//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: My Friend Scootaloo // by BellChime //------------------------------// Sweetie Bell cowered on the ground, eyes watering with unshed tears as her tormentors laughed cruelly. “Aw, is widdle Sweedie Bew afwaid of the muck-muck?” Diamond Tiara chuckled, flicking mud onto the cowering filly, though careful enough not to get her own perfectly manicured hooves overly dirty. “St-stop it.” Sweetie Bell whimpered. Why was it always like this? Though Diamond Tiara had a mean streak which she spared no one, it always seemed like they targeted her. She was the one who always heard loud snickering from the front corner of the room when she made a mistake. She was the one who always got gum stuck in her hair and lizards, which terrified her, placed in her desk, and cornered her behind the schoolhouse after school to taunt her, like now. “St-stop it.” Silver Spoon answered, mimicking her high-pitched voice. Sweetie Bell looked for a place to run off too, but any path of escape was blocked by the two bullies. She tilted her chin up, trying to be in brave. “You’re g-going to be in big trouble.” She whispered. Diamond Tiara sniffed and looked around. “Oh, really? Then why’s nobody stopping us?” She sneered, pushing the other filly into the mud puddle. Sweetie Bell lay there, too scared to get up for fear of being pushed back again. “Probably because she doesn’t have any friends.” Silver Spoon snorted above her. “That’s not true.” Sweetie Bell protested meekly, not even meeting their eyes. “It’s because she’s such a wimp.” Diamond Tiara answered. “Who wants to be friends with a wimp?” “Or somebody covered with smelly mud?” Silver Spoon responded. “Yeah, Sweetie Bell smells alright.” Diamond Tiara laughed. “Sweetie Bell smells.” Silver Spoon whispered in Sweetie Bell’s ear. “Sweetie Bell smells.” Diamond Tiara repeated, grinning. They leaned in closer too Sweetie Bell, who was petrified, hissing over and over, “Sweetie Bell smells. Sweetie Bell smells.” Sweetie Bell wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and disappear, away from the bullies, away from the mud, away from the everything. But then- “You leave her alone!” A voice called out. “Huh?” Sweetie Bell wondered, daring to lift her head. “What?” Asked Diamond Tiara, surprised at Sweetie Bell’s sudden shift from fear to curiosity, turning to see what the little unicorn was looking at. “It’s just a distraction, Tiara, she’s messing with us.” Silver Spoon said, nonchalantly, splashing her with muddy water again, but Sweetie Bell didn’t notice. “I said, leave her alone,” Said the voice. Sweetie Bell stood up, trying to get a better look at her rescuer. A small orange pegasus stood staring at them with her head held high, fuchsia eyes glaring with steely determination. “Who are you?” Asked Sweetie Bell. “Diamond Tiara, dummy.” Diamond Tiara snapped. “Did your brain go on vacation or something?” “Did your brain go on vacation?” The pegasus challenged. “What’s your name?” Asked Sweetie Bell. “What’s whose name?” Asked Diamond Tiara. “If you don’t start talking sense soon, I’m gonna push you again.” “Um, Diamond,” Silver Spoon said, giving Sweetie Bell a wide-eyed look, “I don’t think she’s talking to us.” “What do you mean? Of course she’s talking to us-Oh. Oh.” Diamond Tiara’s face flashed with understanding, which was immediately replaced with another sneer. “You’re really pathetic, you know that?” She turned to Silver Spoon. “I can’t believe her.” “N-neither c-can I.” Silver Spoon answered, staring at Sweetie Bell. “Come on, Silver Spoon.” Said Diamond Tiara. “Let’s get away from this loser.” She tossed her head and cantered off. Silver Spoon cast Sweetie Bell one last bewildered look, before following. The pegasus walked up to Sweetie Bell. “What acouple of jerks, huh?” “Y-yeah.” Sweetie Bell answered. “So,” The pegasus continued, “The name’s Scootaloo.” “I-I’m Sweetie Bell.” Sweetie Bell introduced herself. “Nice.” Scootaloo smiled. “Wanna hang out?” “Yeah!” Sweetie Bell agreed. Nobody had ever asked her to hang out before! It wasn’t that everybody was as cruel as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Sweetie Bell was just a rather shy filly, and shy fillies tend to be overlooked. But Scootaloo wasn’t overlooking her. Scootaloo was nice. Then Sweetie remembered her voice, and added, “We can go over to my house, if that’s OK with you.” “Cool with me.” So the two fillies walked off, Sweetie Bell leading the way, and with a warm feeling that this was the start of a lovely friendship.