//------------------------------// // Eternal Loyalty - Scootaloo's Choice // Story: Mating Season in Equestria // by ratmage99 //------------------------------// Thanks once again to Claudia Donovan for the picture! -------------- Scootaloo grinned, the feeling of weightlessness enthralling her. She flapped her small wings, the clouds whisping about her face, small drops of dew gracing her eyelashes. Today was a very important day for her.Today was the day she would get her cutie mark. She could feel it. She was going to spend the whole day with Rainbow Dash, learning spins, flips, all sorts of tricks. She knew that she would learn a lot. After all, Dash was the one who taught her how to fly. She landed on the cloud that housed Rainbow Dash's dwelling. She happily trotted over to the door, humming the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme off key as she knocked on the door. She frowned when no answer came, knocking again. "Hello?" Scootaloo called out, confused at Rainbow's absence. She peered into the window, seeing only darkness and the reflection of her own disappointed face. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out where Rainbow could be. when it came to flying, Rainbow was never late. Scootaloo gasped, realization flooder her mind. "Cloudsdale! Of course! She's in Cloudsdale!" She smiled, proud of her own powers of deduction. She fluttered her wings, slowly lifting off of the cloud. She placed both of her front hooves in front of her, flattening her body as much as possible, just as Rainbow Dash had taught her. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, speeding through the air towards Cloudsdale, home of the pegasus ponies. Scootaloo closed her eyes, breathing in the crisp, fresh air, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being so high up and completely alone. A large cloud loomed in the distance, and Scootaloo instantly recognized it. The pillars, the stadium, the cloudy homes, this was Cloudsdale. However, something seemed different about it today. Honestly, she had only been to Cloudsdale once before, and that was only because Rainbow Dash had an errand to run during one of their flying lessons and had asked Scootaloo to do it instead. But now, an air of worry surrounded the town, the air feeling somehow thick even though it was so high up. The houses were all shut tight. The windows were closed, the doors shut, giving the impression that each house was its own world, shut off from everything around them. Scootaloo landed on one of the streets that ran towards the town's main hub, the colosseum. "Hello?" The tiny orange pegasus called out, hoping that something hadn't gone wrong. "Halt!" An armored pegasus landed in front of her, seeming to come from nowhere. "State your business here." The pegasus guard held his wings out, his impressive wingspan completely blocking the road. His coat was jet black, causing an unusual contrast with the milky white armor he wore. His eyes were a light shade of orange, and contained no hint of any emotion. Scootaloo had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She swallowed, trying to get the lump out of her throat. "I'm looking for Rainbow Dash." She said, hoping that she could just find Rainbow and leave. This town was making her nervous for some reason. "Rainbow Dash? She is not allowed in Cloudsdale anymore." The guard glared down at Scootaloo, whose face was frozen with shock. "What was your business with her?" "S-she was supposed to give me flying lessons today..." Scootaloo backed up a bit, feeling terrified for the first time since her run-in with the cockatrice. "W-what did she do wrong?" "She is wanted for treason for siding with Celestia." The guard answered stiffly. "Siding with Celestia? Of course she would, isn't Celestia the princess?" Scootaloo asked. "Maybe to those on the ground. Have you not heard? As of three days ago, Cloudsdale has officially seceded from Equestria. Welcome to the country of Cloudsdale." The guard smiled at her, appearing to be trying to look friendly, but he obviously was not at all used to being friendly at all. "I don't get it, Princess Celestia always cared about Cloudsdale as much as she cared about any other town, why would you guys secede?" Scootaloo demanded. The guard narrowed his eyes at her. "She cared? Ha! She only cared about Cloudsdale stadium. She couldn't care less about the ponies living here. We have ponies living on the streets, we have no way of growing any crops, many of our ponies are starving, and she has done nothing to fix it!" "But why are you