Do It For Her

by Cxcd

06 - Shifting Things Down

Dusk whirled around, letting the tomb he was currently reading drop from his magical aura.

“A book about what?” He asked, his face full of sudden concern.

For the past hour, his friend’s sister had been skating on the edge of what he deemed appropriate questions for a filly her age. They were currently in the lower levels of the Golden-Oaks Library, the space that was open to the pony public. Whether this was yet another ploy to get her Cutiemark before the upcoming Cutecenara remained completely elusive, but the fact the filly apparently knew her line of questioning was inappropriate raised more than a few red flags.

“Abuse victims.” Sweetie Belle responded confidentially. “I want a book about abuse victims.”

“Wh-Why would you ever want a book about that?” Dusk asked agape. He pushed the paper he had been writing translated spell incantations from for his upcoming experiment to the side. True was the never ending curiosity of a growing foal, but some things were best left unanswered until a later time. Abuse being one of them.

Abuse comes in many forms. Physical, emotional, mental, and even negligence.One that Dusk was more than confident Sweetie knew a little too much about already. The face Sweetie was making, one of confidence, scared him even more.

“I just need to know a few things.” Sweetie responded. She sat down in the middle of the library, crossing her hooves in a pout. “And I won’t leave until you give me that book.”

Dusk stomped his hoof, threatened by the prospect of having to spend another hour with the filly. “And I won’t give it to you until you tell me why you need it!”

“But-” That seemed to stump Sweetie. Her crossed hooves loosened slightly as she diverted her eyes to the floor, biting her cheek as she considered. Finally, she closed her eyes, letting out a hearty sigh. By the time she reopened them, Dusk was still standing, waiting for an answer.

“Fine.” She fully uncrossed her hooves, pointing at Dusk menacingly. “But you need to Pinkie Promise you won’t tell anypony.” Her gaze steeled. “And I mean nopony!”

“Do I have to?” Dusk asked, slightly annoyed.

“Yes!”

“The science behind the Pinkie Promise isn’t even sound! What stops me from-”

“Promise it!”

“Fine!” Dusk relented, sitting down and doing the motions. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye- ouch. There, happy?”

“Happy.” Sweetie smiled, turning around and walking to the front door. Dusk watched inquisitively. Unfortunately, that inquisitiveness turned to concern and fear as Sweetie reached up, locking the front door. She turned back, looking at Dusk. “Is anypony else here?”

“Spines is, but she’s sleeping upstairs.” Dusk rolled his eyes. Igniting his magic, every blind and shutter simultaneously snapped shut, concealing them from the outside world. Then, every candle positioned in the chandelier, or strewn about semi-randomly, was ignited, bathing the library in a flickering orange light. Despite Dusk being the older and more powerful Unicorn in the room, he couldn’t deny that seeing Sweetie’s confident face in such a darkened setting seemed intensely terrifying.

Especially when she’s menacingly walking forwards.

“You can’t tell anypony.” She said again.

“I heard!” Dusk started backing up. “I promised! Now, tell me! Why do you need that book?” Sweetie stopped walking, Dusk having his back pushed all the way against a shelf full of books. She sighed, sitting down, and inhaling a large chunk of air.

“There’s this new filly who is really really really sad and she needs my help like Rarity said but I don’t know how to help her so I thought I should come and find a book about it but I can’t find it under the A section so I thought I would ask you but I kind of can’t ask you outright because now we’re sitting in a dark library while I spill my guts to- mph!” Sweetie’s mouth was clamped shut by Dusk using his magic.

“Sad how?” He said, cutting off his magic.

“Sad like- like bad.” She shuddered. “Rarity said she had it real bad. Like- really bad.”

“Rarity, huh?” Dusk tapped his chin. “New filly who is really sad?” His thoughts drifted back towards earlier that day. It wasn’t that much of a stretch… “Say, this filly wouldn’t be an orange Pegasus by chance, would they?” Sweetie gasped.

“With a purple mane?”

“And little wings?”

“Name’s Scootaloo?”

“I think we’re talking about the same filly here.” Dusk concluded. “Unfortunately, I can’t give you the book.”

“What?” Sweetie shrieked. “But you promised!”

“I didn’t promise I would give you the book. I promised I wouldn’t tell anypony.” While saying this, his horn lit ablaze as every shutter whipped back up, bathing the dank library with bright white light. All the candles instantly were snuffed out, leaving a faint burning smell lingering stagnantly in the air. “That being said, I didn’t agree to not help.”

“So…” Sweetie rolled her haunches. “You’ll help me?”

“Depends on what help means in this context.” Sweetie let out a frustrated sigh. “You can’t try and forcefully change a pony. I believe there is somepony still hiding under Scootaloo, but that doesn’t mean that pony has to act like you.”

