What It Means To Be A Mother

by FabulousDivaRarity

Living Up To The Title

"Adopting one child won’t change the world: but for that child, the world will change." -Unknown

“Adoptive Mom? I am a Mom. I need no other label or prefix.” -Joanne Greco

Scootaloo was buzzing with excitement. Today was the first day that she and Rainbow Dash were taking off together. A mother-daughter bonding day was just what the doctor ordered. She finished packing her saddle bag and headed to the living room. Rainbow Dash stood there waiting for her daughter.

"You ready to go, squirt?" Scootaloo nodded.

"I can't wait to see the Wonderbolts air show!" Her tiny wings kept fluttering, making a slight buzzing sound.

"Me too. But, we better get a move on. We don't want to be late." Scootaloo nodded. Lifting her up, Rainbow flew to the arena. They had excellent seats, and arrived a mere ten minutes before the show was scheduled to begin. Rainbow thanked her lucky stars that they had packed their own snacks.

When the show started, both Mother and Daughter were star struck. Scootaloo unconsciously leant her head on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. Rainbow put a hoof around her with ease. As Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot soared above them, Scootaloo was mystified. These were the people her Mother looked up to. Therefore, idolization was essential. This easily ranked as one of the best days of her life. She snuggled into the older Pegasus.

"I love you, Momma."

"I love you too, Squirt."

When the weekend passed, Scootaloo went to school happier than ever.

"Good morning, everypony! I have a special announcement for you all. Since this week is Mother's Day, in honor of that, we're going to hold a special day of outdoor games this Friday."

Everyone clapped their hooves together in excitement. For Scootaloo, her mind was reeling. It would be her first time celebrating Mother's Day, and she had a secret that could be blown apart.

When she had initially been adopted, she had publicly stated that Rainbow was her sister. The only ones who knew the truth were the other crusaders, Miss Cherilee, and Rainbow's close friends. The line between sister and Mother was becoming dangerously thin, and she had to make a choice. She got out of school and waited for her Mother to pick her up. In a flash of color, Rainbow appeared and lifted her daughter up to their cloud home. She knew something was off in her daughter, but she decided to wait for her to come to her herself.

When she got home, Scootaloo went straight to her room. Frustrated, and unsure of herself, she grabbed the pacifier that was on her nightstand. Rainbow had been helping her cut down, but every so often she slipped. She popped it into her mouth and started to suck. Slowly, her anxiety began to dissipate, and she managed to get her thoughts in order. When she did, she took out the pacifier and laid on her bed, trying to think of what to do.

She could reveal her secret. But then again, she would have to see how her Mom felt about that. She could let the truth out, but then she would expose her lie. She had put herself into this conundrum, and it was up to her to resolve. She sat up, and decided to leave it up to her Mother.

Rainbow Dash felt her anxiety rise as the minutes passed. She knew something was wrong, and she wanted to fix it. She knew her take action approach wasn't going to work here. She had to wait, something with which she had never been good. She tried to occupy herself with a Daring Do book, but failed.

Scootaloo came down the stairs, and Rainbow turned to face her with worried eyes. Her daughter took a seat beside her with her head hanging. Rainbow wrapped an arm around her daughter.

"What's bothering you, peanut?" She said softly. Scootaloo looked up at the familiar term of endearment. The name had been given to her for her smaller size, and was a labor of love. It was the first nickname that differentiated her from sister to daughter and was her favorite pet name.

"They're having an outdoor games for Mother's Day at school." She was afraid to look her Mother in the eye.

Rainbow now understood the reason for her foal's standoffish behavior. She pulled her in for a tight hug.

"How do you feel?" She asked, sincerely.

"I'm scared... I want to not hide it anymore, but that's up to you. I know you don't want to be known as a softie..." She said, quietly ashamed. Rainbow decided to nip that in the bud.

"Look at me, Scoots." She lifted her daughter's head. "The most important thing I will ever be, more important than being a Wonderbolt, or a great flier, or even being a part of the weather patrol. The most important thing I will ever be is your Momma."

