Twilight attempts to be there for Scootaloo and give her the family she needs.
After spending some more time with Scootaloo, Twilight starts to wonder about her home life. Her discovery has her want to give Scootaloo the family she deserves. She should have no problems with Spike and Rainbow Dash there to help.
Warning: contains small amounts of twidash, scootadopt, cuteness, and ponies
Starts after the episode "Twilight Time" but before "Maud Pie"
A yawn pried its way out of Twilight's mouth, snuffing the silence that filled her home. After a second, her ears twitched at the foreign yawn from across the room causing her to look up from her book. It had come from none other than Scootaloo.
The filly was currently cuddled up with a Daring Do book in another corner of the library. The crusaders had come over for what they dubbed “Twilight Time.” She had to admit, it was a little daunting to be teaching all three fillies these different skills, but she knew it was worth it. The joy present on their faces when they gained new knowledge was what made it all worth it. While there was the incident with the fame of “knowing a princess,” she still knew they were eager to learn and were sorry for their actions. She was very proud of how far they’d come and would continue to grow.
Thinking on her yawn, Twilight glanced out a window to notice it was almost sunset. Just before, AJ and Rarity had come by to pick up their sisters. They all had a good meal together before leaving. Spike, who was now curled up reading some comics, made some great oat cookies to go with the apple pot pie she made.
It was getting late, so Scootaloo would need to head home. Twilight got up, closing her book, and started quietly moving towards Scootaloo. She was engrossed in the book with wide eyes bringing a soft smile to Twilight’s face.
She lightly tapped on her shoulder to get her attention. “Hey Scootaloo, how’s the book?”
Scootaloo gave a wide smile back responding, “It’s amazing Twilight! Thanks for recommending it to me, is it cool if I check it out?”
“Of course I wouldn’t mind, it’s a library after all. We do need to head out, though. I can mark that you checked it out when I get back. Your parents must be worried about you.”
Twilight thought she saw Scootaloo’s eyes shift a little at the mention of her parents, but decided to not press on it. “Come on, let’s get you home little filly.”
Just before leaving she announced, "Spike, I'm walking Scootaloo home. Hold down the fort while I'm gone."
Spike looked up from his comic to give a quick salute before returning to his readings.
~~~~~~~
Twilight let her mind wander, as they lightly trotted through Ponyville. Now that she was thinking about it, she had never met Scootaloo’s parents. She remembers Scootaloo mentioning an aunt or two, but she didn’t know if they were her guardians or not.
As they continued their walk Twilight spoke up, “So, did you have a good day at school?”
Scootaloo was a little confused at the curiosity, but she was happy to get to talk about her day. “It was great! I did well on my math test, we had some fun crusading after class, and I felt like I made good progress during Twi Time!” Scootaloo responded.
Twilight gave her a mischievous look, “Twi Time?”
“Well, during the little “episode” we had, where the other kids were yelling it constantly, it got a little annoying to me. I decided Twi Time was also a lot faster to say and rolled off the tongue better.”
“I don’t mind, Scootaloo. It’s not an official title or anything.” Twilight saw Scootaloo relax a little after that, and she decided to continue the small talk asking, “Any plans with the crusaders tomorrow?”
“No… The other crusaders are always busy on Thursdays. I’ll probably just ride around town or look for Rainbow Dash. She’s usually busy except for the mornings while I’m at school, sadly.” Scootaloo gave a soft sigh seemingly downtrodden after talking about it.
“I’m sorry to hear that Scootaloo. I’m sure Rainbow cherishes all the little moments she gets with you. Speaking of which, how is school going for you? I haven’t heard any complaints from you or the crusaders, but I don’t know much about Ponyville’s education other than the occasional chats with Cheerilee,” Twilight asked.
“It’s going alright. I have good scores in most subjects, but my equestrian is falling behind. It’s just hard trying to remember all the little rules before writing them.” Scootaloo gave a small huff, being thoroughly frustrated with the topic.
As they closed on her house Twilight noticed the house wasn’t lit at all. No one seemed to be home waiting for Scootaloo. This was starting to get a little worrying to Twilight. She’ll need to ask Rainbow about this.
Turning her attention back to Scootaloo. “If you would like, you can stop by tomorrow, and I can try to help you understand equestrian better. My door is always open,” Twilight said with a sincere smile.
“Well, yeah. You live in a library,” Scootaloo added with a small laugh, “thank you though, I might take you up on your offer. Anyway, thank you for walking me home, Twilight. Have a good night!” Scootaloo gave a wave before walking back to her house.
Now alone with her thoughts, Twilight was worried about Scootaloo. Being uncomfortable around the word parents and the dark house were red flags. She couldn’t act on this little information, though. She’ll need to see if Scootaloo can shed some light on this tomorrow if she visits. Until then, it was time to pay a visit to Rainbow Dash.
She knew of the surrogate sister relationship they had and hoped Rainbow could shed some light on Scootaloo’s family. Seeing the sun nearing the end of sunset she theorized Rainbow wouldn't be asleep just yet. Taking off towards Rainbow’s house, Twilight's mind wondered of the different scenarios that would warrant Scootaloo's reaction. While her mind wandered, a smile slipped itself out thinking of the joy of Scootaloo's face when she was enthralled by Daring Do's escapades.
~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash’s house was always mesmerizing. Twilight loved Pegasi architecture, but Rainbow’s house was even more beautiful to look at, even if her friend preferred “cool”. She knew about the incident during the camping trip. If anyone of her friends could help her it would be Rainbow Dash.
“What do you mean you have no idea?!” Twilight yelled out.
She had been expecting Rainbow to fill her in with all the missing details, but she was adamantly surprised to find out Rainbow knew almost nothing more about her parents.
Rainbow gave a disinterested shrug before responding, “Just what I said. Never really met her parents. I’ve spoken with her Aunts once or twice before watching her for the weekend, but I’ve never asked her about ‘em.”
Twilight gave a sigh but continued. “Well, I’m worried about her. She seemed tense around the subject and her house seemed to have no one there for her when I walked her home from Twi Time.”
