Attempted automated wordcount. Please use LibreOffice/MSOffice for an accurate count: 4348 thanks, author! If you wish to have this removed from this list, email ra.llan.pcl+complaints @ gmail.com, making sure to provide proof that you are the author. Scootalove Written by nukeiffum Scootaloo leapt off her scooter and dashed into the CMC headquarters. The filly just came up with an idea so amazing that she had to just book it to the headquarters and tell her friends all about it. “HEY APPLEBLOOM!” She yelled, almost busting down the door in excitement. “I just came up with the greatest idea ever! We’re going to launch ourselves out of cannons, and—Applebloom?” Scootaloo frowned. The CMC headquarters was empty. Normally, Applebloom would be loitering around the treehouse at this time, waiting for Applejack to finish her morning work so she could play with her for a while before crusading. It really wasn’t like Applebloom to not be in here during the morning. The pegasus sighed and put her helmet back on. “I guess I’ll have to go to her place and tell her there…” She muttered to herself. Scootaloo hopped back on her scooter, and began to propel herself towards the center of Sweet Apple Acres. As Scootaloo neared the barn, she noticed something else that was odd. Neither Big Macintosh nor Applejack was working in the fields. “Maybe they’re all eating breakfast now or something…” Scootaloo thought to herself. It was kinda chilly outside today, the cold probably made them want to stay inside. Scootaloo disembarked her scooter and quickly knocked on the barn door. “Applebloom! It’s me! Scootaloo!!” The filly kept pounding at the door, but nopony came to answer her. “Ugh, what’s taking them so long?” Scootaloo muttered angrily under her breath. Finally, after what seemed like entire minutes, somepony opened the door. “It’s about time!” Scootaloo exclaimed impatiently. “I was about to grow a beard waiting for this door to be opened!” The filly suddenly paused. “Wait a moment… Applejack? Is that you?” The orange earth pony nodded. “Ah’m pretty sure ah was Applejack, last time ah checked. Now what can ah do ya fer, Scootaloo? There some reason why yer up here this early in the mornin’?” Scootaloo was unable to respond, her mouth agape. The pony in front of her looked nothing like Applejack. In place of the messy, roughed-up earth pony was instead a pony who was all nice and neat. Applejack’s mane was neatly combed and tied up with a large red ribbon, and she was wearing an incredibly elegant red and green dress. The Applejack in front of her was the complete opposite of the pony Scootaloo knew and respected. Scootaloo shook her head and finally managed to get a word out. “Why does it look like you just got out of Rarity’s torture chamber?!” She exclaimed. “Oh, this?” Applejack held up a hoof in front of her eyes, examining herself. “Ah guess you’ve never seen me all froo-froo’d up like this, have ya?” The filly rapidly shook her head back and forth in response. Applejack chuckled. “Ah’d be pretty shocked if ah were you too, seein’ me all dressed up and whatnot.” “Applejack? Who’s at the door?” Big Macintosh walked over to the front door, dressed in a formal tuxedo with his mane neatly combed back. “Oh, hey there Scootaloo. You lookin’ fer Applebloom?” “You too!?” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Geez! Next thing you know Applebloom will come strutting out of the place as if she’s—” “As if ah’m what?” Applebloom appeared from behind Big Macintosh, her mane nice and straight with a small apple hairclip to complement the neatness. She was dressed in a similar outfit to Applejack’s, albeit Applebloom’s was simpler and more subdued. Scootaloo’s eye twitched. After a moment, she let out an incredibly nervous laugh. “Ohhhhh I get it now! You guys are pranking me, right? Yeah, that’s right, it’s a prank! There’s no way Applebloom would be all girly and dressed up like that, right? Right?!” “… ah’m kinda insulted by that.” Applebloom pouted. Scootaloo grimaced. “You’re… you’re telling me this isn’t a prank? That you’re really all… girly and gross and stuff?” The three Apples nodded their heads in response. “But why?!