As dawn broke in Scootaloo’s room, the filly was already wide awake, staring out the window at the rising sun. She beamed. Letting out a soft breath, she said, “Today’s gonna be a good day. I can feel it.”
Scootaloo rushed downstairs, waved goodbye to her mom and dad who were up for some reason, and headed towards the Carousel Boutique. When she reached the impractically round building, she raised her hoof, knocking loudly several times. She was some shuffling, and then some groaning, then the door opened.
Sweetie Belle rubbed her eyes, letting out a long yawn. “Scootaloo?” she said incredulously. “What are you doing here? It’s not even six thirty yet.”
Scootaloo waved her hoof. "Pssh, who cares about that? You know what today is right?"
Sweetie Belle blinked a few times. "Um, Wednesday?"
"It's the day of the Grand Galloping Gala!" Scootaloo bounced on her hind legs. "We've been waiting for this day for forever."
"Oh right, that's today," said Sweetie Belle after another yawn. "Seems weird that it's on a Wednesday."
Scootaloo ignored her and instead asked, "So, did Rarity finish those dresses for us?"
"Huh?" said Sweetie, scratching her stomach. "Oh right. Yeah, she finished those last week." Sweetie watched with tired eyes as Scootaloo seemed to be unable to stand still. She was giddy with excitement. Shaking her head, Sweetie added, "Why are you so excited anyway? I thought you hated girly stuff like the Gala?"
Scootaloo stopped bouncing. "Oh, I do, but the Gala is different."
Sweetie's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Scootaloo smirked. "Because Rainbow Dash is going to be there, and if she's going, then so am I, and I'm going to look fabulous doing it."
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess." Suddenly Sweetie Belle looked over Scootaloo's shoulder. "Hey, where's Apple Bloom?"
"I haven't got her yet, why?"
"Feels like she's always being left out..." Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Anyway, since I'm already awake now, you want to go get her so we can get ready for the Gala?"
Scootaloo stepped to the side, waving her hoof. "Lead the way."
"Why? Don't you know the way?"
"What? No, I was being--Y'know what, nevermind. Don't worry about it. Let's just go."
Sweetie shrugged. "Okay."
This time it was Sweetie Belle who knocked on the door when they finally got to Sweet Apple Acres. By the time they'd reached the orchard, the sun was well above the hills and climbing higher. They only had to wait a few seconds before someone opened the door. Luckily for them, it wasn't Applejack.
Apple Bloom grinned when she saw who was on the other side of the door. "Hey, ya'll. Here kinda early, ain't ya?"
Scootaloo butt in before Sweetie could say anything, knocking the filly aside. "Early? The sun’s already up! We’re practically running late!”
Apple Bloom chuckled. “Shoot, you’re real excited for this gala, huh?”
Scootaloo shot a glance back at Sweetie Belle. “Even Apple Bloom remembered what today was.”
“Sorry, I guess we can’t all be as smart as Apple Bloom,” said Sweetie, rolling her eyes.
Ignoring her, Scootaloo turned back to Apple Bloom, grabbing her by the shoulder and pointing with her free hoof off into the distance. “Excited? Can’t you hear it, AB? It’s not just me, it’s the world! The hills are alive with the sound of—”
“The hills ain’t alive,” said Apple Bloom raising an eyebrow. “They’re, like, dirt and stuff.”
Scootaloo groaned, shaking her head slowly. “Man, what is with everyone taking everything so literally today?”
After a day spent preparing, the Cutie Mark Crusaders found themselves outside Canterlot Castle, having just finished watching an elaborate musical number. Scootaloo was wearing the grin of a filly who’d just gotten a pony for Hearth’s Warming, well, the grin of a filly before slavery was outlawed anyway. She pointed at the ponies ahead of them and said, “That was awesome! Why can’t we do that?”
“Spontaneously break out into choreographed song and dance?” said Sweetie Belle, not a little sarcastically.
“Sure, if they can do it, why not us?”
Apple Bloom scratched at the studded bow holding her hair up. “It’s not like we planned anything. I mean, you want us to just make up a song on the spot?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “I don’t see why not. With everything we just saw, this is sure to be the best song ever!”
Suddenly, Scootaloo jumped out in front of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. She splayed out her hooves and wore a wide smile. Pointing over her shoulder with a hoof, she started to sing.
“At the Gala!”
Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side.
“At the Gala?”
Scootaloo ignored her and made her way towards the steps leading to the front door of the castle. She threw open the doors and did a little twirl, nearly knocking over some poor stallion in the process.
“At the gala, in the foyer
I’m not going to slip and fall!
All the ponies, I’ll avoid them at the Gala!”
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom hurried to catch up to Scootaloo. Sweetie cocked her head to the side. “Wasn’t ‘At the Gala’ the name of the last song?” But before Scootaloo could answer her, she was already trotting up the steps, running her hoof along the railing as she continued to sing.
“At the Gala!
All the stallions, and the mares
They won't kill me, not at all.
I'll remain alive forever
Right here at the Gala!"
Scootaloo spun around, throwing her hooves out as she sung. Unfortunately, in her zeal, she accidentally bumped into a large vase which started to tip over right as she stood in front of it. Sweetie Belle's eyes went wide. She dove forward and knocked Scootaloo out of the way. Helping her up, she began the next verse.
"At the Gala
It’s amazing!
I will help you—
That you saved her
I will catch you if you fall!
Goody, goody
Talking ponies
She means us
Do you hear them?
Oh crap, let’s hide
Think I heard them after all.
That was close.”
