"Here comes the pegasus!" Twilight said, levitating the protein supplement pouch towards Rollypolly's armor hatch. "Open wide!"
"Twilight... that is really creepy," Spike said as he nibbled on his emerald.
It had been little over a day since Twilight had learned from Princess Celestia about Scootaloo's violent past. While the unicorn was horrified by the actions the pegasus filly had taken to survive the brutal game, the fact that Twilight now knew the truth helped ease her soul. Truth-knowing always helped ease the burden of pain (like finding out her grandma hadn’t really died but had been shipped north to live on a farm where she could frolic and play). She had been able to return to her studies and avoided crazy stories since then. Best of all, no tables had been harmed in nearly 24 hours.
"Hey, you didn't find it creepy when I did this for you." Twilight tapped her chin. "Maybe I should get out those baby pictures-"
"NO!" Spike cried out in an utter panic.
"Rollypolly wishes to see baby pictures of big brother Spike Dragon!"
"I will short-circuit your armor so fast..." Spike threatened, waving a spoon at the alien.
"Mama Sparkle! Mama Sparkle!" the dalek cried in fear, trying to roll behind the unicorn and hide from the enraged baby dragon.
KNOCK KNOCK!
"Spike, play nice." Twilight said, heading towards the door. Throwing it open, she blinked then looked down, staring in surprise at her visitor.
"Hi Miss Sparkle!" Scootaloo said happily. "I came to see if you had the new Where's Wandero book."
Twilight wrapped her front legs around Scootaloo and gave her a tight hug. "Oh Celestia, you have no idea how great it is to see you!"
"... I need an adult."
The unicorn frowned. "Why? I'm an adult." She set the pegasus filly down and began to ramble. "Listen, I am really sorry that everypony in Equestria made you fight and kill other little ponies for our own twisted enjoyment but I swear I am going to get them to outlaw the Starving Games so you don’t have to train other ponies to murder each other and I can tell from the way you are looking at me that you don't understand a word I just said."
"... I need an adult."
Twilight lowered her head, tears stinging her eyes. "Even the Princess was screwing with me."
Scootaloo frowned. "I thought you were dating Rainbow Dash."
The unicorn looked longingly at her table.
~Twenty Minutes Later...~
"Wow," Scootaloo said in surprise, glancing over at Twilight, who had just laid out all the trauma she had gone through over the course of the last few days. "I can't believe everypony thinks I am that awesome. This is so cool!"
"Cool isn't the word I would use for it," Twilight complained. The librarian sighed in frustration, kicking a rock down the dirt path the two of them were walking down (Twilight had realized pretty quickly that she would never be able to have a peaceful conversation with Scootaloo in the library, what with Rollypolly and Spike 'playing' loudly in the background). "I can't believe Princess Celestia pranked me too! I mean, we always had a good relationship, built on trust!"
~2 Years Ago~
Celestia looked at her faithful student’s letter. “Hmm… so Twilight found out that Nightmare Moon is being released… I could offer her support, maybe some of my guards to help her through the Everfree… or I could just send her off to Equestria Asylum, aka Ponyville…”
~MC~MC~MC~
“Dear sister, should thee not give Twilight Sparkle a gift for freeing…uh…we?”
“You’re right Luna… how about a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala?”
“The what now?”
Celestia frowned. “Oh, that’s right, you were on the moon when I created that. The Gala is the most boring event ever and Twilight will hate it! Oooo, and I will give her one spare ticket and make her friends fight over it!”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I’m bored.”
“…we will accept thy answer.”
~MC~MC~MC~
Shining Armor removed his helmet, setting it down by his hooves. “Far be it from me to question your decisions, Princess… but why are you sending my sister to fight a dragon when the entire Equestrian Army is at your beck and call?”
“…Shining, have you met my nymphomaniac niece Cadence? She’s double jointed.”
“I retract my previous question.”
~MC~MC~MC~
Celestia carefully held up her tweezers. “Hold still Philamena… you need to look really pathetic when Twilight and her friends see you!”
The phoniex wheezed in pain.
~MC~MC~MC~
“…ok, so maybe we don’t have the greatest relationship…”
Scootaloo frowned. “I think you are missing a bunch of them.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes you are… what about-”
“-leaving Discord out even though a bunch of fillies and colts were going to be around him and could break his seal?” Twilight snapped.
