> Pinkie's greatest Challenge.
>  by Lethrael
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A very loney Breakfast.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo was seated on her usual place with her usual breakfast on a Saturday, but unlike every other Saturday before she was alone. She hid in one of the corners from Sugarcube Corner and tried to stay invisible to everypony. Pinkie Pie’s sharp eyes spotted her almost immediately, she was way too familiar with the bakery to miss the little filly. Besides, she was the pony who gave  her  the double extra chocolate slices with the extra gooey chocolate core, extra-extra chocolate muffin and the chocolate milkshake with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

The treats put a smile on Scootaloo's face, but it was not truly genuine. To a veritable expert on all matters concerning smiles such as Pinkie Pie, it was clearly forced and not the kind she was eager to put onto ponies' faces. This forced smile brought the pink mare to the decision to look over her small guest, as she put cookies and other treats into the counter display. She  furrowed her brows as she saw Scootaloo's nervously searching eyes and her trembling hoof on the milkshake. She pondered the Saturdays before, wondering  if Scootaloo was like she was back then.
Maybe Scootaloo just wasn't a morning pony.

That didn’t sound right, the filly was different the last few Saturdays prior she had smiled much more genuine, or grinned wider, or even beamed once in a while back than, when she ate. But her friends had kept her company then
A grin returned to Pinkie's inquiring face and she nodded quickly. She leaned over the counter and looked for one particular special treat in the display. Her smile widened as she finally found it and pulled it out. In her hooves rested a double chocolate cookie with chocolate icing and extra huge chocolate chips. She bounced to the lonely corner and laid down the cookie beside Scootaloo's plate. Upon arranging it to perfection, she leaned forward and cocked her head.
“Say, Scoots. You look like...”
She lowered her voice more and whispered.
“...well a party pooper. Who and how many have bitten you to turn you into this?
Do you think a Pinkie-Pie's-Very-Special-Extra-Extra-Chocolate-Surprise-Cookie would cheer you...”
Scootaloo licked her lips and low grumble emitted deep down from inside her stomach. Her face lit up for a mere second  but it faltered even faster as she saw Pinkie's inquiring eyes. She pulled her hoof away, looked down to her plate and avoided the big blue irises that were practically burning holes into her coat. She summoned a strangely throaty response, one that made Pinkie tilt her head and look even more confused.
“I...I can't aff...
I have to eat...”

She grabbed the chocolate muffin on her plate and took a huge bite, shrugging her shoulders with an apologetic expression. Pinkie's attention drifted to the only occupied table in the bakery. The Lanes, a family of four pegasi, sat there and were eating a whole buffet of muffins, cupcakes and milkshakes.
Rumble told his parents about his last flight training with Thunder and they were beaming . He practically shouted out of excitement.
“...I did double spin and...”
A low sigh and even louder slurping noise drew Pinkie's attention back to the orange filly. She realised that she had bounced away from her involuntary and had approached the happier ponies. She trotted back to her, but the laughter of the family drew her attention again. Pinkie shook her head, returning to Scootaloo, while she looked back, The filly slurped harder and harder on her straw, so she finally managed to drown the laughter out.
“Pikamena, Diane Pie, you have to...”

She forced her head back to Scootaloo and looked away from the family. The filly put the half filled cup of milkshake back on the table and reached out for her saddlebags with a trembling hoof. The other hoof wiped over her chocolate stained mouth and she cleared it finally by rubbing over her side. Her saddlebag pushed the empty plate and the cup away. She quickly rummaged through it for something. She was so totally lost in thought, that she didn't even noticed, that Pinkie stood directly beside her. It was clear that she was way too focused on her search and her bag to pay attention to her surroundings. Pinkie just nudged her gently with a hoof and she startled up with a low yelp.
The filly flinched away from her and even stood up. She pulled the hoof out of the bag and a halfway opened scroll was drawing with and felt down to the ground totally unnoticed from the little filly. It rolled under the table and out of sight of her, but Pinkie noticed it.
Before she was able to say anything, Scootaloo put the saddlebags on her back, gave the laughing family a final glance and mumbled something.
“I've to go, Pinkie.
Uhm, Sweetie Belle. Yes I meet Sweetie Belle...”
The filly was already halfway out of the room as she stopped mumbling, so Pinkie wasn't able to answer or to raise a hoof. The filly sped up even more and pushed her way through the entering crowd of ponies. A low curse felt out of Pinkie's mouth as she tried to follow Scootaloo, but there was no way to catch up to her. The morning train from Canterlot had arrived a few minutes ago and these ponies were starving, so she had to stay back.
A filly could push herself through the crowd and Scootaloo proved that statement very well. She disappeared in the crowd and Pinkie just had to stare confusedly after her.

She didn't have much time to ponder about Scootaloo, everypony in the room started to make orders. She started to work in her usual extraordinary pace to fulfil every order in the shortest amount of time possible.
At the same time a question lingered in her mind. For the first time in many years a very serious thought crept in and seemed to have a life on it's own.
She glanced from time to time at the door and looked for a hint of the purple mane or the orange coat of the little filly, but she didn't return.
She had finally to speak out her lingering thought, otherwise it would stay in her mind forever.
“Sweetie Belle is on vacation in Canterlot with her whole family for three weeks.
How can you meet her, Scootaloo?”
A few ponies glanced at her in bewilderment as her loud question sounded through the room. Pinkie put on a convincing, wild smile. She began to fulfil orders and chatted distractedly with everypony.
The thought didn't disappear, but rather seized her mind and stayed with the last image of the filly.
Pinkie wasn't quite sure, but Scootaloo looked sad compared to her usual self. She could swear that she had seen a tear glide down her cheek.
> What should I do, Gummy?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rush of hungry ponies came finally to an end. Mr. Cake’s shift began as soon as Pinkie served the last famished patron, and she was more than relieved to be finished for the day. She wiped a stream of sweat off her face and nodded, satisfied with the work she had done. Bouncing happily from behind to in front of the counter, she ordered a milkshake and a sampler platter for lunch. She looked around while she waited for the sweets. Sugarcube Corner had become a popular meeting ground for ponies to chat and hang out with one another. Even in the former lonely corner sat three giggling fillies with empty cups on the table. Pinkie knew them of course, she knew Everypony in Ponyville! Even if somepony new came to town, she immediately became their friend, so...

A confused voice brought her train of thought to a halt and she looked to the lonely corner again.
“Hey Dinky, did you lose a letter?”
All three fillies were standing up and one of them, Lilly, leaned to her smaller friend and gave her a nudge. She had found the scroll and showed it to the only filly who had an actual saddlebag on her back.
The violet little filly shook her head and opened her mouth. She shut it again as Pinkie bounced closer, finding herself within the group. She quickly put on a trademark Pinkie Smile and started to babble.
“I actually know who lost it!
Would you pretty puh-lease with a cherry on top give it to me, Lilly?
She will definitely... return, uhm...”
Pinkie's eye stayed on the address and the half broken seal on the letter and her voice tapered off, blinking confusedly. It came out in a low whisper that only she could hear.
“Ponyville orphanage.”
She cocked her head. She knew that Ponyville had an orphanage, of course and paid it visits every now and then. She usually went there for birthday cakes and parties, cheering-up parties, or -and these were her favourite moments there- adoption and stag parties. But she hadn't seen Scootaloo at any one of these parties.
Her train of thought stopped again, as Dinky nodded and laid the scroll into her raised hoof.
“O..of course, Pinkie.
I...I would never dare to take it.”
The filly blushed deeply and drew circles on the ground, like she was caught by something bad. Pinkie inhaled surprised, shook her head and grinned.
“No, no, I don't want to claim this.
You see, I...I here!”
She gave the filly her sampler platter from her back and darted upstairs. The three fillies looked bewildered  at the floating and spinning milkshake cup. Pinkie returned quickly, caught it mid air, and whizzed away with a loud slurping sound.

The mare put the empty cup on her nightstand and gave a relieved sigh.. Fortunately she had emergency cakes in her closet for her in-case-of-accidentially-miffed-somepony-and-giving-away-your-lunch-to-apology-emergencies. So after she had put the last of her double chocolate cookies in her mouth, she rethought the situation of this morning and sat up. A few crumbs fell out of her coat and she wiped away much more from her fluffy chest.
She looked around for the scroll, but it was nowhere to be seen. She heard a strange sound directly beside her pillow and looked there.
“Gummy?
What are...”
Her pet laid beside her pillow and chewed on the scroll with an agitated look in his usually blank eyes. The chewing and wagging of his tail was a teeny bit faster than normal at the very least, and Pinkie cocked her head.
She held one front hoof in front of his mouth, petted gently over his back with another, pulled a cookie with a third one closer and used a fourth one and her tail to clean up the bed from every crumble. She smiled wide and Gummy let go the scroll finally. The seal was broken and the letter uncoiled completely.

Dear Caring Heart,

Pinkie thought of the yellow earthpony mare and her smile widened even more. The mother of the orphanage, or what was the right term again? Pinkie cocked her head and studied the scroll with one eye, while the other one glanced at her picture wall.

I regret to inform you that your nestling Scootaloo Windfoal did not  receive one positive answer. We've contacted every adoption willing couple in our archives and presented your letter and your pictures if  they were interested.

Pinkie's other eye returned to the letter and her smile faded a little bit. She pulled Gummy closer to herself with her tail and cuddled up to him, as the words get faster and faster into her mind.

Unfortunately nopony wanted to adopt such an old filly. Her very low school performance didn't make a good impression, and her...

There was a line on the paper, it looked like the pony had stopped for a moment and a small drop of ink landed on the letter. Pinkie could almost hear the sigh of the pony. She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

I'm sorry, to be honest this time, but I'm sure your nestling will never read this letter...

Pinkie gasped and hugged Gummy vigorously. Because of this a squeak sounded through the room, but it wasn't clear, whether it came from Gummy, or Pinkie herself. Well she read ahead, firmly nestling to her pet.

...her very unique mannerism, that you have mentioned in your evaluation, makes it even more difficult to interact with her. Her tomboyish attitude makes it almost impossible, that...

Pinkie Pie paused, nuzzled Gummy and tried to suppress her upcoming sadness. It didn't work out, it just grew stronger and the first tears were streaming down her face.

...anypony would adopt her here, or even would take care of her as a foster parent.
I apologize for my honesty, but your request was a mistake right from the start.
I can understand, that you would use the last straw, but the pegasi here just want a filly who can actually fly. I'm very remorseful, that it did not work out as you had expected.
I wish it was different, really I do.

Love,
Your Nestling Wings.

Pinkie sobbed as she finished the letter, pressed her eyes into Gummy and let everything everything she’d been holding in; out. She cried into her small friend, but one thought in her mind fought down the flurry of emotions strangely fast. Or more precisely a memory. She wiped away her tears and followed the memory.



Pinkie sat beside a sobbing blanket lump on a bed and tried to stay calm. Marble cried, very silently, but she cried and Pinkie couldn't stand this.
She wanted to protect her, but didn't know how. She wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how neither.
She wanted...she wanted… Thoughts raced in her mind as she tried to grasp for an unknown word but couldn’t.
Her own sobbing started to drown Marble's out. Pinkie even wailed and cried out loud.
“But...but I want to help you!”
Somepony galloped quickly through the room and hugged her vigorously. She buried her eyes in a warm coat and sobbed into it. Somepony caressed softly over her head and spoke in a gentle, calming whisper. .
“Pinkamena, what's wrong?”
The monotone voice sounded worried -for Pinkie at least- and the hug was an idea gentler than usual.
“Oh Maud, I think Marble has hurt herself and I want to help...help...”
The tears overwhelmed Pinkie again and she pressed herself closer into the hug. She sobbed again and nuzzled her older sister frantically. Maud started to speak and one gentle hoof rubbed the small of Pinkie’s back very comfortingly.
“I'll become sad too, every time I see you cry.
But when you cry right now, nothing will change and you can't help her.
Come on, Pinkamena, it’s not the time for tears. Hug her and help h-”
She interrupted Maud's calm voice with her trembling one and looked at her with a tear soaked face.
“Could you...could you do it first?”
The older sister just shook her head and pushed the crying filly to the sobbing blanket bulge.
“You can do it!”




The last sentence brought Pinkie back into her present self and she wiped away the remaining tears. She swiftly looked to the picture wall again, returned her attention back to her pet and took a deep breath. So deep, that she almost started to hover! However, as she breathed out like a balloon with a loud PRRFT!, she landed beside the bed again. She smiled seriously, coiled the letter with her nose, and put it into her mane.
“First...first...say Gummy, what should I do first?”
The little alligator blinked very slowly and Pinkie took a breath as long as he blinked.
“You're right, no time for panic.
Should we put our heads together and think?
Uh, I have the right pony for this....”
Pinkie Pie whooshed away and bounced downstairs.
She returned quickly and kissed Gummy on his toothless mouth.
“You're the best in calming everypony down and even...
Gummy stared pervasive at her and Pinkie nodded.
“You're right. I should go and...”
She bolted away, but came back again. She pranced in front of the bed and blabbered nervously.
“What if Twilight says that I shouldn't read a letter that isn't addressed to me?”
Gummy blinked slowly and Pinkie grinned.
“Right, it was an accident and it won't surely be so bad and...”
She rushed away again, but for the third time she returned almost immediately.
“What if I don't know what to do after I speak with Twilight?”
This time her murmur sounded very low and almost frightened. Gummy flicked his tongue quickly and touched Pinkie's nose with it.
“Oh! Right, thanks Gummy. I will ask Twilight then... right!
See you!”

This time she darted away for real. Pinkie rushed out of the house and bowled down a small orange filly as she ran down the stairs. Scootaloo tried to hold on to the bigger mare and stay on her hooves, but she failed and dragged her along. The filly and the mare rolled down the two steps then fell down on the ground below. The letter flew out of Pinkie's mane and glided slowly down beside them. It unfurled, and with all of the bad luck in Tartarus, landed right beside Scootaloo’s mane.
> I just wanted to help you.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie heard a strange sound. She laid on her side, and hugged a warm creature very closely. Her vision was blurry, she heard ringing in her ears and she felt so groggy that she had to shut her eyes. 
She pressed her nose close into a warm coat and sniffed, the smell surprised her. She inhaled a mixed odour of fresh sweat and, more subtle, a very cheap shampoo. 
It wasn't a bad scent, but just strangely off. Pinkie wrinkled her nose and nuzzled the warm coat quickly. At the same time she heard another muffled sound. Somepony tried to push her away with two hooves and the same pony floundered in her hooves.
She didn't let her go and nuzzled her coat a little bit more. She came back to her usual state of mind finally and realised what the sound was.
Words, whispered words from a filly.

“I...I'm sorry, Pinkie.”
The filly tried to push her away, but Pinkie wouldn’t let go, snuggling up to the smaller filly. She reopened her eyes and raised her head. 
She stared directly into two big purple eyes and a wide smile spread on her face. 
She lost it almost immediately, as she looked further over the filly's body and saw which filly she snuggled and how much Scootaloo struggled against it. She bounced back onto her hooves, pulled Scootaloo with her and brushed over her side. She glanced over the filly a few times and glanced back to the ground again, avoiding her inquiring eyes. 

She spotted the letter on the ground and turned pale. A drop of sweat ran down her brow, trickling down her cheek. She pushed Scootaloo to the other side, so she wouldn't...
“Say Pinkie, did you find a letter from Cloudsdale recently?”
The filly's low voice stopped Pinkie's thoughts and the inquiring expression finally caught her glance. A nervous giggle escaped the mare and she grinned anxiously. She started to shake her head, but as Scootaloo cocked her own, she sighed.
“I...we...”
She tried to roll the letter up with her back hoof to push it under her tail, but she couldn't.  She rolled her eyes with a sigh. The only thing she was actually able to do was to draw Scootaloo's attention on the letter itself. The filly leaned over, looking to the pawing hoof and ignored the stammering mare. 
She cocked her head even more.
“Oh, there it is. Did you want to...”

Scootaloo saw that the seal was missing and went silent. She licked her lips, waved over her mane and looked away. Pinkie was finally able to push the letter under her tail and smirked widely at Scootaloo. The smaller filly avoided her gaze and drew circles on the ground.
“Did you...read it?”
She sounded low, but accusingly at the same time. Pinkie took a deep breath. She tried to smile, but it was impossible . She nodded and opened her mouth, but Scootaloo had her beat.
“But...but...you...”
Scootaloo thumped with both front hooves on the ground and raised her voice.
“You hadn't. You shouldn't. You..
This wasn't meant for you. The letter.
You can't...can't”

A few adult ponies turned to the pair and stared. They even whispered and pointed at them. Pinkie put on an apologetic smile, but Scootaloo blushed and bit her lips to keep quiet. 
She didn't react to the smile on Pinkie's face, but stared into her face with an almost angry expression. She ducked down a little bit and flinched away. They began to whisper again and Scootaloo frowned. Pinkie sighed and it started a new triad from the filly.
“I thought you were my friend and you would keep an eye on my stuff.
After all...after all...”
There was more sadness and frustration than anger in the words and Pinkie hissed. She opened her mouth to speak , but Scootaloo was faster once again. The filly tried to push her away from the letter, but the mare was way too strong for that. 
So she tried harder, laid a second hoof on her chest, pushed with her head and tried it with her whole body at last, but there was no way to move the mare even in the slightest. Coming to the resolution that this was impossible, she yelled and leaned on Pinkie's chest.

“How could you read my letter?”
“It wasn't yours.”
This low spoken sentence stopped Scootaloo's yelling. She ducked down very surprised. A quick cry escaped her mouth and she shook herself. She started to speak again, almost in a whisper.
“But...but it was about me and...”
“How do you know that?”
Pinkie spoke so calm and almost not like herself that Scootaloo was stumped. The filly glanced at her confused and snuffled quickly as another sob tried to escape her snout. She snorted and stamped her hoof on the ground. She raised her head and let her wings buzz once.
“I...I have seen it, okay?
There was my name in the letter and...”
She stopped again and had to cover her nose, so the sob would stay as low as it could be. Scootaloo sounded so upset and confused that Pinkie just raised her hoof and tried to hug her. The filly jumped away from her with a shout, banged into somepony and bounced back again. She bumped into Pinkie's hooves, unhinging her and the mare almost tripped over. 
Two little hooves grabbed her with a surprised yelp and held her in place. Scootaloo held her for a moment and nestled her shivering head against her fluffy chest, till Pinkie came back to her hooves and smiled.

“I just want to see, if somepony, anypony would be my...”
The filly whispered so shaky and as low as she could. Pinkie felt something wet on her coat and looked down. Scootaloo let her go almost immediately, stroked her mane over her eyes and turned her head away. A creaky sound came out of her mouth and Scootaloo turned away completely from Pinkie, who tried to hug her again. 
It was too late, she flinched away, elbowed her way through the few ponies on the street, and ran. Pinkie wiped the letter up with her tail, followed Scootaloo, but wasn't able to crawl under the other ponies, like her. She had to jump on the backs of the other ponies to follow the filly. She called after her.
“Scootaloo...Scootaloo please wait.
I...just wanted to help...wait...”



The filly didn't stop, even as Pinkie screamed her lungs out, Scootaloo just got faster. The mare had soon trouble to elbow her way through the ponies. They were crossing the market and many ponies were doing their weekend shopping. 
Even the jumping over their backs was getting more and more difficult and she had to apologize to many of them. She jumped on the roof of the next building and ran on the rooftop instead. That was the right call, fortunately she had seen Scootaloo on her way through the ponies and was able to spot her. She caught up with her and called again. 
“Scootaloo, please.
I just want to...”
The filly turned away from her, breathed heavily and galloped away quickly.
She left the streets of Ponyville and sped up even more. Pinkie sighed again, jumped after her, landed on a tree, and bounced from branch to branch. Finally she jumped off to another tree and red fruits were falling to the ground. These were apple trees. Where the hay did the filly run off to? Sweet Apple Acres?
Right, but why?




Pinkie sighed again, as the filly sprinted under the oldest apple trees she had seen and only her deep and loud breaths were audible. The filly tried to hide from her, but she was way too tired. Pinkie saw her finally stumble and jumped off the tree to catch her, landing in front of her. Scootaloo jumped slightly, but stayed on the ground, and panted heavily. 
Her hooves trembled and her eyes glanced over the surroundings. They finally caught Pinkie Pie and locked on her. Scootaloo sweated heavily and tried to get back on her hooves in spite of that, but she couldn't bring her hooves to work and had to stay. The mare wasn't so warm out like the filly was, she just breathed a little bit faster and grinned.
“You're a really fast filly, you know?”
Scootaloo nodded with a approving gasp and put both shivering front hooves under herself. She tried to push herself back on her hooves, but she couldn't stand up. She simply couldn't, so she stayed down and tried to catch her breath. 

Pinkie didn't have such trouble, so she could easily speak to the filly.
“You know...I didn't want to read the letter, really.
But Gummy had chewed on it, you know.
Do you actually know who Gummy is?
He’s my pet and he loves edible paper, but he always mixes it with...”
Pinkie stopped as Scootaloo stared at her confusedly and cleared her throat. She cocked her head and laid down beside the filly. Scootaloo scooted away before Pinkie was able to hug her again. So she just drew a line on the ground.
“Well I have read the letter, who you have taken from Caring, right?”
Pinkie spoke lower and lower as she saw how Scootaloo reacted. She took a deep breath, piped down and pulled a face. She turned her head away and bit her lips once before she needed more air and breathed in quickly. She still avoided Pinkie's glance and rubbed her eyes.

“I...I...”
Scootaloo couldn't say anything however hard she was trying, her breath was way too fast to speak, so her voice faded away. She rolled her eyes.
Pinkie raised a hoof, but Scootaloo flinched away even more and the mare sighed. She put the hoof back on her side and stroke her mane with the other. She smiled finally and cocked her head.
“I'm awful snoopy sometimes too, Scootaloo.”
The filly snorted and get back on her hooves finally. She had calmed down enough to answer. The filly frowned at Pinkie and bared her her teeth.
“There was my name, Pinkie.
I don't read letters, who aren't addressed to me!
There was my name!”
The filly hit the ground with a low thud. She tried to raise her voice again, but coughed, lost her voice, and gasped.
Pinkie smiled apologetically and tried to hug Scootaloo again, but the filly flinched further away. She bumped into a tree with her haunches and squeaked surprised.
Scootaloo tried to jump around it and wanted to run off, but her hooves were shivering so heavily, that she had to lean against the warm bark. She stared to glare at Pinkie and snorted again.

“I really didn't want that, Scootaloo.
It was just an accident. Really!
You know, at first I thought when it was open and Gummy was so fevered, that I...”
Pinkie fell silent as she saw how little the filly believed the excuse. She hadn't changed her pose or her expression in a slightest, even with how apologetic Pinkie sounded. Instead Scootaloo was able to finally raise her voice and she raised her hoof too. She nudged Pinkie, yelling louder and louder.
“But this doesn't mean, that you should read it, Pinkie!
I mean...”
“But you shouldn't take it either, should you?”
Pinkie stopped Scootaloo again and this time, the filly fell silent with a huff. She stared at her opening and closing her mouth and tried to mumble something. Pinkie stood up, cocked her ears, and put on a hesitant smile. The filly fell silent again, drooped her head, and sighed. She drew circles on the ground and avoided Pinkie's glances once more. 

The mare cleared her throat and started to speak as the filly remained silent.
“The letter is for Caring at least and you took it and...”
Pinkie tried to hug her, but as Scootaloo heard this sentence she reacted. She clenched her teeth, smacked away her hoof, and yelled.
“There was my name. My name!
I just needed to know.
To know...”
Pinkie approached the upset filly and tried to smile, but the filly flinched aside and sighed, annoyed. She pranced to the left, thumped louder on the ground, and buzzed her wings furiously.
“What's that to you?
You didn't know me at all.
You don't have any rights to tell me off or say what I should or shouldn't do. 
So leave me alone!”
Again Scootaloo became much louder than before as well as angrier and sadder. She turned away from Pinkie and wiped away a few tears. 



