Chapter 9: Consequences
The other three mares watched as the large stallion carried his younger sister away. After Big Macintosh and Applejack had disappeared over the hill, they turned to look at each other. Almost immediately, Twilight gave the other two a forlorn look.
"I'm so sorry," said Twilight, tears dripping from her eyes, "This is because I was so careless. I left that letter out where anypony could see it."
Fluttershy shook her head gently and nuzzled her dear friend. "Oh no, it's not your fault. I understand that you weren't expecting Applejack to come in while you were out and read it."
"And I don't think any of us expected AJ to react like that," added Rainbow Dash, directing a befuddled stare in the direction the Apple siblings had headed off in.
"She said it was her father who taught her about the Eyes of Nightmare," said Fluttershy softly.
Rainbow blinked. "That says a lot actually."
Fluttershy and Twilight shared a confused glance before looking back to Rainbow. "It does?"
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. She doesn't like to talk about it because her parents died when she was very young, right after Apple Bloom had been born and not long after AJ had gotten back from Manehatten with her brand new cutie mark. She thinks the world of both of them, but especially her father. That hat of hers is practically the only thing she has to remember him by."
"Oh dear," whispered Fluttershy, pressing a distraught hoof to her mouth, "And Dawn went and..." All three turned their eyes to look at where the battered Stetson lay forlornly on the ground.
"Yeah," muttered Rainbow, "That was a low blow. I wonder if I did the right thing sticking up for the kid like that. Seriously..."
"I'm sure that Dawn didn't know how much it would hurt Applejack's feelings..." Fluttershy protested.
"No." Twilight silenced her timid friend. "Dawn did know how much it would hurt Applejack to do it. This was clearly deliberate."
"Why that little..." hissed Rainbow, glaring daggers at the cottage.
"But," interjected Twilight, silencing her brash friend this time, "Dawn did it because that was the only way he could avoid hurting Applejack directly."
Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other in confusion before turning to regard Twilight Sparkle as the lavender unicorn slowly put the pieces together in her mind.
"He's probably been having to deal with this kind of persecution for years. But if he fights back and hurts other ponies defending himself, he's only adding justification to their accusations that he's a monster in their minds. But after so many years of putting up with unjust slander, he probably has a mountain of anger that he needs to vent. So when he's confronted by Applejack, who's been hitting him with the same insults and accusations that he's had to deal with for his entire life, he learns about her hat and finally has something that he can safely vent on." Twilight sighed. "He wanted to hurt Applejack. He wanted to hurt her, but he never wanted to harm her. That's why he took out his anger on the hat."
For a long moment, silence hovered over the trio as they considered the events that had just occurred. After a moment, Rainbow Dash broke the silence.
"I guess I can understand why he did it. That doesn't make it right, but that colt has a mountain of issues to work through."
"At least," agreed Twilight with a sad smile.
Rainbow sighed and trotted over to Applejack's battered stetson. "I'm gonna take this over to Rarity's and see if she can patch it up. I don't know what to tell her though."
"Um, you might as well tell her the truth," said Futtershy softly.
Rainbow stared wide-eyed at her friend. "But what about our promise to Dawn?"
"No, she's right," agreed Twilight, "The secret's already out. There's no way Applejack's going to keep quiet about this. I'm more worried that she might try to do something foolish."
"Like..."
"Like trying to organize a mob to storm Fluttershy's cottage."
Both pegasi stared, dumbfounded, at their scholarly friend. How could she even suggest that Applejack would do such a thing, much less that the rest of Ponyville might go along with it?
"I don't want to think about it either," admitted Twilight, "But the Apple family carries a lot of clout in Ponyville and everyone respects Applejack personally. The best way to keep something like that from getting off the ground is to make sure everypony knows the truth before distortions start being spread around."
"Do you really think Applejack would go that far?" asked Rainbow, still aghast at what Twilight was suggesting.
