"You useless pegasus." Those three words rang in Scootaloo's ears and wouldn't leave her mind. Of course her mother had to insult her for being "a waste of time and space," according to her mother. Where were her earplugs anyways? She thought she had left them on the table next to the couch she was sitting in. But they weren't there, unfortunately for Scootaloo.
Scootaloo sighed. She hopped off the couch and trotted towards her bedroom, where she keeps her backpack. No, this wasn't a school backpack. This was the backpack Scootaloo would carry every time she was going to leave the house, usually so she could keep anything she found interesting in it. But she did carry some supplies to at least help her out in some situations, like scissors in case if she, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom ended up being tied together in string (Ridiculous as it may sound, it happens when you are really trying to find a cutie mark.)
"Don't you dare walk away from me when I'm talking to you, you imbecile!" Her mother called as she walked into the room and smacked the back of Scootaloo's head pretty hard. Scootaloo fell forwards but kept her balance. The slap from her mother's hoof stung but it wasn't enough to cause any real damage...or leave a mark that lasted more than two and a half minutes long.
That was a reason why her mother hasn't been caught committing all of her deeds yet. She wasn't striking hard enough to leave any marks, let alone marks that are worthwhile looking into. And if Scootaloo tried ratting her mother out, her mother would act as if Scootaloo was her most treasured possession. Until the pony left, of course, then she would go back into hitting Scootaloo, insulting her, give her less food than necessary, or make her do all of her mother's chores.
Scootaloo headed for the door and before leaving, she said, "Or you could let me go outside for a while and you can look up the word 'imbecile' because I'm 100% certain that you have no idea what it actually means." Scootaloo wasn't going to hang around much longer after she said that, so she quickly added, "Or do you need help with reading the definition as well?"
And with that being said, Scootaloo rushed out of the house. Walking out of the house would probably be the best thing Scootaloo could do in her everyday life. But it is almost as good as her mom not being in the house, but rather at work. But today was her mother's day off of work, so really the best option was leave the house.
Walking around was exactly what Scootaloo wanted. It let her breathe and calm down from her mother's words. And because today was a very nice day, it wouldn't hurt to go get something to eat, considering how her mother doesn't always give her enough to eat all the time. After all, Scootaloo had longed for something sweet to eat.
It was only noon, so maybe she should stop at Sugar Cube Corner and get something to eat. Yeah, something like a cake, or a cupcake, or a shake. She had some bits, after all, and they were from her father who she misses so much. He had left her some things right before he abandoned her mother.
Scootaloo couldn’t help but tear up just a slight bit from the thought of her father. She could still remember the light brown pegasus and the young, handsome face of him. She could still see the warm, caring smile he gave whenever he looked at Scootaloo’s soft eyes and told her how much he loved her. It shattered Scootaloo’s heart to know that he had left all because of her stupid, abusive mother who actually found fun in hurting her. She wished that one day, she could be free of her mother’s abusive reign and live a life full of happiness without her mother hurting her in any way possible. And if she was really lucky, find her father. Hopefully, that time will come soon.
At this point, Scootaloo noticed the grumbling in her stomach, aching for something or anything to eat. “Wow. I never realized how hungry I actually was,” Scootaloo thought. “Probably because I was too busy hating on my mother.” Now, Scootaloo was only like, what? About 10 steps away from Sugarcube Corner? That was the place to go for something very sweet to eat. Before she entered, though, Scootaloo counted how many bits she had. “Hmmm...I have a pocketful, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Scootaloo happily trotted inside.
The sweet aroma of cake, chocolate and cinnamon hit Scootaloo’s nose and immediately made her mouth water like crazy. She must be really hungry or craving for sweets or both. Probably both, since she really was hungry and she hadn’t had anything sweet for almost two weeks now. The last sweet thing Scootaloo ate was a vanilla ice cream on a really hot day. That was only two weeks ago and now she really needed the sugar. Scootaloo planned on getting a slice of chocolate cake this time, so she pulled out six bits and went in line…
…”If there was even a line to go in.” Scootaloo thought. She had just noticed that no pony was in here, not even Pinkie Pie or the Cakes. But there was no customers. “Maybe they had already gotten their treats.” No, that was impossible. It was only 12:30 and that meant there should still be customers hanging around to buy something. Or maybe it was closed and Scootaloo had accidentally walked in without noticing the “closed” sign. That wasn’t it either. The door would have be locked and no pony would have been able to get in. Things were getting a little bit suspicious until she heard a high-pitched yell and a loud crash in the kitchen.