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Now Scootaloo,” Applejack explained with a soft tone in her voice. “Ah know it’s kinda odd ta see us Apples all dressed up like we was Oranges, but today’s a really special day fer us, so we wanted ta look our best.” “I don’t get it.” Scootaloo said, confused. “What’s so special about today that you have to get all… icky for?” Big Mac spoke up to answer the filly’s question. “Why it’s Mother’s Day, don’tcha remember?” Scootaloo shrunk back. “M-Mother’s Day? I-I guess it is that day after all!” The pegasus quickly shook her head and regained her composure. “But I don’t get it! It’s not exactly a day where you have to get all dressed up for! Besides, where is your mother anyways, Applebloom? I’ve only ever seen you around with Applejack and Big Mac!” Applebloom gave a small sad smile and took a step back as Applejack stepped forward to explain. “Y’see Scootaloo… our mother’s dead.” The filly suddenly felt incredibly guilty for asking. “She and our father died in an accident back when ah was a filly, only a couple o’ years after li’l Applebloom was born.” Applejack continued. “They weren’t really the type of parents who’d like ta see their kids be all mopey all the time, so we don’t really talk about it that much. But every once in a while like on days like this we take a small trip ta their graves ta pay our respects.” “Oh… I’m sorry.” Scootaloo muttered. “It’s alright, ya didn’t know.” Applebloom piped up. “Besides, we don’t go visit her ta be all sad and stuff, we throw her a small li’l party and laugh and joke around! We dress up like this cuz we want her ta be proud at how pretty her daughters grew up ta be!” Big Macintosh cleared his throat. “Ahem.” Applebloom giggled. “Yer very pretty too, Big Mac.” The stallion gave a curt nod. “Eeeeeeeyup.” “Well, we gotta be headin’ out soon.” Applejack said, smiling at Scootaloo. “We wanna spend as much time as we can with our mother before the day’s over! But before that, what’d ya need, Scootaloo?” The young pegasus suddenly pepped up again after being reminded of her brilliant idea. “I came up with a new plan to get our Cutie Marks!” She exclaimed. “It’s really cool, we’re going to get a cannon and launch ourselves out of it and there’ll be a tight-rope and—” “It sounds really cool, Scoots!” Applebloom interrupted. “But it’s gonna hafta wait until tomorrow. Hope ya understand.” Her energy gradually left Scootaloo. “Oh… no worries. I guess me and Sweetie Belle will just try it ourselves. And then we’ll do it tomorrow once you’re free!” “Sounds like a plan!” Applebloom bellowed excitedly. Big Macintosh pointed at his non-existent watch, urging the filly to hurry up. “Well we gotta go now, Scootaloo, later!” The three Apples began to trot towards the apple meadows on the far side of the field. “Yeah… see you later.” Scootaloo sighed as she got back on top of her scooter. “Seriously, Mother’s Day?” The pegasus muttered to herself as she powered up her wings. “I don’t see what the big deal is…” -- “Oh, Sweetie Belle, don’t do the stitch there—AH! No, no, you can keep—NODON’TDOTHAT!! Ugh… you know what… just—WAITNOTTHATFABRIC—ooh… well, we can always order more of that… I suppose…” Rarity sighed. For some odd inexplicable reason, she allowed her younger sister to assist her with creating a new dress for their mother for Mother’s Day. It seemed like such a good idea last night, after the unicorn just got done sewing a bunch of new dresses for Hoity Toity, but now that they’re actually working together… “BY ALL THAT’S GOOD AND HOLY WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT SPOOL!?” Rarity exclaimed, feeling like she was about to faint. Sweetie Belle gave a bright smile. “Doesn’th ith go in the shewing mathine this way?” “Oh nononononono!” Rarity magicked the spool out of Sweetie Belle’s mouth. “You should never even attempt to mess around with replacing the spool until you’re at least decently proficient with magic! Here, just let me fix it.” Rarity took out the expended spool outside of the sewing machine and gracefully replaced it with the new spool in one swift motion. “Voilà! See Sweetie, there are just some things you simply cannot do without a steady magic h—IS THAT THE GOLD FABRIC?!” Sweetie happily nodded as she attempted to put the fabric in the sewing machine. Rarity quickly tore the gold fabric out of the filly’s hooves before anything could happen. The filly gave a frustrated pout. “Why are you being so mean, sis?” “I am not being mean!” Rarity proclaimed. “I am simply being a responsible mare by making sure my cute little sister doesn’t get her hooves sewn together by the nasty golden fabric.” Sweetie Bell frowned. “… Rarity, even I know that fabric doesn’t eat your hooves.” “That’s not what I—” Rarity gave a tired sigh. “You know what? Go ahead. Do whatever you want. I’m sure mother will love it regardless of the lack of finesse…” “Really? I can do whatever I want?!