"I would never have thought so," said Twilight, "But then, I never would have thought that Applejack would act the way she did today. I'll come with you, Rainbow. I need to get Spike to send my letter right away. If we can get the Princess's support in protecting Dawn, we might be able to stop things from getting out of hoof."
"Alright then," said Fluttershy, "I need to talk to Dawn, so good luck you two."
Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle set off on the road back to Ponyville. Fluttershy watched them on their way until she could no longer see them before turning back and disappearing into her cottage.
"Ah can't believe ya stopped me," hissed Applejack, tears streaming from her eyes as her brother carried her like a sack of potatoes towards their home.
"Ah'm sorry AJ. Ah know ya don't like to talk about it, but this time ya've gone too far." Big Macintosh didn't flinch at his sister's accusations. It hurt, but he knew it was for the best.
"But pa said..."
"That don't mean he was right!" snapped Big Mac irritably before sighing and resuming his stoic mask, "Look sis. Ah ain't sayin' that pa didn't do right by us when he was raisin' us. But that don't mean that every word that came out of his mouth was the Celestia-given truth."
"You too," gasped Applejack, "Callin' him a liar."
"Just because it's wrong don't mean it's a lie too," retorted Bog Macintosh, "He probably believed it with his heart and soul. But he was just wrong about it."
"Ya can't be sure 'o that!" snapped Applejack, "And we can't take chances, not with that thing hangin' around mah friends. It's probably just bidin' its time and waitin' fer the moment to strike."
"Ya can't be any more sure 'o that than Ah am," replied Macintosh sternly, "Yer friends weren't born yesterday. Miss Twilight is supposed to be one 'o the smartest ponies this side 'o Canterlot. Ah'd think ya could learn to trust their judgment a little better than that."
Applejack went silent, not having a response to it. When she finally spoke, her tone was resigned. "Twilight was writin' to Princess Celestia about it. Ah'll wait to hear what she has to say about this."
"That sound's like a decent plan sis. And Ah want ya to stick to it."
Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Of course Ah will. And when the Princess gets here, she'll tell 'em. We'll get the truth fer sure."
Fluttershy turned her eyes to the couch as she gently shut the door behind her. Dawn was settled there, his face once again schooled to its usual blankness. There was no trace of the simmering anger that he had displayed when facing Applejack, nor the dejection he had demonstrated after hearing his caretaker's scolding. Fluttershy sighed and slowly walked over to the couch and settled on it, the colt scooting over to make room for her.
"Dawn," she said.
"Yes?"
"You understand what you did was wrong, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Are you sorry?"
"..." The silence stretched for an uncomfortably long span of seconds. "No." There was steel in Dawn's tone.
"Why?" Her voice was almost too soft to be heard.
"Because I don't care. Because it felt good to finally give somepony a taste of the pain they've given me all these years. It made me feel better."
Fluttershy didn't know what to say. But Dawn continued speaking.
"After he found me, my Master and I moved into a small town, not all that different from this one. There weren't any who knew about the Eyes at all, except for one pony. The others all thought it was some strange quirk. We tried to live in peace in that town, but that single pony kept agitating against us. If there was an accident, a freak occurrence of some kind, it was my fault. When somepony started stealing things from the others, I was the first he blamed. When my Master and I helped catch the real culprit, he blamed me for leading the thief astray.
"At first he was mostly ignored. But every time something happened, he didn't hesitate to blame me. Accidents happen every day, but when you have a scapegoat, they suddenly seem to be happening too frequently to be normal. It was a lie. But he told the same lie over and over again. Eventually, the other townsponies began to consider it a possibility. Then they began to believe in it. Finally, we had to leave because they were certain that I was the one behind every single misfortune in their lives.
"When I first met you, I thought it would be the same as before. You weren't the first pony to offer me kindness. But once others found out, I was usually called a burden and thrown out. I've tried being nice, polite and good. I've never inflicted harm on anypony, no matter how hard they tried to hurt me. I always tried to stay above it all and be better than what they tried to make me out to be...
