Chapters Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
"Give it time, girls. You'll get your cutie marks someday."
That's what Twilight told The Cutie Mark Crusaders two days before the rebellion began. That's all the girls have heard from every pony in Ponyville since they started their little mission. But the new question was when? When would they get their cutie marks? When would they stop hearing the constant cries of "Blank flank! Blank flank!" from the other foals at their school? When would they finally be accepted?
But as you're about to see in this story, sometimes acceptance can be earned. But it may not be the right kind of acceptance.
Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
Another Cutie Mark Mission Failure
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had just finished another successful mission to get their cutie marks. This time, they had become competitive eaters and participated in Pinkie Pie's Cupcake eating competition. The competition entailed eating 457 chocolate and vanilla cupcakes in a row to win bragging rights and free cupcakes for life. The Crusaders shoved their face with the delicious baked goods and looked like pinatas about to explode into sprinkles and cupcake frosting. They ended up winning the competition and had their fingers crossed that once, maybe this once, they'd get their cutie marks.
"Girls! These cutie marks better come," Apple Bloom said. "We just shoved an entire bakery's worth of cupcakes into our faces."
"I feel good about this," Scootaloo added. "Maybe whoever's in charge of giving ponies their cutie marks will see how much effort we put into these adventures."
"Enough talking! Competitive eating Cutie Marks! Go!" Sweetie Belle yelled, her voice cracking in the process.
The girls closed their eyes. Their adrenaline was through the roof right now. They had to have gotten their cutie marks this time! They put in so much effort! They waited and waited for almost a minute. But they found...
Nothing.
All that effort and the girls still didn't have their cutie marks. They all looked at their rear ends in shock and pity. Yet again, another mission had failed. Yet again, disappointment was present on the faces of the young mares. Yet again, they were blank flanks.
"No," Scootaloo said, in denial and rage. "No, no, no, no, no, NO!"
The pegasus threw a baking tray across Sugar Cube Corner in a fit of rage. She was sick and tired of putting so much effort into getting the symbol on her rear end, only to be disappointed. She was tired of working hard, only to get no results. Most importantly, she was sick and tired of being called a blank flank.
"Scootaloo! Just calm down!" Apple Bloom said, trying to calm the raging pegasus down. "We'll just try again next time."
"That's the thing, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said. "We've tried multiple times to get our marks! We were journalists who almost got exiled from Ponyville because of the articles we were writing. We became sky-diving ponies, only to be cut off by that Rarity butt-kisser, Spike! Today..."
Scootaloo let out a psychotic scream, as she threw another baking tray across the room.
"WE FILLED OUR ASSES WITH ENOUGH DIABETES TO FILL UP A TRUCK!" Scootaloo roared. "I'M TIRED OF TRYING AGAIN! I'M TIRED OF FAILING! I WANT TO GET THE MARK!!!!!!!!"
Sweetie and Apple Bloom tried their best to calm the feisty pegasus down. But it was no use: Scootaloo was in a blind rage. Baking trays flew everywhere, frosting was smeared all over the place, and glass bowls were smashed up. Pinkie Pie noticed this and rushed over to see what was going on.
"No, no, no! Stop! Scootaloo, just calm down!" Pinkie said, trying to calm the situation down.
Scootaloo turned to Pinkie. Then, she turned to the rest of the Crusaders. Then, in the coldest of all voices, the young flying foal spoke:
"You know what? I'm done being a blank flank. I quit!"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gasped at this comment. How could one of their closest friend abandon them like this? After all they've been through? Were they gonna let their strong bond fall apart?
"Hey! I quit too! If Scootaloo's out, I'm out too!" Apple Bloom yelled as she took the scarf that Sweetie Belle made for her when they were first starting out. "Sweetie Belle! You can keep this!"
Apple Bloom threw the accessory at the shocked fashionista filly, much to her rage. Pinkie observed all of this from afar, not wanting to get involved in the drama.
"FINE! I DON'T NEED THIS!" Sweetie Belle snapped. "I'm out too. As of today, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are OVER! GOODBYE FOREVER!"
Sweetie Belle raced out of the messy kitchen, with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom following her lead.
"FINE! I'M OUTTA HERE!" Scootaloo added.
"SAME HERE!" Apple Bloom chimed in.
Pinkie Pie watched in shock, as the three young foals walked out of her bakery, now broken apart.
