My Little DJ: Scootaloo's Melody

Chapters

Chapter 1: When It Rains...
Chapter 2: Our Music Shall Never Die
Chapter 3: Because You Were There
Chapter 4: When She Smiled, Angels Sang Up Above
Chapter 5: With Me Always, Hear My Song

Chapter 1: When It Rains...

Chapter 1: When it Rains…
By iDash

I’d like to give a shout-out to JuyUnseen, ScriptScrolls, Pen Stroke, and Antisocial Ind. on Fimfiction for inspiring me to write these stories. And also to everyone who read it and left the awesome comments that encouraged me to keep writing.

A/N: When you see ~ _ * _ * _ ~ it means that the story is going into or out of a flashback or dream.

“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”

-Agatha Christie

The sky… no, the entire atmosphere, everything, was gray. Celestia’s sun was unable, despite its valiant attempts, to break through the turbulent line of storm clouds. The soft pitter-patter of rain resounded through the empty streets of Ponyville. Nopony was seen outside of their warm, cozy homes at that time.

Well, except for two ponies, that is.

Rainbow Dash, her technicolor mane drooping ever so slightly from the rain, held an umbrella with one hoof as she gazed at the mare in front of her.

The mare in question remained in the rain, for she did not care for such things at the moment. Her orange coat was sleek and glistening from the showering water, her mane completely drenched and slumping down as it covered the right side of her face. She sat on the wet grass, her tail collecting mud and dirt as it lay lifeless on the ground.

“Scootaloo…” Rainbow Dash croaked, but the mare paid no attention to her.

Scootaloo’s attention was directed to something else. She was oblivious to the world around her. She simply stared, unable to escape the horror of the object that stared back at her.

A grave.

Etched in the solid granite gravestone was a name that tortured Scootaloo as it echoed through her mind every time her eyes flitted across it.

Vinyl Scratch.

A pain shot through the orange mare’s heart as she read the name again. Vinyl Scratch. Her own mother, albeit her adoptive mother, but they shared the same love nonetheless.

A quote was engraved underneath the name. It read:

“Carry on and let the music flow. Play the melody and let the beats drop, but never let it fade away. I’ll be where the music is.”

Scootaloo sniffled. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes were red and puffy. She no longer cried, however. It was as if she had no more tears to shed, as if she had cried all that she possibly could that day.

Now she was just hollow. She felt sadness, overwhelming sadness, but could do nothing about it. It was like a hole had been drilled through her heart. She just gazed at the grave, lost in her own depressed world.

So many things, so many thoughts, had raced through her mind in the days prior as she tried to comprehend everything that was happening, but only one remained prevalent.

‘She’s gone. She’s gone, and you can’t do anything about it.’

And that was it, the blatant, horrid truth. Vinyl was gone and she would never be back. Scootaloo had lost the most important thing in her life, more important than even the royal sisters were to all of Equestria. She had lost the pony whom she cared about more than anything in the world, the one she loved and called ‘mom’.

Scootaloo’s head drooped even more in the falling rain. She remembered the funeral that had taken place just a few hours ago. It had been a private funeral, though many of Vinyl’s fans had come to give condolences and grieve for their fallen DJ. Several of Vinyl’s friends had attended. Scootaloo had recognized some of them, like Berry Punch or Octavia, while others were friends from back in Manehattan or Canterlot that she had never met.

A few of Scootaloo’s own friends had been there as well. Apple Bloom had come and tried to comfort the orange pegasus. Sweetie Belle would have been there, too, but she was in Las Pegasus at an event with Rarity at the time. Rainbow Dash was there, though, as well as Pinkie Pie, for whom Vinyl had DJ’d many parties. Pinkie’s mane and tail had fallen straight, which only ever happened when the mare was going through a bout of depression, which almost never occured. But today, the party mare sat and cried for her lost friend as others tried to comfort her.

Other than Scootaloo herself, the pony that seemed most devastated by the recent events was Octavia, Vinyl’s best friend. She was outright sobbing, making no attempt to mask her depression. The gray earth pony had given up one of her performances in Canterlot to be there. She was to play for various nobles and even the princesses themselves, but she had turned it down and come back to Ponyville as fast as she could to attend the funeral.

Octavia had come to Scootaloo during the sullen ceremony. The two mares embraced and hugged each other tightly, crying into each other’s shoulders. They had understood each other’s pain, how much Vinyl had meant to each of them.

Scootaloo was now the only one that remained, except for Rainbow Dash, who had stayed for her sake. The orange mare stayed until well after they had buried the coffin and even after it had started raining.

“Scootaloo…” Rainbow said once more. She too had been crying that day. Over the years she and Vinyl had grown close as friends and it hurt to lose her just like it did everypony else.

“Scootaloo, I… I think it’s time to go.”

Scootaloo remained still.

Rainbow sighed. “Come on. You’re getting drenched out here.” The cyan pegasus walked and made her way to the other mare and held out the umbrella to shield both of them from the rain.

The orange pegasus just slowly shook her head. She didn’t ever want to move from that spot.

“Scootaloo, please. You can’t stay out here; you’ll get sick or something. I think… I think the best thing is to just go home right now.”

“No, Dash,” Scootaloo said. Her voice cracked since she hadn’t spoken in some time. “I… She was all I had and now she’s gone. She was my home. I have nowhere to go.”

“Look, you can’t stay out here. You need to leave and go inside.” Rainbow lacked certainty in those words. The last thing on her mind was getting inside, but that’s what was best for Scootaloo. The orange mare really would’ve stayed outside if nopony convinced her otherwise.

Scootaloo gritted her teeth. “I don’t care.”

Rainbow sighed again, “It’s not good for you to stay out here.” She wasn’t just referring to the rain.

“I don’t care, Rainbow!” Scootaloo shot the cyan mare a pained look as Rainbow wore her own hurt expression.

“Just go away! I am home.”

Rainbow said nothing and just looked at the ground. Scootaloo turned away once more, suddenly regretting how she had snapped.

Rainbow silently made her way over to the sullen mare and held the umbrella over the both of them.

“I-I’m sorry,” Scootaloo croaked.

Rainbow once again said nothing and they remained in silence. A few moments passed until the older pegasus said something in a low, quiet voice.

“You know, I miss her, too.”

Scootaloo didn’t take her eyes off of the object of her attention as she slowly nodded.

“I-I…-” Rainbow struggled for words. A single tear made its way down her muzzle. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. She meant so much more to you. But… I just want you to be okay, Scootaloo. I…” She couldn’t find the words to express what she felt. She wanted Scootaloo to be strong and not give up as if the world had ended. Though, for as much as Rainbow knew, Scootaloo’s world did end.

The cyan mare gazed at the pony in front of her until her ears perked up as she heard the sound of approaching hooves, several of them. Scootaloo either didn’t notice or didn’t care and gave no reaction.

Rainbow turned around and was astonished when she saw the pony that she had least expected to see. Princess Luna stood with regal posture just 15 feet away from the pegasi, her ethereal mane billowing in a nonexistent breeze. A magical shield of hazy blue aura hovered over her to protect her from the rain. Two stolid guard ponies stood a little bit behind her, their saddles attached with umbrellas.

Princess Luna strode forward, her attention focused not on the two mares but on the object in front of them. Rainbow’s gaze followed the regal mare as she pondered why in Equestria she was there of all places.

The princess stood from behind Scootaloo, gazing at the granite gravestone. She stayed there in complete silence as the sound of rain masked her soft breathing. A few moments passed before she first spoke.

“She… she was a wonderful musician… and a wonderful pony and friend as well.” Luna didn’t take her eyes off of the small monument of a second.

The orange mare in front of her tilted her head in the princess’ direction, a slightly surprised look on her puffy red eyes.

“You- you knew her?” she questioned.

Luna put on a small smile as she replied. “Yes, being the princess of the night, I have a very good idea of what goes on with the nightlife in the cities below the castle. I particularly enjoyed Vinyl’s music. She even played for me personally a few times. After a time, we began to become close friends, and…” The alicorn's voice faded away as she spoke.

Scootaloo briefly remembered the different times when Vinyl had gone off to Canterlot for concerts or other events. She never knew that she had played personally for the princess of the night, though.

Luna lowered her head. “She was such a good friend.” Her gaze seemed to no longer be focused on the carved stone, but lost and staring into space.

“I… I know what it feels like to lose a mother as well, my little pony.”

At this, Scootaloo looked up again in surprise.

“Y-you do? I-I didn’t know that…” She drifted off.

The alicorn simply gave a light chuckle as she looked towards Scootaloo.

“Yes, I once had a mother as well, and a father.” The small smile faded and her face once again became sullen. “When Tia and I were still very young, just beginning to grasp our magical prowess, our mother and father, their… their time came. Many believe that alicorns are immortal, but that is only partially true. We do not die, but we do fade away. After a very long period of time, our very existence begins to deteriorate until we are no more. My father, Helios, and my mother, Artemis, stood before us one day. They told me and my sister that they had to leave, that it was up to us to maintain the peace in Equestria, to continue to raise the sun and moon.”

The princess gently clutched at her chest with a hoof as traces of tears formed in her eyes. “It was so much to handle as a filly. Tia and I begged them not to leave, crying as we did. Mother and Father shed their own tears as they told us that we had to be strong, that they loved us so much.”

Luna bit her lip slightly as a tear slid down each cheek from her sea green eyes.

“I still remember the warmth of my mother as she nuzzled me and said goodbye one last time. And then, they were gone, like dust in the wind. They just faded into the sunset. Tia and I felt so alone. We always had each other, but we missed them so much, and we still do.”

As Luna’s story ended, Scootaloo still gazed with a look of slight disbelief.

“Princess… I… I’m sorry.” That was all she could say.

The princess gave her a weak smile.

“You shouldn’t be, my little pony, for you have gone through the same pain as I.”

Scootaloo just nodded as she looked down and lowered her head.

There were a few moments of silence. Rainbow Dash was standing next them, listening to every word as she held the umbrella over herself and the orange mare. She was just as surprised as Scootaloo by the revelation of the story.

Princess Luna broke the silence with a question to Scootaloo.

“Do you know how I remained strong after they left us? How I was still able to carry on like they told us?”

The mare didn’t move, but still spoke with her raspy voice. “How? How did you make it through even though you lost both your parents?” She asked, almost desperately.

Luna wore a thoughtful, yet content expression.

“Because I knew that they loved me. They loved me and my sister more than anything in the world. That is how I remained strong. They loved me and I loved them and nothing could ever take that away.”

She raised a hoof and gently rested it on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “And you know that Vinyl loved you, Scootaloo, even more than the music she created. And nothing can take that away.”

Scootaloo just nodded. What the princess was saying was true, but it didn’t seem to take any of the pain away. Her mom was still gone, and she was never coming back. Another jolt of pain shot through her heart once more.

“Now, my little pony,” Luna spoke again. “I think it is time for you to go home.”

Luna began to walk away towards the gate of the cemetery. Before she was too far away, however, she turned around to face Scootaloo with her caring smile.

“Be with your friends, Scootaloo. They will help you more than you know. You don’t have to face this alone.”

And with that, the lunar diarch took off into the skies with her guards.

Scootaloo waited until the sounds of wing beats faded away to stand up.

She kept her head down and slowly turned around with one last look at the granite gravestone. The mare passed the cyan pegasus beside her as she began to walk away.

“…Let’s go now, Rainbow Dash.”

The rain hadn’t yet given up its assault. Heavy drops of rain were still falling as the wind buffeted anything that remained outside in the unpleasant climate. It was very chilly as well.

None of this mattered to the two pegasi that flew through the gray sky. Trained as they were, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash easily navigated themselves despite the slightly torrential winds. Raindrops fell and continued to soak through their fur and chilled them to the bone, but they continued in spite of the cold and harsh climate.

The two pegasi were heading in the direction of the cyan mare’s cloud home. Rainbow had offered to her younger counterpart to stay the night at her home. Scootaloo gladly accepted, wanting anything but to return to her own house, cold and alone.

They swayed in the air to avoid the scattered drafts that would hinder their flight.

Rainbow turned her head to see the mare behind her. Needless to say, she was worried about her. The orange mare hardly seemed focused on her flying at all, seemingly gazing off into space as her body mechanically kept her afloat in the sky.

CRACK!

The rolling thunder resounded among the clouds, shocking Scootaloo out of her daze as her heart jumped just a little in her chest.

She gave a sad chuckle at her silly reaction to the booming force of nature. To think that after all these years, thunder still made her jump like that.

She thought to herself, ‘Some things just don’t change, do they?...’

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Scootaloo sat calmly on the plush couch inside Vinyl’s home, lazily watching as drops of rain from the gray clouds outside impacted the window. Her mind wandered off as she did so, not thinking about anything in particular.

It had been about a month now since Vinyl had taken her in and given her a place to stay. Scootaloo was ever so grateful for it, too. The unicorn mare was pretty fun to be around, always joking around and cheering everypony up, yet still showing her more caring and responsible side at times, like whenever she would be there for Scootaloo.

The mare in question sat on the other side of the couch, listening to her beats through her headset as she closed her eyes and rocked her head to the rhythm. She shifted on her seat and stood up before trotting to the kitchen. The refrigerator opened up with a hazy blue aura around the handle as she rummaged through it until she pulled out a pudding cup with a content smile.

Scootaloo just remained still and continued to gaze out the window until…

CRACK!

A wave of thunder caused Scootaloo to jump a good five feet in the air as the blast shook her to the bones. She let out a squeal as she dove under the couch, shivering for a reason obviously other than cold.

Vinyl glanced over as a spoon was being levitated over to her mouth. She giggled as she saw the filly vanish under the couch, her purple tail poking out just a little. The DJ trotted to the couch where the little pegasus now hid.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” she said while suppressing another giggle. “I didn’t know this little filly was scared of thunder.”

At this, Scootaloo shot like a rocket out from under the couch and stood in front of Vinyl, a look of defiance on her face.

“What?! No Way! I’m too cool to be scared of stupid thunder.” Her wings buzzed in frustration, causing her to hover a little, her cheeks blushed a light shade of red.

CRACK!

“Eeeiip!” Scootaloo squealed. Her eyes went wide with terror and her wings simultaneously stiffened up, causing her to fall right on her flank, eliciting yet another ‘eep!’.

Vinyl busted up laughing at the sight before her.

“Hey! It’s not funny!” Scootaloo exclaimed. She stomped her hoof on the ground for emphasis. This only made Vinyl laugh harder.

The filly crossed her forelegs and sat back up on the couch, pouting with flustered red cheeks as her wings buzzed with greater agitation.

Vinyl eventually calmed down and she sat on the couch next to Scootaloo, wiping a joyous tear from her eye.

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t be like that,” she said with a chuckle as she nudged the filly on the shoulder. “It was pretty funny.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” she grumbled.

Vinyl chuckled when she heard another low rumble of thunder in the distance. Apparently Scootaloo had heard it, too, as her wings were clamped tightly to her sides and began trembling. A look of sympathy graced Vinyl’s face while she looked at the filly. She began to ponder a way to help her ease up, and then it came to her.

She clapped her front hooves together before jumping off the couch and turning to face Scootaloo.

“Hey, kid, don’t sweat it everypony’s scared of something.” Scootaloo didn’t respond and continued to pout.

Vinyl smirked. “Hey, you wanna know what’ll help?”

Scootaloo looked at her with slight curiosity. “Oh yeah? What?”

Grinning, Vinyl lifted a hoof and pointed to the headphones that were slung around her neck and still playing her music.

“When it comes, just think of it as a huge bass drop.”

The filly cocked her head and lifted an eyebrow, wearing a look of slight bemusement. “Are you serious?”

“Totally! C’mon, just watch.”

Vinyl made her way to the window and opened it with her magic, still keeping the screen closed so as not to let the water in. Scootaloo got off of the couch and followed her, curious about what she was going to do.

“Ready?” Scootaloo nodded.

When she looked out the window, she saw the brilliant flash of lightning and cringed a bit in anticipation. Vinyl tapped her on the head to get her attention.

She had a hoof up in the air shaking as she counted and silently mouthed the numbers.

‘5…’

‘4…’

‘3…’

‘2…’

‘1…’

CRACK!

The familiar boom came and Vinyl threw her hooves up in the air to exaggerate. Scootaloo only jumped a little this time.

Vinyl chuckled, “See? Just like a bass drop.”

Her face suddenly brightened up as if she had come up with an idea.

“Ooohh! I know!” She motioned for Scootaloo to look outside once more and the filly obliged. “Listen to the rain. It’s like a song and you just gotta listen for its beats!”

