Scootaloo yawned and stretched as she awoke to another crisp, beautiful day in Ponyville. The filly hopped out of her bed with a broad smile and made her way to her window, happy to see the working pegasi had planned a sunny, cloud-free day again, one that would mean a perfect time with her friends. As she turned from the window, she looked to her calendar and her smile only widened as she noticed the date.
“Yes! Today’s my big exam! Oh, I wonder if the scroll is already here. Knowing them they probably had it at the end of my bed and I just didn’t even notice.” Scootaloo laughed to herself for a moment before turning to her bed in jest, only to find she had, in fact, entirely missed a scroll sitting at the end of it. “Oh, wow. These guys really are that good.”
After a short, conscious effort not to think too far into how they managed it, Scootaloo walked over and untied the scroll. She took a deep breath to try and contain herself before opening it:
Hello, young Scootaloo. While we do receive requests from varying ages, we were very surprised to find someone so young and earnest in seeking us. We admit to being wary of accepting you at first, but you have so far shown nothing but devotion and promise. As you should be well aware, today will be your first step out of your old life and into a new world.
We assume you are aware of what will happen should you fail this test. We hope you will be able to handle your assignment, for your sake. The ribbon used to tie this scroll will act as a magical beacon. At the end are instructions on how to use it. As soon as your target is incapacitated, follow these instructions and a proctor will arrive to bring you to the exam site…
Scootaloo read on a bit further until she reached the name of her target. She paused and read it over again, and once more. She shook her head in disbelief, but she could not deny the name spelled out before her. “There’s no way. They, th-they can’t be serious.”
She read on only to immediately find herself at the instructions for the ribbon beacon, a sure sign that this was no sick joke, but her new reality. She set the scroll down for a moment and sat, contemplating just how deep she’d gotten herself into this. After a short time to think, she sighed and stood, reading the rest of the scroll before grabbing the ribbon.
“No such thing as a perfect day, huh?” Scootaloo stood and stowed the ribbon in her saddlebag as she prepared for the day. As she walked out the door, she looked around her, once more at the beautiful day, now merely mocking her.
The crusaders, having gone yet another day without earning their cutie marks, finished up their milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner. As usual, Apple Bloom was finished first, with Sweetie Belle nearly done herself. Scootaloo, however, sat with hers still not even a quarter gone.
Apple Bloom’s expression grew worried at how distant her friend had seemed all day. “Uh, Scoots? Ya okay over there?”
Scootaloo simply gave a nod as she continued to twirl her straw around the glass idly.
“Ya ain’t answered me. What’s goin’ on?”
Scootaloo looked up and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Just, ya know, kinda been thinking a lot.”
At that, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a worried look. “Uh, would that be good or bad thinkin’, Scoots?”
“Just thinking. Hey, do either of you get the math homework?”
Apple Bloom shrugged. “Ah answered what ah could.”
Sweetie looked up from her now finished milkshake with her usual smile. “I could help you if you want.”
Scootaloo seemed to perk up a bit. “Really? You mean you get this stuff?”
“Well, you probably would too if you didn’t sleep in class.”
Scootaloo’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Okay, point made.”
Apple Bloom stretched her forelegs before hopping out of the booth. “Well, y’all have fun. Ah got a few more chores ta get to.”
“Okay, AB, we’ll see ya tomorrow, then?”
“Yeah, ah should be free.”
“Awesome.”
“See you then, AB.”
Sweetie and Scootaloo waved as Apple Bloom left. They sat for a moment longer themselves, getting up and heading out once it was obvious to both of them that Scootaloo wasn’t going to drink any more of her shake.
The two fillies made their way to Scootaloo’s house, neither speaking much along the way. Once they arrived, they set their things near the door before heading up to Scootaloo’s room. Sweetie took a seat near the bed as Scootaloo found her books and set them on the floor.
“Hey, I’m gonna go grab some drinks, okay?”
“Sure thing. I’ll refresh my memory real fast.”
Sweetie Belle flipped open the textbook, searching for the assigned pages. She soon found them and began scanning them over, unaware of the light mumbling beside her. A moment later, two rear hooves landed against the side of Sweetie’s head, hard, knocking her out almost instantly.
Scootaloo sniffled softly as she walked to her friend. “I am so sorry, Sweetie. I wouldn’t do this if I had any other choice.” She hurried downstairs for the ribbon, trying her best not to cry as she did.
Sweetie Belle groaned as she slowly came to. She opened her eyes, trying to focus in the strangely dim room. After a few moments, she became aware of light shuffling beside her. She slowly turned her head to see the vague outline of an orange pony. It took only a few moments more for her to clearly see Scootaloo. She tried to reach out, only to find her hooves restrained.
“S-s-scootaloo? What’s going on here?”
Scootaloo froze. No, no, no, no! She wasn’t supposed to wake up yet! That kick should have put her out for at least another hour! Damnit! It was hard enough with the chance she wouldn’t feel it…
“Scootaloo, why can’t I move?”
Scootaloo gulped and turned to the restrained unicorn. “I… uh, I have to do something. I’m really sorry, Sweetie.”
“What do you mean? What do you have to do? Scootaloo, what is going on here?”
“Sweetie, please! Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, okay?”
Sweetie Belle started to respond, but went silent when Scootaloo leaned over the cart nearby and took a scalpel between her teeth. Scootaloo slowly took her place beside Sweetie. As she began to lean in, however, Sweetie Belle began to squirm, the lack of restraints anywhere but her hooves allowing her to make quite a difficult target for any kind of precise cut.
Scootaloo soon groaned in frustration, forgetting herself and tossing the scalpel down, managing to make a cut down most of her right foreleg. “Ah, damnit! Sweetie, will you just stay still?!”
