Down to Earth Family

"Scootaloo, what's wrong?" Applejack asked, looking down at the little filly, concern showing in her eyes.

Scootaloo jumped up and started running as fast as her small legs could carry her, tears still streaming down her face as she zigzagged through the maze of tombstones trying to get away.

"Rainbow, get her!" Applejack yelled, trying to keep pace with the fast moving filly.

"On it," Rainbow answered with a salute, before quickly leaping into the air and unfolding her wings. She flew effortlessly after the young filly, quickly gaining on her. It was a lot easier for Rainbow Dash to keep up with her, and after a few more seconds of chasing, Dash dove downwards, tackling the young pegasus to the ground.

Scootaloo struggled, buzzing her wings to try and get away from Rainbow Dash, but Rainbow Dash just gripped the little filly in her hooves tighter. Eventually the filly gave up and laid there looking up at her idol, her ears flattened against her head and she looked down knowing that she was caught.

"Scootaloo, what is going on? Why are you running away from me and Applejack?" Rainbow asked, a mixture of concern and annoyance in her voice.

Applejack trotted up next to Rainbow and looked down at the scared filly.

"It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you, but you need to tell us what's goin' on. It's gettin' late... why aren't you home with your family?" Applejack asked, sitting down next to Rainbow dash.

The words seemed to strike Scootaloo, almost like a physical blow. She glanced at Applejack, then at Dash, who let go of Scoots so that she could get up. She sat down in front of the two, not willing to make eye contact, her front hoof playing with the dirt as a nervous tension fell over them. After a few more seconds, Scootaloo relented. "I…I can't go home."

"Why not, is something wrong? Do I have to go have a talk with your parents?" Rainbow asked, unfolding her wings ready to snap into action.

"NO! No it's not that…I can't go home because…Because I don't have one," Scootaloo said, her head dropping, not wanting to see the look the two older mares were giving her.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other, sharing a look of surprise and confusion. "What do you mean you can't go home, and where are your parents?" Rainbow Dash asked, before stepping closer to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo let out a sigh and started trotting back to where the two mares had found her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack gave each other a look of apprehension before trotting after her. After a few moments, the bright orange filly came to a stop and pointed with her hoof at a pair of graves.

The graves looked no different than any other, each with a cutie mark, and a few words about the deceased ponies. One had a sun peeking out of a cloud, the other a hammer and screwdriver crossed together.

Rainbow and Applejack both let out a gasp as it finally dawned on both of them. Scootaloo was an orphan. Both mares stood, their mouths agape, trying to swallow this new information that bombarded them. After a few more seconds, Rainbow Dash ran over and put her front legs around her number one fan, and held her tightly in a comforting hug.

"Oh my gosh Scoots, why didn't you tell anypony about this?" Rainbow asked as she looked down at her number one fan, fighting back the tears that were trying to force their way out. She couldn't get sappy in front of Applejack, no matter how heart wrenching this was.

Scootaloo refused to make eye contact. She kept her eyes locked on the ground, thinking about what to say. She looked up at Rainbow Dash, and with a voice filled with sorrow replied, "Why should I? So that I can get dragged back to an orphanage far away, away from Ponyville, my friends, my school... besides, nopony would want me. I'm a pegasus that can't fly, I don't have a cutie mark, and I have no worthwhile talent. Why would anypony want to adopt me?"

"NO!" Rainbow exclaimed, flaring her wings for emphasis. Scootaloo jumped, looked into Rainbow's eyes shaking. "You are not worthless, you are a very special little pony, and somepony does care about you… I do," Rainbow said bending down and nuzzling her affectionately.

"You…you do?" Scootaloo said, her mouth dropping open in disbelief.

"That's right, and ah do too," Applejack said as she trotted over and nuzzled Scootaloo, giving her one of her trademark country smiles.

"You both really care about me?" Scootaloo asked in a dazed voice, looking from one to the other.

