Scootaloo's Dilemma

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

It was another day in Ponyville. The sun was hanging high in the sky as school let out at the same time it always did. Out the door marched Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, as usual, at the front. They were talking about the party their parents had attended in Canterlot for the umpteenth time, though it seemed they were the only two who cared. Behind them came Snips and Snails. Despite the both of them having gotten their cutie marks, neither of them had a clue what they would do with their lives, and their conversation reflected as much.

“I’m tellin’ you Snails,” Snips argued. “There is no way you can cook a salad without it burning.”

“Duuuh… Oh yeah?” Snails replied, his drawl as plain as day. “Then how do you asplain the fried onions and mushrooms in the salads at Pokey-O?”

“You numbskull, that’s a foreign food place. And that wasn’t a salad; it was fried rice with onions, mushrooms, and peppers.”

“…Oh. You’re so smart sometimes, Snips.”

Following Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Cutie Mark Crusaders marched out with their heads up high and a smile on their faces. They were just happy to be done with school for the day. Now that they were free, they could once more focus their effort on crusading for their cutie marks. Today, they were going to try doll making. Remembering the Smarty Pants incident, they had decided that there might be something to dolls. Even though the whole thing was caused by a magic spell, when the dust settled and everyone had left, the doll had vanished. Apparently, somepony had genuinely wanted it.

As the three little ponies headed off to Carousel Boutique, Scootaloo silently hoped her friends would have another sleep-over. While it was true that they had just had one a couple days ago at Sweet Apple Acres, she had heard that the pegasi were planning another down-pour tonight. The last time that happened, her home took a serious beating. She spent the whole next day repairing the south wall.

Reaching Rarity's store, the Crusaders entered and began scouring the main shop for materials. While they couldn’t all agree on a concept, they HAD agreed that it should be plush. Looking around cautiously, Sweetie Belle made sure that Rarity was gone before delving into her minky. Grabbing several hooffuls, she used her horn to grab some fluffy stuff they could use for stuffing.

Gathering in the central room, the Crusaders set to work on their projects. Several hours passed as they cut and stitched together their figures. Sweetie Belle frowned as she held up her final product. The stitching had been the best of the three and the seams were very well hidden. But just like her attempt at making outfits for the school talent show, her doll had five legs. Some minor adjustments would remedy the situation, but she was still kicking herself.

Apple Bloom had made what looked like a blue version of Big Macintosh. The tail was even cut short, implying it was a work-horse like him, and it was nearly over-flowing with stuffing. While the legs were a bit misaligned, it was still an all-around good likeness of a pony.

Scootaloo’s was the most unusual. The yarn mane and tail were six different colors- three guesses who she modeled it off of-, but the body was purple with a black chest and hooves. Accenting the hooves and neckline were yellow lightning bolts, and the eyes were yellow buttons that Sweetie Belle had clipped to have a menacing angle to them. It almost looked like a Wonderbolts costume, but it was much more sinister.

“Done!” Scootaloo proclaimed. “What do you guys think?”

She held up her doll for the other two to examine.

“Hey, cool!” Apple Bloom declared. “Ya made Rainbow Dash as a Wonderbolt!”

“No she didn’t,” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “The Wonderbolts’ costumes are blue and navy, not purple and black. Besides, Rainbow Dash’s eyes are pink, not yellow.”

“Actually,” Scootaloo interjected, her eyes glazing over with admiration. “Rainbow Dash’s eyes are a light magenta, tinted with the violet of a late sunset…”

After a brief pause, Scootaloo pulled herself from her daydreams about her idol and continued.

“And she’s not dressed as a Wonderbolt, she’s dressed as a Shadowbolt; Princess Luna’s flight team.”

After they all finished their dolls, they went out into town and began showing them off. While many ponies thought they were creative, nopony wanted to have the fillies make any for them. As the sun began to set, the Crusaders packed up their stuff and began to go home. As Sweetie Belle marched up into Carousel Boutique to wait for her parents, Scootaloo hung her head a bit, but thankfully neither of her friends noticed. Nearing the trail leading out of town to Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom waved to Scootaloo before trotting home.

“See ya t’morrow, Scootaloo,” she called as she left.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo called back.

As she watched Apple Bloom go home, her smile faded and she skirted around the outside of the orchard.

“See you tomorrow…”

Silently walking through the trees, Scootaloo headed for the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse. As she came upon it, the great white moon had already begun to rise. Scootaloo looked around to make sure that nopony was around to see her before she entered the ramshackle building.

Once inside, she went over to the far corner and lifted a loose floor board. Underneath it was a raggedy pillow and a small, patchwork blanket. Pulling both of them out, Scootaloo closed the window curtains and set up the bed items to sleep with. Though the floor was cold and hard, she had grown accustomed to it over the last few months. Laying her head down, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander a bit as the distant thunder storm begin to roll in Within minutes, the roof began to reverberate with the sounds of rain.

As her mind drifted away from the storm, her first thoughts were of the upcoming winter that she could feel in the air and what she could do to keep it out of what was now practically her home. She then pulled her blanket closer as a slight gust turned her thoughts to how to get warmer. This led her to imagine a better life, perhaps in Canterlot, where she had everything she would ever need. And slowly, as the more pleasant thoughts filled her head, she began to drift off to sleep.

As the night went on outside, the weather grew progressively worse. The thin curtains were no match for the storm rain that rolled in. By midnight, the floor was sporting several growing puddles and the winds had dropped the air temperature considerably. Under her blanket, Scootaloo shivered violently, thankfully unaware of the weather.

Chapter 2

When the sun came up, the temperature was around eight degrees. Scootaloo woke up with a rather violent case of the sniffles. Sucking up a wad of mucus, she tucked her sleeping gear back under the floor boards and set out to meet her friends. Along the path to Sweet Apple Acres, she had several sneezing fits and just as many attempts to clear out her nose. She had just started to regain her normal color when Apple Bloom came into view.

“Hey there, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom called out to her. “Did ya have a good night’s sleep?”

“Not really,” Scootaloo replied. “That storm kept me up most of the night.”

While it hadn’t been the whole truth, Scootaloo hadn’t been able to truly have a dream, so she was still pretty sleepy.

“Really?” Apple Bloom inquired. “You could hear that? That downpour was just fer the orchard. You got real good hearing if that kept ya up all night.”

Scootaloo nearly had to kick herself for forgetting the reason for the storm. The only reason she WOULD be able to hear it is if she was at the farm. As if Apple Bloom was thinking the same thing, Scootaloo saw her face contort into one of curiosity. However, the two of them saw Sweetie Belle approaching so they let it be for the moment.

The three of them walked to school as per usual, talking about everything from tennis to cooking, to potion brewing. Zecora was still hesitant to let Apple Bloom near her hut, so they hadn’t had a chance to try anything there yet. When they got to school, they went to class just like every other day. Miss Cheerilee gave the same old lectures like always, scolding Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for the same rude behavior. Everything was the same as it had always been. Nothing seemed change.

It seemed like forever, but the lunch bell finally rang. The Cutie Mark Crusaders went to their usual table and sat around. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle placed their respective lunch bags on the table as Scootaloo set her school-lunch tray down.

“Hey Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom started. “Why do you always eat the school lunches?”

Scootaloo had just put her mouth on her extra cheesy, extra greasy cheese pizza when she paused to figure out how to best answer her friend.

“Hey yeah,” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “I mean, that pizza doesn’t LOOK like it tastes very good.”

Glancing around the cafeteria, Scootaloo noticed that several other ponies also had the school lunch. Unfortunately, nearly every pony in that category had some sort of problem; some had broken families, some had special needs, and the rest were just downright poor. There really was no excuse. Finally, she straightened and responded.

“Actually,” she started. “It’s not that bad. You guys are just spoiled by sack lunches.”

Perfect. And having spoken in her usual cool voice, there was nothing else to do but believe her. After all, Scootaloo just seemed to have that air about her when she spoke. And when she DID speak, it HAD to be the truth. And so, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shrugged in acceptance, and the three of them ate their lunches, occasionally talking about random things.

