Chapter 1: Scootaloo's Banana

It was a warm, misty Saturday morning when Scootaloo's eyes finally opened to draw in the light creeping through her window. A smile engulfed her face as she remembered that she had the entire day to go Cutie Mark Crusading with her friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo half jumped, half flew out of bed and down the hall toward the kitchen. Her wings still weren't strong enough to keep her in the air for more than a few seconds, but it was enough for her to jump down the stairs, over the rail and right onto her kitchen chair. Her mother and father were already eating their breakfast—apple pancakes, a Saturday morning tradition.

After a light conversation with her folks and the scarfing down of some positively delicious food and milk, Scootaloo was out the door, blue helmet on her head. She grabbed her custom blue scooter from the side of the house and took off down the street.

Scootaloo's first stop was the Carousel Boutique, to pick up Sweetie Belle. After that the two would zoom down to Sweet Apple Acres to meet up with Apple Bloom, who should have her morning chores finished by the time they arrived. Then it was a full day of Cutie Mark Crusading! Scootaloo had a few things in mind already: first they were going to help Derpy Hooves deliver some mail to see if any of them could get a mailmare cutie mark, then they were going to trot over to the dentist's office and help Colgate sort her new shipment of dental supplies to see if any of them could have a dentist assistant cutie mark, and then the fearsome trio would try their hooves at scuba diving in the pond in Sweet Apple Acres. After they were done with that, unless Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle had any ideas, they could return to their clubhouse and brainstorm more ideas over lunch.

As Scootaloo sped through town at mach two, she passed a colt whom she was unfamiliar with. His dark burgundy coat and coal black mane didn't help him stand out, but his cutie mark did—a pair of white theater masks, one happy and one sad. The colt had a devious look in his eye as he walked into Sugarcube Corner, but Scootaloo was gone before she could give him anymore thought. A stranger in Ponyville wasn't all that uncommon, after all, and she was almost to the Carousel Boutique.

Scootaloo was almost flying by the time she got Rarity's shop, calling Sweetie Belle's name at the top of her lungs as she threw on the brakes, sliding around to the back of the building where Sweetie Belle kept the wagon. Sweetie Belle came out the back door just as Scootaloo was finishing hitching the wagon to the back of the scooter.

“You ready for an awesome day of crusading, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked.

“Er, actually, Scootaloo, about that...” Scootaloo could tell something was wrong by the tone of Sweetie Belle's voice. “Rarity got a huge, last minute order this morning and she wants me  to help her out so she can finish on time!”

“Oh, uh. That's cool. I don't think any of us had anything too great planned anyway.” Scootaloo did her best to mask the disappointment in her voice, but by the look on Sweetie Belle's face, she had done a poor job hiding it.

Rarity's voice called from somewhere in the house. “Sweetie Belle, be a dear and bring the lemonade and some cups up from the kitchen so we have something to drink while we work, please!”

“Okay sis!” Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder before turning back to Scootaloo. “I'm sorry Scootaloo. We should be done by the end of the day, though! The order is due tomorrow morning, so we can do some real crusading tomorrow!”

That cheered Scootaloo up some. “Okay! It's a plan.” She held her hoof out to Sweetie Belle, who knocked her own against it. “Me and Apple Bloom will see you tomorrow morning then!”

Scootaloo jumped on her scooter. As she started to speed away she heard Sweetie Belle yell “Goodbye!” from behind her. Scootaloo turned her head over her shoulder and waved to the shrinking form of a waving Sweetie Belle.

Oh well, thought Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and I will just have to crusade on our own. It'll still be plenty of fun!

Scootaloo arrived at Sweet Apple Acres a little while later, passing under the familiar sign and zipping down the road toward the Apple family's house, where she met Apple Bloom every Saturday morning. The apple trees on either side of the road were almost ready to be picked; Scootaloo could tell by the delicious scent wafting through the air. Unfortunately, the delicious smell of apples floating through the air distracted her; she was barely able to dodge an apple cart in the middle of the path. Looking over her shoulder after she had regained her balance, Scootaloo made note that the cart would make an excellent ramp for jumps.

Scootaloo pulled her scooter up to the front of the Apple family house and knocked on the door. “APPLE BLOOM!” she called.

A voice came from inside “Justa minite!”

Scootaloo waited patiently at the front door for her friend. She looked out across the vast tacks of land the held the farmlands of the Apple family. She could see Big Macintosh in the distance, working in one of the fields. She waved to him, but he was either too far away, or too attentive to his work to notice her. She didn't mind; she would see him later in the day when she brought Apple Bloom back home.

Scootaloo heard the screen door open behind her and she turned to find a very out-of-breath Apple Bloom standing in the doorway. “S-sorry Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom panted.

“What's there to be sorry about, Apple Bloom?”

“Well it's jus' that—“ Apple Bloom paused as she looked around outside. “Uh, ya mind tellin' me where Sweetie Belle is? Ah know the wagon was at her house.”

Scootaloo hung her head and frowned. “She couldn't make it today, she's helping Rarity with some stuff.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom paused. “Er, this is a might awkward. Ah... Ah'm sorry, Scootaloo, but Granny Smith came down with a bad cold yesterday an' she ain't feelin' no better today. Ah have ta do all o' her chores mahself. Ah'm not gonna be able to crusade until later this afternoon, and only then if'n Ah can get all these chores done before dinner time.” Apple Bloom's frown made Scootaloo feel sorry for the poor filly.

“Oh no! Don't worry about it, Apple Bloom! If Granny Smith is sick, then you should definitely stay here to take care of her!” Scootaloo hesitated, thinking about the day ahead of her. “I would stay and help you, but... Well I already promised some of the ponies in town that I would help them out today.” A thought struck her right as she finished her apology. “But after I'm finished helping them, I can come back and help you! That way maybe we can get at least some crusading in today! And besides, we still have all of tomorrow!”

Apple Bloom brightened at Scootaloo's cheering words. “Sound like a plan, Scootaloo! Ah guess Ah'll be seein' ya later then! Ah have ta get back ta mah chores now. Thanks again, Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom enveloped Scootaloo in a hug before returning inside.

Scootaloo got back on her scooter and pondered leaving the wagon at the Apple family house. “Or I could use it to carry packages for Derpy!” And with that, Scootaloo sped toward the town.

On her way back down the path, she remembered the cart-ramp and began to gain as much speed as she possibly could. When the cart was in sight she began to use her wings to help propel her forward.

Scootaloo, the scooter, and the wagon launched off of the cart and into the air over the orchard. ...Over the orchard. That was something Scootaloo hadn't planned for. She had intended to land right back on the path. Instead, she found herself soaring over the apple trees.

Scootaloo spread her wings as she began to lose height, hoping to glide back to the ground, safely through the trees. Unfortunately, the added weight of the wagon was too much for her small wings to handle. She crashed to the ground, falling through a tree and taking some apples with her.

“Well,” Scootaloo spoke out loud as she stood up from the heap she had landed in. “at least Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom weren't here for that. Would've been a much worse crash.”

She heard a laugh from somewhere to her right. When she looked she saw a coal black tail attached to a burgundy flank with white masks for a cutie mark disappear behind a cluster of trees. “Hey, is someone there?” Scootaloo called. There was no answer. She began to move forward to see if there really was anyone behind the trees when she felt a strange weight in between her hind legs.

“Oh how Craft-dee,” said a voice giggled from somewhere in the trees. Scootaloo did not like the sound of that. She looked between her front legs to see what was betwixt her hind ones. Her jaw dropped when she saw it,  a fairly impressive feat for someone whose head is upside down.

But there it was: an orange banana, hanging between her hind legs.