//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Stand and Deliver // by bahatumay //------------------------------// An ancestor that affected my life was: Scootaloo underlined it with her quill. There. That was a good start. She looked around at the library of the Friendship Castle and spat it out of her mouth. Now, where would be a good place to start here? She wandered around the library, glancing at the titles on the spines, hoping something would jump off the shelf at her. And then, suddenly, something did. A book quite literally dropped off a shelf, nearly pinning her tail to the ground and landing with a loud ‘thump’. Scootaloo did not let out a high-pitched shriek. Nope, she most certainly did not. “Sorry!” Spike called down, perched on a high shelf, his claws still futilely outstretched towards the book. “Thought I had it!” “It’s ok,” Scootaloo said, feeling her heart pound. She nosed it up to pass it back to him, but something on the cover caught her eye. She set it down to get a better look. “Ponyville Elementary Yearbook?” She squinted at it. “But it’s, like, old.” “Yeah, we’ve got all of them, dating back to the first one printed.” He cracked a smile. “Have you seen the ones from when Miss Cheerilee was a foal? They’re gold.” “Yeah, they’re hilarious,” Scootaloo agreed, remembering the picture Miss Cheerilee had shown in class for their discussion on cutie marks. She brushed a hoof appreciatively against her own mane. It would be funny, sure, but she had to focus. Pictures of old ponies as foals wouldn’t… Wait. She glanced up at Spike. “Hey, how many of these did you say you had?” “Uh, all of them?” Spike answered. Scootaloo did a little mental math. “Alright, could you pass me... that one?” Twilight opened the door and trotted in, a book held firmly in her magic. She slowed to a stop. “Hey, Scootaloo. Doing some research?” “Trying to,” Scootaloo answered from behind yearbooks. “I’m looking for my grandparents.” Twilight blinked. “Aren’t they-?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo said bluntly. “But what I meant was, I’m looking for what they did. It’s for that history project we have for school.” “Oh, right,” Twilight said. “I heard about that. How’s that going?” “I learned that one grandma wanted to be the first one to do a Sonic Rainboom, and that my other grandpa wanted to build a bridge to Cloudsdale. But I don’t know what their parents wanted to do. Or even who they were.” “Oh, so you’re looking for more of a census?” Scootaloo blinked. “A what?” Twilight lit her horn and pulled another book out. “A census,” she repeated. “It’s a list of all the ponies that live in a place, children and parents.” Scootaloo brightened. That was much better! “This is not much better,” Scootaloo mumbled. These were all mouthwritten, and ponies back then had messy writing. She glanced guiltily at her own writing. You know, relatively speaking. “Scootaloo, this is family history!” Twilight chided gently. “Look, all these ponies are actual ponies, with real lives and thoughts and feelings and fascinating stories. See? I know you’ll like this one. Shimmering Rose here didn’t have her cutie mark yet in the last census, but now, she’s got one, and she’s even married!” “That’s… great,” Scootaloo said weakly. “But how does that help me with my project?” “Because she’s your great, great, great grandmother,” Twilight explained. “And the pony she’s married to is Clear Skies, son of…” She paused for dramatic effect. “Pin Feather!” If Twilight was expecting an awed or some other reaction, she didn’t get it. Scootaloo blinked. “Pin Feather,” Twilight repeated. Scootaloo slowly shook her head. Twilight remained undaunted. “Alright, context!” she said brightly. She lit her horn and pulled another book off the shelf and opened it. “Have you ever heard of Little Red Riding Hood?” Scootaloo glanced at the page. “Yeah, famous earth pony outlaw, always wore red, hood over her eyes, hid in the forest, stole from the rich, gave to the poor, had a pet timberwolf. Everypony knows those stories.” “But what isn’t so well known is that she was a real pony. And she was not an earth pony; she was a pegasus who bound her wings to remain undetected.” “Miss Cheerilee said all legends have some bases, in fact.” She wasn’t entirely sure why she said that, though. It wasn’t like all these ancient legends were all playing baseball somewhere. How weird would that be? Nightmare Moon up to bat, Tirek as shortstop, Ahuizotl pitching, Discord in the outfield… Actually, scratch that last one. That one would actually happen. He’d play every position. And then turn the baseball into a squid or something crazy like that. “That’s true,” Twilight conceded, “but Little Red Riding Hood actually kept records, how much she took, where it came from, where it went. When her journals were found, they were detailed and dated well-enough that historians could cross-reference other personal records and guard reports. And they stopped appearing right after Pin Feather appeared in West Whinnifree. A few other identification documents later found to be forgeries helped prove it. Pin Feather was Little Red Riding Hood, just taking on a new civilian identity.” “But that sounds awesome,” Scootaloo protested. She thrust a hoof in the air like she was waving a sword. “That’s a life of adventure, always on the run! Stealing from the rich, giving to the poor, fighting and winning; why did she stop?” “She fell in love.” Scootaloo pulled a face. “I’m serious,” Twilight insisted. “It was a great story. If we’d had this information back then, when the great playwrights were alive, I’m sure it would have been made into a play. You know, if you ask me, it should still be done. It’d be an instant classic.” Scootaloo snapped the book shut. “Maybe, but I’ve got what I needed. If I’m related to Little Red Riding Hood, then that’s who I’m going to be. Thanks!” She slid off the chair and bounded off. “But…” Twilight protested weakly. Her voice trailed off as she realized the door had slammed. She pouted. “Fine. I know someone else who likes true love. Spike!”