//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - Welcome To The Home // Story: The Scoota Finale // by thedarktome //------------------------------// Over the past few months while Magenta and Bright Snow were in the hospital, Magenta kept having a dream that was confusing the heck outta her. And it was once again happening. She was on a stage. Singing. Singing the same song she sung in the hospital that she came up with on the spot in front of a lot more ponies. A LOT more in a circle of some sort. All cheering her name. Magenta Streak. She was also doing something else that involved writing with her mouth over and over in some weird writing that was all curvy. Signing pads and things. Sometimes the pony. Was her dreams trying to tell her something? Because they kept on playing in repeat. "Who is that?" "I don't know?" "What about the pony next to her? Do you know her?" "I don't know either of 'em." Magenta was still in her dream. But it seemed like somepony's voice was sticking out more amongst the crowd of ponies in the dream. "Poke her or something." "YOU poke her, I'm not poking her." Something poked her tender and scarred ribcage making her yelp in her sleep. "Oh girl, back up, back up, hurry before-" Magenta opened her eyes and was looking straight into a pair of wide yellow eyes. "GAH!" Magenta yelled, sitting up. The pony she was looking at did the same before she, and three more, scurried away to find a place to hide. "Whasasterwhaaaa..." Bright Snow muttered as she woke up too. The two rubbed their eyes before Bright looked over at Magenta. "What was that?! Are you okay?! Are you in pain?! How about—" Magenta plugged a hoof into her mouth. She groaned, trying to remember where this habit came from. She shrugged it off, and got back to the situation at hoof. "Somepony was looking at us!" She whispered loudly, looking around the room. "I woke up and I saw eyes. Now they're hiding somewhere!" "The eyes?" Bright whispered while darting hers around the room. "The pony too! In this room!" The two shared a look before they scanned around the room. "Hey, there's a hoof!" Magenta pointed to a bookcase where there was a dark blue hoof sticking out. "It's...I can't remember my colors. Help me." "Dark blue?" Bright asked. Before Magenta could answer, something eeped and the hoof went behind the bookcase. "Who's there?" Whoever it was didn't respond. "It's okay, I won't hurt you!" Magenta yelled. Bright Snow groaned and rolled her eyes before she stalked out of the blanket. She hoofed quietly over to the bookcase while Magenta kept the charade up. "Please come out, we're not going to hurt you." Bright Snow jumped into view of the pony, making them gasp. "Ah HA!" Bright yelled, pointing a hoof at her. "I caught you!" "Nuh uh!" The dark blue unicorn filly denied as she walked out of the shadowy area. She was about the same height as Magenta with a dark blue coat, silver mane, and light blue eyes with glasses. "You didn't catch me! I caught you first!" "But I caught you after you....wait, who are you?" "Oh! Hi!" She greeted, completely changing demeanors and giving Bright Snow a smile and a wave. "I'm Bluebell, nice to meet you!" Bright Snow glared at her for a moment before she shrugged and got back into her happy state. "Hi! I'm Bright Snow!" The two shook hooves before she walked back over to the couch where Magenta was waiting. "It's okay everypony! They're nice!" Bluebell yelled. A round of movement caught the two new ponies' eyes before three more fillies stalked out from behind bookcases, desks, and tables. Magenta nonchalantly blinked before she calmly lifted the blanket behind her and slowly ducked back underneath it, trying to keep herself out of view. They all talked to Bright Snow for a moment trying to see who she was before they turned to the blanket. "Uh....hello? You. Under the blanket. Hey." One of them asked, poking the blanket. Magenta couldn't tell which one. It might've been the pegasus. "Who are you?" "That's my friend Magenta," Bright Snow answered. She lifted the cover and poked her head inside. "Magenta! Come OUT!!" The orange filly yelped before she poked her head back out, giving her friend an irate stare. "Bright! Stop yelling, that hurt my.......ears, right?" Bright nodded. "Stop yelling, it hurt my ears. I'm out now, okay?....sort of." "Hi!" One of the fillies greeted. Magenta directed her attention to her