Family Appreciation Day
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfic by M5K5N. All characters, settings, and such are the property of their respective owners, and all that jazz.
Thanks to AmberWings for the fic Final Dreams of a Filly, which inspired me to write this.
CC 0 (Public Domain)
"Now, let's see who will be bringing in a family member for next Monday's Family Appreciation Day ‒ oh! Scootaloo!"
She was having a wonderful day. Like every day since she met her friends, and since she met the mare she idolized. Seeing them all made her happy. Seeing them all made her forget about all the things that made her sad ‒ the things the little orange pegasus filly contemplated as she layed down at night, and the things that haunted her in her nightmares, and the occasional little things that brought back memories. But when her teacher spoke, it was all ruined.
She knew that day would come. It was the time when her school had Family Appreciation Day, where each day one of them had to bring in a relative to speak. She had dreaded the day where her purple-coated teacher would assign her to bring a relative. But despite all the dread, being occupied with class, and talking with her friends before that, had occupied her enough to where she was not on the brink of tears ‒ her mind was elsewhere. Not left to wander, it did not dwell on the horrors she faced.
But then, it was all ruined.
Scootaloo had been all smiles, but when Miss Cheerilee got far enough into her sentence to where the filly knew what she was going to say, she frowned. Her posture sunk, and she could feel her heart thumping louder and faster. Then her name was said, and she knew it was all over.
She raised her hoof. And she was called on.
"Miss Cheerilee, my parents are ‒ going to be gone on Monday."
"Well, don't you have any other relatives who could come? ," Her instructor asked.
"No." She looked down at her desk.
The instructor, Cheerilee, was oblivious ‒ she could tell her student was sad, but she didn't think it was for such a grave reason. She thought that she might have just been sad because her parents couldn't come, or because she had nobody else who could come.
"That's alright, Scootaloo," She said. Her voice was soft-sounding. "But you'll have to give a presentation on your family, or a family member."
She felt hopeful as she heard the first sentence. But she went right back to feeling dismal as her instructor continued. There were two reasons why she dreaded having to give that presentation.
After a little while, class was excused for the day.
Scootaloo was the last to walk out. But before she could walk through the open doorway, she was called.
"Scootaloo," Her teacher said, softly.
She turned around. "Yeah?"
"Is everything okay? ," She asked. She smiled.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Scootaloo said. She smiled, betraying her real feelings.
"If you'd like, I can reschedule your presentation."
"No, that's okay. They're going to be gone for ‒ a while."
"Oh. Well, is somepony taking care of you while your parents are away?"
"Yeah. Um ‒ I'm staying with Rainbow Dash."
"Oh. Well, have a great weekend."
"You too."
Scootaloo smiled, and walked out of the room. The smile she had on then was genuine. It felt bad to lie, but the idea of staying with Rainbow Dash, the amazing pegasus she idolized so much, made her smile. Even though she knew it was silly and unrealistic. It was a dream.
She walked out of the schoolhouse. Her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, were waiting for her. Seeing them there made her feel happy ‒ they cared enough about her to wait, just so they could talk and do things with one-another after school. It felt good to Scootaloo, to have someone who cared.
They went away together, to have some adventure as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Scootaloo's mind again drifted from the things that made her sad. Though only for a few hours.
It was dark. Scootaloo approached the small treehouse on her scooter, which she propelled with her small wings that could not yet be used to fly. It was the clubhouse of her and her friends ‒ the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. It was also where she had been sleeping for a while ‒ ever since the trio started using the treehouse.
She set the scooter up against the trunk of the tree the clubhouse was built in, and went up the walkway that led up to the clubhouse.
She went inside. She opened a small crate in the middle of the room, that was being used as a table. Inside there was her Cutie Mark Crusaders cape, and a few other little things ‒ some of Scootaloo's few posessions.
She layed down on the creaky, old wooden floor of the clubhouse, and wrapped the cape around herself. It was thin, and provided little protection against the cold of the night, but it was all she had.
As she layed there, she stared out the window with her violet eyes, out at the trees and the dark horizon. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she remembered painful memories. Finally, she closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
She felt safe there. She felt like nopony would find her ‒ she didn't want anypony to find her, and find out that she was living like that. She felt ashamed of it, and she didn't want to go back to where she had been before.
As she drifted off though, she had no idea she was being watched.
Standing by the partially opened door, there was an orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane and a stetson hat. She had a frown on her face, and her ears were down, as she watched the small filly.
"Oh my," She whispered.
It was the older sister of Scootaloo's friend Apple Bloom. Her name was Applejack. She recognized her little sister's friend immediately.
She slowly pushed the door open, and walked inside. She walked towards the sleeping orange filly, and lightly nudged her with her hoof.
Scootaloo opened her eyes. And as soon as she saw Applejack standing before her, she screamed, jumped up, and tried to run away. But Applejack grabbed her by the tail. "Oh no yer not," Applejack said.
"Please, just leave me alone," Scootaloo begged.
"No, I'm not gonna let one of my sister's friends sleep out in the cold like that. Follow me."
Scootaloo groaned, and followed the older mare as she walked out of the clubhouse, and towards the residence of the Apple family. Her walking was slow, her head was hung low, and she looked down at the ground.
