Who's this pony?
Meet Skater Boo
by Dirty Bit
It was a summer afternoon in the town of Ponyville, and it couldn't get any better because a certain filly had a visiting relative coming to town. Scootaloo was busy pulling a wagon containing her two best friends with her favorite scooter, all with a bright grin on her face "I can't believe he's coming! You girls are going to love my cousin once he arrives in Ponyville!"
Applebloom was holding on to the wagon with both forelegs as Scootaloo pulled with the exact might of a furious bull "Y'all seem pretty excited about yer cousin comin' t' town. Kinda reminds me o' when Babs came here a while back."
Sweetie Belle smiled "Maybe Scootaloo's cousin will be a whole lot nicer and not a pony with personal issues like Babs!" She turned to see Applebloom shoot a piercing glare her way and grinned in embarrassment "N-not that it's a bad thing..." She recovered feebly.
Scootaloo's eyes could literally be firing with determination as she pressed onward towards Ponyville Train Station "Oh, he's a whole lot better once you get to know him! Wait till we get to see him!" When they arrived, Scootaloo skidded her scooter to a halt and hopped off of it as she galloped up the stairs to the station's boarding floors. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle followed after their enthusiastic friend, equally sharing their eagerness to meet Scootaloo's distant relative.
While they waited for the train, Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo "Say, Scootaloo. Where does your cousin live again?"
Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle "Oh, he lives far out in Mustangia. He's pretty wild there, let me tell you!"
Applebloom perked up "Mustangia? That's pretty far...Ya think he'll like it here?" She asked inquisitively.
Scootaloo nodded "Of course he will! As long as we're around, he'll find Ponyville all the more enjoyable." Her ears perked up when she heard an approaching train, and noticed it with a wide grin and glistening eyes "He's here!" Scootaloo nearly squeaked in a fashion similar to Sweetie Belle; Not that she could even reach that note...
The Friendship Express slowed to a halt as it exerted a blanket of steam from its pipe. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood idly by with looks of anticipation as their desired guest was about to emerge from one of the carts. Scootaloo's grin widened ear-to-ear when she saw him.
It appeared to be a chicken wearing roller skates under its feet and bearing two identical roller skate stickers on both of its haunches. He looked around with a blank expression in his black eyes as his would-be waddle shook with his head movement.
Scootaloo squealed in delight "Skater Boo, you're here!" She galloped over and dove in to give her precious cousin a hug, to which the mysterious chicken-like pony somehow returned warmly, clucking compassionately.
Sweetie Belle gave a touched smile at the scene "Awww, isn't that amazing? I've never seen Scootaloo so happy before."
Applebloom held a calculating glance at Skater Boo and hummed "Neither have Ah, but if ya asked me, Ah'd say that he's actually a giant chicken." She noticed the two wide-eyed stares she received from her friends and shifted her glance between them "What? Doesn't he seem like a giant chicken on roller skates t' both o' ya?"
"What do you think you're doing!? You'll hurt Scootaloo's feelings!" Sweetie Belle hissed as she looked worried.
Applebloom stared before pointing at Skater Boo, who continued to look around blankly "C'mon, Sweetie Belle, yer th' smart one of th' group! Can't ya see that Skate-a-Boo here's actually a-"
"Okay, stop!"
Applebloom turned to see an irate pegasus filly march up to her and point an accusing hoof "I already had to deal with YOUR share of flak over calling me a chicken, but Celestia forbid you'll do the same to my cousin! We never acted this way around Babs, you know!"
Sweetie Belle looked away with a mutter "Not until she became a total-"
"As I was saying!" Scootaloo cut off Sweetie Belle as she pointed at Applebloom's chest "You have no right to berate my cousin like that, so apologize to him right now!"
Applebloom frowned "But, Scoots, this ain't no insult! That there's a giant chicken on roller skates!" She looked over at Skater Boo's cutie mark "In fact, Ah don't even think that cutie mark o' his is real..." She stated in a skeptical tone.
