Scootaloo's a happy little pegasus, but even her friends don't know how bad her family life is. That changes when she finds a certain crystal tyrant's horn and revives him. Now she has a new daddy!
Scootaloo has great friends and a wonderful adoptive older sister, but her actual family life is severely troubled. So troubled in fact, that when King Sombra returns to act as her new father, it somehow isn't the worst thing in the world. How will life change for Scootaloo, Sombra, and everypony else?
Inspired by the closing scene of naturalbornderpy's story, The Crusader King
Scootaloo weaved in and out of the legs of the larger, fully grown ponies as they made their ways home. The thought that so many ponies had shown up to celebrate the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally obtaining their Cutie Marks. Sure, a good number of them were probably happier that, with their Cutie Marks finally realized, the troublesome trio of fillies would finally calm down a bit and not cause as much havoc... or so they hoped.
But Scootaloo didn't care, if the wide grin that took up the majority of her face was any indicator. She was just happy that she had finally succeeded, and best of all, that what she discovered to be her talent was something she could share with with her friends still. There were no other ponies that she'd rather have by her side than Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle.
Yet, there was somepony else that she still had to share this momentous event with. The other Crusaders had their families their, and while Scootaloo was happy to have Rainbow Dash there, she wasn't the only member of her family she had to let know she had her Cutie Mark.
Fast approaching her house, an orange walled hut with a purple roof that resembled her own coat and mane respectively, she barreled through the front door and found... darkness. Her smile shrinking slightly, Scootaloo ignored the lack of presence within her home and made her way through the dark living room, her eyes slowly adapting, but finding it unnecessary. She'd traversed her house in the dark numerous times on her own, rounding a corner flawlessly as she made her way to her room.
Upon entering her own personal little sanctuary, Scootaloo's night vision had adjusted enough that she could make out the numerous trophies and memorabilia of her life. Knick knacks she picked up from her adventures with the Crusaders, autographed pictures of Rainbow Dash doing awesome stuff, posters of the Wonderbolts (mostly obtained from Rainbow Dash). They were all things she loved, but her true treasure remained hidden.
Walking over to a side table by her bed, she pulled on the little drawer and revealed something wrapped in a powder blue cloth. Her smile growing a bit more as she saw it, she withdrew the cloth-covered object and bounded onto her bed, giggling as she bounced for a good minute, the excitement filling her body needing some way to be expressed to the outside world. Settling down, she lay on her stomach, holding the object before her, wonder in her eyes. Removing the cloth, she revealed none other than a horn.
Not a musical instrument kind of horn, but a Unicorn's horn. But it was special compared to other horns. Whereas average ponies had what could be called short, plump looking horns with curved tips compared to an Alicorn's long, narrow horns that didn't have quite so much a curved tip as horns by animals generally did, this horn was different than both. It was larger than a Unicorn's horn, but not as big as an Alicorn's, and instead of being generally conical, it was uniquely curved and ended in a sharp tip that had drawn blood the first time Scootaloo had grabbed it incorrectly. The red horn seemed more like the fang of some terrible beast than a pony's horn, but she could tell for some reason or another that it was indeed a Unicorn's horn.
But what made it special went beyond physical appearance. There was a... feeling that she got from it, something she couldn't explain. Like a heat that grew whenever she talked to it. She shared with it her emotions. Joy, sorrow, anger, fear, and so much more. Even though it never reacted, never did anything more than lie there, she couldn't help but feel like it was listening to her, and so she poured her heart out.
She wasn't completely sure where it came from. She had found it in the Crystal Empire when the Equestria Games were taking place. It was a magnificent day already, but when it had grown dark and she was returning to the castle they were staying at for the night, she had gotten lost. Somewhere along the way, she had found it, just lying there in the streets. She was confused as to why it was there, why it wasn't attached to somepony.
Miss Cheerilee had taught in class that some Unicorns could lose their horns through extreme physical or magical stress, and seeing as the Equestria Games would put many ponies through contests that would try them on both, it was possible somepony had lost it... but why didn't she turn it in? Surely somepony working for the games, or even the Crystal Empire, could find the Unicorn who had lost their horn and return it... yet... she didn't want to. From the moment she laid eyes on it, she felt unable to give it up. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't hoof it over to anypony, so she kept it a secret.
She didn't regret that decision, especially since she felt something from it. Something she remembered feeling from her parents before, but they were...
Shaking her head, she smiled at the horn once more, giving it her full attention as it gave her its every day. "You won't believe it, but I finally got my Cutie Mark today! Not just me, but Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got theirs too!" Scootaloo exclaimed loudly, quickly rolling around on the bed to wave her flank at the horn to show off her Cutie Mark. She then proceeded to regale the horn with the story of how they obtained it.
She stayed up late into the night, far past the bedtime of any filly her age. Somepony should have told her to go to sleep. Her parents should have been home to put her to bed. Her parents should have been there to congratulate her for getting her Cutie Mark... but she knew they wouldn't be. She knew fully why she had to go spilling her guts to this inanimate object. She knew why, despite the wide grin plastered on her face, the tears in her eyes had to flow down her cheeks.
