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// Chapter 13: Hay Burger and Fries 
// Story: Fifteen Dinners 
// by Quill Scratch 
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When she heard that Scootaloo was getting adopted, Rainbow’s initial reaction was not one of relief, but one of shock.
It was the kind of shock that came from having your very expectations undermined and met at exactly the same time; it was the kind of shock that barrelled through Rainbow, shaking her to her core and making her truly question all the things she had thought she had known. She’d always hoped that Scootaloo would eventually find a family, ponies to love and care for her as she knew she always would, to take her in and give her a home. She’d seen what it was like in that orphanage, and Rainbow did not want to see Scootaloo spending her whole foalhood there.
Yet, at the same time, Rainbow had to admit she’d started to give up. The folks at the home had told her, time and time again, that Scootaloo was getting too old to be adopted, that the chances were that she never would. Most ponies would much rather adopt one of the younger kids, and the seemingly never-ending supply of those just stopped Scootaloo from ever having a real chance.
So, though she had always been confident that her surrogate sister was more than awesome enough for somepony to want to adopt, and absolutely deserved it, Rainbow was more than a little floored by the news. It was a huge change in Scootaloo’s life, and she knew it would make it unlikely that the two of them would get to spend so much time together anymore.
She shook away that thought. This was good for Scootaloo, so it didn’t matter if it meant she was relegated to a less important role in the filly’s life. Besides, they’d still be sisters, right? Even if Scootaloo had found a new, better family… 
She was sitting in the white halls of the hospital, now. The waiting room always freaked her out—everything was too orderly, too quiet, and there wasn’t enough to do. Not even Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet could hold her attention—she was twitchy and nervous and her thoughts kept coming back to Scootaloo.
What kind of pony demands that a kid goes through a full health check-up before they make their decision to adopt? Rainbow couldn’t understand it; it was almost as if these ponies were more interested in the adoption itself than they were in Scootaloo. Why should these ponies care about all the minor details of Scootaloo’s health?
Aside, of course, from the fact that they would be her parents. There was just a little voice in Rainbow’s head that kept reminding her that maybe they were just worried, that they wanted to know exactly what they were letting themselves in for, and part of Rainbow Dash wanted to agree that maybe this was the right thing to do. After all, adopting a foal was a huge commitment and it was probably for the best that they were making sure there were aware of any complications before Scootaloo started her new life.
Still, something about the way they worded their demand made Rainbow more than a little suspicious. It didn’t seem so much that they were checking for things they ought to be aware of, so much as checking that Scootaloo was good enough for them.
“Miss Dash?”
Nurse Redheart was standing in the door to the waiting room, a concerned look casting a shadow across her features. Rainbow sprang up from her seat, her book thrown carelessly to one side, and she trotted over to the nurse as fast as she could.
“What is it, nurse?” she asked, frowning as Redheart gave her an almost pitiful look.
“The doctor wants to speak with you,” Redheart replied. “She has a few pressing concerns about Scootaloo.”
Rainbow frowned and opened her mouth to argue, but closed it when she saw the grave look on Redheart’s face. “That bad?”
Redheart simply walked on down the corridor, and Rainbow fell into step behind her. She glanced around at the pristine hallways, nervous. At some point, her stomach rumbled loudly, echoing through the corridors; she grimaced as Redheart turned her head to shoot her a disapproving glance.
Eventually they came upon an office door, and Rainbow was ushered inside and told to take a seat. She did so without much complaining, although she sat fidgeting as she tried to make herself comfortable. No matter how she sat, something felt wrong and she couldn’t quite feel right in her seat.
“Miss Dash?” The voice came from the door—Rainbow turned to see a flustered doctor, her light blue mane falling all around her face in messy curls. Rainbow made to stand, but the doctor motioned for her to stay in her seat as she trotted over to her own and almost collapsed onto it. “I’m Doctor Goodall. You’re Scootaloo’s sister, correct?”
“Not legally, and not biologically,” Rainbow said, and Goodall’s face dropped into even deeper concern. “But I’ve been looking out for her for almost a year and a half now, and I was the one she asked to take her here today.”
Goodall sighed and wiped a hoof across her brow.
“Very well, Miss Dash,” she said. “Scootaloo tells me you’ve been teaching her to fly. Could you tell me a little more about these sessions?”
“Well, we haven’t really been doing much with them—Scoots doesn’t really seem all too comfortable getting up in the air yet, and it really tires her out, so mostly we just glide to get her more used to the air.” Goodall nodded and Rainbow wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t crying. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all, Miss Dash,” Goodall replied. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news—it is, I am afraid, the one part of this profession that most upsets me—but I feel you should be aware of this.” She ran a hoof through her hair, flicking with the other through a pile of papers on her desk. “Scootaloo is suffering from a disease known as Avolatus Avum”—she passed some papers across the desk as she spoke into Rainbow’s strangely trembling hooves—”which, I am afraid to say, means she will never be able to pass the gliding stage of her training with you.”
