//------------------------------// // Part 10: Sympathy for the Devil // Story: Poison Whiskey // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what's puzzling you is just the nature of my game Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails just call me Lucifer 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse? Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah Sympathy for the Devil: The Rolling Stones: Begger’s Banquet: 1968 Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nee Dash VS Last Drop and Icy Winds in court case on matter of custody and Filly Abuse! Public trial to be held in Canterlot! That was the headlines that graced the paper that very week at the shared household of the two pegasi in question. They knew news would break on why Icy Winds and Last Drop had been incarcerated sooner or later, but they didn’t expect it to be right before the trial itself. Honestly, they’d been hoping things would be kept quiet until after the trial itself was over and done with. But for better or for worse, all eyes had now turned to the household and the couple, along with their daughter. For the last few days now, reporters had been camped out like vultures at Fluttershy’s cottage with cameras and quills in hoof. It was pretty much impossible for either of them to get any peace and quiet and the entire thing was making Scootaloo quite nervous at all the attention she and her mothers were getting, and so Rainbow had enacted a drastic plan. “Uh, Rainbow, what are you doing?” Scootaloo had asked when she and Fluttershy walked into the living room where a peregrine falcon stood next to a letter that had a rapidly written note next to it. “Hopefully getting rid of those idiots outside, that’s what,” Rainbow grumbled. Fluttershy leaned over and looked at her wife’s note. The hoof-writing was poor, barely legible, possibly because of a result of the speed in which it was written, (Or Rainbow’s self-admitted poor penmanship.) but you could still make out what it said if you looked hard enough. It read: “Twilight, surrounded by reporters at me and my wife’s cottage. They’ve been camped out here for the last few days. Making all of us rather unnerved, may have to shoo them off myself if you don’t please send help! Don’t care what kind, even Royal Guards if you have them!” Rainbow rolled the letter up and put it in the falcon’s mouth, and opened a window as the bird of prey spread its wings, let out a small screech and took flight towards Twilight’s castle. “Are you really sure this is the best idea, Dashie?” Fluttershy asked carefully. “I want them gone as much as you do, but Royal Guards… Isn’t that a bit… much?” “Hey, for all I know they’ve been snapping photos of us when we’re sleeping, or when Scootaloo’s sleeping!” Rainbow snapped. “I’ve seen the tents! They’ve got to go, now!” “I think I might be able to take care of them easily enough, if you just let me,” Fluttershy put in. “No offense Flutters, but I highly doubt even the Stare would work on that many ponies,” Rainbow replied, and she pointed to a nearby window with her wife and Scootaloo following her gaze, where a gaggle of reporters had gathered snapping photos at every opportunity that presented itself. “I think she means me,” A familiar smug sounding voice sneered as a serpentine form curled itself around Rainbow, two bright yellow orbs gazing into Rainbow’s own purple ones. The pegasus groaned loudly when she heard the voice. “I do have a way of... well, and apologies for the language here dear Fluttershy, peeving ponies off,” “This is your solution, really?” Rainbow asked in disgust as she gestured to the chimera-like creature that was far too much in her personal space for her liking. “Although you’re right about one thing, Discord, you are peeving ponies off, namely me!” “Rainbow, language!” Fluttershy shouted, gesturing to Scootaloo, who had Fluttershy’s wings in her ears. “Hey, he said it first!” Rainbow argued, pointing to a certain chaos spirit, who laughed sheepishly. (Even temporarily turning into a sheep while doing so.) Fluttershy turned her angry gaze to Discord, who looked quite smug with himself. “Now now, Flutters, you know the Stare won’t work on meee-Yeeeessh!” Discord suddenly cringed as Fluttershy’s gazed bored into him. “Okay, okay, no more strong language… At least in this household,” He added this last part in a sotto voice. Then, he marched out the front door and gave the reporters a look. “Well, aren’t you the definition of pests?” He remarked, placing both his paw and his hand on his hips and looking down at them. “Heck, if I look up in a dictionary, bet I’ll find a picture of you all!” To prove his point, he snapped his paw and with a white flash, a dictionary did indeed