You’ll Always Be My Number One

Chapters

The Hoofball Game
A Sleepover
Realizing Something
Let's Have A Chat
The Park
Offering
An Unexpected Pick Up
Fueled Fantasy
Books and Wings

The Hoofball Game

Huddled up under a blanket on a cold, early winter evening in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash sat at the foot of her bed, completely disregarding the beauty of the gentle snow and starlit sky outside her window. Instead, she nervously stared at the spectacle unfolding before her very eyes on the small television just inches away from her muzzle. Her favourite hoofball team was in a critical mid-season clash with the Canterlot Royals, with only one goal separating the game and moments left to play, the ending was more than a little nerve racking.

“Come on, guys,” she muttered to herself.

“Just a few more seconds left to go,” the commentator of the match warned.

Dash’s hooves began to grip the edges of her duvet as the seconds passed by, her eyes never leaving the screen, not even to take a glance down at her barely touched cup of cocoa, which had long since gone cold.

"Cloudsdale have a corner with seconds remaining. Still down 2-1,” the commentator spoke excitedly.

Dash was now stone cold as she watched the final moments of the game.

“Golden Wing to take the corner, as usual,” the stallion continued in his Trottingham accent. “He steps up. Shoots an amazing cross over! Header! Sails well into the crowd!”

“Ugh!” Rainbow groaned as she threw her hooves into the air, her blanket falling to the floor, her back landing on the soft cloud bed behind her.

“The referee has a look at his watch. And? Yes, that’s it. Cloudsdale loses on the road for the second consecutive week, and Canterlot take a stranglehold of the Equestrian League with the win. The players leave the snow-covered ground. The fans leave the stands happy. Goodnight from Equestria’s capital, wherever you may be watching tonight.”

Rainbow sighed as she switched the television off. She then took a look over at the clock on her end table. It was only ten at night, still nowhere near the time she was used to hitting the hay. Knowing she had a big day ahead of her upon awakening, though, the pegasus knew that it was best to get as much sleep as possible.

Just before she went to sleep, however, a quick check of the weather was necessary. This was one of Rainbow’s off weeks. As the captain of the Ponyville Weather Team, as well as a Wonderbolt Reserve, she rarely did get time off. The next day held something very important to her, so it was imperative that the weather would cooperate. Moving over towards the window, she made an assumption of the weather outside.

“Zero degrees, light snow,” Rainbow mumbled. “We can work with that."

After checking the window, Dash trotted back over to her bed, taking one glance back outside as her mind thought about the day ahead. She hoped that everything about tomorrow would go well. She and Twilight Sparkle had been planning this hoofball match for the local oprhans of Ponyville for weeks now. It was an order from Celestia herself that every child was to have some fun around this time of year. Rainbow had suggested a hoofball match would be an activity lots of ponies could enjoy and the event had now been weeks in the planning. Dash wouldn't admit to anypony, but she was getting excited.

The mare slid back into her warm bed and curled up around the duvet covers, with thoughts about tomorrow’s game flowing through her mind.

As the sun rose over Ponyville, the beeping sound of an alarm clock awoke Rainbow Dash from her slumber. The sound it gave off was annoying enough to fill the pegasus with anger. She slammed a hoof onto the offending clock, the robust plastic remaining intact as it switched off, only leaving the pegasus to give a sigh in return before getting herself out of her plush bed.

Sitting up, her head began instantly pounding due to lack of her morning coffee, Rainbow was as ready as she ever was going to be to start her usual morning routine, which would commence as follows—coffee, breakfast, shower, getting dressed, coffee again, and out the door. It wasn’t a very glamorous routine, but it’s what kept her going throughout the day.

Down below in the town, a stressed-out Twilight Sparkle desperately tried to calm down a hyperactive group of foals who were all awaiting their referee so that their game could commence.

Twilight tried her best to command the group. “If you could all please just calm down for a second—Lickety Split, did you just bite Lemon Daze?” the princess asked frantically as the fillies and colts all ran around like a group of mad dogs.

“No, Miss Sparkle,” the young colt responded as the filly smacked him in return.

“Lemon! Ugh!” Twilight replied. She was growing increasingly frustrated as her patience was growing thin. “Rainbow, where are you?” she muttered as she looked to the sky.

Luckily as she did, what looked like a bolt of lightning shot through the grey, overcast sky above, as Rainbow came flying down. An abounding cheer came from all of the young ponies around, and Twilight instantly felt relief. Yet, a little bit of frustration still remained at the pegasus late arrival.

“Hey, guys,” Rainbow said cheerfully as she landed on the snow, sliding across the surface before coming to a stop next to the crowed. She waved and winked at all the young ones as she approached her royal friend.

With a toothy smile hiding her frustration, Twilight asked, “What took you so long?”

“Sorry, Twilight,” Dash apologized, “I’m not really a morning pony like you, so getting outta bed was kinda hard” Dash replied.

“Well, at least you’re here now,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

“Yep!” Dash replied confidently, turning to the foals as she pulled an orange hoofball out of her satchel as she shouted out, “Who’s ready for a game?”

Another cheer came from the twenty-or-so young fillies and colts. Rainbow held the ball up high as she led the ponies away from Twilight and onto the field.

“Alright guys, let’s get you into some teams!” Rainbow shouted. She raised her hoof, counting the number of young ponies ahead of her—twenty-two, the perfect number for a game. After a few minutes, she evenly split them into eleven on both sides.

The foals went to their respective sides of the small field. Lickety Split and Lemon Daze met in the middle to see who was going to get the ball first. At first they glared at each other, but then the filly stuck her tongue out at the young colt. Rainbow smiled as she kicked the ball into the air and blew her whistle to start the game, the fun and fair way of getting it started. The foals watched with awe as they saw how high the orange ball soared into the grey sky above.

As the foals began to battle for the direction of the ball, Dash went to her respective place with Twilight on the sidelines as both adults watched the game from afar.

“So” Twilight began, “Heard Cloudsdale lost last night,” she said with a sad smile.

Rainbow sighed. She turned a listening ear towards her friend while still keeping watchful eye on the game. “Yeah, tell me about it,” she replied. “Now we might even be out of the cup this year.”

“Well,” Twilight said, her expression turning more hopeful, “there’s always next year!”

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied, forcing an awkward smile. “That’s what we say every year. Hold on.” The mare replied as a commotion going on at the other end of the field sparked her attention, where two of the fillies, both pinkish-purple in colour, Cheery and Coronet, were in a shouting match. Their words sounding more and more clear as Dash began to trot over to them.

“That was a foul, stupid!” Cheery, the pegasus of the two, yelled.

“Nuh-uh! I got the ball first,” Coronet replied.

“You’re such a liar, you fat-butt!”

“Your mom’s a fat-butt!”

“I don’t have a mom, stupid!”

“Hey, hey, hey, whoa!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Break it up, or you’re both getting yellow cards.”

“She started it!” both fillies said at the same time while pointing at each other.

“I don’t care who started it. Now, let’s all get along, okay?” Rainbow said, reassuring them both by messing up their manes with her hoof.

“Fine,” both replied in unison again with a sigh.

“Good. Now, let’s start this again,” Rainbow said as she picked up the ball, kicking it into the air as high as she could. She started to go back towards Twilight, who now was on the sidelines.

“Hey, can I say something?” Dash asked as she looked back over the field.

“Yeah?” Twilight answered as she also watched the young ones play.

“I Just wanted to say thanks for helping organize this. It’s actually super fun,” Dash said with a genuine smile, looking between her hooves and the mare behind her.

“I’m enjoying it too, Dash. I’m sure you’ve made the orphans’ day… and maybe another filly’s day as well.”

Rainbow looked out after Twilight’s sentence. It was then she saw in amongst all of the foals, most of which Rainbow knew from around town, but didn’t really know personally, that there was a recognizable young filly whom the pegasus knew very well. With a raised eyebrow, Rainbow galloped back on the field. The ball was in one of the team’s goalkeeper boxes, so, naturally, that was where all of the foals for both teams were, as they all tried to just kick the ball. The small orange filly whom Rainbow was well aware of, but wasn’t present when the teams were made, was trying to get the ball in an attempt to score. Soon enough, though, the defending team got it, and the army of foals ran down to the other side of the field, with the small orange pegasus with the purple mane trailing behind.

“Scootaloo?” Rainbow called out.

Scootaloo stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around with a blush on her face and scratched the back of her head nervously. “Oh, uh, hey, Rainbow Dash! You’re doing an awesome job being the referee!”

“When did you start playing?”

“I just saw a bunch of foals playing, so I wanted to join them,” the filly responded. Her ears went down. “If you want me to leave, that’s okay.”

“Well, Twilight and I did organize this match for the local orphans, but I’m not just going to kick you out like that,” Rainbow replied with a grin as she came over, giving the filly a noogie.

“Aw, thanks, Rainbow Dash!”

“Now, go, score a goal!”

“I will!” she replied, her purple eyes lighting up.

Rainbow watched on as the young filly joined the orphans, playing along as if she were one of them. It was a day where all of the young ones could forget their troubles and just enjoy the happiness of being outside in the snow, running around, getting their energy out, and just act their age.

After a quick half-time drink break, with drinks provided by Spike the dragon, the second half commenced just as the first. Laughs were shared, minor arguments started, but there was enjoyment all around. The game was only cut short due to the darkness, as Celestia’s sun was being lowered at an earlier rate every day in the winter time. When the time finally came for Rainbow to put a halt to the game, all of the fillies and colts were disappointed. They ignored their own tiredness for most of the afternoon and just enjoyed themselves.

After Rainbow had congratulated all of the players on a match well played, it was time for all of the foals to go home for the day. They were being picked up by the local foster mare, their caregiver for most of their lives to date. As the foals were all being gathered together, not all willing to go home just yet, Rainbow approached Scootaloo, who was still enjoying her end-of-game juice box while sitting in the snow.

“Hey, squirt, good game today,” the mare said as she gave the filly her customary noogie.

After a giggle, Scootaloo replied, “Thanks. Too bad I didn’t score, though.”

Waving a hoof through the air, Rainbow replied, “Ah, don’t worry about it.” A thought then hit the mare, however, as she watched all of the other foals, who were finally grouped together and ready to go home.

“Uh,” Rainbow began while looking left and right, “Is somebody coming to pick you up?”

Pausing for a second, Scootaloo replied, "I don’t think so. I’m just going to walk home myself.”

“Are you sure? I can take you home myself, if you want. You can go for a ride on my back!” Rainbow bent down and flapped her wings, making the offer look so real and tempting. It was right there for the taking.

“Heh, I-it’s okay, really” Scootaloo replied hastily. “You can go home. You’re probably tired. I-I, uh… my mom asked me to pick up some food from Sugarcube Corner on the way home, and I don’t want to stall you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Y-yeah,” Scootaloo replied. An unconvincing smile was on her face.

“Absolutely sure?”

The same smile stayed, and she nodded her head.

“All right,” Rainbow replied, not fully sure, but also not wanting to go against the filly’s judgement. “Just, please, at least walk with the others until you pass by Sugarcube Corner.”

“Will do, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo replied with a salute.

“There’s the squirt I know,” Rainbow replied with a salute back. Turning to Twilight and Spike, who joined them at halftime with refreshments. As the rest of the evening went by, it soon came time for everyone to pack up and leave. Rainbow saw her opportunity to leave and and said goodbye to everyone before bolting into the dreary sky above.

However, once she'd gotten to a safe altitude across in the sky, Rainbow couldn't help but feel like something wasn’t right. She turned her head back to the place she'd just left and her gut seemed to ache slightly.

"I guess I'll just see if they get home alright," Rainbow said to herself, hoping that seeing them safe would be enough. Trying not to draw too much attention to herself she made a slow turnaround, heading in the direction of the main street of Ponyville where Sugarcube Corner was located. Landing quietly on top, Rainbow waited for the foals and their caretaker along with Scootaloo to catch up. The snow had been minimal all day with many periods of time where it didn’t fall at all, but it had now started to accumulate much more making it difficult to see. However, the sound of foalish laughter, teasing and yelling could be heard around the corner. Seconds later the army of young ones came around, with Scootaloo trailing slightly behind.

Rainbow leaned forward over the edge of the roof to get a better look, still hoping she was hidden from sight. The big group of ponies passed by, eventually leading to the young orange filly. Rainbow watched as Scootaloo trotted right past the door to the bakery and kept on going, not even looking for a second like she was thinking of going inside. Though there could have been other reasons as to why she hadn't adhered to her mother's wishes, Dash couldn't stop herself from overly worrying about the whole situation at hand. She silently cursed herself before giving into the temptation. Spreading her wings soaring down from the rooftop. Scootaloo could hear the crunch of snow behind her, quietly turning around while the others went ahead.

“Uh, Scoots, weren’t you supposed to get something at Sugarcube Corner?” Rainbow asked.

“Were you spying on me?” Scootaloo shot back defensively, making Rainbow halt on her advances in shock. It was more than she had expected from the filly.

“Is-is everything okay?" Dash asked, trying to find the right words, "you seem a little off. I’m just worried about you, is all.”

Scootaloo turned around to see how far the brigade were ahead, and they were a few hundred feet away by this point. She turned back to the mare looking a little uneasy.

“No, I’m fine. I’m just going to walk home now."

“What about the stuff your mom asked you to pick up?” Rainbow pressed a little further. Scootaloo didn’t have a reply. She turned around once again, and the group was now almost too far ahead, their silhouettes only apparent because of the heavier snow.