"...And in the end, none of it mattered. Whether it was a slip-up, some display of temper on my part, or even some stupid coincidence, like somepony getting hurt when I happened to be nearby, they would always blame me for it and call me a demon or a monster."
Tears began to seep from Fluttershy's eyes as she listened. Dawn's tone had gone flat, emotionless, and robotic.
"I was surprised when the first ponies I met after you didn't treat me like I was some kind of monster. I actually started to hope that maybe something would be different. That you might actually be right and that I could have a home...here."
Fluttershy's sharp ears caught the tiny hitch in Dawn's voice as he spoke. In it, she could feel the soul-crushing disappointment that came from experiencing hope only to have it ripped away from you.
"But then that mare showed up," Dawn continued, talking about Applejack, "And I understood yet again that this had been too good to be true. I saw it in her eyes. She will never change what she thinks about me, no matter what I do. Even if I never do anything even remotely wrong, she'll simply chalk it up to how good I am at hiding my true nature. I will need to spend every hour of every day of my life proving her wrong while she will only need to be proven right once."
Unable to bear it anymore, Fluttershy gathered the colt in her forelegs and pulled him tight against her. "Dawn," she whispered desperately, "Please don't give up. It won't be like that, I promise."
"Yes it will," answered the colt, "If a lie is told often enough, ponies will start believing in it, no matter how stupid it seems. That mare has already told herself that lie often enough that she won't believe a word if it's against what she thinks is right. She'll hound me constantly, blame me for everything that goes wrong. And eventually, other ponies will start to blame me too." He looked down and stared at the floor. "And it will eventually be too much for you to keep taking care of me and I will have to leave again."
"No." Dawn blinked in surprise and looked up to see unwavering determination in Flutershy's eyes as she stared down at him. "I won't let it be like that. No matter what happens, I will never abandon you. Even if all of Ponyville, no, all of Equestria turns against you, I won't."
She paused to gently nuzzle Dawn's mane. "And if it ends up that you really do have to leave...I'll go with you. I won't let you be alone anymore."
"Why?" asked Dawn, eyes wide.
"Because," said Fluttershy as though it was the simplest thing in the world, "I love you."
For a moment, the ebony colt was too stunned to speak. "Why?"
"Because the moment you agreed to live here, you joined my family, just like Angel and the others. And that means I love you just like I love them."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," answered Fluttershy as she nodded gently.
Dawn went silent again and stared at the floor in stunned awe. His mind frantically searched for some response he could give to the yellow mare holding him tightly and now nuzzling his mane. "I..." He couldn't think of anything.
"Hush now," whispered Fluttershy, wrapping her charge in the sheltering cocoon of her wings, "We've both had a long day. Let's get some rest. I'll stay down here with you."
Dawn wanted to protest, but couldn't muster up the strength to do so. Instead, he listened as Fluttershy began her lullaby, her soft voice gently singing him into sleep. Dawn slumped down and fell into slumber, safe in the embrace of the mare who had saved him from his solitary existence.
"So how did your latest flying lesson go?" asked Melon as she set the table for her family.
"It wasn't that good," muttered Scootaloo, "Dawn gave me a new exercise to try, but I couldn't get it right, no matter how many times I tried. He told me to keep practicing the first exercise until I see him again in a couple days."
"And this new exercise, how does it work?" asked Cirrus Stratus, staring intently at his daughter.
Scootaloo shifted nervously. "I'm supposed to launch myself into the air and then use the position from the first exercise to catch myself. It's pretty hard, 'cause I keep freaking out from being so high up and can't catch myself in time. Dawn says I have to get more used to doing the first exercise first so that I can do it without thinking."
"It does sound as though you're making progress," commented Melon as she brought out the salad, followed by a daisy casserole.
"I would like to see this second exercise you've been taught," said Cirrus, "You can show us after dinner."
"I can't," replied Scootaloo.
"As your father, I have the right to see the fruits of your training. I need to know whether or not these flight lessons are a wise investment of your time." Cirrus's tone dripped with faint scorn at those two words clearly indicated his doubt. "What you have shown so far has been disappointing to say the least."