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed excitedly. Rarity tiredly waved her hoof around. “Sure, sure, just don’t hurt yourself, okay?” A sudden knock ruptured the boutique’s door, causing Rarity’s expression to suddenly brighten up. “Oh, here’s an idea Sweetie! Why don’t you get the door while I… um, clean up a little here.” “Okay, sis!” Sweetie Belle happily said. She trotted over to the entrance to answer the door, leaving Rarity to frantically get as much of the dress done as possible before the filly could return. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique!” Sweetie greeted. “Where everything is chique, unique, and magni… magnuh… um…” “That’s okay, you don’t need to finish that.” Scootaloo grinned. “Scootaloo!!” Sweetie Belle piped up excitedly. “Why’re you here this morning?” “Oh, you know…” Scootaloo tried to say nonchalantly. “I only just came up with the COOLEST. IDEA. EVER.” Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. “Really? Really? What is it? What is it?!” “Well! First we get a cannon and a tightrope, right?” Scootaloo explained. “And then you can stand on the tightrope while I launch myself out of the cannon and then—” “Ooh… that sounds kinda dangerous.” Sweetie said hesitantly. “Are you sure there’s not anything… um, safer to do?” “Safe? HA! Safe is for fillies!!” Scootaloo tilted her head back and began to guffaw loudly, causing Rarity to accidentally stitch the outfit in the wrong place. The unicorn fumed quietly and quickly went back to work. “But Scootaloo…” Sweetie mumbled confusedly. “I thought we were fillies.” “We’re not just fillies, we’re AWESOME fillies!” Scootaloo boasted. “This is a stunt that even Rainbow Dash would be impressed with!!” “Well…” Sweetie Belle said slowly. “If you’re sure…” “Great!!” Scootaloo grabbed Sweetie’s hoof. “Let’s go right now! The sooner we get started, the sooner we can get our Cutie Marks!!” She tried to pull the unicorn out of the boutique, but Sweetie Belle quickly pulled her hoof away from Scootaloo. “Right now…?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Like… right now, right now?” “Of course right now right now!!” Scootaloo exclaimed impatiently. “O-Oh…” Sweetie Belle shrunk back. “Sorry Scootaloo… I’m kinda busy at the moment?” “Busy?” Scootaloo parroted, making a weird face. “With what?” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Isn’t it obvious? Don’t you know what day it is today?” The young pegasus’s energetic disposition quickly faded away. “Ugh, don’t tell me… Mother’s Day…” Sweetie nodded. “Me and my big sister are making a dress to send to our mother in Manehattan!” She exclaimed happily. “We moved to Ponyville because Rarity had kind of a huge argument with our mother about her dream of being a designer, but that was a long time ago! Even if we don’t really get to see her much over in Ponyville, we always write to let our parents know how we’re doing, and on days like these Rarity sends her some sort of present!” She paused, finally noticing Scootaloo’s change in mood. “Um… are you all right Scootaloo? You don’t look so good…” “Huh? What?” Scootaloo quickly shook her head. “Oh, no, I’m fine!! It’s cool to hear that you’re making a present for your mom, so uh… I guess we should do some crusading some other time!” “You sure, Scootaloo?” Sweetie asked. “I feel kinda bad for not being able to crusade with you… maybe you and Applebloom could go without me!” “Nah, Applebloom’s doing a Mother’s Day thing too…” Scootaloo muttered. Sweetie frowned sadly. “Oh… well—” “It’s totally cool!!” Scootaloo interrupted. “I’ll find something to do with my day! Maybe Rainbow Dash’ll have the time to teach me some new tricks or something!” Scootaloo forced her expression into a smile. “Well, sorry to take up your time! You have fun with Rarity making your dresses or whatever, I’m going to kick back and chill with my gal Rainbow! Later!!” Scootaloo quickly tried to make a break for it and hopped back on her scooter. “W-wait!” Sweetie Belle called after her friend. “Why don’t you do something for your mother too? I’m sure it’d be fun!!” Scootaloo waved a hoof in response without turning back to face Sweetie. “Sure! Why not? Later!!” The pegasus faded away into the distance, and Sweetie Belle closed the door behind her. “Hmm… I wonder why Scootaloo was acting all funny…” The filly walked back towards the workroom and paused. “Um… sis? What are you doing?” “BWAH?!” Rarity jumped, sending the materials she was working with sprawling all over the place. In the short amount of time Sweetie Belle was at the door, Rarity had somehow managed to completely remove all the fringes and loose ends Sweetie left behind and turn them into perfect stitches. “O-Oh… Sweetie! I-I… uh… just… tidied up?” The unicorn gave an incredibly awkward smile. “… did you take your OCD medication this morning?