Rainbow Dash digged around in the cabinets, until she found what she was looking for. A pouch of apple juice and some peanut butter crackers. As she passed, well, nearly ran into, the mirror over the couch,  she caught sight of the mane brush on the coffee table behind her. Rainbow couldn't help but smile at the sight. Boy that brings back memories doesn't it, Dashie? Still not sure why I wanted to take it. ...Wait does dad even know I took it? I don't think so... Oh well.

       Rainbow Dash stopped her daydreaming just long enough to not faceplant Scootaloo's door. She heard a sniffle from inside and any courage she had evaporated into thin air. If Scootaloo had been crying, this was going to be a lot tougher. Maybe she should... No, Dash. You got this. Show her why. Help her understand beforehoof and she should be fine. If anyone can take this, Scootaloo definitely  can!

She thumped her hoof on the door a few times, and after hearing a watery 'come in' from inside, she nudged the door open.

        Scootaloo was sitting on her mattress, an orange mass in the middle of a room FILLED with purple. Purple wallpaper lined three walls and blue paint with a rainbow arching over her bed adorned the final one. A lavender carpet stretched across the length of the room. Wonderbolt knick-knacks were lined up on top of the white painted oak dresser. Rainbow Dash had seen this room many times. She knew every inch of the furniture from the countless times she and Scootaloo had been pouring over catalogs. She could tell you every wrinkle in the bedsheets, every chip in the Spitfire figurine, every faded patch of paint in the prismatic arch of colors on the wall directly opposite her.

       But Rainbow knew the filly sitting on the bed, too, and it didn't take a genius (not that Rainbow wasn't a genius) to know that Scoots had indeed been crying. Crap.

         "H-hey, sis. Brought you some snacks. You doin okay?"

      "Yeah, I'll survive. Thanks." A note in her voice suggested otherwise, however.

The blue mare let out her breath with a tiny hint of frustration. "Scootaloo, I made a mistake, okay? I stuck you in your room for hours when I could have done something earlier. But I let my stupidness get in the way. I've known this day would come for a while. I guess I was hoping I was wrong."

       "What are you talking about, sis? What do you mean, you've known this day would come? Is it something I did?"

              Rainbow Dash silently kicked herself for wording it like that. This was one question she really didn't want to answer. But if this was how Scootaloo chose to play her cards, Rainbow wasn't about to fold. "Yes... and no. Yes, it's what you did, but it's also what I did. W-when I was younger. A lot younger. And I know I'm confusing you, so lemmie tell ya a story.

When I was about your age, my mother died." Rainbow had no problem saying this with a straight face. She hadn't really cared about the mare that gave her her life. "She had lung cancer. But I don't want you feeling sorry for me. The only nice thing she ever did was... show me how to live my life." She started to let her memories overcome her before continuing. "But I didn't realize that at the time. Every other filly and colt had a mother and a father, and I want to be the same. I knew where my mom had gone, and I thought my dad had sent her there. I blamed him for her death. So, I started ignoring him. I never said a word to him, and when he asked me to do anything, I either walked away, or did the opposite.  He asked me to do my homework, I ripped it up. He asked me to pick up my coat, I threw my hat on the floor next to it. He told me I wasn't allowed to go to Gilda's party, and I snuck out of  the house.

               We were playing Truth or Dare at the party. Gilda dared me to play with some matches. I wasn't sure what she meant, but it turned out she wanted me to set the Cloudosseum on fire. So I took the box of matches in my mouth, and flew to the stadium. I lit a match and dropped it on the floor of the Cloudosseum. And I just flew back."

    Scootaloo was now genuinely confused. "Aren't clouds made of water vapor...?"

Rainbow chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I still haven't figured out the science behind that. Anyways, some armed guards found me with a box of matches in my hoof, so they put two and two together. But seeing as rainbow manes are pretty rare, they knew I was Rainbow Striker's kid. And they were my dad's buddies from work... So they knew where I lived and pretty much everything about me. They took me back home, well, more like dragged me, and told my dad exactly what I did. I had never seen him so angry, Scoots. It was terrifying. And the, I kid you not, Princess Celestia came!

She cast some sort of freezing spell on my wings so I couldn't fly away. She told me I was in serious legal trouble, seeing as I had just burned a public building. She told me I was interrupting ... come to think of it, I'm pretty sure she told me I had interrupted Twilight's studies!  Well, the fact that Celestia had to come just plain enraged my dad. He took me inside and shoved me into a corner. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, but Celestia hadn't undone the spell, so I couldn't fly away.

        But even after I knew what was happening, and even after it happened, I thank him for it. Because it was something that helped me, Scootaloo. Something that I think I have to do today."

     Scootaloo gazed at her sister, wondering what she was talking about. Rainbow Dash silently cheered herself on for moving this conversation in the right direction. Now was the hardest part.

"Scootaloo, my dad, he... he spanked me." She waited for the protesting that she knew would come.

But none came. Scootaloo just sat there, her eyes darting around in panic. Nothing moved except the purple irises. Rainbow waited. She could practically see the gears turning in the filly' mind as she processed the information. Finally, Scootaloo swallowed and opened her mouth.

