//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: From the Rough // Story: Unseen, Unheard // by Nocturnal Reverie //------------------------------// “And I don’t know how to tell Rainbow Dash about it, either,” Scootaloo admitted. “I’ve never had to deal with this before. All the ponies that ever interacted with me were nice, and the closest thing I ever felt to being bullied was the ponies that said they couldn’t take care of me. And even then, that wasn’t really their faults.” Scootaloo sighed, her hoof tapping the floor beside her textbook as she lay on her stomach. Hoofsteps in front of her paced back and forth, Twilight humming as she thought over the filly’s predicament. The filly had admitted her issue to Twilight after almost a month of her new public school routine. It was something Twilight had thought about happening, though one could never prepare for the heartbreak that came with learning such news. “That is a tough one…” Twilight thought aloud to avoid her sinking heart. “Is there anything else she says to you?” “Not really,” Scootaloo replied. “She does do this mean little giggle whenever Miss Cheerilee gives me Braille pages.” Twilight nods. “The mean giggle is called a snicker.” At Scootaloo’s intrigued hum at the new addition to her vocabulary, Twilight spelt out the word as she thought over a solution to the filly’s predicament. “Let’s see…a filly who believes you’re unintelligent solely based on your disability…who also makes fun of your need for accommodations…” The royal student hummed to herself, her horn alighting to absentmindedly write her thoughts. She gave the filly a sideways glance that she couldn’t see. “First and foremost, you should tell Rainbow Dash.” At Scootaloo’s sinking posture, she added, “I know it’s hard to believe, but Rainbow has some experience with bullies, too.” “She does?” Twilight hummed the affirmative. “It’s not my place to go into much detail, but yes. Most ponies do. I personally can’t say that I do, but that’s mostly because of my generally isolated experiences in academia.” Scootaloo blinked, her hoof trailing to the floor as she began trying to spell out the sentence. Her reprieve came as Twilight chuckled, “I was alone a lot during school.” Filly and mare shared a mutual laugh, Twilight setting back to the scratching quill. “But like I said, I have an idea of what to do about Diamond Tiara.” “What is it?” “I think a classic trust exercise should provide some perspective. I’m hoping it will at least build some tolerance, and some empathy at most.” Scootaloo sat up. “What kind of exercise?” Twilight set off into her explanation, happy to see Scootaloo’s lips turn into a smile as she explained, the little filly nodding along by the time she got done. “That sounds so cool!” the filly exclaimed. “Maybe with that, she can at least see that I’m not as helpless as she thinks I am!” “Exactly,” Twilight encouraged, leaning down to give the filly a quick nuzzle. “But I still want you to tell Rainbow Dash. I can’t in good conscience let you keep going through this without telling her.” The request made Scootaloo quiet once again. “Um…okay…I…I will if you want me to.” Twilight smiled. “Have you at least told Miss Cheerilee?” Scootaloo blushed, finally admitting, “Um…no. She saw the very first one, but she hasn’t seen any after. I think she thinks it doesn’t bother me, or that it’s not so bad.” A sigh escaped Twilight, and she stretched out her neck. “I’m really happy that you chose to tell me, Scootaloo. But again, you need to tell Rainbow. I don’t want this to get out of hoof, especially without Rainbow knowing what’s wrong.” Lavender eyes flicked about, their guilt clearly showing through. “Okay, Twilight…” Under the encouraging nuzzles of the librarian, she would never tell her true intentions. “Okay, class,” Miss Cheerilee chirped, “today’s lesson will be led by Twilight Sparkle.” Whatever boredom the class collectively held was instantly replaced with excitement. Foals giggled and chattered amongst themselves before Miss Cheerilee cleared her throat. “If you would all come outside, we can get our lesson started.” Scootaloo’s ears rotated every which way, waiting patiently as the slight cacophony of foals rushed away from their desks and to the front door. As the noise began to die down, she pulled herself from her desk, Sweetie Belle’s gentle hoof taking her own and helping her to the door. Twilight smiled at the chattering foals, spying Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle joining Apple Bloom near the back. “Good morning, my little ponies!” she greeted cheerfully. “Today, I wanted to give a practical demonstration of what some of my friendship lessons look like. Now, a lesson about friendship can come from anywhere, and it often leads to building your trust for another pony. Why don’t we all give it a try with a trust exercise?” With Miss Cheerilee’s help, they divided the groups into two, with Apple Bloom–being the leftover–at the other end of a marked pathway, where Miss Cheerilee also stood. Their impromptu teacher grinned as she waved a hoof in the direction of the group containing Scootaloo, Snips, Twist, and Diamond Tiara. “This group will be paired with one from this group–” she gestured to the opposite cluster of foals, containing Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon, Snails, and Dinky “to walk a path designated by Apple Bloom and Miss Cheerilee.” She nodded to the two ponies in question, both of which held a length of rope and a couple loop-de-hoops. “You