A strong gust of wind roared in Scootaloo's ears as she did a barrel roll in the bright sunlight. "Woah, This is so awesome!" She exclaimed, flipping head over hooves in a double somersault. As her roll came full circle for a fleeting moment her vision blurred and swirled, and she felt like she was going to fall. But within that same moment she shook her head and the blurriness fled away, and she was free to continue.
Many would guess Scootaloo the pegasus filly to be on her faithful scooter, doing daring tricks while airborne. But today was quite different- today the flightless filly was flying. Not an inch off the ground nor a foot, but a fully fledged flight high over the tallest building in Ponyville.
"This is so cool!" She said, flapping her graceful wings and hovering just below the large cloud that was Cloudsdale. She laughed heartily and flattened them to her orange body, plummeting in a minature Sonic Rainboom. Her distinct purple mane was like a banner in the wake of the wind.
She blasted past Rainbow Dash, who was flying far ahead of her a mere second ago. "Woah Scootaloo, how did you get all the way up here?" She motioned slightly to the height of Cloudsdale to how far down Ponyville was sitting. But when she looked back at the filly, she was already way ahead of her. The slightly confused face on the cyan pegasus turned quickly to determination and the older pony sped off to join her. When she (barely) caught up to her (using a fair ammount of energy in the process), Rainbow Dash smiled and threw strands of rainbow mane from in front of her face. "Last one to Cloudsdale gets to try Rarity's newest dress!"
Scootaloo looked unfazed but on the inside she was counting her blessings and hoping she wouldn't have to spend the afternoon modeling in a poofy, sparkly dress. She snorted and dashed away, leaving Rainbow Dash in the dust. The mare narrowed her eyes and started flying as fast as possible, a magnificient rainbow following her tail. Soon Rainbow Dash took the lead by a few hundred feet, and Scootaloo began to think of an exuse not to wear Rarity's dress. "Maybe I'll say I got cloud in my eyes and I wouldn't be able to see the prettiness of her dress." She murmured, sulking.
Suddenly she felt the wind of Princess Celestia's wings beating on her, and her wings began flapping by themselves. "What the ponyfeathers?" She asked herself, flying faster than she thought ever possible. Rainbow Dash, a hoof away from the mass that was Cloudsdale, went very slowly as if to give Scootaloo a chance. "Oh no, I'll never make it!" She cried in her best dramatic voice. Her wings flapped as if she were flying in the mollasses that Pinkie Pie uses in her delicious cookies. Her tongue was out in concentration and she grimaced as if it were the hardest thing to touch the cloud city. She was almost there when Scootaloo flew by, breaking the sound barrier in the process. "S-S-Squirt?" She called out weakly. But the Crusader was already lightyears ahead of her, a lavender mark in her wake.
The pegasus did a variety of tricks after flying almost the next town over, such as barrel rolls and dives and twists. She never felt so free, so carefree, so happy. Adrenaline pounded in her temples as she decided to head back to Ponyville in a tangerine and purple blur, blasting through clouds and slicing the wind.
Reluctantly she landed on a small cloud a little ways from Cloudsdale, knowing she would have to rest at some time. She made herself comfortable, tail curled neatly over her nose, and began to close her eyes. Celestia's beautiful sun was almost gone from her sight when a different kind of light appeared in front of her. "What do you want? I'm trying to-" Scootaloo stopped once she saw who was standing in front of her. She began to bow. "Spitfire!"
Spitfire stood proudly on Scootaloo's cloud, flanked by the rest of the Wonderbolts team, who were hovering alongside her. She stepped in and put a hoof in front of Scootaloo midbow. "That won't be necessary-" She stopped and looked at Scootraloo again. "What's your name?"
Scootaloo bravely thrust out her wings and chest. "Scootaloo." She replied evenly.
Spitfire smiled and ruffled her feathers. "Scootaloo, eh? Well, Scootaloo, that bowing won't be necessary. We'll take care of that."
The filly blinked and cocked her head. "Why would you have to-" She was interrupted once again by Spitfire's hoof. This time it was pointed at another cloud, much larger and quite broad. Upon it almost the whole of Cloudsdale bowed down to Spitfire, their wings fluttering softly in the wind. In the very front was Rainbow Dash, bowing down so far it looked as if her head would fall through the cloud. Her cyan body was still as Scootaloo surveyed them. "Did I miss something? What did you do?" She asked Spitfire, who stood at attention in her Wonderbolt costume. The fiery pegasus shook her head gently and pointed downwards, towards Ponyville. Although it was a long way down, Scootaloo could clearly see the citizens of Ponyville bowing as well. In the frontmost row was the intelligent Twilight Sparkle, next to her fellow unicorn Rarity. Continuing down the line was Fluttershy, nervously twitching every few seconds and shifting her weight. Applejack bowed proudly next to her, still as stone. Pinkie Pie was suprisingly still as well, but even from her cloud Scootaloo could see her fluffy pink tail twitching.
