//------------------------------// // 4. Cheerilee's Playground // Story: Scootaloo the Fugitive // by Kaidan //------------------------------// It was dark by the time Scootaloo got back to her home in the barn. Spending time with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had rekindled something deep inside her. She couldn't explain it, for it was such a foreign emotion, yet she knew she had felt it before. Beneath the many walls she had built up around herself to keep out negative emotions, a crack had formed. Through this crack flowed a warm emotion that made her want to turn around right now, and rush back to hang out a little longer. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had been taken home by their big sisters though, and Scootaloo had to leave the party. Scootaloo slowed at the edge of the Everfree forest. At night, the moon threw wicked shadows across the ground. Each gust of wind whistled through the gnarled tree branches, sounding a symphony of ominous white noise. The rustling bushes and eerie sounds made every shadow appear as a hungry predator. The pegasus filly stared into the distance at a black shape with a featureless white face before snapping out of her trance. "Well, I've got nowhere else to sleep. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Accelerating up to full speed she flew down the dark path towards the barn. Her wings drowned out the sounds of the forest, but also attracted some attention from the various fauna of the Everfree’s edge. When she reached the barn, Scootaloo pushed the door open and quickly shut it. There were two hooks in the door to bar it with a plank of wood, but she could only reach the lower one. She dropped a sizeable plank of wood in it and she tested the barrier to make sure it would hold. "Hah! That wasn't so hard." Scootaloo set her helmet and scooter down near the ladder that led to the loft. She climbed up and picked up her blanket, which she had hung over a crossbeam to dry. She heard movement outside. Going to the missing plank that was her peephole over the barn doors, she saw a familiar sight. Down below was the timberwolf that had stalked her the previous night. It came up to the door and tried to nudge it open. When it found the door wouldn’t move, it started scratching and pawing at the wood. "You may be bigger, but you're dumb as a rock." The timberwolf looked up with a predatory glare at the orange head sticking out of the hole in the roof, and then began to dig under the door. "Celestia damn it!" Scootaloo looked around for something heavy that could fit through the window. Scrambling down the ladder she managed to find a couple rocks and carried them back up the loft with her. She took position at the window and aimed a rock down at the timberwolf. "Get lost freak!" The rock flew through its hollow body harmlessly. The timberwolf looked up and she could have sworn it had chuckled through its toothy wooden grin. Aiming the other rock, she threw it down at the timberwolf and managed to knock a couple loose twigs off its head. Backing off slowly, the timberwolf stepped into the bushes and out of her throwing range and crouched. The two branches that had been knocked off slowly pulled themselves along the ground, surrounded by a green haze. They reattached to the timberwolf, who remained hunkered down and waited patiently for Scootaloo to go to sleep. "Yeah, well two can play that game you mutt!" Scootaloo carried up a dozen rocks to the loft. If the wolf came back, she would be ready. Even if he got in, she should be safe in the loft, unless he had learned how to climb. With a final glance at her nemesis, she gave him a raspberry with her tongue and proceeded to curl up in the corner. Scootaloo chuckled to herself. I guess this still beats the orphanage. Laying down with her blanket, she rode the sugar rush to its inevitable crash, and fell asleep. Scootaloo woke up to the sound of pins aligning in a tumbler. That sound means that breakfast is being served. Rolling out of bed, she found herself in the kitchen. Before her is a trough and half a dozen colts and fillies fighting over the dry oats that had been sloshed inside of it. To the side there is a single bucket of water. Ignoring them, she found herself in the back yard. None of the usual sounds of the city were present, but she knew why she was here. This is the moment she escapes. A unicorn filly appears, her one friend at the orphanage. She had recently learned how to levitate small objects. Using her help and a plate stolen from the kitchen, she would get a boost and hopefully fly over the wall on her tiny wings. Scootaloo is hanging on the wall, trying to pull herself over. The flightless filly is so close but feels a heavy weight on her, impeding her progress. She hears her friend scream, and lets go. The matron of the orphanage is using her magic to pin the filly, and saw off her horn. She wants to charge, to help, to kill the cruel hag. Her feet are stuck in cement as her friend screams and screams. The mare releases the unicorn and glares at Scootaloo. Back in her room, Scootaloo is crying into the pillow. She had been pinned by Gerda and can hear the sound of metal lightly scraping together. "You know I had a parrot once? We clipped its wings so it didn't fly off. I think the concept is the same for brats like you." Scootaloo's eyes jerked and she could feel sweat beneath the blanket. "It was only a nightmare. She can't hurt me anymore. . ." Scootaloo thought talking to herself would help, but the images were still imprinted on her retinas. She hadn't seen the unicorn filly since the escape attempt. Was she dead or adopted? Maybe locked away for months? The guilt still bothered Scootaloo. Looking back at her wings, primaries grown out fully, she finally calmed down. Sure, I can just grow my feathers back. But her horn... Sleep did not come for her again that night, and the sun rose in the morning to find her curled up in the corner. Her thoughts had turned to Sweetie and Applebloom, she would meet them at school today and convince the teacher she was a new filly in town. She got up and looked around. Everything seemed as it was when she left it. In a flash, she remembered her altercation with the wooden predator the previous night. She hurried over to her plankless position, only to find the timberwolf wasn’t around. She heaved a sigh of relief and prepared to meet her new friends. Heading out towards the apple farm, Scootaloo waited where Applebloom had told her to. There was a sign that said "Sweet Apple Acres" in large red