Sunlight blared on the leather balloon of the airship, the white clouds below and the chill high-altitude air doing little to relieve the heat. Studs gleamed on the wooden hull of the ship, which looked something like a seafaring boat with large brass propellers hanging from a gigantic balloon. The ship wasn't that large at all, perhaps a yacht at most, but on it's side gleamed the symbol of the Equestrian Royal Air Force, revealing it to be on patrol.
Wind whipped above the shining clouds, buffeting against the balloon and prow of the lofty sailboat, threatening to throw the ship off course. However, it was held steady by the pegasus on the bow, her hooves solidly holding the wheel in place. She wore the Captain's helmet, which held the biting winds from her eyes and kept her purple mane from blocking her vision. The only things in motion about her were her fur, mane, and feathers, all of which were tousled by the breeze, the rest of her completely focused on the flight.
Her mission was important. This was a well-used trading route between Equestria and the Zebra Nations on the southern continent, but lately it was bombarded with pirates eager to get in on the bits the easy way. Many a fighter was flying the skies alongside the merchant ships, but she was alone this day, hoping to catch the pirates out with stealth. Her ship had a three mare crew: herself, the engine pony, and the cannoneer, both of which were below deck. With its small size, fast speed, and nearly undetectable crew count, hopefully it could beat out the pirates at their own game.
The Captain took in a deep breath, the cool, sharp air sending another wave of energy to her already alert mind as she scanned the skies. It was all clear, as the forecast for today had promised, and there wasn't a single thing in sight. It was almost disappointing, and soon the Captain grew bored of the tranquility. But then, just as she was ready to turn back for a different route, her eyes caught something suspicious. Sure, it looked like a simple small cloud bank floating higher than the rest of the clouds, but the Captain knew camouflage when she saw it. She grabbed the speaking horn that sat next to her wheel and smiled. “Officer Belle, keep the engines low. Officer Bloom, ready the cannons. We're going in for an approach.”
“Yes Captain,” came the unison response, and with a slight turn of the wheel they flew for the cloud bank.
The approach went very smoothly, with no contacts or cannon fire or anything all the way to the edge of the clouds. They hadn't been spotted, the perfect way to ambush a pirate. Slowly they entered the bank, visibility dropping fast as the water vapors scattered the sun, surrounding the ship in a swirling grey haze. The Captain throttled down to nothing, slowing the ship to a slow drift and leaving the steam engines to idle ready. As soon as they saw something, anything, they would open fire. The pirates would be destroyed and the skies made that much safer.
The Captain watched the swirling mists with anticipation, her eyes nearly straining as they tried to discern ship from shadow, but it was nothing but wet and whispers. Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
A scream echoed from the communication horn, her officer's voice ringing out, followed by the sounds of fighting. The Captain called into it, panic in her heart. “What's going on down there? Somepony, respond!” The fighting continued, blades clashing in the background, and just as she was starting to feel useless, tied to the wheel as she was, a familiar voice answered, not from the horn, but from behind her.
“Captain, pirates below deck! A squad of unicorns teleported into the cannon bay!” The Captain looked behind her, glad to hear her crew mate respond, though immediately fearful as she saw only one. Officer Bloom stood before her, her sword in her teeth and her red mane thrown about from the fighting, her pink bandanna in disarray.
The Captain's blood froze as the sounds of fighting continued, cut off by a slamming door. “Where is Officer Belle?”
Officer Bloom shook her head, looking worriedly towards the door below deck. “I don't know. I think she's still in the engine room, but the only room it connects to is... Oh no.”
The Captain's eyes widened in horror. “The weapon's bay.” Officer Belle was not a very good fighter in close quarters, but she was on board because she worked magic with the engines. If she was caught below deck alone, she'd never make it.
A blast shook the whole ship, staggering the two ponies by the wheel. Fire and smoke billowed over the side, right from where the cannon normally was. Officer Bloom looked stunned, but the Captain's mind was already whirring. They must have blown it up! They're aiming to disable or crash the ship. To do that most effectively, there'd be two targets. The weapons...
The sound of a door splintering came over the horn, followed by a shriek from Officer Belle. ...and the engines. “Take the wheel!” Before the sound had even ended, the Captain's order was shouted and she left the wheel, immediately sending the ship into a curving dive that Officer Bloom fought to halt. The Captain didn't care, one thing on her mind as she pulled free her sword and ran below deck. I am not losing anypony! Not here, not today!
