(Originally written by Matt11, transferred and rewritten with permission.) Pinkie discovers that Scootaloo is related to the Pies, thus making the filly Pinkie's fourth sister. She then sets out to make things right for the both of them.
(Story originally written by Matt11, transferred and rewritten with permission. Takes place in an Alternative Universe post "Pinkie Apple Pie". Proofread and edited by deadpansnarker.)
Despite hitting a dead end with her possible ties to the Apple family, Pinkie Pie decides to do some additional genealogy research to learn more about her family history. And when she does, she is shocked to discover she has a fourth sister!
And not just any fourth sister, a fourth sister who's a pegasus, and lives in Ponyville! Meaning it's none other than Scootaloo!
But nagging questions soon present themselves to Pinkie Pie: Why did her parents keep this information hidden? Why was Scootaloo was abandoned at the orphanage? And most importantly, does Scootaloo know of her secret Pie family heritage?
The answers may just surprise Pinkie, who is determined to make things right and be the best big sister she can be for Scootaloo! Perhaps even give the filly a proper home?
The road trip back to Ponyville from Goldie Delicious' cottage was much less of a hassle (though by no means less of an adventure) compared to the trip to the cottage. And while all involved had walked away without knowing the answer to their question, they didn't let it bother them.
Still, Applejack noticed that once the chorus of "Apples to the Core" started getting old and the singing ceased, Pinkie Pie was almost uncharacteristically silent. It usually took a lot for the pink party pony to ever shut up, so the fact that she was doing so now suggested that something might be bothering her. And Applejack... well she was usually not one to pry in a friend's private matters, but Pinkie wasn't just a friend, she was family (or at least, she might be). So the farm pony nudged her fellow earth pony with a hoof. "Hey, sugarcube? You holdin' up okay?"
Pinkie flashed a bright smile back at Applejack. At least that hadn't left her. "Yes indeedy, I'm super duper fine, Applejack. Fit as a fiddle, which is weird since I don't really feel like a fiddle," A giggle forced its way out of the pink pony's mouth. "Sorry, still getting used to your countryisms and stuff."
"Pinkie, you know you don't have to talk like my family to be part of my family, right?" Applejack asked with concern. "If this is about the dead end we hit with the Apple Family records, I already told ya you'll always be an Apple in here." She motioned a hoof down to her heart.
"Of course, Applejack. I was there, I heard you," Pinkie replied with a smile. But then she turned and a faint sigh escaped her lips. "It's just... I thought I knew everything there was to know about my family. But from what I read of that genealogy scroll Twilight let me borrow, it seems like there's an entire family history I don't know about it. There could be a whole bunch of ponies I'm related to, and I wouldn't even know it. It's driving me all loco in the coco!"
Applejack put a hoof to Pinkie's shoulder, lightly rubbing it to calm her down. "I know how that might feel, sugarcube. I was just as surprised as you to find out the Apples and the Pies might be related. But considerin' the possible link, I can see why nopony really remembered it. Hay, I remember when I first learned the Oranges were my cousins, even though they lived all the way over in Manehattan. I was as shocked as could be!"
"That's how I feel right now," Pinkie remarked, her tone of voice sounding overall more confused than truly upset. "Genealogy is so incredibly amazing, but it's also full of stuff I had no idea existed before. It really makes me wanna really look into my family tree. For all I know, there might be other families the Pies are related to. And that means I'd have a whole ton more parties to plan: Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, you name it."
Applejack just chuckled. Now that was more like the Pinkie Pie she knew. "Well why don't you ask Twilight for the proper scrolls?" The mare suggested, adjusting her stetson a little. "I'm sure she won't mind, as long as you're careful not to damage 'em."
Pinkie's eyes lit up like stars light up the night sky. She almost rocketed right out of the wagon right there and then! "Of course, Applejack! That's a brilliant idea! No wonder we're fourth cousins twice removed, we know each other so well!" And without warning, she spun around and embraced her friend and potential cousin in a massive hug!
At first the hug wasn't so bad, it actually felt kind of nice. But after a while, Applejack started to feel like she was being squeezed just a little too tight. "Okay, okay, simmer down now, sally. You're squeezin' me like an apple in a cider press."
"Oopsie, sorry, Applejack." Pinkie blushed in apology, ending the hug then and there. After that, she said nothing more on the subject of genealogy, but made a mental note to visit Twilight at the nearest available opportunity.
That nearest available opportunity turned out to be next morning. Pinkie had volunteered to run the friendship journal back to the Golden Oak Library, now that she and Applejack had finished writing down the lesson they'd learned from their road trip.
As she bounced up to the front door and rapped a hoof against it three times, Pinkie hoped that Twilight hadn't already packed up the scrolls for genealogical research and sent them back to... wherever it was she'd gotten them from.
The door was answered by Spike, who was most surprised to see Pinkie Pie of all ponies knock. She usually either invited herself in without asking, or somehow appeared from out of nowhere in places she logically shouldn't be able to fit into. It was an odd but welcoming change, one the little dragon was most grateful for. "Hi, Pinkie Pie. Come to return the friendship journal?" He guessed, spotting the familiar binding resting atop her back. "I can take that for you."
"Thanks, Spike," Pinkie greeted with her trademark smile. "Where's Twilight?"
"Just looking over some genealogy scrolls here on the ground floor," Spike answered his guest's question. "Want me to go get her for you? Is it another one of your 'girl' talks or something?"
Pinkie shook her head. "I just wanted to do some more genealogy research. It's so fascinating. Like extra sprinkles on an extra special, super-duper delicious cupcake."
At that very moment, who should come trotting up but Twilight Sparkle herself? "You're quite welcome to do as much research as you wish, Pinkie," The young princess said to her guest. "But this time why don't I retrieve the scrolls you want to look at it? Speaking of which, what family tree were you hoping to look more into? I've got records for every family in Ponyville, and even some from beyond Ponyville."
"Do you have a scroll on the Pies?" Pinkie asked, hopefully.
Twilight nodded. "Of course I do. I had a feeling you might ask for that... wait right here for a second," And it took just that, an exact second. Soon, the alicorn returned, holding up the aforementioned scroll in the violet-reddish glow of her magical aura. "Here it is, Pinkie. Just be careful not to rip it up or get it stained, those records are extremely delicate."
Pinkie waved a hoof in response to her friend's concerns. "Oh relax, Twilight. Of course I know to be careful," She carefully unfurled the scroll once it was placed in her hooves, her eyes scanning down the list from the first known Pie family members. All the while, she made occasional comments like: "I see.", or "Yeah, that makes sense.". At last, she made her way down to her parents, Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz. "Okay, there's one, two, three, four, five Pie sisters. So that means..." But sudden realization hit the party pony something fierce! "Wait a minute...!"
Pinkie frantically re-read that last part. Her eyes must've been deceiving her, no way did her parents have five daughters! She specifically remembered growing up as the third of four sisters. Although, hadn't there been that brief period of time where her mom had been confined to bed for several months? Her dad had mentioned something about Mom being sick, and various doctor ponies had come and gone from the rock farm. But that could mean anything, right?
The earth pony with a coat of beautiful pink scanned the scroll again, reading it more slowly this time. But there it was, plain as day. The records officially stated that Cloudy Quartz had given birth to five daughters. And the name of this fifth daughter was instantly recognizable to Pinkie, it was a name she'd heard so many times before. Printed on the scroll, to the right of Marble Pie, was written a single word: "Scootaloo". Pinkie felt the scroll drop from her hooves as she finished reading that word. And already, one nagging question was forming in her mind: Why had she never been told of any of this before?!
Pinkie made an immediate beeline for the train station, determined to get home to her fillyhood rock farm as soon as possible. Normally she would prefer to give her family a heads up about her arrival, but with what she'd just learned even a quick letter home was something the party pony felt she didn't have time for.
So focused was she on getting answers, that Pinkie Pie didn't pay attention to where she was going. She bumped straight into a filly. And not just any filly, a very familiar pegasus filly with a coat that was an unmistakable orange in color.
Fortunately, Scootaloo just shook off the impact like it had never happened. Still, it hurt ever so slightly, and she made sure to let Pinkie know that in no uncertain terms. "Ow. Pinkie, what's the big deal? Usually you shout something before you pop up out of nowhere."
"I'm so so so SO sorry!" Pinkie quickly exclaimed! Now that she was aware of her possible connection to Scootaloo, she felt obligated to be more concerned about the filly's well being than before. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you? Nothing's broken or bruised, is it?" She examined the pegasus all over, thoroughly checking for even the slightest hint that her collision had caused injury.
Scootaloo, for her part, just groaned. She was used to nopony ever batting an eye whenever she crashed her scooter or otherwise became hurt (which was quite often given the young pegasus' love of extreme sports and seeming inability to sit still). This sort of patronizing stuff always got on her nerves, no matter who it was that was doing it to her. "I'm fine, Pinkie," She lightly groaned, brushing the party pony aside with a stray hoof. "It's not like I crashed my scooter without wearing a helmet or anything."
"I just wanted to make sure you're fine" Pinkie explained. "And it looks like everything is indeed a-okay. You're one hundred and ten percent fine."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Scootaloo nodded her head, too polite to point out this wasn't an actual number. "I mean, why wouldn't I be fine?"
In response to the filly's question, the mare with a mane not unlike cotton candy opened her mouth, fully prepared to spill out the startling secret she'd just discovered. But then she hesitated, a nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that she didn't know for sure Scootaloo was her sister. Maybe there'd been a bookkeeping error, or something?
The odds of any such inaccuracies in a genealogical record were slim at best, but Pinkie didn't want to get Scootaloo's hopes up prematurely about something. If she raised the possibility that they were sisters, and then learned they weren't related, an entire celebration would have to be called off. And for a party pony like Pinkie, that was a big no-no. So she shut her mouth for now, opening it only briefly to say. "It's nothing, just wanted to make sure. Gotta go now, bye bye!" And then she bounced away.
The tomboyish pegasus stood there for a few seconds after Pinkie's departure, the most perplexed and puzzled look plastered on her face. She quickly shrugged it off though. "Pinkie Pie's always been weird, she's probably just planning a surprise party for me or something." She thought to herself, and her confusion faded. The filly then trotted off, hoping to find her friends and fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders: Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
Soon Pinkie arrived in Ponypalooza, departing from the train the second the carriage doors swung open. Her destination was already clearly in mind, her family rock farm. There were only two ponies who could clarify everything.
The rock farm itself was easy to spot, its drab colors stood out even amidst the bleakness of the surrounding landscape. On any other occasion, the party pony would be beside herself with joy, ready to rush up to the door and say hello to her family.
This time was different. Things were quite serious, and all Pinkie could concentrate on was getting some answers. So she just trotted up to the door, carefully knocking on it three times.
When the door opened a second later, there stood Pinkie's parents: Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz. There was no mistaking them, Igneous had a coat of moderate amber, a two tone grey mane and tail alternatively styled bushy and straight, brilliant amber eyes, a black stetson hat with a matching black tie that hung from a grey collar, and a cutie mark depicting a pickax. And Cloudy had a light cobalt bluish gray coat, a grayish opal mane and tail styled like a mop, light arctic blue eyes hidden behind a pair of yellow trim glasses with similarly colored bead chains, a black scarf with white lines and a small gold locket underneath it, and a cutie mark depicting three rocks. No other ponies in Equestria matched all of those features.
