Something Happens

10 Years Later...the day before Scootaloo's birthday

   Scootaloo set up the camera in a good position. She was pretending to be a VJ.

"Three, two, one, ACTION!"

   The soon-to-be-ten filly beamed at the camera and started her dialogue.

   "Hi! I'm Scootaloo, and you are watching Channel...um....Scootaloo!"

   "My hobbies are scootering, pulling pranks, eating chocolate, annoying my Aunt Cumulus and....reading my sister's letters." Scootaloo gave a sad smile when she said the last part. She loved her sister to the moon and back despite never have seen her.

    Scootaloo continued her script.

   "When I grow up I wanna be a VJ. Y'know, just like Melody Magic." she said pointing to her M.M. poster.

   "Hey, I'm late! I have an appointment with my brother-in-law! But I'll be back next week, same time, same place. Watch me!"

   Scootaloo sighed as she waited next to Cloudsdale Mall and peered at her watch for the umpteenth time. She was supposed to meet Soarin there to buy clothes with him.

    Suddenly a big bouquet of roses were thrust into her hooves by a certain light-blue stallion. Scootaloo turned her head away. A box of chocolates was given to her too. Scootaloo still wouldn't give in. Finally a shiny bike helmet was given to her. Scootaloo grudgingly accepted it but then turned to stomp away from her brother-in-law.

"Scootaloo, wait! Scoots!"

  Scootaloo stopped and turned around with a glare plastered on her face.

"C'mon Scootaloo. I'm just-" he blinked when he saw the time on his sister-in-law's watch.

"two hours late."

"Right," Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes

"Okay, I'm sorry. But I was quite busy-"

  "And I'm busy too, Soarin," Scootaloo interrupted. "I didn't see my friends today, because I had to meet you here, to buy your clothes. This is too much, Soarin. I'm your sister, not your wife." she said angrily.

"And why not? If I can be like your mother and father," Soarin asked. "Then why can't you be my sister and wife?"

When Scootaloo didn't reply, Soarin nodded defiantly.

"Okay then," he said, snatching the bike helmet out of her hooves and turned his back.

  Scootaloo tried pulling it back, but Soarin held it tight.

"Soarin?"

"Hmm?"

"Felt bad?" Scootaloo said quietly.

"A little,"

"Sorry."

Soarin chuckled and handed the bike helmet back to her. Then they both slapped each others hooves and gently tweaked the other one's muzzles. This was a ritual Scootaloo had known for years.

"Well, c'mon bro, we're gonna be late for my Just-One-Minute competition in Ponyville."

    Soarin and Cumulus found their seats in the auditorium and sat. They found that their seats were next to Spoiled and Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara's parents.

   Filthy Rich started talking to Soarin the moment he sat down.

  "Isn't this competition quaint? The kids have to take a random paper out of that bowl, and then they have just 60 seconds to say something about the topic on the paper. And right on the spot too!"

"Still,our daughter Diamond Tiara wins every year." Spoiled Rich said, smirking.

"Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts" Cheerilie's voice boomed across the auditorium. "Welcome to the Just-One-Minute competition! Each child will have one minute to say the topic they get on the randomly selected papers. Our first contestant is Sunny Days!"

  Sunny Days pulled a random paper out of the bowl and read it out loud.

"School."

   As the yellow filly started her speech, Soarin peered at the side of the stage where Scootaloo was sitting. Scootaloo caught his eyes and grinned.

   "Good Luck!" Soarin mouthed, just as Sunny Days finished her speech.

"Thank you, Sunny." Cheerilie said pleasantly. "Our next contestant is Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo walked over to the bowl and selected a piece of paper. Her smile faded as she read what it was.

"And your timer starts now." Cheerilie said.

   Scootaloo opened her mouth but no words came out. Everyone in the auditorium looked at her expectantly.

   Scootaloo managed to find her voice to croak out the topic.

  "Family."

