> Scootaloo's Feelings
>  by abdlpony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
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	The average filly or colt in Ponyville would spend the early morning sleeping in or eating a slow, drawn-out breakfast. Even on school days most kids got the benefit of extra sleep in a nice warm bed. The promise of love from their guardians awaiting them with the morning sun rise. The average child’s top problems stemmed from keeping up with grades in school or learning a new skill or gaining something as special as their cutie mark. Scootaloo, however, was not the average filly.

Each morning she had to force her brain and body to wake up bright and early. It wasn’t particularly difficult being so young, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant. It wasn’t just her living conditions that forced her to wake up so early, it was her job. Paper routes were common among pegasus ponies but Scootaloo was the only one in the town who did not fly yet. She, instead, resorted to using her scooter.

Scootaloo let out an ear-screeching yawn; she may have been used to her morning duties by now but they were still exhausting. “It’s too early for this. Stupid papers.” Her eyes drooped low, but she knew that wouldn’t do. She shook her head vigorously. It helped slightly. Letting out one last sigh, she quickly got to work. She quietly knocked on the wooden floorboards until she found one that sounded more hollow. Using one of her wings, she wedged open a secret compartment in her home. Home being a bit of a strong word. But it never bothered her to think that way. Inside was a fold-up scooter. She quickly snatched it up and placed some blankets and pillows in its place. Shutting the floorboard, she let out another sigh.

“Okay, let’s get to work.” Grumbling to herself, she walked outside and slammed the door to a rather elaborate-looking clubhouse, her house. She took one last look at the clubhouse and then set her wings into ‘buzzing mode’ as she put it. Chuckling a bit, she set off for town. Her destination was The Ponyville Daily. Passing by buildings and shops every morning that had yet to open was starting to get to her. It was a boring and depressing way to start her day, but she had no other choice.

After a ten minute ride, she ended up in the back of the building with a rough-looking earth pony stallion eagerly awaiting her arrival. He was not terribly interesting, but she didn’t care. He got her the job after all.

“You’re late,” he said bluntly.

“Yeah, sorry I guess I—“

Cutting her off, he sighed and began one of his long winded speeches that she was very much used to at this point. “Look, as I tell you every morning, I don’t want to hear excuses, I want you to be on time. Now I know you are the fastest filly we got working here,” he paused and sighed when he noticed her grin, “but that does not mean you get special treatment. You really need to keep coming on time or you risk losing your job, understand?” She nodded vigorously and gave him her best apology smile. He then gave her the daily stack of papers and in a flash she was off.

Why does he have to give me the same dang lecture every day? It’s not like he’s ever fired me! He just wastes time, ugh. Her thoughts were interrupted as she came to the first house. She dropped off the paper and then flashed off to the next house and the next. The sheer speed with which she did her job kept it from being dull. She pushed herself each morning to cover all of Ponyville in less than an hour.

Being Saturday, Scootaloo had plans to go crusading with her friends. It was always nice to have money if they decided to do something else though. The end of each week was when she would gather her bits. Unlike most colts and fillies who spent their allowances on toys and candy, Scootaloo saved whatever she could.

“Let’s see… Twenty bits for the week, got to make it last until Friday.” Her grumbling stomach disagreed with that statement and she groaned. “Better go see Pinkie, she usually gives me a discount at least… I hope.” She checked a nearby clock and relented that it was still eight o’clock; her friends would just be waking up. Propelling her wings again, she set off for Sugarcube Corner.

Stopping in front of the bakery, she noticed that the pink colored mare was not running the shop, instead Mr. Cake was at the front register.

That’s weird. Where’s Pinkie? Shrugging, she entered and made a beeline for the register.

“Ahh, good morning, Scootaloo! What can I get for ya?” His voice was pleasant, his face was pleasant, but something was missing. Her hunger could wait she decided.

“Morning. Uh, where’s Pinkie at?” She looked behind the counter quickly, but found nopony else.

“You know, I’m not quite sure…”

“But she works for you!”

The stallion chuckled. “Sometimes I wonder…” He kept chuckling but then cleared his throat when the filly couldn’t figure out what was so funny. “She does, but we shouldn’t need her today. Now, can I help you?”

I guess a day without free breakfast isn't the worst thing in the world.

“Oh, well, can I please get two chocolate donuts?”

“Certainly. That will be one bit, please.”

She nodded and paid. Scootaloo was about to leave but decided that eating inside seemed easier. She finished off her donuts a lot quicker than usual though and then left the establishment.

She decided to make her way to Carousel Boutique, hoping to find Sweetie Belle so they could begin their crusading. She knocked on the door a few times and then quietly let herself in. “Hello? Sweetie Belle?”

“Oh, goodness dear you scared me.” Scootaloo turned her head and spotted Rarity busy on the other side of the store making a few dresses. “I’m afraid that Sweetie Belle is spending the day with Mother and Father.”

Scootaloo’s ears flattened at the mention of this. “We were supposed to go crusading,” she practically whined.

“Well, I’m truly sorry and so is she. Perhaps you could use this time to spend the day with your parents, hmm?”

Scootaloo nodded and left, choosing to barely acknowledge that. “Fine, I’ll just crusade with Apple Bloom!” She made her way back in the direction of the clubhouse and went to knock on the Apple’s residence front door. No answer. After waiting a little bit, she heard the tell-tale sign of trees being worked on or ‘bucked’ as the workers would call it. Following the sounds, she eventually found both Apple Bloom and her elder sister, Applejack, working on the trees.

“Apple Bloom, uh, can you go crusading today?” Her voice was small and timid. She already knew the answer before she asked.

“Sorry, Scootaloo, ah got chores all day. Maybe you can spend the day with Dash. Isn’t she like your big sister now?”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened in excitement but slowly began to droop as a certain realization hit. “I dunno, she said that she would take me under her wing, but she still acts weird around me. Like… I dunno how to explain it.”

“Dash has always been slow to trustin’ ponies,” Applejack said. “Just give her time Scootaloo.”

“Right, okay I guess I can go find her. See ya later!”

Only one problem, I can’t fly up to her… She shook that thought aside and hoped Dash would be practicing somewhere instead. She saw no sign of her ‘big sister’ in any of the usual practice spots. Maybe she’s having a cloud nap? She tried checking every cloud that was close enough but, as far as she could see, there was no pony sleeping on one.

“Well, if I can’t find her then maybe her friends can!” Her first stop was Fluttershy’s cottage. She found her watering some flowers. “Hey, Fluttershy.”

The mare frowned for a second before spotting the filly, just under her current line of sight. “Oh, Scootaloo, how are you?”

“Good.”

“That’s good to hear. Did you stop by for a visit? Or perhaps to help me feed the animals?” Fluttershy asked, a bit of excitement in her voice.

“Uh, no. Sorry, Fluttershy.” Her ears flattened but only for a moment. “I was wondering if you’ve seen Rainbow Dash around today?”

“Oh, no I’m sorry, Scootaloo. Maybe you can check with Twilight.”

Scootaloo nodded and sighed before turning around and heading for the library. Inside, she found the lavender mare busy making pancakes. I guess it’s still breakfast. She was going to interrupt but the ecstatic look on Twilight’s face told her to wait. Twilight seemed very enthralled with the simple act of baking. It was almost unnerving. Eventually Scootaloo gathered up the courage to make a slightly audible cough.

“Oh, goodness, Scootaloo, you scared me.” She continued to bake, waiting for a response.

Scootaloo stifled a giggle. “Sorry, it’s just you seemed to be enjoying yourself. A lot.”

Twilight blushed a bit but kept her focus on the pancakes. “Yeah, well I was making these for Spike. He works so hard and I felt I should do something special for him, you know?” Twilight’s smile couldn’t have been any wider.

“Uhh…” She trailed off, not having a clue what Twilight meant. Twilight’s voice sounded distant and almost like Fluttershy’s. It was creeping Scootaloo out.

The mare blushed and donned a more basic-looking smirk. “What I mean to say is that Spike is very special to me and he deserves a special meal… Every once in a while at least, you know?”

Scootaloo nodded hesitantly. Okay, Twilight has either snapped or she really, really loves Spike. Must feel nice… Lucky lizard.

“Uh, right, so have you seen Rainbow Dash around?”

“Hmm, not today. After all I just woke up. Sorry, Scootaloo.”

“Great! This bites!” Scootaloo yelled, throwing her hooves up in annoyance. She felt it was the right time to lose her temper, even a little. Twilight turned to her and regarded the filly in a calm manner.

“You wanted to spend the day with Rainbow Dash, right?”

The filly nodded, figuring it was pointless to keep that of all things a secret.

“Hmm, when was the last time you spent the day with one of your parents? I’m sure they would appreciate something like that if you offered.” Her voice was still motherly and calm. Scootaloo wanted to sag and sigh but kept her stance neutral.

Last time I did that? Ages ago… She knew that showing any signs of distress when in front of somepony like Twilight was not in her best interests. Scootaloo quickly broke into her best fake grin and nodded. “Thanks, Twilight, good idea!” She ran off as quickly as possible. Twilight never called back and simply replied with a quick grin of her own.

Stupid Twilight! Scootaloo kept herself busy by kicking a tin can in the road from random spot to random spot. Stupid Fluttershy! Another kick. Only this time she used much more force and the can shot off almost twice the distance. Stupid… Arg! Stupid day! This day sucks! A final kick sent the can flying and it hit a building nearby. Scootaloo didn’t bother to see where it landed. She sat down in the middle of the road and sighed. Looking around, she saw plenty of ponies out and about. Some fillies and colts were walking around with their parents. I miss Mom… She would know what to do, she would play with me.

Scootaloo hated when she got this way. She hated to mope and hated feelings of depression. Every day she had tried telling herself to look on the brighter side of things, to take each and every day and even night and make the most of it. Every day, however, it became harder and harder to do just that. She sighed with both of her front hooves planted firmly under her chin. “What the hay am I supposed to do now? I’M SO BORED!”

In her frustration, she failed to notice that several of the ponies walking by were following a pattern. Eventually she looked behind and noticed a shop. She recognized it as the place to shop for various baby items, everything from diapers to bottles to pacifiers and anything else a foal might need. But what caught her attention was the alleyway on the side. She watched closely as several adult ponies walked to the alley, gently knocked on the door and waited. Each would then walk inside a door off on the side and would leave exactly five minutes later with rather large packages.

“That’s weird…” She stood up and waited for the last pony she saw to leave. Not recognizing the mare, she shrugged. Scootaloo slowly walked to the door and paused. It had a metal grate blocking a window that could be opened and closed. Not really sure on why she was doing it other than pure curiosity, she knocked. She waited one full minute before the the grate swung open, meeting eyes with a blue colored Stallion.

“Can I… help you, missy?” He asked sounding quite unsure.

“Y-yeah, I, uh, was wonder—” She stopped herself and tried to think of something to say, she was drawing a blank.

What do I want here anyway? Am I that bored?! She struggled to come up with a response while giving a few of the shop’s items some glances. Her eyes were glued to a giant stuffed red dragon.

“Uh, see something you like?” the stallion asked.

Scootaloo quickly snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. “Well—”

She was interrupted by three loud knocks at the door. They both paused and looked at the door. The stallion turned back to the kid and gave her a sheepish smile.

“I better let whoever that is in…” He opened the grating and smiled.

“Back again I see, Mrs. Cake, come on in!” Scootaloo would not believe it, her brain refused to comprehend what she had just heard. Slowly the door opened and in walked the mare, after a second both filly and mare locked eyes with each other. Mrs. Cake was the first to recover.