“Twi Time? That’s a cute little name for it,” Rainbow gave a small giggle but continued after her small mocking, “from what I know, from her Aunts and hanging around her, her Aunts watch her on and off with some other adults, and she lives at her parents' house. I don’t know much of anything about her parents or why they can’t ever watch her, though.”
Already, this was setting off alarms in Twilight’s head. She had no idea other ponies were having to watch over her. Is she neglected? That would explain why she clings to Rainbow so much. She might be the only permanent and supportive adult figure in her life. Was she spending more time at the library reading just to avoid going home to the empty house?
Thoughts like these continued to bombard Twilight’s mind, as she paced worriedly around Rainbow’s living room. Rainbow, knowing how Twilight got when worked up, went over to her to snap her out of it. Just as Twilight turned to pace back Rainbow gave her a light boop on the horn.
"Listen, I get you're worried. I'm a little worried too. What's important, though, is that we're good ponies in her life. I can tell she's a little clingy, but she clearly needs me to be there for her. I won't let her down," Rainbow spoke with a heavy air surrounding her words, "if something bad was happening with her parents she would tell us. Don't stress over it too much. Just enjoy your time with her."
Her words helped to calm Twilight's mind a little, even if some questions still nagged at her.
"Alright, I'll make sure to be good to her," Twilight said, giving Rainbow a quick yet sincere hug.
"If you're still worried after a bit let me know, and I will help ya however I can. She's a tough little filly, but I'd hate for her to return to an empty home every day. Just not tonight. The Dash needs her rest." Dash added sarcastically.
With that Twilight headed back home from Rainbow's place. While flying, Twilight had a sweet thought about some incentive for Scootaloo to study hard. She also thought up a plan should Scootaloo come over tomorrow. She was sure she would love it as well.
The day had been somewhat uneventful for Twilight so far. Not many ponies came to check out books today. She had already gone out shopping and was just waiting to see if Scootaloo would show up. Luckily, She knew just how to pass the time.
Twilight really wanted to go through a reread of Daring Do with the new book coming out soon. She should also talk to Rainbow about doing the same. Maybe they can have some reading nights and talk about their favorite parts in the series. Either way, time to start up again on the Sapphire Statue!
Just as her magic gripped the cover to open there was a knock at her door. Spike at the ready to help had already started towards the door. Twilight, not wanting to be distracted if she was needed, watched on as Spike opened the door to greet Scootaloo. She was a little out of breath, probably from racing around town.
Spike welcomed her, as he motioned for her to come inside, “Hey Scootaloo, Twilight said you might be over. What’s up?”
Scootaloo happily replied, coming inside while setting her scooter and helmet by the door, “Nothing really, I was just cruising around town and thought I’d take Twilight’s offer up.”
“You’ll be happy to know Twilight put a lot of effort into getting a lesson ready for you,” Spike said with a smile, “she even has a little surprise with it!”
“Ooo! What is it‽” Scootaloo asked as they walked, leaning into Spike a little to pressure him.
Spike pushed back, giving a little shove while responding, “Like I’d ruin the surprise.”
Twilight answered, “You’ll find out in a little bit. I’m glad you came by though. It’s commendable that you want to improve yourself and your grades.”
Scootaloo looked sheepishly at the ground, “Thanks Twilight.”
Twilight led her over to the back table. She had already laid out some sentence practice for her to correct. She probably cannot correct it all, but it would give her a feel of her knowledge so far to compare with the material Cheerilee said they were going over now.
Twilight started explaining what would happen today, “Now Scootaloo, I just want you to try your best on these. I’ll walk you through the first one, and you can ask any question you would like over it. Seeing as you came a bit later than I was expecting, would you like to have dinner with us? Spike can fix us up some hayburgers while I stay here for assistance.”
Scootaloo listened carefully, giving a happy response with a small hop, “Yes! I love hayburgers!”
“Then it’s settled as long as Spike is okay with that.” Twilight turned to Spike, “Are you okay with that? I know you usually make the desserts, but hayburgers are pretty easy.”
“Of course, I’ve made them before,” Spike said, puffing out his chest, “you can count on me!”
This got a small giggle from Twilight and Scootaloo. As Spike made his way to the kitchen to get started Twilight started on her lesson.
~~~~~~~
The lesson went well. Twilight was a little worried about Scootaloo staying put to work on something that wasn’t as hooves on as her Scooter, but she was pleasantly surprised she stayed focused throughout the example and went right to work. She really wanted to improve her grade and Twilight was very proud of her to even accept her offer. Many ponies are either too prideful or think they’ll look stupid to go out for tutoring.
Twilight also thinks she knows what to work on with Scootaloo. She had a majority of the sentence arranged correctly. She just took a while to understand the sentences and had a couple of rules wrong. These were relatively easy fixes that will just take time.
Turning back to Scootaloo once she was finished looking over the paper Twilight gave her some praise. “You did great Scootaloo. Most of your sentences are correct with only a few rules missed that are within your skill level. The big thing is time. We can get your speed at reading up with just more practice. You’re welcome to check out more Daring Do to get you reading if you’d like for that. Learning the rules can be done in many ways. I learned through some jingles I recite in my head. Look at this one for example. When is “I” before “E”?”
Scootaloo answered a little unsure, “Uh, “I” before “E” always?”
“No, Scootaloo. It’s “I” before “E” except after “c” and when sounding like “A” as in neighbor and weigh, and on weekends and holidays and all throughout May, and you’ll always be wrong no matter what you say!” Twilight stated, raising her voice while her feathers got a little ruffled.
She quickly composed herself and apologized, “Sorry about that, I got a little carried away. I never liked that teacher.”
Quickly she cleared her throat and attempted to smooth over the rough patch she made, “You can replace the end saying there with ‘you can do it, at the end of the day' if you’d like.”
Scootaloo nodded, “It’s alright, thank you for the little jingle. I’ll try and come up with some on my own to help out. So, I only need to read more Daring Do to get better at this?”
