Scootaloo is ill. Seriously ill. Afflicted by some disease with no cure, she has only 3 hours left. Although she has been through some real challenges this year, it will take a miracle to pull through this one...
To all who lived in Canterlot, it seemed as if this day would simply be another day. It was a cold Saturday in February, the sort of day when most people would simply bundle up warm and stay indoors to avoid the cold.
Not Scootaloo though.
Up at 7 every morning, irrespective of whether it was a school day or not, the young girl would often try to be outdoors or doing things with her friends, although at the moment they were down one member as Apple Bloom was yet to return from visiting her cousin in New York.
So today, Scootaloo was going to meet up with Sweetie Belle and Cozy Glow at the mall, then this evening she was going to...erm, ‘go out’ with Rumble. There was no denying that she liked him, and he liked her back, but she wasn’t willing to go all the way just yet. To a certain degree, they were testing the water with relationships, which was entirely understandable given they were only 12 years old.
So, that morning, like any other, just as her alarm ceased sounding, Scootaloo hopped out of bed and took a look out of the window. The snow was still pooled on the ground, and the sun was still below the crest of the world, yet to rise and bless the world with its glorious rays. Furthermore, there was no rain forecast, which was a good thing. Scootaloo hated rain, as it made the ground wet and soggy, which was the worst possible condition in which to play soccer or other sports. The city had not entirely woken up yet, as the early morning streetcar was yet to roll past.
Scootaloo checked her watch. “Well, your late,” she said. She knew the streetcar schedule from heart, and knew the streetcar was meant to pass her house at exactly 7:03. It actually rumbled through at 7:05, making an absolute racket as it crunched over ice, sparks showering from the overhead power lines.
Scootaloo smiled, and thought back over her numerous adventures that had happened that year. Just a few weeks ago, they had got an old railroad running again, running up into the Everfree hills. Getting that running once again had been an absolute blast, as had being able to run trains.
Of course, some of it hadn’t been so fun. Being accused of cyberbullying was not one of them. Scootaloo groaned as she ran her hand over her stomach. She still had a partial bruise from where Misty Fly had punched her. But at least Rainbow Dash had saved her, and they-together-had taken Anon-a-Miss down. If the Dazzlings had intended to drive them apart, they had failed miserably. If anything, the Rainbooms and Crusaders were stronger than ever.
Even if she still had nightmares about Anon-a-Miss.
Scootaloo forced those thoughts down in her mind and went on to something else. Oh yes!
They had got to meet Apple Bloom’s cousin from the East Coast, Babs Seed, and she had been a great friend. They had even helped her overcome her fears regarding bullying, and according to Apple Bloom was now doing a lot better in New York. Scootaloo was looking forward to hearing from Apple Bloom of what she had got up to in New York.
There were also some more embarrassing memories, such as accidently blocking up the yard at Canterlot depot, or triumphant ones, such as successfully getting a stricken APT back to Canterlot. Although the competing airlines were not flying into Canterlot, as the airport had been cancelled, the plan was to bring the trains back into service when the technical issues were resolved.
So, Scootaloo went off to the shower, walking past her parents’ room as she did so. After a rather uneventful shower (apart from briefly going deaf due to water in her ear), she headed back, and got changed into her usual outfit, adding a grey hoodie to the ensemble. She then removed it, and decided to change out her usual grey shirt for a turquoise one. She wanted to surprise Rumble, and thought a slight change of outfit would do the trick.
She walked out into the kitchen, and popped some bread into the toaster. She smiled as she pushed it down, remembering how Sweetie Belle had nearly blown it up that time. Boy had they been in hot water that time!
She looked over as she heard the door open, and in stepped Cheerilee with a smile. “Good morning Scootaloo,” she said, her voice full of maternal warmth.
“Hi mom,” Scootaloo replied. “You’re up early.”
“No point just lying about in bed,” Cheerilee answered in turn. “Besides, you get waking up early from me. Your dad can be a bit of a problem, though.”
“No I am not,” Will groaned, as he walked in. “How’d ya sleep, champ?”