will follow the trail given by the ropes, but will have to spin in a full circle when you get to the loop-de-hoops before you can leave and continue on the rope path.” The school foals in question nodded as they took in the rules of the course. “But the catch,” she spoke as her smile grew ever wider, “is that the first group will not be able to see where they are going. They will have to rely on their partner from the other group to guide them. Not only that, but they also will not know who is guiding them. At the end, we will see who can correctly guess the partner they had. Are you ready?” Scootaloo’s ear flicked as she heard Diamond Tiara mutter to herself, “Some of us were born ready.” She clenched her jaw, but otherwise did not respond, hoping what would happen next would be enough to change her bully’s tone. The foals in Scootaloo’s group were blindfolded one at a time, and lined up, with Scootaloo the last in line. She waited in anticipation, going over the plan multiple times in her head and the practice she’d had with Twilight yesterday. Her heart leapt when a cheer resounded from all around her, the first pair having made it to the end of the path, unable to make out Apple Bloom’s voice as she no doubt congratulated them on a job well done. She let out a tense breath as the course was reset, and the next group took their turn, a breeze sending Diamond Tiara’s perfume into her nostrils. She nearly leapt out of her coat when Twilight’s magic took her hoof, the aura turning a bit solid and hoof-shaped. “Are you ready?” Scootaloo nodded nervously, unsure where the unicorn was standing. As the second set of cheers died down, Twilight gently shook her head at Silver Spoon as she guided Diamond Tiara to stand at her place, Apple Bloom placing the last card on the grass before bolting back to her spot beside Miss Cheerilee. To everypony’s shock, Twilight led Scootaloo to stand beside Diamond Tiara. She motioned for them all to be quiet, all waiting in anticipation as she told them to begin. Nervously, Scootaloo stepped forward, guiding Diamond Tiara straight for a few steps before her hoof stepped on a card. The class witnessed her hesitate for only a moment before she turned a bit to the left, guiding Diamond Tiara into a hoop. Carefully, she guided the frilly filly into a circle, the card in the center telling her which direction to go from there. The entire class held its breath as they witnessed their disabled classmate take to the course as if she had been born to do so, only the slightest hesitations occurring whenever she stepped on a card, all of which her growing confidence more than made up for. With one last spin in the final hoop, Scootaloo felt Apple Bloom’s hoof draw her name-sign on her shoulder, signaling the end of the course. The class erupted in cheers, making even Diamond Tiara flinch at the sudden volume. Twilight giggled, putting one last blindfold over Dinky’s eyes, letting Silver Spoon guide her to the remade course, breathing a sigh now that the hardest part was over with. She hoped. With all celebration out of the way of the first round, blindfolds removed and laughter shared of the experience as a whole, Twilight joined Miss Cheerilee in front of the class as they began asking who each student believed was their guide. “Twist, who do you think was your guide.” “Um…Sweetie Belle?” “That’s right!” exclaimed the filly in question. “How’d you know?” Twist giggled sheepishly. “Your mane kept tickling my shoulder, and I heard you mutter to yourself. Twilight giggled as the little unicorn blushed at the accidental obvious sign she had given. “Snips, what about you.” The chubby colt grinned. “I’d know my best friend anywhere! It was Snails.” “You bet it was, buddy!” replied the lanky, wistfully-smiling unicorn. Cheerilee smiled, “Scootaloo, would you please tell us who your partner was?” Diamond Tiara snorted to herself as the blind filly stepped forward. Head raised, she announced, “My partner was Diamond Tiara.” The pink earth pony gawked at the pegasus, utterly taken aback by such a claim. She scoffed, “Yeah, right. We were on the same team, idiot. Oh, that’s right, you couldn’t tell in the first place, could you? My bad, I should’ve known you would’ve made that kind of mistake.” Scootaloo felt her cheeks heat up, hearing Miss Cheerilee call out her disdain for Diamond Tiara’s words. But before either could get very far in their reactions, another spoke first. “Actually, DT,” Silver Spoon said, “she’s right. Scootaloo was guiding you through the course.” Diamond Tiara hesitated a moment, knowing her best friend was not one to lie to her. Still, she scoffed, “Well…then, how could she possibly know it was me?! She’s blind!” “Blindness doesn’t equate to ineptitude,” Scootaloo fumed, choosing her Twilight-learned vernacular specifically to drive her point. “I knew how to get through because there were cards on the ground that told me how. And I knew it was you the whole time because I could smell your perfume.” Diamond Tiara stopped, stunned. “You…what?” “You wear the same perfume every day,” Scootaloo explained. “It’s the same stuff your mom wears, which makes me wonder if you wear it because you like it, or if you wear it because she tells you to.” Diamond Tiara’s voice faltered, Scootaloo’s words unexpectedly cutting directly into her heart. How could she possibly…? She shoved down her shock, pulling on the best defense she could. “Don’t act like you know me. You don’t know anything about me!” “I know you struggle with math,” Scootaloo