Igneous was the first to speak up. "Greetings to you, Pinkamina Diane Pie. 'Tis wonderful to see you again." He warmly greeted.
"What be the reason for your visit today, daughter?" Cloudy innocently inquired of her special guest. "Usually you give your father and I advanced notice of your expected arrivals."
"Sorry for just showing up like this, but there's something I really need to know," Pinkie explained to both of her parents. "It involves a secret I just discovered this morning. A secret I'd spent my whole life up til now not knowing."
Igneous and Cloudy exchanged worried glances, and Cloudy's lip quivered. "Do you mean to tell us that you..." Cloudy began.
"-I know about Scootaloo," Pinkie interrupted, glaring at her parents. "Yes, that's right, that's her name. But then, you two would know all about that, because she's my younger sister, and that means she's your daughter."
An uncomfortable silence befell the rock farm once those words had left Pinkie's lips. Nopony dared to speak a word for several minutes.
Unsurprisingly, it was Pinkie broke that silence. But her expression did not change in the slightest, her blue eyes remained fixated on her parents, making it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to leave until she got some answers. "Why?"
"Why what?" Igneous replied. Of course he knew that was a stupid response, he could already deduce what his second youngest (third youngest he reminded himself) was asking.
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep this secret from me?" Pinkie remarked through gritted teeth. "All this time, I had a fifth sister, and she was living right under my pink nose. Yet you let me believe Marble and I were the last daughters to be born to you for years."
Cloudy sighed, her lips still quivering. "Pinkamina..." She began, struggling to find the right words as her tone of voice appeared to indicate regret. "It's not that we thought you couldn't handle the truth. Your father and I both agreed it was for the best."
"To do what?" Pinkie growled in protest. "To just dump her in Ponyville and forget she ever existed?! At least you were kind enough to leave her at the town orphanage, but even then you just abandoned her without even letting her know who her mommy and daddy were, or even give her a chance to say goodbye," She then questioned. "Did the others know? Am I the only one who was kept in the dark?"
"No, Pinkamina," Cloudy confirmed with a sigh. "We told nopony about our fifth daughter. Your father and I were the only ones to know I had given birth to a pegasus. Limestone, Maud, and Marble are just as unaware as you are now."
Igneous added in his own sorrowful tone. "The decision to give up our youngest daughter... was not one that we arrived at easily. We considered every possible alternative, I even vowed that I would sooner give up rock farming than abandon a child I had helped to bring into this world," A sigh of sadness escaped his lips. "Alas, your mother persuaded me otherwise."
Cloudy explained. "We decided that a rock farm was no place to raise a pegasus, especially not one born to earth ponies like us. But we knew of no other couples willing to adopt, especially not pegasus ones. The Ponyville Orphanage was our only remaining option. They were willing to take Scootaloo in and raise her in a way that we could not."
"You and Marble were only ten years old when it happened," Igneous sorrowfully admitted. "Even Limestone, we thought, was too young to know the truth. We had already kept Cloudy's pregnancy secret from you, we were too ashamed to sit you down and explain our decision to give up your baby sister. I know that is no excuse for what we did."
"We planned to tell you eventually, but you left the rock farm before we could decide when the time was right," Cloudy concluded. "And now it seems our decision has come back to haunt us."
Pinkie arched an eyebrow towards her parents. "There's just one more thing I want to know. How did you manage to conceal the fact that Mom was pregnant? Shouldn't me or one of my other sisters have noticed?"
Igneous sighed again as he explained. "You remember the time shortly before you and Marble celebrated your half birthday between ten and eleven?" When Pinkie nodded, the stallion went on to say. "Then you also remember how that was the time when I told you all your mother was sick with horsey hives and had to be confined to bed. It was to cover for her pregnancy."
"And the doctors?" Pinkie asked intently.
"Surely you remember how that was the day your mother was taken to the hospital, and Limestone watched the rock farm in our absence," Igneous added on to his explanation. "And when we came back a few days later, we'd already given Scootaloo up for adoption. We were the only ones who knew."
Pinkie sat in complete silence for several minutes, slowly processing all the information that had just been relayed to her. All of a sudden, her mom's mysterious bout of horsey hives and strange behavior in the week prior to her confinement made so much more sense than it had before.
This time, it was Cloudy who broke the silence that settled over the rock farm once again. "We don't expect to be forgiven by you, Pinkamina. And neither do we ask for your understanding," The elderly mare then commented. "All we ask, is that you not disown us now that you know the truth."
For a moment, Pinkie spoke not a word. She just continued to glare at her parents, as though debating whether to even continue talking to them. Then, she rose to her hooves and declared. "I... don't know what I'm going to do with you now that I know everything about why you gave up Scootaloo. You're my family though, and I know I'm probably gonna forgive you eventually. Right now though, there's a certain filly in Ponyville who deserves to know the truth. And I intend for her to hear it from me." And with those last words, she took off, bound for the train station and back to Ponyville.
"Pinkamina, wait!" Cloudy cried out, throwing up a hoof in protest.
But Igneous lowered his wife's hoof and shook his head. "Let her go, Cloudy. It's best if she has time to think about us, and about what we did. Besides, we have more pressing concerns," Adjusting his stetson, the stallion declared. "It is high time we informed the rest of our daughters: Limestone, Maudileena, and Marble. They too must know the truth."
With the truth now having been confirmed, Pinkie returned to Ponyville with just one goal in mind. She was going to tell Scootaloo all that she'd learned, and make sure that the two became the bestest of best sisters. At last, the pegasus would know the answer behind that question which'd tormented her for so long: Who had given her up for adoption and why?
Immediately upon arriving back in Ponyville, Pinkie excitedly bounced away to look for Scootaloo. The announcement was already playing out in her mind. She anticipated a mix of shock, confusion, and ultimately happiness. Perhaps anger too if Scootaloo wanted to know the whole truth behind her birth parents' reason for abandoning her in Ponyville.
As luck would have it, Pinkie caught sight of Scootaloo just as the filly was leaving Sugarcube Corner with her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three of them were licking their lips, no doubt having savored some delicious cupcakes just minutes ago. The sprinkles on their faces was a dead giveaway.
Pinkie quickly dove into a nearby bush to hide. She wanted nothing more than to approach Scootaloo at that very moment and tell her everything. But something in the party pony's mind told her it would be best to wait until Scootaloo was all alone. The filly usually didn't mind a little affection, but she'd previously made it perfectly clear she detested ponies constantly doting on her for any old reason.
Several minutes passed, with the crusaders just talking to each other about various things. The pink party pony struggled with all her might not to leap out and tackle her unaware little sister into a big hug right then and there.
At last, the trio of fillies parted ways, Scootaloo waving goodbye to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Guess I'll see you girls later, or tomorrow," The tomboyish pegasus called. "Same time, same clubhouse?"
"Eeyup." Apple Bloom nodded, mimicking her older brother's famous manner of speaking (or lack thereof).
"And we'll be sure to come up with some amazing activities for us to try!" Sweetie Belle smiled, as optimistic as ever "I have a feeling tomorrow's the day we finally get our cutie marks!"
Soon, Scootaloo was all alone, trotting down the path to the local orphanage. It was starting to get close to sun-down, and the little pegasus knew she was expected to be back before the last rays of Celestia's sun faded in the west. Better to be a little bit early, than to be late and grounded.
Pinkie was just about to leap out of the bush she'd been hiding in and surprise Scootaloo, when she saw yet another filly come trotting up towards Scootaloo. The filly had a very familiar pink coat, cornflower blue eyes, and a mane and tail done up in pale violet with white streaks. But the most obvious clues to her identity, was her cutie mark depicting a tiara with several diamonds, and a head piece of similar auspicious design adorned atop her forehead.
The party pony gulped. "Diamond Tiara." She muttered under her breath. Whenever the young heir to the Rich family fortune showed up near one of the Crusaders, trouble usually followed. And even when it didn't, her infamous reputation as a bully preceded her.
"Hey blank flank." Diamond Tiara snobbishly called out, making her presence known to her unfortunate soon-to-be-victim.
Scootaloo locked eyes with the rich filly, and sighed as she bitterly remarked. "Oh, it's just you, Diamond Tiara. Can't you just leave me alone for one single day? I don't wanna talk to you right now."
Diamond Tiara was never one to take 'no' for an answer, so she just pressed herself up to Scootaloo to the point where the two fillies were snout-to-snout with each other. "Well that's too bad, because I wanna talk to you," She cackled with glee. "I just wanted to know, what's it like living in that orphanage? I'll bet it beats sleeping on the streets like some homeless pony."
"Why do you care?" Scootaloo remarked, turning her head away from the bully. "You live in a huge mansion."
Diamond just laughed. "Yeah, but I've always been curious how the lower folks survive without all the 'luxuries' that rich ponies like me can afford," She then flashed a malicious smile. "You know, I'm sure I could convince my dad to adopt to you if you really wanted a home. I might even consider sharing my room with you."
Scootaloo made a gag face. "No thanks, I don't wanna be anywhere near your brattiness! It might be contagious! I'd sooner die parentless than be part of your family!"
Tiara replied with mock sorrow. "Gee, that's really too bad, Scootaloser. And here I thought I'd do something nice for you for a change."
"I don't buy your 'change of heart' for a second, not after that comment you made about my wings!" Scootaloo angrily replied, buzzing her tiny wings in protest. "For your information, there are lots of pegasi around here that can't fly yet! I'm just a late bloomer!"
"Whatever helps you sleep better at night," Diamond commented. And when Scootaloo growled she simply added with scorn. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I touch a nerve?"
Scootaloo's eyes narrowed, as she glared at the pink coated filly tormenting her and said ominously. "I'm only gonna say this once, so you'd better listen. Get out of my sight, Diamond Tiara. Or the next time I happen to spot you while on my scooter, I might just happen to 'accidentally' crash into you with it, and maybe shower you with dust while I'm at it. You wouldn't like that, I'm guessing."
"Aw, you're no fun at all, Scootaloo," Tiara whined rather weakly. "But I guess I'll leave you alone this time, I think I've wasted enough time talking to you. Until we meet again, Scootaloser!"
"It's Scootaloo!" Scootaloo growled, but her intended target had already trotted off so far ahead that she couldn't hear and respond even if she wanted to.
Pinkie had seen everything from her hiding bush. It took a lot to get the party pony upset, but seeing Diamond Tiara pick on her little sister like that definitely put her in an angry state of mind. "The next time I see that filly, I'm going to tell her just what I think of meanie pants bullies like her," She thought to herself, then turned her attention towards Scootaloo. "Don't you worry. Soon you'll have an official big sister to protect you from bullies like Diamond Tiara. I swear it."
Scootaloo was just pushing her recent encounter to the back of her mind, when she was surprised to hear rustling from a nearby bush. Before the filly had a chance to properly react, a pink blur emerged and tackled her down while shouting "Surprise!"
It took the filly a moment to identify who it was. And she was indeed surprised, because very rarely did she see Pinkie Pie more than once a day. Especially not this late. "Pinkie Pie? What are you doing? It's not my birthday or anything." Scootaloo questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Pinkie smiled. "Of course it's not, silly. But I do have a surprise for you! It's a super duper, extra special, cherry on top kind of surprise!" Taking a deep breath, the party pony was quick to add. "What I'm about to tell you, is totally gonna freak your frizz! Trust me, you're gonna love it!"
