//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Home is Where the Heart is // by smileyfacer //------------------------------// ”What’s the matter Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked as the little orange filly looked up into the ever so blue sky of Equestria, outside the clubhouse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. At first Scootaloo didn’t reply, and just continued to stare into the heavens. Applebloom, who had been occupied with drawing a picture to miss Cherilee, glanced at Scootaloo, and took matter into her own little hooves. “Scootaloo!” Applebloom shouted, still pencil in mouth, causing her fellow Cutie Mark Crusader to flinch and topple back inside the clubhouse in surprise. She grinned sheepishly and rose to her hooves. “Nothing’s the matter.” She quietly said as she walked out of the cozy clubhouse, and returned to her sky gazing. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shared a look. Although somewhat new friends, it never took them long to figure out when one of the three Crusaders were lying, and this was definitely the case. “Is it because of your blank flank?” Sweetie Belle asked which earned a hard bump from Applebloom. The usual feeling of dread that came with that particular phrase didn’t arrive this time. It was only when it came from ponies such as Diamond Tiara, or Silverspoon who had already earned their cutie marks, it stung like nothing else. But when it came from her friends, with blank flanks just like herself, Scootaloo didn’t mind it. They all disliked being blank flanks more than anything. Well, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle did. “No.” “Is it ‘cause ye can’t really fly?” Applebloom asked after getting the pencil out of her mouth to stop her drawing, and gently grabbed Scootaloo’s wings and moved them up and down as fast as she could without hurting her Pegasus friend. As soon as she left go, the motion stopped, and Scootaloo’s wing felt flat down upon her tiny body. “No.” A concerned look was shared between the unicorn and Earth pony. “Then what is it?” Scootaloo finally managed to drag her eyes off the sky and look at her friends. “I don’t know. I just feel upset. As if there’s a little pony inside of me who enjoys ruining my mood and my day, who won’t go away.” Scootaloo looked at the sky again, then sighed and stood up on her tiny hooves. “I better go ahead and go home. The sun is setting, and I need to be in bed soon. See you at school tomorrow.”, Scootaloo quietly said as she made her way down the clubhouse stairs and unto her scooter. She bleakly began flapping her wings, the usual loud sound they made was now weak. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom gazed after Scootaloo as her shape began to turn into a small dot in the distance, as she made her way to the Ponyville orphanage. “I sure wonder what happened wit’ ‘er.” Applebloom asked, as she and Sweetie Belle realized that it was indeed getting late, and left the clubhouse with hanging heads. “I don’t know Applebloom. She’s just really upset lately. Maybe we should talk to Rarity or Applejack about it?” “I reckon so, but maybe it’s none of our business?” Sweetie Belle sighed in confusion, but waved goodbye to Applebloom as they went their separate ways to their own homes. Scootaloo quietly put her scooter in her own personal belongings box. She had very few things with her when she came to Ponyville, due to her not knowing who her parents were, or if she had any siblings. She didn’t even know if her family were Pegasus ponies like her, or anything of the like. “Scootaloo? Are you ready to sleep? You know it’s quite late, little filly.” “Yes headmistress.” Scootaloo replied in a monotone voice, as she failed at passing the headmistress’ office without herself getting noticed. “Come in for a second, please, Scootaloo.” The orange filly kept herself from sighing heavily in annoyance, and entered the headmistress’ office. The old mare smiled at her with such warmth in her face, that it was hard to get annoyed at her. The wrinkles on her face showed experience, and the dimples that were almost hidden by the wrinkles, showed how much she had smiled at her orphan foals in her care. There were many promotional posters of fillies and colts getting new families and feeling alright about not having a family, and staying at the orphanage for a while. Scootaloo had usually not cared at all about the posters whenever she had gotten herself in some minor troubles, but this time, she took a second glance. There were motivational quotes all over the posters, with cheerful fillies and colts smiling widely, and the background of the posters being colorful and almost painstakingly bright to look at in the darkness of the room. “What have I done now, headmistress?” “Oh, nothing my dear filly. You have just seem to be a bit blue these past weeks, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do, if my assumptions were correct.” “I’m fine.” Scootaloo dryly replied, and walked out of the office again. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about her problems. “Scootaloo?” the headmistress asked after her, and was unsure of whether or not to follow the little filly. She decided to stay, but let out a heavy sigh. Scootaloo had been at the orphanage the longest, and had had no families come to look at her. It was always with a heavy heart that the headmistress let the orphans go into new families, but she always knew that it was for the best. But Scootaloo always seemed to enjoy life in Ponyville. She had quickly made friends with the sisters of Applejack and Rarity, and met her idol, Rainbow Dash. But something was missing, and the headmistress wanted more than anything to know how she could help her little fillies, especially Scootaloo. Scootaloo sneaked inside the bedroom as quickly as possible. All of the orphan foals staying there slept together, a way to make sure that everyone had some social relations with each other, in case they were shy or were so sad with the thought of having no family, they’d rather be alone. At the moment, Scootaloo was in the category of the latter. She quietly tip-hooved into her bed, and sighed as she got under her cover. Scootaloo turned around and opened the drawer in the bedside table all of the orphan foals had, and grabbed the little stuffed animal inside. That was the only thing that Scootaloo had with her when she first came to Ponyville – a little teddy bear, whose left eye was missing, and had several stitches all over its rough body. Before she had befriended Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, the teddy, originally named Teddy, had been her only friend. He was still very special to Scootaloo, and with a small smile around her face, she hugged Teddy tightly, and went into a restless sleep about her home, wherever it was to be found.