Counting the days
Rainbow Dash woke up on her couch feeling stiff again. I gotta get back to sleeping on cloud beds. That solitary thought set off an avalanche of questions. Do I need to buy a second bed? How long is Scootaloo staying here? Can I even take care of a filly? What about the Wonderbolts? Before she could further contemplate what other life changes may or may not be heading her way, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of tiny hooves skittering down the stairs.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash, check this out!” Scootaloo said as she took a flying leap from halfway down the stairs, fluttering her wings furiously to control her descent. Unfortunately, her flapping didn’t quite have the desired effect and the filly landed awkwardly, falling head first and becoming a gangly mess of tangled limbs and purple mane rolling to the bottom.
Rainbow hid her chuckle with a grimace as Scootaloo clumsily stood up trying to shake off the effects of her tumble. “Easy there squirt. Maybe you should work on gliding a little more before you go launching yourself off any more stairs.”
Scootaloo looked disappointed in her failure to impress her idol but she quickly brightened up. “So what are we going to do today, Rainbow Dash?” She said with a wide smile and impossibly optimistic eyes.
“Umm... I’m not sure.” It was a Monday; Scootaloo did have school, and Rainbow was scheduled to take a shift on the weather patrol, but Rainbow also knew that if she or Scootaloo left the house, they forfeited the protection that Twilight’s stunt afforded them. Rather than deal with the possible implications of what the rest of the day might hold, Rainbow simply suggested, “How ‘bout we start by making breakfast?”
The two ponies went into the kitchen and began preparing eggs as though it was just another day. About halfway through, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. At the sudden intrusion, Rainbow instantly tensed up and instinctively put herself between Scootaloo and the door. Cautiously, she stepped forward, letting out a sigh of relief when she looked through the peephole only to see Twilight standing patiently in her doorway. “Hey Twi’. Have you heard anything?” she said as she opened the door.
In contrast to Rainbow Dash, Twilight was anything but relieved. “Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville. She’s guaranteed you and Scootaloo immunity for the day so that we can get this worked out.”
“Aww, does this mean I have to go to school?” Scootaloo said from the kitchen.
“Yeah, Scoots, you have to go to school,” came Rainbow’s response.
“You’re not going to make me move back in with him, are you?” Scootaloo said as she came over and pressed herself close to Rainbow.
Twilight forced a smile, trying to mask her unease at the question. “We’re going to do everything we can to prevent that.”
Rainbow Dash tousled Scootaloo’s mane. “Hey, don’t worry, Scoots. This is me and Twi’ you’re talking to. Between her brains and my wings, we’ve got this covered. Now why don’t you get back to the kitchen; the eggs are going to burn.”
The little filly scurried away and Twilight looked at Rainbow with anxiety written all over her face. “Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia is coming here personally. I don’t know what else I can do to protect you or her.”
“Hey, I’m as scared as you are, but she doesn’t need to know that.”
“I guess you’re right. The princess is meeting us at noon in the library. I don’t think she expects this to take long. ”
“What does that mean?”
“It means if there were ever a time for you to pull a miracle out of thin air, this is it.”
After a hastily scarfed down breakfast, Rainbow flew Scootaloo down to school, and after she took her place in the room, made sure to impress on Cheerilee the importance of not letting Scootaloo leave with anypony except her. For her part, Cherilee tried to explain to Rainbow the school's policy regarding who was allowed to take a filly out of school, but the urgency in Rainbows voice convinced her that maybe just this once she should let the policy slide.
Princess Celestia wasn’t scheduled to arrive in Ponyville ‘til later in the day, so Rainbow clocked in early for her weather patrol shift and cleared the clouds as she tried to keep busy. As long as she was doing stuff, her mind couldn’t wander too far. Nevertheless, as she flew from cloud to cloud, she couldn’t help but think about how terrified Scootaloo looked. It felt like a lifetime ago, even if it was only two days. Rainbow wasn’t sure exactly how she was going to keep Celestia from ordering her to give back the young filly. She just knew she couldn’t let Scoots go back.
