(SiC) Part 9 - Sailing Through The Storm

by Brian Jacko

Making Her Wish Come True

The tiring amount of paperwork was done and Rainbow Dash and Soarin' had come to pick up Scootaloo. They also had finished building her bedroom in the house. It was a lot of tedious work, but they made it through. They were currently following the mare who worked and took care of Scootaloo down the halls of the building.

The worker walked them over to her room and paused in front of the door. "So you don't want to bring her home yet, right?" She took note of Soarin' who was dressed up in saddle bags and looked as if he was going on a big adventure.

"That's right," Rainbow Dash said. "We are going to take her out on a special day, bring her back, and then get all her stuff to take home with us. You can leave it to us, we already know her very well. Thanks."

The worker nodded her head okay. "I feel like I should warn you that she's kind of in a bad mood right now. She had a bit of an accident and broke her scooter beyond repair, but I'm sure you two will cheer her up." She paused for a moment and continued. "So I'll leave you two on your own now. I'll try to stick around so I can say one last good bye to Scootaloo when you get back. Have fun with her and congratulations!" The worker smiled and left the two ponies.

Rainbow Dash knocked on the door loudly.

"Go away, I don't want to be bothered right now," the voice said from inside the room.

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Well, okay. I just thought I would come by to give you your special gift, but I can clearly see that you don't want it anymore and I'll just go home. Goodbye."

Scootaloo's ears perked up. She knew that voice so well and there was no other voice like it to her. She quickly got out of bed and tripped across her own legs, landing hard against the wooden floor. She immediately got back up and ran to the door, her little wings buzzing with excitement. "Wait!" she cried out. She opened the door and raced out expecting her to be leaving. She bumped into Soarin's chest and looked up at the two with a worried look. "Please don't leave, I'm sorry I said that! I still want my special gift!" Scootaloo put her two hooves together and begged. "Oh please, oh please, oh please!"

Rainbow Dash grinned and grabbed the little filly. She placed her on Soarin's back and said, "Great! We're going to take you to a place that I think you might like. It's a place that has great value to me and Soarin' as well."

Scootaloo's face beamed with a great smile. Finally, her special gift that she had been waiting and praying for. A day out with her personal hero and Soarin' who had become another pony she liked very much.

The worker who was now sitting at a desk smiled as she watched Soarin' and Rainbow Dash walk out with Scootaloo who was beaming with excitement. There was something about the two that made her feel like they were truly meant to adopt Scootaloo and that they would be the best parents possible specifically for her.

Once the three ponies made it out of the shelter, Scootaloo's curiosity got the better of her. "Where are we going?"

"Nope!" Rainbow said. "I'm not telling you. It's a bit of a distance and we'll be taking some transportation. Hold on to Soarin', he flies pretty fast."

"But not faster than you, right, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow Dash looked at Scootaloo with a sly smirk. "Not a chance and I think I already proved that a few days ago anyway." She poked Soarin' in the side. "Right, Soarin'?"

Soarin' smiled awkwardly. He knew that Dash had told him that she had problems with arrogance before he knew her, but he also knew that she had been down in the dumps for far too long. "You sure did, Dash. You beat me with flying colors."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Come on, let's get going before it gets too late."

The ponies left and traveled to a place in Ponyville where they could hitch a ride to their destination. Many ponies were either entering or getting out of carriages.

Soarin' flagged down a taxi cab.

The two Pegasus ponies pulling the carriage quickly came to their sides. "Where to?" one of them asked.

Soarin' looked at Dash and said, "Maybe you should tell them, since this is supposed to be a surprise."

Rainbow Dash whispered in one of the pony's ears where they wanted to go.

The one pony who heard where Rainbow wanted to go whispered in his partner's ear. They were discussing if they had enough energy to take them that far of a distance.

Rainbow Dash watched them as they discussed matters quietly. "Is everything going to be okay? Will you be able to take us?" Rainbow asked worriedly. All of the other cabs were already occupied and she hoped that they would be able to take them.

"Yes, we can take you. Although I hope you know that it will be a bit on the hefty side in terms of price."

"No worries. This is a special gift for a very special filly," Rainbow said.

One of the ponies lowered the gate for the passengers and gestured for them to step inside. "Hop right in, we'll try to get you there as fast as possible."

The three ponies walked up the lowered gate that acted like a stair case and got inside. The gate then closed and they waited for take off.

As the carriage went airborne, millions of thoughts ran through Scootaloo's mind wondering where they were taking her.

Scootaloo sat down in between Soarin' and Dash. She was very excited but realized that it didn't matter where they ended up going. Just sitting here next to these two ponies was exciting enough for her. "Are we going to stay together for the whole day?"

"Pretty much," Soarin' said. "We'll probably be eating there too. This place has lots of things to do and of course, Rainbow Dash and I have a super special and nostalgic place that we'd like to visit again."

Rainbow Dash smiled. She knew exactly what place he was talking about and couldn't wait to have Scootaloo have some fun in that specific place with them. Rainbow Dash was filled with so much excitement and emotion as she sat there thinking. Even though Scootaloo was technically already adopted, she couldn't wait to go back and officially announce to her that she was their daughter and would be coming home with them. She was already tearful just thinking about the moment when she would tell her the news.

"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Scootaloo asked as she stared at her hero. "You look like you're going to cry. What's the matter? We're supposed to have fun today, right?"

Rainbow Dash snapped out of her thoughts and smiled when she looked at Scootaloo. She hugged the little filly and kissed her on her head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about how special you are to me. You're the best, kid."

Scootaloo was so happy to hear that. She almost didn't know how to respond to such loving words. "Thanks," she said. "I really can't wait to hang out at this super secret place with the two best Wonderbolts of all time."

Rainbow Dash was physically exhausted from all of this preparation and not to mention the stress and work it took to get her adopted, but the excitement for this filly kept her awake. She didn't say much on the rest of the ride there, but Scootaloo kept asking Soarin' questions and he kept her busy with many stories and grand memories of how he and Dash met and how they came together as a couple.

It was a long trip and Rainbow Dash had almost fallen asleep, but the carriage touched down, alerting her that they were finally there.

"I guess we have finally made it," Soarin' said. "That wasn't as long as I thought it would be." Soarin' reached into his bag and pulled out some sunglasses. "Dare I forget to bring these?" he asked and then gave them to Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash grabbed them. She had some sort of odd fascination with wearing sunglasses. "Awe, yea! Good boy, Soarin', You remembered!"

"Good boy? I'm not a dog," Soarin' replied.

"But you're still my pet and I need to feed you lots," Rainbow said.

Scootaloo's back legs were shaking with excitement as she watched the gate drop down.

Rainbow Dash put on her sunglasses and opened up her front legs as if to welcome this place with a hug. "Here we are! Let's get going and have as much fun as possible before it gets too late."

Rainbow Dash guided Scootaloo down the steps and stood there next to her as Soarin' paid the ponies for their service.

Scootaloo looked around at this odd environment. She could hear so many sounds that she had never heard before and she looked at the odd thing that all the ponies were walking on in the distance. "What is that bridge thing those ponies are walking on, Dash?"

"Oh, that's called a boardwalk. Have you ever been to the beach, Scoots?"

Scootaloo shook her head no. "I haven't. This place looks so different and...." Scootaloo inhaled the air deeply into her nostrils. "It smells so.....good and it feels energizing."

"That's the ocean nearby. It does smell nice and it feels pretty revitalizing, I agree."

Soarin' stood next to Scootaloo and asked, "Who is ready for some fun?"

"It's actually her first time at the beach; I think she's going to really enjoy it here." Rainbow looked at the two. "Well, let's not just stand around, let's go have some fun! You are the Princess for today, Scoots. Would you like our carrying service? You pick one of us."

Scootaloo wasn't used to this kind of treatment. She hopped on Rainbow's back and said, "I'll pick you for now. Soarin' can get his turn later. Giddy up!"

Rainbow laughed and said, "Sounds good. Let's get going! I know Soarin' can only go so long without having to pig out on food, which I'm sure he will since he only packed so many protein bars."

"I'm not that bad," Soarin' said and then walked along with Dash to the boardwalk.

Scootaloo put her two front hooves on top of Dash's head and looked around at all the different ponies walking around. Some were carrying surfboards and wearing sunglasses.

"So, what do you want to do first, Scoots? There are rides, games, swimming, food, and all sorts of cool stuff here," Rainbow said.

"They have rides?" Scootaloo asked as her little wings buzzed with excitement on her back.

"They sure do!" Rainbow said. "They have some pretty fast roller coasters here and I bet you'd like to ride them with me, huh?'

"Yeah!" Scootaloo said. "I want to try all the fast rides here." The little filly couldn't wait. The most fun she had was on her scooter, but she didn't have that anymore since it broke. Scootaloo's eyes lit up as they approached the gate to where the rides were. "Wow! This is going to be so much fun!"

"And we should probably come back at night when the lights on the rides light up. It's quite pretty." Rainbow said.

Soarin' walked over and gave the ticket master a large bag of bits. He was then given a giant roll of tickets.

"Wow! Soarin' got you a lot of tickets. I hope you can use them all in one day," Rainbow said.

Scootaloo looked stunned for a moment. "You guys are spending that much money on me? Are you sure you want to do that? Shouldn't you be saving it?"

Rainbow smiled. "Scootaloo, don't worry about the money being spent. Today is a special day and it's okay to splurge once in a while in order to have fun and make great memories. Don't feel bad about it and think of it this way, when we're all old and look back on life, we're going to dwell on the awesome things that happened in life together. We're not going to care how much money is left in the bank."

"I guess that makes sense," Scootaloo said. "I just never saw anypony spend that much money on me. I'll try not to think about it and just have fun. You and Soarin' are going to come on the rides with me, right?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sure!" Rainbow said. "If you want us to. Although many of the rides normally fit two ponies, there are a few rides we can all sit in. Let's ride on a few for now and then save some tickets for tonight when they turn the lights on."

"Come on, let's hit the rides for a while before I get hungry and want some funnel cake," Soarin' said.

Rainbow Dash trotted along with Scootaloo still on her back.

"What's funnel cake?" the filly asked.

"You've never had funnel cake?" Rainbow asked. "I guess you'll find out soon enough."

Rainbow and Soarin' walked over to the biggest and fastest roller coaster on the boardwalk.

"Are you up for tackling this monster, Scoots?" Rainbow asked in a tone of voice that sounded daring.

Scootaloo's eyes widened when she saw how high this coaster was. She watched the ponies blaze by them on the ride and many of them were screaming while keeping their front hooves in the air as it zipped through and went upside down.