By the end of the night, she had finally given so much of her energy to letting the horn know about her life that she couldn't even be bothered to wrap the horn back up in its cloth and put it back in the drawer. Instead, she pulled it close as she crawled under the sheets adorning her bed, snuggling it up against her body as she felt the embrace of Luna's dream plane pulling her away from the waking world. She didn't even notice the pointed end of the horn pricking her foreleg or the tears from her face falling onto it, merely holding it for dear life.
Scootaloo squirmed in her bed, her eyes squeezing shut tighter in rebellion against the rays of Celestia's sun that bore down on her face. She tossed and turned across her mattress, trying to get into some position that was comfy and capable of ignoring the sunlight peering through her window, but she couldn't fight it for much longer.
Especially when she fell out of her bed.
Hitting the floor flank first, she gave a slight yelp and jumped back to her hooves, hovering in air for a moment as her tiny wings flapped about furiously. Reaching back to rub her sore behind, she looked to it as well and saw it. She had forgotten for a moment that she had her Cutie Mark now, that some part of her thought maybe she just had another one of those dreams where she got it, or that time she had a nightmare about how badly having a Cutie Mark could go, but it was there.
Unable to contain her reignited joy, she hopped around her room, off the walls, and over her bed...
... her bed!
Remembering a bit more of last night's events, she registered that she never put away her prized Unicorn's horn. Scrambling over to it, she didn't find it there. Throwing the sheets off of it, she still found nothing. Feeling a tight lump of worry in her throat, she looked under her bed, around the table, inside her closet... nothing.
The bitter sting of tears at the corner of her eyes returned at the thought of having lost her prized possession... no... her secret friend. She knew it was silly, stupid even, but it knew things about her that she wouldn't even tell Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Even though she wiped her foreleg over her eyes to try to keep the tears from rolling down her face, knowing it would only encourage her to break down in sorrow and frustration, they kept coming. All she succeeded in doing was make the bandages wrapped around her foreleg damp...
... wait, what?
Blinking away the tears and wiping at her face with her other hoof, she looked down at the leg she had used initially and found that there were bandages wrapped around it, a slightly little dot of red at the center indicating that it was slightly bloodied from a wound. She... couldn't remember getting hurt recently. She didn't understand why she had a bandage on her or who had put it there.
Before she could get too deeply into questioning the presence of the bandage around her leg, something else caught her attention. Something that seemed all too familiar to Scootaloo, but not something she smelt every day. It was something that burnt the inside of her nostrils. It was... smoke!
Eyes widening at the realization, Scootaloo bolted out of her room, quickly trying to discern where the fire was coming from and if she could put it out before it got too bad. Seeing wisps of black smoke curling around the corner of the hall that led to her kitchen, she clenched her jaw and ran forth, ready to deal with whatever inferno had started in her house, not yet thinking about what had started it.
When she rounded the corner though, she immediately collided with something large and firm, yet not necessarily hard. Rolling backwards from the collision, her eyes spun in her head a bit, trying to regain focus so she could get back to the task at hoof.
"My apologies, it would seem I'm a bit out of practice when it comes to cooking. Rest assured, I have taken care of the flames." somepony suddenly announced, their voice deep, yet oddly smooth, containing power and demanding respect. When Scootaloo regained her sight, she looked up to find somepony she had never met before standing before her, a pan from which the smoke billowed out of levitating by their side, held by a red magic aura.
The pony was a stallion, taller than most, perhaps even larger than Big Macintosh. His coat was a dark grey while his mane was a pure black, wild and flowing from his head like the smoke billowing from the pan. Adorning his body were pieces of armor at his hooves and neck that matched a steely crown on his head, coupled with a red cape ending in a white-fur trim that covered the entirety of his back and flank, leaving only his short tail to sway behind him.
But most unusual was that he was a Unicorn. A Unicorn with a rather familiar curved, pointed red horn that had a gradient into the grey of his coat where the base connected to the head.
The pony's red eyes, which held a cold attribute that sent a shiver up Scootaloo's spine, yet seemed oddly soothing, fell upon the Pegasus filly. His mouth opened slightly to speak, revealing an unusual set of fangs that had no place on anypony's figure, which made Scootaloo shrink further away from the intimidating stallion before her, afraid of what he was doing in her house and why.
Noticing this, the Unicorn sent the pan back into the kitchen as he slowly approached Scootaloo, his motions slow, but his much larger form easily allowing him to close the distance with the filly, especially when her back met with the door out of her house. Seeing this, the Unicorn sighed and sat down before Scootaloo, the action helping to ease her ever so slightly.
"I see that you are apprehensive about my being here. I suppose you can't quite tell who I am, but certainly you are going to be able to figure it out soon, just by looking at me." the stallion stated, simply sitting there and looking at her.
Scootaloo relaxed a little more, but still looked at the pony warily. She'd never seen him before, and yet, now that he mentioned it... something about him was familiar. Sure, she recognized the horn on his head, but it felt like it was more than just the horn. Something that could be felt, not seen. She couldn't describe it, but whatever it was, she found herself slowly walking towards him, until he would have easily been able to reach out and grab her with of a hoof if he wanted to, although he likely could have grabbed her with his magic at any moment in the first place.
