Treated Differently

by Leaf

Chapter One

“So you all got the text too?”

Sunset looked at her friends sitting in the music room, each one looking nervous and worried in their own way. Pinkie was without her typical smile, Rarity was mumbling about dresses, Applejack had her guitar in her hands and playing a nameless tune while Twilight fidgeted in her seat.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” She asked and got a shrug in return from Applejack.

“I sent her a message but all I got was that she’s busy. No doubt she’s looking for-”

The door opened and everyone turned their attention to the person there. A small kid stood there, pink hair just reaching below his ears and framing a face that refused to lose its childish appearance. He wore long green pants and a white shirt, both of which seemed too large for him. His wide eyes looked at each of them, only enhancing his innocence.

“Butterscotch!”

The small boy flinched back when all of his friends surrounded him in an instant, each one voicing their concern.

“Is everything alright?”

“What’s with the text that said you wanted to meet us all here?”

“And why didn’t you want to explain further?”

“And why have you’ve been avoiding us?”

Butterscotch shook his head. “I-I really needed some time alone to gather my thoughts about this,” He rubbed one arm and looked at the ground, his voice becoming a near whisper. “It’s really hard to bring this up.”

“Bring what up,” Sunset asked with a frown. “Is someone messing with you again?”

“WHAT!”

Everyone jumped when Rainbow Dash’s voice came from behind the door and it flew open to reveal the girl herself. Her outfit was messy and tattered, with cuts in various spots and her hair was sticky with sweat. She panted heavily, looking exhausted, but found the strength to put her hands on her best friend’s shoulders.

“Who is messing with you?! Is it those Dazzlings again?”

“N-no!”

“Those girls from Crystal Prep? I knew that Sugarcoat would try something!”

“This is about you all!” Butterscotch yelled, surprising everyone. He took a deep shaky breath and walked over to the nearest seat, with his friends following in his footsteps. He gestured for them to sit down on the steps and they do so, watching Butterscotch walk back and forth in front of them. The small teen whispered to himself, seemingly motivating himself for something.

It was a few moments until he spun to face them with a determined look on his face. Pinkie twitched as the urge to pinch his cheeks came and went.

“Okay, first off, you all know that I love you all? That you’re all my closest friends,” They all nodded and Butterscotch went on. “Then please don’t take it the wrong way when I say...that I think that maybe...sorta...you’ve been treating me too much like a little kid.”

Silence fell upon all of them. It was the kind of silence that crickets would chirp in, except they were in a band room and thus, no crickets.

“...What?” It was Rainbow Dash who spoke up first. Her best friend nervously rubbed his arm at her word. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that you all treat me more like a kid than someone who is the same age as you, and I know why,” He held up a hand and gestured to himself. “I don’t really look my age.”

Rarity waved a hand. “Nonsense dear, you simply have that wonderful youthful look that many people are jealous off.”

“Rarity, everytime we go out to eat, I get handed a kid’s menu,” Butterscotch replied with a deadpan look. “But that really doesn’t bother me as much as you all treating me differently compared to each other.”

Pinkie crossed her arms. “Name us one time when anyone of us did that.”

“Well…”

---

“Whoa there, Butterscotch! Maybe I should handle that,” Pinkie gently took the knife out of her friend’s hands and placed it somewhere safe, meaning that she just set it out of his reach on the countertop. Butterscotch had a gentle frown on his face and turned on his stool to look her.

“Pinkie, I know how to use a knife. I’m not going to hurt myself.”

“Yeah but it’s better to be safe than be sorry,” She rubbed her friend’s head in a similar manner to the Cakes’ kids. “Just let auntie Pinkie Pie handle the sharp objects.”

“I’m a year older than you,” He said but Pinkie merely giggled and skipped around the kitchen to continue her work. Butterscotch eyed the blender and the various fruit close to it.

“Maybe I could work the blender?”

“And risk it exploding all over you in a shower of glass, ice, and delicious fruit? No way!”

“How about the oven?”

“I got that cover and besides, the mitts are too big for you.”

“Can I at least mix the brownies?”

“Already done!”

Butterscotch sighed and got off his stool. “I guess I’ll just go get the table ready then.”

“That’s the spirit Butterscotch!”

---

“Oh,” Pinkie’s hair slightly deflated at that. “I didn’t think I was treating you like that. I just didn’t want you to get hurt and the brownies were really done, I swear!”

