”Please, I didn’t do it!” Twilight sobbed as she was led onto the platform.
Celestia stood in front of her, glaring at her former student with a hatred she previously reserved only for Discord. “Twilight Sparkle, you have been found guilty of a most unforgivable crime. Congratulations are in order, I suppose. I never thought I’d be reestablishing this penalty.”
“Your highness, please...” she began, only to be roughly pushed down onto the wooden block.
She looked out into the crowd for support. She found none. Applejack and Rainbow Dash threw apples at her. Rarity glared at her with an intense hatred. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie just looked away sadly.
She turned back to the Princess to try and plead her case again, only to find her brother standing there.
“I’m ashamed we’re blood,” he said coldly. Then his horn glowed, and a large silver axe raised above him...
Twilight bolted upright with an audible gasp. She took a few deep breaths, sweat running down her face and neck. She looked down at the book of Equestrian law she had been reading when she had dozed off.
She sighed. Of course, the nightmares had started up again. Why wouldn’t they? After Discord’s defeat she had suffered nightmares for weeks afterward, all of her friends turning their backs on her. Now that it had happened again, without the cruel draconequus’ help no less, of course they’d return.
She looked at the clock. Only fifteen minutes had passed since she had begun her research. The weekend’s events must have tired her even more than she thought. She lifted herself up, levitating her tea cup with her. It looked like no sleep for her tonight.
As she reheated her tea, she took another look at the door Spike had barricaded himself behind. Wishing the little dragon would come out, her mind began drifting to the past.
”Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Celestia could only chuckle at the overexcited little filly jumping around in circles around her. With a light glow of her horn, she stopped the unicorn in her tracks.
“Easy there,” she said gently, setting Twilight on the floor. “I’m glad you’re excited, but don’t get ahead of yourself. I’d like to arrange for you to move into the castle first thing tomorrow morning, after you have the evening to celebrate with your family. I’ll have the servants prepare you a room.”
“I-in the castle?” Twilight asked, her eyes going wide for what felt like the thousandth time that day. “I’m not staying in the dormitory?”
Celestia shook her head. “You’ll be receiving private lessons from me. I want to keep you close so I can monitor your progress more effectively. You will still attend regular classes with the other foals, but...”
She trailed off, tilting her head at an interested angle. Twilight arched her eyebrow, but then gave a yell of surprise.
The dragon had just crawled across the floor to her side and grabbed at her side. Showing great strength for a newborn, he lifted himself onto the startled unicorn’s back. After which he curled himself into a ball and fell asleep.
“Huh, what?” Twilight said, a little alarmed and trying to stay upright. She was more than strong enough to carry the baby, though it was still a noticeable load.
“It seems he’s taken quite a liking to you, Twilight,” Celestia chuckled.
“Indeed,” one of the exam proctors noted, trotting over to them. “This is most fascinating. This might confirm some of our theories about dragons.”
“W-what do you mean?” the nervous filly asked.
“Well, my dear, if what we believe about dragons is true, the newborns often find safety with their mothers. Since your magic hatched his egg, you have imprinted yourself onto him as his mother.”
“And that might be a problem,” another proctor noted. “That dragon’s not going to want to be separated from her.”
“Actually, that would make things simpler,” the Princess noted, turning back to her charge. “Twilight, I’m placing you in charge of this child. It will be your responsibility to take care of him.”
“Wha? But… your highness, I don’t know how to take care of a baby.”
“You needn’t worry, my little pony. You’ll have servants helping you. The purpose of this is to teach you responsibility. A pony with your abilities must learn to use them for others. This will be a good start.”
Twilight was silent. She turned to the creature curled onto her back, and couldn’t help but smile. He looked so peaceful, so innocent.
“I think I’ll call him Spike.”
Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at that memory as she poured her tea. Indeed, that dragon had hated being separated from her. If he woke up while she was in class, he would deafen at least three servants with his crying before she returned. When he was old enough to reason, he declared himself her assistant to spend time with her. To her relief, by that point he also understood that Twilight had to leave him alone sometimes.
Going back over to her books, she tried to push Spike out of her mind. She couldn’t do anything about him tonight, though she badly wanted to. She had to think logically here. She couldn’t help her dragon, but she could help Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t know ‘bout this, Rare,” Applejack sighed.
