Scootaloo’s New Family
By Alaborn
Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.
Chapter 9: A Conversation in the Garden (Scootaloo’s New Family)
Scootaloo ran through the dining room, just trying to get away. She was painfully aware of the fancy dress she wore, and heard the metallic ring of each shod hoof as it touched the stone floor. She wanted none of it, if it meant having to be princess of the unicorns.
She was vaguely aware of Flash Sentry chasing after her. She used her size and agility to maneuver through the crowd, but the pegasus stallion continued to pursue her.
The crowd was filled with the familiar noble ponies, and all eyes fell on her. Whispers filled the crowd. They somehow already knew what had transpired. Some looked at her with pity. Others had this smug expression.
And then there was one unicorn couple that spoke loud enough for her to hear.
“Fancy Pants and Fleur have become quite the talk of town with that thestral filly they adopted,” the mare said. “Jet Set, we must keep up!”
“Yes, dear,” the stallion replied. “Look, there’s a homeless waif we could claim for our own!”
“I’m not homeless!” Scootaloo shouted. “And I don’t even know what a waif is!”
Scootaloo ran, trying to get out of the house. The ballroom had large windows along the far wall. Windows meant outside, which meant there had to be a door.
There! A large glass double door opened to the outside, and Scootaloo took it. She exited into what could only be described as an imitation of the royal gardens at the palace. Neat stone walkways, benches, sculpted bushes, and rows of trees greeted her. And the guests who had stepped outside to enjoy the evening looked at her.
“Nope!”
Scootaloo crossed the manicured lawn, trying to get away from all the ponies. She ran and ran until she finally had to pause and catch her breath. Even out here, there were ponies. But these ponies, a unicorn couple just showing the signs of age, didn’t look at her. They sat on a bench, close together, their heads turned to the sky.
Flash Sentry caught up to Scootaloo; the stallion was also out of breath. “Are you okay, Scootaloo?” he asked.
“I just needed to get away from the crowd,” she replied.
The unicorn couple looked at Scootaloo. “There’s room on the bench if you’d like to sit,” the mare said.
Scootaloo shrugged. They seemed nice, a lot nicer than the rest of the ponies at the party. She hopped on the bench. With her dress, she barely fit on the remaining space.
Scootaloo looked at the gaudy shoes still on her hooves. With her mouth, she tried to undo the straps holding them on, and got nowhere.
“Let me help you, dear,” the mare said. Her horn glowed, and her magic untied the straps.
“Thanks,” Scootaloo said. “So, why are you all the way out here?”
“Oh, we’re not much for these parties,” the mare replied.
“We’re always happy for the invitation, but after talking with our good friends and enjoying dinner, there’s little else to do,” the stallion said.
“Oh, we could spend the evening dancing, but why do that, when the night sky is so beautiful?” the mare added.
Scootaloo noticed the two unicorns’ cutie marks. With a moon and stars, she thought their appreciation of the night sky was not unexpected. She leaned back and looked to the sky. It was beautiful. It reminded her of the night sky when she was camping with Rainbow Dash and the Crusaders. After yet another crazy family, she appreciated this quiet moment. She could get used to this.
“So, I don’t suppose you’re looking to adopt a filly?” Scootaloo asked.
“What do you think, dear? I do miss the clip-clop of little hooves around the house,” the mare said.
“So do I. But foals are for ponies younger than us. That’s why there are grandfoals.”
The mare smiled. “I would just love a little grandfoal to spoil rotten. We could feed her all the sweets she could eat, and then give her back to her parents afterward.”
“Now, dear, our children have to do their part first.”
The two unicorns looked at Flash Sentry. He tugged at his collar nervously.
“Why don’t you spend the night with us, Scootaloo?” the stallion said.
“Wait. You know me?”
“Of course. We heard all about what the princess did,” the stallion said.
“It reminded us of what our daughter did when she was a filly,” the mare said with a smile. “We’ll tell you on the way.”
“I’m sure you want to get out of that dress first,” the stallion said. “We’ll wait here.”
Scootaloo got out of her dress, leaving it with the servants. Meanwhile, Flash Sentry went to retrieve Scootaloo’s belongings. He returned a while later, also having changed back into his armor. Together, they left the party, sharing a carriage.
“So, what did your daughter do?” Scootaloo asked.
“Just like you, she thought she would be happy with a different family,” the mare said.
“I think she got mad because we chastised her for staying up too late again,” the stallion said. “I remember that she was a bit younger than you at the time.”
“She decided she wanted her teacher to be her new mother. Of course, we didn’t think that’s what she really wanted. But her teacher spoke to us. She said many of her students over the years had wanted to be part of her family, and they always changed their mind later. She suggested we let her go.”
