Just outside the quiet town of Ponyville lay Ponyville Lake. During the day, the lake was usually brimming with Ponyvillians enjoying the natural source of water. Older stallions and mares would take a stroll around it’s perimeter, while keeping a keen eye on their colts and fillies who were splashing through it’s clear, warm water. The more adventurous ponies would go in search of long forgotten paths hidden in the luscious, green brush of the surrounding woods. At night, after all the ponies returned home, the surface of the lake became so flat and clear, anypony could have a difficult time telling the sky from the water.
Tonight, like most nights, the stars and the moon Luna had arranged in the sky were casting their mysterious beauty over the sleepy land of Equestria. Silver rays glistened on the leaves of the trees, the midnight dew reflecting its clarity in every direction lighting up the air. The weather pegasi had done an exceptional job clearing the sky, and the brilliant display shone brightly down on the earth below. Bright enough that anypony, if they wanted to, could go for a nighttime stroll and not worry about what creature could be hiding in the shadows. Only Luna had the touch to create such a serene and wondrous night.
On this particular night, however, there was one distressed pegasus who was using this light to find her way between the trees. With each step she took her orange hooves impacted the soft earth with a dull thud, interrupting the near silence of the night. The gentle breeze caressed her wings, its fluid like touch massaging each individual feather, cooling her off, slowly relieving her from the stress and wear from the day. Her wings hung on either side of her body as though the weight from the stress was tied to their tips. The only movement was the occasional twitch when the breeze crossed the line from massaging to tickling.
Her head hung limply as she walked down the path. Her purple mane, nearly dragging on the ground, obscured the view of her face from the world around her. A small tear left a trail of wetness from her eye down to her muzzle as it lost its battle with gravity. It slipped off her muzzle and plummeted to the the earth below, dying in a splash among the innocent blades of grass, flattened into the dirt from the stamps of so many hooves. She didn’t bother to look up; the path was well-worn into the earth, and she had come this way enough times before to know where she was going.
A sigh escaped her mouth as she stopped to wipe the wetness off of her face.
“Seventeen years and I still don’t know what my special talent is!” Scootaloo gurgled, holding back her misery as she slowly made her way to Ponyville Lake. This wasn’t the first time she had gone there in the middle of the night. The path around the lake had been a sanctuary for her over the years. Any time her emotions became too overwhelming to control in the face of her parents or friends, she found rejuvenation by taking midnight walks around the lake, surrounding herself with the area’s natural beauty. The pure stillness of the forest tamed the discordant thoughts in her mind.
The trees on either side of her slowly became less dense and finally parted as she reached Ponyville Lake. A gentle breeze rippled the surface of the water causing the reflected moonlight to scatter in every-which direction. She stopped at the shoreline and gazed over the open water, taking in the beauty of the scene. The lake was only a couple hundred hooves across from where she was standing, but twice as long the other way. Normally, the time spent walking around the lake would allow her thoughts to erode into peace, but on this particular night, she knew the same ritual wouldn’t help calm her turbulent mind. Instead, she stood at the edge of the water staring at the surface, her reflection eyeing her right back.
“You’d think out of all things I tried, I’d find my special talent, but no. What were all those years of crusading about?” she asked her reflection. She waited for a response only for her reflection to dissolve as the surface of the water rippled. Only in the worst of times would her reflection fail to quell her internal torment.
“It figures. How am I supposed to tell myself who I am if I don’t know what makes me special?” She said as she flung herself on her back to gaze up at the night sky.
She stared out into the great vastness of the nighttime sky. In the 1000 years of Luna’s absence Celestia did a fine job taking her place, but Luna had a certain touch to it. Each star had an extra little twinkle that made them so crisp and clear; it was like you could reach up and grab one right out of the sky.
She reached up with a hoof in a vain attempt grab a hold of the answers to her questions from the dark abyss.
“Maybe I’m just meant to be a wanderer. No purpose in life, just going from town to town aimlessly whenever I feel like it. Or maybe I’m just supposed to stay locked up inside all the time. Who wants to be around someone as unspecial as me?” she asked softly. The only response she got was the flicker of the starlight and the rush of the leaves as the breeze blew across them.
Raising her voice she yelled, “I’ve tried inside myself, I’ve tried in town, I’ve even tried you, but nothing!”
