A House In The Forest
The Secret Life of... Scootaloo
“See you all Monday morning!” said Cheerilee, as her students jumped from their desks and filed out the door.
“Have a good weekend Miss Cheerilee!” wished Scootaloo as she passed by her teacher.
“And you have a good weekend too, Scootaloo,” she replied. If she noticed the strained smile upon the filly’s face, she didn’t say anything.
Scootaloo emerged from the schoolhouse to find a beautiful Friday afternoon, with plenty of daylight left for play or crusading. Hopping onto her beloved scooter, she raced off after her friends, easily catching up with them. “Off to the clubhouse?”
Sweetie Belle replied, “Yeah. We have to prepare for our next client.”
“Who’s that?” asked an eager Scootaloo.
“Silver Spoon,” answered Apple Bloom.
“Silver Spoon, really?”
“She says she needs help reconnecting with her cutie mark.”
Reflecting for a moment, Scootaloo remarked, “Well, we did help Diamond Tiara.”
“Silver Spoon is coming by tomorrow,” added Sweetie Belle.
“Tomorrow?” reiterated Scootaloo, somehow hoping she had misheard.
“At one o’clock.”
Scootaloo’s face fell. “Oh.”
Noticing the sudden change with her friend, Apple Bloom asked with concern in her voice, “Somethin’ a matter Scoots?”
“No. I mean, I won’t be able to come,” said the crestfallen filly.
“It’s okay,” reassured Sweetie Belle. “I’m sure the two of us can handle the case.”
“Yeah,” muttered Scootaloo. “I gotta go.” She turned the other direction and sped off towards home before her friends could respond.
“Ah wonder what’s goin’ on?” remarked Apple Bloom.
“She always seems to have something every month. But she never wants to talk about it. I think it’s kind of personal,” replied Sweetie Belle.
“Ah wish there was somethin’ we could do ta help.”
“Until she wants to talk about it, I think we should respect her privacy.”
~~~
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Ponyville. The weather pegasi had made it an extra gorgeous day, with a gentle cool breeze complementing Celestia’s warm shining sun. The various restaurants and café’s served breakfast, with the scent of pancakes, Prench toast, waffles, and fried eggs wafting out the doors and into the streets. Elsewhere, the ovens of the bakery had been busy for hours, filling the air with the smell of fresh bread. In the market, ponies greeted friends, conducted business or passed the latest town gossip. And everywhere foals ran about, playing games and enjoying the late summer day.
Not Scootaloo. Scootaloo had passed through town earlier, when only a few ponies were awake. Now she sat on a train, passively staring at the landscape out the window. If she were going someplace new, then she would have been excited to watch the scenery. But she had travelled this route many times before, and everything was the same. The same hills. The same rivers. The same farms. The same trees. Even the same cows. Nothing new, nothing of interest. And so Scootaloo sat, waiting for the familiar train ride to end.
Scootaloo had a row all to herself. In fact, there were only two other passengers on the coach. One, sitting towards the front, was a large pegasus. He sat quietly, patiently, waiting for his stop. The other, a large earth pony, occupied a seat at the rear of the car, his dark black sunglasses hiding his eyes. Scootaloo returned to the window to watch the world pass by....
The train decelerated, the world outside slowing down. A loud screech and sudden jerk alerted everyone that the train was braking and pulling into the train station. Scootaloo sighed as she picked up her saddlebags and waited to disembark. The engine blew a shrill whistle and, finally, the conductor opened the door to reveal the old, decrepit station. Scootaloo walked to the end of the desolate platform and climbed down the rickety stairs to the ground. She began walking towards the forest that loomed behind the station. Glancing back, the two other ponies had also departed the train and were headed in the same direction. Scootaloo turned once more towards the path in front of her and disappeared into the forest....
The dark forest lay deathly quiet. Every now and again a branch snapped or a bird squawked, and always shadows lurked among the trees. Most ponies would have returned to the station to take the next train away from this forsaken place. But Scootaloo pressed on. When she was younger, she was scared of the forest and hated coming here, cowering behind her father at the slightest sound until his loving embrace gave her the confidence to continue on. But she was older now and the forest did not frighten her as it once had. That’s not to say she didn’t feel uneasy, but having passed through here many times she was no longer intimidated by her surroundings.
