My Little DJ: Scootaloo's Melody

by iDash

Chapter 2: Our Music Shall Never Die

“...you are my rainbow to keep. My eyes will always be watching you; never will I lose sight of you.”
-Vesna Bailey

It was mid-morning when Scootaloo groggily awoke from her slumber. The mare blinked a few times in order to clear her vision, squinting as hints of sunlight burst through the cracks in the blinds that covered the window. She closed her eyes once more and slowly lifted her head off of the comfortable pillow. The blanket was brushed off of her with a push from her wing and she sat up on the edge of the bed, wiping her eyes as the last feelings of lethargy faded away. Memories of the nightmare that had occurred the previous night came into her mind. She grimaced at the thought and quickly dismissed it with a shake of her head.

She looked around at her surroundings, the white room of clouds. It was relatively empty; the only things that occupied the room were a small bedside table and the bed that she sat on. On the bedside table, which sat on the other side of the bed, stood a small lamp and next to it, a picture was held in a simple frame and propped up.

Scootaloo shuffled and moved to the other side of the bed to get a better view of the photograph. She grabbed it with her hoof and examined it, recognizing it and recalling the day that it was taken.

In the photo stood two mares, a pegasus and a unicorn, with a younger pegasus mare in between them. The young mare had her front hooves slung around the shoulders of the two others. Each of them was smiling and laughing as if they were having the time of their lives. It was a photo of Scootaloo, Vinyl, and Rainbow Dash. Vinyl stood on Scootaloo’s right, her signature shades propped up above her crimson red eyes and her normally excited grin plastered on her face. Rainbow stood on the filly’s left, her face adorned with a proud smirk while she waved at the camera.

It had been taken on the night of Scootaloo’s eighteenth birthday. She remembered it well. They had thrown a huge party with all of her friends there. The mares had tried their best to make it one of the happiest days of her life, and probably succeeded.

They were all so happy then…

A pain shot through Scootaloo’s heart as she recalled the events of the previous day. Vinyl was still gone. It was a truth she’d had to face, but the truth still hurt. To think that the three of them would never be happy together again…

A tear that had welled up in her eyes without her noticing fell and hit the glass covering the photo.

‘Never together again…’

The pain hurt too much; she had to do something.

‘…But what now?’ She thought to herself. But she had absolutely no idea.

Slowly, she got up out of the bed. Head hung low, the sullen mare quietly made her way to the room’s cloud door, which stood slightly ajar. She gently pushed it open and made her way down the silent hallway. When she reached the end, she stood in the house’s living room. A couch sat in the middle with a TV across from it. The walls were adorned with various pictures and medals belonging to the owner of the house.

Scootaloo recognized one of the pictures that had a medal slung on top of it. It was a picture of Rainbow Dash when she won the Young Fliers’ Competition in Cloudsdale, when she finally pulled off the sonic rainboom.

She seemed so happy in that photo as well. Everything around her seemed so happy, while she remained so miserable…

“Morning, squirt.” The voice that came from behind her made her jump slightly with surprise.

Scootaloo turned around to see Rainbow Dash sitting at a table next to the kitchen, a half eaten daisy sandwich on a plate in front of her.

Scootaloo furrowed her brow as she frowned at the mare in front of her. “I thought I told you not to call me that. I’m not a little filly anymore, you know.”

Rainbow chuckled, “I know, I know. Force of habit, I guess.”

Scootaloo just grunted and moved to the table as she sat down in a chair in front of the older mare. She didn’t say anything, but just kept her head down and her gaze on the ground.

Events of the previous days gone by once again flooded her mind as her heart continued to sink with each memory. She briefly glanced up at the cyan pegasus across from her. Rainbow’s gaze was shifting as she ran her hoof through her disheveled mane.

Rainbow wanted to say something, anything, to the orange mare across from her, but she could think of nothing. She wanted to say she was sorry, wanted to tell her friend that everything would be okay, but how could she? How could she look her in the eye and tell her that everything would be okay after she just saw her mother die?

The mare couldn’t, she just couldn’t do it. “Scootaloo, I…” she tried to speak up, but trailed off. She took a deep breath.