as she walked up and offered a hoof with a smile. "I'm Bluebell! Nice to meet you!" Magenta looked at the hoof before she turned to Bright Snow. She must've forgotten how to do it again. "Hoofshake," she reminded her. Magenta made a silent "Oh" before she reached out and bumped her hoof with hers. The new fillies cocked their heads before Bright Snow walked forward and helped her out. She took her friend's hoof and wrapped it around Bluebell's, then she moved the both of them in an up and down motion. "Oh, right!" Magenta said, doing it herself, although a little too hard. Bluebell took her hoof back and awkwardly slid away. The other fillies were just staring at her strangely too. "Sorry," Bright Snow appeased, trying to get their attention. "Magenta has really bad amnesia so she doesn't know how to shake hooves well. Or...anything else for that matter." "Ooooohhhh," they all fawned before looking down towards the filly underneath the covers. Magenta had settled back down and only had her head sticking out. "Well, I'm Silver Swirl," one of the fillies introduced. She had a silver coat and a rainbow colored mane and tail. "I'm an earth Pony. That means I can't fly or use magic." "And I'm Yellow Diamond," another said. She had a yellow coat, a light orange mane, and light green eyes. "I'm a Unicorn. I use magic. Do you know what magic is?" "It's spells and stuff....right?" Magenta guessed. "Eh. Somethin' like that. I'm not really sure myself, I just have it." "And I'm Lightning Dust!" Another filly said, bumping past Orange Skies and hovering in front of her, holding a boasting smile on her face. She had a light blue coat, a light gray mane and tail, and light blue eyes. "I'm a pegasus so I can walk on clouds, manipulate the weather, and of course...fly!" "What's your name?" Yellow Diamond asked her. "Magenta Streak," she responded. "And I'm a....Flightless Pegasus." "Wha'?" "Flightless Pegasus." "You have to speak up, girl!" Lightning Dust ordered loudly. "I'm a Flightless Pegasus." They stared at her in confusion. "I don't have wings but I'm still a Pegasus. I got into a bad accident and my wings were ripped out." "You mean taken out.....right?" Lightning asked tentatively. Magenta shook her head. "No, when they found me the doctor said I was bleeding and died in....uhh..." "Manehattan Park," Bright Snow answered. "How do you know that? But yes, Manehattan Park. And my wings were ripped out. I don't have wings, I can't remember anything, and I'm hurt beyond repair. That's what they said." "What?! You DIED?! And you don't have wings?!" Silver Swirl yelled. Magenta nodded. "And I'm still healing. Where did you come from? Were you all here this whole time?" she asked in confusion. "No, we just got back from school," Lightning Dust explained. "Do you go to school?" Magenta shook her head. "Why?" She shrugged. "I don't remember going to school. I don't remember anything." "How about your birthday?" Orange Skies asked. Magenta shook her head. "Age?" Another shake. "Family?" "Nope." "Friends?" "Not from my past life...if I had one." "How about hobbies?" "Nuh uh." "School?" "I just said no." "Food?" "No!" "How about-" "I can't remember anything from before what happened. Not my family, friends, town, how to read, how to write, anything. At. All. Now please stop talking." Bright Snow eeped and whispered in her ear. "I meant asking questions. Please stop asking questions about that." "Okay. Well....I guess you're making new memories then," Lightning Dust observed from above. She soared down and landed on the pillow next to her. "So, you're new here?" Orange Skies asked them. "Yep!" Bright Snow answered. "We just got here this morning! And we've been asleep ever since! The hospital isn't easy on the ears with all that beeping and ponies puking. Blech!" "You were in the hospital too?" Lightning Dust asked her. "Yep! I broke both of my wings from a balcony accident." She gave her wings a little flap. "I had to be under observation because it was so bad the doctors thought they would shatter. So I was stuck there until they fully healed. That's when I met Magenta! You were asleep for three days, you know. When you first arrived." "And I couldn't move, I remember," Magenta recalled, nodding her head. She shrugged her shoulders underneath the blanket. "I'm hungry. Are we supposed to wait for food like the hospital? The director lady didn't tell us