“Oh my, Scootaloo, is it?” The mare had a huge blush on her face.

She nodded.

The mare turned towards the stallion with a questioning look. She also hesitated  “Is she…?”

Shaking his head he sighed. “I’m afraid not, this was sort of a mistake…”

Scootaloo furrowed her brow. What mistake? She looked back at the other things more clearly and noticed something off about the baby supplies. They looked huge! She quickly turned back to the two who were walking up to her. “Hey, what is this—”

She was quickly interrupted by Mrs. Cake. “You know dear you really shouldn’t be in the back, this is where Boomer holds his stock at. I was simply picking something up… so…”

Boomer gently grabbed Scootaloo and shoved her right outside. “Bye!”

The filly blinked a few times. “What the?” She turned back and heard the distinct sound of a click indicating that the door had been locked. She made a ‘hmmpf’ noise and decided to leave the alley. “Whatever.”
> Chapter Two
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	Scootaloo was sitting on a bench trying to comprehend exactly what she had seen. Normally she would have shrugged this off and done something more fun, but she was so bored that she couldn’t help but think of the strange store. I know I saw a big diaper, I mean it was huge! That was the one thing she was sure of. Scootaloo had only caught a single glance at the stallion’s wares after all, but the one thing she definitely saw were diapers that just looked too big to be normal. Still… maybe I was just seeing things. She snorted when thinking of Mrs. Cake though. Figures, grownups are always keeping secrets, she just pushed me out!

A few moments later, she got off the bench and decided to figure out something that she could do. “Let’s see,” she paused to throw a rock across a lake, “homework’s done, did my job, ate breakfast, got thrown out of a weird baby store… Eeyup! I’m bored.” She flopped onto her back and sighed. She scratched her belly a few times. “Maybe I should just go get my scooter out again…”

She knew taking out her most prized possession was only a matter of time. Scooting was the one thing she could do when she was bored after all. She was ever thankful that their clubhouse was, for the most part, a secret to others. Getting to it didn't even require going onto the main part of the Apple’s farm. So she went unnoticed when going to grab her scooter. She squealed in delight as she jumped off the clubhouse’s balcony and used her wings to propel forward.

Riding her scooter was never not fun in her opinion. Worries, stress and memories all faded away to nothing while she simply moved forward on the thing. It was almost hypnotizing in a way. She was so caught up in going fast and having fun that she failed to register the shock of other ponies as she bolted through town. She swerved around, over and even under Ponyville’s citizens in her pursuit of fun. At one point she raced right through somepony’s house.

Finally, Scootaloo slowed to a stop just outside of town to take a break and calm down a bit. “To be fair, Lyra did have her front and back doors wide open,” she said, chuckling at the thought. She had spent the whole day on the scooter and still did not feel exhausted. But stopping for a while did bring back the boredom.

“I guess I’ll just go home now.” She also laughed on the inside in a bitter way when she told her friends she would be heading home. Her home, after all, was their clubhouse and they were always in it. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had always wanted to visit her home, but she always had excuses. Little did they know, they were always ‘visiting’ her home.

As she walked along, she noticed the stars starting to shine. Her mom always liked to look at the stars. Scootaloo tried to learn the constellations from her mother but never really got most of them. She knew the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt, but the others just looked like a big mess of dots. She was so enamored with trying to find the stars that she didn’t even notice the upcoming apple tree until she bumped right into it.

She shook the thought of her mother off her mind. Though, as much as she tried, her mother never really left her thoughts. Passing through the apple orchard, she noticed quite a few trees missing fruit. I guess they're done with their chores. She heard a noise off in the distance and listened.

“Wait up, Apple Bloom!” It was Sweetie Belle’s voice.

Scootaloo panicked and dragged her scooter far off the regular path to hide behind a rather large tree.

“Sorry!” The two quickly passed the tree and walked off towards the clubhouse.

Great! Now what do I do? She figured, though, that they most likely weren’t having a sleepover. It would be odd to just show up out of the blue, but she had the excuse that she was looking for her scooter, maybe. “It could work. I’ll just leave it here!” Her plan was to tell them that she couldn’t remember where she left it and her mom said to be back when she could.

She neared the clubhouse and heard giggling as shadows danced across the lit room. Something took her attention away as she looked up and saw all the stars twinkling already. A distant memory stirred for a moment, something so far away but so close to her heart. She closed her eyes and resisted the urge to make noise, sniffle or cry and shoved all thoughts aside. Not now. It’s time to have some fun!

She walked up to the steps as quietly as possible and then jumped through one of the windows. “Boo!”

The two fillies nearly jumped out of their skins and looked at her with shocked faces.

“Too much?’

“Scootaloo, what in the hay was that for?!”

She chuckled from their glares. “Heh, sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

Their glares softened and the farm filly simply rolled her eyes. “So what you here for? Isn't it kind of late?”

She blinked and then remembered her plan. “Oh yeah. I kind of forgot where I left my scooter, so my… mom let me go out here to look for it.”

Sweetie Belle nodded and Apple Bloom scratched her mane. “Sorry Scoots, ah haven’t seen it lately. Maybe you should retrace your steps!”

“Hey yeah!”

She blushed. “Does it count if you forgot which step goes where?”

They both groaned and smacked their heads with their hooves. Then Sweetie giggled. “I’m sure it'll turn up. I’m kind of glad were all here right now though.”

“I thought you two were busy today.” Scootaloo walked close and took a seat.

“Oh, well I was with my parents for a while until they dropped me off at my sister’s. She needed to talk to Applejack about something or other so we came here.”

“Oh, okay.” Scootaloo nodded, feeling a quick sense of relief that nopony had lied to her. She relaxed further and made a very quiet and tired sigh.

“Um, so I have an announcement to make.” Both fillies looked up to Sweetie who was already blushing like crazy. “Its kind of a weird announcement though.”

Both ponies saw her shuffle her hooves as she refused to greet their eyes.

Apple Bloom stood up and draped her hooves around her friend. “Ah’m sure it’s not that weird. And even if it is, we won’t mind. Promise!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed with a small smile. I guess.

“Okay. Well, I’ve been feeling kind of weird lately. Like, sad when we play. I try to hide it, but I keep getting distracted by all kinds of weird things.”

Apple Bloom rubbed her chin and tried to think of a time when Sweetie was distracted. “Now that you mention it, ah guess you’ve been doing that a bit.”

Maybe she just wasn’t paying enough attention, but Scootaloo couldn’t think of a single time that Sweetie acted weird. At least, no weirder than normal.

“Yeah. Well for a while I just thought I was a big weirdo. But Pinkie Pie and Twilight talked to me and showed me this book and it actually happens more than you might think so I’m actually not weird at all and—”

“Sweetie Belle, just what are you tryin’ to say?” Apple Bloom asked, getting a little annoyed at Sweetie’s rambling.

Sweetie took one big breath. “I’m a foal!”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stared at her, no real emotion on their faces.

“What?” Scootaloo finally asked.

“Uh, Sweetie? You know a foal is, like, a newborn pony, right?” Apple Bloom asked.

“No. Yes… ugh. That’s not what I mean. I mean that’s how I feel. I like being treated like a foal sometimes and playing like one and dressing in kiddie pajamas and hugging my stuffed animals and… maybe other things…”

The fillies stared at Sweetie again, this time their faces were contorted in confusion.

“What kind of ‘other things’?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well,” Sweetie said in a low voice, “like wearing diapers…”

“Ah don’t get it,” Apple Bloom said plainly. “Why would you want to wear a diaper?”

“I just like it, okay?!” Sweetie snapped back. “It makes me feel safe…”

“Woah, Sweetie. Ah don’t mean anything by it. Ah mean, ah don’t really understand, but ah don’t see a problem with it or nothing,” Apple Bloom said, letting Sweetie relax a bit.

Apple Bloom might not have seen a problem, but Scootaloo sure did. They weren’t little foals anymore. They were supposed to grow up, that’s how it worked; grow up, be responsible, get a job, and be an adult. But now Sweetie wanted to go backwards? That just… wasn’t fair!

“Have you told Rarity about this?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Actually, she’s agreed to help me be a foal when I want to. She’s almost like a second Mom to me now.”

Scootaloo’s eye twitched furiously at that last part. “That’s so stupid!”

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom scolded.

“So, what? Just because you can’t grow up like us, you need two moms? You think that’s fair?”

Sweetie quivered. “But I—”

“You can’t just be a filly forever! It doesn’t work like that!” Scootaloo barked at her.

“Scootaloo, that’s enough! Can’t you see you’re making Sweetie upset!?”

Scootaloo looked at her friends as Apple Bloom tried to comfort a sniffling Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom shot a glare at Scootaloo. Scootaloo just looked around nervously before steeling herself and charging out the door. Apple Bloom was left petting Sweetie’s mane as Sweetie fought back tears.

Scootaloo stormed off, not really having any destination in mind. It was late, she needed a new place to sleep. Eventually she settled on a tree far from the clubhouse. “Stupid Sweetie Belle,” she mumbled as she climbed onto one of the branches. “Stupid Apple Bloom.” A cloud floated away letting the light of the stars hit her eyes. “Stupid starlight!”

Scootaloo covered her eyes with her forelegs and started to breathe heavily. That night, she cried herself to sleep.

> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Scootaloo didn’t dream that night. It took her a lot longer than usual to get to sleep and even when she did she would wake up and shift around repeatedly. By the time the sun had risen, she felt groggy and even had a slight headache. She felt the tree trunk beneath her and sighed. “Stupid tree…”

Yawning, she stood up and flapped down to land near her scooter. Least they’re good for something, she thought bitterly. She was about to reach for her scooter and then she paused. “Oh no! My job!”

Seeing that the sun was much higher than it should be on her mornings, she jumped onto her scooter and bolted away from the trees. Slowly, memories from the previous night came forward. She shoved them aside knowing they wouldn’t help her in any way. She made it to the building where her boss normally waited for her. He was there along with a stack of papers. She skidded to a halt and started breathing heavily while doing her best to give the scowling guy a friendly smile.

“I—”

“One more day. If you are ever this late again I will let you go,” he said sternly.

She gulped, actually believing him this time. “Y-yes sir.”

He kicked the papers to her and actually helped her attach the company wagon. “Now get to work!” he barked and she was off.

Stupid job, stupid tree, stupid… crusaders!” she thought harshly and hurried to get her work done. She hurried for the first few houses, hoping no ponies would be complaining about the late paper. After the next ten, she realized that nopony seemed to mind at all so she did her job at the regular pace. The last place on the list was always Twilight’s library, she left it on the welcome mat and scooted over to a nearby bench. Panting for breath and wishing she had a bottle of water or something to quench her thirst, she sighed. “Stupid job.”

For a while, she let her mind drift from random thought to random thought trying not to think about what happened the previous night. She could only distract herself for so long though. It was truly a depressing feeling to be alone again. But what choice did she have? Her friends were too… she couldn't think of something, but she knew that going back to them wouldn’t work.

Wait, I have Rainbow Dash! She can hang with me. Her spirits brightened considerably. Not like I have anything else to do today! At least that’s what she thought. There was something nagging at the back of her brain, other than ‘find some food’, but she couldn’t pin it. She shrugged and hopped back onto her scooter.

On her way to Rainbow’s cloud home, her stomach began to rumble. She ignored it and simply speeded up. I’ll find food for you later, stupid stomach. Her environment shifted from homes with thatched roofs to green plains and hills soon enough. She looked up to the house for a few seconds, then back down to glare at her wings. Stupid useless wings! Her only option aside from magically sprouting better wings was to call up, but what if Rainbow didn't want to be bothered? A sense of doubt started to form at the front of her mind. Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to come here.

