Outside of Sugarcube Corner, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were sitting around a table when Pinkie Pie came up to them with a tray on her back which had three milkshakes on top of it.
“Here we go. That’s two chocolate shakes,” the pink pony said as she slid the two shakes towards Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “And one vanilla shake.” That shake was handed to Sweetie Belle.
“Thanks, Pinkie,” said all three fillies.
“You’re very welcome,” said Pinkie Pie as she happily walked back inside Suagrcube Corner.
"I really needed this," said Sweetie Belle as she took a big slurp from her milkshake.
“Tell me about it,” said Apple Bloom as she looked up at the sun, which was beaming down on them. "It's a scorcher today."
After they all finished their drinks, the three fillies decided to talk about what their next idea to get their cutie marks was going to be.
“I’ve got an idea,” said Scootaloo.
"No cannons," shouted both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
“Hhmph,” said Scootaloo. “You two have no sense of adventure.”
The three sat at the table for what seemed like hours, but they couldn’t think of anything.
“Maybe we should give our cutie mark hunting a rest for today,” said Sweetie Belle. “And pick it up tomorrow.”
“You’re probably right,” said Scootaloo. “Why don’t you two come by my house tomorrow? I made a list of other ways we can get our marks and we can decide which ones to do next.”
Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodded their heads in agreement.
“So, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said to her unicorn friend. “How’s Rarity’s dress making coming along? Applejack told me she went to her shop yesterday and she was working on some huge project.”
“She is,” said Sweetie Belle. “She is working on a dress for Princess Cadance for her wedding anniversary. She is so into this task, that she can’t hear anything else. Yesterday, I went up to her and asked her if she could get me some juice and all she said was ‘that’s nice, Sweetie.’ I don’t think anything will snap her out of it.”
“Tell her something crazy. Like Opal's tail is on fire,” said Scootaloo. "That will wake her up.”
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle at what their friend just said.
Scootlaoo was giggling along with them until she heard a voice from behind her.
“Did you read this article about what happened to those royal guards?”
Scootaloo turned around and looked at the table behind her, where Lyra and Bon-Bon were sitting, and Lyra was looking at a newspaper.
“It says here that many royal guards were seriously injured in the changeling war,” said Lyra.
“That’s terrible,” said Bon-Bon. “How many were hurt?”
Lyra continued reading the article and let out a small gasp at what she read.
“Over fifty,” she said. “And half of them died on their way to the medic.”
As Scootaloo was listening to everything Lyra was saying, her bottom lip began to quiver and some tears formed in her eyes.
“Are you okay, Scootaloo?” asked Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo heard her friend’s voice and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with her front hoof before turning to face Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
“Of course I’m okay,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, it just looks like you’re crying,” said Apple Bloom.
“Uh, I’m not crying,” Scootaloo lied. “The sun is just in my eyes, that’s all. Anyway, I better get going. I promised my mom I’d help her make dinner.”
And with that, Scootaloo walked up to her scooter, which was leaning against the table, placed her helmet on, gave a quick good bye to her friends, and rode off.
Scootaloo slowly rode her scooter through town, the words Lyra had said still stuck in her head, until she finally made it to her house. She placed her scooter right beside the front door and walked inside.
“Mom, I’m home,” Scootaloo called.
“I’m in the living room," called her mother.
Scootaloo noticed her mother sounded a bit distraught when she called her. Scootaloo walked into her living room and stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw.
Her mother, Misty Breeze, was sitting on the couch, reading the paper with a worried look on her face. Misty looked up at her daughter who had tears streaming down her face.
“Y-you read it, didn’t you?” Scootaloo stammered.
Her mother slowly nodded her head without saying a word.
The tears in Scootaloo’s eyes poured down even harder as she ran up to her mother and hugged her. Misty quickly hugged her back as she stated crying tears of her own.
“Do you think he was one of those guards?” asked Scootaloo.
