A First Time for Everything
It had been only a week since Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had become friends, yet to Scootaloo it seemed like only yesterday that their fateful encounter had even occurred. It did feel nice to make a new friend, but not everypony who you befriended stayed that way throughout your life. And the pegasus filly was understandably cautious.
She'd told her parents of the development, and with what little time they'd managed to spare in the midst of their busy professions they had given her a simple "That's nice, Scoot." as a reply.
Today however, as the filly was marking the end of her first day of school in Ponyville, she was about to receive an invitation to something. Something that was going to expand her friendship with Sweetie Belle (hopefully).
The little unicorn was waiting for Scootaloo as they exited the schoolhouse together. She seemed to be full of excitement if the wide grin on her face was any indication, not to mention that pleased glint in her light green eyes. "My parents are gonna be out of town again, so I'm gonna sleepover at your place, Scootaloo!" She happily declared, pulling her fellow filly into a hug.
"Wha... huh?" Scootaloo blinked. She knew she hadn't misheard. "You sure?"
Sweetie Belle seemed to blush ever so faintly. "Well, actually they said I'd need Rarity's permission first. But I'm sure she'll say yes. She's nice and all, but she seems to enjoy it more whenever she doesn't need to foalsit me."
"Well, knowing my parents, they're absolutely gonna want you to have permission for a sleepover," Scootaloo commented. "You sure you still wanna meet them? I told you, they're super weird and I mean it."
Sweetie just giggled. "They can't be any stranger than my parents. They wear those really strange clothes, and my dad always wears this straw hat that covers his horn. I tried putting it on once, and I couldn't see a thing," She changed the subject quickly. "Besides, it sounds like your parents are actually around. Mine always seem to be going on vacation. And this is the perfect opportunity for you to meet Rarity. Come on! You can direct me to your house later!" She grabbed Scootaloo by the hoof before the tomboyish filly could utter a syllable of protest.
Sweetie's mad dash brought her and Scootaloo all the way across town to a rather lavish building. It looked kind of like a carousel you might see at a carnival, except this one clearly didn't move.
The eager filly reached up a hoof and knocked on the front door. It swung open to the sound of a jingling bell, courtesy of one that had been attached overhead to announce the arrival of customers. The interior of the building was just as luxurious as the outside. Lovely tiled floors, velvet curtains, and even a dressing room and a small podium. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was probably the Carousel Boutique that Sweetie Belle had mentioned earlier.
Scootaloo's grayish purple eyes soon fell upon a unicorn mare that at first glance looked like Sweetie Belle except much bigger. She had the same dazzling coat of white, albeit with three diamonds for a cutie mark that were plainly visible. But whereas Sweetie Belle had light green eyes, this mare had dazzling blue ones (which were currently hidden behind a pair of ruby red sewing glasses). Also, her mane and tail were a dazzling shade of light purple with darker shades surrounding the curls.
"Hello, darling. Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique," The mare greeted Scootaloo. "How can I help you?"
Sweetie took charge of the introductions, especially since Scootaloo seemed to be at a loss for words about this strange older unicorn. "Rarity, this is my new friend, Scootaloo. You know, the one I've been telling you about constantly for the past week."
The older unicorn blinked, her thick eyelashes showing. After a moment of silent pondering she seemed to realize what Sweetie Belle was trying to tell her. "Ah yes, now I remember," She extended a hoof to the filly. "Any friend of my sister is a friend of mine. My name is Rarity, or Miss. Rarity if you want to be formal and polite. May I ask what brings you to my humble boutique, Scootaloo?"
Without even giving Scootaloo a chance to speak up, Sweetie pressed herself up to Rarity's snout and pleaded. "I wanna have a sleepover at Scootaloo's place, but Mom and Dad said I need your permission to go over to a friend's house! But I really wanna have a sleepover with my new friend, and I promise I'll behave, so can I go?! Please, please, please?!"
Surprisingly, Rarity appeared to have no trouble deciphering the fast-paced message. "Oh, Sweetie Belle, darling, is that all?" She gave a hearty laugh. "No need for such melodramatics, that's my department. Of course you may sleep over at Scootaloo's place. Just as long as it's okay with her parents, of course."