“Good, thanks,” Scootaloo replied.
“No nightmares?”
Scootaloo shook her head.
“That’s a relief.”
Momentarily, the family sat down to breakfast.
“So, what’s anyone doing today?” Cheerilee asked.
“I’m seeing some of my mates from the base,” Will answered. Will had only recently transferred to Canterlot Airbase, or PCSed, as it is termed, as he wanted to spend more time with his family. Although he’d been there when Scootaloo was born, he felt he didn’t know her very well, and wanted to be there for what remained of her childhood.
“I’m popping over to the mall to see my friends,” Scootaloo replied, “and hopefully seeing Rumble this evening.”
Cheerilee laughed. “Seeing your crush, are we?”
“MOM!” Scootaloo exclaimed, going bright red as she did so.
“I’m just teasing you, I know you’re just friends.”
“Yeah,” Will said quietly. “They’re just friends.”
Both mother and daughter shot him a glare, before resuming the conversation. “Will you be seeing Apple Bloom back in?”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo nodded. “We’ll be there at the station to pick her up.”
After breakfast, Scootaloo headed out into the world toward the mall, hopping aboard a streetcar in order to get there faster. It was a good way to travel, seeing the world race by you from the seat of a streetcar, not to mention it conserved the environment.
Scootaloo had been looking forward to this for several days now. Sadly, the day would be remembered for the wrong reasons.
Hopping off at McCraken Drive, Scootaloo went inside the mall to meet her friends, who waved to her.
“Hi Scootaloo!” called Sweetie Belle, who got up and crashed into her, giving her a tackle hug.
“Hey!” Scootaloo replied. “I’m happy to see you two, but I kinda need to breathe!”
Cozy Glow walked over as well. “Would you like a drink Scootaloo?” she asked.
“Sure!” the orange-skinned girl replied, as they walked over to the nearby coffee shop. They each got hot chocolates, as they needed it in these temperatures, and sat down once again, idly chatting about the day.
“So, what’s Rarity up to?”
“Still seeing that Blueblood guy, I’m afraid,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “I keep trying to tell her that he’s a bad guy, but she won’t listen. She claims to have ‘found her prince’.”
Scootaloo snorted. “Cause Button Mash so isn’t yours. Doesn’t he have a fixation with ‘saving princesses’?”
Sweetie Belle blushed. “Well, he is kinda handsome,” she admitted. “But that fixation is from when he was younger and played Mario games!”
“Well, I did take him on in World of Tanks that one time,” Scootaloo noted.
“How about you and Rumble?” Cozy Glow asked.
“Nothing to report since last time,” Scootaloo admitted. “I wonder if the cat got his tongue, because I’ve noticed he’s really quiet around me at the moment.”
“That sounds odd,” Sweetie Belle commented. “Some days Button won’t stop talking!”
“Maybe it’s a sign of how he feels about you,” Cozy observed. “There was one boy in Wales I liked who, for some reason, struggled to speak to me, or even maintain eye contact.”
Scootaloo nodded. “Well, shall we take a look around?” she asked. She got up to go, and turned to walk deeper into the mall.
Before she knew what was happening, she found herself pitching forward, and all went black.
Random words and sentences ran through Scootaloo’s mind as she slowly slipped in and out of various states of consciousness, the faint noise of rattling wheels and beeping assailing her eardrums as she tried to figure out where she was.
At long last, the noise stopped, and more talking started up.
“Prepare to initiate Intravenous Therapy.”
“Copy, IV going in. 3, 2, 1...attached!”
Scootaloo winced as she felt a needle pierce her skin. She’d never been good with needles, but at least she couldn’t see it going in. She’d really have lost it if that had happened.
“Good, subject has stabilised. Continue to monitor status.”
The girl groaned as her brain finally rebooted and her vision cleared...somewhat. It was strangely murky, as if someone had pulled clingfilm over her eyes. Glancing over, she saw someone try to get her attention.
“Scootaloo Collins, can you hear me?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m Doctor Stable, and I’ll be looking after you and monitoring your condition.”