“Well, we haven’t come up with anything better. And besides, you love the spa.”
“I love gettin’ my back massaged, really gets the tension out, but I gotta agree with Dash on just ‘bout everythin’ else. Ain’t no point in me gettin’ a hoofacure if I’m just gonna chip it in the fields the next day.”
“I know. That’s why I don’t try to talk you into coming to the spa more often. But I think we can agree that helping a friend is worth a break in routine,” Rarity said, a bit bluntly.
“Yeah, you’re right. Still, you think Aloe and Lotus‘ll have any good ideas?”
“Darling, please, those twins’ special talent is helping ponies relax. We’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour and haven’t come up with anything, I’d say consulting those two is our best bet.”
“So, tomorrow after breakfast we talk to Twilight about all this, right? I don’t wanna be goin’ behind somepony’s back like we did with the Mare Do Well.”
“Relax, we’re going to be very upfront here. For now, you better go back home and get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.
”And so, with the great evil slain, the brave knight won the heart of the beautiful princess. The two shared a sweet kiss as the sun set on the horizon.”
Spike gave an “Ick,” which the unicorn couldn’t help but laugh at. “Whya gotta keep all the mushy stuff in?”
“Just wait. One day you’ll fall in love, and all you’ll want to do is this ‘mushy stuff’.”
“No way,” the infant dragon shook his head. “But I’mma gonna be a knight!”
“Oh are you now?” Twilight said playfully, rubbing a hoof on his head. “Then who’s going to be my assistant then?”
“I will! I can do both!”
“Oh really? You’re just the greatest dragon ever then, aren’t ya?”
“Yep… I think.”
Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”
“There’re no other dragons in Canterlot. Why?”
Twilight froze. “Well… dragons are very special creatures. We’re very lucky to have you here, Spike. You’re like a little miracle!”
“Cool!”
“Yes, it is,” Twilight said, trying to sound playful. She closed the book. “And now, I think it’s time for the little miracle to get in bed.” She used her magic to pull up his blankets. “Are you comfy?”
“Yes,” Spike said resigned. He had long since given up on contesting his bedtime.
“Good,” she said, leaning down and kissing him on the forehead. “Good night, Spike.”
The unicorn turned and began walking toward the door when Spike spoke up. “Twilight?”
She stopped. “Yes?”
“Why’re there pages torn from the book?”
“...They just got torn out. That happens with books sometimes. You don’t worry about it, okay?”
“Okay. G’night, Twilight.” The dragon murmured, curling up and falling asleep without any further questions.
Spike sighed at the memory. Twilight had read him the very book he now clutched in his claws. He was looking at the remains of what once were pages, little stumps of paper still left.
Of course they had been torn out. He had found another copy of the book and knew why. It had been a tale of a great and mighty knight slaying a horde of evil dragons. It was something Twilight had denied him, to hide how different he was from ponies.
He later realized that had been a day Twilight had been dreading. The day he realized he was a novelty in Canterlot, in all of Equestrian society really. A dragon who acted like a pony? How ridiculous.
His caretaker had, for better or worse, kept the truth from him for as long as she was able. Being raised in the palace by Twilight, Celestia, and servants paid enough to grit their teeth and feign politeness did a lot to help this. Still, inevitably he learned the truth. While life became much more difficult after that, he never once was angry at those that kept the truth for him.
He sighed, closing the book. Time spent with Twilight had felt the same as ever, even after the unpleasant revelation. She was a sanctuary; she was the only pony who was consistently there for him. Celestia had been kind, of course, and Cadence, ever the babysitter, spent some time with him, but they constantly had their duties to see to. Shining Armor was friendly as well, though by the time he was able to reason he was mostly busy with basic training.
No, it had been Twilight there for him every night. Sometimes difficult to get along with, he had to admit, but he loved her dearly.
Then why couldn’t I have been there for her? he asked himself silently.
Pinkie sat between her foster parents with a somber face. Mrs. Cake nuzzled her side. “I understand that was hard to tell us, Pinkie,” she said softly. “I… I always wondered why you never talked about your family.”
“Well… Princess Luna told me I shouldn’t be keeping something like this from you…”
“And you shouldn’t,” Mr. Cake assured. He paused, wondering what to say next. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah,” she said simply, looking at the floor. “I still have to tell my friends.”
