She slammed the window over the sink shut with a snap. Falling back on all fours, she walked across the tiled kitchen floor and opened the fridge, taking out a juice box and clicking off the kitchen light. Moving into the hallway, she paused at the table, staring down at the hairbrush again. She picked it up, looked into the mirror, and ran it through her mane a few times. She was glad that she was able to give herself a confident grin.
“You can do this!” she told her reflection, tossing the brush into the air and catching it again. “And thiiis... is not coming with me!”
She laid the brush once more upon the table. She doubted she would need it and she certainly was not going to use for the very first one.
“Alright, if you're gonna do this,” she said, staring at your reflection, “then she has to understand why. Just think about how Dad used to do it.”
Placing the juice box between her teeth for safe keeping, Rainbow Dash moved through the house quickly. Slipping into the living room, she folded up the blanket on the couch and turned out all of the lights. She didn't bother proceeding down into the basement and into the makeshift gym where she had started wing training with Scootaloo, as she hadn't been down there all day. Turning off the hallway light, she walked toward the porch, rounded the corner, and started up the steps.
Once in the upstairs corridor, Rainbow Dash turned to face Scootaloo's bedroom door. It was now or never. She approached the door, took the juice box from her mouth, and prepared to twist the doorknob. Pausing for a brief moment, she imitated Fluttershy's faint, squeaky voice. Mumbling something about being brave and assertive, she gave a soft snort of laughter and took a deep breath. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
She found Scootaloo sitting down on her bed, ears drooping again as she stroked the mane of her favourite pony doll, which bore Rainbow Dash's likeness. Scootaloo had told her that one of the orphan's that she had been friendly with was a unicorn with a knack for sewing. No doubt another future seamstress, the filly had made Scootaloo a Rainbow Dash doll. Dash smiled at the cavalcade of colours currently on the filly's bed, from Scootaloo herself, to the rainbow-maned doll, to the purple pajamas Scootaloo was wearing. That surprised Rainbow, since it seemed to be too warm a night for pajamas or night gowns. She was impressed that Scootaloo was accepting her fate of being confined to the room until her bedtime, however.
The room was dimly lit by a small red lamp on Scootaloo's bedside table where the filly liked to do her homework and write in her diary. Scootaloo had not yet noticed Dash come into the room, and only looked up when she closed the door. As their eyes met, Rainbow Dash thought the eyes looked distinctly glazed, like polished glass. If Scootaloo had been recently crying, it was only going to make this harder to do.
“Here, Scoots,” Dash said, walking over to her and holding out the juice box. “In case you were thirsty.”
Scootaloo accepted it with a small thanks and tore off the straw glued to the side, unfolding it and sticking it into the top of the box. As Scootaloo sipped her apple juice, Rainbow Dash sat down on the edge of her bed, already feeling ice cascading down into her stomach. Once Scootaloo finished, the filly placed the juice box on her table and picked up her doll again.
“Scootaloo?” Dash said, frowning at her. “You okay, kiddo?”
“Rainbow Dash...” Scootaloo said, laying the plush on the pillow and crawling over to Dash with an imploring look on her face. “I'm sorry about today!' Scootaloo blurted out suddenly, blinking back tears. “I was really dumb and I've been really happy since you adopted me and I don't want to make you mad but I made you mad so I'm s-s-cared that you're so m-mad that you're gonna ch-chuck me out and I don't want you to b-b-because I'm really glad your my b-big sister and—”
As Scootaloo talked, her voice was becoming shriller and harder to understand. She had tears dripping down her cheeks and she was holding her hooves together, as though begging. Rainbow Dash felt fear gripping at her insides as she watched the filly shaking with misery. She should not have yelled at her, or at least, explained that she was no longer mad. She should have spoken to Scootaloo about the fire at dinner.
“Scoots, that's enough!” Dash said sternly, causing the filly to fall silent at once, looking fearful. “Don't say stuff like that! Who said I was gonna ditch ya? C'mere,” Dash told her, twisting her body and reaching out for her sister.
Scootaloo scrambled over on her front hooves and knees and fell into Rainbow's arms. Immediately, her sobbing renewed and Dash felt her squeezing tightly. Turning back to her centre, she buried Scootaloo's face into her shoulder and rubbed Scootaloo's back through her pajama shirt, just between the wing joints.
“You thought I was going to throw ya out?” Dash asked her gently, focusing on Scootaloo's expanding chest as she took deep breaths. She could feel the filly nodding into her shoulder. “Were you crying earlier? Y'know, because of that?” Nod, nod. “Is that why you're dressed in your pajamas, sweetheart? Felt cold because you were worried?” Nod, nod. Three out of three wasn't bad, Dash thought.
She took a steadying breath, trying to calm herself. She hadn't even done anything yet and she already felt like she had really hurt the filly. Blinking away the wetness in her eyes, Dash cleared her throat. She had to delay this, she couldn't face it yet.
“Sorry I kept ya up here all night...” Rainbow said, squeezing the filly tight.