Venting her frustration out into the emptiness was her last ditch effort. Rarely had she come across problems that couldn't be solved by letting the sadness out. She hoped that somewhere, somehow, some greater power would hear her pain and soothe it.
The light from the moon reflected off of her eyes.
“That’s it!” she proclaimed. “I’m just a nopony. I don’t mean anything. I may as well be a pile of rocks!”
Again, she was met with the silence. The silence quickly turned into sniffles.
“Why is there no purpose for me here? What did I ever do to deserve this fate?”
The sniffles turned into sobs.
“It’s just not fair! Why do I have to go through my miserable life feeling unfulfilled?!”
The sobs turned into gasps.
“It’s like I’m locked to a fate of nothingness!” she cried out. “Like I’m locked inside a damn box.”
The world around the lamenting pegasus started to dissolving into a blurred mess as more and more tears escaped her tear ducts.
“I’M supposed to be the one who says what I’m going to do with my life. I’M supposed to be the one in control. What the hell ever happened to free will? What’s with this stupid town and keeping people cooped up in it their whole lives! Why do we have to be forced into lives we don’t want? Doesn’t anybody realize how much that happens?”
Finally the amount of tears flowing from her eyes blocked the outside world from her. Her sadness consumed her whole life force, physical and mental. Her wailing muted any surrounding sounds. Everything around her seemed to just stop. The rustling of the trees ceased, the rippling of the surface of the water, even the twinkling of the stars. It was as if the only things that existed at that moment were her and her sadness.
**********
“Good news, honey, I got you a job at the cloud factory for when you graduate high school.”
“What?”
“That’s right! Your old dad got you a job at the cloud factory! Once you’re finished in school you can go straight to working right alongside me.”
“Wait. So... I’m going straight to work after I graduate?”
“Exactly. Isn’t that exciting?”
“I HAVE to go to work?”
“Honey, you should feel lucky that you’re able to go straight to work after school. Not many ponies can say that they have that opportunity.”
“Well what if I don’t want to do it?”
“I’ll have no such thing. I got you this job to try and help you have a set future. Nopony in their right mind would turn down a sure job.”
“But Dad, I don’t want to work there.”
“Why not?”
“I just... I just don’t want to do it!”
“Scootaloo, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I had to bust my flank to get you this job, and you’re going to take it!”
“NO!”
“I said you’re going to take the job, AND THAT IS FINAL.”
“No, Dad, I’m not going to take it. I don’t want to work at the damn cloud factory! All they do is build stupid clouds day in and day out!”
“You watch your mouth young lady. That job has given you a pretty damn fine life! It’s a perfectly respectable living.”
“All they do is sit and do the same thing over and over again! EVERY DAY!!! I can’t do that! I’ll go crazy!”
“So that’s it, isn’t it. You don’t respect your old man. I go out and GET YOU a job, and THIS is how you repay ME. When I was your age, I was lucky to get shit from my father. He always told me, if I ever wanted something, I’d have to go be a stallion, and get it myself. Do you think he would have ever gotten a job FOR me? Hell no he wouldn’t!”
“I don’t care! I’m not taking you’re stupid job and getting stuck in this damn town! They start working and never leave. They become boring, mindless, and all the same! I NEVER WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO ME!”
“Well it’s not like you can do anything else with your life. You don’t even know what your special talent is.”
“WHAT did you say to me?”
“How the hell can you know what you’re going to do with your future if you have none.”
“I-I-I. I can’t believe you... Y-you monster.”
“How’s it feel? Please tell me. How does it feel to have your life insulted, your hard work spat upon by a member of your own family?”
“I...”
“THAT’S what I thought.”
“BUCK YOU!!!”
**********
After lying in her semi-conscious state for several minutes, time snapped back to it’s regular flow again. Whatever she did, the universe heard her cries of agony and felt her pain. Reality smacked her in the face causing her to come to a realization. Her eyelids fluttered open revealing her lavender eyes. Her ears rose from the sides of her head, and the sobs piercing through the quiet of night immediately ceased. She was lying on her back with the salty remains of tears on her face, facing the great black unknown. The once agonizing frown on her face changed direction. Who or whatever heard her pleas made the answer to her problems crystal clear. Why had the answer never been so clear to her before? Why did it take this long for her to figure it out? Her eyes lit up. In that single moment, she knew what had to be done. She had to run away from it all. Everything holding her back. The town, her “job”, her parents. She knew she had to do whatever it took to get away. Freedom was now the most important thing in her life. How dare somepony hold her down from doing what she wanted to do? It was her life and she should be the one calling the shots. She was her own mare.
