Scootaloo pressed herself against the side of building, narrowing the visibility of her slender body as she impatiently waited for Ms. Cheerilee to let the class out for the day. She was full of energy, for the first time in a while, and wanted nothing more than to play with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. Scootaloo wore her torn club cape, the patch indicating her membership in the group barely still attached by a few loose threads. Much of it was stained and blotted from its dual use as her only blanket, but with glee she still wore it, her only memento to a resemblance of family.
It had been almost a month since the orange filly had been in class and she didn’t want Ms. Cheerilee to chide her on her absenteeism or to berate her, again, on her unsatisfactory appearance. Cheerilee didn’t quite understand that cleaning yourself in the stream that formed in the alleyway which Scootaloo called home was an arduous undertaking. Much of the time it ran far from clear and frequently had bits of trash or other debris floating in it. She simply didn’t have time to run to the lake each morning, and at this time of year, when roofs were white with snow and the temperature never came above 40, that getting wet was almost a guaranteed sickness or worse. It wasn’t as if Scootaloo enjoyed her coat to be thick with grime and spotted with filth, but the washcloth in the alley regiment of cleanliness just wasn’t a very effective method.
The young pegasus thought back to their last encounter, on the final day she had attended school. The words of Ms. Cheerilee had stuck in her brain like acidic candy: “Scootaloo, I can’t let this go on any longer,” Cheerilee looked concerned but her features were also distorted with the rigid degree of professionalism that barred her personal emotions from interfering with her career. “Your appearance has been substandard for weeks now and I have overlooked it. However, I just cannot do so anymore. Your coat is thick and greasy and, frankly, the smell is distracting to not only the other students but to me as well. Don’t your parents ever make you take a bath?”
Scootaloo looked up with her magenta eyes and a hurt look crossed her face. She found it suddenly difficult to look her teacher in the eyes, preferring to look at her hooves instead. Ms. Cheerilee didn’t know the truth. Nopony in Ponyville knew the truth about Scootaloo. She didn’t have parents and preferred the streets to the underfunded orphanage system. A tear crept from the lid of her eye and spilled down her cheek. She couldn’t help her state of appearance in the cold months.
“Here, Scootaloo.” Cheerilee had produced an envelope and was holding it out to the filly. “Give this to your mother and father and return to class when you are presentable.”
Scoots had taken the letter with her; it still remained unopened, pinned to the cardboard wall of the box she called home. She wasn’t sure why she had kept it, as it was simply a symbol of her failure and depression. She wanted a mom and dad, but it just didn’t seem to be her fate. She tried not to let it dictate her life, looking towards the things that filled her with happiness—her friends, health, and hero.
The door to the schoolhouse opened and her ex-classmates were spilling out in groups. She smiled at the cliques of her school, the small groups of best friends who found comfort and camaraderie with one another. She hopped from hoof to hoof not only to warm up, but in anticipation of basking in the warmth of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s friendship. The pegasus filly was pregnant with happy thoughts and didn’t notice the appearance of the school’s bullies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
“Ugh, what’s that horrible smell, Silver Spoon? I think Applejack’s pigs must have gotten loose again.” Diamond Tiara’s snobby voice was like hooves on a chalkboard to Scootaloo and her happy memories warped under the friction. Tiara was born of entitlement and luxury. She loathed the tiny town of Ponyville for its simplicity. Ponies of her stature belonged with others of her kind, not the low-lives and laborers of this dreadful town.
“Yeah, Diamond. I smell it too. Filthy things. I hear they roll in their own filth all day. That has to be it.” Silver Spoon was generally held to be the lackey of the more prominent bully, Diamond Tiara, but she was just as nasty and mean spirited. They shared the same sentiment about Ponyville and spent their time together making fun of its peasant citizens.
“I don’t know; I think this may be worse than that farmer's pigs,” Tiara had strained the word "farmer" to insinuate how pathetic an occupation that must be. Scootaloo just waited for the hateful pair to have their fun at her expense and to continue on their way. “Oh! Scootaloo, I didn’t see you. All of that gunk in your coat and that ratty old cape you have on made you look just like a bag of garbage. Still, it’s probably a good fashion choice for you.”
Scootaloo sighed with annoyance and rolled her eyes back. She didn’t need this, being made fun of for forces outside of her control. That was the way with bullies though, always finding things that you couldn’t help and exploiting them.
