The rain poured heavily in the town of Ponyville. Only the streetlights and the moon kept the town from being engulfed in darkness. Ponies retreated into the warmth and dryness of their homes. But not all of them had found a peaceful place to retire for the night. One young filly had been soaked to the bone in her quest for food. An orange filly with a purple mane was rooting through the garbage behind Sugar Cube Corner. She raised a hoof to her forehead to remove the wet hair from her eyes.
"Jackpot!" said Scootaloo as she reached in and pulled out a perfectly good cupcake. She greedily wolfed down the pastry. Once she finished the cupcake, she lowered her head down to a puddle. She didn't enjoy living like this, but she wasn't about to give herself up to some orphanage. So, without any other option, she began drinking the water from the puddle. Once her thirst was sated, she walked over to her scooter. She picked up her helmet from off the handle bar, and put it on her head. She then grabbed the handles of her scooter, and started walking out of the alley. She was just coming to the main street, when she heard a clinking sound. She turned her head to face a dark alleyway. The source of the sound became known when an empty can rolled past a pair of silver trash cans. She looked ahead, but the rain obstructed her long range vision. But she could see a large brown dumpster sitting against the brick wall of the alley.
"Hello? Is somepony there?" she called out. Her response was the continued patter of the rain falling on the ground. "Something made that can role." She laid her scooter against the wall, but she kept her helmet on, just in case. She kept her distance from the dumpster, and slowly trotted forward to see what was there. It was dark, with heavy rain, but she was able to see something hiding right next to the dumpster. The sight made her gasp. It was a few inches taller than her. It stood on two legs, and was thin and lanky. Its forelegs ended with worm like digits at the ends. It had medium length dirty blond hair, and light blue eyes. It wore brown shorts, and a blue long sleeved shirt. There was dirt on its face, and cuts on its arms. Gripped in its right appendage was a small loaf of bread. It was backed against the wall, and had a look of fear on its face. Scootaloo stepped back, and cautiously looked at the creature.
"Please don't hurt me," whimpered the creature. Scootaloos eyes widened. The creature could talk! From what Scootaloo could hear, the creature was male. And it sounded like a colt about her age.
"You can talk!" questioned Scootaloo.
"Y-yes," stammered the creature. Scootaloo looked to the bread in its hand.
"Are you gonna eat that?" asked Scootaloo as she ponted to the loaf with her hoof. In response, the creature turned, holding the bread away from Scootaloo, while nodding vigorously. "Aw come on, I've barely eaten in the past few days!"
"Me neither," replied the creature.
"Really?" asked Scootaloo. The creature nodded. Scoot sat down on her haunches. Scootaloo wanted to learn more about this creature, but the rain made it kind of hard to hear. "Why don't you come with me. I know a place where we can get dry. The creature looked hesitant. "What's wrong?"
"You-you're not going to attack me? Or chase me away? You didn't even call me a monster!"
"Why would I do that?" asked Scootaloo.
"All the other ponies did," replied the creature. Scootaloo couldn't believe that, all the ponies she knew were kind and compassionate. But now was not the time to argue. She was tired of being wet.
"Well I wont. Come on, follow me." And so, Scootaloo led the creature out of the rain. Their destination? The Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. Scootaloo led the creature to the clubhouse, sticking to the darker areas of Ponyville, in an effort to not be seen. When they arrived, Scoot set her scooter and helmet against the tree. She then led the creature into the clubhouse. She gestured to a spot for the creature to sit. She then lit a lantern and sat down.
"So...my names Scootaloo. What's yours?"
"Um, I-I'm Kyle."
"OK. Um, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you?"
"I'm Human."
"Human? I've never heard of that before."
"Well...that's because...I'm the only one." Scootaloos jaw dropped.
"How is it possible for you to be the ONLY human in equestria? You had to come from somewhere!"
"Well, it's a long story."
"Tell you what, I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."
"Well...OK. It all started about three months ago. Where I'm from, humans cover the entire planet. That's how I figured that I'm not on the same planet anymore."
"Wait! You-you're from another world?" questioned Scootaloo.
"Yeah. Where I'm from, Ponies aren't intelligent."
"Wow, so you're like an alien right?!"
"Hm...I guess so."
"Cool! I can't believe I'm next to a real life alien!"
"Hm. I guess that is pretty cool! Wait, so should I continue with my story?"
"Oh, yeah sure, go ahead."
"OK, so me and my parents were at the park, with our dog. We were having a picnic. I was playing with my dog. I was tossing a Frisbee with him. But I threw it too far, and it went into the forest, and my dog chased it. I chased him into the forest, but he disappeared. When I turned around, the park was gone. It was just more forest. I wandered around, looking for a way out of the forest. Finally, I came to the edge of the forest, and saw a town. And that's when my problems really started."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when I arrived at Ponyville, the ponies freaked out when they saw me. They called me a monster, and chased me out of town. I've been living in the forest, and sneaking into town at night to find food."
"Wow...that's so...wrong!"
"Yeah, it sucks. What about you? What's your story?"
"Well, it was about two years ago. There was a break in. The robbers killed my parents. I've been on my own ever since."
"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. So, um, how old are you?"
"I'm nine years old," said Scootaloo.
"Oh, you're a year older than me. I'm eight." The two sat there for a few seconds, before Kyle took his loaf of bread, and tore it in half. He handed half to Scootaloo.
"Thanks," said Scootaloo.
"No problem," replied Kyle. "So, what is this place?"
"It's me and my friends clubhouse. I usually sleep here."
"It's nice...well, I guess I'll get going. Thanks for letting me dry off here," Kyle stood up, and started walking towards the door.
"Hold on a sec!" exclaimed Scootaloo. Kyle turned around to look at Scootaloo. "You don't have to go. You can sleep here tonight if you want."
"Really?" asked Kyle.
"Yeah, sure. You just have to leave while I'm at school, because after that, my friends and I come and hang out here."
"Sure, I can do that," replied Kyle happily. Scootaloo curled up on the floor, and Kyle lied down a few feet away from here.
The morning sun flowed through the window of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. The light cast itself on to Scootaloo's eyes, causing hem to flutter open. Slowly, she rose to a sitting position, and observed her surroundings. She was the only one there.
'Was it all a dream?' she wondered. Did she just imagine the strange creature? She rose to her hooves, and proceeded to walk towards the door to go and get some breakfast before school. But, when she reached the door, she saw a folded piece of paper taped to the wood. She picked the paper off the door, and unfolded it. It read as such;
Scootaloo,
Thanks for letting me stay the night. It's a lot nicer
than sleeping in the everfree, which I will return to
tonight. Thanks, and maybe I'll see you again
sometime.
-Kyle
Scootaloo lowered the note. 'So, he was real,' thought Scootaloo. Scootaloo hoped she would see the human again. They were kindred spirits, they both lived less than optimal lives. Scootaloo opened the door, and walked down the ramp. She put the helmet on, and hopped on her scooter. She propelled her way to the nearest apple tree. She took her helmet off and threw it up into the tree, knocking a few apples down from the branches. She proceeded to eat all three, but kept the cores with her. She would throw them away later, away from the farm. She hopped back on her scooter, strapped her helmet on, and sped off towards Ponyville.
Kyle awoke two hours before Celestias sun rose. He was used to rising early. Living in a predator infested forest taught you to only sleep a few hours at a time. He looked down to the sleeping filly who had welcomed him into her shelter. Never during his time in Equestria had he been showed such kindness. A warm smile came to his face. He decided to leave a note for her. He looked over to a table in the clubhouse. There was a piece of paper, a pencil, and a roll of tape. He walked over to the table, and wrote his message, then ripped a piece of tape off the role. He walked to the door, and taped the paper to the wood. Then he opened the door and left. Once he was outside, he began sprinting towards the Everfree, using the darkness to hid him from hostile ponies. He had to get back to the forest before the ponies awoke.
Kyle arrived in Ponyville, but stopped when he came to the alley behind Sugar Cube Corner. He needed something to eat for breakfast before he returned to the forest. He went to the trash can and started rummaging for food.
'Let's see, some coffe grinds, those things you peel off of cupcakes, a banana peel, OH AWESOME!' Kyle reached in and pulled out a blueberry muffin with only one bite out of it. He scarfed it down, and was about to look for more when he heard hoof steps approaching. Quickly, he made a mad dash out of the alley, sprinting for the concealment of his forest. He didn't see the grey pegasus with the lazy eye walk to the trashcan, only to find it devoid of muffins.
