//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - the decsion // Story: You Will Never Be Alone // by Matt11 //------------------------------// Twilight was pacing back and forth in the library room of her castle. She had so many rooms that were basically unused. She spent most of her time here anyway so she was trying to make it like her old home in the treehouse. She had just come back from putting Scootaloo to bed. The poor filly had exhausted herself after her mother’s passing. Twilight stopped pacing for a moment, wondering if she was truly good enough to take care of Scootaloo. Should she really adopt the filly? “Maybe Rainbow Dash can take her,” she muttered. “Scootaloo does look up to her the most.” She shook her head. “No, that would never work. Rainbow Dash is still too immature and focused on racing to settle down and take care of a kid. Besides that, Rainbow Dash had a history of crashing trying out new tricks. One wrong move, and Scootaloo would be homeless once again. “Adopt her?” she said, still talking to herself. “I’m smart, I’ve read a lot of books on a lot of subjects. I guess I could…” She figured that her status as a princess and as the personal student of Princess Celestia she could get the adoption handled swiftly. Besides considering Scootaloo’s living conditions there was one more big issue, namely Dizzy Twister’s funeral. If Scootaloo was going to live with her she wanted to make it a special event. Instead of burying her in Ponyville cemetery she thought it would be more meaningful to have her buried near the castle, so Scootaloo could come to visit her whenever she wanted and she’d know her mother was always close by. Twilight let out a soft sigh. “Why did this have to happen now? I’m still young. I don’t think I’m ready to be a mother yet. Would Scootaloo even WANT me as a mom? I mean, we had some good times yesterday and we’ve known each other for a while, but is it really enough?” She sighed again. “This is too heavy to think about right now. I need a little something to settle my stomach. I’m hungry. Twilight went to the crystal kitchen, and for not the first time she thought about how she missed the simplicity of her old treehouse. What did she need a gigantic castle for? She still wasn’t used to the size of this place. Shrugging it off she used her magic to put some bread in a toaster. When it popped up she put some butter on it and began snacking on it. As she was eating she heard a knock on the door. “Figures,” she said under her breath. She was annoyed enough she didn’t use magic to open the door. She grabbed the handle, roughly pulling the door open, ready to snap at whoever was there… at least until she saw it was Fluttershy at the door. Her anger faded as she said, “Hey, Fluttershy. Come in.” Fluttershy followed her to the throne room, sitting in her seat. “I heard about Dizzy Twister.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I thought so,” she said, taking her seat as well. They weren’t very comfortable. Getting teary-eyed she said in a worried voice, “Oh, Twilight! What are we going to do? You’re not going to throw Scootaloo in an orphanage, are you?” Twilight was fighting back tears, once more wondering how capable she really was. “Fluttershy, can I ask you something?” “Sure,” she said with a sniff, wiping her eyes. Twilight looked around the room, unsure of how to start. She began to shake, not from cold but out of fear. She was terrified of messing this up. “Well… I don’t want to put her in an orphanage. What… what would you say if I told you… that… that I want to adopt her? Do you think I could make a good mother to her? I just don’t think I’d be any good. I’d probably screw everything up the first day and then she’d hate me.” Fluttershy stood up, walking over and saying in a stern voice, “Twilight, you listen here! I’m known you for a long time. You’re skilled at everything you try, you work hard. You’re kind and sweet and considerate and help others as much as you can. You’re the Princess of Friendship, for pony’s sake. You CAN do this! I believe in you!” Twilight looked up at her friend, a slowly expanding smile coming to her lips. “Thank you, Fluttershy. That means a lot to me. She gave her friend a hug. “You’re the best!” Fluttershy blushed at the compliment. “Thanks, Twilight. I’m glad I could help.” “You’re welcome. I’m now feeling more confident. You’ll help me out where I need it, right? I mean, you take care of animals all the time so I’m sure you can handle being motherly