Suddenly the sparkle in her eyes disappeared and the empty stare into the night sky returned. She realized, suddenly, that she would have to leave her friends, who she loved dearly, behind. From the time they met at age seven, they were practically inseparable. The many crusades that ended with the three of them covered in tree sap without cutie marks were some of her favorite memories from her fillyhood.
“I can’t just let down Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They’ve stuck with me through thick and thin. The longer I stay here, the worse my parents will get and the more trapped I’ll be.” She tried to rationalize leaving her friends again, turning to the stars for answers. Like the stars, she couldn’t come up with any reasons to ease her sorrow.
She sighed, looking away from the twinkling celestial bodies. “They know I don’t get along with them very well. I know they’ll understand. I just hope they don’t get angry at me.”
Scootaloo grimaced at the the possible reactions of her friends.
“OH MY GOSH!!!” she exclaimed, suddenly realizing a major hole in her plan. “How am I going to tell them?”
She pondered her way through the possible scenarios.
“If I wait to tell them in the morning, I’d have to stay in town, and I’m sure my dad will come looking for me. I can’t wake them up; Celestia knows how Apple Bloom gets when she’s woken up.”
Then it came to her. “I’ll leave them goodbye letters!”
Dear Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom,
You both know that I don’t get along very well with my parents. That’s why I wrote you this letter. Last night my dad told me that as soon as I’m done with high school, I have to go work with him at the cloud factory. He said he was doing me a favor since I don’t know what my special talent is. I said no. One thing led to another and I let out all my pent up rage. You girls know that I hate how he tries to control my life. He got mad and pretty much said that I have no future. I said “Buck you” to him then I ran out of the house and went to the lake. I couldn’t even pull myself to walk around it like I usually do, so I just sat on the shoreline and cried. But I came up with a solution. I’m leaving. I figure, I’m an old enough mare. I can handle myself. I feel too pent up in this town, like there’s only one way I’m supposed to live. I don't want to live life being controlled by somepony else. I wanna get out and explore. I have tofind what else the world has to offer, to feel free. I wanna be my own pony and be able to do what I want, when I want it! I hope you two understand. I feel bad for leaving you after all the years we’ve spent together. You’ve always stuck with me throughthe worst of times, helping me through any problems I had at home. We’ve made happy memories that help block all the bad ones from home. I’ll think about them for the rest of my life. I don’t know when or if I’ll come back to Ponyville, but I will always remember you two. I’m gonna miss you girls.
Goodbye.
-Scootaloo
**********
Celestia's sun beamed its vibrant rays into the window of Apple Bloom’s room and into her sleep filled eyes, rousing her from her sleep. She rolled out beneath her hoof-knitted blankets to find a letter on her nightstand. Her hazy eyes looked over the letter. It was practically begging to be read. There was no way she could resist its power. She opened it up and looked inside. Her eyes to grew to the size of watermelons and every hair on her body stood on end as the shock of what she had read rippled from her head to her hooves. The fog in her eyes immediately evaporated, leaving the dilated pupils of a distressed pony. The sound of a slammed door, followed by dashing hooves, rung out through the house capturing the attention of Applejack in the kitchen.
“What in tarnation can that be?” said a curious Applejack.
She trotted from the kitchen to the stairs only to be plowed over by a frantic Apple Bloom. She was out the door to Carousel Boutique, leaving a dazed Applejack in her wake.
The trees blurred by on either side of her, quickly transitioning from the Apple trees of the farm to the regular trees of Ponyville. A walk from Sweet Apple Acres would normally take Apple Bloom fifteen or twenty minutes. At full gallop, her heart pumping furiously, it only took her five minutes to get to Carousel Boutique. She blasted into Carousel Boutique leaving the door swinging behind her, past the numerous mannequins covered in dresses lined with brilliant gemstones, past the sewing machines, past the tangled mess of used fabrics of every size and color, and into Sweetie Belle’s room to find Sweetie awake from the noise of the ruckus her gallop had caused. Her sheets were like a tangled mess of vines growing on a building, albeit soft pink vines on a silky white building.