“Look, you know that if you ever need anything, or you just need a friend, someone to talk to, you know that I’ll always be here, okay?” she said repeating what she had promised the mare the night before. Scootaloo hesitated for a moment and then just nodded, making no attempt to look up at Rainbow.

‘Someone to talk to? Seriously? Way to help out, Rainbow…’ the cyan mare thought as she sighed.

It warmed Scootaloo a little to hear this, though. She knew that Rainbow would do anything she could to help her.

But there were some things that even the talented rainbow maned pegasus couldn’t help… not alone, anyways.

Scootaloo pushed her chair back as she got up and trotted around the table. Rainbow followed the mare with her eyes as she wore a slightly confused expression. The younger pegasus walked to the front door of the house before turning around to face her friend.

“I’m sorry, Dash, I just… I have to go and think right now.”

She began to turn again, but stopped herself as she spoke once more.

“And thanks for being here for me.” And with that, she opened the door and flew out into the brisk morning skies.

The flight hadn’t taken very long at all. It wasn’t much of a flight, however; Scootaloo simply glided down from the cloud home with her wings outstretched, the soft morning breeze flowed gently through her feathers as the scent of rain water washed over her.

As she landed, her hooves touched down on the lush green grass beneath her. Ruffling her wings, the mare calmly began to make her way to the house that lay just a few feet ahead of her. When she reached it, she just stared at the door as the smooth white surface stared right back at her. Should she go inside? She didn’t want to be in the empty house alone.

Scootaloo hesitated, then, with a sigh, she unlocked the door and walked inside, silently shutting it behind her. The mare stood still just in front of the doorway. She stared at her surroundings, the desolate feeling of the dim, dark room pressed down on her as if it were trying to crush her.

Her heart began to sink as the horrible silence slowly ate at her. The house, her home, had always been so bright and filled with music, happiness… the sound of a mother laughing with her little girl.

But it was utterly silent now.

With small, weak steps, Scootaloo strode to the staircase and began to make her way up. She rarely actually walked up the stairs, usually choosing to fly up instead. But she didn’t care to think about that right now.

As she reached the top, she turned and traipsed to the first door on her right. Taking a deep breath, she nudged it open with her muzzle and stepped inside.

Light from the rising sun peeked into the room from in between the broken blinds on the window and illuminated what had become of her room.

It was ruined.

Clothes and papers were strewn out randomly on the floor, half of her stereo system had apparently taken a hoof or two through it, and there was a decent sized crack on her dresser where somepony had repeatedly slammed their hoof down into it. Her bed’s mattress had been taken off with the sheets and a pile of glass laid in a corner of the room while some shards were still stuck in the wall after having their original form thrown across the room.

Scootaloo remembered well what had caused her room to look like this and why. She hadn’t reacted too well when… well, when it happened and she lost herself in her despair. But then again, who wouldn’t? How could someone react when they just saw the only one they care about more than anything else die?

She turned her head and took in the chaos of her room. The mare stopped, though, when her gaze fell upon the only thing that had remained untouched. On top of a small table that stood beside her bed sat a glossy black pair of sunglasses, the orange tinted lenses reflecting the squalid, disheveled room before them.

Entranced by the slightly worn down shades, Scootaloo drifted towards them. She lifted them up with her hoof and gazed at her reflection.

Years ago, the shades had been gifted to her by her mother. It was on the same day she had gotten her cutie mark and probably the best day of her life. They reminded her so much of her mother, of the identical purpled tinted shades that were buried with her…

Another sharp pain shot through her heart again. The glasses used to represent happiness and the gift of music that her mother had given her, but now they just seemed like a painful memory.

Familiar tears welled up in her violet eyes as her orange hoof grasped the worn shades and she tried to grasp at the joy they’d once brought her.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The sound of a hoof rapping on the wooden front door returned Scootaloo from her thoughts. She set the glasses down and brought her own hoof up to wipe her eyes. After she cleared her vision, the pegasus scuttled out of the room and into the hallway until she stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the front door.

‘Who could it be?...’ she thought.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The rapping came again. Scootaloo began down the stairs, taking each step with uncertainty as she moved along the carpeted surface.

She quickly reached the door and hesitated for a moment before giving in and turning the knob. A soft, chilly breeze flowed in as the door was pulled open, the smell of fresh rainwater invading her senses once more.

