//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: When the Heart Breaks... // Story: Never Be Alone // by New Canterlot //------------------------------// The weather had begun to cool, and the days were starting to grow shorter and shorter. Within a couple months, Scootaloo knew that snow would be inevitable. She hated snow. It was wet, cold, and made it impossible to ride her scooter outside. She hated cold weather, among many other things that the cold months brought. TV would be crowded with basketball games, and all the burger joints would stop serving milkshakes until spring. Thankfully, Scootaloo did have some time before facing the dreaded cold, and that meant there was still some more soccer games left in the season! But…first, she had school. Scootaloo swung her legs over the side of her bed and slowly stood with her arms stretched over her head. There was a slight pain in her lower back, probably from sleeping with half her body hanging off the edge of her sheets. With a loud yawn, she rotated her hips to pop her back before sitting back down to scratch under her chin. Her foot nudged an empty Pringles can that rolled its way across her room towards an empty bag of potato chips. Her room might be a complete mess, but she took solace in the fact that it was HER room. Up until middle school, she never had a room of her own, and moving to Canterlot City had been a welcome change for her. Heck, even having her own bed was pretty sweet. Once she made her way to her bathroom to inspect her appearance, a small giggle escaped her lips. Her dark purple hair was a dry mop, tangled and wild like a tumbleweed. Her pajamas included a much too large black t-shirt with skull printed on the front, and a pair of boy’s boxer shorts over her favorite pair of rainbow striped panties. If today wasn’t a school day, Scootaloo probably wouldn’t bother putting on real clothes even for a trip down the street to the gas station for a candy bar. The only other things she’d need to make that trip would be some slippers and her wallet. Since today was a school day, Scootaloo had no choice but to shower and change into her favorite pair of skinny brown cargo pants and black hoodie. Not bothering to comb her hair, she left her room to shuffle her way into the tiny kitchen shared by her adopted mother. “Oh, good morning, little miss sunshine.” The tall, professionally groomed woman said. There was definitely some sarcasm in her voice, but Scootaloo knew it was good natured. Her clothes were formally plain, and her blue hair done up in a professional bun. Scootaloo briskly walked over to the fridge and fetched some bread and the jar of jam. “Yo.” She muttered while sliding two pieces of bread into the toaster. With a sigh, her adopted mother put her hands on her hips. “Young lady, what happened to that pretty skirt I bought you? Do you have to wear the same exact thing everyday?” “Um…” Scootaloo waited to reply until she got the lid off the jar. “…I’ll wear it later.” “I’m sure you will.” Her guardian sipped from her coffee before snatching up her purse. “I’m heading to work, so please be sure to lock up before you leave.” “Kay.” Scootaloo nodded once with her eyes fixed on the toaster, eagerly waiting for her breakfast. She received a small kiss atop the head before her guardian walked to the door. This only made Scootaloo’s face scrunch up in annoyance. “Please keep your phone on today. I might have to call you in case I’m running late. I left some money on the counter for lunch and maybe dinner if I have to work late.” “Thanks.” Scootaloo finally met her eyes with a nod before turning back to the toaster. “Have a good day, Scootaloo.” Her guardian opened the front door and left, trying to flash her adopted daughter a smile that was never received. Once the door closed, Scootaloo slumped against the counter. With a sigh, Scootaloo took a deep, relaxed breath. “Geez…” She ran her fingers through her short, wild hair while hopping up onto the counter. Once her toast finished, she globbed a big splotch of jam on the center of one of the pieces, squishing the two pieces of bread together to spread the sweet paste without the use of a knife. As she began eating her breakfast, Scootaloo thought about her relationship with her guardian. For the first time in her life, she actually had an adopted mother who genuinely cared about her and wanted to make her feel at home. Maybe she wasn’t so great at it, and maybe it was still weird for her, but at least Scootaloo knew she was trying to make her feel welcome. Most of her childhood