too.” “Oh…” Fluttershy gave her an awkward look. “Well… those are just little animals. Taking care of a filly is a whole other issue, but I’ll try.” Twilight smiled. She was now feeling much more confident in her decision. Even if she was the one taking Scootaloo in it didn’t mean she was doing it alone. All of her friends would help her out in the area’s she was lacking. “So, Twilight, is there anything I can help you with right now, like cleaning or something?” “No, I think I got everything covered for now. Thank you, though.” Fluttershy gave a look around. “Where is the poor thing, anyway?” “She’s sleeping in one of the spare rooms. She burnt herself out with grief and passed out at the hospital.” Fluttershy sniffed, wiping her eyes as she began crying again. She was happy Twilight trusted her to help out, but it didn’t change the fact that Scootaloo had lost her mother. “Aw, don’t cry, Fluttershy. We’ll… we’ll…” She didn’t know how to finish her sentence. She just didn’t like to see Fluttershy crying. She was going to be dealing with a lot of crying from Scootaloo in the coming days, so she wanted to just enjoy this small bit of peace while it lasted. “I’ll send a letter to Princess Celestia and see if she can speed the process along to make me Scootaloo’s guardian.” “That’s really kind of you, but what if the Scootaloo we know and love disappears? Even if all of us give it our all we still can’t replace her mother. I’ve cared for enough animals to know how hard it can be for those who lose their mommy when they are still young.” “It’s true that we can’t replace her mother, but working together we can be there for her whenever she needs us.” “I’ve got to go, Twilight. I still have to feed my animals. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing.” She gave a small bow. Twilight groaned. “Please don’t do that, Fluttershy!” she said angrily. “I’ve told you a hundred times already! If other ponies want to treat me like a princess I can’t stop them, but I don’t want my best friends treating me different. ALRIGHT?” “Sorry!” she said, wincing away. Guilt blossomed in her stomach. Walking over she gave Fluttershy a hug. “I’m so sorry, Fluttershy. I didn’t mean to get snippy. I’m just a little on edge with everything that’s happened today.” “I forgive you, Twilight. I’ll see you later.” As Fluttershy was leaving Spike came in. “Hey, Twilight. I noticed Scootaloo sleeping in one of the other rooms. What’s she doing here?” “You should probably sit down for this.” Spike let out a laugh, which made Twilight grimace. “Oh, come on, Twilight. How bad could it be?” “Scootaloo’s mother DIED, Spike!” His laughter caught in his throat, and he practically collapsed into his small throne, putting a claw to his head. “Oh, no… that’s terrible. Is she holding up okay?” “As well as she can under the circumstances, but I have to move quickly. I’m planning to adopt her.” “Really?” he asked, looking up at her. “Are you sure you’re up to it?” “I learn quickly. What Scootaloo needs right now is love. It’s bad enough that she doesn’t have any more family. It will be far worse for her to wonder where she’s going to live. I want to put at least one of her worries to rest.” “I… um… I’ll go get some donuts or something,” he said, getting up and racing out the door. Twilight looked after him as he left. She could see her was broken up about it too. He just had to do something to keep his mind off of the truth. She wished she could do the same, but there was too much responsibility on her plate to do that. Princess Celestia had ruled Equestria after banishing her sister. She was a princess too, so she had to keep the same level of professionalism as her mentor. Leaving the throne room she went back to her own room. Sitting at her desk she pulled out a scroll and quill and with her magic she began writing. “Dear Princess Celestia, “There was a terrible tragedy today. A short while ago a good friend of mine named Dizzy Twister died. She was the mother of Scootaloo, one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Scootaloo was so heartbroken she actually insinuated she was going to kill herself because she felt she had no left who cared about her. “We still care about her, and I want to aid her with at least one of her worries. I want to adopt her and have her live with me in the castle. Fluttershy has already pledged to help me out in taking care of her, and I’m sure my other friends will too when I ask them. “I don’t want to just give her a new home. I