Finding Clues
The clubhouse door immediately swung open. The CMC rushed into their clubhouse with excited faces as Scootaloo and Applebloom sat around the table in the middle of the clubhouse; Sweetie Belle closed the door before joining them. All three had eager, excited smiles on their faces, ready to try out this new idea.
Applebloom spoke first with excitement in her tone, "Okay, girls, let's see if we can get our cutie marks by solving dreams," The girls had their eyes glued on Applebloom as she pointed at Scootaloo and asked her a few questions, "So, Scootaloo, you said you had a dream about seeing your 'supposed' real mother, right?"
Scootaloo nodded, "That's right."
While Applebloom asked the questions, Sweetie Belle brought out a pen and notepad, writing down anything Scootaloo had to say. She had been getting a little better with her magic – and that was good because, in her honest opinion, drawing or writing with one's hooves or mouth was not exactly easy or clean.
"Alright, you remember hearing a voice, seeing a shadow and being at that orphanage when it happened. Well, think you can remember what she looked like?" Applebloom asked curiously.
If Scootaloo could remember all of this, then surely she had to at least remember a glimpse of what her 'mother' looked like or at least remember a distinct feature.
Scootaloo looked down in thought and tried her best to remember. She concentrated as best she could, but, like before, she had a hard time remembering anything else about her dream, and it didn't help that when she did think about that mysterious mare, she recalled that she looked like she was made of shadow. She couldn't see any other feature on the mare because of that, "Gah! All I remember about what she looked like is that she looked like she was made of shadows while some bright light was behind her. I couldn't make out any other feature," She facehooved in frustration, "I'm sorry, but I can't remember anything else." She let out a heavy grunt and slammed her forehead on the table. ‘C'mon, you stupid brain! Remember!' She bitterly cursed at her brain, trying to get it to remember.
"Uh, Scootaloo, if you do that again, you might cause your head to blow up," Sweetie Belle teased for the heck of it. Scootaloo looked at Sweetie with unamused eyes. She wasn't buying that for a moment. Plus, Sweetie Belle wasn't good at making jokes. Heck, she probably couldn't do stand-up comedy to save her life!
Scootaloo rolled her eyes, "Right! And my eyes will pop out if I squint really hard," She joked, receiving a chuckle from her two besties.
"I'm just saying," Sweetie Belle giggled as she wrote down something on the notepad.
Scootaloo shook her head and cracked a little smile before trying again. She placed her hooves on her head and concentrated, closing her eyes, but after a few minutes, nothing. Not one thought of what she saw came back. She opened her eyes and pouted in frustration, "Darn it all to Celestia, why can't I remember?!"
"Maybe you should try sleeping again," Sweetie Belle suggested, "that should help, I think?"
Applebloom raised an eyebrow at Sweetie Belle, "I don't think that's how it works, Sweetie Belle," she said. "My sister once told me that dreams only happen once and when you sleep again, you dream of something different."
"Yeah, but it was just a thought," she placed the notepad and pen down and sighed. "Besides, I think your sister and mine have different ideas. Rarity once told me that when your dreams start repeating, it may mean something is about to happen soon."
Mentally agreeing that perhaps their respective siblings had different ideas on how dreams work, Applebloom saw the notepad and took it. She gazed at it to see if Sweetie actually wrote down anything but only saw a drawing of herself singing behind a microphone.
Applebloom looked at the drawing bemused and gave Sweetie Belle that exact same glance, thinking she wasn't taking this seriously. ‘Really, Sweetie Belle?' was the only thought that came for this one.
Sweetie Belle just shrugged and smiled innocently.
They sat around the table for a while and waited for any more ideas to come up. Silence embedded the whole clubhouse, but Applebloom spoke, again, "This is gonna tougher than I thought."
Scootaloo pouted as she held her cheek while trying to think, "Maybe I should've taken your brother up on his offer to talk about this. I bet he would've had a better idea on who it could be."
Applebloom then perked up when Scootaloo brought that up; They may not be able to solve it themselves as they were three fillies, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little adult help, "My brother? Scootaloo, that's a good idea," She nodded at the surprised Scootaloo and admitted to her, "My big brother may not be the most well-spoken pony in Ponyville, but he may know a thing or two on mares."
They nod in agreement, it wouldn't damage their efforts to get a little bit of help from those close to them.
But when they were about to head out to get his aid, a few knocks on the door suddenly introduced themselves. A familiar feminine voice called out to Sweetie Belle, "Sweetie Belle, are you in there?"
"Rarity?" she said in a squeaky, confused tone.
"Can you open up? I need to tell you and your friends something," Rarity asked. "It's kind of important."
Sweetie Belle walked up to the door and opened it. A beautiful, if not graceful white unicorn with a purple mane and tail stood in front of the entrance and gave her a small smile. She had three blue diamonds that bore on each side of her flank symbolizing her cutie mark and her talent as a fashionista. She wore fake eyelashes to enhance the beauty she already possesses. Almost all stallions would agree that she would win any beauty pageant and modeling contest, hoofs down. Though with Sweetie Belles' older sister, as far as she's concerned, the beauty from the inside or outside was never enough for her, but, thankfully, this did not make her a vain pony to others.
