The school bell rang inside the Ponyville school one Hearth's Warming. All of the colts and fillies cheered with joy as they jumped out of their seats, ready to head to their homes and families.
"Goodbye, my little ponies! Merry Hearth's Warming!" Cheerilee said happily as she handed out candy canes to all of her students.
Almost all the little ponies were very happy, even Diamond Tiara was in a good mood. But a little orange pegasus filly with a mulberry-colored mane wasn't happy for the holiday. She just wanted to skip Hearth's Warming altogether.
But when she thought about it, she refused to hate it, that wasn't the problem she had, she just yearned for joy during it. The holiday was just a reminder of her loneliness.
She grumbled slightly and walked over to the door a bit slowly and grabbed the candy cane Cheerilee was handing to her. She popped it into her mouth and let the minty flavor run onto her tounge. She then walked out the door and walked over to her scooter, parked next to a tree. She sloppily put on her helmet and stood on her scooter, about to head off.
"Bah' Scoots, bah' Sweetie! Ah' have ta go now if Ah' want to get home in time. Applejack, Granny, Big Mac and Ah' are going to spend the holidays with Pinkie Pie's family." Apple Bloom said with a massive grin as she and Sweetie Belle ran over to Scootaloo. "It'll be so much fun!"
"Yeah, I have to go too," Sweetie Belle said, excitement showing through her light green eyes. She was jumping around, doing a sort of happy dance. "Rarity is taking us to Canterlot to spend Hearth's Warming with our parents!"
Scootaloo's eyes darkened for a second before she forced her face into a grin. She felt jealous that her friends had families to be with while she didn't, "Alright, have fun! Uh, I have to go. Bye girls!"
Sweetie Belle sensed something was wrong but just as she was opening her mouth to ask Scootaloo if she was OK, Scootaloo was already gone. She quickly pushed herself off and started buzzing her wings, gathering speed by the second. She didn't look back as she headed in the direction opposite of her friends' houses.
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle called out, jumping and waving her hooves around, hoping Scootaloo would turn around and see her. "Wait!"
"What's with 'er? Ah' doubt she's coming back anyways. It'll be impossible ta' catch 'er now." Apple Bloom said as she lay a hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. While she worried about the pegasus, she knew that she and Sweetie couldn't be late. "Plus, we 'ave to go. We don't want ta' miss our trains."
"I guess..." Sweetie Belle muttered, disappointment clear in her voice. She was worried about Scootaloo but decided that her friend was probably late and had to hurry somewhere. "Bye, Apple Bloom."
Once the two fillies exchanged goodbyes, they each headed their own ways home. They both stopped and stared at the small speck that was left of Scootaloo before they turned around and continued walking. They quickly forgot their worries about Scootaloo and happily trotting home, ready for their trips.
A little unicorn filly, Dinky Hooves was happily prancing home. She thought about the presents in her saddlebags that she made for her mother, Derpy Hooves, and her dad, Dr. Whooves. She was glad she could spend Hearths Warming with her kind and loving parents. As her thoughts wandered, she thought about her best friend, Scootaloo. She wondered what the pegasus was going to do for Hearth's Warming.
Dinky then made a turn and continued walking, only to notice the orange filly on a scooter almost crashing into her. Scootaloo quickly turned, barely avoiding the small purple-gray unicorn as she crashed into a tree, falling off of her scooter.
"Scoots, are you OK?!" Dinky gasped, recognizing her friend as she lay in a unmoving heap on the ground. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity to Dinky, Scootaloo let out a groan as she stood up, regaining her composure. She then noticed the frightened unicorn filly asking her if she was alright.
"Ya, 'm fine," Scootaloo groaned. She took off her helmet and rubbed her head a bit. Then, popping the helmet back on, she asked, "Are you alright, Dinky? Whatcha doing here anyways?"
"I'm okay," Dinky said. "I'm on my way home-"
Home, Scootaloo thought, something I'll never have. She heard Dinky finish speaking.
"-After all, that was a pretty nasty crash. That must've hurt." Dinky said with worry, looking at her friend. Her nervousness showed clearly through her golden eyes.
Aw, Dinky's such a nice and caring filly, Scootaloo thought, sadly smiling. I'm glad that she has a loving family and warm home for the holidays. Seeing that Dinky was awaiting a reply, she said with a cocky smile "Don't worry, I've had worse crashes before. But I have to go now. See ya, Dinky!"
Dinky, remembering her question asked, "Wait, Scoots! What're you doing for Hearth's Warming?"
"Uh, f-family stuff ..." Scootaloo stuttered nervously. Picking her scooter back up and climbing on top of it, she quickly said, "Um, I really have to go, Dinky."
Scootaloo then sped away on her scooter, hoping she didn't draw too much suspicion from Dinky. After a minute, she convinced herself that Dinky wasn't suspicious and rode a bit slower on her way home. Little did she know that the gray unicorn filly was following her.
Dinky felt that something was not right. Something about Scootaloo made her worry. Making her choice quickly, she started to follow Scootaloo. She had to make sure everything was OK before she went home. She started jogging to make sure she didn't lose Scootaloo. She knew it was wrong to spy, but what if something was wrong? She had to find out.
After a few minutes of chasing Scootaloo, Dinky noticed they were nearing her own home.
It was about a block away from her home when she noticed Scootaloo get off of her scooter and walk into an alley. She considered it strange that her friend would walk down an alley instead of going home. She carefully, and quietly neared the alley to look in. It was a dark and hidden alley, one you wouldn't notice unless you were searching for it. There were a few posters hanging up on the walls and cardboard box in a corner.
Dinky saw her friend park her scooter next to the box and put her helmet on the handlebars. She climbed inside the box and put her saddlebags away before starting to head out of the alley. Dinky quickly became confused, 'she couldn't be homeless... right?' Dinky thought to herself, 'She should've told me,'
Dinky hid and watched as Scootaloo walked behind a nearby store and rummaged through the bins. She pulled out a peach that hadn't been eaten at all and smiled in delight. She pulled some more food out, yet most of it was eaten by then. After a few minutes, she left with her peach, a full apple, and two carrots. All in all, she could see the pegasus was happy with her findings.
She went back to her alley and deposited the carrots and apple before hopping onto her scooter, putting on her helmet and riding off in the direction of the park with her peach. Dinky decided to confront Scootaloo and get some answers out of her, after all, ponies aren't supposed to leave their friends hanging.