“I know Pinkie and I don’t hold it against you.” Butterscotch assured her. Rarity let out a huff.

“Well I know that I never treated you in such a manner.”

“Actually…”

---

“Oh you look so charming in that outfit!” Rarity gushed as Butterscotch stepped out of the dressing room. The small teen was dressed in a form fitting black and white suit. He pulled at the collar a bit, feeling that it was a bit tighter than it needed to be.

“Rarity, I’m glad to help out with your designs but don’t you think this suit is too small for your usual clients?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and approached her friend with a comb and hair gel in hand. “Oh this isn’t for any work. I just had a long week and needed to relax a bit,” Putting some gel into Butterscotch’s hair, she began to brush it back. “It’s been quite some time that I had designed something simply for the sake of it.”

“Oh, but why me then?” Butterscotch asked as Rarity gently turned him around to comb behind his head. With his hair slicked back and in a suit, he almost didn’t recognize himself in the reflection.

“The other girls were busy and Sweetie Belle refused to help me out,” Rarity scowled at that but regain her smile when her work was finished. “Aaaand done!”

Butterscotch smiled as well as Rarity walked around him, eyes shining with interest as she observed every inch of him. To his surprise, she then pulled him into a hug. The height difference between them placed his head right on her chest and the realization made him blush, but Rarity seemingly didn’t care.

“Oooh I love that you always help out with these little dress ups. You’re like the little brother I never had!” She admitted and hugged him tighter.

Butterscotch’s eyes twitched at that but he returned her hug nonetheless. “It’s nice to spend time like this together.”

“And I have so much more outfits for you to try on!” She let him go and dashed towards a nearby clothing rack filled to the brim with a variety of outfits. Butterscotch sighed when he realized that this was going to take a while.

A thump caught his attention and he looked at the kitchen entrance to see Sweetie Belle standing there, eyes wide and her face red, as she stared at him. At her feet was a tub of ice cream that thankfully didn’t spill all over her socks.

“Oh hi Sweetie Belle,” he waved at her and the girl meekly waved back. “How is your weekend?”

“...Great, really really great,” She took out her phone and aimed the camera at him. “Can I take a picture?”

“Oh uh sure?” He gave her a shy smile and for some reason, her blush grew deeper and she swayed on her feet. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. J-just perfectly fine,” She grabbed the tub off of the floor and ran up the stairs, her eyes never leaving him even once until she disappeared.

Butterscotch wanted to check on her but a cry of joy from Rarity and her approaching him with a new outfit quickly took up his attention.

---

Rarity blushed as the attention turned to her and she said, “Well okay, maybe I have. In my defense, that was a very fun day for both of us. Even Sweetie Belle came down to help, although she did just stand in one spot and stare for most of it.”

Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “I can’t recall a time when I did anything like that.”

“Umm…”

“Oh dang it.”

---

“Okay sugarcube, if you feel like that you’re going too fast, just give me a yell and I’ll come right back to help you. Whatever you do, just don’t panic and everything will be fine.”

“Applejack,” Butterscotch looked up at his friend who was sitting on a horse and watching him with a concern look. “We’re barely moving. In fact, Will is slowing down somehow.”

Will was the small grey pony that he was riding alongside Applejack. The animal let out a huff and decided to move even slower out of spite.

“When I asked if we could ride horses, I thought I'll ride an actual horse,” He said and patted Will’s neck. “Oh no offense to you of course.”

Will snorted and didn't mind it at all. He wanted to spend the day in the barn, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. He didn’t expect to be dragged out onto the field to carry around some kid.

Applejack messed with her hat and shook her head. “Sorry but I’ll feel more comfortable if we started small and work our way up. Riding horses is a lot more harder than it looks after all and I don’t want you to get hurt. Imagine what would happen if you fell from this height or landed on a rock or flew off after a bad stop?”

Her ride let out a snort and huffed. Butterscotch nodded his head towards him and translated, “Lucky said that you’re just being paranoid and besides, I have rode horses before.”

“Well, I prefer not to take any chances,” She then glared at Lucky and said, “And I thought you would be on my side for this.”

The stallion huffed, snorted, and stomped his hooves a few times. Butterscotch’s eyes widen a bit and Will let out an amused whinny. Applejack looked between the three of them.

“Okay what’d he say? Butterscotch, don’t lie to me now.”

