THE SYMBOL OF PEACE

Fred sat in front of the two royals, a concerned and worried expression on his face as he looked at the photos on the table. Each one was that of the headless bodies of multiple Minotaurs that had been taken prisoner after they had attacked UA. "This is very concerning All Might, whoever this being is, they are good at making sure no one finds out about them, going as far as killing their own soldiers." Celestia said and Fred frowned.

"They weren't soldiers." Fred said, making the two look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean they weren't soldiers? They were very skilled in combat, more skilled than our guards." Luna said and Fred sighed.

"They were, but they were test subjects." Fred said, and both Celestia and Luna went wide-eyed in surprise. "This being, they sent the fastest, strongest, and most durable Quirks to UA. Why though? Why send those three traits when you could have sent a much larger, more varied group than just Minotaurs?"

"They wanted to find your limit." Luna said in realization. "Minotaurs are strong, stronger than the average Earth pony, so it would make sense to send them to UA, or more specifically, you." Fred nodded his head in agreement.

"Exactly. This being seemed to crave One For All for some reason even though they had other Quirk users at their disposal. Which makes it all the more troubling whenever I think if I'm putting everyone in danger for being around them." Fred said in concern.

"Fred, it isn't your fault the enemy has sent minotaurs to attack the school." Celestia comforted,

"But it is. They were targeting me and used the students to get to me." Fred said with a sigh. "Which is why I'm gonna ask you both this. Can you please have guards be sent to the school? For protection? I'm afraid that I can't always be around to protect my students. The attack on the school proves I can't be everywhere at once." Fred said and the two nodded in understanding.

"We will send guards to UA Fred, in fact, we were considering sending some guards to keep an eye on the place in case of more ponies trying to take the school down." Celestia said which caused Fred to let out an annoyed sigh at the mention of those ponies. "Please forgive them Fred, they were scared.”

“It is alright princess, I know people can be scared of something they don’t understand so they try and get rid of it or try to understand it. But I do not want another incident like that happening again, not because of personal reasons, but because I am afraid some of my students may not like their attitude towards them and might snap if pushed too far.” Fred said,

“We know all too well what can happen when they are pushed to a breaking point.” Luna said with a slow nod.

Fred knew she was talking about the time she was pushed too far and turned into Nightmare Moon. “Forgive me, I did not mean to bring up bad memories.” Fred said,

“It is fine Fred. We know and understand your feelings. You wish to keep your students from making the same mistake I did.” Luna said with a soft smile.

Fred nodded his head, glad that he hadn’t upset Luna, he was also glad that she was starting to trust him a bit. “Thank you for understanding princess. I also thank you for agreeing to send guards to UA.”

“The most important thing is that everypony remains safe.” Celestia said before asking Fred. “What do you plan on doing next?”

Fred lets out a sigh, “Well, school is currently over for today because of the attack, so I guess I’ll just head home and try to find a way to earn some bits.”

“Earn some bits?” Celestia asked before the sisters looked at each other confused, then turned to face Fred. “Is your teacher's salary not enough?”

“I’m afraid not, you see I’m planning on making something expensive and the teacher’s salary isn’t enough to cover it.” Fred explained.

“I see, well as long as you're not neglecting your teaching duties I don't see why you can't have a second job.” Celestia said with a nod.

“Well, I wasn’t thinking of doing something like that, mostly because I have two jobs already, being a teacher and a hero, so that doesn’t leave many options for me to earn bits.” Fred said then he glanced at the clock. “Crap, Ruby is waiting for me at home so I can help her train.”

“Would you like us to teleport you home?” Celestia asked.

“Nah it’s fine, I’ll walk.” Fred said, shaking his head. “Besides, after hearing about what happened to the Minotaurs, I could use a walk to think.”

“I see, alright, safe travels.” Celestia said with a soft smile.

“Same to you two.” Fred said as he stood up and the three left the school, both rulers taking chariots back to Canterlot while Fred started to walk home after making sure the school gates were locked, and as he was walking, it suddenly started to rain, making him look up at the cloudy sky with slight annoyance. “Damn, of all the times for it to rain.”

Fred continued walking, using his jacket as a makeshift umbrella which do much good as the rain just seeped right through it. Fred sighed as he watched ponies quickly went inside to escape the rain, leaving him alone in the streets. He didn’t mind though, it gave him plenty of peace to think. ’Whoever that figure is, they are dangerous if they managed to kill the Minotaurs without the guards knowing about it, worse yet is that they even managed to sneak into the castle without anyone knowing. Just who is this guy?’ Fred mentally asked no one as he walked by an alley but stopped and looked at it. ’I thought I saw something.’ he continued to look into the alley for any signs of the thing he saw but saw nothing. “Must have been my imag-”

“Achoo!” he heard a small sneeze, a sneeze that didn’t sound like it belonged to an animal so he walked into the alley.

“Hello? Is someone in here?” Fred called out as he continued walking till he saw a small shoe sticking out from the side of a dumpster. Frowning a bit as he looked over the corner of the dumpster and went wide-eyed when he saw Scootaloo huddled up against the dumpster while shivering. “Scootaloo!”

