//------------------------------// // chapter 5 - Meeting The Grandparents // Story: You Will Never Be Alone // by Matt11 //------------------------------// Twilight was sitting on her throne with Spike by her side. She had just put Scootaloo to bed and felt the need to read up on some of her parenting guides. She felt like she was doing an okay job so far, but she still needed to learn more. A thought suddenly came to mind. She hadn’t yet introduced Scootaloo to her parents and told them about the adoption. She thought of her mother getting to meet Scootaloo. She’d be giving the filly a million kisses. A warm smile came to mind as she recalled the times her mother had comforted her when she was younger. She knows her mother loves kids, and Scootaloo would love her. She shrugged it off and continued her reading. She’d get to that a little later. After reading for about an hour she put the book down and walked over to her desk. She decided to write two letters: one to Celestia explaining the joys of being a mother, and the other to her parents. Scootaloo needed to get to know her other family members, and maybe get a chance to see her Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining Armor if they're lucky. Sitting down again she dipped her quill in ink and began to write. “Dear Princess Celestia, being a parent is…easier than I expected. I managed to make Scootaloo happy and she became friends with a small earth pony who used to bully her. I’m proud she is trying to put past differences aside and be friends with a pony like Diamond Tiara, but I still feel like we might have a hard time later on. The one thing I remember is that Dizzy told me Scootaloo has issues with math and flying so maybe after I visit my parents I can teach her to be better at math and perhaps she can gain flight, signed Princess Twilight Sparkle. Once she finished she used her magic and teleported the letter away. She let out a soft sigh. Celestia’s letter was done. She smiled and pulled out another paper and put it down on her desk. “Dear Mother, it’s your one and only daughter Twilight. I wanted to ask if it was okay if I come to Canterlot to see you and dad. I adopted a pony named Scootaloo and she should meet her new family. I’ll fill you in on why I adopted her later, but all I want is to visit my family with her. Signed, Twilight Sparkle.” As she finished the last one she teleported it away with her magic and was about to walk away to get a drink of water but a small fillies scream interrupted her as she walked to the kitchen. “AHHHHH” Scootaloo cried out, waking up instantly. Sweaty and scared the filly held her Rainbow Dash plushie close by. “Mo-mommy” she said in a small frightened whimper, tears started to slide down her big purple eyes. Twilight bolted upstairs, no longer caring about the drink. Instead her worry was on her daughter. Scootaloo needed her. She turned the corner and ran into her room causing her door to slam on the crystal wall. She saw Scootaloo crying and holding her plushie.” Mommy,” she said and dropped her plushie, holding out her little hooves out to be held. Twilight ran over and wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo’s waist and brought her into a loving hug. Twilight stroked Scootaloo’s back. The small filly was shaking like a leaf. She started to give Scootaloo a few kisses and said softly, “Shh, Shh. It's okay, Sweetie. Mommy’s here, so don’t worry. I’m here to protect you, okay?” She continued to stroke and kiss. It seemed to be very effective. Scootaloo couldn't look Twilight in the eyes at all and just hid her face on Twilight’s chest. “I...I…” She couldn’t say anything else. All the filly remembered from that horrible nightmare was a Rainbow figure. Twilight started to get worried. She had never seen Scootaloo act this scared before. Looking around the room she tried finding something to help her out but to no avail, so she took a deep breath “Hush now, quiet now, Scootaloo. I’m here to protect you, so please tell mommy what's wrong,” she said in a motherly voice. Scootaloo’s crying had softened and her heart beat was slowing down. She looked up at Twilight “I’m sorry you had to see me so scared, Mom. I bet you think I’m weak now, don’t you?” she said, feeling so ashamed. If she learned anything from Dash, it was that showing your weak side makes you weak. Twilight placed Scootaloo