> Learning to be a Family
>  by Kevinltk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Castle of Friendship was one of the largest structures in Ponyville, boasting enough space to hold half the town’s population within its crystalline walls. And yet, it was the home for only two of Ponyville’s residents: Spike and Twilight. When they first moved into their new home, they were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place, as well as the slew of changes that came with it.

One such change for Spike was that for the first time, he had a whole room all to himself. Although he would miss sleeping next to Twilight’s bed in his basket, his room was located right next to Twilight’s. He was a growing dragon, and the extra space and privacy his new room offered more than made up for the altered sleeping arrangements. Best of all, he would not have to worry about Twilight nagging him to stop reading his comics so late into the night. 

That still left them with a multitude of rooms to use as they wish. Spike did not need any more space because he already had everything he needed in his room, and he was trying to curb any hoarding habits. Twilight filled a few rooms with the plethora of books she accumulated, and she also dedicated another room for both her science and arcane research experiments. However, even with Twilight’s pursuit of knowledge, there were more than a few rooms that were left bare. There was so much space that they did not know what to do with it all. In truth, there were times when the huge castle felt empty and lonely when it was just the two of them.

But that was how it always had been, just the two of them.

Right from when Spike had been hatched, he had attached himself to Twilight, never leaving her side. He followed her everywhere, staying with her at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, moving to Ponyville, and even journeying all over Equestria for all sorts of friendship adventures. While they now had a bunch of great friends, other than the occasional sleepover, it was still pretty much the two of them at the end of the day.

That is, until Twilight started dating Rainbow.

Soon, Rainbow was over at the castle almost every day, even sleeping overnight more often than not. Eventually, as Twilight and Rainbow’s relationship grew, Rainbow moved into the castle as a permanent resident. With a bit of magic and some remodeling, Twilight had expanded her room to house both her and her marefriend.

Even though it took some time for Spike to adjust to the change, he was glad to have Rainbow around. The castle had become much livelier, and more importantly, Twilight was happy.

Although, there was a period of time where Spike wished it was not so lively at night. Fortunately, some soundproofing spells around Twilight and Rainbow’s room promptly ended his complaints.

They were a happy family of three, albeit an odd one. However, it would not be long after things started to settle down before their family was about to grow yet again.

For the past few weeks, Twilight and Rainbow had been working to grow their unconventional family by adopting. Spike was fully behind the idea when Twilight and Rainbow first broached the subject with him, even before they told him who they were thinking of. It was a filly, and it was not just any filly. It was a filly Spike knew well and was even friends with.

While he had known the filly was an orphan, the topic was hardly, if ever, brought up. Part of the reason was because the filly herself did not really want to talk about it, and with how happy and healthy she looked, there were no real worries or concerns. Of course, when the filly was told who was finally adopting her, she quite literally bounced off the walls with excitement.

After much paperwork, the fated day had arrived, and Twilight and Rainbow went out to finalize the adoption process and then bring home the lucky filly. Spike had stayed at the castle to make sure the new room for his soon-to-be little sister was all ready for her.

It had been busy for the last couple of days, but the other room next to Spike’s had been cleaned and set up in preparation for the filly. Given the familiarity they all had with the filly, the room was decorated with many of her favorite things besides the basic furnishings.

Posters and pennants of various athletic themes were plastered on the walls, but the premiere flying team, The Wonderbolts, were the dominant force. Twilight, being the staunch supporter of education, also managed to sneak in a little of her influence in the room by putting up a picture of some famous researcher, as well as a motivational poster that encouraged more book reading.

The room was also filled with various pictures of the filly with her best friends. There were even a few of the filly with Rainbow, which was no surprise given their relationship even before the whole adoption process began. In time, Spike hoped that they would be able to add some more pictures that would include him and Twilight standing by the filly’s side, and not just in this room.

With Twilight and Rainbow coming home with the filly any minute now, Spike was giving the room one last check, but in truth, he had already done three “last checks” before this one.

Moments ago, he had found out that the anticipation from waiting for his little sister’s arrival was driving him stir-crazy. He had to keep his idle claws busy, even if meant going after that nonexistent dust bunny under the bed. It was a flimsy distraction, but it was a distraction nonetheless. Anything to keep him from thinking too much.

While he was excited that he was going to get a little sister, he was also afraid. He was going to be a big brother, and this was new territory for him. His behavior and actions could very well influence how the filly grew up. He really did not want to let his little sister down, so he did his best to prepare for this day. He talked to Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy on what it was like to be the older sibling. He wrote a letter to Shining Armor, his own big brother, for advice. He even took a page out of Twilight’s book and actually tried to read as many books as he could on the subject and creating a checklist.

Eventually, with so many differing opinions and ideas from all of his sources, Spike was overwhelmed by all the information and almost had a meltdown of Twilight proportions. In the end, Spike discarded all of his findings in favor of the one piece of advice that everypony gave him. Trust his instincts.

He might be a baby dragon, but he was just as capable and mature as any of his friends. He even had quite a bit of experience taking care of a pony, namely Twilight. Besides being Twilight’s assistant, he was kind of also her caretaker. With her obsession with books, Twilight sometimes neglected some of her bodily needs, and Spike had to remind or even help her with them, such as food, sleep, and calls of nature. Yeah, there were a few times when things were not so pretty.

Hopefully, he would not have too much trouble with his little sister. He already knew that the filly was a bit of a troublemaker with her impatience and brashness. There was no doubt that there was also going to be some teasing going around, but years of sarcastic banter with Twilight prepared him well for that. Unfortunately, with Rainbow around, pranks of all kinds were inevitable. 

