Be the Change the World Needs

by StoryWeaverKP

Chapter 1 - Meeting Again for the First Time

Chapter 1 – Meeting Again for the First Time

The whiteness faded, and the surrounding terrain took shape around Scootaloo. She had walked through the portal, but then stopped when the ground felt different. The interior of the portal had been covered in bizarre, white marble floors, and the sound of her constant clip clopping was the only thing that encouraged her to keep moving forward. Her mentors, and what was left of Equestria, needed her to succeed.

She slowed down, and then stopped when her hoofs starting trotting on grass. Instead of being dead or dying, the grass felt alive and flourishing.

Scootaloo’s eyes opened wide as she gazed at the splendor all around her. Green trees stretched up all around her. A cool breeze blew past her and caught several strands of her mane. The air even smelled sweetly.

“I don’t believe it,” Scootaloo said, to no one in particular.

She only stayed mesmerized for a moment before her training kicked in. When in a new area, what was the first thing that she was supposed to do? Scootaloo thought for a moment, and then she nodded. She wandered around the woods, trying to find a suitable spot for her current needs.

It took a while, but the longer Scootaloo walked around, the more she started to recognize the area. Something about this wooded area felt familiar. Her heart tugged a little when she noticed a small lake beside a large rock face. Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

There was no time to be sad. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle wouldn’t like that at all. Remember the mission, that had been one of the more important things they said to her before she left them forever.

Scootaloo sighed as she moved away from the chilling site, and she wandered through the forest. After about an hour, she discovered a small alcove near another rocky outcropping. Once more, her heart sank a little. In another time, and another place, that had been her home, along with two fun-loving mentors.

She moved into the alcove, and it had been just as she remembered it. A smooth flat floor was surrounded by sturdy stone walls, and the ceiling of the alcove had provided excellent protection from the rain and such. Not only was this where she, Apple bloom, and Sweetie Belle had lived, but it was also where she had last seen her mother.
“I’m home,” she said into the alcove. The urge to cry was stronger now, but again, she forced the tears back.

Well, she had shelter, which lead to the next necessity; food. Scootaloo moved around the perimeter of the alcove, and was quite surprised to find an abundance of berries, fruit trees, and other such vegetation she would need to sustain herself.

Scootaloo smiled, although it wasn’t one filled with a great degree of warmth. Would she ever feel happy again? Hopefully. No! She had to, because happy ponies were ponies who made friends.

Aside from her, no other pony was around. A sudden thought occurred to her. If the spell had worked as Sweetie Belle had expected it to, then the old Ponyville Ruins wouldn’t be desolate and abandoned. Scootaloo hastened her pace through the woods. Her heart started to dance when she found an actual road leading to the city.

As soon as she saw the distant buildings, a genuine smile crept across her face. Her mother had often told her stories about Ponyville, and how lovely it was to live there.

The first few steps towards the city were the hardest, but they got easier and more natural. She had traipsed through the dead version of the town, and many of the buildings had still stood as they do now. Apple Blossom had told her little stories about each of the places, and some of Scootaloo’s sweetest dreams were centered in a thriving Ponyville, right beside her mother.

Scootaloo stopped when she first noticed the adult ponies walking about. A sudden cringe of anxiety swept through her, and Scootaloo glanced all around her. None of the monsters came out of hiding, everything was serene, and there was nothing to worry about. So the spell had really worked after all.

She had just started walking toward a pair of fillies when a savage whisper called out to her.

“Hey you!” the voice said.

A small white face with green eyes poked out from a bush. It was a unicorn female, and she looked awfully familiar. Scootaloo stared at her for a moment.

“Hurry, get in here before they come!” the small unicorn said.

They? Scootaloo’s eyes widened, and she hunched down a little.

“What are you doing?” the unicorn asked. “They’ll see you if you don’t hurry.”

With all of her speed, Scootaloo jumped into the bushes besides the white unicorn. The unicorn eased the bush leaves back in place, which helped conceal them from the outside world. Scootaloo followed the young mare’s line of sight, and she expected to see the horrid monsters that ravaged her world.

Had she somehow made a mistake? Or did they follow her back?

The little white unicorn female watched the pair of fillies that Scootaloo had intended on approaching. One of the fillies had a pink coat, and she had light purple mane with a white streak down the center. A gaudy tiara sat on her head. The other young mare had a silver coat, dark grey hair with a light silver streak down the center, and a pair of glasses on her snout.

“What are we hiding from?” Scootaloo asked.

The white unicorn kept her attention squared on the pair of fillies. When she spoke, her voice came out squeaky and somewhat adorable. “Those two. They’re the worst!”

