“WHAT?!” Both girls exclaimed in shock and horror. “You’re moving?!” Sweetie Bell squeaked, “Away from Ponyville?” Scootaloo nodded her head sadly.
“But, but why?” Inquired Apple Bloom; “Don’t your family like Ponyville?”
“Not that they care to notice,” Scootaloo pouted angrily, “They never have time to even take a look around. Dad’s making us move, he’s a business stallion, and his company makes him travel quiet a lot, so he’s barely home; now they want him to move to Fillydalphia so he can be closer to better opportunities.” Scootaloo stomped on the floor before rubbing her face with her hoof. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell embraced Scootaloo as she began to sob, muttering “it’s not fair.”
“Can’t yur dad just say no? What about yur mom and her business?” Apple Bloom inquired.
“No. To dad, this promotion is the ‘best thing’ to happen to him, and he won’t turn it down. He’s getting a raise and everything. All he cares about is work, work, work. He already barely has time for us. And Mom is agreeing with him. She can easily move to wherever he goes. She figures that she’d have better business in Fillydalphia,” Scootaloo huffed, irritated at her parent’s reasoning.
“Your family moves around a lot, don’t they?” Sweetie Bell asked. “I remember when you and I first met; you had just arrived to Ponyville, right before Diamond Tiara’s cute-ceañara.”
“Yeah… I think we’ve moved about four times that I can remember. And this is the first time I made some real friends in a place we’ve lived at...” Scootaloo began to sob again, her shoulders shaking. “I . . . I either haven’t had enough time in a single place to make any friends, or there just wasn’t anyone around that was my age. You guys are the first friends I have ever had, and I’m really happy here, and now they are taking it all away!” Scootaloo laid down on the floor of their club house, burying her muzzle into her forelegs fully as she cried.
Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell looked at each other. Tears where beginning to form in Apple Bloom’s eyes, while a few streams of tears where already coursing down Sweetie Bell’s cheeks. It was fully hitting them both. They were going to be losing their best friend soon, and there was nothing they could do about it.
But that pain was being over shadowed by another; that their friend Scootaloo was hurting so badly due to this unfortunate event. They both laid down with Scootaloo, wrapping their hooves around her, enveloping her in comfort. “I never got a chance… to ask Rainbow Dash for flight lessons or at least advice.” Scootaloo sniffled
“Can’t yur dad teach you how to fly? “ Apple Bloom asked gently.
Scootaloo shook her head. “No, He’s just too busy and tired all the time. He’s just going to send me to a school in Fillydelphia.” Scootaloo sobbed. “There’s so much more that I want to do and have yet to accomplish. I’m going to miss a lot here, you guys especially. Watching Rainbow Dash do all her stunts and tricks, going over to Sugarcube Corner and being the first to try Pinkie Pie’s new treats.” Scootaloo paused for a moment, crying for a bit into Sweetie Bell’s shoulder. Apple Bloom stroke Scootaloo’s back with her hoof, trying to comfort her friend.
“And the worst yet,” Scootaloo continued “We haven’t even gotten our cutie marks yet. I’m gonna miss out on all our crusading and adventures. I’m gonna miss out on us getting our cutie marks together.” Scootaloo began to cry harder at that fact. Getting their cutie marks together was the original basis of their friendship. Even though their friendship was well beyond just a simple common goal, it still hurt Scootaloo that their friendship was going to end without them completing their original task.
What more can we do, thought Sweetie Bell. She buried her face in Scootaloo’s mane, crying softly so not to make Scootaloo feel worse. Once Scootaloo mentioned not being able to get her cutie mark with them, a small twinge hit her heart, but soon disappeared as an idea began to form. Slowly she lifted her head as she worked her idea around in her mind. Suddenly, with a smile, Sweetie Bell jumped to her feet.
“I have an idea!” she said; full of excitement and joy. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked up at her with wet eyes, staring at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Sweetie Bell positioned herself in a pose to show how much pride and confidence she had in her idea. “Scootaloo, before you leave, we’re going to get you your cutie mark!” she squeaked proudly.
Apple Bloom blinked before the idea sunk in her head. “Why, Sweetie Bell, that’s an excellent idea!” The depressing aura of the room seemed to begin to dissipate.
“Do... do you really think we can do that?” Scootaloo began to wipe her muzzle along her foreleg. “But what about you guys? I thought we swore to get our cutie marks together?”
