Scootaloos birthday was coming up and Pinkie had the biggest party planned for her but Scootaloo didn’t want one, at least not from Pinkie. For the first time since she lost her father, Scootaloo was ready to talk to her mother, Speedy Flame, about her birthday. It wasn’t like her mother didn’t get her anything every year but it was difficult and what Scootaloo got wasn’t what she wanted. The one thing she really wanted her mother couldn’t give, her father. Scootaloo was ok with it though, she was too young to remember her father anyway. Speedy never spoke of Scootaloos father, every time he was brought up; it caused Speedy a lot of pain. Scootaloo never knew why, Speedy always made him out to be a hero. Not knowing who her father was did hurt but she accepted the fact that she would never know.
What Scootaloo did want was something she was always scared to ask for. “No, I will ask and nothing will stop me. All I need is a, no, no pushes needed. Come on Scootaloo, you can do this.” Scootaloo breathed deeply to prepare herself. She knocked on her mother’s door with a racing heart and sweaty hooves. She couldn’t figure out why she was so nervous, her mother had never wronged her in any way, yelling included. Her mother was so gentle and calm all the time. Speedy never raised her voice in the slightest and yet Scootaloo was scared she would.
Speedy told Scootaloo to enter which she did, at a rather slow pace. “Scootaloo, for a pony so fast, you’re moving awfully slow.” Speedy said and then saw Scootaloo’s nervousness. This worried Speedy terribly and she hopped off her bed and ran to her daughter. “Is it the bullies again? Did Diamond Tiara go back to bullying you?” Scootaloo shook her head. “What is it sweetheart; you're never nervous around me.”
“It’s just that mom, it’s just that.” Scootaloo couldn’t find the words she wanted. Even Rainbow could yell at her parents and yet Scootaloo couldn’t ask her mother a question. Why was it so difficult to ask a question? All she had to do was ask, what was the worst thing that would happen? Speedy could say no and maybe that was the reason for her nervousness. If Speedy said no, would it confirm to Scootaloo that her mother didn’t care about her? It was scary to think of, how could her mother not love her after all this time? Did she do something wrong at some point and no, she couldn’t have done anything wrong right? Her mother was worried now but what if this was just a front. Scootaloo began to hyperventilate from all the thoughts of what could be wrong.
It took a while but Speedy finally calmed Scootaloo down. “Sweetie, please talk to me, you’re scaring me.”
Scootaloo inhaled and relaxed. “Mom, I’m scared to ask you because I don’t want to find out you don’t love me.”
Speedy was shocked by this and hurt. How could Scootaloo think she didn’t love her? “Scootaloo, no matter what you do, I will always love you.”
“Why then?” The question was vague and Scootaloo knew her mother didn’t understand.
“Why what Scootaloo?”
“Why do you always leave me alone?” Scootaloo asked with tears beginning to form.
“Scootaloo, I have two jobs and you have your friends.”
“I don’t want my friends; I want you to be with me. Quit one of your jobs and be with me.” Scootaloo begged.
“Scootaloo, I can’t do that. I can barely keep us going on the two jobs I have now.”
“Then ask for help.”
“No Scootaloo, I won’t let others think that I can’t take care of you. I won’t lose my baby to child services. Now I need to get to work.” Speedy gave Scootaloo a kiss and left for work.
Scootaloo waited for her mother to leave before she took off running towards Twilights Castle. “She never listens to me. She only cares about her stupid jobs. She just doesn’t care about me at all!” Scootaloo had tears flowing down her face when she reached the castle and knocked on the door until Twilight answered. Scootaloo knew it was early but she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Scootaloo, the sun hasn’t risen yet, what are you doing here?” Twilight asked still too asleep to notice the tears on Scootaloos face.
“Can I come in?” Scootaloo asked.
