Sweet Scootaloo

by Krystal Clearskies

The Third Day

Author's Note:

My dear readers...words cannot stress enough to you how sorry i am. I know it's been almost two months, and i'm so deeply sorry it's been so long. But work has been hard, i've been sick, and i'm applying for college. Some days i just didn't even open my typing program, i was that empty inside. Also, i think S9E12 kind of kicked my heart hard. For a while, i figured "well, if her parents are being revealed in the show, my story has no business being written anymore". But then i realized, to hell with the show. I write this fanfic because i have a story to tell, and you the readers like it, and S9E12 can bite it. This chapter is done and i swear, no more month-long waits for new chapters. I hope this chapter is worth it, i love you all!

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I woke up the next morning and looked around my room, seeing the streaks of light cracking through the breaks in the blinds that covered the window. I let out a tired yawn and sat upright, which I instantly regretted doing. I’ve never wanted to just lay down and go back to sleep more than I did at this moment.

But, I’m an adult with responsibilities, and so I forced myself to get out of bed and stumble into the bathroom. Taking care of business as usual, I then trotted down the hallway to Scootaloo’s room and grabbed her paper off of her desk. I then brought it with me to the table in the dining room.

I read through the paper once again and sighed loudly. This paper wasn’t subpar, it was worse than that. There was no way Scoots would get a passing grade on it, and I didn’t want her to fail. I tried to think of what in the world could I do?

With a sigh, I went to Scoots’ bed and and gently shook her awake. She let out an uncomfortable groan as I did so, but it did its job and it woke her up. She rubbed her tired eyes and sat upright, looking at me.

“Scootaloo, it’s time to wake up. You have school in an hour, c’mon!” I said as I turned away and walked down the flight of stairs to the living room. I sat down on the couch, and waited for her to walk downstairs.

Sure enough, she followed me down just a few minutes later, and when she came downstairs I spoke up.

“Scoots, come sit down, we need to have a quick chat.” I said to her as she followed my directions, and sat down on the couch next to the one I was sat down upon. I held up the paper, looking at her.

“Listen, I’m going to let the paper slide, but I want you to know, I’m upset about it. I’m not upset at you, I’m upset for you. Your education is important, Scootaloo, and I don’t want to see you turn in an assignment this bad again. If you’re really struggling, I’ll do my best to help you out with your homework, but you and I will need to try harder, alright?”

Scootaloo let out a huff, and crossed her forelegs together. “Why is education important? I’m not going to use any of that stuff ever again, and all I want is to be a stunt actor, or a daredevil! I wanna do something cool, not be an egghead!” Scoots said to me, which made me worry slightly inside.

There was nothing wrong with having dreams, but I didn’t want her to discredit learning altogether. If she wanted to be a daredevil, so be it, and I would love and support her along the entire way, but I still wanted her to learn all that she could.

“Scootaloo, do you seriously think you’ll never use anything you learn ever again? What has Mrs. Cheerilee taught you?” I asked her, looking at her doubtfully.

“Well, we learned how to divide fractions yesterday. I’ll never use that though!” Scootaloo told me, to which I just shook my head.

“Scootaloo, what if you get a job where you have to break change? How are you going to know what change to give ponies if you can’t divide a bit? Change is in fractions, remember?” I told her, to which she looked kind of defeated when she thought about it.

“Alright, alright, fair enough, but I’m still never gonna use any of the other stuff, it’s pointless!” She shouted at me, to which I sighed.

“Oh, to be young and naive…I miss those days.” I said as I rubbed my right temple a little. “When I was your age, I thought I would never need to know math, or proper spelling. But the reality is, life throws curveballs at you, Scootaloo. What if, one day, you DO need to know those things, but you can’t because you decided to slack off in school and not pay attention? How do you think I pay bills? I have to have math skills to figure out how much money I have in my bank account, versus the cost of the bills. You’ll use math and other stuff more than you think you will. And what if you have a family one day? Won’t knowing essentials like how to cook help you when you have your own family?” I asked her.