When the day wound up, the Crusaders gathered their things and took off for the clubhouse. Along the way, Scootaloo had to tell her friends about the upcoming ‘Daring Doo’ book that was due out at the end of the week.

“I mean seriously!” she exclaimed. “The last one came out almost eight years ago!”

“I didn’t know you liked to read,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Ah thought it wasn’t ‘cool’ to read books.”

“Hey!” Scootaloo shot back. “Daring Doo is awesome! She explores the whole world in search of treasures, exploring booby-trapped tombs, fighting bad-guys and monsters, all without ever losing her hat.”

“Yeah, well,” Apple Bloom argued. “It’s fine ‘n’ all, but Ah stopped readin’ Darin’ Doo a long time ago. I’m just sayin’ that Darin’ Doo is fer babies.”

Scootaloo was about to rebuttle, but as they passed the book store, she no longer needed to. Glancing up above the roof, Scootaloo saw a tiny cloud with a rainbow tail hanging off to one side. Trotting over, she turned her head to the cloud and called up.

“Hey! Rainbow Dash! What’s up?”

Up on the cloud, Rainbow Dash flailed about at the sudden shouting, apparently having been in the middle of a nap.

“What’s going on?” she yelled. “Is it Saturday? I’ve been waiting all week for this! I’m first in line!”

Glaring down from her cloud, Rainbow Dash’s expression quickly softened and she let out a small yawn.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “What’s up squirt? Are you in line for the new Daring Doo? Because, like I said, I’m first in line.”

“Wait a minute!” Apple Bloom shouted. “You mean to tell us the YOU read Darin’ Doo too?”

“Yeah, so what?” Dash replied. “Daring Doo is awesome! She travels the world, finding treasures, exploring booby-trapped tombs, fighting bad-guys and monsters, and she never loses her hat. How cool is that?”

“Oh no WAY!” Scootaloo yelled. “I said almost the exact same thing just a minute ago!”

Rainbow Dash leapt down from her cloud and started talking nonstop with Scootaloo. But being the good friends they were, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stayed put for the entire time. Finally, the conversation, which had become an entire ‘do you remember, how about the time’ quiz/recap of the entire series, came to a close.

“Oh hey,” Scootaloo started. “Do you know how much the new book will cost?”

Tapping her hoof to her chin a few times, Rainbow Dash answered.

“Oh, right. I think it’s going to be about twenty bits.”

“Twenty? I only have seven.”

“Well, you could always ask your parents to help you out, right?”

At that, Scootaloo’s expression grimed.

“Yeah, I guess I could.”

With that, she trudged off for the club house.

“What was that about?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple Bloom shrugged, just as confused.

“If I were you,” Rainbow said. “I would figure it out. Friends should always be there for their friends; especially when they look like that.”

With that, Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, flew back up to her cloud and continued waiting for the end of the week.

Chapter 3

Running off after Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were determined to figure out what was going on. What could make their friend just slide down from such a high just like that? As the pair of ponies caught up to Scootaloo, they saw her walking into Sugar Cube Corner.

“I thought Scootaloo said Sugar Cube Corner was too ‘namby-pamby’,” Sweetie Belle said. And it was true. Scootaloo rarely EVER went into the bakery unless Rainbow Dash was there. That, or there was a party. She always had to be the center of attention. Stepping inside, they saw Scootaloo sitting at a corner table with her head in her hooves. It was then that they saw Pinkie Pie come out from behind the counter. Surely the possessed pink party pony of Ponyville could find a way to cheer her up.

“Hey Scootaloo,” Pinkie called out. “Is school out already? It must be, unless-” She gasped at her thought. “YOU’RE NOT PLAYING HOOKY, ARE YOU? No, you wouldn’t do that. So if you’re here, school MUST be out for the day. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Hey, you seem upset. What happened? No, wait, let me guess. Rainbow Dash kept you out of the book store, didn’t she?”

Scootaloo held up a hoof to stop Pinkie and let her breath.

“It’s not that,” she replied. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Can I just get the…”

She seemed a bit unsure of how to request what she wanted. Finally, she found the words.

“Can I have the Triple Chocolate Double Fudge Brownie Bundle Sundae? Extra melted Marshmallows?”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened, as did Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s. Nopony ordered that unless there was something seriously dark in their lives.

“Are you absolutely sure you want THAT?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I said I wanted it, didn’t I?” Scootaloo answered.

After a moment’s hesitation, Pinkie Pie backed away from Scootaloo and went back to the kitchen. Only three Triple Chocolate Double Fudge Brownie Bundle Sundaes have been sold in Ponyville’s entire history. The Cakes had served two of them; one to the local mailmare, Derpy when she lost her daughter, Dinky to Foal Services for a week. The other time they served one was to Fluttershy when she lost patient at her animal sanctuary. It was a squirrel who had been run over by a cart. In truth, she had never truly gotten over it, but the sundae definitely helped.

Pinkie Pie herself had only ever served one before, and that had been to a large family from Canterlot who simply didn’t understand why the dish was offered. There had just been a lot of foals to feed while the family was visiting Ponyville. There was also a rumor that Princess Celestia had come up with the sundae the morning after she banished her sister, Princess Luna to the moon a thousand years ago.

Stepping into the dining room proper, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked over to the table Scootaloo occupied. Looking up from the tabletop, Scootaloo looked startled for a second, though she quickly averted her gaze and pretended to not care about anything that moment.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked as she swirled her hoof in circles on the table.

“We came to see what was wrong,” Apple Bloom replied.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle added. “It’s what friends do; find out what’s bugging their other friends and try to make it better.”

“Well nothing is wrong,” Scootaloo snapped at them, nearly yelling. “Besides, even if there WAS something wrong, nothing you two could do would make it any better.”

A loud ‘ding’ from the kitchen signaled that the brownies were done baking. All that was left was to mix it with the ice cream and add the marshmallows. Back in the dining room, the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat in an uncomfortable silence. What COULD be said? Scootaloo didn’t want to talk about what was bugging her and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn’t have a clue as to what it could be.

Finally, with a worried look, Pinkie Pie brought out the dish; a large bowl with four heaping scoops of chocolate ice cream, several chunks of warm fudge brownies with chocolate icing and hot fudge syrup drizzled over it all, topped with lumps of smooth, melted marshmallow goo. Lifting her spoon as Pinkie Pie set the bowl down on the table, it looked as if the treat was the only thing Scooatloo had to look forward to. Sparing one last glance, Pinkie Pie walked away from the table, her hair seeming to have lost some of its signature poof.

A couple hours passed and Scootaloo had finally finished the dishes she promised to clean. All in all, the ice cream she had ordered cost forty bits to make. Pinkie Pie was nice and let her keep her money. After all, it was all she had to her name. In exchange, Scootaloo promised to wash all the dishes Pinkie had dirtied to make the expensive treat. In total, she washed a mixing bowl, a set of egg-beaters, a brownie pan, an ice cream scoop, a pot, a spatula, the bowl the ice cream was served in, and the spoon Scootaloo used to eat it.

Chapter 5

Days went by after Princess Luna’s visit. The weekend had come and Scootaloo was heading for the book store. As the week had progressed, she had been doing several odd-jobs around Ponyville in a bid to make money. She had mowed the lawn at the Ponyville Retirement Home, helped out fetching towels at the spa, and even went back to Sugar Cube Corner. While she couldn’t do much in terms of work, Pinkie Pie had found some chores for her to do. By week’s end, she had made exactly twenty bits. As she walked up to the book store, she felt her bits clinging about in her saddlebag. In front of her, Rainbow Dash was bouncing side to side, waiting for the store to open.

“Hey squirt,” Rainbow Dash greeted her. “You find a way to buy the new book?”

She smiled at her idol and replied.

“I sure did, Rainbow Dash. But it sure wasn’t easy.”

“Well, if you worked for the money, you’ll just love the book that much more.”

“True.”

As the clock tower chimed out that it was now 8 AM, Rainbow Dash snapped her gaze back to the store door. Grinning wide, she saw the store owner, Tattered Scroll, as he unlocked the door. As soon as the lock clicked open, she flew inside and dashed straight to the foal’s section. Grabbing three copies of the new Daring Do, she tossed one to Scootaloo as she caught up to her.

