In The Twilight of Harmony’s End

by Leonofsweden


Chapter 2 The Fall of a Brave Filly Begins

In The Twilight of Harmony’s End
Chapter 2
The Fall of a Brave Filly Begins

****

Twilight woke up with a shriek in her bed, her little wings flapping wildly as she tumbled down onto the floor, the cover following her immediately after.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” She flinched as she felt pain shoot up her back and sides. She tried to access her magic but nothing happened. Slowly and carefully she lifted the cover off herself, revealing her orange hooves and purple locks. She gave a loud huff.

Right… I'm not some pampered Alicorn princess. I'm just the same old flightless, useless Scootaloo! She thought angrily. She winced again as she stood up on shaky legs.

Wow… Miss Bad Winnie must have really gone overboard last night… Although she has been quite moody lately so it wasn't too surprising she ended up giving me another beating. Scootaloo thought forlornly while she inspected her new bruises and checked to see that nothing was severely injured. Luckily the only things she could find were that her right wing was very stiff, most likely sprained, and that her ribs hurt quite a bit, but that usually mellowed during the day. It was a good thing she had such a colorful coat since it really helped hide the bruises from other ponies.

Carefully Scootaloo made her bed, making sure not to leave any crests in the fabric else Miss Bad Winnie would be having another word with her that evening about the importance of keeping a tidy room. She shivered at the thought while making her way down to the kitchen where a frowning Miss Bad Winnie was sitting at a table eating her breakfast.

“Just because you have spring break doesn't excuse you for being tardy.” Bad Winnie informed her shortly. Scootaloo glanced up at the clock seeing that it was 06:03 in the morning, At the same time her belly rumbled.

“Breakfast is served 06:00 hours, but since you can't be bothered to keep time I guess you aren't very hungry. Since that's the case I suggest you start with your chores instead. Your list is hanging in the usual place by the door; now get out of my sight before I really lose my temper with you.” Bad Winnie said, no longer looking at Scootaloo while she took a healthy bite out of her blueberry pancakes.

“Yes Miss Winnie…” Scootaloo answered, knowing there was no point in arguing or it would only get worse quite quickly. So with her head held low, Scootaloo walked to the front door of the orphanage, took the note hanging from the side of it and continued out into the early morning.

****

There had been quite a few chores on the list that morning, and finally she was at the last one. Apparently Miss Bad Winnie wanted to impress the welfare inspectors that were scheduled to arrive in little over a week from today by planting some new trees along the path leading up to the orphanage. Scootaloo had methodically walked back and forth between the edge of Everfree Forest, digging up small saplings and transferring them to the front of the orphanage where she planted them in a neat row along the main path to the entrance.

With one final effort Scootaloo shoveled the last of the dirt onto the tree roots. She sat down panting loudly as she was finally able to relax. Her empty belly grumbled in annoyance at being ignored while she fell onto her back, staring longingly up at the blue sky that so far was denied her. But a small smile soon found its way onto her features.

Soon… Soon I will fly. Rainbow Dash did promise to take me under her wing and teach me… Although it's been a long time since the camping trip now, but still… soon… She'll definitely teach me to fly soon. She thought hopefully while she looked over towards the orphanage that was her home. It had always been a bad place for her, but ever since Snips and Snails got adopted by some ponies in Ponyville things had gotten even worse. Miss Bad Winnie, being a former Canterlot social worker, had not been very happy with being ‘promoted’ to head mare of Ponyville’s backwater orphanage. She was after all a prim and proper Canterlot unicorn with her nose in the air and a serious distaste for both Earth ponies and Pegasi alike. So when the only two unicorns at the orphanage were adopted, leaving only that little filthy Pegasus Scootaloo as its lone resident, she had not been happy at all.

“Get on your hooves you lazy good for nothing lay about! If you have nothing better to do than waste time, you can go in and clean up after breakfast! I'm heading into Ponyville and won't be back until later tonight. I know it's a bit much to ask, but try not to do anything stupid while I'm gone!” Miss Bad Winnie’s shrill cry shattered the momentary calm that had settled over Scootaloo.

