Scoot-A-Loo
"What's taking her so long?" Apple Bloom asked aloud, as she paced in front of the lectern impatiently.
That wasn't the first time that she had asked something along those lines, so Sweetie Belle didn't answer as she sat on her haunches nearby. A lot of things could have kept Scootaloo from meeting them at their clubhouse on time, and they had already explored plenty of them. The most likely, an inability to replace a wheel on her scooter, which had been damaged yesterday evening, began to seem less likely, though.
A few minutes later their ears perked up when they heard some sounds growing louder as their source drew closer. It seemed like something was being rattled, and there was a repetitive squeak that both often heard from wheels often enough, but neither were noises that they would attribute to Scootaloo's scooter. After sharing a look, they rushed out of the door to find out what was making those sounds.
Stopping before the ramp, they saw the familiar sight of their friend Scootaloo approaching them on her scooter, except she was pulling a small, wooden shack behind her instead of a red wagon. Said shack looked awfully familiar, but they couldn't imagine why she would be hauling the thing that came to mind, so it remained an intriguing mystery as their friend came to a stop near their clubhouse.
"Hey, girls!" Scootaloo happily greeted them, as she stepped away from her scooter. "I've got something awesome to show you!"
Thinking it was the structure that she had been hauling, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hurried down the ramp to see exactly what it was. However, when they reached her, she presented her flank to them and excitedly exclaimed, "Look! I got my cutie mark!"
Despite being surprised by the reveal, they were ready to congratulate their friend. Their happy feelings had a figurative rug pulled out from underneath them, however, when they noticed how closely it mirrored the scooter and the structure that it was hitched to, especially when they saw the crescent moon on the door and realized that the aforementioned structure was an outhouse.
Noticing that their reaction wasn't timely, Scootaloo worriedly asked, "Is... Is something wrong?"
Apple Bloom frankly replied, "Are you really okay with—"
Sweetie Belle elbowed Apple Bloom in the side and gave her a sharp look before turning her attention back to Scootaloo, forcing a smile as she awkwardly said, "There's nothing wrong! It looks... great!" She paused to think of something that would change the subject. "So, um... How did you get it?"
Scootaloo perked up at the opportunity to tell her story, seemingly casting aside any thought that a negative response had been looming. "You know how I had to replace a wheel on my scooter? Well, Skedaddle Skidoo got married recently, to a guy named John Jakes, and they decided to combine their businesses. When I saw the new name and sign, it just seemed so obvious that it would be a great idea to also combine the products, and my cutie mark appeared right after I finished putting it together."
"I mean," she enthusiastically continued, "you can't do any stunts with it, of course, but now you don't have to stay close to town if you want to use a proper bathroom. And it's great for anypony who wants to make a long trip, or spends a lot of time away from civilization!"
Having taken the hint from Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom opted to play it safe and be nothing but supportive. "Y-yeah... It sure would be." Casting her eyes about for something more to say, to show interest, her eyes landed on the vehicle's name, which had been written onto the base of the outhouse with a brush. Unable to hold back some of her disbelief, she asked, "You named it after yourself?"
"Yup!" Scootaloo responded with evident pride, not noticing the tone of her friend's voice. "That outhouse guy suggested it: said my name was perfect."
"Did he suggest that you separate the syllables of your name, too?" Sweetie Belle inquired, noticing the hyphens.
Scootaloo nodded her head. "He told me that having three words in the name would help it be more recognizable." Before Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle could ask what the "loo" part of the name was, she stepped closer to her Scoot-A-Loo and rested a hoof on it, saying, "Anyway, this is just a prototype, so I was hoping you two could help me give it a test run. You know, by trying to get your cutie marks somewhere far away from town."
After exchanging a glance, because they really weren't sure what to think about the situation with Scootaloo's cutie mark and talent, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nonetheless decided to support their friend and agreed to her idea.
Due to the fact that the outhouse had been made and kindly donated by John Jakes, it had performed as well as could be expected of it. The only problem was that it had not been designed to be portable, so Scootaloo was intent on figuring out how she could make it lighter and still be strong enough to withstand off-road travel.