“Well… this is an emergency,” Sweetie reasoned. “Apple Bloom and I can wait, right now we need to concentrate all our efforts on making sure you succeed in getting your cutie mark.”
Apple Bloom also stood, excitement filling her body. “Yeah, and If we happen to get ours along the way, then that would just be ah greater bonus! We want to see you get your cutie mark, and we want to make it happen. Heck, we already came up with a few ideas already.”
Scootaloo looked at her friends, both beaming with eager excitement. For the first time since she got the news about the move, Scootaloo was able to let a small smile creep upon her mouth. She nodded to both of them. “Alright.” Scootaloo cleared her throat so it wouldn’t be so raspy from the crying, “So, what did you two come up with?”
Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom both tag teamed as they explained their ideas and how to implement them. Scootaloo listened intently, noticing most of the ideas sounded really fun. Although her friends were beginning to raise her spirits, she still felt the sadness inside. She knew, even if she got her cutie mark before leaving, it wasn’t going to change the fact that she was going to be separated from her friends and the first place she’s ever felt that she belonged in. Again, she began to think back to two days ago, when one little announcement seemed to turned her world upside down.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two days ago, Scootaloo blasts her way from her friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell, after their latest attempt at getting their cutie marks. Though their attempt had been a failure, Scootaloo wore a huge grin on her face as she made her way home. No matter the results, Scootaloo always had a blast with the duo. In whatever they did, be it dog walking or tight rope walking (5 inches off the ground, mind you,) they did it together and had loads of fun. Any filly would wish for adventures such as theirs. Only the Crusaders, united in friendship, had the courage and the creativity to try any and all stunts to get their cutie marks- and Scootaloo loved every moment of it.
Parking her scooter behind her house, Scootaloo brushed the sweat from her forehead before trotting to the front door. Opening the door, Scootaloo only made three steps inside before she heard her mother call out to her. “Scootaloo! Did you grow up in a barn? Don’t track dirt into the house, I raised you better than that.”
With a roll of her eyes and a quick glance down to her feet, she noticed she was indeed covered in quite a bit of mud. Not the worst condition she’s come home in, but a fair amount that her mother would freak out about. With an annoyed sigh, Scootaloo turned right around, walked over to the garden her mother kept, and turned on the hose to wash up.
Once free of dirt, she gave a good shake of her hooves to get as much moisture off as possible. Scootaloo walked back inside, where her mother was levitating a towel over to her.
Her mom was a sight to behold- a burnt orange Unicorn, mere shades darker than Scootaloo’s own orange coat. Her dark purple-blue mane that grew in gentle waves that laid delicately across her shoulders. Her tail matched perfectly and was held high, to where one could keep it from touching the floor. Gentle dark pink eyes smiled at her daughter before closing as she shook her head at the rambunctious filly.
“Make sure you dry off completely- I just cleaned the floor.” She turned towards a mop, now showing off her cutie mark- A brush and scissors crossed. Her mom was in the business of mane and tail styling. She had a little competition with both the spa and the Carousel Boutique, who also featured mane and tail styling services of their own. But none of them matched the level of expertise her mother could produce.
“I know, I know.” With a sigh, Scootaloo proceeded to dry herself off, making sure her hooves were nice and dry so she could walk around again. “Am I done now?” Her mother nodded. With a grin Scootaloo threw the damp towel in the air, her mother catching it with her magic. Levitating both towel and mop, Scootaloo’s mother walked into the kitchen to put the items away, mop in the broom closet, and towel in the conjoining laundry room.
“Better get started on your homework, Scootaloo- Dinner will be ready when your dad returns from work. He has a big announcement for you,” she called out as she levitated some carrots on a cutting board.
Scootaloo’s ears perked and she ran to the kitchen, “Wait, Dad’s gonna be home…. On time?” Her mother nodded with a smile. “Seriously? For dinner? Dad’s going to eat dinner… Wiiiiith us?” Scootaloo’s wings fluttered enthusiastically.
Her mom chuckled. “Yes. Now, you better get to work; you know how your father would like to see some good grades coming from you.” She quickly cut through the carrots and placed them into a bowl for later before levitating a few tomatoes closer.
Scootaloo jumped into the air before rushing over to the kitchen table with her saddlebags to begin working on her homework. The first assignment she brought out was math. “Math? Why does it have to be math?” Even with having to deal with homework, for Scootaloo, today was becoming the best.
A while later, while trying to figure out the last problem of her math sheet, Scootaloo’s ear flicked to the door as a familiar song came closer to the house.