Sweetie Belle started waving her hoof around. “Wait, wait, wait.” She looked over at Scootaloo, and then back to Apple Bloom. “Did you girls hear that? It sounded like… like there was a choir backing me up.”
Apple Bloom furrowed her brow. Just then, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. “Hey, look!” She jabbed her hoof at a hallway where a dozen ponies were jammed together, attempting to hide.
“Hey,” said Sweetie Belle, approaching them. “What are you doing? I’m trying to sing here. How about you just shut up and let me do it, all right?”
They nodded, scampering away.
Sweetie shook her head. “Sheesh. Some ponies can’t take a hint. Hey, where’s Scootaloo?”
Apple Bloom sighed, pointing down the hall towards the dining room. “Looks like she already left down that way.”
“Well, let’s go get her before she does something stupid.”
Apple Bloom nodded, and the two fillies galloped towards the dining hall where a band was playing music. Suddenly, Apple Bloom felt like it was her turn to sing.
“All her deaths, and her jokes
From squid up to disaster.
All that she’s been dying for
Will climax at the Gala!
At the Gala.”
By the time she’d finished her first verse, she was already racing across the room to save Scootaloo from a stallion carrying a fire poker who wasn’t looking where he was going.
“At the Gala, all the waiters
Should really look so they can see.
They nearly speared poor Scootaloo at the Gala!
At the Gala
I will save her, from the wait staff
How in danger she will be
And I’ll save her from that statue
Tonight at the Gala!”
Rainbow Dash, who Scootaloo was busy ogling, had recently just saved a member of the Wonderbolts from a falling statue and had tossed it off her back rather haphazardly. Scootaloo, completely oblivious to this, was only just barely saved by Apple Bloom and her oxen-like earth pony strength. Not even noticing her friend, Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash as she, in turn, followed the Wonderbolts.
“This is what I’ve waited for
To have the best night ever!
I’ll finally get to live my dreams
Tonight at the Gala!
At the Gala.”
Scootaloo wore a stupid grin on her face as she cantered after Rainbow Dash, twirling around a column and hop-scotching her way towards her hero.
“Been dreamin’, I’ve been waitin’
To hang with that great pony—
Rainbow Dash, her daring tricks
Spinnin’ ‘round and dodging kicks.
Wonder why she’s so angry?
She nearly kicked my head in.
Guess Rainbow Dash can’t see me
Right here at the Gala!”
Apple Bloom shook her head in disbelief. “That filly’s gonna get herself killed doin’ somethin’ stupid. Sweetie Belle, you try and cut her off. I’ll stay behind,” she said, nodding to Sweetie Belle. The other filly, returning the nod, rushed ahead of Scootaloo to try and deter her from continuing to follow Rainbow Dash.
“All we’ve worked for
All we’ve done
Our plan to keep her safer.
It’s all about to fall apart
Right here at the Grand Gala!”
“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle cried. “Stop Scootaloo, she’s about to fall down those stairs.” She pointed at a staircase that happened to be right where Scootaloo was walking, completely unbeknownst to her as she blindly followed Rainbow Dash.
Nodding, with a determined look on her face, Apple Bloom moved quickly to stand in front of the stairs and force Scootaloo to the side.
“We’re here at the Grand Gala
Oh, Scootaloo why can’t you see?
Rainbow Dash ain’t listening, just can’t you let it be?
It’s clear she ain’t seen you, Scootaloo just look at me.
Down the stairwell, in the basement
Alone at the Grand Gala!”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “She ain’t listening to me, Sweets. We’re gonna have to do something drastic to stop her.”
Sweetie Belle grit her teeth. “I’ll make her stop,” she whispered under her breath.
“Heartbreak and disaster at the Gala.
At the Gala!”
As Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom fought to get Scootaloo to pay attention to them, she was off in her own little world, ready to start up the next verse. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom did their best to dissuade her.
“At the Gala!”
“At the Gala!”
“With my big sis—”
“Not your big sis.”
“—Is where I’m trying to be.”
“Dead maybe.”
“We will talk about adoption
And maybe get some tea.”
“Stop and see.”
“It’s going to be so awesome
When she finally adopts me!”
Scootaloo closed her eyes and spun around, doing a little pirouette and landing right below a precariously hanging chandelier that Pinkie had accidentally loosened during her musical number that happened to be happening at the same time. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shot each other worried looks.
“This is going to be the worst night ever!
Into the ballroom, we must go
She’s ready now, she’s ‘bout to blow.
Into the ballroom, let’s go in
And save her from disaster!
Into the ballroom, now’s the time
The chandelier’s ‘bout to chime!
Into the ballroom—”
Scootaloo threw out her hooves, spinning in place as she sung.
“Meet RD!”
“Into the ballroom!
Save Scootaloo!”
“Into the ballroom!
Find my friends!”
“Stop the glass
From killing Scootaloo!”
“To meet!”
“To save!”
“To find!”
“To stop!”
“To—whoa!”
“Too late…”
CRASH
Sweetie Belle winced as the chandelier loosened from its ropes and made a sickening crashing sound as it hit the ground. Scootaloo had had barely enough to look up incredulously just as it was falling. Then, mere milliseconds later, she was crushed under hundreds of pounds of glass. Apple Bloom gulped.
“So… guess we couldn’t save her. Not even on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala.”
Sweetie Belle sighed. “This was the worst night ever.”
“At the Gala?” said Apple Bloom, raising an eyebrow.
Frowning, Sweetie gave Apple Bloom a look that would’ve soured honey. “Oh, shut up.”