“Twilight,” came the voice of Spike, slightly bringing the alicorn closer to the waking world. However, at that moment, she didn’t want to open her eyes. Before she heard Spike’s voice she had been dreaming that she was in charge of reorganizing the Canterlot Royal Library! There were so many wonderful things she had to do that made her heart leap. She needed to, no, wanted to make a list of all the books they had in their possession followed by making another list of all the books that were checked out. After cross referencing the two, Twilight could begin checking each and every book to ensure that they were in tip-top condition! Only then could she begin deciding how she was going to reorganize everything.
Sadly, Twilight was unable to make it that far into her dream, for she felt Spike shake her while continuing to call out to her. Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes while at the same time feeling the effects of her ill body. Her mind felt foggy which made it hard to think. There was a pain in her throat and she was barely making any noise. Looking down she noted that she was sweating pretty bad right now and most likely smelled awful.
“Hey Twilight,” said Spike in a low and concerned tone. Twilight weakly turned her head to see that he was standing on her bed next to her. There was a forced smile on his lips as if he were trying to reassure somepony of something. “How are you feeling?”
“Not…good,” croaked Twilight before letting out a fury of coughs. When they ended, Twilight could see the worry in Spike’s eyes.
“Well don’t worry,” he said quickly as he put on a brave face. “I’ll be here to take care of you. And we’ll start with a nice healthy breakfast.” Twilight watched as Spike turned around to present her with a tray. On it was a bowl of porridge that had steam still rising up from it. Also in the bowl were several apples that looked like Spike had tried to turn them into apple sauce but stopped halfway through.
Twilight gave her number one assistant a weak smile. “Thanks,” she managed to say before needing to clear her throat. “But…not…hungry.”
Spike frowned. “Twilight, the nurse said you need to eat even if you’re not feeling hungry,” he said. “You’ll need all of your strength in order to get better. So please eat. For me?”
For a moment, Twilight looked at Spike followed by the dish he had made for her. What she had said was the honest truth, she didn’t feel hungry. Still, Spike had gone to all of the effort into making this for her so the least she could do was eat as much as she could. Taking a breath the princess began to focus her magic in order to lift the tray closer to her. However, nothing happened. Twilight tried again followed by a third time where she held her breath in order to focus everything on her magic. Still nothing happened other than her head pounding harder than anything she had ever felt in her life. It was almost bad enough to cause her to cry.
Realizing that her magic was out of commission for the foreseeable future, Twilight reached out for the tray with her hooves. Even though she had done things like this before it now felt like she had to use all of her strength to do it. More so to bring it closer to her. Thankfully Spike didn’t seem to notice but was instead glad that Twilight was not putting up a fuss about eating.
“Is…Scootaloo…sick…too?” Twilight managed to say as she took a spoonful of her porridge and blew on it. While waiting for it to cool down a bit more, Twilight thought that she saw Spike’s eyes darken and a scowl appear on his face before it quickly vanished.
“Naw, she’s fine,” said Spike while Twilight put a spoon into her mouth. “She was up and in the kitchen before I brought this up to you. Didn’t look sick at all.”
Twilight smiled before pulling the utensil out of her mouth. “That’s…good,” she croaked.
Twilight finished her meal without saying much more. Her head began to hurt after a while and with her throat in this condition it was a battle just to say a few words. So Spike did most of the talking, mostly to assure her that everything around the castle was going to be taken care of. That he would tell those she was supposed to meet today that she would be unable to do so as well as making sure that the doctor gave her a house call. The most Twilight did was give a slight nod so that Spike knew she was listening.
One thing that did bother Twilight a bit was that Spike seemed to avoid talking about Scootaloo. Out of everything that he mentioned, none of it seemed to involve the orange pegasus in any way. Unless, of course, you counted making sure everything in the castle would be taken care of. Still, after seeing the look in Spike’s eyes, it bothered Twilight to no end and made her worry for her little sister. She wished her throat didn’t hurt so much or that she had her magic in order to write notes to her assistant. Perhaps then she could get to the bottom of things. Or maybe it was just her illness messing with her mind or her own paranoia. Maybe even a combination of both. Regardless, Twilight planned on talking to the young dragon as soon as she felt better.
-x-
Scootaloo found herself slumped in a chair within the castle library. Her head was held low and her ears seemed lifeless. If anypony were to walk in on her, they would see a miserable little filly.
The reason for that misery was fairly simple: Scootaloo didn’t know how to make things right. Twilight was sick right now and was probably really angry with her for running away. Spike downright hated her for causing Twilight to become so ill. Her friends were most likely still upset with her. They might not even want to hang out with her ever again and possibly ending the CMC all together. She felt certain the ponies at the hospital were mad at her. Scootaloo had a feeling she couldn’t go see Ms. Cheerilee due to her behavior in class. Even Rainbow Dash was disappointed in her for her recent behavior. Was there nopony in Ponyville who she could turn to?
More than anything else, Scootaloo wanted to make things right with the ponies who meant something to her as well as Spike. However, she couldn’t think of anything that could help her right now. She was on her own which was strange. Before, she had thought being on her own would be the best thing ever. She couldn’t wait to go out into the world so she could make a name for herself and be as awesome as Rainbow Dash. But now that she was alone all she wanted was somepony to help her. To talk to her and reassure her that everything was going to be alright.
Like a sister would.
Scootaloo felt her wings fall limp at her sides as she thought of that. Then she thought back to the rain when Twilight had held her. It had felt nice knowing that she had somepony willing to brave a storm like that in order to look for her. But it felt even better when Twilight had hugged her like that. It was like a reassurance that her sister cared for her and that everything would be alright. It was something Scootaloo wanted right now, more than anything.