“Wh-what do you mean?” Rainbow asked, her eyes wide. Goodall closed her eyes momentarily.
“Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo cannot fly.”
Suddenly, Rainbow was back in her cloud home, and it was evening. She and Scootaloo were sitting on the sofa, relaxing with a copy of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone dangling from Rainbow’s hoof, half-read. They were talking about their dreams, their hopes, their ambitions. Scootaloo had wanted to fly with Rainbow—properly, not just gliding. That was it, she’d said. Her cutie mark was important, sure, but having a chance to go flying with Rainbow? That was far more important to her.
And Rainbow had promised it would happen.
A sob broke out of her throat before she could catch it, before she could keep it in check. She had promised, hadn’t she? She’d promised Scootaloo that they would fly together, no matter what it took, and now she could never keep that promise, could never see the huge smile on Scootaloo’s face when she thought of the day they’d finally fly together, could never actually go for that flight.
“No,” Rainbow said, interrupting Goodall’s unheard explanation.
“Miss Dash—”
“I said no.”
Rainbow was standing now, looking down at Goodall with fire in her eyes. The Doctor almost winced in her chair, but otherwise sat firm, staring right back at Rainbow with a blank, indifferent expression.
“I am not letting her down.” Rainbow gritted her teeth, furious, but not quite sure who she was angry at. “I promised her she would fly with me.”
“And I’m sorry, Miss Dash, but that isn’t going to happen.” Goodall’s expression was flat and her tone was final. When Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, Goodall cut her off. “She cannot fly, and there is nothing you or I or anypony can do about it. But other than that, Scootaloo is a perfectly healthy little filly and I expect her life will be an awful lot better if you make sure she doesn’t spend the rest of it chasing after an impossible dream.”
Rainbow couldn’t think of a response. At that moment, Rainbow couldn’t really think of anything—except maybe the pain and fear Scootaloo had in her eyes each time she had worried that she was never going to be able to fly, and how much that look had hurt.
She sat back down.
“What should I do?” she asked, helplessly, resignation filling her whole body as it slouched in the chair. “Flying is all she’s ever wanted.”
“From my experience of fillies her age with similar problems,” Goodall said, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “she probably cares an awful lot more about getting to spend time with the ponies she loves. Her examination is all done; she’s waiting for you in the waiting room now.”
Rainbow nodded.
“Do I have to tell her?” she asked. Goodall shook her head.
“After all the tests we’ve had to perform today, Scootaloo is pretty exhausted,” she replied, shuffling some papers on her desk. “Professionally, I cannot advise you on the matter, but personally I would suggest breaking the news to her carefully and slowly, and making sure she knows that you still care about her no matter what.”
Rainbow nodded and rose from her chair, turning to leave the office. As she reached the door, Goodall’s voice caught her ear.
“Oh, and Miss Dash?” Rainbow turned her head a fraction in acknowledgement. “Try to smile, for now. I don’t think she’d want to see you so… gloomy.”
Pushing the door aside with a nudge, Rainbow trotted out into the corridors and followed the blue arrows on the walls to the waiting room. She knew she had a lot to think about, and knew the walk would probably be the best time to do it, but she couldn’t really bring herself to think right now. Not thinking was a habit that died hard, and sometimes Rainbow truly wished that she could just buck it and concentrate when her friends needed her to.
She smiled, though, when she saw Scootaloo, though she was sure she felt her heart break into a thousand little shards at the sight of the filly’s wide, hopeful smile.
“They said I was healthy!” Scootaloo said, flinging herself at Rainbow, her wings buzzing loudly as she tried to get enough height to wrap her legs around Rainbow’s neck. Rainbow tried to drag her eyes away from them.
“I know, squirt,” she said, nuzzling Scootaloo gently. “Doctor Goodall said you’ve been through a lot of tests today, and you were really well-behaved in them…” She let her voice trail off teasingly, making it clear she still had more to say.
Scootaloo pulled herself away from Rainbow so that she could look her in the eyes.
“And…?” she asked, slowly. Rainbow smirked.
“How about dinner at the Hay Burger?” she asked, and watched as Scootaloo’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I think you’ve deserved it.”
“Oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash,” the little filly babbled. “You’re the best big sister ever!”
Rainbow chuckled. If that was all it took to be the best big sister ever, she had absolutely nothing to worry about. She squashed the dark thoughts at the back of her mind, the worries and fears of tomorrow, and dropped one shoulder, indicating that Scootaloo should climb around onto her back—the little filly didn’t need telling twice, bounding around Rainbow’s neck in a heartbeat.
