The Aftermath.
The first thing Vinyl noticed was her heart: it pounded in her chest like a hammer, only mildly calming down as she woke up. Next was the wetness: her right cheek felt moist and cold with her drool, dripping onto the grass below. When she closed her mouth, she could still feel little grains of dirt grinding on her teeth. Beyond that, little aches and bumps of where the pebbles had jabbed into her coat started registering in her consciousness. Nothing major, none of them had pierced the skin, from the feel of it.
She looked down at her prone form. Somepony had put her glasses beside her. The lenses were cracked. Vinyl rubbed her pounding head once she got the strength for it. “Ow… what happened?”
“I think we slipped,” Twilight replied. “Or rather, we fainted. I saw you collapse in mid-gallop, and I… I got shocked too hard by my spell, and it ended up knocking me out cold instead of keeping me awake.”
“Oh.” Vinyl turned and sat up, and Twilight did the same. Looking around, she noticed they were both sitting in the shade of a tree, far enough away from anypony else to rest but not so far as to be out of sight. The ponies who’d competed were celebrating a day of competition. “So who won?”
“Thunderlane and Rumble.”
Vinyl wanted to slap herself, or punch herself, or curse herself, but she was too tired and too weak to do any of it. She’d failed. “Dangit. How’s Scootaloo taking it?”
“No idea. I only just woke up, too. I think my spell’s worn off now.”
Vinyl turned to look at Twilight then. She flinched in sympathy, and instantly her memories and reflexes kicked in. Twilight needed some cotton swabs wet with Firefly Dew to clean around her ears, some icecubes for the bumps, and that horn definitely needed to rest, judging from the broken sparks and the frazzled fur around its base. Twilight looked downright broken. “No kidding, you look as bad as me. What did you do to yourself?”
“Nothing special. I cast Bitterroot’s Stay Awake spell on myself. You know, to stay awake.”
Vinyl’s ears twitched. “You do know that’s not a healthy spell to cast, right? I’m pretty sure it’s not even legal.”
Twilight chuckled. “What? Of course it’s legal; the referees allowed it.”
“Sure, the referees will let you do that to yourself in a game, but normal unicorns aren’t allowed to know it in the first place, not without a permit.”
“But it’s a Bitterroot spell. He was a world-class medic, half of our regeneration spells came from him.”
“Uh, yeah, he was, for a while.” The white mare rolled her eyes. “And when the Third Tribal Wars broke out, the Emperor of Caneighdia made him Head of the Inquisition. That’s when he got a little creative and that’s when he made that spell.”
“Really?” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Did I get the names mixed up? I thought the Head of the Inquisition was Dastard Lee Pernicious of the Ten Tortures?”
“No, Pernicious was the Plague General.”
“Oh. Huh. Then which one came up with the Ten Tortures?”
“Fluffy Cottonpuff, the Mildly Inconvenient.”
“Riiight, now I remember. Well, that explains that, I guess. I do have a permit, mind you, and Princess Celestia did send me the book for it. I must’ve forgotten the details. You know how words can dance on a page once the light dies down.” The bookwurm yawned and closed her eyes. “I can only blame myself. I shouldn’t have stayed up so long. It’s just those restoration spells that keep eluding me. I can do a healing seal perfectly fine, but I can’t do restoration for some reason. If I could just find the answer to that stupid Pole Problem, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“It’s geometry,” Vinyl blurted out, picking up her cracked glasses.
“What?”
“The Pole Problem? It’s geometry, not anything to do with actual poles, no sticks or magnets or anything.” Vinyl gestured with her hooves over the lenses. “When you cast a restoration spell on something that’s not alive, then that’s not a regeneration spell, it doesn’t follow the same principle. You don’t have veins or organs you can run magic through, so you need to make a box around the item. A mental box, one in your head, like a model. It’s not enough to see the item itself, there’s a lot of rules to it. The point is, making boxes around harder shapes and detail takes a lot of concentration, and the spell doesn’t like it when your box has bad poles.”
