//------------------------------// // Chapter six: Personal Demons // Story: Higher Senses // by Manes //------------------------------// Scootaloo’s hoof smashed with Twist’s nose, all the strength, all the anger she placed into her punch sent the Earth Pony dropping on the ground. She felt like she had hit a hundred pound block of meat and bone. Even though it was one quick sucker punch, her hoof stung. She still wasn’t satisfied. Twist almost killed her and she’s the one Apple Bloom protected—lied for—a simple punch wasn’t enough. “Twist!” Apple Bloom shouted as she ran past her and straight to her friend.  Scootaloo heard Apple Bloom ask if Twist was all right as she checked on her, to which Twist responded with a nod even though her bloody nose told differently. Twist had blood smeared over her muzzle, looking like somepony threw a tomato at her face. Her heartbeats could compare to drums pounding at a rapid pace. It drowned out the other noises in the orchard. Twist’s heartbeats revealed the lightest moments that no normal eye could see. Her body shook her teary eyes. Some even escaped and fell to the ground as if rain drops. Moreover, each dropped sounding like almost somepony pounding on wood.   Scootaloo saw in an instant how Apple Bloom’s expression went from confusion to a mixture of emotions. Scootaloo saw past Apple Bloom’s glare, her eyes dilated with mixed emotions, disbelief and fear.   Fear of what Scootaloo might do next.   Apple Bloom had the nerve to look at her as if she was the monster. She might have gone to the extreme with punching Twist, and probably breaking her nose, but it could not compare to the stinging pain, the empty chill, when she slipped into unconsciousness.   Twist had done worse than a simple punch to the nose. The pain that pounded inside her head was the evidence to that. Twist didn’t hold back. Neither did she. Scootaloo felt her muscles tighten as Apple Bloom marched over. She could see her nostrils flaring. “Leave her alone, you bully!” She shouted. If the force of her shout wasn’t enough, Scootaloo turned around in time to see Apple Bloom pull her hooves back.   Scootaloo landed on her rump from Apple Bloom’s intense strength as she shoved her to the ground. She looked, eyes glowing with shock as Apple Bloom glared down on her. Silence fell.   Her ears twitched at the sound of the bird’s chirp, creating a hamory song with other birds. She had forgotten they were around; she was too busy confronting her thoughts.   Apple Bloom must have realized what she had done and opened her mouth to apologize, but Scootaloo could not hear it as Twist’s sniffles cut her off.   Scootaloo jumped up and sprung onto Apple Bloom, knocking the wind out of her as her weight slammed down on her stomach. She gripped Apple Bloom's chest and pulled her in close, so the Earth Pony could the fury in her eyes. “You’re so stupid! I know you’re suppose to be good hearted and all, but sometimes you can be just stupid!” She shouted.“She hit me right in the freaking head! She could have killed me, Apple Bloom, and you’re taking her side!” Apple Bloom coughed. “Scootaloo, please…” Scootaloo opened her mouth to rant father, but a long scream piercing her ears stopped her.   Scootaloo turned her head as Twist started sobbing. “Please, stop it!” Tears stained her cheeks and mixed with dried blood smeared over her muzzle. She looked back at Apple Bloom, who was also building tears in her eyes. At that moment, she knew all the trust Apple Bloom had in her, every last mote, vanished because of one dumb mistake made in the heat of the moment. She was now a stranger to Apple Bloom, a changeling in her friend’s image. She looked at down at her injured hoof and gagged at the sight of the dried blood, her anger dissolved and melted into guilt.   Her mind couldn’t reconcile with the cruel truth. She had become the monster the book had portrayed. A bat, a predator, an aggressive creature that would tear its opponent with its fangs when threatened. Apple Bloom tried to protect Scootaloo from experiencing this haunting guilt. Instead of seeing it through her perspective, Scootaloo turned her away and let her doubts control her actions, leading to her standing here with a bloody and injured hoof. A sense of suffocation and panic gripped her, snapping her out of the trance that held her frozen. Scootaloo blinked and looked around as if she had just woken up. As if her anger blinded her of the damage, not to Twist, but to Apple Bloom. No words had to be said to let Scootaloo knew she screwed up beyond the point of no return. Scootaloo pushed herself off Apple Bloom and backed away from the two fillies. Apple Bloom looked up from the ground in confusion as well as Twist who looked on as Scootaloo backed away. She did not hear a shout or even the slightest utterance regarding her as she broke off from the two. Just the sound of her rapid heartbeat as her emotions ran high and her legs forced her to move.   