//------------------------------// // 59 - The Two Sisters // Story: The Memoirs Of A Reality Jumper // by Techogre //------------------------------// Scootaloo sniffed once and put on a brave face, “Come on Summer Blossom, my dad knows what to do.” She added after a pause, “Let's go.” Summer Blossom resigned herself, “Mother told me to obey. I obey.” Scootaloo stopped at the bottom of the stairs, straining to listen to what was happening outside. She barely heard her father ask, “Miss Sweetheart? What is this all about?” Miss Sweetheart replied, but she could only make out the word, “... overreacting...” Her mom yelled, “Overreacting?!” The rest was muffled except for the sounds of angry wing beats. “... salt addled monsters…”, then, “... faking it!” She could hear her dad’s soothing voice, calmly bringing her mother’s frantic response down to a dull roar. Scootaloo crept closer to the door, to better hear what was being said. Annoyed, Summer asked, “Why you stop? Father say go-” Scootaloo waved a hoof dismissively, “Shush. I’m trying to eavesdrop.” Summer rolled her eyes, “No speak-” Scootaloo turned her head and glared, “I. Said. Shush.” Summer made to respond but stopped, shocked by the little pony’s fierce expression. Scootaloo held eye contact for a moment, then returned to listening outside. She laid her right ear flat against the door and focused. Miss Sweetheart was speaking in her calm, motherly voice, “... are reformed, they are seeking their filly back. If the courts agree, she will be returned to her parents, under my supervision, of course. You will be allowed contact with her unless the parents choose to deny this. Based on their past, I would be astonished if-” Rainbow Dash blurted out, “If? If! What do you mean, ‘if’?” Miss Sweetheart sighed, a sound Scootaloo was very familiar with. “If they get court approval, which I highly doubt, then I will assist you in reversing that tragedy. It’s obvious Scootaloo does not want to go back to them.” The kind mare sighed and then smiled sadly. “Off the record, don’t worry. This is just her ex-parents flailing about, trying to harm you.” Dash spoke hesitatingly, her voice full of hope, “Are you sure? You’ve seen this sort of thing before, right?” Scootaloo could hear the smile in Miss Sweetheart’s voice, “Yes. It rarely amounts to anything other than worry. Now, I do have one question. Was that a diamond dog staying with you?” There was a pause, and then her dad answered, “Yes. Her name is Summer Blossom. She’s the daughter of Grass Runner, the ex-leader of the Eastern Forest Pack, the one that attacked Ponyville. She was placed in my care by her mother. I’m afraid I don’t have…” Scootaloo stopped listening. As the young pegasus held back the panicked tears that threatened to overwhelm her, she noticed that the fur on Summer’s back was standing on end. “Birth father, birth mother bad ponies?” Summer asked in a low growl. “I don’t want to talk about it,” Scootaloo said tightly. “Bad ponies? Yes? No?” Summer insisted. “Yeah. Real bad,” Scootaloo replied. Summer growled threateningly. “Bad ponies steal, me bite.” The young diamond dog snapped her jaws in the air. Scootaloo paused and looked at Summer in surprise. “You would?” “You welp father, he father, you sister. What else?” She tapped her forehead, "I good dog. I protect father's pack. Make mother proud." Scootaloo’s ears drooped. “You shouldn’t do that. Bite, I mean.” Summer growled low and dangerously. “I protect.” Scootaloo flinched. “That’ll just get us all into trouble. If you bite them, you’ll get taken away, and my birth parents will use that against Mom and Dad.” The determination in Summer’s eyes faltered for a moment, and her voice took on an uncertainty Scootaloo hadn’t heard from her. “How to protect?” “I don’t know yet.” The little pegasus tried to smirk, “Dad will figure something out. He always does.” We watched in silence as Ms Sweetheart returned towards the orphanage, Dash still hovering in anger. Once she was out of earshot, Dash seethed, "She had the gall to talk to us like we are one of her foals." She was on a warpath and would calm down in her own time. "I know, dear." She threw her hooves in the air, exasperated, "I'm a full-grown feathered mare for Celestia’s sake!" I spoke in a soothing tone, "We all know you