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                     Raising Scootaloo                     
                      -by OpalGlass-                       
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                         Chapter 1                         
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Chapter 1
It was raining buckets outside. She couldn't figure out a better description for the amount of water that was falling endlessly from the skies.
She stared out through her window for only a minute or two longer before she retreated into her living room. Picking up a book from the bookshelf with her magic on her way by, she went over to her couch and curled up on it. A sigh of contentment escaped her as she opened the book to the place she had bookmarked and began to read. The pitter-patter of the rain on the roof helped her be drawn into the action of her book.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, but she didn't care. She knew she was safe and dry in her home.
It had been about four months since she had moved to Ponyville from Vanhoover Island, where she had grown up. She had managed to settle in nicely, and since she no longer had to worry about 'what would Mom/Dad think?', she was able to go on little misadventures that helped her gather ideas for her novels. So far, she had only had two published, and they weren't very well known. So far, she had to run from a manticore in the Everfree Forest, volunteered to help harvest apples at Sweet Apple Acres (since a mare that lived and worked there, Applejack, wanted to try and do it all herself), and learned a new spell from a magic book at the library, which allowed her to create a 'force-field' - just in case her misadventures threw her into a dangerous situation. That meant she now only knew how to lift things and protect herself with her magic.
The rest of her time had been used to settle in and get everything settled. This was the first time all week that she had the chance to sit down and read. Oh how she missed reading...
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone tapping weakly against her front door. Her ears perked, and she wondered about who would be out so late and in a storm like this. She placed her book on the coffee table before she got to her hooves and quickly trotted over to the door. Hastily, she opened the door with her magic and peered outside with wide eyes.
At first, she saw nothing, but then the sound of sniffling and a whimper drew her attention down. Her eyes widened even more as she took in the small, shivering form of a young orange pegasus filly with a magenta mane and tail. She was sopping wet, causing her colours to seem dull and sad. The filly snifled and looked up into her eyes with royal purple ones. She felt her heart melt for the poor thing. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"N-no..." the filly whimpered.
She cluckled her tongue in a motherly way before she used her magic to pick up the poor little soul. The powder blue aura surrounded the little one and she was levitated into the air. She carried her over to the couch and set her down.
The unicorn quickly summoned a soft and warm blanket from where it was sitting on a recliner across the room. Without moving, she opened the door to the closet next to the bathroom she could see, and took out a thick towel. It floated over to her and she used it to gently dry the filly off. Automatically, the filly lifted her wings and spread her feathers, and the unicorn uttered a small "thank you" before gently drying her wings. Once she was sure her little guest was dry, she wrapped the blanket around her, and tucked it all around her.
"There you go," the mare said softly. Thunder rolled across the sky, and she watched as the filly shivered. To help take the little one's mind off of the storm, she said, "My name's Crystal Quill. Do you have a name?"
The filly looked at her with wide eyes, as if she wasn't used to someone being so kind to her. That made the unicorn suspicious. After a moment or two, the filly whispered, "Scootaloo."
Crystal smiled. "That's a very pretty name, Scootaloo," she said. "Do you feel more comfortable now?"
The little pegasus nodded once, and broke eye contact. She watched her tense. Something's just not right, the mare thought. "Would you like something to drink? Tea, maybe? Or, how about some hot chocolate?"
An eager glimmer appeared in the filly's eyes, as if the fact that being offered the chocolaty drink was like being offered thousands of bits. "Yes, please," she said.
Crystal smiled gently.