Twilight giggled at this, “Well, I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but yes. You’ve got a lot of the material down. I’m guessing for tests you don’t end up with as much time as you need to work and spend a little too much time reading?”
Scootaloo nodded again a little saddened and looking down, “I’m sorry for being stupid. I know you’d probably rather spend your day doing something else.”
Twilight comforts her, “No, no, no. You are not stupid, Scootaloo. I’m sorry for the jingle earlier. You’re very smart and wanting to improve yourself is commendable. Even if your scores were low you wouldn’t be stupid either. There’s more to smarts than test scores.”
“Really? If I don’t do amazing then I’m not amazing, though,” Scootaloo asked skeptically.
“Scootaloo, what’s important isn’t that you do amazing at everything. It’s important to try your best and improve. You won’t be amazing at everything, but as long as you give it your all then you’ll never be stupid,” Twilight said resting a hoof on her for support.
Scootaloo gave Twilight a hug after that. She was surprised, but she didn’t reject her. She wondered if Scootaloo always put this much pressure on herself. Why does she only want perfection? Twilight knew that she did that as well, pleasing the princess, but she didn't for everything she did. Twilight was first to break the silence with a grumble from her stomach.
She broke away from the hug rubbing the back of her head before saying, “Sorry, it’s been a bit since I ate. I’m sure Spike is done with dinner by now, come on.”
She led her to the kitchen where they found the table all set and ready with hayburgers and fries. Spike was currently fixing some glasses of apple juice for himself and Twilight.
Turning around, he greeted the pair, “Hey you two, I was just about to go get you. What do you want to drink, Scootaloo? We have apple juice, milk, water, and cranberry juice.”
Scootaloo answered him, “Just some apple juice is fine with me. Thank you for fixing this Spike.”
“It’s no biggie, it was just warming stuff up,” Spike responded with a shrug, before laying out their drinks as they took their seats.
As they were digging in, Twilight stated, “Thanks for doing this for us Spike, it was still nice of you to fix dinner for us. How is it Scootaloo?”
“It’s great Twilight, thanks for letting me have dinner with you. Thank you for the lesson too!” Scootaloo said, chowing down.
They continued to have idle chatter while finishing up dinner. As they finished up Twilight used her magic to bring out the surprise.
“Scootaloo, I wanted to give you a reward for your hard work today. I’ve said it a lot today, but it shows a lot of bravery to admit your failings and work to improve them. I wanted to have this on hand as an extra incentive for you to continue working.”
Just as Scootaloo was about to ask what it was she felt something chilling on the back of her neck. Twisting around she saw a carton of ice cream!
“Oh my gosh! You got me ice cream?!” Scootaloo practically launched out of her chair grabbing the carton before landing back on it.
Twilight responded with a giggle, “Yes, I got some ice cream for us to share when you come over. Spike recommended I get cookies and cream. Not my favorite, but he absolutely loves it.”
“What, it’s not my fault you can’t appreciate the best flavor,” Spike said defiantly.
“Cookies and Cream is my favorite too!” Scootaloo said, rushing to open the container while Twilight levitated over some bowls and a scoop for them.
“Getting more reading done will be on you, but I hope this will make you put a little more thought into doing some more sentence practice,” Twilight said with a coy expression.
“For sure,” Scootaloo agreed wholeheartedly.
After finishing up their bowls, Scootaloo stuck around to help with the dishes. Twilight had said she could do it, but Scootaloo said helping was the least she could do. After, it was time for her to head out. At the door, she said her goodbyes to Twilight and Spike. Giving them both a quick hug before heading home.
Overall, Twilight would say it was a great day. Just one more thing for her list, and she could return to her books for the evening. Spike agreed to hold down the fort while Twilight set out to look for Rainbow Dash. She would probably be finishing up practicing her tricks in one of the open fields on the outskirts of town. She took off not wanting to miss her before she packed in for the night.
~~~~~~~
There were many words Twilight could use to describe Rainbow Dash. Loyal, brash, competitive, and foolhardy first come to mind when thinking of her. Right now, though, Twilight only had one word on her mind, mesmerizing.
She found Rainbow right as she was finishing a stunt. Rainbow was probably too focused to notice and continued with her tricks. She wasted no time setting down to enjoy the show. She was more graceful than a ballerina in the skies. She wished she had more time to just watch her fly, as Rainbow was inspiring in those skies. Sadly, the routine came to an end, and Rainbow saw the purple dot in the field. She started flying towards Twilight before doing a flip into a landing right in front of her.
Twilight responded, “Nothing much, just wanted to ask you something, and I had an update with Scootaloo.”
Rainbow gave a sly grin moving to Twilight’s side as they started walking back, “Oh, you wanted to ask me something? Don’t worry, I saw you watching and I know how irresistible I am.”
Twilight rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics, “I wouldn’t go that far, but your flying was very “cool”. I wanted to ask if you were thinking of rereading through Daring Do to be ready for the next book that’s come out soon? I figured if you wanted to as well, we could start up a reading night to both be ready for the release.”
Rainbow gasped, “The next book is almost out?! I thought she was taking a break for a while.”
Twilight nodded, “Mhm, her hiatus was cut short when she had a quote, ‘big burst of inspiration.’”
“Totally, I can take a couple of days off training in the evening for some Daring Do. Mondays and Wednesdays should be good,” Rainbow gave a confident smile, “I’m already awesome enough a few days off won’t make a difference.”
“I’m sure it won’t. Scootaloo also had a good time. Her lesson went well, and we had a delicious dinner with dessert,” She informed Rainbow.
Rainbow teased her for this, “I bet it was with Spike making everything.”
“I’ll have you know, I am a great cook,” Twilight defended herself.
“Whatever you say, Sparkle. I’ve had his desserts. Spike is clearly the cook in the family.” Rainbow shrugged off her defense.
“I’ll prove it reading night then,” Twilight was getting defensive and frustrated at this.
