//------------------------------// // Where Loyalty Lies // Story: What It Means To Be A Mother // by FabulousDivaRarity //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was in the middle of packing her saddle bag when she felt Scootaloo's presence behind her. "Come on in, munchkin." She said, smiling. The smaller Pegasus sat on the bed beside her bags. "Are you excited?" She chirped. Rainbow Dash smiled at her daughter's folly. "Who wouldn't be excited for training week with the Wonderbolts reserves?" "I'm so excited that you get to go!" Scootaloo buzzed. "And to top it off I get to stay at Aunt Applejack's and spend the week with Apple Bloom!" "You two are going to have a great time together." Said Rainbow with a knowing smile. She finished packing her saddle bag and set it on the floor by the door. "Have you finished packing for Applejack's?" Scootaloo nodded. "Good." Rainbow looked up at the clock. "I think it's someone's bedtime." Scootaloo looked miffed. "But it's barely dark out!" "I know that. But you have to get up early tomorrow, remember?" "Yeah..." "Go on and brush your teeth, I'll be there in a minute." "Okay!" Scootaloo went down the hall and Rainbow sighed. This week was her first time away from her daughter and she was understandably nervous. Even though she knew Scootaloo would be in great hands, she couldn't help feeling that as soon as she left for training, she would feel like half of herself was missing. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts and went down the hall to hear Scootaloo turn off the water from the sink. She walked beside the filly and pulled back the covers. Once Scootaloo was comfortable, Rainbow pulled the blanket over her. Gently messing up her mane, Rainbow gave her daughter a big hug. "Goodnight, squirt." "Night, Mom." Rainbow quietly shut the door behind her and went back to her own room to attempt to sleep. As she turned on her side, she looked out the window at the moon, wondering what tomorrow would bring. When she woke up at five-thirty the next morning, she dragged herself out of bed and into her bathtub. With the warm water around her, she began the tedious process of waking up. Once out of the water, she brushed her teeth before moving to put both in her saddle bag. Next, she woke Scootaloo and let her get herself ready while she prepared breakfast. By the time Scootaloo was coming downstairs everything was done. She fixed Scootaloo a bowl of oatmeal with some eggs and haybacon, and made herself a fried egg sandwich. By six thirty Rainbow had her saddle bag on and had Scootaloo climbing on her back. In what felt like an instant, they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow landed in front of the barn where Applejack stood waiting for them. Scootaloo hopped off of her Mother's back and hugged her Aunt. This was the moment Rainbow had been dreading the most. She hated goodbyes, even if they were only for a little while. "Come here, squirt." She said, smiling. Scootaloo didn't hesitate to leap into her Mother's arms. Rainbow squeezed her just a little, trying to preserve the feeling for the week ahead. Scootaloo hadn't said much all day. In truth, she was happy for her Mother but sad for herself. When her Mother pulled away, Scootaloo couldn't help but think no, come back... "Now you listen to Applejack and do what she says. I know you and Apple Bloom are going to have a good time together." Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Applejack. "Thanks again for the help, AJ." Applejack grinned. "Not a problem, sugar cube. Now you go on and have fun, I have everything handled." Rainbow nodded and gave Scootaloo one last hug. "Bye, peanut." "Bye, Momma." With one last look at her daughter, Rainbow Dash soared into the sky. Scootaloo watched her Mother fly away with mixed emotions. Applejack noticed this, and put a hoof around her. "Come on sugar cube, let's get you settled in." Scootaloo, scared to move, slowly followed her Aunt into the house. For Rainbow Dash, the first day of training was much like the first day at the academy. She knew that she was high above the other contenders in both flight skills and knowledge of the Wonderbolts' origin. Instead of worrying about the exercises offered, she worried about Scootaloo. She knew she shouldn't be worried, but she just couldn't help it. Her head wasn't in the game, and yet she was miles ahead of the others without even trying. Having too much time to think was going to be her everlasting ruin. Spitfire, proud captain of the Wonderbolts, noticed