//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Rainbow Dash // Story: Princess Scootaloo // by RuinQueenofOblivion //------------------------------// "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Rainbow," Twilight said and headed out of the room. Rainbow sighed a little as she went to check on Scootaloo one more time before she went to bed herself. She smiled a little at the sleeping filly who was curled up under the blankets. She smiled and straightened out the blanket a little and smiled a little before trotting back into the other room. She sighed a little as she took a seat on the bed she was sleeping in while they where in Canterlot. She sighed a little, it felt like things were just going to get crazier from here, she didn't want to admit to anypony it but she wasn't so sure about this whole thing. It felt like a lot was being heaped onto Scootaloo's withers at once. While she did feel that the filly could handle it, honestly she just wanted to be sure that she'd be safe and happy. She smiled and laid back on the bed and closed her eyes as she thought back to when she first found out about Scootaloo being an orphan about a month ago. 00000 Flashback. Rainbow Dash was lounging on a cloud above Sweet Apple Acres, it was getting pretty late in the day, and she had already pretty much finished everything she had to do, so she was just trying to relax before heading home. She yawned and stretched out, there wasn't really much to today. "Talk ta yah tomorrow," a filly voice said from somewhere below her and she poked her head over the cloud to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they looked like they had just finished up for the day and were heading home. "You too, have a good day," Scootaloo said with a smile as her two friends ran off towards home. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile, she was glad that Scootaloo had such great friends. The two of them had gotten a lot closer lately, and she was happy for the younger Pegasus. She was about to fly down to the filly in order to offer her a ride home when Scootaloo climbed onto her scooter and looked around nervously before taking off back towards the CMC clubhouse. "That's weird..."Rainbow said to herself, for a moment she considered leaving Scootaloo in peace, but finally her curiosity got the better of her and she flew off towards the clubhouse. She just hoped that everything was going to be okay. 00000 Scootaloo stretched her small wings out as she laid out her sleeping bag. She hated having to lie to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, but she really didn't want them to have to worry about her. They were her best friends in all of Equestria, and she didn't want to have to impose on them. She started to take out what food she had saved from earlier and ate it hungrily, she sighed a little, sometimes she wished she had a place to live with food that wasn't just glorified leftovers. "Scootaloo, are you okay? A familiar raspy voice asked and she was shocked when she looked up to see Rainbow Dash looking at her through the window. "What are you doing here and not at home?" "I'm, uh..." Scootaloo started to say as she tried to think of a plausible lie to tell her big sister. "My parents are, uh, out of town and the house is being... you know... that thing that they do to houses where ponies have to leave for awhile." Rainbow Dash just looked at her with a shake of her head as she opened the door to the clubhouse and trotted in. "Scootaloo, tell me the truth." "The family I was living with before was a foster family..." Scootaloo admitted sadly. "They were good ponies but, they couldn't take care of me anymore. I didn't want to have to go back to the orphanage in Cloudsdale and leave my friends behind so I kinda, you know..." "Ran away from home?" Rainbow asked as she took a seat next to the filly and put a foreleg around her, Scootaloo just nodded. "You know you could've told me right?" "Yeah, I know, but I didn't want to worry you," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she looked down at her hooves. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash... what are you going to do now that you know?" Rainbow stopped to think about it for a long moment, this was a big decision that would change both their lives depending on what she chose. But the truth is that she really only had one choice, Scootaloo meant a lot to her, and she knew exactly what she had to do. "You're coming back to my house," she said with a smile as Scootaloo looked up at her with her eyes wide. "I have a guest room where you can sleep and you can get some actual dinner. What do you say Scootaloo?" Scootaloo didn't say anything at first, instead she just hugged Rainbow tightly, crying into the mare's chest. Rainbow smiled a little and held her close. "Thank you Rainbow Dash..." she said through her tears. "You really are the best big sister a pony could ask for." Rainbow Dash smiled and helped Scootaloo pack up her things before they left the clubhouse. Scootaloo climbed onto Rainbow Dash's back and held on tight as the older Pegasus took off and flew off towards home. 00000 The next day after Scootaloo left to play with her friends, Rainbow knocked on the front door to Twilight's castle. After a few minutes Starlight answered and smiled. "Hey Rainbow Dash, are you here for some more, chilaxing?" Starlight asked. "I wish, but no, I need to talk to Twilight about something," Rainbow said with a chuckle, Starlight nodded and let her in and directed her to the library. Rainbow trotted into the library where Twilight was reading a book, she looked up at Rainbow with a smile. "Hey Rainbow Dash, can I help you?" She asked. "I think so," Rainbow said. "I found out last night that Scootaloo's been living homeless for a few months now since her foster family had to give her up, I was hoping I could maybe look into becoming her guardian, could you maybe help me out with that?" Twilight smiled at that, Rainbow Dash really had grown a lot since when they first met. She knew that it was going to be a lot of work to take care of Scootaloo, but she cared enough to at least give it a try. "It'll take a few days, but I could get you named her Foster mother," Twilight said with a nod. "You understand that you'll be taking on a big responsibility right? You won't be able to goof off as much as you usually do." Rainbow thought on that for a long moment, but she nodded. "I understand, and I want to do this for her, or at least try to..." "Okay Rainbow Dash, I'll get it taken care of," Twilight says with a smile. "I'm proud of you Rainbow Dash, this is a big step for you and I couldn't be happier. If you want to eventually adopt her, I'm sure I can get that worked out quickly as well." "Thanks Twilight," Rainbow said with a smile. "And I'd like that, but lets see how things go first." Twilight nodded and Rainbow left the room. 00000 A few days passed and things went pretty well in the Dash household. Scootaloo really did seem happy, and they had even started to plan how to decorate her new room. Scootaloo had told the other Crusaders the truth by now and while they had wished she had been more forthcoming, they were glad that she was happy now. Finally four days after Rainbow Dash had found Scootaloo, a mare from Canterlot arrived to inspect the house and talk to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. After she was done she took Rainbow Dash aside to talk to her while Scootaloo went up to her room. "Well Miss. Dash, everything seems to be in order," the mare said as she pushed up her glasses. "You fulfill all the requirements to be a Foster Parent. Though, there is one complication, is it true that the child, Scootaloo, currently can't fly?" "Uh, yes ma'am," Rainbow said, she was suddenly very nervous. "Is that a problem?" "Its not likely to be one, but until she can fly I would suggest moving the house closer to the ground, or even considering moving to a new house," the mare said with a shake of her head. "It may also be a good idea to bring her to a doctor to determine if she is capable of flight at all, just to be safe." "I see," Rainbow said with a sigh before nodding, she had figured that she would have to make sacrifices but it was all worth it to help Scootaloo. "Okay, I'll do that then as soon as possible." The mare smiled and took out some papers which Rainbow signed happily. "Congratulations Miss. Dash, you are officially Scootaloo's guardian, good luck to both of you." "Thanks," Rainbow said with a smile as the mare left, Rainbow headed up to Scootaloo's room where the filly was reading a book, she smiled at Rainbow Dash when she entered. "Hey Squirt, its official, I'm now your Foster Mom." Scootaloo smiled broadly and hugged Rainbow. "Thanks Rainbow... that really means a lot..." End Flashback. 00000 Rainbow smiled as she looked up at the ceiling, that had been one of the best days of her life and she wouldn't have given it up for anything in Equestria. Sure things were getting kind of weird now with Scootaloo becoming an Alicorn, but ultimately she was still the same filly that Rainbow had taken under her wing so long ago. She didn't regret anything that had happened, all she wanted to do now was help Scootaloo as best she could. They were family, and that was what really mattered right now. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.