From Raging Winter Winds, to the Warming Fireplace
Hearth's Warming Eve, Ponyville
Snow lightly fell on down upon the little town of PonyVille. It blanketed over the town in a smooth field of white, covering the thatch roofing and the dirt roads. The hundreds of windows in the town all were bright and shining, giving pinpricks of light in the darkened night as fat snow flakes landed, adding more snow to the already filled town. Every now and then, strong winds would drive the snow into large snow drifts.
A lone pony walked amongst the snow laden streets, a thin cloth blanket was wrapped around the pony in attempt to block out the cold wind and snow, but was met with little to no success. A strong gust of wind forced the blanket around the pony's head to be blown back, revealing a tired and bloody Scootaloo. Tears were rolling down her orange cheeks as her wide, maroon eyes were squeezed shut due to the winds, although one of them was already swollen shut due to a black eye that had taken up residence on her youthful face.
A quick pull of cloth helped return the hood back over her face and she continued to trudge through the snow.
She had to get away from there as much as she could.
"What went wrong...? the filly asked herself as she went. "How could it have all come crashing down in a matter of seconds...?"
Twenty Minutes Prior
Scootaloo smiled up to the tree as it stood proudly in her living room. The lights, the ornaments, the feeling she got just by looking at it thrilled her so much. Hearth's Warming Eve was her favorite time of the year. She turned her attention to the kitchen where her mother was, cooking the delicious dinner her family would have. Trotting in while humming a little, Scootaloo entered the kitchen to have her senses assaulted by the smell of cooking vegetables and oats. Her stomach growled in hunger as her mother, Swift Wing, turned around.
"Hello dear! Dinner will be ready in an hour or so." She said with a sweet tone.
"What about Papa?" Scootaloo asked. Swift Wing looked like she became ever so slightly nervous, but put in a sweet smile.
"Yes, I'm sure he'll be along soon also. Now go along and play." She said, waving off Scootaloo with a gesture of her hoof.
"Okay Mama!" Chirped the filly as she trotted out of the kitchen, humming a carol as she went.
"I just hope he isn't out at the bar..." Swift Wing thought was she watched her little girl trot out happily. In recent months her husband had developed a drinking problem. It started after he was sacked at Cloudsdale Weather Control. Apparently, he was replaced by a more younger, and experienced Pegasus. That night, he came home bringing a storm of rage with him. Since then, he's been having issues finding a job, and has taken up the bottle. The family barely had enough money for an actual Hearth's Warming Eve meal because her husband was wasting away the money with his drinking. Luckily, Swift Wing had convinced Scootaloo that her father was taking some days off.
Sighing, Swift Wing returned to her cooking, stirring a vegetable soup. In the other room, she heard Scootaloo give a cry of joy.
"Papas' home!" cried the filly. Swift Wings' blood ran cold. She went over her mental checklist for whenever he came home.
"If he's drunk: Take him upstairs and sober him up and talk to him. If he's sober: Relax and have a nice dinner with your family." She thought, hoping for the latter. She put on a cheerful face and trotted out of the kitchen to meet her husband at the door. She looked at Scootaloo who was sitting by the tree and smiling. Swift Wing approached the door, only to have it open already. Despite the raging cold and smell of falling snow, Swift Wing could smell it.
Alcohol.
Swift Wing internally sighed and smiled as her husband entered the home. His eyes were dark with bags under them from lack of sleep. His grey cheeks and chin were dusted with visible stubble. His silver eyes locked onto Swift Wings.
"Welcome home Thunder Lane!" She said sweetly with a smile. Thunder Lane simply mumbled and closed the door behind himself. "Mind coming upstairs with me for a few minutes honey?" She asked him.
"Whatever." He muttered.
"Scootaloo, we'll be back down in a few minutes, okay?" Swift Wing asked.
"Okay Mama. Hi Papa!" Said the filly happily, giving her father a loving hug. She took a small sniff and pulled away, giggling. "Jeez papa. You stink!" She said with an innocent smile. Thunder Lane turned on his daughter and glared at her.
