The Adventures of Scootaloo and the Cutie Mark Crusaders

by SciWriter

Forgiveness

You ever had a place you just keep going to, even if you don't really have a reason? That was me with my old house... well what was left of it.

The old place was between school and my new home with Rainbow Dash. It was the first home I remembered. Right now it was pretty much a pile of rubble, but still, each day I had to slow down as I walked by it. I wasn't always sure why. I always felt bad seeing it, or again, what was left of it.

I decided today might as well be the day I explore the ruins. It was like they kept calling to me, so maybe it was time I answered. Who knew? It was all rubble now, so maybe I could find some building supplies for the next CMC adventure, whichever one of us was running it.

I started ducking under boards and basically looking around. Normally I like looking for supplies, but even the thought of that wasn't making me feel right. Instead knots were forming in my stomach. I wanted to leave. But something made me also want to stay.

Finally after wandering around the small half acre or so of land for a while, and still for some reason wanting to stay, I just sat down. I sighed. “Guess I know why I feel like this, I just don't want to think about it.” I finally said to nopony.

A small shadow passed over me. “Scootaloo!” came the shout of a young colt. I looked up to see Lightning Strike carrying Dusk overhead. “Go down, go down, go down, go down, go down!” he shouted. I rolled my eyes. Still, I realize I could probably use a friend or two right now.

Lightning Strike flew down and started hovering in the air, still holding up her brother. “You can land,” I pointed out.

Lightning looked over at the yellow tape around the place. “And you can come out of the construction area.” She flew outside the tape and finally set Dusk down. Dusk tried to run over to me, but his sister held him back.

I shook my head, finally deciding it was probably weird to just be sitting in there anyway. I trotted over to the two. “What's up?” Dusk asked.

“Compared to you? Me!” I said, teasing Dusk a little. I drilled a hoof into his head, him wincing, but grinning.

“What's this place?” asked Lightning.

“My old house... or rather the rubble of it,” I replied.

“What happened?” Dusk asked. “Did a storm hit... just your house?” He looked around, probably noticing that all the other houses in the area were standing and fine.

I shrugged. “Well it did only happen to my house, that much is true. This is where I Iived before Rainbow Dash adopted me,” I said. “Back then my old m-...” I stopped. My old parent didn't deserve the title of mom, not after what she did. Mom was Rainbow Dash's title, and nopony else for me, certainly not my old parent. “Before, this is where Violet Blaze had me stay when I was her kid. I pretty much had to take care of myself and she just visited on weekends.”

“Aren't you a little young for that?” asked Lightning.

“A little,” I admitted. “That's why Rainbow Dash and the others rescued me. Afterward Twilight had the place condemned and torn down.”

“So what are you doing here?” asked Dusk.

I sighed. “I don't know, remembering I suppose,” I said. “See over there?” I pointed. “That's where Violet used to leave bits for me on the coffee table every weekend before she left for the wee-... wow, just saying that out loud, I can't understand why I didn't realize what was wrong with it at the time.” I pointed up a little. “My room was up there.” I pointed a few feet away. “And that was supposed to be Violet's room... not that she really lived here.”

“Violet Blaze was your old mom right?” Lightning asked. I glared at her. “What?”

“That mare told me to my face she didn't love me. She is not now nor was she EVER my mom, got it?!” I demanded. Lightning nodded. “A mom is a mare that loves you and cares for you. Rainbow Dash taught me that. She's my mom. She's the only mom I've ever had. Real mom anyway.” I kinda said all that without thinking and once I was done I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud.

Dusk looked at the rubble. “Lightning... have we ever had a mom?”

Lightning looked around. “Well... I mean... from what I know the mares who gave birth to us just left us,” she looked to be thinking pretty hard, as Dusk started looking at her with disappointment. “No... no... I mean remember Luna?” Dusk tilted his head a little. “She rescued us from the evil pony who gave me my lightning powers and almost killed you. She cared for us for a little while.”