Twilights eyes widened when she heard Scootaloos voice. “What happened?” Twilight moved aside and let Scootaloo in. “Spike, go get some hot chocolate and bring it to my room.” Twilight led Scootaloo to her room. Scootaloo sat down on Twilight’s bed and Twilight sat next to Scootaloo. “Talk to me Scootaloo, tell me what happened?”
Scootaloo wiped her tears away and looked up at Twilight. “My mother doesn’t care about me.”
Twilight couldn’t believe that but something happened to make Scootaloo believe it and that’s what mattered. “Why do you think that Scootaloo?”
“All she cares about is work.”
“I’m sure she works so hard to give you what you need.”
“What good is having what I need when I don’t have my mother? I don’t have any family with me and she doesn’t even care. I don’t care if I have to live in a box, I want my mom.” Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around Twilight who hugged back as Spike walked in with the hot chocolate. Spike set the drinks down and went back to bed. Scootaloo pulled away and looked up at Twilight. “She refuses to ask for help and I don’t understand why. She said she doesn’t want to lose me but what is so wrong with a little help. I don’t understand Twilight.”
Twilight wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo. “May I ask why you came to me and not Rainbow Dash?”
“I was hoping you could give my mom a job that could support us and allow me to have my mother.”
Now the reason for coming here made sense. Scootaloo wanted Twilight to help. The problem was Twilight had no idea how. She paced around in her mind trying to think of something and then an idea hit. “I will stop by tonight Scootaloo but I can’t promise anything. You are welcome to stay here if you like.”
“Thanks but I’ll go home and wait.” Scootaloo took off with the hope of finally being able to be with her mother.
Scootaloo waited all day too nervous to do anything but pace around the house. It wasn’t until a knock came to the door that Scootaloo stopped. She ran to the door and let Twilight in. The two went to Scootaloo’s room. “Mom should be home any minute now.” Scootaloo said as she heard the front door open.
“Scootaloo, I’m home.” Speedy said as she looked around. “Scootaloo, are you here?” Every so often, Scootaloo would still be out with friends.
Scootaloo came around to the front room followed by Twilight. “Hello Speedy Flame.” Twilight said with a smile.
“Princess, did something happen?” Speedy kept calm but she was screaming inside.
“Everything is fine. I was about to tell Scootaloo some news but now that you are here, perhaps we should talk first.” Speedy nodded and invited Twilight to sit down. “Scootaloo came to me today. She wants you home with her.”
“Princess, with all due respect, our lives are none of your concern.” Speedy said not very happy with her daughter.
Twilight smiled. “Let me guess, you only work so hard to give Scootaloo everything she needs?” Speedy nodded. “I know you don’t want help and from what Scootaloo said, you are afraid asking for help would make you look like a bad mother being unable to support your daughter.” Speedy nodded once again. “I spoke with Celestia today and we have come up with a very interesting solution.”
“No, no help. I can take care of my daughter.” Speedy snapped.
Twilight kept calm but frowned. She stood up and walked to the door before stopping to talk. “Getting help doesn’t make you a bad mother Speedy. If anything, it will make you a better one.”
“How could you possibly know anything about being a mother?”
“I don’t and I won’t pretend to but I do know situations. This situation would only get better if you asked for help and Scootaloo wouldn’t think you don’t love her.” With that said, Twilight left.
Speedy looked to Scootaloo who was both angry and sad. “I knew it, you don’t care about me! You didn’t even give this a chance!” Scootaloo ran to her room and locked the door.
Speedy stood stunned by the events, her heart broken. It took some time but she finally moved and went to her room and cried. She loved her daughter; it’s why she worked so hard to give her what was needed. Speedy fell asleep that night and didn’t wake until the sun had risen. Speedy looked around and Scootaloo was nowhere to be found. Speedy sighed and looked at her cutie mark. It was a large heart with a pony inside a shield inside the heart. She remembered how she had gotten it but had forgotten what it had meant.