"Scoots?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo said. "That looks so awesome!"

"That's my girl," Rainbow said. Rainbow got some tickets from Soarin' and waited in line.

The ride had ended and the line started moving forward.

Rainbow Dash held out the tickets to the ride operator. "Two, please."

"Hold up," he said. I'm going to need to ask the filly to stand next to this pole right here."

Scootaloo was reluctant but hopped off of Rainbow's back and stood next to the pole.

The ride operator scratched his chin as he looked at her height. "I'm sorry, but this little filly is a bit too small for this ride."

"What!?" Scootaloo cried out. "But I really, really want to go on this one with Rainbow Dash."

"No can do, kid. I have rules to follow. This is our most extreme ride here, however, there are other roller coasters and plenty of other rides that can accommodate her height."

Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash with sad eyes and expected her to bargain with the ride operator, but she did not.

"Aw, nuts. I'm sorry, Scoots, but it's for your own safety. We can always come back here another time and ride this when you're a little older." Rainbow Dash looked over and noticed another smaller, but still exciting roller coaster. "Come on, we can try this one over here. I went on this with Soarin' as well and it's really a lot of fun. You'll still like it."

Scootaloo forgot about her disappointment when she heard that it got Rainbow's approval.

They walked over and got in line again. Sure enough, the ride operator measured Scootaloo's height, but this time, she barely made it up to the line.

Scootaloo smiled and was so excited that she could get on a ride with her hero.

Soarin' leaned against the gate with his two front legs resting on top as he watched them get seated and locked in. He watched Rainbow Dash whisper something into Scootaloo's ear and the orange filly giggled as she roughed up her mane. Soarin' couldn't help but smile. He was happy because Rainbow was happy and that was amplified even more by how thrilled Scootaloo was. He kept having to remind himself that she wasn't just a filly that Rainbow Dash would visit from time to time, but was now his daughter. It was kind of crazy how fast all of this happened, but it felt really good to him and he only hoped that she'd be just as ecstatic to pack her things at her former home and move in with them. Soarin' watched the ride move and smiled when he saw Rainbow and Scootaloo both wave to him as they went by. He waved back and whistled at them.

Up, up, and up the coaster slowly went creaking slightly. Once the coaster made it to the top, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo put their front legs up in the air right before plummeting down the tracks.

"Look at that little filly," Soarin' thought to himself. "It's probably her first ride ever and she's already no barring it like a pro." No bar. No bar. The two words echoed through his mind as if there was some sort of connection with not holding onto the bar of the roller coaster and being here. He stood there with a puzzled look on his face until it hit him. "Holy horse apples!" he thought to himself. "No bar! That's it! My old buddy, Arrow Smash! How could I possibly forget about him? I haven't played In The Hooves Two or Pony it Up in ages! I wonder if I still have it in me and can play as well as I once did. How could I forget about him when I used to specifically come here for those two games?" Knowing Dash and how much she loved those games as well, he was pretty sure that they'd at least stop by that little arcade at the end of the boardwalk since they were talking about it earlier. He hoped that they could get there before they closed since he forgot what times they were open and he was also wishing that all his most favorite games were still there in good condition. Soarin' continued to stand there watching the two have fun on the ride and they would always wave at him whenever they went by. Rainbow hadn't looked this happy and alive to him in a very long time. She was not thrilled about the ride so much as she was just so pleased to see Scootaloo having the time of her life. After the coaster went around three times, Rainbow and Scootaloo found themselves exiting the ride and back with Soarin'.

Scootaloo was practically bouncing up and down, wanting to go try more rides. She loved the wind blowing through her mane and the thrill of it all. The most thrills and fun she had was on her old scooter but that often ended with cuts and bruises. The filly tugged at Rainbow's front leg wanting more fun when she saw that there was a giant tubular water slide that ponies could slide down.

"Do you want to go on this one alone, Scoots?" Rainbow asked. "You'll have more tickets for later."

Scootaloo thought to herself for a moment. "Um, okay, but after this we should find rides that we can all go on together. Soarin' deserves to have some fun too and you're going to have to show me all of the fun things to do here since it's my first time. I love this place already!"

"If you say so. Remember, it's your special day and you can do whatever you want. You're the Princess for today! Now go make a big splash for us!" Rainbow Dash gave her a few tickets for the ride and watched her skip on over to the gate where she got in line. "And our little Princess for life," Rainbow quietly added.

Scootaloo kept looking back and smiling at them each time she moved up the line.

"She's a doll, isn't she?" Rainbow asked. "I think we really made the right choice. I believe we're going to be the best parents possible for her."

"I have to agree with that," Soarin' said. "I like the kid a lot and you're definitely going to be the best mother for her. I mean, remembering the stories you've told me about her, you were always kind of like a big sister or motherly figure to her."

"That's true," Rainbow said as she watched the little filly climb up the stairs to the top of the ride. "Everything just feels so right, like this was all made to happen and I know you're going to be a great father for her as well. I don't think this poor little filly has ever experienced much fun in her life, although I'm sure her best friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom find fun things to do together with her. They do have that Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse after all."

"Do you think she'd have fun at the arcade where we first bonded together?" Soarin' asked.

"I think she most certainly would and I would love to see that special place again as well. Scootaloo pretty much thinks that anything that gets my awesomeness approval is always good."

The two ponies watched Scootaloo get to the top and then enter the tube. They stomped their hooves in approval when she came out and made a big splash in the pool.

Scootaloo swam over to the edge of the pool and climbed out. She ran over to them and started circling around them while jumping up and down. "That was so much fun! Let's find some rides that we can all go on together before it gets too late."

"Alright, don't you worry," Rainbow said. "We have plenty of time and we will be here all day."

Scootaloo spent a few hours on the rides with Rainbow and Soarin', making sure to try as many as she possibly could with them together. Scootaloo got off a ride with Rainbow and Soarin' that spun around in circles very fast.

"What ride do you want to go on next, Scoots?" Soarin' asked. "You've nearly tried them all."

"Actually," Scootaloo said. "Why don't you show me the other fun things that there are to do here?"

"Sure!" Rainbow said. "Let's not forget there are games where you can win prizes, go on the beach for a swim in the ocean, get some food to eat, have funnel cake, and there's a super awesome arcade all the way at the end of the boardwalk. Come on, let's start walking down the boardwalk and whatever prize you want to win we can try to play."

Scootaloo saw Soarin' sitting on the ground. She climbed up on his back and said, "Okay! Giddy up, Soarin'! Let's go win some prizes!"

Soarin' smiled and walked with Rainbow Dash out of the ride area and onto the boardwalk.

Scootaloo scouted the area as they walked by each booth that had some kind of unique game. They had games like tossing rings around bottles, spin the wheel, knocking over pins with a ball, and they even had that same game where Applejack literally won every single prize where a pony would buck the target and send a weight that would hit the top of the bell. Scootaloo pointed her hoof at a game that looked rather bizarre to her, but she really wanted the prize. "I want to play that one! I want to win that scooter. It's just like the old one I had and loved!"

Soarin' and Rainbow Dash saw the game where a pony would place a rubber frog on the launcher and then hit the target with a mallet to catapult it in the air and hopefully land it on a lily pad that was moving around in circles.

"We can give it a shot," Soarin' said as he walked over and placed a few bits on the counter.

The game pony gave them three green rubber frogs.

Rainbow Dash gave the mallet to Scootaloo who was still standing on Soarin's back since she was a bit too small to reach it on her own. "Give it your best shot, Scoots."

Scootaloo grabbed it and hit the target as hard as she could.

The frog was propelled into the air, but not very far or even close to where the targets were and made a big splash into the water.

"Wow! This game is really hard," Scootaloo said as she looked at Rainbow.

"These games aren't made to be easy, Scoots. You've got two more frogs left to try to land on the lily pads.

Scootaloo hopped off Soarin's back and sat on the table so that she could get closer. She carefully placed the rubber frog on the center of the board and picked up the mallet again. She studied the lily pads that spun around in a circle and carefully attempted to aim for the pad. She hit the target and the frog went flying. Her eyes lit up with excitement as the frog hit the lily pad but fell off. She used her last frog and tried placing it more on the edge of the board and hit the target, but she missed again.

"That's game over. Would you like to try again?" the game pony asked.

Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash with sad eyes. "I need help."

"Of course we would," Rainbow said. "We aren't walking away until we win something!" She gave the pony a few more bits and was given three more rubber frogs again. Rainbow Dash placed the frog on the board and then helped hold the mallet with Scootaloo. She gave it one good whack and failed to land the frog on a pad. They went through their round quite quickly without any good results. The closer Rainbow and Scootaloo got to landing a frog on the pad made Scootaloo more desperate to continue trying.

Soarin' saw that perhaps they wouldn't have any success winning at this game. He left a small bag of bits next to Dash. "You keep trying, I think I saw something that I might want to try. I won't be far," Soarin' said and then walked away.

After about five more attempts, they were able to land a frog that stayed on the green lily pad. It almost fell off but seemed to hang there by a thread.

Scootaloo dropped the mallet in excitement. "We did it! We won the scooter, Rainbow!"

"I'm afraid not, little filly," the game pony said. " You need to land all three frogs on the three separate pads in order to win the Scooter." The game pony bent down and picked up a small box of one of their smaller prizes. "You did win our little plastic spider hoof ring though. Congratulations. Choose your color."

Scootaloo's heart sunk deep within her chest. She truly believed that she had won that Scooter and now she felt cheated. She sighed and took a black spider hoof ring.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof in her mane. "Aw, cheer up, Scoots. At least we won something. I'm sorry we couldn't win the scooter."

Scootaloo put the ring around her front hoof. "Yeah, I guess," she said with another sigh. "You'd think after all those bits we spent that we'd at least get some kind of bonus prize."

"They make these games hard for a reason," Rainbow said. "Let's go find Soarin' and see what else we can do."

Scootaloo put her head down in disappointment and followed Rainbow Dash.

They walked a little bit further down until they found him.

"Hey, Scoots. Check it out. Soarin' is trying to win something too."

Scootaloo picked her head up and saw Soarin' pushing some bits across the counter. There were three basketballs on the counter that he had to toss in a basket with a tiny rim, which moved from left to right. He dribbled the ball a bit to get a feel for how inflated it was and took a deep breath before he made his shot. He sunk the first ball in and wiped the sweat off his brow. That was one down. He took the second ball and waited for just the right timing to shoot. He released the ball and watched it soar to the basket. It hit the back of the board and went right in.

