Of Magic and Steel

It was a few days before I was able to get back to the hospital to see Scootaloo. During that time I had been busy with ensuring that all of the evidence was properly catalogued and that the pictures from the house were developed and had come out clearly enough to be admissible in court.

One of the most enlightening, and disturbing bits of evidence was the diary of Scootaloo’s mother, Honey Bee.

As it turns out the case had gotten both a lot simpler and a lot more complicated due to the revelations of the diary.

It was revealed during examination of the diary by Amber Night, one of my Saberhorn Rangers, that Honey Bee and Scootaloo’s father, Comet Flash were related. Related to a disturbingly close degree.

I actually had to check on the laws regarding incest, and while allowing a closer relation than most on Earth, as close as second cousins, it did not allow for siblings to be in an intimate relationship, primarily due to the lack of genetic diversity and birth defects that could arise from it.

At least now, we had a reason for Scootaloo’s issues with her wing growth and lack of ability to fly.

Digging deeper, it seemed that the pair had left Cloudsdale after their relationship was discovered and their parents tried to force them apart. From there, the pair had gone to Ponyville and while everything had been fine in the beginning, things went downhill after Honey Bee fell pregnant.

Apparently Comet Flash developed a drinking problem during that time and things had turned nasty. Honey Bee was able to protect herself and her unborn foal, but after Scootaloo was born and her condition was discovered, she became apathetic and only provided the bare minimum for her child.

I had forwarded all of our findings to Luna and Celestia once we were able to shake off the disturbed feelings and get our thoughts together to write our further reports on the case.

Luna had shown up after that and wanted to speak with me in person.

~Two days prior~

“Ranger General Stryke, We would have words with you about your case.” Luna said as she burst through the door of the barracks.

‘Oh boy, the Royal We and slipping back into her old speech pattern. She is pissed.’ I thought as I motioned for her to join me in my office.

“What can I do for you Your Highness?” I said as I sat down behind my desk.

“We wish to know what you are going to do in regards to this case.” Luna replied.

I sat back and thought on my answer for the moment.

“Truthfully, I want to send this case to you and your sister for High Justice.” I replied. “While I could have overlooked the whole siblings knowing each other biblically thing if they had not procreated, what happened afterwards is something that would probably qualify these two for felony child neglect and felony child abuse. Both of which, even if stopping at ten charges, well they would never see the outside of a prison for the rest of their lives. Which probably wouldn’t be long after the rest of the prisoners found out what they were in for.”

“How so?” Luna asked.

“Criminals have a weird code, at least they did on Earth. Don’t touch women and children if you can help it.” I explained. “The ones who did, especially sex offenders, tended to not last long if a guard let it ‘slip’ in earshot of other prisoners and if they were ‘accidentally’ moved into the general population. Same with cop killers ironically enough.” I added with a shrug. “Criminals are very strange beings sometimes.”

Luna gave a small ‘hmmm’ as she considered.

“What would you have Us do?” Luna inquired.

“Your jobs as laid out in the laws and guidelines regarding High Justice. Judge the case based upon the facts and the evidence. We have triple checked our documentation and everything is above board and in accordance with standard police policy.” I replied.

Learning police policy and standard operating procedures in less than a month was a task and a half for me and my team. We are still having to go back and check the books to ensure that everything is done right.

“And of the child?” Luna asked.

“Scootaloo?” I asked, receiving a nod. “That is a tricky one, and something that I had wanted to speak with you about. I have talked things over with Emerald, and she agrees with me wholeheartedly, that the girl needs a good, stable family to help her recover. We would both like to petition the Crowns for, at the moment, guardianship of Scootaloo.”

Luna’s eyes widened at this.

“You both truly wish to take her in?” She asked, to which I gave her a nod.

“Emerald is going to be the flying instructor for the school. She is a very patient and understanding mare who would be able to help Scootaloo develop what flying ability that she has, and who knows, she may even be able to do more than hover once she hits her growth spurts during puberty.” I said. “Myself, I want to help her as much as I can. As soon as I was able to get her away from her mother, Scootaloo latched a hold of me. I am not sure whether or not it was because I was the one who rescued her or if she was just so starved for true affection, but I can see that despite her environment, she is still a good pony at heart. So many would have turned cruel and done unspeakable things in her situation, and the fact that she is able to show honest emotion after all that she has been through, it says a lot about her character.” I added.

