Chapters Prologue: Through Feeling
Some things in this world are meant to be, but others just aren't. It's a simple fact of life really, and nothing can change that. You can love, you can adore, and you can love as a friend. But that doesn't change the fact of what is meant to be. Things happen for their own twisted reasons; some being the fault of a single pony and others being the fault of millions. It is often thought of in a complex simplicity, being able to truly understand how ones mind works and how they choose those around them. But that is never something that is fully understandable, because if it was, there wouldn't be anything new in the world to look forward to. It would all be expected, knowing how one thought and functioned. That's what makes sentience so great in the world we live in, even though it brings about the dark horrors of ones subconscious.
There is always something new. When you think you know exactly how someone thinks and how they function, it turns on you and backfires. They surprise you with a different action than that of what was predicted. It is always an endless battle to find what makes us tick, and to find that one variable that determines actions: a conscience. Without it, we are nothing more than a walking piece of meat, food for every other creature on the planet. But this thing we have developed over thousands of years has given us the ability to grasp what is happening and make decisions based upon that. And no matter how many tests that you do trying to find that one variable that actually determines the outcome, every mind interprets it differently.
Love. One aspect of life that can sway the decisions of anypony with even the smallest touch on their hearts. It's impossible to put such feelings to words, or even explain it. It comes to you as a feel rather than being audibly present. The feeling of love, from a touch to the sweet smell of someponies perfume, it is ever present in the world we live in. We see those with a glance, and claim to love them at first sight. We cling to them and adore every aspect about them, even though we may not comprehend why we do it. Sometimes it isn't love , but it is the love of a sister or a brother . When the things we know turn on us, and we find ourselves looking to someone that we see as a sister or a brother to help pull us out of the rut in life. If they can help us to aspire to be something greater, then they hold a higher standard in our hearts. They become our obsession, every little thing about them seeming greater than the next. We find them to be our idols, and try to make every aspect of our life just as theirs is.
But what is life, when we just make it to be like someone else? The fact of life is that you will always aspire to be like someone else, and no matter how hard you try to stray away from that, a part of them will always be the reason you are where you are. It is no easy matter to simply go and find what makes you who you are. With everything that is out there, there is more to mold you to the conforms of what someone wants you to be.
Feelings flow through everyone of us, but sometimes we just feel like were an empty shell without any of these. We may admire and claim to love something, but we find there to be no real emotional strings attached these words. And when we find ourselves trapped in this box of our own inadequate emotions, we seek out to find that which makes us feel something. Some get their attractions from real life objects and acts, but others find themselves looking towards other ponies. And no matter what we attach ourselves to, there always comes the day where we find something that amplifies what we feel, or crushes us entirely.
There are secrets everywhere we look, even if somepony claims there isn't. Whether we believe them or not, that is purely the decision of ones own mind. Secrets are often kept as they are to prevent pain and suffering, and we often think that they would be easier dealt with had we known about them before. It doesn't work that way, that is wishful thinking at its finest trying to create its own small reality within the one that we live. If some of them are there to keep us from pain and suffering, then what are the others there for? If there is any real purpose to what we make of them, the secrets that prevent nothing more than the sway of a vote are there to keep society in check for however the most powerful ponies want it to be seen. Secrets are only what you make them out to be, and obsessions can amplify the pain that one may hold.
The world isn't meant for ponies like us; ponies who think for themselves. It is meant for those who are easily swayed and put to actions that are not their own. But for us, what does that make us? Are we another hunk of walking meat, or another mind in an empty body, trying to find the secrets that fill the whole in our hearts?
It was what would be considered a normal day in Ponyville, the trees were swaying in the warm summer breeze. The birds were flying about, chirping at each other as they flew across the streets. Ponies walked about without a care, going about their daily business and buying their groceries for the day, just as everypony else did. Celestia's eternal sun hung high in the sky, beaming down upon all of those who were without shade. Some ponies would get terrible sunburns in this weather as they played in the fields; some of the younger ponies playing foot ball or soccer. It was normal for almost everypony, except for one sad filly who was without friends this day.
She walked the streets with her head hung low, not giving a care to anypony that came her way. Nothing seemed happy to her, and she could care less if the sun blared through her glowing orange coat and burned the skin below. The wings that she held on her back were nothing more than what a butterfly would have, which would've made most other ponies depressed if they had this issue. But she felt nothing, no sadness, depression, or even happiness. She felt nothing; the feelings that she hears everypony talk about non-existent in her own being. She always found it strange that she never felt what others did, but she couldn't fathom what would be wrong with her own mind to cause this. The name she had been given since birth, whenever that was, seemed a bit strange to her. She didn't know why ponies called her Scootaloo, but she had assumed it had to do with the scooter she rode around town.
As for her birth, she didn't remember where her parents were, if she actually had any. There was nothing in her mind that gave her any ideas of where they could have been. The only thing she ever remembers was waking in Ponyville, under a large oak tree...
The sky was darkened by the large clouds that hovered over the town of Ponyville, a torrential downpour coming in their immediate future. Ponies all around ran for cover as the winds picked picked up speed, breaking branches off of trees and tossing them around as if it was a piece of paper. Leaves skidded across the ground, rustling as they flew through the streets. It was dark enough from the oncoming storm that some of the street lamps flickered on, giving the town an eerie feel. There were no ponies out on the street or going between their homes. Windows were boarded over to avoid having to replace any that may break from tree limbs crashing through. Some ponies had boarded their doors over, expecting the very worst from the weather teams. It was to be expected though, considering their reputation for violent storms.
