Tale of a Lost Scoots

by RDfan27

Chapter 8 - Homecoming

Scootaloo slowly opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was reaching out to touch the flower, and now she was here.

“Where am I?” she asked, rubbing the afternoon sun out of her eyes. Scootaloo had woken up on the ground in the middle of a small grassy clearing amongst what appeared to be a forest of trees. It was actually not all that different from where she had found the flower. Maybe she didn't go anywhere after all. Maybe she just fell asleep. Then again, wouldn't Applebloom and Sweetie Belle still be there?

That's when she noticed something that was off. Water. She could hear water in the distance. It wasn't running water, like in a stream, but the sound of splashing water was unmistakable.

“What is that?” Scootaloo asked herself, quite confused. There was only one way to find out. Scootaloo stood up and brushed the dirt off of her fur. She began to walk towards the sound.

The farther Scootaloo walked through the woods, the louder the splashing became. Eventually, she was able to make out a small bit of blue through the trees ahead. “That’s got to be it,” Scootaloo stated enthusiastically. “I’m almost there.” As she got closer, she realized that it was not only water but an ocean..

Finally, Scootaloo stepped out onto the sandy beach. It didn’t look that much different than the beach on Mt. Aris. She could feel the soft white sand underneath her hooves, the calm sea breeze rustling her mane as she stood before the crashing waves.

Scootaloo looked to her left. The shoreline curved off to the left and out of sight. Then Scootaloo looked to her right. Scootaloo's jaw dropped in shock. “Whoah. This is definitely not like Mt. Aris.”

In front of her laid the longest stretch of beach she had ever seen in her life. It went on for almost as far as she could see. That was not what amazed her the most though. Far in the distance, almost too far for her to make out, she could see the shoreline curve to the left. She could also make out massive figures along the curve. Even at that distance, they were so big that they stuck out clearly against the sky beyond them. The sunlight reflected off of the massive structures, creating a truly breathtaking sight.

“They’re huge!” Scootaloo said, awestruck. “I’ve never seen anything so big in my life.”

Scootaloo could hardly take her eyes off of the landscape in front of her. She suddenly noticed the objects getting closer, which snapped her out of her trance. She realized that she had begun walking towards the distant figures. She didn't know why, but something about it felt right, so she kept walking.

***

By the time Scootaloo approached the bend in the shoreline, the sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon, and darkness was beginning to consume the land around her. She picked up her walking pace, hoping to reach the objects and find somepony else before it got too dark for her to see.

Suddenly, the massive structures erupted into a glow of yellow light, surprising Scootaloo and making her jump and stop walking. Upon closer look, she could see light coming from windows all over the sides of the building that she could see.

"Hey!" called the voice of a stallion Scootaloo had never heard before.

"Hey! Are you okay?" This voice belonged to a mare whom Scootaloo also did not recognize.

Scootaloo looked along the beach ahead of her. She spotted the silhouette of two figures running towards her along the beach. "H-hello," Scootaloo said quietly, as the figures approached her.

But they just kept coming straight towards her. Scootaloo's heart began to race. “What do they want?” Scootaloo asked to herself, panicking.

She quickly looked around for somewhere to hide, but to her dismay, there was nothing. Fearing the worst, Scootaloo dropped down to the ground and hid her head in her hooves, preparing for the inevitable.

"Honey stop!" the stallion's voice called out as both ponies skidded to a stop. "I think we're scaring the child."

"Oh, the poor thing," the mare said, slowly walking towards Scootaloo. Scootaloo was curled up on the ground, whimpering and shaking with fear. When nothing happened, Scootaloo peeked through her hooves to see the pair slowly walking towards her, giving the mare her first good look at Scootaloo in the moonlight. She gasped softly, stopping just a few feet away from Scootaloo.

"Oh my stars, It's just a little filly," she said to her husband quietly. "Sweetheart, don't be afraid. We just want to help."

"R-really," Scootaloo asked, whimpering.

"Of course. There's no need to be afraid of us. We were just worried when we saw you out here all alone. Come on sweetie, why don't you come over here and tell us what you're doing out here all alone.”

"O-okay." Scootaloo nervously climbed back up onto her hooves, and slowly made her way over to the two ponies in front of her. Scootaloo could see the two ponies well now in the moonlight. The one on the left was a pegasus mare with a pink coat, a light blue mane and light green eyes. The one on the right was an earth pony stallion with a brown coat, black mane and light blue eyes.

Scootaloo slowly walked up to the mare, who immediately began looking over her for injuries.

"There you go, see, nothing to be afraid of," she began calmly. "Are you alright? I was really worried you might be hurt."

"N-no, I'm fine," Scootaloo said, regaining her usual composure. "I'm just…” Scootaloo paused to collect her thoughts. “I’m lost,” Scootaloo continued, deciding not to go into any detail about how she got there just yet.

“Oh, you poor thing,” the mare cooed. “You must be so scared. Where do you live?”

