Scootaloo was seated on her usual place with her usual breakfast on a Saturday, but unlike every other Saturday before she was alone. She hid in one of the corners from Sugarcube Corner and tried to stay invisible to everypony. Pinkie Pie’s sharp eyes spotted her almost immediately, she was way too familiar with the bakery to miss the little filly. Besides, she was the pony who gave her the double extra chocolate slices with the extra gooey chocolate core, extra-extra chocolate muffin and the chocolate milkshake with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.
The treats put a smile on Scootaloo's face, but it was not truly genuine. To a veritable expert on all matters concerning smiles such as Pinkie Pie, it was clearly forced and not the kind she was eager to put onto ponies' faces. This forced smile brought the pink mare to the decision to look over her small guest, as she put cookies and other treats into the counter display. She furrowed her brows as she saw Scootaloo's nervously searching eyes and her trembling hoof on the milkshake. She pondered the Saturdays before, wondering if Scootaloo was like she was back then.
Maybe Scootaloo just wasn't a morning pony.
That didn’t sound right, the filly was different the last few Saturdays prior she had smiled much more genuine, or grinned wider, or even beamed once in a while back than, when she ate. But her friends had kept her company then
A grin returned to Pinkie's inquiring face and she nodded quickly. She leaned over the counter and looked for one particular special treat in the display. Her smile widened as she finally found it and pulled it out. In her hooves rested a double chocolate cookie with chocolate icing and extra huge chocolate chips. She bounced to the lonely corner and laid down the cookie beside Scootaloo's plate. Upon arranging it to perfection, she leaned forward and cocked her head.
“Say, Scoots. You look like...”
She lowered her voice more and whispered.
“...well a party pooper. Who and how many have bitten you to turn you into this?
Do you think a Pinkie-Pie's-Very-Special-Extra-Extra-Chocolate-Surprise-Cookie would cheer you...”
Scootaloo licked her lips and low grumble emitted deep down from inside her stomach. Her face lit up for a mere second but it faltered even faster as she saw Pinkie's inquiring eyes. She pulled her hoof away, looked down to her plate and avoided the big blue irises that were practically burning holes into her coat. She summoned a strangely throaty response, one that made Pinkie tilt her head and look even more confused.
“I...I can't aff...
I have to eat...”
She grabbed the chocolate muffin on her plate and took a huge bite, shrugging her shoulders with an apologetic expression. Pinkie's attention drifted to the only occupied table in the bakery. The Lanes, a family of four pegasi, sat there and were eating a whole buffet of muffins, cupcakes and milkshakes.
Rumble told his parents about his last flight training with Thunder and they were beaming . He practically shouted out of excitement.
“...I did double spin and...”
A low sigh and even louder slurping noise drew Pinkie's attention back to the orange filly. She realised that she had bounced away from her involuntary and had approached the happier ponies. She trotted back to her, but the laughter of the family drew her attention again. Pinkie shook her head, returning to Scootaloo, while she looked back, The filly slurped harder and harder on her straw, so she finally managed to drown the laughter out.
“Pikamena, Diane Pie, you have to...”
She forced her head back to Scootaloo and looked away from the family. The filly put the half filled cup of milkshake back on the table and reached out for her saddlebags with a trembling hoof. The other hoof wiped over her chocolate stained mouth and she cleared it finally by rubbing over her side. Her saddlebag pushed the empty plate and the cup away. She quickly rummaged through it for something. She was so totally lost in thought, that she didn't even noticed, that Pinkie stood directly beside her. It was clear that she was way too focused on her search and her bag to pay attention to her surroundings. Pinkie just nudged her gently with a hoof and she startled up with a low yelp.
The filly flinched away from her and even stood up. She pulled the hoof out of the bag and a halfway opened scroll was drawing with and felt down to the ground totally unnoticed from the little filly. It rolled under the table and out of sight of her, but Pinkie noticed it.
Before she was able to say anything, Scootaloo put the saddlebags on her back, gave the laughing family a final glance and mumbled something.
“I've to go, Pinkie.
Uhm, Sweetie Belle. Yes I meet Sweetie Belle...”
The filly was already halfway out of the room as she stopped mumbling, so Pinkie wasn't able to answer or to raise a hoof. The filly sped up even more and pushed her way through the entering crowd of ponies. A low curse felt out of Pinkie's mouth as she tried to follow Scootaloo, but there was no way to catch up to her. The morning train from Canterlot had arrived a few minutes ago and these ponies were starving, so she had to stay back.
A filly could push herself through the crowd and Scootaloo proved that statement very well. She disappeared in the crowd and Pinkie just had to stare confusedly after her.
She didn't have much time to ponder about Scootaloo, everypony in the room started to make orders. She started to work in her usual extraordinary pace to fulfil every order in the shortest amount of time possible.
At the same time a question lingered in her mind. For the first time in many years a very serious thought crept in and seemed to have a life on it's own.
She glanced from time to time at the door and looked for a hint of the purple mane or the orange coat of the little filly, but she didn't return.
She had finally to speak out her lingering thought, otherwise it would stay in her mind forever.
“Sweetie Belle is on vacation in Canterlot with her whole family for three weeks.
How can you meet her, Scootaloo?”
A few ponies glanced at her in bewilderment as her loud question sounded through the room. Pinkie put on a convincing, wild smile. She began to fulfil orders and chatted distractedly with everypony.
The thought didn't disappear, but rather seized her mind and stayed with the last image of the filly.
Pinkie wasn't quite sure, but Scootaloo looked sad compared to her usual self. She could swear that she had seen a tear glide down her cheek.