It's A Date
Scootaloo rose from her bed at the sound of her name being spoken. It was a voice she hadn't heard before, one that seemed to shift in pitch and volume.
The filly looked around for the source, only to find that there were no other orphans in the room; all of the beds were empty. Finding the scene a bit odd, Scootaloo slowly climbed out of bed, only to hear her name called once more.
"Hello?" Scootaloo called out, her attention zeroing in on a slightly cracked door.
A bright light flowed from the gaps between the floor and door, and around the edges. A gentle push from Scootaloo was enough to open the door, revealing a long hallway. Her current surroundings didn't make sense; this wasn't part of the orphanage.
Nervously, Scootaloo pressed on, her curiosity outweighing her fear. The wood beneath her hooves creaked with each step she took down the long, seemingly endless, hallway. There were no doors on either side, it was just a single, seemingly useless, part of the building she had called home for most of her life.
"What's that?" Scootaloo asked, as she reached the end to where a single nightstand stood, with a small picture frame.
Hesitantly, the tangerine filly picked the frame up in her hooves, and studied the picture it contained only to be perplexed by its contents. The picture was of herself between two featureless blobs. The longer she stared at the picture, however; the featureless objects in the picture started to develop details, albeit small ones.
A loud, ear piercing noise made Scootaloo drop the picture frame. Upon hitting the floor the frame shattered into smaller pieces, the photo within vanishing into thin air. Darkness, closed in around the filly at an alarming speed, not gracing her the chance to so much as scream before being consumed by it.
"Time to get up." the familiar voice of the Caretaker said.
Scootaloo's eyes opened to see several colts and fillies climbing out of their beds. It had been a dream, the voice, the hallway, everything. While she was relieved to still be alive and not consumed by the nothingness of her dreams, she was confused as to what the dream's symbolism was.
"What were those things in the picture?" she asked herself.
---
When you receive a magical stone in the mail, you make a wish. When you make a wish, you end up in a land full of talking ponies. When you end up in a land full of talking ponies, one blackmails you into dating them. Don’t let ponies blackmail you into dating them, discard suspicious looking stones.
“Minuette eh? I never pegged you as one to take an interest in the intellectual type. I thought for sure you’d go for a pegasus or earth pony over a unicorn.” Timber said, obviously delighting in the news I was going on a date, against my will. He had certainly given me enough grief about the topic.
“So how did it go down anyways? Did she ask you or did you ask her?” Strong Deck asked, taking a seat next to us.
“I don’t see why that matters when we’re just going as friends. It’s not an actual date.” I replied, kicking my legs a bit as they hung over the edge of the elevated platform at the train station. The train had been delayed and there was nothing to do except talk in order to pass the time.
“Traditionally, if a mare is interested in a stallion she’ll be the one to ask. So did she ask, or did you?” Strong Deck asked, pressing the issue.
“Nopony asked, this is just me treating her to dinner, for…I guess you would consider it an apology, I don’t know. She is the one who brought the idea up so-“ I tried to explain.
“It’s an actual date then.” Timber and Strong Deck interrupted in unison.
“How is this a date if, by your standards, the mare does the asking? The whole treat her to dinner thing contradicts what you’re going off of. She even said we were just going as friends.” I said.
“I only said a mare is the first one to express interest. I never said anything about her paying for things like dinner. Mares can be subtle sometimes, and you're not exactly a stallion, she might have just wanted to see how you'd act before really asking you.” Strong Deck said smugly.
Well, he has me there. I thought to myself.
The only reason I had agreed to this in the first place was because Minuette had learned about a well-guarded secret. I figured she would have found out eventually, there would probably come a point in time where the town would need to know, but it had to be a gradual process. To come right out and announce that I ate meat on the side probably wouldn’t end well. There would have to be a bit more thought behind it.
What I had difficulty wrapping my head around was why two of my best friends were making more of an issue out of it. It was just dinner, tonight would be a simple evening without any sort of complications.
Though Timber’s remark did spark an excellent self-examination question in my mind, what was my type? It was something I had given little thought, but my mind lingered on the topic, despite my best effort to forget about it.
Back home, I was a sucker for blonds, pony tails, and glasses. In all of my time spent there, only one woman had met all three of my 'prerequisites', and brought the look together the first time I saw her with a book against her chest. Try as I might, I could never forget that day, a day that once filled me with joy only to be replaced by sorrow and bitter rage at times.
No, don’t think about her, there’s only sadness down that road now. I thought to myself.
My mental barrier, having faltered for only a split second, but was back up in a heartbeat, guarding against the painful memory. I had sworn to myself that I had cried my last tear over her, and what she did. This world would be no different; there was no one for me, it was stupid to pretend there was. I had come to terms with this a long time ago.
The distant whistle of a train brought me back to reality. Off in the distance, smoke could be seen rising into the air, a clear indication that our unscheduled break was coming to an end. I was somewhat grateful that the train had finally arrived; I wasn’t in the mood to be depressed, especially for tonight. I had to at least pretend to enjoy myself.
