//------------------------------//
// XIII (Scoot/SB) - Losing the way 
// Story: Taming the Storm 
// by Wolfie 03 
//------------------------------//



Quick note concerning this chapter. This particular update some darker tones but not enough to add a 'dark' tag. This will not change how the story goes, it is just a normal progression that came from previous events. Enjoy the chapter.





End of March, 1005 A.D. (After Discord)



A blurry eye crept open, the lavender orb cloudy, circling the empty and chilled room. Spring had arrived but the nights still had some nip to them. An orange hoof tugged free of the blanket, coming up to cover weary eyes. Scootaloo groaned lightly, rubbing at her muzzle. Wiping her mouth, keeping the limbs there as she yawned, the filly gazed at the silent room. She contemplated staying home for the day until she shifted her glance to look at the nearby calendar, noting the day.

Ugh, school today… Can’t wait for summer time… I’ll just have to wait for when I don’t have to go everyday…

Standing up on weak legs, the young pegasus morosely slumped out of bed, blankets entangling her form. Sighing at her predicament, she pulled at her limbs. Once her front hooves were free, she shrugged out of the warmth. Tiny wings gave a brief flicker when they came free. The buzz they made drew her attention, tired eyes scrunching at the appendages. Exhaling once more, Scootaloo trotted out of her room, hoofsteps heavy. 

Her eyes breezed over the quiet room. Barely giving the empty shelves and empty wall space a look, she continued through the living room to the kitchen beyond it. Passing through the pale navy rooms, she went straight to the fridge. Opening it with a single hoof, she searched it’s empty structure for something to eat. Finding nothing inside, the filly groaned, leaning her head against the white door.

“That’s right, I haven’t gone shopping the past week… Oh well. I should grab something to eat… Maybe there’s some food in the cupboards… Not as if it’s easy for me to get up there anyways…” Scootaloo scowled at the height, made all the more obvious to her small figure and weak wings.

After having pushed a chair, cushions and a few school books into a shabby semblance of a ladder, the girl wobbled upwards, reaching the shelves on the tips of her hooves. Flinging the door open, she gazed inside. Row after row was devoid of food. A few boxes, resting near the bottom, were the only occupants. Pulling one out, she found it to be oatmeal. Snorting at the bland start to a bland day, Scootaloo made her cautious way to the stove. 

Finished with her plain breakfast, the filly put away the few dishes she used and exited the one floor house. Craning her head to stare at the sky, she rolled her eyes at the clouds that rested there, covering most of the light blue horizon. 

Trudging to where she parked her trusty scooter, she hopped aboard and buzzed down the street, barely going faster than the average walker. The orange form hunched over the handlebar, eyes glazed over as they stared straight ahead. She did lazy turns around the few ponies out that early in the morning. The crowd paid little heed to the filly, used to her driving and knowing the extent of her skills.

Blinking out of her daze, Scootaloo glanced upward at the red school building that loomed in front of her. Classmates were trotting up in pairs or by themselves. She tugged the handles to the left, coming to a stop by the fencing in front of the building. Sighing briefly, she stepped off the scooter and walked it to the side of the school, out of plain view behind some bushes. Old habits and old worries made her stash the vehicle away. 

Leaving the cool safety of the bush, Scootaloo half-heartedly brushed the dislodged leaves from her mane, eyes focused on the ground before her.

“I wouldn’t bother, the leaves make you look better.” A sneering voice came from the pegasus’ left. Tilting her head in that direction, still brushing the leaves out of her fur, Scootaloo found the owner of the comment. Diamond Tiara smirked in her direction, a hoof going to her own mane and brushing it back.

“Yeah, it helps show the difference between us and you.” Silver Spoon appeared from behind Diamond Tiara, pushing up her blue glasses with a hoof. The duo snickered to themselves before focusing back on the young pegasus. 

“Were you trying to find a new place to live? I’m sure the bush would be more comfortable than what you’re used to.” The light pink filly grinned, staring at the pegasus who began to crouch down with flat ears.

“Leave me alone.” Scootaloo jerked her head to the right, glaring at nothing, as she tried to step around the bullies.

“Awwww, what’s the matter? Wake up on the wrong side of the dirt?” The tiara wearing filly continued her harassment, following her victim as she tried to walk away.

“I just want to be left alone. Go away.” Scootaloo tried to put some energy into her retort, but found it was missing that morning. Frowning at the dirt in front of her, she slumped with a sigh, unable to bring forth any motion from her hooves.

“That should be pretty easy since we haven’t seen you with anypony who would care about you.” Silver Spoon commented from her place beside Diamond Tiara. The gray filly’s smirk widened when her friend picked up on the new topic.

“Yeah, I bet they dumped you a long time ago. Who’d want such a useless daughter anyways?” 

Useless…. maybe I am useless…

It took Scootaloo a moment to try and think past the echo in her mind. Inhaling a shuddering breath, she blew it out with a frown towards the duo.

“That’s not true. They cared about me…”

“Maybe that’s why she likes bushes so much, they left her in one.” Silver Spoon ignored the subdued retort and glanced to the crown wearing filly. Diamond Tiara beamed at the jab, leaning towards the dejected target.

“Hah! I think so too! Who’d want to lug around a pegasus who can’t fly or do anything but hide anyways? Weak and pathetic! Honestly, I don’t even know why you try to come to school. You should just go back and live in the forests, stuck on the ground forever.” 

Each word felt like a blow to the orange barrel. Every negative term struck at her limp wings, smacking her head downward, and rocking her frame. When the command to be stuck on the ground finished arriving, Scootaloo found the breath taken from her lungs, weakening her legs and driving her to drop a few inches. Shaking her head in denial, the orange filly tried to bring to mind anything she managed to do on her own. Looking up in surprise, she found she couldn’t think of any, and trembled in place as the two bullies continued to pile on degrading terms.

Wh-why can’t I think of anything…? Am I really that-that weak? Useless…?

“Come on Silver Spoon, we wouldn’t want to catch loser cooties or else we might end up just like-”

“HEY! Y’all leave her alone!” The southern tinted accent rang through the air, cutting off the next and final phrase of the bullies. The duo turned in place, finding that they had traveled a few paces from the front of the school, and that two other fillies had caught sight of what they were doing.

“Yeah! Scootaloo isn’t a loser! You-you take that back!” Sweetie Belle stood next to Apple Bloom, watching the school bullies closely. Both fillies took on wide stances, prepared for any kind of confrontation.

“Pfftt, as if! Like you guys are ones to talk! You can’t even find what your ‘special’ talent is.” Diamond Tiara scrunched her nose in the others’ direction, her eyes filled with a mean glint.

“Yeah! You will probably get a special talent in messing things up!” Silver Spoon declared, stepping closer to her friend as she watched the two Crusaders warily. Her voice took on a tone of slight desperation, not liking the odds if all three charged the bullies.

“No way! We just haven’t found ‘em yet! And Ah bet it’ll be much cooler than yours!” Apple Bloom took a solid step forward, glancing towards the last Crusader briefly in worry.

Scootaloo showed no signs of having heard the arrival of her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. Remaining hunched on the ground, ears flat against her head, she tried to think beyond the echoes that filled her mind.

I’m not… I’m not pathetic…. 

“...who can’t fly …!” 

I’m just… weaker than-than others… right now…. 

“...stuck on the ground forever!”

… I can go anywhere… I-I can…

“...just go back and live in the forests...”

… Maybe I should go-

“Scootaloo can be wherever she wants to! And we like her right here!” The higher pitch of the unicorn broke through the somber thoughts the pegasus found herself trapped in. Slowly, tiredly raising her head, Scootaloo saw that Sweetie Belle stood close to Diamond Tiara, tiny droplets of tears in her eyes.

Swe-Sweetie Belle…?

The orange filly began to struggle upwards, placing one hoof after another under her heavy frame. Purple eyes were locked on the two girls who were trying to stare down each other.

“Sure you do! Because having her nearby hides just how useless you are. In fact, I bet your own sister would be happier to not have someone so lame bugging her all the time.” Diamond Tiara’s words were barely out of her mouth when Sweetie Belle  flinched back, tears breaking free to drip down her face.

“You guys all hang out because no one else wants you-!” Silver Spoon tried to help reinforce Diamond Tiara’s taunt only to stop suddenly when an orange blur passed before her eyes.

“You shut up!” Scootaloo surged to all four limbs in a fraction of a second, anger fueling her body. Having lunged towards the tiara wearing earth pony, the pegasus didn’t pause in her tackle, knocking Diamond Tiara to the ground and swinging wildly with her hooves.

The other two Crusaders watched wide eyed while Silver Spoon had leaped backwards with mouth wide open. Recovering briefly, the gray earth pony rushed forward, trying to push off the attacker. This broke the shock the other fillies were in, though before they could try to help Scootaloo turned to this new opponent and swung a hard left, sending Silver Spoon sprawling backwards. Sharing a determined nod, the Crusaders rushed to the pegasus’ side, trying to pull her off the struggling bully.

“That is enough! Girls, stop that this instant!” 

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had only just started to tug on Scootaloo’s front legs. Feeling the pressure slowing her progress of teaching the brat of an earth pony a lesson, Scootaloo glanced back only to have her gaze focus on the adult mare standing in the doorway.  Meeting the frosty glare for a blink of surprised eyes, Scootaloo allowed herself to be moved off Diamond Tiara and stood between her two friends as they faced their teacher. The weight returned to her hooves and neck, forcing the filly to buckle slightly as she waited. Behind the trio, Silver Spoon lent a hoof to the fallen filly, only for it to be swatted away with a snarl.