"Sure we do, not only both of us, but you also have the rest of the gang, and you have two of the coolest friends to back you up," Rainbow said her cocky smile on her face. "But squirt, how long have you been on your own, and what happened to your parents?"

Scootaloo tensed up suddenly and looked down. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other, and then back down at the purple manned filly, whose newfound delight had seemingly evaporated.

"It's okay sugar cube, yah don't need to feel forced to tell us if you don't want to," Applejack said, trying to comfort her, sensing that she had probably hit a sensitive topic.

"I guess I would have to tell somepony sooner or later," Scootaloo said, looking up at the two older ponies. "Well... I suppose it all started when I was born. My mom's name was Sun Ray, she was a pegasus like me. She had an orange coat and a blazing red mane."

"Wait... Sun Ray... as in the Wonder Bolt 'Sun Ray'...? Your mom was a Wonder Bolt?" Rainbow exclaimed, looking down at Scootaloo. The small filly nodded as Rainbow continued enthusiastically. She was clearly a big fan of this Sun Ray pony... Applejack couldn't help but feel the teeniest, tiniest bit jealous of the rainbow manned pegasus's infatuation.

"She was one of the greatest and most daring fliers in all of Wonder Bolt history! Like oh my gosh Applejack! She had this one move called the Blaze of Glory; it's what I based my Buccaneer Blitz on. She was the coolest Wonder Bolt ever, until…the accident." Rainbow trailed off as she looked down at Scootaloo, realizing what that meant to the little filly.

"So what happened in the accident?" Applejack asked. Seeing as she had zero interest in those flying showstoppers, being an earth pony and all, it wasn't surprising to the two pegasi that she didn't know about the horrible accident. She glanced down to look at Scootaloo, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

"Well, a few years after I was born, she was doing a show, trying out a new stunt. She was performing some high-speed loops, and the air pressure was too much. One of her wings broke, and she crash landed going at terminal velocity." Scootaloo rushed through the description, stopping as new tears started forming at the corners of her eyes.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both leaned down and gave Scootaloo a comforting nuzzle, giving her the strength to go on.

"After the crash, they rushed my mom to the hospital as fast as possible, but her injuries were too severe. She died only a few hours after the crash. I was at home with dad; he had a shop at home that he worked at. He was a 'fix-it' pony; my dad could fix or repair anything that a pony would bring to him. But when we got the news that Mommy was dead… something changed in him. Everypony was really nice at first, there were hundreds of ponies that came and gave their condolences, but after a while... nopony really cared anymore."

"Well that's just awful, how could they not care anymore. Shoot, yah even told us she was a Wonder Bolt. Why would them ponies stop carin'?" Applejack asked, stomping her hoof on the ground in irritation.

"It was probably the media. They're just looking for the next big thing so that they can make the most bits," Rainbow Dash remarked, rolling her eyes as she crossed her front legs over her chest.

"Well that still don't make it right," Applejack retorted with a huff. "Ah'm sorry, Scootaloo. Please, keep on goin'."

Scootaloo nodded, and after a few moments of clearing her thoughts, she continued where she left off. "After that, Daddy just seemed to give up. I guess Mommy's death was too hard for him to accept; he would stay out all night, and would smell really bad when he got home in the morning. Then about a year ago I got home from school, and I went inside and he was just lying there on the floor. When I saw him there I panicked, and ran outside trying to find somepony to help, but Daddy was already dead. So after the funeral they took me to an orphanage in Canterlot. Every day all the other ponies would make fun of me because I didn't know how to fly. So I ran away, came across Ponyville, and I've been here on my own ever since. Nopony even came to look for me."

"That's just awful; no wonder yah went and ran off. So Scootaloo... how long has it been since y'all ran away from the orphanage?" Applejack asked, a curious and concerned look etched across her face.

Scootaloo paused and thought about it for a few minutes before answering. "... I guess it's been about six months now..."

