//------------------------------//
// One Month Later 
// Story: I'm Still Here 
// by Ribe_FireRain 
//------------------------------//

It was now the middle of September, which meant that Scootaloo has officially been living with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy for shy past four months. It was beginning to get colder as it entered into the Winter season, but, for Scootaloo’s young being, she couldn’t have been warmer.

For the first time in two years, she’s had a true chance to experience a functional and loving family again, and she felt happy to be here. She had spent so long remaining glum and miserable, so cold and isolated from the rest of the world in her makeshift ‘apartment’ in the CMC clubhouse that she feared she would never be happy again, but she was happy to be proved so very wrong. This was probably how every other child in Ponyville felt, how being a child was supposed to feel.

Scootaloo had spent the majority of her time in Fluttershy’s cottage, spending time in the spare bedroom the butter mare had gone out of her way to make into her very own. Living at her house was rather calm and cosy, and, despite being the quiet type of pony, Fluttershy was a gracious and welcoming host, always putting the filly before herself, which Scootaloo was incredibly thankful for. As far as the ponies she knew went, she viewed Fluttershy as her mother, even if her real mother might still be out there somewhere.

She thought about her mother quite a bit, seeing as she was the one that held a sense of reason and common decency. She knew that her mother loved her, but she couldn’t wrap her head around why she had left with her father, why she, the mother, the word ‘Celestia’ on the lips and hearts of all children in Equestria, would abandon her. She was meant to protect her, keep her safe and happy, give her a reason to smile, and all she did was make her cry and wish she had never been born.

On the brighter side, Scootaloo had headed back to school after a very long absence, and she had already been back for a week. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were relieved to see her again after their last reunion went southwards, and it was great to have the trio back together again. The two girls were practically lost and incomplete without their third member in their group, and all of them were going to make their time together last this time around.

Rainbow Dash had asked that Miss Cheerilee keep an eye on her during the lesson, in the event that something is amiss or if anything bad happens to her. The last thing that the filly needed was a mental breakdown in front of all of her peers due to her insane amount of emotional stress that no child should have to be forced to be burdened with. Of course, Miss Cheerilee, as kind and as sweet-hearted as ponies come, agreed to let Dash know if anything was out of the ordinary with her little sister.

Outside of School, Violet Snowdrop had been giving Scootaloo private counselling to make sure she was in the best state of mental health, that she was coping alright with all of these sudden changes. As far as she knew, Scootaloo hadn’t a single clue what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were planning behind her back, and that was the plan for the moment. 

She’ll find out one day, but only when she’s ready to hear the news. All ponies that knew about it were all wondering the same thing: how will she react to the news?

Thanks to Violet’s expertise, Scootaloo’s progress has taken a tremendous leap in the right direction, and she’s gradually learned that she could trust the social worker, and so, she opened up to her. She gave her deeper and more intimate details about her home life, starting from when they first moved into the house, fixing it up and later buying it to call their own. Everything beyond her father’s promotion to factory manager sounded like a happy, average childhood, one that should be expected for a filly of her age, but it all degraded once Scootaloo spoke about after the promotion was issued.

Rainbow Dash had been with her, too, but Scootaloo had insisted on going by herself to The Ponyville Inn to visit Violet Snowdrop for her weekly visits. Naturally, Dash was a tad reluctant at first, but she eventually allowed her to go by herself, knowing that she was going to be safe and in good hooves. Violet was incredibly good with kids, so she knew she had nothing to worry about, but that didn’t prevent her protective side from kicking in.

It was quiet with the filly being gone so much. Now that she back at school with her friends and also attending weekly counselling sessions with Violet Snowdrop, Rainbow Dash found her days to be quite lonesome. It felt like when she was living all alone in her cloud palace in Cloudsdale, and it reminded her how bleak things used to be before she ran into the filly at the hospital.

Man, that seems like so long ago that I found her there, Dash reminisced. I wonder how long it’s gonna be until we find her parents and have them sit trial? Soon, I hope.

Rainbow Dash was alone in her house, trying to suffer through the day until the orange filly she was looking after finished today’s session of school. It wasn’t due to end for another three hours, so finding something to do to occupy herself was really grinding her gears. She never liked waiting, and she had a reputation for being impatient at times, a little trait she had picked up from her father. 

Apparently, reading Daring Do had lost any and all appeal to the pegasus while she was laid on top of her bed. She had the book opened up in her hooves and she was focusing on the words, but she found it impossible to take it all in. She felt like somepony had tossed a rock at her head and knocked something loose on the inside of her skull. Getting herself immersed in a world of action-packed adventure featuring her favourite ‘fictional’ character just wasn’t doing it for her today.

‘’Grr!’’ Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration, tossing her book aside. It flopped against the cloud wall and dropped to the floor with a series of flapping as the pages curled and the book snapped itself shut. ‘’I’m so bored!’’ She complained. ‘’There’s gotta be something around here to do!’’

Only that there wasn’t.

Normally, Rainbow Dash would skip ahead to flying around to clear her head, but she didn’t feel like it. She had gotten used to flying with Scootaloo and her Cloud Buster, personally instructing her on how to get the hand of flying and the basics. She had found that flying in a duo was more fun than flying solo, and now that she didn’t have much time to spend with her little sister, her options had officially run out.

The progress the filly had made was nothing short of impressive, and Dash took pride in how much effort that the young, aspiring flyer was displaying, and she reminded Dash of her younger self. She was so stubborn and resistant against all of the odds being thrown at her, and, like Dash says, ‘’If I’m going down, I’m going down flying!’’. Scootaloo was a literal, orange and purple-coloured duplicate of herself, and Rainbow loved it.

She wasn’t an easy mare to impress or to gain approval from, but that filly had a certain brand of moxie and gumption about her that was so persistent to her being that she had earned the cyan mare’s stamp of approval. And she was getting pretty amazing at taming her Cloud Buster, too. It was much different than riding her rickety, old piece of wooden junk she used to scurry through the streets of Ponyville in, but she was still tackling it like a pro, and she was a natural at it. 

Wait a second, that’s it! A lightbulb flickered to life over Dash’s head. Fluttershy’s still free! I can go spend some time with her instead! She always makes time for her friends!

With the idea in mind, Rainbow Dash unfurled her wings and she zoomed out of her bedroom window and towards the surface, hoping that Fluttershy’s company would kill her endless stream of boredom.

Once she had reached the door of the mare she had been sharing custody with, she knocked a few times on the door. It wasn’t long before the door opened and she was greeted by the welcoming, friendly face of her friend on the opposite side. 

‘’Rainbow Dash! Come on!’’ She said eagerly upon seeing the cyan mare. Whilst her tone was chipper, Dash had this distinct sense that Fluttershy was relieved to see her standing on her front porch, somehow knowing that she was just as bored as herself in the absence of the filly that had brought a light into both of their lives.

Fluttershy’s living room was warm and cosy, and she had a fire burning in her small fireplace, enveloping the room in a pleasant warmth. Outside was relatively cold for this time of the year, seeing as it normally didn’t get colder until the middle of October, but the weather factory had planned on an early start this year. In that context, the inviting heat emitting from the fireplace was welcome.

There was a tea tray sitting on the coffee table in front of Fluttershy’s lounge chair, cushioned with thick layers of plush fabric, the perfect spot to relax and lose one’s self in their own mind. It took a quick observation to understand that Fluttershy had been trying to read a book prior to Dash’s arrival, and she had been having better luck at becoming immersed into the story, unlike Rainbow Dash had.

A part of that made her envious against her friend’s laid-back demeanour, but she couldn’t fault her for it. It was a part of who she was, just like being impatient and restless was a part of Dash. Regardless, Fluttershy appeared to be glad that Rainbow had stumbled into her home at this time, and she faced her with a beaming smile.

‘’So, I take it you’re bored, too?’’ Dash asked with a knowing smirk, nudging the mare’s shoulder. ‘’Come on, Shyster, admit it!’’ Fluttershy giggled when Dash’s hoof nudged her chest playfully.

‘’It’s…strange without having Scootaloo around so much,’’ The mare admitted, her expression shifting into a sad one for a very brief moment. ‘’I guess we’ve both gotten so used to her being around that it’s odd not having to look after her so much. But, um, I’m glad you’re here now, Dashie,’’ Fluttershy said with a weak blush.

That makes two of us, Shyster, Dash said to herself.

‘’Oh? Why’s that?’’

‘’Well, I’ve been thinking about you,’’ Fluttershy said, her blush noticeably deepening. 

‘’Yeah, well, it doesn’t surprise me,’’ Rainbow said with a stretch and a mocking sigh, draping her wing over Fluttershy’s back. ‘’I am pretty unforgettable. Y’know, and I’m awesome, so it wouldn’t surprise me if everypony in town always thinks about me.’’

‘’Oh, hush!’’ Her friend giggled at her antics, lightly shoving away her wing, prompting her to join her in her round of girly giggles. ‘’No, I meant I’ve been thinking a whole lot about us,’’ Fluttershy clarified, but it furthered Rainbow Dash’s curiosity.

‘’’Us’, huh?’’ She said. ‘’Wow, I didn’t realise that we were an item yet!’’ She joked.

‘’Anywho, if you’d like, I have a teapot full of tea? It’s just come off of the stove, so it’s still hot,’’ Fluttershy offered, to which Rainbow sat herself down on the couch across from her lounge chair.

‘’Sure, why not?’’ The cyan mare accepted the hospitality of her caring friend and she was poured a cup before being handed it on a pristine, pricey-looking white saucer with floral patterns decorating the edges. 

Fluttershy poured herself another cup, filling one she had already set out at an earlier time. She retook her seat across from Rainbow and took a gentle sip of the hot beverage, one of her favourite teas, Earl Grey. Rainbow wouldn’t normally admit to such a thing, but she had found herself to be developing a taste for the type of tea also. She was starting to prefer it over her usual morning brew of black coffee, and she found it to be more settling and easier on her stomach in the morning.

The warmth of the tea as it pooled around in her stomach the first thing in a morning always brought with it a relaxing and euphoric feeling, akin to when she’s in the presence of Fluttershy or when they cuddle at bedtime. Yep, there was nothing more suitable to coach a pony out of a sleep rather than the soothing warmth of home-brewed tea fresh from the teapot, especially when said tea was Fluttershy’s own creation. Now, that was something!