"Why you little..." He began, but, Swift Wing put a hoof on his shoulder and turned him to the stairs.
"Papa and I just need to have a little chat. Why don't you set the table Scootaloo?" Swift Wing asked.
"Okay mama." Scootaloo said as she trotted into the dining room. Swift Wing turned to Thunder Lane and glared.
"Upstairs. Now." She growled. Thunder Lane glared at her and began his wobbly ascent up the stairs. Swift Wing looked to Scootaloo who was looking at the tree once again, then she followed her husband upstairs. Upon reaching her bedroom, Swift Wing looked to see Thunder Lane sitting on the bed and glaring at her. Swift Wing closed the door behind her and gave a sigh, not looking at him.
"You promised you would try and stop." She simply said, her back to him.
"I didn't promise shit." Thunder replied sourly. Swift Wing turned and looked at him, anger rising inside her.
"You promised that you would help save our money to make this Hearth's Warming a great one for Scootaloo." She said, anger seeping into her voice now.
"Then I made an empty promise." Thunder simply said hiccuping a bit. Swift Wing scoffed in shock and glared at him.
"Thunder Lane, please stop this bitter attitude! It's the holidays, and Scootaloo doesn't need to know that we're almost dirt poor!" She said taking a step forward. At this simple movement, Thunder Lane hopped off the bed and advanced on Swift.
"Scootaloo this, and Scootaloo that! It's always about that little brat, isn't it?" Thunder Lane snarled. "Let's try and get her into a good school Thunder! Let's make this holiday a great one for Scootaloo, Thunder! Oh, Thunder, Scootaloo had a little accident, I need some money for the hospital bill! IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT HER!" Thunder roared now as he advanced on Swift, who was now backing away from her drunken husband.
"Thunder Lane, snap out of it!" Swift pleaded. Thunder was practically on her now, his angry stare piercing into her soul.
"You care about that little screw-up than for your own husband! She's almost a pre-teen and can't even fly! I swear, she has a birth defect!" Thunder said rolling his eyes. Swifts' jaw dropped in horror at what her husband was saying. Scootaloo was simply a late bloomer to flight, that's all.
"Thunder Lane, go sober up before dinner." Swift said simply, using a refined tone. Whenever she used his full name, she meant business.
"Ooo, Swift Wing, using my full name to order me around! So threatening! Well you know what? I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Thunder roared once again as he brought a sudden punch down on Swift Wing. Not anticipating the strike, Swift Wing fell like a bag of potatoes with a scream of pain. Immediately, the sounds of rushing hoofsteps were heard coming up the stairs.
"Mama? Papa? What's going on?" Scootaloo asked from the other side of the door. Thunder Lane sneered and knelled down to a crying Swift Wing and whispered in her ear.
"Go ahead, tell the mistake everything is okay." Thunder said giving a hard kick to Swifts' stomach. Swift gasped in pain and croaked out a response.
"Everything's okay Scootaloo! We'll be out in a few minutes!" She gasped. Thunder Lane sneered and picked up Swift Wing and threw her onto the bed, giving another forceful kick to her stomach.
"Yeah, we'll be out in a few minutes!" Thunder Lane called.
"Oh...okay. Mama, you might wanna hurry, the food is beginning to smell burnt." Scootaloo said as the sounds of her leaving were heard. Thunder Lane looked down to Swift Wing who was cringing in pain before him. A sneer crept across his face as he placed his forelegs beside either side of Swift. She cringed in anticipation again and Thunder chuckled.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hit you. I'm going to do much worse." He said. Swift Wing gasped and looked at him as she felt something poking at her in her lower regions.
"Please, Thunder Lane, don't!" She pleaded. Thunder struck her once again and tears rolled down Swifts' cheeks.
"Shut up and accept it. After you, I'm going after that little screw up." And with that, he slammed into her, causing Swift Wing to cry out in pain.
