Without My Family

by bloodyfox

Chapter 5 - Family

Scootaloo and Skylark made their way into the Everfree as the night tightened its grip on the land. Once they were well within the tree line, they slowed to a trot. They weren’t quite sure where they were going to stay or how they would get food. After a little wandering around in the forest, they found the remains of a once large tree. There was a small den just under the base of the trunk. The fillies quickly made their way inside to escape the chilled air. Fortunately there was not another creature already inhabiting the den. There was a lot of loose dirt and debris throughout the small den. The fillies began clearing the debris and Skylark put all the leaves into one single pile at the back of the den, “We can use these leaves as beds.” Scootaloo stared at her for a moment, “I’m glad you’re so smart. I never would have thought about that if it were just me out here”, with a smile, Scootaloo began pushing the rest of the dirt and debris out of the den. Meanwhile, Skylark had began arranging the leaves into two separate piles for them to use as beds. Tired from their sprint into the forest, they were quick to fall asleep in their new home.

The little ponies awoke late into the morning. Due to the positioning of the tree, the full brunt of the sunlight was unable to illuminate the den and wake them as it did at Fluttershy’s house. Scootaloo stretched, and her belly quickly made it aware that she was hungry with a low grumbling, “Perhaps we should try finding something to eat first?” Skylark gave a groggy nod and unsteadily started for out the den. There wasn’t much that could be safely eaten in the Everfree. Even the grass would give the sturdiest adult ponies a belly ache. Coupled with Scootaloo and Skylark’s lack of knowledge on edible plants, they were in for a hard time finding something to eat. They searched the area nearby and found a few dandelions and daisies here and there but not enough to quell their hunger. Although the wind had stopped, the air was much colder than before. Their breath swirled upwards into the cold morning sky with each exhale. With a disappointed frown, Scootaloo called to her sister, “We should head back to the den and warm up before we search any farther.”

Back at the den, the fillies did everything they could to keep warm. They had remembered how Fluttershy had helped Mr. Bunny fix his den so it would stay warm and tried their best to replicate the process step by step. They gathered sticks and more leaves. Scootaloo crafted a crude woven door with leaves between the sticks for insulation. She could clearly see that her own skill was far inferior to Fluttershy’s. With the leftover leaves they had gathered, Skylark lined as much of the interior of the den as she could. They completed their work in about an hour and had now retreated back into the den. They huddled together to keep warm and soon, whether the den was actually warming up or they were just getting use to the cold, they became more comfortable. A sadness began to linger in their den. They were once again alone in a harsh, unforgiving environment that they already associated with their parents’ deaths. Now they had separated themselves from Fluttershy also. Their little hearts were torn between what they wanted and what they thought they should do. They didn’t need to speak to know that they were struggling with the same emotions and it caused them to hold one another even tighter, not to fight off the chill that seemed to have faded, but to try and fend off their own tormenting thoughts.

Fluttershy awoke at her usual time and headed downstairs to begin her daily tasks. She headed outside to feed and check on the chickens. What normally only takes about ten minutes, took thirty. A fox had tried to get the chickens and made a mess of the coop. After the coop had been cleaned up and reorganized, Fluttershy headed back inside and sat down on the couch. A crumpling noise caught her attention when she hopped onto the couch. She looked under her hoof and noticed a piece of paper had been left on the couch. She began to throw it away until she realized there was writing on it. The writing wasn’t the best in Equestria, but it was still legible:

