For several years, Scootaloo had been living with two adult ponies who paid for her to go to school and the doctor's office. She wouldn't be living with them permanently, according to the owner of the orphanage she'd been taken from, but she still considered them her foster parents.
Her "foster mother" was a cream-colored mare named Caramel Swirl. Her curly, brownish orange mane resembled round candies, which was relevant to her amazing skill at candymaking. Caramel enjoyed sharing her creations with Scootaloo, who savored them all.
Caramel's husband was a white stallion who was a professional chef. Cibo had a curly dark blonde mane that went with his eyes. He was usually busy, but he still loved Scootaloo. The two ponies almost made Scootaloo wish her special talent was cooking. But she'd tried that already.
Scootaloo knew the day would come when she had to stop living with them, but she didn't expect it when it did. Cibo had hustled her into her room, and told her, "Scootaloo, I'm afraid the time is coming."
The filly was confused at first. "What time?"
Cibo shook his head. "The expenses are getting higher, and I think Caramel's starting to get really ill. I don't know how much you'll be able to stay around."
Scootaloo blinked. "I-I have to leave? But who's going to take care of me?"
"That's what we're working on."
"Cibo, I don't have to go back to the orphanage, do I?"
Scootaloo had hated the orphanage. A lot of ponies there were antisocial, and it rubbed off a little on her. But that wasn't the real problem. There was a certain cluster of pegasi colts and fillies that Scootaloo ran into every day, and they would often taunt her. Scootaloo was never a decent flyer, but she couldn't even hover back then. She was too afraid to tell because of the threats they made.
But she had eventually opened up to the two ponies taking care of her, as well as her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Cibo understood why Scootaloo didn't want to go back to the orphanage. He smiled at her. "We hope not." The smile quickly faded. "But there aren't a lot of ponies in this town who would take on a filly at short notice. It's going to be hard."
Scootaloo sighed. "Okay. I'll...I'll just go out to think about it for a while."
Once she was outside the small house, Scootaloo knew at once she needed to share the news with somepony. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were the first to come to mind, so she started heading down to Sweet Apple Acres.
On the way to the farm, however, Scootaloo had a better idea. Rainbow Dash. The pegasus cared enough about her to listen. Of course, the Cutie Mark Crusaders did too, but Rainbow would probably be better at talking to her about it.
Scootaloo turned around, heading back down the dirt road toward Cloudsdale.
Rainbow Dash was laying on a cloud. It was another boring afternoon for her. She had tried to take a nap, but it was really bright outside and the intense sunlight didn't exactly help.
She turned herself over on the cloud so she would be laying belly-down. Her head was over the edge of the white fluff, allowing her to see over part of Ponyville. Ponies were out and about, some socializing, others around the gardens. Rainbow noticed two kids that seemed to be arguing near the edge of the road until a stallion started to break them up.
Rainbow's observations were interrupted when her gaze fell upon a familiar orange filly on her scooter. Scootaloo wasn't doing stunts like she usually was, but she was speeding just as fast as usual. It took a second for Rainbow to realize that Scootaloo was speeding towards her.
Rainbow pulled herself off of the comfortable cloud she was laying on to fly downward just as Scootaloo stopped her scooter in front of her.
She smiled. "Hey, kid. What's up?"
"Oh...Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo looked away. She looked pretty unhappy, Rainbow realized. When Scootaloo looked up at her again, she asked, "Something happened, and I want to tell you about it."
The filly really looked like she needed to let something out of her heart, so Rainbow nodded. "Sure. I'll fly you to my house."
When Rainbow took Scootaloo and flew her in the sky, there was a certain thrill to the filly that could only be matched by her scooter stunts at full speed. The wind blowing in her ears and through her mane and tail was as refreshing as the clear air. Scootaloo's heart always pounded with excitement when Rainbow Dash did this for her.
Rainbow landed with a colorful stream behind her on the vast cloud that held her grand house and let Scootaloo climb off of her. Rainbow led the filly to the door and pulled it open. She stepped inside and held the door open with her back to let Scootaloo in.
The filly trotted into the house. Rainbow walked ahead of her, letting the door close behind her, and headed over to her bed to sit on it. "So what'd ya want to tell me?"
Scootaloo tentatively followed the pegasus, hesitating to think of the right words. By now, Rainbow Dash knew about her being an orphan. She also knew that she was temporarily living with two ponies who paid for her to go to school. So she didn't have to explain that part.
She sighed. "Well...you know how I'm living with these two ponies for a while?"
"Yeah, why?"
"They said that their bills are getting high, one of them's starting to get pretty sick, and I have to stop living with them sometime soon."
Rainbow's magenta eyes were full of interest. "So are you going to live with somepony else?"
"That's the thing," Scootaloo replied. "It's hard to find somepony that'll take me. If they can't find anypony, then I'll have to go back to the orphanage." She glanced down at her hooves. "I really hated the orphanage."
Rainbow stared at her for a moment, looking thoughtful. Slowly, she said, "I could help look, you know."
Scootaloo smiled a little. "Really?"