quipped back. “I know you’re good at Equestrian, and you secretly love science, even though you don’t want any pony to know.” Finally, Diamond Tiara stopped, the filly having ripped away any reply she could have thought up. How did she…? “Alright, who’s been spying on me; and who told her?” Diamond Tiara demanded. There was absolutely no way in the world a blind pegasus could know this about her. She glared at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “Don’t look at us,” Apple Bloom defended, equally shocked. “You…love science?” Sweetie Belle asked. Diamond Tiara blushed, her mind racing as she outed herself. “No pony told me,” Scootaloo answered. “Every time we’re handed an essay, your pencil is constantly writing, and you have really confident strokes—“ “Stop,” Diamond Tiara breathed, appalled by what she was hearing. Scootaloo ignored her, continuing, “Whenever we’re learning a new equation, you bounce your pencil on its eraser over and over again, and you speed up when you get anxious—“ “Stop,” Diamond Tiara barked, not understanding why tears were filling her eyes. “And whenever we have a worksheet for our science lesson,” Scootaloo finished, her voice gaining speed, “you write faster than when you do during Equestrian. And whenever Miss Cheerilee comes around to your desk, your pencil stops. You shuffle papers on your desk, which tells me you’re hiding your worksheet so she won’t know that you're going through it twice as fast as everypony else.” “STOP!” Diamond Tiara screamed, tears leaking from her eyes. “Stop it stop it STOP IT!! You don’t know anything about me! You don’t know anything about anypony!” “I know Snails is really good at physics!” Scootaloo began to shout back. “I know Snips likes Equestrian, but he thinks too hard about his sentences, so he’s always erasing and rewriting them! I know Twist can recite each geometric sequence from memory! “I know things no pony has even thought about trying to learn! Because I have to! If that makes me pick up on things differently than others, so be it! It’s not my fault you don’t want anypony to know how smart you are!” That did it. Diamond Tiara lunged for Scootaloo, tackling the pegasus to the ground. A black sound processor flew from an orange ear, and Scootaloo gasped at the impact and sudden loss of half of one of her senses. Diamond Tiara struck the filly in a blind rage, her onslaught of tears making it hard for her to see and her pounding heart making her deaf to the cries and shouts of Miss Cheerilee and Twilight and the other foals. Even as she slammed her hooves down, she found herself wondering why she was doing this. This filly had chosen to see more of her than her own parents did, learned more of what made her…her. So…why did that make her so angry? Her next swing missed, and she felt her body rising off the pegasus, her hooves enveloped in a purple magic. The object of her rage gone, she let out a sob, shoving away her tears as her vision and mind cleared, and she suddenly felt numb as she realized what she did. Scootaloo’s forelegs were covering her head and face the best she could, the filly trembling in fear. One of Diamond Tiara’s blows had struck the filly’s remaining processor, which now lay broken beside her head. Scootaloo’s nose was bleeding, part of her foreleg reddening, where she was sure a bruise would form. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran over to their friend once the enraged filly had been pulled off of her. Sweetie Belle grabbed the unbroken processor and transmitter in her magic, both of them touching the filly as gently as they could. She gave a little cry of fright at their touches, quieting at once when they traced something on her shoulder. Apple Bloom gently took Scootaloo’s hoof so Sweetie Belle could put the cochlear implant back on the pegasus’s ear, the magnet snapping back into place. “Are you alright, Scootaloo?” Cheerilee asked, stepping between the pegasus and Diamond Tiara, cutting off the earth pony’s view of her. “I don’t know…” the responding voice was so small and scared Diamond Tiara felt her heart clench. What had she done? What had she done? Diamond Tiara sat in a chair beside Miss Cheerilee, eyes on the floor. Nurse Redheart had been called to look at Scootaloo, the pegasus filly staying as still as possible as she felt unfamiliar hooves work around her face and foreleg. Scootaloo’s right ear stung a bit, her left snapped into focus. Her left eye and foreleg ached, and there was a sharp pain in her nose. “Does this hurt?” Nurse Redheart asked, too loud. Scootaloo felt a hoof press gently around her eye, before touching a spot that made her jerk back with a little whine of pain. “Sorry, dear…” “What is the meaning of this?” Diamond Tiara cringed at the voice, her mother stomping into the room. “Mother…” Diamond Tiara tried. “Not now, Diamond Tiara. The adults are talking.” Her mother glared back at Scootaloo, turning up her nose at the blind and half-deaf filly before facing Cheerilee. “This is what happens when you allow foals like that into your school.” “And what is that supposed to mean?” Cheerilee growled, doing her best to keep her composure. “Scootaloo has every right to an education as everypony else.” Nurse Redheart stepped away to get some ice, Spoiled Rich taking the opportunity to approach Scootaloo. Bristling, Cheerilee stood. Diamond Tiara watched with unease as her mother stood directly in front of Scootaloo, peering down at her. Scootaloo’s face was pinched in thought, her lavender eyes moving