> Scootaloo's Flight
>  by alai20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Gone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I had been waiting in the clubhouse for about 30 minutes now. Where were Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom? They said they would be there so we could go to Twilight Time together. I was excited, because this time would have been the first Twilight Time since she defeated Tirek. I couldn’t wait to go into her new castle! As I walked down the road, I couldn’t help staring at her new castle. It was beautiful from even here! I walked into her castle. “Twilight?” I called out.
“Scootaloo! You’re here!”
“Twilight! Do you know where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are? I haven’t seen them since school ended.”
“What? I thought they were with you. No, I haven’t seen them.” Twilight said.
I was getting a little worried about Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom now. It had been about an hour now, and I still couldn’t find them. 				“Twilight? I think I will go to see if they are at Zecora’s.”
“Alright.” I heard Twilight say, but she was obviously preoccupied with something else. 
When I finally got to Zecora’s, I found she wasn’t there. So, I let myself in her house and looked for my friends. They still weren’t there! I went back to Twilight’s house, and they weren’t there either. They weren’t at Sugar Cube Corner either. I was searching at Twilight’s castle for the fourth time when Rainbow Dash flew up to me.
“What’s up? Heard you were looking for your Crusader friends. Lemme help you. I got some free time, so come on!”
We flew over the Everfree forest when I saw a colored dot.
“There!” I shouted. Rainbow flew down to the colored blob, now two individual dots, and dropped me down next to them.
“Apple Bloom! Babs! Are you hurt?” I asked. It looked like they had fallen down a cliff. I wanted to ask why Babs was here, but I had to know where Sweetie Belle was.
”Where is Sweetie Belle?”
“She was with us, and then-then this thing grabbed h-her and-and-” Babs said. 
“I understand.” I said. She looked like she was about to cry.  Truth be told, so was I!
“We were just trying to surprise you with Babs being here. We took a shortcut, and we got lost, then the thing took Sweetie Belle.” Apple Bloom said.
When all of us had cleaned up at Twilight’s castle, Babs told Twilight what the creature looked like.
“Did you say a dragon with a mermaid tail?” Twilight asked. I was terrified by the look on her face. “Y-yeah,” Babs stuttered. “Why?”
“Call the others,” Twilight said to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow flew off.”What’s the problem, Twilight?” I asked. I got more and more terrified as Twilight told me what the creature was, and what it was doing to Sweetie Belle. 

> Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I went home in dismay, realizing that we might never see Sweetie Belle again. A Siren. Sweetie Belle had been taken by a Siren. It could have been anything but a Siren! I would even go for an Ursa Major over a Siren. All the things that Twilight had told me about these Sirens were awful. And how would I sleep tonight, knowing that Sweetie Belle is gone? I got out of bed and sneaked down the hallway to my mom’s room. She’s finally asleep. I got a piece of paper from my desk and wrote Mom, I love you. I went to get Sweetie Belle. I promise I’ll be back. Don’t look for me. I don’t want you to get hurt. I love you, Scootaloo. I went into my closet, grabbed a backpack, and started to pack for my trip. I would probably need a flashlight, batteries, food for a couple days, a jacket. There was so much I needed. And some food for Sweetie Belle would be good. She was probably tired and hungry. Blankets, rope, and water. Definitely water. I checked over my backpack, tested its weight. And headed on my way with the map I had taken from Twilight’s castle earlier.
Twilight told me the Sirens gathered in one place for breeding once a year. I only had a small window of time before Sweetie Belle would go somewhere I couldn’t get to without more supplies. I mean, I was counting on an energy bar to be enough for, say, a whole day. And with a limited supply of water, I could only go so far. I gasped, realizing my backpack I had was the same one I took on my school hike. All of us got water purifiers before the hike, in case any of us got lost. I don’t think I ever took mine out of my backpack… I took my backpack off and put it on a flat rock. I looked in my inside pocket, my side pocket… and… it wasn’t there. When could I have taken it out? Oh, well. I have enough for a couple days. I’ll just have to ration it a little more than expected.
The day got longer and longer. I walked until the sun rose, about 6 hours. I sat down on the ground to see where I was. I had surprisingly made great progress, for walking nonstop. I had stopped near a river, now I needed to figure out where at the river I was. There was a big fallen tree nearby… that wasn’t on the map. There was a cave over to my left… that wasn’t on the map either. All of the sudden, something caught my eye. A sign. There were a couple signs on the map, about 4. I approached the sign with caution, not sure what it said. It was green, with a message on it saying “Granny Jorje’s cottage, 2 miles.” In shaky, childish handwriting. I looked at the map, desperate the sign was on the map. And it was! Apparently some famous pony named Denny Hoofbeat had written it when he was a child. I compared the map with where I was, and saw that I could travel by the river for about 30 miles and I could take shelter in a cave until the next day. “Ok then, let’s get started.” I muttered to myself.
I had started out in a jog, until my energy slowly seeped away, drained by the noon sun. I had made it 10 miles, but I took too many breaks. I was beginning to get a little lazy. I needed to keep going.
