Getting a Rideby MaxtheBigBadChaptersChapter 4 - Rest is a RarityChapter 3 - H2ObesityChapter 1 - The Dangers of PaintChapter 2 - Five Feet Into NowhereChapter 4 - Rest is a RaritySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3 - H2ObesityIf there was anything positive about Scootaloo’s current situation, it was easy to miss. Aside from the fact that she knew she was no longer in the middle of the Nowhere Desert and instead found herself in the Park of Next-to-Nothing, she had no idea where she was relative to Ponyville. For all she knew, she could be on a planet whose main inhabitants are a completely different species, though the odds of that seemed slim. Still, the thought interested her. What if she was on an alien planet? What might the species look like? How might they speak? Would they have similar culture to Ponyvillians? How advanced might their technology be? All of these questions and more popped into her head, but she decided to ignore the thought for now. At the moment, she desperately needed water. The sandpaper in her mouth (she had decided it wasn’t even worthy of being called a tongue anymore) felt like it was getting rougher by the minute. Also, another thing: why did she put this sandpaper in her mouth in the first place? With the energy she had left, she looked around in front of her to see if there were any possible sources of water. She checked for trees, puddles, even for grass more luscious than the grass around it. No luck. She hung her head low in disappointment. Man, I wish there was some easy to get water nearby… As she lifted her head up, she immediately saw a reservoir of crystal clear water. She looked around herself to find that she was suddenly on a small island surrounded by miles of water. She looked down at the water. It was so clear, she could see her reflection in it! She could see down for several meters in the water! At the bottom of the water, she could see a solid concrete flooring to hold the water in. Immediately, she dunked her face as deep into the water as ponily possible and began sucking it up like mad. She felt the hydration flowing throughout her body rapidly, cooler her down to a normal temperature. The cool water flowed down her throat, which she relished. She could feel her skin expanding to fit all the water she was drinking, but she didn’t care. Her skin could stretch on for miles as long as she could continue drinking this spectacular water. It tasted divine, unlike any water she’d ever had before. A hint of sweetness danced lightly across her sandpaper, dissolving it back into the sand and the paper. It was so fresh, she might as well have eaten an entire pack of breath mints, even though that would be stupid and could be a choking hazard. She continued drinking for almost a minute straight. Her lungs were burning from the lack of air, and she finally pulled her head up from the water. She flopped onto her back, her stomach sagging to the sides slightly, and gasped heavily for air. As her face returned to its normal coloring, she felt the water in her belly waving gently back and forth. She knew that she had to have gained several pounds of body weight from that water alone, but she didn’t care. At least she had water. As she lay there, she began to think about the questions she had asked herself earlier. As she thought more and more, a definitive shape came up. They might be… bipedal creatures, with no fur! Yeah, and maybe they don’t even have horns or wings! They would only have hair on the tops of their heads, and maybe some patches of hair under their arms or on their faces, but otherwise none. They might be super tall, with tan skin! Suddenly, a shadow crept over her. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” Scootaloo asked. She looked up at the violator, only to see the exact creature she had imagined standing right in front of her. “Wha- but… How?” “You can talk?!” the creature asked in a voice that was certainly male. There was a look of utter shock on its face. At least, that’s how Scootaloo interpreted it. “You can talk?!” Scootaloo replied. Her jaw practically fell off, but at least it would have landed softly on her soft, expansive tummy. The two simply stared at each other for a long time. The situation quickly got awkward, both Scootaloo and the creature smiling sheepishly. Finally, the creature broke the silence. “What are you?” the creature asked Scootaloo. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “I’m a pony, obviously. Here’s the real question: What are you?” “I’m a human…” the creature told her. “Do you have a name?” “Yeah.” “Huh. That’s an odd name. Then again, you are a talking horse, so who am I to judge? Well, hey Yeah! I’m Jordan!” Jordan reached out his hoof to meet Scootaloo’s. Wait… That’s not a hoof… That’s a claw or something! Wait! My name isn’t ‘Yeah’! “Wait, my name’s not Yeah! My name is Scootaloo!” Jordan blushed at the statement. “Whoops. My bad!” He put his… something… out toward Scootaloo. Hesitantly, Scootaloo reached her hoof out and put it close to the claw thingy. Jordan wrapped his… whatevers… around Scootaloo’s hoof and began to shake it gently. He smiled warmly at Scootaloo. “You know, you’re kind of cute,” Jordan commented. Scootaloo blushed at the statement, frowning. “I am not cute!” she exclaimed, crossing her hooves and pouting. Jordan simply continued smiling at her. After a minute or so of silence, Jordan quickly scooped her up in two of his limbs and started hugging her. Immediately, Scootaloo started struggling to escape his grasp, but after a moment, she realized her attempts were in vain. She simply sat there, held in his arms, and relaxed. After a while, she realized it was actually really nice. She rested her head on Jordan’s chest for a bit and heard the light pattering of his heart. She found the sound of Jordan’s heartbeat oddly comforting. Suddenly, an earthquake sounded from her belly. “Oh, you must be hungry, huh?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo answered, opening her mouth wide for a yawn. “Well, what do you want to eat?” “Hmm…” Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin, looking up into the sky as she thought. Suddenly, it came to her. “I want chocolate cake from Sugarcube Corner!” “Well, that would be your first meal in here, so why not?” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Um… Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Carrying Scootaloo, Jordan walked between a pair of palm trees on the island, and the two of them were suddenly in Ponyville. “Wait, what?” Scootaloo asked, her face scrunching up in confusion. “What’s wrong?” Jordan asked, stopping. “Um… Nothing. You don’t worry about it.” I must be more tired than I thought. My mind is playing tricks on me. Jordan put one arm forward and pushed the door open, causing a bell to ring. Jordan sat down and set Scootaloo on his lap. Immediately, Scootaloo leapt down from his lap and sat down on the chair next to him. The two of them chatted for a bit while they waited for Pinkie Pie to come and take their orders. Jordan clarified to Scootaloo that he had these things called ‘hands’ where his forehooves should be, and ‘feet’ instead of his back hooves. “Hey, Scootaloo! Hi, Jordan!” Pinkie Pie suddenly dropped her pad of paper and jumped up into the air. “Oh my gosh, it’s a new pony in town, and you know that means I have to throw you a party, which means I’m going to have to rent out a place somewhere and plan out the games and make a whole bunch of invitations and maybe see if I can get Cheese Sandwich to come over and help me out, although I think he’s busy with a party in Steve this week, and that might be a problem, but I really haven’t seen him in such a long time. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I haven’t seen him in such a long time, I mean it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen him, and I always wanted to tell him that I kind of like him and want to go out with him and get married and have two kids named Xavier and Amanda-” “We’ll just have two slices of chocolate cake,” Jordan interrupted. “It’s too bad we can’t do any crusading today,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “Yeah, but it just wouldn’t feel right without Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom replied. Sweetie Belle nodded. They walked in silence for a short moment, until Sweetie Belle spoke. “Do you think she’s alright?” “Ah sure hope so.” “Yeah. I don’t want the Cutie Mark Crusaders to end up getting disbanded.” “Ah swear, you really are a dictionary, Sweetie Belle. Or maybe yer a robot or something.” “Beep boop, you can call me ‘Sweetie Bot 5000,’ mortal being,” Sweetie Belle said in a monotone voice, moving her hooves at right angles. Apple Bloom laughed at her friend, and Sweetie Belle quickly joined. The laughs felt empty to both of them. It really wasn’t the same without Scootaloo, and they both knew it. Apple Bloom sighed. “It really isn’t the same without her.” “Yeah. Oh! I know! Why don’t we visit her in the hospital?” Sweetie Belle suggested, her face suddenly lit up with joy. “Yeah! That’s a great idea!” “And maybe we can get our cutie marks in being nurses!” “Yeah!” “Cutie Mark Crusader Nurses, yay!” “And now for the final touch… there!” Poetic finished, pulling her hoof away from Rainbow’s mane. “Oh, good, you’re finally done! Tell me it’s not embarrassing…” Poetic handed Rainbow a mirror, and Rainbow screamed in horror. “NOOO!” She shouted at the top of her lungs in hopes that she would get somepony’s attention and find a way to escape Poetic’s stupid slumber party. “Oh, please, Rainbow Dash, it’s not that bad. Honestly, you look simply smashing with your mane like that,” Rarity tried to comfort her friend. “I just don’t want to be here,” Rainbow complained. “Rainbow! Don’t be so rude to Poetic! Honestly, she just wants to become friends with you!” Twilight scolded Rainbow. “I know that! But I don’t want to become friends with her!” Rainbow shouted. Immediately, she realized what she had just said. