"Hush, Scootaloo, your father is sleeping," a young mare whispered as she entered the room. Her coat, a light peachy color, stood out against her stark white mane and tail. She stopped short and her sky blue eyes narrowed in confusion, "You're late and...who is this?"
Scootaloo shuffled her hooves and stared at the floor, "Mom, this is Rainbow Dash. I've told you about her."
The mare's jaw went slack for a moment, "Oh, hi. I'm Scoot's mom. My name is Cream Tangerine."
Rainbow's eyes widened. This was Scoot's mom? She couldn't be much older than Rainbow, her mid-twenties at most!
The cyan mare cleared her throat, "Uh, hi. Sorry about the time. We were hangin' out and lost track-"
Cream waved a hoof nonchalantly, "No problem. It's all good."
"Mom, I'm going to Apple Bloom's for a sleepover. I came home to get my sleeping bag, okay?"
Cream Tangerine sighed, "Yeah, yeah. That's fine. But you know the drill. There's food in the fridge, and I don't want a repeat of the last time."
"Yes, mom," she groaned, "How long this time"
"Two weeks."
The filly nodded and trudged up the stairs to her room. Once she was gone, Cream turned to Rainbow.
"So, you're the infamous Rainbow Dash."
"Infamous?"
"You're the only thing she ever talks about." She gave the younger mare a small smile.
Dash didn't know how to respond to that, so she quickly decided to change the subject. Something she said to Scootaloo in their conversation seemed off.
"Yeah, she's an awesome filly. Sooo, what was that all about?"
"Hm?" she tilted her head to the side.
"You mentioned a 'last time'. What happened last time?" Rainbow didn't like where this was going.
"Oh, that. The last time her father and I went away, she destroyed half the house. We came back to a broken table, a knocked over bookcase, and a shattered window."
"What?! Was she okay?"
"Yeah, she was fine. A little bruised and scratched up, though."
Dash's lungs constricted painfully, "You did get rid of her foalsitter, right?"
Cream looked at her in confusion, "A foalsitter? Why would she need a foalsitter? We're only ever gone a week or two. She's old enough to handle herself just fine."
Dash felt like she had been punched in the stomach. 'A week or two? Scootaloo's only nine years old! There's no way she can take care of herself. I gotta do something.'
"Hey, y'know what? Why don't you let Scoots stay with me while you're away?" A short, high-pitched squeal echoed from upstairs. Rainbow Dash smirked to herself- the little filly was eavesdropping.
"I don't know...she can be a bit of a hoof-ful...are you sure?"
"Cream, if I didn't want to do this then I wouldn't have offered."
"Well..."
"Please, mom! Can I stay with Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo leapt down the stairs two at a time, landing with a light thump in front of her mother, "I promise I'll behave. Please?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had trained the Pegasus filly well in the art of "The Pout". She quickly perfected the technique and was almost invincible.
Almost.
Dash rolled her eyes with a fond smile. While the Cutie Mark Crusaders had practiced the look, Applejack and Rarity had helped Dash build up an immunity to the adorableness of it. Like Scoots, Dash was a quick study and was completely unaffected by "The Pout".
Cream Tangerine, however, wasn't so lucky.
The look she gave her daughter was tender and loving, a look only a mother could give her child. It was then that Dash realized something. Even if Cream Tangerine was neglectful of her daughter, it wasn't because she didn't love her. Her priorities were...askew. Not that it eased any of the cyan Pegasus' concerns, though.
The peach colored mare sighed with an affectionate grin, "Sure. As long as Rainbow Dash says it's okay, then I don't see a problem with it."
Dash hid her irritation behind a grin as she casually waved a hoof, "Eh, we'll be fine. We're gonna have a blast, right, Squirt?" She wrapped a hoof around Scootaloo's withers and gave her a squeeze.
The little filly beamed up at her, too excited to actually speak. She nodded, practically vibrating in place, causing the two mares to laugh.
"I'll take that as a yes."
The older pony turned to Dash, "I guess that settles that, huh? Well, goodnight. And Scoots, don't cause too much trouble, okay?" She kissed her daughter on the forehead before trotting upstairs without another word.
The two remaining ponies stood in silence, listening for the door to close. Once they heard the quiet click, Scootaloo grabbed her sleeping bag, shut off the light, and followed Rainbow out of the house. The sun had almost completed vanished from the sky as Dash and Scootaloo meandered down the street, passing a few stragglers as they went.
"So," Dash started, "your mom's a pretty cool mare, eh?"
The filly looked down, "I guess so."
Rainbow smiled and nudged her playfully in the side with her wing, "Hey, what d'ya mean 'you guess'?"