Fatigue settled in. I had been walking for 4 more hours, and hunger was starting to gnaw at my stomach more and more. I had to make it to the cave by nightfall, and if I had to sprint right now, I probably couldn’t do it. Reality hit me as I realized this Sweetie Belle mission was life or death now.
Time seems to pass slower and slower the more you want something. As I thought more and more about Sweetie Belle, the minutes seemed to be hours. I saw the cave up ahead, well after I expected to get to the cave. Night had fallen about 30 minutes ago, and I was scared out of my mind. I grabbed my flashlight out of my backpack and shined it around the spot I wanted to sleep. All clear. I settled down, and the arms of sleep took me down, down into a safer place.
I was running through the woods, and I didn’t know why. My bag was gone. Sweetie Belle was by my side. I had saved her already? I thought. How could I not remember…? All of the sudden, she was torn from my grasp, and her scream was the last thing I heard.

I woke up with a start. That dream… I have to try my hardest to forget it. It had kind of thrown me off, the pain I felt when I saw her again. I continued to walk into the forest, deeper and deeper into what I didn’t know.
Time is an amazing thing. It seemed to help me today, because it went fast instead of slow, like yesterday. Pretty soon it was noon again. Noon used to be my favorite time of day. I would go out to recess, and sit under some shade with my friends and talk all day. All of the sudden, I tripped over a rock. I screamed as I saw the river get closer and closer. I can’t swim I can’t swim I can’t swim. This was the only thought that was going through my head. I never really learned to swim; there wasn’t really a need to. Now I regretted it. There was a pop and a shot of pain in my left leg. I had smacked into a log, which had suddenly broke my fall. But my leg, it was dislocated. I could tell. At least it was a minor injury. Slowly, I popped it back into place and reached into my backpack. I grabbed the med kit I had packed and wrapped my ankle. I took one shaky step, and another, and another, and another. Slowly, as I got stronger, I began to walk more normally. I looked at my map, somehow filled with confidence, and kept on walking.

> Capture
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I had made it halfway in three days. There had been more challenges, like some berries I had almost eaten. I was just about to eat them, my best meal in days, when I remembered Cheerilee’s warning.”When you don’t know if the berry you are about to eat is safe or not, don’t! Some berries look like safe-to-eat berries, but they are very deadly. For example, the Everfree forest has the most dangerous species of plants in all of Equestria!”  It was kind of ironic. She had used the Everfree forest as an example, and here I was. I had almost walked into a pool of acid-y goo, also. I wasn’t paying attention. I had heard a sound. I didn’t know what it was, and it made me nervous. I saw a pool of stuff up ahead, and thinking it was water, I took a look at it. But… something didn’t look right about it. The water was too… clear. I took a stick from the ground and poked the pool. It immediately sizzled and the goo seemed to suck it into itself. Long story short, that stick no longer exists.
That was really the end of my danger adventures, and I was still thinking about Sweetie Belle. What is she was already… you know… gone? Just the thought of her voice gone, her friendship lost, and the sadness I would feel tore me apart. This whole rescue mission would be for nothing. 			  I couldn’t let this get to me, not when I was so close to her.
Eight days. Eight days was how long it took me to get to the Sirens’ mating grounds. I was two days behind schedule. I was mad at myself; I had slept in until midday three days in a row. I knew I needed the sleep, but who knew what Sweetie Belle was going through? I finally reached the crevice where the Sirens were. It looked steep, like I could fall at any second. How would I get Sweetie Belle up these cliffs? Most likely she was injured, that’s why I’m saying that. Even the strongest person I know would have trouble going up these cliffs.
I slowly made my way down the cliffs to the main grounds. I would search for Sweetie Belle in the main grounds first. The Sirens, most likely, would take her to the main grounds. They were taking her energy, using their singing powers to take her anger and form it into their meals. She should be exhausted, desperately wanting to rest, only having to feed endless numbers. I’ll bring her back. I’ll bring her back. I’ll bring her back. The thought ran through my head, the words starting to blur together. I’ll bringher back I’llbring her back I’ll bring herback.  I couldn't think. All I could feel was anger. Why should I be saving her? She hasn’t done a thing for me! I noticed a snippet of song before everything went black.

> Rescue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I got captured, in case you haven’t guessed. Yep, I got so far, and so close, for a Siren to spot my orange coat and put me to sleep. I still haven’t seen Sweetie Belle, but I was right about her being alone. I overheard a conversation between some Sirens. They said, “Nice to have some fresh pony. That white unicorn’s anger is beginning to taste exactly like the others.” That’s all I could hear. It looks like I’m in a flimsy- looking cave, hidden somewhere among the rocks. The thing about me being a filly is everyone underestimated how strong I was. I mean, the bars were logs. Logs! Attention Sirens! I have this thing called a Swiss Army Knife. I cut slowly into the wood, deeper and deeper until I had cut through one. I could just squeeze through… except I heard distant voices. I quickly slipped through, grabbed my bag, and sprinted thought the endless hallways.
