//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 - Princess Twilight Joins the Cause and Quality Time 
// Story: Under Her Wing 
// by Tinyweasels 
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Chapter 12 - Princess Twilight Joins the Cause and Quality Time

By 10 p.m. most of the guests had already left, so Rainbow and her friends said their goodbyes while Apple Jewel and her little sisters gave her hugs before they left. Rarity had a sleepy Sweetie Belle across her back.

After a bit more searching, Rainbow found Twilight chatting with Lady Golden Meadow and Scootaloo. 

"Hey, sorry," Rainbow started, "I wasn't expecting Dad and Gilda to show up and got sidetracked. Hope you don't mind."

Scootaloo was laying on a cushion beside Lady Golden Meadow, fighting to stay awake. She looked up at Rainbow with a big, tired smile. "It's okay, Rainbow. I think this was the funnest day of my life."

Lady Golden Meadow smiled and ran a hoof over Scootaloo's mane. "It's getting late—already well past your bed time, little one."

"Nooo," Scootaloo groaned sleepily. She rolled over and her legs flailed weakly. "Too tired to walk. Carry me, Rainbow."

Rainbow laughed and picked up Scootaloo. "Lucky for you I'm a sucker for ponies in distress."

Scootaloo rested her head on Rainbow's shoulder and wrapped her forelegs around her neck as Rainbow led the way through the castle's dark and cavernous halls to the sleeping wing.

Twilight used magic to unlock the huge, ornate and gold gilt door. "Scootaloo, welcome to the royal suite. This is the room that Celestia uses when she visits."

Scootaloo roused herself from her near-slumber to look around. "Wooooow," she said, looking at the large, magnificently decorated room. Rainbow sat on the side of the bed and tried to move Scootaloo, but she was reluctant to release Rainbow. The little pony mumbled sleepy protests and finally gave in when Rainbow put her under the covers and tucked her in. 

"Goodnight, Scootaloo," Rainbow said softly. "Sorry we didn't get much time to hang out. We'll remedy that tomorrow. Sleep tight, kiddo."

Scootaloo leaned up and hugged her again. "Goodnight Rainbow, Princess Twilight and Lady Golden Meadow."

They all said their goodnights and headed for the door when Rainbow paused and saw Scootaloo looking around. She walked back over and then knelt down and looked under the bed. "No monsters there." She went to the closet and opened it up and looked around. "Nothing in here either."  Rainbow then went to the window and looked up at the full moon. "And don't worry," she said, gesturing to the moon. "Nightmare Moon is watching over your sleep, so you'll be fine. If any monsters try anything funny, me and my friends will kick their butts from here to Tartarus."

"Thank you, Rainbow," Scootaloo said sheepishly and smiled as she relaxed and closed her eyes.

Rainbow quietly closed the door and joined the others as they walked down the hall.

Lady Golden Meadow smiled up at Rainbow. "That was very nice of you. You don't know what it means to a pony like her to have someone to trust and believe in."

Rainbow smiled back. "Well, you did your share of monster patrol for me and so did Dad. It's the least I could do to protect the next generation from under-the-bed monsters."

Twilight was silent with surprise at the implications, then she smiled. "The fearless and awesome Rainbow Dash was afraid of monsters under her bed?"

"Yeah," Rainbow grumbled.

"That was nothing compared to Rainbow's fear of clowns," Lady Golden Meadow added with a smile.

"Ugh. Who isn't terrified of clowns?" Rainbow said with a shudder.

Shortly the three ended up in the dining room for late tea. Twilight put her tea down, smiled and looked to Lady Golden Meadow. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Lady Golden Meadow gave a start. "I beg your pardon, princess?"

"I've inferred from your body language when talking to me that there's something you wanted to discuss but were finding it difficult to bring it up, probably due to the social setting."

Lady Golden Meadow lowered her head and sighed. "Am I that transparent?"

"I don't mind, really. As a princess I have a responsibility to help however I can."

The matron's horn glowed and a stack of papers appeared in the air. "For years I have been trying to get somepony to consider revisions to the Orphan's Charter of 401. However, my superiors have felt that if nothing's broken it doesn't need fixing; the problem is that it is broken, and has been for centuries. The wording and procedures are horribly out of date."

