"I'd like to tell you all a story now." Pinkie Pie sat down in front of her bedroom wall. "It is a story all about how Scootaloo's life got flipped, in fact, upside down. So go ahead and take a minute, just sit right there. I'll tell you how she dealt with the whole Cheerilee affair."
Dash and Scootaloo were flying above the Everfree, keeping an eye out as the rest of their friends walked below. They had just been rescued from changelings by Scootaloo, a fact she would not let her fellow crusaders forget about until well into her forties.
"Dash, we need to talk. The whole reason this got started is because Sweetie stole a letter from Cheerilee. She is Gerda's daughter."
Dash gasped in shock, nearly forgetting to flap her wings. "Wow, I never would have guessed. . ."
"I know, she must have ratted me out to Gerda. This is all her fault!"
"Scootaloo, I've known Cheerilee for a while, and Rarity went to school with her. I've never heard anything bad about her. In fact, Rarity says she lived alone with her father."
"What? How can you not believe me?" Scootaloo looked away towards the ground.
"Now hold on," Dash replied. "I believe you, but I think we should go get the whole story. Has she ever done anything to you that makes you think she would rat you out to Gerda?"
Sootaloo frowned and waited a minute to reply. "I guess not."
"Okay, so when we get back you and I'll have a talk with her. You need to be careful jumping to conclusions. It's funny though, if you hadn't stormed off we'd still be back there captured by changelings."
"Now that Twilight sent the princess a letter, they're sure to find the rest of them." Scootaloo grinned as they neared the edge of the forest. "Looks like we're home."
Cheerilee was marching back to the school to pack up her things and head home. From the direction of the Everfree, the elements of harmony, Big Mac, Applebloom, and Scootaloo were walking straight for her.
"Oh dear," Cheerilee mumbled. "What on Equestria did Scootaloo tell them to get them so worked up?"
Scootaloo and Dash walked towards her. "Hey Cheerilee, how's it going?"
"Hello Dash, what brings all of you out here this late in the evening?"
"We fought off some changelings!" Scootaloo was grinning from ear to ear. "It was so cool; I got to shout out all kinds of action hero lines. Then I remembered who you are. . ."
Cheerilee grinned, not rising to her bait. "I would like to have a word with you two, in private." She led them into the classroom of the school.
Dash cleared her throat and began once they were inside. "Scootaloo got a little worked up, I don't suppose we could put her mind at ease? Half of the ponies in town have known you since you were a filly."
"That is true." Cheerilee turned to address Scootaloo. "Are you sure you want to know about my mother?"
Scootaloo bit her lip, and looked over to Dash. "Yes. I don't want to sound rude, but how do I know you weren't the pony who told her where I was?"
Cheerilee frowned, and began the story she had been rehearsing for the past hour. "Scootaloo, I would never have done that. Gerda used to be a judge, just as I used to be an innocent foal and my father a member of the royal guard. Father would always be going on deployments, training exercises, or guarding foreign embassies. He wasn't around much for us back then.
"Gerda wasn't always so cynical. She was one of the youngest judges to serve in the courthouse in Canterlot. She claims that day after day felons got off easy. Big shot lawyers, new laws from the princesses, even bribery. Try as Gerda might, she seemed obsessed with a level of justice she could never get. She continued to get more and more bitter as years went by.
"By the time I was six, my father finally returned home with the guard. Our home wasn't as he had left it. His wife spent all day at the courthouse, returning only to sleep at night. She had a short temper, and left me to fend for myself. My parents began arguing. My father couldn't understand her obsession with justice.
"I was told by my father that the case that finally broke her was a sexual assault case against a six year old filly. She could see that the accused was guilty, yet it was not her place as judge to condemn a man without a trial. For weeks the defense attorney argued on his client's behalf. He convinced the jury of his innocence.
"When the verdict came back 'not guilty,' she assaulted the defendant with her magic in the middle of the courtroom. She was so furious they had to restrain her and throw her in jail. Once an investigation was launched, Celestia discovered her nephew Blue Blood had tried to hide his trial from her. I don't know what happened between them, but Gerda was given a full pardon.
"By the time she got home, however, my father had already packed our things and brought me here to Ponyville. From that day forth until two weeks ago, I had not seen or spoken to her."
Cheerilee had started to cry, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
"Wait," Dash interjected. "You saw her two weeks ago? She tried to kidnap Scootaloo a month ago."
Cheerilee sobbed between breaths. "I k-know. She found me, at my h-home here in P-ponyville. She begged me to take her in out of the cold. She told me she had lost everything. But I w-wouldn't."
Dash realized where this was going. Looking to Scootaloo, she could tell it was too late to change the subject. She was going to figure it out sooner or later.
"That n-night. . ." Cheerilee grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. "I t-told her I never wanted to see her again, and the next day she kidnapped four of my students. I was so angry she had the nerve to track me down, I didn't realize you were telling the truth until it was too late Scootaloo."
Scootaloo sat there mortified, her eyes nearly doubling in size. She had feared Cheerilee had told Gerda where to find her. Instead, she had seen Gerda in town the night before Scootaloo had almost been killed, and didn't tell the police.
"How?" Scootaloo stood up in the chair. "How could you! You knew she was wicked and let her walk away to kidnap us."
"Scootal—" Dash was interrupted by Cheerilee.
"It's okay Dash. You're right Scootaloo, I should have told somepony. I should have listened when you told me Sweetie hadn't walked to school with you. I'm sorry. After you hit Diamond—I was already so upset—" Cheerilee wiped her cheek off with a hoof. "It's been bothering me ever since. If Dash hadn't rescued you fillies, I would have had to live with that knowledge the rest of my life."
"And that's supposed to make it better? For all we know she's still out there hopping around on three legs!" Scootaloo shouted.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," a voice from the back of the room stated.
Cheerilee looked to the back corner of the room. "Mr. Hooves? This is highly inappropriate! What are you doing, eavesdropping?"
"No, haven't dropped any eaves lately." Mr. Whooves sat forward and entered the light. "I Just figured Scootaloo could use a little peace of mind."
"How are you going to give me that?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, I happen to know Celestia banished Gerda to a distant planet, and had her locked in prison there." Mr. Hooves smiled.
"Celestia can do that?" Scootaloo cocked her head to the side.
"Well. . ." He sat back in his chair. "She had some help. Don't worry. You, your friends, Dinky, and this whole town is safe. Trust me, I'm a Doctor."
"Ahem if you're done showing off Mr. Hooves, I'll kindly thank you to get the hay out of my classroom." Cheerille gestured to the door. "This was a private conversation."
"Forget him." Scootaloo flew towards the door. "Come on Dash, I'm finished here."
Dash smiled at Cheerilee. "Don't worry, I'll calm her down and she'll be back Monday. 'Ah reckon you're honesty has earned ma trust.' " Dash chuckled and flew out of the school.
"There was one more thing," Mr. Whooves replied. "Before her incarceration, she wanted me to pass along a message. Gerda said she's sorry, for everything. Also, that you're the only good thing to come from her life. As a man who has been around a while, I can assure you that you're one of the best ponies I've known."
Cheerilee looked back to the corner Mr. Hooves was sitting in, but he had vanished from the classroom.