The Fears of Yesterday

by SolidFire

The Fears of Yesterday

The Fears of Yesterday

Scootaloo dove away from Jade's attack, although just a half second too late. Half of her right ear landed on the floor of the home. Jade laughed as Scootaloo screamed. Blood flowed from the wound. Scootaloo looked up at him. After a very short time in thought, she came to one conclusion. He was not going to fly away from that house. Scootaloo flapped her wings. It would be easier to fight him from the air. She swooped down and caught his knife in her hoof. As much as it hurt to have a knife sunk halfway into any part of her, at least he was disarmed. Scootaloo was able to pull the knife out and toss it out a window.

"Now it's a fair fight. Something you're not entirely used to you pathetic mule." Jade swallowed. This could end badly for him. He took to the air. It was his only chance to win this one. Scootaloo tackled him back to the ground. He rolled on top of her and landed two powerful hits to her muzzle. Unwittingly, this gave Scootaloo a weapon. As he raised his hoof for a third strike, blood and two teeth sprayed across his face. Scootaloo pushed him off of her. As he stumbled back, she gave him a solid buck, planting one hoof into each of his wings. Judging by his scream and the new angle his wings rested at, he would not be flying anytime soon. Scootaloo dove after him and pulled him with her through the wall. She looked at him while they hovered high above the ground.

"You made my childhood a living hell, nearly drove me to suicide, and killed my mother! What can you say for that?!" Jade smiled.

"I guess I could make a stallion out of you after all." Scootaloo decided right then that simply dropping him wasn't enough. She turned and dove. When she couldn't pick up any more speed, she angled herself and kicked off of him, pushing him towards the ground. After the dust settled, she didn't need a close up to know that Jade was dead.

---

"Spitfire, what's wrong?" Rainbow was getting irritated at how distracted her wife was. Snowstorms were difficult enough to make without having a worker who couldn't keep up.

"I just... mom sense. Something's happening." As much as Rainbow wanted to reprimand her wife as she would any other employee, this time she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening either.

"BLITZ!"

"Yes Rainbow Dash?"

"You're in charge for the rest of the day. Spitfire and I need to check something out." Blitz chuckled.

"Sure thing, but normally my wife and I wait until after work to-" He was cut off by Rainbow's hoof being pressed firmly against his throat.

"This involves our daughter. Any more questions?" Blitz gulped. He knew not to agitate Rainbow when she was pissed. He nodded.

"EVERYPONY! SPITFIRE AND RAINBOW ARE HEADING OUT! RAINBOW DASH LEFT ME IN CHARGE! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS STORM DONE BY NOON!” All the pegasi nodded in agreement. They didn't question changes in leadership when Rainbow was present. When Blitz turned to see the two mares off, they were already gone.

---

Spitfire tested the door.

"Rainbow, it's open." They cautiously stepped inside. They stared in horror at the mess of blood and broken furniture in their home. Rainbow noticed something else as well. A piece of an ear. A piece of Scootaloo's ear. She choked back tears.

"Spitfire..." When Spitfire saw what Rainbow was pointing at her eyes welled with tears. They were distracted by a loud noise from outside. When they looked out the window relief flooded over them when they saw Scootaloo flying slowly up to the house. Before Scootaloo could react, she was yanked through the window and pulled into a loving embrace. Not knowing who she had just been hug-raped by, she planted a hoof square in Rainbow's muzzle.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR SCOOT!" Upon hearing Rainbow's voice, Scootaloo sighed.

"Sorry Ma. I... Jade... he's dead." Spitfire and Rainbow looked at their daughter.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Spitfire asked.

"Jade's dead. I killed him." Scootaloo began to cry. "I killed him, I killed Jade." Spitfire pulled her close. Rainbow looked out the window and saw the crater left when Jade hit the ground.

"Wow, you really did a number on the ground." Scootaloo allowed herself a small chuckle at Rainbow's comment.

"Come on, let's go see if Nurse Redheart can get that ear fixed." Spitfire found it increasingly difficult to look at her daughter when she was missing half an ear.

"I'll go to the guard outfit the Princess sent here. They'll want this taken care of as soon as possible," Rainbow added. With that, the three mares flew off towards Ponyville, unaware of the small grey colt below them.

Steel walked over to his father. He knew something was wrong. Ponies weren't supposed to bend like that. And their blood and bones were supposed to stay inside them.

"Daddy?" Steel gave Jade a tentative push. "Daddy wake up. Come on Daddy, wake up." Steel began to cry and push his father harder. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP DADDY WAKE UP!" Steel eventually realized his father wasn't going to wake up. He didn't understand death yet, but he knew in the back of his mind that he wasn't going to talk to his father again. He curled up next to Jade's body and wept.