“Boo!”

Scootaloo jumped so high she nearly hugged a cloud. She fell down quickly and was about to scream when she landed with a thump. She looked around and noticed a certain pegasus was holding her and chuckling very loudly.

“Geez squirt, a bit jumpy, huh?”

“Rai-Rai-” She tried speaking but coughed a few times and shook off her nerves. “Rainbow Dash!”

“That’s my name! Last time I checked at least…” They both giggled and she set Scootaloo down on the ground. “What’s up?”

Scootaloo flopped onto her side. “Oh lots of weird things.” Dash nodded and sat down on the ground, stretching but ready to listen. “I ended up in this weird shop that had super huge baby things.” Dash stopped stretching for a few seconds but then shrugged it off and kept going.

“Heh, that does sound weird,” Dash said, unusually quiet.

Scootaloo didn't seem to notice and kept going. “And then Sweetie Belle told us she was this weird, uh…” she wracked her brain to think of the phrase, “…well, big baby thing so I kind of snapped at her. But that’s just wrong! We formed the club to find our cutie marks and grow up, bleh, stupid baby stuff. Right, Rainbow?”

Rainbow finished her stretches and went quiet for a few seconds. “Heh, sure sounds dumb to me.” She said with the same air of confidence that the mare always had.

Scootaloo grinned, glad to know she had done the right thing. Maybe she could help her teach Sweetie a lesson and then things would go back to normal. Then she blinked when she noticed that Rainbow looked ready to take off.

“Look, Scootaloo, I’m sorry to just take off, but I kind of need to meet Twilight. Do you mind if we also do your lessons next week?”

Scootaloo’s spirits instantly soured, but she had learned over time how to hold back certain body signs. It came in handy when she needed others to not notice her distress.  Her smile didn't waver and her ears never flattened. “Uh, sure! Heh, I’ll keep practicing like you showed me!”

Dash nodded and was about to take off, but then she gave her a nervous grin. “Stay sweet, Scoots!” She dashed off, nearly causing a rainbow explosion in the process.

Once Dash was out of earshot, the filly threw up her hooves in irritation. “Great! Now what do I do today?” She angrily asked the grass before her. “And… stay sweet? She’s never said that before.” Unless she meant to keep my skills sweet? Her thoughts went nowhere though so she gave up on that. Tapping her hoof on her handlebars didn’t get her anywhere either so she dashed off.

She tried doing some tricks on her scooter, however her fatigue from before had completely taken over her body. One jump on her scooter later and she was already exhausted. I can’t hang out with my friends or ride around on my scooter or hang out with Rainbow! So what can I do?!

She wracked her brain to think of something that would be secluded away from others and wouldn’t take much energy. She did remember that Rainbow had said reading Daring Do was fun, maybe she could rent a book from Twilight. If Rainbow loves reading, it can’t be that bad. Plus I’ll see her there! Sweet!

She started walking her scooter in the direction of the library, with a new plan to read, of all things, for fun.





“Twilight?” She called up, not seeing anypony around, she shrugged and sat in the public viewing area. She tried to spot a section that would have the books Rainbow talked about, figuring the two were upstairs.

“Is somepony here?” Twilight called.

“It’s me Scootaloo!” she called back as Twilight popped her head over the railing. “Sorry to bug you and Rainbow, but I wanted to check out a book.”

“Um, Rainbow isn't here, sweetie. But I would be glad to get you a book to check out!” Twilight sounded like a school filly, or even Pinkie Pie, while she practically bounced down the stairs.

Rainbow’s not here? She thought that was odd but shrugged it off, maybe she wasn't here yet even though she was quicker. “I was just kind of bored and was wondering if you had any Daring Do books.”

“I sure do! Which one did you need?”

She scratched her head, watching the mare smile at her. “I guess the first one? I’ve never read them before.”

“Oh, alright then!” Twilight said, humming an odd tune as her magic kicked in. The book slowly floated down and Scootaloo snached it up. “Did you need anything else?”

“Um, no I guess not. Did Rainbow already show up, by the way?”

Twilight’s smile faded while she blinked a few times. “I’m still not sure what you mean, Rainbow Dash hasn’t been here all morning.”

Scootaloo furrowed her brow. …What? “But she said she was gonna see you today,” she said out loud before she could stop herself.

Twilight looked down in thought. “I don’t remember needing to see her later today. Still, things with Dashie can sometimes get—”

“Why’d you call her that?” Scootaloo asked, thinking it was a weird thing for Twilight, of all ponies, to say.

Twilight blushed slightly but shook it off. “Habit, its a lot easier to say Dashie then Rainbow Dash all the time, or I guess Dash. At any rate, it’s possible Rainbow needed to see somepony and mixed up the names. I couldn’t imagine her lying to you.”

“I guess everypony makes mistakes. Alright, thanks for the book, Twilight!” Scootaloo began to carry it out the door.

“Oh, no problem! Just make sure to bring it back in a weeks time!”

Outside, Scootaloo had darted off, hoping to catch some glimpse of the cyan colored mare. Even if she didn’t have practice for a week, it would still be nice to see her once in a while. After searching outside for an hour, she decided to try the mare’s closest friends, starting with Fluttershy. The book could wait, even if walking her scooter took forever.

“Hey, Fluttershy, you seen Dash?” 

Fluttershy jumped a bit but composed herself when she saw who was there. “Oh, Scootaloo. No, sweetie, I’m sorry.”

She exhaled violently in annoyance causing several birds that had gathered around Fluttershy to scatter. “This is the worst day ever.”

“Oh dear, well everyday is a second chance. They can’t all be good.” 

A wave of pleasant feelings washed over Scootaloo and for a moment she had forgotten where she was, but it only lasted a moment. And in that time Scootaloo had figured out that Fluttershy was using the same calm voice that Twilight was using, it again unnerved her. Not only was it the same tone her Mother often used to take, it was the same thing she would tell her on bad days. The filly closed her eyes for a moment to bite down her emotions.

“I guess so, yeah. Thank you, Fluttershy.” Scootaloo immediately perked up but was giving a fake grin. Fluttershy was no stranger to these types of smiles but merely nodded and smiled in return. She then quickly jetted off on her scooter.

Why does everypony I talk to lately have to talk like Mom?! Ugh. Her stomach rumbled all of a sudden and she sighed. I have got to stop skipping meals. Better make it to Sugarcube Corner, maybe I’ll see Dash there. She quickly applied a course correction and made it to the bakery in record time, her own records in her head that is. She found the establishment and walked inside. To her amazement she found Pinkie Pie working the register.

“Scootaloo! Hiya! What can I get ya?” 

At least Pinkie doesn’t act like my mom. She cleared her throat and gave a quick scan to the treats behind the glass. “I’ll take two chocolate donuts please!” Pinkie smiled and handed over the treats. Scootaloo paid a few bits and took a seat over to the side.

Before she ate, she did a quick count on her bit bag. I’ve been spending more lately… or things are getting more expensive. Maybe I should just forage for food for the next few days. She didn't like the idea, but she had to make up for lost bits. Halfway through her first donut, she looked up to Pinkie. She knew adults, and she knew that most of them would get frustrated when doing chores or work, even she got that way. But Pinkie, she had always been happy to do any sort of work. Scootaloo munched away, wondering how she could always be so cheery all the time. At least that’s how Pinkie normally acted, but today she seemed a bit off.

“Hey, Pinkie?” Scootaloo piped up.

The mare blinked a few times and then quickly smiled and looked to her. “Yeah, what’s up, Scoots?” She cringed at that nickname but kept it to herself.

“It’s just… you look kind of frustrated. Are you okay?”

Pinkie blinked again and started to shuffle her hooves nervously. “Well, it’s complicated, Scootaloo. You see…” She trailed off, thinking it over and then sighed. “I guess I could just use a break is all. Between watching the twins, running the shop, paying bills, pranking ponies and giving Gummy a full body massage!”

Scootaloo wondered to the heavens above why exactly an alligator needed a massage.

“I just need a break, but I can’t right now. Oh well.” She shrugged and still had a smile, albeit a tired one.

Scootaloo nodded, feeling a tad sad that she couldn’t help out. Silence took over the bakery once more for a bit. 

For unknown reasons, perhaps curiosity, perhaps on a hunch, Pinkie decided to ask a question to the filly. “So, how has life been treating you, Scoots?”

“Hmm, okay I guess.” She figured Pinkie didn’t need to know about the fight with her friends. Maybe I can ask her where Dash is when I’m done though.

“Hmm, are you feeling lonely?”

That was an odd question, the filly decided. Still she couldn’t just ignore it. She was feeling lonely so she nodded. “Sorta. Rainbow Dash kind of flew off from me and I’ve been looking for her I guess.”

“Huh, you know, me too. I needed to let her know a few things…” She looked back at her tail, of all things, and started wiggling it. “Usually my tail starts moving about when she’s causing pranks and mischief, but not lately.” She poked it a few times angrily but nothing happened. “Well, I’ll talk to her later.”

“But I need to talk to her now! This stinks.”

Pinkie shook her thoughts aside and began to think. “Why?”

“I just… have some problems and needed my big sister’s advice is all,” she said weakly before going back to eating her other donut to negate her nervousness.

“Hmm, you can’t see your big sister but you need advice,” Pinkie said with all the seriousness she could muster.

Scootaloo almost chuckled at how serious the pink mare was being over the smallest of things. Her own issues couldn’t be that concerning to anypony, she was just Scootaloo. Nothing special.

“Hey I know! You could ask your mom! It’s what I do when I need advice, I just write to her.”

A piece of the donut got caught in Scootaloo’s throat, and she was forced to swallow it harshly. “Well…” 

“How is your mom anyway? I haven’t seen her in ages!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Scootaloo wasted no time in replying. “She’s doing great! She just gets real busy is all.” 

Pinkie paused but did not move. Then she nodded. “Well, that’s good to hear. I still remember throwing her and you that first party when you both moved in. You were so nervous!” Pinkie’s normally bubbly self piped up once more.

She’s dead… Scootaloo thought bitterly while she chewed on her donut much slower.

“I still remember you hiding under that table, I scared you good,” the mare replied with a sincere giggle of her own.

“Heh, yeah that was fun alright.”

She is dead.

“It was only one of my best parties ever! Oh, first you were all…” Pinkie continued to talk and talk about the party that Scootaloo knew all too well. The pink mare had somehow gotten over her exhaustion. Every mention of her mother made Scootaloo feel angry towards the party pony but she kept it well hidden.

She… I miss you, Mom.

“Oh, and then… Hey, are you okay?” Pinkie asked in a concerned tone.

“Wha? Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for the donuts, but I better get going.”

Pinkie nodded and stared as Scootaloo left in a flash.

> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Back in the bakery, Pinkie was again lost in thought. A tail twitch then a knee pinch, why did she lie about her mom? I better go see Twi after work, means less free time… NO! It’s for Scoots, she may be hurting. And Twi did talk to me about her…

After she was off work she made it to Twilight’s library as quickly as she could. She gently knocked on the door, knowing that the public portion of the building was closed at this time of day. Patiently, she waited and waited until the door finally opened.

“Pinkie! Please come in,” Twilight said, moving to allow Pinkie entrance.

The mare nodded and walked right in, she then turned around and addressed her friend. “I saw Scootaloo today.”

“I did too… how was she to you though?”

Pinkie smiled at her, but it was an odd smile. Twilight did not trust herself to pick up social cues from ponies yet, but Pinkie she trusted.