“Scootaloo?” Rainbow demanded, a lot firmer this time. The action seemed to almost shake the filly, Rainbow couldn't tell if it was from the freezing cold or not. The reply that finally came seemed to shock Rainbow to the core. Scootaloo didn't even seem to move as she looked towards her idol, watery eyed.

"Ca-can I sleep-over at your house tonight?”

The act made Rainbow's heart almost freeze along with the cold weather around them.

While the act had stopped anything Rainbow was going to say in return to the previous conversation, she still had to formulate some kind of response to the jarring question, "I-I dunno Scootaloo," she began, "I-is that okay with your parents?” Rainbow asked cautiously as she took a step closer almost automatically.

“They don’t mind, honest. In fact, I’m pretty sure they don’t care at all…” Scootaloo replied, her voice seeming to carry the weight of genuine knowledge.

Rainbow felt a sudden pang of fear in chest. There were many thoughts racing through her mind at this point. Logic and reason were both battling emotion, and an important decision needed to be made. Dash lowered herself down to the filly before speaking. “Scoots, I don’t really know what you’re going through right now, and I really want to help you. Like, if you were living on the streets, I’d take you in instantly.” Rainbow gave a reassuring smile and a pat on the filly’s head. “However, I can’t just take you back to my place right now. There’ll be ponies worried about you back home. If you can stick it out tonight like the tough young mare you are, and you can somehow, like, get a letter from your parents saying that you have permission to stay at my place, then you can come have a sleepover tomorrow! Cool?”

Scootaloo put her head down slightly. After a moment, she then raised it, looking directly at Dash’s reassuring smile.

“I mean it, Scoots. We’ll have fun tomorrow.” She insisted.

“Okay, I’ll try,” came the filly’s only reply. It was good enough for Rainbow in her current state of mind.

“That’s the spirit!,” Rainbow shouted, giving her the third noogie of the day. Scootaloo let out a chuckle, thankfully lighting up from the touch.

“Okay, since you’re a tough young mare, can I trust you to get home safely by yourself?”

“Yep!” Scootaloo replied, this time with her spirits raised.

“Good. Straight home, young mare. No stopping at any colt’s houses.”

Another chuckle came from Scootaloo. “I won’t! Promise!”

“Alright! See you tomorrow!” Rainbow extended her hoof for a bump, which Scootaloo returned. Dash then spread her wings, taking flight, and not looking back. Scootaloo watched her hero disappear into the cloudy sky above, and afterwards, she quickly ran to catch up with the crowd of other foals she was with earlier, who were already almost back at their home. Once she was with the group, the filly took one last look back up at the sky as a hopeful smile appeared on her face.

As Rainbow Dash flew along the grey misty clouds over Ponyville, she couldn’t help but think about the events of the day. Dash was a blunt mare at heart and knew when something was up, and seeing the watery eyes in the filly made her gut wrench inside. Her mind continued to battle with its own thoughts, she just hoped that Scootaloo would have that letter tomorrow and hopefully that night she’d get some real answers from the filly. Dash needed those answers too. Since Scootaloo and her had opened up to one another over the past few years and the pair had become surrogate sisters, Dash felt more of a responsibility towards the filly, and if something was up, she wouldn’t rest until Scootaloo had everything she needed and wanted.

While she put the thoughts to rest for the time being, Dash made the final stretch towards her home in the sky. The looming cloud building soon approached as the fast mare touched down just outside her front door. With the cold creeping in quickly, Dash wasted no time upon getting into the home. As Dash closed the door behind her, she spotted a note on the floor of the home. Her heart began to flutter slightly when she saw the heart seal on the envelope. Quickly picking it up in her hooves, she recognized the writing and ripped the top of the envelope before reading the letter’s contents.

Dear Dashie,

The tour in Fillydelphia finished early. You can thank Misty Fly and High Winds spraining their wings for that! their both okay though, but I don't think either of them will be happy with the suspension that Spitfire will drop on them to heal up.

Wish you could have been here with us, it would have been great to hear you cheering us on. Hopefully your hoofball match went well, at least I've never heard anything go wrong when Twilight takes charge of the organisation. Hell that mare could give Spitfire a run for her money!

With the tour over though, I shouldn't be away much longer. You'll be able to tell me all about it tomorrow. Until then, Dash, stay awesome... not that you've ever had a problem with doing that.

~ Soarin

Rainbow took the time to read the letter over again, soaking up all the words Soarin had to say. She'd felt a little lonely since he'd left on tour. She would never purposely admit that, but it was something she'd accepted when the two first got together. Hopefully she'd make it from the reserves and into the Bolts so they'd never have to leave each others side every other month. At least he always managed to surprise her when he'd come home. The mare smirked at the few memories as she gently placed the letter on the living room table before heading off to bed. As she ascended the stairs, however, another thought flowed into her mind. She smirked at the thought of what she promised Scootaloo, looking towards the direction of where the letter had been placed.

"Let's just hope you like fans, Soar," Dash said to herself jokingly as she headed off for the night.

A Sleepover

“Where did I leave that bottle of lemonade?” Dash muttered to herself as she searched her home for the errant beverage. The day had moved by rather quickly and it was now almost time for the sun to set over the horizon, giving the interior of the house a warm orange glow despite the cold temperature outside. Rainbow had only just come back from town, having bought a box of cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner. The mare was now heading around the home, making sure everything was prepared for that night’s sleep over. Dash had every confidence that Scootaloo would show up, though a small part of her was uncertain as to whether she would come with a note. She shook her head in an effort to clear her mind of any uncertainty, and went on busying herself with preparation.

Still unable to locate the elusive lemonade, Rainbow checked around the living area for the missing bottle of soda, eventually finding the item placed near the television screen. For a moment, she questioned what her motive may have been in leaving it there. She then took the bottle and gently placed it on the coffee table in the middle of the room, before quickly heading upstairs to retrieve some Daring Do books, should the pair get bored.

As Dash entered her room to source out some suitable volumes to read, a smell filled her nostrils. She took another few sniffs to identify what the smell was, her mind quickly coming to the conclusion of cooking food.

Apple pie? I never put in a pie.

Confused, Dash cautiously made her way back downstairs. Part way down, her eyes instinctively looked over to the open plan kitchen from which the smell was coming. She quickly took a glance at the front door, finding it to be in the same position as she left it when she came home. Dash completed her descent of the stairs, quickly trotting over to the kitchen. She began to check everywhere for some sign of life. Rainbow reflected for a moment. Her mind darted back to the note she’d received the day before, and then to what she’d smelled upstairs.

Of course...

As Rainbow’s mind suddenly clicked, she felt a pair of hooves wrap themselves around her midsection. She quickly turned to meet the soft fur of someone she knew very well.

“Should’ve known it was gonna be you, big guy,” Dash said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head playfully.

Soarin chuckled as the pair finally locked eyes again, “Well, I saw an opportunity, but I couldn’t help noticing…” he started, glancing at the various foodstuffs on the coffee table. “Did I step into a surprise party or something?” he asked hesitantly, raising a curious eyebrow. Rainbow at first didn't register the question, getting a little lost in the moment before she finally came around.

"Oh!" She giggled. “No, you goofball, I promised Scootaloo I’d have her over tonight. I didn’t know you were gonna show up until last night when I got your letter,” she explained as the pair shared a nuzzle.

“Scootaloo?” Soarin repeated, pulling away from the act of affection with a look of surprise. He knew that the filly was very close to Dash, but given the time of year it felt rather odd. “You’d think a little filly would be with her family around now,” he asked quizzically.

Dash shrugged. “She joined in at the hoofball match yesterday, and when I talked to her, she just seemed… off. I just felt wrong to leave her without talking it out, that's when she asked me if she could stay over for the night."

Soarin shared his marefriend's concern, "That does seem off..." He pondered. "Did she say anything else to you?"

Rainbow shook her head, "Not really, I told her that if she got a note from her parents that I would let her stay the night. After that I took off back here. If somethings wrong I kinda hoped she could talk to me about it tonight, but I don't want to force it out of her especially if there isn't anything wrong.”

Soarin smiled knowingly. He wasn’t going to deny he’d been wanting to spend the night with Dash, but he wasn’t going to spoil Scootaloo’s night either. He could respect that she was just trying to look out for the filly, but he knew deep down if it concerned Scootaloo that Dash would do anything. Pushing those thoughts away for the time being though, he kept his smile, “So tonight’s gonna be fun, then?” he asked curiously, hoping to lighten the mood as the two finally eased a little in their embrace.

Dash smirked in return. “Why wouldn’t it be? I’m here, aren’t I?”

"Never change, Dashie."

The two shared a quiet laugh in each other’s embrace. As silence descended, they gently leaned forward to share their first kiss in a long while, and they continued until the beeping from the oven made one of them pull away.

“Pie’s ready!” Soarin gleefully said, untangling himself from Dash as he headed over to the cooker.

“You know,” Dash said with a snicker, “that was meant to be for later,”

Soarin’s ears flopped at the words, looking back at his marefriend with the expression of a foal who’d just been denied chocolate, “Can’t I have it now, though?”

Dash couldn't help but giggle, nodding happily while Soarin eagerly went back to taking the pie out of the oven. She'd missed having him around, Soarin's foal-like moments always seemed to hit a soft spot that Rainbow never knew she had until she started getting to know him more. She was about to laugh at Soarin's well known lack of table manners when it came to eating pie, before a muffled voice caught the attention of both ponies in the room.

“That must be Scootaloo!” Dash responded happily, heading towards the door. “Don’t mess up the place, Soar,” she warned. Turning around to point an accusing hoof at him.

The stallion looked over at the mare with a confused stare. “You’ll only be gone a few seconds,” he replied.

“Exactly,” Dash said with a smirk, letting Soarin go red in his own embarrassment before opening the door to her home. She spread her wings and took off towards the ground, only taking her a few seconds to spot the orange filly waiting impatiently on the snow covered field near the home.

“Hey, Scoots!" Dash greeted happily, spying the note Scootaloo happily held in her mouth.

“Heysh Rainbow Dsh,” Scootaloo replied in a muffled sound as she offered her the letter in question. Dash kindly took the envelope into her wing. “So, can I stay over?” the filly continued with hopeful eyes. Rainbow looked over the contents of the letter. Feeling satisfied by the words of approval as she nodded.

"‘Course you can, Scoots! Come on, I’ll help you up there,” The mare lowered herself down so Scootaloo could catch a ride. The filly secured herself to Dash by throwing her forehooves around her neck. The mare put the note between her teeth as she spread her wings once more and took to the sky, returning to her home within seconds. Landing softly at the front of the building, Dash took the note into her hoof as she breathed out, “There... Ten... Seconds... Flat!” she boasted happily to the excited filly as she opened the front door, “Come on in, Scoots!”

The filly happily entered in front of the mare, and Dash shut the cold out behind them. Scootaloo began to take a few steps around the front of the house, admiring the interior of the home. Meanwhile, Dash took the note and placed it on the counter in the nearby kitchen, before cantering back over to the filly.

“Likin’ it?” Dash asked with confidence as she came up to the filly.

“It’s awesome,” Scootaloo said in awe.

Dash motioned for the her to follow into the front room. Soarin was lounging on one of the couches casually watching something on the television, not having noticed their presence as the two trotted in. Rainbow hadn't introduced Scootaloo to her coltfriend as of yet, so now seemed the perfect time to get them acquainted to one another.

“Soarin!?” Scootaloo blurted out when she saw the stallion reclining casually in the sofa, making him jolt in surprise as the mare in the room shared a quick laugh to his misfortune.

“Y-Yep, sure is,” Soarin replied hastily. “Scootaloo, right?” he asked, getting up from the couch to greet the filly while Rainbow tried to keep the adorable comedy from letting her laugh any further.

“Yes, sir!” Scootaloo replied as she saluted the stallion in true Wonderbolt fashion, Soarin smiling as he saluted the filly back before ruffling her mane while she smiled excitedly. Rainbow noted the filly's change in mood from yesterday, perhaps there wasn't anything wrong now that she'd had a night to rest it off. Despite this, she was still going to keep an eye out for any more changes.

"So I hear Dash is letting you sleep here tonight! Pie's already been eaten I'm afraid, but we have more snacks if you're hungry!" Soarin beamed as he sat back down on the sofa. Rainbow rolled her eyes at him as Scootaloo raised her brow curiously.

“So, why are you here?” She asked bluntly. The foal's lack of subtlety piqued her confusion when Soarin ruffled the back of his neck, not giving any answer besides his slightly rosy hued cheeks. Rainbow hadn't expected that kind of talk to come up so quickly, she exchanged looks between Soarin before clumsily choosing to make an excuse.

“Soarin is just… staying over here for the week, he just got back from a tour in Fillydelphia!” Rainbow said with a hesitant smile, at least some of what she said was true, but she hoped that it would be enough as she looked down to the confused filly. Scootaloo remained silent for the first few moments, only serving to make Rainbow grow hotter as time went on.

“Oh,” Was all Scootaloo finally replied, seeming too innocent to take the conversation any further, much to the other two ponies’ relief.

“So,” Dash began, letting out a breath of tension, moving the conversation forward as she hopped up on the opposite couch in the room. “I got us Pinkie’s new recipe for rainbow cupcakes and an awesome movie for us to watch! Couldn't get much else together with the short time, but I've got some other tricks up my hoof!"

“Cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she beamed up at the mare, clearly eager to get the sleepover underway. Looking towards the filly, Dash patted on the space next to her, showing pocket of space for her to join. She could see a small blush form on Scootaloo’s cheeks before she hopped up and sat close to Dash’s side, the mare draping her wing over the filly as they settled down.

“Comfy?” Dash asked as she looked down at Scootaloo.

“Mnhm,” Scootaloo mused as she rested her head on Rainbow’s fur. The mare smiled down at the foal, before looking back up at the television to see Soarin grinning at her knowingly. Dash stuck her tongue out at the stallion while admittedly trying to fight the oncoming blush, making Soarin snicker and shake his head playfully in return.

He turned the movie on with the remote he held in his hoof while the three of them got a little more comfy. As time progressed, the movie held a lot of promise for the three ponies, with it being about a daring pony heading into space with his trusty crew. Some moments made them laugh, and others making them grip the fabrics of their respective sofa. At one moment, the screen went dark, reflecting the three ponies back at them. Just for a moment, Dash saw what looked like a happy family sitting on the couch together. While the moment was indeed short, she almost felt something feel warmer inside.

It hadn't seem like much time at all when the end credits began to appear on the TV screen, Rainbow looked between the two other ponies in the room with a smirk, "Well? Was that awesome or what!" She asked, the two other ponies nodded eagerly. Dash got up and poured each of them a glass of lemonade from the coffee table, before sitting down next to the two once more.

Scootaloo smiled, taking the cup of soda. "I loved the ending, I wanna go to the moon! It looks so cool, but is it really made out of cheese?"

Soarin laughed almost immediately, nearly spilling his drink while Rainbow just smiled and ruffled her mane, "I don't think so squirt, but I guess we'd have to ask Princess Luna, she'll know."

Scootaloo nodded in return, not seeming phased at all by Soarin's lack of confidence, "Well she must have been able to eat something while she was up there!" She exclaimed. Rainbow began to giggle as well from the reply, with Scootaloo finally joining in with the group. After a few moments to let them all get it out of their system, they all settled down again.

“Thanks for having me over, Dash,” Scootaloo began before taking a sip of her drink.

“It’s no problem, Scoots. It’s good to have you here,” Dash replied, genuinely happy Scootaloo was enjoying her time so far, "So, was it hard getting the note from your parents?” she asked with a smirk.

Scootaloo stopped drinking at those words, taking a few moments to respond. “I-It wasn’t that bad, why do you ask?”

Dash shrugged, she wasn't wanting to press to hard into the issue that had been at the back of her mind since last night. She brushed it off casually “No reason, just that my Dad never used to let me over to other ponies houses that often,” she continued. “I could always sneak out when he was busy, though,” she finished, winking to the filly. “But don’t go trying that yourself, okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I promise Rainbow,” Scootaloo replied with a hesitant laugh, taking another sip of her drink.

“So, are your parents pegasi too?” Soarin asked obnoxiously as he entered himself in the conversation.

“Well, of course not. T-that’s why I haven't learned to fly, of course,” Scootaloo replied, again little hesitantly. Dash saw the filly’s eyes drop after she replied and felt a little twinge in her chest.

“Well, I could talk to your parents tomorrow after I take you back." Rainbow began, coming up with a plan, "If they accept I’ll teach you how to fly,” She finished with a reassuring smile. Soarin nodded in agreement in hope that it would cheer the filly up. A few moments of silence passed as both adult ponies waited for an answer.

“Do you have to see my parents?” Scootaloo asked all of a sudden, it was another wall that Rainbow was a little stunned by and only further served to make her paranoia worse. She continued on however, intent on finding out what was causing Scootaloo to swerve such simple questions

“Well… I can’t just take you up there, Squirt. I need to know your folks are cool with it,” Rainbow replied, keeping her smile.

Scootaloo sighed, looking down at the ground in a defeated posture. Rainbow bit the inside of her cheek as she waited, hoping that she hadn't upset her.

“I-I think I’m more tired than I thought I was,” Scootaloo began.

Dash nodded in acceptance. She knew better, but not wanting to push her sister off the edge she kept her cool, for now at least. “Okay, Squirt, you go get ready upstairs and call on me when you’re ready to go to bed, alright?”

Scootaloo nodded in reply before getting off the couch and trodding off towards the staircase. Rainbow looked back at Soarin, the two sharing a concerned look with one another. As the hoofsteps got further away, Soarin leaned over to Rainbow. “Hey, Dash, have you ever seen Scootaloo’s parents?” he asked, keeping his voice down so the filly wouldn’t hear.

Rainbow thought for a moment before replying. “... No, I’ve only ever seen her by herself,” she replied, her ears flopping down as she continued, “She seems just as odd as she was yesterday now... do you think I should write her a note to take back to her parents?” Soarin nodded firmly in reply.

“I’m ready!” Scootaloo called from above. Dash smiled as she got up and trotted up the stairs to the filly.

“Okay, Squirt,” Dash said, motioning for the filly to follower her down the hallway once she'd ascended the staircase. ”I kept the sleeping bags we used on our trip out to Rainbow Falls so you can—”

“C-Could I sleep… w-with you?” Scootaloo asked, making Dash stop in her tracks as she turned to face the filly. This was becoming a regular occurrence now, her brain was yelling at her by this point. Something was up.

"Why wou-"

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Soarin began with an amusing smile as he reached the top of the stairs, cutting any chance of Dash getting to know any new information. Rainbow turned to Soarin, he simply gave her knowing look before the mare then nodded towards the filly.

“Come on then, Scoots,” Dash said, leading her to the room as Soarin made his way back to the living area. When Dash opened the door to her room, Scootaloo was presented with a large space filled with Wonderbolt and other flying memorabilia. The centerpiece was, of course, the giant, semi-circular cloud bed centered in the middle with a television that sat close to the foot of the bed. Rainbow had forgotten to move it back after the hoofball game the previous day.

“Wow,” Scootaloo said as she cantered around. Dash, who was now laying down in her own bed, smiled as she watched the filly admire all the items on the shelves and cabinets, looking at the many trophies and pictures from Dash’s foalhood. Once Scootaloo was done showing herself around the room, she looked over at the mare in the same inviting position that she was previoisly on the sofa. Scootaloo jumped up onto the bed and huddled herself into the warmth of Rainbow, the mare sniggered slightly, making her look back up with a questionable look.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Dash asked jokingly with a smile. Scootaloo didn’t respond, only giving a sheepish grin. A few moments of silence fell before the pair burst out in giggles.

“Tonight’s been really fun… could I stay over some other time?” Scootaloo asked. Rainbow smiled again, happy that Scootaloo had seemed to drop her odd mood once more, but inside she was still concerned.

After taking a few moments to decide, She answered, “Course you can, Squirt," ruffling the filly’s mane. “But… only on one condition.”

Scootaloo looked up with a smile, “Anything!”

Dash sighed. This wasn't going to be an easy thing to say. “You gotta stop acting so odd for me, kiddo, it’s getting me worried when you get all upset,” the mare ended truthfully.

Scootaloo looked back down for a moment as she seemed to figure out something in her head, but she soon nodded silently in reply. Rainbow smiled in return as she reached for the light. “That’s good to hear, Scoots. You know I’m always here if you need me,” she said, turning back at her before turning the light off.

“I know Dash, t-thanks for being my sister… it means a lot,” Scootaloo admitted, not knowing that in the darkness Rainbow was smiling widely at the filly. Dash threw her wing around the filly and pulled her close.

“Night, Dash,” Scootaloo finished with a small yawn.

“Night, sis,” Rainbow whispered as the filly drifted off to sleep, letting Dash’s mind ponder for a moment as she looked over the sleeping foal cuddled to her. She hoped that Scootaloo would keep her promise and hopefully open up about what was making her act so odd. Part of her felt more confident now Soarin was back, but the two of them were going to have to come up with something to figure out what was going wrong in Scootaloo's world.

Rainbow sighed. "I Just hope you'll tell me what's wrong, kid," She muttered quietly before laying her head down, letting her own sleep come to her.

Realizing Something

Rainbow cracked open an eye, her consciousness slowly returning. She scanned the dimly lit room as her memory started to work on the night before. She smirked at some of the thoughts that came to her brain, but one very specific memory made her sit up slightly in her bed. It was at this point she realized that Scootaloo was still huddled close to her side, the little filly had her head buried as far into Dash’s chest as her rib cage would allow. Dash smirked down at the small pony, bringing a hoof up to ruffle her mane a little, but not so much as to wake her.

She was still deep in thought about the previous night, still wondering why Scootaloo had been acting so odd. She considered the letter she’d scanned over the night before, remembering a vague signature on the bottom of the parchment. Rainbow felt a little nervous about it, but she had already agreed with Soarin on the idea of writing something for Scootaloo to take back to whoever it was that cared for her. She hoped the signature would be a pony she knew, which would eradicate all of Rainbow's current concerns as well as the bonus of Scootaloo perhaps coming for visits a little more often. Since this had really been the first time since the camping trip where the two had interacted closely with one another, Rainbow had really missed the joys of having Scootaloo around.

As Rainbow came out of her thoughts, she suddenly realised that while thinking her hoof had begun stroking Scootaloo’s mane in slow motions. The pegasus could feel her face flush with nerves and embarrassment that she’d been performing the act without knowing. However, she couldn’t deny that she liked being this close to Scootaloo. As Rainbow slowly drifted into her thoughts once more, she failed to notice the filly’s eyes beginning to flutter open as she too began to wake up. Scootaloo had only ever woken to such a wonderful feeling before a couple of times, her eyes showed her a wonderful scene of a plush cloud bed with her hero in it, stroking her mane softly with a large wing wrapped around her back. She quickly came to the conclusion that the scene she was seeing must be a dream. Gazing over at Rainbow, her sleepy words began to fall out, “This is awesome, so… awesome.”

“Glad to hear it, squirt,” Rainbow replied cheerfully as she stopped stroking her mane and began to get herself out of bed.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened quickly at the response. Her brain suddenly switched on as she realized that what she was seeing was indeed the real world.

“I… um,” Scootaloo could feel the heat rising to her cheeks in embarrassment, “Hey D-Dash, good morning!” she said happily, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Rainbow couldn’t help but giggle a little at the filly’s reaction, “Morning, Scoots,” she replied happily. The two shared a look of content for a few more brief moments before Dash continued. “Say, how’s about we go down for some breakfast?” she asked, getting onto her hooves and cantering around towards the hallway. Scootaloo nodded happily, launching out of bed faster than Dash had expected, "Woah, you must be hungry," she laughed.

Scootaloo giggled in response. "Well I am a little, what's there to eat?"

Rainbow began to think, but could only shrug in reply as the pair continued to make their way downstairs, “I think we still have some cereal, but that’s only if Soarin hasn’t got to it first,” she replied.

The pair descended the staircase, spotting the stallion in question already muzzle deep in some cereal in the living room. The two shared an amused look at one another, giggling at the sight of the stallion as he raised his head at the noise

“Morning,” Soarin said happily, the milk clearly visible on his muzzle.

“Mornin’, Soar,” Dash replied cheerfully to him as Scootaloo made her way into the living area to make herself at home on one of the couches. Rainbow came up close to the Wonderbolt, leaving a small peck on his cheek, “You’ve got a little somethin’...” she said with a smirk, indicating her own muzzle with a hoof

Soarin squinted his eyes as he noticed the substance on his face, and quickly licked it away with his tongue before beaming at his marefriend with a toothy smile. Dash simply rolled her eyes, and headed into the kitchen.

“I left some cereal for you and Scoots on the table!” Soarin called after the mare.

“Didn’t think you would,” Dash replied as she took the box of cereal from the table, “thanks,”

“Anything for you Dash,” Soarin replied with a wink. Scootaloo didn’t seem to pay attention to the words of affection the couple shared.

Dash poured two bowls of cereal before adding a light splash of milk. She took the items onto her wings, taking both through into the other room where Scootaloo and Soarin were still seated.

“There you go, Scoots,” Dash said, giving Scootaloo the bowl, which she happily took. The mare then sat down next to the filly, gladly digging into her own food. Silence fell upon the house once more for a few more moments as the three ate up their morning meals.

Already halfway through hers, Rainbow spoke up, “So, Soar, you doing anything today?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

The stallion pondered before shaking his head, “Nothin’ today; just relaxing. You need me to take Scootaloo down?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“Nah, I’ll take her down a little later,” Dash replied with a smile, turning towards the filly, “that alright with you, Scoots? Or did your folks want you home earlier?”

Scootaloo finished up her cereal, swallowing a mouthful. “I don’t think they will mind,” she answered.

Dash turned back to Soarin, the two exchanging concerned glances for a moment. Rainbow wanted to pursue the question a little further, but last night proved that the filly really didn’t like the subject being the center of attention. Remembering about the note she had left in the kitchen from last night, she made her opportunity.

“I’ll go wash the bowls while you two have some fun,” she said with a smile, taking both Scootaloo and Soarin’s empty bowls with her into the kitchen. Once there, she placed the bowls into the sink before turning and spotting the note where she’d left it on the table the night before. Picking it up, she read through its contents once again.

“Dear Miss Dash, I’m okay for Scootaloo to come over for the night, If she has any problems don’t hesitate to bring her back, yada yada. Signed… Sky Heart?”