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean it that way!” Tears started falling from Poetic’s eyes. “R-really?” she asked, sniffling. “Y-you don’t like me?” “N-no, I didn’t mean it that way at all! P-please, stop crying, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings! What I meant to say was that you’re a bit annoying… Oh, that sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? Uh, no, I mean – it’s just that – I don’t really – I don’t think – we’re not really-” Twilight put up a hoof, signaling Rainbow Dash to stop. Poetic opened her eyes, now filled with rage. “GET OUT! ALL OF YOU, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Immediately, six ponies came flying out of the second story window of Poetic Nurturer’s new house. “Well, that certainly could have gone better,” Rarity said, gently rubbing her head with a hoof. “Rainbow Dash, that was awful! How could you be so rude to that pony! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Twilight yelled. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack awkwardly walked off toward the marketplace, trying desperately to escape the situation. “Please, Twilight, can you just…” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Leave me alone for a little while. I need some time to myself so that I can think.” Twilight took in a deep breath and relaxed. “Alright, Rainbow," she started in a much softer demeanor. "This doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you though, and I still expect you to explain yourself to all of us later. I trust that you have your reasons.” In her house, Poetic was still furious at all six of the ponies she had just literally kicked out the window. “If I can’t be her friend, why should anypony else? How does she even have friends in the first place? She’s so rude, why should she?” She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few short seconds. “No, I can’t let this get to me. I just have to forget about it and move on. Getting revenge won’t help anypony. It’ll only serve to make things worse for all of us.” Author's Note Exactly 2000 words. Shortest chapter so far. I'm trying to have chapters no shorter than 2000 words. 2000 words is kind of a sweet spot for readers like me. Not too short, not to long, but just the right length. Edit: I just finished editing this chapter. It's not exactly 2K words anymore. Oh well. I'd rather have a slightly longer chapter than a slightly shorter one. Chapter 1 - The Dangers of Paint“I’m glad you all were willing to help me finish repainting the boutique today,” Rarity thanked her friends. It was an early morning during late fall, about the time most foals were going to school. Young foals were being walked to school by their parents, who were starting to get frustrated at their arguments. Various phrases such as “I don’t wanna go” or “I went yesterday” could be heard. Older foals were walking to school with their friends, chatting about what they had eaten for dinner the last night. One thing was the same with everypony outside, though- they all dressed warm. Everypony had scarves wrapped around their necks, keeping them toasty. They bore many different colors, some red, some blue, and some multi-colored. Some were decorated with simple patterns and pictures. Some ponies found themselves scratching their necks like crazy, while others found their scarves making it easier to simple fall asleep. “It’s no problem, Rarity. We’re glad to help,” Twilight said in between strokes. Her tongue was sticking out as she spread the paint evenly, trying not to miss any spot on the wall. The others were quick to agree to Twilight’s statement. “I think we’re done up here!” Rainbow Dash shouted from above. “Do you guys need some help down there?” Rarity paused to examine the walls. Her eyes scanned for any large unpainted spots. There wasn’t much unpainted. Her mind measured how much everypony would have to paint. Figuring Rainbow and Fluttershy had done their share of work, she finally responded. “At the rate we’re going, I doubt it will take much more of our time. Would you two mind heading inside and serving the hot chocolate for us? It’s quite cold out here.” “No prob! I’ll have it done in a jiffy!” Rainbow flew inside in a flash, quickly getting to work on the hot cocoa. The door nearly broke off its hinges, but Twilight quickly caught it in her magic, hardly diverted her attention from her painting. Fluttershy slowly followed Rainbow inside, glad to help make hot chocolate. She gently opened the door and stepped through, slowly shutting it behind her. “Oh, Fluttershy?” Rarity turned from her work. The brush floating above her threatened to drip paint on her. Fluttershy stopped. She turned around in the doorway and peeked out at her friend. “Yes?” “Could you remind Sweetie Belle that she must go to school?” “Oh, of course,” Fluttershy replied. Her head slipped back through the door as she closed it behind her. After a few minutes, they finally finished painting. The four mares backed away from the exterior of the building to inspect their work. The paint was evenly spread across the wall. There was not a clump of paint to be found, nor a single spec of unpainted wall. “Good job girls! You can head inside for now, I’ll bring in the paint buckets later,” Rarity told her friends. “Oh boy! I can’t wait for our hot chocolate! I loooove hot chocolate! It just tastes so yummy and chocolaty and sugary and amazing! Man, I thought we would NEVER finish painting!” Pinkie Pie continued ranting as she bounced up and down in glee. “What was that, Pinkie?” Applejack asked. “I think it was something along the lines of ‘space-thing,’” Twilight guessed. As the other three went in, Pinkie continued her rant as she bounced up and down. The hoof gestures she made were wild and all over the place. Suddenly, she went silent. “Oh, they all went inside… WAIT FOR ME!” She galloped after them, knocking over a nearby bucket of paint in her rush. Her hooves beat against the ground as she ran toward the door only a few feet away. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle popped out of the door. Her eyes went wide as she saw Pinkie Pie skidding to a halt. She curled up into a ball and covered her head with her hooves. Pinkie felt the friction of the ground scraping against her hooves burn into her bones. She had to have scraped off at least 2 layers of skin. She slowly lifted her right forehoof up so she could see the bottom. All of the fur had been scraped off. Sweetie Belle looked up from her ball. Seeing that Pinkie had stopped, she stood up and brushed herself off. “Jeez, Pinkie! You scared me!” “Sorry, Sweetie Belle. I just realized I forgot to go inside, that’s all,” Pinkie explained in a monotone voice, her eyes still glued to the bottom of her hoof. “Um… Is something… wrong?” Sweetie asked. Pinkie Pie shook her head rapidly, closing her eyes as she did so. Dazed, she answered. “N-no. No, everything’s fine!” She was back to her normal self again. Sweetie moved to the side to let Pinkie in, and she trotted through the door, slamming it shut after her. As Sweetie continued glaring at the door, Scootaloo pulled up on her scooter, Apple Bloom riding on the back. “Hey, Sweetie Belle! Need a ride to school?” Scootaloo asked. “Sure, thanks!” “Hop on!” Of course, by this time, Sweetie had already jumped onto the scooter, securing herself to her friends with her hooves. “Hey, Sweetie, did ya hear what happened to Diamond Tiara yesterday?” Apple Bloom asked. “No, what?” “Apparently, she slipped in some spilled paint and broke her hoof,” Apple Bloom told her. “Oh no, really?” Sweetie Belle asked, concerned. Despite the awful relationship she had with Diamond Tiara, her heart was still easily broken when she saw a sad pony. “Nah, Ah just made that up,” Apple Bloom answered, giggling a little. “Wait, if she didn’t break her hoof, then why did she have to get Silver Spoon to help her walk home?” Scootaloo asked. “Ah don’t know. Probably just lazy.” “Huh,” Scootaloo pondered. Deciding to ignore it, she grabbed onto the handlebar and got into place to start the scooter. Without securing her helmet strap, she pushed at the ground with her hind hoof. The scooter started off slowly, but once it got going, it was much faster than walking speed. Scootaloo could feel the wind blowing through her tail, and her heart could practically explode out of her chest out of excitement. That was one of the main reasons she loved riding her scooter so much. The excitement just felt so amazing to her. She saw everything near her whizzing by. Anything that would happen to be chasing her when she started would be far behind once the scooter picked up speed, unless the chaser happened to be Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo looped around the Carousel Boutique a few times. She was going so fast, she could most certainly feel the force pulling her away from the building, resisting her circles. The force was so strong it ripped her helmet off, but she knew she could escape it. She leaned violently to the right when she suddenly felt some sort of liquid underneath the scooter. Immediately, she knew what had happened. “Jump off!” Scootaloo shouted to her friends. “Why?