I Wanna Be The Mare!: The Movie: The Game: The Fanfic

by Grandosco

Chapter 2: Schoolhouse Rock

Everypony was understandably in shock. Some were staring at the last place Princess Celestia had been standing, mouths agape, not even blinking at what had transpired. Some ponies had fainted, others sat down and weeped silently. None could truly put the words together to describe how horrible what had just happened was. Where Celestia had been was now nothing more than fine red mist coating the ground in front of them, and a single, lone “giant cherry,” as she had said with her last words. It looked so innocent now, sitting there motionless, unassuming. It was hard to believe such a small thing could cause such wonton death. One touch, and boom! Celestia had erupted in a shower of crimson, not even leaving her crown or golden shoes behind. Nothing remained.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were more confused at the moment than scared.

"Where'd the Princess go?" asked Apple Bloom, "One minute she was there... and now... she's just gone?"

"I think that giant cherry thing had something to do with it," Sweetie Belle said, "Once it touched her, she kind of... exploded."

"No way..." Scootaloo said in disbelief, "That was... awesome!"

"What?!" said the other two fillies in unison.

"No no, listen! Giant cherries that make ponies explode when they touch them? That's so hardcore!"

"Princess Celestia just goes kaboom in front of yer eyes, an' all you can think about is how 'hardcore' it is?" Apple Bloom said, poking her friend with a hoof.

"Well, isn't it? I'm sure the Princess isn't dead or anything. She's been through much worse things than having a fruit fall on her. What I wanna know is where to find this 'The Mare' character. She seems like she's got a lot of power in her hooves." Scootaloo's friends looked on, not sure what to make of what was coming out of their orange companion. "But don't get me wrong! She's obviously using her powers for evil! If I had that kind of power... I would use it for the good of Equestria! Think of what I could accomplish! I could even get my cutie mark! I wonder what it would look like...?"

As Scootaloo pondered this mystery, another strange light appeared before the ponies of Ponyville. This time, however, it did not bring with it Celestia or the voice of The Mare. It began as a tiny dot in the middle of the air, but it soon grew to a large spherical orb of brightness. It made no sounds, and then there also appeared on the ground below it a sign. The sign read "The World of The Mare. Enter if you think you have what it takes!"

Some townsponies took one look at the sign and the orb hanging shortly above the ground and spat at it. They trotted off, not knowing what to do next. With their leader and their only hope for success, the Elements of Harmony, gone, there was little else to do but move on and hope for the best. Scootaloo saw this, and was rather surprised at this apparent lack of care.

"What... what are the other ponies doing?" she asked her friends.

"Looks like they're all goin' back home," Apple Bloom responded, "Maybe we should too..."

"Maybe without somepony to lead them, they're unsure of the future," Sweetie Belle suggested.

"But... they don't look like they're going to challenge The Mare! If we don't do something, Equestria will be ruined!" Scootaloo pointed out, "They're being total wusses and letting The Mare do whatever she wants! The only pony with some backbone around here was Rainbow Dash! But... she's not here now..." Scootaloo said, looking at the ground and poking at it.

"It all looks so hopeless..." Apple Bloom remarked.

"Hmm..." Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin.

"What is it, Scootaloo?" asked Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo raised her head up and suddenly puffed out her chest, as well as getting a strange look in her eyes.

"...I'm gonna beat The Mare..." she said plainly.
It took a moment before her friends registered what she had said.

"Have you gone completely loopy Scootaloo?!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"I will confess you've had some pretty irrational thought processes before, but this one takes the metaphorical cake," Sweetie Belle said.

"I've never been more sure of something in my entire life," pronounced Scootaloo proudly. "Equestria is about to be run over by some creeper with gigantic fruit that make ponies explode, and that was only the first thing Celestia said The Mare is capable of! If I let her do anything else like that to anypony else... I'm not sure if I can handle that. She needs to be stopped, and now! These ponies aren't going to do anything, so it might as well be me! I don't know about you guys, but I'm going in there. I don't care what's waiting for me on the other side, but I know that The Mare is in there somewhere, and she's going to regret messing with Equestria! I'm going to take her crown and become The Mare myself! Then I'll use all of that power for good!"

She had rendered Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nearly speechless.

"I don't know what to say," said Sweetie Belle, sitting down.

