Martin Swallowtail has not been making decisions in his best interest. Not that he lacks a moral compass or common sense, he's just too kind and generous (and callow?) for his own good. But now he has a little filly to raise and her estranged mother whom is in no hurry to move out on her own. What's a stallion to do? Shall he suffer quietly wallowing in his own insecure delusions or truly live the life he wants for his daughter and himself? What will it take for him to find his voice and use it to his advantage?
For fellow Scootaloo fans I'll warn you that this is the story of her dad, not that she isn't a major character or lacking in agency and autonomy. This story focuses mostly on her dad and the environment that shaped her development.
All respect to Mr. Williams for cribbing the title but you did the same to Bowie so we're even?
Chronologically this story begins before the events of Season One.
*grins* I always like a non-Scootaorphan/Scootabuse fic. So far it looks good
3251987 Scoots isn't the one suffering in this fic. :3
Thanks for the input, more to follow!
3252110
Thank God, with all the crap the fandom has done to her Scoots needs some happy fics
Feels are happy
3252138
3252262
Indeed
It is nice to see fics where Scootaloo has a family
. Especially when that family is not of the main 6. What is wrong with happy stories and Scootaloo.
3265471 I think some people judge Scoots pretty hard because of her flaws, dubbing her the fail pony but that's Diamond Tiara thinking if you ask me.
What a good fic. It was incredibly heartfelt and sweet, even melancholy at times. I like that this paints a very believable portrait of what this family went through; everything felt sincere and not 'special episode'ish in any way.
3291577 Hold on, because I got an idea for the climax.
3291863 Oh that's awesome. For some reason I thought this was marked complete already.
haha I love that little reference there. Also I really like the resolution of this chapter, that's a great thing for Scoots to take from the Mare-Do-Well Incident.
3325062 Snips and Snails are such Trixie fanboys they can sense the Lunaverse. :3
I really like how you integrate canon very smoothly as events in your fic progress through the show. Are you gonna go past the S3 finale?
Also, I saw one instance of 'hand' up there if you meant to say 'out of hoof,' as some prefer to change it.
3333843 The finale of this story will indeed be after Season 3, will address many of Scoot's character arc issues, and will lead in to the sequel which will take place a few years later with Scootaloo being the POV character. The CMC, Diamond and Silver, Pipsqueak and the others will be maybe a little younger than the Mane Six are now.
I changed hand to hoof. Thanks for the eagle eyes.
3333875
Oh that's interesting! Do you think you'll finish before S4 starts? Since that might affect Scoot's character arc as well.
3334224 Next chapter will cover ramifications of Sleepless in Ponyville and then I'm off the reservation and into my own headcannon. Her part in Just for Sidekicks was so small I don't feel the need to address it. I'm excited about the episode we saw a preview of but this'll be my story with their characters from then on.
3334236 looking forward to it!
3334966 Thanks for the support, it means a lot to me.
3335242 no problem :)
Don't know if I've said this before but the way you write dialogue is great. It just feels so natural. Especially between Scoots and Martin. :)
3474582 Thanks! It helps that I have a child about that age so I know how they talk and relate to their parents. :3
3474663 I guess 'write what you know' really came through this time then. That's great.
3474736 I got my little Scootaloo a Dash plush tonight so it's been brushie brushie time over here.
3475807 Sounds adorable! Try not to die of squee. :)
Like the build-up here. A few typos though, "Apple Jack" and "a sea change" come to mind.
3480795 thanks for letting me know. Sea-change does indeed have a hyphen.
"Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made,
Those pearls that were his eyes,
Nothing of him doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change,
Into something rich and strange,
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell,
Ding-dong.
Hark! Now hear them, ding-dong"
Really emotional. I liked it a lot. :) This was a lovely way to pretty much end the fic. It was a great ride.
One minor typo:
Dang, that last line! Love this. Looking forward to the sequel dude! :D
3588416 My actual favorite line from the whole story is "It looks like she was singing. She probably was."
Huh. While I've not normally been one for fics with this sort of snapshots-in-a-life layout, this was really good! Really personal-feeling throughout in a way that not many stories manage.
Just wanted to leave a positive note for you, cause this fic seems criminally underappreciated.
3961391 Thanks! That means a lot to me.