down on the bed beside her, but Scootaloo went back towards her to hug her like a foal that couldn’t go anywhere without their mom. It was cute in a way. “Scoots, you're not weak. You are an awesome filly. I know you want to be like Dash but trust me. Even she’s shown that she has weaknesses and she accepted it. Anyways, Scootaloo, why were you screaming? Was it a nightmare?” she asked, a bit concerned Scootaloo looked down at her hooves “I, uh… I dreamed about Rainbow Dash. In my dream she said I was weak and pathetic and a loser for not being able to fly, and she said she no longer wanted me as her sis-sister. The-the-then she kicked me off her cloud house and I fell to the ground and died.” She broke down again and cried into Twilight. Twilight held Scootaloo close and wiped the tears away with her hoof. “Scootaloo, it was just a nightmare. Rainbow dash would never ever say or do anything like that. If it makes you happy we can go see Rainbow Dash once we get back from Canterlot,” she said in a small whisper, slowly moving her hoof over Scootaloo’s purple mane. Loud rain could be heard from outside the castle indicating that a thunderstorm had arrived, something Twilight was normally informed about. Scootaloo looked at Twilight a little confused. “Canterlot? Why are we going over there, Mom?” she asked as the tears stopped. She realized Twilight was right. Rainbow Dash would never do such a thing. Even so a question hung heavily on her mind. If Dash truly cared for her then why didn’t she come to comfort her in her time of need?. “Well, my little pony, we’re going there to meet up with family. We’re going to be visiting my parents who are your new grandparents.” She kissed Scootaloo on the forehead and put the filly on her back. “Come on. I think I know a little filly who needs some hot chocolate.” Twilight walked out the room with Scootaloo who had her tiny hooves wrapped around her mother's neck. Once Twilight got close to the kitchen she used her magic and lit up a fireplace that was in her living room and sat Scootaloo on the ground next to it. “I’ll be right back, Sweetie.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed two cups, filling them with some water. She then put it in the microwave. While she waited for it to get warmed up she decided to water some of her flowers she had in the kitchen. In no time the microwave beeped. She stopped watering and went to finish the cocoa. Once she got it in two cups she levitated them onto a tray, then she walked out the kitchen. When she got into the living room she saw Scootaloo was still half asleep, her eyes closing slowly. Giggling softly, she put the tray on the floor next to Scootaloo “Here you go, sweetie. I made it especially for you.” She picked up her own cocoa in her magic and waited for Scootaloo to drink hers. Scootaloo stared at the hot cocoa for a minute and looked at her mother. “Mom… you said Rainbow Dash cared about me before but why hasn’t she come to visit?” She sniffled, wiping her face. “I mean, we’re sisters and sisters are supposed to stick together no matter what.” Twilight sighed, taking a deep breath. “Look, I don’t know why she hasn’t come yet. Maybe something came up, but you need to stop worrying about it. Like I said when we come back we will go to Rainbow Dash’s place and find out what she has been doing lately... okay?” She draped a wing over Scootaloo and brought her in for a hug. “Yo-you're right. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just worried about her.” She broke away from the hug and started to drink her cocoa. However, she burnt her tongue a bit. She put the cup down and started rubbing her tongue with her hoof. “Ouch... maybe I better wait for it to cool off. Heh.” Twilight and Scootaloo started to giggle. Scootaloo burning her tongue was bad but for some reason they started to laugh about it. As time passed by Scootaloo finished her drink and was taken back to bed. Twilight read Scootaloo the latest Harry Trotter as a bedtime story. The small filly really enjoyed it. It made Twilight smile that she would enjoy that old book. Twilight then left the room and went to her room to sleep. She had just started letting Scootaloo sleep by herself. If Scootaloo ever needed her she would be there, even for a nightmare. “Don’t worry Scootaloo. I’ll always protect you,” she said to herself in a whisper as she got into