Tears filled the filly's eyes. "Really?"

Rainbow planted an uncharacteristically gentle kiss on her head. "Really." She enveloped her daughter in a hug.

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

Rainbow nodded. "Yes it does."

Scootaloo couldn't stop smiling.

At school, everypony was helping to get ready for the upcoming games. They were setting up for an obstacle course in the school yard. All week they got ready for the games, including picking up cupcakes from sugarcube corner, and setting up for a special outdoor picnic.

When the day had come, everyone was high strung with excitement.

Rainbow Dash had checked in with her superiors early on in the week to request the day off. Now, she flew her daughter to school and stood next to her as other mothers and their foals walked into the schoolhouse. Scootaloo looked up at her Mother, who nodded, encouraging her to go in. They went in together, and Rainbow stood beside Scootaloo's desk. Diamond Tiara was not unaware of this, and wondered what to do with the information she had so recently acquired.

"Welcome everypony! I want to thank all of the mothers that have come today. Your fillies and colts have worked very hard to make today possible. You should be very proud."

As if it was a staged reaction, every Mother looked down at their foal.

"First up we have an obstacle course for all who wish to participate."

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash shared a look.

They went to the start line, ready to crush their competition.

"On your mark, get set, go!"

Rainbow started galloping forward, Scootaloo right next to her. They leapt over bails of hay, Scootaloo barely lifted off of the ground by her wings. Just enough to get over the bails. Next, they worked together to climb a wall, and when they finished, they ran through a set of tires. The very last element was a rope swing over a pit of mud. They hit the ground running, and got first place, only beating their other competitors by a nose.

Other fillies and colts cheered for them, and Scootaloo gave her mother a big hug. Diamond Tiara and her mother came in second, followed by Sweetie Belle and her mother. There were ribbons handed out at the end of the race, and much applause accompanied it. When the race was over, all of the fillies and colts went inside to make Mother's Day cards, while the Mothers themselves set up the picnic lunch that was to be had. While they set up, Rainbow spoke with Applejack, who was there in place of Granny Smith.

"Congrats on winning that obstacle course, Rainbow." Applejack praised. Rainbow smiled.

"Thanks. How come you and Apple Bloom didn't race?"

"Apple Bloom didn't feel quite right about it." She said, quietly. Rainbow nodded.

"I understand." She set out the pitchers of water and apple juice. "Hey Applejack?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember your mother at all?" She asked, quietly. Applejack was slightly surprised, but not opposed to the question."

"A might. I remember her laugh, and how she made the best darn apple pie in Equestria. I remember that she used to read to me before bed, and that she was always kind to any pony in need." Rainbow nodded. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious, I guess. I don't even remember my Mom that well."

"You know that doesn't mean you're any less of a Mom, right?" Rainbow paused.

"How did you-"

"You ain't that hard to read, sugar cube."

Rainbow smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

They spent the next few minutes working in silence.

When everything was all set, the mothers returned inside.

The fillies and colts were in the midst of making their cards, all concentrating hard as they put glitter, lace, hoof prints, and loving sentiments in their cards. A few of them had already finished and were cleaning up their desks. Miss Cheerilee looked up at the clock. It was almost eleven thirty. When the clock finally hit it, Cheerilee was the first to speak.

"Okay, everypony, it's lunch time!" She said, smiling. Everypony went outside to see a beautiful buffet waiting for them.

"Can I get your plate?" Scootaloo asked, eager to please.

"If you want to, sure."

Scootaloo went to the buffet, where Diamond Tiara was filling her plate.

"Congratulations on winning the obstacle course." She said.

"Um... Thanks."

"You must have learned a lot from your... Mom."

"I have..." She said hesitantly.

"That's what makes it so tragic."

"What?"

"You don't know? Your adoptive Mother could never love you as much as your birth mom."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?"

"My Mom loves me more than anything. She even left training for the Wonderbolts Reserves when I was in the hospital." Scootaloo said defiantly.

