Canterlot’s hospital didn’t get much attention after that horrifying night. The staff were, however, still on edge. With a notorious crime lord in town, anything could happen. They’ll most likely have to make some space in the morgue.
A lonesome secretary distracted herself with today’s newspaper, hoping to see some good things for once. Sadly, all it talked about really were the presence of the Anarchists and the tragic deaths of the agents.
“Gee, can’t we have anything good?”
“I’m here to see Blossomforth.”
The secretary shrieked and fell from her chair, knocking her head against a drawer. Looking Glass stared blankly as the mare sluggishly rose, clutching her head in pain. “Hasn’t anypony ever told you not to sneak up on ponies?”
“Many have... more than once. It can’t be helped.” The detective responded, his serious gaze quickly tilting the high ground to him. He was in control now.
“Okay? What was it you said again?” The mare nervously asked, putting on a fake smile.
“I’m here to see Blossomforth. Did she wake up from her coma?”
Judging by the reaction on the secretary’s face, she did not. The mare bit her lower lip. “Oh w-well, miss Blossom- huh?!”
Looking Glass teleported out of the hospital without so much as a warning. The secretary was left by her lonesome again.
“Awfully rude...”
In the back, sitting on a chair was a light blue pegasus mare reading the newspaper. Her purple eyes were, however, not resting upon the news but rather, where the detective once stood. Tough luck, détective...
5 days left before the storm
Olive opened her eyes. She was in Sweetie Belle’s room, comfortably tugged away in the white filly’s bed. The morning sun was already shining through the window, it’s golden light greeting the pink unicorn.
She raised from the bed and looked at her friend. Sweetie Belle was still asleep, though it looked like she was coming to. Olive gingerly watched as the white pony opened her tired green eyes, soon meeting hers. “Is... Is it morning already?”
“E-yup.” Olive answered, her eyes not leaving Sweetie’s.
She looked disappointed, pulling the sheets further up. “I guess Applejack’s going to be here anytime soon.”
The white-haired pony frowned. “I’m going to spend the day with Scootaloo. It’s what mommy wants.”
“I know, Rarity told me that too. Olive-” Sweetie Belle rose from her dormant posture. “You’ll come back one day, won’t you? I... really loved yesterday.”
“I loved it too.” Olive said with upmost honesty. “I wish it lasted longer.”
Sweetie Belle smiled weakly. “We’ll see each other again, a-at school. A-and if you want to, we can have another sleepover next week.”
“I’ll ask mommy if I can go back to Carousel Boutique next Saturday.” The white filly lowered her eyes solemnly. Olive, not knowing how to lift her spirit, opted for the one action that, so far, has always been foolproof. She inched herself closer to Sweetie and hugged her. “You’re my best friend.”
“And you’re my best friend too.”
Later that morning, Olive waited at the front door for Applejack to come. She waited, and waited, but nopony came. She stood there for so long, that an entire hour could have passed. Rarity eventually came to check up on her, naturally worried about Aj’s strange absence. “She’s... she’s not coming, isn’t she, darling?”
Olive’s tail waggled anxiously. There were no signs of her mother for miles. She really wasn’t coming, which was impossible. There was no way Aj would leave her like that. Her wild imagination already began concocting all sorts of gloomy scenarios to explain this strange absence. She looked to Rarity for help, whimpering.
“Do you perhaps, know the way home? I’m sure she might be too busy with her duties to personally come pick you up.” Rarity explained. It wasn’t helpful at all. She sounded like she was trying to justify her own theory to herself.
“I know where it is now.” Olive croaked.
“Then go, nopony’s holding you hostage.”
Hesitant, Olive ultimately chose to go after a bit more convincing on Rarity’s part. The road to Sweet Apple Acre felt strangely cold. The ponies of Ponyville were going about their day as usual, though something felt off, but the filly couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was something about their mane style being different.
Anyhow, Olive trotted slowly to her home, making sure to trace her steps back from yesterday. If she simply followed the mental line she traced, she’ll get there without getting lost. From all her time spent in this town, she only knew how to reach the library, Sugar Cube Corner, Carousel Boutique, the schoolhouse and of course, her own home.
