A Stormy Life's First Solace
By Echo908
Today is going to be a long day. It was all the filly could think about as she gazed at the statue before her with an unreadable expression on her face. The early morning sun was just starting to add more heat to the otherwise cool temperature of the park she was in. With an absent thought she realized that she had been staring at the same statue for a few hours now. The thought vanished as quickly as it came as her mind went blank again, until her reverie was broken suddenly.
"Scootaloo? Is that you?" a soft golden voice spoke behind the filly.
"Whoa!" Scootaloo gasped as she fell over herself in shock. She groaned as she quickly picked herself up and turned her eyes towards the speaker. Her vision was filled by a pair of huge luminous blue-green eyes, with one partially hidden behind a bright pink mane. They showed nothing but concern at the moment.
"Oh my goodness! Are you okay? I hope I didn't startle you too badly."
"Oh... it's just you Fluttershy. You sure did get me good there, heh." Scootaloo breathed slowly as she tried to steady her nerves.
"I'm terribly sorry, I certainly didn't mean to scare you at all. Are you okay, Scootaloo?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now." She decided to take the focus off of her while she finished collecting her wits, "What are you doing here Fluttershy?"
"Oh, I came here to bring some flowers from my garden to plant around the statue here." She motioned with her head towards a basket balancing off of her flank that was filled with small, colorful flowers. "And what might you be doing here so early, that is, if it's okay to ask you? You must have been thinking about something terribly important for me to be able to walk up to you unnoticed like that."
"Oh, umm... I was... uh... trying to figure out what this thing is for and... uh... must have gotten lost in my thoughts for a moment there." Scootaloo tried to put on a grin, but from the look on the older pegasus' face, the young filly could tell that she wasn't convinced, "I... uh... gotta go meet up with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle... We have... something to do for school. Goodbye Fluttershy!" Scootaloo hastily grabbed her scooter and zoomed off before the kind pegasus could even ask her to stop. Which is exactly what the small orange filly didn't want her to do.
Fluttershy gazed at the orange blur hastening away from her until it vanished over the hill, a look of concern on her face. She resigned herself to simply hoping that the young one was okay and made a mental note to check up on her if they crossed paths again. Turning back to the task at hand, she gently started planting her colorful mementos around the statue. After finishing, she balanced the basket on her flank, and took one last glance at the marks inscribed on the plaque, whispered a quiet prayer to all the princesses, and trotted off in the direction of her cottage.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Scootaloo pushed herself along with her wings at breakneck speed, willing herself away from the statue and Fluttershy's impending questions. The only thought in her mind was of escape, and she knew just the place. The Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse would be vacant today, as Sweetie Belle wouldn't be back from visiting her parent's in Canterlot until later that day and Applebloom would be busy helping her brother and sister with an early apple harvest all day long.
As she zoomed along the path cutting through Sweet Apple Acres, she thought that she saw a couple of colored spots to her left through the tree's and also thought that she could hear faint thuds echoing through the thicket. That must be the three Apple family members hard at work, she couldn't have been luckier, since they were on the opposite side of the orchard from the clubhouse. She might be able to sneak in there without being seen. She smirked knowingly as she swerved right suddenly, taking a much smaller footpath through the trees that cut directly to the clubhouse. Scootaloo quickly dismounted as she reached the familiar steps and ducked inside the door. Tossing her scooter in its usual corner, she peeked out the window to make sure that she wasn't followed by anypony.
Once she was sure the coast was clear, she slumped to the floor with an exasperated sigh. Without the distraction of the familiar markings placed upon the statue, she found her mind wandering through ideas of what this day meant to her. She blinked quickly a few times before she finally realized that she was already crying.
"Bah! why do I have to start crying now..." She berated herself for being weak, thinking to herself that Rainbow Dash wouldn't act like this, but she couldn't stop the flow of tears. She absentmindedly grabbed her scooter and clutched it to her small chest, holding on to the one constant in her life for some time now, trying to find any comfort from the red contraption. Her sobs continued on for a while, until the growing heat from the rising sun warmed the clubhouse and her emotional toil finally pushed her into sleep, as crying often does to children.
Scootaloo was vaguely aware of a stifled giggle as her mind groggily came back to awareness. A second later, her eyes shot open to behold a spectrum of colors before they focused into a rainbow colored mane above a pair of magenta eyes and cyan colored fur.
Rainbow Dash continued to giggle behind her hoof before finally saying, "I can't imagine that a scooter is the best thing to cuddle with." She smiled down warmly at the small filly.