But despite their thoughts, she doesn't partake in any of pageants or modeling contests. Not that she wasn't interested, but she would much rather focus on designing fashion accessories, clothing and, most importantly, being generous towards others. For she is one of the six element bearers: generosity.
"Um, hi Rarity, what are you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked confused as to why her older sister was here.
"Hello, girls!" Rarity said with a warm smile. "I came here to ask you girls for assistance. You see, there is going to be a filly fashion show premiering sometime this week, and you girls are perfect for helping me design the dresses for the show," she explained while the CMC secretly rolled their eyes. "It's not much really, all you get to do is stand or sit around while I work," that got them to smile a bit. It wasn't that they -- especially Scootaloo -- didn't care about fashion as they were just little ones, but they just didn't have much a love for it as Rarity did – which was kind of ironic in Sweetie Belle's case, seeing how this is her big sister who was talking to them; she just didn't find herself as talented with fashion as her, but it made her happy. When it came down to doing nothing while Rarity did her work, however, they didn't mind that at all.
Sweetie Belle glanced back at her friends then looked up at her sister, "Hold on a second, Rarity, let me talk to my friends first," she said with a slight squeak in her voice and rushed back to her friends as the huddled up.
"Um, alright, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said as she waited for a little bit.
It didn't take long for the three fillies to nod to one another and give Rarity agreeing nods; they'll happily help out. This caused Rarity to squee and clap her hooves, "Thank you so much, girls! Once this is all done, I promise to do something special for the three of you," she said with a giddy smile.
"Funny you mention that, Rares." Her little sister sheepishly giggled, which got her curious.
Applebloom nodded, "Could you meet us outside in five minutes?"
Rarity blinked but gazed at the clock in their clubhouse, she still had enough time to do her work, but it wouldn't hurt to listen to what the little fillies were up to. Plus, she was curious to why she didn't come across them in town, because they don't normally take this long in their little clubhouse. Normally, they'd be out around town by now, doing their crusader thing. Something must've gotten to them.
"Very well." She agreed in return for their agreement to help her.
***Outside at the Clubhouse Ramp***
The two fillies and mare waited for Applebloom to return, which wasn't long as they soon saw her coming back with her brother.
"Hey, Scootaloo… you feelin' any better?" He asked the little Pegasus in a calm, worried tone once he arrived.
Scootaloo rubbed her arm and smiled sheepishly, as if to apologize for worrying him, seeing how she had gently rejected his offer of talking about what was bothering her, "I-I'm fine now."
Now officially curious, Rarity looked to her sister and Scootaloo, "What were you three doing up there? You don't normally take this long in your clubhouse."
Big Mac looked curious as well, raising a brow at his little sister, for he had to agree with the fashionista, "Normally, you'd be playin' or crusadin' around at this time."
This caused the respective siblings to blush, mentally cursing to themselves because their older sister and brother had known them all too well.
"Oh, well, we were trying to solve this dream Scootaloo had," Applebloom said, openly telling her.
"A dream?" Rarity raised a brow. Scootaloo nodded sheepishly.
Big Mac sat down near the three, ears perked as he listened to this while eyeing Scootaloo. He may not be the most talkative pony there is, but he could tell by her actions that she was a bit shy to bring this up around older ponies.
Amused, he smiled and wrapped an arm around her. It caused her to look up at him in a bit of surprise, but his smile got her to relax.
Despite being Applebloom's older brother, and due to the fact this is probably the first time she ever got to talk this long with not only him but also Rarity, Big Macintosh felt like a big brother-figure to Scootaloo. Whenever she, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had a little problem – they verbally make it known, much to her embarrassment when she found out – he was always there to listen to what they had to say, no matter how odd, bad or even stupid it was. He would calmly let them speak out their feelings and just do what he could to help.
‘Guess that's one of the perks of having a sibling,' Scootaloo thought to herself, ‘They're always there to listen to you when you're having a problem.' She didn't notice due to being so distracted in her thoughts, but she subconsciously cuddled up to him, letting his comforting, warm embrace enfold her as it unknowingly reminded her of how warm the voice sounded.
"Yeah, she was dreaming about seeing her mother show up at the orphanage," Sweetie Belle explained to Rarity and Big Mac, and received a surprised face from them in return.
"Her… mother?" Rarity looked at Scootaloo who started to blush a little and acted very shyly when Rarity was staring at her.
"Oh… was that why you were glummer than a spider without a web earlier?" Big Mac spoke to her gently, now getting an understanding of why she looked so sad earlier. Scootaloo shyly nodded once more.
Both Rarity and Big Mac smiled softly at her and giggled a bit at Scootaloo's shyness, "That's so cute!" She said.
