“Of course I forgive you,” smiled First Base, “it does no good staying mad at somepony forever.”

“Y… you really mean that?” asked Dinky hopefully.

“Of course,” replied First Base, “why else do you think I took the hit for you when Boomer threw that flower pot at you?”

Remembering the incident, Dinky threw her hooves around First Base for a hug, which he gladly returned.

“Oh, give me a break,” groaned Scootaloo.

A few days later, Scattered Marbles had been taken to Canterlot High Court for his trial. He had been chained up to make sure he didn’t try to escape. Princess Celestia herself was the judge.

“Scattered Marbles,” she said sternly, “you are being charged for the crimes of foal abuse and trespassing. How do you plead?”

“It’s a free country!” snapped Scattered Marbles, “I should be allowed to beat up whoever I want!”

“Shut up, worm!” snarled Whiplash, whacking him on the back of the head, “Sass back at the princess again and I’ll carve you like a jack-o-lantern!”

“That will do, Whiplash,” said Celestia firmly.

“Sorry,” said Whiplash, “force of habit.”

“Anyway,” the princess continued, “are they any witnesses for the defense?”

“I am,” said a timid voice. Everypony looked as Fluttershy trotted forwards.

“Fluttershy, what are you doing?” Vincent hissed quietly.

“Scattered Marbles has been beating up his son Butterscotch for four years after blaming him for his mother Ivy’s death,” Fluttershy said to the crowd, “I tried to call the authorities, but I was too scared that he would kill Butterscotch. So out of shame, I stayed quiet.”

The crowd gasped.

“But what’s even worse,” the yellow Pegasus mare continued, “is that one time, I almost became a monster just like him.”

Then she explained about the time weeks prior to Twilight and Spike’s arrival regarding Iron Will the minotaur’s arrival in to Ponyville and how he got Fluttershy to stand up for herself by becoming a brute.

“Thank you for your speech, Fluttershy,” said Celestia once the yellow Pegasus mare finished, “has the jury reached a verdict?”

“Yes, your majesty,” said a mare on the jury, “we find Scattered Marbles guilty.”

Needless to say, Scattered Marbles – you guessed it – did not take the verdict well.

“Guilty?!” he snapped, “How dare you!”

“Silence, Scattered Marbles,” said Princess Celestia, “I hereby sentence you to fifty years in prison. Whiplash, take him away.”

“Yes, your majesty,” said Whiplash, who gave a sadistic chuckle to Scattered Marbles, “fitting since it’s my job to give freaks like him a taste of their own medicine!”

Scattered Marbles gave a quiet whimper.

“And no over-the-top punishment either,” ordered the Princess.

“I’ll do my best, your majesty,” said Whiplash, He then violently dragged Scattered Marbles away with him.

“No! Please have mercy on me!” he begged as he was taken away.

“It’s finally over,” said Fluttershy quietly. She felt somewhat sorry for Scattered Marbles being taken by Whiplash, but she was relieved that he would never harm Butterscotch ever again.

As for Boomer, he was sent to Canterlot Military School in disgrace.

“I can’t believe it!” he cried, “Me, going to military school!”

“And hopefully when you return,” grinned Fictionary innocently, “maybe you’ll learn to be a well-mannered colt?”

As for Butterscotch, Vincent had invited him to stay with him and Fictionary until they found somepony to raise him as their son. Not only that, but he was being given prosthetics for his hind legs and left wing.

“Your left hind leg is merely a stump,” explained the doctor, “but there’s no amputation that we can’t fix.”

“What about my wing, doc?” asked Butterscotch.

“Well, we’ll see what we can do about that,” the doctor replied.

While Butterscotch was having his prosthetics, Vincent was having a word with Fluttershy and Twilight.

“Is something wrong, Vincent?” asked Fluttershy.

“Not exactly,” said Vincent, “it’s just that Butterscotch doesn’t have a parent looking after him.”

“Fluttershy could look after him,” suggested Twilight, “she’s the only true family he has left, after all.”

“But she’ll be too busy tending to the animals,” explained Vincent.