Scootaloo arrived at the park, which was empty besides for her and Dinky, and put her scooter against a tree. Near the tree was a pond where she began washing the peach, letting the crystal clear waters envelop the fruit. When she was satisfied with it, the pegasus took a bite of the peach and looked up at the sky, finding that it was beginning to snow.
She tried to puff up her feathers in an attempt to warm herself but her feathers were far too small to provide any warmth. She hated those wings at times, mostly because they made her a grounded pegasus. What kind of pegasus couldn't fly? The little feathers just allowed her to be teased horribly. All she wanted was to fly, was that too much to ask of her wings? Knowing that nopony was nearby, she let the tears fall.
Scootaloo remembered the pain in her heart every time a bully teased her because she couldn't fly. She leaned forward to gaze upon her reflection in the pond. A few tears fell into the water, causing ripples in Scootaloo's reflection. How she hated those bullies, it wasn't always mental bullying, sometimes they managed to land a few punches too.
Scootaloo tore her gaze from the reflection and looked at her right wing. She moved a few feathers with her hoof and saw the purple bruise that had formed a few days ago. Luckily, she was able to escape before she got injured further. But it still hurt every time she remembered how they had mentally broken her.
While she cried and finished her peach, she thought she heard a pony call her name. She looked around, tear eyed, yet nopony was to be seen.
"Scootaloo!" Scootaloo glanced around again and found the source of the voice. It belonged to none other then Dinky.
"Uh, h-hey Dinky. What're you doing outside in this weather?" Scootaloo asked, quickly wiping her tears and regaining her composure. She hoped that Dinky hadn't seen the tears, how would she be able to explain that?
"I saw you, Scootaloo. And the box. A-and the food. Scoots are you... Homeless?" Dinky asked awkwardly.
"Um, don't worry about anything, I'm fine. You should go home," Scootaloo said, panic clear in her voice. "Your family must be worried."
"You don't have anywhere to go. What about your family? Do even you have one?" Dinky said, not completely wanting to hear an answer.
"I-I have my alley ..." Scootaloo whispered, "I'll be f-fine, t-trust me. I-I've been living like this for so few years n-now. Heh, you can't live l-like this without any p-practice, right?" Scootaloo said, shivering from the cold now, trying to get a laugh out of the situation.
Dinky was horrified that her friend was living like this for so long without her noticing. "Scootaloo, come with me. Come spend Hearth's Warming with my family."
"N-no, I don't want to intrude," Scootaloo replied. "I'll be fine, don't worry."
"I'm not going home unless you come with me," Dinky said, the unicorn's voice laced with determination. Scootaloo knew that Dinky would stay true to her word and would probably stay the all night if it came to it.
"Ugh, fine, I'll come," Scootaloo said a bit grumpily. Yet inside she caught a sliver of hope. Maybe she would enjoy herself, at least she'd see what family was supposed to be like. While climbing onto her scooter she handed her helmet over to Dinky and said, "Get on, I guess. Which way is it?"
Dinky gave Scootaloo the directions to her home as she strapped the helmet to her head.
They arrived pretty quickly and Scootaloo parked her scooter. As she got off of it, she asked once again, "Are you sure your parents won't mind me intruding?"
Dinky just nodded and opened the door to her house. Both fillies instantly smelled a vast array of muffins.
"Dinky! We were so worried about you." Derpy Hooves said as she rounded the corner a moment later and gave her daughter a huge hug. "And who is this?"
"Uh, this is my friend, Scootaloo. Sh-she doesn't have any family to spend Hearth's Warming... and she lives outside" Dinky said nervously. "I told her it would be OK if she stayed with us. Is that alright, Mama?"
Derpy smiled, "You did a good thing helping your friend, muffin. I'm proud of you.” She said before turning to Scootaloo, “It's fine for you to stay with us, Scootaloo, we'd be delighted if you would. Care for a blueberry muffin?" She finished, holding out the warm pastry.
"Th-thank you Mrs. Hooves," Scootaloo said as she reached for the muffin. "I really hope I'm not intruding."
"Don't worry, you aren't. Also, you can call me Derpy. So, you don't have any family to stay with? Any... Home to go to?" Derpy replied.
"No, I don't have any living relatives that I know of," Scootaloo said, relishing the muffin. "And like Dinky said, I kinda don't have a house, so I live outside. I would've spent Hearth's Warming outside if it wasn't for her. She's an awesome friend."
"You could stay tomorrow too," offered Derpy. "also, when was the last time you've eaten? You are so thin!"
"The muffin, which was delicious by the way, a peach and candy cane earlier today," Scootaloo said looking down, a bit embarrassed.
Derpy was about to respond but paused as Dr. Whooves walked in and said, "Ah, Dinky there you are. You shouldn't stay out so late, your mother was getting extremely worried. She was about to fly out and look for you." he then noticed the small orange pegasus filly standing near Derpy and Dinky and asked, "And who may you be?"
"Hi, dad! This is my best friend, Scootaloo. She'll be staying with us for Hearth's Warming!" Dinky said when she saw that Scootaloo was a bit hesitant to answer. "She doesn't have a home or family to stay with so mama said that she can stay with us until tomorrow.”
"Ah, so you're the Scootaloo that Dinky talks so much about! It's nice to finally meet you, I am Doctor Whooves. I hope you'll enjoy it here for Hearths Warming." the Docter said, smiling. "We'll be eating a meal in a few minutes so Dinky can show you her room. We don't have any extra rooms so you'll be sleeping in Dinky's room. Is that alright, dear?" the doctor said.
"Yes, Dinky go show Scootaloo your room. Your dad and I will finish setting the table." Derpy agreed.
"Yay! Come on, Scoots! I can't wait for you to see my room!" Dinky squealed with glee.
"Alright, Dinky. Thank you Derpy, thank you um ..." Scootaloo asked, looking at the brown earth pony in front of her, unsure of his name.
"Ah, you can call me Dr. Whooves. And you're welcome." the brown stallion said.
"Have another muffin, Scootaloo. You must be starving!" Derpy said, handing another warm muffin to the happy pegasus filly.
"Thank you!" Scootaloo said as she quickly walked on three legs to catch up with Dinky.
"Doctor, we should set up quickly. When I asked her, Scootaloo said that she's barely eaten today. And I don't even know about yesterday" the gray mare said, biting her lip as she placed a tablecloth on the large dinner table in the center of the room.