She had no idea why everyone always thought Spike cooked for her. Sure, when they were little Spike learned from her mom first. He was even a great baker, but she still cooked for both of them most of the time. You cannot survive off desserts alone, and she made sure that their diets were balanced with days of leeway.
Rainbow kept up the pressure, “Sure, I’ll take you up on the offer. I’d never turn down a free home-cooked meal. Even if it might kill me.”
“Ugh, you’re insufferable, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a soft smile, calming down, and she noticed they were back in town ready to split up, “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sufferably amazing. See ya!” Rainbow shouted, taking off towards her house.
With that, Twilight could pack in for the evening and enjoy herself. Though, with their reading days, she’ll need to postpone Daring Do. Oh well, she has other things to work on. Just in case Scootaloo comes by, she’ll need to get a lesson or two ready in advance. Maybe Rainbow will let her bring Scootaloo to watch some of her tricks as a reward. Oh well, those thoughts can be put off for now. There are lessons to be made!
Monday came a lot faster than Twilight expected. She had enjoyed a calm Friday with Spike and Scootaloo bonding a bit more. They even made some cookies together with Spike teaching her. The weekend passed in a blur and it was already time for Scootaloo to come over again.
Twilight had luckily prepared a small lesson Scootaloo could finish before dinner. This would give her time to prepare a larger meal to prove Rainbow wrong. She was thinking over what to make when Scootaloo arrived for the day.
“Hey, Spike! Hey Twilight!” Scootaloo greeted as she walked in.
Twilight responds, “Hi Scootaloo, ready for some learning?” as Scootaloo sets herself down at the table.
“Mhm! Is it alright if I eat with you too?” Scootaloo asked as Twilight brought over her work.
“That’s alright with me. This lesson will mostly be a review over Friday, though. I’ll be in the kitchen getting our food ready. If you have any questions either call for Spike, I think he’s reading in his room, or I.” Twilight answered walking out to the kitchen.
Just before she got to work she popped her head back in to say, “Oh, we’ll also have a guest over. I hope you’re fine with that, as I don’t think she’ll be here until you’re finished.”
Scootaloo gave a curious glance up, “Who is it?”
“That’s a surprise,” Twilight responded with a smile.
“As long as they don’t eat all the food!” Scoot playfully responded as Twilight went back to work in the kitchen.
~~~~~~~
Twilight was just pulling the lasagna out when there was a knock on the door. As she moved out of the kitchen to see who it was, Rainbow Dash swooped through the air and landed next to Scootaloo.
“Hiya Scoot, what’s up with you?” Dash said as they shared a quick hug.
“Just practicing some of my Equestrian with Twilight,” Scootaloo responded before asking, “what’re you doing here Dash?”
“Just here to read some Daring with Twi in a bit. First, she’s going to prove she can actually cook something that won’t burn the tree down,” Rainbow said with a giggle.
Twilight finally decided to pop in, as Spike came down the stairs with a yawn. He must’ve been taking a small nap during the slow day. He put himself seated next to Scootaloo. Twilight moved to sit opposite of her to look over her work.
“Are you ready for dinner? It’s cooling down now,” Twilight said, starting to look over Scootaloo’s work, “how is your work coming along?”
“Good, I think, no problems that I noticed. It’s just a review after all,” Scootaloo said.
“Everything looks good for now. I’ll move this and we can start eating,” Twilight said with a smile.
As Twilight left she heard some laughter coming from the other room. When she returned, Rainbow was talking to Scootaloo about the time she freaked out a little and went back in time. Rolling her eyes, she joined back in setting the lasagna in the middle of the table.
“I freaked out a little, I’ll admit, but I had good reason to when my future self goes back in time to warn me about something!” Twilight said, defending herself.
“Yeah, you had us fly all over Equestria looking for a little problem that would never come, ha ha ha!” Rainbow jokes, earning some more laughter from Scootaloo and Spike.
“Wow Twilight, you have a habit of freaking,” Scootaloo joined in.
“Yeah, I know that. Anyway, it’s time to dig in. I hope it satisfies your expectations, featherbrain.” She added giving a coy look to Rainbow.
~~~~~~~
Dinner went off without a hitch. Everyone was enjoying their food from what Twilight could tell. She was able to talk to Rainbow about her work schedule and how she was doing with the Wonderbolts. Spike and Scootaloo talked about comic books. She was a little surprised that Scootaloo had an interest, but she guesses that’s why she was more into reading than she thought in the beginning.
“Twilight, I take back everything I said about your cooking,” Rainbow said with a satisfied grin.
“Mhm, you can cook amazing!” Scootaloo excitedly added.
“Thanks you two, I’ll have Spike make some dessert next time for you to try. I don’t have anything on his baking skills.” She gestured to Spike.
“Aw, thanks Twilight. I’m just glad I'm able to treat you,” Spike responded with a little blush, rubbing the back of his head.
“Now, Rainbow, I believe we had some Daring Do to read?” Twilight stood up, levitating the dishes to the sink for later.
Rainbow started to hover with excitement, “Aw yeah! This reread is going to be so awesome!”
Spike and Scootaloo had started talking about some comic named Invincimare, whatever that was. While they did that Twilight grabbed her copy and positioned herself in front of the fire to begin reading. She had already laid out some blankets with it being her usual spot during their reading night.
Before she began, Rainbow spoke up, “Shoot, Twilight, I forgot my book. Do you mind if I share with you?”
“Not a problem Dash,” Twilight spread her blankets out more giving them both a little room.
As they had this conversation Spike noted how he would finish up the dishes so they wouldn’t have to worry about them later. Scootaloo moved towards the two as they got settled just about ready to read.
“Hey, um… Do you two mind if I join?” Scootaloo asked.
They looked between each other and smiled before Twilight took the lead, “Of course not Scootaloo.”
Before they had a chance to talk about more covers and a spot she had already jumped between them, much to Twilight’s surprise. She didn’t mind though, as they still had just enough space all laying there, even if it was a little cramped in her opinion.
Rainbow asked, “Do you want me to read to you like usual Scoot?”
