Chapters The first thing I am aware of is the pain. It runs up and down my body like fire, burning my bones and my fur. I very slowly raise my head, wincing as the fire grew stronger and more intense.
I was on a hill. I say hill ,but it was more like a mountain. The sides were almost completely straight, and I was up so high that the clouds were right beside me. Hearing a squeak behind me, I turned around to see a thrashed scooter on the ground. Looking up, I realised that I wasn't at the highest peak, that this was more of some kind of base camp, a platform.
From the looks of it I had come down from the very top. Which made me wonder: how did I get up there? And, more importantly, how do I get down. It was then I noticed the wings. Small, tiny orange wings were attached to my body. Maybe I flew up here?
Well if I did, there's no way I can get down, one wing is completely bent. Maybe I can call someone. "Help! Please, somepony help!" Note to self, you are a mare. That's nice, I guess.
I yell until my throat just can't make a single sound anymore. Finally, terror griped me. I had never thought about never getting down, to be stuck up here forever until I die of my injuries. At least that's better than the alternative, slowly dying of hunger and thirst.
For the first time, I get a closer look at the scooter, which I guess is mine. I reach up and feel my hooves, also orange, hit something hard. I run my hooves along the hard thing until I reach under my chin to find a strap. A helmet. So that's why I can't feel any pain on my head. I take it off, the once purple and white helmet is now just a misshapen lump of plastic. I throw it behind me, and I hear it land. Thunk, Thunk, Plonk.
Confused, I turn around to see a small saddle bag that was stuck between two rocks, almost invisible. In it there's a flag with a crest and a filly on it, with the word Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever! underneath. Some sort of cult? The next was a picture of a group of ponies in front of a treehouse. The three in the middle seemed to be showing off a picture on their rump.
The two objects were different. One was a map of a town with little Xs on almost every building. A picture in the top right hoofed corner drawled my attention. It was a mountain, circled in blue, unlike the red Xs. Underneath there was a date, a time and a strange drawing. How come no other picture has that?
The last thing is a picture of the three fillies again. A white unicorn with pastel pink and purple mane and giant light green eyes. A light yellow pony with no horn or wings, with a bow and red hair and eyes. The last filly drew my attention the most though. It was a Pegasus, like me, with orange fur, a purple spiky kind of mane, purple eyes and tiny wings. Wings exactly like mine. Fur exactly like mine. And the picture on her but was exactly like mine.
I tucked everything very carefully away into MY saddlebag, and then took out the helmet and flag. Wrapping the helmet in the flag, I kicked them both over the edge as far as I could. I watched it fall for a moment, then settled down and waited.
I must of have fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being shook awake by somepony. Blinking my eyes open, I saw pink eyes staring right back. "Aaaaahhh!" I screamed and fell off what looked like a bed.
" What? What's wrong? Oh, right, sorry Squirt, didn't mean to scare you." Squirt, was that my name? Why would my mother call me that? Wait, is this my mom? Then where's dad?
A white normal pony with a pink mane walked in. The picture on her butt was a Red Cross. " Rainbow Dash, don't scare her. From the fall she took, it is most likely Scootaloo here has some amnesia." Squirt? Scootaloo? Which one is it? You can't have two names, can you?
My mom, Rainbow Dash, her second name Unknown, was light blue with rainbow coloured mane and the picture on her butt was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt. Mom looked at me and asked " Squirt can you tell me what you remember?"
I blink "I woke up on a mountain, my body hurt, and I managed to get some ponies attention, you guys found me,and here I am" I gesture around myself slightly.
Mom rolled her eyes slightly. "What else? Tell me everything."
Now from what I can gather, mom seems to be very brave. She didn't back down at Nurse Redhearts glare, and let me tell you, that pony can glare. But when I said "I just did tell you everything" I saw something in her eyes that scared me more than not having any memories. Pure terror in Rainbow Dashs eyes.
.
Me and Rainbow Dash were walking down through the streets of the town, as I was allowed out after been giving some pills and my wings have been bandaged. There was a heavy silence between us. I was unsure of what to say, and Rainbow deep in thought.
"Are you my mom?" I blurted out the question just so that I could hear something besides our hooves.