The game pony grabbed the microphone and began talking into it in order to attract more ponies to the game. "Fillies and gentlecolts. We have a stallion who is one shot away from winning the ultimate prize. Can he do it? Can he sink this last shot? No pressure, buddy. Give it your best."

"Come on, Soarin'! You can make it!" Rainbow Dash yelled out.

Soarin' looked at Rainbow and Scootaloo for a moment. He gave a wink at them before taking the final ball. He placed it on his snout and sat down. He waited patiently for the right moment. Being a top tier athlete gave him the advantage when it came to specific timings and reactions as well as playing all of those video games. He sprung up and sent the ball flying off of his snout. The ball hit the back of the board and rolled around on the rim several times before eventually falling in.

Rainbow Dash stomped her hooves against the boardwalk and cheered. "That's my stallion! Way to go!"

Other ponies in the crowd watching him started cheering as well also before going over to the same game in hopes that they would win something like he did.

"He did it, Scoots! He got all three balls in!"

"Yeah, that's great," Scootaloo said while looking back at the frog game. "What did he win? Another plastic spider ring?"

"How about a brand new scooter?" Soarin' asked as he showed her the prize he won.

Scootaloo stood there in disbelief. She blinked several times as she stared at the shiny new scooter. This scooter looked way better and more durable than her previous one or the one at that frog game.

Soarin' extended his two front legs holding the scooter and placed it on the boardwalk before her. "It's yours, kid. I hope it's what you wanted."

Scootaloo looked up at Soarin' and stared into his bright green eyes for a moment. She lunged at him with a hug. "You are the best! You and Rainbow Dash are the two best ponies ever! Thank you!"

"D'awww, thanks, kiddo. We love you very much too," Soarin' said as he hugged her back.

"How about you give it a little test ride while Soarin' and I make our way to our favorite arcade?" Rainbow asked.

Scootaloo squealed with delight and got on the scooter. She did a fancy trick on it and then scooted around the two ponies.

"Shouldn't she be wearing a helmet?" Soarin' asked.

"Nah, she'll be okay. She knows how to control that thing quite well," Rainbow said.

"Just as daring as you, Dash. She really is perfect for you," Soarin' said.

Scootaloo skidded to a stop in front of them. "Take me to the best arcade, guys!"

"Alright," Rainbow said. She paused for a moment and realized that Soarin' was right. Even if Scootaloo had a lot of experience riding scooters, she didn't want to see her get hurt and she didn't know why she suddenly felt so extra concerned for her now. "Hey, just be a little more careful riding that scooter without your helmet. We don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, I promise. I won't do any extra crazy tricks.' Scootaloo kicked off and circled around Rainbow and Soarin' before they began making their way down the boardwalk. She often took some time to do a few tricks or grind down the railing by the benches as she waited for them to catch up.

"I almost forgot how far this boardwalk goes down," Rainbow said. "This arcade is super nostalgic and everything, but do you think Ponyville might open an arcade sometime? It would be nice if something like this place was closer to home."

"As long as they get all of the best rhythm games, I sure would hope so too," Soarin' replied as he watched Scootaloo scoot speedily around the other ponies walking by. "Does she ever get tired?"

"I'm sure she does, but you know that this is a new experience for her. She's never done anything like this before."

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' continued down the boardwalk until they reached their favorite arcade.

The worn out rusty sign at the top with the old fashioned style letters in red spelling out arcade was still there and the cacophony from inside this place filled their ears with contentment. It was such a simple and humble little place that brought fun competitions and tournaments to ponies who loved to game.

Scootaloo stopped in front of it. "Is this the best arcade?" she asked.

"It sure is," Soarin' said as he stared at his two favorite games, still looking in perfect condition. He looked around at all the other games he loved to play and he was relieved that they were all still there, along with some newer games that he hadn't seen before, which looked quite appealing to him.

Scootaloo didn't understand the concept of most of these games. "What game should we try first?" she asked as she got off her scooter and followed the two ponies inside.

"The dance ones," Rainbow said proudly. "I'll show you how to play them! They are personally mine and Soarin's most favorite." Rainbow Dash looked at Soarin'. "Going to join us?"

Soarin' stared at a brand new music game that he had never seen before. "You can teach her how to play and I'll probably join in soon. There's a new game that I'd like to try and it looks pretty neat." Soarin' gave Scootaloo a large bag of bits from out of his saddle bags and watched Scootaloo hop up onto one of the two dance game pads next to each other. He then walked over to this brand new game cabinet. It was a new touch screen game that he had never heard of. As he was reading the instructions on the screen during a demo of the game, a familiar voice startled him.

"Soarin'?"

He turned around and he couldn't believe that his old friend Arrow Smash was here today. "Hey! Long time!"

"Wow! It really is you! I haven't seen you in the longest time. What the hay is going on with you and how come I haven't seen you in so long? You used to stop by here so often for dance games and play with me. Whatever happened to your filly friend?" Arrow Smash asked and then held his hoof out for Soarin'.

Soarin' banged his hoof against his. "Oh, she's here, and she's my wife now."

Arrow Smash looked over at the dance games and saw her. He also took note of the little filly and asked, "Who is the little filly with her?"

"That's our newly adopted daughter, Scootaloo. We actually adopted her today."

"Wow, congrats, bro. How come all the awesome fillies come to you at the arcade? I get crowds when I play, but they just want to see how fast I can go and then they go on their merry way."

Soarin' looked over at Rainbow who was teaching Scootaloo how to read the arrow patterns that made the ponies turn sideways in the game. "Yeah," he said as he looked back to his buddy. I got lucky. I mean extremely lucky with her."

"Well, I'm sure you're going to be a great husband and father. You'd better train the little filly up to be great at rhythm games. Who knows, maybe she'll get a cutie mark in dance games." Arrow Smash looked proudly at his cutie mark for a moment. "Was getting your cutie mark the same feeling?"

"It was at first," Soarin' said. "But something much greater came into my life."

"Your wife?"

"No. Something even better."

Arrow Smash looked confused. "What could be better than that?"

"Jesus," Soarin' simply said. "In fact, I wouldn't know the love of Christ if I never met my wife."

"Oh," Arrow Smash said as he blinked his eyes a few times. "You're religious now."

"Yes. Yes, I love Jesus."

"Oh, well, hey, if it works for you, then I'm happy for you. I just hope that you'll come back and play at this arcade more often."

"I plan to," Soarin' said. "It's just that I've been so busy with work and now I have a wife and a new kid to take care of. Life gets pretty busy, but I will always love this place and will try to come as often as I can."

"Eh, that's kind of what I've been afraid of. Always wanting to get that somepony special but I don't want to sacrifice my skills at the arcade that I worked so hard for. I still haven't gotten that quad star on Vertex Squared on expert doubles mode and I know I'll never get it if I spend any less time playing these games."

"I have to admit, that was my same attitude for quite some time, although, I was never quite as talented as you are with the games here. I realized that there are more important things in life, even if I've had some of the best moments here on these games. Just because these games are your desire, doesn't mean they have to take all of your time from you. I don't think it's really healthy for you when you rage quit every song when you get a single great or even an excellent judgment in the game either. Besides, maybe if you give up some time on these games and try other things, you might perform even better when you come back to it and get that quad star on that specific song and chart since your body might need some rest. You do play those dance games like crazy."

Arrow Smash put his head down. He knew his buddy was right and he was ashamed at how angry he got at the game when he couldn't reach total perfection in terms of score. "Yeah, it just hurts to know that I can't get everything perfect and I just want to be the absolute best I can possibly be before I get too old and slow down. I don't have this cutie mark for nothing you know."

"I think you'll always be great at these games and you also have that cutie mark because you make outstanding step chart edits, but I feel that your attitude and demand for perfection is ruining your experience with many things in life, not just your gaming experience. Having high and or unrealistic expectations always come with devastating feelings when you can't meet your goals. My wife smashed through so many world records in the Wonderbolts and she had a such a passion to be the best Wonderbolt ever. She never got to perform her first show, but she'll always be the best Wonderbolt to me and her records have been recorded in the official book of the Wonderbolts."

"What happened? Why can't she be a Wonderbolt anymore?" Arrow asked.

"She had a tragic crash and it was purposely caused by other ponies who were jealous of her and couldn't bear to see her succeed. One of the two ponies involved was my ex. Rainbow Dash most likely will never be able to perform with the Wonderbolts again because she suffers with chronic pain throughout her body and the pain exhausts her greatly."

"What the buck!? That's terrible! Man, if a pony ever tried to hurt me or especially tried to injure one of my legs, I would literally kill them. Did they ever catch the two that did that to her?"

"Well, one of the two came to us in order to apologize," Soarin' said. "And I think Dash told me something about the other getting caught not too long ago."

"And what does that matter? She ruined your somepony's special life. Did you have that nut punished?" Arrow asked.

"Thinking back to the moment, I didn't take it very well. Deep down inside I wanted to harm that pony and make sure that she got a horrible punishment for what she did. I lashed out at her, but I was stopped by one of Rainbow's friends."

"Why would they stop you?"

Soarin' looked at his lovely wife once more that was now stepping with Scootaloo. "Because we are commanded to forgive others since Jesus has already forgiven us."

"I don't understand that. You hurt some pony and you deserve to get hurt. Her life is now completely ruined because of that."

"Take a look at her now," Soarin' commanded. "Does her life look ruined to you?"

Arrow Smash looked and saw her laughing with Scootaloo as they spun around on the dance pad, following the hold arrows on the screen. "Um, no. Not exactly, but if I wouldn't be able to quad star anything anymore, or even play dance games, I would feel that my life is worthless. She doesn't feel bad that her biggest dream is gone? I find that very hard to believe."

"Oh, she feels bad about it. She doesn't enjoy the fact that she most likely will be suffering with chronic pain and fatigue for the rest of her life, but she's found that her loss in many ways is a good thing," Soarin' said.

"And how is that so?"

"She relies more and more on God and prayer each day and she's become an even more of a lovely wife. She wants to share her passion and compassion for hurt fillies like Scootaloo who do not have a family to take care of them."

"That is quite a touching story. What did she think of the pony who hurt her, yet came for forgiveness?"

"Well, she forgave her and became her friend. She even attended our wedding. Friendship is magic after all."

"I don't know how to respond to that. Is this Jesus pony really that important to you?" Arrow asked.

"Oh, yes. He most certainly is and I thank Him nearly every single day for Dash. If she never showed up in my life like how she did here, I couldn't even begin imagine what my life would be like now."