“Ms. Cheerilee! They totally just hit me for no good reason! They have to get detention or something!” Diamond Tiara’s words caused Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to twirl around. Scowling at the bully, the duo tried to refute her words.

“No way! She was picking on us and -”

“She’s ah liar! She wouldn’t stop makin’ fun of us and -”

“GIRLS. Who started the fight?” Cheerilee cast her gaze over the five fillies, noting that Diamond Tiara was the most injured while Silver Spoon was sporting a bruise on her cheek and dust on her coat. The Crusaders didn’t appear nearly as bad, though Scootaloo had bits of leaves and dirt on her coat and mane.

Not wanting to give up their friend, the others tried to remain silent and stared straight ahead. Scootaloo sighed, shaking her head at their actions.

“I-”

“They started it!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both exclaimed over top of Scootaloo’s attempted confession. Raising a single brow, their teacher deadpanned the girls, flicking her gaze to the two girls who held most of the injuries to the trio who were in mostly pristine condition.

“And who let it become a physical fight?”

“But-but Ms. Cheerilee-!” Sweetie Belle stared upwards in hurt, eyes wide at the obvious direction the talk was going.

“It don’t matter -” Apple Bloom tried to dissuade the teacher from focusing on that manner with a frown.

“Yes it does matter Apple Bloom. You should never let a disagreement or argument come to physical blows, no matter what the pony says. Who started the fight?” The two bullies wore smug grins, knowing there was no way out of it for the trio.

“I did…” Scootaloo couldn’t raise her head up as she spoke. The words fell like stones, each one dropping onto the pegasus’ back and stinging her form. The two other fillies’ smug grins widened at the confession and defeated tone, only to disappear at their teacher’s next words.

“I see. Don’t think you all aren’t in trouble. You shouldn’t be mean to others. But fighting is never the answer. I want each one of you to stay after school while I talk with your parents or guardians. You are all in big trouble.” Cheerilee frowned, disappointment clear in her eyes, leaving the doorway to let the other students in.

The others, who had been watching the fight anxiously, flowed past the trio. The Crusaders had slowly continued in, heading for their seats at the back of the room. They didn’t want to draw attention from the bullies and hid where they would be least noticed. The three fillies sat in a row, Apple Bloom on the far left, Sweetie Belle on the right and Scootaloo hunched down in the center.

“Pssst, don’t ya worry Scoot, we’ll make sure they know it wasn’t just ya fighting.” Apple Bloom leaned over, covering her muzzle with a hoof to block anypony from seeing her whisper.

Scootaloo didn’t respond, resting her head on forehooves. Her eyes were glazed while her thoughts retreated inwards. 

Can’t even help my friends… Only good to get in trouble…

“Thanks Scootaloo for stopping them… They were being extra mean today…” Sweetie Belle also leaned closer to the pegasus, a grateful smile on her face. 

Receiving only a meh and shrug of her shoulders as a response, the unicorn glanced up to the other filly in bewilderment. Apple Bloom returned the befuddled glance, shrugging her own ignorance of the response.

Scootaloo didn’t notice the thanks nor shared glance, her mind going further in circles. Exhaling gustily, she flattened her ears, a scowl growing on her features.

I am pathetic…





Sweetie Belle shifted in her seat. Today’s lesson wasn’t boring in any way, learning about the habits of trees and animals was an interesting change of pace, but something else held her focus. Feeling the warmth of the sunlight on her back, she turned her hearing from the birds to the still figure on her left. Moving only her eyes, the young unicorn glanced to her pegasus friend, unease bubbling up sluggishly.. 

A beam of sunlight came out from behind a solitary cloud, lighting up the orange filly’s form. Her mane seemed to light up, though her eyes and most of her face was hidden by forehooves and mane. Scootaloo hadn’t moved from her place at the desk, showing no sign of being concerned with the future punishment.

This lack of energy only made the pale-gray filly more worried. Glancing beyond the pegasus, she locked eyes with the young earth pony two seats away. Apple Bloom shrugged, frowning at the still form before turning forward once again, taking notes while she can.

This task was not as easy for the young unicorn. She spent the majority of the morning watching her neighbor, eyes drinking in every detail. Her hearing became unfocused as the voices around them faded into a light background that mixed with the sounds of nature outside. It was only when everypony stood at once and trotted out the door that Sweetie Belle came back to her senses, finding her head resting on her left hoof and eyes glued to the moderate cerise mane of the pegasus beside her. Standing up, the unicorn looked around, eyes wide at the change in time. She glanced to the pegasus sitting beside her, finding that Apple Bloom was already nudging the still pegasus into motion. Sweetie Belle joined the earth pony, prodding with a hoof to get the hunched figure moving.

Together, they were the last to exit the school house, keeping away from the majority of the other students. They didn’t want to bring attention to themselves. One instance of fighting and resulting detention was enough for the trio. The warm breeze carried the joyful sounds of the rest of the foals playing, ruffling the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ fur as they walked to the tree near the building.  



The trio spent the brief recess in the corner, away from the crowds, until it was time to head back inside. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hadn’t been able to get Scootaloo moving or active during that time. Not that they did much either. The knowledge that they would soon be getting a visit from their older siblings had weighed on their minds. Something that lifted only when they were back at their seats, papers ready for note taking.

Sweetie Belle resumed her previous posture, right hoof holding up her head, as she tried to focus on their teacher. The buzz of spring time bees grew in the background. Sunlight and a soft breeze helped to lull the unicorn into a pleasant stupor, eyes focusing on the pony who would help make it even nicer. Green orbs absorbing the orange and cerise hues, Sweetie Belle sighed, a smile tugging on her lips.

Scootaloo lifted her head from its place on her hooves. Purple eyes shifted focus from the blackboard in front to the filly on her right. Eyes crinkled as she smirked to the pale-gray filly. The pegasus leaning towards her friend, eyes full of warmth.

“Hey Sweetie Belle. You getting any of this? I’m not.” Scootaloo chuckled. The unicorn giggled as well, hoof going to cover the noise. Smirk growing wider at the sound, the orange filly half rose from her seat. “Let’s ditch this place! If we sneak out using the skills we’ve learned, I bet they won’t notice us going.”

Sweetie Belle tapped a hoof to her chin, eyes drawing upwards in thought. Twitching her ears toward their teacher, she found no change in the lecture, and that no one was watching the very last row of seats.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, just you and me. For a short walk? Maybe even go to that new cafe they opened downtown.” Scootaloo leaned further across the distance to nudge the other filly, winking once as she spoke.

Sweetie Belle blushed at the contact, the rest of her surroundings fading away at the sight of laughter in her crush’s eyes. Unable to speak, her mouth going dry at the energetic persuasion, the unicorn nodded to the plan. She mutely set her pencil down and pushed her chair backwards, glancing to find Scootaloo was two steps ahead of her. 

They waited for when Cheerilee was staring at the blackboard to step away from their desks. Hoofsteps ghosting along the ground, the two fillies snuck out of the room, keeping low to the ground. Luckily, the exit was only an archway, the only door being the one at the very entrance which was out of easy sight of their teacher. Scootaloo lead the way, gently tugging open the main door, before glancing back with a half smirk and another wink. Sweetie Belle’s heart rate sped up at the look, her own gaze softening while she tried to keep close to the pegasus.

When they both stepped outside, a warm breeze floated by, causing the orange filly’s scent to be brought to the pale gray one’s attention. Sweetie inhaled deeply, smile growing at the aroma of fresh rain and sweat that Scootaloo often had due to her pegasi heritage. The athletic filly noticed her companion's pause, and checked on her with a minute frown. Finding only warm smiles on the unicorn, the pegasus trotted down the steps, pulling her scooter from it’s hidden location. Hopping on the red vehicle, she stepped closer to the handles, trying to make room behind her for an extra passenger.

“Coming?” A bright grin flashed towards the filly still on the steps. Blushing at the tease and how closely they would be sitting, Sweetie Belle rushed down the remaining steps and hopped aboard the scooter.

The unicorn tried to hold back her blush as she stood on her hind legs, forehooves reaching to encircle the pegasus in front. She placed her head against the moderately cerise mane, eyes closing on their own accord.

“You holding on tight? Wouldn’t want somepony to fall off at my amazing speeds.” The teasing was rife with laughter, even as Scootaloo tilted her head back to try and check on her passenger.

Sweetie Belle squeezed the orange barrel, nodding in the other’s mane with a wide smile. Once the affirmation was given, the duo sped down the street, heading towards town. The unicorn had to hold back her giggles as they rode; orange wings fluttered on her sides as the appendages tried to help their speed. The result was the young unicorn was being tickled mercilessly while they couldn’t manage to go faster than an adult’s trotting. 

Hearing the giggling coming from behind her, Scootaloo laughed and shifted, stopping her wing’s movement to instead pedal with a hoof.

“Ah ha ha ha, guess I’m not used to having somepony else with me on my scooter. Something I’ll have to remember in the future huh?” There was no verbal acknowledgement of this statement, but the heart rate increase and pleased squeeze was more than enough of an answer. “At least this way we get a nice calming trip before having to stay away from all the adults.”

The two girls allowed their gaze to pass over the trees and fields that separated the school from town. The soft breeze rustled their fur while both were warmed by the sunlight and each other. Birds flew over their heads, bits of straw and twigs held firmly in their beaks. The bees hopped from flower to flower, drawing both sets of eyes to the flora that was beginning to bloom. 