“Apple Bloom, what are you doing here this early?” she said, groggily, her mane a disheveled mess. “Why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
The earth pony shoved the letter over to the unicorn. Sweetie enveloped the letter in her lavender magic and levitated it closer to her. As she read through the words on the page, her expression slowly turned from curiosity to disbelief. When she read Scootaloo’s final words to her and Apple Bloom, her eyes started to glass over with excess tears. She looked up to Apple Bloom while still holding the letter in her magic.
“S-so Scoot is leaving?” she stuttered.
“Sounds like she already left, Sweetie Belle,” she responded dismally. Sweetie Belle released the letter from her magical grip, letting it fall to the lilac colored tile floor.
"I can't believe she just left like that,” the unicorn exclaimed. Apple Bloom reached with her yellow hoof and picked up the letter.
“She was really serious in the letter.” Apple Bloom examined the paper from top to bottom. “Look, there's even a dried tear on the bottom of the page. She was in a maghty bad mood when she wrote this."
"Well, what do we do? Should we go after her?" Sweetie Belle asked sitting up straight, her voice rising in pitch.
Apple Bloom sighed. "How? We don't even know where she's going. She could be anywhere bah now."
"We can't just let her run off like this! I don't think she knows what she's getting herself into," Sweetie said, raising her voice in panic. “Who knows what will happen to her in her emotional state? What if she gets hurt!?” Eyes wide, Sweetie Belle jumped off the bed towards Apple Bloom, nearly knocking her back. “What if she starves!? WHAT IF SHE DIES?!?! WHAT IF–”
“SWEETIE BELLE!” Apple Bloom roared over the frenzied unicorn. She waited for Sweetie Belle’s attention and cleared her throat. Then in a quieter, soothing voice, she said, “She’s the Scootaloo we know ‘n love. She’ll be fine. She’s a tough mare. Besides, we don’t even know that she’s going very far.”
Sweetie interjected, “BUT SHE SAID-” and suddenly found her mouth occupied with Apple Bloom’s hoof.
“Hush, Sweetie Belle!” the farm mare commanded. “Ah know what she said, and ah don’t know what w’er gonna do,” she said, trailing off. She looked up at Sweetie Belle, whose face was full of worry from her friend’s lack of an answer. The earth pony searched for words to ease the unicorn’s mind. “We’ll figure something out, but ah’m sure that she’ll be okay for the time being,” she said reassuringly.
**********
The midday sun shone brightly overhead the vast green expanse of Whitetail Woods. All along the ground, creatures scurried from one hiding place to the next, rustling the luscious shrubbery. Schools of fish splashed down stream in quiet babbling brooks sending ripples all along the banks. Birds sang sweet songs while nestled on tree limbs swaying in the breeze. High overhead, the occasional cloud sat waiting to be moved by a weather pegasus. The golden rays of Celestia’s sun were transforming the land from the emergence and growth of spring into the prosperity and fullness of summer.
High above it all was a particular tangerine coated, eggplant maned pegasus soaring through the wide-open blue sky.
Flight: the sun over her head, the wind in her mane, the strokes of her wings allowing her to defy gravity, all sounds blocked out by the rush of the wind passing over her ears. There was no other feeling like it. It was the ultimate feeling of freedom. Up in the air, nothing was around to hold her back. She could move any direction she pleased whenever she wanted to. And best of all: she was on her own schedule, not being limited by a destination or a deadline. She could stay amongst the clouds for as long as she wanted; the only thing holding her back was her own stamina. She could have been flying for hours and not even know it. Time passed by seamlessly, as if she were in a trance.
Scootaloo had spent the remainder of the night in the old Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse after slipping into the Apple household to deliver her letter. She woke up just as dawn was breaking in order to get a head start on her travels. She purposely saved her energy to be in the skies during the sunrise and during the day instead of leaving during the night. Night flight, while exhilarating in its own right, was just not the same as flying when you can see the beauty of the ground below. With the sun illuminating the land, she could take in the sights underneath her as if she were perched on a mountaintop, overlooking a lively green valley.