Scootaloo, not expecting to be asked that out of the blue, blushed and responded, “Yes please.”
Twilight was very surprised at Dash’s actions. Sure, she knew that he was a sister to her and they had stayed together before. She had no idea that Dash even read to her at night. She didn’t have the heart to object about the space and ruin the moment.
After a bit, while Dash was reading out loud for Scootaloo, she felt her wing being pulled on. Looking over, she saw that Scootaloo had fallen asleep sometime while listening, and she had subconsciously pulled Twilight’s wing over herself. Not wanting Rainbow to stop and wake her, she just continued on listening to Rainbow. She couldn’t even call it cramped anymore, she’d say it was cozy now.
~~~~~~~
Twilight stirred awake. She didn’t even notice falling asleep. Scootaloo was still cuddled up next to her, but Rainbow was missing. Looking around she saw Spike sitting and reading his own comic book. It looked to be way past dark and she started to freak out a little over getting Scootaloo home.
Spike, noticing her freak out, walked over and whispered, “Rainbow let her Aunts’ know she is staying here before she went home.”
Twilight gave a sigh of relief, “Thanks Spike, I’ll get her to the guest bedroom.”
Twilight carefully lifted her with Magic, keeping the sleeping filly cuddled on her back as she settled her into the guest bedroom. She somewhat missed the warmth, but she will manage. Spike was waiting for her as they walked back to their room, but he also had something to show her.
“While you were out I took this,” Spike said, holding up a small polaroid photo.
In the picture were all three of them cuddled up together. Scootaloo between both of the older ponies, Twilight’s wing pulled over like a blanket, and Rainbow’s wing positioned over both of them with a soft smile on all their faces. Twilight gave a soft “aw” noting how cute they looked.
“Thanks, Spike, do you want to set that one on my dresser? I’m sure we can find a frame eventually,” Twilight asked.
Spike nodded, “Sure thing Twilight, I’m gonna head to bed, though.”
After Spike set it down, they both moved towards their beds ready for a good night's rest. It had been a great day.
Twilight had awoken to a small freakout by Scootaloo. She had to admit, it was pretty funny seeing someone else have the fuss instead of her. After explaining the situation to Scootaloo, she calmed down right away. The blush on her face while trying to act cool brought a smile to Twilight's face. Luckily, Twilight knew Scootaloo would still have school and woke her a little earlier for them to have breakfast and to grab her school supplies.
After that morning, her schedule was relatively normal. She’d spend most of her days either in the library or visiting her friends. Her evenings would be a mix. Some evenings Scootaloo would come over, some would be Twilight Time, some would have Rainbow, and some would be a mix between them all. No matter what, Twilight enjoyed all of her time.
It was a great two weeks of getting to bond with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. Sure, they hadn’t had another all-nighter and sleepover like last time, but it was still quality moments. Maud’s visit had been hectic, but after coming to an understanding she was glad to have been able to meet such a close family member of Pinkie’s. The next day, though, she had something special planned for the filly.
Spike had agreed to do the chores for the day and watch the library in exchange for some extra bits. She would’ve been happy to give them to him, but she knows how he loves to earn his rewards and to be helpful. She decided to wait for Scootaloo outside the library sitting down on a nearby bench. Eventually, she heard the soft buzzing of Scootaloo approaching, breaking her concentration from her book. Looking up, she saw the filly speeding towards her with a wide grin. Twilight wondered if she was this happy at home?
Scootaloo broke her train of thought after she approached and asked, “Hiya Twilight, what’re you doing outside?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Twilight answered, “I just have a small surprise planned.”
“Another surprise for me, what is it?” Scootaloo asked, a little perplexed.
“All in due time, filly,” Twilight said, “for now we’re going to go for a bit of a walk.”
Scootaloo playfully rolled her eyes at this before quickly running her Scooter inside the Library. Once she was back, they started towards the center of Ponyville. A comfortable silence was there with the occasional question from Twilight on how her day was or how school was treating her.
When they arrived at Sugarcube Corner, Scootaloo had started to gush about a new scooter trick she was working on and she hadn’t noticed where they had walked in until she saw the sweets on the counter.
“Sugarcube Corner, is this the surprise‽” Scootaloo looked with wide eyes at Twilight.
She gave a soft smile and nod as a response walking towards the counter. Scootaloo gained a bright grin on her face jumping up and hovering for a second, with the flutter of her wings, and she joined beside Twilight going towards the counter where Pinkie greeted them.
“Hiya Twilight! Hiya Scootaloo! What’re you two doing here?” Pinkie asked curiously.
“Hey Pinkie, we’re just here to get something sweet,” Twilight added, giving Scootaloo a pat on the head.
“Yeah, I love your cupcakes so much!” Scootaloo added, “is it alright to have one?”
“Of course!” Pinkie said before grabbing one of the cupcakes Scootaloo was looking towards while asking, “and what’ll you like, Twilight?”
“A blueberry muffin sounds great right now,” Twilight answered.
“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie said, grabbing one from the display case and passing it to her.
Twilight grabbed some bits from her saddlebag and set them on the counter for Pinkie. After sitting down at a table with Scootaloo, they both begin to eat up with some idle chat.
“So, what’re your plans after this? I remember you said something about needing to leave early today,” Twilight asked.
Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head, answering, “Sorry Twilight, I’d love to hang out with you more today, but the crusaders and I are going to hang out this afternoon. Maybe even have a sleepover at Applebloom’s!”
“Oh, it’s alright Scootaloo. You only need to come over when you want to. You’ve improved so much over these two weeks you’re probably already caught up with the class at this point,” Twilight consoled.
Scootaloo, while scarfing down her cupcake, added, “Mhm, my grades have improved a lot. Thank you, Twilight.”
Twilight wondered if Scootaloo was eating enough with the way she was scarfing down that cupcake. She was always excitable and loved talking about her day, but never really turned down food. Twilight knew Rainbow said not to worry, but she couldn’t deny these were worrying signs. She’ll need to question Scootaloo on this. It can wait, though.
