> Helping Scootaloo
>  by SpikeisCute
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Scootaloo?!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One cold winter afternoon, Spike and the CMC (Cutie Mark Crusaders) decided to head to Sugarcube Corner for some hot cocoa after an intense snowball fight. Spike was wearing a green and purple hat with a scarf and some gloves to match. Sweetie Belle was wearing earmuffs, a scarf, and gloves that Rarity had made her. Apple Bloom was wearing boots, a hat, and scarf and Scootaloo was wearing nothing.

"Scootaloo? Are you sure you're not cold?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I-I'm f-fine." replied the pegasus, who was visibly shaking.

"Here!" Spike said, taking off his scarf and wrapping it around Scootaloo.

"I t-told you I'm f-fine!" Scootaloo argued.

"Just keep it."

"I said-"

A stern look from the dragon made it clear that there was no winning this fight.

"Fine..."

The four friends arrived at the bakery. As they stepped in, a blast of heat hit them and they all shivered with pleasure. Pinkie Pie was at the counter and looked up to see the foursome enter.

"Hiya guys! What can I do for you today?" Pinkie asked with her usual enthusiasm.

"4 hot cocoas please!" Apple Bloom said.

"Coming right up!"

Pinkie finished the chocolaty goodness for the four kids and plopped them down on the counter.

"Thanks Pinkie! What do we owe you?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"You know what? These are on the house today!" Pinkie said.

"Wow! Really? Thanks!" Scootaloo said.

The friends found a table and sat down to talk.

"Wow Pinkie! These are really good!" Spike compliments, taking another sip of his drink. 

"Really? That's a relief! I tried a new recipe today so I'm super duper glad you guys like it!" Pinkie Pie replies.

Pinkie got back to work while the children continued to talk.

"Say Scoots? Why didn't ya wear anything today? It's freezing!" Apple Bloom asks.

The orange pegasus starts to sweat.

"I was in such a hurry that I forgot!" Scootaloo blurts out, hoping that her friends would buy her excuse.

Apple Bloom stares at Scootaloo for a minute or two, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm, ok."

Scootaloo sighs softly. 'That was a close one!'

The fillies and the baby dragon reminisced about failed cutie mark attempts. They were all having a good time until Sweetie Belle looked at a clock.

"Oh shoot! Is it 4pm already?" Sweetie Belle asks, looking at the time. "I gotta go!"

"Same here!" Apple Bloom chimes in. "See ya guys tomorrow!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rush out of the bakery leaving Spike and Scootaloo behind.

"So umm... What do you want to do?" Scootaloo asks.

"Wanna hang out with me in the castle?" 

"Sure!"

The duo head out for the Castle of Friendship. When they arrive, they are greeted by Twilight Sparkle, aka the Princess of Friendship.

"Hey Spike! Hey Scootaloo! What are you two doing?" Twilight greets.

"Hey Twilight! Me and Scootaloo were just going to go play in my room if that's ok!" Spike responds, while taking off his winter gear. Scootaloo doing the same with the scarf.

"It's okay! Just be careful!" 

"Thanks Twilight! Come on Scoots!"

Spike grabs Scootaloo's hoof and runs down the hallway to his room.

"Here we are!" Spike announces.

Scootaloo stares at the dragon's room in awe with her mouth agape. It had posters, a bed big enough for two ponies, and a bunch of pictures of him and Twilight. 

"Wow Spike," Scootaloo says. "I've never actually seen your room before!"

"I know! It's actually kind of weird that you never came into my room before!" Spike exclaims.

"You read Power Ponies?!" Scootaloo asks, looking over at his bookshelf.

"Yep! I have all the comics so far!"

"Can we read some of the comics then?" Scootaloo asks.

"Of course!" Spike replies.

Spike flies over to his bed and plops down on it. He pats the empty space next to him. 

"Come on! Grab a comic and we can start reading!" Spike says.

Scootaloo grabs a comic with her teeth and sits down next to Spike. Spike starts reading the comic to her with awesome voices to match the characters. They were both so engaged in reading comic after comic that hours sped by and before they knew it, it was Spike's bedtime.

"Spike! Time for bed!" Twilight calls out.

"Aww man!" Scootaloo groans.

"It's ok Scoots! We can read more Power Ponies tomorrow! Maybe then I'll tell you about the time me and the others got trapped in a Power Ponies comic!" Spike said with excitement.

"That sounds great!" the pegasus said.

"Scootaloo?" Twilight asks, who is now at the doorway of Spike's room. "Should I take you home? It's very late and your parents must be worried about you."

"No thanks! I'll be fine!" Scootaloo blurts out again. "Bye Spike!"

The filly quickly makes her way out of the castle.

"Well...That was something." Twilight said. "Anyways, good night Spike!"

"Night Twi!"



The next morning, it was below 10 degrees so Twilight made sure Spike bundled up well enough since he wanted to take a walk.

"Geez Twi. I knew it was cold but you didn't have to make me wear 2 scarves, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 hats and one huge puffy jacket." Spike said to no one in particular.

Spike waddled to the center of Ponyville only to run into a certain blue pegasus.

"S-Spike..." Rainbow Dash said, trying not to laugh. "W-what are you wearing?"

"Yeah, I know. Go ahead and laugh."

Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate and burst out into a laughing fit while shedding tears. Spike just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Who did this to you? Rainbow asked, after her laughing subdued. 

"Guess." Spike said.

"Twilight, huh?" Rainbow guessed.

"Bingo." he confirmed.

"Well anyways, I gotta go find the perfect cloud to nap on!" Rainbow said.

"Right! See you later, Rainbow!" Spike said, waddling away.

Spike decided to head home after his walk. When he passed Sweet Apple Acres, the young dragon could've sworn he heard a sneeze. Spike decided to find the source of the sneeze. Every sneeze got louder and louder as Spike got closer and closer. He followed the sound all the way to the Crusader's Clubhouse.

'The clubhouse? Why would anyone be in there with this weather?' Spike thought.

He waddled up the ramp and slowly opened the door. There on the floor he saw a blue blanket, shivering with somepony under it.

He moved towards the blanket and pulled it off. What the dragon saw next made him freeze.

"Sp-Spike?"

"S-Scootaloo?!"
> She's an Orphan...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dragon stood in the middle of the CMC Clubhouse where he found Scootaloo shivering under a blanket. The poor filly's coat was less vibrant than usual. Her mane was frazzled, there were bags around her eyes, her nose was red, and she was sweating. 

"S-Spike? What are y-you doing h-here?" the filly asked, weakly.

"I was going to ask you the same thing! Scoots, why are you sleeping here? Where are your parents?"

"I-I-"

Scootaloo didn't even finish her sentence before she fell back asleep.

"Scootaloo?" Spike said. "Wake up."

Spike felt Scootaloo's forehead and immediately pulled away.

"Ouch! Oh my gosh, Scoots! You're burning up!"

Spike leaped into action. He wrapped Scootaloo in her blanket and put his hat, scarf, jacket, and gloves on her. The dragon put Scootaloo's leg over his back and started moving. He decided to take Scootaloo to the Ponyville Hospital. While making his way to the hospital, Spike thought about who he should tell about Scootaloo's problem. 'Might as well tell Twilight and Rainbow. I trust Twilight and Rainbow is technically Scoots' big sister.' As the Ponyville Hospital got closer, Scootaloo became heavier and heavier.

"Come on legs! Don't fail me now!" the dragon grunted.

Spike managed to get through the front doors of the building but collapsed one second later. Spike couldn't really remember anything after that. All he could remember was that everything went black and that someone was moving him. Then he remembered Scootaloo. She needed his help!

"Scootaloo!" Spike gasped, sitting up quickly in his hospital bed.

He frantically looked around only to see Twilight's concerned face. 

"Spike? Are you okay?" Twilight asked, genuinely concerned for her childhood friend.

"I'm fine..."

But the tone of the dragon's voice told Twilight that he was clearly the opposite of okay.

"Spike, I've known you since I was a little filly. I know when something is bothering you." Twilight said.

Spike sighed. "Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"It's about Scootaloo..."

"I thought so. You and Scootaloo were out cold on the floor near the front door. What happened?"

Spike explained the whole scenario from beginning to the end. He told her about the clubhouse, Scootaloo's fever, and how he had to carry Scootaloo and walk all the way to the hospital. Twilight was silent for a moment. Then she spoke.

"First of all, I was worried sick when the hospital called and told me that you were here! So don't ever do that to me again!"

"Sorry Twi."

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're ok."

Twilight hugged Spike and he hugged her back.

"And second of all," Twilight continued. "Judging from what you told me, I think Scootaloo might be an orphan."

"WHAT?!" Spike yelled.

"Spike! Lower your voice!" Twilight scolded.

"Sorry..."

"Anyways, all the evidence lines up. She was sleeping in the clubhouse and when I offered to take her home, she panicked and ran out of the castle." Twilight said.

"Well, what should we do then?" Spike asked.

"Well first, we have to confirm that Scootaloo has no parents. If she doesn't, I think I might have an idea on how we can help her. But for now, you rest. We'll talk about this later." Twilight said.

"Ok." Spike yawned, falling back asleep.

When Spike was deep asleep, Twilight started panicking in her head. Though it didn't seem like it, Twilight was shocked as well. Next thing she knew, she started hyperventilating. Twilight took a few deep breaths and came to a decision. 'I have to tell the girls about this.' 





Meanwhile with Rainbow and Scoots...

Rainbow Dash waited next to Scootaloo's hospital bed with a worried look on her face. Her surrogate sister had a severe fever and was administered to the hospital. Scootaloo was attached to an IV bag and had an ice pack on top of her head. On top of that, Spike was also in a hospital bed. 'I hope Scoots and Spike are ok.'

Just then, Rainbow heard a small groan coming from the bed. She looked down to see Scootaloo waking up.

"Ugh...R-Rainbow Dash? I-Is that you?" Scootaloo groaned.

"Yeah squirt. It's me. The one and only." Rainbow said, managing to crack a small grin.

"W-Where am I?" Scootaloo asked, looking at her surroundings.

"You're in the hospital with Spike."

"S-Spike?!" Scootaloo exclaimed, remembering the encounter with the dragon in the clubhouse.

"Yeah. One of the nurses found you guys out cold on the floor. She said you had a severe fever. Twilight is with Spike in the other room." Rainbow explained.

"O-oh..."

"Hey Scoots? Is something wrong?" Rainbow asked.

"Why w-would you say that?" Scootaloo said, becoming nervous out of nowhere.

"First off, your voice is quavering. Second of all, you're starting to sweat even though you're almost better. Say why did you get a fever that bad anyways? Don't you have somepony to look after you? Like your parents?" Rainbow Dash said.

Scootaloo was shaking now and her breathing was getting heavier and faster. Her heart was beating and she was starting to tear up. Rainbow Dash became worried and tried to figure out what was going on. 

"Scoots! Snap out of it! What's wrong?"

Scootaloo started sobbing now and the only thing Rainbow could do was try to calm her down. This wasn't really her strong suit, more down Fluttershy's lane. But Scoots needed her right now.

"Hey, hey. It's ok." Rainbow said in a much softer voice while hugging Scootaloo. "Dashie's here."

Scootaloo kept crying into Rainbow's coat while Rainbow held her close and rubbed the crevice between her small wings.

"Shh. It's ok Scoots. I'm here." Rainbow cooed.

Scootaloo's sobbing turned into quite sniffles and she finally mustered up enough courage to tell Rainbow Dash the truth.

"R-Rainbow?"

"Yeah, squirt?"

"About my parents." 

"Yeah?"

"I-I don't have any..."

"W-WHAT?! HOW?!"

Rainbow's outburst startled the young filly and she started shaking again. Rainbow Dash realized that if she wanted answers, she'd have to calm down.

"Scoots?" Rainbow started. "What do you mean you have no parents?"