Spike looked up from his room inspection when he suddenly heard the creaking of the front doors opening, followed closely by the sounds of Twilight’s and Rainbow’s voices. But what really drew his attention was a third voice.

His little sister had finally arrived.

Spike scrambled out of the room and down the hall to greet everypony, but just before he exited the hallway into the foyer, he paused. He took a moment to check that his scales were grime-free and that his spines were not out of place. He had to look good for his new sister, after all. 

Satisfied with his appearance, Spike took a deep breath and then walked toward the stairs leading down to the castle entrance.

Standing by the doors were Twilight and Rainbow, but Spike’s eyes zeroed in on the orange pegasus filly standing between them. The filly’s magenta-maned head was slowly looking left, right, up, and down, her mouth agape with wonder. Even though she had already visited the castle a couple of times, it was like she was seeing it in a whole new light. She was so wrapped up with taking in the sights, she did not even bother getting off the scooter she was riding on nor take off her blue saddlebags. Eventually, the filly’s attention went up the stairs and stopped right on Spike.

The filly smiled at him.

The knotted feeling that had been present in Spike’s stomach all day faded away as he gazed upon his new sister, and a huge smile of his own blossomed on his face. He was now officially a big brother, and he knew the perfect words to commemorate the occasion.

“Hi, Scootaloo. Welcome home.”
> Dark, Stormy Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pitch black. Ponies would use these words to describe the complete absence of light. However, that was nothing compared to the room Spike and Scootaloo were in. 

Throughout the day, Spike, Scootaloo, and Twilight were watching Dash and the weather team build a thick, dark blanket across the then sunny sky. Even though Scootaloo expressed her desire to give helping hoof here and there, Dash had no choice but to decline it. She knew full well that the experienced members of the weather team, even with all the precautions they took, might somehow get hurt one way or the other. Regardless of Scootaloo promising Dash she would be super careful, Dash had no intention of seeing her newly-adopted daughter get hurt, or worse, end up in the hospital.

As time passed and the thick cloud blanket was properly knitted across the especially bright day, the young family headed back to the Castle of Friendship. 

However, they would not be able to spend the rest of the day together.

After Scootaloo permanently moved into the Friendship Castle, the Cutie Map would sometimes send the Elements to the outskirts of Equestria to fix friendship problems. 

And once again, the Cutie Map called all the Elements on a quest, something that had only happened a couple of times. There was usually at least a pony or two left behind that would check up upon Spike, Scootaloo, Owlowiscious, and Tank here and there. 

Being left to themselves and their own devices, Scootaloo and Spike decided that the best way to spend their time was to explore the vast castle. Neither would dare to compare the castle to Canterlot's, but neither would deny they spent far too many hours, or even days, exploring the crystal structure. And their exploration wouldn't be limited only to the ground level, but to the few underground caves they found in the basement. 

As soon as the ponies departed, the two looked at each other and nodded; they both wanted to continue with their exploration. Even though they had gotten lost before, they would not make the same mistake again and would mark their way this time.

"After you, sister," Spike said with a bow.

"Heh." Even though everything was black-on-white, and Scootaloo was officially adopted quite a while ago, Scootaloo still found being called "sister" was odd to say the least. 

Regardless, they continued with their careless venture into the unknown.

As they progressed down to the basement, Scootaloo stopped and perked her ears when she heard a distant growl. "W-what was that?"

"You forgot about the storm? It's scheduled for… uh..." Spike looked at the watch he brought. "They're late. By like 20 minutes."

"Oh-oh yeah. I forgot about that."

Spike smirked. "You forgot you wanted to help out?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I guess so. Come on!"

Without hesitation, Spike started to courageously march ahead, leaving Scootaloo a few steps behind. And with time, the distance grew bigger, making him stop and turn around. "Hey, sis?"

"Yeah?"

"Something wrong?"

"No, of course not. I just—"

Craaaack!

Scootaloo's eyes narrowed and her body stiffened.

Spike smirked. "Don't tell me that you're scared of a little thunder."

"N-no. Of-of course not. It's just—"

Craaaack!

Scootaloo's tail tucked between her legs and she jumped up. "Aaaahhhh!" 

"Scoot? W-what's wrong?"

"I-I—"

"It's just a storm, Scoot. You know, a little thunder and things are over?"

“…”

"Scoot?"

"I-I'm scared, Spike."

"Yeah, I can see that. But why now? There had been storms before, you know. And you—"

"Were hiding."

"Yeah, right," Spike replied with a determined tone, and a moment later, he fell silent. He was digging through his memory, trying to remember when he saw Scootaloo during a raging storm, and to his surprise, he could remember not even one instance of them being together during the storm. "Oh," he finally said.

"It's just a little thunder and lightning, Scoot. Nothing really to worry about. Electrostatic discharge far away from us." 

"I know what it is!" Scootaloo almost screamed. "I-I still don't like it, okay?" She bit her lip. "Please don't tell Rainbow."

Another flash of bright light saturated the interior of the crystal room, bathing both of them in a mixture of colors. 

"Whoa! That was freaking cool! Hey, Scoot?" Spike swiftly looked around the crystal room, but Scootaloo was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, Scootaloo?" No answer. "Sis?" The distancing sound of galloping made him turn his head, just in time to catch a glimpse of the frightened filly.

"H-hey, wait up!"

However, Scootaloo was already gone, lost in the crystal corridors of the castle. There was no chance Spike could catch up with Scootaloo. But at least he knew where she was going.

~*~*~

"Scoot? You in here?" Spike asked as he slowly pushed open the door of Scootaloo's bedroom. "You just went off and I… uhhh… Scoots?"