The stairs below led to a narrow hallway, or they normally did. Instead they now lead to a gaping hole in the ship, both walls blown out and wind whipping smoke and fire through. As soon as her hoof touched the lower deck, she saw Officer Belle through the smoke, the smaller white unicorn standing alone against six more. The Captain surged forward, brandishing her sword at the boarders, who dodged by teleporting very short distances, just enough to keep the blade from hitting them. Each time they blinked, though, they encroached a little more on Officer Belle, eventually forcing her right to the hole in the wall.
And then one of them pushed her through.
Time slowed to a crawl for the Captain, watching Officer Belle's cry of terror leave her in slow motion as she sank into the clouds. No... I can't lose her. I can't lose another friend. An energy burned through her, fueled by her sorrow and creating a heat throughout that screamed to escape, pushing against her eyes and wings. With it came a feeling of immense power, which flowed through the Captain and brought her mind back to the slowly falling unicorn before her. I won't.
The Captain ran between the invading unicorns, her steps at normal speed while their teleport spells seemed to take ages to engage. However, she ignored them, sprinting at a full gallop to her falling friend. She reached the edge of the deck, throwing out a hoof that missed the slowly falling one by a hair's breadth. She looked into the terrified face of her friend, helplessness trying to take over again, but the heat fighting against it. No. She will be saved.
The Captain ran back a few steps, spinning around to feel the wind slowly caress her fur before she took off, sprinting to the end and leaping for her friend. After just a moment of falling they collided in the air, the Captain's speed much more than she thought as they shot away from the ship, which smoked and spiraled before becoming invisible in the clouds. The Captain spread her wings, feeling the wind rush through them, and squeezed her eyes shut. Please. Just once, work! They kept falling, her wings flapping about, but doing nothing. She looked at the fast approaching ground, then at her friend in her hooves, and put as much will as she could into the thought. FLY!
WHUMP!
“Ow! Scootaloo! What was that for?” Sweetie Belle said as she pushed Scootaloo hard in the chest.
Ignoring the shove, Scootaloo's heart soared. Sweetie Belle was alright! And they were in the clubhouse, safe and sound! Wait... the clubhouse? Scootaloo looked around the Cutie Mark Crusader's Clubhouse, embarrassment growing as she remembered what had been going on. They were pretending to be Cutie Mark Crusader Air Marshals when she got really into it and... and had that feeling flare up on her again. That rush of energy, just showing up because she was all scared for Sweetie Belle... who she was still laying on top of. “I guess I got carried away.” She rolled off of Sweetie, who stood up and gave her an upset glare. Scootaloo just got angry when she saw it. “Well I'm sorry, did you want me to let you die?”
Sweetie huffed, her glare not backing down. “I thought it would be dramatic! I didn't think you'd tackle me for it!”
Apple Bloom stepped between the two of them, trying to calm things down with a change in subject. “I ain't never seen you move that fast, Scootaloo. I'll bet that was faster than Rainbow Dash could fly!”
Instead of looking proud, Scootaloo backed away, looking uncomfortable at the attention. “Nah. I can't have been going that fast...”
Sweetie shook her head, her anger mostly disappearing. “No, I think she's right. All I saw was a blur before I went flying.”
Scootaloo waved the comment away, hiding her face behind her mane. “You must have seen things wrong. It just looked fast because it was such a short gallop.”
Sweetie started contemplating the thought, questioning her own eyes, but Apple Bloom pointed to the wall they'd hit. “You were going fast enough to break the boards.” Scootaloo quickly stood in front of them, a small blush on her face as she tried to hide the evidence from her friends. Not taking the hint, Apple Bloom's eyes lit up as she thought of an idea. “You should challenge Rainbow to a hoof race!”
Scootaloo's eyes shot wide. “What?!”
Sweetie Belle nodded her approval. “Yeah! If you beat Rainbow in a race, then she'd HAVE to put you in the Wonderbolts too!”
The picture tantalized Scootaloo as it always did, her and her idol soaring across the sky in formation, the matching uniforms making them blend in seamlessly with the wind... She shook her head, turning to watch the clouds change color in the sunset through a nearby window. “But the Wonderbolts need fast flyers, not fast runners.”
“Oh...” Sweetie's eyes dropped, knowing how touchy the whole flying subject was with Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom cut in at that, striving to stop the awkward moment. “Or you could win a rodeo with that kind of speed! I think Applejack was talkin' 'bout one comin' up. If we started training now, we'd be sure to win!”
Sweetie perked up, nodding at that thought. “Hey, yeah! If we all entered, one of us would have to win, and maybe even get our cutie marks!”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER RODEO PONIES, YAY!” the two yelled in unison, getting caught up in the moment. However, when they realized their yell was a duet and not a trio, they looked in confusion at Scootaloo, who was now leaning against the windowsill.