"I agree, Derpy. I'm glad out filly helped her friend out like this, she's all anyone can look for in a child," replied Dr. Whooves, setting four plates down on the colorful tablecloth. "I feel that this will be a great Hearths Warming, Derpy. I just hope that this feeling will be proven true."
When Dinky opened the door to her room, Scootaloo immediately found it to be one of the cleanest rooms she had eve seen. Dinky went over and opened the closet where she put her saddlebags with her magic. When she turned back to Scootaloo, she noted the look of sheer awe on the orange pegasi's face.
Scootaloo sat in the doorway mesmerized by the room. Against the wall opposite the door stood a four poster bed with curtains going down the sides. A bit right of it was a large window. In the middle of the room sat a blue carpet on the wooden floor. There was a large and full bookshelf near the door and some shelves with toys and games. Near the closet was a desk and chair for homework and a big train set. To top it off, there were some Wonderbolts posters scattering the room. Yet with all of this, Scootaloo felt as if something was missing. It felt a bit empty even with all of this stuff. She decided to ignore the thought. After all, it was probably nothing.
"Wow... Is this really your room?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yeah, it is. Do you want a tour?" Dinky replied with a smile.
Even though she already saw everything, Scootaloo didn't mind looking again "Sure. Thanks, Dinks."
Dinky walked over to her bed with Scootaloo behind her "This is my bed and there's some of my Wonderbolts post-"
"Dinky! Scootaloo! It's time for our meal!" Derpy called across the hall.
"Coming, Mama! C'mon Scoots, let's go!" Dinky said as she trotted to the dining room with the pegasus following her.
When Scootaloo walked into the dining room, she felt as if it was the best place in all of Equestria. In the middle of the room sat a large table with a joyful tablecloth covering it. As her gaze fell to the right, she saw a large tree. It was possibly the most beautiful thing she ever saw. The tree was cutely decorated and had many feelings that came with it, and none of them unwanted.
Scootaloo noticed that the table had four chairs, four plates and four sets of flatware. Even though Dinky's family seemed nice, she hadn't really expected to be invited to eat too.
As Derpy, Dr. Whooves and Dinky sat in the chairs, Scootaloo blushed and waited for approval for her to sit.
"You can sit there, Scootaloo," Derpy said, pointing to the empty seat next to Dinky.
"Um, thanks," Scootaloo replied, sitting down in the comfy chair.
Dr. Whooves got up to serve all the food and put some salad in each of the plates. By the time he finished serving it and was coming around with mashed potatoes, Scootaloo's plate was empty. He stared at it, questioning what could've happened as he was sure he had given her a portion. A filly couldn't eat that fast. Right?
"Scootaloo, where's your salad?" Dr. Whooves questioned the hungry orange filly.
Scootaloo blushed heavily before answering, "Uh, I-I wasn't supposed to eat it yet?"
Dr. Whooves looked at Derpy and they shared a look. He then took the salad bowl again and poured two servings into the pegasi's plate. "We will start to eat in a few minutes. Can you wait until then?"
"Yeah. S-sorry ..." Scootaloo said nervously as she stared at the salad.
"Alright, thank you." Dr. Whooves said as he passed around the mashed potatoes, making sure to give Scootaloo extra. He then passed some more food around before sitting down.
The four started eating the massive amounts of food before them. Scootaloo noted that the other three ponies were eating with manners and she tried to do the same, though she still managed to finish a bit before everyone else. It was the first time in a long time that she was actually a bit full, and not at all hungry.
"So, Scootaloo. How long have you been living like uh ..." Derpy said, trying to find the right word. "Uh, under these circumstances?"
As much as Scootaloo didn't want to answer, she knew she had to, after all, they had given her so far, she softly whispered, "Um, th-three years ..."
Everypony stopped eating and their eyes widened in surprise. Dr. Whooves shared a look with his cross-eyed wife before carefully asking, "And before that?"
"The o-orphanage ..." Scootaloo said with a dark and sad look in her eyes, shifting in her seat. She just wanted to end the conversation right there.
One of Derpy's eyes fell on Dinky, she forgot her daughter was there. It would be best to drop the conversation until later when Dinky wouldn't be listening.
"We'll talk some more a bit later Scootaloo. Meanwhile, let's have some muffins." Derpy said as she got off her chair. When she had picked them off of the side she began hoofing them to the ponies at the table. "Dinky, do you want a blueberry or chocolate chip muffin?"
"Both!" Dinky happily squealed, not understanding what just happened in the conversation. She bit into a muffin Derpy handed to her and said,"You make the best muffins, Mama!"
Derby smiled and walked over to Scootaloo and asked, "Blueberry or chocolate chip, dear? Or maybe both?"
"Can I have both please?" Scootaloo shyly asked, hoping to not be seen as greedy.
"Here you go!" Derby said as she handed the two muffins to Scootaloo.
"Th-thank you," Scootaloo said with a smile.
"Your welcome," Derpy said as she gently tussled Scootaloo's mulberry mane. Scootaloo loved the loving touch of Derpy's hoof in her mane and was disappointed when Derpy stopped and flew over to Dr. Whooves, giving him a blueberry muffin.
"Thank you, my muffin. You know me so well." Dr. Whooves said as he landed a peck on Derpy's cheek.
Derpy copied the loving motion before saying to the fillies, "Dinky, Scootaloo, let's go to the living room so the Docter can read A Hearth's Warming Tale. It used to be my favorite story when I was a filly!"
"Yay!" cheered Dinky, running to the living room. Scootaloo followed happily with a bounce in her step. Dr. Whooves and Derpy followed behind the two fillies. "Do you think she's the one, Doc? I like her" Derpy said.
"Yes." Dr. Whooves nodded. "You're completely sure about this, right, Muffin?"
"Mhm," Derpy said as she gave the doctor a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm sure. We've been thinking about this for a while. How do you think she'll react when we tell her?"
"I'm sure she'll be very happy. Since we already got a house check and filled out all of the forms, we're ready. The ponies at the center told us that we're ready to adopt a pony, all we need to do is sign a few forms concerning her. I think I will be able to do it tomorrow, luckily the adoption center is open then." Dr. Whooves said quietly as they neared the living room, not wanting the fillies to overhear.