appear. Discord put on his reading glasses and then skimmed through the pages before shouting out “Aha!” He showed the book’s definition of pests, and sure enough, there was a picture of a reporter. He snapped his paw again, making the book vanish and then all of the reporters’ cameras sprouted wings and flew off into the skies. To make sure they wouldn’t be caught, he then snapped his paw again and any pegasi reporters suddenly found themselves to be Earth Ponies. He dusted his hands off and smirked. “There, that should be enough to deal with you all for now, least until a certain bookworm sends the Guard after you for harassment and loitering. Toodles!” Another paw snap and Discord was gone leaving a note behind inside the cottage. It read: “Go, now!” Rainbow and Fluttershy shared a nod before unfolding their wings with Rainbow gesturing for Scootaloo to climb onto her back. She knew exactly where they could go to escape the reporters, for now at least. That being, to take both her wife and Scootaloo to her cloudominium in her hometown of Cloudsdale. Hopefully, at least, they’d be able to escape the constant influx of reporters there. Keyword being, hopefully. Cloudsdale: Rainbow sighed in relief when she saw the high-rise rooftops of her cloudominium along with the rainbow fall going down to the ground below and pooling in a small lake peeking through the puffy white city of clouds that made up Cloudsdale. Fluttershy, as she flew over the suburban areas behind Rainbow, looked down towards to where she knew her parents’ home would be. “Think the reporters flocked to your parents as well Flutters?” Rainbow asked in concern, looking back towards her wife as Scootaloo held on tight to her mane. “It’s a safe bet, so I sent a mutual friend of ours on ahead to make sure they keep off their backs as well,” Fluttershy replied and Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Not Discord again, I hope?” Rainbow asked as she and her wife landed on Rainbow’s balcony. Fluttershy chuckled and shook her head. “Nope, Gilda,” Fluttershy replied with a smile that didn’t look quite right on the normally serene pegasus. Rainbow blinked, swearing she’d misheard. “Gilda? I could have sworn I had something crazy fly in my ear, as I could have sworn you said Gilda as in Gilda the griffon,” Rainbow gawked and Fluttershy nodded as Scootaloo clambered off Rainbow’s back. “No, I did say Gilda. Figured she could scare them off before they even got close to my mom and dad with a good loud roar,” Fluttershy said, chuckling at the irony. A few years ago, she would have thought of Gilda as nothing but a bully thanks to the aforementioned roar amongst other things, but the griffon had a sense of loyalty that rivaled even Rainbow’s. Small wonder Windy was so taken with her, Fluttershy mused to herself. “...I dunno if I should call you crazy or kiss you right now…” Rainbow muttered to herself while shaking her head. Fluttershy made up her mind for her as she gave Rainbow a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips. “...Never mind, mind’s made up...” Rainbow murmured in a daze. “Wow!” Scootaloo exclaimed in glee as she walked into the foyer of Rainbow’s home, eyes darting every which way to examine everything, from the many, many trophies on the walls to a picture take at Rainbow and Fluttershy’s wedding day of them sharing their first dance. Humorously, Rainbow seemed to have two left hooves and couldn’t particularly dance very well in the photo, tripping over Fluttershy. “Is this really where you live?” Rainbow chuckled at her daughter’s fangirlism and ruffled her purple mane with a hoof. “Yep, sure is squirt. Take it all in. I’ll see if I can get lunch made, okay?” Rainbow asked and Scootaloo nodded. Right then, there was a knock on the door from downstairs. Fluttershy ran to get it with a shout of “I’m coming!” and opened the front door and was surprised to see a rather pleasantly plump (She wouldn’t say chubby, as somehow it didn’t seem to fit) pegasus mare with light blue hair and a purple mane. She bore a flying sheep for a Cutie Mark. Accompanying her was a cream-colored earth pony, probably using a cloud walking spell with a palm tree and a heart-shaped sun for a Mark, bearing a mane in varying shades of orange. “Hello there,” the earth pony greeted in a pleasant tone of voice. “Name’s Holiday and this is my wife, Lofty,” with the pegasus mare nodding in confirmation. “We’re here about our niece Scootaloo,” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting anywhere near my daughter, are we clear?” “No… We’re not here to take her back to my brother Last Drop, even if that were possible or we had any real desire to,” Holiday said with her eyes narrowing in disdain as she mentioned her