Arriving at the road that led to the farm, Olive raised her head in confusion. There was smoke coming from the house. Lots of smoke. The last time she saw this much smoke was when her father burned down an entire hotel. Her heart sank once she made the connection. N-No!
Olive ran as fast as she could, nearly tripping on a few loose rocks on the road. The closer she got to Sweet Apple Acre, the bigger the smoke. Then it hit her like a speeding truck. The farm was on fire, everything burned down. No sign of Big Mac, Granny Smith or even Apple Bloom. The fire spread to the nearby apple trees and the farm animals. None survived the angry flames. None, except for Applejack.
The poor mare was beaten down, bloodied and bruised next to her burning home.
“Mommy!” The filly cried her heart out, tears streaming down her face. “Mommy!” She cried out as she ran to her injured mother, feeling the heat burning her face. The closer she got, the stronger the inferno was. “Mommy!”
Applejack opened her weak and terrified eyes, darting around in confusion. When she saw her foster daughter arriving by her side, she smiled weakly. “S-Sugar cube...”
Olive couldn’t say a single word through the fountain of tears leaking down her face. “Mo... mo-”
“It’s okay, Ah’m gonna manage. We’re gonna manage.” Her mother reassured, lifting a weak hoof to her face. “It’s just a fire, we can always rebuild. As long as yer safe, Ah’m okay with this.”
“B-b-but... our house...”
Applejack opened her mouth to speak again, but a loud, booming hoofstep shut her up. Olive’s pupils turned to pinpricks as she slowly lifted her head to stare at the blazing farm. A gigantic silhouette trotted out of the flames, its scarlet eyes freezing her into place.
“Where do you think you’re going, bruja?”
Olive dropped to her flank; her eyes unable to leave those of the giant.
“Run, oh rrruunnn! I’m coming for you!”
“Run, Olive! Get out of there!” Applejack pleaded, but her words rang on deaf ears. The world no longer existed for the filly. All that remained, was Strong Hoof, and her.
“I've killed you once, I’ll kill you again and this time, I won’t be beating around the bush. Aurora’s waiting for you in Heaven, my little pony!” Strong Hoof marched towards the frozen filly, stopping before Applejack.
Olive stared at the giant frame of her tormentor, her face frozen in fear. None of her limbs dared to move. She was completely dead inside.
“Now, did you really think I wasn’t going to find you? Have you forgotten that I never leave any stones unturned?” He lowered his gaze, staring at the beaten mare.
His frown distorted into a sadistic grin. “Seems like we have unfinished business here.” He lifted his giant hoof in the air, bringing it above his head. “As a final act of mercy, I’ll put down Old Yeller.” He struck his hammer down and crushed the filly’s mother before her very eyes, and that finally made her snap.
Sweetie Belle woke up to screaming and trashing happening right next to her. The harrowing screams sounded genuine, as if her friend was being murdered in her bedroom. She turned around, stressed out of her mind to find Olive shaking around with tears in her eyes. The pink unicorn was crying about her mother, her words then turning to gibberish. Her screams only intensified alongside her trashing. An ominous glow appeared on her horn, an emerald-colored glow.
“O-Olive!” Sweetie Belle rushed to her friend’s side, noticing her eyes were still closed. The pink unicorn kept on screaming in her sleep. “Wake up!” Sweetie shook Olive violently, hoping that it would wake her up quickly. “You’ve got to wake up, please!”
Olive’s eyes snapped open, and she let out one last scream of pure terror and pain. Her pupils were pinpricked, small enough to only appear as two simple dots. Her breathes were erratic and ragged, her forehead covered in sweat and her eyes filled with tears.
“Olive?” Sweetie gingerly placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Are you alright?” she softly asked.
The pink filly slowly turned her head, her frightened eyes trembling as they sought any semblance of comfort. Out of nowhere, she lunged at Sweetie Belle and cling onto her with all her strength. Taken aback, the white pony reciprocated the gesture, not minding the impressive grip of her friend. Olive strengthened her grip and wept on Sweetie’s shoulder.
At this moment, the door busted open. “Good Heavens! What’s happening?!” Rarity screamed wide eyed. Her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest when she woke up to ghastly screaming coming from her sister’s room. Thankfully, by the time she arrived, the situation calmed down. The white mare took a moment to compose herself before she trotted over to the bed.
