Finding Your Family

When Scootaloo awoke, she was cold. Spike wasn't in bed behind her. She even rolled over to check. He was nowhere to be found.

She rolled out of bed and took a deep breath. Today was her wedding day, and her husband was missing. Twilight knew what day it was, so she definitely wouldn't have scheduled him to work today, or for the next few days as they enjoyed their honeymoon.

They hadn't even talked about their honeymoon yet. Twilight had brought it up in terms of scheduled time off, but Spike had opted to focus on making sure the wedding went smoothly. All he'd said about the honeymoon was that they'd be spending time together, and that was enough for him to be happy.

Well, no matter. She moved over to the bathroom and started up a shower. She had to make sure she was clean before slipping into the dress. However, a few moments into her scale scrub, the doorbell rang. She continued scrubbing for a bit, but then it rang again. Wherever Spike was, he wasn't in the house, and that was worrisome.

She rushed through the rest of her shower, tossed a towel around herself, and came downstairs as the doorbell rang out a third time. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted, yanking the door open.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were waiting for her. "Y'all almost ready to go?" asked Apple Bloom. "We need ya down at the farmhouse ta fitchya inta yer dress!"

"I was in the middle of my shower," answered Scootaloo.

"Hurry up!" urged Sweetie Belle. "We'll wake up the girls, and they can have breakfast while we do up our manes."

"I don't have a mane," answered Scootaloo, running her claws back along her spines.

"Go finish your shower!" repeated Sweetie Belle. "We need to go!"

Scootaloo rushed upstairs and finished her shower while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle woke Rainbow Slash and Barb. There wasn't a lot left to do, as she'd scrubbed most of her body clean, but had left a few sections undone, as she'd not had time to scrub between her toes.

Fully clean and dried, she came out to the hall to find that her friends and daughters were waiting. "Where's Cudgel?"

"Prob'ly in the barn by now," ushered Apple Bloom, trying to push everyone toward the door. "He should'a been out of the shower by now."

"He's at Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Yeah! Let's go already!"

Scootaloo hurried everyone out the door. "I'll meet you there!" she called back as she immediately took to the sky after locking up. She flew in as straight a line as she could manage, as fast as her wings could take her, not slowing until she saw Spike and Cudgel standing in the barn door, coming to a stop next to them. "There you are!"

"Here we are," said Spike back.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming out here early?"

"I left a note," answered Spike. "It was right there next to your plate of latkes."

"What latkes?"

Spike looked back at her. "I was having trouble sleeping, so I made you breakfast. Cudgel had a nightmare, so he ate with me, and then I left breakfast for you and the girls in the kitchen while we came out here for an early start. Have you not eaten yet?"

"Can't have that, can we?" said Applejack, coming out of the barn.

"Nope," answered Big Mac.

"Come on, let's stuff ya full a' fritters."

The next half hour passed rather quickly as Scootaloo ate and her daughters used the shower. Fluttershy had arrived to help with the mane styling while Rarity was out in the barn helping Spike and Cudgel dress up for their parts.

"Now, we have to have all of you dressed up properly," said Pinkie, going over her party plan. "Scootaloo is the most important, obviously, but she's also going to be the last one to show up. The first two to go out will be Slash and Barb, so they have to be in their dresses first. After that, we have a small amount of wiggle room, and we all know how much I love to wiggle. I should put a wiggle room in my house. A place where you go just to wiggle."

"That's ridiculous, Pinkie," snorted Applejack.

"Is it?" asked Pinkie. "I guess it is. I already have two of those, anyway..."

Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, once they spread the flowers down the aisle, Spike's groomsponies take their places. That is, Big Macintosh, Shining Armor, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and finally, the best bug, King Thorax. Once they take their places, Spike walks down the aisle, alone, as he's opted to have Twilight standing next to him, rather than sitting in the front row.

"That's when we start. Sweetie Belle, you're first, then Apple Bloom, then Rainbow Dash." She looked around. "Is Rainbow Dash here yet?"

"Not coming," said a voice from the front door. Two mares in Wonderbolt gear had just walked in. "Thee thent uth to take her plathe."

"She did what?!" fumed Applejack. "Whadda ya mean, "not coming?!" She's the mare a' honour!!"

"Yeah, she was pretty pissed off when she heard the news this morning," answered Spitfire. "You've never heard such a tantrum."

"I think halfway through, her thwearing turned into gibberith," huffed Fleetfoot. "Thee thaid thee'll be back ath thoon ath thee can, and that if we meth up your thpethal day, that thee'll kick our atheth."

"Ah'll kick hers if she ain't here by the time the vows are done!" shouted Applejack. "Why didn't y'all handle it so she could be here?"

"We don't control the cutie map," shrugged Spitfire. "It wanted her and Soarin. And Soarin's not even involved with it."

"It'll be okay," assured Scootaloo, though her voice betrayed her fear. "She'll be here. She'll make it back in time. Rainbow Dash always does the right thing, right?"

Pinkie placed her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Of course she does. She'll be back in time to put on her dress and greet you at the altar."

When even Pinkie sounded unsure, it didn't bode well for the wedding. Still, Scootaloo tried to stay positive. At least this was the only problem they would have... Right?