Chapters "Dammit, dad. I told you not to work in the mine! I told you you weren't strong enough! But did you freaking listen to me!? NO!" The poor black-coated pegasus cried over his dads fresh grave. He cried for a good few minutes before resuming his dialogue to his deceased father.
"No, I know it wasn't your fault. With mother gone, you had to do it in order to provide. It isn't your fault. It's.... IT'S....HER FAULT!" He banged his hooves on the ground as he began to sob. He sat there, crying, thinking, hating. He thought of his parents, both separated from him. He thought of all the great times he'd had with his parents, only to push him farther into depression.
He raised his head, his eyes squinted in anger, his mouth revealing a fierce snarl. His eyes spoke volumes as his depression was instantaneously transmuted into pure rage. He spread his wings and took off at an impossible speed. He was not nearly as fast as Rainbow Dash, but he would leave all others in his wake. His wings ached within moments of being used, but he didn't care. He felt nothing that was as strong as his feelings at that moment.
He felt the frigid night's air tear at his skin, piercing his coat effortlessly. He felt a slight emotional relief as the pain took over his senses. As with those who cut themselves, the physical pain overwhelmed his senses, blocking out the emotional pain to a degree. He flew for what felt like hours to his wings, but in reality it was mere minutes. He arrived at his destination: Scootaloo's house. He was suddenly grateful for being in the Colt Scouts, otherwise he's have no idea where Scootaloo lived; it turns out going door-to-door trying to raise money was worth the time he put into it.
He flew straight to the only window with light coming out of it, looking in. He had no idea what he hoped to achieve here, but he knew it would end poorly for Scootaloo. He also knew that, with his black coat, he wouldn't be seen; a ninja waiting for the right time to attack. He saw Scootaloo, that smug bitch, smiling, messing with some paper and glue. She looked liked she finished whatever she had made, and called for her mother. Within a few moments, she -Rainbow Dash? Yes, Rainbow Dash- entered into the room. Scootaloo held her paper up for her mother to see, and her mothers face lit up with joy. I will kill you both!
He was angered at how happy they were, when he was feeling so miserable! He watched as Rainbow Dash put the creation up on the wall opposite the window where Dartanian was looking into. When she moved out of the way, Dartanian could see that it read "I Love You, Mommy!" on it. Dartanian didn't care what the occasion was, nor did he care to try and figure it out.
Rainbow Dash turned to her daughter, and rushed her, scooping her up in a hug, squeezing Scootaloo tightly. As Dartanian witnessed this, his mind simply stopped. The hug lasted moments, but Dartanian watched it for hours. It burned into his eyes, enveloping his conscious. He saw the pure love, the joy of being together as a family; he saw him, as a colt, while his mother embraced him just like what was happening right then and there; he saw something he wouldn't experience again for ten years.
As he watched, he felt an insatiable longing to be held by his parents again, to be told how much he was loved. He felt jealous, angry, alone. To watch this was simple emotional agony, yet he could not peel his eyes away from it. They released each other, and walked up a flight of steps. He saw a light turn on to his left and up about seven feet, and he darted to the source of it. He peered through the window from which the light was pouring out. He peered in, careful not to be seen.
Rainbow Dash was tucking Scootaloo in -another pang of desire and depression- and she kissed Scootaloo on the forehead. It was too much; Dartanian could feel his jealous tears coming down his cheeks. He flew back to the kitchen window in time to see Rainbow enter the room and start to clean up. He watched her work, watched her clean, just as his mom used to. With one final surge of negative emotion, Dartanian flew away. He didn't know where he was headed, he just knew it was dark.
He could see the two still hugging, and he shut his eyes tightly to blot out the horrifying, emotion-inducing images coursing through his head. All he could think about was his mother, how he wanted her back so bad; she was all that would go through his mind. All he could see when he thought of it was his own mother hugging him, the way Rainbow Dash held her child; it was the same ! He opened his eyes for a moment, and then everything went black.
Hehe, that girl and her messes. Rainbow had just started to clean up when she heard something unusual. It was a loud thud, followed by a bunch of cracks. At first she thought nothing of it, but after a few minutes something told her to check it out. The stupid feeling wouldn't go away, so eventually Rainbow just gave in.
"Freaking fine, I'll check already! Sheesh...." She opened her front door, and stepped out into the chilly night. She closed the door most of the way, save for a tiny crack, and lept into the air. She looked around, trying to figure out where the loud noises had come from. She figured she had better check near the kitchen windows, as that was where she heard the sound come from. She looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. She flew past a few trees, seeing nothing worth noting. At least, she didn't see anything worth noting.