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Just do it!” Tired and not in much of a mood to argue, her friends did just that. Scootaloo let the scooter go a few more feet before she jumped off as well, not releasing her grip on the handlebars. The scooter didn’t stop. Instead, the scooter swung up and smacked Scootaloo in the head. Scootaloo fell over. Shocked and worried, Sweetie Belle rushed over to her friend. She needed to see if she was alright. What she found was not what she had hoped. The scooter had hit Scootaloo harder than they had thought. “Is she alright?” Apple Bloom asked. She was reluctant to look for herself. She feared what she would see. “N-no...” Sweetie Belle said weakly, feeling lightheaded. “There’s blood everywhere!” Scootaloo was lying on her left side. Her right forehoof was stretched behind her back, slightly farther beyond where it should have been able to bend. Her left forehoof was underneath her body. Her hind right hind hoof was slightly in front of the left, as if she was trying to walk on two hooves. The scooter’s handlebar had fallen from her right hoof, but was still held by her left. The back wheel had still been spinning and had gotten tangled into Scootaloo’s mane. There was a fairly deep gash across Scootaloo’s forehead, right where a unicorn’s horn would be. There was blood dripping out of it. Sweetie Belle fainted. As Apple Bloom saw what happened, she panicked. She knew she had to get Applejack. She would know what to do. Apple Bloom sprinted into the building at her top speed. Twilight and her friends all turned from their drinks. They had been discussing various news topics in Equestria. Apple Bloom ran up to Applejack and told her what had happened as quickly as possible. The group gasped collectively and all rushed outside. When they saw it for themselves, they all gasped. “Scoots!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She flew over to her as fast as she could and started to pick her up. She stopped when she felt her mane tugging. She turned to see the scooter. Realizing it was stuck, she rushed inside to find scissors. Rarity ran over to her sister and gently picked her up in a forehoof. Sweetie Belle opened an eye and peeked up at her. “Rarity?” Rarity didn’t respond. She simply hugged her. She didn’t ever want to lose her. “Rarity? What happened?” Her just-awoken mind still struggled to remember. She had been facing the other way the whole time. “Don’t worry about it. Just go to school,” Rarity spoke softly, finally releasing her from her embrace. “Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked. “Yeah?” “You go with Sweetie Belle. Don’t worry about her.” Obediently, the two fillies walked off toward the schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle walked at a normal pace at first, until she suddenly remembered what had happened. Her pace dropped rapidly, along with her head. Apple Bloom wrapped a hoof around her friend, trying to comfort her. “We have to get her to the hospital!” Twilight exclaimed once she was sure the foals were out of hearing range. “But the scooter is stuck in her mane. We can’t possibly bring it to the hospital with her!” Rarity argued. Immediately, Rainbow Dash burst out of the building, a pair of scissors in her hoof. “I found ‘em!” she announced. Rarity directed her attention to the scissors in her friend’s hoof. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “You can’t use those scissors!” Rarity exclaimed, rushed over to her friend to take them. “Why not?” Rainbow asked. The group was confused as well. “Those are my sewing scissors! They aren’t meant to be used to cut manes!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rarity, this is an emergency. We have no idea how major this injury is! And in order to find that out, we have to get her to the hospital, which means that scooter can’t be caught in her mane!” “Oh, alright,” Rarity sighed, handing the scissors back to Rainbow. “But just this once. And be careful!” Rainbow took the scissors and rushed over to Scootaloo. She eyeballed about where she had to cut and began cutting through. It didn’t exactly cut like butter. If it did, the butter certainly hadn’t been out of the freezer for long. Rainbow had to push down with all of her might to get the scissors to cut through the mane. She could feel a drop of sweat fall down her face. Finally, the tuft of hair fell to the ground, bring the scooter with it. Rarity walked up to Rainbow to retrieve her scissors, which were now bent and full of hair. Rainbow picked up Scootaloo in her forehooves as she started beating her wings. “I’ll bring her to the hospital. You guys let her family know what happened to her.” Rainbow flew off in a blur toward the hospital. The mares simply stood there in silence for a moment. Fluttershy was curled up in a ball, shaking violently. If you listened closely enough, you could hear her sobbing softly. Pinkie Pie’s mane had gone straight, and she was practically crying waterfalls. Twilight and Rarity were hugging each other, both crying loudly. Applejack was simply staring off into the distance after Rainbow Dash, letting the tears flow silently. “Ah sure hope she’s alright,” she whispered to herself. Author's Note I'm getting better. I started this yesterday, and I just now finished it. Still, I think it's loads better than Rafting Against the Current when it comes to pacing and description. I know, the pacing isn't perfect. In fact, it's far from it. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below. Leave a like if you liked it, a dislike if you didn't like it, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. What do you guys wanna see in the future for this story? I think I have a few ideas, but maybe you have a good one that I don't. I'd really like to hear them. Chapter 2 - Five Feet Into NowhereA moan escaped Scootaloo’s mouth, quickly followed by a yawn. In order to wake herself up, Scootaloo stretched. She sat up, rubbing her head, when she felt something on her hoof. “Is that… sand?” She slowly opened her eyes. When the sunlight above nearly blinded her, she shut them again as quickly as ponily possible. That didn’t stop the light from penetrating her eyelids, though. She opened one eye, making sure not to look at the sun this time. She held her hoof up in front of her, seeing the grainy substance covering it. She looked down at the ground that she was sitting on, only to find more of it surrounding her for miles. Unfortunately, it was all there was for miles. Nopony else was nearby, and there were no buildings to be seen. She was all alone. The sun beat down on her like a sledgehammer. If she were to burst into flames, she wouldn’t have been surprised. Her tongue felt like sandpaper, and she knew she needed water. It had already occurred to her that she needed to find civilization as quickly as possible, and hopefully find out how she had gotten here. Without further delay, she picked a direction to walk in. Unceremoniously, she got up on all fours. The sand shifted around her, and her hooves sank in slightly. The sand practically burned a hole into her hooves, and she quickly jumped up and began flapping her wings, startled by the sudden heat. “Yeesh, that’s hot! I’m definitely awake now!” Fluttering for a few seconds, she reached a forehoof behind her back. The heat she felt on her back practically burned her fur off. It felt as though her back would combust any second, but she didn’t feel the heat in her back. “Weird.” Falling back to the ground, she immediately started galloping in the direction she had chosen, doing her best to touch the ground with her hooves as little as possible. The wind blew through her mane, and it felt great in contrast to the heated environment around her. Plus, it got her closer to her escape. Tired, she finally collapsed on the ground. Her lungs were burning, but she couldn’t tell if it was because of her lack of air or the fact that the air she was getting was so hot. It was probably a mix of both. Once she caught her breath, she began to realize her situation. She