“Finally!” she yelled to the filly. “’Daring Do and the Jade Fan of the Empress’ is all mine! This is gonna be so AWESOME!”

Tattered Scroll shushed at her, giving her a look of contempt. Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and motioned for Scootaloo to follow her up to the check-out counter.

“So Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said. “Why are you getting two copies?”

“Oh. Twilight asked me to pick one up to add to her collection at the library. She has ALL of the Daring Do books. Anyway, since I was waiting here all week to get a copy, she gave me some money and asked me to drop it off when I get the chance.”

“Well, she’ll be waiting for a while. I bet you’re gonna go right back home and read your copy just as soon as you get out of here, aren’t you?”

Rainbow Dash laughed.

“You know, as much as I would LOVE to do just that, I promised Twilight I would get the book to her right away. She’s doing some crazy tests on Spike’s scales- something about a fireproof flight suit… Anyway, she said she would have breakfast with me before I test out her prototype. Wanna come with me?”

Scootaloo’s eyes went wide. Rainbow Dash, her idol, just invited her to share breakfast with her. Quick! What should she say? She didn’t want to impose, but she was REALLY hungry. Okay, as long as she didn’t seem desperate.

“I’d LOVE to, Rainbow Dash!”

“Great. Let’s get these paid for and we’ll go. You know, I’ve always wanted to get set on fire…”

As they stepped up to the counter, Tattered Scroll looked at them with a look that showed just how much he didn’t want to be there.

“Are you two together or separate?” he asked, noting they had the same book.

Scootaloo was about to speak but Rainbow Dash beat her to it.

“It’s all together,” she said matter-of-factly. “Hey, Scoots. Give me your bits.”

Without questioning, she handed over her money. Dropping it on the counter among her own, Tattered Scroll counted it all out and slid two bits back.

“You had two more than what was needed,” he said. He may not have enjoyed having the boisterous athlete in his shop, but he would never cheat someone.

“Oh, sweet,” Rainbow Dash said, handing the bits to Scootaloo. “Looks like you had more than you thought.”

As Scootaloo took the bits, she couldn’t help but remember Mama-Lucile’s teachings.

Walking through the woods, Lucile looked back to see Scootaloo, panting heavily as she tries to keep up. They had just left Manehattan and were headed for somewhere a little more secluded. While there was no set destination, they were heading west. As the griffon eyed the foal, she called back what she saw as words of support.

“Move it, shorty!” she yelled. “Do you WANT to get left behind?”

This motivated the little filly to double-time it. Despite her exhaustion, she refused to let her mommy leave her.

“I’m coming!” she called back. “Can you please slow down?”

“You know I can’t. The world will show you no such kindness. If I do, you’ll only be weaker. You must never ask for or take anyone’s charity; ever. I know it’s hard for you to understand now, but one day, you will thank me.”

Never take charity…

Never take charity.

As Rainbow Dash strolled out the door, Scootaloo narrowed her eyes and followed. She couldn’t figure out what to do. On the one hoof, she knew for a fact that the money Rainbow Dash gave her wasn’t hers to keep. She hadn’t earned it and she couldn’t take charity. But at the same time, she couldn’t disrespect Rainbow Dash. For the moment, she just followed her to the library.

Chapter 6

After going on about how awesome the new book was going to be, they soon arrived at Twilight’s place. Rainbow Dash knocked on the door and they were soon greeted by Spike. He had a contraption on his head and a small remote device in his hands.

“Hey Rainbow Dash,” he said. He seemed really focused on the projector screen.

“Hey Spike,” she replied. “Um, what’s that thing over there?”

She pointed to the screen which was currently displaying a night-time scene of two great white dragons engaged in combat with several dozen warrior-ponies. Leading the group was a tall unicorn covered in black full-plate armor. As Spike focused his attention on the device in his hands, one of the dragons on the screen sprayed a swath of fire at its attackers. Spike seemed to not hear her question, but he still spoke.

“No,” he said. “Just a friend at the door. Hey, watch out! They’re circling around. I think they have a mage with them.”

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo both cocked their heads in confusion. Who was he talking to? What was he doing? Where was Twilight? The last question was soon answered however, and the unicorn in question came down the stairs from the next floor up.

“Oh, hey Rainbow Dash,” she waved. “What’s Scootaloo doing here?”

“She was at the book store with me, getting the new Daring Do book. Oh, speaking of which...”

She pulled out the second copy of the book and tossed it to Twilight.

“Thanks Rainbow Dash,” she said as she took the book to a nearby desk. She would label it and file it away with the rest of the series later.

Setting it down, she signaled them to come over to the kitchen. Set out on the table was a large bowl filled with salad. Around the bowl was a loaf of bread, several types of cheese, plate of steamed veggies, and a pitcher of lemonade. The spread was rounded out with three plates and bowls set out around the edges, a set of napkins laid out around them.

“I HAD set out a place for Spike,” Twilight spoke up. “But I guess he’s too busy to join us.”

“Yeah, about that,” Rainbow Dash started. “What IS he doing?”

“It’s a new interactive virtual game. It allows players to take on the role of fictional beings back during the Pre-Classical Era. Right now, he’s playing with other players from all over Equestria.”

“How’s that possible?” Scootaloo chimed in. “There’s no one else here.”

“Well,” Twilight explained. “Thanks to the latest technological breakthroughs, you can link two machines together, no matter how far apart they are.”

Both pegasi seemed awed. Two machines from different places running the same program? Preposterous.

“Anyway,” she continued. “Thanks again, Rainbow Dash, for testing out my new flight suit.”

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied. “No worries. But can we eat now?”

“Sure. Let’s dig in. Spike! This is your last chance to join us!”

“I’ll get something later!” the baby dragon yelled back. He was just too engrossed in his game.

As Spike made his choice, the unicorn and pegasi sat down and began eating. There was talk of all sorts, from local gossip to what the weather team was planning for the next few weeks and everything in between. When they were done, Rainbow Dash and Twilight cleared the table to get down to business. Unrolling a blueprint and a checklist, Twilight began.

“Okay,” she said. “So, the first thing we need to understand is that this flight suit is made of synthetic materials. As such, it has to be treated with care. It needs to be stored in a low-moisture environment at room temperature. Also, if anything happens to it, you can’t just throw it in the garbage. Synthetic materials are considered a low-level hazardous material. It needs to be taken to a proper disposal facility to be disposed of. Do you understand?”

“No problem, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash replied. “What else?”

“Well, as a prototype, you should know that the color is NOT what it will look like when it’s done.”

“…Okay?” Rainbow Dash was a little confused.

Seeing her friend’s look, she placed a box on top of the scrolls. Removing the lid, she revealed a mass of cloth. It was an ugly shade bright orange with black dots spread out in seemingly random spots. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the entire suit was made with thousands of overlapping scales. Scootaloo pulled herself up to get a better look at it and she couldn’t help but think of the potential. While she drifted off to imagination-land, Rainbow Dash pulled the suit out and looked it over. Underneath the suit, a couple of scaly plates sat at the bottom of the box.

“What are those?” Scootaloo asked.

“Those are wing-shields,” Twilight explained. “See, I couldn’t put the suit over the wings without damaging them. So, to protect them, I designed these shielding plates to go on over the wings to extend the fire-proofing beyond the flight suit. After all, what good is fire-proofing if you still end up getting hurt?”

As Rainbow Dash suited up, Scootaloo went out into the main room where Spike was still engaged in his battle against the warrior-ponies. His companion, the other dragon on-screen, had gaping hole in their wing. Meanwhile, a squad of pegasi were circling around with spears leveled while a group of unicorns fired a volley of magic beams from their horns. As they approached, Spike hit a button combination on his controller which made his character spray flames in a wave that swept over the pegasi and came down on the unicorns. The pegasi coming down on him scattered. A few of them, along with some of the unicorns, had vanished as the fire died off.

“Yeah!” Spike yelled. “Spend some of your points to heal your wings! Quick! I’ve got these guys.”

