//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: A Different Kind of Strong // Story: Kindness and Loyalty // by frenettek314 //------------------------------// After the past few days with the horrible storm, alongside the fact that the weekend proceeded to follow, it was now time for Scootaloo to return to school. She had so much fun on the extended weekend with her new family, however, that she didn't seem to mind going back to the classroom she used to dread. The three pegasi spent all weekend indoors, whether it be Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo racing around the house, Scootaloo helping Fluttershy with the animals who did not hibernate, or the three of them just playing mono-pony until the moon rose, Scootaloo couldn't remember having that much fun in her entire life. Rainbow Dash had woken up..... well... Scootaloo helped wake her up....... to deliver Scootaloo to school. Scootaloo was filled with glee as she couldn't wait to tell the details of her fun-filled weekend with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, she was practically skipping to school, much to the amusement of the rainbow-maned Pegasus. " Alright Scoots. Looks like we're here. I have to clear up the extra clouds and precipitation from this weekend's storm so Fluttershy will be here to pick you up after school." Rainbow spoke in a calm and mannered tone. " Ok" Scootaloo replied with just a hint of disappointment. She loved Fluttershy as much as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy was shown to be extremely kind and much more loving and patient than the sometimes brash Rainbow could ever be, but Scootaloo loved to spend occasional time with Rainbow Dash after school flying in the sky and she knew Fluttershy wasn't comfortable with more than hovering a few feet off the ground. " I promise you we'll get you up there soon. You'll also have fun with Fluttershy though." Rainbow Dash said confidently. " Alright. You've convinced me." laughed Scootaloo. " Ok then kid, see you later." Rainbow Dash quickly hugged affectionately before anypony could see. School turned out more or less the same as usual for Scootaloo. After literally blurting out her excitement of her new family to her friends, the three fillies soon focused their attention to their schoolwork. Cheerilee whom had heard bits and pieces of Scootaloo's conversation displayed a smirk at the corner of her lips as she realized she had never seen Scootaloo so happy before. True, when Cheerilee still lectured about the concepts of basic algebra or the fundamentals of past-tense verbs, she still saw Scootaloo drift off from her book, but she was happy just to know that Scootaloo was now probably day-dreaming of her new family rather than where she was going to sleep tonight. After the last bell of the day rang, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were about to leave the school alongside everypony else, including Cheerilee , when all of a sudden two very familiar fillies approached the cutie mark crusaders in the midst of their conversation. " I tell you guys. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are the two best parents ever." Scootaloo boasted. "I wonder what we'll do tonight." " I can't believe Rainbow and Fluttershy live together. Does it seem weird at all?" questioned Apple Bloom. " Nah. They told me that love comes in many different ways and forms. Love is love regardless." replied Scootaloo. " Sounds to me like those two are just fillyfoolers." came a sharp, demeaning tone as two fillies approached the trio. " What do you want, Diamond Tiara?" Sweetie Belle asked upon seeing the owner of the previous comment. " What? It's obvious to me anyone who believes that two mares can love naturally would adopt a flightless runt. You're as stupid and worthless as they are." spoke the overly egotistical Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo, upon hearing this, immediately turned out with a sharp glare and a scowl foaming out of the mouth to boot. Her eye quivered and her lips trembled until she could scream in defense upon not only herself, but the ones who cared for her insulted, " YOU TAKE THAT BACK BEFORE I KNOW YOUR TEETH OUT WITH THAT TIARA OF YOURS!!!!" she roared, causing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to back up in surprise. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon paused for a brief moment before laughing at the flightless Pegasus. " Yeah right. If you try anything, I'll just tell Cheerilee tomorrow and you'll probably be expelled. Now don't talk that way to me again runt or else you'll never fly." Diamond Tiara quipped as she slowly approached the angry Scootaloo. " How about you stop right there before I have you and your family explain to Princess Celestia herself how you are threatening my daughter and emotionally abusing her." spoke an ominous voice in a firm and relaxed matter. Everypony in the room looked to the door to find none other than Fluttershy whose eyes spoke if they were ready to kill Diamond Tiara themselves despite the controlled voice with which she just spoke. " Lay off. Fillyfooler." growled Diamond Tiara, much to everypony's horror as there was a collective gasp, including from Silver Spoon. "Or... I could gather the five of you to the royal courtroom and have you put on trial with multiple witnesses of emotional abuse, violence, and derogatory terms addressed to certain kinds of ponies. Then you and your family can be chased off from Equestria and you'll be forced to part your friend and the life you know. I suggest you do the rational thing, seeing as you're a smart filly and leave now before I have the whole population curse the name of 'Filthy Rich and his shameless excuse for a family' Keep in mind that I do have squirrels and spiders outside who have witnessed this little charade." Seeing as no escape from this current situation. Diamond Tiara decided it was time to retreat as she knew the Pink-maned Pegasus was right. " You got lucky, runt. You can't have your 'parents' around forever." Diamond Tiara muttered as she and Silver Spoon got ready to escape. " I don't think so, you two." spoke Cheerilee as she came from behind Fluttershy, her tone and stance indicating she was listening behind the door all along. " You two won't see the light of day again if I can't help it." Flutershy took Cheerilee's arrival as her cue to escort the three now shocked fillies out of the school house. " I'll see you tomorrow, Cheerilee. Thanks for agreeing on staying behind with me." spoke Fluttershy as a smirk hid on her face as she exited. The three fillies walked out of the schoolhouse speechless as they failed to comprehend the events that had just occurred. " Wh.... What just happened?" asked Sweetie Belle with a look of fear in her eyes. " I knew you three had spoke of Diamond Tiara in the past, so when I came to pick up Scootaloo, I was wondering if I could catch her in the act so on a hunch, I asked Cheerilee privately to sneak behind the school for a few minutes with me. Luckily, our plan worked, but I didn't realize she was that bad. I'm so sorry I or no one else stopped her sooner." Fluttershy spoke with guilt and pain in her voice upon realizing the impact of Diamond's constant torments. " That... was....so...awesome." spoke Scootaloo with praise and awe. " I never knew you could stop a bully in their tracks." "Yer a hero." agreed Apple Bloom. " Girls, I want you to know. I'm no hero. No pony deserves to be treated like that, not even her. I'm as angry as you three were, but then I realized the best way to combat a bully is to remain calm and think on your hooves. I figured somepony as rotten as her needed somepony to kill her off with kindness." explained Fluttershy with a fact-of the matter attitude. " Kill.. with kindness?" asked Scootaloo. " I knew if I reasoned and explained that she couldn't get away with it, I could buy enough time for Cheerilee to step in." The three fillies nodded in awe and agreement. As Scootaloo waved goodbye to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, she and Fluttershy proceeded to head home. Scootaloo spoke with a nervous inflection in her voice. " Ummm.. Fluttershy?" Scootaloo cautiously asked. " Did you hear Diamond Tiara call you a fillyfooler?" "Yes I did." spoke Fluttershy with a serious expression on her voice. " I'm used to Diamond Tiara calling me a flightless runt, but seeing her call you and Rainbow Dash fillyfoolers.... made me furious." Scootaloo admitted. Fluttershy looked at Scootaloo and displayed a warm and gentle smile. " It's odd. I'm used to ponies judging me for loving another mare, but seeing Diamond Tiara calling you a flightless runt...made me furious." Fluttershy responded. Upon hearing this, both Scootaloo and Fluttershy started to burst out laughing from their reveals. They were worried about the other so much, they failed to realize the insults targeted towards the each of them. " Fluttershy, I love you and will protect you no matter what." said Scootaloo. Fluttershy blushed before chuckling. " Scootaloo, I love you and will always protect you, I promise." The two mares continued to laugh as they were no longer concerned with the tricks of insults that came from Diamond Tiara. They were just happy to be with each other. Maybe Scootaloo liked having Fluttershy walk her home from school.