Like a feather in the wind.
Scootaloo woke up after yet another night of weird dreams. Green eyes glanced at her and chased her through a confusing changed Ponyville. But today it didn't bother her any more, today Mum would return. They would eat together and Scootaloo could tell her everything. About her friend, who she wanted to reconcile with. About her greatest hero and her many new friends down here. About her adventures and her nightmares. The filly rushed out of the room and galloped into the kitchen.
"Mum, I have to tell you..."
Nopony was here! Well if she wasn't in the kitchen, she would certainly be in the living room. Scootaloo ran in the room and shouted even lauder.
“Mum I want to...”
Sunny Rays looked up from her newspaper and put it beside quickly. She looked into the eyes of the filly with a hint of sorrow in her face. She put on a small smile and her wings flapped a few times.
“I'm afraid, Curryfeather isn't here.
She..”
Scootaloo squinched up her face in fear and stopped moving. She drooped her head and closed her eyes shut. Her wings trembled a little bit, but she put herself quickly together.
“Perhaps she is just late and we can later do something together, right?”
She sounded hopefully, but Sunny looked hardly convinced to her. The elder mare began to flap her wings harder, started to waft and jumped gently over the table. Sunny landed beside Scootaloo and smiled wider. She wiped over her head with a very gentle wing and tried to cheer her up.
“I'm sure she will be here soon, Scootaloo. Do you want to cook for her with me?”
Somepony knocked at the door and the filly galloped to it. It was Mum, she knew it and...
No it was just another pony. The mailmare with the strange eyes stand a little bit lost before her and held a letter in her wings.
“Scoot...Scoot...Scootaloo I have a letter for you.”
The pony was more confused, then she was usually. Scootaloo raised a hoof and pulled her quickly in the house. She closed the door.
“Have you seen Mum?”
The mailpony shook her head hesitantly and glanced to Scootaloo with one eye. The other one wandered over the wall and stayed then on Sunny Rays, who walked in the corridor.
“The letter had arrived today, with a mark of urgent delivery.
So I kind of rush to bring to you.”
Derpy spoke up more to the elder mare and wagged with the letter in her wings. Scootaloo raised a hoof and the grey pegasus laid the letter gently in it. The filly glanced over the sender and slouched a little in disappointment. She turned the letter back and forth in the hooves and considered what she wanted to do. Her wings trembled more and a few tears gathered in her eyes. Aunt Sunny sighed and tried to take the letter from her, but this wake her up from her cloudy feelings and she shook her head.
“I go in my room and read it, okay Aunt Sunny?”
The elder mare nodded and looked after her niece, as she walked slowly away. Derpy looked after her too and sighed in a low tone. The mares shook it of and put their heads together. Scootaloo closed the door and her eyes shut and tried to fight back her disappointment. She put the letter under her pillow in an attempt to forget it already. She pranced around in the room and started to gather her school staff. When Mum didn't show up today, she could simply go...She galloped through the room, jumped on the bed and felt around under the pillow. Where was the letter? She threw away the pillow, grabbed the letter with both hooves and opened it as fast as she could.
Scootaloo,
I'm sorry, but I'm not able to come down today.
I have caught the Featherflu from a guest and have to stay in bed.
If you take comfort with it, I feel really bad about not seeing you
and really hope that we meet soon.
I hope the flu will be cured soon.
I miss you very badly and look forward to see you again.
Your Mum
Curryfeather.
Scootaloo read the letter again and again. As she read it for the fourth time, she looked away from it's hastily written lines. She searched for courage in the room and found the Wonderbolt poster on the wall and the helmet on the bedpost, but she only stayed calm, because she bit her lips very harshly. Mum was sick and...
Scootaloo stroke her mane with one hoof roughly and pressed the letter firmly against her face. It smelled not like her, but this could be the Featherflu. She couldn't assign the slight mouldy smell on it to everything familiar. And her Mum was never so short cut, as she was here. She wanted to write an answer as soon as possible and thought to ask her, if she could come with Aunt Sunny...Somepony knocked at her door and she snapped back to reality, as a high pitched voice sounded through it.
