The Muffin Tree

While most of the fillies and colts eagerly listened to Cheerilee wrap up the day's lessons, Scootaloo was one of the few whose gaze was fixed intently on the clock, waiting for it to strike two.

“Now then, for your homework tonight,” said Cheerilee, tapping the blackboard. “I want each of you to bring in a complete family tree and present it to the class tomorrow,”

A collective groan echoed from the students. Apple Bloom, for instance, was already lamenting the mountain of paper she’d need. Scootaloo’s heart sank further. This project posed a particular challenge for her.

A few students, like Archer, raised their hooves. “Ms. Cheerilee, what if somepony only knows who their parents are?”

“Just put down whatever you can,” Cheerilee encouraged, her bright smile offering little comfort to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo’s stomach sank. That’s the first problem, she thought. Her tree would be nothing more than a blank page. Unless she counted her “aunts”…

“Ugh, I don’t know why everypony is groaning,” Diamond Tiara’s voice sliced through the classroom, dripping with smugness. “This is a perfect chance to show how many important ponies are in my family!”

Scootaloo let her head thunk onto the desk. That’s the other problem. She couldn’t bear the idea of anypony discovering she was an orphan. It’d change everything—especially with Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo's scooter skidded around the last corner as she sped home, distracted by thoughts of the looming project. Her ride was cut short, however, when she spotted Rainbow Dash in a heated conversation with Derpy.

“Derpy!” Rainbow Dash’s voice rang out. “How could you mix up the packages again?”

Derpy blinked, eyes crossed in distress. “I-I don’t know what went wrong! I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash groaned in exasperation. “And seriously, Derpy, have you been gaining weight?” She poked Derpy’s side, eyeing her belly suspiciously. “You know it’s Ponyville’s turn to supply water for Cloudsdale next week and I need every pegasi to be in top shape. You need to stay in shape!”

“I only had a few extra muffins...” Derpy admitted, her eyes beginning to wobble with concern.

“Ugh, just—fix it! And lay off the muffins!”

Derpy nodded and fluttered off, bumping into a lamppost before veering back on course. Scootaloo cringed.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” she called, zipping up on her scooter.

“Hey squirt, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash greeted, flipping her mane back like nothing had happened

“Not much. Scootaloo shrugged, trying to sound casual. “I just got this really dumb homework about making a family tree. Who even knows that much about their family, right?” She chuckled nervously, feeling the urge to blurt everything out.

Rainbow Dash’s expression softened. She ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. “Heh, I know what you mean. I never knew my birth parents,” she said quietly, glancing around like she was sharing a secret.

“Wait—what?” Scootaloo blinked, before doing a double take. “But, I met your parents, and you’re the spitting image of them!”

“They’re my adopted family,” Rainbow Dash explained. “I was adopted. My parents couldn’t have a foal of their own, so... my birth mom left me with them.”

“That’s... just like me!” Scootaloo’s heart raced. “Rainbow, do you ever wish she’d kept you?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and smiled. “Nah, I’m sure she had her reasons and truthfully, I’m glad she did. I like to think of it as her giving me to the best parents a baby pegasus could ever hope for,” she beamed proudly. “I’d never be the awesome, cool, radical and awesome mare that I am today if it wasn’t for them.”

“Hey, I never thought about it like that,” said Scootaloo, feeling her spirits rise. “I guess it is the same for me - even if they are busy.”

Rainbow Dash noticed the despair on Scootaloo’s face, and moved closer to the filly. “Listen carefully Scootaloo, because I’m only going to say this once,” she began, making sure that no other pony could hear them, “it doesn’t matter whether you’re biologically related or not. Your aunts love you, and they’re doing an amazing job raising the best little sister in all of Equestria.

“Family is more than blood. It’s love. You’re my sister. And I love you.”

“Do you mean it?”

“I do,” smiled Rainbow Dash before she added with a warning, “now if you tell anypony I said that, I’ll deny it.”