When the small town came into sight, the two fillies began to swerve gently towards the back alleys. Giving her passenger a playful shushing, Scootaloo expertly navigated the side streets, destination unknown to the pale-gray unicorn who held on.

After traveling a few minutes, the pegasus turned and entered the main streets once more, pulling up to a colorful cafe. Sweetie Belle couldn’t hold back her gasp when she saw the bright summer colors of De L'Été, the newest cafe to open for the warmer seasons. 

The majority of the front wall was made of clear glass, showcasing the interior. In front were outdoor tables, covered by a large porch that came from the second floor, allowing two levels of outside seats. The porch also had a retractable roof, allowing the seats to be safe from the weather or to fully embrace the elements. The rest of the seating and features were inside, the colorization consisting of mostly light orange, yellow and greens to remind everpony of summer time. Large sunflowers rested in pots, placed strategically on the inside. Tables and seats had cloths of white and light pink covering their surfaces. 

There were already other ponies enjoying a light lunch with their special somepony. When the two fillies entered, they weren’t given a second glance. An earth pony with two tone orange mane trotted up, beaming at the newest guests.

“Welcome to De L'Été, I’m the owner and hostess for today, Junebug. Will it be a table for two?” The dark chartreuse furred mare kept her tone polite and waved inside where multiple tables were open.

“Can we get a place up top in the sunlight? That’d be really cool.” Scootaloo took charge, stepping in front of the suddenly shy unicorn. Sweetie Belle dipped her head down, hiding her eyes in the orange fur. 

“Of course! Right this way please!” Junebug grabbed two yellow menus on her way up the staircase. The girls followed dutifully, eyes wide as they glanced about at the bright interior. 

“Isn’t this pretty neat?” The pegasus twisted her head back briefly, eyes shining, before turning forward once more and striding towards their table. 

Junebug chuckled to herself when Scootaloo pulled out the chair for her friend, waiting for her to be seated before rushing to the other side and sitting down herself. Placing the two menus before the fillies, the older mare promised a server would be back to get their drink orders.

Sweetie Belle wasn’t able to really look at her menu, green gaze returning to the grinning filly sitting across the way. Within moments, or so it felt, their server arrived, a notebook held in a magical hue. Seeing that the unicorn was at a loss, Scootaloo once more took over, putting down her own menu.

“We’ll take a large vanilla shake. And we’d like two plates of hay fries and oat burgers. Thanks!” The pegasus saw the confused gaze of the filly on the other side of the table and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. Once the server left to place their order, she quietly explained. “Sorry, I was thinking we could share a shake and you seemed so unsure about what to order.”

Sweetie Belle relaxed in her seat, smile growing once more. Nodding once, she murmured her appreciation, sitting back to watch the girl on the other side. Something that Scootaloo also did, happiness shining in her eyes. When the shake was placed before them, both girls leaned forward, reaching for one of two straws placed there for their convenience. Sipping quietly, the two pairs of eyes were unable to break the contact. 

After a long gulp of the cool drink, they remained still, hovering over the shared drink. Scootaloo’s gaze melted, eyelids dropping down half way. Sweetie Belle couldn’t prevent her face from growing red, a shy grin shakily forming on her muzzle.

“Sweetie Belle… I just… want to... say…” With each soft word, Scootaloo leaned closer over their drink, eyes dropping down from Sweetie Belle’s gaze and focusing on something a little further down. The unicorn found herself also shifting forward, face burning while her own eyes drooped. The two grew closer, standing on their chairs to make up for their shorter stature, while forehooves were firmly on the table.

Closing her eyes, Sweetie Belle felt her heart rate rise, almost breaking free of her chest which heaved with excited breath. Seconds away from connecting with the pegasus, a sharp chime surrounded them, causing the unicorn’s eyes to fly open.  Jerking upright, she glanced around from her seat, eyes wide while both ears flattened against her head.

After the bright light faded, the pale gray filly found her fellow classmates beginning to rise, mouths opening wide as they spoke. Their voices didn’t reach her shocked ears at first, though the stern voice of Cheerilee did cut through the noise. 

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, stay behind please. Your families will be here soon.”  The girls called for stayed in their seats, slowly putting their supplies away. Cheerilee stayed up front by her desk, putting away her chalk and teaching points.

Oh come on!

Sweetie Belle mentally shouted to herself, annoyed at the realization of what just happened. Finally managing to break away from her daydream, she gave her head a firm shake with a hoof to her temple. Her hearing came back to discern the different voices only to find Apple Bloom questioning her at that moment.

“Sweetie Belle…? Are ya ok?” The earth pony’s question drew the pegasus’ attention as well. Raising her head, Scootaloo joined Apple Bloom in regarding the last member of their club.

Sweetie Belle tried to smile but froze when she met the purple gaze of her crush. Face lighting up in a fierce blush, she nodded silently, hoping to collect herself from the intense dream before talking with Scootaloo. Together, the trio sat along the right wall, waiting for their guardians to arrive. Still unable to look at the pegasus, Sweetie Belle watched the world outside, trying and failing to prevent specific moments from her daydream to come back into her mind’s focus.

Apple Bloom glanced to her two friends, a concerned frown taking place at their distracted gazes. She waved a hoof, trying to gain their attention only to find they were lost in their thoughts. Sighing briefly, she turned her gaze to the doorway, waiting for her older sister to arrive with a heavy heart.





The wind whipped through the multicolored mane, its owner smiling at the feeling of freedom. That same smile turned to a frown when she reached the edge of town, her destination in sight. Dipping downwards, she curved in a spiral, wanting to get one last rush before resigning herself to being indoors, in an institution that she had once ran from.

Urgh… School. Really, I get why they’d have the basic stuff, but does anypony really need all that fancy work? No. But it’s for the kid, and Cheerilee said she needed to see me. Can’t be all that bad.

Rainbow Dash took note of all the foals exiting the red school house and flew over their heads. Landing right in front of the doorway, a shout came from behind her, causing the pegasus to glance backwards.

“Howdy there Rainbow! What are ya doin’ here?” The sight of a brown stetson wearing mare standing beside a prim and prissy unicorn was a little surprising. Especially the soft smiles they both wore as they walked closely towards the school.

“Hey AJ, hi Rarity, what are you guys doing over here?” Dash stayed just outside the doorway, wanting to prolong having to enter. Causing the delay with a pleased smirk, she tried not to get lost in the feel of wind rushing through her feathers.

“Well, we were asked tah come by Ms. Cheerilee. Ah was just at mah apple cart when Ah got two visitors Ah wasn’t expectin’.” Applejack chuckled with a light red hue to her checks. Her left hoof rose to scratch at her head. Rarity, beside the farmer, wore a darker blush, eyes scrunching up briefly.

“Oh yes, well, I was merely traversing the market when I found myself beside a certain apple stand and the target of two greetings. I’m rather amazed how quickly the postal service is around here, eh heh heh, heh heh…” The two mares fell silent after this point, both glancing to the ground every so often as they continued forward, keeping the same pace the entire way.

Dash raised a single brow at the trailing explanation. Tilting her head to the side, she tried to examine her two friends only to be thrown for a loop when a different voice sounded from behind her.

“Thank you for coming, if you all could come this way please?” Cheerilee waved a single hoof towards the school. She kept her face neutral, not wanting to set the tone too early. 

The three mares followed the teacher inside, traveling the short distance to the fourth grade classroom where three fillies were sitting. The other two fillies had been sent home for the day, since they had gotten the worst of the fighting, though they had been scolded for their teasing. Cheerilee was planning to talk with their parents the next day, once the Crusaders had been dealt with. Waving to the space right before her desk, Cheerilee turned to the fillies along the right wall. The three guardians also turned to look at the girls, brows raised in question. 

“I found Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle fighting two of their classmates this morning. I’m not sure how long they had been fighting, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon now have multitudes of injuries.” The teacher flatly stated this fact as she stared at the other mares. Before she was able to continue, Apple Bloom stood up and stared desperately at their teacher, drawing everyone’s attention.

“But- they were pickin’ on Scootaloo somethin’ fierce!” 

“Yeah, they wouldn’t stop!” Sweetie Belle joined in the protest, glancing pleadingly towards her sister.

Scootaloo remained silent, staring at the ground hunched over. The silence was odd considering her previous behavior. Dash started to frown at the pegasus only to be distracted when she noticed sharp blue orbs searching the open and blank face of the farmer. Leaning back, Rainbow also found the two sat rather close, even when taking into account how they were all sitting in front of the teacher’s desk. 

“You should have come to me instead of using physical force.” The mulberry furred earth pony addressed the girls before turning back to the guardians. “I’m not sure if this kind of thing is approved of at home, but we don’t use those methods here.” 

“Whelp, we over at Sweet Apple Arces don’t use hooves tah answer our problems either. Ah’m not sure why they thought it was ah good idea, but it won’t happen again. Right Lil’ Bloom?” Applejack glanced to her sister, raising a challenging brow. Pleased to see her little sister dip her head in acknowledgement, she turned to check with the fashionista only to find a curious stare awaiting her. “Rare? Ya ok?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. I’m sure this shan’t happen again.” Rarity turned a stern glare towards her sister only to switch back to the blonde farmer beside her, gaze softening as she searched the watchful green eyes. 

Rainbow frowned slightly at the emotion she couldn’t understand in their shared glance. Pulling back once more, she found they also seemed to lean closer to each other. The prismic mare was lost in her thoughts, trying to comprehend what was going on, only to be tugged away from her musings by a exasperated call.

