Scootaloo Grows Up

by Saatchi

A Spoiled Occasion

That afternoon in Equestria, the sun beat down on Scootaloo’s orange furred back. The distinct scent of fresh grass wafted into her nostrils, and she casually sniffed the air, drinking in more of natures’ natural aromas. Around her, tiny creatures scurried about, weaving in and out of her legs as they frolicked together. As Scootaloo approached the edge of the Everfree Forest, everything seemed to draw to a standstill. The creatures playing at her hooves scurried away as though trying to hide from the omnipotent presence of the forest. An unidentifiable chill hung in the air, washing over Scootaloo as it crept forth seemingly from the depths of the forest itself. Scootaloo inhaled, the fur on her back and neck starting to stand on end as she took a care, yet shaky step forward.

Her coat brushed up against the dry, crackling weeds that adorned the foreground of the Everfree. She shuddered at the thought of how alone she was, how Apple Bloom wouldn’t be there to help her if she got lost. Her friends would be the only ones who would know of her location, but would they think to look for her? She sighed and looked at the floor; there she saw tiny hoofprints, worming their way into the forest. She held out her hoof and placed it into the print. A perfect match. Though she couldn’t discern between them being Apple Bloom’s or her own, she felt a hint of courage return to her. She didn’t need to remember the route, she could just follow the prints and they’d lead her straight to Zecora’s hut.

Sure it wasn’t a perfect plan, but it eased her nerves, hoping that this could get her to where she needed to be and with minimal fuss too. She kept her gaze on the prints and took a few more steps into the forest, each time making sure her hoof fit in to the print. She took a few more steps, until she worked out the pattern of the hoof prints, and felt herself starting up a stride. The further into the forest she went, the darker it got, and the darker it got, the harder it became to see those prints. Scootaloo began to squint, just missing the next print in the trail by a few millimetres, starting to veer off the track, little by little. Her head bumped into something soft and smooth, and she stopped dead, her head still gazing at the floor as she daren’t look up.

She remained stood there for what seemed like an eternity, but once she noticed that she wasn’t being mauled or growled at, she begun to lift her head. A brown hooded cloak covered the body of the creature that she had rear ended. She lift her head higher still, now coming to rest on the hood that hid the face of the creature. A black and white striped snout poked out from the shadows that the hood created, causing Scootaloo to breathe a sigh of relief, chalking this one encounter up to luck.

“Zecora!” exclaimed Scootaloo ecstatically.

“Scootaloo I do believe, is it herbal tea you’ve come to retrieve?”

“Yeah, the sooner I get this tea, the sooner I can get out of here,” replied Scootaloo, as she casually checked over her surroundings.

Zecora put up her hood and gestured towards a path leading off from the clearing. “Through here is the way, but are you sure you will not stay?”

“I promised the others I’d be back as quickly as I can, so I can’t hang around. Though, where did you leave the tea? Or for that matter, what am I looking for?”

“Next to my cauldron are some bottles of blue…hm, maybe I should come with you?”

Scootaloo ignored that particularly broken rhyme and shook her head. “No, it’s fine, so it’s just a blue bottle next to your cauldron? Easy!”

Before Zecora could speak another word, Scootaloo raced off into the distance, her little filly form, disappearing into the darkness.

As she approached the hut, the darkness around her began to fade, bathed in an ominous mix of yellows and greens. Scootaloo was pleased to see the back of the darkness, for the time being at least. Scootaloo drew closer to Zecora’s hut, catching glimpses of the familiar interior through the windows. She took one last look at the surrounding area before reaching out a hoof to the door; she tapped against the wood, expecting to hear Zecora’s reply from the other side. Instead she was greeted with silence, given that she had just met the zebra in the forest. The door let out a loud, dry creak as it swung open on its makeshift hinges. An empty cauldron sat at the centre of the room, and on a stool next to it, sat two blue potion bottles.

Scootaloo approached the stool, eyeing up the two bottles, he eyes flitting from one to the other. “Hm, I guess this is why Zecora wanted to come back too…”

The two bottles were exactly the same, square based, about five inches tall and corked with a glass stopper that matched the blue exterior of the bottle. They stood there, one of them containing the tea that Scootaloo came to collect, the other containing some completely unknown substance. Scootaloo approached the bottles, eyeing them up, almost as if she expected them to spring to life and reveal which one was the one she needed. Alas, no such event came to pass; instead they stood defiant, leaving Scootaloo to work out a more reasonable solution. It occurred to her that she could just take the bottle back to Zecora, but she’d be damned if she was going back out into that forest without the intentions of leaving it straight away.