“Oh uh look! A nice shady tree we can rest in, let’s go Will!” he urged the pony to move faster and it did upon seeing the tree near some delicious looking plants. Applejack didn’t let up and urged her mount to move but Lucky became to move at a much slower pace than the pony gaining distance from them.

She glared at him and said, “Traitor.”

---

“You still haven’t told me what Lucky said about me,” Applejack grumbled and tipped her hat a bit. “But I see your point.”

Sunset looked at Butterscotch and bit her lip. “Have I made you feel like a kid?”

“There was that one time…”

---

Butterscotch let out a burp, putting down his spoon into his empty bowl and leaning back with a smile. Sitting besides him, Sunset let out a chuckle and stabbed a spoon into her own meal.

“Wow, for a small guy, you eat a lot,” Her own bowl still had half of her ice cream untouched and beginning to melt. “Although you got a little something all over your face.”

“Oh thank you,” Butterscotch reached for a napkin but Sunset suddenly reached over with one of her own, leaning close to him.

“Here, I got it,” Then to his slight embarrassment, she began to wipe his face clean. Either his face was messy than he thought or Sunset didn’t realize just how odd her action was. She spent a minute cleaning his face, ending it with a licked finger rubbing off one last spot somewhere on his cheek.

He sat in his seat with a deep blush on his face while Sunset obliviously continued to eat her meal.

Nearby, he just barely heard a teen say, “Lucky kid. I wish I was spoiled by a hot girl like her.”

---

“I’m so sorry,” Sunset apologized, her face as red as Butterscotch’s own as he recounted the memory. “I didn’t think that was a big deal. Ponies do stuff like that all the time back home."

“Let’s just move on please,” He looked at Twilight who let out a nervous chuckle. “Don’t worry Twilight, you haven’t done anything to me yet.”

He then frowned.

“No wait, now I remember something.”

---

“Twilight, why do you have this child with you?” Principal Cinch asked her, looking at Butterscotch with a raised eyebrow. He gulped at the impassive look in her eyes and was very thankful that she seemingly didn’t recognize him as a Canterlot student.

“Oh I found him wandering around the school. I think he might have gotten separated from his older sibling or parent that goes here,” She said, one hand holding his. The girl that looked so much like Princess Twilight had latched onto him the moment they met and, to his misfortune, refused to let him go off alone. “I was thinking of just watching him until we find his guardian or sibling.”

“Hmmm, very well, so long that he doesn’t distract us from winning the Friendship Games, but I’m making him your responsibility, understand?”

Twilight nodded and Principal Cinch walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

Butterscotch then tried to speak up. “Listen, Twilight, I understand that you’re concern but I’m not lost and I’m not a kid. I-”

“Who's the brat?”

Butterscotch let out a quiet scream and hid behind Twilight, looking at the group of Crystal Prep students that had come out of nowhere. Each of them looked at him with varying degrees of interest but thankfully, none seemed to recognize him.

A gentle hand fell on his head and Twilight said, “He’s a lost kid I found around the school.”

“Great, now we have to babysit,” The one with an odd device on her wrist and short hair that barely passed her ears walked up to him. He flinched at her glare and hid more behind Twilight. “Huh pretty cute though. What’s your name squirt?”

“B-Butterscotch.”

“Well Butterscotch, I hope you don’t know anyone who goes here because we’re gonna beat them into the dirt,” The group behind her cheered while Twilight let out a half hearted one along with them. “Come on, maybe you’ll get front row seats to the competitions if we talk to Dean Cadance.”

Butterscotch let out a whimper as the group surrounded him while they made their way into the school.

Mistaking his whimper as a different kind of fear, Twilight pulled him close to her side. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“T-Thanks.”

---

“Ehehehe,” Twilight laughed as everyone looked at her now. “Sorry?”

“I wondered why Butterscotch was surrounded by all those Crystal Prep students,” Rarity admitted.

“I thought that they were just being friendly.” Pinkie said and got a harsh laugh from Rainbow Dash.

“A bit too friendly if you ask me,” She crossed her arms, thinking about a certain Shadowbolt. “Anyways, so we treat you like a kid, so what? We’re just concern about you Butterscotch. You ain’t exactly the toughest guy in school.”

“Maybe but I don’t need to be taken care off all the time whenever we go out,” he replied. “Besides, you’re kind of the worst out of everyone here.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Worst how?”