“Scootaloo, you improved your grades all on your own. I showed you how, but you’re the one who put in the effort. I’m so proud of you,” Twilight reassured her.
Scootaloo couldn’t help but blush, looking away, “Well, you know, I had a good tutor.”
While looking away she spotted the clock on the wall. Noticing the time, her eyes went wide. She quickly finished off her cupcake, threw away the napkin she was using, and had a small freakout before turning back to Twilight.
“Sorry, Twilight, but I need to go. I promised to meet the crusaders at the clubhouse in five minutes,” Scootaloo gasped out.
Before she could run out, Twilight picked her up using her magic momentarily. She turned Scootaloo back to face her and set her down.
“Scootaloo, you need your scooter. I can teleport you back to the Library and you’ll be able to make it on time,” Twilight said.
“It’s no big deal,” Twilight said, moving next to Scootaloo to teleport them both, “see ya Pinkie!”
After they both waved Pinkie goodbye, Twilight teleported them both back just inside the library. Looking over, Scootaloo was a little disoriented from never being teleported before. She looked a little woozy and struggled to keep balance. Twilight helped steady her as she adjusted.
Once Scootaloo was good, Twilight saw her quickly move to give Spike a hoof bump before racing out the door with her Scooter. She quickly gave Twilight a small hug on the way out.
“So, how was it?” Spike asked.
“We had a good time, but she had to rush off to see the crusaders,” Twilight responded, “for now, I need to get ready for Rainbow and I’s reading night.”
Spike yawned, stating, “You need any help? I already did your chores as well as mine thinking you’d be out longer.”
Twilight gave him a hug, “Thank you, Spike, I’ll be fine. You can grab some rest if you want. I’ll just close the library a little earlier today.”
Spike happily obliged, “Alright, I’ll be up in a bit. Don’t stress too much while I’m asleep.”
Spike teased as he left upstairs to their room. Twilight rolled her eyes at him, telling him to get to rest already. Now it was time for Twilight to prepare for some evening reading.
~~~~~~~
Twilight was relaxing and writing a letter to Celestia to ask how she had been when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw Rainbow Dash standing and staring off into space. She embraced her in a quick hug before motioning her to come inside.
“Hi Rainbow, ready for our reading night?” Twilight asked her.
“Sure am Twi, but the question is, are you ready for the awesomeness of Daring Do, combined with Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow bolstered, puffing out her chest.
Twilight just rolled her eyes and gave her a little shove. They walked together towards their normal spot. Twilight climbed into their blanket pile first, leaving the usual amount of room for Rainbow, with their two copies already in place.
“I have some hot cocoa for us while we read. I’m really excited to…” Twilight was saying, before losing her train of thought.
She was a little surprised at Rainbow resting right up against her. They usually left a small amount of room between them while they read. This behavior was very unusual for Rainbow Dash. She knew that Rainbow didn’t normally like physical contact and often kept away unless it was a group hug. Looking over she swore she saw a small blush on her cheek while Rainbow was glancing away. Once Rainbow looked back towards her she couldn’t see it, though.
“Oh, is this making you uncomfortable? I just noticed it was a lot comfier when we read like this with Scoots, but I can move if you’d like.” Rainbow casually stated.
Twilight calmed down and responded, “No, it’s alright. Just surprised me a bit.”
Their reading continued with almost nothing different than the extra comfort and warmth they shared together. That was until Twilight felt Rainbow shift a little, as Rainbow yawned and stretched she felt a wing wrap itself around her.
Twilight momentarily freaked out and looked over to Rainbow to notice a difference. She seemed very tired and a little out of it, but continued reading as if nothing had happened. Twilight decided to not stress out over it. She convinced herself that Rainbow was just a little delirious and to make sure she got home fine later.
They continued reading like that for a while. Twilight’s thoughts kept drifting back to the wing on her back. Sure, Rainbow had seemed more friendly recently, even accepting her hugs more readily, but there was no way she was flirting with her. What if she was?
A soft click of the bedroom door opening made both of their heads shoot over. Spike was walking down the stairs, looking very well rested but not awake yet. Before Twilight could do anything, Rainbow was already packing up and stretching.
“It’s getting late, Twi,” Rainbow said, “I need some sleep with work in the morning. Catch ya later, you two.”
Rainbow was out the door before Twilight could even so much as open her mouth. That was very strange.
“Did I interrupt your date?” Spike teased.
“It wasn’t a…” Twilight sighed, “Ugh, we will talk about it tomorrow. I am tired and going to bed. Don’t stay up too late, Mister.”
Twilight went to bed trying to ignore the blush she was sure they both saw. The thoughts in her mind about Rainbow and Scootaloo kept her up longer than she liked, but she was eventually able to drift peacefully to sleep.
Twilight didn’t get a moment to rest, as the very next day, Scootaloo had come over for some reading together. Which meant it was time for Twilight to get some answers. The perfect moment would be during dinner. She knows it might be heartbreaking, or she might need to pry it from her. She was just too worried and wouldn’t let it rest. She’ll need to tread lightly. There is no telling how Scootaloo would react.
“She wants to know about my parents? Why isn’t she just asking me?” Scootaloo inquired, to Spike after he had spilled the beans.
This got a giggle out of Scootaloo, much to Twilight’s dismay. She couldn’t believe Spike would sell her out like that! She’ll need to punish him for this later, maybe take away a comic of his.
“I am not,” Twilight defended herself, “I simply don’t want to upset Scootaloo.”
“I don’t mind, really. I get asked about them all the time,” Scootaloo assured.
Twilight recomposed herself, “Thank you Scootaloo, I’ll try not to pry too much.”
“She will,” Spike said, with a roll of his eyes, as he left the room to clean the dishes, “I’ll be doing the dishes.”
“It’s alright Twilight, I trust you.” Scootaloo gave a grin, waiting for Twilight to ask her something.
“Well, I’ll get right to the thick of it then. Where are your parents?” Twilight asked squeamishly.