Rainbow Dash sneaked a few glances up from her cup to view Fluttershy between sips, and she noticed that Fluttershy was doing the same. There was an odd tension in the room between the two mares as they sat and sipped in silence, but, unbeknownst to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy was thinking about a little something she had been plagued with for months. After her chat with Rarity about it, the mare had noticed a significant increase in the appearance of these strange feelings, and it only happened when Rainbow was around her.

I think she knows, Fluttershy said to herself, silently and sneakily glancing back and forth from her cup and the pegasus across from her. She has to know. I mean, it can’t only be me, can it? What if Rarity was right about how she’s been acting towards me in the past few months? Oh, dear, should I have even told her that I wanted to talk about us?! It’s so soon, isn’t it? Oh, Fluttershy, you loud mouth, why can’t you learn to be quiet?

However, despite her fears, Rainbow didn’t take notice of her sudden shift of attitude. She appeared to be stuck in her own circle of thought, endlessly coming back to the same question as the one brewing in Fluttershy mind: ‘’Should I tell her?’’

Mare up, Rainbow Dash, come on! You’ve both known each other since forever, so there’s no way that she’s going to think you’re weird or reject you if you tell her! Question is, does she feel the same way about you as you do about her? What if you make a move and she turns out to not think about you in that way, huh? What do you do then? Never speak to each other again and agree to a pact of silence that’ll last until the day you die of old age? Actually, no, that’s stupid.

Rainbow Dash began to feel awkward sitting in silence and remaining quiet. She sat there with her hooves firmly wrapped around her teacup, and, whilst she was staring at Fluttershy, her body bathed in the flickering glow of the orange flames, she felt her cheeks flush.

She was so majestic, how beautifully her coat and mane glowed in the orange light, how much it brought out her turquoise pools, causing them to almost appear like neon stars. She had seen her before like this in the sunlight during the early hours of the morning, and she viewed her as the same in this light. Fluttershy was a pretty mare, above the average standard of most female ponies that Rainbow’s seen, and she saw it as adorable how modest Fluttershy was about it, as if she didn’t really see herself in the same way that Dash did.

You really are gorgeous, Fluttershy. No wonder I fell for you pretty hard. So…what am I supposed to do about it? What do we do about it?

‘’Hey, Fluttershy?’’ Rainbow began, setting down her teacup and saucer on the coffee table in front of her. The butter mare’s eyes gazed up to face her as she was in the middle of sipping her tea, attentive. ‘’Did you want to ask me something?’’

‘’M-Maybe,’’ Fluttershy asked, placing down her own cup and saucer. 

‘’Care to elaborate?’’ Dash asked, raising a brow at her.

‘’It’s just…did you ever want to tell somepony something really important but you kept stopping yourself because you were afraid of the answer that you were going to get?’’ Fluttershy asked, her tone firm but carrying a hint of nervousness behind it, like she was highly tentative about asking the question. 

Rainbow Dash only blinked, not prepared for the question. Of all of the things she could have asked, she picked the one thing that Dash had no way of prepping herself for, and it wasn’t because she was clueless on what she was getting at, it’s because she knew exactly where she was going with this.

Yeah, Fluttershy, I have. But I’m not afraid, I’m terrified.

‘’Um, you could say that,’’ Rainbow said quietly. ‘’But why? Is something bothering you, Fluttershy?’’ She asked, playing dumb.

Fluttershy was noticeably uncomfortable with the subject, and her cheeks were constantly alight with a tinge of warm pink, her eyes becoming downcast and sheepish. She hid behind her long pink mane to try and obscure her face from Dash as she spoke up.

‘’No, I-I mean, yes, there is something b-bothering me, but I’m…not sure how to talk about it,’’ Fluttershy said meekly. She remembered the conversation she had with Rarity when she first felt a strong presence of the same feeling that was causing butterflies to flutter around in her stomach. ‘’And I think it involves…you.’’

‘’Huh?’’ Rainbow’s ear twitched. ‘’What’dya mean? ‘It involves me’?’’ 

‘’Rainbow Dash, I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m not very good with this kind of thing, but it’s not a bad feeling. Whenever I’m around you, I feel…happy. I like spending time with you, and with Scootaloo coming into our lives, the feeling’s been stronger than ever whenever you’re around,’’ Fluttershy told her, and she managed a small smile as she tilted her head up.

Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh! Is…Is Fluttershy saying what I think she’s saying?!

‘’Likewise,’’ Dash agreed. ‘’We haven’t spent this much time together since we were foals taking turns at our parent’s houses! I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed being this close to you, Fluttershy, and I can’t thank you enough for helping me take care of Scootaloo. You’re a real friend, you know that?’’ Rainbow said, feeling the butterflies flutter around in her own stomach.

Fluttershy had picked herself out of her seat and transitioned herself over to the couch so that she was sitting directly beside Dash, the fireplace spitting and crackling in front of them, providing a comforting warmth that brushed their hind legs while they sat. The mare had seated herself so that she was facing Rainbow Dash and making eye contact, giving her a sweet, calming smile.

‘’It’s alright, Dashie, I don’t mind. You don’t need to thank me. I’d do anything for a friend like you,’’ Fluttershy said, and then Dash tensed, her muscles gaining the physical properties of solid iron as the butter mare leaned herself into her side, snuggling up to her.

She placed her small, nimble chin so that it was resting between the crook of Dash’s shoulder and cheek, nestled comfortably while her mane brushed against Dash’s. She felt nervous making this bold move, but she didn’t count on Dash accepting it, knowing how she felt at times about this kind of affection. After all, even good friends cuddle from time to time, so what was the harm?

Oh, wow! Rainbow Dash does smell like raspberries and strawberries! It must be her conditioner. She smells so lovely, and her coat is really soft! I never expected that she would ever be so plush and comfy! With a coat like this, she must be a regular at the spa for one of Aloe’s treatments!

Rainbow Dash glanced down at the mare leaning into her and making herself at home, her magenta eyes in disbelief whilst her mind was running rampant with girly giggles and ecstasy. 

Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe that this is really happening! The mare of my dreams is cuddling me! She’s really cuddling up to me and making herself comfortable! This is so. Awesome!

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had cuddled together in bed every now and again, spooning to retain warmth and to make themselves comfortable enough to sleep, but this was different in every aspect. When they cuddled in bed, it wasn’t an act of affection or lovey-dovey emotions for one another, it was nothing more than a friendly embrace, but what Fluttershy was doing was on the other end of the spectrum! This was an honest and true act of affection that Dash never expected the mare to display.

She looked down at her, seeing that she had closed her eyes, losing herself to the bliss of being this close to her. Rainbow wasn’t much of the romantic type, so she didn’t know what to do at this point. The only time that she’s seen anypony romancing their wife or girlfriend while embracing like this was around town when she was out for a walk around the park. She supposed that it wasn’t indecent of her to apply some of the acts she’s witnessed in this scenario.

Ever so slowly, Rainbow Dash lightly reached a hoof over and brushed Fluttershy’s mane lightly, allowing her luxurious, moisture-locked mane to glide around her hoof. She had an amazing mane that was so silky that it felt like she was touching an angel’s aura. She hadn’t taken much time to lose herself in its plushiness before, but she found herself to be loving it.

Fluttershy appeared to be loving it, too. She leaned into her friend’s touch, eliciting a blissful-sounding hum and moan as she began to smile warmly. Dash would be a liar right now if she said that her moans of pleasure and relaxation didn’t send her heart into a tailspin. Whenever she was like this, it made her heart simply melt like a cheese toastie.

‘’That feels nice,’’ Fluttershy cooed, her voice almost a purr. She opened her eyes, half-lidding them so that she was able to make eye contact with Rainbow Dash. ‘’You like my mane, don’t you?’’

‘’Duh!’’ Dash scoffed sarcastically, blowing a small raspberry. ‘’Your mane’s amazing, Flutter-Butter! I don’t like it, I love it!’’

‘’You’re sweet,’’ Fluttershy said softly. ‘’But I want to ask you something, Dashie,’’ She said, appearing to be nervous again.

‘’Anything, Fluttershy. I’m all ears!’’

‘’How do you feel about…us?’’ She asked delicately, not knowing any better on how to ask her more directly. She was hoping that her facial expression tied in with her words were enough of an indication.

‘’Fluttershy,’’ Rainbow Dash began, looking down at Fluttershy as she held her cheek, gazing lovingly into her eyes. ‘’I feel closer to you right now than I have in my entire life. In a way, Scootaloo moving in with us has brought us closer and opened my eyes to something much, much more than I imagined. You’re my best friend, Fluttershy, and…a-and maybe I like to think of you a little bit more than that,’’ Dash added that last part with a bright, burning blush.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, not used to being this sentimental and open about her feelings. She wasn’t the type to display affection so openly to most ponies, but, then again, Fluttershy was not one of those most ponies, was she? She was the one pony whom Dash was closest to above all else.

‘’Aw, Rainbow Dash, I didn’t realise you felt that way,’’ Fluttershy cooed, hugging the cyan mare. She was moved by her words, and she felt her heart behind her chest being sent aflutter, a sweet and inviting sensation welling within her. She was starting to think that Rarity was more than correct about her feelings towards the mare she was cuddling. ‘’And…I want to…need to tell you something, Dashie. Please?’’

‘’Sure. What is it?’’

‘’Rainbow Dash, I…I don’t know what it is that I feel towards you exactly, but I want to find out. It only happens when you’re around, and I always feel like there’s a migration of butterflies tickling me, but when you’re not around, I can’t stop thinking about you. When I think about you, I always wish that you’re here with me, and I sometimes dream about you, too. But I don’t know what any of it means.’’

Rainbow Dash didn’t speak. She couldn’t speak. She had no idea how to begin to attempt to respond to her friend’s words. Looking into the sweet, loving eyes of Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash saw her own reflection in her large, shimmering puppy-like pupils. Deep down inside, this news brought an overwhelming joy into her heart, her hope of one day sharing mutual romantic interest with the butter mare arising.

I don’t believe it! Did Fluttershy just tell me that she like-likes me? 