Arrow Smash looked back once more at Soarin's wife and their daughter and then back to his buddy. "Wow, that's the most touching story I've ever heard, but you know I'm Agnostic and I liked you a lot because you never talked about religion before. Ponies got me angry when they dare used words like calling me lost or blind, but now I don't know what to think after your story."

Soarin' put his hoof up for a moment. "Hey, I was a terrible Christian, if you could even consider me one back then and I didn't understand what the Christian life was really about until Dash helped me out. Christians shouldn't have to go around flaunting their faith in front of others. If you can't tell that I'm a Christian by my love and kindness alone without having to say anything about my faith, then I most likely am failing in my trot with Jesus." Soarin' smiled and added, "I guess you could call me Soarin', the silent evangelist."

Arrow Smash tapped his hoof against Soarin's chest a few times and said, "You, you, you. We need more Christian ponies like you. You're not annoying or arrogant and you don't call me blind or lost."

"Thanks, but I don't think the ponies talking to you meant to sound arrogant or put you down. I can understand why words like that would be upsetting to you, but I like to put my faith in the God of Christianity. I like what the Bible has to offer, even if it makes me feel uncomfortable at times and shows me my many sins. The Bible may hurt you with the truth, but it will never comfort you with a lie, and it all makes sense when I read the scriptures in their entirety and see the good and evil in this world. Faith and doing the will of the Lord pleases God after all and I think you're a good pony who means well."

It had been a very long time that such warm and comforting words softened Arrow's heart. He stared into Soarin's eyes for a moment before giving him a hug.

Soarin' was surprised to find that his old time buddy had given him a hug for the first time. Such affection was not expected by him as it really didn't match up with his past personality. He hugged him back when he heard the fear and deep concern in his voice.

"You know, every day I think about death ever since my Grandma died and I don't want to die. Dying to me is the end of everything and it terrifies me. What terrifies me even more is the idea of burning in torment and misery in Hell, if Hell is indeed real. Do you think your God wants to send me there like all the other Christians tell me He will?"

"Hell was not made for anypony," Soarin' answered.

Arrow Smash let go of Soarin' and stared into his eyes with confusion. "It's not?"

"No, Hell was made for Satan and his demons."

"So why do ponies go to Hell? If I got sent there, I would feel like that would be so unfair. I never killed anypony or anything like that. I find it hard to believe that almost anypony who goes to Hell would find it fair."

"Because Hell is the total absences of God, while Heaven is in the total presence of Him. God is very much in the presence of this world, but God allows us to choose what we want. He loves us enough to let us choose Him or not, and if a pony wishes to shut his heart out from God and never wants to have anything to do with Him, then He grants that wish. He has his hoof held out with a gift for you. It's called the gift of salvation and all you have to do is accept and take it. It's a very simple choice and He wants you to have it so badly, as do I." Soarin' paused for a moment and took out his Bible from his saddle bag. He opened it up and said, "Let me read you an interesting passage about Hell." He cleared his throat and then began reading out loud.

"“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you, a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Soarin' closed the book and put it back into his saddle bag, "Now what do you find interesting about that story?"

"Um, Hell sounds hot?"

"Well, yes, but the pony in Hell never complains once about being put there unfairly. He complains about the suffering and asks that it be diminished. He even begs that his five brothers be admonished about Hell by Lazarus so that they won't experience what he has to, but he never says that it's unfair that he was sent there. I think you're a wonderful pony who means well and you have a good, caring heart, but there are some sin issues in your way that God wants to take care of and cleanse you with the shed blood of Jesus.

"But what about non-believing ponies who live good, sometimes even better lives than Christians?"

Soarin' paused for a moment and thought to himself. He looked and spotted a small store that was across from the arcade that sold sea glass, seashells and polished, painted rocks. Soarin' pointed with his hoof and said, "Do you see that shop across from this arcade?"

Arrow turned and looked. "Yes."

"Now let's say we got you a rock and painted the word salvation on it."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Just give me a moment to explain," Soarin' said. "Now let's say the water in the ocean represents sin and you have one shot to make. The requirement for all ponies to enter Heaven is to stand on the beach and throw that rock all the way across the ocean and hit the land on the other side of water."

"What?! That's impossible," Arrow said as he thought about how crazy that idea sounded.

"That's my point," Soarin' said. "And if you think about it, no matter how impossible it is for a pony to throw a rock that far, some will throw farther than others. The entire goal is not to see who can throw the furthest, the goal is about hitting land on the other side, much like the goal to get into Heaven is to be perfect and not miss the mark, but it's too hard for us and none of us can do that except for the Messiah. He came so that He could bridge that gap that no one could make it over on their own between us and the Father. We needed a Savior because the law was too hard for us to do."

"So I guess you Christians bypass judgement once you're saved?" Arrow asked.

"Everyone will be judged, but the believer will be judged at the Judgement seat of Christ. It is here where we will be given eternal rewards based upon our good deeds. The other judgement type is the great white throne of judgement for non-believers who lived independently of the Lord and that is a place of judgement I wish no one would go to."

"Wow, I want to believe what you believe so badly. I can't even describe how powerful the feeling is, but I'm also terrified of giving my entire life away to something that seems like a cult to me. Will you please pray for me?"

"I most certainly will," Soarin' said.

Arrow Smash looked at his two most favorite dance game with guilt. "Do you think we could hang out together if you're not too busy? I don't have many ponies who I can call my real friends. The most friendship I get here are the crowds coming to watch me which feels quite empty and the more ponies who come into the arcade, the lonelier I feel. I know we live very far away from each other, but I'd be willing to fly over to come hang out. I take it that your wife moved in with you?"

"No, I sold that house and I live with my spouse in Ponyville. I moved into her house because I couldn't let her be far from her friends, especially when they are so important to her and she needs them. She also can't travel that far because of her pain."

"Oh, wow! That's even further away from where I live. I'd still come just to talk to you more and you know what? You seriously are the best friend I've ever had. I really mean that. You are the only pony that put up with my sudden anger outbursts and rage quits when I'd get mad and would just bracket the rest of the songs when I'd get a great while playing In The Hooves Two."

"Well, I understand you also did that to conserve energy for the next song. You're also free to stop by our house at any time even when I'm not around. Dash is wonderful and would be more than happy to talk to you as well."

Arrow Smash looked at Rainbow and saw that she had switched dance games and was teaching the little filly how to play Pony It Up. Her front legs were crossed against the red R shaped bar on the player two's side and she was leaning her weight against it. She was cheering on the little filly and telling her when to turn when the arrow patterns called for it. She kept specifically calling out the M runs for her. Arrow Smash looked at Soarin' again. "Yeah, she seems like a really nice mare." He stood there in thought for a moment and added, "You know what I think I may do?"

"What?" Soarin' asked. "You can tell me anything."

"I think I might sell my own dance game dedicated cabinet that I won in a tournament. It's really bugging me and I feel like even though it's my passion, I've taken it too far and I don't need it."

"That might be a good idea," Soarin' said as he smiled. He could sense that there was a change in his old friend already, not just because of the unexpected hug, but because he was thinking very differently and it made him glad.

"Would you mind if I go say something to your wife for a moment? I have to go home soon and I just want say how much I appreciate her story and I'm amazed by her loyalty. I can see that you have changed so much ever since you started hanging out with her."

Soarin' smiled. "Sure, buddy! I'm so glad to have bumped into you again. You're welcome to come to our house at any time and you'll always be my good pal whether you decide to be a Christian or not. We won't treat you any differently no matter what you decide to choose."

"Thanks, bro. Like I said, you're the only friend who really cared about me. I will most definitely take you up on that offer and will stop by sometime. I hope your God blesses you very much, if He's real. See you soon."

"OK, sounds great! I hope to see you soon too," Soarin' said as he waved goodbye. He watched his friend turn and walk over to Dash where he leaned his two front legs against the player one's bar and began talking to Rainbow Dash. Soarin' turned back to the new game he was interested in and inserted some bits. Today was turning out to be much better than he had expected. He picked out a song that he wanted to play and started tapping his front hooves on the screen. He quickly started to see that this game could become very addicting and would have great potential.

After finishing his round, he plunked some more bits in and continued to play until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Rainbow Dash. "Oh, hey, Dash. Need more bits?"

"Nah, I just finished talking to your friend. He seems like a really nice fellow. I didn't know you two were that close. I figured you both were an acquaintance or something."

"Yeah, we go back. Way back. We met here in this arcade and used to play very often. What did he talk to you about?"

"He just wanted to hear more about my story and our story of coming together. He seemed to be quite fascinated by it. He also said that he had some anger issues and was hoping to consider talking to us more about Jesus," Rainbow said as she kept her eye on Scootaloo who was standing on a stool and playing another rhythm game with her front hooves that was next to a skeeball machine.

"He wants to visit us and talk more about it. I told him that he could stop by any time if he wanted to. I have hope that his life might get changed around since he was already planning on doing some pretty crazy changes that I thought he'd never consider," Soarin' said.

"He told me how far away he lives. I'm kind of surprised that he would travel that far to Ponyville."

"I think he saw something in us that he wanted, Dash. I think he saw a little bit of the love of Christ and seeking more of Him is worth the travel no matter how far."

"So true," Rainbow said. "I hope we can help him." Rainbow Dash looked at the clock in the room. "Hey, did you see what time it is? Aren't you hungry?"

Soarin' looked at the clock. "Wow! It really is getting late and we haven't eaten dinner yet."

"How on earth did you manage to go all this time without complaining that you're hungry?" Rainbow asked.

"Must have been a miracle!" Soarin' said. He laughed and then added, "Actually, I have been gnawing on a bunch of protein bars through out the day, but I certainly could go for some real dinner. Let's get our little Princess."

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' walked over to where Scootaloo was furiously pounding the keys on the game cabinet with her hooves.

Scootaloo couldn't keep up with the streams of notes and her life bar had depleted fully. The words 'Game Over' flashed on the screen.

"What do you think about going to get some good grub to eat?" Soarin' asked as he put his hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Haven't you played enough games for now? You must be hungry."

Scootaloo put her hoof to her chin in thought. "Well, I am the Princess for today and decide what we do, right?"

"As long as Soarin's stomach doesn't growl too loud. He can get quite grumpy on an empty belly," Rainbow added.

"We can go, but I have just one request."

"What would that be?" Soarin' asked.

"You both have to have a dance off! You and Soarin' didn't play together and I want to watch you both play a full round since you both are the very best!"

Rainbow and Soarin' looked at each other for a moment.

"Alright," Soarin' said. "I really wanted to play the dance games anyway, but that new game had caught my attention and I didn't realize how much time went by anyway."