“O-oh h-hey m-mister F-Fred.” She said while shivering.

Fred quickly uses his Earth bending to create a roof over him and Scootaloo, shielding them from the rain while he wrings out his jacket as best as he could before covering Scootaloo with it, helping her a bit but he knew it wasn’t enough to warm her up. “What the hell are you doing out here in an alley while it’s raining?” Fred asked her with a worried look.

“I was looking for something but then it started to rain.” She said and looked down.

“In an alley?” Fred asked with a raised eyebrow.

She nods her head. “Y-yeah, I lost my uh…my ball?” She said, slowly hiding a ball behind her back.

Fred sighs, knowing Scootaloo is lying to him but he didn’t want to push, at least, not right now. He needed to get Scootaloo somewhere warm so she doesn’t get sick, if she isn’t already. “Look, I’m not gonna push right not cause I’m sure you want out of this rain. Can you tell me where you live?” Fred asked her.

She gulps and looks away. “Oh you know, somewhere super cool, only the best for Rainbow Dash’s number one fan.” She said with a nervous laugh.

Fred sighed again, “Scootaloo please, I’m trying to help you so you don’t get sick.”

She looks back at Fred. “I’ll be fine, I can make it home on my own.” She smiled up at him.

“Are you sure?” Fred asked her, still worried about her.

“Yeah, I mean it's not like I can get lost in a small town like Ponyville.” She said and got up, but Fred noticed some new bruises on the back of her legs, near her thighs.

Fred frowns, “Scoots.” Fred said while placing a hand on her shoulder, “If there is something wrong, you can talk to me, you know that right?”

She hugs herself. “I…um…do you really need to know where I live?” She asked nervously looking around.

“Only to know if your home is safe for you or not.” Fred said.

She nods and turns to face the exit of the alley. “Ok, it's this way, Mister Fred.” Fred nodded his head before following Scootaloo, the two silently walking through the streets of Ponyville till they stopped in front of a house.

“This the place?” Fred asked Scootaloo who nodded her head.

She nods before she reaches for the door, then suddenly the door opens fast. On the other side was an overweight mare with a frown. “Oh it's you, what did she do this time?” She asked Fred while gripping Scootaloo’s arm and pulling her close.

“Nothing, I merely found while walking home.” Fred said, glancing at Scootaloo and seeing the scared look on her face. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you her mother?”

“Step-mother…the little brat is always getting in trouble and her bucking father ran off to join the guard, so now I have to watch her.” The mare said, shaking Scootaloo each time she insults her.

“Ah, m-mo…ma'am you are hurting me.” Scootaloo said quietly.

“Quiet, that adults are talking, go do your chores you forgot to do!” The mare then threw Scootaloo to the ground behind her.

Fred frowned, really not liking how this mare was treating Scootaloo. “Ma’am, that is no way to treat a child.” he said, making the mare look at him.

“Huh? Why do you care? She is just a brat that breaks the rules over and over. If it wasn’t for the government sending payments to her from her father I would kick her out.” She said with a frown.

Fred’s frown deepened when he heard that. “You would seriously kick out a child if she wasn’t getting payments from her father?” Fred asked her.

“Oh don't get me wrong, if she was my own flesh and blood I would do anything for her, but she is just some brat from my husband’s last marriage.” She said dismissively. She then looked Fred over and smirked. “If you want you can come inside and we can talk about something else.”

“No thanks, I’m good.” Fred said.

“A shame, I am sure you and I could have had a fun conversation.” She said with a giggle, after that there was the sound of a plate shattering. “Bucking Tartarus, that brat better not have broken another plate.”

’I need to get Scootaloo away from this mare, who knows what she does to her. But how?’ Fred thought to himself before getting an idea. “If you want I can probably give her a talking to about obeying the rules? Since I am a hero she might listen to me.”

“Whatever, but I need to go get my belt anyway, make sure she doesn’t run away this time.” The mare said before walking into the house and headed upstairs.

“Hey Scootaloo.” Fred called out to the filly, “Please come here.”

She slowly comes out of the kitchen and has a small cut on her hand. “Y-yes mister Fred?”

“You ok kid?” he asked her, “That looks like it hurts.”

Scootaloo looks away. “I’m fine mister, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I do and I am worried Scootaloo, just how long has this mare been treating you like this?” Fred asked her.

Scootaloo looks up at the stairs. “Um…s-she is just having a bad day.”

Fred just sighed, “Scootaloo, you don’t have to lie for her, I know she has been treating you terribly.” Scootaloo was starting to have tears form in her eyes.

Scootaloo sniffled. “B-but she is my mom…and dad…dad hasn't been back in years.”

“Scootaloo, I know a few things, one of them is that mare isn’t your mom, no mother should treat their child like this.” Fred said, “You shouldn’t have to live like this every day.”

Scootaloo looks down to the ground. “I don’t have anywhere else to go…and I don’t want anyone else to know.”