When Kyle finally reached the forest, he was gasping for air. He was so scared that he dead sprinted from the alley to the forest, and he was pretty tired. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and then walked deeper into the forest. After a few minutes of walking, he finally reached it. A large hollowed out tree. This is where Kyle made his home. Kyle crawled into the tree, rested his head, and closed his eyes, ready to sleep.
The Ponyville school house bell rung, signaling the beginning of school. The students made their way inside. Applebloom and Sweetie bell walked side by side into the building.
"Hey, have you seen Scootaloo?" questioned Sweetie Bell. Applebloom shook her head.
"Nope. She must be late again," replied Applebloom. The two made their way to their seats and sat down. Ms.Cheerilee walked from her desk to the chalkboard.
"Alright class, now today we are going to learn about division." The class let out a group groan. "Now now, division is easy once you get the hang of it. Now then," Cheerilee said as she wrote on the board. "Now, who can tell me what five divided by two is?" No one raised thier hooves. Just then, the door slammed open to reveal an orange Pegasus with a purple mane. Scootaloo shut the door behind her, and nervously approached her teacher.
"S-sorry I'm late Ms. Cheerilee," said Scootaloo. Her teacher merely sighed with her eyes closed.
"This is the third time this week Scootaloo." said Cheerilee.
"I know, and I'm sorry."
"Arg. Just take your seat Scootaloo." Scootaloo quickly trotted over to her desk, and sat down. the students chuckled at Scootaloos minor embarrassment. "Alright now, class lets continue with our lesson." A few hours later, and Scootaloo found herself staring out the window, gazing into the forest. She wondered if thats where the human was now. Maybe he was right in front of her, staring back in her direction. She also thought about whether she should tell her friends about her discovery. Could she trust them not to blab about Kyle.
"Scootaloo, are you paying attention?" Scootaloo snapped out of her daydreaming to see Cheerilee, and the rest of the class staring at her.
"Y-yes, I was," replied Scootaloo.
"Well then, what did I just say?" asked Cheerilee.
"You said; Scootaloo, are you paying attention?" the class laughed at her smart remark.
"See me after class Scootaloo. Scootaloo hung her head in shame. This was going to be a long day.
The school bell rang, signaling the end of school. The class stormed out of the building, leaving just Scootaloo and Cheerilee. Scootaloo got up from her seat and walked over to Cheerilee. The teacher cleared her throat, and then began to speak.
"Scootaloo, you've been late three times this week, you're not paying attention, and your grades are slipping. What's going on?"
"N-nothing Ms. Cheerilee."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Alright, well I'm giving you this sheet for your parents to sign," said Cheerilee as she handed a slip of paper to Scootaloo.
'She just ASSUMES I have parents,' thought Scootaloo in a disgruntled way. "Why?" asked Scootaloo.
"Your parents need to know about whats going on with your education," replied Cheerilee. Scootaloo took the note and put it in her saddlebag.
"Can I go now?"
"*Sigh*. Yes go ahead." With that, Scootaloo left the schoolhouse. She met up with Sweetie Bell and Applebloom outside the school.
"What did Ms. Cheerilee want?" asked Sweetie.
"She just wanted to lecture me about being late and stuff," replied Scootaloo. After a few seconds of silence, Applebloom spoke up.
"So, what do y'all want ta' do today?"
"We should try to get our cutie marks in fencing!" squealed Sweetie.
"Maybe we should try to get our marks in creature catching again!" said Applebloom.
"Um, creature catching?" questioned Scootaloo.
"Yeah, ah heard about some weird two legged creature that lives in the Everfree!" suggested Sweetie.
"NO!" cried Scootaloo. The other two crusaders looked at Scootaloo surprised.
"Why not?" asked Applebloom. Scootaloo searched her mind quickly for an answer. She needed to come up with something quick.
"I, uh well...I thought we could try getting our cutie marks in, ah, WRITING! Yeah, writing!" said Scootaloo.
"Writing?" asked Sweetie.
"Yeah, we could write a story! I mean, its easy, something any idiot can do!" replied Scootaloo.
"Yeah, it IS easy!" said Applebloom.
"Uh, sure I guess that sounds all right," said Sweetie. The three nodded, than ran off to the clubhouse to start their story.
The howling of the timber wolves woke Kyle up with a start. He shot up to a sitting position, and frantically looked around. It was darker than normal, indicating that it was night time. Kyle stood up and started walking in the direction he thought Ponyville was in. He stopped when he heard the howling again. His eyes widened. That sounded close. He turned around to see a pair of glowing eyes staring at him through the bushes. Kyle turned and bolted as fast as he could. He could hear the wolves chasing behind him. He leaped over a log, and maneuvered through the trees. He looked behind him to see the wooden wolves chasing after him. There were three of them. He turned his head back forward, only to see a Timber Wolf standing right in front of him. He cried out in surprise and tried to stop, but during his attempt, the wolf brought its claws down on Kyle. The claws tore through the shirt, and the skin, leaving three large gashes in Kyles flesh. He cried out in pain, but didn't stop. He kept running as fast as he could, hoping to lose the predators that were pursuing him.
Scootaloo tossed and turned on the floor, trying to get to sleep. But she couldn't lose herself to slumber. She kept thinking about the human. He was out there in the forest somewhere, while she was safe in the clubhouse. She made up her mind. She was going to go find Kyle, and give him a place to stay. She left the clubhouse, put on her helmet, and then hopped on her scooter. She buzzed her wings, and propelled her way towards the Everfree forest.
Scootaloo finally came to the edge of the forest. She saw Fluttershys cottage in the distance. She dismounted from her scooter, and walked towards the forest, looking for the human.
"Kyle! Kyle are you there!?" she heard a rustling noise coming from the bushes. She readied herself to flee if it turned out to be a dangerous predator. But she was relieved to see a familiar figure walking, or rather. limping out of the forest. "Kyle, are you OK?!" asked Scootaloo as she rushed towards the human. She noticed he was bleeding from his torso.
"Oh...h-hi Scootaloo," said the boy between breaths.
"What happened?" asked Scootaloo.
"Tiimber wolves...I barely got away."
"What! Timber wolves!"
"Yeah."
"You look pretty hut," said Scootaloo with concern.
"It's fine,"
"No, it's not. You need to come with me back to the clubhouse. There's a first aid kit at the clubhouse."
"Uh, OK sure," said Kyle. Scootaloo got on her scooter.
"Get on!" Kyle got on the scooter, and grabbed a hold of Scootaloos withers. Scootaloo pushed off, and started accelerating, steering her scooter towards the clubhouse.
If you happened to be outside in Ponyville, you might have heard the quick buzzing of wings. You might have been able to see a young Pegasus and a strange creature on a scooter, speeding in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
When the two reached the clubhouse, Scootaloo dismounted and helped the injured Kyle up the ramp, into the clubhouse. Once inside, she sat him down on the floor.
"We keep a first aid kit here in the clubhouse. I'll go get it," said Scootaloo as she headed towards a table in the corner of the clubhouse.
"OK," replied Kyle. Scootaloo returned with a white box, with a red cross on it. She set it down and opened it, revealing several different medical supplies, such as binding tape, gauze, band aids and disinfectant.
"Alright, lift up you shirt." Kyle complied and lifted his blue long sleeved shirt, revealing three distinct gashes on his back. Scootaloo winced at the sight. She took a bottle of disinfectant out of the first aid kit, and poured it into a white cloth. "This might sting a bit." Kyle nodded, and then Scootaloo started cleaning the wound. Kyle winced in pain, jerking in shock, but otherwise remaining still.
When she finished, Scootaloo withdrew the cloth, and set it on the floor. She then got out the gauze and bandage wraps and started dressing Kyles wound.
"So, how'd you get away from those Timber wolves?" asked Scootaloo.
"I climbed up a tree, and waited for them to leave," replied Kyle.
"Oh, OK. Also, I saw you limping. What happened with that?"
"I sprained it when I jumped out of the tree."
"Oh," replied Scootaloo. She finished bandaging Kyle, and then looked to his ankle. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to help your ankle."
"That's okay."
"So listen, I was thinking. You can sleep here as long as you want. You don't have to sleep in the Everfree anymore if you don't want to."