Apple Bloom walked over to her, just a hint of worry in the way she moved. “You alright there, Scootaloo?”
Sweetie Belle's voice came from behind her, quiet as she let an idle thought slip out. “It's not like we're going to get it for airship piloting...”
Apple Bloom shushed her, then turned back to Scootaloo just in time to see her sigh and say, “We can't be rodeo ponies.”
Apple Bloom brushed off the comment. “O'course we could! With my practice with a lasso and your speed and Sweetie Belle's...” she looked at Sweetie for a moment, trying to think of a quality the smiling unicorn had shown for rodeos. “Uh...” Drawing a blank, she grasped at what she could “Sweetie Belle's drama, we'd be a shoe-in!”
Scootaloo shook her head, still looking out the window. “No we wouldn't. I can't move that fast in front of other ponies.”
Apple Bloom tilted her head puzzled. “Why not?”
Scootaloo turned around, about to say something when she saw the expectant confusion on her friend's faces. “Uh...” Her eyes darted around the room, from where they had been playing to her friends and then to the broken boards on the wall. Then the thought clicked. “Because I can only go that fast when my friends are in danger! At a rodeo it's all safe and we'd be all practiced, so my speed wouldn't be enough to win.” She smiled at her explanation, proud she could come up with one.
Apple Bloom wasn't impressed. “Wouldn't the possibility of a cutie mark and a victory be enough?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “It hasn't been before.” Apple Bloom continued to frown, but couldn't actually find fault with the logic. As she thought about it, there was a knock at the door, followed by Applejack poking her head in.
“Howdy girls! Sorry to bug ya, but it's gettin' a might late. It's time for dinner sis, and you best be gettin' along back home.”
Apple Bloom looked at her sister with dewy eyes. “Aw, Applejack, do they hafta-?”
Scootaloo cut in with a big, sincere frown as she inched towards the door. “Aw, really? That's too bad. Welp, see you tomorrow!” She shot past a confused Applejack, galloping down the ramp, grabbing her scooter, and disappearing into the Apple Family Orchard.
As she left, she could just barely hear Sweetie Belle's voice behind her. “Hey, did Scootaloo seem a little weird to you?”
Only when Scootaloo was all the way past the wooden fence that surrounded Sweet Apple Acres did she slow down, Sweetie's last comment never once leaving her mind. Weird...
There were a lot of things that a filly could call Scootaloo that would annoy her: a snitch, a crybaby, a chicken, a dweeb, but none of those really got to her for long, and she could get over insults with the best of them. But there was one set of words that just always struck a sour note, no matter what: odd, weird, freaky, un-awesome. Okay, maybe that last one was just to keep up appearances as Dash's sister, but she didn't like it either.
But being weird she couldn't handle, and had been fighting that image ever since she came to Ponyville. Admittedly, everything around that was weird and, while she did her best to keep it out of her mind, it still kept her up at night sometimes.
Scootaloo drove past Sugarcube Corner, her mind wandering to that night five years ago. She'd wandered into town, so tired she couldn't walk straight and so hungry she couldn't even cry, her few possessions clutched tightly beneath her tiny wings. She'd collapsed under the park bench, and there was found by Pinkie Pie and immediately taken to Sugarcube Corner where she was fed and asked about herself. She'd been silent except for two things: she was homeless, and she was an orphan.
She turned down her street, coming up to her house, the house of the kindest pony in the world. Scootaloo buzzed up to the humble town cottage as the light of the sunset bathed its cream walls orange. Going inside, she shut the door quietly and hurried to the stairs, not really wanting to talk to anypony. However, it was like the house's owner had a sixth sense about these things, and she popped her head out of her study with a bright, though slightly puzzled, smile on her face. “You're home early, Scootaloo. Have a good time?”
Scootaloo sighed, shoulders drooping as she got caught, though she stayed facing the same direction, hoping the conversation would be short. Trying to hide her thoughtful mood, she quickly responded, “Yeah.” She could hear the study door open behind her and hoofsteps coming out and her shoulders drooped more. That's not gonna be the end of it...
“Are you alright? You sound a little down.”
Scootaloo turned around with an exaggerated smile. “I'm fine, Ms. Cheerilee, honest.”
Cheerilee just frowned, her green eyes seeing straight through the forced smile. “Scootaloo, you know better. It's just 'Cheerilee' at home. Now tell me what's the matter.”
“Nothing. Just a long day crusading.” Scootaloo yawned theatrically, stretching out a hoof before looking downhearted. “Still no cutie marks...”