Scootaloo looked at her like she was crazy, which she probably was. She did as she was instructed, however, just to humor the crazy mare. She closed her eyes and listened to the gentle pitter-patter of the rain. Soft thoughts of kick-snares floated into her mind as she tried to imagine the beat that the rain was making. And then she heard it.

It was at the edge of her mind at first, but it made its way to the front as her ears twitched in response to the sounds.

Her active mind began to decipher a pattern in the sound of the rain. The pattern became more and more distinct until it was completely audible. Scootaloo heard the various beats; it was as if nature was making its own song!

The filly listened intently for a couple moments until a flash could be seen through her closed eyelids. She eagerly anticipated what was about to come. The beat of the rain seemed to speed up as Scootaloo could almost feel nature’s crescendo, and then…

BOOM!

The crash of thunder came in the form of nature’s drop. The sound resounded as Scootaloo opened her eyes with a wide grin.

“I heard it!” She exclaimed, turning to Vinyl, who held her own grin. “That was so awesome!” She jumped up and punched the air with a hoof. She landed back down on the ground and started giggling in her excitement.

Calming down, though still a bit excited, she looked to the unicorn mare in front of her. “Thanks a lot, Vinyl.”

Vinyl chuckled with a wide smile still on her face. “Heheh, yeah. Nothin’ to it, Scoot.”

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Scootaloo returned from the memory as her hooves rested on the soft cloud. She looked around at the large house. It was pretty big for a pony on weather patrol. Despite its size, it still had a cozy and at-home feeling. It had been quite a while since that last time she had been to Rainbow Dash’s house.

The older mare quickly unlocked the door and trotted past it to let Scootaloo inside. The orange mare stepped in and sighed with relief at the warmth of Rainbow’s insulated cloud home, despite her still soaking wet coat.

“Um… Hold on a sec. I’ll go get some towels,” Rainbow said, and she dashed off to the hallway and some other part of the house.

Scootaloo looked around during her absence. Seeing the inside of that house once more was nostalgic. She had dreamed of coming there as a filly and was beyond excited when she finally did.

Rainbow Dash quickly returned, balancing a towel on each wing.

“Here ya go,” she said as she tossed one of the towels to the orange mare.

“Thanks.” Scootaloo caught the towel and quickly dried herself off.

When they were both done, they simply stood in the middle of the dark living room. Neither mare spoke a word, nor did they need to. Though, it pained Rainbow to not be able to say anything, to not be able to ease the pain of a pony that meant so much to her.

Over time, after Scootaloo got her cutie mark, of course, she and Rainbow had grown ever closer. Rainbow had begun giving her flight lessons, started attending every single one of her concerts. Over time their bond grew stronger until they were about as close as sisters.

And so, that was it. Rainbow now stood there, watching as her little sister went through so much pain. She could do nothing now but simply be there for her, and she intended to at least do that.

“Hey, I- uh… I think I’m just gonna go to bed, Dash,” Scootaloo said as she broke the silence and returned Rainbow from her thoughts.

“Oh, um… yeah, okay,” she stumbled. She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind.

‘Dang it, Rainbow. Come on!’ She thought, slightly frustrated.

“So… is it alright if I just take the guest bedroom?” Scootaloo asked.

“Uh- yeah, sure thing. Come on, it’s over here.” Rainbow knew that Scootaloo knew where the bedroom was already, but she trotted off down the hallway anyways. The orange mare quietly followed her until the mare stopped at the third door on her right.

Rainbow opened the door and walked in. Scootaloo followed and looked around the room as another wave of nostalgia hit her. She had stayed in that very room so many times as an excited little filly. The memories that came to her were warm and happy ones, but they did nothing to help her now.

The two stood side-by-side for a few moments, slightly unsure of what to do.

“Um… thanks, Dash,” Scootaloo said in a quiet voice.

She turned to Rainbow Dash to see the cyan mare look at her with concern and worry plastered on her face. Scootaloo couldn’t look her in the eyes and instead averted her gaze to the ground.

“Dash, I-” She was cut off, however, when she was suddenly pulled into an embrace by the other mare. Rainbow wrapped her hooves around her younger counterpart’s neck and held her close.

Scootaloo was shocked. Hesitant at first, she slowly edged her hooves around the mare and returned the warm hug.

The two held each other as Rainbow nuzzled Scootaloo’s mane. As they stood there in each other’s hooves, Scootaloo thought. How many times had Rainbow Dash been there for her? How many times had she been able to rely on the rainbow maned pegasus? How often had she shown that she genuinely cared for Scootaloo?

The orange pegasus recalled what Princess Luna had said to her earlier that day.

‘Be with your friends, Scootaloo. They will help you more than you know. You don’t have to face this alone.’

Maybe what Luna had said was true, but then why did she still feel so alone?

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Scootaloo croaked through tears she was trying to hold back, but to no avail. The sorrowful droplets fell from her eyes and onto Rainbow’s fur. Rainbow didn’t fare much better in her struggle against her tears and Scootaloo could feel them dripping onto her own coat, but she didn’t care. The two stood there and cried together for a few long moments, neither wanting to let go.

Rainbow hugged her a bit tighter before reluctantly letting go. Placing her hooves back on the cloud ground, she looked into the violet eyes of the purple maned mare in front of her and spoke.

“I’m always here if you need me, Scoot, alright?” Scootaloo nodded her head, sniffling and wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

Rainbow gave a sad smile and quickly hugged the orange mare one more time before turning around to leave the room.

“Good night, Scoot,” she muttered as she left.

“Good night, Rainbow… and thanks again,” Scootaloo replied. She received a warming smile before the cyan mare quietly shut the soft cloud door behind her.

Scootaloo sighed and turned around to face the empty bed that lay in the corner of the dim room. She took a couple of tired steps as she approached the bed. The blanket that lay on top was gently flung to the side as she grabbed it with her teeth and climbed up onto the cloud mattress.

The orange mare remembered how, when she was still a filly, Vinyl would bring her home some nights and tuck her into bed. Every time she did it, Scootaloo’s mother would plant a gentle kiss on her forehead and tell the filly that she loved her. And every time, Scootaloo would go to sleep thinking about how much she loved her mother and how happy that mare was in her life, how happy she was that there was finally somepony to care for her.

Scootaloo wondered about these things as she gently laid her head on the plush pillow and felt her eyelids grow heavy. She didn’t care for sleep right now, but made no effort to break away from its lethargic grasp. Her vision gradually faded as her eyes slowly closed shut and she was unable to blink away the tear that came to her eye. Sleep took its final hold on her as the tear slid down her cheek. She drifted off into a deep slumber and embraced the dream that came.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

There she was, in the place she found so familiar: behind her electronic board, her turntables and her microphone. The mare raised her hoof to touch it but drew back as soon as she did. It was… it was different from her normal set. Something in her mind screamed at her to leave it, to turn away and never use it.

Scootaloo looked around herself in the dark room, and then realized that it wasn’t a room so much as a stadium and she was up on stage. What surprised her more, however, was the massive crowd that stood before her that had gone completely unnoticed. The large group of ponies that had amassed in front of her jumped and danced and raved to the music. Music that she couldn’t hear.

Couldn’t hear…

Then it hit her. Why couldn’t she hear it? She could feel it, the rumbling of the bass, the vibrations that the speakers emitted. It was there, but she couldn’t hear it, no matter how much she strained her ears.

‘Why?’ she silently thought. She could tell that somehow, the music was hers. It was something she had created, but that something was being kept from her.

She realized something else at that moment. The crowd was turned away from her, as if they were ignoring her, as if she wasn’t there.

She didn’t like it.

‘Listen to me, please,’ she thought desperately.

She reached for the foreboding turntables and ran her hoof across them. She vigorously worked the sounds, trying to get their attention, to make them turn around and notice her.

But they ignored her like she was as silent as the music she was making.

‘Please, why won’t you just turn around? What’s wrong?’

The orange mare spun the records and raised the levels on the electric board. She increased the bass to devastating volumes, but they shunned her still. She furiously played her beats until she began to sweat, and then continued to play even more.

Then, finally, she collapsed. Her front hooves rested on the tables while she fell on her hind hooves. She had worked herself to her limit, but she was still alienated by the writhing crowd.

‘Why?’

The mare felt tears form in her eyes and did nothing to resist them. The tears silently fell from her cheeks as she silently pleaded.

‘Why won’t you just turn around?’

She sniffled and stood up, leaning on the tables for support.

‘What’s wrong with me? I can’t even here the music.’

Scootaloo stood still and tried to listen again, but heard nothing and instead felt the music vibrating the stadium.

‘No, it’s there, so why won’t you listen to me?’

She gritted her teeth. Why couldn’t she do it? Why couldn’t she make the beautiful music that she used to? What was wrong?

‘Why can’t you just turn around?’

An angry, frustrated tear fell as she looked up to face the crowd through blurry eyes.

‘Please, just…’

They continued to jump and dance while she slowly broke down.

‘Just…’

Just…

“LISTEN TO ME!”

A/N: Okay, before the ‘hate’ comments come, I’ll admit it. I’m a bastard for doing this (pardon my language). It absolutely killed me inside to write this story. I normally hate to read stories where a character died, even though there are some good ones. My deepest apologies for pretty much killing Vinyl, but if you liked the story, then thanks for reading and I hope you like the rest.

And again, a little editing and maybe some friendly criticism in the comments would be wonderful. Thank you : )

Chapter 2: Our Music Shall Never Die

My Little DJ: Scootaloo’s Melody

Chapter 2: Our Music Shall Never Die
By iDash

“...you are my rainbow to keep. My eyes will always be watching you; never will I lose sight of you.”

-Vesna Bailey

It was mid-morning when Scootaloo groggily awoke from her slumber. The mare blinked a few times in order to clear her vision, squinting as hints of sunlight burst through the cracks in the blinds that covered the window. She closed her eyes once more and slowly lifted her head off of the comfortable pillow. The blanket was brushed off of her with a push from her wing and she sat up on the edge of the bed, wiping her eyes as the last feelings of lethargy faded away. Memories of the nightmare that had occurred the previous night came into her mind. She grimaced at the thought and quickly dismissed it with a shake of her head.

She looked around at her surroundings, the white room of clouds. It was relatively empty; the only things that occupied the room were a small bedside table and the bed that she sat on. On the bedside table, which sat on the other side of the bed, stood a small lamp and next to it, a picture was held in a simple frame and propped up.

Scootaloo shuffled and moved to the other side of the bed to get a better view of the photograph. She grabbed it with her hoof and examined it, recognizing it and recalling the day that it was taken.

In the photo stood two mares, a pegasus and a unicorn, with a younger pegasus mare in between them. The young mare had her front hooves slung around the shoulders of the two others. Each of them was smiling and laughing as if they were having the time of their lives. It was a photo of Scootaloo, Vinyl, and Rainbow Dash. Vinyl stood on Scootaloo’s right, her signature shades propped up above her crimson red eyes and her normally excited grin plastered on her face. Rainbow stood on the filly’s left, her face adorned with a proud smirk while she waved at the camera.

It had been taken on the night of Scootaloo’s eighteenth birthday. She remembered it well. They had thrown a huge party with all of her friends there. The mares had tried their best to make it one of the happiest days of her life, and probably succeeded.

They were all so happy then…

A pain shot through Scootaloo’s heart as she recalled the events of the previous day. Vinyl was still gone. It was a truth she’d had to face, but the truth still hurt. To think that the three of them would never be happy together again…

A tear that had welled up in her eyes without her noticing fell and hit the glass covering the photo.

‘Never together again…’

The pain hurt too much; she had to do something.

‘…But what now?’ She thought to herself. But she had absolutely no idea.

Slowly, she got up out of the bed. Head hung low, the sullen mare quietly made her way to the room’s cloud door, which stood slightly ajar. She gently pushed it open and made her way down the silent hallway. When she reached the end, she stood in the house’s living room. A couch sat in the middle with a TV across from it. The walls were adorned with various pictures and medals belonging to the owner of the house.

Scootaloo recognized one of the pictures that had a medal slung on top of it. It was a picture of Rainbow Dash when she won the Young Fliers’ Competition in Cloudsdale, when she finally pulled off the sonic rainboom.

She seemed so happy in that photo as well. Everything around her seemed so happy, while she remained so miserable…

“Morning, squirt.” The voice that came from behind her made her jump slightly with surprise.

Scootaloo turned around to see Rainbow Dash sitting at a table next to the kitchen, a half eaten daisy sandwich on a plate in front of her.

Scootaloo furrowed her brow as she frowned at the mare in front of her. “I thought I told you not to call me that. I’m not a little filly anymore, you know.”

Rainbow chuckled, “I know, I know. Force of habit, I guess.”

Scootaloo just grunted and moved to the table as she sat down in a chair in front of the older mare. She didn’t say anything, but just kept her head down and her gaze on the ground.

Events of the previous days gone by once again flooded her mind as her heart continued to sink with each memory. She briefly glanced up at the cyan pegasus across from her. Rainbow’s gaze was shifting as she ran her hoof through her disheveled mane.

Rainbow wanted to say something, anything, to the orange mare across from her, but she could think of nothing. She wanted to say she was sorry, wanted to tell her friend that everything would be okay, but how could she? How could she look her in the eye and tell her that everything would be okay after she just saw her mother die?

The mare couldn’t, she just couldn’t do it. “Scootaloo, I…” she tried to speak up, but trailed off. She took a deep breath.

“Look, you know that if you ever need anything, or you just need a friend, someone to talk to, you know that I’ll always be here, okay?” she said repeating what she had promised the mare the night before. Scootaloo hesitated for a moment and then just nodded, making no attempt to look up at Rainbow.

‘Someone to talk to? Seriously? Way to help out, Rainbow…’ the cyan mare thought as she sighed.

It warmed Scootaloo a little to hear this, though. She knew that Rainbow would do anything she could to help her.

But there were some things that even the talented rainbow maned pegasus couldn’t help… not alone, anyways.

Scootaloo pushed her chair back as she got up and trotted around the table. Rainbow followed the mare with her eyes as she wore a slightly confused expression. The younger pegasus walked to the front door of the house before turning around to face her friend.

“I’m sorry, Dash, I just… I have to go and think right now.”

She began to turn again, but stopped herself as she spoke once more.

“And thanks for being here for me.” And with that, she opened the door and flew out into the brisk morning skies.

The flight hadn’t taken very long at all. It wasn’t much of a flight, however; Scootaloo simply glided down from the cloud home with her wings outstretched, the soft morning breeze flowed gently through her feathers as the scent of rain water washed over her.

As she landed, her hooves touched down on the lush green grass beneath her. Ruffling her wings, the mare calmly began to make her way to the house that lay just a few feet ahead of her. When she reached it, she just stared at the door as the smooth white surface stared right back at her. Should she go inside? She didn’t want to be in the empty house alone.

Scootaloo hesitated, then, with a sigh, she unlocked the door and walked inside, silently shutting it behind her. The mare stood still just in front of the doorway. She stared at her surroundings, the desolate feeling of the dim, dark room pressed down on her as if it were trying to crush her.

Her heart began to sink as the horrible silence slowly ate at her. The house, her home, had always been so bright and filled with music, happiness… the sound of a mother laughing with her little girl.

But it was utterly silent now.

With small, weak steps, Scootaloo strode to the staircase and began to make her way up. She rarely actually walked up the stairs, usually choosing to fly up instead. But she didn’t care to think about that right now.

As she reached the top, she turned and traipsed to the first door on her right. Taking a deep breath, she nudged it open with her muzzle and stepped inside.

Light from the rising sun peeked into the room from in between the broken blinds on the window and illuminated what had become of her room.

It was ruined.

Clothes and papers were strewn out randomly on the floor, half of her stereo system had apparently taken a hoof or two through it, and there was a decent sized crack on her dresser where somepony had repeatedly slammed their hoof down into it. Her bed’s mattress had been taken off with the sheets and a pile of glass laid in a corner of the room while some shards were still stuck in the wall after having their original form thrown across the room.

Scootaloo remembered well what had caused her room to look like this and why. She hadn’t reacted too well when… well, when it happened and she lost herself in her despair. But then again, who wouldn’t? How could someone react when they just saw the only one they care about more than anything else die?

She turned her head and took in the chaos of her room. The mare stopped, though, when her gaze fell upon the only thing that had remained untouched. On top of a small table that stood beside her bed sat a glossy black pair of sunglasses, the orange tinted lenses reflecting the squalid, disheveled room before them.

Entranced by the slightly worn down shades, Scootaloo drifted towards them. She lifted them up with her hoof and gazed at her reflection.