She continued running for what seemed like longer than it should have taken for her to get back to the market. She figured it was because she wanted to get away so fast. A distinct old dead tree came up on the path that meant that she should be able to see a bunch of blue flowers. Forcing her legs to push harder she kept her sprint, anticipating the relief of driving away from here. She rounded the bend in the path and came to an abrupt halt. Her breathing hitched in her throat making her screaming lungs just about burst. She  looked up at the trees, a little light shining through them. Thank goodness for the trees blocking almost all of the light. She hated wearing those glasses. Scootaloo inhaled then exhaled until she realized she was actually sobbing. There was nopony around to act tough for, just the blue flowers that surrounded her. She looked behind to check if Apple Bloom ran after her, she hoped she did, but was disappointed by just seeing the flowers. The old Scootaloo was gone, nothing but a cruel memory of how good she had gotten along with friends. Orange feathers were gone and that friendly smile was replaced with something threatening. Something that would hurt its loved ones out of anger. Who was she to kid? Apple Bloom made up her mind when she chose to protect Twist over her. Various memories of the Apple family flashed in her head. Scootaloo was surrounded by photos of her new family. Adopted by the family she never thought would take interest in her life and now she was throwing it away in pursuit of finding herself. Whoever that was. Stupid, Twist! Scootaloo growled, pacing around like a filly throwing a tantrum, nose flaring, her face glowing red looking like it was ready to explode. Why does she get to be the victim when she’s the one who attacked me! Her vision became blurry as tears kept building. This isn’t fair! She huffed as her thoughts continued to attack her. Forget her! I don’t need her! She nodded as she agreed with her thoughts, but deep down, she was lying to herself. Apple Bloom had crushed the hopes she’d held onto for the past few days. The same hope she thought was going to help her through this, but she had to stop living a fantasy world. This was reality where trust was a one-way street. The same street Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stood, separated because one thought badly about the other—afraid of what she had become. She groaned and gritted her teeth. Stupid, Apple Bloom! Why couldn’t you be on my side? She took a long, shuddering breath, her chin trembled as she did. She blinked rapidly to see past the rim of warm wetness threatening to overspill her eyes. She started chewing on her lower lip and her eyes welled up with tears. She shuddered as an sob escaped her mouth. I messed up, worse than any other time. She didn’t even notice the tears running down her cheeks until it became obvious she wasn’t huffing anymore. She lost the battle as she let out a long, squeaky squeal. I’m such a mess up! She started breathing fast at the same time her heart pumped faster. She turned around as something nearly took off her head. She managed to duck down before it could and looked up to see it land on a tree branch that came out of nowhere. It was a bat. Its eyes were slitted, similar to a cat, and they glowed a creepy purple light reminiscent of her own, which creeped her out more than she already was. The bat’s eyes glowed within the dark that surrounded it. Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed as a growl escaped her mouth. “You…this is all your fault!” The bat looked unmoved and kept staring. Scootaloo! Scootaloo twitched at the faint sound, but it wasn’t enough to break her from her thoughts crowding her, filling her with doubt and fear. “You had to turn me into a freak! A monster! And for what!” Scootaloo shouted and stomped her hoof down. She looked down and scooped up a pebble and chucked it at the bat. “You stupid freak!” The pebble messed the bat only by a few inches. However, the bat revealed its fangs and at that moment, Scootaloo’s anger vanished into fear. Scootaloo moved slowly to the side and kept her eyes on the bat at the same time. She felt her head tense still as the bat looked at her, craning its neck as if it was giving her a puzzled look. She gulped and moved a little bit slower. “It’s alright, I’m….I’m just moving.” She turned her attention to the nearby bushes, her escape route only inches away. Crack! She stopped and looked down to see a twig. She looked up and muttered, “Son of—” “EEEEEE!” it screeched as it’s body flicked off the tree limb and launched towards her for a second time. “Ah!” Scootaloo jumped into a nearby bush on the side of the trail leading to the dark forest. She raised her head to see the light fading away, creating new shadows and dark patches around her. Surrounded by eyes filled with darkness that glimmered from the tree hollows. The wind wailed between distorted trunks, carrying the sickly stench of wood rot. The hairs on her back went up as she heard the bat screech from an unknown location making her bolt in fear, and she felt herself breathing quicker as she ran as fast as she could. As she ran, she tried to ignore the glowing eyes coming from within the shadows, creatures most likely awoken by the sound of her thundering hooves hitting the ground. She looked behind her and saw that nothing was chasing her. She took a few moments to scan the area carefully as she trotted, nerves on end. Nothing but trees and dirt was all she saw, no bat flying overhead. How she wished she could just be in bed. She stopped and hid behind a tree, wheezing as her lungs burned.  