The name seemed to ring a few bells, but she couldn’t remember for the life of her where she’d seen it before. Struggling to come up with an answer, she decided to try and ask Twilight before she wandered around Ponyville looking for an unfamiliar mare. However, she knew that leaving the house on a mission like this would require Scootaloo not knowing. Dash quickly came up with an idea, but first she had to discreetly get Soarin’s attention. She couldn’t risk calling the stallion over; it might grab the attention of Scootaloo as well. She quickly searched around for something, finding a bowl of fruit with a few grapes sitting at the bottom. Taking one, she threw it over to the stallion, the small object hitting him squarely on the back of his head, which caused him to look over at the kitchen. Rainbow held the letter up, pointed to herself, and then to the door. Luckily, Soarin understood exactly what the mare meant, nodding gently as he returned to watching the television with Scootaloo.

The small filly let out a soothing sigh as she leaned into the couch. On the television in front of them there was a program running on a newschannel about the Wonderbolts recently successful tour in Manehatten and Fillydelphia. The pictures of Soarin caught the filly’s attention as the news reporter started commentating.

“I was interviewed for hours by that mare,” Soarin said with an amused smile as he watched on.

Scootaloo turned to the stallion in question, “It must have been cool though, being interviewed.”

Soarin thought for a few moments before responding, “At first, it was awesome,” he explained, “but as the interviews and questions go by, you start to see the same ones popping up all the time. That gets a little boring. But it keeps appearances up," he replied, with a wink.

“Do you think… I might become a Wonderbolt someday?” Scootaloo asked with a hopeful tone, looking over at him.

Soarin turned to the filly, giving her one of his winning smiles, “Of course!”

“What about my wings though?” Scootaloo interjected as she looked back at her feathers.

Soarin could tell where the conversation was leading. He got up and trotted over to the filly, sitting down next to her, “Hey, don’t worry about your wings, they’ll get better the more you learn and train. There’s more than one aspect to becoming a Wonderbolt, Scootaloo, and you’ve already got the less obvious talents that many ponies leave out,” he said proudly.

Scootaloo pondered on the stallion’s words. “I don’t get it, what do you mean?” she asked.

“You’ve got the personality, Scootaloo. You’ve got the determination, drive and best of all the passion!” the stallion explained, making Scootaloo blush momentarily from the praise.

“T-Thanks, Soarin,” Scootaloo replied happily, elated that a Wonderbolt was appraising her.

“Call me Soar,” the stallion responded with a more gentle expression, patting her on the shoulder as the two quietly went back to watching the television. By now the program had moved on and was talking about the next tour the flying team would be embarking on. As the list came up onto the screen she noticed one venue in particular.

“You’re coming to Ponyville?” she asked, looking up at the stallion, her eyes glimmering with excitement.

Soarin nodded, “Yeah! After Ponyville shot up in the news it's become a really popular destination. So after a few strings were pulled we decided to have a venue here. We can build a small stadium at the running track near the forest. I’ll be able to get you and Dash some front row seats, too!”

“Really?!” Scootaloo replied excited.

Soarin nodded his head, “Yep! It’ll be awesome!” he answered with a beaming expression.

Twilight had been enjoying her day so far. Her books had been re-shelved on time, quills and ink resupplied, and not to mention everypony had been handing their books back. The newly crowned Princess was writing out her latest research when a knock on the door roused her attention. With her horn lighting up, she opened the door to reveal Rainbow posing coolly next to the door frame.

“Hey Twi,” Dash said casually, cantering into the new building, “Not been in here much, but the place is kinda cool!”

Twilight took a moment to gaze around the interior herself; having most of her attention on work, she hadn’t really taken a good look at the place, “It’s rather like something from the Crystal Empire. I do like the architecture.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes playfully, before turning to her saddle bags and collecting the item as she brought the conversation to the reason she came over, “I had Scoots over last night.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she looked towards her friend, “Oh, really? How’d that go?” she asked curiously.

“Good!” Rainbow chirped as she brought out the small piece of parchment from earlier, “But I had a little bit of an issue…” she trailed off, holding the letter in her hoof.

“What kind of issue?” Twilight asked, her expression suddenly changing to one of concern as her eyes dropped to see the piece of paper.

“Well,” Dash started, taking a hesitant glance at the paper, “I asked Scoots to get me a letter from her parents, but I don’t think I’ve seen this pony around town before,” she said. Twilight giggled a little as she took the parchment in her magic and lifted it over.

“What’s so funny?” Rainbow asked.

“How would you know everypony in town?” Twilight retorted.

“Uh… because I’m awesome?” Dash replied with a hopeful tone, causing Twilight to let out another small giggle as she opened the parchment. Dash rolled her eyes as she watched the alicorn look over the words written down, but when she saw Twilight’s expression become more confused, she felt her heart beat start to hit her chest a little harder.

“Is everything okay, Twi?” Rainbow asked, more to reassure herself than anything else. A few seconds of silence passed as Twilight continued to study the paper.

“I’ve got it!” Twilight exclaimed happily as she smiled, “It’s Sky, from the Orphanage! I met her to discuss plans a while back for the hoofball match a few days ago,” she explained causally as Rainbow suddenly went a bit cold.

“H-How would…” Dash stuttered a little, not really knowing how to word her sentence.

“Why would she write a letter for Scootaloo, though?” Twilight said, not seeming to notice the sudden deterioration of Rainbow’s mood.

“Scootaloo was at the game,” Rainbow said bluntly, leaving the words to resound around the walls for a little while. Twilight turned to look at her friend, slowly coming to the same realization herself. It wasn’t for a little while that either spoke up.

“I think we should pay Sky a little visit about this,” Twilight said as she got up, dusting herself down a little. Rainbow only gave a nod in approval with the one million odd thoughts rushing through her mind. She didn’t like the critical coincidences of Scootaloo happening to turn up at the game or even not wanting to be taken home in the dark. Rainbow’s heartbeat had now been replaced with a rather painful pang as she continued to think about these ideas, but before she knew where she was, she and Twilight were already trotting towards the front door.

“What are you thinking?” Twilight asked, turning to Rainbow like she’d just seemed to read her mind.

“I… I dunno,” Dash said, bowing her head low, “I guess I don’t really want to consider this as an answer.”

“Listen,” Twilight said, putting a hoof on Rainbow as the two stopped in their tracks, “We don’t know the truth yet, let’s just go and see what Sky has to say.”

Rainbow wanted to protest, but she knew Twilight was right. Nodding her head, the two ponies started off again with Twilight directing them into Ponyville and through the town itself. It didn’t take very long for the two to reach the other side of town, where the bustling streets gave way to a nice little countryside walk. The small hills overlooking Ponyville had many buildings built within their grounds such as the hospital and the school. Not far out was also the Ponyville orphanage, a nice house-like building overlooking the nice view of the grassy land.

“You sure she’ll be here?” Rainbow asked, turning to Twilight as the building came into view.

“Well, it’s mid-day, so I’m sure Sky will be working,” Twilight answered.

“Alright then,” Dash said, flapping her wings as she ascended into the air to hover next to Twilight, “Why don’t you use your wings?” Dash questioned, “It saves you getting sore hooves you know.”

Twilight shrugged, “I think it’s because I still haven’t really gotten used to these wings yet, despite the odd time I’ve managed to fly well.”

“I guess we still have a few lessons to go over,” Dash said with a nervous giggle, the two ponies reaching the door of the home.

Twilight stepped forward and knocked the door, which was quickly opened by a light pink mare with a pale pink mane. She smiled at the Princess before speaking, “Hello Princess.”

“Twilight is fine, Sky,” the mare replied with a light hue of pink showing on her cheeks. “Me and Rainbow just wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure thing,” the mare said, noticing Dash as her smile broadened, “The kids loved the hoofball match, by the way.”

“It was nothin’,” Dash said, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof.

“So,” Twilight started, bringing out the note, “We were rather confused by this letter; we wondered why Scootaloo would have you write her something.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Sky Heart said happily as both Twilight and Rainbow cringed, fearing the worst, “She’s my cousin! She lives with me since her parents both work out of town; somewhere in Fillydelphia I think...”

Dash seemed to sigh mentally in relief, while Twilight still looked rather confused.

“So, how long have you been taking care of Scootaloo?” The Princess asked curiously.

Sky put a hoof to her chin as she pondered for a moment. “Hm, about… three years now,” she replied with a nod to herself. Twilight and Rainbow shared a look of confusion. Why would parents leave their child to a cousin’s care for years?

“It’s not too bad,” Sky Heart interjected, fearing the two were a little unsettled by the whole thing, “I mean, it is what I do for a living,” she said with a slight chuckle.

Twilight smiled, “It’s alright, me and Rainbow were just… uh, curious to why.”

Sky raised an eyebrow, “You mean she’s never spoken about me?” she asked. Both Twilight and Rainbow gave solemn looks as they nodded.

“I’m sure that’s through no fault of yours though,” Twilight replied in a hopeful voice.

Sky slumped at the door frame, “I wouldn’t blame her, I mean I give her the basics of what she needs; a home, food, schooling, but with this job I have to care for her like I care with the kids here… I guess she just wants what all these kids want; a proper family.”

While Twilight continued with the conversation, Rainbow had detached herself, her mind thinking back to the night before. The thought of her, Soarin and Scootaloo being a family began to creep back to the front of her mind. To think of the filly wanting something Rainbow could provide made the pang return to her chest shortly after the thoughts crossed her mind as well.

“Was the sleepover good, Rainbow? I hope Scoots didn’t give you too much trouble,” Sky asked, oblivious to Rainbow’s inner monologue. The pegasus shook herself a little to get back on track with the conversation.

“Yeah, it was totally awesome!” She replied with a slight chuckle.

Sky smiled, “Well, she’ll probably be asking to come over more often then!” she said with a laugh of her own, “Can’t keep that filly away from you.” She started. Dash smiled sheepishly as Twilight put a forehoof over her mouth to muffle a giggle. “Well I guess you’ll be bringing her back soon then! I should probably give you directions to my house...” the mare said, popping back inside the home for a few moments leaving Dash and Twilight alone.

“Well, that was… something,” Twilight said as she looked at the pegasus, “You okay?” she asked.

Rainbow nodded happily, “Yeah... I mean at least the squirt has a home and isn’t living out in the cold. I-I guess I could talk to Soarin and see if we could help Sky out, but I’ll need to talk to Scootaloo about this whole thing first,” she replied, Twilight giving a nod in approval.

“I’m sure Scootaloo would be happy to spend more time with you, Rainbow, I’m sure she was just nervous about telling you,” the alicorn replied knowingly.

Rainbow nodded, “Yeah, but she’s practically my sister… I don’t want to keep any secrets between us.”

Twilight gave an affectionate smile in return before Sky Heart showed herself at the door once more. Holding a piece of paper in her mouth as she passed it onto Rainbow’s hoof, “That should help you find my house. I’ll be leaving here around seven-ish so I guess that would be a good time to bring Scootaloo back,” the mare informed as Rainbow secured the letter inside her saddlebag.

“Well it was nice meeting you again, Sky,” Twilight said happily as she shook the mare’s hoof.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Miss Sparkle,” Sky said happily as gave a nod to Dash. The ponies then parted ways, with Dash and Twilight now making their way back to the town of Ponyville while Sky headed back into the home to continue her job.

“Well, I guess you’ll want to get going,” Twilight said happily as she looked to her friend.

Dash nodded, “Yeah, guess I have a few things to discuss back home. Thanks, Twi, I knew I could count on you to help me out there.”

“No problem, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. The two shared a friendly hoof bump before Rainbow left Twilight to go about her business, soaring up into the air and heading back towards her home in the sky.

As she flew through the cold air, Rainbow couldn’t help but let her mind wander again, it was as if all she could think about over the last few days was Scootaloo. Why she would keep something like this did make sense, but Rainbow was still unsure about talking to Scootaloo about such a sensitive subject. Swallowing her nerves, she decided to talk to her the moment she came home while the subject was still fresh in her mind. Coming into view of the large home, she touched down and quickly made her way up to the entrance. However, before she opened it, she could hear laughter and play coming from the interior of the building. Raising a curious eyebrow, she opened the door to the home.

“Alright guys, what’s-”

Dash didn’t get to finish her sentence as her throat tensed along with the rest of her body, her eyes scanning over the home, everywhere things had been thrown, ruined and stained. Finally her irises laid upon Soarin and Scootaloo, both with loaded items in their hooves, ready to attack.

“Busted,” Soarin and Scootaloo chorused.

Let's Have A Chat

The awkward silence only seemed to rise as the three ponies stared at each other in shock, the only sound being the crash as a bowl slid off the kitchen table. Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but no words seemed to leave her mouth.

“We were… going to clean up before you got back…” Soarin said rather sheepishly as he lowered his hoof.

Rainbow’s eyes swung directly towards her coltfriend. Raising an eyebrow, she slowly trotted up to him, pressing her snout against his when Soarin tried his best to back away. Suddenly, Rainbow began to smirk. “Liar,” she simply said, to which Soarin’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. The two then began to share knowing glances at one another as each backed away a little.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said in a low tone as she came up to the pair, a solemn look on her muzzle.

Dash turned to Scootaloo, her smirk fading a little as she remembered her reason for coming back home. Pondering to herself, she came up with a plan. “It’s okay, Squirt,” she said happily, making the filly’s smile return as she continued, “Loverboy here is just gonna have to clean up the whole place while we have a chat,” Dash finished, looking back to Soarin who held a saddened look in his punishment. Scootaloo didn’t question the reason why Rainbow wanted to talk and instead simply complied, following her up the stairs while Soarin got to work.