Flashes of lightning shone through the town, the rumbling of the thunder echoing seconds later. Droplets of rain began to patter on the cobbled streets, the stones changing hues as they became saturated. One drop after another, the rain fell from the skies. It started as a simple sprinkle, but slowly escalated to a downpour as the number of droplets increased by the seconds. Soon, water was flowing freely through the streets and down storm drains, some flooding from the excess of leaves clogging the drainage pipes. Lightning flickered through the town once again, followed closely by the sharp and sudden thumping of the thunder, shaking windows in their frames.
One pony lay asleep as the copious amounts of rain fell around her, the only means of protection being the large oak tree that shielded her from the fury of the storm. She slept in a near hibernation state, ignoring the chilling winds that bit at the barren orange flank and frayed the once neatly kept purple mane. The tree that offered her protection stood tall, the branches extending over twenty feet at its greatest point. Its trunk was at least four feet wide, and it had to have been there for quite a while in order to grow to its current size. Leaves hung thick on the branches, blocking out any sunlight during the day and redirecting a great portion of the rain away from the base of the tree. Some of it however ran down the slope and towards the base, leaving a streak behind where it washed away some of the loose dirt.
The miniature stream held a steady flow as the rain fed it, passing under the bright orange pony. She didn't wake for a matter of minutes, but after a short amount of time she had come to her senses. Why is it wet? She came to ask herself. And why is it so cold?
Her eyes flicked open, suddenly realizing that she was somewhere... somewhere she had never seen before. The deep purple eyes searched for something that she might remember, but they found nothing that registered as important. On one horizon was a rather large forest, spanning as far as the eye could see. On the other, a small town covered where the horizon would be, various multicolored buildings jutting up above others. It was weird for her, this place. Where ever she was, this wasn't the last place that she remembered being. The last place that her mind was able to go back to was... nothing. There was nothing else, but what lay in front of her. An empty field, a small town , a forest, and a large tree protecting her from the rain. Next to her propped up against the tree was a scooter, one that seemed ever so familiar, even though it made little sense to her why it did.
Slowly standing from her former position, Scootaloo brushed the dirt that stuck to her body back to the ground where it belonged. She didn't know what to do in this world she knew little about, or for that matter, remembered. It was so much to take in at one time, and she felt like she should have some sort of feeling running through her mind. But there was nothing; just the vast emptiness of a mind that knew nothing. The town ahead of her was the best bet for any knowledge of her past, or if anypony even knew who she was. Scootaloo wanted answers about what was going on, and it would even be a bit of consolation if some other pony had no idea what was going on. In the back of her mind, however, there was a nagging sense that they would know at least something even if they said they didn't.
She walked out from under the cover of the tree, standing in the rain and looking to the sky as if it would give her an answer to the questions she sought to be answered. Eyes locked to the dull gloomy skies, a cyan dot flying in the horizon drew her attention from the things she wondered so much about. It was interesting to see such color contrasting against the dark skies. It was interesting to watch somepony else fly through the skies at high speeds, performing barrel rolls and various other tricks. This pony only stayed on the horizon though, and she could do no more than just watch as she flew about happily doing what she did.
The little orange flaps on her back began to flutter, trying to get her own body into the air. Scootaloo pushed every bit of energy into the wings in her back, putting her mind to work and blocking out any other noises from reality. Only one sound echoed in her mind, and that was the rhythmic patter of the rain drops falling upon her skull. Her wings picked up some momentum, vibrating and stirring up a small gust of wind just behind her. The deep purple eyes became covered, orange eyelids falling down over them as she fell into a deeper concentration. Teeth started to grind in her mouth as her wings started to beat at speeds that she had never been used to. Well, 'used to' was a very loose term for somepony who didn't remember anything. A strange sensation came over her body, and luckily for her it was just when her wings began to tire. It was unexplainable... could it be flight? Her eyes burst open, hoping to see the ground hundreds of feet below her, but it was the same as it had always been. Sticky, wet, and muddy. All that had happened was a bit or forward push, the mud collecting around the front of her hooves as they dug into the ground.
The miniscule wings attached to her back ceased to move at all, and from this moment on she told herself that she would never be able to fly; not knowing it was as simple as just believing. She wanted to drop to her knees and feel sad, but there was nothing to feel sad about. It didn't make sense why she couldn't feel sad, but she brushed it off as she looked towards the sky, watching as that same cyan pony flew with her mane in the wind.
There were always things that intrigued her mind, and often found herself walking around thinking to herself. And right now that was just what she found herself doing, walking. She didn't know why it felt right to walk, but it just did. Very seldom was she ever actually stopped while walking, but every so often some older pony would ask if she was alright. The general response never fooled anypony, they always knew that something was wrong. Even though she told them that she was alright, Scootaloo truly felt that way more or less. There was nothing wrong, but there wasn't actually anything that was right. The state she hovered in, a state of serenity without emotion, it was one sought after by ponies who attempted to meditate. It wasn't like she knew any of this, and most of the ponies just took her as a filly who had just fought with a friend, or somepony who had been told that their crush didn't like them.
It was different feeling the way she did though. There wasn't anything that actually fed her with the feelings that she desired. She felt so empty, even though she sought to feel something other than nothing. Sleep was a necessity that everypony else needed, but drowsiness had never fallen over Scootaloo even though she did sleep at times. It wasn't much of sleep, but rather closing your eyes, and opening them the next moment to see a bright world in front of you.
A few months later...