"That makes it even worse... You're making her give up her dream for you. Do you know how much she's going to hate you for that later? All she'll think is that you were the burden that held her back from chasing her dreams." With a flip of her mane, she left to sit with her Mother. Scootaloo was left stunned. Her Mother had gathered with the other crusaders family that had showed for the occasion.

Rainbow dash had been keeping watch on her daughter, and knew something was wrong when Diamond Tiara left her with her head hanging down.

"I'll be right back." She said, going over to her Daughter. Scootaloo was saddened by the words spoken to her. As much as she wanted to ignore the comments, a small voice in her head said that Diamond Tiara was right. A hoof was placed on her shoulder. She looked at her Mother and they went to speak privately.

"What's the matter, peanut?" She said, quietly. Scootaloo couldn't help the tears that gathered in her eyes.

"Am I a burden to you?"

"Of course not! What would make you think that?"

"I don't want to hold you back from chasing your dreams... I don't want you to hate me..." The tears streamed down her face. Rainbow was beyond stunned. She lifted her daughter's bowed head.

"Listen to me, kiddo. You are my dream. I would never want to achieve my dreams without you. You're my biggest fan, and I wouldn't be close to making my dreams come true if it weren't for you. Honest." She said, nuzzling her foal. Scootaloo returned it, feeling reassured.

"Now, who put all this nonsense in your head?"

"Diamond Tiara." Rainbow logged the information away in her mind for later.

"Go sit with your friends, squirt. I'll fix you a plate." Reluctantly, Scootaloo went to do so. As Rainbow went to get her daughter food, she took a good look at Diamond Tiara, memorizing her face for later use. When she went to her daughter, who was there laughing with her friends, she exchanged looks with the other adults. They all knew the feeling behind it.

When lunch was over, they all went back to the classroom, where each mother was awarded her card.

For Rainbow, this was one of the most defining moments of her life.

It was a simple card, but was the first tangible expression of her Motherhood. It changed everything. The hoof print inside meant more than any Wonderbolts autograph. The "I love you, momma" written in was mesmerizing. She felt the familiar pride filling her chest. Wordlessly, she gave her daughter a big hug.

What got to Rainbow Dash the most was the intensity of the emotion she felt. Everything was overwhelming. The mothers there understood how that felt, and smiled. Cheerilee, proud and heartened, grinned at the new mother and daughter.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing together and bonding. When school was over, Rainbow Dash let her daughter spend time with her friends, before she took care of a little business of her own.

She flew overhead and stopped at the biggest home in Ponyville. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer with a stern face. A butler answered the door.

"How may I be of assistance to you, Ma'am?"

"I would like to speak to Filthy Rich please."

The butler sized her up before letting her inside.

Everything in the home screamed expensive. Carpets, paintings, and statuettes. The butler ushered her into a parlor.

"Mr. Rich will be with you momentarily, ma'am." Rainbow nodded.

"Thank you." The butler nodded and left.

Rainbow looked around. The couches were lavish and huge. There was a large bookshelf nestled in a corner by a window. Across from the window there was a desk and chair, with a standing lamp beside it. The entire room was a darker green and had a calming aura to it.

The door opened, and Filthy Rich entered the room.

"Hello," he said in a business-like tone, "how can I help you?"

"Mr. Rich, my name is Rainbow Dash. My daughter Scootaloo goes to school with Diamond Tiara."

Rich's face dropped. "I see."

"Mr. Rich, my daughter and her friends have endured plenty of teasing from your daughter over not having a cutie mark. She has dealt with a lot, but your daughter went too far this time."

"How so?"

"Your daughter told mine that she was a burden to me, and that she was keeping me from my dreams. She made fun of her for being adopted."

Rich became bug eyed, but before he could intervene, Rainbow continued.

"Mr. Rich, my daughter's birth mother died giving birth to her, and her father didn't want her. She spent years bouncing around from foster home to foster home, and no pony wanted her. She ran away and ended up in Ponyville. She lived on a bed made of newspapers at the edge of the everfree forest, and bathed in the swimming hole. She only ate when she was with her friends, and always went to bed hungry. I took her in and adopted her. I was the first person who didn't give up on her. She does not deserve to be criticized for being adopted when she lived with nothing before. You and your wife and daughter are fortunate to live the way you do. I ask that you teach her that."