‘’I think I know what it means,’’ Rainbow Dash said smoothly, and she raised Fluttershy up so that they were level with each other. Their muzzles were only inches apart and their eyes were trained intently on each other, wondering who was going to be brave enough to make the first move. 

The world seemed to sit completely still around them, in its own heavy anticipation, waiting for somebody to break it, and the fire in the background continued to crackle as the flames danced over the wooden logs. The smell of the soot and fire combined with the scent wafting from Fluttershy’s mane, like chocolate chip cookies and cream, and Rainbow Dash’s, smelling like sweet, crisp strawberries, brought its own, unique twist of euphoria into the mix, and it was like a romantic mystery was taking place.

The mystery part being that the pair knew that they had feelings for each other, but the way to go about deciphering and acting upon those emotions had yet to show itself to them, to come out of the shadows. The air lingered with it, similar to the moody atmosphere that hung around Scootaloo’s abandoned family home, except this one was its polar opposite, so sweet and fine, reminiscent of the first bite of an apple sweet, but the taste never wore off on one’s taste buds.

Fluttershy did as she had done before, glancing between Dash’s eyes and her lips, finding herself to be wanting them more than anything else in the world. She wasn’t sure what it felt like to be in love with somepony, but all she knew was that she had this unexplainable desire to press her lips against Rainbow Dash’s, to savour and taste them, just to feel them upon her own.

Rainbow Dash was doing the same, but her eyes were visibly hungry for it, starved for months and left to wonder what they felt like for a torturous amount of time. Being away from Fluttershy for so long had driven her completely insane, almost to her breaking point, and she had so desperately wished she had the courage to mare up and come out with her feelings already, but, even now, months later, she was still finding it hard to find the true words. She didn’t want to muck anything up and end up making an imbecile out of herself.

Quest for romance, huh, Rarity? Was that the phrase you used once? Rainbow Dash thought. She had also visited Rarity a while back, but she hadn’t mentioned it to anypony. And Rainbow also had no clue that Fluttershy had been to see her, either. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop the unicorn from offering a friendly ear, but most ponies knew that Rarity was a bit of a gossip.

Still, keeping conversations private between friends was tough when you had the option of either choosing Ponyville’s fashionista and known diva or the bubbly, hyperactive party planner. Then again, Pinkie Pie, despite being loud and free, had enough respect for others that she found it impossible to spill the beans on any secrets she might have been told. That was a part of her Pinkie Promise Guarantee, and she wouldn’t betray any of her friends, no way, no how.

Go on, Rainbow Dash, make a move! You’ve always been a team player, so go ahead and take the plunge! Now’s your chance!

 Rainbow Dash gradually brought her face closer towards Fluttershy, and she did the same. They could now feel each other’s warm breath making contact with the tips of their muzzles and brushing their fur, being delivered in quick, short-lived pulses of tea-scented warmth. 

Oh, my! We’re so close! Fluttershy thought, hardly able to comprehend anything else in this moment aside from the impending smooch that she was about to share with Rainbow Dash. I’ve never kissed anypony before. Aw, what if I’m terrible at it? 

‘’R-Rainbow, wait,’’ Fluttershy said reluctantly, pulling away from her and touching a hoof to her chest. Dash gave her a dejected look, disappointed, but she was attentive. ‘’I-I don’t know about this,’’ She said, ears plopping down over the back of her head.

‘’Huh? What do you mean? I thought that you—-‘’

‘’No, n-no, um, it’s not about that, it’s, well, it’s just…I’m not sure. You know, that I feel the same way about you. Sorry,’’ Fluttershy apologised sheepishly, feeling bad for knowing that she had likely hurt her friend’s feelings by getting her hopes up again.

‘’Oh,’’ Is all that Rainbow Dash said. Her voice was so shallow to Fluttershy’s ears that she could have sworn that Rainbow had died inside, that it was only fumes carrying through her larynx at this point.

‘’Aw, no, Dashie, please don’t be mad at me, I never meant to—-‘’

‘’No, it’s fine. I understand, Fluttershy,’’ Rainbow said sadly. ‘’You don’t like me, do you?’’ 

‘’What? No! No, that’s not what I meant at all!’’ Fluttershy gave her friend a wounded expression. ‘’Why would you ever think that? Of course I like you, Dashie, but I just don’t know if I feel the same way about you yet!’’ Fluttershy said pleadingly, hoping to get through to the stubborn mare. ‘’Please don’t take it the wrong way, Dashie, because I do like you, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to go that far at the moment. I’ve never had to do this before!’’

That’s what she said, Rainbow Dash thought jokingly, trying to amuse herself to find the silver lining in this situation.

‘’You…haven’t?’’ Rainbow Dash asked. ‘’I…how? How is that even possible?’’ She asked, somewhat taken aback by that. ‘’You’ve never—-?!’’

You’re kiddin’, right? Fluttershy’s not ONCE ever been told by either a mare or a stallion that she’s cute and attractive?! How is that possible? That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard in my entire life!

‘’You’re serious?’’

‘’W-What?’’ Fluttershy asked, unsure of where this was going.

‘’Fluttershy, look at you!’’ Rainbow lightly prodded her in the chest and motioned with her hooves up and down her barrel. ‘’For Celestia’s sake, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror, girl?!’’

‘’Um, no, why? Should I have?’’ Fluttershy asked innocently, apparently naive as to what Dash was getting at. Rainbow only facehoofed.

‘’Fluttershy, you’re hot! Like, insanely hot!’’ Dash said, grabbing a hold of Fluttershy sleek, smooth shoulders. ‘’Like, so hot that it drives me insane! You’ve got a rockin’ bod, you’ve got a flawless mane, gorgeous eyes and an alluring voice, and you’re so sweet and kind! How in the name of Celestia have you never ONCE been called attractive?!’’ She asked, shaking her, appalled and shocked by what she had been told.

Fluttershy certainly did not expect those words to leave Rainbow Dash’s lips. She blushed brightly, her cheeks beet red, and she blinked at the cyan mare as she was being firmly but loosely gripped around her shoulders. Her heart was thumping away behind her ribs, butterflies tickling the lining of her stomach again, and she felt nauseous, but not in the way that made her want to keel over and vomit. 

‘’Uh…’’ Fluttershy managed, hardly audible through he shock that was flooding her system, in a disarray. She was trying to process the words as they drifted on through her mental processing station, but they were hardly able to pull themselves through in time to emit a coherent response. 

‘’I-I don’t know!’’ Fluttershy eventually said, cheeks burning so hot they could almost melt the cushions on the couch they were both sitting on. ‘’You…really think that I’m attractive?’’ Fluttershy asked meekly.

‘’Yes!’’ Rainbow Dash said instantly. ‘’Fluttershy, for the past three-to-four months, you’ve been ruffling my feathers with how attractive you are! You’re all I can think about, night and day, and spending more time with you has only made it worse!’’ 

‘’Oh. I’m sorry,’’ Fluttershy began, upset that she’s been causing her friend so much emotional distress, unbeknownst to her.

‘’No! Don’t be sorry! That’s not a bad thing, Fluttershy! The only bad thing about this is that I’m in love with you and it’s driving me crazy not knowing if you feel the same way or not!’’ Rainbow Dash said, giving the mare a shake.

‘’…What?’’ She breathed. ‘’You’re…You’re in love with me?’’ She asked quietly. Rainbow Dash nodded, blushing.

‘’Yes, Fluttershy, I am! I’ve always felt this way about you for as long as I can remember, and I was really hoping that you felt the same way about me,’’ Rainbow admitted, her facial expression once again taking on a look of sadness. 

Fluttershy gave her a sympathetic look, flummoxed by her best friend’s confession and love for her. She didn’t have the slightest clue on what she should say next, so, rather than saying something, she did something instead.

She pulled Rainbow Dash into a hug and she snuggled her cheek into hers, holding her close and rubbing the back of her mane with a hoof to comfort her. Rainbow Dash showed no resistance to the gesture, and she melted into her hooves, accepting her offer of consolation. 

Fluttershy felt Rainbow Dash’s heart beat as her chest was pressed against her own, and she sensed that it was felt off. It felt as if a part of it had cracked open, and it was pumping out of sync, the sound of a broken heart, rejected and bruised. If anything, it only made Fluttershy feel worse.

‘’Oh, Dashie, I’m so sorry,’’ She apologised. ‘’I had no idea!’’ She clutched Rainbow’s body closer to hers, not wanting to let her go from her, fearful that she might run away and disappear. 

‘’It’s fine,’’ Rainbow said, returning the hug, enveloping Fluttershy behind her wings and giving her a friendly nuzzle behind her ear. ‘’I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I’ve been a bit selfish to put you in this position,’’ Dash said regretfully.

‘’No, it’s not your fault, Dashie. You haven’t done anything wrong, and we’re still friends, so don’t worry,’’ Fluttershy reassured her. ‘’Listen to me, Dash; I know how you feel about me, and, although I’m not sure if I love you in the same way, we can always wait to see whatever the future holds, can’t we?’’ She said, and she pulled away to face Rainbow’s face.

‘’Yeah. Yeah, we can, Shyster,’’ Rainbow Dash said with a genuine but small smile. ‘’We can wait.’’

‘’Now, would you like to have another massage, Dashie? You feel really tense again,’’ Fluttershy observed, but Rainbow Dash gave her a dismissive wave of a hoof.

‘’No, I’ve got a better idea,’’ She began, giving the mare a coy, mischievous smile. ‘’I’m going to give you a massage,’’ She said. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but then she began to blush and smile.

‘’Oh?’’ The butter mare said, surprised and flattered by the gesture to return the favour.

‘’Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle,’’ Dash said with a giggle. Content with the idea of being given a massage did sound rather appealing to the butter mare, and Fluttershy did feel a little bit stressed, so who was she to turn down such a pleasant offer?

Fluttershy laid herself out on the couch, resting her stomach down against the plush cushions, allowing her four legs to automatically outstretch with the rest of her as she prepped herself. Once she was fully spread out, Rainbow Dash was sitting beside her on the couch, enough room for her to have access to every section of Fluttershy’s tense, elegant and fragile frame. Just seeing her in this position made her lick her lips.