With a groan she got up on her hooves again and looked up towards the orphanage, where she could see the mare in question glaring at her. Slowly Scootaloo started making her way back, keeping her head low as she passed Miss Bad Winnie who was heading in the other direction.

When she entered the kitchen she could see the mess that was left for her to clean up after breakfast, which had been several hours ago. As she started to put everything back in its place Scootaloo saw that there were a few slices of pancake left on the serving plate. With a thankful sigh she quickly scooped one of the blueberry pancake pieces into her mouth. Immediately her eyes went wide and she desperately spat out the piece, running over to the faucets and gulping down mouthful after mouthful of heavenly water.

Finally the awful taste was out of her mouth and she set up again, looking forlornly at the breakfast that was still being denied her. Miss Bad Winnie had poured enough salt on them to make them completely inedible. With nothing more to be done Scootaloo threw the blueberry pancakes into the trash bin. When she had finally cleaned all the plates and pots and put them to dry, Scootaloo looked through all the cabinets hoping to find something she could eat. Finally she found two old rice cakes that she hungrily munched down.

“Better than nothing I guess…” she encouraged herself and headed off towards the door again. Since Miss Bad Winnie wouldn't be back until later that night she might as well see what Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were up to today. Her two fellow Crusaders were literally the only thing that made her still get up each morning. So finally finished with her chores she headed out with a widening smile. Scootaloo grabbed her infamous scooter from beside the entrance into the orphanage and shot off towards her two best friends in the world.

****

Scootaloo had finally found her two friends at the Cutie Mark Crusaders headquarters deep within Sweet Apple Acres’ endless orchards. As she came to a skidding halt both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle popped their heads out of the window and happily waved to her.

“Hi Scoot’s! What kept you all this morning?!” Apple Bloom yelled down towards Scootaloo and frowned.

“Notin, just had stuff to do you know!” Scootaloo called back.

“Well get up here will ya! We're trying to think of a new way to get our cutie marks!” Sweetie Belle bellowed in her shrill little voice, making both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cover their ears reflexively.

“Okay coming!” Scootaloo answered and happily skipped up to join her two best friends ever for today's session on the thinking spot. As she joined them in the little circle Apple Bloom accidentally bumped her in the side, making her hiss a bit at the unexpected pain.

“Are you okay?” Apple Bloom asked seeing her friend’s reaction.

“Are you hurt?” Sweetie Belle also chimed in worriedly. Scootaloo forced a smile as she shook her head.

“Na.. I'm okay, just tried a new trick on the scooter and wiped out completely is all…” Scootaloo said, hoping her friends would once again buy the white lie. And with two overdramatic eye rolls they both did.

“You should really let us come along sometime Scoot’s, I bet we could get some awesome pictures for the school paper.” Sweetie Belle said with a grin. Scootaloo just looked back at her dubiously.

“Yeah right… And you wonder why Rainbow Dash and I almost never let anypony come along when we practice our tricks.” She said with a deadpan. The two other Crusaders laughed merrily and the three of them set to work planning out the day's adventure.

****

“Are you two sure this is such a good idea? I don't think this is the balloon Twilight thought we wanted to borrow after all…” Sweetie Belle asked her fellow Crusaders, once again looking a bit unsure about the whole situation.

“Why would you say that?” Apple Bloom wondered out loud while she glanced over at the filly in question.

“Well… maybe because we were standing amongst the balloons left over from Pinkie Pie’s last party?” Sweetie Belle answered with a raised eyebrow.

“And why would we ask to borrow those old things? We would just have gone straight to Pinkie if we wanted regular old balloons after all. I'm sure Twilight new what we wanted!” Apple Bloom exclaimed happily and received an affirmative nod from Scootaloo.

“Yeah! This is going to be awesome! I mean what could possibly go wrong?” Scootaloo said confidently and smiled from ear to ear while she loosened the last line securing the hot air balloon to the ground.

