Scootaloo's Parents Are...by RavenGuardian17Chapters1. Well That Was Unexpected (New Clifhangerless Edition!) 2: Discoveries 3: Explanations 1. Well That Was Unexpected (New Clifhangerless Edition!) 1. Well That Was Unexpected (New Clifhangerless Edition!) Twilight gave Scootaloo a nervous look. While the rest of the class had gone off to do their project in the Library Scootaloo just sat, flipping through pages of a old history book, completely uninterested. Twilight did understand that some students just didn’t like doing schoolwork, but Scootaloo had never been one to just give up. The alicorn princess pondered her attachment to the small filly, the concern Twilight felt for her was strange, almost as if they had some kind of connection. I see why Rainbow Dash likes her so much Twilight thought, she is a very likable pony. Twilight dismissed her earlier thoughts, but her concern for Scootaloo stayed. Twilight walked up beside Scootaloo and sat down, ‘Hey Scootaloo, is something wrong?” she asked. Scootaloo looked as guilty as a captured thief, “Ummm, no! What makes you think that?!” she unconvincingly lied. “Well, for starters you’ve been reading the same book for the last thirty minutes.” Twilight said, smirking as Scootaloo got even more nervous. “It’s uh… very interesting!” Scootaloo countered, giving an innocent smile. “You’ve been flipping through the same chapter the entire time.” The alicorn deadpanned. Scootaloo’s nervous smile slowly faded from her face, “Well, uh um I was uh…” Twilight gave the filly a warm smile, “Listen, you don’t have to try and cover it up, I’m only trying to help.” Scootaloo sighed in resignation. “You know how Mrs. Cheerilee told us we have to do a project on our family’s history?” “Your class came here because of that.” Twilight reminded her. “Well, you see I’m having some trouble with my project…” Scootaloo said, obviously leaving something out. The Princess laughed, “Is that it? Scootaloo you had me worried there! What kind of trouble is it, don’t know who to chose?” “No…” Scootaloo said quietly. “Can’t find a certain book?” “No…” “Having trouble with writing the report?” “No, well a bit, but it’s not the problem…” “Well then what is it?” Twilight asked, “Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help.” “It’s a problem with my family itself, not the project.” Scootaloo admitted, feeling a bit better getting that off her chest. Twilight on the other hoof felt worse for laughing earlier. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn't realize.” She said softly. “It’s okay.” Twilight shook her head, “Is something happening between your parents?” she asked, this time is a more hushed tone. Scootaloo took a deep breath, “The problem is that… that… I don’t have any parents, or family.” Twilight's eyes widened, “You’re an orphan?!” Scootaloo shoved a hoof into Twilight's mouth, “Shh! I don’t want anypony else to know!” She then looked around, when she saw that none of her classmates were stirring she gave a sigh of relief. Twilight face went red, “Sorry about that, but why can’t you tell anypony?” Scootaloo looked down at her hooves, “Well, the Administrator said that my mom abandoned me there.” She started to cry a little. Realization struck Twilight’s heart like a knife. It wasn’t very common for parents to abandon their foal in Equestria, but it still happens now and then. “I’m so sorry Scootaloo.” She said, draping a wing over the young filly. Scootaloo shook her head, “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault Twilight.” Twilight hung her head. I wish there was something I could do she thought to herself. Wait, maybe there is something. “Hey Scootaloo, I think there is something I can do.” She said. “What?” Scootaloo replied, curious about what Twilight had to offer. “Well, remember when we found out that Pinkie was a member of the Apple family?” Scootaloo gave a little smile, “Of course, Apple Bloom was talking about it for weeks.” “I also found a spell that can show a pony’s parents.” Twilight explained. Scootaloo's face brightened, “Really?! Could you cast it on me?” “Sure, but not right now.” Twilight said, “Come to the library tomorrow and I’ll do it.” “Thanks Twilight!” Scootaloo said, embracing the librarian. Twilight smiled, it always felt nice to give help to other ponies in need. Scootaloo rode her scooter down the path she always took to see Rainbow Dash. The filly knew she had to tell her idol the truth, as much as it pained her to do so. With a heavy heart she parked her scooter and walked up to Rainbow, who was sitting on a hill waiting for her. “Hey Rainbow.” Scootaloo greeted, surprising the older pegasus. “Hey Scoots! Didn’t see you there.” Rainbow said, “Ready to start training?” Scootaloo paused, she was meaning to tell Rainbow her secret now, but she seemed extremely eager to start. I’ll tell her after Scootaloo thought, dismissing her worries. “You bet! I’ve been working on my take off!” She said, excited to start, “It looks awesome!” Rainbow chuckled, “I’ll be the judge of that, show me.” With that Scootaloo gave a running start and flapping her wings she took off into the air, then she fell back down to the ground. Scootaloo gave out a groan, disappointed in her own failure. Rainbow noticed the distraught on the filly’s face and gave her a sympathetic look, “Don’t worry, everypony crashes at your age. The only way to remedy that is to try again.” Scootaloo pulled herself up from the ground and ran back to try again, determination in her eyes. Rainbow was right, no matter how many times she fell she would get up and try again. ---------------------------------------------------------Two Hours Later---------------------------------------------- Scootaloo lay on the ground, panting like a dog in summer. Her orange coat was covered in sweat and her wings felt like rocks. “Had enough?” Rainbow asked, hovering directly above Scootaloo. “Yeah.” Scootaloo said, breathing heavily. Rainbow smiled, “Well I think you deserve a break, you’ve been working your tail off.” “Thanks.” Scootaloo replied,sitting herself up. Rainbow flew down and sat beside the smaller pegasus, draping a wing over her. They sat there for a few minutes when Scootaloo broke the silence, “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Rainbow.” She said. Rainbow pulled her hug back in surprise, “What do you mean?” “Well you see the reason I never introduced you to my parents is…” Rainbow’s mind was racing as fast as a sonic rainboom. She remembered when she had asked to meet Scootaloo’s parents, the filly had dodged the question until Rainbow forgot about it. The memory came flooding back when Scootaloo mentioned it though. Rainbow put the pieces together in her mind she assumed why the filly hadn’t introduced her. “Wait, are your parents abusing you?” She asked, almost certain that it was the case. “What?! No!” Scootaloo said, almost as surprised as Dash was. Rainbow gave a sigh of relief, “Well then what is it?” “I don’t have any parents.” The young pegasus admitted. Rainbow’s thought process came screeching to a halt, “You’re an orphan?!” Scootaloo laughed a bit, “That’s exactly what Twilight did when she found out.” “Hey! Why’d you tell Twi before me?!” Dash asked, feeling a pang of betrayal. Scootaloo just shrugged, “She wormed it out of me.” “Heh, Twi can be kinda nosey sometimes.” Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “but she told me she had a spell that could tell me who my parents are!” Rainbow grinned, “That’s great squirt!” “She told me to tell you so you could be there, but I would’ve done that anyways.” Scootaloo said, hugging Rainbow. “Well what are we waiting for?” Rainbow said, getting up, “Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash walked with Scootaloo to Twilight’s Library. “You know I’m still upset that you didn’t tell me you were an orphan.” She said. Scootaloo looked slightly guilty, “Yeah, I’m sorry about that it’s just…” Rainbow Dash raised a hoof, cutting her off. “Listen, it doesn’t matter why you did it, I’m sure you had a good reason. What matters now is finding out who your parents are.” “Yeah, but what do I do after that?” Scootaloo asked. Rainbow shrugged, “Who knows? Maybe we already know them, I mean why else would they put you in the Ponyville orphanage?” Scootaloo paused, considering that. “Yeah I guess.” “That’s the spirit kid.” Rainbow said with a smile, “Now let’s get to the library. We don’t want to leave Twilight of all ponies waiting.” Scootaloo shuddered, remembering what happened last time they’d shown up to the Princess’s house late. “Alright, race you there?” Rainbow laughed, “Sure! Don’t worry I’ll g-” Suddenly she was cut off by a gust of wind. Rainbow looked beside her, Scootaloo wasn’t there. She then looked in front of her, and saw a blue and orange dot on the horizon. “Hey no fair!” She shouted, giving chase to the filly on a scooter. The Library was silent as Scootaloo, Rainbow and Spike watched Twilight mixing a potion. Unlike most spells, which could be cast with the wave of a horn, this spell required many steps of preparation before it could be used. Rainbow impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor, “C’mon Twi, is it nearly finished?” Twilight looked up from her brewing, “Just about…” Suddenly a poof of blue smoke came out of the vial, “now.” Twilight finished. “So you can cast it now?” Spike asked. “No, I just need one small ingredient.” Twilight explained. Then her horn lit up and Scootaloo felt a sharp pain on her head as Twilight lifted one of Scootaloo’s hairs over to the vial. “OW!” She complained, wincing and putting a hoof on the spot the hair was pulled from. “A DNA sample from Scootaloo.” Twilight said, not noticing the glare the orange filly was giving her. Twilight dropped the hair into the vial and a popping sound was heard, “Alright, here goes nothing.” Twilight said. She grabbed the bottle and violently lifted it, throwing the contents into the air. When the potion was in the air, however, it dissipated into mist and hung in two separate spheres side by side. Then Twilight’s horn lit up like purple fire and two pink beams shot towards each sphere. Once the rays hit two faces appeared. Everypony stood still in shock at who they saw. Rainbow broke the silence, “Wait! Is that Spitfire?!” Then Scootaloo popped up, “Then who is the other pony?” Twilight knew the answer, but she was too mad to care. “Spike take a letter!” She shouted. “Sure thing Twilight!” The dragon said, rushing off to get parchment and a quill. “Brother, you and I are going to have a talk.” Twilight muttered under her breath. Author's Note Okay, too many people complained about the Cliffhanger so I took it out. This was supposed to be in this chapter originally but my editor told me to take it out. 2: Discoveries 2: Discoveries Shining Armor loved to read. Not as much as his sister of course, but still a lot more than the average pony. Today, like most of his days off, he sat in his study, reviewing old military history texts. Suddenly a knock came on the door, interrupting his studying. Shining got up with an annoyed expression on his face and opened the door to the study. One of Cadence’s personal guard stood there, holding a letter in one hoof. “Sire, a letter from Princess Twilight,” He said, handing Shining the letter in question. Shining gave a small smile, it was always nice to hear from his sister. “Thank you soldier,” He said, fighting the urge to salute. Years as a member of the guard left some instincts in him. “You are welcome, sire.” The guard replied, bowing. Then he turned and walked away. Watching the guard leave, Shining closed the door, sat down in his chair, opened the letter and began reading it’s contents. Dear Prince Shining Armor, An unusual set of circumstances has resulted in me sending you this letter, demanding that you come to Ponyville immediately for reasons that will become clear to you in a moment. As you are certainly aware, during my stay in Ponyville, I have befriended many ponies, young and old. One such pony is a young Pegasus filly by the name of Scootaloo, who, I recently discovered, was abandoned at birth at the local Ponyville orphanage. During one of her class’s assignments on family history, I offered to use a spell I had discovered that could reveal a pony’s biological parents. Imagine my surprise when I cast the spell on the orphaned filly, only for my brother’s face to appear, alongside that of Spitfire. For these reasons, I request your immediate presence at the Ponyville library in order to straighten out this mess regarding your daughter. Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle P.S. Spike here. Don’t worry, I’m as confused as you are. Shining stared at the letter. What in Celestia’s name is she talking about?! Shining thought, I don’t have a daughter! He read it over again to make sure he wasn’t going crazy, then twice, then thrice. Finally he gave up re-reading it and started thinking instead, Who is this ‘Spitfire’ she was talking about? He knew he recognized the name from somewhere so he dug further into his memory. “Spitfire… Spitfire… Spitfire…” He muttered to himself. Suddenly the memory returned to him. It wasn’t good. “Oh buck.” Shining swore, slumping back in his chair. Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts sat in her office, reviewing performance papers for some of the recruits in the academy. The next recruitment session was coming up and Spitfire wanted to see the best of the best. A few ponies, including Rainbow Dash, had caught her eye with extremely impressive performance records. A knock on the door interrupted her reading. “Permission to enter?” “Permission granted.” Spitfire replied, recognizing Soarin’s voice. “Come in Soarin.” The door opened and Soarin stepped in, “I’ve got a letter for you.” Spitfire gave Soarin a confused look. She didn’t often get personal letters. Most were addressed to just the wonderbolts. “Who sent it?” She asked as Soarin hoofed her the message. “Rainbow Dash, all the way from Ponyville.” Soarin explained. Spitfire opened the envelop with her teeth, then unfolded the letter inside and read it. Dear Spitfire, I know I don’t write to any one of you very often, but right now I have a good reason to. I just found out that you are the mother of an orphan here in Ponyville, with Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, being the father. Not only am I mad that you abandoned the poor filly, but she also happens to be one of my best friends, which makes this a little more personal! How could somepony as awesome as you abandon their kid at an orphanage like that? Especially one as cool as Scoots? Unless of course, this is some sort of misunderstanding. You must have had a good reason, right? Either way, me and Princess Twilight want you to come to Ponyville immediately to explain yourself. From Rainbow Dash Spitfire stared at the letter, then slowly re-folded it and put it back in the envelope. “Uh, Spitfire is something wrong?” Soarin asked, noticing a worried look on her face. “No!” Spitfire snapped. “Now if you would excuse me I have some, uh, important business to attend to.” “Listen Spitfire, if something is bothering you, you can tell me about it.” Soarin said in a comforting tone. Spitfire fought the urge to facehoof. Soarin why do you always have to be too helpful?! “I just told you; nothing’s wrong.” Spitfire replied. Gritting her teeth, she got out of her chair and made her way to the door. Soarin rolled his eyes and stepped in front of Spitfire. “Talking to somepony is the first way to solve a problem,” he explained. Spitfire gave an angry grunt and pushed him out of her way, “You’re right. I just don’t want that pony to be you.” She huffed, walking out of her office. Soarin, now even more willing to help, followed her. “Hey! I’m just trying to help!” As she kept walking, Spitfire felt anger rising through her body. Remember what you were told Spitfire. Breath in, breath ou- “Spitfire, this is not helping you.” Soarin said. Spitfire clenched her teeth, Alright, I’ve put up with this oaf for long enough. At that exact moment the anger slowly rising in her burst like a dam and she violently turned towards Soarin and yelled, “In Celestia’s name, shut the hell up!” Soarin started to raise a hoof in protest but the enraged mare in front of him cut him off. “And if you even think of following me, I’ll kick you from the squadron! Do I make myself clear?!” Soarin slowly backed away in fear. “I asked you a question Cadet! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!” "Y-yes ma'am!" the blue Pegasus stammered, giving a quick salute before turning tail and running off." Spitfire gave a satisfied smirk, not paying attention to the worried glances cast her way, as she stormed out of the wonderbolts main office. Twilight paced around the centre of the library, her mind abuzz with thoughts about their findings. Rainbow Dash sat off to the side playing cards with Spike. The letters they wrote had been sent, so Shining and Spitfire should be coming here soon. Twilight was still wondering on how to confront them about the situation. Suddenly Scootaloo, who had been sitting off to the side, spoke up. “Hey Twilight, if Shining is your brother then doesn’t that make you my aunt?” Twilight Immediately stopped pacing and both Spike and Rainbow looked over, the realization hitting all of them. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Twilight answered, her brain working even faster now. It was strange; she had always wanted a niece or nephew but now that she had one it felt… weird. And the more she thought about it the weirder it got. Scootaloo had been living in this town her entire life. Had Twilight not moved here all those years ago Scootaloo might have lived on without ever knowing her true parents and Twilight never would have met her niece. Rainbow flew over and gave Twilight a nervous look, “Twilight, you find out Scootaloo is your niece an all you have to say is ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right’? Are you feeling okay?” “Ugh, it’s just too much to take in.” Twilight complained, slumping to the floor. “Hopefully Shining and Spitfire get here soon to clear up this mess.” Rainbow said, looking expectantly at the door. Ponyville Train Station wasn’t very large. It only held a small building for ticket buying and waiting on rainy days, but not much else. At the same time, however, it wasn’t a small station, the amount of ponies that commuted through the station daily was extremely high for the town’s small population. Stranger still, was the amount of important ponies that visited the farming village. Princes, Princesses and sometimes a Wonderbolt could be seen around the town. Rarely did two of these ponies visit on the same day, though, especially when no important events were happening. Shining Armour understood this well. Not wanting to attract attention to himself the prince had covered his face with a large scarf as he sulked behind large crowds, blending in with the other ponies. Shining navigated his way through Ponyville, searching for the library. After walking around for a few minutes he found his destination (which wasn’t hard considering it was a large tree in the middle of town) and walked up to the door. When the prince put his hoof on the doorknob, however, another hoof, this one bright orange-yellow, was blocking his path. Shining turned his head to see the pony in his way. It was her. “Hello, Shining Armor.” Spitfire greeted in a businesslike tone. Shining gulped, “Hello Spitfire.” “Did you get a letter too?” She asked him. “Yes.” The wonderbolt gave a heavy sigh, “Well, I guess it will be easier to explain things if we are both here.” Shining simply nodded his head. Spitfire gave the prince a confused look, “You’re a lot quieter than you were all those years ago.” Shining's face went deep red, “I’d rather not talk about that at the moment.” Spitfire nodded, “Agreed. Now let’s get this over with.” She said, opening the door. When the door opened, Shining saw Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike and a small orange filly staring at them. Twilight grimaced at the sight of her brother, but quickly shifted to a stern glare. "Take a seat," she ordered. Shining almost didn’t hear her, he just kept staring at the small orange filly. Is… Is this my daughter? Shining had been secretly hoping that this entire thing had been some kind of misunderstanding, but now that he had seen the filly in question with his own eyes, he knew it to be true. Her coat was a darker orange than Spitfire’s, but the resemblance was still there. The young pegasus’s mane had a dark purple hue to it, most likely inherited from Shining. The filly slowly stepped forward, “Are… are these my parents?” She asked, slightly in awe. Rainbow Dash nodded grimly, “Yes.” Suddenly, Shining felt two orange hooves cling onto his body as the filly embraced him. “Why did you leave me?” She asked, on the verge of tears. Shining tried to say something but the words were stuck in his throat, instead he just hugged the filly back. When he let go of her, however, he saw Twilight standing behind them with a disgusted expression on her face. “So, you think you can just abandon her and then waltz in here like it never happened?” Twilight spat, “You should be ashamed of yourself.” The words stung Shining right in the heart, mainly for the reason that they weren't true. “B-bu-” He started. “And here I thought you were a good pony.” Rainbow seethed, interrupting him, “After all, you love your sister enough that most ponies would think you’d at least show the same love for your own child.” Shining held up his forehooves in protest, “Hey! I never even knew I had a child!” He defended, then he pointed a hoof at Spitfire, “She never told me!” Twilight expression changed from disappointment to apologetic in a split second, “S-sorry, I though-” “It’s okay, Twilight. Believe me, you handled it better than most ponies would’ve.” The prince reassured. Rainbow’s face still held a look of anger though, “So, you abandoned Scootaloo?!” She accused, pointing at Spitfire. The pony in question flinched, hanging her head in shame, “Yes, although before you get angry, let me tell you the story.” Rainbow looked as if she wanted to say something but Twilight cut her off, “Alright fine. Some answers would be nice.” The alicorn admitted. “I was just making tea as you two came in. How about I pour everyone some and we have a nice civil discussion?” She suggested. Rainbow crossed her hooves with a big harumph, “Fine. But you'd better have a good reason Spitfire. If not..” Rainbow slowly drew a hoof in front of her neck. “Rainbow!” Twilight scolded, “I said civil.” Shining looked at Spitfire, whose face was scrunched up as though Rainbow had just destroyed one of her prized possessions right in front of her. Spitfire took a deep breath and held it back. “I think that’s a good idea.” She said. “It’s settled then.” Twilight said, giving a sigh of relief. Author's Note As I said in my blog, thanks to Templar22 and Bpkyle777 (who also wrote the letters) for editing! Rewrote the ending to this because I completely flipped chapter 3 on it's head and changed all my planning. 