"Seriously, Spitfire, did I miss something?" Scootaloo asked again.
Spitfire laughed. "I like you, kid. But they're not bowing for me." She then bowed as well, with her squad following. Her mane of flames bounced a bit as she lowered her head. From behind her Scootaloo could see Soarin' wink, then look around wildly before realizing everypony else was bowing. As he bowed down Fleetfoot nudged him with her hoof and murmured "real smooth, Soarin'." Soarin' snorted and shoved him back. "Quiet, Fleetfoot. Nopony else knows about your little 'affair' with that kite the other day during practice."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh, I dare."
Soarin' cast a smug grin at Fleetfoot, who sighted and shut his mouth.
Scootaloo giggled at the stallions' argument, then looked around, momentarily loosing her train of thought. Then through the fog she found the headlights of the train and it hit her head-on. The Wonderbolts were bowing to her- a little blank-flank filly! Spitfire, the greatest flyer in Equestria, bowing at her hooves! Even Rainbow Dash, her life-long idol, was bowing respectfully to her, when it would usually be the other way around!
Her extreme joy was interrupted by the first row of each city standing up, then the second, and so on. Spitfire once again stood up and glanced down at the orange filly. Her mane caught the sunlight and her body exploded into a living fire. Behind her Soarin' (who had just gotten up) looked at Spitfire's fiery body and looked at her with a loving, sappy expression. Fleetfoot quickly noticed and shoved him again. "Nice try, buddy. Good luck getting her to even look at you," She sneered playfully. Soarin' snorted indignitly and pouted. "Not funny." He said softly, glancing every few moments at Spitfire.
Once everypony was on their hooves they began stomping them to a simple, slow beat. After a few repeatings of it they added Scootaloo's name and said it to the same beat.
"Scoot-a-loo. Scoot-a-loo."
She felt herself blush slightly. The filly pulled her wings closer to her body and created a pony sandwich of sorts. She flattened her ears to her skull in embarressment, although a small part of her liked the attention.
Many repeats later the ponies gradually sped up the tempo.
"Scoota-loo. Scoota-loo."
She watched their seemingly blank faces as they chanted. It was as if farther into the chant the curtain of emotion was raised, and soon a hint of happiness came into their smiles.
"Scootaloo. Scootaloo."
The filly gasped as something touched her back. As she whipped around to face whatever touched her the light of Spitfire's glorious mane lit up the edge of her sight. She was bending over, holding a Wonderbolts costume in her jaws. The mare stayed in that postition for hours it seemed until her eyes darted up and she spoke. "Take it." She encouraged.
Scootaloo did a double-take and her eyes nearly rolled back into her sockets. "Really?" She bounced up and down on the cloud. "Do you really mean it?"
Spitfire rolled her eyes slightly and nodded.
"I gotta go tell Applebloom and Sweetie Belle and Sliver Spoon and Diamond Tiara and Cheerilee and Fluttershy and-" The little filly was interrupted by Spitfire's harsh glare. "Take it." She seethed, a little annoyed at the fact that the filly wasn't accepting her amazing offer. She ruffled her wings slightly and shifted her weight. "I may not be an old coot, but my back's not gonna stay like this forever."
The orange filly's eyes grew as wide as the sun Spitfire blocked. "Really?" She whispered. The Wonderbolt captain's eyes blazed and she fought to keep her anger under control. "Yes." She replied, trying to keep her voice even.
Scootaloo gingerly took the costume and felt the fabric beneath her lips. It felt as silky as the stream by Fluttershy's Cottage, as weightless as a cloud. She felt the urge to burst out crying, but it wasn't an option in front of Rainbow Dash and Spitfire. The yellow mare pushed her lightly from behind, and Scootaloo flared her wings in alarm. But when she looked back, the warm, happy gaze of the Wonderbolts team enlightened her and gave the filly new confidence. Soarin's smile was as big as his entire face, and Fleetfoot for once didn't make fun of him. Instead, she smiled as well and winked as the filly turned around. "Good luck." She whispered. Scootaloo smiled, teeth and all, and turned back around when another blinding blast of light snatched her vision. Everypony shut their eyes and flattened themselves to the ground. Even Spitfire was taken aback by the sudden change of scenery and instinctively unfolded her wings and moved into a crouching position. She put her goggles atop her eyes and readied for action.
