That Night....

It was about two in the morning when I woke up in a cold sweat after a nightmare. The whole house was silent other than my heart pounding, my uneven breathing and snoring coming from my parents room. Hope dad had some ear plugs... My phone sat next to me on the charger with a glare of moon light coming off the screen. I snatched it up and slid up on the lockscreen bringing it straight to the number pad. Pressed and held 4 to call Big Mac. Speed dial... Wish it were faster. "C'mon pick up pick up!" I whispered putting my phone up to my ear. It buzzed about six times before hearing a click and a yawn. "Big Mac? It's Ryder."

Big Mac shifted a bit pushing his phone to his bed while he moved. "...What the hell Ry...? I just got comfortable..." He said. "...What'chu doin' callin me this early anyways...?" I gave a sigh.

"...It's about Berrie..." I replied. "...I had that nightmare again.... That one where instead of leaving me she sends armed assassins after me and I get crushed under my car while working on it..."

"....Dammit Ry how many times I gotta tell you Berrie wouldn't do shit like that... Just... I don't know go splash some water on your face, grab a drink and get back to sleep.... Now let me sleep... I'm walking Applebloom to school in an hour...."

"Uh... Yeah about that... Scoot wants me to take her and her friends to school... You wanna just get her back to sleep n I'll get her?" A moment of silence.

"...Well shit... Sounds about right... My sleep schedule is way off and I need to fix it... Just do what I said n go to bed..."

It wasnt that easy. Berrie was my life before we split. I did everything for her. Hell for our one year anniversary of going out I got her a necklace with matching bracelets. The last words she spoke to me weren't 'we're through' or 'it's done between us.' It was 'Ryder.... You'll find someone better than me one day and we might as well start now...' It crushed me. My heart shattered to pieces. That's why doing what Big Mac said isn't so easy. Splashing water on my face would make me wanna drown myself. The only drink I'd want would cause my mother to boot me out. I just got dressed and went downstairs just to sit there thinking. Thinking about where I went wrong. Thinking about who Berrie went for. As I thought hours had passed. 5:30 came around and my mom was the first to wake up. She came from the stairs wearing some warm fluffy Pajamas her mane was a mess and she stretched her wings a bit. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs seeing me sipping from a soda can. I didn't know who these sodas belonged too but coffee wasn't ever my drink of choice. "Ryder? Are you alright?" She asked me. I shook my head before finishing the soda. She came over and sat down next to me. "You got something on your mind sweetie?"

I nodded and sighed hugging my mom. "...Berrie..." I said. "...I just... I want her back..." My mother gave a sigh.

"Ry... Berrie wasn't as nice a girl as you thought... I didn't want to say this but I saw her one day outside the mall with another stallion... She kissed him on the lips and well... Let's just say she took him around the corner for a ride..." We both blushed a bit. I tightened my grip around her sniffling.

"...She.... She cheated on me...?" My mother gave a hesitant nod as I started tearing up. "...That... That cant be true..."

"I'm sorry but it is Ry... She cheated and hid it by breaking up with you... It's best you found out after and not during... Most stallions who find out they're being cheated on during a relationship beat their significant other because they're enraged... You aren't mad are you?" I shook my head sniffling. It hurt finding that out. Split the few pieces of my heart that were already broken making it harder to fix. "Maybe you want some warm tea or some hot chocolate to drink? Might help you outta that slump."

I gave a nod and we both got up from the couch. I even grabbed the last can of a six pack to put it back into the fridge. As I sat down i wiped my eyes. "...I remember when I used to come home after a bad day at school... You'd always make me something sweet as a desert no matter if i ate dinner or not..."

"Your father always thought you were trying to get that on purpose. I always called your teachers when you were at lunch seeing if you were really having a bad day or not and most of the time you were. I just had to make it seem like you actually were having a bad day. What do you say instead of desert some breakfast?"

A smile came to my face. I nodded just as soon as i heard a yawn from my father. He came into the kitchen with the five empty cans in his arms wearing nothing but tight boxers showing off where I came from... wish i hadn't seen that... I averted my gaze just as he asked: "Was someone drinking Scootaloo's sodas?" My heart dropped a bit.

"Those... Were Scootaloos...?" I asked looking back hesitantly. "I swear those were moms! The light was bright, I was half asleep and it was all i could have without putting me in the bathroom or back to bed." I looked to my mother who was waiting for the waffle iron to warm up. This waffle iron was actually something from my apartment. Made big waffles. "Mom why didn't you tell me those were Scoot's?"