Spike lit the nearby candle and let the light spread across the room. In the middle of it, there was a bed, with a shivering lump on top of it. "Hey, are you—" The moment Spike poked that lump, Scootaloo jumped out scared from her blanket cover, and shared a shriek like a little foal with Spike.

After they both calmed down, Spike calmly asked, "Scootaloo?"

"S-sorry. I'm just…"

"Scared of the thunder."

Scootaloo nodded. 

"So? Don't see what's wrong with Dash knowing about it…"

"Are you kidding! Rainbow Dash isn't afraid of anything! She's like—"

"She had severe stage fright," Spike replied flatly. "Twilight told me when she and her friends went to watch Rainbow in the Young Fliers Competition."

Scootaloo fell silent for a moment. "But she— Rainbow Dash is—"

"Oh, but that's nothing." Spike giggled. "Twilight was scared of thunder as well. She used to hide behind Celestia's leg. Actually, I saw her hiding there quite a few times."

"Yeah, when she was a foal. Not as old as me, though. I—"

"Actually," Spike answered with a smirk, "she was even older than you. It was really funny to see her squirm on a night like this."

Scootaloo scratched her mane. "Even older?"

"Yeah. I once found her hiding under the bed once. I guess those dust bunnies needed some company as well. Anyways, Twilight told me it's no biggie if you're scared of something, and that we're all afraid of something."

"Yeah?" Scootaloo paused for a moment and scratched her mane. "What are you afraid of?"

"I— er…" Spike took a deep breath and exhaled. "Twilight."

Scootaloo tilted her head. "You're scared of Twilight? What did she do?"

Spike furiously shook his head. "No, no, no, I mean… I don't want her to get hurt, and with all of her running around doing the princess' duties… I'm afraid some day she won't come back home."

"That won't happen, Spike," Scootaloo replied after a moment of reflection of previous events. "Hey, Twilight is super-smart, and with Rainbow by her side, yeah, not gonna happen."

"I guess…"

"And—"

Again. the crystal castle lit up as the flash of lightning struck something near the castle. Scootaloo froze up.

"Way cool! This one was really close!" Spike squeed, but he fell silent the moment he remembered he was in a room with a scared Scootaloo. "Uh, sorry."

"Heh, yeah. Um, Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"I um… Er… Would you like to… keep me company? I… I don't think I'll sleep tonight with… that outside…"

"Oh. Well, sure, sis."

~*~*~

"Hey, squirt, we're back! Luckily, the Map sent us someplace close. It was a super easy job and…  Uh… Scootaloo?" Dash said to the overly calm interior of the castle. "You here?

"Scootaloo?"

The only sound that could be heard throughout the castle was the sound of Spike's unmistakable snores. However, instead of coming from his room, they were coming from Scootaloo's. Curious, Dash opened Scootaloo's door, and she couldn't help herself but snicker.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"See for yourself, Twi."

"What? Oh." Twilight snickered herself as well. Scootaloo had her forehooves wrapped around Spike while he was snoring.

"What do you think happened?" Dash whispered.

"We can ask tomorrow," Twilight whispered in reply. "But until then… We need to get some sleep as well."

Dash cleared her throat.

"Sleep, Miss Dash."

"Yes, Miss Nerd."

Twilight looked at the sleeping couple again. The worry about how Spike and Scootaloo would cope in the long run disappeared.

Without a shadow of a doubt in her mind, they've became a real family.
> Cooking
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo’s moans were akin to the wails of whales when she was rudely woken up by a ringing in her ears. It took a few moments before she realized the ringing was not in her head, but from somewhere in her room. Flipping over in her bed, Scootaloo picked up her pillow and then folded it over the top of her head, completely covering her ears. However, the pillow did little to drown out the racket, and the incessant noise continued to blare.

With much reluctance and groaning, Scootaloo let the pillow drop from her head and slowly cracked her eyes open into narrow slits. She saw that the source of her torment was coming from an alarm clock on top of a nearby nightstand.

Scootaloo’s forehoof rose high into the air before falling over like a fallen tree and slamming onto the alarm clock. While the infernal device survived, blissful silence finally returned. Unfortunately, in her groggy state, Scootaloo tipped forward from her attack and before she knew it, her face was shown how hard crystalline floors were.

Scootaloo groaned and lazily rolled onto her back. To add insult to injury, she caught a glimpse of the alarm clock and saw that it was way earlier than she normally woke. It was the weekend too, the best days to sleep in.

Still on the floor, she shut her eyes in a desperate attempt to return to her slumber, but after much tossing and turning, she had to accept the fact that the damage was done. She could not go back to sleep.

Grumbling, Scootaloo fluttered open her eyes. Her half-lidded gaze was drawn to a red circle drawn onto a calendar hanging on the wall. A nagging thought started poking the back of her mind, and she kept staring at the calendar as the gears in her head continued to warm up.

Suddenly, Scootaloo’s eyes shot wide open. Today was exactly one month since she had been adopted by Rainbow and Twilight. It might not seem like much of a milestone to others, but to Scootaloo, she wanted to celebrate the occasion.

She had set the alarm last night so that she would wake up before everypony else. She wanted to show her appreciation to Rainbow, Twilight, and Spike for bringing her into their family by surprising them with breakfast.

With her lethargy now replaced by determination, Scootaloo trotted across her room and gingerly opened her door. She winced as the door creaked seemingly louder than the battle cry of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and she peaked out into the hall. It had taken her a bit of time before she turned off her alarm clock, but fortunately, from the looks of things, everypony else was still asleep.

Scootaloo crept out into the hall, quietly closing the door behind her. Quietly, she made her way down to the kitchen and got there without hearing so much as a peep from her family. 