Letting the corners of his mouth curl up in a slight smile as she approached, he reached out, setting his hoof on her head. She froze, but couldn't find herself capable of pulling away. It wasn't magic that kept her in place, but something else. Rather, she found herself pushing her head more so into his hoof, feeling relaxed and comforted by the slight sensation she got from making contact with his hoof.
Stroking the filly's main, the Unicorn continued to watch over her, the smile not leaving his lips. Leaning in closer, he gently whispered "There is a lot I still have to explain, but don't worry Scootaloo. Just know that I am your new father."
Mayor Mare paced back and forth in her office nervously, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought the situation over. This was a dreadful, terrible thing. She'd had to deal with a number of travesties in what should have been the relatively quite, simple town of Ponyville, but it seemed that ever since Twilight Sparkle had arrived and the Elements of Harmony began defending Equestria, she'd been dealing with gods of chaos, magic devouring monsters, magical showdowns between the most powerful Unicorns around, and more.
Yet this... was something she couldn't blame on anypony. In reality, it was a very simple problem that every mayor had to deal with from time to time, but it had seemed that once more, because of all the odd circumstances her town had undergone since Twilight Sparkle's arrival, she had not had to endure such a relatively simple concern, but the burden was still just as heavy as any other. Perhaps it was because it was so close to home that she had to feel the sorrow welling up in her chest.
"Yo, wassup Mayor Mare!?" a familiar, raspy voice suddenly shouted by her ear, making the grey maned Earth pony jump. Turning around, she found Rainbow Dash and the other Elements of Harmony had assembled in her office. In her pacing, she hadn't even noticed that they had arrived, showing just how badly this news had set her off course.
"Ah, R-Rainbow Dash and the other Elements of Harmony, just the ponies I was looking to see." Mayor Mare stated, quickly moving over to her desk to take a seat. The mares raised a collective brow at the way she spoke. Usually she'd address them as "Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony". Not to say that they were looked upon as lesser, but considering she was generally viewed as the leader of the group, even before her ascension to Alicorn Princess of Friendship, it seemed odd to them.
Trotting forward, Twilight addressed the mayor. "Is there something wrong? You usually don't call upon all of us unless there's an emergency, but we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary and I haven't heard anything from Princess Celestia or the Cutie Map."
Shaking her head, Mayor Mare dismissed the more immediate concern of a national level issue, then motioned them forward. "Nothing of the sort that would warrant either of them to address you, but you were the only ponies I could turn to with some rather... disturbing news about a pony close to you all."
There was an exchange of worried looks between the Elements. They all cared for their friends a lot, and yet, as far as any of them knew, nothing was wrong with any of them. Surely they would have heard if something had happened to any of their friends, or even anypony they knew in general, especially with Cutie Map bringing up friendship in need.
Seeing the confusion, Mayor Mare rested her forelegs on her desk, setting her chin upon her hooves as she surveyed the group before her. "Tell me... how much do you know about Scootaloo's parents?" Mayor Mare inquired.
The mention of Rainbow Dash's biggest fan and adoptive little sister immediately got the rainbow-maned pony's attention. "Scootaloo? What does this have to do with her?" she quickly asked, taking a step towards the desk, ready to set her hooves upon it when Applejack quickly grabbed her friend and pulled her back.
"Easy there sugarcube, the Mayor's just askin' what we know 'bout her family is all. Course, Ah reckon Ah don' know much 'bout her family. Apple Bloom ain't never mentioned much 'bout it at least." the farmpony quickly admitted.
Rarity shook her head as she stepped up beside the other trio of sisters, by blood or otherwise, to the Crusader fillies. "Indeed, Sweetie Belle's never mentioned mentioned anything about it to me, so I can only imagine she's never spoken to either of our sisters, seeing how much they like to talk otherwise."
"I was afraid of that. It makes this a bit more difficult." Mayor Mare sighed, her head shaking from side to side as she dreaded what was to come next. "I suppose I should outline a few things before I get onto what the problem is." she stated, dropping back into her cushioned seat and spinning away to look out the window of her office, not wanting to actually look at the Elements as she explained what was going on.
"I don't know them much, but Scootaloo and her parents are from Ponyville initially. They moved here from Cloudsdale not long after Scootaloo was born. Apparently Scootaloo's inability to fly proved to be dangerous for such a small filly in a city above the clouds, and after one incident where she almost fell to the ground, they moved to Ponyville so they could have a ground-level house that'd be much safer for their flightless daughter. However, they kept their jobs in Cloudsdale, commuting their every day. The trip may not be too terribly long, but it is strenuous for them to do day after day, so they were often resting when they were home. Probably why you never saw them before." Mayor Mare began to explain.
Rainbow Dash fidgeted before the desk. She didn't like where this was going. She never even knew about Scootaloo's parents in the first place. She knew she had them, all ponies did after all, but the squirt never seemed keen on talking about her family. She was always more interested in what was going on in Rainbow Dash's life. She was starting to regret being so self-absorbed. She didn't know what this was for after all, but the fact the mayor was going into such detail told the Wonderbolt hopeful that things were not good for the orange filly she had come to consider her sister.