"Are y'all sure about this, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Like I said, never more sure in my life, guys. Don't worry, I can do it. You need to stay here. After all, only one pony can stand a chance against The Mare."

"What if it's not you?" Sweetie Belle pondered.

"Then send another pony after me. I think this is what Celestia meant when she said that numbers were our best bet. If we go through all of Equestria, there's bound to be somepony who can do it. But you don't need to worry, 'cause it's gonna be me. I'll become The Mare, and then we'll all throw a party, and go home happy. Sound good?"
Her friends sat on that question for a while, and finally agreed.

"That does sound nice." Sweetie Belle broke the silence.

"It's settled then. If I fail, then you guys go round up every pony you can. One way or another, we'll take this 'The Mare' down! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS-" she put her hoof up in front of them. They looked at it, then each other, and nodded.

"THE MARE DETHRONERS!" they all finished together with a round of hoof-bumps.

After that, the CMCs went to get some gear for Scootaloo's journey. Scootaloo brought her goggles, her CMC cape, and her trusty scooter. Apple Bloom filled a saddlebag with safe, non-pony-exploding apples and some zap-apple jam for food. Sweetie Belle took the comfiest blanket she could find from Rarity's boutique, to remind Scootaloo of home while she was gone, as well as keep her warm at night. As she was leaving her sister's shop, she wondered if she would ever see Rarity again. She decided that she would believe in Scootaloo; that the young pegasus would rescue her sister from the clutches of The Mare. It was all she could do but hope and help her friend as much as possible.

After gathering the supplies, the CMCs met up back at the glowing orb that would take Scootaloo to The World of The Mare.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," said Apple Bloom.

"Nah," replied Scootaloo, "this is 'see you later once I become totally awesome and stuff.'"

"Yeah! That's right!" Apple Bloom smiled and agreed.

"That's a good way of thinking about it," Sweetie Belle decided.

"The Mare will never know what hit her!"

"Yeah!" they all yelled in unison. Then Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave their friend the supplies that they obtained from their homes.

"Thanks guys, you're the best." Scootaloo said, donning her goggles and hopping on her scooter.

"Don't forget to write!" Apple Bloom said jokingly.

"And make sure to change your underpants every day!" Sweetie Belle added. The other two looked at her with cocked eyebrows. "What?" she asked.

"Never mind," Scootaloo and Apple Bloom responded.

"All right, The Mare, I'm coming for you! Look out, 'cause Scootaloo's in town!" With a last look at her friends, Scootaloo revved up her small wings and propelled herself forward on her scooter, straight towards the portal to The World of The Mare. There was no turning back now. She closed her eyes as she sailed through the glowing sphere...

And so it was.

~Long ago, "The Mare" left world and retreat to "Cavern of Doom." Now young Filly goes to defeat "The Mare" and become "The Mare" with her scooter and stuff given to her by crusaders. She goes to collect the 8 "units." Go Scootaloo! Become "The Mare!"~

Current equips:
Scooter
Goggles
CMC Cape
Saddlebag
Zap-apple Jam
Safe delicious apples
Comfy blanket
Ridiculously tiny wings

- - -

What Scootaloo saw when she opened her eyes was not what she expected The World of The Mare to look like. There were rolling green hills, puffy white clouds, and fruit trees growing all over the place. Although she didn't exactly feel terrified, she knew not to trust everything she saw, especially those trees. She scooted along, looking every which way, expecting for something to come flying at her at any moment. There was no trail here, so scooting was a bit tougher than the road she was used to. Needing to propel herself along with her wings was making her tired with the thick grass, but she didn't want to stop. There was no time to waste!

"Where are you The Mare?!" she cried. She waited for a response, but she was met with only silence. "Well, I understand if you're too scared to come out and face me!" she tried taunting. Still nothing. She noticed she was coming up to an orchard of those giant cherry things, and looked to see if there was a way around them. As she scanned the horizon in every direction, she could see nothing but those trees. She bit her lip at realizing what that implied. She stopped in front of the edge of the orchard.

As far as she could tell, there was nothing special about the fruit that hung down. They looked like normal fruit, but giant. Now that she looked closer, they did resemble cherries more so than apples.