bed, the alicorn drifting off to sleep. The next morning Twilight was the first one to wake up. She went into the kitchen to make something simple. When she got there a note appeared in front of her. It was from her mother “Dear Princess Twilight, I’d love to meet my new granddaughter. I got a lot of fun things we could do together. Unfortunately, your brother and Cadence won’t be able to be here. They’re busy in the Crystal Empire. See you when you get here, Sweetheart. Love, Mom.” Twilight squealed in delight after reading it. She finished making breakfast, just plain old daisy sandwiches, for herself, Spike, and Scootaloo. After putting it on the table she went upstairs to wake up Scootaloo. However, she was surprised to see Scootaloo wide awake. Scootaloo was writing something in her diary when she got up there. Twilight never knew that she even had a diary. It must have been something she kept in secret. Twilight decided to knock on the open door so she didn’t scare Scootaloo. Scootaloo jumped when she heard the knock. She saw her mother standing in the doorway so she quickly put her quill and diary under her pillow. “Uh… hi, Mom. Good morning,” she said, smiling widely. Twilight walked over to Scootaloo and when she was close she bent down and nuzzled her. “What were you writing in there?” she asked, even though she knows the true answer. “Well…,”Scootaloo began, “…my mom bought it for me and she said that if I ever have anything on my mind I should write in it. I kinda kept it hidden from you.” she said as she gave Twilight a hug, smiling happily. Smiling, Twilight returned the hug. “Aw, if you're nervous that I’ll laugh at you than don’t worry. I won’t. Now let’s go get some breakfast. We need to leave for Canterlot. We will only be there for a day. Besides, we can visit them anytime we want, my special little angel.” That made Scootaloo blush as they walked out the room. When they arrived downstairs in the kitchen Scootaloo decided to eat her breakfast slow this time as she did not want to get Twilight mad at her again. During the meal Twilight asked Scootaloo about her dream again. Scootaloo gulped. “Well, mom,” she started as she ate another piece of her sandwich. She swallowed it and continued, “I’d like to fly one day. Honestly I… I want to be a great flier like Rainbow Dash. That’s my dream.” She smiled happily. She believed that one day she would fly, and maybe have the chance to beat Rainbow Dash in a race but the possibility of beating her was small. Twilight let out a small giggle. Scootaloo truly was a Rainbow Dash Junior. “That’s a cool dream, Sweetie. I know you will achieve it someday. How about this? If you keep your grades up I’ll train you personally.” She wanted to help Scootaloo learn, but she also didn’t want Scootaloo to neglect developing her mind either. Dropping her sandwich on the plate her mouth went wide open in utter shock. “REALLY? You'd help me fly?” she asked excitedly. Twilight nodded. “Yup. I promise you will fly, Scootaloo. No matter what it takes.” She wiped off her mouth and used her magic to wipe off Scootaloo’s with the napkin. She then put the plates away, and once finished she and Scootaloo started to pack the stuff they'd need. Once they finished packing Twilight asked Spike if he wanted to come with them. However, he declined. He wanted to stay back and watch the library, maybe even go to Rarity’s place. As much as Twilight hated for him to miss out on the fun they will have she decided to leave it him be. After all, it was his choice. Once Twilight got downstairs she saw Scootaloo playing her portable device. It looked like she was playing something with guns and other things you'd use on an adventure game. As much as Twilight disapproved of violence she let Scootaloo play it. After all, it she wasn’t hurting anything. “Whatcha playing, Scoots?” Twilight asked, curious. “I’m just playing Metal Gear Pony 3: Hay Eater” she responded. She was so addicted to her game she didn’t even bother looking at her mother when she talked. Twilight walked over. “Well, I need you to put that away, Scoots. At least until we get to the train.” She walked over to the wall where her suitcase was and grabbed it, but noticed Scootaloo was still playing that game. “Scoots, did you hear me?” she said more sternly. “Mmm-hmm,” Scootaloo responded, clearly not listening. “Scootaloo,” Twilight said