“I don’t know,” Scootaloo said, raising her hooves into a shrug.
Twilight only gave her a flat look, “What do you mean, you don’t know? Do you have parents?”
“Of course, everypony has to have parents. You can't come from nothing. You’re supposed to be the teacher here,” Scootaloo teased.
“Uuuuugh, okay, can you tell me a bit about them? Maybe why they aren’t here nor taking care of you?” Twilight inquired.
Scootaloo responded in a weirdly cheerful tone.
“Oh, that’s easy. My parents are Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood. They are super cool and awesome! They travel the world doing amazing adventuring work. They study new exotic plants and animals to help advance science and medicine.”
“Travel the world? Scootaloo, how often are they here for you?”
“Well, I’m not sure. They visit when they can, but that can be a long time. Hay, they haven’t even visited since you moved here,” Scootaloo said, without a hint of envy or malice in her words.
Twilight had to ponder this new information for just a second. Everything seemed to be falling into place. Very few consistent parental figures in her life and her obsession with flying led her to idolize and obsess over Rainbow Dash, the best flier in town while fitting her definition of cool. Maybe her uncomfortable shuffle from a while ago was from some subconscious insecurity. She seemed very open and loving towards them on the surface, at least. Still, to never be around, how could they just up and leave this filly? They basically abandoned her to be raised by whoever was free.
“Are you okay, Scootaloo?” Twilight asked, cautious of an outburst.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, parents shouldn’t leave their children like that. I was just worried you might be feeling unloved or neglected.”
This made Scootaloo ponder for a second. Her face shifted to a frown, but she quickly dismissed it.
“No, I’m sure they care. Why would you say they don’t? Am I a bad daughter?” Scootaloo asked, confused and downtrodden.
“No, no. You’re an amazing filly Scoot, and I’m sure they are very proud of you. You’ve done nothing wrong,” Twilight assured, moving to her side and pulling her in for a hug.
“I’m sorry for even suggesting that. Do you wanna read some Daring and spend the night?” Twilight suggested, trying to cheer her up.
Scootaloo just gave a small nod still brewing over the question Twilight presented her.
They moved to the couch as Twilight got some blankets for them.
Partway through the reading, Spike came out, and she excused herself to go and let Scootaloo’s aunts know she was staying the night. By now they had gotten used to her asking and weren’t worried. Twilight stated she would also be by sometime soon for some tea. She needed to know more about Scootaloo’s parents after tonight. For now, she had a filly to care for.
When she returned to the library, she was surprised to see Spike and Scootaloo soundly asleep and lying next to each other on the couch. They must have passed out while reading. Spike is very good with her. Maybe he’s taking an older brother role for her, that’s adorable. Not wanting to leave them there, she levitated them onto her back and to the guest room.
After setting them down on the bed, she turned to leave only to feel something tug at her tail. Scootaloo was clutching her tail and seemed to be having a nightmare. Not wanting to leave her to the nightmare alone she got onto the bed and wrapped them both in a wing hug. They both snuggled in closer to the newfound presence. Scootaloo settled down with a smile on her face as Twilight drifted to sleep.
“Soon” happened to be two days later, as Scootaloo was out with the Crusaders in Canterlot. Something to do with Rarity having a big dress order they had to save. Either way, it gave her time to speak to Scootaloo’s aunts. For some reason, Rainbow had tagged along. While Twilight was initially against it, it was still somewhat awkward after their reading night. Rainbow explained to her something about being in for a bit and a pound, but Twilight was sure Rainbow said the phrase wrong. Plus, she knew she wouldn’t have time to argue and explain the sunk cost fallacy to her, so she decided to let her tag along anyway.
They all sat around their dining table for tea, and Twilight had just explained the events leading up to her visit and questioning Scootaloo.
“So, what else were you wanting to know?” Mrs. Holiday asked.
“Well, I was hoping for a clearer picture of them and on Scootaloo’s life. She doesn’t think anything is wrong and is somewhat vague. To be perfectly honest, I am worried about Scootaloo. She is obsessed with Rainbow Dash, flying, and her cutie mark. She craves attention. I think she might even be suppressing her negative thoughts on her parents’ lack of presence.”
She sighed, continuing, “I just… I want to be there for her, but I cannot help but feel like I could be doing more for her if I knew what was happening to her.”
Mrs. Lofty put her hooves on Twilight’s and gave her a soft smile, “You have been a wonderful influence in her life, and it is alright you’re feeling this way.”
Mrs. Holiday added, “For sure, she spends so much of her time with us just talking about the great evenings she spends with you. Thank you for watching over her, Twilight.”
This brought a smile to her face. Rainbow was quick to give her a pat on the back with a sly grin, so you knew she was thinking “I told you so”.
Mrs. Lofty started back up the conversation, “What were your specific questions?”
Twilight didn’t need to think long on the list of questions she had already prepared for the occasion.
“How often does Scootaloo see her parents? Does she sometimes react negatively to topics about her parents or her parents themselves? What was Scootaloo like before I moved here? Do her parents love her?”
Mrs. Lofty responded to the first question, “Well, if I had to estimate I’d say every couple of years? They should be coming back within the next year.”
Mrs. Holiday continued the second answer, “She’s been weird about it. She is so excited anytime they come back and see her. She’ll rant and rave about how cool and important they are, but if they aren’t here then she must think about certain aspects of them, she’ll become a little sad before trying to brush it away. Because of that, we hardly ever talk about them unless it’s about them visiting. She does love getting letters from them, though. No matter how infrequent they are.”
“So, they hardly even write to her?!” Twilight exasperated.
Mrs. Lofty let out a sigh, answering, “Sadly, yes. They are often moving around from place to place and can never write nor receive letters.”
“So, they don’t deserve to even be called her parents,” Rainbow spoke up.
Up until now, Twilight had been doing most of the conversing with the aunts. To her surprise, Rainbow was seething venom next to her. She had expected Rainbow to be angry as well, maybe even just as much, but she was practically ready to fly to who knows where to sock Scootaloo’s parents in the face. Before she could even attempt to calm her down, Rainbow spoke up again.