was full of adopted parents, but all of them either gave her away or left her on her own without any real parenting or supervision. But now, she actually felt some level of stability in her life. Moving into her new home had been the first time she actually felt relatively safe. With a good home and good friends, it was hard not to feel grateful. The only thing keeping her back from accepting her new life completely was the looming possibility of the same thing happening with this new mother like all the others before. Scootaloo knew this was the reason she kept a big distance between herself and Blue Aura. While finishing the last of her toast, Scootaloo pulled her phone out to check messages. There were a couple little pics and doo-dads from her two best buddies which made her smile. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were the first people in her life to accept her for her, and Scootaloo could finally admit that she had friends in her life that would always be her friends no matter what. It was a hard thing to admit, but she had overcome her fear of abandonment soon after spending an entire spring break with them during their freshman year. It was at that time that the trio began referring to themselves as ‘the crusaders’, even starting a Youtube channel under the same name. In hindsight, it might not have been the best idea. Their channel had been a total flop, and it ended up being nothing more than an enjoyable waste of time. The only thing that stuck after their vacation had been the name of the group. Once it was time to go, Scootaloo grabbed her backpack and scooter from her room before leaving the house at high speed down the sidewalk. Having a scooter meant she could sleep in, but even though she only lived a few minutes away, it also meant she needed to rush to school in order to have a chance to hang out with her buddies before class started. The closer she got to the school gates, the more people she had to swerve out of the way in order to avoid an accident. Taking a sharp left turn onto school grounds, Scootaloo halted right before hitting the stairs leading to the front door. Sure enough, her two best pals were waiting for her on the stairs. “Yo!” Scootaloo waved at them from just a few yards away. “Howdy there, Scoots!” Applebloom cheered joyfully, her fiery red hair bobbing in the long green ribbon tied around her big ponytail. The short capri pants and hand-me-down flannel shirt she wore held a striking resemblance to her older sister’s style of wardrobe. Scootaloo thought about how nice it would be to have an older sister giving her stuff. Regardless of her attire, Applebloom looked very adorable. If her older brother Big Mac got the brawns and her older sister Applejack got the brains, then she definitely got the looks. Like her sister, her proportions were becoming defined with each added year past puberty. “Ya’ll got here fast!” “Hey there, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle hopped over to her to give her a great big hug. Her short curly pink hair exposed her precious pale face, and her plain white frilly dress made her look more delightfully cuter than usual. The natural structure of her frame revealed the same gorgeous figure which her older sister Rarity was known for. If looks ran in the family, then Scootaloo had to wonder if she would remain plain and boyish looking forever. “You never called me back last night!” Sweetie Belle tried to sound angry, but her smile betrayed her real sentiment. Scootaloo hugged her back with a red tint across her orange cheeks. Her friends had always been very outgoing, but it was hard to ignore just how often she admired their appearances. “Yeah, sorry. I forgot all about my phone last night when I was playing games.” She giggled sheepishly, very aware that Sweetie Belle had gotten into her older sister’s perfume. “Yer lookin’ a touch sweaty, Scoots.” Applebloom giggled. “How fast were ya’ll goin’?” “I dunno. Pretty fast I guess. I wanted to get here early.” Scootaloo folded her scooter and slung it over her backpack after Sweetie Belle let her go. “Were you girls waiting long?” “No, we just got here. Rarity was kind of late leaving the house today…again.” Sweetie Belle shook her head and palmed her face. “Ever since she got together with Applejack, she’s gotten super crazy.” “Can ya’ll not bring that up?” Applebloom stuck her tongue out and gagged. “Thinkin’ ‘bout my big sis frenchin’ yer big sis just…yuck!” All three girls giggled loudly. “Yeah, it is pretty gross.” Scootaloo said with a shrug. From outward