Rainbow trotted carefully through the waiting room, before kicking off from the ground the moment there wasn’t a roof over her head. She soared into the sky, flapping her wings more than she usually would to make sure the two of them stayed in the air. She felt Scootaloo tighten her grip on her neck, and could almost feel the filly’s wide grin.
Soon enough they were at the Hay Burger and Rainbow Dash was standing still as Scootaloo clambered down from her back, stretching her shoulders once the filly was safe on the ground. They walked in, joining the large queue with a shared look of excitement—it had been a long time since either of them had had the chance to just eat junk food, and the irresponsibility of it all made Rainbow feel almost light-headedly childish.
The queue moved agonisingly slowly, and by the time they reached the front even the ever-excitable Scootaloo looked tired and ready to give up (although perhaps that was from all the testing she had been made to do at the hospital that afternoon). The two almost didn’t notice when it was their turn to order, they were so engrossed in the act of waiting.
“Welcome to the Hay Burger, how can I help you?”
The stallion behind the counter was a young, dull-sounding earth pony. He seemed about as interested in his job as Scootaloo had seemed in queueing, but Rainbow placed their order carefully and dutifully handed over her bits when she was asked. As soon as their food was loaded up onto a tray, Rainbow grabbed it in her mouth as Scootaloo looked around the restaurant for a place to sit.
The restaurant had looked pretty full when they entered, but Rainbow Dash was pretty surprised as Scootaloo lead her to a table that seemed occupied—it couldn’t be so full that they would have to ask to share somepony else’s space, could it? Her vision obscured by the bright plastic and sweet-smelling food, she couldn’t quite see more than the mess on the table to tell her it was occupied.
Rainbow Dash was even more surprised when a magenta aura surrounded the tray in her mouth and gently took hold of it, lowering it slowly to the table to show that she was standing right next to Twilight Sparkle.
Rainbow swallowed slowly. She was with Scootaloo—she needed to act cool. Besides, she’d already made all the plans she needed for the weekend; Pinkie had helped her put together a picnic basket and Rarity had given her all the tips she could want (and many, many tips she never wanted in the first place) on how to make the night go smoothly. All she had to do tonight was act calm and rationally.
It was, all things considered, a difficult task when even looking at Twilight made her stomach somersault and her heart beat faster in her chest. Still, she slid carefully into the seat beside Twi, shivering as her foreleg pressed against the unicorn’s for a second.
“Hey Twilight,” she said, watching Scootaloo as she wormed her way into the space opposite them. “Whatcha doing here?”
“Oh, Spike’s out in Canterlot for the week,” Twilight replied, sadly. “It’s been a little lonely in the library, so I’ve been going out to a different place to eat each night this week. What about you two?”
“I just had a big health exam,” Scootaloo said excitedly, and Rainbow forced her smile to stay put. “They said I was really healthy, so now I can get adopted!”
“That’s really good news, Scootaloo!” Twilight said, smiling broadly at the little filly. Scootaloo giggled a little and nodded, euphoric. “I’m so pleased for you.”
“Yeah, squirt,” Rainbow added, immediately regretting saying anything. She wasn’t sure she could lie like this. But when Scootaloo beamed at her, her face glowing with happiness and pride, Rainbow couldn’t help but smile back at her, and for some reason it didn’t quite feel forced.
“Mrs Dove says it will probably take a month or so for them to deal with the paperwork,” Scootaloo added, her smile only shrinking by the tiniest fraction, “but that I would be able to move in with them as soon as possible after that! And she said their house is really big, and I’d have all the space I needed to practice my flying, and that I could even invite Rainbow round for dinner!” The filly glanced towards Rainbow, who hastily pasted her smile back on. “I-if you want to, that is?”
“Of course!” Rainbow said, nodding. “Dinner with your new parents sounds great. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t ever come and have dinner with you guys?”
“Wow, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, her tone light and not quite mocking, and when Rainbow looked to her right she could see an almost proud smile on the unicorn’s face that made her stomach flip. “You’re really taking your position as Scootaloo’s sister seriously.”
“Of course,” Rainbow said, her voice falling slightly flat from her usual, bragging, confident tone. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, I’d never leave Scoots hanging.”
“Technically you only represent Loyalty…” Twilight began, her tone teasing, and she laughed freely when Rainbow swatted a hoof at her indignantly. Even Scootaloo giggled.
“I know that,” Rainbow said. Of course she’d known that. “But that sounds lame, and if there’s one thing I’m not…”
“We know, Rainbow,” Twilight said, shaking her head with mirth. She shot a wink at Scootaloo, who was almost lost in her giggles across the table. Rainbow tried to hide her smile and slowly rolled her eyes.