“I don’t know, honey,” said Misty as she gently stroked Scootaloo’s mane. “I just don’t know.”
Scootaloo and her mother spend the last few minutes holding each other in their forelegs as they both had themselves a good cry.
******
The next day, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked through town on their way to Scootaloo’s house.
“I wonder what ideas Scootaloo has come up with?” asked Sweetie Belle. “She’s probably come up with some pretty crazy stuff. Like cave exploring, or maybe hang gliding. What do you think, Apple Bloom?”
Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom, who didn’t say anything. She just kept on walking with a look on her face that looked like she was thinking about something.
“Hello? Come in, Apple Bloom. Are you in there?” asked Sweetie Belle, waving her front hoof in front of Apple Bloom’s face.
“Huh? Oh, sorry, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said as she came out of her trance. "I was just thinking about yesterday, before Scootaloo left for home. I don’t think the sun was in her eyes. I think something is bothering her.”
Sweetie Belle had to agree. Scootaloo did act strange the other day. One minute she was giggling along with them and the next she was in tears.
“I think it had something to do with what Lyra was saying, about those royal guards who were injured," Apple Bloom continued. "I don’t know, but something about that must’ve made Scootaloo upset.”
“You maybe right,” said Sweetie Belle. “We should try and talk to her about that.”
Apple Bloom didn’t know if that would work because she knew how stubborn Scootaloo could be and getting her to tell them what was bothering her wasn’t going to be easy, but she figured that they would have to try.
The girls finally made it to Scootaloo’s house and knocked on the front door. The door opened and Scootlaoo’s mother came out.
“Hi, Mrs. Breeze,” said Sweetie Belle. “Is Scootaloo home?”
“Hello, girls,” said Misty. “Yes, she’s up in her room. Would you like me to go get her for you?”
“No, it’s okay,” said Apple Bloom. “If it’s all right with you, we would like to get her ourselves. We have to talk to her about something.”
‘Oh, of course it’s okay,” said Misty with a smile. “You’re always welcome in our house. Please come in.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked inside and made their way upstairs to a door with a wooden carving of the Wonderbolts logo nailed to it and gave it a gentle knock.
“It’s opened," said Scootaloo from inside.
The two young fillies opened the door and entered Scootaloo’s bedroom. The room had a small bed with a green blanket and a blue pillow on top of it and a black wooden desk with a desk lamp and a piece of paper on it. On the walls were dozens of pictures of Scootaloo’s idol, Rainbow Dash. Some of them were photographs while others were drawings, probably made by Scootaloo herself. The girls found Scootaloo lying on the floor, reading a comic book. She looked up at her friends and gave them a smile.
“Hey girls,” she said. “Just wait here. I got the list on my desk. Just let me grab it and we can leave. You won’t believe all the great ideas I have planned for us. We’re sure to get our cutie marks now.”
But before Scootaloo could go and grab her list, Apple Bloom spoke up.
“Actually, Scootaloo, we want to talk to you about yesterday. When you started to cry.”
Scootaloo’s smile quickly disappeared as she looked at her friends.
“I told you,” she said, a bit irritated. “The sun was in my eyes.”
“Don’t give me that,” said Apple Bloom. “I know that look you gave us. It was the same one my big sis had when she accidentally destroyed that barn during our last family reunion. You were upset about something, and it had to do with what Lyra was talking about.”
Scootaloo didn’t say anything. She just looked down at the ground and slid her front hoof across the floor.
“Please, Scootaloo,” said Sweetie Belle, who sounded a bit worried. “We’re your friends, and if something is bugging you, we want to help.”
Scootaloo thought about what Sweetie Belle just said and realized that she was right. Her friends had always been there for her and she figured that they had a right to know what was going on.
“Let me show you something,” she said.
Scootaloo walked up to her bed, placed her front hoof underneath it and pulled out a small blue box.
