Follow the Melody
The skies over Equestria were taking on an orange- pink glow as Celestia's sun set over the horizon. The day had been long and hard, but for many it had also been very profitable. Especially in the small town of Ponyville located just a few miles off of Canterlot: the capital of pony kind. In the small town, where many of its citizens were heading home to relax, was one small filly. This filly was an orange Pegasus with a purple mane and tail and lilac eyes.
Due to her not being able to fly as of yet, she buzzed along the deserted streets on her small scooter. This little filly was named Scootaloo. Normally Scootaloo would be as happy as anypony would be after a good, fun day with her best friends. Alas, no matter how happy her day had been before hoof it was not meant to last today. This had to be one of the most somber of rituals the little pony had to complete.
She would have done this every day on this date, but she was consumed by fear and embarrassment over the fact that she did not live up to her promise. As Scootaloo rode out of Ponyville and into the adjacent Everfree Forest, she built up her courage for what she was about to do. 'It seems that no matter how many times I thought I'd do this, it's a lot scarier than I could have imagined,' thought the Pegasus as she scooted deeper into the dangerous wilderness before her. As she made her way through the brush she let out a mental sigh as she grew closer to her destination. Soon, however, she came to the place where she was aiming to go.
'Here I go, no turning back now.' Scootaloo thought. She parked her scooter at a near-by tree, removed her helmet, and then placed it on her handle bars. With her head low she slowly made her way to a clearing in the middle of the wild flora. Just as she sat down at the edge of the clearing, the sun set and Luna's moon rose to illuminate the night. The little filly rose her head up to look at the white, glowing orb that adorned the sky surrounded by the twinkling, celestial diamonds of various sizes.
The sight was enough to put a small smirk of happiness on her lips; but it did not last long. Scootaloo let out a sigh as she looked straight ahead of her at a small, obsidian stone. Her eyes glanced up at the shining night sky as she located the brightest star in it. Soon she found it, in its same spot nestled under the moon as if it were its guardian. The orange filly summed up all of her courage so that she could enunciate her voice as she spoke.
"Hey there Melody, it's me again. I told you I'd come by someday no matter what and, well, I did. I'm sorry it took so long. I've really missed you these past few years and I wish that you were still here." Scootaloo said these words with a distinct sadness in her voice, which started to crack towards the end. Coming to this place tore at her heart and she couldn't stop it no matter how hard she tried.
It tore her up inside to remember what happened all those years ago, but she knew that she couldn't forget her friend. 'Why did she have to leave me like this? Why did she have to leave at all?' A single tear slid down her right cheek, matting her fur before sliding down further and dropping at her hooves. After regaining her voice Scootaloo spoke again, "I've started making friends again, and this time they're really cool. Their names are Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, and together we started a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie is a unicorn with white fur, light green eyes, and a pink and purple mane and tail. Applebloom is a yellow earth pony with sunset orange eyes, and a scarlet mane and tail. She also wears this giant red bow in her mane all the time, she won't go anywhere without it."
A small chuckle escaped her throat as she thought of her two closest friends and all of their adventures together. "I'm surprised that in our quests for cutie marks we haven't earned ours for causing so much trouble. We don't mean to but, hey, when we put our minds to something we don't let anything get in our way. Whether its buildings or other ponies, we just go straight through." Her mild laughter slowly died down as the memories of her current friends faded and the memory of her fallen friend invaded her mind.
"I know you would have loved to meet them. Maybe… maybe one day… I'll bring them by so they can talk with you." Scootaloo came down from her sitting position to lie on her stomach on the ground. The feeling of thick grass poked her belly as she made herself comfortable on the creepy forest floor. More tears streamed down her face as the memories began to return with a vengeance. Normally, Scootaloo wouldn't be caught crying over anything; not even injuries she received due to her crusading.
Tonight however, was a completely different story for the young Pegasus. "Melody, why did you have to leave? We… we-were best friends and you… promised that you'd always be there for me. Well, why aren't you here now? Why!" The small filly began to sob in her hooves as all of the memories hit her with full force. Her most precious memory was of a younger Scootaloo, about two years ago, lying next to another young filly. This filly had a lavender coat and a white mane and tail.
Her tail was done up in a sloppy bun with a golden ribbon tying it together. Her mane was done in high pigtails with one bang sweeping across the left side of her face and a white headband arching across her head. Her shimmering, fiery yellow eyes stared out at the horizon in front of them, tracing the definition line between earth and sky. Scootaloo lay next to the other filly, draped under her dark purple tipped wing, absorbing as much body heat as she could. "Hey Mel, can I ask you a question?" squeaked the small filly.
The slightly older filly turned to her younger companion with a delicate smile tracing her lips, "Of course you can Scooty, you can always ask me anything." Scootaloo mimicked the smile as she looked straight into the others eyes. "Well, I was just wondering if you could teach me how to fly one day." The older filly chuckled lightly in her throat as she turned her head back to the setting sun. "Perhaps one of these days I will. You're wings are still too small to be able to take off properly and I don't want you getting hurt. Maybe next year when you get a little bigger and your more adult feathers grow in."
Young Scootaloo's smile shrank slightly at having to wait another year, but soon returned back to its previous size as she looked out over the horizon too. "Ok Melody, just as long as you promise to try to teach me." Melody did a side glance to the younger pony before turning to her and saying, "I promise Scootaloo, I promise." The recollection receded back into the recesses of here mind as she turned her eyes back to the stone. Even through her tear filled eyes she could make out the words carved on its smoothed surface: the inscription that read "Melody Hooferstein, beloved friend, sister, and singer; may she rest in peace."
