Without My Family

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Tragedy in the Everfree
Chapter 2 - The Yellow Pegasus
Chapter 3 - First Night and a Day Out
Chapter 4 - Friends and Fleeing
Chapter 5 - Family
Prologue

Chapter 1 - Tragedy in the Everfree

“Everypony stay close to me”, Stonehoof said as he lead his family into the Everfree forest. Scootaloo and Skylark clung to their mother as they entered the forest. Their heads swiveled at every sound the forest made. With a trembling voice Skylark muttered, “How long do we have to walk through this forest?” “Don’t worry dear, we will be in Ponyville before you know it”, Star-Racer reassured her daughter with a smile. Skylark met her mother’s smile with an uncertain grin. In an attempt to display her bravery, Scootaloo challenged the forest in a mocking tone of voice, “Scary noises? Is that all you’ve got? It will take more than that to scar-” A large flying creature swooped right past Scootaloo’s head cutting her bold statement short and sending her scurrying to her her mother’s side once again.

Shortly after they entered the Everfree, night fell. They could barely see their hooves in front of their faces. Unknowingly they had wandered far off the path to Ponyville. They walked for what seemed like hours. Thunder rolled in and was soon followed by heavy rain and strong winds. Quickly, the family sought refuge from the storm in a cave they discovered nearby. Stonehoof went in first to see if it was safe for his family. After determining there was no immediate threats he beckoned his family inside. From what the ponies could see, the cave was large enough for about 3 houses to fit inside comfortably. Tired from their long walk, the family huddled together in one corner of the cave. It wasn’t long before the pony family fell fast asleep.

A loud roar reverberate throughout the cave and awoke Scootaloo from her deep sleep. She raised her head unsure of what had woken her. She looked to her right and saw her mother sprawled out on the ground about three yards from where she lay. Sh then turned her attention to Skylark who was laying next to her. Skylark’s face was frozen with terror. Another loud roar filled the cave but this time it was accompanied by a flash of light. Scootaloo fixed her eyes on the source of the awful noise-It was a huge dark red dragon. Stonehoof stood between the beast and his daughters. “RUN!” Stonehoof commanded. “We can’t just leave you and mo-” Scootaloo started. Only to be cut short by her father’s powerful voice, “RUN! NOW!” The little fillies hesitated for a moment. The dragon’s foot met the ground with a massive rumble as it advanced towards Stonehoof. The quaking ground was enough to motivate the fillies to escape the cave. Scootaloo and Skylark didn’t want to abandon their parents, but their hooves seemed to have minds of their own.

After running for several minutes, the fillies came across a small pond surrounded by a grove of mangled trees. Exhausted, they drank from the pond as their legs collapsed underneath them. The storm was still raging, but their hooves could carry them no further to find another shelter. They laid in the rain and regained their breath. What was once a storm was now a gentle rain. It was as if the sky’s anger had turned to sorrow and was crying for the two little fillies. The rain hid their tears but it could not hide the pain they felt inside. As their emotions ran deep, they huddled together and comforted one another as best as they could. They cried their little bodies to sleep and slept peacefully the rest of the night. Scootaloo and Skylark awoke the next morning cold, wet, hungry, and sad. “We have to go back and find mama and daddy”, Scootaloo said adamantly. Skylark nodded her approval and they were off towards the cave. Somewhere deep inside of them, they feared running into the dragon again. However, they loved their parents and nothing could stop the fillies from returning for their parents.

*****

Scootaloo and Skylark paused at the cave entrance. “What if the dragon is still in the cave”, Skylark asked in a concerned voice. Scootaloo poked her head into the dark cave a little bit. She stood perfectly still for a few seconds before dismissing Skylark’s concern, “Well, I don’t hear it so it must have left.” Scootaloo’s logic didn’t make Skylark feel any safer. They cautiously entered the cave one hoof in front of the other. They found Star-Racer laying in the same place Scootaloo had seen her at before they fled the cave. They walked over to her and they both called out to her in unison, “Mama. Are you okay?” Their voices were choked with tears at the sight of their mother sprawled out motionless on the ground. “Come on mama. It’s time to get up. We have to to find daddy and make it to Ponyville”, Skylark’s pleas went unanswered. Scootaloo began searching for their father while Skylark’s cries became more desperate, “Mama!? Please mama, get up! We need to leave before that scary dragon comes back!” Tears welled up in Skylark’s eyes as she continued pleading to and nudging and her mother trying to awake her. The fillies were still too young to understand the state their mother was in.

Scootaloo searched the cave for their father. She had reached an area of the cave that was so dark she could barely see. “Daddy”, she called out. There was no answer. She turned to head back towards Skylark but as her head turned, she noticed something in the darkness. She looked more closely and realized it was her father. “Daddy!” She shrieked.She quickly trotted over to him and nudged his side, “Daddy. Wake up! Are you alright?” There was no reply. Scootaloo whimpered as she kept nudging his side in hopes that he would wake up. “Scoot?”, her father’s voice was weak. She was concerned at the sound of his voice. His once strong and powerful voice was now almost a whisper. “You are alright!”, Scootaloo squealed. He smiled as he used all his strength to move his head so he could see her face, “Not quite Scoot. Is Skylark with you?”

“Yes. She is with me.”

“I want to talk to both of you. Bring her here.”

*****

Scootaloo returned with Skylark as she was asked to do. “Listen closely to me my little fillies. Soon I will have to sleep. Once I fall asleep, I won’t wake up again. Mama has already fallen into this sleep. Your mother and-”, he paused as he coughed and wheezed. He began again, “Your mother and I love you both very much. We won’t be able to make it to Ponyville with you. Go on without us. Find a nice pony to take you in. If nopony will help you, take care of each other. No matter what happens, remember what mama and I taught you.” He stopped as he wheezed trying to find the strength to finish. “Grow up to be the best lovely mares you can be...It’s time for me to sleep now.” He closed his eyes and smiled as he uttered, “I’m sorry we can’t stay together. Goodnight my daughters”, and with a great exhale his breathing stopped.

