> Sweet Scootaloo
>  by Krystal Clearskies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Big Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Today’s the big day.” I told myself as I sat upright on the edge of my bed, rubbing my tired eyes free of the crust which encompassed them, and let out a yawn of exhaustion. Last night had been relatively restless, and I had a nightmare or two, due to the anxiety of today. Today was to be one of the best days of my life, yet all I felt was a sense of anxiety and apprehension. I got out of bed and stumbled down the flight of stairs to my kitchen, intent on getting some coffee.

I went to my coffee maker and hit the button, making the machine dispense enough for exactly one strong cup. Thank Celestia for this machine, it made life so easy. It made the coffee on its own every morning at 5am, and kept it warm for when I wanted to come to drink it. This thing was the best 50 bits I’d ever spent.

I sat down at the table and sipped my coffee, thinking about things. Right then, Twilight walked into my house through the back door, connected to the kitchen, and smiled at me once she saw me.

“Oh good, you’re awake. I was hoping you were. I have these for you!” Twilight said as she laid down a vanilla folder on my table, which was filled to the brim with papers. I gulped a bit as I thought of all the things I would have to sign. But I looked at Twilight, and gave her an appreciative smile.

“Wow Twilight, I can’t believe you did this for me. You and the other girls have been so supportive of me, I just can’t thank you six enough. Really.” I said as I directed my gaze back to the vanilla folder, opening it up and starting to go through it. Twilight sat down next to me at the table and smiled.

“No problem Jordan, we’re all just so excited for you!” Twilight said as she grabbed at some papers from the pile. She laid them out before me.

“I talked to Mayor Mare this morning. You need to sign these 20 papers out of the stack and bring some form of identification with you. Your land deed should suffice. Mayor Mare let me print you a copy, here you go.” Twilight said as she handed me said piece of paper, laminated and looking uber fancy.

“Thank you Twily, now let me get to work signing these ok?” I grabbed my pen and started to go through all of the papers, reading them each to make sure I wasn’t signing anything I’d regret or anything. It was a slow process but, finally, in about a half hour, the stack of papers was obliterated, and I looked over at Twilight.

“Twily? Do you really think this is a good idea? I mean, I know it was my idea first and everything, but, what if it’s not a good idea?” I asked her, starting to second guess myself. But Twilight shook her head at me.

“Jordan, of course I think it’s a great idea. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be helping you so much, and I would tell you straight up that it’s a bad idea. Me and the girls all agree, we think this will be really good for you. We only ever see you in the market when you’re buying groceries, or at the spa once every blue moon. You never go out to party, or hang out with us. We think this will be good for you.” Twilight said with a smile, handing me one last piece of paper.

“Last one. This one is more labor intensive. Sign here, initial there, initial there, sign there, date, age, initial again. Ok, looks good!” When I was finished with that sheet, she added it to the pile of papers, making sure they were neat and uniform before stuffing them back inside of the vanilla folder. I sucked in a deep breath, finished my mug of coffee, and stood up.

“Well, I guess it’s time to face the music Twilight. Thank you again.” I said to her, and her ears flattened slightly.

“Are you sure I can’t go with you? You really don’t want me there?” She asked me, her voice tinted with a twinge of sadness.

“Twilight, it’s nothing against you. It’s just, if I’m really going to do this and commit to it, I want to do it all on my own, to make sure I do this how I want it. If you’re there, my decisions and judgment might be clouded. I need to do this alone, ok?” Twilight remained silent, but gave me a deep nod of understanding.

“Ok, I’ll be at the castle then. I do need to do some paperwork myself today. I wish you luck, okay? I’ll be back tonight to see how it went, Goodbye, HBFF!” She smiled at me and then walked to the back door, extending out her wings before flying away, leaving me alone. I was really fortunate to have Twilight as a friend. HBFF even stands for Human Best Friend Forever. She really cared for me, for whatever mysterious reason she had. Maybe the fact that I was the only one of my kind made her more interested in me, I’m not sure.

I grabbed the vanilla folder and walked back upstairs to my room. I placed the folder on my bed and opened up my closet, turning the light on and looking through said closet. I grabbed my nice striped dress shirt and some slacks, a white tie, and cufflinks. It may have been overkill but, I wanted to be dressed nicely today. After all, first impressions are everything.

I put on each garment one by one, making sure they were comfortable yet snug. I then roped the tie around my neck and knotted it, putting the clip on the side of it. I then slipped each cufflink into its slot and clasped them shut. I stepped over to my mirror and smiled, feeling like I looked really good.

I grabbed the folder and walked downstairs to my front door. I stepped outside, closed the door, and grabbed my key, locking the door shut. And then, I began walking. My destination was all the way on the other side of town, and it was a long walk, as evidenced by every minute feeling like an entire hour. Soon I felt like I was trodding to some form of doom, but I took a deep breath to calm myself and quell those pitiful thoughts. Today is supposed to be a happy day, not overcast like I was letting my thoughts be.

Finally, I arrived at my destination; the Ponyville orphanage. I opened the large front door, and walked inside, the door closing behind me with a loud thunk. Then, I walked over to the receptionist, who was sitting at a table in a room separated by glass.

“Hello, can I help you today?” The pony, who had a color palette not unlike the Mayor’s, asked me. I coughed slightly to clear my throat before handing her my papers.

“My name is Jordan, and I’m hoping to adopt today.” I said to her, and as if hitting the mare with a boost of adrenaline, she suddenly perked up, sitting upright instead of her lazed back position she was in when I arrived.

“Oh my, really? That’s wonderful! The children will just love to meet you! I don’t know you, but trust me, this is a really great thing you’re doing!” In the next moment, I handed her my vanilla folder of papers and she looked over them carefully.

“Hmm, thank you for filling these out in advance, it really makes this whole process so much easier. Now…” She said as she grabbed a stamp and began to stamp each paper one by one as she was done looking through them.

“Hmm, yes…yes…that’s good…you live in town? Steady income? Good…good…honestly, everything here looks stellar. I have no qualms with your living situation or history. Everything it good to go!” With the end of her sentence, she handed me a bracelet, which was dimly glowing.

“It’s a security precaution. I know you’re not a pony, so you using magic isn’t a concern, but it makes it so the unicorn children can’t use it on you either. Also, I have to warn you, sir…be careful. Some of these children have been waiting a long time to be adopted and, well…some of them might be a tab bit, erm, ravenous.”

“Ravenous? How do you mean, miss?” I asked her curiously, not fully understanding.

“Well, imagine being a little child, and living here. Making friends only to have most of them be adopted into a family, taken away to a better life, whilst you have to stay behind here. Some of the children just…struggle. We’ve had more than a few in my time here who were never adopted, and it breaks my heart.” She said with her ears down flat, the sadness clearly evident in her voice and facial features.

“Really? That’s awful…what happens to them when they come of age and haven’t been adopted?” I asked her, really curious now.

“Well, when they become working age, we do our best to nurture them for the real world. We help them find jobs to support themselves, and help them find hostels they can live in. But, the poor dears just struggle too hard, having never had a parent figure to teach them right from wrong. We assistants here at the orphanage do our best, but, we’re not qualified parents or teachers, most of us. I dot I’s and cross t’s, I can’t teach a child how to play catch. Sometimes working here breaks my heart, but I like the family feel of this job too much to quit.” The mare told me, and I nodded whilst putting the bracelet on my right arm.

“Thank you for talking to me and giving me some perspective, it was really nice meeting you, Mrs…?” I asked her, realizing I hadn’t even gotten her name. She lifted the glass barrier up and smiled, shaking my hand with her hoof.

“Papyrus, Mrs. Papyrus is my name, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Do yourself and all the children a favor and take your time. You don’t have to leave until dinner time tonight if you wish to take that long. Play games with the children, talk to them, do anything you feel like to get to know their personalities. And…good luck, sir.” She said as she lowered the glass and pressed a button, and with a mechanical noise a door not far from me opened. I smiled at the mare gratefully and walked inside the door, taking one last deep breath.

“Ok…you’re really here now, there’s no turning back. Time to find a filly or colt to create a new life with.” I told myself gently. There was another door in my way, and after opening it, I found myself in a large cafeteria. A lot of the children were sitting here, some doing homework, some playing board games with friends, and some just kind of lazing about. Luckily, when I walked in, not a lot of them noticed me, thinking I was just a worker pony from here. But that all ended quickly once Scootaloo saw me.

She gasped as she saw me and bolted over to me, clearly excited to see me. “Jordan?!” She exclaimed in shock, a grin going from ear to ear. “What the hay are you doing here?! Are you here to volunteer with us today? I’m so happy to see you!” Scootaloo said, and I smiled and tossled her mane how I always did.

“Well, more than that Scoots. I’m here to adopt somepony.” I said, and that made the ponies in the room all gasp and hurry over to me, a large crowd of mares and colts in front of me.

“You’re going to adopt one of us?!”

“Oh my gosh, choose me!”

“No, choose me! I’m the best flier!”

“Well, I’m the best at magic!”

“Hey, I’m the best at solving puzzles!”

Soon, they all began talking over each other, telling me why I should adopt them. Suddenly, Scootaloo turned around to face them and whistled loudly to get their attention.

“Alright, alright! I know we’re all really excited that somepony is here to adopt one of us, but leave him alone! Give him some space, you hounding diamond dogs!” Scootaloo said, and the other children, realizing their mistake, all went back to what they were doing. I sighed in relief and tossled Scoots’ mane again to thank her.

“Thanks kid, you really saved me from that one. Since when did you become Mrs. Voice Of Reason?” I asked her, giving her a grin. She blushed slightly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I dunno, maybe I’ve been hanging out with Sweetie Belle too much. Hey, no matter what, I know you’re gonna make one of my friends really happy today, and you’ll be a great papa to them.” Scootaloo said with a smile, and I then thought of something.

I met Scootaloo not too long after I came to Equestria; one night, Twilight asked me if I could babysit the Crusaders for Rarity and Applejack, since Twilight had royal business in Canterlot she couldn’t postpone. Anyway, that made the four of us friends after that. When I met her she was 10 years old, and now was 12. She was only 6 years away from working age, which meant she only had 6 more years to be adopted. 6 years may seem like a lot of time, but the two years I’d been here had gone by in a flash. So I understood that time flies by.

Right then, I came to a decision. I wanted to get to know Scootaloo better. But I had to play it off as if I just wanted to hang out with her, I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. So I tried to play it off cool.

“Hey Scoots, before I meet the other kids, wanna play a game real quick?” I asked her, and immediately her eyes lit up with sparkles.

“Oh my gosh, totally! Follow me!” Scootaloo said excitedly,and bolted outside through the back door of the orphanage. I chuckled and followed the filly, seeing that outside there was a swingset for ponies.

“You can push me on the swingset! I can’t use my wings to propel me and nopony feels like pushing me today. C’mon!” Scootaloo said as she bounced up into the swing. I chuckled a bit before getting behind the swing and placing my hand on the plastic.

“Scoots, you’re 12 years old, aren’t you a bit old for this stuff?” I asked, to which she promptly shook her head.

“No way! Now push!” She commanded me, and with a chuckle, I used the strength in my biceps to and chest to push the swing forward, a little harder than I probably should have, but I knew Scoots was an adrenaline junkie.

“WHEEE!” Scoots cried out in sheer joy, her tiny wings flapping the entire time. I won’t bore you with those details, but, Scoots had so much fun. I ended up pushing her on the swing for about half an hour before I finally grabbed the swing and stopped it.

“Alright Scoots, my arm is tired now. I need a break. C’mon, let’s go back inside, it looks like it’s about to rain.” I said, noticing some dark clouds forming the sky. Scootaloo whimpered a little bit before agreeing and following me inside.

We sat down at a cafeteria table together, and Scoots kicked it gently. “Hmmph! Dumb rain, you can’t have any fun inside!” She said dejectedly, clearly wanting to be outside. I saw a chessboard nearby and grabbed it, plopping it down in between us. “How about this?” I asked.

Scootaloo wrinkled her nose a bit, looking at me in surprise. “Chess? Seriously? That game’s for nerds! And I’m not a nerd!” She said, pushing the chessboard towards me, away from her. I chuckled and put it back in its original position.

“Oh? Are you sure? How can you be so sure? Have you ever played a game?” I asked, knowing I just played her trap card. She stammered a bit.

“I…you…uh…no…” She said silently, and I could tell from her face she was still going to refuse. So I decided to keep trying.

“Scoots, chess isn’t just for nerds. You think I’m cool, don’t you? I happen to love chess.” I said, seeing in her face that statement was messing with her mind a bit.

“Well…you are cool. But I still don’t want to play!” She said, crossing her forelegs stubbornly. I chuckled a bit, deciding to go for the jugular.

“Oh? What’s the matter, little hayseed, afraid that I’ll whup you at it?” That lit a fire inside Scootaloo, I could see flames in her pupils. She growled gently at me.

“You. Are. ON!” She shouted at me, uncrossing her forelegs and spinning the board so she had the white pieces and could go first. We got a couple of moves into the game before I noticed something.

“For somepony who hates chess, you sure aren’t doing too bad at it, Scoots. Were you lying to me about not liking chess?” I chided her, to which a small blush formed on her face.

“I…you…no! I’ve just watched Sweetie Belle and Rarity play it a ton of times. I’m just going off of their games!” She tried to assure me, but I knew that was a lie. She was actually playing really good right now, far better than any rookie should be able to. But I had the game under control.

Let me explain: in Equestrian chess, the king is a dragon piece, the queen is an alicorn, a rook is a unicorn, a knight is a pegasus, and a pawn is an earth pony. Scootaloo, knowing the alicorn was the most powerful piece, made the mistake of bringing that piece out as soon as she could in the game. I chuckled a bit, and before she knew it, I captured her alicorn with a pegasus. This made her nearly freak out.

“Wait, what?! How did you do that?!” She asked me in equal parts shock and confusion. I smirked slightly, ready to explain.

“Scoots, one important rule of chess: save the alicorn for as late in the game as you absolutely can. Because once your alicorn is gone, your chances of win go down a LOT. It’s better to use the other pieces as much as you’re able to.” I then moved my alicorn across the board, where my two unicorns were situated without her knowing. Before she knew it, I called out a checkmate.

As soon as I won, Scootaloo’s eyes were in a panic. She just couldn’t believe she’d lost the game so quickly, so easily. But instead of getting mad, she just calmly asked me how I did it. I smiled to myself internally, so glad that she was willing to learn. Maybe she wasn’t as hard headed as she portrayed herself to be to everypony else.

“Well Scoots, it’s simple really. Ok, so let’s replay it. Your dragon was at B4…” I said, explaining to her what chess coordinates meant. I thought she’d struggle with it, but she actually picked it up pretty quick. “And the general rule is you want to keep your dragon as close to your side of the board as possible. Since you moved your dragon so far out, I was able to surround him. Checkmate happens when your dragon can’t escape in any direction. So by moving my alicorn here…” I said, recreating my move. “…your dragon was completely surrounded. And then I slayed him, took his money and his wife and took over his kingdom.” I said, deciding to add some humor to the story. Scootaloo just rolled her eyes at it, facehoofing for a second before looking at the board.

“Oh, ok! I think I understand now. So I should have kept my dragon back and not used my alicorn as much as possible! Oh ponyfeathers, why am I having so much fun playing this nerdy game?!” She shouted in despair, and I let out a soft chuckle.

“I guess this should show you that just because something is nerdy, doesn’t mean you can’t like it Scoots.” I said, taking a sip of a coffee I’d gotten from Papyrus a little while ago. I then looked at the clock and gasped. It was almost dinnertime already. Playing chess and stuff had taken more time than I realized! I had to come to a decision, and quickly!

“Aw man…it’s dinner, which I guess means you got to get going huh?” Scoots asked me, sadness heavy in her voice. Right then and there, hearing how sad she was for me to have to leave, I knew my decision. I was going to adopt Scootaloo. It just…felt right. It was hard to explain.

I decided on a cunning plan, so she wouldn’t know I’d chosen to adopt her until the last moment. I got up and fixed my pants, nodding gently. “Yeah Scoots, I need to get going. I’m going to think over the night and come back tomorrow, ok?” I said, and motioned for her to follow me to the front door, making her think it was time to say goodbye.

“Aw man…but I had such a good time today! I wish you could stay here or something. Maybe when you come back tomorrow we can play some more chess together!” Scootaloo said excitedly, her tail kinda wagging back and forth, and I chuckled a bit.

“Sorry Scoots, but I don’t think we’ll have time tomorrow.” I said, tossling her hair again. She pouted heavily as I did so.

“Aw…but why not?! You’re gonna be here tomorrow anyway!” She said while pouting, and I shook my head.

“Well, see, the thing is, I’m actually not gonna be coming back tomorrow.” I said, and this made Scootaloo gasp, and ask me why. I then smiled, and got down onto one knee, so I was down to her level.

“I’m not coming back tomorrow because I don’t need to, Scoots. I already know the pony I’m going to adopt.” I said with my smile growing wider, to which Scootaloo gasped even louder.

“What?! Who are you adopting, who who who?! Tell me!” She demanded with a stomp of her hoof, and I chuckled from her enthusiasm.

“I’ll give you a hint. They’re orange and purple, and I spent all day playing chess with them and pushing them on the swingset and having an incredible day with them.” I said with a toothy grin. Scootaloo seemed to think about it for a second or two before her eyes opened as wide as saucer plates, and I could see the cogs in her head spin to full RPM’s.

“You…me…you…AHHHHH!” She screamed happily and suddenly charged me, tackling me to the wooden floor, which was easier since I was on one knee already.

“OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! YOU’RE GONNA BE MY DAD! YOU’RE GONNA BE THE COOLEST DAD EVER!” Scootaloo shouted to the heavens, and I smiled and pet her mane gently.

“And you’re going to be the coolest daughter ever. Go and get your things, Scoots.” I said as I made her and I sit up. Before she left, and surprised me by giving me the biggest bear hug I’d ever gotten in my life, so tight I was shocked such power could come from a filly of 12 years old.