Scootaloo had inscribed those words in her heart since the first day she had planted the grim marker. It took her quite some time to begin to speak to ponies after that. At first, everyone thought that it was because she was still grieving the loss of Melody. No one knew that the real reason was because of the guilt that was eating Scootaloo alive. Ever since the accident that took her friends life, Scootaloo held herself responsible for the whole thing.
"It's all my fault that you're dead Mel… if I- if I was more… careful you'd… still be alive. I'm so sorry Melly, oh dear goddess I'm sorry!" More tears fell down the younger Pegasus' face as her guilt resurfaced and began to gnaw at her again. Slowly, the memory of the accident began to creep back into her mind; trying to torture her further by reliving it again. 'No, not again, I refuse!' she screamed in her head. 'I will not go through it again, never again!'
Scootaloo's mind fought against the images and words in her head, building a wall to keep them from the fore front of her mind. If she had been paying more attention to her surroundings however, she would have seen her favorite star dim until it disappeared from the sky all together. A small light drifted down from the heavens and passed the trees around a certain clearing. Its brightness was equivalent to a diamond as its inner light fluxed in and out, as stars do. It stopped and hovered a few inches off the ground in front of the sobbing filly's snout, a trail of stardust streaming after it.
Only then did it shine its light brighter, enough to make Scootaloo open her eyes and gaze at the sight before her. As her tears began to slow and her vision started to clear, the star floated over to the small tombstone and settled on top of it. The tangerine filly opened her mouth in awe at the small, gleaming orb in front of her. Her hooves seemed to move on their own accord as she lifted off the ground and slowly eased her way to the twinkling, celestial body. Her eyes shimmered with tears and wonder as she stared at this… this… thing in front of her nose.
Just as she was about to touch it, it began to glow brighter and brighter until the light was so unbearably blinding that she had to shield her eyes with a hoof to avoid the loss of her vision. 'Dear Celestia, what is that thing?' Thought the Pegasus just as the light began to dim slightly. When it started to become easier for her to see without the protection of her hoof, she slowly dropped it from her face. She kept it up in a defensive position over her chest however, just in case whatever this was tried to attack her. As the spots in front of her line of sight disappeared, she could swear that the silhouette in front of her looked like a pony.
The background light vanished to reveal a sight that both sent Scootaloo's heart soaring, and sent a freezing shiver down her spine. In front of her stood a teenage mare in a flowing white sundress, with a dazzling white mane and tail that fluttered in its own gust, the shiniest amethyst fur and feathers, and above all, the most flaring yellow eyes that the filly had ever seen. Her legs gave out and her lip quivered as the heavenly pony slowly made her way towards her; a calming smile on her muzzle. The pony stopped when she was just a yard away from Scootaloo, as it sensed the fear in the small pony. It took a while, but soon the filly had regained enough of her senses to utter out the one word that had been on her mind since she saw who the pony was, "Melody?''
Her voice was so weak, that if compared to Fluttershy, it would seem as if the yellow Pegasus would be shouting. Apparently though, it seemed as if the holy mare had heard her as she nodded her head once in conformation. "It's good to see you again Scoots, it's been a long time." The purple filly gazed down at the younger Pegasus as she lowered herself into a sitting position to ease the sense of fear in the atmosphere. Her voice held the same calming and, almost motherly, tone it had when she was alive, except for the slight echo that now accompanied it.
The light behind the filly vanished as quickly as it came, leaving only a scared to death orange pony and a slightly glowing purple one. Said orange pony was still curled up into a ball in front of the Pegasus angel, slightly quaking in fear. It took a few minutes but soon she was calm enough to sit up and unfurl her tail from her body. Scootaloo coughed nervously and shuffled her hooves as she tried to dismiss her initial shock. Once she was calm enough to stop fidgeting, she tried to speak with the heavenly entity.
"Melody, how… how is this… even possible? You've been gone for two years, how… just h-how?" stammered the small filly. Melody let a small smile decorate her lips before she turned back to her old friend. "Scootaloo, before I tell you why I'm here I need you to understand this one thing. This will not last forever. I am only here as a special privilege and I'll have to return to the heavens once I'm done. As much as I would love to stay here with you, and believe me I do, this world is not mine anymore."
The young Pegasus began to nod her head, but stopped abruptly once her mind processed the information. "What do you mean this world's not yours?" The older filly let out a sigh before speaking. "Scoots, when I died I gave up my rights to exist in this world. I was only allowed this chance to help you in your time of need. Once this mission is done, I have to return." Upon hearing the last of her words, Scootaloo rushed up to Melody and wrapped her arms around the filly. "No, you can't go!" exclaimed the young Pegasus. "I don't want you to leave me again. I won't be able to take it!"
The little filly began to shed new tears, these hotter and more abundant than the last. Melody's heart went out to her friend as she draped a hoof across Scootaloo's back. She too did not want to leave her original home, especially now that her oldest companion was back in her hooves once again. Scootaloo was practically her whole world! They had always been together to the point that it was seldom that you'd see one without the other.
Joined at the wing, some would say as the duo made their way through town. The two were practically sisters, as they came from the same orphanage. Melody thought back to when Scootaloo had first arrived at Candy Corn's Home for Children. Melody was in the middle of helping one of the younger foals make their bed when Candy Corn had called her over. "Melody, can you come up front please?" asked the orange and white striped mare.