Days passed just as they always had, but now it actually had feeling . Now there were ponies in her life that she had come to love and cry for. It was a nice feeling for Scootaloo to actually be able to feel something other than an empty shell around her mind. She had grown accustomed to her friends, and they were one of the only things that made her life all worth while; with an exception being Rainbow Dash. That one pony that she saw flying through the air so many months... or years... or even weeks, she couldn't remember. The days were all beginning to blend together into a jumbled mess of memories. Rainbow Dash, the best flier in all of Equestria, and she was even the most talented pony in Scootaloo's eyes. She was the all around best pony: fast, smart, awesome, and even had the greatest cutie mark that anypony could have.
It wasn't always that she admired and adored Rainbow Dash, at first it was more of a fascination than anything else. The mindset of those days were more along the line of being curious about why she held herself so high. In everything Rainbow Dash did, she claimed to be the very best. No matter if anypony claimed to be better than her, it was dismissed without a doubt that she was the very best at anything there could be. What other ponies said never mattered much, usually just reflecting off of her thick skull. Facts about her great speed and the predetermined awesomeness was all that she needed to claim to be the greatest, even if she wasn't. Rainbow, however, was not just any showoff pony that had no backing to anything she said. Everything that she said, she would put to actions if somepony claimed that she was lying. Actions speak louder than words, especially if those actions change the lives of a certain group of little fillies.
These fillies, who call each other affectionately the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders', are the best of friends. They are inseparable, and they do everything together on the hunt for their fabled cutie marks, even though their true talents are blatantly in their faces with each try for it. There was a time, when even these fillies had no idea that the other existed. They were all alone once, walking about with few friends to speak of and being the general outcasts. Scootaloo was the greatest outcast of them all, not having a proper home or even parents to talk to.
Sometimes, when Scootaloo looked upon Rainbow Dash, she felt something deep inside of her heart ring. It was what some ponies would tell her true love would be, but it didn't feel right to call Dash that special somepony. It just didn't feel right to say that to her, even though she did feel a genuine love for her. Feelings weren't often her forte, as she didn't usually feel much to begin with. She had never felt much as far back as she could remember, even though that was only a few months ago. That was something she wished that she could understand, feelings. They always had to be so confusing and distort everything in one way or another. But in the reality of things, they clarified what she thought about. She had thought about Rainbow Dash as more than just a friend, and rather as a special somepony at one point. Now with what she felt, it was obvious that what they weren't meant for each other.
It almost felt like what Applejack and Apple Bloom had for each other, although there was no way to really know what they had felt like. It was what she would have thought it would feel like to have a sister, and to love as a sister. It wouldn't make any sense though for her to actually be her sister, they were so different in so many ways. To start, she couldn't even fly and Dash was the best flier in all of Equestria, and to top it off, they were totally different colors. It could make sense, but that much of a difference between a bright orange coat and cyan wasn't often seen in a family. They usually followed the same scheme as their parents or siblings. Something else became a bit more clarified for Scootaloo: Why did they both have an uncanny obsession for flight?
That could mean that they were part of the same family tree at one point, or it could just be a random coincidence. In any case though, that still brought up the question as to why she felt this love for Rainbow Dash. Even though it was very unlikely that they were related in any way, she wanted answers even if it meant not being related to who she called the greatest pony in all of Equestria.
What if?
Things aren't always as they seem. Sometimes it is just an illusion behind smoke and mirrors, hidden behind yet another screen. Are the things we see every day what our mind makes of it, or is it what they want us to see? That is the question of time and power; one that only the ponies who created these illusions know. What they want us to see, the things they fabricate to hide what need be, are always there no matter how real it seems. Facts, are not always true as they should be. Lies and deceit, they are often the only truth that we can trust.
Life wasn't something that Scootaloo often found herself thinking about. Some things just seemed to fit into place too well at times, and sometimes they fell out of place in strange ways. She didn't think much of it though, most fillies thought everything to be strange when they looked at the world two feet shorter than every other pony. Even if the little things seemed strange, life was actually looking up on her. She had two great friends that cared about her more than anything, and she had six mares that watched over her as if they were her parents. It was a good feeling , to have something like a parent at times. Because all a pony needs at times is a shoulder to cry on, and somepony to talk to. It was usually Rarity or Applejack that she would talk to because of the fact that they watched over her best friends, so she was around them more often than not.
Even though she felt happy and content with the world around her, she still couldn't help but shake the feeling that somepony had an eye on her everywhere she went. It was one of the many strange feelings that she had to deal with, but there was no reason for anypony to be following her. She had never done anything wrong, except for the multiple houses she had accidentally set fire to, the farmers market that nearly got destroyed, the destruction of some of Twilight's favorite books... Now that she thought of it, there was plenty of reason for somepony to be following her. Whether it was just to watch over her, or just to keep her from destroying something else valuable, it was just so eerie.
Scootaloo walked the streets of Ponyville alone, both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom off in Canterlot with their sisters. Sisters... something that she wished that could have been in her life, but was never there. It was one of the things that she wished for every night a star shot across the eternal night sky. All of her friends has sisters, or at least a brother that they could call their own flesh and blood. They had it all, and even though she was actually happy where she was in life, that was one of the only things that she wanted. Sure, they treated her as if she was their sister, but it didn't feel like it would be the same had they actually been her real sisters. It was one thing to be treated like a sister, but it was another ballpark entirely to be related by birth to somepony, because no matter how mad you would get at them, they would always love you. And no matter how mad they could get at you, you would always love them.