Chapter 2 - The Yellow Pegasus

Scootaloo and Skylark were now on their own in the Everfree Forest. They wandered aimlessly through the thick foliage. The sorrow that weighed heavy on their hearts slowed their pace almost to a standstill. The fillies had been lost in the forest for two days and night fall was only a few hours away. They were hungry, tired, dirty, sad, and their hooves felt as if they would fall off. They laid under a tree to rest their weary legs.

“Scoot, how much longer are we going to stay in this forest?” , Skylark asked. She was so exhausted she did not even left her head from the ground as she spoke. Scootaloo hesitated for a moment trying to think of something to put her sister at ease. “I’m sure if we walk just a bit further we will-”. She stopped mid sentence when she heard the sound of somepony humming a tune. At first Scootaloo and Skylark thought they must be imagining things. They fell silent and listened for the humming to continue. Sure enough they heard the humming once again.

Hope filled their little hearts at the sound of another pony. Despite their Their new found hope gave their legs the strength to follow the sound. As Scootaloo and Skylark neared the humming, Skylark voiced a concern, “What if it’s not a nice pony or even a pony at all?” Scootaloo was reluctant to think about the noise being from somepony who wouldn’t help them or worse, something that would hurt them. They saw a clearing in the direction the humming was coming from and hid behind one of the larger trees that created a perimeter around the clearing.

The humming suddenly ceased and Scootaloo and Skylark peeked around the tree into the clearing. They saw a yellow pegasus with a cutie mark made up of three butterflies. She was sprinting towards a tree that was further out in the clearing than all of the others. As she ran towards the tree, she appeared to trip and slide across the ground. When she had brought herself back up to her hooves, the fillies noticed she was holding a baby bird.” That was a close one little fella”, the pegasus said in the most gentlest of voices, “It’s a good thing I was here or you might have gotten hurt.” Her voice was like falling snow; so calm and serene. The yellow pegasus flew up and returned the baby bird back to its nest. “She seems like a nice pony”, Scootaloo whispered as she moved her head back behind the tree. “Yeah. I think we can trust her”, Skylark said. For the first time in two days Scootaloo and Skylark smiled at one another.

With their minds made up, Scootaloo and Skylark stepped into the clearing and approached the pegasus. The fillies were a few feet behind the pegasus, and she was still unaware of their presence. Scootaloo began nervously, “Um...E-excuse me. My sister and I are-” “AAAAAHHHHH!!!!”, the startled pegasus yelled with about as much volume as a mouse. She quickly hid herself in a nearby bush. “We’re sorry. We-we didn’t mean to scare you”, Skylark reassured the frightened pegasus who was making the whole bush tremble. The pegasus peeked through the bush, “Oh. You’re just ponies.I thought you were a monster from the forest. My name is Fluttershy. Are you two lost?” Scootaloo and Skylark introduced themselves and Scootaloo explained their situation, “We were on our way to Ponyville when...”

By the time Scootaloo had reached the end of her story, she and Skylark were both teary eyed yet again. Their tragic story had almost brought Fluttershy to tears also. She drew the fillies in close, wiped their tears, and embraced them tightly, “That is just terrible. You two have been through so much and stayed strong against all odds”, her voice had become even softer and more tender than the first time they heard her speak. “Come with me to my cottage. It’s not far from here. I will get you cleaned up and have your bellies full in no time”, Fluttershy told them with the warmest of smiles. The fillies hung their heads low as they spoke in unison, “We won’t be a burden to you we promise. We won’t stay long.” Fluttershy stared at them for a moment before a grin grew on her face. She lifted the fillies’ heads so they were eye to eye with her then she spoke, “It’s never a burden for me to help my friends.” Tears burst from the fillies’ eyes but this time they were not tears of sorrow. They were tears of joy. Fluttershy’s compassion and kindness were more than Scootaloo and Skylark could have asked for.

Chapter 3 - First Night and a Day Out

Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Skylark arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage just as the sun reached the horizon. Although the fillies were glad somepony had taken them, they were worried they would be an inconvenience. Fluttershy leading the way, they stepped into the warm and cozy cottage. Scootaloo and Skylark stood in the center of the living area as their eyes wandered around the room. They noticed several small beds and miniature house placed around the room. “What are all the little beds and houses for?” Skylark asked. “Those are for the animals that I take care of from time to time. Right now all of the animals are feeling well so none of them need to stay here”, Fluttershy responded from the kitchen as she prepared some food for the fillies, “Do you two like dandelions?” They whirled their heads around as quickly as they could and replied with a burst of enthusiasm, “They’re our favorites!"

Moments later Fluttershy emerged from the kitchen with two plates with dandelion sandwiches and apple slices on each one. Scootaloo and Skylark had not eaten much for the last two days and were entranced by the delicious delicacies She noticed that Scootaloo and Skylark were still standing in the same spot as when they walked inside. With a slight chuckle Fluttershy assured them, “You can sit on the couch. It won’t eat you.” The fillies giggled and climbed onto the couch and began eating.

With their bellies full and Fluttershy’s loving smile within their sights, everything was just right.Skylark was reaching for her last apple slice, and she suddenly froze. The memories of what had happened to her parents and the pain she felt crushed her happiness and sense of security. Her head drooped and almost silent noises trickled from her mouth. Her cyan mane blocked her face from Fluttershy, but Fluttershy had no doubt that she was crying. She could only imagine the sadness these two fillies must feel. Fluttershy sat down on the couch next Skylark and embraced her. Skylark returned her hug but a much tighter grip. Scootaloo had been fighting back her emotions and tears but seeing her sister’s pain caused her own emotions to overwhelm her and she also began to cry. Fluttershy drew Scootaloo closer to her and comforted the sorrowful fillies with her embrace and gentle, soothing words, “Shhhh. It’s okay little fillies. Your tears are proof of how much you love your parents and that you will never, ever forget them.” Scootaloo and Skylark cried themselves to sleep in Fluttershy’s embrace. She laid them down and carefully wiped the tears from their faces. She covered them with a blanket and a strange feeling filled her heart. She had never felt anything like it before, but it was a wonderful feeling she never wanted to go away. With a grin she whispered, “Goodnight Scootaloo. Goodnight Skylark. In the morning I’m sure you will feel better.”