“He’s got a point,” said Fluttershy, “tending to them will take a lot of work and I might not have enough time for Butterscotch.”

“But I know somepony who might,” said Vincent, “I’ve written to an old friend of mine and Fictionary from Liverhoof. Her name is Watermelody and she’s really good with foals. I should see if she’ll be willing to raise Butterscotch.”

“You mean you want Butterscotch to go away to Liverhoof?” Fluttershy asked, sounding heartbroken. Her nephew was finally feeling better about himself now that Scattered Marbles and Boomer were gone, and now it sounded like Vincent was having him sent to his old hometown.

“No, no, no,” said Vincent, “I didn’t mean it like that. Y’see, Watermelody told me through letter that she’s been having troubles of her own back in Liverhoof and lost her job at Hoofover Café. Because of that, she’s lost money and could be under threat of eviction.”

“That’s terrible,” said Twilight, “we’re very sorry to hear that.”

“So I talked her into coming to Ponyville,” Vincent continued, “and asked if she’d be willing to look after Butterscotch.”

Just then, one of the doctors came out.

“The operation is finished,” he said proudly, “you can now see him if you want.”

Vincent, Fluttershy, and Twilight entered the room and could not believe what they saw. Butterscotch almost looked exactly the way he did before the Timberwolf incident, apart from his ear and eye.

“Well?” he asked timidly, “How do I look?”

“You look great,” said Vincent.

“Better than ever before,” said Twilight.

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered quietly.

“How does it feel standing on four hooves again?” asked Vincent.

“It feels great!” said Butterscotch excitedly, “Although, I am a bit nervous on flying after what happened weeks ago.”

“I suggest you don’t do any real flying until you’ve gotten used to your new wing,” suggested the doctor, “you see, when Pegasi first get wing prosthetics, they are restricted to start out flying only a few feet in the air. As they get more used to them, they progress a little higher at a time until they can properly and safely fly like a normal Pegasus.”

“That makes sense,” said Butterscotch.

“Butterscotch,” said Vincent, “a friend of mine and Fictionary’s is coming to Ponyville. Her name is Watermelody and she’s great with foals. I wrote to her asking if she would be willing to adopt you. Would you like that?”

“That’d be great,” smiled Butterscotch. He loved the idea of being with a new family; one that would treat him with kindness and love.

A few days later, Fictionary, Butterscotch, Spike and three adults stood at Ponyville railway station.

“She should be here any minute,” said Vincent. After he said that, a loud, shrill whistle sounded in the distance.

“Feels more like any second,” said Fictionary.

Coming into view was a large red Equestrian Railroad “Princess” Class 4-6-4 tender locomotive, No. 2012 Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

“Wow,” exclaimed Butterscotch, “I’ve never seen an engine like that before.”

Then the doors to the coaches opened and the passengers got off. One of them was the mare the gang had been waiting for. The mare in question was a pinkish gray Pegasus with a light green mane and tail with pale highlights, grayish fuchsia eyes, and her cute mark was a treble clef with a watermelon slice. She also wore a dark red beret on her head.

“Good to see you again, Watermelody,” smiled Vincent, giving the mare a hug.

“Hello again, Vincent,” said Watermelody happily. Then she saw Butterscotch. “Aw, is this the colt you wanted me to adopt? He’s adorable!”

Butterscotch couldn’t help but blush at this compliment.

“That’s not what Scattered Marbles thought,” said Fluttershy, and explained about the recent ordeals.

“That’s dreadful,” remarked Watermelody, “no foal deserves to be treated like dirt!”

“That’s what we all said,” said Vincent, “but that fool Scattered Marbles was too stubborn to admit he was in the wrong.”

“Don’t you worry, Butterscotch,” said Watermelody, giving the young colt a comforting hug, “I’ll see to it that you’re treated with the love and care that you deserve.”

A few days later, Butterscotch showed his new look to the other foals.

“You look a whole lot better,” commented Scootaloo.

“Certainly stronger than before,” agreed Apple Bloom.

“Yay!” cheered Sweetie Belle.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better now, Butterscotch,” Fictionary smiled.

