One by One

by DreamWings

Alone.

Alone

She’s stood there again. I can see her through the window staring at that small piece of paper with an emphatic look in her eye. This was the moment she could break free of all other ponies in history; she could break free of her life. I knew how much she had wanted this to happen; just this chance to be somepony special and somepony that foals could look to and say ‘That’s her, isn’t she perfect?’ I suppose I should’ve been happy that she had finally received her dream but the truth is that could not be further away from the truth.

She and I had been friends for so long now that it was mortifying that we should have to split in two and not be together any longer. That sad, sweet little Belle that used to ring out my name every morning so we could start the day’s adventures. We used to run and laugh and sing and dance. It’s what we were good at, we were good at being friends together.

Okay, okay, we weren’t exactly Pinkie Pie standard at making friends. In fact, we were far from it; we had our own little niche and we preferred to stay within the boundaries of that group. All three of us together, running around jovially with big grins on our faces looking to the next day with a smile. We were okay; we were together. That was all that counted back then. If one of us had a heart-wrenching, death-defying problem, then we all had a problem. If another one of us was being mercilessly teased by a tyrant editor then all of us were being teased by an editor. And if one of us released a chaos-seeking demon onto the land then…well, you get the picture: chaos would rein over us until our heroes could save the day.

We all had basically the same heroes as well. Well, I suppose you should really call them heroines but to me that just sounds ridiculously silly. All three of us idolised the Princesses favourite subjects, ‘The Elements of Harmony’. Each of us had a certain favourite that we would follow. Sweetie would consistently follow her pernickety sister, Rarity, all over the place just waiting for the ideal moment to lie down and kiss her hooves (figuratively speaking). I was always extremely harsh over Sweetie’s adoration over the white unicorn, I could never understand it whatsoever, but I suppose looking back it was I that shouldn’t have been so foolish myself.

You see, back when we were young, I always assumed that me and my fellow crusaders (for that’s what we called ourselves) would be together forever. I always assumed that it would be me, myself and I that would control all of the situations that were to happen in our home town of Ponyville. We could all by Mayor together; we could be Librarians, or Dragon slayers. We could even have been the new heroes; we could have been awesome. But no. They had to go out and find their cutie marks and then move away to get their own lives.

That sweet, little Belle that I’ve known from foalhood looks so lost without somepony stood beside her. True she has that jerk that created the contract but he’s not the same as having good friends, is he? Surely having me by her side instead of outside looking in would have been better. I could have reassured her, given her courage, given her hope that this would all turn out okay. But instead I’m left to freeze outside like some kind of monster. Am I a monster? I don’t consider myself to be, and I’ve certainly never been told I am. My parents…Well; my parents have never told me anything about it, so I couldn’t possibly be one right?

She’s an idiot. I know I shouldn’t say that, it’s not very fair, but at the minute she is. She really believes that having all of the fame and fortune will use her talent to its fullest effect. I used to sing too for Celestia’s sake; all three of us used to sing together. I wrote songs and melodies with my faithful piano and my rhythmic hooves. Why can’t I have the same luck that both other ponies had?

Everything went downhill about three months ago, back when Apple Bloom decided that she didn’t want to live in Ponyville anymore, like we had always said we would. Sweetie was so gobsmacked, and I daresay so was I. I couldn’t believe she could be so heartless as to break everything that we had ever wanted to do together. Just because she had got her own cutie mark meant that she thought she was a whole lot better than us, and now Sweetie seemed to think that too.

Sweetie never felt that before. All of these months I’ve been with Sweetie, having fun the way we used to, but without Apple Bloom there she couldn’t care less it seemed. She just wanted to escape from everything she had ever known. And why shouldn’t she? After all she was a grown up pony now, she didn’t need anypony else that could just tie her down. I’ll show her tying down. I’ve got many years of experiences at tying knots; just wait until she gets out of there, I’ll show her who’s in control.

No! I shouldn’t be saying things like that about some of my only friends, it’s just unfair. Even if I would love to go out and beat every smug pony who dared to think they were better than me, I had to leave my two friends exempt from the rule.