She didn’t say anything, and neither did I. When we were done embracing, Scootaloo sprang to her hooves and bolted up the flight of stairs to the bedrooms as quick as she could. I smiled and stood up, dusting my clothes off. I turned to my right to see Papyrus, who looked to be near on the verge of tears.

“That…I’ve worked here for fifteen years, and that was by far the most heartwarming thing I’ve ever seen in my time here. You…you have such a kind soul, Jordan.” Papyrus said to me, and I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck shyly.

“Oh, that? It was nothing. I just wanted to make it special.” I said to her, not thinking much of it. A few seconds later, Scoots came barreling down the staircase, moving so quickly it should have just been impossible. She had a big sack of her belongings and had her scooter in hoof.

“Ok, I got everything I need dad! Can we go now, can we can we can?!” Scootaloo asked me, nearly bouncing off the walls in excitement. I chuckled and looked at Papyrus, who just nodded, conveying to me there was no finish up paperwork that needed to be taken care of.

I grabbed Scootaloo’s sack of belongings and lugged it over my shoulder, smiling at her. “Ok Scoots, but don’t you want to say goodbye first? You may not see your friends again for a long time.” I told her, and I watched her smile slowly deflate into a bit of a frown.

“Oh…no, I’m fine Jordan…” She said sadly, like something was wrong. I wanted to question her, but it was getting late, and if we were to get home at a reasonable time, I needed to get going with her now.

“Ok Scoots, if you’re sure you’re sure. Papyrus, thank you for everything, and have a great night, ok? Tell the staff here I said thank you too. See you in the future!” I told Papyrus before shuffling to the front door and holding it open for Scoots. Scootaloo trotted out of the building with me, and before I knew it, we were back at my home. This was quite the contrast to my walk earlier. This walk felt like it went by in a blink.

I got my keyring and unlocked the front door, letting Scootaloo run inside. I turned the living room light on, and closed the front door, locking it behind me. Scootaloo looked around the house, taking everything in.

“Whoa, it’s so…clean in here. It looks like one of those houses you see in the movies, where the dad is married and has kids and everything.” She told me, and I chuckled, placing her sack of stuff on the floor.

“Well, I may not have a wife or much of that other stuff, but I do know one thing I do have now. I have the coolest daughter in the entire world.” I told Scootaloo as I tossled her hair again, making her giggle.

“So, where do I sleep dad? Here?” She asked me as she sat on the couch, and I looked at her in surprise.

“What? Scootaloo, why in the world would I have you sleep on a couch? Absolutely not! Follow me.” I told her, picking up her sack of things and walking up the flight of stairs.

Now, remember earlier when I said Twilight was a BIG part of all of this? Well, she helped me fit a room for my adopted. It was a generic room, in neutral colors, and kind of boring, but we did our best to outfit it with everything a young one could need. A bed, a desk, a night stand, a closet, etc. I led Scoots to the door of her new bedroom, opened the door, and led her inside.

Behind me, I heard the world’s biggest gasp. I grimaced a bit, knowing she wouldn’t like it. “Now, I know it’s an ultra boring room, so tomorrow we’ll go to the market and buy some stuff to Scootaloo it up, okay?” I told her, but I got no response. I turned to look at her, and when I did I saw the world’s biggest dropped jaw on her face. Then she squealed happily, jumping on the bed and hopping on it.

“I HAVE A ROOM! I HAVE A ROOM!” She shouted in glee, doing flips and spins on the mattress. It was then when it hit me, back at the orphanage, she didn’t have her own bedroom. She didn’t have her own space. They all had to share one massive bedroom with their own beds. I guess I just failed to realize beforehand how big of a deal this would be for her. Oops.

“Of course you have your own room, Scoots. And like I said, tomorrow we’ll really make it your room, ok?” I told her as I grabbed her sack and opened it, deciding to put away what little stuff she had with her.

After putting things away, I looked at the clock I’d set up in here and gasped.

“Scoots! I know you’re really excited to be here and everything, but it’s way late! You need to get to bed.” I told her, and to my surprise she actually got into her new bed without complaint. It was then that I heard/saw her yawn, indicating that she was actually tired.

I smiled and walked over to her, kneeling at her bedside and gently rubbing my head on her gorgeous face, getting her mane out of her eyes. She gave me her biggest smile yet.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow. We’re gonna have so much fun! And I’m totally gonna kick your flank at chess too!” She said with that cocky smirk of hers, and I chuckled.

“Yeah well, get some sleep. You look dead tired and you’ll have a big day tomorrow. Good night scoots.”

I was prepared for a lot of replies, but what she said rocked my world like an earthquake and flipped it upside down.

“Goodnight dad, I love you. You’re the best ever.” She said, and I had to try to keep my composure. She just called me daddy and said she loved me. Trying to keep my stoic face plastered on, I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, before walking to the doorframe and flipping off the light switch. I closed the door, and kind of stumbled into my bedroom across the way.

I slept naked, so I quickly shed all of my layers and got under the covers, thinking deeply once my head rested on the plush pillows. Those nine words. Those nine words were all I could think about, and they kept replaying in my head like a record. I’d done it. I’d adopted a child. And not just any child, but Scootaloo, one of the sweetest most pure hearted children I’d ever met. If I was happy before, I was on cloud nine now.

As I rolled onto my side, the throes of deep sleep grabbing at me, I only had one last thought on my mind.

I’m so happy to have my Scootaloo.
> The Bigger First Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning feeling tired. I tended to often be a very heavy sleeper, and when I looked at the clock, I saw it was already 9AM. I opened my eyes wide and suddenly shot out of bed, walking into the bathroom for a shower and to brush my teeth.

Once I was done with those, I walked downstairs to the kitchen and got out some pots and pans for cooking, deciding that since it was Scootaloo’s first morning living with me, I wanted to make her first breakfast with me a big kahuna. I didn’t know her favorite foods, so I decided to leave nothing to chance and make a few foods any self respecting filly would love.

I was no professional chef, but I was a halfway decent cook, so I got to work making some french toast, chocolate pancakes, blueberry waffles and eggs. I came to find out a few months ago that eggs were the only thing from another animal ponies ate, and they were the main way they got protein. I did the eggs sunnyside up, hoping Scoots would enjoy it that way.

It was a bit of labour to make all of these, but I was hungry myself, and I wanted to make Scootaloo’s first day with me start on a bang, on a really good note. As if on cue, just as I got done setting all the food onto two ceramic plates, I heard a yawn in the doorframe of the kitchen. Scoots had woken up right on time. I turned to her and smiled, walking to the table and setting the two plates which were nearly overflowing with food on the wooden surface.

Scootaloo saw all the food and I saw her eyes open a bit wide. “Whoa, you made all of this?! This looks amazing!” Scootaloo said as she hopped up into the kitchen chair, and I chuckled and grabbed the maple syrup and whipped cream out of the fridge.

“Of course I did, silly. I’m just hoping it tasted as good to you as it looks.” I then grabbed two forks out of the drawer and walked over to the table, setting the things down onto it and handing her a fork. Without even hesitating, Scootaloo dug into the pancake mountain first, and her moans of delight told me all I needed to know about my cooking.

“Oh my gosh, these are delicious! I’ve never had pancakes this good, they’re so buttery!” She declared in pure happiness, eating the stack at an alarming rate. I chuckled and sat down at the table across from her, being the opposite of her and slowly digging into my stack, trying to savor each and every bite.

“Easy there Scoots, eat too fast and you’re gonna get a wicked tummy ache. Then you’ll have to stay in bed all day instead of heading out into town with me.” I told her with a little grin. She gasped and stopped eating for a second.

“We’re going into town? What are we gonna be doing!” She asked me as she took the bottle of syrup and squirted a liberal coating onto what was left of her pancakes. I chuckled at her.

“Well, I told you we’d get some things to Scootaloo up that bedroom, didn’t I? I meant it. We’re going to the market, and then maybe grab some lunch from the diner.” I told her with a smile, and I could see her little wings flap in excitement. Once her pancake mountain was, miraculously, all gone, she then moved onto the eggs, and she made even more sounds of delight than she had with the pancakes.

“Oh my gosh! These are the best eggs ever! Dad, why haven’t you opened up your own restaurant?!” She asked me as she devoured the eggs like a savage beast. I chuckled a bit, happy that she was making a concerted effort to call me dad instead of Jordan. That really meant a lot to me. I then thought about her question, and sighed.

“You know Scoots, I’m not going to lie, I did think about that for a time. But it costs BANK to open up a restaurant. It would be a massive headache, and I just don’t have the time or energy for it right now. Maybe someday though.” I said as I sipped some orange juice. Good thing Applejack wasn’t here, she’d probably get mad that I was drinking a competitor’s orange juice.

“You’d be really good at owning a restaurant daddy. I know you would.” Scoots told me as she finished her eggs, leaving me in shock at how she’d eaten so much food. She then pouted heavily.

“Agh, I’m full, but I didn’t get to taste everything! That’s so unfair!” She shouted, leaning back in the chair. I chuckled at her.

“And that, my dear daughter, is why you never eat too much too fast, and try to eat a bit of everything before you get full. Don’t worry though, I can save them for dinner later.” I said as I got up, grabbed some tupper ware out of the cabinet, and put our remaining food into it. I put those into the fridge and walked back to her.

“Alright Scoots, I’m gonna go get dressed, and then we’ll go shopping, alright?” I told her as I tossled her hair and went upstairs, getting on some nice clothes. Unlike what I wore yesterday, these clothes were just nice, instead of being NICE. When I was done putting the clothes on, I walked back downstairs where Scootaloo was waiting for me.

“Alright Scoots, ready to go?” I asked her, and she gave me a smiling nod. I opened the front door, let her walk out in front of me, and locked the door, sticking my keys into the keyring in my pants loop. I smiled at her and began walking towards the market, which actually was only a few minutes from my home.

Scoots and I walked together into the market, and I checked to see how much money I had in my bit bag.

“Hmm, ok Scoots, I need to buy us some groceries, and then after that, I’ll take you to a super special shop, okay?” I told her and she gave me a very excited nod. I chuckled, and started to go from stall to stall. I got some carrots, some oats, some hay, some cheeses and eggs, and some other stuff. Soon I had a pretty full basket that was hard to carry, but luckily I wasn’t a complete nerd and had some muscles to carry it.

When I had everything that I needed, I called out to Scoots and she rode her scooter over to me. I chuckled, noticing how much joy that thing really gave her. I made a mental note to ask her about it later, but for now I led her to a sports shop in town.

Immediately, Scootaloo lit up. She ran directly to the Wonderbolt section, and I chuckled, knowing she was going to get everything Rainbow Dash that she could. And sure enough, I watched her as she got a Wonderbolts blanket with Rainbow displayed prominently on it, along with a few Dash posters, a bobblehead, and a pennant. I chuckled at her choices.

“Alright Scootaloo, if that’s what you want, it’s what you’re gonna get.” I said, and when she put everything she’d grabbed on the counter, and I reached into my bit bag to pay for it. It was all a hefty 50 bits, which made Scootaloo’s eyes open in shock.

”You’re spending 50 bits, just like that?! How the hay do you have so much money?!” Scootaloo asked me curiously, and I smiled.

“Well, being the only human here has its benefits Scoots. I’ve made a ton of money letting Twilight do some tests and experiments on me. With that in the bank, combined with my job, we’re not rich or anything, but we’ll never have to struggle financially, unless I lose my job. Which I don’t see happening since my boss really likes me and the place would go under without me. Colgate isn’t exactly good at doing paperwork.” I chuckled a bit, and once the pony working the store today put everything into bags I attached the bag to Scootaloo so she could carry the stuff.

“Alright Scoots, what do you want for lunch? We’re not too far from the Hayburger, would that be good?” I asked Scootaloo, and I saw her mouth immediately start to water.

“I haven’t had Hayburger since Mrs. Cheerilee ordered it for us on the last day of school last year! That would be delicious daddy!” She told me as she and I began to walk over there.

As soon as we got there, I had Scootaloo get us a table and I ordered our meal at the counter. I got us two quarter pound hayburgers a piece, an order of fries, and a shake. When the food was ready, I grabbed it and brought the food to the table she chose.

I’ll tell you this, the face of pure happiness Scootaloo had plastered on her the entire time we ate was something I’ll never forget. I’m sure the orphanage, while they tried their best, their food probably wasn’t the greatest. So I know Scootaloo really enjoys food like this, which she couldn’t get while living there. The way her face lit up when she started sipping the shake was priceless.

“Easy Scoots, remember what happened at breakfast? You’ll fill up too fast if you go that quick.” I cautioned her, dipping my fries in the shake. Scootaloo looked at me curiously before grabbing a fry, dipping it and eating it, her eyes popping wide open as the combination of flavors hit her tongue.

“Holy Celestia, that’s so good!” She said as she dipped another fry, then another, and so on. I chuckled, glad that she was just like me in how much she enjoyed the treat.

Sadly though, soon she devoured her entire order of fries doing that. She pouted a bit, sad that the fries were gone. I looked at the defeated look on her face before sighing and handing her my order of fries.

“I shouldn’t be rewarding you for pigging out like that, but, I’m feeling generous today Scoots. Enjoy those.” I told her with a smile, and without even replying to me she dug in again, not stopping until both my order of fries and the shake were gone. Then it became apparent to me that Scootaloo LOVED good food. I would have to remember that for later.

Soon, all the food we had ordered was gone, and I slowly got out of the seat I was using, stretching my limbs and grabbing my bags of groceries. I smiled at Scootaloo, who followed behind me as I walked out of the restaurant.

“Alright Scoots, we got one more place to go before we head home, and before you ask, I’m not telling. It’s a surprise.” I told her as I walked the opposite direction from home, Scootaloo making a sad “Aw…” of disappointment when I shut her down.

We walked for a little bit before coming to a special shop, the smell of wood and tree sap assaulting our noses. Scootaloo looked up at me, clearly confused as to why we were here, until she saw the reason why further into the shop.

There, near the back wall of the shop, were a large variety of chessboards and chess pieces. Scootaloo’s eyes opened up wide as she saw them. There were dozens of chessboards done in a variety of different sized, wood types, etc. A mare who worked here saw us and smiled.

“Hello, can I help you today?” She asked us, and I pointed to a chessboard in the display case. The board outside of the playing area was made from a beautiful, brilliantly red rosewood. The playing area was made with ebony for the black squares, and poplar for the white pieces. Those respective pieces were made out of those woods as well. It was by far the most stunning and most elegant board they had for sale.

It was worth more than a pretty penny though. 300 bits. That was very steep, even for me who wasn’t hurting for money right now, but I knew Scootaloo would adore the thing, and get so much enjoyment out of it. So to me, the money just didn’t matter. I may have to eat peanut butter sandwiches for a while to make up for it, but that was no obstacle to me.

“Yes, I would like to buy that chessboard and the pieces.” I told the worker pony, and she looked as surprised as Scootaloo. I guess, maybe she just never expected it to be sold, due to the hefty price tag. But she wasn’t about to complain and nodded, getting everything set up into a large wooden box for us. I counted out and handed her the bits, thanking her for her help.

After Scootaloo and I walked out of there, me carrying the box along with the groceries, she stayed silent for a bit before shouting at me.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?! That thing was 300 bits!” She told me in horror, but I just ignored it and unlocked the front door to the house when we got there.

“I know that, Scoots, but you sounded very excited to play chess. I know you’ll get a lot of fun and enjoyment out of this, and besides, when I whup your butt again, I want to do it with only the finest pieces.” I said, teasing her and tossling her mane, to which she growled gently and followed me inside.

I got to work putting things away, making sure they were stored properly, and then went up to her bedroom with the things we bought from the shop. I got a hammer and nailed up her poster, put the blanket she used last night in the dirty hamper, replaced that with her new blanket and pillows, and then put her pennant up. Now the room was looking Scootaloo’d out. This bedroom could only belong to her.

“Daddy, this is all so cool! I have a Rainbow Dash blanket!!!” She shouted out as she jumped into her bed and snuggled it, holding it closely. I felt a smile spread from ear to ear on my face. Seeing Scoots so happy made me happy, and made everything so worth it.

“Hey now, don’t go to sleep on me, or else I’m gonna have to find somebody else to play chess with.” I told her with a chuckle, walking downstairs. When I got to the table and opened the box, sure enough, Scootaloo sat down across from me. I set the board down on the kitchen table, and grabbed the black chess pieces, deciding to let her be the white so she could go first, and helping to teach her which pieces went where on the board.

We started the game, and it was pretty uneventful like the game we played at the orphanage. I was pulled in half; half of me wanted to go easy on her, but the other half told me she’d never learn if I did that. And so I decided to play it like a regular game, which meant it didn’t last very long.

When I checkmated her dragon again, she got angry at first. But then I held my hand up to make her settle down.

“Scoots, you want to know the real secret to chess? You have to think a few moves ahead. Watch this.” I reset all the pieces to about ten moves earlier in the game, and started to show her.

“Ok, look. Your alicorn is here, right? Now, she’s not in any immediate danger. But look at this.” I said as I moved my pegasus one move, and then my unicorn another. I had it so my pegasus was one more away from taking her alicorn, but she had an earth pony one square away that could take my pegasus.

Ok, so watch. I took your alicorn with my pegasus, and then you took my pegasus with your earth pony. But you didn’t see before hand…” I moved my unicorn so it then took that earth pony. “…That I had it set up so I got the best outcome in that situation no matter what. I took your alicorn and an earth pony, whereas all you got was a pegasus. If you’d been paying attention…” I said, rewinding the game a few moves.

“...You could have moved your alicorn here.” I said and moved her alicorn to the other side of the board. I did the move I would have done after that, moving my dragon to safety, and then had her pegasus move so my dragon was checkmated with no escape.

“See what I mean, Scoots? You can’t just keep your eyes on your side of the board, you have to take the time to survey the entire thing, and try to make the best move possible. At the end of a chess game, your mind should be a little tired.” I told her with a chuckle.

