"Worthless son-of-a-bitch!!!" Scootaloo heard her mother scream from the hall.
"At least I'm not a disgusting whore! No wonder our daughter is so useless!" her father's voice screamed back.
There they went again with that word. Useless. Disgusting. Worthless. All of those words that Scootaloo had heard about one hundred times, all used by her own parents to describe her. She wasn't those things, or at least she didn't feel like she was around her friends. But when it came to her parents, she never seemed to obtain the love she so desperately craved from them.
The two pegasi continued their screaming, but Scootaloo had blocked out the words. Opening her window she climbed out on to the street, thanking Celestia for the millionth time that she had a first story bedroom. The duplex where her family lived was in a quiet, but somewhat shady, section of Ponyville, so Scootaloo made sure nopony could see her as she snuck into the garage to get her scooter. She hated doing this, it just wasn't fair. But her parents' screaming would keep her up all night if she didn't go some place else.
Flapping her wings, she put the scooter into her "go mode" as she liked to think of it. She might not be able to fly, but using her wings to power her scooter was one of the best ideas she'd ever come up with. Just as she was about to speed around the corner, she slammed straight into one of her neighbors, Vinyl Scratch, who lived part time in the second half of the duplex when she wasn't playing in Canterlot or living with her girlfriend, Octavia.
"Woah, woah, woah! Where're you goin' kid?" The easy going DJ asked her. "Parents goin' at it again?"
Scootaloo nodded, not looking Vinyl in the eyes. The DJ was the only pony that understood what it was like for her at home, so Scootaloo trusted her, but she didn't want to make that obvious.
"Ok kid, I won't say anything, but be careful alright?"
Scootaloo nodded and sped off toward Sweet Apple Acres and her only refuge: the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse.
Parking her scooter in front of the beautifully painted staircase, Scootaloo removed her helmet and climbed up the stairs to the tree house. Unrolling one of the sleeping bags the three friends kept in the tree house, she settled down on the floor to finally get some sleep.
Sometime later, two familiar voices woke up the orange pegasus.
"Is she asleep?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Ah wonder what she's doin' in the tree house instead of at home," Apple Bloom wondered.
Scootaloo groaned. Her friends had had a habit of finding her at bad times.
"What's up guys? What are you doing here so early? It's Saturday!" Scootaloo said, plastering on her usual energy.
"Scootaloo, it's past ten!" Apple Bloom declared. "What are ya doin' in the tree house? We weren't havin' a sleepover!"
"Oh you know, just...my bedroom got hot so I came out here!"
Apple Bloom seemed to accept this answer, Sweetie Belle stared confused at her for a minute then nodded.
"Oh ok, I guess..." the unicorn said.
Scootaloo sighed inwardly. Her friends didn't know the details about her home life and she really wanted to keep it that way. She'd dodged yet another bullet.
"So what are we going to do to find our cutie marks today? Skydiving?" she asked, changing the subject to something all of them would be willing to talk about. The three friends eagerly delved into plans for their cutie marks, all strangeness of Scootaloo's sleeping in the tree house forgotten.
Much later, Scootaloo was heading home after a long day of crusading. Pushing herself to her top scooter speed, hoping to make it home before her mom, who would undoubtedly find some reason to be angry if Scootaloo didn't get home before her. Scootaloo wheeled her scooter around the back of her house and let herself in. A quick look and listen around told her neither of her parents had made it home yet. She breathed a sigh of relief. Quietly she crept up to her room and collapsed on the bed.
They never wanted me, I remember them saying that much. Scootaloo thought, thinking of the time she'd asked her mother how she'd met her father. Her mother had glared at her, but told the story anyway, probably as another way to make Scootaloo feel bad about existing.
"Your father and I were high school sweethearts. I got pregnant with you while we were still in high school and I had to drop out."
And that's all she'd said. Met in high school. Got pregnant. Dropped out. Subtext: your fault.