"What is it?" Scootaloo asked, her purple eyes gazing deep into Pinkie's blue eyes. "And couldn't it wait until tomorrow? I kind of need to get back to the orphanage before sundown, or else I'll be grounded yet again."
Pinkie shook her head. "Nu-uh, this is something so amazing and so spectacularly awesome, I had to tell you now," And then, without any sort of dramatic flare, the earth pony proudly declared. "You're my little sister! You're a member of the Pie family!" She then threw up her hooves, as confetti appeared from out of nowhere!
Scootaloo took the news surprisingly well. "Me? A Pie? But how? I mean, didn't you say you and your sisters were born on a rock farm?"
The mare with a mane and tail all poofy nodded happily. "Yes indeedy. But it turns out my parents had another sister that they never told me about. And it's you! I just found out the news today. Now tell me, does that totally freak your frizz or what?"
But the tomboyish filly's response, was not the one Pinkie had expected. She just threw back her head and laughed. "Okay, you got me good on that one, Pinkie Pie. Did Rainbow Dash put you up to this?"
"What?! Why would she do that?" Pinkie questioned in complete bewilderment. "I'm not joking! I'm being serious here."
Scootaloo just continued to laugh. "It's okay, you don't have to keep up the act, Pinkie. I'm fine with being an orphan, really. I made peace with that a long time ago," And she was quick to explain. "I mean, yeah, it totally stinks not knowing who my birth parents are or anything. But Caring Heart and all the caretakers at the orphanage are like a family to me. Plus I've got Rainbow Dash as my big sister, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's families know me so well I'm kind of like a part of them as well."
"But I'm telling you the truth!" Pinkie protested to Scootaloo. Then, all of a sudden, an idea came into her head. "I know! I can totally prove I'm not lying! Twilight's been doing genealogical research, there's a scroll that has the entire Pie family tree on it. That's how I found out we're related, and now I'm gonna show it to you."
"But Pinkie, Twilight's place is halfway across town from here!" Scootaloo protested with a whine. "If I go with you and don't tell anypony where we're headed, Caring Heart is gonna freak out for sure. There's no way we'll be back before sundown!"
Pinkie's response was to laugh. "You let me worry about that. You just take my hoof and hold it tight."
Against her better judgement (and suspecting nothing) Scootaloo did as she was instructed. Suddenly, she felt herself zooming through Ponyville at an unnatural speed she doubted even Rainbow Dash could achieve! In a matter of seconds, she was gazing at the front door of the Golden Oak Library. The filly was all but speechless. "What?! How?! But... but..."
The pink party pony just giggled and winked. "Come on, let's go inside. Once you see the scroll, everything will all make sense."
Scootaloo thought for sure Pinkie was just pulling some kind of elaborate prank on her. But once the scroll was unfurled, and the filly had scanned it with her own eyes, she could no longer deny the truth. There it was, plain as day. She was indeed the fifth daughter born to Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz Pie in Ponypalooza.
"This... this is... unbelievable!" Scootaloo stuttered, finding herself at a rare loss for words. "How come I never knew about this?! Why didn't Caring Heart or anypony else at the orphanage tell me?! All this time, I thought my birth parents had died or disappeared or something!"
"From what I've been able to gather," Twilight informed the troubled filly. "When Igneous and Cloudy signed the papers to relinquish custody of you, their one request was that you be delivered to the Ponyville Orphanage anonymously. Nopony there was told where you were from."
All at once, several emotions swirled around and swelled up inside Scootaloo. Confusion at this sudden change. Shock at the revelation of both her birth parents, and the fact that Pinkie Pie was now one of her elder siblings. Happiness that she now officially had a big sister she was related to by blood. Anger over the fact that her birth parents had given her away shortly after she was born. And even a little bit of sadness that her parents were boring rock farmers instead of something more awesome (like say, Wonderbolts or royal guards).
"I'd love to stay and chat, Twilight, but I need to get my little sister back to the orphanage before sundown," Pinkie spoke up, as the orange coated filly digested everything. "Apparently, she's on a strict curfew."
Twilight just nodded. "Then you'd better get going," Then she turned to Scootaloo. "Feel free to stop by at any time of day if you have any questions about your family. I'll try my best to explain them, though I think you might be better off asking Pinkie Pie if it involves rock farming."
Pinkie then took Scootaloo by the hoof, and quickly dashed across town with her to the orphanage. She watched as her little sister trotted up the steps of the relatively modest brick building. And as she did, one nagging thought lingered in the party pony's mind. "I'm going to see to it that you get adopted into a loving family, starting today. Sisters honor."
True to her own mental promise, Pinkie got up bright and early the next day and headed down to the orphanage as fast as her legs could carry her. Her end goal was clear in mind. She would be walking back out of that orphanage as Scootaloo's adopted mother, or at least her foster guardian.
Zooming right up the front steps of the modest, one floor brick building, the party pony could barely contain her excitement. She'd taken care of the Cake Twins several times when their parents were busy or not around, and they adored her. Compared to them, raising Scootaloo would be a piece of cake. A tasty one, too.
As she approached the front desk, Pinkie Pie locked eyes with the one pony she knew could help her. Caring Heart, a light brown coated earth pony mare of medium build. Her red mane and tail were styled into a set of curls not unlike the ones you saw on Rarity's mane. She had eyes a sweet blue in color, like the sky on a cloudless day. And fitting for her warm and welcoming nature, her cutie mark depicted a giant pink heart.
Caring was a little bit surprised to see Pinkie, but she did her best to maintain her composure as she greeted her guest. "Well hello there, Pinkie Pie. What brings you here on today of all days? Are we celebrating a birthday party for one of the little ones? One of these days I really need to write down all those dates somewhere."
Pinkie shook her head. "No siree, there's no parties that brought me here," She cleared her throat and then quickly blurted out. "IwanttoadoptScootaloo.Canyouhelpme,please?!"
"Pinkie, slow down," Caring advised the maniac party pony. "You were speaking so fast I couldn't make out what you just said."
"Oopsie, sorry about that. I'm just so excited!" The pink party pony eagerly grinned. Then, more slowly, she announced. "I want to adopt Scootaloo. Can you help me, please?"
The mare with a mane of red smiled. "Absolutely, Miss. Pie. If you'll kindly step into my office, we can conduct the interview now."
"Interview?" Pinkie commented, adopting the most perplexed look on her face.
Caring Heart nodded. "I very well can't just sign off on anypony who walks in and says they want to adopt one of the orphans here, even you. I need to make sure they're equipped to take care of the lucky colt or filly's needs. Little ponies are a big responsibility, and a major undertaking."
"But I'm ready, I know I am!" Pinkie protested loudly. "Can't we just skip the interview and bring out the papers? I promise to give Scootaloo a good home."
"I'm sure you would, Pinkie, but it's my job as head caretaker to double check and make sure," Caring informed quite seriously. "Right this way, please."
Reluctantly, Pinkie followed the mare down a relatively short hallway, albeit one with several windows. One of which offered a glance to the small playground out back. Pinkie's roving eyes briefly noticed Scootaloo sitting by herself on the swing set, gazing up at the clouds. The pegasus seemed to be taking the news of her heritage (and birth parents) quite well, but it still stung at Pinkie's heart to see her little sister all alone and with nopony to talk to.
"I promise, Scootaloo. Soon you'll have the loving home you deserve, and all the care and affection you could ever want." Pinkie thought to herself, reaffirming her mental vow.
Soon, Caring Heart led Pinkie around a corner, and then through the first door on the right. On the other side was a surprisingly spacious office. A desk of fine oak was a good distance from the door, and the floors were covered with soft (but worn) red carpet. The walls were painted a gentle white in color, and several small windows allowed sunlight to seep in (with controllable blinds in case the light got too bright).
Caring sat down at her desk and put on a pair of thick, black reading glasses. Clearing her throat, she motioned for her guest to sit down in a wooden chair next to the desk. Pinkie obeyed, anticipation coursing through her veins at a mile a minute.
The light brown coated mare smiled briefly, before adopting a more neutral tone as she bent down and opened a drawer on her desk. A few seconds later, some documents thudded onto her desk, attracting Pinkie's attention. "Your cooperation in all of this will be greatly appreciated, Miss. Pie," She spoke in a neutral tone. "I trust you will answer honestly to any questions I present?"
"Okay then, we can begin," Caring smiled, and then cleared her throat again. "First item of business, are you prepared to take full legal responsibility for the filly that will be placed into your custody? As her parent and appointed legal guardian, you'll be responsible for ensuring she stays out of trouble and that any and all medical needs of hers will be swiftly met."
"I can do that, no sweat!" Pinkie eagerly declared. "After all, responsibility is my middle name!"
Caring nodded. "Okay. Next, are you willing to accommodate a filly into your life, knowing full well that her needs and desires will often come before yours?"
Pinkie nodded in reply. "Of course! If I wasn't, would I be going through with this interview?"
"I just have to make sure you're aware. I can't give custody to a pony who isn't prepared for all the ins and outs of being a parent," Caring explained to Pinkie. "I'm sure you're more than aware of the responsibilities, but it's my job to do this regardless, so the record shows you were thoroughly examined."
Question after question after question about Scootaloo was presented to Pinkie Pie by Caring, such as: "Will you ensure her dietary needs are met?", "Will you ensure she receives a quality education and grows up to be a functioning, responsible member of society?", "Are you willing to take disciplinary actions such as scolding and grounding if she misbehaves?", and even "Will you ensure all her medical records are kept up to date, and all medical professionals have a way to contact you in case of an emergency?".
Pinkie answered truthfully to each and every question, demonstrating (at least on the surface) an awareness of the responsibilities that would come with raising Scootaloo.
"Okay, Pinkie, we're almost done here," Caring Heart said at least, prompting a sigh of relief from the pink party pony. "I just need to ask you a few more questions. I need you to think carefully about these next ones, they're extremely crucial."
But Pinkie only responded with. "Lay 'em on me, Caring Heart! I'm ready!"
Caring reluctantly nodded. "Very well then," Adjusting her reading glasses for a brief moment, the mare then asked. "How much income do you make on a monthly basis?"
Pinkie's mouth nearly dropped open in shock! "Why is that important?!" She asked Caring with concern.
"I need to ensure the pony adopting has the financial means by which they can care for a child," Caring answered bluntly. "So, Miss. Pie, what is your answer?"
The pink party pony put a hoof to her chin, pondering for what felt like several minutes. Then she told Caring Heart. "Maybe one thousand bits, but probably less than that, maybe in the range of three to five hundred bits. The Cakes give me a basic weekly allowance whenever I help them in the bakery or watch the twins, and I don't tend to charge much for my parties. In fact, sometimes I even throw them without asking for payment."
That response caused Caring to frown, as she jotted the information down on a small notepad with a quill. "Okay..." She briefly paused, before shifting through some papers. "I know you have a roof over your head, but how exactly would you describe your living arrangements at the current moment?" She inquired.
A sigh escaped Pinkie's lips as she confessed. "It's a loft above Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes never used it, so they let me borrow it and rent it out. They're pretty generous though, they don't ever charge more than fifty bits a month."
"And it is also my understanding that you happen to be friends with Princess Twilight," Caring Heart commented, appearing to raise an eyebrow to Pinkie. "And that means you sometimes travel away from Ponyville. How often would you say you're away from Ponyville on important missions?"