“I swear, I’ll need to get him a maid outfit with the amount of times he ruins the house,” Rainbow said to herself, as she let out a chuckle. Opening the door to her room, she let the filly walk in before shutting it, turning to face the curious foal she said, “Here, Scoots, why don’t you sit on the bed and we can chat about this.”

Scootaloo again did as she was asked, but her face wore a quizzical expression, “Okay… what are we talking about?” she asked nervously.

“You're not in trouble, kid,” Rainbow informed as she sat down next to her, “But, I do want to talk about something important… I talked to Sky Heart this morning.”

Rainbow saw Scootaloo’s body tense up when she heard the words, “Like I said, Squirt, it’s nothing bad,” she reassured the filly, “All I want to know is why you never told me about it.”

Scootaloo took a few moments as Rainbow waited patiently for an answer, and eventually a mumble escaped her mouth.

“Didn’t quite catch that, Squirt,” Rainbow replied.

“I said… because there was never a reason to talk about it,” the filly started as she took a long sigh before continuing, “I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t want to involve you in something that doesn’t sound cool.”

Rainbow watched as Scootaloo turned her head up towards her, eyes slightly glazed like she was trying to hold back something. Dash didn’t want to push too far, but she wanted to know the basics, at least. She put a wing around Scootaloo as the filly went back to staring at the ground.

“So… you live with Sky Heart?” Dash asked.

“Yeah, we live near where the old Library used to be,” Scootaloo explained, “My parents got a job in Filly, so I had to go stay with her, she’s nice… but-”

“Not like having a proper family?” Rainbow finished as Scootaloo looked back at the mare, surprised, “Yeah, she told me that,” Dash finished.

“I-I guess you’re right,” Scootaloo said, her ears flopping to the ground. Rainbow found her heart slowly rising to form a lump in her throat, sighing, she made a decision.

Scootaloo didn’t get the chance to gauge the situation as she was lifted up into the air and caught within two large wings, her body now lying on the soft fur of Rainbow’s chest. Her eyes scanned the soft surroundings to find Rainbow staring at the her with a content smile.

“Well, maybe I’m not right,” Rainbow started, “What if you had a loving family already?” she asked.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, confused by the question, “I don’t get it.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “You’ve got ponies around you who love you Scootaloo, me and Soarin included,” she started, “Now, I don’t want to rush into things… I haven’t even talked to Sky about it, but what if we helped out? Sky said she had a busy life, so why don’t me and Soarin take you home some days, would you like that?”

Rainbow felt like she already knew the answer before she’d given the question, but with Scootaloo’s nod of approval, she felt a lot more secure about going to Sky about the proposition. Rainbow ruffled the filly’s mane as Scootaloo nuzzled in return, before a knock on the door caught their attention.

“Cleaning is done,” Soarin said from the other side of the cloud mass.

“That quickly?” Dash asked with a raised eyebrow as Scootaloo giggled.

Soarin opened the door with a smirk, “Maybe I’m just a better cleaner than you think.”

Rainbow was now seriously considering the maid’s outfit as she and Scootaloo righted themselves on the cloud mattress, “Well, Soarin, I need a word with you now,” she said, turning to Scootaloo, “How about you go get your things ready for me to take you to Sky?”

Scootaloo smiled sweetly and nodded before trotting out of the room, leaving a confused Soarin alone with Rainbow.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining haven’t you?” Soarin asked, knowing full well the answer of Rainbow’s reply. The mare only nodding sheepishly in return as the stallion came and sat down.

“So, let me get this straight,” Soarin said, trying to put everything together. “You’re going to ask Sky, who is Scootaloo’s cousin, if you can take care of Scootaloo on weekdays.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow said happily, oblivious to Soarin’s deadpanned look.

“Have you thought about this?” The stallion asked hesitantly.

Rainbow sensed her coltfriend’s nervousness, bringing a hoof over to his cheek she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, “Soar, I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days now. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but everything about this just feels right to me.”

A silence fell over the pair as Rainbow awaited an answer. Up until this point in time she hadn’t checked her heartbeat, but it was now thumping rather fast. Soarin opened his mouth, letting out a long sigh, before shutting his eyes and speaking, “Just… give me one more day with her, okay? I mean, I like her a lot too.”

“Yeah, the house kinda shows that,” Rainbow said with a smug grin.

Soarin rolled his eyes, chuckling, “Look, just one more day with her and you’ll have my answer, okay?”

Rainbow knew that was a good answer, considering what she had just dumped on him in the last few minutes. Reaching out, she wrapped her forehooves around her stallions neck as the pair shared a loving nuzzle.

“Thanks Soar,” Dash said, smiling.

“Can always count on me,” Soarin replied with a wink. Dash giggled in response.

“Hey, Dash! I’m ready now!” Scootaloo called from downstairs.

“Guess you’ll be taking her back now?” Soarin asked. Rainbow nodded as she gave the stallion a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room and heading downstairs to retrieve the filly. As she descended the stairs, she saw Scootaloo near the front entrance, waiting patiently.

“Ready to go, squirt?” Dash asked, leaning down so Scootaloo could hop on.

“Think you can get me down in ten seconds flat?” Scootaloo asked competively.

“You know I can kid,” Rainbow said, opening the door to the world as she spread her wings in preparation.

Within moments, the two were in the air, the cold brisk air brushing past their coats as they looked over the dusk sky above them. Rainbow kept true to her words, getting down to the ground within a matter of moments. Soaring over the roof tops and ponies as they rounded Sugarcube Corner on their way towards the designated house.

“It’s right there!” Scootaloo called, pointing a forehoof over to a small house nestled with in rows of similar looking buildings. Rainbow adjusted her angle as the two swooped down into the front garden of the home. The small cut grass and plant pots made the home look neat and tidy, a typical home for the working pony, much different than Rainbow’s cloud castle.

Rainbow let Scootaloo stay on her back as she trotted up and knocked on the door, which was quickly opened by Sky herself.

“Hey, Dash, see you brought Scoots back on time!” the mare said happily.

“Sure did!” Rainbow said as Scootaloo slid of her back and headed into the home, “Soarin and I had a ton of fun with her, didn’t we, Squirt?”

“It was awesome!” Scootaloo replied, coming up next to Sky as the mare ruffled her mane.

“Well, I guess that means more sleep overs huh?” Sky asked as she looked at the smiling duo.

“Well, me and Soarin are always happy to come by,” Dash said as Scootaloo beamed up at her cousin.

“Well…” Sky said pondering, “I’m taking all the kids at the orphanage to see a play in Canterlot tomorrow, Scoots here really wants to go with her crusader friends to the park… could you?” the mare asked hopefully.

Rainbow nodded, “Sure thing!” she said, smiling, “I’ll come by to pick her up tomorrow.”

“See you then!” Sky said, going back into the house. Rainbow turned back to the sky as she waved goodbye to Scootaloo one last time as she took off back into the sky, hoping to see the filly again soon. Even to a pony like Rainbow Dash the feat seemed rather big for taking care of a foal, but if it made Scootaloo happy, then that was all she needed to try.

The Park

The air was much warmer today than it had been over the past few days, giving the residents of the town a real chance to get out and enjoy the rare afternoon sun at this time of year. Through the bustling crowds, Rainbow and Soarin were making their way towards Sky Heart’s home.

“Pretty eager, aren’t we?” Soarin asked with a smirk, seeing Rainbow pushing ahead of the crowd.

Dash rolled her eyes, “Says the stallion who was up all morning talking about it,” she said, giving him an amused look in return. The stallion only folded his ears back and blushed slightly in response, making Rainbow smile as she turned back to see the house not too far away. Sky was already waiting outside with Scootaloo as both parties spotted one another. Scootaloo made an attempt to run for her idol, but Sky managed to hold her back from the crowds as Soarin and Dash entered the small front yard.

“Hey, Squirt,” Rainbow announced, embracing the excited filly who ran up to her as Soarin and Sky Heart traded glaces.

“Who might this be then?” Sky asked, looking to the stallion with a curious expression.

Rainbow looked up from Scootaloo and smirked, “That’s Soarin,” she said, trading looks with the Wonderbolt, “he’s the goofball.”

Sky rolled her eyes playfully, “Well, nice meeting you, Soarin, I’ll head to the orphanage now,” the mare said, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane on her way out, “I’ll see you later, Scootaloo!”

The filly waved her relative goodbye as she followed Rainbow and Soarin closely through the crowds on their way to the park. They weren’t far from it, conveniently, only being a bridge walk away from the large field.

“So, Scoots, what kind of crusading are you planning on doing?” Dash asked, looking over at the filly, slightly worried if she should have brought a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit.

“We’re gonna try and get our cutie marks in kite flying!” Scootaloo beamed happily. Letting the mare and stallion breathe an internal sigh of relief.

“Sounds like a plan, squirt!” Dash said agreeingly as they trotted over the bridge and into the park. Scootaloo made a straight dash for her friends who were already waiting in the park for her. The vast green had many ponies bustling within it that day; a few families taking a picnic and others enjoying a nice stroll along the dirt road which weaved around it. In the heat of the day it seemed like most of the town had headed out for a nice day at the park.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo shouted excitedly as she cantered over to the ponies.

“Scootaloo!” both fillies replied happily.

“Okay, girls, you go have fun, but stay in sight of me and Soar, alright?” Rainbow warned, heading over to an empty spot with Soarin under a large tree. Scootaloo and the others nodded before taking off and giggling playfully.

“So, Soar” Rainbow asked, laying down with her coltfriend under the shade, “You warming up to the idea now?”

“Slowly,” Soarin said, stealing a nuzzle from his mare, “But are you sure we can handle taking care of a filly and doing our usual routine?” he asked hesitantly.

Rainbow knew that was a valid point, and struggled to think of an answer for a few moments as she caught sight of Scootaloo playing with her friends. Taking a deep breath she spoke; “It would have to change, for both of us… but it’d be worth it,” Rainbow said happily, turning to Soarin with a determined look.

The stallion nodded happily, “Well, I guess… I just need to see if I myself am a good parent… do you think I am?” he asked.

“I don’t know what the hell you did in the house, Soar,” Dash said with a smirk, “but I heard you before I left, you guys are good together.”

“Yeah, never really gave you an explanation about that...” he said with a grin, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof.

“Now’s a better time than ever,” Rainbow said, inviting him to open up.

“Well…” Soarin began, “I kinda offered to make Scootaloo and I a smoothie...” he said, Rainbow facehoofing as he spoke.

“Lemme guess, you forgot to put the top on the blender again?” she asked, fully knowing the answer, Soarin only gave a sheepish smile.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were rapidly fixing up their kite in a large patch of free space in the park, each getting more excited as the creation neared its completion. Apple Bloom was just tying up the last of the strings when the competition of who got the first shot started.

“I want to fly it first!” Sweetie announced.

“I have wings though; I’ll be able to run faster!” Scootaloo interjected.

“Y’all’re forgettin’ I made the darn thing; I should get to fly it first!” Apple Bloom argued.

Suddenly, a pair of sniggers in the background noise caught their attention. Each filly sighed as they knew the sound like it was a call from their mother.

“Well, well, well,” Diamond Tiara said trotting over gracefully with her accomplice Silver Spoon closely behind, “If it isn’t the blank flanks,” she started, grinning evilly as she arrived on the scene.

“What is it this time, Tiara?” Scootaloo shot back with an annoyed glance, not wanting to tolerate the filly for a second.

“Oh, nothing,” the pink filly said innocently, “I just saw the three of you hopelessly failing at making a kite and thought I’d come over to watch the fight.”

Apple Bloom turned to the bully with a glare, “Now just y’all go on your way, Tiara, we don’t need ya here.”

“Oh, but of course you do!” Diamond replied in a knowing tone, “There needs to be at least one level headed filly to watch over this group of headless chickens, right, Silver Spoon?” she asked her friend, who nodded with her own snicker.

“Just leave us all alone!” Scootaloo shouted, making her point clear and punctuated.

“Hmm, no,” Diamond spat as she went muzzle to muzzle with her, “make me!”

Back over by the tree, Soarin and Dash were in a fit of hysteria as they talked about a recent event Soarin had encountered at a previous show.

“So then,” Soarin continued, just keeping his laughter to a minimum, “Fire Streak stumbles out of the bar and into the street singing the Equestrian national anthem!” he snickered.

Rainbow shares her own giggles to the conversation, her eyes momentarily going back to watch Scootaloo as a scene in front of her catches her attention.

Soarin looked over and noticed an angry pink filly knocking Scootaloo to the ground. His mind immediately switched, seeing a filly he’d bonded with in distress made his thoughts change to something he’d only ever thought of when being in the Wonderbolts; no matter the cost, he was going to protect that filly. Dash quickly got up, but Soarin’s hoof gently mets her chest.

“I got this,” Soarin announced calmly as he flew over. Dash thought about waiting, but instead decided to trot over just to make sure.

Over at the scene itself, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had just jumped in to help Scootaloo trying their best to stop it themselves.

“Diamond, get off her already!” Sweetie said, trying to push Diamond off the orange filly. Tiara only fought back as Apple Bloom turned to shout at Silver Spoon. Suddenly though, all was silenced by a loud thud, the vibration was enough to send Diamond rolling off Scootaloo and onto her back, only to stare up in fear at the Wonderbolt looming over her.