Silver Spoon adjusted her glasses with her hoof and smirked. “Yeah, you look like you just crawled out of the gutter.” She gasped in sudden meanness and looked to Diamond who grinned in return, their spiteful minds coming up with the same taunt in tandem.
“Gutterloo!” the bullies spoke at the same time and then laughed together in celebration of their taunting. Scoots flinched at the name; it hurt. A piece of her shield flaked away to reveal the soft flesh underneath, something the pair of cruel ponies recognized immediately and set upon like a predator smelling blood. Scootaloo witnessed their cruel grins and realized they weren’t going to leave as quickly as she wanted. They had some fuel for their spiteful fire.
Diamond Tiara regained her calm composure and brought her neck up straight, holding her chin up at a slight angle in visual representation of her superiority. “So what are you doing here, Gutterloo? You were kicked out of school for stinking it up. Are you waiting to beg Ms. Cheerilee to let you come back? How pathetic.”
“Begging looks like something Gutterloo’s good at, Tiara.” Silver Spoon didn’t mimic Diamond Tiara’s haughty posture, keeping her eyes leveled at Scootaloo, reading her and savoring the hurt that appeared behind her façade.
“Just shut up, Diamond. Go away. I don’t want to see you.” Scootaloo mustered her words and held her voice in check, not letting it break. She hid her ache well; she’d had lots of practice at it in her life.
Diamond faked hurt and stepped lightly around Scootaloo’s back, forcing her to swivel her head to keep an eye on Tiara. “Oh, Gutterloo. I thought we were friends. It hurts when you say you don’t want to see me. I mean, I don’t want to be seen with you, but I allow it because we’re such good friends. I just wanted to find out what you were doing, waiting here all alone.”
“I’m waiting on my real friends. Why don’t you two just leave me alone?” Scoots’ voice remained strong and she stopped turning her head to watch Tiara. She knew she needed to appear tough if she wanted them to lose interest in her.
Silver Spoon chuckled; it was rough and dark, dripping with venom. “Your real friends? Did you hear that, Tiara? She doesn’t know yet.”
The bait was too strong and Scootaloo jumped at it. Had something happened to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom? She hadn’t seen them in a while and she found herself dipped in worry for their safety. “Doesn’t know what? What don’t I know?”
“Oh, Gutters, I’m sorry but you don’t have any friends anymore. They don’t want to hang out with you. Rarity and Applejack had a meeting with Ms. Cheerilee about you and now Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle want nothing to do with you. Sorry, but at least you still have the other pieces of trash to keep you company.” Diamond Tiara absorbed the look of shock and sorrow that swept into Scootaloo’s eyes, basking in the pain and soaking her vicious streak with it.
Scootaloo had almost fallen over from the terrible things Diamond Tiara said. She didn’t want to believe it, but the possibilities of it being the truth shook her at her foundation and tears grew in her eyes. No, she couldn't believe it. They were liars; they would do anything to hurt another pony. Scootaloo's pain made way for anger. She summoned up her irritation and barked at them loudly. “Just go! LEAVE ME ALONE!”
Diamond Tiara laughed to herself in a debutant manner and began to walk away. “Let’s go, Silver Spoon. We don’t need to hang around with the refuse.”
Scootaloo watched the pair walk away. They were such liars; there was no way her friends would abandon her like that. They were the Cutie Mark Crusaders and that meant friends forever. Scootaloo tried to get Diamond Tiara’s voice out of her mind by shaking her head. The greasy uneasiness that Diamond may have been telling her the truth clung in the corner of her brain, however, and she turned quickly with a jerking motion, suddenly finding herself face to face with Sweetie Belle.
The white unicorn filly gave Scootaloo a strange look, one Scoots had never seen before across her pretty friend’s face. It was unsettled and full of doubt and shame. Scoots took in the scene and realized Apple Bloom was standing right beside Sweetie. Both of them had the same expression and a chill ran through Scootaloo’s spine. Their features were not blessed with the light of friendship, but something else, something that made her stomach twist. “Oh … hey, girls. Ummm … what are you doing?”
Sweetie snapped a quick look to Apple Bloom whose eyes were telling a story that the pegasus didn’t understand. Sweetie stepped to move around the dirty filly and Apple Bloom followed in silence, neither venturing even a glance in Scoots' direction, as if they had not heard her question.