“If you think that’s for the best,” Mr. Cake agreed.
“Pinkie, if you don’t mind me asking, what brought this up now?” Mrs. Cake asked.
Sighing, she began to tell them what had happened that weekend.
Scootaloo sat at her workbench, tinkering with her scooter. It scarcely needed any work done, but she found fiddling with her tools to be rather relaxing.
As she spun the front wheel, the door to her room opened. “Scoots?”
The tiny filly froze. It was the voice of her father, and he did not sound happy.
Speedy Delivery was a fairly big pegasus, not as bulky as the Big Macintosh, but he did have some noticeable build on him. Looking at him, it was easy to see where Scootaloo had gotten her fur color from, as his coat matched hers, though his mane was jet black. His cutie mark, an envelope with wings, stood prominent on his flank.
“Yes, dad?” she asked, somewhat nervously.
“I heard Rainbow Dash brought you home,” he said, simply and sternly.
Scootaloo thought about lying, but knew better. “Um, yeah, see...”
“I thought I made it clear you weren’t supposed to bring her around here,” he said angrily, but he never raised his voice.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “She offered me a ride home. I couldn’t think of any way to say no.”
Hearing this, Speedy Delivery’s expression softened. “I see.” He thought for a moment, then went over and hugged his daughter. “You know I don’t like you hanging around that mare.”
“I know, but she’s so cool! I want to learn to fly like her one day, I know I can do it…”
“Have you been trying to fly again?” he asked in an accusatory tone.
The young filly quickly shook her head. “No, I remember what you said.”
“That’s good. Flying’s dangerous, especially for a clumsy little filly like you,” he said playfully, poking her on the nose. “You’re not ready for it.”
“But most pegasi are flying by my age!” Scootaloo pleaded.
“Well, most pegasi are better at it than you,” Speedy Delivery said in a casual tone. “You’re just going to have to grow up a little. I’ll teach you, I promise.”
“You always say that,” she sighed.
Her father shook his head. “That’s because my project is taking longer than expected. Come on, kiddo, you know how important it is. I just don’t have the time for you right now.”
“I know,” she said sadly. “I understand.”
“You should. You know what it will mean for us if I succeed, right? No more mail deliveries for me, and a new life for us. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” she nodded, almost robotically.
“That’s my girl,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Now, what do you say?”
Scootaloo smiled, nuzzling into her father’s chest. “I love you, daddy.”
“I know you do, kid.”
Second chapter. Honest question: what do you think of Scootaloo's father? I need to know if I wrote him right.
Third chapter's where things start to pick up, and we won't be visiting ever subplot in every chapter, don't worry. Just keep reading.
And do you think I should add hr in between the italicized parts?
Well her father isn't the incarnation of all evil, strait up missing, or has passed on... so already got a plus there.
On a more serious note, I do think his character seems solid enough, though I'll wait until further chapters to properly judge how solid he seems.
Huh? So Scoots dad is just 'strictly concerned'... hmmmm
Though the main show I want to see is Spike (seeing as he is the character with the most of pain of all in my opinion)
good
1000328
Casually and unthinkingly cruel. He has something on his mind which to him is far more important than his daughter and it's something that an adult might spot and feel the need to interfere with.
At least that's how he comes over to me.
1000328
So... much... I... don't... know...
hmm... something seems missing...
that reaction... he never said he loved her, just agreed that she loved him...
Still wondering exactly what be the up with Pinkie.
Great chapter, but I fear for the potential Scootabuse.
Wow, I can't tell if he's abusive, neglectful, or just overly focused on his job. Scootaloo's reaction, and their dialogue seemed suggest all three, at least to me. Well I got the "don't totally trust this person/pony" vibe from him so if that's what you were going for...Though if he turned out to be a red herring I'd believe it.
Also that was cruel of you to withhold pinkies back story! I wanna know! Ah well I guess we'll find out eventually.
1000328 He's not bad but he's kind of boardering on child neglect and child abuse by saying Scootaloo is clumsy and refusing to teach her how to fly.
And I want to know are you going to reveal what Pinkie Pie's secret is or by mentioning the Cakes as her adopted family did you already give it away?
Well then, Scootaloo's father doesn't like Rainbow?
Hoo boy, there's gonna be problems later...
Oh man, shits gonna get even more interesting. Please post chapter 3. I want to see where this is going!