when we can eat." "Oh, you're supposed to wait for dinner, breakfast and lunch," Bluebell replied. "But you can go and grab a snack from the snack bowl in the kitchen. We're not allowed to have food in our rooms." "There's cookies, fruits, vegetables!" Lightning Dust yelled in triumph. "And other things! Come on, I'll show ya!" The fillies, except Magenta and Bright, started to make their way towards the large kitchen with Lightning Dust taking to the air. After sharing a glance with Bright Snow, Magenta stood up and stretched a little before she got off her comfortable pillow, shrugged the blanket off of her, and started to slowly make her way out of the room. The others had stopped and were trying to figure out what they were doing before the two came into view. Bright was grinning like always while Magenta just had a nonchalant look on her face. The gauze all over her barrel was unmistakable though. "I can't walk, or move, as fast as you can," Magenta clarified as she stopped next to them. "And I won't be able to for three to four more months. Now where, and what, are these 'cookies'?" "Er....It-It's a dessert!" Yellow Diamond answered nervously, a little put off by Magenta's state like her other friends. "It's made out of dough or batter...I think. And you can put chocolate chips and raisins, more chocolate chips, some red velvet, and even some sprinkles in it!" Magenta was just staring at her with her eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. She took in a deep breath, getting them all a little excited before she said: "I don't know what any of that is." Apple Bloom was sitting at the bottom of the Hill of Greatness, looking down at the quaint town below as the breeze blew through her long red mane, covering her right emotionless eye. Reminiscing the time when everything was normal. Nopony was getting hurt, nopony was trying to commit suicide, and nopony, a foal, had to bury their best friend. One of their best friends. She sighed and looked back up at the Cutie Marks spray painted on the hill behind her. The grave had a fresh bouquet of flowers on it, as well as a headstone that Twilight had created a few months prior to this moment. "'Scootaloo,'" Apple Bloom read aloud in a hushed tone. "'Best Friend. Best Family. Fly Forever, Cutie Mark Crusader.'" She sighed again and looked down towards her front, spotting Sweetie Belle trudging up, carrying a picnic basket in her magic. She had gotten a lot better with managing it. "Hey, Apple Bloom," She greeted hoarsely, taking a seat next to her. It seemed the real results of the choking was taking effect. She set the basket down with her before Apple Bloom started to unpack. "You have a weird way of things. You make me bring the food but you unpack it?" "Eh," she replied, taking out the blanket and setting it up. "Ah' don't know how you prefer things so ah' was just gonna let you do it." "Admit you just didn't want to pack." "Ah' admit ah' just didn't want to pack." Sweetie Belle giggled and helped her setup. After everything was ready, they settled down and started on the food. "Happy three month anniversary, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle whispered, nuzzling her cheek. Apple Bloom closed one eye and smiled. "Happy three month anniversary, Lavender," she responded, kissing her cheek. "We've been through a lot already." "Understatement," Sweetie corrected as she pulled back from her nuzzling. "And 'Lavender'?" "You smell like Lavender flowers. Yah' can't blame me for that." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes before Apple Bloom gave her a slice of lemon pound cake. "Cheer up, pound cake." Sweetie gave her a deadpan look for that pun. "We should probably put some sweet bells on it." The unicorn cocked her head to the side before Apple Bloom reached behind her and pulled out some chocolate bells that had Sweetie's face on the wrapping. Sweetie Belle herself was confused. Where did she get the wrapping? "Mmmm, Sweetie Bells," Apple Bloom continued. Sweetie was trying her hardest not to laugh. "How should we eat these?" Sweetie snorted but remained strong. "Wait, hold on, ah' think I have a lavender colored one in here somewhere—" Sweetie Belle started laughing before she picked up both of the chocolate bells, and unwrapped them with her magic. Then threw the wrapping at Apple Bloom. "You're horrible, you know that?" "You liked it, didn't