When the light dimmed, in it's place was none other than Princess Celestia. Her vast snow-white wings were spread and her gaze was steady and regal, and she alighted softly on a cloud that appeared with a glow of her horn. She said nothing, just smiled sweetly and bowed her head slightly. Her horn glowed gold, and at the same time Scootaloo's costume shone with the same brilliant light. It telekinectically moved from her mouth to her body, and when it touched skin the filly was engulfed in light. "Help me!" She cried out, squirming and kicking and trying to get out of the endless cave of light. A calm hoof rested on her shoulder, and once the light cleared Celestia was sitting by her. The alicorn princess conjured a mirror from air and held it in front of Scootaloo's body.
Although it looked large when she held it, the suit fit the filly perfectly, with each seam not too tight, nor too loose. A pair of goggles materialized on her forehead, and so did a small golden cape that folded neatly into a compartment on the back of the suit. Scootaloo felt some moisture in her eye as she remembered she had a crude golden cape, made out of Rarity's scraps and sewn with her sewing machiene when she came over for a sleepover. She would "fly" around her room, making "zzoooomm!" sounds and bouncing off of her bed, holding her front hooves out as if she were really flying. She would always pretend she was Rainbow Dash, racing against a competitor that stood no chance against her raw power and speed. Once she spent weeks and weeks collecting random colors of paper and shredding them before putting the scraps into a burlap sack Applejack gave her when Applebloom had a sleepover. After putting all the remains into the sack (which was slowly falling apart), she invited Rainbow Dash over for what she called "an epic show of how awesome Rainbow Dash is!" The show was held in her bedroom, which barely had enough room for Rainbow Dash to lay down. Little Scootaloo put on her cape and zoomed around the room, jumping from her bed to a old, falling coffee table with ease. This routine went on for a while, and awkwardly Rainbow Dash asked if she could leave and catch up with her later. But Scootaloo begged her to stay, for she was just getting to the best part of her performance.
The very young filly bounced two times on her bed, the springs groaning and threatening to pop. Then she fumbled around for the burlap bag, which she pulled out with a mighty grin on her face. "And now," she exclaimed, "the Sonic Rainboom!" She threw the contents into the air, multi-colored particles floating down like leaves. "Taa-daaa!" She said happily, smiling as big as she could. Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof to get up, but Scootaloo stopped her and said "I'm not done yet!" She donned a sad-looking paper replica of the Best Young Flyer Competition crown and put it on her head, bouncing on her bed without a care. "Yay! Rainbow Dash wins!" She cheered with an invisible crowd. She took a bow by the edge of her bed, but toppled head-over hooves and landed on her rear with a cry. Tears stained her face and Rainbow Dash quickly dashed to her side. "Did you hurt yourself, squirt?" She cooed. Scootaloo sniffed loudly and rubbed an eye, but that only made it cry more. "N-n-n-n-o." She stammered, choking on each letter. "Then what is it, buddy?" Rainbow Dash asked, magenta eyes caring and considerate.
Scootaloo snorted and wailed, a new stream of tears rolling down her cheek. She rubbed her eye vigorously with one hoof and used the other to lift up her depressing cape, which had a huge gaping rip down the middle. "M-m-m-y ca-pe!" She wailed, collapsing into another series of wails and shudders.
Rainbow Dash lowered herself to the dusty, creaky wood floor. She smoothed back Scootaloo's messy mane to reveal the rest of her incredibly tear-ridden face. She smiled and cleaned up the rest of it, straightening the unruly feathers in the fillys tiny wings. "It's okay, sugar-cube." She murmured, lowering her head to Scootaloo's ear. "It'll all be okay."
The cyan pegasus continued murmuring to her, slowly but surely getting the sad filly to calm down. Soon the bright sun went down to make way for Luna'd magnificient moon, and Rainbow Dash had an idea. She nudged Scootaloo gently and picked her up by her tail, getting a small but tired laugh out of the filly. Rainbow Dash deposited her in her bed, moving the uncomfortable, smelly sheets up to her neck. "How about I sing you a lullaby?" She said with a smile. "Fluttershy taught me it, and she said it really helps you get to sleep."
Scootaloo let a single, solumn tear roll down her cheek and she nodded.
Rainbow Dash began her lullaby:
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to go to bed.
Her voice was like silk, flowing over Scootaloo in sheets. By the time she finished, the filly was sound asleep.
She quietly took the crown and cape off her, putting the crown on the table and taking the cape with her as she went out the door. The next day she came over again, this time with a finely sewn golden cape. Rarity had happily made a new one overnight, but added a special embroidery to the back- a patch of Rainbow's cutie mark. Scootaloo teared up again and thanked her a million times, then zoomed around the town thinking she was the coolest pegasus around.
Her eyes couldn't help but cry when Celestia pulled at her heartstrings by giving her a crown. Not a paper one, glued together with tree sap from Fluttershy, but solid gold forged by the royal smiths. "I can't thank you enough!" She said to the princess, admiring her reflection.