Jail cell after jail cell passed me. I was beginning to think I had gone the wrong way when I heard a small voice. “Help… Is anyone there? Please help me…” It could be Sweetie Belle. The voice sounded hoarse, which meant they’d been screaming earlier… I didn’t want to think about why. I neared the voice, closer and closer, until I finally reached it. I saw a small, white, pegasi. So they did have more than one victim. How could I get this filly and Sweetie Belle out? I reached in and poked the pony, gently. They turned, screaming, “Don’t make me do it again!” until they realized I was another pony. It looked like a small colt.”I’m not going to hurt you. Just relax and let me help you.”
“Ok.” Was the only response I got. I got my knife and started working on the bar. Pretty soon the colt and I were free. I tried to make him more comfortable.” So, what’s your name.”
“Ummm, my name is Stitch. What’s your name?”
“Scootaloo.” I replied. I still needed to find Sweetie Belle. “Have you seen a white unicorn, about my height? She’s my friend and I came to save her.”
“Actually, yes I have.” He said. “She was feeding one half, and I would feed the other. The halves would trade off between the two of us.”
That sounded terrible. This poor colt, having to feed all these sirens. I found another cell, this time with a hoof in the light. I ran to the cell, and there lay Sweetie Belle. I didn’t want to hurt her, so I cut through the wood silently and said “Sweetie B-“ I was cut off by her flailing hooves. One caught me in the chin, hard. I backed up, yelling “It’s me, Scootaloo! Stop!” Slowly she stopped trying to hit me.
“Y-you came back for me?” came a small whimper from the now open cage.
“Yes, I did. We have to go before the Sirens realize Stitch and you are gone. Come on.” Sweetie Belle, I’ve learned, has a lot of resilience. She can fight through almost anything. She slowly got up, and led the way down the dark, musty hallway.
We had been walking for a while now, almost 10 minutes. Still Sweetie Belle kept on turning corners, walking down corridors. Even I was getting tired. I was wrong about her being injured physically. The magic they use, apparently, just hurts you mentally. I saw something, something bright. Light from the outside. I was so happy; I sprinted to the end of the cave. As I ran out of the cave, out into the bright daylight, someone yanked me back into the darkness.
“Wha-“I didn’t know who had grabbed me.
“Shhh!” someone whispered into my ear. “You almost got caught, Scootaloo!”
I had gotten reckless. A Siren had almost caught me. Luckily, Stitch had pulled me back. The Siren had passed, not noticing us. We all waited patiently until it was clear to run.
We didn’t get too far. Turns out, the breeding grounds were in a crevice, and we were in one of its many mountains. All I saw was a steep slope.
I looked down and tried to assess how far away the ground was from where we were. It was too far to jump, and all the ideas I had weren’t going to work. Sweetie Belle was too weak to transport us down there, and I don’t even think she know what spell to use. Stitch could fly, but he’s too weak to carry someone. I was no help, because I can flap my wings hard enough to propel a scooter. I turned to Stitch and said, “ I have an idea.”

> Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	We made our way down the cliff, covered in mud. I didn’t want us to be spotted, given that all of us had fairly bright coats against the burgundy mud. Stitch was on one side of Sweetie Belle, and I was on the other. We had just enough wing power to not touch the ground. There were plenty of problems about it. There were spiky rocks that we could step on, and hidden holes we could twist an ankle in. When we finally made it down to the bottom, I realized that we had to run across about fifteen yards of empty space. Anyone could see us, but we had to take the risk. 
I took a deep breath and turned to Sweetie Belle. 
“Do you think you can run? It’s not that far.”
She looked at me with her pale green eyes and started to run across the plain. Stitch nodded at me, and he began to run too. I followed both of them until we were about three yards away from safety. I changed from a run to a sprint and passed both of my friends. I saw a ray of sunshine from a nearby cave and stopped. I turned to Stitch and said, 
“I’m going to see what’s over there. I have a map. Where do you live?”
“Not far.” Stitch replied. Apparently he lived in Ponyville, and he was homeschooled. That’s why we never saw him. I have to admit, I was a little suspicious of Stitch. I knew close to everybody in Ponyville, and none of them had ever mentioned Stitch. I pushed the thought out of my head and continued to walk on with the two injured ponies.
I walked the same path that I traveled on before finding Sweetie Belle. Time traveled so fast, now that I knew my friend was safe with me. 			Soon, we passed Danny Hoofbeat’s sign, Zecora’s house, and we found ourselves in the middle of Ponyville. I hugged Sweetie Belle and began the walk to her sister’s house. It was about one in the morning, but I didn’t think Rarity would mind.
I walked towards the door and knocked. Sweetie Belle was next to me, a smile on her face and Stitch, who had followed us before he went to his house. Sweetie Belle had told us stories about her sister, and he wanted to meet her.
The door opened a crack and Rarity’s voice rang out,
“Why would someone be at my door at one a.m.? What do you need, darling, I am in desperate need of beauty sleep.”
Rarity finally looked out the door and screamed.