Rainbow ruffled her mane. "Why wouldn't I? Maybe I can get my friends to help out, too."
"How can you, though?" Scootaloo pulled her head away. "All you can do, really, is just ask around town."
"If we take over doing that," Rainbow explained, "the ponies you're living with will have more time to deal with whatever it is they gotta deal with."
Scootaloo briefly hugged the pegasus. After pulling away she told her, "I'll let them know. Thanks a lot."
"Don't mention it." Rainbow smiled at her. "You can stay here tonight, if you want. But you should probably go back and let them know."
Scootaloo nodded, more thankful than ever that she had Rainbow Dash to help her.
Hours after Scootaloo had left the house, Rainbow picked up a Daring Do book from one of her purple nightstands. When she opened it up, however, she found it hard to concentrate on the black letters spilling across the pages.
It was her new knowledge of Scootaloo's situation. That couldn't simply be shoved out of her mind by the story. Rainbow would have to talk to her friends about it. After all, she did promise Scootaloo she could try to persuade them to help out.
Rainbow slipped the book, open and upside down, under her covers and headed toward her door.
Her friends were scattered around Ponyville, she discovered as she shot out into the sky, which was unfortunate. Rainbow couldn't figure out exactly where each one of them were, but she did see Twilight reading on her balcony, and Rarity was with Fluttershy by Carousel Boutique.
Twilight would probably be the most help if she had to choose one, so Rainbow steered herself toward the library. Twilight noticed her as she approached, and as Rainbow stopped above the fencing and hovered there, she greeted her. "Why'd you come here?"
Rainbow was unsure how to word it. She did want to tell Twilight, but she felt like she'd be insulting her own pride by doing so. It'd sound like she needed help, and it was really Scootaloo who did. Oh well. She could probably have a bit of damage to her ego if it meant helping out the filly.
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight looked a bit concerned now.
"I...kind of need your help with something," Rainbow told her hesitantly.
"Oh?" Twilight moved over a little and gestured to an empty spot on her balcony; Rainbow took this as an invitation to land there.
"You know Scootaloo's an...an orphan, right?"
Twilight nodded.
Rainbow then explained to Twilight what Scootaloo had told her. Twilight was attentive to what she was saying, and when she finished, Rainbow added, "Do you think you could help do that? Her foster parents need to focus more on their bills, and--"
"I understand," Twilight interrupted. "I'll help. There's probably somepony in town who'll take Scootaloo."
"I hope," Rainbow replied. "I'm not that surprised that it's hard to find one. Pretty much everypony in Ponyville either has some big job or is too young."
Twilight's purple eyes looked over the pegasus. "You know, Rainbow Dash..."
"What?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, never mind."
"What were you going to say, though?" Rainbow pressed.
"I said never mind." Twilight's voice was now sprinkled with impatience.
"What were you going to say?"
Twilight didn't respond. She looked away.
"Come on, tell me." Rainbow had to try and suppress an amused smile.
Twilight sighed and looked back at Rainbow. "Well, I was going to say that, well...maybe...you could take up Scootaloo?"
"Me?" Rainbow blinked in surprise.
Twilight nodded. "But then I figured you probably wouldn't want to, so..."
"I would take her," Rainbow told her, "if I was good at that sort of thing."
"You did start to be kind of a mentor to her."
"There's a difference," Rainbow said, "between taking somepony under your wing and adopting them. I wouldn't be too good at taking care of her."
Twilight looked a bit surprised. Rainbow could see why, as it was rare for her to admit she wasn't good at something. Then Twilight sighed and looked back at her book. "If that's what you want, then. I'll tell our friends about Scootaloo. Unless you've done that already."
"No, I didn't. Thanks, Twilight." Rainbow then took off.back in the sky. Once she was high enough in the sky, she rested on the closest cloud and tried to imagine if she adopted Scootaloo.
There's no way that can work out. I'll be spending half my time helping with the weather and practicing for the Wonderbolts, and the other half...I just wouldn't be good at it. Rainbow looked down at Ponyville again. She took notice of the fillies out and about, enjoying the last of the weekend. Most were accompanied by older ponies. Rainbow couldn't distinguish what they were saying, at the distance she was at, but they looked like they were good at parenting.
Why was she watching them? Rainbow pushed herself upward and flew off again, intending to get some practicing in.
The next few days were pretty easy, although no significant good news came along for Scootaloo. She had told Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, the day after she told Rainbow Dash, about her situation. As she suspected, other than cheering her up when she needed it, they couldn't do much to contribute.
It wasn't too bad until Scootaloo got home from school on Thursday to fine Caramel Swirl lying on the mahogany couch in the living room. The mare lifted her head, her caramel-colored eyes duller than they should've been, and said weakly, "Hi, Scootaloo. How'd school go?"
Scootaloo didn't answer her question. She hurried to the side of the couch. "Caramel, how bad is it?"
Caramel sighed. "Pretty bad. I don't know what it is, but...but Cibo's going to find somepony to find out what's going on."
"Why can't you stay at the hospital?" Scootaloo asked.
