It was a gloomy, chilly day. The grey clouds blanketed the sky, thunder going off in the distance. A gust of wind ran through the town, bringing leaves and other debris. Scootaloo was going to be late. She raced on her scooter to the schoolhouse, just in time for the final bell to ring. She rushed inside, and sat down at her desk.

Miss Cheerilee, the school teacher, walked in from the hall, setting her bag down beside her desk. After straightening the papers on her desk, she cleared her throat, getting the class' attention. "Good morning, everypony. Today we're going to learn about simple multiplication tables. Apple Bloom, Twist, come hand out these worksheets." The fillies in question went up and took the papers, then started handing them out. When Apple Bloom went by Diamond Tiara, the other filly stuck out her leg, making Apple Bloom trip, and fall flat on her face.

"Hahaha! Good job, blank-flank. Maybe your special talent is falling over like the loser you are!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed with each other, until Miss Cheerilee came up to them, her face unsettlingly close. She glared at the two bullies long and hard.

"I think I'll be seeing you two in my office, after school. And you will help Apple Bloom pick up those papers, understood?" She growled at them, making the two fillies gulp in tandem. They nodded in response, to which Cheerilee turned her back and went to her desk. She began to write on a slip of paper, her look one of absolute disgust. Apple Bloom finished handing out the papers, then returned to her desk, holding back tears. Beside her, Scootaloo attempted to comfort her friend, but didn't want to be called out for interrupting class. She just sat there, looking at her friend, pain etched on her face. She wanted to say something, but couldn't.

The rest of the lesson continued without incident. Although there were many nasty looks from the two bullies, the Crusaders were generally left alone. The lunch bell rang, and the trio made their way outside amid the crowd. They sat down under their usual tree, and ate, occasionally carrying on conversation. Just then, Diamond Tiara mad her way over to Apple Bloom, and glared down at them. "So, you think you've stopped me? Just because I'm in detention? I'm going to make you wish you never existed blank fla..."

Just before she finished, Scootaloo got up and bucked her square in the jaw and forehead. Diamond Tiara just looked up in fear, as Scootaloo towered above her " Don't. EVER. Talk to her that way. AGAIN!" Scootaloo shouted. She raised her legs up and bucked again, knocking Diamond out cold. Scootaloo started to sit back down, when she realized all eyes were on her. She ignored them, finishing her food. After a moment, Miss Cheerilee ran out of the school house, over to where Diamond Tiara lay, unconscious.

"Who did this?"

All hooves pointed at Scootaloo, and Miss Cheerilee sighed. She picked up Diamond, and turned to Scootaloo. "You. I want a word with you, in my classroom. Everypony is dismissed!" Cheerilee stared sadly at Scootaloo. "I have to take Diamond to the hospital, go wait in the classroom until I return." She walked off, carrying Diamond on her back. Scootaloo looked at her friends, who still had looks of shock from the fight, and headed off to the classroom.

:::

Miss Cheerilee looked at Scootaloo, sighing heavily. She had always been a nice, friendly filly. Today, she had seemed to lose her composure. She took a deep, long breath, "Scootaloo, you do know why you're here, correct? You hurt a fellow classmate without any proof of provocation, and I want you to talk about this. What's going on? I just want to help you." Scootaloo looked at Cheerilee, and what she saw made the teacher want to cry.

Scootaloo had a mixture of pain, anger, sadness, and frustration in her eyes. She had bruises on her neck that had been hidden by her mane. Her wings, now unfurled, had scratch marks on them, a few of them were scars. bruises also lined the bottoms of the wings. Cheerilee burst into tears, and rushed to hug Scootaloo. She accepted, and the two stayed there for a few minutes, just wrapped in an embrace. Cheerilee was crying, and Scootaloo tried her best to comfort the mare, but started crying herself. After a while, when all the tears were gone, Cheerilee regained her composure. "Who did this to y-you?" asked the mare. Scootaloo looked at the floor, staring at nothing in particular. Cheerilee sighed. "I know you may not want to talk about this, but I want to help you. Please, Scootaloo... at least tell me how long this has been happening."

Scootaloo bit her lip, making sure to bite hard. "About two years now. I can't say who, but he's very, very bad. He, h-he..." Scootaloo started crying again, and Cheerilee had to hug her tight to stop the shaking of the little filly's body. She shushed her, and told her it was okay if she didn't want to say. Scootaloo looked at Cheerilee, and said, "He rapes me, and beats me."

After that, Cheerilee couldn't hold back anymore. Her tears turned into those of not just sadness, but rage. Then she heard Scootaloo mumbling. "...he's my dad, but..."

Cheerilee suddenly picked up Scootaloo's face. "What did you just say? Something about your dad?"

"N-nothing, just a slip of the tongue, honestly!" The little filly was a bad liar, even more so than when she was scared.

"Scootaloo, Nopony can help you if you keep bottling it up. Just trust me." She smiled, offering a hoof to the weeping filly. Scootaloo took it, and stood up, taking shaky breaths. "You know I'm here for you, and I always will be." Scootaloo allowed a small smile to poke through, and nodded. Cheerilee hugged her again, and waved her goodbye. Cheerilee sat down at her desk, looking for Scootaloo's papers. She didn't find records, however, she did find an old address, that she couldn't recall ever seeing before. Determined to find out what was going on, she set out for the Mayor's office.

Author's Note

Okay, this'll be my first shot at a Scootaloo-centered fic, because I felt like doing this.

Anyway, hope you're enjoying.