"Girls, please! Come on!" Pinkie said, trying to stop them. But it was no use. The friendship of the Cutie Mark Crusaders was officially over.
Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
That night, Scootaloo had a nightmare.
She dreamed she was soaring through the air with her friends, getting ready to get her Fancy Air Show cutie mark. She looped! She whirled! She twirled! It was like watching Evel Knievel reincarnated as a horse! Everyone cheered for Scootaloo, who gleamed with excitement.
But when she went to show off her new cutie mark, she saw nothing. There was still no cutie mark whatsoever. Once again, Scootaloo felt humiliated and betrayed. But things got even worse once the crowd saw the blank butt of the orange pegasus. They booed and threw pies at Scootaloo, some of them being the cliche lemon meringue pie.
"Blank flank!" one pony yelled.
"No Cutie Shooty!" another yelled.
"Cutie Mark Curse!" yelled yet another.
Scootaloo felt even more humiliated than ever before. As she got covered in delicious pie filling, she noticed that even Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were throwing pies at her. Apple Bloom threw a giant apple pie at the pegasus, and Sweetie threw a hard diamond pie at the blank flank orange flyer. Then, the two crusaders went up to Scootaloo, who had blood coming from her nose and stared. It was one of the most intense stares in the world, more intense than a supervillain.
"How could you do this to us?!" Apple Bloom yelled.
"After all we've been through, you're just gonna hang us out to dry like that?!" Sweetie chimed in.
"Girls! Please!" Scootaloo yelled, tears and blood dripping from her face. "I didn't mean it! I just don't..."
"WE DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!" Apple Bloom yelled as she threw another apple pie at the orange pegasus. "By the way, do you know what goes great with pie?
"What?" Scootaloo whimpered.
"Whipped cream," Sweetie Belle said coldly.
At that moment, the two former friends squeezed a giant container of whipped cream on Scootaloo, who cried in agony as the laughter and pie-throwing continued. The void grew deeper and deeper, as the continued laughter, teasing, and more echoed in the orange pegasi's head. With a head full of regrets and feeling sorry for herself, she accepted her fate as a delectable dessert. Without her cutie mark, that was all she was. Without her cutie mark, all she meant to her friends was nothing but a dish to be served at the dinner table.
At that moment, Scootaloo woke up with a jolt. She was back in her room, not covered in whipped cream or pie. She breathed a sigh of relief. With hope, she went to check her rear for a cutie mark. Maybe somehow, she had gotten a cutie mark for having a nightmare. That would've been fitting for the situation she was in.
But yet again, she was left disappointed. There was still no cutie mark present. Scootaloo began to break down into tears, with a head full of questions for herself. Was she ever going to get her cutie mark? Wasn't there something that suited her? Were there any cutie marks in not getting a cutie mark?
As she lay in her bed feeling sorry for herself, she heard a loud booming voice call out to her:
"I want to help you out, Scootaloo. That's why I've been looking for you."
Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
Scootaloo looked around to see where the noise came from. More importantly, she wondered how someone got into her house without knocking first. That was trespassing, and that was illegal since the last time she checked. So she was freaked out, and rightfully so. She slowly crawled out of bed, grabbing the nearest item she could find to defend herself with, a lamp to be more specific. She then looked around the room for the intruder, almost like a military sniper who was looking for the enemy.
"Where are you?" Scootaloo said, a hint of fear in her voice. "You're trespassing on private property right now, you know?! You better leave!"
"Then how will you get your cutie mark, Scootaloo?" The mysterious figure said, as he slowly revealed himself.
The figure was as black and tall as Princess Luna. His tail ended in a group of spikes, kind of like that of a dragon or a demon. His wings were black with red stripes at the end of them, and they lit up orange in the darkness, a power to be explained later. Unlike a majority of the alicorns in Equestria, he had three horns on his head: A black one, a grey one, and a white one. Scootaloo jumped back in shock as she looked at the demonic-looking alicorn.
"Who are you?!" Scootaloo asked, still perplexed and amazed at what she was seeing.
"I'm Moondust Bloom, and I'm a pony who wants to help," The alicorn said, as Scootaloo tilted her head in skepticism. "Oh yeah! I know all about you, Scootaloo. For example, I know that throughout your whole life, you have tried and failed to get your cutie mark."
Scootaloo was shocked at this reveal. How did he know that? How could he know that? Did he possess similar powers to Princess Luna, where he can see what ponies dream of or what their desires are? Scootaloo slowly flew up close to Moondust, with questions on her mind.