Scootaloo watched in awe as the unicorn in black- the leader- quickly regrouped their subordinates for another attack. It was like watching an actual warzone without being in any danger.

The battle dragged on and Scootaloo began to get into it. Soon, she was jumping and ducking as the attacks flew, acting as if they were going to hit her. Finally, after trying every trick he could think of, Spike’s friend fell to the attacks of the warriors. And soon after that, he suffered the same fate. As his character collapsed, the camera pulled back and text appeared on the screen that read ‘Lunar Republic Wins’. Immediately afterward, a scoreboard popped up. At the very top were the team leaders. One said ‘Sp1k3’ while the other said ‘MuffinProof’.

“Ugh,” Spike groaned. “It’s like this guy can watch two things at once! Either that or he has no life.”

“Who?” Scootaloo asked.

“This guy here,” he said, pointing at the screen. “This… ‘MuffinProof’ guy. I don’t know who he is, but he’s really good. He managed to organize all of his teammates at once. I couldn’t keep up.”

“What do you mean? How does it work?”

“Well,” he started. “This game takes place about a thousand years ago. There are four factions that you can choose to play as. There’s the Equestrian Royal Guard; the military that’s protected Princess Celestia for all this time. Then there’s the Lunar Republic: a sect that split from Equestria in retaliation for Princess Luna’s banishment. And then there’s the Rookery; the dragons from the high mountains. And finally, there’s Griffons; good fliers with the ability to use two weapons at once. Of course, they can’t wear heavy armor, so they can’t take much damage.”

“Wait, the Lunar Republic? There was no such thing.”

“Actually, there was. They seceded from Equestria for six months before finally falling apart. They built up a military, but without a strong government, they couldn’t stay sovereign. It’s all in Twilights books. There’s ‘Obscure Faces From Queer Places’, ‘The Everlasting Empire of Equestria’, and ‘That Which Never Was’ just to name a few. If you want, I can check them out for you.”

“Yeah, sure. That’d be nice.”

“Alright, then just wait right there.”

Spike put down his controller and spoke into his headset.

“Hey, I have to do something. Go ahead and set up the next game. I’ll be right back.”

Walking away from his game, Spike began traversing the library with practiced ease. Off the top of his head, he had no problem recalling where each volume was located. He climbed a ladder and grabbed a book, seemingly at random before climbing back down. Setting the first book on a small table, it was ‘The Everlasting Empire of Equestria’. It’s cover was blue and its letters were embossed in gold lettering. In the time it took Scootaloo to take in that information, Spike had already gone up another ladder and grabbed a second book. In less than a minute, all three books had been gathered and laid out for Scootaloo.

“There we are,” he declared quite proud of himself. “Just be sure to have them back within thirty days. Okay?”

She nodded and loaded the books into her saddlebag. As she locked the clasp, a loud ‘WOOSH’ sounded out from the basement, immediately followed by a series of loud yells which was quickly silenced by the sound of a fire extinguisher. As fast as they could run, Spike and Scootaloo dashed to the basement, eager to make sure everypony was okay. As the fire retardant fumes settled, Twilight and Rainbow Dash rose from the floor, checking themselves over.

“Well,” Twilight noted. “The fire is out. How do you feel Rainbow? Any pain? Numbness? Dizziness, tingling, or any other discomfort?”

As Twilight took up a quill and scroll, Rainbow Dash stretched her wings out. The scales on her suit seemed to have done their jobs, but the shields on her wings leaved a bit to be desired.

“Hmm…” She finally said. “The suit did its job, but these plates are just too heavy. I like the idea, but you need to make them lighter. Add to it that the protection only covers the top-”

She quickly quieted as she shed the wing-shields. They fell to the floor with a loud clatter as she checked her wings. The underside had been singed and a few of her feathers had been cooked.

“Oh no no no no no!” she panicked. “This can’t be happening! Not again! I CAN’T be stuck on the ground again!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted. ”I am SO sorry! Are you okay?”

“No I’m not okay! Do you have any idea how important well-kept feathers are for flight?”

“Of course I understand. And I said I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and drooped her head. She had over-reacted and she knew it.

“No, Twilight. I’M sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m not hurt or anything; it’s just a little singe.”

“Still, let me help you.”

Twilight levitated a medical bag and opened it up. Pulling out a bottle of ointment and a roll of tape, she stepped over to help treat her friend. Despite her pride, Rainbow Dash let Twilight wrap her wings.

Scootaloo watched in a sense of confusion. Rainbow Dash had already said that she wasn’t hurt, so why was she letting Twilight help her? She was well enough to help herself. Finally, Twilight had wrapped Rainbow Dash’s wings and had begun picking up the shields.

“Something light…” Twilight said to herself before glancing back at Rainbow Dash. “Thanks so much for your help. I think that with a bit of fine tuning- and some new, lighter materials- I can have a wing-shield two point oh by the end of the week.”

“A week? No problem.” Rainbow Dash then turned to Scootaloo and spoke to her. “Hey, squirt. Want me to walk you home?”

“Oh,” Scootaloo was dumbstruck. She COULDN’T let Rainbow Dash see her place. “No, that’s fine. I have a lot to read, so I’ll just get going now.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and ran up the stairs and out the front door. As she dashed across Ponyville, Scootaloo kept looking over her shoulder. While not quite a friend of Rainbow Dash’s, she knew how the blue pegasus felt compelled to help others.

Finally, Scootaloo reached the clubhouse. She was covered in sweat from the long run, made only worse by all the books in her bags. Dumping them out onto the table in the corner, she set them out for later use. She was just putting her bags in the corner when she heard the sounds of her friends coming closer. That’s right! How could she forget that they were going to try making a computer today? Quickly, she lifted the floorboard where she stashed all of her things and pulled out a how-to manual she had found in the garbage behind Vinyl Scratch’s place. The local disk jockey often maintained her own computers. As such, she had a bunch of books on repair and maintenance, Besides, she had thrown this one out, so it obviously wouldn’t be missed.

As Scootaloo reset the floorboard, Sweetie Belle and AppleBloom climbed up the stairs to the clubhouse. With a boisterous howdy-do, Applebloom stepped through the doorway.

“Well hey, Scootaloo,” she called out. “How is it yer always the first one here?”

Scootaloo was hesitant to answer, but she didn’t even get to think before Sweetie Belle spoke up.

“Anyway, what’s the plan? Rarity said that I can’t use her soldering equipment.”

“Ah wouldn't let you either,” Applebloom said chidingly.

With that bit of comic relief, Scootaloo dropped her worries for more constructive thoughts. As the Crusaders gathered round, they began sifting through the computer manual. It was filled with schematics and diagrams on every other page, most of which was more or less indecipherable. Breaking out some paper and pens, they began copying everything they saw. There was no real plan, but it made them feel like they were making progress. Comparing their sketches with each other’s’, they spent the rest of the day talking about pins and microprocessors.

Chapter 7

A week later, Scootaloo woke to the sound of the local mailmare, Ditzy Doo, trying to land. While flying straight and landings weren't her strong suit, she had little trouble with simply walking, nor did she struggle with take-offs. However, the sounds were enough to wake the sleeping filly. As she stuffed her bedding away, she heard a knock at the door. Crossing the room, she stopped just to spread out a few of her pictures she had been working on the previous week. She didn’t want it to look like she was there for no reason. Opening the door, it was in deed Ditzy Doo. Her eyes were looking at several things before focusing on Scootaloo.

“Mail call!” the mailmare spoke up. Reaching into her mailbag, she presented a simple, brown paper package, tied with twine. Setting it down, she pulled out clipboard with a pen and paper on it, holding it in her mouth. “Now I juss need a signader fum an adu’t.”

Thinking fast, Scootaloo grabbed the clipboard and ran inside the clubhouse, shutting the door.

“Hey!” Ditzy shouted, thumping her hoof on the door. “That’s not the delivery!”

A moment later, Scootaloo opened the door, handing the clipboard back.

“Sorry, Derpy,” she said, having heard Rainbow Dash call her that. She had taken the clipboard inside and scrawled out an illegible scribble. In her mind, that’s all that cursive writing really was.