“Okay, I tried asking about her mother and she… she kind of lied.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side. She felt concerned but did not show it which was almost annoying to Pinkie.

“Yeah, first I asked her just gently if she was feeling lonely. She said no, but then my tail twitched and knee pinched…”

“Ah, that means she’s lying right?”

Pinkie nodded and continued. “Then I asked her if her mother was doing okay, and she replied with ‘great’ and then another really strong twitch-pinch combo…”

Twilight sighed and nodded. “I was afraid of that. Pinkie, do you know where Scootaloo and her mother live? You did say you gave them both a party after all.”

She shrugged and shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, Twi, you could ask her friends?”

Twilight nodded. “I suppose so. You don’t think I’m being too nosy, do you?”

Pinkie tilted her head and for once in her life she had to think long and hard. Finally, Pinkie grinned. “Mrs. Cake was just as nosy and I’m much, much happier for that!”

“Yes, I know you are. I just can’t help thinking that our spying is very wrong.”

“I don’t mind spying for you!” Pinkie jumped high into the air and landed on her two back hooves, swishing around as if playing. “It’s tons of fun!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “You do know why we are doing this, right?”

Pinkie landed on all four hooves. “Of course! So Scootaloo can be happy, duh. That’s why I don’t mind following her or spying… its for the best-est.” Pinkie giggled, remembering how annoyed her friend could get at bad grammar. “Sorry, Twilight. I can’t help but say that word, well not a word.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. Dash… Dashie, and I suppose you as well, have helped me deal with my temper.” Pinkie smiled at her. “I’ve found out what I could. I think there is no doubt that something fishy is going on with Scootaloo.”

“Yeah, I don’t need my tail to know that! Oh Celestia, I hope I never lose this.” Pinkie then started kissing her fluffy tail over and over.

More eye rolling. “Anyway, we know that she has a paper route. We know her mother isn't doing… great, right?”

Pinkie stopped kissing for a moment and nodded.

“Right, so obviously she is not doing great. We know she still looks up to Rainbow Dash—”

“How is little Dashie? Hmm?” Pinkie questioned, her eyebrows wagging up and down.

Twilight blushed and shook her head a bit. “Fine. Can we please get back to Scootaloo?”

“You brought her up, silly! Besides, if Scootaloo looks up to her then it’s in our best interest to make Dashie happy!”

“Yes, but I feel just a tad guilty. I think Dash does too. She knows I’m looking into this for her and Scootaloo could be really hurt, or her mother could be. We just don’t feel right playing here when things are happening that are out of our control.”

Pinkie nodded and got serious again. “How come you two haven’t just talked to Scootaloo about it?”

Twilight’s blush had just started to go away when it came back full force. “Well, it’s a bit odd to admit to a child that you’ve been spying on them. Also, if there is nothing wrong and this has all been some misunderstanding then we will be in big trouble. I kind of doubt it’s a misunderstanding at this point, but how do you just confront a pony and ask them what's wrong? Scootaloo seems to want to keep her secrets, secret.”

Pinkie nodded. “That’s really sad. Well… it’s understandable. I kept my secret for a long time. But little fillies and colts can keep stuff in that they shouldn’t.” She started giggling. “Like when little Pumpkin had been really stuffed and—”

Twilight shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth. “Okay… too much information!” Pinkie nodded and smiled sheepishly at her. “I think you mean that oftentimes children can overthink things and either keep secrets in that should come out or keep stuff secret that nopony would mind. Right?” Pinkie nodded.

Pinkie lipped her lips a few times. “Mmmmm, lavender berries!”

Twilight nodded, deep in thought.

“So, what do we do now?”

“Maybe we should go to her teacher about this. Miss Cheerilee is bound to know something about Scootaloo.”

Pinkie shook her head. “I already tried! She said aside from showing up late a few times, she’s perfectly normal. Happy even, then she said, ‘Pinkie, would you please leave. I’m grading papers.’ So I said, ‘But what about the book club meeting?!’ So she said, ‘I already told you, I’ll be there this weekend.’ So—”

“You’re part of a book club?!”

“Well, duh! I don’t get to throw that many parties. Its like having a party once a week! I love reading. Why? Did you want to join?” Pinkie asked in a sincere tone.

Twilight’s eye twitched and she sighed, and then nodded. “After we find a way to help Scootaloo, sure.”

> Chapter Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Scootaloo had braved going back to the clubhouse, already sick of sleeping in a tree. It was deserted by nightfall. She grumbled and stomped into the place and then slammed the door shut. She took a few moments to rest, then she gathered up her sleeping bag from the same spot as usual and laid it out. A few moments later, she was fast asleep.

After what felt like only a few seconds, the sun was up and woke the filly. She rubbed her eyes and actually smiled; for some reason, she felt great. At least as great as somepony could feel when her friends weren’t talking to her and she had to get up early to go to work and then school.

“Oh my gosh!” She scrambled to her hooves and grabbed her scooter not ten seconds later. She barely had enough time to stuff her sleeping bag back under the hidden plank. She had no clue what time it was, but judging from the sun’s position, she was probably cutting it close. “Please don’t be late, please don’t be late…”

She was so focused on getting there on time that she failed to pay attention to how fast she was going. “Oh no…” She tried stopping, but it was too late. She fell face first into the side of the building, her scooter skidding to a stop near her. “That’s gonna leave a bruise…” She sighed and stood up.

Scootaloo came up to the stallion, limping on her injured leg. “I’m here! Where are the papers?” Her desperate looking smile was enough to make the stallion feel some sympathy, but business was business.

“Sorry, but you’re fired.”

“What?! But why?!”

“Look around, everypony has their paper already. Its nine thirty. I’m sorry, but it’s over.”

Her eyes widened in horror. No… and I’m late for school! She groaned, pounded her hoof into the ground and then left the scene in a hurry. She fought back her tears. I can get a new job… yeah, she tried to reassure herself quickly, having no time to dwell on it. She was late for school and late could raise suspicions or worse yet, get a note sent home. She sped up even more, ignoring her body which was screaming in pain from her bruises.

This time, since she figured she was late anyway, she slowed to a stop in front of the school. She leaned her scooter against the building and slowly walked inside, blushing when all eyes were upon her. “Uh…” The teacher stopped what she was doing and then gasped in surprise.

“Scootaloo! What happened to you?”

Her mind blanked from her teacher’s reaction. What is she… oh. She overlooked her appearance. Dirt, sweat and even a bit of blood littered parts of her body. It didn't look too bad, but it certainly wasn’t acceptable for a schooling environment. “Heh-heh, long story…”

Cheerilee sighed. “Silver Spoon, would you mind taking over for me for the remainder of this chapter? Just read from where I left off.”

“Ugh, okay.” The filly sounded as if it was a chore but accepted her task.

Before Scootaloo knew what was happening, she was yanked away from the class and into the back room. She watched as her teacher wet a washcloth and, without warning, started cleaning her wounds. An odd, warm feeling also washed over her, reminding her of a long lost time. Scootaloo mumbled something out of instinct.

“What was that?”

“Oh, I said I’m sorry I’m late and about the mess. I kind of fell on my scooter.”

The teacher nodded and remained silent through the cleaning. When she was done, she picked Scootaloo up and placed her back on the floor. “Did you perhaps finish your homework that I assigned? The class has already passed theirs to the front.”

She blinked and then blinked again. I’m so stupid… She panicked and looked at the teacher. “I’m sorry! I—”

“Shh!” Cheerilee said harshly, not wanting to interrupt Silver Spoon. Then her tone became gentler. “It is fine, Scootaloo. Just make sure to bring it in next time, alright?”

She nodded, feeling slightly happier about her predicament.

“Now c’mon, its about time for this week’s history test.”

The filly started breathing heavily, following her teacher back into the class. I am stupid! She had forgotten to study for the test, then she realized something else. Sweetie Belle usually helps me study… Great. She took a quick glance at her ex-friend and cringed, the glares she received let her know just how they felt about her now.

Soon, the test had started. What filled her with despair was the word ‘test’. This was not a simple quiz, it counted for more points and more of her grade. Nervously, she jotted down her first answer. She had no clue who the inventor of the teleportation spell was, or why he made it. She sighed and skipped a few questions. If anything, she knew the most basic ones and hopefully would not fail. She wouldn’t notice a D or a C, it’s not like I do much better when I study… I hope. Halfway through, she started to lose confidence that this wouldn’t be an F, she had only the most basic knowledge because she had failed to repeat any of these answers in her head.

The lunch bell rang. Scootaloo looked up out of her daze and noticed most of the students starting to leave. She saw them pass their tests to Cheerilee. She and Snails, were the only two left. She had given up though, she had no names in her head and most of the questions required at least one location or name of a pony. She gritted her teeth and then passed her test up to the front, not bothering to look the teacher in the eye.

Scootaloo then grabbed her lunch pail and stormed out the door. There were only two picnic tables, one had the Crusaders and the other had the rest of the class. She simply slumped down near the door and ignored the odd stares. An apple and a candy bar… whoopie. The food helped her feel a little better. She made a mental note to get some more apples. She didn’t care how.

The rest of class for her felt like a nightmare. It wasn’t that she couldn’t pay attention or keep up, she just felt so down from everything that was happening. The once happy and comfortable classroom felt like a very unhappy place. Anxiety spiked through her mind, she needed to get her life back on track but had no clue how to do it. Worse yet, the teacher wouldn’t stop talking! She had already missed the last chapter because she let her mind wander too much. She tried to figure out what the mare was saying, but it just wouldn’t make sense now. My head hurts… She groaned and rubbed her temples slowly, doing her best to not call any attention to herself.

The final bell rang out, each and every ring making her head feel worse and worse. She noted her two ex-friends were the first ones out, they were gone before she could even leave. A few moments later, she found herself in the middle of the park. If anything, she wanted to know if it would help her feel better. She realized, though, that without her two friends the park was a cruddy place. Her headache wouldn’t stop either. She wanted some more food, or water or even a nice place to sleep, but at that moment she had none of that. The Crusaders were using their clubhouse, so going there was out. She didn't feel like spending any of her money on food, she had to save it. Also, she did not feel like getting on her scooter to go anywhere else, so water was out.

Something caught her attention high up in the sky, she looked up and gasped. Rainbow Dash… If anything, she could at least help her feel better, maybe clear her head. Scootaloo hopped onto her scooter and started following her; Rainbow Dash was worth making her headache worse. After a couple of minutes it became apparent that she was heading for the library. Okay… She saw Dash land and noted that she had fairly large saddlebags on. What does she have? The mare wasted no time in walking in and then closing the door.

Scootaloo was about to do the same but stopped. She lied to me the other day. Her eyes narrowed, she felt quite curious. Let’s find out why! It took her a few tries, but she managed to perch herself up on a bush. She could now see into the library perfectly. Well, she could see the downstairs at least. She could also see the stairs which, right now, had a familiar pegasus mare wearing a very unusual outfit. It took her a few moments to decipher just what it was and by then Rainbow Dash had already made it upstairs.

Is… is that a… No. She knew where she had seen an outfit like that before, from the odd store that she had stumbled into. She actually did not know the name of the outfit, but she knew who normally wore them. Babies. She could have sworn she also saw a bulge in the back. She shook her head. It just didn't make sense. She had to find out more.

Looking up, she found the library’s balcony. It didn't look too far up. I can probably climb up to it. I think. She tried to set aside her anxiety from before and the curiosity of what Dash was doing so she could simply focus on climbing. She reached out, focusing on wrapping her two front hooves on one of the balcony’s bars. She slipped but managed to grab on, thanking Celestia that she didn’t fall and was able to keep mostly silent. She grunted in pain and did her best to remain quiet as she climbed up over the other poles.