“They are?” Scootaloo focused her attention on the pair of mares.

They were talking with one another, and laughing too. How could they be the worst? Scootaloo had seen the worst, and those two didn’t even seem that bad.

“You must be new around here,” The white unicorn said. “Those two are Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the two nastiest fillies in all of Ponyville. They pick on everyone, and ever since Diamond Tiara got her cutie mark, she’s been tormenting all of the blank flanks.”

“Blank flanks?” Scootaloo frowned. She turned to really look at the white unicorn.

The unicorn had snow white fur, a pair of light green eyes, and hair that was both pink and purple. A mental spark exploded in Scootaloo’s thoughts. Could it really be her?

The white mare turned to face her, and she gave a genuine smile. She gestured to her blank flank. “Yeah, since we don’t have cutie marks, we’re considered blank flanks. Good thing I caught you before they did.” She stopped and then peered at Scootaloo for a moment. “Wait, if you’re new in town, does that mean you don’t have any friends yet?”

Scootaloo averted her eyes, and she lowered her head a little. “Yeah… you’re right. But I hope to have some really soon.”

The white mare extended her hoof. “I’m Sweetie Belle. I’ll be your friend.”

So many emotions assaulted Scootaloo’s mind simultaneously. Her heart lurched within her, and her front hooves demanded that she leap forward to hug the white unicorn. Scootaloo’s eyes threatened to send miniature waterfalls down her cheeks. She wanted to scream out.

Sweetie Belle’s shoulders slumped a little. “A-are you okay?”

Scootaloo whipped her face with her hoof. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just afraid I wouldn’t be able to make any new friends. I’m just so happy.”

The lie burned in her soul, and yet, it was necessary.

“What’s your name?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Oh, I’m Scootaloo.”

Sweetie Belle let out an awkward giggle. “So, I have a favor to ask. I know it’s sudden since we just met.”

“What’s up?” Scootaloo asked.

The white mare peeked out of the bushes again. “Even though those two are so annoying, they are having a party at Sugar Cube Corner, and the entire class is going.” Sweetie Belle’s head hung a little lower. “I was going to skip it. If I went, I just know those two would find out I’m a blank flank, and they’d tease me.” She peeked up at Scootaloo. “I could never go alone, but I think… I might be able to go there if I had a friend with me.”

Scootaloo smiled. “Let’s go be blank flanks together.”

Sweetie Belle wrapped her hoofs around Scootaloo’s neck, and embraced her tightly. A deep blush overcame Scootaloo’s cheeks, and the heat from the blush made her head swim a little. Sweetie Belle’s mane smelled just as it did before… or rather just as it will one day. Slowly, Scootaloo hugged back.

“Thanks, you’re such a good friend,” Sweetie Belle said. “I can already tell that this is going to be the start of something awesome.”

“Me too,” Scootaloo replied.

***

Sugar Cube Corner was nothing like she thought it would be. The ruins were all drab, and the colors were faded. Burn marks had covered the floors, and the doorways were broken. This version of Sugar Cube Corner was completely the opposite though.

Music played, while adult ponies and small fillies and colts interacted and socialized. Bright colors were everywhere. Every pony looked to be having fun. Scootaloo only had the faintest memories of such things.

A bright pink pony with balloons for a cutie mark bounced around the interior of the store, giving people snacks, hats, and such. Scootaloo stared at her for a moment, and the desperate urge to run up to her nearly overwhelmed her. That must have been Pinkie Pie, the legendary Mistress of Fun. She had been one of the first to be taken.

Panic fluttered in her stomach, and Scootaloo batted it away. It would be pointless to tell Pinkie Pie now, especially with the threat of the monsters watching. Not only that, but it was often said by more than one pony that Pinkie Pie wasn’t great at keeping secrets all of the time. And Scootaloo’s would be the biggest secret of them all.

Sweetie Belle appeared to be having a good time, and she interacted with the other fillies that were their size. Every now and then, both she and Sweetie Belle would dart their attention until they located the two infamous ponies of ill repute.
At the moment, Diamond Tiara was glaring at a taller, orange unicorn with a snail cutie mark.

“Hey! Diamond Tiara said. “It’s my Cute-ceanera. I’m supposed to get the first bite of cake.”

At the moment, Silver Spoon was talking to some older adults.

Sweetie Belle beamed a brief, warm glance at Scootaloo before she continued her conversation with a classmate. A sudden bit of sorrow fell over her. Would Scootaloo get the chance to go to school with other ponies her age? After the great invasion of monsters, school had been disbanded, and she had to get all of her education from her two mentors.

