Falling Apart
Scootaloo donned her favorite purple helmet, securing it firmly over her riotous purple mane. She hopped nimbly onto her brand new bright orange scooter, her hooves immediately putting themselves in the perfect position for maximum balance as if she had ridden this scooter a hundred times. With a satisfied grin, she opened her massive wings. The orange mare allowed herself to think back to the good times.
"Come on, Scoot!" Apple Bloom called, looking back over her shoulder. "You kin do it."
Scootaloo looked into the eager amber eyes of her country friend and then met the soft green eyes of Sweetie Belle. The white unicorn nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, come on, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle smiled shyly.
That did it. Scootaloo opened her wings, back then they were still so small. She whipped them back and forth in a frenzy, trying desperately to lift herself even a few inches off the ground. But it was no use. She broke out in a sweat, but still her efforts yielded nothing. "I-I can't", she paned sadly, wings coming to a fluttering halt.
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack called. She stood up on a hill with Winona.
The pale yellow filly started. "Comin', Applejack!" she called up to her big sister. "I gotta go. Zap apples are comin' in soon and Granny Smith wants us all to help set up. Sorry." With that, she turned and trotted up the hill as fast as her stubby legs would take her.
Sweetie Belle's and Scootaloo's eyes tracked their friend until they could no longer see her. Scootaloo hung her head. "Forget it, Sweetie Belle. I'll never be able to fly. Not like Rainbow Dash."
The small unicorn looked at her, a little anxiously. "I don't want you to be Rainbow Dash. I want you to be Scootaloo." She quickly leaned forwards, and kissed her friend on the cheek. Then, blushing furiously, she began backing up. "I have to go." She turned and ran.
Scootaloo grew dizzy. A silly grin took control of her face and her tiny wings buzzed faster than ever. Then, without realizing it, her hooves rose off the ground and she was floating above the flowers.
The pegasus sighed. She wished she could go back to that time, but she knew it was impossible. She pumped her wings once, shooting off like a rocket. Scootaloo zipped down the dirt road, soon arriving in Ponyville. She skidded to a halt in a cloud of dust near Sugarcube Corner. Scootaloo leaned her scooter against the doorframe and trotted inside. She immediately froze.
Apple Bloom heard the bell signaling a customer and turned. Her eyes widened in shock. "S-Scootaloo?" she asked.
Pinkie Pie, behind the counter, perked up. "So, that was two cinnabuns, right? Here you go!" The preppy pink party pony plonked a brown paper bag down onto the counter and accepted the bits Apple Bloom gave her. "Have a super-duper-uper day!"
Scootaloo rubbed one foreleg with the other, trying to avoid her former friend's eyes. "Hey. How's it going with AJ and the rest of the family?" She tried to hide her awkwardness by straightening her helmet.
"Granny Smith died", Apple Bloom said coldly.
Scootaloo looked up abruptly. "I'm sorry to hear that." She was shocked to find that she meant it.
"Yeah, well." Apple Bloom shrugged. She reached up to straighten Scootaloo's helmet for her, but stopped with her hoof halfway there. She dropped it and her eyes found the ground. "Big Mac's settled down with Cheerilee. AJ's still hangin' out with Twilight an' the others, lahk we used to."
The orange Pegasus winced at the mention of the old days, or, as she called them, the good times. "Uh, yeah." Her wings flared briefly.
"Good set of wings on ya", Apple Bloom remarked. "And Ah see ya got yer Cutie Mark. Without us, Ah guess."
She looked at her flank where a purple and pink butterfly rested. She sighed. "Look, this isn't right", Scootaloo said, for the first time looking the earth pony in the eyes. "What happened to us?"
Apple Bloom's eyes hardened. "Ah was hopin' you could tell ME, seein' as it was you who messed it up."
Scootaloo was immediately on the defensive. Her wings shot up angrily, before she could stop them. "Now wait just a minute! You were just as much to blame as I was!" The ding of the customer bell stopped them.
Both mares swiveled their heads to see who had interrupted them. "Sweetie Belle", Scootaloo whispered.
The unicorn's eyes widened, eyes immediately filling with tears. Without saying another word, she turned and cantered back out of the sweet shop.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shot out of the door as one. Scootaloo hopped onto her scooter, opened her wings and shot forwards. Apple Bloom cantered after her. As they chased after Sweetie, Scootaloo was hit by another memory.
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were standing in a meadow full of dandelions. The Pegasus fanned her wings, blowing the seeds everywhere. Sweetie stood by laughing until she got a mouthful of seeds. She giggled and stumbled into Scoots. The two fillies went down in a tangle of limbs and dandelions. They ended up with Sweetie Belle sprawled on top of Scootaloo, looking down at her with both embarrassment and love in her eyes.
Scootaloo reached up a hoof and brushed Sweetie's purple and gray mane out of her vibrant green eyes. Why hadn't she ever seen, really seen, those beautiful eyes before? Without a second thought, she stretched her neck up and kissed the unicorn lightly on the cheek.
She giggled nervously, rolling off of the orange pegasus. "Do you really like me, Scoots?"
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Of course, Sweetie." She winked. "That's why I kissed you."
The pegasus put on a burst of speed and careened in front of the fleeing Sweetie Belle. She spread her wings as wide as they could go and cradled Sweetie Belle in her feathers.
Apple Bloom came up, panting. She jerked her head, indicating them to follow her.
Sweetie Belle practically glued to her side, Scootaloo followed Apple Bloom slowly. Tears came to her eyes when they reached their destination.
The country pony looked back, her own eyes filled with tears. "Ah thought this would be a good place tah tahlk about what happened."
Even Sweetie Belle nodded wordlessly. Scootaloo flew up, hearing the others climb the now worn ramp. She landed silently. It was just as they had left it. Scootaloo looked at the faded paper with slight red X's over all the places in town they had gone to. Weathered, abused pillows filled one corner, tattered blankets and games another.
All three stood side by side, surveying their old clubhouse.