True to her reputation, Rainbow Dash was the last pony to arrive at the library at noon. When she got there, she found Twilight waiting with Princess Celestia, Lighting Strike and a pony she didn’t recognize. Scootaloo didn’t talk about her parents much, but at a cursory glance it was easy to identify the orange mare standing next to Lightning Strike as Scootaloo’s mother. She had the same color coat as her daughter; her mane was a shiny black but she shared her daughter’s purple eyes. Rainbow Dash found herself curious about what her cutie mark would be, but unfortunately she couldn’t quite make it out from her vantage point. She looked worried, whether that was because she was concerned about her daughter’s well being, or because she was standing next to Lightning Strike, Rainbow wasn’t sure. Captain Strike stood to the right of Celestia, a satisfied smirk on his face and a sinister gleam in his eye. Princess Celestia looked as regal as ever, as though it was impossible for her to be anything other than the most elegant pony in the room. Her face betrayed no emotion.
“Thank you for coming Rainbow Dash. I must say I am surprised that a family dispute has risen to the level of international diplomacy, but here we are.” Celestia spoke in a tone that she usually reserved for visiting dignitaries. It wasn’t hostile, but there was a weight behind it, letting all who heard it know that the Princess was indeed the mare who united all of Equestria under her rule. Those who forgot that fact did so at their own peril.
“Now first off, Twilight Sparkle, I did not induct you into the royal court so that you could use your position to make a mockery of Equestrian Law. Scootaloo’s mother, Captain Lightning Strike and I would all like you to explain why you felt the need to create a new country inhabited by only one citizen.”
Twilight kept her voice remarkably calm, even considering that she was being chastised by her mentor. “Princess Celestia, you made me a Princess so that I could better protect the citizens of Equestria, and you sent me to Ponyville so that I could learn about friendship. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about friendship, it’s that you stand by your friends, even if... especially if it’s hard. Rainbow Dash is my friend and she needed my help. I’d do it again and I’d do a thousand times worse if she needed me to. It was the only way I could think of to help her.”
Celestia cracked the faintest smile at Twilight’s explanation. It was hard to tell if she was more proud that her student stuck by her friends or that she stood by her convictions. “You have supported your friend admirably, but Scootaloo’s mother wants her daughter back and your actions are keeping them apart. Here is what will happen: Rainbow Dash, you will abdicate your 'throne' and dissolve your 'kingdom'. In return Captain Strike has agreed to drop the foalnapping charge and forget this ever happened.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head solemnly. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that Princess; not until he gets locked up.”
Scootaloo’s mother spoke next. “Scootaloo has had a hard time accepting my dating practices ever since her father died. I’ve certainly never seen Lightning hit her. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I ….appreciate… that you were trying to protect her, but she needs to come home now.”
“Captain Strike has served me with loyalty and distinction for many years. I owe him my life, and at the very least I owe him the benefit of the doubt. Now, you claim that he is abusing Scootaloo, but you can offer no proof; there are no hospital records to back up your story, no witnesses to the alleged crimes. I will not take a daughter from her mother based on the testimony of one filly, no matter how frightened you think she is.”
Twilight spoke up. “Princess, I did a magical scan yesterday. Scootaloo had a cracked rib, if you would just let FPS conduct a full investigation-”
“C’mon, she probably got that from crashing into a tree. How much more of this horseapple do I have to put up with?” Lightning Strike said, letting his anger slip through his otherwise calm veneer.
Celestia regarded Lightning Strike’s outburst with a faint sense of curiosity. “I have known Twilight Sparkle for many years, and while I have known Rainbow Dash for less time, nothing in her past has indicated to me that she is anything but as honest and forthright as Princess Twilight. I do not believe they would be so adamant if they were not truly worried, and I do not believe they would be truly worried if they did not have good reason to be. I will let FPS conduct their investigation. During that time I will allow Scootaloo to stay with Rainbow Dash, if you are still willing to care for her that is. If not, I can arrange for her to be placed into temporary foster care.”