you?" "No....okay, yeah I did." The two laughed before they started feasting on their food. A few minutes later, Sweetie sighed, catching Apple Bloom's attention. Her ear twitched and she looked over. "Remember when we were just having fun? When we could just do whatever and not have to worry about all of.....what has happened?" "Yeah," Apple Bloom whispered. "I was thinkin' about that earlier. When we could just run around and not worry about gettin' hurt and doin' things that could put us in....you know." The two looked up behind them at the Hill of Greatness before going back to looking at the skies above. "We didn't have to worry much. You know.....a lot is going to change. Soon." "Not really. We still go to school and have friends." "Yeah, but School will eventually end," Apple Bloom clarified. She picked up her drink, took a long sip, set it down and then continued. "School ends and ponies move on. Some may move out of town, some may move to a different area of Ponyville. And then some will be too busy with their lives to even recognize us anymore. And then eventually there will only be the two of us. Apple Bloom and Lavender." "Seriously?" Sweetie deadpanned. "We'll just be all alone," Apple Bloom continued, ignoring her stare. "We have to find a new job since the CMC is over and done with. Not to mention there's not many options in the future for you. OR me. Your throat is damaged and all ah' can do is help out on the farm unless we find a different hobby that is suitable for the both of us. We can't be everything at once. We have to pick something and stick with it." "How about.....we just tell foals on how to get their cutie marks instead of helping them discover it? We just let them know that—" "I think we shouldn't do anything that has to do with Cutie Marks," her girlfriend interrupted. Sweetie sighed and nodded. "Ah'm sorry, Sweetie. That was our passion BEFORE all of this started. Besides...that won't pay the bills in the future. Helpin' foals find their cutie marks was technically a hobby that we could do on our off time while we grow up. But now it's time to think about what we're goin' to do when we do grow up." "Well...we have plenty of time to think about that and make a decision," Sweetie Belle said, placing a hoof on hers. Apple Bloom glanced down at it before she looked deep into her girlfriend's hopeful eyes. "Until then we have all the time in the world to relax. At least for four more years. Okay? Wait until we're fifteen to start laying it on me and becoming dark. Talking about some , 'paying bills.'" "Fine," Apple Bloom reluctantly agreed. Sweetie chuckled before she leaned forward and pecked her on the forehead. Apple Bloom laughed and pushed her back. "Still no lips?" "You know what dad said," she reminded her before going back to her lunch. "We're too young for the lips. Later on in life you'll get that luxury." "You sound like Granny Smith." Sweetie Belle looked up and blanched in realization. As well as Apple Bloom, who realized what she just said. "We're getting old." Bright Snow helped Magenta get into her seat before sitting beside her at the very long table in the kitchen. There were more foals and colts coming into the home. In and out. Magenta was learning about the different foods in the kitchen that they had. The others sat across from her, looking expectantly at her. Lightning Dust huffed before she placed a bag of round things on the table. "And these are cookies," she told her, pointing towards the bag of double chocolate chips cookies in it. "THESE... are chocolate chips." She threw another bag on the table that had the said delicacy in them. Magenta looked at it before she opened it and took a whiff, mouth watering at the smell. "It smells really good," she commented. "Yeah, they do!" Yellow Diamond agreed. She grabbed the one with the cookies and opened it. Then pulled out one with her magic and positioned it in front of Magenta's nose. She sniffed it and nodded in approval. "This is double chocolate chip." "DOUBLE chocolate chip?" Magenta asked in wonder. She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "How is that possible?" "Uhh...they just put more chocolate in the cookies," Silver Swirl told her. "Oh....I knew that." "No you didn't," Bright Snow said with a kind nudge. "And it's okay if you don't. Now....what else is there to do around here?" "Well there's a playground out back