Still, the question remained how to fix all of this. Normally, when she needed to think about something, riding her scooter helped clear her head. But she no longer had a scooter. And, even if she did have one, Scootaloo felt like leaving the castle right now was a bad idea. Given everything that had happened since she had arrived at the castle it would probably be better if she stayed here. Besides, she wanted to be around in case there was something she could do to help Twilight.
The sound of the front door opening caused Scootaloo to raise an ear. Was Spike home? The small dragon had left not too long ago, not bothering to tell Scootaloo where he was going. Had he come back or was it somepony else? Getting to her hooves, Scootaloo walked out of the library and towards the front door to see who it was. If it wasn’t Spike, then it would most likely be somepony wanting to see Twilight. If that was the case Scootaloo knew she would have to tell whoever it was that Twilight wasn’t seeing anypony today. Well, Princess Celestia would most likely be the sole exception. If she wasn’t angry or upset with her now Twilight would be if she told Princess Celestia to go away. Plus, she could ask the Solar Princess for help. If there was anypony who might know how to mend this situation it would be her. Well, the only pony who was currently awake right now. Princess Luna might actually have more experience in this department.
As she walked she heard a pair of voices calling out that she recognized instantly. How could she mistake the voices of her two best friends in the entire world? The filly almost froze in her steps but continued on just the same. She needed to talk with them anyways.
Soon enough, Scootaloo was in the main entrance hall of the castle. There, standing in the middle and calling out for Twilight or Spike, was Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. As Scootaloo approached they turned their heads in her direction showing that they looked really worried. However, after seeing Scootaloo they looked both annoyed and relieved at the same time. Better than downright hate at the very least.
“Ah, hey,” said Scootaloo as she stopped a yard or two away from them.
“Hey,” they replied in almost perfect unison before looking away. There was a very, very uncomfortable pause as Scootaloo watched the two fidget under her gaze.
“Ah, ah think maybe we should come back later,” said Apple Bloom finally as she turned around, followed by motioning Sweetie to do the same. At first, Sweetie didn’t move. She just locked eyes with Scootaloo only to begin tearing up while she bit her lower lip. As if unable to even look at Scootaloo anymore, Sweetie Belle turned around to follow her friend.
“It’s ok,” said Scootaloo after her friends had taken a few steps. “I think I know why you’re both here. You were going to break your Pinkie Promise and tell Twilight, right?” This caused both fillies to stop dead in their tracks. Slowly they turned to look at their friend as she continued to speak. “She already knows. Sort of.”
Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow in the same manner as Applejack. “What do ya mean ‘sort of’?” she asked.
Scootaloo scratched the back of her head as she looked down at the crystal floor. “Well,” she began before gulping loudly. “I, uh, sort of tried to leave last night during that big storm. I thought that you were both going to tell Twilight sooner or later so…” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off as she looked up at her friends. Both of them looked stunned with their jaws hanging open.
Sweetie Belle was the first to regain her voice. “Y-You went out there in that storm?” she asked as she approached Scootaloo. Scootaloo nodded. “What were you thinking?!? Don’t you know you could have been killed?”
“I know…now,” admitted Scootaloo as Apple Bloom also began her approach. “Look, I know I messed up. Like, I really, really messed up. My idea…it was dumb and I get it now. I just wish that I had figured it out sooner before I hurt so many ponies I care about. You both are probably still-” Before Scootaloo could finish her sentence two sets of hooves were wrapped around her neck, tackling her to the ground in a group hug. Scootaloo stared straight up at the ceiling in confusion as she felt Sweetie Belle’s tears against her coat.
“What?” was all Scootaloo could say.
“Thank Celestia ya finally came back to your senses Scoots,” said Apple Bloom as she continued to hug her. “Been worried sick about ya all night, wondering if it were the right thing to do breakin’ this Pinkie Promise an all.”
“I’m just glad you’re ok,” said Sweetie Belle. “You could have been really hurt in that storm.”
“Ok, hold on,” said Scootaloo as she pushed her friends off of her before slowly getting to her hooves. “You both forgive me, just like that?”
Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a look with each other, neither speaking for several moments before looking back at the pegasus. “Well, ah wouldn’t say we completely forgive ya,” began Apple Bloom slowly. “Some of the things ya said were mighty hurtful.”
“Yeah,” added Sweetie Belle. “It felt like everything we’ve been through together didn’t matter anymore. That nopony really mattered to you.” At that, Scootaloo’s ears flattened against her skull as she looked down in shame.
“But,” continued Apple Bloom as she walked back over to Scootaloo. Once she was close enough, the apple filly flung her leg around Scootaloo’s neck and grinned. “It’s because of everything we’ve been though together that we don’t want our friendship to end this way. Ah mean, we are the CMC and we always stick together. So, if ya truly mean what ya said then the least we can do is give ya another chance. Just, ah, don’t do something that makes us worry like this again.”
Scootaloo smiled weakly at the two of them as she did her best not to cry. She felt elated that her friends were willing to give her another chance. Heck, she wasn’t even upset that they had planned on breaking the Pinkie Promise. Sure, she had a feeling they would have and it had caused her to be angry with them. But that had been yesterday when she was still acting like a big dummy. Now she realized that they wanted what was best for her, that they were willing to risk possibly ending their friendship because they were worried about her. That, in her mind, was probably the greatest sign of friendship they could have ever done for her.
“Thanks you two,” said Scootaloo as she fought a sniff. Even after everything, she still didn’t want to look uncool in front of them. “It really means a lot to me. I just hope Twilight forgives me too.”