“I take it you girls heard about the changeling war that is going on,” said Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both nodded their heads. They knew right away what Scootaloo was talking about. After the changelings failed to invade Canterlot during Shining Armour and Princess Cadance’s wedding, their leader, Queen Chrysalis, had declared war on the ponies and Princess Celestia had send some of her best royal guards to stop the changelings once and for all.
“Those changelings were really scary,” said Apple Bloom.
“Tell me about it,” said Sweetie Belle. “I had nightmares of those things for weeks.” She then turned to Scootaloo and asked, “What does this have to do with you?”
Scootaloo didn’t say a word. She just removed the lid from her box and showed her friends what was inside it; a folded piece of paper, a greeting card, and a small white envelope.
Scootaloo took out the folded sheet of paper and handed it to her friends. Apple Bloom took it and unfolded it. She and Sweetie Belle saw that it was another one of Scootaloo’s drawings, only instead of Rainbow Dash; it was of a white pony with a red mane and tail, a big yellow circle on its back, and small yellow circles around all four of its hooves.
“His name is Blizzard Storm,” said Scootaloo. “He is a royal guard for the princess.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at the drawing again and realized that the yellow on the pony’s back and hooves was probably his armor.
“You know a royal guard?” asked Sweetie Belle, a bit shocked.
Scootaloo took a deep breath before she told her friends the truth.
“He’s not just a royal guard. He’s my dad.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both gasped. Apple Bloom was so shocked; the drawing fell out of her hooves and onto the ground. The two soon realized that they never actually met Scootaloo’s father. They met her mother a few times when she came to pick up Scootaloo from school or when they came to visit Scootaloo, but never saw her father at all. They also started to understand why Scootaloo was crying after hearing about the guards that were injured and killed.
“You think your dad was one of those guards, don’t you?” Apple Bloom asked.
Scootaloo simply nodded her head as a tear ran down her cheek. She then looked at the other items in her box.
“These are all the things that remind me of him,” she said.
Scootaloo then took out the greeting card and handed it to her friends.
“He gave me that card on my last birthday before he went to war.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at the card. On the front were the words "Happy Birthday" written in large gold letters. Apple Bloom opened it and inside it read:
To A Wonderful Daughter.
XOXOXOXO
Your Loving Daddy.
Scootaloo then took the envelope out of her box, removed what was inside it and placed them on the floor. Her friends saw that they were five photographs, each of them were of Scootaloo and her father doing different activities together. The first one showed Scootaloo riding on her father’s back as he flew through the air. The next one was of the two sitting on a park bench, each enjoying an ice cream cone. The third showed the two at the beach, building a sandcastle together. The fourth photo had Scootaloo lying on her back laughing as her father playfully tickled her. The last photo was of Scootaloo lying in bed with her father sitting next to her, reading her a bedtime story.
“Not all of my memories are in this box,” said Scootaloo. “One of them is actually outside on my front lawn.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle thought about it and soon realized what Scootaloo was talking about.
“You mean your scooter?”
“Uh-huh,” said Scootaloo. “He was the one who gave it to me.”
Soon the memory of when Scootaloo got her scooter came back to her.
“I remember it like it was yesterday...”
******
Scootaloo was walking beside Blizzard Storm as they both walked through the Ponyville market. Blizzard was looking at a huge list of fruits and vegetables that his wife had given him.
“Boy, your mother sure added a lot of things here,” he said. “Well, the cherry stand is the closest here, so we better get those first. What did you say, Scootaloo?”
When there was no answer, Blizzard looked down beside him and saw that his daughter wasn’t there. He looked around and found her looking through a shop window. As he walked up to Scootaloo, he saw what she was looking at. Inside the shop was a small blue scooter with red handle bars.
“That looks so cool,” said Scootaloo with a huge smile on her face. “I bet with that thing, I could go as fast as Rainbow Dash.”
But Scootaloo’s smile soon disappeared as she looked down at the price tag at the bottom of the scooter, which was two hundred bits.