Scootaloo grimaced. “Ok, never mind.” The two of them continued on in silence for a few more minutes before the pegasus filly spoke up. "It isn't that bad, Twilight. I think towards the end everypony just wanted to take part in the fun. Heck, they probably thought you were in on it."
"But I wasn't... that's the problem."
The orange filly remained upbeat even in the face of Twilight’s depression. "Hey, at least you got to hear some cool stories! I'm gonna go visit Rainbow Dash after this... do you know where I can buy some wash-away green paint?'
"Quills and Sofas. They are running a special."
"Why are they selling paint now?"
"Why did they decide to sell sofas and quills?" Twilight shot back.
The two of them walked along in silence for a while. Twilight was wondering just why fate had decided to make her its whipping pony while Scootaloo was already planning on buying a Mare-Do-Well costume for Nightmare Night. They continued down the dirt road but, instead of forking left towards Ponyville's main street, Scootaloo turned right.
"Uh, Scootaloo? Where are we going?"
The filly grinned. "I figured since you went to so much trouble to find out about me that you deserved to know the truth."
"Really?" Twilight whispered in awe. "You're really going to show me all your secrets? Where you live? Your secret powers? You're real name? I get to finally know all of it?"
"...might want to lower your expectations a tad."
(Author's Note: That goes for you readers too)
After another 20 minutes of walking Scootaloo had stopped and turned to face Twilight. "Well... this is my house!"
Twilight had been living in Ponyville for over 2 years and had come to expect certain oddities when it came to houses. After all, her friends lived in an old barn house, a boutique that looked like a circus tent, a rustic cottage filled with animals, a pink bakery, and a cloud mansion. She herself lived in a hollowed out tree. She'd also stayed in a royal castle, seen ponies who lived in houses shaped like different sweets, and even been to the giant sandcastle that Lord Tydal and the capricorns of the Mareatine Bay called home (of course, most sandcastles didn’t have the heads of Door-to-door salesponies mounted on spikes out front…).
But nothing had prepared her for Scootaloo's house.
It was a two-story log cabin, built from trees gathered from the Everfree. There was a small bed of wild flowers out front and a porch swing sitting next to the door. A short sidewalk curved away from the house and led to the side of the road, where a plain red mailbox sat.
In a word... it was ordinary.
"Pretty cool, huh!" Scootaloo said with pride.
Twilight blinked. "Wait... is this just a front house?"
"Uh, all houses have fronts and backs. How else would the roof stay up?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, I mean the house is a fake, right? You walk up to the door, press a secret button and it takes you down to your hidden sub-terrainian base with spy gadgets and fast cars and doomsday weapons... right?"
"Nope," Scootaloo said with a smile. "But I'll mention that to my dad! I bet her could whip something up!" Before Twilight could response the filly was racing towards the house. "Mom! I'm home!"
"Scootaloo?" A pegasus the color of fine red wine stepped out of the house, her large wings twitching slightly as she made her way towards her daughter. Scootaloo's mom looked to Twilight like a blend of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy: her long powder blue mane hung down nearly to her hooves and her slim, sleek body spoke of a mare who worked hard to keep herself at her peak. Scootaloo's mom turned to hug her daughter, revealing her flank to Twilight, which was adorn with a cutie mark in the shape of a black cocktail dress with several cameras around it.
"Hi mom!" Scootaloo said, shrugging off the saddle bag she wore. "I got my book and Twilight Sparkle, that's the librarian and the unicorn that is looking at us like she expects you to be a robot or something, wanted to meet you!"
The mare blinked before flashing a smile that rivaled Celestia's sun. "Well, it is great to meet you. You're Sweetie Belle's mother, right?"
Twilight shook her head. "Uh no..." (her genealogy was screwed up enough without making her Sweetie Belle’s mother).
"Moooommmm!" Scootaloo whined. "You're thinking of Rarity and she is Sweetie's sister!"
The maroon mare laughed softly, her lyrical voice bouncing about the trees. "Oh, I am so sorry! Scootaloo tells me so much about her friends but I get confused all the time, what with all the names." The mare held out her hoof. "My name is Graceful Wind. Nice to meet you, Twilight."