"They've been at it for years, always working hard for the sake of their daughter, but never really getting to do much else. I still blame myself for not knowing about this until now, but... It would appear that her parents died a few months ago." the mayor announced, the mere mention of the words seeming to make the very temperature in the room drop several degrees.
Rainbow Dash couldn't even find it in her to breathe for a moment. She knew she should have said something, but it was like the words were caught in her throat and she was choking on them. To think she didn't know that Scootaloo's parents were... dead... why didn't she know? Why didn't the squirt tell her about this? Did she not trust her? How could she have not mentioned this to anypony so far!?
Sensing the unasked questions, the mayor continued. "Apparently, on their way home after a late day of work they were called in for at the last minute, her father's wings gave out on him. Her mother tried to save him, but he was just too heavy and she was too exhausted. They plummeted and... well, you can figure the rest out from there." the mayor stated, letting the thought of what happened sink in for a minute before she felt it necessary to continue.
"It took a few days for her parents employers to figure out what happened and they met with Scootaloo to express their apologies for what happened. Apparently, they believed that Scootaloo would have reported it to us that her parents had not returned home and didn't approach my office at the time. It was a major oversight that shouldn't have been permitted, but that's besides the point. For whatever reason, Scootaloo didn't tell anypony about her parents' deaths. We think she was so overcome with grief, she wanted to ignore it. To just keep treating things like her parents were busy at work, we're not fully sure. But I received notice the other day that somepony from Cloudsdale heard that she had received her Cutie Mark and wanted to express their congratulations to the filly, telling us that they were proud a pony without parents could make such progress. It was at that point that we figured out what had been going on." the mayor concluded, sighing once more as she turned back to the Elements.
She found that not a single eye was dry among the group. Fluttershy wept silently behind the curtain of her pink mane, while Pinkie Pie was outright bawling like a baby, blowing her nose into a handkerchief that would have been comical had the news of what just transpired not been so terrible. Applejack and Rarity were holding each other, trying to comfort the other over the fact that their sisters' friend had been suffering so much and knowing they'd have to let their siblings know what happened. Twilight had tears running down her cheeks, but her attention was on Rainbow Dash.
The tears didn't spill out, but they welled up in the proud Pegasus' eyes. She fought so desperately to keep from crying over what she had just learned, but the fact that she hadn't known anything about her number one fan, HER ADOPTIVE SISTER, and her plight was just terrible. She knew somewhere inside it wasn't her fault that Scootaloo hadn't shared anything about her family life, but she felt like she should have taken the initiative. She should have figured out what was going on, but she just couldn't figure out why.
"I know this is... very hard to take in, and I'd hate to involve you in what comes next, but now that we've learned about this dilemma, we've got address what to do about Scootaloo. We know she's been able to take care of herself these past few months by using the bits her parents left behind for her, but... that money is going to run out eventually, and even if it didn't, we can't just let a filly like her live on her own anymore." Mayor Mare stated, hoping these ponies would be able to help her come to a solution. She had some ideas, but she wanted their input on this filly's future.
Knowing that the others will still struggling, and Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to open her mouth at the moment without crying out in emotional turmoil, Twilight took a step forward, her wings moving forward to wipe away the tears that had run down her face. "Wh-what are our options?" she asked as calmly as possible, still feeling a slight tremor of sorrow running through her.
Tapping her hooves on her desk nervously, Mayor Mare replied "Our first option is to send Scootaloo to live with some relatives. She has an aunt that lives in Fillydelphia who may be able to ta-"
"NO!" Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted, frightening the mayor, as well as her friends. The outburst was followed by a few slight sobs, but she was able to quench them with a shake of her head and a few upset hiccups. "I-I mean, we can't send her away. Her whole l-life is here, with us. Heck, her Cutie Mark matches up with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's, it wouldn't be right to separate them." Rainbow Dash pointed out, earning a nod of agreement from Applejack and Rarity.
"That maybe true, but then we need to find somepony here in Ponyville to take care of her, and while I have no doubts any of you would be willing to step up to that, I don't want you to ignore the severity of the situation. To take in a young filly and help raise her to marehood, particularly one who hasn't felt it necessary to tell any of you that her parents are no longer with us." Mayor Mare declared, a visible cringe coming from those who knew what she said to be true.
They'd all gladly accept the responsibility, the Apples even had experience taking care of one of Scootaloo's best friends who was in very much the same position of deceased parents, but there was a glaring difference. Scootaloo, for one reason or another, hadn't trusted any of them with the knowledge of her parents' passing. Perhaps she was just too sad to share it. Perhaps she didn't want their pity. Perhaps it ran deeper than any of them realized. Either way, she hadn't opened up to them, and if she wasn't going to talk about it before, there was no reason to expect she'd be willing to open up about it if they suddenly confronted her.
Yet, the thought only made the slight trembling that had started in Rainbow Dash's legs since they learned about Scootaloo's parents grow in strength, making her agitation clear to the others. "We... we have to try! I mean, that's what friendship is about, isn't it? We don't always want to do something, but we trust in our friends when they show they want to help!" she blurted out loud. Her Element of Loyalty clearly showed to the others, but whether or not it was the right thing to do at the moment weighed on their minds. It was a very delicate situation and they had to think it out.
Rainbow Dash disagreed.