Rainbow Dash was so shocked, she missed a step, and almost tripped over herself. "What! No,no I am just your kind of sister" she exclaimed.
I felt myself start to blush "what do you mean, kind of?" I asked, pushing forwards past my embarrassment.
Rainbow Dash looked down at me "once me and my friends Rarity and Apple Jack went on a sister camping trip. They brought their younger sisters, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, your friends. I told a scary story and you had nightmares. When you told me this, I offered to take you under my wing, pun intended, and make you my official little sister. But, by blood, we are not sisters."
"Hey, um, sis" Rainbow smiles slightly. "Can you tell me more stories about you and your friends?" I was honestly curious. It sounded like they were very close.
My sister told me everything, the elements of harmony, Discord, Chrysalis and the changelings, Tirek and finally, Starlight Glimmer, now reformed. "Wow" I said, in awe. "You guys sure did do a lot together" I scuffed the earth with my hoof. "I wish my friends and I did stuff like that."
At Rainbows laugh I looked up. "What?" I demanded, slightly annoyed.
"Seriously? You three get into all sorts of trouble. Before you got your cutie marks, you did everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. And after you got your cutie marks, and discovered your destiny was to help other ponies, you kept doing new things. You three also represented Ponyville for the Equestria Games."
"I guess that Ponyville is the name of this place" I gesture to the houses. "But what's the Equestrian games?"
While Rainbow Dash explains, I notice a castle coming into view. I point my hoof at it. "Is that where we're going?"
Rainbow Dash nods "Twilight, the princess of friendship, lives there. She's an alicorn and may help you get your memory back." We trotted up the steps to the door. Rainbow Dash knocked on it, and,when no pony came within ten seconds, she kicked it down and walked through.
My sister led me into a throne room, where a purple alicorn, unicorn and dragon where already there. "Rainbow Dash" The Alicorn, Twilight, I guess, greeted her friend. Behind her Starlight and Spike nodded and smiled. "I am guessing your here for the memory spell?" Rainbow Dash nodded an affirmative.
"My magic has been used up, but Starlight can do it, can't you Starlight?" Twilight turned to her pupil who leapt to her hooves and nodded. Rainbow Dash looked suspicious but let Starlight cast the spell.
A light blue orb appeared in the air, sparking electricity. Very gently Starlight put it just above my head. Tensing, I awaited the pain, but, to my surprise, I only felt a slight warmth and nothing more. "Your going to have to close your eyes for this Scootaloo" Starlight warned, before closing her eyes. I did so, and instantly gasped.
I saw pictures,moving so fast that I couldn't see them properly. I did manage to get a few though, me and that unicorn, Sweetie Belle, and the earth pony, Apple Bloom racing to stand in front of a giant brown horse with a horseshoe for a, what was it, cutie mark? Me listening to Sweetie Belle singing and me and Sweetie Belle hiding under a table.
I'm not sure how long it went on for, it felt like hours, but it could of have been minutes. When I opened my eyes, I saw Twilight and Rainbow looking very bored. Starlight, on the other hoof, looked troubled. "Can I speak to Scootaloo alone please?" She asked.
Rainbow Dash frowned but let Twilight usher her out of the room. The second they were gone, Starlight turned to me. "Why did you want them to leave?" I asked, nervous.
Starlight drew herself up to her full height and glared at me. "So no pony will know what I am going to say."
I ran as fast as I could, dodging mares,stallions and other ponies my age. I finally came to a stop near the edge of this really big and really thick forest. Actually, jungle would be a better name for the giant patch of green and black.
I take out my map and flatten it out on the soft, ground, which texture made it feel like was in a very warm, and slightly damp bed. "You okay, Squirt?" I hear my sister ask me. I didn't even hear her come up.
"Yeah" I nod my bruised head absently, and brought out the magnifying glass I BORROWED from Twilight's library.
Rainbow sat down beside me. "What are you doing?" She asked, peering over my shoulder.
I didn't take my eyes off the maps corner. "Before the accident, I wrote down a date and time. I guess that is when I was in the so-called-'accident.' But underneath that is this weird shape I drew." I gestured with my hoof at said shape. "Do yo what it is?"