Scootaloo growled indignantly "Okay, you know what? Go, Applebloom! Just go! I don't need this from you; WE don't need this from you! Just get away from us before I say something I'll regret!" She said as she glared at Applebloom.
Sweetie Belle gasped "Mon dieu..." She whispered in awe of Scootaloo's threat. Even she knew that saying something regrettable was worthy of punishment courtesy of bar soap in the mouth. Sweetie Belle remembered the last time she committed a similar atrocity; She blew bubbles out of her mouth for a week.
Applebloom wanted to defend her statement, but she couldn't risk hurting the feelings of her angered friend, even if Scootaloo couldn't see the bigger picture just yet. With a dejected sigh, she trotted away "Ah'll be at home if ya need me." She said as she trotted away, but not before picking up her helmet and trotting off.
Sweetie Belle frowned "Now we're down a crusader. What'll we do without Applebloom? We're like the three musketeers without the third musketeer!" She said in a distressed tone.
Scootaloo smiled "Not to worry, Sweetie Belle. Skater Boo can fill Applebloom's role easily!" She turned to her cousin with a confident smile "Right, cuz?"
Skater Boo looked down at Scootaloo for a moment before clucking in response. Sweetie Belle had a rough time distinguishing his response as a straight answer.
Scootaloo smiled "Cool! Let's go into town and hang out for a bit. We've got a lot of catching up to do!" She said as the three ponies (Or was it two ponies and a chicken? Meh, I dunno...) went into town. Scootaloo picked up her helmet and scooter and waited for her passengers to prepare as well. Skater Boo conveniently had a helmet on his head as he looked around blankly. Scootaloo began flapping her wings "Okay, everypony! Hang on tight!" She said as she rolled into town on her scooter while pulling the wagon.
As per the norm, Scootaloo passed by many of Ponyville's citizens with her rambunctious driving and earning several curses for doing so. It never mattered to her, especially not today since her cousin Skater Boo's in town. She looked back "Isn't this fun, Skater Boo? I'll bet you could pull this wagon easily while you skate around town." She then stopped when an idea came to her "That's it!" Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle "You wanna see my cousin do some awesome tricks with his roller skates, Sweetie Belle? It'll be worth your while with the amount of tricks he knows!"
Sweetie Belle pondered about this thought: Would she want a chicken-like pony pulling her and Scootaloo around town? On one hoof, this was Scootaloo's distant cousin, who was considered to be very talented on his roller skates. On the other hoof, he doesn't seem like the careful type of pony. She looked away with a wince as she came to her final decision "I...guess?" Sweetie Belle answered hesitantly.
Scootaloo grinned "Great. Let's switch, Skater!" Scootaloo and Skater Boo switched roles as the latter prepped his trusty roller skates in the form of standing idly by and taking in the sights like a curious monkey while Scootaloo made herself comfy in the wagon after fitting in her scooter "Okay, Skater Boo...Let 'er rip!"
The action would be considered extremely intense if the wagon was actually being pulled instead of sitting idly by next to a absentminded chicken-like pony looking around. Sweetie Belle stared before turning to Scootaloo "Does he have stage fright?" She asked curiously.
Scootaloo scoffed "Of course not! Skater Boo's a professional, and professionals need time to prepare so they can be as epic as Rainbow Dash!" She proclaimed pridefully, much to Sweetie Belle's hidden chagrin.
While the two fillies talked about professionalism, Skater Boo enjoyed his sightseeing until his eyes stopped at an interesting spectacle on the ground: A positively luscious worm that crawled in the soil as if it were wearing a giant sign that said 'Eat me, ya darned fool!' His pupils widened; He couldn't let this opportunity slip from his grasp. With a vigorous cluck, Skater Boo alerted his presence to the worm, who gave a high-pitched squeak before taking off at bullet speed, giving Skater Boo the motivation to show off his amazing skating skills. He startled the two fillies as he pulled on the wagon while skating after his meal.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hung on for dear life while they watched the rider in front of them pull with more force than Scootaloo could ever muster on a normal ride around Ponyville "Whoa! Skater Boo, slow down! We're going too fast!" Her plea fell on deaf ears as her cousin continued to pursue his midday snack.