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Wha?” Rarity firmly stomped her hoof on the ground. “I do not possess such a thing! And I am not obsessive compulsive!!” Sweetie Belle giggled. “Sure you aren’t, sis.” Rarity gave a small chuckle. “Well… I admit, only sometimes. But it’s not so bad that I need to take medication.” “So does this mean that I get to finish off the rest of the dress?” Sweetie Belle asked excitedly. Rarity hesitated, thinking of how messy the final product would end up being. “W-well… I-I guess you can, but only—” Sweetie Belle completely disregarded whatever Rarity was about to say next and dived straight into sewing. Rarity sighed. “Oh well… I guess it can’t be helped.” The older unicorn stood behind Sweetie Belle and began to guide the filly’s hooves. “Now, you have to be gentle and slowly insert the fabric through the machine…” -- Scootaloo wearily parked her scooter and languidly let it fall to the ground as she trotted up the front steps to her home. The filly was so looking forward to another fun day with her friends, and she couldn’t find Rainbow Dash. She had nothing else to do but to return to the place she could hardly call a home. She pushed open the door as quietly as she could and closed it behind her, trying her best to make herself invisible. A voice called out from the kitchen. “Scootaloo?” The filly froze. All Scootaloo wanted to do was to get to her room unnoticed, but it seemed like it was already too late for that. The pegasus sighed. “What do you want, Candy?” A tired looking blue earth pony stepped out of the kitchen to meet the filly. “Now Scootaloo,” She said sternly. “What did I tell you about calling me by my first name?” “Sorry, Miss Cane.” Scootaloo said sarcastically. She quietly tried to make her way past Candy but the older pony kept Scootaloo from leaving. She grimaced. “Is there a problem?” Scootaloo snapped. “You left early this morning without telling me.” Candy told the filly. “If you’re going to leave the house, then you have to at least—” Scootaloo cut her off. “I don’t have to tell you anything!!” Candy bit her lip. For a moment, it looked like she was about to hit Scootaloo, but she restrained herself and sighed. “Next time… please just say something before you leave, okay? What if something happens to you? How am I supposed to find you then?” “Stop acting like you care about me.” Scootaloo muttered. Candy’s ear twitched. “Did you say something, Scootaloo?” “Nothing.” The filly said hurriedly. “Can I go up to my room now, Candy?” “Don’t call me by my first name.” Candy reiterated. “It’s not proper.” “Whatever.” Scootaloo brushed past Candy and began to make her way to her room. The earth pony hesitantly called after her. “One last thing Scootaloo.” The filly turned around, annoyed. “What is it now?” Candy paused. “Do… do you know what day it is today?” Scootaloo felt something snap inside of her. “STOP TRYING TO REPLACE MY MOM!” She screamed. “YOU’RE NOT HER AND YOU’LL NEVER BE HER!!” The filly quickly ran away to her room after her outburst and swiftly shut and locked the door. “Scootaloo!?” Candy pounded on the filly’s door. “Scootaloo! Open this door right this instant!” Scootaloo shut her eyes and buried her head under her pillows, trying to muffle out the sound of Candy’s voice. After a couple of moments, the pounding finally stopped. “Scootaloo…” Candy sobbed quietly. “I… I don’t want to replace your mother… but we have to try to get along… please…” The filly said nothing and waited for Candy to go away. Eventually, the sobs ebbed away, and Scootaloo could tell that she was now left alone in complete silence. She poked her head out from under her pillow and opened the window. The bright morning air of Ponyville flowed into her room, and she could see the sun shining across