Chapter 3
A Continuation: Scootaloo
“Ah don’t know about you guys, but Ah’m getting the feelin’ that we are going to get our cutie-marks this time! Ah just know it!” Applebloom exclaimed, jumping around wildly getting pumped up for the next few days.
“Hey, watch it!” Scootaloo said, trying to dodge Applebloom’s flailing legs. “You’re going to knock somepony out bucking around like that!” Applebloom stopped kicking, but started to trot around their little group just as enthusiastically.
“Sorry, Ah’m just really excited that we’re gonna be doing all this stuff with both of our big sisters and Rainbow Dash! Ah mean, we’re gonna be doing cosmetology with Rarity, we’ll be baking pies and making cider with Applejack and Granny Smith, and we’re gonna be taking Karate with Rainbow Dash! There’s just so much to do, I can’t wait!” Applebloom looked over to where Sweetie Belle walked silently alongside them. “What do you think about it all, Sweetie Belle? You’re oddly quiet.” Sweetie Belle jumped at the sound of her name.
"Oh! Umm... I'm really excited too!" Sweetie Belle started to blush and shied away from the group. Scootaloo and Applebloom looked at her confusedly, then got closer together so that they could talk.
"What's her problem? She's been like that for a while, but now it's kinda starting to concern me," Scootaloo said in a low voice.
"Ah dunno, but now that Ah think about it, she has been acting purty strange these past few days," Applebloom replied, "Ah wonder if she's feelin' alright."
∞
The three fillies arrived at Sweet Apple Acres right on time so that Big Mac was just hauling the last of the apples back to the cider machine. They heard a large crash as soon as they walked through the gate and wondered what it was. Applejack appeared out from behind the barn.
“Hey, y’all! Come over here, if you don’t mind!” The fillies trotted over to where she was standing to find her staring at a pile of rubble that used to be the cider machine.
“Hey, what happened to the cider maker thingy?” Scootaloo asked, dumbfounded at the sight of the massive heap of wood and metal.
“I dunno, but we won’t be making any cider today, girls. I’m sorry…” Applejack said, “But we can still make pies! Come on, everypony!”
"All right! PIES!!!" Scootaloo exclaimed enthusiastically, her wings flapping faster than a hummingbird's.
The small group trotted off to the kitchen where Granny Smith was already getting things set up.
∞
Scootaloo balanced an apple on her nose for a few seconds before popping it up into the air and catching it in her mouth.
"Her gers! Derd yer ser thert wern? Er herld ert fer tern sercernds thert term!" She was applauded as she took a bow and ate the rest of the apple in one bite; an impressive feat for a filly her size. She turned to ask Sweetie Belle what she thought, but was met with a dreamy stare. It was one of those cute stares that only Sweetie Belle could pull off.
You know, I always thought Sweetie Belle was pretty cute, she thought while cutting up an apple with a knife placed in a little holder that attached to her hoof, but then again, so does everypony else, so I'm not the only one.
On many a day with nothing to do while Sweetie Belle was helping Rarity with the boutique, Scootaloo and Applebloom spent the day at the clubhouse and chatted about how cute Sweetie Belle could be at times. They were never really serious because everypony has that cute friend that they like to talk about who all has crushes on them and who has a chance with them and who doesn't.
She was quite certain that Applebloom had a crush on Sweetie Belle right from the start. The way she talked about her was evident that affection was there. Whenever they had one of their little talks, Applebloom was absolutely pouring over Sweetie Belle. She was always going on how she really loved Sweetie Belle's coat. It was so soft and fluffy that she just wanted to be next to her forever just to feel her warm body.
Scootaloo smiled at the memory. She looked over to where Applebloom was weaving the pie crusts to see if she was checking Sweetie Belle out, but unfortunately she was too engrossed in her work. She looked over to Sweetie Belle again to see what she was up to. Strangely, she was staring straight at Scootaloo. Her body was trembling ever so slightly, but she could see that she wasn't cold because she had a totally spaced out, extremely dopey grin on her face and it was the middle of spring for Celestia's sake!