This is so sweet! Dash squeed on the inside. I’m going to give Flutter-Butter a massage! How cooler can this get?!

While Fluttershy laid her head down, chin nestled into the cushions of the couch, awaiting for Rainbow Dash to begin being her masseuse, Rainbow thought about where to begin. She hadn’t had any experience doing this kind of thing, seeing as she hadn’t ever been close enough to anypony to dare suggest trying it, but she had seen both Aloe and Vera perform it multiple times, so she only relied on her memory banks to do it right.

Rainbow Dash brought out her hooves and she began on Fluttershy’s lower half, starting shy above her slender and toned hips. She began as Fluttershy had done on her whenever she had offered it, starting by rubbing her hooves in small circles, applying very little pressure to ease into it. Beneath her, she felt Fluttershy shudder gently at her touch, and, for a moment, Dash was scared that she was doing it wrong and mucking it up for her.

‘’Ooh!’’ Fluttershy swooned. ‘’That feels nice, Rainbow Dash! Your hooves are so soft!’’ She complimented, and Rainbow mentally sighed a breath of relief, not expecting that kind of response.

Woo, that one was close! I thought I’d messed it up for a moment there! So far, so good, I guess.

Rainbow Dash began to press a little bit harder as she worked around Fluttershy’s smooth, perfectly circular rump, and she began to work a patter up her spine, leading up to her wings. She can’t believe how she never took any notice of it before when they cuddled in bed together, but Fluttershy had an amazing physique that knew no flaws, and Dash began to wonder to herself, ‘’How is this mare still single?’’

Rainbow had started to reach the point between Fluttershy’s wings, and she felt her body react once her hooves pressed down on the spot directly between her shoulderblades, the sweet spot between her wings. Fluttershy’s wings began to unfurl slightly at the sensation of somepony’s hooves touching down upon her ticklish area, and her lips parted slightly, a moan escaping from them.

Mmm! Hmm….OH! Ooooh! Hmm! T-That feels so good! Mmm, Dashie, please don’t stop, it feels so great! Aloe doesn’t give massages half this good, and she’s a professional! 

Fluttershy moaned audibly in sensuality to Rainbow Dash’s tender, surprisingly delicate touch. The mare had expected her hooves to be hard and rough on her, but she found herself to be pleasantly surprised by her misguided judgement of her friend’s abilities. Behind that tough, confident exterior was a soft and caring mare that had a sensitive side, and that was one of the things about Rainbow Dash that went unnoticed by most ponies.

Fluttershy was finding it hard to contain herself and to keep her moans of intense exhilaration concealed, and the more she leaned into the touch of Rainbow’s tender hooves, the harder she was finding it to fight. Resistance was futile, and she simply couldn’t help it. She gave a long, dragging moan.

‘’Hmmmmm! Ooooooh!’’ She swooned blissfully. Her voice tickled and plucked away at Dash’s heartstrings.

‘’How’s it feel, ‘Shy?’’ Rainbow asked, and she was answered by another series of pleasurable moans as the mare was lost in her own world. Her face had the expression of somepony that was stirring out of a deep, rejuvenating slumber. ‘’I’ll take that as a ‘good’, shall I?’’

Rainbow giggled when she began to apply more pressure along Fluttershy’s spine, hearing a scratching sound start up beside her. A quick look downwards conformed the sound to be Fluttershy kicking her leg like a very happy canine being given a friendly scratch behind their ear. When Rainbow Dash saw it, it reminded her of Applejack’s dog, Winona.

Rainbow Dash finished the massage by rubbing the stress and tension out of her patient’s rounded, scrumptious shoulders, and she bit her tongue, the appendage half-lolling out of her mouth as she concentrated. Fluttershy’s body partially raised up from the couch as she began to ring them, firmly gripping them and giving them a push and a pull whilst she rubbed them, and the sensation, simultaneously rough and blissful, sent signals into Fluttershy’s ear, causing it to twitch.

Wow, Rainbow Dash, that feels so good! I never knew that you were so good at giving massages! I’ll have to remember to do this next time I give you one…

‘’Are you alright, Shyster?’’ Rainbow asked once she had finished up and slowly reclined herself back down onto the cushions of the couch. ‘’I’m not gonna lose you to Princess Luna, am I?’’ She joked, noticing her sleepy, relaxed and dreamy expression.

‘’Th-That was…wonderful,’’ She said sweetly, her voice as smooth as fine chocolate. 

‘’I’m not surprised, I’m awesome at everything! Except maybe for baking,’’ Rainbow Dash said that last part quietly, knowing that she was no match for the culinary expertise of Pinkie Pie in the kitchen. She couldn’t wrap her head around it, how logic dictates that whatever Rainbow bakes magically comes out burned. It was like a cruel prank that nopony had the brains to figure out, not even Twilight.

‘’Anyway, Fluttershy, we’ve got a little over two hours before one of us has to pick up Scootaloo from school, so I was wondering if we could spend some time together in the meantime? It’s been really boring lounging around all day at my house, and, if I’m honest, I kinda wish that school didn’t start again for a while. I miss having that squirt around the house, you know?’’

‘’Oh, I know, Dashie, I miss her, too,’’ Fluttershy said, sharing the cyan mare’s thoughts. ‘’But don’t worry, school will be out again by the time it gets closer into Winter, so she’ll be back with us in no time.’’

‘’Yeah, but it can’t come fast enough, Shyster,’’ Dash said, smiling for her friend’s efforts to cheer her up and to chase away her winter blues. ‘’I never thought that I’d end up likin’ knowing what it’s like to share a house with my friends, but I have to say, it’s grown on me. For the first time, I know what it’s like to have a family.’’

Rainbow Dash wasn’t lying, either. She had a fond selection of memories from her childhood, and she had both a mother and a father, and it was one of the best and happiest moments of her life. But, she had always felt like there was a missing piece in the equation, and it’s kept her up some nights, provoking her to no end. She wanted to know what it was like to have a family of her own.

The topic always made her feel so embarrassed, making her blush at the idea, not thinking of herself as the motherly type or ‘wife material’. Her father used to always joke with her though her teenage years, ‘’So, Dashie, when’re ya gonna bring home a nice stallion to settle down with?’’, and it brought shame into her being. 

For years, Rainbow Dash had pondered about it, always so ashamed to open up and come out to the ponies that she was closest to, and one of those ponies happened to be Fluttershy. Mares were meant to marry stallions, and that was the typical way of the marriage tradition. Two ponies meeting, falling in love, announcing their engagement, celebrating their big day with the two parts of families coming together to merge into one, having kids, ya-da-ya-da…

Coming out of the closet wasn’t her favourite topic, and she had her doubts on being accepted. Rainbow Dash had experimented maybe once or twice, not that she’d admit it, but she was confused and lost, unsure of where she stood in terms of her own sexuality, wondering about her orientation, and it had bothered her relentlessly as she entered her adult years. She was too embarrassed to ask her mother or her father about it, and she was still scared of asking them, terrified at the thought of being disowned or being completely chewed out and discarded from their lives.

She hadn’t visited them for years, and now that she knew where she stood, she felt proud of herself for finally having an answer, but, at the same time, her shame caught up to her. If Fluttershy one day became her marefriend, she had no idea how she would go about coming out to her parents about it, or if they’d accept her decision and support her like they have done for years.

Most ponies in Equestria were overly critical and judgemental about such a ‘taboo’ act of affection against two parties of the same gender, and it made coming clean all the more stressful and difficult. In such a rough scene on a delicate topic, Rainbow didn’t want to place Fluttershy in a situation where she would be mercilessly hated upon and torn to shreds both left and right. It wouldn’t be fair to drag her into it like that.

Fluttershy gave Rainbow an understanding look, her lips curled into a gentle smile and her eyes warm and glowing in the firelight, warm turquoise pools of heaven. She knew where she was coming from, and she felt for her.

‘’I do, too,’’ Fluttershy said. ‘’I’ve always thought of you as a part of my family, too, Rainbow Dash, and I don’t remember my home being this lively since before you and Scootaloo arrived. It’s been wonderful to spend so much time together and to catch up on all of the years we’ve missed out on since I moved from Cloudsdale. I wouldn’t have it any other way,’’ She then hugged Rainbow Dash.

They hugged for a few minutes, enjoying the embrace too much to want to break apart. Holding Fluttershy this close was somewhat of a dream of Rainbow’s, wanting to cradle her like she was her partner, close enough to feel their hearts beat together in sync. It was moments like these that Dash took the chance to savour and relish in, the part she loved the most.

‘’And Fluttershy?’’ Dash started, still hugging her.

‘’Hmm?’’

‘’Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable back there. I know it was sudden, but keeping it a secret was grinding my gears. I’m not that good at dealing with controlling my emotions and keeping them in check, y’know?’’ Rainbow said awkwardly, but Fluttershy shushed her and held her tighter.

‘’Shh, it’s okay, Dashie. We all have trouble expressing how we feel at times, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,’’ She assured her. ‘’We’ll always be best friends, Rainbow, and I’m always going to be here for you,’’ Fluttershy then did something that froze Dash in her place. She kissed her on the cheek.

It was short-lived and light, but the tingling sensation of where her lips had been upon the cyan mare’s cheek ignited a whirlpool of girly giddishness that gave way to a flurry of emotions. It was a small affectionate gesture, but the concept of it meant so much more, and the fact that she had just been kissed by Fluttershy made Dash feel so fantastic on the inside.

S-She kissed me! Fluttershy, that beautiful mare, just Celestia-damn kissed me! I was kissed by Fluttershy! Can you say, ‘Best. Day. EVER!’?

Fluttershy giggled cutely at the flummoxed, gobsmacked face of Rainbow Dash, her lips frozen in a half-open position, her breath shallow and her eyes small from shock. She touched a hoof to her cheek and she still felt the delicate, loving lips of the mare ringing against her nerves. 

‘’Feeling better?’’ Fluttershy asked coyly. 

‘’Tonnes!’’ Dash said, beaming heavily. ‘’So, just curious, but…what do you wanna do now? We’ve still got plenty of time to kill!’’ 