3: Explanations Author's Note Yes. This is real. You don't have to pinch yourse- you did it anyway... like I expected. Anyway this chapter underwent a bunch of rewrites and crap which is why it took... 4 months?! That was 4 months?! OK guys I'm sorry about this. Hopefully Chapter 4 won't take so long. Anyway enjoy the chapter! (Fun drinking game: take a shot for every time I say "anyway") 3: Explanations To say that there was no tension in the room would be like saying that trying to tame a timberwolf was a good idea. The ponies in the room almost seemed to be waiting for Twilight to enter with the tea. Spitfire and Rainbow Dash were locked in a silent war of staring as each of their eyes tried to murder the other pair and Shining looked less like an experienced officer and more like a recruit about to see their first battle. Scootaloo sat in a chair beside Rainbow, covering her face with her tail, unusually shy. Twilight supposed that she would have to play the mediator in the upcoming debate. A role that she would rather not perform, yet one she was forced to take. Twilight levitated the tea tray down onto a coffee table and hovered a cup over to each pony. “Now that we are all calm and settled in, let’s begin.” She said. “Spit it out will you? Why did you leave Scoots in a orphanage?” Rainbow demanded, slamming her hoof on the chair. “Rainbow!” Twilight said sharply, “Calm yourself down! I understand this is stressful, but you’re acting as childish as a foal who lost their favorite toy!” "Twilight! She practically abandoned her own child!" “Rainbow please. Calm down.” Twilight said, practically begging. Rainbow reclined back in the chair, “Alright. But I’ve got my eyes on you Spitfire.” She pointed one hoof at her eyes then one at the wonderbolt. Thank Celestia… Twilight thought, massaging her temples with her hooves. She glanced over at Spitfire, whose overly calm demeanor seemed out of place. “First things first. Where and how did you meet my brother in the first place, Spitfire?” The alicorn asked. Spitfire brought her hoof up to her chin in contemplation, “It was… about ten years ago? Back when I lived in Fillydelphia.” “How much contact did you make with him after that?” Twilight continued. “None. This is the first time I’ve seen him since.” Spitfire responded. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She had suspected that her brother was having an affair behind Cadence’s back, but if Spitfire’s answers were honest then it ruled out any possibility of such a thing. There was always a chance that the Captain was lying, but Twilight was able to suspend her disbelief for a short time. If Spitfire was lying it would become obvious soon enough. “Why did you two break off contact?” Twilight said, posing to question to Shining. If they’re both lying then their answers should contradict one another. Shining rubbed the back of his head as he glanced away. "It was a, uh... one-night-only thing." He said, a bit of red appearing on his face Rainbow and Twilight exchanged a quick glance. Suddenly the whole situation was much clearer. However, Twilight pressed on, “Why was it only one night?” Spitfire nervously glanced at Scootaloo who had been quietly listening in on the entire ordeal. “Should we really be discussing this in front of her?” She asked. “What do you mean by that?!” Rainbow said, her voice as cold and steely as a knife. If looks could kill, Spitfire would have murdered Rainbow in the most violent and brutal way possible. “I mean this is starting to take a more…” Spitfire paused, looking for the right word, “adultturn. She’s too young to understand this stuff anyway.” Spitfire said. Twilight turned to face the orange filly beside Rainbow. “Spitfire’s right. Scootaloo would you mind going to another room for a bit?” the alicorn gently requested. Scootaloo crossed her forelegs, “But why can’t I stay? I’m old enough!” “Scootaloo…” Twilight began. “I’m 9 years old! That’s good enough!” “No it isn’t some of these topics “And besides isn’t this whole thing about me anyway? Why do I have to go?!” “Scootaloo we’re going to talk about some things not suitable for a young filly like you. We’ll let you back in as soon as we’re finished.” “But-” “Scootaloo, I promise I tell you everything I can when we are finished.” Scootaloo harumphed, “But I want to stay.” “Scootaloo listen to Twilight.” Spitfire said. Rainbow shot Spitfire a quick dirty look. What’s that for? Twilight wondered. “Scoot Twi’s right.” “Fine..” Scootaloo grunted. Getting out of her chair and opening the door to the kitchen. Once Scootaloo was gone, and the attention was refocused on the conversation, Twilight asked her question again.“Now, back on topic. Why was it only one night?” “Well we both had a bit too much to drink…” Spitfire hesitated on the last part. “Got drunk, had sex and never spoke about it again.” Rainbow finished for her, crossing her forelegs. There was a pregnant pause. “To put it bluntly, yes.” The wonderbolt said, blushing furiously. “I’m assuming this is why Shining never knew you were pregnant?” Twilight said. “Why did you never tell me, Spitfire?” He asked. “How was I supposed to? You just fucked me and ran back home to Canterlot.” Spitfire replied gravely. “I had absolutely no way to get in touch with you.” “So I’m the bad guy in this?” Shining said. “You’re the who tried to force herself upon me even though I hardly knew you.” “Excuse me?! It’s no-” Twilight then slammed her hoof onto the chair, interrupting Spitfire’s counter-argument. “How about we just blame it on the alcohol and get back on track?” She said, slowly losing patience. Everypony stared at her, surprised at the sternness of her voice. Seeing the attention refocused on her, Twilight sat back in her chair. “So, Spitfire. We now return to Rainbow’s earlier question. Why did we find Scootaloo in the Ponyville orphanage?” Twilight said. Her voice had returned to it’s normally calm state so quickly that it creeped out everypony in the room. “I didn’t think I’d be able to take care of her, okay? It was for the best.” She said. “What? Did you think she would tax too much onto your bills?” Rainbow sneered. “That’s disgusting.” Spitfire looked ready to attack Rainbow. “That’s not, bucking, why.” She said through clenched teeth. “Then why?!” Shining cut in. “Did you eventry and find me? I would have gladly taken her in!” “I already said; how in tartarus was I supposed to find you in the millions of ponies living in Canterlot?” Twilight felt she was quickly losing control. “Everypony calm down! I’m sure we can-” “You still could’ve taken her in yourself! It’d be better then some crummy orphanage! I at least figured you of all ponies would be responsible enough!” “Would the orphanage have been better than the run down one bedroom apartment I lived in?” “Having an actual parent would have been better!” Rainbow got out of her chair, ready for a fight. “I can’t believe I ever looked up to you!” Spitfire sat up as well, and advanced towards her foe. “I bucking s-” “EVERYPONY BE QUIET!” Twilight shouted, grabbing the two mares in a magic grasp. Rainbow and Spitfire immediately went still as stone, completely immobilized in Twilight's purple tinted magic aura. “I can’t believe I have to do this!” She complained, lifting both of them into the air and away from one another. “Seriously?! Did both of you forget the part at the beginning where I said act civil!And I thought you were both grown mares, for Celestia's sake!"Then she dropped the two pegasi back down onto the ground with a loud thud. “Both of you, out of my library. I don’t have time for this nonsense.” Rainbow winced, Twilight’s words cutting her deep. “Listen Twi I’m really sorry I-” Twilight ignored her, “Sorry isn’t a good excuse for nearly assaulting somepony. And don’t think you’re off the hook either Spitfire.” She added, casting a deathly glare at the wonderbolt. “Now both of you, just go.” Spitfire looked embarrassed, or mad, or sad. Twilight couldn’t tell at this point, she was too frustrated to care. Each pony picked themselves up and made their way to the door. Rainbow accidentally bumped into Spitfire, who, about to start the fight all over again, cast one glance at Princess Twilight’s gaze and fled, the prismatic pegasus quickly doing the same. “So that was... interesting.” Shining Armor said. Twilight gave him a look that said shut up, I’m too tired for this. Shining slowly got out of the chair and made his way upstairs, understanding how hard his little sister was to deal with when angry. Twilight lay back in her chair, exhausted from the frustration. “Whoa!” Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open and Scootaloo fell out along with it. Twilight looked over at the heap of orange fur on the floor, she looked alright, just a bit bumped up. Then she said, “You were listening in through the crack, weren’t you?” “Uhhhhh… Maybe?” Scootaloo said with a tacked on smile. Of course. Twilight thought, burying her face in her hooves.