“Is there a problem here, Scootaloo?” Soarin asked calmly, but still keeping a hard stare on the pink filly.

“It’s just Diamond being her usual self,” Scootaloo replied as Silver began to back up a little.

“Hey! At least I have a purpose in life!” Diamond quipped, only to be met by the slam of Soarins hoof next to her.

Soarin leaned down a little lower, his brow furrowed as he spoke in an angry tone, “Don’t you dare say that in front of ponies, especially my Scootaloo!”

Rainbow smiled as she heard Soarin speak those words, cantering around to Scootaloo who looked with a shocked smile. Soarin looked up for a brief moment to give Scootaloo a wink before giving his hard stare again at the filly, “Do I make myself clear?!”

Diamond only whimpered in response, nodding her head. Soarin only growled as he made his final words clear, “Now you don’t bother Scootaloo or her friends again, you understand?”

The bully only nodded quickly before Soarin lifted his gaze back up, giving the filly a chance to trot off with her friend, scuttling away from the scene and out of sight. Luckily for Soarin and the rest of them, the minimal shouting hadn’t caused the park full of ponies to notice.

“You guys all okay?” Rainbow asked, making sure each filly was accounted for. Each gave a happy nod and a smile to the two adults, letting them know that no further action was needed, “Well, in that case, we’ll leave you to it. If they come back, you know where we are.”

As Rainbow began to trot back to the spot under the tree, Soarin began to turn back too, but he quickly felt a pair of legs wrap around his forehoof. He looked down, smiling back at Scootaloo beaming up at him.

“Thanks, Soar,” Scootaloo said wholeheartedly. Soarin took the opportunity to grab the filly in his hooves, picking her up and placing her near his chest.

“No problem, Scoots,” Soarin said, ruffling the filly’s mane, “Anytime. Now go have some fun!”

Scootaloo nodded before Soarin let her down to run off with her friends. His mind spun for a little while as he realised that, in that moment, he had cared for her. A small, gratifying smile spread on his muzzle before he turned around and made his way back with Rainbow, and could see his marefriend had a knowing grin attached to her muzzle.

“Well, how did you find that?” Dash said as Soarin caught up.

“I dunno,” Soarin replied, “Just doing my bit to help?”

Rainbow giggled, “You're such a goofball,” she retorted. Soarin didn’t get a chance to make a comeback as Dash turned to kiss him, “You did a great job. Trust me; I wouldn’t have done it much better.”

Soarin smiled, “Well… I guess in that case, I’ve made up my mind,” he started happily, “I’ll give it a shot.”

“You sure?” Dash asked, the pair coming back to their spot under the tree as they sat down.

Soarin draped a wing over his mare and nodded, “I’m willing to give it a try; it’s only for the best,” he confirmed, giving Rainbow the same determined look she’d given him earlier. Rainbow felt her heart swell for a moment as she smirked back at him.

For the next few hours, Rainbow and Soarin both had fun helping and watching the fillies try their utmost to get their marks. Even though like usual, it never happened, everyone still had their share of entertainment for the day. As the sun slowly began to set back down once more, Rainbow decided it was time for everyone to pack up. Scootaloo waved goodbye to her friends as Dash and Soarin trotted back to Sky Heart’s home with her. As they went over the bridge, Rainbow began thinking about her idea; now she’d gotten Scootaloo and Soarin to agree, there was only one more thing to do and now she was more determined than ever to see it through to the end.

Offering

Rainbow looked up into the sunset sky, her eyes on autopilot as her brain was still processing the uncertainty of the conversation she was about to hold with Scootaloo’s cousin. She felt the nerves rise in her chest about the idea, but her determination still won through, wanting nothing more than her to at least try. She was still in thought when Soarin nudged his marefriend softly, bringing Rainbow back to reality. As Dash realised where she was, the sight of Scootaloo gleefully skipping over to the small house made her tense up, it was as if after all the time she’d had already, she suddenly needed a lot more.

“Are we going to do this now?” Soarin asked, seeming to share the same feelings as Dash. The two were now walking slowly towards Scootaloo again as the filly awaited for Sky Heart to open the door. Rainbow looked over to Soarin, the two sharing glances at one another. After what seemed like a long silence she spoke.

“If you and Scootaloo are cool with it, I don’t think we should wait,” Dash said, not seeming to hesitate for a second.

Soarin nodded in response, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "In that case, let's do what we came here to do," he replied confidently. It was then the two heard the opening of a door, their eyes swinging back to see Sky Heart ruffling Scootaloo’s mane as she welcomed her home. The mare greeted the two other pegasi as they trotted closer to the humble abode.

“Hope she didn’t give you too much trouble,” Sky Heart began with a small smirk.

Rainbow giggled, turning to Soarin as the two shared knowing glances, “We pulled through.”

A sigh of relief escaped Sky’s muzzle as she smiled more broadly, “Well I’m glad you all had fun, many thanks again for taking her out. The orphanage was a riot as always, and I’m glad she got to have some fun rather than staying cooped up all day inside.”

“Pleasure was all ours,” Soarin confirmed with a nod.

“Would you like to come in for some coffee?” Sky asked, offering a hoof into the home.

Dash smiled happily, “We’d love to.”

Sky beamed and opened the door wider to let the two ponies in, Rainbow and Soarin squeezed by as Scootaloo ran into the living room to sit next to the couple on the plush sofa. Sky made her way into the kitchen to brew some coffee, but kept the conversation going, “I’ve never asked, but how did you come to meet Scootaloo?”

Rainbow looked over to the filly with a smile, “She’s always been my number one fan, couldn’t really keep her away half the time,” she replied with an all too knowing smirk, causing Scootaloo’s cheeks to flush slightly with embarrassment. Sky Heart trotted in moments later with cups of coffee and a glass of lemonade for Scootaloo.

“She never did stop talking about you,” Sky countered with a matching grin as she eyed the filly, setting the cups on various coasters around the small table within the room. “I’m glad you like spending time together, makes my life a little less busy.”

It was at this point Rainbow exchanged another sideways glance with Soarin, the two giving each other one last nod before Dash took a breath and continued, “Actually, Sky… me and Soarin were wanting to ask you something.”

The mare took a small sip of her cup before placing it firmly in her hooves, “Go ahead,” she asked with a smile. The four ponies going silent for a moment as Rainbow contemplated the correct way to offer such a large commitment as this.

Rainbow began draping a wing over Scootaloo, the filly looking up to her with a smile as she began, “When we first met, you told me you wanted Scootaloo to have a real family. It got me thinking for a while and I’ve realised that Scootaloo,” she took a pause to share a look with the filly, “Means a heck of a lot to me. If it helps you, me and Soarin would like to offer taking Scootaloo on a more permanent basis.”

When Dash looked back up from Scootaloo, she saw the nearly expressionless mare staring at the three on the sofa. Dash fought back the urge to look away and instead kept her content smile. It seemed like hours before the silence was broken.

“You mean that?” Sky suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Every word,” Rainbow reaffirmed with a nod, tightening her grip slightly on the filly by her side.

It was after this that Sky’s expression started to soften, a smile beginning to form on her lips, “Well… as long as Scootaloo is okay with it,” she said, looking at the filly who nodded eagerly, “then I’m more than happy to let you help, it means more than you know to hear that.”

“Can we go for another sleepover then!” Scootaloo asked excitedly, making everyone in the room give a light chuckle, breaking what was left of the awkward silence.

“You’ve got school tomorrow, young filly! You’ll have to wait.” Sky said with a grin as the filly pouted.

“Aw, come on!” Scootaloo argued, while Rainbow and Soarin tried their best to quench their own fits of laughter as the filly threw a fit.

“Well, maybe if you ask nicely, Rainbow might see you after school,” Sky Heart replied, giving Dash a wink. Scootaloo turned to her idol with pleading eyes, ones that even Rainbow couldn’t resist.

Dash ruffled Scootaloo’s mane happily, “I’ll pick you up after school, Squirt.”

With that Scootaloo happily took her first drink of her beverage, letting silence fill the room once more. It gave Rainbow a few moments to contemplate what she’d just done, and she honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. She knew this would now be a large commitment that she’d need to keep up, but she was happy to lend a hoof regardless.

“I’m guessing you both will be at work tomorrow as well?” Sky asked, looking at the couple.

Soarin groaned, quickly pushing a forehoof onto his skull, “Spitfire’s gonna have me taking laps all morning.”

Rainbow gave a sympathetic smile towards her stallion, “At least you don’t have to fill out weather shipments all day.”

The small giggle from the opposite side caused both to turn their eyes back, seeing Sky with a hoof up to her muzzle, “Nowhere near as crazy as mine.”

Rainbow returned the chuckle, “Say, I never asked. What’s it like bein’ a manager for the orphanage?”

Sky Heart leaned back in her chair and pondered on the thought, “I guess… hectic. I mean, you do move around quite a lot, you know? Managers rotate a few times through different places, but luckily me and Scoots have stuck right here in Ponyville, mainly because we don’t have other orphanages close enough for us to switch. However, the best part about it has really been helping those little foals grow and get a family they deserve.”

“Have you ever moved before?” Soarin asked hesitantly.

Sky shook her head in return, “Never, you have to be interviewed and accept the contract first too," she said reassuringly. "Will either of you two ever move?”

“Soarin’s usually out,” Dash cut in, making the point clear, “But I’m always around, since my job’s here and all.”

“That’s good to hear; at least now I know Scootaloo always has someone to watch over her,” Sky happily replied.

“She always has,” Rainbow said with a grin, ruffling the filly’s mane with a forehoof as she giggled lightly.

Soarin winked to the smiling filly as Sky shared a warming look at the trio. In the mare’s mind, she couldn’t help but see the three as if they were a happy family, just starting out their new era of life together. The feeling was something the orphanage manager knew all too well and It made her heart swell ever more, thinking that Scootaloo might just get the chance she deserved.

Looking over to the last flickers of sun passing through the horizon, Rainbow gave a contented sigh, “Guess me and Soar should be heading back before it gets dark, leave you guys to get yourselves ready for tomorrow.”

Sky nodded happily and stood up, letting the two ponies go towards the exit of the home, Scootaloo following closely after them. As Rainbow and Soarin got to the threshold of the entrance, they turned back around to bid the ponies farewell. Rainbow leaned down and embraced Scootaloo softly with her wings as she let the filly nuzzle into her neck snugly.

“I’ll be back for you after school, ‘kay?” the rainbow mare said.

Scootaloo nodded, letting out a muffled reply of Acknowledgement. Sky then took her place in front of the ponies, grinning happily.

“I’ll see you both later,” Sky replied, suddenly hugging Rainbow Dash quickly before moving back, “Again, thank you for offering this,” she said, pulling Scootaloo close to her side, “It means a lot.”

Rainbow couldn’t help but give one of her trademark smirks, “Just me bein’ awesome.”

The reply gave cause for the rest of the ponies to laugh a little, Soarin rolling his eyes in mild amusement, having heard the statement many times before. The four ponies then exchanged a few last smiles before waving goodbye to one another. Rainbow and Soarin began trotting out of the home, spreading their wings and taking off into the darkening sky above as their views began to fade out of sight. Sky looked down at the filly next to her with a content smile.

“Guessing you’ll be staying over at Rainbow’s then?” Sky Heart began, referring to the day ahead. Scootaloo gave a giddy nod, a grin beginning to form.

“It’s going to be awesome!” the filly in question exclaimed.

“Just like you said this morning’s burnt toast would be,” Sky replied with a giggle.

“Hey! It was totally going to be!” Scootaloo defended as the two trotted back into the home, the filly taking one more look out into the now dark sky, smiling a little as she began to get more excited at the thoughts of tomorrow.

An Unexpected Pick Up

The ear rattling sound of the school bell resonated, opening the building’s entrance as foals began to pour out onto the dirt road where many parents were waiting to pick up their children. Scootaloo was one of the last to emerge, trotting down slowly with her friends who were in full conversation.

“So, you guys want to come over to mine tonight?” Sweetie Belle asked kindly, “I’m sure my sister will say yes!”

Applebloom snorted, “Yeah, after the last time when y’all tried to get cutie marks in room decoratin’ an’ ended up showerin’ the place in glitter.”

Sweetie groaned, “Okay, maybe that was a bad idea,” she admitted, as the yellow filly attempted to stifle laughter at the recent memory. The two then looked over to Scootaloo, who had been absent from the recent conversation.

“So do you want to come over as well, Scootaloo?” Sweetie asked.

Scootaloo shook her head as she turned to her friends, “Sorry girls, I’m going to Rainbow’s tonight,” she informed, causing the other two to pout, “Don’t worry, we’ll do it tomorrow!”

“Fine,” the two other filly’s chorused with a somewhat annoyed tone, leaving Scootaloo to feel rather guilty.

“I’ll bring cakes from Sugarcube Corner...” Scootaloo offered with a grin. Both of her friends lighting up instantly and nodding, “Alright then, I’ll see you girls later,” she finished with a giggle, waving goodbye to them as she looked out onto the road. She was confused when her eyes didn’t spot a rainbow mane throughout the crowd of families as she began to trot over to them. As she looked all around she noticed Soarin leaning on the front gate to the school.

“Hey kiddo,” Soarin said with a smile, “Good day at school?” he asked as the filly trotted over to him.