The next morning Scootaloo and Skylark awoke to the delicious smell of breakfast. After they had finished their breakfast, Fluttershy drew a bath for them since they were still covered in leaves, twigs, and mud. They had done their best to clean themselves off before they entered the cottage the night before. The fillies reveled in the warm soothing water. Just as Fluttershy had predicted the night before, Scootaloo and Skylark felt much better than the night before. Their tears had alleviated some of the pain in their hearts. They finished their bath and headed downstairs where Fluttershy was waiting for them. “I have to leave the house for a little bit to take of care of a few things. I shouldn’t be gone-” A look of desperation quickly swept across Scootaloo and Skylark’s faces, and Skylark spoke up, “Can...can we go with you? We will understand if you say no. We just...” She was holding back her tears as best as she could and was unable to complete her sentence, so Scootaloo had to finish it for her, “We just don’t want to be alone. That’s all. We were alone in the forest for two days. Being alone is a terrible feeling.” Fluttershy’s heart sank. She was about to put them back in that state of loneliness without a second thought. A tear welled up in Fluttershy’s eye, but she wiped it away before it could fall and cheerfully answered, “Of course you can come with me! If you don’t want to be alone, I will try to always be with you.”

The three of them set off down a small path that was not far from the cottage. “Where are we going?” Scootaloo asked. “Winter will be here soon and every year I try to help out the animals in their preparations.” It was currently early Autumn throughout Equestria, but the cold had already begun to slowly encroach on Ponyville. Skylark seemed especially interested in the task at hoof and excitedly barraged Fluttershy with a lot of questions, “How do you help them prepare? How many of them are their? Are they cute? Are they fluffy? How long 'til we get there?” Fluttershy was taken aback at Skylark’s sudden enthusiasm. Fluttershy had only seen the timid and quiet Skylark since they had first met. Fluttershy was happy Skylark was finally becoming comfortable enough to open up to her. “Well, I help them gather food sometimes and help fix their homes so they stay warm when it gets cold. There are a lot of them throughout Ponyville but most of them live near the forest and-" Scootaloo interrupted, “I hate that forest!" Fluttershy was unsure how to respond to Scootaloo’s comment and kept quiet while she thought. “You can’t hate the forest Scoot!", Skylark said in a slightly irritated voice, “What happened to mama and daddy isn’t the forest’s fault. It was that big mean dragon!" Scootaloo mumbled, “Well, I still don’t like it. It’s scary.” Skylark was quick to tease her, “Oh so you are scared of something after all.” Scootaloo blushed and insisted, “I am not!", Fluttershy couldn’t help but laugh at their playful attitudes. She had not seen them this relaxed and it was a lovely sight. Seeing the little fillies overcoming the past filled Fluttershy’s heart with joy. She also felt the same strange feeling from the night before. “It’s okay Scootaloo. Everypony gets scared sometimes. Skylark is right though. Think of the forest as a house. If a bad pony lives in a house, does that make the house bad also?” Scootaloo contemplated Fluttershy’s words for a moment and then with a smile she responded, “You’re right Fluttershy. I was wrong to blame the forest for something it didn’t do. I didn’t know you were so smart!", Fluttershy blushed and chuckled nervously at Scootaloo’s compliment. “That’s what I was trying to tell you this whole time.” Skylark said to prove she was just as smart. “You wish were as smart as Fluttershy”, Scootaloo mocked.

“Here we are at our first stop”, Fluttershy announced. They had stopped at a small burrow at the bottom of a tree just a little ways from the path. “Something lives in this hole?” Skylark said doubtfully. Fluttershy stepped closer to the burrow and knelt down closer to it and called out, “Hello. Are you in there Mr. Badger?” At first there was no response but soon a grumpy old badger emerged from the burrow. “Scootaloo, Skylark, this is Mr. Badger and this is his home.” Scootaloo and Skylark weren't quite sure what to say. Scootaloo looked to Fluttershy and asked, "Can he understand us?" "No, but that does mean you shouldn't be courteous", Fluttershy said, encouraging the fillies to introduce themselves. "Hello. My name is Scootaloo." "My name is Skylark. It's nice to meet you." He stared at them for a few seconds then stuck the fron half of his body back inside his burrow and kicked up dirt all over the three ponies. “So much for courtesy.” Scootaloo said as she spit dirt out of her mouth. “Badgers are known for their grumpiness and bad manners. I'm sure he wasn't trying to be mean”, Fluttershy informed her. “He didn’t have to throw dirt on us”, Skylark remarked. “He said he isn’t in need of any help this year, so we will move on to the next one”, Fluttershy told the fillies as she turned to walk back to the path. “You can talk to animals?” Skylark asked. “Yes. My special talent is understanding and taking care of animals”, Fluttershy told them with a sense of pride. “That's amazing! I wish I knew what my special talent is”, Skylark squealed. “One day you will both figure it out”, Fluttershy said reassuringly.

They continued walking down the path and meeting Fluttershy’s animal friends. None of them had needed any help this year. Soon they came across a bunny that needed help fixing up his home to keep the cold winter winds out. “Would you girls like to help?” Fluttershy asked the two fillies. “Of course!", they said simultaneously. Fluttershy gave them their tasks, “Scootaloo why don’t you go find us some strong twigs. Skylark you can help Mr. Bunny clean out his burrow.” Skylark crawled into Mr. bunny’s burrow and began helping him clean it out. After she had gathered all of the miscellaneous debris, she began to crawl back out. However, she found herself stuck in the burrow. “Um. Fluttershy. Are you still out there?”, Skylark called out. Fluttershy could hear her but couldn’t understand what she was saying. Fluttershy walked over to the burrow and looked inside. She could only see Skylark’s hind legs. “Are you done Skylark?”, Fluttershy asked. Skylark answered with an uncertain voice, “Well...yes. Although I’m stuck, and I can’t seem to get free.” Fluttershy was unable to reach in far enough to pull Skylark out, and Mr. Bunny was unable to push her out from the inside. “Let me go find Scootaloo. She can fit inside there and help pull you out”, Fluttershy said as she began trotting off, “Stay right there. Don’t go anywhere.” I think she missed the part about me being stuck, Skylark thought.