---

At the hospital, Scootaloo attempted to twitch her ear. It had been reattached, but the cast that had been put over it did not allow for it to move. Her hoof was wrapped in bandages as well, although it didn't hurt like her ear did. The Royal Guard had already spoken to her and found Jade's body. Steel was at the hospital in a room down the hall from Scootaloo. Nurse Redheart wanted to examine him and make sure he was alright before she released him into the care of the Dash family.

Spitfire and Rainbow were signing the papers giving them the right to maternity. Scootaloo would have to sign them too given that she was technically Steel's legal guardian. In about six months she would be too far away to take care of him. Scootaloo sighed. That meant she had six months to develop a good relationship with him. That was if her parents were willing to keep him. He was certainly going to be difficult. He wasn't taking things well. He had just lost his father and was now hearing that Jade was a monster. He did not accept what he was being told, primarily because the ponies who were telling him all of it were ponies Jade had warned him not to trust.

Rainbow was already considering talking to Twilight and Big McIntosh about possibly taking him in. She knew it would be a lot to ask of the couple, but she hoped they'd say yes in the event that Steel became too much for them. Scootaloo wasn't about to let her parents give up on Steel easily, but she knew it was a possibility that he wouldn't be living with them long. However, Rainbow and Spitfire had promised they would not send him to anypony that would be leaving Ponyville anytime soon, and it would definitely be one of their close friends. That way Scootaloo could visit Steel whenever she wanted. Scootaloo would be fine with this as long as they attempted to raise him. An agreement was made.

---

Steel had struggled the entire flight home. Everything was moving too fast for him. First they tell me I can't see Daddy again and now I'm going to live with evil ponies? What is happening? Scootaloo had all she could do to hang onto him. Spitfire flew just under her so she could catch him if he got loose and Rainbow was ready to dive after him if he struggled free of both of them. They finally got to their home after a significantly longer flight than usual. Scootaloo was in a daze. She had lost a fair amount of blood from her ear and the the struggle to hold Steel had worn her out. Steel was too worn out to struggle as Spitfire put him to bed across the hall from Scootaloo. It was then that Lightning's voice was heard throughout the house.

"What the HAY happened here?! Is everypony alright?!" Spitfire looked calmly at Lightning.

"Everything's fine, just calm down. There's a sleeping colt just down the hall."

"Sleeping colt? It's only three-thirty... wait, colt? You don't mean-"

"Yes, she means Steel." Scootaloo leaned against her coltfriend. "Jade's dead." Lightning looked over Scootaloo. Her right ear and left hoof were both wrapped in bandages.

"What happened to you? You look like you just fought a manticore!" Scootaloo lowered her head. Then it hit Lightning.

"You killed Jade didn't you?" Scootaloo began to cry softly as she sat on her haunches. Lightning wrapped a wing around her.

"I could have let him live. I was just so angry... I didn't have to kill him but-"

"Stop Scootaloo, it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong." The fact that Scootaloo felt even the slightest pang of guilt over what she had done astounded Lightning. He couldn't find any reason for her to feel guilty over killing him. After making her life as horrible as it could be, and killing her mother, she felt guilt for taking his life.

"I feel dizzy... I'm sorry Lightning, but I need to get some rest." Lightning was alright with it. He wanted to talk to her parents as it was. He wasn't going to get a good explanation from Scootaloo right then. He gave her a quick nuzzle and watched as she headed to her room.

"Spitfire, what hap-"

"She was defending herself. Jade had broken in for reasons nopony will ever know. According to Scoot he said he hoped things wouldn't have had to get messy, so he wasn't here to hurt anypony." Spitfire looked in the direction of her daughter's room. "She values life more than anypony I've ever met. The fact that she took a life, even that of a monster like Jade, is going to tear her apart as long as she lives." Lightning understood. He knew Scootaloo well enough to know that just because she was a tough pony who had no qualms about throwing a punch didn't mean she would ever want to kill somepony. As long as he knew her he had never heard her verbally express a desire to kill Jade unless she was talking tough.

"I think I need a drink... and I don't even drink..." Rainbow groaned as she stepped into the living room. Spitfire leaned against Rainbow.

"Looks like I'll be cooking for four now," Spitfire said.

"For now at least. I don't know how this kid is going to take to living with us. Scootaloo was easy because she wanted a family, but Steel? He had one, miserable as it was, and it was taken away from him. The deaths of both of his parents revolve around our family. He's not going to enjoy this." Spitfire sighed.

"We have to give it a try. For Scoots’ sake and for his." Lightning looked at the mares in front of him in awe. They were about to take on what would likely be the most difficult responsibility they would ever have. And they were willing to do it without looking back.

"He couldn't have asked for better parents than you guys." Lightning tried to comfort them. Spitfire sighed again.

"I just hope he sees it that way."

Author's Note:

Disclaimer again, I don't take credit for this story, as it is an approved re-post from the original author, coupled with the permission of the site's staff. I got a bunch done this past twenty-four hours, so expect a bunch of chapters today as my gift to all you followers and the fans of the original author of these stories.

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Damn...