She closed her eyes and inhaled. One, two, three—it isn’t working!   She felt the trees and bushes closing in. The oxygen shutting down, leaving her unable to stop gasping for air. I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have done that! Screech! What am I talking about, it’s a bat! It was going to attack me anyway! She stopped and exhaled. You got this. You’ve handled worse than this. When you open your eyes, you’re going to make a break for it. One. She felt her hind legs buckle, ready to run. Two. She mustered all the strain she had and blew out the fear with an exhale. Three! Scootaloo’s eyes shot open and the first thing she saw was lt, wings flapping at a rapid speed.  Its sharp teeth filled her vision as it made for her exposed face. Nope! She whipped behind her and started running backwards towards the gateway made out of bushes and leaves. She pushed past the bushes, some of the leaves smacking her face as she tore through mother nature. She looked behind, but green clouded her vision. She turned around in time to for her leg to get tingled onto something and pulled her back as her strength scattered in fits of agitation when she tumbled down the hill and her face slammed into a puddle of water. The last thing she tasted was the taste of water before blacking out. An instant she found herself panting in her own sweat on the couch she sat on. Scootaloo rubbed her hooves down her face and grunted as she sat upright. Her mane was messy and bags hung under her eyes. But that was the least of her problems. She looked around, and to her comfort, she was home laying on the couch in the middle of the living room. Just to be sure, she checked the picture hung up on the wall and found Apple Bloom and Applejack in the picture. “I’m not in a dream.” She sighed in relief. Scootaloo, listen to me! Scootaloo cringed at the sound ringing inside her head. It wasn’t a body dropping sound, but it’s faint, lingering effect annoyed her. Scootaloo shook her head, yawned a bit and rose up. She was still in one piece. An aura of butter mixed with pancake dough tickled her nose and her stomach growled in response. “Scootaloo, breakfast’s ready!” Scootaloo smiled and leaned farther into the soft cushions. Everything was back to normal. Her smile faded as she thought more. Apple Bloom was probably still pissed off at her and she wouldn’t blame her. She was in over her head, but deep down in the back of her mind, it seemed like it was the right response. Yet the concept of right hasn’t been on her side lately. Nothing had been right; her transformation out in the blue, what happened while she was in a coma and the reappearance of her long-forgotten parents. Well clues of them, at least. She sighed. Nothing she could do about it now, nothing but enjoy the moment in this beautiful morning. She couldn’t shake off the happy feeling she felt right now. Everything seemed right. Nature, waking up to Applejack announcing breakfast and the aura of pancakes was right. She knew that for sure, nothing was wrong with it. For the first time since her transformation, everything didn’t seem like worrying about. She had her family. Let the world deal with the other problems. Scootaloo smiled and ran a hoof through her mane, rising up from the couch. She smacked her lips and stretched a little before walking into the kitchen where the sizzling sound grew loud, but it didn’t seem to bother Applejack. She never thought she would miss waking up to mornings like this. Simple, but it had a loving family brightening up the room. Rainbow Dash would probably have called it sappy, but right now that’s how she felt. She felt sappy and she didn’t care. “Good morning, sleepy head.” Scootaloo pulled up a chair and flopped down. “Morning.” What you see isn’t real! She wiggled inside her head as a faint ringing sound bothered her. She felt her eyes were getting heavy as her eyelids drooped lower and lower. Guess even a nice morning couldn’t keep her fully awake. Scootaloo opened her eyes when the fresh baked pancake was placed on the plate in front of her. She breathed in the fresh smell of pancakes cooking in the kitchen, taking in all the scents of maple syrup and cake batter. Her folk stabbed in pancake and stuffed it into her mouth. She chewed and moaned with delight. “Hmm, these are really good!” Her praise gained Applejack’s attention as she turned around to face Scootaloo. Scootaloo’s blood turned cold when she looked at a face that wasn’t Applejack’s. It was a stranger, a mare who had the same color schemes like Applejack as if she was some cheap knockoff. Scootaloo couldn’t see her face through the darkness that