"It will be a nice Hearth's Warming present for her, a family." Derpy smiled. "You're sure you can go tomorrow? You'll miss Pinkie Pie's Hearth's Warming party. I can go if you want."
"No, it's alright Derpy. I'd be glad to go. You know I'm not one to party, anyways." the doctor replied.
"Alright," Derpy said as she landed from hovering and nuzzled her husband. "Thank you so much, Doctor. I love you."
"I love you too." Dr. Whooves said, nuzzling Derpy in return.
"Mama! Dad! Come on, what's taking so long?" Dinky asked from where she stood in the middle of the room, next to a very surprised looking Scootaloo. It was as if the pegasus filly thought that the homey living room was the most beautiful place in all of Equestria. The tree shined with love and light, lighting up the whole room.
"Alright, we're coming, we're coming." Dr. Whooves chuckled. How he loved his daughter. Hopefully, she'd be happy with her new sister.
Dr. Whooves sat down on a cozy sofa with Derpy. Dinky quickly hopped onto her father's lap and got into a comfortable position. When Derpy saw Scootaloo awkwardly standing in the middle of the room, she motioned for the pegasus filly to sit on her lap.
"Really?" Scootaloo asked hopefully.
"Of course, hop on!" Derpy had to smile at the pure joy on the filly's face.
Scootaloo shyly climbed onto Derpy's lap and got comfortable. For the first time in a long while, she felt loved. Once Scootaloo got in a good position in Derpy's lap, the gray pegasus draped her wings over the small filly. One could practically bask in the filly's joy. Derpy lay her head into Dr. Whooves neck and let him start reading.
"Every home in Canterlot was filled with holiday spirit." Dr. Whooves started happily.
"... And it said that out of all the Hearth's Warmings celebrations, Snowfall's was Hearth's Warmiest. The end." Dr. Whooves finished a while later with two sleepy fillies next to him.
"That was a great story," Scootaloo said when he finished.
"Yeah!" Dinky agreed. Yawning she said, "It's my favorite Hearth's Warming story."
"It was a nice story." Dr. Whooves agreed. "But if you girls want Santa Hooves to come tonight, you'd better start getting ready to go to bed."
"Alright!" Dinky said happily, Scootaloo just looked confused.
"Let's get you girls bathed, alright? Dinky, you can go first. Doc, you go with Dinky, I'll talk with Scootaloo." Derpy said standing up.
"Alright, honey. Call if you need me." Dr. Whooves said as he and Dinky went to the bathroom.
"OK, Doc," Derpy said, she watched her husband disappear behind a corner before turning to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo shifted nervously on her spot on the sofa. She was scared of what could happen. While she trusted Dinky's parents, she has fallen into many traps involving adults before she became the cautious pony she was now.
"Scootaloo, I'd like to ask you some questions, is that okay?" Derpy began carefully.
"I-I guess..." Scootaloo answered, not able to fully keep the fear out of her voice.
"It's alright Scootaloo, I won't hurt you," Derpy said, attempting to comfort the filly. "How long have you been homeless?"
"This would've been my third Hearth's Warming homeless if Dinky didn't find me," Scootaloo said, still a bit nervous.
Derpy's eyes widened at the answer. "What about before that?..."
"I spent about two years at the orphanage," Scootaloo said shuddering. "I-it was horrible there..."
"How so?" Derpy asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Th-they didn't let the pegasi fly or the unicorns use their magic. They rarely took us anywhere, so we were inside most of the time. Th-they also beat us... Whenever we made one little mistake... Sometimes, we wouldn't get meals because of a mistake too." Scootaloo said, tears forming in her eyes that she refused to let fall. She was surprised that she was giving so much away.
"You poor thing!" Derpy cried, enveloping Scootaloo in a hug.
"Th-thanks," Scootaloo said, enjoying the hug while it lasted.
"What about before the orphanage?" Derpy asked, hoping things couldn't have been worse for the little filly.
"Th-they a-abused me! I-it was horrible Derpy, worse than a-anything..." Scootaloo choked out as she let the tears fall.
"Shh... It's alright. They're gone, I'm here." Derpy said, trying to comfort the crying filly.
"I-I wish I had you for a mother, Derpy. You're so nice and everything..." Scootaloo said, surprised that she said that thought out loud. Her cheeks flushed a crimson red and she looked down.
Derpy lay a wing over the filly and stroked her mane. She was glad that Scootaloo would get her wish very soon.
"Also, um, who's Santa Hooves?"
Scootaloo and Dinky had finished their baths quite quickly and were in lying Dinky's big bed. Derpy turned off the light and opened the curtains on the window, letting moonlight seep into the room. The two fillies were under a blanket, one in the front of the bed, one in the back.
"Goodnight, Dinky. Goodnight Scootaloo," said Dr. Whooves as he gave both fillies a hug.
"Goodnight, Dad! Goodnight Mama!" Dinky said happily as Derpy kissed her and Scootaloo goodnight, "I can't wait to see what Santa Hooves got me for Hearth's Warming!"
Scootaloo's cheeks flushed red as she said, "Goodnight Dr. Whooves, goodnight Derpy."
"Goodnight, girls," Derpy said lovingly as she and Dr. Whooves left and closed the door.
"Goodnight, Scoots."
"Goodnight to you too, Dinky."
Scootaloo was pondering her situation while Dinky's soft breathing filled the sleeping filly's room. She was more thankful than ever to be in a cozy bed in a warm room instead of in her box inside that cold alley. Dinky's family were so welcoming too, even though she was just intruding in their home they had treated her so wonderfully. How she loved it when Derpy held her, it was such a wonderful feeling to be loved, if only for a short time.
The little orange pegasus felt her eyes begin to close and let herself fall asleep, her feeling of love and comfort stayed with her throughout the night.
Scootaloo was awoken to the sounds of somepony shouting into her ear.
"Scootaloo! Scoots, Scoots, wake up!!" She heard, the sudden change in volume startled her and caused her to almost fall off of the bed.
"What's happening, Dinks?" Scootaloo asked after a moment of trying to remember where she was. She buried her face into the pillow before continuing, "What time's 't anyway?"
"It's 7 o'clock, Scoots! Now come on! Let's see what presents Santa Hooves brought!" Dinky squealed with joy as she stole the blanket Scootaloo was hiding in.
Scootaloo let out a surprised squeak and jumped up. "OK, OK. No need to steal the blanket, Dinks."