"Wait, Scoots... you've been out on your own for six months? Where have you been living?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Well I've been living in a wooden crate between two shops downtown... But its fine I'm doing okay you both don't have to worry about me," Scootaloo rushed again, hurriedly waving a hoof as an attempt to brush the subject off.

Both Rainbow and Applejack's mouths dropped open in shock. They both stood there, just staring at her. "How could such a young filly survive that long by herself...I've got to do something!" Rainbow Dash thought to herself.

"Scoots, you can't keep living all alone in some crate," Rainbow said, looking down at Scootaloo with a stern look on her face. Scootaloo looked down in pity, knowing what was coming next. Or so she thought.

"So, that's why you'll be staying with me," Rainbow Dash announced in a prideful tone.

Scootaloo's head shot up in surprise, she stared at Rainbow Dash, her delight instantly returning. "Really, you mean it?" Scootaloo asked, her wings buzzing in excitement.

"Yap, I sure do!" Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash just as surprised as Scootaloo. "Uh, Rainbow, could ah speak with you for a minute?" Applejack asked, tilting her head to a random spot a few yards away.

"Sure thing," Rainbow Dash said trotting over near to the spot Applejack had motioned to. "So what's up, is there something wrong?" she asked, stopping in front of Applejack.

"Rainbow, are you sure about takin' in Scootaloo?" Applejack asked, giving Rainbow a worried look.

"Of course I'm sure, why wouldn't I be?" Rainbow Dash responded, raising an eyebrow in a question.

"Rainbow, you know that takin' care of a filly is a lot of hard work, and it takes a whole heap of responsibility."

"Yeah so? You think I'm not responsible enough?" Dash slit her eyes competitively at her 'opponent,' taking her statement as a challenge rather than heartfelt worries, for both Rainbow and Scoot.

"No, but what ah do think is that y'all are bitin' off more than yah can chew. Y'all've never raised a filly before, and ah don't think you're prepared for it. Besides, how yah gonna support her? Y'all hardly make enough bits fer yerself as it is."

"I'll manage, it can't be that bad," Rainbow replied, coolly brushing aside Applejack's observation.

"Maybe, but why couldn't she come live at the farm, we've got plenty of room, and one more mouth to feed wouldn't hurt Granny none."

"You really don't think I can handle this, do you," Rainbow Dash retorted icily, glaring at Applejack. It hurt Dash to know that AJ couldn't trust her, making her look bad when she was trying to be a mature adult. This was ironic considering she was arguing like a filly. "Well I'll show you that I can do this with no problem!" Rainbow yelled, her competitive nature causing her temper to get the best of her.

Applejack took a pace back from the force of Rainbow's reply. "Well alright, if you think you can, than ah will support you in this, but if yah need any help just let me know," Applejack said, trying to sound as reasonable as possible, despite how the pegasus in front of her was acting.

Rainbow looked at Applejack and realized she may have been out of line. "I'm sorry AJ; I've just been having a lot of stress recently," Rainbow Dash responded, her thoughts drifting back to her recent discovery of the feelings she had for the mare in front of her.

"It's alright, is that what you wanted to talk with me about tonight?" Applejack asked, tilting her head and smiling kindly at her friend.

"Yeah, sorry. Things kind of got... interrupted," Rainbow said, as she glanced over at Scootaloo with a grin. Who, for her part, was sitting and waiting for the two mares to finish their conversation.

"It's alright Sugar Cube. Any time you need to talk, yah know ah'm there for yah," Applejack said as she crossed her front hoofs.

"Yeah, and that's one of the many things I love about you Applejack," Rainbow Dash said, smiling at the small filly that waved at her.

Applejack's eyes shot open in surprise. "Uh, Rainbow, what did you just say?" Applejack asked, tilting her head.