shadowed the top of her head. The only thing she saw was the mare’s shiny fangs, and she smiled at the sight. Another bat pony! If she’s in here that means...where’s Applejack! “Thanks, Scootaloo!” “Haha! She even eats like a predator!” Scootaloo turned her head to the deep voice. There sat at the end of the table, a pony, she couldn’t tell the gender as a newspaper shielded her from their identity, but telling from the deep voice and muscle in the pony’s forelegs, it was a male. Scootaloo giggled. “You should have been there, dad!” Mom….Dad? No...no, this isn’t my family.They can’t be real! This isn’t real! Her mother chuckled. “Ooh, I’m so excited. Can I just tell her dear?” Scootaloo looked between the two, shocked with a smile on her face. “Tell me, what!” He glanced at her mother with a smirk on his face. He surprised Scootaloo first with a box in his hooves. Scootaloo wondered what might be in the box: it could be anything, like a gold medal. Scootaloo was almost hyperventilating, but luckily Dad flipped the lid open. Nestled inside was a pair of Wonderbolts goggles.  Bringing them up to eye level, she discovered that they had a Wonderbolts Academy title engraved on the side. She rubbed the lettering with her other hoof. “Wow….this is weird, this is awesome!” No, this isn’t happening, these ponies aren’t my parents! Where’s Applejack! Twilight, anypony! Scootaloo laughed as her father reached over and gave her a cookie, roughing up her mane. “Oh, stop it!” Her dad just laughed at her misery. “What you going to do, predator?” Scootaloo replied by snipping her dad in the foreleg. He recoiled in pain and pulled his hoof back. He stood still, looking at Scootaloo with a shocked expression before his smile plastered his face, fangs showing bright.  He burst out laughing with Scootaloo joining along. Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she watched on in horror. “That’s how you show who’s boss.” He smirked. “Nopony bucks with a predator.” He nudged Scootaloo. “Ain’t that right, champ?” He asked, his wicked grin mixed with his fangs looked monstrous. “Heck yeah!” “Oh, Scootaloo can you tell me about what happened!” Her mother jumped up and down. Scootaloo leaned back and shrugged. “So, this filly named Twist, right? Get this, she thought she could hit me in the head and get away with it.” She turned to her dad who was listening. “Big mistake.” Her dad nodded. “Serious.” “So I punched her face and she got her big body guard to protect her. Me and her got in a scuffle. The bodyguard, Apple Bloom, had me on the ground and it looked like I was finished.” She paused as she looked around her audience, all at their edge of their seats. Even Scootaloo was on the edge of her seat. “I bucking bit her in the foreleg and started beating her up!” The parents looked at Scootaloo. Then applauded. They praised her as if she achieved something great, something good. Scootaloo rose up from her chair and bowed, drowning in the praise of her parents. She always wondered how Rainbow felt, now she did. Any foal would kill to be in her hooves right now, no parent in Equestria gave its child this much praise. Scootaloo loved it, adored it, as if this was new to her. No, this is wrong! This isn’t right! Scootaloo banged on the windows inside her head, trying to shatter the picture of a happy family. A family who loved their child and were proud of her, but this family had a twist to it, a dark, sadistic twist, that made her wanna hurl. “No!” The family gathered together in form of a hug and laughed together. It felt like she was being laughed at, not at the sick joke they had told, she told. The mother smiled and kissed her head. “I’m happy to know you can handle your own fights.” She turned to the stallion. “Just like ya father.” Just like ya father. Like ya father. Just like the monster. Just like Scootaloo. “No, no no!” Scootaloo pounded her hooves against the window. She kept planting cracks in the glass only for it to repair itself and look good as new. She didn’t care though, she wanted to get out of this nightmare. “I’m not like him! I’m not like them!” She shouted at the top of her lungs, her hoofs burning with pain. She sniffed and her poundings slowed down until she stopped. “I’m not…” Scootaloo dropped to the ground and curled up in a ball. I’m just like him… She felt a cold chillness surround her. Slowly creeping at the back of her neck as her thoughts flooded her mind. I’m not like my parents! I’m not bad kid! I’m not a bad friend! She held onto herself as she sobbed on the ground, the sound of her tears hitting filled her ears. “Scootaloo, fight it!” “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, I’ve pushed them away. I pushed everyone who tried to help away.” As if the cold had a reaction, the degrees dropped lower as the words slipped from Scootaloo’s mouth. “Scootaloo, you’re not a freak. You’re gifted. You’re kind, you’re the best filly I know and I’m certain you will win this battle!” “I’m a monster.” As she said those words, a cloud burst from her mouth and vanished into the air, her body wasn’t prepared