//------------------------------// // Friendship is Magic // Story: Replacing Scootaloo // by I am not a Dalek //------------------------------// Chapter 19- Friendship is Magic The sun shines through Rainbow Dash's window, indicative of a new day. Tomorrow, school will start again which means my family have most likely returned from their holiday. I don't really want to go home, it's been really fun staying with Dash and she's really nice. I slide out of bed and walk down the stairs to discover that Rainbow Dash is cooking some stewed apple for breakfast. It's strange; I never thought Rainbow would be one to cook. I do have to admit, her meals are pretty tasty. "Good morning," I say as I hop up onto a chair around the kitchen table. Rainbow Dash looks over at me and smiles. "Morning Scoots, how was your last lie in before school?" I groan, "Don't remind me, my parents have probably returned home today... Star Twist probably went to the Wonderbolts summer camp whilst they were gone too, but they're probably back." Rainbow fills two bowls with the stewed apple before placing them down on the table. I reach out for the pot of sugar and pour a few teaspoons over the apples. Dash rolls her eyes as she watches me but then proceeds to pour even more teaspoons than I did over her own bowl. "Hypocrite," I mumble under my breath and she just chuckles. "We're gonna go and talk to AJ first, and then we will go and see your parents, alright?" She says as she begins to eat. I nod and follow her lead as I eat the sweet apple quickly, wanting to get over to Sweet Apple Acres as soon as possible. I need to talk to Apple Bloom. I just hope it's not too late to sort this out. Once I've finished eating, I jump up and run upstairs to brush my teeth. I can hear Dash laughing quietly as she starts to clean the dishes. That's another thing that shocks me about her, I didn't expect her to actually clean but her house is spotless. Maybe she sees it as a sport? Or maybe she just had the idea of having a clean house drilled into her from a very young age. It's probably the latter. I take my time brushing my teeth since I know Rainbow Dash still needs to get ready. I use this opportunity to try and tame my bed-head by flattening it down with water. Finally, when I realise that it's no use – my mane is untamable - I give up and I trot back downstairs to find Rainbow Dash standing at the door, ready to go. I'm suddenly feeling really shaky, what if Apple Bloom turns against me. She must hate me so, so much now. "Are you okay, squirt?" Dash asks with concern evident in her voice. I nod slightly although Rainbow Dash doesn't fall for my false smile. "Listen, if anything bad happens I'll be there to back you up, alright?" she promises comfortingly as she helps me onto her back. I wrap my hooves around her neck and get comfortable. "Thanks, Dash," I whisper. Rainbow Dash glances back at me and sends me a smile before stretching out her wings and flying towards Sweet Apple Acres. We fly in silence as I contemplate what I'm going to say to Apple Bloom. Maybe she won't want to talk to me, I can completely understand, but I did it to help her. I couldn't bear to watch her act so foolishly. The sun shines over Sweet Apple Acres as we draw closer to it. The apples on the trees glisten as the sun reflects off of them. Trees shake as Applejack firmly bucks them with her hind legs and the apples shudder slightly before they tumble down into the baskets positioned below them. Rainbow Dash calls out to Applejack as she prepares herself to land, "Hey, AJ!" Applejack turns to look up at us and tips her hat in greeting as we land beside her. "How are y'all doin'?" she says as she begins to buck trees again. Rainbow Dash glances at me in concern before returning her gaze to Applejack. "Good, but um, we saw Apple Bloom with Cloud Chaser last night..." Applejack's hind legs freeze mid-buck and they fall to the ground behind her. "'Scuse me?" "AJ, don't freak out. Let's just... Give her another chance, maybe she felt really guilty about it but just stay up late tonight and see if she sneaks out again if not then forget this conversation ever happened?" Rainbow Dash suggests since she knows that if Applejack flips off, I will get the blame for snitching, yet again. Applejack stays silent for a few moments before finally nodding in agreement. "Okay, RD, but y'all better not stop me next time 'round because Ah don't want Apple Bloom ta start getting inta bad habits." Rainbow Dash nods. "Sure thing, AJ, please don't get Scoots involved though because Apple Bloom is blaming her too much already." "Ah can try, but if ma sister starts askin' questions, Ah can't lie to her..." Applejack turns to me, "Ah'm awful sorry for the way Apple Bloom is treating y'all, Scoots, but Ah hope ya understand if Ah have to tell her the truth when she asks for it." I