Pinkie jumped after her and raised a hoof, but a louder yell from Scootaloo stopped her.
“Leave me alone!
I don't want to see you ever again.”
Pinkie stared at the galloping filly, her eyes widened. Nopony ever had said that to her with so much anger and sadness and she didn't know how to react
Her thought lingered around this sentence and it ripped through every little lovely image of her little Scootaloo. 
Everything she wanted to do, everything she wanted to say, everything she wanted to... She shivered and wiped away tears. 
She shut her eyes, bit her lips, and finally started cantering after the running filly. She mumbled to herself,
“But...but I just wanted to help you...”
> Why do you want to adopt her?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie didn't stay lay down in the apple orchard for a long time, but bounced back on her hooves quickly and looked after Scootaloo's hoof-prints. 
She followed them of course, but stopped after the first few steps.
“I...just wanted to help you, Scootaloo.”
She mumbled to herself, rubbed over the eyes and stroke her mane with the same hoof. She glanced over the trail on the ground, but didn't follow. She had learned just one week ago, that it isn't the right course of action to push further, when a pony needed time to calm him or herself down. Uhm or a donkey in the particular case. Pinkie sighed, but turned around for all that.
“Twilight...knows what to do, certainly.”
This idea brought a glimpse of a grin back to Pinkie's face and she trotted slowly back to Ponyville. She thought so intensely, that she didn't faced anypony on her way back, even her smile was vaguely. Of course a few ponies wanted to speak with hear on her way back, but she answered just with tokens like,
Yeah, totally or of course.
She knew Ponyville like home, well it was her home after all. She knew it so well, that she could be blind folded, or distracted like today, but would always find her way. She let her hooves guide her to her forethought destination. The Golden Oaks.

Two small hooves hugged her, stopped her pacing and a giggling voice brought her back to reality. She raised her own hooves automatically and hugged the little filly almost as bone crushing, as she did.
“Pinkie? What are you doing here?”
The light blue filly grinned wide, nestled her head against the pink chest and nuzzled the mare happily. Pinkie petted over a tangled grey mane and touched a small horn on the forehead. First she was unsure what to do next, than a genuine smile appeared on her face. She blew a really cold gust down the filly's neck. She yelped surprised and trembled. So she let her go and jumped away with a giggle.
“Hey. That's unfair!”
She didn't sound really angry, or peeved, but mocked indignant. The filly grinned happily and coltish to the mare. Pinkie smiled back and ducker her head down, till it stayed so low, that it almost rested against her front hooves. She leaned kittenish down to the little filly and sounded way lower than usual.
“I'm the Ice pony, Bloo. And I like to haunt little fillies with my icy breath.”
The filly giggled again and covered her face with both hooves in a pretend appealed way. She pranced a few steps away and raised her head as high as possible.
“Oh no, than I should run away and hide. Bet you can't catch me.”
The filly giggled once more and jumped back into a huge house. Pinkie raised her head, cocked it and looked confused to the roof of the house. What did she do here at the Ponyville Orphanage?
Pinkie stood there and stared to the door so long in fact, that Bloo came back and looked out of the doorstep.
“Hey, what's keeping you so long?
I thought the Ice pony wanted...uah!”
The filly was caught out of the blue by a cold gust of wind down her neck and jumped back with another squeak. She giggled and fled from the mare. Pinkie followed her finally and smiled.

The joyful chase ended for Pinkie after multiple rounds through the whole orphanage. She declared an other foal, a colt to be the Ice pony and all the fillies and colts came closer and hugged her. She grinned to everypony and said goodbye.
“I've to talk with Caring, but I'll return shortly and we can play a little bit longer.”
All the foals were screaming with joy and fled from the new Ice pony, a small white pegasus. He flapped his wings and lifted off. First it seemed to be an unfair advantage, but it was clear very soon, that the colt couldn't fly well enough, to chase after anypony. Pinkie grinned, as he crashed into a bed after his first failed attempt to catch a friend. He shook his head, frowned and ran after an earthpony filly. 
The mare sighed and turned to an open door to her left. At the level of the smaller fillies were many pictures from a yellow mare with a huge heart as a Cutie Mark. The mare just smiled, or waved, or played with many painted foals. At the level of the older foals were a shield with a name, Caring Heart and sentences.
“Whatever problem you might have come in, when the door is open. 
If the door is closed, please wait or knock, when the problem is really big.”
At Pinkie's level was another shield with the name and sentences.
“Thanks for your help and come in, if you want to.
Knock, if the door is closed, but stay outside, till I answer.”
Pinkie took a deep breath, smiled shortly and walked. Yes walked, she didn't bounce, she didn't trot, she walked.
She walked into the small office. Caring Heart sat on her seat, bruted over a list and wrote numbers in different columns. Her ears raised and the mare raised her head too, as she heard the hoof steps from a pony entering her office. First she looked to a level, who a foal might be and smiled gently, but as she saw just a pink belly, she raised her head higher. Her smile widened and she spat the pen on the paper.
“Hello Pinkie. I've heard you're in the house already. Nice to see you again.
What can I do for you?
Do you think it's time for another cheering up party?”
The mare sounded calm and friendly first, but she added a hint of worrying in her last sentence and cocked her head. Pinkie approached her desk, shook her head and thumped her hoof to the ground once. This sound let the smile in Caring's face fading away and she looked confused to the younger mare.
“I'm not here for that, Caring.
I'm here, because...”
Pinkie took a deep breath and put on a wide smile, which Caring just copied. Pinkie sounded lower, than she expected and that confused her even more.

“I want to adopt Scootaloo!”
The mare stared directly into Caring's eyes and her smile became even more friendly. The mare wasn't relieved or happy, or positive surprised by her statement, quite different than Pinkie would have guessed. She looked rather like a mare, that Pinkie had told, that she has to cancel a party.
“Pinkie, this...you....this isn't f...”
The pink mare cocked her head, her formerly excited smile flattened and she drew circles on the ground. Caring cleared her throat, stood up and approached her. A group of running and joyful yelling fillies and colts crossed the open door, but neither Pinkie, nor Caring paid attention to them. Caring started to draw circles on the ground too and raised a hoof.
“How did you even get this idea, Pinkie?”
She stared confused to Pinkie and the younger mare took a deep breath. She thumped a hoof on the ground, almost like a spoiled child and answered.
“I want to adopt Scootaloo.
Because...I feel sorry for her.
Because...she will have a family than...
Because she....”
Caring raised her hoof higher and stopped Pinkie's hastily blabbered list of reasons. She even touched her chest and petted it in a clear attempt to calm her down.
“This is what anypony would say.
Have you asked her? What did she want?
Is she okay with you adopting her?”
These questions let Pinkie remember, what happened today and Scootaloo's yelled sentence came back in her mind.  She cocked her head, looked down to the ground and scrunched her face. Pinkie sighed a long sigh, sat down, put her back legs close to her and stroke her chin with one hoof. 

The mother of the orphanage wasn't finished yet and pestered her with even more questions.
“What did the Cakes have to say about this? Or your parents?
How do you plan to take care of her?
Where do you live with her?
Can you help her with her homework?
Who else can take care of her, when you're getting ill, or when you have to save Equestria again?”
Pinkie stroke her chin with streams of sweat gliding down her cheeks, tried to stay focus on the desk but failed and her eyes drifted nervously through the room. Caring didn't stop her, sighed and shook her head finally.
“It's very nice of you, that you want to help her, really Pinkie.
But I don't think, that you're the right pony for th...”
Pinkie jumped back to her hooves, before the other mare was able to finish her sentence and stared almost challenging to her. Caring cocked her head, as the smaller mare started to speak.
“I'm the only pony. Nopony else wanted to adopt her. And this is really, really, REALLY sad, Caring.
She deserves a lo...”
Pinkie tore up, but brushed the tears away with a simple snort. She snuffled and continued.
“I want to...”
She yelled, stopped and took a deep breath. Pinkie shivered, sat down and brushed away more tears. She sounded almost bidding right now.
“I just want to really, really, REALLY help her. Can you tell me, what I've to do to become the right pony?
Pretty please?”
She elongated the word, like a gum and took a deep breath after that. She couldn't fight back her tears any longer and started to sob. Caring Heart stared at her with wide open eyes. A group of fillies and colts crossed again the door and Caring closed it finally.

She sighed, approached Pinkie Pie and laid a hoof on the crying mare's mane. She petted her gently and cuddled closer to her.
“Th...this isn't so easy, Pinkie.”
The mare raised her head, brushed away more tears and nodded. She looked firmly into the other mare's eyes and sighed.
“I know!
How should I start?”
Caring sighed too, opened her mouth to demur more, but something else came out of her mouth and she seemed to be surprised by that.
“Think what's best for Scootaloo.
She needs a place to life, help in school and somepony who is there for her all the time.
Talk with the Cakes, your parents and especially Twilight, okay?”
Pinkie nodded, stood up and stayed on her shivering hooves. Her eyes looked around and her ears pressed flat against her head. She frowned and thought for a while.
“Do you think it's okay, when I invite Scootaloo to a sleepover?
I have scared her a little...”
Her voice just whispered and Caring couldn't understand the last sentence clearly, but she smiled gently and nodded.
“That's a good idea, Pinkie. So you two get to know each other better.”
Pinkie nodded and her smile widened, but as she remembered her arguing with Scootaloo, she sighed again. The mare had to brush away tears again and started to shiver. Caring's smile stayed, she hugged her and nuzzled over her cheek.
“Hey, don't worry, I think she would...”
Pinkie sighed again and stroke her mane on her own, touched the letter and took a deep breath. She pushed Caring's hoof away very gently and looked inquiring to her. The older mare stopped and had to think about something. Her face put on an inquiring expression too, as longer she thought and she  looked  over Pinkie.
“Say, how did you get the idea to adopt Scootaloo in the first place?”
This question let Pinkie sigh again and she stroke her mane once more. She grabbed the letter and pulled it slowly out of her mane.
“Scootaloo had...”

Somepony knocked on the door and a low voice sounded through it. Both mares jumped on their hooves, squeaked surprised and listened with a hoof on their mouths.
“Caring, I have to tell you something.
Am I disturbing you?”
It was Scootaloo's voice and Pinkie turned her head slowly to the door. Caring looked to the other mare, but Pinkie didn't answer, or react, so she put on a confused expression and opened the door. She managed to smile to the ducked down pegasus filly in front of the door and nodded.
“I think, you have to wait...”
Before she was able to finish, the little filly jumped forwards, hugged her and started to mumble apologies.
“I didn't want to take the letter,
I have seen my name on it and...I'm sorry.”
Pinkie heard low sobs, cocked her head and smiled gently to the shivering filly. Caring stared to Pinkie really confused, pulled Scootaloo into the office quickly and closed the door with her back hoof. She hugged her back and petted gently over her mane. She looked to Pinkie very confused at the same time.
“What letter?”
> Scootaloo's home.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie brushed over her mane for a long time, grinned widely and looked from Caring to Scootaloo and back again. Her grin was clearly forced and drops of sweat glided over her forehead, but neither Scootaloo, nor Caring paid attention to her. Pinkie opened her mouth, but the little filly was way faster and stammered something.
“I wanted to have a breakfast at Sugarcube Corner and you have said, that I should come to you and tell, that I go out. 
So I had come in, but you weren't here and I saw the letters from yesterday on your desk. 
And one of them was clearly from Cloudsdale and I thought...”
The filly stopped and shook her head. She raised her head and looked directly into Carings confused face. The mare sighed finally and pushed Scootaloo a step away.
She smiled friendly and wiped gently over her mane. Scootaloo brushed the mare's hoof away with one of her and bit her lips after that. 
Caring sighed again and glanced shortly to Pinkie. The younger mare took a deep breath and raised a hoof, but Caring shook her head quickly and whispered to the filly.
“So you have taken the letter and read it, right?”
First Scootaloo just nodded and avoided her look quickly, but she shook her head and put on a huffy frown as the mare asked the second part of the question.
“No, I've lost it in Sugarcube Corner and Pinkie has read it and didn't give it back to me.
But it has my name on it and...”

Caring raised a hoof and stopped the filly's niggling stammering. She looked to Pinkie both  disappointed and relived at the same time. The young mare stroke her mane and drew out the letter finally.
Scootaloo wanted to grab for it quickly, but Caring walked between them and shook her head. So Scootaloo put her hoof down and sighed.
“How did you know, that your name was in it?”
Caring sounded gently, but Scootaloo still drooped her head and drew circles on the ground. She hemmed and hawed for a few moments, but was able to answer at last.
“I have looked into the scroll and there was written Scootaloo on one point.”
The filly sounded really nervous and tried to grab the letter, but Caring was faster and took the letter for herself. She looked firmer to the little filly and cleared her throat.
“You still shouldn't take a letter, who isn't addressed to you, Scootaloo.”
This time the mare sounded like she wanted to scold Scootaloo for real and the filly blushed a little bit. She glanced quickly from Caring to Pinkie and bit her lips, as she blushed deeper. Pinkie's smile faded away, as the filly frowned again and looked back to Caring.

“But Pinkie shouldn't...”
Scootaloo stretched the but very long and tried to shift the blame partly to Pinkie. The mare licked her lips and raised her hoof again, but Caring didn't let her interrupt her scolding.
“I will talk with her after I'm finish with you, Scootaloo.
First you have to understand, that you shouldn't take a letter from my desk.
What would you do, if it's about you and White Lightning?”
The filly looked away from Pinkie Pie and down to the ground again, meanwhile her hooves drew lines on the ground. She stroke her mane and sighed again.
“Well...I would...I would bring it back and...”
Caring shook her head and laid a hoof around the stammering filly's shoulder. She took a deep breath and sounded more serious.
“But than you have known something from White Lightning and what if you and he are picked by a pair for an adoption. 
But they just want to adopt one of you? What would you do with that?”
Scootaloo raised her head hopefully, opened her mouth, shut it closed again and dropped her head.
“I...I...”
She turned her head back and forth and tried to look out for a good answer. But she didn't find one and lost her head more and more, finally she just moved quietly her lips and chewed on them. She even snuffled once and brushed over her eyes. Caring raised her hoof and put it on Scootaloo shoulders again. She bopped her gently and raised her head gently with it.
“So please don't take letters from my desk, okay?
I'm glad, that you have told me and I'm not mad at you.
But I think you should write me an apology letter and do the sink duty tomorrow.”
Scootaloo drooped her head further, pressed her ears against it and nodded finally. She looked to Pinkie again, blushed deeper and avoided her look. 
Pinkie looked back to the filly and cocked her head. She opened her mouth for the third time, but Caring stopped her again.

“Well now I should handle you, Pinkie.
How could you read a letter, who isn't for you?”
Scootaloo sighed low, as Caring started and skulked back to the door. But the elder mare laid a hoof on her back and hold her back. The filly looked confused to her.
“No Scootaloo, please wait.”
The filly opened her mouth really confused, but Caring smiled and told Pinkie further off.
“You should bring it immediately to me and shouldn't open it in the first place.
Where is the seal actually and why is the whole letter so crinkled?”
The mare's voice became more and more serious and Pinkie started to sweat again. Pinkie drooped her shoulders and tried to avoid the look of the mare. Scootaloo stared to both mares and couldn't help, but start to snicker, as Caring scolded the younger mare more and more. Pinkie drooped her head more and more and stammered an explanation.
“Well Gummy, he is my little alligator you know, had...”


The longer she explained, the more confused stared Caring and the more Scootaloo giggled at her constant grimacing.
“Well I thought, I simply could come to you and ask, if I could adopt Scootaloo, because nopony else would do this, even the one in Cloudsdale...”
Pinkie covered her mouth quickly with her hooves, as the snickering faded away and Scootaloo breathed in in shock. 
Pinkie gaped to Scootaloo, who stared to her shocked and simply stood there agape by either her offer or her last sentence. 
Caring hit her head with a hoof and this action waked up Scootaloo from her numbness. She turned around, galloped to the door, pushed it open and fled with a sudden sob.
“Scootaloo, please wait, I...”
Pinkie cried after her, but Caring hit her back, she took air with both front hooves and ran after the filly.
“Come on Pinkie, follow her.”
Caring yelled almost and Pinkie obeyed simply. The filly galloped through the playroom, elbowed her way through the cheerful fillies and colts and sped up even more.
“Hey, Scoots, we're trying to paint, do you...”
Bloo tried to welcome the older filly with a smile, but she was hustled out of the way by the bigger filly and almost fell over. Pinkie caught her quickly, waved over her mane, smiled gently and continued to gallop after Scootaloo. She followed her upstairs.


The first floor of the orphanage was fortunately empty right now. That was probably the reason why Scootaloo ran here. 
Pinkie followed the filly through a huge corridor and ran deeper into the criss cross of smaller corridors and small windows. She cried after her and tried to approach her closer.
“Scootaloo wait. I want to ask, what you think about it?
I mean, not about nopony want you, but rather what you think about me adopting you?”This question elicited an answer out of Scootaloo's sobbing, mouth, while she pushed a door open and slammed it after she ran through.
“I don't want. Leave me alone!”
Pinkie banged against the door, shook her aching head and glided down the door. She laid an ear on the keyhole and listened. A few more mumbled words escaped the little filly and Pinkie's mane flatted a little bit, as she could understand what Scootaloo said.
“I...I just wanted a family for real.
Why...why don't want me anypony?”
She sobbed again and fell silent with a mumbled tone. Pinkie's own eyes were tearing up, but she raised a trembling hoof and pushed the door open slowly. 
The door wasn't locked, so Pinkie took that as a sign, that she could come in. Scootaloo didn't seem to bother about it, since she laid just on her bed and nestled closely to a small stuffed animal. 
She sobbed quietly into the blue bear and nuzzled him closely. But her hind legs struggled around on the bed, as her front legs hugged the bear more and more.

Pinkie looked around in her room, found chaos and messiness, on the floor, on the little desk and even in the half open closet. 
Crumpled paper, toys, sticks and even a broken gramophone laid on the floor and added a feeling of lumber to the already mess of balls, a scooter with helmet on the handle bar and many other sport stuff. 
A very muddy tricot laid directly under the desk chair and spread the long dried mud on the floor around it. Pinkie's look followed the mud trail to the desk itself.
The chaos there was way worse. Books, papers, pens and curiously tools laid in a chaotic mess on the desk, in so many layers, that it was impossible for Pinkie to see the original desktop under them.
It was impossible to do homework on that desk, without to push away the mess and added it to the one on the floor. 
The only thing, what was strangely decent at best was the walls, but even there were hanging many things. 
First it seemed, that it was as messy, as the ground, but Pinkie found a strange way of organisation in the whole drawings and pictures.
Two corners of the room were clearly in thematically order. The one corner left to the desk was devoted to one mare Pinkie knew very well. Her grin shined down from a few drawings, photos and even one great poster. Under the poster stood a small cupboard, on it laid a small wig in the multicoloured colours of the mare's mane, a few banners and a small list. This corner of the room appeared to be almost as a shrine for Rainbow Dash and was the only place in the whole room, who wasn't so messy. In fact it was almost neat for the room.

The corner on the other side of the desk was devoted to another group of ponies. Under a small window, which was so dusty, that it was impossible for Pinkie to look through, stood the desk. A chair stood beside it, where a neat folded, but ripped red cape laid. Over the chair hung a list with crossed activities, beside of it hung drawings and pictures of three little fillies, who were standing grinning together, cleared up things or straight up disaster together with a disappointed frown on their faces, or were in the middle of one of the actions of the list.
Pinkie had heard from the wild adventures from the Cutie Mark Crusaders of course, or was directly involved in it. 
Respectively she had to clean up the kneader, after the fillies had used it and it was a very difficult task to clean up the colourful coat and the mane streaks. 
But Pinkie smiled nevertheless, as she spotted her own picture. The three fillies stuck together with the bonbon mass.
The rest of the walls were plastered with drawings, who were clearly drawn by Scootaloo.
Some showed a little Scootaloo among two adult ponies with changing mane styles and colours, a few were with pegasi, a few others were earthponies and one was even with a pair of unicorns. 
The pictures were clearly a try to imagine parents for Scootaloo. Pinkie's looked over dozens of pictures, who were showing in different styles, that Scootaloo had drawn them in different stage of ages. The earliest picture was a crayon drawing in a typical style of a little foal, the latest pictures were actually well drawn in scenery and anatomical order and seemed to be from a elder school filly. The mare had a big lump in her throat and swallowed it with a deep sigh.
She looked to the latest picture, the one with Scootaloo beside Rainbow Dash and with her talent show medal around her neck. The Scootaloo on the picture grinned widely and hugged the mare closely. The mare smiled proudly to her. Rainbow Dash had picked up Scootaloo after the talent show contest and strolled a little bit through Ponyville with her. But she hadn't done much more. Even though the filly was so happy, that she had drawn a picture from her and Rainbow?

Pinkie smiled gently, but a low sob attracted her attention back to the bed. She took a deep breath and approached the bed finally.
“Hey Scoots.”
Scootaloo snapped her head from the stuffed animal and glared to the mare. She even frowned in anger.
“You're not Rainbow Dash!”
This was all, what the filly could say, before she sobbed again and had to press her head back into her teddy. Pinkie's ears fell flat, she sighed and whispered finally.
“You're right, I'm really really sorry.
So Scootaloo.”
She stretched out the last O very long and took a deep breath,
“I...”
She stopped again and shook herself, as she remembered back for one moment. But she didn't want to and wished, that she was able to dug the memory back into herself.

Pinkie sat beside her Mummy and sobbed quietly, as she looked to the bed and saw the very old pony, who breathed just low and nestled her aged face onto a pillow.
Pinkie sobbed again and laid her own nose on the blanket. She sniffed involuntary and smelled the well loved scent of the old mare, her Granny Pie. It was enough to drove her over the edge and she started to weep finally. She pressed her eyes closer and closer into the blanket and sobbed full throated.
She stayed there for a while, unable to calm down, or even to see anything. But she sensed finally something.
Mummy's gentle voice sounded in her ears. Cloudy laid gently a hoof around her shoulders and pulled her away from the blanket. She snuggled the filly closer into her hug, laid her head on the straight mane and whispered low into her ears.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie, it's good to weep, when you feel sad.
It helps thou and you can let go the pain much easier after you get eased.”
Pinkie raised her head and looked firmly into the elder mares eyes, who were looking soft, but didn't be tearing up in the slightest. She wiped away her own tears more than once, sobbed and was able to ask a question finally.
“But why don't you weep at all?
She is your Mummy, isn't she?”
Cloudy shut her eyes close and sighed for a long time. In this sigh was so much pain, that Pinkie just cuddled against her Mummy's chest and had to wipe away more tears on her coat. Cloudy took a deep breath and cuddled the filly closer. She nuzzled her face and whispered.
“Do you know, why I don't weep right now?
Because I've to be strong for you and have to comfort thou.
I tell you, I'll weep, as soon as you fall asleep again, I promise.”
As strange as it sounded, it made the little Pinkie nod and she snuggled closer into her mother's hooves.


Pinkie shook away the rest of the memory, wiped furtive over her eyes and raised the hoof further. She laid it gently on Scootaloos neck and petted over her mane. 
The filly sobbed first almost surprised, trembled, but stayed finally. She turned her head to Pinkie and whispered one half of a sentence, before she pressed her face back on her stuffed animal.
“I...don't want to...”
Pinkie didn't listen, but let her hoof stayed on Scootaloo's head. The mare took another deep breath, leaned down to the filly's ears and whispered on her own.
“I'm really sorry, Scootaloo.
I didn't mean to make you sad, really I mean it.
I should really look out more about my dumb blabbering mouth and should...”
Pinkie sounded so calm and gentle, that Scootaloo couldn't do anything else, than cuddled closer to her teddy. Pinkie stopped finally and petted Scootaloo's mane very carefully. The filly raised one hoof, sobbed and interrupted Pinkie's fondling with a low question.
“Do you really want adopt me, Pinkie?”
Her voice crushed after the word adopt and Pinkie had to guess her name, but she nodded nevertheless. The filly breathed out with ease, raised her head and stared at Pinkie for a long time. 
Finally she sobbed once more and shut her eyes closed. A low question came out of her, before she had to snuggle against her stuffed animal and had to cover her face again.

“But why?”
> Twilight's Assistance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie stayed silent and pondered for a few minutes. She looked around, her eyes stayed on one particular crayon drawing with two earthponys and she took it into a closer inspection. The colouring of their coats was known by her, first vaguely but finally she made a hiss, as she finally recognised the ponies, the Cakes. 
Scootaloo had painted them as she was a little foal?