Her mood was the polar opposite of what it had been twelve short hours ago. Back then, her mind was flustered with conflicting thoughts, all while feeling like it was strapped down to a railroad track with a train screaming towards her. Now, however, she was a brimming, lively mare who was determined to reach the goals she had set in her mind with whatever future she wanted ahead of her.
Still, as enjoyable as flying was to Scootaloo, she was no athlete and the hours of flight had gotten to her wings. It was time to set down, take a water break and rest her wings.
Her hooves touched ground a few feet from the babbling stream, under the shade of an archaic oak tree. The wind was whispering through the slender branches causing the leaves to gently rustle against one another above her head. As serene as the area around her was, the orange pegasus’s eyes were only on one thing.
“The water’s flowing pretty well. It should be fine to drink from,” she reasoned.
The clear blue liquid looked inviting to her dry water deprived body. She dipped her mouth into the clear blue water and took in a couple Big Macintosh sized gulps. No sooner did the water rush down her throat than did her stomach let out a loud groan.
“Heh, I guess I forgot about eating,” she mumbled to herself. “Now what’s around here to eat?”
She looked at her surroundings hungrily, searching for a source of food. Not too far down the river was a patch of daisies. At least she was pretty sure they were daisies. Her stomach growled in delight over what her eyes had found.
“Blue daisies exist, right?” she asked herself.
The orange pegasus trotted over to them, but just as she was about to take a bite, a yell interrupted her.
“HEY! DON’T EAT THOSE!”
Scootaloo’s head shot up in surprise as her wings moved back to cover her blank flank, a practice she was used to. A young pegasus colt galloped in front of her, his short, slicked back brown mane in slight disarray from his burst of speed.
“Why can’t I eat these daisies? Scootaloo demanded. “I’m starving!”
“Because these aren’t daisies,” chirped the little yellow pegasus. “This is Poison Joke. If it comes in contact with your body you’ll wake up the next day and who knows what weird joke it will play on you.”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and asked, “What kinda stuff does it do?”
“Well,” the sunshine colored colt responded, “my older brother accidentally got into a patch of it when he was younger, and he turned completely pink for a week until we found the cure.”
Scootaloo chuckled at that.
“My name is Sun Shine by the way,” he tittered excitedly.
“I’m Scootaloo. What are you doing in the middle of the forest, Sun?”
The muscle fibers in his compact body released their tension as his eyes glistened, staring off into the big blue sky as if he were recalling a memory.
“I always take a stroll along the creek into the forest around noontime.That’s actually how I got my cutie mark! As a matter of fact I’ve always loved being outside during the middle of the day. So one day I was walking, and POP!”
Scootaloo jumped at his sudden sound effect.
“This kid sure reminds me of Pinkie Pie,” she thought.
“My cutie mark just appeared! I was so happy I ran home to my mom and dad and showed them the great news. And they were like...”
“Uh, Sun?”
“...OH, we’re so proud of you son!”
“Sun.”
“They were so proud of me they threw me a...”
Scootaloo sighed, then took in a big breath and yelled, “SUN!”
“party...” Sun said trailing off.
“I’m happy for you and all, but do you know where a mare can get some food?” she asked.
“I can take you back into town. OH, I KNOW! I’ll take you to my house and tell my parents I found you about to do the same thing that my brother did, and we’ll all laugh and...”
“SUN.”
“Sorry,” he said letting his body sag and his head droop down.
“So, where is this town?”
Like he was struck by lightning, his whole body perked up. Pointing upstream he said, “Sunnydale? It’s right around that hill. All we have to do is follow the creek for a little while. Follow me; I’ll show you the way!” With that, Scootaloo followed the small yellow energy box towards Sunnydale.
The first few minutes of their short trip passed in silence, much to Scootaloo’s delight. The silence gave her a chance to think about what she had gone through in the past twenty-four hours. Coming home from school, the fight, crying by the lake, the letter. Thinking about the letter and her friends nearly made her stomach wretch. Thankfully it was void of any solids. She thought about how Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom could be reacting to the letter. Before she could think more about her dear friends, Sun Shine opened his mouth again.
“I take it you’re not from around here. Where ya from Scootaloo?”