"I don't really keep track of that sort of thing, Twilight does," Pinkie told Caring truthfully. "Although... if I had to guess... I'd say my friends and I tend to be away from Ponyville almost every other week. Why, just recently we all traveled to Manehattan for fashion week. That was a blast!"
"I'm sure it was," Caring commented again, jotting down all the information she had received. After looking it over for a bit, she rose from her desk and reluctantly she said to Pinkie Pie. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I must deny your adoption request for Scootaloo."
Pinkie's mane and tail nearly deflated right then and there! Those were the words she hadn't hoped to hear it all. "Why not?" She asked Caring Heart. "Was it something I said?"
A sigh of regret left the earth pony mare's lips as she looked at Pinkie. "No no no, you answered all my questions truthfully just like I requested. But between your lack of a steady income, your living situation, and most of all the fact that you're away from Ponyville often, I cannot in good faith allow myself to approve the adoption."
"Well, could I at least be Scootaloo's legal guardian then, or something?" Pinkie offered in a weak tone of voice. "She could still live here, I'd just be responsible for things like her medical bills and her education."
Caring shook her head once again. "I'm afraid I can't do that either, Pinkie. If you were out of town and something were to happen to Scootaloo, how would anypony be able to get in touch with you?" Sighing, the head caretaker put a hoof around the neck of her guest. "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to give Scootaloo a proper home after what happened with her birth parents."
"No, it's okay. I guess it was silly of me not to consider all those things you mentioned," Pinkie unhappily remarked, looking down at the ground. "I should probably be going now. But tell Scootaloo her big sister says hi." And with that, the pink party pony turned and trotted out of Caring Heart's office, and then the orphanage itself.
It wasn't long before Mr. and Mrs. Cake heard the sad news. And naturally, they did their best to try and cheer up the pink bundle of joy that they couldn't envision living their lives without. So after hanging an "Out to Lunch" sign over the front counter, they made their way upstairs to the loft Pinkie called home. They found her laying in bed, tears flowing from her sweet, innocent blue eyes.
"I just wanted to do something nice for my new little sister," Pinkie remarked between loud sobs and sniffles. "I thought I could give her a proper home and a loving family. I should've known it was never gonna work out, a pony like me could never adopt."
Mrs. Cake was the first to approach the crying young mare. She gently bent down and stroked a hoof across Pinkie's neck, hoping to calm her down. "There there, Pinkie, it's going to be okay. It's the thought that counts, after all."
Pinkie just sniffled again. "Not in this case. Scootaloo's still in the orphanage. And I made a promise to get her out."
"Does she even know about this promise?" Mr. Cake asked, as he sat down beside Pinkie on the bed. "Do you even know if she wants to be adopted?"
"Well... no I don't... but..." Pinkie began, only to trail off into more sobs.
"Well, how about this then, Pinkie?" Mr. Cake offered up to his young charge. "Cup Cake and I could adopt Scootaloo for you."
Pinkie stopped crying, slowly lifting her head and looking up at the Cakes. "Really?! You'd really do that for me?!"
Mrs. Cake was not so sure. "Honey bun, are you sure that's a good idea? We already have the twins and Pinkie Pie. Are we really set to handle another pony? Especially one with such emotional baggage?"
Mr. Cake chuckled. "Funny, I seem to recall thinking the same thing when Pinkie Pie came into our lives all those years ago. But you assured me we could handle it, and you were right," The stallion then smiled. "And look at how well Pound and Pumpkin Cake get along with Pinkie Pie. She's just like their big sister. I'm sure they won't be too jealous, in fact I bet they'll love having another playmate to mess about with."
"Well, we'll at least need to run this by Scootaloo first, of course," Mrs. Cake insisted. "It's only fair that she get a say in all of this. And if she says no, that's the end of it."
Mr. Cake nodded, looking across to his wife. "I understand, Sugar Plum. We'll have to break the news to her somehow."
Pinkie just smiled, leaping up from her bed with renewed energy and vigor. "Leave that to me!" She boldly declared!
Scootaloo was most surprised to be greeted by Pinkie Pie for the third time in less than three days. Yes, she now knew that they were related, but the filly didn't see why that warranted such an intense interest in her. Still, the little pegasus kept a straight face as she was tackled into a hug. "Hey, Pinkie Pie, or I guess I'm supposed to call you big sister now." She greeted enthusiastically.
"Oh Scootaloo, you can just keep calling me Pinkie Pie if you like," Pinkie happily declared as she ended the hug. "But I've got great news! Much better than the news I broke to you yesterday!"
"Are you adopting me now?" Scootaloo immediately guessed. "I mean, if you are that's totally okay... but I'm fine with being an orphan too you know. Living in an orphanage isn't so bad, it's kind of like having a big family of my own."
Pinkie shook her head, frowning a bit. "I tried to adopt you, Scootaloo, but Caring Heart said no. I don't have the means by which I can take care of a filly, even my own little sister," Her frown, however, quickly faded, to be replaced by a broad smile. And the party pony happily declared. "But the Cakes are planning to adopt you, if you want it that is."
Scootaloo was quite taken aback at the sudden statement. "They wanna adopt me? But don't they already have their own kids to take care of? I wouldn't want to be a burden, and I don't want them doing this just because you and I are sisters now. Like I said, I'm fine with just being an orphan, though being adopted would be kind of nice I suppose."
"So, do you wanna be adopted or not?" Pinkie asked her little sister. "The Cakes are thinking about it right now, but they're not gonna sit down for a meeting with Caring Heart unless you want to be part of the family," Then she pleaded. "Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes."
The pegasus filly with a coat of orange put a hoof to her chin, pondering deeply. The Cakes seemed like nice ponies, quite often she'd seen them playing with or taking care of their children. And yet they always seemed to have time for their customers, if the numerous occasions they'd provided milkshakes to the Cutie Mark Crusaders were any indication. Though they weren't high on the list of ponies Scootaloo would want to be adopted by (a part of her still held out hope for Rainbow Dash to fill that part). On the other hoof, there were worse ponies Scootaloo could think of being adopted by (Diamond Tiara's father came to mind, despite all the money on offer).
Pinkie grew steadily more impatient as the moments dragged on without a response. She hated being kept in suspense like this. It took everything she had not to scream out loudly. "Come on, make a decision already!"
At last, Scootaloo gazed into the eager blue eyes of her sister (it still felt weird to consider Pinkie Pie that) and told her. "I... guess my answer is yes, if they really want to adopt me. But don't they have to go through a process first?"
"They do," Pinkie nodded, smiling happily. "But I'm sure they'll pass with flying colors! Ooh, I can't wait to start planning your adoption party!" Then she let out a gasp! "And that means Pound and Pumpkin Cake are gonna have another big sister! Ooh, this is so superdy duper awesome! I can't wait to tell everypony the news!" And she hopped away, her excited bounces echoing long after she'd disappeared from sight.
Scootaloo, for her part, just stood there. "This better not be a cruel prank or something." She thought to herself. The rational part of her mind told her there was no way that was possible, but a small part of her still suspected that this was all too good to be true. Maybe she was still dreaming this whole thing somehow, despite all evidence to the contrary?
That very evening though, who should show up at the steps of the orphanage but Mr. and Mrs. Cake themselves? Scootaloo didn't doubt for one second what they were here for. They really were going to adopt her, and the funny thing was, she didn't quite know how to feel about that.
Caring Heart greeted the earth pony couple, seemingly unaware of the reason for their visit. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake, what a pleasant surprise." She spoke in a warm and friendly tone.
Mrs. Cake shook Caring Heart's hoof, speaking up first. "Hello, Caring Heart, it's nice to see you again," Then clearing her throat, the plump mare asked. "I assume Pinkie Pie filled you in on the reason for our visit?"
Caring Heart nodded, confirming she was expecting them after all. "I was more than a little surprised to hear you would be willing to adopt, but I'm still absolutely certain the two of you will make fine parents for Scootaloo."
Mr. Cake nodded back. "We're more than ready to take on the responsibilities that come with raising such a lively filly. Cup and I always did talk about having more kids someday," With a chuckle, he added. "Though I thought we were gonna hold off until Pound and Pumpkin were all grown up. Funny how life works out."
Caring chuckled too, and smiled. "Well, regardless of the circumstances, I still need to fill out the paperwork and arrange for scouting visits before I can properly release Scootaloo into your custody," She then instructed. "If you'll kindly follow me to my office, we can start making arrangements."
And that was just the trio of earth ponies did, once Caring was seated at her desk. Just like with Pinkie Pie earlier on in the day, she went through all of the procedures the hopeful parents were expected to be responsible for, and all the things she needed to check for in order to determine if they had the means to care for their adopted child.
"I know housing isn't a problem, you two live and work at Sugarcube Corner and have kept it in business for many years," Caring spoke at length to the elderly couple. "What about income? You already have two little ponies that need a lot of supplies. How much money do you usually spend on them, and how much do you have left over?"
Mrs. Cake put a hoof to her chin as she racked her brain. "I tend to go shopping for foal supplies at either Barnyard Bargains or the local foalstore. I would say that I go shopping every other week for either diapers or foal food, but it never gets beyond two hundred bits."
Mr. Cake added. "We keep a close eye on our bank accounts, last time I checked we still had over two thousand bits to our names," The lanky stallion was quick to mention. "We'd probably have to be start being more conservative with our spending and stretch the buying sessions a little, but we should have more than enough money to provide for all of Scootaloo's needs."
Caring jotted down the information, maintaining a relatively neutral expression the whole time. "And you would attest that one or both of you are around at any given time of day?" She questioned. "You know, in case of emergencies."
"Yup," Mr. Cake firmly answered. "And on the rare occasions we aren't around, Pinkie Pie is always available to watch over Sugarcube Corner and foalsit the twins."
Mrs. Cake fondly sighed. "In a way, Pinkie is like family to us. And it's clear the twins see her the same way. So I suppose it's not too much of a stretch to adopt Scootaloo too, her new little sister."
After writing down all of that information, Caring Heart stood up, looked at the Cakes, and smiled. "Everything seems to be in order," She told them. "I'll have to conduct a few inspections of Sugarcube Corner from top to bottom before I can decide if Scootaloo can be released into your custody. But everything else checks out so far."
The next few days passed agonizingly slow, at least as far as Pinkie Pie was concerned. Caring Heart stopped by frequently to inspect various parts of Sugarcube Corner, particularly the living quarters upstairs.
Naturally, the anxiety over whether or not custody of Scootaloo would be granted to the Cakes frustrated Pinkie to no end. To say nothing of how difficult it was to plan a party for something that might not even happen.
At last the big announcement came. Caring Heart called Mr. and Mrs. Cake back to her office about two weeks after they'd first shown up. And when they arrived, Scootaloo was there with her, eagerly buzzing her stubby wings in excitement. For in Caring Heart's hooves, she held out a rather elegant form. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that form meant. "Simply sign your names here, and you will be granted custody of Scootaloo," She instructed. "That means you'll be her legal guardians, and will be entered in record as her adoptive parents."
Both Mr. and Mrs. Cake applied their signatures without hesitation, Scootaloo was now officially their daughter.
Scootaloo rushed over to her new parents, hugging them both tightly. "It's totally okay if I call you Mom and Dad from now on, right?" She asked the Cakes. "I mean, you adopted me and you're my parents, so it's not like I can just keep calling you Mrs. Cake and Mr. Cake."
Mr. Cake replied to Scootaloo. "You don't have to call us Mom and Dad if you don't want to. We want you to be comfortable, and we want you to call us by whatever you want whenever you feel ready."
