Scootaloo’s New Family
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 6: Berry Punch
“At least we were expecting it this time,” Apple Bloom said.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders lay in a heap, a sticky ball of hair, leaves and tree sap. Their latest plan to earn their cutie marks came to them that afternoon, and had seemed so obvious in retrospect. Since they were so good at getting covered in tree sap, why not try to collect tree sap? Unfortunately for the Cutie Mark Crusader Maple Syrup Collectors, they didn’t know which trees were maple trees, nor did they know exactly how to harvest it. Lacking any tools, Apple Bloom tried bucking the tree they chose while Sweetie Belle focused her magic.
The tree they chose certainly had plenty of sap. But not the sap they wanted.
“Bleh. This doesn’t taste at all like maple syrup,” Scootaloo said.
“Maybe we should have looked it up in the library?” Sweetie Belle said.
“No need. If this was our special talent, we would have gotten it right without help. I’m sure of it,” Scootaloo said.
“Just like you were sure you’d find a new family?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Hey!”
“Now, let’s not fight,” Apple Bloom said. “We need to help Scootaloo. Maybe we’ll even get our cutie marks!”
“Do you have anypony in mind?” Scootaloo asked.
The trio fell silent.
“No cutie mark ideas and no family ideas either,” Apple Bloom said.
“Let’s go home,” Scootaloo said glumly.
“After we clean up,” Sweetie Belle said.
The fillies headed to the nearby pond, where they helped each other undo the worst of the damage. They got out and shook themselves dry. The sun had set, but the air was still pleasantly warm.
“Well, back to Twilight’s castle,” Scootaloo said.
The new Ponyville landmark was on the way to both Sweet Apple Acres and Sweetie Belle’s home, so the trio walked there together, lost in thought. As they neared their destination, they spotted an earth pony mare, unsteady on her hooves, weaving as she walked. Then she stumbled.
The fillies looked at each other. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PARAMEDICS, YAY!”
The plum mare waved them off weakly. “I don’t need a doctor.”
“But you look like you need help,” Apple Bloom said.
“All I need is some of my special juice,” she replied. “Can you help me to that bench?”
Together, the three fillies helped keep the mare, who they now recognized as Berry Punch, on her hooves as she walked to a nearby bench. The mare sprawled on its surface, and then pulled out a flask, uncapping it and taking a healthy swig. “Ahhhh,” she said.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at each other. They knew that they all had the same question. Scootaloo was the one brave enough to ask it. “What’s your special juice?”
Berry Punch smiled. “Why, it’s my special fruit punch, with a protein powder blend and electrolytes! I make it myself.”
“Huh,” she said.
“I’m fine, girls. You don’t need to wait around,” Berry Punch said.
“Can we at least walk you home?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I suppose so.”
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HELPFUL CITIZENS, YAY!” the trio shouted.
Berry Punch got up a few minutes later, and the Crusaders walked with her, ready to catch her if she stumbled. The mare proved to be fine as they reached their destination, a tidy home in a neighborhood much like Scootaloo’s.
Berry Punch opened the door, and a filly a couple of years younger than the Crusaders ran to meet her. “Hi, Mom! Welcome home,” the filly said.
“Thank you, Berry Pinch,” Berry Punch said.
“Um, hi,” Berry Pinch said, looking at the Crusaders.
“These fillies were nice enough to walk me home,” Berry Punch explained. “Thank you, girls.”
“Is it just the two of you here?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yes, just the two of us,” Berry Punch replied.
“Uh, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’ve been looking for a new family, and....”
“Yes, I’ve heard the rumor, Scootaloo,” she replied. “Now, we certainly have the room, and my Pinchy has always said she wanted a sister....”
Berry Pinch smiled. “You mean it, Mom?”
“Yes, dear.” She turned to Scootaloo. “We’d love to welcome you into our family.”
“Can Scootaloo move in now?” Berry Pinch asked.
“I don’t see why not.”
“Great!” Scootaloo shouted. “Well, you’ve got to talk to Princess Twilight first.”
“Go ahead and ask her to come,” Berry Punch said. She looked at her daughter. “And we need to make this place fit for royalty!”
Scootaloo waved goodbye to her friends and headed back to Twilight Sparkle’s castle. An hour later, she found herself doing the same thing she had done many other times that summer, riding her scooter while towing a box with her stuff. After Twilight Sparkle met with Berry Punch and explained the rules to her, Scootaloo officially had a new mother.
“And now that it’s official, let me officially welcome to the family,” Berry Punch said. “Let’s show you our home.”
Scootaloo walked alongside Berry Pinch as Berry Punch gave her the tour. Scootaloo went down the mental checklist she had created after living in so many houses recently. The house was smaller than her own, but felt roomier; it was mostly clean and free of clutter; the furnishings were free of wear and tear. Then they reached the kitchen.