“Our daughter only lasted one night with her new family. She missed her bed, missed her big brother, missed the way we tucked her in, and missed the aroma of our morning tea. She missed everything familiar, and realized it wasn’t worth giving all that up just for the prospect of staying up later.”
“Did you let her stay up later afterward?” Scootaloo asked.
“No, but she always did it anyway,” the stallion said.
“The poor dear never learned the importance of a good night’s sleep,” the mare said.
“And speaking of that, a young filly like you needs a good night’s sleep.”
Scootaloo started to say that she wasn’t tired, but she was interrupted as she yawned.
The carriage arrived at a modest home, one of many similar homes in a quiet neighborhood. The house was stone, with the old-fashioned architecture common to Canterlot, and it was clean and well-maintained. Only a small stretch of grass separated the house from its neighbors.
“Welcome to our home, Scootaloo, Flash Sentry.”
The unicorns opened the door to their home, and Scootaloo followed them inside. The ponies might have been empty nesters, but the numerous family portraits on the wall suggested their thoughts remained with their children. Scootaloo looked at one of the portraits. The colt in the picture looked somewhat familiar, but the filly was unmistakable.
“Wait. Your daughter is Twilight Sparkle?”
“Of course,” Night Light said.
“Don’t you remember meeting us at Shining Armor’s wedding?” Twilight Velvet said.
Scootaloo scratched her head. “I guess I forgot.” She had spent most of the time at the wedding with her friends and watching Rainbow Dash.
The four ponies retired to the kitchen. Night Light made coffee, and Twilight Velvet brought out milk and cookies.
“I don’t get it,” Scootaloo said, munching on a chocolate chip cookie. “If Twilight knew finding a new family didn’t work for her, why didn’t she tell me that?”
“Would you have listened to her if she did?”
“No,” Scootaloo admitted. She recalled just how certain she had been that Rainbow Dash would be the best mother for her. That seemed like so long ago. “I’m sure I would have said it was different for me.”
“We may be different kinds of ponies, but we share certain similarities,” Night Light said. “And never being perfectly happy with our families is one of them.”
“I wouldn’t say that, dear,” Twilight Velvet said. “I’ve always been happy with you.”
“And I with you,” Night Light said. The couple nuzzled.
Scootaloo made a gagging sound and mimed sticking her hoof down her throat.
“I think a certain cranky filly needs her sleep,” Twilight Velvet said. “Let’s get rooms ready for our guests.”
Like many other recent nights, Scootaloo found herself in somepony’s guest bedroom. It was clean and comfortable, with a soft bed. But for the first time in a while, she wasn’t thinking of it as her new bedroom.
She heard a soft rapping on the door. “Can I come in, Scootaloo?” Flash Sentry asked.
“Sure,” she replied.
Flash Sentry sat down at the foot of the bed. “Do you know where you want to go tomorrow?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Scootaloo said.
“Maybe we could go to the Crystal Empire? I know Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are looking to start a family, and are hoping for a crystal pony foal to show their love for the Empire. But it’s still unknown if alicorns can bear foals. You know, some scholars say it makes sense they can’t, because the magical power of an alicorn foal would be dangerous for everypony around them.”
Scootaloo thought about the offer. “Would they try to turn me into a crystal pony?”
Flash Sentry looked around nervously. He recalled how Princess Cadance had said, multiple times, that she hoped her heir would be a symbol of unity for the crystal ponies. “Um, maybe?”
“No thanks, then,” she said. She pulled the covers over herself.
“Scootaloo? Where do you want to go tomorrow?”
“Back to Ponyville,” she said.
“Okay. We’ll take the morning train.” Flash Sentry rose and gave a friendly mussing to Scootaloo’s mane.
“Say, Flash Sentry? Do you think....”
“I am in no position to take care of a foal,” he interrupted.
“Oh.”
“Good night, Scootaloo.”
“Good night,” she replied.
Flash Sentry left the room, closing the door behind him. In the dark and silence, Scootaloo sighed.
The smell of muffins baking greeted Scootaloo as she woke up the next morning. She followed her nose to the kitchen, where Night Light and Twilight Velvet were busy making a large breakfast. In addition to the fresh muffins, she saw eggs, hay bacon, toast, orange juice, and coffee. Flash Sentry was seated at the kitchen table, drinking coffee.
“Good morning, Scootaloo!” Twilight Velvet said. “Would you like breakfast?”
“We didn’t know what you wanted, so we made a little of everything,” Night Light said.
“Thanks. It all smells great,” Scootaloo said. “I guess I’ll have eggs and hay bacon, and one of those blueberry muffins.”
Twilight Velvet levitated a plate to Scootaloo and set a glass of orange juice next to it. Scootaloo ate her breakfast in silence.
