Being Good to Her

“Wow….” was all the small, yellow filly could say at the sudden news. The thought alone was shocking in and of itself, but then for it to be real, that was a game changer

“So… do you live with her now?” Sweetie Belle asked, leaning in curiously to hear the answer.

Scootaloo, having just told her friends that she found her mother, and that her mother was none other than Fluttershy, had left her beaming, granted, she’d never thought much of Fluttershy beyond she’s pretty and she’s nice but still she was excited. “Yup, she got custody of me yesterday! I don’t have my own room yet so I sleep with her.” Scootaloo explained from under her Rainbow Dash poster and life size plush in the CMC treehouse. As usual the three gathered there, looking for the next breakthrough in cutie mark gaining techniques, however their crusading stopped short when Scootaloo made her announcement

“That’s so weird!” Applebloom spoke excitedly “Ah’d never’a thought’a dat!”

“Yeah, this is super exciting! Oh, oh, do you know anything else like, like, your daddy or or…” the screeching filly was cut off by an orange hoof stuffed in her muzzle

“Let’s not bring up the daddy thing, ok?” she asked almost pleadingly, ears folded, downtrodden look in her eye. Accepting the look alone as proof to the uncomfortableness of the question the other two moved the conversation

“So, do you get to help with the animals too?” Sweetie asked

“I did a little this morning, I just fed them but they were pretty cool. Mom says…” Scootaloo stopped, feeling a rush of excitement shoot up her spine at the words “uh, yeah, she says I can have a pet too! I don’t know what to pick so I’m waiting for something cool.”

The filly’s perched a brow each “Ah thought yalls wanted a turtle.”

“Tortoise.” Sweetie corrected

“Oh, yeah I did… but…” Scootaloo scratched her chin thoughtfully but could find no answer “I guess I just don’t anymore.”

The other two looked at one another and shrugged, Applebloom turning back to ask “So what’s she like, ah mean, does she do mom stuff?” she asked innocently

Taken aback by the silly question, Scootaloo answered “I guess? I don’t know what mom stuff is.”

The two turned to the only filly with mom experience “What?” Sweetie squeaked

“We wanna know what mom stuff is.” Scootaloo asked

“Uh, well…” Sweetie stuck her tongue out in thought for a moment “I guess, mom stuff is like, reading you books before bed and making you go to school and yelling at you, like, a lot.”

“Fluttershy yellin’? Well, we can cross that one off.” Applebloom giggled

“She didn’t read any books and I didn’t go to school today…” Scootaloo added

Sweetie Belle gasped “What if she doesn’t know how to do mom stuff!?” her final word squeaky enough to break glass had there been any nearby

“That’s silly, yalls are silly.” Applebloom sat matter of factly.

“Maybe she’s right, but, where do you learn to do mom stuff?” Scootaloo asked “Think about it, you have to learn mom stuff some how right?”

“Ah guess…” Applebloom muttered

“Oh, oh, maybe you learn it at school?” Sweetie pondered

“Duh, of course, we just need to go to school and get a mom book!” Scootaloo announced matter of factly

“Why would they have a mom book?” Applebloom protested

“Duh, they have books for everything, like science and history, even for dumb things like math! They have to have a mom book.” Scootaloo assumed

“Then it’s settled, let’s go see Cheerilee and get a mom book!”

‘Is this real life...’ Cheerilee thought behind her desk, staring down at the filly’s known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders ‘Where do kids get these things.’ she thought woefully, shaking her head “Girls, there’s no such thing as a mom book, well, not here anyways.”

“What!?” They shouted in unison

“Yep, this school doesn’t teach that stuff girls.” She reiterated

“But how do mommy’s learn to be mommy’s” Sweetie asked

“That’s actually an interesting question Sweetie.” Cheerilee said with a smile, getting up from her seat. If anyone had asked what a princess and a teacher had in common, the CMC would answer the tone they have when they wanna teach you stuff, and Cheerilee had it in spades. “You see girls, it’s not that simple of a question, there are multiple answers. The first is instinct, a mare will naturally know the basics inside of her of how to take care of a foal, and that in itself is a vague answer. For instance, instinct will tell the mare she needs to feed and protect the foal but not how to change a diaper.”

The girls all stared intently at the explanation though the information seemed to find it’s way in and out of their ears “When it comes to specific things when raising a foal, it’s generally learned from other mothers, like a mares own mother. However, as you may have guessed, there are places that teach a mare how to care for foals and there are indeed books on the subject, just not here.”

The three groaned “Again, how come yalls always gotta send us from place to place to learn thangs.” Applebloom complained

“Do you know how to do mom things?” Sweetie asked, only to be jabbed by Scootaloo

“Of course she doesn’t, she’s not even a mom, she’s a teacher.” Scootaloo stated, much to Cheerilee’s chagrin

“Anyways, let’s go to the library. Ahm sure Twi’s got a book on mom stuff.” Applebloom said, rushing out the door with her friends.

There, Cheerilee sat as the fillies escaped, frown on her face, sighing “Story of my life…” she muttered aloud

“What do you mean she’s not here!” Sweetie yelled at the purple dragon in front of her, a broom clutched in his scaley mitt.

“What else would it mean? She’s gone, not here, away, your princess is at another castle, what do you want from me?” Spike complained back

“Well, can we go through the books anyway?” Scootaloo asked

“Just… don’t destroy the library ok?” Asked, pointing them to the books before wandering off to continue his work.