As Ditzy looked over the ‘signature’, she shifted her gaze between Scootaloo and the clipboard. Glancing back and forth a few times, she seemed satisfied and smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she said to Scootaloo. “Enjoy your package.”

As Ditzy was about to leave, a loud ringing noise came from her mailbag. Reaching back into it, she removed a small alarm clock that had gone off.

“Oh no!” she cried out. “The Republic NEEDS me!”

Making haste, she spread her wings and took off, eager to finish her deliveries. Turning her attention to the package, Scootaloo bit down on the twine holding the paper over the box. Pulling it open, the paper fell away and revealed her order. It was a book released alongside the new ‘Daring Doo’ book. It held several pictures and passages written in a language that could only be deciphered by ordering the second book. Also, as a promotional gift, the first two hundred orders also came with a replica of the titular jade fan of the empress and a ten centimeter figurine of Daring Do herself.

“Sweet!” she exclaimed, pulling out the contents of the package.

“AW YEAH!” a familiar voice rang out. Glancing across the sky, Scootaloo saw Ditzy Doo up at Rainbow Dash’s cloud house. Clearly she had gotten her package as well. Walking back inside the clubhouse, Scootaloo sat down with her new book. Opening the pages, she pulled up her copy of Daring Do alongside it.

“Daring Do had made it into the terracotta hall of the tomb of the Empress,” she read aloud. “After nearly nine days of searching, she was finally surrounded by the legendary army of terracotta ponies. Sparing a quick glance, she noticed how every pony, while dressed in similar guard uniforms, were each different and unique…”

“Amazing,” Daring said, looking over the fine details. “It must have taken weeks just to do a single one; but a whole army?”

As she walked down the aisle, flanked on either side by the statues, she approached to door to the stairway that would lead into the tomb. With every step, it seemed as if the statues were watching her, their eyes following her every move.

When she finally reached the door, Daring saw the text written on the wall. Reaching into her saddlebag, she produced the Journal of Yerfillag. Scanning through the pages, she found what she was looking for and put the tome away. Taking a breath, she spoke the words.

Scootaloo looked at the text written at the bottom of the page. After finding the page number, she saw what it said.

“In my darkest thoughts…” she took out a notebook and began writing it down. “I walk in eternity…”

Taking a breath, she spoke the words.

“Gjara’Vont, Thia’Lyliet.”

As she spoke, the room began to shake and the door before her slid down into the floor. She didn’t need to be a unicorn to know that powerful magic lay down the stairs ahead. Steeling her nerves, she began her decent into the dark tomb below.

“…Into the dark tomb below… Blah, blah, blah…” Scootaloo began flipping pages, looking for the next block of text to translate. As she scrolled through the book, finding the symbols, she meticulously wrote down the translations into her notebook, keeping it as a secondary reference. By the day’s end, she had filled nearly five pages with the translations, having used both sides of the papers.

It was kind of funny, but she couldn’t help but realize how much she had been missing out on without the translation book. Sure, she hadn’t needed it to understand the main story arch. But now that she had it, she was learning all sorts of things regarding the tomb, the culture of the people who served the Empress, and had even caught references to past books in the series. No, you didn’t need the second book, but it sure made the first one all the more enjoyable.

As the sun set over the western horizon, Scootaloo prepared for bed. She lifted the floorboard where her stuff was hidden and began laying out the blanket. As she was reaching for the pillow, a soft noise came from outside. It sounded like someone was flying overhead. Daring a glance out the window, Scootaloo saw nothing. She looked up, down, left and right enough times to get thirty lives, but there just wasn’t anything around.

Warily, she pulled the curtains closed and set up for bed. With one last look to her Daring Do figure, she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with terracotta pony statues and tombs lined with strange glyphs that seemed to make no sense. Yet at the same time, they were perfectly clear in their messages.

Chapter 8

The next morning, Scootaloo pulled the covers off and looked around. It was fairly early as the sun was only just starting to peak over the horizon. It was getting late in the year though, so she couldn’t afford to stay too much longer. As she pushed her bedding under the floor, she let out a tired sigh. It was then that she really noticed it; she could see her breath in the morning air. She quickly ran to a window and looked outside. There wasn’t any snow, obviously as it was only mid-autumn, but that didn’t change the fact that it was indeed getting closer to winter. In a couple more weeks, the rolling fields of fading green would slide to brown and copper-red before being blanketed in pearly white. Frowning at the thought of snow, she remembered what happened last time it fell.

It was freezing in Ponyville as the snow fell. Behind Sugarcube Corner, Scootaloo sought warmth in the dumpster. In her travels since Mama-Lucile left her to fend for herself, she had learned that bio-degradable trash generated heat. Armed with that knowledge, she had searched for a place with a high turn-over of food.

She was originally going to use the dumpster behind The Clover, but being such a fancy restaurant, the portions were small and often finished with nothing left over to throw away. So instead, she settled on the bakery. Anything that was left out for more than a couple hours had to be tossed out. This ensured that she could get some food when she was hungry and that there would be plenty of heat as the rest broke down around her.

The only thing she had to worry about was digging herself out every morning to avoid the garbage cart. It was an okay life, and a lot of the lesions Mama-Lucile taught her were invaluable, but she wanted something more. Occasionally, she would climb out and roll around in the snow to clean the gunk off of her body. When she did venture out, she would wander the streets and look at all the houses and wonder if she would ever get to live in one herself.

This night in particular was something special; it was the night Hearth’s Warming Eve. Tomorrow, when everypony would wake up, they would find their friends and exchange gifts as a sign of friendship. Little trinkets and tokens would change hooves and everypony would be happy. And many more would have feasts with all their friends and family members to add to the holiday cheer. Cakes, pies, sandwiches, and so many delectable desserts as far as the eye could see, and not one would be for her.

Coming out of her memory, she looked around. At least this year would be better. She and her friends were going to exchange gifts and she would finally get to be a part of a holiday feast. But that was still a ways away. For now, she had to focus. Today was the day that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going to Vinyl Scratch’s house to learn about music. Of course, they weren’t going to mention finding the computer manual. Instead, she leaned her head out the window, plugged one of her nostrils, and cleared her head for the day.

Getting to Carousel Boutique, Scootaloo noticed Sweetie Belle's parents heading out to lunch. Sweetie Belle loved hanging out at Rarity's store and jumped at every chance to be there. Going inside, they waited for Apple Bloom to show up so they could go. When the last Crusader finally came through the door, Rarity rounded them up, having agreed to take them to their music lesson. As they left the boutique, they could barely contain their excitement about learning to play music from the legend herself. Having risen from a broken home, the incredible DJ P0n-3 was Ponyville’s claim to fame, right alongside Sweet Apple Acres.

“This is going to be so FUN!” Sweetie Belle yelled, her voice cracking a bit.

“I know right,” Scootaloo replied. “I wonder if we’ll get to make our own song for the next DJ P0n-3 album.”

“That’d be amazin’!” Apple Bloom added. “An’ then we could travel with her and become famous musicians!”

“Now girls,” Rarity interrupted. “The only reason I’m bringing you here is because you want to learn. And you can’t create a masterpiece until you master all of your tools. Why take me for example. I remember when I was a filly myself. I made the costumes for my school play, but all I did to make them great was stick gems on them. At the time, it seemed like a great idea, but now I see how foalish it was. Were I to do it again with what I’ve learned over the years, I imagine the costumes would be MUCH different. In fact, I think I might…”

The Crusaders eventually began tuning Rarity out, especially now that she had gone off on her own little fashion world. As they came up to the house they were looking for, Rarity paused in her plans for the next school play to knock on the door.

“Okay girls,” she said. “You be on your best behavior. Do everything you’re told, don’t touch anything without permission, don’t drink anything except water- goodness knows what a ‘disk jockey’ like HER might offer you- and above all else, stay here until I come pick you up.”

They couldn't help but noticed the way she had emphasized saying ‘disk jockey’ and ‘her’. Still, that was Rarity; judging things she’s not familiar with. As she finished straightening Sweetie Belle’s mane, they all stiffened up as the door unlocked. When the door was pulled open, Rarity’s composed look quickly fell into one of shock and confusion.

