An Adventure Sure to Leave a Mark

by Muffinmallow

There's Always Complications...

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat in the clubhouse. Sweetie Belle groaned, "ugh, what is taking her so long?"

Scootaloo looked out the window for a minute before saying, "I don't know, but she better hurry up."

Apple Bloom stormed in out of nowhere, "Ah'm here! Sorry Ah'm late!"

Scootaloo asked, "what took you so long?"

"Well, Ah was lookin' for the recruit, and took forever to find her. But Ah finally found her and she's waitin' outside."

Sweetie Belle asked, "why couldn't we ask Babs to come with us instead?"

"'Cause she's recruitin' in Manehatten."

"Duh!" Scootaloo let out condescendingly.

"You don't have to be such an ass about it, Scootaloo."

"You don't have to be a-"

Apple Bloom interrupted them by screaming, "enough! Now look, the new blood is outside the clubhouse. Do ya wanna make a bad impression by fightin' like ya do all the time? Or, are we at least gonna pretend we're friends long enough fer her to get a good feelin' around us?"

Sweetie Belle said, "okay."

Scootaloo mumbled, "fine. But she should have known-"

"Mah gosh, just shut up, ya both sound like babies! Ah'm gonna go get her now. If you two even look at each other bad, Ah will buck you girls so hard, y'all will go back to when this was Ponyland."

She trotted out the door. Sweetie Belle thought aloud, "Ponyland?"

"I have no clue."

Apple Bloom walked in, "guess she left. Way ta go, y'all scared her off!" They hung their heads in shame. She smiled, "Ah'm just kiddin', she's right next to me."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other and at the blank space next to their friend. Scootaloo said, "I don't understand. Nopony is there."

"And that is where yer wrong, show yerself Dinky."

Just then, a unicorn filly appeared next to Apple Bloom and said in a mocking tone, "duh."

Scootaloo started to get annoyed, "are you mocking me?"

Sweetie Belle giggled, "who's the dumb one now?"

"Shut it."

Apple Bloom said, "what the hay did Ah say about you two? Dinky, introduce yerself before Ah end up killin' both of 'em."

The new filly nodded her head and began to say, "I'm Dinky Doo."

Scootaloo questioned her entrance, "that's it? No booming mic, or smoke? No written speech?"

"This is coming from the filly who never heard of an invisibility spell, even though it's one of the most renowned spells amongst non-unicorns," she said like a virago.

Scootaloo started to get angry, "I suggest you shut your trap before it gets you seriously hurt."

Dinky smirked, "or what? You'll beat me up? I can easily pin you down, not like you can fly or anything."

Scootaloo went up to Dinky's face with hostility in her steps and anger on her face, Dinky held the same bored expression. Apple Bloom couldn't control the volume of her voice when she screamed, "Stop it!" She took a deep breath, "Ah see yer capable of gettin' into fights too Dinky," she turned to Scootaloo, "outside, now!"

"Sheesh you sound like my mother-"

"Now Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo trotted out the door. Apple Bloom followed after. Sweetie Belle said, "you certainly held your own against Scootaloo. Did you have to mention the fact she can't fly though?"

"Just what would weaken her. Besides, she's just a pony who acts tough, she doesn't scare me."

---

Apple Bloom tried to hold back shouts, "what is yer problem Scoots? You've been grumpy all day, ya nearly got into a fight with Dinky. Yer first words to her sounded threatening."

Scootaloo argued, "well she's a bitch and I don't think she should be a crusader."

"She acted the way she did 'cause you acted the way you did. Ya picked a fight with one of the smartest foals around. Now do ya wanna go crusadin' with us, or do you wanna be left in the dust?"

"Hold on! It was my idea to do this!"

"Actually, it's mah idea, yer just bad at listening."

"Well, either way, I'm the one with the scooter!"

"Ah think we can manage. If ya wanna go so bad, then apologize to Dinky.

"Fine."

They went back into the clubhouse. Apple Bloom said, "sorry, just havin' a pep talk." She shoved Scootaloo closer to Dinky.

"Sorry for making you mad," Scootaloo said fakely.

Dinky detected how she said this. "Yeah, whatever," she replied.

Apple Bloom said to them, not noticing how they spoke to each other, "see isn't that better? Now let's keep this behavior up, makes everypony happier."

They all looked at Apple Bloom, who seemed happier than usual. "Why are you so happy?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"What's wrong with bein' happy?" Apple Bloom asked back.

"Nothing, you just seem more cheerful today than you do any other day."