My mother looked back at me as she poured the batter. "Well you never asked who's they were!" She replied. "But I wouldn't worry about it Ry I'll buy her some more after you drop her off at school."

My little sisters soda. Really? As if I wasn't scared about starting work for a friend after dropping his sister off at school. I don't want to just pass out during my shift and wake up yelling and crying about Berrie. The first night after I was broken up with I was alone in my apartment just days before I was fired. I stayed up all night. Called in sick to work. I was just so broken up I didn't even wanna get up to use the toilet. I get up take a few steps before collapsing and just letting it all go. Lost a few pairs of pants but that didn't even compare to the break up. Just after my dad threw the cans away my ear flickered hearing a door open upstairs. "Daddy....? Mommy?" Scootaloo called out. She sounded a bit scared.

I stood up and stopped my dad from leaving the kitchen. "I got this. You guys just relax." I said. My dad nodded and I went out into the living room. I looked up and saw Scootaloo at the banister wrapped in a wonderbolt blanket from the waist down. "Scoot? You okay there?" Scootaloo hesitantly shook her head as I climbed the stairs. I knelt down next to her and saw tears in her eyes. "What's wrong? Why're you crying?" She averted her gaze a moment and clenched her eyes shut as she opened up the blanket revealing her pajama bottoms soaked. She blushed hard and whimpered a bit.

"I... I peed my bed... I didn't mean it..." I gave a little smile. It was kinda cute how she was trying to hide an accident. I stood up and took her hand making her drop the blanket and drag it like a little foal coming out of their room during the night to sleep in mommy and daddies bed. Once inside her room there was a large stain on her bed. Almost like she just poured two cans of the soda I drank right onto the bed. "...I... I dreamt I was using the bathroom at school... When I went back to class Diamond Tiara laughed at me.... I even looked down and saw I just peed my pants..." She sniffled and started crying softly. I sighed and started moving the pillows.

"Aw c'mon don't cry now. Just go clean yourself off and get dressed. I got everything in here."

Scootaloo nodded throwing the blanket down before running out of the room. I stripped the bed of its sheets and the covers. Just as I was flipping the bed my dad came in. "Scoot wet the bed again eh...?" He said making me jump a bit. I looked back at him and tilted my head. "Yeah this'll be the fourth one this month... Keeps saying something about some of the fillies at school picking on her just because she accidentally spilled her juice one day."

"Diamond Tiara one of them?"

He looked at me a bit confused. "Yeah... how'd you know?"

"Told me before I had her go clean up. You take her some clothes to change into and I could look into this problem with this filly see if I can get this to stop."

My dad gave me a nod and started digging through Scootaloos drawers. "Ry... maybe you could call in to Big Mac give you an extra day to settle in."

I didn't know what to reply other than an annoyed sigh. He left as I sat on the flipped bed. Thought about Berrie again staring off into space. I must've sat there for a few minutes because Scootaloo came back in with dad. He had her wet clothes in hand. Scootaloo now had jeans on and a purple long sleeve. She hugged me sniffling making me snap back to reality. "Guess we both had bad dreams huh Scoot...?" I said.

Scootaloo looked up at me as I stood up and picked her up. Her tail tickled my arm a bit as she wagged it wrapping her arms around me. "...You had a nightmare too?" She asked. I nodded.

"It might not have made me pee but... I didn't get back to sleep... Spent the whole morning sitting in the living room drinking uh... Your sodas... Sorry sis..." She sighed burying her head into my shoulder.

"...It's okay.... Daddy told me he'd get me more..." She looked up at me. "...Can we go eat breakfast now? I hate school breakfast... they never have anything good."

I nodded and set her down. She took my hand as we went back outside the room. I honestly felt bad for her. Having her big brother be at home not two days be the one who cleans up an accident she probably didn't want him finding out about. Must be embarrassing. She sat on my lap as we ate breakfast. Waffles, whipped cream, cherries and even some hot chocolate to warm us up. After breakfast Scootaloo and I had to head out. She sat in the back holding her bag tight. It was silent other than the motor. Didn't have the time- or money- to fix the radio. I looked in the rear view mirror at her just as we stopped at a red light. "You gonna be okay Scootaloo?" I asked. She shrugged. "Well I hear that filly who you mention is giving you a lot of problems. Anything I should know?"