‘’Hmm, I figured we could sit here for a while, drink tea and cuddle. It’s warm and cosy in here, don’t you think?’’ She batted her eyelashes seductively at Dash, giving her a half-lidded look while her lips were parted, showing that she was biting the inside of her lips on the left side.

You know exactly how to push my buttons, don’t you, Flutter-Butter? It’s not fair, not when you get to tease me this often!

Rainbow Dash didn’t possess the heart to decline her offer. After all, it was actually very toasty in her living room. The fire was appealing, and getting to snuggle with Fluttershy definitely caught her immediate attention, and drinking some of her home-brewed tea sweetened the deal all the more. Scootaloo wouldn’t be out of school for two hours, anyway, so they had plenty of time to cuddle.

Smiling, Rainbow Dash gave the mare a playful grin and she asked her, ‘’Alright, do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?’’


***  ***  ***









Rainbow Dash, after having spent some quality time with Fluttershy, headed over towards the schoolhouse to pick up Scootaloo. She had arrived a mere few minutes before class was due to end, but she knew it’d soon pass, so being punctual was always a good trait. 

It was noticeably colder by this time, about 4:26PM, and the time of the year brought with it a cold but not bothersome breeze. Personally, Rainbow Dash loved it this time of the year. It meant that the best season was creeping up, a time to enjoy hot apple cider and hot chocolate around an open fire, the smell of frosted pine, the start of snowfall, darker nights and wooly hats and scarves. 

This time around, there was one thing that Rainbow looked forward to in particular, and that was getting to share this time with both Scootaloo and Fluttershy as a small but happy family. For the little filly, this was going to be a special occasion, too, mainly because she had spent two Hearth’s Warmings all alone and without anypony to celebrate it with. This time, it was going to be different and special, the way that it should be for a young girl of her age. 

Well, her birthday did get cut short, and this is the perfect opportunity to make up for screwing up. Maybe me and Fluttershy can talk to the others and arrange something? 

Rainbow’s thoughts were cut short as the school bell rang out across the playground. It wasn’t a moment too soon that the door to the small building owned by Miss Cheerilee opened up and all of the schoolchildren began to pour out in a cluster, most of them eager to hop straight into their evening plans with their friends. 

Most of the schoolchildren’s parents were waiting for them along with Rainbow Dash, and they were all glad to see the smiling, happy faces of their foals after a long day. It made Rainbow smile, seeing them all so happy together, missing each other after spending hours apart to partake in their area of work, and it welled up a sinking sensation within the mare’s gut when she watched them.

In particular, she watched as a young filly, maybe around Scootaloo’s age, perhaps a year or two younger, ran up and hugged her mother, thrusting herself up with her wings to clutch around her neck and shoulders. They were both giggling and sharing an embrace for a moment, and Rainbow couldn’t help but have a thought suddenly enter her mind out of nowhere.

I wonder if that’ll be me someday.

It was a small, insignificant thought that was as absentminded as the concept of family orientation, not so complicated or unnatural to think of at least once in life, but it hit home with Rainbow Dash. She didn’t want to say anything to Fluttershy about it, but, from when she came into her cloud home and she began to fill up the empty void of her living space with her and Scootaloo, Rainbow began to ask herself the question more often. 

She knew that they weren’t a family by any means of the word, but it was nice to think that they were. It brought her back into the conundrum that was the issue of finding out what her orientation was, ashamed and embarrassed to think that she should have these feelings of having a family of her own one day, especially when your average family was composed of a mare and a stallion, not a mare and a mare. There was no such thing as two mothers or two fathers, and that hurt her inside worse than any future alienation and discrimination could ever deliver if ponies found out.

‘’Rainbow Dash!’’

What a bunch of jerks, Rainbow thought bitterly as the idea in her mind began to dissipate. It’s so unfair and cruel, the way some ponies can treat others. What’s so wrong about being in love with somepony? It’s not as if there’s something wrong with me, is it?

‘’Rainbow Dash!’’ The voice called again, and Rainbow Dash snapped out of it, blinking a few times and coming around to reality again. She glanced down in confusion, but she settled down once she noticed that a concerned-looking Scootaloo was standing there, her neck wrapped in a two-tone purple scarf Fluttershy had knitted for her. ‘’Are you okay?’’

‘’Wha—oh! Yeah, I’m fine, Scoots,’’ Rainbow quickly shoved her thoughts aside and regained herself, putting on a neutral face. ‘’So, how was school? Anything fun?’’ 

Scootaloo didn’t answer her for a moment, instead giving her this unconvinced look, a raise of her brow that gave Rainbow the impression that she wanted to pry a bit more. For a young filly, she certainly wasn’t naive, the mare had to give her that much.

‘’It was alright,’’ Scootaloo said, drawing a long sigh. ‘’It’s always the same, old boring stuff every year. ‘’Geography and science’’ this and ‘’physics and history’’ that. If I wanted to learn any of that stuff, I’d go and see Twilight,’’ Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes, smirking. 

‘’Yeah, Twilight knows just about everything that there is to know about literally anything, but it’s better to not bring it up that you need help to her,’’ Rainbow leaned in and whispered into her ear. ‘’Trust me, you’ll end up with a case of the Egghead’s Syndrome!’’ The pair then shared a hearty giggle.

‘’But seriously, squirt, I know that stuff’s incredibly boring and all, but it’s important,’’ Rainbow Dash began as they started walking away from the school house. ‘’I was the same as you when I was in school, you know?’’

‘’Oh, sure,’’ Scootaloo said with a roll of her hoof through the air. ‘’And I bet Pinkie Pie was exactly like Applejack in school, too.’’

‘’No, I mean it,’’ Dash said, chuckling at the filly’s remark. ‘’For most pegasi working in the weather factory, learning about weather patterns and environments can be the difference between a peaceful winter or a drought. Believe me, when earth ponies plant their crops and they don’t have enough water to yield anything, it’s not a pretty story for the pegasi up top,’’ Rainbow grimaced at the idea of a pegasi vs Earth pony riot forming.

‘’Huh, I never really thought about it like that,’’ Scootaloo said. ‘’Sounds to me like you’ve already been infected by Egghead Syndrome!’’ She said, knocking Dash’s shoulder and giggling at the mock shocked face Rainbow gave her.

‘’Hey! I am not!’’ Rainbow resented the remark. 

‘’Are too!’’ Scootaloo fired back.

‘’I’m not!’’

‘’Are too!’’

‘’I’ll make you eat those words!’’ Rainbow Dash said as she began to tussle the filly’s hair, giving her a boogie while they both laughed. Scootaloo had escaped from her hold and she had ran in front of her, sticking out her tongue at her and blowing a taunting raspberry.

‘’Catch me if you can, nerd!’’ She jeered, zipping off in an instant with Dash behind her, lips tugged into a challenge-accepting grin.

‘’Oh, it is so on!’’ She said as she darted after her, intentionally backing off in her strides to make for a more intense chase, enough to let the filly feel like she’s going to come out a champion. 

They had entered the middle of Ponyville, cutting through the town square, the two of them breaking out in hysterics as they caught up to each other, feeling the rush of adrenaline kick in as Dash went in for the kill. She only missed Scootaloo’s hooves by a narrow gap, close enough to almost nick her rear hoof.

‘’I’m gonna getcha!’’ Rainbow said in a sing-song voice, and Scootaloo blew another raspberry in her face before erupting into a round of giggles.

‘’I don’t think so!’’ She called over her shoulder.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo continued in a game of cat and mouse for a short-lived few minutes through and around Ponyville Square, outside of the Town Hall, and Rainbow was directly behind the filly for most of the time. 

Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder for a moment, seeing that Rainbow was still hot on her tail, a couple of metres back from her, but when she glanced back to view in front of her, her breath suddenly caught in her throat. The filly halted to a sharp skid, kicking up dirty and pebbles as she did so, her body freezing over as her blood chilled within her veins. She was sure that her heart had ushered in a new ice age as she stared forward, way up into one of the streets.

Rainbow Dash, not expecting the sudden halt, almost crashed into the filly, but she used her wings to slow her descent. She blinked confusedly, wondering what was going on, and then she saw how harshly the girl’s body was trembling and how small and fearful her purple eyes were.

‘’Scoots? Hey, what’s the matter?’’ Dash asked her, concerned that something was incredibly and very wrong with her, and she glanced back and forth between the filly and the direction she was staring off into. ‘’What’re you looking at?’’

Oh. My. CELESTIA! You have got to be kidding me! Is this real?! Scootaloo thought as she glanced forward. She’d recognise that pony anywhere.

‘’Scoots! Hello, anypony home in there?’’ Rainbow tried to coax her out of it, touching a hoof to the back of her neck, hoping that it’d do the trick. ‘’Hey! Earth to Scootaloo! What, did your ears freeze over?’’

‘’T-There,’’ Scootaloo said numbly, her voice rattled and shaken, as if she’d seen a ghost. She raised one of her small hooves to point forward towards the street that lead towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

‘’What?’’ Rainbow asked, still dumbfounded on what was going on. ‘’I don’t get it.’’

‘’Look!’’ Scootaloo said. ‘’It’s…’’

And then Rainbow Dash saw what had rattled the filly.

There, standing off in the distance and glancing about the streets was the pony she had seen in the photograph laying on the floor in Scootaloo’s house. She recognised that royal purple coat and ice white mane anywhere!

Rainbow watched her, a bitterness arising in her chest and invading her heart at the sight of her. She was currently chatting with another mare, but it was unclear at this point what she was inquiring about. Regardless of the reason, Rainbow Dash ground her teeth at the sight of her, her gut becoming inflamed by a slowly building rage of fire that was sure to unleash itself with merciless intent.

Rainbow Dash, not thinking, grabbed Scootaloo and threw her onto her back, bringing the girl over to the steps of Town Hall that lead up to the entrance, asking her to stay there. This way, she was both out of earshot if things turned ugly and she was safe from being noticed. Celestia forbid, if anything happened to that child…

‘’Hey! You!’’ Rainbow Dash growled as she came up the street towards the mare. The snarl in her voice caused the few ponies around her to turn their head and stare in her direction, a cloud of tension brewing in the air. They began to chatter beneath their breath as they watched the hot-headed mare make her approach.