“Scoot, scoot, Scoot to-my-loo, Scoot, Scoot, Scoot to-my-loo, Scoot, Scoot, Scoot to-my-looooo!” The door swung open as a male Pegasus entered the house, right foreleg presented dramatically as he finished his song. “Scoot to-my-loo, my daaaarling!” Scootaloo’s eyes widened before she sped lighting quick over to her father, nearly flying into his waiting hooves. Grasped into a hug, Scootaloo’s wings fluttered excitedly. “Welcome home, Dad!”
He chuckled at his daughter’s excitement. “Hey, Scootie, how have you been, little one?” He looked up to the kitchen doorway and smiled at his wife. “Hey, gorgeous, come around often?”
His wife chuckled as she approached her husband, “Well, you’re certainly in a good mood.” She nuzzled him before delivering a delicate yet passionate kiss.
“Oh, you know it.” He looked down at Scootaloo in time to see her making disgusted faces at their display of affection. He let her down before ruffling her hair making Scootaloo giggle.
Wiping his hooves on the welcome mat, he entered the house and set down the briefcase he had tucked under his wing. Scootaloo looked up at her father, waiting expectedly. She looked him over, as if trying to make sure he was really there, and not some sort or illusion or copy. His lavender coat was as neat and clean as ever. His muzzle had a darker tint to it with a velvety feel. His mauve colored mane with pink highlights, much similar to her own mane color, was nicely brushed back with not a hair out of place. His tail, matching his own mane, was kept to a medium length. And finally, his cutie mark of a cloud with a briefcase nestled safely within it.
Her father smiled down at her. “So, what has my little Scootie been up to? Not getting into much trouble, I hope.” He glanced up to see his wife disappearing back into the kitchen.
Scootaloo wrinkled her nose at her father’s favorite nickname for her. He said that it was a mix between her name and the word “cutie.” She chuckled a little in response to his question. “Nope, no trouble making here. Well, not since I accidently crashed into Daisy’s flower patch doing this totally awesome trick.” She blushed in memory of the embarrassing moment, hoof coming up to scratch at the back of her head.
“When was that… two weeks ago? That must be a new record for you.” He clopped over to the dining table and looked down at her homework. “School giving you any trouble?”
Scootaloo trotted after him. Climbing up to her chair she looked down at her math homework. “Well,” she began, taking another look at her last problem. “Aside from math, I guess I’m doing pretty well. It’s been a lot of fun.” She picked up her pencil, chewing on it a little as she puzzled over the problem.
Her father nodded. “Well, I’ll leave you to it then. I’m going to check up on your mom and dinner.” He turned and trotted off. He went inside the kitchen to meet with his wife, and in hushed tones they began to discuss something.
Soon dinner was served and homework was packed away. The family of three munched on the wonderfully prepared meal that was made for them. “Showw, Dahd,” Scootaloo said with a mouth full of food. Her mom gave her a look, indicating that she should swallow before continuing. Once the lump of food traveled down to her belly, she continued. “Mom says that you had an announcement to make.”
He nodded, swallowing his food before clearing his throat to begin. “Well, Scootaloo, I got something big to tell you.” Scootaloo’s eye widened and her ears perked up to focus in on him. “Well, I have been offered a promotion.” Scootaloo nodded, slightly hesitantly. “It looks like my company is in need of somepony to organize relations with another company out west, and they want me take the reins and oversee it.”
Scootaloo gave him a confused looked. “Uhhuh?” She blinked before taking another bite of her meal.
“It’s a big step for me… for us. It could lead us to a better, permanent position.” Her father was looking rather proud of himself as he glanced over to his smiling wife. “We will be moving to Fillydelphia within a month.”
Spitting out her food, Scootaloo reared up and slammed her front hooves on the table, eyes wide in shock. “WHAT?!” she yelled.
“Scootaloo!” Her mom reprimanded as she grabbed a napkin to clean up her daughter’s mess. “Don’t raise your voice at your father. And hooves off the table.” Scootaloo reluctantly sat back down, though she kept her sight trained on her father, disbelief and anger evident on her face, with only a small speck of fear and hurt visible in her eyes.
“Why do we have to move?” Scootaloo questioned in a raised tone.
“Because that is where the job is located, Scootaloo. I can’t commute out there from Ponyville like I do for my job in Cloudsdale. It takes a few days just to get there by train.” He told her, a bit surprised by her outburst. She never minded moving before. He worked long hours in Cloudsdale, with his general commute time being about an hour to an hour and a half just flying over. That alone tired him out to the point where all he wanted to do on his days off was to rest and relax. Though he loved his daughter, there just wasn’t enough time in the day to spend with her.