“Sweetie Belle! Oh Celestia, I didn’t think you would ever come back! I- oh-“
Rarity fumbled with the lock as she tried to get to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle, trying to help, was pulling on the door handle. Pretty soon, the door came open and the two sisters hugged. Stitch and I watched as they cried and stood next to each other. Whoosh! A pony landed right between Sweetie Belle and I and demanded,
“What’s the problem here? I’m trying to sleep!”
Of course, it was Rainbow Dash. I knew how much she liked her sleep, and it looked like she was going to be mad at us no matter who came home with his. I looked up at her and said, 
“I brought her home.”
Rainbow looked over, apparently just noticing Sweetie Belle, and said,
“Woah. You’re back. NOW LET ME SLEEP!”
She waved to Stitch and took off for her house. 
“Stitch, meet Rainbow Dash.” I said.
I walked away, leading Stitch back to the town square, and saw Twilight waiting for us.
“Scootaloo? Is that you?” She said. She sounded concerned, just like my mother, and I realized that my mom assumed I was dead. I waved to Twilight and sprinted to my house.
I burst through the door and ran to my mom’s bedroom. I saw her figure, breathing steadily, and shook her awake.
“Huh? Whosthis?” She said, obviously still half asleep.
“Mom? It’s Scootaloo.”
She shot out of her bed and grabbed my face.
“DID YOU KNOW HOW SCARED I WAS? NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!”
she shouted. She rambled on about how I shouldn’t do that, I could have died, but I’m glad you’re home now, let’s deal with this tomorrow. I went back outside to talk to Stitch, and make sure he went home. I came back outside and saw he wasn’t there, and neither was Twilight. I made my way to Twilight’s castle, pushed open the door, and saw Twilight lying on the floor, the tip of her horn charred. Stitch was nowhere to be found. 
I heard footsteps behind me, and as I whirled around to see who it was, I turned to see Stitch, but somehow not, and someone else hit me on the back of my head.
I woke in Twilight’s library. Stitch was standing in front of me, two Sirens by his side. He looked so different, now not a white pegasi, but a dark yellow unicorn. He noticed that I had woken up, and the first thing out of his mouth was,
“How do you feel to be the lucky filly that lead Equestria to oblivion?”

> Remedy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You’re supposed to be younger.” I coughed, trying to buy myself some time to figure out what to do. Villains here tended to monologue. Stitch laughed, and responded with,
“I was once a young filly just like you, all innocent and thinking Equestria was all fun and games with Celestia and Luna taking care of all the problems that happened. Oh, how I thought that those problems were few and far apart, but was I mistaken. 
“I was part of the Royal Guard, and soon I got promoted to protect the Princess herself. The only thing I heard was about this death, that shooting, those bombings. It was awful. The perfect place I had once known had been shattered. Celestia was a liar. A cheat.”
The more Stitch spoke, the more agitated he got. I had to admit, I was a little scared. He might be unstable. Unstable unicorns aren’t the best thing ever. Most of them just went away, now that I think of it. There was a filly in my class… her name was Ice Shard. The blue pegasi was very… strange at times. Nobody was friends with her. We were all scared. Her cutie mark was a bloody stake-looking thing. I don’t remember the real object, because I made sure I didn’t get close enough to see it. I heard she had violent tendencies at night and… the only pony who tried to be her friend, Elena, was never found after their sleepover on Nightmare Night. The whole class was devastated. The next week or two, she came to school less and less. The last day we all saw her, the only thing she said all day was, 
“They’re going to kill me.” 
It scared us all. We left early that day.
Stitch wasn’t like her. She was controlled –usually- during class. He was staring at me with a wild smile on his face and wasn’t saying anything. Just… smiling. I kept a steely straight face and stared him straight in the eyes. He looked away and said something to the Siren next to him. Both Sirens began to sing.
It was awful. I was filled with deep hatred for my family, friends, everyone. It felt like they were pulling the emotions right out of my body, just forcing it out of me. I tried to fight it as much as I could, but I just couldn’t after a while. They would just sing more and more until I broke. My wrists and ankles were almost rubbed raw. Every day I tried to break free but I couln’t get the cuffs off without them stopping me.
Two more days passed. I hadn’t made any attempts to escape. I just knew that I was going to fail. Stitch came back in and gave me a very surprising offer.
“Now Scootaloo,” he said.
“You’ve been doing very well lately. I’m going to give you a second chance. You can continue the usual treatment for… let’s say they’re the rebellious. Or… you could get to work with me and the others.”
I almost said no. I considered going back to the singing, and cringed. Stitch laughed.
“Thinking about declining, eh? I wouldn’t recommend it. Make the right choice.”
My heart was racing by now. I had no idea what to do, all I knew was that I had to escape.
“I’ll go with you.” I said.
Stitch nodded to me and turned to a Siren.
“Take her to her new room. She needs rest before her big day tomorrow!”
The Siren gave a curt nod and took my arm, quite gently. I was led out of Twilight’s library into what used to be Sugarcube Corner. The paint was chipping, and all the windows were broken or covered with ash. I wanted to throw up- there was a body next to the door- and the Siren just picked it up and threw it down to the next house. I was horrified. That pony might have been trying to get in, and nobody was there to help them. I opened what was left of the door and slowly walked inside. 