As she passed a rather tall pine tree, she heard something. She stopped listening for the sound again, her anticipation building. After a few moments she heard it again. It sounded like pained grunting. She heard it from somewhere below, but she couldn't see anything. Even in the dark, she should have been able to make out some thing. Deciding it was worth a look, Rainbow descended to the ground and began listening for the grunts.
She heard one, off to her right. She turned and walked forward, weaving between trees. She walked for about six seconds when another grunt almost gave her a heart attack. She stopped, as the sound was coming from her immediate left. She turned, only to see another tree.
"OK, now you're going crazy, Rainbow Dash." She spread her wings and was about to take off, when she hear, not a grunt, but a voice.
"No, don't go mommy, please..." Rainbow's eyes went wide as she realized that that was a pony, probably a boy. She took off, darting to the other side of the tree. She saw a dark lump covered in branched, which moved up and down as it breathed. She quickly moved all the debris and branches off of the poor pony. Judging by his build, he was obviously a colt, probably about Scootaloo's age, and he was a pegasus. He had a matte black coat, and a dark gray mane, both of which has areas with tree sap covering them.
Rainbow Dash picked up the poor colt and slung him over her back, and prepared for takeoff. "Alright, little guy, let's get you home so we can fix you up."
Scootaloo opened her eyes groggily as her alarm drew her back from the realm of the unconscious. She lazily reached out a hoof and silenced her alarm, then removed her covers. The typical morning routine, stretch, shower, go downstairs for breakfast. She walked down into the kitchen, expecting to see her mom and two bowls of cereal on the counter, however, this was not the case. Scootaloo made her own breakfast, not really wondering about her mothers absence.
She grabbed her bowl in her mouth and made her way into the living room to eat, as she always did. She walked around the couch, whose back faced the kitchen, and plopped her bowl down on the coffee table that was in front of it. She moved to sit on the couch when she noticed her mother sitting on the chair, which had been pulled up next to the couch. She cocked her head to the right in confusion, before walking over to her mom. She poked her mom a few times on the shoulder to wake her up, as she'd need to be in order to clear the sky on time.
"Mom." She didn't wake. "MOM." Still nothing. She then prodded Rainbow in the shoulder, with a fair amount of force. "Time to get up!" Her mom awoke with a start, looking around at Scootaloo, then the couch.
"Thanks for getting me up, but try to be quiet okay?" Scootaloo cocked her head again.
"Huh? Why?"
"You'll wake him." Him? There's a stallion in the house? Scootaloo turned to the couch, and there was a black pony, presumably a pegasus, underneath a blue quilt. Scootaloo grimaced.
"Ew, mom! Couldn't you have at least taken it to your room? That's where I sit!" Rainbow was confused for a moment, until she realized what her daughter was implying; she promptly facehoofed.
"Oh for the love of.... No, Scootaloo, he's not a stallion-friend. I heard a loud thump last night, and it turned out this idiot hit a tree, and he was unconscious when I found him." She paused for only a second, before her eyes narrowed. "And just why the hay would that be the first thought that crosses your mind?" Scootaloo smiled awkwardly.
"Uh, I don't....know?" Rainbow was not amused.
"You need to get your head out of the gutter, young lady. Now go get ready for school." Scootaloo didn't waste a second before grabbing her cereal and exiting the room. Rainbow watched her daughter leave, thinking to herself. 'Young lady'? Wow, I'm getting lamer every day.
Rainbow Dash stretched out her limbs, most notably her wings, and walked into the kitchen to make some breakfast for her guest. She quickly prepared the bowl, and brought it into the living room, sitting the bowl down on the coffee table. She reached over the sleeping pegasus, putting her hooves on both of his shoulders, gently shaking him.
"Wake up, sleepyhead. You have to get up now." The pegasus' eyes opened slowly, and he immediately recoiled from the pain in his head. He instinctively put his hooves over his head to prevent anypony from touching it and making the pain worse. He turned his head, which was laying on the couch horizontally, so he could look at the one who had woken him. He saw a multicolored blur, moving. He blinked a few times to clear his vision.
After a few moments his vision did clear, but he kept on blinking, unsure of what he was seeing. She stared at the mare in front of him, disbelief coursing through his mind.
No. It's not possible! She's supposed to be away! He lept at her, catching her off guard. He embraced her as hard as he could. Rainbow wasn't sure what was happening, but let it happen anyway. After a few moments Rainbow realized he was heaving, no - sobbing?
"I'm so glad to have you back...mom."
Wait, what!? Rainbow thought. The colt that was now hugging her lovingly, crying, just called her... mom . This guy must have hit his head harder than I thought. Great, now I gotta put this poor kid down.