“So am I,” said Butterscotch, “and thanks for being my friend and never giving up on me when I first came here.”

With that, he threw himself onto Fictionary giving her hug and a kiss on her face. The light blue unicorn filly blushed bright red, but also returned the hug.

“Oh, give me a break!” remarked Scootaloo, “One mushy moment too many!”

“Actually, it was three ‘mushy moments’, as you so put them,” said Apple Bloom.

Butterscotch simply smiled; for the first time in four years, he felt proud of himself. He was finally being accepted by those around him not for his looks, but for his kindness and undying courage to stand up for his friends.

At that moment, Diamond Tiara came trotting by with Silver Spoon once again by her side.

“I can’t believe Boomer lied to you,” she said, trying to comfort her friend.

“Well, well, Diamond Tiara,” said Fictionary, “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”

“I sure have,” said the pink earth filly, “never fall in love with somepony you’ve first met.”

“Just a thought,” said Sweetie Belle, “but what if you two actually became friends with us for once?”

“What? You’re crazy,” scoffed Diamond Tiara, “this incident was this incident, okay?”

“It was just a thought,” said Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, well you think too much.”

“Ah, well,” said Fictionary, “one of these days…”

Butterscotch just gave a quiet laugh. He then noticed Fluttershy writing in the journal she shared with her friends.

“In the last few weeks, I learned that you should never be afraid of reporting abusive activities. If you let your fear get in the way, it will only make things worse not only for the victim, but for you as well. Also, just because somepony has a certain disability doesn’t mean they can’t help their friends, as my nephew Butterscotch has learned.”

She closed the book happily and watched Butterscotch playing with his new friends. At that moment, Dinky and First Base arrived.

“Hey, Butterscotch,” said First Base, “wanna play kick ball with us?”

“You bet, First Base,” said Butterscotch, “how are you and Dinky getting on?”

“Pretty good,” smiled Dinky as she nuzzled First Base.

“Her parents and sisters are okay with it,” added First Base, “and so is mom. She figured it was about time I found my special somepony.”

Butterscotch just chuckled.

“Can I join too?” asked Fictionary.

“Sure, why not?” smiled First Base.

With that, the four friends trotted off to play kickball.

At last, the day came when Butterscotch officially became under Watermelody’s care. Very recently, the pinkish gray Pegasus had moved into a cottage close by the Metrostallion House and got a new job as waitress at a local restaurant called The Hayburger.

Fluttershy was rather upset to let Butterscotch go, but she knew it was for the best and that he would be happier.

“I promise to visit you whenever I have the chance,” Butterscotch said.

“Take care, Butterscotch,” said Fluttershy softly, giving her nephew a hug. Big Macintosh was passing by with a cart full of apples.

“Take care, young ‘un,” he called.

“I will, Uncle Macintosh,” Butterscotch called back cheekily. The large red stallion stopped in surprise and Fluttershy blushed, her wings springing open.

“How do ya’ll know about our relationship?” he asked.

“You just mentioned it,” chuckled Butterscotch. The three adults had a laugh at his little joke as well.

Fluttershy could see they weren’t alone as their friends had also come to see Butterscotch with his new family. Fictionary jumped through the crowd as hugged him happily.

“Oh! Hey, Fictionary,” said Butterscotch.

“Hi, Butterscotch,” said Fictionary in a cheeky tone.

“Aren’t ya gonna give yer new fillyfriend a kiss?” Apple Bloom asked teasingly. The two foals blushed with embarrassment at Apple Bloom’s remark.

Fictionary stopped blushing when a cheeky grin came on her face.

“At least I’m not too shy to show affection to somepony,” she said teasingly to Apple Bloom, “like how you are with Featherweight?”

Now it was Apple Bloom’s turn to feel embarrassment.

“A-Ah’ve no clue to what yer talkin’ ‘bout!” she spluttered as her cheeks blushed as red as her mane. This made everypony – even Big Macintosh and Scootaloo – have a slight laugh.

“Aww, Apple Bloom has a crush too,” giggled Sweetie Belle.