Oh… this hurts. She had never exerted herself like that before. Especially not with such a headache that only got worse. Thankfully, the two mares that she expected to find upstairs had their backs turned to the balcony. The sight she found was anything but what she expected, even after seeing the odd outfit that her hero had donned.

Is she… I… Her mind shut down entirely. Emotions simply would not flow. There, lying on her back in front of Twilight, was the mare she had always looked up to. The position she was in certainly did not scream dominant or… well, Rainbow Dash. It looked more like a foal, it was the only thought that came to mind. She had something in her mouth, a plastic item that was impossible to deny. Pacifier. Twilight was busy rubbing her stomach in soft circles and Rainbow was smiling a very, very goofy grin behind the guard of her pacifier.

Scootaloo could only stand there, no longer caring if she was hidden or not. Her eyes remained unblinking. She’s a baby… That single thought echoed in her head over and over. After a few moments, Twilight stopped and looked up for a moment. The reason for the shift was to apparently get in another position… to do whatever, but upon doing so she instantly noticed the filly on her balcony. The lavender mares eyes bulged out of her sockets, which alerted Rainbow to the third presence.

Scootaloo slowly came out of her daze and she bolted. She didn’t care about getting hurt or not so she leapt from the balcony onto the bush below. Using her wings, she was able to at least glide down without any issues. The worst of the damage was a thorn stuck in her shoulder. It would come out. She went to grab her scooter when a familiar voice came out.

“Scootaloo, wait!”

She looked up to find Twilight staring down at her in concern. The filly glared but remained silent.

The mare hesitated. “We both need to talk to you. Would you please come inside?”

The filly watched the mare practically beg. She had nothing else to do and nowhere else to go so she nodded. Her headache was only getting worse by the second, but running away didn’t seem like much fun. Twilight led her back in silence. Scootaloo noted the door read ‘closed today’. A few moments later, she was seated on a couch with her hooves crossed.

“Dashi— Dash will be down in a moment!” Twilight said, the last word being louder for Rainbow’s sake.

Scootaloo simply nodded.

The filly jumped when she heard Rainbow fall – at least, that’s what it sounded like – followed by some quiet cursing.

“Are you okay?” Twilight suddenly asked Scootaloo.

Scootaloo realized she was wincing and rubbing her head. “Fine.”

“Alright…”

“H-hey, sq— Scootaloo.” Dash nervously stammered out while walking down the steps of the library. She was naked once more, missing the baby outfit.

Scootaloo raised a brow to her.

Dash immediately started to rub the back of her head. “Listen, I—”

“Why’d you lie to me?!” Scootaloo suddenly asked.

Rainbow looked confused and shared a look with Twilight who shrugged at first. Then the unicorn perked up.

“Oh! Scootaloo, she never lied to you!” Twilight happily exclaimed. The filly looked like she wanted to protest but Twilight beat her to it. “I had forgotten about Rainbow’s plans with me the other day, totally slipped my mind. Rainbow went home to grab some… things. You simply got here first.”

Scootaloo went to say something else, but then realized that maybe Rainbow didn't lie. That still did not make this situation okay in her book! Her anger never vanished. Rainbow took that as her cue.

“Right, uh, I guess you're kind of weirded out right now. I would be too… I mean I was before.” She saw that the filly’s attention was at least there. “I was curious after I found Twilight doing something odd to Spike.” Rainbow looked over to Twilight who smiled and nodded. “She was… letting him use a p-pacifier,” Rainbow said, the word sounding foreign to her tongue, “and smiling at him. I got overly curious and then after talking with Twilight about it, I started to experiment with all that baby stuff you saw.” Scootaloo could only blink and blink. “You said it made you uncomfortable the other day so I kind of took off. I’m sorry for that, I should have let you talk to me about it or something.

“So, there it is.You are free to tell your mother or whatever about all of this. I just hope she, and you, understands.” She finished with a smile, Twilight beaming up at her. Scootaloo however was in a small state of shock, but it was the mention of her parents that not only snapped her out of it but made her angry.

And she was sick of holding things in.

“My Mother… MY MOTHER?!” She growled and stepped forward, causing Dash to instinctively take one step back in surprise. “Do you have any idea what this means? My-my plans are ruined, you, you big baby!” Her words were spat out, Dash felt hurt and so did Twilight. “You’ve ruined everything! You too, Twilight! Buck you all, buck your diapers and buck everything! JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Her final words spat out, she darted around and left the library in a huff.





Rainbow Dash stood rooted to the spot, her eyes misty and on the verge of tears. Twilight was in shock at the profanity of the young filly but decided to trudge downstairs. She slowly walked up to Dash and wrapped her front hooves around her. “Are you okay?” Dash looked back and slowly shook her head. She then began to instantly burst into tears and jammed her head into Twilight’s chest for comfort.

“What have I done?” she choked out, causing Twilight to slowly rub her back.

“You’ve done nothing wrong! Tomorrow, you and I both will go have a talk with her mother. I think her teacher should know where she lives…”

Dash simply nodded and began to cry. “But, what if they hate me? And you?”

Twilight blinked and had to think for a while. “We will figure this out, I’m not sure what she meant by ‘plans’, but I’m assuming it had to do with you teaching her to fly and all of that. To her, it’s very important. We will have a good, long talk and everything will be alright, okay?”

Dash sniffed and nodded, she then finally returned the hug and smiled. “I love you… Mommy.”

Twilight gently kissed her on the forehead. “I love you too, my little Dashie.”
> Chapter Six
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Twilight, uh… I just realized I don’t know where the squirt lives…” Dash admitted, feeling ashamed.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, then her featured softened. “Then go check with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. They should know.”

“Got it!” Rainbow dashed off, leaving Twilight some time to search through some files, thankfully Spike had reorganized them.

“Let’s see… Scootaloo, here we go.” She levitated up a file, then opened it and frowned. This isn’t right…

        Rainbow came back ten minutes later. “Neither of her friends know where she lives.”

        “I couldn’t find anything on her current residence either, just her old address in Cloudsdale.” Twilight showed her the papers she had found. “Take this and go check Cloudsdale Library. They should have more information. At the very least, the post office there might still have a forwarding address for mail.”

        “Right, okay, I’ll be back soon!”

Twilight had considered checking out a few places herself, but without an address or general area, she knew finding the filly might be a tad awkward. She felt a bit selfish trying to keep their secret hidden from others, but calling attention to this situation to the whole town would raise a few brows. Rumors could fly off the handle in a small town, they often did here. She didn’t mind her secret getting out, it was Rainbow she was mostly worried about. So she waited for the mare to return, constantly looking out the window.

“Twi, could you please go read a book or something?” her assistant and adopted son kept repeating to her. It was a rare moment, a time when Twilight did not want to read.

Twilight broke her gaze from the window and sighed. “I’m sorry, Spike. I’m just a bit stressed…”

He rolled his eyes and joined her on their couch. “So Scootaloo saw something weird. I don’t think it’s weird,” he declared, crossing his arms. She had explained to him what happened.

She smiled at him and brought the drake in for a hug. “Me either,” she declared firmly. “But she might not understand what’s going on. Remember, you and I and Rainbow had time to ease into this. I really doubt you would have enjoyed very much if I had just sprung on you some baby treatment.”

He blushed and looked around the library, feeling a bit foolish for even doing so. “T-Twilight, shh! What if Rarity’s around?!”

She giggled. “Spike~, who do you think made those outfits? And your you know what?”

Spike blinked a few times, ignoring Twilight while she patted his back. Then he promptly smacked his face. “Of course they came from her…” He frowned deeply.

“Don’t worry, I never said who they were for.”

Spike perked up immediately. “Really?! You're the best, Twi!”

“I would never do that to you, but either way she would still see you as that kind and caring little dragon.”

He blushed again and nodded. For a few moments, he felt contented to simply enjoy Twilight presence, and she felt happy to rub his back a little.

The door slammed open, causing the two to jump a little. There was the mare that Twilight had been waiting all day for. It had been hours and Rainbow looked quite exhausted. “Twi, we need to talk.”

“Yes, we do. You need to learn the right way to open a door!” Spike yelled at her.

Dash sighed. “Sorry, buddy, but this is kind of urgent…” She rubbed the back of her head, trying to avoid his glare.

“Okay… just don’t let it happen again!” He snapped at her and then suddenly left the room, heading towards the kitchen.

“Twilight… uh…”

“Did you find anything out?”

Dash looked over towards the kitchen, making sure Spike wasn’t walking back. “Yeah, her mom’s dead, Twilight.” The unicorns eyes widened in horror. Rainbow took out an envelope from her saddlebag and let Twilight see. “Happened a few years back…”

Twilight took a single minute to read the letter and then look at Dash and then back to the letter. Her brain was restarting, trying to comprehend what she had heard and read. Finally she grabbed her temples and began to slowly roll them in circles. “Okay, how… did we not notice this?”

Rainbow scowled, looking to the floor. “How do you think I feel?”

Twilight stood up and walked over towards the mare, then plopped down. She started rubbing her back. Back rubs really did help almost anything. “Okay, okay… well, wait. What about her father? I… have to admit I don’t know if he ever lived with them.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Not that I ever remember. I tried asking, but nopony seemed to know. I think he’s unknown and unlisted. Only Scoot’s mom would know and… yeah.”

“So we have a homeless filly out there by herself… Where would she go?” Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh my Celestia, where is she even living?!”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “I don’t know! And…” Her eyes closed for a moment, then they snapped open a second later. “The Clubhouse! That clubhouse of theirs, she has to be there!”

Twilight nodded. “Well, get going!”

Rainbow saluted and dashed off. Spike then walked back in, a tray of gems in his hand. “What was all the noise for?”

Twilight debated telling Spike, he was still quite young (even if she wasn’t babying him more often for fun and comfort). What am I doing? thought Twilight. Their best bet for finding Scootaloo at this point was most likely a search party. Hiding things would only hurt their efforts. “C’mon, Spike, I’ll explain on the way.”





Rainbow didn’t bother to check in with Applejack, figuring she at least had permission to be on the farm for emergencies. She landed near some trees, deciding to go on foot from there. She didn’t exactly know where their clubhouse was by heart, having only been there a few times. Which way? This would be so much easier if there weren’t so many stupid trees… Her heart raced. She knew that frantically rushing around wouldn’t help so she stopped and took a deep breath. The memory of where the clubhouse was became clearer.

After several moments, she finally found her destination. The door’s open… A foreboding feeling washed over her. It was already dark out and the clubhouse was just as dark. If Scootaloo were there, surely she would have turned on a light. Dash rushed up, flapping her wings a few times and then landed just inside. “Dammit…” There was no filly inside. Instead what she found was a bit of a mess. Various drawings littered the floor, trashed and torn.

“What the…” At first glance they looked like simple drawings any child would make. She took a few steps, then stopped when her hoof touched a drawing. She looked down and frowned. It was a crude drawing of Dash standing with Scootaloo. I think somepony threw a fit…but why the… She shook her head, realizing that she did not have enough information on Scootaloo to connect all the dots.

One last thing stood out to her. A floorboard had been wedged open. Inside, she found a single pillow but nothing else. She sighed and flew away. We may have to send out a search party… but not just yet. 