Scootaloo nodded, “It was alright,” she said plainly.

Soarin’s smile faded a little, “Sorry Dash couldn’t pick you up, Scoots, something about Derpy heading north again?” he said, with a tone of confusion. Scootaloo looked back over to the school, seeing Dinky being escorted to her house by Flitter and Cloudchaser, confirming the mare’s absence.

“It’s cool,” Scootaloo said with a modest wave of a hoof, “You’re still awesome.”

Soarin chuckled, “I’m flattered, even after all of those pillows you threw at me,” he replied, thinking back to recent events in the cloud home.

“I could still kick your flank now,” Scootaloo shot back with a grin.

“I think that’s a good enough excuse for round two,” Soarin countered with a matching expression as he lowered himself to let Scootaloo hop onto his back.

“Thanks,” Scootaloo said, happy to take the weight off her hooves, “So, what are we gonna do now?”

Soarin pondered as he began to trot away from the school grounds, this was a perfect opportunity to cause some mischief - something he and Scootaloo were currently both very good at doing. However, the last strands of common sense tugged at him and changed his mind to something a little less messy, “Hey, you ever been cloud hopping?” he asked.

Scootaloo pondered before shaking her head innocently, “What’s that?”

“Well,” Soarin began, “It’s a simple idea, you jump from cloud to cloud,” he said gleefully.

“How’s that any fun?” Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It isn’t,” Soarin said with a smirk, “Unless you make it a race.”

Scootaloo’s eyes seemed to spark instantaneously, “Awesome! Let’s do it!”

Soarin beamed as he spread his wings, waiting for Scootaloo to latch around his neck before taking off into the sky above. Quickly getting to a high altitude, Soarin began surveying the sky around both of them, he noticed a patch of clouds not too far off in the distance as he began beating his wings in the general direction.

“Soarin?” Scootaloo asked behind him.

“What’s up?” the wonderbolt asked, turning back to her momentarily but keeping his eyes on the sky ahead.

“Do you do cloud hopping in the Wonderbolts?” she asked quizzically.

Soarin held back his laughter, knowing the filly didn’t have a clue about the training aspects of being a Wonderbolt. However, he knew himself if this was part of the training programme it would make mornings a lot more bearable.

“Nah, but it’s still a lot of fun!” he replied back after a few moments, fanning his wings out as the two came into contact with the soft surface of a nearby cloud, “I’ll show you what to do first,” he said, letting Scootaloo slide off his back before demonstrating. He stood on all fours, Scootaloo watching intently as he leaned onto his hind hooves before jumping. The spring from the fluffy mass sent him high in the air, and over the small gap onto another cloud not too far away from the one Scootaloo was sitting on.

Soarin turned back with a smile, “Think you can do it?” he asked.

“Totally!” Scootaloo exclaimed, getting up and trying the same with her hooves.

“It’s simple!” Soarin shouted back, “Just jump like you would do on the ground!”

With this added information Scootaloo did as was instructed, using her hind legs she pushed on the cloud surface feeling the elastic spring from the fluff shoot her up into the air, she quickly got her bearings and landed onto the soft cloud next to Soarin.

“There you go!” Soarin said happily, ruffling the filly’s mane, “Think you can race a Wonderbolt, then?” he asked narrowing his eyes in determination.

“Like I said before, I can still kick your flank,” she said giddily.

“Gotta catch me first!” Soarin said as he quickly jumped onto the next cloud, Scootaloo buzzing her smaller wings as she shot after him in hot pursuit. The sounds of laughter soon followed as the two raced around after one another with seemingly no finish line in sight, not that they had stopped to discuss one anyway.

Soarin smiled as he looked behind to see the filly running to jump onto the cloud he was currently on. It had been a few days since the two had done something together, the times they had always made Soarin crack a grin. He liked Scootaloo’s personality, it was like a reflection of both him and Rainbow in one pony, almost like she was his own daughter. Thinking this suddenly made Soarin pause as he processed the last thought. Could he really be a proper father figure for her?

“Come on, slow poke!” Scootaloo said as she quickly passed the slow stallion, jumping onto the next cloud. The action quickly pulled Soarin back to reality as he noticed the loss of his lead. Spreading his wings he grinned as another idea came to mind.

Scootaloo was still attempting to make a strong lead before she was quickly swept off her hooves and into the cloud, rolling over until she was pinned down by the stallion, with a feather dangerously close to her tummy. Scootaloo gave a look of ‘don’t you even dare,’ but Soarin’s grin said differently.

“So, guess that means I’ve won?” Soarin declared joyfully.

“This how you win all your races at the Wonderbolts?” Scootaloo giggled, not realising her quip had gotten her into a bad position as the feather began tickling her soft fur, “Ehehahaha, stop it!”

“Not until you say I won,” Soarin replied in a sing-song tone, watching as the filly tried to wrestle out of his grasp.

“Like Celestia you won!” Scootaloo announced in a fit of hysteria, only prolonging the tickling, “C-Come- ehehaha, come on!”

“Don’t say the Princess’s name in vain, Scootaloo,” Soarin playfully chided as he kept tickling, “You gonna take that back yet?”

“F-Fine, heheh, alright, you win!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she began to leak tears of laughter.

Finally Soarin stopped, a winning grin on his muzzle, “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” he asked, only for Scootaloo to use a forehoof to kick the stallion, making him topple over onto the cloud himself, Scootaloo giggling at the easy fall. Soarin smiled as pulled the filly into his chest with a wing as the two shared a laugh together.

“You’re awesome, Soarin,” Scootaloo said with a giggle, nuzzling into Soarin’s chest as he let a broad smile wash over his muzzle. The thoughts about being a father slowly came back to him as he watched the filly catch her breath once more, but he pushed those thoughts aside; he’d think about those things another time.

“Well, what do we have here?” came a voice as the two ponies looked back, seeing Rainbow Dash landing at the other edge of the cloud. Snickering slightly the mare continued, “Didn’t know you were this sappy around your fans, Soarin.”

The comment only served to leave a slight burn on the stallion’s cheeks as he and Scootaloo got back up. Scootaloo ran over to Dash, who leaned down to let the filly clamber onto her back, “So, what have you guys been up to?” she asked.

“Cloud hopping!” Scootaloo said happily, as Rainbow looked over to Soarin the mare giving him a genuine smile as he returned it, “It was great!” the filly continued.

“Sounds awesome!” Rainbow said as she turned her attention back to Scootaloo, “So, you ready for another sleepover?” she asked happily, to which the filly replied with a gleeful nod. Smirking, the fast mare turned to her coltfriend, “You wanna race there?”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way!” Soarin announced as they both spread wings and launched into the air, with one very ecstatic filly in tow.

The door to the cloud home creaked open, one very proud mare and filly trotting into the home with a rather dejected stallion behind them, the house was rather cold, but nopony had been in it since this morning. Dash let Scootaloo hop onto one of the sofas in the living area before cantering back over to Soarin in the kitchen.

“Enjoy having your flank kicked?” she asked with a giggle, nuzzling her stallion who smiled and playfully shoved her back a little.

“You’re such a bad winner, Dash,” Soarin remarked as he poured himself a glass of water.

“Maybe, but that’s not what you said last night,” Dash replied with a grin, watching Soarin’s cheeks and ears flush red.

“Tease,” he simply replied.

Rainbow reveled in her victory once more before helping the stallion to prepare some snacks and drinks for tonight. The two worked in relative silence with the small background noise of the television that Scootaloo was watching. It wasn’t until a little later that Soarin spoke up, the recent thoughts eating away at the back of his mind once more.

“Say, Dash… you remember in the park when I asked if I was a good parent?” Soarin said, a little quietly so a certain member of the house couldn’t hear.

Dash stopped and looked over to him, “What about it?” she asked, her tone concerned.

“D-Did you mean what you said? About me being a good parent?” he asked, “It’s just I’m not quite sure about-”

The pressure of Rainbow’s soft lips against his was enough to stop him dead, it was only a small kiss, but it was enough to let Rainbow take her turn to speak, “Soarin, you are a good parent. You wanna know why?” Dash asked, moving closer to him as the pair hugged, “I’ve never seen Scootaloo unhappy when she’s around you, and I know she never will be, trust me, you’re doing just fine.”

“Thanks Dash,” Soarin whispered with a small smile, the pair sharing another small kiss. It was one of the reasons he loved his mare, she was all he needed when he was in any kind of mood. And for Rainbow he knew it was the same way, the two had always clicked like puzzle pieces. Or at least, he liked to think of it that way. However cheesy it might sound.

“Ready to start another night of awesomeness?” Dash asked happily, taking one of the snack bowls in.

“You know it!” Soarin replied with a happy grin, following in straight after her to enjoy another night of fun.

Fueled Fantasy

Scootaloo felt more at home when she was with Rainbow and Soarin, as she laid cuddled up to the mare’s soft fur she couldn’t help but think of just how much time she’d recently spent with them. As she began to ponder more on the subject, something began to eat away in her mind. Her thoughts turned to what was said the day before about the two pegasi taking care of her on a more permanent basis. Would her idols really become her mom and dad?

Currently the three ponies sat around the television, staring intently, all captivated by the moving pictures in front of them. Rainbow was holding Scootaloo close as the pair looked towards the screen with sleepy eyes, Soarin slowly eating the remaining popcorn out of the near empty bowl. It had been a few hours since the sleepover had begun and so far the only fun had been the movie currently showing on the television, but as the credits began to roll past the screen that fun quickly seemed to vanish. Scootaloo let out a small yawn, quickly clapping her hooves across her mouth as she looked over to Dash who was already grinning at her.

“Someone tired?” Dash asked in a sly tone. Scootaloo shook her head, thoughts of the last sleepover rushing through her mind. Rainbow leaned down, muzzle to muzzle with Scootaloo as she whispered, “I think you are.”

Dash gave the filly’s nose a slight nuzzle, making her giggle out as Soarin turned around to see the pair, “Now, Dash, what did you say about being sappy around fans?” he quipped with a smirk.

Dash looked at her coltfriend and then back to the filly, the two sharing a rather mischievous yet knowing look that Soarin knew all too well. Rainbow made sure to give him a five second head start before her and Scootaloo grabbed pillows off the nearby sofa and chased after him. The house was suddenly alive with the sound of laughter as the pegasi ran around. The two ponies quickly cornered Soarin in the kitchen before beginning to advance on him slowly.

“T-Time out?” Soarin asked in meek desperation as his back pressed up against the cloud refrigerator.

“Not a chance,” Rainbow said as the two jumped, pummeling Soarin with the fluffy mass of their pillow weapons. Within moments the stallion was already on the cloud floor, but he managed to squirm free of the two ponies, quickly getting back to all fours as the pillow fight turned into another chase. Soarin bolted for the bedrooms, Scootaloo and Rainbow’s laughter following with him.

“Why is it always me?!” Soarin called back as he ran into the the bedroom, finding himself caught once again as he found the only exit was blocked.

“Maybe because you're just a cheeseball?” Rainbow replied with a chuckle as she and Scootaloo started another advance.

“Or maybe it’s just because I’m that irresistible?” Soarin retorted with another smirk. Making both ponies stop dead in their tracks.

“You win this round,” Rainbow said simply, leaving the stallion to revel in his victory for a moment before she pounced on him. Pinning him to the bed as Scootaloo took the lead, taking her wing and pulling out a feather before holding it close to him.

“Remember this?” Scootaloo asked with a grin as Soarin’s pupils dilated quickly.

“Ready to beg for mercy?” Dash continued with a snicker, Scootaloo bringing the feather inches closer.

“You’ll never take me alive!” Soarin exclaimed as Scootaloo began the next phase of assault, tickling up and down his fluffy chest as Rainbow kept his hooves from intervening.

“You’re-haha, you’re too cruel!” Soarin laughed as he struggled against his mare’s hold, quickly breaking free as he dived over to Scootaloo, tickling her while Dash tried to break the pair up, only to get caught up in it herself. After a few moments of more tickling the three fell down onto the mattress as they panted for breath.

“Shall we call it a draw?” Soarin asked hopefully between breaths. Rainbow nodded as she laid her head on the pillow, with Scootaloo lying on her stomach catching her own oxygen. Soon the ponies began to yawn in unison, each feeling sleep coming to them. Soarin got off the bed and laid the covers over the two ponies before crawling back in quietly.

“Rainbow?” Scootaloo asked softly as the three began to snuggle up within the large bed.

“What’s up, Scoots?” Dash replied calmly.

“Well,” Scootaloo paused, “D-Does this now mean we’re kinda like a family now?” she asked, a hopeful tone to her soft voice.

The question caught Rainbow off guard. The mare took a few moments to process the thought in her mind. It was what she wanted, but was taking Scootaloo in for a few nights enough to give them that title?

“I-I don’t know, Scootaloo,” was all Rainbow could say.

It only took the look in the filly’s eyes after she had spoken those words for Rainbow to quickly jump in, holding her close as she began to play with her purple mane softly, “Hey, that’s not to say we couldn’t be,” the mare said, hoping the positivity would help lift the filly's spirits.

Scootaloo smiled a little, “You mean it?”

Dash nodded firmly, “You bet.”

As she watched the filly lay her head onto her chest for some sleep. Dash couldn’t help but think on those words more. If anypony was to take one look at her right now, there would be no doubt that she looked like the proud mother of a small family. However, it puzzled Dash to think who she really was to Scootaloo, was she still the loving sister she’d tried to be? Or was she something much more than that now?