"Th-they died in a t-terrible storm..."

"So where did you live?"

"I-in the clubhouse."

"And for how long have you been living in the clubhouse?" the older pegasus interrogated.

"3 y-years..."

"Why didn't you ask anyone for help? I would've helped you. Somepony would've helped you."

"I-I didn't want you to t-think I was weak a-and helpless s-so I kept it a s-secret for a long t-time...." Scootaloo sobbed again, keeping her head down.

"Scootaloo, look at me."

When she didn't, Rainbow lifted Scoot's head up and looked her straight in the eye.

"Scootaloo, don't ever say that you are weak and helpless. You are the bravest and most awesome filly I know. I hate to  admit it but sometimes, I ask for help too."

"R-really?"

"Yep! Asking for help doesn't make you look weak. It shows that your brave enough to admit when you need help." Rainbow said.

"Thanks Rainbow. I feel better knowing that." Scootaloo said, snuggling closer to the blue pegasus.

"No problem, kid. No problem."
> Telling the Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After being discharged from the hospital, Twilight and Rainbow set out for the Castle of Friendship. Since Spike and Scootaloo were still asleep when being discharged, Rainbow Dash and Twilight had to carry them on their backs. They were discussing things regarding Scootaloo being an orphan. As soon as they arrived, Twilight decided to put Spike and Scootaloo in bed. She walked to Spike's room carrying the two with her magic and placed them on Spike's bed. Twilight looked at them snuggle up close to each other and smiled. 

"So cute!" Twilight said.

She put a blanket over them and closed the door. When Twilight got to the throne room, she saw all her friends sitting in their assigned thrones with worried looks on their faces, even Pinkie Pie.

"Hey girls." the alicorn said.

"Hey, Twilight. Rainbow Dash said she had something super important to tell us. So she brought all of us here." Pinkie said, without her enthusiasm. 

"Now that Twilight's here, can somepony please tell us what's goin' on?" Applejack asked while the others nodded in agreement.

With all eyes on Rainbow, she took a deep breath and began talking.

"I-It's Scootaloo... Sh-She's..." 

But Rainbow didn't have it in her heart to finish her sentence. She looked to Twilight to help her out.

"Scootaloo... She's an orphan." Twilight finished.

All the girls gasped except Rainbow, who kept her head down.

"How do you know?" Fluttershy asked.

"S-She told me... Her parents died in a terrible storm..." Rainbow jumped in.

"Well, how does Twilight know?" Applejack asked.

"Well..." Twilight started. "It started when Spike wanted to take a walk. He told me he heard a sneeze coming from the Crusader's clubhouse. He opened the door and saw Scootaloo shivering under a blanket. She had a severe fever so Spike had to carry her to the hospital. He collapsed on the floor one second after entering. Rainbow and I were both informed that Spike and Scootaloo were at the hospital. They are currently sleeping in Spike's room."

There was some silence until Rarity broke it.

So what are we going to do for poor Scootaloo?" Rarity asked.

"I-I don't know," Rainbow confesses.

"I have an idea. One of us should take care of Scootaloo until we figure something out." Twilight said.

Everypony looked at Rainbow Dash.

"I guess that means me..."



Scootaloo moved in bed trying to get more comfortable when she realized her movement was restricted. She opened one eye and also realized she wasn't in the hospital anymore. She was in Spike's room. Scootaloo thought the pillow felt scaly so she looked up and saw Spike wrapping one of his arms around her neck. She looked down and saw that her "pillow" was actually Spike's chest. Scootaloo's face turned a crimson red. She carefully wiggled out of the dragon's grasp so she won't wake him up. The pegasus filly sat up in bed and looked at Spike. He looked kinda cute when he was sleeping with his little smile.

'Wait what?! Spike isn't cute. Well, he sorta is cute with his jokes and his laugh... Stay on task, Scoots! You don't like Spike and you never will. You don't like mushy stuff, remember?' Scootaloo thought to herself while staring at Spike.

To distract herself, Scootaloo decided to read some Power Ponies. She went over to the bookshelf and looked for the next comic in the series. When she found it, Scootaloo sat down on the bed again and began reading. Though it was impossible to focus because the pegasus kept glancing back at Spike. Every time she looked at the dragon, Scootaloo would blush and her tummy would feel funny. She figured she would have to ask the girls for help. Just then, Rainbow Dash and Twilight came into the room.

"Hey squirt. You feeling better?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah."

"Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash needs to ask you something very important." Twilight said.

"What is it?"

"How would you like to live with me?" Rainbow Dash asked, rather quickly.

Scootaloo's eyes were big as saucers. Her jaw was slacked and all she could do was scream.

"YES!" Scootaloo exclaimed, jumping off the bed and running to hug Rainbow.

"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Rainbow!" Scootaloo squealed once again.

"No problem, Scoots!" Rainbow chuckled.

"I gotta go tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo said, running out of the room.

"Hold on!" Twilight said, holding Scootaloo with her magic. "Not until you wear proper clothes!"

Twilight put Scootaloo on the ground and put a jacket, a scarf, some gloves, and a hat on the orange filly.

"Now you can go."

Scootaloo zoomed out of the castle to go find her friends while Rainbow and Twilight chuckled about her antics. All the commotion woke up the purple dragon.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, yawning.

"Rainbow Dash agreed to take care of Scootaloo until we can figure out what to do. That means that Scootaloo will be staying at Rainbow's place." Twilight explained.

"Aww! Can Scootaloo please stay over for one more night? I want to finish reading Power Ponies with her!" Spike pleaded.

"Hmm. I guess that's ok! Only if it's fine with Twilight." Rainbow said.

"I see no problem with that." Twilight confirmed.

"Yes!" Spike exclaimed, doing a little victory dance on his bed.

The two mares just grinned and giggled.



Scootaloo ran as fast as she could to the CMC Clubhouse to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle about living with Rainbow Dash. But she slowed down when she came to a realization. She would have to tell her friends that she's an orphan. Would they leave her like her old friends did? No never! It was Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever! Right? As Scootaloo approached the clubhouse, she heard giggling from the inside. She walked up the ramp and opened the door.

"Hey guys!" Scootaloo said, putting on a fake smile.

"Heya Scoots! Sweetie and ah were just making funny faces. Ya wanna try?" Apple Bloom explained.

"No can do, AB. I have to tell you guys something very important." Scootaloo said.

"Well what is it?" Sweetie asked, her curiosity intrigued. 

"I'm going to live with Rainbow Dash!"

"Really?!" the other two fillies exclaimed.

"Yep!"

"But wait! Won't your parents be worried or do they know that you're going to live with Rainbow Dash?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo took a deep breath. 'This is the moment you've been waiting for. Tell your friends the truth.'

"I...My..." was all Scootaloo could utter.

"Scootaloo? Is something wrong?" Sweetie asked, concerned for her friend.

"I don't have parents..." the pegasus confessed.

"WHAT?!"

Scootaloo explained what had happened from beginning to end. Spike finding her in the clubhouse, ending up in the hospital, all of that stuff.

"I'm sorry I lied to you guys. I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore." Scootaloo said, keeping her head down.

Scootaloo waited for them to say something but she got something way better. A hug from her best friends.

"Scoots, of course we still wanna be friends with ya!" Apple Bloom reassured.

"Yeah! Who else would drag us around on their scooter?" Sweetie said.

"T-Thanks guys!" Scootaloo sniffed, returning their hug. "Oh yeah! That reminds me! I need your help."

"With what, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asks.

"With Spike."

Scootaloo proceeds to tell them about sleeping with Spike and how she was blushing and had a funny feeling in her tummy whenever she looked at him.

It was silent for a second or two before the two fillies burst out laughing leaving Scootaloo confused.

"What's so funny?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sounds like somepony has a crush!" Sweetie Belle teased.

"Wait what?! I do not! I hate mushy stuff!" Scootaloo protested.

"I'm sure ya hate mushy stuff!" Apple Bloom said sarcastically. 

"But I do! You know what? I don't have time for this!" Scootaloo said, running out of the clubhouse.

"She so has a crush on Spike." the two fillies said in sync.
> Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo ran all the way back to the castle. Inside, she wasn't looking where she was going so she bumped into the little purple dragon.

"Geez! I'm sorry!" Scootaloo said, not looking at who she bumped into.

"Don't worry about it, Scoots!" Spike said.

"Sp-Spike?!" 

"Yeah! Need a hand?" he said, holding out a claw. 

"N-no thanks! I'm fine!"

Scootaloo got up on her own and ran into the bathroom.

"Okay then..."



"Why did I run away like that?" Scootaloo asked herself.

Scootaloo's heart was racing, her face was red, and her stomach was doing the loop-de-loops. What was going on? Did she have a crush on Spike? No never! Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were being silly. Right?

"For the love of Celestia! Why am I feeling this way?!"

"Scootaloo? Are you okay?" asked Spike, knocking on the bathroom door.

"Y-yeah! I'm fine!" Scootaloo replied.

"Are you sure?

"Y-yeah! I'm s-sure!" Scootaloo stuttered. 'Darn it! Curse my ability to stutter when I'm nervous! Wait what? Why am I nervous? It's just Spike! Get a hold of yourself, Scoots!'

"It doesn't sound like you're fine so I'm coming in!"

Spike opened the door and found Scootaloo sitting on the floor. She looked nervous.

"Hey Scoots? Are you ok?" he asked, putting a claw on Scootaloo's shoulder.

Scootaloo's face turned red once again and her heart was pounding.

"I-I'm ok! Just tired! Yeah t-that's it!" the pegasus said, making up an excuse.

"Then why are you stuttering?"

"I-It happens w-when I'm t-tired!"

Spike eyed the filly closely and every second that passed Scootaloo could've sworn her face was getting redder. Was that even possible?

"Ok," Spike said, giving up. "That reminds me! Twilight said you can stay for one more night! It'll be like a sleepover!"

"A-Awesome! L-Let's go read some m-more Power Ponies!" Scootaloo exclaimed, still stuttering.

The duo ran out of the bathroom, or at least one of them ran. Scootaloo was walking funny. Her legs felt weak and wobbly. She almost fell over but Spike caught her in time.

"Whoa! You gotta be more careful, Scoots!" he said. "How about I hold your hoof so you don't fall over again?"

"Me?! Hold hoofs?! With you?!" Scootaloo said, blushing aggressively. 

"Yeah! I really don't want you getting hurt."

"O-ok..."

Hoof in claw, the two started making their way to Spike's room. Scootaloo couldn't bring herself to look away from Spike as they walked towards the bedroom. He was so cute and caring. 'Sweet Celestia! What is wrong with me?!'

When they arrived, Spike flew over to his bookshelf and grabbed some comics while Scootaloo sat down on his bed. The dragon sat down next to the filly and started reading. But Scootaloo wasn't really paying attention to the book. She kept on looking at Spike and blushing. 'He's so adorable! I wonder what it'll be like to kiss him. Wait a minute? What?! Why do I keep doing this? I need some serious help! Not Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle help! But who can help me? Rainbow doesn't like mushy stuff nor do I! I bet Twilight doesn't know a thing about love even though she's a princess and knows like everything! Wait that's it! Princess! I can tell Princess Cadance! She is the Princess of Love after all!'

"Spike! Bedtime! You too, Scootaloo!" Twilight called out, breaking Scootaloo's train of thought.

"Ok!" Spike called back. He turned to Scoots. "You want the bed? I can sleep on the floor if you like!"

"I can't do that! It's your room!" she protested.

"How about we share the bed then?"

Scootaloo's face went red for what felt like the 10th time that day. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was full of butterflies.

"S-Sure..."

They both laid down and Spike put a blanket over them as they both fell asleep.