The princess smiled and the mirror turned into air. "Oh, I know a way." She reached a hoof out to prod Scootaloo's forehead, but when her hoof met her face her vision fluttered as if Celestia had touched a puddle. Slowly everything darkened, and Scootaloo was left in complete and utter darkness. She felt herself hyperventilating and calling out for the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash and Celestia to come back and tell her that their sudden disappearance was just a joke. "Spitfire! Soarin'! Celestia!" She felt herself crying, not just a few tears but a river. "Come back!"
Suddenly a golden mist flew past her nose and a flame followed. Frightened she looked at her flank and found her Wonderbolts suit turning into flames and flying off her body in a misty smoke. "No!" She wailed. "Please don't do this to me!"
Soon the entire suit was gone, as well as the goggles. But the crown still remained. She felt a little relief, but it was extinguished as the tiniest flame flickered across the topmost area of the crown. "No! Nonononononononono!" She yelled, shielding it with her body. But the invisible fire took hold of it and before she could say anything more it was a thin trail of golden smoke, lazily curling upwards. She tried to jump up and grab some of the mist, but it got higher than the highest hair in her mane in less than a second. Scootaloo grit her teeth and took a great leap into the air, furiously flapping her wings. But on the first upstroke she fell hard onto the ground, and when she tried faster and harder she only got a centimeter off the floor. She flexed them angrily, watching the mist fade into the dark background. "I just learned how to fly, and now you take that away too!" She kicked nothing and collapsed, furious, on the floor. A second later she hopped up, the mist of tears springing up in her eyes.
The filly gnashed her teeth together and she bit her lip to keep the dam in front of the waterfall. "Is there anything else you want to take away frrom me?!" She yelled, resorting to keeping her eyes closed in order to close off the small gap that was releasing a fair amount of water. "I don't have anything else!" She was in a crouching position now, as if she could pounce on all her worries. "Except the fur on my back, I don't have nothing else! I don't even care about these stupid wings!" She felt the once weightless wings on her back turn to lead and her back felt a fewb pounds heavier. "Take them! I don't care!"
She expected a gold mist to float up from her useless wings, but instead she was gripped by an invisible hoof and dragged backwards. She was not a heavy filly, but not very easy to carry, mostly because she always resisted anypony helping her cross a stream or a swamp or whatever would be too big for her to cross. But this hoof had no problem at all dragging her off, and at a very fast pace. She gasped and blinked away the mist from her eyes as the roof of the darkness lit up with a gorgeous display of many colors. She saw the vibrant green of the trees that populated Fluttershy's cottage, coupled with the bright red sheen of Applejack's freshly bucked apples. She saw the dull purple and mahogany of Twilight Sparkle's endless array of books and the luminous yellow of Rarity's newest jewels and gems. She saw the neon orange of the frosting Pinkie Pie occasionally uses for her delicious treats and the deep shades of blue that made up Rainbow Dash's cyan body. The filly felt like she was in a trance; she never wanted to come out.
During the color show various scents wafted into her nose- simple things at first, like dry cake mix and tree sap. Then complex smells came, bringing memories good and sad. The smell of apples being pulverized into sweet, sweet cider at Sweet Apple Acres. She had no choice but to remember when Applebloom invited her over to help with the festivities when Big Macintosh was out in Appleoosa and Applejack was visiting kin in Manehatten. The two had many laughs, but only got half a pint of cider in the container and the rest either on themselves or in their stomachs.
The strong scent of saltwater invaded her senses and Scootaloo was thrust into another memory, this one with Sweetie Belle at Rarity's home. They had already been outside in the rainy, dirty weather and the mud-caked Scootaloo was ordered by Rarity to go upstairs and take a bath. She dejectidly got into the lavish bathroom and turned the faucet, then got in. Not only did the water smell funny, it was also freezing cold. Downstairs in the boiler room Sweetie Belle had replaced the freshwater supply with seawater from a faraway ocean.
She tried not to breathe in the next scent that invaded her nose- the smell of smoke.
She was sucked into another memory. This one was only a few days after she was born.
She saw her parents, two earth ponies, smiling and making funny faces in front of her to make her laugh. Her mother was a pure white mare with a long yellow mane that was usually in one braid and a star as a cutie mark, and her father was a pure black stallion with a mane the color of the moon and a colorful explosion as a cuite mark. As far as she knew, their names were Eclipse and Blackblitz, respectively. She saw them glance up at the sky, which was pitch-black, and smile at one another. A small crowd of ponies, mostly unicorns and earth ponies, gathered around them. A few curious pegasi stayed higher up in case they had to make a quick exit.