"Rainbow Dash! What are you doing here!?" Scootaloo jumped up, untangling herself from her scooter as she tried to suppress the embarrassing blush spreading across her cheeks at being found like that by her idol. She tried desperately to come up with something to salvage the situation, "I... uh... must have fallen asleep while trying to get this stupid wheel to spin right... Yeah, that's it!"
"Well, Applejack told me to find you and she had the thought in her head that you might be in here."
Scootaloo was getting nervous, "Why did she want you to find me?"
"Oh, she wanted to make sure that you knew about tonight. And... I happened to be taking a nap in one of her tree's and kinda fell on top of her as she kicked it..." An embarrassed look swept across her face before she recovered her train of thought and waved a hoof dismissively through the air.
"And then she went on about being useful for once, or something like that... and to go tell you that you're invited to the camping party tonight. It's gonna be down by the lake, on the other side of the orchard. It's the last clear night before I have to start a big storm tomorrow afternoon, because the rain schedule is behind again... And my friends all wanted to get together for the first fireside party of the year. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are gonna be there as well, so Applejack wanted to make sure that you got the word."
"You guys are camping out tonight, and you want me to come?" Scootaloo could barely contain the new excitement bubbling up within her. Other ponies, especially Rainbow Dash, actually wanted to be around her. She couldn't believe it! Okay Scoots, play it cool, "I wouldn't miss something like that for the world!" A small voice in her head muttered, "smooth..." Dismissing it's criticism, she continued to grin wildly up at Rainbow Dash.
"That's great to hear kiddo. Well I've got some more clouds to move to get it clear for us before tonight, so I'll see you then." She said with a soft smile and turned to head out the door. She stopped on the threshold before saying over her shoulder, "Oh, and Applejack said to make sure it was okay with your folks. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble with them." With a flap of cyan colored wings, Rainbow Dash took off into the sky, not noticing the orange fillies face fall in dejection.
Her father's concerned face graced her mind's eye, as he told her to wait here with Mrs. Toy and her family. He kept telling her to be strong for them while he went to find mommy. Then brief images of a dark basement flashed before Scootaloo. Huddled close to the older earth pony mare as the sounds of a monstrous storm battered the house above her.
She shook her head violently to clear the painful memories and thought she felt a couple more tears fly from her cheeks. "Not this time, I have to be strong!" A few heavy breaths later, she felt like she would be all right. Scootaloo had a few more hours before she should head out for the camping party, so she wondered what she could do in the meantime. Her stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly.
"Oh shut up you, I know it's been a while, but I don't have anything right now to eat. There should be some good stuff tonight though." She thought with a grin. However her belly disagreed and rumbled again, complaining even more.
With a sigh, she sat down and unclasped a bag sitting nearby and proceeded to pull out some paper and some crayon's. She absentmindedly doodled a sketch of her rainbow colored hero, trying in vain to keep the memories at bay. This was quickly proven unsuccessful, as her mind drifted to a somewhat more recent time, a night only a couple of years past.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was another stormy night, though not nearly as awful as that horrifying night spent in the basement with the Toy family, but still strong enough to make a pony want to find some shelter or risk getting soaked to the bone. She gazed across the field, shivering slightly as the rain pelted her coat. She glanced around warily, looking out for anypony that could possibly see her, before scampering across the grass towards a nearby cottage.
It wasn't the cottage that she was aiming for, but a smaller structure outside of it. An empty manger stood about twenty yards away from the lit home, and Scootaloo made a bee-line for it. She ducked inside, hoping that nopony would find her, having just escaped that wretched place that very night. She huddled down, curling her small body around her only possession, a red scooter with a white stripe, that was now her only friend in the world. She lie there, huddled against the chilly temperature, until the soft patter of the rain on the manger's roof caused her exhaustion to overcome any wakefulness she had left.
It wasn't long before she was startled awake by a gasp.
"Oh my goodness! Who are you?" A golden sweet voice exclaimed.
"Gah! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to trespass, but the storm caught me off guard and I'm new here, so I didn't really know where else to go and this was the first cover I could find..." The small orange filly hoped that the excuse would pass.
"You poor thing! And you're shivering terribly. Oh you must come inside and warm up before you catch something. I bet that your parents are worried sick about you!"
"I really shouldn't. You don't even know me and I would hate to be any trouble, I'll just head on home now."
"Oh my, I really insist that you come inside. The storm is supposed to stay like this for a while more and I would feel terrible if I let you go back out into it by yourself. So, please, come inside?" A pair of luminous blue-green eyes begged her.
Scootaloo wilted under that gaze and gave in. She was shivering and alone, who was she to say no? She just hoped that this pony wouldn't turn her in after the storm... She guessed that was a chance she would have to take.
"Okay I guess, but only until the storm is gone. I don't want to be a burden."