“Rainbow Dash? Your thoughts?” Cheerilee rested her forehooves together, watching the well known brash mare. 

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. What they said. Eh heh heh…” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with a bashful smirk, having been caught not paying attention. It took a lot of willpower to not automatically respond as though she was the one in trouble.

The elementary school teacher didn’t seem too acceptant of this answer but allowed it to drop anyways. Shifting to watch the three mares at once, she concluded the meeting in a firm voice.

“I see… Well, the girls are suspended for a day. I hope the girls learn that violence isn’t always the answer. If they don’t, it will start to affect their future. Thank you for coming. Hopefully this won’t be a common occurrence.” At the dismissal from the teacher, the three mares stood and started to collect their little sister or charge. When they were all about to leave, the prissy and hardworking mares walking side by side, Cheerilee spoke up once again. “Rainbow Dash, if you and Scotoaloo could stay for a moment longer?”

Dash twitched, trying to keep both of the peculiarly behaving mares in view only to have to sit back down, sighing when her chance to watch the odd behavior of her friends left with the request. Scootaloo slumped back on the ground. She still hadn’t said anything and it drew two concerned glances from her best friends as they were lead away. The two pegasi looked warily to the teacher. Dash had to suppress the urge to shift as memories once again popped up from her own school time.

“Rainbow Dash, I understand that this is a different and unusual situation. While I know you’ve done a lot already in your life, there’s more to worry about than a one time performance this time. Is everything ok at home?” Hearing the note of uncertainty and doubt in Cheerilee’s words, Dash sat up further, confused frown growing on her muzzle.

“Are you trying to say I can’t take care of Scootaloo properly?” Rainbow’s words shocked the pegasus beside her. Scootaloo stiffened, ears straight up before dropping flat against her head once more.

“As part of the educational system, I have to report any kind of issue with foals to the government. Teachers have to watch for abuse, mistreatment, abandonment or even mental instability. I don’t want to take Scootaloo away from the friends and home she’s made here, but if the government thinks that there is something wrong, they will be forced to take some kind of action. Starting fights at school and failing all of her classes is a large red flag in their eyes.” Cheerilee knew beating around the bush wouldn’t work with the brash mare. Flatly stating the situation, she leaned forward, staring deeply into shocked cerise eyes.

“So I’ll ask again. Is there anything going on at home? Any reason to why Scootaloo is slipping in both behavior and grades at school?” The teacher tried to keep her voice calm, wanting to project how she wanted to help while giving the cyan mare a chance to shape up slightly.

“Well, I thought things were going well. Scoots?” Dash turned to the filly beside her. Scootaloo turned to her idol and tried to focus on the question.

“Uh, I guess things are ok…” 

The droned response didn’t reassure either adult. The older pegasus scrunched her face, with eyes focusing on the hunched form. The three ponies remained silent after that point, unsure of what to say. Cheerilee tried to think of a way to politely say that she was there should anything happen while Dash started to panic at the tension in the air.

“Uhm, was there anything else you wanted to talk about? We have to get going; I should, uh, get supper started soon.” The cyan pegasus tried to get an opening to leave the school house. It seemed she still had a lot to think and worry about, and being in a classroom never helped her with that.

Finding no reason to keep either there, Cheerilee nodded, sitting back and wearing a small frown at the similar pair. The two pegasi got up and trotted outside, their pace slow and out of character considering the speedsters. 

Rainbow glanced down at her follower and furrowed her brow. Scootaloo was walking her scooter along, not bothering to ride it and continued to stare at the ground. Glancing upwards, Dash tried to think of what to say, wanting to find out if there was indeed something wrong. She grumbled to herself, never having been very good with subtle ways to talk. She gave her head a swift shake and took a deep breath.

“So, what was the fight about? Did you three really gang up on two others…? Hard to see Sweetie Belle actually fighting, I thought the frou-frou gene was strong in their family.” The cyan mare tried to lighten her question with a joke only to jerk back at the sudden response.

“No! She-they… Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn’t join the fight. I did. I’m the one who started it…” Scootaloo’s voice grew softer as she spoke, shoulders sagging as she admitted to having started the fight. She closed her eyes briefly, expecting a harsh comment, only to be surprised when Dash laughed.

“Ha! I thought so. No worries kid, fights are normal. I got into a lot of them myself when I went to school. Uh, not that that’s a good thing! Uhm, well, it’s normal but not good to constantly fight…? Unless you need to. Or it’s for your friends… Uh, not that you should use hooves to solve things, even if it does work the best sometimes… Well, I mean… Uhhhh…” Rainbow trailed off, hoof scruffing her mane as she tried to find the right words. A tiny demure voice in the back of her head was scolding her brasher statements and she couldn’t figure out a way to please both the voice and the little filly beside her.

The two pegasi went back into silence as they entered the town, walking away from the majority of the crowds. Together, they entered the single story house, heading towards the kitchen to start the evening meal. Dash shifted once more, opening the fridge to remove some of the fresh groceries, while her mind raced. Glancing what she had purchased merely hours ago, she racked her brain for an answer to her dilemma.

Come on Dash, you gotta think of something! Is there something wrong? Wouldn’t she tell me?

“Hey, uh, squirt. You would tell me if there was something wrong, right?” Cerise eyes watched the filly who sat at the table, noting the tiny nod that was the sole response.

Exhaling briefly, Dash brought over the simple sandwiches she made, the extent of her cooking skills, and sat across from the young pegasus. While they slowly ate, the usually brash mare continued to search her mind about who to ask for advice, not that she’d want to admit to needing it.

Somepony who can help with fights… Somepony who can help stop fights… Stop fights… Fluttershy. Fluttershy was able to help with that kind of thing before! I’ll go and ask her.

“Hey Scoot?”

“Yeah…?”

“I’m going to head over to Fluttershy’s after this, ok? I’ll be back to make sure everything is still good later tonight, alright?” The speedster glanced to the window over the kitchen sink, plotting out her route, and didn’t see the drooping ears or muzzle that the younger girl couldn’t hold back.

“Yeah, ok… I’ll just, try to get some homework or something done… I’m grounded tomorrow right?” Scootaloo jumped off her seat, half eaten sandwich still remaining on her plate. Glancing up at the older pegasus, she paused in the living room, wanting to check before she went to lay down in her room.

“Huh? Oh, uh, you’re not grounded. Fights are normal, besides, I’m sure grounding wouldn’t stop you from doing something anyways right kid?” Dash smirked towards the orange filly only to find a shrug waiting for her. Concerned cerise eyes watched the slow progress before Scootaloo disappeared entirely in her room.

I better go quickly...Maybe then I’ll find out what to do about all this…





...Stuck on the ground forever…!

Bushes rushed past as the sound of a young filly’s panting filled the air. Scootaloo pushed through the branches that were in her way, running as fast she could while her wings buzzed weakly.

… Can’t even fly…!

The orange filly tried to lift herself off the ground inspite of the harsh words that floated across her ears. She managed to get an inch off the earth before finding a tree branch that was hanging low enough to swat her out of the air. Going for a tumble, she searched the area, eyes wide with panic. 

...take Scootaloo away from friends and her home…

The voice, gruff and deep, sounded distorted, coming from all directions and yet from a specific point behind the filly. The pegasus jerked her head backwards, trying to spot the owner of the voice while she scrambled back to her feet to escape. A larger form trampled through the foliage, not caring and not impeded by the dense forest. Thunder almost drowned out the noise, lightning flashing across the dark sky that was nearly impossible to see due to the dense brush. The filly flinched, ears flattening, as she tried to weave through the trees.

No one cares for her!

Are you trying to say I can’t take care of Scootaloo properly?

Scootaloo’s ears perked up when they heard the husky yet feminine tone of a specific rainbow pegasus. She tried to glance around, hoping that Rainbow Dash would rescue her from this chase. This hope died quickly when the next words sounded out.

Who’d want such a useless daughter...?

She should just go back and live in the forests…  They left her in one anyways!

The two voices were strong, a sneer practically heard from the venomous tones. Holding back a cry, Scootaloo kept running, trying not to panic when Rainbow’s voice didn’t come back to refute the fact. 

Eyes closed against the tears and rain that started to fall, she ran blindly forward. When she felt the loss of resistance, she opened her eyes to find she burst out from a dense forest onto a cliff. Skidding desperately, she tried to stop before she tipped over the side. But her momentum was too much and the damp grass gave no purchase. The ground crumbled under her, dropping her into the air as another bolt of lightning flashed through the air. 

Twisting and flaring midair, Scootaloo tried to get her tiny wings to do anything, trying to slow her fall. Just when she thought it was working, a piece of wood smacked into her back, causing her wings and spine to spasm in pain. Purple eyes turned to find what hit her only to discover the air near her was full of shattered remains of a cart. Two large figures, one male and the other female, tumbled limply through the sky as well, eyes closed and seared flesh evident when the next flash of lightning lit the sky.

“No…! No, not again-!” 

Another flash brightened the skyway, showing different figures instead of ones blurred and half-forgotten with age. The falling bodies were smaller, their limbs and heads not those of adults but of fillies, young and just before their pre-teen years. 

A red bow hung loosely from the earth pony’s head, torn and burnt, while its owner had her eyes closed, scorch marks on her back. The other seemed more fragile, her unicorn lineage making her frame lighter than the other kinds, and appeared even more injured than the earth pony. Hair mussed from the wind and singed, she fell backwards with all four limbs raised. It was when the pale-gray filly slowly rotated that the burn mark in the center of her stomach and back became visible. 