in an annoyed voice. “Okay, I’ll wash the dishes later.” Twilight glared at Scootaloo. Scootaloo jumped as a sound like a firecracker went off from Twilight’s spell. “I’m talking to you, young filly! Now pay attention and shut that game off. NOW!” “But I…” She looked up at Twilight and her pupils shrunk as she saw the face Twilight was making. She quickly reached for the button on her device and turned it off. She grabbed her suitcase, which was a smaller sized than Twilight’s “I’m sorry, mom. I guess I got a little…too addicted to my gaming. Hehe.” Scootaloo had to start remembering to not be like that. She didn’t want to end up like Button Mash. Twilight shrugged “It’s okay, I understand.” She smiled warmly at Scootaloo. They waved their goodbyes to Spike. On their way to the train station Scootaloo stopped walking as saw Rainbow Dash flying overhead. She wanted to ask Dash why she hadn't talked to her lately but they had to catch the train. Maybe tomorrow she and Twilight could go visit her home. Once the two arrived at the train station Twilight got the tickets and gave the tickets to the ticket pony. She and Scootaloo took a seat. Scootaloo was near the window just watching Rainbow Dash bucking clouds with a melancholy expression. A tear came down her eye. ‘Why won’t she talk to me?’ she thought sadly. ‘She says she loves me, but she hasn’t come to see me once to see if I was okay after my mother died.’ She just couldn't understand why Dash was ignoring her. Twilight noticed her daughter’s distress. She looked up to see what Scootaloo was looking at. “Scootaloo… please don’t cry. I promise that after we come back from our trip to Canterlot we’ll talk with Rainbow Dash at the first opportunity. Okay?” She rubbed her daughter’s head gently.” “Pinkie Promise?” she asked, looking intensely at Twilight. “Yes, Scootaloo. Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She moved her hoof in the usual manner. Scootaloo nodded, satisfied. She tore her eyes away from Rainbow Dash. Her mother had made a promise to her, and she trusted Twilight, so she’d let it go for now. She rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight responded by draping a wing over Scootaloo as the train started to move. During the long train ride Scootaloo got a little cold so Twilight pulled her up on her lap. The two cuddled for quite some time. By the time they arrived the two were fast asleep. Scootaloo’s eyes opened at the sudden commotion as passengers began boarding and leaving. She looked out the window and saw they were in Canterlot. She nudged Twilight with her hoof. “Mom, we’re here!” she exclaimed. She did not want to miss a chance at meeting her grandparents all because they overslept. After a quick moment of trying to hold onto sleep Twilight’s eyes shot open in fear. She didn’t want to miss this chance to spend a day with her parents. Using her magic she grabbed both hers and Scootaloo’s suitcase. The train started whistling indicating that they need to hurry. Once Twilight got the suitcases she picked Scootaloo up in her magic, placing her on her back, and got out of the train just in time. Scootaloo got off Twilight’s back and looked around. “So where are my grandparents, mom?” the filly asked. Twilight looked around, observing every inch of the train station and saw her parents by the doors. “Over there, Scoots,” she said, pointing to the entrance. She and Scootaloo trotted over to them. Scootaloo began to slow down when they got close. All the courage Scootaloo had disappeared into a blush. Scootaloo hid behind Twilight, feeling a little scared and shy, and she couldn’t understand why. “Mom, Dad!” Twilight exclaimed, she ran up to her parents and gave them both a friendly hug “I haven’t seen you guys in forever. How have you guys been?” Scootaloo felt exposed as Twilight left her side, and stayed hidden behind another pony. “Ugh, great. I’m such a chicken. Why am I hiding? They’re not going to hurt me….or are they?” she wondered Twilight saw Scootaloo hiding and giggled. “Scootaloo, what are you doing? Come over here, silly.” She used her magic to put Scootaloo right next to her. Scootaloo hid her face with her wings. Twilight rolled her eyes “This is my daughter, Scootaloo, but she seems to be a bit scared.” She patted Scootaloo on the head hoping that would calm her nerves a little. Both Twilight Velvet and Night Light