“Whoa. That is a lot,” said Blizzard when he saw the price as well. He then wrapped his front leg around Scootaloo’s shoulder and said, “Sorry, honey. You might have to wait until your birthday.”
That didn’t really make Scootaloo feel better as her birthday wasn’t for another six months, but she knew that was the only way she could get the scooter.
“Okay, daddy,” she said.
“C’mon,” said Blizzard. “Let’s go get those cherries.”
The next morning, Scootaloo walked downstairs for breakfast. As she walked into the kitchen, she noticed her parents weren’t there. This was odd, since they were always up before her. She then went up to her parents’ bedroom to wake them up and found her mother inside making the bed.
“Where’s daddy?” Scootaloo asked her mother.
“Oh, he had to quickly run to the store,” said Misty. “We ran out of milk.”
Just then, Scootaloo heard the sound of the front door opening.
“Hey, Scootaloo,” came the sound of her father. “Could you come down here and help me with this milk.”
Scootaloo found it weird that her father needed help carrying in some milk, but she went down anyway.
“I don’t see why you need my help. It’s just a carton of mi-”
Before Scootaloo could finish her sentence, she looked at what her father brought in and froze dead in her tracks. It wasn’t a carton of milk; it was the scooter she saw yesterday.
“Surprise!” Blizzard happily said.
Scootaloo stood in her place in shock for a few seconds until a huge smile appeared on her face. She then ran up to her father and gave him a great big hug.
“Thank you, daddy,” she said. “Thank you! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. You’re welcome,” Blizzard chuckled.
“How did you buy this? You saw how expensive it was.”
“I had some extra money in the bank, and I knew how much you wanted this scooter, so I decided to get it for you the minute the store opened.”
“But I thought you were saving that money for a special day.”
Blizzard simply smiled as he nuzzled his daughter.
“Nothing is more special than seeing my little girl happy,” he said.
Scootaloo gave her father one more hug before placing herself onto the scooter.
“I can’t wait to try this out,” she said as she was about to ride her scooter out the front door when Blizzard stopped her.
“Hold on, kiddo,” he said. “Don’t you want some breakfast first?”
As soon as her father said that, Scootaloo’s stomach began to growl.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said.
And she and her father walked into the kitchen where Misty had two plates of french toast waiting for them on the table.
******
“I have loved that scooter ever since,” Scootaloo said as she was finishing telling her story to her friends. “Not just because of how awesome it feels when I ride it, but because my dad gave it to me just because he loves me.”
“Your dad sounds amazing,” said Sweetie Belle.
“He is,” said Scootaloo. “He’s always been there for me. He’s been there to cheer me up if I had a bad day. If I hurt myself, he would always be there to comfort me. He is the best father in all of Equestria. And now that I hear that he might be hurt, or worse, I…”
Scootaloo didn’t get to finish her sentence as her emotions finally caught up with her and she began to sob.
“I’m sorry, girls. I know you don't want to see me cry. It’s just that I miss him so much.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle began to form tears of their own. They didn’t say a word as they both walked up to Scootaloo and embraced her in a big group hug.
Scootaloo continued to cry as she hugged both of her friends back.
"I just want him to come home," she said quietly.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat on the bedroom floor, embracing each other with tears pouring down their faces, for what felt like hours. Just as they let go of each other and wiped their tears away, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” said Scootaloo.
The bedroom door opened and Misty entered. In her mouth was a tray which had a plate of cookies and three glasses of milk on it. Misty went up to the three fillies and gently placed the tray next to them on the floor.
“I thought you three would like a little snack,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks, mom,” said Scootaloo.
“Thanks, Mrs. Breeze,” said Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
“Well, enjoy,” said Misty as she left the room.