I moved aside to Rainbow Dash would have a clear view of the map. She frowned, then brought the magnifying glass closer to her eye. "It's weird, like two sticks crossing each other. Could be a sign or a cutie mar, or something. I have no idea" Rainbow stared at me, forlorn for a minute, then brightened. "Hey! But I bet I know who does!"
And that is how we found ourselves not at Twilight's castle but instead a building titled 'Sugarcube Corner.' "Don't worry, Squirt. My friend Pinkie Pie knows everything about everypony. If it is a cutie mark, she'll know whose it is."
About two seconds later, a mare with a light pink coat and a darker pink explosion of a mane peeked her head out the door of the actual kitchen area. "Rainbow! Scoots! Great to see you! Let me guess" Pinkie seemed to think for a second before pointing at Rainbow Dash "You want a chocolate donut with chocolate icing and rainbow raspberry sprinkles, and you" she points at me. " Want to find out what that strange marking on your map is, so you can find that meaneast of the meany pants there is, and get your memory back." She beamed at us. "Am I right?"
Rainbow Dash nodded, and Pinkie handed her the donut, stating it was 'on the bakery' AKA free. "H- how did you know what we wanted?" I asked.
Pinkie just stared "I am helping write this book, of course I know what happened a few minutes ago."
Rainbow kept on staring "Pinkie Pie" she said slowly. "Your not writing another story are you. Because I checked out 'Cupcakes' at Twilight's library two moons ago."
Pinkie frowned and pointed a hoof at Rainbow. "I thought we agreed never to speak of the Cupcakes incident ever again. Besides" Pinkie continued. "I had to get my anger out on all of you saying no to Gummies after birthday party."
"Um . . . . . Pinkie Pie, can you please look at my map, and see if you can recognize the cutie mark?" I ask, eyeing what looked like a light green alligator in the background.
"Oh, sure thing. Okay" Pinkie Pie slowly raised herself forward, until she face planted the map. I rushed forward to help her but Rainbow held out a hood.
"Let Pinkie be Pinkie" she told me, and I sat back down with a sigh.
After about five minutes, okay, maybe two, Pinkie turned around to us and shook her head. "Not a cutie mark. I know everypony in Ponyville, and no pony like that has entered Sugarcube corner or anywhere near it. Sorry."
Me and Rainbow left, thanking Pinkie anyways. "Now what?" I ask miserably, walking alongside the bestest sister in the whole world.
Rainbow sighed and put her wing around me. "I don't know Squirt" she said, looking at me "I just don't know."
Author's Note
Hey Guys! Pinkie Pie here! Now, I am sure you noticed that Reading doesn't talk much, but that's okay, that's my job. Reading says she would needs an OC, but she's bad at drawing. So I hijacked her computer to say this: OC ART COMPETITION, YAY! She will tell me who she picks, so have fun, oh and good luck! Pinkie Pie, out!
Since it was the holidays, that meant no school, which was cool, I guess. But that also meant that since the whole 'amnesia map' thing was a dead end, there wasn't really anything I could do. So I decided to visit some of my old friends.
Rainbow had already given me directions to Sweet Apple Acres, but, from what I can tell from stories, Apple Bloom sometimes points the hoof at the completely wrong filly-me. I think that the old me just caused so much trouble, she just always suspected me of doing something stupid. My own fault, but still. It would be nice to have somepony to back me up.
When I got to Carousel Boutique, it was locked. I knocked softly. No answer. I thought for a second, then nodded, determined. There was only one way.
The door made a groaning noise as, once again I threw my entire weight against it. One more, and it should break, and then I can-
The door swung open at the last second, and I crashed full-force into a Unicorn. I slowly got off her and smiled sheepishly "sorry. Um . . . . I'm looking for Sweetie Belle?" I held out a hoof, and she used it to raise herself slowly off the ground.
"Um yes, she's upstairs darling" the unicorn raised her voice slightly "Sweetie Belle! You have a visitor !"
Sweetie Belle hopped down the steps, covered in what looked like paint. "Who is it. . . ." She trailed off, seeing me standing next to her big sister, Rarity.
The next thing I knew, I was outside Carousel Boutique and on the ground, before two pale hooves lifted me up and strangled me. "Can't breathe." I manage to gasp, black spots appearing in my vision.