“Oh my goodness,” she stuttered. “I’m terribly sorry. I must have gotten the wrong address. Please forgive me for disturbing you.”

She was about to walk away when a refined, sophisticated voice came from the grey mare in the doorway.

“No, you have the right place. Vinyl-” she stopped herself, glaring at the stupidity of having to actually say it. “DJ P0n-3… is asleep right now, but feel free to come inside.”

Stepping aside, she let them come in. Rarity tried desperately to compose herself while trying to understand what was going on. As they settled into the formal-looking, almost Canterlot-esque den, both Rarity and the Crusaders looked around in awe. Taking their seats, the mare introduced herself.

“Welcome to our home,” she said. “As I said, the DJ is still asleep right now. She just came home a few hours ago, so she’s not in much of a right state to teach now. Anyway, my name is-”

“You’re the legendary Octavia!” Rarity interrupted, gushing like a fangirl. “I’ve seen all of your local shows! I also saw you at the Grand Galloping Gala last year! You were absolutely magnificent, if I do say so myself!”

Octavia seemed a bit taken back by the sudden outburst, but offered a smile none the less.

“Well thank you,” she replied. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan.”

“Oh believe me, I know all your pieces! Tell me, where do you get your inspiration? What was it that led you to create that amazing piece, ‘Fire Within’? It’s so moving and passionate.”

Octavia blushed a little and looked away for a moment before opening her mouth to answer. However, she was quickly cut off by a loud ‘thump’ from the ceiling. Glad to see the distraction, she stood up to go take care of it.

“I’m sorry, but I have to see to my… roommate. There’s tea and biscuits in the kitchen, so feel free to help yourself.”

With that, she walks upstairs to check on the noise they had all heard.

“She seems nice” Sweetie Belle said as they stood up to go to the kitchen.

“Nice?” Rarity exclaimed. “She’s exemplary; a true pinnacle of sophistication!”

Rolling their eyes, the Crusaders helped themselves to the biscuits. Sweetie Belle, Rarity and Apple loom drank tea, but Scootaloo wasn't a fan. Instead, she got some water from the tap and they all sat in the living room, waiting to see what would happen. However, they didn't have to wait long. Through the ceiling, they could hear just about everything that was going on upstairs.

“Vinyl, are you okay?” they heard Octavia say.

A small moan reverberated through the ceiling, implying Vinyl was waking up.

“Vinyl, I told you that you had work to do today, why did you drink? You need to get up, it’s nearly eleven.”

Another moan was heard, followed by a crass, hung-over voice.

“Octavia?” they heard. “Oh Octavia, I had the weirdest dream. You were there, Mister Buzzington was there-”

“Vinyl!” Octavia shouted. “Please, be decent! We have company!”

“Goody. Now we can see the results when I make you feel beautiful.”

Another thump echoed through the building, followed by the sound of something being dragged across the floor. After a few moments, the sound of running water rang out followed immediately by a startled yell.

“Who- What?” Vinyl cried out. “Octavia! What is this?”

“Oh, good morning sleepy-head,” she said sarcastically. “Have you forgotten about your appointment?”

“No,” Vinyl replied. “I already told you that I’m clean.”

Octavia let out an exasperated sigh.

“No, Vinyl. I mean that you were SUPPOSED to come home early last night so you could be ready to teach some children about music.”

There was a slight pause followed by the sounds of scrambling with some apologies thrown in for good measure. After a few more minutes, the two of them came down the stairs, Octavia looking like she wanted to break something and Vinyl looking like… well, like DJ P0n-3. Turning to the three fillies, she grinned and spoke up.

“So, who’s ready to learn about music?” she asked in a loud voice

The Crusaders all cried out in joy and flocked to the DJ.

“Well, the first thing you gotta know is to never start your day on an empty stomach! Who’s up for some breakfast?”

They all cheered some more before Octavia brought Vinyl up to speed.

“Vinyl,” she said. “It’s nearly lunch time.”

“Who’s up for some lunch?” the DJ revised.

Again, the Crusaders all cheered and followed her to the kitchen.

Chapter 9

As the sun blazed its path across the sky, the Crusaders spent much of the day wishing they could do more. Despite Vinyl's reputation as a party machine, she genuinely knew what she was doing and showed the three fillies EVERYTHING there was to being a disc jockey. First came the history lesson about the first gramophones that played crudely recorded music.

"Twilight Sparkle has a couple like that at the library," Sweetie Belle had chimed in.

It was true that Twilight had a few gramophone records in the back rooms of the Golden Oaks Library, though Granny Smith was about the only pony that ever checked them out. More recent vinyl albums were kept off to the side of the gramophone records, though there really wasn't that much difference. Still, Vinyl insisted that there was a vast plethora of differences, though the Crusaders didn't get it.

As the day progressed Vinyl taught them about tempos, keys, time signatures, and how it all came together. Halfway through a lecture about the difference between bass-drops and breakdowns, Vinyl began rummaging through the kitchen, growing more and more frustrated by the second.

"Octavia!" she finally called out. "Where's that bottle of Jaeger? I can't make any bombs without it!"

"I told you it would stay hidden!" Octavia called back from upstairs. "So long as there are minors under this roof, you're not going to find it!"

Gritting her teeth, Vinyl eventually let it go and looked at the can in her hoof. Shrugging she popped the tab.

"Well, Red Pony DOES make you a pegasus..."

Chugging the whole can, she smashed it against her head and let out a loud 'YEAH!' like a certain buff pegasus.

"Alright, where were we?"

Obviously, the DJ hadn't REALLY become a pegasus; it was just an advertising slogan. As the day progressed, the Crusaders began to see how hard the great DJ P0n-3 lived compared to the lot of them. Energy drinks and loud music were the norm for her, especially the prior. Every couple of minutes, Vinyl would keep going back to the kitchen to get another Red Pony before downing the whole thing. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom decided to try some, but it tasted aweful. Vinyl was about to say that the common description tasted like cold moose piss, but Octavia just happened to be in the kitchen at that moment to offer them orange juice and diced fruits. As Vinyl began to explain, Octavia had 'accidentally' lost one of the apples she had been cutting, said fruit lodging itself nicely in the DJ's mouth.

When the shadows grew long and the sun began to set, Rarity came back for the Crusaders. Vinyl was just getting done with showing them her mixing board a knock sounded the unicorn's arrival. Octavia let her in and the fillies gathered around her, eager to share what they had learned. With the fillies milling about, Rarity did her best to chat up Octavia one last time before they left. Though she couldn't nick any concert tickets off of her, she at least got an autograph, and that was more than any of her friends had. She also convinced Octavia to stop by the boutique sometime soon. If this went well, she might even get to design outfits for a Canterlot Symphony production. With the girls rounded up and Rarity ready to head home, they left the musical mares and made their way down the road.

"That was a lot of fun," Sweetie Belle said as she hopped around in bliss.

"Yeah, but it was a lotta work," Apple Bloom chimed in. "Ah still don't think Ah can remember the whole scale. How'd it go again; E, A, I, O, U?"

"No, no," Scootaloo corrected her friend. "That's vowels. The scale went just like in the alphabet; A, B, C, D, E, F."

"Actually, Scootaloo," Rarity spoke up. "It's C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Though there are some instruments that are tuned differently. The piano starts on C before running through the scales. But violins start on G."

"And guitars start on E," a voice from above added. From overhead, Rainbow Dash dove down, landing next to Rarity. "So, what are we talking about?"

"We just had music lessons with DJ P0n-3," Scootaloo spoke up. "We were trying to remember how music scales went."

"Cool. Well, there's this one song I heard not too long ago that uses drop-tuning; it's pretty sweet."

"Drop-tunin'?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied. "It's when they tune their guitars lower to make the song sound heavier and darker. It also makes the chords easier to play."

"Oh like you could play an instrument, Rainbow Dash," Rarity scoffed. "Even in your 'drop-tuning', it would just be a garbled mess."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow replied. "That sounds like a challenge."

Staring each other down, the pegasus and the unicorn both grinned and shook on it.