"Things seemed to go well when I was there," Rainbow said.

"Yes, because the rules governing the whole system are so old and broken that each orphanage pretty much runs itself by its own rules. It's only a matter of time before things catch up to us. The charter really needs a comprehensive overhaul and modernization of the entire system. The old system is just too old."

"How old and outdated?" Twilight asked.

"Old enough that the charter states that foals should be segregated by tribe and within that segregation there should be a separation based on whether their parents were of the same tribe, so they can be kept away from the 'mongrel' foals of mixed parentage."

Both Twilight and Rainbow were silent as they pondered that. Twilight took the documents in her magic and she began reading them. "I didn't think there were still government or civil offices running under rules from those times."

"We aren't a high profile or prestigious area, so we tend to get overlooked. The movers and shakers of government see no opportunity for advancement there."

Rainbow and the matron silently drank their tea as Twilight reviewed the documents. Several minutes later Twilight did a spit-take.

"Listen to this!" Twilight exclaimed, "'If the charge, be they donkey, mule, griffin or any other lesser race, where possible they are to be put to work. If sufficiently pleasing in manner and look, they may be sent to the noble houses to work as servants. But have care that they are not too comely, lest they tempt the noble youth of the household into fornication and pollute the noble bloodline with their inferior line. Those of ugly countenance can be sent to the fields and mines, where their ugliness might not offend the eye."

Twilight put the documents down. "Okay, you've convinced me. I will finish reading it tonight and write up my recommendations. It will be in Celestia's hooves by breakfast tomorrow."

The matron just stared silently at Twilight for a few moments. Rainbow couldn't recall ever seeing her speechless before.

"Princess, I'm honored that you would take this matter so seriously!" the matron said, a smile breaking out. "I've been trying for years to get somepony to notice."

"It’s my pleasure. I'm a pony who prefers dealing in absolutes, and while I love being the Princess of Friendship, it can be a frustratingly abstract calling at times. I relish a chance to deal with a tangible issue that can be studied and dealt with within the framework of our government."

Rainbow stayed a while longer, listening to them further discuss the issue. She wasn't sure if she was more sleepy or bored, but she said her goodnights and headed out. Twilight insisted she stay in one of the suites for the night; Rainbow gratefully dragged herself to a guest room and with thoughts of Twilight's droning on about "the legal ramifications" and such she was quickly asleep.

Book Bound, Twilight's chamberlain, awakened Rainbow the next morning. He informed her that Princess Twlight and Lady Golden Meadow had been summoned to Canterlot to discuss "the issue they had informed her about."

Rainbow went down to breakfast, finding Scootaloo already enjoying her royal breakfast. 

"Hey, Dash!" she said excitedly, looking up from her heap of pancakes. 

The moment Rainbow was seated beside her, the servants brought piles of food for her as well. "Sleep good last night, Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, that was probably the best sleep I ever had," she said, shoveling more pancakes into her mouth. 

"Yeah, Twilight likes to give all her guests the royal treatment. So, it looks like it’s just you and me until the others get back. We can meet up with Dad and Gilda later too. They wanted to check out some of Rarity's stuff. The Apples said yesterday that we're to come over for dinner. I hope you like apples," Rainbow said with a laugh. "Then after dinner it's open mic night at Sugarcube Corner, so I'll do a few songs. Maybe you and I can just hang out in Ponyville until Lady Golden Meadow and Twilight get back. You didn't really get a chance to see the town since almost everypony was already at the party when you guys got here."

Scootaloo looked up excitedly, smiling wide. “Sure! That sounds great! It doesn’t matter where we go. I’m just glad to get to hang out with you!"

Rainbow quickly realized that she hadn't been exaggerating. When they got to the market area it seemed to her that Scootaloo was utterly fascinated just wandering around the stalls. The little pony looked curiously at everything, watching the craftsponies making things and others buying and selling. To Rainbow it seemed like her excitement was akin to being at an amusement park.