"How did you... Know that?" Scootaloo asked, with skepticism and fear in her voice. "Did someone tell you?"
"No, no," Moondust said. "I just possess a profound ability. When you spend years in an abandoned wasteland after your sister banishes you and takes your former title away, you're bound to learn these things."
"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, still full of skepticism. "Who was your sister?"
"Princess Celestia," Moondust said. "I used to be a prince, you know. I was next in line for the throne. But she chose to give the throne to some student of hers and leave me out to dry. So I know how you feel, Scootaloo. All that work you put in, all that effort, only to be rejected again and again."
Moondust smiled a welcoming grin, as he continued his monologue.
"That brings me to what I'm about to offer you, my dear," Moondust said. "I want you to be head of my army in a rebellion against the ruler of Equestria! Then, I will personally make sure you get your cutie mark as soon as the task is done! You'll finally be accepted! You'll finally be loved! You will no longer be a blank flank."
All of this sounded very appealing to Scootaloo. All her life, she only wanted one thing, and that was to be accepted and get her cutie mark. This sounded like a great opportunity to get everything she ever wanted: Power, respect, a cutie mark, the whole nine yards! More importantly, she would get acceptance. But as she was thinking about the benefits, the disadvantages also came to light in her mind.
Would ponies die because of this? Was it truly who she was? Was a magical tattoo and proper friendships worth causing a bloody rebellion against royalty? What about the rest of the former Crusaders? She still had a bit of love for them, even though they broke up. Was it worth causing them pain and suffering?
"I don't know," Scootaloo said with hesitation. "Will anypony get hurt because of this?"
"Possibly," Moondust said, unphased. "But it will be worth it! You will finally get the acceptance that you deserve!"
Scootaloo was still hesitant about the offer. It sounded appealing. But it also sounded illegal and chaotic. Even worse, it could cause someone to get hurt or killed. The orange pegasus didn't know if she wanted a part in that. Moondust noticed the look of hesitation on her face and gave her an encouraging and understanding look.
"Look," Moondust said. "The rebellion starts the day after tomorrow. I want acceptance. You want acceptance. Together, we can get it. Give it a day and let me know if you're interested. If you are, come to my headquarters, located in Ponyville."
"I will," Scootaloo said.
Moondust flew away into the moonlight, as Scootaloo looked on. She knew that she now had a decision to make if she wanted to ever get her cutie mark. She just needed to figure out what the right one was, and she needed to figure it out fast.
Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
It was another day at school. The young foals in Miss Cheerilee's class had to take a test on world history that was worth 43 percent of the grade for the semester. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were all in the class, and none of them wanted anything to do with the other. They still held a grudge after Scootaloo's outburst at Sugar Cube Corner. All they cared about was passing this test.
"Alright, class! This is the biggest test of the semester! So we need to go over a few rules," Miss Cheerilee said, as she handed out the test booklets. "There shall be no talking, no eating, no drinking unless it's water, no magic, and most importantly, no cheating! If you are caught cheating during this test, you will receive an automatic zero! No exceptions! Is that understood?"
"Yes, Miss Cheerilee," The class said in unison.
"Good," Miss Cheerillee said with a smile on her face. "Now let the testing... BEGIN!"
The testing was on! Every colt and filly had one goal in mind: To pass the test and to do so properly. The pegasi were easily able to breeze through the writing portion of the test. The unicorns, even without their magic, were able to put Twilight Sparkle's lessons from her 'How To Study And Take A Test Successfully' lecture into practice. The Earth ponies, fueled by a free caffeine-infused coffee birthday cake that Pinkie Pie had given them, were even able to not only take the test quickly, but they even managed to get a perfect score. The testing was going great for everyone.
But then, there was Scootaloo. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out any of the test answers. The questions felt like reading a foreign language to her. The answers felt like a melting pot of confusion. The orange pegasus shook her head in confusion.
"Who was the first ruler of Equestria?" One test question read.
"What were the original Seven Elements of Harmony?" another read.
"True or false: Our current ruler is Filly Clinton," yet another read.
Scootaloo thought and thought, but she was no Twilight Sparkle. But then, she got an idea: Diamond Tiara was sitting right next to her and she was one of the smartest fillies in the class. Maybe if she looked off of her test paper, Scootaloo could get the correct answers. Scootaloo's conscience almost got the best of her, however. She knew that cheating on a test was completely unethical and could be disastrous for her academically. However, she couldn't resist the urge and began looking at Diamond Tiara's paper.