But by the time she had finished half the sentence, Dinky was already running into her parent's room, happily screaming "It's Hearth's Warming! It's Hearth's Warming!"
Scootaloo rubbed her bleary eyes before following Dinky, who was coming out of her parents' room with a tired Derpy and Dr. Whooves.
"Good morning, Scootaloo," Derby said when she saw the orange filly coming out of Dinky's room. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, thanks, Derpy," Scootaloo replied happily. "It was the best night of sleep I have had in ages."
"That's good to hear. Now I think we should go see what presents Santa Hooves brought before Dinky opens them on her own." Derpy grinned, motioning to the hyper unicorn filly jumping beside her.
"Yay!" Dinky cheered before charging off to the tree.
Scootaloo ran off happily After Dinky, a look of joy in her eyes. That left Derpy and Dr. Whooves alone and they shared a quick kiss.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, my muffin. I love you so much." Dr. Whooves said to his wonderful wife when the kiss ended. "And I'm sure Scootaloo will be so happy when she gets our present to her."
"I can't wait to see the look on her face when we tell her what her present is," Derpy said excitedly. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Doc. I love you too."
The couple went off to join the fillies in the living room. When they came in, they saw Dinky restlessly hopping near the presents. Scootaloo was sitting on the sofa, not as energetic as Dinky but anypony could see that she was happy for her friend.
"Mama, can I open the presents now?" Dinky begged adorably.
"Yes, you can open the presents now!" Derpy and Dr. Whooves said simultaneously.
Dinky squealed in delight as she grabbed the first present with her name on it and tore off the wrapping paper. She gasped, "The latest Daring Do book! Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! Thank you so much!"
Even Scootaloo had to smile at the pure joy on Dinky's face. She knew Dinky loved to read, but she didn't know that she was a Daring Do fan too! Scootaloo always loved when Rainbow Dash read the books to her.
"But wait... Isn't the book supposedly come out next month? How did you guys get it?" Dinky then wondered.
"One of the pegasi at the weather patrol is a big fan of the books and had special connections to the author, A. K. Yearling! She helped me get early access to the book for you. Her name was Rainbow Dash, she was actually one of my buddies from flight school too." Derpy said, answering her filly's questions.
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo piped up. Buzzing her wings, she said,"As in the Rainbow Dash?! She's like, the most awesome pony ever!"
"Yeah, she is," Derpy said, glad to see Scootaloo so happy.
Dinky hugged her book and asked, "Can I open another present, Mama?"
"Of course, muffin," Derpy said.
After Dinky opened all of the presents, she noticed Scootaloo didn't get one. Wondering why Santa Hooves didn't give her one, she asked, "Wait, where's Scootaloo's present? Doesn't she get one too?"
"Ah, it's OK, Dinky," Scootaloo said, attempting to cheer up her friend. "Staying with you and your family is enough of a gift for me."
"Actually, Scootaloo, we do have a gift for you." Dr. Whooves said with a knowing smirk on his face. "You'll get it a bit later today."
"R-really?" Scootaloo asked with wide eyes. "A present... For me? But why?"
"Well, we thought that it would be a nice thing to do," Derpy said.
With a look of joy on her face, Scootaloo said, "You know you didn't have to to..."
"Nonsense! We wanted to do this." Dr. Whooves smiled.
"Wow!" Scootaloo said happily. "Thank you so much!"
"Now let's go eat some pancakes and go to The Cakes' Hearth's Warming party!" Derpy said happily.
Half an hour and ten pancakes later, Dinky, Derpy, and Scootaloo were on their way to Sugar Cube Corner.
"I still don't see why Dad can't come," Dinky grumbled.
"He had something important to take care of. And you know he's not really one to party." Derpy said knowing the real reason the brown stallion couldn't go.
"Yeah, it's OK, Dinks," Scootaloo said, trying to cheer up her friend. "The party will still be fun, plus your mom is with us."
"I guess." Dinky sighed. "But I wish he was here..."
"You'll see him when we get back home," Derpy said. "You can play with Scootaloo and your other friends at the party."
"Alright," Dinky said, apparently cheering up at that, "I bet I'll have fun with Scootaloo!"
Scootaloo grinned at the sight of Dinky going over to hug Derpy. It was truly a heart-warming sight. She inwardly sighed, knowing that she'd be back in the streets tomorrow, possibly even that night.
As they neared Sugar Cube Corner, Scootaloo decided to enjoy her time with Derpy and Dinky while it lasted. Little did she know it would last for a long, long time.
Dr. Whooves sat in the office chair across from the mulberry colored unicorn mare with a curly yellow mane and tail.
"Hello, Time Turner. My name is Sweet Berry and I was informed that you and your wife have picked a foal to adopt. Am I correct?" the mare said, introducing herself.
"Yes, Sweet Berry. My wife, Derpy Hooves, and I have chosen a filly. And you can call me Dr. Whooves, everypony calls me that." the doctor said.
"Alright, Dr. Whooves." Sweet Berry said, testing out the name. "What is the filly's name, race and which orphanage is she in?"
"The filly's name is Scootaloo, she's a pegasus and she's currently homeless. She's a friend of our daughter's and we took her in to spend Hearth's Warming with a family." Dr. Whooves said answering, hoping that enough information for him to adopt Scootaloo.
"Alright, Dr. Whooves. Follow me." Sweet Berry said before trotting off into another room with the doctor following her.
The mare stepped into a room filled with many file cabinets. She walked over to a section called "Pegasi" and skipped over to the "s" section.
"Sapphire River... Scarlet Feather... Scootaloo..." Sweet Berry muttered, flipping through the files with her magic and stopping at the third name. Turning to Dr. Whooves, she asked, "You said the filly's name is Scootaloo, correct?"
"Yes, it is." Dr. Whooves said smiling. "Her body is orange, and her mane is purple."
Sweet Berry levitated Scootaloo's file and looked into it for a minute before pulling a photograph out and showing it to Dr. Whooves. "This is the one? Also, the color of her mane is mulberry, not purple."
"Yes, that's her." Dr. Whooves said with a smile. "And I'll remember the color for the future. So my wife and I can adopt her?"
"Of course, Sir. Let me fill out the forms and you'll have to sign them after." Sweet Berry said, leaving the room with Dr. Whooves following her.