Years ago, the shades had been gifted to her by her mother. It was on the same day she had gotten her cutie mark and probably the best day of her life. They reminded her so much of her mother, of the identical purpled tinted shades that were buried with her…

Another sharp pain shot through her heart again. The glasses used to represent happiness and the gift of music that her mother had given her, but now they just seemed like a painful memory.

Familiar tears welled up in her violet eyes as her orange hoof grasped the worn shades and she tried to grasp at the joy they’d once brought her.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The sound of a hoof rapping on the wooden front door returned Scootaloo from her thoughts. She set the glasses down and brought her own hoof up to wipe her eyes. After she cleared her vision, the pegasus scuttled out of the room and into the hallway until she stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the front door.

‘Who could it be?...’ she thought.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The rapping came again. Scootaloo began down the stairs, taking each step with uncertainty as she moved along the carpeted surface.

She quickly reached the door and hesitated for a moment before giving in and turning the knob. A soft, chilly breeze flowed in as the door was pulled open, the smell of fresh rainwater invading her senses once more.

Scootaloo was a little surprised, though, as the door opened to reveal an earth pony mare with a sleek gray coat and a graceful black mane. A pale purple musical treble clef symbol was adorned on each of her flanks.

She looked into Scootaloo’s eyes with her own slightly bloodshot ones, which made it apparent that she had been crying, and put on a small, weak smile.

“Hello, Scootaloo,” Octavia said in a quiet voice. “May I come in?”

“…How are you holding up?” Octavia asked as she took a small sip from her cup of tea then set it back down on the table in front of her. The gray mare sat on the couch in the middle of the living room, her back rested against the back of the cushiony sofa.

Scootaloo ran a hoof through her hair as she exhaled a breath she seemed to be holding.

“‘Bout as well as you’d expect.” The younger, orange mare sat on the opposite end of the couch, hunching slightly as her head hung over her cup, just staring into the dark tea it contained.

Octavia let out a small “Oh” before shifting her head and looking down at her own cup.

After a moment of silence, Scootaloo spoke up as she turned her gaze towards the other pony. “What about you, Octavia?”

The gray mare slowly shook her head, not taking her head off of the cup.

“Not too well, dear. Not too well.” She spoke in a Canterlot accent. Scootaloo found it strange how she adopted that accent and speech pattern even though the mare was from Ponyville. One of the things she had come to like about her, though, was that no matter how much time she spent around the fancy pants ponies in Canterlot or Manehattan, she never forgot where she came from.

“I just…” Octavia spoke up, but she drifted off. She shook her head as she closed her eyes and raised a hoof to her forehead.

“I just can’t believe that she’s gone. I don’t want to believe it.”

‘Well, you’re not alone, then,’ Scootaloo thought. She lifted herself up a bit and shifted her position until she was sitting next to the distressed black maned mare, resting a hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort.

The two remained silent like that for a little while. Neither spoke a word, but both reflected on why they were so hopelessly distraught.

Octavia eventually spoke up with a slightly strange question for the orange mare.

“Did I ever tell you how Vinyl and I met?”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and gave a curious look. “Um, no, I don’t think so.”

The older mare responded with a weak smile. “Well, don’t worry. It’s not too long of a story.”

“It was a little while back when I was a couple years younger than you. I’d just gotten out of college and started my musical career. They weren’t exactly my best days, though. Nopony would give me a chance to play. Then again, nopony would ever pay any attention to a lone cellist that wasn’t even a part of an orchestra.”

Scootaloo gave her a confused look. “You played alone? But you play with symphony groups all the time.”

Octavia nodded, “It’s always temporary. I only play with a group once or twice. I get offers to play a lot, but yes, I did originally start out alone, and I still often am.

“Anyways, as you might expect, I had trouble keeping up with the lack of work. Even with my manager trying his best to get me a performance, nothing came up. I was having problems just trying to pay the rent for the small apartment I had. Well, it was like that for a while until an opportunity finally came up. My manager had finally gotten me a chance to play at an orchestral concert in Canterlot.

“I was so happy. I was excited that somepony would finally get to hear me perform. I might’ve finally been recognized. Well, that excitement lasted all the way until I got up on the stage. The crowd was huge. I thought at least half of the city had to be there, and all of the big-wig canterlot ponies were looking at me, as if expecting the best performance they’d seen. It was a little much for me to handle at the time, and, long story short, my nerves got the best of me and I completely blew it.”

Scootaloo was a little surprised at this. Octavia was the best orchestral musician she had ever heard and she almost never showed her nerves.

The gray mare checked to see that her friend was still listening and continued her story. “I was so frustrated with myself at the time; I’d messed up probably the only chance I was going to get. Right after the performance, I ran out. Didn’t say a word to my manager and just ran to wherever I could get a drink to forget how bad I’d screwed up. I believe the club was called ‘Canterlot Trot’. Anyways, I went straight to the bar and started hitting the hard cider.

“After a bottle or two, another pony sat next to me and was kind enough to order the next drink for me. That pony was Vinyl. It turns out that she was the usual DJ for the club. She was just starting out on her career as DJ PON-3 as well. It came as quite a surprise, though, when she told me that she had been to my performance a little bit ago. I never even thought that ponies… well, ponies involved in her type of music ever listened to my classical or orchestral type. But, sure enough, she did and even told me that I was one of the best players she’d heard.”

Octavia chuckled and smiled to herself. “Being the kind, caring mare that Vinyl was, she tried her best to cheer me up, telling me not to worry about it and to not let it get me down, that I would always get another chance. I kept denying it, though. I told her about the problems I was having with taking care of myself and keeping up with rent. She surprised me again when she told me that she was having the same problems. That night, she suggested that we become roommates. I was a little unsure at first, seeing as we had just met, but Vinyl seemed quite nice, and I did need some help if I was going to make it through at the time. So, I agreed. It was much of a relief to both of us.”

Scootaloo just nodded as she listened to the story. It sounded so much like Vinyl to go out of her way to cheer up somepony she had never even met before. That’s just the kind of wonderful pony she was.

“I still wasn’t exactly the happiest mare in Canterlot at the time, however, and Vinyl was still determined to make it a good time for me. So, she asked the DJ that was substituting for her to play a track, and then grabbed me and pulled me up to the dance floor. Of course, I didn’t want to dance, but she insisted, and you know how stubborn Vinyl could get.” She gave a warm smile.

“The song that the DJ put on was one of Vinyl’s special mixes. I was hesitant at first, but it didn’t take long for Vinyl’s song to get me dancing.” Octavia chuckled a little, almost lost in thought as she shook her head at the memory. “I hadn’t partied like that for quite a while. But it’s just that Vinyl’s music… I don’t know how to explain it. I used to hate that type of music, I thought it was just random noises that somepony put together and called it a song, and I often still do. But Vinyl’s was different. I still don’t know how, but she was always able to take those random noises and turn them into something amazing.”

Scootaloo nodded thoughtfully in agreement. “Yeah, she really was. I hate how a lot of ponies just see it as senseless noise, and they view the ponies that make it as some idiots who don’t know the first thing about music.”

And that was completely true. If Scootaloo were to say that everypony was just fine with it, then she’d be outright lying. Nopony ever saw the real ponies behind the turntables, only what they wanted to see.

In truth, it hurt Scootaloo every time somebody looked down on her music, every time somepony ridiculed her for what she did. To have someone trample on everything you believed in, everything you lived and strived for. To have someone crush your dreams like that… It was never easy.

Lost in thought, the orange mare raised a hoof to her chest and felt her heart beat calmly in her chest.

‘And it never gets easier…’

~ _ * _ * _ ~

“Aw man, Scootaloo, it’s just not fair. Yours is so cool.” Sweetie Belle walked alongside Scootaloo as she gazed longingly at her friend’s flank, which was adorned with the image of a spinning record and a single, graceful wing sprouting from its center. Her cutie mark, which she had received over the previous weekend.

“I know, right? I’m so happy that I finally got it!” She caught herself abruptly after she finished the sentence, and put on a sheepish grin as she looked over to her two friends. “Um... but I’m sure you guys will get yours really soon, and they’ll be just as awesome as mine!”

“Hmmm, Ah sure hope so, Scoot,” Applebloom said as she walked on the Scootaloo’s other side. “Ah just don’t want mine to be about some stupid apples.”

“Aw, c’mon, Bloom. Apples aren’t that bad, are they?” Sweetie Belle said.

“That’s easy for you ta say. Every day at mah house, it’s apples this! Apples that! Ah can’t even remember the last time Ah ate somethin’ that didn’t have an apple in it!” She threw her front hooves up in the air for exaggeration.

Scootaloo and Sweetie did their best to suppress a giggle.

“Don’t worry, Bloom,” Scootaloo said. “I’m pretty sure it won’t be something you don’t like.”

Applebloom grunted and mumbled something under her breath about ‘apple-happy ponies’. Scootaloo just smiled and shrugged.

“Oh yeah, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle piped up. “We haven’t heard your knew song yet, you should play it for us!”

“Yeah!” Applebloom jumped up. “Ah heard it was amazing!”

Their conversation continued as they walked along the stone streets of Ponyville. They were headed to their CMC clubhouse after just being let out of school for the day. The day had gone pretty well for Scootaloo, all of her classmates complimenting her on her cutie mark. Even with the crude snickers and ineligible whispers from the class trolls, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, it had been a pretty good day.

The friends continued to walk, their hoofsteps sounding in unison. Celestia’s sun provided pleasant warmth as a smooth breeze blew through, creating perfect harmony for the three friends as they smiled and laughed together.

That harmony did not last long, however, as a certain two pretentious fillies greeted them.

“Well, if it isn’t the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’” Diamond Tiara said with a sneer, almost spitting out the name of the group before her. Silver Spoon smirked at the three friends from just behind the pink filly.

“Oh look, it’s the Little Princess and Silver Goon.” Scootaloo said with a deadpan face as Sweetie and Applebloom snickered beside her.

“Ha ha,” Silver Spoon said sarcastically. “Very funny coming from a few blank flanks.”

Diamond Tiara trotted forward until she as face to face with Scootaloo, then tilted her head and peered at the orange filly’s flank.

“Except it seems like little Scootaloo here isn’t a blank flank anymore.” With a huff, Diamond turned back around. “Though, it’s not much of a cutie mark. What is that supposed to be, a piece of charcoal with wings?”

“It’s a record, you id-” Scootaloo began to retort but was cut off by Diamond Tiara.

“Oh, and I heard that thing you call music. Honestly, I’ve never heard anything worse in my life.”

Scootaloo was much taken aback by the comment, though, she didn’t know why. She’d been insulted about her blank flank and even her cutie mark and those hadn’t fazed her too much. So why was he music any different? Why was she getting this weird feeling?

“Hey! Take that back. Scootaloo’s music is awesome,” Sweetie Belle said with her brow furrowed.

“Is that so?” Diamond Tiara raised brow. “Have you ever even heard it?”

Sweetie was slightly taken aback and stumbled for words, “Um... I... well no, I haven’t... but a lot of other ponies like it!”

Diamond snorted and shook her head, “The only ponies that like that noise are idiots that party all the time and think what they’re listening to is music, just like that Vinyl Scratch.” She spat out that last couple of words as she spoke the name of the pony DJ.

At that, Scootaloo’s complete demeanor changed as she glared at Diamond with a look that would have made Fluttershy faint.

“What did you say?” Scootaloo said in a menacing tone.

The pink filly smirked. “Ooh, looks like we touched a sensitive spot. Oh yeah, Scratch is the one that taught you how to make that crappy noise, isn’t she? Well, she did a pretty good job. You’re almost as bad as her.” Silver Spoon started giggling behind her.

Scootaloo’s blood was beginning to boil and her friends could’ve sworn that they heard a low growl coming from her. Needless to say, she was pissed. No one talked trash about Vinyl, not while she was around.

Silver Spoon decided it was a good idea to join in. “Hahah, I bet you could hear a better song coming from a dying cat.” Diamond laughed out loud at this.

Diamond turned to Scootaloo with a malicious grin. “You know, you think your ‘music’ is so great now, but it will never amount to anything.”

Scootaloo’s temper flared as the filly spoke, but still, there it was, that same weird feeling. It lingered in her almost like an echo, but she could still feel it, and it... hurt.

“All the noise you make is just a fad that everypony will forget.”

She could barely hold herself back as her anger grew, just as the ominous pain did.

“It’ll die out and fade away until nopony remembers you or that annoying Vinyl Scratch-”

That was about as far as she’d gotten until her dirty smirk was taken off by an orange filly’s hoof when it contacted her face.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Vinyl froze in mid-sip as she was drinking her cup of coffee and shifted her gaze to the front door. She sighed as she set her cup down on the table in front of her with her magic. The DJ had been hoping to have a peaceful and quiet Monday, but apparently that was not going to be the case.

The alabaster mare sat up from her chair and levitated her signature shades onto her face. She began to walk as she wondered who it could be.

‘Did Scootaloo forget her key again?’ the mare wondered.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’.” She stood on the carpeted floor in front of the door as her pale purple magic engulfed the doorknob.

The knob turned and the wooden door creaked open. “Scootaloo, you can’t keep losing your-... oh.”

Before her stood a stallion, a light blue coat with a dark blue mane and a very stern look on his face. The badge on the marine blue shirt that he wore told Vinyl that he was a Ponyville Patrol pony. What really caught her attention, though, was the orange filly that stood next to him. Scootaloo was looking down at the ground, her mane was ruffled up and she had seemingly acquired a black eye.

“Are you Ms. Vinyl Scratch?” the patrol pony asked.

“Uh... y-yeah, that’s me,” Vinyl stuttered.

“Good. We found Scootaloo not too long ago in a fight with another filly.” Scootaloo’s ears flattened against her head as he said this.

“Aw man,” Vinyl quickly knelt down in front Scootaloo as she gently lifted a hoof to her chin and tilted her head up so that she was looking into the filly’s violet eyes.

“Are you okay, Scootaloo?” Vinyl asked in a quieter voice. Scootaloo gazed into the mare’s crimson eyes before turning her gaze down once again as she gave a slight nod and a quiet whimper.

Vinyl lowered her head and nuzzled the filly’s cheek. “Alright, it’ll be okay,” she whispered.

She looked back up to the patrol pony. “Is she in much trouble?” she asked with a worried expression.

“Scootaloo will be alright, ma’am,” the stallion said with an honest and warm smile. “We decided to let her off with just warning this time, as long as it doesn’t happen again.”

A relieved smile replaced Vinyl’s worried expression. “Thanks, and I’m sure it won’t.”

“That’s good to hear.” The stallion turned around to leave. “Have a good one, Ms. Scratch,” he said as he walked away, leaving the two alone.

Vinyl stood up on the soft grass and turned around to the open door of her home.

“Come on, let’s get you inside. I’ll get some ice for your eye,” she said as she brushed a loose strand of hair from the filly’s face.

Scootaloo just nodded and followed her as they trotted inside. As Vinyl shut the door gently with her magic, the orange filly silently strode across the carpet and into the living room where she sat down on the couch.

Vinyl quickly trotted over to the kitchen and opened the freezer where an already chilled ice pack lay. She wrapped it in the purple aura of her magic and levitated it next to her. Closing the fridge, she made her way to the filly and sat down on the floor in front of her.

“Here ya go,” she said as she levitated the ice pack in front of Scootaloo.

Scootaloo gladly accepted it and placed it over her blackened eye. “Thanks,” she muttered, but didn’t look up at the mare. They sat like that in silence for a few moments until Vinyl finally spoke up.

“So, what happened?” the DJ asked.

Scootaloo hesitated a moment before answering. “I… I got in a fight with Diamond Tiara.” Vinyl recognized the name. If she remembered right, it was some annoying rich kid in Scootaloo’s class.

“Well, what happened? Did she do something to you?” Scootaloo noticed the worried tone in her voice.

The filly clenched her teeth as she slowly nodded. “She was making fun of you. She kept mocking you and saying that you made crappy music and it just kept pissing me off.” She furrowed her brow as she recalled everything the pale pink filly had said to her. Then she remembered it, the strange, painful feeling she had gotten before.

“But then,” the filly said in a slightly raspy voice. “She… she started talking about our songs, saying that it was hardly even music. She said that it would never really be anything. She said that everypony would just forget, and that it would die out and fade away.” Her voice had progressively become quieter as she spoke.

The filly raised a hoof to her chest and felt her heart gently beating against it. “And… I don’t know why, but…” She spoke. “It… hurt.”