And that was what she wanted. Somepony who meant the world to her, and received the same affection back. It wasn't a lot to ask for, but for a pony who had no parents, no siblings, and only a select few best friends, it would have taken the world to accomplish this seemingly simple task. You just can't create a sister or something to act like one. The only way to become a sister is based upon your parents decisions, and that is the only thing that could have changed this. That didn't explain the way she felt around Rainbow Dash though. The way her emotions flowed around those who considered her a sister felt much different than that of what she felt around Dash. Something felt lost, and something felt like it needed to be discovered...
A tear formed in the corner of Scootaloo's eye as she thought of the sister she never had, and the parents that would never be there. She walked along, her vision blurred as a few more tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. With a sudden impact, a large lavender shape engulfed her vision as her face planted itself in the neatly kept coat of the purple pony. She was sent tumbling back onto her haunches as papers crumpled and flew into the air, coming back down to the earth with a graceful swaying motion. Scootaloo brought a hoof up to her eyes and wiped them, clearing her vision to the mess in front of her. Sitting back and rubbing a hoof on her chest, Twilight Sparkle sat in a pile of books and papers, as well as a couple journals and notebooks. Twilight groaned and shook her head, still trying to regain her orientation after the collision with some unknown pony, and she was a bit mad that somepony wasn't being careful enough to watch where they were going. She had very important things to do, and mathematical calculations to verify and...
“Scootaloo?” Twilight asked, bringing her hoof down from her chest and giving a caring look towards her. “Are you okay?”
She sniffed and wiped her nose before replying, “Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing wrong here.”
“Wait... are you crying? Did you get hurt when you fell?” Twilight asked with a sense of worry.
“No, I didn't get hurt, but thanks for caring,” she replied. “It's just something else...”
“I'll tell you what, how about you help me pick this up and you can talk to me all you want. Sound like a deal?” Twilight asked Scootaloo.
With a small sigh she replied, “Yeah, I guess that will be fine. Just don't tell anypony about this, okay? I don't want the other Crusaders knowing I was being all sappy and stuff.”
Twilight stifled a small giggle and ran her hooves through her purple mane, messing up what style she had left in her hair. They both got back up on their hooves, Twilight craning her neck from side to side in an attempt to rid of a slight soreness that had developed. Opening her mouth to say something, Twilight's mind completely blanked as to what she was going to say.
“I was going to ask you something Scootaloo, but I totally –” Twilight stopped mid-sentence, staring down at Scootaloo.
Scootaloo sat on her haunches, a small pile of papers she had gathered sitting in her hooves. She had her eyes squinted as she tried to read the nearly illegible writing of Twilight Sparkle. It was amazing to her how anypony could write in scribbles and still be able to understand what was on the paper. There was already enough trouble trying to read through normal hoofwriting, but this. This was a totally different level of messy. However, there was one thing on the paper that was neatly written inscribed in the top left corner.
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It was most likely some strange scientific name Twilight had for some creature, or a bug. Whatever it was, there was no doubt that it was something that had to do with her studies. There were graphs riddled across the paper, with lines dipping up and down with varied patterns. Near the bottom of the page was a diagram of a pony, one that looked to be about the age of a filly, maybe a bit older. It was labeled at different parts that were apparently supposed to mean something to whoever drew it. She wasn't able to get a good look at the paper except for some of the more minor details that stuck out from the rest before Twilight pulled the papers from her hooves.
“Heh, these are more of my... private studies, Scootaloo,” Twilight told her with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, but that's just the way it is. Nothing against you, but it is just how it needs to be kept.”
Scotaloo sighed at the fact she was never aloud to see anything cool. She looked up at Twilight, opening her mouth to ask one question. “But why was there a pony on that paper?” She asked, pointing a hoof at the mess of journals and crumpled papers that Twilight held.
Twilight lifted a hoof and rubbed the back of her neck, thinking about what exactly she would say. “Well... it was for some experiments that I was just doing. I can't tell you about it though, that was the one rule that I have to follow.” Twilight started on her way back towards her home, turning back to the young orange filly who stood in the middle of the side-walk. “You coming Scoot?”
Scootaloo's ears perked up and she broke into a sprint, catching up to Twilight quickly and walking side-by-side with her. She glanced up at Twilight, looking into her deep purple eyes.
“I'm glad to have some other pony I can count on, Twilight.”
Twilight sat in a stool, looking across the library at Scootaloo, who also sat in a stool similar to hers. Books lined the shelves, not one out of place or put away upside down. A heavy scent of aged paper and cardboard filled the room. It was one of the few smells that could calm Twilight, but for Scootaloo, she felt different about it. Her nose was scrunched up with a miniscule frown on her face, the odor of the books overbearing for somepony who wasn't constantly around them. The walls held the grain of the tree it was built into, giving it a truly unique look as pictures broke the flow now and then.
“So, Scootaloo, you wanted to talk about something?” Twilight asked with a truly caring tone.
Scootaloo shifted in her hair, her mind reeling over what she really wanted to talk about. “Well, it is a couple things,” she told her hesitantly, a grin creeping onto her face, “One thing is about Rainbow Dash, and the other, is something that I'm kinda scared of...”
“Oh, well okay...” Twilight said, gazing up to the ceiling, pondering about what she could possibly fear and what issues she would have with Dash. “What is wrong with you and Rainbow?”
“No, nothings wrong with us, but I just have some feelings lately,” Scootaloo said as she hunched over her hooves.