---
“I can’t believe our little Daniel is moving on in the world.” Rarity said giddily.
“He’s not little you know; he’s not even a kid.” Rainbow Dash said, holding a Daring Do book in her hooves.
“I didn’t mean it literally Rainbow; it’s just that he’s come a long way from that scared human he once was. To think that he’s finally branching out and getting his hooves wet in the dating world is exciting…I wonder what it’s like dating an alien anyways.” Rarity said, a brush becoming encased in her magical aura.
“It’s hardly as thrilling as it sounds, men are far from complex.” Isabella said, looking up from her own book.
Isabella hadn’t been inside the castle since the night she arrived in Equestria, but had tagged along with Rarity since there was nothing better to do. The fashionista was content, for the moment, to experiment with her human friend’s rather lengthy hair, trying different braids that the unicorn was familiar with.
It was oddly soothing, and Isabella would never have entertained the idea of letting another individual touch her hair in such a way back on Earth. Perhaps it had something to do with the slight tingling sensation that ran along the thin hair fibers, which tickled her scalp.
“Stallions aren’t complicated either dear, but it’s the idea of something different that intrigues me. I could go and ask any stallion out.” Rarity said.
“Can we stop talking about stallions and men?” Twilight asked, throwing her fore legs up in frustration.
"Uoy dluohs truoc eht sedahs, yeht hctam ton eht sgnieb morf siht dlrow." said a strange, muffled voice from the other room.
"Not now." Twilight sighed.
“Ylgu lufetargnu esroh!” the voice snapped, but was for the most part ignored.
“Sheesh, what’s gotten into you?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I just don’t see what the big deal is; a pony dating out of species isn’t uncommon.” Twilight replied.
“I suppose not, it’s just idle chitchat anyways.” Rarity said just as she finished the braid she had been working on.
The white unicorn tapped Isabella gently with her hoof to get her attention. A mirror levitated into her hand, allowing her to see the fruits of Rarity’s labor. A long three strand style braid could be seen in the reflective glass.
"I like it. It's a nice change of pace from leaving it down and un-styled all the time." Isabella said.
"You've never styled you hair before? I refuse to accept that as truth, there are some ponies out there that would commit all manner of atrocities to have a mane as long as your hair." Rarity said.
"I styled it for special occasions, but for the most part I was too busy to do anything with it. I was constantly on the move, or in the dirt where fashion wasn't really going to do much for me." Isabella said, setting the mirror down.
"Did you ever style it for dates like our friend is about to embark upon?" Rarity asked.
"Eh, once...I think his particular date isn't even a date to begin with." Isabella replied gaining the attention of Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
"Well why else would Minuette have asked him?" Rarity asked.
"It was something about teeth...and canines or something. The dentist mare found out about them...he was pretty upset about it." Isabella replied, completely oblivious to the nervous expressions now adorning Rarity and Rainbow Dash's faces.
Twilight's mouth was agape, in awe of the fact that the human's secret wasn't brought to light by some evil pony with a motive. No, it was brought to the attention of her unaware friends by another human.
"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag I guess that's one less thing off of my mind." Twilight said rolling her eyes.
"Wait, you knew they eat meat?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes, it's necessary for them to. There are things that only meat can provide for them, otherwise they’d get sick. Fluttershy has been helping keep it under wraps...I should have known it would only be a matter of time until somepony else figured it out. I just didn't expect you girls to find out this way." Twilight replied.
The alicorn could remember having a discussion with Daniel about getting the nutrients into his system. He had been a willing guinea pig for a test to see if she could create a supplement that would provide what his body required, bypassing meat completely. The project ended with a very late night, and a pain stricken human who made the outlandish claim that his insides were on fire.
Needless to say, after the failed experiment he had been more than happy to go back to meat, if only to get the required nutrients. Though this meant his promise with Fluttershy was broken, which she didn't seem to mind much since it was for the humans' best interest.
"Y-you don't eat um..." Rarity stammered nervously.
"No Rarity, we don't eat ponies. Besides, why would I eat some of the only friends I've got in this world?" Isabella asked rhetorically, rubbing the base of one of Rarity's ears before she could react.
Instead of screaming, or pulling away, Rarity slowly started to lean into Isabella's hand, even as the rub slowly developed into a scratch. The unicorn seemed lost in a blissful trance until the scratching ceased.
"You okay there Rarity?" Isabella asked, amused by the pony's response.
"Y-yes, sorry; it just, felt nice is all." Rarity replied blushing a bit.
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to rub her own ear with her hoof. "It doesn't feel that special."
Isabella reached behind Rainbow Dash's ear and started to scratch and rub in the same spot she had with Rarity. The response was the same, causing a goofy smile to spread across the pegasus' face.
Isabella eventually pulled away, Rainbow Dash's smile turning into a frown. Cute and adorable weren't words that normally described the mare, but just this once, she fit the description perfectly.
"Why'd you stop?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I didn't want you falling asleep on me." Isabella giggled.