Olive was softly weeping, holding onto her friend for dear life. “Sweetie, what happened?”
Sweetie Belle looked up to her sister solemnly. “I think she had a terrible nightmare.” The poor filly was holding back tears of her own.
“Oh, darling.” Rarity embraced the two fillies in her gentle hooves. “We’re here, and we won’t let a single bad thing happen to you.”
Olive sniffled, and through her weeping, she smiled weakly.
Later this morning, Olive once again waited for Applejack to come pick her up, only this time she was inside Carousel Boutique, too scared to go outside without her mother’s protection. Time slowed down to a crawl as she paced around the boutique, constantly checking the door. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were kind enough to stay by her side, reassuring her that Aj would come soon.
It wasn’t enough, she had to see her mother to be truly reassured. Strong Hoof could come at any time, he’ll know that she’s still alive and he’ll come back to finish the job. He’s smart like her father, he will figure it out eventually.
Somepony knocked on the door, prompting Olive to rush there at an impressive speed. “Rarity, it’s me.” The pink filly smiled, her tail waggling around excitedly. Applejack came to Carousel Boutique! Nothing bad happened!
Rarity opened the door. “Good morning, Applejack! Somepony here looks very happy to see you.”
“Mommy!” Olive rushed to Applejack and hugged her legs tightly. The orange mare gushed about the filly’s adorable behavior when she noticed something off. Olive’s eyes were somewhat red and dry.
Confused, she looked to Rarity for answers. “Rarity, what happened?”
Sheepishly, the white mare explained the terrible situation she woke up to, assuring Aj that they weren’t responsible for it in any way.
“Don’t worry, Rare, Ah’m not blamin’ ya fo’ this. There are just some thin’s we can’t do, sadly. Luna’s the only one who can help with night terrors.” Applejack softly said.
“Then why didn’t she help Olive?” Sweetie Belle asked, a good point.
“From what Ah know, she’s too busy dealin’ with the whole Anarchist problem in Canterlot. Ah’m certain she’s doin’ the right thin’.”
“So that’s why I've been having nightmares recently.” Rarity muttered. “Did you too, Applejack?”
“Why, uh... yes.” Applejack confirmed. “That’s kinda odd. Just ‘cause Luna’s busy doin’ somethin’ else doesn’t mean we should all be havin’ nightmares left and right.”
“Huh, that’s a good point. Could it all be just a coincidence? Or do you think there’s something going on in the dreamscape?” Rarity asked.
“Ah don’t know, Rare and frankly; Ah don’t really want to know. Ah’ve got lots of thin’s on mah plate already.”
The trip to Scootaloo was a bit worrying for Applejack. Olive was being awfully clingy today. She had no idea what she saw in her nightmare. She only hoped that it wouldn't push the filly to be depending on her for everything. Olive had to grow one way or another, and letting the little unicorn stay away from her at times would help in that regard.
Arriving before Scootaloo’s house, Olive noticed just how different it was from the other houses she visited. It looked... average, normal. It was quite the odd trend how so many ponies in this town live in their own shops or in public spaces. Manehattan or any other big city for that matter don’t have ponies living in their own establishment.
“That’s the place!” Applejack announced before knocking on the door.
A few seconds later and they were greeted by Scootaloo. “Oh... hey guys, what’s up?”
“Howdy, Scoot! Ah’m ‘ere to drop off Olive. Can Ah have a word with yer parents? Well, if they’re ‘ere.”
Scootaloo sighed. “No, they’re not. Neither are my aunts. I’m by myself for the weekend.”
“Uh, ya sure yer gonna be fine by yerself?”
The orange nodded confidently. “I can manage. I mean, it’s already been a few years since I’ve been mostly on my own, but I do appreciate the help from my aunts.”
Applejack hesitantly lowered her head to nuzzle her pink daughter. “Now ya go on, sugar cube. Ah’ll be back tomorrow in the mornin’ to take ya both to school.”
“Bye, mommy!” Olive waved off, putting on a cheerful expression. Truth is, she was still haunted by her nightmare. She normally forgets her dream quickly after she wakes up, but these recent nightmares linger in her mind long after she’s wide awake. She just hoped that Scootaloo could help her forget them all.
“Well, squirt. Let’s get down to business!”
“Huh?”