“Oh... well... that's not something to be embarrassed about Scoot. Everypony goes through this,” Twilight told her as she thought to herself This isn't good... Oh no oh no oh no...
“You sure? Because I'm just don't know Twilight. I mean, I love her and all, but it isn't that kind of love. I kinda feel like she and I are related somehow... I just don't know how to explain it.”
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that isn't all to uncommon. Most ponies get a great attraction that makes them feel like they should be sisters or brothers, but that isn't really explainable to why it happens,” She tried to explain to Scootaloo. “It's not something that you should worry about, okay? If it is meant to be that way, then fate will make it so.”
Scootaloo hung her head with a bit of sorrow, the hopes of having a sister crushed. She knew it was very unlikely, but she had still set herself up for a fall. “Okay...”
“Wasn't there something else too?” Twilight asked as she stood and made her way to Scootaloo, placing a hoof on her back, moving it in a circular motion.
“Well... yeah,” She replied, looking back up to Twilight and straight into her eyes. “I know the other fillies don't think of this stuff, but I kinda do...”
“Yes?”
“I'm afraid, Twilight. We're all going to die someday, and I don't want to leave everypony when I do. It'll hurt someone when I do, and I don't want anypony to be sad because of me,” She told her. “I don't want other ponies to leave me alone here either. I don't want to hurt anypony, and I don't want to be alone...” She said as a tear fell from the corner of her eye.
“Scootaloo... I don't know why you're thinking of this kind of stuff at your age, but it will all be okay, I promise,” Twilight said with a hint of panic in her voice. “Oh no... this isn't good at all. Oh Celestia, what am I supposed to do...” she mumbled under her breath.
Twilight was beginning to panic in her mind, unsure of what she should do at a time like this. This was never supposed to happen, so how should she have ever prepared herself for such a situation? Yeah, she was the one who basically did this to herself, but the only way to fix the problem that was starting to arouse was one thing... and that was something that she only wanted to do as a last resort. She was beginning to get restless, and began to fidget. There was one pony who may be able to help, and since Scootaloo was here she could go and get her. After all, she was her favorite pony and Twilight needed to stay at her home to try and fix the situation that she had created.
“I sure hope it will be,” she sighed, and hear slight murmurs coming from Twilight. “You say something?”
“Huh? Oh, no. Would you care to do something for me?” Twilight asked trying to cover herself.
“Sure! Maybe I can even get my cutie... No, I have to do that with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Bah, why not?”
“I need you to go and get Rainbow for –” and before Twilight could even finish her sentence, Scootaloo had already darted out the door and headed onto the hunt for Rainbow Dash. Twilight hoped this bought her enough time. “UGH! Celestia, what am I supposed to do?”
Scootaloo pranced through Ponyville, ducking between the legs of unsuspecting ponies and nearly toppling some. Her eyes darted about, scanning the sky and looking through various groups of ponies hoping to find that fabled rainbow mane. It was just following the orders of Twilight, but she was more than willing to comply with what she wanted if that meant being able to be around Rainbow Dash. This was also an excuse to prance around town carelessly without taking caution for any other pony, even though some wouldn't even consider it an excuse. The thing was though, she had no idea where to start looking or even the faintest idea where she could be.
It seemed like she had been searching Ponyville for hours and her labors went unrewarded, the fruits of success no where soon to be found. The search for a pony like Rainbow Dash would probably be the most difficult search that anypony could attempt to do, and very few have ever actually succeeded when trying to find her. At other times, they had accidentally ran across her and happened to need assistance that only Rainbow could give them. Being a pony like Rainbow Dash, needed and favorited by most, usually meant that a lot of ponies would have liked her assistance at one point in time. But due to her lazy nature, most nothing ever actually got done and very few ponies were able to use her for their own chores. Scootaloo walked around the outskirts of the town, her eyes becoming weary as they scanned the sky for the thousandth time. This was most likely the most work she had ever done outside of the repairs that were required for the destruction she caused from time to time.
A large tree hung its leaves in a massive circle in the distance, a great portion of shade casted underneath it as the midday sun beat down upon it. There was nothing for it to care about, but it just stood there like a careless child watching others play across the schoolyard. The day wasn't all too warm, but running around town for hours under an overbearing sun took its toll on the mind as well as the body. She was tired and fatigued, ready to rest and sleep through the rest of the day. Even though she had no reason to be relatively tired, some of the farm ponies in town did more than she had in her lifetime thus far in a single day.
With little concern for her shaking legs and the beads of sweat pouring off of her forehead, she broke out into a sprint for the shade that welcomed her from so far away. It looked so nice... and just imagining how it would feel gave her that extra motivation to push on. Scootaloo pressed on, eventually making her way under the cooling cover that it coincidentally provided. As she entered the cover from the beaming sun a small breeze blew through the foliage and the tree, wicking away at the sweat on her body and providing a gentle cooling sensation. A sigh of relief escaped her lungs as she enjoyed what the gentle breeze had to offer, making the most of the little things for once. She was never one to necessarily enjoy the 'smaller' things in life, but from time to time the smallest thing made the biggest difference in the end. And right now, the breeze made all the difference in her semi-distorted reality. Heat and exhaustion were beginning to overcome her mind, and she was slowly falling asleep as she walked. It could have just as easily been heat stroke, but it was more than likely just a tired filly falling asleep.
