• Published 29th Aug 2015
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I'll Do Anything for You - The Abyss



Twilight and Rainbow have just started a new life with their newly-adopted daughter, Scootaloo, but the filly’s old parents have returned with a vengeance.

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A Familial Encounter, Part I

The trip to Cloudsdale didn’t take that long thanks to the two strong pegasi that pulled them along. With the moon at their back, they landed in the middle of an empty street a couple of blocks away from Rainbow’s parents’ house. A few ponies on the street peered at them for a few moments, but otherwise paid no attention to them.

While Rainbow used her muzzle to help Scootaloo get on her back, Spike glanced up at Twilight. “Uh... wanna cast that spell on me? It’d be pretty bad if I fell through the cloud,” he said with a chuckle.

“Even if she forgot, Rainbow would catch you because she’s the fastest flyer ever!” Scootaloo said, hopping up and down on Rainbow’s back.

“You got that right, squirt!” Rainbow looked over her shoulder, bit down on Scootaloo’s scarf, then yanked on it. “That tight enough? Don’t want you catching a cold out here.”

“Yeah, it’s fine, thanks! So where’s your house?”

“Just a little ways down the road and around that corner,” Rainbow said, pointing down the road. “Hey Twi, you know what time it is?”

The light from Twilight’s horn faded away, and as Spike hopped onto the cloud, she lit her horn again and fished a little timepiece from her saddlebag. “It’s eight thirty-four. You think your parents would still be up?” she asked, a little hint of worry plain in her tone.

“Of course! They’re night owls! Every time I snuck out of my bedroom after they put me to bed to get a snack, their light was always on, and I doubt that anything has changed since then. Come on, I’ll lead the way!”

“Alright, but first things first...” Twilight dug into her saddlebag and pulled out a small bag of bits. “Thank you for your services, kind sirs. Your service will not be needed anymore,” she said, levitating the bag of bits into the hoof of one of the guards. They nodded at her, then promptly took off into the night sky. “So, about your parents’ house?” she asked, looking at Rainbow.

“Like I said, it’s just down the street!” Rainbow said as she started to trot down the road, a gleeful pep in her step. “The house isn’t as big as mine, Scootaloo, but it still was a great place to grow up in. I’m hoping that I can give you as good a life as they did for me when I was growing up.” They rounded the corner, and Rainbow quickened her speed as the house she grew up in came into view. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed that the entire house was dark. “Hm...” She walked up the short path to the door and knocked. “Mom? Dad?” she called out, rapping on the door yet again. “You guys home?”

“Is everything okay, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, feeling the tips of her feathers start to grow cold. A shiver ran down her back as a breeze ran by.

“I... I don’t know. They should be home!” Rainbow flicked her tail in annoyance, then hit the door a lot harder. “Come on, stop playing games! I know you’re in there!”

“Don’t you have a key or something?” Scootaloo asked, cocking her head to the side. “My old parents never gave me a key to the house because they didn’t really trust me, but they each had one, so... where’s yours?”

“I didn’t really ask for one when I left because... I dunno.” Rainbow shrugged, then hit the door again.

“Hey, would ya keep it down?!” a neighbor yelled from their right. “Do you even know what time... Wait, Rainbow, is that you?” he asked, his voice changing from one of anger to one less angry.

“Stormy?” Rainbow asked as she turned to get a better look at him. “Is that you?”

“Sure is!” Stormy flew over the small fence separating the two properties, then landed in front of them. He glanced at Twilight, then his eyes went wide as he recognized her. “Princess Sparkle!” Stormy bowed low before her. “Please forgive me for not recognizing you earlier. It is rather dark out, and my eyes haven’t fully adjusted to the darkness yet.”

“It is quite all right, Mr. Stormy,” Twilight said, using a hoof to guide him back up. “So... any idea why Rainbow’s parents’ house is all dark? She said that they usually stay up pretty late, and we kinda didn’t tell them we were coming.”

“Oh, uh... they left for Manehatten a few days ago...” Stormy said with unease. He glanced to the left, then the right, fluffed his wings, then finally sighed. “They’re not coming back for another week and a half, too. I just know this because they asked me to get their mail while they were gone.”