Before any of them could react, Rainbow Dash shot out the office window, making a beeline for Scootaloo's house. The speed with which she flew forth threatened to shatter the sound barrier, nearly sending the ponies she passed by tumbling in the wake of her speedy departure. She'd have to apologize to them later, especially those whose businesses she was likely disrupting, either by knocking ponies over or sending their merchandise flying from the wind pressure, but Scootaloo was her first and only concern at this time.
For the fastest pony alive, it took her less than a minute to reach Scootaloo's house at the edge of town. Slowing down just enough so that she didn't damage the house or the filly she was expecting inside, she still moved forward with enough force to knock the door wide open. "Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash cried out upon entering the house, her eyes quickly surveying the place.
Before she could get a verbal response, she noticed the smell of food coming from the kitchen. It smelt like blueberry pancakes, one of Scootaloo's favorites. She quickly flew forward, rounding the corner into the kitchen, expecting to see Scootaloo fixing herself a meal, something that broke her heart now that she knew it wouldn't be here parents doing that, only to discover-
"KING SOMBRA!?"
Indeed, standing at the stove, looking down at a lightly browned pancake was the infamous ex-king of the Crystal Empire. The Unicorn stallion cast a glance at Rainbow Dash, his eyes half-lidded, looking almost bored at the prospect of the Pegasus before him, then returned his attention to the pancake at the stove.
"Would you mind keeping it down? Scootaloo's in her room and I'd rather her not-" the tyrant king began speaking, the tone of his deep, yet oddly smooth voice clearly bored, as if the Element of Loyalty was but a mere afterthought, only to find said Pegasus flying forward with enough speed to making a Sonic Rainboom if given enough room.
However, when she got within a foot of the monstrous pony who had enslaved an entire empire, she was repelled by a barrier of red magic that seemed to appear instantaneously, sending her tumbling backwards, rolling across the floor and into the opposite wall. The impact was hard and made Rainbow Dash dizzy beyond belief, stars practically flowing by her eyes as she tried to focus on the villainous individual before her.
"I'd suggest against doing that, you may not be able to see it, but I have a-" Sombra started to say once more, only for Rainbow Dash to fly forward again, a bit less fast, but that only served to make the impact with the barrier that much less painful as she was forced back into the wall once more.
"Are you done? Because you're only prov-"
DING! Another collision and Rainbow Dash was sent rolling backwards once more.
"You know, this is starting to-"
CLING! Sombra was curious as to why the barrier made a different noise this time as Pegasus was sent on her back. The barrier's power hadn't diminished in the slightest. Perhaps it was-
CLANG! Now he couldn't even finish a thought before Rainbow Dash charged forward. Anticipating her next attempt, he instead focused the barrier around Rainbow Dash, encompassing her in a red bubble of magic that kept her in place.
"Now that we've put an end to that, you need to-"
DING! CLING! CLANG!
"Let me out of here you monster! What did you do to Scootaloo!? WHY ARE YOU MAKING PANCAKES IN HER HOUSE!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, practically roaring with anger that would have impressed Sombra had he not found her irritating at this moment. He opened his mouth to respond, when he was interrupted once more, but by a different Pegasus this time.
"Rainbow Dash! Why are you shouting?" Scootaloo asked as she appeared at the entrance to the kitchen, quickly scurrying over to the bubble of magic that she was being contained in. The orange filly cast a curious glance to Sombra, who snorted and released the magic, allowing Rainbow Dash to fall to the ground.
Landing with a slight grunt, Rainbow Dash quickly spun around and wrapped Scootaloo up in her forelegs, hugging her so tight that she made a squeak like a rubber ducky. "SCOOTALOO! I was so worried! Mayor Mare told us about your parents and you didn't say anything and I thought you didn't trust me or anypony else, so I came to see you, but then I found HIM!" she yelled, quickly pointing an accusatory hoof at the red-horned Unicorn, who merely placed the pancake he had been making onto a plate with several others, using magic to pour some syrup on top of them and carried them over to a table, not even looking at the mare that was shouting.
While she had found it difficult to keep up with everything Rainbow Dash had been saying, Scootaloo flinched when she heard mention of her parents. She knew this would come eventually, but she hadn't expected anypony else would tell Rainbow Dash of her de- her original parents. But she pushed past that, squirming out of Rainbow Dash's grasp and quickly moved over to the table, her eyes darting between her idol and...
"Um... Rainbow Dash, this pony here is-" Scootaloo started to say, only to be interrupted.
"King Sombra! The tyrant of the Crystal Empire and King of All Monsters! He's a terrible pony and a dark wizard! He's-"
"HE'S MY DAD!" Scootaloo shouted abruptly, cutting Rainbow Dash off this time. Her idol's eyes went wide, her mouth agape as she looked between the orange filly and the dark stallion. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of what to say. Unsure if there was anything to say.
Rolling his eyes, Sombra gave a sigh and returned to the stove, levitating some more ingredients out of the fridge with his magic. "It would appear I need to make more pancakes for our guest." he muttered to himself, earning a nod from Scootaloo as she continued to stare back at Rainbow Dash, now chewing gleefully at the blueberry pancakes in her mouth.