"Really?"
"Yeah! You just have to leave when schools over, because that's when me and my friends com to the clubhouse. I don't know how they'd react to you."
"I understand. Thanks for letting me sleep here," said Kyle with a warm smile.
"No problem. It's the least I can do for a friend."
"W-we're friends?" asked Kyle.
"Yeah, sure! That's not a problem is it?"
"No, no! It's just that I've never made friends that quickly before."
"Oh." The two just sat there for a few moments before Scootaloo got up and went behind the desk. When she returned, she had a pink paper bag in her teeth. She sat in front of Kyle and dropped the bag. She opened it, revealing a bakers dozen of doughnuts.
"I saved up enough bits to buy these at Sugar Cube Corner. Dig in."
"Thanks!" said Kyle as he picked up a chocolate doughnut. The two continued to eat their fill.
The next morning, the two children awoke at the same time. They finished off the last of their doughnuts, and headed out of the clubhouse.
"Alright, I'm going to head to school," said Scootaloo as she mounted her scooter.
"Alright, I'll make sure your friends don't see me when you get back," said Kyle.
"See ya!" with that, Scootaloo sped off towards the school house.
As Scootaloo sped through town, various ponies waved to her, and she waved back. When she finally arrived at the schoolhouse, she parked her scooter, and mounted her helmet. She walked inside, to see her friends, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.
"Hey girls!" said Scootaloo as she trotted up to her friends.
"Hi Scoots," greeted Applebloom.
"So, are we crusading after school?" asked Scootaloo.
"Sure! What should we try?" asked Sweetie.
"Why don't you try being worthless! That seems to be the only thing you three are good at!" The trio of friends turned to see the banes of their existence. The two fancy looking earth pony foals; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
"What do you want Diamond Tiara?" asked an irritated Scootaloo.
"Hey, I'm here too!" exclaimed Silver Spoon.
"Yeah, but you're just an ancillary character," replied Sweetie Belle.
"Hey!"
"Shut up Silver Spoon, I'm trying to taunt!" said Diamond. When Silver looked down, looking slightly upset, Diamond continued. "You three will never earn your cutie marks, you might as well give up!"
"We'll get em' eventually!" insisted Applebloom.
"Yeah right!" mocked Diamond. "All your group consists of are a weak earth pony, a magic less unicorn, and a flightless chicken!"
"You take that back!" said Scootaloo through grit teeth.
"Why should I?" asked Diamond.
"Because if you don't, I'm going to knock your teeth in!" said Scootaloo.
Just then, Ms. Cheerilee walked in.
"Alright class, take your seats, it's time to begin class!" said the cheery Cheerilee. Scootaloo angrily trudged to her seat. This was going to be a long day.
The bell rang, signaling the end of school. Scootaloos mind had been focused on what Diamond had said the entire time. With it, her anger grew, and her sense of self worth decreased. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt something tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around to see both of her friends.
"Are you alright Scoots? Your seeming kinda' distant," asked Applebloom. Scootaloo put on a false smile and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, why don't you two head to the clubhouse. I'll meet you there," suggested Scootaloo.
"Um, alright. We'll see you there," said a slightly reluctant Sweetie Belle. The two left, leaving Scootaloo alone. Scootaloo trudged along the path heading to Ponyville, drifting back into the thoughts of what Diamond Tiara had said.
"Hey, what's up squirt?" Scootaloo looked up to see her surrogate big sister, Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, hi Rainbow," said a solemn Scootaloo.
"Hey, what's wrong?' asked Rainbow.
"I-it's nothing. Hey Rainbow, can I ask you something?" asked Scootaloo.
"Sure squirt, what is it?"
"Well...um...can you teach me how to fly?"
"Oh, uh, yeah sure, I guess I can. But shouldn't your parents teach you?" asked Rainbow.
"Oh, well, you see, they're pretty busy."
"Oh. Well, yeah sure, I can teach you."
"Really! Thanks Rainbow!"
"No problem Scoots. Meet me here after school tomorrow, and we'll get started," said Rainbow.
"You got it!"
"Alright, well I gotta split. I'll see you later!" said Rainbow as she flew away. Now feeling happy, and no longer upset, Scootaloo ran to her scooter, now excited about the prospect of hanging out with her friends. She sped off towards the clubhouse. When she finally reached the clubhouse, she parked her scooter, placed her helmet on the handlebars, and then went up to the ramp. She opened the door and entered.
"Hey girls! You ready for some crusading!" Applebloom and Sweetie belle turned to face Scootaloo, whose eyes widened when she saw what Applebloom was holding. It was the bloody rag she cleaned Kyles wounds with.
'Oh no,' she thought. How was she going to explain this?
Scootaloo just stared at the bloody rag, her mind racing, in an attempt to think of some sort of explanation. But what could she tell them? Should she tell them about Kyle? Or was there some way around this? Wait; maybe she could pretend that she’d never seen it before.
“Uh, what is that?” asked Scootaloo.
“Uh, it looks like a rag,” replied Applebloom.
“But what’s that red stuff on it?” asked Sweetie Belle. ‘Good, they don’t suspect me,’ thought Scootaloo. Now was the time to play this down.
“Maybe it’s ketchup,” suggested Scootaloo as she walked towards the other two crusaders. Applebloom lifted the rag to her nose and took a sniff.
“It don’t smell like ketchup,” stated Applebloom. She took another sniff. “It smells kinda’ metally.”
“Wait a second…do you think it could be…blood?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“NO!” shouted Scootaloo. Her eyes widened when she saw the other two crusaders staring at her. “Uh, I mean, why would there be a bloody rag in the clubhouse?”
“Maybe somepony got hurt, and came into the clubhouse for shelter,” suggested Applebloom.
“We should go show this to Applejack,” said Sweetie Belle.
“No, we can’t!” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“Why not,” said Applebloom in a suspicious tone, with her eyes narrowed. Scootaloo knew that she couldn’t weasel her way out of this situation. She’d worked her way into a corner, and the only way out was to come clean. Unless….
“Alright, you got me. I didn’t want you guys to worry but, well, the rag is mine.”
“What! Did something happen? Are you alright?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“No, it’s fine. You see, uh, after you guys left last night, I stayed here to practice some tricks on my scooter, when I found an injured squirrel. I uh, brought it into the clubhouse, and used that rag to soak up some of its blood, before I brought it over to Fluttershy’s.”
“Is the squirrel Ok?” asked Sweetie Belle with a worried tone.
“Yeah, she was able help the squirrel, and then she brought it over to the vets office.”
“Oh, well that’s good ta hear,” said Applebloom.
“Yeah, I was worried for a second,” said Sweetie as she sighed in relief while whipping her hoof on her forehead.
“So, what should we do to earn our cutie marks today?” asked Scootaloo in an attempt to turn the conversation away from the rag. The three crusaders sat down in a circle and set to work on thinking of ideas.
Kyle watched from the safe concealment of an apple tree to see Scootaloo’s two friends leave for their respective homes. As soon as they were out of sight, he hopped down from the branch he was resting on, and jogged over to the clubhouse, as fast as he could, given that his back still hurt. When he reached the door and opened it, he saw Scootaloo tidying up.
“Hey Scootaloo. I’m back!” Scootaloo looked up from her task to see her friend.
“Oh, hey Kyle!” Said Scootaloo with enthusiasm.
“You seem to be in a good mood today,” pointed out Kyle, as he came inside and sat down.
“Yeah! Rainbow Dash agreed to help learn how to fly!”
“Whose Rainbow Dash?” questioned the human boy.
“She’s my honorary big sister! Maybe you’ve seen her around, she’s blue with a rainbow mane and tail. She’s the most awesome and fastest Pegasus in Equestria!”
Kyle’s mind knew the mare in question. Only it didn’t bring the fondest of memories.
It was shortly after Kyle had wandered out of the Everfree forest. When he first saw the town of Ponyville, he was surprised to see such a primitive looking location. Straw roofs were not used in quite some time. He also didn’t know of any towns on the other side of the forest. He was going to turn around and head back, when he saw them. Instead of Humans coming out of the houses, he saw small-multicolored horses. What’s more, they appeared to be going about their business like humans. They were even talking!