are, dear." Her anger started subsiding, "I helped save Equestria, you know." "Yes, dear, I know." She chuckled, “Will you please stop being so darn agreeable.” I smirked, “Of course, dear.” Dash was distracted but was determined to make things as normal as possible, under the circumstances, for her daughter. She corrected herself: daughters. “Scoots, Summer, can you set the table, please, while we make dinner?” Summer muttered in resignation, “Me do, Mother.” Scoots snickered and stage-whispered to Summer, “You’re lucky you’re new. That would get me grounded for a week.” Dash smiled, “You still might if you don’t help Summer.” Scoots sighed, “Yes, Mom.” Her mood instantly brightened, “Come on, Summer! You can get the stuff on the high shelves.” In a much kinder voice, Summer replied, “Me do, little sister. We honourable.” Scootaloo threw her hooves around Summer, “That’s so totally cool!” In a dreamy tone, “I’ve got the coolest big sister in Equestria and the most awesome family.” Summer, unsure what to do, awkwardly patted Scootaloo on the shoulder. Dash and I had thrown together a quick dinner for our new family. It was mostly vegetables and hay, of course, and some dried fish. Summer Blossom seemed a little confused, so I started heaping food on her plate. “Here, have some snap peas, some carrots, spinach, and fish.” I gave her most of the smoked salmon. “Eat up. You’ve had a busy day.” I smiled at Scootaloo and started heaping food on her plate as well, giving her the rest of the salmon, “You too, young lady.” I apologized, “Sorry for the dinner, Summer. I still need to get more meat for us.” I muttered to myself, “Maybe Gary has some extra he can sell me.” The young diamond dog princess sniffed, “Do not apologize, father. This better than home.” She touched her forehead, “I thank.” Scootaloo touched her own forehead with her hoof, “I’m also thankful.” Dash snorted, “Already copying your new roomie, eh?” Summer glared at Dash and spoke in an icy tone, hair bristled, “Little sister grateful, mother. Mocking unkind.” Dash sputtered, “Hey! I wasn’t making fun. It’s just a little, I don’t know, weird, I guess.” Summer glared momentarily, then looked down at her plate with apparent hunger. I was sure she would have devoured her food in a single bite had she had less self-control. We ate silently for a few minutes, and then I decided to break a subject. “So, Dash, I have some good news and some bad news.” Dash moaned, “What else could happen today? Okay, out with it.” I gave her a half smile, “I had to use all our savings to pay for the food to save the Diamond Dog village.” Summer looked up from her plate in awe. “Don’t worry. I made sure to get receipts, so I should be able to get that back. Worst case scenario, I sell some of the aluminium I’ve been saving for a rainy day.” Dash put down her fork, wiped her muzzle with a napkin, and cocked an eyebrow at me, “I hope you get it back because I don’t know if you’ve checked the price of aluminium lately. Ever since you started selling it, the price has almost dropped in half. You flooded the market, you dork.” I sighed, “Well… f- fiddlesticks. So, how did you...” Dash answered flatly, “Twilight. It’s a bit of a sore point for her. Her family held a lot of aluminium. Her folks are… were, loaded. I never mentioned it because I didn’t want you to feel bad about it.” I put my own fork down. “Ah. I guess I owe Twilight and her folks an apology. Well, I’m sure the Princesses will help resolve this. It was an official rescue mission, after all. ‘Cadence’ or ‘Cazentta’ level. I don’t recall which one I used.” Dash’s ears perked up, and she tilted her head, “What the heck is that?” I chuckled, “Something I made up to give the pony I sent for the food a little extra authority. I’m sure Cadence won’t mind.” Dash snickered, “Heh. I have to admit, that’s funny. You’re right. I think Cadence will get a kick out of it.” The dinner was complete, and I started collecting the dishes. Summer interrupted me, anger obvious, “Me clean dishes. Me earn keep.” She took on an exaggeratedly submissive posture as she turned to Dash. “Mother, show tools to clean?” Dash chuckled nervously, “Sure.” After a moment of thought, “Look, Summer, you don’t need to call me ‘mother’. Dash is fine.” Summer’s head tilted to the side, and