so mad at her? If you've seceded, then isn't everything okay now?" Scootaloo asked, feeling very grown up for talking about it. "The Equestrians have let us suffer in silence for too long. Tell me, have you ever heard of a magical substance known as boom powder?" The guard smirked. Scootaloo shook her head, wondering what such a thing could even be. "Boom powder is something the zebra shared with us. If it is mixed just right... let's just say Equestria and its earth ponies won't be a problem anymore." The guard laughed heartily. Scootaloo backed away, her mouth hanging open. "B-but my friends... what about them?" "If they are earth ponies, they will perish. So is the price of the freedom of pegasi." The guard smirked. "Besides, why would you want to be friends with filthy earth ponies anyways?" "They are not filthy!" Scootaloo was fuming. "They're ponies just like you and me, it's not their fault that your life sucks up here!" She flapped her wings, floating into the air. "I hope I never come back to this stupid town!" She zoomed towards the ground, rushing to Ponyville. She had to warn somepony, she had to save Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, she had to save her friends. Scootaloo rushed towards Carousel Boutique, not used to seeing it from above. She screamed as she crashed through the window, landing on a pile of mannequins. "Oh, dear, I see Rainbow Dash has been teaching you to fly." Rarity sighed. "Oops, sorry Rarity." Scootaloo looked at the floor, embarrassed. "Oh, don't worry about it." She shook her head, putting on a smile. "When you're friends with Rainbow Dash, you get used to this kind of thing." "Is Sweetie Belle here?" Scootaloo asked. "Yes, she's in the main foyer, helping me attract customers." Rarity told her. "The what?" Scootaloo blinked. "That big room with the glass cases." Rarity explained. "Oh, right." Scootaloo laughed a bit. She walked out to the big room, spotting Sweetie Belle looking very sullen and standing behind a sign. "Sweetie Belle!" The white unicorn perked up, looking around. "Scootaloo!" She grinned from ear to ear, tackling her friend. Scootaloo laughed. "Hey, do you know where Apple Bloom is? We have some official Cutie Mark Crusader's business!" "Yeah! She's at Sugar Cube Corner baking, come on!" Sweetie Belle grinned. "Siiiiiiiiiiis!" She called out. "We're going to Sugar Cube Corner!" "Just don't bother Pinkie Pie too much!" Rarity called back to them. "We won't!" The two said in unison, rolling their eyes. They hopped out of the shop, wandering towards Sugar Cube corner. It was a Saturday, so there were ponies all over bustling about their business. Scootaloo had never seen the town so crowded. The houses looked far different now that she was on the ground. While in the air, they looked so small, as if she could crush them with a single hoof. Now they towered over her, even though she had grown a bit over the summer. Rainbow Dash was even going to let her help with Winter Wrap-up this year... if it ever came. That was really the scariest thought for Scootaloo. So many experiences she'd never got to have with her friends... so many things that would have to be left unsaid... She shook her head a bit, not letting herself think that way. She was going to stop this and save Equestria, she'd have to. She looked over at Sweetie Belle, sighing sadly, the though of losing her friend too much for her. Scootaloo crashed into a door, seeing stars. "Woah!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Are you okay?" "Yeah." Scootaloo shook her head, feeling slightly dizzy. "Should've watched where I was going." She laughed a little bit. "Well, we're here." Sweetie Belle looked up, the large confectionery shop looming over her head. The chocolate roof laced with icing had always entertained Scootaloo, reminding her of the story her mother used to tell her of the two foals that got lost in the woods. The colorful flowers surrounding the shop gave off a pleasant scent, while not covering up the delicious scent of the various cakes, breads, and candies being made in the store. Scootaloo's favorite part of the entire shop, however, was the large cupcake on the roof, three candles protruding from it that strangely never went out. Scootaloo opened the door, the strong scent of burning cupcakes immediately assaulting her nostrils. She coughed. "Hello?" The room was filled with thick black smoke. "Hi!" The voice of Pinkie Pie rang out, the smoke clearing a bit. "Doesn't it smell yummy?" "No." Scootaloo said, wrinkling her nose. "It smells awful. Is Apple Bloom here?" "Yeah! She made this batch all by herself!