A Game of Homes.

by Lethrael

What are friends for?

What are friends for?

Scootaloo followed the yellow pegasus back to Ponyville and was preparing herself for a furious brushdown from Sweetie Belle's parents. She had claimed, that it was only her idea, after all. Sweetie Belle trudged tiredly on her flank and even leaned against her from time to time. Slowly the pegasus filly was feeling the pain in her legs, too. She stumbled along, stared at the ground and remained silent. She didn't raise her eyes not until a pink leg appeared in her line of sight and she almost ran into it. She looked into a nearly friendly smile and examining eyes.

"Where have you been?

We were surprised when you didn't show up for lunch and after we had been waiting and waiting we were worrying sick!

Your father is turning the whole town upside down, looking for you!"

Scootaloo drooped her head in a provident matter, but the brushdown didn't move on. Her chin was raised with a gentle hoof and the unicorn mare, which she had seen in the morning, smiled again down at her. Scootaloo tried to answer, but Sweetie Belle didn't give her a chance to speak up and explained everything. Her voice pitched onto new heights as she took the blame and blushed more and more.

"...I just wanted to help Rarity and Scootaloo had simply ran after me and then...I'm sorry."

The unicorn guided the fillies into the house, smiled gently and caressed Sweetie Belle's head very calming.

“All right, Sweetie. Rarity is fine. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear you were worrying about her

But didn't you know you weren't to go into the Everfree Forest, Missy?”

The voice of the mare sounded a little bit louder, not only in anger, but also in concern. Sweetie Belle nodded and drooped her head. Scootaloo stepped beside her and opened her mouth to ensure, that she get a little bit of the anger too. But the mare was faster. Her eyes wandered over the tousled manes, over the scratches on the flanks and stayed finally on the dirty hooves and fetlocks of the fillies.

“You really need a bath. Sweetie, show our guest the bathroom and take a bath too.
Meanwhile I'm going to look for your father and tell him you are back.

When we return, we can make a nice supper together.
By the way, Scootaloo your aunt asked if you could stay for a night.

She has a late shift and won't be home till tomorrow. So you can be our guest tonight.”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle starred at each other, this means.

“A slumber party.”

This exclaimed both simultaneously and dashed to bathroom.

They were taking both a wonderful warm bath and as Scootaloo had promised to herself she washed her fetlocks very carefully. Sweetie Belle took the bath after her and both were helping each other with their manes then. Sweetie was very gentle and brushed her even longer than she had brushed herself in the morning. Scootaloo returned the favour, tried to be very patient and brushed her as long as Sweetie wanted her too. When her parents returned, the fillies were waiting up for them in the living room, they were clean and curried as expected from good foals. Both stammered an apology and were tracing the floor with the tips of their hooves.Sweetie Belles father accepted it easily, he was relieved, that nothing bad happened.All four spent a nice evening together.

Scootaloo told her story, as far as she wanted and enjoyed the tasty food. Or more exactly the cake and other desserts buffet on the table. Sweetie Belles mother wasn't a cook, rather then a confectioner. The night closed in shortly after they finished and the fillies were send to bed quickly. The school started tomorrow very soon. Again, Scootaloo had to take a sleeping back, but today she was okay with it.

“Are you sleeping?”

The low voice sounded in her ears, just as she nuzzled down in the lavender pillow, with a suppressed yawn. She snuffled and caught a sweet flavour. Sweetie Belle was already crawled under her own blanket and craned her neck down to her friend.

“Uh hn. What's the matter, Sweetie?”

Scootaloo turned her head and looked up to the unicorn. She smiled barely visible.
“Thanks. You hadn't left me alone all the time.”

Of all the things, Scootaloo had expected to hear, this wasn't one of it.
“You know, we are friends. And a friend never leaves a friend down in the dumps.

But I have learned one thing today, Sweetie.”

The pegasus giggled and pointed one hoof at the unicorn. She calmed herself down a little bit and sounded even serious.
“You will never again lead us into the Everfree Forest. Next time...”

Sweetie Belle squeaked out a little bit scared and interrupted Scootaloo.
“Next time, but we shouldn't go into...”

Just now she heard Scootaloos laughter and started to snicker by herself. As Scootaloo calmed a little bit down, she heard the high pitched snickering from her younger friend and joined in again. The laughter filled both of the fillies and crackling sparkles from Sweetie Belle's horn enlightened now and then the room with it's warm yellow light. Uncontrolled light flamelet were gliding higher and higher, as Sweetie Belle lost control over her laughter and both fillies were finally rolling around and laughing their flanks out. They finished, as the fillies could only puff and blow and panted heavily. Sweetie Belle yawned and whispered.

“Tomorrow will be school again, you know. But when it's over, we can meet and roam through the fields.

There is a field full of beautiful smelling flowers and, yaw.”

Again a yawn broke through her defence and she snuggled into the pillow, breathed silently against it and closed her eyes finally.

“I believe it would be nice to...”

Sweetie Belle paused and started to breath calm. Scootaloo straightened up and looked at her. She had fall asleep in the middle of her sentence. A smile wandered over her face, slightly visible in the dim light, which were sinking down in the room. Scootaloo laid down again and cuddled into her own pillow. She snuffled and nuzzled her nose gently over it. Finally she felt asleep too.

"Scootaloo....Scootaloo..."

