Finding Your Family

After the kids left with their friends, or left alone to join their friends at another location, Scootaloo went into the study and pulled a book off the shelf.

"Is that what you're reading?" asked Mane, who'd followed her in.

"No, I was just looking for something to stand on so I could reach the higher shelves," snarked Scootaloo. "Yes, I'm reading it, mom."

"And you don't see the problem with that?"

"I honestly don't," she answered. "But I'm sure you'd be willing to tell me."

Mane folded her wings in front of her. "I'm not one hundred percent in love with your tone right now, Scootaloo. Aren't you happy to see your mother?"

"Aren't you happy to see your daughter be married and starting a happy family?"

"I would be, if I knew the stallion, but I don't."

"That's not my fault. He's been living here since before this house existed. Back when this was a freshly-purchased plot of land with a tent and some rocks, this was his. And he and my aunts put the place together. They did that for me. This house was specifically built with the intent of raising the kids here."

"So you knew going into it that you wanted kids?"

Scootaloo froze for a moment. She had to pick her next words carefully. "When construction started, we knew we'd have kids, yes."

"And how old are the kids?"

Scootaloo took a deep breath. "The youngest just turned nine."

"And the oldest?"

"Just turned nine."

"So this house has been in the works for ten years?"

"It has, yes."

"So tell me again why it's not decorated?"

"I've been out of the country, mother. I've been living in the dragon lands."

"The dragon lands." Mane took a deep breath. "For ten years?"

"Yes."

Mane paused. "You know, the whole reason we let you stay in Ponyville was because you had important work to do here. Why would you leave?"

Scootaloo brought her claw up to her face and rubbed her temples. "I didn't want to leave; I wasn't given a choice. When I changed into a dragon, Princess Twilight contacted Dragon Lord Ember about checking up on my health. We found out that there's a law about dragon children growing up outside of the dragon lands, so I had to go. I had to escort the children."

"Did you?" asked Mane. "You couldn't find a trustworthy babysitter in the dragon lands?"

Scootaloo sighed, then turned and glared at her mother. "Do you know how it feels to grow up without your parents around?"

"Scootaloo, I--"

"Answer the question, mother," she growled. "Do you have any idea what that's like?"

"It's less bad if you have a good babysitter."

Scootaloo dropped her shoulders. "Aunt Holiday and Aunty Lofty were great three days a week. Jumping from house to house to be watched by ponies who would sometimes forget that I was staying with them the other four days was terrible. Do you know how many times I showed up at someone's place to stay the night, and they just weren't there?"

"Forty-three," answered Mane. "You told us every time that happened."

"And since Aunty Lofty forgot the key in her pocket, and the trains wouldn't run again until morning, I--"

"You slept on a bench at the train station. I remember."

"You slept on a bench?"

Both of them turned to look at Rumble, who had just poked his head into the living room.

"Sorry, your door was halfway open. I could hear you arguing from the street."

"And who is this?" asked Mane. "Don't tell me you're seeing two different stallions?"

"Don't be ridiculous," sneered Scootaloo, finally replacing the book on the shelf. "Rumble is helping me study. Rumble, this is my mother."

"A pleasure," smiled Rumble, extending his hoof.

"The pleasure is all mine," smiled Mane back. As she turned to look at Scootaloo, she cocked her head to the side. "Now, why couldn't you marry a charming stallion like this one?"

"Mom?!"

"What? He's kind of cute, and he's your age!"

Rumble retracted his hoof to rub the back of his neck and blushed.

"Mom, I'm not breaking up with Spike and marrying Rumble just because you think he's cuter than my fiancé."

"I'm not saying he's just cuter than Spike. He also made a better first impression."

"When you just made a new first impression with Spike, he was trying to nurse me back to health. How is that a bad first impression?"

"Rubble, here, was very polite, and he's trying to help you study for school."

"It's Rumble, actually," he mumbled. "Sorry, should I come back later?"

"No, no!" ushered Mane, pushing him to the couch. "You two sit down and study! I'll bring some snacks!"

As she disappeared into the kitchen, Scootaloo sighed as she sat down next to Rumble.

"Everything alright?" he whispered, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"My mom hates my fiancé, but otherwise, no problem. How are you?"

"I'm embarrassed. How was your party?"

"I drank too much and fell asleep in another stallion's hooves."

"Oof."

"Nothing happened, and Spike forgave me. I was drunk, after all."

"Well... I do think you look pretty..." He blushed again. After a short, but very awkward pause, he changed the subject. "So," he clapped. "Did you read that book I left with your aunts?"

"No, I... I guess they forgot to give it to me. Things were really hectic yesterday."

"Well, no matter. We can come back to it next time." He stood up and turned around. "So, let's talk about tornadoes..."

Ten minutes later, Mane came in with a tray of hors-d'oeuvres, then left them alone to continue their lesson. They didn't hear a peep out of her for almost half an hour, when there came a shriek from upstairs. Scootaloo and Rumble dropped what they were doing and bolted up to the bedroom, where Mane was standing, surrounded by Spike's brand-new collection of sex toys.

"What is all of this?!" she asked, mortified.

Scootaloo buried her head in her claws. "Mom, what are you doing in here?!"

"I was cleaning up!" she shouted back. "Is this what he's done to you? Has that dragon turned my daughter into some kind of sex maniac?!"

Rumble, perhaps showing his intellect, or perhaps just his cowardice, slipped out of the room. He suddenly realised; he didn't want to be here anymore.