Cheerilee's soft smile appeared, wiping away any worry she had. “It's alright, Scootaloo. You'll get it some day. Would you like me to call you when dinner's ready, or bring it up to you?”
“Could you bring it up? I'm too tired to talk much right now.”
Cheerilee nodded. “Of course. Just try not to fall asleep before I get up there, okay? You ran out before breakfast, I'm not having you miss every meal today.” With that she turned away, trotting happily into the kitchen and leaving Scootaloo to her own on the stairs.
Scootaloo let a relieved smile reach her face. Cheerilee was an amazing pony. So kind and helpful, and not nearly the doting mare she seemed to be at school. Scootaloo shuddered, walking up the stairs to her room.
School was an... interesting subject in their house. It was well known that Scootaloo didn't have the best marks in class, and every so often she could overhear a pony asking Cheerilee about it while she was in her room or stuck in detention. But Cheerilee always gave the same answer, one that stunned the questioner and Scootaloo alike. “If I help Scootaloo, then I have to help everypony else with their homework, and then nopony would learn. Scootaloo is young, she'll have plenty of time to fix her mistakes.” Sure, she would be disappointed in class, and at home Scootaloo would get reminders, but Cheerilee respected Scootaloo's choices and privacy, something she appreciated deeply.
She entered her room, a cozy space decorated in cyan blue and rainbows, a color scheme to match her hero and mentor, Rainbow Dash. There was even a poster on the wall, the first one printed after she'd become a Wonderbolt, signed by the whole team and gifted to her by Rainbow herself. However, Scootaloo ignored that, instead rushing to the corner of her bed and shifting it a little, moving the loose floorboard and pulling out the old, charred diary.
This was her one thing, her secret happy place, the item most important to her in the whole world. Even more than her Wonderbolts poster or her scooter, and not even Cheerilee knew about it. She lifted it out, rubbing a hoof over the worn cover slowly, tracing the letters with just a touch of tears in her eye. 'My Diary, by Firebug' was all that was on the cover, but... that was all that it needed.
Scootaloo sat on her bed, carefully turning each heat damaged page and reading the nigh-memorized words. Whenever Scootaloo was feeling... weird, she could always count on Firebug to keep her calm. Even over five years later, there was just no replacement. Not the Crusaders, not Rainbow, and definitely not Cheerilee.
A tear dropped from her eye onto the page. All of them have been gone for five years...
The door creaked open suddenly, causing Scootaloo to jump and shove the diary under her pillow. She wiped at her eyes, silently kicking herself for letting herself get worked up. By the time Cheerilee's pink mane popped into the door, Scootaloo was all smiles, patiently waiting as Cheerilee brought in the plate of spaghetti. Scootaloo remembered at the last moment to unfold a small table kept under the bed, setting it up for the plate to be placed down.
The spaghetti steamed lightly, fresh cooked, with perfect looking sauce and cheese on top. Cheerilee also placed down a glass of juice and a fork, then looked at Scootaloo and smiled. “Looks like I made it just in time! You must be about to fall asleep, your eyes all red like that.”
“Uh, yeah...” Scootaloo rubbed at her eyes again, trying to lessen the redness before digging into the food. As she ate, Cheerilee stood nearby, looking at the room and waiting to take the plate back downstairs.
“Scootaloo, before I forget, tomorrow there's a new filly entering your class.” Scootaloo's ears perked up, showing that she was listening as the food rapidly left the plate. “I want you to try to make friends with her, alright? Her and her father just moved in from another town and she could use a smiling face her age.” The sounds of sipping juice was the only response Cheerilee got. “And, who knows, she might want to join your club! She hasn't found her special talent yet either.” The eating stopped for a moment, followed by a nod before and the slurping of noodles started up again. “Anyway, that is for tomorrow.”
Cheerilee turned around, finding the food gone and a smiling pegasus looking at her. “Well, I'm glad you enjoyed that. Get a good night's sleep, alright? I'll see you in the morning.”
“Okay.” Scootaloo lay down in her bed, getting comfy. “Goodnight Cheerilee!”
Cheerilee smiled, kissing Scootaloo lightly on the forehead. “Goodnight Scootaloo.” She then picked up the plate and glass, turned off the lights, and left, closing the door behind her.
As soon as it was closed, Scootaloo brought back out the diary, turning on the lamp by her bed to read it once more. There weren't many pages left, but she carefully read each one, slowly letting her residual worries of oddity slip away. She was normal. Sure, she acted odd, and she'd done something unexplainable, but Sweetie and Bloom would forget by morning...
Actually tired, she hid her book beneath the floorboard once more, turned off her light, and drifted to sleep, the flames of her burning ship lingering in her mind.