"Uh, yeah, look, kid, I'm not your mom." Smooth. The pegasus loosened his grip, still keeping his hooves on Rainbow's shoulders, and looked her in the eyes, which were wet. He had a smile on his face, and he laughed gently, as though she had just made a decent pun.
"Hehe, come on now, mom. That's not funny, even in an ironic sort of way, hehe!" He finally let go of her, wiping his eyes before standing and observing his surroundings. "Uh, this isn't home. Where are we?" This would not be easy.
"We're in my house, Dart." They both turned and saw a determined-looking Scootaloo staring intently at Dartanian. Upon looking at Scootaloo, Dartanian got a dark look in his eye. He didn't break eye contact.
"Mom, why are we in Scootaloo's house?" Before Rainbow got a chance to answer, Dartanian turned and talked to her directly. "Oh, I bet we're here to talk with her mom about their violence. I say we just let it go, mom. We can just-" Rainbow grabbed his face, hooves on both sides, and pulled him close to her face, staring him directly in the eyes.
"Dude. Listen to what I tell you. I. Am. NOT. Your. Mom." She let go, giving him an disapproving look. He was confused and slightly hurt, showing this in his face as he backed up. Scootaloo walked over and stood next to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow reflexively put a wing over her daughter, reinforcing her point. Dartanian looked back and forth between the two, a look of understanding passing over his face.
"Alright. I see how it is." Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief, her face softening instantly.
"Look, it's alright, kid. Now, come with me and I'll show you out, and you can go home, OK?" Dartanian's face quickly turned into that of a cheerful colt. Almost too quickly.
"Yeah sure! I bet my....dad is worried." Darts left eye twitched ever so slightly.
"Yeah, he should be! Come on." Dartanian joined Rainbow in going to the door. Throughout this entire exchange Scootaloo never took her eyes off of Dartanian, eyeing him suspiciously. When they were almost at the door, Dartanian discreetly turned his head and shot her a look of pure venom at Scootaloo, causing her to visibly recoil just a bit.
The two walked out the door, and Rainbow turned, and closed it. She began to turn, addressing Dart to apologize for the confusion. "Hey, look I'm sorry about all the co-HUUUH!" That was all she could manage before two hooves collided with the side of her head. She instantly went limp.
"I'm sorry, mom." He placed her on his back, ready to take off. She was a little heavy, but not so much that he couldn't fly. He was honestly surprised, as he was not very muscular. He heaved, going airborne. He began to fly, putting his effort into staying up. "Don't worry, I'll fix whatever they did to you."
Scootaloo wondered where her mom went, probably seeing Dartanian made his way home safely. If what Rainbow said was true, then flying home alone would be dangerous. She really didn't give it much thought, and continued to school, not expecting to see Dartanian at school that day. She was kinda sorry about what happened to his mom, but she got what she deserved. Scootaloo thought that Rainbow should have trashed the judge as well, but she chose not to question her mom about it.
Aside from a pop quiz in animal studies, it was a normal school day. Afterward, Scootaloo hung out with Applebloom and Sweetie Bell, as they did every Thursday. She got home around 5 o'clock, as usual. She noticed that there were no lights on, which indicated that nopony was home. Still, she assumed that her mom was just handling the whole situation with Dart confusing Rainbow with his mom over at Darts house. Wait, wouldn't she be back by now? I mean it doesn't take nine hours to discuss something like that.
She pondered this thought as she opened the door, it being unlocked. She stopped when she looked down and saw a few flecks of red on the cloud she was standing on. She crouched, getting a closer look at the red. Wait, is that-
"Oh no. No there's no way."
Angel tapped his foot impatiently. He was waiting, like the little DOUCHEBAG that he is, for Fluttershy to finish and bring him his dinner. When she finally arrived, he gave her crap in mime about how long she took.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I had to redo the potatoes, and they just wouldn't-" She didn't finish her sentence before Angel started eating ravenously. She sighed, wishing that Angel would be nicer. Fluttershy's attention was taken from her by urgent knocking on her door. She flew over and opened it, revealing an out-of-breath Scootaloo.
"Flutter...shy! You gotta....help me, I-"
"What's wrong? Did you find an animal that needs tending to? I can be over there right away, and-"
"No! It's not...like that. Listen...I can't find....my mom..." Even after two years, it was odd for Fluttershy to hear anypony call Rainbow Dash 'mom.' Fluttershy smiled and interrupted before Scootaloo could finish.