"Eeyup!" He agreed with her, finding it just as adorable.
"Do you remember anything else about your dream, dear?" She asked kindly and curiously, actually getting invested in this. She hasn't spent any time with her little sister for a while now and she'd figured some quality time would ease some stress she's been having during her dress designing; a break would be good now and then and this was the perfect time for it.
Same went for Big Mac. He wanted to learn more of this. Despite being a hard worker on the farm, a little break wouldn't hurt every now and then. Granny taught him better than to overexert himself. Some bonding with his little ‘baby' sister and her friends seemed like a good idea for a break too.
"Um, well--" Scootaloo paused for a second before giving the two grown ponies some form of an answer "--all I can remember is hearing her voice. How calm and soft it sounded. It sounded all echo-y and then it disappeared," she explained as best as she could, then received an understanding nod from the white unicorn and red stallion.
"We've tried to find ways of solving her dream, but we couldn't come up with anything," Sweetie Belle said in a sad tone.
"Well, you did mention that sleep again part," Applebloom pointed out from their earlier conversation.
"Yeah, but you said that wasn't going to work since Applejack said you only dream of something once--"
"—Yeah, but then you said that Rarity said that sometimes a dream repeats itself, which means it could mean something's gonna happen!"
The two fillies started to glare at one another as they were about to argue, if not for the older brother of the group to split them up.
"Simmer down there, girls," Big Mac gently separated the two before they could do something they would regret. "We all have different opinions on how this dream hoo-ha works. Some work the way Applejack thinks or some work out the way Rarity would think," He rubbed his forehead, a bit puzzled himself at this type of explanation. "But sometimes, dreams work in the most oddest of ways."
"And amazingly, he's right," Rarity interrupted, causing the three fillies and stallion to look at her in surprise before she continued to talk. "Some dreams do have meaning. If you remember parts of your dream, then it does mean something," she tapped her hoof under her chin to see if she could come up with an idea for the CMC as they watched her before she caught an idea and suggested, "Perhaps searching for clues could solve your investigation."
Big Mac nodded as he smiled lightly down at the three fillies, "It's important to get the facts so y'all can get a better idea on what this dream means, or who it is referrin' to."
The three fillies looked at each other and thought about that idea. That's not a bad idea, at all. They smiled and glanced back at Rarity and Big Mac, they all nodded in agreement to their suggestion, "Sure, we'll give that a shot," Scootaloo said.
Rarity smiled warmly from hearing that, "I'm happy you three like the idea."
Big Mac was equally pleased to hear they approve, "Eeyup." He smiled softly, feeling achieved with helping the three.
"What made you come up with that idea, big sis'?" Sweetie asked.
"Well," Rarity pondered. "I've been having the same things happen to me before."
"Come to think of it?" Big Mac tapped his chin in thought as he gazed up. "That happened to me too." He admitted, which caused Applebloom to look at him in surprise.
"Wait, you both have had the same dreams as me?" Scootaloo cocked her head to the side and raised a confused brow.
Big Mac chuckled and blew a raspberry at that silly idea, "Pfft!" He reassured Scootaloo, "Not like that, little sugarcube." He ruffled her mane, causing her to squeak a bit before he and Rarity tried to give a better explanation.
Rarity giggled and waved a hoof, "No, no, darling," she said. "What I mean is that I always have dreams when I sleep. But for most of them, I wake up and remember them like they became an actual memory," The fillies gave off the same confused looks to the element bearer, still not getting it.
"Eeyup. I used to believe that dreams were just weird thoughts in our head when I was your age," Big Mac pointed to them, "But as I grew older, I found out that when I wake up from one of my dreams, I could actually feel it really happening."
Applebloom looked intrigued as she looked up at her brother, "Really?" and she received a nod from him in return.
"Eeyup. It's a bit difficult to explain, little sis."
Rarity cleared her throat and explained it to them as best to their understanding, "What I'm trying to say is that my dreams become ideas that I use for my work. Those fashion clothes you see in the Boutique? They came to me while I was asleep. I woke up remembering every detail I could. Every stitch, fabric, gem, everything. I worked on them as much as I could and before I knew it I brought them into reality," she said with a tone of triumphant. Though, she did receive amazed looks from the three fillies.
"And you know how hard I've been working lately at the orchards? It wasn't because it was my job; it was because my dreams told me that I needed to work my tail off to get through life, but at just the right pace. So that I could be there for those who needed me," Big Mac smiled at his little sister and her little friends as they look at him in awe, "And lately," He chuckled as he recalled how often he had been finishing his chores within almost record-breaking time, "I find myself finishing my chores early just so I could get to spend time with those closest to me: my friends and my family."
That almost brought tears to their eyes as Sweetie, Applebloom and even Rarity couldn't help but feel touched by such words.
"So, is my dream telling me a message?" Scootaloo asked with bliss in her eyes and an excited smile.