“This is your house from now on. Is this ok?”
“Um… yeah. It’s good. Thanks.” I said. I was surprised that the Siren asked for my approval. Usually they would leave after pushing us, or making fun of us. Before the Siren left, I said, 
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Robbie. Or Rob. Whatever you want to call me. I mean, I don’t mind, as long as you don’t call me dumb or something. I mean, I wouldn’t recommend it. I wouldn’t hurt you. You’re important. And Stitch needs you. So Robbie. That’s my full name, I mean. Well, my full name is-“
“How about I call you Robbie?” I said. He’s one nervous Siren. He’s like a male Fluttershy. He left me alone with a tracking device so I could contact Stitch and I made my way upstairs. I trotted into Pinkie’s room- it was the only room with a full roof- and sat down on her bed. I wondered how my mother was. I didn’t want to think of the worst. I miss her, and my old life. I almost cried, and instead, I got up to go to the bathroom. I looked at myself for the first time in weeks, and saw that my mane looked like a rat’s nest. As I tried to fix it, I heard a knock on my door.
“I’ll be there in a second!” I yelled. I made my way down the stairs to the door. I opened it to find Robbie.
“Um… Stitch told me that I had to stand guard to make sure you weren’t planning to leave.”
“Oook…” I said. Stitch had to send Robbie? I’m pretty sure I could poke him and he would pass out. He doesn’t seem like a good fighter. I made my way back to my room after giving him a few ground rules.
“First of all, when I’m in the bathroom you CANNOT come in. Ever. Second, My room is my room. Don’t just barge in there. Last, if I’m in trouble, run away. Don’t get hurt. I’ll take care of it, ok? Respect me and I’ll respect you.”
Robbie nodded and went to Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s room. He covered himself with a blanket and rested for a moment. I wondered whether it was odd or not I had a soft spot for him. I wondered if it made me weak that I wasn’t trying to escape. Why didn’t I take him out, now that I knew he was so easy to pick off? I went back to the bathroom and made my mane look as good as it would get. I managed to get a small stream of water come out of the faucet and washed my hands and my face. I would figure out how to shower in the morning. I walked back to my room and went to bed for the night.

> Leader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I woke up to sunlight streaming through the window. I didn’t know what time it was. I went to Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s room to see that Robbie was still asleep. I stood, leaning on the doorframe, and said,
“Robbie, what time is it?”
He woke up and immediately started blubbering about how late it was, I was supposed to be at Twilight’s library by now, I haven’t eaten, Stitch was going to be mad, and a lot of other things. I left his room and went to the kitchen to find Stitch had left a backpack full of food and toiletries. It had a note on the front, reading:
I’ll expect you to be at the library at 1:00. I have something to discuss with you.
-Stitch
Ok then. I looked through the backpack to find a watch. I put it on and saw that it was only 12:30. Robbie came down the stairs and told me to get a move on.
“Stitch left a not telling us we had to meet at one, what time did he tell you?”
“Oh. He told me we were supposed to meet at eleven.” Robbie said. 
“He must have rescheduled,”
I said. I wasn’t going to worry. Stitch needed me. I didn’t know what came over me suddenly, but I realized I could find a way out of this. I didn’t want to, but I had to.
I reported to Twilight’s library at 1:00, just like Stitch asked. He didn’t say anything, he just motioned to me and I followed him, not sure about what we were doing, but I made sure my head was high and my hoof steps were sure on the tile hallways. 
I was lead into the throne room, and Stitch sat in Twilight’s chair.
“So,” He said.
“I’ve decided that you are going to be my second-in-command.”
He really was crazy. What had I done that was remotely in his favor? When he had captured me, the only thing that I had done was struggle. I spent one night in a house with a weak Siren, and the only reason I hadn’t escaped is because I had no food before I slept, and I was too exhausted to try to make a run for it in the middle of the night. How is this even happening?
“Do you accept?”
I was speechless. 
“I will. On one condition,” I said. I knew what I had to do.
“I get to free my mother, and my friends. No questions asked. They each get guards, they all get fed three meals per day, nice houses to live in, and no more song torture. That’s the only agreement I’ll take. Another thing, I get control of half this whole operation. I want to help you get to the top.”
The lie stung as it came out of my mouth. I knew I needed to say it, or he wouldn’t trust me. I knew it wasn’t true, but I still felt horrible about it. Stitch considered the offer, and said, 
“You’re one determined pony. Fine. Just one thing- since you have half of this operation, I’m giving you the part of organizing the fillies, since they already know you. I’m going to give you profiles on all the Sirens I have on that shift, and you will pair the fillies with the appropriate Siren. Per say, if one filly is known to be very smart and knows how to get out of these situations, give them the scariest, most powerful Siren to keep them in check. You will also have the part of charting how many ponies we have at the beginning and the end of the day. I will take care of the rest. Now, let’s get you to work.”
This was awful. I don’t think I could do this. I kept as best of a straight face as I could and followed him back out of the throne room into another room I didn’t recognize. There were about a dozen of them, and all of them bowed to me as I walked in the room. 