“How come?” Fred asked her, wondering what could be the reason that prevents her from telling anyone about the way she lives.

“I don’t want anyone to know about her, if they do the guards might take me away and force me to live far away from Ponyville.” Scootaloo said.

“Damn girl! Where did you hide my paddle!?” The older mare yelled from upstairs.

Scootaloo flinches, a fearful look on her face. This made Fred glare up where he heard the shout before looking at Scootaloo. “I understand your concern Scootaloo, but you can’t keep hiding this forever and keep getting tortured by this mare.”

“I am not being tortured…” She said softly.

“Scootaloo, the mare had thrown you to the floor, only cares about the money that your father sends you, and obviously hurts you.” Fred said and Scootaloo can see the concern on his face.

She sniffles and starts to shake harder. “I…I want my daddy to come home…”

Fred pulls Scootaloo into a hug, patting her back to comfort her, “I’m sure he will kid, but do you think he will want his daughter to be hurt all the time?”

She shakes her head slowly and starts hugging back. “N-no he wouldn’t.”

“Then what do you need to do?” Fred asked her.

“I don’t know…” She said quietly and before Fred could say anything, she suddenly disappeared, shocking Fred.

“Shit.” Fred said as he looked at the fading black cloud that appears whenever Scootaloo teleports. He could hear the sound of her teleport nearby, following the sound he found a small dog house that was falling apart, inside was a shivering Scootaloo. He knelt down so he can fully see her. “Hey, you know you’ll get sick if you stay out here in the cold.”

“She can’t find me here…I am safe…” She said softly.

Fred gained a slightly saddened look on his face before he got an idea. “Hey, how about I give you a better safe place? One that she won’t think of looking.”

She looks up and sniffles a bit. “Where? I already tried the club house…”

“My home, there you won’t have to worry about that mare finding you and harming you.” Fred said.

She looks up at him with wide eyes. “W-will daddy be able to find me?” She asked.

Fred nodded his head. “I will be sure to let him know where you are.”

“Ok, I trust you mister Fred.” She slowly climbs out of the dog house.

Fred smiles a bit then went into his hero form. “Here, I’ll get us there much faster in this form so you’re out of the rain.”

“Are you sure?” Scootaloo asked but got into his arms anyway.

“Yes, don’t want you getting sick.” Fred said as he made sure Scootaloo won’t fly out of his arms. “Now, I won’t run too fast but I’ll still be going pretty fast, just let me know if I need to go slower alright?”

Scootaloo chuckles. “I love to go fast, go as fast as you can!” She said with a big smile while tears and rain ran down her face.

Fred smiled, “Alright, wish granted!” he said before he took off, becoming a blur as he ran through the streets of Ponyville towards his home, he wasn’t running at full speed due to him worrying that it might be a bit much for the filly, but Scootaloo didn’t seem to mind as she still had that smile on her face as he ran.

“Whooo!” She yelled as they practically flew. “You’re almost as fast as Rainbow!”

“Actually I’m faster than her but it’s no contest.” Fred said just as they arrived at his house. “We’re here.”

“Nu uh! Rainbow is the fastest pony alive!” Scootaloo said.

“Fastest pony alive.” Fred repeated, “I’m the fastest human alive plus I can move faster than the eye can see.”

Scootaloo pouts and looks away crossing her arms. “Technicalities.”

Fred just chuckles as he puts Scootaloo on the ground before he opened the door, changing into his civilian form as he did. The two then walked inside and saw Ruby sleeping on the couch but woke up when she heard the door open. “Fred? Is that you?” she asked as she looked at the two, tilting her head when she saw Scootaloo. “Who’s that?”

“Ruby, meet Scootaloo, she’ll be staying with us until her father comes for her.” Fred said as he closed the door,

Scootaloo waves at Ruby. “Hi, sorry if I am intruding.”

“It’s ok, just as long as you don’t destroy the windows and all of our glass items with your Quirk.” Ruby said, referring to the time Fred started training Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo tilts her head. “I teleport with a poof, I can’t break glass like that…I think.”

“Ok good, cause I don’t think Fred would like to clean up more glass and have to replace a lot of stuff.” Ruby said and Fred chuckled a bit.

“Yeah, I must admit, training Sweetie Belle was more difficult than I had first thought.” he said before walking over to the kitchen, “Hey Scoots, you hungry? Cause I’m about to make some lunch.”

“Oh no I am fine.” Scootaloo said before her stomach growled loudly.

Fred smirked a bit, “Really now? Your stomach says otherwise.” he said before he began to make food for everyone, noting that he will probably have to go hunting as he was running low on meat for himself. ’Well, looks like I can finally do some hunting. Hopefully I’ll do good.’ Fred thought to himself.

Scootaloo blushed and looked around his house while he was cooking before she found a book. “Huh?” She looks at it and reads the title. “Hunting and tracking 101?”

“Fred reads that in case he needs to go hunting.” Ruby said as she walked over to Scootaloo. “You see he needs to eat both plants and meat in order to stay healthy.”