Luna nodded. “I will speak to my sister regarding this. For now, ensure that the case is as firm as can be.” She said.

“Thank you Your Highness.” I said. “I will.”

~Present~

“Good Morning, Ranger Stryke. Here to see Scootaloo?” The nurse at the desk asked.

“I am. How is she doing today Nurse Jade?” I asked him as I signed into the guest log.

“Better. Doctor Chaser will be able to give you the details.” Jade Hoof replied.

“Thanks.” I replied with a smile as I walked towards Doctor Chaser's office.

Knocking on the door, I heard a quiet ‘Enter’ and pushed open the door.

“Ah, Ranger Stryke. I was wondering when you would be turning up.” Chaser said.

I smiled thinly. “I would have been here sooner, but getting up to snuff on forensics and police procedures has taken up a lot of our time of gathering evidence and processing the scene.” I replied. “How is she doing?”

“Much better than when you brought her in.” Chaser said. “She still has some nightmares from what the night shift notes say, but it seems that Princess Luna takes care of those quickly and has been counseling the girl to the best of her ability.”

I nodded. “The Boss has a soft spot for kids. She is very gentle when dealing with them.” I replied. “What about physically?”

Chaser grimaced. “She is doing well with the nutrient potions and high calorie meals we have been giving her, but she is still having issues with eating larger portions. Her weight is up a couple of pounds, but when you are over twenty pounds underweight…” He said trailing off.

I nodded and sighed. It would take time for the malnutrition to be countered.

“I just wish I knew where her condition regarding her wings came from. It is exceptionally rare for pegasi.” He said, frustration lacing his voice.

“I know where it came from.” I said. “Both of her parents were carriers of the gene.”

Chaser raised and eyebrow. “But how did it become active? It is a recessive gene.”

I grimaced. “They were very, very closely related.” I said.

Chaser's eyes narrowed. “How closely?”

“Siblings.”

“Horseapples.”

“Yup. Their parents found out, tried to separate them to prevent offspring, but they ran off and moved here.” I said.

“Damn. Are you going to tell her?” He asked.

I nodded. “I will make it as gentle as possible. Also, and don't tell her this, but I am petitioning the Crowns to have guardianship of her.” I replied.

“The ponies in charge of placement tend to shy away from single parents.” He said.

I smiled. “Good thing I'm not single.”

Chaser blinked and then chuckled. “Found yourself a mare, huh?”

I smiled. “I did. Only been together a little while, but we just clicked. Was planning on meeting her mom and seeing how that goes before I start looking for rings though.” I replied.

“Good. But if you make her happy, then her mom will most likely approve. I hope you are ready for the challenges. She will be skittish for a while.” Chaser said, sobering.

I nodded. “We both know it will be difficult at the beginning. But when she latched onto me, I saw just how scared she was.” I said with a sigh. “I have this feeling that I was brought here to do good. This is something good that I can do, somepony that I can save, without having to use force.”

“A good goal.” Chaser said.

“One my world, I took two lessons in leadership and dealing with people to heart. One is from mythology and the other from a leader of my nation.” I said. “The first is from the legend of King Arthur. He had an enchanted sword that had two phrases engraved on the sides of the blade. ‘Pick me up’ and ‘Cast me aside’. The second was from President Theodore Roosevelt. ‘Speak softly, but carry a big stick’.”

“Use words and calm discourse, but have a plan to make the opposing party regret not talking?” Chaser asked.

“Basically. My nation was a military and economic superpower. We had the first and second largest air forces in the world and had the ability to project military power anywhere in the world within hours of something happening. We also, for a very long time after the depression, had one of the strongest economies in the world. If something happened in our economy, it would affect the world markets.” I explained. “Unfortunately, our biggest stick was a city killer and those weapons are why I am here because we weren't the only ones that had them.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Chaser said. “Why don't you go see the young filly and to with her?”

“I was planning to. Just wanted to check in with you first.” I replied.

Chaser nodded and made shooing motions making me smile.