her ears drooped, “You the Alex’s mate? His bitch.” Dash, slightly confused, replied, “I don’t belong to him. It’s more like... best friends with benefits.” Summer’s ears perked up, her reply flat, “Words. You his, he yours. Blood mother quested me obey as father. Thus you mother.” Dash could see Summer's hackles were raised, and her eyes showed a glint of fear. Something was going on here; she wasn't sure what, but something was definitely happening. "Okay," Dash eventually replied. "If you feel you need to, I'm cool with it." We all spent the evening relaxing in front of the hearth. Dash, Scootaloo, and I were snuggling on the couch, all the while Summer Blossom was curled up in the easy chair, staring quietly into the fire. I noticed Dino slinking in the shadows, looking for mice, but the little guy kept his distance for the evening. He was likely a little spooked by Summer. We were all contemplating the day's events, so there wasn’t much in the way of conversation. I saw the time and spoke quietly, “Okay, kids, it’s nine-thirty, and it’s been a busy day. I think it’s time for all of us to hit the sack.” Summer looked up at me with a sour expression, “Of course, father.” Scootaloo yawned, nodded, and headed toward her room. “Come on, Summer. I’ll let you take the bed tonight. I can sleep on the floor.” She perked up, “It’ll be just like a sleepover.” I yawned, “Thanks for reminding me, Scoots. I’ll see about fixing that for tomorrow night.” Summer yawned and followed behind Scootaloo. At the base of the steps, she turned her head suddenly, peered into the darkness of the kitchen, then hurried to follow Scootaloo. Once they reached the room, Summer closed the door and sat at the foot of the bed. “You sleep bed first. Me take first watch.” Scootaloo tilted her head in curiosity, “Um, we’re in a house. It’s safe. No need for watches.” Summer whispered loudly, “You blind? You not see popping-cat?” The little pegasus giggled, which slightly irked the dog. “You mean Dino? He was just a little spooked. It takes him a few tries when new ponies are around. Anyway, leave the door open. He likes to snuggle with me sometimes.” She looked at her with a slack-jawed expression, “You have popping-cat for pet?” Scoots shrugged, “Dad saved it after its mom attacked us. He’s really friendly once he gets to know you.” Summer didn’t know what to think and replied in awe, "He tamed popping-cat? Father strong." We were all sitting at the kitchen table, quietly eating breakfast, each of us lost in thought. I had so much to do today to keep my family intact. But, first things first, I need to make sure the newest member of our family has an education. I cleared my throat and announced, “Okay, I’ll talk to Cheerilee and get Summer enrolled in school this morning. We can all go early.” I made lunches for both of them: a red pepper sandwich for Scoots and a sandwich with the last of the canned ham for Summer. I included fruit and vegetables for both of them and some hay for Scoots. I packed them up in paper bags and labelled them with their names. I handed one to Scoots, who promptly placed it in her saddle bag. When I held the other one for Summer, she only looked at my hand in confusion. Summer hesitantly moved her hand towards the outstretched bag. “That feast mine?” I smiled, “Well, yeah. You need a full belly to learn properly.” She snatched the bag and quickly opened it. She was about to bite into the ham sandwich when I stopped her, “Hey, Summer, that’s for lunch. If you’re still hungry, I could make you a peanut butter sandwich or something.” She looked at me, gobsmacked. “I… I can have more?” I smiled sadly, “Sure. I know things were rough in the village, but you don’t have to worry about that here. Dash and I will always make sure you always have plenty to eat.” The young ponies in the schoolyard shied away from the strange pair. Scootaloo was excited, “Okay, Summer, while Dad gets things set up with Ms Cheerilee, I want you to meet my friends. Here, let’s drop our lunches off, and we can go.” Summer looked at the pile of lunches with awe, “This not right. All this food. We have nothing. Scraps when hunting good. How this happen?" Scootaloo, looking for her friends, answered distractedly, "What was that?" Summer replied patiently, "Father. He richer than any