appearances, she conveyed the same amount of repulsion, but on the inside, it was a VERY alluring thought. The thought was emphasized by the fanciful idea of kissing her biggest idol and biggest crush. “S-So, you girls wanna get some cookies before class?” She asked while stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Sure.” Sweetie Belle nodded. “I think today is snickerdoodle day.” “Oh, yum.” Applebloom licked her lips. “Ah could go fer a cookie right ‘bout now. Can any of ya’ll spot me a couple quarters?” “Yeah, hold on a sec.” Scootaloo held out a couple quarters for her, and Applebloom accepted the gesture by giving her a big hug. It was nice to get hugs from her friends. Even having friends was nice. “Thanks a bunch, Scoots.” Applebloom ran a hand through her messy purple hair with a giggle before turning away. Sweetie Belle led the way to the cafeteria while walking next to the red head, Scootaloo bringing up the rear. She watched as the other two girls hung on each other’s arms, laughing at each little thing they said. They seemed so comfortable and carefree around each other…not to mention cute. They were really cute. Sure, there probably were other words to describe them, but Scootaloo couldn’t think of any. They looked…almost kissable cute. Wow, that would be something. Getting to kiss her two best friends would definitely be something to write about in her diary. A hard blush crossed her whole face, and Scootaloo giggled inwardly at herself. It was a nice idea, but in her heart of hearts, she was saving her first kiss for a special someone. And that someone happened to be standing right in front of her in line for cookies! “Are you sure you don’t want a cookie, Shy?” Rainbow Dash asked the shorter girl with long pink hair and a yellow complexion standing next to her. The tall athlete stood in front of the polished metal counter that separated the rest of the cafeteria from the kitchen. “It’s like, two for a quarter. No biggie.” “Oh, um, n-no, that’s ok.” The short friend shook her head. Rainbow Dash shrugged and patted her on the head before taking a massive bite out of her stack of cookies in hand. “Whatheverth.” “Howdy, Rainbow!” Applebloom waved to the two upperclassmen. “Ya’ll had a great game last Friday!” “Oh, little Applejack. What up?” Rainbow Dash giggled and waved back. “How’s it hanging, kid?” “Did she just call you ‘little Applejack’?” Sweetie Belle asked through snickering. “That’s hilarious!” “My name’s Applebloom.” Little Applejack scowled up at her. “I’m just playing, kid. Relax.” Rainbow nudged her on the shoulder. “So, you guys saw the game, huh?” “Sure did!” Sweetie Belle nodded. “It was pretty goo-” “Awesome!!!” Scootaloo nearly burst. “Oh my gosh it was the best game ever! You scored like, fifty goals that game!” “Uh, more like five.” Rainbow giggled hard and shook her head. “But yeah, it was pretty awesome.” She placed a hand atop her small friend’s head the moment she cowered away from Scootaloo’s loud voice. “Sorry ‘bout Scoots here.” Applebloom nudged the little speed demon in the ribs. “She’s got this big ‘ol crush on ya.” That comment made Sweetie Belle snicker again. “W-WHAT?” Scootaloo shook her head adamantly and blushed furiously. “N-No I don’t! Shut up, jerk face!” “Make me, ya sour lemon peel.” Applebloom stuck her tongue out at her. “You are such a dumb jerk.” Scootaloo grumbled and crossed her arms. “Can we buy cookies now?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I’m hungry.” “WE can.” Applebloom winked at her and stuck her tongue out one more time towards Scootaloo. “But Ah’m guessin’ Scoots over here’s gotta get the flirtin’ out a her system first.” She grabbed Sweetie Belle’s hand and walked towards the cafeteria’s counter. “Jerk face!” Scootaloo shouted after them. “We love you, Scootaloooooo!” Sweetie Belle giggled. “Whatever…” She grumbled, crossing her arms. Rainbow Dash had stood in place with her yellow friend during the entire exchange. “She’s got kind of a big mouth, huh? I guess it runs in the family.” She giggled. “Really big mouth.” Scootaloo sighed, fighting her blush harder than before. “S-Sorry about that…” “It’s cool. I’m like that with my friends too. No worries.” “Y-Yeah…” Scootaloo nervously rubbed the back of her head. “…Listen, Rainbow Dash, I-It’s not like that. I don’t have a crush on…I mean; I don’t like you! I mean, I do, but not in that way, like, I don’t like-like you!” Rainbow laughed hard and put an arm around the underclassman. “Relax, squirt. Don’t worry about it. I’m pretty sure I know what you mean.” Scootaloo’s eyes glanced down at Rainbow Dash’s hand, tracing up to her wrist that was circled by an athletic wristband. She could feel the warm heat coming off her arm moving up her neck. “O-Okay…I just don’t want you to think I’m weird…” “Don’t worry, kid. I don’t think you’re weird or anything.” Rainbow lowered her arm and smiled. Scootaloo smiled back and nodded. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” It was hard to ignore how perfect she looked. Her rainbow hair had been cut very short, cropped in the back. It was a new, and surprisingly cute look for her. Instead of the usual jeans or skirt that most girls wore to school, Dash was sporting a pair of white spandex shorts that went well with her school gym shirt. Everything about her was perfect, and Scootaloo felt a strong desire to be exactly like her. “H-Hey, listen…do you, you know, wanna like, hang out sometime?” She asked. “If you don’t want to, I totally understand.” “Sure, yeah. I’m down.” Rainbow giggled again and nodded her head once. “Oh, uh, really? Great!” Scootaloo gasped with excitement. “I’ll, um, text you or something?” “Sure. You got my number?” “I have you on Facebook.” Scootaloo quickly covered her mouth. “Crap, I sound like a TOTAL creep right now.” “Scootaloo! Get over here before Sweetie Belle buys all the cookies!” Applebloom shouted back at her. The yellow girl suddenly yawned very softly, putting a hand over her mouth while blinking a few times. Scootaloo noticed the same exact wristband on her wrist, although this girl didn’t look much like an athlete at all. “O-Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little tired.” She said in a quiet, almost silky soft voice. “You okay, Shy? Want a soda or coffee or something?” Dash put a hand on her back with a warm smile. Before the little yellow girl could answer, she turned back to Scootaloo. “Hey, sorry squirt. We’re gonna head out.” “O-Oh, yeah sure thing. Catch up with you later?” Scootaloo could almost hear the desperation in her own voice. “Sounds good. Later, kid.” Dash gave her a wave as she began her way out of the cafeteria with the yellow girl’s hand in her own. Scootaloo watched them leave and wondered just who that girl was exactly. She had seen her around school before, but she really didn’t seem like the type to be friends with Rainbow Dash. As much as she hated herself for thinking it, she didn’t feel like that small yellow girl should be hanging on her arm like that. That was what she was supposed to do! “C’mon, Scoots!” Applebloom waved over to her. “They’re almost out a cookies!” “Coming!” Scootaloo ran over to her friends and squeezed between them, placing a few quarters down on the counter. “Sorry…” The girl behind the counter apologized with a very sorry frown on her face. If her eyes weren’t comically crossed, Scootaloo might have felt genuinely sad. “Your friends bought the last of the cookies.” “Seriously?” Scootaloo picked up her quarters and flashed an annoyed furrowed brow at her friends. “You couldn’t leave at least a couple for me?” “Ya snooze, ya looze!” Applebloom giggled and bit the end off a cookie. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you stopped flirting sooner, you-” “Oh my gosh, you guys suck!” Scootaloo crossed her arms and groaned loudly. “Why am I even friends with you two?” “Cause yer just a real sweetie deep down.” Applebloom poked her cheek and held out two cookies for her. Scootaloo took the cookies and sighed. “I still hate you two…” “We love you too, Scoots.” Sweetie Belle gave her a hug that Scootaloo did not return. “Don’t be a sour guss, Scoots.” Applebloom patted her on the back. “We’re only teasin’. C’mon. Give us a hug.” She wrapped her arms around her waist with Sweetie Belle still embracing on the other side. Scootaloo bit into her cookie with angry eyes, begrudgingly accepting the hugs while nibbling. “…Love you girls.” She grumbled angrily while biting into her snack. -o0o- After school, Scootaloo felt an inescapable need to distance herself as far as possible from school grounds. The thought of staying one more minute in a cramped classroom full of loud and obnoxious boys revolted her, and the whole school day of doing absolutely nothing had made her hungry. Fortunately, her friends felt the same way. The trio had quickly hurried to their favorite fast food restaurant for milkshakes and burgers. All three girls immediately began inhaling their pre-dinner food, a luxury that only young teens going through growth spurts could really enjoy without the concerns of weight gain or stomach