"In a way, yes," Rarity said, nodding. "If you want to learn more, I suggest you look for clues to start you off."
Big Mac nodded in agreement with her, "Eeyup."
Scootaloo's smile faded when she said that. Finding at least one clue was gonna be a challenge in itself, "But I don't have any clues to help me. I don't even know where to start."
"How about the orphanage?" Sweetie Belle suggested.
Scootaloo beamed her eyes on Sweetie Belle and shook her head in defiance at the thought of even going back there, "No thank you, Sweetie Belle. That place has been a pain since day one," she said buzzing her tiny wings in a slight fit of anger. "The last thing I want to do is talk to that stupid assistant Greedy Bags."
Rarity cocked an eyebrow wondering what was going on in that orphanage to make Scootaloo so angry, "What's been going on with the orphanage, Scootaloo?" She asked, slightly worried.
"Yeah, what's her deal, little sugarcube?" Big Mac looked concerned at how aggravated she looked; has she been having trouble there?
Scootaloo sneered and looked away with hate in her eyes, "Pfft, nearly every orphan there is a bully. They steal from each other, won't help anyone else and are only good when grown-ups are around." She rolled her eyes at how devious they can be. It's the literal definition of wolf in sheep's clothing. She hated it to its very core. She sighed to herself then said, "You name one bad thing and they'd likely done it." She acted as though that orphanage was Tartarus itself.
Needless to say, the two grown-ups were speechless.
‘Please tell me you're exaggerating, Little Sugarcube?' Big Mac thought as worriedly hoped that she wasn't being serious.
And Rarity thought Scootaloo was just being huffy because, well, kids will be kids. But to hear Scootaloo lash out about one of the workers there made it seem like something wasn't right with this picture, "Oh my." That's all she could say after hearing an aggressive tone like that while Big Mac let out a light gasp. She guessed she couldn't blame her. But they noticed rage from the little filly seeped out a bit; she wasn't done.
"And to make it worse, Greedy Bags does nothing about it! She just sits around and files her hooves like nopony matters to her," she looked at them with an understandably hated glare, "She doesn't care one way or another, and I'm sick of it!" The four ponies around her gave sorry looks, feeling bad that Scootaloo's going through that. "And that's why I never go back there. It's an awful place!" She shouted as she buzzed her wings out of anger and floated briefly before dropping back down. She huffed for a moment before looking down, feeling bummed, "But I have to be there because no one wants to adopt me."
With a name like Greedy Bags, there was no doubt that orphanage had some issues.
Rarity placed a hoof over her heart and looked at Scootaloo, feeling so bad for her. She hoped somepony would adopt her soon. She's a good friend to her little sister.
Big Mac felt the same way as his ears folded down in dismay as he looked at Scootaloo in heartbreak. His heart felt heavier than any plow he worked with. It made his blood boil that somepony like Greedy Bags would do that to such an innocent little filly. He glared lightly off into the distance – if he had the right things to deal with Greedy Bags himself, he'd give that mare a piece of his mind. Heck, if he had his way, he would even adopt Scootaloo himself if it meant making this little Pegasus happy – just like Rarity, he hoped things would turn out good for Scootaloo soon. She makes his sister very happy when they're together.
"Alright, Scootaloo. We won't go there, then" Applebloom chimed in, hoping to make Scootaloo feel better by saying that. "Any other ideas on where to start?"
Sweetie Belle shook her head, running on blanks right now. She felt like she was no help at all to them. Rarity, however, had keener eyes than the three fillies and managed to find one thing to use as a good start.
Scootaloo shrugged until Rarity spoke to them, "Do not fret, fillies," She said in a cheerful tone, "If you feel like the orphanage can't help you, then perhaps your scooter just might give you an answer." Applebloom and Sweetie Belle just gave Rarity looks as if she was a crazy mare for saying that Even Big Mac had a hard time figuring out what she meant by that.
Scootaloo looked at Rarity, confused, "My scooter?" she said as she took a moment to think of her favorite scooter leaning against the treehouse wall outside the window. "How can my scooter give me--" A sudden flashback of her last birthday party came to mind and she remembered how much fun she had; How many ponies were there and how many presents she got from everypony; From Applejack, to Rainbow Dash, to Fluttershy, even Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. It was a blast! But the one thing that was out of the ordinary was one present-- in fact, the only present-- she received was from a pony named anonymous. Why they named themselves that, she didn't know; it was weird. Yet, funny enough, the best present she received was from that anonymous pony was her favorite scooter. "--the answer."
Big Mac noticed Scootaloo's puzzled look and smiled a bit, thinking she should use that as a start, "Might wanna go find it, then. Maybe it might hold something for ya." This was beginning to be a fun mystery right now.
Rarity was all for a good mystery solving moment, but right now, she still needed to work on those fashion designs for the filly fashion show, "Sweetie, it's time to head back," she reminded her.
"Huh? Oh, right."