“Of course,” Scootaloo chuckled, but a question lingered in her mind that begged to be asked. “Do you ever wish you knew her?”

“Sometimes,” Rainbow Dash wistfully stated. “The only thing I know about her is a momento she gave my parents, and a letter saying that she’d always loved me and that I’d never be alone.”

“So, what memento did she give you? Can I see it?” asked Scootaloo.

“Sure can, I always keep it with me,” Rainbow Dash bragged as she pulled out a silver chain necklace with a small bauble at the end of it.

Scootaloo carefully craned her neck so that she could get a better look. The small bauble at the end almost looked like somepony had broken off the bottom half of a silver muffin and put it on the end of a chain.

“Neat,” Scootaloo said in awe.

“Sure is. Now I gotta go squirt. I need to get my correct package from the post office,” smiled Rainbow Dash before she took off towards Ponyville’s post office.

Later that day, Scootaloo burst into her house, breathless. “Aunt Holiday! Aunt Lofty! I need to talk to you!”

Aunt Holiday popped her head out from the kitchen. “What’s got you in such a rush, darling?”

Scootaloo hesitated, scuffing her hoof. “Ms. Cheerilee wants me to make a family tree for class, and I... I don’t know anypony but you two.”

Aunt Holiday’s face softened. “Oh, sweetheart. I don’t know much about your birth parents either, but...” She trailed off, her eyes lighting up. “I do have something that might help.”

Scootaloo followed her aunt to the attic, where Aunt Holiday rummaged through a dusty box. She finally pulled out a small envelope and a silver bauble necklace.

Scootaloo’s breath caught. “What’s this?”

“A letter from your mother. And... this necklace she left you.”

Scootaloo’s jaw dropped as she took the necklace, the silver half-muffin charm shimmering in her hoof. It’s just like Rainbow’s...

“I need to see Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo yelped, darting out of the house before Aunt Holiday could respond.

Rainbow Dash had just settled in at Sugarcube Corner, unloading her frustrations to Pinkie Pie, who listened with her usual cheery grin. “... I don’t know why she bugs me. She just does, sometimes,” Rainbow admitted.

“Why though? You two are so much alike!” Pinkie said, bouncing slightly in her seat.

Rainbow scoffed. “We’re nothing alike. Name one way we’re similar.”

Pinkie PIe, never missing a beat, chirped, “You both have wings!”

“That’s because we’re both pegasi,” Rainbow replied flatly, rolling her eyes.

Pinkie Pie tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You both have the same mane and tail style, you both love Pumpkin Spice Lattes, you’re both kinda clumsy, and you’re both super loyal where it counts!” Pinkie Pie beamed proudly, ticking each point off on her hooves.

Before Rainbow could argue back, Scootaloo came crashing into the bakery like a tiny hurricane. “Rainbow Dash! You HAVE to see this!” she yelled, skidding to a stop just short of the table, her wings buzzing with excitement.

“Whoa, slow down, squirt!” Rainbow said, barely catching the blur that was Scootaloo.

Scootaloo slammed a letter and necklace onto the table, knocking over Rainbow’s drink in the process. “Look! My mom left me this! I think it’s like yours!”

Rainbow Dash, mildly annoyed about her spilled drink but more curious about Scootaloo's claim, pulled out her own necklace. The two stared, wide-eyed, as the two half-muffins clicked together to form a perfect whole.

“No way…” Rainbow muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “We’re… sisters?”

“Yes! Real sisters!” Scootaloo squealed, bouncing on the spot like a pogo stick.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “But how—"

Before she could finish, Derpy wobbled over, balancing a basket of muffins precariously on her back. “Delivery for Rainbow Dash!” she sang, oblivious to the tension at the table.

Rainbow groaned. “Derpy, I really don’t need another apology muffin—" She trailed off, her eyes widening as she noticed Derpy’s round belly. “Have… have you been eating more muffins?”