“Luna adopted you?” I asked.

“No,” Lightning replied. “Just took care of us for a while. She said she loved us a few times though. Kinda wish she did adopt us.”

“But then daddy wouldn't have!” Dusk almost shouted. “Can dad be a mom?”

Lightning shook her head at him. “She just said mom's are mare's. Dad is a dragon remember?”

“I still have a hard time with that one,” I noted. “I mean Rainbow Dash confirmed your story on having a dragon for a dad and all, but still...” my eyes widened and I smiled at a thought. “Can you guys show him to me some time?”

Lightning shrugged. “Maybe?” she replied. “Dad doesn't like coming to pony cities, he says ponies normally get pretty scared. Normally Vinyl just watches us when we come around Ponyville.”

“Why would somepony be scared of daddy?” asked Dusk.

“Not sure,” Lightning said.

“How big is he?” I asked.

“I think his eye is three times my size if that helps, really big,” Lightning replied.

My jaw dropped. I quickly guessed why other ponies might be scared.

Just then Apple Bloom trotted up to us. “Hey Scootaloo,” she then noted our newer friends. “Oh hey Lightning... Dusty...” she said, like she thought something might happen from her calling him that. He just rolled his eyes. I did too, she just didn't do it right. To properly annoy Dusk with that name... well you just had to be less deliberate about it I guess. “Well fine whatever,” she sat next to me letting out a small sigh. “So ah guess this is becoming yer spot huh?” she asked me.

“My spot?” I asked.

“Been seein' ya come here a lot,” AB noted.

“Really? Have I?” I asked.

“And same as me at that,” she continued. “It's yer spot. Ya lost somethin' here so it just becomes a spot for ya.”

“So yours is where your folks passed?” I asked, trying to catch on.

“You'd think so,” she answered. “Scept ah don't really know where that happened. Ah was really young when it did, two maybe three at most. Ah don't remember much of ma' folks. My spot is their graves.” She looked down and away from the rest of us. “Never saw ma brother and sister so sad before they took me there.”

And the mood just kept dropping there, none of us really able to go, and I'm guessing no one really having pleasant thoughts.

“Scootaloo?” came Sweetie's voice. “Figured I would find you here- oh wow everyone else is already here. I keep finding you here Scoots, what's up with that- oh never mind, not important, anyway how about I call the crusade today?”

“NOT IMPORTANT!” I shouted. I'm not entirely sure why, but anger started to well up in me hearing that statement. Sweetie Belle, still on her way to us, stopped mid stride.

“Um-”

“This was my house!” I shouted.

Sweetie stuttered a little. “Yea-um-yea but-”

“That's nothing to you?!” I started to accuse.

“I was there when you were rescued from all this,” she said. “Remember? I don't like this place. You were sad here. Let's go.”

I sat back down and sighed. “I don't know why, but it just doesn't work that way.”

“I don't like being here any longer than I have to be,” Sweetie said.

“You think I do?” I asked. “It's my spot... like Apple Bloom and... well I'm sure Lightning has a spot too.” Lightning looked at me curiously. “The spot of your worst memories.... ya know... you visit there right?”

“The lab where I was experimented on and almost lost my best friend in?” she asked.

“Best friend?” I asked.

She looked down at Dusk. “I'm a pegasus, he's an earth pony, I'm yellow, he's blue, I have freckles, his face is clear... you never guessed?” I looked at the two of them.

Finally the light went off in my head. “You had different dads huh?” I said nodding. For some reason everyone around me slapped their faces. I looked at them with a raised eyes brow.

“No we're not- oh never mind,” Lightning said. “Anyway- are you crazy? I put as much distance between myself and that place as possible.”

“I thought the guy who hurt you was gone,” I said.

“Gone? Yea probably, Luna put him in a nightmare cycle and all, but um... its a dark lab full of chains, knives, hooks, metal tables... no, I'm not going back there.”