She pondered a little longer, still engaged in a staring contest with the inanimate bottles. She was looking for some way to tell them apart without tasting them. Looks weren’t going to help, she was unlikely to be able to hear a difference, nor could she feel a difference. That just left her sense of smell, and it showed promise. She took the first bottle in her hooves, and gripped the stopper between her teeth. She eased out the stopper and a bitter scent poured out from the neck of the bottle. She inhaled it deeply, and recoiled in disgust, there was no way this was the tea, she just couldn’t drink something as bitter as this. She quickly slipped the stopper back in and held her hooves against her snout, waiting for the scent to dissipate. She placed the bottle on the stool and picked up the other bottle. She repeated the previous process and sniffed the contents of the bottle. A luscious, gentle scent poured into her nostrils, smothering the insides like a blanket of smooth velvet. She sighed as she inhaled more, becoming intoxicated just from this delectable aroma.

She regrettably placed the stopper back into the bottle and sighed once more. She had the tea, now all she needed to do was bring it to her friends, and they could get this party over with. She headed back to the door, and slipped outside. The door eerily shut itself, groaning with a familiar creak, as Scootaloo began to walk back to where she had found Zecora. She felt oddly confident on the walk back, maybe it was the fact that she never had to come here again, or maybe she was just feeling smug for solving such a complex situation by herself. She didn’t care, she just trotted along, ignoring all the sounds that came from deeper into the forest, and before she knew it, she was basking in the afternoon sun. With the bottle still clamped tightly between her teeth, she continued her easy pace, taking care to be wary of any sort of pratfall that might cause her to spill the liquid.

Ponies that passed her gave her strange glances, some even pondering whether or not to seize the bottle from her, just in case it was a dangerous substance. Thankfully she didn’t happen upon any ponies that would have acted out this moral obligation, and her journey back to Sweet Apple Acres was largely uninterrupted. She did occasionally stop to remove the bottle from her mouth, allowing her jaw some time to rest and readjust before she popped the bottle back into her maw and set off, once more.

Upon returning to Sweet Apple Acres, she found her friends already there, eagerly anticipating her arrival. She was guided back to the barn, where upon seeing the decorations Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had put up, her jaw would have dropped, was it not currently being stretched by the bottle. She was led over to a small, makeshift, table, where she popped the bottle from her maw, and placed it onto the table. Her friends then gathered around the table, eyeing up the bottle with the same suspicious stare that Scootaloo had given it, minutes earlier.

“Would you be so kind as to pour the tea, Apple Bloom?” requested Sweetie Belle, putting on her best class act.

“Why certainly, mah dear Sweetie Belle, Ah’d be delighted!” replied Apple Bloom, her thick southern accent bleeding into her classy tone.

She proceeded to remove the stopper from the bottles, discarding it to one side, before picking up the bottle. She tipped the bottle towards Scootaloo’s cup, serving to her left, as was a dinner, and by association tea, party custom. What flowed from the bottle was a grey, gloopy, liquid; it flowed sluggishly from the bottle, roiling in the cup as the flow prevented it from settling. That familiar, warm, velvety scent assaulted Scootaloo’s senses once more; she felt a soft smile worm its way across her lips.

As Apple Bloom continued to pour the ‘tea’ for her friends, and then finally herself, the pungency of that intoxicating aroma had increased tenfold. Though it appeared that only Scootaloo was basking in it, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both shared a look of pure distaste. The two fillies pushed their cups away, looking at Scootaloo, expecting her to do the same.

“Are you sure you got the right bottle?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Of course I’m sure! Can you not smell that? Doesn’t it smell good?” replied Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shook their heads, vigorously. They had no idea what she was talking about, this stuff didn’t have a scent, it was completely odourless, and it looked quite disgusting frankly. They couldn’t understand what it was that Scootaloo smelt or how in Equestria she wasn’t repulsed by the sight of the gelatinous goop.

“So I guess you won’t be drinking yours then?” asked Scootaloo, her eyes staring hungrily at the discarded cups.

“No,” they replied in unison.

