//------------------------------// // Scootaloo is There for Him // Story: You're Wanted // by SciWriter //------------------------------// “Get Well Soon” balloons were all over when Scoots and I entered Dusk’s room. There was even a giant card on one of the tables from Pinkie, promising that if he woke up, she would make him a huge cake… ponies ask why I moved to Ponyville instead of staying in Cloudsdale- why do you think? Scootaloo scurried in, seeing Dusk awake. Sweetie was sitting on his bed side, letting him hold her hoof. It was heart wrenching to look at, but boy did I prefer it to what I was looking at earlier in this room. Scootaloo looked over the side of the bed. “You’re awake, how you feeling? Can you get up? What have the doctors been saying? Are you hurt?” Scootaloo had a flurry of questions. Dusk was going cross eyed not knowing how to respond to any of it. I waved at her to slow down. “Sorry… are you feeling better?” Dusk looked down at himself. “I wasn’t feeling bad. I woke up here… I don’t remember falling asleep here. Last thing I remember I was dancing.” “Are you hurt?” Scootaloo asked. “I don’t feel hurt,” Dusk tried to get up, but he just slumped back down. “Why can’t I get up…” The door to the room opened and in burst Lightning. “DUSK!” she screamed. She shot over to him, tears streaming out of her eyes. She hugged him tight, so tight she looked like she could hurt him. Vinyl’s magic enveloped her and slowly forced her to let go. Vinyl held the filly in her magic as she entered the room. Lightning whined to herself as she was held in place. Finally Apple Bloom walked in after them. Vinyl levitated Lightning down to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom grabbed her friend and held her from zipping to her brother again, Lightning continuing to give a low wine that kinda forced me to start feeling more pity for her than her bed ridden brother. Her fear was palpable. Dusk forced himself up against the back of the bed so he could look down at his sister. He tried his best to give her a smile. Lightning didn’t stop whining. Finally Vinyl cast a spell, placing two strange glowing balls of light in each of the scared filly’s ears. She then put on headphones and turned on a cd player. I figured Vinyl had done a sound sharing spell. The CD case said Lindsey Sterling, an artist I didn’t know. Lightning started to slowly bob her head to the music and her wine faded. Lightning was still rocking back and forth, but it seemed she was doing a little better. Apple Bloom stayed with her, letting her go, but sitting next to her. I went and sat next to Vinyl. “Hey, how are you holding up?” I asked. She looked at me, then at the floor. She sighed writing, ‘I feel helpless.’ “Can I ask what happened? Do you know?” She looked at me, then down at the floor, ‘How? I was paying attention, I know I was-I must have been- I’m sure I was… he was starving.’ “What?!” I asked, starting to back away. No, I couldn’t believe this. Vinyl wasn’t an abuser, “Torkuda? Maybe I was right about-“ she glared at me. ‘If you dare try to take them from him again you’re gonna be in the hospital!’ she wrote. ‘For your information, loss of appetite is a symptom of depression. We fed him, but excuse us for not knowing what amount is too little for a six year old on instinct. He was eating, we thought he was getting enough.’ “I guess now that I think about it, he never does ask for seconds… why is he depressed?” ‘Why do you think? We’re not supposed to talk about HIM. Dusk and his sister were adopted by a creep for months. He experimented on her over and over and that poor colt could only watch. When she fought back, he threaten to hurt Dusk… imagine if that was you, being used to keep a friend in torment.’ “I would have fought him, I would never have given up-“ Vinyl had raised her hoof and looked like she was barely holding herself back from knocking out my lights, “…And at his age, it all would have meant nothing from me either. I… I can’t imagine how I would have felt. I’ve been helpless,” I hung my head. “But that’s another level.” ‘Yea… what can we do? You helped Scootaloo.’ “It’s not like that came with a manual. Tell you the truth I kinda played things by ear. Scoots had problems but nothing like this. I-“ I finally felt the eyes of Scootaloo on me. I bit my lip. How could I be so negative? Scootaloo look back at her small friend. “Lightning, he needs you, c’mon up here,” Scootaloo said. Lightning spread her wings to fly up to them, but Apple Bloom quickly grabbed her. “She’s been scared somptin’ fierce. Ah want her ta calm down. Ah’m afraid she might hurt him or ‘rself, she’s not thinkin’ straight Scoots.” “I get that, but I don’t think either of them are gonna calm down as long as we keep them separate. She’s worried about him and…” Scootaloo turned to Dusk. Dusk was looking at Lightning, biting his lip hard. His eyes were saying it all. He felt weak, but his urge to be with his sister, to make her not so scared… He could barely be heard but Dusk started to whisper “Lightning… I’m gonna help her… I have to help her… I… I can’t do anything…” Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom with pleading eyes herself. “I’m right here Apple Bloom. You trust me don’t you?” “Course ah do,” Apple Bloom let Lightning go and