"Ears and scratches aside, we have a situation on our hooves. If Minuette knows about this then we run the risk of her exposing both Daniel and Isabella. We don't know what else she's asked him to do, and knowing how dense your brother can be at times, he could screw this up by doing something irredeemably stupid." Twilight said.
“This is true.” Isabella said.
"So what do you propose we do, Twilight?" Rarity asked . "We can't simply waltz in on them and demand her silence."
"Ew dluoc etucexe siht ymene sa a ecifircas!" the voice shouted.
"No, but there is something we can do." Twilight replied confidently.
---
A red cape with a gold interior adorned Scootaloo's neck, akin to a super hero’s from a comic book. It was a sure sign that there was going to be a crusade today, especially since the roads were being cleared of snow in preparation for Winter Wrap Up.
Today was the perfect day to jump back on her scooter, now that it wasn’t hindered by the snow. Her small wings buzzed furiously to pick up speed as fast as she could.
Today was going to be a good day, even if the weird dream still occupied Scootaloo’s thoughts. She had her friends, her scooter, and due to unexpected weather damage, there were just a few more days off from school while the building was being fixed. Things were looking up for a change. The only sour note was that a pegasus colt had been picked for adoption this morning, but she couldn’t dwell on that right now.
“There ya are Scoots.” Apple Bloom said as she and Sweetie Belle rounded the corner.
“Oh, hey, I was just on my way to the club house. What are you guys doing out here?” Scootaloo asked.
“We thought we’d meet you half way. We’ve got a list of things to try before Winter Wrap Up gets rid of all the snow and ice.” Sweetie Belle replied.
“You really think our cutie marks have to do with winter?” Scootaloo asked skeptically.
“Why not? We ain’t never got our cutie marks durin’ the other seasons, or with regular activities.” Apple Bloom replied.
Scootaloo still had her doubts about the idea. If their cutie marks did in fact have to do with winter, then a move to the Crystal Empire would be in order. Not to say the region wasn’t pretty, but being surrounded by snow wasn’t that appealing to the filly.
“Okay, what’s first?” Scootaloo asked.
Apple Bloom produced a list from her saddle bag, which the trio glanced over the list and grinned when they saw the first option. Even if it wasn’t their special talent, it would still be enjoyable, and was something all three of them could agree upon.
“Ice skating!” the three fillies shouted, rushing off to the nearest frozen body of water to being their activity.
Sweetie Belle had enough forethought to bring an extra set of skates for Scootaloo, which she wasted little time slipping into. In their excitement, all three of the crusaders had over looked one very important detail, none of them actually knew how to skate.
Sure, Apple Bloom knew how to roller skate, but the last time she attempted to do so it resulted in a nasty crash. Still, it seemed fun, and now that she had her friends to try it out with she wasn’t as worried.
“So ah think it’s kinda like roller skatin’, but with a bit more glind’n and stuff.” Apple Bloom said.
“You mean like this?” Sweetie Belle asked, sliding backwards unintentionally.
“Yeah, but ya gotta move yer legs more.” Apple Bloom replied, stepping out onto the ice. The filly slid forward a few inches before losing her balance and falling onto the cold surface of the frozen pond.
“This is easy.” Scootaloo said, her wings propelling her across the ice at a comfortable speed.
“Hey, no fair! You can’t use your wings Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle pouted.
“Can to-oomph!” Scootaloo said, ignoring the bank that was covered in snow which now encased her.
Once the filly’s head popped up, a sure sign that she was okay and unharmed from the collision, the three friends burst into a giggling fit. Even if this wasn’t what their talent was, at least it was fun spending time together.
Unbeknownst to Scootaloo, she was being observed. A certain magenta colored earth pony had been trying to think of the perfect way to put her in her place for good. Silver Spoon had since distanced herself from Diamond Tiara; she wanted no part of her friend’s schemes.
Silver Spoon had tried reasoning with her that if they bullied her again it would only upset the human. If Scootaloo was associated with something that tall, and scary, then she wanted nothing to do with picking on her.
“Nopony humiliates me and gets away with it, even if they have some stupid monster on a leash.” Diamond Tiara mumbled.
---
Hey Daniel, this is your subconscious speaking; I was just curious why you’re so nervous? the little voice in my head asked.
Oh hey subconscious, I’m just nervous because I haven’t taken a female, of any species, out to dinner in a while…this is going to be a rough night. I replied.
Oh, that makes sense…you should probably knock; you’ve been standing at the door now for almost a…minuette. Eh? Eh? Get it? Cause you’re going…never mind, you’re no fun. the voice in my head trailed off.
“Even my subconscious is screwing with me about this…” I mumbled, knocking on the blue unicorn’s door.
“Just a minute!” shouted a female voice from within.
The sound of hooves clacking against a hardwood floor grew louder and louder as somepony approached the door. Timber and Strong Deck’s words of wisdom resurfaced in my mind, about mares being subtle at times. With this thought in mind it made me wonder if Minuette would walk out in some sort of dress.
The door opened and revealed a normal, blue coated unicorn. I sighed in relief, since the only thing that seemed different about her was what looked like a bit of eye shadow, but I couldn’t be certain.