Scootaloo was still off gathering twigs for Mr. Bunny’s house. She was trying to find only the best twigs to bring back to Fluttershy. Scootaloo saw a densely wooded area that she thought would have perfect twigs. She pushed aside the bottom of a large bush and found several twigs to bring back. Suddenly she heard a low growl emit from the other side of the bush. She nervously stepped away from the bush and the growling stopped. She let out a sigh of relief. A bear emerged from the wooded area and spotted Scootaloo. It growled yet again and this time began chasing after Scootaloo. Scootaloo ran with all her might back towards Mr. Bunny’s burrow. “Fluttershy!” Scootaloo yelled repeatedly as she ran. Fluttershy who was running to find Scootaloo so she could help get Skylark out of the burrow, could hear Scootaloo calling her name. Fluttershy ran even faster fearing the worst.The two of them finally found each other and Scootaloo was out of breath and was unable to speak. She simply kept pointing behind her and urging Fluttershy to run. Before Fluttershy could turn around to start running, the bear emerged from behind a tree. Fluttershy recognized the bear. She had given him massages before for his sore muscles. “Stop right there mister!”, Fluttershy commanded, “Who do you think you are chasing this poor little filly around? You should know better! Don’t ever let me catch chasing another pony again. Do you understand me?” The bear was in shock at Fluttershy’s uncharacteristic harshness. “I said do you understand me?”, she repeated. The bear hung his head and nodded and headed back to the wooded area he had been in. “That was amazing Fluttershy!”, Scootaloo said excitedly, “How did you do that?” Fluttershy turned to her, “We will talk about it later. Right now I need your help. Skylark is stuck in Mr. Bunny’s burrow, and we need your help to get her out.”

Fluttershy and Scootaloo arrived back at the burrow. Mr. Bunny had exited the burrow through another tunnel and was now waiting impatiently outside the entrance where Skylark had gotten stuck. He was very unhappy about the filly being stuck in his home. “Okay. When you have a good hold on Skylark, flick your tail to let me know when to pull you out”, Fluttershy told Scootaloo. Scootaloo nodded her head and crawled in far enough so she could grab onto Skylark. She flicked her tail, and Fluttershy grabbed onto Scootaloo's hoof began to pull. Fluttershy pulled and pulled but it was more difficult to pull Skylark out than she had expected. Fluttershy dug her hooves into the ground, then reared back with all her might. Fluttershy fell back onto her flank with thud, and Scootaloo and Skylark shot out of the burrow and landed right in front of her. The fillies rose to their hooves and dusted themselves off. “I’m sorry I caused so much trouble”, Skylark whimpered with her head hung low. “And I’m sorry for not being more careful”, Scootaloo said mimicking Skylark's posture. Fluttershy patted their heads, “It’s okay girls. It’s not like you meant to get stuck in the burrow or get chased by a bear.” Skylark’s mood changed almost instantly, and she looked at Scootaloo with a raised eyebrow, “A bear?” “That’s not important”, Scootaloo said. After a few hours, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Skylark had finished preparing Mr. Bunny’s burrow for the coming months of winter chill. Before the ponies headed back home, Mr. Bunny gave each of them a carrot as thanks for their help. Scootaloo and Skylark were thrilled that they were able to help out another just as Fluttershy was helping them. “If you girls don’t mind, I would like to introduce you to some of my closest friends tomorrow”, Fluttershy offered. “We would love to”, they responded. The fillies were nervous about meeting new ponies, but didn’t want to be alone and liked being with Fluttershy. They were growing fond of Fluttershy just as much as she was growing fond of them.

Chapter 4 - Friends and Fleeing

The next morning the sun slowly rose over the horizon and eventually made its way right onto Scootaloo and Skylark’s faces. They scrunched their faces as the light gently woke them from their sleep. The fillies stretched their bodies before finally climbing out of a bed Fluttershy had made out of extra blankets and pillows and set up for them in one of the unused rooms upstairs. Still a little hazy, Scootaloo and Skylark carefully made their way down the stairs so as not to miss a step and end up tumbling to the bottom. “Fluttershy! Are you down here?” Scootaloo called out. She received no answer. They quickly searched throughout the house. Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. A slight panic struck the fillies. Fluttershy opened the front door as the fillies continued their desperate search, “Are you girls up yet?” she called out. Just like the day before, Fluttershy was awake long before the fillies and had been outside tending to the chickens. Scootaloo and Skylark popped their heads out from behind the couch and a wave of relief flowed through them. “Oh. There you two are. What are you doing behind the couch?”, Fluttershy asked with a puzzled expression. The two little ponies were embarrassed that they had gotten so flustered over nothing, “We were...just playing”, Skylark said trying as hard as she could to make it sound like she was telling the truth. “I see. Well I’ve taken care of everything around the house, so we will be heading into town soon”, she continued, “The reason I asked if you two would like to meet my friends is because they are each in need of some help today. I figured I might as well introduce you to them today since I was meeting up with them anyway.”

The three ponies headed into Ponyville and everything was new and exciting to Scootaloo and Skylark. “First we will stop by my friend Rarity’s store. She needs help making one of her new dresses.” The three of them entered the Carousel Boutique and were met by a flurry of flying materials. Scootaloo and Skylark were in awe of all of the beautiful dresses in the boutique. “Um...Rarity?” Fluttershy beckoned. Rarity was too focused on her work to even notice anypony had entered the store. Fluttershy started walking towards Rarity and was almost struck by a stray piece of fabric flying around the room. She ducked as low as she possibly could and continued the rest of the way to Rarity by crawling. Fluttershy reached out and tapped Rarity’s leg, “Um...Rarity. I’m here to help you with your dress.” Rarity still seemed to not notice Fluttershy’s presence but after a few hesitant seconds she set her materials, “Oh yes! I’m glad you could make it dear. How are you doing?”, Rarity said in her usual enthusiastic tone. “I’m okay. I have two ponies I would like to introduce you to”, Fluttershy told Rarity as she looked towards Scootaloo and Skylark who were still enthralled by Rarity’s dresses. “Girls. Come over here for a second. I would like you to meet my friend Rarity.” The two ponies made their way over to Fluttershy and Rarity.