Rainbow Dash's glare remained strong, practically boring a hole through the evil ex-emperor as he sat before her. He was despicable. He was a menace that should never be allowed to walk again. He was... able to make a really good pancake.
Shoveling another forkful of blueberry pancake into her mouth, Rainbow Dash was only able to resist the moan of pleasure from the delightfully sweet, yet not overpowering flavor of blueberries through the sheer hatred she had for the Unicorn in front of her. It didn't seem right to know that someone so horrible could make something so awesome. The fact that Scootaloo gleefully squealed with every bite of her own pancakes made it all the harder, while Sombra himself simply sat there, a slight smile pulling at his lips whenever he looked at Scootaloo, only for his face to go blank when he looked back at Rainbow Dash, his mouth disappearing behind a mug of coffee he was drinking from.
Scootaloo's legs kicked out beneath the table, swinging back and forth as she hummed a pleased little tune to herself as she enjoyed the pancakes, more so than Rainbow Dash because she wasn't worried about who made them. Rather, she relished the fact Sombra had made them for her, making them all the more delicious. They were filled with vanilla and blueberries and... love. The thought made her squeal, earning another look from Rainbow Dash.
"They're... not that good." Rainbow Dash muttered, trying to deflate Scootaloo's enjoyment of the food made by the tyrannical king, although her continued interest in the breakfast food was an omission of dishonesty in her statement, something that just made the filly giggle.
"You don't have to enjoy them. I merely made them because it would be rude for me not to otherwise." Sombra stated dully, the same bored look on his face as he stared at Rainbow Dash, earning a light growl from the blue Pegasus.
"I'd expect 'being rude' to be the last thing somepony like YOU to care about." Rainbow Dash snarled, only to earn a disapproving look from Scootaloo that made her shrink back a bit. Something about this whole thing was just... odd. She felt so bad for Scootaloo that she couldn't help but feel unable to act in such a way that would make her upset in some manner without regretting it, but this... this was insane!
Seemingly ignoring the harshness in her tone, Sombra replied "Contrary to popular belief, I'm quite the gentlecolt, if I do say so myself. It's merely a matter of whether you're a free pony or property to me. Suffice to say, the Crystal Ponies were the latter for me." Once more, Scootaloo gave a disapproving look to Sombra, who sighed and returned to his coffee, which made Rainbow Dash giggle this time. The flow of the conversation was so unusual, it would have been funny for an onlooker, but rather awkward for others. "Well, those days are behind me. As Scootaloo's father, my focus is on raising her, not ruling my kingdom. I'll allow those usurpers to hold onto it for the time being." Sombra added in.
"There are so many things wrong with that statement, but lets start with what I'm here for. You. Are. Not. Scootaloo's. Father." Rainbow Dash declared, emphasizing each word so that it wouldn't be mistaken for something else.
Scootaloo gave a hurt look, pushing her unfinished pancakes away from her before standing on her chair. "He is my dad though." she said, more to herself than Rainbow Dash. The insistence made Rainbow Dash question just what made Scootaloo think otherwise.
"No, he's not. I know what happened to your parents, they-"
"Died." Sombra said abruptly, making Scootaloo cringe and Rainbow Dash glare at him. He reached out, stroking Scootaloo's mane with his hoof, settling her a bit, but kept his eyes trained on Rainbow Dash. "That was what you were going to say, weren't you? Well there's no need for us to repeat that little tidbit, it's clearly hurting her feelings." he stated, nodding his head at the filly between the two, a smile slowly growing on the little Pegasus' face at the affectionate touch of the stallion.
"How... would you know? In fact, how are you even here!? I thought we took you down in the Crystal Empire." Rainbow Dash inquired, narrowing her eyes at the dark pony before her.
Giving a slight smile, his gaze drifted to Scootaloo, gently ruffling his hoof against her head to make her mane a mess, eliciting a squeal of joy from the girl. "Scootaloo brought me back." he declared, the tone of his voice still calm, but something about it seemed to indicate he was proud of her. Gaping once more, Rainbow Dash looked from Sombra to Scootaloo, the idea that the sweet little pony she called her sister was responsible for this.
Blushing a bit at the attention, Scootaloo wormed her head out of Sombra's reach, focusing on Rainbow Dash. "I-I think I did. I found his horn in the Crystal Empire during the Equestria Games. I didn't realize it was his... I... honestly didn't know it was his to be honest..." she admitted, looking at the ground.
Snorting, Sombra rolled his eyes, muttering "Shows how great the educational system is in Equestria if they don't teach about me in history."
Turning to Sombra, slightly angry at his statement, she shouted "Miss Cheerilee is a great teacher! We just... haven't gotten around to the Crystal Empire in history class. It wasn't really important for... a thousand years."
Pointing another accusatory hoof at Sombra, but looking at Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash shouted "But I told you about how we kicked his butt after I returned from the Crystal Empire!"
Lifting a brow, Sombra retorted "I don't recall you being the purple Unicorn mare, baby dragon, or usurper princess that defeated me." Quickly turning to Scootaloo, he said in a whisper just loud enough to show he wasn't actually trying to hide anything from Rainbow Dash "As you can see, I'm willing to admit my defeats. I may not like them, but I will acknowledge when I have been bested."