“You’re early, eager are we?” Minuette teased.
“I wouldn’t use the word eager, but I’ve always been kind of early to things.” I replied.
“You’re not fooling anypony, so relax. We’re going to forget the whole teeth thing tonight right?” Minuette reminded me.
“Right.” I said, unwilling to confess what else was on my mind. I would have to pay close attention to her tonight.
The door closed by itself, the unicorn’s magic at work no doubt. Minuette slid up beside me, matching my pace as we walked towards the busier part of town. So far things were going pretty smoothly, then again we had only just left her house, there was still plenty of time for something to go wrong.
The sound of bushes rustling behind us caught my attention. I stared at them a while before continuing on my way, dismissing it as some sort of animal that we had unintentionally disturbed.
"Sooo...was there any place in particular you wanted to go to?" I asked.
"I think...The Rose Garden would be nice. It's a pretty fancy place, but not too outlandish price wise." Minuette replied.
I tried to muffle a laugh at the mention of the name. It sounded a lot like Olive Garden, I had never eaten there before and therefor couldn't compare the two. Minuette had apparently heard my poor attempt at covering my laugh and was looking at me skeptically.
"Do you not like it or something?" the blue unicorn asked.
"No, it just sounds like a restaurant that exist where I come from, that's all." I replied quickly, reminding myself that I didn't want to upset her.
"Oh, that's neat, so was the food there good? Did it serve a certain product you like?" Minuette asked with a coy smile.
"Ha ha, very funny, and no; I didn't get the chance to eat there." I said.
"I was just playing with you, no need to freak out. It'll be like an inside joke between us." Minuette giggled.
I didn't find the circumstances of this outing to be anything to joke about. Even if Minuette was trying to lighten the mood, she was doing a bad job at putting my mind at ease that she wouldn't let something slip, and then all hell would break loose.
The rest of the walk to the restaurant was quiet, save for Minuette humming to herself. One thing I had observed was that ponies, no matter the type, were rather vocal creatures. Most didn't like silence, or lack of contact for that matter. Nopony went without a hug or hoof bump, that much I was sure of.
I on the other hand, could do just fine with a bit of silence and found it relaxing. The hugging was something I could get behind though. A few hugs here and there never hurt anyone, or pony.
The Rose Garden's sign came into view, and from the brightened windows within, I could tell it was a busy night. That meant the date would last even longer than I had anticipated, but there was no turning back now.
Even if this wasn't an actual date, the gentleman in me took over and opened the door for Minuette. I couldn't decide if she was my friend or enemy at the moment, given the information she had on me. I settled for acquaintance, for the time being, not really wanting to make enemies with anypony.
"Oh, such a gentle colt." Minuette said, walking through the open door.
"I just had a good upbringing." I said following her to see another door.
Seriously? In this world too? I thought to myself. Nothing bugged me like two sets of doors could. It was a stupid thing to be bothered by, but it annoyed me all the same.
Holding the next door open for the mare, I was greeted by the smell of pasta and other dishes being served to the already seated customers. A lone earth pony was sitting behind a tall desk, by pony standards, on a stool. She looked up as the back of my shoulder tapped the bell hanging from the door frame; apparently every business in town had one.
“Welcome to The Rose Garden, if it’s just the two of you I’m afraid we only have booths left. Is that okay?” the mare asked.
“Yes, that’s fine.” Minuette replied.
Booth…fancy restaurant…no, I’m just putting more thought into this than I should. I thought to myself as the earth pony led us to a booth.
I waited for Minuette to sit first, then took my seat across from her. For a split second I thought I saw a familiar white unicorn come through the door, but I quickly dismissed it as a figment of my imagination.
“Still nervous? What can we do to change that?” Minuette asked.
“Kind of hard to relax when a pretty important secret rest in the hooves of my dentist.” I replied.
“The whole point of going out tonight was to put everything behind us. So ditch the paranoia and try to enjoy yourself.” Minuette said.
I nodded and flipped open the menu, not bothering to hold it in my hands. I still couldn’t shake the thought from the back of my mind. I didn’t want something else to worry about.
“How about this, as long as you stop by like a normal patient, I’ll keep this between us. That should be easy enough, nothing unreasonable or outlandish.” Minuette said with a hopeful smile.
“I think I can manage that.” I said.
Minuette nodded satisfied with my response. The menu in front of her became surrounded in a baby blue aura, as it folded open and levitated in front of her. Slowly my anxiety was fading, ponies were good on their word, and a promise from them was normally one you could build upon, though I’m sure there were exceptions.
I glanced around the restaurant, having settled on what I wanted off the menu. It was pretty fancy, and lived up to its namesake with the multitude of roses that had been worked into the decorations. The seats had roses carved into them as did the wooden frames of the booths.
The inactive fans had roses painted on their wooden blades. In almost every way imaginable, the famous red flower had been incorporated somehow. Even the coat Rarity was wea-wait, Rarity?