"Oh,sorry" Sweetie muttered, lowering me slightly before letting go completely. "I'm just so happy your here!" She exclaimed, bouncing circles around me. "Did you see Apple Bloom yet?"
I shook my head. "No, I wanted to see you first. So, what's new with you?"
"Whats new with- Whats new with me?" Sweetie Belle spluttered. "Seriously? Seriously? What about you? You just-"
I shook my head. "I know, I know. But that's- mostly- in the past. Besides, you probably already know what's up with me. I bet the news is all over Ponyville by now."
Sweetie Belle blushed and looked at her hooves. "I-well- I. Okay! You must Pinkie Promise not to tell my sister or any of her friends this" Sweetie leveled me with a look. "Especially Rainbow Dash or Apple Jack."
I frown "Pinkie Promise?" I ask confused.
Sweetie sighed. "It is the most sacred of all sacred promises. If you break it, Pinkie Pie will hunt you down. All you have to do is say 'cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye' and do these motions" She showed them all off while she said it.
"Okay, I cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye" I say, doing said gestures. "Now will you tell me the big secret?"
Sweetie Belle leaned forwards slightly. "Button Mash asked me out" she took a deep breath in "and I said yes." When she saw how unimpressed I was, she added. "I'm sneaking out so that we can go to the arcade."
Okay, now I was impressed. I spent a few more hours chatting to her, before I called it a day. I could see why we were friends. Sweetie Belle was nice, fun and energetic, while at the same time serious. From what I can gather from her cutie mark, which is the same as mine except for one or two differences, she is a singer and good at magic, or a good singer and born to shine.
I square my shoulders. Tomorrow, Apple Bloom.
As I promised myself yesterday, today is the day I meet up with Apple Bloom.
The walk from my house to hers was long, I guess I always used to take my scooter there, but now it's busy getting fixed, so the walk was much longer. I actually kind of enjoyed it. The scenery was nice and everything.
I saw an orange blur stampede towards me, and I braced myself for Sweetie Belle Take Two. But instead, the orange shape rushed straight past me and kicked a tree, sending twenty apples falling into baskets. The blur, now identified as an orange mare with a light yellow mane pulled back into a ponytail. "Um . . . hello, I'm Scootaloo, and I'm guessing your A.A..AP.P....LE. . . Jack"
I tried to stop my voice shaking, but when a mare that could probably bring down an entire tree if she wanted to, gives you a hoofshake, she gives you a HOOFSHAKE. "Darn tootin" Apple Jack grinned. "Apple Blooms in the barn, cleaning the equipment. If you hurry, yah'll can catch her before she goes into the meadow for bucking. You'll never catch her then. now shoo!" She made the' go away' gesture with her hoof.
I found Apple Bloom in there, her back turned to me, scrubbing at one of their plows, which was already almost finished. I cleared my throat "Apple Bloom" I said, nervously.
Apple Bloom froze, then slowly turned around. She dropped the rag she was holding and stared at me as if I was a ghost. "Um. . . Bloom, are you okay?" I ask, tilting my head.
"Am I okay! Am I okay! You died!" Apple Bloom started walking towards me on stiff legs.
"What?" I ask, confused. I had been called a lot of things, amnesiac, squirt,scoots, but dead? That's a new one.
"Yeah, it's been all over PonyVille. Sweetie Belle was crushed. I was crushed. They said when you got back you died of injuries. It was horrible. It was terrifying It was-"
"Just a rumor" I said. Maybe this explains why Rarity looked so shocked, and Sweetie Belles . . . extreme reaction to me. "It was just a rumor Bloom." Wait, when did she start crying? When did I start crying? I stared t the ground trying to hide my tears, when Apple Bloom enveloped me in a hug.
After a few minutes, another pair of hooves joined us, and I heard Sweetie Belle sniffling. I don't know how long we sat there, just crying and hugging, and if I'm honest? I'm not really sure I care.
After we pulled ourselves together so to speak, we moved to a small little house in the orchard. "What is this place?" I ask, looking round the inside of the little wooden house.
"It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, of course!" Sweetie Belle waved her hooves around the wooden room. " used to be a total dump, but Apple Bloom fixed it all up!" Said filly blushed.