“Scootaloo, your aunt has let me in.
I want to...apologise and...”
The filly ran to the door, pulled it open and flung her hooves around Sweetie Belles neck. The unicorn squeaked surprised.
“I'm so sorry, Sweetie.
I just wanted to meet Rainbow in the library.”
The smaller unicorn tried to push her a little bit back, but she wasn't able to. She patted gently over the trembling pegasusfilly and raised her hooves. The friends shared a long hug.
“I never wanted to do something without you, but Twilight wanted only...”
The filly stammered around and Sweetie sensed tears in her coat.
She tried to say something with a strangely uncertain feeling, but only a sigh left her mouth. She was supposed to be sad and try to explain to her friend what had driven her to be so angry and jealous of her. But Scootaloo babbled simply along and burst out another apology.
“I'm sorry Sweetie. I wanted to go and see you again and want to go to school with you and...”
A sob interrupted her. Sweetie Belle tried to push her back once more, but as she raised the hooves and touched her, the filly started to cry even further,
“Mum couldn't come today.
Though I wanted, that you meet her and...”
This was it. Sweetie stumbled into Scootaloos room and closed the door behind her. She sat down on the floor and waited, till her weeping friend was ready to smile into the world again. She caressed her mane in an attempt to comfort her a little bit.
“I wanted to tell and show her so much.
I wanted to show her Sugarcube Corner and present Pinkie Pie.”
The low voice was interrupted by another sob.
“I wanted to show her the library and thank Twilight and..”
Sweetie felt, that Scootaloo finally calmed down and let loose of her. Sweetie looked up. She encountered scared starring eyes and Scootaloo lost her poise again.
“I don't want to be sad anymore.
I am getting on your nerves with it, don't I?
I'm being such a sniveller and...”
The unicorn raised her hoof and laid it gently on Scootaloos shoulder.
“You know, it doesn't bother me.
I understand you, Scootaloo.
We are all sad once in a while and then we need the help of our friends.”
Sweetie ran her other hoof over the ground for a few times, she didn't look in Scootaloos eyes and tried to calm down her own weird feelings. She wasn't able to quiet down the mixture of shame, fear and confusion easily. Quite different as Scootaloo she didn't bit her lip to calm down.
“And I believe I understand,
why are you feeling like you do.
You are homesick.”
Sweetie Belle tried to distract Scootaloo from her own insecurity. The pegasusfilly shook her head at first, but as she reconsidered it she stopped. Down here everypony was friendly, beside the two exceptions, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Down here nopony glanced at her. Down here she had found more friends, as she had in two years in Cloudsdale. But Mum wasn't here. Was this all what she wanted? Didn't she want to stay here and wasn't she happier here? Finally nopony glanced at her and she hadn't to feel sad out there. But one thing was really bad down here. There was no Mum at home.
No gentle wings were tuck her in bed, no spicy carrot cakes to eat any more and nopony waited for her after school. She missed her gentle hugs, her calm voice, her gentle eyes, she was always so, so... She missed her warmth and her smell. She looked around in her room torn between her sentiments. She was really happy down here. Scootaloo looked back to her friend and saw a gentle smile on her face. Sweetie Belle raised a hoof to touch her face. The white hoof fondled her gently over her cheek and wiped away a tear. Scootaloo glanced back to her bed and as she saw the letter she cringed shortly. She didn't want to go back. She felt like a feather in the wind, one time down here, the other time up there. Sometimes she was happy, sometimes she was sad down here in Ponyville.
“Do you want to visit Twilight with me?
I'm going to help her today to finish the arranging of the library and...”
Scootaloo sounded much calmer and Sweetie Belle raised her eyes again. Her excitement took over her and she squeaked a:
“I'd love to.”
The fillies stood in front of the library and Scootaloo knocked at the door with one hoof. Twilight opened the door with an use of her magic and smiled down to her assistant and her friend.
“Oh, no. Scootaloo please...”
The filly looked to her friend, raised a hoof and laid it down on the shoulder of the little unicorn. She spoke up in a very suppliant tone, her face took the same expression and begged for her friends presence.
