Author's Notes:

Sorry about the late update people!

I've been wasting my time with metal gear solid V! So yeah.

But now I'll be updating a bit more hopefully.

Buttercup awoke to a harsh pulsing in her head, like someone was using a hammer on her temple.

She could hear yelling from somewhere close by. Very close.

She couldn't make it out but she knew the voice of one was her mother Spitfire while the other was definitely Vectors. Buttercup sat upright, her head throbbed like someone was hammering the side of her head. She then remembered the fight she had with her mother and the hoof that made her blackout.

That painful memory and her tense head muscles made it hard for her to move. Even the slightest twitch caused her agonizing pain. She had to hand it to her mother when she was pushed she really had a mean right hook, but it was nothing compared to her left jab. She really needed to learn to duck when that happened.

The yelling continued for several minutes as Peanut crept into the room and snuggled up against his sister. He shook fearfully in her arms as she held on tightly to him like she feared he'd fly away. While they waited out the verbal storm Buttercup noticed tears in Peanut's eyes. She nuzzled his nose with hers. She got out of bed and carefully tiptoed to the door pressing her ear against it to hear the fighting more clearly. Like bats she had really good hearing, which had its uses, and disadvantages when her parents got in the mood.

She cringed at the thought of her parents in bed during one of their long sessions. So many sleepless nights.

"You seriously have anger issues Spitfire!"

"Oh, sorry mom!" she heard her mother respond mockingly. The brown mare cracked a smile at the thought of the nasty look Vector was possibly giving her now. "Yeah, sure like when?"

Buttercup giggled at the silence that followed. That quickly turned to a scowl when she heard Vector's response.

"How about the time you crippled me? Plucking my feathers out one by one, mocking me? And that's not even considering the emotional trauma I suffered during AND afterwards."

The fighting ended abruptly with a loud slamming of a door. A minute passed. For the two young ones it seemed to be the longest most agonizing minute of their lives. Soon after the sound oh heavy hoof steps rang in their ears as a pony approached. They watched the door intently wondering who'd be coming through the door. To Buttercups surprise it wasn't her mother but Vector who entered.

Peanut buzzed happily loosening his grip from his sister and fluttered over to the blue mare. She giggled taking hold to the changeling who nested himself under her wing. The batpony frowned at her changeling siblings affections towards the mare. Peanut pulled the wing around himself like a blanket, pressing his face against the mares side making her giggle from a light tickle.

The blue mare sighed sitting down beside the brown batpony mare. Buttercup scooted away from her but stayed on the beds edge. Vector frowned at this evasive behavior and decided to try and reach out to her.

"Buttercup? What's wrong?"

This question enraged the young mare. She turned to the older pony glaring at her with tear brimmed eyes. "What's wrong? What's wrong?! How dare you!"

She pushed off the couch and turned to face the pegasus face to face.

"We lose half our family and you come parading in here, in our lives, and try to replace our mother, MY MOTHER AND TAKE HER PLACE!" she yelled the last part as her anger rose.

Most ponies would have faltered at such aggression from a child, but Vector managed to keep her composure despite feeling distressed. She felt her wing shiver as the changeling within shivered. She slid her wing open nuzzling him before glaring at Buttercup.

"Must you always yell at me?"

"Must you be so nosy?" she snapped back.

"Look, I know you don't like me-"

"That's an understatement."

A brief pause followed while Vector gave her a deadpan stare. "Please Buttercup I'm not trying to replace your mother." she lied. "I love Spitfire and I love Peanut. I DO care about YOU too. Please, give me a chance. If not for me do it for your brother and Spitfire. Please?"

"No." the young mare replied defiantly.

"Fine. You don't have to like me." but she had a different idea of how to compromise with her. "How about this then? We pretend to like each other?"

"What do you mean?" she scoffed.

"What you and I need to do is work out a pact." Vector said circling the mare, she placed Peanut on the bed. The little changeling sat upright watching the events in front of him unfold. "We need to work out something so we don't fight any more."

"And why would I do that? I hate you." Buttercup pushed passed her and sat beside her brother cuddling him.

"Spitfire reacted the way she did because of the way you treat me." Vector replied. "That and I don't want Spitfire to hit you again."

There was no venom behind her words. No ill will, and Buttercup seemed to realize just what she meant. She truly cared about Spitfire and the children, but Buttercup made it difficult to like her. Spitfire's reaction scared her to no end. She was afraid that Spitfire might go overboard with her anger and hurt Buttercup too much one day. Then she'd be taken away and nopony will be happy.

While the young mare sat there contemplating, Vector continued to speak, making sure not to sit beside them while she did for fear of angering her.

"I know you hate me. But if you let me I can be your friend. I don't want us to keep fighting and Spitfire hurting you like she did yesterday."

"Ye-yesterday?"

The blue pegasus nodded. "Indeed. You were out for nearly a day. The doctor said it was a bad hit you took to the head."

The news of this terrified her, but what's worse was she didn't know what to do? "The doctor? Why don't I remember any of this?"

"You got hit by your mother really hard. Do you remember that?"

"I do but, not afterwards." she said dejectedly. Then she realized what Vector meant about her mother. "Yo-you didn't tell him did you?! You didn't call CPS did you?!"

"No."

"But why?"

"Because I don't want to tear your family apart."

"Hmph. Whatever."

With that she jumped off the bed and strode off with a huff. Vector and Peanut were now alone in the room. The changeling hopped down and waddled over to the adult pegasus. She watched as he waddled closer and stood upright and flapped his wings making him fly up and land on her back. He nestled himself on her back. It brought a smile to her face seeing him so open with her.

"If only I could get her to see me that way." she said, looking at the door where Buttercup exited.

Later that night Spitfire returned in a bad mood from work. Dinner was very awkward and nopony spoke the entirety of it. Everyone went to bed early that night with not so much as a goodnight said. Needless to say it was a very uneventful night. So everypony rested wondering what the next day would hold.