this subtle change in focus. She couldn't quite pin it, but something was up with the Pegasus who had brought their team surprise after surprise. The one who had been asked to compete with them and turned it down out of loyalty to her friends. She wanted to get to the bottom of it. In the mess hall that evening, Spitfire found Rainbow Dash sitting with other trainees, looking bored and uninterested. She saw her window of opportunity and seized it. "Hey Rainbow Dash, would you mind stepping into my office. I had a few things I wanted to ask you." Rainbow looked surprised. "Um, sure..." Rainbow followed Spitfire to her office and closed the door while the latter got Behind her desk and sat down. "Alright Rainbow Dash, what's going on?" Rainbow blinked, confused. "Huh?" "Something's going on with you. You're still the top of the class, but you're distracted and I want to know why." She demanded. Rainbow paused. "I can't tell you." "What do you mean?" "I've been asked to keep it a secret. If something important comes up I'll tell you. I promise." Spitfire gave her a scrutinizing look. "Alright. That will do for now. You're dismissed." Rainbow Dash gave her a smile. "Thank you." "Uh huh." With that, Rainbow retired to her room for the night. Unpacking her saddle bag, she got out her things. Cushioned between two pillows was a picture of her and Scootaloo. She set it on her nightstand, wondering how her daughter was doing. Scootaloo was immediately swept in by Apple Bloom's excitement. All day long they kept busy with games and attempts to earn their Cutie Marks. They ate lunch outside by the Apple orchards, enjoying their time outside. Applejack, although still tending to her chores, kept a close eye on the two fillies. Sweetie Belle stopped by after lunch and the three crusaders headed off to their treehouse. Applejack, having promised to watch them, followed them discreetly. She only left when she had to prepare dinner. Once dinner was ready, the three crusaders ate together, talking and laughing. After the sun began to set, Sweetie Belle excused herself to go home, and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were told to stay inside from then on. As bedtime began to encroach, Scootaloo felt a sort of emptiness beginning to well up inside of her. She was sure this was the result of being away from her mother for the first time. As she crawled into bed with her friend, she couldn't help but feel lonely. She mentally replayed the last goodnight she'd gotten from her Mom, and tried to feel the last hug around her. Fitfully, she fell asleep. As the days wore on, both Mother and Daughter were anxious, but both kept busy during the day to try and keep their minds off of it. At the Apple farm, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were attempting to earn their cutie marks. "I can't believe we didn't think of this before!" Apple Bloom gushed. "I know! It's perfect!" Sweetie Belle agreed. "Yeah! Cutie Mark Crusaders Make Up Artists!" Scootaloo cheered. "We can go to my sister's house! She has loads of make up and would love to teach us!" Sweetie Belle grinned. "Then what are we waiting here for? Let's get moving!" Said Scootaloo. She hopped on her scooter and started toward the Carousel Boutique. Unfortunately, she had forgotten how rocky and uneven the ground was on this part of the farm since it wasn't tended to. She felt every rock underneath her scooter, and her vision was impaired by the rocky terrain. She didn't see the larger rock sticking only partially out of the ground. Her wheel caught on the rock and she was flung forward off of the scooter. She tumbled through the air, doing one full flip in the air before landing. There was a sickening snap! As she made impact with the dirt and let out a scream. The other Crusaders rushed to her aid. "I'll go get Applejack." Said Apple Bloom, rushing off to find her sister. Sweetie Belle helped prop up her friend up. "What happened?" "I think I broke my leg..." Scootaloo was desperately trying to hold herself together, but was failing. The searing pain was burning her from the inside out. The tears came out and she bowed her head. Applejack came rushing out to see what had happened, and immediately decided to take her to Ponyville hospital. She instructed the other two crusaders to go find Fluttershy and explain what happened so that she could fly to where the Wonderbolts Reserves were being trained and get Rainbow. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom rushed to Fluttershy's cottage. The lovely pink and yellow Pegasus was outside tending to her animals. "Fluttershy!" They called. Said mare looked up and smiled. "Why hello, girls." "We need your help!" They said, panting. "Oh my, is everything alright?" "Scootaloo hurt herself and she's in the hospital. Would you please fly up to where they're doing the Wonderbolts Reserves training to let Rainbow Dash know?" Sweetie Belle pleaded. Fluttershy hesitated, but saw the despair on their tiny faces. "Please? You're the only Pegasus we know who can help." She added. With that remark, Fluttershy caved. "Alright. I'll be back as soon as I can." "Thank you so much, Fluttershy!" They said in unison. Fluttershy blushed, and then flew off. The training for the members of the Wonderbolts Reserves was the same campus as the Wonderbolts Academy, just in a different sector. There was a tiny reception building at the front of the grounds. Fluttershy took a deep breath and gathered her courage before making her way to the window. A Pegasus pony sat nonchalantly on her chair, reading a magazine. "Welcome to the Wonderbolts Reserves training camp, how can I help you today?" She asked in a robotic voice that was disturbingly similar to Maud Pie's. "Um, excuse me, I'm so sorry to bother you, but I need to speak to Rainbow Dash. It's an emergency." She said meekly. The Pegasus looked up from her magazine. She handed her a clipboard. "Fill out these papers and take a visitor's badge." "Okay, thank you very much." "Uh huh." She filled out the papers quickly, and wrote her name on the badge. She handed them to the Pegasus who glanced at them before pushing a button that opened the gate. Fluttershy gulped, but entered anyways. The campus was huge, but sectioned so it wasn't too hard to navigate. She spotted Rainbow walking and ran as fast as she could. The fifth day of training had been more taxing than the the last four. She was tired, but felt accomplished. "Rainbow!" A familiar voice called. Rainbow looked around and was surprised to see Fluttershy. "Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" Rainbow was not opposed to her friend's visit, but didn't understand why she was here. "Rainbow, something happened to Scootaloo. She's in the hospital. Applejack's with her now. She sent Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to find me so I could come and get you." Rainbow's panic was instantaneous. Her anxiety was so great that every hair on her body stood to attention. Her heart began to pound. Her mind was scrambling over what to do. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Will you go and stay with her until I get there?" "Of course, Rainbow." Said Fluttershy sympathetically. Giving her friend a hug, she flew off for Ponyville Hospital. Rainbow, for a moment, stayed totally still, attempting to figure out what to do next. She knew she had to act fast. She bolted to her room and started to pack. Spitfire noticed the interaction with the shy Pegasus and Rainbow Dash. She watched the Pegasus who was her star pupil become intensely panicked in their short conversation. The yellow Pegasus flew off, but Rainbow Dash stayed a few moments longer before bolting to her room on campus. She decided to find out what all the fuss was about. Rainbow Dash began packing her saddle bag. She had a single focus- to get to her Daughter. She heard the door to her room open and then slam shut. "Alright Rainbow Dash, I want to know what's going on." "I'm leaving." Spitfire gaped at her. "What? Why? You're at the top of the heap here." "It's an emergency. You know I wouldn't leave under any other circumstance." "Why are you leaving so suddenly?" Rainbow sighed as she put her uniform in her bag. This secret of hers didn't seem to want to stay secret. She turned to face her biggest idol. She could only imagine what this admission would do to her career as a Wonderbolt, but she knew that Scootaloo was more important. "You have to promise that you won't tell anyone." Spitfire leaned against the door, intrigued. "Alright." Rainbow took a deep breath. "I have a daughter." Of all the things Spitfire thought she would hear, that was the last thing she would have expected. Her jaw, both literally and figuratively, hit the floor. Her mind reeled as she tried to process this new information. All she managed to say was: "You're kidding, right?" Although she didn't intend for it to come out offensively, the words sent a small stab of hurt through Rainbow's heart. But she stood proud and tall. "No. I'm not. And she's in the hospital. I'm not going to leave her there by