   Soarin instantly felt his heart become as heavy as a boulder. Now, Scootaloo did have a family, but not many ponies had a family of just a brother-in-law and his mother. The Wonderbolt felt even sadder when he saw a tear trickle down the orange pegasus' cheek.

Scootaloo gave a watery smile to her brother-in-law watching her.

"I'm sorry." she said, turning around.

   "Family." a male voice behind her said. Scootaloo turned around and saw the light blue Wonderbolt right underneath the stage.

   "Family is something we can't live without. Their joy is in our joy, and their sadness is in our sadness." Soarin continued as he walked onto the stage. "They might criticize us, make us cry, but they will always be there for you when it counts." Soarin was now face to face with the tear-stained filly. "We might not have a normal family like other ponies. But- but it is still a family, right?" Soarin asked.

Scootaloo nodded.

"So you give me a hug." Soarin said, outstretching his hooves.

Scootaloo hugged the Wonderbolt tight. Everypony in the audience started applauding. There wasn't a single dry eye in the crowd.

Scootaloo sobbed into Soarin's shoulder, but felt wondrously comforted.

    Soarin bounced a basketball around his house, expertly preventing it to bump into delicate things. Meanwhile, his mother was still rubbing her eyes from tears.

"Soarin?" Cumulus began. "You know Mr. Sweetmeat?"

"Mmm" Soarin said vaguely.

"Well, he has a really good-looking, polite daughter, and he sent a marriage proposal yesterday."

"For who?" Soarin asked, while bouncing the ball.

Cumulus rolled her eyes "For me." she said sarcastically.

Soarin smirked. "Accept it then."

Cumulus glared at her son. "Hush! Anyway, I said no thank you to the proposal. I did the right thing, right?"

"Yeah, mom."

   Cumulus nodded. "Then I must have done the right thing. I don't do anything wrong anyway. Mr. Sweetmeat is mad. He just sends marriage proposals all the time. Can't he get married himself?"

   Soarin sat beside his mother, while still clutching the basketball and patted her back to make her relax.

  They were silent for a few moments, then Cumulus spoke up.

"I don't know why, but I feel that this family is....empty."

   Soarin stared at her, "Why? There's you, there's me, there's Scootaloo. I don't think it's empty."

"You know, whenever I go out, all my friends talk about their daughter-in-laws and how stupid they are. I can't even do that." she said sadly.

   Soarin sighed. "Oh, this is a very big problem. You need a daughter-in-law so you can talk dirt about her."

  Cumulus stared at her son. "No Soarin. I just want you to be happy."

  Soarin smiled. "I'm happy, Mom. Very happy."

"So you won't marry again?"

  Soarin stood up, and started dribbling his ball again. "Mom, we live once, die once, get married once, and....fall in love once. We don't do these things again."

Cumulus stood up too. "I know you can take care of yourself, Soarin. But what about Scootaloo?"

Soarin stared at the ground.

  "Don't you think she needs a mother figure?" Cumulus continued.

"She's fine, Mom."

   Cumulus stared at him.

"Because she has something that I don't even have'" he went on. "Violet's letters."

Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

   At 12:00 a.m, Scootaloo's alarm clock rang. The filly shot out of bed happily.

  "Happy Birthday, Scootaloo!" she said to herself, running down the stairs. There was a big pile of presents but Scootaloo was more interested in the letter sitting on the table. She grabbed it and started reading it excitedly.

My dear Scootaloo,

Happy Birthday, sis! I'm sure you're looking very pretty and grown up right now. I wish I could see you.

"I wish I could see you too, Violet." Scootaloo whispered

Tell me Scoots, does Soarin still sleep with his Wonderbolt uniform on? When will he cease the habit?

Scootaloo giggled and shrugged.

You're a big girl today, Scootaloo, and I'm sure you will understand the things I will say. I'm going to tell you a story. This story has me, your brother-in-law, and Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash?"