Before Olive knew it, she was dragged to Scootaloo’s scooter. “Check this out! I don’t think I’ve shown you my scooter before. It’s my crown jewel.”
The pink unicorn stared at the scooter, noticing it has wheels. That’s a weird looking object. It must be a vehicle because it has a wheel!
Scootaloo chuckled. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“But it’s not a crown nor a jewel.”
Scootaloo lingered for a moment, once again unable to grasp this filly’s thought process. “Uh...Why don’t we ride on it? There’s enough space for the two of us.” The pegasus hopped on her scooter, putting on her helmet. “I’ve got a spare for you. Put it on and climb aboard.”
Oh, so it must be a figure of speech like Rarity said! Olive did as instruct and climbed on the scooter, struggling to balance herself on her hind legs. She fell forward, holding onto Scootaloo to break her fall. “Whew, being on two legs is hard.”
“Probably because we’re not meant to be on two legs.” Scootaloo responded. “Anyway, are you prepared for the ride of your life?”
Olive blinked. “I guess so?”
With one mighty kick, Scootaloo propelled the scooter forward, flapping her tiny wings to keep the momentum. The speed at which they were going far surpassed that of a galloping earth pony. The cool wind brushed against their faces, increasing in strength the faster they went. Scootaloo was a great driver, avoiding ponies and other carriages with ease as she navigated around town, making sure to explore every nook and cranny.
It was the first time Olive ever got to experience such thrills, such speed. It felt as if the whole world could be explored, as if nothing was out of reach. Her tail waggled around uncontrollably, her eyes and mouth wide in awe. She gave the biggest smile she could muster, her heart beating at an accelerated pace. Scooting was the most wonderful thing she’s experience in her whole life.
With the speed they were going, Olive wondered what would happen if she could run this fast. If she was as fast as a scooter, then, maybe she would have been able to run away from...
She shook off the thought immediately. The unicorn should enjoy the thrills for now and leave these dark thoughts for later. Aurora... Despite her best efforts, the teenage filly still came back to her mind. If Aurora was still here, she’d be happy to see how much Olive’s life turned around for the better. The last thing she’d want is for her to drown in sorrow. She must smile and live on to honor her friend’s kindness. It was easier to do now, and she found herself having the time of her life.
The ride came to an end quicker than she had hoped. Scootaloo looked over her shoulder, a confident smirk on her lips. “So, how was it? Was I awesome as expected?”
“Again! Again!” Olive barked, hopping in place.
“Sure thing! I’ll turn up the heat!” Scootaloo exclaimed, a fiery look in her eyes as a daring devil took over her. Scooting around town was fun, but what’s more fun is jumping on a scooter. With the right set-ups, she can jump on the roofs, maybe even reach the clouds. “Hold onto me, ‘cause this next ride is going to be totally... awesome!”
As promised, she turned up the heat. Anything that could serve as a ramp, she used to reach new heights. The young pegasus couldn’t fly with her own wings, but she found a good alternative with her scooter. Some jumps even propelled them above houses, it was the closest thing to flying Olive had experienced. Scootaloo wouldn’t stop after just one jump, no, she had to go even higher. With each jump, she got a few centimeters higher, and so she tried again and again. The pink unicorn was thrilled, so much so that she began to forget about the potential dangers they were facing.
“Now watch this, we’re gonna be scooting on rooftops!”
“Waouh!”
Scootaloo sped off another ramp, launching herself and Olive far into the sky. Their scooter then descended to the roof the pegasus was aiming to land on. She took everything into account, the correct position to be able to roll off it, the correct height to reach it, but she did forget one important detail, a certain law of physic. Upon landing on the roof, it collapsed under their weight combined with the strength of the impact.
The ride thus came to a surprising end as they fell through the roof of Ponyville Day Spa where the two workers were peacefully tending to their customers’ needs, before said peace was brutally disrupted by two fillies and a scooter.
“Ugh... you okay, Olive?”
The pink unicorn giggled. “That was awesome!”
It was a good thing they landed inside the spa itself, or else their fall could have hurt a lot more.
Aloe, one of the co-owners of the spa trotted to them, checking the extent of the damage. “Not this again!”
The other co-owner, Lotus Blossom, soon joined her, mouth agape. “We just barely fixed the broken wall...”