Flailing her forelegs about in the air, Rainbow Dash replied "That's besides the point! You were defeated! DEAD!"
"Just like my parents." Scootaloo mumbled, nearly breaking Rainbow Dash's heart.
Clicking his tongue, Sombra levitated Scootaloo into his lap, stroking her mane again as he shook his head at Rainbow Dash. "That's cold, even for me."
"Wha- huh- But I didn't- I mean- SHE SAID IT!" Rainbow Dash practically bellowed, but quickly recognized that it was a futile gesture.
Still shaking his head, Sombra looked back down to Scootaloo, nudging her with a hoof. "Continue with the story for Miss Dash?"
Nodding her head, Scootaloo looked back to Rainbow Dash and continued. "A-anyways, I brought the horn back home with me and... I don't really know. I spoke to it, told it my problems. It- No, he was the first one I told about my... parents... along with a bunch of other stuff. He was just... there for me when I needed somepony to talk to. Then, when I got my Cutie Mark, I talked to him all night until I fell asleep. I, um, pricked myself on his horn... and might have cried on it. Sorry, I know that's not cool." she apologized, feeling embarrassed for not seeming as awesome as she should as Rainbow Dash's adoptive little sister.
Before Rainbow Dash could assure her that it was fine, Sombra said "There's nothing wrong with crying. Only ponies with unhealthy minds don't cry when they're hurting."
Furrowing her brow, Rainbow Dash quickly shot "Like you've got any ground to say what is and isn't unhealthy."
Shrugging, Sombra's response was "I don't cry, and I'm not exactly the most... sane pony, so I think I know what I'm talking about."
Sensing the growing tension, Scootaloo quickly cut in. "A-anyways, I fell asleep after that and... I don't know. I'm not a Unicorn and I don't know much about magic, but maybe one of those things brought him back? Didn't you guys say that he was able to stay alive after being beaten by Princess Celestia and Luna in the past as smoke or something? Maybe he was just in his horn and... something made him come back?"
"A fine deduction, my little pony." Sombra said, patting Scootaloo on the head.
"You sound so creepy when you say that. Like a demented Princess Celestia or something." Rainbow Dash grunted, remembering all the times she'd heard the leader of Equestria say those very words.
Sombra gave a snort of disapproval. Whether he actually took offense to her words or the comparison to Princess Celestia of all ponies, but clearly it was something he didn't agree with. Yet Scootaloo found something about it humorous, leading her giggle for a bit before she squirmed out of Sombra's hold, leaping onto the table they were all seated at, shifting about so she could look at the two adult ponies freely.
"I know you guys have some differences, but both of you mean a lot to me. It'd be really great if my super awesome adoptive sister and my totally cool new dad got along. It'd make my life, like, twenty percent cooler!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
While Sombra lifted a curious brow at the unusual choice of words from the filly, Rainbow Dash had to bite down on one of her hooves. She didn't agree with things, particularly Scootaloo's views on what was good here, but she was using cool math. Numbers didn't lie, not when it came to coolness, not that she'd ever tell anypony that, especially eggheads like Twilight.
"Scootaloo, I... I came over here because I heard about your parents and wanted to offer you a place to stay. You don't have to be with Sombra here, you can-"
"But I WANT to stay with him! He's my new dad! I... haven't felt this good in my own home for years." Scootaloo admitted with a slight whimper, now getting a confused look from Rainbow Dash.
"Years, but... I was told it was just a few months ago." the blue Pegasus muttered, not fully grasping what it was that made Scootaloo say that.
Looking back at her, the orange filly replied "I... I haven't been with him for even a week, yet... it's felt like more time than I've had with my other parents. I mean, they loved me and all, and I loved them, but... they were always working, and when they weren't working, they were tired and sleepy. We didn't get to do a lot together... but since he's been here, I've felt so much more... noticed. I know you'd do the same, but he's just been... he's been my dad. He's been the parent I've needed."
Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was flabbergasted. She always considered Scootaloo a smart filly, if a bit energetic and prone to losing focus, but what she had just said was really profound. And yet it made sense. Nopony could say they knew what Scootaloo was going through unless they had gone through it themselves, and while it was hard to want to leave the filly alone in a position that needed guidance, Rainbow Dash was glad to say she didn't have to suffer in the same way.
But the issue was, as much as Scootaloo trusted him, this was still Sombra, KING Sombra, the pony who enslaved an entire empire, then cursed it for a thousand years when he lost a fight against the Princesses. Who came back to take back the kingdom he lost, as well as take down her and her friends. This was not a good pony, and he certainly wasn't good father material.
Once more, her eyes fell upon the grey coated stallion, glaring at him as she stood her ground on the matter. "You don't know him like I do. He's tried to rule over ponies twice now. He's hurt our friends before. He's been banished to the Frozen North by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna because he's evil."
While Sombra grimaced slightly, at which piece of information Rainbow Dash wasn't completely sure, but Scootaloo's little pout quickly showed her displeasure with the statement. "Well... what about Discord?"
"The Spirit of Chaos?" Sombra pondered aloud, looking at the filly with a raised brow.