Kyle didn’t know what was going on. So he did the only thing he could think of; he ran strait back into the forest hoping to appear back where he had come in. He walked for hours, and just saw more forest. Giving up, he turned back. Once he returned, he’d had plenty of time to think about what he saw. He couldn’t explain it, but it appeared as if he was in a new world entirely. That was the only way to explain the talking horses.
Kyle decided his best chance was to approach the horses, and hope they were friendly. He made his way toward the town, nervously looking around, and holding his hands. He made it to the edge of town, and was about to enter the town, when he heard a feminine voice scream; “Ah! Monster!” He spun around.
“Where! Where!” he looked all around for this monster, but couldn’t see anything. Then, he felt something collide with the back of his head. He turned back around, and felt the back of his head. He saw an egg yoke all over his hand. ‘An egg’? Soon, the young boy saw a group of Ponies chucking various items at him. He tried to block them with his hands, but there were too many items, going too fast. Kyle sprinted behind a building for cover, but not before hearing one of the ponies yelling; “Get the elements!”
Kyle sprinted as far away as he could from the town, heading back towards the forest. He got about halfway to his safe haven, when he had to stop for breath. His lungs burned for oxygen, and his sides ached. As he labored for breathe, bent over, and gripping his knees, he heard a voice from behind him; “Stop creature!” He turned around to see six mares, wearing golden necklaces, except the one in the front, who wore a crown.
Kyle attempted to plead them to leave him alone, but he was still gulping in air. “Get ready girls,” was the last thing he heard, before seeing the six ponies rising into the air. Their eyes glowed astral white, and a rainbow connected the gems on their accessories. Then, just as Kyle was gazing at the majesty of the scene, a rainbow shot strait at him. Instantly, his entire body felt as if it was engulfed in flames. He screamed, as loud as he could. The exertion from his lungs nearly caused him to pass out. But after a few seconds, the pain stopped.
Kyle got to his feet, and with new energy, and sprinted for the relative safety of the forest. He heard one of the ponies yell at him to stop, but he didn’t. But just as he reached the forest, he was tackled to the ground. He wrestled with the figure, and got to his back to see a blue Pegasus, with rainbow hair, pinning him down.
“You’re not going anywhere!” she yelled. Doing the only thing he could think of, he punched her right in the face. As she was stunned, he pushed her off his body, got back to his feet, and sprinted strait to the forest.
Kyle hadn’t left the forest for two days. He was two afraid that he would run into those ponies again, and they’d shoot him with rainbows again. Kyle couldn’t really say that he liked any of those ponies, especially the Rainbow one. But it was apparent that this meant a lot to Scootaloo. He couldn’t bring himself to possibly wreck this for her.
“That’s great Scootaloo!” he said with as much enthusiasm as possible. “That’s great.”
The next morning, Kyle awoke. The sun still wasn’t up, and yet, Kyle did not feel the need to sleep anymore. He got up from the floor, as quietly as he could, careful not to wake Scootaloo. After a few moments, he heard his stomach rumble. ‘I should probably get us some breakfast,’ thought the child.
He turned his gaze to see Scootaloo, sound asleep. She probably wouldn’t need to wake up for school, for a few hours, giving Kyle enough time to go find something for them to eat. Quietly, he walked over to the door, opening it slowly, and then slipping outside.
Kyle’s first thought was to gather some apples for breakfast, but in all honesty, apples weren’t all that filling. Perhaps apples were enough for a pony, but Kyle felt himself growing rather weak. He knew why though. His parents had told him when he was younger, that humans needed to eat meat in order to get the protein necessary to function properly. Kyle needed to eat meat.
There was only one place Kyle knew of where he could find meat; The Everfree Forest. Kyle was reluctant to venture into that dangerous forest, but he really didn’t know of any other place in Ponyville that he could get that protein stuff that his parents had told him about. With his mind made, he started running out of the orchard, and towards the town of Ponyville.
As he jogged, he felt his sprained ankle bother him slightly, but he was able to ignore it as best he could, in order to accomplish his goal. Before going to the forest, he decided he needed something to carry the food.
Kyle made his way towards Sugarcube corner, and made his way towards the back. As soon as he made his way towards the back, he went up to the trash can, and removed the lid, proceeding to dig around for food for Scootaloo, as well as a few bags to carry the food in. After a few moments, he found two paper bags, and a decent amount of baked goods. He put the baked goods in one bag, and put the other bag in his pocket.
Kyle then made his way towards the Everfree forest. When he finally reached the edge, he made his way towards a tree on the outer edge of the forest. He climbed up the tree, bag in hand. Once he was at a decent height, he hung the bag containing Scootaloo’s food on one of the branches, and then went back down.
Now on the ground, Kyle made his way into the forest, ready to find what he was looking for.
The sun slowly rose above the horizon, letting in the light of the day into the CMC’s clubhouse. But this was not what woke Scootaloo from her sleep. Instead, she was roused by the gentle nudging of her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, to see her human friend standing above her. Scootaloo lifted herself up, and rubbed her eye with her hoof.
“Hey Kyle, what’s up?” asked Scootaloo.
“Morning, Scootaloo. Sorry to wake you, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t late for school. Also, I got us some breakfast,” said Kyle as he held out a paper bag. Scootaloo took the bag, and peered inside, to see it filled with bagels, bread, and muffins.
“Oh, cool! Thanks Kyle!” Scootaloo set the bag on the floor, and pulled out a blueberry bagel, and began eating. Kyle sat down cross-legged in front of her, and helped himself to some of the bread. The two ate in contentful silence until Scootaloo spoke up. “Hey Kyle?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you go to school back in your world?”
“Yeah, I was in the second grade.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Not really. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who actually LIKES school. Besides, it doesn’t really matter anymore. I’m in a new world now. And with the way that those ponies reacted to me, it doesn’t seem like Im gonna get a job anytime soon.” Kyle looked down, with a sullen expression on his face. Scootaloo wasn’t sure what she could really say at a moment like this. She wasn’t really good in situations like this. So, the silence just lingered on.
“Well…maybe, someday, you’ll be able to go home,” said Scootaloo.
“Yeah…maybe.” Once they finished their breakfast, Scootaloo packed up her saddlebag, and got ready to go to school. But before she left, she turned and looked at her friend.
“You know, you could probably hang out in the west orchard. It’s been abandoned since the fruit bats took over.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the Apple family basically abandoned that area. You could do stuff there, while you wait for me and my friends to be done with our crusading.”
“Hm. Yeah, sure, I’ll do that.”
“Cool. I’ll see you later!” said Scootaloo as she left the clubhouse.
“Bye!” replied Kyle. The young boy watched as Scootaloo zoomed away on her scooter. He kept his gaze on her, until she disappeared over the horizon. And once he was sure she was gone, he stretched his back, and then walked out of the clubhouse. He shut the door behind him, and then walked around to the back of the clubhouse.
Standing on his toes, he reached up into one of the branches, and pulled down a paper bag. Once it was in his grasp, he set it down on the wooden floor, and opened it, pulling out a hunk of animal meat. He set it down on top of the bag, and sat himself down next to it. Leaning over to smell it, he recoiled at the awful smell.
The young boy knew that humans usually cooked their meat, but he assumed that was just to make it taste better. Without any access to fire, or heat, he really had no way to cook his food. So, reluctantly he began to eat it raw.
School went as usual for Scootaloo. She sat in the classroom, doing her best not to look bored. School wasn’t really her thing. She wasn’t an egghead; she was an athlete and daredevil like her hero Rainbow Dash. But she knew that if she didn’t start putting more effort into her schoolwork, Cheerilee would probably try to contact her parents about the issue. So, Scootaloo decided to start putting more effort into her education.
But of course, she wasn’t the perfect student. The longer she stayed in class, listening to the lesson, the more her mind drifted. The main object of her imagination was her excited thoughts about how after school she was getting her first flight lesson from Rainbow Dash. Finally, she was going to learn from the best, fastest flyer in all of Equestria!
Scootaloo was roused out of her thoughts by the sound of the school bell ringing. She looked up from her desk, and saw the rest of the students now getting up out of their seats, grabbing their lunch, and heading out of the room.
“Come on Scoots, it’s time for lunch,” said Sweetie Belle as she and Applebloom walked past her. Scootaloo grabbed her lunch, and followed her friends out the door. The three went outside, and parked themselves at their usual table. They took out their lunches, and started to eat. Scootaloo had brought leftovers of the food that Kyle had given her.