Hoofsteps pound creaking floorboards as the three tiny fillies ran from the blazing inferno. They run two in front and one far behind, threatened to be left in the smoke and the ash if she can't keep up. The tiny orange pegasus runs her heart out, clutching the book held in her teeth, the thing she went back for, with every fiber of her being. Ahead of her first the white, then the blue filly jump through the front door, escaping into the cool night air. The hall seems to stretch on forever, the heat closing in on all sides, but the pegasus persists, weakly flapping her wings to give her just that little boost.
Boost or no, her running is in vain. She reaches the door only to find it blocked, burning debris collapsing down on her head and trapping her inside. The pegasus curls up with her book, huddling against the rage of the inferno. She rocks, chanting to herself words of comfort. “It's just a dream. It's just a dream. It's just a dream...” It happens every night, and yet, it is no less frightening than the first time.
Suddenly, the fires stop, the heat replaced with a creeping, bone chilling cold. She opens her eyes, finding instead of fire, void. All around her are clouds of pure, limitless darkness, pulsating and swirling and looking more dangerous than a fire ever could. They make the pegasus curl up smaller, the old terror almost comforting by comparison.
And then they appear. Yellow eyes, filled with malice, glow from the darkness. New pairs appear all around her, and with each one, a cruel, twisted smile cobbled together from wickedly sharp, crooked teeth. Before her eyes the darkness condenses, forming one mass of nothingness so large the house disappears around her. She stares up, body locked in fear, as the many small eyes become two large, dangerously intelligent orbs piercing her soul. It leans forward, its icy breath washing over her, before one word exits its mangled lips. “Scream.”
The pegasus does, letting the full power of her lungs blare out a wail. The darkness just laughs, each rumbling sound able to rattle the pegasus where she lay, forcing her into silence. She looks up to see it looming, and has just enough time to scream once more before the darkness descends.
Scootaloo shot up in bed, feeling the cold sweat clinging to her body and her heart racing in her chest. She also heard a shrill voice, and it took her more than a moment to realize it is her own scream. Immediately she shoved her hooves in her mouth, listening intently to the sudden silence that filled the dark space.
She couldn't place her hoof on it, but the room felt wrong, as though something horrible had just left it. She looked around, seeing her door and window both shut, nothing out of place except her sweat-soaked sheets. Shivering, though she can't tell if from fear or cold, she pulls her blankets closer, wrapping them into an impenetrable barrier. What... what was that thing? It felt so real! There were nightmares, and then there was whatever that had been.
Hearing no reaction from Cheerilee to her scream brought on conflicting emotions. On the one hoof, she was relieved not to be thought any weirder, but on the other, she suddenly felt more alone than she had in years... Reluctantly, skittishly, she curled back into bed, clutching her blanket close. After nearly ten minutes of tense silence, she spoke to the darkness. “Princess Luna, I know you're watching... Please keep me safe.”
Whether she was heard or not, the feeling of the room shifted, no longer quite so hostile. Still uneasy, but too tired to fight it, Scootaloo drifted back to sleep.
The next day went as any weekday did. Scootaloo was woken up far too early by Cheerilee and given her breakfast, which she ate alone in silence while her guardian went off to prepare the classroom. After dozing for about an hour, Scootaloo realized she was running late and grabbed her backpack, the due homework still undone, and rushed out the door. At the stoop she turned, locking the front door behind her before jamming her helmet on her head and hopping on her scooter. Buzzing through town like an orange and purple blur, she reached the schoolhouse just seconds after the bell started ringing, landing in her seat just as the bell went quiet.
Scootaloo quickly asked Sweetie Belle if she could copy her homework and was already starting to write when Cheerilee began her morning routine. “Good morning class!”
“Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee,” the class sing-songed back in unison.
“Today is a special day! Can anypony tell me why?” Cheerilee let her vision sweep over the class, smiling at the three eager faces and choosing to ignore the plethora of bored, tired ponies that weren't paying attention or were trying to finish their homework last-minute. As she did, a cream colored hoof shot into the air. “Yes, Twist?”
“Ith it becauthe we're thtarting a new chapter?” she said, her slight lisp doing nothing to dampen her burning, knowledge-hungry eyes.
Cheerilee chuckled. “No, it's not that, though that is true. It's because we're getting a new classmate today!” She clapped her hooves together, an action joined in again by those eager faces, but ignored by the rest. Not letting it bother her mood, Cheerilee motioned for the new student to enter. “Now class, I would like to introduce you all to Bluebell! Come on in and say hello.”