This plan was going smoothly for the orange pegasus. Diamond Tiara didn't notice a single thing and Scootaloo was getting all of the answers correct. Who knows? Maybe she would earn a cutie mark for being an amazing test taker. Things seemed like they were finally looking up for Scootaloo.
That is, until after the test.
Scootaloo was heading out of the classroom, feeling confident about the test. But then, Miss Cheerillee called both her and Diamond Tiara over to her desk. She had both of the tests on her desk and a frustrated look on her face. Scootaloo sweated harder than she had ever sweated before. She knew that the jig was up.
"Girls," Miss Cheerillee began. "I'm looking over these tests and you guys have very similar answers. Plus, Sweetie Belle told me that she thought she saw you, Scootaloo, looking at Diamond Tiara's booklet. Anything you want to say?"
Scootaloo nodded her head and admitted her wrong-doings. Diamond Tiara got off scot-free for once and Scootaloo got hit with a lunch detention set for Friday. The orange pegasus was enraged at Sweetie Belle. How could she have done this to her? She treated her like a friend and this was the thanks she got?! That just wasn't gonna fly with her.
During lunch, Scootaloo sped up to Sweetie Belle, a look of rage on her face. She was sick of everyone's crap. She was sick of being psychologically gaslit and manipulated. But now, she was also mad at her former friend. She saw Sweetie having lunch with Apple Bloom and Babs Seed and blew her fuse.
"SNITCH!" Scootaloo yelled. "Why did you tell Miss Cheerilee that I cheated off of Diamond Tiara?!"
"I would've done anything to get revenge on you after what you did," Sweetie Belle said with rage. "You broke up the Crusaders!"
"But we were still friends! WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH TOGETHER!" Scootaloo screamed as she punched a wall with her hoof.
"No Scootaloo! You stopped being my goddamn friend the second you broke up the Crusaders for your own selfish reasons!" Sweetie Belle yelled.
"I WANT TO YELL ABOUT SOMETHING!" Babs Seed yelled, not understanding the context of the entire conversation.
"Stay out of this, Babs!" Scootaloo yelled.
"Just shut up, Scootaloo! Leave us alone!" Apple Bloom yelled. "If you want to feel sorry for yourself, be my..."
At that moment, Scootaloo charged directly at Apple Bloom and pounced on her like a cat does to a mouse. She punched the farming pony with her hoof, again and again. There was no humanity left in Scootaloo. It was all rage and brutality. Sweetie Belle looked in fear as her former friend bashed Apple Bloom every which way.
"GET OFF HER! SCOOTALOO! STOP!" Sweetie Belle begged.
"WHAT MAKES YOU GUYS THINK YOU DESERVE ANYTHING!" Scootaloo yelled. "YOU KNOW HOW HARD I'VE WORKED?! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE DISAPPOINTED AGAIN AND AGAIN?! TO HAVE YOUR DREAMS DASHED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN?! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE ANYTHING!"
Suddenly, with a loud crack, Apple Bloom's body went limp, ending the harvest once and for all. Everyone gathered around in shock as they saw the bloody mess that was once the lovable apple-harvesting foal. Scootaloo was covered in the blood of her former friend. As soon as her humanity came back to her, she realized the gravity of the situation. She saw the gathered crowd and knew what was coming.
"Guys... I... It... It was an accident," Scootaloo said, in shock and regret. "I didn't..."
Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed looked in rage and anger at their former friend. A murderer. Scootaloo was now a brutal and blood-thirsty murderer. A friend who killed another friend was no friend of theirs. Sweetie Belle rushed over to Apple Bloom's body, pushing Scootaloo away in the process.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "Scootaloo, do you realize what you've done?! Huh?! All over a fucking cutie mark?! Are you really that sick?!"
"But Sweetie... I..." Scootaloo tried to explain, with tears in her eyes.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Sweetie yelled. "GET OUT OF HERE! GO!"
Scootaloo ran away faster than she had ever run before. As she ran, her rage and insanity grew. She remembered all the times she'd failed to get her Cutie Mark. She remembered the insults, assaults, and drama. She was sick of it. Now that her close friends wanted nothing to do with her, she made her decision on what to do. She burst the door of Moondust Bloom's headquarters in Ponyville and uttered three little words that would change the course of Equestrian history forever:
"I'll do it."
Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
The Attack On Griffonstone
Griffonstone was a beautiful town this time of the year. It was the annual Griffon Scone Eating contest and every griffon was lined up and ready to feast on some delicious and satisfying scones. In the center of it all was Gilda Griffon, the four-time champion of the eating contest. She had started making the scones to sell, so she could afford a nice house in Canterlot. She figured that by the time the eating contest was done, she'd probably be able to afford two big houses in Canterlot and a giant pool. But first, she was focused on winning this contest.
"A lot of dweebs out here today," Gilda thought. "But they don't know who they are about to face off against."
All of the griffons got in their positions, ready to feast on the delicious and satisfying treat. But just as they were about to start, a buzzing sound was heard. The griffons looked up and saw a black military-grade helicopter, like that you would see in those old military movies that end with a helicopter flying into the sunset. The blade whirled with as much intensity as a cheetah. Right as everyone began to shrug off what was going on, out came Scootaloo, a look of determination and leadership on her face.
"Greetings Griffonstone!" Scootaloo yelled, her voice booming throughout the town.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Gilda said. "Wait. Aren't you Rainbow Dash's little butt-kisser?"
"I was," Scootaloo said. "But then, I saw what true acceptance is. I saw what acceptance could give me. Now, I'm prepared to make an offer to you."
The griffons looked in shock as Scootaloo continued her monologue. "See, Moondust Bloom, your new ruler, is going to lead a rebellion to take over the throne of Equestria! I will be leading that charge. We are prepared to spare your lives in exchange for your allegiance to him and the new Equestrian Empire. Interested?"
"Why should we pledge to you or your ruler?" Gilda asked.
"Maybe this will change your mind," Scootaloo asked as she presented a horse skull that had a very distinct feature: A blonde manbun.
Gilda's eyes widened in shock. "Ze- Zephyr?!"
"Yeppers," Scootaloo said as she tossed the skull in the air and caught it. "Caught him right before he left town. He got kicked out of his parents' place for the 66th time this year and I offered him a spot in my army in exchange for loyalty. It's too bad he refused to comply though. He mouthed off to me and decided to spit in my face. So I ripped his tongue out and force-fed it to him."
Gilda's eyes widened even further. All the griffons got into their battle stances and were ready to pounce in the orange psycho's direction. Gilda's shock drowned out the noise of griffon battle cries. How could the sweet orange filly become so evil? Most importantly, how could a friend of Rainbow Dash's kill?
"Why are you doing this?!" Gilda screamed. "Rainbow did a lot for you! She mentored you! She took you under her hoof, and this is how you repay her?!"
"SHUT UP!!!!" Scootaloo screamed in rage. "I've been treated like trash by every pony in Ponyville! I've tried time and time again to get my cutie mark only to be disappointed again and again. Then, Pinkie handed it out like a sample. Wait, no. Rainbow did that. Then, Fluttershy rounded them up like tame animals. I wasn't gonna have it!"
"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!" Gilda raged. "ARE YOU HIGH?!"
"THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT!" Scootaloo screamed, refusing to explain her reference to a certain universe where a farmer mare kills everyone over apple jam. "I've been disappointed a lot throughout my life. Now, I have everything I wanted, including a cutie mark."
The griffons charged at Scootaloo and her army and were about to strike a blow at them. But suddenly, Scootaloo pressed a button on the helicopter and launched a nuke at the town. Gilda and the griffons looked in shock and awe at the bomb and at what Scootaloo had become. In fact, Gilda was so shocked, that she could only mutter three little words as the town blew up into ashes:
"What... The.... Dweeb?"
Overthrown 1.5: Scootaloo's Corruption
Where The Tale Ends And A New One Begins
Scootaloo now had her cutie mark. She now had an army of her own to lead. She now had the respect that she deserved. Scootaloo was on top of the world. Now, it was time to lead the biggest rebellion in Equestrian history.
The plan was to assassinate Princess Celestia so that Moondust Bloom could take his place as king. The army marched up to the palace and got ready to strike at anyone and anything that stood in their way. Would it be bloody? Absolutely. But Scootaloo felt that the success she was having would make it all worth while.
But as you'll see in this series, whenever a story ends, a new one begins. You need to watch out for the type of story you want to lead.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading Scootaloo's Corruption. Book Two is coming soon. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