It was this sight, more than anything, that caused the tears to freely flow from Scootaloo’s eyes as she reached out to her friends, knowing deep down in her core that she must have been to blame for their predicament.

“N-no, noooooooooooooo....!”


-TTS-


“NOOOOOOOO!” Scootaloo wildly swung her limbs, trying to escape the blanket that covered her form. Spilling over the side, she felt a moment of weightlessness similar to her dream, and panicked. A high pitched scream ripped through the early morning, scattering sleepy birds and causing a few of the neighbors to peer nervously about.

The young filly flopped around on the ground, getting up to unsteady hooves with frantic glances around the room. She panted as her search slowed, legs threatening to give out with each quiver. The blanket slowly drooped off her small frame. 

When Scootaloo was able to focus beyond her primary sense of gravity, which was still wavering, she started to recognize the room she was in. Standing up, she shrugged off the blanket, only to sag on her hooves once they were free.

Of course it’s my fault… It’s my fault they’re in trouble at school and in that dream too… Maybe it would have been better if I did fal-
The sound of excited knocking distracted the orange filly from her dour thoughts. Lifting her head from its place on the ground, body uncurling from its crouched position, Scootaloo frowned pensively towards the living room. Anyone who might want to stop by either had keys to the house or were presumably grounded. When the knocking continued, she decided to try and see who it was. Her hooves felt like they moved through water, slow and unresponsive. Before a third round of pounding could take place, the pegasus managed to open the door and greet whoever was on the other side.

“H-hello?” The door hadn’t completely open nor was the young filly able to get much more than a brief word out when two much louder voices rang through the air.

“HEY SCOOTALOO!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle beamed while they stood outside the single floor home. Catching sight of the paler and slightly trembling pegasus, their grins dropped down into pensive frowns. 

Sweetie Belle was the first to act, a pinch in the center of her chest urging to move faster than the earth pony beside her. She took a step forward, eyes sweeping across the room, voice timid with fear of what may be wrong.

“Scootaloo…? Are-are you alright?”

For a single moment, Sweetie Belle felt a shiver of fear. Scootaloo, energetic, active, always on the move Scootaloo, seemed to cave in on herself before answering. Even if she did try to sound like usual.

“Yeah. But what are you guys doing here? I thought you were in trouble because of my stupid move…”

“Nah, them bullies had it coming. There ain’t no way we were gonna let you take all the blame Scoots. But my sis’ figured it out an’ said that fights between kids was normal, and Rarity went all weird for a moment, but then we got out of trouble! Can ya believe it? Ah whole day to ourselves!” Apple Bloom also stepped forward, excited words spilling out rapidly, though she took the opportunity given by her rapid speech to check on the final Crusader.

“What do you mean, acted odd? Doesn’t she always act odd?” Not that I can talk… Bet I’m just useless and can’t even do the things I used to anymore…I’m probably more odd than Sweetie Belle’s frou-frou sister… Scootaloo frowned as she spoke, her mental sentence not helping her current mood, as she glanced between the other fillies.

The others shared an unsure glance with a shrug.


-TTS-


“I cannot believe you were part of such an act Sweetie Belle! I had thought our parents taught you better than this! And surely fighting three on two utterly unfair and not a very proper course of action at all. Why did you think fighting ever solved anything-”

“Well Rarity, Ah’ve always thought it was normal for kids tah fight. Helps ‘em sort their differences and standing up fer themselves. Ah had tah do it myself a time or two.”

“-and I completely respect your need to stand up in defence of your friend. After all, being loyal to your friends and what you believe in is a very good reason to have to resort to, erhm, extremes. I’m sure many others have had to… do the same… For good causes… I’m sure...” Rarity trailed off, blush staining her cheeks, while she turned her gaze to the sky. The older mare wore a bemused smirk while the two fillies had confusion written all over theirs.

“Oh yeah? An’ did you ever have tah resort to ‘extremes’ before? Could have sworn ya were talkin’ about how it wasn’t so good…” Applejack’s eyes held a glint of teasing as she smiled to the pale-gray mare. Something that grew when she saw the red hue expand over the unicorn’s face.

“Oh well, I merely wished to concur that you’re input is appreciated and potentially correct. And, uhm, what would you suggest for our two sisters? As a result of their actions today?”  The prissy mare tilted her head to the left, away from the farmer, while blue eyes watched the other mare closely.

The blonde earth pony scrunched her muzzle to the side in thought. Green eyes dropped their vigilance to instead search the skies.

“Ah’d say… They’d be free tah go. Maybe ah bit o’ talkin’ to about using hooves before other options.” Applejack brought her gaze back to the unicorn to find blue orbs watching her closely. 

The four ponies had paused in their walk as their talk continued. The two fillies remained silent and still as gravestones, unwilling to ruin their chance to remain ungrounded. Though their sisters behavior was starting to make them think it wasn’t their sisters. Seconds before they could start questioning the older mares (and identify if they were imposters), Rarity shook her head, snapping free of the unwitting staring contest.

“Uhm, yes. Girls, you must always try to find some other solution to your problem before using hooves to solve it. And, uh, if you must use extreme measures, try to be careful…?” The last statement trailed off as the unicorn checked on the other mare, blush in full control of her visage while blue eyes sought out green. Applejack laughed at Rarity’s change of attitude and subsequent ‘scolding’.

“Yep, sounds about right. Y’all go on home now, just ‘cause ya don’t have school tomorrow don’t mean homework can be forgotten.” 

The two Crusaders ran, not wanting to give their sisters a chance to change their minds. They raced back into town, turning to look back only once, and almost crashing because of it. Standing where they left them, their sisters had gone back to having a staring contest, talking too quietly for either filly to hear. 

Not wanting to waste a moment on the mysteries of adults, they kept going, making plans about cheering up their third member the next day. 


-TTS-


Scootaloo shook her head. She hadn’t thought the two mares could actually be really odd, but they surprised all three fillies this time. When she lifted her head, the pegasus found she had drawn closer to the ground again without realizing, causing the two girls on her front step to cast anxious looks her way.

“Ok, alright, so, uh, what… Did you want to do then…? Rainbow Dash said I wasn’t grounded either.” Even as Scootaloo said she was free to roam, her body protested, losing its ability to defy gravity for a moment.

“Well, did ya eat yet? We could go fer some breakfast if ya want.” Apple Bloom smiled, trying to think of time specific things they could do. Sweetie Belle nodded rapidly beside the earth pony, grin wide as she spoke up.

“Oh oh oh! We can go to Cafe De L'Été!” Sweetie Belle spoke slowly, trying to get the pronunciation correct, only to find two sets of bewildered faces looking back at her.

“Caff-e Delete? What kind of shop is that? Who’d want tah delete their own business?” The young earth pony questioned the unicorn, the unfamiliar words sounding worse when she spoke.

“It’s not delete! It’s DE L 'Été! At least, that’s how Rarity pronounced it. She said it was Prench. But I hear they have some good food and tea!” The excitable filly turned from the olive-yellow girl only to stop any other persuasion when her gaze fell on the pegasus. 

Scootaloo, unnoticed by the two arguing Crusaders, had sunk in on herself again, unable to fight the weight on her back and head. She had soon lost track of what her best friends were talking about, her mind pulled inward. The feel of two hooves on either shoulder drew her sight upwards, finding two concerned sets of eyes on her level.

“Scootaloo, are ya ok?”

“Sco-Scootaloo…? Are you alright…?”

The two anxiety ridden voices rang through a tunnel, echoing from far away. The disconnected pegasus shook her head, trying to come back to the surface. She tried to smile reassuringly but it felt odd on her muzzle, almost like she forgot how to.

“I’m… alright… Didn’t sleep too well.” Scootaloo tried to lift a hoof up to her face but found it was too heavy. She settled instead for a faltering grin. Something that didn’t assure her best friends at all.

Sweetie Belle bit her lip, eyes trying to find any reason for the listlessness of the pegasus only to find no outward reason. She peeked at the earth pony beside her. Apple Bloom wore a large frown before she stood up once more.

“Alright. Well, maybe we’re all ah little hungry an’ that’s why we can’t seem tah get anything done. Let’s go to Sugarcube Corner. We’re still not the best at cookin’ after all.” Apple Bloom turned resolutely to walk down the street only to pause a hoofstep away. Shifting her gaze back at the panicking unicorn and forlorn pegasus, she sighed and turned back, leaning up against the orange filly and pushing her forward.

The pale-gray filly brightened at this action and joined in on the other side. Together, they made sure the distraught girl closed her door and walked down the street. Scootaloo tried to make weak protests but found she was too tired even for that. Instead, she sighed, coming to terms with her inability to do anything lately. This acceptance only served to pull at her very bones, urging her to lay down and give it all up. The others noticed this sudden weight and picked up their pace, unsure of the cause but wanting to get to a safe location.

The trio burst into the bakery, two pairs of eyes scanning for an open table while the last one was still glued to the ground. By the time they had arrived, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had to use their hooves to hold up the despondent filly. A fact that only drove them to run towards a food location. Waving down a pink furred server, the duo placed Scootaloo gently into a seat, grabbing their own while waiting for the chance to order. Pinkie Pie hopped over, a wide smile on her face that slowly fell when she noticed the third Crusader. 

“Hey girls, what can I do for you today?” The pink mare’s thoughts ran a mile a second as she checked with the kids. Blue eyes flowed over the other girls before coming back to Scootaloo. 