Rainbow Dash's eyes rivaled Applejack's in size, as she realized that she had just said what she was thinking out loud. "Uh…nothing, well I better get going it's getting late and uh I've got to get Scoots settled in umm bye Applejack," Rainbow Dash hurriedly responded, almost as quickly as she flew over, and picked up Scootaloo. "You ready Scoots?" Rainbow asked, looking down at her passenger.

Scootaloo nodded and Rainbow flew off back to Ponyville. Leaving a very stunned and confused Applejack still standing where Dash had left her. "Did she say she loves me?" Applejack said to no one in particular. Her head started swimming with thoughts of Rainbow Dash, and her face became as red as the apples on her flank.

She immediately started galloping toward Ponyville. It was just after dark, so most ponies were already in their home getting ready to go to sleep. That fact did little to hinder Applejack's pace as she thundered down the town, and right up to a carousal shaped building. She went to the front door and started hammering away with her hoof.

After a few minutes a blue light glowed around the door, opening it and revealing a disheveled white unicorn on the other side.

Rarity looked at Applejack and let out a gasp. "Applejack, darling what happened? You look simply dreadful!" Rarity said, a look of worry for her friend on her face.

"Rarity, ah… ah think ah'm in love with Rainbow."

Chapter 3- Just a Normal Earth Pony

Rarity's eyes widened in surprise as the full weight of what Applejack had said ran its way through her frazzled mind. "Oh my stars, please Applejack, come in and explain what exactly brought about this…revelation about Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, ushering the other mare into her shop.

Applejack walked into the shop and took a seat on one of Rarity's many soft coaches. She looked pained, trying to find the right words to explain how this had all come about. "Well ah don't rightly know when I started having these feelings for Rainbow." Applejack looked down, a dejected look marring her features.

Rarity quickly trotted over to the couch across from Applejack and sat down. "It's alright darling, just take your time," Rarity said as she smiled, and put a reassuring hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Maybe you should just start with what happened with her today?"

Applejack looked up and gave Rarity a weak smile. "Alright, that sounds like a good enough place to start. Well the day started like every other day, Big Mac and ah was apple buckin' while Applebloom was pickin' up the fruit. After Applebloom got done she asked if she could go crusadin' with your sister and Scootaloo."

Rarity nodded and said, "Yes I remember that, I was watching Sweetie, and she asked if she could go with the girls around one in the afternoon. I had nothing for her to do and I have several orders to complete so I told her to go on." Rarity rubbed under her chin recalling the scene. "So then what happened?" Rarity asked, bidding Applejack to go on.

"Well then ah got the cart and went out to the market to sell some apples like ah always do. Then a few minutes after ah got all set up Rainbow showed up and we started talkin', and she asked if ah could hang out and watch some of her new moves. Ah told her that ah would meet her up on the hill north of town, after ah got done sell the apples. Then she flew off, and ah started thinkin' about her."

"What type of thoughts were you having about Rainbow Dash?" Rarity interrupted, giving Applejack a questioning glance as she sensed that they were starting to get somewhere.

Applejack's checks reddened a little in embarrassment as she recalled the thoughts she had been having about Rainbow Dash. "Well ah mostly thought about how pretty and graceful she is, flyin' around in all them amazing patterns like she does." She stopped as she noticed that Rarity had a smile on her face threatening to split it in two. "Uh Rarity, why are y'all lookin' at me like that?"

"Oh darling I just think it's so marvelous how romantically you think about Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, gazing dreamily at the other pony. Maybe she should be gazing out into space? If she's gazing at Applejack, the implication is that

"Whoa there nelly, ah haven't even figured out if I love Rainbow, or if my barn door even swings that way," Applejack said loudly as her face turned as red as the apples on her flank.

"But Applejack, it's oh so obvious that you're in love with her. As a matter of fact I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner. All those times that you two would get into scuffles, or would fight about something trivial now makes so much more sense," Rarity said as she warmed to her theme.