glance up at Applejack, I wish I didn't understand, I wish that I could beg her not to tell Apple Bloom anything but I know that she's the Element of Honesty. It's the same with Rainbow Dash; I have to understand if she refuses to leave me alone. That was hard for me to accept at first but now I'm thankful that she's stuck by me. "It's alright, Applejack. I understand that you can't lie," I smile at her, "Just warn me if you do tell her..." Applejack nods. "Sure thing, Sugarcube." "Where is she, anyway? I mean, can I talk to her, please?" I say. Applejack looks around the Acres in thought. "Ah think she's in the Clubhouse with Sweetie, but if not she may be in her room." "Okay, I'll be back soon, Dash!" I smile Rainbow Dash watches me with an agonized look plastered across her face, but I pretend I don't notice it as I gallop past her and through the apple trees. Apple Blooms angry voice fills the clearing around me, causing me to stop abruptly in my tracks and hide behind a tree as I listen in. "Ah'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, but she's lying to us!" Apple Bloom yells. I flinch slightly, knowing that she's talking about me. I cower against the tree as I carry on listening, I know that this is wrong but I can't go in there now. "But, she's our friend. We weren't even there for her when she was suffering. I've known Scoots since I was a little filly and you've known her for three years. How long have we known Cloud Chaser for? A month at the most," Sweetie says, her voice growing with anger too. "But Scoots never gave Chase a chance, she hates him!" Apple Bloom says bitterly. I peak around the tree and see Sweetie Belle standing by the window of the Clubhouse; I can barely make out a few tears in her eyes. "Did Cloud Chaser give Scoots a chance? He's manipulating you, Apple Bloom, and you're acting stupid! Do you even care about Scoots?" She shouts and takes a step towards Apple Bloom. "Ah did until she turned against me! Ah trusted her!" Apple Bloom turns away. I suppose it's time to go in and try and sort this out, I can't leave Sweetie Belle to go through this all alone. So, I slowly come out of my hiding place and walk towards the Clubhouse. Sweetie turns when she hears my hoofsteps and she shakes her head, telling be that I'm better off going. Apple Bloom catches sight of me and she glowers at me darkly. Taking a deep breath as I walk up the ramp, I prepare myself for the worst. "What do ya want, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom says resentfully. I ignore the tone she uses towards me and put on a calm face, I can't stoop to her level. We need to sort this out without fighting. "I wanna sort things out, please," I take a seat in my usual place and nod towards her seat. Apple Bloom hesitates before sitting down. Sweetie Belle does the same. We sit in silence for a few moments before I decide to speak up. "Just look at us, girls: the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We made this club out of friendship, we wanted to show everypony that we're special and that we can work together to find out our special talent. Recently we haven't really been a club; we haven't even acted as friends... "I look at my two best friends and swallow back any tears I have coming through my emotional shield."Remember what we promised all those years ago?" When there is no answer, I walk over to the clubs notebook which has all of our crusading failures and our promises which we made along the way. I flip it open to the first page and stand up at our podium where we have planned so many missions and made so many memories. I glance up at the two girls who now have tears in their eyes too, and then I look back at the notebook and begin to read, "'As a Cutie Mark Crusader, we all agree that we must trust each other both when searching for our cutie marks and also in our friendship. We need to be able to talk to each other when we need help and we need to rely on each other to be supportive. Finally, and most importantly, we must do everything in our power to stay friends even after we have discovered our special talents. We know that our friendship is important and we do not want to lose it, whatever obstacle which comes our way is passable we just need each other's help to keep us going. We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders and nothing will split us up.'" I finish and realise that tears are streaming down my cheeks. "I admit: I haven't kept many of those promises. I didn't turn to you when I needed help but that was because I thought I didn't need it," I pause and look at Apple Bloom to find her gazing back at me in confusion. "Right, you don't know. My parents hate me, they prefer my sister because, I don't really know why actually. They stopped loving me after she was born which is why I don't know how to fly. Anyway, they left me