"Well she's probably just out and around flying somewhere, or maybe she's at work. I have the day off today, so I wouldn't be able to tell you. Perhaps she's-"
"LISTEN to me!" With her breath back in her lungs, Scootaloo had no intention of letting Fluttershy interrupt again. "This colt flew into a tree, and my mom took him in, and when he came to he started calling her mom, and seemed really shocked when mom told him she wasn't his mom. Mom showed her out, but she never came back in and when I went outside to go to school there were drops of blood on the cloud and I think she's been hurt! So I need you to help me find her in case she's injured!" Fluttershy's eyes widened at the idea of Rainbow being hurt. It actually seemed almost impossible that Rainbow Dash, hero of Ponyville, could ever be injured, even when Fluttershy had seen it happen on multiple occasions. She was also very scared.
"O-ok, I'll help you. Where should be look?" Scootaloo thought, hard, for a few moments, dropping her head and furrowing her brow in concentration. She looked back up with a determined look on her face, meeting Fluttershy's eyes intently.
"Follow me."
And there was pain. Rainbows head was splitting in half; at least, it felt like it was.
"Aaaaaargh." She reached a hoof to her forehead, trying to seek out the pain. She quickly removed her hoof upon finding it, eliciting a sharp intake of breath at the same time. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She looked around, or at least she tried to. It was slightly dark, with only a single window to allow light to come in. She paused, in action and in thought, for a moment to wonder how she got there. Then, just as if she was kicked again, a wave of anger washed over her. Her eyes widened and her brow furrowed. A slight squeak could be heard from her grinding teeth.
"WHEN I GET MY HOOVES ON THAT LITTLE PIECE OF-"
"Ahem." Rainbow turned to the noise, still infuriated. She looked up and saw that little shit smiling down at her through a barred window. She immediately opened her wings and flew at him. She slowed almost to a halt in front of the window and threw a punch through the bars, catching the surprised colt in the face. Her hoof connected powerfully right in his jaw. He recoiled horribly and fell to the deck below him. He immediately curled up, massaging his face gently.
"Ow oh my Celestia it hurts!" Rainbow was still livid.
"Let me out of here, NOW! Or so help me Celestia I will end you!" When Rainbow had stopped yelling at Dartanian, she heard him...crying? Oh, yeah. I guess I did punch him pretty hard in the face. The colt was still curled up on the ground below her. "OK, look, I realize I probably shouldn't have punched you in the face, that was wrong of me, I'm sorry, OK?" She didn't sounded particularly convincing, but then again, he did knock her out and basically kidnap her. Within a few seconds, Dartanians crying and pained moaning turned into a growl of anger.
In a flash of speed that Rainbow had to admit was rather impressive, he took to the air and stared Rainbow in the face. She recoiled in fear; what she saw staring at her was no longer a young colt who had knocked her out. He had a look of lividness, pain, and loss, all curled up into one constant beam of hatred that was now seeping from his eyes and boring right into Rainbows heart. His face was covered in blood and tears, and yet it practically glowed with a horrid negative energy which was nearly palpable. She continued to stare back even when it was clear that he would kill her without a seconds hesitation. She almost flinched when he spoke.
"Why did you do that, mom?" His tone was frightening. It was not just angry, it was...off . "I brought you back from Scootaloo's house. I got you away so that they couldn't brainwash you anymore. Why did you hit me? WHY DO YOU HATE ME!?" He began crying again, but his sorrow and pain did not do anything to alleviate the horrific glare he was giving to Rainbow Dash.
He shut his eyes tight in an effort to keep back the tears, but they did nothing to help. He put his head in his hooves. For a few seconds Rainbow thought that he would be ok. She decided to take the opportunity to make amends.
"Hey, look, it's alright. I mean, you probably just-" She was cut off. She heard something; something awful. Dartanian released a horrifying, bloodcurdling scream. She listened intently, scared to death. It dripped pain and torment, frustration and anger, loss and hate. Just as suddenly, he raced to the bars, and began repeatedly banging his head on them. Rainbow flew back several feet in shock; he just kept at it.
"I'M SORRY, MOM! I AM SO SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DISAPPOINT YOU! SEE, I'M PUNISHING MYSELF! I WANT TO BE A GOOD SON! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!" Rainbow was absolutely mortified. For a few moments, all she could do was watch in horror. Once she had regained herself, however, she rushed over, putting her her hooves through to push him away from the bars.
"Woah woah woah, kid. Stop it! That's not what you need to be doing right now." She glanced at his forehead, which was now bleeding in several places. She grimaced at his new head wounds. "Your mom doesn't hate you. You've made some mistakes, but literally beating yourself over it won't help." He looked at her, quivering, tears still coming down his cheek. He looked like a bloody, emotional mess. He quickly backed away from her and departed without speaking a word.