herself. A lot has happened since The Academy..." "Apparently..." Spitfire replied sarcastically. "It's not like that. I took her off of the streets and we just clicked. I decided to adopt her, and we decided to publicly say we were sisters instead of the truth. She asked me to be her Mother, and I said yes. I'll admit that it wasn't easy, but I'm proud to be a Mom." Spitfire was beyond words. Rainbow finally put her saddle bag on. "If you'll excuse me, I need to see my Daughter." Rainbow passed Spitfire, looked her right in the eye, and then left to go see her daughter, leaving a stunned Spitfire in her wake. Scootaloo lay in her hospital bed, bored out of her mind. Aunt Applejack was telling a story, but she was only pretending to listen. Her mind was somewhere else entirely. She looked at her broken leg, feeling the weight of her cast. She wanted to go home, but knew she wasn't going anywhere. More than anything, though, she wanted her Mom. Almost on cue, Fluttershy came in and told her Rainbow Dash was coming. Scootaloo sagged in relief. She felt guilty that her Mother had to leave her training, but she had enough sense to know that this was not entirely her fault. She found her eyes drawn to the door, just waiting for her Mother to come. Every second was like an hour. Time dragged as if it were a heavy brick being pulled through sand. For a minute she had time to gather her thoughts. As Applejack and Fluttershy kept a close watch over her, her friends were on her other side, silently worried. How were they going to go crusading? It wouldn't be the same without Scootaloo. They mustered up twin smiles, though inside they were anxious. All of them breathed a sigh of relief when Rainbow Dash arrived, although she was in a complete panic. When she saw her daughter, she was able to breathe again. She went over to her and gave her a big hug. Scootaloo was more than happy to reciprocate it. The elder two ponies led the younger two out, so that mother and daughter could have a few moments alone. "How are you feeling, peanut?" "Lousy. But I'm happy to see you!" Said Scootaloo earnestly. "I missed you." Rainbow smiled and hugged her daughter. "I missed you too." She stroked Scootaloo's mane with her hoof and hummed a soothing tune. Scootaloo, finally relaxed, fell asleep. Rainbow pulled up one of the plastic chairs beside her daughter's bed and sat down, watching her sleep peacefully. All the while, she never let go of her daughter's hoof. In a sense, she was afraid to. She looked at the leg that was holstered up in the air. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. If I hadn't left... She didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts, as her friends reentered the little room. They made small talk, and Applejack shifted uncomfortably, and clearly wanted to say something. Rainbow gave her her full attention. "I'm awful sorry about this." She said, quietly. Rainbow flashed her a compassionate smile. "It's alright, Applejack. I know it wasn't your fault. I've been meaning to thank you, by the way." "Me? Why?" "You made the right call having Fluttershy come to me. I can't thank you enough for taking Scootaloo to the hospital." "Aw, shoot, anypony would have done the same thing." Applejack smiled. "And anypony happened to be you." "Good point." Scootaloo woke up an hour later. The nurse came through and gave the small pegasus her dinner. Applejack and Fluttershy gave their well wishes before leaving. Rainbow encouraged her to eat as much as possible, but she didn't feel very hungry. After the nurse took her tray away, Scootaloo assumed she was done for the day, so she listened to her Mother's stories of her time training for the reserves. When she was midway through her tale, a set of hoofsteps entered the room. Rainbow thought it was just a nurse checking on her until she saw Scootaloo gawking. She turned to see Spitfire standing at the end of her daughter's bed. The famed leader of the Wonderbolts came up to the astounded pegasus and handed her an autographed picture of herself. "Get well soon, kid." She said, nonchalantly. Scootaloo remained immobile with shock. Rainbow nudged her. "What do you say?" She said, authoritatively. She wasn't usually one to enforce manners, but when it came to respecting her superiors she was diligent. "T-Thank you." Came the stuttered response. Spitfire used her head to gesture to the door. Rainbow nodded before turning to her daughter. "I'll be right outside if you need me, okay?" Scootaloo nodded. Rainbow and Spitfire headed into the hallway. "I