Chapter 1: The Argument
Scootaloo trotted down the sandy gravel path towards Sugarcube Corner, where she and her friend Sweetie Belle, a sweet young unicorn, were to meet. Scootaloo was a bright orange earth filly, with a pink and purple mane. Her eyes were pink with purple rims, and her cutie mark was a pink butterfly with what looked like stitches on the outsides of the wings. Sweetie Belle was a snow white unicorn, and the youngest of all their friends. She had a mane which was pink with a mixture of purples and indigos. Her large eyes were pale green, and they always sparkled whenever she saw her friends have fun.
Scootaloo opened up the door cheerfully, seeing Sweetberry at the counter, preparing a large icecream with a plenty of rainbow berries. Sweetie Belle waved her hoof happily from her table, "Hey Scootaloo!" she said in her high pitched voice, "I thought you was never gonna arrive!"
"Of course I would," Scootaloo replied, sitting down next to her friend, "Hanging out with you is, well, cool beans!"
"Watch you don't wear out your catchphrase!" Sweetie Belle giggled, before Triple Treat and Cotton Candy passed them a plate of rainbow berry muffins, with a glass of blended fruit juice each, "Ooh looks delicious! I hope I can cook like you guys and Sweetberry, one day!"
"You're already the best cook in town for your age," Triple Treat replied, "By the time you're our age, you'll be the best in the world!"
"Perhaps we should prepare in case she becomes future competition," Cotton Candy laughed, "But I'm sure she'll share her secrets with us."
"Thank you!" Sweetie Belle responded, before lifting her glass and taking a big gulp, "Mmm, yummy! I always cook, well I bake stuff, but I don't think I've ever tried making juice! Oh, doesn't Cheerilee have a blender?"
"Yeah," Scootaloo's smile faded a little, "But I'm not allowed to use it. Ever since I let Twinkle Wish out of that box, she's been kinda paranoid about me messing up. I thought after the festival we had made up, but she still treats me like a five year old!"
"I'm five. She doesn't treat me like that." Sweetie Belle remarked.
"Not like that. I just mean, she thinks I'm younger than I am. She thinks I'm clumsy or something," Scootaloo took a big slurp of her juice, "But who cares. Let's have some of these muffins!"...
"Scootaloo, I told you to be home by 3..."
Cheerilee watched as Scootaloo walked through the door, half an hour late, "It's dangerous out there. You made me worry. Why did you take so long? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Scootaloo snapped, then put her ears back in shame, "Sorry. But it's not like we had anything we needed to do, so who cares if I'm late? It's nowhere near even about to get dark outside, and I was with Sweetie Belle. After we left Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash took us to her house and we played dressups. So we were always near ponies we know."
"Scootaloo that's not the point! You need to do as you're told! Now let me make you dinner." Cheerilee walked into the kitchen.
"Why? It's only three!" Scootaloo asked in confusion, tilting her head.
"Because you're going to bed early!" Cheerilee responded.
"What? Just because Mum isn't home you can punish me? I didn't do anything wrong! Sorry I was late, we forgot to check the clock. But why would you do this?"
"Because I care, Scootaloo! I don't want you messing up something again, who knows how it will turn out next time. Twinkle Wish was lucky she didn't pass out before the festival!"
"That was Whimsy's fault!"
"She wouldn't have gotten Twinkle Wish if you didn't take that box!"
"You were all ignoring Sweetie and I!" Scootaloo stormed off to her room in anger, "I don't want dinner! Who cares? I bet you'll want me to wear a bib!"
And from there Cheerilee stood, enraged. She made dinner for herself early, then went to her room to read until she fell asleep...
"Now that the snow has melted, I'll have to get used to using coloured paints again!" Toola Roola commented, poking the soft green grass with her hoof and admiring the flowers.
"I do miss the winter fashion. With with the colourful scarves. But spring dresses are in right now!" Rainbow Dash flicked her tail, a floral dress following it's trail.
"Winter is fun, but now there's way more pink! Such pretty pink flowers!" Pinkie Pie responded as she and Starsong picked flowers together.
"Not to mention without all those coats weighing me down, I can fly faster!" Starsong replied, picking up a sparkly pink flower with purple tinges. Sweetie Belle went to join them, and everypony began to giggle happily. Except for Cheerilee and Scootaloo.
"Now where are you off to, Scootaloo? I told you to stay with the others!" Cheerilee asked as Scootaloo began to trot away sulkily. She got no reply, so followed after with a quicker pace, "The silent treatment won't work! You're so childish, honestly!"
"That's because you keep treating me like one!" Scootaloo responded angrily, before her trot turned into a canter, and then a gallop. She raced down the hill, Cheerilee as her heels, none of the other ponies noticing. She rushed through a shallow stream, the water cooling her as she huffed, running as fast as she could manage. She didn't want to talk to Cheerilee anymore, she just wanted some alone time!
"Scootaloo! Stop!" Cheerilee called out, following after Scootaloo and gaining on her slowly. Scootaloo, while the most athletic of the group, was getting tired. She was smaller than Cheerilee, and had to take bigger strides in order to stay ahead. Her legs ached but she kept on running. She didn't know how far she had gotten before she finally had to stop, panting in defeat.
"Scootaloo, what was that for!? Now the others will wonder where we are. In fact, even I wonder where you've gotten us!" Cheerilee chided, but Scootaloo quickly turned around and snapped.
"I wouldn't have ran so far if you didn't follow me!" she shouted, stomping one front hoof onto the ground. Cheerilee looked so surprised and infuriated at her younger sisters' temper, "I only ran to get away from you! Not because I was trying to run off just to get on your nerve!"
"Well... You still shouldn't have-" Cheerilee was cut off as Scootaloo kicked her front leg. In anger, Cheerilee began to kick back, but lost her balance and fell backwards onto the grass. Scootaloo tugged at one of her pigtails, the green flower hair-clip coming loose as she did. Cheerilee went to pick it back up but as she turned Scootaloo punched her cheek. Cheerilee turned back to her and kicked her in the stomach, throwing her off, but before she could stand again, Scootaloo charged into her and jumped against her chin.
Cheerilee fell to the ground in agony, and Scootaloo's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't meant to go that far. There was already a small pool of blood forming under Cheerilee's mouth, her jaw horribly bent up into the roof of her mouth. Scootaloo backed away. She needed to get help. But what would the others think of her then? They'd never forgive her!
Wait, she could ask Star Catcher to fix it. She wouldn't say the truth, just that Cheerilee had fallen or something. Star Catcher didn't know how careful the earth pony was, she'd believe her! But Scootaloo just wasn't sure, "I'm sorry..." she mumbled, laying down next to Cheerilee, the once warm grass now seeming cold to the touch...