Candy Corn was a mixed species, her father a pony and her mother a zebra. Her mother unfortunately passed when she was born, so it was left up to her father to raise her. Because of this, Candy Corn didn't rhyme when she spoke or have the signature mohawk that most, if not all, zebra had. Instead she kept her dark gold mane tied in a loose braid draping down her side. Melody smiled as she trotted towards the voice of her life long care taker.
When she reached the front room, she was met to the sight of Candy Corn and what looked to be a small, orange ball with purple stripes. Except, it couldn't possibly be a ball, it just couldn't be as it was… shaking? As she approached, Melody soon discovered that this 'ball' was actually a small orange pony. "Melody, this is our newest arrival: Scootaloo." Upon hearing her name, the small filly unraveled herself to look up at the newcomer.
The area around her eyes was red and puffy from crying, and her eyes themselves were glazed over with fresh, unshed tears. It was obvious that she was terrified by the way her small body shook uncontrollably as if she were soaked in freezing water. The sight of the young pony broke Melody's heart and almost made her cry. "Melody, I want you to watch over her as a… personal mentor. Make sure that she is well taken care of and, try to help her make some friends." Candy Cane said, looking over at Melody with an expression of hopefulness that the purple Pegasus would take the offer.
The purple pony nodded her head absently as she continued to gaze at the scruffy maned filly. Candy Corn gave a small smile and left the room to check on the other foals. Melody's head turned from one side to the other, as the small pony persisted in looking into her eyes. Melody knelt down in front of the small foal, before lying all the way on the floor. She had no idea of what to say, she didn't want to offend or scare her.
There had to be something that she could comment on to break the ice. That's when she noticed the nubs on the filly's back, and how they were covered in feathers. 'So she's a Pegasus just like me! This is perfect; we finally have some common ground to work with.' With newfound confidence, Melody lightly cleared her throat and began to speak. "Well hello their little filly, how are you?"
At the sound of the older ponies' voice, young Scootaloo curled tighter into herself and shut her eyes. It almost seemed that she was waiting for some form of reprimand, almost as if somepony had been beating her all of her life. The reaction made Melody flinch and think, 'What has this poor filly been through? No pony, no matter how young, should act like this.' A sigh escaped the violet filly's lips as she thought of a way to handle this peculiar situation.
"Hey, it's going to be ok now little one. I promise I won't hurt you." Scootaloo still shivered in fear, her breathing becoming as erratic as her heartbeat. "I can tell you've been through a lot; probably more than any pony here. But you're going to be safe now; nopony will hurt you as long as you stay here. I'll be around to help you when you need me, Scootaloo. I promise that I won't leave you, ever."
At the end of the speech, Scootaloo popped her head up to meet the eyes of the older Pegasus. Melody's flaming, yellow orbs were shimmering with tears, and a gentle smile played across her lips. This was the most sincere look that the orange pony had ever seen. 'She really does mean what she says; she's not going to leave or hit me.' In a flash, Scootaloo leapt from the floor and wrapped her arms around Melody's neck, in a hug filled with gratitude.
Melody followed soon after; taking up the filly in a warm, tight embrace. The two young ponies sat like that for some time, before disconnecting and walking to the back room of the orphanage. That moment stayed with Melody all of her existence; she never wanted to let that memory go. As the angel continued to hold her friend, small gentle tears began to slide down her amethyst cheeks. She missed being with Scootaloo more than she ever thought she would; her heart seeming to shatter as the orange filly wept on her shoulder.
She let her companion cry just a while longer before she moved Scoots in front of her. "Hey kid, buck up. I know it's tough but you can't let it get you down." As Melody said this, her voice cracked in several places. The sadness seemed too much to bear, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed through. "Scootaloo, do you know the reason that I'm here right now?"
The orange Pegasus shook her head 'no' as she used a hoof to wipe away the tears in her eyes. "Hm, well… it's like this." Melody let out a sigh as she continued. "You are carrying too much weight in your heart Scoots, you need to let it out. I know how you feel about the accident but you have to learn to let it go.
If you just remember what happened and realize-" before finishing her sentence, the tangerine filly slammed a hoof into her chest and shouted, "No! You can't make me go through that again. It was terrifying enough when it happened the first time; I'm never going to go through that again!" Scootaloo pushed away from Melody and began to step back from her. Her body quaked, her hooves fell from under her, and her eyes screwed shut once more. Melody could not help but look at Scoots, seeing the same small filly that she had when they first met. She gently stepped over and laid a hoof on her pal's back and rubbed it gently.
"Scootaloo, I know it's hard to relive the past sometimes, but you must see the truth. The accident was not your fault and you shouldn't blame yourself. You did what you could to help but remember you were just a small filly at the time, you couldn't do much then." The tears continued to cascade down Scootaloo's face, before being wiped away in Melody's illustrious mane. "But… it was my fault Melly. If I hadn't… been in the… forest… you would… still be here," Scootaloo sobbed into her friend's shoulder, her voice cracking as she attempted to take in breaths between her bawling.
The angelic pony began to hush her young friend and nuzzle her with her nose. "Now Scootaloo, no matter what you could have done you would not have prevented what happened that day," Scootaloo began to shift back to standing on her own hooves. "By going to get help you did the best you could do." The purple angel held Scoot's face in her hooves, beaming down at her as she wiped away her tears. "Trust me; you did the best possible thing in the situation. In all truthfulness, I blame myself for what happened more than anything."