Scootaloo was a little surprised, though, as the door opened to reveal an earth pony mare with a sleek gray coat and a graceful black mane. A pale purple musical treble clef symbol was adorned on each of her flanks.

She looked into Scootaloo’s eyes with her own slightly bloodshot ones, which made it apparent that she had been crying, and put on a small, weak smile.

“Hello, Scootaloo,” Octavia said in a quiet voice. “May I come in?”

“…How are you holding up?” Octavia asked as she took a small sip from her cup of tea then set it back down on the table in front of her. The gray mare sat on the couch in the middle of the living room, her back rested against the back of the cushiony sofa.

Scootaloo ran a hoof through her hair as she exhaled a breath she seemed to be holding.

“‘Bout as well as you’d expect.” The younger, orange mare sat on the opposite end of the couch, hunching slightly as her head hung over her cup, just staring into the dark tea it contained.

Octavia let out a small “Oh” before shifting her head and looking down at her own cup.

After a moment of silence, Scootaloo spoke up as she turned her gaze towards the other pony. “What about you, Octavia?”

The gray mare slowly shook her head, not taking her head off of the cup.

“Not too well, dear. Not too well.” She spoke in a Canterlot accent. Scootaloo found it strange how she adopted that accent and speech pattern even though the mare was from Ponyville. One of the things she had come to like about her, though, was that no matter how much time she spent around the fancy pants ponies in Canterlot or Manehattan, she never forgot where she came from.

“I just…” Octavia spoke up, but she drifted off. She shook her head as she closed her eyes and raised a hoof to her forehead.

“I just can’t believe that she’s gone. I don’t want to believe it.”

‘Well, you’re not alone, then,’ Scootaloo thought. She lifted herself up a bit and shifted her position until she was sitting next to the distressed black maned mare, resting a hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort.

The two remained silent like that for a little while. Neither spoke a word, but both reflected on why they were so hopelessly distraught.

Octavia eventually spoke up with a slightly strange question for the orange mare.

“Did I ever tell you how Vinyl and I met?”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and gave a curious look. “Um, no, I don’t think so.”

The older mare responded with a weak smile. “Well, don’t worry. It’s not too long of a story.”

“It was a little while back when I was a couple years younger than you. I’d just gotten out of college and started my musical career. They weren’t exactly my best days, though. Nopony would give me a chance to play. Then again, nopony would ever pay any attention to a lone cellist that wasn’t even a part of an orchestra.”

Scootaloo gave her a confused look. “You played alone? But you play with symphony groups all the time.”

Octavia nodded, “It’s always temporary. I only play with a group once or twice. I get offers to play a lot, but yes, I did originally start out alone, and I still often am.

“Anyways, as you might expect, I had trouble keeping up with the lack of work. Even with my manager trying his best to get me a performance, nothing came up. I was having problems just trying to pay the rent for the small apartment I had. Well, it was like that for a while until an opportunity finally came up. My manager had finally gotten me a chance to play at an orchestral concert in Canterlot.

“I was so happy. I was excited that somepony would finally get to hear me perform. I might’ve finally been recognized. Well, that excitement lasted all the way until I got up on the stage. The crowd was huge. I thought at least half of the city had to be there, and all of the big-wig canterlot ponies were looking at me, as if expecting the best performance they’d seen. It was a little much for me to handle at the time, and, long story short, my nerves got the best of me and I completely blew it.”

Scootaloo was a little surprised at this. Octavia was the best orchestral musician she had ever heard and she almost never showed her nerves.

The gray mare checked to see that her friend was still listening and continued her story. “I was so frustrated with myself at the time; I’d messed up probably the only chance I was going to get. Right after the performance, I ran out. Didn’t say a word to my manager and just ran to wherever I could get a drink to forget how bad I’d screwed up. I believe the club was called ‘Canterlot Trot’. Anyways, I went straight to the bar and started hitting the hard cider.

“After a bottle or two, another pony sat next to me and was kind enough to order the next drink for me. That pony was Vinyl. It turns out that she was the usual DJ for the club. She was just starting out on her career as DJ PON-3 as well. It came as quite a surprise, though, when she told me that she had been to my performance a little bit ago. I never even thought that ponies… well, ponies involved in her type of music ever listened to my classical or orchestral type. But, sure enough, she did and even told me that I was one of the best players she’d heard.”