Hearing all this, I looked back at my spot. I was quiet for a minute. Then, “Okay you win, mine's just a house, your spot is the worst.”

“I win!” Lightning shouted, starting to fly a little. “What do I get?”

“A pity pat,” I said, patting her head.

“Can we go?” Sweetie reiterated. I looked at her with lowered eyebrows. “We're not gonna spend all day here right?”

“Of course not!” I shouted. “Give me a minute alright?”

Sweetie looked around for a minute. “Well... do you need a hug?”

“Not right now-” but she grabbed me up in a hug anyway. That did it. I pushed her off. “Sweetie, I said NO!”

“But that's the time you need one the most-”

“NO, no it's not! The fact is I don't want a hug from YOU. You don't know what any of this is like. The world is just so nice to you. Everything can just be solved with a hug for you!” Sweetie backed up. “Seriously, you know nothing. You don't know what it's like!”

“Well... I guess I don't,” she started. “That doesn't mean I can't help. Just tell me-”

“It does mean you can't. You're like a stupid little kid. Seriously... talk to me about this stuff when you have a freaking clue! I-I... I wish something would happen to you so you would know what it was like to have some twerp who knows nothing hug you- just go!” I expected her to run away crying, but what she actually did made me feel worse.

Giving only a slight whimper, looking very confused, Sweetie just stumbled away. “I... I guess I don't want to play today.” she walked away from us.

I looked back at the others. Lightning looked confused, Dusk a little scared and finally Apple Bloom was... looking up. I turned to see what she was looking at to see Apple Jack standing over me.

“What the hey did ah just hear?” she asked. I backed away from the mare, her hat making the shadow she cast over me even bigger. I looked back at Sweetie as she crossed the street, seeing that Rarity had been standing in the door way of her boutique just a few blocks away. Sweetie, looking downcast, slowly walked to her concerned looking sister. Even worse I saw the shadow of a pegasus slowly pass over me. I slowly started curling up. “What gives you the right ta-”

There was a sudden crash and then silence. Coming out from my guilt feelings a little, I started to think about the direction that sound came from. I slowly turned my head, but before I finished doing so, I heard Sweetie Belle scream. “RARITY!” She took off running.

Finally I saw what happened as all three of my other friends shot away from me, Apple Jack leading the pack. The sign over Rarity's shop had somehow come loose and fell right on top of her. My eyes went wide and I froze. I could barely breathe. “No...” I gasped. “No... I didn't mean it... no, don't... please don't do this to her.” I started begging on Sweetie's behalf, not knowing who I was even talking to. I ran forward, my own words playing in my mind “I wish something would happen to you-”. How could I say that? I ran to the others as they started to surround the fallen white mare.

Sweetie's magic was already surrounding the sign, but she wasn't powerful enough to move it. She struggled harder and harder, but it wasn't budging. “Rarity, Rarity, Rarity...” she kept repeating her sister's name over and over.

Apple Jack slammed her full body into the sign trying to move it. Again, it didn't budge. Lightning Strike landed a few feet away from the scene. Her body was enveloped in electric energy as she glared at the sign and yelled, “Everypony get back!” Looking at her, Apple Jack must have guessed what she was warming up for, because she bolted across the sign and grabbed Sweetie Belle, getting clear of the sign. (Apple Bloom, myself and Dusk were already a good distance away.) A bolt of energy shot off the small yellow filly, ripping through the sign and reducing it to rubble, along with a large part of the shop.

Seeing the sign finally off her friend, Apple Jack rushed back over to Rarity. I ran up too, watching it all unfold. Sweetie galloped up to her sister and nuzzled her. Rarity wasn't moving. Apple Jack gently pushed Rarity's head with her hoof. “C'mon ol' girl,” Apple Jack said. “C'mon, don't do this.”

“We gotta get her to the clinic!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Right!” Apple Jack shouted back. “Um... ah might hurt her worse just throwing her over ma back...”