As soon as Misty shut the door behind her, the smile on her face quickly disappeared. Before she entered the room with the snacks, she could hear Scootaloo crying about how much she missed her father and it just broke her heart. Misty also remembered that when she placed the tray down, she could see all of the items on the floor. The birthday card, the drawing Scootaloo made of her father, and the photos of the two together, but she didn’t say anything for fear of making her daughter more upset.
Misty had always thought that the house felt empty without Blizzard. She missed him almost as much as Scootaloo did.
To her, Blizzard was a wonderful husband. He helped her with almost everything around the house, from cleaning to cooking. Also, he would tell her how much he loved her every chance he got.
As Misty walked through the hallway, she saw a small table beside her with two framed photos on top of it. The first one showed Misty sitting on the couch with Blizzard as they both held onto a baby Scootaloo. Misty remembered that the photo was taken on the day they brought Scootaloo home from the hospital. She also remembered how happy Blizzard was to be a father when he held Scootaloo in his arms for the first time.
“You’re going to be a wonderful father,” Misty remembered saying to her husband,
"And you're going to be a wonderful mother," said Blizzard.
Misty then looked at the other photo, which was of Blizzard in his golden armor. The photo was taken just a few days before Blizzard left for war. Soon, the memories of that day appeared in Misty’s head.
******
It was a quarter of dawn. Misty rolled around in her bed only to feel the empty spot where her husband usually slept. She opened her eyes and saw that Blizzard was gone. Misty got out of bed and walked into the hall to see if he left already. As she walked down the hall, she noticed that Scootaloo’s bedroom door was opened. She peaked inside and saw Blizzard looking down at Scootaloo, who was sound asleep. She looked so peaceful lying on her bed and Blizzard did not want wake her up.
He soon remembered how the other day, as he was packing his things, Scootaloo entered his room with tears in her eyes. She ran up to him and hugged him, begging him not to leave. He told her that he would miss her more than she would miss him and reminded her that no matter what happened, he would always love her.
Misty could see small tears in her husband’s eyes as he leaned down and gave his sleeping daughter a small kiss on the cheek.
“Goodbye, Scootaloo,” he whispered. “Daddy loves you.”
Blizzard slowly lifted his head up and turned to see a teary eyed Misty staring back at him. He walked up to his wife and wrapped his forelegs around her neck as she did the same.
“Please be careful,” said Misty.
“I will,” said Blizzard.
The couple walked to the door and Blizzard opened it. But before he left, he and his wife shared one last kiss together.
“I love you,” said Blizzard.
“Love you more,” said Misty.
And Blizzard walked out the front door and on his way to fight for the ponies.
******
A single tear ran down Misty’s cheek when she remembered the day her husband left. She then picked up the photo of Blizzard in his armor.
"Please come home," Misty said as she gave the photo a little kiss.
******
That night, as Scootaloo was sleeping, she had a dream. All around her, there was nothing but darkness. No trees, no sky, just darkness. She started walking around to see if she could find anyone when all of a sudden, she heard a voice.
“Hey, Scootaloo,” said the voice.
Scootaloo followed the sound and what she saw made her smile. It was her father. He had a huge smile on his face and was waving at his daughter.
“Daddy, is that really you?” said Scootaloo. "I can't believe it! You're alive!"
Scootaloo ran towards her father. But just as she was inches away from him, a huge green flame suddenly surrounded him. Scootaloo tried to reach for him, but the flames were too big. She then watched in horror as her father was sucked into the ground.
When the flames died down, Scootaloo ran to the part of the ground her father was standing on and began to dig at it with her front hooves.
“No! Daddy, please! Come back to me,” she said.
Just then, Scootaloo heard an evil laughter from above her. She quickly looked up and saw a black pony with long green hair, insect wings and holes in her hooves, flying above her. Scootaloo recognized her right away. It was Queen Chrysalis, the leader of the changelings.
“Where’s my daddy, you creep?!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Sorry, Scootaloo,” said Chrysalis. “But I’m afraid your daddy belongs to me now.”