Even the ponies who were nice to her didn't really want her around. Rainbow Dash, her hero, usually wrote her off as just another fan. Scootaloo reached under her bed, pulling out a secret box painted in rainbows. In this box was her secret "Rainbow Dash Collection." Things she'd found, borrowed, or sometimes stole, from Rainbow Dash. An old, preserved apple core Dash had asked her to throw out. Several photos of Rainbow Dash, a Rainbow Dash doll. A lock of Dash's hair, cut from her tail. Scoots hoped nopony else would ever find this box. It was her secret, and just a little creepy. But it calmed her down when she'd had a bad night. Miss Cheerilee never seemed to notice when something was wrong with Scootaloo either, or if she did, she never acknowledged it. Not that Scootaloo wanted to be taken away from her home or anything. She just needed to prove to her parents that she was talented, by learning to fly and getting her cutie mark. Then they wouldn't call her useless anymore.
Applejack and Rarity, Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's sisters, respectively, saw the most of Scootaloo besides Rainbow Dash, Cheerilee and Vinyl. But like the other adults, they seemed not to realize that something was going on in Scootaloo's life more than the silly concerns of an 8 year old filly trying to get her cutie mark. To her, the fact that most of the adults in her life were totally clueless to Scootaloo's home situation pointed to a fact she'd known for a while. Adults weren't nearly as intelligent and perfect as they liked kids to believe.
I'm With You
8 years later...
"Come on you worthless brat, it's time for school!" a voice hollered as it had for as long as Scootaloo could remember. The 16 year old pegasus rolled her eyes. Here we go again.
"I said, COME ON!"
"I can get myself to school, mother!" she snapped back. She was fed up with this. She'd been putting up with her parents for 16 years. Scootaloo slung a bookbag onto her back and hopped out the window, yet again thanking Celestia for the first story window. Making her way to the garage, she pulled out her scooter. No longer a skateboard on wheels, though that thing had served her well, this one was a sleek, two wheeled scooter, decorated with her cutie mark. Yes, her cutie mark. Her talent? Stunts, usually associated with wheels, though also in the air. As a filly, she never would have guessed.
"SCOOTALOO!" her mother hollered again, but she couldn't hear anymore. She was on her scooter. Her best solace in a world gone wrong.
She finally arrived at school, which she hated, but it was better than home. Her best friends ran up to her.
"Scootaloo! Yer late, again...!" Apple Bloom complained.
"Duh. I'm always late, loser," Scootaloo teased.
"Well, we should really get to class or we're gonna be in trouble," Sweetie Belle urged.
"Yeah, yeah," Scootaloo said.
The three friends headed to class, Scootaloo had to shut out every word she heard from people in the halls.
"My Daddy is taking me to..."
"My mom wants to take me shopping at..."
"My parents are totally lame, they grounded me from video games!"
Yeah, totally lame. No video games? Oh pooryou. My parents lock me in my room for weeks and only let me out to use the bathroom and go to school.
The day passed slowly. Scootaloo and her friends passed notes in class, and almost got caught, and for a while Scootaloo felt like a normal teen. That all ended when the bell rang at three.
"Well, Ah gotta go, Scoot. Hang out later?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yeah...if I'm ungrounded. Or if I can sneak out. Meet at the old clubhouse?"
"Sure thing! You too Sweetie Belle!"
"Yeah, sure!" Sweetie said.
Scootaloo didn't hear her friends after that. Her "tapes" had started again. The ones she'd had since she was a filly.
"Useless. Worthless. Brat. Ungrateful. Useless. Worthless. Ungrateful. Useless. Worthless. Ungrate..."
"There you are you worthless brat!" Her mom jolted her out of her tapes only to restart them.
"Hi mo..."
"Don't you dare 'hi mom' me, brat. You have chores. You're grounded for a reason you know."
"Yeah ok mom... "
"Stormy, don't be so damn hard on her. She can't help that she's worthless," Scootaloo heard her dad call from the kitchen. There was that word again. Worthless. Useless. Ungrateful.
"Don't defend her Twister, she's a lazy worthless, ungrateful, son of a..." that's where Scootaloo tuned them out. She finished her chores and went to the only place where she knew she could cry in peace. Her neighbor's house. Oh Celestia she hoped Vinyl was home.
Sneaking out, Scootaloo went next door, only about ten feet, and knocked on her neighbor's door. A gruff female voice yelled out, "Yo!"
"It's me, Vi, it's Scoot. They're at it again, can I come in?"