"Shake hooves first!" Scootaloo demanded as both ponies stepped on the platform.

"Wow, this is serious competition, isn't it, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked as she slowly extended her hoof and shook Soarin's hoof.

"It is! This will be the best competition ever," the orange filly exclaimed.

"Couldn't we do routine mode and work as a team in Pony It Up instead of against each other?" Soarin' asked. He was concerned about beating Dash and didn't want her morale to sink any lower than it has been with her fatigue and pain issues.

"No, ultimate face off!" Scoots demanded.

"So are we doing something like the Mareathon mode with the built in modifiers or just the regular game mode?" Soarin' asked.

"I get to pick the songs too and they all have to be played on expert mode!" Scootaloo insisted. "This is for science!"

"Science?" Rainbow Dash asked as she took off her sunglasses and placed them on the side of the cabinet.

"Okay, okay, okay," Soarin' said. "Let's do this." He didn't want to spend any more time since he knew that he'd be very hungry soon enough. He bent down and plunked some bits into the machine. His ears perked up at the sound the machine made each time he put a bit in. It sounded heavenly and nostalgic to him and there was nothing quite like it. He selected the two player mode and scrolled through the list of songs slowly as he waited for her approval.

"That one!" Scootaloo called out.

"While Tha Rekkid Spinz?" Soarin' asked.

"Yeah! That song sounds awesome!"

"It does have a pretty nice beat," Rainbow added.

Soarin' double tapped the green button on the cabinet for their modifier options and selected his speed modifier. He looked at Rainbow's side and noticed she picked overhead. "Not using hallway in this game is heresy, Dash."

"Just trying to be a little different and change the perspective," she said and then locked in her side.

Soarin' did the same and both ponies began to tap their hooves to the beat before the arrows started scrolling up.

Scootaloo's tiny wings buzzed in anticipation as the colorful, flashy arrows started to scroll up the screen, each color representing a different beat of a note. She couldn't wait to see her two favorite ponies in action together.

The four lights on the sides of the marquee began flashing as well as the two circular purple lights on the bottom of the cabinet.

Scootaloo began shadow stepping along with them but went into her own little dance as the excitement and music overtook her. She closed her eyes and smiled as she swayed her body around and stepped randomly. She had no idea what she was doing and looked like a fool, but she didn't care until her head hit one of the back of the bars on the dance game. She didn't realize how fast the song went by because she was having fun and each song was only about two minutes in length. The song had already ended and Scootaloo put her two front hooves on the tip of the metal dance game pads in-between the bars. "So, who won?"

"We actually tied," Rainbow said as she stared at the two tri-stars that moved across the screen.

"Not only that, but we got a full excellent combo and we both got six excellent judgements at the exact same point of the song," Soarin' said as he pointed at the two graphs. "That's really rare." He looked at Dash and gave her a playful punch on her jaw. "Nice job, Dash. I didn't know you still had it in you." He looked at the screen and added, "You rock!"

"Aw, come on, Soarin'. You know that I had all the time in the world to warm up and play with Scootaloo. You haven't played this game in a long time either. I believe the screen said that you rock as well."

"Okay, next song!" Scootaloo demanded as she tapped her hoof loudly against one of the red bars connected to the back of the pads.

"So what are you trying to prove with this?" Rainbow asked.

"Shhh! No talking during this fierce competition and most important experiment! We must go on," Scootaloo said as she pounded her two front hooves against the metal pads.

Rainbow Dash scrolled through the rest of the songs until she reached the end. She then went into the next folder of songs and continued scrolling.

"Stop!" Scootaloo said. "I like this song."

"My Life is so Crazy," Rainbow said. "Alright, let's do this." Rainbow Dash hit the green button on the cab and then spoke softly in Soarin's ear as the song loaded up. At least she's picking nothing but nines so far. I'm tired enough as it is and I'm going to hurt so much tomorrow. I'm not sure who she wants to see win."

The music kicked in and both ponies bobbed their heads to the beat until they began smashing the arrows on the pad together with their hooves.

Scootaloo could feel the thundering steps and the vibrations from the floor that went into her hooves. The vibrations tickled and felt funny to her as she watched the panels light up each time they were stepped on. Within a few moments, she saw the flashing blue fantastic combo on the screen and she studied the faces of the ponies. They were both so focused on the screen and rarely blinked their eyes. Scootaloo could see that they were both trying as hard as they possibly could. She put her hoof to her mouth when they had both hit their first excellent judgment grade. The combo number began flashing orange and a miniature explosion went off behind the combo count number. "So cool!" Scootaloo said. She looked at the song length bar and then down at their hooves, mesmerized by how fast they could step. Even if the song was only an expert nine, Scootaloo had never seen anything so fast before. She had almost went into some kind of trance while watching, but that all ended when the song stopped playing and the vibrations in the floor had ceased.

Rainbow Dash let out a squeal followed by a giggle. "It happened again! We both not only got tri-stars, but the exact same percentage. Ninety nine point seventy five percent!"

"Unbelievable, and we still managed to get the excellent judgments at the same points in the song," Soarin' said as he hit the green button on the cabinet and then scrolled through the song list.

"So this is the final song," Scootaloo said as she listened to each song that scrolled by slowly. "Okay! I want that one."

"This is Rock and Roll," Soarin' said. "I take it that you have a real affinity for DJ Zombie in this game. I never really took you to be a filly who liked techno music.

"It sounds awesome, don't you agree?" Scootaloo asked.

"It does," Rainbow answered. "We're not complaining and you're picking great songs!" Rainbow looked at Soarin' and said over the loud booming bass from the cabinet, "I'm really glad she picked a super easy nine since I don't know how much more I can take. I guess I'll be sleeping good tonight and also most likely throughout the next day." Rainbow Dash went to hit the accept button on the cabinet twice, but she slipped around on the pad. "Um, would you mind trading places with me? I seem to have been sweating a lot and this side of the pad is as slippery as ice now."

Soarin' looked at her side and noticed that there were puddles of sweat on the arrow panels. "You are a sweaty mess even with this industrial fan blowing on us." He looked at her face and added, "You don't look so good. Are you sure you want to finish this round?"

"I'm sorry you don't feel good," Scootaloo said. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to. We can finish my experiment another time."

Rainbow Dash felt horrible inside, but yet she had so much trouble backing down from a challenge and it had been a very long time since she felt competitive. Her nostrils puffed out from the pain in her body and her mind was telling her to continue, but her body was telling her to stop. "Nah, Scoots. I'll do this one last song. She pointed her hoof at her and winked. "For you, kid."

"That's the Rainbow Dash I know and love!" Scootaloo cheered.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' switched sides and began choosing their modifiers.

Soarin' paused for a moment and slid his hoof against one of the panels. It was slippery but he kept sliding his hoof until he heard some squeaking sounds.

"Ready?" Rainbow asked.

"Ready," Soarin' said as he leaned over and pushed the green button.

The bass began pumping and Soarin' and Rainbow Dash began stepping. They galloped to the shiny blue and green arrows that scrolled up the screen. Scootaloo was very amused at the galloping steps of eighth and sixteenth notes. She kept darting her eyes from the players to the percentage scoring at the top for both players and then back to the combo count that was flashing blue. Scootaloo felt a splash of sweat fall onto the side of her face from Rainbow's mane. She didn't mind, and she began to cheer. "Come on! You can do it!"

The words of Scootaloo were almost drowned out by the music, but both players had heard her and were inspired to focus more.

The ending of the song had come up and the two players focused very carefully in order to hit the last few jumps and steps. They were stepping even when there were no arrows to be stepped on in order to keep near perfect timing.

Rainbow Dash stepped on the last arrow and nearly fell down. She had enough and could not go on any longer. She didn't look up at the screen to see her score because she was exhausted. Her vision became somewhat blurry, but she slowly picked her head back up and stared at the speaker on her side of the cabinet. "Did I win?" she asked in between heavy breaths.

"Look up at the screen and you tell me," Soarin' said.

Rainbow Dash did so and saw the four golden stars. "Oh my gosh," Rainbow said as she took some deep breaths. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Rainbow continued to struggle for air and then coughed. "A quad star! That's my first ever!" She smiled and looked at Soarin's side. Her mouth hung open in shock. "Double quad star!"

"That's my first one as well," Soarin' said.

Rainbow Dash took some more deep breaths and looked at Scootaloo."But that means we don't have a winner. Who were you cheering for back there, Scoots? I guess your experimental science theory didn't come out right, did it?"

Scootaloo hopped on the dance pads. Her two left legs on the player one's right arrow and her two right legs on the player two's left arrow. "Nope! It came out just as I planned. Twilight Sparkle would be super proud of me!"

"What exactly was your experiment about? How sweaty I could get before I nearly pass out?" Rainbow asked while still trying to catch her breath.

"No. The test was to prove that you're both equally awesome and are both perfect! When I was cheering, it was for the both you. I knew you were both the best and I proved it!"

Soarin' and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and then laughed before they shared a quick kiss over the little filly in celebration of their first quad star in the game.

"Scoots, you are way too adorable and I love how you think," Rainbow Dash said.

"And you both got your first one hundred percent score because of me!" the little filly blurted out.

"You did good, Scoots. I never thought either of us would ever quad star any expert steps," Soarin' said.

"And I have another theory," Scootaloo said.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked.

"That neither you or Soarin' can ever get tired since you're both the best!"

"Oh, well I certainly hope you don't plan to put us through that test," Rainbow said with nervous laughter. "Let's just leave it at me and Soarin' are both equally cool. That's enough science experiments for today I think."

"Even Wonderbolts need to sleep, Scootaloo," Soarin' said. He was about to say something else but then his stomach rumbled loudly and could be heard over the clamor of other games in the background.

"I've heard tummy rumbling before but Soarin's stomach sounds like it's full of thunder. I might have to ask Twilight about that one," Scootaloo said. She looked around for a moment and added. "I'm hungry too, let's eat."

"What do you want to eat?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You can simply follow your nose to wherever the best smell of food takes you."

Scootaloo's nostrils twitched a few times. "Okay, follow me," she said as she picked up her scooter that was leaning against the side of the dance game machine.

Rainbow Dash tried to stand up straight, but her body was so beat up that she struggled greatly.

"Need me to carry you?" Soarin' asked. "You really look like you've had it."

"I think I'll manage," Rainbow said as she leaned over and grabbed her sunglasses from off the side of the cabinet. She pushed them up onto her forehead, like how she was wearing them before and put her head near the large fan to dry off for a moment. "I just really hope we might get a resting period after we eat and maybe chill out on the beach because I've kind of had it after that last round of games. We'd better hurry up and follow her before she gets lost."