Rainbow Dash was now circling the massive clock tower of the town, lost in thought. Where the hay is she?! She glanced all around and, in a desperate attempt, began to study the tower. It was the only thing still lit up. She just barely noticed an orange blur tucked away inside and figured it couldn’t hurt to investigate. She landed gently just in front of the massive clock; a balcony of sorts was perched in front. The glow of the clock was radiating warmth. She snuck over and peeked through the crack between the tower and the clock. She smirked.

Inside was the one and only Scootaloo, sleeping soundly on what looked like a rather elaborate, makeshift bed. Dash then looked at her pillow and noticed the tear stains and sighed. Ignoring the rest of the room, she decided to check all around to find a way in. She grunted when she realized she had to work her way up from the bottom. The journey was quick. Oddly enough, with all the noise her flight took the child did not wake.

Inside, she quietly studied the room. The way it looked was unnerving, like it was set up for a permanent stay. The room looked like it was designed for a filly, a filly who was obsessed with everything relating to the Wonderbolts. Posters on the side of the walls, well, the walls that did not contain a giant clock that was glowing slightly. Looking down she found class assignments, pictures and a few other things. She sighed again.

Why didn’t you ask for help, Scootaloo? This is wrong…

Working up the nerve to wake her, she took in a deep breath and nodded. She gently nudged the filly which did absolutely nothing. A more firm shake woke her. For a second Scootaloo looked confused and then she spotted the mare and scowled.

“What the buck do you want?! I was sleeping you know!” The filly then grabbed her pillow and promptly smacked it down on top of her head.

“First off, I want you to stop cursing!”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, baby!” came the muffled response.

“Heh, good one. I suppose I deserve that when the least of my worries are paying a very, very cheap bill each month. But you, your worries… Scootaloo, why didn’t you ever ask for help?”

Scootaloo yanked the pillow off and scowled even more towards her. “I don’t need help!”

“But this is wrong!”

“I don’t see a rule that says I can’t live here!”

“Alone? Minors cannot legally be left by themselves—”

“Then why don’t you go back to your mommy!” Scootaloo had nudged her in the stomach.

“Alright, how about I at least try to explain why I’m into this whole… thing.”

“Why the hay should I care?! Just leave!”

“No! I will not leave! Right now, I’m staring at a rude little filly! And I’m not leaving until she understands why.”

The filly crossed her forehooves, still lying in the bed, and waited.

“Right. When I was very little, I lost both of my parents. And even though this sounds hypocritical. I was living on my own, for good, long while. It’s the reason I had to drop out of flight school, but Fluttershy was more of a push to go in that direction… Anyway, the point is, I was forced to grow up and kind of lost my childhood. At least that’s what Twilight thinks is going on in my head or whatever. The baby stuff helps in that regard, but anyway… Right now I see a filly that has lost her childhood and I don’t know why. Would you share with me how this happened to you?”

Scootaloo shook her head; she said nothing in reply and waited for the mare to leave. She didn’t. All Rainbow Dash did was return the angry scowl. And then she did something that Scootaloo did not suspect, she grabbed her in for a hug. The effect was immediate, she started kicking and flailing. “Get off me, now!”

“No.”

Scootaloo responded by rearing up one of her hoofs and jamming it into Dash’s gut. It took the breath right out of her but she did not let up. The hug continued. Eventually, her flails stopped and the breathing started. With one last ditch effort, she tried to break free but it did not work. She cried. She cried out of frustration, out of anger and out of betrayal.

“Shh, it’s okay to cry you know.”

“Please, just stop. You were supposed to be my big sister and my mo… Just stop!”

Dash flinched, she knew very well what word she wanted to use and it clicked, her plans, why she felt angry. Scootaloo was grooming Dash to be her mother and it all fell apart. Not being the one for subtle approaches, she asked, “Scoots, were you trying to make me your mother?”

“Yes, okay! It wasn’t supposed to work this way. Now I lost my job and I screwed up school and now my friends hate me and I’m going to be sent to some stupid orphanage!” She sobbed but kept away from the mare. Even with the hug and embrace she still did not wish to give in.

“You have a job? Nevermind, you’re not going to some orphanage, okay?” Just then, Rainbow Dash heard Scootaloo’s stomach release an odd rumbling. The filly grasped her gut and moaned. “Scoots, when was the last time you ate?”

“I eat just fine!” 

Dash sighed. “That’s not the question I asked, when was the last time you ate, and I want to know now!”

“…Breakfast.” She said and sniffled.

“Okay, no more of that—”

“You’re still a baby and you don’t get to tell me what to do!”

Rainbow Dash pondered this, she had a point. She was supposed to be the elder sibling and she had let her down in more ways than one, but then she had an idea. Rainbow stopped the hug, stood up and took a few steps back. “You’re right.”

“Yeah… Wait what?”

“I was supposed to be your big sister, and I failed you. I lied to you and betrayed your trust in the matter of this… well, this baby stuff.” Keeping it a secret was only technically a lie, but a lie nonetheless, she decided. “What’s more, before that, I ignored you a lot. You looked up to me and I failed to notice what was painfully obvious from the beginning, you just wanted a family, you just wanted to belong. It was only after that camping trip when you spilled your guts to me that I actually started to take notice. I’m sorry, Scootaloo, I’m sorry for everything.” For a moment, Scootaloo had no thoughts and no emotions. She wasn’t sure what to do or who to turn to, but she still had Dash.

“I accept your apology…”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re being sincere, I can tell. But… But now what?”

“Now, after you take some deep breaths. I’m going to take you down to Twilight and she will take care of y… us. I know that sounds weird, but when I came to Twilight about my past… I was a wreck, Scoots.”

“You? But you’re Rainbow Dash! You may be into this baby stuff… but c’mon!” Scootaloo was not hearing it or believing it.

“Heh, well remember when I said it was okay to cry?” She rolled her eyes but nodded. 

“Twilight taught me that. I had been holding in my tears for years, kid. Years! And I’m guessing that you have held in some too. Always putting on a tough face, right? Well, regardless of what you say, it doesn’t work. It backfired on me and I cried. I cried for so long, I looked like a damn kid having a tantrum, but Twilight stayed up with me all night. Before too long I was most likely physically hurting myself from lack of water, heh… And she forced me to calm down and drink some. And when it was over, I felt better, a lot better. The last time I had remembered feeling so amazing was when we used the Elements of Harmony and before that when I was with my dad…”

“So what? You want me to cry now?”

“Not if you don’t want to, no. But I want you to promise me that if you ever feel like it, don’t hold it in; it will only hurt worse in the end.”

“Uh, I promise, Dash. So now what?”

Dash scratched the back of her head. “I honestly don’t know, I want to take you back to Twilight, but I feel I should know a few things first. That is if you will let me know…”

“What?”

“Okay, let’s start with an easy one. How long have you been living in this clock tower?”

“…Couple years, and I sometimes live in the clubhouse.”

“And you pay for your food with that job, right?”

A nod.

“Good and no pony knows about all of this?”

“No, you’re the first to just ask me like this. No point in denying it I guess.”

“So no help at all? Geez. You know, when I said I was on my own, I still had Gilda and Fluttershy and sometimes her folks who are still around. But to do all of this by yourself, you are a bigger filly than I was.”

The filly perked up. “You really mean that?”

She shrugged. “Hey, I couldn’t do it alone. I never could, in the end I always at least had Fluttershy and now my friends.”

“Wow…”

“Yeah, wow, kid. How did you live through the winter, anyway? You had to be freezing!”

“This clock tower gets pretty warm. I was fine. I just had to make sure to stay out of the clubhouse when it got like that.”

“Smart, kid… Uh, look, I’m sorry for asking this, but I know Twilight will hammer me if I don’t and she will find out anyway. But what about your mother?”

“What do you think?” she said bitterly. “I thought—”

“Yeah, we know that she is, and I’m really sorry for that. But I mean what happened? I may not have paid much attention to you a while back, but I still remember that party Pinkie threw for you two.”

Scootaloo stared at the floor for a good ten seconds. “Weather accident. She was filling in for ponies in other cities and I guess that sort of thing happens a lot. I don’t remember exactly what happened, but she always told me to stay in school and to try hard, so I kept going.”

“Once again, you got one leg up on me there, kid.” Dash winked which caused her to giggle slightly and then sigh when she remembered what they were talking about. Rainbow pulled her in for another hug and then quickly heard the rumbling of her stomach and this time Scootaloo grabbed her gut and would not let go.

“We need to get you a better diet, and no buts this time. We can come back for this stuff later, but right now, let’s get you to the library. Do you still trust me?”

“Yeah, I trust you. Ugh, I’m hungry…”

Rainbow’s stomach soon followed that with a grumble of her own. “Well, hop on!”

Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around Dash’s neck and held on tightly. Dash made sure she was secure on her back and flew down through the tower to leave. “By the way, Twilight probably made a search party at this point so don’t be surprised if your friends are…” She paused, realizing that Scootaloo’s friends were already angry at her. “…even more mad…”

“Uh, they already hate me...” she yelled over the wind as they neared the library.

“I don’t think they hate you, but they are going to be mad since you never told them you were living on your own.” They neared the tree library as Dash circled around and landed. Wasting no time, she entered without warning. Peering up, she found the lights off and nopony home. “Yeah, she’s probably out looking. If Spike were here I could just send her a message, but I guess we’ll have to wait.”

“Not for food, right?” Scootaloo asked nervously.

She chuckled. “Not for food, c’mon let’s see what she has in her kitchen.”

Rainbow quickly made them a medium sized meal complete with soup. Scootaloo wasted no time digging in, feeling better than she had in days. After the filly finished up the last bite, she burped and sighed. “Now what?”

“Well…” As if on cue, the door slammed open. In came five mares, two fillies and a very tired-looking dragon.

“We can’t find her…” Apple Bloom’s sentence trailed off. “Scootaloo!” Quicker than Rainbow could ever hope to move, two fillies tackled the purple maned filly and were hugging her and fussing over her for all of their worth. Apologies could not come any quicker. Once the two fillies had learned of the fate of their friend’s mother it all started to click. Why Scootaloo was angry at them. The filly’s blush was extreme.

“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Scootaloo’s muzzle scrunched up in a bit of disgust. “Eww, did you kiss me, Sweetie?!”

Sweetie blushed. “Uh… heh, heh, maybe?”

Scootaloo wasn’t all that bothered by the thought of seeing her friends as family, a kiss was just a kiss. It wasn’t romantic, Sweetie was simply happy to see her. “I don’t care.” Scootaloo hugged back, everything was fine, they didn’t hate her.

Rainbow was smiling at the scene, but then she met the gaze of five very distracted-looking mares and one sleeping baby dragon and gulped.

“Uh, hey, girls.”

Twilight, ignoring her sleeping charge, practically flew over wrapped the filly in for a hug. “You had us worried sick!”

“I’m sorry, I was just… I was tired of trying so much and I lost it…” Scootaloo admitted shamefully.

“It’s okay…” Twilight’s hug felt really nice, but then her friends made a cough from behind her. Twilight sighed, knowing she would have to explain the full story sooner or later so that everypony would stop being so confused. It was going to be a long night.

The fillies had soon retired, eventually falling asleep together along with Spike on the rug in the middle of the room. Twilight explained what she knew to her friends. She explained how Scootaloo had caught her and Dash doing baby stuff. The rest weren’t as surprised as they thought they would be; Pinkie had shared her feelings for this a bit back. The shock was learning that Scootaloo’s mother was no more and had not been with the living for some time.

“Did she tell you what happened to her ma?” Applejack questioned by the end of it.

They all turned to Rainbow at this, assuming she had asked at one point. The mare saw Fluttershy bite her lip, fighting to hold back tears and sighed. “Yeah, weather accident. Their quite common in bigger cities, less laws and regulations. Nasty business, really.”

