//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: The Pursuit of Pride 
// by The Real Steel 
//------------------------------//

Over the next week Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had become even closer than they were before, like mother and daughter. Everywhere Dash went Scootaloo was right behind her and through all this they always seemed to either have a smile on their face or find some way to make themselves smile. Like two peas in a pod they did everything together and to Scootaloo it was a time of recovery, having accepted her parents death and embraced her new life with Dash by this point. For Dash it was nice to finally have somepony around who understood you instead of just accepted you, sure there was Applejack but it wasn't the same. For one she didn't have wings.

Though naturally ponies started asking questions about why Scootaloo was flying with Dash, who was known to be a solo flier. Why she was going home with Dash, who was known to live alone except for her pet. And to each of these questions Dash simply replied 'She's living with me.' and would proceed to take Scootaloo and leave, like an overly protective and angry mother. She didn't like others intruding in her business.

The Monday that would signal the start of Scootaloo's second week living with Dash, the aforementioned pony was on her way to check her mail. The sun was overcast by the gray clouds today and she knew her and the weather team would have their work cut out for them on this particular day though that was going to be the least of her worries.

When Rainbow Dash found her mailbox after trotting a short distance from her house she sifted through the usual stuff and even spoke out loud to herself as she sorted through it, tempted to toss what she wasn't interested in away.

“Junk, bill, junk, bill, junk,junk......what's this?” After sorting through a few of her mail letter there was one, stamped with a red seal and addressed to her from Ponyville. Only ponies who used red stamps in Ponyville were in.......

“The mayors office....this could be bad.” Dash trotted back inside, never taking her eyes off of the letter she had received from Mayor Mare. She absentmindedly closed the door behind her, still intently staring at the letter and not even paying attention as Scootaloo trotted downstairs.

“Hey Dash, whatcha got there?” The voice of the younger pony snapped her out of the reverie the letter had induced and she waved for Scootaloo to follow, making her way over to the couch and sitting down. The soft couch cushions gave under the new way though it was a soft give.

“I got a letter squirt, it's from the mayor and it looks like it's some pretty official news.” Once the younger pony had taken her seat Dash reached a hoof up and opened the letter, inside was a crisp white piece of paper written in unmistakable ink. This was definitely the Mayor's hoofwriting.

Rainbow Dash decided to read the letter out loud, loud enough for Scootaloo to hear it as well. The brash, scratchy voice of the older mare was not as formal as most letters like this decreed but it wasn't like either of them cared.

“Ms. Rainbow Dash, your presence is requested by mid afternoon in the Ponyville town hall. It has recently come to my attention that you have the young Ms. Scootaloo living with you and if this is to go on any longer we must verify that you are fit to take care of this young pony and you will have to sign adoption papers as she is not yet old enough to live on her own. I will be waiting in my office and I expect you soon.

Sincerely yours,

Mayor Mare.”

After she finished reading Scootaloo looked dumbstruck, already something was threatening to rip her newfound happiness from her. She trusted Dash but what if they wouldn't let her live there anymore? What if Dash was taken from her like....like her parents. By this point in her line of thinking Scootaloo was on the verge of crying but, almost like she sensed this, Dash reached a hoof over and ruffled the younger ponies mane with a laugh.

“Well squirt, looks like I can't be your big sister. Guess I'll have to settle for being your mom. I will be back soon, only some stupid paperwork before we get to spend more time together. Tell you what, while I am going to see the stuffy mayor you get yourself some ice cream. I doubt it'll be all that entertaining but it will be better than being bored here all day.” 

When she finished speaking she quickly bolted upstairs and grabbed a jingling satchel full of bits in her mouth. When she had made her way back downstairs she gave the bag of bits to Scootaloo and then gave her another affectionate little pat on the head.

“But Dash, I wanna come with you!” The defiant and scared teenager couldn't help it, she felt like she was being tossed back into the storm and grabbed onto her liferaft, Dash. She didn't want to let go but it wasn't long before her mentor had a response, giving her the same warm smile as always as she pried Scootaloo off.