"I think we can arrange some swim time as you relax on the beach. What kind of first time visit to the beach would it be without swimming?" Soarin' asked as he followed Dash back outside.

"That sounds really wonderful. We should do that before it gets too late anyway." Rainbow picked up the pace as she tried to keep up with the sniffing Scootaloo. "Wait for us, Scoots!"

They followed her as she scooted on past the other ponies and swayed around them on her scooter.

Scootaloo stopped in front of a place and waited for them to catch up. "What is that smell? it smells so good! Whatever it is, I want to eat it."

"That's the smell of zeppole and I don't think you should eat that alone for dinner even if you are Princess for the day," Soarin' said.

"Can we at least get some for dessert?" Scootaloo asked. She noticed the pies that were sitting on the counter. "I'll have some pizza for dinner."

Rainbow Dash looked away for a moment in slight disgust. "Pizza? Again? Something tells me that ponies living in Ponyville love pizza more than they really should." Rainbow noticed an actual restaurant not much further down. "Would you like something more fancy, Scoots? I know that restaurant just a little bit further down. They serve gourmet food."

Scootaloo had never heard that word before and she didn't really care since she had never smelled anything that was so tempting to eat. This little place had pizza and all kinds of dessert. "I just really want to try the thing that smells so good." The little filly walked away from Rainbow and Soarin' and put her two front hooves on the counter as she looked around at the food.

"It is her special day," Soarin' admitted to Dash.

"Ungh. I guess so, but it's like you give them an inch and they take a mile. I don't mind that much though, she's way too adorable anyway," Rainbow said. "I don't think I've ever seen her this excited in her entire life. I just don't know how you don't ever get sick of pizza either."

Soarin' grinned. "Maybe because pizza is technically a pie and you know that I can never say no to any pies whether they are for dinner or dessert."

"Well, now that makes a lot more sense to me," Rainbow replied. She felt the sudden, intense pain flare ups in her body once more and she felt as if she had a fever even though she did not. "I just want to sit down at this moment. I really don't feel so good."

"You go find a bench for us to sit on so you can rest. I'll come over with the food when it's ready."

"Thanks, if they have anything else other than pizza, well, you know what I like. I just don't feel like pizza again," Rainbow said and then walked over to find a bench.

Rainbow found a bench that other ponies had just gotten off of. She quickly sat down and hunched over as she put her two front hooves to her eyes for a moment. She was tired, but she was also starving at this point. She brought her hooves slowly down her face which tugged at her eye lids. There she saw the ocean in all its beauty. She watched some ponies playing for a moment and then fixated her attention to all the parents having fun with their fillies and colts. She began to wonder if she truly had the energy and patience to raise Scootaloo being that she was in chronic pain and was extremely fatigued so often. This little filly still thought that she somehow was like the old Rainbow Dash and had tons of stamina to go on all day, even though Rainbow Dash had explained to her before that she would be having extra difficulties in life. She knew that no matter how much of a wonderful filly she was, family fights were bound to happen. That was normal, but at this point all she wanted was for this filly to feel safe, secure, and loved for once. She said a quick prayer, asking for strength to get through this day and more importantly, that she'd have what it takes to give Scootaloo the best possible life. This wasn't going to be easy no matter how good Scootaloo was, but she knew that what she was doing was the right thing. She just hoped that she could do it well. Rainbow Dash continued to stare at all of the parents with their kids until a voice startled her.

"Why do you look so sad? I thought today was supposed to be a great day."

She turned and saw Scootaloo looking up at her with innocent eyes. Rainbow Dash smiled and picked her up between her front hooves. She brought her faces close to hers and replied, "Sad? I'm not sad. I was just thinking about how special you are and how much I love you." She put the filly on her lap and tickled her belly. "And Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine."

Scootaloo giggled and squirmed in her lap until Rainbow Dash lovingly brought her front legs around her and kissed her on top of her head. She rested the side of her face on her mane and closed her eyes as she rocked the little filly gently. "More than you could ever imagine," she said once more. Rainbow Dash realized that Scootaloo's mane had probably not been washed in over a week. She wasn't sure how often they took showers or baths at the place where she was staying or if Scootaloo simply passed up bath time. She didn't let it bother her, especially since she was quite used to the odor of dirty, unwashed mane from Applejack and other interesting farm scents that she could smell from her orange fur coat.

Scootaloo grabbed onto one of her front legs and leaned against her chest as she closed her eyes. She had never experienced such a warm and comforting hug like this before.

They sat there for a while without saying a word until Soarin' interrupted the silence. "D'aaaw. I wish I had a picture of that. I hate to break up such a sweet moment, but we do have food here." He placed the boxes and bags of food on the bench before he took a seat. He looked over and gave Scootaloo a small plate of pizza; she was content to take it without moving an inch away from Rainbow Dash. Soarin' also handed Dash a bag.

Rainbow Dash opened it and was pleasantly surprised to find herself with a hay and eggplant burger covered with onions and garlic. "You're the best Soarin'. I really feel like eating something like this."

"And there's two more in there in case you're still hungry, if not, don't worry, I can eat the rest," he said before opening a box of pizza and devouring it.

The three ponies said nothing as they chowed down and started piling a mound of boxes and bags into a trashcan near them. It had been a bit late for dinner since they were having so much fun which had made them all the more hungry.

Scootaloo held her paper plate out that was stained with a bit of pizza grease to Soarin'. "May I have some more, please?"

"Have as much as you want," Soarin' said as he took the plate and piled on three more slices before giving the plate back to her.

"Wow, that's a lot, thanks," Scootaloo said as she took a nibble of a slice. She noticed the other two boxes of pizza that hadn't been opened yet. "Is he really going to finish those other two boxes?"

"Oh, you'll eventually get used to his eating habits. It doesn't even phase me anymore," Rainbow said. "Even I had more of a voracious appetite when I was training with him. Being a Wonderbolt does make you hungry and the one good thing about it is that he's like my personal garbage disposal for when we have too much food in the fridge. I don't think there has been a day that we have had to throw something out because it went bad. If it's there, he eats it. No questions asked."

"I have another theory," Scootaloo said. "Soarin' never gets full."

"I don't think we need to test that to prove it," Rainbow said as she watched him finish putting another box away. "He's my bottomless pit and I think he's won enough first place trophies in pie eating contests to prove it." Rainbow Dash took one of the three cups from the cardboard holder and sipped through the straw. "Mmmm. Iced tea."

"I guess that dance off made you quite hungry," Soarin' said. "I wasn't sure if you'd be able to eat all three burgers. I got everyone a treat too."

Rainbow Dash put her two front hooves on her belly. "I haven't eaten like this in a very long time. I think I'm done."

"Aw, come on. I got you rocky road ice cream. I know that's your favorite," Soarin' said as he handed her a cup. I paid a little extra for the unicorns to cast that no melting ice cream spell too."

"Eh," Rainbow said. "It is a special day today, isn't it? I just don't like how often junk food makes my pain flare up more and can make me more tired, but I haven't had ice cream in a long time." She took a lick of her ice cream. "In a very long time," she added as her taste buds approved. "Now I remember why they call this stuff a mare's comfort food. No wonder Rarity pigs out on tubs of this when she's not feeling well."

"And for you, Scoots," Soarin' said as he gave her a brown bag before opening up his own bag of treats.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' watched and waited for Scootaloo's reaction to the sweet and fried treat. They figured that she probably didn't get to try anything like this before.

Scootaloo took a zeppole out and sniffed it a few times before taking a bite. "Wow!" she said as she perked up. "This has to be the exact same thing that God gave the Jews in the Bible to eat, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Soarin' asked.

"This has to be that mana cake."

Rainbow Dash and Soarin' began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Scootaloo demanded to know. "It really is, isn't it?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof in the fillies mane. "If you want to call it mana cakes, that's cool, Scoots. I love how you think."

"Try one of these," Soarin' said as he gave her a piece of his funnel cake.

Scootaloo ate it quickly. Never before had she ever had such sublime treats like these and she felt a bit euphoric at this point since the desserts made her feel so good and she was also with her two most favorite ponies. "Can this day get any better?" she asked as she stuffed another zeppole into her mouth.

"You might be surprised what else may happen," Rainbow Dash said.

"Can you tell me?" Scootaloo asked as her wings buzzed in anticipation.

Rainbow Dash had to fight back tears when the thought entered her mind. She was a mare who used to think that crying was wrong and for the weak, but she could tell that she was changing more and more each day and was becoming okay with it. However, she didn't want to cry in front of Scootaloo now. She simply smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Soarin' finished the last bit of his funnel cake and got up off the bench. He put his two front hooves on the silver railing and asked. "Do you know how to swim, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo finished cramming the last zeppole in her mouth and said with a mouthful, "A little bit, but not really. I went sort of swimming in a lake with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom a few times."

"Do you want to go swimming with me? I think it would be a good experience for you," Soarin' said. "I can hold you up if you need me to."

Scootaloo stared at the ocean. She was a very brave little filly, but she heard lots of bad things about swimming in the sea. "Aren't there sharks that are hungry for ponies and I heard there is some kind of vacuum that drags little fillies and colts all the way to the bottom of the ocean? They never come back up, do they?"

"You're more likely to get attacked and killed by a pig than a shark, Scootaloo, and that vacuum that you heard of is called the current. Yes, it looks a little bit strong today and I have been pulled under a few times, but look at it this way, you have a Wonderbolt making sure that you're safe. That's probably better than any life guard on duty," he said with a wink.

"You're right. How could I even question the possibility of danger with two Wonderbolts by my side!" Scootaloo tossed her empty bag into the trash and stood next to Soarin'. She put her two front hooves on the lower railing and inhaled the air as she watched the fillies and colts splashing in the water and having a great time. There was something really energizing and rejuvenating about the air here and she couldn't figure it out, but loved it anyway. She was now very excited about going into the water. "Let's go now!"

Rainbow Dash finished licking her large sized ice cream cup and threw it in the trash. She got up and stretched herself. "Alright. Let's go have some fun on the beach. You're going to really enjoy your first time swimming in the ocean."

Rainbow Dash followed behind Scootaloo and Soarin' as they walked over to the stairs and headed down the wooden steps. Her hooves sunk into the warm sand and It felt good to be back on the beach. She smiled when she noticed Scootaloo playfully romping around in the soft sand next to Soarin'.