Those last few words caught the orange filly's attention, and she jerked her head up questioningly at her departed friend. "W-what do you mean? H-how was i-it your f-fault?" An exasperated sigh left Melody's lips as she prepared herself for what she had to tell. "Scootaloo, the day I died I broke protocol. I was so concerned about protecting you that I put myself in danger."
The clouds gathered in an especially thick mass over the Everfree Forest. The scent of rain weighed heavily in the air and seemed to dampen everything around it. A storm was brewing here something fierce and, as everypony knew, this would make the forest incredible unbearable. Alas, this did not stop a young Scootaloo in her conquest to perfect her scooting abilities. The young Pegasus buzzed through the forest, a smile of pure excitement and thrill spread across her muzzle.
Her partner on the other hoof was feeling far less enjoyment, as being in the forest filled her with fear and caution. "I don't know Scooty, this place is super dangerous. Maybe we should come back when the weather's better," At that moment, a low deep growl resonated from one of the bushes. "Or, maybe we don't have to come in here at all." Melody sped up her trot so that she could catch up with her purple maned friend.
Scootaloo let out a light chuckle as she continued to cruise along the forest floor. "Relax Melly, we'll be fine. I just want to practice a few tricks, then we can go home," replied the orang foal. "Jeez, if I had known you were such a scaredy-cat I wouldn't have brought you along." The young filly punctuated the end of her sentence with hearty laugh. The thought of her best friend being afraid of a forest tickled Scootaloo's funny bone.
The purple Pegasus behind her, however, did not find the situation amusing at all. "Scootaloo this place is far too dangerous, especially in this weather," Melody motioned to the sky with her hoof. "We have to turn back, now." Now her friend's worrying was getting on her nerves so, with a dismissive wave of her hoof, Scootaloo continued on. If the orange pony had been paying more attention, she would have seen a pair of sickly green eyes glowing in the brush before disappearing. The two continued on for around fifteen minutes, the sky darkening overhead and the low rumble of thunder shaking them to their bones.
Melody was absolutely terrified; evident by her shivering limbs and chattering teeth. Scootaloo on the other hoof was shivering with excitement, as the thought of stunts filled her head. "Scoot, I think that we should turn-"before Melody could finish her sentence, a long low growl emanated from all around them. The purple Pegasus leapt to the side of her scooter riding companion. Her eyes were wide with fright and her shaking had doubled, no, tripled from before.
Even Scootaloo, the braver of the duo, was beginning to feel a wave of dread wash over her. "Relax M-Melly, it's p-probably j-just the th-thunder," stuttered the small Pegasus. Just then, a giant wooden beam appeared from the depths of the forest. Except, this beam had four other limbs embedded into it. It almost resembled the mitt of a dog or some other mammal. The realization struck both fillies faster than the lightning above.
This was a giant wooden paw, and only one being in all of Equestria possessed appendages of lumber. "T-t-t-t-," spluttered Melody, clutching more onto Scootaloo as if she would help her hide. "Timberwolf" squeaked the orange foal, attempting to shield herself behind her purple friend. The Timberwolf then stepped fully out of the shadows, its wooden body creaking with each step and its breath flowing out of its opening maw. The stench that poured out was almost incomparable; the only thing coming close would be a combination of sulfur and rusted iron.
The dreaded beast fixed its emotionless gaze on the two ponies, its brow dipping downward in concentration. It had set its sights on them and, as anypony knew, once a Timberwolf has a goal it won't let go. An almost demonic roar bellows from its throat, shaking the ground and blowing back the manes of both fillies. They were trapped, there was nothing they could do at this point except, "RUN!" As soon as the word left Melody's lips, her wings unfurled and she took off. Scootaloo's own wings buzzed in a rapid procession, hastily launching her and her scooter after the purple and white blur.
The pegasi duo were nothing but a haze of colors and feathers, their wings beating so fast that it was almost painful. Alas, the Timberwolf would not allow its potential meals to escape so easily. With another roar it tore off after the ponies, claws leaving divots in the ground and body leaving behind a trail of twigs and leaves. The two fillies screams ripped from their throats, but would not be heard by either of the two. Their hearts beat in their ears louder than war drums, allowing them to hear the flow of the blood in their veins.
Their wings were moving at speeds that many thought were impossible; terror would do that to a pony. Feathers began loosening from them, creating a trail of purple and orange. The wooden beast lumbered after them, its large paws imprinting craters in the softening soil. With every heavy step it took it caused the ground around it to tremor and sending shockwaves into the body of little Scootaloo. Her tiny wings beat faster than a humming bird's, her breath left her with ragged pants and beads of sweat fell off her body.
In her mind she thought that, she should have listened to Melody when she was trying to warn her. 'Why do I have to be so stubborn?' She thought, 'I should have turned around when I had the chance. If we live through this, I'll never ignore Melly again!' As she thought this, Scootaloo could swear that she could see the purple blur ahead of her slowing down. It proceeded to go slower and slower until Scootaloo caught up with it. It wasn't until Melody stopped dead in the air did the little orange Pegasus too, her breath cracking as she spoke to her friend.
"W-w-why-why d-d-did y-you stop M-M-Melly, w-what's w-w-wrong?" The purple filly just floated in midair; her pupils dilated to pinpricks and her mouth agape. Finally her wings stopped their slow beating and she fell to the forest floor beneath her. Scootaloo then turned her head to the direction that Melody was staring in and as soon as she did, her face took on the same expression. Ahead of them was a giant rock wall, almost like a miniature mountain ahead of them.