Young Scootaloo was watching her parents kick off storm clouds through her bedroom window, for they were weather pegasi. She thought it was cool to fight off the clouds like they were bad guys! But then something went wrong. The wind became stronger than usual and the lightning was going haywire. It was most likely a malfunction at the weather factory. The lightning struck Scootaloo's parents as they fell out of the sky. All poor Scootaloo could do was watch. Then, the lighting stuck a tree causing it to set on fire and fall down. Unfortunately, Scootaloo's parents were under the falling tree. She tried to yell out to them but they were too far away. The tree came closer and closer until...

"NO!" Scootaloo yelled, jolting up in bed with tears streaming down her face. She felt something touch her shoulder so she turned around and saw Spike looking at her with a concerned look on his face. She teared up again, buried her face into his chest, and let all her emotions out.

"Scootaloo? What's wrong?" Spike asked, rubbing her back.

"I-I had a n-nightmare w-where I saw m-my parents d-die! I-It was h-horrible, Spike!" Scootaloo sobbed.

"Oh Scootaloo. It's gonna be okay. I'm here." Spike said, soothingly.

Scootaloo kept on crying and crying. That's when Spike had an idea.

He started running his claw through Scootaloo's mane while his other claw held the distraught filly close. Spike started rocking back and forth while humming. This is what Twilight did for him when he had a nightmare. After what felt like an hour of crying, Scootaloo's crying turned into soft sniffles and hiccups.

"There, there. You feeling better?" Spike asked in a soft voice.

Scootaloo, who was still laying on Spike's chest, nodded. She became tired and yawned. Spike's voice was like a soft and warm blanket, wrapping the little pegasus up. She snuggled closer to Spike as she began to fall asleep. What the duo didn't realize was that Twilight and Rainbow were watching through the crack of the door. It was wholesome to see the two friends become closer together.

With Scootaloo's little scenario over, all was quiet except for Spike's humming. The purple dragon started to get sleepy as well so he laid down with Scootaloo still on his chest, pulled the covers back over the both of them, and fell asleep.
> Seeing Her in a New Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike woke up before Scootaloo the next morning. He tried to sit up but his movement was confined. The dragon opened his eyes and saw Scootaloo resting on his chest with a small smile on her face. Remembering the events from last night, Spike couldn't help but copy the little smile. He carefully sat up, still holding on to Scootaloo. Even though the pegasus filly is usually known for being tough, she has been showing her soft side lately. Just then, Scootaloo moved around a bit before opening her eyes.

"Morning, Scoots!" Spike said.

"Morning, Spi-" Scootaloo paused, looking down at what she was sleeping on.

Scootaloo sprung upright and started apologizing.

"Spike! I-I'm so, so sorry!" she stuttered, all the morning grogginess gone.

"Hey, It's fine! Remember? It was because of last nig-"

Spike stopped himself and looked at Scootaloo. Her face grimaced as she remembered the events of said night. This time Spike was the one apologizing.

"Scoots, I'm sorry. I-"

Next thing the dragon knew, he was in a hug.

"Thanks Spike," Scootaloo said, blushing furiously. "for everything. Especially last night."

Spike's cheeks turned pink. "No problem, Scootaloo. I just did what Twilight would do for me." he said, returning the hug.

As they broke the hug, Twilight called them down for breakfast. The duo raced each other down the stairs and into the kitchen.

When they got to the kitchen, they saw Twilight and a stack of pancakes that were surprisingly not burned.

"Wow, Twilight! You actually made something edible this time!" Spike chuckled, looking at the pancakes.

Scootaloo snickered as a blush crept across Twilight's face.

"W-well it's not my fault that nopony taught me how to cook! Plus, I used a spell!" Twilight shot back.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Come on, Scoots! Let's go sit down!"

Spike grabbed Scootaloo's hoof and started walking to the table. Yet again, the pegasus was blushing and her heart was pounding. Scootaloo decided to talk to Princess Cadance about it. But how?

As they sat down around the table, a groggy Rainbow Dash walks into the kitchen. 

"Morning guys." Rainbow says, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning Rainbow!" Scootaloo said, waving and smiling. "Twilight made pancakes!"

"Since when did egghead over here learn how to cook?"

"She didn't. She used a spell." Spike explained.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle as she walked over to the sink and splashed water all over her face. Now wide awake, Rainbow walked over to the table and sat next to Scootaloo. Twilight brought the pancakes out using her magic with some syrup on the side. She also made gem pancakes for Spike.

The mares, filly, and dragon all started eating their breakfast. Whenever Scootaloo looked at Spike, she felt like she was going to throw up. Her stomach kept doing loop-de-loops. But if she threw up, then Spike would be even more worried about her. 'Spike would be worried about me! He's so selfless and sweet! God damn it!'



After breakfast, Rainbow and Twilight went to the throne room to talk. Spike suggested hanging out with the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Scootaloo reluctantly agreed. She knew the other Crusaders would tease her about Spike, the dragon she did not  have a crush on. They bundled up and set out for the clubhouse. Scootaloo was not looking forward to seeing her friends. As much as she loved them, they could be a real pain. Especially at times like this. Spike walked up the ramp and opened the door but inside there was nothing but a note. The dragon picked up the note and read it aloud.

"Dear Scootaloo,
We are sorry that we made fun of you and your crush on-"

Scootaloo snatched the note from Spike's claws and read it mentally. When she finished reading the piece of parchment, her face turned red and she started breathing heavily. Spike immediately got concerned and put his claw on the filly's forehead. Surely enough, it was hot. 

"Scoots? Do you feel okay? Do you have another fever?"

Scootaloo suddenly felt lightheaded and her world was spinning. She took a few deep breaths to calm down.

"Scootaloo, I think we should go home." Spike said, concerned for his friend.

"Did you finish the note?"

"Huh?" 

"Did you?!"

"N-No?"

"Good. Let's go."

As the duo walked toward the castle, Spike started to wonder who Scootaloo's crush is. He knows she would kill him if he said anything about it but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Hey Scoots?"

"Hmm?"

"W-Who...is your crush?"

The pegasus filly stopped in her tracks and whipped her head around to look dead eye at the dragon. Her eyes were full of anger.

"I don't have one!" she grumbled.

"But then why did the note say-"

"They were being stupid!"

Scootaloo turned around to walk away when Spike grabbed her hoof. She turned around again and immediately regretted yelling at him. He looked sad and apologetic. 

"I'm sorry Scoots..." 

'Great job genius! You made the little cutie pie sad! Now you have to make him feel better! Go on! Hug him!'

Since Scootaloo was in a panic, she had no choice but to listen to the stupid voice. She hugged Spike then nuzzled his cheek.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I wasn't thinking..." Scootaloo mumbled.

Spike was caught off guard by this gesture. He was blushing as Scootaloo nuzzled him. Not to mention, she was blushing as well. It was cute to see her like this.

'Wait cute? No! Is this like Rarity again? Scoots isn't cute. Well, I mean she kind of is...but I don't like Scootaloo like that. Do I?'

"S-Scoots?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I show you something?"

"Sure!"

"But you have to keep it a secret."

"Wait. What happened to going back to the castle?"

"We'll go back. I just want to show you this."

The filly thought about it for a second.

"Okay!"



Spike lead Scootaloo through the Everfree Forest until they reached a wall which was covered in vines.

"That's it? A wall with vines?"

"Nope! Wait till you see what's behind it!"

Spike pulled the vines back and revealed a little tunnel. 

"Go ahead!" he said.

Scootaloo walked through the tunnel and what she saw next made her jaw slack. There was a crystal clear pond with a frozen waterfall. The light from the sun made the pond glisten and sparkle. Speaking of the sun, you could see it so clearly that you could watch the sunset.

"Wow Spike! It's amazing!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"I know! I found it when I decided to fly around Ponyville. I crashed because I was still getting used to having wings and fell through the trees into the pond." Spike explained. "I come here when I need to clear my mind. I figured you can do the same."

The pair sat down next to the pond. Memories of last night flooded Scootaloo's mind randomly. Watching your parents die is pretty horrifying. It was like a fear coming back every now and again.

"What's your biggest fear?" she blurted out.

"What?"

Scootaloo shot her hooves up to her mouth and looked at Spike, who also was caught off guard with that question.

"Sorry, I-"

"It's ok. I'll answer the question."

Spike took a deep breath before talking.

"My biggest fear is Twilight abandoning me..."

Since Scoots was quiet, Spike kept talking.

"I remember when we went to the Crystal Empire and Twilight told me to stay upstairs. It's been a couple of minutes and she still hasn't come back so I went downstairs and saw her staring at a door. She snapped out of it but when I went to see what she was staring at, I was transported back to the library and Twilight was there too. I went to talk to her but she said she didn't need me anymore. Twilight turned around and I saw her eyes were cold. She didn't care about me and just kicked me out. It was King Sombra's dark magic with a doorway that led to your greatest fear. I had nightmares about it for weeks. I still have them every now and then."

The purple dragon realized that a few tears were running down his cheeks and quickly wiped them away.

"Whoa! Sorry about that!"

He turned to look at Scootaloo and noticed she had a sad look on her face.

"You don't have to apologize for your feelings." she said.

Spike looked into her eyes as they sparkled like the sun. He felt his face turn hot and he knew he was blushing as Scootaloo did the same. Both kids looked at each other while blushing.

Scootaloo broke away first.

"So umm... W-we should head back now." Scootaloo said.

"Y-yeah we should." Spike agreed.

The duo stood up and walked back to the castle together.



When they got there, Spike and Scootaloo saw Twilight and Rainbow looking at some sheets of paper. 

"Hey Twi! Whatcha' got there?" Spike asked.

The two mares looked up and Twilight immediately poofed the papers away.

"Oh that's nothing!" Twilight said, nervously.

"Are you sure?" Scootaloo asked. "Because it sounds like-"

"Hey squirt! Ready to go to my place?" Rainbow said, cutting her off.

All Scootaloo's curiosity vanished. "Heck yeah!"

"Ok then! Hop on!"

Rainbow bent down long enough for Scootaloo to get on.

"Thanks Twilight! I'll see you later!"

"No problem Rainbow! See you soon!"

Rainbow Dash flew off leaving Twilight and Spike alone.

"Come on Spike!" Twilight said. " We've got work to do!"

For the rest of the afternoon, Spike and Scootaloo couldn't stop thinking about each other. Scoots was hardly confused as was Spike. Spike felt like he was developing a crush on the filly but Scootaloo was still in denial that she had a crush on Spike even though she was showing all the signs. Scootaloo needed to see one more pony before she was positive she even had a crush on the little dragon. That night, both the dragon and the pegasus lie awake still thinking about each other.

They both groaned.

"What am I going to do?" the two said in sync.
> Let's Have a Chat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike and Scootaloo barely got any sleep that night. Spike was usually one to wake up early but he slept in so late that Twilight thought he was sick. So she let him rest while she found a book about illnesses in the library. Starlight found Twilight and walked over to her.

"Hey, Twilight! Whatcha doing?" she asked.

Twilight looked up from the book. She looked upset. "Oh, hey Starlight."

"Is something wrong?"

"Spike slept in way later than usual. I'm worried he might be sick. Even though it's been getting warmer." Twilight explained.

"I'm sure he'll be fine."

Just then, Spike walked into the library with his blanket in one claw. His eyelids were half-closed though you can clearly see his eyes are bloodshot and there were bags around his eyes.

"Morning Twilight. I'm ready to work," he said. His voice sounded scratchy.

Twilight walked over to Spike and put a hoof on his forehead. It felt warm.

"Nope! You are going back to bed mister! I'm afraid you've gotten sick!" she said, scooping him up with one hoof.

"But Twi! I'm fine!" Spike whined. 

His throat was against that statement though because right after those words came out of his mouth, he started coughing. Twilight raised an eyebrow as Spike sighed.

"Fine..." 

Twilight walked out of the library with Spike cradled in one hoof. Starlight rolled her eyes and chuckled. Today was going to be a long day.