“Oh that's neat, Daddy told me some creatures need to do that. Like his friend Captain Silent.” Scootaloo said with a smile.

“Your father knows someone in the guard?” Ruby asked in curiosity.

Scootaloo nods with a smile. “Yeah, he is a big strong guard that fights monsters and keeps ponies safe!”

Even though she couldn’t, Ruby would have smiled. “That’s nice, kinda like Fred, he fights to keep bad guys from hurting anyone as well.”

Scootaloo nodded her head and looked down. “But…he hasn't been home in a long time.”

Ruby patted Scootaloo’s back, making sure not to accidentally poke her with her stinger. “I’m sure he will come home soon.” she said,

“Do you really think so?” She asked Ruby with a hopeful smile.

Ruby nodded her head, “I know so.”

“I can’t wait.” Scootaloo said with a smile.

Again Ruby would have smiled if she could, “So what do you like to do for fun?”

“I love to race, hang out with my friends, and try to find my cutie mark, oh and hang out with Rainbow Dash of course.” She said with a smile then she hissed in pain and grabbed her hand.

Ruby looked at her hand and saw a cut on it, “Oh! You’re hurt! Let’s go tell Fred so he can treat that.”

“N-no I am fine, it's just a small cut.” She said while hiding her hand.

“Scootaloo, a small cut doesn’t just cause you to hiss in pain like that, besides, even if it was a small cut, it could get infected and you could get sick.” Ruby said before she started to walk towards the kitchen. “Come on, let’s go tell Fred so he can take care of that.”

Scootaloo whimpers and follows Ruby. “Ok…”

The two reached the kitchen where they see Fred currently finishing making two bowls, one being a salad while the other was filled with different cut-up fruits. He then turned to the two and smiled a bit, “Hey, I was about to call you two.” he said,

“Fred, Scootaloo has a cut on her hand that needs to be treated.” Ruby said and Fred’s eyes widened.

“Crap! I’m so sorry Scootaloo, I forgot to treat that!” Fred said as he walked over to the filly and looked at Ruby, “Can you go get the first aid kit?” Ruby nodded her head and left to go get what Fred requested while Fred looked at Scootaloo, “Ok kid, can I see your hand?”

Scootaloo didn’t move for a moment but eventually she held up her hand. “It's not that bad…”

“Even the smallest of cuts can have the most dangerous of effects, this could have gotten infected or bacteria could have gotten into the cut and made you sick.” Fred said as he looked at the cut just as Ruby returned, the first aid kit held in her stingers. “Thanks.” Fred said to the Genesect as he took the first aid kit, “Ok, the first thing to do is to clean the wound first.”

“Really I am fine, it barely hurts.” Scootaloo said quietly.

Fred looked at Scootaloo, a slightly confused look on his face. “Scoots, why are you trying to avoid getting your cut treated?” He asked her.

“I'm not…it's just, I have had worse cuts and been fine.” She said looking down.

Fred frowned a bit. “Were these cuts treated? Or were they left unchecked?” he asked her as he cleaned the cut.

She looked away. “I covered them with some bandages…when I could find them.”

“And what about your stepmom? Did she do anything about it or did she not care?” Fred asked her as applied an ointment to the cut before placing a small bandage on it.

She hissed at the ointment but shook her head. “N-no she didn’t do anything.”

’I’m starting to dislike that mare more and more.’ Fred thought to himself. “Well, if you get any more cuts in the future or currently have some now, you can talk to me or someone you trust to treat them. Ok?”

Scootaloo blushed a bit and whimpered. “I…have a few…” She said before turning her eyes down and behind her, indicating she's talking about on her butt.

“Oh.” Fred said, eyes widening a bit, “Well how about after lunch I take you to the hospital for that. Or would you like to go now and eat lunch on the go?”

Scootaloo hugged herself. “I don’t know…whatever you want mister Fred.”

Fred sighed a bit, “I think we should go now, like I said, even if they are small cuts or something, you can still get an infection or get sick from the bacteria entering the cuts.” he said as he stood up and grabbed the salad and handed it to Scootaloo.

She looked at the food and smiled softly. “Ok mister Fred, I can eat while we walk.”

“Ok, just let me get an umbrella for both of us. Ruby you can come too if you want.” Fred said to Ruby who nodded her head.

“I’ll come with.” she said and grabbed her bowl of fruit, Fred nodded before walking over to a closet and grabbing three umbrellas from it, handing one to both Scootaloo and Ruby.

The three of them head to the hospital with Scootaloo and Ruby snacking along the way. After half an hour of walking, the trio soon arrived at the hospital just as Scootaloo and Ruby finished with their food. They entered the building and walked up to the front desk. “Hello, I am here to have this filly get a check-up.” Fred said to the stallion.

The stallion looked at Fred and said. “You will need to fill out this paperwork and while you do that, tell me the nature of this check-up so I can find the right doctor.”