Somepony called out for her soft like batting, as she reached a dream. Everywhere shone dim green light and she felt, that she was lying on the freezing stone floor. Her sleeping back was gone and a cold hoof petted over her flank. She felt every little bruise and even holes in it. Every touch snatched away some warmth in her and left behind only a cold deep inside of her. It felt like she was sleeping in a snow-cloud. The voice sounded a little bit louder in her ears. She knew the voice in some way, but in other way it sounded cold.

"My little Scootaloo, are you awake?"

She closed her eyes shut, she didn't want to see, as something stroke through her mane and were pulling out wisps off her mane painfully. A sharp edge scratched over her coat and something jolted her. She piped up her mouth in fear, as a hollow sound echoed through her slumber.

"Get along with you. Leave her alone."

Didn't she know this pony, too? This calm voice sounded familiar, the gentle hooves caressed her and the silver light shined into her eyes, even through her lids. Scootaloo opened her eyes slowly and awakened.

In whole opposite to her dream, she felt really warm. The warmth even numbed down her body and the fatigue pressed a yawn out off her mouth. But the last picture of the dream kept her spirit awake and forced her to stand up. Silver light was shining threw the curtains and she struggled herself out off the sleeping back. She tried to sneak silently, but her hooves clattered along on the wood floor. She headed to the window and drew the curtain slightly. She looked into the darkness. Sweetie Belle mumbled in her slumber and turned away from the light.

"Just five minutes more..."

Scootaloo couldn't understand more and started to close the curtain. She glanced to the moon, as it covered his light and searched for the spot, where the mare in the moon had been. But she didn't spot it easily, the half waning moon prevented it surely. What kind of strange dream was that? She shivered and sighed gently. Was it Mum, who glanced at her with green eyes? The same green as the rotten stream in the wood. Scootaloo caressed over her mane, simpered and tried to forget the uncanny picture. She sneaked back to the sleeping back, nuzzled herself into it and felt asleep soon.

The next morning raised quickly, as a small hoof shook an her shoulder and wakened her from a dreamless slumber.

"Scootaloo, come on, get up. We have almost overslept."

After a fast breakfast the fillies walked to school together. The way to school was very cheerful for the fillies. They were talking about games they would play together like jump rope and the letters, who Scootaloo wanted to write. Laughter and happy words were filling the warm air around them. The school house was already in sight, as more company joined their way and two ponies followed them. Both were earthponies, the one behind Sweetie Belle was wearing glasses and her mane was plat into a long plait. The other one behind Scootaloo was wearing a little crown on her two coloured mane. The first thing, that Scootaloo actually mentioned about them, wasn't their appearance, no it was their voices.

"Look, Silver Spoon. It looks like Squeakie Belle has found a new friend. Who are you?"

This voice sounded really annoying in Scootaloos ears and managed even to scratch inside of her. She looked back to both of them and appraised them. She spotted their Cutie Marks a crown and and a silver spoon, as the one name had already mentioned. She glanced back into the sneering faces and smiled back. These ponies were surely classmates and a little bit comity was certainly right.

"Hello, I'm Scootaloo and attend the class with you."

She pranced as a greeting, ran her hoof gently over the ground twice, shook her tail and gave the fillies a friendly smile. Both looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion, but the older pink filly put herself easily together and smirked. Her body stood still and even her hooves knocked only shortly two times on the ground. Scootaloo froze, this wasn't suppose to happen, she had imagine another outcome. Had aunt Sunny taught her something wrong? Or did she remember it wrong? No she had shown it exactly like she did it.

“We know you, Blank Flank. You were here four weeks ago, you know!”

Sweetie Belle gasped for breath, this snippy words weren't very nice. Scootaloo just wanted to be friendly.

“This isn't very nice of you, Diamond Tiara, she...”

As she squeaked for the first time, the grey filly stepped one step further and grunted. Sweetie pressed her hoof against her mouth and silenced herself. Scootaloo frowned to the other unfriendly filly and stamped her hoof distinctly on the ground. Her wings spread as far as they could and her tail slashed firmly.

“We are getting late, Sweetie Belle, come on.”

She turned over and under the laughter of both earthponies she pulled Sweetie Belle with her with one hoof. They ran to the school and caught the stairs with the first stroke of the bell. They didn't await the next strokes, rushed into the class room and collided with two other ponies.

“Look out, where you're goin'”

The gentle voice sounded out off the mess of ponies and two strong hooves pulled Scootaloo back off a yellow body. Orange eyes glanced at her very closely and a hoof pushed her back. The yellow earthpony got up and helped another earthpony back on her hooves. She starred just to her friend and didn't take any notice of the other two ponies, as she opened her mouth.

“Are you O.K, Twist?”

The bespectacled pony with the crème coloured coat nodded and lisped an answer.

“Yeth, thank you Apple Bloom.”

First Scootaloo helped Sweetie Belle to get back on her hooves, than she muttered a hasty apology to the other two ponies without rising her eyes.

"I didn't mean to run into you. I'm sorry about that."

Before she could say anything else the bell struck again and Miss Cheerilee entered the classroom. Her voice sounded strong when she called the pupils to order. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo rushed quickly to their seats in the front line and hanged their saddle back's on the hooks. Scootaloo stepped closer to her seat and opened her saddle back with a hoof, but as she glanced back to the door, she spotted two ponies, which are strutting into the classroom just now. The two earthponies went directly to Cheerilee's desk and started to mumble around in front of her. They pointed directly to Scootaloo and she stared confused to them .

Author's Note:

My newest chapter about the blooming friendship from sweetie Belle andScootaloo.
And it has even a scene with Apple Bloom.
I hope you had enyojed it a little bit.
Feel free to comment.
And thanks for reading.