discomfort. Once their tummies filled up, the remaining food on their trays became projectile ammunition to be launched at each other in numerous ways. “Hey!” Applebloom exclaimed as a fry hit her in the face. Scootaloo giggled hard right after the fry she had flicked bounced off Applebloom’s cheek and flew across the room. “Goalll!” “Ya’ll ‘er gonna get us kicked out if ya keep that up.” Applebloom wiped her cheek with her napkin. Sweetie Belle took a big sip from her milkshake and gulped hard. Once the food fighting subsided a bit, she poised a question. “You two wanna see a movie this weekend at my place? I’m pretty sure Rarity will be with Applejack on Saturday, so we can have a sleep over in the living room.” “Ah, nuts…” Applebloom palmed her face while mental images surfaced. “Ah don’t wanna know…just don’t tell me.” “You know, they’re probably gonna be dating for a while. You might wanna try and get used to it.” Scootaloo noted. “Ah can’t! It’s just…too weird.” Applebloom sighed. “Ya’ll try gettin’ the image a yer sister makin’ out with another girl outta yer head.” “I’m picturing it.” Sweetie Belle eyed her with annoyance. “I’m picturing it, and I’m wishing that you hadn’t said that.” “Oh, hey, we could make a pillow fort with the couch cushions!” Scootaloo gasped. This was something she had always wanted to try, but her own home was too bare of furniture to make the attempt. As a little kid, she never had the opportunity, but there was still some hope left to salvage her childhood. Applebloom was very grateful to have the conversation pulled into a different direction. “Oh, that sounds like fun! Ah can bring all my pillows from my room, ‘n we can have a big ‘ol pillow war!” “I’m really liking this idea.” Sweetie Belle clapped her hands together. “But don’t get your hopes up yet. I still have to ask Rarity.” “Why don’t you just ask your parents?” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “You seem to ask Rarity for permission about everything.” “My parents don’t really care, but Rarity will FREAK if I get a stain on the couch. Plus, she might be staying home for the weekend to work on her designs if she decides not to go anywhere.” “If ya want, ya’ll can come by my place this weekend. My family probably ain’t gonna mind too much, ‘n we can sleep out ‘n the barn ‘n make a campfire.” Applebloom reasoned, a chicken nugget from Sweetie Belle’s tray in her hand. “Hey, that’s mine!” Sweetie Belle reached out to snatch the nugget, but Applebloom was quick to stuff it in her mouth. Having no choice but to resort to plan B, Sweetie Belle snatched up the rest of her friend’s fries and stuffed them into her own mouth. Scootaloo stared at her two nearly idiotic friends. They both looked marvelously silly with their mouths full while trying to poke each other in the sides to force each other to giggle. “Um, I wouldn’t do that if I were-” It was too late, Applebloom had failed to fully defend herself, and in a fit of tickle induced giggles, she spewed her chicken nugget all over the floor. “Gross!!!” “Uh…shoot.” Applebloom awkwardly dropped a napkin on the floor and wiped up the small mess before throwing it away in the trash. “Well, that was just…disgustin’.” Sweetie Belle swallowed her mouthful and chased it down with a sip of milkshake before speaking. “Winner winner!” She shouted with her hands in the air. It was hard not to giggle, but it was also hard not to feel a tad excluded. Scootaloo felt a tiny bit dejected while watching her two best (and only real) friends affectionately tease each other. The idea of something more going on between them had yet to even cross her mind, but Scootaloo did know one thing. She was definitely missing a real closeness in her life, a hole in her heart that even close friends couldn’t fill. Even though she had the greatest friends in the world, there was still one other person out there that she desired to be close to. “Sorry, girls.” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “I think…I’m gonna head out. There’s something I gotta do before I go home.” “I bet I know what it is.” Sweetie Belle gave Applebloom a smirk. “Gotta go see a certain soccer player, huh?” Applebloom giggled and waved a teasing finger at her. “You two are never gonna let this go, are you?” Scootaloo groaned. “No, I have to pick up some…flour, or something, for Aura.” “Who’s Aura?” Applebloom asked. “Oh, you mean your guardian mom?” Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side. “Why don’t you just call her ‘mom’?” “I dunno…” Scootaloo shrugged. “It’s kinda weird, you know? She’s not my real mom, and I don’t even really know her all that well.” “You’ve been living with her for a couple of years now, right?