I crane my head to stare at my friends flank. "Why isn't your cutie mark something to do with architecture or crafts then?" I ask, confused.
Apple Bloom looked at her flank. "Ah'm not really sure. Ah guess Ah'm just better helping ponies" she shrugged noncommittally.
"So, Scootaloo, do you have any idea on who did this to you?" Sweetie Belle asked, leaping up to the leaders podium.
In response, I unfurl my map, and lay it out. "This is an entire map of Ponyville" I explain. "Every building has a little red X going through it, but the mountain has a date, time and a strange marking on it."
Apple Bloom leaned closer. "Ah think Ah recognize this here symbol" she announced.
My eyes instinctively widened, and I leaned in, interested. "Where?" I demanded.
Apple Bloom seemed to be thinking, but after a while, she shook her head in frustration. "It'll come to me" she said. "In the mean time, can I make a copy of your map? We all have the exact same one's, for when we were crusadering, but still."
After I nodded, she carefully copied the map down, while me and Sweetie Belle watched.
"Well, I gotta go, Rainbow Dash will be worried if I don't go to the meeting place soon." It was true. For now, at least, I was staying in Rainbow Dash's cottage.
"What about your parents?" Sweetie Belle asked as I left.
I turned around to face them. "Do you know where they li-"
Sweetie Belle interrupted. "No,sorry. We never met your parents, even after we went to your house."
"Huh" was all I said. Now I was confused. How come nopony seemed to know who my parents were? One mystery at a time, Scootaloo, I told myself. "Okay then,bye."
Rainbow Dash flew me up to her cloud mansion, and we both went to bed. It was only when I woke up that I realized I left my map back at the tree house.
When me and Rainbow walked down to the clubhouse, what we saw nearly gave us a heart attack.
It was The Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse, or rather, was. Now it was all just a burnt crisp. What was weird was the fact that the trees around the clubhouse weren't even singed.
I didn't know that my knees felt weak until I collapsed. "Squirt" Rainbow looked down with concern. "What's wrong?"
For some reason my throat was extremely dry, so I swallowed and pointed at the wreckage. "I left my map in there last night.And none of the tree's were burnt" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she figured out what I was getting at. "This wasn't just a simple forest fire . . ."
"This was done on purpose" Rainbow finished slowly.
I felt my eyes widen, almost comically. My breath started coming in short gasps, and tears entered my eyes. I couldn't help it, I let loose a whimper. "Please don't hurt me" I begged of her.
Starlight stopped, and laughed sightly "hurt you? Why would I hurt you? I only sent Twilight and Rainbow Dash out of the room because Rainbow would either be in a complete and utter panic, or in an un-stopable rage and Twilight would instantly turn into Sherclop Pones." She drew a quick breath and was instantly serious again. "Scootaloo, when I did that spell, did you see anything?"
I told her exactly what I saw and Starlight started nodding. "Yes,yes, I saw those too. But Scootaloo, did you see the last memory?"
I frowned, puzzled. "What last memory?" I ask her, starting to rise to m hooves. I hadn't even known I had fell.
"Scootaloo, your last memories were of you at the top of Steep Tops" Seeing my confusion, Starlight clarified "The very top of the mountain we found you at" I nod. "Anyways" Starlight continued. " I saw you turn around and say 'I got your message, what do you want?' I then saw what looked like a clod of dirt hit you in the eyes and you fell backwards off the cliff."
"So . . . . . . it wasn't an accident?" I asked, in all honesty relieved. It was kind of nice to know that I didn't try to commit suicide, not that I thought I did, but still. Nice to get that off the old mental list.
"No, but Scootaloo, there's something else . . . . the way you acted around this pony, you seemed to trust them completely, which means . . . " Starlight hesitated, afraid to finish the sentence, so I did it for her.
"It means that the pony who gave me amnesia, the pony who tried to kill me, is somepony I know well enough."
Me and Starlight stare at each other for a few moments until Starlight asked "So . . . should you break the news to Rainbow Dash, or shall I?"
I ever so slowly, reach out my hoof and tap her saying "your it" before running off,leaving her to break the news to a analytical alicorn and a temperamental Pegasus.