“Oh Celestia, get up already. Don’t play goodie-goodie every time you meet somebody important. We have work to do which strictly requires no groveling. “ Stitch said. 
He inhaled like he was about to say something, but then he just held his breath, standing completely still. He stayed like that for about a minute when he blinked and continued his conversation like he hadn’t paused. He turned to me and said
“You know what to do, Ash Fall.”
“That isn’t my name.” I said.
“You’re funny. I’m not in the mood for it today. Get it over with so we can meet up with Neon Letter later.”
I had no idea who Neon Letter was. I didn’t even know if they were a mare or a stallion. It could be a diamond dog for all he cares. I ignored it and went to work with the fillies.
It was hard, knowing what I was sending these fillies off too. I put the weakest fillies with the nicest Sirens (as nice as Sirens could get) and put the strongest fillies with the other Sirens. I couldn’t even apologize to them, or try to comfort them, or anything. It took me hours. Each time I thought I was going to be finished, I got a new shipment of Sirens and fillies. I must have sent twenty of them away to torture. Finally, Stitch came back in and congratulated me on my work. He said that I had gotten much more done than he ever had when it was just him here. He told me to go home early today, and the last thing he said convinced me that I couldn’t act like I was loyal for any longer. He said,
“I’m so glad you sent them. It’s been a wonderful week for you! I can’t believe you’ve been working here for a whole month! Oh, how time flies…” 
He trailed off, staring just past my shoulder. I couldn’t believe the Sirens actually followed someone who was obviously delusional. I told him good night and left him standing there. I trotted back to Sugarcube Corner and saw that Robbie wasn’t there. I ignored the fact that he wasn’t there and went in the bathroom. I put both hooves on the edges of the sink and looked at my face in the mirror. I saw the fillies that I had sent away and turned away.
I’m going crazy. I can’t even see my own face in a stinking mirror. Wait…
The more I thought, the more something made sense to me. I knew what I had to do.
I rushed back downstairs back to Twilight’s palace. It was a blur as I ran down a hallway to the throne room. Stitch was still in there, and I ducked into a shadow when I saw who he was talking to. It was Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

> Mistakes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I mustered all the strength I had. 
“Stitch! I need you to come to the roof now! I have a surprise for you, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle!”
It was silent for a few seconds before I heard a reply.
“I’ll come right now. I love surprises!”
I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t have to argue, or anything. I was ok, for now.
There were many ways to the roof, but I chose the one in the library. I climbed the stairs, my mind racing with thoughts. Usually, I would have complained about the number of stairs, but that was the last thing on my mind.
I shivered, from the anticipation of what I was going to do and the gusts of wind threatening to throw me off of the roof. I heard a rattling at the entrance to the roof and saw Stitch climb up, with my friends close behind him. 
“Stitch, I need you to close your eyes so I can give you my surprise! You can’t open them until I tell you, ok?”
“Ok Ash Fall, I’m so excited!” He said in between giggles.
How sick. At least he’ll be gone after this.
He closed his eyes and smiled, almost like a young colt at a birthday party. I motioned for Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to come next to me. Stitch didn’t say anything, which led me to believe that the wind was too loud to hear their creeping steps. I whispered to them,
“Ok. We are going to push him off on three. He’s close enough to the edge to fall off. Let’s go.”
I counted, almost savoring the moment. He had made me suffer, now it was his turn.
I shouldn't be happy about this. I'm getting ready to kill someone. I thought.
“One.” 
We stepped as close as we could.
“T-“
“What about my gift?”
An innocent question. I paused, on instinct. I wasn't supposed to be doing this. We could just trap him, maybe the Elements could fix this. No. He needed to be gone, and now. He had hurt my friends. I saw a new fear in their eyes, a fear that was never there before. I had been told that the first thought you had was what you had been taught. The second thought was what defined you. In that case, I was a killer...
“One minute, Stitch. There’s a finishing touch.” I said. I turned my head the other direction when I spoke and hoped that didn’t clue him in where I was.
I couldn’t say the number two. I was too close at this point. I looked at both of my friends and nodded. We shoved as hard as we could.
"Wha- HELP! THAT’S NOT A SURPRI-“
Stitch’s voice cut off suddenly. He was gone. We won. I started laughing. Things could go back to normal, things could get better! I-
“That was a really good try, for a filly.” No. That voice.
“You almost saved your friends.” I couldn’t turn around.
“I liked your friends, they were very useful.” I shook, unable to speak. I saw my friends, a large magic bubble encasing them both- over the edge of the roof.
“Too bad they have to die.” 
The bubble popped. I squeezed my eyes shut.. Heard something hit the ground. At that moment, my heart ripped in half. One half stayed with me, and the other went with my friends. I would never be whole without them, and now they were gone. I sobbed, a searing pain exploded in my body. Stitch wasn't doing a thing. 
This was sadness.
A spell forced my eyes open and made me look at him.
“You.” 
I said, my voice breaking and tears beginning to pour out of my eyes.
“Me," He replied.
