Meanwhile, Fluttershy led the others back to her home and she was feeding some of the animals while Boots helped, she was even able to get Angel Bunny to eat his dinner without making a fuss.

"Wow, Fluttershy, Angel Bunny is more obedient." Atticus said.

"Oh, yes... He seems to enjoy Boots's company more... So from now on, she'll be feeding him," Fluttershy smiled. "I don't know what she did, but it seems to be working."

Angel Bunny was given a simple carrot and didn't like it, until Boots's dog instinct kicked in and she snarled at him like she would eat him, so he quickly ate the vegetable and she smiled in victory.

"I guess at least he's not a brat anymore..." Cherry shrugged at that.

"Yeah." Atticus said.

Mo giggled to Boots's little antics.

"Is he here yet...?" Boots pouted.

"Give him time, dear..." Fluttershy reminded her to be patient.

"Don't worry, Boots, he'll be here soon." Mo assured her.

Boots pouted and tried to distract herself.

"Boots, how was school today?" Fluttershy knew how much she loved tlaking about school and that it might help.

"Well, tomorrow is Family Appreciation Day." Boots said.

"Oh, how wonderful." Fluttershy smiled at that.

"Yeah... Wonderful..." Boots said softly, thinking about what Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said earlier.

"Oh, dear, what's wrong?" Fluttershy instantly frowned at her unhappiness.

"Well... I mean..." Boots wasn't sure how exactly to spit this out. "The others at school say you and Daddy don't count cuz you're not really my family..."

"Oh, Boots, you can't let that stop you..." Mo tried to soothe.

"Yeah, family isn't just about the ones that are related to you by blood; they are the ones that love and care for you and raise you." Atticus said.

"How would you know?" Boots asked them.

Atticus and Mo looked to each other, then Mo looked back down. "Boots, I was an orphan growing up... I've been through foster home to foster home with my puppy, Angel. One day we ended up on the streets, but it worked out well in the end and you know why?

"Why?" Boots then asked.

"We found a family who loves us just the way we are, James and Elizabeth may not be my real parents, but I love them and always will from now on." Mo smiled fondly.

"Yeah." Atticus said.

Boots smiled and hugged them, nuzzling against them.

Mo giggled. "Hey, that tickles!"

---

Cherry was lying down on Fluttershy's couch and noticed the Discord lamp. "I'm not sure if I like this thing or not..."

The eyes then looked to her and blinked, making her jump off the couch. If the lamp looked at her and blinked, it only meant one thing: Discord had arrived. Boots gasped with joy. Suddenly, there was a cloud of magic dust and the infamous draconequus arrived.

"Oh, there you are," Fluttershy smiled. "Welcome back."

"Daddy!" Boots clung to him.

"Please don't sing..." Cherry muttered inaudibly.

"Did someone say sing?" Discord asked.

"NO! DON'T!" Cherry cried out.

"Oh, well if you insist..." Discord played reverse psychology with her.

"AAAUGH!" Cherry pulled on her mane.

Boots only giggled, she loved it when he would sing to her.

'Oh, come on, it's not that bad.' Atticus thought.

"Why do you torment me?" Cherry grumbled.

"Silly Cherry Berry, you know you love me..." Discord pinched her cheek.

"Stop." Cherry was not in the mood.

Discord instead went to Fluttershy and Boots and hugged them right away.

"They are a loving, happy family." Mo said.

"Yeah." Atticus added.

Mo smiled to Atticus and hid a giggle.

"So, what are you all doing here?" Discord asked the guests.

"I invited them for dinner." Fluttershy smiled.

"Just please don't rotate the house..." Cherry muttered about Keep Calm and Flutter On. "I get vertigo."

"Oh, Cherry, a Debbie Downer as always..." Discord carried an umbrella which made a dark cloud hover above Cherry's head complete with thunder and lightning.

"I'm actually in a good mood..." Cherry said to him, despite looking miserable.

"Yeah and Patch is also joining us; he just had to go do research on Scootaloo's parents along with Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Big Macintosh's parents." Atticus said.

"Oh, what an interesting adventure." Discord smiled.

"Yeah..." Boots chuckled bashfully.

---

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Nurse Redheart was still looking.

"I'm sorry, Patch, I'm having trouble here..." Redheart struggled. "Is Scootaloo her first or last name?" She then asked.

"It's her first name," Patch replied. "Oh, and she's an orange pegasus filly with a purple mane and tail."

"Okay..." Nurse Redheart kept looking.

"Wait, what time is it?" Patch asked, realizing how late it was.

Nurse Redheart looked at the time. "Appears to be 5:15 right now."

"Oh, no, it's almost time for dinner!" Patch said.

Nurse Redheart looked concerned, but then had a contemplative smile. "I'll keep looking for you... You run along to dinner and if I find anything, I'll contact you." She then promised.

"Really? Oh, thank you!" Patch said before leaving for Fluttershy's cottage.

"Good night now!" Nurse Redheart smiled, waving to him, then went back to the mission she was sent on by him.

"Oh, man, I can't believe I almost forgot." Patch said while galloping towards Fluttershy's cottage.

