Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack sat at the dining room table inside the Carousel Boutique. Today, they and their younger counterparts were having a sleepover. As the three girls chatted away, the smaller children played together.
Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo bounced a ball between the three of them, giggling and laughing.
The older mares watched over their charges diligently. Rarity and Applejack looked on at their sisters while Rainbow Dash kept a close eye on her daughter. It was their first sleepover together, and they were both excited. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were bored. Restlessly, they tried to figure out another way to earn their cutie marks.
"Want to go outside?" Scootaloo asked. The other two nodded. They took the door while Scootaloo flew through the window. Rainbow was not oblivious to this and excused herself from the table to go talk to her foal.
"Scootaloo!" She called. Scootaloo bounced over to her mother. "You know you aren't supposed to go through the windows, especially at a guest's house. I want you to apologize to Aunt Rarity when you come inside. This is your first warning, understand?"
Scootaloo nodded. Her mother was not above putting her in time out, and she knew it.
Rainbow walked the fine line between disciplinarian and unintentionally brutish and harsh behavior. She didn't want to seem cold. She cared about her daughter, and it was from that place of caring that she disciplined her. However, her fear of her daughter perceiving her as cruel and that she was overly angry controlled her life.
As she went inside, she kept a close eye on her filly. Both Applejack and Rarity agreed to go outside to watch over the girls. They sat on lawn chairs as the girls tried time and again to get their cutie marks through various stunts. It was, sadly, almost comedic in nature. As the day wore on, the small trio grew hot and tired, so they shuffled inside. Scootaloo apologized to her aunt, who smiled at her gently and forgave her.
Dinner was supplied by Applejack, and they all gathered at the dining room table. For Scootaloo there was a certain anxiety that came with it. Tonight was her first night in over a month that she didn't have her blanket or pacifier with her when she went to bed that night. Her friends' ability to keep thinking up ideas for getting their cutie marks had kept her mind busy, but with the sudden lack of activity she couldn't get her mind off of her worries. Rainbow sensed her daughter's rising unease and wanted to talk to her about it. After having some delicious apple pie, Rainbow pulled her into a seperate room to speak with her.
"What's the matter, peanut?"
"Nothing..." Rainbow raised an eyebrow and waited. Scootaloo sighed. "I'm scared."
"What are you afraid of?" She asked, putting a hoof around her daughter. The wall of overconfidence and swagger came down, and the nurturing, soft side came out.
"I don't have any of my comfort objects." Came the quiet admission. Rainbow's expression was caught between understanding and one Scootaloo couldn't quite define.
"Maybe not, but you have both of your friends there, and I'm just down the hall if you need me."
"I guess..."
"It's one night. I know you can do it."
Her mother's faith in her eased her anxiety only a touch. Scootaloo cuddled into her mother for a few minutes, trying to reestablish her sense of security. When she felt better, she returned to her friends as they tried their final attempts at earning their cutie marks before they went to bed for the night. When they were finally able to calm them down, the mares took the fillies upstairs to prepare for bed.
Scootaloo was unnerved and scared to go to bed. Rainbow, seeing the subtle signs of her mounting unease, quickly removed her from the relatively calm environment and took her into another room. The filly refused to let go of her Mother.
"Scoots? What's wrong?" Scootaloo trembled against her.
"Please don't go." It was a strange, high-pitched plea. Rainbow felt her heart drop into her stomach. She could feel abandonment issues filling the space between them. She gathered her nerve.
"I know you don't like it, but it's time for bed."
"No!" Came the whining reply. Scootaloo started to cry, and was doing it purposely to try and get her mother to stay. Rainbow saw the tears and understood that this was a tantrum. She was angry that she didn't get her way. She was allowed to get angry. Rainbow steeled herself for what was to come.
"Scootaloo, if you don't stop crying and get to bed right now, you're going into timeout."
The crying did not stop. Rainbow sighed.
"Alright then." She picked up her daughter and sat her in the corner. She got down to her daughter's level.
"You're in time out for seven minutes."
She left the room, only to be followed by her foal. Rainbow sighed, picked her up, and put her back in the spot. She didn't know how many times she put her back, but eventually Scootaloo stayed for the full seven minutes.
Rainbow went over to her and looked her right in the eye.
"Do you know why I put you in timeout?"
Scootaloo nodded. "I Didn't go to bed when I was supposed to."
"That's right. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I'm sorry."
"I forgive you. Can I have a hug?" Scootaloo hugged her.
"Are you ready to go to bed?"
Scootaloo nodded.
They were just in time to hear the end of the story that Applejack read to her friends. Rainbow pulled back the covers as her daughter crawled in, and tucked her in. Rarity and Applejack wished their sisters goodnight, while Rainbow gave her daughter a tight hug. They left the door open just a crack before going to the dining room table to sit.
They all breathed a sigh of relief that the fillies were in bed. Rarity gave them all some warm cider to bring a more relaxed air to the room. After a few sips, they became more at ease.
"That was certainly an eventful day." Rarity commented.
"You're darn tootin'!" Applejack exclaimed. "Trying to get those fillies to stay still is harder than spotting a worm in a bucket of apples on cider makin' day."
"Seriously. I don't know how they have that much energy. I get tired just watching them." Rainbow added, taking a drink. The three nodded.
"Rainbow Dash, what on earth were you and Scootaloo doing while Applejack was reading to the other fillies?" Rarity asked. Rainbow sighed.