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle grabbed Scootaloo’s hoof, and she found herself dragged under a table.

“Hurry, we have to hide,” Sweetie Belle said. “They are coming this way.”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle crouched down beside one another. Their eyes watched the pair of unkind fillies as they moved toward them, and then away from them. Obviously, they were after some other poor little pony.

“Let’s just stay here until they are farther away,” Sweetie Belle whispered.
Scootaloo replied, “Okay.”

The music stopped abruptly. A heavy silence fell over the entire room, and Scootaloo heard the sound of her heart beat in her ears.

From somewhere close, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started laughing.

“Wow,” Diamond Tiara said.

Silver Spoon added in, “That is an amazing cutie mark.”

Once more, the pair of fillies started laughing again. The sound of their delight didn’t sound comforting, nor did it have any kind of goodness associated with it. No… this was mean laughing.
Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, and she gritted her teeth.

“Nice Try,” Diamond Tiara said.

And together, the pair of fillies called out “BLANK FLANK!”

Once more their laughter echoed in the room, and the crowd started murmuring.

A sudden hotness grew within Scootaloo’s chest. If her two mentors taught her anything, it was that ponies stuck together in times of crisis. And if another blank flank was getting tormented, could she just sit there and let it happen?

Scootaloo called out. “You got a problem with Blank Flanks!?”

The crowd parted, and a deep realization flowed within her. There was no turning back now. She had to stand strong. If Scootaloo couldn’t handle a situation like this, how was she supposed to persist long enough to defeat the monsters or inspire other ponies to be happy?

Scootaloo stepped out from under the table, and to her satisfaction, Sweetie Belle also moved as well. Like Scootaloo, the white unicorn wore a mask of stern resistance.

“I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?!” Scootaloo said.

Silver Spoon replied, “The problem is, I mean she’s totally not special.”

Before Scootaloo could spit back a response, Sweetie Belle spoke.

“No, it means she’s full of potential.” Sweetie Belle placed herself on the other side of the yellow earth pony with the bright… red… hair.

Scootaloo’s heart spun a thousand times over as she took her place on the other side of her second mentor.

Scootaloo said, “It means she could be great at anything. The possibilities are like…” she paused and rolled her eyes. “endless.”

As Sweetie Belle spoke further, Scootaloo studied the little mare whose name just had to be Apple Bloom. The yellow mare didn’t have a scar over her eye, and she had the most adorable pink bow on the back of her head. Youth was abundant in Apple Bloom’s face, but the longer that Scootaloo looked at her, the more she was sure.

Could Scootaloo earn her friendship too?

***

For the first time in a long time, Scootaloo didn’t have to be afraid of the sunset. She sauntered on the path out of Ponyville toward the forest. The adult Sweetie Belle had told her about all of the strange and potentially dangerous beasts that lived in the Everfree Forest, but they surely weren’t as scary as the monsters.

Besides, this had been the perfect day. She had managed to get to the past safely, and she made two friends. Not just any friends though. The two best friends she could have ever made.
Scootaloo’s heart throbbed wildly, and she stared into the orange hued sky.

“Are you still proud of me?” Scootaloo asked softly into the forest. “I made two friends. They are the most wonderful ponies on the planet. I’m already doing good on my mission.”

The silence of the forest answered her. Since no pony was around, she allowed her tears to cascade from her face. It didn’t take long to find the little alcove she knew as home.

“I’m home” she said again.

There was no answer.

In a better time, an adult Sweetie Belle would be making dinner while an adult Apple Bloom would be getting the bedding ready. They would greet her warmly, and tell her that they love her. They would ask about her day, and she would tell them about all the things she saw and experienced.

Good thing Scootaloo was still full on cake and snacks.

She sniffled a little. “I promise I’ll start eating better tomorrow, Apple Bloom.”

Scootaloo imagined her red-haired mentor giving her a chiding, but motherly stare.

Tomorrow, Scootaloo would make some actual bedding for her to sleep on. Tonight, she would have to settle for the cold stone.

Scootaloo laid down, and she imagined her two beloved mentors snuggling up next to her. Sweetie Belle would sing her to sleep while Apple Bloom would gently nuzzle her and remind her that despite the terrors of the world, Scootaloo was still loved.

More tears fell off of her cheeks, and she couldn’t hold back the sorrow any longer.

Softly, Scootaloo whispered, “I’ll succeed, I swear.” She paused before she uttered. “I miss you so much…”

Eventually, slumber took over when Scootaloo couldn’t cry anymore.

Coming soon, Chapter 2 – A Conversation with a Hero