“What makes you think that?” asked Sweetie Belle with a small smile of her muzzle. “She’s your sister so of course she’ll forgive you. What happened? Did she ground you for a year or something?”
“Kind of wish she did,” said Scootaloo, earning looks of confusion from her friends. Thinking it was the best way they could understand the situation the pegasus began to tell the tale of what happened last night. Not a detail was spared. She explained how she stole from the hospital to get what she needed. How she got lost in the rain storm, nearly dying as a result. That she was saved by Rainbow Dash who then proceeded to knock some sense into her, telling it almost word for word. When she got to the part where she spotted Twilight, Scootaloo’s voice choked a bit before going into detail the state Twilight was in because of her. All the while, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took all thin in without saying a word. At first they were standing but eventually they sat down and by the end they each had a hoof covering their mouths.
“Now I don’t have any idea what to do,” finished Scootaloo, who was now pacing back and forth. “Maybe if I hadn’t fallen asleep then maybe we could have talked this out. Instead I fall asleep and wake up to find out that not only is Twilight not feeling well but also Spike’s mad at me. Like really, super mad. I wish I had some idea how to fix this!”
“Well,” began Sweetie Belle, “you could try doing something nice for them. Remember that time we were trying to get dancing cutie marks and I decided to get some practice in at home? Well I also practiced in Rarity’s shop and, uh, might have accidentally damaged a few dresses she had been working on for Spoiled Rich.”
“I take it Rarity wasn’t too happy,” commented Scootaloo, earning a shutter from her friend.
“That’s putting it lightly,” replied Sweetie Belle. “But after I said I was sorry and offered to help her fix the dress she calmed down a bit. All I had to do was do some chores around the shop so she could focus on her work. Sure I still got a lecture, but it probably would have been worse if I had just gone to my room and waited for her.”
“Oh yeah,” said Apple Bloom as she brightened up. “The same thing happens with me sometimes. Sometimes when Ah’m in trouble Ah’ll do a little extra farm work or something that Applejack and Big Mac don’t like doin’. Like cleaning the pig pen.” The earth filly then turned to look at Scootaloo. “Maybe ya can do something like that. Is there anything that needs ta be done or Twilight wants?”
“I don’t think so,” said Scootaloo as she brought a hoof to her chin. “Spike does most of the cleaning around here. The only place he can’t reach easily is the ceiling of the library. Not that it’ll be much easier for me especially with these wings.” Then a light bulb lit up it Scootaloo’s head. There was something that Twilight wanted done as well as something she could do to help out around here. The flightless filly turned to look at Apple Bloom so quickly that she jumped back a bit. “Apple Bloom, do you think you can get Zecora to come down here and look at Twilight? You keep saying she’s got a potion for everything so maybe she has a potion that might make Twilight feel better!”
“Why not just ask me ta do it?” asked Apple Bloom, sounding hurt.
Scootaloo let out a sigh before giving her friend a deadpan expression. “Are you sure your potion making skills are good enough to help Twilight instead of making her worse? Like what happened when you tried to cure Big Mac of his sneezing fit?”
Apple Bloom’s cheeks turned scarlet as she looked away. “Well, he did stop sneezing,” she said in her defense. “And he grew back his coat pretty quickly!”
“But wasn’t that because of Zecora?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom let out a sigh of defeat. “Fine, Ah’ll ask her,” she said sadly. “But it may take awhile. For all ah know, she could be out there in the Everfree forest collecting potion ingredients and what not. Or she could be helping some other pony out. So we could be there waitin’ a bit.”
“Actually, I’m not going,” said Scootaloo. Seeing Apple Bloom open her mouth, Scootaloo quickly continued. “After everything that’s happened, I don’t think leaving the castle is a good idea. Not when Twilight’s sick and I’m the only one here. Besides, I sort of have something I need to do around here.” Scootaloo then let out a long sigh before looking up the stair to where her room lay. “Something I should have done from the start.”
-x-
It was several hours before Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle returned with Zecora in tow. During that time Scootaloo was hard at work in her room trying her very best to write her report. It was her hope that when Twilight got better Scootaloo would be able to show Twilight that she had done her homework. Not only that, but it was something really great. However, the more time passed the less likely that it seemed possible. She reread the books that she had been using before to try and see if there was something she had missed that might give her that spark of passion that she had when she wrote about Rainbow Dash. While she did find a few things that she thought were interesting on her second read it just wasn’t enough. Again and again, she wrote and rewrote her essay in an effort to make it as good as possible for both Ms. Cheerilee as well as Twilight. In the end, the work she had done had come up short in both length and quality.
Now she sat in a corner of Twilight’s room with Sweetie Belle beside her as the two of them watched as Zecora was hard at work. As soon as the expert potion-maker asked Apple Bloom, who carried a small cauldron on her back as well as having her saddle bags bursting to the brim with various plants, to get everything situated as she had a look at Twilight. While Apple Bloom unpacked and organized everything on the floor near Twilight’s bed, Zecora examined Twilight closely. To the filly it looked like the sickness had zapped all of Twilight’s strength, for she just laid there as Zecora inspected her closely without saying a word. Not even when Zecora opened up the alicorn’s mouth to inspect her throat did she show any reaction. She just laid there panting slightly while the zebra potion maker tisked every so often.
“It seems her illness is truly a mighty foe for Twilight’s health to take such a blow,” rhymed Zecora as she moved away from the bed to where Apple Bloom stood ready. “You were wise to call on me first young Bloom. A mistake in treating this could spell certain doom.”
“Is it really that bad?” asked Scootaloo, doing her best to keep the fear out of her voice…and failing.
