//------------------------------// // Chapter VII // Story: Family Trip // by TheKing2001 //------------------------------// Cherry Berry I rolled over in my sleeping bag, being woken up unfortunately from a decent dream from the urge to pee. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, looking around the cave and blinking. “Scootaloo?” I mumbled and stared at the empty sleeping bag. “Scootaloo!” I climbed out of my sleeping bag and grabbed my flashlight, nervously turning it on. I idly noticed I was just in my underwear but I didn’t care right now. “Scootaloo!” I hissed and peered around nervously. “This isn’t funny. Come out and get back in the sleeping bag.” I grumbled as I sat down on my sleeping bag, pulling a pair of sweat pants and shirt on along with socks and boots. I stood back up and my flashlight rested on the entrance of the cave along with Scootaloo’s phone and my blood ran cold. “Oh screw my life,” I muttered as I ran out into the darkness with my light. “Scootaloo, are you out here?” I flashed my light around and the beam fell on some broken sticks. I shrugged and followed them. I was absolutely exhausted but I wasn’t coming back without her. I continued walking and grumbling, following the broken sticks. I really hoped I was following Scootaloo’s tracks and not a bear. I’d rather not meet a bear in the middle of the night. I stopped a river and paused at the edge. “Well she couldn’t have gone down here,” I said and turned to leave. I glanced back and stared closer at a rock poking out of the water with a small figure on it. “Scootaloo?” I muttered and tossed the flashlight to the ground, sitting next to it and yanking my boots off along with my sweatpants. “Hang on, I’m coming!” I took a deep breath and dived into the water. My body jolted from the cold water as I started swimming towards her. I idly knew this was a type of thing Berry Punch would do. I surfaced and pulled myself up, panting on the rock she was on. Scootaloo stared at me with wide eyes as I inhaled. “What the fuck are you doing out here?” I demanded angrily as I glared at her. I never cussed before in my life I think until now. “It’s got to be past one am!” “I’m already scared enough as is right now. Please don’t cuss at me,” Scootaloo grumbled as she stood up. “Your story scared me even more than I already was. I hate forests. I hate camping. I was found abandoned in the woods in Canterlot. I don’t like this place. So I ran out here to face my fears like you or Sunset would do but I fell in the river.” “What on earth are you talking about?” I demanded as I joined her standing up. “I’m all about facing fears and all but maybe you could do it with us! Instead of me having to gallivant out here after you!” “Must be nice to be you, Sunset and Mom. You have no fears,” Scootaloo grumbled as I stared at her. “What are you talking about? I’m afraid of plenty of stuff. So is Sunset. So is Cheerilee, Minuette and Berry.” “Seriously? You guys don’t seem afraid of anything.” “Sunset’s afraid of needles, Cheerilee’s afraid of elevators, Berry hates escalator, Minuette hates failure, I’m afraid of clowns,” I answered and hugged her. “We will talk more about this in the morning. Let’s get out of here, I saw a bank nearby that we can use to get back to where I dived in at.” “That explains why you are just in your underwear,” Scootaloo muttered with a blush. “And shirt of course.” “Yeah. So you’re scared of the woods?” “Mhm. I guess I don’t actually hate camping but the woods is not great,” Scootaloo said sheepishly as we started walking through the water and up the bank. “And you didn’t think to I don’t know, tell any of us this?” I demanded as she flinched. “Sunset wouldn’t ask for help or tell you guys,” she muttered as I laughed. “Sunset has came to all four us for help more than once. She and Berry connected instantly during Christmas, me and her when we went to a hockey game and dinner, I don’t even have to say how she and Cheerilee connected, she and Minuette watched the entire Big Bang Theory together. A strong person isn’t someone who does things by themselves but asks for help,” I explained as I bent down to grab my sweat pants and flashlight. “I guess. What’s the hardest decision you’ve had to make?” Scootaloo asked curiously as we started walking back to the others. I sighed and looked up, biting my lip. “So you know how I’m technically the de facto leader of the family because I’m the oldest right?” I asked and Scootaloo nodded. “It didn’t always use to be that way. It was mom and dad before they died. Me and Cheerilee made a pretty big mistake. When Berry got pregnant, her and mom got into a screaming match over her keeping Ruby. Mom eventually kicked her out and she lived with Minuettes folks for a bit. Cheerilee and I stayed quiet and didn’t support her because we didn’t want to anger mom.” “And that was it?” Scootaloo asked with wide eyes and I shook my head. “I’m getting there. We both reached out after a week and Berry agreed to meet us at a diner. Basically she cursed us out, cried, threatened to cut us out her life for ever and never let us see her daughter. Cheerilee and I went home, stood up to mom and dad and then cut them out of our lives. We didn’t go to the funerals, we blocked them on everything. I loved mom and dad but I love my sister. And I got an awesome niece out of it. And yet, they still kept the three of us in their wills.” “That’s weird.” “It was. So I replaced mom and dad as the leader of the family. Benefits of being the oldest child. But that was the hardest decision I ever had to make. Choosing between my family. But I’d do it again. And I’d pick Berry each time. Because I should have done it from the start but didn’t because I didn’t want to anger our parents. Cheerilee feels the same if you ask her,” I said and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay to be afraid of things. It’s natural. Everyone has fears and conquering them are good but it’s how you go about it. You’re young so you’re expected to mistakes but don’t do this again.” “So what now?” Scootaloo asked quietly as I smirked. “The others are going to hate me for ruining the trip. I should just go back to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.” I bent down to pick up her phone and kept walking. “They won’t hate you but there is a pretty hard task in front of you now,” I said and hugged her again as we snuck around the others asleep. “Uh what is that?” Scootaloo asked as I slipped into my sleeping bag with her. There was no way I was letting her sleep alone again. She might try to escape or something again. I gave her a smirk as she yawned. “Explaining.” I got comfortable in the sleeping bag as I realized I still had to pee.