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "I figured." Scootaloo muttered. "What's that supposed to mean?" Apple Bloom stepped out from the smoke, her eyes watering a bit. "I think you burned the cupcakes." Scootaloo said. "I just... changed the recipe a bit, that's all." Apple Bloom said defensively. "Seems like you changed it to make crapcakes." Scootaloo said mockingly. "You're just jealous because I'm going to get my cutie mark before you." Apple Bloom smirked. "Are not!" Scootaloo insisted. "I was going to get mine today, but Rainbow Dash is.... somewhere!" "Yeah right!" Apple Bloom teased. "No fighting in the sweets shop, or they turn sour!" Pinkie Pie sang. "Sorry, Pinkie Pie." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said in unison. "Do you need some help cleaning up?" Apple Bloom asked. "Nope! You just go on and play!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Okay, thank you, Pinkie!" Apple Bloom called as she ran out the door with her friends. "So, what's up? I thought you were going to be training with Rainbow Dash today." Apple Bloom said to Scootaloo. "I was. She's missing. But more importantly, we have to get to the library right now." Scootaloo told them. Her friends nodded, seeming to understand how important it was, even if they didn't quite understand why. The three walked to the library in silence, all of them understanding that whatever had to be done was severely important, although only Scootaloo knew why. They opened the door to the library that served as Twilight's home. They poked their heads in, looking around. The room was mostly dark, a single candle being lit on the writing desk. The only sound that could be heard was a faint snore from upstairs, along with the occasional murmur of "I'll save you, Rarity." Apple Bloom giggled. "Shhh..." Scootaloo held a hoof to her lips. "We need to find that book that Twilight always looks for whenever Equestria is in trouble." "This one?" Sweetie Belle asked, pulling a book off the top shelf with her weak magic. The book was brown, with gold molding in the shape of an Alicorn head on both the front and back covers. On the binding, gold print stated the title of the book, The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. Scootaloo opened the cover, reading. Most of it was what they had already known, things they'd heard about from their parents and friends after the return of Nightmare Moon. A note fell out as Scootaloo turned a page. She struggled to unfold it, finally allowing Sweetie Belle to open it with her magic. She read it out loud. "'What is the seventh element?'" Sweetie Belle blinked. "Seventh? I thought there were only six..." "There are... I think..." Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head. "I know!" Apple Bloom grinned. "Let's ask Princess Celestia!" "Shhh!" Scootaloo hissed. It was too late, however. Spike walked down the stairs, a lit candle in his hand. "Who's there?" He asked. "Is that you, Owlowicious?" "Umm... yes?" Apple Bloom shrugged a bit. "Oh, okay. Well, stop being so loud. Some of us need sleep." Spike grumbled, heading back up the stairs. The Crusaders stared at each other in disbelief. Scootaloo quietly stuffed the book into her bag, motioning to the others that it was time to leave. The three snuck quietly out of the library, closing the door behind them without a sound. All three of the friends burst into laughter. "I can't believe he fell for that!" Scootaloo giggled. "Me either! I thought we were goners!" Apple Bloom laughed. "Hey Scootaloo, what did we need that book for anyways?" "Well, I don't know if I should tell you..." Scootaloo frowned. "Come on, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle grinned. "We're your best friends!" Scootaloo sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anypony." Scootaloo took a deep breath in, explaining everything to her friends, from not being able to find Rainbow Dash to her visit to Cloudsdale, she didn't leave a single detail out. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom listened intently, not interrupting, not even reacting until she had finished. "You're telling me that if nothing is done to stop this..." Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Correct." Scootaloo sighed. "All life under the cloud layer will be gone." "Scootaloo..." Sweetie Belle said after a long pause. "Why did you come back? You could have stayed in Cloudsdale and you could have been safe, but you left..." "I had to warn you, I had to stop it." Scootaloo had tears forming in her eyes. It was the first time she had cried since her parents had passed away many years ago. "I couldn't lose you, I couldn't lose anypony... not again." Her mind flashed with images, memories of that awful day many years ago. The day her family died. ---------------------------------- "We're almost there, Scoots." Scootaloo was standing in a room with a larger orange pegasus, her green mane cut short. The room was narrow, with four beds, two on the longest sides. The green carpeting had a plain, diamond-shaped pattern that almost looked as if it were moving. A window was placed over each bed, showing the dry, dusty desert rushing by, the occasional flash of green cacti contrasting with the lack of life out here. The train that the room was attached to rushed through the wasteland of sand, grinding noisily along the tracks. On the bed across from Scootaloo, a female earth pony lay sleeping, her long purple mane lying haphazardly across her face, her orange coat glistening in the sunlight that peeked through the shades of her window. Scootaloo laughed. "Mom can sleep through anything, can't she, sis?" "I'll say." The older pony snorted. "Dad's almost as bad." "Am not." A gruff voice came from the other end of the room. A grey pegasus with an untidy green mane stepped off the bed. "I've been up for quite a while." "Sure, Dad." Scootaloo snorted. "How much longer until we get to this stupid town, anyways?" "It's not a stupid town!" The gruff voice of Scootaloo's father replied. "It's not even a town yet! That's why we have to move there, so that I can help them with the construction of this town. I'll be the only non-earth pony in the whole town! Well, other than you two..." "I just hope it's cloudy, I can't sleep on these earth pony beds." The older sister grumbled. "I've made sure that there will be a few clouds, after all, you need to practice, the Wonderbolts are going to come to the town coronation next month, and I know how much you've always wanted to try out." Scootaloo's father smiled at her. "Really?! You're going to let me?" Her eyes sparkled. "Of course, sweetie, I wouldn't ever dream of keeping you from your dream. After all, flying is your special talent." The elder sister smiled, looking back at her flank, a picture of a pair of wings resting on each haunch. "Maybe I should try to teach the squirt, too, I'll bet she'd love to learn how to fly." "Yeah!" Scootaloo grinned. "Stop calling me squirt, though, or else I'll call you by your name." "Don't you dare." The elder sister warned. "I wouldn't ever dream of it...... Bethany." Scootaloo smirked. "You're dead, pipsqueak!" Bethany jumped off the bed, rushing over to the bed Scootaloo sat on. "Daaaaaad!" Scootaloo squeaked, jumping out of the way of Bethany's lunge. "Girls! Please! You're going to wake your mother!" "Too late." A groggy voice muttered from the opposite side of the cabin. The orange earth pony raised her head. The two sisters immediately stopped fighting. "Sorry, Mom." Both of them said in unison, hanging their heads. Their mother glared at them for a few seconds before finally softening her expression. "I just can't stay mad at you." She laughed, smiling cheerfully. Even with her mane looking untidy and covering most of her face, she was strikingly gorgeous. Scootaloo had often wondered how her plain-looking father had wound up with her mother, a former model. "Now, once we get to... to... What are they calling this town again?" "Appleloosa." The father answered. "Don't look at me." He added when he saw the strange looks he was getting from his family. "I didn't pick it." "So we're going to be living here in an undeveloped town for the rest of our lives?" Bethany scoffed. "Sounds like fun." She rolled her eyes. "Watch your mouth, young lady." The father warned. "Sorry, Dad." The orange pony sighed, laying down on her sister's bed. "It's so boring, though." She stretched out, her sister laying next to her. Scootaloo smiled a bit, climbing onto her sister's back. She curled up in her mane, yawning. Bethany smiled a bit. "Night, squirt." She whispered. The train shook, a low rumbling resounding over the entire cabin. Bethany squealed with fright, pressing her face to the window. A herd of buffalo ran next to the train, led by a single large, black buffalo with a large tribal headdress.He snorted, ramming the side of the train with his broad shoulder. The cabin tipped a bit, knocking Bethany and Scootaloo to the floor. Scootaloo jumped out of her sister's mane quickly. "What's going on, Dad?!" Scootaloo asked in a panic. "I'm sure it's