Octavia chuckled and smiled to herself. “Being the kind, caring mare that Vinyl was, she tried her best to cheer me up, telling me not to worry about it and to not let it get me down, that I would always get another chance. I kept denying it, though. I told her about the problems I was having with taking care of myself and keeping up with rent. She surprised me again when she told me that she was having the same problems. That night, she suggested that we become roommates. I was a little unsure at first, seeing as we had just met, but Vinyl seemed quite nice, and I did need some help if I was going to make it through at the time. So, I agreed. It was much of a relief to both of us.”

Scootaloo just nodded as she listened to the story. It sounded so much like Vinyl to go out of her way to cheer up somepony she had never even met before. That’s just the kind of wonderful pony she was.

“I still wasn’t exactly the happiest mare in Canterlot at the time, however, and Vinyl was still determined to make it a good time for me. So, she asked the DJ that was substituting for her to play a track, and then grabbed me and pulled me up to the dance floor. Of course, I didn’t want to dance, but she insisted, and you know how stubborn Vinyl could get.” She gave a warm smile.

“The song that the DJ put on was one of Vinyl’s special mixes. I was hesitant at first, but it didn’t take long for Vinyl’s song to get me dancing.” Octavia chuckled a little, almost lost in thought as she shook her head at the memory. “I hadn’t partied like that for quite a while. But it’s just that Vinyl’s music… I don’t know how to explain it. I used to hate that type of music, I thought it was just random noises that somepony put together and called it a song, and I often still do. But Vinyl’s was different. I still don’t know how, but she was always able to take those random noises and turn them into something amazing.”

Scootaloo nodded thoughtfully in agreement. “Yeah, she really was. I hate how a lot of ponies just see it as senseless noise, and they view the ponies that make it as some idiots who don’t know the first thing about music.”

And that was completely true. If Scootaloo were to say that everypony was just fine with it, then she’d be outright lying. Nopony ever saw the real ponies behind the turntables, only what they wanted to see.

In truth, it hurt Scootaloo every time somebody looked down on her music, every time somepony ridiculed her for what she did. To have someone trample on everything you believed in, everything you lived and strived for. To have someone crush your dreams like that… It was never easy.

Lost in thought, the orange mare raised a hoof to her chest and felt her heart beat calmly in her chest.

‘And it never gets easier…’

“Aw man, Scootaloo, it’s just not fair. Yours is so cool.” Sweetie Belle walked alongside Scootaloo as she gazed longingly at her friend’s flank, which was adorned with the image of a spinning record and a single, graceful wing sprouting from its center. Her cutie mark, which she had received over the previous weekend.

“I know, right? I’m so happy that I finally got it!” She caught herself abruptly after she finished the sentence, and put on a sheepish grin as she looked over to her two friends. “Um... but I’m sure you guys will get yours really soon, and they’ll be just as awesome as mine!”

“Hmmm, Ah sure hope so, Scoot,” Applebloom said as she walked on the Scootaloo’s other side. “Ah just don’t want mine to be about some stupid apples.”

“Aw, c’mon, Bloom. Apples aren’t that bad, are they?” Sweetie Belle said.

“That’s easy for you ta say. Every day at mah house, it’s apples this! Apples that! Ah can’t even remember the last time Ah ate somethin’ that didn’t have an apple in it!” She threw her front hooves up in the air for exaggeration.

Scootaloo and Sweetie did their best to suppress a giggle.

“Don’t worry, Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “I’m pretty sure it won’t be something you don’t like.”

Applebloom grunted and mumbled something under her breath about ‘apple-happy ponies’. Scootaloo just smiled and shrugged.

“Oh yeah, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle piped up. “We haven’t heard your knew song yet, you should play it for us!”

“Yeah!” Applebloom jumped up. “Ah heard it was amazing!”

Their conversation continued as they walked along the stone streets of Ponyville. They were headed to their CMC clubhouse after just being let out of school for the day. The day had gone pretty well for Scootaloo, all of her classmates complimenting her on her cutie mark. Even with the crude snickers and ineligible whispers from the class trolls, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, it had been a pretty good day.

