Gemstone and Songbird

Even a few days later Scootaloo’s temper had not diminished. Twilight had stolen the straw doll from, and wouldn’t let her in the library. Diamond Tiara still hadn’t returned to school. Sweetie Belle’s condition was deteriorating fast. Everything came to a boiling point, and Scootaloo’s anger bubbled over.

“Where is Diamond Tiara,” she screamed, pushing Silver Spoon to the dirt.

“Leave Diamond Tiara alone,” the grey foal whimpered, trying to stand. Scootaloo pushed her back down again.

“Like she left Sweetie Belle alone?” Scootaloo sneered.

“Go away! Why won’t you lea-” Silver Spoon was cut short. An small orange hoof impacted with her muzzle. She could feel her nose running, and when she wiped it with her forearm, her fur was stained crimson.

“Scootaloo!” Cheerilee screamed at the top of her lungs. “Get away from Silver Spoon right now!”

Scootaloo turned to see Miss Cheerilee and Mr Wren running from the opposite side of the yard. She knew she wouldn’t get away with what she’d done. She turned back to Silver Spoon.

“You can tell Diamond Tiara, I will leave her... I will leave her exactly the way she left Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo hoped the threat had gotten through to Silver Spoon. By the fearful look in those violet eyes, Scootaloo assumed the message had been understood.

“Scootaloo, you will go inside, now!” Scootaloo had never seen Miss Cheerilee so angry. But Scootaloo honestly did not care. She did not falter under the steely, angered gaze of her teacher.

“Whatever.” Scootaloo made her way back to the school house.

“Mr Wren, would you mind keeping an eye on the yard?” She helped Silver Spoon to her hooves. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?” Cheerilee smiled as she led Silver Spoon to the washroom.

“I know you are having a hard time with Sweetie Belle in hospital,” Cheerilee scowled. “But that is no excuse for striking one of your fellow students.”

“Whatever.” Scootaloo sat at her desk, looking out the window.

“I know you blame Diamond Tiara for what happened, but-”

“Don’t say it was an accident!” Scootaloo snapped at her teacher.

“It wasn’t her fault-”

“Then whose fault is it?” Scootaloo punched a hoof on her desk. “Crafty Crate? Filthy Rich for not doing anything about Diamond Tiara? Yours?” Scootaloo shot an accusatory glare at her teacher.

“W-What?” Cheerilee stammered.

“You never stopped Diamond Tiara. You knew she was bullying us. You knew she was bullying Sweetie Belle.”

“I always stopped her if I knew she was-”

“No!” Scootaloo snapped. “You interrupted Diamond Tiara. You never did anything to stop it.”

“I think you need some time off from school to think.” Cheerilee shook. “I will let your father know tonight you are not to come back until next Monday.”

Cheerilee did not stop Scootaloo from running out of the class. Technically, she had just suspended her. As the door slammed, Cheerilee slumped. Scootaloo had said the very words she had asked herself. One of her students was lying in hospital, and if what Twilight had told her was true, would not likely leave. Could Cheerilee have done more to stop this? Should she have stepped in, done something to deal with the bullying better. Her lack of action had now seen one student in hospital. Another student stricken with rage. Her thoughts turned to Diamond Tiara: and one student stricken with more guilt than the filly could not bear.

Unbeknownst to the teacher, a large eye embedded in the ceiling of the schoolhouse above her, closed slowly, then disappeared.

Scootaloo slammed the door to her house, waking her father from his drunken stupor. “Scoots?” he mumbled, as he watched his daughter race for her room. He stumbled behind her. “What’re you doin’ home s’early?”

“Leave me alone!” she screamed through the closed door.

“Don’ you be taken tha’ tone with me, missy!” He tried to open the door, but found it locked. “Open this door right now!”

The answer was a loud thud against the door, and the sound of something smashing. He continued to bash on the door with a hoof. “Scootaloo! Open this door now!”

When the only reply was Scootaloo’s howls of rage, and the sounds of ripping, tearing and smashing; Scootaloo’s dad turned away from the door, and bucked like his life depended on it. The door jamb splintered as door burst open, nearly tearing away from it’s hinges.