At the mention of foster care, Rainbow Dash found herself getting defensive. Recognizing that now was not a good time to snap at the most powerful mare in Equestria, she swallowed her emotions and spoke. “No, I’d like to keep looking after her, if that’s okay.”
Celestia smiled warmly. “Of course it is. Now will you please agree to dissolve your newfound kingdom. Having a territory encapsulated in Equestria creates more problems than you or Twilight are aware of.” Rainbow Dash nodded, confident that Scootaloo would be safe for the time being without diplomatic immunity. Celestia's smile was replaced with a stern frown as she turned to Lightning Strike. “Captain Strike, there appears to be enough here to warrant concern. For your sake, I hope you have not been lying to me.”
Lightning Strike gritted his teeth and nodded. Scootaloo’s mother turned and looked at Lightning Strike as though she was actually considering the possibility that Scootaloo had been telling the truth. A look of horror flashed on her face only to quickly disappear.
“It is settled then. Now come, Twilight. It has been too long since we shared a meal. I wish to hear all about what you have been up to since last we spoke.”
Rainbow Dash quickly signed some papers that dissolved her kingdom. Twilight grinned happily and followed Princess Celestia out the door, presumably to a local cafe. Scootaloo’s mother hurried away quickly, still shaken by a possibility that she refused to let take root in her mind. Lightning Strike also left, presumably to head back in the direction of the barracks. With everypony else leaving, Rainbow Dash found herself alone. She breathed a sigh of relief; she had somehow managed to stave off disaster for at least a few days. Since she was technically done with her work for the day she figured she’d head over to Sugarcube Corner to bother Pinkie Pie, and maybe grab a cupcake for Scoots. No sooner had she left the library then she found Lighting Strike waiting for her. The stallion glared at her with a rage that she didn’t know was possible.
“You think you’ve won some sort of victory today, bitch? FPS won’t find anything. And when I get her back, I won’t just hurt her; I’m going to hurt that filly in ways you can’t possibly imagine. Then, when I’m finished, I’m coming for you. So enjoy it while it lasts, because I’ll be seeing you soon,” he said in a low ominous tone, lest anypony overhear.
A wave of fear washed over Rainbow Dash as she studied the stallion in front of her. Looking at him, Rainbow became aware that this was not some crazy lunatic who she could bait into making a mistake. He was a predator, lying in wait, cloaked amongst the shadows, absolutely certain of his superiority. She remembered her survival training from Wonderbolts camp: Predators feed off of fear. If you let them know you are afraid, you are as good as dead. Rainbow steadied both her walk and her voice. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she walked up to him, again pressing her nose against his, just like the first time they met.
“I’m counting the days.” she said in a tone that she prayed sounded more confident than she felt.
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he better not touch scootaloo, or i'll hurt him
Rainbow Dash should have been wearing a wire.
4128749 what can I say adorable scoots is adorable
fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/328/4/b/scootaloo_by_shho13-d4h7p3o.png
4135627 I agree personally I'd do a buncha artes to his ugly muzzle
To be precise these Artes
1. Sword Rain Alpha
2. Tiger Blade
3. Lightning tiger Blade
4. Lightning Tiger Blast
5. Rising Phoenix
6. Omega Tempest
4136391 OH GOD DAT IMAGE!
101 likes 1 dislike. who is this guy and why is he not hanging by his thumbs?
I say bring in the pony lie detector Applejack and have her listen in from a hidden room. That should punch some holes in Lightning Strike's stories. I'm glad Scoots' mom doesn't seem to have been aware of the abuse or condone it. I would love to see her buck Lightning Strike in the groin if she catches him harming Scoots and hold him off long enough for Rainbow to deliver a Sonic Rainboom punch to the face.