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Maybe you just need a little more time.” “Ah thought she was nice enough.” Applebloom looked over at Sweetie Belle with a slightly concerned look. “Is she givin’ ya’ll a hard time ‘er somethin’?” “No, it’s nothing like that. She’s been pretty cool lately.” Scootaloo got up from the table. “You girls can have the rest of my food.” She snatched up her scooter from the ground and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She was about to head towards the door right before Applebloom grabbed her hand. “Are ya’ll sure…there ain’t nothin’ botherin’ ya, Scoots?” She asked with genuine concern. “Ya know ya’ll can tell us anythin’, right?” “It’s fine.” Scootaloo nodded. “Don’t worry. Can…I have my hand back?” “Just as soon as ya give us a hug.” Scootaloo groaned and rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Applebloom stood and wrapped her arms around her shoulders for a tight squeeze. Sweetie Belle got up and did the same with her arms around Scootaloo’s waist. The hug was anything but quick, and the growing pressure around her torso made Scootaloo nearly cough. “Oh my gosh…” She gasped. “I can’t breathe…ow...owowowow…” “Should we do it?” Sweetie Belle whispered to the little country bumpkin. Applebloom nodded with a smirk. “Ah think we should.” Before Scootaloo had a chance to breathe again and before she was even fully aware of what was happening, she felt two warm sets of lips peck each of her cheeks. “H-Hey!” She gasped loudly, rubbing her face with her palms as her face turned beet red. “Aww! She’s so cute when she’s mad!” Sweetie Belle giggled very loudly. Applebloom clapped her hands together and nearly snorted from her loud snicker. “Just the darn cutest!” “You girls are sooooooo weird!” Scootaloo groaned very loudly as she tried to shake off her captors. “I’m gonna go now.” “Bye-bye!” Sweetie Belle waved to her despite only being a couple feet away. Applebloom gave her a pat on the back. “See ya’ll tomorrow!” “Whatever.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes and quickly left the restaurant, hopping on her scooter to fly down the sidewalk. On her way out, she shared in her friend’s giggling. Their silliness was very easy to get swept up in. As soon as she had put a block’s distance between herself and the restaurant, she slowed down considerably. Her tummy was fluttering with little butterflies from having been pecked on both her cheeks. She knew it was all in good fun, but she couldn’t help but feel partially excited by it. Not only did the pecks on the cheek show just how much she was valued as a friend, but it also made her feel loved. Never in her entire life did she ever receive a peck on the cheek from either a friend or a parent with the exception of her current guardian mother. This time, however, it was full of affection that was almost alien to her. That simple gesture by her friend put her in high spirits that fed off a growing sense of security. Her life was finally starting to feel safe, and she actually felt like she could explore her relationships with others more without feeling too guarded. If her adopted mother knew of her daughter’s realization, she would have been overjoyed. The sun had fallen lower on the horizon a few degrees since school had let out. By now, Rainbow Dash had probably finished up practice, and Scootaloo was on her way to see her. The closer to got to the soccer fields in the distance, the more she wondered if her behavior was somewhat creepy. Maybe she should have just sent her a message online or bumped into her at school the next day, but she felt it necessary to stop by and formally exchange numbers. At the very least, she would like to be able to talk again with her idol. Most importantly, she wanted to have an opportunity to talk to her about soccer. Scootaloo didn’t even consider the possibility of joining a school team upon entering high school. She was still rather reclusive socially, and it wasn’t until she made friends did she venture out and try new things. All throughout her freshman year, she watched Canterlot High’s star player, and a growing desire to be a part of the action ignited in her heart. She wanted to not only be a player, but also be just like Rainbow Dash on and off the field. If all went well, maybe she would agree to show her a few tricks and share a few tips. Most of the players were making their way off the field after