“My name is Scootaloo.”

“And..my name...is Skylark”, she said rather shakily.

“It’s nice to meet you Miss Rarity”

“Oh please girls. You can just call me Rarity. Although Miss Rarity does have quite a nice ring to it doesn’t it? No, no. Just Rarity will do. Would you three like something to drink? Perhaps a snack?”

Rarity was always very proper and courteous to her friends and customers alike. She kept drinks and snacks at the ready in case company should show up unexpectedly. “That would be lovely”, Fluttershy replied. After a few minutes Rarity returned with a tray of cups and small bite sized sandwiches. As they ate the sandwiches and drank the tea, Fluttershy and Rarity made small talk. Once the sandwiches and tea were gone, the fillies returned to admiring the dresses with a little prodding from Fluttershy. “Please, please, please, please don’t tell me took these little fillies like you took Philomena”, Rarity begged. “Of course not. You didn’t have to bring that up. It was all just a misunderstanding. I am currently caring for these fillies....” Fluttershy relayed Scootaloo and Skylark’s story to Rarity. “That’s just awful!” Rarity exclaimed after hearing about the fillies’ plight. “How long will they be staying with you? Perhaps you can find somepony else to take care of them?”, Rarity didn’t seem too keen about the thought of Fluttershy taking care of the fillies. “I don’t know how long they will be staying with me. I don’t think it would be a good idea to just pass them off to somepony else after all they’ve been through. They just need somepony there for them right now”, Fluttershy smiled as she watched Scootaloo and Skylark happily scouring the racks of dresses. “Now about that dress I needed help wi-”, Rarity was cut off mid-sentence by a clanking noise. Scootaloo and Skylark had knocked over one of the dress racks which had fallen into a shelf and sent materials scattering all over the floor. “Oh dear. Are you two alright”, Fluttershy was more concerned about Scootaloo and Skylark unlike Rarity who was clearly upset about the mess she now had to clean up. “We’re sorry Miss Rarity. It was an accident”, Scootaloo said as she positioned herself between the adult ponies and Skylark, trying to physically shield her sister from the tension. “Anyway”, Rarity picked up from earlier, “I was actually able to finish the dress in question last night.” “Oh. Alright. I guess I will see you later then." Fluttershy couldn't help but think Rarity just didn't want her help anymore.

Once Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Skylark had left the Carousel Boutique, the fillies knelt down in front of Fluttershy, “We’re sorry we messed things up. It really was an accident.” “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to. Let’s head over to see my next friend. She lives in a bakery. She has a big order of muffins to fill and asked if I could give her a hoof.” Onward to Sugarcube Corner they went. As they reached the entrance, Mr. and Mrs. Cake rushed out on their way to make a delivery. Inside the store there was no sign of anypony being there. Suddenly a great sneeze and puff of flour came from behind the counter. Fluttershy peeked over to the other side of the counter, “Pinkie?” “Oh. Hey Fluttershy! Ready to make some muffins with me?” A huge smile adorned Pinkie Pie’s face as it almost always did.

“Yes, but first I would like to introd-”

“Great! We can get started right away!” Pinkie began gathering all the necessary ingredients for her muffins.

“But Pinkie you didn’t let me fini-”

“Oh no! We’re out of milk! No wait there it is. I was expecting it to be more cow shaped.”

“Pinkie please listen to me for a minute. I have some-”

“I already know what you’re going to say. I love muffins too! Don’t worry. We will make some extra muffins just for us-us-usss.....” Pinkie had leaned over the counter to give Fluttershy a hug and noticed the two fillies sitting on the other side. Her expression became serious as she stared at Fluttershy. “Fluttershy. Why didn’t you tell me you brought friends? Not only did you not tell me but I’ve never seen them before which means they are new in town and if they are new in town and I’ve never seen them then they aren’t my friends yet and everypony is my friend and I’m friends with everypo-”, Pinkie was momentarily interrupted by her own thoughts, “I haven’t even sang the welcome song to them yet! Even worse I haven’t thrown them a welcome party!” Quickly Pinkie galloped upstairs and returned with her welcome wagon. After singing her welcome song to Scootaloo and Skylark, she proceeded to give them each a balloon and then danced with them. “Whew! There we go. Now I’ve sang you the welcome song and thrown you a quick welcome party. I know it wasn’t much but don’t you fret. I throw parties almost every week!” Pinkie’s over-the-top energy left the fillies baffled about what had just taken place. Pinkie Pie began to laugh hysterically, “I almost forgot. My name is Pinkie Pie. What are your names?” Scootaloo and Skylark reiterated the same greeting they had given Rarity but this time slowly since their brains were still trying to comprehend what had transpired. Taking advantage of their daze, Fluttershy quickly told Pinkie the gist of why the fillies were with her. “Oh. That’s terrible. I’m sure they will feel better once they get a taste of my muffins.” Pinkie bounced back into the kitchen with her three guests in tow. “Okay so we need to make fifty muffins for this order. Would you girls like to make some muffins?” The fillies had finally come out of their daze and nodded their heads in reply to Pinkie’s question. “Who could possibly need fifty muffins for a single order?” Fluttershy asked after reading the order ticket. Pinkie was already preparing the mix for the first batch and showing Scootaloo and Skylark each step needed to make them, “Do you even have to ask?” A light bulb seemed to turn in Fluttershy’s head, “Oh yeah. I guess that was a pretty silly question.”