"Well, it's 'cause Ah threw in mah first crusadin' idea."

Scootaloo butt in, "whoa whoa whoa, hold on. You've had many good ideas, like why are we called the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"Well-"

"Because of you, you thought of the brilliant name."

Sweetie Belle asked, "and whose the one who got us this clubhouse?"

Apple Bloom weakly said, "me?"

"Yes, it was you who talked to Applejack about getting our hideout."

Scootaloo joined in with Sweetie Belle and they both said, "and who convinced Babs to recruit ponies for the Manehatten branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"Ah suggested it to her."

Sweetie Belle spoke alone, "it was your idea. You may not think of ideas for crusading, but you thought of the bigger stuff that does and will help us when we crusade for our cutie marks."

Apple Bloom had a light blush, "alright, Ah get it! Let's just initiate Dinky already."

The veteran crusaders got into position, Scootaloo on timpani and Sweetie Belle reading the oath from behind the podium. Scootaloo played a beat, then played a drum solo. When she finished, Sweetie Belle started reading, "we, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Dinky Doo to join us as a," she stopped reading when she remembered Scootaloo didn't revise the oath. She skimmed through the paragraph of words describing what she would be to them. She placed her hoof on the spot she would continue reading, "as a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader! You are solemnly sworn in, here this day, in witness of your... you're a crusader now!"

Apple Bloom cheered. Dinky smiled, then looked at Scootaloo, who scowled at her. When Apple Bloom went to Sweetie Belle, Dinky went to Scootaloo and asked in a hushed voice, "why are you so angry?"

"I'm... I'm not, I'm glad you're apart of the team," she replied equally hushed. Dinky walked away, "yeah, walk away," she said under her breath.

The fillies gathered around. Apple Bloom said, "so this how it's gonna go. We're gonna tell our guardians where we're goin', which is around Ponyville, when really, we are goin' to be venturin' into the Everfree Forest."

"But don't we always go there?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo continued, "yes, but we aren't sticking to our usual route."

Sweetie kept asking, "well what about-"

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Comin'!" Shouted Apple Bloom.

She opened the door to see Applejack with the local newspaper in her mouth. She dropped it to the ground, "read it."

Apple Bloom and her fellow crusaders read the headlines. Dinky backed away and shed a few tears. Applejack had realized she was there, "oh shi... Ah'm sorry," she said in her most sympathetic voice.

Dinky choked out, "it's alright."

Sweetie Belle said, "it's okay to be sad."

"I know," she said with no emotion, keeping control of her weeping.

Apple Bloom blurted out, "horseapples Dinky! How can ya be so calm?! Yer mother is dead!"

Applejack immediately said, "Apple Bloom!" And smacked the back of her head.

Apple Bloom was confused, "Ah mean it! Most foals would be bawlin' about the fact that any of there family died. Yer emotionless!"

Applejack shouted, "enough Apple Bloom! Ah don' know what the hell has gotten into you, but you are comin' with me right now!"

"But Applejack Ah-"

"Now!" She started to pull Apple Bloom by the ear.

"Ow ow, Applejack yer hurtin' me owww! The door slammed shut as they walked out.

The three watched as that happened. Two of them turned to Dinky. Dinky looked at them, "what?"

"Are you going to be okay?" Sweetie Belle asked softly.

"Yeah... I'll be fine." Dinky replied.

"Are you sure? Because we'll help you through it."

She stood up, "I said I'm fine!" She casted a spell and was gone.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at each other in silence. They both tried to think of something to say. Sweetie Belle finally broke the silence when she said, "so Scootaloo, mind if I stay at your place?"

"It's better you don't."

"Oh, then, do you want to stay with me? My parents are out of town and they didn't send me to Rarity so..."

"That, I say yes."

"Alright let's go."

---

Dinky sat, alone, in her house. She cried in loneliness and in grief her mother had died. She hadn't known her birth father, and her older sister left the family for advanced magic studies, thus, she was alone. "Why *sniffle* did you have to go? Why does *sob* the Fausticorn hate me?!"

She heard a voice and ignored it, thinking she was going crazy. She heard it again and looked around. The mailmare was standing beside her. "Mommy!" She got up and ran towards the mare. She hugged her as tight as she could, "I knew you weren't dead, the press ponies just didn't have their facts straight," Ditzy got out of her grip. Dinky asked, "what's wrong?"

She seemingly ignored what Dinky said, "you're a special filly and you can't let your talents go to waste. I just want to let you know that I love you and I always will."