Rainbow groaned into her hoof. “Ugh... how could I forget about their vacation? They do this every year around this time!”

“You know, you could stay at the Cloudy Inn on the other side of town. I know it’s nothing fancy like a five-star hotel or anything like that, but it’ll hold you over until tomorrow if you want to go somewhere else!” Stormy said.

Twilight sighed, letting her shoulders droop. “'Tis a pity; I was looking forward to meeting your parents, Rainbow,” she said, sitting down next to her.

“Yeah... oh well. Thanks for the tip, Stormy,” she said, bumping her outstretched hoof against his. “Your folks doing okay?”

“Yeah, they’re good. They gave me their house, and decided to go live in a nursing home. They’re getting pretty old, and they don’t want to hold me down. I still visit them every day, though, so it’s not like I’ve pushed them out of my life.” Glancing back at his house, he said, “Well... it’s getting pretty chilly out, and I told my folks I’d meet them for breakfast tomorrow morning, so I’m gonna head back inside. It was nice running into you!” He opened his wings and after a small wave, he flew back to his warm house and shut the door.

“So... the hotel?” Spike asked, rubbing his arms with his claws to generate warmth.

“Before we go...” Scootaloo slid from Rainbow’s back and sat in front of Spike. “Could you do that fire breathing thingy that dragons do?” she asked, looking at him with a hopeful grin. “I’m pretty cold.”

“Sure, but only if Twilight’s fine with it.” He looked up at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, silently asking for permission. When she nodded, he blew a stream of fire in front of Scootaloo, holding out for as long as he could as he clenched his eyes shut.

Scootaloo slid closer to the flames and held out her two front hooves, rubbing them together in the few seconds that she had. “Ahh... much better, thanks!” She wrapped her forelegs around Spike’s neck for a moment, then stepped back.

“Any idea where the hotel is, Rainbow? I don’t know much about Cloudsdale aside from that time we all came to watch you in that flying competition,” Twilight said, rubbing her forelegs together.

“Yeah, I remember. Come on, I’ll lead the way.” She shot a forlorn glance at her parents’ house, then solemnly walked away.


After checking into one of the last rooms available, they locked their hotel room door behind them after deciding to go to one of Rainbow’s favorite restaurants from when she was a filly. Since it was only a few blocks away and a couple of streets over, they made quick time.

Feeling pretty worn out, Twilight walked inside and stopped, noticing two small walls separating the restaurant in half with a small bar in the middle. She noticed Rainbow walk towards the right, so she trudged after her, grateful to get out of the cold. They picked a random booth near the back, and she chose to take the bench on the right, finally letting her weary head rest on the table. Scootaloo climbed up on the seat beside her while Rainbow and Spike took the other booth. Hearing hoofsteps approach their table, Twilight lifted her head and threw on a smile for their waiter as he walked up to them.

“Hello everyone, welcome to the– Princess Twilight! It is an honor to have you dine at our fine establishment. If you had let us know that you were coming, we would have reserved our finest seat in the house for you and your party. I shall inform the chef of your arrival, but first, what drinks will you be having tonight?” He levitated a quill and a small notebook in front of him. “If it pleases you, I would be happy to serve you and Miss Dash our finest wine on the house, of course!”

“That’d be great!” Dash said with a wide grin. “Sure could go for something to help me relax! As for the rest of us, water would be great.”

“Four waters and a bottle of our best wine, got it!” the waiter said as he tucked his notepad away. “I’ll be right back!”

Scootaloo’s ears flopped down as she looked up at Twilight, letting her shoulders slump in disappointment. After a couple of seconds, she glanced away with a huff.

Twilight’s ears perked up at that. “Everything okay, sweetie?” she asked, wrapping a wing around Scootaloo.

Scootaloo sighed. “It’s just... alcohol ruined my old parents’ lives, so why are you guys drinking?” she asked. “I don’t want you to turn into them...”