Scootaloo thought for a moment, trying to come up with something to say. Then she got her answer as she moved on of her arms over her. She was wearing not her clothes from earlier, but a medical gown. “I assume you intend to keep me here a while?”
“Only as long as we have to,” Dr Stable replied. “Can you tell us what happened? Your friends gave us some details, but they seemed to be somewhat distressed.”
Scootaloo sighed as her memory activated, and she tried to think back through what had happened. “I recall being with my friends, we were talking about something or other. Then I got up so we could go further into the mall. Then I fell, and next I know, I’m here.”
Dr Stable looked concerned. “Have you been having any medical issues lately? If there have been any issues, it would help for us to know.”
Scootaloo thought for a moment. “I’ve been eating and sleeping OK. I’ve had the odd bit of dizziness every now and then, but-”
“When did this last happen?”
“A few weeks back, when me and my friends went on a trip to Crystal City. Wait, where are they?”
Dr Stable sighed. “Scootaloo, it’s not OK for them to be here right now. We need to do some tests first, and then they can come over.” He paused. “Any other problems you can think of?”
“Well, there was that time when I slipped and knocked a regulator on an engine I was driving.”
If that was meant to reassure Dr. Stable, it was the exact opposite. “I need to go and do some tests,” he said. “In the meantime, I will let the nurses now your family can now see you.” He headed off toward the medical lab, with a syringe in hand.
Scootaloo realised he must have taken a sample of her blood whilst she was out, which suggested something serious. In addition to this, the heart monitor continued the percussive beeping sound in the background, monitoring her heart rate and checking she was stable.
Just then, two shapes appeared and moved closer, as quickly as they could. “Oh my God, Scootaloo!” one of them said, which Scootaloo recognised immediately.
“Mom,” she wheezed, being shorter on strength and enthusiasm than usual.
Cheerilee took a seat on her right, followed by her father. “How are ya?” Will asked.
“Permission to speak freely?” Scootaloo asked.
Will chuckled. “Granted.”
“To be honest, at the moment, I feel like hammered shit, and you two look like trees from where I am.”
“There’s something wrong with your vision?” Cheerilee asked.
“Yeah, it’s a little fuzzy. The doctor’s working on it, said something about needing to do tests.”
“I’m certain it’s nothing to worry about,” Will reassured his wife. “They’ll just need to do some checks, and you’ll be back on your feet in no time, right?”
Scootaloo laughed quietly. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
They were suddenly interrupted by a loud bang, and the doctor reappeared from the right-hand side of Scootaloo’s vision. “I take it you are Scootaloo’s parents?” he asked.
“Yes sir,” Will replied. “William and Cheerilee Collins.”
The doctor seemed like he was troubled. “I should never have to say this, but...” He seemed to be struggling to get the words out.
He turned to Scootaloo. “Scootaloo Collins, I am so sorry to tell you this, but...you are going to die.”
“WHAT?!” everyone chorused.
“Keep it down!” shouted one of the nurses.
Doctor Stable sat down and moved himself closer to Scootaloo, being on her right-hand side. “The medical checks I ran confirmed the cause of your dizziness and balance issues lately. There is a large tumour that is about the size of a tennis ball in the place where her spine and skull join. CT scans confirm this, and it seems it has sat there undetected for months.”
“Can’t you just remove it?” Scootaloo asked, who was now beginning to tear up.
“No,” the doctor answered. “If we were to attempt to remove it, the strain it would put your body through would kill you. Either way, you will die.”
The girl sighed. “How long have I got? A few days, a week, a month?”
The response shocked her to her core. “Three hours, we estimate.”
Cheerilee burst into tears at this news, and Will desperately tried to comfort his wife. “Hey, take it easy,” he said.
“How can I take it easy?” Cheerilee answered, still sobbing. “I don’t want to lose her! It’s simply not fair for her to have her life taken when she’s so young!”
“Hey,” Scootaloo said, quietly. “I’ve done a lot in my life. That railroad, I’ve driven steam engines, made friends along the way, and even helped reform two girls. Well, at least I have some time to make more memories with my friends, and I’ll have one last train ride before I reach the pearly gates. On the topic of that, where are my friends?”