want to become her new mother. I understand this will mean a lot of new responsibilities but I’m confident I can handle all of them with my friends by my side. Please give me your approval, Princess. It would mean the world to me. “Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” The paper glowed with a red aura and disappeared. Nervously she paced around for a bit while she waited Celestia’s response. Realizing she was just stressing herself out she did the breathing trick Princess Cadence taught her to settle herself down, and she decided to do some reading. Settling into her bed she began reading Daring Do and the Crystal Kingdom. After a couple of chapters there was a flash of light and a scroll appeared on her bed. Marking the page she closed the book, glad the reply had come so fast. “Dear Princess Twilight, “This is some unfortunate news, indeed. I think it’s wonderfully considerate of you to want to take Scootaloo in. I will allow it. I believe you will be able to handle it, my dear student. I know full well the pain of losing someone dear to you. Take care of her the best way you know how and treat her well. I’ll reduce your royal duties for the next month or so while Scootaloo readjusts so you’ll have more time to devote to her. “I’ll be expecting your newest set of letters detailing the magic of motherhood, Princess. “Signed, Princess Celestia.” There was another poof as she finished reading the letter. Twilight levitated the new papers that had fallen towards her, and smiled warmly as she saw it was the adoption papers. She signed the paper and was about to send it back when she suddenly stopped. There was one very, very important thing that she had forgotten: Did Scootaloo even WANT her as a mother? This was a huge turning point in the filly’s life. Scootaloo did need a home to live in, but it wouldn’t be right to force such a decision on the filly without first asking her if it was what she really wanted. “I’m back!” Spike called out. “Be right there!” Twilight responded. Walking into the kitchen she saw Spike holding a box of donuts he had gotten from Donut Joe. He had recently moved to Ponyville after the Crystal Castle appeared so his favorite customer could have donuts whenever he had time. She saw a box of a dozen donuts. There was chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and a single gemstone donut. He picked up the masterpiece, his stomach rumbling. He went off to his room to enjoy his masterpiece. Twilight stared at the box. She wanted to eat too, but she cared more about Scootaloo at the moment. She left the kitchen and went upstairs to the room she had left Scootaloo in. To her surprise the filly was awake. She was curled up, head on her knees and holding her back legs. Her eyes were red from crying. “Scootaloo, I… I have a surprise for you. I know you’re still really sad about Dizzy Twister, but I promise you’re gonna like what I got. Well… at least, I hope you will.” Scootaloo didn’t respond at first. She looked blankly at the ceiling, her heart aching. Suddenly she turned to Twilight and began shaking. “What?” she spat out. “Are you here to tell me you’re shipping me off to the orphanage? Because you don’t need a loser dragging you down? Because I’m so utterly and completely USELESS?” Tears came down her eyes again. Twilight flinched at the last part. “No, Scootaloo. I came here to tell you-” “Save it, Princess!” she said angrily. She pointed an accusing hoof at Twilight. “This is all your fault! My mother died because of you! You just HAD to be available to foalsit. You just had to be so far away! If Dash had been watching me this never would have happened!” “I… Scootaloo, that’s…” She didn’t know how to respond to that. So much for the good news. Scootaloo hated her. The weight of the accusation made her start doubting herself. Maybe Scootaloo was right. If Dizzy Twister had gone off in a different direction than maybe she WOULD still be alive. Tears brimmed around her eyes. “I’m sorry!” She ran out of the room crying, dropping the paper on the ground. “Hmph!” Scootaloo crossed her hooves. “It’s her fault! She should feel bad! Stupid Twilight! Stupid Princess!” A few minutes passed before Scootaloo noticed it. She saw the paper Twilight had left behind. At first she ignored it, but eventually curiosity overcame her anger. Getting out of bed she picked up the paper, turning it over. As she read it her anger for Twilight vanished on the spot, and her body clenched as she shook with her emotions. Twilight wanted to adopt her? And she had just yelled at her. Twilight would never want her now. Guilt felt like it was eating her from the inside out. She quickly left the room, heading downstairs. Any hope she had that Twilight wasn’t that upset was dashed as she heard Twilight crying. As she walked into the room she saw Twilight sobbing on her bed. “Twilight!” Scootaloo called out. “I’m sorry!” She jumped onto the bed, hugging her. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean what I said! Please don’t hate me!” Twilight held onto her tightly, squeezing the filly close to her. “Oh, Scootaloo! I’m sorry! I’m sorry about your mom!” Scootaloo squeezed tighter. “I know it wasn’t really your fault! I was just upset. I’m scared it’s my fault!” “It’s not your fault, Scootaloo! You had nothing to do with this.” “I… I know.” Silence reigned for a short time as they caught their breath and wiped their tears. “I… I saw the adoption papers. Do… do you really want a useless foal like me?” “Scootaloo!” Twilight said sternly. “That’s enough! You’re NOT useless! You have great value. I WANT to adopt you because I love you and want you to be successful.” Scootaloo took a deep breath. In a flat voice she asked, “So are you expecting me to call you mom now?” Twilight shook her head. “No, Scootaloo. I don’t expect you to call me mom until you’re ready to do so. For now you can just call me Twilight like before, okay?” She draped a wing over the filly. “Are you sure this is what YOU want, Scootaloo? I didn’t send that paper back yet because I don’t want to force this on you.” It got quiet again for a short time, Scootaloo just staying in Twilight’s embrace. Finally, Scootaloo said, “Yes. Yes, it is. I want to stay with you, mo-Twilight.” She tried to say mom, but she couldn’t. It was still too soon. “You’re not going to leave me too, are you?” she asked, tears coming down her eyes again. “Like I said before, Scootaloo… you will NEVER be alone. “Now come on to the kitchen with me. Spike bought us a batch of donuts.” Before they left the room Twilight made sure to send back the adoption papers. Scootaloo’s eyes lit up a little as she saw all the donuts there. She sat down at the table and greedily jammed a donut into her mouth. Twilight sat down across from her. “You enjoy the donuts. I’m going to go to town hall to talk with the mayor. I’m going to have your mother buried behind the castle so it’s easier for you to come visit her.” Scootaloo had been devouring the box of donuts but when Twilight mentioned her mother she slowed down to a snail’s pace. “O-okay,” she said quietly. “Hang in there, Scootaloo. I’ll be back soon.” The talk with Mayor Mare went well. It didn’t take much convincing. The funeral was set up for later on that day. When she got back home she saw Scootaloo still in the kitchen. Her face was covered with crumbs and frosting, which put a smile on Twilight’s face. “Enjoy your snack?” she asked with amusement. Scootaloo looked up at her with a silly grin. “I think I ate too much,” she said with a groan. Using magic Twilight lifted up a napkin and wiped Scootaloo’s face. Picking Scootaloo up she brought her back to her room, rubbing Scootaloo’s stomach to help settle her down. Twilight held back for a while. Scootaloo was smiling for now and she just couldn’t bring herself to ruin it yet. As she continued her gentle belly rub Scootaloo let out a big sigh and closed her eyes, turning onto her side and settling into Twilight’s stomach. A few warm tears came down Twilight’s face. Why did this have to happen? What had Scootaloo done to deserve this tragedy? “Hey! Twiliiighhtt!” Scootaloo whined. “Why’d you stop? My stomach was just starting to feel better.” “Huh?” Twilight shook her head. She was getting too distracted. There would be time for tears later at the funeral. For now she just had to do what she could to keep Scootaloo happy. “Sorry, Scootaloo.” She began moving her hoof again, and Scootaloo became quiet, letting out more content sighs. “Twilight?” Scootaloo said after a while. “Yes?” “I just want to say thank you. I was so scared before that I was going to have to live in an orphanage. I never expected I’d get to live with a princess.” “I may have used my authority as a princess to get special treatment, but right now I’m doing this as a friend, both to you and your mother. I wouldn’t be a good friend to Dizzy Twister if I just forgot about you. I love you, Scootaloo, and I always will.” Scootaloo’s body went stiff for a few