It was littered in small ledges and hoof holds that would have helped them, if the rocks weren't so frail. "No," the word was barely audible among the thunder and lightning, barely croaking out of the young pony's throat. The two fillies just stared on in shock as an aching sorrow began to build in their hearts. Suddenly, a deafening crash sounded behind them, making their heads snap quickly to the noise. The Timberwolf stood menacingly before the ponies, its jaws gaping and dripping saliva.
The countenance on the beast was far from happy, its brows meeting together between its eyes. Scootaloo made a hasty retreat behind Melody; barely poking her head over her purple friend's shoulder. Melody could only sit there, her mind screeching at her to do something but her body unable to comply. She needed to do something, anything, to get them out of this. She was supposed to look after Scootaloo; she was the older of the two and was responsible for the little filly.
A horrendous tentacle of hopelessness began to creep inside the young mare's heart; her intense fear consuming her like this Timberwolf was about to. Melody was in such a panic that she felt her entire body start to shiver. Wait… that wasn't her that was shivering, so, what was it? A quick glance behind her revealed the cause of her body quakes. It was Scootaloo, curled up against her back with her head down and her eyes closed. Through the wind, rain and thunder she could hear her young friend whimpering in terror.
The orange filly was matted and dirty; mud and some sort of amber liquid clung to her fur. It had to be tree sap. Just then Melody began to form a plan in her mind; some sort of way to get the two of them out of this. "Scootaloo," whispered the purple Pegasus to the helmeted filly, "I have a way to get us out of this". Scootaloo's gaze traveled upward to the face of her pony shield, golden yellow meeting lilac.
An eerily calm expression was etched into Melody's face; unfortunately it did not give the desired effect on Scootaloo. "Melly, I don't think I like that look in your eyes. What are you thinking"? A small sigh escaped Melody's lips and a small chuckle left her throat. 'This filly can read me too well.' "I'm going to distract it while you run for help."
As the words left Melody's lips, Scootaloo's already pale face seemed to lose the remnants of its color. "NO, I CAN'T LET YOU DO THAT!" shouted the orange pony. Another load roar escaped the Timberwolves's maw as it raised its clawed paw to swipe at the two ponies. "Scootaloo, run, NOW!" screeched Melody as the wooden limb began to drop down on them. The fillies leaped away in the opposite direction; Scootaloo to her left and Melody to the right.
The impact the paw made caused the ground around them tremor, and created a sound similar to the thunder above. Scootaloo hid her face under her hooves in hopes of not drawing the monster's attention towards her. Unfortunately, that proved to be an impossible task as her bright orange coat stood out greatly against the gray and mossy rocks. The Timberwolf snapped its head in her direction, green eyes zeroing in on its delicious pony snack. It slowly began to stalk its way nearer to her as its tongue snaked out of its mouth to graze over its teeth.
Just as it was about to lean down and consume the filly, a hard object smacked it in the back of its head. Shaking it off, the wolf lurked closer to the trembling Pegasus, its voracious hunger peaking. However, another hard object made contact with its head again, hastily followed by another. Turning its head in the other direction, The Timberwolf was hit right in between the eyes causing it to blink. The source of its annoyance was the forgotten purple pony, hopelessly throwing rocks at the lumber beast.
The Timberwolf released a small growl in Melody's direction as it turned its attention to her. She quickly dropped the rest of her stones and proceeded to back away from the beast. With a threating growl the wooden canine inched closer to Melody, claws scratching into the ground. Melody stepped farther and farther away from it until she felt something behind her. She had backed herself against the cliff.
At that moment, Scootaloo looked up to see her friend backed into a corner with a Timberwolf blocking her exit. The orange Pegasus' jaw dropped to her hooves; her wings fell in despair and her eyes began to fill with tears. Just then, Melody's eyes shot forward to meet Scootaloo's; her emotions changing. The elder filly's golden eyes locked on to two glistening lilac ones, sending a message to the owner of those lavender eyes. 'Get help Scootaloo, go!' And with that gaze, the little filly reluctantly hopped on her scooter and sped out of the Everfree Forest, hoping that her friend would be in one piece when she returned.
Scootaloo was bawling by now, her coat once again matting from the torrent of tears. Even Melody broke down by now, her tears falling down her cheeks but vanishing into nothing before they hit the ground. They both knew how bad the memory hurt and apparently, time hadn't made it any easier. The purple angel had her fore hooves wrapped around her orange friend, both trying to calm her and steady herself. After a few minutes, the crying ceased from both ponies as they attempted to regain themselves.
With small, gasping breaths Melody calmed her voice and began to speak, "Scoots, I've always wanted to tell you how proud of you I was that day." The younger filly sniffed and wiped her tears away with her hoof before responding, "What do you mean "proud of me"? I left you behind when you needed me; I'm a horrible friend." Melody quickly bolted upright and held Scootaloo out at hooves length. "You are NOT a horrible friend Scoots. You did what I asked you to do and you were able to save yourself. In the end, you were spared the same fate I had and that's what I wanted."