“I’m not trying to make anypony act like me!” Sweetie huffed. “I want to be a better friend! What if I do something to like- reignite old memories around her?” Dusk let out a sigh.

“That’s not gonna happen.” Dusk stood up. “Listen- I’m sorry I can’t help you more, but I really have to finish this spell.” He walked back towards his writing desk, pulling out the piece of paper with runes he had pushed away earlier. “I’m taking a sort of-” He rolled his head. “Think of it like a vacation.”

“You’re going on vacation?” Sweetie asked, putting her front hooves on his desk and leaning forwards, reading the incantations. “Where? Who’ll run the library when your gone?”

“I’m not going that far.” He rolled his hoof, picking up the quill with his magic. “And besides, I have somepony taking my place that I would trust with my life.”

“Ah- well…” Sweetie sighed. “Will they be able to help Scootaloo?”

“Maybe-maybe not.” Dusk looked at Sweetie. “Why don’t you go ask… Cheerilee for help? She’s trained in helping foals.”

“Cheerilee?” Sweetie shuddered. “School’s not starting until next week. I’m not gonna see Miss Cheerilee more than I have to.”

“Hey! School’s important, and Miss Cheerilee is nice.”

“Okay, fine.” Sweetie sighed. “I’ll go- I don’t know, ask Cheerilee?” She walked away from the table. “Thanks for… trying to help, I guess.” She half-heartily said, pushing open the doo-

*Thunkk*

“Ow!” Sweetie had rammed into the locked door, expecting it to be open. Dusk turned around in his seat, watching as the filly rubbed her horn. Angrily, she threw the lock open, and ran quite quickly outside. Dusk let out a little chuckle.

Truth be told, he did want to help. But he couldn’t go meddling in other ponies lives. It really wasn’t his place to be. And Rainbow had already inspired him enough to try out this new spell. He had more than enough going on right now.

Cheerilee was a patient mare. She had to be. After all, she was the teacher of a classroom full of foals. Not right now, however, as the entire one-room school was desolate, leaving a neatly arranged few rows of desks. It was the calm before the storm. Before dozens of foals began scratching their initials on the wooden surfaces, sticking gum to the undersides. To be fair, Ponyville was Cheerilee’s favorite place to teach. She had bounced around city-to-city over her beginning years. It always seemed the larger the city, the more rowdy and uncontrollable the foals got. Ponyville was a nice balance. Even if there was one or two bad seeds in the batch.

Cheerilee sat at her desk, looking over her teaching plan. She had a pair of spectacles on, scratching out what she assumed was a lesson too boring to properly captivate the student’s attention. It would have to be reworked later into something more engaging. She sighed, looking up-

“Gah!” She shouted, leaning so far back into her chair that she almost fell over. She stabilized herself, her spectacles accidentally falling off the bridge of her muzzle and onto the floor. She blinked, rubbing her now glasses-free eyes and staring at the pony in front of her. “Sweetie Belle?” She asked confusedly.

“Hello, Miss Cheerilee.” She sat low down, looking up and over the desk. Cheerilee put a hoof over her heart, almost commanding it to slow down.

“What are you doing here?” Cheerilee asked. “Surely you would want to be outside on a beautiful day like today?”

“Beautiful?” Sweetie looked out one of the many windows. The sky had certainly cleared since earlier in the morning, but she still wouldn’t describe it as beautiful. “I just wanted some… help.” She stated slowly, tapping her hooves together menacingly.

“Help with what?” Cheerilee pushed her paper to the side, leaning forwards inquisitively. “School doesn’t start for another week. As far as I’m aware, I haven’t handed out any homework yet either.”

“Well, uh… this is gonna sound- how do I say this- weird?”

“Uh-huh- I’m sure it isn’t weird.” Cheerilee felt like she was going to say something wild. What she didn’t expect, however, was the ramblings of a student who deserved a big fat F for their grammatical grade.

“Well- um- like, there’s this- how do I say this? There’s a filly. Who’s my friend. Like-” She cleared her throat. “She like- um- isn’t in school- because she’s weird, right? And um- I was wondering if you could- we- We could sign her up?”

Cheerilee stared blankly.

“What?” She asked.

“Um- I mean- if that’s okay?” She met her teacher’s eyes, smiling sweetly. Cheerilee's gaze drifted towards her desk, nodding, trying to decipher what Sweetie had just said.

“If you could say that again…” Cheerilee started, looking back at Sweetie. “But slower.”

“Oh- um-” Sweetie cleared her throat louder. “I have a friend who’s kind of… special? She doesn’t act like you or me, and she doesn’t like to talk. I was wondering if we could… sign her up? For school?”

