My Little DJ: Scootaloo’s Melody

Chapter 3: Because You Were There
By iDash

A/N: Thanks for still reading if you made it this far. I really hope I didn’t disappoint. My apologies if they seem a little lengthy; I had no idea they would turn out so long. : )

“I cannot forget my mother, She is my bridge.”
-Renita Weems

The unsettling rhythm of the clock reached Scootaloo’s ears and echoed through her head. Every beat of the haunting metronome strengthened the cage of silence that Scootaloo had found herself trapped in.

That noise, that place. The resounding silence, aside from the consistent beat of the unnerving clock. The agonizing loneliness that Scootaloo felt, the same loneliness that she would now always feel. It was all unbearable.

She had to get out; she had to escape before it all drove her to madness. She couldn’t be there any longer. Scootaloo abruptly stood from where she had been sitting and briskly trotted to the door, ready to escape that prison, but she stopped as suddenly as she had started. There was something she still needed.

She turned and, at a much slower pace this time, treaded over the cream colored carpet and up the stairs. Looking down at the ground the entire time, she moved down the upper story hallway until she reached the door that led to her nearly destroyed bedroom. She pushed the door open with her muzzle. As she ignored the devastating condition it was in, the mare walked through the room until she stood in front of her bedside table and the shades that lay on top of it. The same shades that she always had with her, the same shades that she treasured more than anything.

Scootaloo gently lifted them in her hoof and rested them atop her head and behind her ears. Now she was ready. She quickly brushed past the doorway and down the stairs. She had to go somewhere, anywhere, as long as she could think without the heavy silence torturing her.

Almost gasping for air she seemed so desperate for, Scootaloo reached for the front door and threw it open, stumbling onto the soft grass surface. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Scootaloo filled her lungs with fresh, untainted air.

She took another deep breath as her vision was filled with the light of Celestia’s late afternoon sun.

“Scootaloo…” Scootaloo’s ears perked up at the sound of the familiar voice as her head shot up in slight surprise. Her eyes darted around until she found the source of the voice, and finally she found it.

There, down a small path that wound from the orange mare’s home and standing next to Applebloom, both with pained and concerned expressions on their face, stood Sweetie Belle.

“I just can’t believe it,” Sweetie Belle spoke up, interrupting the silence that had intruded upon the three mares. They now sat against the side of the orange mare’s house, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon as it continued to bathe them in its pleasant warmth.

Sweetie Belle, the white mare who sat on Scootaloo’s left had rushed back from Las Pegasus to be with her sorrowful friend.

They sat there in each other’s presence. Neither of the two mares was able to think of anything at all to say to their pegasus friend. Though, they were there with her, and that’s all that mattered to Scootaloo, even if it did not completely ease her pain.

“It’s just not fair,” Applebloom said quietly, shaking her head. The cream colored mare’s cardinal red mane fell to her side. It was a little messier than usual, her pink bow unable to keep it in place. The gentle splash of red that was her tail lied limply beside her. It was in a position that allowed it to reveal the mare’s cutie mark: a bright red apple in the shape of a heart that was encircled by a prismatic rainbow.

“I… we just… don’t know what to say, Scoot.” Sweetie Belled gazed at her friend with an intense look of worry and concern. Her multicolored pale pink and purple mane was curled as it usually was. Stray bangs drooped over her face as her head hung down a bit. The evening sun’s light illuminated her sleek, alabaster coat, as well as her own cutie mark that was adorned on her flank: a single bubble that reflected the beautiful light and color around it as it was softly wrapped in a faded pink ribbon.

Applebloom suddenly turned to the DJ mare. “Yes, we do, Scootaloo! It’s just… It’s just not right…”

“Applebloom’s right,” Sweetie Belle said solemnly. “Scootaloo… I’m just so sorry.” The white mare’s voice cracked as she said this. “It’s just not right for you to have to go through this. You cared about her more than anything… I… we’ve never seen you happier than when you were with her.”

This was completely true. Besides her adventures with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, times spent with her mother were the happiest times in her life.

“Well,” she said. “If it weren’t for Vinyl coming into my life, I wouldn’t even be here right now.”

~ _ * _ * _ ~

“Scootaloo…” a soft voice whispered to the filly as she slept, peacefully and contently curled up under the layer of blankets above her.

“Scootaloo...” the voice said a little louder, but Scootaloo still chose to ignore it and continue sleeping.