"She didn't want to go to bed. She has a few things she normally sleeps with that weren't with her tonight. I took her out of the room because I knew she was going to have a meltdown. She threw a tantrum, so I put her in timeout. It probably wouldn't have been that long if she hadn't kept trying to escape. When she did her time I brought her back in."
"That's mighty impressive." Applejack remarked.
"How is that impressive?"
"Any type of discipline requires a good amount of consistency. You must have been very persistent to get her to stay in timeout." Rarity pointed out.
"You have to be consistent with your discipline, otherwise your kids won't show you any respect." Rainbow said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I'm just surprised that you weren't afraid to do it." As always, Applejack was honest.
"That's how you show your kids you love them. You have to teach them right from wrong- that's your job as a parent."
At the end of Rainbow's small speech, Rarity and Applejack looked at her as if she was a completely different person. They smiled at her. She was a far cry from the person she'd been since she first took in Scootaloo. They raised their glasses in a toast to her.
At the end of the day, they all went to bed. This, however, didn't mean that they all slept.
Rainbow lay wide awake, quietly wallowing in her guilt. Just because she had to discipline her daughter didn't mean she had to like it. Of course it was necessary. Parenting was a job not for the faint of heart. She knew she would be spending extra time with her little peanut tomorrow. The balance of power would be restored in their relationship. Now clear of conscience, Rainbow fell asleep.
The three mares were awoken by their younger counterparts jumping on top of them.
Rainbow Dash laid there with her daughter for a while, and then sent her to be with her friends while she helped prepare breakfast. Rarity made eggs, Applejack fried up the haybacon and poured the drinks, while Rainbow made the grass pancakes. About half an hour after that, breakfast was ready. They set the table before calling in the girls.
They all gathered around the table to eat. It was a breakfast fit for a king. They didn't talk that much while eating. It was always a sign of a good meal. As breakfast wound down, the Cutie Mark Crusaders left for another day of trying to earn their cutie marks. The older ponies were left with clean up duty. They finished just in time for work. Rarity went down to her shop, Applejack headed back to the Apple farm, and Rainbow flew up to cloudsdale to get the weather going.
Today's weather called for cloudy skies. She went to the cloud factory and arranged them one by one in the sky over Ponyville. It was a menial task that didn't require much thought. Sooner than she expected, she was done. She decided to head home after a good days work.
When she arrived home, she was very much aware that she had an ample amount of time on her hands. She decided out of boredom to clean the house. She scrubbed the kitchen counters first. Then she went and took out the trash from every room in the house. She dusted, and made the bathrooms sparkle. The last thing she did was get the mail.
When she was done, she sat on the couch, unsure of what to do next. She pulled out a Daring Do book to occupy her time. She kept checking her clock every five minutes despite herself. She waited for her daughter to come home, feeling more anxious by the second. There came a point where she gave up on trying to entertain herself and just stayed on the couch. Fortunately, Scootaloo came home shortly after.
"Hey there, peanut."
"Hi, Momma."
"Did you have a good day?"
"We didn't earn our cutie marks, but we did go to sugarcube corner for cupcakes."
"Sounds fun."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Come and sit with me. I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Okay." Scootaloo sat with her mother, who gave her a tight hug.
"Look, peanut, I wanted to talk to you about the timeout I gave you last night." Scootaloo was listening intently. "I want you to know that when I discipline you, it's not because you're a bad kid. It's my job to teach you the difference between right and wrong. I know you were worried last night, but refusing to go to bed and crying to try and make me feel bad is not the answer. I know you were angry, and it's okay to be angry. I want you to know that I wasn't mad at you. I didn't want you to feel like I was abandoning you. I disciplined you because I love you and want to make you a better person. Do you understand?"
Scootaloo nodded mutely. She hugged her daughter tightly.
"Good. Do you want to help me cook dinner?" A brightness colored her eyes.
"Yeah."
"Let's go, then."
Together, mother and daughter went into the kitchen and started cooking.
After dinner, They spent the last hour of daylight going flying together. Rainbow, finally free of the weight of the words that were on her conscience, felt much lighter than usual. She was happy. Scootaloo was equally joyful.
When they came back into the house, they spent the evening winding down to get ready for bed. Rainbow spent a long time cuddling her daughter. She was uncharacteristically quiet during that time. It was peaceful and relaxing. When bedtime came, Rainbow watched her foal brush her teeth before going into her room and pulling back the covers.
Scootaloo laid down, snuggling against her blanket. She reached over to her nightstand and set her pacifier in her mouth. Rainbow looked at her with pride. She leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Goodnight, peanut."
"Goodnight, Momma."
With one last look at her daughter, she gently shut the door. She went downstairs and just listened to the quiet. It was tranquil and yet happy at the same time. Rainbow went over to her bookshelf and pulled out the journal she shared with her friends. After pausing to think, she began to write.
Being a Mommy is not a guilt-free profession. Sometimes you can feel awful for doing what your supposed to. Anytime your kid cries, your first instinct is always to hold them and make it better. It takes a smart parent to recognize when the crying is real, or if it's just for show. When you figure out they're taking advantage of you, you have to discipline them. When you do, it comes with guilt. But if it's done with love, there's nothing to feel bad about. I learned that being a Mommy isn't always an easy job, but there's no job more rewarding.