“I’m from Ponyville.”
“WOOOOOOW! Thaaaat’s a loooooong waaaay.”
“Really? ‘Cause I kinda just took off in a random direction when I left this morning.” She paused, with thinking lines forming on her face. She never really did go anywhere too far outside of Ponyville, besides the occasional joy-flight with Rainbow Dash. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t really sure how far Ponyville was from Sunnydale. She had never heard of the town before. “Wait,” she resumed, “how do you know about Ponyville? I’ve never even heard of Sunnydale. How far away is Ponyville?”
“Well. A friend of mine lives in Ponyville with her mom. Derpy and Dinky Hooves. DO YOU KNOW THEM?!” he asked, eyes bulging out of his head.
“Ha. Of course I know them. I went to kindergarten with Dinky.”
“SHE’S MY COUSIN!”
“Well, have you ever visited them?”
“No; I only write letters to Dinky. Ponyville’s almost a hundred miles away!”
A yawn escaped Scootaloo’s lips. “I can’t believe I flew that far,” she mumbled to herself. “Haven’t you ever asked Dinky why they don’t visit you?”
“I did once, but Dinky said something about her mom not wanting to go back there. I’m not sure why she said that, because I love it in Sunnydale!” He stopped waiting for some kind of response from Scootaloo. When he didn’t get one, he decided he should continue the conversation himself.
“So why did you leave Ponyville? Dinky always told me how much she liked it there.”
“I. U-uh.” Scootaloo looked quickly for a cover up to answer his question. “I’m on vacation...” She stuttered her answer out praying Sun Shine would believe it. To her delight, he hadn’t even noticed.
“Cooooool. Where are you going?”
“Why does this kid have to prod so much,” she thought. Putting on an overly big, fake smile she answered, “I’m. Uh. Going. Um.” Before she could think of something, the isolated town of Sunnydale popped into view.
“Oh, look at that! Is that the town, Sun?” she asked, glad to have found a distraction.
“Oh yeah!” He laughed. “I guess I forgot about that. Come on, lemme show you my house!”
He took off into a gallop. Normally it wouldn’t have been hard for a grown mare like herself to keep up with a little colt like Sun, but she had been flying on an empty stomach for several hours. She labored after him until he came to a stop outside a quaint house that looked all too similar to Scootaloo’s former. Sun quickly bounded through the door yelling loud enough to make Scootaloo’s ear drums rattle.
“MOOOOM, DAAAAAD! I BROUGHT A GUEST!” he yelled before catching his breath from the gallop. Sun looked eagerly around the living room, only to bolt off into another room in search of either of his parents.
Scootaloo stepped into the house to be met by a room full of cabinet various pictures. She walked over to the pictures above the fireplace to closer examine some of them. In nearly all of the pictures there was a tall beige stallion, a small yellow colt (Sun she figured), a smaller stallion that looked almost exactly like the first, and a purple mare, all pegasi.
“Family photos...”
An approaching voice quickly interrupted her thoughts.
“Okay Sun, you don’t need to tell the neighborhood.”
In walked a plum purple pegasus with a dirty blonde mane and crystal clear blue eyes, the very same as in the photos. In tow behind her was Sun, who was buzzing with energy. She looked at Scootaloo with a genuine smile on her face. “Well, hello there, missy. My name is Delilah Shine; I’m Sun’s mother.”
“Your son is quite the ball of energy. He reminds me of one of my friends back home.”
Delilah laughed. “He truly is. He’s my little ball of sunshine,” she said, hugging Sun. Her motherly smile warmed Scootaloo’s heart, yet at the same time made her want to go back to the days where she got along with her parents.
“Aw MOM! You’re getting all mushy again!” Sun said, face scrunched in disgust.
“What’s wrong with a mother loving her son?” she said, squeezing him even harder.
“MOM!” yelled Sun, grimacing.
She sighed with a smile on her face, letting go of Sun. “Okay Sun, go run along while I talk to our guest.” Sun scampered off up the stairs leaving the two mares alone.
“I’m Scootaloo, by the way.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Scootaloo,” she exclaimed with her heartwarming smile. “Where are you from?”
“I’m from Ponyville,” she replied anxiously.