She floated there in front of the window, forehooves hanging out between the bars. She pulled them back in, and floated gently to a spot clear of debris. She landed softly, wondering what it was she had just witnessed. Rainbow shook herself mentally, realizing that this was a time for planning, for escape. She did not have time to worry about Dart, she had to find a way out. And, judging by the light outside, she only had a few hours before it got dark.
Aw man, where's twilight when you need her?
"There it his. His freaking house. When I see that douche I'm gonna strangle him!" Scootaloo increased her speed, headed straight for the medium sized house.
"O-oh my!" Fluttershy could not believe the speed which was achieved by such a young pegasus. She was definitely Rainbow Dash's daughter. Fluttershy increased her speed as well, barely keeping up with the young flier. With a soft thud, they landed on the stoop of the front porch. Scootaloo, with a determined look on her face, wasted no time running to the door and knocking as hard as she could.
For a few moments, nothing happened. As she was about to knock again, she could hear a lock being toyed with. After a moment, the door cracked a few inches, secured by a small chain in the inside. Scootaloo didn't have time for that crap, so she bucked the door wide open, flinging Dart back several feet, landing on his back.
Scootaloo charged in, ready to beat the crap out of him if he wouldn't tell her where Rainbow Dash was. She was about to verbally berate and threaten him when she saw his face. The fur around his face, almost randomly, matted. His head was bleeding from numerous head wounds, and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Fluttershy walked in behind Scootaloo, and gasped in horror.
She was horrified, and so very very confused. She was about to beat and threaten somepony who looked like they'ed already been beaten horribly. She noted that he had no other wounds anywhere that she could see, so whoever did this made sure that it was the poor colt's head that got the beating. Scootaloo softened her tone before she spoke, not wanting to hurt him anymore than he already was.
"Woah, I'm sorry. What happened to you?" Fluttershy was already examining him.
"He has multiple forehead wounds, and from the looks of them, it was a thin blunt object. Who did this to you?" Dart finally opened his eyes.
I'll show you, mom! I'll be the best son ever! I'll remove the people who want to hurt you from Equestria. Then we can finally live together just like we did when I was younger, everything back to normal.
Dart finished this thought just as several urgent sounding, loud knocks came from the door. Dart quickly flew over to the door, and looked through the peephole. His jaw dropped. There, on the other side of the door, was one of those very people: Scootaloo. There was some other pegasus with a pink mane and yellow coat whom Dart didn't know, but she would probably not be an issue.
He thought about how Scootaloo's presence could be used. Then he remembered his face. Yes, deception would work well in his favor, if he pulled it off correctly. He fumbled for a moment with the locks, and opened the door as far as the chain would allow. Just as he was about to say 'Hello?', Scootaloo bucked the door open, shattering the wood around the chain's base, and sending Dart backward a few feet before he landed on his back. It didn't really hurt, but he decided that he needed to milk the injuries a bit to get them to believe him.
"He has multiple forehead wounds, and from the looks of them, it was a thin blunt object. Who did this to you?" Dart opened his eyes slowly, deliberately. He saw Scootaloo and the unidentified mare looking very concerned for him. He'd smirk, but it would betray his facade.
"It was... mom." Scootaloo gasped at this revelation. Perfect .
"No, there's no way. You mean my mom, right?" Oh my Celestia this is too easy.
"Yeah," he said, his face becoming a glare. He called upon his distraught emotions to fake some tears, although technically they weren't fake, since he was feeling depressed that his mother apparently didn't love him. "Now she's your mom. I only wanted to be with her again, but instead of accepting me, she slammed my face into some iron bars repeatedly. The stupid bitch locked herself in the shed out back, and I don't intend on letting her out until the police arrive." Both Scootaloo and the yellow pegasus were incredulous.
"I'm sorry," said the yellow one, "but Rainbow would never do that to anypony, especially not a child." He gave her a cold look.
"Oh, so I suppose I did this to myself !?" He raised his voice to emphasize his point. She squeaked and stepped back, apparently frightened. Scootaloo leaped in between the two, as though Dart was some kind of threat while laying on his back.
"Don't yell at Fluttershy, she didn't do anything." Dart decided to bring this facade to it's glorious end. He stood up, and wordlessly walked over to the back door, picking up the key to the padlock on the shed, intending for them to follow. And follow they did. He undid the lock on the back door, and proceeded to the balcony. He walked down the four steps into the back yard, and walked the ten feet to the shed. He walked silently, attempting to keep Rainbow from hearing him coming.
Luckily, the other two also walked silently, though they probably did it out of habit. He reached the door and quietly undid the locks with the key, and opened the door as a true gentlecolt would.