“Scootaloo… Scootaloo…” The voice persisted and she pulled the blankets over her head as she mumbled something.

The filly’s bed shook with a powerful quake as her eyes shot open from the sudden shouting. Still in shock, Scootaloo shot upright and stumbled out of her bed, her vision still blurred from the groggy sleepiness.

“Aaaaah!” Scootaloo screamed as she fell to the floor and untangled herself from the blankets. She stood up immediately and looked around the room, eyes still wide with surprise. What she saw, however, made her furious in her lethargic state.

Vinyl and Rainbow Dash were rolling on the floor and clutching their stomachs as they laughed, wiping joyful tears from their eyes.

“Vinyl!” Scootaloo shouted in annoyance. “I hate it when you do that!” And she really did. Vinyl had pulled that little prank on her a few times in the past, and every time, the mare thought it was utterly hilarious. Of course, Scootaloo thought otherwise.

The two mares picked themselves up off the floor. Vinyl spoke as she gave a last few chuckles.

“Aw c’mon, Scoot. It’s so funny!” she chuckled. “And besides, Rainbow told me to do it.” She pointed an accusing hoof at the cyan pegasus beside her. The mare in question put on a mock expression of astonishment at her accusation.

Scootaloo gave a “humph” as she sat on her haunches and crossed her front hooves, pouting as her lips pressed into a thin line and her brow furrowed.

“Aw, don’t worry, Scoot. We’ve got somethin’ totally awesome planned for today,” Rainbow said as she noticed the filly’s mood.

Her entire demeanor changed. Scootaloo’s ears perked up and she stood up in her excitement, grinning as she did so.

Vinyl beamed with a grin at the ecstatic filly. “Sorry, Scootaloo, but it’s a surprise. So you’ll just have to come along and find out.”

Scootaloo let out an exaggerated groan of disappointment. Vinyl simply rolled her eyes. “Well, you better hurry up and get ready if you wanna go.”

The filly perked up again and quickly dashed around her room and in a blur of orange, shot back in front of the two mares, her prized black shades resting over her eyes and the glossy orange lenses reflecting Vinyl and Rainbow’s smiles.

“Ugh, how long are we gonna keep walking?!” Scootaloo’s exasperated voice came from behind the two mares and they looked back to see the orange filly nearly dragging her hooves along the surface of the dirt road they were on. In truth, they really had been walking for a while, but Celestia’s hot sun that beat down on them made it seem so much longer than it really was.

As they walked Scootaloo began thinking to herself. What could the surprise be for? It wasn’t her birthday or Hearth’s Warming Eve or anything like that. Nothing really big had happened recently either, so the chances of Pinkie Pie throwing a party for anything was low… but then again, nopony could ever know with Pinkie Pie.

Vinyl chuckled, “Don’t worry, Scoot, we’re almost there.” She then put a hoof to her chin and her face contorted slightly as she thought. “Um, At least I think we are…”

Her voice trailed off as Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “You’re lost?!” she shouted. Rainbow Dash giggled beside the other mare.

Vinyl put on a feigned offended expression. “Am not!” She still looked unsure as she looked around her. Her face lit up as she shot a hoof out and pointed towards something in the distance. “Ah hah! There it is! Told ya I wasn’t lost.”

She wore a prideful grin as Scootaloo looked over to where her caretaker was pointing and quickly furrowed her brow as she looked to the alabaster mare with a quizzical look. “The Town Hall? What are we gonna do there?”

“You’ll see,” Rainbow Dash said with a knowing smile towards Vinyl. “Now come on! You’re gonna love it.” The polychromatic mare grinned as Scootaloo conformed and followed the other two along the gravelly road.

“SCOOTALOO!” two ponies shouted in unison as two pure white and creamy yellow masses pounced on an unsuspecting filly.

“GAAH!” Scootaloo shouted in surprise as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom tackled her to the ground in a group hug.

The two other fillies giggled as they lifted themselves off of Scootaloo so their friend could breathe. The orange filly stood up with a look of bewilderment on her face.

“Applebloom? Sweetie Belle? What’re you girls doing here?” Scootaloo questioned with a raised brow. She dusted herself off then picked up her glasses which had fallen off onto the floor, setting them onto her forehead and above her eyes.

“Oh! It’s because-!” Sweetie Belle started, but was cut off by Applebloom’s hoof in her mouth.

Scootaloo let out a loud frustrated groan. “Why won’t anypony tell me what it is?!”