Her parents explained that they had co-invented a new contraption they named "fire works." They explained that if one lit a small fuse on one side of a small cylinder, an explosion full of different colors would pop out and ingrave themselves in the sky. A mint-colored unicorn filly with a cutie mark shaped like a harp stepped forward and said that there was no way there could be that big of an explosion inside that little container. While Eclipse didn't mind a friendly challenge, Blackblitz took that as a threat and behind his wife's back opened up the top of the container and added another bagful of their special ingredient- an extremely flammable pebble. He quickly put the lid back on and lit a torch, lighting the small fuze ablaze. It quickly got to the cylinder, and there was a large explosion that did not go into the air but in fact stayed on the ground. Everypony was sent flying, even those who were flightless. She went skidding into a tree, where she hit it so hard a small cut opened up on her back. A little stream of blood came out and she wailed for her mother, who was thrown headfirst into Town Hall. She barreled down two stories before landing hard on the debris littered floor. A long gash opened up half of her face and some of her eye, and her neck was twisted the wrong way. Her chest fluttered once every few minutes, but she did not blink or give any other suggestion that she was alive. Blackblitz was thrown the other way by the blast, crashing into the small stone bridge and tumbling into the river. Once his head hit the stone he was knocked unconcious, and his body made no sound as it fell into the river and was carried downstream.
The little filly cried out again, but nopony came. Across the town her mother faintly heard her cries and she managed a weak smile. "Be brave, Vires." She whispered. Her face contorted in pain and her leg twitched once before she was still.
It would be a week until they found the sobbing pegasus, and many more until they found her parents. When they found her, crying beneath a tree, she said in an almost unaudible tone that she didn't know exactly what her parents looked like or what her name was. The filly spent a month at a foster home, where she found a rusty scooter and began to ride it with ease. They called her Scootaloo from that moment on.
She snapped herself out of the memory and tried to hold her breath so no more could come.
The colors began to dim and the smells became lighter and much less fragrant than before. Scooaloo only got wisps of memories now, not full ones in vivid technicolor. As much as she wanted to get her flying ability, cape, crown, and suit back, she didn't want to leave this tunnel of color, this memory lane. She began to feel the pony pulling her backwards again, but more slowly now. When she looked behind her orange shoulders, there was nothing. The filly gasped slightly, then twisted her head forward again. Now she gasped loudly, for another memory was upon her. But it was not exactly a memory, as it had not happened yet- it was showing Scootaloo her future.
She was in Town Centere, where the orderly line of carts filled to the brim with various fruits and vegetables waited patiently for somebody to come along. But one thing was missing- ponies. It was void of any ponies, whether it be earth, unicorn, or pegasus. Everything was utterly silent.
Suddenly there was a rustling sound in the nearby flower cart and a single bright crimson rose drifted out. A long red tail appeared a second later, followed by a yellow rear. Applebloom tobbled out of the wooden cart, now much older with longer legs and a cutie mark. Scootaloo tried to zoom in on her cutie mark so that she could tell the present Applebloom, but to her anger it was grainy and pixelated. The older Applebloom still had her signiture bow, but on her bigger head it was smaller than the current one. Her mane was longer as well, a deep crimson like the rose.
"Hey, Scootaloo 'en Sweetie Belle! It's al' clear!" The older Applebloom's voice had outgrown its squeakyness and was deeper and smoother.
From an Apple Family cart piled with fresh pies came Sweetie Belle, her mane combed in a way much like her sister Rarity's. She also had a cutie mark, but it was blurred and faint. She wore a golden necklace with a small purple gem the shape of a skinny diamond in the center.
A pie dropped from the cart and Applebloom dashed over and began to pick up the remains. "Honestly, Sweetie," she began, "ya gotta be more careful where ya go."
Sweetie Belle laughed, and to Scootaloo it sounded like the chiming of bells at the royal place. "Honestly, Applebloom, darling," she replied in a voice similar to her laugh, "you must learn how to take a good joke and have a little fun." She then pushed Applebloom's snout into the pie.
"Tha's mot unny!" The earth pony protested around a mouthful of pie. She snapped her head up and shook herself, sending pie crumbs into Sweetie Belle's groomed fur. "Ach! I just had myself bathed!" Sweetie Belle cried. Applebloom smiled as her unicorn friend tried to get all the crumbs out of her mane to no avail.
Scootaloo enjoyed seeing her best friends grown up, but what she really wanted to see was herself.
"Not funny!" Sweetie Belle snorted when she finished. Applebloom was rolling on the ground, laughing until she couldn't breathe. "It-is-funny-when-its-with..." She paused to laugh again. "With-somepony-else!"
Sweetie Belle's face was blank for a moment before she burst out laughing too, and despite her well-groomed mane rolled around with Applebloom.
"Hey! Why wasn't I invited to the party!" A familiar voice called from behind some buildings. From out behind Town Hall a tall orange pegasus with a long purple mane burst out into the open and dived towards the two, a lavender trail following. Scootaloo held her breath as she landed gracefully in the centere, large wings flaring before folding themselves against her lean back. Scootaloo searched for the blurryness on her flank that was signify that she, like her friends, had gotten her cutie mark.