for the sudden chillness that surrounded her. She shivered and, as her body was racked with the rheumy cough. Exhausted, she felt her legs almost crumble as the muscles, weakened with the bitter cold, gave way, leaving her in a drab and hopeless heap on the floor. She stayed where she laid too tired and worn out to fight it. Tears came flowing from her eyes even when she had her eyes closed shut. “Hmmm, hush now, little filly.” Scootaloo’s ears twitched at the sound, her eyes shot opened and she felt a warmth rising through her body as sweet voice went through her ears. Her shivering body came to a stop as the humming continued to comfort her. The bad memories faded away as well as the emotions that ran high. All the doubt vanished as well as her fears. The family’s, her family’s, laughter died down until the only sound she heard was the humming. Something reached deep into her memories, pushing past the bad ones and watching the good ones.   Apple Bloom was walking with her, smiling and laughing. She felt like she could listen to forever like she wouldn’t mind if she heard it every time she was down or simply took a walk out the loud market. It would block all the noises that brought her pain, only bringing her comfort. Her mind was free of her doubting thoughts. However, as she was enjoying it, the humming stopped when a hoof brushed against her mane. She looked up and gasped at the sight of a certain dream princess. Her comforting smile brought her warmth. “L-L-Luna?” She flinched as Luna held out her hoof. She looked at her hoof, confused by the warming gesture. Her mind couldn’t comprehend the simple act of kindness. Maybe because Luna acted like nothing was wrong. She didn’t abandon her again when she was going through this. She didn’t give her any tips or lessons on how to control her new found senses. She was just the bomb that destroyed her life as she told her about her parents. Scootaloo jumped up from the ground and bumped noses with Luna. “You think you just can show up at random times? Huh, you think you can just leave me hanging when I needed you the most!” She expected a reaction out of Luna, but she simply stood there. A calming feeling and a warming vibe radiating from her expression. However, Scootaloo was too blinded by rage to see it. “Nothing to say, Luna!” she spat with venom. “You’re just going to stand there and let me shout at you! Do something, anything, are you even real!” No matter how much she shouted, poured her feelings out, Luna remained unfazed and unresponsive. She just blinked and stared. Scootaloo’s muzzle quivered. “You’re just like them. You leave when I need you the most. Leave me to handle things on my own when you know I got no clue what I’m doing! Leaving me to find out I’m actually a freak who can hear things really freaking loud to the point I get headaches from conversations ponies think nopony else couldn’t hear!” Scootaloo tried to control her breathing heart, but it kept pounding. It filled her ears with a drumming sound, blocking out the relaxing sounds from the outdoors. “They didn’t leave me a note or anything! They just left me to figure it out on my own!” “You came on what’s supposed to be my day just to drop the bomb on me! What is your mission, to make my life worse? Because you su—” She was cut off as Luna pulled her into a hug. It didn’t take long before her tears to stain Luna’s coat as they broke free, her cries muffled. There was a time she would call  Sweetie Bell out for always bursting out in tears, but now she understood why it happened. Nopony, no matter how tough they are or claim to be, they would cry when solutions are out of control and they feel helpless to do anything about it. When emotions are too much for a pony, crying was the best situation to release all that build up. Maybe crying would clear her mind of emotion. Let her focus on the things that mattered. “I’m sorry for yelling at you! I didn’t mean it!” “Sssh, it’s okay. I know.” Scootaloo felt it all pour out. The anger, disappointment and the fear that turned her own thoughts against her and pushed away the ponies she cared about. Maybe after this, she could fix things between her and Apple Bloom. At least it’d help her put them in the right direction. She just wished Apple Bloom could see it through her point of view, past the delusions that invaded her mind and see the picture Twist had painted for herself. Maybe Apple Bloom could be on her side again. Only if she had the will to make things than maybe this bad feelings, memories could vanish and forgotten. Maybe not. She had only time to look at for the right answers. “Where were you?” she asked, sniffling. “That night at the library, you didn’t come when I had that nightmare about Applejack.” Luna sighed. “I am sorry I wasn’t there for you. I am here now and I will continue to be here whenever you need me.” “What about before?” she frowned. “I needed you that time.” “Believe it or night, sometimes a pony’s mind shuts itself from the world and any potential intruders, even such as myself.” “I...I did that? How?” “You were overwhelmed with fear and doubt. Your mind couldn’t handle anymore interference. If I came to protect you, your mind would defend itself against me.” Luna sighed. “Believe me I tried to help you, Scootaloo, but your fears are getting worse each day.” Scootaloo’s ears drooped down. “Wow, I just keep messing things up, huh?” Luna lifted her chin and wiped a tear from Scootaloo’s eye.