* * *
Scootaloo was in the kitchen trying her best to earn her cutie mark in cooking. She was attempting to get rid of the burnt smell coming from the oats and wheat. She heard the sounds of hoofsteps coming down the stairs and she rushed into the living room, thinking it was her mom. Upon entering, the sight of her father greeted her.
"Papa? Where's mama? The food is burning." She said tilting her head to the side. Thunder Lane glared at her and growled.
"You..." She simply said starting to approach her. His tone frightened her a bit, and it didn't help that he was advancing on her now.
"Papa, what's wrong? Did I do something?" She asked, fear seeping into her voice.
"Did you do something? DID YOU DO SOMETHING!? I'll tell you what you did! You dragged the family down with your stupid little adventures and trips to the hospital! All that money wasted on you has made us poor! And guess what? No money, means no Hearth's Warming presents!" He snarled as he approached the filly. Scootaloo was backed into a corner and shrunk down. He father towered over her, a look of pure hatred struck into her heart and tears began to form in her eyes.
"Papa, please stop! You're scaring me!" Scootaloo said with a pleading tone.
"Oh no, I'm not stopping! Your mother got what she deserved, and now you'll get yours!" He said as he grabbed her. Scootaloo screamed in terror and began to struggle in his grasp. He carried her into the kitchen and used his teeth to rip off the lid to the boiling pot of cooking oats.
"Papa! Stop! Please don't!" Scootaloo screamed. Thunder Lane ignored her pleas of mercy. He reared up, held her over the pot, and gave her a deadpanned expression. Scootaloo stopped struggling long enough to look back at her tormentor, looking for any sign of mercy.
There was none.
"You're finally going to stop being a little screw up." He said simply. Scootaloos' eyes widened in terror as his grip began to loosen on her. Then, in a blur of color, something slammed into Thunder Lane, sending him and Scootaloo to the floor. Standing between Scootaloo and Thunder Lane was Swift Wing. Her face was bruised, along with her stomach and rear-quarters.
"DON'T YOU DARE THREATEN HER AGAIN, YOU MONSTER!" She screamed. She looked to Scootaloo. "Go and grab your things, and RUN!" She ordered. Then, Thunder Lane slammed into her, knocking her into the counter-top with a dull crack. She didn't even make a sound as she slid off the counter-top, her eyes wide with shock. Blood began to dribble from the gash on her temple as she laid on the floor.
Thunder Lane had killed her in cold blood.
Scootaloo stood there in shock at the sight of her dead mother. She didn't even get a chance to scream as Thunder Lane slammed into her, sending her flying into the tree in the living room. The tree, in all its bright glory, came tumbling down on the filly, causing ornaments to break over her head and cutting her face. Scootaloo screamed in pain as Thunder Lane grabbed her from the wreckage of the tree and began to punch her in the face.
"I'VE. HAD. ENOUGH. OF. HEARING. YOU!" He roared with each swing of his hoof. Scootaloo cried, pain and tears rolling through her young body. She tried her best to defend her face with her forelegs, but Thunder Lane simply knocked them aside and continued his assault.
Scootaloo could feel herself about to pass out.
In a last attempt to save herself, Scootaloo grabbed a nearby broken ball ornament and slammed the jagged piece of fiber-glass into Thunder Lanes' eye. The stallion screamed in agony as he pulled his hooves to the ornament that now decorated his face. Scootaloo punched him in the stomach and scampered away from her tormentor. Using all of her strength, she rammed into the front door. After a couple more impacts, the door broke from the door handle, and Scootaloo ran out into the falling snow.
* * *
All of that terror and agony has only happened in a matter of minutes.
It all seemed like a blur to Scootaloo.
From her father coming home, to her out here now.
It all seemed unreal.