If those two think they can get the better than me, they’ve got another thing coming. I can’t hurt then, they’re my friends, but I’m sure there’s plenty of other ponies who wouldn’t be so happy in my presence, Anypony who couldn’t stand me, anypony who had ever bullied or annoyed me, they were villains and should be treated as thus. I may not have a Cutie mark, I may not be that bright little spark in the classroom, but at least I know what’s right and what’s wrong you foals. I do, don’t I?

I do know what’s right? I do know what’s wrong? Is it bad that I should want to get my revenge on those who have done nothing but collected pleasure from my turmoil? Me? I’m a foal. I’ll only ever be a foal. But it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve been treated as if I was a monster and locked out and ridiculed because of this. Even my hero refuses to talk to me anymore; ‘too busy’ she says before flying away with them prissy flyers. I even tried going to see my parents for help but no…’too busy’ they say.
Everypony’s always busy when I need some help. Nopony likes to be around me anymore.

Did I do something? Do I smell? Or am I just not good enough to be your friend anymore? Tell me please Sweetie. Don’t grin at that idiotic stallion with his goatee beard and horrendous after bite, he’s clearly not good enough for you. Tell me if you’re my friend Sweetie. Tell me if I’ve been kind to you little Belle.
I need answers Celestia. Luna? It’s night time. I guess I should have seen that one coming. Darkness always comes just when I feel at my most in fear; a symbol of my worries or, maybe, a sign of what’s to come. Is the sky trying to tell me something about my future? There was something I was born to do perhaps, something that the thunder wishes to tell me.

Of course, the pegasus colonies would schedule a storm tonight, on the very night I am at my most timid of mind. It makes complete and utter sense does it not? Why be a Scootaloo when there is nothing for a Scootaloo to do? I’m a blank flank. The oldest blank flank since the creation of blank flanks. I’m an anomaly, a horrible pony only sent to be pointed at and prodded as if I were a freak show. A monster?

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle. My two friends, the one’s I have longed to be with my whole life and be together forever as best friends. I’ve never felt more betrayed by any ponies in existence. But I will always go on being their friends through thick and through thin. Whether they know I’m there or not. I will always be something different to everypony, a laughing stock that knows no bounds, but that’s not going to hold me back from doing what it wrong and right….

Big Mac, Cheerilee, Mrs Cake, Rarity, Discord, Cadence, Cherry Jubilee, Silver Spoon, Twist, Smarty Pants etc. etc. etc.

It’s about time I grew up. It’s about time I put crusading behind me, but there’s no possible way I can. I could never stop doing what my mind tells me to do. The sun is powerful and strong during the day, my friends love the sun. If I’m not with them anymore, then I must be the opposite correct? I must be the darkness that hides in the deepest corners of the Earth. I must be myself and I must carry on crusading forever. It is the only way to be, and it is the only possible way my illegitimate future should be.

I will and won’t forever be this unholy ‘thing’ just waiting for the chance to redeem myself and help my friends once more. I will be more than an ‘it’ or ‘that orange pony’. I will be so, so much more than your dreams could ever realise. I can never be a hero, I realise that now, but there is something that I can be quite easily. I can be a martyr can I not?

‘Cutie Mark Crusader Martyr’s Go!’

Comments

[KartalTheWriter]

Awesome bit of blog turned into incomplete story?

Well of course I'd love to read more.

[AppleOrPie]

Good.

I'm watching where this will go.

[GottaLovePinkiePie]

Holy guacamole and rainbows on keyboards this is more than just AMAZING

[Mewaponny]

I don't want to be rude, this is my opinion, disregard it if you want to.

First impressions are everything. an' you done f**ked up.
The description is cool, and so is the coverart, but you made it sound like the story was a post-appoptaliptic, epic future where Scoots is the only survivor.

this was clearly not the story you made. The impression I have so far is Scootaloo is acting like a winey bitch because her friends have moved on with their lives, and her parents are busy. And she's somehow taking it all out in a letter to Sweetie for some reason.

Take this with a grain of salt, however, because you may not be taking the story in such a direction. I will not know, I dare go no further.