“I know you are afraid of facing Apple Bloom after what you have done, Scootaloo, but eventually you will two cross paths and just know, she would forgive you no matter what. Just explain yourself to her and there is no doubt that she’ll forgive you.” “No, she wouldn’t.” “And why’s that?” Scootaloo’s ears drooped to her head as she lowered her sightless gaze to  the ground. “She would never hate you, Scootaloo. You’re her friend no matter what happens.” Luna frowned as Scootaloo continued to stare at the ground. “Scootaloo, look at me.” Luna saw those glowing purple eyes as the bat pony looked up at her. “She will never stop caring for you.” Scootaloo pushed Luna’s hoof away. “Pff, come on, Princess Luna. I almost punched her!” She stopped as her volume increased. “She’ll never forgive me.” Luna cracked a smile. “Is that so?” Scootaloo opened her mouth, but a loud cracking sound echoed in her ears as a dark shining hoof sent cracks running through the floor. Scootaloo stepped aside from the incoming crack that shot past her.  Light erupted through the cracks as the room around them crumbled into pieces. She found herself standing in the Apple homestead, breathing in that apple aura that the Apple house had. She looked around the room she appeared in, she couldn’t place whose room it was. Certainly wasn’t her’s, given the missing posters that would be on the wall and the Spitfire action figure sitting on the desk. The only thing she recognized was the almost king-size bed adorned with apple-patterned blankets. Her attention turned behind her as the door slammed open and multiple hoofsteps could be heard in the background. She recognized the Earth Pony flopping on the bed as Apple Bloom. Her heart skipped a beat as an orange Pegasus with a skater-styled purple mane came walking through the room. Scootaloo felt like her purple eyes gazed at her when she walked past her. She had forgotten how innocent she looked back then. Her face didn’t had the intimidating look with the bat fangs sticking out her mouth looking like she was ready to pounce on everypony. It was just a little filly. The Pegasus sat down on the other rather plain looking bed. Both of  them used their forelegs as a pillow and stared at the ceiling. “Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked as she turned to the purple maned filly. “What?” “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you… a chicken.” The Pegasus looked at the ceiling until her she flipped her body sideways as she faced  Apple Bloom.  “Why are you saying? I should be sorry!” “For what?” The Pegasus groaned. “I pushed you for calling me a chicken!” “Oh…”Apple Bloom shrugged. “It’s okay?” The Pegasus gave Apple Bloom a deadpan look. “Really?” She pulled the orange Pegasus in close and nuzzled her face. “Well yeah….friends fight all the time, right?” The orange Pegasus seemed unamused by the answer and pushed off from the bed.“Ugh, I pushed you to the ground, Apple Bloom! Imagine if you did something worse than calling me a name. I would wanna fight you! And mess up our friendship? I don’t wanna lose you over—” Apple Bloom cut the Pegasus off as she held a hoof to her mouth. “You ain’t going to mess anything up, trust me. You know why?” A smile appeared on her face as she punched Scootaloo on the shoulder. “Because everypony makes mistakes, right?” The Pegasus looked at the floor. Scootaloo remembered how she felt after the words hit her. The hope she felt as Apple Bloom inspired her with the confidence that she would not screw up. Because she had Apple Bloom by her side if she did. The Pegasus cracked a smile. “I don’t think everyone makes more mistakes than you at sounding cheesy.” Apple Bloom gigged and pushed her down on the bed. “Haha, very funny..” Their laughter faded away as the memory vanished in a cloud of smoke. Scootaloo found herself standing in Luna’s presence again. “You see, she would stand by you no matter what, Scootaloo. Believe that.” “That doesn’t matter now,” she said, rolling her eyes. “She’ll never forgive me for what I did to Twist even though that big-glasses dork attacked me first!” Luna frowned. “Do you really mean that about Twist?” “No.” She groaned and threw her hooves in the air. “I don’t know! She’s just in the way! She did all this! Not me! She attacked me and Apple Bloom acts like I’m the monster!” “Is she thinking that way?” Lun asked with an arched eyebrow. “Or are you?” Scootaloo flinched as the words hit her in head and got her thinking. Maybe Apple Bloom...she shook her head. “No, I saw how she looked at me. Remember what you told me when I first found out about this? That there are ponies who hate what they don’t understand?” She stomped her hoof down. “Well Twist is one of them! That’s why she attacked me!” There are when Luna’s wing unfurled, but accepted the embrace as the princess draped a wing over her. “Scootaloo, take a deep breath.” Scootaloo inhaled then exhaled. “Feel better?” Scootaloo looked down. “No...Princess Luna. I’m afraid. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared if I do nothing then my friendship with Apple Bloom will be over.” “It’s normal to be afraid, Scootaloo, everypony experiences fear in their life, but you know what the good thing about fear is? It can be confronted, conquered and defeated. It can even reveal some parts of yourself you never know you had. It builds up your confidence.” The princess of the night smiled.  “You did that once. I’ve got the evidence to prove it.” Luna lifted her hoof in the air and slammed it down on the ground, the sheer force echoing in Scootaloo’s ears.The filly raised her head to see the light in the room fading away, creating new shadows and dark patches around her. Her head cocked to the side where she heard a river as the water plummeted down into the abyss. Birds could be heard chirping in the distance, enjoying the warmth under the sun that now shined bright in the cloudless sky. Scootaloo looked down, after her hooves felt like they were being tickled, and saw blades of grass all around her and Luna. She spun around to a tree that stood near her. An owl gazed at her with its big, yellow eyes. Scootaloo flinched as it hooted loudly before spreading its wings and taking off into the skies. The scent of pine cones tainted the air. She knew that fresh scent the place provided. She remembered the warm the sun brought her as she walked a dirt trail. Then it clicked. This was not just a random forest she created; this was Winsome falls. Which meant, she was remembering, picturing it within her mind. The question was why she was remembering this exact moment? “Scootaloo, do you remember this?” Luna asked as she pointed at the flowing river. Scootaloo followed where Luna pointed which was near the edge of the cliff. She stared at nothing, only the water. She felt her eyes straining as she squinted to see what Luna was talking about. Her eyes widened as she remembered. She saw younger self looking away as tears filled up her eyes, her mane damped and her helmet on the floor. Her head shot up when only she heard a voice echoing in her mind. Luna’s voice. She looked at Luna with impatience radiating from her frown. “What’s the point of all this?” “There is no point,” Luna said as she turned to her. “Just a reminder. Scootaloo, you can deny it all you want, but I have more memories, fond memories, between you two to always prove how wrong you are when you say she isn’t going to forgive you. Just give her that chance and explain yourself.” Scootaloo opened her mouth, but shut it as a she couldn't help but keep thinking about the tingling feeling of pain that she had in her head. It felt like someone was jabbing it with a stick, over and over again. She could almost feel her own heartbeat, drumming so loud that her ears couldn't even hear it. It’s time to face your fears, Scootaloo! It repeated again like a theme. It kept repeating, however her mind changed some of the words around. It’s time to face, Apple Bloom! “I hope you make the right choice, Scootaloo.” Luna said, walking to the bat pony and pulling her into a hug. “I believe in you.” Scootaloo blushed. “Y-yeah, thanks.” Luna broke the embrace and trotted down the dirt road, a smile plastered on her face as she observed the place even  as the baby blue skies of Winsome Falls began fading from existence. She seemed unfazed by it. Sometimes Scootaloo wished she had Luna’s calming and collective thought, but that would just be boring now. She watched Luna walk away, a feeling of worry chilled her to the bone. She felt all her doubting thoughts coming back. Scootaloo broke off into a sprint and followed the dirt road. Every time it seemed like she was getting close to the Luna, it would appear like she had been pushed back a couple feet away. “Wait, Princess Luna!” she shouted through breaths.”I can’t do this with you!”  Scootaloo felt a huge impact slamming into her before everything went black. Scootaloo’s eyes shot open. Her face itched and felt moist like lying in grass after a light rain. She picked herself up, and as she did so, a little rivulet of saliva fell from her mouth. Ew. She looked around and saw trees standing tall, a shade of light shining through the cracks, letting her know she was back in reality. No, I need to talk to Princess Luna! Alright no biggie, calm down.  All I have to do is close my eyes and she'll appear. Scootaloo closed her eyes tightly and waited. She heard no warming voice in her ear, no sound of hooves approaching her just the sound of the wildlife. She opened her eyes and groaned. What am I going to say to her? Sorry, I punched your friend, won’t happen again. She tapped her chin then shook her head. Apple Bloom, you gotta—she shook her head. Apple Bloom, if you were in my hooves... She groaned in frustration.  