Zecora did not answer at first, but began grabbing various plants laid out on the floor with her teeth and began putting them in the cauldron. “Many times I have seen this sickness run amok in the Everfree. Thankfully, it will not end her life or turn her into a tree. Yet to say that Twilight Sparkle would not suffer would be untrue. For two weeks she shall remain in this state without my trusted brew. It is tricky to brew it just right and getting it wrong would sadly worsen her plight.”
“So how long will this take?” asked Scootaloo as Zecora continued her work, telling Apple Bloom to get some boiling water. “Is it one sip and she’s done?”
“Nay, my young friend,” rhymed Zecora with a good humored smile on her face. “This sadly will not have an instant end. Twilight must drink this potion at least twice tonight. That along with a good night rest will help her feel alright.”
It was then that Apple Bloom returned with the boiling water, allowing the two of them to return to their work. Scootaloo watched as Zecora turned this into a teaching lesson for the young earth pony, questioning her from time to time about why they were using certain herbs and not others or how long to stir the cauldron. Even with the knowledge that Twilight wasn’t in any danger it still bothered Scootaloo that they both seemed so lax when making the medicine. At certain points, like when Apple Bloom was pausing a little too long as she muled over a question, Scootaloo wanted nothing more than to run up so she could start dumping as much into the pot as ponily possible.
Then, after what seemed like forever, Zecora poured some for her creation into a bowl. The substance flowed slowly like some sort of red colored slime. Calmly Zecora trotted over to Twilight’s bed where she proceeded to open Twilight’s mouth once again in order to feed her the ‘potion’. Scootaloo couldn’t help but gag while sticking out her tongue at the thought of having something like that in her mouth. As for Twilight, Scootaloo watched as her older sister’s eyes opened wide before she began to thrash about the bed with her hooves around her neck. While this was going on Zecora calmly readied another bowl for later with a look on her face that said all was well. When the thrashing finally stopped, Twilight was sitting upright with her wings outstretched while panting heavily.
“I think,” gasped Twilight as she looked at Zecora who was putting the next dose of potion on Twilight’s desk, “I prefer being sick over the cure.”
Zecora rolled her eyes before motioning to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “So many ponies say that same line yet still wish to become a healthy equine. Young Scootaloo wishes for your best so please drink once more and get some rest.” As Twilight stuck out her tongue and began to rub off the taste of the medicine with her bare hooves, Zecora left the room along with Scootaloo’s friends.
Now alone, Scootaloo suddenly became very nervous about being in the same room as Twilight. On instinct, she turned to look at the door which was her only means of escape. Yet her eyes narrowed after a moment. She refused to see it like that. Unless Twilight tossed her out, Scootaloo wasn’t going to exit this room until she made her apology and the two made up! When Scootaloo turned her head back around she saw that Twilight had noticed her, lowering her forelegs so that they rest on either side of the alicorn’s body. It was like she was waiting to see what Scootaloo did next at her own pace.
So, after taking a deep breath, Scootaloo approached the bed as she pulled out the paper she had been working on. “I, ah, wanted to show you this,” said the filly as she jumped onto the bed. With a slightly shaky hoof she gave Twilight her homework. “It’s not really up to my amazing standards so I was wondering if maybe you could…help me with it?”
It was almost like the illness as well as the treatment to said illness never happened. Twilight’s eyes began to sparkle with pure joy. “I’d love to,” she exclaimed with a grin. Rather than picking it up with her magic Twilight instead used her hooves, brining it in front of her face in an instant. Scootaloo sat there, watching as Twilight practically had her nose to the paper before slowly lowering it. When her face was revealed, Twilight no longer had the same sparkle in her eyes. Lowering her head a bit, Twilight set the essay next to her as Scootaloo watched on nervously.
“But, I think we need to talk first,” said Twilight in an even sounding voice.
“Y-Yeah,” agreed Scootaloo dumbly.
“Scootaloo,” began Twilight only to pause as she looked at the floor next to her bedside. “Do…Do you not want to be here?” Scootaloo held her breath as she watched Twilight let out a deep sigh before continuing. “Was it something I did wrong? All I wanted was to give you a good home and I thought I was doing everything possible to make this feel like home. But, if you were willing to go out in a storm like that just to get away from me…” Scootaloo felt her chest tighten as Twilight’s words trailed off. Then, when she next spoke, the filly could see tears running down Twilight’s cheek. “Was I really that horrible to you? I-If I was then-” Twilight never got to finish her sentence for Scootaloo had leapt from her spot on the bed towards her older sister. When they made contact, Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s barrel in order to hug her. She could feel Twilight’s body jerk in order to look down on the filly.
“No you weren’t!” shouted Scootaloo as she looked up at Twilight’s confused face while tears began to appear in her eyes. “I…I was so stupid. I’m so sorry Twilight! I never wanted you or anypony to get hurt! You have to believe me!”
“Scootaloo,” whispered Twilight.
“I…I thought I was being cool like Rainbow Dash,” admitted Scootaloo as her vision became really blurry. Yet the filly didn’t remove her legs from Twilight to wipe them away. “I had these ideas. They-”
“Scootaloo, take deep breaths,” said Twilight as she wrapped her hooves around the small filly. At first, Scootaloo didn’t listen but instead continued to ramble causing Twilight to repeat herself. It was then that the filly finally listened, inhaling deeply several times. With each breath she took Scootaloo could feel herself calming down even by just a little bit. It was only when the tears had stopped completely did Twilight move Scootaloo a bit away from her. Just enough so they could look at each other face to face. “Are you feeling better?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “I still feel awful. There are so many things I regret doing and thinking. Makes me wish I was a unicorn so I could go back in time and slap some sense into myself.”