Scootaloo headed straight for the refrigerator when she arrived in the kitchen to see if she could make anything herself. She had to admit that she did not have much cooking experience, but surely she would not be as bad as Sweetie Belle. The last time Scootaloo tried her fellow crusader’s oatmeal, she ended up waking up in Fluttershy’s chicken coop with no memory of how or why she was there.

She found a carton of milk, which she could use to make cereal and milk, one of the only recipes she knew, but she did not think a meal like that would properly show her appreciation.

The refrigerator was also well-stocked with vegetables, but Scootaloo decided to keep her hooves clear of them. Vegetables would require cutting them, and the last time she used a kitchen knife was some time before she received her cutie mark. Suffice to say, it ended in tears.

Scootaloo decided to try and cook some eggs. That seemed easy enough. All she had to do was crack some eggs into a pan and then heat it up on the stove. What could go wrong?

One by one, Scootaloo transferred a few eggs from the refrigerator to the counter by the stove using her mouth, careful to not accidentally break them early and give herself a mouthful of yolk. Once she got a pan from the nearby cabinet onto the stove, she got up on her hind legs and reached for the eggs with her forehooves.

It did not take long before Scootaloo eventually cracked open all the eggs, spilling their golden contents into the pan. However, she had to spend a few extra moments to use a spoon to fish out some eggshells that also happened to drop into the pan. She had watched Spike crack open eggs a couple of times, and he made it look so easy.

Once the eggs were ready, Scootaloo turned on the stove, setting it to its highest setting. She had lost precious time when she did not wake up to her alarm right away, and since Spike usually woke up early to get started on breakfast, she needed to hurry things along. She figured that more heat meant the eggs would cook faster and ensure that her gift to her family would be ready by the time they woke up.

The sizzling sounds of eggs frying instantly filled the air, putting a proud smile on Scootaloo’s face. She turned away, figuring that a few minutes of cooking should be enough for the eggs. In the meantime, she wanted to round out her eggs with some toast and juice.

As Scootaloo was busy sticking some bread into the toaster and grabbing a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator, she congratulated herself on a job well done. It might not be much, but she was able to cobble together a successful breakfast for her family.

And then Scootaloo smelled something burning.

Scootaloo whipped her head around and saw that wisps of smoke were rising from the pan, and an acrid smell was starting to spread throughout the kitchen.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot!” Scootaloo frantically chanted as she rushed back to the stove. 
In her panic, Scootaloo reached forward with her head to grab the pan’s handle in her mouth, only to yelp and back off when she felt the heat of the stove. Her eyes darted around, in search of something that would help her plight.

“No, no, no! What do I do?!” Scootaloo could see her gift literally go up in smoke.

“Scootaloo! What are you doing?!”

Scootaloo’s breath hitched when she saw Spike running towards her. “S-Spike… I…”

Spike quickly turned off the stove and then grabbed a lid from the cupboard and jammed it onto the hot pan, effectively sealing off the smoke. With a sigh of relief, Spike turned to Scootaloo with a concerned frown. “You alright, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo could only nod, her mind still processing her disaster.

“What were you trying to do?” Spike asked.

Scootaloo sighed. “I was trying to cook some eggs. I wanted to make breakfast for all of you.”

Spike took the lid off the pan, revealing that the eggs were nothing but a charred husk. “Yeah… I think your eggs are a little burnt…”

“Gee, you think?” Scootaloo dryly replied with a small scowl. She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m just pretty frustrated that I messed up. I tried getting the pan off the stove when I saw the eggs were starting to burn, but it was too hot for me. Guess I panicked and forgot I could just turn off the stove.” 

“Well, as long as you’re safe, that’s what’s most important.”

Scootaloo slowly nodded. “I guess…” When she saw Spike pick up the pan and dump the burnt eggs into the trash, she asked, “Um, isn’t that hot?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Spike replied nonchalantly.

“And it doesn’t hurt?”

Spike glanced at Scootaloo with an amused smirk. “I’m a dragon. I even went swimming in lava once. I think I can handle a hot pan.”

“Ah, right…” As Spike started washing the pan in the sink, Scootaloo sighed. “Hey, Spike, I’m sorry for making a mess.”

“No big deal. Why were you making breakfast for us anyway?”

“Well, it’s been one month since I moved in here, and I just wanted to do something nice for you all as thanks.” Scootaloo looked down and scuffed the floor with a forehoof. “I haven’t really cooked before, as you can see…”

“That’s pretty cool of you. And don’t let one failed attempt get you down. Everypony has to start somewhere. Why don’t you try again? You can still surprise Twilight and Rainbow. I’ll even help.”

Scootaloo looked up. “Er, I guess I could, but are you sure? It wouldn’t be much of a gift to you if you helped me with it.”

Spike smiled. “I would be cooking with my sis. That’s pretty much a win in my book.”

Scootaloo laughed. “That’s kind of corny, Spike.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay then. Guess you don’t need my help then. Excuse me while I go tell Twilight and Rainbow that you almost set the kitchen on fire.”

Scootaloo clammed right up and gave Spike a big smile. “Spike, would you please help your sister make breakfast?”

Spike grinned. “That’s better. Yeah, sure, I’ll help, but first…” Spike opened one of the cupboards, revealing a stack of candles. He pulled one out, placed it into a holder, and set it onto the counter. With a small puff of emerald flame, he lit the candle.

“What’s that for?” Scootaloo asked.

“It’s just an enchanted candle that helps get rid of the smell of smoke,” Spike explained. “Like when pegasus fillies burn some stuff.”

It was Scootaloo’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yeah, yeah… Guess those candles are useful when there’s a fire-breathing dragon around.”