Scootaloo emerged from the spa, noticing the rubbles in the water. She looked up, then at the two angry spa ponies. “Uh... s-sorry about your roof?”
“It’s going to take more than an apology to fix this roof.” Aloe groaned. “We’ll need some money; can we have a word with your parents?”
Scootaloo felt her blood turning cold despite being in a hot spa. “O-Oh, well you see, my parents are...”
“Olive! What are you doing in here?” Saved by the bell! Rarity came to unintentionally take the pressure off Scootaloo. “I can’t believe you’re taking an interest in a beauty salon!”
“Um, miss Rarity.” Lotus Blossom said. “They broke our roof.” she pointed at the ceiling, keeping her glare on the fillies. Olive didn’t seem to mind much, she was too busy enjoying the sweet feeling of a spa, yet again a first experience for the filly.
“I-I see. I can pay for it on their behalf.”
The two spa ponies cocked their heads back. “Um, you really don’t have to do it, really. You’re our best customer after all and-”
“I’ve made my decision; I’m paying for the repairs.” Rarity declared, though she did look a little peeved about it, judging from the occasional twitch of her eye.
“You okay in there, squirt?” All five looked to the broken ceiling once more. Rainbow Dash was perched on the roof, peeking down the hole. “That was a nasty fall.”
“I know.” Scootaloo sighed. “Not a great first impression.” She said, throwing a quick glance at Olive.
“It was awesome!” The pink filly exclaimed, still feeling the rush of adrenaline from earlier.
“It broke our roof.” Lotus groaned before she cleared all traces of anger on her face. “That’ll be fifty bits.”
Rarity’s smile faltered, her eyes twitched. F-fifty bits?! I don’t have this much on me! Her eyes shifted to Rainbow Dash who flew down to check up on the orange filly. “Rainbow Dash, darling, won’t you help a friend in need?”
“In what need?” Rainbow asked, rubbing off the rubbles stuck in Scootaloo’s mane.
The white mare pointed with her eyes at the hole. “You have some bits on yourself, don’t you?”
“What?! I’m not paying for something I didn’t-” Her outburst was cut short once she noticed the pleading look in Scootaloo’s eyes.
Back in the streets of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash escorted the fillies out of the spa, a peeved glint in her eyes.
“Now, squirt, I don’t want to bail you out of trouble every time. Promise me you’ll be more careful next time.” Rainbow Dash scolded.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to do some cool tricks on my scooter, to you know...” The pegasus’ eyes pointed at Olive, standing behind them.
“Impress your new friend? Look, Scoot, I know you want to look cool in front of her but remember that nopony likes a show-off.” Rainbow softly responded.
“Unless what they’re showing is radical.” said a snarky Scootaloo.
The blue pegasus chuckled. “Can’t argue with that, but that’s beside the point. What I’m telling you is that you don’t have to push yourself to all sorts of daring stunts to impress her. I’m sure Olive respects you enough as is.”
Scootaloo said something back to Rainbow Dash, but Olive didn’t hear it. The more she observed them, the clearer something got. Back at the party, she didn’t understand what Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were. If they weren’t sister then, what were they? Friends? It looked to be more, but not romantical in any way.
They were very close, that’s for sure. A smally filly and a tall mare acting as if they were sisters... As their conversation went on, Olive was reminded of somepony. In Scootaloo she saw herself, and in Rainbow Dash, she saw Aurora. Not just her, but also Applejack and Apple Bloom. The relationship she has with all three ponies was clearer than ever. Her eyes began to tear up, an action that became synonymous with her over the years, but this time, she giggled through her tears. The pink unicorn felt sad, nostalgic but happy, nonetheless.
“I get it now.”
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stopped their discussion, perplexed. “Got what?”
Finding a nice terrain to play ball was very easy in a town like Ponyville, much unlike the big city where you had to find a specific place to even have fun, like a park. There’s nothing but roads and carriages in them, which was another reason why Ponyville was awesome in the eyes of Olive. They had a grassy field with not much bushes around, perfect to play around with their ball.
“Is the goal of the game to prevent the ball from touching the ground?” Olive asked as Scootaloo lifted the ball on her head, spinning it around.
“Yep, it’s gonna be like at the party, except we have to pass it, so it should be harder but a lot more fun!” Scootaloo confirmed.