Vinyl stared at the filly, slightly astonished. The first thing that surprised her was that the filly had gotten so worked up over some foal talking trash about her. However, that didn’t matter after hearing the last few things that Scootaloo had said.

‘It hurt’, she had said. Vinyl frowned; she knew all too well what the filly had gone through, and she was right, it did hurt.

The mare leaned forward and lifted her hoof as she ran it through the orange pegasus’ deep purple mane. She sighed.

“I know it hurts, Scootaloo. When somepony looks down on what you believe in, when they step on your dreams like that, it always hurts.”

Scootaloo’s head lowered a bit more as her ears remained pressed flat against her head.

“Look, Scoot,” Vinyl moved her face closer so that she was staring into the younger pony’s eyes. “Ponies are always going to try to bring you down, some of them are going to be against you and they’ll always try to walk all over you. A lot of ponies will say that our music will never go far, that it’ll just fade away and die.”

Scootaloo made no response as the DJ continued.

“But that’s not true,” she said. “You know why?”

Scootaloo shook her head and looked at Vinyl expectantly.

The mare smiled and playfully poked a hoof at where the filly’s chest over her heart. The filly let out a small giggle.

“Because as long as you love it, then it can never die. Everything you believe in, it’ll always carry on as long as you hold it close to you.”

A small smile crept onto Scootaloo’s face.

“People will still try to bring you down, but you’ve just got to stay strong, and just don’t let them get to you, okay?” The DJ grinned as the filly nodded her head.

Scootaloo gave a quizzical look, however, as she lowered her head in thought.

“Something else wrong?” the mare inquired.

Scootaloo gave no response for a moment before looking back up at her with a concerned look in her eyes.

“Does… does it ever stop hurting?”

Vinyl’s grinned faded as she adorned a slightly sorrowful expression. She slowly shook her head in response to the filly’s desperate question. She wished it was different, but the feeling you get when someone steps on your dreams is an awful feeling that haunts you and just doesn’t go away.

And to see that young, happy filly hurt by something like that… She couldn’t stand it.

Vinyl put on another warm smile as she spoke again to the sad Scootaloo.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” she said as the filly looked up. “I want you to promise me something.”

She placed a hoof on the filly’s heart again. “Promise me you won't let your dream die. Promise me that you won’t let our song fade away.”

Scootaloo thought about what the mare was saying. She smiled as she looked at her with her radiant violet eyes, a new determination glistening within them.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Stunning silence filled the room as Octavia and Scootaloo finished the talk they’d had. Through a flood of tears, Octavia had told of how she had never met a kinder or more generous mare than Vinyl, and that couldn’t have been closer to the truth. Scootaloo had fought to hold back tears of her own, trying her best to comfort her friend.

The silence carried on as Octavia wiped the last of her tears. Eventually the gray mare stood up, sniffling one last time as Scootaloo stood up beside her.

“I’m sorry but I have to go now, dear,” she said with a shaky voice. She turned and threw her arms around Scootaloo as she pulled the orange mare into a tight, warm hug.

“Please stay strong, Scootaloo. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Scootaloo silently nodded and returned the embrace. The two remained as such for a few moments, letting the remaining bits of their sorrow for the moment drain out.

As they each released each other from the embrace, they each said a last goodbye. Octavia turned to leave and opened the front door. A cool breeze filled the house and ushered in fresh air from outside as the midday sun shined brightly.

The gray mare started as if to take a step, but hesitated before she was out of the doorway. She turned to Scootaloo once again as she spoke.

“Scootaloo, I was wondering, about the Equestria Music Festival in Canterlot. It’s in a few weeks and I heard that you and… that you and Vinyl were going to go together.”

Scootaloo’s heart sank as she remembered the festival. It would have been her first time performing in the event and she was supposed to perform with Vinyl.

Scootaloo let out a pained sigh and ran her hoof through her mane as she sat on the couch. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Octavia looked towards the other mare. “Scootaloo, I know how you must feel, but I think you should still go. Vinyl… she was so happy that you would get the chance and, well, I really believe that it would make her proud.” She choked out the last few words.

Scootaloo said nothing as Octavia continued. “I know that your music meant everything to you two and I just think it would be right if you kept on with it. It’s… I just…” She let out a sigh. “It’s just like she said: ‘Carry on and let the music flow’. I know you’re going through a lot, Scootaloo, we all are. But I think you should do this… for her.”

Scootaloo didn’t respond with anything but a slow nod as thoughts passed through her mind and she considered what Octavia had said.

The gray mare gazed once more with a sorrowful and worried expression at the distraught orange mare before turning to the still open doorway.

“Goodbye, dear,” she said sincerely and closed the door with a light click as she left.

Scootaloo sat alone in the quiet house, thoughts still running through her mind. She reclined and leaned onto the back of the couch and tilted her head back, her gaze pointed towards the ceiling, but focused on empty space.

Her thoughts gradually calmed down and she was reminded once again of the house’s penetrating silence.

Without really crying, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke softly to no one but herself.

“Yeah, I have a promise to keep.”

Chapter 3: Because You Were There

My Little DJ: Scootaloo’s Melody

Chapter 3: Because You Were There
By iDash

A/N: Thanks for still reading if you made it this far. I really hope I didn’t disappoint. My apologies if they seem a little lengthy; I had no idea they would turn out so long. : )

“I cannot forget my mother, She is my bridge.”

-Renita Weems

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick…

The unsettling rhythm of the clock reached Scootaloo’s ears and echoed through her head. Every beat of the haunting metronome strengthened the cage of silence that Scootaloo had found herself trapped in.

That noise, that place. The resounding silence, aside from the consistent beat of the unnerving clock. The agonizing loneliness that Scootaloo felt, the same loneliness that she would now always feel. It was all unbearable.

She had to get out; she had to escape before it all drove her to madness. She couldn’t be there any longer. Scootaloo abruptly stood from where she had been sitting and briskly trotted to the door, ready to escape that prison, but she stopped as suddenly as she had started. There was something she still needed.

She turned and, at a much slower pace this time, treaded over the cream colored carpet and up the stairs. Looking down at the ground the entire time, she moved down the upper story hallway until she reached the door that led to her nearly destroyed bedroom. She pushed the door open with her muzzle. As she ignored the devastating condition it was in, the mare walked through the room until she stood in front of her bedside table and the shades that lay on top of it. The same shades that she always had with her, the same shades that she treasured more than anything.

Scootaloo gently lifted them in her hoof and rested them atop her head and behind her ears. Now she was ready. She quickly brushed past the doorway and down the stairs. She had to go somewhere, anywhere, as long as she could think without the heavy silence torturing her.

Almost gasping for air she seemed so desperate for, Scootaloo reached for the front door and threw it open, stumbling onto the soft grass surface. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Scootaloo filled her lungs with fresh, untainted air.

She took another deep breath as her vision was filled with the light of Celestia’s late afternoon sun.

“Scootaloo…” Scootaloo’s ears perked up at the sound of the familiar voice as her head shot up in slight surprise. Her eyes darted around until she found the source of the voice, and finally she found it.

There, down a small path that wound from the orange mare’s home and standing next to Applebloom, both with pained and concerned expressions on their face, stood Sweetie Belle.

“I just can’t believe it,” Sweetie Belle spoke up, interrupting the silence that had intruded upon the three mares. They now sat against the side of the orange mare’s house, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon as it continued to bathe them in its pleasant warmth.

Sweetie Belle, the white mare who sat on Scootaloo’s left had rushed back from Las Pegasus to be with her sorrowful friend.

They sat there in each other’s presence. Neither of the two mares was able to think of anything at all to say to their pegasus friend. Though, they were there with her, and that’s all that mattered to Scootaloo, even if it did not completely ease her pain.

“It’s just not fair,” Applebloom said quietly, shaking her head. The cream colored mare’s cardinal red mane fell to her side. It was a little messier than usual, her pink bow unable to keep it in place. The gentle splash of red that was her tail lied limply beside her. It was in a position that allowed it to reveal the mare’s cutie mark: a bright red apple in the shape of a heart that was encircled by a prismatic rainbow.

“I… we just… don’t know what to say, Scoot.” Sweetie Belled gazed at her friend with an intense look of worry and concern. Her multicolored pale pink and purple mane was curled as it usually was. Stray bangs drooped over her face as her head hung down a bit. The evening sun’s light illuminated her sleek, alabaster coat, as well as her own cutie mark that was adorned on her flank: a single bubble that reflected the beautiful light and color around it as it was softly wrapped in a faded pink ribbon.

“You don’t really have to say anything,” Scootaloo stated.

Applebloom suddenly turned to the DJ mare. “Yes, we do, Scootaloo! It’s just… It’s just not right…”

“Applebloom’s right,” Sweetie Belle said solemnly. “Scootaloo… I’m just so sorry.” The white mare’s voice cracked as she said this. “It’s just not right for you to have to go through this. You cared about her more than anything… I… we’ve never seen you happier than when you were with her.”

This was completely true. Besides her adventures with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, times spent with her mother were the happiest times in her life.

Scootaloo turned her head from her friends and gazed back towards the sunset.

“Well,” she said. “If it weren’t for Vinyl coming into my life, I wouldn’t even be here right now.”

~ _ * _ * _ ~

“Scootaloo…” a soft voice whispered to the filly as she slept, peacefully and contently curled up under the layer of blankets above her.

“Scootaloo...” the voice said a little louder, but Scootaloo still chose to ignore it and continue sleeping.

“Scootaloo… Scootaloo…” The voice persisted and she pulled the blankets over her head as she mumbled something.

“Mmmm,” she grumbled. “Five more minutes…”

…Silence...

“SCOOTALOO, WAKE UP!”

The filly’s bed shook with a powerful quake as her eyes shot open from the sudden shouting. Still in shock, Scootaloo shot upright and stumbled out of her bed, her vision still blurred from the groggy sleepiness.

“Aaaaah!” Scootaloo screamed as she fell to the floor and untangled herself from the blankets. She stood up immediately and looked around the room, eyes still wide with surprise. What she saw, however, made her furious in her lethargic state.

Vinyl and Rainbow Dash were rolling on the floor and clutching their stomachs as they laughed, wiping joyful tears from their eyes.

“Vinyl!” Scootaloo shouted in annoyance. “I hate it when you do that!” And she really did. Vinyl had pulled that little prank on her a few times in the past, and every time, the mare thought it was utterly hilarious. Of course, Scootaloo thought otherwise.

The two mares picked themselves up off the floor. Vinyl spoke as she gave a last few chuckles.

“Aw c’mon, Scoot. It’s so funny!” she chuckled. “And besides, Rainbow told me to do it.” She pointed an accusing hoof at the cyan pegasus beside her. The mare in question put on a mock expression of astonishment at her accusation.

“It was not!... it was a team effort,” she said as she giggled.

Scootaloo gave a “humph” as she sat on her haunches and crossed her front hooves, pouting as her lips pressed into a thin line and her brow furrowed.

“Why’d you wake me up, anyways? It’s Saturday, can’t I sleep in?”

“Nope!” the DJ mare pitched in, much to the filly’s disappointment.

“Aw, don’t worry, Scoot. We’ve got somethin’ totally awesome planned for today,” Rainbow said as she noticed the filly’s mood.

Her entire demeanor changed. Scootaloo’s ears perked up and she stood up in her excitement, grinning as she did so.

“Really?! What is it, what is it?!”

Vinyl beamed with a grin at the ecstatic filly. “Sorry, Scootaloo, but it’s a surprise. So you’ll just have to come along and find out.”

Scootaloo let out an exaggerated groan of disappointment. Vinyl simply rolled her eyes. “Well, you better hurry up and get ready if you wanna go.”

The filly perked up again and quickly dashed around her room and in a blur of orange, shot back in front of the two mares, her prized black shades resting over her eyes and the glossy orange lenses reflecting Vinyl and Rainbow’s smiles.

“Ready!” Scootaloo jumped up.

“Ugh, how long are we gonna keep walking?!” Scootaloo’s exasperated voice came from behind the two mares and they looked back to see the orange filly nearly dragging her hooves along the surface of the dirt road they were on. In truth, they really had been walking for a while, but Celestia’s hot sun that beat down on them made it seem so much longer than it really was.

As they walked Scootaloo began thinking to herself. What could the surprise be for? It wasn’t her birthday or Hearth’s Warming Eve or anything like that. Nothing really big had happened recently either, so the chances of Pinkie Pie throwing a party for anything was low… but then again, nopony could ever know with Pinkie Pie.

Vinyl chuckled, “Don’t worry, Scoot, we’re almost there.” She then put a hoof to her chin and her face contorted slightly as she thought. “Um, At least I think we are…”

Her voice trailed off as Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “You’re lost?!” she shouted. Rainbow Dash giggled beside the other mare.

Vinyl put on a feigned offended expression. “Am not!” She still looked unsure as she looked around her. Her face lit up as she shot a hoof out and pointed towards something in the distance. “Ah hah! There it is! Told ya I wasn’t lost.”

She wore a prideful grin as Scootaloo looked over to where her caretaker was pointing and quickly furrowed her brow as she looked to the alabaster mare with a quizzical look. “The Town Hall? What are we gonna do there?”

“You’ll see,” Rainbow Dash said with a knowing smile towards Vinyl. “Now come on! You’re gonna love it.” The polychromatic mare grinned as Scootaloo conformed and followed the other two along the gravelly road.

“SCOOTALOO!” two ponies shouted in unison as two pure white and creamy yellow masses pounced on an unsuspecting filly.

“GAAH!” Scootaloo shouted in surprise as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom tackled her to the ground in a group hug.

The two other fillies giggled as they lifted themselves off of Scootaloo so their friend could breathe. The orange filly stood up with a look of bewilderment on her face.

“Applebloom? Sweetie Belle? What’re you girls doing here?” Scootaloo questioned with a raised brow. She dusted herself off then picked up her glasses which had fallen off onto the floor, setting them onto her forehead and above her eyes.

“Oh! It’s because-!” Sweetie Belle started, but was cut off by Applebloom’s hoof in her mouth.

“Sorry, it’s a surprise, Scoot,” Applebloom said with a sheepish grin.

Scootaloo let out a loud frustrated groan. “Why won’t anypony tell me what it is?!”

Vinyl chuckled from behind Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned around to see Vinyl and Rainbow standing on the other side of the room, where they had watched Scootaloo’s abrupt meeting with her friends.

“Yeah, yeah, we know. Don’t sweat it, it’s really close,” Vinyl said.

Scootaloo’s face scrunched up as she thought about what it could be. What would they have that would make them take her to the Town Hall?

Vinyl’s hooves clopped along the tile floor of the air conditioned building they were in as she passed Scootaloo with a smile. “Just wait here. I’ll be back in a minute with your surprise.” And with that she smiled and trotted down a hallway until the small group lost sight of her.

Scootaloo waited uneasily, anxious about what was going to happen. Her two friends sat beside her, beside themselves with joy. Rainbow sat patiently next to them. The receptionist that stood behind a counter on the far side of the room occasionally glanced up at them disinterestedly as she read a book. Scootaloo was getting impatient, however. Just as she was about to ask what in Celestia’s name Vinyl was doing, the DJ reappeared, her head poking out from the corner of the hallway. She smiled.

“Gotta close your eyes, Scootaloo,” she said. Scootaloo hesitated with a confused look, but finally gave in and shut her eyes. She heard several hoofsteps and a few hushing noises. There was a soft rustling of something that sounded like paper as well… and then it was silent.

“Okay, open your eyes now,” Vinyl spoke in a hushed voice. Scootaloo opened her eyes and found herself looking at the blue maned unicorn who now stood in front of her. Her eyes quickly shifted down, though, as the mare noticed something hovering in front of her in a purple aura: a couple of papers that had been stapled together into a small stack.

Casting a brief, unsure glance towards the white mare once more, she took the papers in her teeth, releasing them from the magic, and set them on the ground in front of her. As she did so, Vinyl spoke once again, scratching the back of her head with a hoof.

“It uh, took me a while, and I had to work some stuff out with the mayor, but… well, I finally got it…” Her voice drifted off and Scootaloo slowly began to read the official looking print that had taken its place on the papers:

“I, Vinyl Scratch, wish to accept full responsibility of the filly by the name of Scootaloo. I shall take on complete accountability and liability as I assume the role of legal guardian…”

Scootaloo’s voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper as she stopped reading. Her eyes drifted across the passage once more as she took it in.

Adoption papers…

Her eyes continued to flit across the page as her vision began to blur. A tear hit the paper after rolling off of the orange filly’s muzzle. And then another, and another. Scootaloo sniffled as tears gradually began to stream freely down her face.