"Nice to meet you too," Twilight said, giving the pegasus a weak smile. When the two pegasi shot her a confused look Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, you're... just not what I expected."
"And what were you expected?" Grace asked politely.
"Aliens, superheroes, time travelers..." Twilight noticed the looks she was getting and lowered her head, a blush nearly as red as Grace's coat coloring her cheeks. "Sorry... your family is kind of the talk of the town right now."
Grace nodded. "That doesn't surprise me." She led Twilight into the house, which was decorated to reflect the forest that sat near by. The chairs and couches were made of fine oak with soft cushions on them that made a pony want to curl up and read a good book in front of the fireplace, lit or not. The walls were decorated with paints of ducks in flight and a bear trying to grab a fish from a river. "I don't suppose you recognize me."
"Sorry; should I?"
Grace laid down on the couch, Scootaloo joining her and playfully rubbing her head against her mother's large wings. "Depends on what circles you are a part of. Back in the day I was quite the talk of Canterlot and Manehattan, thanks to Photo Finish."
Something clicked in Twilight's head. "Wait a minute... I do remember you! You're that model... the one that was was the face of Sweet Scents' line of perfumes! My mom loved those!"
Grace chuckled. "Yes, that was me. And before that I was a model." The mare looked up, a slight smile forming as she looked back upon her past. "Oh, you would not believe the places I went or the ponies I saw. I must have traveled from one edge of Equestria to the other."
"Wow... I can't believe I am meeting a famous model. I mean, my friend Fluttershy was one for a while but..." Twilight shook her head, cutting off her own ramble. "Do you mind if I asked how you ended up living out here?"
Grace shrugged, tickling Scootaloo with her wing and making the filly squeal. "I'm sure your friend Fluttershy could tell you that being a model isn't all fun. Even those of us who have it as a special talent can find it rather boring. About 14 years ago, after a show in Canterlot, I decided to take a walk and got all turned around-"
"-when a big ugly stallion bumped into her." The three turned as an earth pony who was just a few inches taller than Twilight and Grace walked into the room. His coat was gold and adorned with a saw and hammer cutie mark. His crimson mane was cut so short that it barely stuck up past his ears and his tail was tied up with hemp rope much the same way Applejack's was.
"He was not ugly," Grace protested, reaching up to plant a kiss on the stallion's cheek. "And even if he was, I'd still love him anyway."
"Lucky me," the stallion said.
"Come on, no mushy stuff!" Scootaloo complained.
Grace turned back to the lavender mare. "Twilight Sparkle, this is my husband, Quick Cut."
"Nice to meet you," Quick said. His accent had traces of the drawl the Apple Family all possessed, but was tempered by years spent living with Grace. In fact, while Quick was more talkative and not as big as Applejack's brother, there was the dependability Big Mac had about this stallion that instantly made Twilight comfortable. "Honey?" Quick sniffed the air. "I think the oven is about ready to ding."
"Oh!" Grace quickly took the air, Scootaloo rolling off the couch and landing on her hooves. "Twilight, I'll be right back!"
Scootaloo, despite having been displaced by her mother's getaway, was no worse for wear and seemed to be bubbling with excitement. "Hey Twilight, you want to see my dad's workshop?"
"If it's ok with him," Twilight said.
"Perfectly fine," Quick Cut said, leading Twilight through the house towards the back door.
"So Scootaloo, I didn't realize you were half earth pony."
"Half nothing!" Quick said with utter pride, leaning down and letting his little girl scramble onto his head and slide down to ride on his back. "Scootaloo is all earth pony!"
Twilight blinked. "But... the wings..."
Scootaloo beamed. "Aren't they just too cool? I get all the strength and endurance of an earth pony but I also get little wings so I can move really fast and hover!"
"Huh," Twilight said, realizing that being an earth pony would explain how Scootaloo had managed to survive the CMC. "Mr. Cut, I have to ask... why haven't we seen either you or Graceful Wind in Ponyville?"
Quick chuckled. "Mostly because we are home bodies. Grace got tired of traveling after the days as a model and I've never been one for big city living." Twilight's brow furrowed; no pony had ever called Ponyville a 'big city'. "Besides, Grace and I are busy with our jobs, so we rarely have a chance to get out of the house even if we want too."