“But what are bad poles?” Twilight asked.
“When you make the box out of energy, you’re drawing a line mesh, and you have to make it all squares; no triangles or circles. Around important stuff, like frames or doors, you make loops. And on a corner, when a flat plane flows down, you have a line on the x, y, and z-axis.” Vinyl drew the figure in the air, creating lines of blue light over the glass surface, eventually wrapping the whole thing in thin blue lines. “That’s a three-point pole, that’s where the magic turns 3D. Then you have five-point poles, which is where two loops will meet and separate. One point, where five lines meet.” She pointed to two such points on her glasses, beside the left lens, where the shape blended into the nose area. “Never make six-sided poles, ever. And never visualise triangles. You have to subdivide the surface shapes while you’re casting, and triangles mess that up really, really badly.” A little squint and the squares she’d covered her magic in subdivided, making more of a sheet and clinging closer to the actual shape of the thing, rather than forming a box around it. Another effort of magic, the light spread out in flat faces instead of lines, and her glasses reformed, good as new.
“Oh, so I shouldn’t be looking at staves or geography, I should look at wireframes?”
She put the glasses back on and smiled nonchalantly. “Exactly. That’s why you couldn’t find it; restoration magic is multi-disciplinary. It’s based on more raw numbers than the other ones. It came up around the time the Lower Marshes had their civil war, and you know how those ponies were about translating their books or sharing their arts. Anyway, it’s a lost art now, the core of it still gets taught, but it’s mostly teachers and students, not written down a lot, because of the more, umm, dangerous things you can do with that technique.”
Twilight sighed in relief. “Gosh, Vinyl, thank you. How do you know that stuff?”
“My dad is Zilean Pieces.”
Awkward silence fell between the two. Eventually, Twilight dared to ask the question that anyone in the know would. “The descendant of-”
“Yup. That one.”
Again, silence fell, for as long as Twilight could contain herself. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
Twilight winced. “But Scootaloo is...”
“Yup.”
“And her father?”
“Mother. My big sister. Hurricane-proofer,” Vinyl explained. “Best in the business, actually. As you might imagine.”
Twilight nodded sagely. “It’s not easy sometimes, is it? You know, the whole...”
No further clue needed there. “Sometimes, no. But you try your best. I mean, you don’t have to worry about it; you’ve got your big brother taking care of the practical side of that business. But in my family, it’s… a little iffier, yeah.”
“I’ll bet. Actually, now that you mention it, Vinyl?”
“Yes?”
“Now that we have some time alone, and, umm, all things considered, I don’t suppose you’d be up for serving as my plus-one to Canterlot sometime? Or if you know anyone else who might?”
“What for?”
“Well, I don’t know if you realise, but my family has quite the reputation, and your family has quite the reputation...”
“You need a wingpony? Someone with a reputation to make yourself look better?”
Twilight bit her lip. “No; somepony to make the company I keep look better. I’d ask Rarity, but...”
“No, don’t. She’s too nice for that, you don’t wanna spoil her. Let me know when you need me, and I’ll tag along, no problem.”
“Likewise. If your father ever, you know...”
She smiled mischievously. “Oh, I’ll be sure to rub it in his face that I’m hanging out with Twilight Sparkle first chance I get.”
“Good.”
“Speaking of which, Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“If we do, umm, you know, happen to engage in social stuff in Canterlot, would it be too much to ask you to pretend to be, umm… well, you know...”
“Yes. Very much so.”
“Just checking.”
Rainbow Dash was right where she loved to be: at the centre of the attention. She had Thunderlane and Rumble nearby to amp up her stories about Weather Patrol, the other contestants were enjoying all the fine food and drink set out by the Apples, everyone was having fun.
And to her delight, Apple Bloom and Rumble had actually settled their differences, with only minimal help from her. She was feeling pretty good about herself, knowing how much of a good influence she could be on kids.