"Hey, Big Mac!" Rainbow said as she approached the red stallion selling apples and apple accessories.

Big Mac smiled widely when he saw her. "Howdy, Miss Dash, and howdy to you too, Miss Scootaloo."

"H-hello," Scootaloo mumbled nervously.

"Business going good?" Rainbow asked, checking out the apples and trying not to smile as she noticed Scootaloo ducking behind her.

"Eyup. Oh, Ma said ta tell ya that you're ta invite your pa and Miss Gilda over ta dinner too."

"Oh, cool. That'll be fun. I hope AJ's already warned everypony that Gilda's kinda gruff and abrasive."

"Eyup," he said with a chuckle.

"Awesome. Looking forward to it."

"You goin' to be playin' tonight at Sugarcube Corner?"

"Yeah, just got to decide on what to play."

Big Mac just smiled. "Can't go wrong with Elvis."

Rainbow laughed and gave Big Mac a playful punch on the shoulder. "You country boys always stick together."

"Eyup."

After she had bought apples for herself and Scootaloo they continued on their journey.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow. "What's an Elvis?"

"He was a human singer who played country/rock kinda music. Elvis was hugely popular back in the day. Fortunately his stuff works good with acoustic guitar and the meaning of his music’s universal enough that ponies can enjoy it without knowing much human history or culture."

"You can play guitar too?" Scootaloo asked in wonder.

"Yeah, but I just do covers of existing songs. I haven't had much luck with writing them."

"Wow, I can't wait to hear you play!" Scootaloo said excitedly as she jumped around beside Rainbow Dash as they resumed their walk in the market.

"I'm surprised you're so excited about all this. This is all kinda boring normal stuff.”

"Normal for you maybe, but not for me. I don't know how it was when you were at the orphanage, but we only ever go places in groups and we're not allowed to wander off and can't go anywhere or do anything without one of the staff always watching over us like a hawk. This is a chance to just walk and look around like a normal pony for once."

Rainbow made a sad smile. "Yeah, I do recall what it was like." Rainbow stopped and rubbed her chin. "Let's see, what else wasn't fun because we always had to be in big groups? Oh, I know!"

Shortly they were taking their seats in the movie theater to watch Daring Do and the Griffin's Goblet, in 3-D. Scootaloo was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement, beside her a tub of popcorn and a large soda. 

"Thanks, Rainbow. You're the best," the little pony whispered as the previews started.

Rainbow chuckled as a few times during the movie she'd have popcorn rain down on her when Scootaloo would be surprised by the action. Rainbow noted that most of the time the action had Scootaloo literally on the edge of her seat. When the show finally ended and the lights came on, Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow with a huge smile and leaned over and hugged her.

"That was amazing!" Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, the actress isn't as cool as the real Daring Do, but she's good enough."

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow in silent awe. "You met Daring Do?"

"Sure. My friends and I helped her out once."

Scootaloo just continued to gawk at her in amazement.

"The next stop is Sugarcube Corner."

Shortly they arrived and Pinkie Pie greeted them in her own frothy fashion when they entered. "Dashie! Scootaloo! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! What can I get you?"

Rainbow led Scootaloo to a table. "How about milkshakes, Scootaloo?"

"Oh, I've heard about those!" Scootaloo said, looking around and trying to take in the whole place at once. "Sure. Can I have a chocolate one?"

Pinkie froze and her mouth dropped open. "You've never had a milkshake?" she asked in astonishment.

"Uh, no," Scootaloo muttered nervously.

Pinkie suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. "This can't be just any old milkshake! Your first milkshake has to be something extra super-duper special!" Pinkie Pie dashed across the room and leaped over the counter, causing Mr. and Mrs. Cake to dive for cover. Pinkie rushed into the back and moments later the sounds of heavy industrial machinery and weird science fiction noises could be heard coming from the back room, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Cake to just stare and shrug their shoulders as to what was going on back there. 

Shortly the door to the back opened and a mysterious mist flowed out as Pinkie, wearing a welders mask and heavy gloves, pushed a cart with an ornate silver lid on it. When she got to the table, Rainbow instinctively tensed and leaned back as Pinkie reached to remove the lid. Pinkie pulled back the lid to reveal—a completely ordinary looking milkshake. She put it on the table in front of Scootaloo and smiled.