gasped with delight at seeing the orange filly. Twilight Velvet walked over to Scootaloo slowly and carefully. She didn’t want to scare her too much, “Oh, you poor dear. It’s okay. Your grandmare is here for you. You have nothing to fear,” she said calmly. Scootaloo put her wings back down and looked at her, giving a weak smile. “Hello,” she said in a small voice. Twilight Velvet smiled. “That’s right, cutie. We won’t hurt you.” She was surprised as she was suddenly tackled into a warm hug by the little filly. Twilight joined in the hug and soon her father did the same. After several minutes they separated from the hug and headed to Twilight’s parents’ house which was close to the palace. When they arrived Scootaloo saw many things in their home like trophies and pictures. One picture was of Shining Armor when he got married and the other was of Twilight becoming a princess. “So what kinda stuff do you like to do, Scootaloo?” Night Light asked curiously. If he was going to get to know Scootaloo then there was no time like the present. Pawing the ground a little Scootaloo told him that she does some great tricks on her scooter, and that she and her friends are in a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Oh, yeah. And I’m sisters with the most AWESOME pegasus ever: Rainbow Dash!” she said happily Twilight Velvet was the next to speak. She was a little curious on something. “You said you use your scooter right?” Scootaloo nodded. “Well, I figured you’d be doing tricks in the air like your idol instead of on the ground. Can’t you fly?” Scootaloo’s ears drooped and her lower lip quivered. That was one of many subjects Scootaloo would rather avoid. Even though Twilight promised to teach her it still made her sad. “No… I can’t. The doctor said I might just be a late bloomer,” she said quietly. Twilight Velvet grimaced. “Oh, you poor dear. I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll tell you what. How about I help you fly right now?” Her horn started glowing as she lifted Scootaloo into the air and began running around the living room with Scootaloo hovering right overhead in the aura of her magic. Scootaloo was having a blast, laughing away as she flapped her wings, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness. Twilight and Night Light just watched the two. After a few minutes she set Scootaloo down. “There you go,” she said as she placed a kiss on Scootaloo’s forehead. “Much better. You look best with a smile.” Scootaloo went into a fit of giggles as her grandmare started to tickle her belly. Once she finished Twilight Velvet smiled down at Scootaloo and asked, “Hey, do you like any types of books, Scoots?” she asked. Scootaloo nodded. “You bet! I love Harry Trotter and Daring Doo, ooh and even-” She trailed off, a little embarrassed at how passionate she was being about reading. “Well, that’s nice to hear. I got a present for you.” She pulled out the Harry Trotter box set. It had all seven books. “Do ya like it?” Twilight Velvet asked. She only received a nod and hug in return, Scootaloo trying to backpedal on her earlier enthusiasm. Hours passed by and Scootaloo, Night Light, Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet were headed off to do some fun things together. First on their list was to go to Donut Joe's place, then they would head to a store to buy Scootaloo some toys, and finally they were going to take Scootaloo to the Canterlot Amusement park. Entering Donut Joe’s place they started to take their order. Donut Joe had noticed the filly trailing behind them. Giving Twilight’s prestige as a princess and her dragon assistant’s love for his products he was well acquainted with the Sparkle family, and he knew he hadn’t seen her before. “And who are you, little filly? I didn’t know you had another foal, Miss Velvet,” Donut Joe said. Twilight Velvet blushed a little. “No, you see she’s not my foal. Twilight adopted Scootaloo after an accident with her mother.” Donut Joe’s expression changed to a frown “Well, that’s a lot to take in... I’m sorry to hear that happened, Scootaloo. Why don’t you have a few free donuts on me?” “Why, thank you, Joe. That’s awfully nice of you,” Night Light said. Scootaloo gave him a small smile. “Okay, if you insist.” Looking over the variety she picked out one each of a chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and glazed