in nonsensical directions as her mind tried to locate Spoiled Rich’s face. Spoiled Rich scoffed, raising a hoof. She waved it in front of Scootaloo’s face, the filly’s creased concentration gaining a layer of annoyance. “Ha! She’s more blind than a ba—“ she was cut off when Scootaloo shot a hoof forward, her toe connecting squarely with the frog of Spoiled Rich’s hoof and knocking it away. “That’s really rude, you know,” Scootaloo snapped, stunning Spoiled a Rich into silence only a moment, before the mare scowled. “You insolent little—“ She was cut off again by somepony sharply clearing their throat, Scootaloo perking up at once. Spoiled Rich faced the door, Rainbow Dash glaring at her. She spoke slowly, voice hard and dripping with venom: “Get the Tartarus away from my little sister.” Rainbow Dash trotted into the room, shuffling past Spoiled Rich with a glare before her face softened as she approached Scootaloo. “You okay, squirt?” Before the filly could respond, Spoiled Rich had recovered from her shock, butting in, “She’s faking her blindness!” Rainbow Dash felt her fur rise on her back. “Excuse me?” “She hit me!” “She batted away your hoof, which was right in front of her face,” Rainbow deadpanned. “I saw it myself. And that is rude, just so you know.” Spoiled Rich glared. “So, you’re in on it!” Rainbow Dash gawked. “Oh for the love of—she could feel the wind from your hoof on her face.” “That’s preposterous!” Rainbow Dash grit her teeth against the mare’s ignorance, deciding to focus instead on her little sister. “Tell me what happened, Scoots.” “Yes,” Spoiled Rich piped up, “I’d like to hear this straight from the horse’s mouth.” Silence fell in the room as Scootaloo realized they were talking to her. She swallowed, letting her face fall. “It was me,” she said. “I started it,” she said. A wave of emotions followed the words’ path from the filly’s lips. Diamond Tiara looked up at the filly in shock, Rainbow Dash in concern. Cheerilee, taken aback by the filly’s response, went to object before she was interrupted by Spoiled Rich, who was sneering. “I knew it!” she declared. As her voice rose, Diamond Tiara watched Scootaloo’s face scrunch up, as if something was poking her uncomfortably. She tuned out her mother, her own anger flaring up. Why was she doing this? Why didn’t she tell the truth? Diamond Tiara seethed. If Scootaloo wasn’t going to, she would. “Stop it!” she shouted, interrupting whatever her mother was spitting at Rainbow Dash. She glared at Scootaloo, fully aware the filly couldn’t see her face. “For once in your life, would you just shut up?!” Scootaloo’s eyes widened as Diamond Tiara faced her mother. “It was me! I started it!” Her shame rose, and she stole a glance at Scootaloo. “I…started all of it.” Spoiled Rich scoffed, not having any of it. As she continued her rant, Scootaloo felt her fur bristle, the mare’s voice grating on something she couldn’t describe. At another rise of her nasally timbre, she finally had enough. With a grunt of annoyance, she ripped away her transmitter, plunging herself into sweet silence. Everypony in the room paused when they heard the frustrated sound, seeing Scootaloo jerk away the magnet that allowed her to hear. Diamond Tiara’s jaw dropped, before an unexplainable wave of ironic glee rushed through her chest. Without warning, she burst into laughter, the three mares staring at her with mixed levels of shock, confusion, and appall. Giggling uncontrollably, Diamond Tiara looked up at her mother. “You see that?! Your voice annoys her so much she deafened herself!” Another wave of laughter rose before she regained the ability to speak. “Wow, do I wish I could do that!” Scootaloo sat oblivious to what was happening in the same room. She felt Rainbow’s hoof gently take off her processor, rubbing her shoulder. She didn’t hear Diamond Tiara cackling through her tears, she didn’t hear Cheerilee announcing the earth pony’s week-long suspension. She didn’t hear Spoiled Rich throw a final complaint at Cheerilee before dragging her daughter away by the ear. She sat silently through it all, focusing on her sister’s hoof. She didn’t hear Cheerilee ask Rainbow Dash a question, nor did she hear her sister’s response. She didn’t care. She wanted to go home. She wanted this awful day to be over. Finally, she felt Rainbow Dash shift, and she held onto her sister’s foreleg as she picked her up and put her on her back. Scootaloo snaked her forelegs around Rainbow’s neck, hiding her face in the soft mane as if it could hide her from the rest of the world. Rainbow Dash’s body bobbed as she walked, her wings shuffling and her body rising as she took to the air. Scootaloo turned her face to the open air, taking in a deep breath and relishing the familiar comfort of the wind against her body, as if it could blow away all of her troubles. A few moments later, and they touched down. Rainbow Dash didn’t tap her legs like usual, and instead trotted inside. Scootaloo felt Rainbow tilt up, stepping upwards for a few seconds before she leveled out and turned right, taking Scootaloo into her bathroom. Rainbow tapped her hooves, and Scootaloo let go. Rainbow’s hoof guided her to the floor, where she stood silently and patiently before she felt Rainbow Dash wrap her forelegs around her again, lifting her up and over the side of the tub. Scootaloo’s body sank into a calming warmth. She sat down as she was lowered, the warm water reaching halfway up her back. She closed her eyes when she felt Rainbow’s hoof on her head, and felt a wet rag