She stumbled around the tree, leaning against to not only provide her some support but also to find a suitable place to fall asleep. Sleep was a magical thing really, it rested the mind and body, along with letting one explore worlds they create as they sleep in their dreams. Scootaloo's eyes began to fall shut as she began to stumble around more, falling to the ground and refusing to get up. She did try and get up, but she just felt to tired and let the fatigue overcome her as her eyelids shut. It wasn't normal for her to have dreams, they were often something that she was told about but never experienced one for herself. It seemed strange that she had never had the experience that her friends told her about so many a times, but it was just her. She was strange, and there was nothing anypony could do about it. In fact, she was happy with who she turned out to be. Everything was turning out okay, and she even felt as she connected with somepony. Her mind went dark as it usually did, as all went quiet underneath the trees canopy...
A sound echoed through her mind, and it was different to say the least. The echo seemed to sound like a log being constantly sawed back and forth slowly. That same sound, over and over again but with drops at the ends as if the log had dropped, and then began to saw away again. There was no reason for anypony to be sawing or chopping away, seeing as she was right there under the tree. What pony in their right mind would chop down a tree with a filly right underneath it? The sawing seemed to stop for a few moments, but it started again just as Scootaloo had nearly entered the realm of limbo. That was all she knew during sleep, but this sound continued to echo in a constant rhythm. She brought her head up and wiped her eyes with her hooves to clear the crusted mucus that formed around her eyelids.
Scootaloo slowly woke from her sleep, stretching her hooves out and towards the sky. She had no clear idea on how long she had been asleep and could have even slept into the next day. The same sawing of logs echoed through her ears, but now that she had some sense of reason it became apparent that it was not logs being sawn or trees being cut down. It was rather another pony sleeping, and it sounded like they were fairly close. Stumbling to get back onto her hooves, Scootaloo walked around the wide base of the tree and found nopony else. The only other place that somepony could be was to look up...
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo yelled at the top of her lungs with a wide smile, both happy that she had found her and was in her presence.
“Wha – AGH!” Dash screamed as she fell off the branch that she had been sleeping so soundly on. She tumbled through the air, not having any sense of spacial relation to ground and the sky.
She fell towards the earth that gravity always tried to tie her to. On her way down, she fell directly on top of a small, brightly colored, orange filly. The two ponies fumbled on the ground for a few moments as they tried to recuperate from their crash in with each other. Rainbow Dash shook her head, trying to remove the distortion from her vision, and give her mind some sense of direction. With some of her senses acting as they should and her mind cleared, she looked over to whoever or whatever broke her fall from the tree and woke her from the once peaceful slumber. Laying on the ground in front of her was Scootaloo, who was mumbling various slurs that were incomprehensible. Her hooves twitched slightly, along with a small twitch running through her eyes.
“Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly, reaching a hoof out to her. The filly in front of her continued to twitch, and Rainbow became scared at what she had unknowingly done. She did the only thing that she knew to do, and the only thing that was already in her instincts.
She flew.
Nothing. There was nothing but pure black grabbing a hold of her mind and pulling her in. Scootaloo could feel her body and all of her extremities, but she felt different . A sense of complete refreshment pulsed through her body with every waking moment, as if she was being fed a constant stream of energy. Nothing made much sense to her right now, or even where she was. It was just so strange to have the feeling that her eyes were open, but nothing appeared. Things had seemed strange when she was around Twilight, but now this was even stranger. A faint clacking of hooves on stone reverberated through her ears, the noise getting closer and then farther away as it passed. Any hooves she heard passed, except for what seemed like two ponies. They stopped at what seemed to be right in front of her, wherever she was.
A door creaked open somewhere nearby, and slammed shut just after. The ponies were now walking on some sort of wood, the faint and dull thumping an indicator of the material.
“What do you mean you just 'fell on her'?” A hysterical Twilight shouted as she rummaged through what sounded like metal tools and instruments.
“I don't know OK? It's not my fault, she woke me up and I fell off of the branch!” Rainbow shouted back, nearly hyperventilating.
“I've told you before... You might hurt somepony...” Twilight told her quietly, without trying to hurt Rainbow Dash anymore than she already was.
“I just never thought it would happen...”
“I think there is something that you should know though,” Twilight said to her. “She thinks of you as her sister.”
The room went quiet, the steady and quiet breaths taking over. “A-A... sister?”
“She really loves you Rainbow, and I'm not sure how much I can do,” Twilight depressingly spoke.
“Ya know, I always did like her. A sister would be nice...” Rainbow replied, her voice trailing off into nothingness.
“I warned you about getting attached though Rainbow –”
“I know,” She said, cutting Twilight off. “But sometimes, we all need someone to give us hope. And frankly, I love this little filly. I do consider her a sister, Twilight... that's the issue.”
Scootaloo spoke up, her voice distorted and altered in a low groan. “I love ... love you... Rainbow Dash.”
“Do what you need to Twilight, I don't care. Just do what needs done... please. For me . For her .”
Chapter 2: The Truth of Deceit
Sometimes the very thing that you sought after for what seemed to be so great for so long, just doesn't matter anymore. All you want is that one pony to come, and bring you back to the world and give you a reason in life. Sometimes, that happens, but at other times we aren't so lucky.
We sit in the abyss that is called our mind, the vast emptiness surrounding us. But who's to say that it is emptiness, but rather just blacked out memories and inaccessible thoughts? The perception of what we see in reality is all up to what we have learned in life, and what we choose to hear in this limbo, or even comatose state, is based off of what we choose to love most. Love, a word that is thrown around like nothing else. If used in the correct context however, it can mean the world to somepony. Even with all that it is thrown around, there are all the things that we enjoy, and don't necessarily love. But what is love, when you were made not to love? What if you were made as a hollow shell, full of what could be called life; these feelings developing inside of you? Not all is what it seems, in a world full of truth and deceit.