That wasn't what was on Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom's minds as they walked to school the next morning, though. As much as they wanted to support their friend, they were concerned because of her cutie mark, finding it hard to believe that she actually liked it. Despite all of their excitement about getting cutie marks, there had been some talents that had given them pause and a reason to hope for something else, and a talent for making mobile toilets was that in addition to being bizarre. They were half-convinced that someone had magicked a fake cutie mark on their friend's flank as a joke.
Usually they met up with Scootaloo long before they reached the school, but today they didn't see her until they had been waiting in front of the steps of the building for almost a minute. The reason why, much to their dismay, was because her scooter was still hauling the outhouse. They looked about themselves, at the other fillies and colts that were either entering the building or waiting outside, either loitering or chatting, before looking at each other, expressing concern over how their peers would react to their friend's talent.
Scootaloo's arrival attracted a crowd of curious ponies, so they hurried to join her in case she needed their support. As they secured a front spot in the semi-circle that formed around their friend, Pipsqueak said, "Oh, wow, your name is perfect for, uh... this."
The awkward ending of his remark proved to be the theme among their peers, who were quiet and made an attempt to say something nice, ask a question, or simply congratulate Scootaloo on getting her cutie mark, if they said anything at all. Of course, it probably didn't help that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were casting warning glances at whoever they could catch the attention of.
Before long, a familiar voice easily spoke over the gathered crowd, expressing the owner's distaste. "What in the world is that thing?"
The gathered ponies parted as if being of one mind, clearing a path between the speaker and Scootaloo while also affording them a more convenient position to watch them in turn. Said speaker was none other than Diamond Tiara, with her friend, Silver Spoon, standing at her side, and both were giving the Scoot-A-Loo dirty looks from the school's portico.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom moved to Scootaloo's side, ready to support her, as she defiantly replied, "It's a mobile outhouse. You have a problem with that?"
"Not personally," came Diamond Tiara's smug response. "But even you must see what the problem is."
"It's so obvious," Silver Spoon chimed in.
Scootaloo grit her teeth and glared up at duo, exposing her flank before demanding, "Are you saying my cutie mark's useless!?"
The tenseness of the crowd was palpable as Diamond Tiara got her first look of the aforementioned cutie mark, who barely managed to conceal her mirth when she did. As mean as she was, though, even she knew better than to attack or debase someone's cutie mark, at least openly, so she affected a look of offense and replied, "Of course not. I'm sure you and your friends will get a lot of usage out of your little creation."
Angered by the veiled insult, and inspired by her older sister, Sweetie Belle stepped forward and threw it back at her. "So you're saying that you prefer to do your business in the bushes, like a commonpony?"
Diamond Tiara sneered, but it was Silver Spoon who shot back, "As if we have to worry about such inferior transportation."
Apple Bloom opened her mouth to make a retort, but Cheerilee chose that time to appear on the threshold and announce that the school day was about to start, and that they should find their seats. While most heeded her and hurried into the building, with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looking self-satisfied and dismissive as they did so at a sedate pace, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stayed put.
"Don't listen to them," Apple Bloom told Scootaloo, not knowing what else to say to be supportive.
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle agreed.
Scootaloo sighed and turned to face her creation. "Thanks, but you don't have to worry about me." With a determined expression on her face, she explained, "The only thing that matters to me is getting one of these to my parents."
Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were moved by the sentiment, and nodded their understanding before all three made their way into the school.
While Scootaloo had told her friends that it would only matter if her parents owned one of her Scoot-A-Loos, so she could provide some support and be with them in spirit, in truth she worried that her special talent would only be useful and fulfilling once in her entire life. She'd always been under the assumption that one's talent would be a major part of their whole life, but she simply couldn't envision that being possible in her case, and it didn't help that she had yet to sell a single Scoot-A-Loo.
It had taken her several weeks to put together a finished product, with the aid of John Jakes and Skedaddle Skidoo. After she had built several Scoot-A-Loos, they had also been nice enough to add a large awning to the side of their shop, so she could sell them there. In addition to that, they had placed a sign on a stake by the entrance, bearing her own logo, however simple it was.