---

Butterscotch hummed a nameless tune as he made his way to the water. All around him, families and friends alike enjoyed a sunny day on the beach.

Dipping his feet into the water, he let out a content sigh. “Perfect.”

He was about to go in deeper when a sudden gasp of air rushed by him and before he knew it, he was wearing a life jacket.

“W-what the?” He looked at the item and saw that it had a sticky note attached to it.

“Stay out of the deep water!”

Butterscotch’s brow twitched in annoyance.

---

Butterscotch whistled along with a pair of birds as he built their houses. Most of it was almost done, needing just the roof to be completed.

He reached for his hammer and nails, only for touch nothing.

“Huh?” Butterscotch looked at the spot that he knew he left them on and scratched his head. “Ms. Robin, did you see where my tools went?”

A gust of wind brush by him, followed by brief sound of nails being hammered. He looked at his birdhouse to see it finished and a note on the roof.

“Next time, call me and I’ll build the birdhouses. Do you want another busted thumb?”

“Rainbow,” He grumbled and crumbled up the note, tossing it onto the ground. A guilty second later, he picked it up and found a trashcan to throw it into.

---

“Don’t worry, there is this great animal shelter nearby that will be more than happy to take you in,” Butterscotch explained to the poor scarred pitbull following his steps. Despite its rough appearance, the animal was more playful than vicious and let out a happy bark. “Yes, they do have doggy treats! In fact,-”

“BUTTERSCOTCH!” Someone yelled and Butterscotch let out a scream as he was grabbed. The world became a blur for a moment and then Rainbow Dash was right before him, checking every inch of his body.

“R-rainbow?” He swayed on his feet, feeling his lunch wanting to make a comeback. She put her hands on his shoulders to steady him and slowly let him sit down on the ground, kneeling besides him.

“Didn’t you see the vicious dog following you?” She pointed at the pitbull who let out another happy bark. “I know that animals are your thing but you gotta be more careful.”

“B-but he’s a sweetheart? Look,” He whistled for him to come closer and the dog ran up with a grin. However, Rainbow Dash suddenly lifted him up into the air, high and away from the animal. She then placed him on her shoulders and adjusted herself to his weight.

“Yeah I’m not risking it. Which animal shelter are you going to because I’m taking you there,” She glared at the happy pitbull sitting at her feet. “And I’m watching you so don’t try anything funny.”

The dog sneezed, scratched its ears and barked once more. Rainbow took this as an agreement and the trio became to walk down the street. Butterscotch let his face fall into his hands.

---

Rainbow Dash unashamedly looked at all of them. “I don’t see a problem.”

“Well we do,” Sunset stood up and walked over to her friend to place a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry we treated you this way and I promise we’ll stop.”

“I’ll let you handle a knife next time!”

“I suppose I’ll tone it down with my outfits.”

“The two of us can go on a proper horse ride together.”

Sunset looked at Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow and she turned her head.

“...Fine I’ll stop hovering around you,” She said but raised a hand. “I’m still following you to school every morning though. I don’t want those Dazzlings to make another surprise visit to you.”

“That’s fine.” Butterscotch agreed and the group shared a brief hug. They all went their own ways, with Sunset and Butterscotch going together to their class.

An odd thought ran through his mind and he asked, “Hey Sunset, do you think my pony counterpart has the same problem I do?”

“Which one, looking like a kid or being treated like one?”

“Both.”

Sunset ponder about it for a moment before taking out her journal. “Why don’t we ask?”

---

“Huh,” Twilight said to herself as she read Sunset’s brief summary and following question. “Say Butterscotch, do you think we treat you like a foal?”

Her friend looked up from the map and nervously adjusted himself on the high chair he had to sit on.

“Well...actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you all about that.”

Author's Note:

A dumb story I made after not sleeping and reading the manga, Miageru to Kimi Wa, to pass the time. The MC is adorable, you should go read it.

And yes, some girls are attracted to Butterscotch. They want the shota.

Comments

[twience]

aww this was so cute and unique. Gotta love this lol.

[Skaush Sparkling]

Please make more, if you could. I could only imagine what other shenanigans could be recounted or possibly even tackling perhaps some of Butterscotch's other friends (Discord/Eris(?), Tree Hugger, Big Mac, Their Brother, or perhaps even the remaining CMC members) and their hijinks.