Blazing a Trail to the Past.

by Daylight_Dreamer

44- Chivalry and kindness.

I got up in time to make breakfast for Scootaloo. Gilda was gone when I woke up. I didn't know where she went but I'm not her dad so I wasn't about to scold her for not leaving a note.

I had just set the plates down and gotten a drink of coffee when Scootaloo nearly made me spit it out.

"So is Gilda, my mom, now?" she asked while digging into her pancakes.

I thought about that a moment. The only thing I could think of was her reason not to hook up at the club, she ended it with, 'Do I look like I'm ready to be a mom?'

On the other hand, just the other day she knew Scootaloo had to eat. So she made scones. Sounds like a mother to me.

"I think you better give her a little time before you call her that," I said, "but, it looks that way to me. I mean she is my partner, and you call me dad, but I don't really know what she would say about it."

"I hope she's OK with it," Scootaloo said, "She's the coolest mom I could hope for since Rainbow Dash is already my sister. Wait, doesn't that make you her dad too?"

"Again," I laughed, "That's up to her. I met her as an adult, and she does have her own father."

"I guess you have a point," she said, "I'm just really happy to have a family that gets me. I love you, Dad."

My heart skipped a beat. It wasn't the first time she called me Dad, but she never put it after those three words.

"I love you, too," I said, "Now that you're done eating you should get ready. I'll give you a ride to school."

"Really?" she said, "I get to show up in your jeep! After flying around town with the Wonderbolts! I'll get my books and scooter."
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The entire class-including Cheerilee-were outside when I pulled up. Everypony just stared as I opened the door to let Scootaloo out. Just for Scootaloo's sake, I made a bigger deal about it by getting out and opening the door from the outside. Not surprisingly, Scootaloo leaped out and gave me a big hug.

"Thanks for the ride, dad," she said.

"No problem, kiddo," I smiled, "Come straight home after school. I'll have some dinner and the green potion ready. We can see if Rainbow has time to give you your first lesson."

"Can't you teach me?" she asked, "you're faster."

"I think your flying instructor should have wings," I pointed out, "I can't go drinking that potion up without thinking. I don't know why I left it for myself. So I better save the rest until I do know."

"I guess you're right," she sighed.

"Once you have the basics down, I will show you how I beat her," I said, "I do know I can teach that much in this body."

"Really?" She asked, "I can't wait!"

"Don't try to push yourself," I said, "remember, I said you could try today. I never said it was a sure thing."

"I know," she assured me, "I've waited this long, I won't mind if I have to wait a couple more days."

"I better go," I said, "Have a good day at school."

"I love you, dad," she said as she turned away.

"I love you, too." I got back in the jeep.

I took one more look at the school before taking off. Cheerilee had an enormous smile on her face. She waved at me and I waved back as I started the engine and took off.

I wasn't going home. I had been through a lot just with the memories of my old pony friends, It felt like it had been ages since I saw my new ones.

I pulled up to the shop and was shocked when Sawdust came running out to meet me. Slag was running out too, but that's normal.

"What's up, guys?" I asked.

"We haven't seen you in like a week," Slag said, "We were worried you read the journals and freaked out."

"Naw," I said, "I actually found them very enlightening. I've just been through a lot the last few days."

"That's a relief," Sawdust said, "So you know who you used to be then?"

"I do," I said, "and thank you for using past tense. I've been struggling with if I'm still Daylight or not, and I came to the conclusion that a reincarnation is not exactly the same person. My true self is a pony, but I'm not my true self anymore. Am I?"

"I agree," Slag said, "a more confusing way to put it is that you are Daylight, but Daylight, wasn't you."

"That actually makes sense when you think about it," I laughed.

"Have you learned anything else?" Sawdust asked, "We do know you were friends with our ancestor, but we don't even know witch."

"Sculptured Stone," I said, "I met him when he was a student in my very first potion class. He was also a member of a group I put together. The Protectors of Peace. He was the 'Protector of Chivalry'."

"I heard that legend," Sawdust said, "I didn't even know that was our ancestor. Weren't they the ones that tried to use the elements of harmony back then?"

"We actually did use them," I said, "just not as well as the new group."

"So what element was he," Sawdust asked.

"Chivalry was the word he chose to mean kindness," I said.

"So he was kinda like Fluttershy?" Slag asked.

"Yea," I said, "Come to think about it, I still have yet to meet her."

"Just stick around," Sawdust said, "She'll be here to pick up some birdhouses."

"Cool," I said, "I always seem to have good timing when I visit you guys."

"Like I always say," Slag said, "it's always good timing when you visit a friend."

"So what have you guys been up to anyway?" I asked.

"You gotta see this," Sawdust said, "my little bro has been hard at work."

They led me into the shop to the metalworking side where a large object was covered with a sheet.

"I present to you," Slag said, "the Rolling Wood Shop."

He pulled the sheet off revealing a truck with a flatbed. I took a look in the cab and saw that the steering wheel had circles on each side to place hooves through. The pedals were also set a little higher than I would be able to control, but a ponies back hooves would just line up. The shift lever was pretty standard but that didn't seem too unreasonable for him to control.

"Woodshop?" I asked.

"Yep," Slag confirmed, "I already have my cart so I thought I would make the first one for my bro. I still have to mount the tools and equipment though. It's not going to be easy to fit it all and stay in the limits of the engine. He's going to need a trailer full of lumber to go with it. I may have to tinker with the engine design before I even start my own vehicle."

I said, "That's amazing."

Slag climbed on the bed, "I figured a workbench could go here at the front, and a toolbox could go under it."

I was standing right next to the truck and without warning, he turned a little, putting his big grey flank uncomfortably close to my face. That's when I realized I had never looked at Slags cutie mark before. It didn't seem to quite fit his talent.