"So these are the deadly fruit, huh?" she said aloud to herself. She took a single apple out of her saddlebag. "Let's see how deadly they really are." She tossed the apple at the closest giant cherry she could see. The apple connected, and both fruit fell to the ground with a double thud. "Hmm..." She stepped off of her scooter and walked slowly over to her apple. It had landed directly under the tree, where there were several other giant cherries left hanging. She looked up at a cherry growing just above her.

"I wonder if I..." she put a hoof out, directly under the delicious fruit. The cherry immediately plucked itself off the tree and descended at a severely gravity-defying rate, nearly hitting Scootaloo's hoof. She quickly withdrew it. Had she not been looking, it would have gotten her for sure. The cherry left a sizable circular crater in the ground where it landed, but it appeared unharmed itself, glinting peacefully in the sunlight.

"Woah! That was close!" Scootaloo realized that Celestia had not been exaggerating about the fruit's penchant for destruction. She began to reach for her tossed apple, there being no other giant cherries above it. She picked it up and put it back in her saddlebag. Just then, a wind started blowing across the orchard. At first, Scootaloo didn't make much of it, but then she noticed that some of the cherries on the trees ahead were starting to fall off... and began rolling towards her!

"Crud! Gotta go fast!" Scootaloo said aloud. She hopped back onto her scooter and started racing at an angle across the orchard. She was flapping her little wings as fast as she could manage, barely being able to dodge the fruit that were falling directly behind, in front of, and to the sides of her. Zigging and zagging through the grove, always keeping her eyes aimed up, and predicting the path of the giant cherries. Left! Right! Sideways! Stop stop stop! Some fruit were falling even before she was under their trees. Before she knew it, there was a certifiable avalanche of red, plump cherries chasing her across this weird forest. The sound of falling fruit combined with the flood behind her was making a deafening racket. She was tempted to cover her ears, but letting go of the scooter now would mean certain doom...

Wings exhausted, Scootaloo was nearing the end of her rope. How long had these things been chasing her? How much longer could they chase her for? But to her relief, she spied a clearing ahead. Maybe she could move faster and lose them there? She pushed her wings to the limit and sped ahead a little.

"Almost there... come ooooon! YES!" she cried as she finally erupted past the last trees in the grove, who loosed their fruit as she approached and plunged them into the ground as she scooted between them. She felt the wind they produced as they fell close to both of her sides.

"Too close..." she sighed. As she scooted on, she noticed a significant lack of avalanche-of-death sound. She risked a glance back, and noticed, much to her relief, that the giant cherries had stopped following her. She let out a gasp as she collapsed onto the grassy plain.

"Ugh... I'm never... eating cherries... again..." She took a few minutes to regain her stamina, and had a look around. The area was still full of rolling hills, but she tilted her head when she saw a familiar building just about 50 yards away.

"The... schoolhouse? What's that doing here?" she asked no one in particular. She decided to investigate, so she grabbed up her saddlebag, wiped the sweat from her brow, and scooted over the see what this was about.

From what she could tell, it looked perfectly like her schoolhouse back in Ponyville. The playground in back, the front entrance, the walls, everything was the same. She was hesitant, but decided to open the door. It submitted to her hoof with a squeaaaaak. Well, nothing deadly so far... She creeped into the building, not sure what to expect. No fruit, no spikes, and certainly not the moon, so she dared venture further. As she passed the threshold, she heard the squeak again and looked back quickly. She narrowly missed being impaled by several spikes that had spontaneously grown out of the door while she wasn't looking and tried to slam into her.

"Geez!" she said, jumping back, "Now that's just unfair!"

"Nopony said life was going to be fair, Scootaloo! ~♪"

The voice took Scootaloo by surprise, and she turned back just in time to see a familiar purple and pink tail slide into a classroom further down the hall. Her classroom.

"Could it be?" Scootaloo asked herself. She decided to go further down the hall, but thought better than to use her scooter. It wasn't allowed in the hallway in school anyways. She pulled her ride across the floor instead. She reached the door, double and triple-checked for spontaneous spike growth, and opened the door when it looked safe. She entered without incident, but was shocked with what she saw.

"M-Miss Cheerilee? What are you doing here? This place is dangerous!" Scootaloo said, coming face to face with her teacher from back home. Miss Cheerilee looked as chipper as always, face aglow with passion for teaching young fillies and colts about the ins and outs of Equestria. She was always so sweet and nice, Scootaloo and the other students really couldn't ask for a better teacher than her.