"Cibo's taken me there, but we can't afford for me to stay overnight."
Scootaloo stared at the sick mare. She had no idea her presence was causing such an interference. "I have to go."
"Then go. It only gets worse when you hold it in."
Scootaloo shook her head. "No, I mean...I need to leave here. You need to be able to get to the hospital. You guys can even sell my stuff if you want. How many more bits do you need?"
"I don't know. Scootaloo, you're right. I love you, Cibo loves you, but..."
The white stallion suddenly appeared in the living room, shoving Scootaloo away. He glanced back at Scootaloo as he gave Caramel a glass of water, then turned to her. "Sorry about that. I just don't want you catching what she has."
"Oh, sorry. Are you close to finding somepony yet?"
Cibo shook his head. "And as you can see, we really need some money about now. The only other solutions are to take you out of school completely and not feed you, which is exactly what we don't want, or to send you back to the orphanage."
Scootaloo's eyes widened. "You can't send me back there! Not the orphanage!"
"I'm sorry, I really don't want to, but if we can't find somepony in the next two days, then we'll have to."
Scootaloo shook her head and raced out of the house. Again she was headed toward Cloudsdale, intending to tell Rainbow Dash about what she'd just been told. Scootaloo wanted to know if she and her friends had come any closer to finding any possibilities.
But she couldn't find the pegasus on any of the clouds she could see, and she couldn't fly to the house. Scootaloo sighed and turned back. She walked back down the dirt road to find the other Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"I wouldn't be able to do it."
"Oh, come on, darling, who's closer to her than you are?"
Like Twilight, Rainbow's other friends thought that it should be her that took care of Scootaloo. They were all sitting in Sugarcube Corner, a few of them chewing on cupcakes. Twilight had already told them about Scootaloo days ago, and they agreed on the same thing.
"You're the only one of us," Applejack pointed out, "that doesn' have anypony to live with and isn't busy all the time."
"I have Tank," Rainbow objected.
"But Tank's just a pet tortoise," Twilight replied. "It's different."
Rainbow pointed at the yellow pegasus opposite her. "Fluttershy doesn't live with anypony, either. Why can't she do it?"
"Because she's already taking care of, like, a thousand animals!" Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped up, having finished her cupcake. "Have you been to her cottage?"
Fluttershy nodded, but was silent. This wasn't unexpected.
Rainbow sighed. "It's not something I'm good at, okay? There are many things I'm good at, but I can't adopt Scootaloo."
It was a little while longer before Rainbow left the bakery. Just as she opened her wings, she noticed Scootaloo walking with two other, familiar fillies along the dirt road. None of them noticed Rainbow.
"I really wish we could help," Apple Bloom was saying.
Scootaloo nodded. "So do I. I'll probably have to go back to the orphanage. There's nopony in Ponyville who could adopt me."
"What happened at the orphanage?" Sweetie Belle asked. She caught a glare from Apple Bloom. "What?"
"It's, uh, not really something I like talking about." Scootaloo sighed. "It'll be a miracle if somepony decides to take me before Sunday."
Rainbow Dash didn't eavesdrop any longer. She looked back at the closed door, behind which her friends were talking. Maybe they were right. Maybe.
Scootaloo didn't know whether to cry on her grayish-purple bed or pray that somepony would come in minutes. The sun was setting on Saturday, and all Scootaloo could think about was what would happen if she went back to the orphanage.
Suddenly, something banged on her window. Scootaloo flinched, startled, as she turned her head to see Rainbow Dash trying to open the window from the outside.
Scootaloo stood up on her bed--the window was pretty high--and unlatched the window, letting the wind swing it open. Rainbow dodged, and held the window so it wouldn't close again as she told Scootaloo, "I found somepony that wants to take you."
"Really?" Scootaloo's wings flapped up and down, quick with excitement.
Rainbow nodded, smiling. "She, uh, just needs to fill out some adoption papers, and then she'll be here to take you. Don't tell them, though."
"Tell who? My foster parents?"
She nodded. "It, um, it's gotta be a surprise."
"But they're really worried." Scootaloo's wings slowed down. "They might get mad at me."
Rainbow smiled again. "Trust me on this." Then she flew off, letting the window slowly get pushed back by the wind. Scootaloo latched it again, then lay back down on the bed, excited, relieved and anxious.
It was a half hour, when things started to get dark, before Cibo opened Scootaloo's door, grinning.
Scootaloo jumped up. "Is she here?"
"Who?"
"Or he?" She thought Rainbow had referred to the pony as a she, but Scootaloo wanted to be sure. "The pony who's going to adopt me?"
"How'd you know?" Cibo asked.
Scootaloo didn't answer. "I already packed. Are you going to get a moving truck or something to take my bed?"
Cibo nodded. "Follow me."
Scootaloo pulled along her luggage down the hall into the lliving room. Caramel was standing up, which was rare. She was smiling at Scootaloo, and nearby her was something that Scootaloo couldn't help but let her jaw fall open at.
As hard as it was to believe, she had never imagined what it would be like to live with Rainbow Dash.