seconds. For a second she pictured her mother. She sniffed, turning around so she was facing Twilight and gave her a hug. “I miss her, Twilight! I miss her so much!” “I know, Scootaloo.” She placed both her hooves and her wings around the child, holding her close. “I know. But I’m here for you, and I’m not going anywhere. A little while later Twilight took Scootaloo around to each of her friends, gathering them for the funeral. It was a short service. Dizzy Twister hadn’t known many ponies. Each of them wore black clothing made by Rarity. They all stood there and listened as the preacher said final words for Dizzy Twister. Scootaloo had been strangely quiet throughout the service. She just stood there blankly throughout. At the end of it she went up to the coffin, taking a deep breath as she took out a red rose. It was a memento of the first time they had gone flower picking together. Setting it down next to her mother’s face she said quietly, “Goodbye… mom. I love you.” When they returned to the house Scootaloo was still being abnormally quiet. She offered to read Scootaloo more of the Daring Do series, which Scootaloo agreed to, but it quickly became apparent that Scootaloo wasn’t paying any attention. She set the book down and held Scootaloo to her. “Scootaloo, this isn’t healthy. You need to let it out.” Scootaloo shook her head. “No. I’m fine.” “This wasn’t your fault, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo tensed up, a pained look coming to her face before she suppressed it. “Stop it.” “It’s NOT your fault!” Scootaloo’s body clenched, tears beginning to drip down her face. “Stop it!” “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s okay to cry. Just let it out. Let it all out.” Scootaloo tried to pull away, but Twilight held her tight. She shook her head, saying, “No, no, no.” “I know it hurts that your mother is gone now, but if you hold everything inside it will break you.” Scootaloo was panting, taking in short, sharp breaths as she tried to keep a lid on her pain, but Twilight kept pushing her and pushing until she couldn’t stand it anymore. She let out a loud wail and began sobbing uncontrollably, screaming out, “MOM!” Once she started she found she couldn’t stop. She cried for a long while, holding tightly to Twilight all the while until she burned out her emotions. Twilight rubbed her back the whole while. “That’s better, Scootaloo. Now you’ve grieved properly.” With her magic she poofed in a glass of water. “Here. Drink this.” Scootaloo was still shaking with her emotions and nearly dropped the glass as she drank it down. “T-thank y-you, Twilight.” “You’re welcome. It’s good you got all that out of your system now. I have to get you a bed. There are several rooms that we’re not using, so you can pick whichever one you want tomorrow and we’ll start moving all the stuff from your house over here. Of course you’re free to sleep by yourself whenever you want, but you’re also free to sleep with me whenever you want to.” “I do want my own room, but I think I’d like to sleep with you for a few nights until I feel safe. I just don’t want to be alone.” “I understand, Scootaloo.” “Twilight?” Scootaloo looked up at her with a little blush. “Yes? “Thanks for adopting me.” “No problem.” Scootaloo was still blushing so she thought there was something more to it. She waited a little bit, and Scootaloo finally said it. “Do you think you can rub my tummy again?” Her blush became deeper. “I really liked when you did that before.” Twilight grinned down at her. “Sure!” Scootaloo turned herself so she was in the same position as earlier, her back up against Twilight’s stomach. Twilight put a wing over the filly, holding Scootaloo with a hoof while trailing soft circles over her belly. She saw a tender smile come to Scootaloo’s lips. Scootaloo couldn’t keep her eyes open. The gentle massage was putting her to sleep. She began to think that Twilight really was the best pony to adopt her. She was so warm and comfortable. She felt so relaxed knowing Twilight was right there, ready and willing to love her. Unable to believe it she said words she never thought she’s say. “Goodnight… mommy.” Twilight’s eyes widened. She thought it would have taken a lot longer for Scootaloo to say those words. Since Scootaloo had taken the first step she was willing to reciprocate. “Goodnight… my daughter.” She saw Scootaloo’s smile get a little wider as she settled deeper into Twilight’s body. The two of them slept wonderfully together as a new family.