"I know, I know, but it just feels right," Scootaloo commented happily. "Though it feels a little bit weird to consider you my parents. I'm sure I'll get used to it in time though," Then a thought came to her. "Does that mean the twins are my little brother and sister respectively?"
Mrs. Cake smiled back at her new filly. "Of course it is, and I'm sure they're going to love having another big sister to play with and interact with!"
Scootaloo buzzed her wings in excitement all over again! "Cool! Now I get to be a big sister! Man, just wait til I tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, they're gonna be so jealous of me!"
Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake just giggled at their adopted daughter's eager attitude, it was like she was Celestia's sun in pony form, radiating warmth and happiness all around her.
Of course, the couple knew from their own experiences that it was not going to be all sunshine and rainbows from here on. There would be many ups and downs, a lot of arguments, scares, and more than a few injuries and nightmares. Though Scootaloo was more mature and independent than their twin toddlers, they knew that raising a filly was not going to be easier by comparison. Especially not one with such emotional baggage (even if she currently seemed to be unaffected by it).
But for right now, seeing their new filly smile and happily talk to them openly, all those concerns were far from their minds.
"Come on, Scootaloo," Mr. Cake called to his new daughter. "Let's get you home. Your big sister has quite a surprise in store for you."
"Big sister?" Scootaloo shot a confused look at her adopted parents. That is, until she realized what they were most likely referring to. "Oh, you mean Pinkie Pie."
Mrs. Cake nodded happily. "Regardless of your Pie family lineage, Pinkie Pie is like family to Carrot Cake and I. And since you're now officially part of the Cake family, that makes Pinkie Pie your big sister in our eyes."
"Pound and Pumpkin Cake already see her as a big sister," Mr. Cake added, as he, his wife, and Scootaloo all left the orphanage together. "And besides, don't you consider Rainbow Dash your big sister even though you're not related?"
Scootaloo blushed a bit. It was no secret how much she admired and worshipped Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, I guess I see your point," She conceded. "I wonder what Pinkie Pie will have in store for me, now that I'm part of your family?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Mrs. Cake happily declared. "Let's hightail it back to Sugarcube Corner." And then the two earth ponies and their adopted pegasus filly all took off together.
True to her word, Pinkie Pie had already set up a big party at Sugarcube Corner to celebrate Scootaloo's all-but-assured adoption. Everything was ready, not a streamer or banner out of place, party favors had been hoofed out to all invited, and the cake had just come out of the oven.
Suddenly, the party pony felt a slight tingling sensation. It started at her hooves, and reached all the way up to her head. It took her but a moment to deduce exactly what it meant. "Quick, everypony, hide!" She instructed, as she rushed to the light switch and turned it off, casting the ground floor into darkness. Then she dove for cover behind a table, for there was no time to find a more suitable hiding space.
The Cakes, with their newly adopted daughter in tow, came trotting right up through the front door. Mrs. Cake flicked on the light switch.
"Surprise!" A chorus of joyful voices shouted, as all the party guests emerged from hiding!
Pinkie was the last one to emerge, but this time she'd planned for that to be the case. "Congratulations, Scootaloo!" She excitedly shrieked! "You're now officially part of the Cake family! And now we really are sisters!"
Scootaloo, for her part, was rendered speechless. She glanced up at the huge banner hanging from the ceiling, which said in bold, bright letters: 'Welcome to the Cake Family, Scootaloo!'. The streamers were all done in various shades of orange, purple, and light pink, matching her coat, eyes, and mane and tail. And all around her, were familiar faces. Among them were her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders, their big sisters, and of course Rainbow Dash.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn't say anything at all, they just smiled. They had expected this sort of thing from the moment they'd told Pinkie of their plans to adopt Scootaloo. And now it had all come to pass.
At last, Scootaloo found the words she wanted to say. "H-how, but... I mean..." She trailed off, still trying to determine whether this was all some kind of dream. It felt too real to be that, but a small part of her kept ignoring that fact.
The pink coated earth pony just excitedly pronked up to her little sister, giving her a much less smothering hug this time around. "It's okay, Scootaloo. I know it's a lot to take in right now," Then with a grin she happily added. "I was hoping to bring Pound and Pumpkin Cake down, so they'd get a chance to meet their new big sis. But they're down for their naps right now, and they get really cranky if they don't get their rest."
"How did you get all of this done so fast, Pinkie?" Scootaloo wondered, her eyes full of amazement.
Pinkie just winked. "I have my ways. I'll have to show you one of these days. Hey, that rhymed." And a giggle escaped her lips.
"You're so lucky to have Pinkie Pie for a big sister, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle commented to her oldest and closest friend. "Frankly, I'm a little bit jealous."
"Hey, ya know what?!" Apple Bloom eagerly chimed in. "Since Applejack and Pinkie Pie are kind of related now, that means you and I are fourth cousins twice removed, Scootaloo! We're officially as good as family!"
Applejack just chuckled. "Simmer down there, Apple Bloom. We don't know for sure either way. Not that it matters, we always have considered Scootaloo an honorary Apple. And regardless of family tree, we're might happy for ya. Ain't that right, Big Mac?"
"Eeyup." Was all Big Mac bothered to say in reply, and it was all he needed to say.
Rainbow Dash spoke next. "Sorry I couldn't be the one to adopt you, squirt. It's not like I didn't think about it, because I did, really."
Scootaloo only shook her head. "It's okay, Rainbow Dash. I know you tried. And you'll still be my big sister no matter what, right?"
Rainbow nodded, lightly ruffling Scootaloo's mane. "Of course I will be. You didn't even have to ask."
Pinkie then clapped her hooves together, commanding everypony's attention. "Come on, everypony. It's time for the cake. And then we can really get this party started!" She zipped away into the kitchen, returning a second later with a huge chocolate cake complete with purple frosting on it and several candles.
"Go ahead, Scootaloo," Mr. Cake encouraged. "You know what to do. Make a wish, then blow out the candles."
"But I don't need to make a wish, I already have everything I could ever want, a loving family." Scootaloo declared emotionally, though she still blew out the candles anyway. Everypony cheered.
"Alrighty then!" Pinkie excitedly declared. "Now it's time to get this party started!" And right on cue, a record player cranked to life. Happy party music started to fill the air.
However, the party had barely begun with a familiar snooty voice called out. "Well isn't this just sweet? Looks like the blank flank finally found a home."
Everyone stopped what they'd been doing and spun around. Sure enough, there stood Diamond Tiara in all her glorious unpleasantness.
Scootaloo growled, narrowing her eyes. "What do you want now, Diamond Tiara? We were having a good time until you showed up. So why don't you do us all a favor, and just leave?"
Diamond only laughed in return. "Oh come now, Scootsy-wootsy," She taunted in an overly embarrassing tone. "Father told me the importance of attending social events like parties, it's how you make the best connections."
Scootaloo just continued to snarl lightly. "Nopony invited you, Diamond Tiara."
Tiara giggled. "Precisely, I invited myself. And you know it's rude to turn away a guest in the middle of a party, just because you don't like 'em," She proceeded to comment. "I must say, I'm actually surprised you let yourself be adopted by the likes of the Cakes."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Scootaloo questioned.
"Oh, nothing, really," Diamond remarked in a not-so-innocent tone of voice. "It's just... after all that bravado and boasting, I expected you to have much higher standards about who you'd allow the privilege of adopting you. I mean really, The Cakes? I thought you were holding out for somepony like Rainbow Dash or the Wonderbolts? Guess I gave you too much credit. Oh well..."
The pegasus filly felt something hot begin to boil up inside her, she had to grit her teeth to keep herself from lashing out. "W-why you!" She angrily remarked.
Tiara took no notice, she was fully in her little zone. "Still, I suppose it could be worse," She added. "You could've been adopted by one of those Apples, or even Sweetie Belle's parents. All the same, it's a pity you had to turn down my wonderful offer. If you'd come with me, you could've lived a life of luxury. Instead, you're stuck with the common folks. And that makes you every bit as average as you were before."
Scootaloo immediately tried to rush over to Diamond Tiara, determined to teach the bratty filly a lesson she wouldn't forget. But to the pegasus' surprise, her big sister appeared in front of her and stopped her. "Let me take care of this," She pleaded, and then without receiving a response, the party pony approached Diamond Tiara. "You know, I wouldn't be saying that to my little sister if I were you." She commented in a surprisingly ominous tone.
The pink coated filly rolled her eyes at the statement. "You're not actually related, not even now that Scootaloo has been adopted by the Cakes. I don't have any reason to be afraid of you."
But Pinkie looked the filly firmly in her cornflower blue eyes and told her. "Oh believe me, Scootaloo and I are indeed related. I even have the scroll to prove it. And I don't take kindly to you picking on my little sister like that."
"Is that so?" Tiara teased with fake worry. "And just what are you gonna do about it?"
Her eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly, Pinkie maintained eye contact as she added. "Trust me, there are many things I could do to you. But I'm going to opt for the more simple approach. Unless you apologize to my sister this instant, I'll never throw you a single party ever again for as long as I live."
"Big deal," Diamond scoffed. "That supposed to intimidate me?"
"Did you forget already? I was the one who planned and hosted your cute-ceañera," Pinkie explained to the headgear wearing filly. "And at your father's request no less. You can bet that I'll also be telling him just what his daughter has been getting up to behind his back. Something tells me he'll be anything but pleased to hear his precious little princess is really nothing but a brat."
That did the trick, Diamond's confidence shattered completely, like her namesake. Very few things truly frightened her, but the idea of anypony telling her father about her behavior was one of them. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her father get angry, and the filly didn't want to find out what would happen if he did. She gulped. "A-alright, alright, I'll apologize!" She frantically insisted.
"Good," Pinkie smiled, reverting back to her cheerful self in the blink of an eye. "You can start right now. And remember, it has to be sincere."
"I know, I know," Tiara remarked with a sigh. She proceeded to trot over to Scootaloo, and looking the little pegasus in the eyes she forced. "I'm... sorry... about... well, you know."
Scootaloo just folded her hooves across her chest and said nothing.
Diamond struggled to resist the urge to groan. "Look, I'm really sincerely sorry, okay. I went too far, I realize that now," Then without even thinking, she confessed. "I was just jealous of you, okay."
Scootaloo spun around in shock. "Wait, you? Jealous of me? Since when?"
The pink coated filly sighed, adding onto her confession. "Ever since Rainbow Dash became your honorary big sister. At least prior to then we had something in common, we were only siblings. But now, it seems like I'm the only pony without some kind of older relative or something. Even Silver Spoon has a big sister. The most I have are little cousins the twins' age, and even then they don't visit often," And then she whispered to Scootaloo. "Plus, at least now you have two parents. Three if you count Pinkie Pie."
Scootaloo whispered back. "What are you talking about? You don't have a mother?"
Tiara shook her head with sadness and murmured. "No, Father is the only parent I have. I don't even know what happened to my mother, or if I ever had one. There's no pictures of her around the mansion, and Father refuses to tell me whenever I ask."
The tomboyish pegasus was surprised to hear such a confession from the filly she'd previously considered her sworn enemy. It sure was an unexpected (though not unwelcome) change of heart. "Wow, I'm... sorry to hear about that, really." And without even a second's hesitation, the filly ended up pulling Diamond into a hug.