“Whoa,” Scootaloo said. Berry Punch’s kitchen had all the normal appliances, but it also had two large machines she hadn’t seen before. “What are those?”
“That’s a juicer, and that’s a blender. I use them to make juices and smoothies.”
“So you work from here?”
“Actually, I work at a facility down by the railroad station, where I have even bigger machines.”
“Wow!”
“Ponies love their juice, and I’m thrilled to make it,” Berry Punch said.
The upstairs of Berry Punch’s home held no more surprises, just three bedrooms and a bathroom. “And this one is my guest bedroom, but since I don’t have many guests spending the night, this room is now yours.”
“Cool,” Scootaloo said.
“Pinchy, I want you to help your new big sister feel welcome, and tomorrow, you can share the chores. Okay?”
“Okay, Mom,” Berry Pinch said.
“Goodnight, you two.”
Berry Punch departed. Scootaloo was excited, but the worry from an unanswered question began to gnaw at her. “What did your mom mean by chores?” Scootaloo asked.
“Picking berries,” Berry Pinch replied.
“Oh. Is that all?”
“What did you think it was going to be?” Berry Pinch asked.
“I don’t know. But I was worried when your mom didn’t specify.”
“Has this been a big problem?”
“Not this, specifically, but I keep expecting things to go wrong.”
“Don’t worry, Scootaloo,” Berry Pinch said, placing a hoof on her withers. “Mom’s a great mare. Just greet each day with a positive attitude, and you’ll love it here!”
“A positive attitude? Yeah, I can do that,” Scootaloo said.
“Great! See you in the morning.”
Scootaloo settled into her new bed. Tomorrow was a new morning, and she told herself that, for once, everything would go right.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
Scootaloo’s eyes fluttered open as the excited Berry Pinch roused her. “I’m up,” she groaned.
“Mom’s got breakfast ready, and then we can go into the garden!”
Scootaloo rubbed a hoof through her mane to tame the worst of her bed mane, and then headed downstairs. She didn’t know what she was expecting for breakfast, but it certainly wasn’t what was waiting for them.
“You’re having a shake for breakfast?”
“It’s not a shake,” Berry Punch said. “It’s a smoothie with raspberries, blueberries, whey powder, vitamins, and bee pollen.”
“Bee pollen?” Scootaloo said incredulously.
“It builds strong joints, and helps your immune system,” Berry Punch said.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like anything,” Berry Pinch said. “Try it!”
As Berry Pinch drank her smoothie, Scootaloo gave it hers a sniff. It certainly smelled good, like fresh berries. She gave it a taste. The smoothie was full of fresh fruit flavor and pleasantly chilled by the crushed ice it was blended with. There was a hint of creaminess. Whatever bee pollen was supposed to taste like, Scootaloo didn’t taste it. “This is great!” she announced.
“I’m glad you like it, dear,” Berry Punch said.
“Mom makes one every day, with lots of different flavors!” Berry Pinch said.
Scootaloo set down her now-empty glass. “This is the best idea ever!” she said.
“What do you mean?” Berry Pinch said.
“It took, like, two minutes for me to eat breakfast,” Scootaloo said. “That’s ten more minutes of sleep before school!”
“I’m glad you see the appeal of a healthy smoothie, though I would emphasize the nutritional benefits instead,” Berry Punch said.
“All right, let’s go!” Berry Pinch said. “I can’t wait to show you the garden!”
Much like Scootaloo’s home, Berry Punch’s home had a large backyard, with woods behind it. But unlike her home, the entire area was planted. Bushes, shrubs, and vines, all laden with plump berries, greeted the fillies. Berry Pinch picked up two baskets in her mouth, and dropped one at Scootaloo’s hooves.
“That’s a lot of berries,” Scootaloo said.
“Fortunately, we only have to pick the ripe berries.” Berry Pinch nosed into a raspberry bush and came out with a plump berry between her lips, which she then dropped into the basket.
“That doesn’t look too hard,” Scootaloo said. She headed to a blackberry bush and set her sights on a ripe berry. She leaned in, placed her lips around it, and pulled.
The berry popped, and sweet blackberry juice crossed her tongue.
A few more attempts, with the same result, left Scootaloo frustrated. “How do you pick the berries without them bursting?” she asked.
“You just ask the berry to stay whole.”
Scootaloo looked at her, confused, until she finally realized what Berry Pinch was saying. “I don’t have that connection. I’m not an earth pony.”
“Then maybe use your wings?”
Scootaloo shrugged. She had always used her wings for cool things, like pushing her scooter and flying (a little). But her mother used her wings all the time to hold the yarn she used in her knitting. Could she do the same?