to fend for myself a few weeks ago and in the end Rainbow Dash helped me... I thought you guys were trying to replace me with a Pegasus who could fly and that was wrong of me but I wasn't thinking straight. I was just so scared that the same thing which happened with my family would happen with you. If it wasn't for Dash I probably wouldn't be here," I try to keep out any of the horrible details since I don't want to make things worse. Apple Bloom looks taken aback for a moment as I tell her what has been going on with me. "A-Ah'm so sorry, Scoots..." She whispers. I shake my head and brush off her apology before carrying on. "Anyway, there is one promise that I am keeping which is doing everything in my power to stay friends. I'm sorry, that you can't see Cloud Chaser anymore, but you have to trust me when I say that he's using you-" "No, you said ya weren't thinking straight, that's why y'all don't like Chase!" Apple Bloom says, cutting me off. "Go tell Applejack that ya were wrong, that he is a good guy!" "I can't, I'm sorry but I can't. He did kiss me and he has been threatening me, I didn't make it up," I say painfully, I hate having to hurt one of my best friends. "Apple Bloom, why can't you see?" Sweetie Belle groans in exasperation. Apple Bloom shakes her head angrily. "No! Y'all are making it up; your mind is playing tricks on you. Tell ma sister ta let him see me again!" "I can't, Apple Bloom! I can't let him hurt you again," I cry and turn away from her. "Then git out! Ah don't wanna see ya again!" Both Sweetie Belle and I stare at our fellow Crusader completely dumbfounded. Things were going so well, we were so close to making up. How could things turn from an amazing improvement to a dog's dinner in a matter of seconds? When I don't react, Apple Bloom steps forward and roughly pushes me towards the door. I gasp in shock and stumble backwards and down the ramp before falling on my flank. Sweetie Belle cries out in disbelief which causes Apple Bloom to swing around and face her. "Who's side are ya gonna take, Sweetie? Are ya gonna stay with me or go with the liar?" Apple Bloom growls and when Sweetie doesn't reply she begins to shout. "Well, Sweetie?" "I don't want to pick sides, and Scoots isn't a liar!" Sweetie exclaims, her voice shaking with both fear and shock. Apple Bloom shoves Sweetie down the ramp after me, "Well y'all might as well leave too!" "What is your problem? What happened to the Apple Bloom that would never hurt her friends?" I say as I run over to Sweetie and wrap one of my small wings over her back in attempt to comfort her. Apple Bloom tears up the notebook which we have kept with us for the past three years and she throws it in the dirt by our hooves. "She went when y'all started lying, ya ain't my friends anymore! Ah don't want to ever see y'all again!" I flinch slightly. "We're supposed to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" "Well, we ain't the Cutie Mark Crusaders no more, we're done. Ah'll find ma cutie mark on ma own," she growls and slams the door of our old Clubhouse shut. Sweetie Belle begins to sob uncontrollably which then causes tears to roll down my cheeks too. I throw my forelegs around Sweetie and hug her tightly. "C'mon, Sweetie, let's get out of here," I say gently and pick up the torn notebook from the ground. I keep the notebook in my mouth as I tenderly pull Sweetie Belle back towards the Apple family's farm and away from our past as a Cutie Mark Crusader. Rainbow Dash and Applejack are working together: Rainbow Dash shoots around as she sets out the baskets underneath the apple trees before shaking each of them and bringing the baskets back to the farmhouse. Applejack is carrying some of the baskets back to the farmhouse as well as bucking some trees along the way. However, they both stop when they see Sweetie Belle and I stumble through the forest with tear streaked cheeks and red eyes. "Ah thought y'all would have sorted things out and gone crusading by now... What in tarnation happened?" Applejack says as she approaches us both. "No, we aren't going crusading anymore because we're not ... We're not the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore!" Sweetie Belle says as she bursts into tears. Finally, I fall to the ground and begin to sob uncontrollably too. It hurts so much; I can't believe that it's all over. I wanted to try and fix it but I just made it worse. Applejack and Rainbow Dash share worried glances before Applejack places Sweetie on her back and Rainbow does the same with me. They then carry us out of the farm as we both sob silently; neither of us seems to be bothered about where the mares are taking us. We just want to be out of the farm where we shared so many fond memories. I bury my face in Rainbow's multicoloured mane as tears stream down my cheeks; it feels like they're never going to stop.