My thought process came to a grinding halt upon seeing the unicorn present at the same restaurant. It hadn’t been my mind playing tricks on me, she really was here. Across from her was an all too familiar cyan pegasus that stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the other customers with her rainbow colored mane and tail.
I brushed it off as coincidence and turned back to Minuette, who was still looking over the menu. My mind drifted back to the day I had asked Twilight about dating mares, she had been a bit flustered from the previous day’s events and never given me a straight answer. Aside from my talks with Timber and Strong Deck, I wasn’t sure what to do differently, if anything.
“You’re kind of quiet; tell me a bit about yourself.” Minuette said, levitating the menu back onto the table.
“There’s not much to tell, I came here completely by accident. There’s nothing that really makes me special.” I said with a shrug.
“Are all humans like you?” Minuette giggled.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, your trust isn’t easy to win; you certainly enjoy your secrets. You can be a bit clumsy at times, and you trip over what you want to say, but you’ve got a good heart.” Minuette replied.
“Thanks…I think.” I said, making her laugh again.
---
As Minuette and Daniel talked and dined, they were observed from afar by four sets of curious eyes. Two of which were closer than one wishing for privacy would care for, but they were unaware of their owner's true intentions.
Twilight sought to spy on the two's outing. She wasn't convinced that it was just dinner, or that Daniel could keep from saying something to set Minuette off and reveal the secret about the human's teeth.
“Twilight, it’s freezing out here.” Isabella commented, rubbing her arms.
“I know, just a little bit longer then we’ll go back. Their food just got delivered. For the two of them to just be friends, they’ve been talking and laughing a lot.” Twilight said, a pair of binoculars held in her hooves.
They had tried their best to keep their distance from the two, if only to make sure Daniel didn’t say something out of place. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had followed them into the restaurant, as a precaution if things went south, but so far things seemed to be okay between the two.
“They’ve been talking for a while now, I think we can go.” Rainbow Dash said, her boredom beginning to get the better of her.
“Honestly Rainbow Dash, were you ever taught patience as a filly?” Rarity asked.
“I must’ve missed that one.” Rainbow Dash replied with a grin.
Rarity noticed the two of them standing to leave and did her best to act casual. She had tried to blend in, but there was only so much a unicorn with a white coat could do to be inconspicuous. Rainbow Dash stretched and was about to hop out of her seat as well, until a magical aura surrounded her tail, preventing her from following Daniel and Minuette.
“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Rainbow Dash asked, slightly annoyed.
“We can’t just follow them the second they leave, that would look suspicious.” Rarity scolded.
"Well what are we supposed to do? We'll lose them if we stay here." Rainbow Dash countered.
"Twilight and Isabella are right outside, I'm sure they'll manage to keep up with them." Rarity replied, rolling her eyes.
Outside, Twilight and Isabella quickly ducked behind a bench for cover. Only rising once they could no longer hear Daniel or Minuette. It was odd, on the way to the restaurant, they had been extremely quiet. Now, they couldn't stop talking, Twilight made a mental note of this, regretting not having anything to actually write her thoughts down on.
Rainbow Dash and Rarity saw Isabella’s figure and approached the bench to report their rather uneventful findings. Nothing hostile or out of place had been said between the two.
"I don't think we have anything to worry about Twilight. I mean, whatever was between them is clearly under the bridge." Isabella said.
"I agree Twilight, they we talking with each other as if they were old acquaintances catching up after being apart for several years." Rarity said.
"Yeah, it was kind of boring." Rainbow Dash added.
"I suppose you’re right. If anything horrendous would have happened it would have already happened by now. Let’s head back girls.” Twilight sighed, reluctantly agreeing with them.
---
Things had gone well, surprisingly well. I had almost forgotten about the original reason why I had agreed to dinner in the first place. With both of us in such good spirits, any doubt or trust issues were chased away by the time we finished our meal.
The walk home was pleasant, the sun was just starting to set, and with this little outing almost over, without so much as a flirtatious pass from the unicorn, I could hardly wait to rub it in Timber and Strong Deck's faces. Though I had to admit, it was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.
"Funny how all of this is going to be gone soon." Minuette said, looking at the snow that still covered the area.
"Yeah, it was fun while it lasted. Where I'm from it was a pretty rare occurrence, so when it did snow, you couldn't afford to waste a second of it." I said.
"That sounds like a pretty boring place, and you said the weather changed itself, right?" Minuette asked.
"Yeah, not like the pegasi manage it here. I think it's kind of cool, most of what I've seen in this world I read about in books as a kid. It was all just fantasy to me; I never thought any of it really existed." I replied.
"My good sir, as a fantasy, I am grievously offended by your disbelief." Minuette said, pretending to be hurt emotionally by my words.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend your imaginary feelings." I said rolling my eyes as a smile crept across my face.
"I think it stands to reason that since my world is the one you're dwelling in now, you are the one who's supposed to be a myth." Minuette said, playfully bumping her flank into my leg.
“Stop it!” came a shrill cry that stopped both of us in our tracks.
“You heard that too right?” I asked, looking around for the source.