"I'll tell you what, Rainbow Dash," Rarity began. "If you can learn to play one song by the end of the month, on ANY instrument you want, why, I'll design a 'Rainbow Dash' line of clothing."

"Alright," Rainbow replied. "And what if I can't?"

She loved a challenge, and everypony knew it. As the exchange played out, the Crusaders- Scootaloo in particular- watched intently, shifting their attention to whoever was speaking.

"If you can't play at least one song by month's end," Rarity went on. "You will have the honor of being my model for the new pegasus line I've been sketching for next summer. Next year, wings are going to be in, and I won't be caught off guard. Come to think of it..."

She turned her focus off her friend and onto Scootaloo.

"You know, there are pegasi foals who like to look good too. Scootaloo, how would you like to be a model for a children's' edition?"

"UGH! No WAY!" Scootaloo cried. "I wouldn't be caught DEAD in any of that hoity toity fashion!"

"I beg your pardon?" Rarity gasped. "I'll have you know that my designs are far different from anything Hoity Toity has put out, thank you very much."

Rainbow Dash let out a small chuckle, but the Crusaders didn't seem to get it. Walking off, the bickering continued with no foreseeable end in sight.

The following morning, Scootaloo left the clubhouse and headed off to school. Packed in her saddlebags were a the books she had checked out from the library a while back. She hadn't had a chance to read them yet, so with the day ahead, she planned to stop by Golden Oaks and read them their. After school, Apple Bloom had help her brother and sister prep the orchard for winter, and Sweetie Belle was helping her sister pick up fabrics.

Trotting down the road into Ponyville, the sun was just coming up over the horizon. Scootaloo stopped in at Sugarcube Corner for quick bite before school. Grabbing a muffin Pinkie Pie had just taken out of the oven, she happily devoured it, washing it down with a nice cold glass of milk. She noticed she had some time yet before school started decided to grab the morning paper. She had heard there was a new artist working on the comics and she wanted to see how they stacked up. Tearing the paper apart until she found the comics, she found the new strip. It was okay, but it wasn't very funny. Looking down at the signature, Scootaloo could only wander even more who the artist was. All that was written was a cursive 'L'.

She would find out more about it later, but right now, she had to get to school. All that time reading the other comics had eaten up her free-time. Dropping a few bits on the counter, she grabbed her bag and took off running. Shops all over town were beginning to open up as she made her way to Ponyville Schoolhouse, many of which had owners that were just in Sugarcube Corner themselves. As she reached her destination, she met up with her frends and went inside. The day itself was rather uneventful, save for an incident involving some spitballs.

When the bell rang at the end of the school day, the Crusaders waved each other off as they went their separate ways. Scootaloo set her sights on the library, intent on read her books. As she stepped through the door, she once again saw Spike's odd, entertainment device. She wanted to pull up a seat and watch, but her mind was set. Stepping into one of the quiet study rooms, she dumped out her bag and began flipping through the pages of ‘Obscure Faces From Queer Places’, she had learned quite a bit about the old Lunar Republic from Spike's game. They had planned to bring back Nightmare Moon and haver lead as their sovereign, but after the leaders of the renegade nation were outed as ponies with mental disorders, the chain of command had fallen apart.

Putting that book aside, she set out ‘That Which Never Was’, noticing the subtitle read 'A Collection of Catastrophic Failures'. Opening it up to the first few pages, she saw the repeating catapult, an invention patented in 296 CE by a unicorn named Iron Hammer. A blacksmith his whole life, he hadn't taken into account the factor of shaking a machine like that had to suffer. Repeating fire shook the catapult so much that it had tore itself apart, crushing seven ponies to death- including the inventor- as well as injuring a dozen more. Turning the page, she saw a self-playing guitar. Unfortunately, on its unveiling, a string snapped under its excessive tension created by the machine that played it and cut the operator's throat open. Luckily, he was treated quickly and lived, but nopony dared go near it for fear of a repeat performance, no pun intended.

Though rather gruesome, a lot of these stories were actually quite fascinating. She kept looking through the crazy, macabre stories of failed inventions and even a few rallies gone wrong. Apparently, Princess Celestia wasn't so perfect. In 625 ALB, the Princess outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcohol. There were many protests and rallies, one of which was called the Royal Roast. Several irate ponies came with homemade alcohol and lobbed them at the castle, setting fire to it to try and burn the place down. As the masses panicked, the flames spread and several shops caught fire. All in all, fourteen ponies were killed by fire, nine from smoke inhalation, and nearly twenty were trampled to death in the panic. A few months later, Princess Celestia lifted the ban on alcohol.

As Scootaloo looked out the window, she figured she had enough time to read one more story before she had to go. Turning the page, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. In the corner, a burned down building lay in ruins. It was just like the one in the stories she had been told when she was little.

In 995 ALB, a house on the outskirts of Phillydelphia was approved for renovation. It was going to be converted into a diner with a home upstairs. The papers had been signed, the payments made, and it would have only been a matter of weeks before the Thunder Shack would have been opened for business. However, one night, a mysterious fire engulfed the building in flames, dashing not only the hopes and dreams of the couple living their, but taking their lives as well.

As firefighters fought the towering inferno, it soon became evident that it was no accident. When the flames were quenched and investigation underway, several broken bottles with kerosene residue were found in several places. Though the bodies of both Greasy Spoon and Thunder Pop were found and identified, the body of their child, Scootaloo was burned beyond recognition. Only a few bones remained to be buried alongside her parents.

Scootaloo dropped the book, a look of shock and confusion plastering her face. Looking back at the picture, there was no mistaking it; That was her home.

Author's Note

Okay, so let me just set this record straight. That shiny new computer I got as a Christmas present? It wasn't new. I got swindled into buying a USED computer at NEW price. Then, after less than three months, it stops charging. I took it to my tech friend who told me I needed a new motherboard or something, so I've been going since MARCH without a computer of my own. Finally, I've got an actual NEW computer with a warranty from a different place. I also have what my tech-friend calls a 'toaster', allowing me access to my old hard drive where all my story documents were. So, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and expect more in the near future.

Thank you.

Chapter 4

After being seen off by Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo walked toward Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was beginning to set as she reached the outskirts of Ponyville. Walking down the dirt path to the orchard, Scootaloo glanced up to see the moon peaking over the horizon of the night sky. Trudging down the road, Scootaloo was just coming up to the entrance of the orchard when she felt someone watching her. Looking through the trees, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, she could just FEEL eyes on her.

Finally, she made it to the clubhouse. Climbing up to the little building, she lifted the floorboard and pulled out her blanket and pillow. Spreading it out, she lay down and closed her eyes. As she began to drift off, she heard movement outside the clubhouse. Sighing, feeling her body ache from the work at Sugar Cube Corner, she forced herself to get up and check it out. She stepped out onto the balcony and looked out onto Sweet Apple Acres. The trees went on for miles and miles while the stars lit up the night sky. Seeing nothing else, she turned around and went back inside. Closing the door, she began walking over to her blanket when the sound of hoofsteps echoed throughout the clubhouse. Glancing into the corner, her eyes went wide with fear and shock as she beheld the royal form of Princess Luna. Facing Scootaloo, the Princess had been looking over the drawings and plans of the Crusaders when she noticed Scootaloo was looking at her.

“Good evening, child,” Luna said. “Forgive us for imposing, but We couldn’t help but notice thou art here to sleep instead of thine home and bed. We must wonder why, and so your Princess has come to investigate. The moon is raised, and so We are free until dawn. As such, We must ask why thou art here in this… place. Dear child, your Princess must know.”

Rising from a hasty bow, Scootaloo looked at Princess Luna with a somewhat fearful look. She had never fully gotten over her

initial impression from Nightmare Night. However, seeing as Luna was legitimate royalty, she couldn’t lie to her.

“Your Highness,” Scootaloo began. “I… I have nowhere else to go.”

“What?” Luna was genuinely shocked. “How can this be? Child, what has happened to thine home? Thine family? Why must thou come here?”

“It’s… I… I don’t have any. No home; no family.”

“Thou has… no family? But, how? What do you do for food? Lodging, it would seem, is no problem, but how dost thou take care of thine self? Thou art just a foal.”