Scootaloo finally spoke up, looking at Rarity. "Oh, they won't mind. I'm sure they'd love to meet Sweetie Belle."
"You're absolutely sure about that, Scootaloo?" Rarity inquired of the filly.
Scootaloo nodded. "I am one hundred percent sure, it's not like I would lie."
For a moment, the unicorn was silent. The next few words were slow to leave her mouth. "I suppose if you're sure, there's no harm in taking your word just this once. But all the same I would like to meet your parents sometime in the near future. Much like Sweetie Belle, I am quite curious as to what they're like. I always make it a habit to get to know new faces, in case any of them might be possible clients."
Sweetie Belle jumped up and hugged Rarity tightly! "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Rarity! I mean it!"
Rarity used her magic to lightly push Sweetie back a bit. "It's nothing, Sweetie Belle. It's what sisters are for."
"Do you have any siblings, Scootaloo?" Sweetie innocently asked as she turned to her friend. "You never mentioned one way or the other."
The filly shook her head. "No, I'm an only child. Always have been, probably always will be. But it'd be super cool to be a big sister!" She buzzed her tiny wings in excitement.
Rarity seemed to laugh a bit. "Scootaloo, if you were in my horseshoes, I doubt you'd be as eager. Being a big sister is a very big responsibility, one that has certainly given me more than my fair share of headaches," Eyeing her little sister, she added. "But I wouldn't trade it for all the gems in the world! There are little moments that make it all worthwhile."
"You're so awesome, big sis!" Sweetie chirped in delight. "But can we go now? Scootaloo still has to show me to her house, and introduce me to her parents."
"Ah, yes, how silly of me," Rarity chuckled. "Just give me a moment to pack your sleeping bag, and you may go."
Sweetie's cheerful mood faded, replaced by a frown. "Rarity, come on! I'm not three! I can pack my own sleeping bag!"
The fashionista simply shook her head. "My boutique, my rules, Sweetie Belle. Besides, knowing you you'd be sure to leave something important behind," She trotted off. "Don't worry, I shan't be more than a moment or two."
"Your sister seems nice enough." Scootaloo commented to Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah, but sometimes I think she takes the whole 'big sister' role too far. It's like she's afraid I'll burn down the house if I'm left alone for even a minute," Sweetie grumbled. "Even Mom and Dad aren't that protective, whenever they're around anyways."
Rarity returned exactly a moment later, seemingly unaware of the conversation her little sister had initiated. She just floated over a lavender colored sleeping bag, packed to the brim with all the "essentials" one could need for a sleepover and then some. Toothbrushes, an alarm clock, a few combs, a spare pillow, and even mane and tail shampoo. The entire bag was held aloft in the soft, light blue glow of her magic, before it was deposited preciously into Sweetie's hooves. "There we go, you're all set. Have a good time." She encouraged, and then shooed Sweetie and Scootaloo out the door before either could say another word.
Scootaloo took the lead from that point onward, guiding Sweetie Belle through town. They wove their way past building after building, shop after shop. At times it seemed to Sweetie like they were going in circles, but then again a lot of buildings in Ponyville tended to blend together after a while.
"Ah, here we are!" Scootaloo declared at last as she gestured an orange colored hoof towards a building Sweetie most definitely had never seen before. It was a humble looking cottage made up of two stories. The most distinctive looking feature about it, had to be the Cloudsdale like columns in the front. It was easy to believe Scootaloo had in fact moved from Cloudsdale when her house looked like that.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Scootaloo called quite loudly as she and Sweetie Belle trotted in through the front door.
Suddenly, with the sound of flapping wings a pegasus mare of rather tall build appeared in the fillies' line of vision. She sported a light, almost sandy brown coat, and wore a light green button jacket around her neck and front legs. Her eyes were the same grayish purple as Scootaloo's, her mane and tail were light golden locks in a flowing style. And her cutie mark was a compass next to a swirl of wind. "Welcome home, sweetie," The mare greeted as she wrapped Scootaloo in a wing hug. "How was your first day of school?"