Rummaging through the books, it didn’t take long for the filly’s to come across ‘Motherhood: A Guide’, the three taking it to a table and splitting it open to read it’s contents. The three had been there for over an hour, trying their best to decipher the many words that seemed to hold no meaning in their young heads, the occasional blush arising then they had to flip passed something they’d rather not see regardless of what information might be available. After having tore through the book, the three sat in a group daze.

“Ah don’t thank that helped…” Applebloom was first to admit

“Yeah, they didn’t mention any of the stuff my mom does…” Sweetie added

“Ms Cake has children…” Scootaloo announced.

Bewildered, Ms Cake stared down at three fillies who frequented her place of business, trying to process the question ‘Would you teach us how to be mommy’s?’ though her brain wanted nothing to do with the information. Despite this, Ms Cake had to ask “Why?”

Taking a sharp intake of air, Sweetie Belle spilled out the contents of their day and thought process behind why they believed Fluttershy be in need ot mommy training.

“Uh-huh…” Ms Cake replied, though something didn’t quite click “And why would Fluttershy need to know how to be a mother exactly?” in reply the girls pointed at Scootaloo “Oh, how sweet, she adopted you!”

“What, no, she’s my mom.”

“That’s what adoption is deary.” Ms Cake replied

“No no, she’s my actual mom.”

“It’s so sweet you have such a connection with you foster…” Ms Cake began, stopping mid sentence at the sight of a raised orange hoof

“So, you know how you went to the hospital to have Pound and Pumpkin?” Scootaloo said, forcing a nod from Ms Cake “Ok, so do that, but with Fluttershy and then me.”

Blinking, Ms Cake could only gape as she searched for understanding “I’m, uh…” feeling the need, Scootaloo, with little detail, explained the scenario in which she was placed “Oooh, oh my, that’s so sad…” Ms Cake replied “But, I don’t think I could help even if I thought she needed it… girls I’m raising two foals, I don’t know anything about children your age. Even then, don’t you think this is a bit silly?”

“Ah told yalls…” Applebloom interjected

“I don’t think Miss Fluttershy needs any help.”

“But she didn't do any mommy stuff yet!” Sweetie Belle argued

Giggling, Ms Cake pat the filly on the head “What exactly do you think “mommy” stuff is?”

“Well, reading books at night, tucking you in, yelling a lot, making you go to school, making you do homework, more yelling, making food, yelling at your sister…” Ms Cake stopped the filly

“Has it crossed your mind that mother’s don’t all do the same thing?” She asked, knowing the answer full well “Look girls, not everypony raises their children the same way. Besides, from the sounds of it it’s been all of a day since she got you back, right? Well, maybe give her some time before making these random assumptions?”

The girls looked at the ground together, each feeling rather ridiculous after their long day of futile searching for something that, they had to admit, did sound a little silly “S-sorry Ms Cake, it’s just, we didn’t know and since Sweetie was the only one with a mom…”

Ms Cake chuckled “Oh, don’t worry about it dearies, you’re just curious little fillies. Here.” Ms Cake reached down and pulled out a small box “Why don’t you girls run along and have these, we’re about to close up soon and these would go to waste otherwise.” she said giving the girls a small package of four cupcakes.

Taking the confections, the three scurried away, rather embarrassed “Good job Sweetie Belle, you made us waste our entire day!” Scootaloo complained.

“Well, you didn’t, umm… nyah!” She retorted by sticking her tongue out at her.

“Well, at least we got some free cupcakes, so, ah guess this is a win?” Applebloom insinuated.

“I guess… anyways, I have to go home or mom’s going to kill me.” Sweetie said, levitating a cupcake onto her back “See you later!” she said as she trotted away

“Yeah, ah don’t wanna get yelled at by Applejack either.” Spoke Applebloom who picked a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting from the box “Bye!” she too trotted away

“Mom, I’m home!” Scootaloo shouted, the words making her chest warm

“Oh, hi honey.” Fluttershy said as she came from the kitchen “Did you have fun today?” she smiled

“Oh, yeah. Here.” Scootaloo shoved the half empty box in front of her mother

“Where’d you get these from.” Fluttershy asked as she placed the box on the table

“Oh, well, Ms Cake gave them to us before she closed shop.” Answered Scootaloo hesitantly

Sensing this hesitation, Fluttershy asked “Is something bothering you?”

After an awkward silence came the awkward explanation of the awkward questions they awkwardly asked everypony though had no idea it was awkward until they awkwardly talked to Ms Cake.

Fluttershy took the explanation in stride, giggling the entire way through at the ridiculous ideas the fillies had, pausing her laughter only to bite into her cupcake “I didn't realize mommy stuff required me to yell and read books.” she replied to a blushing Scootaloo who was rubbing the back of her mane

“Yeah…” she replied, fiddling with the frosting of her own cupcake

“It’s ok, if you really want I can read you bedtime stories, though, I’m volume challenged as Rainbow put it, so there might not be much yelling.”

“That’s fine, I think I’ll manage.” Scootaloo smiled, turning to her cupcake to jam the entire contents into her mouth “Ah’ re-ee fur ah ory ow!” she said through a stuffed mouth

Getting up from her seat Fluttershy walked over to Scootaloo, placing a wing over her and guiding her to the stairs “Well, the first story will be about a filly who had to brush her teeth and wipe the icing from her face.” Fluttershy smiled as the two shared their second night together as mother and daughter.