Scootaloo made a point to check and see what Sweetie Belle was obviously very pleased about. There were very few things that made Sweetie Belle that happy. The list comprises of ice cream, cake, and small fluffy animals. Scootaloo was pretty sure her flank was not any of those things.
Sweetie Belle seemed to catch herself staring at Scootaloo and shook her head to get back on track, but Scootaloo suddenly felt something deep inside her that made her want Sweetie Belle to keep looking. She wanted to feel that somepony actually had feelings for her...
Sometimes she worried about her own true intentions...
∞
"Applebloom and I are going to the clubhouse, we'll be back in a little while." Scootaloo said as they were leaving. "Hey, Sweetie Belle, you want to come with us too?"
"Uh, no thanks. I have to help Rarity with her new dress." Sweetie Belle replied rather sheepishly. "I have to go now."
Sweetie Belle galloped off towards the general direction of the boutique.
"Ok, maybe next time!" Scootaloo called after her. "Come on, Applebloom, let's go!"
Scootaloo hopped onto her scooter and Applebloom stepped into the red wagon that made up the passenger cart. The duo sped off in the other direction to the clubhouse. She couldn't stop thinking about Sweetie Belle. Something in that moment when she was checking Scootaloo out made her feel like she was wanted. She was actually wanted for once...
"Hey, Applebloom, can I ask you a question?" Scootaloo asked as she climbed up the ramp to the clubhouse, "It's kinda important."
"Sure ya can!" Applebloom replied with a smile, "You can ask me anything!" Scootaloo had to think for a moment.
"Do you get the feeling that Sweetie Belle likes one of us? I saw her staring at me in the kitchen earlier and she acted like she really enjoyedl the view." Scootaloo stopped walking and prepared for an extremely negative answer.
"Well when you put it like that, Ah guess she does. It seems mighty obvious that she likes you." Applebloom sounded a little forlorn in her reply and Scootaloo smiled to herself. Totally called it, she thought.
"Hey, wanna ship ponies together? I have a pretty good one that you might like." Scootaloo smiled maliciously.
"Ah know that smile." Applebloom's face dropped, but began to rise into a smirk. "Ya must have a perty good one if you're smilin' like that."
"Ok, here goes. You and that kid, Shining Star would make a good couple." Her smirk was impossible to miss. Shining Star had the biggest crush on Applebloom ever and Scootaloo very well knew it. She loved to try and help him score with Applebloom, but she failed every time.
"That one's getting old, you know. I have an even better one! Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy!" Applebloom rolled on the floor laughing at the look on Scootaloo's face.
"Applejack and Big Mac. You ship it like Derpy and you know it!" Scootaloo always loved hearing Applebloom suddenly stop laughing and start to fake gag. The two stared at each other for a few moments in absolute silence, then collapsed on the floor, giggling like the little fillies that they were.
After a few hours of shipping, playing games like Maneopoly, and planning what to try next, they decided to call it a day and head home. Scootaloo dropped Applebloom off and zoomed off to her cottage.
On the way home, Scootaloo thought she heard an ambulance cart off in the distance, but she wasn't so sure, so she payed no attention to it. She approached her cottage, and opened the door. The familiar, slightly musty smell washed over her as she walked in. Scootaloo smiled at the picture of her parents hanging on the wall, and set her scooter and helmet right beside the coat rack where she usually put it, and walked to her room.
Wow, 10:40 already? Scootaloo thought, looking at the clock on her bedside table, We must've been out for a while. She quickly hopped onto the bed and got under the covers. Ok, so tomorrow I'm going to ask whether Sweetie Belle likes me or not. Scootaloo smiled. "I wonder what she'll say." she thought out loud. With that, she turned off the light, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
∞
"SWEETIE BELLE IS WHAT?!?!?" Scootaloo's face was frozen in a look of shock. "HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS SOONER?!? WHY DIDN'T SOMEPONY COME AND GET ME?!?"
"I'm sorry, sugarcube, but we only just got the news as well," Applejack said, sauntering over to comfort the orange filly. "We can go in a little while. She needs her rest."
Scootaloo was already strapping on her helmet as Applejack finished her sentence. Applebloom climbed into the wagon attached to the back, and strapped her helmet on as well.