packing up all the field gear once practice was over, and Scootaloo could see all the players making their way back to the school campus to retreat into the locker rooms. She knew it would probably be best to just wait for Rainbow Dash outside the doors until she emerged, so Scootaloo did just that. Outside the doors to the gymnasium building, she leaned against the wall with one foot on her scooter, rolling it back and forth on the sidewalk. To her surprise, someone else was waiting outside. That weird, quiet little yellow girl was standing by the bleachers wearing what appeared to be Rainbow’s soccer jacket. She looked silly with it on considering the jacket was much too big for her, but Scootaloo unmistakably knew it belonged to Rainbow Dash. It had to be. This was the same girl as this morning, and she was probably waiting for the same person. Luckily, she was a little far off and hadn’t noticed her standing by the school doors. With various assortments of sports team players exiting the campus, Scootaloo became masked in the crowd of students. The only thing making her stand out was the scooter now that most all the players had changed into street clothes. Suddenly, a flock of people swarmed out the doors, all recognized as members of the soccer team Scootaloo had seen before. Most of the girls she never met or even seen around campus, but the fiery red and yellow haired leather jacket girl she immediately recognized as Sunset Shimmer. Although she harbored no ill will towards that particular upperclassman, Scootaloo didn’t much care for her or even trust her. That girl’s reputation had changed dramatically, but she didn’t like how close she seemed to be with Rainbow Dash. They seemed to laugh and joke together like they were close friends or something. Scootaloo shook her head to clear her mind of her rambling thoughts upon realizing that Rainbow Dash had already left the building. She was walking side by side with her soccer buddy down the opposite direction of the sidewalk while Scootaloo had been passing her judgements. As swiftly as she could, Scootaloo raced down the sidewalk after her, but she was immediately halted by the crowd of students making their own ways home. “Hey, watch it!” A girl of average height and silver green hair shouted. Her hair looked like she had just gone skydiving, and Scootaloo had to nearly duck to avoid the massive ‘fro. Before she could catch up to her, Scootaloo watched Rainbow Dash wave goodbye to Sunset before jogging at a brisk pace towards the bleachers. This would have been her moment to catch up to her, but Rainbow was determined to meet up with that yellow girl. Once Rainbow met up with her, they ducked under the bleachers together out of sight from everyone else congregating at the end of the street. If she didn’t know any better, Scootaloo would have made the assumption that they were meeting up for a kiss or something. Scootaloo’s suspicion became an incredibly painful truth once she ducked her head behind the bleachers. Their lips…were locked… She could see Rainbow Dash wrap her arms around the little yellow girl’s waist, picking her up into the air to give her a playful kiss. The yellow girl had put her arms around Rainbow’s neck to kiss back, and Scootaloo could not deny how happy both girls appeared in each other’s arms. Their happiness and their displays of affection were claws that scratched against the outside of Scootaloo’s heart, each kiss after another dug deeper and deeper until nothing but shreds of her spirit were left. Feeling stupid, embarrassed, ashamed, and broken, Scootaloo slowly turned away to begin her slow walk across the soccer field towards home. All the hope and sense of security she had built up since coming to Canterlot High seemed to disappear with each gloomy step forward, and a very angry tear rolled down her cheek and off her chin. On top of all the horrible crushing feelings that began to overwhelm her, she deeply despised and hated herself. She hated herself for believing that she would never be hurt again, and she hated herself for believing that her luck was actually changing for the first time in her life. “Why…” She muttered. “Why her? Why did it have to be her?” Scootaloo choked and bit her lip hard to keep from crying. It was no real surprise if she thought about it. Rainbow Dash never did notice her before, so there was no real loss, was there? If that was true, then Rainbow Dash probably wouldn’t give a rip if she never showed up to school again. Her friends would have to understand. She needed some time to herself.