"Scootaloo, we'll see you once you find out who gave you that scooter," Rarity said as she motioned Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to follow her.
But Scootaloo remained behind with Big Mac, hypnotized by the questions she gave to herself.
"You still got that scooter during your last birthday party, right?" Big Mac gazed at the scooter over at the clubhouse and then back at Scootaloo. She only slowly nodded as the questions clouded her mind.
"But it was the only one who didn't have a name of who it was from," He hadn't been able to attend due to having to do deliveries through town, but Applejack filled him in.
Yes. Who bought the scooter? Why would this anonymous pony buy such a great gift? And where?
Where?!
Scootaloo snapped out of her thoughts, "That's it!" she shouted, almost knocking the stallion off his hooves from the shock. "Oop, sorry, Big Mac.
"Scootaloo!" Applebloom called out, "You coming or what?"
Scootaloo perked her ears and turned her head, gazing at the trail where her friends were walking on. "Coming!" she replied. She rushed after her friends as they waited with Rarity, but she screeched to a stop and looked back, she quickly hurried back and hugged Big Mac close.
This caught him off guard for a minute. But he smiled and hugged her gingerly, rubbing her back but minded her wings.
"Thanks, Big Mac. It means a lot that even you would try to help me figure this out," She felt grateful that he was around to lend a hoof to even her, even if they were not related.
"Eeyup," That was all he could say, but she knew he was saying ‘You're welcome' in his own way, "If you ever need help, y'all know where I am." Scootaloo nodded, promising to come to him for help more often.
Sharing a hoofbump, she hurried after her friends and Rarity. Once she caught up, they walked together when Rarity took lead and escorted them back to the boutique.
"What was with that shout, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I think I might know where I can find my answer," Scootaloo replied and made the two crusaders stop to face her surprisingly.
"Really?!" they said in excitement and prompted Rarity to turn around to see what the commotion was about until Scootaloo walked up to her.
"Miss Rarity, is it okay if I go to the Ponyville toyshop real quick?" she asked, "I need to ask the pony that works there something."
Rarity smiled down at Scootaloo and giggled to herself. Looks like Scootaloo didn't pay attention to what she said. "Darling, I said we'd see you later. You're free to go, if you wish. But make it fast, time is not on anypony's side."
Scootaloo nodded before she eagerly darted for the toy shop in Ponyville, leaving Rarity and her friends.
***Ponyville***
Fluttershy walked away from a carrot stand. She bought three carrots for Angel so he wouldn't be grouchy and go hungry. She placed them in a bag and happily trotted further into Ponyville to find more groceries and supplies for her animal friends and herself.
She spotted a lettuce stand two feet away and trotted over to the stand with a soft, peaceful smile. She was in a good mood today and doing something nice for her friends always lifted her spirit. She approached the lettuce stand, "Um, excuse me," she said with a soft, innocent tone to her voice.
"What do you want?" a big, brawny pegasus with a slightly shaved beard and darkish brown fur rose from over the other side of the table and glared at Fluttershy with crude, aggressive eyes. He goes by the name Rocky Road.
Rocky made Fluttershy jump and crouch a bit, shaking from that sudden approach "I, uh, I-I'd like to buy three heads of lettuces, please," she shook in fear from the mere appearance of the bulky stallion.
"You want three heads of lettuces, do ya?" he talked in a thin, country-like voice and kept beaming those aggressive eyes down at Fluttershy. His brown pupils spelled 'don't waste my time'.
"Y-yes, please," Fluttershy said with moisture forming in the corner of her eyes.
He leaned his head down towards the frightened pegasus, "Well then, little miss sunshine," he growled lightly but suddenly shifted to soft chuckle and snicker then leaned his head back and laughed hysterically. "That'll be four bits, Fluttershy," he said, cracking a half smile at the shy Pegasus as he gave her a little nudge with his hoof. He was joking all along and having fun with the poor mare. A rough sense of humor was his style.
Fluttershy stood herself back up and calmed down, taking deep breaths to hold back the tears and spoke to the tough pegasus like what just happened didn't happen, "Goodness, you scared me, Rocky," she pouted a bit at him for doing that, "You shouldn't scare me like that!" she was speaking firmly for a bit, but all Rocky heard was a regular tone, but he got the hint anyway.
"I did?!" Rocky snickered, again, acting like this was a typical thing. Plus, he kind of found it cute how shy she always got. But he did feel sorry for her and looked at her sympathetically when he noticed those tiny specks of tears trying to form in her eyes, "Aw, I didn't mean to scare ya. I was only joking with ya, Fluttershy", he said, "But, you're right. I should ease up on my jokes. I keep forgetting how tender you are."
Fluttershy giggled a little and stopped her pouting, "Oh, it's quite alright, Rocky. How's business going?" she asked in her kind, friendly tone.
He smiled proudly, "Going well! Customers come now and then and it's making business stand up." He chuckled happily, "But comparing them to you, you're the one that holds the record for coming here the most," he complimented.