Except, it was real, and Scootaloo was suffering from the injuries that had been dealt to her. The adrenaline was now wearing off, and the young filly was sure she was going to pass out in the middle of a snow storm and die of exposure to the elements. Scootaloo pulled the thin cloth closer to herself, trying to stave off the inevitable. She squinted through her eyes and saw the numerous illuminated lights of the homes that were in Town Center. All she could think about was how happy other fillies and colts are with their families right now, warm and safe in their homes, not a single form of terror present in the household. Suddenly, Scootaloo bumped into something that was buried in the snow. She lifted a hoof to wipe away the snow to see that she had bumped into the Town Centers' water fountain. Sighing, she trudged around the fountain and bumped into something again. Screaming, she wiped away the snow to find a bench. The underside appeared to be clear of snow.
Kneeling down, Scootaloo dug her way under the bench and curled up. She began to cry immediately and only curled herself into a tighter ball. Her tears began to freeze into teardrops as they left her eyes and on her cheeks. She would have to constantly wipe her eyes to prevent her eyes from being frozen over.
But in the end, would it matter?
She ached all over, her body was weak, and she was without a source of warmth. It was only a matter of time until the Reaper Pony came to her and take her away to the Golden Gates.
The mere thought of this forced more more tears from her eyes, and she wept endlessly.
* * *
Rainbow Dash was trudging her way through the snow, using one of her wings as a face shield as she walked her way to Twilight's house. The winds were too powerful for her to even try and fly, and she was going to have a Hearth's Warming Eve party with her friends at the Golden Oaks Library.
"Man, the Weather Team really whipped up a fierce storm this year..." She muttered to herself as she continued to trudge. Soon, she found herself at Town Center, halfway to the Library. Over the gusting wind, something caught Rainbows' attention.
It sounded like crying, but Rainbow couldn't tell, due to a sudden gust of wind, taking the sound away briefly. Thinking nothing of it, Rainbow continued her trudging. Then, she heard the sound again. This time, the wind calmed down and Rainbow could hear the sound clearly.
It was definitely crying that she was hearing.
"Who would be out here in this storm? It's like, twenty below!" She said to herself as she followed the crying. Soon, she got to the point where the crying was practically right next to her. She looked around, trying to find the crying pony, but Rainbow couldn't find the source. "Hello?" she called out. A squeak was heard to her right, and Rainbow looked down to a partially re-buried bench. Kneeling down, Rainbow looked into a pair of maroon eyes, or eye, seeing as how the other one was barely open at the moment.
"Rainbow...D-Dash...?"
"Kid? Is that you?" Rainbow asked confused. A gust of wind hit Rainbow and she blocked it with a wing. "What are you doing under there?" She added. Immediately, Scootaloo bursted from under the bench Aliens style and plowed right into Rainbow Dash, crying her heart out as she squeezed Rainbow Dash around the neck.
"R-RAINB-BOW DA-DASH!" Scootaloo cried out as she clung to her pseudo-sister. Rainbow held Scootaloo tenderly and rubbed the young filly's back, trying to calm her down.
"Come on kid, I'm taking you with me. You'll freeze out here." Rainbow said soothingly as she put Scootaloo on her back and stood up.
"W-Where ar-are we going...?" Scootaloo asked with a broken voice.
"Taking you to Twilight's house. Need to get you warmed up, and I want you to tell me what happened and why you're all bruised up." Rainbow said commandingly, but tenderly. Scootaloo hiccuped a response as Rainbow trudged her way once again to Golden Oaks Library.
* * *
Rainbow kicked the door open, allowing the raging storm outside into the warm and tranquil library. Multiple cries or surprise and slight anger emerged from the five other ponies as they looked to see the rainbow maned pony enter.
"Hey guys!" She said as she rushed Scootaloo to the recently built fireplace.
"Rainbow! The least you can do is close the damn door when you come in from a snow storm!" Twilight snapped as she slammed the door shut and glared at Rainbow Dash. Her purple eyes then landed on Scootaloo and they softened with a gasp and the unicorn rushed over to the two pegasai. "Girls, come here!" she told the others. Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all came over with curious chatter, then collectively gasped at the sight of Scootaloo.