A shame she couldn’t compete, though, but then she needed a little sister for that, and she had none available.
“Rainbow Dash, could I have a word with you?” A voice drew her attention away from what was otherwise a riveting tale from Thunderlane, about the time he’d been forced to divert a flock of phoenixes all on his own.
“Sure, Rarity. What’s up?”
Rarity took her friend away from the crowds, lowering her voice. “I take it Rumble is happy with his victory?”
“You know it. We’re gonna have a blast together.”
“I’m sure you will.” She looked past the winged mare, checking if anyone was listening in. “But on that note, do you think you could, perhaps, give a little word of encouragement to Scootaloo?”
“Why?”
“Well, she had her heart set on winning the day with you and making a good impression on her idol.”
“Yeah, so did every other kid. And she lost. That’s kinda what happens when you compete. You lose to the best. Come to think of it, where is she?” Rainbow looked back. A bright orange filly like that couldn’t just disappear.
“I think I saw her with Big Macintosh, something about blood pressure medicine. At any rate, never mind that now. You don’t think she deserves even a little bit of your time?”
Rainbow shrugged. “It wouldn’t be fair to the other kids, would it?”
Clearly this wasn’t the correct angle to approach Rainbow Dash at. “Alright, then, let me rephrase, Rainbow Dash: do you think Scootaloo might one day want to compete with the likes of, oh, I don’t know, Rumble?”
That got a confident and knowing nod out of Rainbow Dash. “Sure, they’ll end up on the same track eventually. I’m surprised they aren’t hanging out together already, to tell you the truth.”
Some progress, at least. “And do you think she has the potential to compete with him? Or any other athlete, for that matter?”
“Definitely. If that squirt keeps this up, she’ll give him a run for his money.”
“And how would you propose she manage that if she doesn’t have anyone in her family to help her along, like Rumble does?”
“What do you mean?”
Rarity pointed to the stage, where Thunderlane and Rumble were taking the trophy of the year. “Rumble has Thunderlane, Featherweight has Bulk Biceps, Dinky has Derpy, all the little pegasi of Ponyville have someone to ask about improving their flight capacities. They all have families they can turn to to ask about these things. All except Scootaloo. So, if she wishes to join their ranks, keep up practice and not fall behind, how is she meant to do it?”
“Do what they do in every town in Equestria: go through the proper channels.”
Still the point was not getting reached. Truly, this was worse than pulling teeth. “Proper channels such as...”
“There’s flight instru-oh, right, Ponyville doesn’t have those. Well, she could go to the Aeroba-no, I guess she can’t really go there if she can’t fly yet. There’s the National-no, they’re in Rainbow Falls. Wait, she could try the Bat-no, never mind, that’s a little too dark for a girl like her. What did Missus Cake say…” Finally, she found the answer. “Oh, right, there’s the Weather Patrol! Yeah, she can ask somepony on the Weather Patrol for instruction. They’ve all got their certificates, they’ve got the books lying around the office, flight instruction is their job.” Rainbow nodded emphatically.
Rarity let out her most ladylike of snorts. “Rainbow Dash?”
“Yes?”
“Do you not see the issue with what you just said?”
“What issue? If Scootaloo needs help with flight practice, she can ask the Weather Patrol. That’s what they’re there for.”
Strange how Rainbow’s mind was the only thing that was slow about her. Still, Rarity persisted. “Rainbow, you are Weather Patrol.”
Realisation washed over Rainbow Dash with all the speed of a snail on lettuce. “Oh, yeah, I guess I am. But wait, why doesn’t she ask her parents?”
“They’re never around, Rainbow, I thought you knew that.”
“Doesn’t she have any other pegasi in her family?”
“If she did, she wouldn’t have asked her Aunt Vinyl to join her today, now, would she?” Rarity pointed to the tree where the two unconscious unicorns were.