Apple Bloom sat on the flight back to Los Angeles with a feeling of dread in her stomach.
What was going on? Scootaloo had been taken ill? And how? She had been perfectly fine when she had last seen her, but now was in hospital? She frantically brought up MyStable and began messaging her friends.
Apple Bloom: What happened? How is Scootaloo?
Sweetie Belle: She just keeled over out of nowhere!
Cozy Glow: She was fine just moments earlier! What could possibly be wrong?
Sweetie Belle: We’ve been in the waiting room for the last few hours, but they won’t let us see her for some reason.
Apple Bloom felt physically sick at what she was reading. What in the world was wrong with Scootaloo?
She then received messages from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
Diamond Tiara: Scootaloo’s ill? Why did nobody tell me?
Silver Spoon: You have my condolences.
Apple Bloom typed back.
Apple Bloom: Thanks for the information guys. I just feel absolutely awful, that’s all.
Then another message came in, from Rumble.
Rumble: How’s Scootaloo? I’d heard she’d been taken ill for some reason!
There then came a flurry of correspondence back and forth.
Sweetie Belle: They won’t let us in to see her, or tell us what is going on.
Cozy Glow: Wait a second, Cheerilee has just appeared. She looks very upset.
Apple Bloom: My flight will be on the ground shortly. I’ll get to Canterlot General as soon as I can.
Apple Bloom raced as fast as she could through baggage reclaim and onto a waiting train. She had caught the high-speed service, which would get her there in 2 hours. She sat there, twiddling her thumbs and looking more and more upset as time went on, due to the complete lack of information from the others.
Arriving at the station, her mother was there to greet her. “How was yer trip, Apple Bloom?” she asked.
“Ma, ya need ta get me ta the hospital!” Apple Bloom replied.
“Why?”
“Scoots’ been taken ill!” the girl replied, out of breath. “Ah need ta know if she’s OK!”
“But what about unpackin’ yer stuff?” Pear asked in response.
“That can wait! Ah don’t know how long Scoots has left!”
Apple Bloom arrived in the hospital to see her friends, and Rumble, frantically pacing around and tears streaming down their faces.
“You got here at last!” Sweetie Belle said.
“What’s wron’?” Apple Bloom asked.
Cozy shook her head sadly. “Scootaloo...is...is...” she broke into a fresh round of sobs rather than finish the sentence.
“Gonna die,” Rumble finished. He had a better composure than most of the others, but only just.
“WHAT?” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Why?”
“Tumour on the back of her spine, where her skull and spine join,” Rumble explained. “It’s been there for months, it seems, and is too big to operate on.”
Apple Bloom then thought back through time, to all the times when Scootaloo had acted oddly, or had odd issues.
“APPLE BLOOM! SCOOTALOO!” boomed a voice. They looked over...to see Mr David approaching. They tried to move their engines out of the way, only to bash into waiting trucks.
“What is going on here?” asked Mr David. “How did Canterlot yard end up in such a mess?”
“It’s Sweetie Belle!” called Scootaloo. “We asked her to come back, and she wouldn’t!”
“But it was you two who suggested sending her to Cloudsdale!” Mr David observed, confused. “You told me she was no help at all!”
“Yeah, yer right,” Apple Bloom replied. “It’s Scootaloo’s fault!”
“WHAT?” Scootaloo replied. “No, it was not! You’re just trying to reapportion the blame off yourself!”
“Says the girl who just blamed Sweetie Belle, ya big hypocrite!” the farm girl shot back.
“Loud mouth!”
“Idiot!”
“Jerk!”
“Chicken wings!”
ENOUGH!” boomed Mr David. “You two need to get this mess cleaned up, NOW.”
“Y-yes sir!” Scootaloo stammered. “We’ll get onto it right away.” Just then, she fell back and knocked the regulator, causing her engine to shoot forward and smack into some trucks. Apple Bloom reset the reverser on hers, and crashed into some more trucks behind her.