"Right inside, ladies. You can ask her for yourself." Scootaloo eyed him suspiciously, but took his invitation. Fluttershy stood fast
"Thank you but I'd rather stay out here." Whatever, she's not going to do anything, pushover. The shed smelled slightly of mildew and mold. They stopped when they saw a Rainbow Dash, apparently trying to put a bunch of random tools together. Scootaloo smiled widely and inhaled sharply.
This got Rainbows attention, and she turned her entire body into a fighting stance, ready for any threat. She was surprised to see Fluttershy and Scootaloo, and it shocked her into silence for just a moment. Her eyes widened in horror when she looked past them to the now-open door.
"TURN AROUND NOW!" But it was too late. Dart closed the door and locked the other two females inside. He donned a fierce look on his face as he flew over to the barred window. He looked inside and tapped on the bars, getting their attention. Both Rainbow and Scootaloo flew at the window, ready to annihilate Dart from the face of Equestria.
"LET US OUT YOU JACKASS!" Scootaloo yelled, trying to hit him through the bars, and falling short by inches. "Fluttershy, help us!" Fluttershy, in a daring move that was very out of character, flew up to Dart. She stopped a few feet from him, knowing that she wasn't going to do anything anyway.
"It's no use, Scoots." Rainbow said. "He's not gonna let us out. He's crazy. See those marks on his face? They're from when he rammed his freaking head into the bars!" Scootaloo stared in awe, shocked that her peer would do something like that to himself. Fluttershy stared at him with a determined look, but she shrank back in fright when he looked at her with his bloodied face and intent gaze.
"Uh...s-sorry." Dart, with Fluttershy now taken care of, turned back to Rainbow.
"I'm not crazy, mom. I just wanted you to love me again!" His eyes became watery once more. "I mean, do you know how much it hurts to see your own mother prefer your rival over you? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ACT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!?" Rainbow stared intently, trying to think of a way to make him let them out. "You hurt me, mom. Now, I'm going to hurt you ." Dart turned and flew into his house at breakneck speeds. Rainbow also fled fro the windows, over to her daughter.
"We don't have time, Shy! We gotta go!" She remained frozen to the spot, crying over Darts horrible mindset. Rainbow gave a sigh of frustration at this, and turned to her daughter, who she knew would listen to her. "Listen, we gotta break out of here. Help me try and break the door down."
Scootaloo nodded. "Right!" They flew over to the door, landing with their haunches facing the door, simultaneously delivering powerful kicks to the door. Which didn't budge. They tried several well-timed bucks, but to no avail. Scootaloo took a seat on the floor, panting, exhausted from her hard work. After a few moments, Rainbow did the same.
They sat and looked at each other, both hoping the other would have a plan. They broke their gaze when they heard the sound of a door opening and closing. They heard Fluttershy's "Eep!" signify that he probably had something bad with him. Rainbow flew up to the bars and gasped. He was carrying several cans of lantern oil and a box of matches.
"Dart, what are you doing?" She asked. Scootaloo flew up next to her mother, but retreated when Rainbow gave her a look.
"Well," he said,spitting out the box of matches, "since you no longer love me , and now you love her , I figured the least I could do is show you how happy I am that you're happy." He unscrewed the lid off of the first can, flew above, and began pouring it onto the roof.
The roof was flat, and full of small holes. The highly flammable liquid seeped through the wood, dripping everywhere and onto everything. He kept pouring more and more of it onto the shed. Eventually most of the inside had some liquid on it, including Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. When he was done, he returned to his box of matches.
"Dart," Rainbow said, her voice shaking slightly, "don't do this. You don't need to do this. At least let Scootaloo go, she didn't do anything to yo-"
"BULLSHIT!" he yelled, startling Rainbow. They locked eyes through the bars yet again, and now she could see just how truly disfigured this poor child was emotionally. He had to witness his father die, and his mother imprisoned by the mother of the same filly who beat the tar out of him. On top of all this, he gets convinced that somepony else was his mother, and she didn't love him. The pain was unimaginable, like looking into Tartarus itself.
"She beat me, and took my mother away! She stole you and you went with her! As far as I'm concerned, you only want to hurt me, the both of you! So now, I will HURT. YOU. BACK!" He darted over to the box of matches, pulling one out in his mouth. Realizing what was about to happen, Rainbow darted over to Scootaloo, and grabbed her head, pointing it to look straight at her.
"Sweetie, listen to me. We need to find a way out of here, NOW. But no matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you and that you were the best thing that ever h-happened to me." She was cracking up with tears, and so was Scootaloo. Scootaloo didn't have to know what Dart was doing, she knew it must have been bad to warrant such a statement from her mother.
