5 years later

by HaloEssence111

Chapter Three: Rememberings

Chapter Three

Scootaloo looked down for a moment from her work in the clouds. Ponyville civilians were going about their daily routine, going to market, chatting with friends, looking very annoyed... Wait, what?! thought Scootaloo, poking her head out of the fluffy white cloud she was supposed to be clearing away. Looking down, she saw running frantically, a small yellow earth pony, accompanied by a snow-white unicorn. Is it? Scootaloo thought. No, it couldn't be... but then why are they running into the Academ...

Scootaloo stopped herself before she could linger anymore on the subject.

No. Don't think. Just do. Don't remember it...

Remember...

***

Everything had been perfect. She had been spending the day with Rainbow Dash, perfecting her scooter technique and racing with her idol, scooter to wings. Rainbow even offered to help her finish constructing the mechanical wings that Scoots had been working on for months. Scootaloo couldn't ever remember a time when she was happier.

But it was too good to be true.

On their way home, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo passed by the joke store. Rainbow told her that she needed to pick up a few prank items, and that she could wait out front for her. Down the street, Scootaloo noticed a rather shady looking unicorn stallion wearing a vest walk into Sugar Cube Corner. Remembering her mother's promise that morning to pick up a Cloud Cake later, Scootaloo drifted over to the shop, knowing Rainbow wouldn't mind if she just poked around.

Sure enough, Scootaloo's mother was waiting in line to order, right between Lily Valley, Pina Coloada, and Cherry Berry. Scootaloo waved to her, then turned to drool over some particularly delicious-looking cupcakes. In the corner of her her eye, however, the pony she had seen earlier seemed to be taking something out of his vest. Curious, Scootaloo stepped a little closer.

"May I help you, sir?" asked Mr. Cake.

"Hand over the cash register."

Mr. Cake looked surprised. "E-Excuse me?"

"I said, hand over the cash register. Now."

"Um, I can't do that, sir."

"Do it or I pump everyone here full of lead."

Scootaloo froze. What's happening? she thought. The stallion held up what appeared to be a long metal object in his aura.

I've heard of these... thought Scootaloo, stepping back. At school they called them 'guns'. They said that they can kill a pony in just one shot!

"Sir, what are you..."

"HAND IT OVER, NOW!" screamed the stallion, his face contorting furiously. Everyone in the shop jumped. When they saw the gun, several tried to make a break for the door.

"Anypony tries to leave, I shoot!" he yelled, slamming a table in front of the door with his magic. "Now hand over the cash register!"

"Cupcake, go get Pound and Pumpkin and take them up to the attic. Hurry." Mr. Cake whispered to his wife. She nodded, racing upstairs.

"Here, take the register, but please, don't hurt anypony!" pleaded Mr. Cake, opening the cash register and emptying the contents, then running upstairs to his family. The stallion took out a bag from his vest and poured each gold coin and gem into it without a word. When the register was empty, he turned to the patrons, pointing the gun towards them.

"Anything of value on you, fork it over!" he bellowed. The ponies around quickly began emptying their saddle bags, all except for Lily Valley, who had run to the windows, screaming at the top of her lungs for help. Scootaloo shut her eyes just before she heard the deafening gunshot.

Ears ringing, Scootaloo opened her eyes and nearly fainted at the sight of Lily's dead body, a pool of dark red blood quickly growing. She felt the bile building up in her stomach, and before she knew it she had vomited all over the floor.

"Didn't think I was serious, huh?" sneered the stallion. "I'll say it one last time- anything of value you have, fork it over."

This time everyone obeyed. Soon, the floor was covered in wallets, bits, and little accessories. The stallion quickly scraped it all into his bag, then slung it over his shoulder.

"Good." he said. "Now I'll just be on my way."

He was about to take the back exit when the table in front of the door flew to the side, narrowly missing Pina Coloada. Rainbow Dash burst through the door, ready for a fight.

"Leave-these-ponies-ALONE!!!" she yelled, furious. Rainbow charged and the stallion, panicked, shot the gun yet again. In the corner, Cherry Berry shrieked in pain.

"My LEG!" she wailed, her back-left leg gushing blood. "AAAAAHOOOOOOOWW..."

The stallion was in a frenzy, shooting bullets left and right. A bullet shot through the window, shattered glass raining onto the floor. Scootaloo saw a few of the townsfolk running in to try and help; several were shot.

Scootaloo was frozen in fear. What if he shoots me next? she thought frantically. What if he shoots Mom or Rainbow Dash?

Her thoughts were now turned to her mother. Knowing that Rainbow could handle herself, Scootaloo darted across the shop, staying low. "Mom!" she called out. "MOM!"

"Kid, you've gotta get outta here!" said Rainbow, trying to wrench the gun out of the stallion's aura. "Leave, I mean it!"

"My mom is in here!" she cried. "Please Rainbow, I have to find her!"

"Kid, I'm not gonna let you die in here! NOW, GET OUT!"

"No!" shouted Scootaloo. "I'm not leaving without my mom!"

The stallion was shooting more every minute. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, breaking windows or striking ponies. The ear-piercing shrieks suffocated Scootaloo, making it almost impossible to concentrate.

Finally she found her. Underneath an upturned table lay her mother, her pinkish mauve mane darkened with blood. The gun had shot her right in the head; she never had a chance.

"No..." said Scootaloo under her breath. "No, no, no, no, no! Not mom, not mom, anyone but mom!" Everything seemed to go fuzzy, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Scootaloo threw herself over her mother's corpse, not caring that she was wet with blood. In the background, she could hear a police officer bursting into the room yelling at the stallion to give himself up. She turned to see the stallion pointing his gun straight at her, ready to shoot.

"NOT MY SISTER, YOU JERK!!!!"