Equestria. Yet… her home was the one place that the sun wouldn’t shine on. Scootaloo silently pulled herself out of her bed and opened one of her drawers. Inside was a single object, an old photo featuring an older pegasus with a filly. Scootaloo took the photo out and closed the drawer, gazing sadly at the depicted figure. “Mom…” Scootaloo sobbed quietly. “Why did you have to go…?” -- After a few hours have passed, Scootaloo quietly snuck out of the house. She wanted to get some fresh air after being cooped up in her room; there was something about staying in that place for too long that irked her. The sun was already in the west by the time Scootaloo was wandering around Ponyville on her scooter. Her entire morning and afternoon was wasted, and soon enough she’d be wasting away the evening as well. Not that it really mattered to the filly, Mother’s Day was nothing but a waste of time to her anyways. But with every step she took she was forced to see what she didn’t have; happy families strolling peacefully across the streets of Ponyville. Even Derpy and Dinky Hooves could be seen sharing a muffin together at the local café. Scootaloo felt a pang of jealousy beat through her heart. She missed her real mom, not the fake one that was being forced onto her… Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a streak of rainbow flash through the sky. In an instant, the thoughts about Mother’s Day were pushed out and replaced with a new one. Scootaloo quickly began speeding her way towards the end of the rainbow, eager to meet up with the pegasus that created it. “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed, hopping off her scooter. “Huh? Wha—!” The filly leapt into Rainbow Dash, pushing the blue pegasus onto the ground. “Woah!! Scootaloo? What’re you doing?” “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed affectionately. “There you are! I was looking for you earlier and I couldn’t find you!” “You were?” Rainbow Dash pushed the filly off of her and stood back up. “I mean of course you were! Why wouldn’t you be looking for the amazing Rainbow Dash?!” Scootaloo’s eyes lit up at the blue pegasus’s confident exclamation. “Oh my gosh, so does this mean you’re available?” “Available?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “For what?” “To hang out of course!” Scootaloo piped. “You can teach me how to be awesome like you!” “Teach you…? Uhh…” Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “I dunno, teaching isn’t really my thing...” Scootaloo’s ears drooped slightly, “But you’re the most awesome pony in Ponyville! Nopony else would be able to teach awesomeness like you!” Rainbow Dash hesitated. “Uhh... I’m actually kinda busy at the moment so...” Scootaloo’s expression quickly turned grim. “Oh... you’re busy too... huh...” “No! I mean yes! I mean, uh,” Rainbow Dash quickly shook her head around to clear her confusion. “Look, it’s Mother’s Day, so shouldn’t you like... I dunno, hang out with your mom or something?” Scootaloo’s lower lip began to shake. “Y-yeah, r-right... my mom...” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Something up, Scootaloo?” “Uhh... no! Not at all!” Scootaloo lied. “I’m perfectly fine! Nothing’s wrong with me! Nothing at all!” Rainbow Dash eyed her suspiciously. “You sure about that...?” “Yeah, of course!” Scootaloo hurriedly responded. “Why wouldn’t I be fine?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, looking at Scootaloo for another few moments before responding again, “Well if that’s all, I’ll let you head back home.” She turned around and extended her wings, ready to take off. “WAIT!” Scootaloo shouted. Rainbow Dash paused and turned back to Scootaloo. “What is it?” Scootaloo hesitated a moment, “I... I don’t really celebrate Mother’s Day...” Her ears drooped again, lowering her entire head as she said this. Rainbow Dash frowned and took a few steps toward Scootaloo. “What d’you mean by that?” “... my mom died in an accident.” Scootaloo quietly confessed. “So I don’t have anypony to spend today with...” “I thought you did have a mom.” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “I saw her pick you up once or twice when I flew over the school. Isn’t that her?” Scootaloo froze up. “That’s not my mom.” She muttered. “What’re you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Of course she would be your mom, she takes care of you and—” “I SAID SHE’S NOT MY MOM!” Scootaloo shouted. Rainbow Dash was taken aback. “Woah there, calm down for a second. Why don’t you start from the beginning so I know what the heck you’re talking about?” Scootaloo hesitated. “… I only moved into Ponyville last year.” She mumbled. “Before that, I lived in Cloudsdale with my mom and dad. One day I was waiting for them to come home and they didn’t. Then they sent me to Ponyville. That’s it.” “That’s it?