The yellow pegasus smiled warmly and led the filly into the warm cottage. "Stay as long as you need to dear, I'm just happy that you'll be safe and out of the rain." As they entered, Scootaloo observed that the cottage was small, but it had a very cozy feel. A small fire burned in a hearth in the corner and a large couch sat against the opposite wall with a bright blue table in front of it. It was here that the yellow pegasus led Scootaloo.
"Go ahead and have a seat. There's a nice blanket there if you're cold, and I think we could both use a warm cup of tea, so I'll be right back." She turned and disappeared through a doorway. Scootaloo shivered again and shook herself lightly and fanned her small wings, trying to cast the excess water off her coat, before hopping up on the couch and wrapping the dark green blanket around herself.
The pegasus returned shortly afterward, balancing a tray with two cups on it in her mouth. After setting it down on the table, she gracefully seated herself down on the opposite side of the couch from the orange filly and flashed another warm smile before offering a cup of tea. Scootaloo reached out with trembling hooves, grabbing the cup gently and wishing her shivers away before she broke anything. Taking a careful sip of the hot liquid, she felt her limbs instantly gain some warmth and stop shaking so much. At the same time, a veritable explosion of flavor hit her tongue.
"Wow! This is really good! Um... I'm sorry, but you haven't told me your name yet?"
"Oh, um... I'm sorry. My name is Fluttershy. And who might you be, that is if it's okay to ask?"
"I'm Scootaloo, and like I said before, I'm kinda new here to Ponyville." Desperate to change the subject away from herself, she asks, "So what do you do Mrs. Fluttershy?"
"Please, just call me Fluttershy. My mother is the only Mrs. in my family." She giggles into her hoof, "Hehe, Pinkie Pie would go crazy if she knew I had told a joke."
Scootaloo blinked, then laughed somewhat awkwardly at the other pegasus' sad attempt at humor, "Heh, that's a good one. So anyways, what do you do?"
"Oh, um... I mostly just take care of animals." Looking past the filly, "Why, here's one now. This is my Angel Bunny."
Scootaloo turned her eyes towards where the pegasus was indicating and noticed a small white rabbit with beady black eyes gazing with unconcealed contempt back up at her. "Umm... He doesn't look like he's too happy to see me..."
"Nonsense, he's the sweetest little thing you'll ever meet. He's probably just cranky because he hasn't eaten in..." Realization dawning on her face," Oh my goodness! I'm terribly sorry Angel! I haven't fed you since breakfast! I'll be right back."
"Wait! Don't leave me here with..." Too late, the pegasus had darted off the couch into the kitchen in a canary colored flash. Scootaloo reversed her look back towards the bunny, and he made a motion with his small paw, pointing first at his eyes then back at her, indicating that he was watching her closely. She gulped hard, but was relieved as Fluttershy dashed back in the room with a couple of carrots in her mouth.
"Please forgive me Angel Bunny, I was distracted by our guest here and forgot about you for just a moment." All she received in reply was a half eaten carrot stalk bouncing hard off of her skull. Angel then scampered off with the other carrot to a nearby pet-bed, and proceeded to gnaw on it hungrily.
Watching the bunny devour the poor carrot, Scootaloo's stomach decided to respond with a vicious rumbling.
"Oh my, you must be hungry as well, let me see if I can fix you up some soup. That should help warm you up. I'm not the best cook, since I usually just fix food for myself, but soup shouldn't be that hard." Fluttershy spoke, while her eyes were shining with kindness.
"Really, you don't need to do that for me. I'll be fine, really." Scootaloo lied, she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before, because that night she had finally left. Her belly rebelled against her, grumbling again.
"It's really no trouble, I'll be back in a minute." Trotting off into the kitchen, she left the filly alone again. The smaller pegasus risked another glance towards the direction of the bunny and detected a very hostile glare being shot her way before she quickly shifted her gaze to the warm fire.
The kind pegasus soon came back with a steaming bowl and placed it gently on the table. "Now be careful, it's pretty hot still. And before you say I shouldn't have, it really is my pleasure to make it for you. I just hope you like it." She said as she gave Scootaloo a knowing look.
After a few moments, Scootaloo gingerly picked up the bowl with her hooves and took a sip from the edge of the bowl. It was the best thing she could ever remember tasting. She hungrily downed the rest of the contents in mere seconds.
"I gather that you like it, seeing as you didn't even stop to breath." Fluttershy said through a small giggle. "Would you like some more?"
Blushing slightly, the filly answered, "It was absolutely amazing, thank you very much! But no, I don't think you need to make anything else for me."