Filthy Rich was stunned and moved. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

"I would have spoken to your wife about this, but I didn't want to ruin her day after she and your daughter had had such a good time." Rainbow added.

"Of course." Filthy Rich nodded. "I'm so sorry for the pain my daughter has caused. I assure you she will be disciplined accordingly and will apologize to your daughter and her friends."

"Thank you very much." She said, getting ready to leave. She paused at the door. "Oh, and Mr. Rich?"

"Yes?"

"Believe me when I tell you that if you don't get things handled and reign your daughter in, I will have no issue with taking the matter into my own hooves."

With that, she left a mildly frightened Filthy Rich at the door.

She decided to run a quick errand. She knew Scootaloo wouldn't be home yet, and she had time. She went to the Carousel Boutique to ask Rarity for a favor. Intrigued, the unicorn asked what that might be. It was so simple, and yet so powerful.

She asked if Rarity might make a blanket for her. The unicorn paused on her current project to complete the smaller task. Slightly less than an hour and a half later, she left with a bag containing a finished blanket.

Rainbow Dash flew home to see Scootaloo curled up on the couch, crying. She figured that Fluttershy had dropped her off. Her intuition told her that this was the hidden aftermath of Diamond Tiara's verbal assault. She knew the filly hadn't heard her come in.

Rainbow had never been one for any sort of intimacy. She knew she was an unconventional mom, but she knew there were times when she would have to be affectionate and mushy, something she had never been apt for. But today, she had to suck it up. Today she was going to mollycoddle her foal to make up for the damage done to the perception of their relationship.

She silently tiptoed upstairs and looked in Scootaloo's room to see the pacifier that had been given to her sitting on the nightstand. She grabbed it before going back to her daughter. When she approached her, she gently ran her hoof through Scootaloo's mane. The filly sniffled.

"Hey there, little peanut." She said gently. "Mommy's here now." Scootaloo looked up a tiny bit. "Do you want your paci?" At the last word, she felt the parts of her body Scootaloo couldn't see cringe intensely. She felt bile beginning to rise in her throat, but tried to shove the feeling aside. The word made her sick, but she figured since she was diving into everything that made her uncomfortable that she'd take a whack at it. The filly looked afraid, but nodded. Her expression eased noticeably as she started to suck on it.

"I have a special surprise for you." Scootaloo looked intrigued. Rainbow pulled out the bag and handed it to her, silently asking her to open it. When she did, her eyes went wide. Inside was a rainbow colored blanket. She took it out of the bag and rubbed it on the side of her cheek. It was incredibly soft and had a very positive and soothing effect on her. Rainbow sat on the couch next to her and waited for Scootaloo to crawl into her lap.

In the time Rainbow had been away, the crusaders had disbanded shortly after leaving the school grounds. Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had chores to attend to. Bored and tired, she had asked Fluttershy to take her home. She had laid on the couch, quiet. Try as she might, she couldn't get Diamond Tiara's words out of her head. She'd reached her limit and broke down sobbing. It felt good to cry and let her emotions free. It was hard maintaining her tough persona.

She didn't know how long she'd been crying for when her mother finally found her, but knew that her crying was ugly. She could feel her tears running down her face, and her eyes felt stiff. She knew her nose was running, but simply didn't care. When Rainbow wrapped her arms around her, there was an indescribable relief that came with it.

Rainbow held onto her daughter until her breathing evened out. The two laid there for a short time, quiet and reflective. They never had to speak to communicate with each other- their eyes said all they needed to know. Scootaloo decided to break the silence. Removing her pacifier, she took a breath and said what she'd been thinking for the past hour.

"I'm sorry." Rainbow was flummoxed.

"Kiddo, you have no reason to be sorry."

"But I broke! I didn't stay tough... I'm a marshmallow."