Much akin to Spike, Scootaloo also slept in and woke up late that day but she was used to it. Sleepless nights in the clubhouse were similar to this. 'Ok. Maybe not that similar. I almost stayed up all night thinking about him. But he's so cute and funny with his little smile and his laugh and his eyes... Ok, that's it! This needs to stop now!' Scootaloo groaned into the pillow. She had slept in the guest bedroom that night. It wasn't much but to her, that meant the world!

"Hey, Scoots! You awake?" Rainbow Dash asks, entering the room.

"Yeah. I'm up."

"Great! I made breakfast for you downstairs!" 

"Really? Thanks, Rainbow!"

Scootaloo jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs. Rainbow Dash chuckled and rushed down after. They made their way to the island and Scootaloo hopped on the stool. Rainbow brought some eggs and waffles out and placed a plate in front of Scootaloo. She started eating in silence while Rainbow sat down next to her. 

"Hey, squirt! We're heading to Cloudsdale today! I need to talk to my parents." the blue pegasus said.

"What for?"

"I-I need to ask them something."

"Oh ok! Can Twilight and Spike come with us?" Scootaloo asked, feeling her heart flutter when she mentioned Spike.

"I don't see why not!"

The filly finished her breakfast and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a shower. Rainbow Dash had brought a toothbrush for Scootaloo. It was a Wonderbolts toothbrush. (Of course). Once Scootaloo finished, they went to go pick up Twilight and Spike. Scootaloo was pretty excited to hang out with Spike. Not because she likes him. It's because he is her friend. But then why didn't she pick the other members of the CMC? They were available. 'Ugh! Why is this so complicated?' They arrived at the castle to see Twilight and Cadance chatting up a storm.

"Jackpot! I get to hang out with Spike and talk to Princess Cadance!" Scootaloo whispered to herself.

"Hey, Twi! Scootaloo was wondering if you and Spike were available to head to Cloudsdale with us." Rainbow Dash said, kneeling so that Scootaloo could slide off her back.

"I'm sorry Scootaloo. Spike is currently in bed right now because he's sick. I don't think he got enough sleep last night," Twilight explained. "That's actually why Cadance is here. I needed someone to watch the school but I also needed help watching Spike."

Scootaloo felt a twinge of sadness in her heart when Twilight said Spike was sick. But then she remembered she can still talk to Princess Cadance.

"Umm... Princess?" Scootaloo asked nervously.

"Yes, Scootaloo?" Cadance said.

"C-can I talk to you? In private?"

"Umm, sure!"

As the two ponies walked out of the room, Twilight gives Rainbow a confused look only to get the same look back from the blue pegasus.



Cadance and Scootaloo walked into an empty room and sat down to talk.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Cadance asked, obviously intrigued by what Scootaloo has to say.

"I figured that since you're the Princess of Love, you can help me out with something."

Since Cadance stayed quiet, Scootaloo continued talking.

"I keep having these weird feelings around Spike."

Yet again, she explained to the princess how she looks at Spike and how she blushes and her heart beats faster than usual. She also explained how she feels her heart flutter when Spike is mentioned. When Scootaloo finished, Cadance started snickering and then burst out laughing. You didn't need a genius to figure out where this was going.

"What's so funny?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm sorry," Cadance said. "But I think that it's pretty clear you have a crush on Spike."

"Ugh! Not you too!" Scootaloo groaned.

"What do you mean?"

"Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom think I have a crush on Spike as well. And for the record, I think I would know if I was crushing on someone." Scoots explained. 

"Well if you say so," Cadance said, leaving the room.

Scootaloo followed suit and walked back into the library. Rainbow Dash noticed her first.

"Hey, squirt! Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah! Can I just go talk to Spike first? I want to see how he's doing." Scootaloo asked, immediately covering her mouth afterward. 'What in the name of Celestia was that? Did I just ask to go check on Spike? What have I done?'

"Sure! If it's ok with Twi here." Rainbow said.

"It's fine," Twilight confirmed. "Just make sure you keep your distance from him."

"O-Oh ok..."

Yet again, Scootaloo walked out of the library. This time she walked towards Spike's room. Her heart was beating and her face was covered in red. 'Ok, calm down Scoots! This is Spike we're talking about! Your friend! Just walk in, talk to him, and get out! You got this!'

Scootaloo reached Spike's bedroom door and took a deep breath. She raised her shaking hoof and knocked on the door. There was some coughing and sneezing before Scoots heard a scratchy voice.

"Come in!"

Scootaloo slowly peeked her head inside the room to see a bunch of burned tissues surrounding Spike's bed with Power Ponies comics scattered all over the floor along with some other books and right in the middle of it all was Spike, himself.

"Scoots? What are you doing here?" Spike asked.

Scootaloo cautiously stepped inside his room and sat down, making sure she wasn't sitting on a burnt tissue. 

"H-Hey Spike! I was just..." Scootaloo trailed off, looking away from Spike.

"Just what?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing!" the pegasus said quickly.

Scootaloo's cheeks were red and her heart was beating 10 times faster than it was before. She tried to avoid making eye contact with Spike but she yearned to gaze into his sparkling, green eyes.

"Scoots?" Spike asked.

Scootaloo looked up and her eyes immediately gazed into Spike's eyes. Even though they were bloodshot, they still sparkled to her.

"Yeah?" she responded.

"Thanks for coming. I was feeling really lonely today." Spike said, also blushing and gazing into her eyes. 

Once again, Scootaloo was the first to look away. The duo then started to look anywhere but each other, now blushing in embarrassment.

"So umm..." Spike started. "How long are you staying?"

"I don't know," Scootaloo said. "Rainbow said that we had to go and see her parents. That's why I'm here in the first place. I wanted you and Twilight to come with us." 

Spike and Scootaloo talked for what felt like hours. But in reality, it has only been 5 minutes. Rainbow Dash walked into the room soon after. 

"Hey squirt? Ready to go?" she said, before looking around the room. "Whoa! What went down in here?"

Spike giggled sheepishly. "My bad."

"I'm ready!" Scootaloo said, hopping onto Rainbow's back. "See you later Spike!"

"Yeah! See you later Scoots!" Spike replied.

As the two pegasi left the castle, the purple dragon flopped down on his back and sighed. "Now I know I like Scootaloo more than a friend."



Scootaloo felt the wind in her mane as Rainbow flew towards Cloudsdale. 'Ugh! This is hopeless! If Princess Cadance couldn't help me, no pony can!' The little pegasus groaned into the older pegasus' mane. 

"Hey Scoots? Everything ok?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Everything's fine!"

"Then why did you need to talk to Princess Cadance?"

Scootaloo began to stutter. "I... umm..." 

Meanwhile, in her mind, she was panicking. 'Crap! This is bad! I can't let Rainbow know about...that! She'll go haywire!'

Then Scootaloo stuck to the only thing that seemed acceptable at a time like this. "Uhh...."

"Scoots?" Rainbow asked, not knowing what was going on. 'Sweet Celestia! I think I broke the kid!

Rainbow Dash landed on a cloud and took Scootaloo off her back. Then, she started shaking Scootaloo by her shoulders.

"Earth to Scootaloo! Snap out of it!" Rainbow said, vigorously shaking her. 

"R-Rainbow! Stop sh-shaking me!"

Rainbow Dash listens and stops. Unfortunately, the shaking made the poor filly dizzy. She shook her head and looked up at Dash.

"Now can you tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, acting oblivious.

"Oh come on Scoots! It's pretty obvious that you haven't been acting like yourself lately." Rainbow stated.

"I haven't?" 

"Yeah! You've been hanging out with Spike way more often and I get it. It's just that you've been acting real nervous around him lately."

"W-What?! How do you know that?!"

"I asked Twilight to cast a spell so when I'm not in the room with you, I can still watch you. Wow. That sounded way less creepy in my head. Anyway, the spell doesn't pick up audio so you're lucky."

"Ok first off, weird," Scootaloo starts. "And second of all, how much did you see?"

"Oh that's easy. All of it! I saw you and Spike sleeping together, you and Spike reading comics, you and Spike in the bathroom. Too bad I couldn't see where you went the other day after you guys went to the clubhouse."

"I guess you already know then, huh?"

"What? About your crush on Spi-"

"Shut up! I don't have a crush on him! What is up with everypony saying that?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled and knelt down letting Scootaloo climb her back.

"Whatever you say squirt. Whatever you say."



The duo arrive at Rainbow Dash's old house, aka her parents' house. Scootaloo, once again, slides off Rainbow's back and walks toward the door. She knocks on the door and a familiar voice comes from behind it.

"I'm coming!"

The door opens and out comes a pegasus with the same coat and eye color as Rainbow Dash. She has a pinkish-orange mane and tail and is wearing a yellow sweater.

"Oh hello Scootaloo! What a surprise!" Windy Whistles said.

"Hello Mrs. Dash! Rainbow and I came to visit you! She said she needed to talk to you about something!" Scootaloo explained.

"Is that so? Well then, come on in!" 

Rainbow and Scootaloo walked inside the house. The rainbow-maned pegasus looked around her childhood home. It was cleaner than the last time they visited this place. 

"Mom? Did you clean up this place a little bit?" Rainbow asked.

"Yep! I managed to do a little cleaning!"

"Where's Dad?"

"I told him to go grocery shopping. I basically had to push him out the door! You know how your father is!"

The trio got to the kitchen and each sat down on a chair. 

"Scootaloo, honey. You can go watch the TV if you'd like!"

The instant Windy finished her sentence, Scootaloo jumped up and ran from her seat and into the living room.

Windy shook her head and chuckled. "Sometimes that little filly reminds me of you, Dashie."

"Mom?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"How did it feel like to take care of me? Like as a filly?"

"Well, given you were energetic as a filly, it was pretty tough. But we managed. Why do you ask?"

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and started. "A few days ago, I found out that Scoots is an orphan."

Windy gasped at this news like expected. "Oh dear!"

"I'm taking care of her right now but I'm planning to adopt her." Rainbow explained.

"Why, that's wonderful!"

"But the problem is that what if I'm not a good parent? What if I'm not there for her as much as I want to be? What if-"

Windy Whistles puts a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder and gives her a reassuring smile. Rainbow looks back at her with watery eyes. Windy pulls her daughter in for a hug.

"I-I'm scared Mom. Scared that I won't be good enough for her."

"Rainbow Dash. Look at me."

Rainbow listens and looks at her mother.

"You will be a good mother, you will be there for Scootaloo, and you will be the mother you want to be."

"Y-Yeah. I guess I will. Thanks Mom..."

Windy pecks Rainbow on the forehead. "That's what mothers are for."
> Surprise!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo returned home after visiting Rainbow's mom, Windy Whistles. They stayed a lot longer than expected. The duo also managed to talk to Bow Hothoof, Rainbow's dad. Scootaloo woke up halfway through the flight so she wanted to go to bed as soon as they arrived.

"Hey, squirt. We're here." Rainbow said, sliding Scootaloo off her back.

"Ugh. Already?" Scootaloo groaned.

"Yep. It's getting pretty late so you should get ready for bed."

"Rainbow?" the filly asked, who was still half-asleep. "Can you tuck me in?"

'You will be the mother you want to be.' Windy's words rang inside Rainbow's head. The little filly was asking for something that she hadn't dreamed of doing in years. Something that a mother would do.

"Sure thing squirt."

She scooped the tired filly up and gently flew up the stairs. Rainbow placed Scootaloo in bed and pulled the covers over her.

"Night Scoots. See you in the morning." Rainbow said.

She hesitated for a moment before kissing Scootaloo's forehead. Rainbow could've sworn she saw Scootaloo give a small smile before exiting the room.

The pegasus filly slept soundly throughout the night but for Rainbow, it was the complete opposite. She was awake thinking of how she could be the best mother possible for Scootaloo. The mother figure that Scoots never had.