Lightning is being so very stupid. If Rainbow vanishes, is crippled or dies, there are several very powerful beings who'll take an interest in finding the truth. Hell, Luna already has an eye on him. Go ahead. Piss off the Goddess of dreams and nightmares.
Hope he likes coffee.
Rainbow Dash, you will abdicate your “throne” and dissolve your “kingdom”. In return Captain Strike
Just noticed I didn't change it to
Rainbow Dash, you will abdicate your 'throne' and dissolve your 'kingdom'. In return, Captain Strike
Fix it.
Really? You just said that, in front of two princesses, one Wonderbolt-in-training, and Scoots mom?
There is just one message for you
I mean, my gosh, why didn't you just say, "I'm a guilty a-hole, lock me up!" you might get there a bit quicker. Though, now I am just hoping for a sub-orbital nuke on your flank from a pretty purple princess!
bring him to justice Ace Attorney Investigations style!
Does anybody else get the feeling that this Celestia just doesn't give a buck about the situation beyond the fact that it's mildly inconveniencing her?
4137200 bad ass !
4144476 I do to her it is like "nah who cares"
4138183 Not to mention the rest of the Elements. I bet Fluttershy could sic Discord on him!
4144476 Well, she could have dismissed the whole thing, but she decided to bring in Foal Protection Services to do an evaluation instead of believing Lighting Strike. Not saying she's right, but for all we know the Griffons are being bastards and she's in negotiations with them to prevent war.
Lightning just keeps finding ways to make me hate him more.
Fps, take him down!
Grrrr hate is not a strong enough word to describe my feelings toward Lightning Strike! Poor Scootaloo!
Rainbow Dash is such a good sis though and Twi is making an awesome effort. 
Holy crap. Where's Elliot Stabler when you need him?
can rd brake lightnings collarbone plz
4271990 No......Where samual L jackson when you need him
Alrighty, there's a huge logical issue in this chapter.
And then you write:
Captain Strike has not been thrown in jail. Why did Rainbow dissolve her "kingdom"? Hm?
Wanting to make your villains understandable and relatable is admirable. MLP:FIM's villains have been great for that reason. Nightare Moon was jealous and wanted attention. Discord was a prankster and liked having fun, even at the expense of others. Chrysalis wanted to provide for her subjects. Sometimes though, such as Sombra or Tirek, a villain is just a cruel, vile creature beyond reason or understanding, a true monster.
Small mistake:
Having a territory encapsulated in Equestria creates more problems then you or Twilight are aware of.”
Should be than.
As for Lightening Strike. I've actually known people with that type of personality. They're called psychopaths. They don't feel remorse or pity, they feel enraged when they get caught because they got caught, and they look at others as a source of amusement... so if they find injuring others to be amusing, they won't think twice about doing it, especially to those who cannot fight back. You captured it well enough to give me the chills. I also keep waiting for him to show up and take Scootaloo away in some underhoofed way.
One potential criticism: He threatened Rainbow Dash with grievous bodily injury after he's done torturing Scootaloo. Certainly that's got to account for something as evidence? Unless it would just be a matter of her word against his, which would suck. He's been brought into question before the Princess, however, and Scootaloo's mother now.
As a former Marine, there's nothing I like better than a target silhouetted against the skyline, and this bastard just put himself in front of a bullseye.
So many emotions evoked is this chapter, as well as a sense of the tension building. Very well done!
4135880 I was literally just thinking that as I was scrolling down to read the comments
4418067
while I agree with what you wrote there is one error since he is able to make others think he is a normal good pony that would make him a sociopath not a psychopath.
a sociopath is able to act like a normal person to hide their evil were as a psychopath simply acts upon their insanity and darker tendancies.
Man, Celestia must REALLY have good faith in that ONE soldier. Multiple ponies put his heart and desires in question, and she just keeps on praising him. If two elements of harmony, and two princesses are what it took for her to finally notice something fishy... well, she may not be as perceptive as we thought.