Diamond broke it off but a second later. "It's alright, you couldn't have known," Then, looking at the filly she'd tormented on so many previous occasions, she asked. "Do you think it's too late for us to start over? To be friends?"
The tomboyish filly sighed. "I want to say yes, but I get the feeling my new family would want me to say that we can be friends. So, maybe eventually, but not right now."
"That's alright, I kind of expected that sort of response for now," Tiara replied. "Guess I'll see myself out now. You enjoy your party though." And without any further fanfare, the pink coated filly departed Sugarcube Corner, and the party resumed uninterrupted.
The party went on for several hours, and Scootaloo wished more than anything that it could've lasted forever. Alas, all good things must come to an end eventually. The party was no exception, it drew to a close just as Luna's moon was starting to rise into the dark night sky.
Once Sugarcube Corner had been vacated of all other ponies, Mr. and Mrs. Cake led Scootaloo upstairs and down the hall from the twins nursery. "I hope you don't mind the guest bedroom for the time being, Scootaloo," Mrs. Cake offered. "Sometime this week we can decorate it and make it your own."
"Sounds nice." Scootaloo commented, as she trotted over to the modest-sized bed that actually looked a bit big for her. She carefully climbed in.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake took the liberty of helping their new daughter pull the bed sheets up to her neck. Then they both kissed her goodnight, before they turned off the light and left the room.
The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were surprised to discover that Scootaloo had already made her bed by the time they came to check on her. "I always made my bed at the orphanage, everypony did," She explained confidently to her new parents. "It was kind of expected of us. I didn't really like it at first, but I got used to it," Then her stomach let out a loud rumble, prompting the filly to ask. "So, what's for breakfast?"
"Well, what do you usually eat for breakfast?" Mr. Cake asked his new daughter.
"Oatmeal, or sometimes waffles if I'm lucky," Scootaloo commented. "But the oatmeal was always lumpy. So I'd often skip breakfast and just grab something to tide me over til lunch. That's the one I didn't like about living in the orphanage, the food wasn't the greatest. I mean, it wasn't horrible or anything, but it just didn't taste great to me."
Mrs. Cake smiled at her filly. "Well I have a feeling you're going to like my oatmeal, Scootaloo. Come on, let's go downstairs. I think it's time you finally got to meet your new little brother and sister."
Pound and Pumpkin Cake were already in their highchairs in the kitchen, when Scootaloo came trotting down with their parents. The twins looked at the newcomer with suspicion, just who was this filly and what was she doing with their mommy and daddy? They'd seen her around a few times, but never with their parents.
Scootaloo nervously waved a hoof, sensing that the twins were judging her.
Fortunately, Mrs. Cake broke the tension. "Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, this is Scootaloo. She's going to be your new big sister, just like Pinkie Pie."
Pound and Pumpkin eyed Scootaloo carefully for a second, then they broke out into happy coos and babbles. Whatever they were trying to say, Scootaloo was sure she knew what they meant. They accepted her.
Scootaloo took a seat at the kitchen table, just as Pinkie came trotting in with the twins' bottles. "Hiya little sis!" She cheerfully greeted to Scootaloo. "Ooh, I'm so so so SO happy to finally call you that!"
"Pinkie, you don't have to call me that," Scootaloo commented, blushing a bit. "I mean, you can if you want to I guess. But I'm fine with you just continuing to call me plain old Scootaloo."
"Scootaloo, little sis, either one works for me! I'm just so glad you're finally in a loving home!" Pinkie proudly declared, even as she gave the twins their bottles. "Trust me, you're going to love living with the Cakes! They're a super sweet family, I guarantee it!"
"Speaking of living," Mrs. Cake declared, coughing into a hoof to attraction attention. "There are a few things we need to address now, Scootaloo. Namely, if you're going to live with us, you're also going to have help us."
Scootaloo whined just a little. "Aw, that's not fair!"
Mr. Cake simply replied to Scootaloo. "Well you don't have to help us run Sugarcube Corner. But that means no allowance."
Scootaloo pouted with her hooves crossed. "That's even less fair," Then she let out an unhappy sigh. "But fine, I guess I can help out a little. I'm not gonna have to do anything really gross like clean the bathrooms, right?"
Mrs. Cake shook her head. "No no no, of course not, silly filly. But you will have to help with the baking, and tending to customers behind the counter and at tables."
"Don't worry, I can teach you all the ins and outs of that!" Pinkie proudly declared. "Before long, it'll be like second nature to you, Scootaloo!"
"And you're also going to have to share in the responsibility of caring for your younger siblings," Mr. Cake added. "And I think you know what that means."
The tomboyish filly looked across to the twins, the two toddlers sucking down the milk in their bottles like there was no tomorrow. They looked so cute. But the filly knew from experience that their cuteness was deceiving. "Do I really have to?" She lightly complained. "Foals are cute and fun to play with, but taking care of them is anything but."
"That's why you won't have to do it alone, Scootaloo," Mrs. Cake smiled. "Pinkie Pie's an experienced foalsitter, and I'm sure if you ask nicely she'll be more than willing to lend you a helping hoof."
"Besides, when you see their smiling faces, it'll all be worth while." Pinkie beamed. And she demonstrated this by picking up the twins (who had just finished their bottles), and patting their backs until they both let out tiny burps. The whole thing seemed so easy.
"But you can worry about all of that later," Mrs. Cake declared to her new filly, lightly booping her on the nose. "For right now, let's get that hungry tummy of yours all nice and full."
Scootaloo soon took to baking like a duck takes to water, albeit with a great deal of assistance from Pinkie Pie. And in the process of helping to bake a cake, the tomboyish filly got traces of flour and cake batter all over her coat and mane.
When Mrs. Cake got a good look at Scootaloo, her face was an odd mix of enjoyment and frustration. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed. "Just look at you, Scootaloo, you're a mess!"
Scootaloo couldn't help but blush ever so faintly. "I guess baking a cake isn't really a piece of cake." She then chuckled in spite of herself, at the joke she had made.
Mrs. Cake just sighed. "Well, I think my new filly has earned herself a free bath."
Scootaloo shook her head in protest. "It's fine, Mom. I can just rinse off in the kitchen sink really quick, it'll be like it never even happened," The pegasus then added. "Besides, I've been covered in far worse than flour and cake batter."
But the earth pony mare wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I have to make sure I get every last trace of flour and cake batter off of you," She protested. "Not to mention, I don't know when the last time is you had a bath or shower. I want a nice, squeaky clean filly in my house. Now come on, you're getting a bath whether you like it or not."
"Do I have to?" Scootaloo pouted, her whine sounding not unlike that of a filly being scolded by her parents.
The plump earth pony mare only giggled, thinking to herself. "It's just like when Pinkie Pie first came to live with Carrot Cake and I. She absolutely hated the idea of a bath. I just hope my new filly doesn't put up as much of a fight."
Fortunately for both Cakes, Scootaloo cooperated with very little hesitation or other means of resistance. She did protest a little at not being allowed to scrub herself clean, but that was as far as her complaints went. In fact, as the bath went on, the pegasus actually started to enjoy herself. The warm waters felt so soothing and relaxing, just the thing for those aching muscles of her (walking or riding around on her scooter all day every day took its toll).
Once the bath was done and Scootaloo had been dried off, the filly was led back downstairs. Mr. Cake patted his new daughter lightly on the forehead as he told her. "We'll have to give you some baking lessons, it seems. For right now, just leave the baking to us, okay?"
"Okay." Scootaloo nodded.
Mr. Cake then happened to glance over towards the dining room, where his two other children were currently seated in their high chairs. And it was then that an idea came to him. "In fact, why don't you do your old stallion a little favor?" He suggested, pointing a hoof to the twins' location. "I need to fix their bottles, and Cup Cake and Pinkie are busy cleaning up the aftermath of your baking session. So can you watch the twins for me really quick?"
The tomboyish filly glanced over to the twins' location, eyeing them as if she thought they were planning something.
Mr. Cake laughed. "Don't worry, they've already been changed, and they haven't eaten anything yet."
That prompted a much needed sigh of relief from the little pegasus. "Okay then, I guess I watch my little brother and sister." She nodded, adopting a small salute. In her mind, she was thinking to herself. "It feels weird to be calling the twins that, but it also feels so right."
Despite having already been introduced to Scootaloo, Pound and Pumpkin Cake were not sure what to make of their new "big sister" figure. Would she be as fun to play with as their other big sister, Pinkie Pie? Or would she be more like their parents, who as fun as they were, were never on the same level as Pinkie.
Scootaloo looked at the twins, unsure of what to say or do.
All of a sudden, Pound Cake started to cry. And Pumpkin Cake did the same. Together their wails became so loud, Scootaloo had to plug her ears!
Frantically, the filly pleaded with the toddlers. "H-hey now, don't cry! Please!"
But the twins didn't listen, they just continued to cry.
"Come on, Scootaloo! Think! Do something! There's gotta be a way to cheer them up!" Scootaloo frantically thought to herself, trying to rack her brain for a way to stop the loud wails assaulting her ears! Then suddenly, something came to her. Something she faintly recalled the orphanage caretakers doing to her when she was a foal. But would it work on the twins in the same way?
Well, there was only one way to find out.
Scootaloo trotted up to Pound Cake (feeling a slightly stronger bond with him since he was a pegasus like her) and reached out an orange hoof to touch his nose. Then she quickly pulled it back and playfully shouted. "Hey Pound, got your nose!"
Pound stopped crying, and so did his sister. He just motioned his hooves to where his nose was (or in his mind, where it should be) and babbled something. Pumpkin also stopped crying, looking over to her brother and appearing to giggle at his behavior.
"Do you wanna play too, Pumpkin?" Scootaloo asked, trotting over to the little unicorn and doing the same thing she'd just done with Pound. "Got your nose too! Now I've got two noses!"
Pumpkin started to imitate what her brother had just done, as it was Pound's turn to giggle.
Scootaloo proceeded to "accidentally" switch the noses, giving Pound's nose to Pumpkin and Pumpkin's nose to Pound. "Oopsie," She playfully cooed. "I got my noses mixed up. Don't worry, Scootaloo's gonna make it all better."
When Mr. Cake trotted out of the kitchen with two baby bottles in tow, and made his way over to the twins to feed them, he couldn't help but aw in spite of himself. For he saw Scootaloo playing with the twins, bouncing them alternatively on her knee, while the twins alternatively suckled on their hooves or played with her mane.
It really warmed his heart to see his new daughter getting along so well with his other children. His wife had been worried that the twins would be jealous of Scootaloo, and a part of him had silently worried the same. But looking at the adorable scene before him, he could see that he had been mistaken.
The rest of the day passed in a blur for all involved, but especially for Scootaloo, who was slowly but surely getting used to being part of the Cake family.
There was one part of being adopted by the Cakes that the filly didn't like though, having an enforced bedtime.
"But I'm not tired." Scootaloo protested, as she was led upstairs to her bedroom that evening.
"Ah ah ah, no buts, my little filly," Mrs. Cake lightly scolded. "Now that you're living here, you have to live by our rules. And that means going to your room when you're told."
Scootaloo pouted. "It's so not fair, it's not even that late out. It's only eight o'clock, I used to stay up much later than that."
Mr. Cake only replied by saying. "Well, that was then, and this is now. You're a growing filly, Scootaloo. And a growing filly needs her rest. Trust me, when you get to my age, you'll start to value sleep."