“Can’t you say no?” Scootaloo pushed stubbornly.
“Why, this is a great opportunity for us? We’ll be able to provide everything you need, get you into the local flight school, save up for college. We can be better prepared for any unplanned events, as well as be able to go on better vacations. The possibilities are endless with this job, and all we have to do is move. Your mother is already getting ready to close up shop.” He returned back to eating, attempting to end the discussion.
“You can’t do this! We can’t move!” Scootaloo yelled from her seat, tears beginning to form.
“And why shouldn’t he? We’ve done this before, and this is really the best thing that could happen for us. My salon won’t be as slow there as it is here.” Her mother defended her dad, her soft voice trying to reason with her daughter.
“I finally have friends here.” Scootaloo let it all out; tears began to fall down her face. She was angry, she was hurt, and she felt like her whole world was crumbing around her.
“Scootaloo, you can always make new friends,” her mom said matter-of-factly, “There will be other foals your age there. It’ll be a bit of a transition, but you can adjust.”
“NO!” Scootaloo yelled, now hiding her face from her parents. “I’m finally happy here. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell are my best friends. I can’t just replace them. I DON’T WANT TO MOVE!” And with that she hopped off of her chair and stormed off to her room, slamming her door in the process. Sounds of weeping could soon be heard from the room.
Both parents sighed as her mother brought a hoof up to her temples to rub a slight headache away. “Well, she didn’t take that too well.”
Her husband nodded as he looked towards Scootaloo’s room. “She’s at that age where even the simplest little things, especially changes, are overly dramatized,” he reasoned. ”She’ll get over it and realize it’s not as big of a deal as she’s making it out to be. When she’s older, she’ll realize that everything we did was for the best.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She smiled then sighed. “This is the best for her, and for us.” They both nodded in agreement before falling into silence for the rest of their meal, the only noise coming from Scootaloo’s room as she cried.
They tried to check in on her after dinner was finished and dishes put away. Scootaloo refused to talk to them, throwing her pillow in their direction before covering her head beneath her covers. With a sigh, her mother levitated Scootaloo’s pillow back to her, and they both wished her goodnight before heading to bed themselves.
The morning after, her mother knocked at her door. “Scootaloo, it’s time for breakfast-- you don’t want to be late for school.”
“I’m not going!” Scootaloo cried out, small sobs still heard from the room.
Scootaloo’s mother looked up at her husband with a worried sigh. He shook his head and bit his lower lip for a second. “Let’s leave her alone for a bit, and let her calm down. Go ahead and bring her to the salon, and I’ll meet you two there. Then we can go to Canterlot.” His wife nodded in agreement and they both left Scootaloo’s door.
Eventually Scootaloo calmed down enough to leave her room, full of hunger and a mighty need to use the little filly’s room. She made her appearance before her mother; her father was already long gone for work. Barely looking up, Scootaloo got herself up on her chair and took a sandwich that her mother made for lunch. She was still unhappy, and her eyes where puffy and red from crying. Yesterday went from the best day ever to the worst in just ten seconds flat.
Her mother approached her with a wet towel and began to clean off the dried tears from her face, informing her of their plans for the day. Scootaloo gave no reply, but just continued to slowly munch on her sandwich. They soon walked to the salon where Scootaloo was given her space in one of the back rooms while her mother tended to her customers and told them of the small store’s closing.
Later that afternoon, her father arrived to pick them up and escorted them to the train station. On the way, he tried to cheer Scootaloo up with an offer of ice cream from one of their favorite parlors in Canterlot. It seemed to not have any effect on Scootaloo’s mood. They proceeded with their planned day, regardless of Scootaloo’s sour mood.
Earlier that morning, Scootaloo’s mother entered her daughter’s room to wake her up, handing her a note for Cheerilee. “You’re going to school today, Scootaloo. We don’t want you missing any more classes. Hand that to your teacher first thing when you get there.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes and grabbed the note.
She only ate a few bites from breakfast before going out the door. Leaving her scooter behind, she made her way slowly to the school house, head down and a few tears leaving a small trail behind her. Celestia’s sun quickly dried them up behind her. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes before entering the school house and handing Cheerilee the note before taking her seat. A stitch of pain struck her heart as she glanced over at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, knowing that she would soon be losing her best friends. Forever.