“So, do you guys want to go crusading after school?” asked Applebloom.
“Sounds good to me!” replied Sweetie Belle.
“I actually can’t, I’ve got plans,” said Scootaloo.
“Huh? What are you doing?” asked Applebloom.
“Rainbow Dash is gonna give me my first flight lesson today after school!”
“Oh really? That’s great Scootaloo!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle.
“Sure is! I can’t think of anypony better to teach y’all how to fly than Rainbow Dash!” said Applebloom.
“She’d have to be a miracle worker to get you sorry flank off the ground!” All three crusaders turned to see the cocky smirk of their local bully, laughing at them, once again.
“Diamond Tiara, can’t you let us have one lunch in piece?” questioned Sweetie Belle.
“Hmpf. Of course not! Somepony needs to remind you of your place!” said Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo looked Diamond dead in the eye, having enough of her crap to last a lifetime.
“You know what Diamond Tiara? I think the reason you pick on us, is because you honestly have nothing better to do. You have no friends except for Silver Spoon, and no pony here likes you. You’re so much of a loser that you have nothing better to do than pick on us. So why don’t you just get lost, and leave us alone!” finished Scootaloo with a yell. Diamond reared back in shock, eyes widened. She just stood there, stunned into silence, until her mind started working again. Her face changed into one of anger.
“Why you miserable little blank flank! You’re the loser! All you three do is chase impossible to reach dreams, that someday you’ll get your cutie marks, but let me tell you this; you’ll never find your special talents, because you don’t have any! You three aren’t good at anything, and never will be! And YOU Scootaloo, you could train with Rainbow Dash for centuries, and it still wouldn’t make a difference! You’re going to be a flightless chicken for the rest of your pathetic life!” Finished with her rant, Diamond Tiara turned and left, leaving the three crusaders to fume. As soon as Diamond had left, Applebloom turned to face Scootaloo.
“Are you ok Scootaloo?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah. Yeah, I am, because I know I’m going to prove her wrong. Starting today, I am going to learn to fly. She’ll see.”
“That’s a great attitude to have Scoots!” said Applebloom. Honestly, Scootaloo felt pretty good. She’d told off Diamond Tiara, she had her friends with her, and she was going to learn to fly from her idol. Nothing could go wrong today!
Kyle was walking, or rather stumbling through the orchard, trying to make his way to the west orchard. But his stomach was killing him. He felt absolutely sick to his stomach. He had sweat on his face, and he was coughing pretty heavily having finally made it to the west orchard, he fell to his hands and knees. In a heave, he began throwing up the contents of his stomach.
Tears came from his eyes as he threw up everything he’d eaten. His jaw locked up, causing an intense pain, causing more tears to flow. As the boy neared the end of his ordeal, he used his hand to massage his jaw, trying to get it to relax enough to close. After he finished hurling, he stood up, continuing to rub his jaw. After a few more seconds, he was finally able to shut his mouth. He breathed in and out deeply. He walked over to an apple tree, and sat down against it, with his eyes closed.
‘I wonder what made me so sick…maybe it was the meat?’ thought the young boy. He just sat there, resting. He still felt sick, but not as sick as before he had threw up. After a few minutes, he heard his stomach grumble. He opened his eyes, and looked up to an apple tree next to the one he was lying against. He could see a bright shiny apple hanging from one of the branches. He decided that an apple would do him good. He got up from his sitting position, and walked over to the tree.
When he reached the tree, he grabbed the lowest branch, and hoisted himself up. He climbed his way up the tree, making his way to the apple he had seen. Actually, he couldn’t really see any other good apples. They all looked rotten, all except for the one he was after. When he reached the branch, he reached out, and plucked the apple from the stem.
Kyle examined the apple, before rubbing it on his shirt, and then proceeded to take a bite. The apple was unbelievably juicy, and delicious. He’d had some apples from the orchard before, and just like each time it was delicious. The boy closed his eyes as he savored the taste. As he was chewing, he felt something on his shoulder, which was followed immediately by a sharp pain in that spot.
“OW!” Kyle dropped the apple, and put his hand to his shoulder. He heard the sound of a hissing rodent, along with the flapping of leathery wings. He turned his head and saw a monstrous looking bat flying away from him. Tears came to his eyes, and he felt warm liquid starting to soak into his shirt. He climbed back down the tree as quick as he could, and landed on the ground. He walked he removed his hand from the wound and looked at it. His hand had blood all over it.
‘What am I gonna do?’ he thought. He couldn’t go to the clubhouse yet, school was bound to be over by now, and Scootaloo’s friends were bound to be there now. It appeared as though he was going to have to wait. Besides, he was starting to feel a bit tired. He decided to look for a place to take a nap for a while. There was no harm in that.
Scootaloo sat in her seat, staring at the clock on the wall, waiting for the moment that the school bell would ring. Her impatience was getting the better of her. She could hardly sit still at the prospect of learning how to fly from the one and only Rainbow Dash. Her eyes widened as she saw the clocks minute hand nearing the 60-second mark.
‘Three…two…. one!’ The clock struck 2:30, thus signaling the end of the school day. As soon as the bell rang, Scootaloo had swept up her school supplies into her saddlebag, and rushed out the door, giving a quick goodbye to her two friends. As soon as the young filly made it outside, she bolted to her scooter, and hopped on. Buzzing her wings rapidly, she zoomed off towards her destination.
Scootaloo used her well-developed scooter skills to maneuver through Ponyville, weaving past obstacles without loosing any speed. Seeing a knocked over cart, she adjusted her coarse, and sped over the obstacle, using it as a ramp to gain an impressive amount of air. Scootaloo spun her scooter before landing back on the ground, and proceeding to her destination.
After a few minutes riding, Scootaloo finally made it to the agreed meeting place, the hills on the outskirts of Ponyville. When she reached the hills, she put the brakes on her scooter, skidding to a halt, and digging into the dirt. Scootaloo removed her helmet, and walked her scooter over to a nearby tree, resting her scooter against it. She lifted her saddlebag and set it on top of the scooter. Once she finished putting her stuff away, she turned and looked for her idol.
Scootaloo searched the sky for the prismatic mare but saw no one. She walked over to the tree, and looked to see if Rainbow was napping on one of the branches, but again, no one was there. Scootaloo sat down on the ground next to her scooter, and looked to the ground. ‘Maybe she forgot,’ thought Scootaloo. But, just as she thought that she heard a familiar voice from above.
“Look out below!” Scootaloo looked to the sky to see a familiar prismatic torpedo heading her way. Scootaloo backed up a bit, and watched as the pony projectile touched down on the ground, stirring up dirt. Scootaloo closed her eyes to keep dust from getting in her eyes. After a few moments of waving her hoof to fan away the dirt, she opened her eyes and gazed at her mentor.
“Sup squirt?” said Rainbow.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash! That was awesome!”
“Thanks kid, I try.”
“I’m glad you’re here Rainbow. For a minute there, I was worried you weren’t going to show.”
“Heck No! They don’t call me the Element of Loyalty for nothing!” Scootaloo gave Rainbow a toothy smile. “So, you ready to get started?”
“You betcha!” responded Scootaloo, hopping in the air, and buzzing her wings.
“Alright then, let’s get started! The first thing we’ve got to do is build up some wing strength.”
Kyle tossed his Frisbee, his dog happily chasing the plastic disc. As soon as the dog retrieved the disc, he ran back towards the young boy. When the dog reached the child, he sat down, and dropped the Frisbee, wagging his tail. Kyle picked up the disc and tossed it again, farther this time. His dog once again pursued the toy, with the young human jogging after him.
“Don’t go to far sweetie!” said Kyle’s mom from the picnic blanket.
“Okay mom!’ replied Kyle. He and his dog were now near the forest at the edge of the park. The dog retrieved the disc, and brought it back to his master. The two continued to play for a while longer. The dog once again brought the Frisbee to Kyle, who took it and tossed it again. Only this time, a strong breeze blew through the air, causing the disc to veer left, into the nearby forest. The dog barked, and pursued the Frisbee. He ran into the forest, and kept running. Worried that he would get lost, Kyle gave chase.
“Spud! Come back!” Kyle ran, chasing his dog, deeper into the forest. He ran as fast as he could, but the canine was faster, gaining enough speed, and getting deeper into the forest. Kyle could no longer see his pet, and now found himself lost in the forest.
