Scootaloo frowned uncertainly as she watched Pinkie Pie bounce around Dash’s kitchen grabbing various ingredients.
“Are you sure she’ll be here?” Scootaloo asked.
“One hundred super-duper percent,” Pinkie replied. “I promised Dashie her favorite dessert if she made it home tonight. Besides,” Pinkie stopped for a moment to give the filly an affectionate boop on the nose. “I know she’s been missing us just as much as we’ve been missing her.”
Scootaloo smiled despite herself before glancing back out at the stormy weather outside. Pinkie caught the look and felt her own smile falter slightly at the raging weather as well.
“Scootaloo, can you go check on Gummy and Tank for me?”
“Sure.” Pinkie watched Scootaloo hop down from the counter and trot out of the kitchen before turning back to the window and allowing her smile to fall away completely. She hadn’t noticed that the storm had gotten this bad. It was only scheduled to be a light summer drizzle but the winds had picked up tremendously and she could see sparks of lightning beginning to pop off in the distance. The storms never got out of hoof when Dash was still in charge of the weather team. But then, the Wonderbolts never got to use the Sonic Rainboom in their shows either.
As the evening progressed the storm only worsened and Pinkie found it harder and harder to keep her optimistic smile in front of Scootaloo. By the time dinner was ready, the thunder was booming with a frightening frequency and the ponies inside could feel their could home beginning to rock like a boat in the howling winds.
“Uggg, now I’m starting to miss living on the ground,” Scootaloo moaned, turning slightly green as the floor swayed beneath her hooves again. Pinkie Pie was about to say something back until she noticed the salad she had been preparing was sliding off of the counter. Making a spectacular dive, Pinkie saved their dinner and replaced in on counter before making another dive to save the plate of daffodil sandwiches while Scootaloo moaned and curled into a little ball in the corner.
By the time Scootaloo felt well enough to lift her head again, Pinkie was balancing on one leg while holding their entire dinner on her limbs, head, and tail.
“Um, Scootaloo would you mind helping me set the table?”
Once again, Scootaloo couldn’t help but crack a smile.
After they had finished setting the table the two ponies silently went to the window to watch the storm rage outside. It was barely sunset, but dark clouds that surrounded them had darkened the sky completely except for the occasional flash of thunder. Pinkie Pie scooped up Scootaloo and pulled her onto her lap as they sat down to watch the storm. Scootaloo fidgeted for a few seconds to get comfortable and then went still, wrapping her forelegs over Pinkie’s as they stared out the window.
“Are you sure she’s gonna come tonight?” Scootaloo asked again, her voice shaking slightly as they felt the house rock again. Pinkie didn’t answer immediately but instead held the little pegasus a little tighter. Taking a breath Pinkie opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a tremendous multicolored explosion outside. A wave of rainbow colored light dissipated the dark clouds and shook the house. After the blast had passed over them the two ponies looked back outside to see the now clear skies reveille a beautiful sunset and a rainbow colored trail streaking straight towards them. Scootaloo gasped in delight and pressed herself up against the window as Pinkie felt her natural smile come back to her lips.
“Pretty sure.”
The little filly scrambled out of Pinkie’s lap and rushed to the door, Pinkie Pie right on her tail. They flung open the door just in time to see Rainbow Dash, clad in her Wonderbolts uniform, glide in to land on her front porch.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo shouted as she ran to and nearly tackled the older pegasus in her excitement. Dash swooped her up in a hug and ruffled her mane.
“Hey there, Squirt. Miss me?” Dash asked.
“So much,” the filly mumbled into her shoulder. Pinkie smiled and watched her adopted daughter’s tearful reunion with her idol/second mother. Sapphire blue eyes caught rose for an instant before Pinkie Pie rushed forward to give Dash her own welcome home. Dash managed a soft moan as she melted into the kiss and enclosed her wings around her family. It was definitely good to be home.
Eventually the two mares pulled apart, though only due to the wriggling of the little filly who had gotten caught between them.
“That was totally awesome!” Scootaloo yelled, jumping in the air and buzzing her wings as best she could. “It was all like, ‘Boom’ and then all the clouds and thunder was all like ‘Whoosh’ and 'Poof'!”
“Yep. No storm stands a chance against ‘The Dash,” Rainbow boasted, pulling off the mask of her uniform and smiling down her number one fan.
“Though apparently she still had difficulty getting to the post office,” Pinkie added, her tone causing a worrying chill to run up Dash’s spine.
“I wrote as often as I could. Honest.” Dash gave her marefriend a nervous smile.
“I know,” Pinkie replied, her tone lightening slightly. “That’s why we’re getting having a very special dessert tonight.”
“Dessert?” Dash asked, looking from Pinkie to Scootaloo. The orange pegasus nodded.
“Yep! Pinkie Pie’s double-caramel-fudge-super-sprinkled-ice-cream-tacos!”
“But dinner first,” Pinkie reminded the excited filly. “Now, why don’t you go wash up so we can sit down and eat. I’m sure Dashie’s got a rumbly tummy after that long flight home.” She added, giving Rainbow’s side a poke with her hoof.
Scootaloo nodded and gave Dash another hug before running back inside.
“Tacos huh?” Dash said dubiously as she followed Scootaloo inside, Pinkie leaning against her shoulder as they went. “Refresh my memory, but isn’t that the same dessert that sent her buzzing up the walls last time?”
“Mhmm,” Pinkie replied lazily, breathing in Dash’s sent for the first time in months. “The same one that made her crash so hard we couldn’t wake her up until the next afternoon.”
Dash’s eyes lit up after working out what Pinkie Pie was implying. She smiled and nuzzled Pinkie’s mane before heading upstairs to take off her uniform and wash up. She wondered briefly if they could skip dinner tonight.
Pinkie Pie had been right after all, tacos were her favorite dessert.