//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - A Repreive for Reflection // Story: Be the Change the World Needs // by StoryWeaverKP //------------------------------// Chapter 3 - A Reprieve for Reflection “Wow, that’s so awesome,” Scootaloo said, “Did you come up with that just now?” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Yeah, Kind of.” “Thanks, I’m totally using that.” Scootaloo scribbled the splendid lines that Sweetie Belle had just created. Something in the distance caught her eye, and so she stopped and stared off toward the roll of fabric that had escaped her white unicorn friend moments before. It tumbled down the hill toward small pond. “Oh No!” Sweetie Belle frowned and sprinted off after it. Despite the unlucky turn of events, Scootaloo couldn’t help but grin. She chuckled as the giddiness overtook her again. The last few months had been truly wonderful, some of the most pleasant moments of her life. It would be strange to say she valued these times more so then when she was with the adult future versions of her friends, but at the same time, she couldn’t say she cherished those times more either. Her mentors had been wise, loving, and nurturing. These younger versions on the other hand were experiencing the same sort of self-discovery that she was. Scootaloo didn’t have to figure things out alone, at least not for a while. Her two best friends held her same level of passion and hunger for life, and their imagination was only limited by the courage. She and her friends had gotten into so much mischief, and each experience made increased the unexpected sense of peace that Scootaloo now clung to. The world she had come from was a dark and scary place, where the resources of the land were sucked away, and the ponies themselves were stolen, never to be heard from again. This world soothed her and revitalized her. To imagine that one day she would have to leave it… No! She couldn’t afford to wallow in sorrow. Her friends were counting on her to make the most incredible rock ballad ever. Sweetie Belle had given her a great start, but now she had to capitalize. Scootaloo played a few of the piano keys, but they were solitary notes grouped together, not forming any kind of melody. She frowned. Was this really okay? Was she allowed to have these pleasant moments all to herself? Somewhere in time and space, her mentors were either running, or they were captured. Her heart sank. Was it fair for her to be acting like a kid when the fate of Equestria sat on her shoulders? For many moments, she sat there, staring at the keys on the piano. Her mind was blank. Scootaloo noticed Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom talking, and she smiled again. Her soul fluttered inside her, and she stared dreamily at her friends. Did they have any idea how much they meant to her? Did they know that she would throw herself into a monster’s arms, just to prevent their capture? Could they even comprehend all the things that they did for her, both consciously and unconsciously? She chuckled to herself. With her being present in their lives, would they still grow up to be lovers and wives with one another? Scootaloo certainly hoped so. In all her life, she had never seen a love between two ponies that was stronger. Not even her mother had that kind of love in her life. Scootaloo stared into the wild blue sky. During quiet moments like these, she often wondered who her father was. Whoever that pony was, he was never around. It was always just Mom, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Spike the dragon, and a small collection of others. Well, that is until their little village was raided. Then it was just her, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. She frowned. Could her father have been one of the many who were taken during the first wave of the monster invasion? A few more notes danced on the air. Was she really making a difference? Was Scootaloo acting as a beacon to ponies who needed just a little nudge? Or was she simply being a nuisance? How could one pony affect the world with just her actions? The world was a big place, and there were so many ponies that would be needed to stand and fight. She was only a kid after all. Adult Apple Bloom’s voice echoed in the back of her mind. “Just be yourself, and you’ll make a ton of friends.” Adult Sweetie Belle’s voice came next. “We love you very much, and we’re very proud of you.” Scootaloo’s heart clenched a little. An ocean of time and space separated them, and yet, Scootaloo still felt the soft embraces from her mentors. Thinking about them led her to think about one other pony… A tear trickled down her cheek as she beheld the face of her beloved mother in her mind’s eye. She took a reassuring breath, and then she started playing again. She had work to do. For today, she had to make the best song possible. Perhaps other little fillies and colts would see her and her friends being brave, and it would inspire them to be the best ponies they could. Adult Sweetie Belle had told her many times that if ponies had been a little more confident, braver, and more connected with one another, that Equestria would not have fallen like it did. Of course both her mentors knew more than what they told Scootaloo. They mentioned things when they thought she wasn’t listening; things about helping ponies find their cutie marks, releasing and reforming chaos itself, redeeming an heiress to a business empire, something about the Element of Loyalty being a beacon for pegasi everywhere, something about the Element of Kindness gaining confidence, something about a crystal empire, and more. Was Scootaloo really supposed to have an effect on all those things? She understood the connections with the elements, but everything else was confusing. Most of those things were supposed to happen before or around the two most important signs. As far as she knew, there were only two princesses, and they governed the sun and the moon. There was no sign or mention of a princess of friendship. Even the brainy Twilight Sparkle didn’t know anything about such a princess. She simply said that pony doesn’t exist. That just meant she didn’t exist yet. She still had a little time… to be a kid. Coming soon… Chapter 4- The Nightmare