Scootaloo worked feverishly at the homework, copying down math problems as fast as her pencil would move, but she heard the timid steps of the new pony walking to the front of the classroom, followed by silence. In front of her she heard Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon snickering, apparently not liking the look of the new pony. “Blank flank!” she heard one whisper to the other, followed by another snorting giggle.
“Look! She don't have a cutie mark neither. Maybe she wants to be a crusader?”
“I dunno, she hasn't said anything. She's just standing there.”
“Maybe she's nervous?”
“No, I think she's just shy. But if we get her to join our group, then it'll totally balance out our 'outgoing and energetic frenzy of chaos and deconstruction.'”
Scootaloo scribbled down the second to last problem in the resulting silence.
“What the hay does that mean?”
“I dunno, but Rarity said it and it sounded so cool!”
“Yeah, whatever. Hey, Scootaloo, what do you think? Should we ask her to be a Crusader?” Scootaloo finished the final problem, looking up as she did to find her view completely full of Apple Bloom's inquisitive face.
Not put off by this, she slipped Sweetie Belle's paper back to her. “Dunno. I haven't seen her yet. But if she doesn't have a cutie mark, that automa-” Scootaloo's sentence froze in her throat as her eyes fell on the filly standing in front of the class.
It was a blue earth pony with messy navy blue hair that dropped in front of her blue eyes where it wasn't pinned up with a small black bow. “Scootaloo?” On her back was a small black backpack, from which stuck the head of a fabric deep purple cat doll, which lolled out to stare at the class with small yellow beads, a crooked smile stitched on its face. “Scootaloo, are ya alright?” Scootaloo watched the new pony like a hawk, not taking her eyes off of her as she was led to a seat on the other side of the room. “Can you hear me? Hello?” Her look wasn't pretty or powerful or particularly outstanding, it just had one special quality that held Scootaloo firm.
She looked just like the blue filly in her dream.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked over at Scootaloo, confused as to why their friend was spending recess hiding in a bush and staring at the new pony. “You think she's alright?” asked Apple Bloom, who hadn't been able to get Scootaloo to respond at all despite numerous attempts at prodding. There was even a paper airplane stuck in Scootaloo's mane from one attempt, which she didn't even bother to remove.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “I don't know. I haven't ever seen her act like this.”
Apple Bloom looked at their friend again, a frown growing on her face. “Well I don't like it. It ain't right.”
Sweetie Belle thought for a moment, her hoof poking her cotton fluff mane. “Hmm... It all started when she looked at the new filly, right?”
Apple Bloom nodded, no idea where Sweetie was going with this. “Bluebell? Yeah. She was fine until she saw her, then she just froze up.”
“Maybe she's in love.”
Silence hung in the playground air as Apple Bloom gave Sweetie Belle a puzzled stare. “What?”
Sweetie nodded, her confidence in the idea rising the more she thought about it. “Yeah! Like in the stories Rarity's always reading. A stallion always comes and then they look at each other and immediately fall in love, and then that can't think about anything except each other. That's gotta be it!”
Apple Bloom thought about the explanation, feeling it have more weight than it should have. Except there were a few problems. “But Bluebell ain't a stallion.”
Sweetie Belle just huffed, looking disappointed at her friend. “Apple Bloom, love isn't always a stallion and a mare! It's wherever it is found, whoever it may bring together.” Sweetie Belle finished the sweeping, grand gesture that went with her explanation, then suddenly dropped it, shrugging. “This time, it's two fillies.”
Apple Bloom nodded slowly, still not sold on the idea. “Alright, but then why isn't Bluebell acting the same?”
Sweetie looked confused. “She isn't?”
Pointing to where the pony in question sat, she shook her head. “Nope. She's just sitting under that tree talkin' to her doll.” Except, now that she looked at it, that doll seemed to be looking at her. And the filly looked really dark, with shadows under her eyes. Somethin' about her sets my fur on end.
Sweetie looked at Bluebell, a puzzled frown forming before it was replaced with a gasp. “Oh no! Bluebell didn't look at Scootaloo, so now her love is unrequited.”
Apple Bloom managed to wrench her own gaze from the creepy pony, the new word enough to draw her attention. “Unrewhatnow?”
Sweetie let out an exasperated sigh, tired of explaining something so simple to her friend. “Unrequited! It means Scootaloo loves Bluebell, but Bluebell doesn't love her back!”
Apple Bloom looked between the two, suddenly feeling very sad for her friend. “Should we tell Scootaloo?”
Sweetie nodded solemnly. “Of course. It's the right thing to do.”
The two Crusaders approached their compatriot, joining her in the bush without her even noticing. Apple Bloom was the first to say anything. “Scootaloo, I'm not sure what you're doing, but I don't think it's healthy.”