The truth of deceit, simple with such complexity. The ability to destroy ones existence or even make it worth while through something as simple as a few words. Things aren't always as they seem, and when we find deceit to be what makes us happy – the truth is what hurts the most.
Where am I? Scootaloo asked herself, unbeknownst of her current situation. The last thing that she could even come close to remembering was the rainbow blur coming down onto her. But that was it... There were no other set of memories that she could find. Or at least, what she was allowed to access. Why can't I remember anything? I want to remember... I really do... but WHY? Why can't I remember! There was something nagging at her mind, something that both told her that it would all be OK, but at the same time – she knew something was catastrophically wrong. There was something blocking her memories, even though she remembered how she had felt during these times. The feelings, or rather the words that described them, were there. What had once warmed her chest at the thought of love, was now just a hollow word echoing throughout the void.
Voices echoed throughout her mind, ones that were undoubtedly Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle even though nothing that they said could be understood. For whatever reason, any sounds coming from the outside were muffled, or even distorted as if somepony had wrapped her head in saran wrap.
FLUSHING EXTERNAL SENSOR CACHE... DONE.
RE-INITIALIZING AUDIO SOURCE SC-7410... DONE. FATAL ERROR IN VIDEO INPUT; SHUTTING DOWN BASIC VISUAL SYSTEMS... DONE.
White words stretched across what was once the darkened abyss, pushing the darkness away from her body. It didn't make any sense to her why she was seeing this... Is this some kind of dream? Scootaloo asked herself, questioning the logic of everything around her. There was something different in the environment around her... it had gone quiet. It was quiet to the point where she could hear a low hum coming from somewhere near. Wherever it was it was, it was close enough to even feel a slight vibration coming from it. I wish Rainbow was here... She told herself, I'm so scared... I want somepony to tell me its going to all be OK...
“I'm right here Scoots, and don't worry...” Rainbow paused with a doubtful sigh, “we're going to do everything in our power to make you better.”
“But Rainbow...” Twilight spoke up worringly, “is it right to induce false hope? I'm not sure that I can actually he –”
“NO!” Rainbow Dash interrupted without hesitation, “Any hope is hope. And we will make her better.”
She didn't know what to think anymore, but all she knew was that the darkness was coming back over her as the glowing white text faded away into the void. Now, she was all alone again in a void of nothingness. Tears needed to be shed, but the feeling of a deep depression grew stronger inside of her. There was nothing she could do to help herself, all she could hope is that Twilight and Rainbow could save her from whatever happened... and whatever did happen at the end of the day, she would look forward to. Sitting in the void all alone, she curled into a small orange ball, trying to induce the tears that she knew would never come. Either way, she would try, and try, just to attempt to rid of the sadness filling her body. With nothing else to do, and no pony to talk to, her mind began to fall into a dormant state as her body fell to sleep.
She slept for what seemed like ages, her mind at peace for once in what had felt like a century. For once, she actually dreamt. It was a strange sensation for somepony who had never actually experienced a dream, but she knew what it was as soon as it started. It just seemed so apparent that it was a dream, it had such a happy atmosphere; and she knew that there was no way that the reality left behind was just a dream. The things she had felt, and the emptiness in her body was real. While the chance was still there, she enjoyed what little happiness she had left.
Rainbow Dash stood sat next to her, the sweet smell of the spring grass flowing through her nose as it brushed against her flank. A small smile cracked across Scootaloo's sleeping lips as Rainbow's hoof extended around her. Even though she was asleep, she knew what was going on and was rather happy about it all. Stretching her legs, Scootaloo's eyes fluttered open and her head tilted back to look up towards Rainbow Dash. And above her, was the oak tree that haunted her memories. But for now, it brought happiness as it shaded them from the bright sun, a warm breeze flowing across their bodies and rustling the leaves.
There were no words to be spoken from each other, the look in their eyes was enough of a signal to say I love you , back and forth. It wasn't necessarily what she would have thought of as the best thing to happen, but it made her happy. And right now, that was all that really mattered to her. In the midst of everything that was happening, being happy was a good thing. And even sometimes, happiness isn't all that it is cracked up to be.
“Hey Scoots,” Rainbow called with a hint of love.
“Yeah Dash?” Scootaloo replied.
“I love you too Dash... but what do you mean?” Scootaloo asked, somewhat offended.
“Mean by what?”
“You said 'being able to know you'... what was that supposed to mean?”
“Kid, you know that I love you and all... but we need to face it. We both know that you probably won't be around for much longer. Things haven't been looking out for you too much lately,” Rainbow told her, looking away slightly.
“Rainbow,” Scootaloo pulled her head close and looked into her magenta eyes, “I'm not going anywhere. Alright?”
“Yeah, we can hope can't we?”
“As a wise pony once said, there is always hope – even if it isn't there,” Scootaloo told her, smiling wide with her pearly white teeth showing through her cracked lips.
“Scoots, I think it's about time I show you something.”
"But I want to stay here Rainbow! Why can't we just stay here?” She asked with a pout. “I just want to stay here and be happy...”
“I know you do kid, but even though this will hurt I have to show you something very important... If I didn't, you might hate me even more,” Rainbow said, her lips forming into a frown.
Scootaloo looked at her questioningly, pondering what would make her hate the greatest pony in the world. “Nothing could ever make me hate you Dashie! I mean, what could be so bad?”
