//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Skyfall: The Crusaders // by sister_mike //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Scootaloo Scootaloo had secretly followed Sweetie Belle until she had left Peoplesville. A part of her had secretly hoped that her friend really wasn't going to Central City by herself, but Scootaloo had watched as Sweetie Belle grew smaller and smaller in the distance, whizzing away on her scooter. Scootaloo sighed and wandered around town. Apple Bloom had stormed by her earlier and slammed the door to the library shut. Scootaloo wasn't sure what she was doing in there, since she had made such a commotion the day before about how the search for a cure was pointless. Not sure what to do with her day, Scootaloo took her time wandering through the frozen town. She stayed for a while in front of the six Element bearers. She stopped in front of each of them for a while, and stayed the longest in front of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash looked the angriest of them all. Her rainbow hair was wild and untamed, almost covering her eyes. Her fists were clenched tightly, and her wings were slightly ruffled. Scootaloo often wondered if those who had been frozen with their eyes open could see her and the other CMCs when they came by to visit. Wondered if they were staring out at them, envious of their ability to move and speak. Scootaloo turned away from the downfallen heroines, and slowly began to walk towards the library. She shoved her hands in her pockets and kicked a stone as she walked. Part of her was now regretting not going with Sweetie Belle to Central City. From that though, she figured if she couldn't help one friend, then she'd go and figure out what the other one was up to and try to reconcile with her. She glanced and frozen people here and there, on her way to the library. She stopped and stared at Sugarcube Corner on her way. Maybe she'd go in and try and find Pinkie Pie's mysterious hot-air balloon again, and find a way to go to Cloudsdale. Maybe I can convince Apple Bloom to look with me, Scootaloo thought, about to take another step forward. She stopped though and glanced back at the bakery. Something caught her eye. Mrs. Cake was frozen half-opening the door to leave Sugarcube Corner. Her face was turned away from the street, as she probably yelled good-bye one last time to Mr. Cake. Scootaloo tilted her head to the side and stared at the woman—no, not at the woman directly, but inside the bakery just past her head. She swore she had just seen a shadow move. She hesitated and waited to see if it would happen again. It did. Scootaloo quietly approached the bakery and peered inside the window. Mr. Cake was behind the counter, his eyes closed, waving good-bye to his wife. Everything looked like it had always been. The CMC had emptied out much of the bakery, bringing cakes and muffins and other treats to Zecora's, where Zecora froze them in her underground cellar. They didn't want the food to go bad. Just then, there was a soft crashing noise from inside the bakery. Scootaloo moved to the door and carefully pried Mrs. Cake's hand off of it and pushed it open. The CMC had previously used the back entrance. Scootaloo stepped inside. The smell of sweets had always lingered in the air. Dust littered the ground. Scootaloo could hear what sounded like a rolling bowl on the floor coming from the kitchen in the back. She took a step forward and sneezed, dust swirling around her. More sounds emerged from the back kitchen. Scootaloo quickly covered her nose and ran towards the kitchen. She swiftly kicked the door open and it hit the wall behind it with a loud bang. Someone had just been there. Sure enough, there was a metal bowl lying still on the floor, and a knocked over sack of flour. Various utensils were scattered along the floor as well. The various things on the floor made fresh marks in the dust. What was puzzled Scootaloo was that there were no footsteps in the kitchen, save for the ones she was making behind her. She slowly walked around the kitchen, taking in the scene. The pantry door was open, various baking supplies poking out. Scootaloo wondered how much of it was still good. As she went over to inspect the ingredients in the pantry, there was a soft click behind her. Scootaloo whipped around. The kitchen door was now closed. She jumped across the kitchen and threw open the door, just in time to see a shadow whiz up the stairs. Scootaloo chased after it. She was still perplexed by the fact that the only sets of footprints on the stairs were her own. When she reached the top of the stairs, Scootaloo stopped. The hallway was dark, the curtains over the windows closed. Still no footprints could be seen on the floor. The shadow had disappeared. She walked slowly down the hall, listening for any signs of movement or voices. Something caught her eye. On the wall near the end of the hallway, was two streaks of flour. The streaks resembled fingers, as though someone had briefly brushed the wall and then just... disappeared. Something then brushed Scootaloo in the face. She took a step back, slightly alarmed, but then noticed the dangling string with a ball at the end. It danced from the ceiling as though it had just been pulled. Looking up, Scootaloo saw a door attached to that string. A door that lead to the attic. Scootaloo pulled on the string. The door open and a ladder appeared. Scootaloo held her breath as she climbed up the rungs. The attic surprised her. It wasn't at all what she thought it would be. It was bright and airy, two big windows on either end. At first she thought she was in Pinkie's room, but then she remembered Pinkie Pie's room had an official staircase leading up to it, no secret doors. There was a small table pushed against one wall, with two chairs, one of which was overturned. A small sofa sat in front of the one of the windows, a standing lamp beside it and a nearly empty bookcase against the wall. There was a curtained off area towards the other window. The curtains moved in the slight summer breeze, and Scootaloo could make out a garbled silhouette on the other side. She approached the curtain and hesitated. She then pulled it back quickly, not sure what to expect to find behind it, but surprised at what she had. Huddled up together in between two small cots, were two young teenagers. Teenagers might be pushing it too much. Scootaloo could almost call them tweens. One of them, the boy, a Winged, had fresh flour stains on his shirt and wings. The other was a Magik, a girl. Scootaloo's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe who she had just found. Apple Bloom Apple Bloom skimmed through books furiously. Sweetie Belle was off to find the cure eh? Well, not if she found it first! And maybe she'd find a time-reversing spell too, and then everything could go back to normal. A small part of her brain kept reminding her that she'd need Sweetie Belle and her magic to perform the spell. But Apple Bloom ignored that part of the brain. It was missing the point. When the door burst open and Scootaloo stood there, panting, with a crazed look on her face, Apple Bloom sighed. "What's the problem now Scootaloo? Don't tell me you've come here to try and convince me to go to Central City. If you want to go so bad, you should have gone with Sweetie Belle when she left an hour ago," Apple Bloom said. She looked back down at her book. "Twins," Scootaloo said. "What?" Apple Bloom said. She looked up at her friend again and tossed the book to the side. "Scootaloo, for the last time, your boobs are fine, they're a good size. What does it matter anyways, there are no guys conscious, and you hate talking about that girly stuff anyways. You always say you don't care about your looks anyw— "No, Cakes," Scootaloo said. "Scootaloo, what in hell are you trying to—" Scootaloo moved out of the doorway and pushed two young people inside. They looked around shyly and slightly terrified. Apple Bloom nearly fell over. Pound and Pumpkin Cake.