Once back in the office, Sweet Berry dropped the file onto the desk before nudging it in Dr. Whooves' direction.
"Can you please give me all of the documents you have on the fact that you're ready to adopt this filly?" the mare asked. As Dr. Whooves gave her the documents, Sweet Berry said, "You can look into her file. See some information about the filly you're about to adopt."
Dr. Whooves then sat down and began reading the file. His eyes widened in horror when he saw that Scootaloo was from an abusive family. He looked down in pity when he saw that the one family that had adopted her abused her as well. After she was "rescued" from her adoptive home, she was brought back to the Cloudsdale Orphanage where she eventually disappeared. Dr. Whooves assumed that she had gone over to live as a homeless filly in Ponyville after that. He wondered why. He'd have to ask her when he got the chance.
"Sign there, there, there and there." Sweet Berry interrupted his thoughts and pointed to multiple spots on the papers in her magic's grasp.
Dr. Whooves signed the papers as Sweet Berry started talking again, "You've said that this filly is currently in your residence. Can you please bring her and your wife over tonight for some of the documents?"
"Of course. Farewell, Sweet Berry. I will see you tonight." Dr. Whooves said before walking out the door into the snowy street. He checked the time and headed home, knowing that Derpy and the fillies would be there by now.
"Daring Do knew she had to find a way to -" Derpy read before being interrupted by the opening of the door.
"Hello, dear. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Dr. Whooves said, smiling at the cute sight of Dinky and Scootaloo on Derpy's sides, wrapped in her wings.
"You're not interrupting anything, Doc. I was just reading Dinky's new Daring Do book to her and Scootaloo." Derpy said with a cute smile.
"Ah, alright. Continue on then. I'm going to get some of yesterday's leftovers, I'm famished. Also, we need to bring her to make it official." Dr. Whooves said, giving Derpy a kiss on the cheek and heading off to the kitchen in search of food.
"Alright, dear. Love you." Derpy said, her voice filled with love.
"Make what official?" Dinky asked, cuddling closer to her mother.
"Nothing, muffin. It's some adult stuff." Derpy said, hoping Dinky wouldn't continue asking.
"OK..." Dinky decided to drop the matter for the time being. Pushing her body a bit further into the warmth of Derpy's wings, she asked, "Can you continue reading now?"
"OK, muffin." Derpy smiled at her daughter. Then she continued with the story, "Daring Do knew she had to find a way to stop Ahuizotl before he unleashed the full powers of..."
"Are you sure Scootaloo can't come to my and Liza's sleepover?" Dinky asked as she, her parents and Scootaloo neared Lyra and Bon Bon's house.
"Yes, I'm sorry she can't come, muffin," Derpy said, grabbing her daughter in a wing-hug. "But you can still have fun with Liza and her moms, right?"
"Of course! I can't wait to go! Bye, Mama, bye Dad, bye Scoots!" Dinky said as she knocked on the door.
"Bye, my muffin," Derpy said to Dinky.
"Bye, Dinky! Have fun." Scootaloo said with a yawn.
"Hello, Dinky! We hope you'll have fun on your sleepover with Liza! Come on in." Lyra and Bon Bon said when they answered the door.
While Dinky trotted in Derpy said, "Thanks so much for watching her for us. We have some business to attend to and we didn't want to leave her alone."
Leaning towards the mares, Dr. Whooves whispered, "We're going to adopt a filly, a sister for her. Then, motioning behind him, he said, "Specifically that adorable pegasus behind us. We just need to fill out a few more forms."
"That's wonderful! If you ever have any questions about adopted fillies, you can ask us." Lyra said wrapping a foreleg around Bon Bon's neck. "We kinda have experience with Liza and all."
"We will, see ya, Lyra! Bye, Bon Bon!" Derpy said, thanking the mares.
Dr. Whooves then walked over to a tired looking Scootaloo and offered, "You look tired, Scootaloo. Do you want to ride on my back?"
"Really?" Scootaloo asked. When the doctor nodded, she climbed onto his back and wrapped her front hooves around his neck "Thanks so much!"
Dr. Whooves then walked away into the direction of the adoption office with a sleeping Scootaloo on his back next to his wife.
Author's Note
This is the first part of the story, I'll be working on it whenever I have time. I hope you enjoy this first part, it was really fun to write!
Cover art and idea for the story by DinkyUniverse. Thanks, Dinky!
Edited and proofread by atronosthelast. Thanks so much, man!
"You have failed again."
"You're useless."
"A flightless bird."
"What pegasus can't fly?"
"Failure."
"Useless."
"Flightless."
"Worthless."
"I-I'm sorry I've failed you!" Scootaloo cried out, tears flowing out of her eyes. "But I have my friends, th-they'll stop you!"
"They'll abandon you too, Scootaloo... Just like every other has..." sneered a voice in the middle of the dark shadows that surrounded Scootaloo.
"N-no they won't!" Scootaloo cried out, whirling around to try and pinpoint the source of the voice. As she turned, she saw the figure of Apple Bloom in between all of the darkness. She ran over to the farm filly and latched herself onto her leg, "Apple Bloom, help me! Stay with me, th-they're coming for me!" She begged, looking up at her in tears.
"Why would Ah' stay with a failure of a chicken like you?..." Apple Bloom said with a disgusted look on her face. Shaking Scootaloo off, she turned into another shadow.
"N-no! Apple Bloom, why? I thought we were friends!" Scootaloo said, the feeling of betrayal beginning to show in her mind. When no reply came, Scootaloo saw Sweetie Belle and called out as she ran over to her, "Sweetie, thank Celestia you're here! A-apple Bloom left me... You're still my friend, right? We've been friends for so long..."
"We were friends until I found out just how useless and annoying you are." Sweetie Belle replied as she faded into another shadow.
"S-sweetie, why?! Please don't go! I-I'll be less annoying, I'll stop being useless! Please stay with me..." Scootaloo begged, but to no avail. She looked around and saw a very familiar cyan coat and rainbow mane. She ran over to her as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted as bravely as she could to the cyan mare. She stood right next to Rainbow Dash,"Oh, Rainbow Dash, I need your help! Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle don't want to be my friends anymore... They say I'm useless. I know it's true, but I just don't know what to do..."
"Why are you asking me then, chicken?" Rainbow Dash said coldly. She pushed Scootaloo away from her, ignoring the distressed look on the filly's face. "I mean, you are useless, and a failure. I can see why they did that. Leave me alone; you're starting to get on my nerves. Plus, someone as cool as me can't hang out with a chicken as uncool as you."