Scootaloo woke up the next morning and looked at the mini calendar that was on the nightstand near the bed.

It was Monday today which meant school. It also meant Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Ugh! Why today of all days?" the filly groaned.

"Scoots, wake up! It's time for school! Go get ready!" Rainbow Dash called out.

"I'm awake!" Scootaloo called back, crawling out of bed.

Inch by inch, she made her way towards the bathroom.  Scootaloo washed her face, brushed her teeth, and took a shower. Now feeling refreshed, the filly made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. There she saw the older pegasus making lunch.

Rainbow Dash looked up. "Hey, squirt! Ready for school?"

"Yeah! Just gotta eat breakfast first!" she replied.

Scootaloo walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a box of cereal. She poured it in a bowl with some milk and went to sit down in front of the TV. The filly ate while watching her cartoon and Rainbow finished making their lunch. When she was done, Scoots grabbed her school bag.

"Scoots? Ready to go?"

"Ready!"

Rainbow crouched down and let Scootaloo hop on her back. She grabbed the two lunch bags with her teeth and flew outside. They were in the air for a couple of minutes before a schoolhouse came into view. The blue pegasus landed next to the small schoolhouse and slid the filly off her back. Scootaloo grabbed one of the lunch bags and waved to Dash.

"Bye Rainbow! See you later!"

Rainbow grabbed the other lunch bag from out of her mouth and waved back.

"Bye squirt!"

Scootaloo ran inside the schoolhouse to meet up with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. She found them sitting in their usual seats and sat down next to them.

"Hey, guys!" Scootaloo said.

"Hey, Scoots! You're just in time! Miss Cheerilee just said that we're about to start!" Sweetie explained.

The first bell rang letting the class know that school was in session. Miss Cheerilee cleared her throat to get everypony's attention.

"Good morning, children!" Cheerilee said.

"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee!" the class responded.

"Today, we are going to review what we learned from last week and then we will take a pop quiz."

The whole class groaned.

"But today, we also have a new student!" Cheerilee announced.

Scootaloo chuckled to herself. 'Imagine the new student was Spi-' 

Just then, a familiar purple and green dragon walks into the classroom with a blue backpack on his back. 

'You've got to be kidding me...'

"Say hello to Spike everypony!"

"Hi Spike!" the whole class chorused except for Scootaloo.

The orange pegasus glanced over at the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apple Bloom was raising her eyebrows up and down and Sweetie Belle was puckering her lips. Scootaloo hid her face in her hooves while blushing in embarrassment. 

"Spike, why don't you tell everypony a little bit about yourself?" Cheerilee said.

"Hi everypony! My name is Spike. I live with Twilight Sparkle in the Castle of Friendship. I'm her Number One Assistant and Best Friend!"

"Thank you for sharing, Spike!" Cheerilee thanked. "How about you sit next to..."

At this point, Scootaloo's mind was racing. 'Please don't be me! Please don't be-'

"Scootaloo!"

'Why does the universe do the exact opposite of what I want?!'

Spike walked up to the empty desk next to Scootaloo and took out all of his belongings.

"Hey Scoots! I guess we're classmates now!" Spike said, smiling.

Scootaloo tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible. "Yeah! How fun!" she said, putting on a forced smile.

"Now Spike," Cheerilee started. "I know you're new here so I don't expect you to know everything on the pop quiz."

"That's okay!" Spike replied. "I have a good feeling about this quiz."

"Well, if you're sure. Alright class! Everything off your desks except a pencil and a piece of paper! We're about to begin!"



"Wow, that was hard!" Sweetie said, looking at her test score. "I got a B minus. What did you guys get?"

It was time for recess. The 3 fillies and baby dragon were all sharing their test results.

"Ah got a B minus too." Apple Bloom said.

"I got a C plus!" Scootaloo said, happily.

"Why are you happy?" Sweetie asked.

"Cuz' it's one of the highest grades I got in math." Scoots explained.

"I got an A plus." Spike said.

"WHAT?!" the trio yelled.

"Geez! Lower it down, would'ya?" Spike winced, covering his ears.

"Sorry, Sorry! But how?!" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, when you used to live in a library with one of the smartest ponies in Ponyville homeschooling you, it has its perks."

"That's neat!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"Give your tests to me! I'll put them back." Apple Bloom offered.

The kids gave the tests to Apple Bloom and she put them back on their desks. She came back outside to continue talking to her friends.

"Spike! Wanna come play with us?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm gonna sit by that tree over there and read my book!" he declined.

"Oh okay! C'mon girls!"

The CMC played for couple of minutes before Scootaloo realized something. Spike was sitting by himself. With nopony to talk to. Not to mention, he looks kind of lonely.

"Hey girls? I'm going to see how Spike's doing." Scootaloo said.

"Ooh! Great idea! Go hang out with your boyfriend!" Sweetie Belle teased.

Scootaloo groaned and marched towards Spike.

"Spike?" Scootaloo called out.

Spike looked up from his book. "Oh, hey Scoots! What's up?"

Scootaloo got closer to Spike and sat down next to him. The drake set the book down on the ground.

"Nothing much. I came to ask if you were okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You just seemed pretty lonely by yourself. So I was wondering if you wanted to talk." the filly explained.

"Sure! That's sounds great!"

*insert awkward silence here*

"So what brings you-"

"Twilight forced me here." Spike deadpanned. "She said she didn't want me to end up like her. Cooped up in the castle all day. Not making new friends."

"O-ok..."

Scootaloo stared off into space, looking at everypony playing together. She didn't realize that her body was inching towards Spike. Scootaloo grabbed his claw mindlessly. However, Spike, who was in full consciousness, blushed when Scootaloo held his claw. He looked over at the filly and saw that for the first time in days, she looked like she was fully at peace. They sat like that for a while until the bell rang. Scootaloo regained focus and looked for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Spike just picked up his book and went inside. 

"Hey girls!" Scootaloo called out.

"Scoots! How was it? We saw you were holding hands with Spike!" Sweetie Belle squealed.

"Yeah! It was pretty- wait. I did WHAT?!"

"You didn't realize?" Apple Bloom asked.

"NO!"

"If it makes you feel better, I think he was blushing as well." Sweetie added.

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Scootaloo groaned. "Let's just head inside."

The fillies ran back inside the schoolhouse to continue their dreadful day of learning.



"Alright girls," Rainbow Dash started. "Today's the day!"

Rainbow Dash called a meeting in the throne room to discuss some important business as she called it.

"The day for what exactly?" Applejack asked.

"I'm gonna tell Scoots that I'm adopting her." Rainbow explained.

The other girls were delighted by this news and cheered.

"I have a plan, so listen up! Twi, I want you to help me finish the adoption papers! Pinkie, I want you to throw one of your biggest surprise parties yet! AJ, Rarity, Fluttershy, you guys help Pinkie set up the party! Invite everypony Scootaloo ​knows!"

The mares nodded and started to get to work. Twilight helped Rainbow Dash fill out the papers for the rest of the afternoon. By the time they were finished, it was time to pick up Scootaloo.

"Oh Rainbow!" Twilight called out before Rainbow left. "Can you please pick up Spike too? I'm gonna head to Canterlot for a meeting. Tell him I'll be back before 5 pm!"

"No problem! Thanks again, Twilight!" Rainbow said, flying out of the castle.



It was a few minutes after dismissal started before Rainbow arrived at the schoolhouse. She looked for Scootaloo through the wave of fillies and colts exiting the classroom. The blue pegasus found Scootaloo sitting on the stairs of the schoolhouse, looking like she was in the deepest thought.

"Hey Scoots! I'm here!" Rainbow called out.

Scootaloo shook her head and looked up. She saw Rainbow Dash and smiled. The filly jumped up and ran towards the older pegasus. Rainbow hugged Scootaloo upon contact with each other.

Rainbow let go of Scootaloo. "Where's Spike?" she asked.

"Inside the schoolhouse. He's reading a book." Scootaloo answered.

Rainbow walked inside the schoolhouse to see Spike at his desk and Cheerilee at hers. Spike looked up from his book.

"Oh, hey Rainbow! Where's Twilight?"

"She asked me to pick you up. She went to a meeting in Canterlot so she'll be back by 5 pm." Rainbow explained.

"Oh ok! Bye Miss Cheerilee!" Spike said.

"Bye Spike!" Cheerilee called out.

The pegasus and the baby dragon head outside to meet up with the filly.

"Hey squirt! Spike's heading home with us."

"W-WHAT?!"

"Twilight's got a meeting in Canterlot so she asked me to pick him up."

"O-oh ok..."

Rainbow knelt down so Scootaloo and Spike could climb on her back. Scootaloo turned to Spike.

"You've done this before?" she asked.

"Yeah, multiple times! Mostly with Twilight." he answered.

"Just gonna warn you. Rainbow obviously flies faster than Twilight. So you better hold on tight."

"Yeah, I kn-WOAH!"

Rainbow Dash took off and Spike held onto Scootaloo for his dear life. Scootaloo felt Spike hugging her tightly and blushed. They all arrived at Rainbow's house and went inside.

"Alright! I'm gonna make you guys a snack so just relax and watch TV or something." Rainbow said.

Spike and Scootaloo slid off Rainbow's back and went to sit on the couch. Scootaloo turned on the TV but wasn't really paying attention. She thought about how she apparently held Spike's claw and how he held onto her. Spike was thinking about the same thing.

"Snack's ready!" Rainbow called out.

The duo got up from the couch and went to eat their snack, which was apple slices. It was a very uncomfortable silence. When they were done, Spike and Scootaloo went back to the couch. Scootaloo was feeling a little tired so she laid down. At this point, she didn't care if she was sleeping on Spike or not. She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. Just before Scootaloo was about to go to sleep, she heard Rainbow whisper to Spike about some sort of party but she couldn't make out the words.



"Wake up sleepy head!"

Scootaloo woke up to somepony shaking her. She opened her eyes to see Spike looking down at her. She looked down and surely enough she was sleeping on Spike.

"5 more minutes." Scootaloo mumbled, snuggling into Spike's chest. The baby dragon found this very cute.

"Sorry but no. We gotta go!" Spike said.

"Go where?"

"Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow's gonna take us to get cupcakes!"

"But you're so comfortable!" Scootaloo whined.

"I guess we'll get the rainbow cupcakes without you."

The rainbow cupcakes were Scootaloo's favorite cuz' not only did they remind her of Rainbow, but they also taste awesome!

"Fine..."

Scootaloo got up off of Spike and yawned. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and came back to Rainbow, preening her wings and Spike, who was grabbing his backpack. 

"Scoots, ready to go?" Rainbow asked.

"Yep!"

Rainbow bent down to let Scootaloo and Spike hop on. Yet again, Spike held onto Scootaloo while they flew down to Sugarcube Corner. Scootaloo also found this cute. When they arrived, it was pitch black inside.

"Who turned out the lights?" Scootaloo asked.

"SURPRISE!"

The lights turned on and confetti shot in the air. Everypony jumped out of their hiding places with smiles on their faces. There were rainbow, orange, and purple balloons everywhere and a huge banner that read 'Congratulations Rainbow and Scootaloo!'

"What's all this for?" Scootaloo asked, obviously surprised.

"How about you take a look?" Twilight said, making some papers appear. 

The princess levitated the papers over to the orange pegasus filly. As Scootaloo looked at the papers, her eyes widened and tears started to form. She turned to look at Rainbow who had a comforting smile on her face.

"R-really? Y-you're adopting me?" Scootaloo managed to choke out.

"You bet I am squirt..." Rainbow said, starting to tear up herself.

Before Rainbow could say another word, Scootaloo tackled her to the ground and let all her tears out.

"Th-thank you R-Rainbow! Thank you!" Scootaloo sobbed.

