Winter’s Howl
Chapter 12: Of Winter’s Past
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Snowstorm stood entirely still, gawking at the pegasus filly before him. It had been 5 years since that day.
The fight…
The screams…
The blame…
The day when their entire world came crashing down, and he'd lost his only sister. Their father had come home, drunk, angry, and swearing. Snowstorm was still a small colt then, only a little older than his sister was now.
She was only 6….
Their father didn’t care…
He was too angry…
He stood over both of them, screaming obscene profanities, slander, and horrid accusations.
They were why his marriage was failing.
They were why he drank.
He raised a hoof over his only daughter.
Snowstorm did all he could think to do, tackling his father.
He told his sister to run, as fast as she could, never to look back.
She did as she was told.
Snowstorm’s father was drunk, but strong, and bested him quickly.
He felt hooves around his neck, his vision fading into blackness.
He reached, clasping the glass whiskey bottle that brought about this madness, and ended it through its medium.
Snowstorm let a tear fall from his eye as he stared at the little pegasus before him. She was so grown up. He had missed so much of her life. Where was she, all this time?
It had been 5 years since that night…
Since the police came…
Since his father was taken away…
Since they started the search for his sister…
His mother wept. Wept for the stallion that was her husband, consumed by wretched jaws of alcohol and violence. She wept for her daughter, who was nowhere to be found.
The search lasted 3 months. There were no leads, no where she was told to run, no where who would have taken her in, no where, it seemed, she could go. It was as though she’d vanished without a trace, and Snowstorm didn’t know whether he’d saved her, or doomed her. The case was dropped in February. If someone hadn’t taken her in and kept her, the weather laid claim to her body by now.
But now here she stood, alive, healthy, and grown.
Snowstorm wept, tears soaking the hardwood floor of the brightly lit room in which he stood. He wept for happiness. He wept for relief. He wept for the greatest burden a pony could ever bear had been lifted from his shoulders. He rushed to the small filly, squeezing her in a loving embrace.
“Scootaloo…” He began, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
Now, Scootaloo cried too, for reasons she could not fathom, “Snowstorm…”
In their embrace Snowstorm cried, “I’ve missed you so much…I…I thought you were dead…we…we all thought you were dead. Why didn’t you come back?”
Scootaloo sobbed now, she seemed terrified, “I…I saw what you did to dad and…I thought they’d take you away. And if you weren’t there…what would happen next time dad came home like that? You wouldn’t be there to protect me…”
The pair cried a long while in each other’s embrace. When his sobs finally subsided, Snowstorm parted from Scootaloo in order to look her in the eye.
“I will never let anything happen to you again.”
“I don’t want to go back Snowstorm…I can’t now…this is my home. Here. In Ponyville.”
“Then you won’t go back. I’ll take care of you from now on. But Mom’s going to want to see you, you know.”
Scootaloo chuckled lightly. “I miss mom…”
“I know you do Scoots…She misses you…”
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Rainbow watched the entire drama unfold before her eyes. She was confused to say the least, but eventually everything came into place. This was why she’d never met Scootaloo’s parents, why she always looked up to her, and why she needed a flight instructor. She was alone, and Rainbow was the only adult in her life that she trusted.
Rainbow finally spoke as the two began to separate, “So let me get this straight…Scootaloo’s your little sister?”
Snowstorm nodded.
“So, why haven’t you been around here before? Didn’t you want to visit?”
“I didn’t know she was here…no pony did.” Snowstorm explained what happened to them years ago, and how they got separated, everything that happened after Scootaloo’s disappearance. Scootaloo cried again at hearing this, hearing how her mother wept for her loss for years.
“We held a funeral for you, Scootaloo, about 4 years ago. After the police pronounced you missing and likely dead, they pretty much dropped the case. Mom tried to find you, doing nothing with her free time but searching. When she finally came up empty handed after searching everywhere she could think to look, she decided we should honor your passing. You have a grave and an empty casket at Cloudsdale cemetery.” Snowstorm spoke solemnly now, comforting his sister as she cried. He turned to Rainbow. “We never thought to look in Ponyville. We never thought you’d make it this far…”
Scootaloo wiped away tears, “I hoped on a mail cart the night I ran away, and fell asleep inside. When I woke up, the mail men picked me up and through me out of the cart, that’s how I ended up here.”
Rainbow still looked puzzled. “Where have you been living? How have you gotten food?”
“I sleep in the school house, I just make sure to get out before Ms. Cherillee comes in the morning. The school lunches are enough, and Applebloom and Sweetie Bell normally give me some of theirs.” She said it almost matter of factly, as though it was normal for a foal to live under such conditions. “They think it’s just cause I’m hungry, they don’t know I’m not really living anywhere.”
Rainbow sat in shock. This entire time, she never would have guessed Scootaloo to be an orphan, or a run-away. She just though her parents were never around or were too busy to care. Snowstorm listened intently, absorbing all the information.
“Well, you don’t have to anymore. You’ll be staying with me at the hotel until I get a more permanent place to stay, and I’ll be feeding you. We’ll get you settled in for your own room tonight.”
Scootaloo smiled, her teary eyes showing thanks. She leaned in against his chest, nuzzling into his fur “Thanks big bro.”
Snowstorm leaned down and planted a kiss on Scootaloo’s head. “I’m just glad I found you.”
Suddenly, Scootaloo looked up. “Wait, why can’t I stay in your room?”
“Heh, well, I’ve only got one bed…”
“And that’s MY spot, kiddo.” Rainbow butt in, smiling at Scootaloo.
It took Scootaloo a moment to process what was just said, but when she did, she smiled and looked at Snowstorm. “Wait…so you…and Rainbow…are… an item?”
Snowstorm smiled, “Heh, if you want to call it that, yeah.”
A devious grin spread across Scootaloo’s face before turning to Rainbow, “You realize that dating my older brother gives me the right to be a constant, massive pest to you, right?”
Rainbow face hoofed, “The one pony I date in this town, and it’s gotta be the president of my fan club’s older brother…”
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After bringing Ms. Warmhearth up-to-date back at the hotel, she was more than happy to rent out another room to Snowstorm. This time, however, he insisted on paying rent. Ms. Warmhearth handed the key to Snowstorm and said with neither shame nor censorship, “Do be quiet though, these rooms have thin walls, and I gave you two adjoining rooms.”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, “Huh? What does that mean?”
Rainbow darted in with another perfect save. “It means don’t snore too loud, or you’ll wake us up.”
“Oh, Ok.”
After Snowstorm finished unpacking the few things Scootaloo had into her room, he sat down next to her on the bed.
“I want you to sleep tight tonight ok? You’ve had a long day today, and you're going to need your rest for your longer day tomorrow.”
“Why? What’s tomorrow?” Asked Scootaloo, still snuggling under the comforters.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to visit mom.”