"I love you too. You don't seem right." Ditzy gave her a kiss on the forehead and vanished.

There Dinky was, alone. She went out the door and walked into town. "I can't stay there, unless I wanna go insane."

---

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were walking side by side with each other. Sweetie Belle looked back as they passed a house and asked, "aren't we passing your house now?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you going to ask your parents if you can spend the night?"

"Whoa, I'm spending the night? Are you trying to flatter me?" Scootaloo asked playfully.

"No! I..." Sweetie Belle had a light blush.

"It's okay if you want me to, I want to. I hate being alone anyway."

Sweetie Belle thought about that last sentence, "what do you mean, alone?"

"Can we talk about something else?!" She said defensively.

"Okay, sorry, I didn't know-"

"Let's just get to your place already!"

They walked, Sweetie Belle felt bad for bringing up a personal subject Scootaloo didn't seem to talk about. Scootaloo felt bad for yelling at the filly that was her first friend.

---

Apple Bloom sat in her room, "why am Ah in trouble? Ah just asked a question." Her door opened, Applejack walked in, "Ah don't understand, why am Ah in trouble?"

"Apple Bloom, her mother died, and you yelled at her fer hiding her emotions. She didn't want to make a scene."

"And how would you know that?"

"Because Ah talked with Dinky-"

"How?"

"She's downstairs. Ah'll go get her, maybe you will try to be nice and respect her motives?"

Applejack went downstairs. Dinky came up a few seconds later and sat in front of Apple Bloom, "you okay?" She asked Dinky.

"Yeah."

"Good, Ah'm sorry about earlier."

"It's okay, you didn't understand." Dinky changed the subject, "Applejack said I can stay the night, is it okay if I sleep in here?"

"Yeah, but we have a busy day tomorrow, so we gotta wake up early."

Dinky nodded her head, they both went downstairs. Apple Bloom said, "we'll treat ya just like family." She smiled. Dinky barely managed a smile. "Ha! That's it Dinky."

---

Scootaloo entered Sweetie Belle's bedroom. She said just as she walked in, "we killed most of time itself, but the night is still young. Let's ask each other super deep questions like what other fillies do at slumber parties," she said jokingly.

"Speaking of super deep questions, I'm sorry about what I asked earlier. I didn't realize you were so affected by it."

"It's fine, I shouldn't have yelled like I did," Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to speak, but Scootaloo interrupted her, "okay, this counts as your question," she took a deep breath, "I'm alone because I'm an orphan, but nopony knows. Now you're the only pony who knows."

Sweetie Belle sat there, unsure of what to say. Scootaloo spoke before her again, "okay, my turn. Um... I got it. What was the deal earlier when you freaked out on me? I was only kidding around."

Sweetie Belle stuttered, "w... wait! I didn't freak out! It... it was because..."

Scootaloo wanted to know, "because..." Sweetie Belle froze up. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and said, "look, I gotta go whiz. You better have a proper answer for me when I get back."

Scootaloo walked out the bedroom and guessed where the bathroom was. Sweetie Belle quickly hopped into bed.

When Scootaloo finally came back, she saw Sweetie Belle's head sticking out from under the bed covers, back turned to the door. "Okay! Guess I'm sleeping in the guest room!"

Sweetie's head shot up, "no!"

"You feeling alright? You're acting really weird, you always do when it's just the two of us."

"I'm fine, it's just... sleep with me, my bed is way better than the guest bed," she smiled and had a tiny blush. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and went for Sweetie Belle's bed. When Scootaloo got comfortable in the bed, Sweetie Belle glomped her from behind and whispered, "good night."

Scootaloo had a nervous smile and was slightly freaked out, but said back, "good night weirdo."

Comments

[Kenshinryuu]

So is Scoot/Sweetie one of the ships setting sail now?? I would think Apple Bloom would understand Dinky's situation a bit more, her parents aren't am around either. But I wouldn't mind seeing Ditzy's ghost keep popping in to comfort her daughter.

[Muffinmallow]

4660659 Apple Bloom never really had parents to begin with (meaning they're dead,) so she wouldn't understand how it feels to lose them. The ScootaBelle ship is one sided (Scootaloo is also oblivious to any obvious hints.) And the ghost Ditzy thing, yeah that might be a thing.

[Kenshinryuu]

4661490 Ditzy's ghost manages to break out of heaven/ the afterlife just like she breaks anything else she hits: head first and with no idea how it happened but determined to see her little Muffin.

[Muffinmallow]

4663050 Go Ditzy!