"Enjoy! The usual, Rainbow?" she asked.

"Yeah," she replied, not taking her eyes off Scootaloo's milkshake. She was certain there had to be some sort of surprise to it.

Scootaloo tasted it and then she froze; she remained motionless for several seconds, then took another taste. Her mouth dropped open and her jaw moved like she was trying to speak and tears began welling up in her eyes.

Rainbow looked at her in alarm. "Scootaloo? Are you okay?"

Scootaloo looked to Rainbow and then to Pinkie Pie. "That is... the best thing I have ever tasted in my whole life..."

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie shouted and began doing a victory dance, ending by pulling out her party cannon and shooting confetti across the room.

After the milkshakes, they resumed their tour of Ponyville. Rainbow was just thinking about lunch when shadows passed over and moments later Fullbright and Gilda landed beside them.

"Rainbow!" Fullbright said, giving her a hug. He ruffled Scootaloo's mane with a hoof. "Hey, Scootaloo."  

"Hello, Mr. Dash," she said in surprise, looking up at Gilda, feeling very small and vulnerable beside the dangerous predator.

Rainbow saw the brewing problem and spoke up. "Hey, Scootaloo, I don't know if you two were introduced at the party last night. This is Gilda Dun-" her father cleared his throat. "Deathwing," Rainbow continued, rolling her eyes. "She's an old friend of mine and she and Dad are dating. Gilda, this is my pal, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo just continued looking at the griffin. Soon Gilda appeared uneasy under her gaze.

"You griffins are sooo cool!" Scootaloo finally said with a smile.

Gilda relaxed and smiled. "Hey, thanks kid."

Rainbow relaxed as well. "So Dad, what have you two been up to?"

"Rarity was showing us her historical costumes and her ideas for other things," Fullbright said. "That took quite a while. She's a true professional."

"Yeah, I've been trapped in her shop on more than one occasion. Luckily for me, being human, she can't use me for practice for most of her outfits. So I only get stuck there when she's making things specifically for me."

Gilda looked around and sniffed the air. "Hey, Red and I were gonna get something to eat. You two wanna come with us?"

"Sure, we were just looking ourselves."

Rainbow followed along, listening to Fullbright and Gilda talking about the air show. It felt odd to her to see her dad with a female beside him again—a female who wasn't her mom. She had to remind herself that he was happy, and that's the only thing that should matter.

They settled on an outdoor cafe for lunch and the whole time Scootaloo, apparently finding the griffin to be infinitely fascinating, ignored her own meal and just watched Gilda eat.

Finally Gilda had enough of the staring. "Kid, you're freakin' me out."

"I thought griffins only ate meat," Scootaloo replied.

"We do, usually, but we can eat rabbit food like you ponies. Still, we prefer meat," she said, then got a mischievous gleam in her eye and leaned forward till she was face to face with Scootaloo. "In the old days griffins used to hunt ponies for food," then snapped at her. Scootaloo gave a squeak and clung to Rainbow. Gilda just laughed.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Hilarious, Gilda."

Scootaloo quickly recovered and tried to play it cool. "I wasn't—wasn't scared. I knew that."

Rainbow laughed and gave Scootaloo a reassuring hug. "Hey, you two are invited to go with us to dinner at the Apples' place tonight."

"Sorry hon," Fullbright said. "Gilda and I have to be in Canterlot tonight to meet with an investor."

"Aw! You just got here."

"We'll be back tomorrow. Besides, this is Scootaloo's time to spend with her hero. We've been trying to stay out of your mane—we can get all caught up when she's back home."

Her father had been looking at her when he said that, but Rainbow had glanced over at Scootaloo to see the look of sadness that came over her at his words, but the filly quickly covered it. 

"I don't mind, sir, really," Scootaloo assured him.

"Nonsense. This trip is for you and the matron to relax and enjoy Ponyville. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She and Twilight got summoned to Canterlot to meet with Celestia," Rainbow said. "Something about revamping the orphanage system. I swear, that mare doesn't have an off switch. She's always on the job."