She stretched her wings, two feathers sliding around a branch with a ripe blackberry. She pulled, and the berry popped off the vine, landing in her basket.
“Cool!” she said.
With the trick discovered, Scootaloo approached the chore with new enthusiasm. It didn’t take long for the two fillies to finish collecting the berries. They stacked filled baskets of berries in the kitchen.
“There! Now we’re free to enjoy the day!” Berry Pinch said.
“Great! I’ve got some serious crusading planned,” Scootaloo said. She noticed Berry Pinch looking at her expectantly. “Want to come, little sis?”
“YAY!” Berry Pinch shouted, in a voice loud enough to rival the Crusaders.
Crusading, as normal, turned out to be a bust. The four fillies did not discover a special talent in woodcarving. Their time working with the local farrier was similarly unproductive, though they did get to try out all of the different horseshoes she had. Scootaloo had no idea how ponies could wear those heavy iron horseshoes.
“Sorry you didn’t get your cutie mark,” Scootaloo said to Berry Pinch.
“That’s okay. I had fun anyway. Besides, I knew I wasn’t getting my cutie mark.”
“What? How could you know?” Scootaloo asked.
“Because it didn’t involve fruit,” Berry Pinch said. Upon seeing the blank expressions on the Crusaders, she continued. “My mom’s special talent involves fruit, and I have ‘Berry’ in my name, too.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Seriously? You’ve never noticed that cutie marks match names?”
“I ride my scooter all the time,” Scootaloo said as she brushed her blank flank.
“I’m around apples every day,” Apple Bloom said. “Bucking, harvesting, sorting, selling, cooking. No cutie mark.”
“I pick berries every day, too,” Berry Pinch said. “I just haven’t figured out how I relate to berries different than anypony else.”
The three Crusaders huddled together. “Do you think she’s on to something?” Sweetie Belle whispered.
“I guess there are things I haven’t done on the farm,” Apple Bloom said. “So, maybe?”
“Nah, that’s crazy talk,” Scootaloo said. “We’re sure to find our cutie marks as long as we keep crusading.” Her stomach rumbled. “After lunch, of course.”
The Crusader wagon was crowded with an extra pony riding, but it didn’t slow Scootaloo any as the fillies headed to Sugarcube Corner. They ran inside, eager to see what treats awaited them.
“Hi, girls!” Pinkie Pie said cheerily. “My Pinkie sense told me there’d be some hungry fillies coming in!”
“Don’t hungry fillies come in every day?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yes, but it’s not always fillies who get milkshakes!” Pinkie Pie pulled out two milkshakes. “There’s your usual, Pinchy, and there’s one for you too, Scootaloo.”
“Why am I getting a milkshake?” Scootaloo asked.
“Because your mom insists!”
“Best mom ever!” Scootaloo said, grinning.
The four fillies paid for their treats. With their milkshakes already made, Scootaloo and Berry Pinch were first to the table. The others followed shortly after, Apple Bloom with an apple bran muffin, and Sweetie Belle with a strawberry tart.
Scootaloo sipped her shake. It was vanilla, and while it tasted good, it didn’t taste like the normal Sugarcube Corner milkshake. “Did your mom make this or something?” Scootaloo asked Berry Pinch.
“No, but it does contain Mom’s protein and vitamin powder.”
“Huh.”
“Mom sells the stuff to all the restaurants in town, so I always have something I can eat.”
Scootaloo started to think about what Berry Pinch meant by that, but she was interrupted by talk of crusading.
“We should try diving!” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“We did that,” Apple Bloom noted.
“But only at the pool. We could still be Cutie Mark Crusader lake divers!”
“I think going to the lake would be fun!” Berry Pinch said.
“Then it’s settled,” Sweetie Belle said, popping the last of her tart in her mouth.
Scootaloo caught herself drooling. That tart looked good, and she was still hungry. “I’ll be right back.”
Scootaloo walked up to the glass case and placed two bits on the counter. “Can I get one of those strawberry tarts to go?” she asked.
“Nope. No can do,” Pinkie Pie replied.
“Huh?”
“It’s not on your mom’s list of approved foods!”
“Seriously?”
“I never joke about food,” Pinkie Pie stated. “Except whipped cream. Whipped cream’s always funny! Oh, and bananas, and kumquats, and bags of flour....”
Scootaloo left Pinkie Pie to compiling her list of funny foods. The others had stood up and were ready to go. “Can I talk to you?” she said to Berry Pinch.
“What is it, big sis?”
“Pinkie Pie said something about your mom’s approved foods. What’s she talking about?”
“In our family, we only eat food in liquid form.”
“WHAT?”
“I thought you knew,” Berry Pinch said. “I mean, there was breakfast, and now lunch....”