Ugh, this is hard! What would Rainbow Dash do? She frowned. Pff, probably ditch her friend without saying nothing. She rubbed her chin. What would an honest pony like Applejack do? Her eyes shot opened as a gasp left her mouth. Tell the truth! Yeah, I could tell her why I did what I did and we can be friends again! A smile left her hopes at a high level and her determination skyrocketing. She could do this. The Applejack way. However, the feeling in the back of her mind left her wondering. What if...the truth makes her hate me even more? Her ears drooped down and her smile gone. I can’t do anything right, can I? She looked down to see down at the puddle in front of her. She saw her own reflection in the flowing with the water, but something felt off about it and a feeling in the back of her head told her not to. She squinted and moved her face closer for a better view. Her head shot up when she heard a twig breaking in the distance. She picked herself up and walked away from the puddle.She broke off and ran. She pushed the bushes away and ignored the numerous eyes following her every movement. She ran through the blue flowers, seeing the large spot her body had printed on. She kept running even though her lungs were squeezed out of oxygen. Scootaloo got a clean glimpse of the sunlight as she ran through the mouth the forest. She stopped when the forest had ran out of bushes, trees, and predators’ eyes to stalk her. She shielded her eyes as the sun blinded her. She held her head down and watched her hooves as she walked blindly. She never thought she would be happy to see the barn. She inhaled and exhaled. You can do this. With her head held high, she began her walk up the hill. You can fix this. She felt like her heart was ready to jump out of her chest. It pounded rapidly against her chest, bringing pain to her chest. You can do this. You. Can. Do. This. You can do this! A huge smile exploded her face as she walked. “You can do this!” she shouted out to the world. A flock of birds flew in the skies and disappeared within the clouds, disturbed by Scootaloo’s cry. She missed this feeling of determination. She had forgotten how it felt to be so focused on completing a task and not giving up. All she needed was a push, a pony she could vent all her frustrations on. Luna was just that. Her smile wavered a little as her mind went back to what she almost saw in the puddle. It looked like her face had changed, but a reflection in the water always does that. She shook her head and held onto her hope. Nothing was going to stand in her way, she was going to fix this. She had nothing to worry about. Her heart picked up its speed as as she saw the apple painted near the door knob, green among the brown wooden paint. Scootaloo’s grasp of the knob tightened the more she thought about it.   Shaking her head, she looked down at her hoof grasping the knob, but didn’t dare to turn it.. She pushed herself away from the door.“”Ugh!” She walked away from the door and flopped down on the stairs, sighing as she did. “I can’t do it...I…” her ears drooped lower. “I’m a big sappy coward.” She buried her face in her forelegs and closed her eyes. Her mind couldn’t help but wonder back to this how thing started. How everypony in the room felt helpless as they had no idea what was happening to the orphan that recently moved into a happy home, an honest and kind-hearted home. Then, everything changed. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn’t see each other as much as when she was awake, but it felt like she was in a coma for more than two weeks. Scootaloo frowned. Was Twilight lying to her? Had it really been two weeks or more? Applejack had been keeping something from her. She always acted strange when she would eavesdrop in her conversations with Twilight, but what struck her out the most was Fluttershy muttering something about bats and something else. Her mind was too focused on Apple Bloom to remember. She sighed. Who am I kidding. Without Princess Luna around I’m too afraid I’ll mess up this stupid attempt of an apology. I should just go back to Applejack...or maybe just run away. It’s normal to be afraid,Scootaloo. Scootaloo’s head shot up from her forelegs as Luna’s voice appeared. Scootaloo, everypony experiences fear in their life, but you know what’s the good thing about fear? It can be confronted, conquered and defeated. It can even reveal some parts of yourself you never know you had. It builds up your confidence. As the words ran through, Scootaloo felt her heart pumped with adrenaline, her eyes feeling wide awake and the thoughts that held her back vanished. She jumped up from the stairs with a smirk on her face. “I can do this!” She marched to the door and gripped on the knob. With a deep inhale and exhale, Scootaloo opened her eyes and pushed the door open. The door creaked loudly as the door slowly hit the door. This all felt too familiar. Standing here alone, heart pounding, eyes wide open. The only difference was she only knew what was waiting for on the other side. An angry farm pony. She took a step inside and closed door the behind her.