Scootaloo seemed really lost when I said this. She suddenly whispered something, so quiet I couldn’t hear it.

“Scootaloo, don’t mumble, tell me what you’re thinking.” I said to her, to which she just kind of sighed at me.

“I’m not even sure if I want to have a family…I don’t really…oh never mind!” She said, her face hotly red as she thought about whatever she refused to say.

I grabbed her hoof suddenly, and made her look into my eyes. “C’mon Scoots, tell me what you were gonna say, pleaseeeee?” I asked her as I gave her a really big smile. Scootaloo looked like she was going to object, but she suddenly caved in.

“I don’t really like colts!” Scootaloo said, covering her face with a pillow. “There, I said it ok! I know how foals are made, I can’t have a family because I don’t like colts!” She shouted into the pillow. Now, I may not be the smartest man in the universe, but even I could see plain as day how embarrassed she was about this, how much it tore her apart on the inside.

I rubbed her hoof gently with my thumb, and suddenly pulled the pillow away from her face. “Scootaloo, look at me. Look me in the eyes. Scootaloo!” I said, and after a few very long seconds, she finally turned her head to look at me, her face still red from shame.

“Scootaloo…why are you so embarrassed?” I asked her, my voice and face filled with concern for my daughter. Scootaloo let out a bit of a strangled whimper, before speaking.

“Daddy…fillies aren’t supposed to like other fillies…it’s wrong…and you and others will hate me for it…” She said gently, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

She was worried that I wouldn’t support her. She was scared to come out that she liked girls. This information made my heart drop into the very pit of my stomach.

“Scootaloo…” I said sadly, as I suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a super tight hug, holding her as tightly as I could manage.

“Why would I ever hate you for that, Scootaloo? Who you like is your business, none of mine. I may be your adoptive father, but your orientation is none of my business. If you like fillies, it’s who you are. And if anypony doesn’t support who you are, they don’t deserve to know you. Do you understand me?” I said to her in a suddenly very serious voice, and she gave me a tiny nod.

“But…but you don’t hate me? B…but Snips and Snails said I was a freak when they found out! I was so scared…I love you daddy and I was so scared!” She said as she suddenly lurched forward and hugged me as tightly as she could.

To those of you reading this, I truly wish I could properly explain to you in writing how much my heart hurt for my daughter at this moment. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart in the most painful of ways, as Scootaloo hugged me. The hurt, the vulnerability in her voice made my heart hurt. Damn Snips and Snails for making her feel this way!

”Scootaloo…” I said in as concerned, and as gentle and loving a voice as I could manage, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

“I would never, ever hate you for being who you are…you’re my daughter, and nothing would ever made me stop loving you. Do you hear me? Nothing. You’re my daughter and you’re perfect how you are, no matter who you are is.” I said as I continued to hug her and rub her back.

Scootaloo sniffled a bit before she gently pulled away from the hug, and looked up at me. “That…doesn’t change what Snips and Snails said though…” She said sadly.

“I looked her in the eyes, and made her look into mine back. “Scootaloo, what they say or think doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel, and if you’re happy. Does who you are make you happy?” I asked her, and after thinking for a few long seconds, Scootaloo gave me a curt nod.

I smiled at her, and tossled her mane with my hand. “Then there’s no reason for you to be so reason. All that matters is your happiness. It’s your life Scootaloo, not anypony else’s.” I told her as I kissed her cheek.

“Listen, I’m making an executive ‘dad’ decision. No school today. You and I need to have a day together, to talk about this. Call it a…mental health sick day. But this is the only one you get, okay?” I told Scootaloo, who suddenly gave me an attack hug.

“I love you Daddy, so much!” She said as she suddenly kissed my cheek. I had to admit, how affectionate Scoots was with me was quite a shock. Before that day at the Orphanage, she always struck me as the ‘cool girl’ type, who wouldn’t do this kind of stuff. But I guess it was just a side of her she kept hidden for those closest in her life, which meant me. That knowledge made my heart sing.