“I can carry her,” Sweetie said, activating her magic. However Apple Jack put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I'm afraid that might be too much weight for you. We can't risk it,” Apple Jack said.

Dusk ran up to the group. “Hey Lightning, can you move things with your power?” he asked his sister.

Lightning gave a nervous grin. “Um... and electrocute them... yea.”

Apple Jack shook her head. “Right let's call that plan “no”.” She looked around again. “We need Twilight. Her castle is across town. What I wouldn't give for a pegasus who can fly-” again she looked at Lightning. “Lightning, you go get Twilight, move quick!” Lightning turned to take off, but she stopped. “What er ya waiting for?”

“You all saw that shadow earlier right?” she asked.

“Yea, just some pegasus, why should we care? Get goin'.” Apple Jack yelled back. Lightning looked at her brother.

“Um... well um...” Lightning stuttered.

“Gosharnit, ya cowardly, stupid, paranoid little brat, ah'll watch yer brother, get moving!” Apple Jack stepped over Dusk, her shadow covering him. Lightning stuttered in her movements. “GO!”

Lightning Strike gave a small scared whine. She was enveloped in electric energy again. She shot away in an electric stream of energy, zipping towards the castle of friendship.

(***)

Rarity was taken to the clinic in short order by Twilight. Soon enough me, Apple Bloom, Twilight, AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy and, the hardest to look at right now, Rainbow Dash, were all in the waiting room. Actually I should correct that. The hardest pony to look at was one of my own friends, Sweetie Belle. She sat there with Apple Bloom, shuddering and crying. Apple Bloom hung a hoof over her shoulders.

“I don't want my spot to be the boutique. Not there, not Rarity,” Sweetie whined. I slowly walked over to her, but she suddenly glared at me.

Apple Bloom slowly looked away from me, but she said what we both knew she had to. “Scootaloo, go away. At least fer now.”

I'm not sure how fast or slow I did so, but I exited the clinic.

I felt my own breathing, in and out, looking up at Luna's dark sky. I felt like crying myself when I started to hear sobbing just a few feet away.

I looked up and saw the two missing characters from the clinic. Lighting Strike sat in the dirt of the street crying, her brother sitting next to her, gently leaning on her. I walked over to. I was about to ask why they didn't go in when Lightning shouted “What's wrong with me?!” I stopped. “The whole time all I thought about was my brother and that shadow. I finally meet ponies that aren't afraid of my power and I almost let them down.”

“You didn't let them down Lightning,” Dusk argued.

“I couldn't even focus. Some pony nearly died and I just- I just-”

“That's enough,” I said, coming over. “If anyone should be talking themselves down right now, it's me.”

“I wouldn't blame you all if you didn't want to see me-” Lightning started, but I didn't let her finish.

“I said that's enough,” I demanded. “You're a good friend, nopony is perfect.”

“Honest Apple herself-” Lightning started, but she was interrupted again, but not by me this time.

“The fact that you admire me so much you even nic named me like that... that makes this even harder.” I turned around to see Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack standing behind me.

Rainbow Dash did NOT look happy. I looked down but Rainbow Dash spoke up anyway. “How dare you talk like that to a friend.”

“I-” I started, but she cut me off.

“She was trying to help. It's been three months since that day and no Sweetie hasn't been through something like what you have, how do you expect her to know how to help? But she tried anyway and for that you could have at least been nice to her.” I shrunk back a little. Rainbow sat down. “Just so everyone knows, Rarity is in stable condition.” Lightning and I sighed in relief. “A doctor just told us all she should recover soon enough.” I gave a slight smile to Rainbow Dash. “You're grounded for two weeks from crusading, you want to talk that way to friends maybe you should know what it's like to not have them for a while.” She looked back at the clinic. “Now Sweetie is in there. You ARE going to apologize and when we get home you and I are NOT done talking about this.”