Scootaloo whimpered a bit. "...She walks around with another filly Silver Spoon... They're always calling me blank-flank just because I don't know what my special talent is..." She said. "They even do it to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle... The teacher doesn't even do anything to stop them... You don't even want to know what they were saying to the others..." I started off again turning the corner. A car came screeching to a stop just feet from my passenger door. Scootaloo screamed and fell on her side. I rolled down the window and gave the driver in the car the finger.

"WATCH IT I GOT A KID IN HERE!" I yelled out. Just before I looked back my heart dropped clean out of my ass. That car looked familiar. Like... I've either worked on it before, drove it before or rode shotgun... probably because I did. The driver stepped out and I realized the car belonged to Verrie Berrie my ex! She owned a sports car, silver paint job and a black rag top. Gave me rides after I sold my 'Dominator' as I liked to call it when I used to drag race behind my parents backs.

Berrie came up to the window and bent down looking pissed and scared. "Why don't you watch where-" She said stopping as she saw my face. "...Going...? Ryder uh... Are you okay?" I nodded hesitantly. She looked to my still raised finger and put it down for me. She saw Scootaloo cowering at the corner of her eye and gasped. "Oh fuck I am SO SORRY! Thank Celestia you installed those breaks before our... 'break'..." A car honked behind me. She looked up and put up a hand before backing up to her car. "You pull off and make sure she's okay I'm already late for work!" I gave a nod and drove off towards Sweet Apple Acres again.

I had to go to the outskirts of town to get there. Why else would it be called 'Sweet Apple Acres' if it was here in town? I pulled up to the gate just to see Big Mac standing there with his little sister at his side he leaned down to the window and I just opened up my door, unbuckled myself and got out. He looked at me confused. "Where the hell you think you're goin?!" He asked. I looked at him and beckoned him over. He came to my side as his sister, Applebloom wearing overalls and a yellow Tshirt under it, climbed inside and got in the back. "You look like you just seen a ghost!"

"W-we would've been... If Berrie didn't stop in time..." I replied. He gave me a confused look.

"...Ry I hope you still aint on about that damn dream this morning. She aint one to kill ya."

"I'm not talking about the fucking dream! She nearly slammed into me back there! Even ask Scootaloo!" Big Mac looked back into the car. He saw Scootaloo clutching Applebloom tightly looking scared out of her mind. I should've stopped and took Scootaloo back home then and there. But no I don't wanna explain to my parents about nearly getting in a car wreck and injuring their daughter and myself. He looked back at me.

"I already called Rarity said you were giving rides to the girls. Just so you don't freak I'm gonna come with ya. Give ya directions too."

I gave a nod and went back to my car. Big Mac went to the passenger side and put the seat back up- something which his sister forgot to do- and sat down. In the back seat Scootaloo sniffled into her friends shoulder. Applebloom saw her brother and groaned a bit. "Big Mac aint you supposed to be staying here?" She asked. "Applejack aint gonna like it if she has to make her own breakfast!" Big Mac strapped himself and me in embarrassingly enough.

"Look Ryder here didn't get enough sleep last night and you remember AJ wasn't thinkin' right when she bucked all them trees by herself when I bruised my back right?"

"Yeah... So he shouldn't be driving should he?" Big Mac took one look at me but that was all I remember. I had actually fallen asleep right there in the drivers seat.

I woke up an hour later on the couch at Sweet Apple Acres to the sound of my phone going off. It was on the coffee table along with my shoes and the keys to my car. I was covered by a blanket in my shirt and no pants. I picked my phone up and saw it was my mother calling and sighed answering it. "Ryder? Ryder are you okay?" My mother asked. "Big Mac called me with your phone told me you passed out at the wheel. Is Scootaloo alright?"

"Yeah..." I said rubbing my neck. "...She's fine... I do know I got her here safely... Those soda's made me crash...." I looked under the blanket and saw different boxers than what I had on the night before. "...And possibly wet myself... Look uh... I'm at Sweet Apple Acres so don't worry... I'll be home after two okay?"

"Alright you be careful and..." She sighed. "Your father heard you may have wet yourself... HONEY STOP LAUGHING! Ry if you cant get back to sleep tonight please stay in your room! YOUR FATHER WILL BE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH!" She hung up leaving me blushing hard. I set my phone down thinking. Did I really piss my pants? I felt my legs thinking they'd be sticky. I was right. My legs were sticky and smelled a bit. The boxer shorts I wore had to be balled up at the waist just right to where I didn't get them up my ass giving me a wedgie.