She was definitely trying to process everything I told her, though. For the next few minutes, she played with both sides of the chess board, trying to come up with different situations for the pieces and how her side could come out of it clean. I smiled and, while she did that, I decided to get up and cook some dinner.

Since we had such a big calorie and carb day already, I decided to go easy for dinner while still making it delicious. I went with some of my semi-famous soup. I got a big pot and filled it with water. Then I got some avocado broth, which had a consistency not unlike beef broth back home, and put it in with the water. Then I got to work cutting carrots, celery, shallots, mushrooms, bell peppers and adding spices, such as salt, pepper, curry powder, garlic powder and some sprinkles of parmesan cheese. I added that all to the pot and let it boil at medium heat for ten minutes.

Soon, the smells of the soup overtook the kitchen, and Scootaloo let out and “Mmm!” As she smelled it. As soon as it was ready, I got my ladle, two bowls, and filled them up with the delicious soup. I placed the two bowls down at our places at the table, moved the chess stuff out of the way, and we both began to dig in, both making sounds of delight as we ate.

I got some club crackers and broke them up with my fingers, putting them into the soup to help thicken it up into an almost chowder-y consistency and add more flavor. The buttery richness of them just added so much more to the soup. Soon, I was in heaven, and Scoots was too.

But, all good things must come to an end, and all too quickly, our soup was all gone. I grabbed my bowl as well as hers, and began to clean the dishes from the day, while Scootaloo moved the chessboard back and continued to play.

I was really happy she was so enthralled with chess. Being an adrenaline junkie and was good and all, but now she and the other Crusaders had their cutie marks, and they were growing up. Chess would help sharpen her mind, and she would need that for when she was older.

When I was done with dishes, I put them away in the cabinets and walked over to Scootaloo. “Alright Scoots, we’ve had our fun today. Now, it’s late, and you have school tomorrow, little miss.” I told her, to which she let out an unhappy sound.

“Aw…but dad, I was wanting to spend tomorrow with you!” She said sadly, pouting a bit. I got down onto one knee and gave her a hug.

“I know Scoots, but your education is more important. We’ll still have time together, I promise. But I can’t just let you skip school. It’ll all be ok, alright?” I assured her, and she nodded gently.

“Now, I want you to go upstairs and take a bath, and get ready for bed, okay?” Scootaloo sighed a bit, but nodded and hurried upstairs to the bathroom. Right then, there was a knock on the back door. Somepony came in, and looking over that way, I saw that it was Twilight.

“Hey! So sorry I couldn’t come over last night. I had a bunch of surprise paperwork come up and I barely even had time to bathe before bed. Sooooo, how’d it go? Who did you decide to adopt!” Twilight asked me excitedly, a big smile plastered on her face. I just chuckled a bit.

“Follow me.” I said simply, and I let her upstairs to Scootaloo’s bedroom. I let her take a peak inside from the hallway, and Twilight was able to deduce it immediately.

“Whoa…really? Scootaloo? I would have never wagered that.” Twilight said, before smacking herself with her wing. “Not that I’m not excited for you! Scootaloo’s a great filly and I know you’ll make her very happy!” Twilight said with a smile. I smiled back before leading her downstairs, where Twilight noticed the chessboard for the first time.

“What’s the chessboard for?” She asked me curiously, and I told her.

“Well, I may have gotten Scootaloo hooked on it.” I said, and Twilight looked very surprised for a minute, before gasping and reaching into her bookbag.

“Here! I happened to have this in the bookbag. Give it to Scootaloo, it’s a book detailing proper chess openings and strategies. I think she’ll enjoy it!” Twilight said, but I just chuckled a bit.

“Twilight, there’s a big difference between getting Scootaloo to play a board game and reading a book. I think the book will be pushing it, but I’ll try.” I said as I took the book from her. Right then, Twilight looked at the clock.

“Well, I got to get back to the castle and put my little one to bed. Spike needs to get to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow though, HBFF!” She said before trotting to the back door and flying off. I smiled and closed the door behind her.

It was then that I heard the water upstairs stop running and I heard the squeak of mattress springs. I went upstairs to Scootaloo’s bedroom, where sure enough, she was laying in her bed, ready for sleep.

“Hey Scoots, Twilight came by and told me to give this to you.” I said as I handed her the book, and she looked at it for a moment before huffing.

“A book on chess? Well, I’m already playing chess, I guess I might as well nerd out all the way. But don’t tell anyone else dad! I don’t want the ponies at school thinking I’m a nerd…” She said to me as she took the book and put it under her pillows. I smiled and pet her mane gently with my hand, getting the mane out of her face.

“Can do, Scoots. Now, you sleep well. You got a full day of school ahead of you and I want you giving it your all, ok? Good night.” I said as I leaned down and kissed her forehead, and she smiled and closed her eyes.

“Goodnight daddy, I love you so much.” She said as she then rolled onto her side, getting comfortable. I smiled at her back.

“I love you too, baby. Get some sleep, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said to her as I walked to the doorway and turned the light off, darkness enveloping the room so she could sleep. I gently closed the door and walked into my room in turn.

I, like last night, shed all my layers and got into bed, but I wasn’t feeling shocked like I was last night. Tonight, I had a much clearer conscience, and I recalled the days events with a smile on my face.

Scootaloo is turning out to be an amazing daughter, and I really hope nothing changes that. I’m not a fool though, I know complications are going to arise, it’s only natural. But I’m going to enjoy the quiet before the storm as much as I can, and be the best father to Scootaloo I can.

I may miss those bits I spent today later, but for my new daughter, I’d do anything. And tonight, as I feel asleep, one thought dominated my mind again.

I’m finally somebody’s hero.
> Important Second Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning to the annoying, screeching sounds of my alarm clock and immediately sat upright, rubbing my tired eyes as I annoyedly glanced over at the clock. I hit the button on top to make it stop blaring and read that it said 7:30. I whipped the covers off of my body and went into the bathroom, taking care of all my morning “duties”.

Once I was done in the bathroom, I walked to Scootaloo’s room and opened the door. I saw that she was laying on her side, snoring cutely, out like a light. I felt bad about waking her up, since she was sleeping so peacefully, but I had to do it. She had school today.

So, I walked over to her and gently shook her. “Scootaloo…” I said in as soft and warm of a voice as I could muster. Scootaloo only groaned, and rolled onto her other side.

“Scootaloo, it’s time to wake up. You have to be at school in an hour. Come on, get up!” I said, continuing to shake her but to no avail. Luckily, I had a bit of a trap card to use.

I began to walk away, and once I got to the door frame, I spoke. “Alright Scoots, but I guess that means I get to eat all those pancakes by myself.” I said with a bit of a chuckle, and just like I planned Scoots immediately hopped out of bed, zipped past me and hurried to the kitchen, getting there before me.

“Note to self, just bribe Scootaloo with food.” I said with an amused chuckle, joining her in the kitchen. I got the wrapped up pancakes from yesterday out of the fridge, figuring we may as well eat them now instead of making more. I put them in a skillet on the stovetop and got to cooking. I was just heating them up, I didn’t want to cook them twice. They would burn that way and just get water logged.

Once the pancakes were properly reheated, I took them off of the stove and served them onto two plates. I placed them down at our places at the table and I began to dig in, Scootaloo following my lead.

I also sipped some coffee I had brewed. I was never a big coffee person back on earth, but Equestrian grounds tasted so fresh, perhaps…magical? And the nutrients the liquid provided me helped a lot.

Soon, Scoots and I finished our food and I got up, walking to the closet in the hallway and grabbing something out of it, immediately after walking back to Scootaloo.

“Hey, Scoots, I got you something. I figured you would need a saddlebag for school and, I didn’t know if you had one, so I picked this up yesterday when you weren’t looking.” I said as I handed her a fully decked out Wonderbolts saddlebag, with Rainbow Dash displayed prominently on the front of it. Scootaloo’s eyes just opened wide and she looked at it in shock. I guessed because she didn’t get too many gifts.

“Oh my gosh! Daddy, I love it! It’s sooooo 20% cooler than Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom’s saddlebags!” She shouted happily. That made me smile on the inside, but then I looked up at the clock, and my eyes opened a bit wide.

“SHOOT! Scoots we need to go now. C’mon!” I said to her as I grabbed my keys and ushered her outside. I quickly locked up the front door and led her away to the school house. Luckily, it wasn’t that far away from where I lived, and we made it just in time.

When we arrived, we both stopped to catch our breath, and when I finally felt I wasn’t going to die, I got down on one knee so I was as close to eye-level with her as I could get. I brushed some dust off of her face and smiled at her.

“Alright Scoots, this is where we have to split. I hope you have a good day, ok? Have fun.” I told her as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. Scoots immediately reciprocated said hug, opting not to reply to me and instead just enjoy the hug goodbye.

“I know you’re sad we can’t be together today Scoots, but we’re not saying goodbye. We’re saying, see you soon, alright? Now, go on.” I said to her as I broke away from the hug and stood back up. Scootaloo gave me a big smile and turned around, trotting into the school house. As soon as she got in, due to the door being open, I could hear her peers asking her questions, such as who I was and what she was doing with me.

I began to walk the opposite way, back to my house, but I stopped about halfway through. I suddenly found myself very sad that Scootaloo and I were apart. I had to send her to class, and I know I did the responsible thing, but I wish I could have let her take the day off with me. I only adopted her two days ago, and yet being apart from her hurts so much already.

I decided I needed something to cheer myself up, so I started walking to Sweet Apple Acres. It was a bit of a hefty walk away, but I had a feeling going there would make me feel better. When I arrived, I saw Applejack, who was currently lounging on the front porch of their farmhouse.

“Well howdy there sugarcube, don’t see ya around here too often. What can I do ya for?” She asked me, moving so she was standing on all fours now.

“Well uh…I was just feeling a little bit sad this morning, AJ, and was wondering if there was any way I could snag a treat or two from you? A fritter or slice of pie or something?” I asked her hopefully, to which she opened up a cooler she had next to her and handed me a chilled slice of apple pie as well as a cool mug of cider.

“Was gonna have those myself later, but you seem like you could use them more than me. On the house, sugarcube!” She said to me with a smile, and I just looked at her in shock.

“Whoa, AJ are you sure? It’s really no issue to pay you for these, I can afford them.” I told her, but she just waved her hoof at me.

“Don’tcha worry none partner. I gotta get back to the farm now, but y’all take care alright?” AJ told me with a big smile as she stood up and walked away from the porch into the orchard, turning and tipping her hat at me before walking out of view into the apple trees. I chuckled a bit, knowing I made a good choice in best friends between Twilight and AJ.

I stuffed the treats into the backpack I usually wore, and not wanting to hang around the farmhouse alone, began the trek back to my place. I arrived there, opened the front door and sat down at the couch, deciding to read my new book I got from Twilight.

I vegged out there for what I thought was a long time, getting through a decent chunk of the book, maybe about 40 pages, but when I looked up at the clock, only two hours had gone by! Scoots would still be in school for another three!

I grabbed the book and slapped it into my forehead a bit, letting out a groan. Today was determined to just drag on forever, it seemed. Having had enough of my book, I got up and walked throughout the house, looking for something to do. Deciding I was really that bored, I began looking for something to clean.

The day dragged on forever, with me fully reorganizing my hallway closet, but finally, I looked up at the clock and saw that it read 3pm. I excitedly slipped on my shoes, put on my coat, and walked to the schoolhouse.

When I got there, the class was still inside, and so I decided to wait cool by the fence in the front yard. I had to wait a few minutes, but sure enough, the door to the schoolhouse opened and a sea of colts and fillies came flooding out. Scootaloo was near the end of the pack, and when she began to dash towards me, I suddenly scooped her up and gave her an ultra tight hug, which she gladly reciprocated.

“I missed you so much today, Scoots. I really did.” I said as I gave her a kiss on the forehead, setting her down on the ground. Scoots smiled at me and handed me a picture she pulled out of her saddlebag.

“I made this for you during art today daddy!” She told me as she proudly presented it to me. It was a very hastily sketched out in crayon picture of her, Rainbow Dash and I all sitting together under an actual rainbow, with what looked like ice cream cones in our hands.

“Aw Scoots, this is so sweet. I’ll hang this up on the fridge at home. But why did you draw Rainbow Dash in there?” I asked her, already knowing the answer but wanting to ask anyway.

“Well, duh! Rainbow is the most awesomest pony ever!” She said, which made me grin at her.

“I thought you said I was the most awesomest pony ever, Scoots.” I said to her, which made her roll her eyes a bit.

“Daddy, you’re not a pony. You can’t be the most awesomest pony. It doesn’t work if you’re not one!” She said with a grin, and laid her scooter on the ground so she could follow me home.

The walk home was rather uneventful. We got to the front door and after I unlocked it, Scootaloo parked her scooter in the hall and I locked the door. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was 3:30, and I walked into the kitchen.

“Scootaloo, come here!” I called after her, pulling out the half of the apple pie I had saved for her earlier along with the cider. Scootaloo walked into the kitchen and I handed them both to her.

“Feel free to eat these for a snack, alright? If you eat in your room, bring all the trash down here and throw it away. I don’t want to find any garbage in your room, alright?” I said to Scoots, who smiled and nodded.

“Yes daddy.” She told me before she scurried upstairs to her room. When she was gone I looked in the fridge at what ingredients I had, wondering what to make. I ultimately decided on some homemade pizza.

I got out a ball of dough I had made a few days ago which was still good and got to work prepping it for pizza, hand tossing it and all. I decided to load it up with cheese, pineapple, mushroom, onion and garlic. I carefully placed everything onto the discus of dough and popped it into the oven. Luckily it would only take an hour to properly cook.

I went to the couch and flopped down onto it, grabbing the TV remote and putting on some TV. I turned it to the news station. As per usual, nothing but gossip on the princesses, some updates from Manehattan, stuff like that. Nothing to get too engrossed by. But then, I saw a commercial advertising the upcoming Wonderbolts show. While usually, they did their shows at their compound in Canterlot, they announced they would be performing at this year’s Summer Sun Celebration. That planted an idea into my head.

Suddenly, the oven beeped a few times, signaling that the pizza was done cooking. I was left a big flabbergasted, since that felt like the quickest hour of my entire life. I could have used a quick hour earlier when I was waiting for Scoots.

I pulled the pizza out of the oven, and sprinkled it with Parmesan, and cut it up into 8 equal slices. I put one on a plate for me, and another for Scoots, and placed them at the table.

“SCOOTS! DINNER!” I called out to her, and right on cue she ran downstairs to the kitchen. She hopped up into the chair and look at it.

“Whoa, pizza? This looks delish, daddy!” She grabbed her slice and went to take a bit, but ended up dropping it because it was too hot. She looked a little embarrassed so I decided not to comment on it.

I poured her and I some soda, and once the pizza had cooled a bit, we both dug into it. I usually was a very modest person, but Celestia Dammit if this wasn’t the best pizza I’d ever made. Every bite was just as good as the first, and I felt like a complete pig when I ended up eating two slices of it for dinner.

But, life was too short to be filled with shame, and so I quickly repressed that feeling down inside me and look over at Scoots, who completely devoured her slices as well.

“So, Scoots, anything interesting happen at school today?” I asked her, to which she stopped chewing to think about it.

“Um, not really. Well, my friends did ask me about you, but that was it. Oh and Mrs. Cheerilee gave us homework tonight, but I got it all done in class!” She told me, but two and two weren’t quite adding up for me.

“Is that right? Let me go over your homework, then, Scoots.” I told her, to which her eyes went a little wide and I saw her body jerk slightly. Ha, caught her hook, line, and sinker on that one.

“Scootaloo, please don’t try to lie to me like that. If you start to lie to me, it’s going to ruin the great dynamic you and I have had so far. If something’s up, just tell me the truth. I want you to go up to your room, do your homework and get ready for bed, got it?” I told her, to which it looked like she wanted to argue but she just gave me a silent nod, walking upstairs to her room.

Well, if she listened that well all the time, maybe things would work out. If I didn’t have to be strict with her, things might be alright. I grabbed the dishes and plopped them into the sink, getting the sponge and scrubbing the muck out of them, putting them into the dishwasher after.

I ended up majorly losing track of time around then, and before I knew it, nine o’ clock came around and flicked me in the nose. I walked up to Scootaloo’s room, seeing her laying on her bed, above the covers.

“Did you manage to get your homework done?” I asked her, to which she groaned slightly.

“Yes! It’s all done! Check it if you want.” She said as she pointed to the paper laying on her desk. I walked over to it and grimaced as I read it.

“Scootaloo…there’s like fifty words here. Do you honestly think Cheerilee is going to give you a passing grade for this?” I asked her as I held the paper up, to which Scootaloo sighed again.

“I did the work, didn’t I? She can’t get mad at me for that.” She then got under the covers and laid on her side, apparently ready to go to sleep.

I felt a slight anger inside me as I looked at her. Could she honestly be saying that? There was no way she’d get a passing grade with a mere fifty words written. Deciding I didn’t want to start a big fight this early in our relationship together, I decided to let it go. If she did this again, then I would make it a problem. I just turned the light off, closed the door and let her go to bed, going to my room.

I slapped on my pajamas and got under my covers as well, sighing a bit. There wasn’t too much to think about tonight, other than Scoots with her homework. I felt really disappointed in her, and I didn’t know what to do about it. Would it be a wait and see scenario? Or should I talk with her about? Or do I demand she redo the paper before she goes to school tomorrow? So this must be the horrible side of being a parent, having to decide what to do when your child does something you don’t agree with.

I sighed and rolled onto my side, looking at the wall closest me as my eyes closed, and finally, after a long while of laying there, sleep finally overtook me and wrapped me in its warm and fuzzy embrace.
> The Third Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning and looked around my room, seeing the streaks of light cracking through the breaks in the blinds that covered the window. I let out a tired yawn and sat upright, which I instantly regretted doing. I’ve never wanted to just lay down and go back to sleep more than I did at this moment.

But, I’m an adult with responsibilities, and so I forced myself to get out of bed and stumble into the bathroom. Taking care of business as usual, I then trotted down the hallway to Scootaloo’s room and grabbed her paper off of her desk. I then brought it with me to the table in the dining room.