"You're early for class, Scootaloo. ♪" Cheerilee said happily, "We're doing a different sort of lesson today. It's about this place, The World of The Mare! ♪"

"Uhh... alright, but that doesn't answer my question... ma'am." Scootaloo added.

"I'm here because you're here, my wonderful pupil! ♪ I'm here to teach you everything you need to know about this place. So just take a seat, and we'll begin the lesson! ♪" Cheerilee said, happiness bouncing off of every syllable of every word.

Scootaloo was understandably suspicious, but she did as her teacher asked. She looked for her regular seat in class, and jumped up to sit in it, like she usually did. The only thing that saved her life just then was looking before she jumped. Just before her rump hit the wooden seat, she flapped her wings vigorously to stay afloat just long enough to adjust her landing angle. As she hit the floor, she saw a giant white spike, seemingly polished to the nth degree, shooting upwards from her chair, nearly sticking her to the ceiling.

"First lesson! Trust nothing you see here! ♫" Cheerilee rang out.

"I think I got that part!" Scootaloo shouted. She looked over at her teacher. Miss Cheerilee was sitting at her desk, both hooves resting on the top, smiling the jolliest smile Scootaloo ever did see.

"Why are you so happy? Can't you see I almost just got impaled there?" Scootaloo frowned. "Don't you care about me anymore?"

"Of course I care about you Scootaloo! ♪ That's why I'm teaching you this lesson. Trust nothing! ♪"

"Then..." Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin. "Doesn't that mean... not to trust you?"

"Oh my! ♪" Cheerilee looked elated. "You catch on so fast! ♪ You're the best student ever, Scootaloo! ♫"

Scootaloo blushed, "Aww, thanks Miss Cheeri... uh oh." Scootaloo watched in horror as the smile on Miss Cheerilee's face turned into a evil grin.

"The next lesson we have today, ♫" Miss Cheerilee began as her body started to inexplicably grow larger, "is how to take down a fifty-hoof tall earth pony! ♫ You may take out your notebook and begin taking notes NOW! ♫♫♫" Cheerilee gradually became giant, breaking off the roof of the schoolhouse and making the walls come crashing down. It was all that Scootaloo could do to pick up her scooter and dodge the falling debris. She fled the collapsing school as fast as she could, making sure to dodge the door spikes on the way out. As she emerged from the building, she saw giant Cheerilee had taken on a more reddish hue. Not only that, but her cutie mark, which were normally smiling flowers, had become those stupid giant cherries!

"You're not Miss Cheerilee!" Scootaloo shouted at the giant, pointing at her with a hoof, "You're... Cherrylee!"

"My, how creative! Now imagine yourself out of this one! ♫" 'Cherrylee' made her way towards Scootaloo, the ground shaking with every step of her gargantuan hooves. Scootaloo immediately jumped back on her scooter and flapped as hard as possible. How was she supposed to fight that thing?! Trying to defeat anything fifty-hooves tall was a feat in and of itself, but a giant version of her teacher that she loved so much? That was just a low blow.

The shaking was getting more violent, and that told Scootaloo that Cherrylee was getting closer. She was giving it all the wing power she could, but it just wasn't enough!

"What, did Cheerilee never tell you how to defeat gigantic monsters? ♫" Cherrylee's voice rang out. Multiplied with her size, the sound was unbearable. Especially that little inflection she added to every last word of her sentences.

"Whatdoidowhatdoidooooo?!" Scootaloo looked for a way out of this, and found none. If this behemoth could catch her on her scooter, then there was no way out... She tried going in a serpentine pattern to try to make Cherrylee confused, but the monster just quickened her pace.

"AND she can go faster!? This is ridiculous!" Scootaloo shouted.

"Everything's a learning experience! ♫" Cherrylee bellowed, "You know these fruit hurt you right? ♫ Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptooie!" She spat out several deadly cherries from her mouth, aimed right at Scootaloo. Scootaloo was able to dodge them as they came whizzing past her, but she had to make a few narrow turns, and that threw her off balance. Just then, Cherrylee stomped the ground hard, sending Scootaloo reeling off of her scooter and onto the ground.

"Ugh..."

