.

"Is this what you want? To leave your friends and lover behind, just so you don't have to face them with your mistakes? Listen lass - I've said this a dozen times before, to a dozen broken hearts, on this very train. Runnin' away isn't the answer. You'll always wonder what could have been." A glint of sunlight caught the conductor's eyes as Scootaloo looked up.

"I just thought this would be easier for everypony... For me," Scootaloo confessed, shame finding its way into her words.

"Easier for you, in this case, is gonna be a lot harder on the ones that love you."

Scootaloo looked into his eyes, and asked, "Have you ever done something you regret? Something like this?"

"Sure haven't we all? This train has kept me runnin' away from my problems my entire life. I've been takin' her back and forth across the country for thirty-five years now. I almost never set hoof on the ground. As long as I'm in this here train, I can forget about my regrets, because they're always a thousand miles behind me," he said with a drier tone and raspy voice.

"What happened?" Scootaloo pried.

"I was a little older than you when I fell in love for the first time. A beautiful mare named Dandelion stole my heart. She was as smart as a whip too, and she was gonna go far in the world, I could tell. I knew I didn't have much goin' for me - I come from a long family of train conductors. It's what my family does: trains are our life. I knew Dandy would want more than what I could offer, which was only my heart. She'd want a family and a home, but runnin' this train would keep me away for too long, and that's no way to raise a family. So I told her I didn't love her, and never wanted to see her again. It seemed like the best way to handle things at the time, but I've regretted doing that my entire life. I regret not knowing what could have been, and I regret never going back to tell her I lied, and that I still love her today."

Scootaloo placed her hoof on his shoulder and looked down. He took off his hat and patted her on the head. "Don't be like me little one. Live your life without regrets, and don't spend your years wonderin' what might have been."

"So you don't think it's bad that I'm with my teacher?" Scootaloo asked, concerned for Cheerilee's safety.

"Love comes in all forms. Over the years I've spent talkin' to ponies on this train, I've learned that the most unique relationships with the most hardships always prove to be the most promising. I think you two will have a long and beautiful life together once you get back to her."

"But I'm already here... I can't afford another ticket to turn back now." Scootaloo frowned.

"Tell ya what - when we reach the station, I'll buy you a ticket back home." The conductor smiled and put his hat back on.

"You'd do that?" Scootaloo was taken by his kindness.

"Of course I would. I won't have ya wastin' yer life in a dump of a city like The Flats of Las Pegasus. Now, if you'll excuse me dear, I've got an engine to tend to." He stood up and began to trot away.

Scootaloo wanted to express her sincerest gratitude, but couldn't find the words. Instead, she looked back out the window to see that the rain had stopped, and the sun was beginning to shine through. She placed a hoof on her cheek and smiled, hoping that this time alone was all she needed to clear her head, and to find herself.