Fear. Worry. These were among the many emotions Fluttershy had after reading the note. She was paralyzed, unable to fully grasp the reality of the situation. Moments later she had broken free of the paralysis and darted up the stairs to where Scootaloo and Skylark were supposed to be sleeping. Empty. They were not in their beds or in the room at all. Fluttershy’s heart and breathing began to race. She ran through the house and outside calling out, “Scootaloo! Skylark!”, in hopes that one of them would answer. Unfortunately her cries went unheard by the little ponies. Fluttershy sprinted all the way into Ponyville. She ran from pony to pony asking if they had seen the little fillies. She ran to each of her friends hoping they had seen them. No trace of the fillies could be found. Fluttershy was distraught, “Oh, Twilight. I...I just don’t know what to do. I’m such a bad caretaker. I didn’t even notice they were gone until this morning. I...I...”, Fluttershy broke down in tears. Twilight did her best to comfort her, “Fluttershy, It’s alright. I’m sure they are okay. It wasn’t your fault you didn’t notice. They are small so their hoofsteps don’t make much noise. I don’t think anypony would have been able to know. Your worry shows how much you truly care for those fillies. I will help you look for them.” Fluttershy had to suppress her sobs in order to speak intelligibly.

“Nopony in town has seen them...Wait.No. Surely they wouldn’t. Would they?”

“What is it Fluttershy?”

“I was just thinking that maybe they have gone back into the Everfree.”

“Why would they go back into the forest?”

“They know the area a little bit and they are quite timid around other ponies.”

“We should start looking in the part of the forest closest to your cottage.”

Fluttershy and Twilight quickly headed for the forest.

“Scootaloo!”

“Skylark!”

“We should go out and try to find some more food. I’m starving! We will have to search farther away from the den this time”, Scootaloo groaned and rubbed her belly as it grumbled. Scootaloo and Skylark stepped out of the den and were greeted by the ever chilling air. Skylark motioned to Scootaloo, “I saw a stream in this direction earlier. We should drink so we don’t get dehydrated.” Scootaloo caught up and matched her pace, “I really don’t know what I would do without y-” ACHOO! Skylark let out a tremendous sneeze that nearly startled Scootaloo to death. Scootaloo stopped Skylark and slowly and silently analyzed her face, “Are you feeling okay? You might be starting to get a cold. You should head back to the den. I will go search for some food.” Skylark shook her head adamantly, “No. I’m coming with you. Something just tickled my nose. Besides, finding food is just as much my responsibility as it is yours.” Scootaloo wasn’t buying Skylark’s dismissal of her sneeze, but she knew there wasn’t any stopping her from searching for food anyway. Even if she had force Skylark back to the den, she would have just went out on her own after Scootaloo left.

The little ponies soon made it to the stream Skylark had seen. The bank was steep and there wasn’t anything for them to steady their descent with. Slowly they inched down the embankment one hoof in front of the other. ACHOO! Skylark let out another sneeze that caused her to lose her balance. Scootaloo reached out to try and catch Skylark, but in the act she also lost her balance. The two fillies both went tumbling into the frigid stream. Although they were soaked, the stream was shallow enough for them stand with their heads above the water. “I-I-I-It’s so c-co-cold”, Scootaloo chattered. Driven on by their hunger, they shook off as much water as they could and continued on their search for food. Just on the other side of the stream they found several small blackberry bushes. They knew these were safe to eat and began munching away at the berries. Soon they had devoured all of the berries from one bush and half of another. With their bellies finally full, they made their way back to the den.

ACHOO! ACHOO! Back at the den, both Scootaloo and Skylark were now sneezing and Skylark had developed a terrible cough as well. The chilly dip in the stream was beginning to take its toll on their bodies. They snuggled together in their den with sneezing coming from one or the other of them every few minutes. Skylark had already fallen asleep, but Scootaloo couldn’t allow herself to doze off. She was staying awake to keep watch over her younger sister. Earlier on their way back to the den, Scootaloo noticed that Skylark was looking worse and worse every minute. She questioned Skylark about her health, but she just dismissed it as tiredness. At one point Skylark nearly fainted and it was then that Scootaloo became even more concerned for her sister.