“Rumble?” Scootaloo suddenly perked up, her cheeks going red as she did so.
“Yes Scoots, your crush,” Dash joked.
“HEY!” Scootaloo replied. “I don’t like him that way-!”
“Sure, you do,” Cozy laughed. “I recall finding the two of them kis-”
“SHUT UP!”
Suddenly, the station clock bonged 11:30.
“We’d better be getting back onboard,” Will said, by now having joined the conversation.
Scootaloo nodded, and got up-only to stop and put her hand to her forehead.
Dash shot up. “Squirt, what’s wrong?” she asked.
Scootaloo groaned. “Sorry, momentary dizziness.”
After letting Scootaloo recover for a moment, they went to re-board the train, and sat down at the Canterlot end of the service, when suddenly a message came in over the intercom.
“So that was why she slipped, or got dizzy sometimes,” Apple Bloom said. “Oh, if only Ah’d said somethin’!” And she joined the others in their tears.
The doctor then appeared. “Scootaloo has requested your presence in the last moments of her life.”
Apple Bloom nodded. “OK then, y’all. Time fer one last meetin’ of the Crusaders.”
They got up, and walked through the corridor of the hospital to find Scootaloo lying there, the very image of death. Gone was the proud, energetic, chirpy Crusader they had once known. Before them lay a corpse, effectively kept going by the machines she was wired into.
“Hey guys,” she said. “Nice of you...to join me.” She coughed, with considerable effort, and was clearly in great pain.
“Are ya alright?” Apple Bloom asked, only to recall from the elbow that Sweetie Belle gave her.
“Considering that I’ve got little time left on the clock, I’d say yes,” the girl answered. “These drugs they have me on are numbing the pain, but this isn’t how I wanted it to end. Lying here in a bed, totally helpless.”
The three girls took seats on the left, while Scootaloo’s parents went on the right. Rumble sat closest to Scootaloo, his eyes full of tears. To say that nobody was crying would be a lie.
“Please don’t leave us!” Sweetie Belle begged. “You’re our best friend!”
Scootaloo smiled weakly. “Same here,” she replied. “Besides, the Crusade won’t end just because I’m gone. I’ll always be there, by your side.”
She swallowed, and then uneasily started to sing. It sounded rough, out of tune, but it was a song they knew well.
“We're the toughest... (cough) little... ponies in town; Got the moves, got the mojo, no harder working ponies (cough) around; We are a trio, work as a team We'll be the first ponies out on the flag-waving scene.”
By this point the others joined in, and they came together for what would be the last time.
“We get going when the going gets tough, We know our very best is just never enough; We're kinda short, but so what? We don't get defeated We could take a little break, but we don't need it;
“We've got hearts as strong as horses! We've got hearts as strong as horses! We've got hearts as strong as horses! We've got hea-a-a-arts as strong as horses!
“When we put our minds together, we can achieve; We're the Canterlot Crusaders, and you should believe; We've got determination to represent the nation For the win!
“We've got hearts as strong as horses; We've got hearts as strong as horses; We've got hearts as strong as horses;
“And we're playing to win, as we gallop to glory; We can conquer any challenge we're in. We've got hea-a-a-arts, hearts strong as horses Hearts strong as horses!”
As the last notes sounded, Scootaloo extended her arm. The other girls laid there's on top.
“Crusaders forever, yay!”
Scootaloo’s vision began to slip. “Goodbye,” she said. “I’ll see you in heaven.”
Her body fell back, and the room was filled with a single, loud, piercing beep.
“Scootaloo Collins, Date of Death, 19th February 2014, time, 16:30 hours.”
Scootaloo suddenly found herself standing on a platform at a railway station. The platform was white in colour, and extended far into the distance, as it was covered in fog and therefore was hard to judge the exact length from end to end. The station building was a huge, red brick building that closely resembled the architecture of the Midland Railway company in the UK. The entire platform was covered with a large covered roof, but not an overall roof. For some reason that wasn’t possible, as there was a running line just in the distance.