Yep, that yell definitely sounded like Pinkie Pie. And then she saw Pinkie poke her frosting-coated head out of the kitchen, and shouted, “HEY! DIDN’T YOU READ THE SIGN AT THE DOOR!?!? WE AREN’T SERVING ANYPONY!...Oh, hi Scootaloo!” Pinkie’s expression went from really, really mad to very happy from seeing her friend. Scootaloo stood there, her face drained of its color from Pinkie’s screaming. She began to break down and apologize immediately.
“I’m so sorry Pinkie! I didn’t mean it! Please don’t hurt me! I really am sorry! Please!” Scootaloo was practically sobbing at this point. Pinkie jumped out from behind the kitchen and wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo.
“Shhh...there there,” Pinkie Pie said calmly as she gently stroked Scootaloo’s soft head. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I didn’t mean it either.”
Scootaloo was still crying until she suddenly asked, kind of confused, “Wait, what sign?”
“Oh, there was a notice at the front door that said that we are very busy today! And we can’t serve anypony until we are done making some of the pastries!” Pinkie replied, her tone cheery as ever.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Pinkie Pie. I didn’t notice the sign because I really wanted to taste one of your sweets again. It’s been awhile since I have had one of your treats. I just wanted a single slice of chocolate cake.” Scootaloo handed out her six bits at Pinkie.
“Oh, well in that case,” Pinkie swiped three bits from Scootaloo and jumped behind the counter and dug around behind the counter until she pulled out a slice of chocolate cake. “Here you go! And I’m charging you half because I had really scared you earlier. Sorry, again, about that.” Pinkie said with a bit of shame in her voice.
“Thanks Pinkie! I forgive you and good luck finishing your work!” Scootaloo replied.
“Bye!” Pinkie shouted as Scootaloo walked out the door.
Scootaloo couldn’t have felt happier. She literally devoured the slice of cake she had bought and finished it before she got ten steps away from the exit of Sugarcube Corner. And by all means, she was satisfied. The only question that remained in Scootaloo’s mind at the moment right now was what she should do next. She still had like, what? Seven more hours before the sun sets? That was a ton of time to blow by, so Scootaloo really wanted to think of something to do. After pondering the thought of what to do next, Scootaloo decided it would be best to go to the Cutie Mark Crusader’s Clubhouse and check in there. She had, after all, left her scooter there on accident the last time she was there.
Scootaloo really couldn’t leave her scooter lying somewhere out of her sight. It meant too much to her and was too precious to lose. It was almost like a child to her. Scootaloo remembered that she had received the scooter only two weeks after she was born and that was because her dad had bought it as a gift for Scootaloo’s when she was born. And as the years passed by, Scootaloo had gotten the hang of the awesome vehicle. Riding around on the scooter made her feel free and adventurous. It almost made her feel like she was flying, even though she had wings of her own…
...and all of a sudden, that last thought had made Scootaloo feel depressed. She knew that the only reason she had a scooter in the first place was because of her dumb, non-working wings. After her birth, her father had been told that Scootaloo had a problem with her wing that would prevent her from flying for a really long time. It was possible that Scootaloo may be 100% earthbound for the rest of her life! The thought of never being able to fly, even though she was a pegasus and had wings made her feel sick inside.
When Scootaloo looked up, she had realized that she was standing at the bottom of the steps tight in front of the clubhouse. Had she really been lost in her thought the entire way here? If that was really how deep she usually was in her walks, she really had to watch out. If she wasn’t careful, she could get mugged, beaten up, or hurt in some other way, shape, or form. And Scootaloo didn’t really need that happening so soon in her life. It was strange, the criminal activities rate had gone up the past two months or so and more ponies have been getting hurt or robbed of their possessions. It really was a mystery.
When Scootaloo got up to the door of the clubhouse, she carefully opened the door. When she peered inside only to be surprised by the scene of the room. Inside, the room was quite dark, despite the light shining through the window. And a ton of the drawings, paintings, and toys that belonged to her friends were missing. The only thing that remained were her drawings, her scooter (which she was very thankful she had just found), and the table that Scootaloo and her friends would work on whenever they went crusading.