Vinyl deactivated her spell. The pegasus filly shot into the air and over to her brother. Scootaloo intercepted her and slowly pulled her down to the side of her brother. Apple Bloom walked over and sat beside Scootaloo. Lightning put her hoof on Dusk’s, visibly calming down. Dusk looked down, closing his eyes like he was about to cry. Lightning flew over him and landed on the other side from the other girls. She laid down on her stomach looking at her brother. She held her position, shaking, Dusk looking away from her. Apple Bloom shook her head, sighing. “Ah never been through someptn’ like what they’re goin’ through. Neither of us have… probably nothin’ we cn’ do… just watch ah guess.” Scoots shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. You don’t have to know what it’s like to be like someone else. You just remember what you needed when you were hurting.” Scootaloo looked at me, “Isn’t that right?” I was surprised, but I nodded. “And it’s not about just watching, it’s about helping them find solutions by paying attention, watching how they act… for instance, Dusk, I know you can’t get up right now, but can you put a hoof on Lightning?” Dusk slowly reached up and put his hoof on Lightning’s foreleg. Just like that, Lightning stopped shaking. “You’re not useless Dusk. She needs you.” “But I can’t… I can’t do… anything,” Dusk said back. “That’s not true. What you can do might not feel like much, but it does matter,” Scootaloo looked at Vinyl. “You write a lot, do you read a lot too?” Vinyl raised an eye brow. ‘For the record, writing is just how I talk, but I have a few books on me if that’s what you’re thinking.’ “Any Lightning or Dusk might like?” Vinyl pulled a small chapter book out of her saddle bags. ‘Maybe this… I don’t think either of them are good at reading. Not much formal schooling.’ Apple Bloom came over to her and held up her hooves for the book. Vinyl shrugged and gave it to her, Apple Bloom returning. Scootaloo opened the book and set it in front of Dusk and his sister, “Here. Dusk, you read to your sister,” I looked at Scootaloo confused, but she ignored me. “I’ll help with the big words. We’ll calm her down together okay? When they come in with food you eat, gotta keep up your strength so you can keep reading right?” Dusk nodded. Vinyl and I watched as the group reading started. Lightning started to smile, moving closer to her brother as he read. Apple Bloom came in closer helping with a few of the big words Scootaloo didn’t know either. Vinyl blinked. ‘Um, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom… weren’t those two fighting?’ “Guess they found a reason to stop. Wish all problems were that easy to solve…” ‘Easy? You… speak for yourself kiddo, you didn’t have to watch that filly tear herself apart with worry.’ “Sorry it’s just… I think Scootaloo’s applying what she’s learned… I,” I smiled. “I’m proud.” I held my head a little higher. “I helped teach her this.” ‘I’m just scared. How am I gonna help them?’ I wrapped a wing around Vinyl. “I learned things too. Don’t worry, we’re both here for you. It’ll get better, you’ll see.” We watched the kids for a while. Eventually we left them to themselves, going out to talk between ourselves. (***) Over the next few days Dusk recovered. Scootaloo kinda took a mentor role for Dusk in particular. Dusk already admired her because of some stories he heard about her in the orphanage he was raised in. She was nothing compared to what he had been told, a heroic filly who stood up to dragons… well, maybe she was. Over the next few days Scootaloo had me take her to Dusk’s home with his father Torkuda several times. She talked to the five story dragon regularly soon enough. At first she was a little unsteady but she got over it. And then, willingly facing problems with someone else, especially ones on Dusk’s level… yea his sister and him were literally mentally ill. At times they were fun to be with, but Lightning was paranoid as you could get about her brother and Dusk had all kinds of self-worth problems that even affected him physically. I don’t think my brave little filly even understood what was wrong half the time. Dusk would go behind a wall and Lightning would panic, and Dusk had to be told to eat, his food being purposefully measured out. What’s worse, it was pretty certain the two of them would never fully recover from what happened to them when they were abused… Come to think of it, to be honest, one night I laid there not able to sleep thinking about Scootaloo’s situation in terms of Lightning and Dusk. Would Scootaloo’s issues with her father ever really be resolved? Would my little girl ever really be able to see me fully as her mother? Would she always have trouble confiding in me? If these things were permanent, could I handle that? I was afraid of Purple Cloud, not physically, but what he represented scared the heck out of me. Scootaloo’s problems often felt bigger than anything I had ever faced… they were my dragons. Could I be as brave as my little girl? Dusk often called her the “bravest filly alive”… could I be just as brave? I was sure of one thing as I rolled over. I had done pretty good. If my little girl was able to help someone else, I must have done something right. I slept, no longer feeling worried about her, I was proud.