"Rainbow, you can't really mean it!" Scootaloo said, starting to tear up. She blinked hard; she couldn't let her hero see her cry.
Rainbow Dash then flew away and melted into the many dark shadows of the land around Scootaloo.
The process repeated many more times until everything was dark. There was only one pony left, Dinky Hooves.
"Dinky! W-will you leave me too? Please don't!" Scootaloo cried at Dinky's hooves. She begged, "I won't be useless, I'll learn to fly! I won't be as annoying, just, please... Don't leave me..."
"Scootaloo, you can't change. You'll always be this failure. Goodbye, my ex-chicken." Dinky said with a cold glare as she left Scootaloo, leaving the pegasus filly all alone.
"A useless, failure, chicken..." voices around Scootaloo chanted.
"P-please, n-no!" Scootaloo cried out as she lay in a ball, sobbing in her misery. The shadows began to surround Scootaloo, pulling her into them. There was only eternal darkness everywhere.
Just as she as about to give into the darkness, it all blasted away. With tears blinding her slightly, Scootaloo saw a live pony. By then, she didn't care who it was, she ran over to them and latched onto their leg with as much force she could muster.
"P-please d-don't leave me t-too! P-please stay!" Scootaloo said, crying with loneliness as she wrapped her whole body around the leg. She opened her eyes which she realized were closed and saw that the leg was a beautiful dark blue. She looked up, trying to figure out whose leg she was latched onto.
"You didn't expect us, did you, young Scootaloo?" a gentle voice calmly asked. Scootaloo recognized the face and voice as Princess Luna. Her beautiful, starry mane flowing in the breeze, Luna said, "Do not cry, you are not alone, my dear filly."
"P-princess Luna? Wait... Does this mean I was dreaming?" Scootaloo sniffled in shock. Her eyes widened, but she kept her grip on the princess's leg.
"Yes, and you still are. You have nothing to fear, for this is all a dream. These weren't really your friends, but rather fragments of your imagination. We saw you were having doubts about what would happen next. And trust us, you'll never be alone again after this." the princess of the night said, trying to comfort the filly. She wrapped her other foreleg against the teary eyed Scootaloo and said, "We have someone we want you to talk too, Scootaloo. Climb upon our back, and we will take you there."
Scootaloo reluctantly let go of the princess's leg and climbed onto her soft back. She wrapped her forelegs around Luna's silky neck and held on tightly. As Luna began flying, Scootaloo dug her head into the princess's beautiful mane, taking comfort from Luna. As they flew, she asked, "S-so none of this w-was real? It wasn't... Them?..."
"No, Scootaloo. They aren't coming back; they can't hurt you." Luna said as she flapped her large wings and soared through the dream land. "Now, tell us. Are your fears really your friends leaving you? Or is it something else?"
"I'm afraid of failing them... Not being worthy of being their friends. Letting them see that I'm not the brave filly I am on the outside." Scootaloo murmured softly.
"Your friends don't think that. The pony you are about to see will show you how your friends truly feel." Luna explained.
"But who's the pony that you want me to see, Princess?" Scootaloo asked with curiosity. Luna didn't answer and instead started to fly downwards.
Scootaloo recognized that they were now in Ponyville. When Luna landed, Scootaloo hopped down from her back. "Thanks for the ride, Princess. But I don't see any ponies here."
"Scoots, over here!" a high pitched voice called out from behind her. The pegasus filly turned around and found Dinky standing there.
"Dinky? What are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked in surprise.
"Princess Luna told me that you were scared and that you needed me to tell you how I feel about you." the unicorn said with a hint of worry in her voice. She started to walk over to Scootaloo as she said, "She told me what you're going through.
“You should've told me how you felt, Scootaloo. I would've been there for you; you didn't have to face this alone..."
"I'm sorry, Dinky. I- I just thought you would think I was weak if I told you how I really feel... I thought you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore if you found out how uncool I am," Scootaloo said in a whisper, blinking hard so nopony would see her crying. She cast her eyes downwards in shame, ready for Dinky to abandon her.
"Scootaloo!" Dinky said sharply. She took another step forward towards the trembling filly. With dejection clear in her voice, she said, "I would never see you like that. You're the bravest filly I know! We're best friends, and best friends are there for each other. They never leave you, and they're always there for you when you need them. And I plan on doing just that."
"Y-you mean we're still f-friends?" Scootaloo sniffled nervously.
"Of course, Scoots. And we will be forever. I will never, ever leave you." Dinky said with honestly that could match Applejack's.
Dinky lay her horn against Scootaloo's head. A brilliant white magic surrounded the two as they began to levitate. Luna softly smiled as she watched the two fillies.
The two fillies levitated a bit higher, their manes swaying in the breeze. As they floated higher, the aura of magic around them exploded into a mass of bright light. A few moments later, Scootaloo and Dinky found themselves falling. They screamed and grabbed each other's hooves.
Upon seeing the fillies falling, Luna made a huge leap, spreading her wings open to fly in. In a split second, she caught the fillies on her back. She grunted at the weight pushing her down before she gracefully lowered the fillies safely down to the ground.
"Wh-what happened to us?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes bright in wonder.
"You two have just witnessed the true powers of the most powerful magic there is in Equestria," Luna said, wrapping her large wings around the two. "The magic of friendship. Scootaloo, your friendship with Dinky is great, strong and powerful. Together, nothing can stop you."
"R-really? Scootaloo asked, her eyes widening in amazement.
"Yeah, Scootaloo," Dinky said as she gave the pegasus a hug. "I love you as much, or more, than any BFFF could. You're truly the best filly friend I could ever have."
Returning the hug with nigh unending happiness, Scootaloo asked curiously, "What does the last 'f' stand for, Dinks?"
"Forever," Dinky said in a soothing whisper. "Best filly friends forever."
"Th-thank you, Dinks... You don't know how much this means to me." Scootaloo felt something wet trickle down her cheeks, and realized she was crying.
"Dear Scootaloo, it is time for you to wake," Luna said with a smile, stepping away from the fillies. "Do you have any doubts about your friends now? Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash and all of your other friends feel the same way Dinky does. They all love you; they're your friends and would never stop being that."