was in the middle of nowhere, which apparently happened to be a desert, and she had no idea how long it would be until she found another pony. Feeling the need to cry, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. “In… and out…” Knowing she may not be able to find water for awhile, she had to preserve as much water she had in her body as she could, which meant she had to keep from crying, no matter how sad she was about being lost in the Nowhere Desert. “In… and out…” Scootaloo knew she would have to do anything she could to get water. “In… and out…” Her stomach grumbled, interrupting her breathing. She could almost feel her stomach acid burning a hole through her gut. A hole through her whole gut. “In… and ou-” Her breathing technique was interrupting by her coughing. A small chunk of sand flew out of her mouth. “Huh. Must have swallowed that when I was asleep earlier…” Slowly, she checked to make sure her eyes weren't turning into sand. “Nope. I guess I have another year for that fortune to come true,” she inferred. Two years ago, she found a fortune that said her vision would go grainy. She took it a bit too literally. Letting her eyelids fall together again, she took one more deep breath. “In… and out…” She let her body simply sit still for a moment and relax. No words escaped her lips, no thoughts went through her mind, no air got to her lungs, and no blood pumped through her veins. She promptly passed out. The sight would have been strange to anyone who would ever come across it. Near the edge of the Nowhere Desert was a small orange filly pegasus with a magenta mane and tail. She was on her side, sleeping. “Don’t touch my pudding!” she abruptly shouted, waking herself up. She scrambled to her hooves and remembered where she was. “Oh. Right.” After that short nap, Scootaloo’s gas tank wasn't so close to ‘E.’ Sure, it was in Nowhere Desert compared to ‘F,’ but she had more energy than before. On the lower level of moderately refreshed, Scootaloo struggled to remember which direction she had been going. She looked around until she spotted a trail of hoofprints. “Oh, okay. So I came from that way!” She swiftly turned around, only to find more hoofprints. “Huh?” It quickly struck her that perhaps somepony... “Hello!? Where are you!? Is somepony there!?” Her ear perked up, picking up every single sound nearby. She heard echoes of her own voice, but there were few other noises. After a few seconds, she heard a tumbleweed rolling by, signifying to her that she was still alone. She frowned, disappointed. She decided to follow the hoofprints in front of her to see where they came from. The track of holes in the sand had a solid curve to it, that much she could tell quickly. After a while, when the track’s curve didn’t change, Scootaloo looked around to realize that the hoofprints were simply going in a circle. A wave of nervousness beat against her mental dam. Sweat began drizzling down her face through the cracks. “Don’t worry, Scootaloo, they’re probably not yours. In fact, not even probably, they’re not yours. No, no, definitely not my hoofprints…” She chuckled nervously. “Yeah…” She walked outside of the circle to see if she could find any of her hoofprints. Unfortunately, there were none to be seen. The dam collapsed under all of the nervous water’s pressure. Scootaloo fell to the ground, yelling out in agony and despair. “NOOO!” When she ran out of air to yell, she inhaled deeply and began to yell again. “NOOOO- Oh!” She stopped when she saw the end of the Nowhere Desert a few yards away. She trotted over to her grassy discovery. She took a glance around, when something back in the desert caught her eye. She trotted along the grass-desert border and inspected it closer. “Oh, COME ON!” she shouted upon realization that she had started literally five feet into Nowhere. Rainbow landed near the hospital after flying for what felt like forever. “Sheesh, that lasted way too long! It’s almost like time froze just so somepony could have, like, a flashback or something.” Rainbow stopped and pondered for a moment, before remembering the problem at hand. She rushed Scootaloo into the hospital, practically breaking another door off of its hinges. Upon their entry, the mare at the desk looked up from her notebook, a quill in hoof. She dropped the notebook, as her pupils grew to the size of tennis balls. She gasped so loud, Rainbow had to cover her ears. Suddenly, there was an audible thud. After a moment, Rainbow realized she had dropped Scootaloo on the floor. She smacked herself for being so stupid. “Ow! Why did I do that?” Not bothering to question it anymore, she picked up Scootaloo and unnecessarily told the mare she needed a doctor. The mare nodded rapidly and whistled. Confused, Rainbow opened her mouth to ask what was happening, but was interrupted by a group of three stallions charging into the room. They took Scootaloo from Rainbow’s hooves and set her limp body into a gurney. One stallion quickly rushed in front of the gurney to pull it forwards and steer it down the hallway, while the other two pushed it from behind. Mere seconds later, they vanished around a corner. Rainbow stood there, shocked for a moment. She shook her head and opened her mouth. “I’ve never seen you here before. Is this your first day?” “Yes, actually. Well, here, anyway. I used to work in a hospital back in Manehatten. I’ve worked there for years, actually. I’m kind of sad now I’ve left the place. Still, it’s not like I had any other choice. My husband moved to Ponyville about a month ago. He gave me some money to start me off with my train ticket, but not enough. I’ve had my things all packed up for a week, at least, but I only yesterday got my pay.” “Wait, you say you’ve worked at a hospital for years?” Rainbow questioned skeptically. “Yes. Why do you ask?” “No reason. I just thought it was a little weird how you reacted to Scootaloo when I came in with her. I mean, it’s not like it’s anything you haven’t seen before, what with your years of experience, right?” Rainbow suggested. The mare’s pupils dilated. Her face was starting to sweat. She spoke in a high pitched voice. “What are you-” She interrupted herself with a cough, then continued in her normal voice. “What are you getting at?” “Nothing, nothing,” Rainbow backed off, putting her hooves in front of her and trying to look as innocent as possible. “It’s just a little odd, that’s all. That said, I have to go. I have an important thing to do. Bye!” Rainbow quickly rushed to the door and opened it. Just before she slipped through, the mare spoke. “Oh? What’s that?” Rainbow froze in place. So close… she thought to herself. “Um, I have to go… um… practice! Yeah, practice!” “Really? Are you in a musical or something?” “Y-yeah! Performances are really close, and I really can’t lose the part!” “What’s it called?” “Oh, it’s called, um… It’s called…” Rainbow looked around at her surroundings. Choosing to use the easy route and name after things in her environment, she recited what she saw in front of her. “The Nosy Hospital Employee Who Can’t Mind Her Own Business… is what it’s called. It’s actually about someone who worked in a hospital in Manehatten, and I play the part of the pegasus who brings the filly into the hospital, so getting to know you is actually going to be really useful with my method acting. Seeya!” Rainbow started to rush off once more, before being interrupted again. “Oh, really? Maybe we could get to know each other. My lunch break is soon, maybe you could show me a good place to get food in town.” “N-no!” Rainbow shouted. The mare frowned. “Why not? Do you have something going on?” Her expression changed when she realized she had forgotten so quickly. “Oh, of course, you have to practice. How silly of me, I can’t believe I forgot so quickly. Are you available tomorrow?” “If I say yes, will you let me leave?” Rainbow asked impatiently. “Pardon me?” “I said, um… If I had to guess, I’d say I’ll be… visiting Steve! Yeah, that’s what I said!” “Where’s Steve? What’s the weather like there?” “Um, it’s… east of Fillydelphia. It’s not on most maps, but the weather’s alright…” “What makes you want to go there?” “Um… It’s where my…um… my cousin lives!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Oh, neat! What’s his name?” “Oh, um… His name is, um…” What am I going to say? His name has to be something cool, but I already used Steve… “Bob! His name is Bob!” Yeah, there’s not a name in Equestria that’s cooler than ‘Bob’! “Cool. While we’re on the subject, I never caught your name.” “Um… my name is… um…” Great, what am I going to say for this one? “I think the first time was when I was 13.” “That’s an odd name.” “Name? I thought you asked when I first cut my own mane… Anyway, the name’s Dash. Rainbow Dash,” she said, smiling proudly. “I’m the fastest flyer in Equestria, y’know!” “Wow, really?” “Yeah, really!” “That’s really neat!” “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, but I have to say my cousin Bob as at least 10 seconds cooler.” “Pardon?” “Wait, did I just say…?” “Yes, I believe you did… Anyway, my name is Poetic Nurturer.” “Nice to meet you, Poetic,” Rainbow said flatly, a bored look on her face.
