A/N
Sorry about the confusion. If you missed it earlier, there was a chapter released that was I guess supposed to be a grimdark or sad ending, but that was one possible ending that Adam wanted to write, sorry about the confusion. This is the real chapter.
Hours later
"Rainbow, STOP!" It wasn't until Twilight shouted that Rainbow decided to give heed.
"WHAT!?" She snapped, floating to the ground. She landed expertly, but her full attention was on Twilight.
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you freaking think? I'm going to see Scootaloo!"
"Rainbow, you can't! You'll be imprisoned for violating the terms of custody, and then no one wins!" Twilight was convincing.
"OK, then, Mrs. Egghead, what do you suggest we do? I mean, it's not like we can get another trial or anything!" Twilight suddenly grinned like she knew something. "What?"
"Rainbow, we CAN! We can appeal for a retrial with Princess Luna! Princess Celestia may have been busy but that might not be true for Princess Luna! And she'll DEFINITELY sway in your favor!" Rainbow just looked at her with a blank stare, standing like a statue. "Uh, Rainbow, are you feeling OK?" Still no response. Twilight tried waving her hoof in front of Rainbows face repeatedly, but nothing worked.
"YEAAAAAAAAH!" The sudden shout of glee caught Twilight off of her guard and she almost had a heart attack. "Sweet, so when is the retrial? Twilight, you OK?" Twilight still had a look of shock on her face. She shook her head for a moment, and resumed the conversation.
"Yeah. We need to actually file for an appeal, then we wait for them to get back to us, then we wait for the appeal." Rainbow started frowning, but before she could speak, Twilight intercepted her. "Yes, I know, it's a lot of waiting, but if you're patient, I know for a fact everything will pay off. Besides, nopony said you couldn't," she pulled out a feather pen and parchment, "write to Scootaloo, did they?" She now had a sly grin on her face. Rainbow smiled widely.
"I like the way you think, Twilight." Her smile softened. "Also." Twilight dropped her parchment and her feather pen in surprise. Rainbow Dash had suddenly embraced Twilight in a tight hug. "Thanks for helping me with this. I don't know what I'd do without you." She broke the hug, and quickly put a five foot distance between them. "I hope you remember that well, Twilight, cuz it probably won't happen again. Not to you, anyway." Twilight simply laughed at her friends pride. She wouldn't show that kind of affection towards anyone but her daughter, which means she must be really emotionally moved to perform a touchy-feely action on Twilight.
"You're very welcome. Now, I'll tell you what: you go home and get some sleep, and I'll write up the appeal. Tomorrow, you can come to the library and we'll write Scootaloo a letter explaining everything. Does that sound good?" Rainbowe obviously shuffled her feet for about a moment before catching herself. She always kept calm and collected in front of her friends. She obviously wanted to write the letter right then and there. Luckily, Twilight was very perceptive. "OK, how about I write a letter explaining everything, and then tomorrow you can write her a more personal letter?" Rainbow perked up at the idea.
"That sounds good, even though I'd prefer to do it tonight. Is there any reason why we can't?"
"Yes, actually. See, Spike is already asleep, and if we try to make him send a letter while he's half asleep, it probably won't find its way to Scootaloo." Rainbow made a sour face.
"Alright then. I'll get some sleep, but I will be at the Library first thing in the morning!"
"Alright! I'll make sure to have Spike ready for your letter."
"OK, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Likewise." They turned and each began to walk their separate ways. Twilight stopped, turned, and called out to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash, wait!" Her target stopped mid-flight and turned to face Twilight.
"Yeah?" Twilight gave her friend a gentle smile.
"Have a good night, OK?"
"Yeah, sure. See ya." With that, she darted away. Twilight couldn't help but feel just a little worried about her friend.
Hours earlier
There was a flash of blue, and the courtroom disappeared. Scootaloo had no idea where she was. She looked around to her left and right, around the guards large body. She appeared to be on a sidewalk, which was next to a road made of asphalt. She looked up in front of her and noticed the words above the entrance; her heart sank.
WELCOME TO MANEHATTAN CENTER FOR JUVENILE ORPHANS
She barely read the sign before the guard gestured for her to go inside. She took two steps forward, and then bolted upwards into the sky. She climbed as fast as she could, speeding away from the guard on the sidewalk below. She was getting faster and faster, and felt her stomach churn as she ground to a halt in midair. Scootaloo issued a yelp of surprise and discomfort, just before accelerating towards the ground. She stopped suddenly, about four inches off of the ground. Her guard looked her in the eyes, horn glowing. He was frowning ever so slightly.