“Do you want me in bed?” Scootaloo replied, her voice muffled as she spoke into Rainbow's shoulder.
“Not yet... but I'll tuck ya in when it's time...” Dash offered.
“Okay,” Scootaloo said. “Sucks about the clubhouse, though...”
“Yeah, that sucks! Nopony's denyin' that. Don't worry, it's still standing, after all! Applejack can fix that up, I bet! “ Rainbow said reassuringly. “Apple Bloom's really good at that sort of thing, too, isn't she?”
“Yep, she is!” Scootaloo nodded. “She can build stuff, too! She doesn't get a lot of time, though, 'cause we're always looking for our cutie marks. It's a shame, 'cause she's really good at it!”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, unable to believe how silly the girls could be. Their talents were so obvious, but Dash and her friends had long decided that it was up to the fillies to figure them out on their own. Not that she didn't often help, of course. “Oooh, I'm sure you lot'll find them soon enough. I mean, if Apple Bloom is amazing at fixing or building stuff, just think about how good she'll be at her super special talent, huh?”
“I know! Oh well, we'll find our talents soon... I hope.” Scootaloo sighed.
They both fell silent. As the seconds ticked on, Rainbow Dash started to feel worse. She wasn't doing herself or Scootaloo any favours by sitting here like a stubborn foal and refusing the deal with this. She thought about the fire once again and wanted to punch herself. Her refusal to face an uncomfortable discussion had already done terrible damage. It's possible the entire fire situation could have been avoided in the first place! She had to deal with this now. Little by little, she eased the conversation back to where it needed to be.
“You brush your teeth, Scoots?” Rainbow Dash asked, expecting the filly to deny it. After all, she had told her not to leave this room.
“Yeah. You said I was allowed to go to the bathroom, so I did it then,” Scootaloo explained, still not moving from Rainbow's shoulder.
“That's my girl...” Dash said, patting Scootaloo's back.
“I like when we cuddle like this, even if it's kinda girly... I'm sorry I made you mad, Sis...” Scootaloo apologized.
“Listen, Scoots... First off, I ain't mad with ya right now. Losers stay mad! You and me, we ain't losers, are we?” Dash asked her, stroking her mane.
“I am...” Scootaloo said sadly.
“Stop that, Scoots!” Rainbow said sharply, causing the filly to flinch. “You acted very, VERY foolish today and I yelled at you for it. That doesn't mean I think you're a loser!” Dash said in a very clear voice. “I'm sorry I did yell at you, but I couldn't control my anger earlier. Listen, I care so much about you. Did you know that?”
“Yeah... I mean... you're my sister. Of course you c-care about me...” Scootaloo said softly, sniffing.
“Yeah, I care about ya, but not just because I'm your sister, Scootaloo. I care about you because you're special to me, Scoots. 'cause you're important to me. Why do you think I adopted you?” Scootaloo didn't say anything, so Dash kept speaking. “I yelled at you because I was upset. Not just mad, but scared, Scootaloo.”
“B-but... you don't get scared,” Scootaloo said, pushing herself away from Dash's shoulder and crawling across her lap to sit down on Dash's right side. She ran a hoof over her nose noisily.
“I told you once before that I can get scared too, kiddo! When Derpy came to find me and told me that she thought your clubhouse was on fire... I couldn't breath, Scootaloo. I thought I was having a heart attack! Losing my new little sister was too horrible to even think about... I was so scared, Scootaloo. And not only me, but Applejack and Rarity as well. You three were so foolish to do something so dangerous. Imagine if Applejack had to bury her sister? You know they already lost their parents...”
“It woulda been all my fault...” Scootaloo agreed, bowing her head and placing it in her hooves.
“Your friends were just as guilty as you, Scoots. This wasn't all your fault. Please, don't think that...” Rainbow said, wrapping the filly up in her wing. “You were all pretty dumb today...”
“Yeah... you're right, Sis...” Scootaloo nodded.
“Can you tell me why, though?”
“Huh?”
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, knowing that she was moving the conversation where it needed to go, but where she feared to tread. “Scootaloo, can you tell me why it was dumb? Your cutie mark idea.”
“Uh...” Scootaloo looked confused, staring up into Dash's face. “But you already know... why do I need to say it?”
“Say what, Scootaloo?” Dash probed her, dropping backwards so that she was lying on her back.
“Say why it was dumb...” Scootaloo mumbled, lying down herself and cuddling into Dash's side.
“Because, Scoots... I wanna know if you even know why you're in trouble,” Rainbow said softly, twisting around so that she was cuddling into the filly, wrapping them both up in her wings.
“I'm in trouble?!” Scoot asked in a shocked voice. “B-but I'm in my room! Oh, no... am I grounded, Sis?”
“Not grounded... no,” Dash sighed. “Please, Scoots, Dashie wants to hear you say why you think... it was dumb.”
Scootaloo hesitated. “A-alright... well...” She caught herself. “But it's embarrassing, Sis! Makes me feel like a dummy...”
