Their Beginning

Scootaloo's POV ________________________________________________________________________________

*Standard disclaimer: This is nonprofit fan work.  My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright of Hasbro, Inc.  I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.*

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The orange filly smiled wickedly, staring down from her step-stool on what used to be her idol. "Hey Dash," she began, "remember when you said you'd be there for me? When you said you'd help me fly?" she chuckled softly and continued again, "how are you going to help me fly and achieve something I've dreamed of when you can't even fly for yourself? Huh? Answer that for me, Dash."

The filly shook the cyan mare violently, her smile fading as her idol still lay there unconscious. "Wake up you scum! Wake up!" she screamed at the pegasus, the soundproof room around her silencing any noise for the ponies outside couldn't hear it.

Just then, two fillies, one being a yellow earth pony and the other a white unicorn, trotted in the room, closing the door behind them. "Is she awake yet?" the earth pony spoke.

"Not yet. So much for the bravest pony in Equestria," the orange pegasus spoke, her short purple mane barely moving as she shook her head in disgust.

"Don't ya start sayin' that now, Scoots. You adored Rainbow," the yellow filly pointed out.

"Yeah! You wouldn't be saying that if she had taken you to Manehattan with her," the white unicorn added.

Scootaloo retorted, "Shut up, Apple Bloom! You too Sweetie Belle!" she picked up a small scalpel from a silver metal tray nearby and held it to Apple Bloom's neck before turning around again, flexing her wings. "She failed and she left me. So now," she placed the scalpel against the left side of Rainbow Dash's flank, making a circle around her cutie mark. "She'll pay the price for it," she then began to pull it off, blood occasionally spewing out onto Scootaloo's coat, but she hadn't got a care in the world. Some blood would drip down slowly onto the sheet-less operating table beneath her. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at each other skeptically, keeping their mouths shut from there.

Rainbow Dash stirred, looking at the young pegasus by her flank. "Oh my Celestia!" she squeaked, a small trail of blood seeping down her thigh and onto the operating table she was strapped to. "Scoots, what are you-" Dash cringed as Scootaloo yanked the remaining parts of her cutie mark from her flank, a loud yelp came from her along with a single tear falling from her cheek. "Agh! It burns!" she yelled out after Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom squeezed some lemon juice onto the fresh wound. Thrashing uncontrollably to avoid the immense pain again, Rainbow kicked one of the younger fillies in the jaw, sending them to the ground. She sat up as best as she could, and, to her horror, Scootaloo sat atop of her.

"Hello Dashie. It's time to die," said a sadistic Scootaloo as the scalpel came into contact with Rainbow's neck, leaving a thin gash. Blood flow and spewed from the cyan pegasus' neck, splattering Scootaloo's orange coat and purple mane. She sat there, watching her idol's life be taken slowly with a sinister smile spread across her muzzle.

The image began to fade away as Scootaloo awoke in her bed. She slowly opened her dark purple eyes, staring up at her cloud ceiling before rolling lazily onto her stomach and groaning loudly into her Rainbow Dash pillow. She then sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hooves and slid out of bed, stretching her wings and walking over to the mirror. "Another one of those dreams. When will they end?" she asked herself in the mirror. Dark circles lay under her eyes as she gazed at herself for another long minute before combing her mane and walking out her room.

*      *      *

The two other Cutie Mark Crusaders awaited for Scootaloo's arrival outside the clubhouse. Suddenly, she burst through the bushes with her scooter at top speed and skid to a halt just before she hit the ramp to get into the clubhouse. "Sorry I am late," Scootaloo said in a hushed tone before removing her helmet and placing both her scooter and helmet underneath the ramp. She trotted slowly up the ramp, her head and tail hanging.

"Hey Scoots, ya alright?" Apple Bloom asked curiously as she came up behind the down pegasus.

"Oh, yeah, uhm, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Scootaloo managed before taking a seat.

"It was another dream, wasn't it?" Sweetie Belle questioned, taking a seat next to the orange filly.

With a long sigh, she nodded. A shiver of fear and thrill coursed through her body. She was confused as to why it made her feel so, well, odd. She shook off the feeling and looked at Sweetie Belle. "It's fine though, as long as it doesn't actually happen, I'll be okay," Scoots said in a reassuring voice. I don't think I even can believe my own words. Scootaloo thought to herself. I want to keep everyone around me safe, but are these dreams going to happen?

Apple Bloom studied the pegasus quietly. "Are ya sure ya believe yourself, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo has always hated being questioned. Out of instinct, she said defensively, "Of course I'm sure! I mean, why would I kill anypony?!"

Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were taken aback by the sudden outburst from Scootaloo. With a sorrowful look, Scootaloo stood, shook her head, and trotted out of the clubhouse. Before they knew it, Scootaloo was speeding back into Ponyville.

"That was odd," Sweetie Belle spoke after several silent moments.

