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// Full Names And Nicknames 
// Story: Of Tricks And Treats 
// by Starlight Shadow 
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"I'm going out." I called back into our house. 

My mom adjusted her glasses, nodding to show that she had heard me. My dad didn't say a word. My wings twitched in annoyance. "I'm going out. I'll probably be back super-late." 

"Mhm." This time my father spoke. He didn't look me in the eye, but neither of them really ever looked me in the eye. It was something. 

I snorted and stomped my front hoof. "I might lose my virginity to a stranger at twelve." 

"Please don't stamp your hooves on the wood floors, Scootaloo." My mother turned a page in her book. 

I stormed out, slamming the door. It was a cloudy night, with a few patches of stars shining through. My parents never cared about anything I did, why would they care about this? They did all the things parents are supposed to do - make sure I was at school on time, fed and watered me, et cetera or however it's pronounced. But they weren't so much parents as they were caretakers. They didn't ask me how my day was or tell me stories before bed or ruffle my mane and give me nicknames. I was always Scootaloo to them, not Scoots or Scoot or dear. Part of the reason I wished Rainbow Dash was my real biological sister was because she did all those things. 

As I got my scooter and rolled onto the path to Sweet Apple Acres, where I was going to meet Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, I recalled a particular conversation I had with Rainbow Dash after I'd managed to make it up to a low-drifting cloud. She had taken it upon herself to teach me to fly, since both my parents were unicorns. 

"Could you be my real mom?" I asked, the faint breeze blowing my mane to the sides of my face. 

Rainbow Dash was quiet for a second, then laughed, clapping me on the back. Part of me hoped she would say, "Of course, kiddo." but of course that wasn't happening. 

"Scoots, I failed at raising the doll my grandma got me, how the hay do you expect me to raise a living, breathing filly? Besides, you've got parents. I bet they take good care of you." 

I was quiet, staring down at the ground that seemed so far away on our little perch but was so close. "Yeah. Yeah, they do."

I don't know why I didn't tell Dash about my parents. Maybe it was because I didn't want to seem weak. Maybe deep down I thought that I was being selfish about the whole thing. But in any case, it's my little secret. I don't intend to introduce my parents to Rainbow Dash. They'll inevitably make her boring too. 

I rolled up to the front gates of Sweet Apple Acres, waving to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Hi, you guys!" 

"Hey there, Scoots!" Apple Bloom pulled me into a friendly hug. "You ready to go?" 

"You know it!" None of that mattered now. Tonight was for fun.