//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 - forgiving and regretting 
// Story: Changing hope. 
// by Meow Mix 
//------------------------------//

Thanks to Alaborn for editing


Chapter 9 - Forgiving and Regretting


You turned the knob of the door that leads to the front of your house.  As it slowly opened, a loud creaking noise could be heard, and then a low audible "thump" afterwards. Slowly poking your head through the entrance of the house, you saw that everything was quiet and dark. All the rooms had been completely cloaked in darkness.  The only light to guide you came from the small flashes of lightning from the still occurring storm.

No one was home.

Once everything was clear, you picked up the unconscious filly, placing her onto your back. The two of you were soaked from mane to tail in rainwater, and each step you took left a tiny puddle of water. A cold chill came from the door as you entered your domain, making you shiver a little. Scootaloo would cough every now and then but showed no signs of consciousness or awareness of where she was. When you reached the base of your staircase, you heard a loud bang from behind you. You looked back in both confusion and fear, but then you started to calm down.  It was only the door closing after being caught by the wind.

Maybe mum and dad were working again.

You began your journey up the stairs, but this didn't seem so easy at first.  With a filly on your back and the excruciating pain that came from your back and cuts, it seemed difficult.  But not impossible.

“Come on. Do it for Scoots,” you said under your breath.

Giving one massive grunt, you lift the filly and yourself onto the next step. This sent a massive bolt of pain through your lower back, almost making you lose your balance. “Come on, you can d-do this!” you said.

Soon enough, you found yourself at the halfway point. You were being extra careful as the ground that you were standing on was covered in the water that fell from your body.  Scootaloo started to move around.  This seemed to make it much more difficult than it already was.  Her wings were fluttering lightly and she seemed to be shaking violently.  Her heartbeat was normal, but her coughing became a little more noticeable.

She needed to lie down somewhere, and fast.

Finally, after countless painful pushes and unbelievable aches, you had made it up the flight of stairs.  Scootaloo was beginning to regain consciousness, so you thought the best place to lay her down was your bed. The sound of thunder from outside was becoming quieter by the second, yet flashes of lightning were still visible. You burst through the door with the remaining energy in your body.  This caused you to flinch in pain, but still you stood tall.

Once at the side of your bed, you gently pushed Scootaloo onto the comfy surface.  As her body touched it, she immediately snuggled against the sheets, but still didn’t wake up.  You were exhausted, and at this point all that was on your mind was waking up Scootaloo.  As you look back to the filly, her mane was all bunched up and free, her coat was ruffled, and her tail seemed to be exactly the same as it was every day.  A small cute smile appeared on her face. There was one thing you had to admit to yourself right now.

She looked beautiful.

“Argh,” she groaned in agony, one hoof rubbing her eyes and another scratching the back of her head.  At first, you didn't know what to do.  Would she forgive you for all the things you said, that you never loved her?  Was she going to be angry and just walk out?  Was she going to hit you continuously for all the pain she had been suffering for the past few days? It was just a matter of seconds until you got your answer.

“Whe-where am I?” she said in a panicked tone.  Her head was moving from side to side, trying to figure out where she was.  It was dark, but just light enough to see her actions and facial expressions.  The moonlight beamed through the window, meaning the storm had cleared up and passed.  Soon, her eyes met yours, the two of you now staring at each other.  Scootaloo seemed to be shocked to see you, yet at the same time, very happy.  Soon a small smile formed on her face, and a stream of tears trickled down both of her cheeks.

“Hey Scoots,” you said in the most confident way you could muster. You were to trying to hide some tears of your own.

“Is i-it really y-you?” she said, stuttering.  “Look, I know you’re mad at me, and I understand if y-you want me to go, Im ju-”

“No, you’re not going anywhere.  Come here Scoots,” you said, extending your hooves out.
Before you could even say another word, you were tackled by the filly and brought into a tight hug.  Her tears were now obvious and she was crying madly, not in sadness, but in happiness. “I-I’m s….”  Her head was nuzzled deep into your chest, her crying muffled by your coat.

“Scoots, you have nothing to be sorry for.  I never took the time to listen to you.  I never gave you a second chance.  I’m the one who should be sorry.”

Scootaloo was still latched onto you, but you could easily tell she was listening.  Her tears started to stain a patch of your coat, but you didn't care.  You hummed a little tune, trying to see if this would calm her down a little.  Her crying proceeded to slow down.  All that you could was small whimpers and sniffles.  Soon everything was silent.  Scootaloo seemed to shiver every now and then.  It was quite cold, and your mane and coat were still drenched from the storm, only making you feel colder.  With no other option, you decided to speak up and break the silence.

“Scoots?”

“Mmmhmm?” she said, her head still buried into your coat.

“I think you deserve to rest.  You've been through a lot lately.”

She raised her head to meet your face. The two of you locked eyes, and a small blush crept onto your face.
“I… I can't.  Yo-your parents would hate me.  They wouldn't want a useless blank fl-”

You quieted Scootaloo with a deep passionate kiss, causing her to blush in surprise.  Her eyes opened wide as ever, and her wings popped out of place, pointing towards the roof.  Once she was aware of everything, she started to kiss back, but this time more passionately.  Scootaloo moaned into your mouth in bliss, and a few more tears escaped her eyes, landing onto your muzzle.  Her hooves were now wrapped around your body.  She was the first one to break the kiss, a string of saliva still connecting your mouths.  Scootaloo was beginning to pant in exhaustion and had her eyes almost closed.

“You're always welcome,” you said, kissing her forehead.  This caused her to giggle.  “Now I think it’s time we ‘both’ get some rest.”

Scootaloo nodded as she scooted over in your bed.  She seemed to be having a difficult time with even this small move.  As you joined her, Scootaloo pulled your body to hers, the two of you rolling to the center of the bed.  Just like before, her hooves and forelegs wrapped around you, not allowing you even one second to try to escape.  Her head was once again buried into the side of your neck, slowly rubbing it.  You were happy, Scootaloo seemed to be more than happy, and everything had finally seemed to turn out for the best.  Though the thought of somepony came to mind.

Sweetie Belle.

You had remembered what Apple Bloom had said, what Sweetie had been telling you.  Was it all just a big lie?  You were starting to wonder what would happen after all this.  Would Scootaloo and Apple Bloom be friends still, even after all this? Would there even be a so called “Cutie Mark Crusaders" ever again?  You would find out tomorrow morning.  But you didn't think Sweetie Belle would just walk free from this.  You had something in mind for her, for all this pain she had caused to her friends over the past few weeks, the abuse and bashing, the things that should not have been said.  You had a big day planned. For tomorrow, you were going to get justice, for your sake, and for Scootaloo's.
Then you heard faint sounds from downstairs, sounding like the door opening. You could've sworn you had shut the door properly.  The sounds then turned into hooves shuffling on the wooden surface.  Scootaloo’s ears twitched and her body started to shake in fear. Only one pony, or pair of ponies, could be downstairs right now.

“Hey son, we’re home!”

Things were going to become awkward.