"Sure, kid, come on..." Vinyl opened the door, "Damn kid, what'd she say this time?"
"Oh same old same old. Both of 'em called me useless and worthless."
"Hey, I know you're not either of those things. Come on...let me get you a cola or somethin'. And we'll play some loud ass dubstep so we can't hear 'em, k?" Vinyl comforted. Scootaloo laughed.
"Thanks, Vi,"
"Hey kid, ain't no thing."
The DJ did exactly what she said she'd do as Scootaloo's tears began to turn into smiles. A cola. Loud dubstep, and a comforting hug. Scootaloo let herself cry on the DJ pony's shoulders for a little while. Then she asked, "Vi, why do you let me hang here when they fight or pick on me or whatever? I'm nopony to you. You're an awesome DJ, I'm just a kid."
"Kid, it's the least I can do when I never had me when I was a kid, ya know what I mean, yo?" Scoot shook her head. Never had herself? What?
"I mean...I never had nopony when I was being picked on and yelled at and, yes, abused, by my mom. Well, 'cept my sister Rares...and she wasn't allowed to say I was her sister for years, thanks to mom. You obviously need somepony who knows what's going on and won't force you to go to the authorities until you're ready. I ain't no Rainbow Dash or Twilight Sparkle, I'm just plain old DJ Pon-3. But I'm here for you, kid."
Scootaloo was silent for a minute. Then she said as she fell asleep on Vinyl's lap,
"Thanks Vi. I've always needed a big sister."
***
7 years ago...
"Come on wings!" Scootaloo coaxed herself. She was going to do it today, she just knew it. She was going to fly and her parents, and Rainbow Dash, would love her. Everypony else would stop picking on her, and maybe realize that Sweetie Belle couldn't do magic, even though she's a unicorn. "Come on Scoot, you can do this!" she cheered herself on. Behind her, she heard a rustle. It broke her concentration and she fell the few feet she had hovered.
"Celestia banish it!" she cursed.
"Woah, kid, watch your language. I mean...not that mine has ever been much better," a cool voice said.
"Oh, hey Vinyl," Scootaloo said, slightly nervously. If there was one adult, who wasn't Rainbow Dash, that Scootaloo was ok with, it was Vinyl.
"Sorry, didn't mean to break your concentration or nothin. I was just hangin around and saw you were tryin to fly and thought I'd watch," the DJ said, shrugging. Scootaloo nodded. Maybe...just maybe, she could do this, even with a small audience.
Scootaloo flapped her wings again, rising off the ground a few inches, then a couple feet, then, she was hovering at the base of a tree branch. She opened the eyes she hadn't realized were closed.
"Vinyl! I'm...I'm flying! I can fly!" she dipped a little, but caught herself and her breath. She zipped around the tree a few times, even flew up and touched a cloud, something she hadn't done since she was a toddler.
"I...I'm a real pegasus! I can fly, I can...I can make them love me, Vinyl!"
***
Scootaloo woke up still on Vinyl's lap. The DJ had just let her sleep there, not moving, like a sister would.
"Phew. 'Bout time you woke up kid. My hind legs were falling asleep and sitting like that was starting to get uncomfortable. I don't know how Lyra does it."
Scootaloo sat up fast.
"Sorry Vi, I didn't mean to fall asleep"
"It's good you did, kid. You slept through the worst of it...your parents were fighting again and loudly."
"I'm surprised I didn't wake up then...I'm usually a light sleeper."
"Well, you must of needed it 'cause you were out like a light," Vinyl replied, grinning. Scootaloo grinned back. She DID feel way more rested.
"Well, I gotta get home, Vi, or at least...back in my room. I don't know if I can call that place home. Thanks...you know, for the support"
"Ain't no thing, kid. Ain't no thing."
Wonderful
The next day at school was one of the worst Scootaloo had ever encountered. Her parents had noticed that she'd gone over to Vinyl's rather than do her chores and she'd gotten screamed at for about five hours, long enough that she hadn't gotten any sleep, between being screamed at, listening to her parents argue over her being screamed at, and tossing and turning. So she was sitting in class, her tired mind tossing and turning as much as she had in her sleep. This couldn't be normal, could it? Parents fighting constantly, constantly being yelled at for extremely insignificant reasons...it all seemed so ...usual...to Scootaloo, who'd been dealing with it from the time she was a young filly, even before she'd met Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
"...and the Griffons declared war on Equestria, demanding that...Scootaloo! Are you listening?" the teacher snapped, bringing Scootaloo back out of her grim thoughts.