---

Luckily for Patch, Fluttershy just now decided to get dinner started as Boots was doing some homework. Patch then came up to the door and then knocks on it as soon as he was in front of Fluttershy's cottage. Angel got the door.

"Oh, hi, Angel..." Patch said to the usually mean-spirited bunny rabbit.

Angel let him in without a word and shut the door after him, then hopped away as everybody else was on the couch.

"S-Sorry, everyone, I kind of lost track of time I was at the hospital to find out about Scootaloo's parents and Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Big Mac's parents." Patch explained.

"Oh, that's okay..." Mo chuckled. "I see Atticus's detective aspirations have rubbed off on you."

"Yep, it sure looks like it." Atticus agreed.

"So, am I on time?" Patch asked.

"Dinner is almost ready." Boots told him.

"Whew!" Patch sighed.

"Did you find anything useful?" Mo asked her boyfriend's adoptive puppy.

"Well, no but Nurse Redheart said that she would inform me if she found out anything about Scootaloo's parents," Patch said. "Tomorrow, I'm gonna go and ask Granny Smith of where Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Big Mac's parents were."

"Well, good luck with that." Mo smiled.

"I believe in you, Patch..." Boots smiled deeper to Patch, coming closer to him with rather sultry eyes.

Patch looked to her and backed away slightly, he felt a little nervous around her now. "Um... Thank you, Boots..."

Boots giggled and smiled to him.

"Uh, is it just me or does it seem like Boots might have a crush on Patch?" Atticus asked.

"Aw... Puppy Love..." Cherry mumbled, sounding uninterested.

"WHAT!?" Discord went paternal, noticing what they were talking about, even if he wasn't Boots's true father, but still...

"Relax, I'm sure it's just a phase..." Cherry glanced back at him, being as stoic as Pinkie Pie's sister, the legendary Maud Pie.

"Hmm..." Discord decided to keep an eye on Patch and Boots.

"Oh, my... Um, Boots, you seem like a nice filly, but I'm kind of spoken for." Patch said.

Boots pouted.

"Listen, I like you a lot, we can still be friends... I'm sorry, but please understand..." Patch tried to make her not cry or throw a temper tantrum.

Boots sighed and stared at the floor. "Okay... I'm sorry, Patch..."

Patch gave her a gentle pat on the back to soothe her. "I promise, we can still be friends, Colette just wouldn't like it if you took me from her. You'll meet someone, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Boots said.

Patch gave her a friendly smile, Boots smiled back, but when he walked off, she let out a small disappointed sigh.

"Dinner!" Fluttershy called as she hovered into the main room where they all were. "I also got some meat for you guys since Discord is a carnivore and rarely eats vegetables... I hope that's okay, but maybe this way, you'll have more of a taste for oats."

"I'm sure it's delicious." Mo said.

"There's also some flowers..." Fluttershy smiled as she took them to the kitchen.

---

Cherry glanced to Discord, she remembered how he claimed to have reformed when Fluttershy invited the others over to dinner and he was playing around and she just kept defending him.

"Why don't you cut loose and relax, Cherry?" Discord looked to her. "You look stressed."

"Don't touch me..." Cherry glanced to him, then took her seat as the others did.

"Yikes!" Patch yelped. "Looks like someone really needed a vacation."

"Isn't there anything that makes her happy... Like, ever?" Mo whispered to Atticus.

"I think the only thing would be like Halloween." Atticus said.

"Hmm..." Mo hummed a bit.

"What's a Halloween?" Fluttershy asked as she served them all dinner.

"It's their universe's Nightmare Night." Boots explained, she was from the same dimension as Cherry, Atticus, Mo, and Patch after all.

"Oh..." Fluttershy smiled. "It's a scary evening, but wonderful, especially for little fillies and colts."

"Yep, it sure is." Atticu said.

"Well, everypony, dig in." Fluttershy told them.

Mo had to admit that the food did look peculiar, but she was going to at least try it before she might say something she would regret. Of course, the family ate normally like it was no big deal.

Cherry ate some, but this was too normal and extraordinary, which often meant that something would go wrong, after she finished her first plate, she stood up from her seat. "May I be excused?" she asked. "I need to get some fresh air."

"Of course, Cherry." Fluttershy smiled and allowed her to go.

Cherry nodded and left the table, going outside and gently shut the door behind her.

---

The food was even delicious to Atticus, Patch, and Mo.

'Wow, this food is great or maybe it's because we're in our pony forms.' Patch thought.

"That might have something to do with it..." Fluttershy shrugged, she wouldn't really know herself.

"I never thought daisies could taste so well with bacon." Patch chuckled.

Mo couldn't help but sneeze to her sandwich.

"Oh my, are you catching a cold, Mo?" Fluttershy got worried.

Mo sniffled. "Must be the pollen..." she chuckled bashfully.

"That might be it." Atticus said.

Boots looked to the front door. "I hope Cherry's okay..."

"It's probably just traveling... She usually doesn't like to leave her home sometimes..." Atticus shrugged.

They all kept on eating, trying not to worry too much about Cherry.