Forced To Grow Up

"Come on everypony! We will defijtely get our cutie marks this time!" Scootaloo shouted as she ran to the club house.

Sweetiebelle and Applebloom dragging behind her

"It's so early Scootaloo why are you in such a rush?" Sweetiebelle said with a yawn.

While Applebloom was rubbing her eyes something caught her attention

"Hey Scoots," Applebloom started, "your tail hair... you've got a big patch of it missing."

Scootaloo's smile quickly faded and her eyes went dark.

"Uhh. It's nothing. I was just, uhh, trying to, uhh, style it a bit into a lightning bolt! Yeah! and make it look cooler. You know, to impress Rainbow Dash! I guess I just cut too much." Scootaloo replied with a strange smile

Applebloom quickly accepted the answer, "Oh! Ok! I tried to do something like that to impress Applejack once!" As she nodded.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo replied "that's what I was doing!" Her smile faded again and she looked down towards the ground.

Sweetiebelle on the other hand did not accept that answer. She had watched Rarity style her hair and have her work on her own hair as well. She had learned the difference in styling and destroying through her own catastrophes. But she noticed the hairs had been pulled out not styled or shaped as Scootaloo had said as if Scootaloo had been in a fight.

"Are you sure Scootaloo?" Sweetiebelle asked.

Scootaloo snapped out of her trance and yelled, "YES! I'M SURE OK! STOP ASKING ME ABOUT IT!"

Applebloom and Sweetiebelle stepped back. They had never seen Scootaloo yell like that about anything. Even more so at them, her best friends who cared for her the most.

Scootaloo realized what she had done.

"Hey... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell. I've just had somethings bothering me."

Sweetiebelle tried to ask about what but Scootaloo quickly added before she could talk.

"BUT PLEASE DON'T ASK ME TO EXPLAIN! I'm... Not really in the mood for it..."

For Sweetiebelle who was always concerned for her friends this bothered her fiercely.

There was silence as to two fillies exchanged looks of concern about their friend.

Applebloom broke the silence first, "Well okay Scoots let's change the subject and focus on our cutie marks!"

"Yeah let's do that" Sweetiebelle said still not content with the answer.

Scootaloo just remained quiet and nodded her head. Clearly something eating away at her mind.

The three fillies put on their cutie mark crusaders capes and were off.

The Crusaders had a nice list of things to try. After seven failed attempts from helping to lay concrete to balancing cupcakes on their heads it had begun to get late. The Crusaders had become increasingly worried about Scootaloo as during the entire duration of their cutie mark attempts Scootaloo seemed miles away.

"Applebloom! Sweetiebelle!" Applejack and Rarity called.

The two mares trotted up to the three fillies.

"Let's go cupcake we got a bit of harvesting to do and were gonna need your help tomorrow morning" Applejack said to Applebloom in her southern accent.

"Come on along Sweetiebelle I need you to help me finish a dress tonight." Rarity said while looking through some designs.

"Ugh... Okay..." Applebloom and Sweetiebelle groaned.

Scootaloo's face suddenly went dark again.

"Well alright Scoots we will see you tomorrow!" Applebloom said as she started to leave with Applejack

Noticing Scootaloo's face Sweetiebelle's face took on the concerned look again.

"Hey Applejack... Rarity..." Scootaloo started

The two mares looked towards the orange pegasus.

"what is it darling?" Rarity said.

"Well... If it isn't too much... Would it be okay if I helped you all take in tomorrows harvest? Or help you with the dress Rarity?" Scootaloo seemed to beg.

"Oh sorry cupcake but were gonna be doing a bit of traveling once we get the harvest to the Crystal Kingdom" Applejack sadly declined.

"And I'm sorry too, but I only need Sweetiebelle, its soooooo hard trying to focus with even her around." Rarity said also declining whilst throwing her hoof over her head in her usual manner.

"Oh... Okay..." Scootaloo's already dark expression became darker. "Thanks anyway..." As she began to slowly walk away with her head hung low.

Applejack and Rarity exchanged a look of concern before turning and nudging the fillies to their respective homes.

Applebloom and Sweetiebelle also exchanged looks of concern as they watched Scootaloo walk away. They watched until Scootaloo walked out of sight.

It was late as Scootaloo walked down the alleyway. She heard strange noises and hissing sounds from other pony's pipes. She took this path every morning and night. Each time she would ask for Princess Luna to protect her as she neared her destination.

PONYVILLE HOME FOR FORGOTTEN FILLIES.

Big bold letters carved into the sign. She read them everyday as she returned to her prison. Reaching for the door handle when the door flew open. A tall gray stallion with piercing yellow eyes, a black mane, and a yellow cutie mark of a coil of ropes stared back at her. A devilish smile crept across his face. Scootaloo's mouth slowly gaped as she began to back up, but before she could the stallion had her by her mane and yanked her into the air. Scootaloo wanted to scream but she remembered the last time she did. The back of her head ached from the memory and being suspended in air.

The stallion brought the orange filly directly into his face and began with a imaginary sense of relief, "Oh Scootaloo! It's sooooo good to see you! I was beginning to worry!" The stallion said as he slung her threw the door causing her to slide across the floor and into the table. His face contorted into a smile that would put fear into Celestia herself! And his eyes gleamed with a look Scootaloo knew all to well, as he began with his voice becoming darker, "Welcome home Scootaloo..."