Chapter 4 - Rest is a RaritySomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 3 - H2ObesityIf there was anything positive about Scootaloo’s current situation, it was easy to miss. Aside from the fact that she knew she was no longer in the middle of the Nowhere Desert and instead found herself in the Park of Next-to-Nothing, she had no idea where she was relative to Ponyville. For all she knew, she could be on a planet whose main inhabitants are a completely different species, though the odds of that seemed slim. Still, the thought interested her. What if she was on an alien planet? What might the species look like? How might they speak? Would they have similar culture to Ponyvillians? How advanced might their technology be? All of these questions and more popped into her head, but she decided to ignore the thought for now. At the moment, she desperately needed water. The sandpaper in her mouth (she had decided it wasn’t even worthy of being called a tongue anymore) felt like it was getting rougher by the minute. Also, another thing: why did she put this sandpaper in her mouth in the first place? With the energy she had left, she looked around in front of her to see if there were any possible sources of water. She checked for trees, puddles, even for grass more luscious than the grass around it. No luck. She hung her head low in disappointment. Man, I wish there was some easy to get water nearby… As she lifted her head up, she immediately saw a reservoir of crystal clear water. She looked around herself to find that she was suddenly on a small island surrounded by miles of water. She looked down at the water. It was so clear, she could see her reflection in it! She could see down for several meters in the water! At the bottom of the water, she could see a solid concrete flooring to hold the water in. Immediately, she dunked her face as deep into the water as ponily possible and began sucking it up like mad. She felt the hydration flowing throughout her body rapidly, cooler her down to a normal temperature. The cool water flowed down her throat, which she relished. She could feel her skin expanding to fit all the water she was drinking, but she didn’t care. Her skin could stretch on for miles as long as she could continue drinking this spectacular water. It tasted divine, unlike any water she’d ever had before. A hint of sweetness danced lightly across her sandpaper, dissolving it back into the sand and the paper. It was so fresh, she might as well have eaten an entire pack of breath mints, even though that would be stupid and could be a choking hazard. She continued drinking for almost a minute straight. Her lungs were burning from the lack of air, and she finally pulled her head up from the water. She flopped onto her back, her stomach sagging to the sides slightly, and gasped heavily for air. As her face returned to its normal coloring, she felt the water in her belly waving gently back and forth. She knew that she had to have gained several pounds of body weight from that water alone, but she didn’t care. At least she had water. As she lay there, she began to think about the questions she had asked herself earlier. As she thought more and more, a definitive shape came up. They might be… bipedal creatures, with no fur! Yeah, and maybe they don’t even have horns or wings! They would only have hair on the tops of their heads, and maybe some patches of hair under their arms or on their faces, but otherwise none. They might be super tall, with tan skin! Suddenly, a shadow crept over her. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” Scootaloo asked. She looked up at the violator, only to see the exact creature she had imagined standing right in front of her. “Wha- but… How?” “You can talk?!” the creature asked in a voice that was certainly male. There was a look of utter shock on its face. At least, that’s how Scootaloo interpreted it. “You can talk?!” Scootaloo replied. Her jaw practically fell off, but at least it would have landed softly on her soft, expansive tummy. The two simply stared at each other for a long time. The situation quickly got awkward, both Scootaloo and the creature smiling sheepishly. Finally, the creature broke the silence. “What are you?” the creature asked Scootaloo. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “I’m a pony, obviously. Here’s the real question: What are you?” “I’m a human…” the creature told her. “Do you have a name?” “Yeah.” “Huh. That’s an odd name. Then again, you are a talking horse, so who am I to judge? Well, hey Yeah! I’m Jordan!” Jordan reached out his hoof to meet Scootaloo’s. Wait… That’s not a hoof… That’s a claw or something! Wait! My name isn’t ‘Yeah’! “Wait, my name’s not Yeah! My name is Scootaloo!” Jordan blushed at the statement. “Whoops. My bad!” He put his… something… out toward Scootaloo. Hesitantly, Scootaloo reached her hoof out and put it close to the claw thingy. Jordan wrapped his… whatevers… around Scootaloo’s hoof and began to shake it gently. He smiled warmly at Scootaloo. “You know, you’re kind of cute,” Jordan commented. Scootaloo blushed at the statement, frowning. “I am not cute!” she exclaimed, crossing her hooves and pouting. Jordan simply continued smiling at her. After a minute or so of silence, Jordan quickly scooped her up in two of his limbs and started hugging her. Immediately, Scootaloo started struggling to escape his grasp, but after a moment, she realized her attempts were in vain. She simply sat there, held in his arms, and relaxed. After a while, she realized it was actually really nice. She rested her head on Jordan’s chest for a bit and heard the light pattering of his heart. She found the sound of Jordan’s heartbeat oddly comforting. Suddenly, an earthquake sounded from her belly. “Oh, you must be hungry, huh?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo answered, opening her mouth wide for a yawn. “Well, what do you want to eat?” “Hmm…” Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin, looking up into the sky as she thought. Suddenly, it came to her. “I want chocolate cake from Sugarcube Corner!” “Well, that would be your first meal in here, so why not?” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Um… Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Carrying Scootaloo, Jordan walked between a pair of palm trees on the island, and the two of them were suddenly in Ponyville. “Wait, what?” Scootaloo asked, her face scrunching up in confusion. “What’s wrong?” Jordan asked, stopping. “Um… Nothing. You don’t worry about it.” I must be more tired than I thought. My mind is playing tricks on me. Jordan put one arm forward and pushed the door open, causing a bell to ring. Jordan sat down and set Scootaloo on his lap. Immediately, Scootaloo leapt down from his lap and sat down on the chair next to him. The two of them chatted for a bit while they waited for Pinkie Pie to come and take their orders. Jordan clarified to Scootaloo that he had these things called ‘hands’ where his forehooves should be, and ‘feet’ instead of his back hooves. “Hey, Scootaloo! Hi, Jordan!” Pinkie Pie suddenly dropped her pad of paper and jumped up into the air. “Oh my gosh, it’s a new pony in town, and you know that means I have to throw you a party, which means I’m going to have to rent out a place somewhere and plan out the games and make a whole bunch of invitations and maybe see if I can get Cheese Sandwich to come over and help me out, although I think he’s busy with a party in Steve this week, and that might be a problem, but I really haven’t seen him in such a long time. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I haven’t seen him in such a long time, I mean it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen him, and I always wanted to tell him that I kind of like him and want to go out with him and get married and have two kids named Xavier and Amanda-” “We’ll just have two slices of chocolate cake,” Jordan interrupted. “It’s too bad we can’t do any crusading today,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “Yeah, but it just wouldn’t feel right without Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom replied. Sweetie Belle nodded. They walked in silence for a short moment, until Sweetie Belle spoke. “Do you think she’s alright?” “Ah sure hope so.” “Yeah. I don’t want the Cutie Mark Crusaders to end up getting disbanded.” “Ah swear, you really are a dictionary, Sweetie Belle. Or maybe yer a robot or something.” “Beep boop, you can call me ‘Sweetie Bot 5000,’ mortal being,” Sweetie Belle said in a monotone voice, moving her hooves at right angles. Apple Bloom laughed at her friend, and Sweetie Belle quickly joined. The laughs felt empty to both of them. It really wasn’t the same without Scootaloo, and they both knew it. Apple Bloom sighed. “It really isn’t the same without her.” “Yeah. Oh! I know! Why don’t we visit her in the hospital?” Sweetie Belle suggested, her face suddenly lit up with joy. “Yeah! That’s a great idea!” “And maybe we can get our cutie marks in being nurses!” “Yeah!” “Cutie Mark Crusader Nurses, yay!” “And now for the final touch… there!” Poetic finished, pulling her hoof away from Rainbow’s mane. “Oh, good, you’re finally done! Tell me it’s not embarrassing…” Poetic handed Rainbow a mirror, and Rainbow screamed in horror. “NOOO!” She shouted at the top of her lungs in hopes that she would get somepony’s attention and find a way to escape Poetic’s stupid slumber party. “Oh, please, Rainbow Dash, it’s not that bad. Honestly, you look simply smashing with your mane like that,” Rarity tried to comfort her friend. “I just don’t want to be here,” Rainbow complained. “Rainbow! Don’t be so rude to Poetic! Honestly, she just wants to become friends with you!” Twilight scolded Rainbow. “I know that! But I don’t want to become friends with her!” Rainbow shouted. Immediately, she realized what she had just said. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean it that way!” Tears started falling from Poetic’s eyes. “R-really?” she asked, sniffling. “Y-you don’t like me?” “N-no, I didn’t mean it that way at all! P-please, stop crying, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings! What I meant to say was that you’re a bit annoying… Oh, that sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it? Uh, no, I mean – it’s just that – I don’t really – I don’t think – we’re not really-” Twilight put up a hoof, signaling Rainbow Dash to stop. Poetic opened her eyes, now filled with rage. “GET OUT! ALL OF YOU, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Immediately, six ponies came flying out of the second story window of Poetic Nurturer’s new house. “Well, that certainly could have gone better,” Rarity said, gently rubbing her head with a hoof. “Rainbow Dash, that was awful! How could you be so rude to that pony! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Twilight yelled. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack awkwardly walked off toward the marketplace, trying desperately to escape the situation. “Please, Twilight, can you just…” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Leave me alone for a little while. I need some time to myself so that I can think.” Twilight took in a deep breath and relaxed. “Alright, Rainbow," she started in a much softer demeanor. "This doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you though, and I still expect you to explain yourself to all of us later. I trust that you have your reasons.” In her house, Poetic was still furious at all six of the ponies she had just literally kicked out the window. “If I can’t be her friend, why should anypony else? How does she even have friends in the first place? She’s so rude, why should she?” She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few short seconds. “No, I can’t let this get to me. I just have to forget about it and move on. Getting revenge won’t help anypony. It’ll only serve to make things worse for all of us.” Author's Note Exactly 2000 words. Shortest chapter so far. I'm trying to have chapters no shorter than 2000 words. 2000 words is kind of a sweet spot for readers like me. Not too short, not to long, but just the right length. Edit: I just finished editing this chapter. It's not exactly 2K words anymore. Oh well. I'd rather have a slightly longer chapter than a slightly shorter one.
Chapter 1 - The Dangers of Paint“I’m glad you all were willing to help me finish repainting the boutique today,” Rarity thanked her friends. It was an early morning during late fall, about the time most foals were going to school. Young foals were being walked to school by their parents, who were starting to get frustrated at their arguments. Various phrases such as “I don’t wanna go” or “I went yesterday” could be heard. Older foals were walking to school with their friends, chatting about what they had eaten for dinner the last night. One thing was the same with everypony outside, though- they all dressed warm. Everypony had scarves wrapped around their necks, keeping them toasty. They bore many different colors, some red, some blue, and some multi-colored. Some were decorated with simple patterns and pictures. Some ponies found themselves scratching their necks like crazy, while others found their scarves making it easier to simple fall asleep. “It’s no problem, Rarity. We’re glad to help,” Twilight said in between strokes. Her tongue was sticking out as she spread the paint evenly, trying not to miss any spot on the wall. The others were quick to agree to Twilight’s statement. “I think we’re done up here!” Rainbow Dash shouted from above. “Do you guys need some help down there?” Rarity paused to examine the walls. Her eyes scanned for any large unpainted spots. There wasn’t much unpainted. Her mind measured how much everypony would have to paint. Figuring Rainbow and Fluttershy had done their share of work, she finally responded. “At the rate we’re going, I doubt it will take much more of our time. Would you two mind heading inside and serving the hot chocolate for us? It’s quite cold out here.” “No prob! I’ll have it done in a jiffy!” Rainbow flew inside in a flash, quickly getting to work on the hot cocoa. The door nearly broke off its hinges, but Twilight quickly caught it in her magic, hardly diverted her attention from her painting. Fluttershy slowly followed Rainbow inside, glad to help make hot chocolate. She gently opened the door and stepped through, slowly shutting it behind her. “Oh, Fluttershy?” Rarity turned from her work. The brush floating above her threatened to drip paint on her. Fluttershy stopped. She turned around in the doorway and peeked out at her friend. “Yes?” “Could you remind Sweetie Belle that she must go to school?” “Oh, of course,” Fluttershy replied. Her head slipped back through the door as she closed it behind her. After a few minutes, they finally finished painting. The four mares backed away from the exterior of the building to inspect their work. The paint was evenly spread across the wall. There was not a clump of paint to be found, nor a single spec of unpainted wall. “Good job girls! You can head inside for now, I’ll bring in the paint buckets later,” Rarity told her friends. “Oh boy! I can’t wait for our hot chocolate! I loooove hot chocolate! It just tastes so yummy and chocolaty and sugary and amazing! Man, I thought we would NEVER finish painting!” Pinkie Pie continued ranting as she bounced up and down in glee. “What was that, Pinkie?” Applejack asked. “I think it was something along the lines of ‘space-thing,’” Twilight guessed. As the other three went in, Pinkie continued her rant as she bounced up and down. The hoof gestures she made were wild and all over the place. Suddenly, she went silent. “Oh, they all went inside… WAIT FOR ME!” She galloped after them, knocking over a nearby bucket of paint in her rush. Her hooves beat against the ground as she ran toward the door only a few feet away. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle popped out of the door. Her eyes went wide as she saw Pinkie Pie skidding to a halt. She curled up into a ball and covered her head with her hooves. Pinkie felt the friction of the ground scraping against her hooves burn into her bones. She had to have scraped off at least 2 layers of skin. She slowly lifted her right forehoof up so she could see the bottom. All of the fur had been scraped off. Sweetie Belle looked up from her ball. Seeing that Pinkie had stopped, she stood up and brushed herself off. “Jeez, Pinkie! You scared me!” “Sorry, Sweetie Belle. I just realized I forgot to go inside, that’s all,” Pinkie explained in a monotone voice, her eyes still glued to the bottom of her hoof. “Um… Is something… wrong?” Sweetie asked. Pinkie Pie shook her head rapidly, closing her eyes as she did so. Dazed, she answered. “N-no. No, everything’s fine!” She was back to her normal self again. Sweetie moved to the side to let Pinkie in, and she trotted through the door, slamming it shut after her. As Sweetie continued glaring at the door, Scootaloo pulled up on her scooter, Apple Bloom riding on the back. “Hey, Sweetie Belle! Need a ride to school?” Scootaloo asked. “Sure, thanks!” “Hop on!” Of course, by this time, Sweetie had already jumped onto the scooter, securing herself to her friends with her hooves. “Hey, Sweetie, did ya hear what happened to Diamond Tiara yesterday?” Apple Bloom asked. “No, what?” “Apparently, she slipped in some spilled paint and broke her hoof,” Apple Bloom told her. “Oh no, really?” Sweetie Belle asked, concerned. Despite the awful relationship she had with Diamond Tiara, her heart was still easily broken when she saw a sad pony. “Nah, Ah just made that up,” Apple Bloom answered, giggling a little. “Wait, if she didn’t break her hoof, then why did she have to get Silver Spoon to help her walk home?” Scootaloo asked. “Ah don’t know. Probably just lazy.” “Huh,” Scootaloo pondered. Deciding to ignore it, she grabbed onto the handlebar and got into place to start the scooter. Without securing her helmet strap, she pushed at the ground with her hind hoof. The scooter started off slowly, but once it got going, it was much faster than walking speed. Scootaloo could feel the wind blowing through her tail, and her heart could practically explode out of her chest out of excitement. That was one of the main reasons she loved riding her scooter so much. The excitement just felt so amazing to her. She saw everything near her whizzing by. Anything that would happen to be chasing her when she started would be far behind once the scooter picked up speed, unless the chaser happened to be Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo looped around the Carousel Boutique a few times. She was going so fast, she could most certainly feel the force pulling her away from the building, resisting her circles. The force was so strong it ripped her helmet off, but she knew she could escape it. She leaned violently to the right when she suddenly felt some sort of liquid underneath the scooter. Immediately, she knew what had happened. “Jump off!” Scootaloo shouted to her friends. “Why?