There was a touch of sourness to her tone, "How would I know? She's never around anyway."
Dash's smile softened as she wrapped her aforementioned wing around her little sister and pulled her in for a hug, for once not caring if anyone saw the 'mushy' scene.
"I mean," the filly continued, "I know my mom loves me...sometimes."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's no sometimes about it. Your parents always love you. Even if they have to go away for work-"
Scootaloo cut her off, stomping her hoof in anger, "They aren't going away for work, Dash! My dad doesn't even have a job, and mom works as a waitress at Hay and Clover. These trips they go on are to the casinos in Las Pegasus," she took a deep, shaky breath, "Can we stop talking about this now, please?"
"Sure, Kiddo. We'd better get moving anyways. Don't wanna be late for that sleepover." She mussed up Scootaloo's mane with a hoof, making her giggle. The filly wiped her tears away and easily climbed onto Rainbow's back. The cyan mare grabbed the sleeping bag and sped off towards Sweet Apple Acres.
They made it to the Apple farm in record time, quietly touching down outside the barn. Light was streaming out of the windows and the door was wide open. They could hear whispers and giggling coming from inside.
Rainbow Dash smirked evilly and chuckled, "Hey, Scoots? Wanna have a little fun?" she whispered, tilting her head to the side just enough for Scootaloo to see her profile. The orange Pegasus saw the wicked glint in her older sister's eye and nodded eagerly. With a strong flap of her wings, Rainbow shot up through the loft window. She landed with a loud thud, immediately silencing the laughter from downstairs.
"D-did y'all hear that?" Apple Bloom stuttered.
Dash turned her head and winked at her sister. Scoots grinned and jumped off of Rainbow Dash's back, stamping her hooves when she hit the floor.
"I-it was probably just- just an animal, right, Applejack?"
"...Sure. There's always critters scurryin' around up there. Ah'm sure that's what it was..."
Both of the Pegasi sniggered quietly as they stomped around the loft, moving closer to the edge with every slow, deliberate step.
"Those sound like hoof steps ta me!"
"Me, too!"
"Now, now. Calm down, y'all. Ah'm sure it's nothin' ta worry 'bout," Applejack tried to reassure the two fillies, as well as herself.
Dash caught Scootaloo's eyes and mouthed, 'Watch this'.
She inched forward, crouched low to the floor, and peered over the side...the targets were positioned right beneath them.
Perfect.
Dash dragged her wings along the floorboards, sweeping up a good amount of hay as she went. Making sure she was completely hidden from view, the rainbow-maned mare pushed the hay over the edge of the loft, letting it rain down on the three ponies below. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle squealed in surprise.
"What in the hay...you two stay here. Ah'm gonna go an' see what's goin' on up there." Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo shared a panicked look as they searched frantically for an escape route.
The Pegasus filly smirked and with a muffled giggle trotted over to one of the lantern closest to them. She glanced over her shoulder to see a proud smile and a nod of approval from her idol. Before Applejack could take one hoof step up the ladder, Scoots turned around and blew out the candle. The ponies downstairs screamed in pure terror, sending the two Pegasi into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
"Rainbow Dash!"
"Scootaloo!"
That just made them laugh that much harder, causing them to collapse to the floor and roll around hysterically. They were so lost in their glee, they rolled right off of the platform and into a haystack.
Even in the dark, Applejack was able to find her way to another lantern and light it up. She spun around to reprimand to two Pegasus ponies, but she couldn't contain the chuckle that bubbled up inside of her at the sight of the two proud Pegasi covered in hay, with pieces of straw sticking haphazardly out of their manes and tails.
"The two a ya look absolutely ridiculous." Rainbow and Scootaloo looked at each other and burst into giggles again, along with the other two fillies.
Once things had settled down a bit, the three crusaders sat atop their sleeping bags, chatting aimlessly. The two mares were relaxing on a bale of hay a few feet away, listening.
"So, AJ. When do you think that topic is gonna come up?" Dash asked with a smirk and a wink. Applejack grinned back.
"Ah dunno, but Ah reckon that it shouldn't be too much longer."
"What in Equestria are y'all talkin' 'bout?"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack glanced at each other, then back at the fillies, before answering simultaneously.
"Colts."
Sweetie Belle's face turned a bright shade of pink; Apple Bloom gave them a look of horror; but Scootaloo's reaction was the most amusing to them.
"Colts?! Ew! Gross!"
Rainbow smirked an her little sister, "Well, apparently colts don't seem to feel the same way."
"What d'ya mean?"