"The princess or the matron?"

"Both, actually."

As they were eating, one of Twilight's guard approached the table. "Lady Dash, a letter from Princess Twilight," he said, holding out the scroll sealed with a wax seal in the shape of a T. 

"Thanks, Gary," she said as she opened it up and began reading. "The matron's on her way back by train, but Twilight will be staying in Canterlot to visit with her folks and will be back tomorrow."

Rainbow relaxed and let Scootaloo lead the conversation and the little filly seemed endlessly curious about Fullbright, the Wonderbolts, Gilda and griffins. Her father soaked in the attention as he recalled the good old days of the Wonderbolts, but a pained look marked his face when Scootaloo asked about why he had left.

"There was a bad crash, Scootaloo," Fullbright sighed. "I was second in command of the Wonderbolts, being personally groomed to replace Captain Rolling Thunder, who was looking to retire. Just a year or two more and I'd be leading the Wonderbolts." He spoke wistfully, closing his eyes and smiling, savoring the memory of the time. The smile faded and he opened his eyes and resumed his story. "Then the accident happened. During a big airshow in Canterlot, a new recruit named Aurora Skies was having her first public performance. She had amazing flying skills but lacked the confidence and temperament for the pressure of the job. She panicked, broke formation and collided with me at high speed, smashing my right wing to Tartarus."

Fullbright paused, falling silent and looking off into the distance for a few moments. 	

Rainbow put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Smashed" had been an understatement. She had been in the crowd watching the air show when the accident happened and it was one of the most terrifying moments of her life, watching him spiraling out of control.  

"Luckily, my wingmare—another new recruit named Spitfire—was able to pull me out of my high speed death spiral and get me safely to the ground. Ironically, it was her quick thinking and calmness under pressure during that crisis that put her on the fast track to becoming my replacement."

Fullbright unfurled his wings, the right wing constructed differently than the left. "Let me tell you, a word you never want to hear from a doctor is 'bifurcated'. The doctors had to do some seriously experimental stuff to it, both scientific and magical, to get it working again. Even after all the surgery and reconstruction they still weren't sure I'd fly, but I beat the odds and was able to take to the air. It was a bittersweet victory; I could fly, but I'd never be a professional flier again. My career as a Wonderbolt was over, along with my dream of being captain. But as they say, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If I couldn't be captain of the Wonderbolts, I decided to start my own airshow."

Scootaloo sat back and looked apologetically at Fullbright.  "Sorry to bring up all those bad memories, Mr. Dash."

He gave her an understanding smile. "It’s okay, Scootaloo. Gotta take the good with the bad. I had a heck of a fun ride with the Wonderbolts while it lasted."

"What happened to Aurora Skies?"

"She was knocked out by the collision and crash landed. It was pretty bad. I was lucky to fly again; she was lucky too and was eventually able to walk again."

"Would you ever forgive her for that?"

"Already have, ages ago."

"Really?"

Fullbright nodded. "Yeah. Not much point in holding a grudge, is there? It wouldn't make me a Wonderbolt again. It would be like carrying a big rock on my back for no reason other than to just spite myself. When Rainbow was growing up I kept having to tell her that life was too short to hold a grudge and I admit it was tough to practice what I preached at times, but I'm a better stallion for it. I've seen others crash out of the Wonderbolts. Some couldn't deal with it and more or less self-destructed."

"Wow, this conversation got really dark," Rainbow said, looking at the others who were all looking down, lost in their thoughts.

Fullbright smiled and sipped his drink. "Every day has a dark time, but the light always comes to drive away the darkness. It all comes down to which part of the day you want to focus on."

The distant whistle of the train interrupted their conversation.

"Sounds like our ride," Fullbright said.

They made their way to the train station as the train approached and Rainbow hugged her dad and Gilda.

"Dad, what was it you wanted to talk about at the party?" Rainbow asked.

Fullbright smiled. "It can wait until we get back."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine."