Two hours later they had finally finished baking all fifty of the required muffins. After the first batch had finished cooking, the bakery smelled just as delicious. After the fiftieth batch, the ponies could only smell flour and eggs. “Now that you two know how to make the muffins, would you like to try making some?” Scootaloo and Skylark nodded their heads so vigorously, it seemed as if they would pop right off. Everything was going smoothly. They had prepared the mix and put them in the oven. Unfortunately they had lost track of how long the muffins had been in. A faint black smoke began to flow through the bakery. “Oh no!” The fillies ran to check on their muffins but it was too late. Pinkie picked one out of the mould and tapped it against the side of the stove. “Wow! These are really burned. That’s amazing! I didn’t know it was possible for them to get this hard.” Fluttershy glared at Pinkie. “Um. I mean...You girls did your best. Cooking isn’t always easy. I will go ahead and make another batch.” The next batch turned out just as well as the fifty batches. They ate their muffins, said farewell to Pinkie, and were on their way to see another one of Fluttershy’s friends. The rest of the day continued in a similar pattern: The fillies attempted to help but didn’t fare so well.

As Fluttershy and the two fillies headed back home just after the sun had set, a cold wind swept over them. “It seems winter may be a bit early this year.” Fluttershy stopped and watched the clouds drift through the sky. The fillies nudged her to get her attention, “We are really, really, really sorry about today. We just wanted to help you because you have done so much for us but every time we tried, we just made things worse.” Fluttershy knelt on the ground, “You two did help me. Sometimes helping doesn’t always go as planned. Even if you make mistakes, the important thing is that your hearts were in the right place.” The fillies didn’t seem to encouraged by Fluttershy’s words. They were too far down to be brought back up so easily. “But Spike was turned into a hippo because we gave Twilight the wrong book. Rainbow Dash got stuck in a barrel because we didn’t put it in the right place. And Applejack’s apples are probably still rolling towards Manehattan.” Fluttershy giggled a little, “Trust me. Spike has had much worse happen to him. Rainbow Dash wasn’t really mad at you two, that’s just the way she is. Besides that’s not the first time she’s been stuck in something. If you ask me, I think Applejack was happy she had an excuse to take a break from bucking the trees and she will probably visit her aunt and uncle while she’s in Manehattan.” No matter how down Scootaloo and Skylark felt, they couldn’t help but giggle about the thoughts of what could be worse than getting turned into a hippo, how many times Rainbow Dash had gotten stuck, or Applejack chasing apples all the way to Manehattan.

They made it home before it had gotten too late. “I have a surprise for you two. Follow me upstairs, please.” The three of them headed upstairs towards the room Scootaloo and Skylark slept in the night before. Fluttershy opened the door and on either side of the room were two beautiful new beds.

“I bought you each a bed and while we were out I had somepony from the furniture store come by and set them up for you.”

“You got beds...for us?”

“Well, not just beds. I thought...maybe if you would like...um...this could be your room from now on.”

“Thank you Fluttershy. For everything you’ve done for us.”

With that they hugged Fluttershy and were off to bed. They didn’t fall asleep. They lay there thinking about the events of the day and how they had messed up so much and how, they believed, they had caused Fluttershy a lot of problems.

“Skylark. Are you still awake?” Scootaloo whispered.

“Yeah.” Although it was far too dark for her to see Scootaloo, Skylark positioned herself so that she was facing Scootaloo’s direction.

“I think we are causing Fluttershy too many problems.”

“We did cause her a lot of problems today.” Skylark sank in her bed a little at the thought of her own words.

“Daddy said we could take care of ourselves if nopony would take us in. I think it would be okay for us to take care of each other since we are causing Fluttershy so much trouble.”

“But I like Fluttershy. I want to stay with her.” A little embarrassed, Skylark partially covered her face with her blanket.

“I know. Me too, but we are just going to keep causing her trouble if we stay. Are you with me?”

“I...I’m with you.” Skylark’s answer was a bit reluctant.

The two of them got out of bed and slowly and quietly made their way downstairs. They left a short note on the couch. It read:

We are sorry we have caused you so much trouble. Don’t worry.
We won’t be coming back. We are big fillies. We can take care of ourselves.

Love,

Scootaloo and Skylark

After placing their note, they left the cottage and head towards the Everfree forest. They wanted to stay with Fluttershy, but they didn’t want to cause her trouble even more. As they ran a few tears escaped from their eyes. The cold winter wind accompanied them on their path back into the forest once again.

Chapter 5 - Family

Scootaloo and Skylark made their way into the Everfree as the night tightened its grip on the land. Once they were well within the tree line, they slowed to a trot. They weren’t quite sure where they were going to stay or how they would get food. After a little wandering around in the forest, they found the remains of a once large tree. There was a small den just under the base of the trunk. The fillies quickly made their way inside to escape the chilled air. Fortunately there was not another creature already inhabiting the den. There was a lot of loose dirt and debris throughout the small den. The fillies began clearing the debris and Skylark put all the leaves into one single pile at the back of the den, “We can use these leaves as beds.” Scootaloo stared at her for a moment, “I’m glad you’re so smart. I never would have thought about that if it were just me out here”, with a smile, Scootaloo began pushing the rest of the dirt and debris out of the den. Meanwhile, Skylark had began arranging the leaves into two separate piles for them to use as beds. Tired from their sprint into the forest, they were quick to fall asleep in their new home.

The little ponies awoke late into the morning. Due to the positioning of the tree, the full brunt of the sunlight was unable to illuminate the den and wake them as it did at Fluttershy’s house. Scootaloo stretched, and her belly quickly made it aware that she was hungry with a low grumbling, “Perhaps we should try finding something to eat first?” Skylark gave a groggy nod and unsteadily started for out the den. There wasn’t much that could be safely eaten in the Everfree. Even the grass would give the sturdiest adult ponies a belly ache. Coupled with Scootaloo and Skylark’s lack of knowledge on edible plants, they were in for a hard time finding something to eat. They searched the area nearby and found a few dandelions and daisies here and there but not enough to quell their hunger. Although the wind had stopped, the air was much colder than before. Their breath swirled upwards into the cold morning sky with each exhale. With a disappointed frown, Scootaloo called to her sister, “We should head back to the den and warm up before we search any farther.”