“Don't worry Scoots. I won't let you down. You should get some ice cream and go hang out with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. They have probably missed you and this is going to be boring as hay, no doubt about that.”

It was obvious by this point that the argument wasn't going to be won so with a sigh Scootaloo nodded her head and tried her best to give Dash a smile who responded in kind with a pat on the head before bolting out the door. Left alone with the bag of bits and the prospect of seeing her friends Scootaloo decided to leave the house. 

Heading out the front door she spread her wings and took off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. One of her best friends Applebloom lived in Sweet Apple Acres and she figured that it would be better than doing nothing to hang out with Applebloom.

Under her orange coated form, as the wind blew through her mane and soothed her mind, the normalcy of Ponyville thrived. As if her parents had never existed though Scootaloo knew better. She had seen them all pay their respects, seen most if not all of them cry like she had. Even Big Macintosh had cried so she wasn't upset.

This would be the first time she had seen her friend Applebloom since the funeral. She didn't know what she would say to her but kept her pace heading forward anyways. This wasn't what she had in mind for her day but she would be called on if Rainbow Dash needed her.

Soon her flight trek took her towards the barnhouse where her and her friends had spent many a day in their youth as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The CMC was still around as none of them had yet gotten their cutie marks but had really stopped caring for the most part and went on with their lives.

When she got close enough she landed at the front door and knocked, the bits Rainbow Dash had given her tucked away in the satchel wrapped around her torso. From inside she heard a thick country accent call and tell her to wait just a minute.

“Like I have anywhere else I can be today.” 

She rolled her eyes and waited. It was just like Applebloom to be late and around a minute and a half later the door swung open and the aforementioned yellow coated pony nearly barreled Scootaloo over in a massive hug.

“Scootaloo! It's so great to see you! Ah haven't seen ya since.....well ya know.”

Scootaloo for her part was not expecting to get barreled over and so when she got tackle hugged she fell flat on her back and was extremely thankful her wings were furled. After hugging back awkwardly she sighed and broke the hug. 

“I know AB. It's alright. That was no fun at all and it's not why I came here so let's not talk about it. I came here to see if you wanted to get Sweetie Belle and go hang out, ya know like we used to. Go Crusading for cutie marks hahahaha!”

Applebloom's face lit up like a bonfire at that and she nodded her head at a million beats a minute. So fast that she made herself dizzy in fact. Once she had reoriented herself she spoke though she showed the effects of the dizziness a little in the form of a drawl on top of her accent for the first few words.

“That sounds like an awesome idea Scootaloo! You go get Sweetie Belle and ah'll meet ya'll at the library in oh......say thirty, forty minutes?”

“Sounds like we have a plan AB. See ya there.” 

Scootaloo gave her friend a wave with her hoof and bolted into the sky, leaving behind a orange trail at a speed seconded by only one pony in Ponyville who was at that very moment in the Mayor of Ponyville's office..........

Rainbow Dash had entered the Mayor's building in the center of Ponyville not very long ago though seemed like an eternity of waiting for her. Taking a seat she waited to be called in and after a short time a young colt came over and asked her to come with him. She complied and began trotting alongside him as they slowly but surely made their way through the building and finally, after a few minutes of walking, they entered the mayor's office.

Mayor Mare was already waiting and she flashed Rainbow Dash a warm smile, trying her best to be uplifting and cheerful. She was currently seated in the back of her chair, pressing her spine to the chairs back and obviously in no discomfort at the fact that she was threatening to rip Scootaloo's new happiness from her.

“Ms Rainbow Dash, thank you for coming. We both know why I called you here today so I will not bore you with explaining, your low attention span is rather infamous.”

“Yeah yeah Mayor, let's just get this over with. I have better things to do with my time than sign some stupid papers. But if it helps Scoots then I will jump through the hoops.”