I exited his office and headed to Scootaloo's room.

I knocked on the door gently before opening it.

Scootaloo looked up from the book she was reading as I entered.

“Hi. I remember you from the other night.” She said with a small smile. “I wanted to thank you for getting me out of there. My name is Scootaloo.”

“Nice to meet you properly Scootaloo. My name is Talisman Stryke. I am the commander of the Equestrian Rangers.” I replied with a smile as I sat down in the chair next to her bed.

“Nice to meet you Mister Stryke.” Scootaloo said. “So what is going to happen with me and what is going to happen with my parents?” She asked.

I sighed. “As for what is going to happen with your parents, they will be facing High Justice before the Princesses. Due to the nature of the case, they have lost their parental rights regarding you. For the moment, you are considered a ward of the Crowns.” I explained.

“Oh. So what does that mean?” She asked quietly.

“It means that for the time being the Crowns are covering your expenses. Medical, clothing, food and such until such a time you are placed with a family.” I replied.

“Okay. Though do you know anything about my condition?” She asked timidly.

I nodded. “I do. I also know why you are afflicted with it.” I said.

“You do?” Scootaloo said, surprise in her voice.

I nodded. “This isn't easy, but I won't lie to you. Your parents, they weren't just your mother and father. They were also your aunt and uncle.” I said as gently as I could.

“What? You mean that they, that I…”

“That you are the product of incest? Unfortunately, yes. When the doctors told me you condition was genetic, I had my suspicions, but when I read your mother's journal, it was confirmed.” I explained. “Now, the doctors, the Crowns, and the Rangers don't think anything less of you because of something outside of your control. All of us want to help you move past this and grow up to be the best mare you can be, no matter the challenges you might face.” I said.

“Thank you for telling me. I, I don't know what to think about all this.” Scootaloo said quietly.

“There will be time to sort your thoughts and feelings out on this as you go along in life. Right now, you should be concerned with getting yourself physically healthy as it will be faster than your mental health. That, unfortunately will take some time to heal. Trust me on that.” I said, looking out the window in the room.

“What do you mean?” She asked, her head tilted to the side.

“As you can tell, I am not from Equestria. I'm not even from this world. On my world I was a member of the military and was deployed to fight my nation's enemies. During that time I have seen and done things that no one should have to see or do.” I said. “I have had to take lives and I have seen my brothers and sisters in arms lay down their lives for the principles we all believed in. I have seen the best and the worst that my kind has to offer. Some of it still haunts me. And there was a time that the stress and the memories were almost to much.”

“You mean…?” She said, her eyes wide.

I nodded. “Fortunately, I had a Sergeant that payed attention and was able to talk to me and get me the help I needed before I opted for a very permanent solution to a temporary problem.” I replied.

Scootaloo nodded. “Well, I am glad that you didn't.” She said, the alternative if things hadn't played out the way they did in my life going unsaid.

“But, enough of that morbid subject. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, favorite subject in school, hobbies, hopes for the future and such.” I said with a smile.

Scootaloo smiled shyly at me before she started to open up.

She confessed that her favorite subjects were in maths and sciences, though to prevent herself from being bullied, she purposely dumbed down her work to be around the middle of the class as far as grades went. History and Language, while understanding that they were important, were her weak points, primarily because of how boring the subject matter was. Her main hobby was riding her scooter and practicing different tricks on it. Her hope for the future was that one day, she could fly.

I smiled as she spoke, taking her hand and squeezing gently as she spoke about wanting to soar amongst the skies, her voice taking on a yearning tone.

As she spoke, I thought back to some of the files I had on my computer. I had been browsing through the files one night and a particular folder jumped out at me and I think the contents of that folder would be just what Scootaloo needed to achieve her dream.

After a couple of hours of us chatting, I had to leave to get back to work. Since I had expressed interest in becoming Scootaloo’s guardian, I had to recuse myself from the investigation. In light of that, I had taken over Amber Night's patrol duties as she had the strongest investigative and organization abilities of the entire team currently.

After promising Scootaloo that I would be back to visit when I had the time.

Walking out of the hospital, I headed for the barracks to get my patrol gear. I looked to the sky and smiled. Scootaloo would get her wings, one way or another.