She looked over the walls and recognised more and more ponies on the drawings. She saw on the second glance more diverse couples and a few pictures were even with just one mare, but none of it was actually with her colour. Pinkie sighed and looked down to the ground. She dove deeper into her thoughts and began sweating heavily, but she couldn't find any answer.
Scootaloo frowned sullenly, rolled her eyes and waited. A few nagging minutes later she brushed more tears away and shook her head. She pushed than Pinkie Pie away from herself and whispered one sentence.
“When you can't even think about...”
Pinkie looked back to the filly, who started to scoot away from her and turned her face against the wall. The mare took her into a tight hug and babbled an answer hastily.
“No, I...I want to give the absolute perfect, strongest and truly truthfulliest answer of all.
So I can show you, that I'm really really really serious about it, but...I can't find one.”

Scootaloo tried to struggle away from the hug first, but as Pinkie's voice got more and more weaker and a sob got stuck in her throat finally, Scootaloo reconsidered. She stopped and nuzzled the chest of the older mare slowly. She opened her mouth, but Pinkie hadn't finished to talk yet.
“Well beside of this one here.
Every little filly and colt just deserves a family.
And we Pies are the very best family of all.”
Pinkie fell silent quickly and looked around conspiratorial. Finally she pushed Scootaloo away from her chest and looked directly into her eyes. She whispered and beamed at the same time.
“Please, don't tell Apple Bloom, that I've said this. Or else....”
Scootaloo snickered and completed the sentence, after she sniffled once and rubbed her nose with one hoof.
“She will tell Applejack and she makes it into a competition.”
Pinkie nodded, her grin became more widely and she hugged the filly again. Scootaloo smiled more  wistful, but continued to nuzzle the coat of the mare slowly. She cleared her throat, as she raised her own hooves and returned the hug. She whispered a question.
“Is this enough?
I mean...”

Scootaloo stopped and sighed very low. She let loose Pinkie Pie at the same time and looked away. Pinkie took a deep breath and hugged her tighter. She whispered a question on her own.
“Is it enough for you?”
She emphasised the you very strongly and Scootaloo sighed again. The filly brushed over her eyes and pressed them back into the mare's coat. She thought about it for a long time and nuzzled her coat again in the meantime. She snuffled and sighed again, as the sweet smell of the the mare mixed with a more subliminal one of cakes and the warmth of the mare calmed her down.
She opened her mouth, but somepony knocked on her door and startled her out of her thoughts. She pushed away the mare quickly, jumped from the bed and back at her hooves. Scootaloo ran so quickly and sure hoofed through her chaos, as it wasn't there in the first place and stopped directly in front of the door. She brushed over her eyes again and ordered her mane after that. The filly looked back to Pinkie on her bed doubtfully and drew nervous circles on the ground.
“This is...I mean it's lunchtime and we have to help. So...uhm...”

Pinkie nodded quickly, turned her head and saw where she was lying, so she jumped on her hooves hastily and down from the bed. She stumbled through the chaos more insecure, bounced beside Scootaloo and landed with a loud creak beside the filly. Scootaloo looked appealed down to her hooves, opened her mouth, but the pony outside knocked again and she slouched her shoulders. She pushed the door open and sighed. First she cried to the pony outside and turned then around to Pinkie.
“I'm coming. I've to go, Pinkie.”
She sounded a little bit disappointed or even angry for a moment and Pinkie looked down to her own hooves. She was stepped on a very old, now broken, doll of an earthpony. She raised her hoof from the toy slowly, but there wasn't any free space on the ground. Everywhere near the doll lay other toys and she just hold the hoof up in the air. Pinkie opened her mouth, but Scootaloo sighed again and drew her out of the room quickly with herself. Pinkie tried to stammer an apology, but the filly just slammed the door shut and followed the other little filly.
She stopped before she was out of the line of sight, turned around and raised a hoof quickly. She waved to the mare, bit away a smile and put on a disappointed frown for her last expression.
Finally she turned around and ran without Pinkie around the corner, as she would flee from her. The mare stared after the filly and shook her head really confused.


The way out of the orphanage led Pinkie back to Caring's office, but the mare wasn't there, probably she had all her hooves full with the preparation of the meal. First Pinkie thought about to help them, but as she pondered around her own tasks, she realised that she had Pinkie promised Twilight something. 
She had promised to help her by the rearranging of all the books in the Golden Oaks Library and was almost tardy. She checked the clock on the tower again and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Pinkie was running through Ponyville, her thoughts still lingering in Scootaloo's room. No matter what, she couldn't get it out of her mind. 
Chaos wasn't unknown for Pinkie of course, it was necessary for a good party in some degree. She grinned wider involuntary and bounced whistling closer to the big tree in the centre of Ponyville.
But her thoughts drifted again back to Scootaloo's mess and she remembered the broken doll. Pinkie sighed and shook her head. When the chaos was so messy, that somepony wasn't able to look out for what was important for them, it was not the good or funny kind of chaos. And Scootaloo had this  bad kind of chaos in her room.
Pinkie sighed again and took a deep breath. She stood finally in front of the door and tried to free her thoughts from Scootaloo, but even as she knocked on the door her thoughts stayed in the filly's room. A halfway convincing smile was all she could muster to appear on her face, but Twilight wouldn't mind that hopefully.

Purple magic opened the door finally and Pinkie's frowning face looked to a huge pile of books and a sweating Twilight beside of it. The unicorn levitated a few books around her head and looked to one in particular. She mumbled something and put it back on the highest shelf of the empty library. Pinkie sighed loudly as the mess in the library reminded her strongly to the one in Scootaloo's room. She drew Twilight's attention onto her with that sigh and a small smile appeared on the mare's face, as she turned. But it disappeared quickly, as she saw the expression on Pinkie's face. It was a strangely serious, even refrained expression, which didn't change in the slightest, as she entered the library.
Even her mane wasn't quite as fluffy as it supposed to be and Pinkie bit her lips very strongly. Twilight opened her mouth, but Pinkie was way ahead with her talking. She bounced aside the unicorn, landed on a few books, but not one slipped away and the mare claimed.
“Do you think I'm the right pony to adopt Scootaloo?”
Twilight cocked her head very confused, lost her concentration and all the levitating books rumbled down to the ground. She faced Pinkie and closed the door with her magic. Twilight sounded truly confused and didn't bother to tone down her voice.
“What, you want what?”


Twilight and Pinkie sat on a few cushions in the second floor of the Golden Oaks with a few cups of tea and Pinkie finished her story recently.
“You know, I would never imagine, that she would wish the Cakes, or even the Apples as parents and even paint them or all the other families here.”
Pinkie fell silent, as Twilight put down her own cup and cleared her throat.
“Well, I wouldn't either, but what has this to do with my question, Pinkie?
Why do you want to adopt Scootaloo in the first place?”
Twilight smiled, for the way into smiles Pinkie somewhat between pitying, interested and bashful but she tried to dissemble any kind of understanding expression and what she felt about that kind of smile. She looked directly into the mare's questioning eyes, sighed and turned her own cup in her hooves. She had drank the very tasty tea from Twilight a while ago, but turned the cup in her hooves to past the time. She needed this time to search for a good answer, but the only one she was able to find was the one she had given to Scootaloo.
“Because, every little filly and colt just deserves a family.”
Twilight reacted different than Scootaloo and shook her head. She took a cookie from the plate between them, took a bit of it and chewed on it contemplative. Pinkie saw, that she pondered around for words and her smile faded more and more away.
Finally, as it disappeared completely, she swallowed the bit and stroke nervously over her mane with one hoof.
“Well, you know, that's...good and very kind...yes kind of you, that you want to help Scootaloo in this way. And I agree, that she really deserves a family.”
Pinkie grinned first, but the stammering Twilight shook her head and cleared her throat again. She drew circles on the ground with one hoof and whispered an answer. Pinkie laid her ears against her head and ducked down a little bit, as she continued.
“But how in Equestria did you come to the conclusion, that you would be the right pony for this?”
Pinkie cocked her head, opened her mouth, but Twilight raised a hoof and stopped the mare with a few other words.
“What do you think would happen?
Would she simply stay with you in the Cakes room?
Don't you think that would be...”

Pinkie shook her head quickly, stopped Twilight and whispered an answer. She looked directly into the nervous eyes of her friend.
“I have to look out for a house, Twilight.”
The seriousness in her voice let Twilight fall silent quickly and she simply could gaze at the party pony. Pinkie just took a cookie on her own, took a bite too and chewed on it. She mumbled a few more sentences.
“But I could really use your help with that.
Would you please make a checklist for me, for the thinks I should think of?
I don't want to miss something important.
And can you make me a task list, so I can see, what I should be able to do as a mummy.
What I should think about and how I...hello Twilight, are you listening?”
The pink mare had jumped back on her hooves in the middle of the words and crossed through the room. As she got  no answer from Twilight, she bounced back to her and waved with a hoof in front of the mare's astonished staring eyes, but there was no response, other then the staring. Twilight just gazed with an agape mouth to the spot where Pinkie had sat and didn't moved until Pinkie shook her.
“Hey, Twilight, what's the matter with you?
I just want to...”
Twilight shook her head and a wide grin returned to her face. She hugged Pinkie, well she even nuzzled her and spoke with a proud voice.
“You're really...incredible Pinkie.”
She cleared her throat again, as the party pony cocked her head again and put on an inquiring expression. She then shrugged it off simply and joined into the hug.
“Well thanks, but why?”
Pinkie's question was the last thing Twilight could here before the strong hooves of Pinkie hugged her closely and both mares just shared the hug for a few moments.


The now following talk between the both mares was very different. Pinkie asked, where she should live, what she should do first and if Twilight had an idea, with what she should prepare herself first.
Twilight advised a few books of course, but didn't stop there. She recommended a few talks with the Cakes or especially with Applejack. But Pinkie nodded simply, wiped of her mouth and took a deep breath.
“First I should talk with Ma and Pa.
They wouldn't become grannies uhm I mean Granny and Gramp Pie, or are they?
Oh and I have to tell Maud and Limie and Marble.”
Twilight was long lost into making a list for Pinkie and mumbled something quietly to herself.
“Healthy food, uhm Applejack could help you surely with that.
Oh and homework would be my part of...”
She realised just now, that Pinkie had asked a question and looked to her. She opened her mouth, but somepony opened the door of the library and a young voice sounded through the whole library.
“Why it's still so messy here?
Twilight I thought Pinkie would help you with the rearranging?”
Spike seemed to stumble across the pile of books slowly and Twilight frowned after she realised, what kind of mess she had left behind. She looked to the clock and galloped quickly downstairs. Pinkie bounced back on her hoof and ran after her.
> A Rocky Road to a Sleepover.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie had helped the rearranging in the library and had said goodbye to Twilight and Spike quickly after they put the last book finally back on the shelf. Twilight wanted to keep informed of the whole adoption thing and would make a few checklists for Pinkie. And looked out for a house for her. Oh and she would talk with Caring, or even with Scootaloo, if Pinkie wanted to, of course. But the mare just shook her head, smiled and thanked her for her offer.
“I got this, Twilight.”
She hugged the unicorn one last time and galloped away. Nopony disturbed her way back to Sugarcube Corner, it was way too late for that. Sugarcube Corner was already closed and the Cakes had taken care of the twins, so they couldn't talk with Pinkie. So the mare ran upstairs and into her room. She bounced on her bed and started to whisper with Gummy. Finally she fell asleep in the middle of an argument with him.


The next few days were a mess of different activities and talks for the Partypony. She took the first train home, just as she had planned and told her family about her decision. Her parents asked her how she would imagine that, what she could do for the filly and every answer led to more questions. But her parents neither didn't mean to argue her out of it, nor did they want to force her into defensive, but rather wanted to be helpful.
“How are you able to afford the needed furniture for her?
Would you be able to tell her off?
What would you do, if she falls ill?
Can you help her, when she has problems?”
Cloudy's last question let Pinkie think for a long time and she sighed finally.
She grasped a tea cup and turned it into her hooves.
“Well I don't know. But I'll learn it, trust me.”
Her whispered answer was stopped by a warm hug and an encouraging nuzzle. She raised her head again and looked directly into her dad's eyes. Ignatious put both front hooves on his daughters shoulders and continued to look directly into her eyes.
“I can see in your eyes, that you are willing to make an effort, Pinkamena Diane Pie.
Whenever you need our help, just ask or come home.”
A warm smile appeared on his face for one short moment, but the stallion fought it down and forced a neutral expression back on his face. But Pinkie could see it staying on his face and beamed widely. She answered his gentle hug with an almost bone crushing hug of her own. The stallion just stood there and endured it for a moment, but as Pinkie didn't let him loose, he gazed to everyone in the room and sighed. 
After a few more moments one of ponies came to his aid.

This mare tapped Pinkie on the shoulder and the small pony raised her head. Finally she let loose of her father and turned around. The mare in front of her didn't smile, but in her eyes stood a hint of amusement and Limestone cleared her throat.
“Don't think, that this means, that this Scootaloo can take the farm under her hoof someday.
I will keep an eye on her as long as she is here.
I've worked too hard to let the farm fall apart. Nopony will ruin that now.”
Pinkie cocked her head, as Lime almost shouted that, but she became much softer suddenly and  nuzzled her once.
“But you've a really soft heart, sis.
I can't wait till I meet the filly.”
Limestone had a gentle smile on her face and it really was becoming to go well with her. Pinkie nodded quickly and nuzzled her back. But she leaned almost startled back, as the mare frowned again and shouted.
“But when she'll make a mess out of the farm, like she did with her room, than Celestia help me, or her, you get it?”
Pinkie nodded again and Limie grinned self satisfied. Now were just two other sisters missing and Pinkie looked to them hopefully. 

Marble squeaked, blushed and just said a:
“Mh hm.”
Pinkie smiled and nodded simply.
“Yeah, I know, Marble. I will mind it and don't forget it.
And I really believe, that you can tell her that someday.”
She bounced to her baby sister, hugged her and Marble squeaked much louder. But she stayed silent and Pinkie's smile widened.
But it faded away quickly, as she looked back to Maud. The older mare looked pervasive into her soul and even seemed to be pent up a little bit. Maud stood up and marched slowly out of the house. She looked around for something, or somepony, sighed and gazed quickly to Pinkie. She answered with a friendly smile and cocked her head. Maud sighed again and shook her head slowly. 
She looked truly worried through the room again. well worried for her at least. Somepony who didn't know her as well as Pinkie did, wouldn't pick it up. She sighed again, turned to the door and pushed it open. 
She looked around for the last time and sighed again. She gazed to Pinkie and just now the mare could understand. She wanted to go outside with her. Pinkie jumped beside her and followed her out of the house.
Maud searched the northern field and turned every rock. She even called her missed friend in her usual calm tone.
“Boulder, where are you?
It's past your bedtime. Come to me..”
Pinkie took a deep breath, bounced aside her and looked for him on her own. She even called out for him. She crossed the look with her sister and saw a hint of worry in her downcast eyes. Maud looked shortly into Pinkies eyes and the younger mare cleared her throat.
“Do you think, that I should think about that, Maud?”
She whispered the question and Maud stopped. She raised her head, drew a line on the ground and her expression became much firmer as usual. Again a pony, who didn't know her wouldn't see any kind of change, but Pinkie saw it clearly.
“You know, Pinkie. The responsibility for a filly is almost overwhelming.
Even my responsibility for Boulder is...”
Maud fell silent, as she spotted a rock, who blazed in the moonlight. She approached him, lifted him gently out of the field and snuggled him closely. She even fondled him with the other hoof and whispered.
“There you are, Boulder. I was worried sick.
You can't stay outside so long.”
Maud faced Pinkie again and sighed. Pinkie smiled gently and licked her lips. Maud put the rock under her frock and waved absent minded over the spot where her friend touched her coat.
She turned completely to Pinkie and a smile returned shortly on her face. But it faded away, as the mare spoke up firmer and  her eyes wandered higher to the moon.
“You know, you should really learn more about the filly, before you decide to take care of her.
What do you know about her?
Why was she in the orphanage in the first place?
Can you imagine, why her room was so messy?”
Pinkie listened carefully, looked to the moon on her own and cuddled up to her older sister. The older mare laid a hoof around her and Pinkie sighed. She returned the hug and both sisters just stood  under the full moon for a few moments. Pinkie needed that to think for an answer. Finally she whispered and drew a circle on the sandy ground.

“I know...well she lived in Ponyville for a long time and well...her chaos is eventually, no it is unhealthy for her.
But I, you know, shouldn't I ask her that?”
Maud let loose of Pinkie, looked at her for a long time and brushed over her mouth. She thought for a while and nodded finally.
“Maybe this would be best.
But what would you do, when Scootaloo doesn't want to talk about it?”
Pinkie bounced in front of her sister, put both front hooves on her shoulders and spoke up very firmly.
“I shouldn't push her and...what should I do instead?”
She fell silent and came back on all four hooves quickly. Maud took a deep breath and turned to the house again. She whispered too and sighed a few times.
“There is no easy, or right way to do it, Pinkie.
You have to listen to yourself and just do, what you believe could help her.
And this can be for one time, that you leave her alone.
For another time it is, that you push a little bit, or that you talk with another pony.”
Pinkie looked first really confused to her, but as she remembered her talks with Caring and Scootaloo, she started to nod.
“So I have to try and if it's wrong, it isn't so bad, right?”
Maud stopped walking and sighed deeply. She turned to Pinkie, looked to her and shook her head slowly.
“No Pinkie. It is very bad, when you make a mistake there.
The filly could decide to not trust you any more, when you push her to far.
Or she could think, that you can't help her, or...”
Pinkie opened her mouth very worried and started to sweat. She hadn't think of it that way.
What if Scootaloo didn't trust her already, because she hadn't given her the letter?
Or when she didn't like, that she was in her room without permission?
Or when the doll was very important to her, or when..
Her thoughts were interrupted by Maud's calming hoof. The mare hugged her gently and stopped her trembling.
“Don't worry, you hadn't done anything irreversible wrong till now.”
Pinkie breathed out very relaxing and returned the hug. She nestled closer to Maud and closed her eyes.

The way back to Ponyville was very short and in Pinkie's mind twirled the many things around, she wanted to do next. But this blurred into a parallel of talks with different ponies and an even bigger chaos of statements.
First the Cakes were very unsecure, if Pinkie would be able to handle the work shifts, the protecting of the world and a filly at the same time.
And Pinkies answers, that she had to see it for herself, weren't helpful to convince them from the opposite.
Applejack was almost worse, than the Cakes, but way easier to please after all. She asked Pinkie, if she was simply able to cook something else than pies. So Pinkie proved, that she was able to do so. She made her a good daisy sandwich at first and the vegetable soup after that was even delicious by Applejack's high taste. 
After all there were ponies, who didn't like cakes and pies and so Pinkie had to make something spicy for there parties to please them. Her pizzas for example were also delicious. So she was able to dispel Applejack's doubts in this area quite easily and both earthponies stayed on good hooves to each other.
“So, when ya need some help with the movin', just ask me, will ya?
And I'm sure, Big Mac and Apple Bloom 'll help too.”

Pinkie smiled, as she remembered Applejack's last words and took a deep breath. She stood actually outside the orphanage on the playground and looked to the house. She just had to wait.
It was the next Saturday, in the morning and she had to wait for Scootaloo, for their first sleepover.
She had spoken with Caring the other day and the mare didn't deny the overnight stay. But she had said, that this didn't mean, that Scootaloo would be adopted by her right now.
It was the first step to get to know her better and Pinkie wouldn't botch it, right? Right?
She paced nervously around and thought, that wouldn't it be better to go inside. She put a hoof on the door sill, but heard Carings voice again.
“No, you should wait outside.
I'll talk with her and ask, if she want to make the sleepover.
Trust me.”
Pinkie turned away from the door and paced again over the playground. She gazed to the door, but nopony stepped out.
“What should I do, when she doesn't want to?
What should I do, when she liked her doll really much and I...”
She sighed loudly, turned away from the house and pressed her ears on the head. The first reserved step was followed quickly by another and with every step a slice of joy escaped Pinkie. Her mane went flat after a few steps and after a few more her smile faded completely away. She left the playground and sighed again. Scootaloo wouldn't come, surely she was...	
A sound from the door drew her attention back to it, sure she was miles away right now and she couldn't possible hear it, but she heard it anyway. Somepony pushed down the handle, this could only mean. Pinkie raised her head, smiled widely and her mane puffed into her old fluffyness again. She bounced back to the door and was there, before it was completely open. So she wasn't so far away, as she thought she was.
The door opened slowly and a small orange filly with purple mane walked out as slowly as the door opened. She had a huge saddlebags on her side and a convoluted sleeping bag on her back. A small forced smile stayed on her face. Pinkie was easily able to see the true meaning behind her smile of course.
The filly was in equal parts, unsecure, anxious, bugged and confused at the same time. Pinkie bounced quickly closer to her, but stopped before she would hug Scootaloo and drew lines on the ground nervously. She took a deep breath and swallowed a huge lump down her throat. Finally she opened her mouth, but Scootaloo was faster.
“I want to say, I'm sorry.
You know, Pinkie, I was so angry, that I couldn't read the letter.
And I...”
The filly just whispered and looked down to her own drawing hooves. She took a deep breath and tried to widen her smile, but she wasn't able to do so. It faded away and got lost in an unsecure expression, as she raised her head and looked to Pinkie. 
The mare opened her mouth again, but bit her lips, as she saw that Scootaloo searched for more words. Pinkie chewed her own words down and cocked her head to encourage Scootaloo to speak.
“So Caring said, you want to make a sleepover with me.
As a try to get to know me better?”
Scootaloo sounded still a little bit unsure and between sixes and sevens. But her grin widened, as Pinkie nodded. She bounced away and smiled full of expectation to the little filly.
“That's right. I thought we should bring your staff into my room and then I show you...”
Scootaloo knitted her brows, pressed her ears against her head and made finally a confused expression. Her right front hoof kicked a stone away and drew than lines on the ground.
“Y...you know, I don't know.
Do you think, we're getting well along?
You surely have more fun with somepony else and...”
Scootaloo sounded so false and she bit her lips so harshly, that she yelped, as she fell silent.

Pinkie shook her head quickly, bounced closer and leaned over Scootaloo. She whispered to her.
“You know, we can just do what you like most.
But for that we have to bring your sleeping bag in my room, too.
Than you can tell me, what you wanted to do today and we just do it, okay?”
Pinkie spoke in a hasty tone and in the end she sounded really excited. Her energy passed over to Scootaloo a little bit and the filly smiled. She stroke her chin with a hoof and nodded finally.
“Well, okay.
I was never in your room actually.
And I...you know, it would be nice, when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could simply join in the Sleepover.”
Pinkie sighed, licked her lips and shook her head finally.
“Sweetie Belle is in Canterlot right now.
And I think Apple Bloom uhm...I have to ask Applejack.”
The mare sounded very soft and tried to hug Scootaloo, but the filly shied away. She didn't seem to refuse the hug, but rather was a little bit reluctant to let Pinkie hug her so fast. Pinkie stopped, the hoof half raised and rethought it again. Should she push a little bit, or should she let Scootaloo a little bit space. She didn't find an answer quick and just stood still. 
Scootaloo sighed and rolled her eyes. She shook herself and raised her head again. Finally she approached Pinkie slowly and pushed her hoof down with her own. Scootaloo took a deep breath than and turned around to the door of the orphanage. She took one step closer and mumbled a few sentences.
“I just don't know, Pinkie.
I've never imagined you as one of my parents and well.
I don't think, that we're going to be a good family.
I can't imagine how you are as a Mum and...”
Scootaloo took more steps closer to the door and raised a hoof. She sighed, as she touched the door finally. She pushed the handle slowly down and shook her head.
“This is just a crazy idea.
I shouldn't have come...”
Pinkie hugged her quickly, but Scootaloo sidestepped, jumped away and fled finally. Fortunately she wasn't quite as fast as she could be, with her heavy saddlebags and the other heavy load on her back, so Pinkie was able to keep up with her.

They galloped side by side through Ponyville, bolted past blooming fields and reached finally a few ancient apple trees. They ran through an apple orchard and the smell of apples with the colour of the yellow autumn foliage pleased Pinkie and she smiled. It was great to run here and it was a really good idea from Scootaloo to come here. Scootaloo started to sweat and breathed heavily under the burden of her saddle bag, but she shut her eyes closed and galloped further.
She ran deeper into the orchard and left the way with a hard turn, but Pinkie circled around the next old tree and followed her again.
Scootaloo jumped over a small stream and stumbled on the other side. She banged with her nose on the ground and braced completely with her face. 
Quite opposite to Pinkie, who landed safely on her four hooves. She just bounced further and  heard a suppressed yell and an incomprehensible curse. Pinkie expected, that Scootaloo would pick up herself and ran again, so she ran ahead. But Scootaloo didn't stand up and stayed where she had felt. She took hastily breaths and tucked up her hooves closer, even a low sob escaped her. 
Pinkie stopped directly in front of a thorny thicket and turned around quickly. Scootaloo laid where she had landed and took deep breaths. She trembled and tried to get back on her hooves, but she was way to worn out. Pinkie approached her slowly and laid down beside the exhausted filly. Scootaloo mumbled between her deep breaths.
“I just wanted...you know...I can...”
Pinkie laid slowly a hoof around the filly, hesitantly first, but finally she leaned against the smaller body. She nuzzled her mane encouraging and whispered.