After Sweetie Belle pulled the paper airplane from her mane, she leaned herself on Scootaloo's head, trying a different tact to get at the paralyzed pegasus. “Scootaloo, are you having fun stalking your girlfriend?” Scootaloo didn't even budge, causing her two friends to look at each other worriedly. Sweetie got off of Scootaloo's head, hoping she hadn't inadvertently hurt her friend. “This is bad.”
Apple Bloom kicked at the dirt. “It's worse than that love poison! Why's love always got to make everypony act so weird?”
As if she'd said the magic word, Scootaloo sprang to life. “Weird? Who's weird? I'm just... you know...” Scootaloo nervously looked at the situation, the bush and the hours of staring doing nothing to help her case. After a moment she weakly finished her thought. “... scoping out the new Crusader.”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her excuse, then looked over at the pony talking all alone with her doll, which seemed to stare directly at the bush. Something about it was really... creepy. “I dunno. I'm not so sure she should be a crusader no more.” Sweetie Belle looked slightly confused at this, but it was nothing compared to Scootaloo's reaction.
“What?! Why not?” Scootaloo seemed genuinely freaked by the thought, only confirming Apple Bloom's fears.
“Well, she's talkin' to her doll when everypony else is playing.” Apple Bloom gestured around, pointing out the ponies playing jump rope and tag near the center of the field. She then looked back over to the doll. It's still starin' at me... She shook her head. “That ain't normal.”
Scootaloo's head popped in front of Apple Bloom's face, cutting off her gaze with her defense. “She's only doing it because she doesn't have any friends, that's all! And we aren't playing either. We're all sitting in a bush arguing.”
Apple Bloom frowned at that, trying to look around Scootaloo at Bluebell again, not wanting to not be able to see her. “That ain't normal either. And after you got all lovestruck-”
Scootaloo blushed, her wings popping out at the comment. “I was not lovestruck!” She composed herself really quickly, looking back at the pony in question, though the red wouldn't leave her face from her embarrassment. “She's just...”
“There's something about her...” Sweetie continued, now also drawn into watching the odd pony under the tree.
“Like...” Apple Bloom picked up, watching the filly and the doll like you'd watch a fox in a hen house. “Like you don't want to take your eyes off her 'cause she'll getcha when ya aren't lookin'.” Sweetie nodded next to her, while Scootaloo now looked at them, worry on her face. Something was eating at her, but before she could say it, Apple Bloom kept talking. “She's just weird, and I don't think we want to be friends with her.”
Scootaloo seemed to struggle with her next words, taking a moment before actually speaking. “But what about Zecora? She was weird, and you made friends with her!”
Apple Bloom shook her head, tearing her focus away from the new pony and back to Scootaloo. “Zecora's different!”
“How?”
That was a very good question. How was Zecora different? I mean, yeah, she was scary, but she was alright. So why is this pony... Apple Bloom got the feeling of being watched and looked back over, again swearing she was making eye contact with the yellow beads of the doll's eyes. And the way Bluebell with her shadowed eyes was talking to it so intently; like she was giving it life, like she was making it whole...
Apple Bloom shook her head, getting rid of that thought in an instant. “She just is, alright? She's weird, and it's makin' me feel weird just watchin' her 'n that doll.”
Scootaloo seemed angry, pushing her point hard. “If she had friends, then she wouldn't need to play with the doll! We could be those friends! And we've got to get to her before-”
Sweetie cut in, the only one still looking at Bluebell. “Uh oh.”
“Uh oh?” said Scootaloo, looking over with Apple Bloom. All three of them saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walking straight towards the new pony, mischief in their eyes and purpose in their steps.
“Uh oh,” all three of them said as one as they watched it unfold.
“Aww, Nightshade, are you sure you don't want to come out and play? I'm sure the other fillies would love to meet you!” Bluebell sat with her doll beneath the tree, him set against the bark while she sat on a mossy rock. Nightshade looked over at a nearby bush, his yellow bead eyes dead set on it. “No, it's not weird at all for them to be hiding from us. If I weren't your friend, I'd be hiding too.”
“Ooh! Silver Spoon, would you look at that? The new blank flank's playing all on her own.” Diamond Tiara stalked right up to Bluebell, her namesake tiara glinting in the light.
Silver Spoon was right behind her, looking condescendingly over her glasses. “Yeah, what a loser. Not even cool enough to join the Cutie Mark Crybabies.”
Bluebell just looked at them, obviously hurt by their words, but remaining silent. Annoyed by so little a reaction, Tiara pushed a little harder. “What's the matter, blank flank? Just too dorky? Or maybe it's your stupid doll!”