So this is Scootaloo's father. I hate him already. What's his problem with Rainbow Dash, anyways?
1000328
I want to buck the dad so hard in the mouth so hard, he 'd be shitting teeth for the rest of his life. To deny his filly somepony who is willing to help her when he can, shame on him. but I do have one question. Where is the mom?
I see Scootaloo's dad here as distractible, busy, and single. He doesn't mean to hurt her feelings with his comments on her inability to fly, he just doesn't quite think things through before saying them or maybe doesn't realize that it could hurt her to hear that. His dislike of Rainbow Dash may stem from her being a potentially dangerous influence on his daughter, since he doesn't have the time and/or energy to keep close track of her if she's going to be some kind of daredevil. Am I getting this like you intended?
Scootaloo's dad has that vibe of not really caring for his daughter, to me.
New chapter!
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/133976688453.jpg
And about Scoot's father, he's fine. Kind of a dick, but he's alright. Keep up the good work!
Hmmm... Scootaloo's father is interesting. Stern but with his softness... however it is the mystery which really gets people I think.
No wonder we don't see scoot's dad......
And well done on the twilight and spike flashbacks!!!
Spike's insistence in his self-loathing is starting to get grinding, I hope to see him pull out of it soon.
Wasn't expecting that situation with scoots/speedy delivery/dash at all, I'm very interested to see where this is going. The dad seems neglectful, but I get the impression he really doesn't want to be, but he has to be if he wants whatever plan he has to succeed. I predict a rather tear-filled scene where he and scoots make up, her dad revealing that he's been hurting the entire time about his actions and wants to make it up to her in any way he can etc etc. I think he may want scoots to stay away from dash because he wants to enjoy the experience of teaching his daughter to fly for himself, and to make her happy himself, to make up for his neglect. But of course I could be very wrong
As ever, thank you for writing these wonderful fics!
Woohoo, new chapter!
I don't think I like him very much: doesn't like Dash, prepares something "important" and doesn't want to learn Scootaloo to fly on the pretense she's clumsy... Seems like not a very good father.
Hoping to see more insight of Twilight as she is one that suffers the most.
1000328
Is he supposed to seem like a dick but have a weird soft spot for scootaloo? That's the vibes I got, mostly because of "“That’s my girl,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Now, what do you say?”
Scootaloo smiled, nuzzling into her father’s chest. “I love you, daddy.”
“I know you do, kid.”"
Anyways, this fic is looking great, can't wait for more.
I don't think he's as good of a person as he believes himself to be, and I think Scoots would be better off without him. Probably not physically abusive, though.
Seems like one of those parents that's both overprotective and far too busy to really notice what was wrong, all in all, a well-meaning father, and it seems like his disapproval for Rainbow Dash would likely stem from a fear that her obsession with speed and stunts might rub off on Scootaloo, who he is already concerned about trying to push herself too hard and doing something dangerous.
Scoot's dad seems like a cunt, I feel sorry for Scoots
But yeah epic chapter, can't wait to read more!
Scootaloo's dad is a bit distant, and a bit overprotective imho. I'm probably wrong, though
1000328
I don't like Scootaloo's father, but I do like how you've written him. You've made him a fairly unlikable character very effectively with those few lines. He's obsessed with his work and might care about Scootaloo somewhat, but he clearly doesn't show his love to her as much as she deserves. Well done.
What I get is that Scootaloo's father is not ready to be a father at all but is too moral or too responsible to just leave her alone. From this I imagine that Scoots was an accident and her mother is either in no condition to raise her or just like her father.
Of course he could be abusive otherwise, but I was expecting much worse from Scoots' actions prior to this chapter, so unless something unexpected shows up, I'll stick to my theory.
1000436
Well her father isn't the incarnation of all evil
No, he's a far more insidious variety of evil, the sort whose child will be doubting her own worth for decades to come. He seems taken straight from a "dysfunctional families" discussion I once lurked in.
1000328 Seems like a typical overprotective father, but with some kind of strange project he's working on that probably won't end well.
Good Chapter. Love seeing a non-abusive, non missing parent of Scoot's, even if he's a bit detached.
1000328
He strikes me as someone who should have never been a father. Not in a bad, evil way, but the "oh crap I just knocked up my girlfriend; I'm not ready for this shit" way.