Rainbow Dash hugged Scootaloo tighter than she ever had before.

"I love you Scootaloo. No matter what happens, I'll be glad to call you my daughter." 

Everypony awed at the little scene and some even started to tear up themselves.

"Now that's that's out of the way," Pinkie started, popping out of nowhere. "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

The music started up and the ponies branched out to see what activities the party holds. Scootaloo met up with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and Spike.

"Congratulations Scoots!" the other two fillies and baby dragon said, hugging their friend.

"Thanks guys! You're the best friends ever!"

And so for the rest of the night Scootaloo, Spike, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle all partied and ate cake and whatever ponies are doing at parties these days.
> Confessing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle partied until they all fell asleep. Everypony agreed it was getting late after they saw all four kids knocked out. Twilight picked up Spike, Rarity picked up Sweetie Belle, Applejack picked up Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash picked up her now adopted daughter, Scootaloo. They all split up and went their separate ways.



Rainbow tucked Scootaloo in when they arrived back home and kissed her forehead like last time. Just before she left the room, she heard Scootaloo mumble.

"I love you, Mom." the filly said before turning over and snoring again.

Rainbow gasped a little and warm feeling filled up her heart. 

"I love you too, squirt."



Twilight arrived at the castle with Spike, who was snoring loudly on her back. She took Spike up to his room and set him down on his bed. Twilight pulled the covers over him and started to leave the room when something grabbed her leg. She turned around to see her little purple dragon with a tired, but pleading, look on his face.

"Stay?" Spike pleaded.

Twilight chuckled and hopped into bed with Spike.

"Of course Spike."

Spike turned around and snuggled closer to Twilight. The alicorn draped her wing over him and kissed his forehead.

"Night Spike. I love you."



The next morning, Twilight woke up to an alarm beeping. She turned around to turn off the clock. Opening her eyes, it read 6 AM. Twilight lifted her wing up to reveal the baby dragon holding onto her with a small smile on his face.

'Too bad I have to wake him up for school. I missed this. He's been more independent lately. I wonder what brought this on...' Twilight thought.

"Spike. Time to wake up. You have to get ready for school." she said, gently shaking him awake.

Spike stirred a little bit before waking up. He looked up at Twilight with big eyes. Twilight's eyes widened as she knew what was coming.

'Oh no. No, no, no! Not this! Anything but this!'

"But I don't wanna!" Spike whined with a baby voice.

'Damn it Spike! The one day you decide to do this, it has to be today!'

Twilight sighed as she sat up with Spike sitting in her lap, sucking his thumb. The princess used her magic to levitate a pacifier into his mouth. She then carried Spike into the bathroom to give him a bath. Twilight filled a mini, plastic bathtub with water and put her baby dragon in it. As soon as he hit the water, Spike started screaming and crying and thrashing around getting Twilight wet.

'This is gonna take awhile.'



Scootaloo woke up in a good mood the next morning. She has a new mother and a new life! 

"Hey Scoots! Time to wake up!" Rainbow said, poking her head inside the room.

"Ok Mom!" Scootaloo said, hopping out of bed.

The filly made her way to the bathroom with a lot of energy. She couldn't wait to go to school and see all her friends and Spike. 

'Ok Scoots. No thinking about Spike and how I totally don't like him. Just think about him as a friend!' she thought.

Scootaloo took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She ran down the stairs and saw Rainbow cooking breakfast. 

"Hey sweetie! I'm making eggs and bacon! Grab a plate!" Rainbow said.

Scootaloo did what she was told and went to go grab a plate. The older pegasus put the eggs and bacon on Scootaloo's plate as they went to sit down. The pegasus filly ate while watching the TV trying to not think about Spike.

"Mom! I'm ready to go!" Scootaloo said, finishing her last bite of breakfast.

"Ok squirt. Hop on!"

Rainbow flew back to the schoolhouse and dropped her daughter off at the schoolhouse.

"Bye! See you later!" Rainbow Dash called out as Scootaloo ran inside the schoolhouse.

The orange pegasus met up with her best friends and sat next to them.

"Hey Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle greets.

"Hey girls! Where's Spike?" Scootaloo asked, blushing right after.

"Aww! Looks like somepony misses her boyfriend." Apple Bloom teases.

"He's not my boyfriend and he never will be!" Scootaloo argued.

"Whatever." the other fillies said, rolling their eyes.

The first bell rung and still no sign of Spike. Scootaloo was hoping he was running late or something so she could still talk to him during recess. Much to her dismay, Spike never came and it was time for recess. At this point, the pegasus filly was getting worried. She was wondering why Spike wouldn't show up for his second day of school. Plus, wouldn't Twilight basically force him here if he didn't want to go anyway? This had Scootaloo thinking for the rest of the day.

"Scootaloo?" Cheerilee called out. "Can you answer the question?"

"Umm... 32?" Scootaloo guessed, earning a crowd of laughter from her classmates.

Cheerilee shook her head and sighed.

"Somepony else who was paying attention please?"



As soon as the final bell rang, Scootaloo grabbed her bag and ran outside the schoolhouse. The filly's friends called out after her but she didn't care. Scootaloo's mindset was focused on Spike. She ran all the way towards the Castle of Friendship and knocked on the door frantically. Thankfully, Twilight answered the door quickly letting Scootaloo inside. 

"Scootaloo? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

Scootaloo took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"W-where's Spike?" she asked, still out of breath.

"Oh, you're probably wondering why he didn't come to school today, aren't you? Follow me." 

Scootaloo followed Twilight into the throne room. There, she saw Spike wearing a diaper with a pacifier in his mouth playing with a teddy bear and a bunch of toy blocks.

"Whaaa?"

"Spike goes through this thing where every once in a blue moon, he acts like he's a baby again. I never figured out why he does it or what triggers it but all I know is that he can still talk in full sentences with a obnoxious but cute baby voice. Though he does have trouble pronouncing some words. Thankfully, it only lasts a day." Twilight explained.

"So what's with the diaper?" Scootaloo asked.

"Unfortunately, he also forgets all his potty training lessons..." Twilight shuddered.

Spike looked up from his toys to see a very familiar face.

"Scootawoo!" Spike cheered with said baby voice.

Scootaloo couldn't help but to play along.

"Hey Spike! How are you?" Scootaloo said in a sweet voice.

"Good!"

Spike stood up and waddled his way to Scootaloo giving her a big hug. Scootaloo still blushed nonetheless and returned the hug. 

"Twilight, I'm tired." Spike yawned.

"Oh, I'm sorry Spike. I'd put you to bed but I have to finish looking at these documents. You know, princess duties and all."

"How about I put him to bed Twilight?" Scootaloo offered.

"Are you sure? He can be a bit feisty."

"I'm sure! Plus, the little guy's looking tired anyway. Isn't that right, Spike?"

"Yeah! Scootawoo put me to bed!" Spike said.

"Well, okay..." Twilight reluctantly agreed.

"Come on Spike! Let's get you to bed!"



A few minutes later...
"SPIKE! PUT ON YOUR DIAPER!"

The filly was in Spike's room trying to get him to go to sleep. Scootaloo had underestimated what Twilight said. As soon as they left the throne room, Spike was full of energy and didn't want to go to bed. He was even running around with no diaper on! After a while, Scootaloo finally managed to grab Spike. The dragon struggled in her grasp but the pegasus didn't let go. Eventually, Spike gave up and fell asleep on her lap. Scootaloo sighed in relief as she stood up carefully, putting Spike on the ground. The pegasus put the diaper back onto Spike and got a pillow and a blanket for Spike and set it up. Laying Spike on the pillow and pulling the blanket over him, Scootaloo called it a mission accomplished as she flopped down on Spike's bed, falling asleep.



Meanwhile, Rainbow flew towards the Castle of Friendship in a panic.

'I knew I shouldn't've asked Twilight to stop casting that damn spell!'

Just like Scootaloo, she frantically knocked on the door and Twilight quickly answered.

"Twilight! Have you seen Scootaloo? I've looked everywhere for her!" Rainbow asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh yeah! She's in Spike's room." Twilight said. "Hopefully she managed to put him to bed..." she finished under her breath.

The pegasus and alicorn walk inside the room to see Spike sleeping on the floor and Scootaloo who was still knocked out.

"Guess I'm sleeping here tonight, huh?" Rainbow said, already making her way to the guest bedroom.

"Rainbow! You don't need to- nevermind." 

Twilight used her magic to put Spike on the bed before chasing after Rainbow.



Spike woke up in the middle of the night to realize that he was wearing a diaper and sucking on a pacifier.

'Ugh! It happened again!' Spike thought, getting rid of his baby attire.

He laid down and turned around to almost be muzzle to muzzle with Scootaloo. Thankfully, she was asleep to not realize what was going on. Spike, on the other hand, was a blushing mess. They were so close to each other that if one of them even moved an inch closer, they would kiss. The dragon slowly started to back away but then saw that the filly had a look of discomfort on her face. She started shaking and trembling. Recalling what happened a few nights back, Spike knew she was having a nightmare. He moved back to his original spot and hugged Scootaloo. Spike started whispering reassuring things to Scootaloo. Thankfully, the pegasus filly calmed down before the situation escalated any further. Not knowing what was going through his head at the time, Spike felt like the closer Scootaloo was to him, the less nightmares she will have or something like that. So he pulled his crush onto his chest, without waking her up, to shield her from the night.



Scootaloo woke up a couple hours earlier than the alarm. She realized how late she stayed over at the castle and also realized she never told Rainbow or her friends where she was heading.

'Crap! I need to go!'

Scootaloo tried to get up but something kept her down. She looked to see Spike holding onto her without a diaper and his pacifier. 

'Wait. Didn't I put him on the floor to sleep? I guess his baby thing is over.'

Scootaloo carefully squirmed out of Spike's grasp and got out of bed. The filly quietly snuck out of the room to go look for Rainbow Dash. Just as she was about to leave the castle, Scootaloo heard somepony call her name. Her full name as a matter of fact.

"Scootaloo Dash! Where do you think you're going?!"

'Uh oh...'

Scootaloo turned around and saw an angry and annoyed Rainbow Dash standing in the hallway.

"Uh, hey Mom! I wasn't going anywhere! I just-umm... needed fresh air?"

"Scoots, you're a terrible liar."

Scootaloo sighed as she closed the castle door and sat on the floor. Rainbow Dash went and sat down next to her daughter.

"Scootaloo, do you know how worried I was? I looked everywhere for you! I was practically praying that you were here!"

"Sorry Mom..."

"Why'd you come here in the first place?" 

"Spike..." Scootaloo muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Spike." Scootaloo said, her face now turning red.

"Sp-Spike?! What did he do?"

"He's scared me by not coming to school yesterday. So after the bell rang, I ran to the castle to look for him."

Rainbow Dash took in a while to take in the information.

"W-why didn't he come to school yesterday?" Rainbow asked. "If anything, I'm pretty sure Twilight would've dragged him there."

"I know right. But if you want to know you have to ask Twilight. It's pretty hard to explain."

"Ok, how about this? You're off the hook this time. But next time if you're going somewhere, make sure to tell me first, deal?"

"Deal! Thanks Mom!" Scootaloo said, giving Rainbow a big hug.

"Your welcome squirt. It's still a few hours before school. How bout' you go catch up on some sleep?"

"Ok!"

And with that, Scootaloo ran back into Spike's room, snuggling back up next to Spike, falling back asleep. Rainbow Dash went back into the guest bedroom and before falling asleep, she whispered one more thing.

"Goodnight Soarin."