The mare that Scootaloo’s mother was chatting to quickly backed away under Rainbow’s soul-crushing gaze, afraid the moment she say how vicious her snarl was. Right now, Rainbow’s anger was flaring like a miniature pony was pumping the clutch and selecting which gear to throw her into, waiting for the right moment.

‘’Who, m-me? I-I don’t want any trouble!’’ Silver Star back up a few paces and she was visibly fearful, unsure of who this mare was or what she wanted. Her nerves were still ringing from earlier, and this sudden hostility towards her from a complete stranger was pushing the bar.

‘’Well, you’re gonna get trouble if you don’t start talking!’’ Rainbow Dash growled at her, her tone a sharp, no-nonsense bark. 

‘’I think you’ve got me confused with somepony else,’’ Silver Star said, mumbling.

‘’I know who you are!’’ Rainbow took a step closer to her, pressing her nose up against Silver Star’s, the mare getting boxed in with her rump pressed against the wall of a terrace house and Dash’s hot-breathed snout. ‘’And you better start telling me why you did it!’’

‘’D-Did what?’’ 

‘’You know what!’’ The cyan mare glowered at her, barring her teeth. ‘’You’re Scootaloo’s mother, aren’t you?!’’ She said, and Silver Star’s face visibly calmed, but she was still cautious.

‘’S-Scootaloo?’’ She breathed. She brushed her white-coloured mane out of her face and her frosty blue eyes gave Rainbow an inquisitive look. ‘’How…how do you know my Scootaloo?’’

‘My Scootaloo’?! Oh, this mare’s out of her mind! Don’t test me, lady! Rainbow Dash scoffed at her words, disgusted.

‘’Oh, I think you know how I know her. Because of you, I found her in the hospital, waiting all by herself, no parents, no guardians, no nothing! She was all on her own, and, as if that wasn’t enough for you, she’s been through Tartarus for two years!’’ Rainbow Dash’s chest was heaving as she pressed her snout harder into the mare’s face with each word.

Silver Star was stunned and ashamed, her ears pricking at the word ‘hospital’, an instinctual concern arising within her for her child. She gave the cyan mare a worried look, not trying to shove her away from her or to aggravate her further.

‘’Scooty was in the hospital?’’ She asked at a whisper, scared for what might have caused it. ‘’Oh, dear, is my baby alright?!’’ She asked, bringing up her hooves to grip Dash’s shoulders, but Rainbow shoved her back down with harsh force.

‘’She’s fine now that she’s got me and my friends, no thanks to you,’’ She spat at her, expression sour. ‘’You’ve got a lot to answer for, and you’ve got some nerve coming back here after what you did!’’ She told her, and Silver Star bit her lip while she rubbed her hoof tenderly, eyes becoming downcast and dim. She looked like a lost foal that ran away from home.

‘’I-It…It wasn’t my fault…’’ She mumbled meekly.

‘’No, of course it wasn’t your fault for leaving your daughter for dead of your own accord,’’ Rainbow rolled her eyes. The ponies that were standing nearby in earshot began to mumble under their breath upon hearing this, most of them commenting on how cruel it was. The townsfolk sounded as disgusted and appalled as Rainbow Dash felt on the inside. ‘’In my book, that makes you my problem, and you’ve got a whole lot to answer for!’’

Rainbow Dash grabbed the mare around her shoulders and she hoisted her up to her hooves in one swift motion, the speed of her agile hooves catching her off guard and causing her to squirm. Rainbow continued to glare at her and she prodded her in her breast, giving her a serious, firm knitting of her brow and a push.

‘’And you’re answers better be good, otherwise I can’t promise that I won’t throw you into Ghastly Gorge. Understand?’’ She asked firmly, and Silver Star gave a weak nod of her head once she realised the tightness of her situation, knowing that there wasn’t going to be any easy way out of this one. 

‘’Mmm-hmm,’’ She responded, to terrified to use her vocal chords.

‘’Good,’’ Dash said. 

‘’Hey, hey! What’s all the hubbub?’’ The voice of Applejack sounded over the few ponies spectating the area, and the mare soon came into vision. Her eyes widened once she saw the figure of Rainbow Dash standing amongst the crowd, and her head turned to face the frightened-looking mare that was being grabbed by her. ‘’What in tarnation is alla this about?’’

Applejack stepped forward and she came beside Rainbow Dash, giving her a disapproving stare, and she jabbed her in the side gently. Her emerald green eyes cast themselves over towards the mare in front of Rainbow and she became curious as to what was happening.

‘’Do y’all mind explainin’ what in the hay you think you’re doin’ here? Let that mare go!’’ Applejack said, trying to move to pry Dash’s hoof from Silver Star’s shoulder, but Dash shoved her back.

‘’Applejack, wait a second! This is one of Scootaloo’s parents!’’ She informed her, and Applejack stood stock-still for a moment, blinking and raising her brow at the cyan mare’s claim.

‘’Um, beg pardon? Did I jus’ hear that right?’’ She asked, sticking a hoof into her ear to make sure she didn’t have any hay or other substances clogging them up. ‘’I couldda sworn I heard y’all say this is Scootaloo’s ma?’’

‘’I did!’’ Rainbow Dash said desperately, wanting to make her friend understand the importance of the discovery. ‘’Applejack, you have to believe me! She is Scootaloo’s mother, and I can prove it!’’

Silver Star gave Rainbow Dash a sideways glance at that, and her heart dropped down in her chest, making her feel constipated and anxious. 

‘’I found this at her Scootaloo’s house after her birthday ended,’’ Rainbow Dash unfurled one of her wings and pulled out the picture she had found dropped on the carpet. She had carried it around almost every day since she discovered it, and she had kept it on her being in the event that she ever ran into her parents or if they ran into her, as a form of evidence.

‘’Well, I’ll be,’’ Applejack murmured, inspecting the photograph and tilting her hat back. She glanced up from it to face the mare in front of her, seeing that she was shivering in her little horseshoes. ‘’What’s yer name, sugarcube?’’

‘Sugarcube’? Oh, come on, AJ, don’t you understand that you’re talking to a neglectful, child-abandoning parent? 

‘’S-Silver Star,’’ She replied quietly.

‘’Applejack,’’ The farmpony tapped her chest, introducing herself. ‘’An’ I believe y’all’ve already been acquainted with Rainbow Dash,’’ She motioned towards the rainbow-maned mare with the cyan coat. ‘’Is that true, what Dash said?’’

Silver Star hung her head and she clenched her eyes, feeling them become moist and warm as she knew what was about to come. Judgement was knocking on her door, and she has had two years to acquaint herself with the consequences of what she knows that she did wrong, and she has had to live with the guilt every day since.

‘’…Yes.’’

Silver Star was undoubtedly apologetic, but it didn’t matter if she was sorry or not, because it was still too late. What’s done is done, and there was no way around it. Whether or not she wanted to take part in it, she still committed a serious crime that isn’t excusable or granted forgiveness with a pardon. 

Applejack may have been the most understanding and reasonable of ponies in Rainbow’s friendship circle, but even she had to admit that there was a flare of anger behind those green eyes of hers. Applejack, being family orientated and so immersed in honesty and ethics related to sticking by your loved ones, took the admittance of Silver Star’s betrayal to her own child to-heart. To Applejack, there was no worse crime, and she wasn’t going to stand for it.

‘’Why would y’all do such an awful thing? To yer only daughter, nonetheless?’’ She inquired, her face sealed in a stern expression.

‘’I…I had no choice,’’ Silver Star mumbled. 

‘’An’ what’s that supposed ta mean, missy? That’s no excuse for—-‘’

‘’I said that I didn’t have a choice!’’ Silver Star yelled at her, a couple beads of warm tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘’I didn’t want to leave her, but I had no choice!’’

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared a glance, wondering what she meant. It was Rainbow Dash who piped up first.

‘’What do you mean, ‘you had no choice’? It seems to me like you’re trying to get off easy,’’ Rainbow said suspiciously, not buying into her games or antics. However, it only frustrated the mare.

‘’I’m not trying to do anything! All I want is to see my little girl again! I wanted to stay with her and keep her safe, but Hardy told me he’d hurt me if I didn’t go with him! You have to understand, I didn’t want any part of this, but he threatened me to leave her!’’ She cried, pleading that she was innocent and not in the wrong, no matter what the reason was behind it.

‘’Who’s Hardy?’’ Applejack asked. ‘’Is that yer hubby?’’ Silver Star nodded.

‘’Mmm-hmm, only he’s no longer the stallion I married. He’s completely out of his mind! Please, I don’t want to go to prison! I only want my little girl back, I swear! I love her! Rainbow Dash, please, you’ll tell me where she is, won’t you?!’’ She lunged forward and she grabbed Dash by the shoulders, her grip surprisingly strong, almost yanking the pegasus over.

‘’Hey, let go of me!’’ Dash demanded as she yanked the frantic mare off of her, forcing her backwards. ‘’Look, I don’t know what it is that’s been going on between you and your husband, but if it caused you to be dragged off and forced you to abandon your daughter to fend for herself, then I don’t think allowing you anywhere near Scootaloo is close to a good idea. Like, you have no idea what nightmare you put that filly through, and it’s because of you that she’s likely going to be stuck like that for the rest of her life!’’ Rainbow Dash snarled at her, fuming.

She was right to be angry, too. After witnessing Scootaloo’s quiet behaviour, night terrors, reluctance to speak openly about what happened, her pent-up anger and sadness and feelings of abandonment and betrayal, Rainbow Dash was going to do anything and everything in her power to ensure that it won’t happen again. If she possessed the power to step inside of young Scootaloo’s head, she dreaded what she’d find lurking in the shadows of her tainted mind.

‘’Easy, there, Dash, let ‘er go,’’ Applejack soothed the fuming cyan mare, touching a hoof to her back. ‘’There’s a time an’ a place for that, an’ neither’s here,’’ She told her. ‘’Now, why don’t y’all go on ahead an’ take Scootaloo home? She’s still waitin’ for ya by the Town Hall. I’ll take it from here, sugarcube.’’