The chill that ran through Scootaloo took root and grew within her. She felt a twinge of panic and she started asking more questions, hoping for some kind of answer. “Are we going crusading? What’s the plan today, girls? Fishing? Snowpony building? Ice-skating? Snowball fighting?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn’t turn or answer her frantic questions, choosing instead simply to continue walking down the street. They had been hard to find for the last week and Scoots had thought more than once that they had seen her, only to watch them run off in another direction before she could catch up to them. She had told herself they hadn’t seen her or had to get home quickly, but this time they had definitely seen her. They had to hear her! They were just pretending she didn’t exist! Scootaloo felt a warm wetness in the corners of her eyes. Friends were a primary part of her life. If they abandoned her, she would have very little left from which to draw comfort. She cantered quickly after them.
“Apple Bloom! Sweetie! Please! I … I don’t know what I did to make you mad, but I’m sorry! Please don’t go!” Scootaloo tried to think of what she may have done to hurt them, but couldn’t. Maybe they thought she didn’t like them anymore, but why then would they ignore her when she spoke to them? Her mind raced, but nothing she thought of could stand under reason and she felt the dread of being friendless fill her. “We’re … we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! PLEASE don’t go! You’re my best friends!”
Apple Bloom turned her head slightly, just enough to get a glimpse of Scootaloo, and she sighed and paused in her steps, causing Sweetie to do the same.
“Apple Bloom, we can’t stop. We’ll get in trouble.” Sweetie reasoned with the red-maned earth pony at her side. “I don’t like it either, but …”
“Ah cain’t do this, Sweetie. Scoot’s our friend and she deserves ta know why we ain’t supposed ta talk ta her.” The country mare was more logical; a deep personal code of ethics filled the young filly. She turned to face the upset pegasus and her brow furrowed in shame and embarrassment at what she had to say. “Scootaloo, we ain’t supposed ta be yer friends anymore. Applejack and Rarity think it’s best that we just steer clear of ya. We don’t wanna do it, but we don’t wanna get in trouble either.”
Scootaloo looked at the pair with large sorrowful eyes and sniffled. “What? Why?”
Sweetie had turned to face Scootaloo as well and looked to the ground and away. Tears were forming in her eyes as well and she was upset by the situation in which they all been placed. “Rarity saw you stealing from Sugar Cube Corner.”
“And mah big sis seen you take some carrots from Carrot Top’s cart out at the farmer’s market. They talked ta each other about it and decided to ask Ms. Cheerilee who yer parents were so that they could talk to ’em about yer behavior but you’d already stopped comin’ ta school. So … they told us we weren’t s’pposed ta be friends anymore. Ah’m sorry, Scoots. We still like ya, but …” The Apple filly looked to her friend to help get through the moment.
“… but we can’t be friends anymore. Maybe … maybe someday, but not now. We’re sorry, Scootaloo.” Sweetie could only flicker her eyes to Scootaloo’s before she motioned to Apple Bloom and they both continued their walk away from Scootaloo.
Scootaloo didn’t argue with them and just watched her friends leave her life. She couldn’t help but cry and quickly ran into the nearby alley. She wanted to be alone, to feel miserable by herself. She wanted to be home and darted through the assorted alleyways until she came upon her cardboard box. She lifted the flap and crawled inside, the darkness inside cradling her form as waves of sorrow wracked her small frame.
She sobbed deeply and felt alone. Applejack and Rarity weren’t wrong. She had stolen, but she only stole because she was hungry. Was that deserving of such a punishment? She didn’t want to corrupt her friends and had never stolen in their presence, as much for her own shame as to keep their names clean if she got caught. She didn’t want her friends to know that she was an orphan and that her meals were usually gathered by sneaking into a garden under the cover of night to pull up a few turnips or pick a couple of tomatoes. She had rarely stooped to taking from a store or vendor, but it was something that occasionally happened, especially in the winter when most gardens were not producing, but a few vendors of root vegetables still had the last of a harvest to pick and sell. She didn’t want pity from anypony; she just wanted to live her life, despite how hopeless it might seem. The filly cried herself to sleep in the relative warmth of her paper home with the knowledge that there would be no further crusades for her and her friends. She dreamed of the fun times she would never have again because of the things she had to do to survive.
