Scootaloo's Family Appreciation Day
This is one of a series of stories which follow the events of the series as far as Magical Mystery Cure
Diamond Tiara was feeling like it was going to be a good day. Diamond was happy for two reasons, she had just come back from a fortnight in Manehattan and it was Family Appreciation Day. She would be able to make some prime fun out of one of the blank-flanks because of all the times that it had been her time to do so she had brought her grandmother, a old mare who worked at the local newspaper.
As Miss Cheerilee called the foals in, Diamond smiled as she walked alongside the blank-flanks.
“So Scootaloo, I'm guessing your mother couldn't make it again. Have you ever considered the possibility that your mother doesn't want anything to do with a dodo like you. She's never here, has she?.”
Her laughter was echoed by her best friend Silver Spoon. Scootaloo didn't bother to respond, preferring to just look at the ground while Applebloom struggled to stop Sweetie Belle from attacking Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo looked up and put her hoof on Sweetie's shoulder. Diamond spectacularly failed to spot the slight smile on Scootaloo's face before she spoke. “It's alright, you know she's probably right.”
As she sat at her desk, Diamond Tiara laughed to herself as Scootaloo was called to the front of the room to speak to Miss Cheerilee. She glanced over at Silver Spoon and stage whispered. “Look, the dumb blank-flank dodo is having to explain that her old grandmother couldn't even turn up this week. This is going to be brilliant.”
Holding back Sweetie Belle from jumping over the desk and causing serious bodily harm, Applebloom smiled. “Calm down, Sweetie. You know this isn't the time for this.”
Scootaloo sat down in her seat and frowned before turning to Diamond Tiara. “Are you enjoying this, Diamond?.”
Diamond Tiara laughed. “I'm loving it, any bad day for you is a good day for me, dodo.”
Scootaloo's smile was not what she had been expecting but any questions as to why she was smiling were stopped as Miss Cheerilee spoke. “As you know, today is Bring Your Parent to Work day. Scootaloo, I believe it is your turn.”
Diamond Tiara ignored the somewhat startled look on Silver Spoon's face and laughed. “Miss Cheerilee, why bother with this farce. We all know that Scootaloo's parents never bother to turn up and she hasn't even bothered to drag her grandmother here to prolong the farce.”
Miss Cheerilee smiled as the sound of multiple pegasi landing came from outside. “That's odd, Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo was just telling me that her mother was delayed. I guess that's her now.”
Diamond Tiara was frankly unsure of what was going to happen now. This was certainly unexpected. The alicorn who stepped through the door, flanked by three of her newly appointed royal guards, was more of a surprise, even Miss Cheerilee seemed a little surprised.
Rumble looked at Scootaloo and asked the one question on his mind at that point. “Scoots, you never told me that Twilight Sparkle was your mother.”
Giggles from most of the students were stopped as Miss Cheerilee motioned frantically for silence. “Your highness, this is an unexpected pleasure.”
Twilight smiled. “I'm sorry for interrupting, I didn't want to miss this for the world.” She looked to the door into the school house when a mare in full ceremonial barding stepped inside. The guards inside snapped to attention as the mare trotted to the front of the class.
Miss Cheerilee, remembering what was supposed to happen, smiled. “Scootaloo, come to the front of the class.”
Diamond Tiara was almost beside herself as Scootaloo ran up to her mother and hugged her. Diamond looked at Applebloom and Sweetie and asked them “Are you trying to tell me that she's the dodo's mother.”
Applebloom just smiled and pointed to the front of the class as the mare took off her helmet to reveal a short, spiky yellow mane then put the oversized helmet on Scootaloo's head, to muffled complaints from her daughter. Her voice was straight off the parade ground, loud and clear but tinged with pride. “I am Captain Swift Wind of the Twilight Guard. I am sorry that I have not been able to be here for Scootaloo's previous Family Appreciation Days but I have been on assignment elsewhere.” She smiled and nodded at Twilight. “As of now I am assigned permanently to Ponyville as the head of Princess Sparkle's royal protection detail.”
Swift continued speaking to the enthralled students. “Sadly, I cannot speak of most of my recent activities as they are matters of Equestrian national security.”
Rumble was laughing his head off. “This is so awesome.” Swift smiled as most of the class laughed.
Swift looked down at her daughter as Scootaloo extricated herself from the helmet and ruffled her mane before looking back at the class. “Because I cannot give you a speech on what my work entails.” The smile returned as she noted that after four days in her new job (including a weekend which she spent with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash and, under orders from the Princess, gave her new job little thought) she was not entirely sure what her work entailed.
“With Miss Cheerilee's permission we shall all go outside and I shall give you an idea of what it is like to be in the guard.”
Miss Cheerilee nodded. “It's alright children, go outside.”
Twilight stepped closer to Miss Cheerilee as the foals stepped outside. Cheerilee looked at the princess and smiled. “When Scootaloo said that her mother could finally be here for Family Appreciation Day I was not expecting all of this.”