“Yeah, I did. That didn’t sound good at all.” Minuette replied, her ears perking up at full attention, swiveling occasionally.
“L-let go!”
“No!” this time there was another voice, both sounded familiar, but the distance distorted both of them slightly.
“This way, come on.” Minuette said, finally pinpointing the source of whatever struggle was taking place.
My mind instantly assumed the worst, but with crime being close to nonexistent this situation made little sense. Who had it out for somepony else in a town that was relatively peaceful? It was one of the main reasons I enjoyed living here.
The sound of something breaking briefly broke the winter silence, giving incentive for Minuette and I to pick up the pace to the scene. Sobbing soon filled the gap left by the loud crack that had rang out only seconds ago. I was starting to fall behind Minuette, her four legs carrying her much faster than my two could ever hope to.
The blue unicorn came to a sudden stop just before turning right down a street. Her face was one of sorrow as she brought a hoof up to her mouth. I caught up to her now that she was finally stationary, only to be greeted by a heart-wrenching sight.
Scootaloo was crying, her eyes locked on what appeared to be a rather large pile of construction equipment. It wasn’t uncommon for winter to damage buildings, so construction crews would often be called out to repair it while the house owner was asked to spend a few days elsewhere as a safety precaution.
Something stood out from the collapsed pile of tools and heavy equipment, however; in the form of a handle bar and two small stray wheels. Noticing Scootaloo had her helmet on it didn’t take long to put the pieces together. Still, assuming always had the potential to make an ass of one’s self.
“Scoots, are you okay?” I asked, kneeling beside her.
“N-no.” Scootaloo mumbled, trying to wipe the warm tears from her eyes with her hooves.
Minuette approached the distraught filly, not entirely sure what to say or do except wrap her leg around her in an attempt to calm her down. She made soft shushing noises, pulling Scootaloo a bit closer to share warmth between them.
“Can you tell us what happened?” I asked.
“I-she-took it-sniff- and then it broke.” Scootaloo replied in between sobs.
I approached the pile of tools and other various construction items. I was fairly certain I was looking for the pegsus’ scooter. It was one of her most cherished possession, if not the most significant one to her. To have it damaged, or worse broken, would no doubt cause her to become extremely upset, but even then I couldn’t help but feel something else was wrong.
As I dug through the pile I placed the two wheels that had dislodged from the scooter entirely on the snow, their coloration making it easy to find them. As I dug deeper I was able to remove the deck, well, half of it anyways. Attached to it was the handle bar, which had now seen better days.
Scootaloo’s sobs started to increase as she saw the full extent of the damage. Her tears matted her fur, as she tried her best to fight back the floodgate of sorrow that had been opened within her. Each sob was like a nail being driven into my heart, she was just a kid that didn’t have much to begin with. Whoever did this was soulless, but there was only so much I could do.
Finally I had the last piece of her now ruined scooter. The deck’s top had been scratched to near oblivion, not to mention most of it had been chipped away by the sharp tools that had fallen on it. I set all of the pieces I could find to the side, and made my way back over to Scootaloo and Minuette and knelt down to their level.
“I’m sorry Scoots, I can try to fix it. The important thing is that you’re okay.” I said.
“No,” Scootaloo shouted darting away from Minuette, only to slam into my stomach, her forelegs stretched out as far as they would go. “It’s not gonn-a-be-sniff- okay! C-cause I’m go-nna have to m-move away and then-and then I’ll never see anypony again! Because I'm different!” Scootaloo cried, burying her face in my jacket as she sobbed.
“Who told you this? Who said you’d have to move away?” I asked, trying my best to keep my anger under control.
“D-Diamond Tiara, she said that I w-would have to m-move when I got older! B-because nopony here would w-want me!” Scootaloo replied, shaking until I wrapped an arm around her tiny frame.
I nearly lost it after learning who the culprit was. I should have known, but I never thought she would stoop this low. No, this action and treatment of another was borderline unforgivable.
“Scootaloo, that’s not true. You’re a great little filly.” Minuette said, snapping me out of my pissed off mental state.
“That’s not true!” Scootaloo sobbed.
Scootaloo didn’t need an avenger right now. No, that could wait; right now she needed somepony to let her know things were going to be okay. That everything that prissy brat had told her was nothing but a bunch of lies. That’s when I realized who I was describing, though it fell more along the lines of what I was describing the more I thought about it.
“Minuette, I hate to leave you like this but…” I said, fumbling for the right words.
“I know, take care of her okay?” Minuette asked rhetorically.
“I will, come on Scoots. Let’s get out of the cold. I don’t have fur like you guys.” I said looking down at her.
“Okay.” Scootaloo said quietly, her face still scrunched up in sorrow as I picked up the pieces of her scooter.
---
“Ah can’t believe none of these worked. Ah thought for sure we’d get a cutie mark outta doin’ somethin’ from this list.” Apple Bloom said, tossing their list of activities aside.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been hard pressed to make it through their list before nightfall. After a number of complaints, and accidents from previous attempt to preform crusades at night, the trio had learned that it was best not to tempt fate, or invoke their sister’s wrath.