"Scoots, listen to me, no pony can be tough all the time. It's okay to let those feelings out- it's normal."

"But you're always tough! You never cry..." Rainbow smiled.

"Squirt, you have made me cry with happy tears more times than I can count. Just because I don't usually let out my emotions doesn't mean they aren't there. And speaking of, just because I don't show emotion doesn't mean you have to. Be yourself- that's all anyone could ask for."

Scootaloo hugged her mother. It was the best advice she'd received yet.

The next day in the school yard, Filthy Rich stood behind his daughter. The Cutie Mark Crusaders entered, and Filthy Rich nudged his daughter forward. She rolled her eyes before begrudgingly making her way to where the trio stood. The three ponies were perplexed.

"I'm sorry I made fun of you for being adopted, Scootaloo, and calling you and your friends blank flanks." The statement was said angrily, but the truth of what was being said rammed home.

"It's okay." Diamond Tiara looked at her father, who gave a nod before leaving. Rainbow watched from overhead and just smiled. When she was done with work, she got out the journal she shared with her friends and began to write.

Today was my first real Mother's Day celebration, and it didn't turn out like I planned. Being a mom is a bunch of different jobs all rolled into one. Sometimes you have to be the cheerleader to make sure your kid knows you support them. Other times you have to be an advocate for your kids when somepony is being mean to them or bullying them. No matter what you call it, motherhood is both a gift and a curse. It's the greatest thing in the world, but it comes with a lot of responsibility. After a hard day at work, the last thing you want to do is more stuff, but you do it anyways, because nothing is stronger than the love between Mother and Child. Believe me, I've felt it first-hoof.

Author's Note:

Dedicated to my own fabulous Mother.

I hope you all are enjoying it!

Comments

[OmniFox]

Don't forget the family pet.

[Hellblazer]

Glad you like me idea. Hopefully Dashie could pummel 'em so bad they cease to exist, so we don't have to put up with them anymore

[Hellblazer]

Pretty good. Keep up the good work.

[Hellblazer]

Am I the only guy who thinks Filthy Rich is probably one of the nicest stallions in Ponyville? My interpretation of Diamond Tiara's family is that Filthy is (was) a struggling bussinessman who unwittingly married a bitchy gold digger who ran off with some of his money after Diamond was born. And with Filthy focussing on his business in order for him to feed what remained of his family, Diamond was slowly influenced by the snobs of Canterlot and eventually Ponyville, leading to the spoiled brat we have today. Eventually Filthy remarried and he and his wife are working on improving Diamond's behavoir. Anyone agree?

[FabulousDivaRarity]

4752735 That's the most brilliant analysis of Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara I have ever heard! Well done!

[Hellblazer]

Why thank you! I appreciate that! Maybe I should write a fanfic with that idea in mind. It'll be in Filthy's perspective, showing how he responds to DT's evildoing. Any thoughts on who his wife should be? I was thinking somepony like Octavia (as much as I ship Vinyl/Octy, I have to make sacrifices for the sake of the story), who is a refined, upper class pony, but also isn't a snob to everyone. Maybe I could fit in Vinyl somewhere, but thats for later. See ya!

[Texus]

4752735 to be honest, becase of his name and his appearance in different fanfics, i didn´t liked him for the most of the time.
Here and in the show i can say that he is not the worst stallion arround. He is polite and i don´t saw him doing bad things.

The name.....yeah i know a game where there is a Character with a name (about money) and he is not nice. I like storys with Diamond and Silverspoon when they learned their lesson or somehow start to be reformed.

I like the story, i always things there is something that i have missed there, but it is somehow simple and yeah nice to read.

[InkingWell]

Please put Soarin in here I don't know how just find a way

[Dashie04]

Too. Adorable.

Just stop it

((JK, these stories are great, continue writing them.))

[Fluttershyisacutegal]

I do enjoy these stories, even if they give me the feels, its still good either way

[Ko777]

I love though one thing I do have a slight question about is why dashie was so uncomfortable with dotting on scoots even in this chapter she did it a bunch