"That's fine then, but I just need to step outside for just a moment, if you don't mind. I need to see if a couple of my animal friends are doing okay. I will be back shortly."
"You're going back out there? Just for some animals? You must really care about them a lot."
"Oh my yes, I care deeply about all of my friends. It will only take a minute or two then we can continue our conversation." Fluttershy gave another comforting smile as she padded towards the door. She slipped a bright yellow raincoat over her body, pulling the hood over her pink mane, before opening the door and disappearing into the rain.
For a brief moment, the paranoid part of the newly freed filly thought that perhaps this pony was going outside to turn her in, but she quickly rationalized that Fluttershy obviously didn't know who she really was and why she was actually out in the storm. Sighing deeply, she turned her gaze back towards the fire. With her belly full and the warmth from the hearth cascading over her, she grew drowsy and lost herself within the red and yellow flames.
Scootaloo groggily came back into consciousness a couple of hours later and immediately sat straight up with a small gasp. Where was she?
Soon realizing that she was still at Fluttershy's cottage, she stretched her previous tension away. She looked out the window, seeing some late evening sunbeams starting to filter through the cloud covered sky. The storm had died down while she napped and it had stopped raining.
Just at that moment, the older pegasus came back in through the front door. "Oh, You're awake finally. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you up."
"Looks like the rainstorm has cleared out, eh? Guess that means I should be heading out. I've been such a burden to you already, I don't want to wear out my welcome. Thank you so much for letting me stay here. Oh, and for the wonderful soup and tea. They should give you a medal for kindness or something, heh."
"It really wasn't any trouble at all Scootaloo. I very much enjoyed our time together today. I'm just happy that you weren't alone out in that storm today. Although I still want to help you find your way home, I'm sure that you're parents are worried sick about you."
Scootaloo tried to hide her grimace, instead choosing to clear her throat behind her hoof. "Nah, I should be fine now. Thank you again." She grabbed her scooter, which was sitting outside the door, "Well, I guess this is goodbye."
"Scootaloo, feel free to stop by and stay at any time, it was a pleasure getting to know you." Fluttershy donned another bright smile and didn't notice the small filly flinch through her momentarily closed eyes. Waving, she watched from her doorstep as Scootaloo mounted her scooter and sped off in the direction of Ponyville.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Scootaloo's eyes focused again while she returned her mind to the present. She had stopped coloring her sketch of her hero some time ago. Thinking of that rainy day spent in Fluttershy's cottage always made her feel warm and yet bitter at the same time. How could somepony so kind and thoughtful have said those words to her? She remembered vividly how her body had frozen in place as Fluttershy told her that she could stay anytime, offering a caring home to a young pony, that as of that day didn't have one. The only reason she didn't collapse right there and tell the yellow pegasus everything, was the guilt that she felt at what she thought was taking advantage of a kind pony.
She looked at a clock on the wall of the clubhouse and noted to herself that it was almost time to head out to the camping party. She lethargically packed up her colorings into the bag and placed it back into it's usual spot in the corner. Sighing deeply one last time, she grabbed her scooter and headed out the door, suddenly looking forward to a night spent with her friends.
Speeding along the footpath heading towards the main road out of Sweet Apple Acres, she hanged a quick left through the trees and jumped over a protruding tree root, spinning her scooter around it's handlebar a couple of times, to land herself on the main road. Grinning at her abilities with her scooter, she looked up to find, to her dismay, the one pony that she didn't want to see at the moment. Before she could so much as think about ducking back into the orchard to hide, a golden sweet voice greeted her.
"Why hello again Scootaloo, that was a very impressive jump. You're getting so good at riding that scooter." Fluttershy said while flashing her characteristically warm smile at the filly.
"Heh, thanks Fluttershy. You headed out to the lake?"
"Why yes I was. I wanted to get there a little early to help Applejack set up. Since I live closest to her, it's easy for me to come over early. Would you like to join me?"
"Sure thing Fluttershy, I was about to head down there myself. I guess the company would be nice, it's been a lonely day." She couldn't believe that her mouth would betray her like that. She immediately noticed a concerned look on the other pegasus' face.
"Are you sure that you're okay Scootaloo? I've been worried since I saw you at the memorial early this morning. You looked very distant, like you were thinking about something important."
Scootaloo's ears pinned flat against her head, but she caught herself and tried to put up a brave front, "I'm fine Fluttershy, I was just out in the park and got lost in thought about... uh... school. Yeah, there's some big project coming up and I was trying to come up with some ideas for it. So... now that you know there's nothing wrong with me, could we just drop it?" Scootaloo inwardly flinched at her words. That was harsh. She decided to silence her mutinous mouth for as long as she could help it, resolving that if she let it have its way, it would probably get her into loads of trouble.