"Why are ya even sleepin' in that musty old clubhouse by yerself anyway? If ya need a place to sleep, yer always welcome here. Y'all could die sleepin by yerself outside ‒ winter's almost here and all."
Applejack was concerned about Scootaloo. She had always wondered why the filly never talked about her parents or any other relatives, and why she was never seen with any relatives ‒ she just seemed to roam around Ponyville by herself all the time. With that incident, she feared the worst, and if her suspicions were correct, she could relate ‒ she had lost her parents too.
After Applejack finished talking, she stopped, and looked around. Scootaloo had ran off while she was rambling.
"Horseapples," She exclaimed, "Ah better get Rainbow Dash."
She galloped in the direction of Ponyville. As she approached the town proper, she began shouting for the lazy blue pegasus, knowing she'd probably be on one of the small clouds above. Finally, when she called out her name, Rainbow Dash poked her head over the side of the cloud she was on.
"Yeah? ," She said.
Applejack was panting. "Get down here," She said, glaring up at her.
She flew down, landing in front of Applejack. "Yeah?"
"Scootaloo. I found 'er sleepin in the clubhouse. I tried ta take 'er back to the farmhouse, but she got away from me."
"What was she doing in the clubhouse?"
"I dunno. I think somethin's wrong. Ya hafta find her."
Rainbow Dash was instantly worried. She had a fondness for the little pegasus that idolized her so much. She always suspected something was up with her, but what her friend was saying seemed to validate some of her suspicions.
"I'm on it! ," She said. She saluted, and then flew off, leaving a rainbow-colored trail behind her.
She flew to Sweet Apple Acres, and found the clubhouse. After looking inside and finding nothing but the things Scootaloo had left behind, and after searching the surrounding area and finding nopony, she flew high into the sky. It was to get a better vantage point over the wide area, where she hoped she would spot the orange filly. She was much more worried by that point.
Some distance away, Scootaloo looked up at the sky and saw the rainbow streak left by the mare she idolized. It usually filled her with such wonder, seeing Rainbow Dash flying through the sky. But at that time, as she was running into the woods to get far away from everypony, it only filled her with worry.
She had been crying, as she moved further and further into the forest, and away from Ponyville. She didn't want to be found. She didn't want to be sent back to ‒ that place. Especially if it meant having to see everypony she loved one last time, and then never again. Her life was over, Scootaloo thought. She felt like she just wanted to die.
After much running, her legs started to become weak. She slowed down, and eventually layed down by the base of a tree. Feeling hopeless, she started to cry again.
Up in the sky, Rainbow Dash was becoming frantic, trying to find her. She flew over the trees, shouting her name. Then finally, she saw the orange filly, curled up next to a tree. She flew over to her at top speed, and then landed softly, a few yards away from her.
She could hear the filly's sobbing as she approached, which had become more frantic once she realized her idol had found her.
"Scootaloo," She said, "Are you okay?"
She glanced up at her idol with a teary eye, and went back to sobbing.
"Everypony's gonna know now," She sobbed, "And I'm gonna have to leave. I might as well just die!"
"Don't say that, Scoot," Rainbow Dash said. "W-what are you talking about?"
Sobs were the only answer.
"You can talk to me. I won't tell anyone."
"Applejack already knows!"
"Knows what?"
"That ‒ that I'm‒"
She lifted her head up. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "‒That I'm an orphan." She sobbed. "And now everypony's gonna know. And they'll all make fun of me. And then I'll have to go back to that orphanage." She coughed. "Everypony's going to know anyways, when I have to do that stupid presentation in class. I feel like dirt. I should just run away and die somewhere."
She sighed. "Nopony's going to make fun of you."
"Yes they will!"
"Well ‒ so what if they do? You don't have anything to be ashamed of."
Scootaloo put her head back down, and continued crying. Her sobs were not as heavy as before. After a few moments, she looked back up at the rainbow-maned mare, and said, "But I'll still have to go back to that orphanage."
Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment. Then she said, softly, "You don't have to, Scoot. You can stay with me." She smiled at her.
"R-really? For how long?"
"As long as you want."
Scootaloo stood up, and smiled. She approached Rainbow Dash, and put her forelegs around her neck, hugging her. Rainbow Dash put a foreleg around her.
"Rainbow Dash, you're the best."
"Thanks, kiddo." She smiled, and put her leg down. "Now, let's go home."
Scootaloo smiled brightly. For the first time in a long time, she actually had a home. And not any home ‒ a home with Rainbow Dash. All her fear and sadness quickly turned to joy and hope as she followed the mare she idolized. She forgot all about her sad situation.
The next two days were the best ever for her. Her friends found out about what she was going through, but it only made their friendship stronger, now that they knew how much she needed them. And it made her relationship with Rainbow Dash stronger ‒ she became like the big sister she never had and always wanted.
There was still some sadness though, from talking to Rainbow Dash or her friends about the dark things she had always kept inside. But it made her feel better in the end, because she managed to get it all out. Even though she still cried like many times before, she had somepony to hold while she was crying.
And, she realized something ‒ family is more than just those who you're related to. That doesn't matter. Family is about those who you love deeply, and who love you back. Even though she had no parents, no siblings, or anything, she still had family.
That was the substance of her Family Appreciation Day presentation. She wasn't afraid to let her classmates know she had no parents. They all appreciated her presentation.
And once school was out, she went home.