Spike woke up seeing Scootaloo snuggled up tight next to him. A part him is telling her to kiss her to wake her up and the other part is telling him to just wake her up. Obviously, he went with the choice that made more sense. Wake her up with a kiss. He didn't know why but Spike just felt like it felt right. So, the baby dragon laid Scootaloo on the the bed and planked on top of her (if that makes sense).  Spike closed his eyes and went in for the kiss before his mind fully woke up and realized what he was doing. Thankfully, he stopped himself before their lips touched. Unfortunately though, Scootaloo stirred and woke up, immediately seeing Spike's face and muzzle close to hers. Her face turned red faster than the speed of light. Spike felt his own face turn red as well.

"S-S-Spike? W-what are you d-doing?"

"I-I was... umm... w-watching you s-sleep?"

"Wh-what?! That's weird and creepy!"

Spike quickly got up off of Scootaloo and sat on his bed awkwardly.

"Sorry..." he muttered.

Scootaloo gave an exasperated sigh.

"This is why I miss Baby Spike. He was cuter." she said.

Scootaloo realized what she said but it was already too late. The baby dragon's face was redder as well as the filly's face.

"W-what?"

'Ugh! The one time you say it out loud, he had to be there! Why in Equestria did you even say it out loud?! Now you're done for! Wait, no you're not! Spike is gullible! I bet he'll believe the worst excuse ever!'

"Umm, I didn't say that! I said 'He was cooler!' not cuter! Do you need to get your hearing checked?"

"O-ok?"

'Nice save! Told ya he'd believe the worst excuse ever! Even though I said it very clearly...'

"Let's just go get ready. I'll see you at breakfast." Scootaloo said awkwardly, slowly backing off the bed and out of the room.



As planned, Spike and Scootaloo met up for breakfast. They talked about school and stuff before grabbing their bags and heading out. Spike thought about what the filly had said. He clearly heard cuter and not cooler. Maybe she feels the same! Yet again, it could end up like it did with Rarity. Wouldn't hurt to ask, right?

"Hey Scoots? I need to-"

"Hey Scootaloo! Hey Spike!" their two friends called out.

"'Hey girls! C'mon Spike!" Scootaloo said, running to meet up with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Nevermind..." Spike said glumly before flying after Scootaloo.



Spike flew back to the castle after a long day and flopped down on the couch after arriving, giving a big breath of relief. Twilight walks in the room to find her little assistant relaxing on the couch. 

"Hi Spike! How was school?" Twilight asked.

"Fine, I guess." he sighed.

"You guess? Spike, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I've just been thinking."

"About?"

"How to help a friend..."

"A friend, huh? With what exactly?"

"He has a crush on another pony but he doesn't know if she feels the same even though it looks like she does." Spike explained.

"Uh huh. Well, I think your friend should be honest and tell her how he feels."

"Wow thanks Twi! I'll tell him that!" Spike said, making his way to his room.

"Good luck with Scootaloo, Spike!" Twilight called out.

"Was it that obvious?!" Spike called back, leaving Twilight in giggles.



It was Saturday and the CMC decided to hang out. Apple Bloom made a whole list of things they should do.

"Where should we go first?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"How about Sugarcube Corner?" Apple Bloom suggested. "What do ya' think, Scoots?"

Scootaloo didn't respond. She was lost in her own world.

"Scoots? Earth to Scootaloo? Come in Scootaloo!" Sweetie said, waving a hoof in front of the pegasus.

"Huh? What?"

"Scootaloo, we were asking if we should head to Sugarcube Corner first." Apple Bloom explained. "What were ya' thinking about anyways?

"Nothing."

"I bet she was thinking about Spike!" the unicorn squealed.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Whatever! Let's just go to Sugarcube Corner." Scootaloo sighed.

For the rest of the morning, everywhere they went, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle teased Scootaloo about Spike non-stop. It was at the clubhouse when she reached her breaking point.

"I can't wait for you guys to get together and have your first kiss!" Sweetie said.

"Girls..."

"And then ya'll get married and have kids!" Apple Bloom continued.

"Girls."

"And then you'll be really old and be happy in a retirement home!" the earth pony and unicorn finished together.

"GIRLS!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo in shock.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH! ALL MORNING, IT'S BEEN NON-STOP SPIKE, SPIKE, SPIKE! ALL THE STUFF YOU SAID IS NEVER GONNA HAPPEN! YOU KNOW WHY? CUZ' I DON'T LIKE SPIKE AND I NEVER WILL!"

Scootaloo finished her rant and looked at her friends. They were both in complete and utter shock. Eventually, Apple Bloom found the courage to speak up.

"Umm S-Scootaloo?"

"What?!"

Apple Bloom raised a shaky hoof towards the door. Scootaloo turned around and her face and eyes filled with regret and guilt immediately. Spike was at the doorway with one of the saddest expressions the fillies have ever seen. His eyes were filled with tears and pain. Spike slowly started to shake his head while backing off the ramp.

"Spike, I-"

He flew away. For the first time in days, Spike flew away from Scootaloo. Scootaloo kept her head down as she sat on the floor. Tears started to blur her vision.

'I was so focused on how I viewed Spike, I didn't even think about how he viewed me! His tiny heart must be broken into a million pieces! Stupid, stupid, stupid!' 

The pegasus raised a hoof to her head and started to hit her head with it. Thankfully, her friends stopped her from hurting herself. 

"Scootaloo! Stop beating yourself up! We just need to talk to him!"

Scootaloo stared into space worrying her friends even more. After a while, she stood up and wiped her eyes.

"We need to find Spike."



"Spike! Spike! Where are you?" Sweetie Belle called out. "Any luck guys?" (P.S - They were using walkie talkies.)

"Nope! What about you, Scoots?"

"No..." 

The fillies met up at town square after no luck of finding Spike.

"Ugh! This is all my fault!" Scootaloo said.

"Don't worry Scootaloo! We'll find him!" Apple Bloom reassured.

"But how?" Sweetie asked. "We looked everywhere!"

"Not everywhere!"

"Huh?" 

The two fillies looked at the pegasus filly like she was insane.

"I think I know where he is! But you can't follow me! I need to talk to him alone." Scootaloo said before running off.

"Scoots, wait!"

Scootaloo ran all the way to the Everfree Forest. She stopped running when she recognized the wall with vines Spike had shown her. Scootaloo pulled the vines back and walked through the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, she saw Spike crying and sniffling next to the pond. His knees were up to his chest with his head resting on them.

"Spike?"

"G-Go away." he sniffled.

"Spike. I wanna talk to you." Scootaloo said.

"I-I don't feel like t-talking right now."'

"Well then, just listen. Please?"

The filly sat next to Spike but he still avoided eye contact with her.

"Spike, I want to apologize. I was so busy thinking about how I saw you, I didn't even think about how you saw me. So, I'm sorry. It's just... I-I didn't want to get hurt again."

Scootaloo started sniffling which made Spike look at her with confusion and concern.

"Scootaloo?"

"It happened the day you met me. But an hour before that."



Rumble sat on a park bench after getting a note saying 'Meet me at the park after school.' He waited for a couple minutes but nopony showed up.

'Was this a prank?' he thought as he got off the bench.

Just as he was about to leave, a familiar face greeted him.

"Hey Rumble! I umm...see you got my note." Scootaloo said, nervously.

"Hey Scootaloo! Why did you want to meet here?"

"I wanted to talk."

"Okay."

Scootaloo and Rumble sat down on the bench and the filly got uncomfortably close.

"Umm S-Scootaloo?"

"R-Rumble, I have something to tell you. I-I like you. A lot."

Rumble's whole body froze and his cheeks turned red.

"S-Sorry Scoots b-but I don't feel the same way."

"O-oh th-that's okay..." she replied as tears started to form in her eyes.

"I hope we can still be friends." Rumble said, giving Scootaloo a reassuring smile before leaving.

Scootaloo made sure that Rumble was completely gone before she started crying. She didn't want him to feel guilty like it was his fault she was miserable even though it kind of was. The pegasus filly cried for at least an hour before hearing a voice.

"Hey! Are you alright?" 

Scootaloo looked up to see a purple and green baby dragon looking at her. He looked worried and concerned. The dragon sat next to the filly on the bench.

"I-I'm fine. Just leave me alone." she sniffed.

"I'm not just gonna leave you here alone! You look like you need someone right now." 

'Why is he being so insistent?! Can't he just leave?!'

"You're Scootaloo, right? The pegasus that hangs out with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?"

"Yep. And I'm guessing you're Spike. The only dragon here in Ponyville." Scootaloo mumbled.

"Yep! Nice to finally meet you! But anyway, back to the topic at hoof...er claw, why were you crying?"

"I don't really wanna talk about it..."

"Oh well, that's fine! You'll tell me when you're ready! But you still look sad." Spike said.

"I'll be fine. Just let me be."

"Like I said, I'm not leaving you alone. How about we head to Sugarcube Corner? My treat!"

"R-really?"

"Mhm! Let's go!"

And so, Scootaloo and her new friend, Spike, head off to Sugarcube Corner to get to know more about each other.



"And that's why I was crying when you found me on the park bench. I never told anypony about it until now. I was afraid of that happening to me again so I refused to believe I liked you. But I didn't see how that would affect you. Now I hurt you... That was the last thing I wanted to do..." 

As Scootaloo finished, her sniffles have turned into sobbing and crying. Spike looked at the pegasus in disbelief. This whole time, she was afraid to admit her feelings. Afraid she would be hurt again. Wiping the rest of the stray tears off his face, Spike used one of his claws to cup Scootaloo's cheek, carefully turning her head so they could look each other in the eye. Scootaloo's were filled with tears, regret, and guilt. The poor thing had all her feelings bottled up for so long.

"Scootaloo," Spike started with the softest voice you can imagine, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "I know how you feel. When I liked Rarity, I would do anything for her. Heck! I was even used as her pincushion! But when I found out she wasn't into me, my whole world fell apart. I wouldn't eat or sleep or anything. I just locked myself in my room. I refused to let myself feel anything. Twilight finally convinced me to talk with her and I finally broke down. She told me it wasn't healthy to keep my emotions in for so long. So what I'm trying to say is that it's okay to cry."

Obviously, Scootaloo continued to cry and ended up throwing herself against Spike. And of course Spike, being the kind and gentle dragon he is, did what he does best, comforted Scootaloo. Eventually, she stopped crying and calmed down enough to look Spike in the eyes. His eyes glistened in the sun with comforting smile on his face. Meanwhile, Spike also looked Scootaloo in the eye using his finger to move her hair off her face to behind her ear. They were so lost in each other's eyes, they didn't even realize that their muzzles were inching closer to one another. Just before their lips touched, Scootaloo whispered one thing.

"I love you Spike. Always have and always will."

Then, the gap between their lips closed. The duo's eyes closed as they were locked into a passionate kiss. Scootaloo wrapped her front legs around Spike's neck while Spike had both of his claws gently cupping Scootaloo's cheeks. The kiss lasted for a long minute before they came up for air. Spike's face was red and he had a goofy smile on his face while Scootaloo giggled at his reaction. Spike eventually snapped out of it and sat with his legs sticking out. Scootaloo laid down on Spike's legs so when she looked up, she could see Spike's cute and chubby face. 

"Spike?" Scootaloo said, looking up at said dragon.

"Hmm?" Spike replied, looking down at the pegasus filly.

"You're an idiot."

"I kn-Hey! Take that back!"

"Ok, ok fine! Correction: You're not an idiot..."

"Thank you."

"You're my idiot."

Before Spike could reply, Scootaloo sat up to give him a quick kiss on the lips, leaving the poor dragon all flustered.

"Sh-should we head back? E-Everypony's probably looking for us." Spike stuttered.

"Nope. Let's stay here a little longer. I wanna spend time with my special somepony... er dragon."

And so, the newly formed couple stayed in the Everfree Forest to watch the beautiful sunset fade into the horizon.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The couple eventually decided to head out of the Everfree Forest to meet up with their worried friends.

"What if something bad happened to them, Apple Bloom?!" Sweetie Belle asked, obviously worried for her friends.