"It was great, Mom," Scootaloo greeted. "Where's Dad?"
The pegasus mare grinned. "Probably still developing his photos, I'm sure he'll be out shortly."
"Oh come now, mate, you know me better than that." A masculine sounding voice called out. And in the blink of an eye, an earth pony stallion came trotting forward. He had a grayish-brown coat, eyes a pinkish-red in color like the sky very early in the morning, and a much darker reddish-violet mane and tail. He wore a white jacket that came down to his front legs, and a dark green hat that had the teeth of some unknown creature on it. And his cutie mark depicted a camera and a map.
Scootaloo's face seemed to break out into a smile as she gestured a hoof. "Sweetie Belle, meet my parents: Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood," Then to her parents she said. "Mom, Dad, this is Sweetie Belle, my new friend."
Snap Shutter spoke first, extending a hoof to Sweetie Belle. "Crikey, a unicorn! I didn't think they lived here in Ponyville! I thought it was mostly just earth ponies and pegasi."
"Ponyville's got a lot of ponies, and a lot of non-ponies too." Sweetie Belle commented.
Snap Shutter seemed to laugh. "Oh, don't we know it. The Everfree Forest is creature central! Got every danger known to pony and then some."
"And don't forget the dangerous plants like poison joke," Mane Allgood remarked, ribbing Snap Shutter. "I still remember the time you stepped in some, and shrank to the size of a parasprite."
Snap Shutter blushed, putting his hat over his head. "Don't like to even think about that spot of trouble. That was even worse than the time I got trapped in a chimera's cave and had to fight my way out with just me bare hooves. Still got the scars to prove it."
"Wait, scars?!" Sweetie Belle gasped in horror!
Snap lowered his hat, allowing Sweetie to examine his face more closely. There were definitely scars across his face, tiny little marks to be sure but still scars all the same.
"Dad still doesn't like talking about it," Scootaloo whispered. "He prefers the 'safer' adventures."
Mane Allgood just smiled, looking at Sweetie Belle. "As you can see, we're adventure ponies."
"You mean, like Daring Do? I've read her stories so many times." Sweetie chirped.
Mane grinned. "Our adventures are far more exciting than any Daring Do's been on. Funny how we never seem to cross paths with A. K. Yearling when she's on one of her 'research trips' for her books, though."
"Mom, Dad, you're kind of scaring Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo spoke up. "She looks like she's about to faint from fright." And true to form, the little unicorn was shaking quite visibly.
"Sorry about that, mate," Snap Shutter apologized. "Didn't mean to frighten ya. But when ya spend so much time in the jungles and forests, it can be hard to forget not everyone's a born adventurer like you."
"Or our daughter," Mane Allgood smiled, nuzzling Scootaloo. "I've got the baby pictures to prove it."
Scootaloo coughed into a hoof, determined to change the subject before Sweetie had a chance to ask. "Sweetie Belle can sleep over tonight, right? It's totally okay if she does, right?"
"Long as her folks say so, don't need to be gettin' on anypony's bad side." Snap cautioned.
Sweetie massaged the back of her neck with a hoof. "Actually, they're out of town so my big sister's watching me. She said it's okay though."
"Fair enough," Mane commented. "Feel free to spend the night. Just make sure you stay out of Snap's photography studio, he still has some photos he needs to develop."
Snap beamed with pride. "With these pictures, I'll finally prove that hydras are real! Everypony thinks they're just urban legends, but I've seen my fair share of tracks and nothin' leaves tracks like those buggers."
"Okay, Dad, whatever you say. I'll make sure Sweetie Belle doesn't set a hoof in your studio," Scootaloo saluted. "Scout's honor!"
Mane Allgood smiled. "Very well then. Even though you're not a scout. You fillies get settled in upstairs, and I'll start on dinner shortly. Hope you're hungry."
"I'm always hungry!" Sweetie declared as she licked her lips. "Or at least I'm almost always hungry."
"Good, then I can count on you to eat everything on your plate," Mane replied with a wink. "I'm not naming names, but somepony has a tendency to be a picky eater."