“OH, PONYVILLE!” Delilah interrupted excitedly. “Sun writes to a friend of his who lives there.”
“Yeah, Derpy and Dinky Hooves. Sun already told me.”
“Well then. That’s quite the journey for a young one like yourself. What brings you so far from home?”
Again, Scootaloo was sent reeling to come up with a story to cover up her actual reason for running away. Why she was even hiding the truth in the first place escaped her. Ponyville was a hundred miles away. It wasn’t like anypony here would tell her parents where she ran off to. It was still a risk she wasn’t willing to take. She decided to use the same answer she told Sun.
“I’m on vacation, and was just passing through,” she said, more convincingly than before.
“Oh, where are you heading to?” the lilac Pegasus inquired offhandedly.
“Ponyfeathers!” thought Scootaloo, scrambling to come up with a cover story.
Scootaloo tried to stutter out an answer. “I’m uh. Going to um...” With no distraction she felt hopeless. Her eyes darted around the room for something, anything, that would help her out.
“Now I see where Sun gets it from,” she grumbled internally.
Even though Scootaloo had forgotten about her stabbing hunger pains for the moment, her stomach made sure to remind her.
GUUUUUUUUUURRRR!
Her face went flush. “Um...”
“Oh, where are my manners, dearie,” said the plum pegasus compassionately. “You must be starving after such a long trip. Come with me to the to the kitchen and I’ll get you something to eat,” she said trotting happily into the kitchen.
“Thank you very much, Mrs. Shine.” Scootaloo followed her into the kitchen to find a squeaky clean floor and countertops so shiny she could practically see her reflection in them.
“I hope a daisy sandwich will do,” said Delilah pensively. “I haven’t had a chance to go to the market today and buy more food.”
“That’s perfect! I’m starving,” replied Scootaloo gratefully.
“How did you meet Sun anyways?” asked the motherly pegasus.
“Funny thing,” Scootaloo responded after stuffing down the fortifying sandwich. “I had just landed to get a drink of water and to find something to eat. I was about to eat what I thought were daisies until your son stopped me and told me that the flowers were Poison Joke. So he brought me here.” She finished her short story, yawning loudly. “Phew, I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
Maternal instincts returning, Delilah said, “Oh, you poor thing. You must be so tired from all your flying. You said you flew all the way here from Ponyville?”
“Yeah,” answered the orange pegasus nervously. “I left at the break of dawn.”
“Well, no wonder you’re so tired this early in the afternoon.” She sulked a little realizing the young mare probably had nowhere to stay. “You know Scootaloo,” she said debating her next sentence. “We have room in the guest bedroom if you’d like to sleep for awhile.”
“Really?” she asked. “You... you’d let me stay here?” Scootaloo said with a gleam in her eyes.
“Of course!” exclaimed Delilah. “What kind of pony would I be if I kicked you out into a strange town?” She smiled widely. “Do you want anything else to eat, honey?”
“No, thank you,” replied Scootaloo. She was still a little hungry, but the more time she spent talking with her kind hostess, the more of a risk there was for her cover to be blown. She needed time to think up a more solid background and to regain some energy.
“I’d just like to catch some shut eye,” the orange pegasus yawned. “Thank you very much for the hospitality, Mrs. Shine.”
“It’s no problem, Scootaloo. Follow me up to the guest bedroom.”
Scootaloo followed Delilah out the kitchen and back through the living room with all its happy pictures. Scootaloo wobbled up the firm wooden stairs, her sleepiness starting to take control of her body. Delilah stopped at an open door just at the top of the stairs and stuck her head in. “Sun, please try to keep the noise level down. Scootaloo will be trying to sleep.”
“Okay, mom,” she heard back. The plum pegasus walked a few more hooves down the hallway and opened a door.
“Well, here you go. Everything is already set up for you. We keep the room ready just in case someone needs it in a jiffy.”
While staring off into space, Scootaloo said, “Thank you very much, Mrs. Shine,” and walked into the room and plopped down on the bed. Delilah closed the door and walked away.
As Scootaloo lay there waiting for sleep to overtake her, she couldn’t help but worry about what was going through the minds of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Were they looking for her? Or worse, what were her parents doing? Before she could get too in depth in her worrying thoughts, her mind wandered off into a deep abyssal sleep.