Rainbow took a look for herself, and was relieved to see the two unicorns sitting up straight, at least. Twilight had pushed herself too far with that spell, and Vinyl Scratch was… weird. The idea that a pegasus filly, a speedster like herself, would have to grow up with that as the major role model, it gave Rainbow some mixed feelings.
On the one hoof, Vinyl was clearly someone who knew what she was doing. She had a good eye for strategy and tactics, both things Rainbow Dash did not have the strongest grasp of, and she was a performer like Rainbow Dash wanted to be. Vinyl Scratch was everything a girl like Scootaloo needed, as far as Rainbow was concerned.
On the other hoof, was Vinyl even fit enough to keep up with the girl? She was winded at the obstacle course, she only got through the lasso event by rules lawyering her way out of it… it didn’t seem like Vinyl was the best example in terms of sportsponyship.
Still, there were more practical matters to consider. “How am I supposed to know that? I barely know the girl, I wasn’t even sure what her name was until a month ago.”
“But she adores you, she started your fanclub.”
Rainbow grah-ed. “Kids do stuff like that all the time, Rarity. She’s not the only kid who idolises me, she’s not the only filly. And she quit my fanclub, too, as soon as somepony better came along. It’s not that big a deal. I have lots of fans, kids and grownups, I can’t go teaching all of them. How would you like it if I told you to start looking after some random girl who likes fashion?”
The unicorn flinched at the thought. “Oh, I certainly wouldn’t adopt her, if that’s what you’re asking, but I’d give her a pointer or two, at least. If nothing else, I’d let her know my honest, if careful, opinion on her work, possibly give her some pointers to help her along, keep her motivated. I don’t know that much about flight and contests and the like, Rainbow Dash. And all the pegasi in this town either do not know that field, or they already have someone to teach, usually in their own family. You can’t expect her to try and intrude on that.”
“I’m not giving Rumble’s prize away.” Rainbow Dash glared at her friend. “And if he tells me he’s giving it away, I’m not accepting that, either.”
“I’m not asking that, no one is. That’s your pegasus honour and whatnot. All I’m saying is: if you notice Scootaloo again, at least let her know something? A word or two, nothing more.”
Rainbow Dash mulled it over. “That’s all she wants?”
“As far as I know, yes. She’s not asking to be adopted; she has a family, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now.”
Rainbow nodded. That DJ was some family to have around, alright. “Fine. If I see her doing something that’s impressive, I’ll give her a word or two. And if it’s really good, I’ll give her three.”
Scootaloo came running towards Vinyl and Twilight, with Big Mac trying to keep up.
“Aunt Vinyl! Are you okay, did you hurt yourself?”
Vinyl smiled and patted the girl on the head. “I’m fine, Scootaloo. Your aunt just fell asleep on her hooves, is all.”
“So, uh, no need for the medkit?” Big Mac asked. “Twilight, you?”
Twilight winced and nodded. “I think the constant electric shocks may have messed me up a teensy bit more than I thought, so yes, please.”
Big Mac rummaged through the kit and found some patches to stick on her.
While he was distracted, Scootaloo could talk in private. “I guess you heard we lost, huh?”
Vinyl’s heart ached from hearing the girl’s dejected tone. “Yeah, I did.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Vinyl. I dragged you into this for nothing.”
“Hey, listen to me, kiddo: it’s my fault we lost.” The mare’s tone hardened. “Got that? My fault. I’m the weak link, not you. If it was a solo race, you would have beaten everypony, easily.”
“You really mean that?”
“When am I not honest with you, huh?”
Scootaloo thought it over, because she was a smart girl about such things. “Never.”
Vinyl nodded in kind. Yeah, never. Except when I really have to.
“So you’re fine now?”
“I’m fine. I didn’t get enough sleep last night, I thought I could do this with you, and I overdid it.”
The girl pouted. “You could have said so.”
“I would have, if I’d known. But your auntie’s not a smart sportspony like you are, Scoots. She doesn’t know her limits that well. It was an honest mistake, and it was my mistake. Not yours.”