It wasn't there.
Her mouth was almost touching the ground as her future friends circled her with respect. "Tha' was amazin' Scootaloo!" Applebloom cheered, a hoof high in the air. Sweetie Belle was happy as well, but she took one look at her friend and sneered. "Still a blank-flank, Scoots?"
Scootaloo flared her wings defensively and took a step towards Sweetie Belle. She was much taller than her friend, so she easily looked down on her with a look of anger and disbelief.
"I thought we agreed that I wouldn't be called that." She said simply. Sweetie Belle recoiled a bit at her friend's size, but none the less held her head high. "I remember, darling. But I can't be the only one who thinks it's a bit queer that we all have our cutie marks except for you." She retorted.
Scootaloo grimaced and folded her wings again. "That gives you no reason to make fun of me, Sweetie." She replied sadly.
Sweetie Belle laughed and the bells sung. She pointed a hoof at Applebloom watching from the sidelines. "Do you really think she isn't laughing as well, inside her head?"
Applebloom shrunk a little and she looked hopefully at Scootaloo. "Ah really sorry, Scootaloo, but its a little strange. Why, you did tha' barrel-rolly thingamabobber a day ago and yet ya don't got a darned cutie mark yet. I guessin' that you just havent' found ya super special talent yet."
Scootaloo's anger changed to hurt. "Have you not seen my flying? I passed Rainbow Dash and Spitfire! The princess herself even invited me to a race against her! How could flying not be my talent?"
Sweetie Belle smirked and trotted up to Scootaloo. "Maybe you haven't notied, Scoots, but maybe you haven't gotten your cutie mark because you arn't good at flying." She laughed again and whipped her tail across Scootaloo's cheek. It left a long red blister on Scootaloo's suprised face. She felt the welt for a momnet, then turned to Sweetie Belle, who was trotting peacefully off the scene. The pegasus shot forward and grabbed her purple and pink tail and yanked, pulling her fellow Crusader onto her rear. "What in the name of Celestia was that for?" She asked.
Scootaloo fixed her with a hard stare. "When did you turn into a stuckup jerk who insults her best friend?" She retorted.
Sweetie Belle got up and ruffled her mane. "It's not me who is the villain, Scoots. I have just realized that the real world is a tough place, and certainly no place for petty adventures and friends who cannot take a joke." She smiled and waited for Scootaloo to argue.
And argue she did. "Petty? We entered a talent show! We renovated a tree-house! We faced a Cockatrice! Are you calling our adventures as fillies 'petty'?" She shot back.
Rarity's younger sister glared at her. "Of course. We are more mature now, and know that our adventures as the 'Crusader' whatevers were petty and useless." She looked at Applebloom, who was hiding under the Apple Family cart. "At least, most of us."
Scootaloo got a smidge teary eyed at this. "Those adventures shaped us into the mares that we are today!"
Sweetie Belle smiled again. "Yeah. I am an accomplished mare, and you two are stumbing to find your place in Equestria."
At this Applebloom came out to defend herself. "Ya can insult ah as much as ya want, but nopony's gonna insult Scootaloo whilst I'mma 'round." She narrowed her eyes at the unicorn.
Sweetie Belle was about to go on, but Scootaloo decided she couldn't take it anymore and flew away, a tear on her cheek.
The present Scootaloo was thrust out of the memory and before she could think about what had happened she was pulled harshly backwards and out of the tunnel of colors, memories, and future.
Scootaloo was, emotionally speaking, the strongest of the Cuite Mark Crusaders. Rarely did she cry, and it took a lot to do it and only one or two tears were shed. But the overwhelming events of the memories, her meeting the Wonderbolts, and seeing her future all in one broke the filly. She cried, not just a few tears but many. She coughed and wailed and wanted everything back to the way it was before the darkness came, before she was swarmed by memories. "I want to go back to Cloudsdale!" She cried.
Suddenly everything went dark and she lost all feeling in her body.
Scootaloo woke up drenched in sweat and shaking like a dog. Her purple eyes were bloodshot and sobbing and her mane was greasy and frizzy, jutting at random directions. Her wings were ruffled and messy, as well as her bed, which had given up and fell off it's supports. The sad-looking table had also fallen, and her autographed picture of Rainbow Dash had been crushed beneath piles of wood. So had her cape, tangled in some splinters, and the crude crown was speared with a spring from the bed. She looked outside to see the bright blow of Luna's moon and the dark midnight that hung over Ponyville.
It was all a dream.
Scootaloo felt a huge tear roll down her face. She swallowed a wail and smiled sadisticly in spite of herself. Tired of being lied to, she flopped onto her bed, unconcious, and waited for her time to come.