That was all Scootaloo needed to hear, she downed the contents of her cup in seconds, putting it aside and desperately grabbing for the others. Her friends just watched on in amazement at what her friend was ingesting.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the farmyard, Applejack was chatting with a wealthy stallion, closing in on a very sweet business deal. Filthy Rich, as he was known, had brought his daughter, Diamond Tiara, who in turn had brought her closest associate, Silver Spoon. The economics of apples and businesses associated with apples, failed to impress Diamond Tiara, and she took every possible opportunity to voice her displeasure.

“Can we go yet? I didn’t ask to be brought out here, especially to this place. It’s dirty, and boring, why couldn’t you have made a business deal at the spa?”

Applejack felt her ear twitch, her brow furrowed a little with rage, as she led the party to the orchard. She just had to keep calm for a few moments longer, she was mere seconds away from securing a wealth of money from one industrial batch of apples, and this brat was not going to ruin it. She forced a smile as she ignored the impudence that spouted from the pink demon in disguise. She passed by the barn, and thankfully, by some divine intervention, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stopped to peek inside.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here…” uttered Diamond Tiara, in a chilling, yet menacing tone of voice.

“Is this supposed to be a tea party?” scoffed Silver Spoon.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo made eye contact with the two new arrivals, and froze in place, their expressions one of complete confusion. Apple Bloom was last to make eye contact with the two fillies, she turned herself around so very slowly, wishing that with every second she took, the more she hoped it was a dream. Unfortunately for her, once she turned herself around fully, she realised it was no dream.

“Well look who it is! If it isn't Apple Bumpkin herself, what business do you have ruining such a fancy pastime?” snapped Diamond Tiara.

“Aww what's the matter? Don't you get tea parties?” sneered Silver Spoon, in response to Sweetie Belle’s look of confusion.

Scootaloo wasn’t going to sit back and let them hurl insults at the trio; she was going to do something about it. Her tiny wings fluttered and she leapt up from her standing position, her teeth bared. She rushed forward, but in her haste, caught herself on the table, knocking it over, sending the cups, and the contents of the bottle, hurtling towards the floor. Scootaloo herself landed face first in the dirt floor of the barn, a few straws of hay becoming entwined in her mane. Of course Silver Spoon burst into a laughing fit, stopping shortly after, as she saw Diamond Tiara kept her cold, stony faced disposition.

“Look what you’ve done, Klutzaloo! You've managed to make this sorry attempt at class even worse thanks to your clumsiness!” jeered Silver Spoon.

It was at this moment, Filthy Rich popped his head around the door, along with AJ’s, a concerned look upon her face. Upon seeing Rich’s child and her plus one she breathed a sigh of relief, calming ever so slightly before realising how much of a prat Diamond Tiara actually was. She had almost cost her that deal, wandering off like that, and if something had happened to her, well she could be certain that the Apple family weren’t going to be living at Sweet Apple Acres anymore.

“Oh there you are, come on I’ve just finished here. If you’re quick I might see about getting you a session at the spa, seeing as how you wanted it so much,” insisted Filthy Rich, bringing his head back outside.

Diamond Tiara gave Apple Bloom a look that told her she wasn’t going to live this down anytime soon, and then trotted off to join her father, with Silver Spoon in hot pursuit. The trio of fillies sat in stunned silence, their worst fears had become reality, and for them, life was pretty much over. Scootaloo groaned on the floor, her face still planted upon the ground, her body squeezed together, like an accordion. Apple Bloom blinked, her jaw slack and wide open, and surprisingly it was Sweetie Belle that broke the silence.

“That could have gone better…”

Scootaloo groaned again, whether it was a response or just discomfort, that was yet to be known. She pulled her head from the floor and sat back on her haunches, clutching her stomach, in what would appear to be, agony.

“Oooh, my stomach hurts…” moaned Scootaloo.

“Ah knew somethin’ was wrong with that tea, ya shouldn’t have drunk it. Ah reckon ya best head home, git some rest, see if ya feel good tomorrow.”

Without another word, Scootaloo got to her hooves and left the barn, groaning one final time before she left. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at one another, trying to decide if they should continue to discuss the bullies, or if they should follow after Scootaloo. The answer was kind of a no-brainer really, Scootaloo wasn’t herself, and walking home alone was probably the worst thing she could do right now. The two of them rushed off to aid Scootaloo, whilst in the back of their minds; they hoped that she was going to be alright.