Rainbow Dash seriously was reluctant to leave, but she knew that she’d blow a gasket if she stayed around in the same vicinity as this…filth. The word ‘peeved’ didn’t come anywhere close to how she was feeling right now, and she half-believed that her anger was going to explode, resulting with one of her hooves slamming underneath Silver Star’s jaw. As much as she’d love to give her a smack around the head to knock the loose parts back into place, Applejack was right.

Fluttershy had told her the same thing, about her anger, that is. Losing her cool right now in front of all of these ponies wasn’t the best way to portray her as a responsible pony taking care of a young foal, was it? And so, as reluctant as she was to resign from her standing point, Rainbow Dash gave Applejack a firm stare and told her,

‘’Fine. But don’t let her out of your sight! I don’t trust her one bit, Applejack, and you shouldn’t, either! Keep your eye on her!’’ And then she headed off towards where Scootaloo was waiting for her.

Once Rainbow Dash had stepped in front of Town Hall, the little filly was waiting for her, sitting on the first step with her front hooves between her hind legs, her eyes downcast. Upon hearing the older mare approach, she looked up and she was relieved to see Rainbow Dash coming back, but her face held traces of caution for what went on when she wasn’t around.

‘’Rainbow Dash, you’re back!’’ She got up and she hugged Dash’s front leg. When she pulled away, her eyes were visibly glossy and her lips were tugged into a frown. ‘’What happened with my Mum?’’ 

‘’Don’t worry about it, kiddo, it’s alright,’’ Dash said, hugging the filly back. ‘’I don’t want to talk about it. Come on, we need to go home. And Scootaloo?’’ Rainbow began as she picked up the filly and placed her on her back. ‘’You’re a good kid. I’m not going to let anypony take you away from me.’’

And Rainbow meant those words. From this day forward, Scootaloo was not only going to be her little sister, she was, in a sense, her daughter. And she was about to enter the biggest fight of her life to claim her as such.


***  ***  ***


‘’Oh, dear,’’ Fluttershy murmured as she sat across from Dash on the couch. Scootaloo was sitting between the pair, and the butter mare’s hoof was resting comfortingly upon her shoulder. Rainbow Dash had given her the details on what had happened, and Fluttershy’s face was nothing short of concerned.

‘’I know, right! And then she demanded that I hand over Scootaloo to her! I mean, how stupid does she think I am? There is no way that I’m allowing her to take her back after what she did to her! If you ask me, that mare deserves whatever she gets!’’ Rainbow said bitterly, anger still present within her veins, burning and boiling her blood. The very nerve of Silver Star irked her, made her hooves itch. 

‘’That does sound awful,’’ Fluttershy pouted. ‘’She didn’t hurt you, did she?’’ She asked Scootaloo, but the filly was too miserable to answer her, still trying to process the entire situation. She only caught the last part of the incident, mostly when the shouting started, loud enough for her to hear from Town Hall.

Scootaloo had her head hung low, and her eyes were large and sad, wounded-looking. She glanced up momentarily at Fluttershy, hoping to indicate an answer enough with her moping expression. 

‘’See what I mean? Seeing her again made things worse!’’ Rainbow Dash draped her wing around Scootaloo’s tiny, cold form, pulling her closer towards her. ‘’It’ll be alright, Scoots, we’re not going to let her take you from us.’’

‘’B-But why’s she come back? Why has she come back to try and take me when she abandoned me? Why, Rainbow Dash?’’ She asked sadly, confused, old emotions of hurt arising again, emotions she had fought to remain hidden and drowned out. 

‘’Beats me, kid, but with me and Fluttershy around to back you up, you don’t need to worry about her nabbing you away,’’ Rainbow Dash said confidently, assuring her with a smile. It brightened the filly’s spirits a little bit, but she still felt bitter and broken on the inside.

‘’But Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo is her daughter, and she’ll have more authority over her than we do. If it gets out of hand and Silver Star gets the police involved, we’ll have to give her back. I don’t see any way around it,’’ Fluttershy said helplessly, but Rainbow guffawed at her and rolled her eyes.

‘’’If it gets out of hand’?’’ She began. ‘’In what way can it get any more out of hand than it has already, Fluttershy, huh? And did you bang your head and suddenly forget that we’ve got Violet Snowdrop to back us up? If anypony can testify against Silver Star and her husband, it’s going to be her! Besides, her and Scootaloo get along great, don’t you?’’ She asked, looking down at Scootaloo and giving her mane a soft tussle. 

‘’Mmm-hmm,’’ She hummed.

‘’Oh, I suppose you’re right,’’ Fluttershy said dumbly, feeling stupid for not remembering. ‘’But we still don’t have any idea where her father is or what he’s doing! If Silver Star’s back in town, then who knows where he could be?’’ She offered, contemplating the idea and taking all aspects into account. Literally anything was a possibility at this point.

Before the pair were able to further their conversation, there was a knock at the door, catching all three ponies’ attention. Once Fluttershy had asked who it was, there was a small but firm voice calling from the other side.

‘’It’s Violet Snowdrop,’’ The voice said, and, while Fluttershy gave Dash a confused look, Rainbow Dash’s face brightened and she hovered over towards the door to invite the pegasus social worker into the cottage. She brought her over towards the couch, where Violet addressed the mare and the filly sitting there.

On any other day, Violet Snowdrop maintained a formal, professional demeanour, but Rainbow Dash’s observant gaze caught her distressed, worried look. She was trying to conceal it, but it still managed to pierce through her barrier, and Dash had a pretty good idea why.

‘’And you must be Fluttershy,’’ Violet Snowdrop smiled up at the butter-coloured mare, offering her hoof towards her, both of them sharing a gentle shake. ‘’I’ve heard so much about you,’’ She then turned to face Scootaloo, concerned at how saddened she appeared, but she supposed she couldn’t blame her, given the circumstances. ‘’How are you feeling, sweetheart?’’

‘’Better now that you’re here, Miss Snowdrop,’’ Scootaloo told her, visibly perking up at her presence. Violet’s soothing pools of cerulean, heavenly bliss administered a painkiller into her hurt heart, and the child warmed up to her. ‘’But why are you here?’’

‘’I’m here to speak to Rainbow Dash,’’ She gazed into the magenta eyes of the cyan pegasus, lips tugged into a frown. ‘’I trust you know why I’m here?’’ Rainbow nodded. ‘’Good, then it saves time. I’ve been hearing the ponies talk around town, and everypony seems to be chatting and whispering amongst themselves that a certain somepony has come back to town, and that you caused quite a stir with her in the middle of the town square,’’ Violet said, pointing her hoof towards Dash.

Violet’s face had an annoyed tinge to it, as if disappointed in Rainbow Dash for lashing, but it quickly dissipated. She wasn’t a pony who’s job put her in a position to judge or blame ponies, but rather to show compassion and care, and, if she was being honest to herself, she didn’t have it in her to blame Rainbow for what she did. However, from an advantageous perspective, it muddled things.

‘’Miss Rainbow Dash…with Silver Star back in the picture, I’m afraid that it complicates things, for you and Fluttershy especially,’’ Violet said regretfully.

‘’In what way does it complicate things? She’s a horrible pony that waltzed back into town thinking that I was just going to hand Scootaloo back over to her!’’ Rainbow Dash huffed, getting frustrated.

‘’I understand your frustration, Rainbow Dash, but you must understand that custody battles often lead to lengthy, stressful debates that delineates consent from both the parents and the pony opting for custody. With how you handled Silver Star in the middle of town, I’m certain that she’s not going to be very compliant,’’ Violet said, disappointed. Her lips were tugged into a frown as she stared at Rainbow Dash, expecting her to say something.

‘’So, what, even after all of the dirt we’ve got on her and Scootaloo’s father, you’re telling me that that’s it?’’ Rainbow asked, dumbfounded. ‘’For Celestia’s sake, you’ve been to her house, Violet! You’ve seen what they’ve done to the place! And I’ve told you everything that I’ve found out from the very beginning, so how can you tell me that ‘that’s it’?!’’ Rainbow Dash seethed, but Violet didn’t flinch as the cyan mare had a mini hissy fit.

Fluttershy and Scootaloo were caught in the middle of the firefight of words, and it was a free-for-all at this point. They both glanced back and forth between the two ponies as they shot their responses back at each other, eyes darting between them and fearful for what it might develop into. 

‘’I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I’m a social worker, not a lawyer. In a court of law, it’s possible to say anything you please, but it’s pointless and meaningless unless you have the proper, solid evidence to support it. All we have is words on pieces of paper, without much of a backup,’’ Violet glanced to Scootaloo. ‘’Scooty, does you family have a lawyer?’’

‘’N-No. We didn’t have the money to hire a family lawyer, even when Dad got a promotion,’’ She told her. That put things in their favour.

‘’Alright, thank you, sweetie,’’ She turned back to Rainbow Dash. ‘’And do you or Fluttershy have a lawyer of your own, if I might ask?’’ 

‘’No,’’ Dash said. ‘’What does it matter, anyway? I don’t see what difference it’d make if we found somepony to help us,’’ Rainbow said. Violet rolled her eyes, having trouble thinking. 

In some of her cases, she had taken issues into court only a few times, but it was only with very serious family difficulties that it became necessary. Lucky Clover would have been one of them, but it sadly never came to be. Violet Snowdrop had a number of contacts in the business, some of whom she’d met throughout her line of work to assist her when she required additional help with certain cases, and they proved to be a valuable asset to her when it came to bringing about justice. 

Miss Harshflow was one of the most valuable assets she had on her side of the playing field, and she was her go-to business partner, a necessity for when it came to rehoming orphaned foals or young children whose parents were unfit or incapable of caring for them. Their paths crossed frequently, and Miss Harshflow’s contacts with ponies of authority gave Violet’s social worker cases an upper hand. If ponies didn’t have a lawyer of their own to support them in a court of law, then perhaps one of the contacts Violet had acquired may prove useful in stepping in.

‘’I had to make sure,’’ Violet told Rainbow Dash. ‘’You know, if it’s possible for you to find a lawyer or somepony else of authority, and on top of all that I’ve learned from working with you, we just might stand a chance.’’

‘’Rainbow Dash?’’ The voice of Scootaloo spoke up slowly, and every pair of eyes in the room turned to face her. ‘’What are you all talking about? What’s going on?’’