Speedy was walking home by a construction site when a colt ran by. She immediately noticed what was happening and chased the colt down and pushed him out of the way of a large falling plank that had come loose. The plank landed on her leg and fractured her bone. Once she was free, she smiled despite the pain in her leg and was happy the colt was alright. Her cutie mark appeared.
She learned that day; she protected and loved ponies even if she had no idea who the pony was. “I’m supposed to protect ponies and family comes first. Has my desire to protect Scootaloo by working all the time driving us apart? I’ve kept her from being homeless and I’ve kept her here, safe with me.” She looked at her cutie mark again and frowned. “I haven’t been doing that though, have I? Perhaps I’ve forgotten what my cutie mark means or I’ve forgotten who I am. Maybe I’ve done both. Maybe I’ve been looking at it all wrong. I’ve been protecting but maybe I haven’t been loving.” Speedy was missing work but she didn’t care, Scootaloo was far more important. She paced around her room for hours when she came to a conclusion. She looked at the order of her cutie mark. “First it’s the heart and then the shield and then the pony.” She looked back once again on the day her cutie mark appeared and she realized her love for ponies came first and then the need to protect them came second. “How could I forget so easily just what my mark means?”
Speedy ran as fast as she could to the front door and out into the world. She wasted no time and ran straight to the castle. She inhaled and knocked on the door. Twilight answered the door with a shocked expression. “Speedy, I’m surprised to see you.”
“I’m so sorry Princess, after last night, what was the offer you had?”
Twilight welcomed Speedy in and smiled. “Celestia agreed to pay you to work for me. I only make enough for me, Spike, and Starlight. If you are willing to work for me, Celestia will pay me so I can pay you. Here is the thing though; you won’t be making enough to keep your home. You will only have enough to take care of your daughter.”
“We will be out on the street?”
“Not exactly, here is the better part depending on your point of view. Since you will be working for me, you will need to move all of your things here to the castle. I will have you do errands for me; you’ll be cleaning the castle and other things. Just because you will be living here doesn’t mean you will get free food like Spike and Starlight. They are earning their keep in their own ways. You will have to buy your own food most of the time. If you are willing to do the things I ask and buy your own necessity’s and wants, then you are welcome to stay here and work for me. I think you’ll find the best part about this deal is being able to spend time with Scootaloo.” Twilight finished and was immediately grabbed in a hug. “You’re welcome Speedy.”
“Thank you so much and now I just have to figure out one last thing. How do I get a party ready for my little filly?”
“Pinkie already has that covered in the dining hall. Scootaloo will be here in about an hour and I think having her mother here for her birthday would be the best present ever.”
Scootaloo was at Sugarcube Corner with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom just waiting for the time she got to go to her party. She only agreed to it because Pinkie begged her to let her throw a party. When the noon came around, Scootaloo trudged to the castle ignoring her friends who were trying hard to cheer her up. It isn’t like she didn’t appreciate her friends attempts but she just wasn’t in the mood.
When the three arrived at the castle, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom ran in. Scootaloo slowly walked in and headed to the dining room. She wanted to be excited but she just couldn’t. When she opened the dining room door, her head was facing down. “Ok, I’m here.” Scootaloo said sadly but perked up when she heard a voice she could never forget. She looked up and grinned from ear to ear. “Mom!”
“Yes Scootaloo. I thought about what you a d Princess Twilight said. I took the offer and now we're going to live here in the castle. I work for the princess now.”
Scootaloo stood frozen for only a bit before she jumped into the air and tackled her mother to the ground. “Does this mean we will see each other more often?”
“You bet we will see each other all the time. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you but I promise I’ll be there from now on.” The two stayed on the ground embraced in a hug neither of them ever wanted to break.
“Best Birthday Ever!” Scootaloo smiled. “Now about dad?”
Speedy smiled slightly. “One step at a time ok?” Scootaloo nodded and continued to hug her mother tightly while Twilight and her friends all pigged out on cake and ice cream.