I read through the paper once again and sighed loudly. This paper wasn’t subpar, it was worse than that. There was no way Scoots would get a passing grade on it, and I didn’t want her to fail. I tried to think of what in the world could I do?

With a sigh, I went to Scoots’ bed and and gently shook her awake. She let out an uncomfortable groan as I did so, but it did its job and it woke her up. She rubbed her tired eyes and sat upright, looking at me.

“Scootaloo, it’s time to wake up. You have school in an hour, c’mon!” I said as I turned away and walked down the flight of stairs to the living room. I sat down on the couch, and waited for her to walk downstairs.

Sure enough, she followed me down just a few minutes later, and when she came downstairs I spoke up.

“Scoots, come sit down, we need to have a quick chat.” I said to her as she followed my directions, and sat down on the couch next to the one I was sat down upon. I held up the paper, looking at her.

“Listen, I’m going to let the paper slide, but I want you to know, I’m upset about it. I’m not upset at you, I’m upset for you. Your education is important, Scootaloo, and I don’t want to see you turn in an assignment this bad again. If you’re really struggling, I’ll do my best to help you out with your homework, but you and I will need to try harder, alright?” 

Scootaloo let out a huff, and crossed her forelegs together. “Why is education important? I’m not going to use any of that stuff ever again, and all I want is to be a stunt actor, or a daredevil! I wanna do something cool, not be an egghead!” Scoots said to me, which made me worry slightly inside.

There was nothing wrong with having dreams, but I didn’t want her to discredit learning altogether. If she wanted to be a daredevil, so be it, and I would love and support her along the entire way, but I still wanted her to learn all that she could.

“Scootaloo, do you seriously think you’ll never use anything you learn ever again? What has Mrs. Cheerilee taught you?” I asked her, looking at her doubtfully.

“Well, we learned how to divide fractions yesterday. I’ll never use that though!” Scootaloo told me, to which I just shook my head.

“Scootaloo, what if you get a job where you have to break change? How are you going to know what change to give ponies if you can’t divide a bit? Change is in fractions, remember?” I told her, to which she looked kind of defeated when she thought about it.

“Alright, alright, fair enough, but I’m still never gonna use any of the other stuff, it’s pointless!” She shouted at me, to which I sighed.

“Oh, to be young and naive…I miss those days.” I said as I rubbed my right temple a little. “When I was your age, I thought I would never need to know math, or proper spelling. But the reality is, life throws curveballs at you, Scootaloo. What if, one day, you DO need to know those things, but you can’t because you decided to slack off in school and not pay attention? How do you think I pay bills? I have to have math skills to figure out how much money I have in my bank account, versus the cost of the bills. You’ll use math and other stuff more than you think you will. And what if you have a family one day? Won’t knowing essentials like how to cook help you when you have your own family?” I asked her.

Scootaloo seemed really lost when I said this. She suddenly whispered something, so quiet I couldn’t hear it.

“Scootaloo, don’t mumble, tell me what you’re thinking.” I said to her, to which she just kind of sighed at me.

“I’m not even sure if I want to have a family…I don’t really…oh never mind!” She said, her face hotly red as she thought about whatever she refused to say.

I grabbed her hoof suddenly, and made her look into my eyes. “C’mon Scoots, tell me what you were gonna say, pleaseeeee?” I asked her as I gave her a really big smile. Scootaloo looked like she was going to object, but she suddenly caved in.

“I don’t really like colts!” Scootaloo said, covering her face with a pillow. “There, I said it ok! I know how foals are made, I can’t have a family because I don’t like colts!” She shouted into the pillow. Now, I may not be the smartest man in the universe, but even I could see plain as day how embarrassed she was about this, how much it tore her apart on the inside.

I rubbed her hoof gently with my thumb, and suddenly pulled the pillow away from her face. “Scootaloo, look at me. Look me in the eyes. Scootaloo!” I said, and after a few very long seconds, she finally turned her head to look at me, her face still red from shame.

“Scootaloo…why are you so embarrassed?” I asked her, my voice and face filled with concern for my daughter. Scootaloo let out a bit of a strangled whimper, before speaking.

“Daddy…fillies aren’t supposed to like other fillies…it’s wrong…and you and others will hate me for it…” She said gently, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

She was worried that I wouldn’t support her. She was scared to come out that she liked girls. This information made my heart drop into the very pit of my stomach.

“Scootaloo…” I said sadly, as I suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a super tight hug, holding her as tightly as I could manage.

“Why would I ever hate you for that, Scootaloo? Who you like is your business, none of mine. I may be your adoptive father, but your orientation is none of my business. If you like fillies, it’s who you are. And if anypony doesn’t support who you are, they don’t deserve to know you. Do you understand me?” I said to her in a suddenly very serious voice, and she gave me a tiny nod.

“But…but you don’t hate me? B…but Snips and Snails said I was a freak when they found out! I was so scared…I love you daddy and I was so scared!” She said as she suddenly lurched forward and hugged me as tightly as she could.

To those of you reading this, I truly wish I could properly explain to you in writing how much my heart hurt for my daughter at this moment. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart in the most painful of ways, as Scootaloo hugged me. The hurt, the vulnerability in her voice made my heart hurt. Damn Snips and Snails for making her feel this way!

”Scootaloo…” I said in as concerned, and as gentle and loving a voice as I could manage, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

“I would never, ever hate you for being who you are…you’re my daughter, and nothing would ever made me stop loving you. Do you hear me? Nothing. You’re my daughter and you’re perfect how you are, no matter who you are is.” I said as I continued to hug her and rub her back.

Scootaloo sniffled a bit before she gently pulled away from the hug, and looked up at me. “That…doesn’t change what Snips and Snails said though…” She said sadly.

“I looked her in the eyes, and made her look into mine back. “Scootaloo, what they say or think doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel, and if you’re happy. Does who you are make you happy?” I asked her, and after thinking for a few long seconds, Scootaloo gave me a curt nod.

I smiled at her, and tossled her mane with my hand. “Then there’s no reason for you to be so reason. All that matters is your happiness. It’s your life Scootaloo, not anypony else’s.” I told her as I kissed her cheek.

“Listen, I’m making an executive ‘dad’ decision. No school today. You and I need to have a day together, to talk about this. Call it a…mental health sick day. But this is the only one you get, okay?” I told Scootaloo, who suddenly gave me an attack hug.

“I love you Daddy, so much!” She said as she suddenly kissed my cheek. I had to admit, how affectionate Scoots was with me was quite a shock. Before that day at the Orphanage, she always struck me as the ‘cool girl’ type, who wouldn’t do this kind of stuff. But I guess it was just a side of her she kept hidden for those closest in her life, which meant me. That knowledge made my heart sing.

“Also, Scootaloo, you do know you can have your own family even if you don’t like colts, right? Do you see me dating anypony? And I adopted you, didn’t I? You can adopt somepony someday too!” I said to her, and she thought for a minute before she suddenly facehoofed, and hard.

“How did I never think about that…” She said, sounding disappointed in herself. I chuckled a bit and rubbed her forehead lovingly.

“Aw, it’s fine Scoots, don’t worry your cute little head about it.” I said as I grabbed her hoof and led her to the kitchen.

Scootaloo and I had a delightful breakfast together, and after breakfast we ended up having an epic battle in chess. Scootaloo was getting scarily better for such a short amount of time, and she was fascinated by the openings. We played a few games, and each time she experimented with different openings she had discovered on her own. It made me really proud.

“Wow Scoots, I’m really proud of you. You’ve gotten so good at chess in such a little amount of time. Butttttt” I said as I slid my alicorn to the other side of the board, trapping her dragon between my alicorn and a pegasus.

“Checkmate.” I said with a wide, cocky smirk, and Scootaloo looked like she was about to short circuit. “I…you…WHAT?! How the hay do you keep doing that?!” She asked me in a shout, sounding so mad. I chuckled at her.

“I’ve just been playing for years, Scoots. I have knowledge in this game you just don’t have yet. You’ll get there soon, especially if you keep playing like this.” I said as I rubbed her forehead.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and looking up at the clock, I realized it was around three in the afternoon. Scootaloo and I had wasted our entire afternoon away playing chess! And honestly? It was an afternoon well spent.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle burst in through the front door, their faces wide with giddy smiles.

“Scootaloo!!! It’s Friday! Y’all know what this means!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, Scootaloo looking confused.

“It’s sleepover night at Sweetie Belle’s! C’mon, we gotta get over there nowwwww!” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo looked at the girls, then at me, back and forth a few times. “…oh…but girls, I wanted to spend today with my dad!” She said, having a big moral conflict. I could tell she wanted to go, but also wanted to spend time with me.

I looked at her for a minute before coming to a decision. “Scootaloo, go to the sleepover. I love you, but I don’t want you to miss playtime with your friends because of me. You still need to be a filly and have fun.” I said as I gently pet her mane.

Scootaloo let out a sad noise, looking up at me. “A…are you sure, daddy?” She asked me quietly, and I gave her a nod.

“A…alright then, I’ll go and pack.” She said as she hurried upstairs. After about ten minutes, she came back downstairs, her saddle bags filled to the brim with essentials for the sleepover. She walked over to me and gave me a big, tight hug.

“I…I’ll miss you daddy.” She said sadly, and I rubbed her back lovingly.

“It’s only two nights Scoots, I’ll be here when you get back on Sunday.” I said as I kissed her cheek. She looked up at me for a few very long moments, and after I gave her a gentle nod, she nodded back and turned to the girls.

“Alright, Crusaders, let’s go sleepover!” She said as the three of them ran in unison out the door, slamming my front door shut on their way out.

When they left, I felt my heart ache a bit. I knew it would only be a day and a half she’d be gone, but I felt a sudden emptiness in my heart, a loneliness. Yesterday, I was alone while she was at school, sure, but this was different. I wouldn’t be picking her up after school, she was gone for almost two whole days.

And even though she’s only lived here a few days, the silence in the house was eerie. And as I listened to the deafening silence, a thought crossed my mind that wouldn’t leave it.

Was I becoming too attached to Scootaloo? Was she becoming too attached to me?

I didn’t want to think about this, but I couldn’t escape thinking about it. Scootaloo and I have been together almost every waking moment of every waking day since I adopted her. Was I keeping her from the world? Was I being a bad parent? That’s the last thing I want!

Letting out a frustrated groan, I walked into the kitchen and began to prepare myself an early dinner. I had started by making food for two, and I had to catch myself, shrinking down the portion sizes.

Celestia dammit, these next two days were going to be difficult.

I decided to just make myself a very simple salad for dinner, with cheese and croutons and dressing. I sat down at the table and ate slowly, thinking about Scootaloo the entire time.

Right then, there was a knock on the back door of the house, attached to the kitchen, and a moment after, Twilight walked in.

“Heya, best friend! How’s Scootaloo, where is she?” She asked me as she sat down at the table. I offered her some of the salad, to which she gladly used her magic to make herself a bowl of it.

“She’s at Rarity’s house with the other crusaders for a sleepover. I’m eating dinner early cause I think I may go to bed early tonight.” I said gently, and Twilight looked at me for a minute, sensing the slight sadness in my voice.

“I think I get why you sound so sad…you’ve become quite attached to her, haven’t you?” She asked me, and I gave her a silent nod as I chewed on a few croutons.

“Yeah…I half expected that, to be honest. Don’t worry though, you and her are new to this whole thing, being attached to each other is natural, you’ll both grow out of it soon!” She said to me with a smile, before taking a bite of her salad, and chewing.

“She and I just had an emotional day today, Twilight. And…I don’t know. Maybe the talk we had made me more sad she left than I would have been otherwise. I just wanted to hug her all day and care for her and make her happy.” I said as I chewed another bite of my salad, looking at Twilight after I swallowed.

“What I’m about to say does not leave your mouth, deal?” I asked Twilight, who gave me a nod.

“Alright…today, Scootaloo told me she doesn’t like colts, and basically came out as lesbian to me today. I assured her it didn’t matter to me, and I would always support who she is, and I meant every word. But the hurt in her voice Twilight…how scared she was to tell me…I hurt for her so much. I just wanted to make her smile, make her happy.” I said sadly, and Twilight used her wing to pet my back in a friendly way.

“You did a really good thing…making sure she knew how much you loved her no matter what…you’re doing really good as a parent so far…” Twilight said in a gentle voice. I looked in her eyes for a minute before responding.

“Thank you. Just…that means so much to me, Twilight. I’m really, really trying.” She then smiled and pet my back with her wing once again.

“I know you are, bestie. You adopting her is the talk of the town, you know. Everypony is so glad somepony finally adopted her. A lot of us were just waiting for the day.

When Twilight bowl of salad was gone, she stood up and walked to the back door. “I have to get back to the castle, but keep it up Jordan. You’re doing an amazing job. Just keep loving Scootaloo!” Twilight said as she left out the back door, taking flight.

When she was gone, I whispered “I will…” And took the dishes to the sink, washing them clean, and putting the away in the cabinet up above. Noticing it was seven in the evening, I decided to hell with it, I was tired, and this was late enough to fall asleep.

I walked up to my bedroom, turned out the light and kicked my clothes off, deciding for once to sleep naked instead of in pajamas. I got under the covers, staring at the wall like I did every single night.

“I love you…Scootaloo…I love you so much…” I said as I thought deeply about her for a few long minutes.

Eventually, I felt those throes of sleep grip my conscience, and I began to fell asleep. Before I did, I saw Scootaloo in my mind, running around with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and I couldn’t help but feel I was holding her back.

I had to do a better job. I couldn’t hide her from the world, no matter how much I loved her.

And with that sobering, sad thought, I fell asleep, having a rougher, more restless night of sleep and usual.
> Arising Problems
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning with a loud sigh, sitting upright quickly and rubbing some tired crust from my eyes as I did so. I looked at my clock, and saw that it was eight in the morning. Somehow I had slept nearly twelve hours. Oh well, waking up at eight beats waking up at three and not being able to go back to sleep.

I kicked the blankets off of my body and got up, going downstairs. I didn’t feel like cooking today, with Scootaloo not being here, there wasn’t a whole lot of reason to do so. I just got some cereal, a bowl, some milk and had cereal with milk. At least it was good cereal, and the milk was fresh and delicious.

I sat there, thinking deeply over each and every bite I chewed and swallowed, some of the bites feelings like bricks landing in my stomach as I did so. I missed Scootaloo. Last night was incredibly lonely without her. She wasn’t even supposed to come home until tomorrow afternoon. What was I supposed to do until she came home?

I finished my bowl of cereal, and put the dishes into the sink, not even bothering to wash them. I didn’t feel like it right now. With a sigh, I went to the front door and grabbed my coat off of the rack next to the door. It was a chilly day today, a high of fifty five degrees. I slung my coat on and locked the door once I stepped outside.

Right on cue, I saw Derpy Hooves, flying towards me, wearing her mailbag. Unlike back home, post was delivered on weekends, and a lot of ponies worked weekends as well. Derpy smiled widely at me, with her expressive cocked-eyes.

“Heya there mister! I got a letter for ya, from Colgate!” Derpy said as she reached into her mailbag and pulled the letter out, handing it to me via her mouth. I grabbed it from her and smiled.

“Thank you Derpy, if it’s from Colgate it must be important.” I said as I waved her goodbye. I opened up the letter and began to read its contents. It read;

“Dear Jordan; hey. My other secretary had to call in sick today because they have the flu, and I need somepony to work for me today, I have appointments floor to ceiling today! I’ll pay you triple if you work nine-five. Help me out!” As I read the letter, I chuckled. Normally being asked to work a weekend shift would upset me but, with Scootaloo not in the house, working would be just the thing to distract me.

I walked all the way from home to Colgate’s dentistry practice, and when I walked inside, I hung my coat up on the rack, and shuddered a bit. I enjoyed working here but the sound of dental drills, the smell of paper and flouride and the sight of a full lobby put me on edge. I hurried to the counter and sat down in the chair.

I grabbed the clipboard, and swallowed. There were appointments almost nonstop from nine to noon! I looked to the top of the list where the first patient was and spoke up to the lobby.

“Sunblast? You’re up next, Colgate should be ready for you.” I said as I got to work organizing paperwork and such. Today might be a nightmare but at least it would be triple pay.

----------

Finally, after complete hell for four hours, it was at long last lunch time. The slew of patients had finally slowed down after the crazy morning rush and I was currently eating a sandwich I had gotten from the deli nearby, since I hadn’t gotten to pack myself a lunch before I came in today.

As I chewed on the veggie sandwich, Colgate came up to me. She had a shower installed inside the employees only area some time ago, and she used it often whenever there was a quiet time during the day so she didn’t smell like “dentist” all day.

I looked at Colgate, who smiled at me. “Thank you so much for coming in today, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without you. I planned on keeping you till five, but the way today’s going now, I think you can go home when you’re done eating. I only have like three appointments left today, the morning rush was the real problem.” Colgate told me as she slapped a big bag of bits on the desk, smiling.

“This is your quarterly bonus. Don’t spend it all in one place.” Colgate told me as she walked away. I stared at the bag of bits in shock for a few long moments before putting it away into my bag.

I finished my sandwich, grabbed my things and left the building.

---------- 

I was on my way home, when suddenly a pony walked in front of me. It was Apple Bloom. She galloped up to me, breathing heavily. Did she sprint the entire way here from Rarity’s?!

“Jordan, y’all need to come to Rarity’s, there’s a situation!” Apple Bloom said, and I felt my back straighten as I realized there might be trouble. I didn’t even think, I just began running to Rarity’s house. In my mind, trouble plus Scootaloo equaled bad things. I wanted to get to her as soon as I could!

I opened the door to Rarity’s house, and there I saw Sweetie Belle being held by Rarity, the filly sniffling as Rarity embraced her. Rarity saw me and gave me a blank, yet somehow still angry expression.

“Jordan, darling, we’ve had a serious situation. Scootaloo hit my sister!” Rarity said. Sure enough, I saw Scootaloo in the opposite corner of the room, accompanied by Apple Bloom, who was holding her back as Scootaloo seethed.