The front door opened up and I quickly covered myself. I became even more embarrassed because Applejack, Big Mac's OTHER sister came in with a laundry basket full of clothes. She wore short shorts with a tank top. Always while she worked. She saw me and smiled a bit resting the basket on the table. "Well g'mornin' there sugarcube!" She said. Sugarcube. Always called everyone that. Some didn't know if she was flirting with them or if that was just something she called everyone almost like a waitress at a diner. "Big Mac had to drive our sisters to school. Told me y'werent sleepin' well. Even saw a little bit of you that even Big Mac didn't wanna see."

"...I... Pissed myself huh...?" I asked averting my gaze.

"Yeah. I didn't do nothin' to ya like take yer seed, mess with your ass or draw a smiley face on your flank with a piece of paper covering your cutie mark!" I looked at her confused. Really? Why did she say that? Take my seed? ...wait what? You were thinking I was gonna say something about that last one? You get your mind out of the gutter! She blushed hard. "...Ignore that last one... Happened at a party, I was drunk, your cousin Dash says I passed out and next thing you know I'm half naked with papers on each cheek and the mare that threw that party was using my legs as a pillow."

Damn Pinkie Pie. Always making those adult parties fun enough to just get plastered and not remember a thing. I actually had her throw my twenty first birthday when I was allowed to get drunk. Lucky for me it was outside my parents home. "Who uh... Who cleaned me up...?" I asked looking back at her. She looked at me blushing a bit. "Oh... right... Big Mac was dropping Scootaloo and Applebloom off at school..." I teared up a bit. Almost to where I cried. Applejack came over and sat with me resting a hand on my shoulder.

"C'mon no tears there Sugarcube. I'm sorry I invaded your personal areas but I didn't want to have you get a rash like a foal who hadn't had his diaper changed."

As much as that sounded like me she did have good intentions. I hugged her shaking. The front door opened again and in came Big Mac looking a bit worried. "AJ? He awake?" He asked. She nodded as I started to sob. Big Mac dug into the laundry basket finding my pants and boxers tossing them on me before sitting next to me. "Boy you must've not heeded my advice last night. I had to drive your car up here with you in the passenger seat with your sister trying to wake you up. Said something about you needing to talk with the teachers about that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon the girls had problems with right?" I nodded. "Well I did talk with the teacher, she said she'll keep an eye on them. If anything happens she's sending them both right to the principal."

Applejack lifted my head off her shoulder and wiped my eyes. "Y'see Ry? Everythin's gonna be fine. You just relax today. We're gonna even let that truck payment slide." She said. "You're still welcomed to work here to get yourself a little spending money. Aint nothing to be ashamed of." That's it? I didn't have to pay for the truck? Sounds great right? WRONG! I live by a code. Had it since one of my friends bought me a ticket to see The Wonderbolts preform. I felt bad because he always took me places and my dad told me that he wasn't gonna take me and my friends anywhere other than too and from school. After that I had vowed to do as much as I could to pay him back.

I didnt sit on that couch all day though. I did insist on carrying bucket after bucket of apples to the back of the house where they set up different things to make cider, apple sauce, 100% apple juice, jam's, apple fritters and anything else you can make apples out of. I actually grabbed an apple fritter to take home. Just as I got in my car to go home it was about 2:30 in the afternoon. Big Mac and Applejack gave me a jar of apple jam to give to the family. Big Mac rode shotgun as we went to pick up our sisters. As I get to the gate I looked over at Big Mac. "Hey uh... Thanks for taking the girls to school this morning..." I said. "I promise I'll do it tomorrow.... and that I'll be fully rested too!"

Big Mac gave me a smile. "You better listen to me then!" He said. "Y'gotta know Verrie Berrie aint the right one for you. She aint fit to even sit in your mind and make herself all you think about!" I started off turning into town. "Think of it this way. Berrie is a piece of shit that I gotta keep Winona from eating. Sometimes she don't listen and I gotta hit her with the hose before washin' it away. If this keeps going you're gonna act like Winona going after that shit tryin' to get a taste of it. I don't wanna hit ya with the hose now do I?" I shook my head and turned a corner.

Not too long later I pulled up to the school. Colts and fillies were pouring out of the gates. I stepped out and leaned against the car. Big Mac sat inside messing around on a game on his phone. I some kids were on their phones calling their parents about either where they were going or asking where they were at when they were going to a nearby park. Suddenly my horn honked startling me and a few kids. I bend down and look inside to see Big Mac pointing behind me. I look up and you know what I see? I see my sister face down in the dirt two fillies laughing at her and Applebloom and a unicorn filly, her friend Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle wore a light violet dress. Any darker it would be half her mane color which was Pink and a deep violet. I hurried over and helped my sister up to find her with a nosebleed and dirt all over her tear-ridden face. "Scoot? Scoot c'mon you're okay we need to get you cleaned up!" I said.