“Well, she kinda has some cuts on her and I don’t know if they are serious or not.” Fred said as he was handed some paperwork.

“Right, I will be back in a few minutes.” He said and walked deeper into the hospital.

Fred nodded his head before he began to fill in the paperwork, with Scootaloo and Ruby waiting next to him. After a few minutes the stallion comes back with another. “Mister Fred, I heard you need a filly checked for injuries?”

Fred nodded his head. “Yes, that is correct.”

The doctor looked down at Scootaloo. “Please come with me sweetie and we will get you all checked up ok?”

Scootaloo looked at the doctor nervously before looking at Fred, who nodded his head encouragingly. “O-ok.” she said.

Fred waits in the waiting room for a few minutes, close to an hour, but soon enough Scootaloo comes back with the doctor. “Mister Fred, a moment please?”

Fred nodded his head, “Watch over Scoots Ruby.” Fred said to the Genesect Pokemon who nodded her head, then he followed the doctor till they were a bit away from the two. “What is it, doctor?”

The doctor rubs the bridge of his nose. “I hate to ask this but how did you find Scootaloo?”

“I found her in an alley on my way home so I brought her home.” Fred said, frowning at the memory of his encounter with Scootaloo’s stepmother.

“Well mister Fred, am I correct in assuming that you are taking responsibility for her welfare for the moment?” The doctor asked and at Fred's nod, he continued. “I see, well-” He looked at the clipboard in his hands. “She has multiple cuts around her body, several splinters within her butt, and when I checked her over magically I found bruises and healed cracked bones. In other words, she has faced many hardships in her short life. I would suspect abuse.”

Fred went wide-eyed before speaking to himself, “I….I knew that mare had mistreated her, but I didn’t expect this…” he said.

“Mare? What mare sir?” The doctor asked as he overheard him.

Fred sighed, “Her stepmom.”

“I see, well I will need to call foal services about this. Do you know if she has a father?” The doctor asked while writing down a note.

“Yes, he is part of the guard.” Fred answered.

“I see, well if he can’t be gotten a hold of, I as a doctor, am giving you permission to take care of her for the next few days until foal services can arrive.” The doctor said, then gave him a bottle of ointment. “She will need to apply this before bed.”

Fred nodded his head, “I understand, and will make she does so.”

“Good, and thank you for bringing her here, if I hadn't found that crack in her arm in time it could have healed wrong.” The doctor said before he turned to leave.

“I should be the one thanking you for treating those injuries.” Fred said.

The doctor smiled. “It's my job sir.” he said before going back to his office.

Fred then walked over to Scootaloo and Ruby, “Alright you two, let’s head home.” he said to them.

“What did the doctor say?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, he said you need to apply this ointment before bed. It’s for your injuries.” Fred said, holding up said ointment then frowned a bit. “Along with some other…stuff.”

“Oh, ok. What now?” She asked him.

“I think we're going home now.” Ruby said with a giggle.

Fred chuckled a bit and nodded his head, “Yeah, that would seem like a good idea right about now.'' The trio then left the hospital, seeing that it was still raining. They walked back to Fred's house, making small talk here and there.

“Hey, mister Fred, could you take me with you next time you are on a hero mission?” Scootaloo asked.

“Hmm, maybe, depends on the mission, if it’s too dangerous then I’m afraid you can’t come.” Fred said.

“Aww.” Scootaloo pouts a bit.

Fred pats her back, “Hey, being a hero isn’t always easy, it can be pretty dangerous at times, even life-threatening.”

“But you can get all big and muscly! No pony could stand up to you…except for Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo said before quickly correcting herself.

’Just like everyone in the My Hero series, believing All Might is invincible and that no one can beat him.’ Fred thought to himself, remembering the shocked looks on people's faces when they had saw All Might's real form. ’Should I tell her that there might be someone stronger than me and can really hurt me? Possibly kill me?’ he decided to keep quiet on that, she was still a kid and didn’t need to know that a hero like him might fall someday. “Yeah but even a big guy like me has to make sure that no one gets hurt, so no dangerous missions but I can take you on simple safe ones if that’ll make you feel better.”

“Aww ok.” She pouts a bit but doesn’t make a fuss about it. Soon they made it to his home and Fred saw the time.

“Damn, we’ve been pretty busy today. It’s almost time to make dinner.” Fred said as Scootaloo and Ruby handed him the umbrellas, letting him put them in the closet. “You two want anything specific?” he asked them.

“I am good with anything.” Scootaloo said.

“How about pizza?” Ruby suggested.

“Hmm, alright. What kind?” Fred asked them.

“Extra cheesy!” Ruby cheered.

“Oh um…anything you get is good for me, mister Fred.” Scootaloo said softly with a smile.

Fred looked at Scootaloo, “You sure? You can ask for any kind of pizza you want and I’ll get it.”

She nodded and looked at him. “Yeah, I know you can’t eat flowers and stuff, but I will be ok with anything.”

Fred smiled a bit, “Alright, I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.” Fred said as he shifted into his hero form and lets out a laugh. “In fact, I’ll be back faster than you can say Plus Ultra!”