With a small whimper, Fluttershy hid behind her large pink mane, "Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you angry." Behind her pink hair, she still gazed at Scootaloo with one worried eye. Scootaloo felt very guilty at causing the yellow pegasus to flinch like that, but kept her tongue quiet for the time being. The two continued on in awkward silence for a few more minutes, until the destination presented itself over the next rise.
Scootaloo ventured the first words between the two pegasi in some time, "Looks like we're here. I wonder where Applejack and Applebloom are?"
Looking up from behind her pink hair, the kindhearted pegasus spotted the two earth ponies a short way around the edge of the small lake, digging at the ground, starting what appeared to be a fire pit. Applejack was busy with a shovel, while Applebloom was dropping decently sized rocks nearby in preparation to ring the pit. After depositing a rock, the young pony glanced up and immediately brightened at the sight of company. "Hello Scootaloo! Hello Fluttershy!" She yelled over to them while waving a hoof in the air, causing her big sister to look up with a large grin as the two pegasi approached.
"Howdy partners! You're both mighty early, but that's alright. Help yourself to some food if ya like, we brought lots of apple stuffs for everypony to eat tonight. It's over there on the cart."
"I'm okay for now Applejack, is there anything that I can do to help setup?" Asked Fluttershy.
"Well, I reckon you could get the tent equipment out of the side compartment on that same cart there. I'm sure some ponies will still want to be sheltered tonight, even though it's supposed to be clear skies, I would bet my hat that Rarity would throw a fit if she had to sleep under the stars like a real camper." She said with a suppressed giggle, thinking of her overly dramatic friend.
Fluttershy gave a soft chuckle herself at the statement, probably imagining Rarity being dramatic and whatnot. Trotting over to the cart, she opened the side door and starting unpacking the canvas and poles within.
"Let me help you with that Fluttershy." Scootaloo perked up, anxious for a chance to make up for her harshness earlier.
"Thank you Scootaloo, that's very kind of you."
Blushing slightly at the compliment, Scootaloo started picking up parts, as Fluttershy gently placed them on the ground and began moving them over towards the pit. Between the two of them, they managed to set up the few tents that Applejack had brought in a circular pattern around the fire pit.
As they were working, all of ponies expected to come for that night had eventually wandered into the clearing and had been greeted heartily. With the site set up, a roaring fire blazing in it's pit and the sun starting to set, the ponies set about playing games and telling stories to each other.
Scootaloo honestly hadn't had this much fun since the time she had spent with all these ponies watching the meteor shower. Her night was spent hungrily devouring the first good food that she'd had in days, playing with her two close friends, and trying every conceivable way to impress her idol, Rainbow Dash.
The night wore on and after roasting s'mores over the fire, most of the gathered ponies turned towards sleep. Of course, Rarity had commandeered the largest tent for herself and Sweetie Belle, but Twilight and Pinkie Pie had taken the remaining two tents and turned in with a muttered goodnight. Applejack and Applebloom both slept peacefully on outstretched bedrolls underneath the stars. Rainbow Dash had somehow wedged herself into the nook of a tree branch and snored somewhat loudly, while her leg and ears twitched in response to a dream. Fluttershy was curled up underneath the same tree on a bedroll, a graceful smile upon her lips as she apparently slept.
Alone with her thoughts, Scootaloo gazed longingly into the orange and red flames. No matter how much she had tossed and turned on her bedding, she found sleep elusive that night. Probably from that nap she had earlier and from all the sugar Pinkie Pie had offered her tonight. Yeah, that had to be it. "Maybe some stargazing will calm me down enough to sleep." She thought to herself. As quietly as she could manage, she got up and walked a short ways down the edge of the lake to gaze at the shining celestial heavens above her. She had failed to notice that a familiar pair of bright blue-green eyes had opened the moment she rose and followed her as she walked away.
The orange filly gazed up at the stars, finding herself yet again thinking about that day five years ago, until a well-known presence settled itself beside her. Scootaloo let out a sigh, starting to become increasingly annoyed at Fluttershy's persistence. Thinking back to earlier during their walk together, the smaller pegasus chose to not say anything, for fear of giving her mouth a chance to get the better of her again. Instead, the other pony chose to do something that was surprisingly assertive for her.
With a firm, but gentle tone she spoke, "I'm worried about you Scootaloo. It seems like you've been fighting a storm in your heart all day. Things like that shouldn't be weathered alone. Please, tell me what's on your mind."
