"This is certainly the last place I thought I'd wind up. It just doesn't feel real in the end, but I chose to do this on my own and I'll see it through."
Scootaloo walked through the doors of the tall building. She had come there to start her job as a teacher for night-school. It had been years since she left Everton to get to this point. She had originally traveled with her best friends Applebloom and Sweetie Bell to help those find their true calling as traveling counselors. But, the years of travel weighed on them heavily as time passed. Applebloom returned to Canterlot and helped her family with the farm while becoming a counselor for Canterlot High. Sweetie became a consultant and part-time singer in Manhattan. Unlike her other friends, she would sometimes go on tours when the demand for her voice was high.
Then there was Scootaloo. In the midst of trying to help a kid discover her true purpose in life, an accident occurred which left her right knee shattered. The damage was so severe that that the knee would never fully recover. It was enough to send her into a spiraling depression for two years, but with the help of her friends she finally got over the loss and continued with her education. Now, she would be teaching any that felt the need for higher education. That was the plan for her employment but the real reason was so she could help those in need. The children that were otherwise overlooked and abandoned.
"Room 413, It sucks that the place can't be bigger but it's not about what I want." She opened the door to find a room filled with just four long tables and six seats to each table. The board was dry erase but there was a lack of markers and erasers and the desk at the front was battered with age and use. "It's cleaner than I thought it would be. I have to remember to buy some new markers."
She walked through the tables wiping them of dust and cleaned the rest of the room to prepare for tomorrow. Even if she was a teacher, the students weren't exactly obligated to go. It would cost money for them to come but for those that wanted a change she'd be willing to help. It didn't help that no one knew about the place; she needed to put out fliers and advertise downstairs. But that would come later on when she was prepared for the students.
"Ah, finally all done. I can't believe how much dust was everywhere. I should let them know I'll pay for the cleaning from now on. I've enough saved up so it shouldn't be a problem from here on out."
She put her coat back on and turned off the lights before stepping out and locking the door. She threw the trash away before returning to the front and took a deep breath.
"Now, I guess it's time to do what I came here to do. Moraine has certainly gotten bigger in the past years but with expansion comes more crime and lately there have been more drug incidents than ever. The police can only do so much about them and this city is just one of the many places those types of things happen."
Scootaloo walked towards the end of the street filled with the same styled buildings. Lights shone everywhere as the moon rose in the distance. Cars drove by at high speed and would rarely stop for anything other than the traffic lights. The air was full of the sounds of their motors and the chattering of the crowds. She walked through alleys and through parks searching for children or anyone else in need of help. It wasn't until her wristwatch struck midnight that she found a dark-haired boy who looked to be in his teens at one of the parks. He was sitting on one of the benches staring into the sky looking for something.
"Hey there! What's your name?" She asked approaching the young boy causing him to jump and start to walk away. "Hold on! I just want to talk that's all. Here, I'll give you this. It shows who I am." She caught up to him and handed a small card with her name, occupation and number. "Like the card says, the names Scootaloo. What's your name?"
The boy played with the card in his hands before looking back at her. "It's Bixby. What do you want lady?"
"Let's sit down for a bit." she guided the boy back to the bench and sat down next to him. "What are you doing out so late? Do you need a ride home? Aren't your parents worried?"
The boy sat in silence looking away from her with no intent to answer. He was wearing a simple white shirt and tan shorts. They were both dirty and upon closer inspection he had what looked like dried blood near his mouth. Scootaloo got up and walked over to a vending machine. She came back with a can of apple cider for the kid and some water for herself.
"Here. Take it." She held it in front of him and he accepted it. She watched as he drank it and carefully tried to avoid where the blood was coming from. "So, what were you looking at before I came here?"
"The stars." The boy drank a bit more and looked back up in the sky.
Scootaloo joined him but found she could hardly see anything except for the dark sky and moon. The lights of the city were too strong and made it impossible to see any of the glittering diamonds in the sky.
"Can't really see them huh?"
"I know. I've never been able to see them fully. Its always just lights from the buildings and nothing else. It never changes day in and day out; nothing ever changes." Bixby started to cry as looked at the sky and Scootaloo watched silently. She put her arm around the boy and held him as he cried.