have to hand it to you, Rainbow Dash, no pony has surprised me as much as you. I can't believe you have a daughter. When you left today, it really made me think. I know you want to be a Wonderbolt. You've jumped every single hurdle we've thrown at you. No pony else has been that consistent. You may not have completed all of the training, but you have proven that you're more than capable of taking on both the flying and the history. You will be at the top of list when training is over." Rainbow was floored, but managed a stunned "Thank you." "Saw it at the academy, saw it at the games, and I'm seeing it again today. I'm still learning a lot from you." Spitfire said. Rainbow smiled. "Thank you." Spitfire nodded before leaving. Rainbow Dash, grinning broadly, reentered her daughter's room. Scootaloo looked at her mother, curious and excited to hear what had happened. "You are now looking at the top member of the Wonderbolts reserves!" Scootaloo's eyes were bright with excitement. She gave Rainbow a tight hug. "That's amazing!" Rainbow felt her heart swell with a myriad of emotions. She held onto her foal with a smile. There was no one else she'd want to share this victory with. No one else understood her feelings as much as her daughter did. Years of idolization made her understand her Mother's ambition clear as day. The Rainbow-haired pegasus sat next to her little girl, proud as the two of them calmed down from the excitement. As Scootaloo fell asleep, her Mother kept vigil at her side. Nurse Redheart came in, smiling, not long after and told Rainbow she could go home. Rainbow looked at her tiredly with a smile that made her look twenty years older. "Thanks, but I'm staying." Nurse Redheart nodded, still grinning. Rainbow slept in the uncomfortable plastic chair all night, too scared to leave. In her absence, her daughter had gotten injured. While she understood injury in the face of athletic pursuits, she questioned her own wisdom in leaving in the first place. She grappled with her guilt as she tried to fall asleep. When she finally decided to accept her fault, she was able to sleep. When Scootaloo awoke, she noticed a pressure on her hoof. She looked to see her Mother beside her, sleeping. Her surprise was immediate. She stayed. Scootaloo shook her head. It was hard to get out of the mentality of abandonment. She'd easily been able to hide from her friends about the severity of her detatchment from others. She had learned early on not to trust other ponies, simply because everypony else that she trusted had betrayed her in one way or another. All but one. Rainbow Dash, her idol, had been her unfaltering source of support. She had proven herself worthy of her trust. The fact that she had become her mother was an unexpected blessing. Slowly, she was beginning to open herself up again. Little things that had seemed so inconsequential before became momentous. It was like a fairy tale. Rainbow awoke the next morning to see Scootaloo wearing a distressed face. She got up and stroked the filly's mane. "What's up, peanut?" She said softly, sitting at the edge of the bed. Scootaloo looked up at her, deciding to get out in the open what she had suppressed all day yesterday. Scootaloo looked up at her like a deer in headlights. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Are you mad at me?" Rainbow was confused. "Why would I be mad at you?" "Because I'm the reason you had to leave training." Rainbow invited Scootaloo to sit on her lap. "Come here, squirt." Scootaloo obeyed and looked up at her Mother. "Look, kiddo, I didn't have to leave training. I could have stayed, but I chose to go because I care way more about you than I ever could some silly training exercise." She said, giving her foal a hug. "Really?" Scootaloo asked in astonishment. "You bet." She nuzzled her daughter proudly. Scootaloo was happy to do the same. After a few more days in the hospital, Scootaloo was released. When she was absolutely certain her daughter was comfortable and occupied with her book, she got out the journal that she and her friends shared. Opening to a new page, she began to write. My week with the Wonderbolts reserves taught me more than I ever expected. When Fluttershy told me that Scootaloo got hurt, there was no other option but for me to leave. I told Spitfire what was going on when I packed, and headed to the hospital. Being loyal to my family was way more important to me than being loyal to my dream. And you'll find, when you make the right choice, that your loyalty will always be rewarded.