Recovering from her initial shock at Fluttershy's firmness, the orange filly felt her anger rapidly rise. "Why do you care, huh? It's none of your business what my problems are. You've been bugging me all day, can't you just leave me alone!?" She hissed as she got up to move herself away from the yellow pegasus. She didn't make it farther than a couple of steps before her mind recoiled violently at the venomous words she had just spouted.
She watched as the kindest pony she had ever known instantly lost all confidence in her new found assertiveness and cowered down behind her hooves and pink mane with a whimper. "Well done bonehead, now you've gotten angry at the only pony who really seems to care about you..." The tiny voice in the back of her mind scolded her.
At that moment, Scootaloo's heart wrenched control of her body away from her, and before her sluggish mind could realize what happened, it had shuffled her over and plopped itself down, huddling close to the cowering yellow pegasus. Something suddenly broke through the wall that Scootaloo had erected in her mind to defend herself from the pains of a stormy, unforgiving world, and she started to cry softly into Fluttershy's soft side.
Through her tears, she managed to stammer, "I'm sor... Sorry...* sniffle* ...But I just wanted to be strong... * sniffle* ...It's just... So hard sometimes..." She couldn't say anymore, as the sobs wracked her small frame.
The sobs diminished slightly as a soft wing was draped over her and a peaceful murmur was whispered into her ear. "It's okay little one, let it all out. That's it." This same process continued for what seemed an eternity, until the young filly finally calmed down.
The comfortable silence was broken as Scootaloo looked up through bloodshot eyes and stammered, "There's something I've always wondered about you Fluttershy... How can you be so kind to so many ponies and creatures when the world is such a dark place? And how can you find it so easy to be kind to me when all I usually do is turn you away or yell at you?
"Well, I guess that I care about everypony, but I've found that through all my years of taking care of animals and caring for ponies, I've realized that kindness is the best medicine for a saddened heart." Fluttershy turned her gaze towards the stars, "Physical troubles can he healed easily, it's the emotional one's that prove to be much more challenging to heal. I've seen many an animal or pony be perfectly healthy, yet unable to live happy lives because of loss or sadness. Those are the souls that I really care for, because they need to most help. Knowing that simple kindness goes a long way towards healing those kinds of ailments, I try my best to give those lost souls all the kindness that they need to get better. The best part, is that when they are finally healed, they more often then not go and repeat the process for somepony else who is lost in sadness. You see, Scootaloo, I believe that kindness goes full circle like that, until it makes the world a brighter place for all of us. Perhaps, I just realized long ago that the circle needs to start somewhere."
She glanced down from the star field above her to look at the young filly, only to find that while she was talking Scootaloo had snuggled up against her side and was sleeping with the most peaceful look she had seen on her face in some time. Smiling, she gently nudged the orange filly onto her backside, frowning slightly at how light she felt, and slowly walked back towards the campsite.
Placing the sleeping child gently down on her bedroll by the dying fire, she wandered over to her own and dragged it next to the young pegasus. Curling up, she placed a protective wing over Scootaloo, noticing a small smile flit across her face, before finally lowering her own head and drifting off to sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Scootaloo's eyes drifted open slowly, and immediately shut again as bright rays from the rising sun reflecting off the nearby lake stabbed her vision painfully. Blinking a few times and allowing her pink pupils proper time to dilate, she opened them again to take stock of her surroundings. Most of the ponies were still asleep, but Applejack was awake and starting to bring the fire back to life. The earth pony noticed her stirring and gave a soft smile to her, while nodding back towards the filly. Scootaloo wondered for a second what it meant, before shifting her head around.
She gasped softly as a soft yellow back with a pair of folded wings filled her view. Last nights late conversation came back to her, filling Scootaloo with multiple conflicting emotions all at once. She still felt guilty for snapping at Fluttershy, but her guilt was dwarfed at the moment by a new feeling. One that she hadn't felt in a long time. Her small heart suddenly felt very big in her chest, and she smiled deeply for the first time in days. Taking a chance, she crowded closer to the yellow backside and simply lie there, basking in the warmth of love she never thought she would feel again.
The crackling of a fire brought her out of her daydream. Breathing contentedly, Scootaloo slowly pulled herself up and walked over towards the still grinning earth pony.
"Sugarcube, that has to be one of the sweetest things ah've woken up to in a long time. You know it's not everypony that Fluttershy would do something like that for, right?"
A confused look came over Scootaloo's pink eyes. "What do you mean, Applejack?"
"Ah mean, that while yes, she is the Element of Kindness and all that, but she's still very shy around everypony. Heck, even around her friends she's timid and stays out of the way. To see her layin' there like that, givin' you whatever comfort she can after what I suspect was ah rough night for you. Why, ah'd say that she must care a lot about you."