It was a while before he stopped and wiped his eyes with the handkerchief he was given.
"Where did you get that cut, Bixby?"
"It... I just fell down at school. It's nothing."
"Bixby, please tell me the truth."
"It was a bunch of bullies that did it. They've been doing it for a long time now."
"Haven't you told anyone about it?"
"Don't you think I thought of that?! I told my parents and the teachers about them! They don't want to get involved! They think I'm just lying to get attention and when I give the teachers proof they just ignore it!"
"When I was younger I had a pair of bullies as well." She got up and to throw away the trash and motioned for him to follow. "They were the worst bunch of brats you could ever imagine but they never did anything physical. It was all mental injuries that they'd inflict on me and my friends. I hated them so much for everything they did to me, to us, and swore never to forgive them."
"That's completely different! These guys actually beat me down every day! What the fuck does your past have to do with this and what I'm going through now?!"
"Just listen. There was a point where one of them was struggling with a problem of their own. Her name was Silverspoon; her parents were never home due to work and despite being well off she rarely did anything by herself. She was always with the other girl and did what she said. It wasn't until I had to deliver an assignment from one of the classes we had together to her house due to her being sick."
They walked past stores and empty alleys, past the crowds and into the building that held her classroom. All the while she kept telling him about her past as they walked through the illuminated hallways and past the empty rooms.
"You see when I got to her house there was no one around to answer the door. I knocked and knocked for what seemed hours and finally decided to go inside. I'm not sure what it was that made me do it but I don't ever regret my decision."
"What happened?"
As they walked up the stairs she stopped halfway to stare out one of the windows. The boy followed her line of sight to see nothing other than the buildings and their lights. She continued to walk and opened the classroom once they arrived.
"I walked through her house trying to see if anyone was around. I thought that they probably just left the door open on accident or were somewhere they couldn't hear me knocking. Take a seat."
Bixby sat down at her desk and listened to her continue.
"I went upstairs thinking that it was a chance to mess with her things but when I found her room I heard it. It was the sound of crying and shuffling coming from inside. I peeked inside and the image burned itself into my mind."
"..."
"She was about to hang herself, the same girl that had caused my friends and me so much anguish with her friend was getting ready to take her own life."
"What did you do?"
"I did the only thing I could think of and ran inside to stop her. I tackled her to the ground and yelled at her. I kept asking why and she kept crying trying to break free. In the end, she tired herself out and I listened to her story."
Scootaloo sat at one of the edges of her desk and looked out the window. "She was doing it because she felt worthless. Her parents were rarely home and when she did see them they pressured her to excel. They expected nothing less than perfection and she was tired of it all. The way she lashed out at my friends and I was wearing her down as well. It wasn't something she wanted to do and felt even worse due to it. She had always looked so menacing to me, like she had everything going right for her in the world. But when I found her like that she looked so fragile, small, and lonely."
"Where is she now?"
"I took her to her friend's house, Diamond Tiara, and I explained the situation when she answered the door to see her friend a literal mess. What happened after was a lot of crying, yelling, and hugging. In the end, she got the help she needed and her parents started to pay more attention to her. Diamond Tiara changed as well, she became sweeter and always stood by Silver's side. They've never once lost touch with me and I always keep in touch with them. It showed me that even the people we think are stronger than us need help in some way."
"And? What did that story have to do with me?" He leaned into the back of the chair and crossed his arms.
Scootaloo got up once more and turned the lights off. The room became dark except for the light coming from the window. "Look." She pointed out the window and to the sky. Bixby walked over and saw the night sky with stars twinkling in their blanket of darkness. He kept staring at the stars as if they'd disappear if he looked away.
"Silver needed somebody there for her. Despite my hatred for her and the things she did I helped her. I could have easily let her die but what would that make me? Sometimes we get help where we least expect it and take a step in the right direction. That's what I'm trying to do with you, Bixby." She placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to look at her.
"I'm here to help you, please let me help you take that first step."
He began to cry and hugged her immediately. She accepted it silently and watched the lights of the city shine.
"Bixby?"
"Y... Yea?" he sniffled trying to wipe the tears once more.
"Can you see the stars now?"