That got a reaction, as Bluebell grabbed her doll and pulled it closer. “Nightshade is not stupid! He's a mean and powerful king of darkness!”
The terrible twosome smirked evilly at each other as Tiara took the lead. “Whatever. I bet it falls apart on the way home.”
“Yeah,” said Spoon. “Who even stitched that horrible thing. Your mother?”
Bluebell held her doll closer, lowering her face until a shadow covered her eyes. “You don't want to make me mad.”
Tiara scoffed at the threat. “Or what? You'll throw a tantrum? You'll cry about it?” She and Spoon shared a snorting laugh, but it was cut off midway when the doll flew at Tiara, knocking off her namesake headpiece and getting tangled in her mane. Tiara screamed, bucking around to try to dislodge the doll. “Eww! Get this gross thing off of me! It's going to get fluff everywhere! And why does it feel so icky?”
Silver Spoon immediately ran and picked up the fallen headpiece, though when she came back, she was stopped in her tracks. The doll's head was almost backwards, staring at her, those yellow beads locked on and the twisted smile not fading.
Diamond Tiara glared at her, stomping a hoof in the dirt. “Silver Spoon! Get this thing off of me and give me back my tiara!”
Silver Spoon took a step back, eyes locked on the doll. “But it's staring at me...”
“Silver Spoon! Ugh!” Diamond Tiara flicked a hoof through her hair, knocking the doll back into Bluebell's waiting hooves before marching over to Silver Spoon and grabbing her tiara back. When it was back in place, she turned to find Bluebell giggling at her, that creepy crawly doll looking somehow smug with itself. “How dare you throw your stupid doll at me!”
Bluebell shook her head. “I didn't! Nightshade threw himself at you! He doesn't like mean ponies, and neither do I!”
Tiara huffed, stomping closer towards Bluebell. “I'm not a mean pony! You're just a weirdo with a creepy doll!”
“Yeah, freak! Take that scary thing away.”
“You two leave her alone!” A cream colored pony with a frizzy red mane walked up between Bluebell and the twosome. “Being in a new thcool is hard enough without bullieth.”
“What, weirdo? Can't defend yourself so you get the nerdy 'Twithhhhhhhht' to do it?” said Tiara, putting extra emphasis on the 'lisp.'
“They said to leave her alone!” a second voice called from behind the bullies, followed soon by a lavender unicorn filly with a bright blonde mane.
Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. “Oh, and Dinky too. The nerd with the freaky mom.”
“At least my mom pays attention to me,” said Dinky smugly, drawing a surprisingly hostile reaction from Silver Spoon. However, she was held back by Diamond Tiara.
“Come on, Silver Spoon. Lets leave before these weirdos nerd up the place.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked away, glaring the whole time. They were done, but not defeated.
Twist and Dinky watched them go, then turned to Bluebell, who was hugging her doll close to her. “Don't mind thothe two. They're jutht a couple of bullieth.”
Dinky smiled at Bluebell, taking care not to look at the doll, even though it seemed to be looking at her. “You alright?”
Bluebell nodded. “Yeah... thanks...”
Apple Bloom pointed to the three ponies under the tree, all talking and laughing. “There, see? She's got friends. She don't need us now.”
“But she still doesn't have a cutie mark!” said Scootaloo, not willing to relent. “She can still be a crusader!”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “It ain't happening Scootaloo! I don't want her to be a part of the club!”
Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle, hoping to beat Apple Bloom on numbers. “You're with me, aren't you Sweetie Belle?”
Sweetie didn't look too thrilled. “I dunno Scootaloo... She's kind of weird.”
Apple Bloom nodded at that. “Good! So we're in agreement. No Bluebell in the club, right?”
Sweetie nodded. “Right.”
Apple Bloom looked towards Scootaloo. “Right?”
Scootaloo looked at Bluebell and her friends, then back to Sweetie and Apple Bloom. After thinking about it for a few moments, she sighed. Weird was the one thing she didn't want to be. “Right...”
Apple Bloom smiled. “Right!”
“Alright class! Everypony come back in!” called Cheerilee from the doors to the school. Immediately everypony started to filter back, including Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, Twist and Dinky. Two of the last ponies to move were Bluebell and Scootaloo. Scootaloo waited as long as possible, staying in the bush and spying on the new pony, but when Apple Bloom let out an exasperated “C'mon, Scootaloo!” she finally started to back away.
But before she left, she cast one more look at the blue pony and her doll. You look just like her... And whether or not you are, I'm gonna find out.