“Scootaloo...” Rainbow said in a stern voice, frowning at her and fixing her with an expectant stare.
“Fine!” Scoot said, averting her eyes and rubbing a hoof against one of her wings. “It was dumb... because fire burns wood and we were in a wooden clubhouse! Which anypony but us woulda realized!”
“Well, you're on the right track...” Rainbow said, folding her wings and sitting up on the edge of the bed again. “It wasn't just dumb because you were in a wooden clubhouse, Scootaloo.” She patted the spot next to her, trying to get Scoot to sit up with her again.
“It wasn't...?” Scootaloo asked, shuffling over to her big sister again.
“It was dumb because you could have lost your life, Scoots.”
“Oh... right...” Scootaloo said awkwardly. “And Apple Bloom, too... and Sweetie Belle.”
“Like I said, that's why I was so scared when Derpy told me, Scoots. I was able to save your life today... and that's not the first time, either. Remember when we went camping? I caught you falling over the waterfall...” Dash explained, turning cold once more at the thought of what would have happened if she wasn't there.
“Yeah... you save me a lot! Thanks, Sis, I never realized how much I owe you...” Scootaloo said graciously, wrapping her arms around Rainbow's stomach.
“I'm glad I could, Scoots! But the thing is, who's to say I'm gonna be able to be there the third time? There shouldn't have been a second time. There absolutely can't be a third.” Rainbow Dash said, taking a deep breath and steeling herself.
“But, there won't be a third...” Scootaloo reasoned, letting go of the hug and staring up at Rainbow. “I'll make sure!”
“Scootaloo... how do I know I can trust you not to make another mistake like this?” Rainbow asked her, frowning down at her sister.
''cause I'll make sure!”
“That's what I mean, Scoots. How can I trust you to make sure that you're going to be more careful, kiddo?” Her voice was hoarse as her throat dried again. “You broke my trust when you put yourself in danger...”
Scootaloo was looking heartbroken. “I d-didn’t mean to break your trust... I'm sorry!”
“This all made so much worse because some of this is my fault, Scootaloo!” Dash groaned, shaking her head.
“What are you talking about?”
“I allowed you to put yourself into harm again, Scootaloo. I never sat you down and talked to you about running away from the cave when we were camping. Instead of making sure you understood what kind of danger you put yourself in or doing anything to make sure it never happened again, I just ignored it in hopes it never would. I failed as your big sister the very first day I told you I would take you under my wing, Scoot... I learned that lesson the hard way, when I was flying toward the clubhouse with everything I had, thinking that I had lost you. That pain was terrifying...” Rainbow finished, placing a hoof to her eyes.
“Sis... are you... crying?” Scootaloo asked with concern. “I'm sorry I upset you, Rainbow Dash...”
Dash lowered the hoof, shaking her head. “Not crying, no... I am upset, though. At myself. I'm not upset with you anymore, but I still have...” she trailed off, inwardly cursing herself. 'Power through it, Rainbow Dash. Do it for her...'
Scootaloo looked her confusion. “I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about, Sis...”
Rainbow Dash turned and looked Scootaloo full in the face. Quietly, she studied her sisters' features. Scootaloo's eyes were still glazed somewhat, but they didn't look red. Her nose looked sore and her mouth was creased into an uncertain frown. Dash closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply.
“Sis?”
“Scootaloo, I'm sorry if I've confused you. Dashie's still... new to this whole sister thing. I'm figuring stuff out as I go, but I'm trying to make sure that I also do what's best for you... I care about you, Scootaloo. I really do. I just never realized that being a big sister was ever going to be hard. Not everything is going to be fun...” Dash began, opening her eyes again and stroking the filly's mane.
“Uh...”
“I didn't come up here just to talk to you about putting your life in danger, Scoots. I wanted to see how you were doing, and...”
Scootaloo stayed silent, raising one of her eyebrows.
“Scoots, I can't have you doing something like this ever again. It's not worth the risk to your life, sweetheart. I would never forgive myself if I failed to help you realize this...” Dash said quickly, flinching as pain shot through her stomach.
“Okay... I won't be dumb like that again, I'll be careful. I promise...” Scootaloo sighed.
“It's not about not getting to do dangerous stuff, Scoots... I want to be able to trust you again,” Dash said tenderly, placing her hoof under Scootaloo's chin and so she could look into her dull, greyish purple eyes.
“I told you, I'll make—”
“I have to make sure, Scootaloo... I can't screw up as your big sister anymore, I've gotta take responsibility for you... I've gotta do what's right, even if I never want to have to do it...”
“What are you saying, Rainbow Dash? I thought you were a great big sis!” Scootaloo said in a reassuring voice.
“There are things a big sister has to do, Scoots... especially if she's your parent, too...” Rainbow Dash swallowed hard, feeling her knees shaking. “Scootaloo, do you know what... a spanking is?”
Scootaloo inhaled sharpy, her eyes growing wide and her wings perking up with a sudden fear. “R-Rainbow Dash?”