“Glad to see you are going to be so cooperative Ms Dash. Now, I am going to ask you a series of questions and I want an honest answer so we might determine if you are the best parent for Scootaloo.'

In the time they had been speaking Rainbow Dash had taken a seat on the other side of the Mayor's desk and was already at the point where she wanted to yawn but despite this she kept her gaze on the Mayor.

“Alright, fine. Ask away Mayor.”

“Thank you Ms Dash. Okay, the first question is this. What do you do for a living Ms Dash, how much do you make a day? We need to know to determine that you can indeed properly care for a young pony.”

“I work for the weather patrol and I make around 15-20 bits a day depending on the weather. I may have to work harder to provide for another pony in the house but I am more than willing to do so Mayor.”

“Excellent. Next questions is this. Do you have any other parental or mentor experience?”

“I do indeed. I have been Scootaloo's flying mentor and like a big sister to her for going on 4 years now. That good enough for you?”

“That is more than good for me Ms Dash. Here are the custody forms for you to sign though I will warn you, if we do not deem that Scootaloo is being properly taken care of we WILL take her under our custody.”

With that Mayor Mare extended three papers over which Rainbow Dash skimmed rather quickly but intently over the words and finding nothing she disagreed with she grabbed a nearby quill. Using said quill she dipped it in the ink well that was on the desk and quickly signed her signature before giving the papers back.

“Thank you Ms Dash. That is all I shall require from you. From now on Scootaloo is your foster daughter. Congratulations to the both of you.”

“Yeah, whatever. Thanks for the waste of time.” 

With that said Dash stood up from her chair and rolled her eyes, walking right past the young colt who had lead her in. She angrily stomped her way out, the occasional pony there to see the Mayor gave her a confused glance but she ignored all of them.

After a minute of angry walking she was once again free to take to the sky and she wasted no time in doing just that. Her prismatic trail almost boomed behind her as she flew off towards one of the favorite cloud spots she usually lazed around on. She figured she would give Scootaloo some time to hang out with her friends and it would give Rainbow Dash time to nap, one of her favorite hobbies.

As she flew towards th cloud she would be sleeping on her ears caught the country accent of Applebloom. Following the addressing of the country accent Scootaloo could be heard groaning something about being late and Dash decided to go and give the good news herself, right now.

Changing direction she headed towards the town fountain where Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were currently all talking.

Ponyville itself was as alive as usual. Sugarcube Corner was as popular as ever, the market was full of ponies buying or selling their wares and Celestia's sun shone down on the world with it's warming but not harsh light. All had returned to normal and any who passed would never have guessed that just a week before there had been a funeral.

In the center of town a group of three teenaged ponies were gathered. The voices of the aforementioned group could be heard as Rainbow Dash got closer. The obviously irritated voice calling out was brash and slightly arrogant. One was thick with an accent and rather hard to understand at points though she seemed to be trying to keep everything organized and one was rather subdued as she barely spoke.

“It's been an hour and a half! What took you guys so long? Seriously, I could have been doing something fun for the last hour and a half but NOOOO I had to wait on you slowpokes.” The brash voice was revealed as Dash got closer to belong to Scootaloo.

“Come on Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle had to get herself ready, there ain't no shame in that. Now wha don't you just be a little patient for once and be nice to your friends?” The country accent belonged to her friend Applebloom who, as was guessed before, seemed to be trying to keep the peace.

“Sorry Scootaloo. I didn't know it was such a big deal. I didn't mean to upset you.” And the third, almost subdued voice belong to Sweetie Belle who was not used to her friend getting mad at her and shrunk back a little.

Right as Scootaloo was about to respond to her two friends a rainbow trail descended from the sky in the middle of the arguing group and Rainbow Dash chuckled, looking right at Scootaloo.

“Come on squirt. Sometimes you have to accept things about your friends that you may not agree with. But that's nothin'! I got good news for ya. You are hereby legally my foster daughter.”