"Do I really?" she asked, blushing sheepishly.
"Yup! Say, where's that little rabbit friend of yours?" Rocky asked with an eyebrow raised. He even looked over the Pegasus real quick to see if he could spot the little bunny. Usually, Fluttershy would have an animal friend or two follow her during her shopping.
"He's back home with the other animals," she said. "He normally doesn't want to come unless he wants to."
"Alright, then," he gave her the lettuce as she swaps it with four bits, "Here's your lettuce. You take care now."
"Thanks, Rocky," she smiled again and placed the lettuce in her bag, then walked away before she waved good-bye to him.
Rocky waved in return and chuckled with a slightly fond smile as he watched her leave, "She's such a sweet, beautiful mare," he then sighed then turned his head with a disappointed glare at the shadows of his stand, "It's a shame you had to go and abandon her like that all those years ago." A box was placed on the ground hard behind Rocky, "But I can see you don't care about that—or her." A mysterious shadow walked away and disappeared behind the stand without a word, leaving Rocky to himself.
"Ok, where to next?" Fluttershy dug her muzzle in her bag and brought out a pen and checklist of things to buy.
Written on the list was carrots, corn, apples, fish, and sugar cookies checked off. The only things left to buy were crackers, honey, and new PJs; the next time Rainbow Dash decides to barge in the middle of the night just to wake her up for cider, she'll be prepared, "Oh, how embarrassing," She blushed and facehooved her forehead at that memory.
Getting off-track, she looked at her list again and spotted the next thing to buy: PJs. "Oh, Rarity's Boutique isn't that far!" she squeed with joy. She trotted down the right path across Town Hall, and straight down leading to the honey shop. She soon passed the toy shop she went to a few days ago. She stopped to look back at the store. Memories of Scootaloo's birthday splashed in her mind and caused her to remember the presents she bought for the young filly; seeing her laugh and smile when she opened them. It made Fluttershy feel all warm inside, knowing that her own flesh and blood enjoyed that wonderful day.
"Scootaloo…" she whispered to herself as she walked away from the store, only to be bumped into, causing her to fall right on her haunches and knock the bag off her back and onto the ground. Thankfully, her stuff didn't spill out. She rubbed her head as the one who bumped into her groaned as well.
"Ow," she shook her head and glanced at who she bumped into, only to end up having a surprised look to see who was in front of her…
"Scootaloo?"
Scootaloo sat up and shook her head, then looked at Fluttershy as she got back up, "Oh, hey Fluttershy, sorry for bumping into you," she said with a groggy groan, "I was in a hurry to go somewhere." She shook her head again and regained her equilibrium. For a soft pony, bumping into Fluttershy was like bumping into a wall.
Fluttershy stood back up and looked down at Scootaloo "It's alright, Scootaloo. No harm done," she said and smiled softly as she helped her up. "Where are you off to?"
"I'm going to the toy store. I need to ask an employee something," Scootaloo explained.
"Alright then. Oh, how is the petition signing coming along?"
Scootaloo sighed disappointingly, "It went okay. We had twenty-five or twenty-six ponies sign the petition, but that's about it."
Fluttershy's ears drooped and she frowned from hearing the sad news, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."
"It's fine, Fluttershy. Anyway, I'll see you later. I've got a lot of things to do."
Fluttershy tilted her head, curiously "Oh? Like what?" She blushed faintly, feeling as though she's intruding. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."
"Just some dress designing for Rarity," Scootaloo said with a shrug nonchalantly. "Anyway, I better go, later Fluttershy," she galloped around Fluttershy and headed inside the toy store first. She waved at Fluttershy before disappearing inside.
Fluttershy waved back before she grabbed her bag and placed it on her back. She looked at the ground with another gloomy frown as she started walking, "Oh Scootaloo, I'm still so proud of you for trying," she said as she walked toward the Carousel Boutique.
But then her conscious told her about what Pinkie told her 'Sooner or later, either you tell her, or she'll find out the truth on her own!'
Fluttershy quickly snapped out of her space and groaned a bit "I know Pinkie, but this isn't the time and place! Maybe some other time." she said to herself as she walked to the boutique. Then another thought occurred to her, "Wait, if Rarity's Boutique is that way, why is Scootaloo going the other way?" she pondered but didn't want to oppose any further.
***Ponyville Toystore***
Scootaloo entered the toy store and widened her eyes in awe. As expected, the shelves were crammed with toys from action figures and doll to skateboards and scooters. Scootaloo smiled with glee, her mind went into a fantasy world where all she wanted to do was play with these toys for hours on end. If she had her way, she would've wanted to live in this toy store if she got to play with them all day.
She beamed her eyes all different direction to look at toys of different shapes and sizes. She even found the scooter isle where she saw scooters that had the same color and sticker style she owned. She was in a world of paradise and wished she could live in here for the rest of her life. "This. Is. So. Awesome!"