Oh... Twilight winced. How to handle this... “Well... what your old parents did was wrong. Drinking consumed their lives, and it twisted them into the monsters they are. If they drank a lot, and if they drank pretty often, they could have been alcoholics, which means that they would feel a strong craving to keep drinking, or they would have to drink a lot more than normal just to feel buzzed or drunk. Now, what proper mares do is drink in moderation. Never enough to get drunk, only a little buzzed, just enough to help you relax. Fine wine also doesn’t have as much alcohol as liquor, which is what your parents drank, and we’re only going to have a small glass.”

“On second thought...” Rainbow fluffed her wings as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe we should hold off on the wine tonight. Might be a little too soon for that.”

Twilight’s smile faltered. “Very well.” She caught Rainbow’s eye, then mouthed, “Good idea.”

“Thanks, guys.” Scootaloo nuzzled Twilight’s side with a smile, then said, “I”ll be back in a minute, okay? I’m going to go use the mares room.” She pushed herself off of the seat and stood, waiting for Twilight’s answer.

“You want Rainbow or me to go with you?” Twilight asked, starting to slide out of her seat.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure I can handle going to the bathroom by myself,” Scootaloo said with a giggle. “I’m not a foal anymore, after all!”

“What do you want if the waiter comes back before you do?” Rainbow asked.

“Just a salad with a lot of croutons and cheese! Oh, and ranch, too! Can’t forget the best part of the salad!” With that being said, she trotted away from the table and found her way towards the back of the restaurant, trotting past many occupied tables. “Huh, sure is busy around here...” she muttered to herself. Pushing open the door to the bathroom, she walked into the first stall and shouldered the door closed, though right before she was about to do her business, the door to the bathroom opened again.

“Are you sure she wasn’t there?” Scootaloo heard a familiar voice say, a voice that made her heart stop and her eyes go wide. My mom! What’s she doing here?! she thought, trying to make herself as small as possible. All worries of how clean the bathroom floor was disappeared, for the fear for her life reigned supreme in her mind.

“Yeah, the house was dark. I knocked for like, five minutes, but nopony came to the door. Maybe they’re out looking for you two? And let’s be real here, you shouldn’t be out in public, either,” an unknown voice said.

“Ugh, fine!” Scootaloo heard her mother stomp the floor once. “And nopony’s gonna look for us here. We appreciate that you’re letting us crash at your place until we figure out our next move.”

“About that... What’s your husband been up to? I haven’t seen him in a few days.”

“He’s been out talking to some of our old friends around Equestria, trying to figure out if they know anything about the Princess’s whereabouts. He should be back sometime tonight; at least, that’s what he said before he left.”

“Very well. Shall we return to dinner? Our food should be coming out any minute now, and my friends don’t like to be kept waiting.”

Scootaloo heard the bathroom door open then shut. With her entire body trembling, she crept forward and pushed her head underneath the small space of the stall’s door, and once she saw that the coast was clear, she cautiously opened the stall’s door, wincing at the loud, obnoxious squeak that it made. She bolted to the bathroom’s door, then as slowly as she dared, she pushed it open just enough to check that the area just outside of it was clear, then bolted back to her table and scurried underneath it.

“Scootaloo, what are you doing?” Twilight asked with a giggle as she used her magic to pull her out from under the table. She placed her back in her seat, and barely a moment passed before Scootaloo tried to hide herself in her wing. “This is a nice restaurant, we can’t be play...” Her eyes narrowed when she felt Scootaloo’s body trembling against hers. “What’s wrong?” she firmly asked.

“She’s here!!” Scootaloo whispered as loud as she dared, her eyes as wide as they could go as she gazed up at Twilight.

“Who’s here?” Rainbow asked, placing her front hooves on the table as she stood up.

“My mom!” Scootaloo said, looking at the rest of the tables on the other side of the restaurant. Her eyes scanned the tables, going from left to right. “There!” she said, pointing at the table in the farthest corner, where four ponies sat. “There she is, right there!”

Rainbow jumped up onto the table, staring directly at Scootaloo’s mother. “Hey, you!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Tranquil’s head whipped up, her eyes locking with hers. “I’ve been waiting too long for this...” Rainbow muttered as a smirk grew on her face.