"Don't do that again." With that, he dropped her, quite unexpectedly. She landed with a sharp rapping sound coming from the impact beneath her hooves. He gestured for her to go inside, this time being slightly more aggressive. Scootaloo's face soured, and she reluctantly walked inside. The walls and decor were far better and newer than that of the orphanage back in Ponyville. She walked to the front desk, where a rather nice-looking mare was doing Sudoku with her magic. She was rather small, even though she was an adult, only about two inches larger than Scootaloo. Scootaloo stood for a moment before clearing her throat. The mare looked up and smiled.
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear. What can I do for you?"
"I'm supposed to stay here."
"Oh, you are Scootaloo, yes?" Odd.
"Yeah."
"Ah, of course, your things should be here soon from the other orphanage. Come with me and I'll show you to your room." She followed her guide, thinking only of how much she wanted to be back in her own bed at her moms house. They went up a few flights of steps to the fourth floor, and her was to sixth room on the left. Her guide opened the door, revealing a space devoid of furnishings except for a bed with a pillow and a nightstand with a lamp. She walked in slowly, taking in the surroundings. After a moment, she lept onto the bed.
"Good night, ma'am." The woman was shocked.
"Excuse me?"
"I said good night."
"B-but, it's only like 5 PM, have you even had dinner?
"Nah, it's fine. Just please leave." The unfamiliar woman left the filly alone, not wanting to question her motives. Scootaloo sat in her room for a time, mentally burning the place to the ground. Sure enough, within a few seconds the guard had teleported all of her things to her new room and left. Eventually, it got late, and she turned off the lamp on her nightstand, bathing the room in a gloomy dark, illuminated slightly by the lights of the street pouring in through the slits between the blinds on the window. She rested her head on the pillow, closing her eyes and replaying the events of the day. She began to tear up slightly, not crying, but still sad; she knew she had to be strong to make it through this, just like Rainbow Dash. She remembered the court room, her mothers horror at the judge's verdict. And then, in the blink of an eye, she was here, being greeted by the woman at the counter. Wait. No freaking way.
Her eyes shot open and she darted out of the door, flying down the hall at a breakneck speed. She sped down the steps to the first floor. She looked around, three hallways to go down. She saw the woman who greeted her coming out of the mare's restroom. Without missing a beat, Scootaloo flew angrily towards the woman, smacking into her at full force. The blow sent the woman to the ground. A few ponies popped their heads out of rooms to see what was making the noise. Scootaloo was now on top of the obviously powerless unicorn, anger pouring from her eyes like waterfalls.
"How did you know my name, and why was my name on the list? How did the guard pack my things so soon, even when the judge hadn't even decided that I was going away? ANSWER ME!" The woman shook in fear, obviously spineless.
"P-please, don't hurt me! I was just doing what I was told!" Scootaloo raised a hoof.
"Unless you want to eat this foreleg, I suggest you tell me why all my stuff was already packed and why you were expecting me!" The unicorns eyes were wide in fear.
"OK, OK! I'll talk, just please don't hit me!" Scootaloo smiled in satisfaction, until she heard whispers coming from around her. She looked around and noticed everypony looking at her. She quickly put on the tough demeanor that her mom had taught her.
"What are you guys a looking at?" They all went back into their respective rooms, not wanting to piss off the tiny but capable pegasus. She looked back at the mare below her. She got up, and stepped to the side, looking at the mare expectantly. When she didn't get up, Scootaloo got a little angry.
"Well, what are you waiting for? I'm not gonna straddle you again, not unless you're gonna take me to a dinner and a movie first." The mare quickly got up and blushed, obviously not expecting such suggestive sarcasm from a child. "My room. Let's go." Scootaloo and the mare walked to Scootaloo's room, where Scootaloo began to interrogate her.
"First off, what's your name?"
"C-call me Clementine. Everypony does."
"Alright, Clementine, just how in the hay did you know I would be here before we even decided it?"
"I-I was just told to expect you, that's all, I swear!" Scootaloo's eyes narrowed as she took in the response.