Despite their help, though, only a couple of ponies had given her Scoot-A-Loos a look during the entire two weeks that they had been on the market. In every case she could tell that they had only tried to help her by showing interest, but it'd had the opposite effect despite their well-meaning intentions, by lowering her spirits.
When the sun was low in the sky, and thus time to call it a day, she moved the Scoot-A-Loos into John Jakes' workshop in the back, which had been added when Skedaddle Skidoo's store had been expanded to include his outhouses. After she finished storing the last Scoot-A-Loo, she almost bumped into John Jakes on the way out of his workshop, who was joined by Skedaddle Skidoo. Her expression had been downcast until then, and their sympathetic looks made her suspect that they had seen it.
Skedaddle Skidoo and John Jakes were both earth ponies, but that's where almost all of their similarities ended, beyond the obvious difference in gender: where he was possessed of dark and muted colors, hers were light and bright; where he was big and stocky, she was small and svelte; and while he stood perfectly still and with surety, she looked a little antsy and wanting more to be somewhere else, though not because she didn't want to be helpful and supportive — she was really nice, another trait that she shared with her husband.
"Don't be disheartened," Skedaddle Skidoo said encouragingly. "Sometimes these things take time."
"Mm," John Jakes hummed his agreement.
Looking up at him, as an example of someone who'd made a life with toilets, Scootaloo asked, "How long did it take you?"
"Not long," John Jakes calmly admitted. "Most modern ponies prefer a working toilet. You face a different challenge, I'm afraid."
"Yeah," Scootaloo replied with a sigh. "Nopony wants to be seen in public hauling a toilet around."
Skedaddle Skidoo stepped forward and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Things will change. Either way, we'll be here to support you."
Scootaloo smiled softly. "Thanks, guys."
After sharing in that touching moment, Skedaddle Skidoo quickly about-faced, hopped onto her personal scooter and rushed toward her home, to neither Scootaloo or John Jakes' surprise. She'd always been reclusive in Scootaloo's experience, and had once been told — when she asked about her behavior — that she was the type of pony who was easily drained by social interactions and needed alone time to recover.
When she was out of sight, John Jakes returned his attention to Scootaloo and said, "I'd like to offer my own reassurance, if you promise to keep the details to yourself: Skedaddle may not have any regrets about this, but she still finds it too embarrassing to share with others."
"Okay," Scootaloo agreed, with a solemn nod.
John Jakes settled upon his haunches before he began. "Both Skedaddle and I had once believed that we would never find our special somepony. Her main obstacle was being unable to socialize much with others, and my work with toilets was mine. Perhaps we would have still met if that had not been the case, maybe we could have also found love under those circumstances, but fate saw that it would be those obstacles that would bring us together, when she blindly sought refuge in a public restroom that I was working in."
"So," he began to wrap up, who noticed Scootaloo trying — and failing — to hide her reaction to the sentimental stuff, "with that in mind, don't lose hope. Alright? The future is unknown in most ways to all ponies, but never forget that the seemingly inevitable or impossible might be changeable, given enough time or effort."
"Got it," Scootaloo replied, her spirits lifted, and determination renewed.
Rainbow Dash peered over the cloud that she was using to surreptitiously check on Scootaloo at Scooters & Outhouses, to see if she'd had any luck selling at least one Scoot-A-Loo. Unsurprisingly, as it had been the case since she had begun selling them several weeks ago, she had yet to sell a single one.
Not only did that frustrate her, but by now she was directing a lot of anger toward herself. She had taken Scootaloo under her wing, after all, and right when the filly needed her the most, as she tried to make a living with her special talent, her pride continued to get in the way of supporting her properly. At least, just saying, "Good luck," then hoping her efforts bore fruit, wasn't adequate enough for her. In much the same way as she hoped to achieve something with her flying skills, she assumed that someone in Scootaloo's position wanted what she built to be sold and used.