"No, not really. I kinda got a lot on my mind, teach," she answered flatly and honestly. The teacher, however, apparently did not think that a sixteen year old filly could have anything important on her mind. She harrumphed.
"I would hope that you would have the Griffon Wars on your mind instead," the teacher said haughtily as she swished her tail and flapped her wings angrily.
"Sorry, teach," Scootaloo apologized with a sigh.
"Good. One more slip up like that from you and it's after-school detention."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. She was not able to focus on the incredibly boring Griffon Wars when she was waging her own kind of war at home.
After history was over, it was time for lunch, and Apple Bloom walked along side Scootaloo looking worried. She kept sneaking glances at her friend, almost as if she was looking for some kind of sign that Scootaloo was ok. Finally, she stopped glancing and spoke up.
"Scoot?" she asked tentatively as the pair sat down next to Sweetie Belle and Twist with their trays.
"Hmmm?" Scootaloo asked as she stuffed mashed potatoes in her mouth. She hadn't had breakfast that morning, as she'd fallen asleep about two hours before she had to leave for school and had ended up sleeping through her alarm, or dinner the night before as her mom had sent her to bed without it.
"Y'all alright? I ain't seen much of ya outside of school, and Ah know Ms. Civic Duty ain't very interestin', but y'all looked like you were having a nightmare," the earth pony said, her tangerine eyes filled with concern.
Scootaloo hesitated. She wished she could talk to Apple Bloom, her best friend, about what was going on in her life, and how it just kept getting worse, but she couldn't. She just wouldn't understand. AB had the perfect family, a big sister who loved her more than anything, an older brother who was more than patient, and an awesome grandmother. She wouldn't understand what was happening to Scootaloo...not at all.
"I just um...slept badly last night," Scootaloo said lamely. It wasn't a lie. She HAD slept poorly.
Apple Bloom just studied Scootaloo's face for a minute before turning to listen to her other two friends, who were deep in conversation with each other.
Scootaloo let out a small sigh, relieved that she hadn't had to explain her situation to Apple Bloom just yet.
Scootaloo let her mind wander again throughout lunch. She couldn't tell her friends what was going on, it just wasn't possible. She'd hidden her family problems from her friends since she...well, since they met.
"So we'll have the sleepover at mah place again," Apple Bloom said. "Sweetie Belle's place was last time, and we had one at the clubhouse before that, so Ah guess it's mah turn!"
"Wait, what about having a slumber party at Scootaloo's house!" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Yeah," Babs Seed, Apple Bloom's cousin and the newest Cutie Mark Crusader agreed. She was visiting for a week or so.
"Um, my place isn't good," Scootaloo said, stumbling for an excuse. "My...um...my parents don't let me have friends over when my room is a mess and I forgot to clean it!" It wasn't a lie...
"Scootaloo? Y'all ok?" Apple Bloom was asking.
"Wha...huh?" Scootaloo stammered, coming back slowly to reality.
"Lunch is over, sugarcube," Apple Bloom explained, using her sister's favorite term of endearment and looking disconcertingly like Applejack always did when Applejack was worried.
"I'm fine, just spaced out I guess," Scootaloo said, brushing off Apple Bloom's concern. The farm pony looked momentarily hurt, then worried.
"Well, ok then, Ah'll see y'all in math then," Apple Bloom said to Scootaloo's retreating back.
The rest of the day didn't go much better. She fell asleep in math class, then was forced to fly laps in pegasus gem class after dosing off during a health lecture on wing maintenance. When she finally got out of her last class of the day, art, she had her friends more than worried. Even Sweetie Belle noticed something was up.
"Are you ok, Scoot?" the unicorn asked, her innocent voice betraying a hint of tears. "You haven't looked very good all day."
"I'm FINE, Sweetie Belle. I just gotta get home. I'm still grounded, remember?" Scootaloo snapped at her friend. She took off on her scooter, leaving Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Twist in the dust.