"Who told you?" Clementine's eyes went back and forth as she tried to decide who she feared more: her informant, so-to-speak, or Scootaloo. Scootaloo impatiently stomped her hoof, surprising Clementine into a stuttering reply.
"I-it was a judge! I don't know his name, h-he just gave me a bag of bits and had me add your name to the r-roster!" Scootaloo's jaw dropped. The judge!? Oh man, when Rainbow finds out she'll be charged with much more than freaking unfit parenthood...
The Next Morning
Twilight awoke to a thunderous pounding on her door. She groggily opened her eyes to check the time; it was only 6:23 AM. She stretched her limbs before hurriedly getting out of bed. To go answer the door. She trotted down the steps, yawning the whole way, and jogged to the door. She looked out of the peephole, curious as to who it could be. Oh yeah. She opened the door hastily, before being buffeted to the side by a technicolor blur. The aforementioned blur raced into her house and the steps, right up to Spikes bed. Rainbow Dash stopped, hovering above Spike, who was sound asleep. She nudged him lovingly, using a tone of voice she usually reserved for Scootaloo when she spoke to him.
"Spike? Spiiiiiiike. Hey, come on, it's time to wake up! Spike?!" She made a slightly sour face, then smiled as she had an idea. Twilight was just walking up the base of the steps.
"Uh, Rainbow, what are you-"
"SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!" Spike awoke with a scared yelp, turning over so fast his entire bed flipped with him.
"Oh, hey, you're awake! Sweet, you wanna write a letter for me, Spike?" Twilight ran up the steps, picking up the bed off of Spike.
"Are you OK, Spike?" Spikes eyes were rolling, but he shook his head quickly to clear his mind.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But, why are we up so early?" he asked.
"Oh, Uh, I needja to take a letter for Scootaloo for me!" Rainbow was smiling widely. "OK, here we go: Dear Squirt, I just wa-"
"Wait wait I need the parchment and pen and stuff!" Rainbow was expressionless for a moment.
"Oh, yeah." She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. Spike walked over to the table near the bed, and got the quill and ink and parchment, ready to write.
"Alright, shoot." Rainbow orated her message while Spike hastily wrote. When she was done, Spike signed the letter, and set it on fire, the cloud of green smoke and fire flying out of the window. "OK, I'm going back to bed now."
"So, uh, Twilight, I know I kinda was rude this morning, but, um, how long do you think it will be until I get a reply?"
"Uh, from Manehattan? Probably 48 hours or so." Rainbows jaw dropped.
"Wait, what?! No, I thought it was gonna be like, you know, a couple of hours! I mean, those clouds travel really friggin' quickly!"
"OK, but Scootaloo doesn't have a baby dragon." Rainbow facehoofed.
"Oh yeah, right. Well now don't I feel like a complete jackwagon." Twilight smiled knowingly.
"Yeah, I know it's easy to forget that. I mean, the first month after Spike could do that, I was completely-"
"DERPY!" Rainbow Dash was smiling widely.
"Uh, what?"
"I could probably get Derpy to help me speed up the mail progress!" Oh no. Whenever Rainbow wanted something done quickly, she would always go to extremes.
"Look, I don't think it's such a good idea to-" It was too late; Rainbow Dash was gone.
Five hours later
Rainbow had been searching for over four hours, yet she could find neither Derpy nor the Doctor to which she was married. Ugh, she is ALWAYS in the background somewhere whenever she's not needed, but the second you need her, POOF! She's gone. Rainbow stopped in the middle of the market, her frustration boiling over.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
"What's wrong Rainbow Dash?" Of. Freaking. Course. Rainbow sighed, and turned around to see none other than Derpy, holding a bag full of mail.
"Nothing, Derpy. I was just trying to find somepony and I couldn't find them."
"Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, it might not do much good, but I got a letter for ya here. It was from some filly in Manehattan." Rainbow perked up.
"Wait, what color was she? Was she a pegasus?"
"Yeah, orange with a purple mane. It was really cool too because I got passed by a green flame that went to her, and she asked me to wait, so I did. I'm not about to argue with a girl who receives mail via fire." Derpy fished the letter out in her mouth, and handed the letter over to Rainbow. Rainbow greedily took the letter and tore it open, unfolding the parchment inside. She began to read it with apprehension and glee. The smile on her face faded ever so slowly, but consistently. Her face became very suddenly alarmed, and just as quickly as it had changed it became a look of pure hatred.