“Hey, it’s not just for me. I had to break these out loads of times because of Twilight’s experiments.” Spike retorted. “Anyway, we should stop talking about who's going to burn down the castle and get to cooking if we want to have breakfast ready when Twilight and Rainbow get up.”

“Oh, right.” Scootaloo nodded and then paused. “But, uh, could you just watch me and tell me if I’m doing anything wrong? I still want to try and make this by myself, if possible.”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.” Spike shrugged and stepped back, giving Scootaloo room to work.

Scootaloo took a deep breath and then went to retrieve another batch of eggs for her second attempt at cooking. When she was about to crack an egg into a new pan, Spike stopped her.

“Hold on, you really should put some cooking oil in first,” Spike suggested. “The eggs will cook a bit better, and it also helps make them not stick to the pan when they’re done.”

“Oh, uh, right,” Scootaloo replied, looking around for said oil. “Um, Spike—”

“Second cabinet on your left.”

Scootaloo mumbled her thanks and found the bottle of oil right where Spike said. She briefly wondered what would have happened if she tried to get her first batch of eggs out of the pan without the oil. Good thing she burnt them to a crisp before they caused any trouble.

With the bottle in her hooves, she poured out a smidge of oil onto the pan, making sure to spread it around when Spike chimed in. After that, she set the bottle aside and reached for an egg, only to pause and look at Spike. After receiving a smile and nod, she proceeded with cracking open an egg.

Like before, a few bits of eggshells dropped along with the yolk. As Scootaloo glared at the unwanted debris, Spike came to the rescue with some tips. Following Spike’s suggestion, Scootaloo was able to cleanly break open the rest of the eggs without trouble.

Now ready to actually start cooking the eggs, Scootaloo reached for the stove’s knob to turn it on, but she was stopped by Spike once again.

“Uh, wait, Scootaloo. I noticed that you had the stove on max last time. You should turn it down.”

“But doesn’t more heat mean stuff cooks faster?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, yeah, it sometimes can, but it makes it really easy to burn whatever you’re cooking. You pretty much have to keep your eye on it at all times. Besides, food cooked like that tends not to come out as good.”

“Oh… Okay…” Scootaloo stared at the stove’s knob for a moment before turning back to Spike. “Could you…”

Spike chuckled and stepped forward to turn the stove on to the appropriate temperature. “Let’s start off low so that you can get the hang of things first. Don’t want the whole castle smelling like burnt eggs.”

Scootaloo nodded and remembering Spike’s earlier words, she made sure to keep an eye on her work as the sound of sizzling eggs soon filled the kitchen once again.

“You could try moving and flipping the eggs around a couple of times if you want it to cook better,” Spike pointed out.

“How do I do that?”

“Well, you could use a spatula, but if you want, I can show you a more fun way to do it.”

Scootaloo blinked. “Uh, sure. Let’s do the fun way.”

Spike directed Scootaloo to stand up on her hind legs as he walked up behind her. He held onto his sister’s forelegs and moved them to grip the pan’s handle. With gentle movements, he moved their limbs together in a circular motion, sliding the eggs around in the pan.

“Now, here comes the cool part,” Spike said. With a sudden jolt, he thrusted Scootaloo’s forelegs up.

The force caused the eggs to jump straight up into the air a few inches, flipped around, and landed back onto the pan upside down.

“Hey, you did it!” Spike cheered.

Scootaloo could not help but chuckle. “Spike, you’re easily amused.”

“Hey, I thought it was pretty exciting when I first learned how to do it. Come on, you had to feel at least a bit cool doing that.”

“Well… Okay, maybe a bit…”

Scootaloo continued to flip the eggs every now and then with Spike’s help. It did not take long before she could see that the eggs were starting to turn out nicely. Thinking about all the directions Spike gave her, she had to admit that she most likely would have just ended up with another scorched mess without her brother’s help. The purple dragon really knew how to cook.

Now that Scootaloo thought about it, Spike was the only one who she had seen cooking for everypony in the castle. She could not help but ask, “Hey, Spike, are you the only one who cooks around here?”

“Pretty much. I’m sure you know Rainbow enough to now she doesn’t really have the patience for it.”

Scootaloo giggled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. We pretty much only ate sandwiches or takeout when we hang out. What about Twilight?”

"Twilight is… She’s an alright cook, I guess. She just doesn’t do it often since I usually do it for her so that she can study more. When she does though, she has some interesting quirks. The problem is that she can’t cook anything without a recipe and since she treats it like a checklist, she must follow it exactly.”

“What’s so bad about that?” Scootaloo asked, keeping her eyes on the eggs as she flipped them again.

“Because it’s Twilight being Twilight. If it were any other pony, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Everything has to be exact with her. I’m pretty sure nopony else would start counting grains of sugar to make sure she had exactly one tablespoon…”

Scootaloo eyes widened, and she looked at Spike with wide eyes. “Seriously?”

Spike grimly nodded. “It’s almost as bad when she chops fruits and vegetables. She brings out all sorts of measuring tools, insisting that every one of them has to be sliced into the optimal length and circumference.

“I even remember one time when she tried to make a lemon pie, and she ran out of lemons. A normal pony would just go buy some more, but for Twilight, she tried to make her own lemon juice by identifying the base components of it and then reproducing it with her science-y chemical stuff.”

“How was the pie in the end?”

Spike shrugged. “Dunno. It exploded. Had to buy a new oven,” he replied, earning him a laugh from his sister. After Scootaloo cleanly flipped the eggs around one more time, Spike added, “You’re really getting the hang of that, aren’t you? Good job, Scootaloo.”

“That’s only because you’re holding…” Scootaloo looked at Spike and saw that her brother had stepped away while they were talking. She looked back at the pan. “Whoa…” 

Spike chuckled. “Told you it was cool. I knew you could do it. By the way, the eggs should be done now. Here, I’ll help you serve them.”