"Oh my goodness! Who did this to you Scootaloo?" Rarity asked as she gently took Scootaloo and examined the injuries.
"Ah agree with Rare. Who done put that there shiner on your face?" Applejack asked looking at the filly.
"Oh...my...this is very serious girls." Fluttershy said. "I'll go grab the first aid box." She said standing up and rushing into a different part of the library. Even Pinkie Pie was too shocked to even make a question about Scootaloos' injuries. Twilight sat in front of Scootaloo and handed the filly a cup of hot cocoa. The filly greedily took it and almost burned her throat with the warming liquid.
"What happened...?" Twilight asked, a worried expression on her face. Scootaloo lowered the cup and looked to Rainbow Dash, who simply put a hoof on her shoulder.
"Go on kid, tell us." She said. Scootaloo sighed and looked downcast to the floor.
"It was going to be perfect..."
* * *
After telling her encounter at home, the six mares sat there, shocked expression on their faces. As she told her story, Fluttershy was applying bandages and other medical items to Scootaloos' injuries. Applejack was the first to speak.
"W-Why would any father do that?!" She asked, flabbergasted.
"You said he was intoxicated, right?" Twilight asked pulling out her note pad and writing something down, most likely a police report. Scootaloo nodded with a quite "Yes..."
"I just can't believe he would do such a thing! That monster!" Rarity said holding Scootaloo close to her.
"I outta take my party cannon and ram it right up his-!" Pinkie Pie began, but Rainbow cut her off.
"Good idea Pinks! Let's go grab it!" Rainbow said as she began to rush to the door. But, an aura of purple magic engulfed her tail and stopped her progress.
"No Rainbow! We have to wait until the storm clears up to file a report!" Twilight said putting her notepad away.
"Come on Twi! We have to! He could still be there!" Rainbow said turning to the door again. This time, Twilight had teleported in front of the pegasus, barring the door to Rainbow.
"No! Let the authorities take care of him! We just have to wait for the storm to clear. In the mean time, let's enjoy the holiday, okay?" She asked. She gestured her hoof to Scootaloo who was staring into the fire with her good eye. "Please? For her?" Twilight whispered. The pegasus sighed and nodded.
"I guess it can wait. Scootaloo is more important right now. Come on, let's make this the best Hearth's Warming Eve for her!" She said trotting over to the filly. Scootaloo looked up as the six mares gathered around her. Twilight cleared her throat.
"Scootaloo, would you like to stay with us for the holidays?" She asked with a caring smile. Tears rolled down Scootaloos' cheeks once again and she smiled, nodding her head.
"Y-Yes. I would l-love to." She said, her voice cracking as Rainbow hugged her.
"Well, let's get partying!" Pinkie Pie said as she began playing carols on the record player. The room became filled with the sounds of good tidings and carols, covering the glum atmosphere with a more joyous and festive one. The ponies played games, exchanged Hearth's Warming stories and presents, and drank their fill of eggnog and cocoa. During the party, Rainbow Dash pulled Twilight aside and pulled something out.
"Hey Twi, can you duplicate this for me?" She asked the unicorn. Twilight looked down at the object in Rainbows' hoof and smiled.
"Of course Rainbow. Giving it to Scootaloo?" She asked. Rainbow gave a simple nod in response as Twilights' horn began to illuminate with a gentle magic. The item in Rainbows' hoof flashed and she smiled.
"Thanks Twi. You're the best." She said as she went back to the party and sat down with Scootaloo, who was currently playing a board game with Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. "Hey Kid, I got something for you." She said. Scootaloo looked up with surprise.
"Really? You do? What is it?" She asked, a smile creeping onto her face.
"Close your eyes and hold out a hoof." Rainbow said. Scootaloo did just as she was told and waited for the gift. Rainbow smiled as she dropped the item on the filly's outstretched hoof.
"Okay, open your eyes." She said. Scootaloo looked down at her hoof and tilted her head in confusion.