Scootaloo whimpered. “I wouldn’t have asked if you-”
“Hey.” Vinyl leaned in close. “Don’t you go crying over me, okay? This isn’t big enough to shed a tear over. You didn’t do anything wrong; I did. And I’m fine now, so you don’t have to worry about me. I don’t need anti-shock patches, or pills, I’m awake now and I can catch up on sleep when we get home. But in the meantime, you should go and mingle with the others.”
“What? But you’re hurt.”
“I am not hurt. But you are missing out. Now get.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. Go have fun with your friends, talk to Apple Bloom, talk to Rumble, talk to Dinky. It’s part of the event.”
The filly hesitated, even if she did look like she wanted to go see her friends. “You’re absolutely sure? Not like you were sure before?”
“Scootaloo, look at me. I’m sitting down, I’ve got my back straight, I’ve got another pony here to keep an eye on me, and if anything happens, Big Mac’ll hear me, won’t you, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” came the reply.
“See? I’m okay, I’m safe. You did what you had to do, you got a good look at me like a responsible little filly, now go. You need to get used to talking to fellow competitors, after all. Wouldn’t want to start any bad habits.”
“No, Ma’am.” Without looking back, because she knew Aunt Vinyl would surely stare her down, Scootaloo went off to mingle with the other kids. She got in between Apple Bloom and Rumble first, no doubt exchanging some choice words about that kiss.
“There, that should just about do it,” Big Mac said. “That’s one patch for your heart, one for each shoulder, one for the tail and thighs, and one for the horn. Feel it workin’ yet?”
“Yes.” Twilight let out a blissful sigh. “Yes, that feels much better. Whew, good thing you have these around. Wait, why do you have these around? This isn’t standard issue for competitions.”
“Zap Apple farmin’. We know how to handle this sort of thing.”
“Right.”
Big Mac got up and walked off. “Just gimme a hollar if you need anything.”
“Will do,” Vinyl replied.
Once he was out earshot, Twilight saw her chance. “Trying to get Rainbow Dash to notice her, huh? Scootaloo, I mean.”
“Yup.”
“Is your family really that bad?”
“No. They’re great. Best family a gal could ask for. But only if she’s a unicorn. My big sis, she...” Vinyl shook her head. “She figured out how to game the system better than me. And Scootaloo’s not the type to game it at all. She’s used to playing fair, I’m used to playing smart, but her mom’s used to playing, well, you know...”
“Like a Canterlot unicorn?”
“Like a cheat, yes. I don’t know how she’s gonna turn out, but I’d rather teach her fair first, worry about the smart later. I’ve seen it done the other way around more than enough. No offense.”
Twilight chuckled. “None taken, I’ve seen it enough, too. But at least we’re not all bad. You’re a really good aunt, for one thing.”
“A good aunt wouldn’t have messed up her schedule like that. A good aunt wouldn’t be so stupid to let her little niece watch a horror movie like The Crystal Collar to try and make her tougher. A good aunt would have handled a girl like that on her own and not needed any help.”
“I doubt that,” Twilight offered. “A good aunt would make those mistakes just as easily as a bad aunt.”
Vinyl scoffed. “Then what’s the difference?”
“A bad aunt wouldn’t have cared, or even tried.”
Thunderlane came striding towards the pair once the crowd started dissipating and the first few ponies were headed home. “Hello, ladies. Feeling better now?”
Twilight rolled her eyes at the stallion. “Yes, I know, I know. You warned me, Thunderlane. And out of all the ponies who could have warned me, I should have listened to you the most.”
Vinyl snickered.
Thunderlane gestured towards town. “You need a ride home?”
“You’re not going to chew me out more?” Twilight asked.
“I think you can do that to yourself just fine, thanks. Besides, you didn’t chew me out when I was in your shoes. Wouldn’t be fair.” He winked. “Now, do you need someone to carry you home or not?”