Dash's heart threw itself against her chest as she saw the fright appear on the filly's face. “D-do you know what it is, Scoot?”
“Y-yeah, I d-do...” Scootaloo answered, her eyes starting to grow wet. “Rainbow Dash... Sis... p-please... I've never h-had one and i don't w-want one!”
Rainbow watched as fresh tears started to fall from Scoot's eyes, but she could not allow herself to lose the strength to continue now. If she lost steam, she wasn't going to do it. Before she could speak again, the filly was already backing up across the bed. She hit the headboard with a soft thump and stared with horror at the older pegasus.
“Scoots, I'm... gonna spank you. I c-can't lose you and I want to know I can t-trust my little sister.” Dash paused here, trying her best to steady her own shaking. Scootaloo was silently shaking her head, looking imploringly at Rainbow Dash. “When you ever find yourself in a situation where you might risk doing yourself harm, I want the memory of tonight to cross your mind.
“No! No, please, Rainbow Dash! Don't s-spank me!”
“Scoots, I'm sorry! Yelling at you was the wrong thing to do. Just putting you in your room all night was never going to help you!” Dash explained, hating every moment of this. Her stomach was still squirming painfully, but it felt different now. It wasn't out of uncertainty, but out of apprehension. “Crawl your butt over here, Scoot...”
Rainbow Dash pat the bed on her left side, silently intimating to Scootaloo that she wanted the filly to crawl over her lap. Scootaloo didn't budge an inch, still looking terrified.
“No! Rainbow D-Dash, I'm sorry! I'm scared! I d-don't wanna know what it's like, please don't hurt me!” Scootaloo begged her.
Dash felt her heart stop. How was she going to explain to the filly that she wasn't trying to hurt her? The pain was going to be unavoidable, but Rainbow Dash wasn't really sure how to convince Scootaloo that it was the right thing to do.
“Please, Scootaloo...” Dash said, still not sure how she was going to pull this off. “Don't make me pull you over my lap myself...” Rainbow Dash reached over and snatched a hold over the orange pony's ear, causing Scootaloo to wince in pain and fear. It would have been easy to reach over to the cornered child and drag her over, but she didn't want to do this by force. She didn't want to do this at all! “Come over here, Scoots! It won't take long, I promise! The sooner I warm your bottom, the sooner we can put this day behind us!” She practically bellowed the last line.
The moment that line had left her mouth did she realize that she had heard it before. Her father had once said that very thing to her, word for word. And with that memory came an idea. It was the only thing that would make this easy.
“L-let go! Please, it h-hurts...” Scootaloo whined, breathing deeply as the tears continued to flood from her eyes. “I'll c-come over...”
She hadn't realized how hard she had been pulling on her ear. She felt mortified as she let go of it, staring apologetically into the anguished eyes of the filly she had been so happy she had met. Under Rainbow's gaze, Scootaloo slowly shuffled forward. But no, this was not how Rainbow Dash wanted it to be. As Scootaloo slowly scrambled on to her lap, Rainbow Dash put her left hoof under Scootaloo and lifted her up, sitting the filly firmly on her lap.
“W-...what?” Scootaloo sniffed, looking confused again.
“Scootaloo, I wanted you to accept this spanking like a big girl. Not because I was pulling so hard on your ear that I hurt you. I'm sorry...”
“B-but you're gonna hurt me anyway...” Scootaloo sniffled, wiping her eyes.
“Scootaloo... I'm gonna tell you a story. When I'm done, I'm gonna ask you if you want me to give you a spanking. If you refuse... I won't do it. I owe you that, I screwed up too much as your big sister...”
“I d-don't under—”
“Sssh,” Dash said softly, wrapping both of her arms around Scootaloo and holding her to her chest. “I just want you to think about everything while I tell you the story. I want you to think about having me as your big sister. I want you to think about how special you are to me... I want you to think about how you felt when the clubhouse burned around you. I want you to understand, Scootaloo. If I'm going to put you to bed with a throbbing rump, it's gonna be your decision, because I will trust you to do the right thing. And not what I think is right, but what you think is right...”
“O-okay...” Scootaloo sobbed softly, inhaling deeply.
“When I was younger, Scootaloo, older than you... I was a bad filly. Do you remember me telling you that? Do you remember all of the awful things I used to do?” Rainbow asked her gently.
“Yeah... was I a bad filly?” Dash could hear the hopefulness in her voice as she sought reassurance from her big sister.
“You aren't a bad filly, Scootaloo. You're a wonderful filly. You just made a very bad decision, one that I want you to be thinking about... Now, after my mom died, I started hating... everything and everyone. I lied to my friends and my dad all the time, I never tried very hard with my school work or my chores. I used to take things that weren't mine and break things if I thought I could get away with it. But I've told ya all this before, like how I used to bully other ponies and fight...”
She paused for a moment, waiting to see if Scootaloo would say anything. She still had the filly pressed into her chest, left arm around her stomach, right hoof caressing her mane softly. Scootaloo was apparently doing what Rainbow had asked, though, and listening while thinking. Dash placed a kiss against the side of her head and continued.