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Just do it!” Tired and not in much of a mood to argue, her friends did just that. Scootaloo let the scooter go a few more feet before she jumped off as well, not releasing her grip on the handlebars. The scooter didn’t stop. Instead, the scooter swung up and smacked Scootaloo in the head. Scootaloo fell over. Shocked and worried, Sweetie Belle rushed over to her friend. She needed to see if she was alright. What she found was not what she had hoped. The scooter had hit Scootaloo harder than they had thought. “Is she alright?” Apple Bloom asked. She was reluctant to look for herself. She feared what she would see. “N-no...” Sweetie Belle said weakly, feeling lightheaded. “There’s blood everywhere!” Scootaloo was lying on her left side. Her right forehoof was stretched behind her back, slightly farther beyond where it should have been able to bend. Her left forehoof was underneath her body. Her hind right hind hoof was slightly in front of the left, as if she was trying to walk on two hooves. The scooter’s handlebar had fallen from her right hoof, but was still held by her left. The back wheel had still been spinning and had gotten tangled into Scootaloo’s mane. There was a fairly deep gash across Scootaloo’s forehead, right where a unicorn’s horn would be. There was blood dripping out of it. Sweetie Belle fainted. As Apple Bloom saw what happened, she panicked. She knew she had to get Applejack. She would know what to do. Apple Bloom sprinted into the building at her top speed. Twilight and her friends all turned from their drinks. They had been discussing various news topics in Equestria. Apple Bloom ran up to Applejack and told her what had happened as quickly as possible. The group gasped collectively and all rushed outside. When they saw it for themselves, they all gasped. “Scoots!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She flew over to her as fast as she could and started to pick her up. She stopped when she felt her mane tugging. She turned to see the scooter. Realizing it was stuck, she rushed inside to find scissors. Rarity ran over to her sister and gently picked her up in a forehoof. Sweetie Belle opened an eye and peeked up at her. “Rarity?” Rarity didn’t respond. She simply hugged her. She didn’t ever want to lose her. “Rarity? What happened?” Her just-awoken mind still struggled to remember. She had been facing the other way the whole time. “Don’t worry about it. Just go to school,” Rarity spoke softly, finally releasing her from her embrace. “Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked. “Yeah?” “You go with Sweetie Belle. Don’t worry about her.” Obediently, the two fillies walked off toward the schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle walked at a normal pace at first, until she suddenly remembered what had happened. Her pace dropped rapidly, along with her head. Apple Bloom wrapped a hoof around her friend, trying to comfort her. “We have to get her to the hospital!” Twilight exclaimed once she was sure the foals were out of hearing range. “But the scooter is stuck in her mane. We can’t possibly bring it to the hospital with her!” Rarity argued. Immediately, Rainbow Dash burst out of the building, a pair of scissors in her hoof. “I found ‘em!” she announced. Rarity directed her attention to the scissors in her friend’s hoof. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “You can’t use those scissors!” Rarity exclaimed, rushed over to her friend to take them. “Why not?” Rainbow asked. The group was confused as well. “Those are my sewing scissors! They aren’t meant to be used to cut manes!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rarity, this is an emergency. We have no idea how major this injury is! And in order to find that out, we have to get her to the hospital, which means that scooter can’t be caught in her mane!” “Oh, alright,” Rarity sighed, handing the scissors back to Rainbow. “But just this once. And be careful!” Rainbow took the scissors and rushed over to Scootaloo. She eyeballed about where she had to cut and began cutting through. It didn’t exactly cut like butter. If it did, the butter certainly hadn’t been out of the freezer for long. Rainbow had to push down with all of her might to get the scissors to cut through the mane. She could feel a drop of sweat fall down her face. Finally, the tuft of hair fell to the ground, bring the scooter with it. Rarity walked up to Rainbow to retrieve her scissors, which were now bent and full of hair. Rainbow picked up Scootaloo in her forehooves as she started beating her wings. “I’ll bring her to the hospital. You guys let her family know what happened to her.” Rainbow flew off in a blur toward the hospital. The mares simply stood there in silence for a moment. Fluttershy was curled up in a ball, shaking violently. If you listened closely enough, you could hear her sobbing softly. Pinkie Pie’s mane had gone straight, and she was practically crying waterfalls. Twilight and Rarity were hugging each other, both crying loudly. Applejack was simply staring off into the distance after Rainbow Dash, letting the tears flow silently. “Ah sure hope she’s alright,” she whispered to herself. Author's Note I'm getting better. I started this yesterday, and I just now finished it. Still, I think it's loads better than Rafting Against the Current when it comes to pacing and description. I know, the pacing isn't perfect. In fact, it's far from it. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below. Leave a like if you liked it, a dislike if you didn't like it, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. What do you guys wanna see in the future for this story? I think I have a few ideas, but maybe you have a good one that I don't. I'd really like to hear them.
Chapter 2 - Five Feet Into NowhereA moan escaped Scootaloo’s mouth, quickly followed by a yawn. In order to wake herself up, Scootaloo stretched. She sat up, rubbing her head, when she felt something on her hoof. “Is that… sand?” She slowly opened her eyes. When the sunlight above nearly blinded her, she shut them again as quickly as ponily possible. That didn’t stop the light from penetrating her eyelids, though. She opened one eye, making sure not to look at the sun this time. She held her hoof up in front of her, seeing the grainy substance covering it. She looked down at the ground that she was sitting on, only to find more of it surrounding her for miles. Unfortunately, it was all there was for miles. Nopony else was nearby, and there were no buildings to be seen. She was all alone. The sun beat down on her like a sledgehammer. If she were to burst into flames, she wouldn’t have been surprised. Her tongue felt like sandpaper, and she knew she needed water. It had already occurred to her that she needed to find civilization as quickly as possible, and hopefully find out how she had gotten here. Without further delay, she picked a direction to walk in. Unceremoniously, she got up on all fours. The sand shifted around her, and her hooves sank in slightly. The sand practically burned a hole into her hooves, and she quickly jumped up and began flapping her wings, startled by the sudden heat. “Yeesh, that’s hot! I’m definitely awake now!” Fluttering for a few seconds, she reached a forehoof behind her back. The heat she felt on her back practically burned her fur off. It felt as though her back would combust any second, but she didn’t feel the heat in her back. “Weird.” Falling back to the ground, she immediately started galloping in the direction she had chosen, doing her best to touch the ground with her hooves as little as possible. The wind blew through her mane, and it felt great in contrast to the heated environment around her. Plus, it got her closer to her escape. Tired, she finally collapsed on the ground. Her lungs were burning, but she couldn’t tell if it was because of her lack of air or the fact that the air she was getting was so hot. It was probably a mix of both. Once she caught her breath, she began to realize her situation. She was in the middle of nowhere, which apparently happened to be a