The other two fillies were in the clubhouse now even more concerned because their second friend has now gone missing.

"Don't worry! If Scootaloo ran off like that, she probably knows what she's doing." Apple Bloom reassured. "I hope..."

Just as Apple Bloom finished her sentence, Spike and Scootaloo showed up at the doorway of the clubhouse, hoof in claw.

"Scootaloo! Spike!" their friends cheered, running towards them and giving them big hugs.

"Where were you guys? We were worried about you!" Sweetie Belle asked.

Spike and Scootaloo looked at each other guiltily.

"We were...somewhere?" Spike said, unsure of his own answer.

Before the fillies pressed Spike's answer any further, Scootaloo jumped in.

"Hey girls! Can I talk to you for a minute?" 

Scootaloo pulled her friends aside to explain the situation that she had with Rumble and how she and Spike made up and of course, kissed.

"Scoots, we're sorry that happened to you but we're also glad that you and Spike finally got together!" Sweetie said, hugging her friend.

"Now that we got that out of the way. Spike! Can me and Sweetie talk to ya'?" Apple Bloom said.

The fillies pull Spike aside leaving Scootaloo confused. Apple Bloom turned around to give Scootaloo a reassuring smile and wave.

"Ok Spike, if ya' ever hurt Scootaloo in any way, shape, or form..." Apple Bloom starts.

"We won't hesitate end you in any way, shape, or form. Do we make ourselves clear?" Sweetie Belle finishes.

Spike frantically nodded, hoping to get away from the clubhouse and fillies as quickly as possible. Thankfully, Scootaloo interfered before it got worse.

"Spike! We should head home now. It's pretty late and Twilight and Rainbow are probably worried about us!" the pegasus said, grabbing her dragonfriend's claw and dragging him out of the clubhouse. Seeing the mortified look on Spike's face, Scootaloo became concerned.

"Spike, what's wrong? Are you ok? What did Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle even say to you?!"

"N-Nothing." Spike replied, now gripping his tail tightly.

Scootaloo knew this body language very well by now. When Spike grips his tail like that, it means he either feels nervous, threatened, scared, or worried.

"Spike." Scootaloo said, her voice becoming stern. "What did they say?"



"I'm going to kill them!"

"Scootaloo! Come on! Leave it alone!"

Scootaloo started... or tried to march towards the clubhouse in anger. Spike literally had to fly and drag her by her tail to keep her from screaming at her friends at the top of her lungs late at night. 

"Oh hell no! I'm not gonna leave it alone! They threatened you!"

"For your sake! They just wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt again. So please let it go. For me?"

"Fine..." Scootaloo sighed, finally giving up.

"Thank you." Spike said, letting go of Scootaloo's tail before lowering himself to the ground.

He gave his fillyfriend a kiss on the cheek. For some reason, it gave Scootaloo an idea.

"How about we have a race to the castle? Whoever gets there first wins!" she said.

"Ok! That sounds fun!"

Scootaloo and Spike stand next to each other, getting ready to beat the other in the race. Spike starts the countdown.

"Three! Two! One! G-"

Just before the dragon says go, the pegasus gives him a kiss on the lips before speeding off. Spike was obviously flustered by this action which gave Scootaloo at least a ten second head start.

"Hey! No fair! You cheated!"  Spike yelled, before flying after her.

Spike eventually saw Scootaloo standing by the castle waiting for him with a smug look on her face.

"What took you so long?" Scootaloo asked innocently.

"Don't act innocent! You know what you did!" Spike replied.

"What did I do?" Scootaloo asked, still acting innocent.

'Ok Scoots! Two can play at this game!'

Spike cups Scootaloo's cheeks and gives her a big kiss on the lips. When they pulled away, Spike burst out laughing. Scootaloo's face was red and her eyes were wide with shock.

"That's what you did! Now you look like a tomato!" Spike said in between his laughter.

"Sh-shut up..." Scootaloo said, hiding her face with her hair.

"Come on, my lovely tomato. Let's head inside."

Spike grabs Scootaloo's hoof and drags her inside the castle. Inside, they see Twilight and Rainbow casually talking. The alicorn and pegasus look over and see Spike and Scootaloo just standing there.

"Oh hey Scoots! Hey Spike!" Rainbow said before continuing to talk to Twilight.

The dragon and the filly looked at each other in shock.

"That's it? No punishment for staying up late?" Scootaloo asked.

"We decided that since it's the weekend, your bedtimes could be extended." Twilight explained.

"Sleepover?!" the couple asked hopefully.

"I guess you guys could have a sleepover." Twilight confirmed.

As soon as Twilight finished her sentence, the duo ran toward Spike's room. The mares just shrugged their shoulders and continued talking.

Spike and Scootaloo stayed up until it got really late at night. Scootaloo yawned and put her head on Spike's chest. Spike starts stroking her mane with his claw.

"Spike?"

"Yeah Scoots?"

"How do we break the news to Rainbow and Twilight?"

"About what? Us being a thing now?"

"Mhm."

"Well, we could leave them clues like a treasure hunt! Then it would all lead to a huge surprise party! And then-"

"Or we could just tell them." Scootaloo cut off.

"Or we could just tell them..." Spike repeated, blushing from embarrassment.

"Aww! You're so cute when you blush." the filly teased .

"Can we just forget this conversation ever happened?!" the dragon said, blushing even more.

"Now who's the tomato?" Scootaloo giggled, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Night, Spike. Love you."

Spike rolled his eyes and gave Scootaloo a kiss on her forehead. 

"Night, Scoots. Love you too."



Many years later...

"Hey babe? You okay? You seem nervous." Scootaloo asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine..." Spike replied.

Spike and Scootaloo were young adults now. They are currently hanging out at the Castle of Friendship in Spike's room.

The pegasus thought for a moment before having an idea.

"You know what you need?" she asked her dragonfriend.

"What?"

"Does 'We were somewhere' ring a bell?"

"You still remember that? That was years ago!"

"Of course I do! It was one of your stupid cute moments!"

"Wait as in really cute or in I was being stupid while being cute?"

"Anyway, let's just go already!"

"But you didn't answer the quest-"

"Let's go!" Scootaloo yelled, pushing Spike out of his room.

"Ok, ok geez!"

Spike and Scootaloo make their way to the Everfree Forest to the wall that has clearly grown more vines over the years. They head through the tunnel to find the lake in the exact same condition.

"Wow! I'm surprised nopony still doesn't know about this place yet!" Spike exclaimed.

"I know right!" Scootaloo agreed.

The couple sat down by the lake to ponder their thoughts.

'Should I go for it? Should I tell her?'

'You know what? Screw it! I'm telling him!'

"Spike?"

"Scootaloo?"

The dragon and mare both looked at each other and laughed due to them speaking at the same time.

"Ok. On the count of three, we both say what's on our minds." Spike said.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

The duo both laughed again because they both proposed and accepted at the the same time. Their laughter was cut short when Scootaloo kissed Spike on the lips. Spike eventually melted into the kiss and they both broke away. 

"So now we have a wedding to plan for, huh?" Scootaloo said, her cheeks on fire.

"I guess so..." Spike replied, his face copying Scootaloo's.

"Well whatever comes next, we're in it together!" Scootaloo said, giving her fiance a kiss on the cheek.



"Do you, Spike, promise to love Scootaloo, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?" Twilight asked.

"I do." Spike replied.

"And do you, Scootaloo, promise to love Spike, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him, for as long as you both shall live?" Twilight asked.

"I do." Scootaloo replied.

"Any objections? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nopony said a word or even made a peep.

"Well with that being said, I pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride!"

Spike and Scootaloo share a kiss under the wedding arch as everypony cheered and clapped. They both walked back down the aisle thanking everypony who said congratulations. Eventually, the pair managed to find Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in the crowd.

"Congratulations Spike and Scoots!" the two mares said hugging their friends.

"Thanks guys!" Scootaloo said.

"So when are ya' guys gonna... ya' know... go under the covers?" Apple Bloom asked, lowering her voice

Spike and Scootaloo looked at each other, their faces both turning the same crimson red, before looking back at Apple Bloom.

"And that's enough questions! Hey! How about some cake?" Spike cut off, pushing Apple Bloom towards the cake stand while Scootaloo does the same with Sweetie Belle.

"But I didn't get to ask-"

"You heard the man, Sweetie Belle! No more questions!"



"It's a girl! What do you guys want to name her?"

Spike thought about it for a minute.

"What about Skye?" Spike asked, looking at Scootaloo for confirmation.

"Skye. That's good name. Welcome the world, Skye."



"So that's how you and Mommy met?" Skye asked.

"Yep! At least that's how I remember it." Spike said.

"I have two questions."

"Question away."

"How did Auntie Twilight and Grandma Rainbow find out about you two getting together? Did you actually just tell them or did you do that crazy treasure hunt thing?"

"It was not crazy!" Spike denied.

"It was crazy, honey." Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes. "Skye, to answer your question, do you remember what I said about the spell that your Grandma used to check on me?"

"Mhm!"

"Well..."



It was next morning after Spike and Scootaloo got together. They were ready to tell Rainbow and Twilight about their relationship. Well, one of them was ready. Spike was on his bed hyperventilating and Scootaloo sat next to him trying to calm him down. 

"Spike! Calm down! It's gonna be fine! Deep breaths." Scootaloo said while rubbing his back.

Spike listened to Scootaloo and took some deep breaths. His breathing slowed down as well as his heartbeat.

"There you go! Feeling better?"

Spike nodded and Scootaloo gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

"You practically told Twilight that you liked me right? So we got this! Okay?"

"Okay..."

"Hey, if you're really that scared, we can do this some other time." the filly said softly.

"No, no. It's fine. I wanna tell them now. It's now or never."

"Whenever you're nervous, just squeeze my hoof. Got it?"

"Got it."

The baby dragon and filly walked hoof in claw to the throne room where Twilight and Rainbow were reading books.

"Hey Mom? Twilight? We have something we wanna tell you."

"We already know." Rainbow said.

"Already know what?" Spike asked.

"About you two being together." Twilight said.

"What?! How?!" Scootaloo yelped.

"Spell remember? We saw you two kiss like more than 5 times already." Rainbow explained.

"You were still using that stupid spell?!" the filly exclaimed.

Scootaloo felt Spike squeeze her hoof.

"What spell are they talking about?" Spike whispered to Scootaloo.

"I'll explain later." Scootaloo whispered back.

"I asked Twilight to stop casting the spell after you found out about it but then after you scared the living heck out of me, I couldn't risk it, so yeah." Rainbow said.

Spike could see that Scootaloo was about to blow her top off so he dragged her back to his room to calm her down.

'Oh how the tables turn.' he thought, closing his bedroom door to get ready for a lot of screaming and yelling.



Skye giggled after hearing this story. 

"How long did you scream for, Mom?" she asked.

"I'd say about 30 minutes to an hour." Scootaloo said. "I'm pretty sure I lost my voice after that one."

"What's your other question, Skye?" Spike asked.

"Oh yeah! You said Auntie Apple Bloom said something about 'going under the covers'. What does that mean?"

"Aaand that's enough questions for tonight! Hey! How about your mother tucks you in? Night sweetie!"

And with that, Spike walks out of Skye's bedroom, leaving Skye very confused and Scootaloo just sitting there.

"Isn't that the exact same thing he said at your wed-"

"You heard the man, baby girl. No more questions." Scootaloo said, kissing her daughter's forehead. "Night sweetie. Love you."

Scootaloo walked out of the room leaving Skye even more confused. 

"Love you too?" she responded.

Skye eventually just let it go and snuggled up with her stuffed animal, Fuzzball (Fuzzy for short).

"Well Fuzzy. I think this is gonna be one big wacky family. I can't wait for my little brother to come! I'm gonna be the best big sister ever!" Skye said, before yawning.

"Night Fuzzy. I love you."

THE END