Chrysalis continued to laugh as Scootaloo collapsed to the ground and cried.
At that moment, Scootaloo woke up from her dream with a loud gasp. She sat up and started to breath hard as cold sweat ran down her forehead.
Just then, Scootaloo’s bedroom door swung open and Misty came in with a worried look on her face.
“Scootaloo, are you okay?” she asked. “I heard you yelling.”
Scootaloo began to slowly calm down as she told her mother about her nightmare.
After she was done talking, small tears appeared in Scootaloo’s eyes. Misty walked up to Scootaloo, wrapped her in a hug and slowly rocked her back and fourth.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I know how much you miss your father. I do too.”
Misty then looked at her teary eyed daughter and asked, “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”
Scootaloo slowly nodded her head yes as her mother placed her on her back and took her to her bedroom.
******
The next morning, Scootaloo was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal, while Misty sat beside her, sipping on a cup of coffee. Misty looked at her daughter and saw small bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Last night, when she let Scootaloo sleep with her, she saw her toss and turn in the bed, which was probably due to the nightmare she had.
“Do you want to stay home from school today?” Misty asked Scootaloo. “I can go to Miss. Cheerilee and tell her that you’re sick.”
“No, that’s okay,” Scootaloo said with a yawn. “I’ll be all right.”
After she finished her cereal, Scootaloo gave a quick good bye to her mother, placed her school bag on her back and walked outside. Misty watched out the kitchen window as Scootaloo got on her scooter and rode off to school.
Misty then picked up Scootaloo’s cereal bowl off the table, rinsed it off in the sink, and placed it back into the cupboard. She headed back to the table and was about to grab her empty coffee mug so she could rinse that, when she heard a knock at the door. As she walked towards it, she assumed that it was just Scootaloo coming back because she had a tendency to forget something before leaving for school.
“Okay, Scootaloo, what did you forget this time?” Misty said as she opened the door.
But to her surprise, the pony on her doorstep wasn’t Scootaloo; it was a royal guard, wearing his golden armor and helmet.
“Are you Misty Breeze?” he asked in a gruff voice.
“Yes. Is something wrong?”
“I have something to tell you about your husband.”
******
On the school yard, many of the young ponies were playing different games while they waited for the school bell to ring. Well, not everyone was playing.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were both sitting on a picnic table with sad looks on their faces. They couldn’t stop thinking about the other day when Scootaloo told them about her father and how sorry they felt for her after seeing her cry.
“I wish there was some way we could cheer Scootaloo up,” said Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t think there is anything we can do,” said Apple Bloom. “There is only one thing Scootaloo wants. And that is to see her dad again.”
At that moment, the two saw Scootaloo riding towards them on her scooter. When she stopped in front of them, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could see the bags under Scootaloo’s eyes and watched as she let out a huge yawn.
“Are you okay, Scootaloo?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah,” answered Scootaloo. “I just had a bit of a rough night, that’s all.”
Just then, the school bell rang and all of the foals headed to class.
When they were all seated at their desks, Cheerilee entered the room.
“Good morning, class,” she said with a smile on her face.
“Good morning, Miss. Cheerilee,” said all of the students.
“Now before we begin, I would like Scootaloo to come up here, please.”
Scootaloo was a bit surprised that Cheerilee would call her up. She looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, hoping they would know the answer, but the two just shrugged. So Scootaloo got up off her desk and went to the front of the class.
“What is it, Miss. Cheerilee?” she asked. “I’m not in trouble or anything, am I?”
“No, dear,” Cheerilee chuckled. "We have a special guest coming to visit and I was hoping you could be the first to welcome him here.”
“Um, okay,” said Scootaloo.
Cheerilee then looked at the front door of the school and called out, “You can come in now.”
The door opened and a white stallion wearing golden armor entered. All of the classmates gasped in surprise to actually see a royal guard in their school.