She finished with a smirk, waiting for the response. The first response was from Applebloom and Sweetie Belle who's jaws dropped so far it looked as if they would hit the ground. The response from Scootaloo however was much more explosive.

Instantly she bolted forward and wrapped her hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck. She proceeded to attempt hugging the life out of her new foster mother and long time friend who merely chuckled in response and awkwardly hugged back.

“No need to try and squeeze me to death Scoots. Now you get to hang out with me all the time and we can be awesome together. You should spend some time with your friends though. Just thought I would tell ya. I am going to be at the house when you're ready to come home. Enjoy your day squirt.”

With that Dash detached the hugging Scootaloo, gave her an affectionate little mane ruffle and spread her wings. Giving a smirk to the still dumbstruck Applebloom and Sweetie Belle she bolted into the sky, leaving three very surprised teens and a trail of rainbow behind her.

The three teens stood their in stunned silence for about a minute before Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both latched onto Scootaloo and hugged her tight.

“Scootaloo, that's awesome! Who woulda thought Rainbow Dash would adopt you?!”

“Congratulations Scootaloo. I am very happy for you and I am sure Rarity will be very surprised by this turn of events.”

“So will Applejack!”

The friends couldn't help but all be more than a little happy. For Scootaloo it was a dream come true and for her friends it was great to see a genuinely happy smile on her face. The three of them stayed in a group hug for about a minute, all silent before Scootaloo finally spoke up, her voice was almost breaking with happiness and she was about to tear up.

“Thanks you guys, this is officially the best day ever!”

Rainbow Dash watched from a cloud nearby and chuckled when she heard the same words she had spoken years ago from her young protege and with a happy smile on her own face she left silently, flying towards the cloud home that was now home to two.

Back with the Cutie Mark Crusaders though the group had broken their hug and was actively trying to figure out where they should go next.

“What do you think Crusaders? Ice cream from Sugarcube Corner or should we go and have some fun elsewhere?”

“Ah think ice cream sounds like a great idea!”

“I do too!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Ice Cream Eaters!”

They all bumped hooves and left the town fountain, heading towards the giant gingerbread house commonly called Sugarcube Corner. Home of the eccentric Pinkie Pie and the wonderful Cake family. They suspected that Pinkie would be there to greet them or to appear out of nowhere when they were on the way there but for some reason she was nowhere to be seen as they approached. 

Even after they had entered, no sign of Pinkie Pie. Shrugging it off as luck the CMC went up to the front counter and were soon greeted by Mrs. Cake. When she saw the three young ponies she smiled happily and came over.

“What can I get you today?”

The group discussed it amongst themselves for a bit before deciding on sundaes for them all. Scootaloo was designated to choose the flavor for them all and to order the sundaes which she agreed to and made her was up to the counter.

“Hey Mrs. Cake. We will be getting three banana split sundaes. Sweetie Belle will be paying.”

Scoots shot Sweetie Belle an evil little smirk but she was the one with most money out of all of them and she agreed to it. Mrs. Cake thanked them for ordering and went to go and make their orders.

The group of friends gathered at a nearby table and they all had a bit to catch up on. Applebloom went first.

“Well, since we last saw each other the farm has gotten some business and Applejack has still gotten on me for not working as hard as ah should but ah swear that ah have been working as hard as I can. Other than that though nothing much has changed, how about you Sweetie Belle?”

“I have been helping Rarity around the shop. She keeps insisting that I follow after her and work in the shop but I am just not cut out to be a fashion designer. Still, it's valuable experience to have and so I am dealing with it for now. And you Scootaloo?”

“I have been spending time with Rainbow Dash, she has been teaching me to fly and letting me stay with her. Now she's my mom and things are only going to be more awesome now. Speaking of which, either of you know what time it is?”

Mrs. Cake came over with their sundaes at the question and chuckles, setting the three banana splits down on the table in front of the group.