Scootaloo said nothing, she just blushed profusely.
The fillies made their up the stairs and down a relatively short hall that led to Scootaloo's bedroom. Her bed rested near the back of the room with a couple of posters of the Wonderbolts hanging on the walls. Heck, there was a plush figure version of a Wonderbolt that rested on her bed.
Despite the room's average size there was still plenty of space for Sweetie to unfurl her sleeping bag. All the supplies Rarity had packed for her came tumbling out and onto the floor, nearly causing her cheeks to flush red. "I swear, Rarity does this all the time even though I tell her not to!"
Scootaloo giggled. "Yeah, it's like she thinks you're going camping or something instead of just having a sleepover. Although, with the way my parents are, we tend to do a lot of camping."
"I don't see why you said your parents are super weird, Scootaloo," Sweetie pondered. "They seem pretty nice."
"Yeah, they are, whenever they notice me. But it seems like they're always so wrapped up in their work," Scootaloo lightly grumbled, her wings rustling a bit. "Dad especially with how much he likes to take pictures, though Mom has her fair share of stories about close encounters. I know they love me, and their work is very important. But it feels like sometimes they can forget that I'm there."
The little unicorn just nodded. "I kind of feel the same way around my parents, more so because they seem to always be going off somewhere and leaving me with Rarity. That just means the moments I do get to spend with them are all the sweeter because they're so rare," After a pause she added. "Your room seems pretty nice."
"Thanks," Scootaloo replied with a smile. "Decorated it myself. The posters are actually from my old bedroom back in Cloudsdale, before we moved down here."
"Wait, you lived in Cloudsdale? But your dad's an earth pony, I thought only pegasus ponies could walk on clouds." Sweetie's face morphed into one of confusion.
"Cloud walking spell. Sure, Dad had to keep having it recast but it worked," Scootaloo explained. "Though if I'm being honest, that's part of why we moved. Dad didn't want to risk falling through the clouds if the spell wore off prematurely. Now that they've found out Ponyville's close to the Everfree Forest and all those dangerous creatures, Mom and Dad are pretty much determined to stay here for a long time."
Sweetie just shuddered. "Your parents are a lot braver than I am if they're willing to be face to face with those creatures. I've heard stories about those creatures, and none of them were pleasant," Deciding it best not to dwell on something so frightening, she looked down at her supplies. "I should probably put some of these away. Where's your bathroom?"
"Down the hall and to the right," Scootaloo hopped down from her bed. "Probably better if I show you the way so you won't stumble into Dad's photography studio by mistake. He's usually pretty nice, but when he's in his studio he can get pretty mad if anypony accidentally comes in without his permission."
Scootaloo's directions didn't prove to be much help to Sweetie Belle, but she still found her destination without stumbling into Snap's studio. After putting away her comb, toothbrush, and mane and tail shampoo, she exited the bathroom just in time to hear Mane call out "Dinner is ready, everypony! Come and get it!"
Sweetie nearly got bowled over as Scootaloo barreled past her, rushing downstairs to the kitchen!
Mane couldn't resist a slight giggle as she heard her daughter come zipping into the kitchen. "My my, somepony sure is hungry. Must be my little future Wonderbolt."
"You know me, Mom. Whenever you cook, it's always something good." Scootaloo grinned.
"Aw come now, Scoot," Snap teased as he entered the kitchen. "You know my cooking's not that bad. I can fix hayburgers and carrot dogs just fine."
Scootaloo laughed. "Come on, Dad. You burn almost everything."
Snap laughed back, rustling his daughter's mane with a hoof. "Do not, I just ain't as great a cook as your mom. That's partially why I married her, her cooking was out of this world!"
Sweetie finally made her way into the kitchen as the playful display of affection ended. "So, what's for dinner then?" She innocently asked.
"Peanut butter and zap apple jam sandwiches," Mane declared. "I can cut off the crusts if you like."
"No thank you, I actually prefer the crusts." Sweetie smiled. "At least they taste better than my mom's baking." The filly thought as she, Scootaloo, and the parents all adjourned to the dining room table.