“That is really weird,” Scootaloo thought. “Why are all of Sweetie Belle’s things and Applebloom’s things missing?” The single white piece of paper lying on the table caught Scootaloo’s attention and she started trotting slowly towards it.
Scootaloo picked up the piece of paper and skimmed over it. Yep, definitely a letter in the writing of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo began reading the letter that she held right in front of her eyes.
This is what it said: Dear Scootaloo, don’t be alarmed by the missing arts in the Crusader’s Clubhouse. We are going with Twilight on an interesting trip to Canterlot. The only other ponies going with us are our sisters and Rainbow Dash. We were simply asked to bring anything we wanted because it seems as if we are gonna stay there for a while. Don’t worry! We only took our arts because it reminds of what we are as a group, and our mission to help others find their Cutie Marks! The arts make us feel at home, you know? We’re so sorry that we had to give you the news this way, but we really didn’t have the time to quickly tell you face-to-face. Anyways, when we get back, we promise to never leave you alone like that again! We tried to convince Dash to let you in, but Twilight said you couldn’t. You weren’t related to anypony in the group, even though everypony considered you to technically be Rainbow’s “Adopted Sister.” Anyways, see you soon! Love, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo dropped the letter, along with a tear that slipped from her eye. There actually wasn’t a way to describe the pain that stung Scootaloo’s heart. How could her friends have just left her like that? Did they not realize that they meant everything to her? Scootaloo stood there, her mind all tangled up with miserable thoughts and confusing questions.
At that point, all happiness that remained in Scootaloo seemed to have just flown out the window. Scootaloo immediately broke down, sobbing the saddest tears she had ever shed. The painful thoughts still remained in Scootaloo’s head. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom really didn’t understand how she felt. If they did, they would have known that she was going to break down this badly. But they didn’t and went on the trip to do Celestia-knows-what.
Just then, a voice whispered to Scootaloo in her head. “Get up! And stop crying! You know that won’t solve anything!” That’s what the voice said and it continued. “So what if your friends aren’t here? The worst that could happen is if ALL of your friends are gone! You know, at least Pinkie and Fluttershy are still in Ponyville.” The voice definitely had a point there. But it wasn’t finished. “Right now, focus solely on your dumb mother. She will continue treating this way to you if nothing is done about her! Luckily for you, I am willing to help you.”
“What the heck?” Scootaloo thought. This was just unusual. How is it that a random voice pops into her head and just tells you that it’s gonna help you? That isn’t normal...
But it continued. “Yeah, yeah! That’s soooo random. Listen! I’m going to come back again later after some time. Just do whatever you want for now! But don’t cry! Or else.” The voice warned. All of a sudden, the weird voice was gone. Silence rang in the room. Scootaloo tried calling out to the voice in her mind only to hear more silence from the empty room. She got up onto her hooves. She looked back at the letter, which still laid on the floor, now with dried spots that came from her tears earlier.
Suddenly, Scootaloo didn’t feel sad anymore. Her sorrow was washed away with another feeling. For some reason, she felt very...angry. She couldn’t take it anymore. She got up, went over to the letter, and just tore it until it was nothing but bits of paper. “Whatever you say, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. See if I care.” Scootaloo got up, snatched her scooter off the wall and headed right out the door. She slammed the door behind her and didn’t bother looking back. She felt like she had just been stabbed in the back by two of her best friends. Oh wait, that’s right, she did.
At this time, it was getting late and Scootaloo really had to get back home. Praying that she wouldn’t get jumped by some pony thugs, she quickly hopped onto her scooter and started riding home. While she was riding, she heard the weird voice again. “Heh. Seems as if you took things quite well back there. I am proud of you.” The voice spoke to her. “But it doesn’t end there. You want to stand up for yourself, right? Well, as long as I’m here, you don’t have to worry about that. I will help you. Help you fight back those who anger you.” Scootaloo, this time, didn’t ask any questions. The anger flaring in her heart told her to trust the mysterious voice.