“Spud! Spud, where are you!” the landscape shifted as the boy turned around, the trees and foliage disappearing, morphing into a clear hilltop. The sky had gone dark, with lightning striking.
“M-mom…. dad? Where are you guys?” called the child. Suddenly, he started to hear loud, echoing whispers, saying; “Monster”, over and over again. Then, he saw a glowing light from behind him. He turned and looked to see six mares rising in the air, wearing five golden pendants, and one tiara. A rainbow beam connected between the jewelry, and then launched into the air, strait at the young human. He closed his eyes, and covered his head with his arms, getting ready for the impact.
Kyle jolted awake, screaming. The moment he did, a wave of nausea overcame him, causing him to vomit to the side. His head was burning, and he had a terrible headache. He wobbled side to side, his vision hazy.
“Kyle!” Kyle turned his head, seeing something that he never thought he’d see again.
“M-mom?”
“Sweetie! Sweetie, follow me, this way!” Kyle stumbled onto his feet, and wobbly followed after his mother. He followed as fast as he could, but she always remained ahead of him, calling him to follow her. She led him on, through the orchard. After a few minutes of walking, Kyle lost sight of his mother.
“Mom? Mom where are you?” He called out, but could not see or hear his mom. His vision became fuzzy, his knees weak, causing him to collapse under his own weight. The young boy was on his hands and knees, when another fit of throwing up occurred. With his head spinning, he felt the need to lie down. He fell to his right side, and rolled onto his back, his arm soaking in his vomit. He could do nothing but sit there and wait for whatever came next.
As Scootaloo rode her Scooter towards the clubhouse, she thought about how good a day today had been. Her training with Rainbow Dash had gone well, at least in her opinion. They hadn’t started any actual flying yet, instead working on some exercised to build strength in her wings. Rainbow Dash had told her to work these exercises everyday, and in about a week, their second lesson would begin.
When Scootaloo finally came to her destination, she parked her scooter against the tree where the clubhouse was located, and set her helmet on the handlebars. She grabbed her saddlebag, and carried it up into the clubhouse.
“Kyle, I’m back,” called Scootaloo as she opened the door to the clubhouse, only to find that there was no one inside. “Kyle? Where’d you go?” Scootaloo’s calls went unheard. She walked into the clubhouse, and set her saddlebag against the wall, and sat down. “Hm…he should be here by now…” Scootaloo decided to wait for him, and pass the time by doing her homework.
Hours passed as Scootaloo worked, until she was finally finished. Satisfied with her work, she put her school supplies back into her saddlebag, and stood up. She looked around, and saw that Kyle had still not returned. She was starting to get worried. He usually was here by now.
“I should go look for him,” said Scootaloo. She opened the door, and walked out to go look for him. She made her way towards the west orchard, searching all around. Around five minutes into her search, she was starting to get worried. That was, until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and saw the human’s familiar form lying in the grass. She turned and sprinted towards the boy, and took in his situation.
He was lying on the grass, his arm lying in vomit, presumably his own His eyes were shut, and had saliva dripping from his mouth. On top of that, every few seconds, his body would twitch.
“Kyle! Kyle, are you Ok?” questioned the filly. She lowered her body to the ground, and pushed her hoof into his body, trying to wake him. Slowly, his eyes opened, his voice groggy.
“M-mo-mom?”
“No, Kyle it’s me, Scootaloo! What happened?”
“It was…was…it, it…b-bat…bat, it…bit me,” muttered the boy.
“Kyle! Kyle!” Scootaloo was frightened; her friend seemed to be in pretty bad shape. “If he got bit by a bat, he might have rabies! But, I don’t know how to help!” Scootaloo started panicking. She sat down, and took a few moments to breath deeply, trying to calm her mind. After doing so, she reexamined the situation. “Alright…alright, first things first, I need to get him back to the clubhouse, then I’ll figure our what to do next.” She grabbed his body, and started dragging him towards the clubhouse, while thinking about how she would help her friend. But first, she needed to get him home.
The sound of a solid object, being dragged up the clubhouse ramp could be heard, as Scootaloo struggled to get Kyle back into the structure they called home. Scootaloo had been dragging him by her teeth, trying to get him back to safety. All the while, the human child convulsed violently every few minutes. He would vomit as well, soaking his clothes.
By the time Scootaloo got Kyle back to the clubhouse, it was evening. She dragged him across the floor, and laid him down as gently as she could. She left his side for a brief moment, before returning with a pillow. She lifted his head, and set the pillow beneath it, letting him rest as comfortably as possible.
After she did this, Scootaloo took a moment to assess his situation. He was sweating, and shaking, but he didn’t seem to be throwing up anymore. Scootaloo had heard him tell her that a bat bit him, and she could tell that his intense sickness was due to being infected by rabies. But how was she supposed to help him? She wasn’t a doctor, and obviously she couldn’t bring him to one, or else he’d be exposed. And Celestia knows what would happen if that happened.
Scootaloo started pacing in a circle, trying to think of a solution to her problem. She knew she had to think of something quickly, or Kyle was only going to get worse. But after a few minutes of trying, with no luck, Scootaloo was starting to get frustrated. Sitting down, she took her front hooves and started banging them on against her head, trying to come up with an idea. But with no luck, she let out an exasperated groan.
“Darn it! What am I supposed to do?” she cried. Shutting her eyes, she started doing deep breathing exercises that Fluttershy had once taught her, trying to calm down.
‘Breath in…breath out…breath in…breath out…be calm, just like Fluttershy…Wait, Fluttershy?’
The thought of the animal loving mare sparked an idea in Scootaloo. Fluttershy knew all about animals, and how to take care of them. If she could ask anypony about how to cure Kyle’s rabies, it would be Fluttershy.
“That’s it!” cried Scootaloo. She quickly made her way to Kyle to check on him once more before she left. Confirming that he was still breathing, she nodded her head in confidence. “Don’t worry Kyle, I know what to do! You just hang in there ok?” She didn’t expect a response, nor did she get one, but satisfied enough, Scootaloo dashed out the door. She ran down to her scooter, and put on her helmet, before setting off at full speed, towards Fluttershy’s cottage.
Fluttershy sat on her comfortable couch in her living room, enjoying the taste of warm tea, and a good book. All her animals had been taken care of, and she had the rest of the day to relax, and take some personal time.
Just finishing the seventh chapter of her book, Fluttershy was about to get up and refill her tea, when she heard a knock at her door.
“Oh, I wonder who that could be?” questioned the butter yellow Pegasus. She marked her place in her book, and set it down on her coffee table. She then got up off of her couch and made her way towards the door.
Fluttershy opened the door, and looked down to see a familiar orange Pegasus standing in front of her.
“Oh, hello Scootaloo!” greeted the mare.
“Oh, hi Fluttershy,” said Scootaloo, though Fluttershy noticed she was slightly out of breath.
“Are you ok Scootaloo? You seem to be breathing a little deeply,” questioned the Pegasus.
“Oh, I’m fine. I was just working on some scooter tricks is all.”
“Oh, alright. So, what brings you by?”
“Well, the girls and I were thinking of new ideas to get our cutie marks, and one of the ideas we had had to do with being veterinarians. I was wondering if it was ok to ask you a few questions about it, since you know so much about animals.”
“I’d be happy to! Um, where are Applebloom and Sweetie Bell?” questioned Fluttershy, looking from side to side.
“Oh, um, we’re each gathering information on separate crusades. My job was to talk to you about information on being a vet.
“Well, alright. Come on in, care for some tea?”
Scootaloo’s plan was going on without a hitch so far. She had decided to ask Fluttershy various questions about animals and how to take care of them when they get injured or sick. Then, after a few minutes, she’d slip in a question about rabies. She needed to find out as soon as possible, but she couldn’t appear to be to impatient, or Fluttershy might become suspicious, though she probably wouldn’t let it on.
And so, Scootaloo spent a few minutes just asking basic and general questions about animal medicine, such as what to give an animal that has a cold, how to treat an injury, and questions of the like. She pretended to write down the answers to the questions on a notepad she had brought with her, but really she only planned on writing down what the treatment for rabies was. When she felt she had gotten enough basic information, she decided to ask about rabies. She set her tea cup down on the coffee table, and cleared her throat.
“So Fluttershy, I did have one more question,” said Scootaloo.