"Can't I just stay for a little bit later? Just this once?" Scootaloo pleaded desperately with her best pair of puppy dog eyes.
But the Cakes were wise to such tactics, Pinkie Pie alone had subjected them to similar faces on so many different occasions that they'd lost track. They simply ushered Scootaloo into her bedroom and helped her into bed, then kissed her goodnight and turned out the light.
Several days passed by in the blink of an eye for everyone except Pinkie Pie. To her, it felt like for every one that passed, two more had taken place. So many wonderful memories were being made, and her little sister seemed to be adjusting to her new life so well. What could possibly happen now to disrupt the happiness?
As if the universe knew what the party pony was thinking, a week after Scootaloo had been adopted and settled in, there came a letter with the morning mail. The address was a familiar one to Pinkie Pie (there weren't many locations in Ponypalooza to begin with, so it wasn't like she would've had to take a guess).
And when the letter was opened and read aloud at the dining room table, an uncomfortable silence filled the room. The letter read as follows:
To the officially adopted parents of Scootaloo,
It has come to our attention that you have obtained legal custody of our daughter, the very one we gave up all those years ago.
We wish to invite you and our daughter Pinkamina back to Ponypalooza, alongside Scootaloo, so that we may see for ourselves the kind of family she has been adopted into.
And we also feel the time has come for Scootaloo to know why we, as her birth parents, gave her up for adoption.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz
It was Mr. Cake that was the first one to say a word once the letter had been read. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in accepting their invitation," He commented thoughtfully. "Truth be told, I've been wanting to meet those two ever since Pinkie Pie told us about them."
Mrs. Cake was a bit more hesitant. "Honey bun, are you sure this is such a good idea? Scootaloo has just gotten used to being part of our family. She doesn't even have any sort of memories of Ponypalooza, and her parents gave her up for adoption the moment she was born," She frowned. "I'm not sure I want to meet them so soon after this big change in our lives. Also, let's not forget, Scootaloo's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks."
"You make it sound like my parents are these horrible, evil ponies," Pinkie remarked with concern. "But they're not. I know why they gave Scootaloo up for adoption. And I'm sure if we all go to Ponypalooza and hear them out, you'll all understand. Trust me, I was as upset as you all are when I first heard the news. And I'm still holding a bit of a grudge against them, and grudge rhymes with fudge."
Pinkie trailed off into an irrelevant list of the many words that rhyme with fudge, as Scootaloo eyed the letter and declared firmly. "I'm going to Ponypalooza! I have to know the truth!"
And so it was that Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, and the Cakes (including Pound and Pumpkin) all found themselves boarding a train for Ponypalooza the very next day. The train ride passed in silence for the most part, nopony dared to say a word (aside from Pound and Pumpkin, who were excited to be on their very first train ride).
Upon departing from the train station in Ponypalooza, Pinkie led everypony right to the front doorstep of the rock farm she'd once called home. As if on cue, Igneous and Cloudy came out to greet their guests, silently motioning for them to come inside.
The first thing Pinkie asked her parents (once formal greetings had been exchanged) was: "Did you tell my other sisters the truth? Do they all know about Scootaloo?"
Cloudy nodded in confirmation. "We briefed them all the very day after you left. Limeamina is still not speaking to us, Maudileena has said very little about it, and Marblelina has remained as quiet as she was before."
"You mean Limestone, Maud, and Marble, right?" Scootaloo inquired of her birth parents. "Pinkie told me about them, including the funny names they all go by around her."
"Such is how we humble rock farmers prefer to name our children," Igneous explained, finding it rather difficult to look his youngest daughter in the eyes. Even a simple glance in her direction made him feel like he was being judged. "Now then, let us adjourn to the dining room and have a seat. If any of you are interested, my darling Cloudy would be delighted to fix you all a delicious helping of rock soup."
But aside from Pinkie, no one accepted the offer for the free food. Still, all took a seat at the rather vast table. Cloudy, true to her husband's word, set to work on fixing the soup for Pinkie.
It was only once Pinkie had finished off the liquidy food (including the rock in the pan) that anypony bothered to say a word. Before then, they'd all been content to just make brief eye contact or stare off in any number of directions.
And the one who broke the silence, was Scootaloo herself. Glaring at both of her biological parents, she only spoke one pertinent word. "Why?"
"Beg your pardon?" Igneous inquired, although he knew what the filly was likely going to ask next.
"Why'd you do it?" Scootaloo growled. "Why did you just give me up for adoption the moment I was born? I didn't even get a say in the matter, and for years I never knew my parents. I always assumed my birth parents would have a good reason for leaving me at the orphanage, but all this time you were alive and well, and I never even knew!"
Igneous let out a long and painful sigh of sorrow. "I see Pinkamina did not tell you what we told her. For your sake, I shall repeat what Cloudy and I had to say to her," And he confessed also. "It was not a decision we came to lightly. But in the end, we both agreed that a rock farm was no place to raise a pegasus filly. We had no experience dealing with pegasi whatsoever, we would be at a loss on how to properly raise one. And since we knew of no other couples willing to adopt, especially not pegasus ones, the Ponyville Orphanage was the only option that remained."
"But, how could you guys even have me? You seem to be descended entirely from earth ponies!" Scootaloo questioned. "And I thought it was weird when the Cakes had a pegasus and a unicorn for babies."
Cloudy shook her head. "We were as shocked as you are, Scootaloo. After the doctors told me you were a pegasus, Igneous and I researched the entire Pie family tree," Clearing her throat, the elderly mare explained in more detail. "What we found was shocking! It turns out that there is indeed some pegasus blood in the Pie family tree, on my side of the family. You know of Surprise, right?"
Scootaloo nodded in confirmation. "Isn't she one of the Wonderbolts?"
"Ah, so that's what she has chosen to make her calling in life," Igneous commented in surprise. "Anyway, it turns out that Surprise's grandfather and great grandfather were both earth ponies, rock farmers at that. And Surprise's grandfather was also Cloudy's grandfather, and thus my grandfather-in-law. It seems that recessive pegasus heritage finally cropped up in our fifth daughter, after four times being denied. Though having a relative in Surprise probably explains why Pinkamina turned out the way she did. We always wondered if they might be connected in some way."
"So you just gave me up for adoption, because you thought you couldn't take proper care of me?" Scootaloo remarked, narrowing her eyes at her birth parents.
Cloudy sighed, as she and her husband hung their heads in shame. "We know now that it was wrong of us both to do so, to send you off without even a second thought as to what might be best for you. We never even tried to make it work in the end."
"And yet it seems to have worked out for the better anyway. Perhaps it was meant to be," Igneous pondered, looking at wistfully his youngest daughter. "But do you think you can forgive us? If not today, then perhaps sometime in the future?"
But Scootaloo immediately rose from her seat at the table as she shouted in annoyance. "No!" And she stormed off, though not before adding as a parting shot. "I don't know if I can ever forgive you guys for what you did. At the least you could've left me with some kind of note or picture, so I might grow up to know about my roots. But instead, you just decided to abandon me because I was a pegasus. And now I have a much better family, one that really cares about me."
Scootaloo spoke not a single word for the rest of the day, even after she returned to Ponyville with Pinkie and the Cakes. How could her birth parents just up and do such a thing? They hadn't even considered what she wanted. It was almost like they were ashamed to have given birth to a pegasus instead of an earth pony.
Just before bedtime that night, Pinkie pleaded with her little sister. "Please, you must understand," She insisted to the filly. "I was every bit as mad as you are now when I first learned about all of this."
But the young pegasus just brushed her big sister aside. "I don't want to even think about those two right now, let alone talk about them," She snorted in fury. "They're not my parents, they wanted nothing to do with me from the very moment I was born. I was just a burden to them, so they dumped me in the first town they could think of, and forgot all about me. I'm just grateful they left me at the orphanage, rather than leave me to fend for myself in the cold streets."
"Scootaloo, please!" Pinkie pleaded again, much louder this time.
Scootaloo shook her head. "What part of 'I don't want to even think about them' don't you understand?" She coldly stated. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Now that I have a real family, I'll be happy if I never have to hear from my birth parents ever again. They were never a part of my life to begin with, so why should I 'pretend' to care about them when I really don't?"
"Scootaloo," Mrs. Cake commented in a concerned tone. "I know you're upset about what you found out today, and you have every right to be. But don't you think it's a little extreme to forget all about Igneous and Cloudy forever? You heard their side of the story, they gave you up out of love. So that you could have a decent life."
"And that was the best thing they ever did for me." Scootaloo humphed, and then trotted up to her bedroom without saying another word. Reluctantly, the Cakes decided it best to drop the subject of her biological parents for now.
For the next several weeks, Scootaloo slowly settled into her new family. Baking, tending to customers, and helping to take care of the twins didn't give her as much free time for crusading as she had previously enjoyed, but the filly slowly came to not mind it so much. Heck, she started to wonder if maybe she would get her cutie mark in any of the new responsibilities she was taking on.
All the while, the tomboyish filly never spoke a word about her origins, despite numerous attempts by Pinkie (and sometimes even the Cakes) to steer the subject in that direction. She would always reply with "I said I don't want to talk about it.", and then would switch to whatever other topic aroused her interest at the moment.
But life works in mysterious and unexpected ways. And sooner than the pegasus would've liked, she was forced to confront her past and make amends, or at least attempt to do so.
Well accustomed to her morning routine by this point, Scootaloo woke up one morning as the rays of Celestia's sun shone through the blinds in her bedroom. The filly yawned and stretched her limbs, brushing aside the Wonderbolts themed bed sheets her parents had bought for her.
In fact, almost the entire room was decorated with Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash stuff: Posters, alarm clocks, plushies, you name it. About the only thing that wasn't part of this theme, was the Daring Do calendar that hung on the left side of the room near the closest. A cherished Hearth's Warming gift the filly had received from Caring Heart.
Glancing at the dates printed on the calendar, the tomboyish pegasus smiled as she marked off another day, right before one that was circled in red ink. Tomorrow was her birthday, and Scootaloo was looking forward to a splendid party that Pinkie Pie was sure to throw for her.
But today there was nothing of particular importance, and all her friends would probably be busy with last minute gift buying and wrapping. So Scootaloo anticipated a slow and quiet day that she would spend at Sugarcube Corner, either baking cupcakes and muffins (her first attempt at making a cake hadn't turned out so well, it had taken all day to clean up the kitchen), or perhaps helping Pinkie Pie watch Pound and Pumpkin Cake. "Hopefully that'll just mean being their playmate this time. I swear, I don't know how Pinkie gets them to behave." She thought to herself, nervously, as she took her morning shower, and then headed downstairs for breakfast.
Breakfast passed uneventfully right up until it was drawing to a close. For that was when Mr. Cake went out to retrieve the daily mail, and he returned holding a letter in his mouth. Placing it on the table, he informed his adopted daughter. "It's for you, Scootaloo."
Without even checking for an address, Scootaloo ripped apart the envelope holding the letter and read it to herself. When she had finished, the filly's happy mood faded completely, replaced by a mixture of sorrow and anger. "It's... from... Pinkie's parents."
"Ooh, Mom and Dad!" Pinkie eagerly exclaimed, bouncing over. "What does it say, Scootaloo?!"
But Scootaloo only scowled. "They're going to be in town today, and they intend to go birthday shopping with me."
