Chapter 1- Falling Dreams
Broken in Half
Chapter 1- Dreams
Scootaloo was flying. She was racing Rainbow Dash through swirls of fluffy white clouds. She felt the cold breeze ruffle her mane as looped and barrel-rolled with her idol. Then suddenly RD put on a burst of speed and rocked towards a pink flag waving in the wind.
Scootaloo tried to keep up with Dash, but she found herself spinning out of control. She tried to shout out to Rainbow Dash, but her voice got lstuck in her throat. She looked at her wings and saw them disintegrating in front of her own eyes. Scootaloo found herself falling, falling,falling…
She woke up covered in a cold sweat. Panting hard, she looked around and saw her familiar old room. She looked at her back and made sure her wings were still there. It had only been a nightmare, but she still made sure to do a couple of wing exercises before she lay back down. She breathed deeply and tried to settle her racing heart.
This was not the first time that Scootaloo had had a nightmare about flying. She this was the third one she had had this week, in fact. Ever since Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had brought up that she should have been flying long ago, the nightmares had gotten worse and worse. To make matters worse, Princess Luna was not there to make it better.
Scootaloo suddenly jumped out of bed. She was going to fly tonight, she just knew it. She tiptoed out the door with a determined look on her face. She put on her helmet and jumped onto her scooter. She quickly arrived at the CMC clubhouse where she had created her practice course.
She was making her way out to the training grounds when she heard a noise. Scootaloo jumped, imaging a timber wolf following her at close range. She galloped and she heard whatever was following her start to run too. The sound suddenly multiplied and Scootaloo figured there must be two creatures following her. She strained for the sky, but her body refused to defy gravity. Not seeing a rock in front of her, Scootaloo tripped and fell. She looked up in horror and saw the face of her perusers.
It was Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They were giving her similar looks of confusion and amusement.
Sweetie Belle said, "Scootaloo, what you doing out in the woods alone."
Scootaloo said "Oh you know, same thing as you."
Apple Bloom chuckled and said, "You were looking for yourself as well, were you."
Scootaloo tried to mumble a response and then the weight of her friend's words hit her. "Wait, why were you girls looking for me?"
Sweetie Belle said, "Because you didn't turn up to the Cutie Mark Crusaders Sleepover Party of Awesomeness. We've been looking for you all night. When we heard footsteps in the wood, we figured it was you. But why did you pass the clubhouse? Are you okay Scoots?"
Scootaloo looked at her friends and burst into tears. She slumped down to the forest floor, sobbing. Her tears looked silvery blue in the dark blue surroundings. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, giving the other one concerned looks about their friend. Both of them knew exactly what this was about, but they still didn't get the filly's reasoning behind her tears. Both Sweetie and Apple Bloom knew Scootaloo was a little embarrassed about not being able to fly, but both of them, their sister, and other ponies had told Scoots that they didn't care whether she flew or not.
Sweetie Belle looked down at Scootaloo who was still crying on the ground and was full of pity for her friend. She sat down with Scoots and let her friend cry into her. She nuzzled Scootaloo from time to time just to make sure she realized she was there for her. She thought Apple Bloom would also be comforting her friend, but looked up to see that she was still standing up, but now she had an exasperated look on her face,
Apple Bloom sighed. "There goes Scoots crying again," she thought.
She hated to admit this, even to herself but she was starting to get a little sick of Scoots always being depressed and moping around. Now matter how hard this was for her, it wasn't like her friends weren't there for her. Apple Bloom had tried to always be there for Scoots, and Sweetie Belle always was. But none of what they said seemed to make any difference to Scootaloo. Now, looking down at her pitiful friend lying on the ground, Apple Bloom was overcome with emotion. But it wasn't a friendly emotion, it was more like anger.
"Yah, I'm angry," thought AB, "Sweetie and I are always there for Scoots, but all she does now is ignore us. And she's never there when I need her anymore as well."
Apple Bloom was still scowling when Sweetie looked up from where she was comforting Scootaloo and said, "Listen Scoots, it doesn't matter whether you fly or not. We still like you, right AB."
While Sweetie was waiting for her to confirm her point, Apple Bloom once again looked at Scootaloo and sighed.
"Well, actually, no I don't" Apple Bloom said.
Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gasped and Scootaloo said "What!!! You don't like me just 'cause I can't fly". Apple Bloom stared down at her friend and said the thing that she had been thinking since Scootaloo started this whole drama.
"Scootaloo, it's not that I don't like you because you can't fly. I liked you a lot and I still would, except for the fact that you are a class- A DRAMA QUEEN," Apple Bloom started to shout at the end.
She continued in a slightly calmer voice, "Sweetie and I have done nothing but support you through this whole ordeal but no matter how hard we try to console you, you always bring it up again. And frankly, I'm getting a little sick an I'm sure Sweetie is too. And right now I've decided that I can't do this anymore, so Scoots I'm sorry, but until you can pull yourself and your life together, I just can't be friends with you". She paused there,letting her words vanish into the once again quiet air and looking down at her friends' faces.
Scootaloo was the first to react. She looked at AB, fresh tears streaming down her face before speaking. "I had no idea you felt that way. I didn't mean to be a burden on you guys. I guess I just thought my two best friends would be there for me when I most needed them."
At the end of the sentence, Scoots turned and ran father way into the forest, her tears making a puddles all the way.
Apple Bloom looked down at Sweetie Belle, who had still not made any moved from her place on the ground. She said, "I didn't mean to hurt her so much, but she was being really selfish".
Sweetie turned to look at AB, a look of horror and disbelief on her face. Then, into the silence, Sweetie spoke. "I can't believe you would ever say a thing like that. Scoots tries really hard to be selfless and she has a good heart. But she also is embarrassed that she can't fly and she has been picked on by DT a little more than you know. But I guess you don't realize how hard it is to be hurting. After all, I'd like to see how you handle having your one true dream ripped apart at the seems, because what Scootaloo didn't tell you was that she went to the doctor today an was told that she will never even be able to make it two feet off the ground. She tried to keep it a secret from you because she figured out how you were feeling. You are,or should I say were, lucking to have a friend as selfless as Scoots to put aside her own problems for you. You, however, Apple Bloom only think about yourself. A true friend wouldn't ever have those feelings, so I guess you were never Scoots' friend to begin with.".
Apple looked at Sweetie Belle in horror. She looked at the ground and tried hard not to keep from crying as she saw Sweetie get up and start to walk away.
"Oh, and Apple Bloom" Sweetie Belle said as AB looked up hopefully, sure her friend was going to say something consoling to her.
"Scootaloo has been my best friend since I was born, and I can't be friends with someone who can be that mean to her. The way you acted fight now is making me regret saving you at that party. I thought you were a good pony Apple Bloom, but if you ever say anything like that again to her, I will hunt you down and personally make sure that nothing ever comes out of your mouth again".
After finishing her thought, Sweetie ran after Scootaloo, leaving Apple Bloom with the sudden realization that she had not only lost one friend, but two on this dark and cold night. She sank to the ground, sobbing, and wishing for a way to turn back the clocks and give her friend the chance to soar through the air.