dab at her cheek. She stayed still for her sister, the soft fabric moving around her face. She pulled away when the tender spot of her eye was touched, feeling her throat move in a whimper. A hoof moved through her mane, a pair of lips pressing against her temple apologetically. The cloth moved around her hurt eye, gentler this time, before swiping gently down her face. A hoof cupped her jaw, turned her head, the comforting warmth moving across her nose and muzzle before rubbing the uninjured side of her face. She sat quietly while her sister took care of her. A hoof sat above her eyes before water ran down her head. A hoof massaged her mane, accompanying the smell of lavender. She was guided to standing, cleansing water running over her feathers. Several minutes later, she felt the water lowering. A hoof covered her eyes again, a comfortable heat flowing over her body from head to tail. Finally, a thick, fuzzy weight was draped over her, wrapping around and under her before a pair of forelegs picked her up. She was pulled against Rainbow’s chest, and she felt her sister’s hind legs under her as she was sat in her lap. Pressure moved about her body, hooves lightly scrubbing the towel into her fur and mane and tail. Several moments later, the towel was peeled off of her, and a foreleg lightly pressed against her side, Rainbow’s body twisting under her. A wing brushed her hooves, and she was back on her sister’s back. She didn’t put her hooves around her neck this time, just knelt silently with her face pressed against the back of her neck, Rainbow’s mane lightly tickling her face. Instead of crossing the hall, like she expected, she felt Rainbow turn, tilting upward again for a few seconds before turning left into Rainbow Dash’s room. Rainbow’s neck twisted, and Scootaloo felt a gentle hoof scoop her up and place her down on the spongy surface of her sister’s bed. She waited a moment, felt it sink behind her before a foreleg wrapped around her shoulders, turning her around and guiding her down on her side. Another foreleg snaked under her, pulling her forward gently until her head rested on a shoulder. She felt Rainbow Dash bend, before she straightened again and Scootaloo felt the weight of the quilt fwump on top of her. Her head was pulled into Rainbow’s chest, her forehead and muzzle meeting soft fur. She felt a nose nuzzle her forehead a moment, and hoped that would be the end of it. She was disappointed, however, when the foreleg under her shifted. The hoof it was attached to left her back, the foreleg stretching straight before it bent again and the hoof lightly touched her ear. Her sound processor hooked over her ear, and the magnet snapped into place. A small nudge from Rainbow’s hoof, and Scootaloo heard the shuffling of the bedsheets as Rainbow’s hoof moved back to her back, pulling her close. She heard her sister take in a little breath through her nose. “You wanna tell me what happened today, Scoots?” It was as if a dam had broken. Rainbow Dash held her little sister close as she suddenly burst into tears, her little body shaking and breath hiccuping, desperately trying to compose herself enough to talk as she sobbed through a retelling of her day. Rainbow Dash only stayed silent, listening intently, holding the little pegasus close. Scootaloo continued to cry, swiping at her face to try and rid her eyes of the tears that refused to stop, even after she had finished her story. Rainbow ran a comforting hoof through her mane, nuzzling her forehead, her heart heavy as she listened to the filly try to stint her crying. She pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m proud of you, Scootaloo.” The filly’s breath hiccuped. “Y…you are?” “‘Course I am,” Rainbow Dash answered, tears pricking her own eyes. “You did everything right today.” “But…then why did she…?” “Diamond Tiara’s got her own things to worry about,” Rainbow Dash explained. “Her reasons for hitting you being one of them.” She pressed her forehead to Scootaloo’s, the filly’s sightless, puffy eyes trying to find her own. “But you stood your ground, and stood up for yourself. I’m proud of you, kiddo.” Scootaloo sniffled, rubbing at her cheek. “I think I insulted her, though.” “Oh, yeah? What’d you say?” “I told her I know she struggles in math. Was that bad?” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Nah. At least, not bad enough to excuse her tackling you. Telling somepony your observations is hardly insulting. At least, depending on how you say it. How’d you say it?” Scootaloo thought a moment. “I said ‘I know you struggle with math’ and told her how I knew. But then I told her I know she’s good at Equestrian and that she loves science.” Rainbow Dash hummed in thought. “I don’t think that was insulting. It would have been if you’d said it like, ‘Hey! You suck! You’ll never be good!’” She tickled the filly as she pulled on the best impersonation of her as she could, smiling when she managed to get a giggle out of her. “You didn’t say it like that, did you?” “No.” “Okay, then.” Rainbow Dash let silence fall between the two. Swirling thoughts would demand to be released, however, as Scootaloo took a breath. “Rainbow?” “Yeah, Scoots?” “Twilight said you had problems with bullies, too. But…you wouldn’t have let something like that get you down, I know it. You would have stood up to them, right?” Rainbow fell silent, pulling her filly into a loving nuzzle, sighing as she collected her thoughts. “Well, Scoots…you’re right, actually. I did stand up to the colts that messed with