The girl was also aware of a large throng of people standing on the platform. There were people of all nationalities and fashions. Some were dressed similarly to herself, but there were people from Asia, Africa, and many other nations. There were tall people, short people, fat people, thin people; every variety of person that could be thought of was there.
But she had been in a hospital a moment ago, not at a railway station. Something wasn’t right here, at all.
She wandered over to try and speak to somebody. “Excuse me?” she asked a man, a tall fellow with grey hair and glasses.
“Yes, young lady?” he asked, with a British accent that conveyed friendliness and warmth.
“Where am I?” Scootaloo asked. “I wasn’t here a moment ago.”
The man laughed. “Why, my child, you’ve made it. We’re waiting for the train to Heaven.”
Scootaloo stepped back, struggling to process what she had just heard. “Waiting for the train to Heaven?” she asked in response. “This is a joke, right?” This was impossible, it had to be!
Another fellow stepped forward, dressed in a station master’s attire. “I’m afraid it isn’t, young lady.” His voice was sincere, but firm. “You are indeed waiting for the train to Heaven.”
Scootaloo went into a state of shock almost immediately. “I-I’m dead?” she stammered.
“In body, yes,” the first man said. “But raised in spirit by the Lord himself, as he promises all his children.”
Scootaloo immediately thought of her friends and family, all stuck back there on the other side and presumably weeping over her body. “I have to get back to my friends!” she cried.
“You can’t,” said the station master. “You can’t go back when you’re dead.”
Scootaloo started to tear up as she walked over to one of the support columns for the station canopy. “They’re all alone down there,” she whimpered. “Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are alone down there. It’s not fair.” She then punched the column as hard as she could. “IT’S NOT FAIR!” She slid down the column, hot tears leaving her eyes as she thought of all the things she could never do.
She would never graduate alongside her friends, or get to hear their laughter again, or sample one of Apple Bloom’s treats. Never again would she hear the sound of steam engines thundering up and down the California coast, or get to hear a streetcar clattering past her window.
And she would never get the chance to get married to Rumble. She would never know how far their relationship would go, or what would come of it.
Her grief was interrupted by the sound of a loud whistle.
“The train is here! HALLELUJAH!” shouted another passenger on the platform.
The train rolled in tender first, pulled by a BR Standard Class 5 4-6-0 numbered 73116. It was coupled to a train of 10 coaches, which appeared to be MK1s on closer inspection of the stock, and each had a logo which bore the text ‘GREAT HEAVEN RAILWAY’. Steam wreathed the platform as a man hopped off the last carriage, dressed in white robes. He was an old man, with a grey beard and moustache, and carried a checklist in his hands-the passenger list, Scootaloo assumed.
“Could you all please form an orderly line?” the man asked, glancing down at his list. “I will be checking you off on the passenger list before we board, so we can complete this process with the greatest efficiency. After all, Border Control will need to know exactly how many people to expect at the top end.”
Scootaloo, accepting defeat, joined the back of the queue with her head held low. There was no denying it now. She was dead. And she would be never going back to Canterlot.
“Mom,” she whispered. “If you can hear me, I'm sorry for failing you.”
The process went on for a very long time, as people were checked through and took their seats on the train. At long last, the queue reached Scootaloo, or rather she reached the front of the queue.
“Name?” the man in the white robes asked.
“Scootaloo Collins,” she replied.
The man in the white robes flicked through the list to C, and looked in surprise. “This must be a mistake,” he said. “Your name is not on the passenger list!”
“What?” Scootaloo was shocked to hear this. “I’m not meant to be here?”
The man in the white robes sighed. “Well, I’ll need to check this with the man upstairs. Paul isn’t going to like this.”
Wait, Paul? Then Scootaloo realised who she was talking to.
“You’re Peter! The Keeper of the Keys to Heaven!”
The man in the white robes nodded. “Yes, my child, that is me.” He then indicated to the front carriage. “Come, we have a journey to take, up to the Pearly Gates themselves.”
By this point, the engine had finished running around, and coupled onto the front. With a loud blast of the whistle, and steam shooting from the draincocks, the Standard 5 pulled away from the platform and thundered down the line.