“One step after the other, Scootaloo.
We don't meet today to see what happens when you will live with me.
Caring has said it's just a sleepover to get to know each other  better.
But when you want to sleep in your own bed, rather than in my room, we can...”
Scootaloo raised her bruised face and shook quickly her head. She searched the eyes of the mare and sniffed quietly.
“No...I want to try this!”
She almost yelled it and brushed away a little bit of the dirt and a few secretly forming tears from her face. She blushed and turned her head away again. Pinkie beamed and waited till Scootaloo was ready to stand up and go back.
But the filly surprised her with an unsuspected action. She nestled to her and even nuzzled her chest hesitantly.
“Thanks Pinkie.”
The mare looked surprised down to the filly, who had her eyes shut and breathed deeply to recover again. Her face seemed to be covered with hurtful bruised and was stained, but at the same time it seemed to be calmer and more relaxed Pinkie had ever seen before. The mare raised her hoof, but stopped midway and put it back to the ground. She looked over the little filly, smiled gently and mumbled to herself.
“One step after the other, Pinkamena Diane Pie.”
She sighed and nestled against Scootaloos head to wait, till she was ready to walk again.
> Pinkie's Hugs.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way back to Sugarcube Corner took longer, than Pinkie had expected. Scootaloo slunk slowly ahead and remained silent the whole way back, from the apple orchard to Ponyville. She turned her head time and again to the mare and seemed to think about something, but as soon as Pinkie smiled to her, she turned the head around and played cool. The other ponies on the street didn't talk with Pinkie, but looked after her with a warm smile on their faces. A few of them even whispered with each other.
Fortunately Scootaloo didn't notice it until they stepped into Sugarcube Corner and most of the guests there looked at her for a moment too long. The filly sighed and turned away from the gazes. She scowled and cocked her head slightly.
“Did you tell somepony about that??”
Pinkie's eyes were darting through the bakery and she looked to the guests considering what they would know, but they had looked away quickly. The Cakes were the only exception, Miss Cake who stood behind the counter and smiled half hearted and Mister Cake, who came out of the kitchen with a few pies just right now. They were both looking to Scootaloo and their smile widened and became more genuine. They knew the whole situation of course and just tried to be supporting. Pinkie thought what to do next, but just started with going to the stairs and put on a reserved smile.
“We should go upstairs, right?
It's a little bit well overcrowded...”
The doorbell rang, a few pairs of hooves sounded behind them and a loud voice almost yelled through the room.
“,,,and than I spin around and flew through a cloud.”
The Lanes came to the bakery like they did every Saturday morning for the family breakfast and Rumble almost shouted a story from his last training session. Miss Lane, a bright grey pegasus mare with a so warm smile, that Pinkie just could look to her, petted the colts mane and started to speak. Her purple eyes darted through the rooms and stayed lock on Pinkie.
“Rumble be a dear and just talk a little bit lower, would you?
I think the other ponies aren't interested in your training, you know?”
The mare wasn't able to raise her voice, or to tell him off, so the colt just continued with a slightly lowered voice. He looked through the room, but stopped as he spotted Scootaloo and cocked his head.
“But Mum,  I just wanted...What're you doing here, Scoots?
And why do you have a sleeping bag...”
Before he cloud finish the question, Scootaloo ran upstairs with nervously flapping wings and Pinkie looked confused after her. As the stamping hooves left the stairs finally, Pinkie could hear, that they were ran through the room for a while. Pinkie looked over the family and smiled to Miss Lane in an apologetic manner. The mare glared after the filly and cleared her throat.
“Well that's a little bit  rude.”
This sentence wasn't directed to her own colt, but to Scootaloo instead and for a short moment the mare even frowned. Pinkie licked her lips and shook her head. She sighed and followed Scootaloo upstairs.
“I'm sorry.”
She didn't say more to the Lanes, before she left the room. Pinkie went upstairs and arrived her room quickly. She looked around.
Scootaloo had tossed her saddlebags aside the huge bed, stood beside it and looked  out of the window nearby with a face as long as a fiddle. Pinkie cleared her throat and drew the attention back to her. The filly shot a glance to her, shook herself and sighed. She looked through the room and focused once the bed, once the closets and finally stayed on the small alligator on a pillow. She managed to put on a smile back onto her face and mumbled something audible.
“It's nice here, Pinkie.
Just a little bit uhm, small.”
There was a hidden question in this sentence as well as a little disappointment and the smile on Scootaloo's face faded. Pinkie looked around and nodded finally. She bounced closer to Scootaloo, winked at her and thumbed one hoof on the ground.
“You're right, Scootaloo.”
She stretched the last O very long and turned her head.
“But this doesn't mean, that we will stay here when I adopt you.
It's just for the sleepover, you know.”
Pinkie raised one hoof and hugged the shying filly tightly. The mare held Scootaloo shortly in her hooves and pointed to her bed with one hoof, meanwhile she held Scootaloo with the other one.
“Do you want the bed, or the couch?”
Finally Scootaloo was able to escape the hug and weaved away a few steps from Pinkie. The filly looked from the bed to the couch and back. She thought, mumbled an answer and trotted to her sleeping bag.
“I think the floor would be enough, Pinkie.
I have this here and Caring has said...”
Pinkie nodded and cocked her head. She smiled than and jumped to one of her closets. The mare pulled away a drape in front of it and almost vanished completely in the closet.
Scootaloo cocked the head very confused, as a sink, a knotted mess of streamers and many flocks of confetti flew out of the closet and landed on the ground. The mare didn't just finish there, but rummaged through more things and threw them out of the closet.
A huge first aid kit, a few balls in every size, a few balloons full with air and even more deflated uh an two wrapped presents she threw after her. Scootaloo approached her hesitantly and gazed at the next things thrown away by Pinkie. A huge binder with different pictures on the covers, an ancient chefs hat and finally a multiple time patched saddlebag with beat up latches.
Before Scootaloo was able to ask anything, the picture on the front cover of the binder caught her attention. It was a pretty old and bleached out one, but stayed perfectly on the cover.
She saw four little fillies in Filly Guard uniforms around a small camp fire, who either smiled into the camera, or did something different.
Scootaloo recognised Pinkie on the second look, because her mane wasn't fluffy after all and the colour was almost bleached out. She didn't have her cutie mark neither, so it was just a guess on Scootaloo's behave. Even her smile was so different, than the filly was used to, strangely wide and enthusiastic, but also very insecure around the eyes.
Beside the filly sat another shyly smiling filly and looked from a small hammer with a spiky end to a small opened geode with magenta crystals in it. But something was off with her smile too. It seemed to be half hearted and somewhat forced. The other two ponies around the fire were actually focused on her task, peeling of potatoes and didn't seem to notice the camera in the first place.
“Found it!”
Something hit Scootaloos head, it was fortunately soft and she just felt on the mattress, as she tripped over the binder. The bounce was softer, than the ground before and half as dusty. Alright the soft thing, which had hit her was really dusty and forced a sneeze out of Scootaloo, but it was better than to break with her face again.
Scootaloo tried to raise her hooves to brush the dusty thing away from her face, but the dust blurred her vision and she couldn't grab it in time. Another hoof touched hers and she stopped her failed attempt instantly. Pinkie freed her from the dusty sleeping bag and pulled her back on the hooves with a loud snicker.
“Hey a pillow fight is planned for later, you know?
Now we should...”
She looked over Scootaloos bruised face and took a deep breath. Than she grabbed the first aid kit and pulled it closer.
“You should really go wash your face.
I'll wait here and  prepare the patches to cover up all those bruises.”
Scootaloo rubbed her nose and touched a small bruise there. She fought down a yelp and shut her eyes closed.
“I don't need patches. Ouch...”
She stopped her answer with another yelp and sighed. Pinkie put her hooves slowly down to the ground and looked with a worried glimpse in her eyes over the filly. Her smile faded away and changed into an inquiring expression, as she finally cocked her head.
Scootaloo gave finally up and mumbled an answer.
“Okay, okay, where's the bathroom?”
She sounded so low, that Pinkie had to step directly beside her to fully understand her. She smiled quickly and pointed downstairs.
“You've to walk downstairs, cross the kitchen and to the left door.
You can't miss...uhm...”
She stopped, as Scootaloo sighed heavily and slouched her shoulders. Pinkie thought for a few moments, before she went to the stairs by herself. 
She turned her face to the filly again and waved aside.
“Never mind.
I'll go an get a bowl of water.
Uh and your welcome-muffin of course.”
A grumbling sound approved her suggestion and the filly blushed. Pinkie grinned and took the first step, but she stopped suddenly. She looked back to the chaos she just created and focussed Scootaloo finally. The filly rubbed her nose with one hoof and glanced to the binder. Pinkie nodded softly and smiled encouraging.
“You can make yourself comfortable and curl up a little, if you want to.
Look for a spot, where you can roll out your sleeping bag,
or sit down on the couch, oh or just...”
Scootaloo cocked her head, as Pinkies quick suggestions faded away into a low whisper and turned her head away from the binder. She looked from the couch to her sleeping bag and thought. Usually she would roll out her sleeping bag on the one spot she should. She was used to do it that way at least. As she had slumber parties with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom was always a place where she had to do it. Here she was in charge and this was well too much.
She looked around and searched for the perfect spot, but she couldn't find it, so she couldn't decide and shook her head multiple times. She sighed finally and climbed on the couch and looked confused to Pinkie. Pinkie opened her mouth, but she had to do something else first and ran downstairs.

Pinkie trotted through the kitchen, as she heard Rumbles loud voice.
“And than Miss Cheerilee said to me, that I would be a Wonderbolt in no time...”
Pinkie heard another low whispered sentence through the closed door.
“Rumble my dear, just a little bit quieter.”
Pinkie looked out for a small bowl, a facecloth, two muffins and the well prepared warm cocoa. She put everything on a tray and walked slowly upstairs, as she heard the loud voice from Rumble again .
“Do you think I could fly to Cloudsdale, Mum?
I can train much better there.”
The voice went dull finally and Pinkie didn't understood the last few words and could hear.
Well nothing but silence.

It was silent and that confused Pinkie. Scootaloo was usually an energetic filly, at least Pinkie remembered her that way. The mare paused on a step and thought. She listened again, but didn't hear a thing.
Finally she stepped into her room and looked out for Scootaloo. The filly sat on the couch and stared indecisive from her sleeping bag to the ground. As she heard Pinkie returning, she looked to her and sighed again. Scootaloo put on a fake smile, shook her head and just mumbled a few words.
“I don't know, Pinkie.
Where should I put my sleeping bag?”
Scootaloo didn't sound like herself, but strangely totally like herself at the same time. Pinkie didn't know how she could describe it, her voice sounded like she should, but what she said and how she said it was totally different. The mare just came closer to the sofa, put the trail on it and pushed the bowl with the warm water closer to Scootaloo. But the filly grabbed the cocoa first and took a hasty sip. She tried to brush away the chocolate trail with a relieved sigh and was finally able to smile. Now it was even a real smile.
Pinkie had turned around to the room and looked cross it. She chuckled and nodded.
“Okay, I will do something about it, Scootaloo.
Just clean your face, I'll roll out the sleeping bags meanwhile.
And than I'll take care of your bruises.”
The filly nodded slowly, apparently glad to get a clear direction and grabbed the facecloth. She cleared away the rest of the chocolate strains, but as she went over her nose, her hoof became much gentler, almost guarded. She had to fight back a yelp every time she felt the soap burning in the small bruises.
Pinkie glanced over her from time to time and thought. Should she speak? She shook her head and stayed silent the whole time.

She cleared the place in front of her bed, pushed everything back into the closet, well everything aside the first aid kit and the binder. She rolled out both sleeping bags, hummed a song in the meantime and pulled a pillow down from her bed, before she finished. She was so intent upon her work, that she totally forgot, that there was an other pony in her room. She grabbed the smaller, but very heavy saddlebag and stopped surprised. She shook it curiously, but a quick yelp and galloping hooves stopped her.
“That's mine!”
Scootaloo galloped aside her, seized it out off Pinkies hooves and snuggled it closely onto herself. She blushed quickly and laid the bag beside her sleeping bag. Pinkie just smiled and mumbled an apology.
“I just wanted to look, why it's so heavy.
Did you pack rocks?”
Pinkie giggled first, but as she saw the serious expression on Scootaloos face, she stopped and just looked confused to her. Scootaloo shook her head and didn't look into her eyes. She skulked slowly back to the couch, turned her head from left to right and seemed to argue with herself about something. The filly sat down finally, looked to Pinkie and pointed with a shivering hoof at the first aid kit.
“Didn't you want....”
The filly couldn't finish her sentence, before her voice cracked. She just looked suppliant to Pinkie and chewed on her lips.
Pinkie saw, that Scootaloo tried to change the subject here and pondered. Should she push for answers, or not?
She looked over Scootaloos bruised face, saw the nervously flapping ears, the darting eyes and the forced smile. Pinkie decided that she let it slip for now and turned resolute to the first aid kit. She pushed it aside the couch and faced Scootaloo.
The mare fondled gently with one hoof over her bruised face, nudged her softly on the nose and held her chin with the hoof, so that she would look directly into her eyes.
“Keep still, please.”
Scootaloo nodded and closed her eyes. She breathed a little bit faster, but Pinkie hadn't push her for answers after all. That helped her to calm down a little bit.
The filly kept her eyes shut and just winced once, as Pinkie waved with the disinfectant over her scratched nose. The burning and the sharp smell of herbs brought back something. The filly squinted her eyes closer, trembled and raised her hoof. She didn't touched her nose with it, but rubbed her eyes carefully.
“Sorry, Scootaloo.
It burns a little bit, but it's over shortly, I promise.”
Pinkie tried to calm her down a little bit, but the filly just pressed her ears against the head and sighed. Pinkie waited and didn't continued with the disinfectant.
“I'm sorry, but so it won't get infected...”
Scootaloo nodded slowly and opened her right eye. She looked directly into Pinkie's eyes, whispered one sentence and shifted her position on the couch back and forth nervously.
“Please don't tell anypony, promise?”
Pinkie crossed her hoof in front of her chest and said her usual mantra.

“Cross my heart, hope...”

But Scootaloo stopped her and grabbed her hoof quickly. She pushed it slowly down and shook her head.
“No, please. No Pinkie promise.
Eventually you have to share it with somepony...”
Pinkie looked thoroughly confused, but Scootaloo looked so pleading and desperate, that the mare nodded finally.
“But why should I promise you to tell nopony, when I have to tell it somepony instead?”
Pinkie cocked her head, stared at Scootaloo and tried to understand what she should do. The filly sighed and drew circles on the couch.
“Because...well..uhm...”
Scootaloo didn't finish her answer, just cleared her throat and Pinkie nodded. She put away the cloth with the disinfectant, sat down aside Scootaloo and answered finally.
“Okay, I promise not to tell anypony, or just to tell somepony, if you will allow it, or uhm...”
Scootaloo turned her head, moved closer to Pinkie, but stopped halfway and blushed. She waited a few seconds, took a deep breath and approached her finally. She nestled herself onto the older mare and cuddled her head against her side.
“I...like it, when you hug me.
And I...I, you know I miss it so much.”
The filly pressed her eyes against the warm coat and Pinkie could feel, that she brushed away tears on it. She opened her mouth, but closed it again and simply hugged Scootaloo. She pulled her closer and whispered an answer.
“But I thought your friends would hug you all the time and you didn't like that.
As Rainbow Dash had told you her story...”
Scootaloo pushed herself from Pinkies side and sighed. She nodded slowly.
“That's totally different.
Sweetie Belle is so clingy and Apple Bloom...she get hugged from her sister and her brother all the time and. I...I was so jealous.”
A sob stopped the last sentence and Scootaloo brushed over her eyes with a hoof. She squinched up her face and shook herself.
“I...I just wanted to be hugged by somepony, who...”
She fell silent and looked down to her hooves. She sniffed silently and touched her face with one hoof. She started to tremble and winced, as she felt an itching sting on her nose. Pinkie just pulled her closer and nuzzled her cheek. She could  feel, that the filly calmed visibly down and started to nestle her own cheek down on her side.
“I miss this so much!"
Pinkie nodded, just held her in the hug and smiled gently. She thought for a while and whispered.
“If you like, we can meet here, or any place else, when you need a hug.
I don't tell anypony, I promise.”
Scootaloo raised her eyes and faced Pinkie very surprised. She thought it through for a while and nestled than closer to the mare.
“But...I don't know you very well.”
Her answer faded more and more away and the filly turned her head more and more away, but Pinkie's hoof stopped her. The mare whispered and nuzzled the filly again,
“You will get to know me, Scootaloo.”
The filly whispered one last sentence, before she nestled her head against Pinkie's side again.
“Thanks, Pinkie.”
The mare nodded and just hugged the filly. Both stayed in the hug for a moment.
> The Sleepover.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the sleepover was after this miserable start not far away from a total fail. Scootaloo soon moved away from Pinkie’s side of course, hold sill as the mare began to take care of her bruises and blushed deeply. 
She didn’t look in the mare’s eyes and tried to put on another fake smile. She continued to avoid every little eye contact for the rest of the evening.

Even as Pinkie tried to cheer her up with a game, Scootaloo just played half hearted. 
She lost the pillow fight, without even hitting Pinkie once and lost well everything else too.
In the Yahtzee she wasn’t able to fill more than half of the sheet with numbers. But she didn’t even mind and thought about something else. 
She grabbed the dice cup not until Pinkie demanded a rematch in her favour. Even then she just rolled the dice more half hearted than before.
Pinkie just could sit beside her, heavily trying to cheer her up and thinking of, how or better if she should ask her out about it. 
Since she has taken care of her injuries, the filly appeared to be different and distracted. 
Time and again she raised her head, glanced to Pinkie and cocked her head. She seemed to eye her up closely and  tried to evaluate something.
After Pinkie won another round of dices, she changed the game. 

Of course she asked Scootaloo, what she would like the most, but the filly didn’t answer. So the mare had to decide and looked over her options quickly. 
She grabbed a deck of cards, shuffled it with lot of experience. Finally she dealt the cards out and started the game.
She won the first round of the game without any effort to do so and changed the game after the even more unsuccessful rematch to a board game.

But again the filly lost after twenty minutes of Marenopoly. It was a total victory by Pinkie, who got all of the filly’s money. 
But Scootaloo didn’t react, like Pinkie would think she would, but rather stayed calm and just sighed. 
She drooped her shoulders and her head at the same time and looked down to the game without any further reactions. Pinkie couldn’t suppress her question much further.
“Well, Scootaloo. Spill it out! What’s the matter with you?
You’re well a party pooper!”

Pinkie smiled softly and whispered the last words in an clear attempt to make a joke. Scootaloo’s reaction was unsuspected at best, she jumped back onto her hooves and tried to put on a wide, but for Pinkie fake and even forced, smile. She looked to the stammering filly and cocked her head.
“No, no Pinkie.
It’s...fun.”
Scootaloo whispered the last word with an insecure expression on her face. She pressed her ears flat against the head and looked down the the game again. She sighed and reached out to the dices. 
Pinkie thought about what to do next, sighed on her own and her mane lost a little bit of fluff. She raised a hoof, but Scootaloo turned her head away from the game and looked to her saddlebag like she would find the needed strength to say what she had in mind. 
After a few moments, where she just stared to it and drew lines on the ground, she slouched her shoulders even more and sighed.
Scootaloo took her first step closer to the saddlebag and drooped her head lower on the way to it. She looked to the window and saw, that it became dark already.
She sighed again and slunk closer.

Pinkie stood up slowly too and followed her a little bit faster. She sounded so gentle as she could and the mare embraced the filly with one hoof.
“Do you want go home?”
Scootaloo turned her head quickly away from the window, shook it and cleared her throat. Pinkie waited for an answer, who just didn’t come.
The filly opened her mouth, but closed it soon again and avoided the mare’s smiling face. She didn’t flinch away as Pinkie stepped closer and hugged her. The mare pulled her closer and nudged her encouraging. She sat down and Scootaloo nestled to her for a few minutes. Pinkie had to fight down a yawn and closed her eyes for a moment.


Finally Scootaloo cleared her throat and started to speak with a raspy voice.
“I know it sounds strange, but can we go for a walk outside
I want...”
The filly stopped and had to swallow another lump in her throat. She wiped over her mouth with a hoof quickly and continued brushing over her mane with it. Pinkie let her loose and nodded. She looked to the clock and Caring’s voice returned again in her mind.
“Please, don’t let her stay after ten a clock, will you?
Oh and bring her back for lunch, tomorrow and first of all...”
Pinkie shook the voice away and focused back to the clock again, it was ten a clock already. First she opened her mouth, 
but Scootaloo’s grin, a real one this time, or at least a not so forced and really thankful one, convinced her to agree with her.
The mare walked slowly to the stairs, listened downstairs and smiled widely.
“We have to be a little bit quiet, okay?
The foals are surely trying to sleep and we don’t want to wake them, do we?”
Scootaloo nodded quickly and sneaked aside Pinkie. She followed the mare as silent as she could muster the creaking stairs down.

The way out of Sugarcube Corner and over the empty place before it was very easy. 
Scootaloo took a deep breath, as she stepped out into the warmth air and her ears went slowly upwards. 
She turned  to Pinkie and asked with a firmer voice.
“Do you think we could go for a walk?
Maybe to the hill, where we saw that meteor shower, please?”
Pinkie breathed in with a sharp hiss and stared at Scootaloo for a long time. She raised her head to see the moon, who stood high over them and pondered about that. 
Finally she approached the filly and took another deep breath. Pinkie shook her head and cleared her throat.
“This would be a little bit far off, right?
Don’t you think...”

Scootaloo drooped her head, sighed and turned the head disappointed away finally. She looked so pleading, that Pinkie fell silent. 
The mare licked her lips, sighed on her own and wanted to nod, but she could fight it back again. 
That wasn’t a good idea at all and the filly wouldn’t go there with Caring or even alone.
Pinkie took another deep breath and stepped closer to the filly. She didn’t think it through and shook her head.
“No Scootaloo.
We would be way to long on track and I think Caring would...”
The filly frowned and stopped Pinkie. She sounded somehow strangely familiar. Pinkie could have swear, that she heard Rumble. 
The mare looked to the filly and tried to ensure herself, that she talked with Scootaloo again.
“But she didn’t have to know and we’re doing actually something,
That she wouldn’t like at all.”
Pinkie eyed the filly up, who answered with a sullenly expression. The mare cocked her head and tried to smile.
Something was strange here. Why did Scootaloo’s mood change so quickly?
And why did she act in such a strange way? Pinkie cleared her throat and stammered an answer, before she had ordered her thoughts.
“So, I think we can go around Ponyville for a while.
And Caring didn’t forbid such a thing, you know?
But...”
Pinkie bit her lips, before she could speak out her last thought. She turned the head away from the filly and sighed. 

Scootaloo frowned again and sighed very bugged.
“I want...”
Pinkie stamped her hoof on the ground and looked directly into Scootaloo’s eyes. 
She kneeled down in front of her, a trick who her father had suggested, cleared her throat 
and spoke up as firm as Limie had recommended.
“Scootaloo, please. We can’t go the whole way to the hill!
What’s gotten into you?
First you’re really distracted, than you’re making a strange suggestion.
But as you’re outside you want something totally different and expect, that I would agree with it.”
Scootaloo frowned angry first, but as she raised her head to disagree she saw Pinkie’s confused expression and stopped. 
Pinkie hadn’t finished yet and continued in a faster speed.
“I just don’t understand.
Why do you want to take this long way with me?
You can get tired on the way there and we have to go the whole way back.”
Now Scootaloo was able to mumble a hushed answer and frowned miffed.
“I’m not getting tired...”