"So? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for you to hang out with them and talk to them again," Pinkie encouraged. "Otherwise, I'm gonna have to attend the Pie family reunion all by myself. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Pinkie," Scootaloo bitterly remarked, her eyes narrowing a little. "I don't want anything to do with them. They wanted to forget about me, and would've kept on doing so if you hadn't found out about their secret. Why should I bother to pretend I'm happy to see them, when I can barely even tolerate them as it is?"
The pink party pony felt her mane and tail deflate a little upon hearing this. By now she had expected Scootaloo to be more on terms with her birth parents' decision to give her up. Pinkie wanted nothing more than for her little sister to embrace her Pie heritage.
Mrs. Cake spoke up next. Looking Scootaloo square in her purple eyes, she said to the filly. "Scootaloo, I know how you feel about your birth parents, and I know you want to do your best not to think about them. But the time has come for you to let go of the past."
"So I'm just supposed to forgive them?! Act like I don't have a problem with what they did?!" Scootaloo stubbornly protested.
Mrs. Cake only shook her head. "Nopony says you have to forgive them. But holding on to your hatred of them for what they did, isn't going to make you feel any better."
"But that's the thing, I don't hate them. And I really want to," Scootaloo confessed with a sigh. "But every time I try to, something stops me. And I just know if I let them into my life, even just for today, it's gonna be that much harder for me to hold onto what they did against me. They abandoned me almost from the moment I was born, yet a small part of me still feels something for them. All I want is to do is not think about them and forget about them, like they did with me. But I can't, and it's been driving me crazy."
Now having gained a sense as how to troubled her filly was, Mrs. Cake carefully trotted over to Scootaloo's location and lightly rubbed her back with a hoof. "I understand, it's incredibly complicated and you've never felt anything like this before. But Igneous and Cloudy clearly want a second chance to be a part of your life. How much you're willing to let them have that is up to you. No matter what though, you've got to let go and stop dwelling on what they did. You have a loving and supportive family, and I think even Igneous and Cloudy know that."
After several minutes of silence, Scootaloo let out another sigh. "Fine, I guess if they really want to spend time with me so badly, they can," But she was quick to add. "But it's just for this occasion, nothing's going to magically change between us. And I'm not talking to them anymore than I have to."
Mrs. Cake simply nodded in agreement. "That's perfectly okay, Scootaloo. I'll let them know that."
Half an hour later, Scootaloo was trotting alongside Igneous and Cloudy, as the elderly earth ponies were taking in the sights and sounds of the place two of their daughters called home.
Naturally, they tried to break up the silence as they trotted past various shops in the hopes of finding one that sold something Scootaloo might want.
"So, this is Ponyville, is it not?" Igneous commented to nopony in particular. "A very fine place if I do so myself, I can see why it is that Pinkamina has chosen to live here."
"Perhaps it would've been best to consult her on the knowledge of where gifts may be purchased," Cloudy added, looking across to her husband. "It seems like there aren't many shops around here that sell such things."
Scootaloo remained silent, unwilling to say anything. Her eyes fixated on anything and everything except the two ponies trotting beside her.
Igneous looked across to Cloudy, the two of them exchanging worried glances. "Do you know of any nice gift shops in this immediate area, Scootaloo?" He inquired, hoping for a reaction of some sort.
"There should be a party store just up ahead, Pinkie tends to frequent it whenever she needs supplies for her parties." Scootaloo acknowledged, but didn't even bother to make eye contact with Igneous, she instead opted to stare at the ground.
"And do you have any special preferences for a gift? It is for your birthday, after all." Cloudy commented to Scootaloo.
"Whatever you wanna spend your bits on is fine, they always say it's the thought that counts." Scootaloo replied, still staring at the ground sullenly.
As the three ponies trotted through the doors of the massive party store in Ponyville a few seconds later, Cloudy and Igneous tried again to break the silence and get Scootaloo to talk to them. "Scootaloo," Cloudy began, as she retrieved a shopping cart. "I know you're upset about... the reason why you were left here in Ponyville. Igneous and I both wanted so badly to hold onto to you."
Scootaloo just coldly replied with. "Not badly enough, apparently."
Igneous sadly sighed, adjusting his stetson a little. "Scootaloo Dialine Pie Cake, you must know that you're not the only one who was hurt by the decision that your mother and I came to," His lips quivered a bit as the elderly stallion confessed. "When I caved in and signed the release papers, I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror for months. I wanted so badly to run to Ponyville, rip up the papers, and take you back. In time, however, I had to come to terms with my decision. I had given you up so that you could have a proper life. A life free of the rock farm, and one that would be more in tune to the fact that you're a pegasus and not an earth pony."
Scootaloo said nothing in return.
"Sending you to Ponyville was the hardest thing I ever had to do," Cloudy sorrowfully confessed. "To know that one of my own would grow up never knowing where she was originally from. But when I held you in my hooves for the first time, I knew you would never be satisfied growing up on a rock farm, especially when you would be expected to continue the tradition. To be set in front of the Choosing Stone and assigned a mate. For a pegasus like you, you needed much better."
Finally, Scootaloo looked up at the two earth ponies. But her expression was difficult to read. "You say all that, and part of me thinks you're telling the truth. But another part of me believes you're lying," She confessed. "If you're trying to be involved in my life now, it's too late. I have a loving family in the Cakes, I've got friends and honorary family all around me here. For years I grew up knowing nothing about you guys. And now that I do know, I wish I didn't," She paused considerably, before the filly added. "I... guess what I'm trying to say is, I appreciate what you're doing, but it's not going to change how I feel about you. I'm not much of a Pie, and I don't think I ever will be."
"Well it doesn't matter how much of a Pie you are, a Pie is still a Pie. And you'll always be part of the family." Igneous replied to Scootaloo.
"At the least, we hope you'll write to us every now and then, to keep in touch." Cloudy added optimistically.
The rest of the day was a blur for Scootaloo, though she did manage to remember what her birth parents bought: A teddy bear. She decided not to mention that she didn't really sleep with stuffed animals anymore (she did rest with a Rainbow Dash plushie, but that was different).
And when next day came and the birthday party was held, the tomboyish pegasus was a little surprised to learn that Igneous and Cloudy had already dropped off their gift and left town. She didn't dwell on the matter for too long though, because it was still her birthday after all, regardless of who showed up.
Speaking of which, it seemed like almost everypony the filly had ever known showed up for the party. She had never seen Sugarcube Corner this packed before.
Soon it came time for presents, and there was one gift the pegasus was already trying to keep an eye out for, the one Cloudy and Igneous had bought yesterday. However, the present was nowhere in sight. No doubt buried amidst the huge heap of presents that greeted her eager purple eyes.
Oh well, that gift could wait. It wasn't like the order the presents were opened in mattered much. So Scootaloo just took a random gift from the top of the stack, taking note of the name printed on the tag. It was a combined gift from her fellow Crusaders, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Ripping apart the wrapping paper, she was soon greeted with the sight of a brand new trailer hitch. "Awesome!" She happily exclaimed. "This is just what I needed for my trusty scooter! The old hitch was starting to get really rusty, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do."
"Glad ya like it, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom happily declared. "They say this new hitch'll make it possible for you to pull even heavier loads with your scooter than you could do before."
"And that means we can do all kinds of things we couldn't do before!" Sweetie Belle smiled happily. "Our crusades will be even grander, and we'll surely get our cutie marks!"
Scootaloo eagerly nodded. "Yeah! I can't wait until I get this thing hooked up."
After opening a few more gifts, Scootaloo was surprised to come across one that had a tag which read: "From, Diamond Tiara". It was true that the rich filly had stopped picking on Scootaloo since the adoption party, but they had hardly spoken a word in the time since. Still, a gift was a gift, so the filly opened it. She was surprised to discover that it was the latest book in the Daring Do series: Daring Do and the Trek to the Terrifying Tower. And judging from the overall condition of the book, it appeared to have been pulled right off the shelf.
"I was able to convince my father to write to A. K. Yearling and get a first edition copy of the book," Diamond Tiara boasted, though her boast sounded less malicious and more good natured. "I know we haven't really spoken since your adoption by the Cakes, but I really wanted you to know that I am a different pony now. I'm sorry for all the teasing remarks and comments I made to you and your Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"You really mean it?" Scootaloo asked with understandable skepticism. "You're not pulling my leg or anything?"
Diamond nodded, approaching Scootaloo with noticeable unease. "Sorry I haven't had the chance to say anything sooner. I've been trying to find more leads about my own mother, but I've found very little," And with a slight bit of worry reflected in her voice, she added. "And I've also spending a lot of time at my Aunt Spoiled's. She seems to be taking an unusually strong interest in me for whatever reason."
"Aunt Spoiled?" The pegasus questioned, this was her first time hearing of such a pony.
Tiara nodded in confession. "I wouldn't recommend you meeting her. She has very... strong opinions about ponies like you, let's just leave it at that."
After that unexpected development, the rest of the gifts were opened with relatively little fanfare. That is, until there were only two presents left. By process of elimination, Scootaloo already knew that one of them was from Cloudy and Igneous. So then, who could the other present be from?
The filly didn't have long to wait to find out. Examining the tag of the unknown present, she discovered that it was from Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Ripping apart the wrapping paper, the pegasus was surprised to discover a thick, notepad like object with a hard spine of blue. To say nothing of the horseshoe symbol that looked not unlike a lock.
Mr. Cake smiled, approaching his daughter as he explained to her. "It's your own personal journal, you can even lock it so that only your unique hoofprint can open it."
Mrs. Cake, also grinned, and added. "Now you can write down whatever you want, and nopony but you has to know about it. You can also use it to keep track of important dates, like you do with your calendar."
"Thank you, both of you! You really didn't have to do that!" Scootaloo happily exclaimed, embracing both ponies in a hug.
Mr. Cake just beamed back. "You're our daughter, but we don't want you to feel like you have to always tell us everything that's going on in your life."
Mrs. Cake then cleared her throat and instructed. "We can help you get your journal set up later if you need help. For now though, you still have one last gift to open. And I think you know who it's from."
Scootaloo sighed, knowing that this was the moment she had both been anticipating and dreading at the same time. But she couldn't put it off any longer. Carefully grabbing the present (now all by itself), she didn't even need to examine the tag. She carefully ripped apart the wrapping paper, and sure enough the teddy from yesterday greeted her eyes.
However, attached to the teddy bear was a note. The tomboyish pegasus carefully grabbed it and read it, the note read as follows:
To our very special daughter, Scootaloo,
We really wanted to be present for your birthday party this year, but after much debate we decided it would be best not to attend. Your birthday is a special occasion, and showing up to it when you're barely on speaking terms with us would only make things more awkward.
But we hope you'll cherish this teddy, and think of it as a sign of our love for you. Whenever you feel just a little bit homesick, or even just need something to hug, we hope this teddy will suffice.
And if you ever decide to come back to Ponypalooza someday (though we want that to be on your terms, not ours) we'll leave the front door open for you, and tell you anything you want to know.
Love,
Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz Pie
Fortunately, Scootaloo had read the note to herself. But that didn't stop her from tugging the teddy bear anyway and shedding a few tears. It was just like the one she faintly remembered sleeping with during her first few years in the orphanage. Sadly, years of neglect took their toll on the old stuffed animal, and one day it had been tossed away without a second thought.
But at long last, the filly had found a suitable replacement. Something that not even her plushie Rainbow Dash could lay claim to being. And something that would always remind her of the love her birth parents still had for her, even if she was no longer a Pie.