Scootaloo pondered this question for a moment. “It’s a long story. All I know is that I’m not from anywhere around here. I don’t even know where here is.”

Both ponies looked shocked at this. “Well,” the mare began again after a while. It was clear she was the talkative one. “How about you come back with us, and you can tell us all about it?” the mare offered.

“R-really? You’d really let me come with you?” Scootaloo asked, surprised by the generous offer.

“Of course. We can’t just leave you out here all alone,” the mare said. “Oh, I almost forgot. My name is Firefly, and this is my husband, Cinnamon.”

“Nice to meet you Firefly, Cinnamon,” Scootaloo said. “My name is Scootaloo.”

Both of them let out an audible gasp, causing Scootaloo to look up in shock. “Um, I’m sorry dear, but I’m not sure I heard you quite right. Did you say your name was Scootaloo?” She asked, while Cinnamon just stared at Scootaloo with a look of shock on his face.

“Um, yeah. Why?” Scootaloo asked, confused as to why the mention of her name would trigger such a response.

“Oh, nothing. It’s… it’s not important. So, how did you end up here anyway?” Firefly said, trying desperately to change the subject as they began walking. Cinnamon remained silent. Staring at the ground as he walked, occasionally glancing up at Scootaloo.

“Well...” Scootaloo began hesitantly, falling into pace beside firefly as she walked. “Well, I guess I should start at the very beginning.”

***

“Alright girls,” Twilight said, looking up at the setting sun through the trees. “I think it’s about time we head back. I’ll go ge—” Twilight was cut off by Rainbow Dash, who had just flown over their heads.

“There you are!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she stopped just above the three. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“What is it Dash?” Twilight asked. “Did you find the flower?”

“Yeah, we did. I’ve got to get back there though, I left Fluttershy with the flower all alone. I can’t leave her for too long on her own in this forest,” Dash said worriedly.

“Okay,” Twilight began. “You go back to be with Fluttershy. Fly up and hover above where the flower is so I can find you once I go get the others.”

“I will!” Dash said, turning to fly away. “Don’t take too long! It’s gonna be dark soon!”

***

“Then I just walked along the beach towards those big… things. That’s when you found me,” Scootaloo finished.

They had been walking on the beach for quite a while now, and the huge objects that Scootaloo had seen were still in front of them, but not very far. She marvelled at the sheer size of them.They were way larger than anything Scootaloo had ever seen.

They were also quite far inland. Scootaloo could see rows of houses lining the shores, with stairs leading up to them from the beach. Despite being in a foreign place, the houses looked kinda familiar to Scootaloo.

They didn’t look much different from the houses back in Ponyville, slightly larger and less clustered together, but all the while similar.

She was snapped out of her trance by a voice.

“Wow...” Firefly said, while Cinnamon remained quiet. “I can’t believe you had to go through all of that. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Scootaloo said, trying to lighten the mood a little. “I know I may have had a rough start, but I’ve got Dash now, and I love her more than anypony in the world, and I know she feels the same way about me. She’s the best mom anypony could ask for.”

“I’m really happy and proud of you. More than you could ever know,” Firefly said, surprising Scootaloo quite a bit.

“What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked, confusedly.

“Has anyone told you that you’re strong before?” Firefly began, giving Scootaloo a very warm, and caring smile. “Because if not, then you are not hanging out with the right ponies,” said Firefly jokingly. “I don’t know of another filly that could have even made it through what you had to go through, and here you are laughing, smiling, and trying to make the best of things. If that doesn’t show strength, then I don’t know what does.”

“T-thanks,” Scootaloo stammered, blushing. “That means a lot, it really does.”

As they approached another set of staircases that led up to a house on the edge of the beach, Firefly stopped and said, “This is it. We’re here.”

Scootaloo looked up at the house at the top of the stairs. What Scootaloo saw, amazed her.

“Whoa,” she said as she stared, dumbfounded, up at the house. “This is way bigger than anything in Ponyville,” she said.

A few lights lining the outside of the house allowed Scootaloo a good view of the house. The house was painted white, and it had a balcony on the second floor. The third floor had two small windows, and the ground floor had a sliding glass door, leading inside. It was the sheer size of the house that amazed Scootaloo though.

Back in Ponyville, it was not all that uncommon to see a house with two floors. Houses like that lined the streets of Ponyville. But this house put all of those houses to shame. It was a three-story house, that was as wide as five houses in Ponyville put together, and just as long.

“It’s huge!” Scootaloo shouted, gaining a chuckle from both older ponies. “I mean, I’ve seen castles before that are much bigger, and I live in Dash’s cloud mansion, but I’ve never seen a house this big on the ground that doesn’t belong to royalty or something. Are you two royalty?” Scootaloo asked, eliciting another laugh from the two ponies.

“No, no. We’re not royalty. I’m a nurse, and Cinnamon here is a doctor. We both work at the Zatoka General Hospital, not too far from here,” Firefly explained.