“It’s WAY too easy to make a magical double. You got to have one these days, with everyone trying to kill me and all. I knew who you were the whole time, Scootaloo. Did my double fake being crazy do the job? It must have, your guard was down so much I was surprised I didn’t kill you sooner. I kinda liked seeing your reactions when you were sending those colts and fillies off to their deaths.”
“W-why did you kill them?” I said. I choked on the words as they came out.
“I’ll tell you. Maybe not, actually, I’m not a fan of monologues.” 
I was thrust over the edge of the roof. I felt the air rush around me. I closed my eyes. Blinding pain. Nothing.

> Restart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I had read in a book somewhere that you had seven minutes of brain activity after death. I had always assumed that wasn’t true, because a dead person wasn’t really dead if they could still think. I realized, that this was the point between life and death. Seven minutes. I thought of what I could have done. If only I could fly, it would have been better. I imagine the air rushing around me, my wings stretching out and saving me. I caught my friends. We were all still alive. I floated gracefully to the ground when something hit us. I felt fire, swirling around me, and my thought faded. I couldn’t even have one good thought without Stitch messing it up. Somehow, now was the time when my brain decided that I couldn't have a fantasy.
I didn’t like dying. It felt like my thoughts were fading away. I was cold, and… hungry. Not for food, but for life. My seven minutes were going to be up soon. Dreams tended to be short in my imagination, but longer in real time. I didn't have much time. I wanted to be alive, but I couldn’t bear life without my friends. I didn’t know how I was thinking. Wasn’t I supposed to be nothing? I felt a familiar feeling. I can’t describe it. I could feel again. I opened my eyes to see nothing but harsh white light.
“I thought the light would be softer after I died,” I muttered.
“This isn’t heaven, if you were wondering, Scootobot,” a voice said.
“You failed Scenario, our... training program. We need to do a system restart.”
I’m not a failure. I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. And what was that? Scootobot?
“Retrieve basic knowledge and training from the present. Download into Scootobot 8167,” the voice said. 
“Request Acknowledged.” It was a different voice this time. Metallic. Unpleasant. I looked around for the voices, but all I saw was a small observation booth. I walked over, my hooves aching from stiffness, and peeked in. I saw a calm-looking tan mare with a long olive green mane, pulled into a ponytail. How ironic.
“Hmm,” I heard the mare mutter, “Scootobot 8167 still believes she is Scootaloo. Thoughts and feelings transferred from Scenario has not happened with the other Scootobots. Take a note, V.A.C.”
"Transfer beginning. Scootobot 8167, please stand with all four hooves flat on the floor.” The metallic voice was back. I didn’t want to hear it again. What was the tan mare talking about? She used that strange word again. Scootobot. I was Scootaloo! And what was a V.A.C.?  I felt something brush the top of my head and jumped back.
“Please hold still, Scootobot 8167. The Scenario seems to have some side effects on you. Just relax and we will return your actual memories.” It was the mare again. I didn’t want to, but I held still. I somehow knew they weren't going to hurt me. I trusted my instincts and held still. I felt something probe my neck and felt something… plug in. I started breathing deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. It wasn’t working so well. I began to hyperventilate when I heard another voice. A very familiar one.
“Scootobot 8167, we are going to have to do a bulk transfer. Your heart rate is too fast. This might hurt.” It was Rainbow Dash. Why is she here?
I felt a surge of… something flow through my body. It was kind of nice, like I had a warm blanket on.
“This doesn’t hurt at a--“I stiffened, involuntarily.
“This is the part when it hurts.” The mare said. I felt a searing pain right behind my eyes and it exploded all over my body. I screamed in agony and collapsed to the cool floor. All of the pain receded and I didn’t feel a thing. I looked up at the mare when a supernova erupted in my head. I can’t think. I can’t even scream at this point, for fear that I’ll break into a million pieces. I remember now, I don’t want to believe it. The pain faded to a dull throbbing.
I know what I am, and I’m terrified.
My name is Scootobot 8167. I was created to fight Stitch. There are others like me. Many, many others. Stitch is real, and wants to take over Equestria. He killed Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. They were the first. He has killed so many, and so fast. Princess Celestia told Twilight Sparkle and her friends to use the power of friendship to defeat him. They failed. Rainbow Dash was the only survivor, but she suffered horrible injuries. She could never fly again. Celestia appointed her to try and help so she wouldn’t fall into depression. Normally, Celestia would have defeated them by now, but she didn’t want to hurt Rainbow. Rainbow wanted to be the one who killed Stitch, and nobody was going to help. She thought she could do it alone, and the last time Celestia tried to help… the victims were two of the Royal Guards. They didn’t survive the ride to the hospital. First Scootaloo, and now all her friends. It wasn’t Rainbow’s idea, the Scootobots. That mare in front of me… that was Attendant 60345. She didn’t have a name, but she was a genius when it came to warfare. The perfect war machine, an animatronic that could remind Stitch of the ones he had killed, while killing thousands of Sirens. We would be made in the image of the dead. Raibow wasn't happy, but when Celestia told her it would cause Stitch more pain, Rainbow gladly consented.
But then it happened.