“Oh, you must be an expert in games, sports and having fun.”
The orange filly chuckled. “You could say so. I mean, I am the president of Rainbow Dash’s fan club.”
Stars popped in Olive’s eyes. “You’re a president too?”
“Of a fan club, it’s not what you think, I can already tell you’re not getting it. Um, did anypony say you have a weird way of thinking.”
The pink unicorn blinked. “I think weirdly?”
“Well, to put it lightly, kinda, yeah, a lot. You’re the first pony I can’t really understand half the time, and when your opponent is Pinkie, that’s saying a lot.” Scootaloo answered honestly, spinning the ball even more. She then kicked to Olive, who stared at it as it bumped her horn and fell to the ground.
“Is... is it bad?” The filly asked, worried.
Scootaloo went to fetch her ball, returning to her initial position. “Well, you’re not harming anypony, so I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Still, it’s cool that you’re different from other ponies, that makes you stand out.”
Olive smiled, feeling her youthful energy return to her body. “I’m special!”
Scootaloo bucked the ball back to Olive, who once again, didn’t do anything to return it. The ball bounced on her horn and landed on the ground. “Tell me more about me!” she pleaded.
The orange filly grumbled, retrieving her ball. “Only if you play ball, got it? I didn’t come here to just chat.”
“Okay!”
The game resumed, and this time Olive finally put some effort into bucking the ball back to Scootaloo. Her bucks were rather impressive in sheer strength, comparing even to Apple Bloom despite being just a unicorn. She also had a good aim, not as great as Scootaloo, but it was impressive, nonetheless.
“I see you’re rather good at it.” She complimented.
Olive’s smile widened. “How good am I?”
“Well, you’re much better than the average foal, I’ll give you that. You must have played this before.”
Olive headbutted the ball high in the air, making sure to not break it with her horn. “I’ve played a lot of ball with my best friend! She taught me everything about the game.”
“I can see that. You’re much better than my friends.” Scootaloo admitted, almost failing to catch the ball. “Anyway, you wanted me to say more about you?”
“Yes! About the way I think.” Olive cheerfully precised.
“Hm.” The orange filly juggled the ball with her head. “Come to think of it, there is another pony that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said thought differently. They heard it from their older sisters. I think her name was Maud, Pinkie’s sister.”
“She thinks like me?”
“Kind of, but unlike you, she doesn’t display any emotion really. Nopony saw her smile. From what I’ve heard, you look like a dial downed Maud.”
Olive blinked, the gears in her head turning as she processed the information bit by bit. “So, she’s extra special.”
“You could say so. If you’re thinking about meeting her, well, bad news, she’s not in Ponyville.”
Olive’s chipper expression disappeared in an instant. “Oh.”
“But she’ll probably come back to see Pinkie.”
The pink unicorn noticed something peculiar in the corner of her eyes. A mare walked by, a mare Olive recognised. It was Spoiled Rich and once again, she harbored some disgust for the scarred filly judging by the repulsed look she gave her.
The ball bounced on her head and hit the ground, again. “Oh, come on, why weren’t you paying attention again?”
Scootaloo’s frustration was short lived. Olive’s head was following Spoiled Rich, and the pegasus soon joined her. The two sat down.
“Ugh, this mare again. The mother of the queen bee, it sucks that nopony speaks against her or even tries to do anything. All she cares about is her wealth and her image. She doesn’t care what happens to anypony except Diamond Tiara, and you already saw how mean her daughter is.”
“Diamond Tiara looks scared of her mother.” Olive mentioned. “At least, that’s what I think.” She turned to face Scootaloo.
“What if she needs help?”
The orange pegasus scoffed. “What kind of help does she need? Her mother owns the school, she lives in a mansion with butlers at her service, she’s the most popular filly in class. What doesn’t she have?”
“A good mother?”
Scootaloo’s brows furrowed, then relaxed. “Eh, you don’t need good parents to turn out alright. Everypony places so much importance in them when they only do like 40% the job of shaping a pony up. It’s her fault she’s such a jerk.” As she opened her eyes, she jerked back.
Olive’s gaze shifted to her, a solemn look in her beautiful eyes.
“U-Uh, what are you looking at? Do I have something in my teeth?”