pony." Scoots answered, a little confused, "Well, he has money, but he’s not the richest." Summer rolled her eyes, "I speak not of material things. He safe home. He want, he get." Scoots thought about it for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, I guess so." The young diamond dog continued, “Pony Princess, raiser of moon, make father alpha. He bark, ponies listen. Stop ponies hurting Diamond Dogs.” Her eyes turned downward, “He has teeth in fight.” Unnoticed, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom came up behind them. Sweetie squeaked, “Who’s your new friend?” Summer turned and dropped to a combat stance. “Scootaloo! Behind!” Scootaloo chuckled, “It’s okay, Summer, these are my friends. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, I want you to meet my new sister, Summer Blossom.” Sweetie Bell squeaked loud enough to cause Summer to fold her ears down, "Sister?!" Applebloom’s ears pinned back, "Ow, my ears." Sweetie blushed, “Sorry. Nice to meet you, Summer Blossom.” Applebloom thrust out her hoof and gave a big smile, “Howdy! Mighty fine to make your acquaintance.” Summer gingerly took Applebloom’s hoof and shook it. “You Scootaloo’s pack-mates? Is good meet you.” One of the fillies who were eyeing Summer suspiciously called out, “Why are you shaking hooves with that stinking diamond dog? It’s just going to steal everything.” Scootaloo, indignant, shouted, “That’s not true, Sugar Snap! Summer would never do that. She’s my sister!” A small crowd of students had gathered as Sugar Snap continued with her vitriol, “She doesn’t look like your sister. Besides, everypony knows diamond dogs are nothing but dirty thieves.” Scootaloo snarled, “You take that back. Summer is a good diamond dog. You just take that back.” The belligerent pony stood a little taller, “Nu uh. I ain’t taking nothing back.” Scoots got closer, almost touching her muzzle to Sugar Snap. “I said, take it back.” Sugar Snap seemed a little unsure and backed away. “They attacked Ponyville. They hurt ponies. How can you forgive that?” Scootaloo pleaded, “She wasn’t there. She wasn’t part of the attack.” Sugar Snap made a sour expression. “Fine, whatever. Just keep her away from us.” Alex stepped out of the school. One little pony ran over to him, saying, “Mr Alex Roberts, sir, there’s a diamond dog! Save us!” Alex replied coolly, “I think she’s just fine. You should treat her like you would any pony.” He looked at Summer with concern, “You okay?” she nodded, “Good. I signed you up for school. The teacher’s name is Miss Cheerilee.” The school bell rang, and the ponies started filing towards the school. Alex sighed, “Okay, Scootaloo, Summer, be good. I’ll pick you up after school.” Summer inclined her head, “Yes, father. Me bring pride and honour to house Roberts.” Satisfied, Alex gave Scootaloo a final hug. He was about to do the same to Summer, but her expression stopped him cold. “Okay, have a good day, Summer.” While the young ponies were moving to the school, Summer whispered to Scootaloo, "You not protect me, you know." Scoots replied with a grin, "Hey, you're my sister. Of course, I'll watch your back." Summer rolled her eyes, "Me not real sister." Scoots stopped, looking Summer straight in the eyes, "Like it or not, you're in this family. I've never had a family, really, before this one, and I don't care if you're a dog or a pony. You're family." Summer’s head drooped in acquiescence, but a glint of hope shone in her eyes. “...me submit.” Cheerilee stood at the front of the class as the students settled in. The window had been replaced since the attack and the ceiling showed fresh plaster. Summer was standing by the door, nervous. “Good morning, class. I want to welcome a new student, Summer Blossom. Please, give her a warm Ponyville Elementary welcome.” The class halfheartedly greeted her, except for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who cheered wildly. Cheerilee gave her a book and directed her to a desk with a stool at the front of the class. “Today, we will continue our history of the three pony tribes.” Summer raised a paw, “Yes, Summer Blossom?” Her eyes narrowed, “Ponies steal land from Diamond Dogs. You teach?” Cheerilee’s face froze for a moment. She was used to students who were not this aggressive. "Well, right