The guard then looked at Scootaloo without saying a word. Scootaloo tried her best to hold back her tears as the guard reminded her of her father. But then, a smile appeared on the guard’s face, confusing Scootaloo. The guard then removed the gold helmet off his head, exposing his red mane.
“Hey, Scootaloo,” he said. “Did you miss me?”
A huge smile appeared on Scootaloo's face as the tears finally came out. Only these were tears of joy.
"DADDY!" shouted Scootaloo as she ran up to her father, who picked her up and embraced her in a tight hug.
“I can’t believe it’s really you,” said Scootaloo. “But why are you here? What about the changelings?"
“The war is over, Scoots,” said Blizzard. “It was hard at first, but then Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arrived to help us. They used a powerful spell to send the changelings and that ugly queen of theirs to the other side of Equestira. We won’t be seeing them for a while.”
“Does that mean….?”
“Yes it does kiddo. I’m coming home.”
Scootaloo’s smile grew even bigger as she continued to hug her father.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but get teary eyed themselves due to them seeing their friend so happy. They both began to applaud for Scootaloo. The other classmates joined in as well, all of them with watery eyes. Even Cheerilee was shedding a few tears.
“When did you get back?” asked Scootaloo.
“Just this morning,” said Blizzard. “I boarded the next train to Ponyville and headed straight for home. I couldn’t wait to see you. You should’ve seen the look on your mother’s face when I arrived home.”
******
“I have something to tell you about your husband.”
Misty felt a lump in her throat and her legs started to wobble. She wanted to collapse on the ground and cry at what she just heard. She had dreaded this day ever since Blizzard left. She was sure that the guard was about to tell her that Blizzard had died in battle.
“What is it?” Misty asked, almost on the verge of tears.
The guard then removed his helmet, and when Misty saw who it was, her frown turned into a smile.
“That he missed you very much,” said Blizzard.
Misty let out a huge squeal of excitement as she jumped up and wrapped her forelegs around Blizzard’s neck. She jumped up with so much force, that it caused Blizzard to fall flat on his back.
“Sorry, Blizzard,” said Misty. “I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
“That’s okay,” said Blizzard. “I’m just so happy to see you.”
Misty then leaned her head down as she and her husband shared a long, loving kiss before she helped him get back on his hooves.
“Where’s Scootaloo?” asked Blizzard. “I can’t wait to see her.”
“Oh, you just missed her,” said Misty. “She just left for school.”
Blizzard started to feel a bit disappointed that he missed seeing his daughter when he first got home, but then a thought came to him.
“Why don’t I go to the school and surprise her?”
“Great idea,” said Misty. “She would love that.”
Blizzard picked up his helmet, which fell out of his hooves and hit the ground when Misty tackled him, placed it back on his head and headed for the school with his wife by his side.
As they made their way to the school, Misty and Blizzard both saw Cheerilee sweeping the front steps of the building as she was getting ready for a new school day.
“Hi, Cheerilee,” said Misty as she walked up to the teacher pony.
“Hi, Misty. Good to see you,” said Cheerilee. She then looked at Blizzard in his armour and asked “who’s your friend?’
“I’m Blizzard Storm, Scootaloo’s father.”
“Well, it’s an honor to meet you.”
“Thanks,” said Blizzard. “Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I want to surprise Scootaloo and was hoping you can help me with that.”
“Oh, of course I’ll help,” said Cheerilee. “Scootaloo will be so happy to see you. She is just having recess with the other little ones and they should be getting into class anytime now. How about this? I’ll tell her to come up to the front of the class, claim that we have a guest and I want her to welcome them, and you can come in.”
“Great idea,” said Blizzard. "She’ll be so surprised.”
Blizzard waited outside the front door with Misty after Cheerilee entered the school and walked inside as soon as he heard her say that he could come in.
Misty watched from outside and smiled as she saw Scootaloo run up to her father and hug him.
