Change is Never Easy

2 Months Earlier

“Alright class, let’s all talk about your special day this week!” Cheerilee announced, moving to the front of the classroom. Everypony’s attention was caught by her words. Even the two colts who often spent class devising the best strategy of paper plane folding looked forward. It was a very important day for most of the ponies there after all. “I’m assuming you’re all quite excited about your primary graduation?”

Quick nods and some small chatter was given in response. A common tradition of young ponies across Equestria was primary graduation. Once students reached a certain age, they moved on from their previous school and were allowed to pick new classes that better fit their talents and interests. This final day of primary school was often a party celebrating the graduation of the class. Although it was teacher-led, they always tried to get as much input from their students as they could. And of course, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were just as happy for the day to come as everypony else.

“Now, just like in previous years, it will be held at the town hall, three days from today. We’ll have all the food, music, and games you’ve collectively voted on. Let’s give a big thanks to the student council for all their help in making that possible!” Cheerilee continued, supplying a few beginning hoof claps. The applause continued lightly as all three crusaders rolled their eyes. A certain pink earth pony then trotted confidently between the desks to join Cheerilee.

“As the leader of our student council, I thank you all for your praise,” Diamond Tiara began with a smug smile stretched across her face. “We considered everypony’s opinions… even those not highly desirable… and put together something that will give us a night to remember! But, we are going to be enforcing one change…” The class all held their breath. They knew that whatever she was going to say was going to be music to nopony’s ears.

“There will be a dress code.” An audible protest rippled throughout the classroom at the statement. “Now listen! I want ponies to actually not look like complete rubbish during my grad-” Diamond began angrily, but Cheerilee cut her off.

“Ahem-now, I think what Diamond Tiara means…” she began, eyeing the now innocently smiling filly with a glare. “...is that she believes, for a time as important as your primary graduation, you should all try to look your best! So yes, there will be a dress code, but it will not be strict. Anything you little ponies want to wear that is at all formal is a go!” The class still showed reluctance, but the words of their teacher softened them.

“She’s always gotta ruin somethin’,” Apple Bloom grumbled, rolling the pencil on her table. "Just cause' she can't handle a party with anypony dressed for anythin' less than a gala."

“I mean, it’s not too bad,” began Sweetie Belle. “At least I’m related to the best dressmaker around, huh?”

“True enough,” Apple Bloom chuckled. “But I don’t know if I can handle her going all crazy tryin’ to get me in some frilly dress.” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

“We have to pay somehow!” The two fillies continued to laugh and joke as Scootaloo gritted her teeth. The thought of Rarity just suggesting a dress for her made her insides churn. The last thing she’d want to do is put one on! Flashbacks to her parents' attempts at getting her to dress up brought only painful memories. She glanced back at her friends.

They seemed fine, excited almost. Why wasn’t she? It had been a while since the three of them really had a chance to hang out, so she should enjoy this. She bit her lip. There’s no way she’s letting this opportunity get away just because she’s feeling weird. Sometimes you got to take one for the team. She spoke up.

“So, what day are you girls thinking?”

“Fifty-two seconds!”

The scratchy voice met Scootaloo’s ears as she fell to the ground, her legs feeling like jelly. The hard dirt she was laying on soon began to feel like a premium mattress to her. She struggled to take in large gulps of air as a flash of rainbow flew in the corner of her eye. She smiled as a cyan hoof helped her get back on her hooves.

“Th...that’s… five seconds off!” she happily declared. Part of Scootaloo’s race training consisted of fast, strictly timed laps. They were always the hardest part of her routine, but they were also the most important. A water bottle and a giant grin met her.

“Scoots, that was amazing!” Rainbow Dash reiterated. “I didn’t even think that was possible! You’ve gotta be one of the fastest fillies in all of Equestria by now.” Scootaloo took in every word from her big sister as she gulped down the water. Even though Dash has been supporting her for years, she still feels pure amazement and pride whenever the mare compliments her. The young filly set down the container and jokingly puffed out her chest.

“You better believe it!” Scootaloo yelled. Rainbow laughed and placed a hoof on the orange pony’s shoulder.

“Seriously kid, you’re doing amazing,” Dash continued before glancing at the watch strapped onto her foreleg. “But it looks like training time’s up for today. You wanna grab some grub?” Scootaloo grinned, about to accept, but then remembered her plans.

Dresses.

“Actually… I can’t today…” she mumbled, a new frown coming over her. Rainbow immediately noticed the change.

“Woah, you okay? What’s going on?”

“I have to go with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to the boutique. We have to get dresses for the stupid graduation.” She didn’t actually believe the graduation was stupid, but the whole situation was making her feel stupid, so she figured it deserved the title.

“Oh, I see…” Rainbow trailed off. “I was worried about letting Rarity make me a dress too. She can get a little too insane when trying to make you look nice, but overall it’s not that bad. Take that from a mare who hates being all froufrou just as much as you! Plus, I’m sure you’ll end up looking great in whatever she makes. She definitely has a way of doing that.”

Scoots sighed. She didn’t care about how she looked. She didn’t even care about dealing with a little of Rarity’s crazy side. It was the dress itself. She knew Rarity would have something beautiful prepared for her, and she would probably look great, but something just didn’t feel right. As she visualized herself in those clothes she began to get nauseous again, and the fifty-two-second lap she had just sprinted wasn't helping. But she swallowed it down. She needed to do this for her friends.

“You’re right. Thanks, Rainbow,” she replied with a fake smile.

“Alright kid. Good luck, and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon!”

Scootaloo took a breath and walked into the nicely decorated shop. Dresses, scarves, boots, and hats galore were scattered about. Every item of clothing had an air of perfection and masterful craft. As much as she hated what she was about to do, the filly couldn’t help but admire Rarity’s work. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle followed close behind Scootaloo, although this time not as cheerful as before.

“You okay Scoots?” Apple Bloom inquired with a concerned tone. “You’ve been awfully quiet today.” Scootaloo quickly forced a grin onto her face.

“Oh I’m fine!” she corrected, perhaps a bit too aggressively. “You know I’m just not a huge fan of this frilly stuff, but it’s cool. Rarity’s gonna make us look great after all!” It took all of her effort to push anything positive into her tone.

“There you three darlings are!” the fashionista herself called out. “You don’t know how excited I am to show you my creations! You’ll all look absolutely fabulous, probably the most beautiful young mares at the hall!” She skipped over to the three with a look of admiration in her eyes. “Growing up so fast…” she said in a babyish tone as she patted Sweetie Belle’s head. The filly rolled her eyes in response and shook off her sister’s hoof.

"Rarity..." she complained, only earning a small smirk from the unicorn.

“Well, I can’t wait much longer! Come take a look and tell me what you think!” Rarity traveled towards the back of the shop where a large cloth-covered three pony-sized lumps. With a quick tug of her dark blue magic, the cover was removed. “And, voila!”

Just as expected, the outfits were gorgeous. Sweetie Belle’s dress was a mixture of dark and light blues with a pale green accent along its side. At its end, the silk turned nearly clear and was covered in shimmering glitter. Apple Bloom’s was a dark red, only a little deeper than her mane color. It wasn’t quite as elaborate as Sweetie’s, but its simplicity added to its beauty. And finally, Scootaloo’s. A deep purple and a magenta matching her mane faded into each other along the fabric that eventually frayed out at the dress's end. A matching purple necklace also dangled from the model displaying the work. A few moments of silence passed before the three realized one of them needed to speak or else Rarity’s looks of pure apprehension may be stuck on her face forever. Or, she may just explode.

“I love it Rarity!” Sweetie Belle smiled as she walked up to hers. “Thank you so much for doing this, you’re the best big sister ever!” Sweetie hugged her sister whose eyes began to fill once again with pride. “Can I try it on?”

“Well of course! How could you not?” Rarity exclaimed. There are many ways I could not, thought Scootaloo. Escaping through the window, faking a hoof cramp, pretending to pass out...

“Here you are Scootaloo darling,” Rarity said happily as she placed Scootaloo’s dress in her hooves. She forced herself to mutter a thank you before walking towards the mirrors where Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were already working on getting into their outfits. Once again fighting nausea, she started to put hers on.

She made great efforts to avoid looking directly into the mirror and instead turned her attention towards her friends. Sweetie Belle was beaming at her reflection, moving every which way just to get another look at herself. The outfit suited her perfectly, making the already pretty mare glow even brighter. Apple Bloom was doing something similar to Sweetie, but in a way that reflected a slight amount of self-consciousness. Scootaloo believed it was completely unwarranted. She looked absolutely stunning. How a simple dress could make an already beautiful mare even more gorgeous remained a mystery to her. Scootaloo shook her head. She wasn’t sure exactly where that thought had come from, but she was sure that it wasn’t something she should be focusing on.

But that only left one thing to focus on.

The moment her eyes met her reflection, those butterflies in her belly turned into a rock. She gritted her teeth as she tried to step around like Sweetie Belle, hoping to find some angle that would make her feel okay. But she never found one. Everything was wrong. Even her face began to look wrong. The feeling was so overpowering that she felt a physical urge to run.

“Oh Scootaloo, you look like a princess darling!” Rarity’s seemingly mocking voice reached her ears. That was the last straw. She tore off the outfit, ran out of the boutique, and heaved into the bushes.

Yeah, the stomach flu. That’s why I couldn’t go.

Scootaloo turned in her bed, trying not to listen to the music coming from the town hall just a few blocks away.

You girls go without me, it’s okay, really.

She pulled her pillow over her head as her eyes began to burn and her chest began to lurch.

Just make sure to have enough fun for all three of us!

Tears began to cover her sheets. She just wanted to spend time with her friends.

What is wrong with me?

A thought came to her mind.

No, of course not. I’m not like that.

But the thought stayed, forming a looming fog in her head.