Unexpected Background Pony Discovery: Scootaloo and Alula are close friends!

I almost fell off my chair when I discovered this a little while ago. I was searching for another pony to star in "Filed Away", because I wanted to have one more. And DinkyUniverse suggested Alula to me, because they are both pegasi and because she has a close connection to Scootaloo in the story "Monster" (which is completely underrated, you should go and read it).
At first I wasn't sure. I needed a pony who has a close connection to Scootaloo and we don't know anything about it whether Scootaloo and Alula are friends or not. And "Monster" is only a fanfiction, not official, so it can't serve as confirmation of their friendship. Two ponies aren't automatically friends just because they belong to the same race. But I considered the suggestion and went on Derpibooru, where I looked up screenshots that show Scootaloo and Alula together, to see if I can find anything. And I did find something.
What I found there is so much more than I thought I would find. I expected to find screenshots that show them standing next to each other in a crowd. But I didn't reckon with finding anything substantial, any interactions between them, and I couldn't recall any such interactions by memory either, because it's been years since I could sit down and actually watch older seasons. But then this came up in the search results, a screenshot that shows a moment from "Twilight Time", Season 4:

Pictured, Scootaloo starting to take apart Pipsqueak's scooter for the purpose of reassembling it again afterwards, to prove to Twilight that she did learn something during her lessons. Pipsqueak is anxious about the outcome and the other foals around them watch curiously, to see if Scootaloo can really do that. And Alula stands in the front row, even a little closer than Pipsqueak, eyes locked on the first part that Scootaloo just removed.
It was not her scooter that got disassembled in this moment, it was Pipsqueak's. Yet she was there, with a front row seat of the whole undertaking.

Scootaloo failed to do it. She could not succeed with reassembling Pipsqueak's scooter properly. The other foals, who watched, react with shock and surprise. Alula? Instantly switches focus from the scooter to Scootaloo the moment Pipsqueak's scooter falls apart; her smiling, expectant expression changing to one of deep sadness and concern. She looks like she nearly tears up there.
So much sadness and genuine concern over seeing Scootaloo fail with her important task, after standing in the front row for it and making sure she would have the best spot to see everything. We see Alula being concerned for her friend Scootaloo there, because as every great friend does, she was rooting for Scootaloo and wanted to see her succeed.
And as if that wouldn't be enough already, here's something else that DinkyUniverse made me aware of after I showed her my discovery:

Look at the lower left corner. Open the picture in a new tab and enlarge it to full size, if necessary, because the important sight is very small here.
On this screenshot, we see Alula and Pina Colada run off to somewhere. Pina Colada wears her mane like Sweetie Belle. And Alula wears her mane like Scootaloo. Expression of their friendship? Idolization? Sign for a crush? An attempt to cheer up Scootaloo after something bad happened to her? Showing solidarity with Scootaloo?
Whatever Alula's reason was to wear her mane like Scootaloo that day, this is further confirming that there is a close bond between Scootaloo and Alula.

So, Alula and Scootaloo are close friends. I am thrilled I could discover this. And thrilled that it is the case. We never hear anything about who else Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are friends with other than themselves and can only make theories about that, at best. But here we have a flawless confirmation for it that Scootaloo is friends with Alula, with so much overwhelming evidence for their friendship that it almost chokes you like the hugs of an eager, exciteable filly.
2020 has only started, but I feel compelled to say that this is probably the best discovery of the year already. And because Scootaloo and Alula are such close friends, I have decided to give Alula that role in "Filed Away". Scootaloo will meet Alula after the horrible truth about her leaked out and we will see how her dear friend will react to this.
The return of the story is still being worked on and I will let you know the continuation date once I can tell when it will be.

Stay easy as a filly!

~ Fluttercheer

Comments

[Bronycommander]

Interesting idea. Best of luck to work it out!