So Scootalo's mom is so unimportant to the entire story that she doesn't even get a name? Just 'Scootaloo's mother'.
Bwa-huh? Celestia, the alicorn who controls the bucking sun itself, was in danger and had her life saved by that piece of trash?
He actually said this when Princess Celestia could have been right around the corner? That is an incredibly stupid thing to do. And yet Celestia still trusts him. Yeah, this Celestia is almost as big an idiot as Lightning Strike.
A CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GAURD wouldn't hurt a fly?
Anyone else see the problem here?
I studied basic psychology when I was in college; he sounds like he's got Antisocial Personality Disorder (the current term for psychopaths/sociopaths).
5004682 all of that is way true
After reading how Lightning Strike actually threatened one of the only reasons that he is still alive to threaten one of the only reasons that he is still alive to threaten one of the only reasons that he is still alive... I have a new message for him.
If you know what this song is about, then you should know that what Rainbow Dash will do to Lightning Strike if he lays a hand on her or Scootaloo will make what this guy did look like Risa (hopefully, you've seen Star Trek: The Next Generation, or even Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
And here is another message for Lightning Strike: This is another message for Lightning Strike. Of course Rainbow Dash would be saying the following words that Patrick Stewart said in the clip:
There is a country within another country (I think they're in Africa), so it's entirely possible to do.
I actually do have some relation to this sort of situation. (I'm not a child-abusing asshole, thank Celestia) I have an adopted younger brother who was born to teenage parents. They dropped out of school, got jobs and were fine, but they neglected him. He never got breast-feeded and he didn't have much strength. He was only about 5 months old when he was sent to a 24/7 daycare and thankfully, that's where his sad story ended. He's as strong as an ox now.
WHERE THE BUCK IS CHUCK NORRIS WHEN YA NEED 'EM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????????
5652053 your comment is perfect and i agree
4971117
C.S. Lewis said a thing about soldiers: Basically that in his experience (as a WWI veteran), the people who were invaluable heroes on the battlefield had an unfortunate tendency to be the same kind of people we throw in prison in civilian life. Chivalry and warrior codes exist because most cultures realize that people with talent for violence has to be kept in line, even when that talent is useful.
See, the sad thing is that Lightning Strike probably is a very good soldier, and as an officer in the Royal Guard he is somepony Celestia pretty much has to put a lot of trust in. Most likely, she is really hoping he is innocent, for the same reason Scootaloo's mom is: Because a lying child is vastly preferable to him being a sadistic criminal scumbag.
Plus, either way she needs to do it by the book. No matter how much she trusts Twilight and Rainbow, she has to remain neutral and unbiased in legal matters, or at least pretend that she is.
"Understandable" is actually quite possible for someone like Lightning Strike
... in fact their are people who spend there entire lives trying to understand such people, and some of those scholars are paragons of virtue I'm sure... they are known, among other things as "criminal psychologists". 
4142921
Except this is a Cutie Mark Crusader* with something of a tough-girl attitude... not admitting to a cracked rib at the time would be perfectly in-character for her.
*AKA 99.5% chance of awesome life, 0.5% chance of life ending in a smoking crater before getting Cutie-Mark.
A villain doesn't always have to be relatable or even have the audience understand why he does what he does. There are sadly just some fucked up people in the world who kill/rape/abuse others just because they can, enjoy it, find it fun, or what have you. The captain here is an example.
I'm leaving him room with e.m.e.t if I find him emet what have you got to say?.
wait he'll do worse if I put him in equestria!
he is a vary mean person and
#!!?!'##
IL RIP OF HIS DICK AND BEAT EVERYONE WITH IT!
Well...I do, just not the ones your thinking of. With certain events in my personal life...yeah, I can understand and relate to him. Not because I've hurt a child, mind you...
5652053
Fighting Segata Sanshiro. That's where.
7038051
Unfortunately it'll be a battle that'll last forever.