“Look, your Highness,” Scootaloo said, holding up a hoof. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your concern, I do. But I can take care of myself.”

Luna was flustered. She didn’t want to belittle the child before her, but she couldn’t just over-look something this important.

“Child,” she started, taking a breath. “As your Princess, We are required by royal duty and honor to help our subjects with their problems. Thou art one of our subjects, so We will do whatever We can to help. Please, just tell us what thine problems are.”

Sighing, Scootaloo thought for a moment before starting.

“Well, it started when I was really little…”

It was six years ago and Scootaloo had begun using entire sentences. Her parents were so proud of her, they couldn’t help but tell the entire neighborhood. Stepping into the den, Scootaloo’s mother, Greasy Spoon, walked over to her and picked her up. She was a pale-white unicorn with a spatula cutie mark. Her mane was a light red with orange highlights tied back and tucked under a do-rag.

“I think somepony needs to be changed,” she said, eliciting a giggle from Scootaloo.

“Nuh-uh mommy,” the little pegasus replied. “Me no need change.”

“Oh I beg to differ.”

Taking Scootaloo into the next room, her mother began changing her diaper. A few hours later, her father, Thunder Pop, walked through the door and hung up his goggles. He was on the weather team in Fillydelphia, and he had spent the whole day fighting a drought on the outskirts without flooding the streets within the town itself. As he trudged through the den, sweat poured off his dark brown coat in droves. Running a hoof through his deep-blue mane, he went to the kitchen to get some cider. After a long day fighting the weather, he just wanted to unwind.

“Honey?” Greasy Spoon called out. “Is that you?”

“It’s me!” he called back. ”I just got home!”

This was how it was for so long. Greasy Spoon had just sent her forms in to finalize preparations to open a dinner while Thunder Pop was looking at a promotion to second in command of his team. As the family settled down for the night, there was something building that nopony could foresee. After testing out some recipes, Greasy Spoon had called it a night and put the dirtied dishes in the sink.

As the family slumbered, globs of grease began pooling on the floor in front of the sink. Coming to the kitchen for a midnight snack, Thunder Pop lit a candle and opened a cupboard. He grabbed a loaf of bread and some condiments. Setting them out on the counter, he turned to grab the candle. As he turned however, he slipped on the puddle of grease and fell over. Bumping the counter, the vibrations knocked over the candle, causing it to fall into the grease.

In a flash, the flame exploded into an inferno, engulfing the entire kitchen in fire. Rags caught flame and lit like dominos, One after another burst alight, spreading through the entire kitchen. As Thunder Pop ran out, the rest of the house began to catch as well. In no time at all, the flames had engulfed half the house. Thunder Pop ran through the halls as burning material fell all around him. He threw open bedroom door and yelled for Greasy Spoon to wake up. Once his wife was out of bed, they ran to grab Scootaloo before leaving. Running through the crumbling hall, the kicked the door open as they heard their baby’s cries for help. Stepping through the door, they had only to cross the room and they could leave. Unfortunately, happiness was not in the cards.

The house was built into a hillside about a kilometer outside of Fillydelphia. From the damage the fire had inflicted, the house began to twist and split. Debris rained down the incline as embers flew into the air. Off in the distance, the weather team was on approach to deal with the inferno. As half of the house fell down the hill, the pegasi swooped in with rainclouds to douse the fire. When the blaze was out, there was nopony to be seen anywhere. Overhead, a passing griffon dove down to investigate the debris. Sifting through the refuse, she found Scootaloo.

“Hold, fair child,” Luna interrupted. “Thou sayist that thou were taken by a griffon? But why did nopony look for thee? Thou wert right at the scene.”

Luna’s question was met with silence. Obviously nopony had even looked. But why? Were something like this to happen under her watch, she would have forced everypony to look. And then she would have imprisoned them in the royal Canterlot dungeon for a month for such stupidity.

“I see. Then why did the griffon not seek to return thee to thine family at a later time?”

“That’s another story,” Scootaloo answered. “You see, she was supposed to have had babies, but something called a ‘miscarriage’ showed up and something happened to them.” Scootaloo paused for a moment before asking a question of her own. “Princess Luna? What’s a miscarriage? Is it like a regular carriage?”

Luna cringed at the question. How was SHE supposed to answer a question like THAT?

“Um… Well… ” she stuttered. “We… shall tell thee when thou art older.”

Perfect.

“Anyway,” Luna continued. “If thou wert taken by a griffon, why art thou alone now?”

“Well,” Scootaloo spoke. “After about two years with Lucile- that was the name of the griffon who took and cared for me- we were getting some firewood when a dragon attacked us. He claimed we were trespassing on his territory. Lucile told me to run and not stop until I found help. I looked back and saw her in the air, clawing at his face.”

There was a brief pause as Scootaloo gave a crestfallen look.

“I never saw her again.”

Luna knelt down and put her hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“There, there, child,” she cooed. “The way thou s’told thine tale, the griffon, Lucile perished valiantly so that thou couldst live on. It be the ultimate form of love, despite no familial relation; that she would give herself for thine survival. She DID care for thee, make no mistake.”

Scootaloo buckled under not only Luna’s hoof, but her words. Her pain finally proved too much and her tears could no longer be held at bay. Under Luna’s attempts at comforting her, Scootaloo soon dropped all barriers and let it out. Crying like she hadn’t cried in years, she wrapped her arms around Luna’s foreleg. Glancing around the clubhouse, Luna caught sight of the doll Scootaloo made. Its rainbow mane and tail stood out against the dark purple and black outfit. With a gasp, Luna immediately recognized the design.

“Child,” she spoke softly. “What is this that We see before us?”

She held up the doll as Scootaloo wiped her eyes.

“Oh, that?” she said, sniffling. “It’s just a doll I made. I saw Rainbow Dash dressed like that last Nightmare Night. She said that she was dressed as a member of your flight team; the Shadowbolts.”

“Dear child, We have no fliers under our command. Tis just the Wonderbolts whom Rainbow Dash should strive to join. They are the greatest fliers in all of Equestria.”

“But Rainbow Dash said- She told me that she had talked to them herself.”

“Child, the Shadowbolts were but a trick used by Nightmare Moon to make Rainbow Dash abandon her friends. They were never real.”

Scootaloo looked at the floor for a minute. Rainbow Dash was wrong; mistaken. The Shadowbolts weren’t real. But at that thought, she perked up.

“But, Princess Luna? Couldn’t you organize a team? Like, if you wanted to, couldn’t you put together a group to compete against the Wonderbolts? It would be like a friendly rivalry or something.”

They both rose as the thought sank in to the both of them.

“Yes…” Luna finally spoke. “Yes… Yes! Oh dear child, YES! We must return to Canterlot and begin preparations at once!”

Luna was about to leave when she stopped, remembering why she was there. Turning around, she looked down to Scootaloo. She thought for a moment. She couldn’t just bring her with her. Surely, she thought, there was school and friends to worry about. To just take her away would be just as wrong as leaving her here. Finally, she spoke.

“Child, how safe is this structure? Wouldst thou be in danger here?”

Scootaloo shook her head. It had lasted all this time, hadn’t it?

“Very good. We must return to Canterlot. But fear not, for We shall do all within our power to figure something out.”

“Wait!” Scootaloo cried out. “Please, Princess Luna! Don’t tell anypony about this!”

“But why, child? Thou art forced to subsist in this place whilst thine friends slumber in their beds. Why wouldst thou relegate thineself to such an existence whilst options of better life make themselves so readily available?”

“I just… can’t let anypony know. It’s something I have to figure out myself.”

Luna was about to protest, but she held herself back. Taking a breath, she sighed and gave in.

“Very well, child,” she said. “We shall allow thee to continue thine self-imposed… lifestyle. We can offer thee luxury, but We cannot force thee to take it. Remain here until thou can rise out of this life thineself. But fear not to ask for help. We are THINE Princess; We are here to help.”

“Thank you, Princess Luna,” Scootaloo sighed in relief.

And with that, Luna turned and stepped outside. Opening her wings, she left the clubhouse and headed for Canterlot.