Applejack rubbed her head in circles. “How in the hey does a filly take care of herself for so long?”

“It’s more common than you think,” Rainbow said without thinking. All of them, except Fluttershy looked at her as if she just insulted the princesses. She didn’t get embarrassed, she got angry. “What?! It does, okay!” she huffed. Fluttershy was quick to whisper her anger down, reassuring her that they weren’t judging. She sighed. “I’m sorry…” They gave sad smiles, thinking nothing needed to be said. “We all sort of worked together, well me and Gilda did. I really should see her again…”

“Gilda was… alone?” Twilight asked softly.

“Yeah, I guess it’s more common for Griffon guardians to leave their kid alone when they’re old enough to them. Which isn’t that old at all…”

“Um, so now what?” Fluttershy questioned to their silence.

“Well,” Applejack stood up and placed her hat firmly onto her head, “she can’t be on her own anymore, that’s for sure. But for now we need to… Oh.” She noticed the sight of her little sister sleeping peacefully. “Ah can’t, in good conscience, disturb that. Uh, heh, Twi? Do you got any sleeping bags ‘round here?”

She chuckled. “I have plenty. Do the rest of you want to spend the night?”

Rarity shrugged. “I might as well, it’ll be fun. Like a girls night out!”

They all shushed her when Scootaloo whined in her sleep and she blushed. They were all about to gather the required materials when they noticed that Pinkie hadn’t moved in a little while.

“Pinkie? Dear? Are you alright?” Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder.

“…I’m a terrible friend,” she whined silently, but they all heard her loud and clear.

“What?!”

“I threw her and her mom a party but never thought to keep her as a friend. I never talked to her mom much and…” She bit down, literally choking her tears as to not wake the three fillies and dragon.

Twilight was quick to start rubbing her back, speaking softly. “Pinkie… none of us knew this. You’re not to blame and you're not a bad friend.” She turned to her friends. “Right, girls?”

“Oh yeah, you're the best friend a pony could have!” Dash cheered as quietly as she could.

“You’d be a fool not to see that, Pinkie,” Applejack said, while laying out her bag.

Pinkie smiled a bit, looking to Fluttershy who was grinning and nodding. “Aww, thanks, girls!”

More shushing. She quietly giggled when Spike moved a bit.

The six mares eventually found the perfect placement with three bags on each side, far enough away from the fillies so they could talk without disturbing them.

“So, what are you going to do with Scootaloo?” Applejack asked, she was mainly directing the question at Rainbow but looked at Twilight as well.

“Scootaloo will stay with me… well, us,” Dash said without hesitation. Twilight looked surprised for a moment, but then broke out of her thoughts and quickly nodded.

“Are you two a couple?” Rarity’s voice pierced through their nervousness. They were their friends and they would understand.

“Not exactly. Twilight’s been kind of mothering me and taking care of me. You know, all that baby stuff we just talked about.”

“Ahh, that kind of relationship…” Rarity’s cheeks blushed.

“There’s nothing romantically intimate about it, Rarity.” Twilight’s voice didn’t sound annoyed or flustered, it sounded truthful.

“Oh… alright, forgive me for assuming. I guess that kind of relationship can work too.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight said back.

“It just helps me feel like I have a mom. I know you girls are all my family, but it helps me feel better when Twilight is there for me…” Rainbows blush was immediate.

“Aww… little Dashie!” Pinkie giggled.

Dash grumbled but said nothing else.

“That gives me an idea, it might be going a bit far though…” Twilight tapped her chin a few times and then smiled at her friends as she began to explain her plan.

“Well, ah suppose that could work. It’s a bit weird. Just make sure Scootaloo feels comfortable first before even asking.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight paused and saw the filly in question smile in her sleep, “we will.”
> Chapter Seven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight yawned. This was her fourth yawn that morning and the third time she had to get up. Most of her friends had headed home, Rarity and Applejack carefully carrying their sisters. Somehow, Scootaloo remained still and sleeping the whole time. Twilight reached for her living plush, also known as Rainbow Dash, and snuggled closer to her. Then her mind woke up as if a bucket of cold water was poured onto it.

Scootaloo! She was about to spring into action when she quickly realized that Scootaloo was sleeping peacefully (along with Spike) and still had that smile on her face. That couldn’t stop her from being prepared.

“Rainbow…” She nudged the mare, who did nothing. “Rainbow,” she said louder.

“Hmm? Two more minutes…”

“No, we need to prepare. Remember, last night?”

Memories of the laughs and long conversations all of their friends had from last night came flooding back with a vengeance. She did remember, so she opened her eyes. “Fine.. I still say this won’t work out well.”

“We’ll see. Either way, hopefully she will see we love her. Now, get going!” Twilight playfully swatted her butt and soon they were off. Halfway through gathering supplies, Twilight had levitated over a blanket to cover Spike and Scootaloo. After around twenty minutes or so of following Twilight's tedious checklist, they were ready. Of course this could be the dumbest thing we’ve ever done… Feelings of despair and uncertainty crept into the back of Twilight’s mind. She looked over to Rainbow, who was smiling at her nervously. But they think it’s a good idea… let’s do this. Twilight was rarely impulsive with her decisions or plans, but for some reason this crazy one just felt right.

“Ready?”

Dash grinned. “As I’ll ever be… Uh, you sure she won’t find this insulting? I mean we’d, or you would, be basically replacing her mom…”

Twilight smiled confidently. “She was ready to make you her mom, she worked hard at that. This may not be exactly what she wants, but I think this can work out much better.”

“Alright, give me a minute.” Rainbow leapt into the air and gently flew over, hovering above the two. “Scootaloo~” she called into her ear.

The filly’s ears twitched a few times before her eyes began to flutter open. Instead of the massive smile or loud announcement of her name like Dash expected, Scootaloo yawned and snuggled back into Spike. It was time to bring out the big guns. Rainbow plucked a feather from her side and wasted no time in tickling the filly all over.

“Hey! Stop that!” was all Scootaloo got out before she succumbed to a fit of giggles and kicking the blanket over and over.

Spike moaned. “Wha?” He squinted his eyes at the site of a typically macho mare tickling a typically macho filly. “What am I looking at?”

They both stopped after a moment. “Was trying to wake her is all.”

The filly yawned once more. “How long was I out?”

“Not long,” Twilight said from behind her. “It's still morning after all.”

“Twilight? Hey…” Scootaloo felt a bit awkward. They all knew her secrets now. There would be no more hiding.

“Good morning!”

Scootaloo nodded, then turned to Rainbow.

“Morning, squirt!”

“Morning… Uh, what’s all of that?” She pointed to a pile of what was obviously lots and lots of babyish-looking items.

“This is something we wanted to talk to you about.” Twilight placed a hoof on top of a crinkling-sounding diaper, patting it a few times.

Scootaloo blushed and motioned for her to keep talking.

“Right, well… look, we know you got angry at Sweetie Belle over these kind of items in particular, but were you really mad at these or something else?”

For a few moments, the filly did not respond. Then she sighed. “No, I don’t hate her… I don’t think I ever could. I was just mad that she had a mom and Rarity and Apple Bloom had a family taking care of her, I just snapped. I don’t mind those things, I guess.”

“Good, because in this house it’s kind of the norm now.”

The filly raised a brow, and looked around. Spike was blushing quite profoundly, and Rainbow was scratching the back of her head.

“Diapers are the norm?” Scootaloo asked, picturing Spike in one which made her giggle uncontrollably for a few moments. Then she looked up and immediately stopped, Spike was sulking and Rainbow didn’t look much better. “Oh, uh, s-sorry.” Way to go, I’m just a jerk…

Spike wasn’t as quick to accept an apology so he tilted his head up with his arms crossed. Scootaloo sighed, but then felt two hooves on her back, one from Twilight and another from Rainbow. “It’s okay to laugh, Scootaloo. Just make sure you're not doing it to be mean, okay?”

Twilight’s words washed over Scootaloo like before, it felt good and this time she did not care who saw her blush. Twilight sounded motherly.

“Okay,” Scootaloo said, turning to Spike. “I’m sorry for laughing.”

Spike mulled over her words and found no deceit, so he relaxed. “It’s okay,” he said before giggling. “You should see what Twi looks like when she’s bundled up in a d—”

Twilight quickly placed a hoof on his mouth, shutting it. “Okay! So we wanted to try something with you, Scootaloo. But, only if you're okay with it first.” Scootaloo quickly sat down on the floor, looking up expectantly. “Right, well, Dashi… Dash, maybe you should go first.”

Rainbow did her best to fight away the blood rushing towards her cheeks. “Right, so Spike was obviously always part of Twilight’s family.” The young drake beamed with pride. “He…” Rainbow trailed off, and in that very instant, the young dragon seemed to know what they were up to. He quickly swiped a blanket from the pile and a small pacifier and was soon sucking on it in front of the filly, smiling smugly as if to say ‘what of it?’ “Thanks, buddy. And Twilight invited me into her family by… sort of, I guess unofficially adopting me as her daughter. As weird or silly as that sounds.”

No laughing this time, Scootaloo was giving Dash her undivided attention even though Spike was making that quite difficult.

“Anyway, I know this is really sudden, but we…” Twilight and the still suckling Spike stood by Rainbow. “…were wondering if you would join our family. Of course, you’ve been part of your friends family, but we wanted to make it official!”

Scootaloo’s heart skipped a beat or two, this was too good to be true. She figured the baby items on the floor was the only part that was making it too good to be true though. “Uh huh… so both of you would be my mom, or…?”

“Not exactly. I would be your new mother. Of course, I could never replace your mom, but I’d like a chance to be just as good,” Twilight clarified. “Rainbow would still be your big sis, and Spike would be your big brother.”

Even though this was close enough to the moment she had been wanting for for so long, she chuckled. She couldn’t help herself. “Uh, yeah, real big brother there…”

“You said you wouldn’t laugh!” Spike protested, his words muffled by the guard of his pacifier.

“But c’mon! It was a little funny. I was laughing at Twilight, not you, I swear!” Scootaloo quickly went back to being as serious as she could.

Twilight rolled her eyes after checking to makes sure that her son didn’t seem hurt. “Right, so we wanted to make it official by doing something a bit silly I suppose. But first, do you want to be part of our family?”

“Duh! Well, yes!”

The grin on her face was enough. Twilight didn’t feel the need to push things.

“Great! Do you want to try one of these on? Because Rainbow is about to…”

“Well, uh…” Her face gagged for a minute. “Do I have to use it?”

“No!” Twilight smacked her hoof into her face. “Of course not! We don’t exactly do that, I guess it’s a bit complicated to explain. They’re just for comfort, to reassure Rainbow and Spike that they are loved. That’s all, I swear.”

“Okay…” Scootaloo rubbed her chin a few times. “What about the other stuff?”

“They help you get into the roll,” Rainbow said. “See, our plan was to make you feel adopted by bringing you into this family as a ‘newborn’ baby. I know it sounds silly, but that was kind of the point too. They’re just for fun, although Spike really likes his pacifier.”

Spike blushed but nodded.

“And I really like my belly rubs,” Rainbow said, blushing as well. “We just wanted you to see if you could find something you really like, as well. It’s really fun, once you get into it.” Scootaloo still looked uncertain, so Rainbow sighed. “Look, we just wanted to do what Twilight did for Spike and especially did for me, make me feel like I had a real family on top of the friends I have. You don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to. We would never force this, it’s just for fun.”