Scootaloo's mouth formed the shape of a small 'o' as the remnant of her tears slid down from her puffy eyes. "Y-you mean, you p-planned it?" stammered the orange pony. If it were possible to sigh with your eyes, Melody would have done so. The angle decided to just shut her eyes and let out a deep exhale through her nose. "I had planned for you to escape," she began "I knew that a sacrifice would have to be made for one of us to survive. I thought of everything I could to get us both out, but every plan I came up with only resulted in us both dying."
As the words left the purple pony's mouth, Scootaloo only stared on in shock at what she was hearing. Melody sacrificed herself for me, even though she could have made it out herself. "I knew that if I distracted the Timberwolf, it would give you enough time to escape and hopefully bring help in time. Even though the chances of my survival were slim I knew I couldn't live with myself if you didn't make it." Small trickles of saline tears ran down the purple angel's cheeks as she fought back the swelling lump in her throat.
Her lips began to quiver and her knees started to shake as she fought with all her might to keep herself together. "Scootaloo, I knew that if I did one thing right that day, then it was to let you live. You were, are and always will be my best friend and I love you." Scootaloo's own tears arose from her lilac eyes before flowing down her face. The thought that her friend had sacrificed herself for her sake had never crossed her mind. She had always thought that she left Melody out of cowardice instead of courage.
The signal in the purple pony's eyes that day wasn't one of desperation; but of a command. Once the realization struck Scootaloo like a burst of lightning, her eyes widened and she leaped at her friend. It was safe to say that Melody was shocked. Around her neck was lifelong friend, sobbing with reckless abandon, and rubbing her muzzle on her cheek. "Y-you did that f-for me? Oh Melly, I'm s-so sorry I d-didn't get there in t-time. I could h-have gone f-faster and m-made it in time. I c-could of,"
Melody had placed the tip of her hoof over Scootaloo's lips, effectively silencing her. "Scoots, Even if you had gone faster, you probably still wouldn't have made it in time to save me. You saw my wounds; they were far too extensive for any medical treatment. The best unicorn doctors in Canterlot wouldn't have been able to save me. If anything, you would have probably been attacked next." The orange filly's eyes became downcast as she realized that what her friend was saying was true.
When Scootaloo had found Melody, saying that she looked awful was an extreme understatement. Her body was covered in bruises that shown even through her mauve fur. Claw marks littered her body and face; pouring blood out of her frame and allowing it to pool on the ground below. It was quite obvious that she had several broken bones, as her left back leg was twisted in an ungodly angle; her right wings was splayed out in the opposite direction and as her chest rose and fell two snapped ribs were visible. Her frail body could only make light quivers as she breathed, which gave barely any indication that she was alive.
Her breathing itself was hardly enough to sustain her and came out in long, drawn out gurgles due to the blood trapped in her lungs and throat. The sight was enough to make Scootaloo retch what little she had left in her stomach. To see her beloved friend reduced to a chewed up, bloody mess of her former self. Heart wrenching wasn't enough to describe the scene. The elder ponies she had brought with her, Candy Corn included, were horrified by the scene in front of them.
Candy Corn's honey colored eyes were brimming with burning tears as she felt herself about to copy young Scootaloo's actions. 'Scootaloo!' the reminder of the young filly behind her hit Candy Corn like a freight train. She quickly spun around to the young filly and picked her up in her hooves. Candy buried the orange foal's face into her fur to shield her eyes from the gruesome sight before her. Except that it was too late.
That image of Melody had already ingrained itself into Scootaloo's mind, and wouldn't leave her for the rest of her days. The ponies that she had brought with her, two of them thankfully were unicorns, carefully levitated up her friend's body and began to carry it out of the forest. The small party of five ponies quickly made their way through the forest: the two unicorns carrying Melody's body, the distorted Melody, Candy Corn and young Scootaloo. They decided against running, as they feared the sound of fast moving hooves would only attract more predators. Alas, no matter how far they walked Candy Corn could feel a strong presence of evil around her.
And by the feel of the quaking filly in her arms, Scootaloo felt it too. Their rushed breathes were kept deep yet quiet, the only sound that caused some worry was the gurgling that called itself breathing from Melody. It seemed that the quieter the other ponies tried to be, the louder the gurgling became. Soon, or not soon enough, the small group made their way out of the Everfree and into the dimming light of Celestia's sun. As soon as they were far enough away from the tangled mess that dared called itself a forest, the group bolted away at a break neck speed.
They knew that they had to hurry if they wanted to get Melody to the hospital in time. Her amount of blood loss was incredibly high and was only getting worse as time stretched on. They knew that if she weren't taken to a hospital as soon as possible, there would really be no use in trying to save her. One of the unicorns, a lime colored stallion, pulled ahead of the rest of the group before turning and stopping. "I should have enough magic to teleport," said the stallion "but I will only be able to take three of us."
Candy Corn had immediately stepped forward after setting down young Scootaloo. The half zebra then turned to the second unicorn, a silver mare, and gave her instructions to take the small Pegasus back to the orphanage. "Sure thing Candy, you can count on me." The silver unicorn then trotted over to Scootaloo, who by now was silently weeping. She gently placed a hoof on the orange filly's shoulder, causing Scootaloo to look back up at her with damp, red eyes.
The small pony's bottom lip trembled once more as she hastily lowered her head in shame. Hiccupping sobs wretched themselves from her throat as her dam finally burst; she could hold back no longer. Her head was thrown into her fore hooves and her voice cracked into hysterical howling. The silver unicorn wrapped the distraught filly in her arms as she picked her up and cradled her. With one last look to Candy Corn and the lime stallion, the grey mare held Scootaloo in one arm as she walked back in the direction of the orphanage.