Scootaloo and Spike turned off the stove and carefully doled out the cooked eggs onto four plates. They also finished Scootaloo’s previously-planned additions, and by the time the two of them poured out four cups of orange juice and made a new batch of toast, Twilight and Rainbow came into the kitchen.

“Good morning, you two,” Twilight greeted with a smile.

“Morning,” Rainbow mumbled, her eyes still half-shut, before letting out a huge yawn.

“Morning,” Scootaloo and Spike chimed at the same time.

“Thanks for breakfast as usual, Spike,” Twilight said.

“Actually, it was Scootaloo who cooked today’s breakfast,” Spike explained.

“Really?” Twilight uttered as she and an awakened Rainbow both looked at the filly.

“Um, well, that’s like half true,” Scootaloo replied. “I tried getting up early to make breakfast by myself, but I ended up messing that up. I only was able to make all this stuff because Spike helped me out a lot. I wanted to thank all of you for taking me in. You’re the best family I could ever ask for.”

“Aww, come here, squirt,” Rainbow said, trotting up to Scootaloo to wrap her in a hug. “You’re the best filly I could ask for.”

“Same here,” Twilight added, hugging Scootaloo’s other side, sandwiching the filly between her parents. “And thank you for cooking breakfast. It looks delicious.”

“Sure does! I’m starving!” Rainbow cheered and flew toward the food with a giggling Twilight following behind.

As Spike started walking over to join the mares, Scootaloo stopped him. “Hey, Spike?”

“Yeah?”

Scootaloo gave her brother a quick hug. “Thanks for helping me out. I really couldn’t have done it without your help.”

“Heh, no problem. I was glad to do it,” Spike said as he returned the embrace.

“Also, I was thinking that, when we have some free time, maybe you could teach me some more cooking stuff?”

A wide smile appeared on Spike’s face. “I would love to.”

Scootaloo returned the smile with her own. “Thanks, bro.”
> Nightmare Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure you want to do this, Spike?”


“Of course, Scootaloo. I’ve been planning this for a long time.”


“Do I really have to do this?”


“You did agree to do this when I asked a few days ago.”


“That was before I knew what I was getting into!”


“Come on, Scootaloo, it’s not like we have any other choice. We don’t have any time to change things!”


“But this is going to be so lame!”


“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Rainbow asked as she walked into the room. “Twilight and I can hear you two from downstairs, even while we’re setting up for the Nightmare Night Party.”


“Spike wants me to be the bottom, but I don’t really want to. It’s going to be such a pain,” Scootaloo said with an annoyed huff.


Rainbow froze. “Wait, what?”


“Well, this was all my idea, but I’m sure it’s going to be fun, and I bet everypony will love it when they see us,” Spike argued.


“Wait, what?!” Rainbow cried out even louder, causing Spike and Scootaloo to reel back and stare at her with wide eyes.


“Er, Rainbow, is there something wrong? You do know that we’re talking about our Nightmare Night costume for tonight, right?” Scootaloo pointed out.


Rainbow blinked several times, her mouth slowly moving up and down until she finally uttered, “Your what?”


Spike and Scootaloo pointed to the side where a long, green dragon costume was lying on the floor.


“We were arguing who gets to be the bottom half, since it’s a two pony costume,” Spike explained. “What were you thinking about?”


“N-nothing,” Rainbow remarked, her face more red than her usual blue.


“Oh, really?” Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow.


“Just drop it, alright?” Rainbow took a breath. “So, a dragon costume, huh? Spike, I kind of noticed that you always seem to wear some sort of dragon costume for every Nightmare Night.”


“Yeah, so?” Spike asked.


“Why go as a dragon when you’re already a dragon?”


“What? Dragons are cool.”


“Uh, I guess so?”


“Some of them aren’t,” Scootaloo added.


“Oh, yeah, like that jerk, Garble,” Spike agreed.


“I was thinking of a certain shorter, purple dragon.”


“Really? What…” Spike shot Scootaloo a deadpan look and dryly replied, “Oh haha, very funny.” 


Scootaloo smirked and then turned back to Rainbow. “Anyway, Rainbow, since you’re here, maybe you can help us decide what to do. Spike wants me to be the dragon’s butt, and I don’t want to be a butt.”


“It’s not the butt!” Spike argued. “I mean, you got the whole bottom half with the hind legs.”


“So a butt with legs. I also would not be able to see anything but your back for the entire night.”


“Hey, I made sure there are a couple of holes.”


“You can barely see anything out of those!”


“Okay, okay, break it up, you two,” Rainbow interrupted. “No offense, but sounds like this dragon costume is going to be a bit more trouble than it’s worth. How about the both of you just get your own costumes?”


Spike shook his head. “I don’t have anything else. I was all set with this dragon costume.”


“Same,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “When I agreed to do a two pony costume with Spike, I thought I wouldn’t need one.”


“Oh well…” Rainbow paused in thought for a moment. “Uh, too late to get Rarity’s help so… I guess you two have no choice then. Since you can’t decide who gets to be what, how about you just take turns? Just switch places when the night is half over.”


“I guess it’s better than being the butt for the whole night,” Scootaloo mumbled. “So who’s going first?”


“Uh…” was all Spike could muster.


Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. “Just flip a coin,” she called back. “I have to get back to helping Twilight set up. You two better get going soon if you want to go get candy and make it back in time for the party with Princess Luna.”







“You see them yet?” Scootaloo asked from within the rear of the dragon costume. It was hot and stifling inside the costume. Since she had to stand up on her hind legs to fit inside, she had to stand awkwardly by leaning forward and letting her forehooves rest on Spike’s shoulders. The holes that were meant to let her see outside were little more than tiny dots, and she could only get glimpses of their sides.