"A key? What's it to?" She asked looking up to Rainbow.
"It's a spare key to my house." She said simply, hoping Scootaloo would connect the dots. Scootaloo looked between the key and Rainbow a couple times, then gasped.
"Y-you mean...!" She began. Rainbow nodded and smiled.
"That's right kiddo, you're gonna live with me from now on." She said as her smile grew wider. In a blur of orange and blue, Scootaloo flew into Rainbow Dash, sending them to the floor. Scootaloo was hugging Rainbow, burying her muzzle into Rainbows' chest in happiness.
"Ohthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She said rapidly. Rainbow smiled and hugged the filly in return.
"It's no problem kid. You won't have to deal with that jerk face again." She said. Scootaloo looked up with a tear filled eye and smiled to her idol. The other ponies had gathered around and smiled at the sight. On the fireplaces' mantle, a clock struck twelve and began the chimes. Twilight looked to the clock, then to her friends.
"Merry Hearth's Warming, everypony." She said with a smile. Scootaloo looked to them all, smile still going.
"I can't thank you all enough with what you have done for me. I can't even think of how to repay you!" She said hopping off Rainbow.
"Oh, think nothing of it dear. We're just glad we were able to make this Hearth's Warming the best one you've had, despite...earlier..." Rarity said, disgust coming to her as she ended her sentence.
"It's no problem Scoots. Jus' glad we could help ya' out in a time of need." Applejack said, a smile on her lips.
"No worries Scootaloo. And in a couple of days, you'll be fully healed!" Fluttershy said with a smile also.
"And to think! You and me can have parties all the time! We can make it Hearth's Warming everyday!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly.
"And you'll be with Rainbow Dash. She's your family now!" Twilight said. Scootaloo looked to the blue pegasus and smiled.
"No...You're all my family now."
* * *
A couple days after Hearth's Warming, the storm overhead was taken away by the Cloudsdale Weather Team. The ponies of Ponyville had began the process of Winter Wrap-Up with Twilight in charge of the operation. In the meantime, Twilight had organized a couple of search teams for Thunder Lane after telling them of what had occurred on Hearth's Warming Eve. Needless to say, the ponies wanted Thunder Lane dead, and they were thirsty for blood. Luckily, Twilight had convinced them to not stone Thunder Lane to death and just simply find him within a twenty-five mile radius.
A couple hours of searching later, Search Team Gypsy, lead by Vinyl Scratch, had located the offender. He was about ten miles out of Ponyville, his saddle bags packed with all of his belongings. They gave chase to him once Thunder Lane saw the team coming for him. During the chase, Vinyl was being carried by a pegasus while wielding her Bass Cannon. Needless to say, the impact from a blast of wubs was enough to send Thunder Lane flying into the sky and land, knocked out, despite his best attempt to fly with heavy saddle bags. The search team dragged his unconscious body back to Ponyville. Twilight congratulated them on their finding of him and called to Canterlot to let them know a criminal was on the way.
About two weeks later, Thunder Lane was put on trial and found guilty for first degree murder and child abuse. He was sentenced to twenty-five life sentences, ensuring that he would never see the light of day again. By now Scootaloo had moved her belongings into Rainbows' cloud home and was living happily once again. But every now and then, she would wake in the middle of the night, crying, from a reoccurring nightmare about that night. Rainbow would hear her crying and sooth the filly, reading her a passage of Daring Do until the filly was sleeping peacefully once again.
The next Hearth's Warming found Scootaloo with her cutie mark, and finally learned to fly properly. During the party at Fluttershy's cottage, Scootaloo opened Rainbows' gift to find a piece of paper. After asking what it was, Rainbow simply responded:
"Scootaloo Dash, I'm officially your mom now."
Author's Note
Here's some feels for the Holidays. I hope this was alright, I tried my best to trim it up and edit it the best I could since September.
I usually don't write this kind of dark stuff, but I wanted to give a whack at it. I feel it came out pretty decent, what about you guys?