Author's Note
Just the first chapter! I'm not too sure how it is or whatever, but hope you like it. It's also my very first fan fiction, so cut me some slack if you didn't really enjoy it all too much. I don't necessarily like bad words myself, (even though I do swear sometimes in real life), so I will most likely make my fan fictions kid friendly! And I'm bad with logic, so please! Don't ask too much questions! I do get overwhelmed easily. 
But other than that, thanks for reading Chapter 1! 
Scootaloo wished she was never the one to cry often. She would usually cry if something hurt her or if she couldn’t figure out something, but she never really seemed to mind crying...until that voice in her mind “visited” her that night. After that conversation, she felt rather embarrassed for all the times she has cried.
Like that time when she accidentally got a paper cut. A small slice in the hoof sent her straight into tears. Or when she was running and tripped over a rock that led to her face planting in the dirt. Or when she was laughed at by her friends for dressing up as a chicken on her first Nightmare Night. These were all events that only babies cried over.
Scootaloo suddenly remembered Rainbow Dash, the most daring and bold pony in her life. Her face begins to burn with humiliation thinking about her “big sister.” What would Rainbow Dash think if she saw her cry in all of those events? She would be disappointed in a filly like Scootaloo, unable to toughen through the little things. She really would be a laughing stock.
But not anymore. Scootaloo wasn’t going to play the baby anymore. No, she was going to start preparing herself for the tough future headed her way. Screw all the sappy stuff and childish things. If she can manage to harden her own self, she really wouldn’t have to break down at all of the frivolous things in life, would she?
At that point, Scootaloo looked up and found herself standing in front of her home. “Home sweet home,” Scootaloo thought sarcastically. She sighed and pushed the door open, only to find darkness and silence. Hmmm, so her mom must already be asleep in her room. That meant she had to quietly sneak into her room and go to bed. She silently trotted towards her room and quietly shut the door behind her. She then hopped onto her bed and laid her head down onto her soft pillow.
“What a day. And I thought it was going to be fine but nooooo, my friends just had to leave my flank. And now I’m stuck living with my stupid mom who doesn’t care about me whatsoever without any friends to talk to. Maybe I should hang out with Pinkie Pie...no, that won’t work. She has a bakery to run. Fluttershy? No, she’s probably not expecting me. And I doubt she has time, especially with all those animals she has to take care of.”
Scootaloo was just about to fall asleep, but the voice spoke to her once again. “You know, you don’t need to rely on your friends to make it. I can help you take on whatever problem you desire by yourself,” the voice spoke, deviously. “Can’t you see all this time with your friends has only made you soft as a feather? Heh, you can’t even fend for yourself in the world before you. But if you trust in my plan for you, you won’t be living like this for long.”
Scootaloo didn’t hear anymore after that. The voice left and Scootaloo was lying there on her bed, the words repeating over and over in her head. It was right; Scootaloo CAN’T fend for herself. She was too much of a...chicken. Flightless, weak, and a coward. Her friends? Ha, they didn’t help whatsoever. They pretty much told her if she needed to cry, do it. If she was beaten, take it. You can’t do anything about it.
“You just wait,” Scootaloo thought. “Just wait till I finally show you what I am truly capable of doing.” And at that, Scootaloo drifted off into sleep.
****
Her mother stood in front of her, anger in her mother’s face. She had a stick in one hoof and trotted slowly towards Scootaloo. Scootaloo stepped back only to be stopped by a wall behind her. She looked to the left, the right, past her mother. Only walls. No doors. No exits. No escape. She was trapped.
Her mother, the dark orange mare, swung the stick at Scootaloo’s face. The stick smacked her right cheek and the impact made Scootaloo’s face turn left. The sting was extremely painful. She looked back at her mom, only to feel a even painful sting in her left cheek this time.
The evil smile on her mother’s face showed how much she was enjoying beating up her child. And knowing that her daughter was defenseless made the experience more exciting to her. Raising the stick up one last time, she quickly brought it down, aiming for Scootaloo’s head. If the blow landed, it would result a concussion or worse.
Scootaloo saw this coming and reactively jumped to her right. The stick hit the floor with a strong thud. Suddenly, she heard a voice. “Take this and use it,” said the voice. Scootaloo looked behind her and saw a rusty, metal shovel. Picking it up, Scootaloo was ready for her mother now. The dark orange mare charged at her daughter with the stick, ready to swing again. Scootaloo brought the shovel back and swung with all her might. A loud CLANG emitted as the shovel made contact with the mare’s face.