“No, I… Oh wait, there they are!” Spike informed. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, over here! Man, those are some weird costumes…”


“What are they? I can’t see them.”


“Well, they are—”


“Hey, Spike!” Apple Bloom greeted loudly as she and Sweetie Belle ran up to him. “Where’s Scootaloo?”


“I’m right here,” Scootaloo called out, still hidden behind Spike.


Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle tilted their bodies to look past Spike’s sides.


“Uh, Scootaloo, are you going as a dragon’s behind for Nightmare Night?” Sweetie Belle asked.


“It was Spike’s idea!” Scootaloo groaned. “I only have to do this for half the night before it’s my turn. I can’t wait until it’s time for us to switch.”


“Well, if it’s any consolation, it is a pretty neat idea,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.


“See? Sweetie Belle think it’s cool,” said Spike.


Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I’m getting out. I need a break, and I can’t see Apple Bloom’s and Sweetie Belle’s costumes from in here.”


“Fine, just be careful. I didn’t have time to double check my work since I had to make a costume for two this year.”


Scootaloo hastily loosened the elastic bands keeping the two halves of their costumes together and then backed up once she was loose, freeing her from her prison. Taking a breath of fresh air, she walked over to her friends, her half of the costume still hanging off her back. 


“Hey, girls…” Scootaloo mouth hung open as she got a good look at her fellow Crusaders. “Um, what are you girls wearing?”


“What? Don’t you recognize a pear?” Apple Bloom asked. She was indeed inside a green pear costume. It was big enough to cover her entire body, but stopping right before her legs and her neck.


“Well, yeah, of course I know what a pear is. I just have to know, why?” Scootaloo asked.


“Well, Applejack and Ah decided to have a little contest to see who would have the scariest costume this year.” Apple Bloom grinned. “Ah won.”


“Seriously, a pear?” Spike asked.


“Hey, pears are the natural enemies of apples! Or at least that’s what Applejack tells me…”


Spike and Scootaloo shared a glance, nodded to each other, and turned to Sweetie Belle. “So, what are you supposed to be, Sweetie Belle?” Spike asked.


Sweetie Belle was wearing a thick, black jacket that was littered with tiny, shiny, metal spikes littered all over its front and the sleeves that reached down her forehooves. Her mane had been bunched up into a mohawk, similar to how Zecora wore hers, and thin streaks of black were painted around her eyes and mouth.


“I’m not too sure, to be honest,” Sweetie Belle answered, taking a look at herself. “I was helping my mom clean the attic yesterday when I found this jacket she used to wear. She got really excited to see them, saying something about the good, old days. When I said that the jacket looked nice, she got this weird look, and before I knew it…” She waved a hoof over her entire body. “I looked like this. I figured I could just use this since I haven’t picked out a costume yet.” 


“Uh, I guess it’s alright. By the way, I didn’t know you got your ears pierced… or your nose…” Scootaloo pointed at Sweetie Belle’s ears where there were three metal ring piercings. There was one additional ring hanging on the end of her muzzle.


“Oh, these?” Sweetie Belle’s horn glowed, and all the rings detached from her with ease and rose a few inches into the air. “They’re fake. Mom wanted to do real piercings, but Dad stopped her.”


“Boy, I sure would like to see Rarity’s reaction when she sees you, Sweetie Belle,” Spike stated.


“Oh, we already know,” Apple Bloom replied. “We visited her place on the way here. She took one look at Sweetie, screamed really loud, and slammed the door in her face.”


“Maybe she was just too busy and was still getting ready for the party later?” Sweetie Belle guessed.


“Right…” Scootaloo said while nodding slowly. When Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom took a moment to talk to each other, she leaned closer to Spike and whispered, “And here I thought we were a weird family.”


Spike nodded in agreement. “Well, it’s Ponyville. We’re all weird here.”


“So let’s get goin’!” Apple Bloom loudly proclaimed. “Ah’m hopin’ to get enough candy tonight that Ah would put even Pinkie Pie to shame!”


“Pretty sure that you would pass out or something long before you reach that point,” Sweetie Belle informed. “Seriously, that pony is not natural.”


“Don’t care! Doin’ it anyway!”


“Alright, alright, just give me a moment to get back into costume.” With a sigh, Scootaloo moved behind Spike and reattached their costume together. Once everything was secure, the four of them began going around to collect as much candy as possible.


There were a few bumps along the way as Spike and Scootaloo went from house to house. Being attached to each other and having to coordinate their movements, they had a hard time keeping up with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and there were a couple of moments where they almost fell to the ground. Scootaloo herself was subject to additional annoyances, and as the night progressed, she became more and more irritated over her situation


“Nightmare Night, what a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!” the four of them sang out to their latest target.


“Oh, those are some, er, interesting costumes there, children,” Cheerilee commented. There was a short pause and then she asked, “Where’s Scootaloo? I thought I heard her voice.”


“I’m right here, Ms. Cheerilee. I’m the other half of Spike’s costume,” Scootaloo explained with a frustrated groan. She and the other two Crusaders were known to do everything together, and with her hidden behind Spike, just about every house had asked where she was upon first glance of the group.


“Oh, sorry, Scootaloo,” Cheerilee replied.


“It’s okay…”


“I’ll just let Spike hold your candy for the time being.”


Scootaloo sighed. That was another thing that she was missing out on. While she had no doubt that Spike would dole out her fair share of sweets at home, part of the fun of candy collecting was actually holding the bag of sweets as it grew over the course of the night.