"I guess I never thought about it that way. I know she's extremely shy and all, but she never seemed that bad to me. She's always been willing to talk to me or simply smile at me while we meet."
"Trust me Sugarcube, she is. Like ah said, for her to act like that towards ya', it means that she's found a soul that needs some lovin', if you follow me. Anyways kiddo, how about we stop thinking about this touchy stuff for now and you help me get some more food ready? I don't think you've ever tried my fire-grilled apples before, now there's somethin' that'll be good for a scrawny little thing like you." The orange earth pony chuckled as she trotted towards the cart.
"Sure thing Applejack! Although... I'm not sure how a pony actually can grill an apple... How do you do that?"
"It's an easy thing really, just dabble some brown sugar on a apple that you cut in half and cook it over the fire. It sounds real simple, but it's delicious. The smell alone should be enough ta' wake all these sleepin' ponies up." Grabbing a nearby bucket of apples, she motions for Scootaloo to grab another one and headed back to the fire.
The two ponies made a team effort of it, with Applejack cutting the apples in two with a knife and Scootaloo dousing them with the brown sugar. After enough were prepared, Applejack walked back to the cart and grabbed a cast iron grill plate and positioned it over the fire. Soon a wonderfully sweet aroma wafted through the campsite, slowly enticing everypony into wakefulness. Soon everyone was munching hungrily on the tasty morsels. And Scootaloo did have to say, it was one of the sweetest things she had ever tasted.
After breakfast was finished, the ponies spent some more time together enjoying the nice weather before the scheduled downpour later that afternoon. They began to disperse by ones and twos, waving goodbye's and thanking the Apple family for hosting the get together. Eventually, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and the two Apple Family members were left to pack up what was left of the cart. The task was finished shortly after and with a wave the pegasi bid the two earth ponies goodbye, as they headed back to the farm.
"Hey Fluttershy?"
"Yes, Scootaloo? The golden sweet voice answered.
"Would it... uh... be okay if I came and stayed with you for today? I mean, this storm is supposed to be pretty nasty, and I don't know if I have a... I mean, I don't know if I can make it home before it starts..."
"Why, that would be wonderful of you to come over. Like I told you so long ago, you are welcome to my cottage whenever you want to." That same graceful smile spread itself before a pair of pink eyes.
"I think... I think that I would like that." This was it she decided, she was tired of being alone. Yesterday was one of the longest, most painful days she had ever lived, and the despair she had felt clutching at her all day had dissipated against Fluttershy's kindness. Maybe, she was the answer the young filly had been hoping for all along.
The two walked silently on the road together, lost in their own little worlds. Scootaloo couldn't imagine what the other pony was thinking about and thought about asking her, but her own nagging doubts stopped her before she could. So they continued on.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They arrived at the cottage, crossing the small footbridge and entering through the door. The familiar interior hit the young pegasus' emotion's like a runaway mail-mare. The only time since that rainy night that she had come back to this place was during the sleepover the Cutie Mark Crusaders had with Fluttershy, and she was only able to contain her writhing guilt was because she wanted to appear strong before her two friends. She had dreaded stepping back into this place, because the memories she held for it it belonged to a much scarier time for the orange filly.
With an unsuppressed shiver, she slowly moved her way into the living room and gazed around, trying desperately to not give up and bolt out the door. As she continued to look around, the same feeling of coziness she had experience so long ago crept upon her, calming her nerves somewhat. This place was really built with love, she observed. Not much had changed since that fateful night almost two years prior, well except that the bright blue table had been replace with a new mahogany one. "Great... Another thing to feel guilty for..." she muttered to herself.
With a start, she realized that she was alone in the room. "Fluttershy?"
"Oh, I'll be right there sweetie." Came a call from the kitchen.
"Whew..." The orange filly took a deep breath, then ventured over and jumped up into the same spot on the couch that she had occupied before. And somehow, it felt right to her. A small smile ran across her lips, just as the other pegasus entered carrying a tray with two cups on it. "I'm sorry to have left you alone, but you seemed like you were lost in thought again and I must admit that I was honestly pretty thirsty, so I went ahead and made us some tea." She placed a cup before Scootaloo, before taking a gentle pull from her own.
Taking a sip from her own cup, Scootaloo thought that it tasted even better than she remembered. Setting the cup down gently, she turned her snout towards the yellow pegasus and took one last deep breath before the plunge. She had finally resolved herself to confessing to that kind heart, much as she had done the previous night, but with everything. The hunger, the pain, the loneliness, she finally saw her chance to cast it all away.
"Fluttershy, I have to say that I'm sorry..."
"Oh? What for?"