Sweetie Belle feared the worst while she clung her forelegs to the edge of the wagon "Scootaloo, your cousin loves to live dangerously and it's scaring me out of my wits!" She looked ahead and gasped when she saw a sad and trotting Applebloom come into view "Applebloom, run!"
Applebloom thought she heard her friend Sweetie Belle and looked behind to see Skater Boo closing on her with the eyes of a predator, causing her to jump "Land o' Goshen!!" She quickly galloped away and managed to go as fast as the chicken-pony behind her.
Skater Boo was lost in the thought of capturing the worm and wanting it to slither down his throat after gobbling it whole. He could care less about the pony in front of him; in fact, he didn't know that Applebloom was in his trail while his eyes were locked on the world's fastest worm.
They ran all across Ponyville until they came close to Sweet Apple Acres, where Applebloom's older siblings could be seen pulling carts of apples harvested from their trees. The yellow filly called out to them in warning "Applejack, Big Mac, look out! There's a giant chicken comin' our way!"
From the Acres' homestead, an elderly green mare poked her head out of one of the windows "What? Did somepony say giant chicken?" She asked in an eager tone.
Applejack turned and noticed Applebloom approaching her with widened eyes while being chased by what appeared to be a giant chicken on roller skates pulling a wagon containing two scared and disoriented fillies. After staring blankly, she quickly turned to her brother "Let's move it or lose it, Big Mac!"
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh nodded in agreement as the two quickly galloped while dropping some of their precious apples that ended up crushed by the ravenous skater, who finally managed to catch the worm and swallow it whole. Never had victory tasted so sweet. Unfortunately, when he came to an abrupt stop, he managed to send Sweetie Belle flying into a puddle of mud right that a group of pigs were laying in.
Scootaloo, who managed to hang onto the wagon the whole time, heaved a sigh of relief when her cousin came to a stop next to a water pump. She got off of the wagon and trotted up to Skater Boo with a scowl "Skater Boo...that..." Her expression quickly turned to one of excitement "was so totally cool! I knew you had it in you!"
Applejack raised an eyebrow at Skater Boo "Is he somepony dear t' Scootaloo? Seems like a mighty reckless colt t' me."
Applebloom stared up at her older sister with a deadpan expression "Seriously?" She asked in an annoyed tone.
Sweetie Belle, who was covered in mud head-to-toe, trotted back to her friends "Wow, that was some ride." She inspected herself and frowned "Now I'm all dirty. Rarity's gonna have a fit!"
Scootaloo smiled "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. I'll clean you off with some water from this pump." She said as she went up to the pump her cousin stood next to. Scootaloo pumped the lever and noticed no water was coming out "Huh?" She gave a second pump for good measure "What's going on with this thing?" The orange filly grunted irritably with each pump as she continued to try and get some water for her friend.
Applejack was perplexed about this herself, and turned to the elderly mare who had her head out of the window "Granny Smith, is there somethin' up with our water pump?"
Granny Smith hummed in thought "Now that ya mention it, th' pump's been actin' all fussy lately. Last time Ah wanted t' get me some water, Ah pumped it so much that a huge gusher o' water came outta there. More than Ah ever wanted fer m'self!"
Scootaloo ignored Granny Smith's explanation, and felt a rumble after her latest pump "There we go. Get ready, Sweetie Belle!" As the dirty filly prepared herself for an impromptu bath, the pump let out a huge gusher o' water that enveloped her and Skater Boo and forcefully knocked them back into a tree; Skater Boo's skates came off while he was carried in the blast.
When the water did down, Sweetie Belle and Skater Boo were both soaking wet from the blast as they got up and shook themselves. After they were both dried off, Skater Boo looked around as both of his cutie marks peeled off of his body like stickers.
Sweetie Belle looked up and gasped in surprise "Huh? That's not Skater Boo! That's a chicken!" She said as she pointed a hoof.
Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Scootaloo were equally dumbfounded as they stared at the giant chicken with dropped jaws, whereas Applebloom pointed a hoof while breaking the silence "Ah told y'all that was a giant chicken!"
Granny Smith stared wide-eyed at the chicken "Well, don't that beat all. That critter will go great with th' rest o' our stock!" She called out to her grandchildren "Applejack! Big Macintosh! Grab that there chicken and put 'im in th' coop!" The two older apple siblings nodded to their grandmother's request and pursued the giant chicken, who was easily threatened by their approach as it ran off into Ponyville while Applejack and Big Macintosh gave chase.
Sweetie Belle watched the giant chicken leave, then turned to Scootaloo "Wait a minute...If that wasn't Scootaloo's cousin, then where is he?" Before they could think of a possible answer, an unexpected visitor trotted his way into Sweet Apple Acres towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
It was a blank-flank zebracorn wearing a top hat, who levitated a sealed envelope next to him. He stopped in front of the fillies and looked down at them "I got a message for a Ms. Scootaloo. Would you like for me to read it?" He asked politely.
Scootaloo looked up "For me? Sure, what does it say?"
The zebracorn opened the envelope and revealed the message as he cleared his throat, preparing to read as his eyes were diligently reading the words.
"Dear Cousin Scootaloo, stop. I wrote you this message with the regret of not showing up to visit you, stop. The very reason for this tragic happening was that I have suffered an arrow to the knee that was so painful, I had to thank Celestia herself for giving me the mentality to write this message, stop. As of right now, I have to stay in the hospital, as my doctor said that weeks of bed rest and surgery are needed for my recovery, stop. It fills me with sadness to do this to you, but hopefully you can look me up in Mustangia once you get the time, stop. Maybe we can share some extreme stories together, stop. Love, Your Cousin Skater. P.S, I'm serious about my excuse, because some special case back home had the dumb idea to practice archery and I somehow got caught in the crossfire while practicing skating moves, stop."
The zebracorn craned his head as he finished reading "Yeesh, talk about an unlucky guy..." He looked over at the sad looking pegasus filly "Oh...Right..." He said awkwardly as he patted Scootaloo on the head "Chin up, kiddo, I'm sure he's fine..." Knowing that it was futile to console the little filly with words, he took off his hat and fished out a small satchel of bits "Here, buy yourself something nice." He said as he tipped his hat to Scootaloo and left Sweet Apple Acres nonchalantly.
Scootaloo sniffled and inspected the satchel of bits, and she somehow was happy again after noticing the amount "Hey! We have enough to buy some ice cream!"
Sweetie Belle smiled "Ice cream is good. Why don't we head to Sugarcube Corner right now?"
Applebloom smiled "Sounds like a plan."
The three fillies shot up a hoof and shouted "Yay, ice cream!" In unison before they put on their helmets; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hopped into the wagon, but not before they carefully unloaded the scooter for Scootaloo to use. When they were prepared, Scootaloo pulled the wagon into Ponyville. Her cousin might not have made it, but the day didn't seem too bad after all.
_____
Applejack and Big Macintosh could not believe that a giant chicken managed to give them the slip as they ran around town. The former stomped a hoof "Consarn it! Can't believe that chicken got away from us..." She looked around "It couldn't have gone too far..." An idea came into her head, and she smiled at her older brother "Let's go round up Fluttershy an' see if she can help us with this! If anypony can find animals, it's her!"
Big Macintosh nodded with a smile "Eeyup." The two apple siblings galloped off to find Fluttershy's cottage. When they were far away, a figure watched over them from a branch above the tree they once stood under. It jumped down to reveal itself as the giant chicken they were looking for. After giving Ponyville one last glance, it decided to venture out of town through one of its many exits. As the chicken scaled over the horizon, a memorable melody was heard from the heavens.
"You wear a disguise
To look like equine guys,
But you're not a pony,
You're a Chicken Boo~."
The End