Applejack was taken aback by this. "Is it really so obvious? Do ah really love Rainbow? Ah mean she is the most beautiful mare ah've ever seen, and she's really fun to be around, she's loyal, strong, always pushin' me to be my best…" Applejack thought to herself as she started to smile, as the image of Rainbow Dash, flashing that cocky grin of hers and hovering just above the ground, made its way through her mind's eye.

She was quickly brought out of it by a sudden squeal of delight from Rarity. "Oh I bet you're thinking about her right now aren't you?" Rarity said in more of a statement then a question as she clapped her front hooves together in glee.

Applejack's checks darkened even more as she realized Rarity had found her out.

After a little longer Rarity calmed down and gave Applejack a puzzled look. "Even though, so far this doesn't explain why you came here in such a hurry, so please continue, and I shall try to refrain from interrupting you further," Rarity said her face becoming serious.

"Alright where was ah?" Applejack asked herself, finally becoming able to bring her emotions under control.

"The market."

"Yeah that's right, well nothin' really intresin' happened after Rainbow left. It was a pretty normal day at the market as far as ah reckon," Applejack said waving a hoof. "So I took the cart back to the farm and started off to the hill to meet Rainbow. It was around seven so the sun was startin' to set. Then ah started having more of them thoughts about how majestic Rainbow looks when she's flyin'. Then ah heard Rainbow, and I looked up…and the sun was settin' behind her just right, and it just seemed to make her glow."

Rarity raised an eyebrow and gave Applejack a smile that said "I told you so."

Applejack ignored Rarity and continued, "So ah walked up to her and we started talkin', and she was about to tell me somethin' important, but then ah heard somethen', and ah stopped her. We listened for a bit and we both realized that it was somepony cryin'."

"Crying?" Rarity interrupted, a confused look on her face, "Who was crying out near the hill?"

"That's just what Rainbow Dash and ah was wonderin' when we heard it. So we looked around and realized it was coming from the graveyard. We both looked at each other then we went in to find out who was cryin', and when we got there we found Scootaloo."

"Scootaloo, what was she doing out there at that hour? Shouldn't she be at home with her family?" Rarity asked, surprise heavy in her voice.

"That's exactly what Rainbow and ah thought. After talkin' about it for a few minutes I decided ah was gonna go and talk to her, but when I walked up and asked her what she was doin' she got scared, and took off runnin' as fast as she could. So Rainbow and ah went after her, Rainbow caught her pretty easily and we asked her why she was runnin' from us and why she wasn't at home. She took a while to answer, but she told us she couldn't go home."

"Why couldn't she go home?" Rarity asked a puzzled look returning to her face.

"That's what I asked her, but when ah did she didn't say anything, she just led us back to the spot where we found her and she pointed to a pair of graves…her parent's graves."

Rarity's eyes opened wide as she let out a gasp. "Oh my goodness, you mean to say that little Scootaloo is an orphan?" Applejack sadly nodded her head in reply. "How long has she been alone, and where has she been living?" Rarity asked, quickly pressing Applejack for information.

"Well, her mom died a few years back, and she said her dad died about a year ago. She also said that she ran away from the orphanage in Canterlot, and came back here six months ago, and as for where she's been livin', she told us that she's been livin' in a create between some shops downtown," Applejack said, recalling the sad place that her and Rarity's sisters' best friend lived.

Rarity raised a hoof up to her lips as she gasped again, almost in tears. "Oh that poor little girl filly, how could I not have noticed something was wrong? Applejack, where is she now? Don't tell me you just left her there," Rarity said, giving Applejack a worried look.

"Course not; Rainbow said that she would take her in," Applejack said as she waved a hoof to try and dispel the worry that seemed to be radiating off of Rarity.

"Rainbow Dash. You left her with Rainbow Dash. Applejack, surely you know that Rainbow has never taken care of a filly before. I mean it's so much responsibility, are you sure that this was a good idea?" Rarity declared, a slight heat in her voice.