Her glorious fantasy, however, was cut short when a voice snapped her back into reality "Hello?" the voice called out to her in the form of the toy store employee.
Scootaloo blinked and looked up at the employee, "Hi" she responded.
The employee smiled at her, "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked with a friendly tone.
"Um, no thanks, I'm good," she said and completely forgetting why she was here.
"Alright then, take your time," the employee said before walking away to do his job.
Scootaloo smiled before her face faded into a forgetful look. She felt like something slipped her mind the moment she walked, gazing around the aisle until her eyes landed right on the scooters. She gasped when the thought came back to her like a rolling rock, "Wait!" she called the employee back.
The employee heard her and trotted back to her, "Yes?"
Scootaloo dug deep in her mind to try and spill her question as best as possible, "Um, a few weeks ago, was there anyone who bought a scooter like these?" she pointed to the scooters next to her.
The employee couldn't understand her question and raised a confused brow at her, "Little one, there were dozens of ponies who bought scooters just like those, but I don't fully understand your question."
Scootaloo sighed in frustration and tried to think, "Okay, two weeks ago was my birthday. I got a scooter as a present from an anonymous pony. Was there anypony here that bought a scooter as a present around that time?" She finally described her thoughtfully.
The employee lifted his head up to think. Her question seemed serious, but unfortunately, while he wanted to help, asking about someone's purchase, no matter the time, was against the rules. He looked back at Scootaloo and saw anticipation and desperation in her eyes. The employee had no idea who Scootaloo was talking about, but he had to say something until a memory splashed into his mind. The employee sighed and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear, "Look, I can't tell you who bought the scooter because I don't know who bought it. And it's against the rules." Scootaloo felt gravity take her heart and crush it. Her hope of finding out the anonymous pony had been decimated. She felt like she wanted to cry for her failure, but the employee spoke again, "But, I do remember the last employee who worked here said that there was only one mare that day who bought a scooter," he said, lifting Scootaloo's spirit a bit. "He didn't exactly remember what her color was, but he did remember how soft her voice was; caring, kind and sweet. He could've sworn he felt his heart and spirit being carried off when she talked to him. Almost as if he was talking to an angel."
Scootaloo raised a brow at the employee, "A soft voice?" She was surprised to hear this. Her hopes were slowly rising again by the employees' words. She smiled at the employee relieved, "Thanks, I think I might know who you're talking about."
"Anytime! Just don't say anything, okay? If my boss found out, I won't hear the end of it," he winked as the happy little orange filly giggled and galloped out of the toy store and rushed back to Rarity's Boutique with a skip in her step.
Finally, she had a hint of who her mother could be. In her dream, the mystery mare had a soft, but loving voice, just like the employee described.
As she galloped, Scootaloo tried to think of any mares that could have soft voices. Roseluck? Moondancer? Octavia? Milky Way? Any other mares would've been decent. Either one of them could be her actual mother. But then something hit her and caused her to skid to a stop. She then thought, ‘So many mares in Ponyville. Right, so how long will it take for me to find the right one? Too long!' She groaned in frustration and anger, "Doggone it!" She stamped a hoof as she pouted hard, "Who am I kidding?! I'll never find my mother in this town! Gah! Might as well call it quits," she started doubting herself as she just walked back to the boutique instead of running and hung her head low.
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3997116 What the fox are you talking about?
3.bp.blogspot.com/-yh1aP7MH-UE/Tfg8BiLCN8I/AAAAAAAAF6w/WLMkujKkGX0/s1600/24519+-+artist+kloudmutt+fluttershy+scootaloo.png
I'm loving this so much
You jump between past and present tense a lot. Also, the lettuce scene, though not technically incorrect, was off. One would not say, "I want three lettuces." You can, but lettuce is usually refereed to in heads, as in, "I want three heads of lettuce." Scootaloo using "received" when talking about her birthday gift was also a bit odd, though not technically wrong, as it is something a kid wouldn't likely say. "I got a scooter for my birthday," is more along the lines of what a kid would say.
As for the Scootaloo and Fluttershy situation; where I don't think giving the foal up was wrong, not retrieving her down the road is something the filly could be upset about. It's understandable for a young mother to give up their child if they believe they will not be able to properly provide for said child, which was obviously Fluttershy's situation, but it isn't anymore. She is now an adult, apparently has the resources to raise a filly as she cares for a bunch of animals and buys expensive gifts, and has five good friends who would be willing to help her. At this point, it is only fear of rejection that is keeping her from moving a daughter who she obviously cares about into a better home. If I were Scootaloo, this is what I would be upset about; the fact that my mother was willing to watch me from a distance as I struggled through life's hardships on my own. The fact that said mother lives in the same town would upset me even more than if she had moved away after giving me up.
Anyway, this is still an interesting story and I hope you update soon. I also hope the two have a happy ending and that the above blurb helps you out.
3997116 wait, what?
3997328 it is building up to that. thank you for pointing out the lettuce scene. We had some issues with that.