“Is something wrong, Scootaloo?” Flash Sentry.
“Just thinking, you know?” After learning that Twilight Sparkle had had personal experience being in her situation, she was still wondering why she let her follow in her hoofsteps. Even stranger, she had encouraged her.
Well, not really encouraged, per se. But she was always eager to learn how her attempts to find a new family had gone.
They finished breakfast, and Scootaloo and Flash Sentry gathered their belongings. The two guests said their goodbyes.
“Safe travels,” Night Light said.
“It was nice for you to visit, Scootaloo,” Twilight Velvet said. She embraced the filly in a very grandmotherly way.
“I just can’t get away from this mushy stuff!” Scootaloo complained.
Once on the train, Scootaloo stared out the window. She ruminated on her experiences over the past days, still possessing a nagging feeling that she was missing something.
And finally, when she caught the first sign of Ponyville in the distance, she realized what it was.
Scootaloo burst through the door to Twilight Sparkle’s castle, leaving Flash Sentry behind. A quick check with Spike told her that she could be found in the library. Scootaloo found Twilight Sparkle there; the alicorn was organizing the shelves again.
Twilight Sparkle looked at Scootaloo, seeing the smile on the filly’s face. “Scootaloo! You’re back! Did you find a family?”
“No, but I did talk to your parents. Why didn’t you tell me you tried this yourself?”
“It was a lesson that could only truly be learned through experience,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And did you learn something?”
“Yeah! I finally figured out why you allowed me to leave my parents, caring for me in their absence, while I tried to find the perfect family for me,” Scootaloo said.
“Yes?”
Scootaloo smiled broadly. “I will gladly be your daughter, Twilight Sparkle!”
Scootaloo’s smile faltered when Twilight Sparkle responded by banging her head against the nearest bookshelf.
“That wasn’t your plan?” Scootaloo asked quietly.
“Scootaloo, dear. You are a wonderful filly with a lot of potential,” Twilight Sparkle said calmly. “But back when the Cakes had their twins, I put together a list of 72 reasons I wasn’t ready to be a mother. And in the short time you’ve stayed with me, I’ve added another 37 entries to the list.”
“But... but....” Scootaloo fell to her haunches. “I was sure this time!”
Twilight Sparkle wrapped a wing around Scootaloo. “You still have the rest of summer, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo’s shoulders slumped. “I give up. Send me to the orphanage.”
Twilight Sparkle rose. “Don’t give up hope yet, Scootaloo. I do know one couple that would be happy to welcome you into their family. Why don’t we meet them for lunch?”
She lifted her head. “Really?”
“Really.”
Scootaloo stirred her glass of water with her straw, watching the ice spin around the glass. She bit into another fresh daisy, and chewed on the stem as she looked down the street. After she and Twilight Sparkle had gotten the table, the alicorn teleported away to pick up her new family. That left Scootaloo at the cafe’s outdoor table, alone with her thoughts. Like, if Twilight Sparkle knew about this interested family, why didn’t she tell her sooner?
She scanned the streets, looking for the alicorn’s colors. Or should she be watching the sky? Maybe it was a pegasus couple. She wondered what they would be like, and her thoughts immediately went to wondering what would be wrong with them.
Scootaloo realized she was tired of finding new ways to be disappointed. She almost wished she could go back to her old, familiar problems. But that wasn’t possible.
The filly saw Twilight Sparkle appear from around the corner. She was followed by a pegasus mare and an earth pony stallion who looked a lot like.... Wait. They were!
Scootaloo jumped to her hooves. “Mom? Dad?”
“Hello, Scootaloo,” her father said.
“I missed you, dear,” her mother said, scooping her up in a hug.
Scootaloo looked to Twilight Sparkle. “I thought you said I couldn’t go back to a family?”
“I seem to recall saying that once you chose a family and decided they weren’t the right family for you, you couldn’t go back to them,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “Right now, you still have to decide if you want to choose this family.” Scootaloo looked ready to speak, but Twilight Sparkle raised a hoof. “Why don’t you talk to them, and see if they’re a good fit?”
Scootaloo looked at her parents. “You really missed me?”
“Very much, dear,” her mother said.
“It was good to have more time to focus on Dasher and Striker, but our home felt empty without you,” her father said.
“And with spending time with them, we learned a few things,” her mother added.
“Did you finally see the trouble those two got into?”
“Very much so,” her mother replied. “Oh, they tried to be perfect angels with you gone.”
“Lasted about sixteen hours, if I had to guess,” her father continued.
“Let’s just say we got a better idea of their tricks, and we know what to watch for,” her mother said.
“Where are they?” Scootaloo asked.