Pinkie sighed again and looked directly into the filly’s eyes, something her mother always does. 
She spotted an odd expression in it. A mixture between confusion and something else. 
She couldn’t tell clearly what it was and spoke along with a firm voice.
“We can’t go to the hill tonight.
I don’t think...”
Scootaloo tried to turn away her head, but Pinkie stopped her with one hoof. 
The expression in Scootaloo’s eyes had changed and now Pinkie was able to tell, what this expression meant. 
It was an inextricable mixture of sadness, the before mentioned confusion, a little bit home sickness and deeply hidden anger. 
Scootaloo repelled her hoof blindly with her own hoof and jumped away. She even snapped her tail once in Pinkie’s direction.
“I just wanted to the hill, because...because I wanted to run away for a while.”
She shouted and ran away.
Pinkie bounced back on her hooves quickly and galloped after Scootaloo.

The ponies crossed an empty Ponyville. The night was warm, but the pegasi had brought a few thin clouds in the air and a light rain drizzled down here and there.
The silver moonlight was caught in a few drops and sent down glittering streaks to the ponies. 
At first it felt really nice, but the longer they were galloping through the thin silver haze, the colder the droplets became and the more dense they seemed to fall.
Scootaloo was just a few steps ahead and seemed to let it stay that way. She wasn’t speeding up and didn’t want to outrun Pinkie. 
The filly left Ponyville as fast as she could, but slowed down once she had left the village behind. 
She looked back to Pinkie who had almost caught up to her when she reached the Point where the way forked at the foot of the hill where she paused and seemed to reflect for a moment. 
The filly thought for a few moments, but took the way back around Ponyville and slowed down her pace once again. 
She just walked through the decreasing rain and shook her head to dry her mane even a little bit. 
Pinkie bounced aside her, faced her and tried to understand, what got into her. 
But the filly just sped up once again and changed into a trot, so she could be a few nose lengths ahead.
At the same time she cried something.
“I just wanted to run outside.
Because I do that every day.”
Pinkie sped up too and bounced aside her. The filly slowed down again and looked back to the hill.
“I usually run a round around the hill.”
Pinkie gazed at the filly, who slowed down again and started to breath in worn out. But she managed to say some more words.
“It’s...helping me.”
She jogged beside Pinkie, looked to the moon and stopped her walk. The filly stroke her mane, sighed and laid the ears droopy against the head.
“But usually I’m alone.
And it doesn’t help today.”
She looked quickly to Pinkie, rubbed her eyes absent minded, shut them close and yawned. 
The mare could see a tear went out of her eyes and the filly trembled. 
She looked quickly to the moon, as the blushing filly sobbed and tried to turn her head away .
“U...usually I can fight back the feelings quite easily.”
She couldn’t stammer much more words and tried to gallop away. 

Pinkie caught her after a few steps, pulled her close and hugged her firmly. She whispered a question.
“I thought, well you’re happy, when we’re hugging each other.”
Scootaloo nodded quickly and rubbed her face on the mare’s plashy chest coat.
“But...I didn’t want that you think, that I dislike your sleepover, you know?”
Pinkie snickered a little bit and hugged Scootaloo tighter. She nuzzled her mane and nudged the filly encouraging.
“Just because you’re a little bit sad?
So...in the past I would think that, you’re right.”
Scootaloo gasped, raised her head and stared to Pinkie. She even held her breath and her ears twitched.
“I...I didn’t want...”
Pinkie shook her head and nuzzled Scootaloo’s cheek very apologetic. 
She sniffed tentative, caught the smell of the filly. Neither smelled it wet, nor was she cold. Strange.
“When you’re feeling bad, or you’re sad you should really tell my, okay?”
A sentence from Miss Cake came in Pinkie’s thoughts and she just copied it.
“We’re both in a very unfamiliar new situation.”
Scootaloo couldn’t suppress a giggle, as she heard, that Pinkie’s voice changed. 
She rubbed her face on the mare’s chest again and sighed almost bugged,
“You’re strange, Pinkie.
Caring couldn’t bring me to...”
Scootaloo blushed deeply and turned her head away. She whispered a few sentences at the same time.
“I...want to live with you somehow.
I...want, that you became my..
Well my...”
The filly stopped heavily blushing with a lump in her throat and snorted once. 
Pinkie just waited, if she would say something more, but the filly just shook herself, faced the starry sky and kept silent.
Pinkie joined her side, looked up and pondered what to say next. But she couldn’t find one word.
Why did it happen so quickly? She looked down to Scootaloo and began to stare at her.
Why did the filly open up so quickly? Why?
Scootaloo took a deep breath and winced, as a she spotted a falling star on its way over the sky. 
The filly mumbled something inaudible and raised her voice a little bit after that. But she sounded at the same time like herself and not like herself. 
Something was off here. Pinkie put on an inquiring expression, as she could hear Twilight’s tone under Scootaloo’s voice.
“Could we speak with Caring tomorrow?
I want to move as fast as possible...”


“Say, Pinkie?
Do you think... Hey Pinkie!”
A hoof touched her cheek and the mare startled. She opened her eyes and looked around. 
She laid cuddled up with Scootaloo on the floor of her room and tried to find out, how she ended up here. 
Scootaloo petted her cheek very gently and woke her up in that way.
The mare looked to the clock and she saw which time it was, ten to ten?
Scootaloo followed her eyes, ducked under Pinkie’s embracing hoof and pushed it away.
“Were you falling asleep, Pinkie?”
The mare could hear a reproachful undertone and smiled apologetic. She just nodded and Scootaloo sighed bugged. 
She yawned on her own and looked to her sleeping bag. She mumbled another sentence.
“It’s late, isn’t it?”
Scootaloo stretched herself and get back on her hooves. She rubbed her eye and yawed again.
“We should go to b.. Uhm sleep soon, don’t we?”

Pinkie yawned too and stood up. Se nodded quickly and looked to the window.
“So you don’t want to run a round around the hill? Phew.
And you don’t want to...”
Pinkie stopped as she saw the confused expression on Scootaloo’s face and shook her head. 
She sighed and forced a smile on her face.
“Of course not.
Well then we have to brush our teeth and put on the pyjamas.”
Scootaloo nodded, yawned again and followed Pinkie downstairs as silent as she could. 
She didn’t want to wake up the foals on the way to the bathroom. Pinkie remembered the whole dream and shook herself. 
Her smiled widened and she sighed again.
“That was just a dream, Pinkamena.
Just a dream!”

Scootaloo headed first into the bathroom and put on her pyjama there. Pinkie waited in front of the door and tried to shook away the dream images. 
She tried to find out when she had fallen asleep. But this wasn’t so easy, the dream images were mixing up with real events and Pinkie was just halfway awake, 
so she failed on that impossible task. Finally Scootaloo came out of the door and Pinkie went in the bathroom herself.
She was so busy thinking about it, that she totally missed Scootaloo’s yellow pyjama and her question.
“Should I wait for you, or can I...”
Pinkie closed the door in the middle of the sentence.
The mare needed a few minutes to get back on track. She washed away the sleep with a few hoofful of warm water, 
brushed her teeth and tried to realise, what was actually the dream and what was the reality. 
She had fallen asleep shortly after her question, right?
Or not?

Finally she got an idea.
“I could ask Gummy.”
This brought back a relieved smile to her face and she opened exhilarated the door. She bounced out and stopped.
Scootaloo didn’t got an answer, so she just stayed and waited in front of the door.
But unfortunately it was around her usually bed time and the long waiting in a dark kitchen didn’t help either. 
She seemed to get so tired, that she just couldn’t resist much longer and nestled down in a flour sack and fell asleep quickly.

So Pinkie found Scootaloo relaxed and sleeping and could just smile about it. 
She looked at the filly for a few moments and yawned on her own, as Scootaloo yawned too and snuggled closer to the floury pillow. 
The mare giggled and picked up the filly carefully. She petted over Scootaloo’s mane and cocked her head. 
Why didn’t she go upstairs?
The mare shook her head and placed the filly gently on her back. She would ask her tomorrow. 
Hopefully she wouldn’t wake her up, when she put her in the sleeping... Pinkie stopped and shook her head, as the filly nuzzled her neck and smacked her lips. 
Well she would rather bring her to bed. 
Pinkie smiled and sneaked upstairs. 
She turned her head, nuzzled the filly gently and whispered.
“Goodnight, Scootaloo.
Sleep tight.”
> The Next Morning.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie nestled closer into a pillow and started to wake up as a warm ray of sunlight drifted slowly over her face. 
She frowned and tried to move away, but it shone finally directly into her shut closed eyes and she had to turn her head completely.
She bumped with her nose into something very soft, as she moved it and heard a surprised squeak. It was quickly followed by a loud thud.
Pinkie opened her eyes quickly and tried to spot the source of the thud. The only thing she could see was a yellow sleeping bag. 

A moving sleeping bag in which a small pony struggled to get out. 
But it wasn't quite as easy as it sound. Pinkie couldn't suppress a snicker, yawned and crawled out of her own sleeping bag slowly. 
The filly aside her tried to free herself once again, but she stayed stuck and  just struggled to find the exit. 
She didn't find it and just managed to push herself through the room. Finally she banged her head against the first thing in the way, the couch.
Scootaloo mumbled a curse and tried to move in a different direction. 
First Pinkie continued with the giggling, but as the filly moved closer to the nearest wall the mare stopped quickly. 




Pinkie took a deep breath and bounced aside the struggling filly. She pulled Scootaloo on her hooves with a quick grip and freed her from the sleeping bag. 
So she was able to eye up the small tousled filly and couldn't suppress a grin, how hard she tried otherwise. 
Fortunately Scootaloo couldn't see it, because she petted her mane with one hoof and yawned with shut closed eyes.
Pinkie yawned too and lolled herself a little bit.
“What's the matter?”
The filly was so tired, that she almost lost the the and her hoof rubbed over her eyes. Pinkie giggled, rubbed her own nose with one hoof and whispered an answer.
“I didn't mean to wake you, Scootaloo.
I just wanted to turn away from the sunlight, you know?”
The filly opened her eyes and stared to Pinkie confused, as she heard the first few words. She mumbled one sentence and shook her head.
“Right, I stay with Pinkie this night.”
Scootaloo rubbed over her patched up nose and shut her eyes closed as the hoof touched her new gotten bump. 
Pinkie cocked her head, as she saw the bump on her own and whispered an apology.
“I really didn't want to wake you up.”
The filly yawned again, rubbed her eyes and smacked her lips. She sighed quietly, lolled her body and shook her head finally.
Pinkie looked to the clock and had to suppress her own yawn. She closed the gap to Scootaloo and hugged her gently.
“If you like you can get back to bed and sleep for a little bit longer.”




Scootaloo looked down to her sleeping bag sighed again and frowned disappointed. She fought down another yawn, but just could hinder it by biting her lips. 
Pinkie cocked her head even further, leaned closer to the filly and whispered another offer.
“You could sleep in my bed. It's more comfortably and cuddly and...”
Scootaloo sprawled her front hooves, yawned again and sighed deeply.
First she shook her head, but the pleading expression on Pinkie's face let her change her mind and she nodded. 
Scootaloo took a deep breath through her nose and licked her lips.
Pinkie's smiled widened and she wanted to push the filly closer to the bed, but Scootaloo was already on her way. 
She sneaked to the bed, crawled quickly under the blanket, nestled into the pillow and yawned again.
She smacked her lips after that, smiled gently and closed her eyes finally. Pinkie breathed in relived, petted over the filly's mane and smiled gently on her own.
Scootaloo yawned again, nuzzled the pillow and snuffled on it. The gentle smell on it let her yawn anew and she whispered a very quiet question.
“But where...do you sleep?”
The filly tried to open her eyes again, but she simply couldn't. She drifted away, back into her dreams. Pinkie petted her mane once again and whispered.
“Don't worry, Scootaloo.
I have to go and make breakfast for you.”
The mare crept out of the room as silently as she could and let Scootaloo sleep a little bit longer. But this time in a comfortable and cuddly bed.




The filly slept for two more hours and Pinkie got some time to prepare the breakfast and to answer a few questions from the Cakes. 
She told them the dream of course and both grown up ponies stared at her for a long time. The twins on the other hoof were just babbling and playing in their seats. 
Finally Miss Cake was able to answer and cleared her throat. A few hooves went upstairs in the middle of her answer and she fell silent for a few seconds.
“I think you shouldn't tell Scootaloo about it and...
Well I think Scootaloo would love the chocolate sprinkles, don't you?”
The mare changed the subject quickly, before Scootaloo would hear, what they were talking about.
The bleary and tousled filly sneaked into the kitchen slowly and put a hoof on her yawning mouth.
Scootaloo heard a good morning in three different voices and answered with a low mumbled one of her own. 
Then she raised her head, looked to Pinkie and smiled apologetic. She sniffed and licked her lips.
“This...this is smelling pretty good, Pinkie.”
The filly looked surprised, as she saw the table completely settled and stepped closer slowly. But she didn't sit down, but stood directly beside her seat. 
She yawned again and sprawled herself. Finally she looked to the Cakes, petted nervously over her mane and mumbled another question.
“What's for breakfast?”
Pinkie smile widened, she bounced from her own seat and landed beside the filly. Her smile got even wider and she kneeled down where she had landed.
“Oh, I've just thought you do like pancakes, don't you?
So I've made some and...”
The mare glanced over Scootaloo tousled mane and the even messier feathers on the sides of her back. 

The filly tried to straighten up her mane again, but for no avail. She sighed and looked away finally. 
Scootaloo looked around in the room and spotted another glance from Miss Cake and blushed. 
Pinkie sensed the dissatisfied glance on her own and cleared her throat,
“But first you should go and take a bath.
Do you have a bath towel?”
Scootaloo opened the mouth, blushed even more and shook her head finally. She flattened her ears, pressed them closer to her head and sighed.
Pinkie smiled gently, before the filly could answer and tried to hug her encouraging. 
But the filly squeaked surprised, glanced to the other grown up ponies on the table and ducked down under Pinkie's hoof completely. 
She stammered an answer and her eyes stayed locked on the Cakes.
“I thought I wouldn't need one.
And...”
The Cakes looked to each other, turned both to her two foals and started to feed them. Pinkie shook her head and whispered an answer quickly. 
She tried to smile encouraging and raised her hoof again, but Scootaloo jumped away from her this time. The filly shook her head and looked away.
“You can have one of mine, or doesn't she Misses Cake?”
The other mare just nodded and smiled. She lowered the spoon and whispered an answer.
“Of course she can, Pinkie.”
Pumpkin grabbed the spoon and got the attention from the mare again. So she started to feed him again. 
Pinkie grinned widely to Scootaloo and the filly just sighed.
“Just take a bath, okay?”
Scootaloo blushed again, shook her head hastily and mumbled a quick answer.
“But I should really take a shower in the orphanage instead, so...”




Pinkie stopped the filly just right now and pushed her closer to the door. First Scootaloo tried to fight against her, but the mare was way to strong and the exciting voice of her overruled her objection quite easily.
“Fiddlesticks. You can take a bath right now.
How about a nice bubble bath to wake up?”
Scootaloo sighed bugged, but stopped fighting and let herself pushed into the bathroom finally. 
There she looked around and stammered.
“I...don't know.
I do fall asleep in Sweetie's bubble bath all the time.
And...the Cakes are very friendly.
But I don't need to...”
Scootaloo fell silent and waved over her mane again. She glanced into the near mirror and sighed finally.
Pinkie had bounced closer to the tub and was turning on the tap already. Then she turned to Scootaloo and grinned widely.
“Okay, then without bubbles, okay?
I think you will like it.
And I can do wash your mane and brush it!”
Scootaloo sighed bugged again and tried to disagree with her, but the pink bundle of joy bounced excited around her and almost cried.
"I always wanted to do that,
My mummy had done it all the time and...”
Scootaloo sighed again and even snuffled once. This stopped Pinkie's excited bouncing ans she stared confused to the filly. 
Scootaloo rubbed her nose with one hoof, shut her eyes close and drew circles on the floor. She whispered a few words and swallowed a small lump in her throat.
“Mine too.”
The little filly dropped her head and looked gloomily to her hooves. She seemed to thing about something bad and even trembled. 
She rubbed both front hooves over each other and shook herself finally.

Pinkie took a surprised breath, thought for a right answer and looked around fanatically, but didn't find any one. 
She bounced closer to the trembling filly, nuzzled her cheek nervously and turned her head around. 
She kneeled down in front of Scootaloo and look directly into her lowered face.
”Hey, I don't mean to.
I'm sor...”
Scootaloo shook her head, before she could finish her apology and mumbled one of her own. 
She put on an almost convincing smile, but again Pinkie saw right through it and realised, that the filly just played the brave and had to fight back her bad feelings.
“No, I'm sorry.
But you know?”
Scootaloo stopped, glanced to the door and snuggled her head on Pinkie's chest. She took a deep breath and nuzzled the soft fluff. 
The mare froze on place and raised one hoof slowly, but before she was able to hug the filly, she continued whispering.
“I have to ask you something...since yesterday.
I think...”
The filly took a step back, drew a circle on the ground with one hoof and sighed finally. Pinkie hugged her again, pulled her closer and petted her mane. 
The little body trembled again and Scootaloo nuzzled her warm chest again. She whispered along at the same time.
“I think maybe, so I mean.
You know...”
The filly blushed and mumbled more inaudible words. She raised one of her own hooves and laid it slowly around Pinkie to hug her hesitantly back. 
Scootaloo looked out for more words, but shook her head again and again. She wasn't daunted, but rather really really nervous. 
Pinkie cocked her head, smiled gently and petted her mane again. She whispered an answer and tried to sound encouraging.
“Don't worry.
I won't laugh, I promise.”
Scootaloo raised her head again and looked to the mare very confused. She tried to answer something, but even after another encouraging smile from Pinkie, she couldn't calm herself enough for that and snuggled into her chest again.




The filly needed a few more minutes to calm down a little bit and stayed closely to Pinkie. 
The mare turned to the tub from time to time and looked out for the water, but after that she focused back to the trembling filly.
Scootaloo stammered and her words were inaudible the whole time. She simply couldn't say what she wanted to say, but hemmed and hawed every time she tried. 
Pinkie listened with open ears, but wasn't able to understand much more than:
“I...like you, Pinkie.”
Something was off here and Pinkie lost her smile. She moved her head from the left to the right and mulled over the little filly.
Why was she so nervous?
Had she done something wrong?
Pinkie thought about it for a long time and recalled any little thing she had done. But she had to separate the reality from the dream and just shook her head very confused.
What was Scootaloo trying to say?
Finally she cocked her head and waited for the stammering filly, as her thoughts drifted around her last question. 
But she couldn't find a satisfying answer at first.

“Maybe, that she hadn't anypony to...but what's about Caring?
Maybe, that I should find a house quickly?
Oh or, that she likes my hugs...but I do know that already.
Maybe...”

The thoughts just came slowly, like they were dipped in syrup and Pinkie sighed. This tone woke Scootaloo finally and she rubbed her cheek on the warm fluffy coat.
She raised her deep blushing head slowly and smiled to Pinkie.
“Do you think we could meet again next week?
Some time in the afternoon, I don't know, maybe Tuesday?”
Pinkie just smiled gently and nodded. The filly really wanted to see her again and. Scootaloo pushed herself away from Pinkie and whispered a few words more.
“Pinkie, you know, I want...think....
I think you're really n...nice and...”
Scootaloo fell silent, as the mare looked to the tub again and finally turned off the water. She cleared her throat and smiled. 
The filly blushed a little bit more, sighed again and climbed slowly into the warm water.
First Pinkie wanted to help her, but Scootaloo shook her head quickly, mumbled an I can do this on my own and asked Pinkie to leave her alone. 
Pinkie tried to reply something and frowned a little bit, but Scootaloo had turned around already and plunged her head into the water.
Pinkie sighed, but nodded finally and closed the door. She looked confused and agape around.
Scootaloo hadn't told her the thing she was fuzzy about.
What was it?
Pinkie frowned and thought about it for a long time. 
She paced around in the room meanwhile, mumbled the options to herself and raised her head finally. 
The Cakes, all four of them, even the little foals were looking confused to her and had watched her pacing around.
She bounced closer quickly to tell them, ask them, if...




It was way too late for that. The filly had finished her bath and pushed the bathroom door open already.
Scootaloo returned to the kitchen with a wet mane and a bath towel on her back. 
She turned around multiple times to catch her dripping wet tail, but she was so nervous or seemed to be, that it slipped from her hooves every time she could grab it.
She gave up finally, turned to Pinkie, blushed heavily and hemmed and hawed even more than before.
“Could...could you, well, help me?
I...I can't...reach my tail so easily and...”
She blushed even more as she whispered the question. Her voice even got lower, as she continued.
“Usually Blue would help me...or Caring...”
She even blushed more, was already dark red and glanced to Mister Cake shortly. 
The stallion cleared his throat, turned the head away and pretended to not hear what she had said.
He looked to the chuckling twins, both foals faces were covered with food. 
Carrot Cake just mumbled something about a bath for the foals, smiled to his wife and nodded.
He took both foals on his hooves and walked to the bathroom, without even looking at Scootaloo. 
The filly squeaked, made way quickly and tried to hide her back under the nearest table.
But he didn't look once to her, but stayed looking to the bathroom.
Scootaloo approached the table not until the door was closed. She took the towel from her back, blushed again and spun it around nervously in the hooves. 
Pinkie bounced closer slowly, took the towel out of her hooves and smiled finally.




To dry the tail of a nervous filly was a strange thing to start a day. Pinkie finished the embarrassing task without any snicker and smiled into Scootaloo's face finally. 
The filly rubbed her hooves over another, as she noticed Pinkie's look and stammered an apology.
“I...usually my tail isn't so wet.
I shook myself in the shower before, well...
But I don't want to make a mess in the bathroom and...”
The filly sped up, that Pinkie had to put a hoof onto her mouth and tried to calm her down with a smile.
“It's alright, Scootaloo.
Maud, my older sister you know, had dried my tail every time for me.
As long as you don't feel too embarrassed by...”

Miss Cake cleared her throat right now and both turned to her.
“You should eat before it get much colder. After that Carrot would have finished the bath.
Than you can brush her mane, Pinkie.
Just if you want to, Scootaloo.”
The filly frowned, stroke her half way ordered mane with one hoof and mumbled an answer.
“I have already brushed it and...”
She stopped and sighed loudly, as she saw how pleading Pinkie looked at her. 
The filly tried to avoid Pinkie's gaze and tried to stammer a few more sentences, but her stomach growled so loud, that she just fell silent quickly.
Pinkie giggled and pushed her to the table again.
The filly sat down at least, stroke her mane and glanced over the cold pile of pancakes.
“I didn't have pancakes for a long time, Pinkie.
Do you have some with apples?”
Pinkie shook her head, took a seat beside her and put a few pancakes on the filly's plate.
“No, but if you like, I can make some...”
Scootaloo shook her head quickly, looked around for something on the table, till she found a jar of bramble jam and cheered satisfied.
She reached out for the small jar, looked to Miss Cake and seemed to ask silently for permission. The mare smiled gently and pushed the jar closer to the filly. 
She nodded and Scootaloo cheered even louder.
“Uh, I do love bramble jam.
But at home...I mean in the orphanage we don't get it often.
They did always say, that it is too...expensive.”
The filly's voice faded more and more away and she fell silent finally. She blushed again, her ears flattened and her hooves started to rub over another. 
She pushed the jar away finally and fumbled for a bigger jar with redder jam. 

Pinkie cocked her head with an inquiring expression and Cup Cake cleared her throat.
She looked to the clock, stood up quickly and said something about opening the bakery. She smiled to Scootaloo and walked out of the kitchen slowly.
Pinkie didn't wait till Scootaloo would put the strawberry jam on her pancake, but pushed the jar with the bramble jam closer to her instead.
“If you like take the bramble jam, Scootaloo.
I'm sure the Cakes wouldn't mind...”
The filly just shook her head quickly and took a knife into her mouth. She sighed and took a huge slice of jam.
She pressed the ears closer to her head, as she smelled the half warm pancakes mixed with the one of warm strawberries.
She finished the first pancake, rolled it up and laid the knife on the one below.
“I don't want to eat all the jam, Pinkie.
So I do like strawberries well enough to...”
Pinkie shook her head, cocked it and looked to the filly. She smiled finally, grabbed the bramble jam with a quick hoof and put a few pancakes on her own plate.
The filly sighed again, as she saw that and grabbed her own pancake. She stammered another sentence.
“Well especially when you like it so much...”
Pinkie finished her pancake and rolled it up herself.
But with a quick move she put it into Scootaloo's open mouth and silenced her. She grabbed the filly's strawberry pancake and grinned widely.
First Scootaloo glanced scarred to her, but she raised her hooves quickly before the pancake would fall out her mouth and took a bite.
Pinkie spun the other pancake roll in her hooves and mumbled an answer on her own.
“I love strawberry jam.
But at home they're very rare and expensive. So nopony made jam out of them.
But mummy knew, that I love it and brought a jar every time, when she was in town.
Every, every time she returned from the town, she had bought a jar full of jam or me and...”
Pinkie fell silent and smiled gently, as she saw what Scootaloo had done, while she reminisced.