"I shthink Schootaloo theems a little off..." lisped Twist, pushing her glasses up her nose. It was a sign of how worried she was that she was lisping, the candy-cane colored earth pony had worked past her lisp in the seventh grade and only lisped when she was nervous or unhappy. Sweetie Belle, her eyes teary, put a hoof around Twist. Apple Bloom's expression hardened.
"We have got ta do somethin!"
***
"Y'all'er probably wonderin' why Ah called y'all here today..." Apple Bloom said. She stood at a podium in the CMC clubhouse. Despite the departure of their crusading days, the clubhouse was in excellent condition. Apple Bloom frequently made repairs and Scootaloo usually kept the mechanics of the pulley system and such in working condition.
Before Apple Bloom sat Sweetie Belle, Twist, Spike, and Babs Seed, whom she'd had Spike send a letter to in Manehatten to be in Ponyville as soon as she could.
"Scootaloo. We're all here about Scootaloo. There's somethin' up with her and Ah'm goin to find out what it is if it kills me! Who's with me!" Apple Bloom's voice escalated. Somehow she gave an excellent speech.
"Um...I don't mean to interrupt," Babs said, her street Manehatten accent making her a little hard to hear, especially since she was talking kind of quietly. "But should we really interfere? I know I haven't been here and all that, but Scoots's gotta right to her privacy, ya know?"
"Babs has a point," Spike agreed. "If she won't tell you what's wrong, why force her?"
"Ah can see why y'all are the two askin'," Apple Bloom said. "Babs has been in Manehatten and Spike only sees Scoots outside of school, so it's understandable. But she's been actin' down right weird in class. She's fallen asleep all the time, she dodges questions about her personal life, and she's constantly grounded. Y'all can't tell me y'all think that's normal?"
"Ith's not normal, buth thwe really shoulds justh keep an eye on her inthead of intherfering," Twist suggested.
"I'm with Lispy on this one," agreed Babs. Twist shot her a glare. Babs just rolled her eyes.
"Me too, I'll try to talk to her outside of school, she listens to me," Spike agreed.
"How 'bout you, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well...yeah, let's keep an eye on her. And Spike can try to talk to her," Sweetie Belle said.
"It's settled then. We keep an eye on Scoots an' report anythin' suspicious ta me, got that?" Apple Bloom concluded, giving her group a once over.
"Aye aye!" the rest of the group intoned.
***
"I don't know, Scoot, I really think you need to tell someone. Like Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash, somepony that can help you," Vinyl said. Scootaloo couldn't bring herself to go home. She had homework and she'd never get it done with all the screaming. Not that she really cared anymore. She was failing her classes anyway.
"I don't know Vinyl, I don't want to talk to them. They'll just try to talk. Want to know when it started, why I never told anypony. And I'd sound like a whiny baby. All they're doing is yelling at me."
"That ain't all they're doin' and you know it. Your parents have locked you in a room for days an' only let you out for school, bathroom breaks, an' bread an' water suppers. That ain't cool, kid. It jus' ain't cool."
"There's nothing Rainbow Dash or Twilight or Rarity or Applejack or anypony can do about it. I'm not tattling on my parents."
"Suit yourself kid. I ain't gonna push you. You know you can come to me anytime, yo."
"Yeah ,Vi, I know. You're like the big sister I never had. I wanted...well, I wanted it to be Rainbow Dash but..."
"I know kid. Sometimes, learnin' our heroes ain't nothin' but regular old ponies can sting."
"Yeah, it really does...I know she didn't mean to hurt me like she did...and she's still totally awesome...but..."
"She didn't know, kid. She doesn't know. 'Cause you won't go and tell 'er."
"I know I know...I just...I guess I thought she would've noticed, you know?"
"Yeah kid. I know. Trust me..."
***
Later that evening, Scootaloo managed to get out of her house for a while and head to the library to do some work. She kind of hoped she'd run into Spike. Spike was a pretty good friend to have when you didn't want to pestered, but still needed to get something off your chest. He wasn't Vinyl, but the DJ had a gig at 7 and had had to kick Scootaloo out at 6. So, instead of going home, she went to the library.