Twilight smiled lightly at that. “That might not work out as well as you think,” she commented. “So, you don’t hate it here?”
“No I-” began Scootaloo but quickly cut herself off. For a brief moment she bit her lower lip before she spoke again. “Twilight, has there ever been anypony you’ve always wanted to be more like? Wanted to follow in that ponies hoofsteps?”
“Of course,” replied Twilight. “When I was younger, I wanted to be just like some of the most brilliant unicorns in Equestria’s history. And when I saw Princess Celestia raise the sun, I wanted to be as powerful and as kind as she was.”
Scootaloo nodded. “For as long as I can remember, Rainbow Dash has been my idol. She’s like awesomeness given form. All I ever wanted was to get closer to her and that same level of awesomeness. So when she made me her honorary little sister, it was like the best thing that could ever happen to me. It felt like I was getting closer to that dream of being just like her.” Scootaloo paused for a moment as she then looked at her tiny wings for a moment before turning to face Twilight again. “But I knew there were some things that kept me from being just like her. Like flying. Eventually I decided to focus on the things I could do that could make me more like her. And when I found out you were my big sister…I thought if I accepted you as my big sister it meant you’d take her place.”
“Oh,” said Twilight in an understanding tone. “But Scootaloo, I never wanted to replace Rainbow Dash.”
“Yeah, I get that now,” admitted Scootaloo sadly. “I just kept thinking that we were so different that it seemed impossible for us to be sisters or even be close that I didn’t even give us a chance. Then I thought you’d become like Ms. Cheerilee. You see, a while ago I noticed my grades on any assignment I did on Rainbow Dash was lower than normal. No matter how much extra work I put into them they just seemed to be getting lower. Then she began to give me special rules saying I couldn’t do my homework on Rainbow Dash or even bring her up. That I had to do them on other ponies or just don’t mention Rainbow Dash in any way. It’s like she wants me to change what I love or something. Then, well, when I found out you were my sister I guess I thought you might try to make me brainy or something like that.”
“Scootaloo, I like you the way you are,” said Twilight. “And I’m sure that Cheerilee feels the same way.”
“Yeah but-” began Scootaloo only to be stopped when Twilight gently placed a hoof on her lips to silence her.
“All we want is to make sure you’re the best pony you can be,” said Twilight as she slowly brought her hoof back. “After my second lesson studying under Princess Celestia, I thought that in order to be a great unicorn all I had to do was study Starswirl. Could you blame me? He’s one of the most important wizards in all of Equestria’s history! Every night I would go down to the school’s library so that I could study all of his spells that were open to the public.” Twilight paused as a smile appeared on her face. “I thought I had it all planned out. I would master every spell there before asking to be let into the Starswirl Wing so I could study his more advanced materials. But that never happened.”
“Why not?” asked Scootaloo.
“Princess Celestia gave me a different book to read,” said Twilight, still smiling at the memory. “It was the first Daring Do book to ever be written, hot off the presses. When she asked me to read it I couldn’t help but wonder why. It was just a silly fiction novel and wouldn’t help me with my goal. For several hours all I could do was stare at it and grumble, thinking that Princess Celestia was wasting my time when I could be working towards my dream.” Twilight leaned a bit closer to the filly. “But in the end I trusted her enough to give the book a shot. And while I enjoyed the action as well as the adventure, it also got me to think of a few other things. Other cultures out there that could also use magic in different ways. Could it be possible to learn from them? What about ancient relics? So I couldn’t help myself and began to pull down every book I could reach from enchanting relics to the science of archeology. Slowly, I began to think that there was another way for me to be great. That if I gained as much knowledge as possible then I could apply it in new ways. Like how I took care of that ursa minor.” Pulling back a bit, Twilight let out a small chuckle. “But thinking back, I don’t think that was what Princess Celestia had in mind when she gave me that book. She kept bringing up the growing Daring Do fan club at school and when they were meeting. I think she was trying to tell me to go and make some friends.”
Scootaloo could only stare at Twilight in amazement. It had never occurred to her that Twilight could have gone through something like her.
“I guess what I’m trying to get at,” continued Twilight, “is that Ms. Cheerilee is worried about you. That your... need to idolize Rainbow was preventing you from seeing your own potential and keeping you from learning new things. As for me, all I want from you is to do the best you can and succeed.”
“But what if I can’t?” asked Scootaloo as she suddenly stood up. “I mean, what if my best isn’t good enough for your, er, our family? Look who I now have to compare with! You went to the best school for unicorns, were taught by Princess Celestia, saved Equestria several times, and became a Princess! Then there’s Shining Armor! He was Captain of the Royal Guard and helped defeat a bug queen! And that’s just the ponies I know about! But I can’t get into the best flight school or become part of the Guard. I’m not good in school even back when I was really trying! So…Twilight, are you alright?” As Scootaloo had been talking, she had noticed that Twilight’s head had lowered and was looking away again.
“Oh, ah yeah,” said Twilight quickly as she turned to look at Scootaloo. The princess then gave Scootaloo the most unconvincing smile the filly had ever seen before, causing her to imitate Applejack’s eyebrow raising almost perfectly. That seemed to do the trick as Twilight let out a sigh of defeat. “Scootaloo, I honestly don’t know how my mother met your father. And…I don’t know what will happen after they meet you. They’re coming down from the Crystal Empire soon and I haven’t heard much from them besides a short letter. So I don’t know what to expect. We might not even be a family anymore.”