Back at the den, the fillies did everything they could to keep warm. They had remembered how Fluttershy had helped Mr. Bunny fix his den so it would stay warm and tried their best to replicate the process step by step. They gathered sticks and more leaves. Scootaloo crafted a crude woven door with leaves between the sticks for insulation. She could clearly see that her own skill was far inferior to Fluttershy’s. With the leftover leaves they had gathered, Skylark lined as much of the interior of the den as she could. They completed their work in about an hour and had now retreated back into the den. They huddled together to keep warm and soon, whether the den was actually warming up or they were just getting use to the cold, they became more comfortable. A sadness began to linger in their den. They were once again alone in a harsh, unforgiving environment that they already associated with their parents’ deaths. Now they had separated themselves from Fluttershy also. Their little hearts were torn between what they wanted and what they thought they should do. They didn’t need to speak to know that they were struggling with the same emotions and it caused them to hold one another even tighter, not to fight off the chill that seemed to have faded, but to try and fend off their own tormenting thoughts.

***
Earlier that morning
***

Fluttershy awoke at her usual time and headed downstairs to begin her daily tasks. She headed outside to feed and check on the chickens. What normally only takes about ten minutes, took thirty. A fox had tried to get the chickens and made a mess of the coop. After the coop had been cleaned up and reorganized, Fluttershy headed back inside and sat down on the couch. A crumpling noise caught her attention when she hopped onto the couch. She looked under her hoof and noticed a piece of paper had been left on the couch. She began to throw it away until she realized there was writing on it. The writing wasn’t the best in Equestria, but it was still legible:

We are sorry we have caused you so much trouble. Don’t worry. We won’t be coming back. We are big fillies. We can take care of ourselves.

Love,

Scootaloo and Skylark

Fear. Worry. These were among the many emotions Fluttershy had after reading the note. She was paralyzed, unable to fully grasp the reality of the situation. Moments later she had broken free of the paralysis and darted up the stairs to where Scootaloo and Skylark were supposed to be sleeping. Empty. They were not in their beds or in the room at all. Fluttershy’s heart and breathing began to race. She ran through the house and outside calling out, “Scootaloo! Skylark!”, in hopes that one of them would answer. Unfortunately her cries went unheard by the little ponies. Fluttershy sprinted all the way into Ponyville. She ran from pony to pony asking if they had seen the little fillies. She ran to each of her friends hoping they had seen them. No trace of the fillies could be found. Fluttershy was distraught, “Oh, Twilight. I...I just don’t know what to do. I’m such a bad caretaker. I didn’t even notice they were gone until this morning. I...I...”, Fluttershy broke down in tears. Twilight did her best to comfort her, “Fluttershy, It’s alright. I’m sure they are okay. It wasn’t your fault you didn’t notice. They are small so their hoofsteps don’t make much noise. I don’t think anypony would have been able to know. Your worry shows how much you truly care for those fillies. I will help you look for them.” Fluttershy had to suppress her sobs in order to speak intelligibly.

“Nopony in town has seen them...Wait.No. Surely they wouldn’t. Would they?”

“What is it Fluttershy?”

“I was just thinking that maybe they have gone back into the Everfree.”

“Why would they go back into the forest?”

“They know the area a little bit and they are quite timid around other ponies.”

“We should start looking in the part of the forest closest to your cottage.”

Fluttershy and Twilight quickly headed for the forest.

“Scootaloo!”

“Skylark!”

***

“We should go out and try to find some more food. I’m starving! We will have to search farther away from the den this time”, Scootaloo groaned and rubbed her belly as it grumbled. Scootaloo and Skylark stepped out of the den and were greeted by the ever chilling air. Skylark motioned to Scootaloo, “I saw a stream in this direction earlier. We should drink so we don’t get dehydrated.” Scootaloo caught up and matched her pace, “I really don’t know what I would do without y-” ACHOO! Skylark let out a tremendous sneeze that nearly startled Scootaloo to death. Scootaloo stopped Skylark and slowly and silently analyzed her face, “Are you feeling okay? You might be starting to get a cold. You should head back to the den. I will go search for some food.” Skylark shook her head adamantly, “No. I’m coming with you. Something just tickled my nose. Besides, finding food is just as much my responsibility as it is yours.” Scootaloo wasn’t buying Skylark’s dismissal of her sneeze, but she knew there wasn’t any stopping her from searching for food anyway. Even if she had force Skylark back to the den, she would have just went out on her own after Scootaloo left.

The little ponies soon made it to the stream Skylark had seen. The bank was steep and there wasn’t anything for them to steady their descent with. Slowly they inched down the embankment one hoof in front of the other. ACHOO! Skylark let out another sneeze that caused her to lose her balance. Scootaloo reached out to try and catch Skylark, but in the act she also lost her balance. The two fillies both went tumbling into the frigid stream. Although they were soaked, the stream was shallow enough for them stand with their heads above the water. “I-I-I-It’s so c-co-cold”, Scootaloo chattered. Driven on by their hunger, they shook off as much water as they could and continued on their search for food. Just on the other side of the stream they found several small blackberry bushes. They knew these were safe to eat and began munching away at the berries. Soon they had devoured all of the berries from one bush and half of another. With their bellies finally full, they made their way back to the den.

ACHOO! ACHOO! Back at the den, both Scootaloo and Skylark were now sneezing and Skylark had developed a terrible cough as well. The chilly dip in the stream was beginning to take its toll on their bodies. They snuggled together in their den with sneezing coming from one or the other of them every few minutes. Skylark had already fallen asleep, but Scootaloo couldn’t allow herself to doze off. She was staying awake to keep watch over her younger sister. Earlier on their way back to the den, Scootaloo noticed that Skylark was looking worse and worse every minute. She questioned Skylark about her health, but she just dismissed it as tiredness. At one point Skylark nearly fainted and it was then that Scootaloo became even more concerned for her sister.