Alternate Epilogue~ Defying Gravity
Note~
I personally felt the ending was a bit too sad, even for my "heart of stone." So for anypony who is also feeling this way, I wrote a happier ending that has a little less crying involved. Liked the original? Don't read this. Didn't like it as much as you had hoped? Here you go. Enjoy~
Scootaloo woke up dripping with sweat and breathing as if she had just raced a marathon. Her eyes were wild, her mane frazzled, her hooves wild as she struggled to remember where she was. Her vision was very hazy and blurry, but before long she was freed of her hanicap. She looked around and saw that she was in Town Centere, surrounded by carts that eagerly awaited to be seen. The filly quickly got to her feet, dizzy at first, but found her footing and inspected her surroundings once more. All the carts were in her dream- the Apple Family Cart, bubbling over with pies, the flower trolley with crimson roses... It was as if she was seeing that awful future again- but for real this time.
There was a rustling by the flower cart and Scootaloo instintively backed away. A single rose fell out, drifting slowly to the dirt bellow, and a much larger one followed. "Wait-" Scootaloo thought to herself- "That's not a flower."
Sure enough a yellow rump toppled out of the flower cart, along with the velvet red tail of Applebloom. Scootaloo felt herself hallucinating as she saw her friend's legs come out- they seemed a bit longer than they were on their last adventure. As she spoke, her mind threatened to collapse on her. Even Applebloom's voice sounded just a pitch lower than last time they saw each other. "Scootaloo? Scoot-scoot-scootaloo?" Applebloom knew that always annoyed her pegasus friend.
The earth pony called a few more times, but did not find Scootaloo's hiding place. "Ya playin' mind games on me Scootaloo?" She asked a peach cart. Unfortunately, it did not answer.
The Apple Family Cart rumbled and a two-toned tail of purple and pink crept out from between two pies. It nudged one over the edge, and Applebloom hurried to pick up the mess. While she was working the rest of Sweetie Belle slid out and landed on her back. The earth pony gasped and began her special self defense maneuver Applejack engraved in her mind- bucking like mad. She bucked the air, the surrounding carts, anything to get her attacker off- whoever it may be. Her strong back legs hit the strong wood of a Soap Stand and it splintered greatly, spilling soap every which way.
On her back Sweetie Belle was yelling at the top of her lungs "stop it, you silly filly! It's just me!" But her friend couldn't hear her over the splintering of wood and the falling of the contents inside the carts that were violently assaulted.
Finally the unicorn filly had enough of this wild ride and she grabbed Applebloom's mane with her hooves. "Woah there cowgirl! It's just me!" She yelled as Applebloom skidded wildly to a stop, almost hitting another unlucky cart. Her bow bounced uncontrollably against the force of her stop, but she quickly moved it back to its original position once Sweetie Belle had gotten off her back. "Sorrah, Sweetie, "Applebloom apologized sulkily, "ah didn't know you was on mai back." She pawed the dirt, embarrassed.
Sweetie Belle wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and began to laugh. It sounded like bells.
"It's okay. Now we just have to find Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle hopped anxiously and winked at Applebloom, who smiled and winked back. They both took a deep breath, and simultaneously yelled:
"SCOOTALOO! SCOOT- SCOOT- SCOOTALOOO!"
The ground seemed to shake and from a cloud high above them a light blue pegasus with a ball of yarn for a cutie mark glared down at the two fillies. "Quiet down!" She screeched, ripping off a piece of cloud and making it into a tight ball. She threw it with amazing force for an old mare, but when it reached the two Crusaders it merely exploded into mist. "Darn you blasted fillies!" She grunted and laid her head back down for another snooze.
The two Crusaders looked at each other and shrugged. They began whispering their friend's name in hope of drawing her out, like you would a mouse with cheese. But their efforts were fruitless- no Scootaloo in sight.
The pegasus filly was in fact hiding behind a building next to the Town Circle. She surveyed it and remembered that her future self had landed just in front of the same exact building.
"Coincidence? I think so." She whispered.
"Ah just heard 'er! Ovah 'ere!"
Scootaloo heard hooves pounding towards her and braced her muscles to run for dear life. But Applebloom was quicker than she, and she was pulled out of her hiding place and into the open. "Whatcha hidin' from, Scootaloo?" The farm pony asked, bracing her own muscles to buck if unnecessary. "Somepony try to hurt yah?"
Scootaloo got to her feet and shook her head. "No no no no no. Nothing's wrong." Her ear twitched and her irises dilated.
Sweetie Belle cocked her head. "You like like you've seen a ghost, Scoots!"
Scootaloo convulsed when she heard the familiar nickname.
"Was it something I said?" The unicorn filly reached out a hoof to help, but Scootaloo hissed and swatted it away.