Scootaloo had shut her eyes closed, sighed relieved while she chewed and let the taste of bramble fill every corner of her mouth. 
She savoured every little bit of taste as long as she could, before she took the next bite.
Pinkie copied her slow pace eating and both just enjoyed their favourite taste with the sweet baked goods as slowly as they could.
> Mummy is Best.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie chewed her last bite and swallowed it slowly. It was just a delight and she wanted to last it as long as possible. But finally she turned her head to Scootaloo and smiled. A last pancake laid on her plate and she eyed it up with a replete expression. She sighed, pushed the plate away slowly and shook her head finally. The filly smiled first, rubbed her belly then, sighed and shook her head again.
She sensed Pinkie's glance, licked the jam from her lips and wiped it away from her face.
Pinkie cocked her head, as the filly looked down to her plate again and mumbled.
“I'm full, Pinkie.
It's really really good, but...”
An irrepressible belch stopped her apology and the filly covered her mouth quickly. Pinkie's smile get much wider and shook her head quickly.
“I just don't know, if you was very hungry and thought.
Well better too much, than too little.
Like a really good party.
You can't have too much fun, but...”
Pinkie fell silent, as the filly stood up, throw a glance to the clock and sighed again. The mare followed her gaze and saw, that she just had one and a half hour left, She took a deep breath, bounced on the hooves on her own and pushed Scootaloo back into the bathroom.
“C'mon. Wash your face and than we...”
The filly glanced over the table, eyed up every one of the many jam jars and the filthy plates. She thought about it shortly and whispered a question finally.
“Shouldn't we clean up here first?”
Scootaloo drew lines on the ground, but Pinkie just smiled and shook her head. She gave the filly a last push and bounced away from her.
“I'll do it, when I've brought you back home, Scootaloo.
Where would be the fun, if we...”
The filly stumbled forwards, but stopped quickly, raised her head and turned to the table. She opened her mouth to respond, but Pinkie pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, before she was able to answer.



Pinkie looked around and sighed, as she saw the leftover pancakes, the jams and the spoiled dishes on the table.
“I...I should have asked her, what she likes the most.
But eventually she wouldn't like it today and...”
Scootaloo returned from the bathroom, before Pinkie could finish her soliloquy and towelled her face with the blanket on her back. She stroke her halfway ordered mane, took a deep breath and spoke firmly.
“I just thought, I should help you with that, Pinkie.
I have eaten the whole bramble jam after all and the Cakes are so nice and you are so nice and...”
Pinkie shook her head at first and opened her mouth. The filly stammered along, was trying to stay calm and on a normal pace, but failed and speeded up.
She babbled something inaudible and her tail wagged nervously behind her. She seemed to be so full of vim, that she even blushed. 
Pinkie couldn't suppress a grin, as the filly got more and more nervous and Pinkie remembered something from her own foalhood.




Smaller Pinkie stood in front of her parents, who had their usual stoic expressions and looked unmoved to her. Her fluffy tail wagged very nervously behind her and she tried to calm down, but failed. The disappointment in her eyes made her just more nervous and she tried to explain it in a very stammering way.
“Well I thought, I could surprise you with a breakfast on my own and first I wanted to make waffles.
But I didn't know how to make them, so I have borrowed a cookbook from school.”
She stopped and rethought it quickly. The little filly shook her head finally, before she babbled along and changed the whole story.
“Well, no I've asked Carrot Stick, if he could borrow me a cookbook.
And than I've tried to bake something really, really great from it.
But...”
She stopped again, blushed and her ears went flatter, while her tail wagged even faster. Her parents didn't react, but looked firmly to the little filly. Pinkie stammered further, drew lines on the floury floor and stroke her pasty mane.
“Well I have thought I buy the ingredients with my pocket money and just try to make it...”
Mummy looked away finally, coughed once and directed her attention back to the kitchen. Pinkie glanced slowly over the whole disaster,w hat she had made in the kitchen and she tried an apologetic smile.

From every wall and even the ceiling dripped dough. The floor was covered with a thin layer of flour and sugar and the sink was smudged with a layer of strawberry crème. Directly in front of the sink laid a chair in the middle of a pool of the same crème and a huge dish. Pinkie could sense a few gluey spots on her back hooves and even more in her tail. She blushed even more, as a very quick tail wagging led to a huge red stain on her mothers chest coat. She stammered faster and turned around to the biggest mistake she had made.
A thick black cloud of smoke came out of the oven and the source of it was a burned black lump. Pinkie tried to stammer much more, but nothing audible came out of her mouth instead. She ducked down and pressed her ears against her head, as her father sighed.

“I...I'm really really sorry.
I had forgotten, that I should have make the crème first.
It was the other way around in the recipe, so I thought...”
Pinkie looked to the sink, bit her lips and yelped surprised, as that reminded her on her burned lips. The first tears gathered in her eyes and she sobbed once. She shut her eyes closed to fight back the tears and trembled.
Mummy jumped closer quickly, hugged her and nuzzled her cheek gently.
“Don't worry, Pinkamena.
We're so glad, that you're alright thou.”
Her daddy cleared his throat, sighed again and shook his expressionless head. Cloudy jumped quickly away fro the filly, tried to change her expression into her usual neutral state, but a small smile stayed for a minute or so.
Daddy sounded firm, but Pinkie couldn't hear any anger. The filly wasn't able to fight her nervous wagging tail or her pressed ears, so she ducked down and closed her eyes.
“You know, there is just one real thing to apology right now, Pinkamena.”
The filly swallowed a huge lump in her throat and looked directly into the stallions seemingly expressionless eyes. He approached her slowly, hugged her quickly and whispered encouraging to the trembling filly.
“By helping us to make everything spotless again.
I know your heart was on the right place, Pinkie.”
The little filly raised her head very confused and stared to her daddy. He nuzzled gently over her cheek and whispered a few more words.
“It isn't important how it works out, as long as you did it with good intentions.
You have to help clean up your mishap, of course.”
Pinkies ears went halfway up again and she nodded eagerly. She fought back more tears and nestled closer to her daddy. Finally the filly calmed down and took a deep breath. She yawned for a long time and sprawled herself. Daddy looked to her, thought for a moment and sighed finally.

She had been up quite early to make such a huge mess, or better such a sweet surprise. He looked back to Cloudy and a smile returned on his face for a short moment.
The mare nodded, as Pinkie rubbed her eyes and smacked her lips silently. Cloudy hugged her and whispered.
“You should go back to bed. We will clean...”
Pinkie shook her head, crawled away from the hug and fought down another yawn. She rubbed her eyes again and babbled.
“But...I want to help, Mummy.
I didn't mean to...”
She yawned again and lolled. Both parents shared a worried glance and Cloudy opened her mouth. The filly bounced to the chair and set it up again, before the mare was able to say anything.
Mummy sighed and stepped beside her. She petted over Pinkie's mane and smiled quickly. Pinkie grinned back and heard a last suggestion, before she cuddled groggily into her mother's embrace and dozed off finally.
“Maybe you could ask Carrot Stick for a few lessons, Pinkamena?”




Pinkie nodded and her smile widened finally. She looked down to the filly and sighed.
“Well okay.
You can help me.”
The mare took the first plate, breathed in deeply and started to whistle. She smiled to Scootaloo and bounced around her. The filly took a relieved breath on her own and started to sway her head, as she recognised the song.
Both ponies bounced in the kitchen, danced on the spot, or not on the spot and even bounced into each other every now and then. Scootaloo hummed the song silently, while Pinkie set the rhythm with her whistling.
They cleared the table quite quickly, danced to the sink together and stayed finally there side by side. Scootaloo had to pull a chair closer and stood on it of course, but as long as they were washing up it wasn't a problem. Pinkie whistled a slower melody, while she was washing up and Scootaloo tapped her hoof in the music while she was drying the dishes.
The time went quickly with the music, like it was nothing and finally the kitchen was spotless.

Pinkie's whistling faded slowly and the mare smiled to Scootaloo, who dried the last plate and whistled meanwhile. The filly even swayed her head in rhythm and turned herself swinging, the chair started to wobble and Scootaloo squeaked surprised. She was able to jumped from the chair, before it fell over and banged on the ground. 
The bang startled the filly out of the song and she looked quickly from chair to Pinkie and back. She tried to stammer an apology, but Pinkie waved it aside.
“See, just a little bit of music and we...”
She looked to the clock and sighed, as she saw, that they have just an hour left. Scootaloo sighed too, opened her mouth and hoofed Pinkie the plate. 
The mare put it in a cupboard slowly and turned to the filly again. Scootaloo laid her ears on the head, looked down to the ground and sighed again. She skulked slowly to the knocked over chair, stood it up and mumbled a few words.
“I...didn't mean to knock the chair over, Pinkie.
I'm sorry.”
The mare just smiled, grabbed Scootaloo and pulled the filly quickly upstairs. She cheered and shouted.
“Now I can do your mane finally and we can play a few games.
I just can't let you go home right now.
Uh and you get a parting-present and...”
First Scootaloo looked confused, then strangely pensive and finally she tried to free herself from Pinkie's hug. She got free not until they were in Pinkie's room again.
“But I thought we would just meet, do a sleepover and...I don't have a present for you.”
Scootaloo's voice faded more and more away and she whispered the last sentence. The filly even blushed and drew circles on the floor. 

Pinkie shook the head, pulled the filly back into the hug and nuzzled her warm cheek.
“Don't worry. I just want to apologise,
for well, that I have broken your dolly...”
Scootaloo squeaked scared, brushed away the hugging hooves and galloped to her saddle bags. She pressed it against her nose, nuzzled over the old strap and stared stammering to Pinkie.
“So...I...you know.
Th...this is...just...”
A low sob escaped her mouth and she put her hooves over her mouth. Pinkie was slightly surprised, well totally to be honest and just could look to the filly a little bit dumbfounded. 
Scootaloo chewed on her lips so strongly, that it was a miracle, that they didn't start to bleed. Well Pinkie wasn't able to see the blood, because the filly turned her head away quickly. 
Scootaloo trembled for a while and fought down her feelings once more.
She took a deep breath finally and started to stammer again, after a few minutes.
“Just an old doll and...
That was just...just...”
Pinkie cocked her head, as the filly hugged the saddle bag again and pressed it closer on her chest. Scootaloo nuzzled the bag again and sniffed on it.
The mare cleared her throat, approached her slowly and tried to understand, what happened here.
Had she done something wrong?
Why did Scootaloo cry?




She thought for a few moments, kneeled down a few hoof length away from the filly and licked her lips. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes and looked down to the bag in her hooves and took a deep calming breath.
“You...you know, I wanted to ask you, if...if you know somepony, who could help me...well...”
The filly still couldn't speak clearly and had to fight back another sob. Pinkie crawled closer hesitantly, but remained aloof and tried to find out, what she should do right now.
She just wanted to hug Scootaloo, but there was something in her demeanour what held her back. It was a strange feeling, but the expression on the filly's face let Pinkie stayed. It was a strange lost and at the same time guilty expression. 
The filly bit her lips firmly and nuzzled the bag again. Scootaloo didn't scoot away from her, but she pressed the bag so firmly onto herself, that it seemed like she shield herself with it.
Finally she licked her lips, took another deep breath and crawled slowly closer to Pinkie. She spun the bag in her trembling hooves and opened it finally. 
Pinkie could look inside at last and saw a huge wooden box. The filly mumbled again and nestled guarded against Pinkie's side.
“So do you know somepony, who can help me...repair Mummy's doll?”
The mare breathed in on her own, as she heard how low and even desperate Scootaloo sounded. Finally Pinkie put two and two together in her head, she inhaled surprised and pulled the filly into another hug.
“I...I didn't want to break her, really, Scootaloo!”
The filly sobbed on her side, before she could stammer another apology and Scootaloo continued with one of her own.
“It's totally my fault.
Mummy had told me, that I should look out for her and...
I haven't and just let her lay on the floor...”
The filly trembled again and shut her eyes closed, as her voice almost broke in the guilt.
She sobbed again, pressed her eyes on Pinkie's chest and stammered along.
“First I wanted to repair her myself, but...I couldn't. She broke even more.
Then I wanted to ask Apple Bloom, but she shouldn't  know...
And then...”
Her voice faded away in another sob and her tears started to flow down her cheeks again. Pinkie just could listen, but the filly breathed faster and faster and dried her eyes on her coat quickly. The mare took a deep breath and rubbed her cheek on Scootaloo's.
“I think I know the right pony for that, Scootaloo.
She would be happy to repair...”
The filly raised her head quickly and shook it vehement. She stammered a few more words and fought down a sob at the same time.
“I...I just want to do it on my own, Pinkie.
Mummy would be disappointed, when I don't repair her myself.”

The mare opened her mouth to answer, but as she saw how sincere Scootaloo looked to her she just could nod. For a moment she was tempted to ask a question and even opened her mouth for it. 
But the filly nestled sobbing against her chest again and so she couldn't finish the question easily. Pinkie just caressed over her back and hugged her closely.
“Okay, I'll ask her and she will help you with it, okay?”
Pinkie whispered that finally and the filly nodded relieved. She stayed nestled against Pinkie's chest and fought down more sobs. The mare just could look to the filly and tried to find out, if she could ask her. 
She opened her mouth every now and then, but the lingering question didn't come over her lips.
“M...Mummy would be mad, when she knew.
I should have look out for her much better and...and...”
She stammered a few more self blames and even Pinkie's fondling wasn't able to talk her out of it. The mare tried to find something, anything she could say to calm Scootaloo down, but she didn't find the perfect answer, so just remained silent.

Scootaloo took another deep breath finally and fell silent with a low sob. Pinkie nuzzled her tousled mane and whispered a few encouraging words, who she had scrapped together somehow.
“Hey, when you're sorry and you will look out for her in future...How's her name actually?”
She had to ask that of course and even smiled. Scootaloo on the other hoof kept crestfallen and took a deep breath. She trembled once again, mumbled a name and blushed.
“Tender Heart.
Mummy had said, that she would look out for me forever and...”
Scootaloo stopped again, snuffled and dried her eyes on the mare's chest for the last time. She tried to scoot away, but Pinkie just held her close and petted gently over her back. The filly just sighed relieved, raised her own hooves and returned the hug. She even didn't struggle, but just kept still and sighed relived again.
Pinkie took a deep breath on her own, cleared her throat and whispered.
“Would you mind, ehm tell me about your Mummy?
Well, only if you want to and it wouldn't hurt so much, of course.
Oh or...”

Scootaloo took another deep breath and nodded very slowly.
“Mummy was the best Mummy I could ask for...”
> The Next Steps.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie tried to understand the filly, first she mumbled just a few words, but as she got more confident she became more and more excited and told more about her mum.
“Mummy was an earthpony and I do love and miss her really...”
She stopped herself for the first time and had to breath faster for a while. She even had to wipe over her eyes in a stealthy way. 
Pinkie turned her head and eyed the filly up with an inquiring expression from time to time, but Scootaloo ducked down and turned the face out of Pinkie's sight. She didn't crawl away from her and even nestled closer at the mare. 

She spoke more hounded as she was finally able to continue.
“...She had always time to tug me in and had told me the best stories...she made the best Hushpuppies ever and her Jambalaya was...oh and she knew always, when I needed some help...”
Scootaloo stammered faster and faster. A sob mixed with her words finally and she blushed. She snuffled, took a deep breath and shivered.
“Y...You're reminding me of her a little, well a lot.”
She whispered finally and blushed even more. The filly rubbed her nose with a hoof, sighed and leaned her head against Pinkies side. She sniffed shortly and nuzzled the mare's warm coat. She sighed relaxed and even shut her eyes close.
“Every time I cuddle up to you and you hug me, I can see her in my memory and your smell...is like hers, you know.”
The filly fell silent and blushed deeply. She shook her head to get the words out of it, tried to get back on her hooves, but her whole body shivered so badly, that she simply couldn't. 

Pinkie took a deep breath, cocked her head and raised a hoof slowly. She hugged the filly very gently, pulled her closer and whispered a question.
“So you do want me to hug you, or don't you?”
Scootaloo swallowed a big lump in her throat, cleared it afterwards and cocked the head on her own. She thought for a while, snuffled away another sob and nodded. She laid her head back against the soft coat, sniffed and sighed relieved. The filly stayed silent for a few moments, but Pinkie asked quickly a question.
“What happened to your mum?”
The filly nuzzled her side quickly, sobbed once and the mare winced. The question had escaped her mouth, like it had an own will and the mare covered the mouth quickly.
Had she asked too much?

She tried to stammer an apology, but Scootaloo gritted her teeth, fumbled for the saddlebags and took the box out of it.
She pressed it close to her chest, nuzzled the bright wood and had to fought down multiple sobs. The filly took a deep breath and raised her head finally.
“I...don't want to talk about it...but I think she would be happy, that you...”
She couldn't finish the sentence, but sobbed heavily. Pinkie tried to mumble an apology again, but the filly just shook her head and cuddled closer to her. 
The mare froze in place, looked to the trembling filly, who was fighting back more tears and whispered the rest of the sentence.
“...want to take care of me.”
Pinkie gasped, as Scootaloo couldn't hold back her tears much longer and cuddled closer at her. She pressed the box closer to her heart and shivered harder. The mare pulled her closer, tried to comfort her, but anther question came out of her mouth, before she was able to stop.
“What's your mother's name?”
Scootaloo answered quickly and pressed the ears firmly against her head, so that she didn't have to answer another question.

“P...Pepper Pouch.”
Pinkie held the sobbing filly close and thought about what to say, but quite different then before no words just fell out of her mouth and she had to thing for it for a few moments. But even as she found encouraging words, they didn't seem to work.
“Everything is going to be fine...it will be better...we can...”
The filly didn't respond to her encouragement, but just cuddled closer to her and pressed her ears firmer against her head.
Pinkie shook her head finally, hugged Scootaloo tighter and nuzzled her mane encouraging. She had to chew on her lips to suppress another words. 

It it didn't last long, till Scootaloo calmed down again, raised her head slowly and scooted away blushing. The filly drew nervously lines on the floor and tried to open her mouth, but she couldn't say anything.
Pinkie smiled gently, brushed over her chest and inhaled deeply. She looked to the box and cleared her throat. She had finally found a good question to ask.
“Would you mind, show me the doll? So I can tell my friend, what is broken, and...”
Scootaloo looked slowly down to the box and rubbed her nose with one hoof. She thought for a while about it and took a deep breath finally. She nodded and opened the box slowly. 
The filly sighed and tried to avoid Pinkie's gaze. She raised a trembling hoof and petted gently the red mane of the doll.
“I...have open the seam here to see what's broken.
But I couldn't find it.”
She raised the doll carefully, but she squeaked scared and put it down quickly, as sand trickled out of the doll's belly. She started to tremble again, tried to calm herself down again and rubbed her hooves.

Pinkie looked over the doll, eyed up the everlasting smiling face, the beautiful purple china eyes and finally the mane. Her hoof touched the tousled mane and flinched away from it quickly. This wasn't wool or other kind of substitute, but something much softer. Pinkie petted her own mane in comparison and just stared pensive at the doll's mane. A memory returned into her mind, a memory she hadn't saw for a long time and she took a deep breath.
She sniffed, smelled the smell of rock soup and a low snicker from her baby sister Marble sounded into her twitching ears.




It was Hearth's Warming and the family had gathered around the table. Pinkie chewed on her last stone beside her snickering sister and listened to the silence. A silence full of joy, her sisters chewed on their own stones and her parents looked happy to the fillies.
Daddy cleared his throat, as all of them had finished the meal and a rare smile appeared on his face for a moment.
“Don't forget to hide your presents in the house.
And then go to bed, all of you!”
The four fillies grinned and Pinkie jumped excited on her hooves. Mummy walked slowly to every filly, hugged them and kissed their forehead, before Pinkie could scurry away.
“Good night my gems and sleep tight.”
Maud just nodded, avoided the mare's gaze and went away quickly, while she was talking with her friend.
“Yes, I think she means you too, Boulder.
Good night.”
Cloudy looked after her and seemed to share a worried gaze with Daddy, before she came to the next filly.

Limestone sighed bugged, as Mummy kissed her, but blushed quickly and mumbled an answer.
“You don't have to do this, Mum.
I'm not a little filly any more so...
Thanks.”
Cloudy hugged the filly with the citron Cutie Mark and Limestone responded with a hug, before she stepped back and cleared her throat. She waved over her mane nervously and smiled to the mare. 

Mummy came finally to a nervously bouncing Pinkie. The small filly smiled widely and stammered.
“I'm so happy, that I can go to Ponyville soon.
And you are sure, that I should live there, Mummy?
I mean, don't you feel lonely without me, when...”
Mummy tried to hug her, but Pinkie continued to fidget around, so Cloudy needed a few moments to catch her. 
Finally the mare was able to catch her and hugged her tightly. 
She looked over her Cutie Mark, which had appeared a few weeks ago and whispered an answer.
“You can make more parties there, Pinkamena.
And you can meet more ponies to make more friends and you can learn baking much better there.”
Mummy sighed low into Pinkie's mane and nosed it up once. Then she waved gently over it.
“I'm thrilled if you will find my present this year...”
There was a sad toe in her voice and Pinkie raised her head surprised. 

Mummy just kissed her forehead and turned to Marble.
So Pinkie bounced away and started to hide her presents.
She buried Maud's under the staircase, had hidden Limestones present in a small raisin cake in the pantry already and finally put Marble's in the attic in her old school bag.
She took Mummy's present, a brush to her room and hid it under the whole other brushes on her dressing table and Daddy's, a extraordinary huge gemstone in his secret-gemstone-reserves-for-bad-day's-chest.

Finally Pinkie laid down beside Marble, cuddled closer to the squeaking filly and whispered a sentence before she dozed off.
“Promise, that you will look out for Mummy and Daddy for me, Marble, won't you?”
Before she fell asleep, she could her Marbles whispered answer.
“Uh hm.”
The smaller filly cuddled closer to Pinkie and sighed low. Pinkie hugged her in the sleep and nuzzled her gently.
She slept very peacefully, till a creak from the door woke her up.
There was somepony sneaking up to her bed in the middle of the night and as it arrived it waved over her mane. Pinkie pressed her eyes together and breathed calmly, so the surprise wouldn't be spoiled. 
She already knew who it was and the low sighing and sobbing confirmed it. Mummy stood beside the bed and brushed tears away, but Pinkie couldn't open her eyes, or move. Marble would certainly wake up, when she tried to and would start to weep too. So it was better to lay still and didn't make every move.
“I know it's against the rules, Pinkie.
But you should get a present on your last Hearth's Warming before you departure, I think.
I will hid it here, so you can find it easily.”
Mummy sounded so sad, that Pinkie couldn't stay silent and opened one of her eyes, fortunately it was her left one and so she just saw her pillow. 
She tried to turn her head, but a hoof stopped her quickly. Mummy petted slowly over her mane, kissed her forehead and Pinkie could feel a drop on her cheek. 
Mummy brushed it away quickly and sighed again. 

She put something on the ground beside Pinkie's head and snuffled once.
“I'll miss you, Pinkie.”
Mummy turned away, sobbed quietly and sneaked out of the room. Pinkie just could lay there and listened, till the mare had left the room and left the door ajar. She opened the other eye, raised a hoof and wake Marble up with that. Her little sister turned sleepy away from her and mumbled something inaudible, but fell back asleep quickly. Pinkie whispered an apology and turned herself away.
It would be clearly more against the rules to unwrap her present right now, but to look at it wouldn't be, right?
So she looked to it and grimaced confused. It wasn't wrapped up, but was hidden under a white blanket. She tried to stand up, but the sleep overtook her quickly. Pinkie yawned long and fell asleep confused. She couldn't remember her dreams.
Finally the first sun ray in her face woke her up and she jumped out of her bed quickly.
She shouted out excited and bounced around in the room.
“It's Hearth's Warming.”
Marble squeaked surprised and fell out of the bed. Pinkie drew the blanket from the present, before she could run ahead and woke the others. She cheered as she saw it.
“And I have found my first present already...”
A small earthpony doll smiled to her and Pinkie took it up and hugged it quickly. She nuzzled it and snuffled automatic on it's mane. This was...