Apple Jack held up a hoof. “Hold up you two. Ah need witnesses.” Rainbow Dash and I stopped, as we were both about to walk back into the clinic. “Ya'll aren't the only ones who need to make up for some ill conceived talk.” She walked over to Lightning Strike. “Ah was scared out of my wits fer ma friend, but ah know ah still had no right to talk ta ya'll like that.” she sat down next to Lightning Strike.

“Honest Apple is always honest, she doesn't-” Lightning started, but Apple Jack swiped a hoof in front of her face.

“Ah don't deserve that name ta'day. You actually helped more than anypony else out there today and ma thanks fer that was ta scare and insult ya. Ah'm sorry.” Lightning looked up at her. “Please understand, ah'm proud of how ya acted. You have a problem that's not easy to deal with. Vinyl told me about it... Thana- thana-to- something r' other ah can't pronounce it. Point is, a fear of losing a loved one is something ah can understand better than most. Ah should have remembered it's yer weakness.”

“I need to get over this,” Lightning said, gritting her teeth.

“And ah hope you do.” she wrapped a foreleg around Lightning. “An whatever help ya need, you know you can trust old... Honest Apple ta help ya.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “And me, Rebel Rainbow,” she said.

“Who?” I asked.

“That's her nic name for me,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. She motioned to the clinic. “Now c'mon everyone, Scootaloo has someone she needs to talk to. Besides I want to be around when Rarity wakes up.”

“All the same to you Rainbow, ah'm gonna stay out here with them until they come in,” Apple Jack said, motioning to Lightning and Dusk.

“Sure thing.” Rainbow Dash replied. Rainbow Dash and I walked back into the clinic.

(***)

Looking at Sweetie Belle being comforted by Apple Bloom, I gulped. In my own mind, I could easily have justified what Apple Jack did with Lightning, she barely needed to apologize. But me however...

“Sweetie I-” I started but she interrupted, pushing away from Apple Bloom.

“You're lucky,” Sweetie said. “You told me you wanted me hurt and you just stood there while my sister was hurt, I was going to tell you to never talk to me again.” I looked down. Rainbow Dash pushed my chin up so I was looking at Sweetie again.

“I'm um...” I tried to talk again. “I didn't mean what I said, and I don't know how I could have helped anyway.”

“That's what she explained,” Sweetie said, nodding to Apple Bloom.

“Rarity is gonna be alright.” I said. I looked around the room. “Looks like a lot of ponies care about her.” There were more than just us and her main friends in here and I got the feeling many of them were here for the fashionista. “I really am glad she's alright.”

“Because it means I might forgive you?” Sweetie asked.

“Kinda,” I started. “But I do like her, really I do care about her.” I looked away slightly, knowing Rainbow Dash wouldn't let me look down again. “I don't know her all that well myself. But I do care.”

“Can you do something for me?” Sweetie Belle asked. I nodded. “I know she's going to be alright, I just got so scared and-and-and... can you hug me?” I smiled, jumped up onto the couch next to her and gave her a hug. She didn't hug me back for a whole minute, just sobbing, sniffling, and then finally, wrapping her forelegs around me. Eventually I felt Apple Bloom hugging her too. Then soon enough, Dusk and Lightning joined in.

(***)

I had a hard time watching what unfolded when Rarity finally woke up. Apparently Rainbow Dash had been holding back. However when she walked in to talk to Rarity, she sobbed and hugged the mare. Several of the others had similar reactions, but Rainbow Dash was the pony I watched the closest.

Back in my house, in my room, I bit my lip hearing what Rainbow Dash had to say. “How dare you say something like that!” she yelled. “Life has enough problems without you wishing for more, especially on your friends.

“She kept trying to get me to leave. She just wanted to play.”

Rainbow Dash almost laughed. “You really think that?” she asked. “Sure at first, but from what I heard from her talking to Apple Bloom, she was worried about you and wanted you to leave that place for your own good. To be honest I'm not sure what to think myself about you taking trips there. We'll have to talk to your therapist about that.”