Like so many times recently, understanding filled Scootaloo while a pit of dread was planted in her belly. She had been so wrapped up with her wants that she never bothered to think about what this might be doing to Twilight or her family. Once again, Scootaloo found herself as the cause of distress for Twilight. Only this time, it wasn’t because of something she did but simply for being.
“I’m horrible,” choked Scootaloo as tears began to reform in her eyes.
“No you’re not!” snapped Twilight firmly.
Scootaloo shook her head in refusial. “But all I keep doing is hurting you,” stated Scootaloo as she took a step back. “I got you sick and now I find out that I’m hurting your family. I probably even got you in trouble with that Mr. Bubbles guy! Maybe it would be better-” Scootaloo’s words were cut off as Twilight slowly stood up. Before the filly could protest, Twilight had moved over to her and embraced her in a hug.
“Scootaloo, what’s done is done,” she said as she held the filly. “If you think lying or running again will help anything, then you’re wrong. All we can do right now is handle things as they come. Just know that I’ll be by your side the entire time.”
The flightless pegasus felt a tremble go through her entire being as she looked up at her sister’s face. “But after everything I’ve done…Why?”
“Because I care about you, Scootaloo,” replied Twilight simply. “I don’t blame you for whatever will happen with my parents. You’re innocent in all that. Also, I think I might also be a little at fault here as well. I’m not used to being a big sister. Not like this anyways. I’ve been trying to juggle so many things at once that I messed up on some of the more important things. I should have laid down some ground rules like telling me when you were going out with your friends. I should have asked how school was going or if you needed help. There were also some…issues that Mr. Bubbles brought up that I never even thought of. I even began to think that maybe you might be better off with somepony else. But when I heard you went missing all I could think about was making sure you were safe. Nothing else mattered until I saw you again. So, if you want, I’d like you to stay here so we can really be sisters.”
“Of course I still want that!” cried Scootaloo cheerfully as she pulled back and smiled at Twilight.
“I’m glad,” replied Twilight as her smile turned into a smirk. “But you do you know that you’re still grounded, right?”
Scootaloo’s eyes went wide for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Yeah, I guess I should have known that was coming.” Then, an idea popped into her head. She closed her eye and when they opened, Scootaloo was gave Twilight the biggest most innocent expression she had ever given any pony before. “But you know you could be a really cool big sister and just this one slide.”
“Nice try Scootaloo,” said Twilight with a good humor laugh, causing Scootaloo to hang her head while the princess reached over for the homework. “Spike used to do that all the time when he was younger and thought he could get out of trouble. Only worked once.”
“Figures,” said Scootaloo as she raised her head, smiling slightly. Even though she was grounded, she was glad she was getting to stay here. That Twilight was giving her a second chance. One that she wasn’t going to mess up.
“Now,” said Twilight as she held up Scootaloo’s homework. “Let's get to work on this and then, when we’re done, we can-” Twilight was interrupted as the door suddenly opened. Both ponies turned to look in its direction to see both Spike and a earth pony wearing a doctors lab coat standing in the doorway.
“Twilight,” said Spike as he rushed into the room. “Good news! I finally got one of the doctors to make a house call! Soon you’ll be…better…in no time.” It seemed like Spike hadn’t noticed Twilight sitting up in her bed, looking much better than when he had last seen her. Nor did he notice the filly sitting with her who looked at the baby dragon with a nervous smile. Now that he had, Spike looked at the two of them with mild confusion. Slowly he turned his head around to scan the room as if he were expecting to see something that would explain all this. It was when he saw the bowl that the potion making zebra had left behind that he became crestfallen. “Somepony got Zecora to come, right?”
“Yep,” said Twilight and Scootaloo together.
“Huh,” said Spike as he crossed his arms. “Should have thought.”
Nice chapter - siblings bonding time. Wonder what happened to Velvet? And how Shining would react to his 'new' younger sister?
oh spike always go to the zebra first, for healing, in a magical world
I'm pretty sure those t's are both suppose to be d's
I noticed a few other minor errors, like 2 separate lines of dialogue in the same paragraph
A very satisfying conclusion for her apologies IMO
Keep up the good work my good man
oh that ending was funny
I see Spike is going to be kinda jealous here as Scootaloo is going to be cutting into his Twilight time. Hopefully Twilight catches onto it before Spike starts causing trouble.
Believe the word was suppose to be 'this' right?
Pretty sure there should be a 'let' in there.
Kinda surpised it took so long for a doctor to give a 'Princess' a house call.
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Actually, probably not the best Idea out there. You remember Season 1, Episode 24? *Shudders*
It's an amazing feeling to Scootaloo confronting & repairing the she has done to the C.M.C. & to Twilight especially after everything that's happened, also the way Twilight reacted to Zecora's postion was hilarious!
P.S. Are we gonna get Spike being super jealous of how much Twilight & Scootaloo are spending time together, cuz that would his character development interesting
I loved the chapter. I loved Scoots. Can't wait for more, good work.
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He already went through that stage of character development in the show. Owl's well that ends well (Owlowiscious) remember?
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That was an assistant thing, this is personal with siblings & dragon
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Which is why I want Twilight to catch onto the fact that Spike is feeling left out.
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But the experience is similiar and has the same reason to it. Twilight providing attention onto someone else. I do think that Spike is smart enough to not make the same mistakes. He may dislike Scootaloo because she caused Twi to suffer, and to see Spike and Scoots working out their relations from that point would be more interesting then seeing Spike doing anything stupid because of envy. If anything at all the envy subplot will just cause me (and other people) to groan, facepalm and ignore every part with it.