“Also, Scootaloo, you do know you can have your own family even if you don’t like colts, right? Do you see me dating anypony? And I adopted you, didn’t I? You can adopt somepony someday too!” I said to her, and she thought for a minute before she suddenly facehoofed, and hard.

“How did I never think about that…” She said, sounding disappointed in herself. I chuckled a bit and rubbed her forehead lovingly.

“Aw, it’s fine Scoots, don’t worry your cute little head about it.” I said as I grabbed her hoof and led her to the kitchen.

Scootaloo and I had a delightful breakfast together, and after breakfast we ended up having an epic battle in chess. Scootaloo was getting scarily better for such a short amount of time, and she was fascinated by the openings. We played a few games, and each time she experimented with different openings she had discovered on her own. It made me really proud.

“Wow Scoots, I’m really proud of you. You’ve gotten so good at chess in such a little amount of time. Butttttt” I said as I slid my alicorn to the other side of the board, trapping her dragon between my alicorn and a pegasus.

“Checkmate.” I said with a wide, cocky smirk, and Scootaloo looked like she was about to short circuit. “I…you…WHAT?! How the hay do you keep doing that?!” She asked me in a shout, sounding so mad. I chuckled at her.

“I’ve just been playing for years, Scoots. I have knowledge in this game you just don’t have yet. You’ll get there soon, especially if you keep playing like this.” I said as I rubbed her forehead.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and looking up at the clock, I realized it was around three in the afternoon. Scootaloo and I had wasted our entire afternoon away playing chess! And honestly? It was an afternoon well spent.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle burst in through the front door, their faces wide with giddy smiles.

“Scootaloo!!! It’s Friday! Y’all know what this means!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, Scootaloo looking confused.

“It’s sleepover night at Sweetie Belle’s! C’mon, we gotta get over there nowwwww!” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo looked at the girls, then at me, back and forth a few times. “…oh…but girls, I wanted to spend today with my dad!” She said, having a big moral conflict. I could tell she wanted to go, but also wanted to spend time with me.

I looked at her for a minute before coming to a decision. “Scootaloo, go to the sleepover. I love you, but I don’t want you to miss playtime with your friends because of me. You still need to be a filly and have fun.” I said as I gently pet her mane.

Scootaloo let out a sad noise, looking up at me. “A…are you sure, daddy?” She asked me quietly, and I gave her a nod.

“A…alright then, I’ll go and pack.” She said as she hurried upstairs. After about ten minutes, she came back downstairs, her saddle bags filled to the brim with essentials for the sleepover. She walked over to me and gave me a big, tight hug.

“I…I’ll miss you daddy.” She said sadly, and I rubbed her back lovingly.

“It’s only two nights Scoots, I’ll be here when you get back on Sunday.” I said as I kissed her cheek. She looked up at me for a few very long moments, and after I gave her a gentle nod, she nodded back and turned to the girls.

“Alright, Crusaders, let’s go sleepover!” She said as the three of them ran in unison out the door, slamming my front door shut on their way out.

When they left, I felt my heart ache a bit. I knew it would only be a day and a half she’d be gone, but I felt a sudden emptiness in my heart, a loneliness. Yesterday, I was alone while she was at school, sure, but this was different. I wouldn’t be picking her up after school, she was gone for almost two whole days.

And even though she’s only lived here a few days, the silence in the house was eerie. And as I listened to the deafening silence, a thought crossed my mind that wouldn’t leave it.

Was I becoming too attached to Scootaloo? Was she becoming too attached to me?

I didn’t want to think about this, but I couldn’t escape thinking about it. Scootaloo and I have been together almost every waking moment of every waking day since I adopted her. Was I keeping her from the world? Was I being a bad parent? That’s the last thing I want!

Letting out a frustrated groan, I walked into the kitchen and began to prepare myself an early dinner. I had started by making food for two, and I had to catch myself, shrinking down the portion sizes.