The railway climbed so high it seemed to reach above the mountains. The tracks snaked around hills and valleys, over lakes and rivers which appeared to be made of milk and honey. As they continued their ascent, the train cleared the cloud level, and danced through the skies and up to the mountaintops themselves, and onwards still into the skies.
Then it came into view at last. The Heavenly City.
“And I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth,” Scootaloo said, absent-mindedly.
“Book of Revelation, Verse 21, 1st line.” Peter’s addition startled her somewhat, as she looked around. “Quite a good one that, if a little apocalyptic at the end.”
The train pulled to a stop just outside the Pearly Gates themselves, and the passengers got off to enter the queues. Peter took Scootaloo off to one side and headed to a side gate.
“Priority clearance,” he said to the pair of Seraphim at the gate.
“Trying to sneak them through the side again?” asked a voice, belonging to a man with a long, black beard. “Proper passport control must be observed.”
“This girl wasn’t on the passenger list,” Peter said. “There was clearly some sort of error, Paul.”
Paul shrugged his shoulders. “Very well,” he said. “But I don’t think the Lord will be happy about this.”
The two guards stood aside, and let the pair through. The city was truly incredible, shining like a golden gem in the sun, and the thoroughfares were crowded with people. On one side, Robert Riddles and Richard Trevithick were exchanging design ideas for steam locomotives, whilst Winston Churchill and William Gladstone were in a heated debate over the virtues of tariffs compared to free trade.
Finally, before they reached the massive temple that dominated the skyline, they walked past H.G. Wells and Jules Verne working on a novel. Scootaloo took the opportunity to ask Peter a question.
“There’s something I don’t get,” she said.
“And that is?”
“Jules Verne spoke French. I don’t speak particularly good French, so how come I can understand him?”
Peter laughed. “I spoke Aramaic during my Earthly life, and yet can speak with you easily, in a tongue that didn’t even exist when I lived. The answer is that all in Heaven can understand one another, through the universal language of faith.”
“Oh, so sorta like a Babel Fish?”
Peter looked confused. “What’s a Babel Fish?”
They entered the Temple, and Peter opened the doors to the great atrium. Almost immediately, Scootaloo covered her eyes, as they were assailed by a great light and glorious music from choirs of angels flowed into her ears.
“Come, my child,” said a loud, booming voice. “Do not be afraid to look.”
Scootaloo took her hand away from her eyes, and sure enough, found herself looking upon the face of God. She almost immediately dropped to her knees and began to pray.
Meanwhile, Peter spoke to the Lord. “This child was not on the passenger list for the train to Heaven,” he explained. “I fear there has been a mistake.”
God nodded. “Yes.” He called out. “Rise, my child! There is no need for fear in the presence of the Lord.”
Scootaloo shakily got up, and walked toward the throne, though she was very uneasy.
The voice rang out again. “We will indeed meet again, and one day you will make the Journey to Paradise. But today is not that day.”
Scootaloo nodded, then suddenly stiffened as her vision went white.
The beep continued to echo through the ward of the hospital as a group sat there, utterly dumbfounded. No. This couldn’t be happening!
This had to be a bad dream, or a faulty machine!
But yet, the evidence was there, right in front of them. There was no response from Scootaloo’s body, still linked into all the machinery. Her form lay there, cold and lifeless, a corpse which, nonetheless, still had some of the leftover warmth from when she still lived just moments earlier.
Only then did the truth of the matter hit them like a tidal wave. None of them could hold it in anymore, and a wave of grief washed over all those there that day.
Scootaloo Collins. Daughter. Friend. Fellow Crusader. Hero. These were just a few of the words that could be used to describe her. But now, one more word had been added that could describe her.
Deceased.
Scootaloo was dead, and was never coming back.
Tears poured from the eyes of all who had known her and were assembled there, at the cruelty of one so young taken in the prime of life. Who would never know what her purpose would be, and what would happen in the next few years. The Crusaders were permanently down one member, and it hurt like no other pain could.