“We never did have a lot of money, but Dad always had to pay to fix or replace the stuff I ruined. I didn't care, Scootaloo! I only cared about myself and I kept doing horrible things. Used to think my dad was a wimp whenever I saw him crying...” Rainbow's voice broke for a moment and she paused to steady herself, still stroking Scootaloo's mane softly. “I was out of control and I never realized what I was doing to him. All he had was me, and despite being a filly no parent would ever want, he always told me he would be there for me the few times I was ever upset and in need of somepony. He never yelled at me, Scoots... not once. Ever.”
Scootaloo didn't respond. Clearly, she was still trying her best to think and listen at the same time.
“Anyway, one day, I got into a fight with this colt who was younger than me and I pushed him over a desk. I really, really hurt him, Scootaloo. I didn't care, even said to Dad that I didn't care, that I'll do whatever I want to anypony who tries to fight me. He told me to go to my room and I went gladly. I was proud of myself for winning the fight... but after awhile in my room, I got bored, so I went to sneak out of the house again. Last time I did that, the Cloudsdale police had to escort me home after I... caused a fire.” Rainbow Dash bit her lip, trying to keep herself calm. She had forgotten that memory entirely.
“What happened then...?” Scootaloo mumbled after a very pregnant pause, where Rainbow Dash found herself lost in her thoughts once more.
“Dad caught me sneaking out. I'll never forget the pain in his face, Scoots... Told me I was out of control, but that he still loved me. I argued, said I was fine! I tried to leave through the window but he got there first and closed it. He looked so sad... But like Dashie told ya, I didn't care. That's when he did the one thing I'll be forever grateful for...” Dash continued. “And he decided to punish me.”
She waited for Scootaloo to prompt her again, but once more, Scootaloo seemed deep in thought. She was so proud of her. Would was she thinking about right this second? Maybe Scootaloo would tell her when she gave her answer. At least, Dash hoped she would. She kept going.
“He grabbed me by the ear, Scoots, and dragged me over to the corner of my room. He told me to stay there, not to move an inch, and that he would be back soon. I had never been put in the corner before. I was ten, so I thought that only worked on babies... It was horrible. Made me stand there with my arms behind my head with my forehead pressed into the corner, against either wall. He left the room but didn't close my door. I dunno why I didn't just spread my wings, flutter to my window, and fly out like I was going to... maybe I was curious or just plain afraid, since Dad never did anything to be but send me to my room. This was so different, and I haaated it! I was too afraid to move, in case he was watching me. I didn't know what he was doing, since it was all new... I just didn't want to do anything to upset him further, because my Dad never got angry with me and I didn't want him to start... Anyways, I was stuck in the corner, my legs were hurting because they weren't used to supporting my full weight, my head and neck were hurting because I kept it bent to keep myself pressed against both walls, which meant I couldn't see anything! So I just stood there, aching all over, trying to breath properly because of all that unfamiliar while standing completely vertical. Wasn't fun, Scoots. I realized after that it was probably to give my Dad thinking time while he calmed down.”
“That sounds horrible...” Scootaloo mumbled, shivering. “Please, never put me in the corner...”
“Sometimes, I might have to, Scoots...” Dash sighed. “Whenever I'm going to punish you, Scootaloo, I'm going to do what I have to do. And if I think time in the corner first is necessary... that's that's gonna happen. Even if I don't spank you tonight, there may be other times where I need to punish you, alright? I'm just giving you the choice tonight...”
“I still don't want it...” Scootaloo mumbled. “I mean, I thought about what happened, and...”
“We'll talk about it after I finish, hun. I know you don't want it, but if you think you don't need it, then I won't.” Dash promised her. “So, Dad finally came back in, sat down on my bed, and told me to come over. That's when I realized what was coming. I had taken the time to think in the corner. Actually being punished for once made me consider the consequences for everything I ever did, because I knew my Dad had to have reached a breaking point with me. I didn't think he'd ever be able to spank me, but then he told me that the sooner I got spanked, the sooner we could put the day behind us. So when he pulled me over his lap, I didn't fight him. And he spanked me, Scootaloo. My first one... and it wasn't quick. It was hard. And I fully deserved every single smack. And, let me tell ya... when you feel guilty for it, the spanking hurts a lot more. I'm not telling you that to try and scare you away from being a big girl and taking your spanking, Scootaloo. I want you to decide with that in mind. Anyways, my first spanking was by far the worst I ever got. It certainly wasn't the only one, but it helped me. Every terrible thing I had ever done to hurt anypony crossed my mind, all of the times I had hurt my own father crossed my mind. I've never cried so hard in my life...”
“W-would you ever s-spank me like that, Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo asked, horrified.