***

“Have you found them yet Twilight”, Fluttershy called out. Twilight teleported next to Fluttershy, “No, not yet. Don’t worry we will find them.” The two ponies searched deeper into the Everfree. ACHOO! Fluttershy’s ears perked up and rotated try to find the source of the noise, “Did you hear that? I think it came from over here.” The two rushed after the sneeze they had heard and soon came to the remains of a large tree. “I was sure I heard it from this direction”, Fluttershy’s hopeful expression had now turned to one of despair. ACHOO! They could clearly tell that noise originated from the tree’s remains. “Either we have found the first ever sneezing tree or something is inside”, Twilight said half jokingly. They investigated the tree and Fluttershy noticed the crude woven door, “Twilight! Their in here! This is door is made the same way as Mr. Bunny’s.” Twilight was confused as to who Mr. Bunny was and why his door meant anything. Fluttershy removed the door and saw the two sneezing little ponies. “Scootaloo. Skylark. I’m so glad you’re alri-”

“I think there’s something wrong with Skylark”, Scootaloo was in tears, “She started sneezing earlier and then we fell into the stream and then she got worse and almost fainted and now she won’t wake up.” Fluttershy and Twilight quickly pulled the fillies out of the den. “Twilight. Can you teleport us back to town?” Twilight grimaced a little, “I could but given Skylark’s condition it probably wouldn’t be safe.” Without any hesitation Fluttershy quickly flew above the forest, “Twilight. Please take Scootaloo home with you for a little while.” Twilight nodded, “Hold on to tight Scootaloo.” Twilight’s horn began to spark with magic and suddenly her and Scootaloo were back at the tree house. Meanwhile Fluttershy was flying faster than she ever had to get Skylark to the hospital. Fluttershy arrived at the hospital within minutes. “Dctor! Doctor!”, Fluttershy burst into the hospital. “Please calm down. What’s the problem?”, the doctor replied peeking out of a nearby room. Fluttershy flew over holding Skylark, “She got sick out in the Everfree and now she won’t wake up.” The doctor quickly took Skylark from Fluttershy’s grasp and laid her down on a bed in another room. He began checking her breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and everything he could possibly check.The doctor finished all of his procedures and finally had time to speak to Fluttershy, “I believe she may have pneumonia. Now, you said something about her and her sister falling into a stream in the forest correct?”

“Yes. They went off into the forest by themselves.”

“I would like you to bring in her sister so I can check and make sure she is alright.”

“Of Course.”

Fluttershy reluctantly left Skylark at the hospital to retrieve Scootaloo. The doctor checked all of her vitals and concluded, “She seems to have a bit of a cold, but she should be fine if you give her medicine for the next few days”, his gaze turned to Skylark, “However, Skylark is not doing so well and she will need to stay here for a while.” Scootaloo didn’t take her eyes off Skylark, “She’s going to be okay though isn’t she doctor?” A painful expression passed from his face as soon as it had arisen and he was glad Scootaloo didn’t see it, “I’m sure she will be fine”, his head hung low as he exited the room.

The room was still and the only noise that could be heard were from the hallway which seemed like a completely separate universe to Fluttershy and Scootaloo. The only thing they could do was sit with Skylark and hope she got better. Fluttershy didn’t quite know how to deal with this situation. She had never been in this situation before; possibly losing someone close to her. Scootaloo had already gone through that experience once and now it may happen again. Fluttershy was concerned for Skylark’s physical health and Scootaloo’s mental and emotional health should the worst occur. The weight Fluttershy was feeling was unbearable. She moved closer to Scootaloo who was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, eyes fixated on Skylark as if she would wake up any moment and things would go back to normal. Fluttershy put one hoof around Scootaloo and hugged her tightly while she caressed Skylark’s face with the other. She was trying to comfort Scootaloo, but she was also seeking comfort for herself and it made her feel selfish. Scootaloo eventually wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy. Scootaloo pressed her face into Fluttershy trying to hide her tears, but her audible sobs betrayed her. Fluttershy tried her best to hold back her own tears and stay strong for the fillies. It was too much for her. The two of them sat on the side of the bed crying and trying to comfort one another. They had but one wish: Let Skylark be alright so we can be a family together.

“Flutter...shy...”

Prologue

This is a tale of tragedy and pain; of hope and optimism; of hardship and turmoil; of effort and achievement. But most of all it is a tale of a certain orange pegasus named Scootaloo. Scootaloo and her family lived in Fillydelphia. Her family consisted of her father an Earth pony named Stonehoof, her mother a pegasus named Star-Racer, her sister, also an Earth pony, named Skylark, and of course herself a pegasus.

Perhaps you are wondering why the family does not live in Cloudsdale? There are two reasons. Firstly, in order for the family to stay together they must live in one of the Earth pony cities since Stonehoof, Skylark and Scootaloo are unable to stand on the clouds of Cloudsdale. The second reason being that the pegasi of Cloudsdale do not take kindly to their own kind marrying “lowly” Earth ponies. Star-Racer’s family ware the most adamant about their disapproval of the two ponies’ relationship. To avoid being chastised, they decide to settle down in Fillydelphia and start their family.

Shortly after moving to Fillydelphia, Stonehoof and Star-Racer have a foal and name her Scootaloo. Two years later they have another foal and name her Skylark. The two little foals couldn’t be more different. Scootaloo is not afraid to take on a challenge. She can often be found trying her hardest to fly. Skylark on the other hoof, is reserved and sensitive. She relies on Scootaloo whom is always nearby to help and protect her. The two foals are the best of friends and do almost everything together.

After a few years of living in Fillydelphia, Stonehoof and Star-Racer decide it would be a nice change of scenery to leave the busy city of Fillydelphia for a smaller and quieter town. After much deliberation they choose Ponyville to be their new home. They hear from friends of theirs that Ponyville is a pleasant town with very nice ponies at every turn.

The family is nearing Ponyville and the Everfree forest is within their sights. They must make a short trip through the Everfree before they can reach Ponyville. This is where little Scootaloo’s story truly begins.