"What do you do?" Twilight asked as they stepped outside. The yard was large and spacious and Twilight spotted a jungle gym, a swing set, and several ramps for Scootaloo to practice her scooter tricks. The back of the yard was dominated by a large barn that was nearly the size of the house.
"Grace works as a consultant for modeling firms. They send her photos of potential models and she helps them figure out if the girls have the right look and which photographer would work best with them."
Twilight frowned. "Wait... get mail? Why doesn't Derpy Hooves know you then?"
"Derpy?" Quick asked.
Scootaloo fielded that question. "She's the mailmare for Ponyville, dad. Remember, I've told you about her daughter Dinky?"
"Oh, right!" Quick said cheerfully. "Technically our area code is in Trottingham, so we get our mail from there. A pain in the flank but what can you do? At least we are close enough to Ponyville to get Scootaloo into the elementary." Quick Cut opened the door to the barn and led Twilight inside. "Now, as for what I do, I think it should be pretty obvious: I'm a carpenter."
"You're more than that, dad!" Scootaloo said with pride. "My dad makes furniture for all the rich ponies in Canterlot and Manehattan."
"Well, not all of them, but a good number. My pieces are quite in demand, which is why I can't really take a day off." Quick glanced at his daughter. "Though, I think I will get spending more time in Ponyville soon."
"Really?" Scootaloo asked. "That is so sweet!" Scootaloo began to talk all about what she would show her dad when he came to town.
"Why is that?" Twilight asked.
Quick reached over to flick on the light. "Mayor Mare commissioned me to build a bunch of furniture. Darnedest thing... never had an order for the same piece before."
The lights came on and Twilight's pupils shrank to pinpricks as she gazed upon the workshop, filled from one wall to the next with her mortal enemies.
"Tables! Don't know why all of them are broken in Ponyville-"
BANG!
Scootaloo looked down at Twilight's unconscious form. "She fainted!"
Quick nudged Twilight's foreleg. "She did... something must have spooked her..."
"Ok everypony, who wants brownies?" Grace called out.
The End?
~In Another Place, Another Time, and Another Universe Entirely...~
"Gah!"
The mare sat up in bed, blinking her eyes as she adjusted to the darkness. Her husband grumbled and reached over, flicking on the light.
"Moonie, what's wrong?"
Nightmare Moon shook her head. "I had the strangest dream, Discord... Twilight was going around, wanting to find out the secret origin of Scootaloo."
"You don't say," Discord stated, snapping his fingers and summoning a pair of reading glasses.
"Yeah... all the origins were parodies of famous movies and TV shows... and Cadence was insane and you were a statue... your dad was hanging out with this gray mare with weird eyes... Celestia was ruling this kingdom and all any pony did was talk about friendship…I'd been trapped on the moon for a thousand years..."
Discord chuckled, wrapping an arm around the night goddess. "Sounds like some dream. I had one the other night that I was an innkeeper in this crazy little town in Vermont.”
Nightmare just stared at him. "Go to sleep, Bob.”
“Discord.”
“Whatever.”
Nightmare clicked off her lamp, as did her husband, and the two settled back into bed.
"WAAA! WAAA!"
Discord and Nightmare Moon looked at each other.
"The baby's up," Discord said dryly.
"I got her." Nightmare said, pulling herself out of bed and trudging to the nursery. Stepping inside, the wicked alicorn rolled her eyes in good humor as her little foal sobbed. "It's ok, Twilight, mama's here."
Twilight Sparkle gurgled as her mother lifted her up, grabbing a bottle from the mini-fridge they kept in the room. The foal's little lips latched onto it and she happily suckled as her mother rocked her back and forth with her magic.
"Come on, let's have a bed time story!" Nightmare said sweetly, pulling a book out from the shelf. "This one is called 'The Amber Apple’." Nightmare cleared her throat but before she could begin she spotted something lying on the ground. "Oops..." Sending out a tendril of magic, the dark alicorn grasped the orange stuffed pegasus doll and gave it to Twilight, who promptly spat out her bottle and clutched her dolly tight to her chest. "Can't have a story without Scootaloo, can we?"
Twilight cooed in agreement.