"Well no, ah don't think it's such a good idea. As a matter of fact ah pulled her aside, and told her somethin' along the same lines, but when ah told her that she got real defensive. She thought I was tellin' her that she wasn't good enough, and thought I was challengin' her," Applejack said more tentatively than she had been, as though she was approaching a touchy subject. "Ah told her that wasn't what ah meant by it, and that I would support her in this decision, and if she needed any help all she had to do was come and ask. She calmed down after that, and apologized for goin' out a line…and that's when she said somethin' real strange," Applejack recalled as she tapped her hoof against her chin thoughtfully.

Rarity raised an elegant eyebrow in question and asked, "What do you mean strange?"

Applejack blushed, and suddenly found something on the floor very interesting as she looked down at it for a few minutes. Finally she looked up and noticed Rarity was still staring at her and was waiting for an answer. After a few more seconds she relented. "Well after I told her she could always come and talk to me…she said that was one of the many things she loved about me."

Applejack was quickly interrupted by a squeal of excitement from Rarity. "Oh Applejack, this is just wonderful, it's just like one of those love novels that I read a few months ago!" Rarity exclaimed, clapping her hooves together in delight at this turn in their conversation.

"What do yah mean?" Applejack asked, a slight hint of melancholy in her voice.

Rarity paused, suddenly noticing the change in Applejack's mood. "Well you love Rainbow Dash, and it's obvious that she loves you back…"

"Rarity, that don't prove nothin'," Applejack interrupted, "Besides, why would Rainbow love me? Ah'm just a normal, simple, earth pony whose dream is workin' on an apple farm for the rest of my life, and she's a pegasus, that's trainin' to join the Wonderbolts. There's just no way that she would fall in love with me. Ah'd be tyin' her down, and ah…ah just can't do that to her," Applejack said as she started to fight back the tears forcing their way through her closed eyes.

Rarity quickly got up and trotted over to Applejack, and put her in a kind caring hug. "Oh Applejack, I'm so sorry, I had no idea you felt this way."

"Ah know yah didn't," Applejack said sniffling back long held back tears. "Oh Rarity ah've felt like this ever since her and ah ran together in White Tale Woods. But every time ah've thought about it, ah kept thinkin' bout how ah would be getin' in the way of her dream, and ah decided that…ah just couldn't do that," Applejack said as she cried into Rarity.

"But Applejack, it's not fair to you, or your feelings to keep hiding them like this," Rarity said as she gently nuzzled against Applejack trying to help comfort her. "Besides, if you and Rainbow Dash really do love each other then you'll find a way. You both are smart ponies, and I'm sure that you could work something out," Rarity said giving Applejack a reassuring smile.

Applejack wiped the last of her tears away with a hoof, and smiled back at Rarity. "Thanks Rarity, ah needed that."

"It's no trouble at all Applejack, do you need anything else? I could make some tea, or get you something to eat," Rarity said as she let go of Applejack, and started trotting off toward the kitchen.

"Nah that's alright ah'm fine; besides, ah better be gettin' back to the farm. It's gettin' late, and I have a lot of work tomorrow," Applejack said as she got up off the couch and started trotting to the door.

"I suppose, but just remember if you ever need a friend to talk to don't hesitate to ask," Rarity said as she opened the door with her magic.

"Thanks again Rarity and ah will," Applejack said, giving Rarity one last wave good bye before trotting off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

She didn't run into anypony else, most of them being at home asleep by now. All she had was the soft sound of her hooves against the ground and the soft breeze running through the trees. After a few more minutes of walking she made it home. Careful not to wake the rest of the family she quietly trotted through the front door, up the stairs and into her room. Once there she put her trusty Stetson on one of the bedposts, and crawled into bed.

Before she drifted off to sleep she took one last look out her window, seeing Rainbow Dash's house in the distance she smiled.

"Ah sure hope her and Scootaloo are havin' a good first night together," she said quietly to herself. She rolled over, and started breathing evenly as sleep overtook her, her dreams filled with rainbows