"Dear, she just started," Melon pointed out, "You can't expect her to be an expert after just one or two lessons."
"She is already behind as it is," snapped Cirrus, "Scootaloo needs to make more progress if she's going into Flight School." he failed to see his wife and daughter wince.
"I can't show you because Dawn told me I couldn't do this exercise unless he was around," said Scootaloo, trying to return the topic to its original course, "I promised him that I wouldn't try it outside of lessons."
"Ridiculous! What kind of instructor would curtail a student's practice like that?" Cirrus was livid.
"Perhaps one who thinks very seriously about the safety of his student," commented Melon, "He just doesn't want Scootaloo to get hurt because she tried it without proper supervision."
"I am her father, what better supervision could there be?" Cirrus turned away from his wife and regarded Scootaloo critically. "You will show me this exercise of yours after we are done here. If you don't, then your lessons are done."
Scootaloo gulped. She knew that tone of voice, her father wasn't going to budge on this. But she had no intention of breaking her promise to Dawn, a Pinkie Promise no less. This is it, she realized, I need to stand up to him now. If I don't, then I'll never have any say in my life so long as he thinks he can decide everything for me.
"I'm not doing it dad," she said in her firmest tone, "And I'm not giving up my lessons either. I won't break a promise to a friend and teacher."
"YOU DARE TO DEFY ME!" roared Cirrus, slamming his hooves onto the table and sending plates, many still partially laden with food, tumbling to the floor, "AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU!"
"Cirrus! Stop!" Melon tried to get her husband's attention, but was ignored as he continued to glare with single-minded intensity at their daughter.
Scootaloo quivered beneath the full force of her father's fury. Her first instinct was to break down, apologize for her misbehavior and try to make amends. No! I can't give up. I have to start standing up for myself. I can't keep hiding behind mom forever.
Steeling herself, Scootaloo took a deep breath and looked her father in the eye. "I won't break a promise I made to a friend just because you told me to. I'm not going to give up seeing him for lessons either."
"We'll see about that!" snarled Cirrus, "Go to your room, right now! And start packing!"
Scootaloo froze. Melon blinked and stared at her husband, her jaw hanging. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
"What I should have done a long time ago," declared Cirrus, "I'm going to make arrangements to send Scootaloo to Cloudsdale and attend a preparatory school there. I have to ensure that, in spite of her efforts to become a failure, Scootaloo will get into Flight School."
"But..." Melon couldn't come up with a response. She was flabbergasted that her husband would do this without consulting her.
"I'm not going." Silence, absolute and stifling descended on the house at Scootaloo's words.
Cirrus turned his gaze back to his daughter, rage seeping from every pore of his body. When he spoke, his words were a hissing whisper, annunciation each word with extreme care. "What...did...you...say?"
"I'm not going to Cloudsdale," answered Scootaloo as confidently as she could manage. "I'm not leaving Ponyville. And I'm not going to Flight School either."
For a moment, Cirrus was at a loss for words. He was too furious to even speak. He pressed his hooves down so hard that the wood of the table was beginning to creak. When he finally spoke again, his voice was at a normal volume, but still resonated with his anger. "Get out."
Scootaloo blinked. "What?"
"Get out," repeated Cirrus, "If you think that you can talk to me like that, defy my orders and decide your life for yourself, then you can see yourself out of this house. You've spent your life living under the roof that I have provided for you, eating food that I put on the table with my work, going to a school that is paid for by my taxes, and yet you think you can just talk back to me. I'm trying to save you from running your life into the ground and becoming a disappointment and a failure. But you've spent too much time hanging around that idol of yours. Since you've clearly decided that you want to be a failure and an embarrassment to my name, you can see yourself out and live on the fruit of your own labors. We'll see how independent and successful you are then. Now, GET OUT!!!"
Scootaloo bolted, heading straight for the kitchen door and dashing out into the darkening night. Cirrus Stratus watched as her form disappeared into the gloom before turning to look at his wife...