Dinner was an uneventful affair for all involved. And afterwards the two fillies went back upstairs. It didn't take long for them to settle on an activity.
"Let's have a pillow fight!" Scootaloo suggested to Sweetie Belle. "Betcha ya can't beat me!"
"As I believe my sister would say 'It, is, so, on!'" Sweetie giggled, imitating her sister. She knew from experience that Rarity, while not usually one to be intimidated or provoked, never backed down from a challenge if she felt like she had something to prove. Pillow fights were one of them for whatever reason, not that the filly minded. As she wasn't all that experienced with her horn (the most she could manage was an occasional spark if she was excited) she opted to pick up the pillow with her teeth, tossing it in Scootaloo's general direction.
The pillow hit the back wall with a thud, but missed its target. Scootaloo's pillow, meanwhile, whizzed through the air at such a fast speed that Sweetie Belle had only seconds to react. She dove to the floor as the pillow zoomed over her head and hit the wall behind her with a loud thud! Scootaloo clearly meant business, but Sweetie Belle never backed down from a challenge no matter who her opponent was.
The entire bedroom soon became a battleground, with pillows flying back and forth in an exchange that could've rivaled that of a magic duel between powerful unicorns! With neither filly willing to surrender or be hit.
Time flew by as the fillies pursued each other, trying to knock the other down. As such they were hardly aware when the door to Scootaloo's bedroom creaked open and Mane Allgood came trotting in. "Alright, my little ponies, that's enough for-" But the rest of her sentence was suddenly and unexpectedly interrupted as a pillow meant for somepony else instead struck her by mistake!
Both fillies ceased their assault at once, a look of horror flashed in Scootaloo's eyes as she let out a gasp! "Oh my gosh! Mom!"
Fortunately, Mane wasn't hurt (it had been just a pillow after all). She simply stood up and shook the feathers off of her coat, treating the whole thing like it had never even happened. "Come now, Scootaloo, sweetie. You know it takes a lot more than that to stop me. You're looking at the only pony who's ever successfully wing wrestled a wyvern into submission."
"Really? You actually did that?!" Sweetie Belle gasped. Suddenly she had a lot more respect (and fear) for the pegasus.
Mane nodded her head. "Yes, and it's not something I did for the fun of it either," She coughed into a hoof. "Speaking of fun, I'd say you two fillies have had plenty of it with your little pillow fight just now . But it's getting late, and it is a school night. I think you both know what that means."
"Aw but Mom, we're not tired yet." Scootaloo whined with a yawn.
Mane's tone of voice adopted a serious, stern tone as she declared. "It's not a sleepover if nopony is sleeping. Bed time means bed time, no ifs, ands, or buts."
Scootaloo took one look at her mom's eyes, and any will she had to protest immediately faded away. The look she saw was one that could've intimidated even a fully grown cragadile into submission. "Oh, alright." The young pegasus let go of the pillow she'd been clutching, setting it back down on her bed.
Sweetie Belle said nothing, she just put the first pillow she could find into her now unfolded sleeping bag and climbed in. Mane was on hoof to tuck both fillies in. "Sweet dreams, little ponies." She declared, turning out the lights. The mare waited until she was certain both of her young charges were sound asleep before exiting the bedroom, leaving the door open slightly ajar.
Snap Shutter trotted up, giving his wife a peck on the cheek. "Got the kids to settle down, did ya?"
"It was easy, I've had wild animals that put up way more of a fight than those two," Mane declared to her husband. "It warms my heart to see Scootaloo making friends. I knew we made the right decision moving to Ponyville."
Snap nodded his head as he whispered in agreement. "Yup, reckon you were right, hun," Then he added. "Mind if I get my camera? I wanna take a picture of this, that way we'll have a way to always remember it."
"Good idea, Snap. Our family album could use a new addition or two." Mane encouraged with a grin.
Author's Note
Since "The Last Crusade" left it vague how long Scootaloo's parents have been away, I figured I could officially use them in canon in this fic without needing the AU tag. I had originally considered my headcanon Scootafamily, but I really wanna give Snap and Mane a chance.