“Ick! This is so gross, I want to go home Diamond Tiara!” Silver Spoon was repulsed by the garbage in the alley and wrinkled her nose as she pulled her hoof out of what she hoped was a pile of mud.
“Be quiet, Silver Spoon. Do you want her to hear us? I knew there was something strange with that pony. I knew that nopony knew who her parents were, but this is too good to be true. She actually lives in this filth.” Diamond Tiara smirked superiorly to her sidekick and poked her head around the garbage can she was hiding behind to watch for signs of motion coming from the box that read “ColdHoof’s Custom Coldboxes” along the side. Seeing how lowly Scootaloo really was filled her heart with glee and she happily submitted herself to a little disgust for the chance to cause the pegasus more misery.
“I thought we were just going to watch and see what happened with Sweetie and Apple Bloom. It was funny when they told her they didn’t want to be her friends anymore and even better when she started crying, but this is too much. My dad is going to ground me for getting my hooves so nasty. Let’s just go home; it’s getting dark.” Silver Spoon wasn’t accustomed to such vile surroundings and wasn’t about to stay any longer than she had to. Unfortunately, her whining didn’t seem to faze Tiara and she wasn’t going to leave without her.
“Fine. If you don’t want to be part of my plan, go home, but you’ll miss out on some fun.” Diamond cocked a knowing eye to Silver Spoon who simply sighed and resigned herself to stepping in more piles of Celestia-knew-what before she would be able to go home.
Diamond smirked to herself and waited patiently for Scootaloo to come out of her pathetic little home. This was the best day Diamond Tiara had ever experienced and she wasn’t about to go home without the cherry on top.
Scootaloo woke to the sound of her stomach rumbling. She had become acclimated to the gnawing sensation of hunger and so she was not surprised that, in the cold of the Ponyville winter, she was hungry after only eating lightly for breakfast and lunch. She sniffled a couple times to clear her muzzle of the mucus that had flowed with her tears. She didn’t need friends; they would have discovered her secret sometime and things would have changed between them. They were only friends because they were blank flanks anyway. That wasn’t much of a reason to maintain a friendship and, once one of them attained her mark, their friendship would have died anyway. How long would that be? A day? A month? A year at most? Scoots looked up to her favorite thing, a poster of the Wonder Bolts that she had colored to look like Rainbow Dash while she was still in school. "I still have you, Dash. You won’t leave me." She didn’t need them. She would be fine on her own. That’s how it was anyway, constantly alone and left to her own devices for shelter, warmth, and food. Speaking of food, she needed to visit Sugar Cube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were trusting and Pinkie Pie was all too willing to give away new recipes as samples, much to the Cakes' chagrin. She wiped her moist eyes, looked up again at the poster of her hero, and forced a weak smile.
Scootaloo pushed the flap of her makeshift domicile up with her head and looked around the alley. It was dark, but not late. In the winter, the sun went to bed early and she knew that the bakery would still be open. The wind didn’t come into the alley, for which she was grateful as she could hear it whipping at the mouth of the passageway. She pulled her tattered crusading cape more tightly around her body as the cold surrounded her. She paused momentarily to sip the brackish water from a puddle that had formed before stepping out into the street and making her way towards Sugar Cube Corner.
As the pegasus approached the bakery, she was assaulted by the wafting scent of delicious cakes and her mouth watered hungrily. The smell of food brightened her sour mood somewhat and she hoped Pinkie Pie was watching the counter for the Cakes. Scootaloo was certain she could get a few free cupcakes or slices of other treats if she talked up the bubbly and friendly pink mare. Scootaloo didn’t like to think badly of other ponies and so she would never have called the happy-go-lucky Pinkie Pie ditzy or airheaded, but she did concede that she could easily get a full tummy if the party pony was working. A small smile broke across her face as she nudged the highly decorated door open. A blast of heat greeted her, fragranced with a mix of pies, cakes, frostings, and fillings. Her stomach rumbled at the sweet scent and she anxiously looked to the glass counter with the strawberry cake, buttercream, and chocolate pie looking heavenly within it. She had to pry her eyes from the wonderful food up to the bouncing pink mare behind the counter. She was in luck; she’d be full tonight. “Hi Pinkie! How are you?” Her eyes glanced around at the shelves of goodies all around the bakery.