“No, Scoots. You'll never be as terrible a pony as I used to be. Never. He spanked me like that because he absolutely had to. Now, I dunno if I had to get it as hard as I did, but I needed it as long as it was. It gave me time to come to terms with how out of control I was. How much pain I had caused ponies. When he finished, he hugged me like he never hugged me before. He was crying again, but I didn't think he was weak anymore. I told him how very sorry I was, Scootaloo...” Dash said, biting her lip again as she tried to blink the wetness from her eyes. “I apologized for everything I could think of. I felt so bad for putting him through so much. I didn't forgive myself for a very long time, but he forgave me for absolutely everything the moment his hoof left my backside. He rocked me to sleep in his arms and I woke up feeling better and happier than I had in so long.”
Rainbow felt silent, momentarily lost in the veil of her memories again. She wondered if, had she her time back, she would have changed the way that she had behaved. It would have saved her father so much pain, but she didn't know if she would have the same relationship she had with him now if they hadn't had this terrible reality to overcome together. Her father doing what he absolutely had to do despite his own mental anguish coupled with her own acceptance of her father at long last, leading to her own personal redemption. Rainbow's breath caught in her chest, it was a powerful memory.
She redoubled her hold on the filly in her arms. She would have to finish the story and shatter this comfortable bubble she had placed herself in. She knew her own reality had its flaws and she would face them, with Scootaloo by her side. She wouldn't have it any other way.
“Everything started getting better, Scoots. Now, it took awhile to purge some of my worse traits, so more trips over his knee were inevitable, but I tried my best to make him proud from that day on. When I was fifteen, I just got home from a date he forbade me from going on with this colt who was really bad news... that was the last time I was spanked. Half-way through I told Dad I was bored and we both just started laughing! He... never lost faith in me. Never. So, I put my faith back in him, trusted him to raise me right. He pulled it off! Years later, every single letter he sends me is still full of the same love he gave me my whole life, and I write him back just the same. We've never been closer! I can't wait to hear back from him... I sent my last letter when I adopted you and told him all about how special you were!”
“Oh...”
That was all Scootaloo had said. Just that one little word. Rainbow Dash continued to stroke her hair as the filly. Dash knew it was starting to get very late, but she made no attempt hurry the filly along. She had to let Scootaloo make this decision, and that meant she had to give her time to digest everything. As the minutes passed, Rainbow was surprised when Scootaloo started to cry again. Maybe she was really tired? However, Scootaloo sat as straight on Rainbow's lap as she could, so maybe exhaustion from a long day wasn't the cause for her tears.
“Rainbow D-D-Dash...” Scootaloo said after another long pause, her voice shivering as she tried to steady herself.
“What is it, Scootaloo?” Dash asked her gently, sitting Scootaloo on the side of the bed next to her so she could wrap her wing around the child.
“I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Rainbow Dash! I did something really wrong today and I helped put my best friends in danger with me. I should have known better, I'm sorry for acting so foolish. It was so scary when it happened, but we all made it out fine so I thought it was nothing, but...”
“Keep going, sweetheart...” Rainbow said, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.
“I felt... guilty. Like it was all my fault!” Scootaloo wailed, tears dripping off her snout again.
“I told you, it wasn't all your fault!” Dash said, surprised at this outburst.
“It was my idea, Sis! So I'm feeling really bad right now, but I'm scared and I don't wanna get a spanking, but...” Scoot trailed off, as though she were trying to find the right words.
“I'll stay here all night and talk with you if you want, Scootaloo. I know you're figuring stuff out, just like I was. That makes me very proud of you and makes me think that we can skip the spanking, but like I said, that's your call. If you think you need one, because that guilty feeling isn't very fun. If you want, I'll even tuck you into bed right now. Or... would you rather sleep in my bed tonight?”
Scootaloo didn't answer her. She just continued to cry softly. After another minute, she did speak up.
“You were talking w-with Applejack... did she tell you what was gonna happen to Apple B-Bloom? She was telling me she was afraid she was g-going to get spanked...”
“She did get spanked,” Dash confirmed in a hollow voice.
“And Sweetie Belle? I know she's b-been spanked before, just like Apple Bloom...”
“I don't know,” Dash said, leaning back with both of her front hooves against the bed. “Why, Scootaloo?”
“'cause I still feel like it's my f-fault... and if they got spanked and I didn't, I'd f-feel even worse...”
Rainbow stared at her a moment, wanting nothing more than to scoop her into her arms and never let her go. “Well, Scoots, do you feel you deserve to get a spanking, then? Just because your friends got them?”
“I-I... I dunno, Sis...” Scootaloo said, trying to stem the flow of her tears unsuccessfully. “If-f I, um... asked you to decide for me, w-what would decide?”
Dash retracted her wing and dragged Scootaloo back into a hug. “I'd tell ya, first off, I'm super duper proud of ya for really thinking about everything that happened. You've got a good understanding of why I would have spanked you tonight and you're worried about the consequences of your actions and how they've affected your friends.”
“And... the con-quences of my actions hurt my b-big sister!” Scootaloo sniffed. “I made you worried when you thought I... got hurt.”