3997127 Very cute, warms my
I hope Scootaloo and Fluttershy are able to reconcile eventually, I still blame the stallion who abandoned Fluttershy for everything though.
Here's some things you may want to edit.
You constantly write "Scootaloos'" instead of "Scootaloo's".
I think there should be a comma for the word "Right".
That should be "behind".
I think there should be and question mark there, either with or without the exclamation point.
That should be "moisture".
That should be "passed".
And that should be "Rarity's".
Unless, you're planning to execute Scootaloo (which you better not be
), I think you meant behind.
Welp, I think I can guess who the father is...
One of two things will happen when the moment they reunite happens:
A. My heart melts
B. My heart melts and I start crying
One of these things will happen, there's no escaping it.
3998583
common mistake, I fixed it
it should be girls
It's cute. Not exactly a grand form of literature. Just... cute.
I wonder if the father knows about Scootaloo. He did abandon Fluttershy before Scootaloo was born.
So nice start and I did love that comic, but... you need to work on your grammar and you need to stop making sentences present tense. Such as She walks over it should be She walked over
You are missing tons of periods or commas after dialogue has finished. Example: “I remember her saying: Scootaloo, come home” Is missing a period after home or a comma. Sorry, I'm sure you are sick of these comments by now but it is very distracting.
completely forgetting why she here Missing a word...
aww, I read that waaaay to quickly.
Awsome so far, But I need to go do school work now.
Next chapter, or i will rape your butt. But really, i could KILL if i would see how this story ends :D IT'S SO AWESOME!!!!
4000259 thanks for the tip.
Looks like we're getting warmer, then.
I personally would have gone with false rather than fake but really great story so far!
fluttershy is schootaloo's mom isn't she?
WHERE'S THE THIRD CHAPTER!!!!!!
4030925 probably should read the comic. Yes she is.
Scoots, you were talking to a mare that speaks softly moments before you went into the store! plus, how dare you give up so easily! Would rainbow dash give up just like that?
I really hope you add more chapters. This is a really good Alt. Universe Fanfic. I'd say this is my 3rd favorite Alt. Universe fic, right behind Past Sins and My own of course.
If you want, I could help you come up with new ideas for chapters. Personally, it would be an honor.
4107706 My editor and I came up with ideas for the next chapters, but I'd still love to hear your ideas.
I'm all pinkie ears!
4107979 But when will they be up?? It feels like its taking forever.
4115920 unfortunately it's taking longer than I thought
I'm constantly getting writers block and life events keep getting in the way. So, it's on hiatus for awhile
When is the next chapter coming out?
4138935 very soon.
4139049 good 2 hear
meant to favourtie this after commenting last time, but plum forgot
please relaise the 3rd chapter soon.
i really wanna see scoots learn fluttershy's her mum
We'd better find out who the father is... because he's going to get my foot in his face.
4342552 Judging by your picture, That stallion is going to end up in the hospital for some time.
Oh how I wish this was actually true. *bremembers having the same dream multiple times back in my childhood, and being completely terrified of going to sleep for a long time*
6162815 I always had the same dream. It would start out lucid and I'd know what it was about. It was in a field and I could make anything I want appear instantly. The first few times I didn't remember it but I started to after having it almost every month. It started in the field and I knew what was going on, blah blah blah, so about an hour (dream time of course) in my dream would stop. I would make barricades and stuff but it would all disappear. I would look up the pathway from my constructs, (whether it be an army of gummy bears or a castle, I remember making both) and you know what would come after me. A heffalump from Winnie the fucking Pooh. It would battle my armies, destroy my castles, and sometimes I wouldn't even try at all. It sounds fun, but to a 7 year old it was pretty terrifying. Anyway, every time I had the dream it got through my defenses and I'd wake up screaming and screaming right when it was about to eat me. So yeah, I had some pretty cool dreams.
6162815
I don't have dreams that.. 'Reoccur' per say... I have dreams where I dream, wake up, and if I fall asleep fast enough.. The dream continues where it left off. Sometimes I even have a dream continuation if I think of something for a week, and then don't think of it for a week. (I mean TV shows and books, etc. those are easy to think of!) so for me, dreams don't reoccur, per say.. They continue. :P
I hope you don't have that nightmare from your childhood again. Good luck! :D
Oh the heartstrings. Poor Fluttershy, poor Scoots. Just talk and hug it out already please.
-Coco the Bearded
Got to say the addition of Big Mac in the edit really helped flesh the scene out, gave it a bit more life, great work.
9841611
Thank you.
That’s not all he knows about mares
Okay, why is a pony named Greedy Bags in charge of an orphanage? She should be running her own business where she tries to make business deals and underhanded deeds that'll make her the richest pony in Equestria and bump a Scottish business pony down to second-richest (Ducktales reference, couldn't resist).
11603230
I just picked a name and slapped it on the character. And I get the ducktales reference. Love it 
Why you ask? Even I don't know