Vinyl chuckled from behind Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned around to see Vinyl and Rainbow standing on the other side of the room, where they had watched Scootaloo’s abrupt meeting with her friends.

Scootaloo’s face scrunched up as she thought about what it could be. What would they have that would make them take her to the Town Hall?

Vinyl’s hooves clopped along the tile floor of the air conditioned building they were in as she passed Scootaloo with a smile. “Just wait here. I’ll be back in a minute with your surprise.” And with that she smiled and trotted down a hallway until the small group lost sight of her.

Scootaloo waited uneasily, anxious about what was going to happen. Her two friends sat beside her, beside themselves with joy. Rainbow sat patiently next to them. The receptionist that stood behind a counter on the far side of the room occasionally glanced up at them disinterestedly as she read a book. Scootaloo was getting impatient, however. Just as she was about to ask what in Celestia’s name Vinyl was doing, the DJ reappeared, her head poking out from the corner of the hallway. She smiled.

“Gotta close your eyes, Scootaloo,” she said. Scootaloo hesitated with a confused look, but finally gave in and shut her eyes. She heard several hoofsteps and a few hushing noises. There was a soft rustling of something that sounded like paper as well… and then it was silent.

“Okay, open your eyes now,” Vinyl spoke in a hushed voice. Scootaloo opened her eyes and found herself looking at the blue maned unicorn who now stood in front of her. Her eyes quickly shifted down, though, as the mare noticed something hovering in front of her in a purple aura: a couple of papers that had been stapled together into a small stack.

Casting a brief, unsure glance towards the white mare once more, she took the papers in her teeth, releasing them from the magic, and set them on the ground in front of her. As she did so, Vinyl spoke once again, scratching the back of her head with a hoof.

“It uh, took me a while, and I had to work some stuff out with the mayor, but… well, I finally got it…” Her voice drifted off and Scootaloo slowly began to read the official looking print that had taken its place on the papers:

“I, Vinyl Scratch, wish to accept full responsibility of the filly by the name of Scootaloo. I shall take on complete accountability and liability as I assume the role of legal guardian…”

Scootaloo’s voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper as she stopped reading. Her eyes drifted across the passage once more as she took it in.

Her eyes continued to flit across the page as her vision began to blur. A tear hit the paper after rolling off of the orange filly’s muzzle. And then another, and another. Scootaloo sniffled as tears gradually began to stream freely down her face.

The white mare that stood before her took a step forward, eyes beginning to water and her vision starting to blur. “Scootaloo-” she began, but wasn’t given the chance to finish as Scootaloo shot up and clung to Vinyl in a tight embrace. She continued to shed her tears as the fell onto the mare’s blue mane.

Vinyl smiled as she lowered herself and wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo, returning the embrace as she cried tears of her own.

Their friends stood to the side as they watched the scene before them. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were making no attempt to hide their watery eyes as they gazed in wonder, happier than they’d ever been for their friend. Rainbow Dash’s emotions and pride battled as she tried her best to hold back the floodgates of emotion. Even the receptionist pony behind the counter seemed touched by the scene.

Vinyl and Scootaloo held each other for a moment longer as Scootaloo spoke through the tears of pure joy.

“T-Thank you so much,” she sniffled and buried her muzzle deeper into Vinyl’s mane. “I love you… mom.”

Vinyl smiled despite her damp face and the tear lines and nuzzled Scootaloo as she held her little girl closer.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

It had felt so good to say that word, that one word that Scootaloo had always yearned for, the one thing that she thought she could never have. But then Vinyl came into her life, and turned everything around. Vinyl gave her a home, she gave her music, she gave her happiness, she gave her love… she gave her a mother.

Tears showered down Scootaloo’s face as she broke down into a sob. The memories… they hurt so much, but they just wouldn’t stop. Every single bit of warm happiness she remembered of her mother stabbed at her until she was rendered broken.

Scootaloo begged for the answer, but as nothing came, she fell apart into more tears.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom embraced their sorrowful friend, emitting sobs of their own as their hearts were torn apart by the sight of their best friend in such a condition. It hurt to see Scootaloo like that, to see their friend fall so far.

They held on to her tight, not letting go and trying their best to save their friend. Scootaloo collapsed into her friends’ embrace and released all of her sorrow in the form of tears and sobs as she bawled.

That’s how they remained, none of them caring to keep track of time, crying together and holding on and not daring to let go of each other. In that time, Scootaloo let everything out all of the sorrow that had weighed so heavily on her.

