Gemstone and Songbird

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sat beside the hospital bed. The sounds of the machinery pumping air into Sweetie Belle’s lungs. The beeping of the monitors attached. The whir and click of pumps pushing Celestia knows what into the body of their friend through multiple tubes.

They had been called from the Crusader clubhouse, where they were waiting for Sweetie Belle. Rainbow Dash had come for them. Having barely said a word before scooping them onto her back, flew them to the hospital. Scootaloo would have normally been thrilled to have flown with her mentor, but Rainbow Dash’s puffy red eyes, and the words “Sweetie Belle” and “hospital” had robbed her of all joy.

Scootaloo watched for any movement in the still body of her friend. A fluttering of her eyelids. A twitch of her nose. Anything! Sweetie Belle had to wake up. She just had to!

Apple Bloom burst into sobs. Applejack pulled her sister into a tight hug, barely holding back her own tears.

Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Hey Squirt, it’s okay if you need to cry, don’t worry about being cool here,” she whispered in Scootaloo’s ear. Rainbow pulled Scootaloo into a hug, and Scootaloo felt the soft drops of her mentors own tears fall on her head. She had never seen Rainbow Dash cry. Scootaloo buried her muzzle into the rainbow mane.

“Where’s Rarity?” Scootaloo looked around, noticing the conspicuous absence of Sweetie Belle’s sister.

“Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had to take her home.” Applejack sighed. “She was in a right state when she found out.”

“That was when I came and got you two.” Rainbow Dash suppressed a sniff.

“When’s Sweetie gunna get better?” Apple Bloom looked up at her sister with large watery eyes. “When can she come crusading with us again? When’s she gunna wake up, sis?”

Applejack pulled her little sister back into a tight hug.

“When will she wake up, Dash?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well,” Rainbow deflected. “Hopefully, with the awesome doctors and nurses here, it will be soon.”

“Will she wake up?” Scootaloo’s tone was flat, devoid of hope. Rainbow pulled Scootaloo into another hug. It was all the answer Scootaloo needed.

A sombre mood fell upon the class the next day, when Cheerilee had mentioned the accident. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were even surprised when Diamond Tiara burst into tears at the news. It was strange, Diamond Tiara picked on Sweetie Belle more than any of the other Crusaders. More than every other pony put together. But now she was crying, along with most of the rest of the class.

Miss Cheerilee had spent a lot of the morning consoling the foals.

When lunchtime arrived, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo approached Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon had been rubbing a hoof on Diamond Tiara’s back. Diamond Tiara’s eyes were puffy and red, she’d obviously been crying before the Crusaders approached.

“Diamond Tiara?” Apple Bloom asked cautiously.

“What do you want, blank-flank?” Diamond Tiara sneered.

“Ah was jus’ comin over ta see if y’all were okay.”

“I am! Now go away.”

Scootaloo was angry. She glowered at the pink filly. “Oh, so then why are you crying? Upset you don’t have Sweetie Belle to pick on anymore?”

“Leave me alone,” Diamond Tiara screamed. She pushed Scootaloo to the ground. “Get away from me, you- you- blank-flanks!”

Apple Bloom helped Scootaloo up. “Let’s jus go.”

Scootaloo sat alone next to Sweetie Belle, watching her friend. Rarity had visited again, that much could be gleaned from the state of the room. Vases filled with flowers covered most of the unoccupied tables and shelves. Laying over Sweetie Belle was a quilt she and Rarity had worked together on. A delicately embroidered pillow lay behind her head. Scootaloo recognised it as the one Rarity yelled at Sweetie Belle for using in one of their Cutie Mark Crusader stunts. Something about expensive imported Saddle Arabian silk.

She thought back to the last time she sat next to a loved one like this. Her mom had fallen into a coma, and had never woken up. Her dad was wracked with grief, he’d never really recovered, even to this day. She supposed it was because of that she was able to stay with Sweetie Belle as much as she did.

Scootaloo couldn’t help but think of all the things Sweetie Belle might never get to do. She might never get her cutie mark. She might never get her first kiss. She might never ask Spike to be her special somepony for Hearts and Hooves day. She might never get so sing again. She might never get to crusade again.

She might never again be there to comfort Scootaloo when her dad drank too much. She might never be there to help Apple Bloom and Granny Smith get ready for the zap-apple harvest again.

Tears fell.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock at the door. A tall white mare with long black mane tied in a bun entered the room. Her scrubs identified her as one of the doctors. She was followed by a brown pegasus Scootaloo did not really recognise. He didn’t look like a doctor.

“Sorry, didn’t realise somepony was in here,” he said, as he started to back out the door.

The Doctor turned to Scootaloo. “Is it alright if Mr Crate see’s Sweetie Belle?”

“It’s okay,” Scootaloo called back.

“Thanks, Doctor-” he quickly read the name tag “- Bone. I won’t be long.”

“I’ll be just outside at the nurses station if you need me.” As she turned and left the room, Scootaloo noticed the bone cutie mark.

Crafty Crate entered the room, holding a bouquet of flowers under one wing. They were white lilies, with a few sprigs of lavender.

“I hope she’d like em,” he said, placing them on the table side next to the bed.

Scootaloo looked the stallion up and down. She’d never seen him before, and he didn’t seem like the kind of pony that Sweetie Belle would know. And definitely not Rarity.

Scootaloo was shocked by the gruff stallions sobbing.

“I didn’t see you,” he sputtered out. “I am so sorry. Please kid, please live.”

“You!” Scootaloo yelled. “You did this to her!”

She jumped to the ground, and charged towards him. Crafty didn’t have time to react, and took the impact straight in the chest. Winded and coughing, he tried to stand, before small hooves planted themselves across his muzzle.

“I’m sorry,” he kept screaming, as Scootaloo unleashed her fury upon him. Tears streaked both their faces.

“You did this to her! You did this to her! You! You did it!”

“My my, we must be quiet in a hospital.” Doctor Bone had returned to the room. “Sweetie Belle will not recover with all this shouting, no?”

“He’s the one who hit her. Why is he here?” Scootaloo screamed at the doctor.

The doctor smiled at Scootaloo. “Can you not see Mr Crate is upset as well? He merely wished to come and see Sweetie Belle.”

“But he’s the one who hurt her,” Scootaloo continued in her rage. “Why should he be allowed to see her?”

“I didn’t see her, I swear... she came running out... she was playing with her friends and ran out...”

“Well, that certainly sounds like an accident, doesn’t it Scootaloo?” The doctor smiled wide at the filly.

“Liar! She wasn’t playing with her friends! We were waiting for her at the club house.”

“She was, she was runnin with her little pink friend.”

“She doesn’t have any pink friends! She only has me and Apple Bloom!”

“Then maybe she was running with somepony else?” Doctor Bone attempted to mediate the situation.

“Yeah, they were running after each other. The other one had a little, pointy silver hat thing.”

“Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo sneered.

“Yeah, that’s the one... she was wearin’ one o’ dem tiana’s.”

“There you go, Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle was obviously playing with Diamond Tiara before the accident happened. No pony is to blame, least of all Mr Crate.”

Scootaloo stormed out of the room.

“I’m sorry about that, Mr Crate. I am sure Sweetie Belle at least would appreciate your visit.” As she turned towards the door, she called over her shoulder. “Oh, and sorry, but visiting hours have just finished.”