Cheerilee leaned her head back, a genuine smile crossing her face. A student that was willing to go to school? Exotic. A one in a million chance of happening.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Sweetie.” Cheerilee beamed. “Of course, it’s still up to her parents whether or not she should attend. If she needs special treatment, then maybe the classroom isn’t for her.”

“She’s not dumb.” Sweetie stated bluntly. Cheerilee looked surprised, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head. “She’s- well, I think she’s pretty smart. It’s just that she- um, went through some things.” Cheerilee furrowed her brow, suddenly filled with concern. As much as she hated to admit it, Sweetie was probably the pony who knew the most about going through things.

“Okay…” Cheerilee nodded. “Well- I’m actually free this afternoon. I would love to meet her parents. Do you know where they live?”

“It’s just her mom. They live on the outside of the Everfree.”

“Everfree, huh?” Cheerilee tapped her hoof. “Is her mom Zecora?”

“No-no.” Sweetie shook her head. “She’s a Pegasus.”

“Well…” Cheerilee stood up from her desk, looking side-to-side for a moment, finding her saddlebags. With expertly practiced Earth-pony might, she chucked them over her withers. “If you’re also free, I’d love to give them a visit!”

“I’m free, too!” Sweetie hopped onto her hooves, prancing in place. She stopped, watching as Cheerilee shoved a couple random papers into her saddlebags. “What are you grabbing.”

“In case she does want to sign up for school, I’m grabbing the sign-up sheets.” She buckled her saddlebags, turning to walk out the door. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Sugarcube Corner was lightly packed. Mr Cake was manning the front desk, taking the few ponies orders and dishing them out to Ms Cake, who was running the back. Pinkie Pie, the hyper active and bubbly Earth-pony mare, was bouncing from table-to-table, taking the orders of the sit down customers.

The second the pink pony laid eyes on Fluttershy and Scootaloo, however, all other premonitions of responsibility was immediately forgotten.

Scootaloo observed the interior. From the outside, the building looked like one huge ginger-bread house. Perhaps like a cooked pastry. Inside, the walls almost looked appetizing, and if Scootaloo was any lesser of a pony, she would’ve tried licking it.

“Oooh! Hello!” The voice of a high-pitched party pony cut through her focus. Scootaloo tore her gaze away from the wall that she was fairly confident was made of white chocolate, and towards the pony bouncing towards them.

“Hello, Pinkie.” Fluttershy greeted politely. “I want you to meet my-”

“Ohmygosh, you are adorable!” Pinkie exclaimed, breaking any sense of personal space by gripping both of Scootaloo’s cheeks and holding them close to her. Scootaloo, for better or for worse, let it happen, staring back at Pinkie’s bright blue eyes. She smelled like bubblegum.

“Pinkie-”

“When’s your birthday?” Pinkie asked. “Oh, did I miss it?” She pulled Scootaloo unwillingly into a hug, patting her mane as Pinkie’s eyes started to water. “I would never forgive myself if I missed somepony’s birthday!”

“It’s August 30th-”

“Oh, thank hoofness!” Pinkie let Scootaloo out of the hug. Scootaloo took a deep breath, backing away from the crazy party mare. Pinkie, being as persistent as she was, took Scootaloo’s hoof in her own, shaking it. “My name is Pinkamena Diana Pie. But you can just call me Pinkie Pie!”

“Pinkie.” Fluttershy commanded. Pinkie looked surprised for a moment, immediately recognizing Fluttershy’s stern voice. Fluttershy’s stern voice wasn’t any difference from her normal speaking voice, however, and was only something that only Pinkie Pie could pick up on.

If Pinkie Pie heard Fluttershy about thirty minutes earlier, she would’ve collapsed on the spot.

“This is my new daughter, Scootaloo.” Fluttershy laid a hoof on Scootaloo. Pinkie’s eyes went wide, darting from the two ponies. Pinkie made a sound akin to a hissing teapot as she squished her own cheeks together in excitement.

“This is so exciting!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Oh, I-I would give you a party, but-” Pinkie sighed. “I’m sorry, but it’s going to have to wait.” She said sadly. “I’m throwing a Cutecenera for a little filly, and I'm a little overrun...”

Scootaloo felt bad, watching as the pony deflated like a balloon. Scootaloo looked to Fluttershy for help, but Fluttershy was looking at her for help, too!

“S-Sorry...”

Pinkie didn’t respond right away. She took a minute, raising her head and observing the small filly. It was like she saw something in that response, but didn’t know exactly what she saw. Two seconds later, she shook her head.