brother, and right then and there somehow Fluttershy just got the feeling she could trust the two. Maybe it was the tone, maybe it was the pleasant demeanor, (Or maybe it was the simple fact that Holiday clearly disliked Last Drop) she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it but she knew they weren’t here to harm Scootaloo. She allowed them to follow her upstairs and soon explained everything to Rainbow, who was at first very hesitant to trust either mare, but that soon faded away when Scootaloo ran up to Lofty and embraced her in a hug. “Auntie Lofty!” Scootaloo sniffled. “I… I never thought I’d see you again after… after dad banned you and Holiday from the house!” “It’s alright, we’re here now kiddo, and we’re not leaving you ever again, you hear?” Lofty replied softly while letting Scootaloo cry into her shoulders. “So, why’d you two get banned from Last Drop’s home? Too nice for his little girl?” Rainbow stated sarcastically. Holiday gave out a small growl at the mention of her brother before answering. “Hardly, he thought us being married and being around Scootaloo would give her the “Wrong sorts of ideas about family” or some such… Well, you know,” Holiday muttered. “Wow, a bigot and a filly abuser. Such a loveable stallion…” Rainbow drawled. “Never heard such crap in all my life. Gays can be good parents too, you know! I mean, look at Lyra and her wife Bon-Bon and their daughter Twist for crying out loud!” Nobody bothered to even chastise Rainbow for her language, as they understood her sentiments. “So, you’re the two who’s been taking care of our little girl after you broke her free from that… that, well, no other way to put it but living Tartarus?” Lofty asked, seemingly sizing both Rainbow and Fluttershy up. She’d heard about both of course, how could anyone not given their fame and of course the local newspaper reports. Rainbow noted the way Lofty said “Our”. She sighed. This was an unexpected wrinkle, the judge could very well rule in favor of Lofty and her wife. Not that she would complain, of course, they’d be far better parents to Scootaloo then Last Drop and Icy Winds ever could be. But still, Rainbow wanted to care for her daughter, not let someone else do it. She’d been absent in Scootaloo’s upbringing for far too long, only watching from a distance and offering encouragement when needed. To see Scootaloo go to anyone else, at least without knowing the full truth about her heritage, might just break Rainbow’s heart. At one point, while Scootaloo and Fluttershy talked with Holiday, Lofty led Rainbow aside into another room so nopony could hear the conversation they were about to have. And Lofty started off this conversation by soundly slapping Rainbow across the face. “Ow… What the Hay was that for?” Rainbow asked as she rubbed her stinging cheek. “You know perfectly well what that was for,” Lofty hissed, a look of pure rage on her features, her pleasant demeanor fully dropped now that everypony else was out of both eyesight and hearing range. “I know Scootaloo’s your daughter, I’m not just eye candy you know! I did a bit of digging, and look who I find as Scootaloo’s real parent! You’ve got a lot of nerve taking her in after you left Scootaloo at Last Drop’s house in the damn first place!” “Alright, I messed up, okay?” Rainbow said in an apologetic tone, but it didn’t take with Lofty. “No, messed up is when you break your wife’s favorite vase or forget your anniversary! This... this goes beyond messing up!” Lofty confronted. “And what’s more, as far as I know, Scootaloo as no idea as to who her real mother is!” Okay, I admit that!” Rainbow sputtered out. “But… But I was scared of what would happen if anypony found out! You can understand that, right? I… I was a teenager, and you know how ponies think of teenage parents!” “So, that’s the excuse you’re using to justify yourself?” Lofty hissed back before her tone became softer. “There’s.... There’s something more to this isn’t there?” “Yeah… Yeah, there is,” Rainbow explained with a sigh. “My dad… He was a real mean drunk, just like Last Drop. Happened in Cloudsdale so many years ago, it was like Nightmare Moon herself took him and she did it real slow… He was a monster, and I… I was scared of turning just out like him. So that’s why I did it, dropped Scootaloo off at Last Drop’s home, hoping he and his wife would take care of her well enough, raise her better than I could…” With that, Lofty brought Rainbow in for a hug as the younger pegasus finally broke down in tears with Lofty whispering “It’s alright… I understand… In your place, I might have done the same thing…” Rainbow looked up at her. “Really?” Lofty nodded. “Yeah, really. But do me a favor, okay? Tell Scootaloo about who her real mom is, or I will.”