The impact was so strong that her mom stumbled a few steps and then finally toppled over. Her body hit the floor with a thud. She was clearly knocked out. Scootaloo breathed heavily for a few seconds before she dropped the shovel. Then, she felt like the room around her was fading and she was slowly dissolving…
****
Scootaloo woke up on her bed, feeling the wetness underneath her back. The intense dream of her’s must have cause her to sweat rapidly, eventually soaking her bed. “What kind of dream was that?” Scootaloo questioned in her head. “How come I had never had a dream like that before?” It truly mystified Scootaloo on why she has never had a dream that wild. Could it be the mysterious voice’s doing? Was it a sign of what’s to come?
Setting aside what just happened, Scootaloo looked at the clock. It read 9:00 AM in red, digital numbers. She sighed. It was summer break on a monday and she had no plans of what to do. Maybe she could just relax somewhere and rest the whole day. She could go get a snack or walk to the park or do something that would make time fly. But before she could get any further in thought, she heard the voice speaking to her again.
“Awake? Good. I believe it’s time to begin my little test for you, Scootaloo. I need you to first find an area where nopony expects you or anypony in general to be at. That is your first task.” And with that, the voice disappeared. A place where nopony expects anypony to be at...interesting. And literally the definition of weird. But it must be the first task in the strange “test” so she might as well.
But the thought lingered in her mind. How was she going to find a place that nopony expects her to be at? Is there even a place where nopony would bother looking? “Guess there is only one way to find out,” Scootaloo finally thought. She would have to go out and find it...unfortunately.
Having it only being 9:00 in the morning, Scootaloo knew her mother would still be sleeping. That’s pretty much the perfect time for Scootaloo to go out and find an area...without being questioned by her mother. Her mother really didn’t care what kind of things Scootaloo gets into. That made it easier for her to carry out the task.
She quietly opened her bedroom door, silently trotted to the front door, opened it, stepped outside and silently shut the door behind her. Scootaloo immediately saw the bright weather of today. It was sunny with pretty much 0% chance of rain. That is usually the best it got for her. So good, she didn’t need a scooter. She can walk around and see the greatness of these days. But she quickly waved the thought out of her head. It was time to get back to her task. She suspected maybe a dark alley in between some of the stores in Ponyville. So that was a start.
Scootaloo headed towards the shopping area in Ponyville. Buildings stood out left and right of her, but none seemed to have an isolated alleyway. It was all occupied with dumpsters, garbage bags, teen colts trying to “play it cool,” and one ugly scene with three thugs beating up a defenseless pony. The scene disgusted her the same way the thought of her mother did.
She quickly hurried along down the road in hopes of finding a place. But there was nothing that could have sustained isolation. She began to wonder if there even was a place with no ponies hanging around. After walking down the paths a little bit longer (and getting a quick breakfast donut in a bakery nearby), Scootaloo decided that there was no place here that could possibly be used as a hideout.
Just when she was about to give up, something caught her eye. It as the dark alley to her right. Except there was something strange about this alley. She felt an unusual presence deep within the darkness of the alleyway. This presence sent shivers and chills throughout her entire body. Scootaloo hesitated. She anticipated something to be lurking around the darkness, waiting to drag her in by force. But that didn't happen, so Scootaloo thought she might not be in the right place.
"Go on. Come towards the darkness, my little pony."The mysterious voice spoke in her head again. At this point, Scootaloo felt as if she had lost a bit of control of her body, since she was walking towards the shadows without any hesitation. The instant she entered the darkness, she lost sight of everything around her. It was as if she was blindfolded and didn't know where she was anymore. She really didn't, but no part of her whatsoever wanted to back out, so she kept going.
Going and going until she felt very drowsy. Her eyelids at this point felt heavy as iron and her legs began to bend in exhaustion. It was already beginning to feel hard for Scootaloo to even walk straight. She was swaying left and right with every step and she couldn't control herself. "What's happening?" Scootaloo said, to no pony in particular. All of a sudden, it was as if her brain shut down and Scootaloo collapsed, drifting off into a slumber in a dark world she had just entered.