“We need some wake up food quick! Scoot-uh, we need a good start to our day!” Sweetie Belle stood on her chair, hooves resting against the table before her, as she implored the older mare. Apple Bloom nodded along with the demand.

“Yeah, an’ don’t ya worry about the cost, we got it covered.”

Pinkie Pie dipped her head at the command, zipping into the back without a word. Seconds later, she rushed back out, a tray balanced on her back and head. She bucked the trays into the air, arched to land safely on the table, while her mane seemed to catch the two trays and store them on her back. Three drinks and bowls were placed directly in front of each girl, slightly different from one another while still being the same kind of food. Sweetie Belle had a cup of hot chocolate with sprinkles and whipped cream and a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins coating the top. Apple Bloom had a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on top along with a bowl of oatmeal that had apple slices, cut into fine pieces, on top. Scootaloo had a cup of hot chocolate as well, though hers had cinnamon coating the top with her bowl of oatmeal being covered in cinnamon, ginger and tiny flakes of barley.

“There you go! Three wake up calls and good food to start your day! If I don’t see smiles in a minute, I’ll come back with the happiness special!” The hyper pony stared closely at the pegasus who managed to hear the veiled warning. 

Scootaloo smiled wanly at the older mare before sipping her drink. When she felt the rush of warmth spread to her hooves from the center of her body, she was able to smile a bit more naturally, something that satisfied the party pony. Some of the lead left her system and Scootaloo found she was able to actually swallow the meal, which only helped her even more. Though she wasn’t up to usual standards, a fact that was duly noted by her two best friends.

“What do we do Apple Bloom?! She-she isn’t doing so well!” Sweetie Belle whispered to the earth pony next to her, mouth barely moving to form the words, eyes staring at the pegasus across the way.

“... Maybe… Maybe we should try an’ do some Crusadin’, see if that gets her spirit back up.” Apple Bloom answered just as quietly, glancing around the room to find some kind of activity they could do to earn cutie marks. Finding nothing inside, the filly turned her gaze outside, eyes thoughtful. She tried to imagine something, anything, they could do on such short notice only to pull up short when she thought about who it was they were trying to cheer up.

“Ah know! Let’s race!” The exclamation was loud enough to draw Scootaloo’s attention. Two pairs of bewildered eyes watched the bow-wearing filly as she sheepishly rubbed her head before continuing. “We’ll try and get our racin’ cutie marks. How’s-how’s that for somethin’ to do today?”

Sweetie Belle perked up in her seat, head nodding quickly with a wide grin. When she saw the uncertainty in the usually bold pegasus however, her zealous nodding slowed to a crawl.

“I don’t know guys. I don’t think I’m up for much right now…” Scootaloo turned her face aside, unwilling to meet disappointed eyes, as she used her spoon to poke at the mush in the bowl. 

The anxious unicorn glanced between her two friends. Seeing that the usually stable and firm filly was unable to think of a comeback at this time, she took matters into her own hooves. She jumped down from her place and rushed to the pegasus’ side, pushing and prodding with desperate hooves. Scootaloo, still rather weak and caught surprised, was soon pushed over onto the floor. Ushered to her hooves with a nose that made goosebumps raise up on her fur, the girl found a moment when she wanted to laugh at her friend’s insistence. This moment was quickly doused by the fact that the only reason Sweetie Belle was acting like this was because she herself was not acting normal.

Apple Bloom leaned back at the sudden movement. Able only to sit back and watch the two friends head outside before her mind reminded her why the unicorn was acting like that. Checking the table for anything left behind, she received a jolt when she found that Scootaloo’s meal was barely touched, three sips and two spoonfuls having been consumed. When the filly looked up, the two friends had managed to leave her sight, causing a bolt of fear. Apple Bloom thundered out, not waiting for their check.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle got Scootaloo to the street and in starting position. She insisted that they warm up before going to race for real with carts. Scootaloo tried to get out of it, only to be ponyhandled into place.

“Please Scootaloo, please? We’ll run to the sports shop and then you don’t have to run again. We’d just race with carts afterwards. But we have to be, uhm, limber! Yeah, we have to be limber to be good racers.” 

“Sweetie Belle, I’m not really -”

“Pleeeeasssseeeeee….?” Green eyes pleaded with purple, shimmering with equals part of hope and desperation.

Scootaloo couldn’t hold back her sigh and crouched down. Shaking her head in resignation, she tried to focus on the street ahead of her. Barely hearing the shout of ‘go’, she noticed the alabaster filly running ahead, turning her head to see if the pegasus was following. Noticing the concerned expression, Scootaloo forced her legs into motion, unwilling to let her friends down.

Apple Bloom exited the door to find her other friends running down the street. Sweetie Belle seemed to be ahead but she slowed so that she could keep pace with Scootaloo. Gritting her teeth, the earth filly rushed after her friends, too far back to try and call out to them.

The more athletic filly noticed how she couldn’t seem to pull ahead, her breath uneven and short, as her hooves grew sore with each cycle. Her gaze shifted from watching the road ahead to check on the filly giving her a run for her bits. Catching sight of a pleased grin, Scootaloo was about to try and up her efforts when the smile transformed into a unfinished shout of warning.

“Scootaloo, wat-”

The words once again echoed from a distance as the world spun. Everyday noises were gone, and gravity seemed to have lost it’s hold on the young pegasus. Blackness crept on the edge of her vision before she had to shut her eyes. A voice shouted in the far distance, making a sharp pang dash through her chest to go along with the sudden sting coming from her entire left side. The voice sang out again, its shrill tones piercing the blackness that started to envelope the downed pegasus.

“Scootaloo! Oh my gosh, Scootaloo! Wake up, you have to wake up! Please be ok! I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have made you run and-”

“Yeah, because it’s so obviously your fault that I messed up… Again.” Scootaloo blearily opened her eyes as she muttered a response. The unicorn, pleased at first to hear her voice, stiffened when the words sank in.

“What… what do you mean?” Sweetie Belle’s voice dropped in volume while she stared wide eyed at the injured filly. The pegasus stood up from where she crashed, favoring her left forehoof that started to produce tiny droplets of red.

“Nothing… It’s not your fault. It’s mine. Always lame-o me…” Can’t fly, can’t run… Can’t do anything… I am a waste of space. Shouldn’t even bother the others. Obviously I’m just going to make it worse.

“Scootaloo… W-wait!” Sweetie Belle held out a hoof, trying to gain the dejected filly’s attention only to find she was once again lost in her own little world. 

The somber tone had frozen the unicorn into place, breath starting to become unstable and form shivering in anxiety. When she felt a hesitant hoof on her shoulder, Sweetie glanced to her left, finding Apple Bloom gazing in the direction of the pegasus. Orange eyes turned to find watery green ones staring back in sorrow.

“Wha-what do we do now…?”

“We find out what is goin’ on here. Something’s wrong with Scootaloo an’ it’s up to us to find out. Come on, we’re gonna look up a few things.” Apple Bloom’s voice didn’t waver as she turned around, facing the street that would lead them to the local library. Jerking her head forward, she lead the way to where they would hopefully find out what those weird symptoms of Scootaloo’s meant.


-TTS-


The two girls soon found themselves in front of the tree library. Its large branches reached towards the sky while the red door stood out brightly against the light tan grain. Knocking curtly, Apple Bloom was relieved when the door was opened immediately. Spike, the residential dragon and assistant, held onto the frame with one claw while the other was on his side as he stared questioningly to the two girls.

“What did you want? If you need Twilight, she’s a little busy at the moment.” The drake’s tone was gruff; nopony ever wanted to talk with him specifically.

The two fillies shared unsure glances before shrugging to the lad. 

“It don’t matter. We need tah look at some books about bein’ sick; y’all got some right?” Apple Bloom stood on her hooftips to crane her neck, trying to see past the lad to the books behind him. Spike rolled his eyes and shuffled backwards. Waving a claw, he invited the girls inside.

“Alright, alright. Just don’t make a mess, I just got the place cleaned up.”

The fillies wasted no time in accepting the invitation. They rushed to the center of the room, spinning slowly, while they tried to figure out where the medical section was. Spike, seeing their confusion, rolled his eyes again. After shutting the door, he stepped up beside them and pointed towards the left wall.

“Over there…” 

Nodding their appreciation, they ran over, eyes scanning the various titles in hopes of something that stood out. They started on separate ends, tugging on different books and setting them in a pile between them. Once they had well over fifteen books assembled, they started to flip through the pages, briefly checking their contents without truly knowing what they searched for. 

Fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes past with no successful discoveries. The fillies were growing more desperate with each passing second. The purple dragon didn’t pay them much attention until the pale-gray unicorn shouted aloud.

“OH COME ON! We’ve been looking and while some of this stuff is really neat it’s not what’s wrong with Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle huffed with both hooves crossed over her chest. Her heart felt a stab of pain, remembering the despairing glint in purple eyes.

“Hey, watch it. We’re in a library. But, uh, what’s wrong with Scootaloo?” Spike glanced over, frowning at the shout, though the mention of the pegasus distracted his train of thought.

“We ain’t sure… We was hopin’ to find the answer here.” Apple Bloom waved her left hoof, eyes trailing after it, to come to a stop when a large brown book dropped off the shelf without anyone touching it. There was a small flash of pink, gone by too quickly to be identified, that appeared behind the book.

The sound of a tome falling down drew three sets of eyes. Spike’s were wide with fright. He knew what happened when books were mistreated. The others rushed to look at the book, curious as to what made it fall. While Apple Bloom looked up to the shelf, not seeing any place for someone to tip it over, Sweetie Belle read the cover aloud.

“Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Equestrian Psychiatric Association… A book about mental things? Hmmm…” The unicorn opened the book with her hoof, searching the lists of symptoms for ones similar to their missing friend’s. Meanwhile, an annoyed voice floated from down below, its irritable tone evident even several stories up.

“Spike…?! What was that noise? Did something fall over?”

The dragon jumped up, fists clenching while he glanced to the basement, voice trembling as he answered.

“Oh, uh, nothing’s wrong Twilight! Just, uhm, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle… They’re looking for a book.” The conversation between librarian and assistant faded from the girls’ ears when the unicorn called her fellow Crusader over.

“Apple Bloom! Apple Bloom! Look, I think I found it!” The olive-yellow earth pony read over Sweetie Belle’s shoulder, trying to understand some of the larger words.

“Deepressin’? What’s that? Those symptoms are the same as how she was actin’ though… Moody, tired, sad, didn’t want tah talk, not very hungry…” Apple Bloom listed what she’d seen with a hoof on her chin. Eyes floated upwards as she thought.

The other Crusader’s eyes widened when she read further ahead. Before she could comment on what else she found, an older, though just as anxious, voice came from above their heads. 

“Depression? You think Scootaloo is depressed?” Twilight looked down wide-eyed at the two girls. They turned in place from the ground, staring at the adult with a mixture of surprise and worry.

The girls exchanged uneasy gazes, deciding mutely on what to do with an adult in their midst. The earth pony nodded encouragingly to the young unicorn to explain what they found. Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, pushing aside her fears about what the discovery could mean, and stood up.

“Well, we… We think there’s something wrong with Scootaloo. Like she isn’t feeling well. And we were trying to find out what it was when this book fell off the shelf! But then we were looking at it and we were starting to think that maybe, she could possibly be… depressed.” The young unicorn shifted on her hooves, eyes trailing downward in uncertainty only to straighten up with bewilderment. “But-but I don’t understand why! She has a good home now, we’re here for her, there’s nothing to be sad about!”

Twilight frowned thoughtfully, eyes becoming distant as she reflected on what little she knew of the pegasus’ past. Hearing the confusion about how it could be possible though brought her back from her thoughts. She raised a single eyebrow at the statement.

“Sometimes it doesn’t matter what they do have; ponies with depression can have everything in the world and still be very sad and feel very lonely. If Scootaloo is depressed, then we may need to try and get her help as soon as possible.” The lavender unicorn took a single step away, gaze focused on the distance where her rainbow maned friend usually hung around.

In her moment of distraction however, she didn’t see the bright flame of hope that appeared in the younger filly’s eyes. Though she was able to catch the tail end of what she said while running out the door.

“That’s it! We’ll just show her she isn’t alone and we’ll find some way to have a lot of fun, that’s sure to help!” Sweetie Belle rushed out of the tree house. She didn’t look back at any of those she left behind, even when Apple Bloom called out for her to wait.

“Sweetie Belle, wait! Ah don’t think that’s what she meant!” 

Twilight stood in the middle of the room, blinking slowly. Jerkily, she looked down at the lad beside her, puzzlement written over her entire face. Spike shrugged, lifting both sets of claws into the air.

“I don’t know anything.”

The studious mare shook her head, turning in place and heading towards the door. With a flash of her magic, she levitated a broom and dustpan to the drake. The lad sighed as he accepted the cleaning supplies.

“Could you clean up Spike? I have to find Rainbow Dash.” The lavender mare then floated the medical book the girls were looking at and trotted out the door with it by her side.

Spike sagged, resigned to always cleaning up after others. With little fuss, he started to pick up the books and reshelving them.





The alabaster filly ran down the crowded streets, ducking between the legs in her way, the only sounds being loud pants as she drove her body to even faster speeds. The warning at the bottom of the book floating before her eyes.

[... ponies with depression often think they don’t deserve to live… If a patient shows signs of depression, keep a close eye on them in order to prevent potential suicide.]


I have to show her she’s not alone! I have to show her she’s not alone! She’s not, she’s not, she’s not… I won’t ever leave her…! Please don’t leave me!





The room was silent, nothing moved, while the sole resident laid down on her right side, unwilling to rest on scrapes. Her left forehoof was pulled up to be easily seen. Orange fur started to matte, bright red blood giving it a shiny appearance from her elbow down. Dirt was still on the injury from the gravel the pegasus had landed in but Scootaloo had lost the energy and will to try and wash it off.

After she had arrived home, she found that she didn’t want to bother heading into her room to go back to sleep. Instead she opted to rest in the middle of the living room. Her numb limbs couldn’t make the climb up any of the furniture, so she laid on the floor, staring at the red stain that grew slowly before crawling to a stop. While it wasn’t bleeding heavily, it still stung, the soil and bits of rock aggravating the cut.

I’ve had worse… Especially at Hannigan’s… Wonder why it seems so odd now…?... Oh… I actually managed not to be so useless in the past half a year... Haven’t had a big scrape in a long time… Bet I’m too useless to actually give it proper medical attention…

An insistent pounding resounded through the still house. Barely lifting her head from the ground, Scootaloo glanced towards the front door. Sighing, she was about to go back to watching her leg when the sound came back, even more forceful than before.

“SCOOTALOO! You in there? I’m coming in!” The light, almost panicking voice, broke through the pegasus’ daze. 

By the time the door opened, Scootaloo was able to half sit up, slightly dizzy in the new position. The light drifting inside blinded her for a moment, but she recognized the gasp that came as she turned to greet the visitor.

“Wh-what happened?! Was-is that… from the fall? I’m-I’m here to help!” Sweetie Belle flew inside, trying to help the pegasus but stayed back, terrified of making it worse. She checked the floor and found only a tiny stain on the ground, a sign it hadn’t been too long nor was it that bad.

“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch. I had worse. Just goes to show how useless I am... “ Scootaloo turned further, removing the injury from prying green eyes, though she couldn’t meet the caring gaze for long.

The unicorn shifted in place, biting her lip, her thoughts going to the bathroom to where hopefully a medical kit rested. Putting a hoof on the orange shoulder, she gently nudged her friend. 

“Uhm, why-why don’t we go and clean that up and we can go and do some Crusading…? We can have lots of fun with our day off…!” Sweetie Belle remembered her original mission and tried to subtly get the pegasus moving.

Scootaloo tipped dangerously at the gentle shove and swatted at the offending hoof with her own right one. She frowned at the insistent filly briefly before shifting her gaze downwards once more.

“I’ll clean it up when I feel like it… Besides, I’m probably the one holding all of you back, you should just go Crusading without me. It’s my fault we all don’t have school anyways.”

“What? No way! You’re-you’re not holding us back at all Scootaloo! We’re a team! We… We work together and help one another!” Sweetie Belle’s voice trembled, hooves moving back up to push against the pegasus.

“Yeah well, there’s no one who can help me. Trying is just a waste of time… I’m hopeless...” Scootaloo crouched down, eyes scrunched shut at admitting her thoughts. 

Feeling the hooves on her back slacken for a moment, she exhaled tiredly, guilt filling her core at pushing away one of two friends she ever had. Purple orbs shot open however, when those gentle hooves pushed back, shaking so much that the pegasus’ frame also shivered in time. Twisting her head back, Scootaloo frowned at the unicorn who stared back with steely eyes, a frown of her own on her muzzle.

“No! You’re not a waste of time or space or or anything! Let’s get this cleaned up and then I’ll…! I’ll-I’ll prove it!” The unicorn shifted her hooves from the hunched back to the bleeding limb, grabbing it from the shoulder and tugging on it. 

A sudden shout of pain and full body push caused Sweetie Belle to not only let go, but be forced back, away from the trembling pegasus. Scootaloo held her left leg with her right, glaring with watery eyes to the offender.

“Just leave me alone! You’re not helping at all! Just-just… Just go away!” 

The quivering shout shot through the pale-gray unicorn’s chest. Gasping, eyes watering, Sweetie Belle turned and ran towards the door. Seeing a yellow blur in the doorway, she shot through the taller pony’s legs, ears flat against her skull. 

Scootaloo watched the departure with wide eyes, mouth dropping open at the crushed expression on the other girl’s face. She raised a shaky hoof in opposition to the departure only to drop it back down onto her injured leg when Sweetie Belle turned down the street.

“Oh my!  Scootaloo! What happened? Oh dear, oh no! I’ll get the first aid kit -!” Fluttershy’s high pitched voice was cut off by one of a younger filly, scolding the pegasus for her actions.

“Scootaloo! Why’d ya do that?! Sweetie Belle has always been tryin’ tah help ya! Why would ya say that? When Ah come back with her, ya better apologize!” Apple Bloom pointed with her hoof to the filly in the living room before stomping it onto the ground. “Honestly, if it’s not one of ‘em, it’s the other.” She muttered to herself as she turned, running in the same direction as the distressed unicorn.

Fluttershy furrowed her brows at the last sentence while she pulled out a cleaning wipe. Turning her focus back to the slumped filly in front of her, she started to clean the cut. When Scootaloo pulled back with a cry of pain and tried to glare the caretaker away, she was met with a stern one in return. Flickering briefly, the young pegasus gave in and looked down. 

“Scootaloo, what happened?” The unusually firm tone brokered no other choice but to explain.

“I-... I don’t know… I haven’t been feeling very good lately and the other Crusaders were trying to cheer me up… I fell during a race with Sweetie Belle and then, then she just showed up, trying to help… I… She pulled on my cut and I-... I yelled…” Scootaloo flinched as the older mare tightened the pristine linen holding the bandage in place.

