//------------------------------// // A Single Bloom // Story: The Night Scooter // by Firo Blaze //------------------------------// The three arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity had both fillies carry her fabrics, and the rest of her supplies. Scootaloo felt dizzy, but she couldn't figure why. She swayed as she helped Sweetie Bell pull the cart. "Scoots, are you okay?" Sweetie asked in a high voice. Scootaloo blinked hard and forced the world to be right again, "Yes," she lied, looking away from seeing Sweetie Bell's concern. "What'er you doin' 'er?" Applejack said as she walked up to the three. "I came by to arrange a new gown for you and Apple Bloom, and a suit for your handsome brother." Rarity says in her posh voice. "Now Rare, ah don't want ta put frilly, girly dresses on. Ah have work ta do, but ah have good news for all of y'all." "Ooo! I love good news!" Sweetie Bell jumps excitably around Applejack, "what is it, what is it!" "Well, my lil' sis' went and got her cutie mark ta-day. It wasn't what we were expectin', but she got it." Sweetie Bell screamed with delight, and Rarity smiled and went on about dresses for Apple Bloom's cute-ceañera. Scootaloo backed away from all the noise and went out in search of Apple Bloom. She wandered the several acres of apple trees only to come upon a working Big Brother Mcintosh. He look sideways at her then continued to kick the apples off of a tree with no effort. Scootaloo stares at his shadow as it moved across the grass. She watched it for a while until she felt something very strange. The filly felt connected to the shape, like it was looking for something without knowledge of what, similar to her own mind. A constant search, but never finding what she needs. Scootaloo shook her head and started walking through the orchard once again. She just wanted to sleep, not walk through somepony else's land looking for Apple Bloom. Celestia's sun was glooming over her like a shadow. Scootaloo suddenly felt panic run through her body as if she was caught in a lightning storm with a metal rod. Her legs moved as fast as her heart raced until she came into the Apple families barn and into the sweet feeling of the shadows. A force hit her in her side that knocked her onto her side. She opened one eye and saw a giddy Apple Bloom on top of her. "Ah got it! Ah got it, Scoots! Ah gotz my cutie mark!" She squealed her delight getting off of the started Scootaloo, then after jumping around in the barn she stared at Scootaloo with aspiring eyes. "Look at it! Isn't it wonderful? Ain't never seen sucha 'mazing cutie mark, have ya Scoots?" The orange filly stared at her friends covered flank with happiness for her friend, but also something else that she couldn't place. Apple Bloom's flank was decorated with three blooming apple flowers. The vines connecting the blooming apples were a warming color of green and the white flowers each had a different sheer color to them. The one closer to Apple's rump had the touch of red, the one across to it was the soft glow of purple, and the last one at the top was different from the others. It's deep grey touch of color made the gloomy feeling of pain surround Scootaloo. She ignored it and decided to let herself be happy for her friend. "Wow, Bloom! How did you get it?" "It was amazing! Ah way a helpin' my sister plant some new trees to replace 'em old ones that've died the year before and ah felt so happy doing it. Ah was doin' it fast too, like a lightning strike. It was peaceful, like when the sun beats down on a spring day as the little critters go chasin' each other in the orchard," her eyes closed at the memory. "Hey! Did Sweetie come with ya?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly. Scootaloo nodded towards a small figure bouncing around two bigger shapes in the far distance. Her red headed friend ran off in the direction Scootaloo directed her, not taking a second thought to leave Scootaloo alone in the barn. She sighed and jumped ontop of a stack of hay and laid there for a while. Soon, she fell asleep to the sound of distant laughter and celebration that made her head pound unbearably. Come on! Can't we just pleeeeease go an' rub it in 'er face just a little?" The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked around the center of Ponyville heading towards the Sugar Cubed Corner. Apple Bloom was rambling on about how they should rub her new found prize in Diamond Tiara's face. Scootaloo was against the whole idea more then she wanted to spend time with her favorite idol. She couldn't handle seeing that monster two times in one day. Although the idea felt somewhat satisfying to her the thought still made her stomach twist making a wavy of nausea wash over her. "Imagine the look on 'er face! She'll be so shocked and'll have ta take back anythin' she ever said," Apple Bloom said sure of herself. "Yeah, we should find her and do it now! Oooo! I can't wait! Scootaloo, aren't you coming?" Scootaloo walked away from them without a word and they didn't bother to follow her. She had been moody and distant all day and they understood that. Scootaloo knew that they wouldn't follow her, at least when she wasn't looking. She looked left to where two undoubting figures hid behind a large pot of flowers. Sighing she kept walking, hearing small high pitched yips and yells of angry ponies then the muttering of an apology. After a while the act got even more annoying than before she intentionally left them. Perhaps they were just that much of a true friend similar to a piece of gum on the bottom of a shoe; Once stepped on the gum and the shoe is inseparable. Scootaloo kicked a rock that lie on the ground and she tried hard to forget she wasn't alone. She just wanted time to think about, well, everything. Wanted to ask herself why Tiara was so mean to her, why it bothered her so much, but the most important question was why was she the one to be born with a defect? Diamond Tiara should've been the one to suffer and be called names, so she could feel the pain and sadness that Scootaloo went through. Couldn't anypony realize how much Scootaloo wanted to be normal, to be like everypony else? Couldn't they see her desire to fulfill her dreams that she knew would never come true? She couldn't place the answer since it went to both sides like a never ending tug-of-war game. Tears swelled in her eyes and she ran as fast as she could to her house. She entered the empty house, but before she could say 'hello' to the loneliness Scootaloo ran up to the safe haven of her cold room. If anypony out there is listening, she thought to herself as she cried on her bed, please, please, make the pain stop. The pain of being so alone, because no pony understands me and what I'm going through. I just wasn't to be... I want to find who I am and why I'm here. Please, I just think I deserve even a little explanation because I survived this long with this. I survived this long without knowing, but I don't know if I can survive anymore. Soon she fell asleep to Princess Celestia's sun streaming in through the windows of her room, the only place where her dreams seemed to live, but now even that was fading into the darkness.