After several long moments, the cries began to subside until they were just small sniffles that the three friends gave off. The silence lasted for a little longer and they continued to hold one another.

Eventually a voice broke the silence that held them. “Scootaloo…” Applebloom said with a shaky voice, weighted with her southern pony accent. “… Please, Scoot. It hurts ta see our friend like this. We just want ta see ya happy.” Applebloom looked up into the purple maned mare’s eyes. “Ya don’t have ta go through this alone.”

Scootaloo slowly nodded, the words that Luna had spoken to her the previous day flashed through her mind. It all still hurt so much, but no, she wouldn’t have to face it alone.

By the time the group’s cries had subsided, the sun had sunk the rest of the way below the horizon, thus rendering the sky an ominous and very dark shade of blue. Stars glimmered in the sky like the moon’s light reflected off their tear stained coats. Despite the darkness, cold avoided them as a warm summer breeze whistled past.

After a time, the three stood up and decided that it was about time to go home. They asked the orange mare several times if she was sure she didn’t want to come with them. But she shook her head as she wore a small smile, glad that she had friends that would show such concern for her. She eventually convinced them that she was fine at the time and was staying with Rainbow Dash. Although still unsure, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle finally gave in. They each embraced Scootaloo with a quick warm hug before departing.

With one last hug, they each went their own way. Scootaloo stayed and sat on the grass under the brilliant night sky as she watched them leave. When she could see them no longer, she let out a sigh and stood up. After ruffling her wings a little to ready for flight, she cast one more longing look upon her home.

Tearing her yearning gaze away, she spread her wings and took off into the skies.

She flew through the pleasant atmosphere of the night, Luna’s lustrous moon shining as its gentle light reflected off of her coat. The wind rustled by her face and she felt the air currents whistle through each of her feathers.

On another night, she may have enjoyed a night flight like that. But on this night, her thoughts were occupied by anything but the flying. Thoughts of Luna came into her mind. Even with her friends beside her, would the pain go away that easily?

Octavia’s words from that day rung in her ears. ‘Carry on and let the music flow’… How?

‘For her…’ Scootaloo thought. ‘…how can I do it for her when she’s… gone?’ Confusion gripped her mind and refused to let go as she sought the answer. The answer, however, continued to elude her.

Scootaloo didn’t know what to do, and even if she did, she wouldn’t know how.

The rustling and flapping of pegasus wings could be heard from inside the cloud home. Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up as she heard the sound of somepony’s hooves touching down on the soft patch of cloud outside her front door.

The cyan pegasus, who had been lying down on the couch in the living room, now stood up as she heard the sound of her cloud door opening and somepony walking in. Rainbow tilted her head and trotted over to see who it was that had come into her home, but stopped as she saw Scootaloo in the opening of the doorway.

The orange mare’s mane was disheveled, her eyes were puffy and red and her face was stained with trails of tears. Her familiar sunglasses rested atop her head. She gently shut the door behind her after she walked in and slowly walked down the hallway in Rainbow’s direction, her head hung low.

“Scootaloo…” Rainbow said. She strode over and met her friend halfway down the hallway. “Are you okay?” she asked weakly.

The orange pegasus did nothing but just lean in and rest her head on Rainbow’s shoulder. She sniffled before speaking just above a whisper.

“Help me… I just… don’t know what to do, Rainbow.” Slightly bewildered for a second, Rainbow paused then wrapped a hoof around Scootaloo, giving her support as she turned around and led her back into the living room.

Rainbow let the tired orange pegasus lean against her as they walked on the plush cloud beneath them, wondering what had happened to her that day. But none of that mattered. She would do anything she could to help her friend now. When they entered the room, Rainbow set her friend down on the couch as she sat next to her. The cyan pegasus’ arm stayed wrapped around the orange mare, Scootaloo’s head still rested on her shoulder.

“Help me, Rainbow,” she muttered again. Rainbow could’ve sworn she felt a tear fall onto her coat and she held Scootaloo tighter.

“Don’t worry. I’m here, Scoot.” Rainbow ran a hoof through the mare’s purple mane as she tried to comfort her. Her own tears started to form in her magenta eyes.

Scootaloo let out an almost inaudible whimper. Although without truly crying, she let another tear fall. She sat there and let her breathing become rhythmic and her eyelids grow heavy. The sorrowful mare let all of her worries as well as her consciousness slip away as she fell asleep in her friend’s arms.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

She was there again, that horrible place, the place where the music always played, but there was no sound. The records continued to spin and the bass shook her to her bones. The crowd of ponies writhed and shifted before her, each of their backs was turned to her.