"Slag," I got his attention, "why is your cutie mark a hammer and chisel? That's the same as Sculptured Stone."

He shook his butt which was still in my face. His red, yellow, and white tail nearly brushed my cheek, "If you notice, the chisel is red hot, as in it's being forged. My first metal work was actually a wood-chisel for Sawdust. I have no idea why the one in my mark is clearly a stone chisel. Must be that most of our family works with stone."

"I guess so," I agreed as I stepped back and joined Sawdust sitting at a nearby worktable, "it just amazes me how much ponies can look like ancestors from way back. I mean, Sculptured Stone lived six centuries ago and he looked just like you but with your brother's mane. Like I said, his cutie mark was almost identical. His chisel just wasn't red hot."

"Really?" Sawdust asked running a brown hoof through his spiked silver mane, "Just my mane?"

"His personality was more like yours, too," I said, "He had a kind heart but his clinic didn't fund itself with all the patients that couldn't pay. He was a master sculptor and a shrewd business pony. He didn't mind catering to the few rich if it meant he could heal the poor, but his sculptures weren't cheap and nothing was done until bits were in his hooves. His thing was kindness, not generosity. There's a difference."

"You done with your list for the day, bro?" Slag asked, "I think its time to light up."

"I do still have to talk to Fluttershy," Sawdust said, "but I'm not too concerned. I don't think she'll mind if I'm a little high."

"Sweet," Slag floated a joint from a bench near the office, "I already dropped off the mayors new filing cabinet. That was all I had to do today." He joined us at the bench we were sitting at.

Sawdust had decided to sit at a bench on his own side directly across the walking path from the truck. I noticed a stack of birdhouses were set up on one closer to the door. A stack of rough boards was on a bench near the office.

"I see you have your shop set up in stages," I said trying to get Sawdust to open up a little bit.

"Sure do," he said, "it actually starts out back, where I have a small lumber mill and a storage area for the trees and lumber waiting to be selected for a project. That's where the door by the office goes."

"What door?" I asked looking at the bare wall by the office.

"Oh yea," he said walking to the wall in question, "I got bored one day." He gave a push and a click was heard before a section of the wall opened up. "So I hid it. No real reason to hide it. Just wanted to know if I could."

"You succeeded," I was amazed. He hid the seem so well I was reminded of the magic trap door in Daylights hut.

"See, I'm not the only one with mad skills," Slag teased, "now get back here, bro, it's your hit."

"Would you mind if I took a hit," Fluttershy's soft voice could be heard from the door, "it's OK if you don't have enough to share. I've just had a really long day."

Slag seemed to size up the tiny roach that was left before floating a fresh joint over, "Of course, the more the merrier." I could swear Slag was starting to blush. He seemed to shake himself out before lighting the joint and floating it to the new arrival.

"Thank you," She said, "I see the birdhouses are as beautiful as always. I have the rest of the bits in my bag. The new aviary at the sanctuary is going to be amazing."

Slag cleared his throat.

Sawdust gave a funny look as he finally made it back into the rotation and took the joint from his brother. I think he noticed Slag was acting funny as well. I got the impression that he knew why.

"Slag and I have talked it over," Sawdust started.

"Wait, what did we talk about?" Slag asked but Sawdust only raised a hoof to silence him.

"Take the rest of the bits and consider it a donation to the sanctuary," Sawdust smiled seeing his brother's wide eyes.

"Oh, thank you," Fluttershy squeed, "it will go a long way to cover the rest of what we need."

"It was all Slag's idea," Sawdust lied, "I bet if you asked he would help you carry those birdhouses."

"That would be great," she smiled, "the beavers chewed up another one of my wagon wheels. I just don't know what to do about it."

Slag, whose head seemed to be spinning finally seemed to get a grip on what was going on. "Have you considered using metal wheels?" he asked.

"I could never afford that," she said.

"I could always write part of it off as a donation," Slag said, "I have a few spare wheels in the back of my cart, let's load your birdhouses and I can see what I can do. If they fit I'll just donate them directly."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Fluttershy smiled. That's when I noticed a snake was slithering around her hooves, it was kinda brown and light green, only four feet long, and just over an inch thick at the widest. It reminded me of a king snake I once owned.

"Who's that little guy?" I asked kneeling to the floor.

He slithered up my extended arm and seemed to smile at me. I wanted to take him home. He was awesome.

"He likes to be called Asmodeus," Fluttershy said, "I don't know why. It sounds so evil, and he's so friendly, and he doesn't even have ears, but if you say it within fifty feet of him he'll come as fast as he can. He doesn't like the sanctuary much though, because it's so crowded."

"If Scootaloo and Gilda are OK with it," I said, "I'd like to invite him to stay with me."

"I hope they don't mind," Fluttershy said, "He would love it on the farm. The Apples already said they would like him to keep the mice from their grain, but they don't have time for another pet."

"I hope so too," I said, "He's pretty cool."

"I better get moving," she said, "I have a lot to do yet. It was great meeting you. Come by the sanctuary and let me know what Scootaloo and Gilda say."

I reluctantly put Asmodeus back down. He stopped halfway back to Fluttershy and looked back at me.

"See you around," I said.

Slag had already loaded his wagon with birdhouses and wheels. He offered Fluttershy help up and they were off.

"So is that the crush he refused to tell me about?" I asked.

Sawdust seemed to think about this, "No," he said, "this one started just a few days ago. Before that the only one I know of him having was on you."

Comments

[Moonlit_Stardust]

Sawdust seemed to think about this, "No," he said, "this one started just a few days ago. Before that the only one I know of him having was on you."

HAHAHA! Talk about Awkward!