“SCOOTALOO!” I shouted at the filly, not believing that she could do such a thing. “Why in the world would you do that to Sweetie?!” I asked her in shock, and Scootaloo led out a near growl.

“I only wish I hit her harder! She called you an alien!” Scootaloo said to me, her voice dripping with pure anger. I had never seen her this way.

“No I didn’t!” Sweetie Belle half croaked out, her voice shaky as she sniffled. “I…I only asked you if, because he wasn’t born here, if that MADE HIM an alien! I wasn’t trying to be mean to him!” Sweetie sniffled out, to which Rarity held her sister closer and “hmmph”’d.

“I’m afraid I have to ban Scootaloo from Sweetie and Apple Bloom’s sleepovers, Jordan, and I’ll have to ask Mrs. Cheerilee to keep them separated at school. I can’t forgive how hard Scootaloo hit Sweetie Belle.” Rarity said to me, her voice serious but containing a hint of remorse, as if she didn’t want to have to do so, but she did have to, to protect her sister. Right then, I could see that Sweetie Belle had a bandage on her right cheek. Did Scootaloo hit the filly that hard?!

Angry at this turn of events, I turned, and looked down at Scootaloo. My hands nearly clenching into fists, I spoke to her. “Scootaloo, tell Sweetie and Rarity that you’re sorry.” I said, my voice deep, strict and serious. I was upset, and I wasn’t fooling around.

Scootaloo looked at me in shock, as if she couldn’t believe I was mad at her. “But daddy, she called you an alien! I was just trying to defend yo-” I didn’t let her finish as I stomped my foot on the ground, cutting her sentence off there.

“Say. You’re. Sorry!” I said to her, even more angry than before now. “And MAYBE, if you mean it, Rarity will let you hang out with Sweetie again!” I shouted. The look of terror on Scootaloo’s face would come to haunt me later, but in the heat of the moment, I was doing what had to be done.

Scootaloo on shaky legs stood up, and walked towards the two sisters. She stayed silent for a very long minute, and I was concerned she wasn’t going to do it. But then, finally, she spoke.

“I’m…sorry for hitting you…” Scootaloo said very very quietly, but while it was softly spoken, I could tell from the tone that she was being genuine. I think Rarity could tell so as well.

“Thank you for apologizing, Scootaloo. Come Sweetie Belle, let’s draw you a warm bath.” Rarity said as she got up and ushered Sweetie up the stairs to I assume their bathroom.

Apple Bloom then looked up at me, her face sad as she hugged Scootaloo. “Mr. Jordan, Scootaloo didn’t mean it, she was just upset!” She tried to plead to me, but at the moment I wasn’t having any of it.

“Apple Bloom, go home, now. Tell your sister the sleepover had to be ended early.” I said to the filly strictly, and instead of arguing, the filly simply nodded and left Rarity’s house.

Not saying a word to Scootaloo, I turned towards the door and walked away. I was too upset to speak to Scootaloo right now. However, she followed me, her head hanging low to the ground from, I suppose, shame.

We walked in stone silence from Rarity’s house to mine, and I grabbed my keys to open up the front door. Once she and I were both inside, I pointed up the staircase.

“Scootaloo…go to your room, now. I’ll get you for dinner whenever it’s ready…” I said again strictly. Scootaloo looked up at me in shock once again.

“But daddy, I…I’m sorry! I was only trying to defend yo-” I once again cut her off, during the same part of her sentence.

“I don’t care Scootaloo. That’s no excuse to hit your best friend, ESPECIALLY not as hard as you hit her. You’re grounded tonight and tomorrow. Now go.” I told the filly, and she sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye.

“That’s not fair! You’re punishing me for caring about you! I…I hate you!” Scootaloo said to me as she galloped up the staircase, and I heard the door to her room slam hard.

The silence was deafening, and as I stood there I suddenly felt quite light headed at this turn of events. I stumbled to the nearest chair in the living room and plopped down there, taking a few moments to collect myself as I stared at the rug on the floor.

…Did she…really just say those three words to me? Did that really just happen? I felt numb all of a sudden, I felt like the world’s biggest screw up.

In that moment, everything came spiraling around my head. Her words, the hurt looks on her face, everything. I had royally screwed up. I had gone too far, I had let anger get the best of me, and now I had created the very wedge between Scootaloo and I that I’d been dreading would form. I never expected it to form so soon.

I was just so upset at Rarity’s. Scootaloo had hit Sweetie so hard, and at the time I had thought only how Scootaloo doing that reflected poorly on me as a parent. I didn’t stop to think about WHY Scootaloo did it. It was no excuse, but she did it because she loved me that much. She was upset at whatever Sweetie had said because Scootaloo thought it was meant to hurt me. Again, no excuse, and Scootaloo does still deserve to be punished, but I should have been much more levelheaded about this whole incident!

And now, Scootaloo had said she hated me, and I could hear her sobbing upstairs. Oh Celestia, how the hell do I even begin to repair this damage I’d just created?

---------- 

I sat there for about fifteen minutes, just thinking deeply about things before I finally stood up to go and cook dinner. I figured, if nothing else, making Scootaloo her favorite food for dinner would be a good way to start us back on the right path.

And so, I gathered all the ingredients to make hayburgers and fries. I formed the patties up and cooked them in a pan on the stovetop, cooking the fries in the oven to make them extra crispy. Whereas in the past, I cooked not with much passion, I was putting as much love and care into these as I could, wanting them to taste fantastic for my daughter.

I finished cooking the foods, and plated them up onto two separate plates. Satisfied, I walked upstairs to Scootaloo’s room and knocked three times before opening the door.

“Hey…dinner’s ready…come on down…” I said quietly, Scootaloo’s face down into a pillow. She moved her face to the side, seemingly staring at the wall.

“I’m not hungry…” Scootaloo said, and with a sigh I walked into her room and sat down on her bed. I began to pet her mane a bit, trying to comfort her and make her feel better.

“Scoots…I’m sorry. Really, I am. I overreacted, and I was mean, and I’m so, so sorry I did that…what you did was wrong, but you didn’t deserve that…” I said with a sigh.

“I’m still new to this parenting thing, Scootaloo, and I make mistakes…earlier was a big, very big, mistake, and all I can do is say I’m sorry, and that I love you…with all of my heart…” I said as I pet her mane a little more vigorously, and Scootaloo closed her eyes a bit.

“I love you too…I didn’t mean what I said earlier, I was just mad…I love you so much…” Scootaloo said to me, as she suddenly sat up and hugged me super tightly. I gladly returned the hug, relieved that we could repair the damage earlier’s events had caused.

“I love you more, Scoots. You’re my daughter, no matter what. But you have to promise me something. NEVER hit anypony, for any reason. I know you love me, but you can’t hit ponies who say those kinds of things, or ask those kinds of questions about me. Cause guess what? Nopony can say anything to you, or ask you any questions, that I haven’t already heard. I stopped letting those things get to me a while ago. And if they don’t bug me, don’t let them bug you. Ok?” I said as I gazed directly into her eyes, and Scootaloo gave me a silent nod as she processed what I had just said.

“Good. Now, c’mon, I got some hayburgers and fries that aren’t going to eat themselves!” I told her with a smile, and I got off her bed, beginning to walk downstairs. She followed me, slowly, and soon she and I were both seated down at the dinner table.

We ate mostly in silence, but her moans of happiness told me she loved the food and appreciated them greatly, which in turn made me happy and a bit prideful at my cooking skills. I wanted to ask her how the sleepover was, but I figured that would be a bad idea. It would just make her remember hitting Sweetie and that wasn’t a good idea.

Suddenly though, Scootaloo spoke up. “I screwed up…so badly. Sweetie Belle and Rarity hate me and I just forced the Crusaders to broke up…why am I such an idiot…” Scootaloo said as she stared downwards sadly. I sighed at her, trying to think of what to say to make her feel better.

“You’re not an idiot Scootaloo, you just need to think things through more in the future. You and I could both be better at that. For what it’s worth, I don’t think this is the end of the Crusaders. I think Sweetie and Rarity were just upset. Things will work out, even if it takes time.” I told her, and while this was not exactly what she wanted to hear, she nodded at me.

We finished dinner in relative silence, and after I finished up the dishes I sighed a bit. “It’s late, Scoots, and I had to work today. I’m heading to bed early.” I told her, and she nodded at me.

“I think…I’m gonna go to bed too. It’s…been a hard day…” Scootaloo told me, and I nodded back at her. I walked upstairs, and after telling each other good night, she and I each went into our respective bedrooms.

I nearly ripped all of my clothes off and plopped into bed, feeling exhausted. Today sucked, and that was all there was to it. I didn’t want to dwell on it any longer than I had to. I wanted to sleep and wake up fresh tomorrow. Hopefully, tomorrow would be immeasurably better than the crap shoot that today had been.

And so, I did just that, falling sleep quickly with a burning sense of remorse and sadness etching at the corners of my mind.
> Talking With Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly full of energy. I looked at the clock and noticed it said seven A.M. I had gotten about ten hours of sleep, so I was feeling absolutely fine this morning.

With a tired yawn, I got out of bed and walked through the hallway, peeking through the door into Scootaloo’s room. She was still fast asleep, and the sight made me smile. I kept walking, going down the flight of stairs to the living room, and then walking to the kitchen.

Today was Sunday. I didn’t have to work and Scootaloo didn’t have school, so I figured there really was no harm in letting her sleep in. We’d both been through a lot yesterday and while I was still mad at what she did, I wasn’t mad at her specifically.

I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, opening up the paper. The front headline spoke of Twilight and the other girls, and how they had supposedly saved Equestria for like the fiftieth time. This time though, it went on to explain that King Sombra had destroyed the Elements Of Harmony. That made me open my eyes wide in shock, and do a double take.

“What?! How can the Elements be destroyed?! What does this mean now?!” I exclaimed in shock as I continued to read. The paper went on further, explaining in detail how the power of their friendship and love for one another had defeated the evil King, just as they had defeated their other enemies, but this time they managed to do it without the elements.

“Alright…I need to go have a chat with Twilight.” I decided suddenly. I got up from the table and walked through the house back upstairs, to Scootaloo’s room. I opened the door and went to her bedside, gently shaking her awake.

“Hey, Scootaloo. Scootaloo, wake up.” I gently coaxed her awake. She let out some tired grunts, letting out a “No daddy, five more minutes…” before she finally, reluctantly woke up and looked at me, still laying on her side.

I gave her a smile. “Hey. I’m going over to Twilight’s castle for a bit. I just wanted to tell you, you’re going to be alone for a while. We have cereal and milk, and you can go hang out with Apple Bloom if you want. Just remember to lock up the house and bring the key with you, I trust you.” I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, making her blush a bit from embarrassment.

“Okay daddy, I’ll see you when you get back. I love you!” She said to me, and I gave her another kiss on the forehead before walking away, closing her door and walking downstairs. I grabbed my coat off the coat rack, slung it on, and walked out the door.

A short while later, I arrived at Twilight’s castle. I stood at the front door and knocked a few times, waiting for somepony to answer the door. However, about a minute went by without so much as a sound. Not even anypony saying “Just a minute!”. Nothing. I then knocked again a few times, much louder this time.

“Twilight! Spike! Starlight! Anypony home?!” I called out to anypony inside, but I again got no response. Now I was more annoyed than anything, and I grabbed the handle of the large crystal front door. Testing it, I found that it was unlocked, and I quickly swung the large door open and walked inside.

“Twilight! Are you here?!” I called out once again, looking around inside the large castle’s entryway.
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The place was empty! Not just nopony inside, but it was empty! Nothing on the walls, nothing on the floors, no furniture, nothing! It was like nopony had ever lived here, there was nothing but crystal everywhere! What the heck was going on here?!

Now I was very confused. I was now speed walking throughout the castle, finding nothing but boxes lining the hallways. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!” I called out loudly, using as loud of a voice as I could muster. “STARLIGHT GLIMMER!!!” I shouted out once again. “SPIKE!!!” I shouted even louder, my face getting red from anger that nopony seemed to be here.

Finally, I got to the massive room where the cutie map was, and where the girls had their large round table with their…I guess you could call them thrones, if you wanted. There, I saw Twilight, looking around the room with a very sad expression.

“HEY, YOU!” I shouted at her, making her gasp and spin around to look at me. When her eyes locked onto mine, I gave her an upset scowl. “I was knocking at the front door for like two minutes, and have been calling your name for like five! What’s going on, and where are Starlight and Spike?!” I asked her, very upset. But then, when I saw the hurt look on her face, I immediately felt bad for raising my voice at her, and I suddenly hurried over to her, locking her in a tight hug.

“Hey…hey…it’s ok. Whatever’s wrong will be ok Twilight, I’m sorry for yelling at you.” I said to her in as sincere of a voice as I could muster. Twilight sighed sadly and reciprocated my hug, holding me tightly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you. I’ve just been really sad. Can we…sit down and talk?” She asked me sadly. I slowly moved away from the hug and grinned at her.

“That’s funny, the reason I came here was actually to talk to you. Of course we can talk, Twily.” I said to her with a big smile. I led her to the big throne chairs, she and I sitting across the table from one another, so we could talk.

“Alright, why don’t you start?” Twilight asked me, speaking first. “Go ahead and ask whatever you want. I’ll answer to the best of my ability.” Twilight said to me, biting her lip nervously.

I thought about it for a moment, before speaking. “Well…I originally came over to ask you about the battle you and the girls had with King Sombra. I had some questions regarding the elements but…I get the feeling something bigger than that is going on. What’s with the boxes, Twilight? Why is the castle empty? It’s almost as if you’re moving, or something.” I finished with a bit of a chuckle.

Twilight bit her lip harder, wincing a bit before replying. “That…that’s because I am moving, Jordan…” Twilight said very very sadly, her ears flattening against her head. As she said this I felt my heart drop into the pits of my stomach, my blood going ice cold, making me feel numb all of a sudden as the gravity of the situation hit me.

“...where?” I asked her, my speech slow due to shock. Twilight looked over at me, her eyes looking like she had been crying recently. How did I miss that earlier?

“Canterlot…you haven’t been reading the newspapers lately, have you?” She asked me, and I blushed a little bit. Alright, she had a point, this morning was the first time I’d read the newspaper in quite a while.

“Celestia and Luna are retiring, and they named me their successor. So…I have to move to Canterlot, to lead the nation.” Twilight said sadly, still biting her lip, her ears still flat against her head.

As she explained this to me, I felt many emotions going through my mind…but chief among them was upset, hurt. “Twilight, how the hell could you not tell me this?!” I nearly shouted at her, making her wince from emotional pain as a result.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me about this?! Why would you leave me in the dark, expecting me to read about this in the paper?! Were you just going to move to Canterlot, and not even tell me? After all we’ve been through?! What if I came over here after you moved, and nopony was here!? I’d have gone insane with hurt and worry!” I shouted at her, not noticing how hurt my words were making her. Again, I felt like a complete jackass for yelling at her like that.

I sucked in a deep breath of air to calm myself, trying to regain my composure. I looked at Twilight with a sad look etched on my face. “Crap…Twilight I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to lose my composure like that again. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. No matter how much this hurts me, I’m sure it hurts you even more.” I said with a sad sigh, getting out of my chair. I walked around the large crystal table to where she was sitting and gave her yet another tight hug.

Twilight buried her head into my chest, and I began to pet her mane to help calm her down, hoping the act would help to cheer her up. “I wanted to tell you…I swear I did. I just…I’ve already been going through enough hurt, because I’ll have to move away from the girls as well, and…it was hard enough to tell them I’ll have to move away from them. The idea of having to tell you as well…it hurt! I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The girls are my friends, but you’re my best friend and leaving you hurts just as much, if not more, than leaving them!” Twilight said as she began to sniffle, and the hurt I felt for her in that moment was unlike anything I’d ever felt in my life prior.

“Shhh…it’s ok, Twilight, it’s ok…” I told her in as soft and compassionate of a voice as I could. I knew Twilight like the back of my hand, and I knew how to calm my best friend down. I continued to pet her mane, and I began to hum to her, the sounds of my humming making her close my eyes and relax. My efforts appeared to be working because she relaxed in my arms.

After about ten minutes of this, I slowly pulled away from her, and looked into her eyes. “Feeling better?” I asked her, to which she gave me her first smile of the day and nodded. “Good, I’m glad.” I said as I smiled back at her. I was quiet for a while, not quite knowing what to say next.

Suddenly though, she broke the silence. “Jordan…move with me.” Twilight suddenly blurted out, making my eyes go a bit wide, and made me look down at her in shock.

“What?” I asked her, sounding completely stupefied at what she had just said to me.

“Move with me! Please…all the girls have to stay here in Ponyville, because their businesses and responsibilities won’t let them leave! You could move with me, and we could stay best friends!” Twilight nearly shouted in a very happy voice, as if she finally found a silver lining to her current situation. Oh, how this was going to hurt, to have to burst her bubble like this…

“Twilight…I can’t move with you.” I said to her, biting my lip once my sentence was done. Twilight whimpered gently and gave me a confused face.

“What? But why not?” Twilight asked me sadly, her ears flat against her head once again.

“Because, Twilight, I have my own job, my own responsibilities…remember Scootaloo? I couldn’t just quit my job, and move to Canterlot with you. We have to think about Scootaloo too. Scootaloo would have to start over too. This is her home. She wouldn’t be able to attend Cheerilee’s school anymore. No more Cutie Mark Crusaders. She just got comfortable at my house. I can’t unsettle her so soon after adopting her, Twilight, it would be borderline cruel…if I hadn’t adopted Scootaloo, I’d seriously consider it, but I can’t hurt Scootaloo like that.” I explained to Twilight, biting my lip once I finished speaking.

Twilight gave me a sad, loud sigh as she processed what I had just said, before nodding. “I…I understand, Jordan. I guess I just…I wish…well I…we…” Twilight sighed, not being able to finish her sentence.

“What? Twilight, we what? You can tell me anything, please.” I reassured the mare, rubbing the side of her face. The mare let out a soft moan as she felt my fingers work into her coat of fur, making her shudder a bit.