The white mare that stood before her took a step forward, eyes beginning to water and her vision starting to blur. “Scootaloo-” she began, but wasn’t given the chance to finish as Scootaloo shot up and clung to Vinyl in a tight embrace. She continued to shed her tears as the fell onto the mare’s blue mane.

Vinyl smiled as she lowered herself and wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo, returning the embrace as she cried tears of her own.

Their friends stood to the side as they watched the scene before them. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were making no attempt to hide their watery eyes as they gazed in wonder, happier than they’d ever been for their friend. Rainbow Dash’s emotions and pride battled as she tried her best to hold back the floodgates of emotion. Even the receptionist pony behind the counter seemed touched by the scene.

Vinyl and Scootaloo held each other for a moment longer as Scootaloo spoke through the tears of pure joy.

“T-Thank you so much,” she sniffled and buried her muzzle deeper into Vinyl’s mane. “I love you… mom.”

Vinyl smiled despite her damp face and the tear lines and nuzzled Scootaloo as she held her little girl closer.

“I love you, too, Scootaloo.”

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Mom…

It had felt so good to say that word, that one word that Scootaloo had always yearned for, the one thing that she thought she could never have. But then Vinyl came into her life, and turned everything around. Vinyl gave her a home, she gave her music, she gave her happiness, she gave her love… she gave her a mother.

Tears showered down Scootaloo’s face as she broke down into a sob. The memories… they hurt so much, but they just wouldn’t stop. Every single bit of warm happiness she remembered of her mother stabbed at her until she was rendered broken.

Why did it have to hurt so much?

Why did she have to go?

Why? Why? Why?

Scootaloo begged for the answer, but as nothing came, she fell apart into more tears.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom embraced their sorrowful friend, emitting sobs of their own as their hearts were torn apart by the sight of their best friend in such a condition. It hurt to see Scootaloo like that, to see their friend fall so far.

They held on to her tight, not letting go and trying their best to save their friend. Scootaloo collapsed into her friends’ embrace and released all of her sorrow in the form of tears and sobs as she bawled.

That’s how they remained, none of them caring to keep track of time, crying together and holding on and not daring to let go of each other. In that time, Scootaloo let everything out all of the sorrow that had weighed so heavily on her.

After several long moments, the cries began to subside until they were just small sniffles that the three friends gave off. The silence lasted for a little longer and they continued to hold one another.

Eventually a voice broke the silence that held them. “Scootaloo…” Applebloom said with a shaky voice, weighted with her southern pony accent. “… Please, Scoot. It hurts ta see our friend like this. We just want ta see ya happy.” Applebloom looked up into the purple maned mare’s eyes. “Ya don’t have ta go through this alone.”

Scootaloo slowly nodded, the words that Luna had spoken to her the previous day flashed through her mind. It all still hurt so much, but no, she wouldn’t have to face it alone.

“I’m not going to do it alone,” she said in a soft voice.

By the time the group’s cries had subsided, the sun had sunk the rest of the way below the horizon, thus rendering the sky an ominous and very dark shade of blue. Stars glimmered in the sky like the moon’s light reflected off their tear stained coats. Despite the darkness, cold avoided them as a warm summer breeze whistled past.

After a time, the three stood up and decided that it was about time to go home. They asked the orange mare several times if she was sure she didn’t want to come with them. But she shook her head as she wore a small smile, glad that she had friends that would show such concern for her. She eventually convinced them that she was fine at the time and was staying with Rainbow Dash. Although still unsure, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle finally gave in. They each embraced Scootaloo with a quick warm hug before departing.

“It’s- it’s gonna be alright, Scootaloo,” they said.

Scootaloo gave a sad smile, but nodded. “Thanks so much, girls.”

With one last hug, they each went their own way. Scootaloo stayed and sat on the grass under the brilliant night sky as she watched them leave. When she could see them no longer, she let out a sigh and stood up. After ruffling her wings a little to ready for flight, she cast one more longing look upon her home.

Tearing her yearning gaze away, she spread her wings and took off into the skies.

She flew through the pleasant atmosphere of the night, Luna’s lustrous moon shining as its gentle light reflected off of her coat. The wind rustled by her face and she felt the air currents whistle through each of her feathers.

On another night, she may have enjoyed a night flight like that. But on this night, her thoughts were occupied by anything but the flying. Thoughts of Luna came into her mind. Even with her friends beside her, would the pain go away that easily?

Octavia’s words from that day rung in her ears. ‘Carry on and let the music flow’… How?

‘For her…’ Scootaloo thought. ‘…how can I do it for her when she’s… gone?’ Confusion gripped her mind and refused to let go as she sought the answer. The answer, however, continued to elude her.

Scootaloo didn’t know what to do, and even if she did, she wouldn’t know how.

She was lost.

The rustling and flapping of pegasus wings could be heard from inside the cloud home. Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up as she heard the sound of somepony’s hooves touching down on the soft patch of cloud outside her front door.

The cyan pegasus, who had been lying down on the couch in the living room, now stood up as she heard the sound of her cloud door opening and somepony walking in. Rainbow tilted her head and trotted over to see who it was that had come into her home, but stopped as she saw Scootaloo in the opening of the doorway.

The orange mare’s mane was disheveled, her eyes were puffy and red and her face was stained with trails of tears. Her familiar sunglasses rested atop her head. She gently shut the door behind her after she walked in and slowly walked down the hallway in Rainbow’s direction, her head hung low.

“Scootaloo…” Rainbow said. She strode over and met her friend halfway down the hallway. “Are you okay?” she asked weakly.

The orange pegasus did nothing but just lean in and rest her head on Rainbow’s shoulder. She sniffled before speaking just above a whisper.

“Help me… I just… don’t know what to do, Rainbow.” Slightly bewildered for a second, Rainbow paused then wrapped a hoof around Scootaloo, giving her support as she turned around and led her back into the living room.

Rainbow let the tired orange pegasus lean against her as they walked on the plush cloud beneath them, wondering what had happened to her that day. But none of that mattered. She would do anything she could to help her friend now. When they entered the room, Rainbow set her friend down on the couch as she sat next to her. The cyan pegasus’ arm stayed wrapped around the orange mare, Scootaloo’s head still rested on her shoulder.

“Help me, Rainbow,” she muttered again. Rainbow could’ve sworn she felt a tear fall onto her coat and she held Scootaloo tighter.

“Don’t worry. I’m here, Scoot.” Rainbow ran a hoof through the mare’s purple mane as she tried to comfort her. Her own tears started to form in her magenta eyes.

Scootaloo let out an almost inaudible whimper. Although without truly crying, she let another tear fall. She sat there and let her breathing become rhythmic and her eyelids grow heavy. The sorrowful mare let all of her worries as well as her consciousness slip away as she fell asleep in her friend’s arms.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

She was there again, that horrible place, the place where the music always played, but there was no sound. The records continued to spin and the bass shook her to her bones. The crowd of ponies writhed and shifted before her, each of their backs was turned to her.

“Why am I here? Why do I keep coming here?” she asked almost to herself, but the raving crowd offered no reply.

Her music was silent, the crowd refused to listen to her, but she had had no idea why.

‘Because your music is fading.’ The thought intruded her mind as if it had come from someone else.

‘My song… is fading away,’ she thought. A pain shot through her heart as she reached the conclusion. ‘But I promised.’ No… no, she wouldn’t let that happen. Not to her music… not to the one thing she had left of Vinyl.

She reached up to the turntables, ready to try and bring her music back, but she abruptly stopped as she saw what lay facing her on top of the board. Her sunglasses laid there facing her. The aviators did not have the worn look that they had adopted over years of wear. They looked as good as new, except for…

Scootaloo leaned in close to the shades as she discovered something that had not been there previously. A crack had appeared on the left lens and ran the entire length of it. She examined them as she wondered where the damage had come from. The mare was stunned for a moment until she recalled that she was in a dream and no real damage had been done to them.

She sighed out of relief, but caught herself as she noticed something else. The reflection in the lenses reveal not only her, but something standing behind her as well. Scootaloo whirled around in astonishment as she stumbled backwards. Despite her surprise, what she saw was very familiar. In front of her stood four ponies: one with a polychromatic mane, one with a silk black mane, another with a scarlet red mane, and the last with dual-shaded purple mane.

Her friends.

When she saw them, she wanted to smile. She wanted to grin and laugh again. She wanted to jump up and hold them and know that they were there with her. But for some reason, she was kept from such joy. An ominous feeling hung over her. Scootaloo attempted to take a step forward, but her hoof wouldn’t budge, as if something were holding her down. She fought and struggled against it, but she was not allowed to move forward.

Scootaloo looked up in urgency to her friends that had their backs turned. She screamed to them for help, but her eyes went wide as she noticed that no sound was coming from her. She tried once more, and received the same result.

She looked towards her friends in desperation, hoping that one of them would turn around. Her hopes were lifted when she saw Applebloom make a movement. However, the cream yellow mare made no attempt to turn around, but instead walked forward. Scootaloo looked on, wondering what was going on. Applebloom continued to walk until she was swallowed up into a black void in front of her. And she was gone.

‘Applebloom?...’

A strange, haunting feeling shrouded over her as she saw Sweetie Belle take a step forward and walk until the same blackness swallowed her up.

‘Sweetie Belle?... No…’ Scootaloo tried to reach up a hoof and call for them, but the mysterious force was still holding her back. ‘Don’t leave…’

Then Octavia stepped forward as well, and, without so much as casting a glance back, walked away into the void and left Scootaloo behind.

Scootaloo shook her head in denial. ‘No… no, don’t leave, please.’

She turned her head to the last one that remained: Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo attempted to speak with her lost voice once more almost begging Rainbow not to leave.

‘Please, don’t leave, Rainbow.’ She thought. ‘I don’t want to be alone.’

She felt tears come to her eyes as she felt the loss of her friends. Her heart fell as she saw Rainbow take the first step forward. However, she walked slower than the others, almost as if she were waiting for Scootaloo to chase after her. But the orange mare could not, and so she kept walking forward.

Scootaloo screamed and begged with her silent shouts. ‘Don’t leave! Please don’t go!’ her tears began to fall.

Rainbow never stopped, though, and Scootaloo watched as the darkness slowly crept over every inch of her body. First her head, then her neck, and it moved on to her barrel and her legs. Scootaloo tried to scream and fight, but it was only until the void was swallowing up the last of her rainbow maned friend that she was given freedom again.

“DON’T LEAVE ME!”

But it was too late and the void completely absorbed her friend, and now they were all gone. Scootaloo collapsed to the unseen floor as sobs racked her body. She lay down on the ground as she laid her front hooves over her eyes and continued to cry.

“D-don’t… p-please, don’t g-go.” She spoke out to her friends that were now gone. Though, she continued to beg for them back.

Lying on her own, she fell into her sorrow with nopony there anymore to lift her from her darkness.

“Please, I don’t want to be alone.”

A/N: Sorry if it seems rushed, especially the beginning. I’m getting the feeling that some of the themes are starting to get really repetitive.
And I’m going to try and write another couple of shorter fics that will explain the other CMC’s cutie marks, in case that confused you.

Chapter 4: When She Smiled, Angels Sang Up Above

My Little DJ: Scootaloo’s Melody

Chapter 4: When She Smiled, Angels Sang Up Above
By iDash

“They say when you are missing someone that they are probably feeling the same, but I don't think it's possible for you to miss me as much as I'm missing you right now.”

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Clip clop. Clip clop. Clip clop.

Scootaloo’s hoofsteps echoed as they sounded on the cobblestone of a street she was walking along. She didn’t even know why she was out there. She had left Rainbow Dash’s cloud home earlier that day in order to empty her mind so she could think clearly. Though, it didn’t seem to be helping that much as her head buzzed and her thoughts still clouded.

It was late afternoon and the ponies that weren’t at home having dinner were still roaming the streets and going about their business. Some who passed her waved or greeted her, but she paid no attention to any of them. She was just so confused.

‘Let the music carry on… let it carry on…’ she thought. How could she, though? Vinyl had been the only reason that she even had music… and now she was gone. The thought of making another song seemed hopeless.

‘Do it for her.’ The words echoed throughout her troubled mind. Of course Scootaloo would’ve done anything for Vinyl. Yet, she didn’t know if she could do this.

Any attempt at calming her mind was being denied by these troubling and prevalent thoughts, and flashbacks of the recent nightmares she had been having didn’t do her much good either.

Scootaloo vigorously shook her head in another attempt to try and clear it as she walked and let out a frustrated groan.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” a familiar voice said to the mare. Scootaloo turned around to see Berry Punch standing a few feet away from her and smiling, her moderate cerise mane falling to one side as it clashed with the pale mulberry of her coat. Her cutie mark shown as a grouping of grapes lying next to a ripe strawberry.

Berry strode over to Scootaloo and as she did, her smile began to fade. When she reached the orange mare, she flicked her head a little to the side, motioning for Scootaloo to walk with her. They walked side by side for a moment in silence until Berry spoke up.

“So,” she said. “Are you okay?”

Scootaloo paused then shook her head with a sigh. “Not really,” she replied. “I’m just… I’m trying to get my head clear, but there’s just a lot on my mind right now ‘cause… well, you know.” Berry nodded her head, an understanding look on her face.

Scootaloo looked to the mare next to her. She remembered how they had gotten to know each other. Berry had clubbed with Vinyl on several occasions. If one of them was at a party, then chances were that the other was there as well. Scootaloo had gone to a few parties with the mulberry mare, eventually becoming good friends with her.

The orange mare often found it odd how most ponies pegged Berry as a drunkard even though she was sober most of the time and only drunk on occasion. It’s just that when she was drunk… well, you could say she partied harder than Vinyl and Pinkie Pie combined.

“So what’s on your mind?” Berry asked with a friendly concerned expression.

Scootaloo shook her head and simultaneously lowered it towards the ground. “…I’ve just been trying to sort some things out.” She sighed. “I just… don’t know what to do anymore.”

Berry nodded once more before turning and giving the orange mare a small smile.

“I think I know something that can help,” she said. She turned and with a flick of her head, she motioned for Scootaloo to follow her.

Although a little hesitant at first, Scootaloo was a little curious as to what the cerise maned earth pony had in mind, and decided to follow.

The Equestrian Keg. That was the name of the bar that the two mares stood in front of. The familiar structure stared back at Scootaloo as she examined it. It was made almost entirely out of brick, only a few windows lining the building. A wooden sign with the bar’s name hung above the door. It really didn’t look like much, but both mares were fond of that place anyways. It had been Vinyl’s favorite drinkery as well.

Scootaloo and Berry walked in after pushing open the wooden door as it creaked. A musty stench hit their noses as they went further in. Scootaloo observed that it wasn’t too busy, just a few ponies were sitting at tables around the small inside of the building, while one or two others sat at the bar. It was dimly lit and relatively quiet. Only a couple of ponies cast the two a cursory glance when they walked in before turning back to whatever they were doing.

“Come on,” Berry said, still smiling to Scootaloo. The older mare led her over to the bar, their hooves clip-clopping on the wooden surface of the floor. As they sat down on the stools, Berry tapped her hoof on the bar table, signaling the bartender over, whom Scootaloo recognized immediately. He was a friend of Scootaloo’s that she had met through Vinyl and Berry.

The old stallion’s name was Full Pint. Well, he wasn’t too old, but at least a decade older than Vinyl or Berry. He was medium gray with a dark black mane, a scruffy mustache having made its home on his muzzle and covering most of his mouth and chin. Scootaloo remembered how he had owned the bar and acted as the bartender for quite a few years. He sauntered over to their side of the bar, the look his brown eyes resting on Berry.

“Hey, Full Pint,” she said with a smile.

He nodded and smiled at her… at least from what Scootaloo could tell, that is. He then turned his gaze to the orange mare and his expression visibly fell slightly. The stallion cleared his throat as he addressed her.

“Hello, Scootaloo. How’ve ya been?” he said in a gravelly voice. He wore the same worried expression that Berry had had previously.

Scootaloo managed to give a small, thankful smile and slowly shook her head. “Not too good, Pint.” Full Pint nodded and gave her a knowing look.

Berry piped in, “Scootaloo’s… well, she’s got a lot of things on her mind, and she’s been trying to clear her head. Think you could help out?”

Full Pint looked at Berry, then to Scootaloo and then smiled again. “Ah think Ah might have somethin’” The old stallion walked away for a moment and grabbed a glass, some ice and a few other things to start mixing a drink.