Scootaloo chuckled and yelled. “Plus ultra!”

Fred let out a dramatic gasp, “Oh no! I have failed to make do on my promise of getting the pizza before you say Plus Ultra! I really am not the fastest!” he said dramatically,

Scootaloo starts to laugh and smile more. “You are silly mister Fred.”

Fred chuckles, “You can say Pinkie rubbed off on me a bit.” he said then opened the door, “Now, off I go! To acquire the pizza that you hunger for!” he then dashed off leaving Scootaloo and Ruby in the house for a few seconds before he came back. “Oh, and before I forget, please do not go into the basement, I am still remodeling it and kinda have a secret project that I am working on in there.”

“Ok mister Fred.” Scootaloo said before she sat on the couch.

“Thanks, now off I go!” he said and dashed off again, once again leaving the two alone in the house.

Scootaloo grinned. “Hey, how fast can you go?” She asked Ruby.

“Um, I don’t know, but I am pretty fast.” Ruby said, tilting her head in confusion. “Why?”

Scootaloo’s eyes sparkle. “Can I ride you while you fly?!”

“Sure I guess, but we’ll have to be careful, I don’t exactly have seatbelts attached to me.” Ruby said,

“I have a helmet!” She said with a grin and hugged Ruby.

Ruby gladly hugged Scootaloo back, glad to see that she was happy and seemed to have forgotten why she was here in the first place. “You’re gonna need a little more than that but we’ll worry about that later ok?”

“Ok, hey maybe I can get my cutie mark in Ruby riding!” Scootaloo said.

Ruby tilted her head, “That would be a very specific Cutie Mark.”

Scootaloo shrugged and said. “I don’t care as long as I get it.”

“I have been here as long as Fred, but I still do not see why a tattoo is so important.” Ruby said,

“It’s not just a tattoo! It’s a Cutie Mark! It shows you and others what your special talent is.” Scootaloo said.

“But wouldn’t that get boring? Having to do the same thing for your entire life and you might hate doing that specific thing?” Ruby asked her,

Scootaloo shook her head. “No way, it is more than that, it's what makes us, us. Like Twilight, she is super good at magic and her cutie mark shows that. Rainbow is fast and is good at weather magic, her cutie mark shows that.”

“But what if you get a Cutie Mark that doesn’t explain what makes you, you or what your special talent is? Like that one mare who delivers the mail? The one with the cross eyed look.” Ruby said,

“You can still get a job unrelated to your talent, and I don’t know her myself but from what the adults say, it is because she has a bubbly attitude.” Scootaloo explained.

Ruby just remained silent for a few seconds before replying. “Cutie Marks are weird.” This caused Scootaloo to laugh a little before the door opened followed by jovial laughter.

“HAHAHA!! I am here! With pizza for dinner!” Fred said as he walked into the house in a dramatic hero fashion, making sure to close the door behind him as he walked over to the table and put the boxes on the table.

Scootaloo continued to laugh as she said. “Mr. Fred you're so funny, you just make me want to smile.”

Fred laughs as he changes into his civilian form, “Heh, like I said, Pinkie is rubbing off on me. Think I should add my little comedy routine whenever I start teaching students at UA?” he asked her as they sat at the table and began eating four-cheese pizza.

“Yeah! I bet a lot of the students will love it.” Scootaloo said while she waited to eat.

“Or would get confused by it, it’s a fifty-fifty thing.” Ruby said as she attempted to eat her slice of pizza.

“Yeah, there’s that as well, but I will test it out when school is open again.” Fred said before taking a bite out of his slice, then gave Scootaloo a confused look. “You ok? Did I get a pizza that you don’t like?” he asked her.

“Huh? Oh no it looks delicious.” She said before shrinking in on herself. “Sorry, did I do something wrong?”

“No no no! It’s fine, I was just confused is all!” Fred quickly said, seeing the hints of fear on the fillies face.

“Wh-what do you mean?” She asked.

“Well, you weren’t eating so I was confused on why. Do you do something before eating?” he asked her.

“I can eat now? I…normally have to wait till mom finishes first.” She said softly.

This made both Fred and Ruby stop eating and eating and frown. “Once again, that mare gives me another reason to dislike her.” Fred utters to himself before speaking to Scootaloo. “You don’t have to wait until we are done eating in order for you to eat Scoots, you can eat whenever you want here.”

“I can?” She asked and after Fred nodded his head she slowly took a slice, looking up at Fred and down at the pizza till she took a bite.

“Relax, I’m not gonna suddenly say you can’t eat or something, go ahead, help yourself.” Fred said, scooting one of the boxes over to her.

She smiled and started to eat faster. “Thank you mister Fred!”

Fred smiled while chuckling. “No problem Scoots.” he said before he continued to eat.

Scootaloo finished her slices quickly and let out a burp. “That was delicious, thank you again.”

“You’re welcome, if you get hungry, don’t hesitate to ask me to make something or make something yourself.” Fred said and Ruby nodded her head.