donut. Scootaloo took her tray to the table and started eating with the rest of her family. By the time Scootaloo finished she had frosting all over her face. Her mother and grandparents couldn’t help but laugh at how cute she looked. Twilight picked up a napkin and wiped the filly’s face, though Scootaloo squirmed every time Twilight did that. “Mom, stop that. It's embarrassing.” Once Twilight finished she kissed Scootaloo on the forehead. “But, Scootsy… that’s what a parent does. They embarrass their foals.” She let out a giggle. Twilight Velvet grinned “They do, do they? Well, Scootaloo. Should I tell you about the time Twilight tried performing a spell to make herself older?” Scootaloo shuck her head as her mother began to blush. “Well, you see Twilight wanted a later bed time so she thought that if she used a spell to make herself bigger than we’d have to let her stay up later. She messed it up pretty badly, somehow combining it with a teleportation spell. She landed right on top of Princess Celestia in the middle of the night, looking like an old hag.” Scootaloo began laughing hysterically, banging the table with her hoof. “Mo-om! You shouldn’t be telling Scootaloo that! It’s embarrassing,” Twilight said. “But Twilight,” said her mother, “You JUST said that embarrassing their foals is something parents do.” Twilight felt trapped by her own words, and sighed as she let herself laugh a little too. Once the family finished their laughter they left to vist the store to get Scootaloo some toys. They got Scootaloo the Wonderbolt plushie’s set and one Princess Twilight Sparkle plush. The filly was very happy. Now she could have her mom with her even when she wasn’t there. Twilight looked with some amusement and uneasiness at seeing herself as a stuffed animal. It seemed like no matter how much time passed she still just couldn’t fully get used to the idea of others bowing down to her and treating her like she was above them. Once finished they went to the amusement park, it was around 8:00 pm when they got down there. Hopping up and down Scootaloo said, “Let’s go on the Daring Dash roller coaster. I hear its epic.” “Okay, then. Let’s go,” Twilight Velvet said as they approached it. There were not very many ponies there for some reason. The ticket pony stopped Scootaloo from entering, “Sorry, kid, but you’re too short for this ride. You must be a mare to ride it.” “WHAT!” she said as some tears started to come out. Twilight ran over and brought Scootaloo into a hug. “Aww, it’s okay, sweetie. Maybe when you’re older, okay?” Scootaloo nods and hugs her. “I love you, mom. Hey, can we get some ice cream?” Twilight nodded. The four went to get some ice cream, but when they got there both Twilight and Scootaloo were surprised to see Pinkie pie giving away the ice cream. “Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked as Scootaloo wondered the same thing. “Oh,” Pinkie responded. “Well, ya see, Twilight, I just wanted to make more money so I got a weekend job in Canterlot. Isn’t that cool?” she said, smiling. “Plus, Donut Joe gives me free donuts every once in a while.” Twilight shrugged and just got their ice cream. After that they went on a few rides that were made for fillies. As lame as some of them were Scootaloo ended up liking it just because she was close to her family. At ten the park closed and they returned to Twilight’s parent’s house. Twilight picked up her suitcases. Scootaloo was sleeping on her back. “Well, mom, as much as I’d like to stay longer I can’t. I got to get back to Ponyville.” “We understand Twily. I mean, you run an empire. I’m sure it’s a lot of hard work. Come visit us sometime. Let us at least walk you to the train station.” “Okay.” After a short walk the two of them got on the last train to Ponyville. Twilight set Scootaloo down with her magic onto a seat, then walked back to her parents and gave them a hug. Twilight waved goodbye as the train started to move. She looked down at Scootaloo, picking her up and setting the filly on her lap. Scootaloo moaned a little and shifted her position, but stayed asleep. Twilight gently rubbed her back to help keep the filly settled down. “Okay. Now that this is taken care of... you better have a good reason for not seeing Scootaloo…Dash.” She laid her head on the back of the seat and let herself fall asleep, feeling so comfy with her little kitten on her lap.