As they trotted away from Cheerilee’s home, Scootaloo tapped Spike on the shoulder. “Spike, come on, let’s switch.”


“Huh? But isn’t time yet,” Spike replied to his bottom.


“I don’t care! This sucks!”


“But—”


“But nothing! I’m done being the butt! I want to change now!” Scootaloo barked. She turned around around and got down on her four hooves, not caring that she was stretching her half of the costume into the ground. 


“Hey, you’re getting dirt on—Whoa!” Spike fell on his back when Scootaloo suddenly walked in the other direction.


As Spike was struggling to get up while being dragged around by the costume and Scootaloo continued to march in the opposite direction, Sweetie Belle warned, “Er, guys, I would be careful, otherwise your costume is going to—”


There was a brief but loud tearing sound as the dragon costume ripped right down the middle, causing Scootaloo and Spike to fall forward from the sudden loss of their other half.


“rip…” 


Spike groaned as he slowly got up, but when he saw the damage his eyes shot wide open. “Oh no! No no no!” He ran his claws over the giant tear, seeing that all the bands that would bind the two halves together were torn to pieces. “It’s ruined…”


Scootaloo’s irritation quickly vanished and was replaced with guilt.  While it had been uncomfortable inside the costume, she did not want to do anything to hurt her brother’s feelings. “Oh man, I’m so sorry, Spike. I know you spent so long making this costume, and I feel so horrible.”


“Was it really so bad being in the same costume that you had to do this?” Spike asked, holding up the torn fabric with a dejected frown.


“No, of course not! I just…” Scootaloo sighed. “I just really needed to get out. It was so uncomfortable in there, and I felt like I was missing out on all the fun. Still, that’s no excuse for wasting all your hard work, and I’m so, so, so sorry that I caused this.”


Spike glanced down at his half of the costume for a moment before looking back up at Scootaloo. Shaking his head, he said, “No, it’s alright, Scootaloo. It’s kinda my fault as well. I thought it would be cool to spend our first Nightmare Night as brother and sister together, but between that and working on the costume, I got so wrapped up in things that I didn’t notice you were having a rotten time.”


“Well, I probably would’ve been easier to listen to if I whined less and actually talked to you more.” Scootaloo sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Guess we both messed up a bit, huh?”


“A bit more than a bit,” Spike amended with a quiet chuckle. Standing back up, he stretched his claws to the side. “We cool?”


Scootaloo smiled and moved in to let Spike hug her while she wrapped her own hooves around Spike. “Yeah, we cool.”


“Aww!” chimed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, prompting Scootaloo and Spike to end their hug with a slight blush on both of their faces.


“So, I guess that’s over with. How about we keep on getting candy?” Spike suggested. “We still have a bit of time before the party.”


“But what about your costume?” Apple Bloom asked.


“Oh, right…” 


“Perhaps I may be of assistance,” a regal voice offered.


The four of them turned around them to find Princess Luna, wearing the same dark-gray cloak she wore on her first Nightmare Night visit in Ponyville, trotting toward them.


“Princess Luna!” the Crusaders plus Spike cheered, flocking to the alicorn.


“Greetings, my little ponies,” Luna greeted with a smile before focusing her attention on Spike and Scootaloo. “Forgive me, but I was passing by and overheard what happened. I would be more than happy to mend your costume if you wish.”


“That would be awesome, Princess Luna!” Scootaloo and Spike replied at the same time.


“Then if you could please stand a bit closer to each other for a moment.”


Once Spike and Scootaloo did as instructed, Luna’s horn started to glow a light blue, lifting the two torn halves of the costume in her magic as the fabric started reattaching itself. There was a brief flash of light, and when it cleared, Scootaloo found herself inside the costume again with not a single sign of damage.


“Hey, it worked!” Scootaloo happily cried out as she carefully loosened the now-fixed bands to let herself out. Unsurprisingly, she saw that Luna had also removed all traces of dirt from the costume’s exterior. “Thank you, Princess Luna!”


“Yeah, thanks a lot, Princess Luna!” Spike added with a big smile.


Luna chuckled. “Twas no big deal, and I am glad to be of assistance. Twilight has written me and Celestia many letters about you two, and I am glad to see the bond you share. While you may have faced some trouble tonight, let this be a lesson. Do not let good intentions cloud your mind and make you forget to ask what others actually want. It is important to listen, and equally as important, know when to give somepony their space. Trust me, I know this very well.”


“What do you mean by that, Princess Luna?” Sweetie Belle asked.


With a wry grin, Luna answered, “When I returned from the moon, Celestia could not help but dote on me. She would be constantly by my side, making sure I get everything I need. While I do enjoy spending my time with my sister, she started to become a nuisance when she insisted that we do everything together, and I mean everything. Fortunately, I was able to settle her down, and all it took was one good talk and a couple thousand bits in damages!”


“Wait, what was that last part?” Apple Bloom promptly asked.


“That all she needed was a good talk. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be going, and I hope to see you later at Twilight’s castle for the party! Farewell!” Luna hastily answered.


The Crusaders and Spike watched with four raised eyebrows as Luna trotted off in a hurried yet still dignified manner. Once she was out of sight, Spike looked to Scootaloo with a smile. “So, want to switch now?”


“You sure?” Scootaloo asked. “I don’t mind being the butt now.”


“Nah, it’s time for my dragon butt to hold up this dragon butt. Besides, you had my back, now it’s my turn.”


Scootaloo snickered. “Dude, that’s kind of bad.”


Spike playfully nudged Scootaloo, only to receive one in turn. Their giggles filled the air as they continued to enjoy the fact that they were brother and sister.


Well, at least until Apple Bloom told them to hurry up so that she could get her candy fix.