“Ok mister Fred.” Scootaloo said with a smile.

They all continued eating pizza while talking, making a few jokes here and there until the pizza boxes were empty. “Everyone full?” Fred asked the two as he picked up the boxes to throw away.

Both of them nodded and replied. “Yeah!” Then they both laughed.

“That’s good.” Fred said, laughing a bit then looked at the clock. “Well, we have some time before it’s nighttime, is there anything you want to do?”

“Well…could you tell me a story?” Scootaloo asked.

“A story? Sure, what kind of story do you want to hear?” Fred asked her.

“Something full of action!” Scootaloo said, throwing her arms into the air.

“How about something with a sweet ending?” Ruby suggested.

“Hmm, let me think.” Fred said as he held his chin in thought.

“Come on Fred, I am sure you have tons of cool stories!” Scootaloo said.

“Alright alright, I think I got one.” Fred said throwing the boxes away before sitting down on a chair in the living room while Ruby and Scootaloo sat on the couch.

“This is gonna be awesome.” Scootaloo said.

Fred cleared his throat, “Alright, this is the story of a race of aliens, a race that can have the ability to transform into different vehicles, and of their eon long war.” Fred said,

“Ooo! Spooky.” Scootaloo said with a grin.

“Does it have a happy ending?” Ruby asked,

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Fred told her. “Our story begins on a world called Earth, which is not at all that different from Equestria, but instead of being a world filled with magic, it is filled with science. And residing on this planet were humans and the shape-shifting aliens. But, the aliens known as Cybertronians were forced to live in secret from the humans.”

“Why do they have to hide?” Scootaloo asked.

“Many reasons, one of them being that the humans would have become fearful of them and tried to hunt them down.” Fred explained before continuing with the story. “Anyway, there were two groups of Cybertronians, the fearsome Decepticons, Cybertronians who desire power and the extinction of their enemy, the heroic Autobots, Cybertronians who believe in peace. These two factions have been at war with each other for countless eons.”

“Whoa! That sounds scary but cool!” Scootaloo said.

“Trust me Scootaloo, war is never good, especially the kind that kills your entire planet. Which was what to the Cybertronian's homeworld, their war caused the death of their planet.” Fred said and both Scootaloo and Ruby were shocked to hear this.

“Their whole planet died!?” Scootaloo yelled, leaning closer.

“I’m afraid so, this caused all Cybertronians to leave their planet in search of a new home, but even with the death of their home, the Decepticons refuse to end the war. Especially their leader, Megatron.” Fred said, “You see, the Autobots left their planet and stumbled upon Earth, and after a while, Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots and one of the greatest heroes ever, deemed it their new home. Unfortunately, they didn’t count on Decepticons being there as well with Megatron seeing it as a new planet to conquer.”

“Oh no! That's not fair, they got their first!” Scootaloo said, leaning a bit too close and almost falling but Ruby saved her.

“Easy there Scoots.” Ruby said to the filly as she helped her back on the couch.

“Sometimes war isn’t always fair Scoots. Especially with the Decepticons and their leader Megatron, as he became obsessed with ending the Autobots once and for even though he has caused the death of Cybertron.” Fred said, “Their battle continued on without any human, minus the government who were allied with the Autobots, knowing until a fateful encounter with three children changed that. The names of these children were Jack, Raf, and Miko, and they had changed the Autobot's lives and drove them even more to protect Earth.”

“Really? What do they do to help?” Scootaloo asked.

Fred smiled a bit. “A lot of things, there was this one time an outbreak of Scraplets, mean little bastards that eat metal and Cybertronians are made of metal, the three kids defended their robotic friends until the Scraplets were defeated.”

Scootaloo giggled a bit. “You said a bad word.”

Fred chuckled a bit. “Yeah I did, sorry about that. I shouldn’t be swearing in front of a kid.”

“I won’t tell, if you don’t.” She said with a giggle.

Fred chuckled again and nodded his head, “Deal. Now, where was I? Ah yes, with their new human allies, a lot of things has happened, to old enemies reappearing, new threats, an ancient chaos god of Cybertronian legend, ancient relics, and many more. But no matter what came their way, the Autobots and their allies have pulled through time and time again, even when the Decepticons discovered their secret base and destroyed it, causing the Bots and the kids to be scattered across the state they were in and their leader, Optimus, to be nearly on death's door. They still pulled through and sent the Decepticons packing.”

“Hay yeah! This sounds amazing!” Scootaloo said.

“It is amazing, the most amazing thing to happen involved their planet.” Fred said then paused for a second and held his chin, trying to remember what happened that had caused the revival of Cybertron. “Let’s see, the Autobots were out dealing with Decepticons, leaving their medical officer Ratchet alone in the base with a captured Decepticon named Soundwave, Megatrons third in command and most loyal soldier, he was also the most deadly as he was proven to be a skilled warrior, he once battled against Megatron himself and won, I think, and the only one capable of actually putting up a fight against the tyrant was Optimus Prime. So you should get an idea of how dangerous Soundwave was.”