“Well, we can always try again, it’s not like our cutie marks are going anywhere.” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yeah, besides I had fun. Even if we didn’t get our cutie marks.” Scootaloo said.
“Ah guess, on the way home we all need to try and think up somethin’ new…that don’t involve Rainbow Dash.” Apple Bloom said, noticing Scootaloo’s grin grow, only to falter at sudden the limitation she’d been given.
“No problem, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sweetie Belle said, as she headed home.
“See ya later Scoots.” Apple Bloom said, walking towards the road that would take her back to Sweet Apple Acers.
Scootaloo turned her scooter towards the orphanage and sighed. She was grateful for her friends; they helped her forget about a lot of the things that made her sad, even if it was just for a little while. Today a colt had been adopted, a pegasus. Needless to say this had only demoralized her for a good portion of the day until she met up with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo’s speed towards what she called home was slower than normal. She didn’t want to go back, but what choice did she have? Running away wouldn’t solve anything. Besides, the last time she tried she ended up in a completely different world.
Something hard and cold made contact with Scootaloo’s muzzle, causing the filly to bring her scooter to a stop. She had been hit by a snowball, and it didn’t take long to find the culprit. Standing next to a street sign, with a smug grin on her face, was Diamond Tiara.
“What was that for?” Scootaloo asked.
“I had to get your attention somehow.” Diamond Tiara replied.
“What do you want?” Scootaloo asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I didn’t come here for my wellbeing; I came to make sure you were okay.” Tiara replied.
“As if, all you ever do is bully me and my friends…where’s Silver Spoon?” Scootaloo asked scanning the area.
“She’s not important, what is important is finding out how long you have left.” Diamond Tiara said, approaching Scootaloo with fake concern in her voice.
“What do you mean by time?” Scootaloo asked, wary of the earth pony’s behavior.
“I mean, it’s obvious you’re not going to get adopted here. After all, that colt got picked over you.” Diamond Tiara said.
“That’s not true! What does that have to do with anything anyways?” Scootaloo asked through gritted teeth, the earth pony was really trying her patience.
“You mean you don’t know? Oh poor Scootaloo, you don’t stay in Ponyville until you get adopted, it’s called aging out. If you don’t get adopted after a while, they send you to another orphanage, and since there’s only one in Ponyville who knows where they’d send you.” Tiara replied, smiling when she noticed the other filly’s reaction to the news.
“Y-you’re making that up.” Scootaloo stammered, trying to convince herself that it was just another trick.
“My daddy said so. You know, what you can never have.” Diamond Tiara said coldly.
The truth was that while she was plotting to get back at Scootaloo Diamond Tiara had overheard her father talking about the topic with a few friends. Coincidently, those friends were the parents that had been planning to adopt from the orphanage.
“You’re wrong! I will have a dad someday, he’ll be ten times better than yours!” the tangerine filly exclaimed.
“Oh really? Well when is he getting here? Because from the looks of things, I doubt anypony like that exist at all.” Diamond Tiara said.
“I may not have a dad yet, but at least I’m not some spoilt rotten little prissy wuss like you!” Scootaloo snapped.
This struck a nerve with Diamond Tiara. She had hoped to at least make her cry, but so far the filly was keeping it bottled up. What she didn’t expect was for Scootaloo to snap back at her.
“You’re nothing but a flightless filly,” Diamond Tiara said trudging towards Scootaloo, pushing her off her scooter for calling her weak. “And that’s all you’ll ever be!”
“Stop it!” Scootaloo shouted, getting back onto her hooves.
Diamond Tiara grabbed the handle bars of her scooter, and started to pull it away. She didn’t get far before Scootaloo grabbed onto the deck and pulled back with all of her might. She wasn’t about to let this brat take her most valuable possession.
“L-let go!” Scootaloo demanded holding fast for fear of what Diamond Tiara might do to her scooter.
“No!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed yanking it from Scootaloo’s grasp. The force of her pull caused the scooter to be flung from her as well, slamming into a carelessly stacked assortment of tools.
Faster than either could react, the scooter was buried beneath them, a loud cracking noise standing out more so than the tools falling to the ground. Scootaloo’s breath caught as she watched her beloved scooter become crushed and broken before her eyes.
“Humph, such a stupid toy.” Diamond Tiara said, leaving Scootaloo alone, confident she wouldn’t be hearing any come backs from the filly for a long time.
For Scootaloo, this was the tipping point. She could take Diamond Tiara’s insults, but crushing her scooter, the thing that gave her just a small taste of what it meant to use her wings and be a pegasus, that was too much for her to endure. Her vision slowly became misty and distorted as tears started to flow freely from her eyes.
---
“So that’s how it happened huh?” I asked, holding Scootaloo close as she retold the story.
“Uh huh.” Scootaloo replied, her eyes were red and puffy by now, but at least she had stopped crying.
I had brought Scootaloo home; tonight she didn’t need to be reminded of what she had to go back to. Isabella was nowhere to be found, which was fine. She needed to get out more and interact with the towns ponies.
