Bombastic Bookpony's Bazaar of Oneshots

by Bombastic Bookpony

Hide and Seek (ScootaBelle, Romance/Slice of Life)

Hide and Seek was Scootaloo’s favorite game. Sure, ponies like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said it was for little girls, but they were little girls. Maybe if those two remembered that, they wouldn’t be so stuck up! Anyway, Scootaloo loved it because there was so many awesome fantasies you could do. Like when you’re the seeker! Maybe you’re an alien hunter, looking for her prey. Maybe you’re trying to find a long lost relative. And when you’re the hider, maybe you’re on the run from the law. Maybe you’re the Chosen One, being hunted down by the villains so you wouldn’t fulfill your destiny.

Most of all, she liked the thought of being wanted, illegally or otherwise.

Anyway, today she was the Hider, and Sweetie Belle the Seeker. Apple Bloom had chores and couldn’t join in. Guiltily, Scootaloo found herself not minding that. Sweetie Belle was her first friend after all, and as much as she loved Apple Bloom, sometimes she just wanted to spend time with Sweetie alone, just the two of them. It had been a long time since their last mano e mano hide and seek. It was tenser, more personal. There was no other target; your opponent spent all their energy on you. Like the Termarenator. She had chosen the perfect spot. A branch high enough so that Sweetie wouldn’t notice it right off, but low enough so that she wouldn’t be stuck up there forever. Plus, it had a nice amount of leaves to cover her up. Now, she waited.

And with waiting, came thinking. Scootaloo didn’t tell anypony about this part. She’s the athletic one, you know? Thinking deep about stuff is for eggheads like Twilight. But Scootaloo liked taking a break once in awhile and looking back on her life. What went wrong last time, how she’ll do better next time, how radical her last stunt was, the like. But usually, her thoughts always came back to one pony.

Sweetie Belle. Her hyperactive, kind hearted best friend with a voice sweet as honey, and Scootaloo knew a lot about honey. She used to be alone, ignored by almost everypony, even Dash. The only ponies who did pay her attention was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and that was just to hurl insults at her. but that all changed when she met Sweetie Belle.

---

“Blank flank!”

“Loser!”

“Freak!”

They wouldn’t stop. Never did. Not until she ran off holding back the tears.

“Do you even have parents, or do you just live in the trash?” Diamond Tiara jeered. “You know what? That would explain a lot about that mane of yours!” They laughed at the same time. Scootaloo let them. Wasn’t any point in stopping them.

“Poor Scootaloo,” Silver Spoon piped in, “Doesn’t have a home, a fashion sense, or a Cutie Mark! It like she was born for failure!”

“Hey!” a shrill voice cried out. “Leave her alone!” That was new, Scootaloo noted. Somepony caring who wasn’t the teacher. And it was strange. She had this fancy purple and white mane and these shiny green eyes. She was pretty. Why was somepony like her standing up for her?”

“Excuse me, Blank Flank?”

“I said stop! Sure, she may not have a Cutie Mark, but I can tell she has a good heart! Something you two will never have!” A good heart? How could she know that? Scootaloo hadn’t done anything to deserve that praise.

“Oooooh, a good heart,” Tiara mocked. “Did we just step into a kiddy book?”

“I think I know her parents, Tiara. They’re the ones dressed up like dirty tourists.”

“And have those annoying accents?” Silver Spoon nodded. “Where’s your accent, yokel? Shouldn’t you be busy being stupid, don’t you know?”

“Stop that!” the filly shouted, tears forming. She’s a goner. You never let them see you cry. And just as she thought, the two circled around her, continuing their onslaught of insults. Scootaloo knew this pony didn’t deserve that. She was just trying to help a stranger. She was a good filly, not like her. For some reason, something built up in Scootaloo that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Anger.

“Leave her alone!” Scootaloo shouted at the two, catching them off guard. “You act like you’re all that just because you have your Marks, but what do they even mean? Ooooh, I like tiaras! Ooooh, I like cereal! You two literally have Cutie Marks, for doing nothing! She may not have a Cutie Mark, but she’s twice the pony you two are, because she doesn’t bully other ponies just to feel important!”

The two were stunned; this was the first time Scootaloo retaliated like this. “Well, um... You’re dumb!” Silver Spoon responded.

“Idiot,” Tiara muttered. “For your information, Blank Flank, we have these marks cause, um, we’re better than you! L-let’s go, Silver Spoon! I was getting bored of this anyway!”

As they trotted away, Scootaloo felt pride, a strange feeling. She checked on the filly who came to help, who was sniffling and wiping her face clean of tears.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks to you. You were so cool! Nopony ever talked to them like that before!” she exclaimed, smiling up at her.

“Hey, it was nothing. I only got cool because you were cool first, swooping in to help me like that. You didn't even know me and you still helped!” She extended her hoof. “I’m Scootaloo. What’s your name?”

“Sweetie Belle,” she answered, grabbing it.

“Well, Sweetie Belle, since we have this cool effect on each other, why don’t we hang out sometime? Us blank flanks gotta stick together, right?”

“Really?” she squeaked, eyes lighting up.

“Heck yeah!”

“Yay!” she cheered, leaping to her feet, sadness gone. “I’ve never had a friend before!”

“Neither have I, so I guess we’re even. Now,” she grinned, “What do you wanna do first?”

---

Then everything changed. Suddenly, it was so much easier to be brave when Sweetie Belle was right beside her. If Sweetie Belle thought she was cool, then forget everypony else, she was cool! It was only thanks to her example that she stood up for Apple Bloom that fateful day. Life got better.

Suddenly, she heard a harmonic humming ring out. There Sweetie was, singing with animals watching the show like it was a fairytale. She was so beautiful. And so, so unprepared. No, she was the seeker. She was supposed to stay hidden. The spy deep in enemy territory. The chameleon. The fly on the wall. But as Sweetie finished her song beneath her, birds chirping in appreciation, looking so happy, so sweet, so- so Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo decided she’d much rather be the pony who pounced on her best friend.

And as they landed onto a pile of leaves, giggling, Scootaloo knew she made the right choice.

Author's Note:

Prompt #92:

“There was applause when she stepped up.
I wished that I could interrupt.
I made no sign. I made no sound.
I know I must stay underground.”

Fluuuuff. Also, better than I remembered. Scootaloo’s narration is cute with a touch of angst. And I like the ending.