“I'm sorry.”

“You should be!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “It was bad enough I thought I was gonna have to watch a friend die today, but I heard you practically pushed one away for no reason, all I could think was that I'm failing as a friend and mother and-” I jumped up and wrapped my forelegs around her neck.

“Please don't talk like that. I messed up. I didn't get it from you I promise.” One foreleg went around me. “You forgive me right?”

“How could I ever not?” she asked back. We spent a few minutes like that. Me and Rainbow Dash. Me and my mom. “You know I meant it that you won't be crusading for a while right?” I nodded. “You can talk to them. I've decided that keeping you from just talking would make things worse between you three. I don't want you to lose your friends, I just want you to remember this. You don't walk on other ponies like that, even when you are feeling bad.” I nodded. “I'm gonna go make dinner alright?” She left to do so.

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door. I opened the door, Rainbow Dash walking up to me as I did. Apple Jack stood there with Lightning Strike hovering over her head and Dusk by her side.

“You sure this is a good time?” Lightning asked Apple Jack.

Apple Jack nodded. “Everyone is gonna need time ta plan kiddo. Sides, Rarity is gonna recover, so the rest of us will pretty soon too.”

“I kinda wish she would be there too,” Lightning said.

“What's up?” I asked.

Lightning grimaced. “I um... um... you're sure this is an okay time?” she asked Apple Jack again.

“It's in a week filly, ya'll have to give ponies notice,” Apple Jack replied. Apple Jack sighed. She pulled two pieces of paper out of her saddle bag and gave them to Rainbow Dash. “Ah'm helpin' her pass out tickets to Vinyl's upcoming concert. She was gonna have to ask around for an adult to help her, but let's just say this is kinda penance fer ma behavior.” Apple Jack smiled and nodded. “I'm not a big fan of the music ma'self, but Lightning says she'll be performing an electric show of some kind to accompany. Should be fun to watch.”

Rainbow looked at the tickets. She set them on a table next to the door and then gritted her teeth. I sighed. “I just told my daughter she can't go crusading, which basically really means she can't have fun with her friends, for two weeks.”

Lightning's eyes went wide. “But it's in one week,” she whined. “Please?” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth again. “I haven't had many friends in my life, and now that I do and I'm getting to do stuff with Vinyl Scratch, the bestest DJ pony ever, I REALLY want my friends to be there. Scootaloo is a reeeeally good friend. PLEEEEASE?”

Rainbow Dash looked at AJ. AJ looked up at her own hat. “Ah c'mon girl, ah know ya wanna make a point, but yer not punishing Lightning here. Ah mean, Apple Bloom does bad things too sometimes, but sometimes ah make exceptions to her punishments too..” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow to AJ, who quickly grimaced. “Sorry it's up to you.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at Lightning Strike. She then looked down at me. “Scootaloo, what's my name?”

Well there was pressure. “Um... mmmom. Mom.”

She nodded. “We'll come.” I grinned a little, but then quickly returned to a frown so she didn't think I forgot my lesson.

Author's Note:

Yes, I know this is a tone change. I thought about making this a different story, but really, the story does have some humor and while the subject matter may have heavy implications, the story has a positive message about apologizing and taking responsibility for your actions. Oh yes, and WAAAY too many times I've seen the attitude Scootaloo showed Sweetie portrayed in mass media as okay, for the record, it is NOT. Understandable given certain circumstances, sure, but not okay.

For anyone not able to figure it out, the word AJ was trying to say was Thanatophobia, the fear of death or fear of losing a loved one. Lightning's fear for her brother was trauma induced so yea, even in a moment of extreme fear, snapping at her because of her PTSD, was probably not a good idea. I realize that's still a rather topical issue, but understand, I'm not trying to portray AJ as a villian, she does apologize after all. I do like AJ.

Comments

[superfun]

Well... that was powerful.

[superfun]

Will this ever get continued?