Scootaloo looked at the ground as they came across a stretch of sea shells. She listened to the crunching sounds as she stepped over the many shells. Most of them were plain and white, but one specific shell caught her eye. Scootaloo picked the shell up and studied its beauty.

Soarin' paused and looked at the shell as well.

"Hey, Scoots, what did you find? A bit?" Rainbow asked. She came closer when she saw how mesmerized Scootaloo had looked. There she saw a gorgeous sea shell. It had a purple color with some stripes on it, and in the center was what appeared to be a cross that seemed to have formed naturally on it. "What a nice shell you found."

"It's the prettiest thing I've seen," Scootaloo said. "The cross on it reminds me of Jesus."

"Maybe he made that shell just for you to find," Rainbow said. "He wants you to experience his beautiful creations and wants you to know how special you are."

"Can we keep it?" Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow Dash studied the shell and noticed that there was a hole at the top of the shell. "Keep it? Of course you can! That's a special gift just for you. I see that we could probably make some kind of necklace out of this, would you like to wear it? Perhaps our friend Rarity can help us make it into a really nice necklace."

Scootaloo nodded her head yes. "Yes, I would love that. Can you guys keep it safe for me? I don't want to lose it. It's so pretty."

"Sure, give it to me and I can put it in my one of my saddle bags where it will be safe," Soarin' said.

The little filly did so and Soarin' put it in a small compartment of his saddle bag and zipped it up.

Scootaloo stopped when she and Soarin' reached near the edge of the sand where it was wet. She placed her hoof in it as the water came rushing up towards her and splashed up against her chest. She giggled and then said, "It feels so funny to me." She turned around and asked, "Aren't you going to join us too, Rainbow?"

Rainbow really did want to go in, but she was exhausted. "Nah, you have fun with Soarin'. I think I'm going to relax here and watch you both."

"Well in that case, you can stay with my saddles bags as I go for a swim with Scoots," he said as he took them off. He opened one up and took out a towel and placed it on the sand.

"Thanks, Soarin'," she said as she laid down and got comfy. "You both go on and have some fun, I'll be chilling here and watching."

Soarin' looked down at Scootaloo and smiled. "Ready for fun? Let's run in together. Ready? Go!"

Rainbow Dash put her two front legs behind her head and laid back as she watched the two run into the water together. Her sunglasses fell over her eyes and she relaxed her body as the warm sun beamed down on her which helped relax her aching muscles. Nothing felt better than to lay there and feel the water coming up just high enough to splash against her back hooves that were dug into the sand. She watched Soarin' hold Scootaloo closely and each time a wave would come, she would jump over it. She could hear her laughing and having so much fun and even though Soarin' was with her, Rainbow still felt a sense of worry. She remembered that she was afraid of losing her in the crowds at one point earlier before they had dinner. Perhaps this was just the worry of a mother that she was experiencing. She just wanted to know and make sure that Soarin' and Scootaloo were both safe. She looked over at the life guard and read the meter on the side of his post. The sign had a warning message for dangerous tides today. Rainbow Dash started to wonder if perhaps they would be in possible danger and her mind began to worry a little bit more over the possibilities of something tragic happening, but as that happened, her mind also began to drift off to sleep and she quickly fell into a very deep sleep.

Rainbow Dash awoke when she heard a mare scream. She instantly looked over to where Soarin' and Scootaloo were playing. She didn't see them, but she saw that the water was red. She quickly looked around and found some ponies standing around Soarin' who was laying on his back. She noticed the trail of blood and saw that one of his legs was missing. "No!" she said to herself. She got up and ran over to him stumbling several times along the way. "What happened to him?" she yelled out.

"He was bitten by a shark," one of the ponies calmly said.

"What!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why are you acting all casual and are just standing around watching him suffer? He's going to bleed out if we don't get him some help." Rainbow Dash looked around frantically. Where's Scootaloo is she okay?"

The life guard slowly got off his post and walked over to her. "She got sucked up by the current and hasn't been seen since. I tried to save her but it was too late. You saw the sign that there were dangerous tides today," he said as he pointed to the sign. "You should have known better and should pay closer attention next time. She's probably long gone by now."

"No! I can't take this! Please tell me that this isn't..." Rainbow Dash felt something hit her head.

"Excuse me, sweetie. Lil' help here?" a voice called out.

Rainbow Dash jolted up, losing her sunglasses off her face. She instantly looked for Soarin' and Scootaloo. There she saw Scootaloo clung to Soarin's neck as he swam through the water. She put her hoof to her heart and sighed. "It was just a bad dream. Thank God it was just a bad dream."

"Excuse me, Miss!"

"Huh?" Rainbow turned and looked at the colorful beach ball next to her. She saw a pony waving at her and she quickly tossed the ball over to him.

"Thank you very much," the pony said as he picked up the ball and headed back to where his friends were.

Rainbow Dash picked up her sunglasses and placed them back on her face. She put her hoof to her head and wiped the sweat off. "I guess moms can worry in their sleep too," she said to herself as she watched Scootaloo and Soarin'. "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You," she whispered to herself. She watched Soarin' come out of the water with Scootaloo still hanging onto him. "Wow, you two are getting out already? Did you have fun?"

"Just getting out?" Soarin' asked. "We have been swimming for nearly an hour and the sun is about to set soon. I take it that you fell asleep. We had a lot of fun, right, Scootaloo?" he asked as he looked back at her.

"I've never experienced anything like that before. The waves felt so funny to me. It was awesome!" Scootaloo said. "I even saw a sting ray and some jelly fish!"

"Wow, I didn't realize I was asleep for that long. I'm so glad that you both had fun." Rainbow Dash looked over at a bunch of rocks that were leading into the ocean. "Should we go and sit on those rocks and watch the sunset? Soarin' and I would always watch it together when we came here."

"Okay," Scootaloo said.

Soarin' began walking along the side of Dash as the waves splashed up against there hooves.

"What's that moving rock? Scootaloo asked.

Soarin' stared at the rocks that they were traveling to. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.

"Watch out. You're going to step on it," Scootaloo said.

As Soarin' shuffled his front leg forward, he felt something hard hit his hoof. He looked down and saw what Scootaloo was talking about.

"What is that thing? It looks like some kind of alien," Scootaloo said as she watched the many legs on the creature move around, desperately trying grasp onto something.

"Oh, why that's just a horseshoe crab," Soarin' said. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Why do they call it a horseshoe crab?" Scootalo asked. "Do horses or ponies wear them on their hooves?"'

"Of course not, silly. They get their name because their arc shaped carapace looks like a horseshoe." Soarin' pointed at the creature and continued. "See its long tail? Watch how she will use it to leverage herself in order to flip over."

Scootaloo watched as the horseshoe crab struggled greatly to flip over, but sure enough the creature did. "That thing is so weird but cool. It kind of looks like a tank. How do you know it's a female anyway and how often do they come out of the water?"

"Females are the bigger ones and she's just out here trying to attract a mate."

"So they are just like ponies," Rainbow said with a laugh.

"What do you mean by that?" Soarin' asked.

"Attracting a mate on the beach? Sounds like what most ponies come here to do as well."

Soarin' sighed. "I can't really argue with that, although I sure found the pony of my dreams here so I can't complain." Soarin' walked over to the rocks and placed his hoof on the slippery rock, testing to see if it would be safe enough to walked on. "We should probably fly to that large rock at the end. I know a few earth ponies and unicorns who aren't as fortunate to have wings when it comes to reaching that spot. A few of them slipped and cracked their heads open or broke the tip of their horns. I heard about some other bad incidents that happened here as well." Soarin' took off from the sand and flew over to a large rock and sat on it next to Dash. "Easy coming off, Scootaloo. These rocks can be very slippery."

Scootaloo carefully got off of Soarin' and sat in between them.

"What do you think of the sunset, Scoots?" Rainbow asked as she put her front leg around her and pointed to the sun with her other leg.

"They usually get me up early enough at the orphanage to see the sunset. I've watched it a few times before breakfast, but I've never seen anything like this before. The sky is so colorful and it's almost like a different world watching it from here. Being with my two most favorite ponies in this kind of environment is one of the best things to ever happen to me!"

"We're so happy that you're enjoying your day. We still have more to do and Rainbow Dash and I have an extra special surprise for you."

"I really can't imagine what other surprises you have for me. I'm just glad that I get a break from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."

"Whatever happened to those two that hurt you so badly anyway?" Soarin' asked.

"I really don't know," Scootaloo answered.

"They have been suspended for a long time and will be doing community work," Rainbow said. "I'm glad that no matter how much money Filthy Rich has, he couldn't get them out of trouble this time with it. I still think they deserve to be expelled."

"What's going to happen to Miss Cheerilee?" Scootaloo asked nervously.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "I don't know, squirt. I know you love that teacher so much but I don't know what's going to happen to her. She might be out for some time until this mess gets settled."

"It's not her fault," Scootaloo said. "It's just a shame that some ponies have to ruin such nice things like going outside to play or learn. I hope that she doesn't get taken away because Miss Cheerilee is the best teacher. I don't even want to go back to school if she's not there anymore."

Rainbow Dash noticed that Scootaloo was now getting a bit sad. "Well, let's not think about that right now. Today is your special day and we can talk about that later."

A smile crept onto Scootaloo's face. "Gee, you're right. Even though I'm getting tired and the day is almost over, I have had so much fun and I kind of don't want it to end since it's going to be sad when it's over."

Rainbow Dash put her hoof to the little filly's chest. "But you'll still have the memories to bring home with you and you also have that special seashell as a reminder of this day."

"That's true," the orange filly said and then fixed her attention back onto the sunset. Scootaloo sat in contentment as she watched the sun finish setting and the night time began to start. She thought about how wonderful everything was and even though she had a very traumatic experience with those two bullies, this experience made up for so many things that hurt her in her life. The little filly stared at what seemed to be an endless amount of ocean thinking about life and how blessed she was to have a pony like Rainbow Dash and Soarin' in her life. Those thoughts were interrupted when Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Well, kid, we should start moving now since it's getting dark. We still have yet to use up the rest of those tickets on the rides and we still want to show you some more cool stuff like the aquarium where you can pet sharks and sting rays. Sounds fun?"

Scootaloo nodded her head yes. "That was really the most beautiful thing Iv'e ever experienced," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Soarin' said as he picked her up and placed her on Dash's back. "Dash and I have so many grand memories here and watching the sunset became a tradition for us whenever we came to visit this spot."