“Do you have good parents?” The filly’s voice was serious, but extremely soft, even more than usual.
Scootaloo cringed. “Wh-why do you care about it? We’re here to have some fun, right? Let’s go back to playing ball.” she stood up with the ball in hoof.
“I care because you don’t really look happy.” Olive answered, refusing to get up. “Is everything alright?”
“Of course it is. I’m having fun with you and that’s all that matters. Come on, let’s play ball again.” Scootaloo persisted, but Olive remained still.
The pink filly let out a quiet whine. “I’m worried. Please talk to me. What’s wrong?”
Scootaloo frowned, looking down at the ball. “Look... can we forget about this? I just... don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“We need to talk about it. You sound angry.” Olive trotted to her friend, her soft gaze threatening the pegasus.
“Y-yeah, that’s because you’re annoying me!”
Olive shook her head. “That’s not it... I know I can be stupid, but I can see when somepony’s hurt. I know, because they all share the same look as me.”
Scootaloo began to sweat, avoiding any further eye contact. “Tss.” She ultimately chose to sit down with her, a somber look in her face. “You want to know what’s wrong with me?” she said, her voice barely audible. “I hate my parents! I really hate them!”
Olive’s eyes widened; her lips quivered slightly.
“They’re the worst! Th-They think that being at home with their daughter is sooooo less important than venturing out into all sorts of place in search of thrills and whatnot. I barely see them anymore.”
“B-Barely?” The pink unicorn’s voice was soft, barely even a whisper.
Scootaloo’s voice hitched. “Yeah, they stayed home a lot more when I was just a baby. The moment I was old enough to go to school, they started to leave frequently. To them, I was just a burden!”
Olive teared up, her lips trembling with sadness. She got up, slowly, and reached her hooves out to the pegasus, embracing her with all the sympathy she could muster.
“H-Huh?”
When the pink filly spoke, her voice was broken. “I-I know what it feels like, to be only seen as a burden by those who are supposed to care about you.”
Scootaloo’s heart beated faster. A powerful wave of emotion slowly rose all the way to her eyes. Despite her best attempt to fight it, it came pouring down.
Olive pulled back and stared the pegasus in the eyes. Hers were brimming with kindness, a kindness that reminded her of another mare. “But we’re not a burden, to them we are, but not for those who truly loves us. I know we’re not alone, not anymore. We understand each other, and that's maybe why we became friends.”
Scootaloo wiped away her tears. “I never thought you were living through the same thing. I really thought I was the only filly in town with bad parents.”
Olive giggled weakly. “Mines were worse... but only for my old daddy.” she smiled brightly. “But it doesn’t matter who is related to us or not. We choose our own family, that’s what I’ve learned from you and Rainbow Dash.”
“W-Wait, so when you said...”
The pink filly smiled. “Yes! I don’t care that Applejack is not my real momma, because to me... she is! The same goes for Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith. I’ve chosen my family, and I know you’ve chosen yours too. You don’t need your parents to be happy. You have the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and me!”
Scootaloo chuckled. “Implying you aren’t already a member. Gotta say, you’re really smart for a filly. I never thought I’d be given a lecture from a filly that’s younger than me!” She looked at the blue pegasus dashing through the sky and smiled. “Thank you, really. I needed to hear that.”
“Five seconds of love!” Without giving a heads up, Olive lunged for another hug.
“Guark!”
The night then came. Scootaloo hopped in bed with Olive not far behind. Immediately, she noticed a little problem. “Oh, yeah, the bed’s a little small.”
The pink filly smiled. “That’s not a problem! If we stay really close to each other, we’ll have enough space!”
Scootaloo cringed. “Uh, not sure I’m comfortable with that.”
“Aw...” Olive lowered her head slightly. “No cuddles?”
The pegasus chuckled. “You’re awfully clingy, you know that?”
Olive titled her head to the side, a habit she does not seem to be aware of. “Is that a bad thing?”
Scootaloo stood there for a bit, contemplating the unicorn’s idea. She smiled and turned around. “I don’t think it is. You can hold on to me if you want.” She said, looking away in embarrassment. Cuddling wasn’t a cool thing to do, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want any.
“Five seconds of love!” Olive exclaimed as she went in for another hug.
“Heh, make it ten.”