The sound of the door slamming open did not stop Scootaloo’s rage. She hadn’t even noticed her father standing there, eyes opened wide with shock, at the destruction she was causing in her room. She grabbed the chair from her desk, and threw it against the wall, the small wooden frame crumpling on impact. She kicked her back legs against the desk, and a small photo frame fell to the floor.

The older pegasus watched in horror, as his daughter grabbed the frame with her teeth, and threw it against the wall. The photo of his daughter and her rainbow maned friend lay amongst broken wood and shattered glass. Even through his fugue state, he realised something was wrong. Something was very, very, very wrong.

He beat his wings, launching himself across the threshold of the room, where scattered splinters of wood and shattered glass lay. He pulled his daughter into a tight hug, and let her beat her hooves against his chest and scream. He held her until she had exhausted all of her energy. She sobbed into his mane.

“She’s dying... she’s dying and nopony cares.”

Miss Cheerilee had explained to Scootaloo’s father the previous night what had happened. When she woke, Scootaloo had expected that her father would have been angry at her. But he said nothing all morning, other than that he had to go out.

He’d made her breakfast, something he hadn’t done in a long time. His cooking was awful, but she ate the pancakes regardless. Who was she to look a gift-pony in the mouth?

She wandered around the house alone. She had wished she could do what her dad had done for all these years. She tried to open his liquor cabinet, but found it locked. Score one point for responsible parenthood. It wouldn’t even make a dent in the column against.

She sat on the couch in the lounge room, wondering where her dad had gone. Maybe he went to the bar, or to go drink with his buddy Berry Punch. She didn’t like being around him while he was drunk, but a part of her wished he was there, just so that she wasn’t alone.

When lunchtime rolled around, and her father was still nowhere to be seen, she grabbed her scooter and made her way to the front door. It opened before in front of her, and standing there was her father.

“D-dad?”

“Heya, Scoots.” He smiled, nuzzling her cheek. Scootaloo noticed he smelled strange. “Going out?”

“Ummm- maybe?” she made it a question.

“Well, why don’t you help your old dad fix that door of yours, then maybe we can go to Sugarcube Corner?”

Scootaloo stood back, shocked at her fathers behavior. He was acting very, very strange. “Dad, have you been drinking?”

“No, I haven’t.” A sad look crossed her fathers face. “And I think it’s about time I stop. I’ve-I’ve not been a very good dad.”

“Hah!” Scootaloo let out a short, sharp, bitter laugh.

“I’m sorry,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I’ve left you alone for so long. I’ve only seen my own pain, I never opened my eyes to see yours. I should have been there for you when your mom- well. I should have been here for you then. But I wasn’t.

“I know what you are going through now. I failed you then, but if you could give me a chance, I’d like to be here for you now.”

He hadn’t been drinking. That was what she could smell. Or more, couldn’t smell. She couldn’t remember a day in the last five years he hadn’t smelled of hard liquor.

“Fine,” she huffed. “But I want to go to Sugarcube corner first.”

It was lunchtime, after all.

Her dad had bought her two slices of cake and a drink. He had gently stroked her mane as she cried into her milkshake. He listened quietly as she told him about what had happened to Sweetie Belle. What Diamond Tiara had done.

He didn’t tell her it was an accident. He told her she was allowed to feel angry.

When they left, he lifted her on his back between his wings, like he had done when she was much smaller. She dozed lightly as he walked them home.

When they arrived, he found a very distressed cyan mare pacing back and forth at their doorstep.

“Can I help yo-”

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow yelled, startling the filly awake. “Thank Celestia I found you. You gotta come to the hospital, now!”

“What’s happened?” Scootaloo fell off her fathers back.

Panic was etched across Rainbow’s face. “Sweetie Belle’s parents, they signed the forms... to... to turn off the life support.”

“Where’s Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo yelled.

“Applejack’s already run to the school to get her. Come on, get on, we gotta go now!”

Scootaloo turned back to her father.

“Go on, I’ll be right behind." He nodded. "And Dash? Don’t slow down for me.”

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo disappeared into the sky.