some sort of mistake, just get low to the floor!" Scootaloo's father kicked the window, shattering the glass. He flew out of the now broken window, coming in low next to the buffalo. Scootaloo couldn't hear what her father was saying, but from the repeated hitting of the cabin, she guessed it wasn't working. Her father flew back in, screaming something, but the wind rushing through the window drowned it out. What happened next, Scootaloo didn't exactly know. The train tipped, the entire family being thrown about the room randomly. Scootaloo felt herself lifted from the ground as she tumbled through the open window, spinning in the air multiple times before she passed out. When Scootaloo came to, she was somewhere in the middle of the desert, surrounded by fire and twisted metal. A great, hulking figure stood over her. "One still lives." It spoke with its gruff voice. "You are insane!" Another, equally gruff voice answered the first. "We agreed we would not harm any ponies!" "I did not harm them, their deaths were fast, and painless." The first voice answered. Scootaloo recognized the headdress of the buffalo standing over her. It was the leader buffalo that had rammed the train. "What of this one?" The second voice demanded. "She has clearly been hurt, and you have orphaned her!" Scootaloo's mouth dried up, tears stinging her eyes. "M-my parents..." She rasped out. "My sister... where are they?" She tried to sound as menacing as she could, which wasn't easy when she could barely breathe. Both buffalo fell silent, neither able to speak. Scootaloo slowly and shakily stood, her front right leg useless to her. She winced, pain shooting through every pore of her body. "Where are they?" She demanded again, her vision fading around the edges. "Chief, look at what you've done! She is hurt! This is not the way of our tribe!" The second buffalo snorted, his nostrils flaring with anger. "Thunderhooves!" The chief growled. "You forget your place!" "No." The one called Thunderhooves glared at the chief. "I've just learned it." He charged at the chief, catching him off guard. The chief fell back, landing on his back on a large piece of flaming wood. He cried out in pain as his fur singed off, his skin becoming exposed. The skin almost appeared to bubble as the buffalo burned alive, his shrieks of pain cementing themselves along with the vision in Scootaloo's mind. She let out a shriek of fright, fainting. Scootaloo's eyes fluttered open. She gasped, sitting up in a bed. She blinked, wondering how exactly she had gotten to a bed. She heard voices from outside the room. "Do you really think you're capable of taking care of a filly?" A female voice asked. "Of course. After I heard what had happened, I couldn't just let her sit here in the hospital, now could I? After all, she is the only orphan in all of Equestria, where else could she go?" A female voice answered back. "Well, I suppose if you're sure, Miss... what was it now?" The first voice inquired. "My name is Cheerilee." The second voice answered, happiness apparent in her tone. "Well, the paperwork's all filled out, you can take her with you whenever you're ready." The first voice said a little cautiously. "Thank you." The voice that belonged to Cheerilee practically sang. The door to the room Scootaloo was in opened, a purple pony with hair the color of bubble gum walked in. Her face was very kind, reflecting the smiling flowers that adorned her flank. "Hello. My name is Cheerilee, and I'd like to help you out. I'd like to be your new sister." ---------------------------- Scootaloo shook her head, trying to stop the tears that she knew had come long ago. Her friends sat around her, waiting patiently for her to come out of her stupor. "How long was I.... spaced out?" Scootaloo asked. "A few hours." Sweetie Belle answered. Scootaloo blinked, looking around. She was in a small, familiar room. It was the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. "H-how did I get here?" "We took you." Apple Bloom smiled at her. "We couldn't leave our friend outside and confused, could we?" Scootaloo's eyes filled with tears. "You guys..." She put her hooves around her two friends, bawling loudly. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked surprised, awkwardly hugging their friend back. "I love you guys." Scootaloo whispered, her tears saturating her snout. She looked to the ceiling, thinking about her parents, and most of all, thinking about her sister, and the name she preferred instead of Bethany. "I love you... Dash..." ------------------------- End of Scootaloo's Story