"Please Twilight. She is my friend and."
Twilight interrupted the little pegasus, rolled her eyes and smiled finally.
"Very well then, she can help.
Just today, alright?"
Scootaloo nodded and the fillies bolted jubilating into the library. Twilights smile widened and she closed the door with a sigh. With the additional help from Sweetie Belle it was very easy and they finished the rearranging of all the books in a topical order at noon. Twilight smiled pleased, as she looked down on the huge checklist, on which Scootaloo had just checked off the last book now. She nodded to both fillies and they answered with a grin.
"You have done it quite well.
Now we should take a rest and our reward, don't you think?
Just follow me, my little ponies and..."
It knocked several times at the door and before Twilight was even able to answer, somepony pushed it open.
"Twilight I really need your help. Rarity want to put me in a fancy dress.
She is saying, it is for the princess and I should be proud of.
Oh you've got company."
Scootaloo knew this voice, this was Rainbow Dashs, right. Her eyes went wider and she gazed at the blue mare. The elder mares looked to the little fillies and Twilight smiled.
“Yes, these two have helped me rearranging the books and tomorrow Scootaloo will...”
Rainbow Dash winked at the little pegasus and glided nearer. She eyed her up and stopped finally at the tiny wings.
“Well short stuff, are you able to speak up a little bit more now?”
She sounded a little bit amused and Scootaloos ears flapped once. She blushed and her wings started to tremble. Scootaloo bit her lips shortly and ran a hoof over the ground.
“I... think so.”
Rainbows smile widened more and she nudged her with a hoof.
“Hey more words than the last time after all.”
Twilight looked at the more and more becoming flustered filly to estimate how she was able to interfere. As Scootaloo drooped her head, she stepped forward and spoke up.
“You two should go upstairs. Spike already waits for you with a nice chocolate cake.
I will talk with Rainbow and will be there soon.”
Sweetie nodded and tried to draw Scootaloo with her, but the other filly walked closer to Rainbow Dash and opened her mouth.
“Did you...didyoufindmyscooter?”
She was able to address a question to Rainbow Dash, even if she had speed up her words a little bit. The mare stroke her mane with one hoof and thought for a while.
“Your Scooter, wait a sec. Red wheels and a blue running board, right?
I've found it of course. It's up in my house now. You can pick it up any time you want.
Just tell me, when you fly by and pick...”
The filly drooped her head further and closed her eyes shut. Her voice faded away and she started to bit her lips even more.
“I...can't fly.”
Rainbow chocked her head and looked so well known for Scootaloo right now.
Twilight dragged her with her, before she was able to ask more questions.
Sweetie led the friend upstairs and tried to cheer her up.
“You know, she couldn't know that and...”
Scootaloo stretched her trembling wings and sighed. The short glance of Rainbow had reminded her most unpleasantly of all those glances of the other pegasi up in Cloudsdale and she had never expected to receive that kind of glance down here. Least of all had she expected to get it from her idol, her heroine. She bit her lips intensely and noticed only as Spike laid a warm claw on her chest, that he had asked a question.
“Are you alright, Scoots?”
Scootaloo shook silently her head and tears gathered in her eyes. She fought them back. She wanted to stay happy here in Ponyville and...
“Do you want to talk about it??”
Scootaloo shook her head again and sat down low spirited on the blankets at the fire place. Spike looked to the other filly, who starred at him and gave her a hesitant smile. He glanced back to the fighting filly and pointed beside her.
“I will cut the cake now and you tell me what happened.”
His voice sounded strongly and even a little bit demanding, but it softened for his next sentence.
“Do you want a cub of cocoa?”
Sweetie Belle nodded and cuddled beside her friend. She put a hoof around her and cheered her calmly up.
“Come on, Scootaloo. This was a really fun day, after all.
Twilight is really nice and so is Spike here.”
Scootaloo raised her head again and forced a smile back on her face. Her wings were still trembling and revealed her bad feelings easily. She opened her mouth and started with a sigh. The filly told Spike what bothered her most.
“Mum...”