letters down the road from where she had exited the forest. She noticed two ponies approaching her, and quickly saw that it was Applebloom and Applejack trotting over to her. "Mornin' sugarcube, you get enough sweets last night?" Applejack tipped her trademark Stetson at the pegasus filly. "Heh, not even close. Those were some of the best cookies I ever had though." "Scootaloo! Are ya excited to start school today? I already got some ideas about our cutie marks." Applebloom came alongside Scootaloo, who suddenly realized she couldn't zoom off on her scooter with Applebloom keeping pace. Maybe later she could think of a way to give her friend a ride, then they could talk while zooming around town. "Yeah I guess I am, are we picking up Sweetie Belle too?"" "Nah, she’ll meet us there." The two fillies suddenly noticed Applejack leaning against the fence, listening in. "So sugarcube, did ya forget your saddlebag? Ya'll need some school supplies and lunch too. Better head back home and get 'em quick, ‘fore schoolin’ starts.” She righted her Stetson and turned to leave. “Alright you two, have a nice day." "Oh yeah, thanks." Scootaloo and Applebloom started down the road towards the schoolhouse. Had Scootaloo paid more attention, she might have noticed Applejack watching them walk away with a slightly tilted head and raised eyebrow. "And then the rope on Big Mac's yolk snapped, and threw 'em all in the mud!" Applebloom pantomimed a mare falling into the mud. Scootaloo started laughing so hard she nearly fell off her scooter. By this time, the two fillies had reached the schoolhouse and were just disembarking the scooter. Once Scootaloo had recovered, Applebloom led her to Miss Cheerilee. "Mornin' Miss Cheerilee, this is mah friend Scootaloo!" "Good morning Cheerilee." Scootaloo gave her the best innocent smile she could, raising her eyebrows a touch and showing her front teeth. "Good morning Scootaloo, you must be new in town. Have you come to sign up for classes?" "Yep." "Ok, well you can park your scooter out in the hallway, and there are lockers here to store your school supplies. You did bring any with you?" "Uh, actually I didn't, I left them at home." Scootaloo noticed the deep pink pony's cutie mark. She had never seen a smiling sunflower before. I wonder if those are real plants? "Well, we have half an hour until class starts. You can take this form and have your parents fill out your contact information, and then get your supplies." "Oh." Scootaloo glanced at Applebloom for help, then remembered she was keeping her in the dark, too. Applebloom did manage to pick up on the concern in her friend’s face. "My parents already left for work. . . They commute to Canterlot, being pegasi and all. And they sorta forgot to buy me school supplies." "It's ok Miss Cheerilee! I'll share my school supplies, and if Scootaloo needs anything I bet my family could help!" "Alright my little ponies. Scootaloo, you can go ahead and take a seat near Applebloom. Fill out your name and your parents’ names on this form, and your street address if you can remember it. Let your parents know we have a parent teacher conference this week where we can get to know each other." Scootaloo glanced to Applebloom and whispered in her ear. "I thought you said she only has those every 3 months or something." Applebloom whispered back. "Well I guess it's been 3 months, just get at least one of 'em to come if they're busy." Sighing, Scootaloo took the paper in her mouth and headed over to the desk. She was quick to write down her name and the names of her parents. She wasn't sure if the teacher was resourceful enough to figure out her parents were dead, so she made up a surname. Cloud. There were a million pegasi named Cloud. She turned the paper back in to Cheerilee. That's one problem down, guess I'll just deal with the parent thing later this week. Maybe I can eat some rotten fruit and vomit, make her think I've got the filly flu. "Come on, Scootaloo! Let's go out and meet Sweetie." Applebloom tugged on her friend’s hoof to get her attention and led her outside. It was a short journey to the playground where they saw an unwelcome sight. "Please, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing those ugly strips of wool your sister calls clothing." Silver Spoon laughed at Diamond Tiara's insult. "Don’t say that! She's a better designer than anypony, and she even finds gems twice as nice as that clump of mud you're wearing!" Sweetie Belle stood her ground in front of the two fillies. "Hah, you know what we use your sister's clothes for blank flank?" Diamond Tiara's smile flattened out, and her eyebrows lowered. "Cleaning the dishes." "You take that back!" Scootaloo stepped in front of Sweetie with fire in her narrow eyes. She lowered herself to the ground and spread her wings slightly, only barely restraining herself from pouncing. "Or what blank flanks? Come on Silver Spoon, let's get out of here before they start crying." The two mares turned to leave, and Scootaloo lunged at Diamond's back. She was stopped with a sudden jolt; something had a vice grip on her tail. Turning around, she saw Applebloom spitting out a mouthful of her pink tail. "Come on Applebloom, I won't let them push my friends around like that!" Sweetie Belle sighed dejectedly. "It's. . . ok, really." "No, it's not 'ok' Sweetie. If we don't do something they'll keep picking on you." "Scootaloo, my sis says that some ponies are just rotten apples that fall too far from the tree. . . Or was it too close? Anyway, they just wanna make everyone else mad cuz they ain't happy. It's not worth gettin' in trouble over." Scootaloo sighed and felt most of the tension leave her body. It wouldn't do her any good to get in a fight. She already had to think up a reason her parents couldn't attend the parent teacher meeting later this week. If she got in a fight, Cheerilee would probably try to march over to Scootaloo's house and talk to them tonight. "Alright then, so what are we learning about in class today?" Scootaloo managed a weak smile. "We're going to learn about the Stalliongrad civil war. It's the last time in history a pony ever fought another pony. Back when they passed a la--" Sweetie Belle was interrupted by the bell ringing. "Sounds like you already know all about it, egghead." Scootaloo laughed, and the two fillies joined her. Scootaloo could feel the warmth again, it pierced the barricades she had built to keep the sorrow and pain out. She would do anything to hang onto moments like this. Being an orphan on the run was worth feeling happy again.