“Oh, what is it?” responded the yellow mare.
“Well, I was wondering, how do you treat an animal that has rabies?”
“Well, actually, for the longest time, we didn’t have a cure for rabies. It could be prevented with a shot, but if it developed fully, it was almost always fatal.” Scootaloo’s iris’s shrunk, as she heard what Fluttershy had said.
‘F-fatal?’
“But, recently, an amazing new breakthrough has been made. About a year ago, doctors came up with an actual cure for the disease. It’s a simple magically enhanced shot. If it’s injected strait into the bloodstream, it can usually cure any case of rabies.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, Scootaloo felt herself calm significantly.
“So uh, what’s this cure called?”
“Oh, I believe it’s called Rabexanol.” Scootaloo jotted down the name of the medicine on her notepad. As she finished, she closed the pad, and put it in her bag.
“Well, I think that’s everything I needed. Thanks Fluttershy!” said Scootaloo, as she hopped off of her seat.
“Oh, it was my pleasure Scootaloo! Just make sure not to try to practice on any real animals, alright?” said Fluttershy, with a hint of worry, knowing that the CMC usually took some of there crusades too far.
“Don’t worry Fluttershy, we won’t!” assured Scootaloo, as she made her way towards the door. Fluttershy opened it, and let Scootaloo out. Fluttershy waved goodbye as Scootaloo put her helmet on, and mounted her scooter. She returned the wave, before buzzing her wheels, propelling her vehicle. Her destination: Ponyville Veterinarian Center.
Kyle lay on the floor of the CMC clubhouse alone, shivering, and shaking. Sweat dripped down his face as he did. Luckily for him, he wasn’t awake to experience the trauma he was going through. Instead, he was experiencing things inside his own mind, through a fever dream.
Inside his dream, the boy stood alone, in the center of a town. Unlike the buildings he had come to know from his world, these ones were styled with a more old fashion design, featuring straw thatched roofs, and standard wooden walls, like something out of a storybook.
Kyle looked around, taking in the sights. This town was so beautiful, so peaceful. It was truly a sight to behold. The human took a moment to breath in the fresh air. He could smell delightful scents. Flowers and baked goods drifted into his senses. He shut his eyes, and enjoyed moment.
Suddenly, he felt something collide with the back of his head. He fell forward onto his knees, and put his hand to his head, feeling a wet, drippy substance. His hand felt a piece of the object that had hit his head, and he pulled it out of his hair, revealing it to be a rubbery red piece, of what appeared to be a tomato. Kyle turned his head to see who had thrown it at him.
What he saw was a group of ponies, aggressively shouting at him. Only, these ponies were different than those he’d experienced in real life. They all had extremely long legs, at least 3 times as tall as their bodies. They had elongated necks as well, and their faces were snarled, almost feral looking. Kyle could pick out words coming from the group, shouting things like; “freak”, “monster” and “abomination.”
They then started throwing things at the human child, including fruit, vegetables, and other food items. Kyle quickly got to his feet, and started running away from the group, but unfortunately for him, they gave chase, continuously throwing things at him. He’d run as fast as he could, but ever time he found a corner to turn to, there were more ponies blocking his path.
They chased him for minutes, until he eventually came to a corner, leading to an alleyway. He sprinted in, hoping for a way out, but unfortunately for him, it was a dead end. The young boy turned, hoping to get out, before he was cornered, but it turned out to be too late. The ponies chasing him were gathered in front of him, looking even more menacing than before.
The ponies, snarling and angry began advancing on him, taking slow steps towards him. He backed himself against the wall as far as he could, but sadly, he couldn’t go any further. The ponies, still advancing, continued shouting hateful words towards the child. Tears coming to his eyes, Kyle dropped down, and put his arms in front of him in an attempt to protect himself.
The ponies continued to advance, and Kyle knew he was doomed. He shut his eyes in an attempt to hide himself from their nasty glares, but he knew they would be on him any moment. Just then, Kyle heard a voice, louder than the crowd.
“Leave him alone!” shouted the voice. Kyle opened his eyes, and looked in front of him. Something had changed. Out of nowhere, a pony was now standing in front of him, coming to his aid. This pony wasn’t oddly proportioned like the others. This pony was a small, orange Pegasus, with a purple mane. She stood in front of Kyle like a mother lion protecting her cub.
“S-scootaloo?” questioned the boy.
“Get out of the way!” screamed one of the ponies in the mob.
“No! I won’t let you hurt my brother!” replied the Pegasus.
“B-brother?” questioned Kyle.
“Get away from that freak!” shouted another pony in the group.
“NO! I won’t let you hurt him! He’s been there for me, when nopony else was! I won’t abandon him!”
‘She really cares,' thought Kyle, as he stood up from the ground. A newfound sense of confidence filling him, Kyle walked forward, standing beside Scootaloo.
“That’s right! We stand together!” Suddenly, the monstrous ponies began to retreat, recoiling from the sight, like vampires from the sun. The scene started to melt away, and soon, the dark alleyway had turned into a familiar field. Kyle and Scootaloo now stood alone in front of the tree house they both called home.
“Are you okay?”
Kyle turned to face the orange filly, with a smile on his face.
“I am, thanks to you,” replied the boy.
“Hey, that’s what friends are for,” said Scootaloo with a smile.
“Did you really mean what you said. About me being your brother?” asked Kyle.
“Of course I did. After all, at the end of the day, we’re always there for each other.”
“T-thanks Scootaloo.” With smiles on their faces, the two orphans both hugged each other.
“I shouldn’t be doing this. This is crazy, this is crazy,” muttered Scootaloo quietly to herself as she trekked behind the Ponyville Veterinary clinic. It was the dead of night. Scootaloo had to wait until nightfall before sneaking in, so she wouldn’t run into the ponies who ran the place. She hated leaving Kyle alone with his illness for long. She had returned to check on him after seeing Fluttershy. He was still asleep from the fever. She didn’t like leaving him alone, but this was the only way she was going to get the medicine that would make him better.
She had considered asking the vet for the medicine, but there was no way she would give a medicine that had to be injected to a young filly. She didn’t want to steal, but what other choice did she have? According to Kyle, ponies didn’t exactly treat him with warmth and kindness. Plus, even if she did find an adult who wouldn’t react negatively to Kyle, what would happen afterwords? They’d find out the two of them were homeless, and probably wouldn’t keep their secret. Scootaloo would be put into an orphanage, and Kyle…she honestly had no idea what would happen to him, but she feared to speculate. Why, they could put him in a zoo! He could be locked in a cage with ponies coming from all over Equestria just to stare at him every moment of the day! Or they could decide to perform experiments on him, try to find out how what made him tick. She didn’t want these things for herself or for her friend. So she bit the bullet and did what she had to do.
After checking to make sure nopony was around, Scootaloo made her way to the back entrance of the vet clinic. There was a closed window sitting there, twice as high up as she was tall. The young filly hopped up, trying to grab the ledge. She didn’t jump high enough to grasp it, and fell back to the ground. Scootaloo prepared herself better this time, and jumped again.
‘Almost!’ thought Scootaloo as she came back down, having missed her target.
The filly backed up a few feet away from the window. She then ran forward, and jumped strait up, buzzing her wings to gain a little extra air. It did the trick, and she grasped on to the ledge with the window. She pulled herself up, and pushed on the window. Scootaloo prayed it was unlocked.
It was, and Scootaloo thanked Celestia for that. She crawled up the through the opening and entered the clinic. She hoped down from where she was, and landed on the floor with a clack from her hooves.
It was dark, but the filly could make out the details of the room. She was in the main treatment room, where the doctor did most of her work. There were a few animals, such as rabbits and birds that were sleeping in their cages. A few were roused from their sleep, and started making noise when they saw the intruder.
“Hey guys, no need to wake up. I’m just passing through!” whispered Scootaloo to the animals. This did not pacify them, as more started to wake up.
“No, no please, please be quiet!” begged Scootaloo, as the noise level started to increase.
“Please, I’m just here to get medicine for my friend! I promise I won’t touch anything else!” The chirps and skitters that the animals were making decreased, as it seemed they understood Scootaloo in some way. The Pegasus let out a sigh of relief, and as quietly as she could, left the room.
“Thanks guys!” Scootaloo entered a hallway, which was darker than the room she was just in, due to the lack of windows.