Eventually, Cheerilee got up, and dried her eyes. It was a futile gesture, as her eyes were stained with tears.
“Come on,” she said to all assembled. “Let us go and...and let her rest in peace.” She and her husband went elsewhere, to leave the Crusaders together. Sweetie Belle and Rumble went and sat on the other side, to give Cozy and Apple Bloom more room.
Cozy felt the worst. She’d only been a Crusader for a short while, and felt she was an imposter here, like she was intruding. Eventually, she couldn’t hold it in, and simply ran off crying in the direction that Cheerilee and Will had gone.
That left the original three together. Sweetie Belle ran her hand through Scootaloo’s hair. “At least...at least she’s in peace,” she said finally.
“Yeah, she’s probably soaring on the clouds now,” Rumble added, slowly. “She always dreamed of flying, and as an angel she’ll get to do so.”
Apple Bloom sighed. “It just...feels wrong, ya know?” she said. Part of her was wishing she had been taken instead. It was a horrible thought, but Scootaloo had always been the frailest of them, and she hadn’t let this get in her way. “We...we were meant ta be friends forever!”
“We will be,” Sweetie Belle answered. “She said so herself. She’ll always be there for us. At our side. In spirit, if not in person.”
Rumble spoke last. “Scoots,” he said. “If you can hear me, know that I loved-no, I love you. And I will never stop loving you. Until we meet again.”
Just then, a bright light appeared around them. The girls (and one boy) looked around in surprise.
“Your faith has served you all well,” the voice said. “Now see your friendship restored once more!”
Their memories all flashed by them, as the light intensified and grew to blinding. They covered their eyes at the sight, and waited for it to clear.
When it suddenly vanished, Scootaloo shot up in bed, sucking air into her lungs as best she could. “Well, that was a wild ride!” she said.
“Scootaloo!” her friends chorused, and fresh tears flowed down their faces. But these were not tears of grief or despair. They were tears of joy.
And Scootaloo herself looked better. Gone was the pale of death over her. The colour was fully restored to her, and she had that brash smile upon her face once again.
The doctor came over to see what was going on. “What the hell?” he said. “You...you were dead!”
Scootaloo nodded. “Yes. I had death, and have life once more.”
“Why have you gone all Biblical?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Turns out it wasn’t my time,” the purple-haired girl answered. “Yes, I slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”
Just then, Cheerilee and Will came back to see what all the commotion was about, to see their own daughter alive! They rushed to her side, happy to see her returned to them.
Cozy was with them, and truly was it a happy day. In the space of a few minutes, a day of mourning had changed to one of celebration.
Scootaloo was discharged a few hours later with no apparent medical issues. The tumour had vanished, which none of the doctors could explain, and to all intents she was the happy pre-teen she had always been.
They had a party at Scootaloo’s house that evening. Even Rainbow Dash popped over, which the younger girl was delighted about.
Alas, all good things must end, and the only ones left were Scootaloo and Rumble. Rumble was the first to speak.
“Hey, Scoots,” he said. “I genuinely thought I’d lost you today.”
“I’m lucky to be here,” the girl replied. “But there’s time for one more thing, to do before you go. Something I thought I’d never do again.”
Their lips met a moment later, the gesture more powerful than ever before.
Scootaloo went to bed that night, contented and happy. She had narrowly survived death, and her faith was restored. Besides, the Rich family was having its open day that Sunday, which she was really looking forward to.
Madeleine Peters-Scootaloo Nicole Oliver-Cheerilee Brad Pitt-Will Claire Corlett-Sweetie Belle Sunni Westbrook-Cozy Glow Richard Ian Cox and Ian James Corlett-doctors Donald Sumpter-Doctor Stable Ashleigh Ball-the nurse, Rainbow Dash (flashback) Felicia Day-Pear Butter Michelle Creber-Apple Bloom Vincent Tong-Rumble Jay David-Mr David (flashback) Peter Capaldi-gentleman on platform Brian Drummond-station master Idris Elba-other passenger Terence Stamp-Peter James MacAvoy-Paul Morgan Freeman-God