"I have to apologize to you... because you are the kindest pony I have ever met, in my whole life. And I treated you like crap yesterday... I have to tell you I'm sorry for lying to you again and again. And I have to tell you sorry becau..." A yellow hoof gently stopped her. Her tiny heart was beating rapidly in her chest.
"Scootaloo, It's okay. I forgive you for any wrongs that you think you have done to me. In truth you haven't done anything wrong to me, but I think all this time you have been hurting yourself. I thought a lot about it last night and today, and I think I finally know what happened to you... Oh dear, how do I ask this... Scootaloo... where are your parents?"
Those words, uttered by that golden sweet voice, caused the dam to break in the orange fillies mind. The memories and pains of five long and lonely years came flooding out as the filly buried herself into Fluttershy's chest, her small body heaving with uncontrollable sobs. Fluttershy sat there, cradling the orange pegasus with a distraught look in her own eyes.
"I was right then... They're gone, aren't they?" She thought that she caught a muffled yes through the sobs. "Oh you poor thing... There, there, let it out, it's okay now." She cooed softly into Scootaloo's ear, hugging the filly even tighter to her body. They sat like that on the couch, one pegasus giving all the comfort she could to the other, until the smaller of the two finally calmed down.
"There, doesn't that feel better, little one?"
"Yes I feel a lot better... * sniffle* but I know that I still have to tell you something..."
"If you feel like talking about it, then please, tell me."
"Well, I guess I can start by answering you... * sniffle* Yes, they are gone." The young filly seemed to gain some strength, "It was five years ago, yesterday. That's why you found me at that memorial... Their... * sniff* Their names are on it. I go there every year to see that plaque, even though I can't see where they are buried. You see, I wasn't lying when I told you that I wasn't from Ponyville so long ago. I'm really from Hoofington. You know why that memorial is placed in every pony city in the area, right?"
"Yes I do. It's to remember those brave ponies that fell during that incredibly dangerous storm that came out of nowhere from the Everfree Forest. There were even a few from Ponyville if I remember right. You're telling me that your Mother and Father died that day?"
"Yeah, they did. Mom was a weather pony, so she was already out fighting the storm as it advanced on the town. The call went out to any and all pegasi to try and help get it under control before it blew the town away. My father went to answer the call, but not before taking me to the neighbors place. I was really young then, but I still remember to this day what he was saying to me, 'Scootaloo, I need you to be strong for Papa right now. I want you to stay here with Mrs. Toy and her family. I want you to be strong for them and everypony else. I'm going to find Mama, I will be back with her soon my dear.' That was the last time that I saw them."
She continued on after a brief pause, her eyes glazing over as she relived that day, "They couldn't stop the storm, only weaken it, before it rolled itself over the town. I remember being so scared that night, in the basement of that toyshop. The entire house shaking like a beast above me as it was ravaged by the monster above it. But it stood strong somehow.
"I stayed with the Toy's for a couple of days while the town recovered, until they came for me. Once they figured out that both my parents had passed, I was immediately sent to the local orphanage." Her small frame shuddered slightly before she continued on. "Those were a few very long... painful years... The other kids picked on me a lot, since I was a pegasus and most of them were earth ponies. Many of them blamed me for their parents dieing to that storm, at least the ones who lost any that day. I couldn't take it anymore, so I finally decided to runaway one night. I stopped by the Toy's and left a note for them saying that they were the nicest ponies I had known." A small smile flit across her face, "Heh, that's where I got my scooter. I grabbed it on the way out. I promised on the note to pay them back someday..."
Fluttershy had sat through the entire thing with a look of abject horror spreading across her face.
"...How long have you been by yourself, Scootaloo?"
Glancing away from those blue-green eyes, she muttered, "Two years... ever since that night that you found me asleep in the manger out back."
Scootaloo expected to be scolded or worse. Too much time spent alone had giving her a bleak outlook on life, but what happened next made the filly almost jump. She was gently embraced with a pair of yellow legs and was pulled into another tight hug.
"Oh Scootaloo... I'm so sorry for you. I'm sorry that you've been lost for so long" The pegasus continued to squeeze her gently, "You don't ever have to be alone again. You can stay here, with me, and you can have somepony who loves you for the rest of your life."
Scootaloo eyes starred blankly ahead, trying to fully piece together the words that had just been spoken. "Somepony... who loves me?" As realization finally settled upon her, she fiercely returned the hug. "Thank you... So much Fluttershy."
Finally, a lost and lonely soul had been shown the solace and mercy that it had needed for so long, and over time it was healed from it's wounds. It went on to grace the world with it's own shining light, guiding other lost one's out of the darkness, helping them weather life's storms. But that my friends, is a story for another time.
The End