With a sigh, Rainbow laid her head further into the soft cloud pillow. She would have to talk to Sky more about it when she next saw her. For now though, she was going to be happy with being able to take care of the filly who cherished her just as much.

“Goodnight, cheeseball,” Rainbow spoke softly as she bopped Soarin on the nose, the stallion giving a small snore in approval. The mare chuckled quietly before giving a look at the cute filly curled up on her chest and breathing calmly, she leaned in and gave a soft kiss on her forehead before whispering, “Goodnight, my Sweetheart.”

Soarin cracked his eyes open as the light hit him. He was always an early riser in his youth, but he wasn’t really like that anymore. With a groan, he shuffled lightly on the bed, his eyes falling on the two ponies in front of him who were just waking up. Dash gave a yawn as she stretched her forehooves out, while Scootaloo rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she regained consciousness.

“So, what’s on the agenda today, then?” Soarin asked in a groggy voice as he moved towards the edge of the bed to get up.

“More sleep,” Scootaloo announced, rolling off Rainbow’s chest and laying on the warm area which Soarin has just occupied, causing both adults to laugh a little at the slightly adorable scene.

Rainbow ceased her snickering as she righted herself on the bed, looking towards the stallion with a grin, “Well since you’re already up Soarin, you can make breakfast.”

The sky blue stallion stopped suddenly in his tracks, silently cursing himself for making the move as Dash sat there with a smug grin. He sighed before turning to his love with a sarcastic smile, “Of course, Your Majesty.”

Rainbow had to try her best to suppress her laughter as Soarin trotted out of the room. The stallion headed down the steps to the main living area of the home, taking a right towards the kitchen before stopping as he heard a knock at the door. He quickly opened it to reveal Derpy Hooves hovering just in front of him, her mail uniform proudly worn as she held a letter out to him.

“Letter for Rainbow Dash,” Derpy announced as Soarin took the parchment kindly.

“Thanks, Derpy,” he said happily as the mare gave a salute before heading off, Soarin shutting the door as he headed for the kitchen. He eyed the parchment carefully but decided to leave it on the kitchen table for now.

It was a few minutes later as Soarin was just about finished with making the group’s meal that he heard Rainbow and Scootaloo descending the stairs.

“Took you long enough,” he said with a chuckle, keeping his eyes on the sizzling food.

Rainbow shrugged playfully, trotting up to the stallion. “We’re just surprised that it’s not a burning smell for once.”

Soarin laughed, “Honey, you’re hardly one to talk,” he replied with a grin.

Dash felt her cheeks burn slightly as she poked Soarin in the side, revelling in watching the stallion flinch slightly before spotting the parchment on the table, “That for me?” she asked, gesturing towards the letter.

Soarin nodded as he placed the cooked waffles onto the nearby plates that he’d set out; “Yep, Derpy dropped it off a few moments ago.”

Dash trotted over, taking the parchment into her hooves as she took the letter out. Her eyes began to sift over the paper as Soarin brought over the waffles to a very hungry looking Scootaloo, who was licking her lips at the sight.

Dear Rainbow,

I hate to bring this to you on such short notice, Dash, but the Mayor has just informed me that I’m required at a meeting in Manehattan. Something to do with Managerial Training for all orphanages in Equestria. It does mean I will be away until the end of the week, though, so if you have an issue caring for Scoots beyond a few days, then there’s someone you can call on at the orphanage just in case.

P.S ~ If Scootaloo needs anything from the home, she knows where to find the spare key.

Sky Heart

Rainbow didn’t care to read any of the details for the extra carer, she would be able to take care of Scootaloo over the week. She actually felt excitement when she put the parchment back down, like when her father would let her stay with Fluttershy a little longer. However, it did mean she would have to wait to ask Sky about her lingering questions from the night before, but they could wait until then anyway.

Turning to Scootaloo, who was amusingly going muzzle first into the waffles, she spoke, “Hey, Scoots, looks like you’ll be staying here a little longer.”

“Was it Sky?” Soarin asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing the announcement must have come from whatever was on the letter. Rainbow nodded back taking a seat between the two at the table.

“Yeah, she said she’s been called to some manager thing.” Rainbow replied simply as she turned to Scootaloo who was beaming at the idea of spending more time with her idols, “You’ll be spending a whole week here now.”

“Awesome!” Scootaoo cheered.

Rainbow smiled back as she began thinking about what they could get up to during the next week. One idea stood out against all of them, but she decided to keep it a secret to surprise the filly with later. As she dug into her own waffles though, she remembered more about her thoughts from last night. Maybe rather than waiting for Sky to return, she could ask Twilight. She made a mental note of the idea before finishing up her waffles and looking towards the ecstatic filly in front of her. Those things could wait for later. As for right now, she was gonna give this filly one heck of an awesome week.

Books and Wings

“Alright guys, I’m heading over to Twilight's to hand these Daring Do books back,” Rainbow announced as she stuffed the said books into her saddlebags while trotting towards the front entrance of the home.

“Have fun!” Scootaloo announced from the stairs as Soarin exited the kitchen and gave a small wave.

“I’m trusting the pair of you not to wreck the house this time,” Rainbow said as she glanced back at the two with a smirk.

The sky blue stallion gave a small chuckle. “You can count on us,” Soarin said with a sheepish smile. Rainbow only proceeded to let her smirk widen as she made a motion with her hoof, pointing it to her eyes and then to her coltfriend, who only shied further away. Giggling to herself at the reaction, Rainbow gave a final goodbye before heading out of the door. Leaving her mind to ponder over the real reason why she was making the trip.

It wasn’t a real problem, if anything it was just curiosity eating away at the back of her mind. However, with Sky Heart away for the rest of the week, this seemed like the best option to get rid of any burning questions. As Dash skimmed across the sky towards the center of town her mind began to wander further into the question, in all honesty Rainbow did feel nervous about the reality of creating a family, but what pony wouldn’t be nervous about being given responsibility for another pony?

Dash shook her head to clear the thoughts; they would all be answered in a few moments. As she landed on the dirt streets of the town, she quickly made a beeline straight for the Castle. As she approached she proceeded to knock on the large doors, waiting for an answer. The seconds began to tick by without a word, Rainbow knocked again as she spoke, “Twi! You in there?”

Suddenly the doors were surrounded in a large aura as they swung open to reveal a sheepish looking alicorn. Rainbow only raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Twilight gave a small chuckle to break the awkward moment, “Sorry, Rainbow, I’m still getting lost around here,” she admitted with a flush of crimson growing on her cheeks.

Rainbow tried to hold herself from falling down the steps of the castle in a fit of laughter, “Don’t you get Spike to get the door for you anymore?”

Twilight’s blush only deepened, “I would, but I think he’d get lost trying to find me.”

Dash couldn’t hold herself after that; she fell onto the ground laughing. Twilight rolled her eyes as she began trotting back into the building, letting Rainbow enter at her own leisure. After the mare had finished her giggling fit, she trotted through the doors to see the alicorn not too far away, a floating book in her magical grasp.

“So, any particular reason for your visit besides wanting to embarrass me?” Twilight inquired with a grin.

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck as she chuckled nervously, “Actually, there was,” she began, reaching for her bags as she took out a few books and hoofed them to her friend. “There was also a question I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

“Oh?” Twilight said as she took the books, “What would that be? If it’s about making a double rainboom, then the answer is no.”

Rainbow suppressed another fit of laughter as she shook her head, “Nah, I could do that myself anyways,” she replied boastfully before continuing with her real question, “It was actually about Scootaloo.”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, a hint of concern in her voice as she eyed Dash carefully.

Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively, “It’s nothing bad, Twi, it’s just… well… she asked me last night if we were a family.”

“Oh,” Twilight responded softly, taking a few moments of the silent air before speaking, “Well, what do you think about that, Rainbow?”

The pegasus sighed as she thought the question over, “I-I’m not too sure, Twi. I want it, but what does that make me to her?”

Twilight smiled genuinely at her friend, “It makes you a surrogate mother to a filly who idolizes you more than what’s probably deemed healthy,” she added with a slight giggle.

Rainbow returned the laughter as she began thinking the title over in her head. She liked, no, loved the idea, “Thanks, I know that me and Soar can handle it, but it’s just that-”

“That you’re nervous,” Twilight finished with a nod, “I think that’s the same for any new parent to ever walk the face of Equestria. Trust me, Dash, you’re doing really well with her at the moment. Plus I heard from the mayor that you have Scootaloo for the whole week, maybe this is the time where you can get all those nerves out of the way?”

Rainbow nodded in agreement at the alicorn’s suggestion, “I’ll try that. Thanks for the help, Twi.”

“Anytime,” Twilight replied, “Is that all?”

Dash nodded, “Yeah. I was gonna head back and take Scoots out for a little bit of flying.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Twilight began, “door’s on your left, by the way,” she continued as she began trotting over to the shelf where she placed Rainbow’s books back neatly.

Dash smirked, “I think I came in from the door behind me.”

Twilight let the last book fall out of her grasp as she face hoofed, giving Rainbow the perfect opportunity to let out a small snicker. After a few moments, she said her goodbyes, leaving the princess to her duties as she headed out of the castle and into the skies, heading directly back to the home.

Within minutes, Rainbow Landed close to the front entrance of the cloud house. However, she began to tense up at the sound of laughter coming from within the home. Nerves rose within her chest at the thoughts of what greeted her the last time she was in this situation.

Please let the house be clean.

She reached a hoof out for the door. As she opened it, however, the laughter stopped completely. The first scan of the room confirmed that everything was in the same place as she remembered, but a more alarming fact was going through her head.

It’s quiet… too quiet.

A second scan of the room confirmed her fears. As her eyes drifted up, she noticed a rope attached crudely to the door in a contraption to tip a bucket of water onto her. A grin crept across Rainbow’s face as she quickly grimaced in pain.

“Oh no! Soarin, help! I think I broke my wing!”

Soarin immediately ran out from his hiding spot behind the sofa, “Are you sure?” he asked, his tone heavily laced with concern as he rushed to his mare’s aid, opening the door to get a better look at Dash. However, it was only when he saw an all too knowing smirk run across Rainbow’s lips did he know what had occurred.

Soarin proceeded to yelp as the cold water splashed onto his coat and mane, with Rainbow bursting out in laughter a few seconds later. Scootaloo revealed herself from her own hiding spot, confused to hear Rainbow’s laughter. She quickly put her hooves across her mouth as she realised what had happened. The stallion only sighed in defeat while both ponies began calming their giggling fits.

Rainbow smiled and poked Soarin in the chest, “Never underestimate Ponyville’s top prankster.”

Soarin only rolled his eyes and crossed his forehooves in response, “Meanie.”

Dash grinned as she trotted into the home, swatting her coltfriend playfully with her tail on the way past as she cantered over to Scootaloo, “Well, how about we hit the sky today?” she asked, turning to Soarin, “Once you get cleaned up, that is.”

“Could we go cloud hopping!?” Scootaloo asked excitedly, buzzing her wings in anticipation.

“Sure thing, kiddo” Soarin replied as he began trotting towards the bathroom, “just give me a few moments.”

It didn’t take long for Soarin to get cleaned up from his failed prank. Soon, all three pegasi were standing outside the home, looking out into the blue sky ahead of them. Rainbow eyed the wide open space hungrily; it had been while since she’d just been able to get out and stretch her wings.

“So, what are we gonna do first?” Soarin asked, looking at the other two.

“How about we do some gliding?” Rainbow asked, looking down to Scootaloo who nodded happily in response.

“What are we waiting for then!?” Soarin shouted as he spread his wings and shot into the air. Rainbow leaning down to help Scootaloo onto her back before taking off after the stallion.

“Have you ever glided before, Scoots?” Rainbow asked as she caught up to Soarin, who was now cruising along the air beside them. The filly shook her head, giving Rainbow the go ahead to explain, “Well, you’ll jump off my back and spread out your wings. If you end up getting tired or don’t catch the air, then one of us will be there to get you, alright?”

“Sure thing Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo replied with a small salute.

Rainbow and Soarin both watched intently as the filly righted herself on Rainbow’s back, spreading her wings out.

“Now tilt them so that they lift you up,” Rainbow instructed.

Scootaloo nodded as she began adjusting her wings to get the most lift. Suddenly, without warning a gust lifted her off Rainbow’s back, causing the filly to drift upwards as she kept her wings outstretched.

“That’s it, Scootaloo!” Soarin shouted up to the filly and the two adults gained some altitude to stay by her side.

Scootaloo’s heart was pounding, her wings tingling as she felt the air brushing across her feathers. This wasn’t just cool, it was down right awesome. As much as she tried, she couldn’t keep a giant smile from adorning her face as she looked down onto the many clouds and the town below.

“Whatcha think, Scoots?” Rainbow asked, nudging the filly to get her attention.

“This is the most awesomest thing ever!” Scootaloo hollard as she continued to glide. Both Rainbow and Soarin couldn’t hold in their own chuckles at the sight. As Dash’s eyes drifted from Scootaloo to her stallion, she saw that he was staring right back at her, both ponies silently agreeing with one another that this was what they both wanted.

Rainbow smiled, turning back to the open blue skies ahead of her.

Nothing could get better than this.

Author's Note

I felt the story needed a little more fluff. You did approve last time :twilightsmile: You'll see another chapter on its way very soon.