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Scootaloo said.

The mare smiled. “Well, what are we just standing here for? Let’s head on inside. It’s starting to get pretty chilly out here.” she said as they all walked up the stairs and made their way inside.

***

Fluttershy hovered in the air next to Rainbow Dash as they waited on their friends to show up. Eventually, Rainbow Dash saw Twilight in the distance, flying slowly towards them. “She’s probably guiding the others who can’t fly over to us,” Said Fluttershy, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” agreed Dash. She wasn’t really in the mood for talking right now. Her mind was filled with questions and worries about what they were about to do. She had no Idea what had happened to Scootaloo, or what the little filly was doing right now.

“I hope she’s okay,” Dash said, more to herself than to Fluttershy.

“I know,” Fluttershy said calmly. “I hope so too. Just remember what I told you. We have to stay strong, and we will find her for sure.” Fluttershy smiled at her best friend, who smiled back.

“Thanks, Shy,” Rainbow Dash said, pushing away her fears for the time being. There were more important matters to deal with at the moment.

Finally, they heard footsteps through the trees as Twilight approached, with the rest of their friends beneath her. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash slowly lowered themselves to meet the rest of their friends on the ground. Twilight followed them, just before the rest of their friends appeared from the trees. “Hey girls,” Twilight said. “So where’s this flower?”

“Right over here,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing a hoof behind them at the flower.

“Alright,” Twilight said. “Let’s get this over with.” Twilight walked up to the flower and lowered her head until her horn was almost touching the flower. A violet glow enveloped her horn, and then the flower. After a few seconds of the flower being encased in a violet glow, Twilight dropped the spell and turned back to face her friends. “Zecora was right. This flower has magical properties that will teleport anypony who touches it to another location.”

“Do you think you can get us all there darling?” asked Rarity.

“I think so,” Twilight said. “I should be able to harness the magic of the flower and boost it so it has enough energy to teleport all eight of us. Everypony stand as close together as you can right next to the the flower.”

They did as they were told, and prepared for Twilight to cast the spell. Twilight once again dropped her head, and a violet glow engulfed the flower and her horn. The glow surrounding Twilight’s horn grew brighter as the glow faded around the flower. Eventually, the flower was no longer glowing, and her horn was pulsing a bright violet.

“Here goes nothing!” Twilight shouted, aiming her horn at her friends, and then, her horn glowed even brighter, blinding all of them.

Then, they were gone.

***

“Thank you Firefly,” Scootaloo said appreciatively while she snuggled up beneath the blankets. “Are you sure you’re okay with me sleeping here?” Scootaloo asked tentatively, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind.

“Of course,” Firefly reassured her. “Nopony was using this room anyway, so don’t worry about it. I just want to make sure you get a good night’s sleep. In the morning, I’m taking you into work with me to check you out at the hospital. I want to make sure you aren’t hurt.”

“Thank you,” Scootaloo said. “This really means a lot.”

Firefly smiled at her, “Well, we’re just looking out for you. I couldn’t leave you out there all alone.”

Scootaloo’s smile changed to a small frown as she remembered the conversation she had had earlier on the beach when they first arrived at the house. That speech was very similar to a speech Dash had given her, not long before.

She really missed her. She would give anything to be curled up in her mother’s hooves right now.

Scootaloo quickly wiped away a tear from her eye, hoping that Firefly wouldn’t notice, but she did.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” Firefly asked caringly, placing a hoof on the filly’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said sadly. “I just… I miss my mom. A lot,” Scootaloo cracked a small smile. “What you said earlier, about me being brave, it reminded me of her. She told me the same thing just a few days ago.”

She wiped away another tear from her eye. “D-did you really mean that? Do y-you r-really think I’m b-brave?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at her with tear filled eyes.

“Of course I do,” Firefly reassured her. “Don’t you worry, we’ll find your mom very soon. I promise. I bet you, she’s out there somewhere, looking for you right now.”

“R-really?” Scootaloo asked hopefully. “D-do you really think s-so?”

Firefly pulled Scootaloo into a comforting hug, squeezing her tight.

“I know so.”

Author's Note:

Hey everyone, finally got this chapter ready, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out. I hope you all enjoy. I’m trying to get on a more regular schedule for posting, so be ready. Things are picking up very soon!

Comments

[Blast]

Are we looking at Trap Parents?

[RDfan27]

9252354
Don’t worry... you’ve only got like 10% of the feels yet. Can’t wait to hit you even harder in the feels! Enjoy!

[RDfan27]

9252377
I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean by trap parents?

[Blast]

9252406
Definition of Trap Parents.

[RDfan27]

9252898
You’ll just have to wait and see...

[Starlight Nova]

Apple Bloom is two words. Why isn't there a sad tag?

[RDfan27]

9262643
Ran outa space for tags. I used the ones I felt were fitting for where the story is going, although I am thinking about changing it, at least for now.