“Why am I here? Why do I keep coming here?” she asked almost to herself, but the raving crowd offered no reply.

Her music was silent, the crowd refused to listen to her, but she had had no idea why.

‘Because your music is fading.’ The thought intruded her mind as if it had come from someone else.

‘My song… is fading away,’ she thought. A pain shot through her heart as she reached the conclusion. ‘But I promised.’ No… no, she wouldn’t let that happen. Not to her music… not to the one thing she had left of Vinyl.

She reached up to the turntables, ready to try and bring her music back, but she abruptly stopped as she saw what lay facing her on top of the board. Her sunglasses laid there facing her. The aviators did not have the worn look that they had adopted over years of wear. They looked as good as new, except for…

Scootaloo leaned in close to the shades as she discovered something that had not been there previously. A crack had appeared on the left lens and ran the entire length of it. She examined them as she wondered where the damage had come from. The mare was stunned for a moment until she recalled that she was in a dream and no real damage had been done to them.

She sighed out of relief, but caught herself as she noticed something else. The reflection in the lenses reveal not only her, but something standing behind her as well. Scootaloo whirled around in astonishment as she stumbled backwards. Despite her surprise, what she saw was very familiar. In front of her stood four ponies: one with a polychromatic mane, one with a silk black mane, another with a scarlet red mane, and the last with dual-shaded purple mane.

When she saw them, she wanted to smile. She wanted to grin and laugh again. She wanted to jump up and hold them and know that they were there with her. But for some reason, she was kept from such joy. An ominous feeling hung over her. Scootaloo attempted to take a step forward, but her hoof wouldn’t budge, as if something were holding her down. She fought and struggled against it, but she was not allowed to move forward.

Scootaloo looked up in urgency to her friends that had their backs turned. She screamed to them for help, but her eyes went wide as she noticed that no sound was coming from her. She tried once more, and received the same result.

She looked towards her friends in desperation, hoping that one of them would turn around. Her hopes were lifted when she saw Applebloom make a movement. However, the cream yellow mare made no attempt to turn around, but instead walked forward. Scootaloo looked on, wondering what was going on. Applebloom continued to walk until she was swallowed up into a black void in front of her. And she was gone.

A strange, haunting feeling shrouded over her as she saw Sweetie Belle take a step forward and walk until the same blackness swallowed her up.

‘Sweetie Belle?... No…’ Scootaloo tried to reach up a hoof and call for them, but the mysterious force was still holding her back. ‘Don’t leave…’

Then Octavia stepped forward as well, and, without so much as casting a glance back, walked away into the void and left Scootaloo behind.

She turned her head to the last one that remained: Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo attempted to speak with her lost voice once more almost begging Rainbow not to leave.

‘Please, don’t leave, Rainbow.’ She thought. ‘I don’t want to be alone.’

She felt tears come to her eyes as she felt the loss of her friends. Her heart fell as she saw Rainbow take the first step forward. However, she walked slower than the others, almost as if she were waiting for Scootaloo to chase after her. But the orange mare could not, and so she kept walking forward.

Scootaloo screamed and begged with her silent shouts. ‘Don’t leave! Please don’t go!’ her tears began to fall.

Rainbow never stopped, though, and Scootaloo watched as the darkness slowly crept over every inch of her body. First her head, then her neck, and it moved on to her barrel and her legs. Scootaloo tried to scream and fight, but it was only until the void was swallowing up the last of her rainbow maned friend that she was given freedom again.

But it was too late and the void completely absorbed her friend, and now they were all gone. Scootaloo collapsed to the unseen floor as sobs racked her body. She lay down on the ground as she laid her front hooves over her eyes and continued to cry.

“D-don’t… p-please, don’t g-go.” She spoke out to her friends that were now gone. Though, she continued to beg for them back.

Lying on her own, she fell into her sorrow with nopony there anymore to lift her from her darkness.

---

A/N: Sorry if it seems rushed, especially the beginning. I’m getting the feeling that some of the themes are starting to get really repetitive.
And I’m going to try and write another couple of shorter fics that will explain the other CMC’s cutie marks, in case that confused you.

My Little DJ: Scootaloo's Melody

by iDash

Chapter 3: Because You Were There