Applebloom went and tackled both the laughing fillies causing them to scream as they hit the ground. One filly had a silver mane and glasses on. She wore a pearl necklace, a grey sweater over a short sleeved shirt covered in sequence and tights under a skirt with slip on shoes. The other wore a similar outfit but in pink and purple. She had a tiara on and a violet mane with a white streak through it as it came to a pony tail. "SWEETIE BELLE GET A TEACHER!" Applebloom called out.

Just as Sweetie Belle ran off Big Mac ran up. "APPLEBLOOM WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN' GIRL?!" He yelled. Applebloom didn't budge. Big Mac looked to me. "Get Scootaloo to a bathroom inside. I gotta deal with this!" I nodded and got up with Scootaloo in my arms, her back pack hanging by her shoulder. I heard Big Mac yell out "DAMMIT APPLEBLOOM" still trying to get her to release them. I looked down at Scootaloo as she held her nose.

"Scoot what happened? Who were those girls?"

She looked up at me pinching her nose. "...D-diamond Tiara and Silver Sp-spoon..." She said through her tears. Diamond Tiara I heard of. She was the little 'nightmare filly'. Silver Spoon must've been her friend. I grunted.

I was just about to say something but as I came into the school house I stopped cold seeing Sweetie Belle running down the hall with- believe it or not- Verrie Berrie. Berrie stopped and looked at me. "Ryder..." She said. She looked to Scootaloo and gasped. "Call me later! I really need to talk with you but right now I've got a few fillies to punish!" I nodded and hurried back down the hall towards the restroom. I went into the colts bathroom with Scootaloo and set her down near the sink. She tilted her head back trying not to get blood on her shirt which was already too late for that. I grabbed some paper towels and wet them before wiping away some of the blood on her face before having her pinch it on her nose.

"Scoot... I want you to tell me what happened..."

"....I-I went to the bathroom after school let out.... Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were going to wait for me... Just as I stepped out... Diamond hit me... I ran and Silver t-tripped me..."

I gave a sigh. "...Anything else? Did you start anything?" She shook her head. "Did Applebloom or Sweetie Belle start anything you think?" She shook her head again. "Alright keep that there. Let's get back to the car okay?" She nodded and took my hand still holding the paper towel pinching her nose with it. Thoughts crossed my mind about Berrie. She told me to call her. But... Scootaloo heard it. I looked down at her. "...Scoot promise me you wont tell mom about this but.... I have to call that mare that we saw in the hall..."

"...Miss Berrie? Why?" She asked. It was at that moment I realized Berrie was a substitute teacher. I didn't know that. She never told me she was a sub in our relationship.... Although that was probably why she couldn't answer me during the day when I sent 'I love you' texts.

"Well... I think it's because she was the one who nearly hit us this morning... You were okay after that right?" Scootaloo nodded as we came back in the halls. "Did she apologize to you at all?" She nodded again.

"...Sh-she apologized before I went out for recess... Can we just go home now...? I don't feel too good..."

I nodded and before long I had dropped Big Mac, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle off before going home. Scootaloo stayed silent not telling anyone. I just told Big Mac I missed Berrie when I went inside. I even kept quiet to my mother about her. Dad I know didn't care about my love life. After I got home I had to carry Scootaloo inside. She passed out after we hit up Sweet Apple acres. Big Mac was even kind enough to set me up with a six pack of Cider. Scootaloo piggybacked me holding me tight, I had her back pack and the cider in hand. Our mother opened up the door and took Scootaloo off my back. "Aw.... Somepony's glad to get to their afterschool nap..." She said softly.

I sighed. "After what she went through I'm not surprised..." I said. "...Bullies had her running away with her tails between her legs..." I saw Scoot's wings flutter a bit. "And... Why would they hurt her? Theres nothing to beat her up about..."

"Aw those bullies again...? That needs to stop but the school wont do anything about it."

She was right. Schools barely help with fixing a problem. I used to be bullied. Kept going to the teacher, they'd send the bully to the principal, next day the bully is back doing it again. It never helped that I kept doing that. One day I snapped and lashed out at my bully. Caught him right on the top of the head. Nearly knocked him out. I ended up getting in trouble and getting suspended. I basically spent the rest of the day (present not my damn past) in my bedroom napping as well. I was tired.