desert, and she had no idea how long it would be until she found another pony. Feeling the need to cry, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. “In… and out…” Knowing she may not be able to find water for awhile, she had to preserve as much water she had in her body as she could, which meant she had to keep from crying, no matter how sad she was about being lost in the Nowhere Desert. “In… and out…” Scootaloo knew she would have to do anything she could to get water. “In… and out…” Her stomach grumbled, interrupting her breathing. She could almost feel her stomach acid burning a hole through her gut. A hole through her whole gut. “In… and ou-” Her breathing technique was interrupting by her coughing. A small chunk of sand flew out of her mouth. “Huh. Must have swallowed that when I was asleep earlier…” Slowly, she checked to make sure her eyes weren't turning into sand. “Nope. I guess I have another year for that fortune to come true,” she inferred. Two years ago, she found a fortune that said her vision would go grainy. She took it a bit too literally. Letting her eyelids fall together again, she took one more deep breath. “In… and out…” She let her body simply sit still for a moment and relax. No words escaped her lips, no thoughts went through her mind, no air got to her lungs, and no blood pumped through her veins. She promptly passed out. The sight would have been strange to anyone who would ever come across it. Near the edge of the Nowhere Desert was a small orange filly pegasus with a magenta mane and tail. She was on her side, sleeping. “Don’t touch my pudding!” she abruptly shouted, waking herself up. She scrambled to her hooves and remembered where she was. “Oh. Right.” After that short nap, Scootaloo’s gas tank wasn't so close to ‘E.’ Sure, it was in Nowhere Desert compared to ‘F,’ but she had more energy than before. On the lower level of moderately refreshed, Scootaloo struggled to remember which direction she had been going. She looked around until she spotted a trail of hoofprints. “Oh, okay. So I came from that way!” She swiftly turned around, only to find more hoofprints. “Huh?” It quickly struck her that perhaps somepony... “Hello!? Where are you!? Is somepony there!?” Her ear perked up, picking up every single sound nearby. She heard echoes of her own voice, but there were few other noises. After a few seconds, she heard a tumbleweed rolling by, signifying to her that she was still alone. She frowned, disappointed. She decided to follow the hoofprints in front of her to see where they came from. The track of holes in the sand had a solid curve to it, that much she could tell quickly. After a while, when the track’s curve didn’t change, Scootaloo looked around to realize that the hoofprints were simply going in a circle. A wave of nervousness beat against her mental dam. Sweat began drizzling down her face through the cracks. “Don’t worry, Scootaloo, they’re probably not yours. In fact, not even probably, they’re not yours. No, no, definitely not my hoofprints…” She chuckled nervously. “Yeah…” She walked outside of the circle to see if she could find any of her hoofprints. Unfortunately, there were none to be seen. The dam collapsed under all of the nervous water’s pressure. Scootaloo fell to the ground, yelling out in agony and despair. “NOOO!” When she ran out of air to yell, she inhaled deeply and began to yell again. “NOOOO- Oh!” She stopped when she saw the end of the Nowhere Desert a few yards away. She trotted over to her grassy discovery. She took a glance around, when something back in the desert caught her eye. She trotted along the grass-desert border and inspected it closer. “Oh, COME ON!” she shouted upon realization that she had started literally five feet into Nowhere. Rainbow landed near the hospital after flying for what felt like forever. “Sheesh, that lasted way too long! It’s almost like time froze just so somepony could have, like, a flashback or something.” Rainbow stopped and pondered for a moment, before remembering the problem at hand. She rushed Scootaloo into the hospital, practically breaking another door off of its hinges. Upon their entry, the mare at the desk looked up from her notebook, a quill in hoof. She dropped the notebook, as her pupils grew to the size of tennis balls. She gasped so loud, Rainbow had to cover her ears. Suddenly, there was an audible thud. After a moment, Rainbow realized she had dropped Scootaloo on the floor. She smacked herself for being so stupid. “Ow! Why did I do that?” Not bothering to question it anymore, she picked up Scootaloo and unnecessarily told the mare she needed a doctor. The mare nodded rapidly and whistled. Confused, Rainbow opened her mouth to ask what was happening, but was interrupted by a group of three stallions charging into the room. They took Scootaloo from Rainbow’s hooves and set her limp body into a gurney. One stallion quickly rushed in front of the gurney to pull it forwards and steer it down the hallway, while the other two pushed it from behind. Mere seconds later, they vanished around a corner. Rainbow stood there, shocked for a moment. She shook her head and opened her mouth. “I’ve never seen you here before. Is this your first day?” “Yes, actually. Well, here, anyway. I used to work in a hospital back in Manehatten. I’ve worked there for years, actually. I’m kind of sad now I’ve left the place. Still, it’s not like I had any other choice. My husband moved to Ponyville about a month ago. He gave me some money to start me off with my train ticket, but not enough. I’ve had my things all packed up for a week, at least, but I only yesterday got my pay.” “Wait, you say you’ve worked at a hospital for years?” Rainbow questioned skeptically. “Yes. Why do you ask?” “No reason. I just thought it was a little weird how you reacted to Scootaloo when I came in with her. I mean, it’s not like it’s anything you haven’t seen before, what with your years of experience, right?” Rainbow suggested. The mare’s pupils dilated. Her face was starting to sweat. She spoke in a high pitched voice. “What are you-” She interrupted herself with a cough, then continued in her normal voice. “What are you getting at?” “Nothing, nothing,” Rainbow backed off, putting her hooves in front of her and trying to look as innocent as possible. “It’s just a little odd, that’s all. That said, I have to go. I have an important thing to do. Bye!” Rainbow quickly rushed to the door and opened it. Just before she slipped through, the mare spoke. “Oh? What’s that?” Rainbow froze in place. So close… she thought to herself. “Um, I have to go… um… practice! Yeah, practice!” “Really? Are you in a musical or something?” “Y-yeah! Performances are really close, and I really can’t lose the part!” “What’s it called?” “Oh, it’s called, um… It’s called…” Rainbow looked around at her surroundings. Choosing to use the easy route and name after things in her environment, she recited what she saw in front of her. “The Nosy Hospital Employee Who Can’t Mind Her Own Business… is what it’s called. It’s actually about someone who worked in a hospital in Manehatten, and I play the part of the pegasus who brings the filly into the hospital, so getting to know you is actually going to be really useful with my method acting. Seeya!” Rainbow started to rush off once more, before being interrupted again. “Oh, really? Maybe we could get to know each other. My lunch break is soon, maybe you could show me a good place to get food in town.” “N-no!” Rainbow shouted. The mare frowned. “Why not? Do you have something going on?” Her expression changed when she realized she had forgotten so quickly. “Oh, of course, you have to practice. How silly of me, I can’t believe I forgot so quickly. Are you available tomorrow?” “If I say yes, will you let me leave?” Rainbow asked impatiently. “Pardon me?” “I said, um… If I had to guess, I’d say I’ll be… visiting Steve! Yeah, that’s what I said!” “Where’s Steve? What’s the weather like there?” “Um, it’s… east of Fillydelphia. It’s not on most maps, but the weather’s alright…” “What makes you want to go there?” “Um… It’s where my…um… my cousin lives!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Oh, neat! What’s his name?” “Oh, um… His name is, um…” What am I going to say? His name has to be something cool, but I already used Steve… “Bob! His name is Bob!” Yeah, there’s not a name in Equestria that’s cooler than ‘Bob’! “Cool. While we’re on the subject, I never caught your name.” “Um… my name is… um…” Great, what am I going to say for this one? “I think the first time was when I was 13.” “That’s an odd name.” “Name? I thought you asked when I first cut my own mane… Anyway, the name’s Dash. Rainbow Dash,” she said, smiling proudly. “I’m the fastest flyer in Equestria, y’know!” “Wow, really?” “Yeah, really!” “That’s really neat!” “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, but I have to say my cousin Bob as at least 10 seconds cooler.” “Pardon?” “Wait, did I just say…?” “Yes, I believe you did… Anyway, my name is Poetic Nurturer.” “Nice to meet you, Poetic,” Rainbow said flatly, a bored look on her face.