1000487
That's one interpretation. Another interpretation is that he's engaging in a form of psychological abuse to keep Scootaloo obedient.
Watch Tangled and pay attention to Mother Gothel if you want an example of what I'm talking about.
Hmm... I'm wondering if her mother is still alive or not, because if she's dead then he's just overprotective but too focused on his invention or whatever it it that he's working on then it makes up for him being distant. On the other hand if he just thinks that she's to clumsy to fly then he's a dick. Nice chapter overall keep up the good work
1000448
strictly concerned works on not wanting to see Dash around. The way he talked to her about flying though?
And what about the fact that knowing Dash got her into a royal wedding
Speedy Delivery might be trying to raise a serial killer.
Wow. That is one emotionally intense chapter. I would definitely say you wrote Scoot's father right. He practically bleeds the casual cruelty of a neglectful parent. Keep up the great work!
The whole saying you can't do it because you are clumsy or unable is outright child abuse of an admittedly mundane but in some ways more harmful nature than even physical violence.
Well, Scoots' father is rather... is kind of...
Self-absorbed, patronizing, overbearing, opinionated, and vain.
Yea, that's pretty much my first impression of him. I kinda want to smack him over the head with a feral ghoul.
1000328 I get four things from this first impression of Scoot's father:
1. He thinks Rainbow Dash will be a bad influence on Scoot (wouldn't surprise me if he think Rainbow is a fillyfooler)
2. He's not very encouraging and sees Scoot as weak and small,
3. He's so busy with his job and his special project that he doesn't realize he is somewhat neglecting his duaghter,
4. He's the old stereotypical dad in that he rarely tells his daughter that he loves her.
BTW, what do you mean by 'add hr in between the italicized parts'?
The writing of Scootaloo's POS (withholding nasty language since the story is rated Everyone) Dad is great. Her Dad is such an ass though. Great chapter, can't wait for more.
1000328 If your mission was for him to give off a bad vibe then you succeeded. I was fearing for Scoots when it said her father wasn't happy. He seems to have the same dislike for Rainbow Dash that most versions of Scootaloo's parents have (although not to the highest degree that I've seen, if anyone reading this comment has read Family Mares you know what I'm talking about.) I can't wait to see his character development.
1000328
Scootaloo's father appears to a rather complex character. I like that. He clearly does love his daughter and is protective of her, but with that said, he is obviously doubtful and underestimating of her abilities and this overprotection is at the expense of her self-confidence. He's not a bad stallion and as a father, he does want the best for her, but the latter of course is determined by what he himself sees as right, which may not be shared by other parents. He also does come across as insensitive to her child's feelings, a problem which unfortunately, is the case of quite a lot of fathers in the world. I doubt he is abusive, though. Him refering to her as clumsy was described as 'playful', after all.
It kinda feels like Breaking Bad, although I presume that Speedy's project isn't cooking meth--despite his name--and even Walt found the time to teach his son to drive.
Wow, Scootaloo's father's a prick.
1000436 I don't know, something about Scoot's dad really rubs me the wrong way. I kinda wanna sucker punch him the way he's treating Scootaloo like an object most of the time. Just me I guess
seems like scoots dad has some sorta undertone to him, i dont think he likes rainbowdash because of her reckless flying
1000328 The demanding her to agree that she loved him set off a bell. Other than that, he comes off ass a over-concerned parent. I need to see more of him to make a more complete judgement.
First off. What the hell was Twilight's nightmare about!?!? That came flat out of nowhere
Second. I think Pinkie's parents abused her and that's why she ran away
Thirdly. I loved newborn spike. so much DAWWW
Lastly. I think Scootaloo's father seems like a jerk but in reality he's just overprotective. maybe something happened to Scoots mom and it caused her father to become overprotective (hence the not wanting her to fly)
Yaay update! I REALLY dig this story!!
Aww, baby Spike is adorable!
I'm glad you had that exchange with AJ and Rarity about not going behind Twi's back and mentioning the MDW stuff. That was and remains the only episode of the show that I flat out hated, from beginning to end (and will go off on a rant about it at the drop of a hat).
Poor Pinkie, I wonder what happened to her family...you've really got a lot of angles working all at once, instead of having each chapter focusing on each character. Best luck!
As for Scoot's dad....he's a real clASS act. Nice.