“It's around 3 in the afternoon Scootaloo.”

“Thanks Mrs. Cake. I was just wondering. I should probably get home after this treat guys. We will definitely need to hang out more though.”

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked a little disappointed but agreed at length as the group proceeded to eat their sundaes. Sweetie Belle had to get back to the shop and Applebloom had to get back to the farm and help her sister out.

After a little while the group of teens had finished their treat and given each other farewell hugs. As they hugged outside Sugarcube Corner Applebloom spoke up. 

“Ah think we should all hang out again sometime soon!” 

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle quickly nodded their approval. After that Scootaloo took to the sky and headed home, eager to see her new foster mother and thankful that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had things they needed to do.

It didn't take the speedy young pegasus long to reach the cloud home of her mentor and now mother. Trotting towards the door she opened it happily, expecting to find Rainbow Dash inside. However she was nowhere to be found, shrugging it off Scootaloo decided to do some practice laps around the house.

Rainbow Dash came by right as Scootaloo was exiting the house and flew over to her daughter. They exchanged a wing bump as the two were right next to each other and then proceeded to hoofbump before Dash finally spoke.

“Hey Scoots, you ready for practice? Gotta get you ready for the big leagues after all.”

“Sure am Rainbow Dash. Lets get to it.”

“I like that enthusiasm. Follow me.” 

With that Rainbow Dash bolted away, towards the field that served as their training grounds. Here it was that they had done their first flying lessons and it was probably going to be where they did their last. Grass stretched on for what seemed like miles in front of them and off in the distance was the mountain that Scootaloo had flown to the day of her parents death but that was on neither ponies mind as they came to the field. Right now was all about training.

“Alright Scoots. I want to see what you can do if you have to absolutely push yourself to the very limit, for max speed. Show me how fast you can go. Fly like your life depended on it!”

With that said Dash crossed her hooves in mid-air and waited. Her rose colored eyes scanned her pupil who immediately donned a look of intense concentration at the words of her mentor and lowered her body into a stance that resembled a pony, if that pony was spring-loaded.

After about a minute of waiting Scootaloo exploded forward, leaving an orange trail behind her as she zoomed forward at around 47 WBPM. She was easily faster than anypony in Ponyville other than Rainbow Dash at this point but she could easily reach 70 WBPM and she wanted more out of Scootaloo so it was when Scootaloo came back she yelled out 'AGAIN!' and Scootaloo went right back out without complaining.

This continued for about an hour before Scootaloo was too tired to fly fast anymore. Her breathing was almost painful as her lungs begged for air and her wings felt like they were made of lead. Dash came over and put a comforting wing around her, giving a motherly smile which would have caught everypony by surprise had they seen it.

“You did good Scoots. Watch me fly and then we can go home alright? Try to pick up a few tips and tricks through observation alone.”

With that said Rainbow Dash easily matched the speed Scootaloo was going at earlier and for the next hour and a half she proceeded to do backflips, nose dives and even her Filly Flash at one point though she had long since perfected and improved that move. By the time she was done the sun had gone down and had been replaced by the moon.

Deciding that that was enough practice for one day Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo went side by side back to their house. Both were physically exhausted but couldn't be happier to have gotten a chance to spend quality time together.

As they flew they talked about the lessons, occasionally Dash gave Scootaloo a pointer on something but for the most part she listened to her pupil. As much of a hardflank as Dash was about Scootaloo's training she was deeply impressed with the young teen and firmly believe that she could be the best flier in Equestria one day. Along the way the two were silent for the most part though, their bodies sore and their throats dry.

It normally wouldn't have taken them long to get home but they were exhausted and as such it was even later than before by the time they got home and they lacked the energy to even eat or say goodnight, lazily making their way up the stairs before finding their individual beds and passing out. The sleep healed their aching bodies and so another day concluded for the new family who, despite the pain and unconscious state they were in, looked forward to more fun memories together.