The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Scootadad!

by Adorned ungulate

Chapter 11: Lonely Hearts, Weary Hooves

I hurried over to my daughter, checking her over for cuts or bruises. "Are you alright? It's after dark, I was about to alert the city guard."

"I'm fine, dad." She brushed some dirt off her coat. It looked like she had been digging ditches. "Just had a bad day."

"What happened, darling?"

She looked away. "We tried to play Cute Mark Crusaders matchmakers..."

"Oh... Did your special somepony reject you? Was it that Rumble kid? I'll have a word with Thunderlane."

"Daad, no! Yuck." But she was blushing. "Not for me. We. We thought Miss Cheerilee deserved a very special somepony. So we tried to get her together with Big Mackintosh."

"You tried to set your teacher up, on a date with your best friends' older brother?"

She rolled her eyes. "It seems so silly looking back on it, yeah."

"I'll warm up some dinner for you."

She must have been famished since she ate up her broccoli cheddar casserole without complaint and didn't get conversational until having some ice cream. "So some ponies just prefer to not have a special pony in their lives?"

"Yeah. Some don't feel the need or don't have the time. Or maybe they just want to find love themselves on their own terms."

She looked around. "I figured you'd have Stage Light over tonight..."

"Oh. I haven't heard from her in a very long time, Scootaloo."

"You don't love her anymore?"

"I still have feelings for her but it didn't work out."

"Why not?"

"She. She didn't like how your mother was taking up my time. I was already so busy flying everywhere for work and taking care of you. That I let your mother insist I take care of all of your needs even though she has a special somepony of her own was hard on her."

"But now mom has her own place, and she's in love and happy. You can't be with her now?"

"Too much time has passed. Maybe she's worried I won't forgive her for leaving me again. Maybe she found somepony else."

"Would you be with her?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I'm hesitant to take her back and risk having it happen a third time. Once is forgiveness. Twice is recklessness and self-destructive."

"Then do you like being single like Big Mac and Cheerilee?"

I hoped I gave a convincing smile. "My life is pretty full right now, enough that I don't need to worry about love. You make me so happy, I've got more time with my friends now. If I do meet a special mare I will give it a shot but I'll be more cautious now."

Truth is there were maybe a half dozen mares in the fantasy file. I had so much rebuilding in my life that love and carnal pleasures were on the back burner. No telling if anypony was even interested. Maybe once Scootaloo was out of school.

Our conversation continued as she had her bath. "I don't want a special somepony. Seems like a lot of trouble."

"Might not be something you have any control over. Be sure to get behind your ears."

"Now that makes me more sure! I don't want to loose control and get all mushy and sappy. Totally uncool." I just gave her a knowing smile.

She must have been tired because she put up none of her usual bedtime resistance. She didn't make it through chapter seven of our Daring Do book. I set the bookmark in place, gave her a peck on the forehead, and tucked her in.

For a while I wandered the peaceful, quiet, but now empty apartment wondering if it indeed had the correct number of ponies living in it.

Author's Note:

This one is a short one. Dedicated to the lonely hearts out there.