-You Hide and I'll Seek
Scootaloo ran all over town in search of Sweetie Belle. With the help of Twilight, Pinkie, and Apple Bloom, she felt that they would find her in no time at all; however, it was already getting dark, and finding Sweetie Belle....wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.
It took her long enough to get help from the three in the first place. As Scootaloo sat down and rested she thought back to how they all resisted at her request...
"Seek?" Apple Bloom got closer to her friend as she left the other two a little ways behind her. Scootaloo looked a little sweaty as if she had ran all the way over here....Apple Bloom wouldn't be surprised by that.
"Yeah!" Scootaloo jumped up a little ways with enthusiasm. She was so excited to finally find Sweetie Belle and make things right again.
"Seek?" Twilight lifted an eyebrow at the little filly. She made her way closer to the smaller ponies that were staring at each other; one confused, one jovial.
"Yeah...that's what she just said." Scootaloo pointed an orange hoof at Apple Bloom as she looked up the the tall pony that she had asked guidance from.
The two both looked back at her with questioning glances. Scootaloo couldn't help but feel so frustrated with them both at the moment. It wasn't like she was asking them for something too terribly hard or anything. I mean, why were they making such a big deal over it?
"I think she means help her look for Sweetie Belle because she is super worried about her!" Pinkie jumped in front of Twilight with a pouted face. She then quickly changed from sad to happy as she looked over to Scootaloo who nodded her head slowly.
"Ohh....seek." Apple Bloom looked up to Twilight who was still staring at Pinkie Pie with such an ominous face that even Apple Bloom had to look away.
"Yes, Pinkie." Twilight said through gritted teeth as she turned back to Scootaloo.
"I guess I thought that's what you meant, I just wasn't exactly sure you wanted...our help with such a personal...task." Twilight seemed as if she was trying to get her way out of it for some reason. Scootaloo didn't care though, she wasn't going to let her go too easily. She needed all the help she could get.
"Oh we can help definitely! It's not like we have anything planned later with that Star Swirl the Bearded costume that you had Rarity revise for yo---"
Twilight shoved her magical force into Pinkie's face sending her flying across the lot. The unicorn then smiled oddly at the little fillies as she tried to look another way around the situation.
"Aha...aheh...ahhem....I...um...we could spare a bit of our time to help." Twilight smiled as sweat dripped down her face slightly. Pinkie was already making her way back over to the bunch with a joyful smile.
"Yay! Helping Looscoots find her little fillyfriend mission!" Pinkie jumped as she squealed a bit with excitement.
"No. No! That's not what it is. I just...we need to find her." Scootaloo turned around to avoid Apple Bloom's eyes that were surely headed her way.
"Come on. It's...getting dark."
"Oh, but maybe we should go get some super secret mission attire from Rarity! That would be so super duper fuu---"
Once again, Pinkie was flying back over to her previous landing spot.
"Let's help the poor filly find her friend now, so we still have time for....uh....that book I was going to show you later." Twilight changed her story as much as possible and began to walk in front of Scootaloo who looked at her backside.
"Finally..." She grumbled as she started her way behind her.
"I'm sure we can find her 'round here somewhere!" Apple Bloom said with enthusiasm. That was something Scootaloo needed at the moment. She needed all the support she could have. She just needed to feel sure about this. Finding Sweetie Belle was the most important thing at the moment to her, and she wasn't going to stop until she was located.
"Ooooooooo! I can throw a party when we find her!!!!!"
Scootaloo slouched over as she watched the time go by faster and faster. They had been searching for a good while now, and still no sign of her anywhere. The little orange filly was starting to lose hope. What if she would never find her. What if Sweetie Belle never came home. What if....
No....she wasn't going to let herself think that way. She had to find her. She needed to find her.
Scootaloo got up from her resting position and began to brainstorm. Where could Sweetie be? Where would she be that it wouldn't be too hard to guess for Scootaloo? Where....where?!
She still didn't have any ideas. She was lost in her own emotions. That seemed to be the only thing she really could think about at the moment.
Why?
Why now was this happening? They had been friends for so long. They had fought all the time, so why was it now that Sweetie Belle got hurt so bad that she had to leave? What was different? What was it....
Scootaloo couldn't help but feel like whatever it was, it was completely her fault. She must have done something...something so bad that even Sweetie Belle just couldn't take it anymore. That made Scootaloo feel ten times worse about the whole situation. She only wished that she could just take it all back...
She couldn't help but remember the exact argument....she only wished that she hadn't reacted the way she did. She only wished that Sweetie had never cried. She only wished....
"Scootaloo!?"
The little pegasus quickly looked over to the left of her to see Apple Bloom waving her hoof rapidly at her. Scootaloo jumped up as her heart raced. This was good right? They must of found out where she was!
"Where is she? Is she okay?! Can I see her? Unless she's still mad...I can give her some time, but I need to see her whenever she feels like it!" Scootaloo hurried her way over to the little yellow filly who slowly stopped waving her hoof as she realized that she had just given Scootaloo...false hope.
"Uh...n...no....we...still haven't found her." Apple Bloom backd away slowly as she noticed Scootaloo's face weaken.
"Oh..." Scootaloo slouched back down and looked away from the little farm filly with disappointment.
"I...was...just going to ask how much...longer? It's getting pretty dark and Twilight and Pinkie has already left..." Apple Bloom was only the slightest bit afraid of the dark. At least, it wasn't her most favorite thing to do...be in the dark and all.
Scootaloo opened her mouth as if to respond, but she closed it without saying a word.
"I...guess....a few more hours then?" Apple Bloom turned slowly away from her saddened friend. She didn't want to let her down after all.
"You know what....you go on home...I...can take it from here." Scootaloo looked up with a small smile.