Sweetie Belle recoiled, pulling away as best she could before remaining stark still. Scootaloo tried her best to collect herself through everything. She took a few deep breaths before looking back to Sweetie Belle. “Look. I’m sorry. If I had a choice here, I wouldn’t be doing this. You wouldn’t be here. The problem is that I don’t have a choice anymore. Sweetie, if I don’t do this, I’m going to be killed.”
The room went silent for a moment as the two simply stared into each other’s eyes. After a while, Sweetie Belle sighed. “It had to happen some day. At the very least, it’ll be with you.”
Scootaloo stared for a moment longer before a few tears began to well up in her eyes. “Sweetie…”
“Scootaloo, you said it yourself. You need to do this or somepony is going to kill you. I’m scared, sure, but I love you too much to let that happen. Just do what you have to.”
Scootaloo stood still for a moment, her mind racing. After a moment, she wiped away her tears with a hoof and took a deep, shaky breath. “Y-you’re sure about this?”
Sweetie Belle simply nodded and closed her eyes. Scootaloo took a moment to collect herself, at least what she could manage. She bent down and took the scalpel in her teeth, dropping it in an empty tray and retrieving a sterile one. She sighed as she got back in place, glancing once more to Sweetie Belle’s face, seeing her eyes still closed, wholly resigned to her fate.
Scootaloo had to force herself to lean in and apply pressure with the blade onto Sweetie’s chest. Okay, you know exactly how much pressure to put to make a nice, clean cut through the dermis. Don’t overshoot… Oh Celestia, what if I don’t press enough, though? I can’t make her sit through a second cut, but I have to follow the procedures. Relax, Scootaloo. Relax. You’re not going to do anything just arguing with yourself, and being upset will only make you clumsy.
Scootaloo steadily pressed down until she felt herself straining just as much as she practiced. She took a moment to make sure she was aligned correctly before she began a long, slow incision down the middle of Sweetie Belle’s body. Sweetie Belle never flinched or made a sound. She won’t even show that it hurts… She’s trying so hard to be strong for me. Sweetie Belle…
Scootaloo finished the first cut. She stood, unsteadily, for a moment, before managing to calm herself. You’re too far along. You’ve already made the first cut. Stop being a damn chicken and just end this for her. I can’t make her suffer. After another moment to pull herself together, Scootaloo made the first transversal cut along the top and couldn’t help but notice the blade scraping more than it should have been.
After finishing it, she moved down, carefully making the second transversal at the opposite end. After finishing, she placed the scalpel down, noticing once more that Sweetie remained perfectly still and quiet the whole time. “S-sweetie?”
“Just do what you have to. I told you. I understand.”
Scootaloo gulped and stepped forward one last time. She looked at the cuts. They were clean, perfectly so. There wasn’t even any blood. She stopped. No blood? I know I cut clean through. There should be some blood. Scootaloo stared for a moment before reaching over and tenderly pulling the now loose flap of skin back.
Scootaloo blinked once, then again. Before her was her friend she’d spent countless hours crusading with, countless hours in contact with, bare and open before her. There was no blood. There weren’t even any organs. The entirety of what made up her friend beneath her skin was metal, mechanisms, pistons and little motors.
“S-s-sweetie… What is this?”
Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and looked down at her now open underside. She saw the parts inside of her and quirked an eyebrow at Scootaloo. “I thought you knew. Wasn’t that why I’m here? I thought you were being forced to shut me down for repairs or something.”
The sheer shock and confusion on Scootaloo’s face told Sweetie Belle enough. “Wait, you didn’t know? You thought I was a normal pony? Were you about to try to kill me?”
“... Y-yeah, that’s what I had to do.”
Sweetie Belle was silent for a moment before looking to Scootaloo. “You are a weird filly, Scootaloo, you know that?”
At this point a stallion slowly stepped out from a far corner of the room. He steadily approached the two fillies. Scootaloo turned to him cautiously. “I-I tried. D-do I pass?”
The stallion looked at Scootaloo, then Sweetie Belle. He remained silent for a moment longer before giving a slight nod. His voice came softly, barely above a whisper, “Your task was to see if you could sever bonds. You were willing to see it through, I believe. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what we should do with her, now.”
Sweetie Belle stared at him for a moment as she processed the situation. “I could wipe my memory after opening the textbook and shut down. My skin should fix itself within a few hours.”
The stallion seemed to consider the idea before turning and heading towards a set of stairs. “So it shall be. Machines can be reprogrammed if the need arises. Scootaloo. We’ll be expecting you to take care of this. You will hear from us soon.”
“Uh, y-y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
As he left, Scootaloo went to undo Sweetie Belle’s restraints. “Just stay there for a moment, okay? Let me sew you up first.” Sweetie Belle put up no argument as Scootaloo retrieved what she needed and went about carefully suturing her friend back up. It took a few minutes, but the result wasn’t far off from professional.
Sweetie Belle touched the stitches lightly before sitting up on the table. Scootaloo bit her lip and scuffed the floor with a hoof. “I’m really so--”
“Scootaloo?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t worry about it right now, okay?”
Scootaloo looked up to see the same cheerful smile Sweetie always had. “Sweetie…”
“We can talk when we get back. Also, no need to wipe my memory, assuming you even knew how. I can file this away under restricted to us only. For now, I’d kinda like to get back. We still have studying to do, right?”
Scootaloo smiled and sniffled. Sweetie Belle hopped down from the table only to be wrapped up by two rather strong, orange forelegs. “I l-love you too, Sweetie.”
Sweetie Belle smiled and returned the hug. The fillies ended their embrace shortly after and left to go home. Unfortunately, Scootaloo knew that, despite what Sweetie Belle said, nothing would ever be the same between them again. Even if her scars healed, there was no chance either of them would ever forget this, for better or worse. I passed… but, was it really worth it?