While he was doing that, Berry turned and spoke with Scootaloo. “So, why are you trying to clear your mind, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo sighed and looked down to the bar table before explaining her recent troubles. She told her about what Luna said and how it kept making her more and more uncertain. She told her about what Octavia had said as well, and the music festival in Canterlot, about how she wasn’t sure if she could do it.

Scootaloo gave a relieved sigh after explaining herself; it felt good to let it all out. Berry nodded in understanding. The mulberry mare was about to say something when Full Pint appeared in front of Scootaloo with a drink.

“Here ya go, Filly,” He said as he pushed the drink in front of her at the table. He had always called her by that name, even though she didn’t know why, so she was used to it.

Scootaloo looked up at the stallion with a raised brow. “Um… sorry, but I don’t have the bits for this-”

Full Pint interrupted her by raising his hoof in front of her as he shook his head. “Don’t ya worry ‘bout it, Scootaloo. It’s on the house.”

Scootaloo paused for a moment before giving a grateful smile. “Thanks,” she said in a quieter voice.

She looked down at the drink. Full Pint had made her favorite. It was in a simple glass cup, a swirled plastic straw as well as a small decorative umbrella had been put into the drink. The drink itself was colored an icy, pale blue. The small, crushed ice of the chilled drink made it resemble a shake. Its enticing scent wafted to Scootaloo’s nose, a mixture of various sweet fruits.

She leaned in to take her first sip from the straw. The drink was delicious, all of the flavorful fruits masking the taste of the alcohol that resided in the beverage. As she drank, she smiled inwardly to herself.

‘This takes me back.’

~ _ * _ * _ ~

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Everypony shouted in celebration. They were all gathered inside the normally musty bar, the Equestrian Keg. However, someponies had taken it upon themselves to clean it up for this special occasion. The bar was brighter than usual as well. Banners, streamers and balloons lined the walls, courtesy of a certain pink party mare. Vinyl Scratch had asked the owner of the drinkery, and her close friend, Full Pint, if he would reserve the bar for that day, which he gladly did.

Everypony stood in a group surrounding the birthday mare as she laughed in celebration with all of her friends. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were definitely there. Her other friends, like Twist and Pip, were off enjoying the party with the other ponies. Rainbow Dash had made sure she was there, and so had Scootaloo’s mom, Vinyl. A few of Vinyl’s friends were there as well, including Octavia, Lyra, Bon Bon and a few others.

“Thanks, guys!” Scootaloo exclaimed with a wide grin on her face. She was sitting on a stool at the bar table, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom sitting on either side of her.

“Hey, Scoot! We got a surprise for ya!” Scootaloo looked over and found the source of the voice to be a certain cyan pegasus that she knew.

Rainbow Dash was making her way towards her. Beside the polychromatic mare was Scootaloo’s mother.

Rainbow and Vinyl stopped in front of Scootaloo and Rainbow spoke. “Vinyl and I were just thinking, and we thought that since you’re 18 and you’re finally of age, it’s time for you to have your first real drink.” She stood up on her hind legs and gestured with both of her hooves to the rest of the room. “Hence, why we brought you to a bar,” she said with a smirk.

Scootaloo tilted her head with a confused look on her face. “Like… you mean alcohol?”

Vinyl chuckled as she stood up on her hind legs and slung a hoof around Scootaloo’s shoulder.

“Well, duh!” she exclaimed with a grin. She turned to the side to face another pony as she shouted, “Hey Full Pint! Bring ‘er over!”

A gray stallion on the other end of the bar smiled. His black mane was slicked back. His cutie mark portrayed a foaming mug.

“You got it!” he said. He grabbed a drink that he had already prepared and slid it across the long table as he walked.

He slid it over in front of Scootaloo. “And here’s fer the birthday mare.” Scootaloo looked down at the pale blue and chilled beverage. She had to admit, it smelled good, like all of her favorite fruits put together into a tangy mixture along with the trace scent of alcohol. “It’s called the Lunar Solstice. Personal special of mine,” Full Pint said.

She looked to Vinyl and Rainbow with a slightly unsure expression. Rainbow held an excited grin as she vigorously nodded and motioned for Scootaloo to drink it.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom buzzed with enthusiasm beside her.

“C’mon, Scoot! You can do it,” Applebloom said.

“Come on, time to pony up! Just skip the straw and down it,” she said in her excitement.

Scootaloo nodded and looked back to the drink, taking in a deep breath in anticipation. She took out the straw and readied herself, determined to have her first ‘real’ drink.

‘Okay, ready,’ she thought to herself.

‘1…’

‘2…’

‘3!’

Scootaloo grasped the drink with both hooves and quickly brought it to her mouth. She took her first big gulp of the beverage and a shiver ran through her spine. She was surprised by both the taste of it and how smoothly it went down.

“Woohoo! That’s my girl!” Vinyl exclaimed as she threw her hooves up. Several other ponies cheered with fervor behind Scootaloo, clopping their hooves on the ground in congratulations for the orange mare.

Rainbow came up behind her and patted her on the back. “Yeah! Way to go, Scoot.”

“Congrats, Scootaloo.” Berry Punch spoke from her position a couple stools away. She smiled at the birthday mare before turning to the bartender with a playful pouting face. “Hey, Full Pint! How come I don’t get a drink?”

Full Pint smirked at the mulberry mare. “Because I know you when you get drunk, Berry, and I don’t really want my bar to burn down.”

Berry wore an expression of feigned offense. “That was only once! I paid for the damages and said I was sorry like a thousand times.”

All of the ponies laughed as they listened to Berry try to argue with Full Pint. Berry joined in the laughing as well despite her recent restriction from anything alcoholic. They laughed like that through the entire night, simply enjoying themselves as if nothing was wrong or ever would be. It was one of the best days of the young orange mare’s life.

Later that night, a friend of Rainbow’s took a picture of Rainbow, Scootaloo, and her mom, capturing the joy of that night forever.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Scootaloo gave a small smile as she stopped drinking and lifted her head, half of the drink still remaining.

“Takes you back, doesn’t it?” Berry Punch said. Scootaloo looked at her with a slightly bewildered look as if the mare had read her mind. She quickly dismissed the silly thought, though, as she nodded and gave her friend a smile.

“Yeah, it does.”

Berry looked over the orange mare as if examining her for something. It was a moment before she spoke again, and what she said intrigued Scootaloo.

“I think I know how to solve your problem, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo gave an interested look. “You do? How?”

Berry gave a wider smile this time as she spoke. “You just have to smile.”

Scootaloo cocked her head and furrowed her brow as she heard this. “What do you mean, ‘smile’? It’s not exactly easy for me to just smile right now.”

Berry nodded as she turned her gaze down towards the table as if she were deep in thought.

She hesitated a moment before she said anything again. “You know, Scootaloo, the other day after the funeral, I cried. I just went home, laid down, and cried my eyes out.”

Berry took a deep breath before turning to Scootaloo and continuing. “But then the next day, I was going through my house and I saw this old picture that somepony took of me and Vinyl at a party. It was the first time I’d gotten drunk. I remembered how much fun she and I had had that night and I… I laughed.

“It still stung to remember her, and of course it still does, but I still somehow managed to smile. After that, I sat down a brought out a few more pictures. I started to remember all of the fun Vinyl and I used to have, all of the good times we had… and the more I remembered, the more I was able to smile.”

Scootaloo responded with a nod or the occasional ‘mmhm’ as she listened to every word of Berry’s story.

“It still hurt, but I was able to smile and laugh. Despite the sadness, I still felt a little happy, like Vinyl was still there with me.” She paused for a moment and looked down. She quickly looked back up and into Scootaloo’s eyes and talked again.

“What I’m trying to say is… even though she’s… dead, she could still make me smile as if nothing happened. So, it was like she was never gone.”

Scootaloo nodded in understanding. “So, I just remember all of the good times we laughed together?”

“That’s right,” Berry smiled. She put a hoof to her chin as she thought to herself. “Ah, I know,” She declared. “How about that time where Celestia asked you and Vinyl to play at the Grand Galloping Gala?”

The corners of Scootaloo’s mouth curved into a small smile as she stirred the drink in front of her in thoughtfulness.

“Yeah, I remember that. We managed to scare all of the fancy pants ponies away.” Scootaloo chuckled a little. “I think Celestia was actually happy that we did that.”

Full Pint, who had been listening to their conversation, snickered a little from the other side of the table and joined in. “How ‘bout that time you and Vinyl tried testin’ out the bass cannon and it ended up takin’ out part of Octavia’s house?”

Scootaloo chuckled as she gave a sheepish smile. “Heh, that was the first time I ever heard Vinyl’s full name used.” She recalled hearing Octavia furiously yell, ‘Vinyl Symphonia Scratch!’ after seeing the destruction done to her house. “Vinyl and I literally ran for our lives until we promised that we’d fix her place.”

Berry giggled beside her. “I bet that was scary, huh?” Scootaloo nodded as she leaned in to take another drink. “Oh, and that time that you and Rainbow pranked her by putting her bed on top of a cloud.”

Scootaloo actually laughed at this one. “Hahaha. The look on her face was amazing.”

Laughing… It felt good to laugh. It had been quite a while since the last time she did. She felt the all too familiar bitter sadness, but she was still able to smile through the sadness. It was odd to her when she first felt it, but in the midst of the pain and the sorrow, there was happiness, and that happiness meant so much more than anything else.

“Ya know what?” Full Pint said in his gravelly voice. “Ah don’t think Ah have one bad memory of Vinyl.”

Berry grinned, “You mean except the one where she broke all of the windows with her bass when you let her play here?”

Scootaloo giggled at this along with Berry, as Full Pint let out his gruff chortle. They laughed like that together for a few more moments.

“So,” Berry spoke up. “Did that help you any, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo thought for a minute to herself. It had actually helped her, feeling as if a little weight had been removed from her shoulders. Her mind was much clearer now, letting her think things through in a better way.

She nodded and smiled to the mulberry mare. “Yeah, it did.” She stood confidently from the barstool she was previously positioned on and turned to face her two friends. “Thanks so much for this, Berry, and you too, Pint. I… I think I know what I’m going to do now.”

“Any time, Filly,” Full Pint said, chuckling under his mustache.

Berry beamed at her with a soft, warm expression. “That’s the Scootaloo I know.” Berry stood up as well so that she was beside the orange mare, then wrapped a hoof around her shoulders and drew her in for a friendly and warm hug. As she drew back, she looked into Scootaloo’s eyes with the same friendly expression. “You do what you have to do; we’ll always be here.”

It felt as if another weight had been relieved when Berry said that.

“Thank you,” Scootaloo said, nodding to both of them one more time before turning and leaving the musty bar and entering the fresh air outside. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The mare unfurled her wings, flexing them for a minute then spreading them to their full length and letting the breeze flow through them. She thrust them down as she took off into the air, flapping them as she headed for her destination. She knew now what she was going to do, but there something else that she had to do as well, someone she had to visit again.

FWUMP!

The familiar muffled sound came to Scootaloo’s ears as she landed on the small front porch consisting of clouds. This time, however, she did not immediately enter the home, choosing to wait outside and gather her thoughts instead.

Through these hard times, she’d felt so alone. She’d felt like nothing could help her, like everything was lost and there was hope of ever getting it back.

But she wasn’t alone.

She’d had so many friends to help her, so that she’d never be alone. She’d had ponies help her, reassure her, encourage her. Everypony had been there for her.

But right then, inside that cloud house, there was a certain cyan mare that no one was there for. Of course, the mare had her closest friends, the other elements of harmony, but for the past couple of days, and Scootaloo knew this, she had locked herself away, almost never opening up to anypony. It was because none of them understood what she was going through, what she was feeling. And so, she was alone.

That was going to change right then, however.

Scootaloo lifted her head and pushed the white cloud door open, revealing the inside. Walking in and closing the door shut, she began down the hallway. As she walked with quiet hoofsteps, she looked for the mare in the rooms adjacent to the hallway. Her ears stood up as she listened intently for any sound.

And then she heard it, the soft, steady breathing of a pony that lay peacefully asleep. Scootaloo took a few steps further until the source was in sight. Rainbow Dash laid on the couch, curled into a little ball. Her mane was a mess since she hadn’t bothered to care for it the past few days, more so than usual at least. The area around her eyes was a irritated red and the fur on her face was slightly damp and matted with dried tears.

Scootaloo thought as she looked to the sleeping mare. Rainbow had just lost one of her best friends. She must have been hurting so much, but, despite all of that, she had chosen to hold her tears back, chosen to stay strong, all for the sake of Scootaloo.

The thought saddened the orange mare.

Silently, Scootaloo approached the couch where the other mare now reposed. She noticed one of her ears flick as she came closer. As Scootaloo reached her destination, she sat down next to Rainbow on the plush cushions.

Rainbow felt the couch shift and her eyes shot open. She quickly lifted her head and looked around the room, her eyes darting back and forth until there sight rested on Scootaloo.

She stuttered in her astonishment, “Huh? Oh- um, Scootaloo it-” She stopped suddenly. The cyan mare had been interrupted by Scootaloo, who had leaned in and put her arms around Rainbow, unexpectedly pulling her in close to a hug.

Rainbow was stunned by the sudden embrace and struggled for words, “Wha-? Uh…- Scootaloo, I-”

She was cut off once again as made a soft ‘hushing’ noise, as if she were quieting a distraught child, then she spoke in a gentle voice.

“Thank you, Rainbow, thank you so much for being there for me. If it weren’t for you… I don’t know what I’d do. You stayed strong so that I wouldn’t have to, so that I could let everything out. I know you’ve been holding it in, and I know how much it must hurt. So now it’s your turn, Rainbow. This time, I’ll be here for you, so that you can let everything go.”

Rainbow was silent. Her vision had begun to blur as her eyes filled with tears that she attempted to struggle against.

“Scootaloo…” her voice cracked as she said this.

Scootaloo tightened the embrace, her chin resting on the mare’s head as she hugged her.

“It’s going to be alright, Rainbow Dash.”

That was all that was needed to break the dam that held back Rainbow’s tears. She blinked through tear after tear until she gradually broke down into a sob. She buried herself into her friend’s embrace, her body heaving as she cried. Wailing into the mare holding her, Rainbow held back none of her sorrow and instead allowed it to finally flow freely.

Scootaloo continued to hold her friend close, running a hoof softly through her disheveled mane as she did her best to comfort her. Rainbow Dash continued to cry, every tear she shed relieving a bit of the pain that she had kept locked away.

The two mares stayed as such for what seemed like hours, even though it probably wasn’t nearly that long. Eventually, Rainbow cries subsided until all that was left were a few stray tears that found their way out as she sniffled and wiped her eyes.

Without moving to lift her head up or release herself from the hug, she muttered into her friend’s now tear stained coat.

“Thank you… for being here for me this time, Scootaloo,” she said quietly.

Scootaloo smiled, even though she knew it wasn’t visible to the other mare. “I’m your friend and I’ll always be here with you, Rainbow, so you know you’re not alone.”

The door swung open with a gentle creaking noise as Scootaloo pushed it open and stepped inside. The carpet underneath her hooves wasn’t as soft as a cloud, but it was much of an improvement over the hard ground that she had walked on most of that day. Scootaloo sighed as she stepped into her house. She pulled the door closed and the mechanism clicked as it shut. She began walking through the house and past the living room, her feet dragging on the floor due to her exhaustion. Needless to say, it had been a long day for her.

She reached the stairs and was about to start on her way up when a sudden realization came to her mind. Her room was still trashed and she’d probably have to clean up if she wanted to sleep in it tonight.

“Bah,” she muttered to herself as she turned back around. She would’ve slept in the guest bedroom, but sadly, that used to be the guest bedroom. It didn’t really matter, though, seeing as she was just too tired to care. Scootaloo decided that she would just settle for the couch tonight.

She made her way to a closet in the downstairs hallway. The mare opened it then pulled out a spare blanket that resided inside of it and sauntered over to the couch, not bothering to close the closet door.

With her teeth, Scootaloo grabbed one of the couch pillows that lied on the floor beside the enticing sofa and flung the pillow on top of it. She then unceremoniously flung herself onto the couch and in one swift motion, unfurled the folded blanket so that it lay on top of her. She squirmed around and shifted her wings, trying to find a comfortable position. Once she finally did, Scootaloo let out a pleasant sigh of relief.

It didn’t take too long for the tendrils of sleep to wrap around her once more. She gladly welcomed them, knowing that starting the next day she would have a lot of work to do to ready for the Equestria Music Festival.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Scootaloo groaned as she found herself in the haunting stadium once more, not at all eager to experience one of her subconscious’s twisted attempts at torturing her again.