Twilight smiled. “I've been informed that there will have to be a heightened military presence in Ponyville now that I'm a princess. I've seen foals in Canterlot who were scared by the high number of armoured ponies so I suggested that Swift make an event of it so that the foals will be less scared if they see the Guard in town.” Twilight leaned in closer. “And I wanted to see what Swift is like in a situation like this. I know her military record but I don't know what she's like as a regular pony.”
While Twilight and Miss Cheerilee spoke, Swift and Scootaloo led the children outside where more armoured guardsponies were waiting. It looked as if the new guard commander was pushing the boat out for her first Family Appreciation Day.
Walking to a bench with a unarmoured, although muscular stallion, Swift picked up the helmet from a suit of guard armour and held it up for the foals to see. “This is the Mjolnir mark IV barding sut. Different versions are available with adaptations for Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi. It provides defence against dragons, griffins and if worse comes to worst Dragonequi. As a member of the guard, I spend most of my time at work in one of these suits.”
She motioned to the stallion. This is Iron Hammer, he is the quartermaster for the princess’s security force”. She picked up the helmet from a much smaller suit, acting as though it was a lot heavier than it was (she had requisitioned a pair of foal-sized suits from the Guard headquarters in Canterlot which were used for the much larger Guard Open Days there). “He has provided a pair of smaller suits for any pony who wishes to try them out.”
Several of the students were shouting that they volunteered, Rumble more than any of them. Swift walked along the line of foals before pointing at Rumble “You” then looked at Pipsqueak who looked as though he was having second thoughts. “And you, front and centre”
Pip looked like he was regretting the whole idea so Swift looked down and knelt next to him before whispering. “It's alright, little one. It's not as heavy as it looks”.
While the two colts were being put into the armour Swift turned back to the other foals as she led them to a low rail which had been placed along the centre of the yard. At one end there was a pole sticking out of the ground with two arms at about the height of a fully-grown pony. One arm had a shield attached to it, the other a heavy rubber ball on a chain. “This is a quintain. It is used to improve the coordination of guardsponies, especially those who use this”. She picked up a lance, then placed her helmet on her head. “I shall demonstrate what I mean”.
She strode to the end of the rail opposite the quintain, then galloped towards it, lowering her lance to strike the shield. She ducked as the rubber ball swung towards her then stopped. She walked back to where Rumble and Pipsqueak had been placed into the armour before looking down at them as one of the guardsponies placed a appropriately sized quintain in place of the one Swift had used.
She took a pair of light, rubber tipped spears, scaled for the foals and smiled. “Would either of you like to give it a try?”.
Rumble and Pipsqueak galloped to have a go as Swift looked at the other foals. “Worry not, all of you foals who want a go will have a chance. Meanwhile, the rest of us will be doing something which soldiers have done since the foundation of Equestria, learning military strategy.”
She led the foals to a foal's height table which had been set up in the middle of the yard, under a canopy. “Separate into two teams. On this table is a representation of the battle of Mareitious, a battle which took place about 350 years ago. On that day, a badly outnumbered army of Celestia's finest faced off against a numerically superior force of changelings.”
She motioned to moulded bases with squads of models of changelings, pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns on them. ”I will give you a basic understanding of the abilities of each troop type and explain how the terrain would effect the battle. At the end of the day we will replay the battle to see if the changelings can break through the Equestrian lines.”You will lead Celestia's forces”.
Diamond looked at Swift as if she had grown a second head. “I don't know anything about military tactics”.
Swift nodded. “Chances are that most of the ponies here don't know anything about military tactics”.
She smiled. “That is why I will tell you what you need to know” then glanced at Miss Cheerilee. Cheerilee nodded and Swift knelt down so that she was eye-to-eye with the filly before speaking. “I spoke to your father yesterday about certain equipment needs my troops would need here and he pointed out that one of his, one of your ancestors was in charge of one of the Earth Pony units at this battle. It's what gave me the idea of doing this today”.
Diamond looked at Swift, unsure if this was some kind of payback for the way she had treated her daughter. Guessing she didn't have grounds to complain, Diamond nodded. “Okay”.
Swift nodded, stood up and strode to the table before looking at the foals on the Changeling side of the table. She stepped over to Applebloom. “You shall be in charge of the Changeling forces. All of you are here to suggest ideas to your commanders. My daughter and Princess Sparkle will act as impartial judges”.
She trotted over to her daughter before placing a hoof on her shoulder and whispering. “And you will be impartial. I don't care that Applebloom is your friend”.
Swift glanced over at where Pipsqueak and Rumble was walking back from the quintain. Judging by the way Rumble had been rubbing the back of his head she guessed he hadn't ducked at least once. She looked around and smiled. “Can I have two more volunteers for armour practice”. Two pegasi jumped at the chance. Swift smiled. “No flying”. There was a small amount of groaning but the two pegasi ran off to Iron Hammer.
Turning back to the table, Swift started explaining the basic abilities of a pegasus unit. The day seemed to be going well and all in all it was a good day to be a mother.
Author's Note
This was an idea which was bouncing around in my head after Kenshinryuu suggested the Bring Your Parent To School Day idea. All plaudits go to him, I just plundered his idea.