“They’re foalsitting the twins. They’re old enough to watch them for a short time, you know.”
Her father placed a hoof on her withers. “I’m hoping I can spend more time with you, Scootaloo,” he said. “I can’t avoid bringing work home, but I decided I can save it until after you’re all asleep.”
“I think all of our children need some dedicated time with their parents,” her mother said.
“So what do you think? Are you ready to give a couple of old fools like us another chance?” her father asked.
Scootaloo smiled. “Yes!” she shouted, jumping up. Everypony else at the cafe looked to her table after that outburst. She blushed and sat back down.
“Welcome to the family,” her mother said. She embraced her, and her father held them both.
“Mom! Dad! Not in public!”
“And done!” Twilight Sparkle said. “It’s the perfect ending to the story.”
Scootaloo looked at the alicorn. At some point, she had summoned a scroll and quill, and she had written quite a bit. “Wait. Was this all some experiment?”
“Not an experiment, but I have been very interested in seeing what would happen when you sought a new family,” Twilight Sparkle said. “You see, Princess Celestia has been encouraging me to write books for foals, helping them to learn lessons in friendship. And the time I wanted her to be my mother was a very important friendship lesson. But my own experiences wouldn’t be enough to make a book. I would have a hard time even filling a chapter!
“When you had the same idea that I had as a filly, it reinforced that this was a lesson that would be worth teaching to all the colts and fillies who sometimes dreamed of having a different family. And I was sure you would generate experiences that could fill a book.”
“The princess thought you’d be gone for a week. I told her she shouldn’t underestimate your stubbornness,” her mother said.
“We kind of thought you’d be gone all summer,” her father said.
“I now have plenty of material to write a story about a filly seeking her ideal family, in a world where everypony has their own quirks,” Twilight Sparkle said. “So thank you, Scootaloo.”
“Do you want to go home now?” her mother asked.
“Nah. It’s a beautiful day. Let’s have tea and desserts,” Scootaloo said.
“Sticking your brothers with foalsitting duties a while longer?” her father said.
Scootaloo smiled, picturing her earth pony brothers chasing after two highly mobile pegasus foals. “The thought may have crossed my mind.”
Scootaloo’s father had to return to work, but Scootaloo stayed with her mother and Twilight Sparkle, enjoying the fine summer weather and delicious cookies. She talked with her mother, hearing about everything she missed while she was off looking for another family. Eventually, Twilight Sparkle gently suggested it was time to go.
For the last time, Scootaloo loaded her belongings into her wagon and hooked it up to her scooter. She rode slowly, keeping up with the walking pace set by her mother and Twilight Sparkle.
She was halfway home when a thought hit her. “Wait a minute. Where am I going to sleep? Didn’t you give my room to Striker?”
“Well, we did, but we have somewhere else for you to sleep now,” her mother said.
“Huh?”
“Scootaloo, I can’t just use your story in a book I write. That would be illegal,” Twilight Sparkle said. “In order to use your story in my book, I needed to acquire the rights. And so I paid a fair price to your parents for the right to incorporate your experiences into my future book.”
“And we put that money to use to address our biggest problem at home, namely that our house is not big enough for a family of seven,” her mother said. “So we hired an architect to plan some renovations.”
“With a little encouragement from yours truly, we found construction workers to turn around the project quickly,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“And it just so happens that the construction is now complete,” her mother said.
The group turned the corner onto the cul-de-sac where Scootaloo lived, and immediately noticed the difference in her house. The second floor was much larger.
“We expanded the living room and kitchen downstairs, added a bathroom, and on the upper level, we added two bedrooms, one for you and one for the twins,” her mother said.
Scootaloo zoomed ahead, eager to see her new home. Her mother and Twilight Sparkle took wing behind her. Scootaloo spun to a stop, resting her scooter against the wall, and ran inside. She smiled at seeing the two older of her four brothers collapsed on the couch, while the twins chewed on their manes.
She ran up the stairs, stopping at seeing two closed doors. Her mother flew up and landed beside her. “This is your new room, Scootaloo. And since it’s new construction, we could add the appropriate drains and vents....”
Scootaloo pushed open the door to her room. “My own cloud bed!” She jumped onto her bed, bouncing on its springy surface. She heard a rumble of thunder, and then the sound of rainfall.
Her mother pulled her off the bed by the scruff of her neck, and then pushed her magic into the cloud bed to stop it from shedding moisture. “I’ll need to teach you how to care for a cloud bed first.”
“Got it.”
Twilight Sparkle walked into the room. “So what do you think? Do you want to make this your new family?”
“I don’t know. They seem kind of weird,” she replied.
Twilight Sparkle looked at her. Scootaloo smiled and hugged her mother.
“But they’re my kind of weird.”