“Whatever,” she said, relaxing and lifting a fry to her mouth. “I’m the best big sister ever, isn’t that right squirt?” Scootaloo sighed and shook her head, still laughing, and Twilight raised a questioning eyebrow at her; Rainbow stuck her tongue out a little in response.
“So, Scootaloo,” Twilight began, turning to the filly, “are you looking forward to getting to move in with Mrs Dove and her husband? From what I’ve heard, ‘a really big house’ is a bit of an understatement.”
“Really?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide. It didn’t surprise Rainbow one bit that Twilight seemed to know these ponies she’d never heard of—Twilight had become the go-to pony in Ponyville for friendship problems thanks to her studies under Princess Celestia. Rainbow thought back to the day Twilight had first arrived in Ponyville, when the six of them had gone out to take on Nightmare Moon, and how she had been so clueless about friendship. She had really come such a long way in all that time, and maybe that was why Rainbow was only realising how attractive she was now.
She shivered as Twilight brushed up against her side, squirming in her seat next to her as she described what she knew of the house Scootaloo was moving into, and the ponies who had decided to take her into their lives. She glanced nervously at Scootaloo, but was pleased to see that her sister was so enraptured by Twilight’s description that she hadn’t seen anything.
As Twilight spoke, Rainbow found herself picking up on something in her tone. She sounded uncertain, and from her expression Rainbow guessed that she might have been withholding something she knew about these ponies: her face took on a guilty uncertainty whenever she mentioned how kind and generous the two ponies were. Rainbow tried to hide her frown, and smiled and nodded along with Twilight’s little talk—she’d have to ask the mare some other time what she really knew about these two.
Not even Twilight could keep talking for very long about two ponies she barely knew, and it soon became clear that Twilight was struggling to think of more things to say. Scootaloo’s look of hopeful excitement started to droop a little into one of boredom, and Rainbow suppressed a chuckle at Twilight’s scrunched-up, thoughtful expression.
“They sound pretty awesome to me.” Twilight let out an almost imperceptible sigh and shot Rainbow a grateful smile—Rainbow smirked back, her eyes twinkling. “What do you think, Scoots?”
“It sounds pretty cool, I guess,” Scootaloo said, but her furrowed brow said otherwise. Rainbow tilted her head to one side, frowning. Scootaloo caught her gaze and shrugged, looking down at the table before her. She picked up a single fry and chewed on it slowly, anxiously. Rainbow swallowed, waiting.
Soon enough, Scootaloo leaned her head even further downward. “They just sound an awful lot like Diamond Tiara’s family, that’s all,” she muttered, and Rainbow began to wonder what was going on in Scootaloo’s mind.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Rainbow asked politely, as Twilight looked between the two in confusion, obviously unaware of the school’s bullies—not that Rainbow blamed her, seeing as she had no personal connection to the problem at all. “I mean, bullies like her tend not to pick on the families of rich kids…”
“Precisely,” Scootaloo said, looking up at Rainbow with pleading eyes. “She’ll try to be all fake and friendly with me, whilst still being a bully to my friends, and that isn’t fair!” She almost shouted the last few words, distraught as she was, but managed to keep her voice down for the restaurant. Rainbow rose immediately, quickly moving herself to sit beside the filly, who was now breathing rapid, short breaths and shaking in her seat. She wrapped her wings around her, pulling Scootaloo close to her side.
“Are you worried your friends will hate you for it?” Rainbow asked, quietly, trying to make sure Twilight couldn’t hear what she had to say. This was between her and Scootaloo, and she needed the filly to understand that she was safe. “Because Diamond Tiara will be leaving you alone, or even being nice to you?”
Scootaloo nodded, once, after a moment of silence. Rainbow leaned her head down and rubbed her cheek softly against Scootaloo’s, the nuzzle clearly calming the filly down—her breaths became longer and deeper, her eyes closing slowly as a bitter smile tugged at her lips.
“Don’t be frightened of that,” she said, firmly. “For a start, you have some of the best friends anypony could ask for, and they wouldn’t grow to hate you over something so silly and little as getting treated differently by the school bully. But on top of that, you can always tell Diamond Tiara to shove off—there’s only so many times she can pretend to be nice to you if you keep doing that.”
She was joking, but only just a little—Scootaloo was giggling softly in her embrace, her laughter rocking Rainbow and bringing a warm smile to her lips. She looked up for a moment and caught Twilight’s gaze, looking on at her with a proud smile and what looked like a tear in her eye, and Rainbow Dash knew that this was what she wanted.