“Well…if we’re never going to see each other again…I guess I can finally let this out into the open.” Twilight said, before taking a deep breath.

“IloveyouJordanandI’velovedyouforalongtimenow!” Twilight blurted out, so quickly I could hardly understand what she was saying. I blinked a few times, this recent admission shocking me, before I grabbed Twilight’s face gently in my hands and made her look into my eyes.

“I love you too Twilight. I have for a long time too…” I said softly, gazing into the beautiful oceans of color that were her eyes. Twilight gazed back into my eyes for a few agonizingly long moments, before she suddenly thrust her face forward, crashing her lips onto my own and wrapping her legs around my head.

I stood there in complete, utter shock for the longest time, kinda kissing her back, but not really. However, I then closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her head, beginning to kiss her back in a very deep showing of love and affection.

We kissed for what felt like millennia, just enjoying the feeling of our lips against each others’. Finally though, we were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Daddy? Twilight?!” Scootaloo asked us in shock as she sprinted towards us. She looked at us, bewildered for a few moments, before she suddenly grinned.

“Oh my gosh…you two were kissing! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this!” Scootaloo giggled and began to jump around Twilight and I, making us both blush from embarrassment.

“Daddy and Twilight, sitting in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n-g!” Scootaloo said in a sing songy voice, making Twilight and I’s embarrassment swell to astronomical levels.

“O…ok Scootaloo, I think Twilight and I get it now.” I tried to get the filly to stop, but she only giggled.

“So, when’s the wedding? I wanna be the flower filly! It was so fun when the girls and I did that for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding! I wanna do it again!” Scootaloo continued to tease us and jump around us. I suddenly put my hand in front of her forehead to make her stop, sighing heavily.

“Scootaloo…Twilight and I aren’t getting married. If anything, that was…a goodbye kiss.” I said sadly, looking Twilight in the eyes the entire time.

“Goodbye kiss? Why would you two be saying goodbye?” Scootaloo asked me, and her question made me wince. Dammit. Now I had to explain everything to her.

“Well…um…Scoots, you see…Twilight’s moving to Canterlot.” I said, my voice quiet from sadness, biting my lip, as if that would somehow make this process easier.

“Canterlot? Why is she moving to Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked, her cheery mood from earlier long gone and dead at this point. Now her ears were flat against her skull.

Twilight sighed and stepped in this time. “Scootaloo…you know I’ve been the Princess Of Friendship for about two years now, right? Well…Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are retiring. And they’re putting me in charge. I can’t lead the nation from Ponyville, that isn’t how it works. I could spread friendship from this castle, but leading Equestria is different. So…I have to move to Canterlot, to the Royal Palace.” Twilight said to the filly, her voice full of hurt due to having to explain this yet again.

“What? But you can’t move away, Twilight! You can’t! Why does it have to be you?! Why can’t Princess Cadence, or Prince Blueblood do it?!” Scootaloo asked Twilight, her voice full of sadness. Twilight sighed sadly, kneeling down to get to the filly’s eye height.

“Cadence has the Crystal Empire to run with my brother, Scootaloo. She can’t just abandon it and run Equestria. And Blueblood…well, he’s not an alicorn, and not a true prince. He isn’t even eligible to run the nation. And besides…the princesses specifically named me as their successor. There’s no backing out of it, Scootaloo. I wish I could, but I can’t.” Twilight said as she looked into the filly’s eyes, both of their eyes beginning to water.

“But that’s not fair! You can’t leave Twilight, you’re my friend! I’m gonna miss you!” Scootaloo shouted, tears finally leaving her eyes. Scootaloo suddenly shot her body forward and hugged Twilight tightly, Twilight’s own waterworks bursting as she began to cry as well.

The two sat there, hugging each other tightly and crying, and at that moment, I knew I had to man up and be the dad, be the best friend, be the strong person they both needed me to be.

“Hey…you two…it’s all going to be ok.” I said as I suddenly hugged the both of them at once, making it a tight group hug. “It’s not the end of our friendships! We’ll see each other again. The Grand Galloping Gala is in Canterlot, isn’t it? Scootaloo and I will be at the next one. And who knows Twilight, I might be able to just make a random trip that way every now and then!” I said to them with a wide smile.

My words seemed to have my intended effect. Both of their demeanors seemed to shift from sad to slightly happier.

“I guess that’s true.” Twilight said, then smiled. “I didn’t even think of that. I guess the other girls will be able to visit when they can, as well.” Twilight said happily, and then turned her head to look at me.

“I guess what I’m most sad about is…I kept my feelings for you a secret. Maybe if I hadn’t we could have…you know…” As she said this, a twinge of sadness began to hit her again. I cupped her head in my hand and looked into her eyes.

“I know, Twilight. But…I’m just glad you told me at all. I can live at peace now, knowing you ever had feelings for me. What’s the saying? Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?” I said to her with a smile. This made her smile back, and she playfully hit me in the arm.

“Still as dorky as ever, Jordan. I’m going to miss you. I move in a few days, I have to finish packing.” Twilight said as she wrapped her hooves around me in a tight hug. I happily returned the hug, sighing as I smelled the scent of paper and ink on her.

“Scootaloo and I will leave you to it then, Twilight. Don’t worry, I’ll ALWAYS be here for you. You’re my best friend, and I love you.” I said as I gave the mare a little peck on the lips, making her blush a bit.

Leaving the castle was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do.
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Later that day, it was now nighttime, and Scootaloo and I were home. It had been nothing but sad silence for a few hours, but finally I broke the silence.

“Hey, Scootaloo, want me to make you favorite for dinner tonight?” I asked the filly, who perked her head up from the sofa she was sitting on and nodded gently. I smiled at her and walked into the kitchen, and got out all the stuff to make some hayburgers and fries.

I oven cooked the fries, to make them crunchy like she enjoyed them, and I grilled the hayburgers in a pan. A little greasy that way but it was delicious if nothing else. I began cooking the food, and halfway through the scent apparently got to Scootaloo, because she trotted into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

When the food was done, I served both of us the food and sat down next to her. The majority of the meal was eaten in silence, and once she and I were done eating I sighed and grabbed her hoof in my hand.

“Scootaloo, listen to me, ok? I need your full attention for this. I know this hurts, Twilight moving. Saying goodbye to people hurts, it hurts so bad sometimes I wish I never had to do it. But you want to know the sad reality of friendship everypony, even Twilight, struggles with?” I asked Scootaloo, who looked up into my eyes with a curious gaze.

“The sad reality of friendship is that someday, our friends have to leave us. Whether that’s saying goodbye, or them passing away…I know it hurts, and life can be cruel sometimes, but the memories we make with friends are well worth the pain of losing them. Time heals all wounds. Do you understand what I’m saying, Scoots?” I asked her as I looked into her eyes. She gave me a nod.

“I…I think I do, Daddy. That all makes a lot of sense to me.” Scootaloo said, her sad look slowly easing into a smile.

“I mean, Twilight is the Princess Of Friendship, and she still really struggles with that, Scootaloo. Everypony does. Nopony accepts losing their friends overnight, and you can’t just keep those emotions hidden. Even though Twilight wasn't as close of a friend to you as Apple Bloom or Scootaloo, you two still have memories together and it's natural for it to hurt. Dealing with loss is a skill that takes a long time to get good at. But Twilight isn't dying, and you WILL see her again, I'm going to make sure of that, ok?” I said with a smile, giving her an affectionate nuzzle on the cheek.

“Thanks daddy, I really do feel better. You’re the best daddy in the entire world!” Scootaloo said as she hugged me around the waist. I smiled, and leaned downwards, giving her an affectionate hug as well.

“And you’re the best daughter in the world, even if you can be a bit of a hot head. I love you with all my heart, Scoots.” I said as I gave her mane a good ol tustling.

The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. She and I played yet another game of chess, which I won pretty handily once again. But she was getting better, I could tell she was reading the book on chess openings I gave her.

At the end of the night, I was in Scootaloo’s room. She had gotten into bed, and I had tucked her in. And currently I was reading her a story.

“...and then, the stallion in the moon finally went to bed, and the sun rose. And that’s why we have both the day and night. The end!” I said as I closed the book, and she groaned.

“Aw! I want another story! Please!” She begged me with those adorable pouting eyes of her. I chuckled and shook my head no, leaning over and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“Sorry Scoots, but I’m all out of stories for now and you need to get to bed, tomorrow is a school day.” I said as I leaned over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. “Besides, you had a big day and need your rest. I love you, my precious daughter…” I said as I walked over to the door of her room.

I blew Scootaloo a kiss, and slowly closed the door, leaving her to sleep. I then walked over to my room, and as usual, quickly shed off all my clothes. I got into bed, but I couldn’t sleep for a long time.

My thoughts were swimming like a bunch of piranhas. Everything that happened with Twilight today…she had even admitted feelings for me, and had kissed me. My mind was swimming with what if thoughts. What if she had admitted those feelings to me sooner, or what if I had? Would we have been a couple? But then, her being named the next ruler of Equestria would have still happened, and we probably would have had to break up.

After thinking of these thoughts for the better part of an entire hour, I decided enough was enough. I turned my light off, rolled onto right my side, and I quickly fell asleep.
> Making New Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning feeling something…strange. Looking at my window, it was still clearly morning out, as evidenced by it being dark. So why the heck was I up now? I never woke up before sunrise. It just wasn’t my thing.

A movement on top of me gave me all the answer I needed. Looking down, I saw Scootaloo, laying on top of me as if I were just a big body pillow, or a living mattress. I chuckled a bit and moved my hand to the back of her head, lightly rubbing the back of her head like that.

“The world must be ending. You woke up before me? What’s wrong, are you feeling ill?” I teased the filly with a chuckle, but to my surprise she didn’t even react to me rubbing the back of her head. Instead she let out something close to a whimper and looked me in the eyes.

“I…I had a nightmare and I…I really wanted to be with you…” Scootaloo admitted in a low, very sad voice, which made my heart swell from sadness as well. Suddenly, I moved my arms and wrapped them tenderly around her body, holding her body very close to my own, her head laying on my chest.

“Don’t worry, Scoots…daddy’s gotcha. You’re safe. I’m never letting those nightmares get you.” I said in as tender a voice as I could muster, holding her tightly to my body. I watched her as she closed her eyes, and watched her body as it relaxed. A few moments later, she began to snore. I smiled at her and gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek, before closing my eyes and falling asleep as well.
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I woke up again a few hours later, and upon looking downwards, I found that Scootaloo was still laying on top of me, and still sound asleep. I slowly shook her awake. “Scoots…Scoots, it’s 7AM…you need to get up and get ready for school.”

Scootaloo made a very unhappy sound as I made her wake up from her sleep, and she begrudgingly lifted her head off of my chest. “Unf…but I’m so tired daddy…do I have to go?” She asked me tiredly, rubbing the crust out from her eyes. I sighed a bit and gently pet her mane, trying to make her a bit happier if I could.

“Sorry Scoots, but you need to go to class and I need to work. I can’t afford to miss another day.” I slowly moved her off of my chest, and I got out of bed myself. When I realized I was naked, I opened my eyes wide and ran to grab a pair of boxers before Scoots could see me naked, slapping them on at superhuman speeds.

After that I slipped on a shirt, along with my pants. I then clapped my hands a few times to get Scootaloo’s attention. “Scoots, I’m serious, come on! Go get ready for school!” I told her in a strict tone, noticing that she had once again fallen back asleep. This time though, she sprang out of bed and scurried to the bathroom. While she did that, I walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen, I quickly slapped together some lunches for her and I. I made her a cucumber and daisy sandwich with some peach jam, and I made myself a radish, cucumber and lettuce sandwich. As I made my sandwich, my stomach began to grumble unhappily, and I sighed. God, did I miss eating meat…I willingly gave up eating meat, so ponies wouldn’t think of me as some carnivorous monster, but it was so hard sometimes. What I wouldn’t do for just a bite of ham, or a bit of fish…

I shook those thoughts from my mind, reasoning that if I didn’t think of them, they wouldn’t be a problem. I also packed Scootaloo and I an apple and a soda each, and closed up our lunch boxes. Her lunchbox had the Wonderbolts on the front with, no surprise, Rainbow prominently featured. My lunchbox was a lot more simple than that.

A few minutes later, Scootaloo walked down the flight of stairs and into the kitchen, yawning tiredly. She had her saddlebags on and was seemingly ready to go. “I just remembered, today is gonna be bad…I’m not allowed to hang out with Sweetie Belle…and I doubt Apple Bloom is going to hang out with me over her…” Scootaloo said very sadly. I turned around and tapped my chin with my fingers, trying to come up with a solution.

“Well…there’s a lot of kids in your class, Scoots. You could always try making a new friend. I know they’re not going to be the same as the other Crusaders, but you never know. The two of you could end up really hitting it off. There’s no law in friendship that says you have to keep the same group of friends, is there?” I opened up her saddlebags and dumped her lunchbox inside.

“Ready to go?” I asked her, and when she gave me a nod I walked to the front door, slung my coat on, grabbed my keys, opened the front door, closed the front door, and locked it with the key when she stepped outside with me.

The walk to the schoolhouse was spent in mostly silence, listening to the sounds of birds chirping, ponies hurrying where they needed to go, water flowing in the creek, etc. We finally got to the schoolhouse, with fillies and colts outside, excitedly waiting for Cheerilee to unlock the doors.

I then got down onto one knee and looked Scootaloo in the eyes. “Alright, Scoots, I gotta get to work. Try to have a good day today, alright? I love you with all my heart, daughter of mine.” I then moved my arms and wrapped them tightly around her neck giving her a very tender, affectionate hug.

“Love you too daddy! See you later, okay?” Scootaloo said with a smile to me, and after we hugged goodbye for the day, I walked away from the schoolhouse. But I decided to stick around for a few moments to watch her. To my surprise, she walked up to a filly…I think Diamond Tiara was her name if I remember correctly, and they began to chat. This made me smile, happy Scootaloo was branching out in the friends department. Maybe she and Diamond would hit it off, like I was telling Scootaloo earlier. I loved Scootaloo, but she needed to work on making more friends.

I painstakingly got myself to quit watching her from afar, remembering I had to get my butt to work. I turned around and began to walk into the “downtown”, if you want to call it that, of Ponyville. I walked through the hustle and bustle of ponies scurrying where they needed to go, and after a short while, finally ended up at Colgate’s practice.

Luckily, today it wasn’t too busy when I walked in, and I smiled. Usually, Mondays were murder, but it didn’t seem like today would be too bad. I walked around the counter and sat down at my desk, getting ready like always.

“Hmm…let’s see…Berry Punch? Looks like you’re up first, Colgate should be ready to see you now!” I said as I waved the mare into the back room, and got down to work.

The day was uneventful for a few hours, almost painfully so, until a mare I had sent to the back to have her appointment came back out to the front desk. She didn’t leave, as they usually do, though. Instead she stayed in front of the desk until I looked up from it. And then her eyes and mine met in a mutual gaze.

Earlier, I hadn’t actually seen her, because I had merely called her name and shoo’d her to the back to see Colgate. But now, as I looked up from the desk and gazed at her…it felt like I was looking at the very definition of sheer beauty.

She was a pegasus mare, and her coat was a brilliant shade of white, which almost appeared to me to also have a hint of mint in it, with fur so floofy I just wanted to snuggle her and hug her. Her mane and tail were in a very long, very poofy styling, in fact her mane and tail covered up large portions of her body. At her head, her mane fell down both sides of her face, and her tail was so bushy it was insane. Her mane and tail were streaks of pink, fuschia, magenta and very pale yellow. Her eyes were fuschia, to match her hair, and I found myself flabbergasted as I gazed at her. I’d never seen a pony with such complimentary colors in their mane and tail, and her style was…amazing.

“Hi.” The mare said to me simply, giving me an innocent little smile. I was a bit surprised she spoke to me, having figured she was just curiously gazing at me while I worked.

“Uh, hi.” I replied back to her, my voice sounding more than a little shy and awkward. It wasn’t that I was afraid to talk to her, I was just seriously taken aback by how gorgeous she was.

I think she could notice how flabbergasted I was by her presence, because she just gave me an adorable little giggle, a sound which seemed like it came from heaven itself. “My name is Serenade Melody. What’s your name?” The mare asked me, and again, I felt myself tense up slightly, a lump forming in my throat. Also, her name made sense, because right then I saw that her cutie mark was a double music note, surrounded by four pink hearts.

“Uh…uh…my name is…uh…” Dammit, why couldn’t I talk all of a sudden?! What was I, 16 years old back in high school again?! I took a sudden gulp, to both calm myself and try to get rid of that lump in my throat, before speaking to her.

“My name is Jordan. Do you need something?” I asked the mare a bit shyly. It was very weird for Colgate’s patients to speak to me, usually the business was like a revolving door. Customers come in, customers go out. Not a whole lot of in between.

“Oh, no. I just wanted to talk to you!” The mare said with a lovely little grin, using her hoof to wipe her mane out from in front of her eyes.

“Talk to me? Well, I’m honored! Normally, patients don’t even bother with me. I’m just the man behind the desk.” I said with a bit of a chuckle.

“Well, I’ve never seen one of your kind before, and I guess my curiosity got the best of me. What are you?” She asked me with another one of those heart-melting smiles.

“Oh…um, I’m a human. You’ve never seen one of my kind before because I’m the only one in Equestria. I’m from another world. Possibly another dimension, but Celestia, Luna, Twilight and I haven’t gotten that far in the study of it.” As I said this, a thought came to my mind…with Luna and Celestia retiring and Twilight taking over, our research into why I was brought to Equestria would have to be halted. Now, we may never find out how I got here.

I shook those thoughts from my mind, for the time being, deciding to focus on the conversation at hand. The mare smiled at me, batting her eyelashes at me.

“Well, it’s a shame you’re the only one here, because you’re such a cutie. You must have dozens of mares wanting you!” The mare said in an adorable tone of voice, and I felt a blush spread upon my cheeks due to her words.