"You're tellin' me. Ah don't think Ah've ever seen Scootaloo so upset with herself. Do ya think...?" Apple Bloom's voice trailed off as the two young fillies began to question their dear friend and fellow crusader.

"No, of course not. Scootaloo wouldn't harm a fly, Apple Bloom. She may not be acting like herself lately, but that doesn't give us any right to judge our friend," Sweetie Belle replied with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

Apple Bloom looked at her friend and shook her head, her red mane and pink bow moving with her. "Ah sure hope you're right Sweetie, or we might lose our friend because of this."

Sweetie Belle nodded her agreement before she trotted back inside the clubhouse, touching her chin with her hoof deep in thought.

*   *   *

Scootaloo sped through the small town of Ponyville skillfully on her scooter, flapping her wings as fast as she can. She jumped over a barrel with a large jump, barely sticking the landing. Her head was unraveling questions faster than she could think or answer for that matter. "Why me?" she asked herself, not paying much attention to her surroundings. She couldn't help but start crying. Scootaloo was officially out of it. Almost on cue, she crashed into a cart of apples being pulled along by Big Macintosh. Rubbing her head as she lay flat on her back with her scooter wrecked, she rubbed her head and blood was on her hoof when she looked at it. "Sorry Big Mac, I'm just out of it," Scootaloo dismissed herself before Big Mac could say anything and, picking up her totaled scooter and placing it on her back, she continued her journey to the place she went to in order to think.

*   *   *

With a heavy heart and deep breath, Scootaloo placed her scooter next to her and looked over the cliff. "Why can't I dream like a normal filly can? Why can't I be like Dash? Be fast and unbeatable? I just want to be anyone but my flightless self," she sobbed softly, curling up into a ball of shame and despair by the cliff's edge. Tears of hopelessness and unsatisfied thoughts were soaking the grass her head lay upon, her depression deepening.  "I want to be special. Unique. Different. How can I be that without being able to fly like a normal pegasus?"

Suddenly, Scootaloo had a realization. After three long, unsuccessful years of trying to obtain her cutie mark and know her sole purpose in life, she knew what she'd do. Maybe, just maybe, she'd kill animals. Not Fluttershy's, oh no no, just a random animal to see if she gets an adrenaline rush. If that all works out, she'll move up gradually. With a small possibility, she'd get the other crusaders to join her in her quest of hunger and destiny finding. She sat up, wiping the remaining tears from her face with her foreleg and stood as tall as her frame could manage. She outstretched her small wings and, with a small but evil grin, she dove down the cliff, frantically flapping her wings. With much effort, she was flying. Flying away from everything. Something in her gut was tugging her back and she retreated to the cliff side just before her wings gave out. "I'll practice every day...until I am good enough to fly a vast distance," she muttered to herself.

Catching site of a small forest creature, she gave chase to it. Catching it, she snapped its bones, one by one, watching its facial expression change every time she did. She found a shard of glass and, walking back over with the squirrel in her jaw, she tied its limbs to sticks with some vines after embedding the sticks deep into the ground. Using the shard of glass, she cut an "I" shape on the squirrels stomach. Opening the flaps slowly, she could see the poor animals heart racing. Seeing this, it made hers race, too. Not out of fear, but from an abnormal adrenaline rush. She peeled the flaps all the way off and, poking around on the inside of the squirrel, she ripped out what appeared to be a kidney. She continued ripping out organs and examining them with a close eye before burying them in a hole she dug nearby. She had one organ left. The heart. With a evil grin, she broke the rib cage protecting the vital organ and, with a swift movement, she removed the heart from the animal. It lay the limp now, lifeless and blood coating the grass around it. Scootaloo laughed at it and threw the corpse over the cliff into the crashing waves and razor sharp rocks below. She felt a new feeling bloom inside of her as she looked at her blood coated hooves. It was a new beginning for the small filly.

*   *   *

Flapping lazily back to her home after leaving her scooter purposefully at the cliff, she finally arrived back at her home. She trotted into her restroom and a new wave of happiness coursed through her veins and a mischievous smile was spread across her muzzle as she looked at her reflection. She turned on the water for her shower. The water fogged up the mirror as she stepped in, soaking before she washed her mane and coat with a thick lather of soap. She washed off and stepped out, grabbing her towel with her teeth and drying herself as she walked to her room. Brushing her mane on the way to the kitchen, she set her purple brush down on the table and pulled out a pre-made lettuce sandwich from her fridge. "I deserve this, as a reward," she said to herself. She bit into it, enjoying her meal and savoring every bite. She finished, having a glass of water and retreating to her room. Exhausted, she climbed into her bed and lay there peacefully, nothing clouding her mind. She pulled the covers over her body and up to her muzzle, shutting her eyes and seeing darkness. A smile of joy spread across her face before she let sleep envelope her in its trap and take her to her dream world. Then, as if on cue, where she left off in the dream she awoke from so frightened from came back. Instead of it being Rainbow Dash she was taking the life of, it was Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara and a sinister smile was spread across her newly found purpose.