...And receiving a hoof to the side of his face snapping his head around.
"How could you do that?" demanded Melon, trembling with fury, "You threw our own daughter out into the streets, just because she disagrees with you!"
"She needs to understand how things are done in this household," snapped Cirrus, "I am her father. I know what is best. If she thinks she actually knows better than me, she can try living on her own for a while. Don't worry, she'll think better of it once she starts getting hungry and has to sleep somewhere other than her own bed. She won't be gone for a full day before she's back with an apology."
"For what? For trying to have a say in her own life? For exercising her right to decide what she wants to do with her future? You've been trying to control everything about Scootaloo since she was old enough to talk. You've forced your expectations on her and never let her decide anything for herself." Melon Cream was outraged. "And when she finally finds the courage to take charge of herself, you respond by casting her out of our house?"
Cirrus glared back at his wife. "Scootaloo has shown time and again that she can't be trusted to make her own decisions. Her choice of friends are a pair of crazed foals who spend their free time terrorizing the town for the fun of it. Her idol is a failure and a drop-out. Her so-called flight lessons haven't gotten her more than a few feet of the ground after all this time. She can't be trusted with her own life. If I leave her in her own devices, she'll end up as a failure, trapped in a dead-in job in some no-name town, living with nothing but broken dreams."
Melon's gaze softened slightly as she watched her husband's face fall. "Is that how you view your life? You have a job that lets you keep a fine home in a nice town, filled with wonderful ponies, with a wife and daughter who love you very much; and you think that you're a failure, just because you didn't do what your parents wanted."
"My parents were great ponies!" snapped Cirrus, "They deserve better than that. After all they did for me, I repay them by getting trapped in his life."
"That was their fault, not yours," said Melon, "The best expectation you can have for our daughter is that she finds a place in this world where she can be happy, where she can be herself. Trapping you and forcing their expectations onto you is what brought you grief. Your parents are the ones who failed because they tried to force you to live life on their terms, not yours."
Cirrus was silent and, for a moment, Melon thought she had gotten through to him. Then, as she watched, his eyes hardened. He seemed to lose awareness of the world around him, including the fact that his wife was still there, as he began to speak.
"No," he said, "My parents did great things and I'll never measure up to that. I had my chance and lost it. But Scootaloo still has hers. I'll be damned before I let her waste it. One way or another, she's going to Flight School. And she'll succeed. I won't let that Rainbow Dash fool her into thinking she isn't good enough just because she's an impure."
"What?" gasped Melon, shocked to hear those words coming from her husband.
Cirrus continued to mutter on, a manic energy filling his voice. "If Scootaloo can succeed in Flight School, she'll show that she can overcome the limitations of her parentage. If my daughter can succeed where I failed she'll be able to redeem my parents and I can finally show them something to proud of."
"Limitations? Impure? What are you talking about?" Melon Cream was stunned. Her mind flashed back to her recent conversation with Rainbow Dash and what she had been saying about Flight School. "Are you suggesting that Scootaloo's inferior because I'm her mother."
"Of course not," protested Cirrus, seeming to suddenly remember that his wife was in the room, "She simply has a greater challenge to overcome. And when she does overcome it, it'll prove to my parents that I can still do something worthwhile, even with somepony like you as her mother."
His jaw snapped shut as he realized what he had blurted out. It was too late though. Melon was staring at her husband in absolute horror, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Is that what you think?" she asked, "That my blood is some kind of taint to your lineage? That the fact that I'm her mother is something Scootaloo has to overcome, like it's some kind of shackle. You're saying that I'm unworthy to be her mother or your wife?"
"No!" answered the stallion, trying to find the right words, "You're not the unworthy one! I am! You're the pony I deserved as a wife!"
"What do you mean that I'm the pony that you 'deserved' as a wife?" inquired Melon. It suddenly clicked in her mind what he meant. The mare nearly turned white from shock. "It can't be...