The friends continued to walk, their hoofsteps sounding in unison. Celestia’s sun provided pleasant warmth as a smooth breeze blew through, creating perfect harmony for the three friends as they smiled and laughed together.

That harmony did not last long, however, as a certain two pretentious fillies greeted them.

“Well, if it isn’t the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’” Diamond Tiara said with a sneer, almost spitting out the name of the group before her. Silver Spoon smirked at the three friends from just behind the pink filly.

“Oh look, it’s the Little Princess and Silver Goon.” Scootaloo said with a deadpan face as Sweetie and Applebloom snickered beside her.

“Ha ha,” Silver Spoon said sarcastically. “Very funny coming from a few blank flanks.”

Diamond Tiara trotted forward until she as face to face with Scootaloo, then tilted her head and peered at the orange filly’s flank.

“Except it seems like little Scootaloo here isn’t a blank flank anymore.” With a huff, Diamond turned back around. “Though, it’s not much of a cutie mark. What is that supposed to be, a piece of charcoal with wings?”

“It’s a record, you id-” Scootaloo began to retort but was cut off by Diamond Tiara.

“Oh, and I heard that thing you call music. Honestly, I’ve never heard anything worse in my life.”

Scootaloo was much taken aback by the comment, though, she didn’t know why. She’d been insulted about her blank flank and even her cutie mark and those hadn’t fazed her too much. So why was he music any different? Why was she getting this weird feeling?

“Hey! Take that back. Scootaloo’s music is awesome,” Sweetie Belle said with her brow furrowed.

“Is that so?” Diamond Tiara raised brow. “Have you ever even heard it?”

Sweetie was slightly taken aback and stumbled for words, “Um... I... well no, I haven’t... but a lot of other ponies like it!”

Diamond snorted and shook her head, “The only ponies that like that noise are idiots that party all the time and think what they’re listening to is music, just like that Vinyl Scratch.” She spat out that last couple of words as she spoke the name of the pony DJ.

At that, Scootaloo’s complete demeanor changed as she glared at Diamond with a look that would have made Fluttershy faint.

“What did you say?” Scootaloo said in a menacing tone.

The pink filly smirked. “Ooh, looks like we touched a sensitive spot. Oh yeah, Scratch is the one that taught you how to make that crappy noise, isn’t she? Well, she did a pretty good job. You’re almost as bad as her.” Silver Spoon started giggling behind her.

Scootaloo’s blood was beginning to boil and her friends could’ve sworn that they heard a low growl coming from her. Needless to say, she was pissed. No one talked trash about Vinyl, not while she was around.

Silver Spoon decided it was a good idea to join in. “Hahah, I bet you could hear a better song coming from a dying cat.” Diamond laughed out loud at this.

Diamond turned to Scootaloo with a malicious grin. “You know, you think your ‘music’ is so great now, but it will never amount to anything.”

Scootaloo’s temper flared as the filly spoke, but still, there it was, that same weird feeling. It lingered in her almost like an echo, but she could still feel it, and it... hurt.

“All the noise you make is just a fad that everypony will forget.”

She could barely hold herself back as her anger grew, just as the ominous pain did.

“It’ll die out and fade away until nopony remembers you or that annoying Vinyl Scratch-”

That was about as far as she’d gotten until her dirty smirk was taken off by an orange filly’s hoof when it contacted her face.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Vinyl froze in mid-sip as she was drinking her cup of coffee and shifted her gaze to the front door. She sighed as she set her cup down on the table in front of her with her magic. The DJ had been hoping to have a peaceful and quiet Monday, but apparently that was not going to be the case.

The alabaster mare sat up from her chair and levitated her signature shades onto her face. She began to walk as she wondered who it could be.

‘Did Scootaloo forget her key again?’ the mare wondered.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’.” She stood on the carpeted floor in front of the door as her pale purple magic engulfed the doorknob.

The knob turned and the wooden door creaked open. “Scootaloo, you can’t keep losing your-... oh.”