******
After Blizzard was finished telling his story, Scootaloo looked at Cheerilee with a smile.
“Thank you, Miss. Cheerilee,” she said. “I never thought I’d be happy to be called up to the front of the class.”
“You’re very welcome, Scootaloo,” said Cheerilee as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Scootaloo then turned her head to the front door and saw her mother enter the room.
“Were you surprised?” Misty asked her daughter.
“You bet,” said Scootaloo. “This is the best surprise I ever had.”
Scootaloo gave her father another hug and Misty joined them by wrapping her forelegs around both of them.
******
That night, Scootaloo was lying in her bed, with her father sitting next to her, as she showed him all of the items from her memory box. Blizzard was looking at the photos and a smiled appeared on his face when he saw the one of him and Scootaloo eating their ice cream.
“I remember this one,” he said. “This was when you first rode your scooter and took that nasty fall.”
Scootaloo smiled as that memory came back.
She was riding her scooter through the park, with Blizzard watching her from a bench, when the scooter hit a root that was sticking out of the ground and Scootaloo flew off it. Blizzard quickly ran to his daughter, who was crying and holding onto her knee, saying that it hurt. Blizzard looked at her knee and saw a big scrape on it. He gently picked up Scootaloo and took her to the bench he was sitting on. He placed her down and told her to stay while he left for a few seconds. When he came back, he held two ice cream cones in his left hoof and handed one to Scootaloo, who wiped her tears away and smiled as she licked it.
The two of them then saw a flash of light hit them and they both looked up to see Misty with a camera.
“I want to remember this nice moment,” she said.
“You know what? Me too,” said Scootaloo as she took another lick of her ice cream.
“You were always there for me,” said Scootaloo as she looked at the photo.
“And I always will be,” said her father as he gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Blizzard was about to leave the room when he heard Scootaloo say something.
"Daddy? If it’s not too much trouble, can I sleep with you and mom tonight?”
“I was hoping you’d ask me that,” said Blizzard with a smile.
He then picked up Scootaloo, placed her on his back and walked towards his bedroom, where Misty was already in bed.
“Looks like we have somepony joining us tonight,” said Blizzard as she showed Misty Scootaloo, who was already sound asleep on his back.
Blizzard then gently placed his daughter in the middle of the bed before getting in himself.
“Goodnight, Misty,” he said as he gave his wife a kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight, Blizzard,” said Misty. “It’s great to have you back.”
“It’s great to be back.”
Misty then placed her head on her pillow before slowly going to sleep. Blizzard then looked at his sleeping daughter and gave her another kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight, Scootaloo,” he said. “Daddy loves you.”
And with that, Blizzard placed his head on his pillow and watched his loving wife and daughter sleep before he closed his eyes and went to sleep himself.
That night, Scootaloo had another dream. She was back in the area that was nothing but darkness and she saw Queen Chrysalis walking right towards her, letting out a sinister chuckle.
"Hey," said a voice from behind the queen.
She turned around and saw Blizzard, wearing his golden armor, glaring back at her.
“Get away from my daughter, you monster,” he shouted.
Chrysalis simply snarled and ran towards him. Blizzard didn’t move a muscle as she was coming closer and closer to him. Then, just as the queen was just a few feet away from him, Blizzard turned around and gave her a huge kick with his back legs. Chrysalis went flying into the air and crashed into one of the dark walls, which began to crack. Soon, every part of the dark area had cracks all over it and it soon shattered like glass.
When all of the darkness was gone, Scootaloo looked up and saw that it was replaced by a bright blue sky and a field of tall grass.
Blizzard then walked up to Scootaloo and placed her on his back.
“What do you say we go for a ride,” he said.
He then spread his wings out and flew into the air as Scootaloo sat up, stuck up her forelegs in the air and cheered.
Back in the real world, a sleeping Scootaloo laid next to her mother and father with a smile on her face.