After half an hour, she came to the end of the path. Before her lay a tree, hollowed out much like Zecora’s house or the former Golden Oaks Library. But whereas other tree-dwellings were made to save on building materials or to suit aesthetic tastes, the rationale behind this residence had been camouflage. To overflying pegasi, it blended perfectly into the forest below, indistinguishable from the thousands of other trees surrounding it. And the dark forest itself discouraged ponies from wandering along the overgrown path to find this hidden home. Scootaloo didn’t know for sure, but she suspected only a handful of ponies knew of this place, and even fewer had ever dared to venture here.
Scootaloo approached the front door and, without knocking, opened it and stepped inside to the living room. Closing the door, she saw the two ponies from the train taking up sentry positions in the forest, each ensuring they had sightlines both to the house and to path. But a voice from behind caught her attention. “Scootaloo, is that you?”
“Yeah,” she replied simply.
The door to the kitchen opened and a large, white mare entered the living room. She dipped her head to avoid hitting her horn on the doorframe. Wearing a smile, she approached Scootaloo and embraced the filly with her large, white wing. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Yeah,” replied Scootaloo, somewhat detached.
Concerned at the lukewarm reception, Celestia offered, “I’m making tea. Would you like some?”
“Sure,” she said without much enthusiasm.
Still unsettled by the filly’s attitude, Celestia returned to the kitchen. Scootaloo laid her saddlebags down and took a seat on the couch. After a short time Celestia returned with two steaming cups of tea, levitating one over to Scootaloo while she sat down on the opposite chair. Scootaloo took a sip from her cup. Though she was not really a fan, the milk, sugar, and honey helped dilute the tea flavor enough to make it palatable. Celestia, pleased that the filly was enjoying the drink, took a satisfactory sip from her own cup. “So, how are your friends?” she opened.
“They’re good.”
“I know Rarity is busy with her new boutiques in Canterlot and Manehattan. How is Sweetie Belle handling her sister being away so much?”
“She’s kinda sad that they’re not seeing each other as much, but she’s happy for Rarity.”
“And how is Apple Bloom?”
“She’s fine. Just working on the farm with the rest of the family.”
An awkward silence followed. “What about the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”
“What about them?”
“Have you helped anypony lately?”
Scootaloo’s passive face fell at the question. “The others are helping Silver Spoon reconnect with her mark.”
“Are you’re not participating?” asked Celestia, a restrained concern in her voice.
“They’re doing it this afternoon.”
“I – see.” A quiet unease settled over the room, with both taking sips of their tea to fill the tense silence. Finally, Celestia proposed, “If you will send me your schedule, we can arrange these weekends around your other commitments.”
“This was kind of last minute.”
“Oh.” Again another strained silence fell upon the living room. Celestia continued to sip her tea, while Scootaloo looked at hers and gently sloshed the liquid around in the cup. Deciding a direct approach best, Celestia ventured, “What’s bothering you Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo continued sloshing her tea around for a while, hesitating to provide an answer. Finally she said, “Family Appreciation Day is coming up.”
“I see,” replied Celestia.
“And everypony will be there with their parents. Every year I take Dad. Do you think... maybe... this year... you could come too?”
Celestia took a long sip of her tea, trying to formulate the best reply. Her usual answers seemed a bit impersonal, but the well-rehearsed responses were much safer than risking something off-the-cuff. “Scootaloo, we’ve been over this. As much as it pains me, your father and I believe it best for you if I keep my distance. You’ve been able to have a wonderful foalhood without my presence. The moment the truth comes out, you would no longer be 'Scootaloo of Ponyville' or 'Scootaloo the Cutie Mark Crusader', you would be 'Scootaloo: Princess Celestia’s daughter.' You would not be able to go anywhere without guards, and I suspect the Captain would want you to move into the castle for your protection. You would have many ponies trying to befriend you, making it hard to distinguish between true friends and those who are merely trying to curry your favor.” Seeing Scootaloo’s passive response, she added, “As much as I can do for you as princess, I believe discretion is the better part of valor. There is plenty of time ahead to learn the art of being a princess and how to rule Equestria. Now is the time to enjoy your foalhood.”
Scootaloo, never looking up from her tea cup, sighed and said, “I understand mother.”