"I guess my friends do care a lot more than I thought... But do I have to go now? I mean I want to stay..." Scootaloo said with a sad frown, not wanting to leave the comforting dream.
"Scootaloo, what will happen next will be worth it. You'll be back with Dinky soon enough." Luna lay a wing over Scootaloo, bringing the filly closer. "Dinky and I will be watching you in spirit, through this dream. You won't be alone after this, my dear filly."
"Yeah, I'll be there for you, Scoots. I'll be watching over you; we will be there together." Dinky said as she gave Scootaloo a big hug when Luna stepped away, her horn surrounded by a white aura.
"Alright, thanks, Dinky. And thanks, Princess, for showing me that everypony really cares. Let's see where life takes me next," Scootaloo said with a smile as everything around her began to fade as Luna's magic surrounded her. She waved a hoof at the two blurry ponies in front of her, before hearing her name being called in the distance.
"Scootaloo, wake up." Dr. Whooves said to the sleeping filly on his back.
"Scootaloo? We're here, wake up, muffin." Derpy called out gently in her cute voice as she lightly shook the orange filly.
Scootaloo's eyes fluttered open. She rubbed then and saw Derpy and the Doctor when she opened them again. With a yawn, she asked, "Hm? Where am I?"
"Ah, Scootaloo. You've woken up; we need to go inside now." Dr. Whooves gave a warm smile, looking at the filly on his back.
"Oh, uh, alright. Thanks so much for the ride, Dr. Whooves," Scootaloo said as she hopped from his back onto the ground. "It meant a lot to me."
"It was my pleasure," the doctor replied.
"Where are we going anyways?" Scootaloo asked with a tilt of her head. She decided not to tell Dinky's parents about the dream.
"You'll find out soon, muffin!" Derpy said with a large smile. "Come on, let's go in."
The three began to walk, and Scootaloo soon found herself in between the Doctor and Derpy. She trotted in between them until they came to a room numbered '225'. Dr. Whooves knocked three times on the door and waited. A mulberry colored mare opened the door.
"Hello again, Mrs. Sweet Berry. This is my wife, Derpy and this is the filly I was talking about, Scootaloo" Dr. Whooves said with a smile.
"Come on inside, Scootaloo," Derpy said as she and the doctor entered the room.
"Sign right here, Mrs. Hooves." Sweet Berry said as she levitated some papers over to the gray pegasus mare. Turning to the orange pegasus filly, she asked, "You're Scootaloo, yes?"
"Uh, y-yeah..." Scootaloo answered cautiously.
Sweet Berry pointed to a chair as she said, "Well, dear, you can sit on that chair over there while Mrs. and Dr. Whooves sign some papers."
"Alright, thanks," Scootaloo said. She hopped onto the chair, settling onto it comfortably, grabbing a random magazine off of the little table next to her,beginning to gaze through it.
An hour later, a very bored Scootaloo saw Sweet Berry stand up and walk over to her with a small stack of papers, Dr. Whooves and Derpy behind her.
"Do you want to tell her?" Sweet Berry asked Derpy.
Derpy nodded and asked Scootaloo, "Scootaloo, remember how you told me you were homeless?"
"Yeah, of course. I mean it's not something forgettable..." Scootaloo answered, confused by the question.
"Well, it'll take a few months to make it official, but we are adopting you!" Derpy said, a large, giddy smile on her face. "From now on, you're a part of our family."
Scootaloo's mouth gaped open as her jaw fell. "Th-this is true?" Scootaloo asked, her voice cracking, "I-it's not a j-joke, right?"
"This is all true, Scootaloo, it's no joke," Dr. Whooves said with a comforting smile as he moved next to his wife.
Tears of joy started to roll down Scootaloo's cheeks, as she ran over, jumping into the awaiting hooves of her new parents. She sobbed into the two ponies. "Th-thank you! Thank you so much!! It means so much f-for me to have a family! And such awesome ponies for parents too! And such an awesome sister too!"
Scootaloo paused for a few seconds. Then, with slight hesitation, she asked, "Can I call you guys Mom and Dad?..."
"We wouldn't have it any other way," Derpy said, wrapping a wing around the happy filly. "Also, you have another sister that you still have to meet. Sparkler wasn't able to make it for the holidays because of college, but I'm sure you'll love her when you meet her!"
"Wow! Two awesome parents and two awesome sisters? This is the best thing I could wish for!" Scootaloo cried out with a grin on her face. But after a moment of thought, she asked, "But why?"
"We were looking to adopt somepony for a few months. But we couldn't find the one that was just right for us." Dr. Whooves said as he hugged Scootaloo. "That was, until we saw you. We knew that you were the right one. Derpy and I decided to get you a present for Hearth's Warming. And now we welcome you to our family, Scootaloo."
"Thank you, Mom, thank you, Dad. Thank you so much! This is the best Hearth's Warming present any filly could ever get. I'll be the very best daughter I can!"
"And we will do our best to be the parents you've yearned for, for all of these years," Derpy said as she ended the hug. She kissed the filly on the forehead before saying, "Let's go home. In the morning, we can tell Dinky about her new sister!"
"Yeah, let's go. I'm exhausted from everything that happened on the best Hearth's Warming ever." Scootaloo said with a yawn. Inwardly, she remembered her dream. She remembered Dinky saying that she was going to watch her from the dream. With a smile, she tried to imagine the expression on Dinky's face.
"Farewell, congratulations on getting a new daughter, Dr. and Mrs. Hooves. Soon enough, it will be completly official. And congratulations on getting such amazing parents, Scootaloo." Sweet Berry said with a wink as she lead them to the exit of the building.
They all thanked Sweet Berry and wished her good night.
"Scootaloo, do you want to ride on my back?" Dr. Whooves asked his new daughter as they left the building.
"Yeah, thanks, Dad," Scootaloo answered as she climbed onto her father's back.
"This was the best gift I could ever get..." Scootaloo softly whispered as the tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. "This is the best Hearth's Warming ever!"
"This was the best gift I could ever get..." Dinky happily sobbed into Luna's chest, as the alicorn held her closely, letting the little unicorn cry out, "This is the best Hearth's Warming ever!"
Author's Note
This was supposed to be finished last week, but I wasn't able to, due to some personal issues. I really hope y'all enjoyed the finale of this story! I really hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
Awesome cover art by DinkyUniverse!
Edited by atronosthelast. Thanks, dude!