Ignoring the Unicorn, Rainbow Dash replied "What about him?"
"Well, the Princesses banished him before as well, didn't they? But then he got reformed, right? Now he has tea parties with Fluttershy. So why can't he be reformed and look after me." Scootaloo inquired.
Once more, the orange filly had Rainbow Dash stumped. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream that Sombra was different. He was a mad tyrant who enslaved all of his subjects and tried to do worse, while Discord was just a goofball. A goofball that could warp the very fabric of reality so that the sky was indigo, birds could swim through dirt, and make two plus two equal fish, but a goofball who just didn't know better. Sombra knew what he had been doing and didn't care how it affected others. The only thing that drew her back from retorting was that Discord was initially against being reformed, only giving Fluttershy enough time to succeed by the threat of the Elements of Harmony. Sombra was already all for raising the Pegasus.
Seeing the conflict on Sombra's face, the stallion took another sip from his coffee, then set the mug down and turned to face his entire body at Rainbow Dash, the very action causing her to tense, something he took notice to. "I can tell you're not going to let this go, and I suppose I cannot blame you given my... track record. That being said, how about we come to a... compromise?" he offered.
A compromise? The Tyrant King of the Frozen North was offering a compromise? Something about that made him all the more fishy to Rainbow Dash. Had he been sneering, berating her, and declaring how only he had the true power to raise a filly right or something like that, maybe she'd believe this was straight forward, but for the Unicorn capable of fighting two Princesses armed with the Elements of Harmony on his own to offer a compromise instead of making demands, something sly seemed to be going on here, but she wasn't sure what it was.
Sensing Rainbow Dash wasn't going to say anything, Sombra continued. "I will remain acting as Scootaloo's father, as I have been for the past week. I'll do everything a responsible parent should, but since you, and likely your friends, distrust me with her care, you will keep an eye on me. You can take turns or whatever you decide, but you can scrutinize my caring for Scootaloo until such a time where you all feel I have 'reformed' in your eyes. If at any point you and your friends believe I am incapable of fulfilling the job, and give proper reason for your judgment, then I will relinquish my role as Scootaloo's father."
Scootaloo, who had been looking between the two, slightly worried at the direction things had been going, smiled brightly at the suggestion. Staring at Rainbow Dash, she hopped up and down on the table, until Sombra used his magic to properly place her in a seat, making her giggle. "That works, doesn't it? I mean, he's been helping me out for a week already, so I know you guys will realize in no time that he's a great dad, I just know it!" she squealed, pounding her little hooves against the chair.
Rainbow Dash chewed on the inside of her cheek. The offer was... reasonable. Way too reasonable. The girls were going to want to look after him anyways, but it seemed obvious he wasn't going to do anything evil while under their watch... but if they were watching him the entire time, he'd never do anything bad. When would he start up his evil plan? How could he when he had the Elements of Harmony looking after him? But more importantly... how could he while he was looking after Scootaloo, if he was truly going to do so.
Sighing, Rainbow Dash hung her head for a moment, then peered up at the grey Unicorn through her rainbow mane. "I need to talk to the others about it first, but... I guess it works out."
Another ear splitting shriek from Scootaloo had Rainbow Dash and Sombra wincing, but the latter smiled, pleased that his offer seemed to be going through and, more importantly, it had brought a smile to Scootaloo's face.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash, ya in here? We got worried 'bout ya runnin' off an-" Applejack's voice could be heard, drawing the attention of the trio to the entrance to the kitchen. Not only Applejack, but Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity had followed after Rainbow Dash to check in on Scootaloo and trying to figure out how to help her out, but at a significantly slower pace.
The moment they rounded the corner though, the groups' eyes widened significantly as they spied the same unexpected pony that had sent Rainbow Dash into a frenzy... and reacted similarly!
"SOMBRA! Let my friends go and surrender!" Twilight shouted, firing a bolt of magic at him while Applejack ran forth with speed that rivaled Rainbow Dash's.
Once more, Sombra found himself lifting his barrier, sending the bolt of magic resounding away, freezing over a plate in the sink, while Applejack was sent tumbling back in a manner Rainbow Dash was all too familiar with.
"Must we really go through this agai-" Sombra started, only for Rarity to fire her own magic bolt, along with Pinkie Pie delivering a war cry as she delivered a drop kick to the barrier. The appearance of the attack was impressive, but once more futile as the magic bolt burst into light while Pinkie Pie was sent crashing into Applejack as she tried to get back up.
"Guys, hold on a second, he's no-" Rainbow Dash started, finding it weird to actually defend the Unicorn, but was interrupted as Fluttershy even tried to help out, flying forward and... tapping a hoof against the barrier. Not very impressive, but it seemed to reply more like a static shock that made her squeak, her fur poofing up in a way that was rather adorable to see on the timid pony.
Instead of trying to argue against them attacking, Sombra merely ran a hoof over his face, groaning slightly as they repeatedly attacked him, just to get nowhere. His attention was only drawn away by Scootaloo giggling, giving him a smile and pointing at her plate, now empty spare for some leftover syrup and crumbs, as well as Rainbow Dash's half-eaten plate. Shifting his gaze between the plates and the offending ponies, Sombra shook his head and got up.