We all knew it’d be a matter of time until we had to come clean, Rainbow Dash thought. Wonder if the kid’s ready to hear this, or if she’ll understand what’s happening. 

Rainbow Dash glanced towards Fluttershy, seeing that her eyes were neutral, but her lips were tugged into an unsure frown. She had wondered and worried about how the filly would respond to the news, too, and it had put fear into her veins, not sure if she was ready to understand. At ten-years-old, it was more than a lot to take in and comprehend.

Come on, Dashie, we both knew that we had to tell her eventually, Fluttershy’s eyes seemed to say. She needs to know what we’re planning. 

Rainbow Dash gave a long, dragging sigh and she came in front of the young filly, kneeling down in front of her to meet her eye level. She then placed down one of her hooves gently onto the filly’s lap and she began to speak.

‘’Scootaloo, what I’m about to tell you is very important and very hard for me to explain, but because you’re grown up enough to understand, I’m going to trust you to listen,’’ Rainbow said, hoping that she wasn’t pushing the bar by telling her this. However, Rainbow knew that the filly wasn’t stupid and that she was a fighter, and the fact that she survived two years on her own in the face of daily danger proved that.

‘’Um, okay, Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?’’ The filly asked, now curious about what kind of adult-security secret she was about to tell her. In the magenta eyes of her idol, she saw the trust gleam behind them, so crystal-clear but also tentative. Scootaloo knew that if Dash was going to let her in on something this closely-guarded and kept under wraps, then it was a very important piece of knowledge. And it made her feel honoured that she trusted her with it.

‘’Listen, squirt, after we took you in, me and Fluttershy have been talking a whole lot about it, and it’s the same reason that we sought out Violet Snowdrop,’’ She motioned to the social worker. ‘’Violet’s been here to help us try and find a solution that’d allow us to legally adopt you,’’ Rainbow Dash said, trying to summarise Violet’s presence here in the most simple of ways possible.

Scootaloo stared into the eyes of Rainbow Dash emotionlessly, her face as blank as a slate, so wiped clean and devoid of any real emotion that would allow anypony to know what she’s thinking or feeling. Her eyes were blank and locked in a neutral stand-still, processing what she had been told. The little filly glanced between the faces of all of the three mares present, attempting to take in all of this.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy want to adopt…ME?! The filly said to herself, unsure if she had heard them correctly. They want to adopt me?! That’s why they hired Miss Violet Snowdrop to come here, and they didn’t tell me about it? 

‘’You…you want to adopt…me?’’ Scootaloo breathed after a long silence, hardly able to believe her ears. Rainbow Dash gave her a pleading look, hoping that she’d be able to understand how imperative it was for her to understand what was going on. It wouldn’t be right nor fair to her if they thrusted this upon her at the very last minute, and now was as good a time as any, now that Silver Star was back in the picture.

‘’That’s right, kid,’’ Dash said, patting her leg. 

‘’Rainbow Dash and I figured you deserved to have a family that cares about you,’’ Fluttershy added. ‘’It broke our hearts when we found out how horribly you’ve been treated and how you’ve been on your own for so long.’’

‘’But…why do you want me?’’ Scootaloo asked, understandably cautious. ‘’Not even my own parents wanted me, so how do I know you won’t do the same to me?’’ 

Normally, such words would stab Rainbow’s heart and terribly stagger her on a personal level, but she knew fully well that the filly had a right to be cautious and weary. It hurt to an extent that she had to ask, but it wasn’t her place to judge, seeing as she likely would act the same if she were in her position.

‘’Hey, it’s me you’re talkin’ about, kid,’’ Rainbow nudged her shoulder playfully, giving her an uplifting smirk. ‘’Trust me, Scoots, some ponies don’t know how much of a good thing they’ve got in life, but I do,’’ Rainbow hugged the filly. ‘’And I wouldn’t be a very good representative of The Element of Loyalty if I left my little sister hanging, would I?’’ 

‘’We both love you, Scootaloo,’’ Fluttershy said as she joined in with the hug, snuggling herself into the filly’s side while Dash hogged up the front, and Scootaloo didn’t object. Her eyes began to water and she felt warm and tingly on the inside, overjoyed that the two mares loved and cared about her enough to want to call her their own. 

Violet Snowdrop stood and watched with a touched heart, herself feeling a tad teary-eyed as she observed the touching moment between a potential family. Then again, all three of them seemed to already be existing as a family before Violet had arrived onto the scene, and knowing that they all got along famously gave the impression that they already were, in a sense, a functioning family.

For Violet, she can fairly say that she has never once witnessed such undying affection and a strong, solid love that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had for the heartbroken, rejected filly. The display of love, in the eyes of the social worker, was no different than that of a love a mother should have for her kin, and it was evidently clear in this moment that their words were pure and unstained by deceit and lies. This was the real deal.

‘’I-I don’t kn-know what t-to say! Thank you!’’ Scootaloo sniffled as she pulled away from Dash and Fluttershy, so eternally gratefully that they both committed themselves to her like this. It made her feel wanted and accepted, like she was loved, which was really all she ever wanted.

For so long, the poor filly had convinced herself that she was unlovable and completely renounced of having a place in any family. Her days were spent alone for two years, and she, with a broken and heavy heart after she was left for dead, found it impossible to trust anypony, including those closest to her. All of those mornings waking up with hunger pains, scraping up scraps from the floor or sometimes from a bin, just willing to do anything to survive. 

At school during lunchtimes, Apple Bloom used to always offer her half of her apple, or maybe a full one, seeing as Applejack always packed her a few of them every day. Bless that friend of hers, she was so caring and kind. Scootaloo never once brought a packed lunch or anything with her to eat at school, and the only reason she was still alive was because of her tenacity to scrounge what she could while having hospitable friends on the side that were willing to invite her around to eat with them, and she always considered herself lucky to have friends with such wonderful families.

Ever single day was a fighting struggle for the filly, and she so desperately wished she had the courage within her to speak to her friends and their families about what had happened, but the truth is that she was terrified. Scootaloo didn’t know where to begin with her explanation, how she would break the news to her friends, or how they might react. She didn’t want to be pitied and to be constantly fussed over to an obnoxious extent. And so, she simply decided to suffer in silence and kept herself hidden away.

In short, she did what she had to do. Maybe, with this new information coming into the light, all of those days would be long-gone and forgotten. No more hunger pains, no more soul-torturing nightmares, no more being frightened of wetting the bed, no more being afraid of encountering ill-intentioned ponies stumbling in on her while she was sleeping and, most of all, no more being alone and sorry. 

‘’Don’t mention it, Scootaloo. We’d do anything for you, and you know that we’ll always be here for you, sweetie,’’ Fluttershy said kindly, lapping her wing around the filly’s shoulder. 

‘’Yeah, we’re gonna stick by ya, kid, no matter what,’’ Rainbow Dash said confidently, ruffling the girl’s mane. A short cough from beside them caught their attention.

‘’Um, as much as I hate to break up this sentimental moment, there’s still the matter of Scootaloo’s mother to discuss,’’ Violet Snowdrop said. 

‘’Oh, right, sorry,’’ Rainbow Dash said. ‘’Where were we, again?’’ Violet groaned.

‘’The part about having a lawyer, Miss Rainbow Dash,’’ She reminded her, becoming impatient. ‘’If you do not have one, then I can see about having one appointed to you once we open up a court case ourselves or if Silver Star herself decides to open one,’’ Violet said, trying to make her point clear to Rainbow Dash that success isn’t a guarantee. 

Hmm, I don’t see somepony like Silver Star having the money to afford a decent lawyer, but, on the other hoof, it’s not like I’m short on bits to hire one myself. Perhaps I might be able to find one if I—- Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, suddenly remembering something. Oh! Yes! Rainbow Dash, you’re a genius! 

Rainbow Dash grinned as she rubbed her hooves together, definitely not like a sinister villain in a crime movie that had just hatched a master plan, and she began to chuckle to herself. Violet and Fluttershy shared a confused glance, not sure if this was a good sign or not. They both looked at her like she had snapped and become insane.

‘’Um,’’ Fluttershy began, speaking softly. ‘’Are you okay, Dashie?’’

‘’I’m better than alright, Fluttershy, I think I know somepony who can help us!’’ Rainbow Dash began, loving this idea more and more. 

‘’Really? Who?’’

‘’Princess Celestia!’’ Rainbow Dash announced her grand plan, but everypony simply blinked at her, expressions blank. 

‘’Um, okay, I was not expecting that,’’ Violet began, sucking in air between her lips slowly while she recalibrated herself. ‘’And how do you propose to contact her?’’

‘’Twilight! Twilight has a direct contact with the princess, and she’s also her personal student, so she’ll have to listen to her!’’ Rainbow Dash explained. ‘’If I can talk to Twilight, maybe I can convince her to ask the princess to take our side in court!  Once she hears about what’s been going on with Scootaloo, I’m sure that we’ll have our attention then, and, at this point, what do we have to lose?’’

‘’Hmm, maybe you’re right,’’ Violet Snowdrop said thoughtfully, touching a hoof up to her chin. ‘’Naturally, having somepony in a place of power can provide us with an advantage, so you might be onto something,’’ She said to Rainbow Dash, who was beaming with pride.

‘’Violet, trust me, with the princess on our side, what can go wrong? I mean, she’s Princess Celestia, for heaven’s sake! Pretty much everypony in Equestria loves her, so they’ll listen to what she has to say!’’

‘’Dashie,’’ Fluttershy spoke up. ‘’Do you really think that this’ll work? What if she’s too busy to help?’’

‘’Oh, Fluttershy, since when did you start doubting me?’’ Dash mock pouted. ‘’Knowing the princess, she’ll make the time once I let her in on everything that’s happened, and she won’t turn us down.’’

‘’Well, Rainbow Dash, if you think it’s worth a shot, then I think we should go for it,’’ Violet told her. ‘’And I’ll make sure to have all of my notes ready from Scootaloo’s counselling sessions and from what I’ve learned so far,’’ She then turned to Scootaloo. ‘’And you, sweetie, just stay strong and brave. We’ll see to it that this gets put right.’’

A few days after this day had ended, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had the biggest day of their lives waiting for them, and, for Scootaloo, it would be a day that would change her life forever.