They broke and frantically began looking for weak spots in the wall, since the door wouldn't budge. They found a few and rapidly began assaulting it with powerful kicks, again to no avail. Rainbow Dash heard the loud pssshhhhhhh of a match being lit, and knew that they didn't have a lot of time. She grabbed Scootaloo into a tight hug.
"I love you," she whispered. She could feel her coat become wet where Scootaloo began to cry.
"I love you, too mom!" And they sat there, midst a fuel-soaked shed, waiting for the flames to take them. They waited several moments, but nothing came. Scootaloo opened her tightly shut eyes when she heard a familiar sound.
"Hush now, quiet now. It's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now. It's time to go to bed."
Fluttershy watched passively in a frightened, cowering ball as Dart poured the last can of lantern oil onto the shed. He flew over to the matches, before shouting a curse and flying over to the window. He and Rainbow exchanged words, but Dart went back to the matches. Fluttershy didn't want to accept what he was about to do, but the reality kicked in when she saw him light the match: he would try to kill them. She knew he was emotionally troubled, she knew he was not in his right mind. He needed a mother, he needed some kindness, he needed...love.
With the lit match in his mouth, Dart moved to the shed. He motioned his head down and to the left, intending to whip his head forward and toss the match onto the soaked frame. His head was cocked and ready to go. This is it , he thought.
But it wasn't it. He couldn't do it. He had the will, but there was something, some weight that now surrounded him. But it wasn't a weight per se. It was... and embrace? He slowly turned his head to his right, and saw the yellow mare, Fluttershy, was actually hugging him. She opened her mouth, and began to - sing?
"Hush now, quiet now. Time to rest your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now. It's time to go to bed." He felt so warm in her embrace. And she wasn't just singing, she was singing a lullaby. And a lullaby meant specifically for him. It was...familiar. He remembered when his mother used to do this for him every night before bed. It was sweet and kind, and full of love. He could feel something conflicting again inside him, but as the emotions swirled, one thing was clear.
He dropped the match and stomped on it with his hoof, extinguishing the flame. He followed this by returning the embrace, clinging to this welcomed source of affection for all he was worth. Fluttershy smiled, two tears coming to her eyes.
"There there. You didn't mean it, you just needed somepony to love you. I can't imagine how hard it must be going through such a hard time. But it's ok, now." He was crying now. Fluttershy ran her hoof through his mane, soothing him, trying to make him feel better. She thought quickly of a lullaby her mother sung to her when she was a filly.
"Hush, be quiet, time to sleep tonight.
So quiet time, let your fears just go.
She sang this several times, each time he seemed to relax just a little bit more. Eventually he had calmed down, and Fluttershy released his from her forelegs, and wiped the tears from his eyes and the blood from his face, careful to avoid his wounds. She looked him in the eyes with a kind, caring smile and spoke softly.
"Look at me. It's OK, now. We can forgive you, and we won't be angry. You've been through so much, we can't hope to know what it's like. I will help you get through this, and help you cope with this horrible time of your life, OK?" He nodded like a foal who saw reason. "Now you need to let my friends go, OK?" He nodded, but more slowly this time. Dart drew his key and handed it over to Fluttershy. She took it in her teeth, and floated over to the door and unlocked it. When she did, two blurs rushed out and into the sky, and stopped, hovering about ten feet in the air.
Rainbow Dash turned and looked around, trying to find Dart. She found him, and made like she was going to tackle him. Fluttershy stood in front of Dart, her wings spread as wide as she could make them. Dash stopped and looked at her quizzically.
"Fluttershy, move ! That little rat tried to kill us!"
Fluttershy had a defiant look in her eye as she spoke. "No, Rainbow Dash. He has been through horrible trauma, and didn't know what he was doing. Isn't that right, Dart?" She asked the question as she turned her head to the right to address Dart. Dart nodded and stepped around Fluttershy, looking Rainbow Dash in the eyes.
"I have no idea what I was thinking, and I am so very very sorry. I just, had this pain, and for whatever reason I thought you were my mom, and I don't even know why." Suddenly Dash remembered the night before.
"Oh my Celestia! Do you remember last night?" Dart scrunched his face in concentration, trying to remember. A look of understanding came over his face.
"Yeah, I remember being pissed, I remember coming to your house, and getting jealous at Scootaloo. Then, nothing."
Rainbow's face softened at her revelation, and she spoke gently. "You flew off and into a tree, dude. When I found you you were crumpled up on the ground. So, I guess you didn't really know what you were doing. In that sense I can forgive you."
"Say WHAT!?" A fierce-looking Scootaloo appeared next to Rainbow with fury in her eyes. She slowly walked forward, a confrontational swagger dominating her figure as she stepped toward Dart, locking eyes with him. Dart met her gaze, and he began to back away as Scootaloo approached. "This son of a Diamond Dog here knocked you out, kidnapped you, lied, then tried to set us both on fire! I'm not going to let hi go without breaking his entire BODY!"