Unable to take it anymore, she forced herself to dive from her cloud and land a short distance away from Scootaloo before she could change her mind. She might not ever live it down if anyone saw her with a Scoot-A-Loo, but it would be for a good cause, as well as relieve her of the guilt that weighed upon her mind.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo happily greeted. "I'm glad you finally came down from your cloud to visit me."
Feeling embarrassed because she had been noticed, Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck and said, "Oh, uh... You saw me, huh?"
"Well, yeah," Scootaloo replied, with some amusement. "I always see a cloud somewhere up there, even when there aren't supposed to be any. Also, I've seen your tail a bunch of times."
Now even more embarrassed from being completely busted, and not wanting to try explaining herself without revealing why she hadn't come down to visit her until that moment, Rainbow Dash did her best to not show what she was feeling as she rushed ahead and said, "So, um, I decided that I wanted to buy a Scoot-A-Loo..."
With a smile, Scootaloo immediately answered, "You can't have one."
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, ready and expecting to discuss the details of her purchase, in order to get it done and over with, but halted when the meaning of Scootaloo's words caught up with her and derailed her thoughts. With a look of disbelief, she exclaimed, "What do you mean, I 'can't have one!?'"
"I won't sell one to you," Scootaloo reiterated, her smile fading. "Look, I know that nopony wants to be seen with one of these. You're not even the first pony who's wanted to buy a Scoot-A-Loo for my sake."
Rainbow Dash tried to argue. "But—"
"I appreciate the thought," Scootaloo earnestly interjected. "Really. You're still the best big sister that I could ever ask for." She paused, becoming more solemn. "But this isn't about sales. So long as I can make a Scoot-A-Loo that's good enough for my mom and dad, I'll be happy. Okay? So you don't have to worry."
After regarding Scootaloo searchingly for a few seconds, and seeing that she wouldn't budge on the issue, Rainbow Dash grunted her displeasure as she put extra effort into launching herself into the sky, neither liking being rebuffed or having no good idea of what to do about it. On top of that, she felt that it was unfair for Scootaloo to have a special talent that only a few ponies could truly appreciate, if there even were any. Seeing her growing up so early in her life, as a result, made her seethe.
Once she had vented enough to really think about what she could actually do, she turned her aimless — if brisk — flight into a purposeful one and made a beeline for the library. If anyone could figure out what to do about this situation, she figured that Twilight Sparkle would be the most likely to come up with a solution.
Seeing that the sun had reached the point in the sky where she scheduled to close up shop, Scootaloo turned about and prepared to take the first Scoot-A-Loo back into the workshop. As she reached it, she heard the familiar sound of flapping wings grow louder, then paused as she saw the owner's shadow come down and cover her.
Knowing that someone had landed behind her, she continued her task as she told them, "Sorry, but I'm finished for the day."
"Oh?" Answered a voice that she'd rarely heard, but was too distinct to ever forget. "Perhaps I could convince you to stay, for a little while longer, if I raise the sun a ray."
She froze, wondering if Princess Celestia herself had actually spoken, as unbelievable and unexpected as it seemed, before slowly turning her head to look over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was — indeed — the princess, who arguably looked even more glorious with the evening sun behind her head and shining through her ethereal mane, despite casting her face in shadow.
She quickly turned around to face her and made to bow, with the princess' name on her lips, but Celestia gestured for her to stop and said, "I am here because your friends have expressed their concern and don't know what to do to help. So, please, allow me to be a customer."
Scootaloo wanted to give the same answer that she had delivered to Rainbow Dash, but between thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea to deny the princess, or for her — of all ponies — to be seen with a Scoot-A-Loo, she was reluctant to speak.
Seeing her reaction, Celestia expressed her sympathy and softly said, "Scootaloo, you are not the first pony to be in your position. In my time, I have seen quite a few who had talents with no demand or audience, or were at odds with what was normal or conventional. Things like handles, for instance, which aren't ideal for ponies and certainly hadn't replaced something inferior, became ubiquitous, and helped our relationships with many other creatures. There was even a pony who liked to spontaneously sing and dance in public settings, whose family and friends joined them in support, which spread to the families of those friends, and so on and so forth, until it wasn't strange anymore, to the point where it's now taught and encouraged in school."