The three ponies left out in the field were then whisked away in an aura of golden magic and a blast of white light. The silver mare carried the orange filly in her arm, before stopping to switch her to her back. The entire time, Scootaloo continued to weep. The silver mare flattened her ears against her head as her own tears began to fall from her chartreuse eyes. It was bad enough that this young filly might lose her friend, but to see such carnage.
It made her sick. The beads of salty tears cascaded from the young filly's eyes and down the silver mare's back. She sobbed and hiccupped, her shoulders bouncing and she released her sorrow. 'Melody might be gone,' thought the orange foal, 'and it's all my fault. All my fault.' The mantra repeated itself in her head, and with each rendition, it drilled itself into her subconscious.
The green eyed mare she was riding on, could vaguely hear a low murmuring from behind her as her ears twitched and turned to pick up the sound. By the time she could distinguish that the small sounds were words, they were already at the aging stone building. Walking slowly past the other fillies and colts, which stopped to gawk at the pair, the silver unicorn cautiously went upstairs to the small pony's room. As she laid the young Pegasus to bed, her mind finally processed the muttered words that escaped filly's lips. "It's all my fault."
Scootaloo babbled. The jade eyed mare gave her a pitied look and went to rest her hoof above the young pony's wings. Before her hoof touched down, however, she halted then withdrew the appendage. She knew that no amount of consoling could ease this foal's suffering. Unsteadily, she turned to the door, gave one last sorrowful look to Scootaloo, and then exited to speak to the other little ponies outside the entrance.
Scootaloo could barely recall the events of the days following her return to the orphanage. The day after she had cried herself to sleep was when she had found out that Melody passed that night. The doctors said that there was nothing any of them could do to heal her. Everypony had expected Scootaloo to cry, but the young filly had shed all of her tears; there simply wasn't enough water in her body. A week following the news of her death, Candy Corn held Melody's funeral on a cliff.
It was the same cliff the purple Pegasus would take Scootaloo to for their late night chats. Every filly and colt from the orphanage was in attendance, even the few that were already adopted out but heard the news showed up. It was a truly somber occasion for all involved; but more so for Scootaloo. Against quite a few suggestions from the older ponies present, she attended the ceremony, sitting in the first chair of the front row. That way, she would be able to see Melody clearly.
As she gazed upon her eternally resting friend's face, she had to admit, the cosmetic ponies did a wonderful job. They cleaned and sowed her gashes to the point that she looked as she would any other day, styled her mane and even preened her wings. Her frost white hair sported the tightest curls possible and her purple fur was groomed into a pristine sheen. Alas, something seemed off about her. Melody just didn't look like she used to; it was as if something were missing.
Remembering a crucial artifact that would otherwise never have departed from its original owner, Scootaloo hopped out of her seat and slowly walked to wooden alter before her. All was silent as the small filly reached the edge of the mahogany alters side, stood on her hind hooves, and tied an object around a curl of the deceased pony. As she walked back, every eye cast its gaze towards Melody and beheld a sight that brought a torrent of tears to them all. Now resting in Melody's mane was her snow white ribbon. Afterwards, once those that wished to had spoken and the eulogy was given, a funeral pony holding a torch in its mouth walked forward.
Slowly, he set the torch against the altar and set it ablaze in bright red flames. A traditional pegasi funeral; it was the perfect ending for Melody. Scootaloo no longer cried over the memory, what was left of her tears trickled down her sunset colored cheeks. Her gaze cast downward to the overgrown forest floor as she let out a throaty sigh. "Melody," croaked the orange Pegasus; throat hoarse from hours of sobbing, "why did you come here and why now?"
Lilac eyes glanced upward to meet dazzling yellow, confusion glistening in the amethyst orbs. "I came, because you needed me; because you needed to let go." Lavender arms wrapped around a small orange body; an embrace compelled by nothing but love and meant to heal pain. The small filly sniffed as she cuddled close into the older Pegasus. No tears fell from either of them as they continued to hold each other.
Nothing but wild sounds of the Everfree was picked up by their ears, as all was pretty much silent. For this small moment in time, all seemed normal in their small little world. Melody wasn't dead and Scootaloo was the same small filly she had been before everything fell apart. Scootaloo's heart had stopped its attempts to break free from her chest and her breathing relaxed. Everything was as it once was. Unfortunately, all great things must end, as is the natural order of things.
The bright white light that had brought Melody to earth appeared once more, slowly building from a dull glow to a blinding beam. Star dust descended from the Heavens, slowly wrapping around the angelic mare. Purple eyelids snapped open, and golden orbs turned their attention to the sky. Her time was up. Gently, Melody released an almost sleeping Scootaloo from her grasp and held her at a hoof's distance. Only once the auburn filly felt empty air where her friend used to be, did she open her eyes.
Melody's unearthly radiance had returned to her countenance and a strange gust of wind began to blow around her. Scootaloo's heart sank. She didn't want her to go, not now, not when they were so close. The lavender haired filly turned her head to the source of light and shouted, "No, please, just give us some more time! Five more minutes please, don't take her! Just, please!" The mauve pega-angle turned her gaze to her small friend, easily capturing Scoot's violet eyes.
"Scootaloo, listen to me, I want you to know that no matter what, I will always be here for you." Melody's voice could almost go by undetected due to the gale force winds surrounding her. If it weren't for the heavenly reverberation raising her tone to a louder decibel, it would seem as if she were silent. "You are a strong little filly, and I couldn't be prouder of you." The bottom of the older pony's dress began sparkling in an illustrious gold shimmer.