“You realize what you did hurt others, right?” Fluttershy stared the filly straight in the eye, checking that the girl knew what happened. When Scootaloo nodded, the yellow pegasus smiled, pleased with the answer. “Good. Then you know what you should do…?”

“Yes… I should apologize…”

“And explain…?”

“Explain about how I haven’t been feeling good and that it wasn’t their fault…” Scootaloo watched the ground, unable to raise her head as she spoke. Feeling a sudden weight on top of her head, she glanced upwards to find Fluttershy was nuzzling her cerise mane.

“Good. I’m sure they’ll forgive you. All good friends do. And they can help you when you don’t feel very well.” The animal care-taker smiled softly as she gave the filly a hug with both wings, pulling her closer before taking a step back. “I’m going to tell Rainbow Dash about what happened, ok? I’ll be back in an hour to hear about how the apology went.”

Scootaloo nodded, remaining in place while the older mare exited the single floored house. The sadness and black pit was still there, in the back of her mind, but she wouldn’t acknowledge it, wouldn’t allow it to come forward. Instead she stared at the entrance, replaying the sight of a crying gray unicorn running away while she tried to think of someway, anyway to make it up to her best friends.





Apple Bloom desperately searched the nearby streets, eyes wide and moving constantly. She tried to listen for the sound of crying, but couldn’t hear anything. Turning around, she went for the edge of town instead, hoping that the unicorn merely tried to avoid the crowds and used back alleyways.

When she came to the bridge where they once found a sick Scootaloo, the earth pony finally managed to hear her friend. Picking up her pace once more, Apple Bloom skidded down the banks to find Sweetie Belle next to the stream, head on her hooves while she stared at her reflection.

The earth pony sat down beside the pale-gray filly. Looking towards the water, she leaned into her friend. Sweetie Belle sniffled, wiping her nose with a hoof. At the motion, Apple Bloom noticed a bright stain that shown very clearly against her lighter fur. Standing up and pulling the distressed filly with her, Apple Bloom check her friend’s barrel, worried about the red on it.

“Wha-? What happened!?!”

Hearing this sudden panic, Sweetie Belle looked down and sighed, eyes pulled back up to continue their forlorn watch of the water.

“Oh… Scootaloo was bleeding and pushed me away… Some of it got on me…” The unicorn exhaled once again, slumping forward. 

Apple Bloom gave a huff of disbelief and tugged on the pale-gray hoof. Once they were right beside the water, the earth pony splashed the fresh and slightly chilled water to wash away the blood. After that task was done, they sat watching the water flow slowly by. 

“Wanna talk about it?” The bow-wearing filly peeked at her neighbor. She found only a shrug for an answer.

“How ‘bout an apology?” At this question, Sweetie Belle glanced over perplexed.

“What do you mean…?” The unicorn’s soft words caused another frown of concern to appear on the olive-yellow girl. 

“Ah told Scoots that we’d be back an’ she’s supposed tah apologize to you.” Apple Bloom snorted, tilting her head back the way she came for a second as she thought about the pegasus. “Did ya want to go now or wait ah bit first?” 

“Can… Can we just sit here for a little bit…?” The request was punctured by sniffling as the heartbroken filly started to tear up once again. The earth pony sighed, hunkering down beside her friend, staring straight ahead as Sweetie Belle dipped her head into the olive-yellow shoulder.

Why… Why have these two been actin’ so odd with one another? Sure, we might fight ah bit, but… but this isn’t like before… Gotta step up my game. Protect my family, like sis’ does.

Apple Bloom slung a comforting leg around shaking shoulders, pulling the crying filly closer to her. Sighing softly again, she tried to reassure the unicorn.

“It’s gonna be ok… Ah think Scoot ain’t feelin’ so well, and once we get all this settled, we’d be able to try an’ help. Just gotta stand firm… It’ll be ok Sweetie Belle, it’ll be ok…”





A blur of yellow flew over the early morning crowd. The pegasus was high enough that she avoided running into anypony, while she frantically searched the skies. When she spotted some clouds about to be busted by a rainbow trail, Fluttershy sped up, eyes trained on the assortment of colors. Before Rainbow Dash could finish her twist and zoom off, she paused, wings flapping evenly to keep her aloft. The animal care-taker frowned at the sight. In seconds she realized that Rainbow was talking with someone on the ground and pushed her wings to their limit. 

While attempting to be fast, the shy mare closed her eyes, forehooves stretched forward as she flew. Panting filled her ears until two hooves grasped her shoulders and a bemused chuckle sounded out.

“Heh heh, what’s the big rush? Seems everypony is running around today.” Opening teal eyes slowly, Fluttershy found Dash smirking towards her, hooves out to stop the near-collision. 

“O-oh, uhm… Uh, I was-trying to find you… Something happened with… Scootaloo…” The canary colored mare panted as she tried to explain herself. 

The prismatic pegasus squinted at her words however. She glanced towards the ground, where a horrified lavender mare was waiting.

“Something did happen with Scootaloo! Oooh, I came too late! It was all because I stopped to grab the book and-” Twilight’s rambling was cut short by an impatient blue hoof.

“Woah woah woah. One pony at a time. What happened to Scootaloo, Fluttershy?”

Having two expectant eyes focused on her suddenly made the timid mare shrink back. She then remembered the sagging figure that may still be in the empty house and took a large breath.

“Scootaloo fell today and got a cut on her leg. It’s not that bad, but she seems to be very upset… There is something wrong and we should talk to her about it.” Fluttershy looked firmly to her oldest friend, not willing for this event to be swept under the rug like so many others. Dash rubbed the back of her head with a half smirk, guessing as to what brought on that gaze.

“Well, that’s what I was trying to find you about too. The other members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders stopped by the library just minutes ago and were trying to find what kind of ‘sickness’ Scootaloo is suffering from. Then they found this book.” The unicorn lifted up the blue tome with her magic before continuing, guessing that neither pegasi knew what it was. “This is a book about mental illnesses. They say that Scootaloo fits the description of one of these… In particular, they believe, as I’m starting to, that Scootaloo has a bad case of depression.” 

The two fliers shared wide-eyed stares. Fluttershy raised both hooves to her mouth as she gasped while Dash turned back to the lavender mare below them.

“What?”





This time Sweetie Belle found herself in front of Scootaloo’s house with backup. She took comfort in that Apple Bloom seemed to appoint herself the leader in these oddly trying times. They both took a deep breath before the unicorn reached out, tapping lightly against the frame before flinching back. 

The door opened immediately after the brief knocking, just in time for the orange filly inside to see the flinch. Scootaloo scrunched her muzzle, unable to meet either fillies’ eyes. Taking a deep breath, the pegasus built up what little courage she could and didn’t wait for either of the others to start.

“H-hey guys… I’m really sorry. I’m really really sorry… I didn’t mean to say that to you Sweetie Belle. You and Apple Bloom have helped me, a lot. I-I trust you guys… I do… I just, haven’t been feeling very well lately. Like, worse than usual. And when you tried to get me doing stuff again, I didn’t want to, even if I should have. So, I’m sorry… Can… Can you forgive me?” Scootaloo began to raise her gaze only to find herself tackled by the other girls, forehooves wrapping around her to gently squeeze her barrel.

“Of course I do Scootaloo! I just wanted to help but didn’t even consider what you were feeling… I’m sorry too. Can you forgive me?” Sweetie Belle pulled back enough to look into purple eyes, trying to read the emotions that swirled inside. From their murky depths, she saw a tiny sliver of warmth. Lunging forward again, the unicorn smiled into the orange fur while Scootaloo spoke from just above her ear.

“Of course I forgive you. I wasn’t really explaining myself too much either, so you couldn’t really know what was going on…”

“Ah wanted tah apologize too. Ah didn’t mean to come across so rough with ya Scoots about apologizing. Ah’m just worried for the both of ya… Yer-yer like my family. Ah… Ah think of you like kin, an’ it sure hurts havin’ family fightin’...” Apple Bloom couldn’t look at either friend as she spoke up. When she felt the direction of the hug change to focus on her though, she smiled as well and reaffirmed her grip.

“That’s ok Apple Bloom… I… I never really had much of a family before… But having you guys as sisters could be pretty nice… Cutie Mark Crusader Family Forever.” Scootaloo murmured loud enough for the others to hear amidst their group embrace. A half beat later and they all chimed in at the end, synchronized just like always, even if their trademark shout was nothing more than a soft whisper.

“Yay!”

The trio stayed in the hug for a while longer, not caring that they were outside. Sweetie Belle in particular made sure not to bump the injury, resting her left foreleg under it. She had barely kept back her wince at being called a sister by her crush and was trying to keep her actions in line with Apple Bloom’s, not wanting to seem out of place.

I don’t mind thinking of Apple Bloom as a sister, but-but… I don’t want to be Scootaloo’s sister! Sisters don’t want to-to… cuddle with each other… give each other a… a kiss… I don’t think of her like a sister… But maybe she sees me as one… Maybe I should just give up-... No. If she can try to fight depression and a bunch of sadness, I can try and fight for…

Does she really just think of me as a sister?

Soon, the embrace broke, each party pulling back at the same time. Smiling timidly, the pegasus walked backwards until she reached the door. She held it open even further, gesturing with her left hoof for the others to enter. Smiling just as timidly, the other Crusaders entered, unsure of what they could do to help but willing to go to anything lengths for their family.