now, we are discussing how the three pony tribes fought with each other and found Harmony. Tomorrow, we will be discussing the settling of modern Equestria. I look forward to your contribution to that discussion at that time." Sugar Snap muttered, “I’ll bet they stole it from the ponies.” Cheerilee gave Sugar Snap a warning look. “Now, back to our lesson.” After such a busy day, I took my new family to Garbo’s, the restaurant Gary’s father owned. I figured we could use a night out, and anyway, I wanted to celebrate Summer’s first day of school. We sat at a table on the patio. Gary, with his waiter’s apron tiny on his huge frame, greeted us, “Hey, Alex, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo; good to see you.” His cheerful smile fell on Summer, “And who’s this?” “Please allow me to introduce Summer Blossom. She is the newest member of our family.” “Well, congratulations, Alex. Glad to meet you, Summer Blossom. Menus?” I nodded. He handed Dash and Scoots menus with ponies on the front, while Summer and I got gryffin menus. He shifted his gaze to Summer, “What can I get you to drink?” Summer looked at the huge gryffin with a combination of fear and confusion. “Water?” “Sure.” Gary was about to turn to Scootaloo, when he narrowed his eyes, “Hmm, tell you what, I’ll make something special for you. A sort of welcome to Ponyville surprise.” He got the rest of our drink orders and left. Most of the other patrons were looking at Summer with curiosity, some with fear, and a few with outright hostility. Considering the recent events, it was no surprise. Summer looked at the menu in confusion. “What do this? This Ponyville food?” I patiently explained, “That’s the food options you can choose. Anything on the menu tickle your fancy?” She looked incredulous, “No, no, no. Me eat what on my plate. Me not choose. Not right.” Smiling kindly, I gently corrected her, “Normally, I would agree with you, but this is a special day. You can have anything you would like.” Looking at me in disbelief, Summer asked, “Anything? But, so much...” My heart ached. “I’m sorry. I guess this would be a little overwhelming. Would you like me to choose for you?” She snapped, “No!” then quickly composed herself. “No, thank you, father. Me choose.” Gary soon returned with our drinks and a tall glass full of pink liquid that sparkled. He placed the tall glass in front of the diamond dog princess with a flourish, “Here you go, Summer Blossom. My very own tartar smoothie with quartz dust, just for you.” Summer looked at me, seeming to ask permission. I smiled and said, “You can eat quartz, right?” She nodded. “Well then, give it a taste.” Summer took a tentative sip. Her eyes grew wide and her tail started wagging. “Thank you, Master Gary. This very good.” She took another sip, and I actually saw a bit of a smile. "Master Gary? Naw, just Gary. The fact you're enjoying it is thanks enough. So, you know what you all want? Scoots, let me guess, you want a stuffed red pepper?" Scoots nodded. “And you Rainbow Dash? Your usual?” “You bet. But with extra daisies.” “You got it. How about you, Alex?” “Oh, chicken and veg stir fry sounds good.” “Great. Extra hay right? Just kidding. And how about you Summer Blossom? What can I make you?” “More?” Summer squeaked in confusion. “You bet. I’ve got pork, chicken, vegetables, tofu. I don’t have much in the way of gems, just some powdered quartz and sapphire. Spike gets milkshakes with those.” Summer thought for a moment before looking at me nervously. “Roast chicken?” I gave her a slightly sad smile. "Of course, you can." “And one roast chicken for the young lady.” Gary made a note on his order pad, collected the menus, and jauntily walked off to the kitchen. While waiting for our food, my nose picked up a smell. It was a combination of long unwashed bodies and salt. Against my better judgment, I sniffed again. This time, I also smelled clover. Two ponies wearing long dirty cloaks, dragging on the ground, and amused grins were sauntering towards us. The red mare with a brown mane had scratches on her face. Due to the cloaks, I couldn't tell if she was an earth pony or a pegasus pony. The blue unicorn stallion with a green mane seemed to have swollen lips. They came straight toward us. Ponies around them wrinkled their snouts in disgust. They both sat down like they owned the place. The mare spoke in a perky, scratchy voice. “Well, if it isn’t our little scootaly doodally Scootaloo.” Dash and I looked at each other, then our daughter. I pulled Scootaloo a little closer and could feel her trembling. I smiled at them, “Hello. You seem to know my daughter. Is there anything I can help you with?” Scootaloo pressed herself even closer to me. She spoke barely above a whisper. “Mom and Dad, these are my birth parents. He’s Thorn Eater, and she’s Bramble Roller.” Summer growled a low, menacing snarl. Dash stood so fast she sent her stool flying, her wings erect. “You monsters! Get the buck away from her, you bucking foals of rutting nags!” The stallion rolled his eyes. “Such a dirty tongue for such a pure hero. Maybe I should beat some manners into ya-” I held my hand up and spoke carefully, “Sir, this is quickly escalating. Let’s all calm down and discuss this like adults.” I smirked to myself, ‘Besides, you assholes are totally outclassed.’ Thorn Eater seemed to relax, that dopey grin back on his face. “He’s right, Bramble, my love. Let's get down to brass tacks. A little walrus has told us our… beloved little filly has been stolen from us, her loving, loyal parents.” My mouth spoke before my brain could stop it, “I call bullshit on that, or is that your smell?” Thorn and Bramble stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing. They laughed like they had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Bramble wiped a tear, and very suddenly, she slammed her hooves on the table. Her expression was pure malice. “Listen up, you stupid stinking ape, you will give us our daughter or a hundred billion bits.” Thorn chuckled in amusement at the terrified Scootaloo. “No snookums, we hired a lawyer, remember? He said he could get us our dear little Scootsalooloo back.” Bramble sat up, perkier than Pinkie Pie and with a similar unnaturally wide grin. “That’s right. Silly me. Seriously, give me my little pin cushion back, or I’ll hunt you like a hungry dragon.” Thorn grinned at me, his foul breath making my head turn. “We both know you could beat me up, but this is the future, where lawyers do all the fighting for us. Our friends want to make sure our little filly is at home with us.” While this was happening, I could see Dash getting increasingly upset. “You know darn well why you lost her. It wasn’t just the abuse. It was the Discord worship. You prayed to that piece of garbage, and you know what? I helped put that thing down.” Bramble snarled at Dash, “We don’t do that anymore.” She put a hoof on her chest and struck a beatific pose, “We’ve seen the errors of our ways. Celestia is the one true ruler of Equestria.” The words were spoken like lines of dialogue in a bad play, spoken by bad actors. Thorn’s left eye twitched, but he kept that mad smile. Gary barreled out from inside the restaurant, “What in the Emperor's beak are you two doing here? I told you to stay away! Now get gone!” The griffon’s voice almost felt like thunder in the air. Thorn’s smile disappeared, “Come, Bramble, my beloved. Let us wander to a different local and get things ready for our little Scootsy-poo.” Bramble made to lunge at Dash but stopped. Dash flinched forward to take her but also stopped. “Yes, let’s make like a tree and fall without a sound. Bye-bye, Rainbow Crash, hairless monkey, ugly mutt, see you in court.” Gary roared, “I said leave!” I could have sworn the floor rumbled. It was a beautiful evening, and the kids were in bed. I heard a knock at the front door. When I opened it, there was no one there. ‘Odd’, I thought. Just as I was closing the door, I noticed what looked like a wrapped bouquet of flowers. I picked them up and opened the package. The blue orchid-like flowers smelled of… I wasn’t sure. I sniffed again. I just couldn’t place the scent, but it sure smelled nice. I could have stood there all day, sniffing those lovely flowers. I was so engrossed I didn’t notice Dash until she swatted them out of my hands. Dash pushed me hard, “Come on, you big lug, you need to get looked at. Who knows what it will do to you.” “I feel fine. Anyway, what’s so bad about those flowers? They smelled nice.” Dash threw her forehooves in the air, “Smelled nice?! Are you nuts? That was poison joak.”