On the last word, emphasized by her own exertion, she leapt at him. She rose into the air with help of her wings, going for a hard forward tackle. Just as she was about to make contact, she felt a weight slam into her side, knocking her to the left. She hit the ground, weight on top of her. When she opened her eyes, she was looking into Rainbows blue face.
"No, Scootaloo! You can't go for revenge. Just look at poor Dart. He went for revenge and look at how much pain it caused him and those around him! If you try to get back at him, you'll end up causing just as much pain, and he's already been through enough." Scootaloo was incredulous.
"But he-"
"NO 'BUT'S!" Scootaloo cringed slightly. Her mother had almost never raised her voice at Scootaloo. "You have to know that he wasn't mentally right in the head!" They both looked up when they noticed Dart approaching them both. He looked Scootaloo square in the eyes, with a dead serious expression.
"Scootaloo, I want to apologize for any harm I caused you and your family. I didn't mean it, I swear I didn't. I was just so upset. I mean, have you ever lost both parents?" Everypony looked at him with their mouths slightly agape.
"Dart," Fluttserhsy started, "where is your father?" Dart closed his eyes, as a tear fell from his face, which he pointed at the ground.
"He died a few days ago. With mother in prison, he needed to take a job to provide. He had been sick, and went to work in a mine, even though I asked him not to. Well, sure enough, his weakness caused him to mess up, and he had a fatal accident." They all wore the exact same expression of shock, and Fluttershy was fighting back another wave of tears. Scootaloo spoke first.
"So, you have...no one?" Dart shook his head slowly, never breaking eye contact with the grass under his hooves. Scootaloo stood up, finally understanding what caused Dart's sudden instability.
"Well, we can't have that." Everypony looked at Fluttershy with looks of confusion. She simply smiled in response. She walked over to Dart, giving hi her signature loving smile. "I can't let you live here by yourself, you're still just a colt. Go inside and get your things. You can live with me at my cottage for the time being." Now everypony's jaws were on the grounds.
"But, I'm not a legal stallion for another four years." She didn't budge.
"That doesn't matter. When you're 18, you'll live on your own if you're able. But right now you're not. So go and get your things. I will take care of you until your mother is released." Dart was incredulous. So he grabbed her, and didn't let go. He sobbed into her coat, so grateful that he had been given forgiveness, but also somepony who cared about him and would look after him. She began to cry as well, and pretty soon everypony was crying to some degree.
After a few moments, they pulled apart, and Dart excitedly ran to grab his things, his troubles momentarily forgotten in the joy of having a new caretaker, a new pony in his life who would care about him. Rainbow watched him turn the corner into the house from the balcony, excited. She had a major sense of deja vu, and remembered that day, two and a half years earlier, when she had shown her little Scootaloo the papers.
She reflexively put a wing around Scootaloo, and pulled her in close, and kissed her on the head. Scootaloo looked at her mom, and Rainbow couldn't help but smile a bit.
"Fluttershy." Her yellow friend turned.
"Yes?"
"So, you're gonna take it from here?"
"Yeah, I don't think it will be too much of a problem."
"If you ever need help, just let me know." A smile between the two.
"Thank you." Rainbow gave a crisp salute, as she was know to do, and turned her head back to her daughter.
"Whaddya say we get out of here?" Scootaloo returned the smile.
"Yeah. Let's go."
The doors opened, and Mrs. Strongwing took her first steps in ten years as a free mare. It felt...odd. She couldn't explain it, as it was familiar and at the same time so alien. She stepped and stepped again, eventually gaining speed and it turned into a gallop. She felt so free, so uncontained. It was liberating for sure. She slowed to s top, out of breath, and took in her surroundings. It was rather gloomy where she was, yes, but it was still a beautiful sight; trees, a bright blue sky, animals hopping around...
She began to walk, but stopped when she saw the most familiar thing of all: a black mass with eyes staring at her. She recognized him instantly, even after ten years. She stared, mouth agape, at this handsome, strong stallion who was now smiling at her. He began to move toward her, and even though she wanted to sprint to him, she was stuck in place.
Eventually he reached her, and they simply stared into each others eyes for a few moments. She could not hold it back, and she cracked up, a load croak coming from her mouth. She began to sob as she all but tackled him, squeezing him as hard as she could. He whispered into her ear:
"I love you, mother."
Author's Note
Hey guys, Noah here. I had a lot of fun writing this series, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. As thanks for reading, I'll tell you my next side project: Grant Me A Wish.