that we go to after school. Before that we would usually watch TV to see what goes on beyond the Wall." "Wall?" Magenta asked. "Well it's more like a gate," Bluebell explained. "A wall is used to keep somepony away. And they sometimes have entrances that can be opened or closed. A gate can be opened and closed by somepony while a fence holds them back mostly. A barrier." Silver Swirl pointed out a nearby window at the metal gates. "The Orphanage is surrounded by a brick wall with two gates at the entrance. They're closed at five in the evening and opened again when we go to school." Magenta and Bright looked at it before directing their attention back to the cookies. "So.....can we eat the cookies?" Bright asked. "Yeah, and can we stop talking about the Wall of Pain?" Lightning Dust groaned, motioning towards the window. "For YOU," Bluebell clarified as she chuckled. "Wall of Pain for YOU. We all don't have wings here, nor do we crash into things." "It's not my fault the wall gets in my way," she responded with a smirk. The others rolled their eyes before Magenta caught their attention. "So.... playground?" She asked. "It's where we play!" Lightning Dust clarified. "There's a swingset, slides, a sandpit, and more! Would you like to see it?" Bright Snow nodded eagerly then turned to Magenta who was busy crunching and munching on the cookies. She chuckled and nudged her hungry friend, successfully ripping her attention away from the cookies. "Want to see the playground?" Magenta nodded and slowly ate the last cookie. Then the group got out of their seats and made their way towards the kitchen entrance. Although slowly for Magenta's sake and well being. "So uhhh...what exactly is a... playground?" She asked. "It's a ground you play at!" Bright Snow repeated happily. "They have swings, slides, and other things! Does this place have any of those?" Bluebell nodded as they passed the corridor that led to the rooms. "Yep! They're high, small, and they go round and round!" "What? No they don't!" Lightning Dust said from above her. "They just sit there because no one ever uses them!" "Except us! That's why we're the cool kids!" Lightning only looked at her nonchalantly. Then shrugged. She couldn't argue with that. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the best dumb fillies in town!" Lightning groaned and flew down in front of the face of a completely light blue pegasus filly. Who was wearing a snide smile riddled with devious intentions. Beside her was a unicorn with a light pink coat with a silver mane and tail. "I know right?" Lightning retorted. "You are dumb! That's why you keep coming back to the same ponies everytime, and make the exact same remarks!" "Ooo, who's your new friend? Or friends?" The light blue pegasus asked, ignoring Lighning Dust and glancing over at Magenta and Bright Snow. "They look stupid." "Hey I'm not stupid!" Bright denied, trotting up to her and her sidekick. The filly scoffed and shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. You're just really dumb." "Hey!" They looked towards Magenta who slowly walked over to them with a very angry glare. "I don't know what dumb means, but you do NOT talk about Bright like that!" Magenta poked a hoof into her chest and slowly pushed her away. The filly looked down at the hoof and scoffed, knocking the bandaged thing away, and making Magenta flinch at the pain. "Pffft! We don't need to talk about her! We can talk about you instead!" "Go ahead! But you do not talk about Bright! At all!" "You're so stupid!" "I don't know what that means," Magenta responded calmly, taking the filly by surprise. "It....i–it means you have nothing going on up there!" She retorted, poking Magenta's forehead. "There's no brain!" "Nuh uh! I do too have a brain! You must not have one because you keep thinking ponies don't have brains! If we didn't have brains, we wouldn't be able to do anything! Like move! Duh!" The filly grunted and turned around with her head held high. "Let's go, Silver Sound! I have no time to deal with these wannabes today!" "Like what?" Magenta asked as she walked away. "You're heading towards the playground. What is out there that is so....time consuming? That's a good word, right?" Bluebell nodded while the others just chuckled and shrugged. They had a feeling that they were going to have a good time with these two new fillies. And they felt the exact same way.