Celestia dammit, these next two days were going to be difficult.

I decided to just make myself a very simple salad for dinner, with cheese and croutons and dressing. I sat down at the table and ate slowly, thinking about Scootaloo the entire time.

Right then, there was a knock on the back door of the house, attached to the kitchen, and a moment after, Twilight walked in.

“Heya, best friend! How’s Scootaloo, where is she?” She asked me as she sat down at the table. I offered her some of the salad, to which she gladly used her magic to make herself a bowl of it.

“She’s at Rarity’s house with the other crusaders for a sleepover. I’m eating dinner early cause I think I may go to bed early tonight.” I said gently, and Twilight looked at me for a minute, sensing the slight sadness in my voice.

“I think I get why you sound so sad…you’ve become quite attached to her, haven’t you?” She asked me, and I gave her a silent nod as I chewed on a few croutons.

“Yeah…I half expected that, to be honest. Don’t worry though, you and her are new to this whole thing, being attached to each other is natural, you’ll both grow out of it soon!” She said to me with a smile, before taking a bite of her salad, and chewing.

“She and I just had an emotional day today, Twilight. And…I don’t know. Maybe the talk we had made me more sad she left than I would have been otherwise. I just wanted to hug her all day and care for her and make her happy.” I said as I chewed another bite of my salad, looking at Twilight after I swallowed.

“What I’m about to say does not leave your mouth, deal?” I asked Twilight, who gave me a nod.

“Alright…today, Scootaloo told me she doesn’t like colts, and basically came out as lesbian to me today. I assured her it didn’t matter to me, and I would always support who she is, and I meant every word. But the hurt in her voice Twilight…how scared she was to tell me…I hurt for her so much. I just wanted to make her smile, make her happy.” I said sadly, and Twilight used her wing to pet my back in a friendly way.

“You did a really good thing…making sure she knew how much you loved her no matter what…you’re doing really good as a parent so far…” Twilight said in a gentle voice. I looked in her eyes for a minute before responding.

“Thank you. Just…that means so much to me, Twilight. I’m really, really trying.” She then smiled and pet my back with her wing once again.

“I know you are, bestie. You adopting her is the talk of the town, you know. Everypony is so glad somepony finally adopted her. A lot of us were just waiting for the day.

When Twilight bowl of salad was gone, she stood up and walked to the back door. “I have to get back to the castle, but keep it up Jordan. You’re doing an amazing job. Just keep loving Scootaloo!” Twilight said as she left out the back door, taking flight.

When she was gone, I whispered “I will…” And took the dishes to the sink, washing them clean, and putting the away in the cabinet up above. Noticing it was seven in the evening, I decided to hell with it, I was tired, and this was late enough to fall asleep.

I walked up to my bedroom, turned out the light and kicked my clothes off, deciding for once to sleep naked instead of in pajamas. I got under the covers, staring at the wall like I did every single night.

“I love you…Scootaloo…I love you so much…” I said as I thought deeply about her for a few long minutes.

Eventually, I felt those throes of sleep grip my conscience, and I began to fell asleep. Before I did, I saw Scootaloo in my mind, running around with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and I couldn’t help but feel I was holding her back.

I had to do a better job. I couldn’t hide her from the world, no matter how much I loved her.

And with that sobering, sad thought, I fell asleep, having a rougher, more restless night of sleep and usual.

Comments

[f0st3r21]

I wonder if Rainbow Dash will be an antagonist (how dare you try to compete with me over Scootaloo, or I was the one who wanted to adopt her but they wouldn’t let me because of my dangerous jobs) or if she’ll be a love interest (this guy likes the filly I’ve taken under my wing so maybe he’s worth looking into)…

And maybe other mares will give Anon character another looking into.

I do think he should have a sit down with Cheerilee to get an idea about what Scootaloo needs improved and perhaps a discussion about achieving her future goals with a backup in case of injury or failure.