“I wish I brought something to light the way with,” said Scootaloo to herself. But it was too late, she was already inside. The only way to go was forward.
Scootaloo walked through the hallway, examining the various rooms. She would open the doors and look inside, but always made sure to close it when she was done searching.
She had thoroughly searched three rooms, but had found nothing. She came to the fourth and final room, which she hoped had the medicine she needed. She opened the door, and entered. Inside the room was what looked like chemistry equipment, containing beakers and test tubes, and the like. Scootaloo looked around, before her gaze settled on a refrigerator positioned next to a counter top with a sink. Her interest peaked; the pegasus made her way towards the fridge, and opened the door.
The little light turned on, revealing rows of tubes, each one containing liquid, which Scootaloo presumed to be medicine.
“Jackpot!” cheered Scootaloo quietly. She began examining the various labels. Many were labeled with words she couldn’t even begin to attempt to pronounce.
After searching the first row, and finding nothing, Scootaloo propped herself on her hind legs to get a better view of the next level. She began searching intently. She hoped she would find what she needed soon, because the longer she spent here, the longer Kyle would be in pain.
Scootaloo was about to let out a moan of frustration, when she caught something in her eye. The tube was turned, so she couldn’t see the whole label. She reached in and turned it, which revealed what she had been searching for.
“Rabexanol,” said Scootaloo to herself as she took the vial from the fridge. She put the medicine in her mouth, and shut the door.
‘I sure hope they have more of this…and I hope no animals end up needing it.’
Scootaloo then began searching for a needle to inject the medicine with. She eventually found one in one of the cabinets. She grabbed it, and put it in her mouth along with the medicine. Thankfully, it had a cap on it, preventing accidental puncturing. Having what she came for, Scootaloo left the room, and shut the door behind her. She then swiftly made her way to the room she had entered in. The animals all watched her as she climbed back up to the window. She took the vial and the needle out of her mouth and gripped them in her hoof.
“Thanks guys! See ya later!” Scootaloo put the medicine and needle back in her mouth and jumped down from the window, landing on the ground outside. She looked both ways to make sure nopony saw her. She then dashed from the building to the opposite end of the street, where she hid her scooter and saddlebag. She opened the bad and deposited the items. She then strapped on the bag, and got on her scooter. With a buzzing of her wings, she shot off, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres.
‘Don’t worry Kyle! I’ll make you better, just you wait!’
The wheels of Scootaloo’s scooter tore through the dirt of Sweet Apple Acres as she sped towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse. The young filly could feel faint wet drops falling from the sky, hitting her fur. She looked up to see rain clouds filling the sky. She had to get home soon, or else the rain would wet the ground, making it soft and harder for her to gain traction. She took on a determined look, and increased her speed.
The Pegasus made it to the clubhouse just as the rain started to pour. She parked her scooter, and hung her helmet, and then she scurried up the walkway, throwing the door open. She entered the clubhouse, and shut the door behind her. She looked to see Kyle resting in the same spot she had left him. He was still asleep, though he was shaking slightly. Scootaloo made her way over to him, and sat down.
“Alright…let’s do this.”
The filly reached into her saddlebag, and pulled out the vial of medicine and the syringe. She popped the top off of the vial, and set it down in front of her. She then took the syringe, and removed the protective cap. She put the needle into the vial, and plunged out the liquid medicine. Scootaloo held up the needle, a shiver running down her spine.
“I hate shots,” she said. She was just glad that Kyle wasn’t conscious for this, as she assumed he probably wasn’t a fan of needles either. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t be poking a hole into her friend. But she didn’t have a choice. So, she grit her teeth, and did what she had to do. Scootaloo pulled Kyle’s sleeve back, revealing his bare arm.
The filly took a deep breath to steady herself. She then took the needle, and stuck it into the humans arm. It wasn’t as easy as she thought, and she had to put a little bit of effort to get the needle in. But, she was careful not to stick it too deep, that it might damage the muscle. She then pressed on the plunger, injecting the medicine. She then removed the syringe, packed up the supplies, and put them back in her saddlebag.
“There…that should do it. Celestia, I hope I did this right.” Scootaloo stood up, and carried her saddlebag to set it off to the side. She then made her way back to Kyle. She then reached down, and gave the young boy a hug.
“You’ll be better soon…I know you will.”
It had been hours, but Scootaloo could not sleep. She had tried, but her mind was too restless. So she just sat there by the window, watching the rain hit the glass, and the lighting striking in the sky.
She had been thinking about her situation. In such a short time, the human and her had grown very close. She had been willing to break into a veterinarian’s, and steal medicine for him. She wondered if her friends would be willing to go to such lengths for her.
‘Of course they would…they’re my best friends.’ She thought. She then looked back at the sleeping human. ‘But he’s also my best friend.’ It was true; she cared a great deal for the human. And unlike Applebloom and Scootaloo, she was able to confide with him her deepest secret, the fact that she was an orphan, and homeless. It was something the two of them shared.
‘Maybe I should introduce him to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Maybe we could make him a Cutie Mark Crusader! But that would mean revealing our secret…maybe there’s a way around telling them the truth.’
‘But first things first, he needs to get better.’ Scootaloo looked back at her friend. She just hoped that he got better soon.
Suddenly, she could hear a light moaning coming from the boy. She saw Kyle’s eyes slowly blink open. She then quickly scampered to his side.
“Hey…hey Kyle,” she said softly. The boy’s eyes drifted to look at her.
“S-scoota…loo?”
“Yeah…it’s me. How are you feeling?”
“Not super great,” he replied.
“Yeah, you were pretty sick. But I think you’re going to get better now.”
“What happened?”
“You got bit by an animal. You had rabies…but don’t worry, I got you medicine! It should help you get better!”
“How’d you get that?” he questioned.
“…Don’t worry about it…the important thing is that you’re doing better now. Do you need anything?”
“My mouth is kinda dry,” said the human, smacking his lips.
“Oh, ok! I’ll go get some water!” Scootaloo quickly scampered off and grabbed her canteen. She then made her way to the door, opened it, and went outside. There, she unscrewed the cap of the canteen, and held it out to capture the rain falling form the sky. It took a few moments, but she was able to fill it a decent amount. She then made her way back inside, now wet from the rain. She went back to Kyle’s side, and put the canteen to his lips.
“Here,” she said. The human started drinking big thirsty gulps, taking in all the water he could. When it was just about empty, Scootaloo retracted the canteen.
“Better?” she asked. Kyle nodded his head.
“Yeah.” Scootaloo screwed the cap back on the canteen, and set it aside.
“I wish my mom was here,” said Scootaloo. “She always knew how to make me feel better when I was sick.”
“Yeah…mine too,” replied the human. “The best part about being sick was that I got to stay home from school. My mom would make me chicken soup, and I’d sit in bed watching cartoons.”
“…Chicken soup?” questioned Scootaloo, with an uneasy look on her face.
“Oh…yeah,” said Kyle, realizing he’s slipped up and told Scootaloo something he had preferred to keep a secret.
“Is that like…soup made from chickens?” Kyle nodded; now fearing that he’d just lost his only friend in this world. He knew ponies didn’t eat meat, and was now worried that she would think him some kind of beast for eating it.
“So, humans eat meat then?” the Pegasus questioned.
“Yeah…” replied the human. The two waited in silence for a few moments, waiting for the other to say something. Finally, Kyle broke the tension.
“Well, ponies don’t eat meat. But, I mean, my friend Fluttershy has a lot of animals, some of which eat meat. She actually taught me and my friends about carnivores and omnivores, and how they needed to eat meat to stay healthy. So…if you have to eat meat…well, it doesn’t matter to me.”
There was silence for a few moments, before Kyle spoke up again.
“Thanks Scootaloo.”
After a while of neither one speaking, Scootaloo decided to ask a question.
“So…what was your mom like?”
“She was great. She always knew how to make me feel better when I was sad or sick. She was really nice, and funny too…what about yours?”
“Honestly, not that different. I loved her, my father too. I just wish they were still around.”
Kyle thought for a moment, before deciding to tell Scootaloo stories about his parents, and his life on earth. The two would spend the rest of the night, simply talking about their lives, before they lost their families. It brought joy to them to be able to relive the good times, and share their stories with each other.
It helped them grow closer. By the time the sun rose, they had learned so much about each other.
It was almost like they had known each other for years.