"Your case is a little different," she went on, speaking with more deliberateness. "There was once a time, long ago, when there was no shame associated with the call of nature: it was simply an everyday part of life that was taken care of in an out-of-the-way place, since it was — as it has always been — unpleasant to step in or smell. Eventually, though, the upper caste of ponies established that their business should be conducted in a certain way, which few ponies could do at the time, and stigmatized anything else, which evolved over time and has come to affect the vast majority of the population."
Celestia lowered her head, so she could stare meaningfully into Scootaloo's eyes. "Our society's attitude changed once, and it can do so again. So, allow me to purchase a Scoot-A-Loo and use it when I take my next tour of Equestria." She smiled and added, "Who knows? Perhaps, like the examples I mentioned, some unexpected good will result from it, beyond giving you more opportunities to exercise your talent."
Scootaloo definitely didn't shed any tears, but she did nod her head, so glad that Celestia was one of Equestria's princesses.
From there, she insisted that she make a personalized Scoot-A-Loo for her. In addition to John Jakes and Skedaddle Skidoo, she also enlisted Rarity's expertise to create one that would be suitable for the princess. Initially the fashionista had been shocked and flabbergasted by the very idea, but she was easily won over once she learned of the princess' intent and the kindness and generosity behind it.
Once the Scoot-A-Loo was finished, the princess took it with her and rode it when she toured Equestria, exactly as she had said she would do. Not only did word of it quickly spread across the country, but it was quickly followed by the news that she had actually used it. Scootaloo had no idea that she would go that far with it, for her, and it warmed her heart, raising her hopes for the future.
Demand for her Scoot-A-Loos became a reality and increased quickly, requiring that she and her new friends and business partners, Skedaddle Skidoo and John Jakes, reach out and bring in qualified hooves to meet it. The richer ponies were the biggest group, initially, who wanted to show off their status, trying to one-up each other, or simply wanted to get on the bandwagon and appear trendy, but the commonpony gradually became the largest consumer, usually — but not always — for more practical reasons.
There was so much work that she often expected to falter, but she stayed the course and made it through each day with the help of her friends and the support of the town in general. It was still hard, but she'd never felt so happy and fulfilled despite that, being surrounded by so many great ponies and having the opportunity to make a living with her talent.
When Celestia reached the final stop of her tour, at Ponyville, she hugged and thanked her profusely when she had the opportunity to see her.
She didn't shed any tears then, either.
Dear mom and dad,
I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry that I haven't said much in my last few letters, but I've been really busy since I got my cutie mark, and I wanted to surprise you with a gift.
It's a Scoot-A-Loo! Now I can be with you while you're gone, in a way. I wish I could have gone with you for real, but now I'm a businessmare. Crazy, right? I never imagined I'd be one! But I like it. And all the ponies I work with are great, too! I can't wait to introduce you to them when you come home.
Anyway, I wanted to get a lot of experience before I made one for you, knowing the kinds of places you go to. I hope it will meet your needs and not slow you down or get in your way.
Aside from that, I've learned a lot of valuable lessons. The most important one, which Princess Celestia and several others have taught me, is that we shouldn't assume that change is impossible. If you don't even try, then it definitely will be impossible. You might need a lot of help to change something, or the right kind of help, and I was fortunate enough to have both.
I think Twilight Sparkle learned a lesson from this, too, now that she's a princess. I hope so, at least. If there's ever another pony in my kind of position, she better be there for them like Princess Celestia had been for me.
Oh! And thanks to the Scoot-A-Loo, there wasn't a shortage of toilets at Ponystock, which is already being considered a legendary festival. I'm so happy that something I made was able to prevent something from ruining the experience!
I can't think of anything else to tell you. Well, except that I'm doing well, so you don't have to worry too much about me. I've made a lot of new friends, and Ponyville's even better than I thought it was. Princess Celestia, too, for that matter.
Love you!
Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood looked up from the letter and regarded each other, the latter with tears in her eyes, sad that they were missing such significant events in their daughter's life but happy for her and proud.