“Argh!” Scootaloo reared and pulled on her mane with her hooves. “Look, girls, you go have fun at the lake. I need to talk to my new mom.”
Scootaloo first went to Berry Punch’s shop. A sign on the door announced that it was closed early. She raced home. When Scootaloo opened the front door, she heard voices inside.
Following the sound of the voices, Scootaloo found Berry Punch at one side of the living room, with an unfamiliar group of ponies in a circle around her. It reminded her of Cheerilee leading a class discussion. Berry Punch even had several posters resting on easels, with pictures of... something.
“And the VitaMix powder is NutriMix’s most popular item,” Berry Punch said. “A balanced blend of vitamins, minerals, and botanicals, VitaMix can be blended in with juices, milk, even tea. Try it, and you’ll find yourself with more energy, and digestive problems will be a thing of the past. You can buy it in this canister, or in individual serving packets, ideal for travel.”
The ponies in the room murmured in approval as they passed around boxes and cans, all with the same logo, a red N in a yellow star.
“And together, these products allow you to fully embrace the healthy diet created by Dr. Quack. Without solid foods weighing you down, you will be more active and more productive,” Berry Punch said. “You’ll have more energy when it matters most,” she added, looking at the stallions in particular.
“And when you join the NutriMix team, you become part of one of Equestria’s fastest-growing companies, a leader in direct-to-consumer nutritional supplements. You sell on your own time, fitting your own schedule. And best of all, when you bring other ponies into your network, you share in the proceeds. As a successful NutriMix team leader, your network will work for you! Today, you have a chance to get in on the ground floor. So, who’s going to be the first to sign up?”
Three ponies agreed. They gave Berry Punch a pouch of bits, and she gave them a crate filled with these strange products. The others in the room were hesitant. Berry Punch continued to regale them with tales about the greatness of NutriMix; Scootaloo felt like she was pressuring them. In the end, two more ponies relented.
She shook hooves with the remaining ponies, wishing them a good day, and reminding them that she was always available to talk about NutriMix.
Once these ponies departed, Berry Punch looked up. “Oh, Scootaloo! I didn’t expect to see you so soon! Is something wrong?”
“Yes, something’s wrong! Why couldn’t I get a strawberry tart at Sugarcube Corner?”
“Solid food is not part of our diet in this home. We embrace a more evolved diet.”
“Is that that Dr. Quack thing you were talking about?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Just what the heck is it?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’d be happy to talk about Dr. Quack’s diet,” Berry Punch said, easily slipping into salespony mode. “Think back to the past. Our primitive ancestors spent all day foraging for grasses. As ponies grew in intelligence and magic, they learned to cultivate better, more nutritious foods. But even after millennia, we still weigh ourselves down with grasses and hay.
“Dr. Quack stresses that the key to pony evolution is to evolve our diet, and the ultimate destination is a diet free from solid food. Not only does he live the diet himself, he also created the full line of NutriMix products to help ponies embrace the evolved life. I happily adopted the diet five years ago.”
“Isn’t that when you started stumbling around?” Scootaloo said.
“Dr. Quack’s diet is an ideal. Nopony said it was easy.”
Scootaloo recalled what Berry Pinch said about names. “His name is Quack,” she deadpanned.
“Just because a pony’s special talent is researching waterfowl doesn’t mean he can’t also be a recognized authority on pony nutrition.”
Scootaloo just stared at Berry Punch.
“Have you tried to get your cutie mark in sales?” Berry Punch said. “As a NutriMix salespony, you are your own boss and you can work on your own schedule. You’re a part of a growing family, all dedicated to helping ponies become fit and healthy.”
“I’m still in elementary school, you know.”
“And that doesn’t matter. NutriMix is a product for ponies of all kinds, all backgrounds, all ages. The NutriMix team is....”
“No,” Scootaloo interrupted.
“Huh?”
“No, I don’t want to sell this stupid product. No, I’m not going to give up desserts from Sugarcube Corner. And Dr. Quack is a quack!”
“That’s not very polite,” Berry Punch said.
“But it’s true,” Scootaloo replied. “Look, I guess it works for you, but I can’t live like this. I’ll take my things tonight.”
“Okay,” Berry Punch said.
Scootaloo fell to her haunches. She shook her head.
“What’s wrong, Scootaloo?”
“I have to tell another filly that she’s going to lose her new sister. And that makes me sad.”
Berry Punch patted her on the withers. “You’re a good pony, Scootaloo. Never forget that.”
Scootaloo looked at Berry Punch. The mare smiled warmly.
“And if you’re feeling sad, I recommend HerbaMix, NutriMix’s herbal energy supplement. Ponies who use it report improved mood and more restful sleep.”
Scootaloo’s exasperated scream resounded through the neighborhood.