It wasn’t that Scootaloo hadn’t been smiling the whole time, albeit a somewhat listless smile. She was simply more curious than enthusiastic at the prospect of becoming their ‘baby’. Before she could respond, the unicorn mare had already started to prepare Rainbow Dash for her undergarment. The curiosity never let up. She watched her fold out a diaper, place it under her bottom, apply some powder and then tape it up. Also, she made sure to loop her tail into the back, and tape that part as well. Scootaloo looked over to Spike, who, she noticed, wasn’t getting one and he simply shrugged.

“He doesn’t always get one, it just depends what mood were all in.”

Then the silence came back, but it wasn’t uncomfortable to Scootaloo. Her entire focus was on one single toy, something that the stack of diapers had blocked her site of. A red, stuffed dragon. She walked up to it and looked to Twilight who smiled and nodded. She placed it in her hooves and felt the material rub along them. It felt nice, and out of nowhere she hugged the plush to her chest. “Uh, if its all the same to you guys, can I just play with this?”

The dragon and mare looked at each other, and then grinned and shrugged in unison. “Fine by me, dragons rule!” Spike cheered.

“If that’s all you want. Welcome to our family, Scootaloo.” Twilight brought her in for a hug, making sure to not squish her new plush toy.

“C’mon, little sis, let’s go play!” Scootaloo declared. Rainbow took on a stoic expression and then saluted the filly.

The four soon found themselves in a toy fight, containing mostly soft plushies and pillows. Scootaloo felt warm inside with no cares or worries for the first time since she could remember. She was home, and she felt free. Twilight knew it would be extra work to help take care of a filly, but her decision was not taken lightly. She knew there was a difference between taking care of a real and a pretend child. It would all be worth it in the end though, as long as Scootaloo smiled and her family was happy. Everything was perfect… then the four heard a few quick knocks at the library door. Scootaloo walked over to the door and, without thinking, quickly opened it.

“Uh,” she said, blushing as she glanced at the plush dragon on her back, “hey, girls. What’s up?”

> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	What Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom felt was very foreign. Very rarely had their clubhouse been a place that sapped joy and filled their minds with despair and worry. After a long night of searching and more questions than answers, everything finally clicked together. Sweetie Belle nervously watched her friend, concentrating on nothing but a single hole in their clubhouse. Inside were a few odd ends that clearly belonged to Scootaloo. It was the shocked look that Apple Bloom had that scared Sweetie more than anything. That, and the fact that she had not moved in several minutes.

“Apple…” She stopped when the filly whirled around. “…Bloom. Are you okay?”

Again, Apple Bloom was still. It was starting to get creepy. Then, without warning, the filly fell onto her side, tears streaming out. “I…” she choked, unable to get out even two words. Sweetie gently leaned near her and started to rub her back.

“What is it?”

She took a few minutes to calm down, breathing in and out over and over, and then sighed. “Ah got angry with her a while ago when ah found that she had taken a few apples from our farm. She got angry at me back and looked like she wanted to say why she did it. But she just stormed off…”

“Oh… Well, it’s not like we knew about all of this. She didn’t tell us and—”

“But she was trying to!” Apple Bloom suddenly screamed and then promptly started banging her head on the wood, albeit gently. Before she could bang her head for the tenth time, she felt Sweetie’s hoof gently raise her head.

“Stop hurting yourself. Okay, she was trying to tell you, and… maybe we could have seen the signs. Like how she’s late to class a lot and why she ‘forgets’ her lunch.”

That proceeded to only lower the filly’s mood even more.

“But we’re all still friends and we can make it right, okay?”

Apple Bloom snorted. “How the hay do we make this right?” She tilted her head and placed her right hoof to rest on. “We’re just two stupid fillies. Twilight and Rainbow are probably all she needs.”

Sweetie lightly slapped Apple Bloom. It was light enough to cause no harm but harsh enough to grab her full attention. “Don’t call us stupid! We are not stupid, we are her friends! If we just think this through, we can make it right. We can make her feel like we love her, okay?”

There was another moment of silence before Apple Bloom cracked a smile. “Yeah, ah get the feeling she knows that already…” Apple Bloom quickly started making kissing noises.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “I was just worried and then really happy that we found her!” Her voice cracked and her protest did nothing but make the other filly laugh harder. “Yeah, laugh it up…” She giggled a bit herself and soon the two were laying on their backs, staring up at the ceiling.

“Hey, Bloom?”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t think Scootaloo stole other things… do you?”

The very thought filled Sweetie with dread, she knew stealing was wrong. “Hmm, no. She has a job. I’ve seen her doing a paper route… just another thing that makes more sense now.”

Sweetie’s shaking stopped and she sighed in relief, feeling better that her friend did not have to stoop to such low levels, often. “Okay, got any ideas?”

Apple Bloom rolled onto her side, facing the filly. “About what?”

The unicorn rolled her eyes. “On how to make Scootaloo feel like we love her!”

“Oh…” She scrunched up her muzzle in concentration. “Hey, ah know! How about a card?”

Sweetie shuddered at the thought, remembering the massive card they had made just for Miss Cheerilee and how much work it took. “I think we’ve had enough cards for now, besides we can do better than a lousy card!”

“Okay, a hug?”

Sweetie slapped her face with a hoof. “We already did that! C’mon, think, you're the smart one!”

Apple Bloom blinked a few times and simply stared at her. “You’re the one who reads the dang Dictionary!”

“That doesn’t make me smart…”

Apple Bloom groaned. “Ah wish Applejack was here… wait, we can just ask my sis!”

“Oh yeah!” They both grinned and bumped their hooves together.





“Y’all want to do what exactly?”

“We want to show Scootaloo that she’s part of my family—”

“And ours!” Apple Bloom interrupted, referring to the Apple family.

“Right,” Sweetie said. “So do you have any ideas?”

The mare tilted her head and started scratching just under the base of her hat. Then she straightened her hat out and gave the two fillies a single smirk. “Well, ah think that’s a grand idea. That little filly needs some family and it might as well be all of us!”

“All of us?” The farm filly raised a brow.

“Of course, us three,” she started to clarify, “and Twilight and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and Rarity. And all of their and our families too.”

“That’s a lot of family…” Apple Bloom muttered.

She chuckled. “Good enough friends can become family.”

“But how do we let her know this? I wanted to do something special for her…” Sweetie Belle’s voice dipped low, she knew there was something on the tip of her tongue that they could do. But she couldn’t quite think of it.

“No better way than the truth. We simply tell her, c’mon!”

Sweetie Belle, in that single moment, felt slower than Snips and Snails. She nodded, rolled her eyes at the obvious answer and galloped after them.





“Is everypony ready?” Rarity whispered. It hadn’t taken long, somehow it never took very long to gather their friends together.

Gathered around the library door were Twilight’s friends and the two fillies. Pinkie Pie was grinning but had promised to keep quiet so she simply nodded despite the excitement bursting through her body.

“Good. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, you're on.” Rarity shoved them forward, and the mares quietly hid around the corner of the tree.

The two shrugged and loudly knocked on the door a few times. It didn’t take long for the door to swing open to a sight sillier than anything they could remember seeing. Their friend, Scootaloo, had a giant plush dragon perched on her back. Behind her was Rainbow Dash wearing a very poofy looking diaper. That site alone made Apple Bloom blush and Sweetie Belle giggle. Had they seen the state Spike was in, they, no doubt, would have lost it.

“Uh,” Scootaloo said, glancing to the plush dragon that was on her back and blushing, “hey, girls. What’s up?”

“A dragon?”

“Yeah…” The pegasus rolled her eyes.

“Anyway… we were wondering if you wanted to come with us to Sugarcube Corner?”

Scootaloo seemed almost suspicious at this, but a smile quickly gave them their answer. Behind them, Rainbow was looking at Twilight in concern.

“Oh, and they can come too! But uh… I’d take that off.”

Dash rolled her eyes and was quick to oblige.

“I guess so,” Scootaloo turned around to face Twilight, “C’mon! Uh… Mom?”

Had Scootaloo said the word ‘mom’ casually, or maybe in a more excited manner, then it would have made Twilight’s heart swell in pride. The way she did say it was more unsure. These things would take time, Twilight figured, so she walked up, smiling. “I think that’s a good idea, we can all go. My treat.” The fillies, Spike and even Rainbow cheered. Only Sweetie Belle heard four mares dash away from the tree as they walked out together.





The girls swiftly walked into the shop. Twilight half-expected Pinkie Pie to throw them some kind of party to cheer Scootaloo up. It would make sense except it wasn’t a dark room they were walking into. Almost everything was in order except nopony was currently working the cash register. Probably in the back, Twilight thought. However, the second they all sat down, she heard it.

Four mares sprang up from behind the counter, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack. All of them smiling, waiting for the pink mare to make her inevitable announcement.

“Hi!” Pinkie waved, grinning to them as she always did. The three other mares looked at her in shock for a moment. Pinkie blinked and then giggled. “I mean, surprise!”

As far as surprises went, Scootaloo had to admit this was kind of a lame one. It wasn’t unwelcome or anything, but she knew Pinkie could do better. “Uh, surprise?” Scootaloo said back, unable to think of anything else.

Pinkie’s face molded into that of confusion, blinking a few times. “No, silly! It’s a surprise for you! Oh dear… My party senses must be on the fritz… I’ll be right back!” She zoomed out, leaving a trail of dust behind her. Then, just as quickly, she came back. “And don’t you all move!” She commanded sternly and vanished without a trace.

Awkwardly, they all waited. As they began to wonder just why they were doing so, the mare returned. “Okay, everything should be in order!”

Applejack snorted and sighed. “Pinkie… you were supposed to say something after the surprise, remember?”

Pinkie blinked a few times and then rolled her eyes and threw her hooves in the air. “Seriously? Again? I’ll be right—” Applejack stopped her, turned her around and gently plopped her back on her rump. Then she looked to her sister, who nodded.

“Uh, Scootaloo we wanted to do somethin’ special for ya. It was basically Sweetie’s idea, but the rest pitched in. We just…” Apple Bloom frowned, feeling like she was on the spot, but Sweetie stepped forward.

“We just wanted to let you know that you do have a family with all of us. No matter what!”

Scootaloo smiled, maybe this surprise was better than she thought. A few moments later, a rather large cake seemed to come out of nowhere. It was swiftly put down on their table, in front of her by the pink mare. Okay, that’s what I’m talking about!

She looked down and gasped. The cake was a work of art. She never knew much about the party pony, then again nopony did, but she never assumed she was a baker and an artist. Her friends, the six mares and Spike were drawn neatly on the cake. Scootaloo was in the middle. Large letters were also neatly printed on top. ‘Welcome to our Family, Scootaloo.’

Her smile couldn’t get any wider, her happiness couldn't possibly be any higher. This was all she wanted, a family. A mom, she looked over to Twilight who gave her a quick smile. A big sister. She looked to Rainbow, picturing her with the diaper still on. Close enough… Spike was simply a bonus, a brother. To top it all off, she had the rest of her family. They didn’t need to be blood related, they just needed to be there for her. Everything was finally perfect. She hopped off her stool and quite literally tackled her friends down to the ground, hugging them and just feeling right.

“Well?” Pinkie’s voice sliced through the air, waking the filly out of her thoughts. “Are you gonna eat it or what? I didn’t slave over this cake all morning to have it sit there ya know!”

The three fillies, along with Spike, looked at each other and then grinned. Mrs. Cake had been watching from the sidelines, leaning on the store mop and smiling in pride. Then the children started walking towards the cake, a hungry look in their eyes. The table never had a chance.

The End