“How dare they treat Scootaloo like that!” Rainbow yelled, “those good for nothings don’t deserve an amazing filly like her!”
Twilight then put her hoof over Rainbow’s for support, “It’ll be alright, Dash. You’ve been amazing to her and more than make up for their lack of involvement.”
Memories of them cuddling a couple of days ago came flooding back causing Twilight to snatch away her hoof. This garnered looks of confusion from the room. Twilight did her best to calm the rising blush in her face and move the topic along.
Clearing her throat, she continued, “Anyway, please continue.”
She swore she saw a blush on Rainbow’s face as she turned away and stared out the window. The aunts looked between each other again, but this time had somewhat sly smirks on their faces before continuing the topic.
“Oh, she was fine, well enough. Not really what some would deem a troubled child,” Mrs. Holiday said, “I could tell she was bothered by something, but she did her best to hide it.”
Mrs. Lofty added, “We’ve tried our hardest to be the best aunts we can be, but it’s so hard with us unable to be there for her consistently.”
Twilight reassured them, “Just as Rainbow, I’m confident you both did so much for her. She wouldn’t be the filly we have today without any of you.”
Mrs. Lofty spoke, “Thank you, Twilight.”
Mrs. Holiday continued with a nod, her expression slowly shifting sadder, “About her parents loving her, I don’t know if we’re qualified to answer that. They do, I mean, but it’s not that simple. They love Scootaloo and are happy they had her, but she wasn’t supposed to happen yet. They talked about how they would have kids much later in their life. They knew they would be too busy to take care and properly love her. She just came into the world too early.”
Rainbow seemed to only grow angrier at this, yelling, “So they are choosing their jobs over her?!”
“You have to understand, this was their dream. To work together and help Equestria with their discoveries while traveling the world.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly. They think some stupid jobs are more important than their daughter.” Rainbow said with a snort.
Twilight finally spoke up, “While I don’t agree with Rainbow’s wording, she is right. No matter the circumstance they are essentially abandoning her for their jobs.”
“We’ve tried to talk to them about it before,” Lofty said, “they just go off on how important their work is, and I think Scootaloo believes it too.”
“Is that why she’ll put herself down as a failure?” Rainbow asked, “She thinks she’s worth less time than some jobs?”
“You’re right Rainbow,” Twilight said, turning to Rainbow, “She must be so turbulent inside and hating herself with how important she thinks her parents are.”
She was beginning to freak out a little. Everything made sense now. All of Scootaloo’s behavior and family life fell into place. She had no idea how to help her. Just as soon as she started freaking out, she was grounded again. Rainbow grabbed her hoof and was gently squeezing it.
“Listen, Twi, it’s alright,” Rainbow said, trying her best to comfort Twilight, “we’re still an amazing part of her life, and I’m sure she cherishes all of our time together.”
Twilight had to admit, Rainbow was being very oddly romantic right now. She really wanted to say something about agreeing with her, but right now she swore Rainbow was hypnotizing her with those eyes. She really didn’t have time to sort through these feelings and determine if Rainbow was making moves on her when she was still stressing over Scootaloo. Luckily, Mrs. Holiday cleared her throat and brought her back to her senses, as she turned towards them and saw the innocent-looking smile on their faces.
“She’s right,” Holiday said, “Scootaloo loves you both, and I know she considers you both as close as family.”
“Family, you say,” Rainbow said, starting to think aloud, “what if Twilight or I adopted her?”
This caused Twilight to do a spit take with the tea she was calming herself down drinking. Both aunts had somewhat confused faces from this, while Twilight was just in shock.
“What?” Rainbow justified herself, “Scootaloo loves us like family. We take care of her to the extent of being a family member. She needs consistent parental figures in her life. This seems like a logical thing you would be on board with.”
Twilight couldn’t believe the suggestion. “There’s more to this than logic, Rainbow. We cannot just take Scootaloo away from her parents, no matter how neglectful they are.”
“We ask them to give us custody and become her guardians.”
This was way too out there for her. She turned to the aunts for support.
“Well, she does have a point,” Mrs. Holiday stated, “I know the little scamp would love it.”
Mrs. Lofty added, “The only thing that could stop you is her parents saying no. Even if they do, you could still act as her guardians since either way she's still going to stay in Ponyville with minimal supervision."
What in Equestria was happening? Why were they so on board with it?!
"Since they supposedly do love her, there is no way they will agree to just give up their daughter."
"Twilight, please, we both know you're smart enough to convince them," Rainbow explained, "you've practically been raising her yourself since you started speculating about this, and I want to be there for her as well."
"This is too much, you cannot expect me to just agree to become her guardian on the spot,” Twilight said, being a little overwhelmed by this, “I do not even know how to raise a child!”
Rainbow only gave her a blank look as a response.
“Spike is different,” she stammered out, “we were both growing up together, so he’s also like a brother to me.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes at Twilight and turned to the aunts. They, in turn, also were rolling their eyes.
“It’s alright, Twilight,” Mrs. Lofty comforted her, “think it over. At the very least, I know Scootaloo is happy with you two around and that’s what matters.”
“We just want that filly to be happy,” Mrs. Holiday agreed, before teasing her, “you two are so good together, I know you’d be perfect parents for her.”
This brought a blush to Twilight’s face. After glancing over, she saw Rainbow was as well. Their eyes briefly met before Twilight awkwardly looked away. She turned her attention back towards the hosts.
“That’s all I needed to know, thank you both for answering my questions,” Twilight said, showing her appreciation.
“Do not worry about it, we’re both so thankful you have been bringing Scootaloo so much joy,” Mrs. Lofty said, thanking them.
Rainbow Dash left not too long after they had finished wrapping up their Scootaloo conversation. Twilight stuck around for a bit and continued having tea with them before retiring for the day. Her mind stuck on the idea of adopting Scootaloo. No matter how much she claimed she could not do it, that never took the smile on her face away.