****

“Wow! We are seriously super high up now girls! I mean… I think I can even see Appleloosa over there!” Apple Bloom yelled enthusiastically while she pointed off into the distance. Around the Crusaders the whole of Equestria spread out for them to see. Canterlot, Cloudsdale, Winter Tail Woods, Ghastly Gorge, Everfree and now even Appleloosa could be seen. And they were still heading up further.

“Ehhh… girls… How do we steer this… thing?” Sweetie Belle suddenly wondered nervously. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked around themselves to find some sort of a steering device only to end up looking at each other questioningly.

“I don't know?” Scootaloo finally said.

“I thought maybe there would be a steering wheel or something…” Apple Bloom said sheepishly, still looking around for said steering wheel.

“No… That's a Zeppelin I think.” Scootaloo said with a grin, happy that she was for once the one who added something knowledgeable.

“Oh yeah! That's right!” Apple Bloom exclaimed nodding approvingly while Sweetie Belle finally began to understand their predicament, actually seeming to grow even paler than her prim white coat usually was.

“Ehhh girls… I think we need to get down somehow. It's starting to get really cold and it will only get colder the higher we go.” Sweetie informed her two friends who were still busy congratulating each other for realizing that they had absolutely no idea how to steer the hot air balloon at all.

“Don't you worry ‘bout nothin’ Sweetie Belle, I'm sure it will stop rising soon… Right?” Apple Bloom said a bit uncertainly towards the end. Scootaloo shrugged, not really noticing that it was any colder than it had been before. She simply hung her head over the side of the basket to watch the view some more, and it did not take many minutes before the altitude had nearly doubled. Finally even Scootaloo had to admit she was starting to feel a bit cold.

“I… I… I am… I'm r.. really… r.. really cold n.. now…” Sweetie Belle finally whimpered, not able to take it anymore. Apple Bloom was also standing rubbing herself vigorously while smoke puffed from her breath.

“Y.. Yeah… m.. me too!” Apple Bloom agreed while she shivered visibly.

“Okay it's a bit nippy… But it's not really that bad is it?” Scootaloo wondered as she looked at her obviously freezing friends. Both the other Crusaders looked at her like they usually did when she said something they thought was truly stupid.

“A.. Are y..you… k.. k.. kidding? It's f.. f.. freezing!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed before tightly hugging herself around Apple Bloom who did not seem to complain in the least.

“Well… okay maybe it's a little cold?... Look I'll just try something okay? I mean what's the worst that could happen?” Scootaloo said and turned around, missing the horrified expressions that were now plastered on the faces of both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“W.. Wait!!!” The two other Crusaders exclaimed simultaneously just as Scootaloo undid a rope that didn't seem too important to her. Without warning all five sandbags around the basket fell away and the balloon shot up into the sky much more rapidly, pushing the Crusaders to the floor before they could regain their balance. The three fillies now stared at each other in horror as they could feel the temperature starting to drop even further. And as one they all went for the last option available to them.

“HHHHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!!!!!”

****

It had most likely not even been twenty minutes before something landed on the edge of the balloon’s basket. Scootaloo, being the only one still conscious in the thin air, drowsily looked up to see an extremely miffed Rainbow Dash looking down at them. She was still wearing her Wonderbolts cadet uniform indicating she had probably just arrived from Wonderbolts Academy.

“R.. r.. r.. rain… b.. b.. b.. bow…..” Scootaloo stammered out through clattering teeth before slumping down over the two unconscious fillies she was trying to keep warm beneath herself. Above them, Rainbow Dash’s expression changed from annoyed to extremely worried as it suddenly dawned on her how bad the situation really was.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh-” Rainbow Dash repeatedly proclaimed in absolute panic while she scooped up the three frozen Crusaders and shot back down towards Ponyville at almost Sonic Rainboom speed.

****

Scootaloo slowly came to again, finding herself and her fellow Crusaders in a tub in the center of Twilight’s library. The water had been magically heated to perfectly warm up their frozen bodies while still not burning them too much. Scootaloo’s eyes finally focused on four very worried mares standing around the wooden bathtub looking down at them.