She shook away the rest of the memory of this special day, grinned to Scootaloo and looked to her closet. Somewhere in there was her doll and waited for her.
“My Mummy made a doll as a goodbye present, using her own hair for the doll's mane too, Scootaloo.
The filly shivered and stared to the doll. Her eyes became so huge, that they would surely fall out of her face, but her open mouth hindered them easily.
The filly raised a shivering hoof and tried to touch the doll's mane, but it trembled too heavily and the trembling even continued in her wings.
“Th...that's Mummy's hair?
But...but I thought,,,”
Scootaloo sobbed, as her hoof finally touched the doll's mane. Her whole body trembled even more and she squeaked, as she petted her own mane.
“I...I didn't know that and...”
Scootaloo jumped back onto her hooves, galloped agitated around in the room and stammered as she ran.
“I have to repair her and I must brush her better, oh and wash her and...”
The filly was so pent up, that she didn't sense, that she bumped into the bed and the sofa time and time again. Even as she hit the wall with a loud thump, she just shook herself and started to run along. 
She got faster and faster and tried to calm herself down with it, but failed miserably. She sped up and ran in circles for the next minutes.
“I mean...I should take her away to a better...”
Pinkie jumped back onto her hooves, as she saw, that Scootaloo headed to the stairs. She tried to get her attention by calling her, but the filly didn't respond. 
So she had to catch her, before she would fall down the stairs. Pinkie could catch her before she reached the stairs fortunately and pulled her into a firm hug.
“Hey, don't worry.
We will take good care of her, I promise!”

Scootaloo sobbed again and pressed her nose against Pinkie's soft fur. She stammered along, but let Pinkie direct her closer to the doll again. The filly looked to the box and hissed sharply.
“I didn't mean to break her, pinkie.
I didn't want, that my room is such a mess.
But I'm just there for the bed time.
And nopony visits me, so...”
Pinkie listened to her stammered apology and sighed low. She petted the filly's mane and looked out for something she could say.
Finally she found the perfect sentence and whispered it into the flapping ears of the filly.
“We will fix it right now, Scootaloo!”
Pinkie petted her back gently and pulled the trembling filly closer to her chest.
The filly sobbed and hugged the mare tightly. She whispered an answer, before she pressed her ears against the mare's coat again.
“Th...thanks Pinkie.”
Pinkie smiled relieved, as the filly rubbed her eyes dry on her soft fur and raised her head quickly. She snuffled on the pink fur, put on a real thankful smile and nestled closer to the mare again.
They hugged each other for a while and the filly calmed down a little bit.




The next steps to make it right were quite easy.
Pinkie kept the doll and promised, even Pinkie promised, that she would ask her friend, if she would repair it with Scootaloo as soon as possible.
After that was talked over, Pinkie consoled the filly with a story of her own doll and her Mummy. Finally they just played for a while.
The last hour went quickly and Pinkie brought Scootaloo back to the orphanage after she had said Goodbye to the Cakes.
Pinkie said goodbye on the front door of the orphanage. First she asked, if she should help her cleaning her room, but Scootaloo just shook her head and took a deep breath.
“I have to do it on my own, Pinkie.
I have made all of the mess myself, right?”
The filly sounded quite harsh, so Pinkie pressed her ears against her head, but Scootaloo saw this and cleared her throat. She tried to sound more friendly and whispered lower.
“I mean, thanks for the offer, but I think I should do this alone.”
She drew circles on the ground with one hoof first, but finally decided to do something else.
She cuddled closer to Pinkies chest, blushed a little bit and whispered a thanks.
“Thank you, that you want to take care of me, Pinkie.
And thanks for, you know what.”
Pinkie smiled touched and hugged Scootaloo quickly. She didn't hug her for long, but whispered an answer and let her go then.
“You're very welcome, Scootaloo.
See you Tuesday, right?”
The filly nodded, smiled again and stepped over the doorstep of the orphanage. She turned around after she crossed it and waved to Pinkie with a small smile. Pinkie waved goodbye too and smiled, but the filly turned finally away and disappeared quickly in the house.
Pinkie looked to the door and thought, if she should visit Caring and talk with her about the adoption. But she turned finally away, sighed and left the playground.




The way back to Sugarcube Corner was very strange for the partymare. It felt like something was missing and it didn't matter how hard Pinkie tried to sidetrack herself, she couldn't think of anything else. 
She simply had to admit it and whispered it to herself.
“I miss Scootaloo!”
The mare sighed and trudged slowly ahead, without even looking where she went. 
Even as she heard a few friendly words, she just could answer with a half hearted smile and didn't raised her head to face the ponies.
She heard a strangely murmur around her, something about, what had bitten her and tried to answer with another smile, but failed to get it on her face. 
She walked along and this was something, that other ponies noticed. 
She walked!
Something was definitely off here. But whoever asked her, Pinkie didn't answer.
Her hooves guided her away from the bakery and to the Golden Oaks. 
Twilight would know, what to do now. Eventually she had found a house already and...

Pinkie started to bounce again and her smile came back onto her face, as she knocked against the door of the library. She had found a house for her definitely and Pinkie would make the next step for the adoption in the next week surely. Scootaloo did like her and both of them had open up.
Caring would certainly see, that she was the only chance to adopt her and Scootaloo would...
A purple light opened the door and Twilight stood directly behind it. She levitated a book in front of her nose and seemed to expect somepony else.
“I'm there for you in a moment, Rarity.
Could we do the massage in the spa first, so we can...”
The mare just mumbled along, but Pinkie was so excited, that she couldn't wait, till Twilight would realise, that she stood there. She just hugged her and stammered excited.
“Twilight I have to talk with you.
Did you find a house for me?
And do you know, what I should do next to adopt Scootaloo?
Because I miss her so badly and want to live with her right now!”
Twilight tried to break free, but simply couldn't., the mare was way too strong She sighed bugged and snorted quietly She took a deep breath and answered with a forced friendly undertone.
“Good morning Pinkie.”
She couldn't say much more, as Pinkie hugged her tighter and nuzzled her cheek. The pink mare opened her mouth and stammered a few more sentences..
“The sleepover was great, you know.
But it was a little bit strange, because Scootaloo seems to...
Oh I shouldn't tell you that, because I have promised her, even when it wasn't a Pinkie promise and...”
Twilight sighed loudly and just shook her head. She stopped the excited stammering mare and spoke up loudly.
“Come in.
We can talk there, till Rarity gets here.”
She pulled Pinkie into the library and closed the door behind her. Pinkie took a deep breath and started to talk about the sleepover again.
> Don't hurry Pinkie.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie sat on her bed and read. What sounded like any normal description, was a real understatement.
First and foremost she didn't just sit there, but changed through every position possible from sitting, standing, bouncing and lying like she would feel miserable by just reading still. 
It was partly the case. It was way too boring to sit and read a huge book like that. But she had to, Twilight had suggested it for her next step at least.
Again Pinkie's thoughts drifted away from the small lines and the mare sighed bugged. It was just four pages.
She just could not read along, as her memory returned to the talk with Twilight.




“So you mean, I can't just talk with Caring about it?
Really?”
Twilight sighed and shook the head. She waved over the mane with a bugged expression, thumped a hoof on the ground and forced a smile back on her face. Pinkie winched a little bit, but Twilight's voice sounded friendlier, as she had expected.
“Listen, Pinkie.
I think you have managed to take a good first step.
But...”
The unicorn stopped and cleared her throat. Pinkie dropped her head a little bit and drew circles on the floor. 
Twilight jumped closer quickly and hugged her. She tried to sound encouraging and Pinkie answered with a small smile.
“Don't worry, Pinkie.
You just have to be patient a little bit more.”
Twilight turned her head away and jumped away from Pinkie. She seemed to look out on the shelves full of books and she mumbled a few words. 
Pinkie couldn't understand what she actually talked about and smiled. Twilight found finally, what she was looking for and cheered happily.
“Aha, there it is.”
She levitated a book from the highest shelf, turned to Pinkie and grinned. Twilight let the book hover in front of Pinkie to let her read the title.
It sounded quite dull: Foals and Mothers, a guidebook for mares.
“I would suggest this book to read...”

Somepony knocked on the door and Twilight winced surprised. She started to scurry on the ground and even blushed a little bit.
“That has to be Rarity.
We...I...I'm sorry, but we have made an appointment and wanted to...”
Pinkie grabbed the book and shelved it in her mane quickly. She nodded, hugged Twilight and bounced to the door. She pushed the door open and smiled to the white unicorn outside.
Pinkie jumped out and hugged Rarity too, before Twilight was even able to answer. The other unicorn squeaked surprised and jumped away. 
Pinkie let her go and bounced away. She claimed at the same time.
“Never mind, Twilight.
I understand that.
Thanks...”
Pinkie glanced over the shoulder and smiled to both of her friends.
The unicorns looked after her and Rarity opened her mouth very confused, but Pinkie had to turn away again, so she could see what was directly in front of her and didn't bounce into somepony.




Pinkie sighed and shook her head. She had to pay attention and to read the book. It was very important. She tried to fight down a yawn and looked to the small lines again. She read a few of them, but not one single word stayed in her mind, after reading and she sighed again.
Pinkie jumped back onto her hooves, scurried on the ground, sprawled and rolled her eyes.
“Come on, Pinkamena.
Stay focused.
Twilight had said...”
Hooves climbed up the stairs and Pinkie bounced happily away from the book. She looked down the stairs and cocked her head curious.
Caring stayed halfway upstairs, smiled to her from down there and climbed the last few steps quickly up. 
Pinkie grinned hesitantly and looked around in the room. It was a mess, the pillows and the blankets laid on the floor and even the box with Scootaloo's doll just laid beside her bed. Pinkie's smile stayed on her face, but she had to make an effort to let it stay and stroke her mane nervously.
“I...I wanted to clean up and...”

Caring smiled for real as an answer, as Pinkie started to put away the blankets and tried to push the box under the bed at the same time. 
The elder mare cocked her head a little bit and stepped closer to Pinkie finally. She hugged her gently and whispered.
“Don't worry, Pinkie.
I just wanted to speak with you for a sec.
You, you know...”
She sounded a little bit insecure and the mare flinched away a little bit guarded. She looked down to the pillows and sighed. 
Pinkie stepped closer and took one of the pillows in her mouth to lay it back on the bed. As she saw the expression on Caring's face she let it slip, cocked her head confused and licked her lips.
Caring continued, before Pinkie was able to ask her out. The older mare cleared her throat and seemed to be whispering to herself for a while. 
She took a deep breath finally and laid both hooves on Pinkie's shoulders.
“I have to talk with you about the sleepover!”

The mare sounded really serious and Pinkie flinched a step away. She tried to open her mouth, but Caring just shook her head and followed her. 
She petted her shoulders friendly and continued.
“No, please don't worry.
I...just couldn't make Scootaloo tell me anything, you know?
She even had started to clean up her room.”
Pinkie started to grin again, but Caring sighed and laid down aside the party pony. She drew circles on the ground and shook her head.
“But she was so confused as she did.
She just shoved it from one place to another and hadn't noticed in the slightest, that I was standing in the doorstep.
She...she got frightened for real, as I tried to speak with her and turned away.”
The mare sounded strangely musing and even somehow gloomy.
Pinkie stopped her right now and bounced closely to her. She hugged the mare and stammered an apology.
“I...I didn't mean to, Caring.
I had asked her, if I should help her, but...”
Caring nodded slowly and sighed again. She raised her head, forced a smile back on her face and continued.
“I know.
So, can you tell me, what happened during the sleepover?
It...it seemed to affect Scootaloo, but I don't know for good or for worse.”
Caring fought down a sob right now and bit her lips. Pinkie cocked her head more, looked even confuser to her and licked her lips.
First she wanted to tell her from her promise, but something in Caring's expression changed her mind mid sentence and convinced her, that she should tell her everything.
So she nestled closer to her and started to tell her from the start.




Caring listened calm and composed, but Pinkie's own emotions ran wild as she relived every little moment. 
She giggled from time to time, or had to fight down tears the other time and sighed the last sentences finally.
“She was so thankful, and I thought she would love to live with me, Caring.
And I want to live together with her really, really, really really badly.”
Pinkie looked suppliant to Caring, but the mare avoided her glance and sighed. 
Her tail waved nervously from one side to the other and her hooves drew lines on the ground.
“I'm afraid that will have to wait, Pinkie.”
The pink mare took a deep breath very surprised and her ears went flat against her head. 
She opened  the mouth, but Caring trembled and thumped one hoof on the ground once.

“Scootaloo would do everything to get adopted, Pinkie.
She wants it as fast as possible, because she thinks, that she would be better off with you.”
Pinkie bounced back onto her hooves, bit her lips and started to pace around. She began to speak mid way and got faster and faster.
“But it's right, Caring.
We, we do like each other and we have started to trust us.
She had told me from her Mummy and...”
Caring bounced on her own hooves and stopped Pinkie. She looked into her eyes and a sad expression wandered over her face.
“She had done it too quick, Pinkie.
Do you uNderstand?”
Pinkie shivered and jumped away from Caring's side. She opened her mouth and continued her pacing around. 
Caring's low voice awoke doubts in her mind and she sighed finally. Pinkie shut her mouth close and sobbed.
“But she wants to trust me, Caring.”
The mare caught her with two gentle hooves, pressed Pinkie's head against her shoulder and hugged the sobbing mare finally.
“You two are wanting this so badly, that you rushed it both, Pinkie.
Scootaloo had started to pack her bags.
She wanted to come here right now, but she can't.”
Caring took a deep breath and petted Pinkie's shivering head. The party pony raised her head and tried to answer, but Caring laid a hoof on her mouth, shook the head and whispered aloft.
“I had said her, that she can't live with you right now, you know?
That it would be way too quick.
She begged and implored me, before she got angry and yelled at me.
She isn't ready, Pinkie.”
Caring sniffed once and sighed gently. She pushed the other sobbing mare away, looked directly into her eyes and petted her cheek.

“And you aren't ready, either.
But I think it will get better, Pinkie.”
Pinkie opened her mouth to dissent the first sentence, but closed it again, as she heard the second one and breathed out very relived.
“But it should be clear for you, that you're needing more then a sole sleepover and a house.
Well I can help you with that at least.”
Caring sounded so friendly, that Pinkie rubbed her eyes and stared at her surprised. She bounced back onto her hooves and smiled widely.
“You...you have a home for us?”
Caring sighed and shook her head. Pinkie cocked her head confused and the grin on her face faded away quickly.
“Well, no, but I think I know how you can have one.
Your friends...”
Pinkie didn't hear the rest of the sentence, but just could hit her face with one hoof.
“They can help me build a house, right.
I haven't thought about that.”
Caring took a deep breath and forced a smile back on her face. She laid a hoof around Pinkie and whispered.
“And this is something you have to get better with too, Pinkie.
If you want to adopt Scootaloo you have to try...”
Pinkie just nodded, smiled and switched out of the hug. She bounced around and her smile widened. 

The young mare turned to the staircase and spoke up.
“I will try, really, Caring.
But I have to talk with Applejack and the others right now.
Oh and start to build the house.”
Pinkie started to hum a tone and her hooves thumbed the beat on the way to the stairs.
“Pinkie, wait!
I have to tell you something else.”
Pinkie braked with a creak, turned the head to the other mare and her smile got even wider.
“Oh yes, thanks for the good idea, Car...”
The mare stopped her with a loud yell and a thumping hoof.
“Pinkie!
One moment!”
Pinkie fell silent and cocked her head again. She listened with a puzzled expression.

“We think you're ready to pick up Scootaloo from school every day and walk her to the orphanage. 
You will help her with her homework and make her lunch every other day.
I will look after you and see, how you are able to help her and set her straight.”
Pinkie cocked her head even more and drew lines on the ground. She whispered an answer and even blushed.
“But...but I don't know, if I can help her, Caring.
What, what should I do, when she asked me something and I didn't know the answer?”
The other mare smiled gently and took a deep breath. She stepped closer and nuzzled Pinkie's cheek encouraging.
“You're not alone. I have asked Miss Cheerilee to join us.
But she will only intervene, when it's necessary and you're getting off track.”
Pinkie sighed and licked her lips. She mumbled a few sentences and blushed even more.
“But I want to help her on my own.
And I don't know, what her lessons are right now, Caring.
Maybe, well...”
Caring pushed Pinkie slowly downstairs and smiled even gentler.
“I think it would be time to visit Cheerilee and ask her about it, Pinkie.
You know from the letter, that Scootaloo has problems in school.
And that's something a mother would help her deal with.
So I want to see, if you're able to motivate an unwilling filly, Pinkie.”
Pinkie nodded and let out a long sigh. She shook her head, put on a very determined expression and puffed out her chest.
“I got this, Caring.
I promise!”
Pinkie whizzed away and let a nervously smiling mare back on the stairs. Caring was able to mumble a sentence, before Pinkie was out of earshot and blustered ahead.
“I hope so, Pinkie.
I really do!”




Pinkie whooshed out of the door and followed two paths at once. First halfway out of the village and then back into it.
She talked to herself and cocked her head time and again.
“Where should I go first?
Should I visit Cheerilee first, or...”
She bumped into two other ponies in the middle of her sentence and got enlaced into a tangle of hooves and bodies. 
Pinkie tried to untangle the affair, but failed and two other strong hooves had to pull her back onto hers finally.
“Who was that for, sugarcube?
Why are ya in such a hurry?”
Applejack cleared her throat and pulled another yellow pony back onto the hooves. 
Pinkie shook away the stars and saw, who she had knocked to the ground. Apple Bloom!
Applejack petted the filly's head carefully and glanced with a firm expression to Pinkie.
The filly looked confused, like she saw stars and tried to stop stumbling around. 
Applejack pushed her closer and the small filly leaned against her legs to get it all together. Applejack almost glared at Pinkie.
“What's gotten into you?
Has something happen?”
Pinkie shook her head quickly, hugged Applejack tightly and cried:
“Well Applejack, good to meet you.
Or good to bump into each other, right?”
She snickered and let loose. Pinkie looked to Apple Bloom, who stared back confused first, but her expression changed into a sour one.
“I'm sorry, Apple Bloom, I didn't mean to.
But it was very important, you know and...do you think an apology muffin would make it up for you?”

Pinkie drew a muffin out of her mane and Apple Bloom nodded quickly. She even smiled, as Pinkie hoofed her the muffin. 
Apple Bloom got in a better mood, after one or two bites and smacked happily.
“Will ya tell me, what this is all about, Pinkie?”
Applejack sounded a little bit worried and Pinkie took a deep breath. She smiled widely and answered.
“Could you help me building a house?
Well not for me alone...”
Pinkie glanced to Apple Bloom and bit her lips, before she could spoil the beans.
Both Apples shared a confused glance and Applejack nodded hesitantly.
“Well of course, Pinkie.
But why are ya needing a house?”
Pinkie smiled widely and turned her head away.
“I can't tell you right now, but you will find out.
Well eventually.
I promise you...”
Pinkie bounced happily along the way and hummed another tone. But she turned around to the confused frozen Apples.
“Oh and I have to ask the others too.
We can do this together.
Please come tomorrow to my
Yay-we-are-planing-a-house-and-roofing-breakfast.”
Pinkie whooshed away, after she had uttered her invitation and the Apples looked deeply confused after her dusty trail.
> Preparations and teacher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie dashed through Ponyville, well actually not like Rainbow Dash, but as fast as...never mind. 
She shook the funny thoughts away and tried to avoid the other ponies around her. She didn't stop, beside at her friend's doors.
She was so excited, that she almost could burst and grinned as wide as she could on her way. 
Everything would totally work out as easily as she imagine.
And the homework thing would also be no problem at all.
Especially when Cheerilee would help. Pinkie reminded herself, that she should visit Cheerilee, as soon as she was done talking with all of her friends.

The rest of the day rushed faster as Pinkie would have expected.
Rarity insisted, that she stayed for tea and cake to discuss her plans. The fashion mare wanted to get a clear vision from the whole interior of her future home. 
But Pinkie couldn't say what she would like most, so Rarity made assumptions for the tapestries, curtains and even whole rooms. So the friends talked for more than four hours and the day went on.
It was already past 15 o'clock as Pinkie was finally able to leave. But it was really funny to imagine her future home.




Fluttershy invited Pinkie to stay for supper and she couldn't decline that. She helped the mare and both fed every small critters the yellow mare hosted, before they got their own meal. Pinkie told her all about her plans and Fluttershy listened pensively.
Pinkie had almost told her why she was in such a need for a house, but Fluttershy finished the soup just in time and the eating silenced Pinkie easily.
Fluttershy asked of course how she could help with that, visibly unsure, how she could contribute. 
She happily agreed, as Pinkie suggested, that she could bring snacks and lemonade.
The earthpony mare finished her bowl after that and gulped down the tasty stew. 
In fact she finished it so quickly, that it stayed on her cheeks and she had to clean it with her tongue afterwards. 
She asked for a second whip of stew and hawked it down even faster.
“Say, Fluttershy is this pegasus food?
It's yummy!”
The yellow mare blushed and shook her head quickly. She turned her face slightly away and mumbled an answer.
“Pegasus food is much, much hotter.
Too hot for me.
Even Mum's dishes are way too hot for me.
I've learned that down here.”
Pinkie nodded, cocked her head slightly and licked her lips. 
She already asked another question, but stopped and jumped back on her hooves, as she saw the clock.
“Do you know, what I could...Holy Pie, look at the time.
I'm sorry Fluttershy. Gotta go.
See you tomorrow.”
The yellow mare stared confused to the pink puff of smoke, formerly the place where her friend was and mumbled an unheard answer.



Pinkie rushed over the almost closed up market, but luckily her favourite place, the balloon and other party supply booth was open. 
So she was able to grab a few of the balloons and cried out.
“I'm sorry, I'll pay tomorrow!
Pinkie promise.”
The vendor mare turned surprised to the pink puff of smoke, but smiled and nodded, as she recognised the voice.
Pinkie just had a balloon emergency again.
The running mare tied the balloons around herself and jumped off the ground, as she got to the outskirts of Ponyville. 
The huge cloudhome from her only winged friend hovered in the wind.
She flew blissfully unaware of the danger to the door and even managed to stop there. 
Well she didn't just stopped there, but actually banged into the wooden door with a loud thud. 
Pinkie didn't flinched and just smiled, as she shook away the little stars around her head.
It wasn't just her leap of joy but the balloons of course, that she was capable of such a high jump.
The sinking sun dyed the door of the house crimson and the wind started to move Pinkie away from it, 
but she was able to knock, before she drifted off to far.

Luckily Rainbow had heard her loud thud against the door and opened it shortly after Pinkie started to drift away. 
The cyan mare looked confused around, spotted the pink drifting pony and caught her with an even more confused expression. 
But Pinkie didn't mind it and already blabbed her invitation. 
Rainbow hold her in place, as they returned to her cloud and just shook her head to fought back her confusion. 
Finally she nodded quickly.
“I'll help you, of course Pinkie.
But why do you need a house out of the blue right now?”
Rainbow let Pinkie loose and scratched her head with the hoof, but had to catch her again, as she drifted away again. 
She cocked her head and stared into the bride smiling face of her friend. The partypony opened her mouth, but shook her head at the same moment and beamed even wider. 
She tried to turn away and her hooves waved quickly back and forth to move her, but she wasn't able to set herself free from Rainbows grip.
“I can't tell you that, silly.
It's a surprise.
See you tomorrow...”
She intensified her waving, but didn't move in the slightest, so Rainbow just sighed and let her loose. 
The mare started to drift away and Rainbow looked dumbfounded after her. 
When she was in a surprise mode, there was no talking her into to spill the beans, so the mare knew that she just could play along.