Before her stood a stallion, a light blue coat with a dark blue mane and a very stern look on his face. The badge on the marine blue shirt that he wore told Vinyl that he was a Ponyville Patrol pony. What really caught her attention, though, was the orange filly that stood next to him. Scootaloo was looking down at the ground, her mane was ruffled up and she had seemingly acquired a black eye.

“Are you Ms. Vinyl Scratch?” the patrol pony asked.

“Uh... y-yeah, that’s me,” Vinyl stuttered.

“Good. We found Scootaloo not too long ago in a fight with another filly.” Scootaloo’s ears flattened against her head as he said this.

“Aw man,” Vinyl quickly knelt down in front Scootaloo as she gently lifted a hoof to her chin and tilted her head up so that she was looking into the filly’s violet eyes.

“Are you okay, Scootaloo?” Vinyl asked in a quieter voice. Scootaloo gazed into the mare’s crimson eyes before turning her gaze down once again as she gave a slight nod and a quiet whimper.

Vinyl lowered her head and nuzzled the filly’s cheek. “Alright, it’ll be okay,” she whispered.

She looked back up to the patrol pony. “Is she in much trouble?” she asked with a worried expression.

“Scootaloo will be alright, ma’am,” the stallion said with an honest and warm smile. “We decided to let her off with just warning this time, as long as it doesn’t happen again.”

A relieved smile replaced Vinyl’s worried expression. “Thanks, and I’m sure it won’t.”

“That’s good to hear.” The stallion turned around to leave. “Have a good one, Ms. Scratch,” he said as he walked away, leaving the two alone.

Vinyl stood up on the soft grass and turned around to the open door of her home.

“Come on, let’s get you inside. I’ll get some ice for your eye,” she said as she brushed a loose strand of hair from the filly’s face.

Scootaloo just nodded and followed her as they trotted inside. As Vinyl shut the door gently with her magic, the orange filly silently strode across the carpet and into the living room where she sat down on the couch.

Vinyl quickly trotted over to the kitchen and opened the freezer where an already chilled ice pack lay. She wrapped it in the purple aura of her magic and levitated it next to her. Closing the fridge, she made her way to the filly and sat down on the floor in front of her.

“Here ya go,” she said as she levitated the ice pack in front of Scootaloo.

Scootaloo gladly accepted it and placed it over her blackened eye. “Thanks,” she muttered, but didn’t look up at the mare. They sat like that in silence for a few moments until Vinyl finally spoke up.

“So, what happened?” the DJ asked.

Scootaloo hesitated a moment before answering. “I… I got in a fight with Diamond Tiara.” Vinyl recognized the name. If she remembered right, it was some annoying rich kid in Scootaloo’s class.

“Well, what happened? Did she do something to you?” Scootaloo noticed the worried tone in her voice.

The filly clenched her teeth as she slowly nodded. “She was making fun of you. She kept mocking you and saying that you made crappy music and it just kept pissing me off.” She furrowed her brow as she recalled everything the pale pink filly had said to her. Then she remembered it, the strange, painful feeling she had gotten before.

“But then,” the filly said in a slightly raspy voice. “She… she started talking about our songs, saying that it was hardly even music. She said that it would never really be anything. She said that everypony would just forget, and that it would die out and fade away.” Her voice had progressively become quieter as she spoke.

The filly raised a hoof to her chest and felt her heart gently beating against it. “And… I don’t know why, but…” She spoke. “It… hurt.”

Vinyl stared at the filly, slightly astonished. The first thing that surprised her was that the filly had gotten so worked up over some foal talking trash about her. However, that didn’t matter after hearing the last few things that Scootaloo had said.

‘It hurt’, she had said. Vinyl frowned; she knew all too well what the filly had gone through, and she was right, it did hurt.

The mare leaned forward and lifted her hoof as she ran it through the orange pegasus’ deep purple mane. She sighed.

“I know it hurts, Scootaloo. When somepony looks down on what you believe in, when they step on your dreams like that, it always hurts.”

Scootaloo’s head lowered a bit more as her ears remained pressed flat against her head.

“Look, Scoot,” Vinyl moved her face closer so that she was staring into the younger pony’s eyes. “Ponies are always going to try to bring you down, some of them are going to be against you and they’ll always try to walk all over you. A lot of ponies will say that our music will never go far, that it’ll just fade away and die.”