She checked behind her to make sure that no phantom-friends would appear just to desert her. Even though it was a dream, it hurt too much for her to want to go through it again. She looked back to the crowd that never stopped dancing in the everlasting silence. Scootaloo didn’t even bother to touch the turntables or the set as she knew they wouldn’t do anything.

Lights that Scootaloo hadn’t noticed before flickered throughout the space, letting the ponies dance with the varying colors and strobe lights. She closed her eyes and felt the steady beat of the bass, pumping like her heartbeat as it shook everything in the stadium. She let out an angered sigh, huffing as she stomped her hoof on the ground.

Scootaloo opened her eyes to the crowd, and then her heart skipped a beat at what she saw. She stood there, her back facing Scootaloo just like all the other ponies. The mare had the same color, the same hair, the same cutie mark. Everything about her was exactly the same.

‘Mom…’ Scootaloo thought. She stared at the alabaster mare taking in every feature in disbelief.

And then ‘Vinyl’ took a step forward and Scootaloo’s heart dropped. It was just like the last dream. ‘Vinyl continued until she was merging into the raving crowd of ponies.

‘No!’ Scootaloo thought. Without hesitation, she jumped over the set and off of the stadium. ‘I’m not going to lose you. Not again.’

Scootaloo ran as fast as she could. She was approaching the crowd as she saw Vinyl be completely swallowed up by it, prompting her to move faster. She finally reached the crowd and, without thinking, plunged straight in. It was difficult having to push past all of the ponies that kept bumping against her, but she continued forward. The mare turned her head to get a better look at one of them, but jumped back and gasped in fright soon after. The… thing, whatever it was, had a blank face, or rather, it had no face. She looked around and realized that they were all like that. She shook her head, though, determined to reach her goal still. She cast her glance around until she finally spied a flash of electric blue that only could’ve been her mother’s tail.

Scootaloo started forward again, forcing her way past the ‘ponies’ and following the alabaster mare in front of her. She continued to move, faster and faster, but it seemed no matter how much she struggled, it was all in vain. She was never able to gain so much as an inch in progress and she just continued to chase the wisp of blue further into the crowd.

That’s when she saw it. Her mother was… ‘Vinyl’ was… fading. It seemed like just a trick of the eye at first, but it quickly became undeniable. ‘Vinyl’ was barely transparent now, and seemed to be disappearing even faster.

‘She’s… fading,’ Scootaloo thought. ‘No… no… NO!’

“Mom!” she shouted, but ‘Vinyl’ gave no response. The pale mare continued to dissolve as if the strobe lights that fell upon them were causing her to break away bit by bit. “No, stop!”

Scootaloo’s voice became more and more urgent, cracking when she shouted out. She watched as ‘Vinyl’ began to glow as she was covered by something.

‘Gold?’ Scootaloo wondered.

The gold substance continued to cover her body. No… it wasn’t covering it. She was becoming the strange substance. Part of it broke away and was blown off by some non-existent wind until it disappeared. Scootaloo watched in horror as the rest of ‘Vinyl’s’ body did so as well.

First it was her tail then her hind legs. “No, no, no!” Scootaloo continued to fight against the seemingly rougher crowd.

The wind gradually began to blow away the rest, causing her cutie mark to disappear, then her center and her barrel. It continued until it reached her front hooves and her neck.

“No! Please, don’t go!” Scootaloo shouted again in desperation.

The wisp of wind didn’t stop and moved onto her mane and, finally, her head.

“Stop!”

The wind, merciless and unforgiving, blew away the last of the gold-like dust and it floated away until it vanished. In that single, devastating instant, ‘Vinyl’ was no more.

“NO!” Scootaloo screamed reaching a hoof out the catch the gold dust that effortlessly flowed away from her. She collapsed to the ground, holding her head in her hooves as the crowd of ‘ponies’ oddly created a small clearing for her and no longer bumped into her.

She shook her head in denial. No matter how hard she had tried, she couldn’t catch her… she still couldn’t save her. Tears of anguish began to form in her eyes as she crumpled into a small ball on the floor, still holding her head in her hooves.

“No…” she muttered. “…Not again.”

A/N: Not going to lie, this chapter gave me a little trouble. Tried to add some variety with a few happy memories, but… I uh, don’t think I did an exceptional job. Anyways a little feedback or maybe some advice might help out.

Chapter 5: With Me Always, Hear My Song

My Little DJ: Scootaloo’s Melody

Chapter 5: With Me Always, Hear My Song
By iDash

A/N: In this chapter, ~ _ * _ * _ ~ also means a time transition within the memory.

“I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I’ve ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours.”

-Anonymous

Dimly lit and quiet was the room she sat in, the trace scent of dust filling that air. The orange mare sat in a simple chair in a corner of the room. Anxiety filled the air as well as the light dust that floated around. The faint room lied behind a large stage, curtain entrances placed on each side.

Outside, life buzzed all around as excitement clung to the air. Joyous music floated into the air, all of the sounds rising up and joining to create one symphony of ecstatic wonder.

This was the Equestrian Music Festival.

For two weeks she had been waiting for this, and for two weeks she had worked to her limits for this night.

Scootaloo did not join the excitement, however. Instead, she remained settled in the chair, lost deep in her thoughts. Her eyes were not focused on what was around her in the dim room, but on what rested in her hooves.

Lying in the softly gripping, orange surface was a single, delicate, pure white flower. Though, to her, it was much more than that. It had been her mother’s favorite, a gardenia, the same flower that had been laid atop her grave.

Scootaloo gently spun the flower around by its stem, watching as the delicate petals tilted to and fro. The flower was entrancing, drawing in anypony that gazed at its beauty.

“That’s a beautiful flower,” somepony said from the side, voicing Scootaloo’s thoughts. She turned her head to see Octavia walking towards her, the case containing her cello slung across her back. Her silky black mane was tied at the end with a pale purple bow. “It was Vinyl’s favorite, right?” she said as she stopped beside Scootaloo.

The orange mare nodded without a word and turned her gaze back to the flower, twirling it between her hooves. The flower was fully blossomed. She’d found it while walking through one of the gardens around the festival.

Without thought, Scootaloo began to hum as she stared at the gorgeous object. Octavia tilted her head as she recognized the melody.

“That’s the lullaby that Vinyl sang to you, isn’t it?” Again, Scootaloo nodded, but said nothing.

It had been a while since the young mare had heard or sung the song. Though, the last time she did wasn’t something she particularly wanted to remember.

The last time, Vinyl had died.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Torrential winds blew, rain buffeted everything in sight, an orange and purple blur shot though the turbulent streets of Ponyville…

Scootaloo moved as fast as she could, her eyes squinting while she struggled to navigate through the flooding streets. She hurried, desperate to reach her destination as fast as she could.

Nopony with sense would’ve been out at that time. An unscheduled storm was fiercely blowing over the town. It had come out of the Everfree forest, and it was impossible for weather pegasi to control anything that came from the dreadful woodland.

The rumbling of thunder sounded in the distance, causing Scootaloo to cringe slightly, but she didn’t stop. She was almost to her destination. As she turned down another path and her hooves transitioned from dirt to cobblestone once more, she chanced to cast a look at the sky. Her violet globes of eyes widened in horror as she did so.

The funnel was already forming, clouds swirling around it as it slowly began to lower. Dust and blades of grass could be seen being forced into its vacuum and lifted into the air. Fear gripped Scootaloo and her pace slowed just a bit in her shock. Her gaze drifted down and followed the path of the funnel.

Her heart beat faster. It wasn’t far away at all, being in the same part of town she was. She turned around in panic and dashed forward as fast as she could. Her hooves carried her as fast as they could go, digging into the ground and driving her forward as the tornado finally touched the ground.

“Scootaloo!” Vinyl shouted her daughter’s name, but her voice was drowned out by the fierce winds.

The storm was getting progressively worse as she treaded through the seemingly empty town. Vinyl let out a groan of both frustration and worry: Worry for the orange mare that become lost in the turbulent storm, and frustration for the same mare, who had foalishly insisted on locking up and securing the night club, Club Symphonic.

“Scootaloo!” she yelled louder this time, but again, there was no response. Vinyl was now running through the rain, her head darting back and forth as she searched for Scootaloo. Just then, a loud roaring noise came from off to her left and she tilted her head in that direction. She stopped dead in her tracks with her mouth agape as the tornado twisted it way towards the ground.

Fear gripped her, threatening to hold her in her place, but fear also forced her to keep moving, not fear for herself, though, but fear for her daughter who was still lost in the treacherous storm.

Scootaloo continued to run. She was sprinting now, actually, with the heavy drops of rain hitting her like shards of ice falling from the sky. The cyclone was getting closer and closer, debris could be seen being flung from it. Thoughts about the night club were pushed to the back of her mind and she was now sprinting back to where she had come from.

The storm was becoming progressively more dangerous. The orange mare could almost feel the winds trying to pull her into the whirlwind and the rain pouring so hard, it seemed as if it were trying to drown her. She didn’t stop, however, and dashed, her head shooting back and forth in an attempt to find a path to her home in her state of panic.

Her ears suddenly perked up and she slowed down just a little. The mare could’ve sworn she’d just heard the voice of another pony. She strained her ears.

“Scootaloo.”

There it was again, and she could hear it clearly this time. Somepony was calling her name.

She stopped for a second and looked around for the-

“Aahhh!” Scootaloo shouted and jumped back. A large branch of a tree had come flying at her. It would’ve hit her had she not seen it out of the corner of her eye. Her initial shock wore off as she took in the situation. It was even more dangerous now; the tornado was close enough to hit her with debris. She began to run when she heard the voice once more.

“Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo’s ears perked up again. She knew this voice, even though she could barely make it out. It was…

“Mom!”

The mare came to a halt once again and began to look around frantically for the pony that was calling her name.

“Scoota-” CRASH!

Scootaloo turned with a start to look towards the cyclone, which had made its way over a building. From the area it was in, it was luckily an abandoned one.

“Scootaloo!” Scootaloo heard her name and noticed that the voice had said something else, but it was drowned out by the storm.

Vinyl turned another corner. The mare had been chasing the orange blur she had spotted not too long ago when she heard the deafening crash from the tornado. She sprinted to the next turn and searched for the orange pegasus again.

“Scootaloo! Where are you?!” she shouted into the roaring wind. Water dripped down her face and over her eyes from her electric blue mane, which was soaked and plastered to her body.

“Mom?!”

Vinyl’s head shot up and she turned in the direction her daughter’s voice had come from. She galloped as fast as she could, vicious winds snapping at her face, until she reached a wide street. She looked left. Nothing there. She looked right. And there she was, as she saw her through the heavy, furious rain. Standing with her back turned was Scootaloo, her soaking violet mane swept to one side.

Vinyl started forward, only to jump back when something large landed a little too close to her for comfort. She shifted her gaze to look at the object. It was a stone, no, a chunk of what seemed like rubble. She glanced around, wondering where it had come from. However, it didn’t take her very long to find the source.

The tornado, both breathtaking and horrifying at the same time, had apparently picked up rather large pieces of sediment and rubble and was tossing the debris out just as it had the relatively small chunk of stone beside her.

As she stared, her vision drifted down until it rested on a certain clump of orange and purple. Scootaloo.

Vinyl snapped out of the trance that she had unknowingly been caught in and remembered the reason why she was out there in the first place. Right now, Scootaloo was in danger, and Vinyl refused to let anything happen to her. She began to gallop again as she sped towards her daughter. The only thing taking priority was keeping her safe.

Scootaloo gazed in awe at the cyclone. While still far enough away so that it didn’t suck her into its vacuum, it remained frightening as it blew with its turbulent winds and flung whatever it happened to pick up at her.

She could not hear the voice of her mother calling her anymore, even though she strained her ears. Scootaloo continued to stare at the occurring natural disaster. As she began to turn, however, and continue on her way back home, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. A large piece of debris was circling around just outside the area of the cyclone. The thin, wooden beam, covered in large, crumbling stone, continued to rotate around as it drifted farther and farther away, until, finally, it was furiously thrown from the cyclone’s grasp.

It was heading straight for her.

Fear gripped Scootaloo and restricted her from moving. Her eyes widened and time seemed to slow down until it almost stopped. The chunk of the destroyed building came flying at her in slow motion. All of her attention was focused on the thing that seemed intent on taking her life as she blocked out the rest of the world.

Something snapped her out of that state. The one thing. Vinyl’s voice.

“SCOOTALOO!”

Something collided with her side with great force, pushing her far off to the side as she almost fell over. She turned her head to see what had happened and, in her astonishment, she looked just in time to watch as the chunk of wood and stone impacted Vinyl’s body.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Scootaloo’s eyes fluttered open and she closed them immediately afterwards as the light from the white room flooded her eyes. She lifted her head off of the soft, plush surface and sat up right in the chair she had fallen asleep in. Her eyes drifted around the white room. When she looked out the window, the sun was a little above the horizon, just beginning the morning.

She turned her head to the bed before her. A heart monitor beeped beside it, wires and tubes ran from all sorts of machines and connected to the mare that lay on top of the hospital bunk. She stared at the broken form of Vinyl’s body. She was covered in casts and bandages, all except the left side of her upper body, which now faced Scootaloo.

Three days ago, the two had been caught in a horrible storm. Vinyl had been hit by a large piece of rubble from the tornado. Another pony had seen them and helped Scootaloo pull Vinyl inside. One of the unicorns that were there sent an urgent letter to the hospital and, somehow avoiding the danger of the cyclone, a medical team arrived soon after. They treated her as well as possible and by the time the storm cleared, rushed her to the hospital for proper treatment.

Scootaloo hadn’t left Vinyl’s side since. None of the doctors or nurses was able to get her to leave, even after visiting hours. To her side on a small table was an empty bowl of what had once been soup. Everypony was kind enough to bring her food and blankets in her time there.

The entire time, she had sat there and cried over her mother’s broken body. Why? Why did it have to be her that ended up like this? It just wasn’t fair.

Scootaloo closed her eyes and set her head back down on the bed. She would stay there as long as she had to until Vinyl was back.

Silence overtook the room, aside from the constant beeping of the heart monitor.

Beep… beep… beep… was all that Scootaloo heard. Then, something broke the unpleasant silence. A voice, and a very familiar one.

“Mornin’, Scoot.” Scootaloo’s head darted up and she looked ahead. A pair of crimson red eyes stared back at her, a small smile on their owner’s face.

Scootaloo was speechless as she gazed in disbelief. A single word managed to escape her throat as she spoke in a raspy voice.

“Mom?...”

Vinyl smiled back. “The one and only,” she said weakly.

Without thinking, Scootaloo flung herself forward and wrapped her hooves around Vinyl, careful not to do so in a way that would cause her pain from her injuries. She couldn’t help herself and began to sob as she hugged Vinyl, the tears falling onto the unicorn’s fur.

“I-I’m so s-sorry,” she said through her cries. “It’s-it’s all my f-fault. I’m so s-sorry.”

Vinyl nuzzled Scootaloo as she hugged her back with her free hoof. “Shhh, don’t say that, it’s not your fault.”

The orange mare shook her head. “If it w-weren’t for m-me you wouldn’t be h-hurt like this,” Scootaloo continued to cry.

“No, no. It’s not your fault, Scootaloo, I promise,” Vinyl said in her weak voice. “Come on, you know I don’t like to see you cry like this.” Despite her words, Vinyl was having trouble keeping back her own tears.

Scootaloo eased a little on the crying, but didn’t stop. She couldn’t help herself as she slung to Vinyl. After a few moments, the older DJ spoke again, this time her voice was weaker than before.

“Hey, Scootaloo, do you remember that lullaby that I used to sing to you?” Still shedding tears, Scootaloo lifted her head up and looked into her mother’s eyes as she slowly nodded.

Vinyl smiled again. The mare drew a slow, deep breath, and she began to sing. Her voice flowed like silk, just as it always had, despite her faint voice. She sang slowly, yet gracefully.

“Red moon, red moon,

Why are you sighing?”

There was a pause as Scootaloo looked into Vinyl’s crimson eyes. Vinyl just smiled and nuzzled her daughter again. Scootaloo understood the silent gesture and wiped her tears away with a hoof as she began to sing. Her voice was a little shaky, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.

“Because I’ve lost my child,

Though, I can still hear her crying.”

Vinyl sang once again after Scootaloo completed the verse.

“Red moon, red moon,

Where have you gone?”

The repeated pause signaled for Scootaloo to begin, and she did.

“Into the heavens above

So she may hear my song.”