When are we getting back to shining, cadence and the sparkel aprents because we yet to have an explanation or how this happened
Great chapter! Scootaloo and Twilight are now good sisters. A really enjoyable moment.
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Fair enough, I still hope to see more of a bitter & jealous Spike, it creates more drama to Twilight & Scootaloo's situation
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next chapter
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Thanks
this
Here there is something missing
mulled
didn't think Twilight was in making preserves... [bringing]
Yay! Conflict resolved!! Sweet catharsis!!!
Twilight instead used her hooves, brining it in front of her face in an instant
1. Bringing.
And here I sit still waiting for the alien to show up
Ah, just what Scoots needed. And that ending wasn't even particularly foreboding as far as Spike's feelings on the changes to the household go, though he's probably still got some things to work out. I suppose if we're finally getting back to the rest of the family and approaching some answers, then the story's nearing the climax and this particular part of the drama should be close to wrapping up.
Just found this one again, and I'm glad I did. :) Really hope to see the rest soon. I'm glad Scoots understands that Twilight is only looking out for her, and not taking Rainbows' place. Also being "EXACTLY" like Rainbow Dash is not the way to be 'awesome' in her own way.
Sounds like one of the symptoms Twilight is facing is severe congestion, and even if not, with that severe sore throat, I doubt porridge is going to be the greatest of things for treating either symptom...something like soup probably would've been better. But it's the thought that counts, Spike.
Still one more time than never!
Very glad things worked out for the better between Scoots and Twi and that they got that chance to have a real heart to heart.
Yeah, speaking of...still waiting for more details on that.
Sorry spike, ya got shaman sniped!
I kinda feel sorry for Spike. It's like he's getting replaced by Scootaloo, since he was like a brother to Twilight.
But that's not what I'm here for tho. Came to say that this was a really moving chapter!
Good work!
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They already got through this with Owlowicious.
such a grate family bonding chapter, things are looking up now.
The healing has begun.
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I look forward to Scoots/Spike talk
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His treatment of her is still not excusable, especially since Twilight was asking if Scootaloo was okay. But of course, that's just my opinion. I mean, if I was in Twi's hooves, I'd tell them that they have both done what they weren't supposed to. Twi's not really innocent either, since she forgot to lock the door to where she stashed the scooter.
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Actually that was Spike being jealous because Owlowicious was stealing his place as Twilight's number one assistant.
But the sibling relationship between Twilight and Spike is something else
Apple Bloom’s cheeks turned scarlet as she looked away. “Well, he did stop sneezing,” she said in her defense. “And he grew back his coat pretty quickly!”
Be afraid. Be VERY afraid...
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Something else than feeling jealous and replaced?
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Well, also sad and left out.
Since he has to come to the realization that Scootaloo is actually more closer to Twilight than he is. Even tho he's been with Twi longer.
Really looking forward to the upcoming chapters. @Darthvalgaav, you're doing a great job!
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Being similar doesn't make them the same.
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If you are a medieval crusader and like them never learn, yes. It is the same feeling incited by similiar circumsctainces. What I'm trying to say is that Spike is not an idiot, unless the emotion hit him as hard as Twi's death would, I can't picture him repeating his own mistakes.
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Indeed, this was personal for Spike, enough for him to run away thinking Twilight didn't love him anymore after she found him trying to frame the owl. And Twilight apologised for not being sensitive enough. This wasn't just about assistant and work. Hopefully Spike and Twilight will not forget that experience.
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Exactly!
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I'm sure he'd take that lesson to heart as best that he can. But everything you're explaining is focused on the rational part of his mind. There's just one small factor you forgot to account for. Emotions don't care about rationality. And keep in mind that as mature as Spike may be, he is still just a child. And feeling neglected as an assistant would be completely different from feeling neglected as a "little brother".
Consider this...
Scenario 1: You have a job where you have a descent position and wage because of how long you've been working there. And then a new employee comes and gets the same job and wage as you do right at the start, when you have earned that position through time and hard work. Even though the new employee isn't at a higher level than you, the fact that that employee got that job right off the bat when you had to work for it would make you feel like there's some level of favoritism towards the new employee. You'd be disappointed.
Scenario 2: Now let's say that you are the younger of two siblings, and your older sibling has always paid attention to you and made sure you were always happy. Suddenly, the older sibling finds out that there was a long lost third sibling roughly the same age as you are, and your older sibling, after just meeting this new sibling, constantly is paying attention to the new sibling and not you. You wouldn't just be disappointed, you'd be heartbroken.
Have you heard of the "butterfly effect"? It's the theory that a butterfly flapping its wings could cause windstorms on the other side of the world. Though the example of the name itself is a little far fetched, the concept itself does hold weight. A small change to a scenario can effectively cause dramatically different results. Spike knows that he is valued as an assistant. But this is not about being an assistant, this is about actual family. Alternatively, are you familiar with what's known as "chaos theory"? And no, this does not involve Discord. Chaos theory is the theory that the same circumstances can have different results.
In short, just because Spike had that experience and learned his lesson, it doesn't mean he won't get jealous. Because emotions don't care if you know better or not. Emotions don't work that way. And because I don't think it's the same is also the reason why I don't think the results would be the same. Do you know why it's frustrating why people complain about Fluttershy having to learn lessons about being assertive over and over and taking forever to actually apply those lessons? Because learning how to be assertive is COMPLETELY different from being able to overcome shyness. Knowing how to ride a bike does not make you immune to injuries when you crash. And though the reference is unintentional, Scootaloo can attest to this fact.