Scootaloo made no response as the DJ continued.

“But that’s not true,” she said. “You know why?”

Scootaloo shook her head and looked at Vinyl expectantly.

The mare smiled and playfully poked a hoof at where the filly’s chest over her heart. The filly let out a small giggle.

“Because as long as you love it, then it can never die. Everything you believe in, it’ll always carry on as long as you hold it close to you.”

A small smile crept onto Scootaloo’s face.

“People will still try to bring you down, but you’ve just got to stay strong, and just don’t let them get to you, okay?” The DJ grinned as the filly nodded her head.

Scootaloo gave a quizzical look, however, as she lowered her head in thought.

“Something else wrong?” the mare inquired.

Scootaloo gave no response for a moment before looking back up at her with a concerned look in her eyes.

“Does… does it ever stop hurting?”

Vinyl’s grinned faded as she adorned a slightly sorrowful expression. She slowly shook her head in response to the filly’s desperate question. She wished it was different, but the feeling you get when someone steps on your dreams is an awful feeling that haunts you and just doesn’t go away.

And to see that young, happy filly hurt by something like that… She couldn’t stand it.

Vinyl put on another warm smile as she spoke again to the sad Scootaloo.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” she said as the filly looked up. “I want you to promise me something.”

She placed a hoof on the filly’s heart again. “Promise me you won't let your dream die. Promise me that you won’t let our song fade away.”

Scootaloo thought about what the mare was saying. She smiled as she looked at her with her radiant violet eyes, a new determination glistening within them.

Stunning silence filled the room as Octavia and Scootaloo finished the talk they’d had. Through a flood of tears, Octavia had told of how she had never met a kinder or more generous mare than Vinyl, and that couldn’t have been closer to the truth. Scootaloo had fought to hold back tears of her own, trying her best to comfort her friend.

The silence carried on as Octavia wiped the last of her tears. Eventually the gray mare stood up, sniffling one last time as Scootaloo stood up beside her.

“I’m sorry but I have to go now, dear,” she said with a shaky voice. She turned and threw her arms around Scootaloo as she pulled the orange mare into a tight, warm hug.

“Please stay strong, Scootaloo. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Scootaloo silently nodded and returned the embrace. The two remained as such for a few moments, letting the remaining bits of their sorrow for the moment drain out.

As they each released each other from the embrace, they each said a last goodbye. Octavia turned to leave and opened the front door. A cool breeze filled the house and ushered in fresh air from outside as the midday sun shined brightly.

The gray mare started as if to take a step, but hesitated before she was out of the doorway. She turned to Scootaloo once again as she spoke.

“Scootaloo, I was wondering, about the Equestria Music Festival in Canterlot. It’s in a few weeks and I heard that you and… that you and Vinyl were going to go together.”

Scootaloo’s heart sank as she remembered the festival. It would have been her first time performing in the event and she was supposed to perform with Vinyl.

Scootaloo let out a pained sigh and ran her hoof through her mane as she sat on the couch. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Octavia looked towards the other mare. “Scootaloo, I know how you must feel, but I think you should still go. Vinyl… she was so happy that you would get the chance and, well, I really believe that it would make her proud.” She choked out the last few words.

Scootaloo said nothing as Octavia continued. “I know that your music meant everything to you two and I just think it would be right if you kept on with it. It’s… I just…” She let out a sigh. “It’s just like she said: ‘Carry on and let the music flow’. I know you’re going through a lot, Scootaloo, we all are. But I think you should do this… for her.”

Scootaloo didn’t respond with anything but a slow nod as thoughts passed through her mind and she considered what Octavia had said.

The gray mare gazed once more with a sorrowful and worried expression at the distraught orange mare before turning to the still open doorway.

“Goodbye, dear,” she said sincerely and closed the door with a light click as she left.

Scootaloo sat alone in the quiet house, thoughts still running through her mind. She reclined and leaned onto the back of the couch and tilted her head back, her gaze pointed towards the ceiling, but focused on empty space.

Her thoughts gradually calmed down and she was reminded once again of the house’s penetrating silence.

Without really crying, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke softly to no one but herself.

“Yeah, I have a promise to keep.”