Twilight and Vinyl exchanged a glance.
Twilight tried to get up on her hooves, but she clearly struggled. “I’m afraid so. That spell really did a number on my body. But don’t you need to look after Rumble?”
“I can leave him alone for a little bit, pick him up later. Rumble?” Thunderlane called out. “Twilight’s leaving. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
The little colt hopped and fluttered towards them. “Oh, okay. Bye, Twilight.” He waved a hoof at her. “Hope you feel better soon.”
“Thank you. Where’s Spike, though?”
“Right here, Twilight.” Spike waved in salute, before waddling towards her. The foals he’d been entertaining with what Twilight could only assume were his tales from the dragon lands looked disappointed. “I told you you should take a rest.”
The mare rolled her eyes. “I know, I should have listened. I’m sorry, Spike.”
“Don’t worry. We had fun today, that’s what matters.”
Twilight managed a weak smile as she got up on her four hooves again, a little less shaky now.
“Come on.” Thunderlane nudged her and let her drape herself over his body. “I’ll try not to fly too rough. Comfy?”
She was already snoring and drooling by the time he took off from the ground.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’ Vinyl, you need a lift, too?”
“Nah, I can walk home.”
“You’re sure? It’s no trouble.”
“I’m sure. I didn’t use any magic, for starters.” She tapped her horn to illustrate. “You go, I can make it home on my own. And if I can’t, you know Scootaloo will call.”
“Okay.”
He was off, Twilight was out. Vinyl looked at the crowds again, to Scootaloo and the other foals, and to Rainbow Dash, who was talking to the grownups. Perfectly normal, of course, especially with Spike monopolising the attention of the kids with his stories again, not to mention Rumble bragging about his brother.
Scootaloo was just another one of the kids.
And if Vinyl had to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t sure if she should be happy with that or not.
“Ah, well. Couple more minutes, then home.”
The chatting was done, the last of the stands and podiums and obstacle courses was cleaned up, the afternoon had come and gone, with evening standing by awkwardly to take its place.
Scootaloo came towards Vinyl, and Vinyl smiled, getting back on four hooves, or rather three, as she had a limp in her front left hoof.
“Ready to go home?” Vinyl asked.
“Yup.”
“Apple Bloom and Rumble didn’t give you any grief?”
“Nope.” She turned to look at the pair, her expression a strange mix of sympathy and disgust. “They, err, they had a good explanation.”
“Good.” The two walked off, with Vinyl keeping that left hoof up and skipping along while Scootaloo pondered the day’s events.
“Umm, Aunt Vinyl?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. For, you know, everything. I’m really glad I got to do this with you.”
“Aren’t you sad we lost?”
She chuckled. “Only a little. But we did our best. And you look really tired.”
“Not too tired to try. Somepony’s gotta keep you up to speed with all the crazy kids in this town. And you would’ve won if it weren’t for me.”
“Maybe. I don’t think if I could have. Rumble and Apple Bloom are really strong.”
Vinyl sighed. “Yeah, they are. But they’ve got a leg up on you, and they won’t always have it so easy against you.”
“You know, you didn’t have to do all that just for me. You didn’t have to hurt yourself.”
“I know, you’re a tough kid that doesn’t need any mollycoddling. But I did it anyway. I’m the adult, I decided, and I’m not sorry. Neither should you.”
“I’m not.” Scootaloo looked behind her. “Oh, Aunt Vinyl?”
“Yeah?”
“You can stop limping now; Rainbow Dash left a while ago and nopony else is looking.”
Vinyl looked back at the orchard, then picked the girl up and carried her in her neck, trotting off at a brisk pace. “Well, it was worth a shot.”
“Think you can make it all the way home?”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, kiddo. I blew my energy on the sprint, is all. I’ll get you home, fix you up some dinner, then get to bed.”