Scootaloo had taken to pressing herself as close as she could to me. I had seen Dinky and other foals do the same thing when they were afraid or nervous. I could tell that the tangerine filly was starting to get sleepy as she watched the flames dance from the fireplace.
“It’s going to be okay Scoots, don’t listen to that twerp. I’m going to try and fix your scooter, I don’t know how yet, but I’ll think of something.” I said, trying to reassure her.
“There’s one thing you can’t fix.” Scootaloo replied curling up beside me.
Her words hurt, cutting true and deep. There had to be something I could do, and as much as I hated to admit it, Diamond Tiara was right, Scootaloo would eventually age out of that orphanage and be sent off to another one. Though that was still a long ways off, it was no secret that couples looking to adopt often picked a young foal over an older one.
The soft sound of Scootaloo snoring caught my attention. She had been through a rough night and things probably weren’t going to be much better in the morning. My mind continued to drift back to how defensive I was starting to become when I found out that she had been bullied.
I reflected on the time we had spent together as I gently stroke the top of her purple mane with my thumb. One memory in particular stood out more than any, one that took place not in Equestria, but on Earth.
"You don't have Timberwolves or...monsters here, do you?" Scootaloo asked looking up at me.
"That was probably just a coyote, they can't get you from out there. They're afraid of humans because we're scarier than them." I said, holding my hands up like paws while bending my fingers to look like the claws of some sort of vicious creature.
Two more howls came from the woods and I felt something wrap around my arm tightly. Scootaloo had semi permanently attached herself to my arm, and was nervously staring at the window, as if any moment a monster would come crashing through it.
"C-c-can you stay? At least until they go away?" Scootaloo asked nervously.
"No problem, let me get the light okay?" I asked in return, relieved when I felt my arm relinquished from the filly's grasp.
I left the hall light on, and the door open allowing light to stream into the room, just like when I was little. Scootaloo's gaze hadn't left the window, and only faltered once I sat on the edge of the bed and ruffled her mane.
I leaned against the head board and felt something warm press itself against me. I looked down to see Scootaloo, forcing her eyes shut, her ears folding flat against her skull as another cry from a coyote made her cringe.
"What if they don't leave?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, then I guess I'll just stay here." I replied.
I had nothing to lose, if only a few hours of sleep. I had nowhere to be in this world, and as far as Earth was concerned I was a dead man anyways. If being on nightshift for a scared kid was the worst thing to happen to me, than I couldn't really complain.
"All night?" Scootaloo asked groggily.
"All night." I replied, looking at the moon from the window.
The memory played itself over and over in my mind. I felt conflicted over a multitude of things tonight. The date with Minuette and my stance on trying to find somepony in this world, the incident with Scootaloo, and now…I was actually considering something I never thought I would even contemplate before I came to Equestria. Even as my brain struggled with a decision, my heart already knew what needed to be done.
“I think I can fix it…” I said quietly.
So yeah, things happened this time. Hopefully interesting things. Comments are awesome and honestly I can't think of anything else to put here, so...yeah. I guess that covers it. Oh now I remember, I finally got to play Legends of Equestria and it was awesome. It was fun to make Comet Guard and [
Discord has removed this section] so yeah that was fun. Anyways thanks for reading.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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That game is finally up? May just Give it a shot,,,
Yay new chapter! (Btw)
5565129
No it was only open for a while, watch the board for it, they open them every once in a while. It is a fun game, and I got to chill and chat with a lot of cool people. I wish they could keep them open.
5565183
Ya, I noticed. Something about attacks. I had completely forgotten about seeing it before it was initially opened up. I may set something up with it later.
The backwards writing was amusing at first, now it justs causes a headache. May want to just put it in brackets or italicize it or something.
5566195
Yeah, I was kinda worried about how it would be received myself, but wanted to try it anyways, win some you lose some I guess. Thanks for the input.
So who is the other pony in the picture going to be?
5583842
I don't know about ponies, but the picture does represent something. That might be jumping to conclusions a bit too soon.
This is a awesome story keep up the good work!
5610175
I'm glad you're enjoying it thus far
5614103
Why wouldn't i be it's Awesome!
This always annoys me a lot in your fics. You've previously described ponies as being as small as 2 feet off the ground (or at least you did in one case with Daniel), and you've said Daniel is taller than Celestia. Now, you could say Daniel moved slower because of ice, but because of distance covered per stride and number of strides per minute? There's no way I see a human moving slower. As a 6'8" guy, I can speak from experience that you cover ground more easily than those who are shorter than you. At a full sprint (where he should take corners easier than ponies), I don't see Daniel moving anything less than near-equal the speed of the ponies.
It just occurred to me that they could sing this.
I like their soup that has spinach and dumplings in it.
Shouldn’t that be Scootaloo?
Murphey's law might have a thing or two to say about this.
It bothers the heck out of me that you keep hitting Daniel with the "boy why is he so dumb/bad/etc" stick from various characters in this series. Twilight's somehow inherited Rainbow's bitch-face schtick and every moment of it is awful.