"All this time, I thought you had married me because you loved me, even though your parents disapproved of us. But now I understand. You married me because I was beneath your parents' expectations. You were punishing yourself. You felt you didn't deserve to marry somepony who met their standards, so you went with a common earth pony instead. You married me because you believed that you didn't deserve better."
"Of course not!" exclaimed Cirrus, "I had no right to marry a proper pegasus, like my parents wanted. You're all I'm worth!"
Melon choked out a sound that was halfway between a sigh and a sob. "Thank you, Cirrus. Now I know what I really meant to you." She pushed away from the table and walked out of the kitchen, not even bothering to clear the table away.
A few minutes later, she came down the stairs, carrying a small bag. Cirrus intercepted her on her way to the front door. "Where are you going?" he demanded.
"I'm leaving," declared Melon, "I'm going to stay over at Ditzy's tonight. And tomorrow, I'm going to find out where my daughter has gone and I will get a new home for her and me." She met her husband's eyes solemnly. "We're done. I am not going to be your wife any longer. Now you can have the life your truly deserve."
"No," said Cirrus, getting between his wife and the door, "Scootaloo's already left, I'm not letting you go too."
"Scootaloo didn't leave, you threw her out. You've forced me out too." Melon lowered her head and shook it sadly. "I still love you, but I can't live with you anymore. I can't bring myself to hate you. I can only pity you. I need to provide a safe place for my daughter growing up, and this isn't it."
"I won't let you leave," snarled Cirrus, spreading his wings.
Melon sighed. "Don't do this. Let me leave."
"You're not going anywhere," growled the stallion, as he advanced.
Melon sighed again and gave her husband one last defeated look. Then she turned and bucked him. Cirrus was launched back and slammed into the wall next to the door, slumping down senselessly. Melon walked up, opened the door, walked out past the stunned form of her husband and shut the portal behind her.
Scootaloo was heedless of her surroundings as she rushed through the dark streets of Ponyville. Her father's rage was so terrifying, she had forgotten her trademark scooter in her panic, leaving her galloping on her own four hooves.
Finally out of breath, Scootaloo paused, gasping for air as she took stock of her surroundings. She had run all the way through town. The streets were almost deserted, save the few ponies still braving the darkness to go about their business or enjoy a night out as the moon climbed higher in the sky.
Where should I go? wondered the filly as she glanced around. Now that her father had cast her out, her first priority needed to be finding some place to spend the night. She wasn't lacking for options in that respect. Her first thought was to see if she could spend the night with Sweetie Belle. However, Sweetie's parents were out of town on another of their trips while Sweetie stayed at Rarity's. While Rarity would be more than happy to take her in, given the circumstances, Scootaloo was worried that Rarity might insist on confronting Cirrus about what he had done, which was something Scootaloo didn't want to go through yet.
Going over to Apple Bloom's presented a similar issue, though Bloom's sister and brother were more likely to wait until the morning before going to see Cirrus. There was also the problem that Sweet Apple Acres was a fair distance from her current location. Without her scooter, Scootaloo was in for a very long walk.
Scootaloo's thoughts turned to Rainbow Dash, whose cloud house floated in the near distance. It seemed a logical choice. But not being able to fly, Scootaloo's only hope would be to try and shout and hope that her idol heard her from up in the clouds, which wasn't guaranteed.
Taking another moment to orient herself, Scootaloo realized where she had run. This is the way to Fluttershy's house. She hadn't even initially considered the possibility. After all, Fluttershy's cottage was a ways from the rest of Ponyville. But it wasn't quite as distant as Apple Bloom's house (not being in the middle of acres upon acres of apple orchards). It would take a while to get there without her scooter, but at that moment, Fluttershy's home seemed the most inviting place the filly could imagine. She remembered how warm and comforting it had been to wake up next to the shy mare that morning. Also, Dawn was there. Ever since her lessons had started, Scootaloo was beginning to realize just how safe she felt being around him.
Her mind set, the orange filly began her trek towards the distant cottage.