A small layer of cumulus cloud seeped from underneath her, slowly engulfing her hem and back legs. "Melody, please don't go!" screeched Scootaloo. Her ears were pinned to the back of her head and her eyes welled with tears. Since she was standing so close to the indigo angel, the whipping winds pulled harshly on her mane and coat. Her hooves clutched at Melody's, praying to whichever higher power would hear her that she could have more time.
"I have to Scoots, but don't worry; I'll always be with you. Maybe not in the physical aspect, but here," a hoof gently touched to the left side of Scootaloo's chest, "where it truly matters." A single tear slid down the white haired filly's cheek, glittering like stardust in the night. "Remember, I'll always love you Scootaloo." Tangerine met lavender as Scootaloo rested a hoof on the one touching her chest.
For the first time that night, no tears spilled from her eyes. The look of uncertainty that had been displayed on her face was replaced by a calmed smile. Her lips parted slightly as she replied, "I love you too, Melly." Melody smiled in return as tender flecks of light rained down upon her, spiraling around like a winding staircase. The wisps of clouds steadily lifted the angel upward; evaporating as they pooled over the edge only to be replaced by more vapors.
Their hooves untangled as the one rose higher, leaving young Scootaloo's hoof hanging in midair. Melody's form took on a state of intangibility as she rose higher into the sky. Her wings unfurled and seemed to shimmer as if they were made of amethyst, her bright yellow eyes shown as bright as the stars, and her mane gleamed as bright as the fallen snow. Scootaloo had never seen anything so beautiful in her life and she doubted that she ever would again. "Farewell Scootaloo," echoed the pega-angels illustrious voice, "it may not be soon, but some day, we'll be together again."
The orange Pegasus reared up to her back hooves and rested her front ones on the grave marker. "Bye Melody, I'll miss you. Don't forget me!" A tittering chuckled emanated from the purple mare's throat, accompanied by a gentle smile. "How could I ever forget you, Scooty?" With that, Melody's form disintegrated and mixed with the heavenly stardust enclosing her.
Scootaloo's eyes sparkled with the dazzling light, flecks of it reflecting in her purple irises. As the stars ascended, they released a sharp burst of light, just as they did when Melody first appeared. This caused the orange filly to shut her eyes and turn her head from the offending illumination. Once it had dissipated and the burning of her corneas subsided, Scoot's gaze returned to the sky. Everything was as it was when she had first arrived, aside from the doubled abundance of the stars.
The night was in full swing; Luna having created stunningly wondrous designs in the firmament with her moon and stars. A blissfully tranquil smile was etched into Scootaloo's muzzle as she continued to stare upwards. Slowly, her front hooves left the edge of the grave stone as she sat back on her haunches. After staring for a few more moments, the little filly stood and walked to her scooter. She gently placed her purple and white helmet on her head, propped her back hooves on her scooter bed, and then flapped her tiny wings.
Her ride through the Everfree was surprisingly uneventful, considering she was there in the evening. No sounds of horrid beasts filled the air and she was able to avoid the most dangerous flora. Thoughts swirled around inside her head as she rode along basically on auto pilot. 'I cannot believe that that just happened, that was the coolest thing ever! I wish I could tell somepony, but I guess they wouldn't believe me. I can't blame them, if somepony told me that the angel of their dead best friend came to visit them in the night, I would look at them like they were crazy.'
The small town was quiet, as was expected, and the sound of buzzing wings resounded through the air. The cobblestone path that made up the streets of Ponyville was lit by the sparse number of street lamps. 'Seeing Melody again was very cool, I wonder what she's doing right now. I miss her so much, but I think I'm going to be ok. The pain doesn't hurt so much now. In fact, I don't feel any pain at all anymore.' The house of her adoptive parents' was coming into view as the beating of her wings began to slow.
Her expression remained neutral as she pulled up quietly next to the front steps of her home. Ascending the small stairway and unlocking the door had Scootaloo inside quickly. She placed her scooter next to the metal hat rack and hung up her helmet before making her way down the hallway to her room. The creaked slightly as it was opened and clicked after the small Pegasus closed it. Scootaloo was tired, that much evident in the way she dragged herself to her bed and attempting to jump upon it.
Her hooves felt like lead and her wings were sore from all of her high speed scooting. Most of all, she was weighed down by the amount of emotion that settled in her heart. She was happy that she could see her friend, but she also was sad since Melody couldn't be there with her. 'No, she's with me.' She thought as she nestled into bed, 'she's with me in my heart and she's watching over me. Even if she can't physically be here with me, as long as I keep her in my memories, then she will always be here.'
The small filly's gaze concentrated toward her window, staring at the stars that glowed ever so brightly and the brilliant moon amongst them all. Tiredly, she smiled and let out a yawn as she immediately fell to sleep. She knew she would have to talk to her parents about where she had been all night, but compared to what occurred tonight, that would be easy. So it was then, when all of Equestria shut their eyes in the comfort and bliss of the night, that a miracle transpired. A deep blue glow established its home over the land with dazzling celestial bodies providing the perfect night. Of course, if anypony had been looking closer, they would have noticed that a small star, usually unnoticed by stargazers, blazed brighter than it ever had before. However, not many would see it as strange, considering that anything could happen in Ponyville.