The Pegasus mare's smile widened as she answered Applejack's question, "I was chatting with Thunderlane the other day...don't look at me like that," she grimaced at the other mare's arched brow, "No offense to TL, but I got my heart set on the Wonderbolts. Anyway, his little brother, Rumble is in their class. According to Thunder, all the kid talks about is how awesome Scoots is. Not that I blame him...she takes after her big sister, after all."
"Aw, look! Scootaloo's blushing!" said Apple Bloom with a grin.
"Shut up!" the Pegasus filly hissed at her earth filly friend who just giggled at her. Scootaloo's cheeks burned with embarrassment as she tried to hide a small smile.
"Scootaloo an' Rumble sittin' in a tree," she sang, "K-I-S-S-I-" Apple Bloom's older sister cut her off.
"Come ta think of it, a young colt stopped by the farm last week. He said his mom wanted him to pick up some apples, but he seemed more interested in asking questions about Apple Bloom," she chuckled, "Funny thing was, as soon as he saw ya comin' outta the barn, Bloom, he bolted like Winona was on his tail. He even forgot at grab his apples."
"Aw! How cute! Who was it?" Sweetie Belle gushed, enamored by the story.
"Said his name was Shady Daze, Ah think?"
"Oh! He's the new photographer for the Foal Free Press! Now that you mention it, I saw him looking at you a lot when we were working on the paper."
Apple Bloom ducked her head to hide her blush and shy smile, but it was too late.
Scoots giggled, "You like him, don'cha?"
"Ah never said that!"
"But you're not denying it! Fess up."
"We'll, uh..." she stammered. To pull attention away from herself, the golden-coated filly glanced in Sweetie Belle's direction. She saw an almost shy look on her face, "Hey, Sweetie? What about you? There aren't many unicorn colts in class. Anypony caught yer eye?"
"Only Snips and Snails...please don't say it's one of them!" Scootaloo begged.
Sweetie Belle's face drained of all color as she shook her head vehemently, "No! No, no, no!" She dropped her head and began tracing patterns in the dirt with her hoof, "Actually, something happened last week that I haven't had a chance to tell you about..."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom glanced at each other, then back at their friend.
"Go on," Apple Bloom urged, intrigued.
The white filly sighed, "Remember last week when I had to meet Rarity at the boutique after school? On the way there, I kinda tripped and dropped my saddle-bag and everything fell out. While I was picking it all up, Button Mash stopped and helped me. Then he..." she paused, tailing a deep breath, "he, uh kinda sorta walked me the rest of the way home."
The two mares chuckled quietly as the subject was immediately changed to their newest Cutie Mark idea...water balloon warfare?
The orange earth pony heard a sigh beside her and turned to see an uncharacteristically depressed look on her friend's face. There was a wistful look in her eyes as she watched the fillies talking. She nudged Rainbow's shoulder with her own.
"Hey, Sugarcube, what's wrong? An' don' tell me that it's nothin' 'cause we both know that's just a load a horseapples," she added.
Dash just sighed again and shook her head, "I dunno, AJ, I guess I never thought about what it would be like to have a little sister, and, well..."
Applejack gave her a stern look, "Are ya regrettin' takin' her in or somethin'?"
The cyan Pegasus' eyes widened in shock at the accusation, "No way! Scoots is an amazing filly and I'm proud to be called her big sister."
"But?"
"But...I feel like I've missed out on so much already. I mean, you and Rares have been with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle since they were born. You've seen them grow up from foals. And...I didn't get that with Scootaloo." 'Although, I bet her parents didn't either.'
Rainbow Dash's next question wasn't verbal, but AJ understood anyway.
Applejack wrapped her foreleg around Dash's withers and gave her a sympathetic smile, "Rainbow, I agree tha' these fillies are growin' up way too fast. But they ain't full grown mares yet. We still got plenty a time left with 'em."
Dash's next question wasn't verbal, but AJ could see in in her eyes.
"Rainbow, Sugar, she is always, always gonna need you. Who's gonna protect her forom the bullies and the nightmares? Who's the first pony she's gonna show her Cutie Mark off to when she gets it? Who's she gonna confide in when she does start having colt problems? You, Dash. Nopony else, you," Rainbow arched a brow skeptically, a shining light of hope now in her eyes.
Applejack chuckled, "Accordin' ta Apple Bloom, yer the only thing Scoot's been talking 'bout since the campin' trip."
"Really?" Rainbow Dash's cocky attitude returned with a grin, "I mean, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Why, indeed?" the orange mare deadpanned, rolling her eyes. Rainbow stuck her tongue out foalishly before smiling.
"Thanks, AJ, I needed to hear that."
"Anytime, Suagrcube, anytime."