“That's 'consequences', kiddo! But... I was more than worried, Scootaloo... You're pretty grown up for your age. I'd already consider you good and punished. You've already made me so proud of you, I can't believe nopony adopted a girl as wonderful as you before I did...” Dash praised her, squeezing her tight. “The only thing makes me think that I should spank you anyway is the fact that I don't ever wanna see you in danger, Scoot. I can't know for sure that you're going to remember to be careful when it's so, so important that you do. I know what you girls are like. Remember when you tried to tame that baby timberwolf? The dangerous stuff is exciting. I know I'll never be able to stop you from doing things like that. I only want to make sure that you have a memory of a sore rump to help persuade you against these things. It would be for your own safety, so... if you wanted me to decide, I would still spank you. Like somepony wiser than me once said, it ain't 'worth the risk' to your life.”
Scootaloo gulped. “I understand, Rainbow Dash... I should be sp-spanked, but I'm s-scared...”
“I promise it would be over quickly, Scoots. But I can't go easy on ya, either...” Dash said delicately. “A couple of firm swats to your butt isn't going to stick out in your mind. A bottom on fire will. If this were your second or third time in trouble, I would have already spanked you, resisting it or not. Tonight, though, I am not doing a thing if you're going to fight it. This has to be your call. I'm not trying to hurt you, Scoots. A spanking is going to hurt, though. I'm sorry it sounds wrong, saying I don't want to hurt you and then doing something that hurts you, but I hope you can understand what I meant when some day. So... there you go, sweetheart. If you're deciding to get it done or letting me decide, then stand up in front of me. If not, then crawl into bed. After everything that happened tonight, I trust you again.”
“But... you're still worried about my safety?” Scootaloo asked after another lengthy pause where Rainbow gave her time to think.
“I am. You've got my trust again, Scootaloo, but I'm still worried that you may not remember that I can't always be there to save you,” Rainbow spoke very clearly, knowing the moment of truth was finally at hoof.
“I still got that bad pain in my belly...” Scootaloo said, taking a deep breath and shaking.
“That's the guilt I had when I stood in that corner,” Rainbow explained.
“Did your daddy spanking you get rid of it? I c-can't remember...” Scootaloo asked, ears drooping and looking as though the world was closing in around her.
“I'll tell you after you've made your decision. If you think you need to be punished, then you already know if that pain in your belly will go away.” Dash told her firmly. “I'll sit here with you all night if you need that long to decide, I already told you that.”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak. It took her a full fifteen seconds to finally say something. “N-no...” she said firmly,her voice full of misery.
Rainbow Dash prepared to nod and get ready to tuck her in. However, as Scootaloo slipped off of her lap and on to the floor, Dash realized that she was saying no to staying there all night. Ears flicking, tail twitching nervously, Scootaloo stood up on her hind legs and held her arms out for balance. Rainbow Dash looked her in the eyes and for a split second, she wanted to sweep Scootaloo back into her bed, but the time had come for her to face judgement.
Heart sinking at what she was about to do, Rainbow Dash reached forward and tugged gently on the tie of the string keeping Scootaloo's pajama bottoms tight. As she continued to stare into those large, dull purple eyes, she could see the eyelids quivering, anxious to spring shut as water continued to fill the them. With a tug at the waistband, Dash felt the pajamas loosen considerably.
With a look that suggested she had made the conscious decision to ascend the gallows, Scootaloo moved forward and Rainbow took a firm hold of her, guiding the child over her lap. She could feel Scoot shaking and wanted nothing more than to change the past to erase Scootaloo's guilt, but such things were impossible. Scootaloo was lying across with her head to the left, facing the curtained window, and her tail pointing at the headboard to the right.
“O-once and for all, Scoots...” Dash said, her voice breaking. “When I start, I'm not gonna stop until I'm done, even if you start to struggle. Is this happening?” Scootaloo didn't respond. All Dash could hear here doing was sniffling softly. She steeled herself as she tugged at the waistband again. “Keep your tail out of the way, alright? Just let it hang off the side of your waist.”
After what felt like a million years, Rainbow gently tugged the pajamas down, removing Scootaloo's only line of defense from her flank. Scootaloo squirmed and her tail immediately started to twitch, swooshing across to block any blows before Rainbow even had a chance to raise her right hoof. She ran her left through Scootaloo's mane, giving her all the time in the world to reconsider accepting her punishment at last.
Scootaloo's tail fell limply to the side.
As Dash raised her hoof, preparing to bring it down for the first strike, Scootaloo started to speak softly, her words barely audible through her quivering lips. “Sis, I'm s-sorry... I'm gonna d-do my best to be the best s-sister from now on. I'll always l-listen to you, I promise. W-when you t-tell me to come over your l-lap, I w-will... You're only looking out f-for me...”
Rainbow felt her arm go limp. She knew one simple fact: if she didn't bring that hoof down now, she wouldn't be able to resist sparing the filly this punishment.
“You're... a good girl, Scootaloo... never doubt that, please... here it comes,” Rainbow Dash said in a mangled voice, bringing her hoof down sharply, hating herself but knowing she had to do it. “I'm sorry...” she whispered.