Soarin' and Dash took off and landed where they unpacked. They both got everything together and made their way off the beach just as it closed. They visited the aquarium and then finished up their time on the rides at night, with all of the pretty lit lights on the rides. They found themselves exhausted and back in the chariot, headed back home. Of course Rainbow Dash was beyond exhausted right now, but the big announcement was coming up and that was more than enough to keep her awake.

"So, did you enjoy your day?" Rainbow asked. "Was it the best day ever?"

Scootaloo held onto her new scooter and said, "I guess it was the second best day ever."

"Really?" Soarin' asked. "What could have been better than this?"

"The day that Rainbow Dash told me about Jesus."

"I can't argue with that," Rainbow said. "I'll never forget that day either or the day that I accepted Christ."

"Today really was amazing though," Scootaloo said as she thought about all of the wonderful memories. "I can't wait to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all about this day. I hope they won't be jealous." She pondered for a moment and added, "Have you ever taken Fluttershy to the beach before? I bet she'd find all those weird and unique animals very interesting."

"Oh," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle. "We try to avoid taking Fluttershy to the beach because she kind of has a problem when it comes to taking new critters in and she got into a bit of trouble the last time she went. I could only imagine the trouble she'd get into if she visited the aquarium and wanted to take all the animals home with her. She'd probably want to bring home all those sharks and sting rays that you got to pet."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Scootaloo said. She perked up a bit and said with a more serious tone in her voice. "Thank you again for doing all of this for me. No pony has ever done anything this big for me before and it really means a lot to me. I don't think I'll ever forget how magical this day has been for me."

"Hey, you're so very welcome, Scoots. I already told you that you're a part of our family, literally."

"Literally?" Scootaloo asked. "I guess you're referring to our Sisters in Christ club."

"That too," Rainbow said.

Scootaloo was confused, but was too tired to think about what she really meant. Her day was far more exhausting and exciting than any Cutie Mark Crusader adventure that she had ever been on with her friends.

Back at the orphanage now, Scootaloo walked into her room with her scooter on her back followed by Dash and Soarin'. "Well, I guess it's time to go now. I haven't stayed up this late in a long time and I'm surprised I didn't get in trouble for being out for so long. Thank you so much for a great day," she said as she put her scooter under her bed and then turned around. She was surprised that Soarin' and Dash were both still standing in her room. Scootaloo scratched her head with her hoof and asked, "Don't you both have to go? Isn't it really late?"

Rainbow Dash came closer to Scootaloo and asked, "Did you get everything that you absolutely wanted today?"

Scootaloo put her hoof to her chin and thought about the question. She felt good right now, but there was still that one nagging wish that had not come true. The prayer that she prayed so often. She didn't know if perhaps her biggest heartfelt wish in life was asking for too much. She also didn't want to sound ungrateful by telling them that she had wished for something more. "Yes, it was a great day!"

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. "But what did you wish for on that night when I asked you to pray and wish for something that you really wanted?"

Scootaloo felt embarrassed and put her head down. "Well, I don't want to sound like a dummy and I'm really afraid to admit it since I already know what the answer is." Scootaloo picked her head up and looked at Rainbow. "Promise you won't get upset or think that I'm a bad filly for wishing what I wished for?"

"Scootaloo, you know that you can share anything with me, as well as Soarin'," Rainbow said.

Scootaloo bit her lower lip. "Well, um, I wished for the one thing that I always wish for every single night." Scootaloo looked at Soarin' and then back to Dash for a moment. "I want to go home and live with you both." She quickly put her head back down and stared at her hooves on the floor as if she expected them both to either laugh or think her wish was too great to ever happen. She stood there feeling very embarrassed about her confession.

"Consider your wish granted," Rainbow said as she slid a document across the floor in front of Scootaloo.

Scootaloo looked at the document and didn't understand. She then looked up when she heard the stomping of hooves in approval. She saw her aide just outside of the doorway who often came by to check on her and take care of her.

"Congratulations, Scootaloo!" her aide said. "You finally got your wish!"

Scootaloo looked down at the document for a moment and then looked back up. "Is that what this document means? I...." Scootaloo closed her eyes tightly and tried to fight back the tears that were already streaming down her face. She took some deep breaths and opened her eyes again. "I have a home and a family now!? With Rainbow Dash and Soarin'!?" she cried out loud. "You're both my....parents?"

Rainbow Dash began to cry herself. She knew that she would get emotional, but seeing the little filly like this quickly brought tears to her own eyes. She remembered how Pinkie Pie always preached that smiling was contagious, and she realized that crying was as well. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her face. She sat down on the floor and opened up her front legs, welcoming her. "Welcome home, Scoots. Welcome home," Rainbow said as tears streamed down her face as well."

Scootaloo raced over and hugged her hero as tightly as she could. "Mom! Mommy! I finally have the mom and dad that I've always been longing for! My dreams and prayers came true! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you!"

"Oh, gosh," Soarin' said as he looked at the aide and began to tear up himself. "I didn't expect her to react like this."

"She's such a good kid and always brought a smile to my face. You wouldn't believe how often she mentioned your names to me," the aide said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I love to make the effort to come and watch every single filly and colt get taken home. I'm not on the clock right now, but I wanted to stay around to see this. Out of the hundreds of ponies I have seen get adopted, nothing has been more touching than this particular one. It's like you were both made for her. I am really going to miss her, but she deserves two fine ponies like yourselves."

Rainbow Dash laughed after letting go of the little filly because Scootaloo still remained clung to her body. "Hey, squirt, I take it that you are really grateful, but you can let go of me now. It's pretty late and we still have to pack all of your stuff. We'll have plenty of time for more hugs later if you want, but right now we have to get going."

Scootaloo let go of her hero and looked around her room. "Oh, I just have a few pictures and posters to bring home with us. Let me get them now." Scootaloo raced over and carefully took down her Wonderbolt posters and placed them on the bed. She took out her scooter that she had recently put under her bed along with her helmet. Lastly, she took her favorite picture off of her nightstand next to her lamp. She stared at it and couldn't take her eyes off it. She would look at this picture first thing in the morning and at night right before bed. It was that special picture that Rainbow Dash had taken with her at the Wonderbolt's Academy.

"What are you staring at, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked as she walked over and looked at the picture. There she saw herself dressed up in her old Wonderbolt's uniform with her front leg around Scootaloo's neck. She had a grin on her face that made her look daring and ultra confident and Scootaloo was beaming with the greatest smile she had ever seen.

Scootaloo put the picture carefully on her bed and said, "I don't ever want to lose that picture. It's my most very favorite ever. You always look awesome to me, but when I see you wearing that Wonderbolt suit, I can't even describe how much more cool you look to me."

Rainbow Dash laughed. "That is a great picture and I have it in a picture frame as well. Maybe I'll put that suit on once again just for you." Rainbow Dash looked around the room. "So is that it? We have everything?"

Scootaloo nodded her head yes.

Soarin' came over with his saddle bags open and Rainbow Dash began carefully putting her things away along with her scooter. She gave Soarin' a slap on the back, signifying that she was all done. "Alright, kid. Let's go," Rainbow Dash said as she followed Soarin' out the door.

Scootaloo followed closely behind them. She paused to give her aide a hug goodbye. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Oh, you are such a good filly. It was a pleasure being with you and taking care of you. I have never seen a filly as sweet as you. Please come back and visit me every so often. I'd love to hear how you're doing."

"I will! Thank you for being so kind to me. Take care!" Scootaloo said as she waved goodbye.

The aide smiled greatly as she watched the three leave the building. She knew that no doubt, Scootaloo was going to have an awesome family.

Outside, Rainbow Dash got low on the ground for Scootaloo to climb onto her back. "I can't wait to show you your new room. Soarin' spent a lot of his free time working on it."

Scootaloo hopped on her back and she and Soarin' took off back to their house.

"I still can't believe that this is all happening. Is this some kind of dream, Mom?"

Rainbow Dash laughed. "It's no dream, Scootaloo. This is all very real." She paused for a moment and added. "Me and Soarin' are cool parents though, so you can still call us by our real names whenever you want. I don't think I'll ever get used to being called Mom anyway."

"Coolest parents ever!" Scootaloo shouted. She looked up at the gorgeous night sky and saw a shooting star go by. "I don't need to make another wish, I already got it," Scootaloo thought to herself. "Let some other pony who is not as fortunate have it this time." She was so tired when she got back to the orphanage from this long day, but now, that fatigue was gone and the news shocked her mind. She felt so alive and happy as she held onto the neck of her hero. The wind blowing through her mane was always thrilling to her and she looked down at Ponyville. She couldn't see a single pony in the streets under the dimly lit glow of the street lamps. Scootaloo buried her face into Rainbow's mane and thanked Jesus many times in her mind with all her heart.

When they got home, Soarin' opened up the door and stepped inside. He walked upstairs with Dash and stood in front of a door for a moment before opening it. "I hope you like it. If not, we can change it around for you."

Scootaloo hopped off of Dash's back and walked in. "It's wonderful and....HUGE! This is like ten times bigger than my little room at the orphanage. It's the best room ever! Now I just need to put my posters up and it will be perfect!" Scootaloo opened up Soarin's saddle bag and took out her posters and pictures and placed them on her desk. "Want to help me find a good place for my posters and pictures?" Scootaloo asked.

"Actually, I think it might be a good time to do that tomorrow. It's very late, even for Soarin' and I and I assume that we don't have to keep an actual bedtime schedule for you since you're such a good filly, right?"

Scootaloo zipped over to her new bed and hopped right in. She pulled the covers up to her chin and grinned. "Nope! Good night!"

Rainbow Dash walked over and put her hoof on her shoulder. "That's my good little filly. I love you, kid and I hope you really like it here. I'll see you tomorrow for our first breakfast together as a family. Good night, Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash bent over and kissed the little filly on her forehead.

Scootaloo giggled. "Good night, Mom, I mean, Rainbow Dash! I love my new home and room here."

Rainbow Dash smiled and then left the room.

"Good night, Scootaloo," Soarin' said as he flicked the light switch off.

"Good night, Soarin'!" Scootaloo called out as Soarin' closed the door. The little filly grabbed another pillow that was on the side of her bed next to the wall. She rolled onto her side and squeezed it tightly in between her two front legs. This bed felt so much more comfortable and warmer than that old, stiff bed that she used to sleep on. Her heart was still racing with excitement from being in this brand new environment and she still felt the funny feelings from the force of the waves pushing against her body from swimming in the ocean. She didn't think she'd sleep despite all that she did today, but the warmth and softness of the bed relaxed her and she closed her eyes while drifting away to sleep as her racing heart slowed down. Tomorrow would be the start of a brand new day for her with her family.