“Y…you think so? Well, thank you, you’re really easy on the eyes yourself…and no, actually, I’m single.” I said with my blush beginning to intensify. The mare giggled at me once again.

“Well, I’ve got to get going. Hope to see you around, cutie!” With that, she turned towards the door, and began to leave the building. Before she left, I called out after her.

“I’m sure you will!” Was the last thing I said to her, before she left. After she left, I couldn’t help but feel an intense sense of loneliness. Not like, I was truly alone, because there was always at least one patient in the waiting room, and Colgate was in the back. But that mare leaving made me feel a little empty inside, even though I had just met here. Was this a normal feeling? I had no clue.

I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about what she said, about her thinking I was cute. I’d never had a girl call me cute before. I thought I was the literal exact opposite of cute. I mean, I guess I was thin and decently fit, but I didn’t think I was cute, being about six foot and one hundred and eighty pounds. I supposed I had some muscles but didn’t think anything of it.

The rest of my day at work was painfully uneventful, and after the run in with…what was her name? Serenade? Yeah that was it, Serenade. After talking with her, the rest of my day just drug on painfully slow, every minute felt like an hour! It dragged on painfully slow, and not even my lunch break was as enjoyable as it usually was.

Mercifully though, the day finally came to a close around three o’ clock. With a loud yawn, I stood up out of my chair and stretched, feeling my joints crack and pop as I did so. After I stretched, I collected my things and punched out at the time clock, putting on my coat and leaving. Colgate always left late, and always locked up herself.

After I left the Colgate’s practice, I walked back through downtown Ponyville back to the school house, where class hadn’t quite been let out yet. I propped my arm up on top of the wooden fence, and I began to wait there, knowing they’d be let out of school any minute now.

Sure enough, a few minutes later I heard the bell ring inside the school, signaling class was out for the day. Immediately, a sea of fillies and colts spilled out of the school, running out of the gates to head on home. There, I saw Scootaloo emerge from the flooding of ponies.

I saw that she was walking out of school with Diamond Tiara, and they were chatting up a storm. Suddenly, Scootaloo’s eyes found my form at the fence, and her eyes lit up. She suddenly ran towards me, a big, bright smile on her face.

“Daddy, daddy! Can Diamond Tiara come over to our house tonight?!” Scootaloo asked excitedly, her body shaking from the excitement. “She and I were hanging out at recess today and she wants to come over! We’re gonna study and play board games and stuff!” She said even more excitedly, her tail swaying to the left and right from her energy.

I looked down at Scootaloo, and then Diamond, rubbing my chin gently. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to have a guest tonight, the house is a bit of a mess…you don’t mind, do you Tiara?” I asked the filly, who shook her head happily. Smiling, I nodded at the duo.

“Alright you two, it’s a date then. C’mon home!” I said to the two fillies as I turned the opposite direction from the schoolhouse. Making sure they were following me, I began to walk through town once again, this time not stopping until I reached home.

When I got there, I stepped onto the front porch and reached into my pocket for my key ring. I grabbed the key ring and grumbled as I fiddled with the thing, trying to find the right key. “Dag nabbit…stupid key…where are you?” I said out loud. When I found it, I let out an AHA, and stuck the key into the door lock, unlocking and opening the door thereafter.

I opened the door and ushered the two fillies inside, grumbling to myself as I realized the house could be much cleaner than it currently was. “Sorry about the messes, Tiara, I hope it’s not a problem.” The filly seemed to not even care though. She and Scootaloo just bustled up the flight of stairs up to Scootaloo’s room, leaving me to chuckle a bit.

I kicked my shoes off and flopped down onto the couch, my mind swirling with thoughts. That Serenade mare…I couldn’t get her off of my mind. Her mane, her coat, her voice, everything…I just couldn’t get her out of my mind. She was perfect, and she had dominated my entire mind. I just had to see her again. I hoped she would have a followup appointment with Colgate, so I could talk with her again.

Letting out a sigh, I got up from the couch and went to the table, deciding to finally go through the mail, something I’d been dreading since it was bound to be nothing but bills. Yep, sure enough, a slew of bills were there. One from the Ponyville Water Company, 30 bits. Ponyville Oil, which I used for the oil lamps in the house, were hitting me up for 20 bits. Mortgage on the house, payment was to be 50 bits. That one made me gag. That was a lot of bits, I hoped I could budget accordingly. All in all, these bills were 100 bits. I made 150 in my paycheck, so getting groceries and such might be tough. Thank goodness for that quarterly bonus from Colgate!

Shoot…maybe I shouldn’t have been so frivolous with money lately. I’ve enjoyed spoiling Scootaloo, but there’s no point in spoiling her if I’m an idiot and I lose the house. I’d have to be more careful from now on.

As I looked down at the papers before me, I realized something. With romantic relationships, they call the period after the wedding the honeymoon phase, because obviously the couples celebrate with their honeymoon. After that, reality sets in. That’s kind of what’s going on here with Scootaloo and I. The magic is starting to wind down, and reality is beginning to set in, in the way of me having to adult. I hate adulting, but I signed up for this, literally.

And another thought I had was how things have changed since I ended up in Equestria. Back on Earth, I was religious. I wasn’t a bible thumper, and I didn’t attend church, but I absolutely believed in god. Coming to Equestria changed things. No churches, no bibles, nothing of the sort. But I missed religion. Having faith, and believing in a higher power, I missed it. Back home, my family would always have Sunday be our rest day. No electronics, no outside drama, just our family resting together. I missed things like that. Maybe I could try to employ something similar with Scoots. Try to have some real family dynamics.

Looking up at the clock, I noticed it was about five o’ clock. A bit early to start cooking dinner, but Diamond being here changed things. I wanted her to eat with us before she went home. I got up from the kitchen table and walked to the fridge, trying to think of what to make.

After looking at the ingredients I had available, I finally decided on what to make for dinner. Breakfast! But not just breakfast, breakfast ring. What a breakfast ring is, is those premade croissant dough thingies. Turns out, Equestria actually has those. Anyway, you lay them flat on a baking tray, and on top you put eggs, cheese, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers and other stuff. You cover them with another layer of croissant dough, and form it into a circle, hence the “ring” part. Then you bake it all at once.

I grabbed all the ingredients I needed, and got to work. First, the croissants on the baking sheet. Then, cracked the eggs and scrambled them. Then, I grated fresh cheese, cut some potatoes and sliced a few onions, as well as mushrooms and bell peppers, and I formed it all together and placed it in the oven.

It would take about half an hour to bake, but it would be worth it. I had a feeling it would knock both Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara’s socks off, even with how high class the filly was. I knew about her family, and knew she came from the upper class. I was hoping I could impress her with my cooking, so maybe she would want to hang out with Scoots again. I didn’t want her thinking we were peasants, or anything.

Soon, the smell of the ring became nearly intoxicating. All those ingredients came together in a cacophonous symphony of smells, and the house became inundated with them. The girls must have smelled it, because I heard the door upstairs open and they both walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where I was.

“Daddy, what is that? It smells amazing!” Scootaloo said as she sniffed the air deeply, letting out a happy “Mmm!” as she did so. I chuckled at her, smiling, happy she was excited for the food.

“It’s something new, my little filly, and it’s a secret! You two will find out in about five minutes.” I smiled at the pair of them, sitting back in my chair at the table and waiting. The two fillies each pulled up a chair and joined me, and we just sat there for the five minutes left until the food was ready.

Suddenly, the timer dinged, and I quickly popped out of my chair, going to the oven. I put on my oven mitts and carefully pulled the baking sheet out of the oven. If this thing smelled good before, it smelled fifty times better now that it was out of the oven. I heard the two fillies let out another “Mmm!” as they once again smelled it.

I grabbed my pizza slicer and began to cut the ring into appropriately sized portions for me and the girls, putting the food onto three different plates. When that was done, I carefully brought over the plates to the table, and served them the food happily.

“Ooo! What is it?” Diamond Tiara asked me curiously ogling the ring. I had really outdone myself; the croissants baked perfectly. They were golden and perfect, and looked delicious, and the contents on the inside looked like they baked just as perfectly.

”It’s called breakfast ring! Those are croissants, and inside are eggs, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, bell peppers and cheese. Hey Scootaloo, before we dig in, can I do something different tonight?” I asked her with a curious face. She gave me a nod, and I looked at the pair of them.

“Well…back on earth, my old family and I would do this before every meal. It’s something that meant a lot to me, and I’d love to share it with the two of you.” I said as I looked down, and closed my eyes. The two fillies quickly followed my lead, and did the same, looking down and closing their eyes.

“Dear maker…” I said softly, replacing god for the maker, figuring that was a universally accepted entity. “Thank you for watching over us, blessing us with good health, fortune, laughter and happiness. Thank you for allowing Scootaloo to make a new friend in Diamond Tiara today, and may the two of them succeed at school and at life together. Thank you for this food you have afforded to us, and we eat it with the hopes that it may nourish our bodies. Thank you for watching over us.”

With that, I looked up at the duo again, and they quickly followed suit. They both looked at me for the longest time, silently, not making a peep, before Tiara spoke up.

“Wow…that was…really pretty.” She said simply, and I gave the two of them an appreciative smile.

“Thank you, Diamond. Now come on, let’s dig in!” I said as I picked up my fork and began to dive into my food, moaning happily. Damn, I could cook! The fillies were similarly happy with the food, Scootaloo on more than one occasion proclaimed that it was probably the most delicious thing she had ever eaten in her entire life. That made me grin like an idiot.

Dinner other than that was pretty quiet and uneventful, and when we were done eating I grabbed their plates and placed them in the sink, opting to wash the dishes later. I looked up at the clock and noticed it was six o’ clock.

“Diamond? You should head home in about an hour. That’ll be sunset and I want you to be home by then, alright?” I asked the filly, who nodded at me. The girls stayed at the table, talking about stuff, and I sat back down at my seat, hoping I was infringing upon their conversation.

When I sat down, Scootaloo spoke to me. “Hey, daddy?” She asked me, and I looked over at her in surprise.

“What is it, Scoots?” I asked her, rubbing my full, happy belly. Damn, that food was good. Scootaloo looked at Diamond, who nodded, and Scootaloo turned back at me.

“Diamond Tiara was wondering if she could borrow your recipe for the breakfast ring? She thinks her parents would love it!” Scootaloo said with a smile, and that made me blush a little bit.

“You…really think so? Well, I’m honored! Absolutely! I don’t have it written down but give me a minute and I can do that…” I said as I quickly garnered a piece of paper and a pen. I then got to work writing the ingredient, the amounts needed, and how long to bake it for in a neat, uniform order, like a regular recipe sheet. When it was done, I smiled and handed it over to Diamond.

“There you go, Diamond. If your parents enjoy it, please let me know!” I said to the filly with a smile.

The next chunk of time went by in a blur. The two of them grabbed my Guardians of Harmony board game. It was kinda like Candy Land from back home, but instead, there were tiles with villains on them. Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis, Tirek, etc, and they could pick one of the mane six to play as. It was a fun game, I had to admit.

They managed to play two games of that, before it got to be seven o’ clock. When it was seven, I coughed to get their attention.

“Alright you two, it’s seven. Time for you to go home, Diamond. Can you make it home safely? I can walk you home if need be!” I said to the filly, and she politely shook her head.

“No, I can get there safely. Thanks for the recipe! See you tomorrow, Scootaloo!” Diamond said happily as she gathered her saddle bag, strapped it on, and walked out the front door. After the door closed, the place felt eerily empty and quieter. Sensing Scootaloo felt it as well, I walked up to her and planted a kiss upon her forehead.

“Scoots? I love you. I’m so glad you made another friend today. You two seem to have really hit it off.” I said with a smile. Scootaloo chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess she and I did. Funny how I used to hate her…she changed a lot.” Scootaloo said quietly. She then turned her head to look up at me.

“Hey, daddy? I got some questions. Could we…go sit down and talk?” Scootaloo asked me, and I pet the back of her head gently.

“Of course we can!” I said to her happily, and I ushered her to the living room. I sat down in my usual spot, and she sat down in hers. She rubbed her hooves together for a minute, almost nervously, before speaking.

“Alright…well, I was wondering if you could tell me about your old family, daddy. What were they like?” Scootaloo asked me, her eyes very curious. This question took me off guard, since I hadn’t expected it and other than earlier, hadn’t thought about my family much.

“My family…hmm, let’s see. Well first off, I’m the youngest of four kids. I had one brother, and two sisters, so it was always us two versus them two growing up.” I said with a chuckle.

“My mom and my dad loved each other very much…even when things got really bad, they found a way to work things out and stick together. My dad was always Supermane in my eyes. He worked, did repairs around the house, and lots of other stuff and he hardly ever took a sick day from work. Maybe that’s where I learned to work so hard, from him. My mom had a lot of issues but she was still my mom. And while my sisters both ended up going to college, my brother didn’t. But he married a girl and had two children. A third was on the way when I ended up here in Equestria.”

As I was speaking, I felt my heart sink into the pits of my stomach, realizing I would never meet baby #3. That suddenly took my heart and shattered it into a million pieces…but I tried not to let my sudden sadness show, not in front of Scootaloo.

“I think that about covers it. At least for now, Scoots. Would you be okay if we saved other questions for another night?” I asked the filly, who happily shook her head to signify it was ok. I looked at the clock and saw it was now eight, and I let out a tired yawn.

“Alright, Scoots, I’m going to go to bed. Do me a favor and please don’t stay up late, alright? It’s a school night, missy!” I then leaned down and planted a kiss upon her head. Scoots responded by wrapping her hooves around me in a tight, loving hug, one which I gladly returned.

“Alright Scoots. I love you. Goodnight.” I said as I once again kissed the top of her head, and moved away. I gazed at her for a moment before turning away and walking upstairs.

Once I got to my room, I went through the usual ritual of stripping myself naked, and got into my bed. Usually, my head was swimming in thoughts before I went to bed, but tonight, after such an eventful day, my mind was just blank with tiredness. I literally crawled under the blankets, rolled onto my left side, and quickly fell asleep, wondering what surprises tomorrow would hold for me as well.

I didn’t know for sure, but I was excited to find out.
> An Unfortunate Event
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next day feeling something strange, just as I had felt yesterday when I had woken up. I groaned and moved my hands to my eyes, tiredly rubbing my eyes with my fists to try and help myself wake up. Currently, I couldn’t see, but getting the gunk out of my eyes was helping.

Finally, after some vigorous eye-rubbing, I got out of bed and let out a tired yawn, raising one hand into the sky and one hand onto my back in an intense stretch. I could feel some joints crack, and after such a long rest, it felt really nice.

I walked out of my bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. To my shock, Scootaloo was at the table, her head planted down on the surface of it. Her mane was an absolute frazzled mess. It looked like she’d barely gotten any sleep!

I walked over to her and gently tugged on her side. “Scootaloo…did you have nightmares again?” She turned her head up towards me, nodding gently. I sighed, and I began to rub her side gently.

“Why didn’t you come snuggle me like yesterday? I could have tried to make you feel better.” I said as I continued to gently rub her side. Scootaloo sighed gently.

“I…I didn’t want to bother you. You…you looked like you were having nice dreams…” Scootaloo said sadly. I sighed back to her, and I sat down in a chair next to hers. I grabbed her hoof and I began to rub it gently.

“Scootaloo, you’re never a bother to me. I know you struggle with nightmares, and that’s ok. I want you to be well, and if you need to wake me up so I can cheer you up, then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” I said as I gently squeezed her hoof, wanting her to know I meant what I was saying.

“I…I know. I’ll do that next time…” Scootaloo said, letting out a sad sound as she squeezed my hand right back. I smiled at her, and tostled her mane with my free hand, slowly moving to the fridge to get some food for our lunches.

“C’mon Scoots, we need to get going and start the day. Are you going to be okay, though? You look dead tired. I’m worried about you.” I said with a concerned tone in my voice. Her eyes looked bloodshot and I wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to make it through today.

“Yeah daddy, I think I’ll be okay.” Scootaloo said as she gazed towards me, giving me the most sincere smile she could muster at the moment. I shrugged. I was prepared to let her stay home, if she didn’t think she could make it today, but if she thought that she could, it was her choice.

I went to the kitchen counter and began to make us sandwiches like yesterday. The same kind as yesterday. I knew that was boring but I figured, if it isn’t broke, don’t bother fixing it. I finished slapping the sandwiches together and put then into a paper bag each, along with an apple and some juice for the both of us.

I grabbed Scootaloo’s saddle bag/backpack and carefully strapped it onto her body for her. I gave her a wide smile and looked into her eyes. “Ready to go, Scoots?” I myself had put my coat on, and I had everything I needed for work.

Scoots gave me a nod, and I quickly ushered her outside, closing the door behind us and locking it with my key. However, when we stepped outside, we were greeted to an ugly, yet beautiful sight.

SNOW! There was snow everywhere! It looked like we had suffered a blizzard last night! There had to be nearly six inches of snow on the ground! Where the hell did this all come from, and why did I hear no news about the forecast? This was a winter wonderland, all of a sudden! It had been getting colder for a few weeks now, but seriously? It was too soon for this!

Scootaloo immediately got excited, and with a happy squeal she ran right for a patch of snow. She jumped up, spun around in midair, and she dived into the snow, beginning to make a pony angel, using her small wings as well. She was giggling the entire time, apparently having the time of her life.

“Scootaloo! Be careful! You don’t have a coat or scarf on, I don’t want you to get sick!” I shouted after her. I knew, obviously, ponies had fur, but they could still get sick like humans. I didn’t want my babygirl to get a cold!” I shouted after her, rolling my eyes playfully as she made her…pegasus angel? She continued to giggle and have a fun time.

Suddenly, I heard a voice in the distance. Upon further inspection, it was Cheerilee, the school teacher. “Everypony! School is closed today due to all the snow! Keep your foals safe!” Cheerilee shouted to all the ponies nearby, and when she said this, I chuckled. I guessed Scootaloo and I would have some fun today.