“It's okay! Come, I’ll get you your seats.” She stood up, walking towards a booth. Fluttershy shot Scootaloo a comforting smile, and they both followed the pink mare to a booth seat. It was red and comfy, Scootaloo sinking a healthy distance into it’s surface. She faced Fluttershy, who also got into the seat across from her.

“I’ll take the strawberry milkshake, please.” Fluttershy asked. Pinkie Pie nodded, almost like she already knew what she was going to ask. Scootaloo rubbed her hooves together for a moment, trying to read the menu behind Pinkie’s head on the wall.

“U-Um…” Scootaloo said nervously. “Do you have- um- chocolate milkshake?”

“Sure we do!” Pinkie said. There was no hesitation this time, but Pinkie still flashed a strange look. “I’ll be back in a minute!” She turned around, bouncing away towards the kitchen.

Fluttershy looked sweetly at Scootaloo. She opened her mouth to talk, and-

“Aw man, I really thought they would be home!” A familiar squeaky voice said. Scootaloo’s ears perked up, leaning out of the booth to stare at the two ponies who had just entered the bakery.

Scootaloo’s eyes lit up with delight upon seeing the small unicorn. It was Sweetie Belle. Although it had only been about a day since they had last interacted, Scootaloo was filled with a sensation of delight. Like somepony had swelled a balloon in her chest. Scootaloo leaned even further out, waving her hoof rapidly. Fluttershy perked up, turning around in her booth and spotting the two ponies.

The second pony, however, was a pony she had never seen before. An Earth-pony mare with a purple coat and pink mane. She was tall. Surprisingly so. Earth-ponies were known for being big and bulky, but that was usually the stallions.

Sweetie Belle noticed the rapid movement out of the corner of her eye, turning to look. Her face, similarly, also lit up with recognition and an open smile. She turned around, tapping the Earth-pony on the shin. She looked down, following Sweetie’s hoof to the booth.

“Hello!” The mare said, trotting towards the booth. Scootaloo scooted over quickly, making room for Sweetie, who gladly accepted the extra space. Although Fluttershy also moved to the side, the purple mare just stood idly at the front of the table. “Is this the filly I’ve been hearing so much about?”

Scootaloo shrugged awkwardly. The mare just laughed politely.

“Don’t worry- only good things from Sweetie.” This made Scootaloo smile a little bit, shooting her friend a quick glance. Sweetie laughed.

“Nice to see you, Miss Cheerilee.” Fluttershy greeted, patting the seat. “Don’t you want to take a seat?”

“Oh, I guess it couldn’t hurt.” The mare named Cheerilee said, sitting down next to Fluttershy. “So I understand you aren’t enlisted in school yet?” She asked. Scootaloo shook her head. “Well- from the glowing words Sweetie sent your way, would you like to?”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Well- we don’t really know yet.” She started.

Scootaloo, however, mulled the idea over in her head for a moment. What would be the harm in going to school?

The harm was meeting a thousand more foals. Not literally a thousand more, but enough to make Scootaloo’s head spin. Sweetie was a solo example. Hardly enough to get an accurate reading of how her experiences would go with every foal at the school. There was always the chance she would become the popular filly- but being honest with herself, that was slim to none.

But…

She did want to learn. She did want to be like the other kids. Scootaloo let out a quiet huff, looking up to Cheerilee.

“Y-Yeah.” She said reservedly. “I-I wanna go.”

Sweetie let out a huge gasp, turning to Scootaloo with a shocked face.

“You can talk!” She exclaimed. “This is so awesome!”

“Scootaloo, are you sure?” Fluttershy asked concernedly, leaning forwards and over the table.

“I-I’m sure.” She nodded. “I-I want to meet new ponies… I think. I’m sorry.”

“No- it’s okay.” Fluttershy sighed. “I’m just a little concerned-”

“Oh my gosh!” Sweetie exclaimed, pulling Sweetie into a hug. “This is gonna be so awesome! We’re gonna sit next to each other- and we’re gonna study together- and-” Sweetie began rambling. Scootaloo merely leaned into it. If she knew anything, these next few days were going to be… interesting.

Comments

[TheGJ90]

I applaud Sweetie for trying to better understand Scootaloo.

[MooseWhisker]

Dusk whirled around, letting the tomb he was currently reading drop from his magical aura.

Did you mean ‘tome’? Though the mental image of dusk carrying a gravestone around and reading it is pretty funny.

[-itsace-]

“Oh my gosh!” Sweetie exclaimed, pulling Sweetie into a hug. “This is gonna be so awesome! We’re gonna sit next to each other- and we’re gonna study together- and-” Sweetie began rambling. Scootaloo merely leaned into it. If she knew anything, these next few days were going to be… interesting.

you accidentally put sweetie two times in there but otherwise the story is good so far