Fluttershy and Dawn slept on the couch, the mare's wing gently wrapped around her young charge and holding him gently against her side. They would have remained that way until morning, had somepony not started lightly tapping on the door.
Dawn, light sleeper that he was, was the first to rouse. Opening his eyes, he came to his senses quickly and zeroed in on the door. Getting up, he shrugged off Fluttershy's wing and gently nudged her pink mane. With a weary yawn, she woke up and gazed at Dawn, who tilted his head towards the door. "We have a visitor."
Fluttershy blinked in confusion before becoming conscious of the knocking. Getting up, she trotted over to the door and opened it uncertainly. Slowly, she leaned out to see who was calling at this late hour, only to find a tired and dejected orange and purple pegasus filly sitting on her doorstep.
"Scootaloo!" she exclaimed throwing the door open wide, "Come in, quickly!"
Sniffing, the filly did as she was bid and trotted into the room. Looking around, she spotted Dawn, still reclining on the couch, observing the situation with his usual, neutral expression.
"What happened Scootaloo? Why are you out here so late?" Fluttershy rested a gentle hoof on the filly's shoulder.
Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak and shuddered. Now that she was safe in Fluttershy's home, the toughness that had been holding her feelings of hurt and abandonment at bay evaporated. Before she could manage to say anything, she broke down crying in the cottage's living room. Even as sobs wracked her body, Scootaloo felt Fluttershy's forelegs and wings envelop her.
"There there," cooed Fluttershy, gently rocking the filly in her embrace, "It's alright. Just let it all out. You're safe here."
After a few minutes, Scootaloo's sobs ebbed away and she stepped slowly and carefully away from the yellow pegasus' embrace. Looking up, she saw Fluttershy looking down at her with a gentle, concerned look.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
"My dad," whispered Scootaloo, shaking slightly, "He wanted me to show him what Dawn taught me. When I told him that I couldn't, because I promised Dawn, he got mad. I decided to tell him that I wasn't going to Flight School like he wanted either. Then he threw me out."
Fluttershy covered her mouth as she gasped. "Oh Scootaloo, that's horrible. How could your father do such a thing?"
The filly looked forlornly at the floor. "He's always angry with me lately. He keeps saying how I need to work hard or I'll be a failure. And he's always talking about how Rainbow Dash is a bad influence on me. If I try to argue, he just yells at me that since he's taking care of me, I don't have the right to tell him anything."
The sound of smaller hooffalls made Scootaloo look up as Dawn got off the couch and trotted over to stand off to her side. "It's my fault," he said simply, "I shouldn't have made you promise like that."
"It's alright," replied Scootaloo as she met her friend's eyes, "I didn't know dad would be like that. So it's not your fault."
"It doesn't matter," interjected Fluttershy as she stepped between them and draped her wings over the two young ponies, "What matters is that you're safe here. Scootaloo, I would be happy to let you spend the night with us. We can worry about settling things with your family later. For now, let's just get you settled."
A small growl emerged from the filly's stomach. Blushing, she found the strength to give Fluttershy a small grin. "Sorry, I left before I could finish eating dinner."
Before Fluttershy could respond, a slightly deeper grumbled echoed out of her belly, soon followed by another small growl from Dawn's. "Well, Dawn and I dozed off earlier without eating dinner. So maybe I should go make some." Getting up, she trotted into the kitchen and got to work.
Dawn and Scootaloo sat for a moment in awkward silence, neither meeting the other's eyes. After a few moments, Dawn trotted up to the couch and laid down on it. Deciding to follow his example, Scootaloo also climbed up and laid down next to him. After a long moment, she began to slowly lean against him.
Dawn went rigid, his eyes going wide with shock at the unexpected contact. But as Scootaloo continued to rest her weight against his side, he slowly began to get accustomed to it and relaxed as she drew comfort from his strength and warmth, a warmth that was slowly rising to color his cheeks as Dawn remained uncomfortably aware of Scootaloo's presence by his side.