Scootaloo gave a yelp of surprise at the swat. Knowing it must have been worse than she was expecting, Rainbow Dash reluctantly brought down the second one with equal voice. The two slaps had landed on either side of Scootaloo's rump, with the third landing on the left. Scootaloo hissed as her breath passed through clenched teeth. By the fifth, she was crying in earnest again.
Dash slid her own rump back across the bed a little to give the filly more room. Repositioning her slightly, Dash draped her left arm across Scootaloo's back to keep her held safely. She could feel the little wings trying to flutter in protest. She brought down the sixth and seventh, eighth and ninth. Each and every swat was firm, with the force gradually increasing until the seventh, where Rainbow Dash felt comfortable with the strength of the spank.
“It h-h-huuurts!” Scootaloo cried, burying her face into the bedsheets she was scrunching up between her hooves.
“I k-know it does, S-Scootaloo...” Dash explained, her lip trembling. “It won't get harder, I promise! Just think about everything we've s-said to each other, alright? I know the g-guilty feeling might make it hurt more than you want it to, but you'll feel better, Scootaloo. I promise.” She had not ceased the punishment as she spoke, still bringing down a swift swat every few seconds, never in the same spot.
A pinkish ting was already visible on her rump, growing darker with every smack. Scootaloo was starting to squirm and wiggle over Rainbow's lap, moaning with misery into her bedsheets. Dash kept going, even as the icy talons expanded from her chest, freezing everything it touched. She knew Scootaloo could make it as the blows continued to fall without relent, but would she?
“S-Siiis! P-p-pleeeaaaseee!” Scootaloo bawled, her legs kicking slightly as her tail threatened to swish back over her reddening rump.
“I hope you've thought about the dangers you put yourself in today, Scoots. What if that fire had spread to the corner the three of you were hiding in? I hope you remembered how you felt about your friends being punished because of this.” Rainbow Dash spoke, keeping her voice as calm and stern as she could make it as the wetness blurred her eyes. She had given Scootaloo a swat between every few words.
“I h-haaave!” Scootaloo bawled, swishing her tail up for protection and then immediately dropping it. “I'm s-s-sorry! I'll k-keep it d-down!”
“I hope so, Scootaloo!” Dash said, smiling down at her brave little filly.
“I will, I p-promise!” Scootaloo continued to cry, burying her face into the sheets again.
“Scootaloo, you silly filly... I already stopped spanking you. It's all over.”
“I...”
Dash had let her last hoof fall before Scootaloo could betray weakness and swish her tail over. Gently standing Scootaloo up in front of her, she tugged the pajama bottoms back over the filly's flank and re-tied the string. Scootaloo just stood there with a hoof to her one of her streaming eyes and the other to what had to be a burning bum. Her mouth was slightly open as she bawled softly. Cradling the miserable filly into her arms, Dash laid down on Scootaloo's bed on her back, holding Scootaloo to her chest. Careful not to put unnecessary pressure on her rump, Dash embraced her tightly, kissing her forehead softly. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears under her eyelids. It had taken everything in her to resist breaking down like her own father did during her first spanking. Every twitch, squirm, and moan from Scootaloo was a dagger to her chest. But it was over, this horrifying day was finally over.
“You took that wonderfully, Scoot...” Dash said in a strong voice once Scootaloo had calmed down. “I forgive you for being careless and I trust you even more right now. I know you made the right decision and I know you'll continue to do the right thing. You've made me really, really proud. You made Rainbow Dash herself really proud of you, Scoots! Just like you always do...”
“S-sis...” Scootaloo whimpered, looking into Rainbow's face. “Y-you cried...” Scoot reached down and ran her right hoof across Rainbow's eyes, causing the mare to laugh.
“They barely left my eyes, you goose!” Dash giggled, wiping Scootaloo's own. “I'm sorry for spanking you, Scootaloo. How do you feel now?”
“Uh...” Scootaloo giggled, trying to stifle another sob. “W-what do you t-think? That's a d-dumb question...”
“Dashie's talking about your belly!” Dash said, rolling her eyes and reaching an arm under Scootaloo's pajama shirt, rubbing her belly softly before moving around to her back, rubbing her between the wings joints.
“Oh...” Scootaloo said, laying her head down on Rainbow's chest and closing her eyes. “My belly feels better, sis...”
“So did mine...” Dash told her, placing another kiss on her head. “I'm glad you're my sister, Scootaloo. We'll always be there for each other, won't we?”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said softly, giving another shudder as another few tears leaked out from under her closed eyelids.
“I love you, Scootaloo.” Rainbow said after a few moments, no longer envious of the Apples. “You're the best pony in the world to me.”
She rolled off the bed, keeping her sister clutched tightly to her body. Throwing back the bed covers, Dash climbed back into Scootaloo's bed and pulled the covers over them both, closing her eyes as affection for her child blossomed in her chest. She had fallen asleep before she even realized she was drifting off, with five little words barely able to penetrate her brain.
“I love you, too.. Mom...”