Fluttershy and me. But…that was because I had to. The adults around us that were in charge of making sure we were okay…they didn’t do anything to stop it. ‘Colts will be colts’ was all we got. And my parents, as great as they are, they weren’t much help, either. They just told me I’d be able to figure it out, and they’d be proud of me whenever I did. “One day, I’d had enough. Decided to put their money where their mouths were. Turned out alright, but there was a point there where I could’ve seriously gotten hurt.” Scootaloo remained silent within her sister’s forelegs. Rainbow sighed as she nuzzled her little sister. “The point is, foals shouldn’t have to deal with big stuff like that. It’s up to adults to teach them how to act.” She pressed a kiss to her filly’s temple. “And…I’m sorry you had to deal with that for so long. I’m sorry I didn’t make you feel like you could tell me.” “That’s not it,” Scootaloo shook her head. “I was going to ask you if the team building thing didn’t work. It just…got out of hoof before it could get very far. I wanted to try it my way before trying it your way.” Rainbow couldn’t help but feel her heart soar, and she pulled her little sister tighter into her. “I get it, Scoots, I really do. And I’m proud of you for trying to figure it out on your own. But please…don’t wait so long to talk to me about it next time, okay? I promise to let you try to figure things out first before trying to help you, but I want to know what’s going on in your life because I care about you, not because I’m gonna try to tell you how to live, okay?” Scootaloo sniffed, giving a nod as she rubbed away the tears threatening to fall down her face. “Okay, Rainbow…thank you.” “You’re welcome, kiddo,” Rainbow smiled, pulling her sister into a gentle hug.  Scootaloo let herself be held a moment longer, her final inquiry refusing to be held back any longer, no matter how painful it may be. “Rainbow Dash?” “Yeah, Scoots?” “Will…will there always be ponies like Diamond Tiara and her mom?” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes against the tears that sprang up in them, her lips pressing together. She had hoped she would never have to answer this question, and its very existence nearly shattered her heart. She looked down at the precious little thing she held against her chest. She wanted to say no, she wanted to protect her for just a little longer. But she knew that would be cruel. So instead, she pulled the little filly closer, pressed her muzzle into her mane, and answered: “In a perfect world…no.” She bit her lip, tears escaping her eyes as she added, “But I know you know this world is far from perfect.” Silence. Rainbow Dash braced herself, knowing the tears were coming. She had mentally prepared herself to be the rock Scootaloo would need as she grew. She had prepared to be her shield, confidant, everything this little filly in her forelegs would need her to be. She did not prepare herself for what came out of Scootaloo’s mouth. The silence ended as Scootaloo uttered, “That’s okay. I can handle them as long as I have ponies like you and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.” Rainbow Dash’s heart melted, the same way it did the first day they met. Her tears flowed all the heavier, and she sniffed as she rubbed her face into Scootaloo’s mane. “You’re so wonderful. What did I do to deserve a sister like you?” A little laugh bubbled its way out of Scootaloo’s throat, before it broke and the filly sniffed. The tiniest of sobs shook her body, and she wormed her way to Rainbow’s neck, throwing her hooves around her big sister and holding on tight. Rainbow Dash curled around the little figure, her wings stretching around her, enveloping Scootaloo in a cocoon of safety. The mare took in a shaky breath, her own little sobs matching her sister’s. Together, they wept. Holding each other close, they spent the rest of the evening in each other’s forelegs. Refusing to move, they cried themselves to sleep. A week of peace went by in the schoolhouse, Scootaloo’s classmates happy to see their friend’s spirit had not been affected by the encounter with Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich. If anything, her confidence grew, and she didn’t try to hide the fading bruise around her eye. The same couldn’t be said once the time was up. The day after the last day of Diamond’s suspension was thick with dread and anticipation that not even the joy of her fully-returned hearing could cancel out. For the first time in a week, Scootaloo kept her head down as the last foals arrived, her ears flicking when she heard the chair in front of her slide to let its resident into her desk, a softer, more comfortable smell accompanying the primped filly. A moment of silence passed as the entire class held its breath…only for nothing to happen. Scootaloo jerked as she heard Miss Cheerilee clear her throat and instruct the students to take out their mathematics textbooks, and the tension dissipated. Until lunchtime. Sitting in their usual spot under the sun, the Cutie Mark Crusaders chatted easily with each other as they ate their lunch. Scootaloo felt a creeping sensation on the back of her neck as her best friends’ voices died down, a hoofstep cracking a twig behind her. “Uh…hey.” The pegasus filly hesitated, taking in a breath and steeling herself before turning toward the filly that addressed her, a breeze pulling her new perfume to her nose. “Hey.” “I…I’m sorry. About last week.” Diamond Tiara’s voice ended as if she wanted to say more, but was stopping herself from doing so. “Um…it’s okay…” Even as she said it, Scootaloo knew she didn’t sound convincing, still a little wary of the filly. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched Diamond Tiara shuffle back and forth on her hooves. “I, uh…can…can we talk in private?” Scootaloo blinked at the request, hesitating only a moment before she complied with the request, standing up before her friends could say anything in her defense. “Sure. Where do you want to go?” She felt a hoof take her own and pull her away, the touch much more gentle than any she had received from the bully before. She felt the coolness of shadow touch her back before Diamond Tiara stopped, estimating they were at the tree at the edge of the schoolhouse property, still where her friends and all their classmates could still see them. Finally, after Diamond’s hoof left hers, the filly began again. “I just…I wanted to say that you were right, okay? You’re right…my mom…she tells me what to do a lot…” Flicking eyes were her only answer, Scootaloo both surprised and waiting for her to continue, which she finally did with a puff of breath through her nose. “I’ve…been doing a lot of thinking, and…how did you know all of that stuff? Not just about my mom, but…the class stuff…” A soft, kind smile curled Scootaloo’s lip. “It’s like I said before. I can hear your pencil move a lot during the science lesson, so…I just put two and two together.” “But…how did you know about the moving papers, and what that meant?” At this, Scootaloo giggled. “Because I experimented a lot with sound when I first got my implants turned on. I moved a lot of papers around just to see what it would sound like. I heard it a lot after that, with Rainbow rearranging papers and making sure the piles were things related to me and related to other things like her work or the Elements or whatever else.” Diamond Tiara nodded to herself, an internal struggle befalling her. Her icy blue eyes found Scootaloo’s, the lavender underneath the clouds speaking of the potential they could have had, had fate chosen a different path for the filly before her. Sight lost to opacity. Destiny lost to obscurity. Suddenly, the weight of Diamond’s namesake sat too heavy upon her brow. “How…do you do it?” she asked slowly. “Do what?” “Walk around like nothing’s wrong? Like…why don’t…your eyes…” Scootaloo perked up as she realized where Diamond Tiara was going. “You mean…why don’t I act like something’s wrong…when something clearly is?” The pink filly couldn’t help her embarrassed blush. “Yeah…” Her classmate began her answer with a grin. “Because, for me, nothing is wrong. It’s just…how I’ve gotten used to living.” “But,” Diamond objected. “What if it wasn’t…right? Like…what if you were supposed to be different…supposed to be something else, but now you’re stuck like that and you don’t know how to get out or how to change your destiny and no matter how hard you try nothing will change and you’re just…stuck!” Scootaloo’s eyes widened, and she took an involuntary step backward at the raised volume, her mind racing. Her brow twitched as something about her tone connected, and she frowned. “We…aren’t talking about me anymore, are we?” Diamond’s heart dropped, and the filly before her blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. Her breath hiccupped as she furiously wiped the tears away. “I…you just…how do you have it all figured out? That’s what I’ve been told I need to have my whole life, and…I just don’t for some reason…and after last week…you know more about me than my parents do, and you’re not even my family. I’m not even sure I like you still.” The last sentence ended with a huff of laughter, one Scootaloo followed with a grin. “Well…if it helps,” Scootaloo offered, “I actually don’t have everything worked out. I…actually couldn’t walk on my own until I was three or four. Things have always been slower for me. But…I guess the difference is…I’ve just accepted that. I won’t always know everything, there are things I’ll always have to rely on others for…but I’m okay with that.” “But how?” Diamond Tiara pressed. “How are you okay with just…letting others help you all the time? How do you know they won’t…hurt you…” Scootaloo’s head tilted in curious thought. “Well…they haven’t hurt me yet…and…I guess…it was how I was raised. Foggy always helped me be confident in myself, and treated every little victory like it was the best thing to ever happen in the world, while also showing me how to deal with failures and when I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. Rainbow’s kinda the same, actually…just louder. Literally.” Diamond blinked, a snort finally escaping her once the joke landed. “So…you’ve had, like…two moms, right?” A hesitation preceded Scootaloo’s shrug. “Eh, not really. I see Rainbow as more of a big sister.” The frilly pink filly raised an eyebrow at this, reading the implications, but deciding to let the unspoken lie with its speaker. Instead, she nodded, then sighed. “So…I guess it’s just me, then, huh?” “You mean not knowing what to do? No, of course not. Lots of ponies don’t know what to do all the time. When it came to my ears, Rainbow didn’t tell me for almost a month that it was a possibility. She didn’t know how I would react, didn’t know what to do next until I reacted…” She chuckled, “What’s your cutie mark?” The sudden question took Diamond Tiara off-guard. “Wh…what?” “You’re cutie mark. What is it?” “Oh, uh…it’s a tiara. Why?” “Me and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle have been talking about them a lot because…well, you know.” She smirked as Diamond Tiara blushed, both of them hearing the latter’s teasing voice. “I’ve been curious about them. Do you know why I choose the name-signs that I do for ponies?” Again, Diamond Tiara found herself blinking in confusion, wondering where Scootaloo was taking this. “Um…no? I just figured it was shapes that reminded you of the pony.” Scootaloo giggled. “That’s…actually literally it. There’s no big mystery about the symbols. Rainbow Dash is a rainbow, followed by the quickness of a pony dashing away. Apple Bloom is the shape of an apple and the direction a plant grows when it blooms. Sweetie Belle is the swirl of a sweet piece of candy and how a bell swings. It’s way more literal than I think some ponies think it is. It’s just…shapes and motions that I associate with the words that make up a pony’s name.” She grinned. “I like to think it’s much the same with cutie marks, sometimes.” Diamond Tiara deadpanned, looking down at the diamond-studded tiara emblazoned on her flank. “Oh, you have no idea.” Scootaloo hummed as she bobbed her head side to side. “You’d be surprised. Out of Rainbow Dash and her friends, the only one whose name isn’t what I consider a direct correlation to their cutie mark is Pinkie Pie–and even then, it’s like, a secondary relation. Parties and whatever.” The earth pony filly couldn’t help but roll her eyes, perfectly familiar with the most hyper mare in Ponyville. “Yeah, I get it. What does this have to do with anything?” Her pegasus counterpart chuckled. “I’ve noticed that, literal or not, symbols don’t define just one part of a pony. Pinkie Pie doesn’t just blow up balloons and make cake, right? She’s a good organizer, and can whip up the mood of a place just by showing up. Did you know that Rarity’s special talent isn’t actually dressmaking?” For the first time in a week, Diamond Tiara felt herself hit a mental block. “Wait…it’s not?” Scootaloo shook her head, only getting more excited. “Nope! She explained it to us when we asked her. Her special talent is actually finding precious, rare gems. But she chose to put that to her favorite hobby, dress making.” She snorts through a giggle. “I mean, think about it: can you imagine Rarity at a dig site getting her hooves dirty just to find rare gems?” Her heart skipped a beat when she heard her former bully giggle. “No.” “Exactly! So Rarity took something that others might associate with archaeology or something, and made it totally different. Now, she’s really good at making ponies feel beautiful with the gems she finds!” Her words began to float down from the atmosphere, sinking into Diamond Tiara’s mind, the little filly beginning to feel a weight in her chest lighten as Scootaloo continued. “I’ve felt tiaras before. They’re a unique shape. But I don’t…really have a concept of pretty or ugly, just different. Tiaras are the shapes worn by leaders. Princesses. The mares that rule Equestria and make sure life stays good for all of us. They have a big responsibility, but they carry it well. I;ve noticed that it’s really easy for you to get ponies to listen to you. Your voice carries naturally, and it’s got a distinct ring to it. Even when I couldn’t hear, I could tell something was different when you were around. The air you carry is…really unique.” “What are you saying?” Diamond asked, something inside her begging to hear what the pegasus filly was about to say. She was met with a smile. “I think…your special talent is about being a leader. Not just…being rich and flaunting your status like your mom does. I think…you were meant to lead ponies. Whatever that means, only you get to decide. But…that decision is only yours, okay? Not your mom’s. Besides, if you ask me, yo–” Her words suddenly cut off as something bumped into her chest, the artificial scent Diamond Tiara carried with her filling Scootaloo’s nostrils and perfectly pressed curls tickling her cheek. Forelegs wrapped around her neck, and for a heart-stopping moment, Scootaloo thought she was being attacked again. The fear dissipated, however, when she felt Diamond’s withers jerk, breath hissing between her teeth. Diamond Tiara felt her heart soaring. For the first time since she had gotten her cutie mark, something made sense. All those sleepless nights and long talks with her parents had only ever led to more questions than answers–if they could even manage to keep the topic on her and her thoughts for long enough. She couldn’t even count how many times such conversations ended with her mother just snapping at her and telling her that it was obvious, or to just go to bed, or to stop acting confused–that it was unbecoming of one who had so much in life. For what had to be the first time in her life, her tears held something sweet amidst the bitter. Feeling water drip onto her shoulder, Scootaloo felt a smile creep up her face, and she pulled her hooves around Diamond Tiara, holding her classmate as she got herself together, something clicking into place in her mind. With a soft little giggle, Scootaloo pulled away from the filly and reached out her hoof, touching Diamond Tiara’s chest fur. Slowly, she traced a four-pointed diamond on her chest. “What was that?” Diamond Tiara asked. Scootaloo grinned. “That’s your name sign. Make sure to remember it, okay? It’ll help me know it’s you quicker if I can’t hear.” Diamond Tiara, her heart flying above her burdens for the first time ever, swore she felt the world get several shades brighter as she smiled. “Okay.”