Scootaloo pouted. “How about I get us dinner instead? It is a market day, and we did eat a lot for lunch. I can go over to Daisy’s, see what she’s got. And then you can catch up on sleep until Octavia gets home, and we’ll all eat together.”
Vinyl stopped and wiped her eyes. Pollen season was getting to her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. You’re a good kid, Scootaloo. Never let anypony tell you otherwise. And you’ve got yourself a deal; you pick what’s for dinner.”
The girl grumbled. “Definitely anything without cherries. Or chicken eggs.”
“Obviously.”
The End
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This was cute and fun. I enjoyed it a lot. I can totally see Twilight doing exactly what she did. Fits her personality to a T.
8806351
I went back and forth on keeping the historical debate in there, but ended up keeping it to contrast with Vinyl more... or show similarities.
Thanks
Glad you liked it.
And sure enough, the first thing Dash says to Scootaloo in "Sleepless in Ponyville," in the middle of an epic jump, is "Nice moves, Squirt."
Loved the Vinyl-Twilight exchange. They can empathize with one another rather well, especially since both appreciate the contrast between Canterlot and Ponyville.
Also, that bit about the Lower Marshes actually perfectly explains one bit of Season 7. (Specifically "A Health of Information.") Kudos!
In all, this was a fantastic Season 2 fic. Thank you for it.
8806612
Glad you liked it. To be perfectly honest, though, I didn't have those in mind when the exchange happened. I pegged it for a pre-Equestrian piece of history. Although I suppose you can argue Equestria was on the same continent, and so the Lower Marshes later became part of modern Equestria... it's nitpicky, sure, but, you know, undue credit feels weird, is all.
The three words thing was completely and entirely intentional, indeed, well caught
I'm worried the Vinyl-Twilight thing was too subtle, though. I had a version where Twilight rubs her belly to illustrate that the pressure to procreate was a lot higher in unicorn families with a bloodline, making the question of lesbianism even more of a touchy subject, but that went into too dark a territory. Twilight's Best Aunt Ever thing in Season 7 really did allow for that wiggle room, but... can't really do that with such a light-hearted prequel. I mean, I've established Vinyl and Octavia as being not-that-serious as a couple yet, just enjoying each other's company for now. I can't just wreck pre-established canon; this is ponies, not Star Wars.
Thank you. It was long in the making, but it's nice to know I can still do the old-school stuff
8806792
For the record, I got where you were going with the unspoken statements.
8806860
*Insert sigh of relief here*
Well, this was another fun Cracker story. Gotta wonder how AB & Rumble developed on their end of things, though. It'd certainly be entertaining to see their progress through it all...
How many stories of yours exist in this loose continuity? I seem to remember more than a few of them being able to fit.
9343975
Officially? Just the two. Unofficially? Taking any setting where Vinyl Scratch is or could be her aunt as established headcanon?
-all of the Flight Camp fics, but Scootaloo isn't even in a few of those. Still, that's four, no ceiling limit set on it yet.
-all of Quorum Sensing and its sequels, so that's another four. Three if we're not counting the collab.
-I had to check because it's been a while, but Empathy mentioned a mom (miss Ingot), who later got re-used and re-branded for the Rumble's Big Day trilogy, so those are out, surprisingly.
-the Changeling Blood stories do have Vinyl and Octavia as Scootaloo's guardians, that'll be two more. Four to eight if I can ever finish the series.
Less outspoken one? Tragedy on Lookout Lane... there's an argument. Assuming Vinyl and Octavia were both out of town for a long time, or needed to redecorate, that's a questionable one entry there. Filly Cupcakes and Grabby, eh, it's not mentioned at all, so two more possibly. I don't think any of my full-throttle clopfics had this type of Scootaloo in it, either.
I'll be generous and say it's ten to fifteen stories, subject to change.
Now what was I going to say...
Oh yeah, thanks for the feedback, glad you liked it 
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Blue Moon and Not-Wedding actually wouldn't fit with this story whatsoever.