“Are you okay Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash asked. Scootaloo squirmed a bit in the uncomfortably warm water before slowly nodding.

“Yeah… I think I'm okay… But the water… does it really have to be so hot? It feels like it's scalding me…” She said weekly.

“Well good! Serves you right! What the buck did you think you three were doing up there!!!???” Rainbow Dash yelled down at Scootaloo who recoiled in fright.

“Dash darling please watch your language, I know you're annoyed right now but don't yell at the little dear. You only lost one day of the week's training at the Wonderbolts Academy. And I am positive they will forgive you when you tell them why you had to leave so suddenly.” Rarity said and placed a calming hoof on Rainbow Dash’s tense shoulder. Rainbow huffed and looked over at Rarity.

“Yeah, yeah… Look if the three of them are fine now I really need to head back, or else Spitfire is going to have my flank doing double duty the rest of the week at least!” She proclaimed angrily and started walking towards the library door. Scootaloo weekly raised one hoof after her now rapidly disappearing honorary sister and full-time hero.

“R.. Rainbow… please… I'm… I’m sorry…” She weekly called after Rainbow who only flung the door open and disappeared out into the twilight of the now setting sun without so much as a backward glance. Applejack sighed heavily where she stood beside Rarity and Twilight.

“She's just a bit upset right now for having been forced to skip her Wonderbolts training. But you can't really blame her, it is only one week every two months and it's really important to her. She just need some time to cool off… Now just how did you three fillies end up in the hot air balloon unsupervised? Who's idea was this?” Applejack said looking pointedly down at Scootaloo, already having some ideas in her head which only grew stronger when Scootaloo flinched back a bit at the question.

The Crusader looked up at the now three frowning faces meeting her and sank down into the hot water. It was no use telling them it was Apple Bloom's idea, even though it was. Scootaloo always seem to end up covering for her two friends when some idea turned out really bad.

“Look we only wanted our cutie marks… that's all…” She said weakly, looking pleadingly up at the now openly glaring mares above her.

“Honestly Scootaloo! This has gone too far even for you! You had your Pegasus magic to protect you from the altitude. My little Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom did not! They could have died because of this!” Rarity scolded a now wilting Scootaloo.

“This is really the last straw Scootaloo, if you keep being this bad of an influence on Apple Bloom I'm afraid I'm going to have to forbid her from seeing you in the future.” Applejack said in a gruff voice. Scootaloo could feel her whole world starting to tilt and fall away beneath her.

“No! You can't! Please!!!” Scootaloo begged on the verge of crying, but Applejack just shook her head.

“I don't want to hear it Scoot’s, unless you stop putting my sister in danger I'm cutting you off from her. I know you'll both be sad about it for a while, but I need to do what's best for my family and my little sister.” Applejack said and stomped her hoof to emphasize her point. Scootaloo was breathing rapidly not believing what she was hearing.

“Well I will not cut you off indefinitely Scootaloo, but for the time being I don't want you around Sweetie Belle either… I am sorry, but Applejack is right, we need to look out for the well-being of our little sisters.” Rarity then said apologetically.

Now tears were streaming down Scootaloo’s face openly while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle slowly came around. The two newly awakened Crusaders saw the crying Scootaloo and questioningly looked around, trying to find whoever it was that made their friend cry, only to meet the gazes of their two sisters.

“Hey… What's going on?” Apple Bloom wondered looking from Scootaloo to a noticeably relieved Applejack and Rarity.

“Nothing for you to worry about, now come here Apple Bloom and I will carry you home okay?” Applejack said smiling lovingly at her little sister. Beside her Rarity had done the exact same thing with Sweetie Belle, and together the four of them were heading off towards the library door. From the backs of their sisters the two now well wrapped up fillies looked back at their miserable friend now sitting alone in the bathtub sniffling quietly.

“See you tomorrow Scoot’s!” Apple Bloom called back trying to cheer her up.

“No you will not!” Applejack reprimanded immediately and firmly.