Rainbow charged, grabbing the stallion by the leg and hurling him across the room at the only window that wasn't completely destroyed. The stallion and window collided, fragments of glass raining down on Scootaloo. A large piece crashed onto Scootaloo's head, and everything went black.

***

The flashback changed, shifting to her parent's funeral. The pegasai had provided a cold, overcast day in honor of the funeral. Scootaloo was dressed in black, standing next to Rainbow Dash over her mother's coffin.

"Dearly beloved, we meet here today to honor and pay tribute to the life's of Lily Valley, Pina Coloada, Dizzy Twister, Comet Tail, and others who lost their lives at Sugar Cube Corner last Saturday. These pony's lives were taken from them unfairly. Some, like Comet Tail, died trying to help those in danger. Others, like Pina Coloada and Dizzy Twister, were simply bystanders forced to pay the price of another pony's choice. All were cherished in this life, and will be deeply missed by their loved ones."

Scootaloo wasn't listening. All she could process was that her mother was gone, dead. Lying in an ebony coffin, to be lowered into the earth. The cold, hard earth...

Her vision was blurred with tears. As the pastor finished his speech and blessing, he gestured to each of the victim's loved ones to close the coffins, to finish the job. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash, who simply nodded for her to go.

As Scootaloo stepped forward, her hoof reaching towards the lid her mother's coffin, she had to force herself not burst into the tears she had been holding back since she had woken up in the hospital.

But when Scootaloo closed the lid, hearing the small click of the lock, she realized that she, herself, had officially locked her mother out of her life. Never again would she hear her mother's jovial voice, or surprise with an 'A' on a test paper. Never again would she smile at her, say she loved her, then would pull her into a warm embrace.

Have I been a good filly? thought Scootaloo. I know that maybe I acted rudely sometimes... She tried so hard to be a good mom, but did I ever thank her? When did I ever tell her that I loved her?

As she thought about all this, the dam holding her tears was finally broken, releasing all the emotion she had kept inside for so long.

"Mommy!" she cried, sinking to her knees in despair. "Please, Mommy, wake up! WAKE UP!"

Her outburst triggered a break in the solemn mood of the funeral-goers, who all began began to cry over their lost loved ones. Daisy and Rose threw themselves over Lily's coffin, blubbering loudly, and Pina Coloada's parents and brother had to be led away because of the scene they were making. But Scootaloo didn't care. All that she could think was that somehow, if she begged hard enough, her mother might be able to come back. She rattled the lid of the coffin desperately, rain and tears cascading down her face.

"Mommy, please, wake up! Wake up!"

Wake up...

***

"Come on, kid, wake up! SNAP OUT OF IT!!"

A cyan pegasus stood over her, gently slapping Scootaloo's face with her hoof, telling her to get up. Suddenly, Scootaloo jolted forward, nearly knocking into Rainbow Dash.

"It's happening! It's happening again!! Make it stop, please,make it stop..."

"It's okay, Scoots, it's okay... it didn't happen... nothing happened..." Rainbow held Scootaloo, allowing her to sob all over her shoulder.

"Rainbow Dash.... Rainbow Dash..."

"It's okay, Scootaloo, you're safe now... you're home..."

I am? thought Scootaloo, looking around. It appeared as though Rainbow had taken Scootaloo to her home in the clouds.

"Rainbow Dash, did you-"

"Yeah, I did. And you gave me a pretty bad scare up there, Scoots. After you blacked out, you fell off the cloud you were on. Lucky for you that I looked over there when you fell, or else you definitely wouldn't have been so lucky."

"Th-thank you..." sniffed Scootaloo, looking into Rainbow's deep fuchsia eyes.

"No problem, little sis. Just... don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay, Rainbow Dash. But..." Scootaloo began to choke up again, her eyes like faucets waiting to be turned on, to let her emotions flow free.

"Yeah, kid?"

"(sniff) W-why did she have to die? Why my mom?"

"Well... I'm really not sure, Scoots. These things just have to happen, I guess."

"But why to her? Why could't pony have shot some other kid's mom?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Scootaloo wished to take them back.

Rainbow's face hardened. "Listen, Scootaloo. What you just said is not okay. Just because you're going through this, that doesn't mean that another kid deserves to. Got that?"

But when Rainbow Dash looked down on Scootaloo's guilty face, her eyes streaming with tears, Rainbow's heart melted, causing her to pull Scootaloo back into a tight embrace.

"It's okay, kid... let it out... let it all out..."

So Scootaloo did, sobbing on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. Rainbow soon followed suit, weeping softly onto Scootaloo's cheek.

Author's Note:

So now you all know what happened to Scootaloo's mother. Hope you'e satisfied.

Some of you have asked about how Apple Bloom has changed. You'll find out in due time.

Go tell your mother you love her.

Comments

[cowbrony93]

The correct plural for pegasus is pegasi, I know it doesn't seem important now, but later on down the line people will call you on it ESPECIALLY if you are going to be a writer instead of a reader. If this is your only story on this site, congratulations on getting more views/likes than me.

[trombrony98]

This story is really impressive for a first story. It could use just a bit of stylistic cleaning, but that will come along as you write more. The idea is just perfect in concept. I can't wait to see how this ends! There's a reason I'm following you. Keep up the good work!

[HaloEssence111]

4975760 thank you so much! I really love getting comments such as yours. They make me want to write more chapters!

(um, little question. what exactly is "stylistic cleaning"?)

[Blu_Ray]

That was so sad, but so good! You are such a good author. For some people, including even sometimes myself, has a hard time expressing such emotions through words. Keep up the good work!

[Sparkler774]

[Equestrian Career]

Now I REALLY feel bad for Scootaloo.
How many years prior to this story was the deaths of her parents?