//------------------------------// // 3. Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones... // Story: Only Bone Deep // by The Grimm Reaper //------------------------------// I pick up the violin again, turning to Scootaloo who had seated herself down by the entrance. While I can tell she isn't much of a music enthusiast, at least not in a classical sense. I know anything would cheer her up at this point. And music never failed to cheer up those in need of it. I put stick to string and begin playing. I watch as the music puts a smile to her face. It is indeed a merry tune if heard, and it fills my hypothetical heart with joy to see her enjoying herself. Almost immediately after I start playing, she begins clapping in rhythm to my music. I dance around the room as well, adding more joy to the scene. As the song comes to an end, I placed the violin behind my back and took a bow, the stick hanging in the air. I hear her clapping her hands together, clearly pleased by my efforts. "You're really good. You should think about doing a duet with Octavia." she says. "While I'm sure Miss Octavia would love to have a fellow musician playing beside her, I'm afraid that musician wouldn't be me." I reply, placing the violin back down and grabbing a chair to sit across from her. "Mine isn't exactly the kind of face one can distract with music." I add, sitting back to lift one leg over the other. "I guess not. It's a shame, because you're such a nice pony." she replies, looking sad. I continue to watch as a realization dawns upon her. "By the way, who exactly are you?" she asks. That is a question I'd been subconsciously debating over. "I'm afraid I can't say. I seem to have developed some sort of amnesia. All I know is that I must have been important at some point or another, because I was buried in the tomb beneath the castle here. And only those of great importance are buried in tombs. Sadly, even my name etched in stone has faded away over time. I'm a blank slate." I reply, crossing my arms to rest my hand on my chin. "That's so sad..." she says with as much a saddened tone as one could expect from a sympathetic foal. "Hey, maybe you're a long lost prince!" she suggests. "Well, I was an Alicorn, that much I do know." I respond by unwrapping my wings from around my chest. Scootaloo stares in awe. "I thought those were just accessories to your coat." she says. I chuckle and flap them a couple of times, making a slight whistle in the air. I then proceed to wrap them around my torso once more and let them rest. "I'm far from getting accessories, have you seen the state of me?" I jest. She chuckles in understanding and begins to yawn. "I think it's time we saw you home, my dear." I say. Now she looks really sad. "I don't wanna go. Can't I stay here like last night? Pleeeeeaaaaase?" she begs. I'm uncertain as to how I should proceed. On one hand, I want to say yes because I know what's waiting for her at her home. On the other, this forest is teeming with creatures more dangerous than her abusive uncle. When considering her safety, neither option is preferable to the other, but only one is safer for her. "This forest is too dangerous for you to spend the night in, Scootaloo. You may have been lucky last night, but who's to say something else doesn't live in these walls from time to time. I'm afraid home is the best option for you." I can see the utter defeat in her eyes and it nearly breaks my heart, even though I don't have one in the physical sense. Still, I can't leave things like this. "Well... at least until I've made it secure enough for you." I add at the very end. The transition from guttered to... exceptionally loud screams of joy is quicker than I can even move on the violin. She jumps around with glee, aided by her little wings. It's beyond the definition of the word cute to say the least. "In the mean time, let me walk you home. It's nearly dark and if push comes to shove, I can at least bring you back here." Her wide grin tells me I said more than I should have. During the trip, Scootaloo tells me a little about the town she lives in. Ponyville is a quaint little town with a single school, library and market. Among other buildings, it's just south of the Apple Family Orchard. An orchard that aided in the founding of Ponyville. One of her two best friends, Applebloom is a member of the family and is the sister to the Element of Honesty. I admit, I was curious about the Elements of Harmony. But to my mind, they were little more than a series of tools used by the Royal family. "And then there's Rainbow Dash. She's my idol and kinda-sorta my big sister... figure." she says. Clearly even she is unsure as to the relationship between herself and Rainbow Dash. "And does Rainbow Dash mistreat you like your uncle?" I ask. Scootaloo almost seems offended by the very notion. "Absolutely not! Rainbow Dash is the bestest most awesome pony there is. She'd never hurt me." the filly replies. I smile and look ahead of us. Ponyville is within sight. "Well then, I guess Rainbow Dash is somepony you can go to if you're feeling out of sorts like today. I'm sure she'd come up with some sort of awesome way to help you come out on top of those other two fillies." I suggest. "Yeah... wait, why didn't you mention my uncle? Couldn't Rainbow Dash help me with him too?" she asks. Smart girl. "Unless laws have changed relating to guardianship of a youth, in this instance, yourself. It would be the word of one pony against the rightful Guardian, not to mention those who saw him fit to hold that title over you." I reply. Scootaloo shows her displeasure toward this knowledge with a sad face. "However, that's where I come in." I say, offering her bait. She takes it like a fish out for worms. "Huh?" she asks. "The dead, don't much care about the rules of the living, now do they?" I say. Scootaloo laughs as we come to her front door. The streets are virtually empty and nopony would notice a skeleton in the dark unless they were in very close proximity. "Your stop, madam." I say, bowing to the young filly. She giggles before surprising me with a hug. "Thank you, Jack." she says. I hug her in return for a moment before noticing something she said. "Wait... Jack? What's that?" "That's your new name. I remembered reading this book one time. It was called 'The Nightmare before Hearth's Warming'. I won't bother you with the story, but there was a character in it who you remind me of. His name was Jack Skellington and he was renowned as the Pumpkin King because he led countless successful Nightmare Nights. He was a skeleton just like you." she explains. I'm not sure whether or not to be upset that I now possess the name of a fictional character. Either way, I suppose it makes her happy. So I'll use it, if only to address myself. "Well then I should be the one thanking you, Scootaloo. Right now, I can't think of anypony else I'd want to give me a name." I respond, brushing her cheek lightly with a bony finger. "And don't worry; things will pick up for you eventually." I add. "You're like the perfect imaginary friend, only you're real." she says, hugging me once more. "And I don't plan on fading away in the future." I reply, returning the hug once again. We let go and say our goodbyes. I can tell she's more than sad about me leaving her to the mercy of her Uncle, but the fact that I will always return for her should rest easy in her mind. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! IT'S A SKELETON! AN UNDEAD MONSTER IS IN PONYVILLE!!!" a shrill scream pierces the night sky. If I was tired before now, I sure as heck wasn't now. "Get away from here, you foul creature of the underworld!" the pony cries out. I can see lights in houses going off, including Scootaloo's home. Ponies emerged from their front doors, including who I could only assume was Scootaloo's Uncle. That pony in particular was barely ten feet from me. Scootaloo was up in her room, looking down on the whole fiasco with a worried look on her face. "What the?! What manner of creature are you?!" her Uncle demanded. I couldn't think. The situation was just so sudden. I just let my mouth run its course, and apparently it was in the mood for a good laugh (albeit a strange one). "YOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" I belt out, frightening the heck out of Scootaloo's Uncle. Bonus. I think as I make a dash for the forest.