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “That can’t be just it.” “Well it is!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Got a problem with that?!” “Calm down! Geez…” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. “I’m probably not the best pony around to tell you this, but why don’t you give whoever you’re living with a chance? Sounds like to me you’re just being immature.” “… I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Scootaloo mumbled. “Don’t you have something you said you need to be doing?” “Scootaloo—!” “Just go on and do whatever it was that you were going to do!” Scootaloo shouted. “I thought you’d understand how I felt Rainbow Dash… but I guess I was wrong…” “Wait.” Rainbow Dash flew over Scootaloo and kept her from leaving. “I know exactly how you’re feeling Scootaloo.” “How would you know?” Scootaloo asked. “How would you know how I feel?!” Rainbow Dash paused. “I don’t. But I do know that you should at least try to get along with your foster mom.” The pegasus’s eyes gazed far off into the distance. “At least you have a chance to get along with your mom…” Scootaloo tilted her head. “What do you mean by that?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” “No, tell me Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo begged. “I wanna know!” Rainbow Dash sighed. “You’re such a kid… fine then.” She cleared her throat. “My mother’s never been there for me. Ever since I was a filly, I pretty much had to take care of myself. My parents sent me off to Flight Academy so they wouldn’t have to deal with me, and after that place I took care of myself down here in Ponyville. I haven’t talked to my mother ever since I left Flight Academy.” “Oh…” Scootaloo grimaced. “I, uh…” “You know, every year on this day I wonder whether or not I should visit her.” Rainbow Dash continued quietly. “I wish I had that bond with her that I never had before. But hey, I don’t even know if she’s still around anymore or if she kicked the bucket. Some daughter I am, huh…” The older pegasus put a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “So listen kid, I don’t want you to have regrets like me. You should go to your foster mom and give her a chance. You deserve to have a bond with your mom, even if you aren’t related by blood.” “But I don’t want her to replace my real mom!” Scootaloo admitted. “I’m afraid… afraid that if I let her into my heart, my real mom will go away…” “She won’t go away.” Rainbow Dash reassured. “She’ll still be watching you. Heck, I’m sure getting along with your new mom is what she wants.” “… do you really think so?” Scootaloo asked timidly. “Of course!” Rainbow Dash grinned. “So why don’t you go back to your home and tell your foster mom ‘Happy Mother’s Day’?” “… will you go with me?” Scootaloo mumbled. “Sure!” Rainbow Dash said. “If you need me I’ll be there for you, sport!” Scootaloo gave a small nod and the two of them began to head towards Scootaloo’s home. Once there, Scootaloo timidly knocked on the door. Candy opened it up and saw the filly. “… Scootaloo? I thought you were in your room?” “I… I’m sorry…” Scootaloo mumbled. Candy tilted her head. “Sorry? About what?” “I’M SORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING MOM!” Candy felt her eyes begin to water. “Y-you… you called me mom?” Scootaloo nodded. “I’m sorry that I was so cold to you… can you ever forgive me?” Candy nodded. “Of course I can!” She gave Scootaloo a tight embrace. The two held each other warmly in their hooves, communicating everything that they have withheld from each other in the past year with that embrace. Rainbow Dash smiled and took flight, leaving Scootaloo with Candy. She was happy for the kid, now that she had a mother to celebrate Mother’s Day with. Now that she did her good deed for the day, Rainbow Dash felt like she deserved a well deserved nap, away from all the sap that rose up from Ponyville this day. Scootaloo nuzzled Candy affectionately, letting her tears freely flow down her face. “Happy Mother’s Day.” A/N: rushed ending is rushed >____> * * *