The duet continued as the mother and daughter held each other close. Vinyl’s own tears had managed to make their way out of her eyes and down her cheeks as they fell onto Scootaloo’s violet mane.

“Red moon, red moon,

Why are you so happy?”

“Because my child is singing

And I know still loves me.”

Vinyl was crying freely now, wanting anything but to let go of her daughter. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself enough for the final verse.

“…Red moon, red moon,

Will you be okay?”

Scootaloo opened her mouth to sing, but nothing came out. She drew a shuddering breath. She began again and couldn’t help but stutter a little through her light sobs.

“Y-yes, for I still love her,

And in my heart, she shall stay.”

The room fell silent as their song ended, except for the sound of their muffled cries and the still beeping heart monitor. Scootaloo felt like her heart was breaking as she held her mother.

Vinyl spoke up, this time her voice was just above a whisper.

“Scootaloo, I… I think it’s time for me to go.” Scootaloo lifted her head with a sudden jerk, fear showing in her deep purple eyes.

“W-what? What are you talking about?” Vinyl didn’t respond, but just looked at her with a sorrowful look. Scootaloo began to shake her head. A desperate expression had made its way onto her face.

“N-no. No, no, no, please don’t,” she pleaded, her breaths growing short and her heart beat becoming rapid. “No, you can’t! Doctor! Nurse! Somepony help!” she shouted.

“Scootaloo, please… I’m so sorry,” Vinyl said.

Scootaloo shook her head, “No, don’t say that. It’s gonna be okay.” She was saying this more for herself than anything, though.

Just then, a pony with an urgent expression on his features entered the room. Scootaloo recognized him as the doctor that had been treating Vinyl, a stethoscope on his tan colored flank as a cutie mark. He hurried into the room with a couple of nurses following behind him. He said nothing to the two mares, but began to check the machines and write on his clipboard he floated in front of him.

“Scootaloo…” Vinyl said in her faint voice. “I’m so sorry that I have to leave you.” Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto the white bed sheet below.

Scootaloo looked at her as best she could as more tears blurred her vision. “No. No, please don’t go. Don’t leave me.” Her voice was cracking and desperate now.

Vinyl raised a hoof to wipe the flowing droplets off of Scootaloo’s face. “Listen, Scootaloo. I want you to know that I love you and I always will love you. I’m so glad to have had you in my life and I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.”

Vinyl pulled her into another hug. “Just remember that I love you.” She planted a light kiss on her daughter’s forehead.

Scootaloo’s body heaved with her sobs as she tried to control herself. She nodded as she cried into her mother’s mane. “I l-love you, too, mom.”

The orange mare felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a couple of stallions that worked at the hospital looking at her with sorrowful expressions.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you need to leave now, so the doctor can work,” one of them said.

“No,” Scootaloo said as she stood from her chair and glared at the two. “I don’t want to leave. I’m staying here with her.”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that,” the other said. “You need to leave and let them work.”

“No!” she shouted. “I’m not going!”

One of the stallions turned his head and nodded to his partner. The two began to step forward. They grabbed Scootaloo by her front hooves, their grasp strong and firm, but still gentle as they were sympathetic for the poor mare.

Scootaloo tried to struggle but she couldn’t do anything as they began to drag her away.

“No! Let me go!” She thrashed to break free of the ponies holding her, trying with all of her might to reach the alabaster mare that lay on the hospital bed as she slowly faded away from the world.

“Scootaloo…” Vinyl’s voice could barely be heard over all of the sounds in the room, but Scootaloo could still hear it clearly.

Scootaloo reached with her front hoof towards Vinyl. “No, please! I have to get to her!”

The stallions didn’t stop, though, and somewhat reluctantly continued to drag her out of the room. Scootaloo still struggled even though it was useless.

Vinyl’s vision started to fade away, blackness overtaking her eyesight as her breaths became more and more faint. The last thing she saw was her daughter fighting to reach her as the tears flowed profusely down her face. The DJ let out one last breath with her hoof outstretched to her daughter and let her eyelids fall closed for one last time.

The heart monitor flat-lined and its constant screech filled the room.

Scootaloo watched as her mother’s life faded away before her very eyes. She extended her hoof and reached out one last time with all her power to grasp the alabaster mare.

“MOM!”

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Octavia rested her hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. Scootaloo was still looking down at the flower as she waited in the dark back room of the stage.

“You know,” the gray earth pony said. “She would’ve been so happy to finally see you here.”

The past two weeks had been hard on Scootaloo, harder on her than it was for anypony else, but everything she had worked through was for this day.

Scootaloo nodded. “I know,” she said, lost in thought. “I just hope she can still be proud of me. I’m doing all of this for her.”

Octavia smiled at the mare. “Of course she is, dear. And so are all of your friends. We’re all so proud of you.”

Scootaloo looked up at her friend with a small smile. “Thanks, Octavia. It means a lot.” The gray mare just gave a contented look and patted her lightly on the shoulder.

Suddenly, from outside the room they were in, the muffled roar of cheers erupted. Hooves stomping on the ground in applause could be heard, signaling that another musician had just finished their performance. Scootaloo couldn’t remember what music the pony was performing with, though.

Scootaloo heard the voice of the announcer echoing over the sound of the crowd as he spoke through a microphone.

“Alright! Let’s hear it for the Equestrian Blues!” The crowd erupted in cheers as he stated the name of the band.

“I think it’s almost time,” Octavia said beside Scootaloo. Scootaloo looked at her and nodded, standing up from her seat.

She walked to a table that was stood close to her. On the edge of the table sat her signature sunglasses. The orange lenses perfectly reflected her face as she picked them up in her hoof and set them atop her head above her eyes.

“Is everypony enjoying themselves so far?!” the announcer shouted to the crowd, and they responded accordingly.

Scootaloo heard Octavia approach with her hooves clip-clopping on the wooden surface.

“Ready?” she asked the orange mare when she turned to her. Scootaloo gave a nod, a determined look on her face. The two turned and walked to the end of the room and through the entrance that led behind the curtains. The announcer that continued to talk was heard more clearly.

Scootaloo stopped a few feet away from the opening of the curtains and lightly brushed one of them with her hoof, taking in the soft velvety feeling of it.

The pony spoke over the microphone once more. “I hope you’re all ready! ‘Cause this next performance is going to knock you out of your seats. I give you, DJ F1LL-3!” A deafening roar filled the area as the crowd cheered.

Octavia quickly walked in front of Scootaloo and drew her into a hug. “You’re going to do great, dear.” Scootaloo smiled and returned the hug.

“Thanks, Octavia.” Scootaloo drew from the hug and stood facing the curtain opening. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the stage. She squinted for a moment at the stadium lights that illuminated the amphitheater as it stood brightly under Luna’s night sky.

The crowd continued to cheer as she walked. In the middle of the stage stood her turntables and electric board, all set up. She was surprised that they had gotten it ready so quickly. When she approached, she noticed that her record was lying atop the tables in its case. Scootaloo did a quick check at the set, making sure everything was good to go, just like she always did. She gave a little wave to the mass of ponies while they stomped their hooves.

This time, as she looked at the crowd, she did not adorn her shades like she usually did. Instead, she gazed upon the ponies with her own violet eyes. She scanned the crowd until her eyes fell upon the front row. In the closest seats sat Rainbow Dash, alongside Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Each of them was grinning as they watched her. Over towards the middle of the crowd, two ponies stood out over the rest. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat side by side. Even at that distance, Luna looked Scootaloo in the eyes before giving an encouraging nod.

Scootaloo took another deep breath and raised a hoof to grasp the microphone on top of the set. She cleared her throat before lifting the mic to her mouth to speak.

“Hey, how’s everypony doing tonight?” Her voice echoed loudly and the audience responded with another, albeit slightly smaller, cheer.

Scootaloo smiled at the eager mass of ponies. She was certainly ready to play, but she just had to do one more thing. She spoke into the mic again.

“I’m so glad to finally be here, and I can’t wait to play for you… but there’s something that I have to tell everypony first.” There were hushed whispers heard among the crowd as they all wondered what she was doing.

Scootaloo began, “Well, a few weeks ago, there was an accident and my… my mother died.” Another round of whispers made its way through the masses. “You all know her as Vinyl Scratch, or DJ PON-3.” The faces of the audience varied from expressions of slight confusion to those of sympathy or even sorrow.

“I… just wanted to say that, if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even be here right now. So I’m dedicating this song to her.” As she set the mic down, the sound of hooves lightly stomping on the ground out of respect was heard.

Scootaloo grabbed the record that sat on top of the set and put it on the turntables. She swiftly adjusted all of the levels and volumes until it was all just right, and then she put the needle on and let the record spin.

Through the speakers that lined the stage, the audience heard the soft sounds of a piano’s keys. The notes were clear and undistorted as they floated into the air. Scootaloo had composed the piano piece on her own, using what Vinyl had taught her. The piece was beautiful. It sang gracefully to the crowd as many of them began to sway to the tune.

Slowly and methodically, the dynamic beat of the kick-drum drifted in, strong enough for it to reach the audience, but not so much that it overtook the piano. Scootaloo listened to the song through her headset with her eyes closed and lightly rocked her head to the beat. Faded electronic accompaniments made their way into the background of the song, barely noticeable, but still there to draw everything together.

The moving, yet gentle melody continued to play, every piece of the song blending into a perfect harmony as it caught the audience in a trance. A silent crescendo grew with the piano as the drums increased their pace almost unnoticeably to some of the listeners. Every transition of the song was perfect and seamless; something only a master of the work could create. Scootaloo, with perfect timing, placed her hoof on the record and let the music suddenly drop into silence.

In the few seconds that she held the record, suspense grew throughout the audience while they waited for the blissful feeling of the bass. Waiting for that brief moment was like a deep breath for Scootaloo.

Then, in another show of perfect timing, she let the record go. The bass dropped and reverberated throughout the amphitheater as it moved in sync with the crowd of ponies. The piano played more intensely than before, matching the emphasis of the base while the drums kept the pace with their steady beats.

Scootaloo closed her eyes and listened as she took the chance to admire her work. Amidst all the beats and the intensity, there was beauty. It was beautiful as everything drew together in a blissful harmony. This wasn’t like any other normal song she had made. For the past two weeks, she had poured everything, her sorrow, her tears, and her joy, into the melody that played right now. Every note, every beat, was everything she felt, it was her trying to reach out to everypony that listened, to reach out to Vinyl.

Scootaloo opened her eyes and looked around her. It had been a little quieter than she had imagined. When her eyes fell upon the crowd, a content smile made its way onto her features. As the song played, there was no cheering, no shouting and celebrating, and no exuberant dancing. No, nopony cheered, they did more than that.

They listened.

They stayed silent, so as not to miss a single note, and listened to the song as they swayed gently to its beat. Some ponies closed their eyes and enjoyed the melody just as she had, while others grabbed a partner and slowly danced as they held each other. The faces of those she knew, her friends, had expressions of joy, approval, and happiness for her. With a glance behind her, Scootaloo saw Octavia with a warm, content smile and watery eyes as she watched the orange mare play her song.

Scootaloo couldn’t help but smile. This is what she had wanted, just for everypony to listen to her. Everypony heard her song; they heard her sorrow, her pain, and her joy, laced with every note that played. An unnoticed tear came to her eyes and rolled down her cheek and fell to the turntable below. She shed this tear, despite her content expression, for she knew that somewhere, Vinyl was watching her with the same smile.

Scootaloo rested her head on the plush pillow and pulled the soft blankets over herself. She was lying in a bed in the royal castle, courtesy of Rainbow Dash for asking the princesses to allow her and her friends to stay there the night. Being an Element of Harmony had its perks. The bed she lied on was pretty soft, though not as soft as a cloud, but it felt great nonetheless.

As she reclined, she decided to go over the entire night before falling asleep. The night had been fantastic, more than she could’ve hoped for. She was sure that it would’ve made Vinyl happy, and that was all that mattered. As long as she had heard it.

Scootaloo chuckled slightly to herself as she thought about the pale unicorn, how they had grown so close over such a short span of time. She often thought about this, but always brushed it off as a silly thought, after all, she had become best friends with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom in less than a day.

Scootaloo let out a content sigh as she recalled the other events of the night. After her performance, her friends had rushed to her with hugs and congratulations. Several of the ponies came to her after the show and actually thanked her for the amazing performance, some telling her that it was ‘touching’. Scootaloo couldn’t help but smile the whole time.

She smiled and let out a relaxed breath. Lethargy quickly took over the exhausted mare. Her breathing became slower and methodic. She didn’t really try to make herself fall asleep, but just waited for it as it came, willingly allowing it to grasp her and drag her into the peaceful world of slumber. And that it did as her eyelids fell heavy over her violet orbs of eyes and she faded pleasantly from the conscious world.

~ _ * _ * _ ~

Scootaloo opened her eyes as she stood in a dream once more. This time, however, it wasn’t the familiar haunting stage where the music was soundless. No, this time there was no music at all. Actually, there was no stage, either. The crowd of nightmare ponies was gone, too. The lights, the rumbling base, everything was gone. She didn’t know whether that was good or bad; to tell you the truth, she wasn’t really up for another round of nightmares.

It was dark as well, very dark. She couldn’t see anything around her. Somehow, the only thing visible was her and her body. The floor beneath her felt as if it were tile, except just a little softer.

Scootaloo looked around, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness and focus on something, but to no avail. She sighed out of slight sigh of frustration as she wondered how long she would be in the dream before-.

“Hey there, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo’s heart seemed to stop and she froze when she heard the voice from behind her. She slowly turned around, her eyes wide in disbelief. That voice, it just couldn’t be…

“Mom?”

Vinyl stood in front of her with a sheepish grin, her crimson eyes as vibrant and alive as ever. Her multi-shaded electric blue mane and tail were styled like they always were. Scootaloo took a hesitant step forward, then another, and another, until she was standing in front of Vinyl. The alabaster mare looked at her with her kind eyes and warm smile.

“Mom… I…” She searched for words as her mouth moved, but nothing came out.

Vinyl just gave her another warm smile and a small nod. “It’s okay, Scootaloo.”

Without hesitating for a second, Scootaloo lunged forward, wrapping Vinyl in a tight hug. The unicorn said nothing, but just lifted a hoof and ran it through Scootaloo’s mane as she returned the hug. They stayed like that for a few moments. Scootaloo didn’t want to let go, she never wanted to let go of Vinyl again.

“I heard your song,” Vinyl said. “It was beautiful, Scootaloo. I’m so proud of you.”

Scootaloo didn’t say anything in response and paused for another moment before speaking. “I miss you so much,” she said in a soft voice. She could feel tears starting to build up in her eyes.

Vinyl nuzzled her daughter. “I know, I know. I’m so sorry.”

A tear fell from Scootaloo’s eye as she shook her head. “I just don’t want you to leave again.”

Reluctantly, Vinyl broke from the hug and looked into Scootaloo’s eyes as she wiped a tear off of the orange mare’s cheek.

“Please don’t cry, Scootaloo,” She said, though water was starting to form in the corners of her own eyes. “Do you remember that promise you made to me when you were a filly?”

Scootaloo sniffled as she nodded her head.

Vinyl smiled. “I told you that as long as you love something, then it can never die.” She wiped another tear from Scootaloo’s cheek. “I love you, Scootaloo, and I always will. I’m so happy that you came into my life.”

She raised a hoof and pointed it to the orange mare’s chest where her heart was. “I know that it hurts sometimes, but if you never forget that, then I’ll always be with you.” Scootaloo nodded. She still didn’t want Vinyl to go, but at least now, she’d never really be gone. Vinyl pulled Scootaloo in and nuzzled her with a warm smile as tears began to drip from her own eyes.

A warm happiness spread through Scootaloo, the kind of happiness that only a mother could give, the kind that can never be taken away.

“Do you think you can promise me that you’ll do that, Scootaloo?” Vinyl spoke gently.

Scootaloo gave a sad smile as she nuzzled Vinyl’s mane and shed one last tear of both joy and sorrow onto her mother’s coat.

“I promise.”

A/N: My apologies if the ending was a little… meh. And sorry if the memory with the tornado seems kind of… unrealistic. It’s just that whenever I read a story like this, the pony always gets killed by a typical chariot. Also, sorry that I didn’t have any music for you to hear this time. If it helps, this is something like what I thought of while writing the music scene and I listened to this on repeat while writing Red Moon.

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed the story. Any feedback or advice would be fantastic. Hope you got some of the feels, too ; ). I honestly almost cried while writing this chapter.

P.S. If you noticed, I did change the lyrics for Red Moon a little from the last story. I just found them to be a bit better that way.