Pinkie grinned even as the wind caught her and pulled her higher into the sky. 
She tried to intensify her struggle to get down, but even as her hooves were just a whirl of pink, the balloons just float higher.
She struggled for a few seconds more, before she turned her head and cried out for help.
“Rain...bow a little assistance would be nice...”
Rainbow just snickered and shook her head. She dashed closer, grabbed the mare and pulled her back to the ground. 
Meanwhile she bantered her floating friend with a question.
“What would you have done, if I wouldn't be here right now, Pinkie?
You're lucky I'm home, you know...”
Pinkie just hugged the mare almost bone crushing and grinned. She pondered her answer for one second and simply admitted.
“I just would wait till you’re getting home, silly.”
Rainbow opened her mouth and seemed confused about that statement. 
She stammered an answer.
“Consider the win and...”
Pinkie just stopped her train of thought with a snicker and continued.
“But I already knew, that you're home. Fluttershy had seen you, so...”
She stopped herself mid sentence, as the two friends glided slowly over a field full of crops. 
She felt her mouth watering and her stomach grumbled.
“Oh right, what do you want for breakfast tomorrow?
Pancakes, oatmeal, or a sandwich?”
Rainbow just shook her head, as she spotted a good landing spot and glided closer to it.
“Pancakes would be great, Pinkie.
But I can't promise to be there from the start. We've a weather patrol meeting in the morning.
But as soon as it's over, I'll dash to Sugarcube corner and we can start to raise your home.”
Pinkie's smile widened again, as Rainbow landed and let her loose. 
Of course she started to float again and didn't seem to be too concerned, as she drifted away from the ground again. 
The wind caught her and she flew away with more and more speed. Rainbow caught her after a few seconds and put her back on the ground. 
She hold her down and released the balloons finally. They were caught in the wind quite quickly and floated out of sight and into the troubled air. 
Pinkie looked after them and lost her thought again.
Maybe she could help Scootaloo with a bunch...

Rainbow waved in front of her mindless staring eyes and Pinkie looked down to her again.
“So, you want to stay in Sugarcube Corner, till I arrive,
or do you want to meet somewhere else?
Do you even know, where your future home should be?”
She sounded a little bit bugged, as she had asked this question for a while.
Pinkie took a deep surprised breath and gazed at Rainbow. She answered her question with an outcry.
“No, but I thought we just build everywhere, because...”
Rainbow just shook her head unbelievingly. She cleared her throat and sounded almost setted.
“Pinkie, I'm well being in game for many things, but this isn't one of them.
How big shall...”
Pinkie turned away and dashed away, before Rainbow was able to finish her sentence. Her answer sounded first very loud in Rainbows ears, but as farer as Pinkie went, as more it died away.
“I have to talk with Twilight. See you tomorrow.“



Pinkie arrived at her next destination, the Golden Oaks, as Spike had already cleaned everything up for closure and only swept the last steps inside. 
He fought down a yawn and sighed relieved, as he lifted the broom for a last stroke. 
The sun was just a thin line of gold on the horizon and a few stars already sparkled over the library. 
Spike smiled, as he reached the end of today's duty.
Pinkie raced past Spike, caused a great stir and took it with her on the path through the room. 
The whole room was covered in dust again. 
The slow falling particles tickled in Spike's nose and the small dragon sneezed fire.
“Oh, hello Spike, I'm sorry.
I've to see Twilight?”
Pinkie didn't slow down, but raced through the library, upstairs and collided with the other resident, 
a purple pony, who let loose a bowl of salad, as she was knocked over. 
The friends were twirled into a mess of legs and mane's and Pinkie felt a horn on her shoulder.
“What the...Pinkie?
What is gotten into you?”
Pinkie nuzzled her friends shoulder and tried to untangle herself, but failed and just grinned apologetic.
“Uhm, nothing, but we could say, that I got into you, Twilight?”
She snickered quietly, but Twilight sighed bugged and Pinkie stopped quickly. 
She stammered around and tried to entangle the bodies, but that wasn't quite so easy, as her thoughts drifted back to Scootaloo. 
She sighed and started to speak clearly.
“Alright, I have to think about the whole house thingy again. Where I should place it...”
Twilight put Pinkie back on her hooves with her magic and placed her a few steps away. 
After that she stood up herself, brushed over her coat and tried to arrange her ideas, but she sighed as Pinkie addressed the subject of the house.
“Major Mare had already assigned a place!”
Pinkie turned her head to the mare and stared confused to her. She thought it through and mumbled another question.
“Eh, Major Mare? What had she to with it?
I thought we just could place it wherever we want.”
Twilight sighed loudly and laid a hoof on Pinkie's blabbering mouth. 
She shook her head and levitated a city map closer.
“We have a few free places for houses, Pinkie.”

Twilight's voice sounded more and more elated, as she shifted into teachers mode. 
Her magic formed arrows and pointed on different areas of the map. 
But one after the other vanished, as she continued speaking, till just one reminded.
“But for your needs and Scootaloo's as well this one is just perfect.
It's just a parted public house area, but I'm pretty sure, Applejack wouldn't mind...”
Pinkie cut Twilight short with a surprised cry and grabbed the map out of her magic. 
She stared to the place with the magic arrow and mumbled a few word.
“Well it's near the school, close to Sweet Apple Acres and a few hoofsteps past the last house.
There are living, uhm, the Twists, perfect.”
Pinkie's grin widened, as Twilight levitated the map out of her hooves and locked her gaze onto it. 
She snapped first, but eased up quickly and got into her elated mood again.
“We just need somepony who could make the foundation and...”
Pinkie nodded and rushed to the desk nearby. She took a piece of paper, a quill and an ink pot and bounced back to Twilight.
“Can you help me and draw the house?
Rarity suggested that we should do the floor plan first.
And she had said, that three bedrooms are certainly most divine.
But I think, that a kitchen, a playroom and a...”

Twilight's stomach started to rumble, as Pinkie mentioned a kitchen and even the corner of her mouth were watering up. 
She looked to her bowl of salad and opened her mouth.
“I will help you tomorrow, Pinkie.
But today was a long day and I'm hungry.
Would you mind...”
Pinkie covered her mouth with her hooves, put the things back on the desk and nodded.
“Of course, Twilight.
How rude of me.
I wanted to ask you out for a house building date. Well not a date date, but...
I mean, would you like meet me tomorrow for breakfast, I can make pancakes and...”
Twilight's stomach rumbled even louder and the mare blushed a little bit, as her eyes trailed off to her bowl. 
She licked her lips and sighed deeply. Pinkie just nodded and bounced to the stair.
“Oki, doki, I should go now and let you eat.
Enjoy your meal, Twilight. See you tomorrow.”
She raced downstairs, past Spike, who were trying to clean the whole mess again and grumbled a few inaudible words into his scales.
Pinkie just rushed past him and took all of the dust with her outside. Spike just gaped confused after her and the cloud of dust.
“I'm sorry, Spike.
But I have to meet with Miss Cheerilee to talk about...”
Pinkie bit her lips to suppress the last word. She didn't want to ruin the surprise for anyone, so she fell silent and just raced.



She raced past the schoolhouse and to a small house behind it.
There waited the last door, who she had to knock today, Cheerilee's door. The round yellow door was opened by an almost sleepy looking pony.
Cheerilee stood behind the door, wrapped into a fluffy dark red bathrobe and looked to the nervously bouncing party pony. 
Pinkie couldn't wait and started to blabber, as Cheerilee finally answered the door.
“Hello Cheerilee, I thought, I come for a visit and ask for...oh is that ginger tea?”
Pinkie sniffed mid sentence and caught a very familiar smell. Cheerilee just looked at her very confused, but nodded quickly and opened her mouth, but Pinkie babbled faster than she could answer and continued.
“You know, Caring mentioned that you can help me with Scoota...”
Cheerilee grabbed Pinkie, pulled her into the house and closed the door quickly, as the mare cried out Scootaloos name.
Pinkie had anticipated a corridor, but a huge room continued after the door. She looked around quickly, as she entered and turned her head from left to right.
The room was filled with books almost as many as the library, just interrupted from folders and dozens of pictures. 
A huge desk stood beside an opening on the other side.
It was chock full with exercise books and sheets of paper, but one square was empty. 
Well it wasn't total empty, but the purple teapot with a cup in the same colour didn't fill up the space in front of a comfortable armchair.
Directly above the free square, hung a dozen pictures from classes and a huge pinboard with pictures from students and a class schedule. 
Pinkies attention was riveted by all the pictures above it and she took a deep breath, as she saw the dozens of smiling students.
These were many ponies, who just smiled because of one pony, Cheerilee. Certainly more ponies,than even Pinkie had brought to smile period.

In the middle of the pictures hung one from Scootaloo's class and Pinkie looked out for the pegasus.
She was sitting between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, had laid a hoof around both and smiled a real smile, as wide as she could muster.
Cheerilee waited and breathed out in relief, as Pinkie didn't say anything. 
The teacher pulled the other mare to a yellow couch on the other side of the room and placed her there. 
She turned to the desk and mumbled a question.
“Would you like some tea too, or do you want a little bit juice, Pinkie?”
Pinkie looked curiously to the left, but in the rest of the room were just a small table beside the couch and another two doors.
“A little bit juice would be nice.
Uh are you having a cold?”
The mare just sighed relieved and stepped through the next door into a small kitchen. 
Cheerilee seemed to open cupboard and searched for something and closed them, as she couldn't find what she was looking for. 
She answered Pinkies question meanwhile.
“No, no, but I want to prevent it, you know?
A teacher shouldn't fall ill.
Who would teach the foals in the meantime?”
She poured something into a glass and her voice sounded mumbler as before as she took it into her mouth.
“I have expected you a little bit earlier that day, you know?
I had waited half of the afternoon and thought, that you have to work today, Pinkie.”
The mare returned to the room and put a tray with a glass apple juice onto the small table. Pinkie grinned apologetic and grabbed the glass quickly. 
She drank a small sip and breathed out quietly.
“I thought it would be more important to build a house first.
Daddy always says...”
Cheerilee cleared her throat and shook her head. She walked slowly to the desk, took her cup, returned to the couch and sat beside Pinkie. 
She drank a sip on her own and sighed.
“I hope, that you two can live together some day, Pinkie.
But first it is more important to help Scootaloo.!”
The mare sounded so serious, that Pinkie turned her head and the smile faded away. 

Cheerilee continued quietly and sounded even more serious.
“Scootaloo has problems to follow the lessons properly.
Her homework is getting thinner from week to week.”
Cheerilee took a deep breath, drank another sip and blow over the edge of the cup. 
She sounded a little bit more positive and was able to smile wistfully.
“I don't think, that she is stupid, Pinkie. Far from it.
She could do it easily, when her room wouldn't be so messy.
Or when her mind wouldn't circle around other things.”
Cheerilee turned the head to Pinkie and examined her. The partypony cocked her head, smiled and opened her mouth, but Cheerilee shook her head and continued.
“Caring had said, that she is rarely in the orphanage and so didn't make much homework.
Even when Caring told her off, she didn't changed it for long.
And I can't let her stay in detention forever.”
Cheerilee cleared her throat and eyed up the confused mare again. 

Pinkie raised a hoof, put it down again and drank another sip finally. 
She thought for a good answer, but couldn't find anything. Cheerilee waited for a while, but continued as Pinkie couldn't say anything.
“So this is our last straw, Pinkie.
I have no choice, but to let her stay back and let her resit the whole class, when she doesn't get her act together now. 
She would loose all of her friends and that would hurt her deeply!”
Pinkie started to sweat and started to stammer nervously.
“But...but...I wasn't good at school on my own. And I don't know, what Scootaloo should learn now...and...”
Cheerilee just smiled and nodded.
“That's the reason, why we're sitting together, Pinkie.
I can show you everything you have to know and I think, that you are capable of teaching her that.”
The mare sounded encouraging enough, that Pinkie calmed down and turned relived to the teacher. 
Cheerilee put the cup down, laid both hooves on Pinkie's shoulders and sounded firmer.
“But you have to give her the much needed structure, Pinkie!
This is a very difficult task.”
Pinkie started to sweat again and cleared her throat nervously. But Cheerilee just smiled and nuzzled her encouraging.
“Don't worry.
I know you can do it!”
Pinkie sighed and her ears lowered themselves halfway. 
The partypony's mane lost a little bit of her usual fluffyness and her smile faded into an unsecure expression. 
Her mouth formed a question, who echoed within her.
“Do you really think, Cheerilee?”
> A breakfast with friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie was laying in her bed, but no, not just laying. 
After such a joyful day, contrasted by confusing statements and even more confusing things, the sleep wouldn't come willy nilly. 
So Pinkie tossed and turned under the covers and spoke to herself. Just carefully sounded to not waking up Gummy with it. 
The little alligator nibbled on her mane with his toothless mouth and smacked satisfied.
“We will build a house tomorrow, maybe we can even move in tomorrow, Gummy.
And after that...”
She giggled enthusiastic and even tossed away her blanket very excited. 
She turned onto her hooves and wanted to jump off the bed, but stayed in bed, before she could wake up Gummy. She sighed quietly, as she remembered Cheerilee's parting words.
“I think you can do it, Pinkie.”
Cheerilee cocked her head thoughtful and sighed deeply. 
Her eyes scanned over Pinkie with an almost confused, well for Pinkie clearly confused, smile and she continued gentler.
“Scootaloo will push herself over every hurdle to impress you.
She wants to get adopted from you after all and wont make any kind of trouble for you.
Well first.”
Cheerilee sighed again and shook away the rest of her words. She forced a smile back onto her face and closed the door finally. 
Pinkie shook away the rest of the memory, laid her head on her front hooves, puffed up her cheeks and blow over them. 
She whispered as low as a breeze.
“She would do anything.
Really anything...?”
The mare shivered, as her memory drifted back to her dullest moment in life. To the time as she was forced to her breaking point. 

The time in her life, as she was forced to do the most boring thing imaginable to do, only to prove, that she was the real Pinkie. 
Watching paint dry!
She shivered again and put on an inquiring expression.
And Scootaloo would do even that to get adopted?
Pinkie turned around, faced the ceiling and took a deep breath. She yawned and her eyes went close slowly.
“If she would do that, I have to...”
She closed her eyes and dozed away, before she was able to finish the sentence.


The next morning dawned so quickly, that Pinkie wondered how quick the night has passed, as she stood up. 
It felt like she was in bed just for minutes.
Pinkie shrugged and jumped down the stairs humming a sweet tone. 
Arriving downstairs she pranced on the spot, before she bounced into the bath.
She showered and heard a knocking sound in the middle of it. 
She was late already? 
First she thought, that the Cakes would let her in and continued showering. 
But as the knocking continued and grew even louder, she jumped out of the shower, drying herself in a whirling fashion 
and called for the Cakes on her way to the door, but nopony answered. 
Pinkie had to open the door herself and cried relived, as she faced the pony outside.
“Good morning Applejack.
You're early, in fact earlier than...”
She hugged her friend as strongly as she could, but the elder earthpony answered the hug just half hearted and Pinkie let her loose quickly. 
She cocked her head confused and whispered a question.
“Is everything alright?”
Applejack took a deep breath and swallowed something. She even evaded eye contact and a drop of sweat wandered over her face. 
She had to do some soul searching and answered in a calm, almost monotone manner.
“Pinkie, I'm sorry, but I have to tell you...”
Pinkie cocked her head even more, as she could hear the serious tone and tried to smile encouraging.
But it vanished half ways, as Applejack sighed again, cleared her throat and continued.
“We can't let ya adopt Scootaloo.
We are worried, if you're responsible enough for that!”
Pinkie stared at the nervously smiling friend and wasn't able to answer first.
More and more thoughts flew through her head, but as longer she thought about a good answer to give, 
as more they got tangled in themselves and finally she had an inextricable ball of thoughts, so she could just stammer around. 
She was stranded in her thoughts.
“But we, you, me...see...”
Applejack laid a hoof around her very slowly and led her back into the house.
Pinkie didn't catch up with that, so much she was stuck in her own thoughts, but as her friend pushed her gently on a sofa, 
she saw that something was very wrong.
Applejack looked around in the room and Pinkie followed her look, as she continued.
“I'm sorry, we hadn't told you about our concerns earlier.”
Applejack's eyes were locked on the dark red curtains on the windows and she sighed. 
Pinkie's eyes skidded over the fireplace in front of the sofa, a low closet with a painted wing on it 
and a huger one with painted balloons and felt a strange sting in her heart.
“But now you can invite a stallion into your new house and...”
The party pony's head turned around quickly and stared at her for a long time. 
But Applejack just continued and drew lines on the floor.
“If you want to you can try to have one...”
Pinkie cried out finally and jumped onto the hooves. She even stamped them on the ground.
“I don't have a house right now, Applejack!”


Pinkie thumped with her side on something hard and squeaked surprised. 
She looked around in shock, landed in her old room and shook her head confused.
“Pinkie?
Are you all right?”
Miss Cake's voice sounded through the floor and the sound of hooves came slowly upstairs. 
Pinkie jumped back onto her hooves, looked to the clock shortly and galloped out of her room, before Miss Cake could even enter. 
Pinkie ran almost into the mares hooves and just could stop directly in front of her.
Miss Cake smiled almost sheepish and opened her mouth, but Pinkie cocked her head, pranced on the spot and stammered first.
“I've overslept!
I have to prepare everything, before...”
Somepony knocked on the door and Pinkie went silent. She sighed and Cup Cake said finally something.
“Twilight and Applejack were waiting down there and I want to wake you up.
W...”
Pinkie didn't want to wait another second, so she bounced over Cup, landed hard on her hooves and galloped downstairs quickly.
She tried to stammer an apology. But she left the stairs already and saw two ponies sitting on the breakfast table, who looked seriously to her.
Pinkie braked hastily, opened the mouth, bit her first answer down and was finally able to put on a smile.
“I'm sorry.
I've overslept and...
Applejack, I've dreamed about you!”
The orange pony cocked her head confused, thought for a moment and nodded finally. 
She looked to Twilight, who set down a teacup and looked quickly over Pinkie.
Before she was able to say anything, somepony knocked again and Pinkie wince. 
She galloped to the door, pulled it open and faced two other ponies, who looked confused to her.


Rarity sat in front of her second cup of tea and drank more or less satisfied. 
She looked from time to time to Pinkie and tried to say something about her appearance, 
especially her not present hairstyle, but the partypony didn't let her start.
She marched back and forth beside the table and mumbled a few words, changed her mind and started over.
“I'm glad, that you all could...”
Somepony knocked and Pinkie just pulled the door open, grabbed Rainbow Dash and placed her on the last chair 
with a huge pile of steaming pancakes in front of it. She cried out a quick greeting.
“Good morning, Rainbow, you've made it in time, 
we don't have started your pancakes are ready and I hope you like them.”
Pinkie took a deep breath after that and Rarity was finally able to ask a question.
“Why do you need a house, Darling?
Don't you think, that an apartment isn't enough for you?”
Pinkie stopped her already and hugged her quickly. She opened her mouth, while Rarity frowned. 
She levitated a brush out of her saddleback and brushed her multiple times over the bundle of energy's frizzled mane.
“If you're wondering?”
Pinkie paused quickly and all ponies, besides Applejack and Twilight just nodded confused. 
Pinkie took such a deep breath, that she was afraid to burst, but it was necessary.
She cried out in joy so loud and energetic, that Rarity lost the brush with a shriek and had to cover her ears with both hooves unladylike.
“I want to adopt Scootaloo and need a house for that!”
The other ponies just rubbed her ears. 
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were exchanging confused looks and Rarity fumbled for her cup nervously. 
She took a sip to calm herself, gave a little cough and simpered slightly.
Applejack was coming to term with herself, but didn't say anything, just stared nervously to Twilight, 
who cleared her throat and levitated a few flashcards to check them.
“I think, that you...”
Before the mare was able to continue her speech, Rainbow Dash cracked her tail, 
stopped her and blurted out a question.
“Why do you, of all ponies, want to adopt her?”
There was a strange undertone in the question, almost accusative and than not. 
Pinkie looked into the mares eyes, who pushed away her plate and caught the look with her own strange, almost angry one.
Twilight cleared her throat again, to get back the attention, but Pinkie just ignored that, stood up and looked away from Rainbow.
“I just want to become part of her family.
She is...”
Fluttershy squeaked and both Rainbow and Pinkie looked at her surprised. 
The yellow mare  blushed, felt for her teacup, but knocked it over. 
Rainbow took a deep breath, turned to Pinkie with ostentation and licked her lips.
“A pegasus isn't easy to hoofle, you know?
Especially not, when there is so much wron... not right with her.”
Rainbow reflected for a moment, but as Pinkie cocked her head and looked inquisitive to her, the blue mare shook her head.

“Forget it!”
Rainbows stomach growled and the mare pulled the plate closer, stopped and looked to Fluttershy, who was just trembling right now.
The blue mare smiled encouraging and hugged the friend shortly. 
She whispered something to her and Fluttershy just nodded weakly.
She answered with her own inaudible whisper and looked from Twilight to Pinkie Pie, but her voice was so low, that only Rainbow could understand her. 
The blue mare grimaced almost irritated, laid a wing around Fluttershy and answered her question with:
“I think so.”
The yellow mare squeaked again and slipped onto her hooves, as Twilight cleared her throat and continued speaking.
“So, when we could return to the matter at hoof and talk about the house...”
Pinkie looked to Fluttershy, who started to walk slowly to the door and her own expression was hard to read. 
But she held eye contact the whole time, so Pinkie thought, that she should follow her and stood up.
Twilight tried to ask a question, but Rainbow just hissed and shook her head, as Twilight looked at her. 
Rainbow just waited, till Pinkie Pie walked after Fluttershy out of the room and started to whisper, as both mares had left the building.

Pinkie didn't listen, but stayed fixated on her friend, as both slowly wandered through Ponyville. 
She could have taken the lead very easily, how slow the other mare walked and how she was trembling. 
Pinkies eyes glided slowly over the downcast body of the other mare, stayed for a moment on her close hold wings 
and continued with her wavering mane in the breeze. She followed the slower mare and thought for a few minutes.
Fluttershy uttered a sigh of relieve, as before both mares left Ponyville and even held her head higher, 
as the smell of wild flowers combined with that of an gurgling water of a nearby stream was blown into their faces by the wind. 

Fluttershy took a few deep sniffs of the scent and followed its trace closer to the Everfree Forest and through a field of different wild flowers. 
Bees and many other insects were buzzing and humming around the yellow, blue and red dots of colour, putting a smile on Fluttershys face. 
Pinkie followed her to a place next to a blooming elder bush, who exhaled a sweet redolence of nectar, which numbed everyponys bad feelings with its heavy sweetness. 
Fluttershy laid down next to the bush, took a deep breath and held her nose into a warm ray of sunlight, which flickered through the leaves.
She remained silent for a few moments and Pinkie looked around while she was waiting. 
She marvelled at the view, so many flowers, so many creatures, she didn't know that a place like this existed so close to Ponyville. 
It was like a jungle, a really small jungle of course. 
Pinkies smile returned as well and she too sniffed the scent of the elderberry.
As Fluttershy heard Pinkies deep breath, she woke up and got her attention with a sigh.
“You...you know, as the three little fillies stayed by me for a sleepover, they...”
Fluttershy's voice was drowned out by the buzzing and humming by the swarming insects, 
so Pinkie had to step closer and laid down beside her, to catch every word.

Even the little thud, as she laid down, stopped the yellow mare and let her look to Pinkie shortly. 
After a while of awkward silence, Fluttershy took another deep breath, turned her face back into the ray of warm sunlight,
closed her eyes and continued with a whisper.
“Well I have bitten more, than I chew with them.
I thought it would be easy, but it wasn't.
Are you sure with what you are doing?”
Pinkie waited a few moments, but Fluttershy didn't speak along, but listened with twitching ears. 
The pink mare took that as a hint, to answer. She laid her head against Fluttershys cheek, 
first the mare  squeaked and wanted to slip away, but she stopped and leaned her head against Pinkies.
“I think so.
If I don't do it...”
Fluttershy opened her mouth, but shut it close again, as Pinkie stopped speaking. 
She waited and continued cuddling with her friend. 
Fluttershy took another deep breath and whispered a question.
“Are you sure, that this isn't just a funny idea?”
Pinkie wanted to take a indignantly gasp and tried to turn her head away, but her mind took the lead 
and she just scratched the ground with a hoof, unable to find the strength to rise up.
“Why does everpony believe, that I can't do that?”
Pinkie sounded almost hurt and Fluttershy hugged her with a wing. 
She whispered an apology and answered.

“We do believe you can, Pinkie.
But why do you want to rush it?”
Pinkie opened her mouth, closed it and cocked her head. 
She raised a hoof, opened her mouth again, but nothing came out and she put the hoof back on the ground.
Fluttershy kept waiting, till Pinkie had an idea, what to answer.