"Ah'm goin' too! Sweetie Belle is our friend and we need to support her!" Applebloom said. They then sped off towards the hospital as fast as they possibly could.
∞
Once they reached the hospital, they explained themselves to the secretary who then showed the fillies to Sweetie Belle's room. Rarity looked up as they walked in and sighed a breath of happiness that Sweetie Belle's friends cared enough to come and visit her.
The hours passed as they sat there in silence waiting for the little filly to wake up. Doctors and nurses came and went, checking clip boards and changing IV bags and doing other medical basics to keep her well in her state of unconsciousness. A little while later the main doctor treating Sweetie Belle came in.
"Your sister," he said to Rarity, "is in an advanced state of syncope which is just a fancy word for saying that she fainted." He flipped through his notes for a second, stopping on the third to last page. "This happened due to quite a bit of stimuli getting to the brain at the same time, therefore her brain made her to lose consciousness to stop the flow so it could regain its bearings, so to speak." The doctor paused for a moment, glancing up at Rarity for a moment before returning to his notes. "Might you have any idea what could have caused this?" he asked, "Problems at school, friends, boyfriend issues, girlfriend issues, etc.?" Scootaloo blushed and moved to where nopony could see her face.
"Um... not that I can think of, no." Rarity said.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the doctor said, noticing the somewhat flustered look on the white mare's face, "but we are required to be as inclusive as possible." He paused for a moment, letting Rarity calm down. "Anyway, Miss Sweetie Belle should be waking up soon, so if you could just sit tight, she'll be up in a few hours, and I will be back with the report." The doctor shut the door as he left, and there was a soft thump and muffled words were heard from the hallway. It opened again and Applejack and Rainbow Dash entered the room.
"Sorry we're late," Applejack said as she trotted over to the side of the bed, "Ah had to go tell RD the news."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied, "As soon as I heard, I had to get over here as fast as I could." She walked over to Scootaloo and gave her a light punch with her hoof. "Howya holdin' up there, sport?"
"I guess I'm doing alright," Scootaloo confessed, giving a small smile, "I'm just a little worried for Sweetie Belle."
The blue mare sat beside Scootaloo and placed a protective wing around her. Scootaloo leaned in and rested her head against Rainbow Dash's chest and closed her eyes, releasing a shuddering breath as she did so.
She looked at Scootaloo concernedly. "You sure you're ok? Something's up that you aren't telling me."
"Yeah, I'm ok." she gave a reassuring smile and a playful nudge. "Like I said, I'm just worried, that's all-"
"Hey look, she's awake!" Applebloom exclaimed out of nowhere. There was a loud squeak when Rarity flung herself upon Sweetie Belle, hugging her and lauding her well being. Sweetie Belle beckoned for help from the mare's death-grip of a hug, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash helped pry Rarity off of the filly.
However, no sooner had Rarity let go than Applebloom and Scootaloo jumped on the bed and attacked her with hugs of their own. Scootaloo felt a sensation of heat radiating from Sweetie Belle's body and thought she caught a glimpse of a blush, but she dismissed it as the residual heat from the covers.
Sweetie Belle shoved them both off when the doctor walked back in with his report.
"Well I'm sorry to interrupt the hug-fest," he apologized, "but it appears that Miss Sweetie Belle is in perfect health and can be discharged from the hospital when you're ready!" He promptly closed the door and everypony else directed their attention back toward Sweetie Belle.
"So what was that all about?" Scootaloo asked, "All I heard was that you asked Rarity something and then you just collapsed"
"That's all there really was to it," Sweetie Belle replied, "It was like I couldn't move at all. I started to panic and then all of a sudden, I just blacked out."
"Well could you at least tell us what the question was about?" Applebloom asked.
"Oh, it was some silly thing," Rarity interjected, "I can hardly remember what it was. The important thing is that she is alright and not hurt! But let's get out of this hospital. I'm beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic."
Scootaloo found it a bit odd that Rarity answered for Sweetie Belle on that question. Maybe it was just the small space getting to her, she thought, She sounded kind of rushed and anxious to get out of there...
They checked Sweetie Belle out of the hospital and went their separate ways for the night. Scootaloo, however had different plans for the next day...