Pinkie had been hopping in place for some reason that Scootaloo didn’t understand, but when the party mare turned to return the greeting she stopped and an expression very much like the ones that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had worn earlier crept across her features. She made a strange smile with one side of her face and seemed to try to look through the back of her head with her eyes towards the kitchen. “Oh! Hello valued customer. How are you this evening? May I help you with your purchase?” Her words were stilted and odd, as if she was trying not to attract attention, which only garnered attention to the normally excited pony. Her wild greetings that included shouts, whistles, bells, and, sometimes, random instruments were accepted, but a simple and bland "hello" prompted Mr. Cake to pop his head from inside the kitchen to check on her.
Pinkie’s face crossed with failure and she gave Scootaloo a sad look as Mr. Cake stepped towards the counter with a frustrated grimace. Scoots understood that something was wrong and the whole scene seemed too familiar to the one she had with her friends earlier. She probably would have to resort to another way to fill her empty tummy.
“Pinkie, I think Mrs. Cake needs you in the kitchen,” Mr. Cake explained, giving a hard stare towards Scootaloo.
“Okay, let me just finish with this valued customer and I’ll …”
“NOW, Pinkie!”
“Yes, sir!” Pinkie quickly made a break for the kitchen, looking back once with that same sad expression before disappearing through the door.
Scootaloo looked up at the yellow and orange stallion with a bit of an underbite and then to the goodies in the glass counter. Her stomach grumbled and she hoped she might be able to get at least a little something.
“Something I can help you with, young filly?” His tone was strong and bitter. Scoots almost shrank from the hints of frustration in his voice.
“Umm … there’s so many. Do you think I could have a sample of each to help me decide?” Scootaloo knew that the Cakes would generally provide a sample if a patron asked and hoped she could get a couple bites of something before she had to leave.
“No, I don’t think so, Scootaloo. Do you have any bits to pay for one of these treats?” Mr. Cake was not in the mood for nonsense since his discussion with Rarity the day before. He knew that young ponies sometimes went through a rebellious phase but he didn’t appreciate theft, no matter the reasons. He narrowed his gaze at the young filly and waited for an answer. When none came, he nodded to himself. “Okay, enough of this. You are not welcome in this shop unless you have means of payment. We know what you have been up to and we’re not putting up with it. I should tell the Royal Guard, Scootaloo, but I think banning you from the store until you get your act together is a better answer. Now please leave.”
“But… Mr. Cake,” Scootaloo began.
“NOW!”
Scootaloo jumped and backed up towards the door, quickly turning and dashing outside and into the cold night, her stomach voicing its displeasure at being taunted with so much food. She breathed deeply, her breath materializing in the air. How much worse could this day get? Now she had been deprived of her primary option for fresh food. She sighed and looked around the street for other ponies. Finding herself alone, she crept around the building, navigating the alley to the rear of the building.
Scootaloo knew alternate methods for finding a meal. It wasn’t the most pleasant means of getting sustenance, but it worked and right now Scoots had to settle for what she could get. Scootaloo nudged the lid from the trashcan at the back of Sugar Cube Corner and looked inside to see what she might be able to salvage.
Rooting through garbage didn’t bother Scootaloo anymore. She had learned that there were plenty of good things to eat that were thrown away because they had turned a little stale. She understood that a business like Sugar Cube Corner couldn’t sell products that were old or hard, but just throwing them out when there were ponies who would eat them bothered her. She never wanted to go to the orphanage, but if the Cakes gave the leftover food to such establishments it would cheer up the nearly soul-dead foals that dwelled within them.
Scootaloo tore open a bag with her teeth and grimaced as she realized that she had bitten a little too deeply and torn a diaper open. A foul taste filled her mouth and she turned and spit before knocking it away with her hoof. Underneath the diaper was the treasure she had sought, a whole batch of cupcakes lay together, smashed and dotted with unknown entities but mostly whole. She narrowed her eyes and realized that they were discolored with a weird green hue. She should probably dig a little deeper and see what else she could find.
Scoot was about to begin searching a new area when the light at the exit of the bakery flicked on. Her breath caught and she grabbed eagerly at the bag with the cupcakes inside. She yanked it free of the garbage can just as the door began to open. Her legs pounded at the snowy ground and she heard a sudden gasp from whomever was coming out as she ran from the bakery. She would eat tonight...