At this Applebloom narrowed her eyes and stepped up to her poor friend. Scootaloo eyed her and shot out a hoof to attack in her rabid state, but the farm pony's reflexes were quick and she deflected it easily. "Now Scootaloo, Applejack and Big Macintosh always tell me that if any of yah friends are goin' through somethin', you should always lend a helpin' hoof." She smiled and sat down next to Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle cautiously did the same.
"Now what's ya problem?" She asked calmly.
Scootaloo couldn't tell them about her dream. It would give them the same feeling she had- dread, anger that she couldn't change anything. She didn't want her friends to carry that heavy burden.
Applebloom's eyes lit up with understanding and she grabbed one of Scootaloo's wings, which was bent at an odd angle. She must have slept on it that way. "This musta' been from a flyin' accident! Ya still dunno how to fly, do ya Scootaloo?"
Scootaloo couldn't think of a better excuse and she nodded.
The two fillies got up and grinned mischievously. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FLIGHT COACHES!!" They yelled in unison. Another cloud ball from the old mare flew towards them and strings of water vapor flew around their noses. Scootaloo sighed and got up again. "No, it's quite alright. I don't need any- WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" She was interrupted as her friends picked her up and began to climb the summit of the building she hid behind, a Quill and Sofa shoppe. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Flight Coaches, remember?" Sweetie Belle explained, snorting with the effort of carrying the pegasus uphill. "We aren't called that for nothing!"
"Put me down! I don't need flight training!"
Applebloom stopped abruptly at the tip of the building and the other two Crusaders bumped into her. "Really!? Can you show us, Scootaloo?" She pleaded. "Pleasepleaseplease?"
Scootaloo held back a gasp as she looked down the building. It was quite a ways down, and the mark she would leave on the pavement wouldn't be pretty.
"You know, " she flexed her wing and winced slightly, "this bad boy is pretty tired. He doesn't work well under pressure, you know?"
Sweetie Belle looked pretty puzzled, but didn't say anything for a while as she tried to comprehend Scootaloo's excuse. She blinked a few times before shaking her head and turning to Scootaloo with a response. "No, I don't know. We've never seen you fly, Scoots. How do we know you're not lying?" She put extra emphasis on the "ing" in lying.
The pegasus filly felt sweat drizzle her forehead. "Well, Lefty here is exhausted. Right Lefty?" She lifted her wing and talked "Lefty's" voice out of the side of her mouth. "Yeah, I am plum-tucked out. Try again tomorrow."
Sweetie Belle screwed up her face and stomped her hoof. "One, I don't see because I haven't seen you fly yet! And two, how can I believe you, 'Lefty?' Are you a spy?"
Applebloom shoved herself between them. "Girls, girls. No need to fight ovah sucha lil' thing." She turned to Scootaloo and narrowed her eyes. "But ah would like an answer 'bout why yah won't show us." Sweetie Belle looked over her shoulder and nodded solemnly.
Scootaloo knew she couldn't hide it any longer, and her chest was practically bursting from the weight of her lies. "Fine. I'll show you. If you really want to see."
She stepped up to the edge of the building and breathed in the sweet smell of the clouds. It would be her last.
Scootaloo unfolded her wings slowly, and she thought back to the dream. Her wings felt bigger now- not small stumps that lifted her an inch off the ground, but feet off the ground. Miles, even. She let the wind caress her aching feathers. She got ready to jump...
But her friends beat her to it.
There were four hooves on her back, a huge push, and she was off the building. "Help me!" She cried as the ground rushed to meet her. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle yelled some encouragement, but it was caught in the wind and swept away. She wriggled wildly, not knowing what to do at a time like this.
Suddenly heard a voice ring out over the wind- the world seemed to slow in order to hear the words. But it was not her two friends still watching from the building.
"Flap, you featherbrain!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
Scootaloo smeared a look of determination on her face and she flapped her wings once, twice. She didn't move from her flight line, heading towards the ground. She grunted and flapped harder, faster...
And she swooped up from the ground at the last second.
"Scootaloo! You're flying!" Sweetie Belle cheered. "Great job, Scootaloo!" Applebloom joined in.
But she didn't hear their praise as she dived and rolled and enjoyed the feeling of wind in her face. "Am I- I dreaming?" She whispered to herself, looking down her orange wingspan. "I never want to wake up!" She did a loop-de-loop and laughed.
After a while the orange filly landed on the building once again and folded her graceful wings. At once Applebloom ran up to her, followed close behind by Sweetie Belle. "Woah! That was totally amazing, Scoots!" Sweetie Belle clapped. "Yeah, amazin'!" Applebloom chimed in.
She liked the praise, but eagerly Scootaloo was trying to find the pony that saved her life. But Rainbow Dash was no where in sight.
She sighed, shoulders sagging, and turned back to her friends. They chatted like schoolfillies, laughing away, as if everything outside their friendship didn't matter anymore.