Rainbow wanted to remember Scootaloo, but her way. She wanted Scootaloo to have won. She had the scientists call the animatronics Scootobots. She wanted them to go through Scootaloo’s memories and “prepare” themselves by being a winner in the situation when Scootaloo died. Simulation was born. Genius, putting the Scootobots in a simulation. But the problem was, the Scootobots can’t make different decisions if they are going by the exact thoughts of Scootaloo. They’re brainwashed to think they are Scootaloo. They were literally built to fail. Rainbow Dash is crazy. I knew that this was not the basic knowledge file. These were the very thoughts of Attendant 60345. We exchanged blank looks. She knew. I felt something go missing, all of the sudden.
“Scootobot 8167, what do you remember?” Rainbow Dash asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.
“I remember the brave effort of Scootaloo and your friends. You helped create robots like me to save Equestria.” I said. I looked at Rainbow. She looked young, to be a hero of Equestria. I am honored to be able to help her. This isn’t what I should be thinking, I thought, but I don’t know why. I felt something pop and the fizz in my neck. I collapsed and-
---
POV of Attendant 60345.
I knew this would happen, placing my memories inside her brain and then quickly removing them. I wanted at least one of the Scootobots to realize what insanity this all was. It’s not like I could quit, and have one of the Princesses execute me for treason. I saw the look on her eyes, and quickly removed them without Rainbow Dash realizing it. A silence weighed on my head, heavy as lead. I glanced over at Rainbow Dash and saw her staring at me.
“Ahem, Ms. Dash?” I said.
“What is it, why is she just lying there? She has to get up now. Nownownownow.” I can’t believe I have to take orders from her.
“Ms. Dash, we have a system failure. All the memories were too much for Scootobot 8167. We will have to take some time to repair it.”
“HER! SCOOTALOO IS A HER!” Rainbow screamed.
“Ms. Dash, that is Scootobot 8167. Scootaloo is not here. Maybe you’re overworking the Scootobots, Ms. Dash. We have already scanned Scootaloo’s memories too much. We need to trash the idea and think up something else. Stitch has taken over half of Equestria and we need to do something different.” I said. I was trying to calm her down, even though that probably wasn’t the best way. I’m an expert in weapons, not psychology. 
“NO! SHE COULD HAVE DONE IT IN REAL LIFE TOO! HE JUST KILLED HER BEFORE SHE COULD! SHE CAN LIVE AGAIN BUT WE JUST NEED TO TRY HARDER! Put her through Scenario. Again and again until one of them… finally… WINS!” 
Her eyes shot around the room, the bloodshot veins almost matching her irises. Winning. So important to her. Ironically, winning was going to be the greatest loss of Equestria. 
“Carry on, Attendant 60345. Good day.” She said. I barely heard her. I wish I could do something. I’d figure it out, I just hope it would be soon…
“I said good day, Attendant.” Rainbow repeated.
“Yes, Ms. Dash. Good day.” I replied.
“Begin instructional transmission now. Repair fried circuit in the cranial area. Initiate sequence: April 12, Scootloo’s point of view. Initiate real-time reactions, per memory recording of Scootaloo.” I spoke to my finest piece of machinery, the V.A.C. My machine would activate to the sound of your voice, along with a trigger word. I had a set of trigger words for different instructions. My V.A.C., or Voice Activated Computer, could do anything I wanted it to do, with the proper software. 
Maybe Rainbow and I aren’t so different after all. She wants to win, and I want to create. I’m too proud of my machines. Maybe I will be the downfall of Equestria after all, like my mother told me. 
I loved to think. Maybe too much.
“Would you like me to make any improvements to Scootobot 8167, Attendant 60345?” V.A.C. asked.
“Not today.” I said.
“Request acknowledged. Instructions: Make no improvements to Scootobot 8167. Set Scootobot 8167 into Scenario with Scootaloo’s memory, from April 12 until date of defeat by animatronic. If the Scootobot survives longer than the memories last, I am to improvise and create another memory from actual events. Correct?”
My V.A.C. also had predictive auto commands. I didn’t have to state all my ideas, she -it- knew what I wanted.
“All instructions recited are correct. Continue.” I said. 
“The memories of Scootaloo have been scanned 7 times as of now. Memories of the deceased cannot be scanned more than 5 times without some kind of change. I have been ordered to take protective measures, but the memories are beginning to become distorted. Would you like to continue?”
“Continue.” 
Let’s see how much failure Rainbow Dash can withstand. The best part about creating machines is making something better when the old ones break down. I hear the machines click and whirr until I the confirmation command is said.
“Scootobot 8167 is ready for Scenario. Begin?”
“Let’s go.” 
---
POV of Scootaloo.
I had been waiting in the clubhouse for about 30 minutes now. Where were Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom? They said they would be there so we could go to Twilight Time together. They’re dead. I was excited, because this time would have been the first Twilight Time since she defeated Tirek. I am not Scootaloo. I couldn’t wait to go into her new castle! As I walked down the road, I couldn’t help staring at her new castle. These thoughts are not my own. It was beautiful from even here! I walked into her castle. Something is wrong.