I looked away for a moment, surveying the town around us. All over, there were foals and parents playing in the snow, having the time of their lives as well. They were all giggling, and laughing and in that moment, I could only think of one thing.

I was FORTUNATE to live here.

Honestly, if someone, or somepony, had presented me with the choice to move here, I might have stayed back home. But I wasn’t afforded the luxury of such a choice. I was thrust into this place, and there’s no going back possible. This being the case, Ponyville was the best place in the entire world to live.

Everypony here was so friendly, and took me in with open arms. Sure, it’s going to be weird without Twilight here. She was my best friend, after all. But I have other friends. And now, I have Scootaloo, the most important pony in my life, and I was so happy I could share a day like today with her.

Suddenly though, I was broken out of my reverie by something hitting me in the chin. I grunted upon the impact, and realized I had been pelted with a ball of snow! I looked to my right, where the ball no doubt came from. When I turned my head, sure enough, I saw Scootaloo, who currently had her head slightly angled downward, her back end swaying side to side with her tail wagging. She had a big, wide smirk on her face. This was without doubt a playful pose she had!

Crap. Sensing what was happening, I dug my hands into the snow and quickly crushed the snow inside my palms, forming them hastily into a snowball. Without even thinking, I quickly lurched the ball of snow at Scootaloo, being careful not to whip it too fast. The snowball whiffled through the air for a few seconds, and Scoots didn’t have time to react before it walloped her in the cutie mark. YES! I knew I didn’t play baseball in high school for nothing, still got the ol’ cannon arm!

Scootaloo looked shocked for a few seconds, before she got a determined look on her face. Quickly, she dug her hooves into the blanket of snow, and formed her own snowball. She then reared her hoof back, and thrust it forwards, flapping her wings for extra body strength as she completely cannonballed the snowball towards me. Having a split millisecond to react, I managed to action roll out of the way of it, getting my hair soaked in snow as a result.

“My hair! Oh, you little…IT IS ON!” I shouted at her, once again digging my hands into the snow and forming another snowball. I once again whipped it at Scoots, a little faster this time. She somehow managed to dodge it, more so expecting it this time than she had the last time.

This snowball fight went on for the better part of the next ten minutes. We dodged, we hit each other, we got our clothes absolutely soiled in the snow. I think she ended up getting mad at how many times I managed to hit her, though, because the next thing I knew she was charging at me!

She used her wings for extra speed as she galloped towards me, and she lurched towards my chest with all the strength she could muster. This was too much for my body to handle and before I knew it, I fell to the ground on my back, once again getting soaked in the wet snow.

Scootaloo, standing on top of me, carrying that same victorious smirk from before, but this time it was somehow a wider smirk, a cockier one. “YES!” She shouted, chuckling happily. “I won!”

I rolled my eyes playfully at her, rolling her onto her back suddenly with a grin. “Oh? Are you sure about that, squirt? Seems to me like I won!” I then returned the smirk she had carried a few seconds ago, letting out a chuckle much like hers.

Then, she returned the favor in full by suddenly flipping me onto my back once again! “Yes, I’m sure! I won!” She shouted once again. I could have rolled her onto her back again, but I decided that was enough rough play for now. Instead I just wrapped my arms around her body, pulling her closely to me in a super tight, loving hug.

I let out a happy sigh as she and I hugged, and I began to gently pet her mane. “I love you, Scoots. With all of my heart. You’re the best daughter in all of Equestria.” I said lovingly, her making happy sounds as I hugged her and pet her mane like this.

“I love you more, daddy. You’re the best daddy in the history of ever.” Scootaloo said, and this made my heart absolutely swell. It made me so happy, to know she loved me this much. It made me feel like…I’d succeeded as a parent, which was the biggest happiness I had ever known in my life. I felt a happy tear form on the edge of my eye. But, being a manly man, I refused to cry.

Sadly though, it was right then that I remembered something…school may have been closed, but work wasn’t. With a loud sigh, I picked Scootaloo up and put her on the ground as I stood up, brushing off all the snow from my coat and my pants.

“Scoots, I had a lot of fun, but…I still have to work today. Here’s my house key. Can I trust you to watch the house while I’m at work and let me in when I knock tonight?” I asked the filly, who smiled and nodded at me.

“Good. I’ll see you later, then.” I said to Scoots, and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. She smiled widely at me, before running to the front door of the house. She fiddled the key into the lock for a few moments, and finally managed to unlock it. I waved goodbye at her when she closed the door and locked it.

I sighed a bit sadly. Ending all that fun really hurt, but I had to work. Painfully, I turned myself around and walked through town, having to be quite a bit slower due to all the snow. Geez, pegasus ponies, this storm was a doozy! Did we really need all this snow so soon?

I finally made it to Colgate’s practice, and was greeted to something exceptional. The practice was EMPTY. Not a single pony waiting in the lobby! I suddenly let a big grin form on my face. Oh, this day was going to be easy. I should have realized the snow would deter ponies from making it to their appointments!

I walked around the front desk and sat down in the chair, getting comfortable before grabbing the newspaper and reading it. There was a whole lot of nothing, mostly, but a section of it had been rented out by somepony. They had rented it out to wish Lyra and Bon Bon congratulations on their engagement. That made me happy. It turned out Lyra had always speculated whether or not humans existed, and when I showed up in Ponyville she and I became best friends. And, me and Bon Bon did the same by proxy!

I was so happy for those two, they were really made for each other. I read the paper for a while longer, catching up on how the hoofball teams were doing. And also, apparently Las Pegasus had been selected as the next host city for the Equestria Games! That was mega exciting. Maybe if I worked a lot of overtime and saved up, I could buy Scoots and I tickets. She would absolutely die of happiness if she and I got to go to that.

The day was majorly uneventful. In fact, it was boringly so. I ended up eating my lunch about and hour early, because I was just that bored. Colgate stayed in the back, apparently catching up on boss-type paperwork, things I couldn’t do for her.

However, finally, the bell at the front door chimed, signaling that somepony had entered. “Welcome to Colgate’s Dentistry. Please sit down and I’ll be…” I stopped my sentence short as I looked in front of me, and I saw it was her.

The girl from yesterday! What was her name? Uh…Serenade Melody! That was it! She smiled at me once our gazes met, and she walked towards the front counter.

“Hey there, good to see you again. I don’t have an appointment, but I really wanted to see you today.” Serenade said to me, still carrying with her that big, wide smile from yesterday. I smiled right back at her.

“Well, normally, you’d get in trouble with Colgate for that, but for you? I think I can pull some strings.” I said in a playful manner, which made the mare giggle. I noticed, upon further inspection, that her lips were different…they were covered in lipstick! Cherry red, colorful lipstick! Lipstick was a very uncommon accessory for ponies, why would she be wearing it?

“So, I’m just going to cut to the chase. Do you wanna go out sometime?” Serenade asked me, and this made me open my eyes wide from shock. I felt gobsmacked! Did she…did she just ask me out?! Whoa. I never thought a pony would ask me out. Let alone one I’d just met yesterday. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, this just majorly took me by surprise.

Before I could reply, Serenade spoke up again. “I think you’re super cute. I’d love to get to know you more and I think a date would be perfect for that. We could go to a cafe and get coffee, or a diner for dinner, or a theater for a movie! What do you say?” Serenade asked me, and I found myself gazing into her eyes, unable to divert my gaze from those beautiful purple orbs of her eyes. I was blushing pretty hard, finding it hard to formulate a proper response to her.

“I…uh…yes! Yes, absolutely!” I finally managed to get out, cursing myself silently for my dumb stuttering there. Serenade smile widely at me, writing an address down on a sticky note on the counter top she had grabbed, using a quill and ink there.

“Pick me up at my house tomorrow. It’s this address. Seven o’ clock? I’ll see you there, if so, cutie!” Serenade said to me, playfully blowing me a kiss. This made me blush even more than before, but I gave the mare a curt nod as she turned tail and left the practice.

To say I was shocked was the understatement of this, or any century. I had just scored a date with a ridiculously cute mare without even asking her out. Was I the luckiest man alive, or something?

Again, just like yesterday, I felt an intense lonely feeling once Serenade left. This was even worse than yesterday, though, because this time there were no patients in the lobby and this place felt quiet. Painfully quiet! I hated this feeling.

The rest of my day was spent in quiet isolation. No patients came in for their appointments today, not a single one. But hey, that just meant I had gotten paid for free, essentially, and I was more than cool with that!

I began to pack up my things, when suddenly Colgate came out from the back. “Oh, hey Colgate! I’m just getting ready to leave, cleaning out the ol’ desk before I leave.” I said with a chuckle, but to my surprise I received no such chuckle in return from Colgate.

“Clean it out permanently…” Colgate said, her voice holding a deep tinge of sadness to it, as if she regretted what she was saying. Immediately, my eyes opened wide, and I turned around to look at her, a look of pure and utter disbelief on my face.

“W…what? Excuse me?” I asked Colgate, hoping to Celestia herself I had misheard her. But to my horror, Colgate sighed.

“I’m sorry, Jordan. You’ve been a phenomenal employee, but I have to let you go. It’s the winter months, now, and business comes to a crawl every year. I can’t afford to keep both you and my other secretary, and she’s been around here a month longer than you have. She has seniority, and I have to let you go. I’m so sorry. I have your severance check here. It’s an additional month’s pay.” Colgate said, but that in no way dulled the hurt I felt.

I’d been working here for an entire year! An entire year of my life I’d dedicated to this job, and she was just firing me like that? Without any prior warnings, or any care for me?

“Colgate…don’t do this. I’ve been here for over a year, now. And if not for me, think about Scootaloo. Please, you can’t do this. I won’t be able to support my daughter!” I shouted at her.

Colgate looked sad, but still unfazed. “I’m sorry, Jordan, but I have to do this. This isn’t a decision I made lightly, by the way.” Colgate said, again, as if that made any of this better. I lost my temper, and I suddenly slammed my fist down onto the desk, rage consuming my being all of a sudden.

“How can you be so heartless?! Scootaloo and I will lose my house! We’ll be on the street! How could you be such a heartless w…whorse?!” I shouted at her, regretting the very profane insult I threw at her, but in that moment, I was so overly angry I didn’t care!

Colgate looked at me with a look of shock from the insult, her eyes wide, before her eyes narrowed at me in equal parts anger and resentment.

“A whorse?! A heartless whorse?! I do care for you! That’s why I gave you your severance check! But I have to think about my business, my livelihood, first! Just…just pack your things and get out!” Colgate shouted at me, her face brightly red from anger, storming into the back of the practice without another single word.

A sat there for a few long moments, in complete and utter disbelief at what had just happened. I’d just gotten fired. I mean, this wasn’t a job I had planned to keep for the rest of my life or anything, but the fact that I was now suddenly without work made me sit there in complete and utter shock.

I looked at the newspaper I had been reading earlier, seeing the page about the Equestria Games. I remembered my thoughts earlier, about trying to buy tickets to it for Scootaloo and I. I guess now, that was nothing but a wild dream.

Begrudgingly, I got up from the desk and grabbed all of my belongings that I needed. I figured Colgate would throw out the things I left. I was mad, I was annoyed, and in that moment I just wanted to get out of there. And so, I walked out of the building, slamming the front door on my way out.

Immediately, I was assaulted by a flurry of snow landing in my face. Seriously?! It was snowing again? Why did the pegasus ponies need to make it snow again? We’d get completely and helplessly snowed in at this rate!

Grumbling to myself, I began to trudge through the snow, it now being so deep it went up nearly to my knees. My knees! I literally had to trudge through all of it, there was too much snow to actually walk, now.

I finally got home, actually breaking a sweat due to how hard it was to get through all of that snow, and knocked on the front door. After a few moments, Scootaloo opened up the front door and I walked inside my home.

I took off my coat, boots and other clothing and sat down in my favorite chair in the living room. I let out a tired sigh, closing my eyes for a moment as I wiped the sweat off of my brow. I looked over at Scootaloo as she walked over to me.

She sat down on the couch next to my favorite chair and I reached my hand over to her, gently scratching her ears. “Did you have a good day, Scoots?” I asked the filly, who gave me a smile.

“It was a little bit boring without you daddy, but I had a lot of fun! Diamond Tiara came over to say hi and she and I had a snowball fight outside, just like the one you and I had. Except I totally kicked her flank all the way to Manehattan!” Scootaloo said with a cocky grin on her face, which made me chuckle a bit.

“Rainbow Dash really is your idol, little filly, because you’re just as cocky and competitive as she is. It’s really cute.” I said to Scootaloo, watching her face as she blushed a bit and huffed at me.

“I’m not cute, daddy, I’m awesome! Just like she is!” Scootaloo said as she puffed her chest out. I rolled my eyes playfully at her, and I playfully tostled her mane with my hand.

“You and Rainbow may be awesome, but you’re both still very cute to me, Scoots. Hey, what do you want to eat for dinner?” I asked her, not really wanting to make food after the day I had, but Scoots had to eat and I would be a horrible parent if I didn’t feed her.

Scootaloo seemed to think about this for a minute, before she looked at me with a really cute face. “Could we just have some salad tonight, daddy? I really love all the food we’ve been eating lately but I’m worried that if I eat too much I won’t be able to ride my scooter anymore.” Scootaloo said with a slight blush on her face, and I chuckled.

“Oh no! Well I wouldn’t want my adorable little daredevil not able to ride her scooter anymore! One salad coming right up, Scoots.” I said as I leaned down and kissed her cheek, before getting out of my chair and walking into the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen I opened up my fridge and got out various veggies. Cucumber, lettuce, radishes, carrots, regular salad fare like that. Washing, cutting and preparing each of these veggies was a little bit of a tedious chore, but for my Scootaloo it was no problem.

I mixed all the veggies together in a big bowl and set it down in the middle of the table. I also grabbed some cheese, croutons and ranch dressing which Scootaloo and I could ate to the salad at our own discretion. I called Scootaloo to the table, and I sat down at my place, while she sat down at hers.

Dinner was spent mostly in silence. I was silent because I was thinking about what happened today, and she was really enjoying the salad. I’ll answer your most burning question and say, yes I do enjoy salad, but it was to be flooded with ranch, croutons and cheese for me to feel like I’m not just eating rabbit food. I got plenty of all three, so it was a very delicious salad.

“Hey, Scoots? I need to spend some time alone. Would you be ok if I left you on your own for a bit?” I asked the filly, who looked at me in confusion.

“Why do you need alone time, daddy? Is something the matter?” She asked me, and immediately I felt a twinge in my heart. I couldn’t tell her I had gotten fired. She would panic, and I couldn’t put that burden on her. This was my weight to carry, not hers. She needed to still be a filly.

“Nothing’s wrong, Scoots. I just need alone time. It’s nothing bad.” I tried to reassure the filly, grabbing my bowl as well as hers and bringing them over to the sink, where I quickly washed them clean and put them away.

I think Scootaloo knew I wasn’t being completely honest, but she decided not to push the issue any further and decided to go up to her room. Once she left, I let out a sigh and quickly grabbed the newspaper, opening it to the jobs section.

“Hmm…Applejack and Big Mac need help on the farm. I’ll consider that. Hmm…looks like Mayor Mare is hiring an assistant. Looks like the school of friendship needs a nurse, training would be provided…” I said as I looked through the jobs posted here in the newspaper. I suddenly rubbed my eyes, tiredly. I knew eventually I’d have to leave Colgate’s job and find a different one, I just never expected for it to be so soon, and I hated job searching. I’d have to shave, iron my nice clothes for the interview, stuff like that. It was a pain in the neck. I guess this is what adulting is, though. And now, parenting as well.

After I looked through the jobs in the paper, I got up and walked to my office here on the bottom floor. I knew it was silly, but I did have an office room to keep track of bills and other things. One of the things I had in here was many, many copies of a resume paper.

I grabbed a few of them, and began to fill them out, one for each job. It was tedious to have to write each one all over again, back home on Earth everything was on the internet and so streamlined. But after a while I thankfully got it all done and set those aside for now.

Looking up at the clock, I noticed was just about bedtime, so with a yawn and a stretch, I walked up the flight of stairs to Scootaloo’s room and opened the door up.

“Hey, Scoots? It’s bedtime. Lights out, ok? I’m going to sleep too.” Scootaloo gave me a sad look. She was reading the latest Daring Do book and apparently was really into it.

“Aw, but daddy! I’m only three chapters in! Can’t I stay up a little more?” Scootaloo practically begged me, giving me those cute little eyes of hers. I was tempted, but I also knew it was unlikely school would be canceled twice in a row, so she would need her beauty sleep for tomorrow.

“Sorry Scoots, but you need to get to sleep.” I said as I walked over to her bed and tucked her in under the covers, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. “I love you, Scoots. I had a lot of fun playing in the snow with you, today. You’re the most awesome daughter to ever daughter in the history of daughters.” I said in a playful tone of voice. Scootaloo laughed a bit and returned the kiss on the forehead I had given her.

“I love you more, you’re the most awesome daddy to ever daddy in the history of daddies!” Scootaloo said with another laugh. I rolled my eyes at her playfully, and walked back to the door to her room. Gazing at her for a few long moments, I watched as she rolled onto her side, ready to fall asleep. I smiled at her, and turned out the light in her room, closing the door shortly thereafter.

I walked into my room and just as I did every single night, I stripped off everything but my underwear and got into bed. With how cold it was, the feeling of being embraced by my warm blankets was a very welcome sensation. I let out a happy, albeit tired, sigh, thinking about things.

I was still really upset Colgate had fired me like that, without so much as a second thought. But it was whatever. I’m an adult. I can find another job. Maybe a job that will pay even more than Colgate’s did. Maybe, if I worked hard, I’d be able to afford that trip to Las Pegasus for the Equestria Games anyway. I know Scootaloo would love it. That would be the trip of a lifetime.

I love Scootaloo. She really is the best daughter ever. Sure, she has some problems, but I’m not exactly Mr. Perfect either. She and I are growing together, and for that, I’m truly glad. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for her and I.

With that, I finally fell asleep, ready to start job hunting tomorrow. It would be an adventure, for sure. At least i would have Scootaloo at my side the entire time.