“What?!” Was the last thing Scootaloo heard Apple Bloom cry out in surprise as they disappeared out on the streets of Ponyville. Suddenly, Twilight’s magic enveloped Scootaloo and lifted her out of the tub then quickly dried her off. With a sigh, Twilight looked down at the now completely melancholic filly.

“Look Scootaloo… Just try to get your act together in the future and be more responsible. Then you'll be able to see your friends again soon, okay.” Twilight said trying to cheer up Scootaloo, but her lack of any sort of social fineness severely hampered her efforts as usual. Scootaloo didn't even answer as she started heading for the door. Twilight looked after her a bit uncertainly.

“Do… Do you want me to follow you home?” Twilight asked hesitantly, not having read any books on how to handle a situation like this.

“No… I'll be… fine…” Scootaloo croaked out.

“Oh… Okay.” Twilight said and looked on as Scootaloo walked out of the library, closing the door after herself.

****

When Scootaloo finally made it back to the orphanage she found that it was still empty, so she merely made her way up onto the second floor and into her room where she crawled into bed and proceeded to cry herself asleep. But it wasn’t long before she was abruptly woken up by the front door slamming shut.

“I can't believe that brute of a stallion! How can he say no to me!? Me! A unicorn! While all he will ever be is a big dumb earth pony!” Miss Bad Winnie wailed angrily from downstairs.

Please don't come up here… please don't come up here… please don't come up here… Scootaloo thought desperately while she crawled into a tight ball on the bed. But as if summoned by her thoughts, Scootaloo immediately heard loud stomping steps coming up the stairway. Miss Bad Winnie burst into her room, grabbing Scootaloo by the mane and wrenching her out of her bed. Scootaloo began crying out in pain while she was roughly dragged out of her room.

“This place is a pigsty you worthless filly! You had all day to clean it up but have done absolutely nothing at all!” Bad Winnie shrieked angrily at the flailing Scootaloo while she dragged her down the stairs. She kicked the back door open and proceeded to drag Scootaloo out back towards the toolshed where she unceremoniously tossed in her ward and slammed the door shut behind her. Quickly the door was secured with a bolt lock and a plank of wood that stood beside the door.

“You can sleep out here tonight thinking of just how lucky you are to have anyone even bothering to take care of you at all!!!” Miss Bad Winnie shouted through the rickety door of the shed. She then made her way back to the orphanage, slamming that door shut behind her as well. Left in the dark, alone on the damp earth floor Scootaloo once again curled into a sniffling ball.

How can this be happening? This isn't fair! It just isn't fair! She thought desperately as she started crying loudly. Of course, being this close to the Everfree making lots of noise at night was never a good idea. And it wasn't long into the night before she heard the all too familiar sound of Timberwolves sniffling along the outside of the rickety shed. Scootaloo immediately grew quiet as the instinct for self-preservation took hold. But then something that surprised her happened.

Instead of sticking to the back wall of the shed like the magical constructs usually did, apparently confined to stay within the outer edge of the Everfree forest, they suddenly went around to the front of the shed, sniffling eagerly at the still blocked door. Scootaloo heard a low growl as the Timberwolves sniffed the ground outside and started to move towards the orphanage.

She lay completely still for a few minutes to confirm she was alone then made her way over to a small gap in the front door where she could look out. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. Scootaloo could see the faint shadows of a few Timberwolves prowling around while inspecting the orphanage inquisitively, sniffling at the doors and now black windows before disappearing around the corner to the front of the building.

Scootaloo backed away and hastily hid beneath the workbench where she lay absolutely quietly. After several minutes she could faintly hear the rustle of the Timberwolves heading back into the Everfree again. Shivering almost uncontrollably, it took quite a while before Scootaloo could finally fall asleep that night. And just before she did, Scootaloo asked herself that same question she'd already asked herself a thousand times that nigh.

How could the Timberwolves suddenly leave the Everfree when they haven’t been able to that before?

****

Thanks to Pen Perfect for the Pre-read/Edit