“He sounds really strong.” Ruby said.

“But not as strong as you, Fred!” Scootaloo said.

“True, he wasn’t strong, but he is very skilled, that is what makes him dangerous. He is the Decepticons communications officer, and he was very good at it but just because he handles communications, doesn’t mean he isn’t skilled in combat, there were plenty of times he would defeat someone stronger than him, like Megatron.” Fred said then continued with the story. “The Autobots thought of trying to gain information from Soundwave but the Con wiped his mind clean to prevent them from doing so, he was basically a mindless husk until his pet, Laserbeak flew in and attached itself to him thus restoring his mind while Ratchet was alone in the base. Which what the Decepticons wanted, as their target was the medic himself.”

“Really? Why do they need him? Don’t they have their own healer?” Ruby asked and he nodded his head.

“Yes but they don’t need him for his medical skills, they need because of a formula called Synthetic Energon, a type of make your own fuel thing, you see the Decepticons discovered a way to turn organic material, into Cybertronian metal but they lacked the knowledge of the Synth En’s formula, which is why they needed Ratchet to make more. He of course refused but was blackmailed when the Con’s threatened the children. He denied he doesn’t care about them but he was attached to them like the rest of Autobots.”

“Aww the big softy.” Scootaloo said with a giggle.

“Not really a laughing matter concerning the position he is in. He was forced to aid the Decepticons in creating a substance that they would use to terraform Earth into a second Cybertron.The Autobots, learning their plans, boarded the Decepticons ship, the Nemesis, which was orbiting above Earth, for a final attack to stop them from completing their plan. A lot of Autobots were captured, though one of them, a rookie named Smokescreen, was carrying a blade called the Star Saber to where Optimus and Megatron were having their final battle though he too was captured but a scout named Bumblebee, a great warrior who had lost his voice during the war, grabbed the blade and had jumped in to aid his friend. Only for Megatron to shoot him, killing him and causing him to fall into the Cyber Matter, the substance that would be used to terraform Earth.” Fred said, remembering clearly how the young scout was murdered trying to save his friend.

“Poor Bumblebee!” Ruby said sadly.

“Oh no! Not him.” Scootaloo said before yawning.

Fred smiled a bit, despite her excitement over the story, he can tell she and Ruby were getting tired, so he decided to wrap it up. “Yes, all seemed lost as Megatron continued to attack Optimus, who had tried to avenge his friend but failed, and when Megatron was about to deal the finishing blow, he heard someone call his name, making him turn to meet his fate.” this piqued the interest of both girls as they leaned in a bit, curiosity evident on their faces. “Megatron stared in shock at the Star Saber that had stabbed right through his chest and heart, and at Bumblebee, whose own wounds were healing.”

“Yay!” Both girls cheered.

Fred smiled before he decided to quote what Bumblebee said to Megatron. “‘You may have taken my voice, but you’ll never take anything, from anyone again,’ that is what Bumblebee said to Megatron as the life left the tyrant, causing him to fall towards the planet he tried to conquer. Now I am sure you are curious about how Bumblebee survived getting shot in the chest. It was thanks to Ratchet and his involvement in creating the Cyber Matter, not only did it revive him, but it also restored his voice, something that seemed to never return. With Megatron defeated and the Decepticons scattering across the galaxy, though some were captured, the Autobots piloted the Nemesis to Cybertron and used the Cyber Matter to restore their home’s core.”

“Wow, that was a-” Scootaloo started before yawning. “-amazing story mister Fred.”

“Yeah, it was.” Ruby said, nodding off a bit. Fred chuckled seeing that and got up.

“Alright, I believe that’s where I’ll end the story for now. Time to get you two to bed.” Fred said,

“But I’m not tired and I want to hear the rest of the story.” Scootaloo denied, her eyes starting to close a bit. Fred chuckled again and walked over to the two and picked up the tired filly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow.” he said as he carried Scoots to a guest room Ruby was using, said Genesect following behind him. “Hey Ruby, you don’t mind sharing your room with Scoots right?” Ruby shook her head.

“No, I don’t mind.” Ruby said.

“Okay, good.” Fred said as they reached the room with Ruby opening the door due to Freds arms being full. The three entered the room and Fred gently put Scootaloo, who was already asleep by the time they reached the bed, on the bed and covered her up with Ruby laying next to her. “Night you two.” Fred said to them as he quietly left the room.

“Night Fred.” Ruby said as she too went to sleep.

Fred smiled as he closed the door before yawning, now realizing that he was tired as well. “Well, guess I should get to sleep.” Fred said as he walked towards his room. Once there, he opened the door to his room and entered, walking over to his bed before just falling onto it while letting out a tired sigh. ’I hope Scoots will be alright, even though she looked happy earlier, I can tell she was still in pain.’ Fred thought to himself as he felt himself slowly drift off to sleep. ’The best thing I can do right now is trying to make her feel happy while she stays here.’ with that final thought, Fred fell asleep.