*RIIIIIIIIIIIIING RIIIIIIIIIIIIG*
The school bells announced the end of the week. All the happy fillies and colts were running out of the ponyville schoolhouse, anticipating how they were going to spend their weekend. Of all these young ponies, three stood out. Sweetie Belle, AppleBloom, and Scootaloo. Scootaloo watched as Sweetie Belle and AppleBloom joked around and told how they were gonna spend their weekends. She remained silent, though. Sweetie, concerned, nudged her friend and asked what was wrong.
"Scoots, come on! You should be happy! We just got out of school! Three days of freedom!"
She tried to give a comforting smile, but Scootaloo simply looked down and stopped trotting. SB and AB stopped and waited for their friend, but she didn't continue.
"Come, Scootaloo! Don't cha' wanna go to the clubhouse? We can plan more ways to get our cutie marks!", said AppleBloom.
Scootaloo just raised her head a little and said:
"No, you can go. I'll meet you in Ponyville plaza in half an hour, okay?" she gave a fake smile, and her friends nodded and ran off. As soon as they disappeared, a frown appeared on her face as she calmly walked down the dirt path.
When she passed by the train station, a lot of commotion was coming from there. Just before she shrugged it off as nothing, she could have sworn she heard the name 'Luna' in the crowd. She didn't bother to go into the big mess, but she sat down and waited to see what all the fuzz was about.
A blue figure jumped out from the middle and landed firmly on it's feet. The little orange filly recognized her right away. It was unmistakeable. That dark blue coat, those wings and horn, that distinctive shape, that wavy celestial flowing mane, It was Luna. Princess Luna.
"Scootaloo! I bless your small village with my arrival!", announced the princess in a firm, not loud, tone of voice.
"Oh my gosh! The princess knows my name!", yelled the young filly, exited.
"But of course! I know all my subject's names!" she turned around and pointed to a gray-coated, yellow-haired pegasus mare.
"Thou is... is... oh, derp."
"That's right!" yelled the mare as she flew into the sky.
"Okay," said the princess, "that matter is of little importance! Right now, I talk of you, Scootaloo. May I speak to you in private?"
"Of course!" said the filly happily.
They stepped aside and Scootaloo trotted over to a bench in the park. She patted next to her for the princess to sit there. She hesitated for a moment, never having sat on such a dingy little rotted bench. With a bit of a sigh, she sat down and a chill went up her spine. She sat there for a moment, blank. Scootaloo waved her hoof in her face and asked her what was wrong.
"Nothing. I just 'spaced out', as you fillies say these days. Now, what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh my, yes! I can't believe the princess came all the way from Canterlot, just to visit me! Diamond Tiara's gonna be so jealous!"
"Scootaloo, I came here because... I know what happened... to your parents."
Scoots' bright and happy face suddenly turned dark and sad. She winced a little, then bit her lip.
"Y-you know. H-how?" she stuttered.
"I can walk through dreams, remember?"
She did remember. A while ago, when Scootaloo went on that camping trip and got scared, she saw Luna in her dream.
"Did you see the whole thing?" she began to cry.
Luna simply nodded in response.
A few tears came down her face, and Luna did not know how to react. She looked from side to side and stood there watching the little filly cry. She gave her a slight pat on the back and awaited response. Finally, she spoke up.
"Scootaloo, I came here to help you, remember? Why don't we go see what your friends are doing?"
"Friends, I almost forgot!" she quickly ran in the opposite direction, towards ponyville plaza. Luna silently followed from behind, observing.
Scootaloo ran up to the park and saw her friends sitting on the swings. When AppleBloom saw Scootaloo she waved and said:
"Scoots! Over here!"
Luna was keeping a much slower pace than Scootaloo, but she was still in sight. The little filly sat down on swing and her friends started talking to her. The princess did not know how to react, she was standing in the middle of a public park, in a small village, miles from home, just because of a little filly? She just didn't understand.
"Um, Scootaloo?" she interrupted.
"Yes, Luna?"
"Can you and your friends please go somewhere less… crowded?"
"Why princess?" she asked with a raised brow.
"I feel awkward, and everypony is observing me."
"Okay, whatever you say princess!"
All the cutie mark crusaders got up and started walking. Luna was a few feet away, and she could hear their conversation.
"Do ya' really think so?" said AppleBloom.
"Totally! There's no doubt!" answered Sweetie.
"Who else could it be?" remarked Scoots.
Luna wasn't gonna lie to herself, she was dying to know what, or who, there were talking about.
"Pardon, what it is thou speak of?"
"Um, can I tell her AppleBloom?" said the pegasus filly.
"Sure! But not yet!" she answered. "We have to get to the clubhouse first!"
She picked up the pace and Luna was having a rather difficult time keeping up with them. Pretty soon, she saw the entrance to a big apple farm, and there were only three other ponies there. A pony which Luna recognized as the element of honesty, Applejack, a big red male pony, and a thin green elderly pony which sat in a rocking chair near the barn.
The princess of the night came up to the orange mare and said hi.
"Applejack, element of honesty, it is I princess Luna of the night! Applejack was startled and dropped the apple bucket she was carrying.
"Luna! Yeah! It's me, Applejack! What can I do fer ya'?"
It is a um… pleasure to come to your little farm! You produce apples here, yes?"
"That's correct, ma'am! If I can call ya' that."
"That is fine! I must leave now and follow the little children." she flew off.
"That's mighty fine! Just follow the child--- wait, what?" there was a concerned expression on her face.
Luna lost sight of the three little fillies, and she'd been flying over the orchard for quite a while. She finally spotted a small house in the middle of nowhere. She stopped and knocked on the door. Scootaloo opened the door and let her in