She skidded to a halt in front of the door. Suddenly nervous, she knocked. The door opened and a tall, but clearly young, dragon answered it.
"Oh hey Scoot, what's up?" Spike asked. "If you're looking for Twilight, she's out with the girls tonight. It's just me taking care of things right now."
"Oh, that's ok, I just needed a quieter place to study...um...my neighbor is playing loud music." Not a lie. Vinyl was most likely playing loud music...just not in her house.
"Sure, you can study here. It's kinda lonely with Twilight out anyway. I've got homework of my own to do," Spike said, producing a stack of books that needed sorting. "Time to reshelve. Twilight's the only one that ever checks anything out ... well her and that Time Turner guy, and he always brings them back covered in stuff. Ick. But anyway, it really should be her putting them back, but hey, room and board and access to pretty mares, what more could a dragon want?"
"Hehe yeah, sounds like the good life," Scoot said, her face turning a little more orange. Dang it...Spike was doing that THING to her again.
"So, how's life been treating you, Scoot? Your friends told me you've been grounded," Spike said casually as he put books back on the shelves.
Scootaloo's pencil tip snapped a little as she tried to do her math homework. Unfortunately it seemed to stem around the day's lesson...which she'd slept through.
"Oh...well...you know...same old same old. I'm a trouble maker, always have been and if you ask my parents, always will be," Scoot said, then covered her mouth. Spike would definitely pick up on that last part...
"Your parents said that?" Spike asked, looking concerned.
"Um...just as you know...like...a total joke or whatever," Scootaloo stammered struggling to get out of this situation. Why did Spike always have to be so perceptive? Couldn't he be a ditz like Sweetie Belle? You wouldn't like him as much if he were a ditz, a voice in her head spoke. She quickly pushed it back.
"Hey, if you want to talk...you know I can keep a secret, I've been keeping a pretty big one from you, you know," Spike said, his green eyes flashing a little and a smirk coming across his face. That bastard.
"Keeping secrets from me?" Scootaloo asked. "What...kind of a secret?"
"I'm not telling, not until you tell me yours," the dragon said, still smirking. Celestia banish it.
"I'm not telling you," Scootaloo retorted, sticking out her tongue. Yeah, real mature. He's four years older than you are remember? the voice whispered again. Scootaloo ignored it.
"Fine, then neither am I," Spike said and casually went back to shelving books. Scootaloo grumbled.
"Fine, my parents are constantly fighting ok?" Scootaloo said.
Spike dropped the book he was holding.
"Oh my Celestia..." the dragon said. "I knew something was up, but man, that sounds bad."
"It is. And...you have to swear you won't tell anyone!" Scootaloo said, her eyes growing panicked as she realized what she'd just done.
"Hey, calm down, Scootsie Roll, I won't tell anyone, anypony, or anything," the dragon said, smiling as he used that stupid nickname she...well...secretly liked.
"Pinkie Pie Promise."
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Spike said as he did the motions. Scootaloo relaxed. Nopony broke a Pinkie Promise, not unless they wanted a crazy Pinkie on their tail. Which no one did. Somehow Pinkie knew every Pinkie Promise that was made, even if she wasn't there. Scootaloo half expected her to pop out of a potted plant shouting...
"FOREVER!!!" Pinkie Pie said as she popped out of a potted plant. Scootaloo and Spike both jumped. Pinkie giggled.
"Heeeheeeeheee that was super funny, don't worry, Spikey Wikey, I know you'll keep your Pinkie Promise," the weird pink pony said and then, with one last ominous 'forever' she sunk back into the potted plant back to...where ever she came from.
"Ugg, I can't believe they all still call me 'Spikey Wikey'. I'm almost 20 for crying outloud! I'm the same age Twilight was when she beat Discord! Ugg."
"Pretend it's payback for calling me "Scootsie Roll" again. I've told you I hate that nickname. And you owe me a secret," Scootaloo said.
"Sorry Scoot, won't happen again," Spike said, winking. "As for my secret, it might be better to show you."
"Show me? What do you..." before she could finish, Spike had a claw around the back of her head and had pulled her into something she'd only dared imagine with Spike before...a kiss.