Not to mention that this is all dependant on the fact that we don't even know if the author intends to go the route of Spike being jealous. The only time we saw any negative emotions from Spike towards Scootaloo was when she ran away, which resulted in Twilight getting sick after looking for her. I don't recall Spike ever being jealous of Scootaloo. If anything, he knows that Scootaloo has had it rough and understands why Twilight would be paying attention to her.
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He might repeat the mistake, yes.
But you are not taking into account what we said, that Spike didn't just feel replaced as an assistant doing a job. Number One Assistant is just a name. As it was already said, he took this deeply enough to leave in tears, thinking he wasn't loved anymore, planning to never come back. What happened is not lighter than what may happen next. Spike was, and still is, as close to Twilight as any sibling could be.
Edit : Done bringing scenes from an episode up.
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Let me ask you a few questions. (Don't answer them, I don't need your thoughts. Just think about it this way)
Do you always succumb to emotions when you feel negative emotions?
Do you let your rational part lose any control over yourself?
Do you think that a person that grew up closely and under a pony who values mind, rationality and knowledge above all else will not be able to know when he is about to make stupid decision that he already made once and regretted making it?
We don't know if Spike values rationality so much as to the point where he would be displeased with emotions that make him lose control over himself like some people do. So we can't make a 100% judgement based on that. But there are those thing that I mentioned. I also do think that Spike knows that in the end if he tries to hurt Scootaloo in any way it will hurt Twilight. And do you remember what caused his anger with Scootaloo in the first place? Exactly that, Twilight got hurt.
And you asume that Spike is a child. But the thing is that he is (most likely) not a child. Spike is at the very least in his early teens, judging both by the fact that he was hatched a long time ago when Twilight was only passing entry exams for CSFGU and that he has developed a teenager crush. I would guess that by human terms Spike is fifteen or somewhere around.
tl;dr: Only really strong emotions can override brain's decisions. Spike is not a child but a teenager. Spike IS at least somewhat rational.
I'm done with this conversation.
Quick edit: I'm not arguing that Spike won't get jealous, I'm arguing that Spike is not a moron and will not make an extremely stupid thing.
A wonderful, wonderful feel-good chapter!
So, Twi and Scoots have reconciled. Or at least talked things through and are on the way to make everything they can better.
Now for Scootaloo to earn Spike's forgiveness. That is going to be a tougher one to crack.
You know Zecora could have potential to be the Princess of Friendship's personal doctor.
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I'm not saying he's make the same mistake. I'm just saying that he could make a mistake if he lets emotion get the better of him. And the key word is "if". And besides, I don't see him becoming jealous because of a shift of attention. The only possible issue I see will involve his anger at Scootaloo for getting Twilight sick.
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I know you said not to answer your questions. But I do have a few things to say about them. The first and second questions aren't proper to my situation, because very little affects my emotions to a point where I become irrational. But that's because I have age and experience on my side. If you had asked me that question 15 years ago, it would be a very different story. And FYI, I would've been a little older than how old you assume Spike to be. As for the third question, I have two words... Lesson Zero. A perfect example emotion can override the most rational minds, regardless of age. Then again, your questions are under the assumption that I assume he will make a mistake. My entire point is that this scenario is not the same as last time. But I'm sure he will take that lesson to heart though. And where did him hurting Scootaloo come from?
As for Spike's age, there's nothing to actually suggest how old he is other than The Cutie Mark Chronicles, which says nothing about how long ago that was. But how I see it, I see no reason to assume he's much older than the CMC. That doesn't exactly help, since we don't know hold old they are. But if you take into account how dragons age, even if he's roughly 15, that would still make him the equivalent of a baby. (Of course there's also the fact that Lauren Faust said that Spike will not outlive Twilight, so...). But I'll grant you that I'll agree that he'd be in either preteen or early teens.
As for emotions overriding brain's decisions, you're claim isn't as accurate as you think. No matter how strong or weak your emotions are, they will affect your mindset, and therefore affect your decision making to some extent. In fact, the weaker emotions can actually be more effective than you think, because you wouldn't realize that your emotions are affecting your decision making. If you have enough rationality, you will be aware that your emotions could impair your decision making. However, it's not so easy to be aware of the subtleness that the weaker emotions would have. But I digress. I'm letting my inner Twilight get the better of me in these explanations.
And I hope you don't think I'm intentionally arguing with you. This discussion began because I wanted to point out that this was not the same situation as in Owls Well That Ends Well. My argument is not that Spike will make a mistake, just that a similar situation is not the reason why he wouldn't make a mistake. And I admit that it's just my opinion and that I probably am just thinking to much into this. But I agree that Spike is not a moron.
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I think the best way to look at this is to look at the story as a whole. In the beginning Spike was treating Scootaloo like she was welcome, like a member of the family. However at the story continued he saw Scootaloo treating Twilight and her generosity with what can best be described as uncaring. Spike saw everything that Twilight was going through from making her feel welcome, the issues with their parents, the whole thing with mr. Bubbles, and then getting sick after looking for her. The idea that he would not react negatively towards all of this after he had also expressed his welcome to her is for lack of a better word idiotic. I don't think he's out of character for feeling like this. Anyone in their right mind would feel angry. As for the look he gave Scootaloo in the previous chapter, please remember that that was from Scootaloo's point of view. For sure spike is angry and as I said who would it be but maybe she's projecting some of her feelings in that look. And maybe in this chapter by just doesn't want to be near Scootaloo
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*sigh* Do you people ever read? I did not say that it is out of character for him to feel negative emotions, I even specifically stated that it would be interesting to see how Scootaloo and Spike work those things out. What I say is that it would be very unlike him to try and do something bad to Scootaloo, like he tried to with Owlowiscious.