Fullbright laughed and they exchanged goodbyes. As he and Gilda got on the train, Rainbow spotted the matron exiting the train. She seemed in a daze with a wistful smile on her face. 

"Ma'am?" Rainbow asked hesitantly as she look at Lady Golden Meadow. 

The matron appeared to wake from her daydream and looked to Rainbow and then to Scootaloo. "Scootaloo, dear, I now know how you felt meeting your hero, Rainbow Dash."

She didn't say much as they met up with Rarity at the spa, and only when she began to relax did she finally open up. "I-I got to meet Celestia. Celestia! The ruler of our land for a thousand years! And she knew my name! I got to talk shop with her—to have lunch with her—to idly chat over tea! With Celestia!" The matron said in awe, holding up her trembling hooves to show her excitement. "She who was there when we were nothing but quarreling tribes, there for the founding of our nation!"

Rarity smiled at the matron from her mud bath. "Yes, the princess can certainly make that impression on a pony. I too was quite in awe during our first meeting."

"Awe is the only way to describe it! She has always been my hero, but I had long ago given up the hope of ever meeting her.”

Rainbow kicked back and sunk into her mud bath up to her chin, enjoying seeing the normally reserved matron fangirling over meeting the princess. Rainbow looked over to Scootaloo, who was in a mud bath with a mud pack on her face and cucumber slices over her eyes. "How you holdin' up, Scoot?"

"I could get used to this," Scootaoo replied with a smile.

Rainbow laughed.

“Rainbow darling, I just do not understand why you and the others don’t join Apple Jewel and I on our weekly spa visit. This place is simply divine,” Rarity said with a contented sigh.

The matron looked to Rainbow, despite having cucumber slices over her eyes. "Please forgive my running off during my vacation like that, Rainbow. And I truly am sorry for bringing up business. I know it must seem like I was just taking advantage of your connection to Princess Twilight to advance my own agenda.”

Rainbow smiled and relaxed as she lay in the mud. "It’s totally okay, ma'am. I know your heart's in the right place and you're totally dedicated to the orphanage. I would've been more surprised if you'd been able to go a few days without putting the needs of the place over your own."

"Thank you for understanding. I really do appreciate being invited to get away for a little bit," the matron replied with a smile.

"Hey, you earned it. You're invited to dinner with us at the Apples' farm tonight and I'll be doing some songs at Sugarcube Corner later on." 

"Can we go see the Tree of Harmony while we're here?" Scootaloo asked, looking up at Rainbow hopefully.

Rainbow looked at her in surprise. "How'd you know about that? We haven't really publicized its existence."

"I've read a lot about you and your friends and the Elements of Harmony. I was hoping to see it."

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea. The Everfree Forest can be very dangerous, even during the day. And Princess Nightmare Moon has basically claimed it for herself as her private retreat. She's fixing up the old castle there and doesn't like ponies wandering around her stomping grounds."

"No," the matron said with a gentle finality that would have made Fluttershy proud. "Scootaloo, I know you'd like to see it, but really I cannot have you in any danger. You are my responsibility and I can't take any risks with you in my care."

Scootaloo made a sad sigh and slumped back down into the mud. "Yes, ma'am. I understand."

"Relax, Scootaloo. When you're older I can take you to see it," Rainbow reassured her.

"Really?" Scootaloo said with a little smile.

"Sure. Hey, Rarity, how'd the visit with Dad and Gilda go?"

"It went marvelously, Rainbow darling. Though I must admit Gilda hated standing still while I took measurements and tried things on her, even more than you. But it went well—it's nice to have a new challenge to try to style. They were quite impressed with my work and we hammered out some preliminary details for our business arrangement."

After massages, time in the sauna and mud baths, Rainbow, Scootaloo and the matron headed to Sweet Apple Acres, taking the scenic route so Rainbow could show them more of the glories of Ponyville. 

Scootaloo looked on in wonder at it all, still apparently amazed by everything in and around the town. "Oooh, is that the Everfree Forest?"

"Yeah, the big path in is Nightmare's Path," Rainbow said. "The princess is trying to tame the forest, but it's been growing wild for a thousand years, so it may take her a while."