“Some things just are that bad, SC-7410, and it's about time I showed you.”
“Wait... what did you just call me?”
“That, for now... doesn't exactly matter. Just trust me, it will all make sense in time,” Rainbow told her with a reassuring smile.
In an instant, the world around them vanished. All that was there anymore was the black abyss she had once came from, but now she was accompanied by the one pony who could make her feel comfortable. She knew that whatever lay in her immediate future, would most likely be something that could tear apart her world as she knew it. She knew it was coming. A part of her wanted to know what it was, but then there was also that part of her that wanted to run as far away from it so that her and Rainbow could stay together and roam this land of dreams forever. She hoped that with whatever would be coming her way, that Rainbow would be there by her side to comfort her.
She hoped.
But with what came next, there was nothing that could have possibly prepared her for what lay in front of her. It didn't seem real... in fact, it made her question everything that she had once believed in. She no longer knew if Rainbow was really her friend, or just claimed to be to make this whole ordeal easier on her. Tears welled up behind her eyes, but never came forward as she wished them to. Nothing made sense anymore, and it all appeared that her life was nothing but a blatant lie.
“What... What is this?” Scootaloo asked, her head hanging low and rage filling her body.
“It's hard to explain... But I just want you to remember that the feeling I have for you are real. They are real...” Rainbow explained, tears rolling down the side of her cyan cheeks.
“You expect me to believe... that everything you have for me is REAL?!” She yelled in a raging fury. “You expect me to believe you after all the LIES you fed me? After all this? After everything... you did nothing but lie ...”
“Scootaloo... I never wanted to tell you because I couldn't... I wasn't allowed to...”
“Don't you think that telling me would've saved me some pain? After all, I'm just some guinea pig experiment for what you called the Elements of Harmony, and even the Element of Loyalty...” Scootaloo told her in a disappointed tone.
Rainbow Dash wrapped Scootaloo in her arms, holding her tight even though she struggled to get away. Why... Scootaloo cried into her chest. Why... she cried. Rainbow spread her wings, and wrapped them around her. She has seen more than anypony should ever have to see... should they ever be as smart as she had become. But sometimes, things never happen the way they were meant to. And this was one of those times.
“Rainbow...” Twilight called to her, “she knows.”
“What do you mean she 'knows'?! You showed her, didn't you?” Rainbow Dash cried out.
“I had no choice to... she had to know...”
I guess false hope isn't any hope... Scootaloo told herself. The fact that she was nothing more than what looked like... a machine. At least that was what she appeared to be, with the mess of wires protruding from the metal enclosure in her chest, a small fan whirring away to keep the internal components from overheating. On the small green board that lay in the center of the enclosure were two small lights; one green and the other red. The green was lit, but it was flickering on and off. And judging by how red is not usually a good thing... if the red was lit, she wouldn't even be here. And with the number of wires connected to other machines laying outside of her body, they were the only thing keeping her alive. Now she understood why some stones are better left unturned.
“She is just a filly... even if she is what she... is Twilight, you know that...”
“I know Rainbow... But some things have to be done. And to be honest, I'm not sure that I can save her...” Twilight told her wistfully.
“Don't you say that...” she whimpered, “Don't you dare say that... She's going to be fine...”
“Rainbow... If you want to talk to her... now would be the time to do it,” she said with a depressed tone. “It's not right to keep her alive with all of this distress... I have to cut her loose soon...”
“I don't want her to go though, Twilight...”
“I know, Rainbow... but you have to...” Twilight told her.
“Well... Scoots, you know I've never been much of one to talk,” Rainbow started, choking back tears. “Or even show how I feel... but you deserve it, with all that you've been through. I don't know how else to say it, but in a few words. I love you , and I hope you always remember that, no matter where you are.”
Twilight, can I have my voice back? I want to say one more thing before I go, Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow looked over to Twilight, and tried to give her some sort of guilt trip. With a sigh, Twilight let Scootaloo have her voice back. “Her voice isn't going to be normal... it somewhat broke when you... fell. And after this Rainbow... we have to let her go. I'm so, so, sorry...”
“Its OK Twilight...” Rainbow told her as her tears fell to the floor.
“Rainbow,” A distorted Scootaloo voice echoed, “I know you didn't mean to hurt me, but don't hold it against yourself. I love you, love you, love you... love you Rainbow – bow – bow – bow Dash... My si – sister...”
Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight hesitantly, not wanting to rid of the pony who loved her so much, and she loved back with such force. But Twilight was right, it wasn't fair to keep her here in the state that she was in. Nodding her head gently, Twilight understood that it was time. With a pull of a cord, the little red light within the enclosure of SC-7410 came on, and it was all over.
Tears flowed from Rainbow's eyes and down her hooves as she held them to her face. “I love you too, Scootaloo,” she whimpered...
Through the years, the cold, metal shell of SC-7410 rested in the basement of Twilight's home. Twilight soon forgot about her, even though every time she visited the basement the pang of guilt for doing something so terrible came over her body. As for Rainbow Dash, she always remembered her, wishing that she had the pony she had gotten so close to back in her life. There was always something that told her that it wasn't over, but she knew that the hope she once had was destroyed long ago.
Some say love is the greatest power in the universe, but some never believe in this nonsense. Others, live off of this general idea.
With a small whir, the small fan inside of SC-7410 came to life, the red light no longer lit, and the green flickering once again.
I will wait for you, sister, no matter how long it takes...
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home,
Sitting all alone inside your head...
How much is real? So much to question...