1. Well That Was Unexpected (New Clifhangerless Edition!) 1. Well That Was Unexpected (New Clifhangerless Edition!) Twilight gave Scootaloo a nervous look. While the rest of the class had gone off to do their project in the Library Scootaloo just sat, flipping through pages of a old history book, completely uninterested. Twilight did understand that some students just didn’t like doing schoolwork, but Scootaloo had never been one to just give up. The alicorn princess pondered her attachment to the small filly, the concern Twilight felt for her was strange, almost as if they had some kind of connection. I see why Rainbow Dash likes her so much Twilight thought, she is a very likable pony. Twilight dismissed her earlier thoughts, but her concern for Scootaloo stayed. Twilight walked up beside Scootaloo and sat down, ‘Hey Scootaloo, is something wrong?” she asked. Scootaloo looked as guilty as a captured thief, “Ummm, no! What makes you think that?!” she unconvincingly lied. “Well, for starters you’ve been reading the same book for the last thirty minutes.” Twilight said, smirking as Scootaloo got even more nervous. “It’s uh… very interesting!” Scootaloo countered, giving an innocent smile. “You’ve been flipping through the same chapter the entire time.” The alicorn deadpanned. Scootaloo’s nervous smile slowly faded from her face, “Well, uh um I was uh…” Twilight gave the filly a warm smile, “Listen, you don’t have to try and cover it up, I’m only trying to help.” Scootaloo sighed in resignation. “You know how Mrs. Cheerilee told us we have to do a project on our family’s history?” “Your class came here because of that.” Twilight reminded her. “Well, you see I’m having some trouble with my project…” Scootaloo said, obviously leaving something out. The Princess laughed, “Is that it? Scootaloo you had me worried there! What kind of trouble is it, don’t know who to chose?” “No…” Scootaloo said quietly. “Can’t find a certain book?” “No…” “Having trouble with writing the report?” “No, well a bit, but it’s not the problem…” “Well then what is it?” Twilight asked, “Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help.” “It’s a problem with my family itself, not the project.” Scootaloo admitted, feeling a bit better getting that off her chest. Twilight on the other hoof felt worse for laughing earlier. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn't realize.” She said softly. “It’s okay.” Twilight shook her head, “Is something happening between your parents?” she asked, this time is a more hushed tone. Scootaloo took a deep breath, “The problem is that… that… I don’t have any parents, or family.” Twilight's eyes widened, “You’re an orphan?!” Scootaloo shoved a hoof into Twilight's mouth, “Shh! I don’t want anypony else to know!” She then looked around, when she saw that none of her classmates were stirring she gave a sigh of relief. Twilight face went red, “Sorry about that, but why can’t you tell anypony?” Scootaloo looked down at her hooves, “Well, the Administrator said that my mom abandoned me there.” She started to cry a little. Realization struck Twilight’s heart like a knife. It wasn’t very common for parents to abandon their foal in Equestria, but it still happens now and then. “I’m so sorry Scootaloo.” She said, draping a wing over the young filly. Scootaloo shook her head, “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault Twilight.” Twilight hung her head. I wish there was something I could do she thought to herself. Wait, maybe there is something. “Hey Scootaloo, I think there is something I can do.” She said. “What?” Scootaloo replied, curious about what Twilight had to offer. “Well, remember when we found out that Pinkie was a member of the Apple family?” Scootaloo gave a little smile, “Of course, Apple Bloom was talking about it for weeks.” “I also found a spell that can show a pony’s parents.” Twilight explained. Scootaloo's face brightened, “Really?! Could you cast it on me?” “Sure, but not right now.” Twilight said, “Come to the library tomorrow and I’ll do it.” “Thanks Twilight!” Scootaloo said, embracing the librarian. Twilight smiled, it always felt nice to give help to other ponies in need. Scootaloo rode her scooter down the path she always took to see Rainbow Dash. The filly knew she had to tell her idol the truth, as much as it pained her to do so. With a heavy heart she parked her scooter and walked up to Rainbow, who was sitting on a hill waiting for her. “Hey Rainbow.” Scootaloo greeted, surprising the older pegasus. “Hey Scoots! Didn’t see you there.” Rainbow said, “Ready to start training?” Scootaloo paused, she was meaning to tell Rainbow her secret now, but she seemed extremely eager to start. I’ll tell her after Scootaloo thought, dismissing her worries. “You bet! I’ve been working on my take off!” She said, excited to start, “It looks awesome!” Rainbow chuckled, “I’ll be the judge of that, show me.” With that Scootaloo gave a running start and flapping her wings she took off into the air, then she fell back down to the ground. Scootaloo gave out a groan, disappointed in her own failure. Rainbow noticed the distraught on the filly’s face and gave her a sympathetic look, “Don’t worry, everypony crashes at your age. The only way to remedy that is to try again.” Scootaloo pulled herself up from the ground and ran back to try again, determination in her eyes. Rainbow was right, no matter how many times she fell she would get up and try again. ---------------------------------------------------------Two Hours Later---------------------------------------------- Scootaloo lay on the ground, panting like a dog in summer. Her orange coat was covered in sweat and her wings felt like rocks. “Had enough?” Rainbow asked, hovering directly above Scootaloo. “Yeah.” Scootaloo said, breathing heavily. Rainbow smiled, “Well I think you deserve a break, you’ve been working your tail off.” “Thanks.” Scootaloo replied,sitting herself up. Rainbow flew down and sat beside the smaller pegasus, draping a wing over her. They sat there for a few minutes when Scootaloo broke the silence, “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Rainbow.” She said. Rainbow pulled her hug back in surprise, “What do you mean?” “Well you see the reason I never introduced you to my parents is…” Rainbow’s mind was racing as fast as a sonic rainboom. She remembered when she had asked to meet Scootaloo’s parents, the filly had dodged the question until Rainbow forgot about it. The memory came flooding back when Scootaloo mentioned it though. Rainbow put the pieces together in her mind she assumed why the filly hadn’t introduced her. “Wait, are your parents abusing you?” She asked, almost certain that it was the case. “What?! No!” Scootaloo said, almost as surprised as Dash was. Rainbow gave a sigh of relief, “Well then what is it?” “I don’t have any parents.” The young pegasus admitted. Rainbow’s thought process came screeching to a halt, “You’re an orphan?!” Scootaloo laughed a bit, “That’s exactly what Twilight did when she found out.” “Hey! Why’d you tell Twi before me?!” Dash asked, feeling a pang of betrayal. Scootaloo just shrugged, “She wormed it out of me.” “Heh, Twi can be kinda nosey sometimes.” Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “but she told me she had a spell that could tell me who my parents are!” Rainbow grinned, “That’s great squirt!” “She told me to tell you so you could be there, but I would’ve done that anyways.” Scootaloo said, hugging Rainbow. “Well what are we waiting for?” Rainbow said, getting up, “Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash walked with Scootaloo to Twilight’s Library. “You know I’m still upset that you didn’t tell me you were an orphan.” She said. Scootaloo looked slightly guilty, “Yeah, I’m sorry about that it’s just…” Rainbow Dash raised a hoof, cutting her off. “Listen, it doesn’t matter why you did it, I’m sure you had a good reason. What matters now is finding out who your parents are.” “Yeah, but what do I do after that?” Scootaloo asked. Rainbow shrugged, “Who knows? Maybe we already know them, I mean why else would they put you in the Ponyville orphanage?” Scootaloo paused, considering that. “Yeah I guess.” “That’s the spirit kid.” Rainbow said with a smile, “Now let’s get to the library. We don’t want to leave Twilight of all ponies waiting.” Scootaloo shuddered, remembering what happened last time they’d shown up to the Princess’s house late. “Alright, race you there?” Rainbow laughed, “Sure! Don’t worry I’ll g-” Suddenly she was cut off by a gust of wind. Rainbow looked beside her, Scootaloo wasn’t there. She then looked in front of her, and saw a blue and orange dot on the horizon. “Hey no fair!” She shouted, giving chase to the filly on a scooter. The Library was silent as Scootaloo, Rainbow and Spike watched Twilight mixing a potion. Unlike most spells, which could be cast with the wave of a horn, this spell required many steps of preparation before it could be used. Rainbow impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor, “C’mon Twi, is it nearly finished?” Twilight looked up from her brewing, “Just about…” Suddenly a poof of blue smoke came out of the vial, “now.” Twilight finished. “So you can cast it now?” Spike asked. “No, I just need one small ingredient.” Twilight explained. Then her horn lit up and Scootaloo felt a sharp pain on her head as Twilight lifted one of Scootaloo’s hairs over to the vial. “OW!” She complained, wincing and putting a hoof on the spot the hair was pulled from. “A DNA sample from Scootaloo.” Twilight said, not noticing the glare the orange filly was giving her. Twilight dropped the hair into the vial and a popping sound was heard, “Alright, here goes nothing.” Twilight said. She grabbed the bottle and violently lifted it, throwing the contents into the air. When the potion was in the air, however, it dissipated into mist and hung in two separate spheres side by side. Then Twilight’s horn lit up like purple fire and two pink beams shot towards each sphere. Once the rays hit two faces appeared. Everypony stood still in shock at who they saw. Rainbow broke the silence, “Wait! Is that Spitfire?!” Then Scootaloo popped up, “Then who is the other pony?” Twilight knew the answer, but she was too mad to care. “Spike take a letter!” She shouted. “Sure thing Twilight!” The dragon said, rushing off to get parchment and a quill. “Brother, you and I are going to have a talk.” Twilight muttered under her breath. Author's Note Okay, too many people complained about the Cliffhanger so I took it out. This was supposed to be in this chapter originally but my editor told me to take it out.
2: Discoveries 2: Discoveries Shining Armor loved to read. Not as much as his sister of course, but still a lot more than the average pony. Today, like most of his days off, he sat in his study, reviewing old military history texts. Suddenly a knock came on the door, interrupting his studying. Shining got up with an annoyed expression on his face and opened the door to the study. One of Cadence’s personal guard stood there, holding a letter in one hoof. “Sire, a letter from Princess Twilight,” He said, handing Shining the letter in question. Shining gave a small smile, it was always nice to hear from his sister. “Thank you soldier,” He said, fighting the urge to salute. Years as a member of the guard left some instincts in him. “You are welcome, sire.” The guard replied, bowing. Then he turned and walked away. Watching the guard leave, Shining closed the door, sat down in his chair, opened the letter and began reading it’s contents. Dear Prince Shining Armor, An unusual set of circumstances has resulted in me sending you this letter, demanding that you come to Ponyville immediately for reasons that will become clear to you in a moment. As you are certainly aware, during my stay in Ponyville, I have befriended many ponies, young and old. One such pony is a young Pegasus filly by the name of Scootaloo, who, I recently discovered, was abandoned at birth at the local Ponyville orphanage. During one of her class’s assignments on family history, I offered to use a spell I had discovered that could reveal a pony’s biological parents. Imagine my surprise when I cast the spell on the orphaned filly, only for my brother’s face to appear, alongside that of Spitfire. For these reasons, I request your immediate presence at the Ponyville library in order to straighten out this mess regarding your daughter. Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle P.S. Spike here. Don’t worry, I’m as confused as you are. Shining stared at the letter. What in Celestia’s name is she talking about?! Shining thought, I don’t have a daughter! He read it over again to make sure he wasn’t going crazy, then twice, then thrice. Finally he gave up re-reading it and started thinking instead, Who is this ‘Spitfire’ she was talking about? He knew he recognized the name from somewhere so he dug further into his memory. “Spitfire… Spitfire… Spitfire…” He muttered to himself. Suddenly the memory returned to him. It wasn’t good. “Oh buck.” Shining swore, slumping back in his chair. Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts sat in her office, reviewing performance papers for some of the recruits in the academy. The next recruitment session was coming up and Spitfire wanted to see the best of the best. A few ponies, including Rainbow Dash, had caught her eye with extremely impressive performance records. A knock on the door interrupted her reading. “Permission to enter?” “Permission granted.” Spitfire replied, recognizing Soarin’s voice. “Come in Soarin.” The door opened and Soarin stepped in, “I’ve got a letter for you.” Spitfire gave Soarin a confused look. She didn’t often get personal letters. Most were addressed to just the wonderbolts. “Who sent it?” She asked as Soarin hoofed her the message. “Rainbow Dash, all the way from Ponyville.” Soarin explained. Spitfire opened the envelop with her teeth, then unfolded the letter inside and read it. Dear Spitfire, I know I don’t write to any one of you very often, but right now I have a good reason to. I just found out that you are the mother of an orphan here in Ponyville, with Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, being the father. Not only am I mad that you abandoned the poor filly, but she also happens to be one of my best friends, which makes this a little more personal! How could somepony as awesome as you abandon their kid at an orphanage like that? Especially one as cool as Scoots? Unless of course, this is some sort of misunderstanding. You must have had a good reason, right? Either way, me and Princess Twilight want you to come to Ponyville immediately to explain yourself. From Rainbow Dash Spitfire stared at the letter, then slowly re-folded it and put it back in the envelope. “Uh, Spitfire is something wrong?” Soarin asked, noticing a worried look on her face. “No!” Spitfire snapped. “Now if you would excuse me I have some, uh, important business to attend to.” “Listen Spitfire, if something is bothering you, you can tell me about it.” Soarin said in a comforting tone. Spitfire fought the urge to facehoof. Soarin why do you always have to be too helpful?! “I just told you; nothing’s wrong.” Spitfire replied. Gritting her teeth, she got out of her chair and made her way to the door. Soarin rolled his eyes and stepped in front of Spitfire. “Talking to somepony is the first way to solve a problem,” he explained. Spitfire gave an angry grunt and pushed him out of her way, “You’re right. I just don’t want that pony to be you.” She huffed, walking out of her office. Soarin, now even more willing to help, followed her. “Hey! I’m just trying to help!” As she kept walking, Spitfire felt anger rising through her body. Remember what you were told Spitfire. Breath in, breath ou- “Spitfire, this is not helping you.” Soarin said. Spitfire clenched her teeth, Alright, I’ve put up with this oaf for long enough. At that exact moment the anger slowly rising in her burst like a dam and she violently turned towards Soarin and yelled, “In Celestia’s name, shut the hell up!” Soarin started to raise a hoof in protest but the enraged mare in front of him cut him off. “And if you even think of following me, I’ll kick you from the squadron! Do I make myself clear?!” Soarin slowly backed away in fear. “I asked you a question Cadet! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!” "Y-yes ma'am!" the blue Pegasus stammered, giving a quick salute before turning tail and running off." Spitfire gave a satisfied smirk, not paying attention to the worried glances cast her way, as she stormed out of the wonderbolts main office. Twilight paced around the centre of the library, her mind abuzz with thoughts about their findings. Rainbow Dash sat off to the side playing cards with Spike. The letters they wrote had been sent, so Shining and Spitfire should be coming here soon. Twilight was still wondering on how to confront them about the situation. Suddenly Scootaloo, who had been sitting off to the side, spoke up. “Hey Twilight, if Shining is your brother then doesn’t that make you my aunt?” Twilight Immediately stopped pacing and both Spike and Rainbow looked over, the realization hitting all of them. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Twilight answered, her brain working even faster now. It was strange; she had always wanted a niece or nephew but now that she had one it felt… weird. And the more she thought about it the weirder it got. Scootaloo had been living in this town her entire life. Had Twilight not moved here all those years ago Scootaloo might have lived on without ever knowing her true parents and Twilight never would have met her niece. Rainbow flew over and gave Twilight a nervous look, “Twilight, you find out Scootaloo is your niece an all you have to say is ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right’? Are you feeling okay?” “Ugh, it’s just too much to take in.” Twilight complained, slumping to the floor. “Hopefully Shining and Spitfire get here soon to clear up this mess.” Rainbow said, looking expectantly at the door. Ponyville Train Station wasn’t very large. It only held a small building for ticket buying and waiting on rainy days, but not much else. At the same time, however, it wasn’t a small station, the amount of ponies that commuted through the station daily was extremely high for the town’s small population. Stranger still, was the amount of important ponies that visited the farming village. Princes, Princesses and sometimes a Wonderbolt could be seen around the town. Rarely did two of these ponies visit on the same day, though, especially when no important events were happening. Shining Armour understood this well. Not wanting to attract attention to himself the prince had covered his face with a large scarf as he sulked behind large crowds, blending in with the other ponies. Shining navigated his way through Ponyville, searching for the library. After walking around for a few minutes he found his destination (which wasn’t hard considering it was a large tree in the middle of town) and walked up to the door. When the prince put his hoof on the doorknob, however, another hoof, this one bright orange-yellow, was blocking his path. Shining turned his head to see the pony in his way. It was her. “Hello, Shining Armor.” Spitfire greeted in a businesslike tone. Shining gulped, “Hello Spitfire.” “Did you get a letter too?” She asked him. “Yes.” The wonderbolt gave a heavy sigh, “Well, I guess it will be easier to explain things if we are both here.” Shining simply nodded his head. Spitfire gave the prince a confused look, “You’re a lot quieter than you were all those years ago.” Shining's face went deep red, “I’d rather not talk about that at the moment.” Spitfire nodded, “Agreed. Now let’s get this over with.” She said, opening the door. When the door opened, Shining saw Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike and a small orange filly staring at them. Twilight grimaced at the sight of her brother, but quickly shifted to a stern glare. "Take a seat," she ordered. Shining almost didn’t hear her, he just kept staring at the small orange filly. Is… Is this my daughter? Shining had been secretly hoping that this entire thing had been some kind of misunderstanding, but now that he had seen the filly in question with his own eyes, he knew it to be true. Her coat was a darker orange than Spitfire’s, but the resemblance was still there. The young pegasus’s mane had a dark purple hue to it, most likely inherited from Shining. The filly slowly stepped forward, “Are… are these my parents?” She asked, slightly in awe. Rainbow Dash nodded grimly, “Yes.” Suddenly, Shining felt two orange hooves cling onto his body as the filly embraced him. “Why did you leave me?” She asked, on the verge of tears. Shining tried to say something but the words were stuck in his throat, instead he just hugged the filly back. When he let go of her, however, he saw Twilight standing behind them with a disgusted expression on her face. “So, you think you can just abandon her and then waltz in here like it never happened?” Twilight spat, “You should be ashamed of yourself.” The words stung Shining right in the heart, mainly for the reason that they weren't true. “B-bu-” He started. “And here I thought you were a good pony.” Rainbow seethed, interrupting him, “After all, you love your sister enough that most ponies would think you’d at least show the same love for your own child.” Shining held up his forehooves in protest, “Hey! I never even knew I had a child!” He defended, then he pointed a hoof at Spitfire, “She never told me!” Twilight expression changed from disappointment to apologetic in a split second, “S-sorry, I though-” “It’s okay, Twilight. Believe me, you handled it better than most ponies would’ve.” The prince reassured. Rainbow’s face still held a look of anger though, “So, you abandoned Scootaloo?!” She accused, pointing at Spitfire. The pony in question flinched, hanging her head in shame, “Yes, although before you get angry, let me tell you the story.” Rainbow looked as if she wanted to say something but Twilight cut her off, “Alright fine. Some answers would be nice.” The alicorn admitted. “I was just making tea as you two came in. How about I pour everyone some and we have a nice civil discussion?” She suggested. Rainbow crossed her hooves with a big harumph, “Fine. But you'd better have a good reason Spitfire. If not..” Rainbow slowly drew a hoof in front of her neck. “Rainbow!” Twilight scolded, “I said civil.” Shining looked at Spitfire, whose face was scrunched up as though Rainbow had just destroyed one of her prized possessions right in front of her. Spitfire took a deep breath and held it back. “I think that’s a good idea.” She said. “It’s settled then.” Twilight said, giving a sigh of relief. Author's Note As I said in my blog, thanks to Templar22 and Bpkyle777 (who also wrote the letters) for editing! Rewrote the ending to this because I completely flipped chapter 3 on it's head and changed all my planning.