"No...I couldn't just leave you. Finding Sweetie Belle is important...it's just...it's so....dar--"
"I know, and that's why I will let you go on home. I know how you feel about the dark. It's cool, really. I can find her, I promise." Scootaloo lifted a hoof towards Apple Bloom playfully.
"Oh. I know you can! Thanks though...it is getting purtty late...and Applejack...probably wants me home...but...good luck...really...I hope things are much better tomorrow..." Apple Bloom smiled as she timidly looked around.
"I'm sure it will be." Scootaloo smiled softly.
"Well, good night then." Apple Bloom turned away from Scootaloo as she started off in the direction of home, but Scootaloo called out one last time to her. Apple Bloom turned around to look back at her best friend.
"I thought you might want these." Scootaloo tossed a bag towards Apple Bloom who had caught it as it flew in her direction.
Scootaloo turned back around and walked off into the darkness.
Apple Bloom looked down at the bag to see that it was a new bag of hayseed chips. The filly smiled as she clutched the bag closely and headed home.
---
Scootaloo was tired. She was cold, and all she really wanted at this point was to crawl in bed and forget it all. She really didn't want Apple Bloom to leave her, but she knew she couldn't make her stay, it wouldn't be right, after all....it was her mistake in the first place. This was something she had to fix herself. Getting help from her friends didn't really do any good, though she was still at least a little happy that they tried, that was all she could have really asked for. And when she thought about it more, she began to feel it was better this way. She would rather find Sweetie Belle alone. She would rather be the one to do it, because when she did find her, she would finally be able to apologize to her in the way she felt needed be best a secret.
The filly smiled to herself with that thought. It was the thought she had running through her mind ever since they began searching all together, but now, her thought was even more believable and possible...now that she was alone.
She wanted it to happen. She wanted to do it with all she had, but first thing was first...she had to find Sweetie Belle in order to get to that point, and at the moment, she was a little far from that, but she wasn't going to give up now. Not after all this hard work, not after all this persistence. No. She was going to find her tonight. She was going to find her before the sun went up. She was determined.
Scootaloo walked a little more forward when it finally dawned down upon her. The place. The perfect place. The only place! The place where Sweetie Belle....had to be!!
Scootaloo changed her pace and direction and began heading in the opposite. Why didn't she think of it sooner? Why now was she just thinking about this?! It was all too obvious! Way too obvious!
The little orange filly ran with all her might. Her little wings moved quickly as well to make her step all the faster. It was a time like this that she wished she had her scooter. She guessed she should have thought about that before she wrecked it last week in one of their Cutie Mark Crusader missions. But that was okay, she could get there even without her scooter. She felt like she was fast enough just on hoof.
Scootaloo's heart was pounding with sheer happiness. She was so relieved that she had finally found out where Sweetie had been all this time, it was just so easy. All this time and she had been right within her reach. Why hadn't she thought sooner? It could have been already done with.
Scootaloo shook those thoughts again. She wanted to stay positive. At least now the feeling of joy would be fresh in her mind when she lay in bed tonight. That thought made her smile and she began picking up her pace.
Sweetie must have ran off, hid in the woods, and then sneaked back whenever Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had left. That was definitely it!
Scootaloo's eyes finally fell upon the sight she so desperately wanted to see. Finally...she was back at the Crusader's clubhouse...that was where Sweetie was this whole time. That is where Scootaloo will walk in and make things right. That is where everything will be blown over and their friendship will be restored. That is where Scootaloo....will finally open up what she had been keeping hidden all this time.
The pegasus leaped up the stairs to the clubhouse with a pounding, happy heart. This was it. Finally...she had finally found her. She had won the game. Their game of hide-n-seek!
"I found you!!" Scootaloo thrust open the door and a large grin on her face. She was breathing heavily as the door slammed on the inside. Happiness was pulsing through her body and then it began to slowly drain.
Scootaloo looked around slowly. All her hopes. All her dreams. All her work. Thrown away into an empty room. A room where Sweetie Belle was not. A room full of junk food, untouched except by the hooves of Apple Bloom. A room that took Scootaloo's happiness and punctured through it. Spat in her face, and threw her to the ground. Scootaloo's hopes were now crushed as her last resort was a failure.
---
It wasn't easy trying not to cry as she slowly walked home in the pitch black night. She could feel the urge to burst out into humiliated sobs of anger and despair. It was all over. She never found her. She lost...she lost their game. Sweetie Belle won, and now she would never find her. Never again would Scootaloo get the opportunity to ask for forgiveness. Never again would she be able to open up. It was all over.
She walked until she felt like she couldn't walk anymore, luckily she felt that right as she walked up the steps of the familiar cottage that she had been living in for such a long time now.
She tried to suck up all the sadness she knew that she was wearing upon her face at the moment. She really just wanted to go to bed, she didn't want either Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash bothering her with questions...at least she knew Fluttershy probably would unless Rainbow already told her. She doubted it though, Rainbow wasn't good with stuff like that, Scootaloo knew.
She tried to make herself presentable before she opened the cottage door. When she thought she was stable enough, she went ahead and opened it up; as she did so, her emotions decided to attack and she began to sob right as the door was opening. She just couldn't help it, she couldn't quit thinking about how much of a failure she was. She just couldn't handle the pain she was holding inside.
The door slowly creaked open as she stepped inside, her vision blurred by the tears rolling down her face.
She couldn't see anything but blurred colors and watery images, but something she saw, she couldn't mistake for anything or anypony else in all the world of Equestria.
As her tears dropped from her eyes to the floor, she stood as Sweetie Belle stared back at her next to Fluttershy.
Her heart stopped completely.
Rainbow, still snoozing soundly upon the living room couch.