“Not since yesterday,” confessed Derpy as she began to fret.

“What do you call that then,” chastised Rainbow Dash as she pointed to Derpy’s middle.

“A happy little accident?” she replied meekly.

Rainbow Dash glared at the mare, before Derpy’s cryptic message dawned on her. “You’re pregnant?”

Scootaloo, meanwhile, squinted at the apology note, then glanced up at Derpy. “Wait a sec—where’d you get that necklace?” she asked, pointing at the identical muffin charm around Derpy’s neck.

“Oh this?” Derpy asked as she carefully pulled out her necklace and placed it on the table for both ponies to see. “ I asked a good friend to make it for me,” Derpy explained with a smile.

“H-How is this possible?” Rainbow Dash stuttered as she looked at the necklace as though it was some kind of alien object.

“Well, I just went next door and asked him,” Derpy answered.

“No - that’s not what we meant,” said Scootaloo as she handed Derpy their muffin necklaces.

“They look like my necklace,” Derpy said as she took it from Scootaloo. She examined them both carefully. “Wait, these are my necklaces!” she exclaimed before turning to Scootaloo. “But why do you have this?”

“These were given to us by our birth mother,” said Scootaloo.

“But, these were meant for my twin daughters,” explained Derpy.

“Your twin daughters?” exclaimed Scootaloo.

“D-Does this mean that y-you ... and you,” gasped Derpy as water began to gather around her eyes, “are my daughters?”

“Wait, what?” stammered Rainbow Dash. “No, no, no, I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. I mean there no way that-”

“But Rainbow Dash, her writing matches our mother’s letters,” stated Scootaloo, presenting the apologetic note from the muffin basket to Rainbow Dash. “See.”

However before Rainbow Dash could compare the note and letters Derpy pulled them both into a warm hug, which was a little difficult given her current form. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it,” she cried as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Hey, Derpy, let go,” gasped Rainbow Dash as she tried desperately to push her away.

“I was so worried that I wasn’t going to make a good mother,” she sobbed, against Rainbow Dash’s protests. “But now I ... I-”

As Derpy continued to smother them both, Rainbow Dash could feel a sudden flurry of kicks coming from within Derpy. It felt somewhat soothing and warm ... which frightened her “Will. You. Just. Hold. On -” she struggled until she was finally free from Derpy’s grasp, leaving poor Scootaloo alone with the pregnant mare.

Scootaloo, completely enveloped, squeaked, “Too tight! Too tight!”

“My precious baby,” said Derpy. “I can’t believe how big you’ve both gotten.”

“Let. Her. Go,” Rainbow Dash shouted as she tried to free the distressed filly. Try as she might, however, she was failing miserably against Derpy’s ever tightening loving hug.

“Can’t. Breathe,” gasped Scootaloo.

The whole bakery turned to watch the spectacle as Derpy swayed with Scootaloo in her grasp, all the while Rainbow Dash was struggling to free her. Mrs. Cake hesitantly approached the trio. “Uh, Derpy, sweetie? Scootaloo is turning blue…”

“Oh!” Derpy gasped, releasing Scootaloo, causing both girls to rocket backwards, tumbling head over hooves before crashing into the wall with a loud thud.

“Oh my, are you girls alright?!” Derpy rushed over, concern etched on her face. "Did anything break?"

Rainbow groaned, sliding down the wall. “Just… my pride…”

“Just need to catch my breath,” wheezed Scootaloo.

“Don’t worry your mother like that,” sighed Derpy.

“Wait Der-” but before Rainbow Dash could stop her, Derpy kneeled down and gave them both another hug, albeit gentler this time.

Mrs. Cake, trying to ease the chaos, offered, “Um… can I get you anything?”

“Water…” Scootaloo croaked, still trapped in Derpy’s embrace.

“Cider,” Rainbow grumbled, eyes half-closed in defeat. “A LOT of cider.”