3: Explanations Author's Note Yes. This is real. You don't have to pinch yourse- you did it anyway... like I expected. Anyway this chapter underwent a bunch of rewrites and crap which is why it took... 4 months?! That was 4 months?! OK guys I'm sorry about this. Hopefully Chapter 4 won't take so long. Anyway enjoy the chapter! (Fun drinking game: take a shot for every time I say "anyway") 3: Explanations To say that there was no tension in the room would be like saying that trying to tame a timberwolf was a good idea. The ponies in the room almost seemed to be waiting for Twilight to enter with the tea. Spitfire and Rainbow Dash were locked in a silent war of staring as each of their eyes tried to murder the other pair and Shining looked less like an experienced officer and more like a recruit about to see their first battle. Scootaloo sat in a chair beside Rainbow, covering her face with her tail, unusually shy. Twilight supposed that she would have to play the mediator in the upcoming debate. A role that she would rather not perform, yet one she was forced to take. Twilight levitated the tea tray down onto a coffee table and hovered a cup over to each pony. “Now that we are all calm and settled in, let’s begin.” She said. “Spit it out will you? Why did you leave Scoots in a orphanage?” Rainbow demanded, slamming her hoof on the chair. “Rainbow!” Twilight said sharply, “Calm yourself down! I understand this is stressful, but you’re acting as childish as a foal who lost their favorite toy!” "Twilight! She practically abandoned her own child!" “Rainbow please. Calm down.” Twilight said, practically begging. Rainbow reclined back in the chair, “Alright. But I’ve got my eyes on you Spitfire.” She pointed one hoof at her eyes then one at the wonderbolt. Thank Celestia… Twilight thought, massaging her temples with her hooves. She glanced over at Spitfire, whose overly calm demeanor seemed out of place. “First things first. Where and how did you meet my brother in the first place, Spitfire?” The alicorn asked. Spitfire brought her hoof up to her chin in contemplation, “It was… about ten years ago? Back when I lived in Fillydelphia.” “How much contact did you make with him after that?” Twilight continued. “None. This is the first time I’ve seen him since.” Spitfire responded. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She had suspected that her brother was having an affair behind Cadence’s back, but if Spitfire’s answers were honest then it ruled out any possibility of such a thing. There was always a chance that the Captain was lying, but Twilight was able to suspend her disbelief for a short time. If Spitfire was lying it would become obvious soon enough. “Why did you two break off contact?” Twilight said, posing to question to Shining. If they’re both lying then their answers should contradict one another. Shining rubbed the back of his head as he glanced away. "It was a, uh... one-night-only thing." He said, a bit of red appearing on his face Rainbow and Twilight exchanged a quick glance. Suddenly the whole situation was much clearer. However, Twilight pressed on, “Why was it only one night?” Spitfire nervously glanced at Scootaloo who had been quietly listening in on the entire ordeal. “Should we really be discussing this in front of her?” She asked. “What do you mean by that?!” Rainbow said, her voice as cold and steely as a knife. If looks could kill, Spitfire would have murdered Rainbow in the most violent and brutal way possible. “I mean this is starting to take a more…” Spitfire paused, looking for the right word, “adultturn. She’s too young to understand this stuff anyway.” Spitfire said. Twilight turned to face the orange filly beside Rainbow. “Spitfire’s right. Scootaloo would you mind going to another room for a bit?” the alicorn gently requested. Scootaloo crossed her forelegs, “But why can’t I stay? I’m old enough!” “Scootaloo…” Twilight began. “I’m 9 years old! That’s good enough!” “No it isn’t some of these topics “And besides isn’t this whole thing about me anyway? Why do I have to go?!” “Scootaloo we’re going to talk about some things not suitable for a young filly like you. We’ll let you back in as soon as we’re finished.” “But-” “Scootaloo, I promise I tell you everything I can when we are finished.” Scootaloo harumphed, “But I want to stay.” “Scootaloo listen to Twilight.” Spitfire said. Rainbow shot Spitfire a quick dirty look. What’s that for? Twilight wondered. “Scoot Twi’s right.” “Fine..” Scootaloo grunted. Getting out of her chair and opening the door to the kitchen. Once Scootaloo was gone, and the attention was refocused on the conversation, Twilight asked her question again.“Now, back on topic. Why was it only one night?” “Well we both had a bit too much to drink…” Spitfire hesitated on the last part. “Got drunk, had sex and never spoke about it again.” Rainbow finished for her, crossing her forelegs. There was a pregnant pause. “To put it bluntly, yes.” The wonderbolt said, blushing furiously. “I’m assuming this is why Shining never knew you were pregnant?” Twilight said. “Why did you never tell me, Spitfire?” He asked. “How was I supposed to? You just fucked me and ran back home to Canterlot.” Spitfire replied gravely. “I had absolutely no way to get in touch with you.” “So I’m the bad guy in this?” Shining said. “You’re the who tried to force herself upon me even though I hardly knew you.” “Excuse me?! It’s no-” Twilight then slammed her hoof onto the chair, interrupting Spitfire’s counter-argument. “How about we just blame it on the alcohol and get back on track?” She said, slowly losing patience. Everypony stared at her, surprised at the sternness of her voice. Seeing the attention refocused on her, Twilight sat back in her chair. “So, Spitfire. We now return to Rainbow’s earlier question. Why did we find Scootaloo in the Ponyville orphanage?” Twilight said. Her voice had returned to it’s normally calm state so quickly that it creeped out everypony in the room. “I didn’t think I’d be able to take care of her, okay? It was for the best.” She said. “What? Did you think she would tax too much onto your bills?” Rainbow sneered. “That’s disgusting.” Spitfire looked ready to attack Rainbow. “That’s not, bucking, why.” She said through clenched teeth. “Then why?!” Shining cut in. “Did you eventry and find me? I would have gladly taken her in!” “I already said; how in tartarus was I supposed to find you in the millions of ponies living in Canterlot?” Twilight felt she was quickly losing control. “Everypony calm down! I’m sure we can-” “You still could’ve taken her in yourself! It’d be better then some crummy orphanage! I at least figured you of all ponies would be responsible enough!” “Would the orphanage have been better than the run down one bedroom apartment I lived in?” “Having an actual parent would have been better!” Rainbow got out of her chair, ready for a fight. “I can’t believe I ever looked up to you!” Spitfire sat up as well, and advanced towards her foe. “I bucking s-” “EVERYPONY BE QUIET!” Twilight shouted, grabbing the two mares in a magic grasp. Rainbow and Spitfire immediately went still as stone, completely immobilized in Twilight's purple tinted magic aura. “I can’t believe I have to do this!” She complained, lifting both of them into the air and away from one another. “Seriously?! Did both of you forget the part at the beginning where I said act civil!And I thought you were both grown mares, for Celestia's sake!"Then she dropped the two pegasi back down onto the ground with a loud thud. “Both of you, out of my library. I don’t have time for this nonsense.” Rainbow winced, Twilight’s words cutting her deep. “Listen Twi I’m really sorry I-” Twilight ignored her, “Sorry isn’t a good excuse for nearly assaulting somepony. And don’t think you’re off the hook either Spitfire.” She added, casting a deathly glare at the wonderbolt. “Now both of you, just go.” Spitfire looked embarrassed, or mad, or sad. Twilight couldn’t tell at this point, she was too frustrated to care. Each pony picked themselves up and made their way to the door. Rainbow accidentally bumped into Spitfire, who, about to start the fight all over again, cast one glance at Princess Twilight’s gaze and fled, the prismatic pegasus quickly doing the same. “So that was... interesting.” Shining Armor said. Twilight gave him a look that said shut up, I’m too tired for this. Shining slowly got out of the chair and made his way upstairs, understanding how hard his little sister was to deal with when angry. Twilight lay back in her chair, exhausted from the frustration. “Whoa!” Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open and Scootaloo fell out along with it. Twilight looked over at the heap of orange fur on the floor, she looked alright, just a bit bumped up. Then she said, “You were listening in through the crack, weren’t you?” “Uhhhhh… Maybe?” Scootaloo said with a tacked on smile. Of course. Twilight thought, burying her face in her hooves.