“Ah do not!” Apple Bloom shouted in embarrassment.

“Nopony would see me crushing on anyone,” Scootaloo mumbled.

“Would you lot stop being silly?” interrupted Vincent.

“Sorry, Vincent,” said the foals.

“He’s right,” said Fluttershy, “we should at least be thankful Scattered Marbles is finally behind bars where he belongs.”

Everypony else could not have agreed more.

“Good luck with your new life, Butterscotch,” said Spike, giving a thumbs up.

“You should come by to Sugarcube Corner sometime for a ‘Butterscotch’ sundae!” giggled Pinkie, “Get it? Your name is Butterscotch, and Butterscotch is a topping for ice cream!”

“Can’t wait til you’re flying properly,” said Rainbow Dash, messing with Butterscoth’s mane, “when that time comes, I’m gonna teach you how to be a great flyer!”

“Just like your coltfriend from the Wonderbolts, I presume?” said Watermelody with a smirk.

Rainbow Dash’s face blushed bright red and her wings extended.

“How do-?! I don’t-! Who told you?!” she spluttered.

“Oh, a little yellow birdie told me,” said Watermelody innocently. Vincent tried his best not to laugh.

“Ah look forwards ta havin’ ya visitin’ Sweet Apple Acres,” said Applejack, “feel free to come by and try some tasty apples.”

“Eeyup,” agreed Big Macintosh.

“Butterscotch,” said Rarity, “as a little present for your new life, I’ve taken the liberty of making this rather fabulous looking sweater for you.”

“It’s terrific!” he said excitedly, “I hear your sister was talented, Sweetie Belle, but I didn’t realize she was this talented.”

“And feel free to come to Golden Oak Library,” said Twilight, “you’ll be sure to find interesting books that can be of use to you.”

At this point, Fluttershy’s eyes began to fill with tears again.

“Aunt Fluttershy?” asked Butterscotch softly, “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” she replied softly, “these are just tears of joy. If only Ivy could see you today…”

“I’m sure she’d be just as proud as we all are,” said Twilight.

In Butterscotch’s eyes, Watermelody almost reminded him of Ivy in so many ways. It almost felt as if she had been resurrected to take care of him once again.

“Yer doin’ the right thing, Fluttershy,” said Applejack.

“Eeyup,” agreed Big Macintosh, giving his fillyfriend a gentle, comforting hug.

“Thanks,” said Fluttershy softly.

While nopony was watching, the specter of an orange Pegasus mare appeared, watching them.

“I’m sorry, Ivy,” said Fluttershy quietly, “I’m unable to watch over your youngest son while watching over all my animal friends, but I hope you’ll understand that I’m leaving him in good hooves.”

The specter heard her and gave a small smile.

“I understand, Fluttershy,” she said gently, “and thank you for finding the courage to stop Scattered Marbles from causing Butterscotch anymore harm.”

She then looked at Butterscotch. “I will always be with you, my little Butterscotch,” she said before slowly fading away.

For Butterscotch and Watermelody, it was the beginning of a new life; Watermelody would treat Butterscotch with the same love and care that Ivy treated him with, and Butterscotch would do as she told him because he didn’t want to lose her the way he lost his own mother. But no matter what happened, the two would have a perfectly happy future.

THE END

Author's Note

The reason behind Fluttershy's behavior in Putting Your Hoof Down is finally revealed... sort of.

The Equestrian Railroad Princess Class 4-6-4 is a fictional locomotive design I came up. No. 2012 Princess Mi Amore Cadenza refers to Princess Cadance herself, and the year A Canterlot Wedding aired.

Watermelody is based on a background human seen in Equestria Girls. She came from Swincolt before living in Liverhoof and later, Ponyville. I imagine her sounding like Billie Piper.

I didn't know how many mushy moments Scootaloo had witnessed, so I made a guess she witnessed three. If anyone wants to correct me on that, let me know!

Diamond Tiara refusing to befriend the Cutie Mark Crusaders is based on the TUGS episode, "High Winds" when Zebedee refuses to join the Star Tugs.