“Have you found them yet Twilight”, Fluttershy called out. Twilight teleported next to Fluttershy, “No, not yet. Don’t worry we will find them.” The two ponies searched deeper into the Everfree. ACHOO! Fluttershy’s ears perked up and rotated try to find the source of the noise, “Did you hear that? I think it came from over here.” The two rushed after the sneeze they had heard and soon came to the remains of a large tree. “I was sure I heard it from this direction”, Fluttershy’s hopeful expression had now turned to one of despair. ACHOO! They could clearly tell that noise originated from the tree’s remains. “Either we have found the first ever sneezing tree or something is inside”, Twilight said half jokingly. They investigated the tree and Fluttershy noticed the crude woven door, “Twilight! Their in here! This is door is made the same way as Mr. Bunny’s.” Twilight was confused as to who Mr. Bunny was and why his door meant anything. Fluttershy removed the door and saw the two sneezing little ponies. “Scootaloo. Skylark. I’m so glad you’re alri-”

“I think there’s something wrong with Skylark”, Scootaloo was in tears, “She started sneezing earlier and then we fell into the stream and then she got worse and almost fainted and now she won’t wake up.” Fluttershy and Twilight quickly pulled the fillies out of the den. “Twilight. Can you teleport us back to town?” Twilight grimaced a little, “I could but given Skylark’s condition it probably wouldn’t be safe.” Without any hesitation Fluttershy quickly flew above the forest, “Twilight. Please take Scootaloo home with you for a little while.” Twilight nodded, “Hold on to tight Scootaloo.” Twilight’s horn began to spark with magic and suddenly her and Scootaloo were back at the tree house. Meanwhile Fluttershy was flying faster than she ever had to get Skylark to the hospital. Fluttershy arrived at the hospital within minutes. “Dctor! Doctor!”, Fluttershy burst into the hospital. “Please calm down. What’s the problem?”, the doctor replied peeking out of a nearby room. Fluttershy flew over holding Skylark, “She got sick out in the Everfree and now she won’t wake up.” The doctor quickly took Skylark from Fluttershy’s grasp and laid her down on a bed in another room. He began checking her breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and everything he could possibly check.The doctor finished all of his procedures and finally had time to speak to Fluttershy, “I believe she may have pneumonia. Now, you said something about her and her sister falling into a stream in the forest correct?”

“Yes. They went off into the forest by themselves.”

“I would like you to bring in her sister so I can check and make sure she is alright.”

“Of Course.”

Fluttershy reluctantly left Skylark at the hospital to retrieve Scootaloo. The doctor checked all of her vitals and concluded, “She seems to have a bit of a cold, but she should be fine if you give her medicine for the next few days”, his gaze turned to Skylark, “However, Skylark is not doing so well and she will need to stay here for a while.” Scootaloo didn’t take her eyes off Skylark, “She’s going to be okay though isn’t she doctor?” A painful expression passed from his face as soon as it had arisen and he was glad Scootaloo didn’t see it, “I’m sure she will be fine”, his head hung low as he exited the room.

The room was still and the only noise that could be heard were from the hallway which seemed like a completely separate universe to Fluttershy and Scootaloo. The only thing they could do was sit with Skylark and hope she got better. Fluttershy didn’t quite know how to deal with this situation. She had never been in this situation before; possibly losing someone close to her. Scootaloo had already gone through that experience once and now it may happen again. Fluttershy was concerned for Skylark’s physical health and Scootaloo’s mental and emotional health should the worst occur. The weight Fluttershy was feeling was unbearable. She moved closer to Scootaloo who was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, eyes fixated on Skylark as if she would wake up any moment and things would go back to normal. Fluttershy put one hoof around Scootaloo and hugged her tightly while she caressed Skylark’s face with the other. She was trying to comfort Scootaloo, but she was also seeking comfort for herself and it made her feel selfish. Scootaloo eventually wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy. Scootaloo pressed her face into Fluttershy trying to hide her tears, but her audible sobs betrayed her. Fluttershy tried her best to hold back her own tears and stay strong for the fillies. It was too much for her. The two of them sat on the side of the bed crying and trying to comfort one another. They had but one wish: Let Skylark be alright so we can be a family together.

“Flutter...shy...”