Scootaloo and Terramar were dedicated to helping their daughter live the best life she could, so naturally they got her fitted for hearing aids straight away, along with signing her up for all kinds of therapies and specialists to help her make her way in the hearing world.

It was all happening so fast but for now, baby Seaweed sat positioned in front of the mirror to admire her new hearing aids. Her mother Scootaloo was right by her side cooing over her; for once, she didn’t have to raise her voice for her daughter to hear her.

“Look at you! Those new ‘aids are looking rad! See, your Daddy had nothing to worry about!”

She shot Terramar a look that screamed “I told you so.”

Seaweed Swirl was the light of Terramar’s life, so seeing her so happy and excited to hear things around her for the first time made him forget about his worries for a moment.

Almost…

“They look great honey, Daddy’s so happy for you!”

He said completely ignoring Scootaloo.

“Although, I do think it isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows.”

Scootaloo picked up the implications of his statement right away, standing right up to face him.

“And just what is that supposed to mean?”

Terramar sneered at his wife’s instant defensiveness. He always hated how she never gave anything a chance. He wasn’t that hypocritical, right?

So he snapped at her.

“I just think it’ll get overwhelming! Hearing all the time after not before. You agree with me, right Seaweed?”

Seaweed looked over at him at the sound of her name, but being a baby she was oblivious to the tension in the room.

“Dada! Mama!”

She pointed at her parents’ reflections in the mirror, performing the corresponding hoof motions that she had been taught.

“See? She’s just fine!”

Her mother gestured towards her.

“Seaweed is smart. She can handle anything that comes her way. You really underestimate her if you think for a second that she can’t. The doctor herself said the hearing aids would make her life better! Did you hear that or do you need hearing aids too?”

Terramar had no doubt that his daughter was intelligent, but being book smart or picking things up quickly didn’t mean she was totally safe.

She was never totally safe.

“How dare you-”

He quickly put his talons over his daughter’s ears.

“-tell me I’m wrong, but you’re here making fun of her! You’re trying to make it seem like I don’t care about her when you’re the one who really doesn’t have her best interest at heart. If only one of us cares about our daughter’s safety then this is a whole other conversation, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo gasped at his accusation.

“No Terramar, how dare <span class="caps">YOU</span> suggest that I don’t care about our daughter! I do too have her best interest at heart and that means not sheltering her from living her life like any other filly! Do you think I’d be where I am now if my aunts held me back like you’re trying to do to Seaweed right now? Besides, I’m the one who got her the hearing aids so don’t tell me about best interests.”

Terramar realized at this point that there was no convincing her at all. She was going to let Seaweed get hurt no matter how hard he fought against it so he just needed to be there to make sure that didn’t happen.

No matter what the cost.

He let out a deep frustrated grunt and turned his back on his family, going to busy himself with babyproofing the house for the third time that day.