"I have but two lessons left to teach you, little Scootaloo! ♫" Cherrylee made her way over to the little orange filly and stopped just short of crushing her. "First lesson is about physics! I know this is a little above your grade level, but objects in motion tend to stay in motion! ♫ When you fell off your scooter? That was me taking advantage of your wibbling and wobbling! ♫"

"Urgh..." Scootaloo tried reaching for her scooter.

"Ptoo! ♫" Cherrylee shot a giant cherry at the scooter, leaving it intact, but bashing it significantly farther away than Scootaloo could reach...

"Don't interrupt teacher now! ♫"

"S... Sorry..." Scootaloo said.

"Second lesson time! ♫ This one is about gravity! ♫ Do you know what happens when a giant object falls on a smaller, much more fragile object?"

Gulp "The little object... breaks?"

"Cooooooooorrect! ♪" Cherrylee said, smiling as she lifted up a colossal red hoof.

Squash.

As Cherrylee lifted up her hoof again, all she saw was a small red smudge on the ground.
"Class dismissed! ♪" she said cheerily.

- - -

"Bummer, man. That kind of sucked." Scootaloo heard a voice echo in her head. She decided she didn't like its tone.

"Sh-shut up."

"Oh good! You can talk! You may have a shot at this after all."

"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, although she was pretty sure she wasn't moving her mouth.

"This whole 'become The Mare' thing. You have a ways to go though. That last battle sorta... well, let's not dwell on that. Still though, back then, you could get by with only skinned knees."

"Argh," Scootaloo's senses were returning, and that meant she could feel pain again. Dang. "What do you mean, 'back then?' Besides, I can't be The Mare now... I'm dead, right?"

"Well, there's the kind of dead you never wake up from, and then there's your kind of dead. Do you remember how you died?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo replied, cringing as she did so, "I got squished by a really big version of my teacher. It was kind of weird. She was Cheerilee, but there's no way that's the real one. She'd never... do that."

"This world has a way of changing ponies for the worse. Are you sure it wasn't her?"

"Positive."

"Well, if you say so."

The two of them were silent for a while. Eventually, Scootaloo gathered up the energy to ask the voice something.

"Who are you?" The voice certainly sounded nothing like The Mare. This one was more gentle, and more like a colt at that.

"That's not important right now. What is important is that you have a chance to end this once and for all. And I've never been happier for you."

"Have you been... spying on me?" Scootaloo asked, raising a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Not as such, no, but I have been tracking your progress here. You were doing much better than anypony else who tried to survive in this place on their first attempt."

"Oh... well, at least I have that... wait," Scootaloo paused. "Did you say 'first attempt?!'"

"Well yes, you didn't think anypony could go through this world and defeat The Mare on their first try, did you? I'm honestly surprised you lasted as long as you did. Most ponies die at the front of the orchard by walking slowly under the trees like normal ponies do. But of course, you were too hardcore for that. Also, remarkable careful. Bravo!"

"Whoo hoo." Scootaloo said (thought?) weakly. She would pump her hoof in the air, had she the energy. Or the physical presence.

"Oh yeah, should probably do something about that whole 'you have no body' thing..." the voice continued.

"Well, that explains not having any energy and not being able to move..." Scootaloo replied, "So, can you get me my body back? If I can still beat that fake Cheerilee, I'm gonna go for it."

"Glad to see you're willing to give it the old college try. And you're still in grade school! There's something to be said about that. But anyway, I can't actually give you your body back. You have to get it yourself."

"How the hay am I supposed to do that?!" Scootaloo asked angrily.

"Well, first thing is to open your eyes. I know you don't have any, technically, but... look, just go with it this time, okay?"

"Okay, I'll try," Scootaloo responded. She opened her incorporeal eyes. What she saw surprised her, even though she had seen so many unbelievable things so far.

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

"Alright, this world just got weird. And it was pretty freaking weird to begin with," Scootaloo said.

"Weird, yes, but these are the rules set forth by The Mare. What she says goes, and this is one of those special circumstances that make you, Scootaloo, very special. Most ponies don't get a second chance. They trot blindly through the gate and are obliterated by the many traps and hazards set by The Mare. Of course, you did, too... but unlike you, the other ponies can't return to try again."

"That sucks," Scootaloo decided.

"Indeed it does," agreed the voice, "and if you become The Mare, you can change all of it. No more death, no more fruit-murders or spontaneous flank-piercings. That's the kind of power The Mare has."

"I want it."

"You want what?"

"The power."

"Really? No, perhaps that's not what you really want. Tell me, what is your wish?"

"I wanna..."

"Yes?"

"I wanna be...!"

"YES?!"

"I wanna be The Mare! I'm gonna go in and kick The Mare's behind for doing all these horrible things, take her throne and everything that comes with it! I'm gonna be The Mare and no pony - and I mean NO pony is going to stop me!"

"Yeah!" the voice cried vigorously, "Now go out there and show her what you're made of!"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo shouted.

"Except for squishy organs, blood and candy. The Mare already knows you're made of that."

"Yea... Whuh? I'm made of candy?"

"Sure," said the voice matter-of-factly, "All ponies are made of candy. Didn't you know that?"

"Sorry, never had the chance to find out until today..." Scootaloo replied dryly. "So how do I press this... 'R'?" she asked.

"You simply imagine a button in your mind with the letter 'R' on it, and imagine yourself pressing it. Pretty simple, right?"

"Yeah... kind of... too simple."

"The means of resurrection may be easy, but the ways of survival are not. They balance out eventually... Sort of... Maybe."

"I see... alright, I'm imagining a button with 'R' on it... and... like that? Woah!"

Scootaloo felt herself getting more solid, more tangible. She slowly felt her limbs reconnecting. It was kind of gross, so she focused on her goal to take her mind off of the disgusting implications this had. She needed to take out that giant Cherrylee somehow. But how? She was so huge… and obnoxious.

"Welcome back! ♪" Scootaloo was greeted with a jolly voice that she had grown to hate over the past ten minutes. As Scootaloo felt her body become one again, she opened her now physical eyes and saw a big, red earth pony in front of her.

"I didn't expect you back so soon! ♪ In fact... I didn't expect you back at all! ♪ How did you doooooo thaaaaat? ♪"

"Your voice is starting to annoy me," Scootaloo said, donning her goggles that were still miraculously in one piece.

"Is that any way to talk to your teacher? ♪"

"You're not my teacher! She would never do the things you did! Now it's go time!" Scootaloo galloped over to her fallen scooter and mounted it as hastily as she could. She felt the energy she had before return to her, and she felt she could drive this baby for miles! She scooted off, toward one of the hills that she saw in the distance.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere! ♪" Cherrylee began after her.

"I need to think of something... I can't just keep dying forever, can I?" Scootaloo thought aloud. "Hmm, maybe if I go for the eyes... That could work! I can blind her and make her stumble off a cliff or something. Let's try that!" She made her way up the hill, trying to stay two steps ahead of Cherrylee, which was hard to do, considering her size. The ponylossus seemed to be taking her time, though. No rush, right?

Scootaloo made her way up the hill and perched on top of it so that Cherrylee could see her. Poising herself for a random cherry-shot, she made her wings and legs ready for a jump.

"Scootalooooo ♪! You can run, but you can't hide! ♫ I see you there on the hill! ♪"

"Just a bit closer..." Scootaloo said under her breath. Cherrylee was nearly to the hill now.

"Not going to run, huh? ♫ Well then, here I come! ♪" Cherrylee was very close to the hill now, taking one more step toward it before trying to put her hoof up to squash Scootaloo again.

"Surprise!" Scootaloo shouted. She revved her wings hard and scooted to the end of the hill and jumped as high as her legs could take her, scooter and all.

"Oh, look at the time! ♪ I nearly forgot lunch today! ♪" Cherrylee said as she suddenly opened her mouth.

"What?! No way!" Scootaloo tried to flap furiously to avoid the giant maw, but she was... unsuccessful.

Crunch.

"Mmm! ♪ Just as I thought! Tastes like chicken! ♪"

GAME OVER
PRESS 'R' TO TRY AGAIN

"I can tell I'm going to get sick of this place." Scootaloo decided. She pressed the mental button again, and was transported back to the hill, fortunately. The alternative location was... unspeakable.

"Ah, Scootaloo! ♪" Cherrylee smiled at her return. "You're just in time for seconds! ♫"

"Not a chance! That was worse than the dying part! You're goin' down!"

"Whatever you say! ♫"

Scootaloo found her scooter on the ground next to her covered in... she didn't want to think about it. "How about teaching me how to beat you?" Scootaloo yelled, mounting her scooter again, ignoring that it was significantly more wet this time.

"Sorry! It's my lunch break! ♫ I can't teach while I'm hungry! ♪" Cherrylee replied.

"Argh, that doesn't help!" Scootaloo said, exasperated. There was no time to think about it. Cherrylee was reaching toward her already. She scooted off, the hill's size giving her a nice head start.

"Talk about fast food! ♪" Cherrylee joked. Scootaloo did not find it funny. She just scooted. Back to the only place she could think of getting help.

"What are you doing, going to that nasty orchard? ♪" Cherrylee asked, still gaining on the small pegasus. "Giving up already? What a shame, I thought you could really do it! ♪" Scootaloo didn't respond, she just kept going. She didn't have time to retort when she could be focused on going as fast as she could. She was almost there, just a little further...

Cherrylee started to gallop. The sound, as well as the vibrations she made, were staggering. Scootaloo could tell that the giant was running full tilt now. Even though that made her scooter a little unstable, she was able to keep it under control.

"Come on... come on!" Scootaloo said to herself. She reached the edge of the orchard, with Cherrylee nipping at her heels. She was so close, she didn't even need to look back to know where the monster was.

"Perfect." Scootaloo said simply, and nimbly jumped off of her scooter, kicked it into a standing position, and leaned on it casually just before the tree line, all the while with a smug look on her face. "You know what they say about bodies in motion!"
Cherrylee's emerald eyes widened when she realized what was going on. She instantly attempted a full stop, grinding all four of her hooves into the ground at once, causing piles of grass and earth to fold in front of her, but nevertheless, she went sailing past Scootaloo, and straight into the orchard full of death-cherries.

"They tend to... stay in motion! ♪" Cherrylee said, just before the gigantic explosion.

As the rain of red showered down upon her, Scootaloo felt a sense of satisfaction that she never felt before. It was a sort of gross sense of satisfaction, but she was grasping for something to feel accomplished about at this point. She'd been crushed and eaten, but here she was, standing over... well, rather among the remains of a vanquished foe, and she was that much closer to finding and defeating The Mare. After all, how many gigantic creatures could The Mare possibly have at her disposal? Scootaloo chuckled a little at the thought of just how many minions such as powerful creature may be able to obtain, and decided to ignore the obvious answer: "Like, a billion." She hopped on her scooter, and made her way towards the destroyed schoolhouse, hoping for clues as to where to go next. As she was scooting though, a shiny, red ball came hurtling past her. It missed her completely, so she guessed it wasn't a cherry. She decided to check it out.

As she suspected, the ball was not a cherry. It was simply a glowing red ball that seemed to radiate its own light. It didn't feel dangerous at all. In fact, it felt inviting! Even so, Scootaloo was cautious, and considered leaving it alone, but she figured she could just come back to life if it killed her, so she touched it. Surprisingly, it did not kill her. Instead, it simply glowed brightly and said 'Congratulation! A winner is you!' before melding into her hoof.

"Woah!" Scootaloo waved her hoof furiously, but the ball already disappeared beneath her flesh. "Well, that was weird," she said, poking at where the ball had been, "I seem to be okay, though."

"That's what we call a 'unit'! ♪ You need those to enter the Fortress of The Mare! ♪" an obnoxious voice rang out.

"Not you again!" Scootaloo expressed her disdain in needing to hear that voice again. "Didn't I beat you already? Leave me alone!"

"Heehee! ♪ Yes, you did beat me! Otherwise, you'd never be holding that thing! ♫ You need six to get into the Fortress. And you have one! Yay you! ♫ They're kind of like this world's Elements of Harmony! ♪ Except they only do one thing! And anyone can have them as long they beat the one holding them! ♪ So they're not really anything like the Elements! But there are six of them! ♫"

"Urgh, thanks for the info dump, now if you would kindly go away!"

"Alright! ♫ Good luck, my little Scootaloo! ♫" Cherrylee's voice said, and said nothing more.

"Finally." Scootaloo said, letting out a sigh. "Five to go, huh?" She continued on her way, disillusioned to the fact that this was going to take a while.

And this was only the beginning.