"Wha-what?!"

It took all Rainbow's energy to keep a steady voice. She was, in no way, scared to discipline Scootaloo. Just, a little apprehensive of how it would go down. This was exactly how she had felt that day, nearly 15 years ago. Worried. Confused. Frightened. Unsure of what to make of it all. The terrifying look in her dad's eyes, the disappointment on the face of the princess. It was something unreal.

        "He spanked me, Scootaloo." She repeated, a little more confidently. "Look, I really don't want to do this. But this is the second time you have put your life on the line, as far as even know of! I'm not gonna lie, Scoots, you disappointed me out there today.And even though I'm not mad anymore, I never, ever, EVER. want you to try anything like that again."

    "Bu-but it won't! It won't!" Scootaloo seemed to be trying to convince herself more than Rainbow, though.

          "How do I know? How do I know I can trust you to never do this again? That's why I have to spank you, Scootaloo. Not because I want to, but because I know it's right. I know what it's  like, and I wouldn't do this if I wasn't 100% sure it was necessary. I do not want to force you over my lap, so come here. Please."

       Scootaloo was torn. On one hoof, she didn't want to be hurt. On the other, something told her Rainbow Dash wasn't doing this to hurt her. Plus, Rainbow meant the world to her. Scootaloo could tell something was bothering Rainbow. Something that might go away if she took a spanking?

       Rainbow watched carefully as Scootaloo took one of the deepest breaths ever, and slowly nodded. Not breaking eye contact with the filly she loved so dearly, Rainbow extended her hooves to the shaking Scootaloo, pulling her into a hug. Desperately trying to help her understand why this was happening, but at a loss for words. With Scootaloo nuzzled into her chest, Rainbow waited. Waited until she heard Scootaloo say what she supposed meant she was ready:

        " Okay, let's get this over with "

              Rainbow lay the apprehensive girl over her lap. After a minute, she let her hoof fall. She heard Scootaloo hissing out her breath, but kept going. She couldn't turn back now. This had to be done.

                  "This is exactly what's going to happen whenever you take things too far. There's a line when it comes to trouble, and once you cross that line, I have no choice." Scootaloo was letting tears slip down her face now. It pained Rainbow to see Scootaloo crying, but she pushed on. "This will not be a fun night to look back on, but  I want you to when you find yourself in a life threatening situation."

  Scootaloo was really crying now. She had snatched a pillow from her bed and buried her face in it, yelling "Please!" as Rainbow kept spanking.

        "I hate doing this, kiddo, but I'm not afraid to. You need to learn to think about the consequences before you go rushing into things. You've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble today, which I hope you're thinking about. " She winced when she saw the growing red blotch on the flank before her. But she kept spanking. "This is for your own good, kiddo, and i never want you to go through this again. Cuz' if you do, it means you're being downright irresponisble"

Scootaloo inhaled and exhaled and desperately tried to keep her tail from betraying her. "D-dash please! I'm sorry already! I'll never (hic!

          " Dashie. Hopes. You. Know. She's. Serious. Now. Scootaloo." She said, punctuating each word with a spank. She let her hoof fall one last time before saying, " I know I probably will, but I hope I never have to do that again."

       Scootaloo wasted no time in leaping up and throwing her arms around her mother's neck, flinging her backwards. Rainbow instinctively wrapped a wing around Scootaloo's back.  Scootaloo was still crying, but no longer quite as strongly. As she gazed into the loving eyes of the rainbow-maned Pegasus before her, she started to giggle.

      With a raised eyebrow, Rainbow chuckled. "Well, Scoot, you've been spanked for the first time! How do you feel? "

            "Uh, well, ....wait... how do you think I feel?" As giggles consumed the young filly, Rainbow rolled her eyes.

                  " Well no duh! I know your FLANK hurts, but what about this?" She lay a hoof on Scootaloo's stomach. Scootaloo stared at her, thoughts racing through her head. How did she know my belly hurt? Is this what happened to her before she was spanked? How did she know my belly feels better now?

          Rainbow smiled. "Yep, that's guilt. I always got it before my dad spanked me. It's no fun, but it always goes away afterwards. That's why I'm glad you took this like a big girl today. I'm proud of you, baby" Scootaloo only nodded, as she was in the middle of a huge yawn. She started to crawl into bed. Rainbow took the hint and tucked her in. She started for the door.

       "Wait!" Called Scootaloo. "Aren't you gonna sleep in here tonight? Y-you said you would yesterday..."  Scootaloo asked, a little scared that being punished meant Dash wouldn't sleep in her room that night."

      Rainbow nodded. " I'll be in in a minute. Gotta do something." Rainbow stepped into the hall.

.                                                                                                                                          

Rainbow stared at them. At first, there was nothing special about them. They were just black combat boots. The lacing was frayed and the soles were cracking. Any other pony might have thrown them away.

       But to Rainbow, they were something else. She picked the left one up, and stared at the ceiling. Her voice was barely louder than Fluttershy's when she finally spoke.

"I know I did the right thing, Dad, wherever you are."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Next Chapter: Unexpected (but not unwelcome) visitors. Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes